The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) expressed their sympathies following the death of Mrs Manoharan – the mother of Manoharan Ragihar – who was one of the students of the ‘Trinco 5’.

The United States (US) Ambassador to Sri Lanka has been summoned to Sri Lanka's Foreign Minstry over the US travel ban on Sri Lankan army chief, Shavendra Silva, Adaderana reports. 

The Ambassador, Alaina Teplitz, has been called on to meet with Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on February 16 to discuss the travel ban.

Shavendra Silva was barred from entering the USA “due to credible information of his involvement, through command responsibility, in gross violations of human rights.”

The current speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Karu Jayasuriya has admitted that corruption is “entrenched” in Sri Lanka, stating that both major political parties are guilty.

Speaker Jayasuriya tweeted last month that “Sri Lanka’s corruption is so entrenched that both sides governed SL are implicated by report after report”.

“Forensic report on bonds and ETF, and Sri Lankan Airlines employee fixed in UK courts for $ 2 m are mere recent examples,” he added.

Families of the disappeared have responded to the offensive statement offered by Sri Lankan Minister, Wimal Weerawansa, by continuing protests, which have now exceeded 1100 days, and by demanding to know what happened to their relatives who were handed to the military.

<p>The EU said that ‘several concerns remain’ regarding the human rights and good governance situation in Sri Lanka in their GSP+ assessment of the country.</p> <p>The report highlights that there has been “insufficient progress on a number of issues, such as the continued use of torture and lack of accountability; the repeal of the PTA and its replacement with counter-terrorism legislation in line with international standard; the full demilitarisation of the former conflict areas; and the establishment of the truth about the fate of the missing and disappeared persons during the civil war and its aftermath.”</p>

The US State Department has announced the head of Sri Lanka’s army Shavendra Silva has been barred from entering the USA “due to credible information of his involvement, through command responsibility, in gross violations of human rights”.

A statement released by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Silva and his immediate family are now “are ineligible for entry into the United States”.

“The allegations of gross human rights violations against Shavendra Silva, documented by the United Nations and other organizations, are serious and credible,” said Pompeo.

As a group of Tamil students set out to clear a former playground in Vavuniya last month they found themselves unexpectedly halted from doing so, by Sri Lankan forestry department officials.

A Pillaiyar statue located on the street of Chenkalady border in Batticaloa has been vandalised and tossed on the side by unknown individuals.

Batticaloa’s mayor Thiyagarajah Saravanapavan met with British High Commissioner Sarah Hulton on Tuesday (11^th Feb 2020), where he revealed that the government has relinquished the powers of the local council and abandoned the development of their city.  

Excavation work at a hospital in Mullaitivu has uncovered bullets and the bodies of at least two people, after skeletal remains and mines were found on Wednesday.

Deminers with protective equipment carried out excavation work at the site, under the supervision of Kilinochchi district hospital medico-legal officer Dr Thanushan and Sri Lankan police officers.