Sri Lanka’s president Ranil Wickremesinghe undertook a visit to Jaffna last week, where he told an audience of Tamils that “the majority Sinhalese and Buddhist people hold a prominent position” on the island, as he continued electioneering ahead of next month’s polls.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has set October 14 as the date to hear petitions against the Indian backed Adani wind power project case in Mannar.

This week Sri Lanka’s Navy arrested 22 Indian fishermen deepening the rift between the two nations over the illegal fishing row. 

Civil society in Mannar has called upon the Sri Lankan authorities to expedite a swift investigation into the untimely death of a 27-year-old pregnant woman who bled to death, adding that most investigations in the North-East have been swept under the carpet with no accountability and arrests. 

The issues faced by the people in Mannar due to the occupation of land has left thousands feeling helpless, said Fr. S. Marcus, President of the Mannar Citizens Committee.

“For the last five years, there has been much effort by various private companies to lay claim for a stake in lands in Mannar for Ilmenite and sand mining, despite putting up stiff opposition, one company will begin its work on the 14th of this month,” Fr. Marcus told reporters.

35 years ago, up to 64 Tamil civilians were killed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Valvettithurai in a massacre that was termed “India’s My Lai”.

The massacre, which saw dozens killed, came on the background of escalating violence and rights abuses committed by Indian forces across the Tamil homeland. As Tamil militant groups continued hostilities with the IPKF, the Indian forces imposed a curfew on August 2, 1989, following an ambush attack.

Sri Lanka's president Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa have both condemned the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. 

Wickremesinghe reportedly condemned the act while addressing a meeting with former Provincial Council members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the United National Party (UNP).  

As Sri Lanka’s Sinhala nationalist parties tussle over their support for current president Ranil Wickremesinghe ahead of presidential polls next month, the Rajapaksa-led Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is reported to be considering announcing Namal Rajapaksa as its own official candidate.

Sri Lankan MP and leader of the United National Party (UNP) Wajira Abeywardana warned of a “third civil war” if political parties on the island continued to follow what he termed “'traditional ideologies”.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minsiter, Sheikh Hasina, was forced to resign and flee the country earlier today amidst protests which have seen the deaths of over 300 people.

The protests originated in response to a decision by Bangladesh’s Supreme Court which saw the revival of a quota system that awarded 56% of civil service jobs for the descendants of those who fought in Bangladesh’s independence war. Whilst the decision was later scrapped, the protests morphed to encompass a wide range of issues.