Germany's Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO) and the People's Council of Eelam Tamils (VETD) joined Tamils in the homeland and the diaspora to commemorate the 39th anniversary of Black July this week. 

TYO Germany's coordinator Ancana Pakeerathan lit a fire to commemorate the thousands of Tamils that were murdered, displaced, raped, burnt alive and impacted during Black July. 

In a recent statement, the World Bank announced that it “does not plan to offer new financing in Sri Lanka” until the crisis-hit island has an “adequate macroeconomic policy framework in place.”

According to the lender Sri Lanka requires structural reforms that focus on economic stabilization in order to secure new financing. The economic crisis has disrupted life in the country, creating shortages of essential goods like food, fuel and medicine.

A Tamil man who was arrested under the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) last year for allegedly 'promoting Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ideology', has finally been released on bail earlier today.

Ganapathipillai Mohan, also known as 'theatre Mohan', was arrested by Sri Lankan police for allegedly sharing a photo of LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.  They also seized a mobile phone and an Apple iPad.

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.