Acting British High Commissioner, Lisa Whantsall met with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss areas of collaboration between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom last week. 

A Sri Lankan police officer has been arrested for being in possession of drugs in Ampara.

The officer from Welikada Police Station had 9 grams of heroin and 390 grams of ice seized from him, when he was stopped in the Damana area last week.

Earlier this year, a Sri Lankan army soldier and police officer were arrested for cannabis possession. The Sri Lankan government has pledged to adopt a hard stance against drug-related offences with both the Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary, Kamal Gunaratne vowing to “eradicate Sri Lanka’s drug menace” which has resulted in an escalation in intimidation and surveillance in the North-East.

Several diplomats in Sri Lanka took to Twitter to call for answers on the International Day of the Disappeared, as Tamil families of the disappeared protested across the North-East.

<p>Recently graduated students protested opposite the Jaffna District Secretariat, demanding to know why their applications to the government employment programme had been rejected.</p>

<p>Tamil activists have been "abducted, tortured and raped because of their involvement in the search for the truth about the disappeared in Sri Lanka,"&nbsp; the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) said in their press release, marking International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.&nbsp;</p> <p>The young activists "collected names or helped with protests or assisted the families of the disappeared to register complaints" before they were detained, the ITJP noted. Since 2015, at least 15 victims have been granted refugee status in the UK.&nbsp;</p> <blockquote><p>

Members and supporters of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) protested demanding the Sri Lanka government to release Tamil political prisoners who have extensively been detained in prisons.

The protest was held in Jaffna yesterday under the organisation of the TNPF in front on the Jaffna Central Bus Stand and was attended by the leader of the TNPF and parliamentarian, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, parliamentarian Selvarajah Kajendran, members of the TNPF local council among others.

Tamil families of the disappeared rallied across the North-East today to mark International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Families demonstrated in districts across the Tamil homeland and were joined by members of the public and Tamil politicians. 

<p>A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is set to be signed between Sri Lanka and India, which will grant 300 million Sri Lankan rupees to expand the passenger terminal and luggage inspection area of Jaffna's Palaly airport.</p> <p>Tourism Minister, Prasanna Ranatunge announced the measures following meetings with Gopal Baglay, India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.&nbsp;</p>

Tamil mother at a protest in Vavuniya earlier this month

 

Sir Ed Davey, a long-time of the British Tamil community, has been elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, after having secured 63.5% of the vote.

In the past, Davey has spoken in favour of recognising Tamil genocide and against the restoration of GSP+ status to Sri Lanka. GSP+ grants Sri Lanka favourable trade preferences with the European Union but was conditional on Sri Lanka’s human rights record.