Sri Lanka has seen a recent rise in COVID-19 cases causing authorities to increase the coronavirus-related curfew zones to 56 police divisions and increasing militarisation, which many human rights advocates have voiced concern over.  

So far, the island has reported over 8,000 COVID-19 cases with the total number of deaths rising to 16. More than half of these cases can be seen from just two clusters, a garment export factory in Minuwangoda, Western Province, and a wholesale fish market in Peliyagoda, a suburban area of Colombo.

The Sri Lankan government has also expanded its “quarantine curfew” to include several localities in and around Colombo this weekend, regardless of the fact no isolated case has been reported outside of these two key clusters, to be termed as a community spread, according to Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, Chief Epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health.

The proliferation of Sri Lankan military checkpoints, illegal fishing by Sinhala fishermen with the assistance of the navy and the army takeover of a hospital for a COVID quarantine centre are amongst some of the many measures that are impacting on the livelihood of Tamils in the North-East, said Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) lawmaker Selvarajah Kajendren.

Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa reportedly shunned a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with the regime “opposed” to the trip from the senior US official, claimed a government minister.

Wimal Weerawansa, an outspoken Sinhala chauvinist politician and leader of the National Freedom Front party, told reporters that both prime minister and his brother Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa were opposed to the Pompeo visit.

As US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Sri Lanka this week, he was asked repeatedly about a travel ban imposed on the head of Sri Lanka’s army Shavendra Silva over his role in overseeing war crimes.

The Sri Lankan navy has attacked Tamil fishermen from Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu early Tuesday this week, in yet another assault on Indian fishermen in a pattern that has been ongoing for years.

Whilst the fishermen were fishing in Dhanushkodi, the Sri Lankan navy is reported to have been patrolling in the area and have allegedly attacked the Tamil fishermen using stones, glass bottles and also destroyed the fishing material. The navy has also been accused of intimidating the fishermen at gunpoint.

Sri Lanka's government bonds fell heavily on Wednesday after US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, met with Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and scrutinised the island's economic links with China as well as Colombo's human rights record.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again paid tribute to the Tamil language this month, as he spoke to Tamil Nadu hairdresser on Sunday speaking to him in Tamil and praising Thirukurral, on his monthly radio program “Maan Ki Baat.”

The trial of detained human rights lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah, which was due to take place on Wednesday, has been postponed to February 24, 2021. He has been detained for over six months since being arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in April, and has remained in detention without charges or any credible evidence being submitted before a court.

A campaign group dedicated to the release of the Muslim lawyer, Justice For Hejaaz, tweeted:

As attacks and harrassment of journalists in Sri Lanka ramps up, the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka met with Sri Lankan government officials, including Minister of Mass Media and former Sri Lankan government spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, to discuss media freedom in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Hulton tweeted,

Heavily armed security teams have been deployed in Sampithpura and Mattakkuliya in Colombo under the order of accused war criminal and army head, Shavendra Silva. The measure was taken on the grounds of enforcing safety precautions during the coronavirus pandemic.

The intense army presence has been deployed to Lankapura (North Central province), Bloemendal (Colombo), and East and West Kotahena (Colombo).