Sri Lanka’s military took a delegation of foreign military student officers and their families on a tour of the North-East last month, as it continued to foster its military relations around the world.

The delegation, consisted of officers from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. Another delegation of 46 Officer Cadets from the Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) also toured the region, which continues to be occupied by the military. 

Speaking on behalf of the Core Group, which includes the UK, Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, and Montenegro; Rita French, the UK International Ambassador, reiterate the group’s ‘profound disappointment’ over Sri Lanka’s withdraw from UN Resolution 30/1 and expressed scepticism over the ‘new domestic process’ for addressing issues of reconciliation.

In her statement she notes that whilst Sri Lanka has proposed “a new domestic process”, “previous such processes have, regrettably, proved insufficient to tackle impunity and deliver real reconciliation”.

^{A Sri Lankan policeman walks past the Thileepan memorial in Nallur after security forces removed decorations that had been set up to commemorate Thileepan's hunger strike.}

Sri Lankan police in Jaffna have arrested at least one Tamil politician and removed decorations that had been set up in Nallur to mark the 33rd commemoration of Lt Col Thileepan’s hunger strike this morning. 

M K  Shivajilingam, a former northern provincial council member, was arrested this morning as he attempted pay tribute to Thileepan in Nallur. The arrest comes after security forces reportedly destroyed arrangements made for the remembrance in the early hours of Tuesday, September 15, which marks the beginning of the week-long commemoration. 

Today marks 33  years since Lt Col. Thileepan began his hunger strike at Nallur Kandaswamy Temple in protest against the failure of the Indian government to honour the pledges made to the Tamil people. 

Thileepan began his fast on 15^th September 1987, surrounded by over 100,000 supporters, and died 11 days later, on the 26^th September 1987. 

Speaking to Sputnik News, Professor Jude Lal Fernando, from Trinity College Dublin, illustrates that Britain’s complicity in Sri Lankan war crimes was not incidental, nor the actions of a few rogue actors, but rather part of a broader mission which was seen as safeguarding its “imperial interests”.

The United National Party (UNP) has announced that Ranil Wickramasinghe will remain leader until January 2021 following a dismal performance at Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections.

During the election, the UNP, one of the island’s oldest parties, failed to win any districts with veteran party leader and three-time Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also losing his seat. It secured just over 2% of the island's votes, losing more than 100 seats from the previous parliament. The UNP secured just one National List seat.

UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression; extrajudicial executions; peaceful assembly; human rights defenders; and privacy; have released a statement expressing alarm over the targeted harassment of journalist Dharisha Bastians.

The Sri Lankan government has announced a broad shake up of its foreign service this week, with a range of new reported appointments that includes hardline Sinhala Buddhist politicians and former military personnel.

Usually Sri Lankan envoys stay in their post until the end of their appointed term, however the Rajapaksa regime is reportedly looking to cut many key postings short. Amongst the major overhauls listed are diplomatic postings in New Delhi, Washington DC, Chennai, Tokyo, Beijing and Ottawa.

The Mullaitivu Magistrate Court has granted permission for the construction of a sentry point at the Kurundhur mountain, but ordered that no religious sites can be built in the area as tensions continue between Sri Lanka’s archaeology department and local Tamils.

An earlier ruling from the court ruled that no construction can go on in the region. However, the temple authorities near Kurunthoormalai filed a motion in the court asking to investigate the archaeological department’s recent interest in construction. 

An oil tanker that has been on fire since last week has left a mile-long slick across the Indian Ocean, that environmentalists fear may damage the East coast of the island.

The blazing tanker had reignited after an initial fire was brought under control. Strong winds on Sunday had caused the new blaze and pushed the tanker 20 kilometres closer to the Eastern shores. The Sri Lankan navy said the new fire was brought under control on Wednesday, but a kilometre-long trail of diesel has been left in its tracks.