A joint search operation; involving army, special task force (STF) and police officers, was carried out in Kurunagar, Jaffna between 5:30 am and 6:00 am today, as military surveilance in the North continues. 

The police ordered an unexpected round-up of the local residents, in which no suspects were arrested and no suspicious items were recovered. Police officials insisted that these operations were carried out for the sake of national security.

Sri Lankan police officers have arrested a Tamil youth in Batticaloa over the alleged possession of a T-56 rifle last week.

The youth, identified as 24-year-old Kumarapodi Thanujan, was arrested after Sri Lanka's Special Task Force conducted a raid on Saturday at 10 pm in the Valaichchenai area.

They claim that the 24-year-old had the intention of selling the gun in Santhiveli area, and that they had received a tip-off from unknown sources. They further claimed that at the time of arrest he had the rifle and 27 bullets on his person.

A police investigation is reportedly currently underway.

 

 

 

The Sri Lankan government is “unleashing a chilling process of repression targeting critics and human rights defenders,” said a report by the International Truth and Justice Project – Sri Lanka (ITJP) and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS), which documented at least 69 recent incidents of intimidation and threats

The former Chief Minister of the North held talks with top South Indian actor Rajinikanth on Saturday.

C V Wigneswaran paid the Kollywood icon a visit at his home in Chennai to discuss issues facing Tamils in Eelam and in Tamil Nadu.

He reportedly extended an invite to Rajinikanth and requested that he meet Eelam Tamils in the homeland.

The Sri Lankan government is reportedly set to release a soldier who was sentenced to death over the massacre of eight Tamil civilians, according to an opposition parliamentarian who applauded the move.

“Now we have got information that the government has taken measures to release 34 members of the intelligence and Sunil Ratnayake, as mentioned during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa election campaign,” said UNP MP Ajith Perera.

<p>The Sri Lankan president has appointed a commission to look into the alleged ‘political victimisation’ of public officials during the previous government’s administration.</p> <p>The commission has been empowered by the president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to look into the ‘alleged political revenge’ on members of the armed forces and the police, as well as government officials and employees of state corporations.</p> <p>It will investigate the alleged victimisation carried out by the Bribery or Corruption Commission, Police Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID) and Police Special Investigation Unit.</p>

A Sri Lankan navy truck has killed one Tamil man and seriously injured another, after a road collision in Mullaitivu earlier this morning.

The vehicle, from the Gotabaya Navy Camp in Mullaitivu, was driving near Vadduvakal Bridge on the Mullaitivu - Paranthen main road, when it was involved in a collision. 

A protest in Jaffna called for the release of Tamil political prisoners who have been jailed in prisons across the island, following the death of one Tamil man after 26 years of imprisonment.

The killing of eleven Tamils by Sri Lankan police officers at the 1974 World Tamil Research Conference in Jaffna was remembered today.

Tamil politicians were joined by members of the public at the monument in Jaffna town erected in memory of the victims of the massacre.

Sri Lanka should replace the abusive Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) with legislation that respects international human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

The call comes after the Sri Lankan president announced last week that his government would scrap plans to replace the law.

The previous government’s promise to repeal the PTA playing a significant part in the granting of the European Union trade concession GSP plus in 2015, however the reforms were never implemented.