Excavations at the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave site in Mullaitivu are expected to resume on August 21 after a field visit was conducted today.
Sri Lanka has proposed the launch of a Climate Justice Forum (CJF) at COP 28 which will be held in the United Arab Emirates, Speaking at the Presidential Media Centre Environment Minister Naseer Ahamed stated that Sri Lanka has proposed the establishment of a CJF with the common objective of ensuring greater climate justice and accelerating the financing of losses and damages and providing an alternative and non-traditional approach. Naseer's comments come as the Sri Lanka state has refused multiple call The minister also commented on the development of 'eco-tourism' sites in Sri Lanka...
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry, decried calls for devolution whilst speaking to journalists in Colombo on Wednesday evening, claiming it would lead to greater politicisation. Noting concerns over Sri Lanka’s abusive police force, Sabry claimed: “There are allegations that the police are highly politicised. This is when there is only one minister handling police, and the institution is governed by one centre. Imagine what might happen when police are administered by nine chief ministers,” he said. Sabry urged for a debate in parliament on devolving police powers to provinces claiming...
The Tamil National Alliance has released a statement reiterating their commitment to a federal solution and urging the Sri Lankan government to immediately hold provincial elections and provide for meaningful devolutions. “The Tamil people have, since 1956, consistently given the Tamil political parties a mandate to work towards a political solution to the Tamil National Question by means of a federal arrangement in the North-East, which was recognised as the ‘historical habitation’ of the Tamil speaking people in the Indo-Lanka Accord” the TNA statement reads. The statement further notes the...
Foreign ambassadors met with Tamil Families of the Disappeared in Colombo today where they were pressed to launch an independent international investigation into the crimes committed during the final stages of the armed conflict and the fate of their loved ones. The families noted the abject failure of the Sri Lankan government to deliver answers to their questions and the repeated failures of domestic-led initiatives. Over 125 family members of the disappeared who have been active in the protests across the North-East, demanding to know the whereabouts of the disappeared and justice for...
Sinhala journalist Tharindu Uduwaragedara was detained and arrested whilst covering a union-led protest in Colombo last Friday. Are we living in a lawless country ? SL Police, there is a legal procedure when U arrest a suspect or a citizen, but U will never learn. A short while ago, Journalist Tharindu Uduwaragedara was arrested by t Borella police while covering a protest. Video via FB #law #SriLanka pic.twitter.com/n7tjqIW1j3 — Ishara M. Jayasena (@IsharaMadhu) July 28, 2023 The reaction has been swift with the International Federation of Journalists; the Federation of Media Employees Trade...
According to AidData, Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka remains a top option for China’s next naval base within the next few years, raising security concerns for the US and India. Given its “strategic location, the popularity of China among elites and the population, and Sri Lanka’s alignment with China in UNGA voting, Hambantota is our top candidate for a future base” AidData reports. The report adds: “China’s single largest port investment anywhere is at Hambantota, and Beijing exercises direct control over the facility,” Whilst Sri Lankan leadership initially stated that they would not permit...
A hartal was carried out across the North-East yesterday as Tamils across the homeland demand for an international investigation into the Kokkuthodavai mass grave.
In rememberance of 40 years since the anti-Tamil pogroms of 1983, British Tamils assembled in Trafalgar Square.
Marking the 40 th anniversary of Black July, an anti-Tamil pogrom that saw the slaughter of over 3,000 Tamils, British MPs are calling on the British government and the international community to recognise the pogrom as an act of genocide. In a video statement, MP Elliot Colburn, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils stated that: “The fight for justice, peace, and accountability for those credible accused of war crimes and committing these atrocities is still ongoing today […] We will do all we can to push the British government and international organizations to recognise the...