Writing in the International Crisis Group (ICG), senior consultant Alan Keenan slams Sri Lanka's "One Country, One Law" Presidential Taskforce as a means by which the Rajapaksa can "divert discontent among the government’s Sinhala Buddhist base toward an embattled minority".

Protests in Valikamam North managed to block Sri Lankan officials from the land survey department from acquiring land for the military last week, in another successful Tamil push back against land grab attempts.

As UN member states are discussing the 2022 budget for the organisation, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged members to "stand firm against Russia and China-led efforts to slash funding".

Fishermen protest in Trincomalee, 2019

Tamil fishermen in Trincomalee organised a protest yesterday in front of the district clock tower, drawing attention to the growing presence of fishermen from other districts in their traditional fishing areas. 

“Actual steps, including accountability, are needed to address serious crimes and human rights abuses in Sri Lanka,” said the US State Department’s Office of Global Criminal Justice this week, following a meeting with Sri Lanka’s ambassador in Washington.

Ambassador Michael Kozak, a senior official at the Office of Global Criminal Justice, met with Mahinda Samarasinghe this week, where the two reportedly discussed “the importance of justice and accountability for long term peace, prosperity and reconciliation”.

Following the visit of China’s ambassador to the Tamil homeland, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has left today for a two-day visit to India.

The visit follows a public spat with Beijing over Sri Lanka’s ban on imported fertilisers. Responding to this ban China has blacklisted Sri Lanka’s second-largest state-owned bank and Sri Lanka has agreed to pay USD $6.7 million in damages to a Chinese fertiliser company.

In November, the Tamil Diaspora Alliance (TDA) funded the reopening of a fertility clinic in Mullaitivu’s District General Hospital. 

The clinic had to shut its doors after being unable to afford the medical equipment required to continue providing fertility treatments to Mullaitivu residents. 

Saheer Ahmed, a Muslim journalist who works for a major television channel based in Amparai, received a death threat a few days ago from a police officer from the Akkaraipattu station, prompting him to file an official complaint with the Deputy Inspector General of Police. 

^{Image Credit: @JDSLanka on Twitter}

Pottuvil Magistrate Court accepted two cases, against 32 individuals, including journalists, activists, politicians, and members of the Families of the Disappeared, who attended the Pottuvil to Polikandy (P2P) protests, following a request from the Sri Lankan security forces.

Consumers in Sri Lanka are being forced to eat less as food costs continue to spiral, with warnings from nutrition specialists of malnutrition striking the island soon.

The prices of some staple goods have soared in the midst of an economic crisis gripping the island, with even basic foods such as beans or carrots doubling or tripling in price respectively.

“In the past, I have never reduced the food in the house,” Anura Fernando from Kadawatha told the Sunday Times. “But now I am compelled to do that because I cannot manage to buy provisions for my house as all the things are very expensive.”