The killing of a 17-year-old in Jaffna, the attempted cover-up that followed, and the complete absence of accountability, are part of a grim and familiar cycle. For decades, such violence has made clear that the Sri Lankan state does not value Tamil lives, no matter which government sits in Colombo.

The Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) has defended students at the University of Jaffna who pulled down the Sri Lankan lion flag and hoisted black flags on 4 February, as part of coordinated protests across the Tamil homeland marking Sri Lanka’s Independence Day as a day of mourning.

Fisherfolk in Mullaitivu District staged a protest, calling on authorities to take immediate steps to prohibit illegal fishing activities that they say are devastating livelihoods along the coast of the Tamil homeland.

A memorial commemoration for the late Tamil journalist Punniyamurthy Sathiyamoorthy was held at the Mullaitivu press club, with journalists and civil society figures gathering to pay tribute to his life and work.

Member of Parliament Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has raised serious concerns over the conduct of Sri Lankan police following the fatal shooting of a Tamil teenager in Jaffna, warning that those accused of wrongdoing are often the very ones tasked with investigating it.

The Myiliddy Resettlement Development Committee has submitted a memorandum to the Jaffna District Secretary urging the expedited release of privately owned lands that remain under the control of the Sri Lankan security forces.

A signature campaign calling for the repeal of Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the withdrawal of proposed new legislation was launched in Jaffna this week under the theme “Neither the old nor the new”.

Sri Lanka’s government has pledged to release a portion of privately owned lands in Valikamam North, Jaffna, ahead of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April, even as the wider military occupation of the Tamil homeland remains firmly in place.

A group of twenty-five Indian fishermen who had entered waters off Kankesanthurai and engaged in fishing activities have been arrested by Sri Lankan naval personnel, as Eelam Tamils complained of a growing number of incursions.