Kollywood actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan met with Sri Lankan officials in Chennai last week, as he took photographs shaking hands with Sri Lanka’s Deputy High Commissioner.

Haasan, who heads the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party, had discussions with officials, with the Deputy High Commission stating he “expressed his interest to ‘Support Sri Lanka’ through his Welfare Association”.

The favourite to win Canada’s Conservative Party leadership contest pledged to “bring the full weight of the Government of Canada” to ensure an international tribunal for Sri Lanka’s genocide of Tamils and called for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to be arrested in Singapore.

The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka announced over US $1 million would be provided to fund a people trafficking prevention project that is being run with the country’s ministry of defence, an institution that is accused of a range of rights abuses and still headed by an accused war criminal.

“The US is committed to ending human trafficking in all its forms,” said Julie Chung in a tweet with photographs from her attendance at in Colombo earlier today.

At least 9 Sri Lankan soldiers jumped ship and deserted the military whilst in the United States this week, after they travelled to the country to train alongside the American troops and pick up a US navy vessel that was gifted to Colombo.

“A big crew went to the USA to bring in a ship that was donated to the Sri Lanka Navy,” an official source told Economy Next. “From that crew 9 people have gone missing.”

Events were held in Batticaloa and Mannar this week to mark 39 years since Tamil prisoners were massacred at the high security Welikada prison in Colombo.

On the 25th July 1983 Sellarasa “Kuttimani” Yogachandiran, leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and Ganeshanathan Jeganathan, a political writer, had their eyes gouged out in mockery before being killed by Sinhalese inmates at the high security Welikada prison in Colombo.

Six Eelam Tamil refugees arrived in Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu by boat this morning after being forced to flee the island as a result of the worsening economic conditions.  

The Indian coast guard took the three adults and three children from Kilinochchi and Trincomalee to Mandapam police station for questioning. Following an investigation, the refugees will be moved to Mandapam refugee camp.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) wrote to the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the country this morning, in a hand delivered letter that called for “action” regarding the attack on anti-government protestors by Sri Lanka’s security forces last week.

Parliamentarian Harshana Rajakaruna was one of the SJB members who personally delivered the letter to the UN office in Colombo this morning.

The leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) told Sri Lanka’s parliament that the US ambassador in the country had used “psychological barriers” on former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, leaving him “incapable of taking certain decisions”.

In an address to parliament this morning, former Rajapaksa ally Wimal Weerawansa claimed that the influence of the US Ambassador Julie Chung had left Rajapaksa incapacitated.

A 28-year-old Muslim from Galle has been detained by Sri Lanka’s security forces after allegedly posting “hate speech” against the military on Facebook last week.

According to a press release from the Sri Lankan police, the man shared a post on Facebook condemning the army and aiming to “incite violence”.

He was detained by Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department, which has been actively monitoring social media posts across the island for years.

When the case was taken up at the Galle Magistrate’s Court, the CID objected to granting the man bail and he has since ben remanded until the 08th of August 2022.

Singapore has extended the stay of Sri Lanka’s former President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa by two weeks, according to Reuters, amidst growing calls for the arrest of the accused war criminal.

Rajapaksa is now able to stay in Singapore until August 11, according to two separate sources in Colombo and Singapore, who spoke to Reuters.