<p>The General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its deep concern over the increased targeting of Muslims in Sri Lanka during the coronavirus pandemic.</p> <p>In a statement, the OIC “expressed its deep concern over reports on escalating hate speech and hostility towards Muslims in Sri Lanka, the promotion of biased and rejected allegations holding members of the Muslim community responsible for the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the country as well as reports that authorities cremated bodies of the Muslim victims of the pandemic and arrested community members who rejected these practices.”</p>

On this day 11 years ago, Stephen Sunthararaj, an activist who had exposed the trafficking of Tamil children into international prostitution rings, was abducted and forcibly disappeared in Colombo by armed men in military uniforms.

As part of his work he had told the then United States Ambassador in Colombo about prostitution rings run by government aligned paramilitaries in Jaffna. The paramilitaries were trafficking children into sex rings in India and Malaysia with the help of immigration officials.

<p>Sri Lanka has called upon state sector employees to donate their wages from May to reduce the government’s budget deficit.</p> <p>In a letter addressed to all state bodies, P.B. Jayasundara, the President’s Secretary, stated:</p> <p>“The government requires at least Rs 100 billion to pay the salaries and allowances of state servants”</p> <p>“For some donating their entire salary would be difficult. Therefore, I believe, that at least half, a week’s salary or a day’s pay can be contributed,”</p> <p>“It will also relieve the pressure faced by the country’s debt management process.”</p>

<p>Sri Lankan police have arrest two people who posted information stating that Tamils who had sheltered in a Hindu temple in Colombo and were unable to return home due to the coronavirus curfew, were experiencing difficulty accessing food and drinking water.</p> <p>Those who made the post were arrested on the 4 May. The police have responded to enquiries by stating that those residing in the temple were sufficiently looked after and that those who made the post had violated curfew by entering the temple without permission. Sri Lankan police have arrested over 40,000 people since the curfew was first imposed.</p>

A collection of 99 non-governmental organisations around the world have called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ensure that governments it provides funds to respect the rights of civil society groups, citing the case of arrests in Sri Lanka.

“As organizations that closely monitor corruption and its impacts, we also know that transparency and accountability are key to making sure the money the IMF is disbursing actually goes to protecting lives and livelihoods,” said the letter. 

Priya Murugappan, a Tamil asylum-seeker, currently detained on Christmas Island, spoke at a digital rally organised by the Tamil Refugee Council.

Speaking on the phone from Christmas Island, Priya described the conditions in detention, and the impact it is having on her two young children who are growing up in isolation.

Priya, her husband Nades and their two daughters, Kopika and Tharunicaa have been in detention since March 2018 and continue to face deportation to Sri Lanka.

<p>The International Crisis Group (ICG) has issued a statement condemning the measures adopted by the Sri Lankan government during the coronavirus pandemic and warning against a “crackdown on dissent”, “growing anti-Muslim hate speech”, and a “looming constitutional crisis”.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><u>Cracking down on dissent</u></p>

The United States announced that it is contributing a total of US$5.8 million to Sri Lanka, as part of coronavirus relief efforts, in line with its “long tradition of US support for Sri Lanka’s security and sovereignty”.

The announcement comes after US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz met with Sri Lankan prime minister, and accused war criminal, Mahinda Rajapaksa this week.

“We want to remain a steadfast partner,” Teplitz reported said, according to a Sri Lankan press release.

Sri Lanka’s President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has appointed “an alarming collection of alleged perpetrators of war crimes and bureaucrats previously accused of corruption to his new government,” the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) said in a press release.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan was full of praise for the Tamil diaspora, as he made an appeal for relief funds to come directly through his party’s former lawmakers.