German Tamils joined mass protests in Berlin to express their condemnation of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and occupation of Palestine.

Tamil Eelam flags were seen being carried by Tamil protesters, for whom the struggles against illegal state occupation and the fight for self-determination are not unfamiliar. 

The Sri Lankan Archaeological Department recently surveyed the forested Kodaliparichchan area in Nainamadu, Vavuniya District and has devised plans to commence excavations on spurious grounds that ancient Buddhist sites are buried in the site.

The Archaeological Department was informed about the presence of historical remnants in the site including stone gopurams and pillars by the army stationed in Vavuniya. 

Writing in Jacobin this week, Eelam Tamil filmmaker and member of the Tamil Refugee Council, Baranthan Vidhyapathy, said the Australian government has whitewashed the atrocities committed by Sri Lanka against Tamils and "helped equip Sri Lanka’s state security forces."

Tamil diaspora organisations condemned the "destruction and desecration" of the Mullivaikkal memorial by the Sri Lankan army earlier this week. 

In a joint press release, the Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), British Tamils Forum (BTF), La Maison du Tamil Eelam, Irish Tamils Forum (ITF), National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT), Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils (NCET), Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice in Sri Lanka (SGPJ) and United States Tamil Action Group (USTAG) said: 

The second day of Mullivaikkal remembrance week was marked on Thursday to remember those who were massacred in the final days of the armed conflict. 

Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) MP and general secretary, Selvarajah Kajendran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) lawyer Kandeepan, Attorney General Sukas joined others to pay their respects by lighting a flame at the Mullivaikkal yard, in memory of those who were killed. 

File photograph

Today marks 36 years since 36 Tamils were massacred by Sri Lankan navy officers on board the Kumuthini boat on May 15, 1985. 

Eye witnesses reported seeing six plain clothed Sri Lankan navy officers boarding the Kumuthini boat and pointing a gun at passengers before ordering them to come up to the main deck one by one and shout their name and destination. 

Each passenger was then hacked to death. Witnesses reported seeing hacked body parts and blood across the deck. 

Sri Lankan police have arrested 50 people on Wednesday for allegedly violating coronavirus regulations.

The police were instructed to arrest those who were not wearing masks and were not maintaining social distancing measures. The arrests were carried out under the instructions of Chief Inspector Prasad Fernando who is in charge of the Jaffna headquarters. 

Tamil parliamentarians and politicians have expressed their strong condemnation of the damage caused to the Mullivaikkal memorial monument and the stealing of a memorial stone by the army earlier this week. 

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Selvam Adaikkalanathan visited the site of the vandalised memorial structure on Thursday and told the press that he was convinced that the memorial was damaged by the army.

The Mullaitivu Magistrate Court issued an order on Thursday, prohibiting all types of commemorative activities in the Mullivaikkal area due to concerns related to the rise in COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka.

The Mullaitivu Police obtained this order from the Court by filing a case against five specific individuals including former Northern Provincial Council member Thurairasa Ravikaran, head of the organisation of the families of disappeared M.Eswari and Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Youth Wing leader Peter Illancheliyan.