Today marks 35 years since 36 Tamils were massacred by Sri Lankan Navy officers on board the Kumuthini boat on May 15, 1985. 

File photograph

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

Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) has attempted to detain and arrest activists with the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), as the party began a series of events to commemorate the Mullivaikkal genocide this week.

The TNPF tweeted that its Mullaitivu District organizer T Kinthujan was visited by TID attempting to arrest and detain him, having previous faced threats of detention from Sri Lankan security forces.

I am 22 years old. My right hand was amputated during the end of the war in Valainjarmadam. I was 10 years old at the time and I became disabled. I am right-handed. It was very difficult to learn to write with the left hand after I lost my right hand. At the beginning no matter how much I tried, my writing didn’t come out well. However, now I am able to use my left hand to do everything I need to do. I sat for Ordinary Level exams twice and now I have passed the A / L exam as well.

The third day of Tamil genocide remembrance week was marked in Jaffna today, at the site of a school that was bombed by the Sri Lankan air force in 1995.

Members of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) lit flames at the Nagarkovil school this morning, as part of commemorative events taking place this week.

Jaffna University students held a memorial yesterday, as part of Tamil Genocide Remembrance week despite intimidation by Sri Lankan police. 

The students lit lamps in remembrance of the many lives lost at Mullivaikkal 11 years ago. Jaffna Police arrived at the memorial and asked for the names of the students who organised the event. 

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan said the “failure of the majority leadership” led to the emergence of the LTTE, as he hit out at a Sinhala interviewer for “promoting mischief” when he grilled the party’s spokesperson M A Sumanthiran on the Tamil struggle last week.

“Mr. Sumanthiran has been frank and forthright in his answers to questions that have been asked with the deliberate purpose of promoting mischief and disunity amongst the people of this country,” said the TNA leader in a statement emailed to the press this morning.

A Tamil man was hospitalised at the Manthikai Base Hospital, Point Pedro following a gun attack by army soldiers, that left him with several gunshot wounds. 

Pasupathy Anusan, a 22-year old, from Puloly, was shot at his arm and leg, this morning at 1am.

The leader of the Tamil National People's Front, Gajen Ponnambalam, visited Anusan at the Manthikai Base Hospital.

The SLNS Gajabahu, formerly the USCGC Sherman, delivered in 2019 under the Excess Defense Articles program (U.S. Department of State photo)

Sri Lanka’s Former Health Minister, Rajitha Senaratne, has been arrested following orders from Colombo’s High Court to reject a bail order issued for him.

Orders for his arrest were issued following a controversial media conference preceding the elections which discussed the “white van” disappearances.

Tamil National Alliance spokesperson M A Sumanthiran said he 'bows his head' and paid his respect to LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, after he provoked widespread outrage from across the Tamil political spectrum, including condemnation from within his own party, following comments made in a Sinhala interview earlier this week.

Despite his response in Tamil, his initial comments accepting Sri Lanka's lion flag and national anthem sparked widespread anger and outrage amongst Tamils across the North-East, with condemnation from even normally supportive fellow lawmakers in his own party.