Malayalam actor Dulquer Salmaan sent out a public apology earlier today after a scene in his recent Malayalam-language movie ‘Varane Avashyamund’, which involved naming a pet dog “Prabhakara”, caused outrage online.

The use of the LTTE leader’s name in such a manner provoked outrage online, with the hashtags #PrabhakaranIsTamilsIdentity and #PrabhakaranIsOurLeader soon trending in southern India.

The Canadian government announced it would be granting over CAD $56,000 (approximately 7.5 million LKR) “to support Sri Lanka’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic” through a body affiliated to Sri Lanka’s Presidential Covid-19 Task Force, headed by Shavendra Silva.

A Canadian statement said the grant would go to the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka (NPC), which is “part of the Civil Society Committee of the Presidential Covid-19 Task Force”. The task force is currently headed by Silva, a credibly accused war criminal who is currently barred from travel to the US due to his role in overseeing rights abuses.

Sri Lanka’s central bank will borrow the money from the Reserve Bank of India to boost its gross reserves as part of a US $ 400 million currency swap, as Colombo’s economic crisis continues to grow in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sri Lanka’s Co-Cabinet spokesperson Information and Communication Minister Bandula Gunawardena confirmed that the cabinet had approved the deal, in a bid to boost foreign reserves.

The body of a Tamil man was recovered from a ditch in Vavuniya this weekend.

The man was found in a ditch along the Vavuniya-Mannar road to Sivapuram.

A bicycle was also recovered from the ditch. Sri Lankan police are currently reported to be carrying out investigations.

Sinhala Buddhist monks from leading chapters met with Sri Lanka’s president this week to signal their approval of his governance so far and blamed the previous regime for the economic crisis the island faces.

“Nayaka Theros of all three Chapters said that they approve the conduct of the President and the Government,” said an official presidential press release.

The Sri Lankan government launched a scathing attack at Fitch Ratings, after the agency downgraded the country's Long-Term Foreign- and Local-Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR), calling it “illogical and ill-timed”.

Sri Lanka said it “wishes to categorically disagree with the assessment of risks” and slammed Fitch, claiming “their assessment shows rush to judgment and exposes prejudicial nature”.

On Friday, Fitch stated that “the shock to Sri Lanka's economy from the coronavirus pandemic will exacerbate already-rising public and external debt sustainability challenges”.

Local groups in Mannar and Tamil donors in Canada have helped provide relief packages to support families across Mullaitivu, that continue to struggle with the military-enforced curfews. The assistance was given this week in response to the hundreds of families that have not been able to access essential goods, including food, as a result of curfew restrictions. 

<p>Sri Lanka’s tea plantation workers “with a history of exploitation face hazards including a lack of masks and overcrowded accommodation,” despite tough lockdown measures across the island, Yasmin Gunaratnam writes for <em>The Guardian</em>.</p> <p>“A caveat on the country’s lockdown order, issued on 20 March, read: ‘Paddy farming and plantation, including work on tea small holdings and fishing activities, are permitted in any district,’” she wrote.</p>

The body of a member of the Tamil National Peoples’ Front (TNPF) has been discovered washed up on a beach in Jaffna this morning.

<p>Sri Lanka’s authorities should uphold due process rights and ensure that recently detained Muslim figures have proper access to lawyers, Human Rights Watch said in a statement.</p> <p>“Sri Lankan authorities have a responsibility to prosecute those responsible for the horrific Easter Sunday attacks last year, but the arrests should be lawful, and not used to vilify an entire community,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s South Asia director.</p> <p>“The recent arrests of well-known Muslims, combined with biased government actions and rising anti-Muslim hate speech, raise concerns for the broader safety of the Muslim community,” she added.</p>