The militarisation of the Tamil homeland continues as an army farm was set up last week in Vavuniya - part of the a project led by the war crimes-accused Sri Lankan army commander, Shavendra Silva. The farm in Andiyapuliyankulam in the Cheddikulam division is expected to cultivate coconuts, mangoes, and other crops, and is anticipated to increase in cultivation size to 1000 acres. According to the Sri Lankan army’s official website, the crops will be produced on ‘state-owned land’.

The Sri Lankan election commission has confirmed that all election laws will come into effect at midnight on Sunday 2^nd August (48 hours before the elections); after which all campaign actions for the 2020 parliamentary elections must come to an end.

Activities such as canvassing, visiting houses, giving out leaflets and displaying posters will be prohibited, from then on.

Priya Murugappan, a Tamil asylum seeker detained by the Australian government who was urgently evacuated to Perth for urgent medical treatment, was unexpectedly transferred back to Christmas Island without any prior notice on Wednesday.

Mrs Murugappam had called the Tamil Refugee Council on Wednesday in distress when border force guards suddenly arrived to take her to the airport.

"I could hear she was in distress, and all of a sudden the phone hung up," said Mr Mylvaganam, member of the Tamil Refugee Council.

Kamal Gunaratne, an accused war criminal and Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary stated that new ‘vigilant committees’ are to be formed in schools as a step to fight Sri Lanka’s drug menace.

Earlier this year a Presidential Task Force (PTF) was set-up allowing Sri Lankan officials increased authority to undertake the alleged threat of drugs without little scrutiny. 

The announcement of the vigilant committees was made during a conference between the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) and the Defence Ministry.

The families of the disappeared staged a demonstration in Vavuniya urging for “international justice for their loved ones” and insisted they would only help elect politicians that will “solve all Tamil problems” in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Journalists, colleagues and family of a budding Tamil journalist who was murdered 13 years ago held a memorial event in Jaffna today, as they continued their struggle for justice over his killing.

Sahathevan Nilakshan, an up and coming journalist was shot and killed by suspected Sri Lankan military intelligence personnel on August 1st, 2007.

At a time when the Jaffna district was on lockdown due to a military-imposed curfew, and the city’s streets were heaving with troops, so-called unidentified gunmen were able to approach Nilakshan’s home in Kokkuvil, a busy suburb less than 5km away from town.

The perpetrators forced a friend of the journalist to accompany them to Nilakshan’s home and call him outside, before gunning him down.

A paramilitary leader who is accused of rights abuses and is a staunch backer of the Rajapaksa regime has reportedly been “assured a ministerial post,” if he wins a seat in next week’s parliamentary elections.

The Students’ Union of Jaffna University called on the Tamil people to continue the struggle for self-determination through political means ahead of the upcoming Sri Lankan parliamentary election. 

Speaking in Kandy, Sri Lankan President and leader of the SLPP, Mahinda Rajapaksa, attacked the 19^th amendment of the constitution claiming it violated the rights of people and was introduced with the aim of “taking revenge from the Rajapaksas”.

Lord Naseby, a controversial British politician who has been persistently criticised for his partiality for Sri Lanka has once again emerged to condemn the political aspirations of the Tamil people by denouncing efforts of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) to remove the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).