The Pirampadi massacre in Kokkuvil was remembered for the 33^rd year on Monday. Over fifty Tamil civilians were shot dead or crushed with an armoured vehicle by Indian Peacekeeping Forces (IPKF) during the massacre. 

The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) paid its tribute to the victims of both the Pirampadi massacre and of several other massacres that occurred in the late '80s in a tweet stating,

_{MP Rishad Bathiudeen} 

Sri Lanka’s defence secretary Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne said the state does not want to show any mercy to Bathiudeen or his associates,” as he pledged to arrest the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) “very soon”.

Former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen filed a writ petition this week seeking an order to prevent his arrest after Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) C.D. Wickramaratne was ordered to obtain a warrant to arrest the parliamentarian.

_{Kopika (left) and Tharunicaa (right)}

A Tamil asylum-seeking family-of-four is fighting another hurdle to stay in Australia, after a new deportation appeal from the government which is being heard before the Full Federal Court.

Nades and Priya Murugappan and their Australian-born daughters Kopika, 5, and Tharunicaa, 3, have been on Christmas island since March 2018, awaiting the final decision on their case. 

Amidst the uproar over Kollywood star Vijay Sethupathi’s impending appearance as Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, came the news that Eelam Tamil singer and actor Teejay Arunasalam had already declined a major role in the film.

The London-based artist who made his Kollywood debut last year, starring in Asuran alongside Dhanush, revealed earlier this week that he had been approached by the makers of the controversial ‘800’ biopic to play the young version of Muralitharan.

The president of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Thol. Thirumavalan, has expressed his concern over the Tamil actor, Vijay Sethupathi’s role in the upcoming ‘800’ movie in which he is to act as former cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, as controversy around the upcoming film continues to grow. 

The VCK have previously raised their opposition in relation to the actor’s role of a man who has been a “consistent apologist for Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism and has frequently disparaged the Tamil nationalist movement."

Yesterday, a tweet from Thirumavalan directed at Vijay Sethupathi read:

During their annual conference, senior British government ministers and MPs, within the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT), raised “deep concerns” over Sri Lanka’s human rights record and withdrawal from the UN co-sponsored resolution.

During the conference, government officials maintained their commitment to the resolution and stressed that if Sri Lanka failed to meet said commitments, alternatives avenues will need to be pursued.

Sir Ed Davey, the newly elected Liberal Democrats leader, has backed calls for sanctions against Sri Lankans accused of war crimes and called for greater recognition of the genocide of Tamils, as he spoke on the issues Eelam Tamils face in their pursuit for justice with the Tamil Guardian last week.

Speaking to Tamil Guardian on his plans for the party’s policy on Sri Lanka, Davey slammed Colombo’s withdrawal from commitments made to the UN Human Rights Council and pledged to ensure that any future British trade and economic engagement with Sri Lanka has human rights at its centre.

The Sri Lankan Muslim Media Forum expressed their disapproval over the attacks on journalists in the Tamil homeland this week and insisted that they “strongly condemn these two incidents”.

While elephants are under threat all over the world, elephants in the North-East have come under increased threat due to improper waste management.

The Jaffna Press Club held a protest in Mullaitivu demanding press freedom following a recent assault on two Tamil Guardian correspondents while working on a story on illegal deforestation.