Controversial former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Subramanian Swamy concluded a visit to Sri Lanka this week, where he met with the war crimes accused Sri Lankan president and prime minister, as well as delivering an address to a military think tank on the island.

Swamy announced his intention to visit the island earlier this month after meeting with Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in India, stating he was hoping to “meet my dear friends the Rajapaksa & family”.

Sri Lanka’s war crimes accused president announced that a new constitution and electoral system for the island “will be delivered within the next year”, in a speech he delivered to the Gajaba Regiment to mark the army’s 72^nd anniversary.

The Sri Lankan army announced the launch of a new “1 Corps” unit that would be based in Kilinochchi this week, as it continue to expand its militarised hold over the Tamil homeland more than 12 years since the end of the armed conflict.

Protests have been initiated across the North-East, the traditional Tamil homeland, drawing attention to the plight of farmers in the island. 

The Sri Lankan government has abruptly halted imports of chemical fertilisers in a drastic attempt to supposedly make a transition towards organic farming. This move deprived the farmers, an overwhelming majority of whom are dependent on chemical fertilisers, of an essential commodity in their agriculture. 

Religious extremists have reportedly forced a Christian woman’s funeral to be held under Hindu rites in Trincomalee, as caste and religious tensions continue in the region.

According to the Barnabas Fund, Grama Niladhari officials in Karukkamunai claimed that a Christian funeral was not permitted in the village cemetery and forced the woman’s daughters to hold the funeral under Hindu customs.

A Barnabas Fund contact added that in some cases “villagers have exhumed the bodies of Christians from temple-controlled burial grounds and discarded them”.

Singer Yohani Diloka de Silva embroiled herself in further controversy this week after footage of her singing for Sri Lanka’s war crimes accused president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and shaking hands with the US-sanctioned army chief Shavendra Silva were shared online.

The singer, who faced criticism over her repeated public praise of her father - Sri Lankan army Major General Prasanna De Silva who is yet another a military commander credibly accused of overseeing war crimes – recently returned from India, where she met with Tamil Nadu based recording artists. Her visit stirred controversy with Tamil Nadu film composer Harris Jayaraj hastily deleting a photograph with Sri Lankan singer.

A blood donation camp was organised ahead of Children’s Day by graduates of 2015 of Kilinochchi Maha Vidyalayam in memory of students who lost their lives during the armed struggle. The blood donation took place at the Kilinochchi Regional Health Services Department for the eighth consecutive year on Sunday.

Photo of army-seized agricultural land in Jaffna

Reporting on Sri Lanka's ban on chemical fertilisers, the Economist highlights the dire economic straits the country finds itself in with inflation near 6% and food prices rise more than 11%.  

Tamil journalist, Pragas Gnanapragasam was remembered in Jaffna yesterday after passing away from coronavirus last month. 

The memorial was held at his home in Kodikamam and was attended by colleagues, clergy and politicians who lit lamps to pay tribute to the journalist. 

Pragas was an independent journalist writing for magazines and newspapers in the North-East. He also contibuted to the Tamil Guardian, as a correspondent based in the North-East, sending updates from the homeland. 

Fishermen in over 100 boats sailed from Mullaitivu to Point Pedro, calling on Sri Lankan authorities to implement a law banning trawlers. 

Trawling, which is a major threat to marine life, was banned in 2017 through the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, however the legislation has not been fully implemented.