Sri Lanka’s State Minister Sarath Weerasekara told parliament that military-occupied land in the North-East will “never” be given back to the people, blaming Tamil politicians with “separatist agendas” as the reason for continued military control of these areas.

Weerasekara, who was formerly the Rear Admiral for Sri Lanka’s Navy and is a known supporter of the Rajapaksas, claimed that areas under military occupation “are grounds of tactical importance”.

An annual report by the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances reveals that Sri Lanka continues to have the second-highest number of enforced disappearances in the world, according to cases that have been reported to the global body.

The report, published ahead of the UN Human Rights Council session later this month, said Sri Lanka has 6,117 outstanding cases that have been submitted to the group. Only Iraq has a higher number. 

It added that it was “concerned by the deteriorating civil society space in Sri Lanka,” as human rights defenders have come under increasing state pressure since the election of accused war criminal Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president last year.

Canadian MP, Garnett Genuis, M.P for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, has spoken out against Sri Lanka’s enforced disappearances and called upon the Canadian government to impose Magnitsky sanctions against “those involved in gross violations of fundamental human rights”.

<p>Responding to a question posed by a British MP, Elliot Colburn, on investigations into Chunnakam, Jaffna water pollution, Nigel Adam’s, the UK’s current Secretary of State for Foreign Common Wealth and Development Affairs claimed that tests have been conducted and that residents have been offered compensation.</p> <p>He further stated that the UK government would “continue to engage with local government in the North to ensure these concerns around water management and quality are understood and that measures are taken to ensure clean water”.</p>

Heavy rains in the North-East caused severe flooding and extensive damage to homes across villages in Mannar, last week. Low lying villages such as Santhipuram, Jeevapuram, Jimron Nagar, Emil Nagar and Ezhuthur in Mannar were flooded and homes were severely damaged due to the lack of efficient drainage systems.

Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal will hold a hearing for MP C V Wigneswaran from September 15th until the 17th, relating to his time as Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council. 

A writ application was filed against the newly elected parliamentarian, over the alleged failure to implement a court order delivered in 2017. Previously the Chief Minister for the Northern Province, Wigneswaran was instructed to reinstate former Provincial Council Minister B Deniswaran, Minister of Fisheries, Transport, Trade and Commerce, Rural Development, Road Development and Motor Traffic for the Northern Province. 

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), led by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, approved a proposal banning cow slaughter in the country, in a move that further showcases the regime’s Sinhala Buddhist nationalist sentiments.

Rajapaksa made this decision in his capacity as Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, though beef imports would reportedly remain unaffected.

Tamil Kollywood celebrities joined a growing campaign across Tamil Nadu this week, as social media platforms were buzzing with tens of thousands of tweets and messages, highlighting the widespread opposition to Hindi imposition in India.

The hasthag “Hindi Theriyathu Poda” (I don’t know Hindi, go! / #??????_????????_???) was trending on Twitter across India, after popular music director Yuvan Shankar Raja and actor Shirish tweeted a picture of them wearing T-shirts that read “I am a Tamil Pesum Indian” (I am a Tamil-speaking Indian) and “Hindi Theriyathu Poda”. 

A fire on a fully loaded oil supertanker off Sri Lanka’s coast broke out last Thursday in the engine room and was doused on Sunday.

A vigil was held in Batticaloa on Saturday, where locals marked 30 years since the enforced disappearance and massacre of 158 Tamils from the Eastern University.

Relatives of those who were forcibly disappeared demonstrated with placards and photos of their missing loved ones at the commemoration organised by the Batticaloa families of the disappeared.