Tamils in Mullaitivu thwarted the fourth attempt by Sri Lanka's land survey department to forcibly seize land belonging to Alampil Thuyilum Illam (LTTE cemetery), reportedly to extend the 10th Sinha Regiment’s military camp. 

The following account is written by a second-generation Tamil from London who was involved in organising the prolonged protest on Parliament Square in Westminster during April and May 2009, the peak of Sri Lanka's genocide of Tamils. Theeban (not his real name), then in his early twenties, was studying at a London university.

Vavuniya

The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) held a march in Vavuniya today reiterating the party’s stance in calling for justice, accountability, and an international mechanism to investigate allegations of human rights violations perpetrated by Sri Lanka. 

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued a statement refuting allegations made against him by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and claimed the Catholic leader “glosses over the responsibility of, or expressly absolves” the role of Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the Easter Sunday attacks.

Tamil families of the disappeared held a rally in Vavuniya yesterday as they continue to call on the international community to investigate the fate of their loved ones, who were forcibly disappeared by the Sri Lankan state. 

The families have been calling for international justice and accountability for years as successive Sri Lankan governments have failed to address their demands. 

Several human skeletal remains were uncovered in Muhamalai, alongside uniform believed to belong to an LTTE cadre, as yet another mass grave was discovered in the Tamil homeland.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has passed a resolution calling on Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister, Tiran Alles, to stand down after encouraging police to shoot at suspects, adding that his statement is “in direct contradiction to the fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution”.

The United States military concluded their four day Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) maritime exercise with the Sri Lankan Navy, which included training in “anti-terrorism security”, in Trincomalee.

The Canadian government said it “supports meaningful action leading to justice, accountability, peace and reconciliation,” when asked by the Tamil Guardian about the Sri Lankan government’s objection to the genocide monument in Brampton.

File photograph: Jaffna Press Club journalists remember Rajivarman and Sivaram in 2014. 

Today marks 17 years since the killing of the young Tamil journalist Selvarajah Rajivarman. 

The 25 year old, who was working for Jaffna-based newspaper Uthayan, was shot and killed by a lone gunman riding a motorbike in Jaffna on April 29 2007.