A small commemoration ceremony was held in Sampur, in the Trincomalee district, earlier this month, to mark 29 years Tamils were killed by advancing Sri Lankan soldiers.

More than 150 Tamils are thought to have been killed in the offensives which started on 7 July 1990.

 

 

General Jagath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s former army chief, has called for military rule in Sri Lanka to resolve the “situation after April 21”, the Easter Sunday Bombing. 

Hundreds of Tamils from across the North-East travelled to Kanniya in Trincomalee to protest the destruction of a Hindu temple to make way for a Buddhist vihara. Several protesters were obstructed and blocked en route by Sri Lankan army and police, while some were assaulted by Sinhalese as security forces watched on.

A protest was held in Batticaloa last week demanding the release of all Tamil political prisoners, and calling for justice over the recent death of one such prisoner in a Sri Lankan jail.

Tamil families of the disappeared who have been demanding information regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones, marked 868 days of protest last week, with a rally through Vavuniya town.

Tamil National Alliance leader, R. Sampathan, stressed in a speech in southern Matara, that a political solution to the ethnic tensions which has plagued Sri Lanka is needed to attract economic investment and promote a better quality of life.

In his speech, he emphasised that a decade has passed since the civil war and commitments made by the international community to resolve Tamil grievances remain mostly unfulfilled. Sampathan’s speech was during an event meant to celebrate Sri Lanka’s finance minister Mangala Samraweera’s 30 years in politics. 

<p>Kurunegala Magistrate's Court&nbsp;remanded a Muslim doctor who was falsely charged of sterilising Sinhala women after protests by Buddhist monks and lawyers.&nbsp;</p> <p>Buddhist monks and lawyers claimed that releasing the doctor, Mohamed Shafi,&nbsp; could lead to violence in Kurunegala.</p> <p>Despite the State saying it had no objections to bail, the court ordered that Shafi be remanded for another two weeks.&nbsp;</p>

Sri Lanka’s president vowed never to allow “foreign forces” to challenge the sovereignty of Sri Lanka, as he voiced his opposition to signing a status-of-forces agreement (SOFA) with the United States.

“I will not allow the SOFA that seeks to betray the nation,” Maithripala Sirisena said at a rally earlier this month. “Some foreign forces want to make Sri Lanka one of their bases. I will not allow them to come into the country and challenge our sovereignty.”

<p>Tamil diaspora organisations are dismayed at the reports that 13 Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) and police personnel charged with executing&nbsp;five Tamil youths in Trincomalee&nbsp;on 2 January 2006 were acquitted of all charges last week.</p> <p>&nbsp;The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), the British Tamils Forum (BTF), the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) and the US Tamil Action Group (USTAG), believe that last week's ruling on the 'Trinco 5' case is emblematic of Sri Lanka not delivering justice for serious crimes committed against Tamil civilians.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The EU and Sri Lanka held an informal counter-terrorism dialogue today, chaired by Gilles de Kerchove, the EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator. .</p> <p>Challenges relating to violent extremism and terrorism were discussed.&nbsp;The EU delegation underlined the importance of efficient coordination of counterterrorism effortts with a focus&nbsp;on the prevention of violent extremism and the importance of counterterrorism&nbsp;responses to be in line with human rights obligations.&nbsp;</p>