The Australian High Court has ruled that the Immigration Department mishandled the case of a Tamil refugee who was given a negative security assessment and is being kept in detention.

The asylum seeker, Ranjini, travelled to Australia by boat in 2010 whilst pregnant, fleeing Sri Lanka. She arrived on Christmas Island and was then taken to Sydney with her two sons aged 9 and 7, to be detained at the Villawood Detention Centre. There she gave birth to her third child.

"These are the largest and most outrageous acts of mass abduction of our fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy,"

"Such brazen and near warlike acts could not have been carried out without the tacit approval of the Sri Lankan government. India's prestige and image has suffered grievous damage,"

The Special Advisor on Prevention of Genocide to the Secretary General of the United Nations, has told a UN panel that it was not only the UN which failed the people of Sri Lanka, but also all its member states.

Adama Dieng was talking during a discussion chaired by Stanford Research Fellow Tunku Varadarajan, and was responding to a question about Article 99, which stipulates that the Secretary General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.

Also on the panel was Amady Ba, the Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, who said that the ICC was powerless as Sri Lanka was not a member.

The Sri Lankan Navy arrested over 300 Tamil Nadu fishermen on Wednesday reports Deccan Chronicle. Whilst over 200 were later released, reports suggest 100 remain in custody and have been taken to Trincomalee.

Issuing a statement on its website, the Sri Lankan Navy said it had arrested 110 fishermen and 15 trawlers, which it claimed were found fishing illegal in the East.

The Northern Province’s governor, Major General Chandrasiri, has warned the TNA to abide by the constitution and national policy of Sri Lanka, according to state-owned Daily News.

"Acting against the Constitution, the Tamil National Alliance has prepared budget proposals to initiate departments in the Northern Province at their inaugural budget. I made a note that they can only establish Authorities in the Province according to the Constitution,” he said.

"I had to tell them that they are expected to uphold the Constitution and the National Policy as the councillors. They have attempted to set up a department of housing and a department of transport. There are some administrative units and structures which require the approval of the President, the governor and the Chief Minister of the Province,

The Sri Lankan Army has stated that military training received from India has been ongoing for more than four decades and the continuation of the program was “nothing new”. 

Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya told the Sunday Leader,

“India providing training opportunities for Army, Navy and Air Force personnel is nothing new”.