The body of 18-year-old Tamil student, Sivalingam Sivakumaran, was found by a Sri Lankan military 'high security zone', 2km from his home in Kerudaavil village in Vadamaraadchi North of Jaffna district, reports Tamilnet.

He was last seen alive on Friday. Locals believe that young student was abducted, tortured and killed. He was last seen alive on the 13th April.

Addressing the cross-party Indian delegation currently visiting Sri Lanka, TNA MP Selvam Adaikkalanandan reiterated the need for the devolution of land and police powers.

Speaking to the BBC after the event, Adaikkalanandan said,

Photograph Colombo Telegraph

A mob of Sinhala youths assaulted two Tamil youths and set fire to seven Tamil homes in the village of Dilithura in Elpitiya, Galle, on Sunday.

The Leader of the DMK, M Karunanidhi, has welcomed the idea of a referendum on an independent Tamil Eelam.

Writing in his party journal Murasoli, Karunanidhi said India should give the "required support and pressure" to effect an intervention by the UN.

“The demand for a referendum among Tamils for a separate Ealam is welcome. Some countries have earned recognition following such referendum at the intervention of the United Nations (UN),” he said.

An Eelam Tamil activist has been elected President of the Ontario NDP, the provincial branch of Canada’s main opposition National Democratic Party.

Neetan Shan, who is also vice-chair of the National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT), won against two other candidates.

Sri Lanka is intending to drastically cut back crude oil imports from Iran, as the June 28 deadline for sanctions imposed by the United States is drawing closer.

"Our efforts to finalize new arrangements ahead of the deadline were on track," Petroleum Minister, Susil Premjayantha said to The Island yesterday.

In more signs of Sri Lanka’s intention to ignore recommendations made in the LLRC, the Army Commander has used his New Year’s message to the armed forces to call on the army to be the ‘guiding light’ for development, just as it has been for unification, in the country.

Extracts from Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya’s new year message:

Tamil Nadu's DMK party announced its decision to pull out of an all-party Indian delegation set to visit to Sri Lanka this week, on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters, the DMK leader, Karunanidhi said,

“DMK never planned [to be part of the delegation]. There are past experiences to show that there is no use of such visits. Therefore, nobody from DMK is undertaking the visit.”