Basel, Switzerland

Photos from Switzerland by Phoenix TNG.

Following Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which killed at least 248 people, including 66 children and injured 1,900, Tamils in Britain, Canada and Switzerland gathered in solidarity with Palestinians.

Tamil parliamentarians signed a letter on Tuesday, urging the United Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to acknowledge the destruction of the Mullivaikkal monument. The letter, which was signed by over 10 cross-party MPs, described the destruction of the monument by the Sri Lankan armed forces as “nothing but shameful”.

The Sri Lanka's Special Task Force (STF) opened fire on four men in a vehicle, for alleged involvement in sand smuggling activities in Kudathanai, Vadamarachchi East.

The incident, which occurred last Friday, led to a suspect from Thunnalai being arrested and three other passengers escaping. Local police are currently looking for the other passengers and have seized their Hunter vehicle they left at the scene of the incident.

The Sri Lankan Navy arrested four Tamil fishermen from Pulmoddai, Trincomalee on Thursday, for allegedly being involved in illegal fishing activities in Mullaitivu.

Tamil journalists travelling to Mullaitivu have repeatedly been harassed, intimidated and blocked at checkpoints by Sri Lankan military officers, despite presenting travel permits.

The Smart Library of the Attorney General’s Department was declared open by Sri Lanka’s Attorney General Dappula de Livera and Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong last Wednesday.

The plaque erected at the opening of the library was only in Sinhala, English, and Mandarin, excluding Tamil. This follows the passage of the Colombo Port City bill which has been widely criticised as undermining Sri Lankan sovereignty to serve Chinese interests.

The Tamil politician Peter Ilancheliyan was subjected to harassment and surveillance by the Sri Lankan army as he attempted to mark Tamil Genocide Day on May 18.

Ilancheliyan had earlier paid tribute to the victims of the Mullivaikkal massacres at Nandikadal with fellow politician M K Sivajilingam in the morning.

^{Photograph: A Sinhalese mob beats a Tamil passenger after pulling him out of his car. 1958. (Courtesy Victor Ivan)}

On this day in 1958, Sinhala mobs began to attack, rape and murder Tamils across the island, in what was to become another in a series of deadly anti-Tamil pogroms.

Estimates range from between 300 and 1,500 Tamils murdered in the days of violence which resulted in many more injured and the arson, looting and destruction of Tamil homes and businesses.

Senthamizhan Seeman, leader of the Tamil nationalist Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), has called for a ban on “The Family Man 2” and warned of “dire consequence” if the web series is released as opposition mounts against its demeaning portrayal of Tamils. 

In a press release, Seeman wrote, “The visuals featured in the trailer of the web series The Family Man 2, which is set to release on Amazon Prime, are shocking. The series seeks to intentionally portray the LTTE as terrorists and Thamizhs as vicious people.” 

Over 2,000 people who have contracted the coronavirus have been quarantined in Mullaitivu, District Secretary K. Vimalanathan said in a press briefing yesterday. 

“In Mullaitivu, 2,158 people belonging to 538 families have been quarantined as a result of contracting the coronavirus,” he said.