Family members of Sri Lanka’s political elite have been appointed to foreign posting whilst the Foreign Ministry insists that the decision based on experience and educational qualifications.

Amongst the appointments are Dulmini Attanayake, daughter of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) parliamentarian Tissa Attanayake, and Subashini Samaranayake, daughter of Mohan Samaranayake, Director General of the Presidential Media Unit.

Colombo Telegraph has alleged to have received a leaked report by Sri Lanka’s Presidential Commission of Inquiry on political victimisation, which is to be used to exonerate and acquit war criminal and money launders and punish respondents.

M K Stalin, president of the Tamil Nadu opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has urged the Indian Prime Minister to take the lead with a stronger line on Sri Lanka at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session.

In a letter sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, Stalin was critical of Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar's silence on the UNHRC process during his recent visit to Sri Lanka.

^{India's shipment of vaccines arrive in Sri Lanka} 

China and India have agreed to donate COVID-19 vaccines to Sri Lanka, with Chinese officials releasing a statement on 27 January, promising 300,00 free vaccines and India delivering 500,000 free vaccines to the island on 28 January.  

Following a damning report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, Human Rights Watch has endorsed the recommendations of the High Commissioner for targeted sanctions on Sri Lankan officials credibly accused of war crimes and for the establishment of an independent international mechanism to investigate violations of international law.

Former LTTE cadres are among 15 individuals remanded for allegedly transporting and selling weapons to 'underworld gangs' in Colombo.

According to newsfirst.lk, the weapons and ammunition uncovered in the North-East reportedly include Claymore Mines, Live Hand Grenades, and T-56 Assault Rifles.

The operation was reportedly uncovered after one former LTTE cadre was arrested in possession of firearms in Wattala, a suburb of Colombo.

.@mbachelet calls on intl community to establish dedicated capacity to collect/preserve evidence of crimes in #SriLanka + for States to pursue prosecutions in their national courts & consider targeted sanctions against perpetrators https://t.co/CCoyu9XImL
pic.twitter.com/CxOiz2YQn6

The US state department, US Ambassador and a US Senator have urged Sri Lanka to halt its “mandatory policy of cremating deceased COVID-19 victims”, and to respect “the traditions of its diverse communities”, as cases of forced cremations of deceased Muslims persist in Sri Lanka.

The 104th birth anniversary of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Kollywood superstar M.G. Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR, was celebrated in Jaffna on January 17 in front of his memorial statue in the city.

^{Demonstration by Tamil families last year,}

Tamil Families of the Disappeared (FOD) urged the UK to refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a letter to UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab last Friday, ahead of the 46th UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva in March.