Families of the disappeared defied military and police intimidation to hold a mass rally in Vavuniya on Thursday.

"Where! Where! Where are our children?" families from all five districts of the North chanted, marching through the town.

^{STF troops in Jaffna. Oct 2017}

Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force (STF), a police unit accused of committing mass atrocities, has set up a round the clock “special operations unit”, as the security forces continues to expand on the island.

According to a press release from the Minsitry of Defence, the unit has been set up to “strengthen the national security and also to curb the illegal activities in the country”.

A new book examining the role of British mercenaries in Sri Lanka and other conflicts around the world was launched at Garden Court Chambers this week.

The book by Phil Miller, entitled “Keenie Meenie: The British Mercenaries Who Got Away with War Crimes”, uncovers how the mercenary company formed by ex-Special Air Service (SAS) veterans carried out highly controversial secret operations.

The Sri Lankan government has reportedly approved new laws that will grant the intelligence services “impunity”, as it ramps up its policy of protecting those accused of rights abuses.

JDS Lanka quotes government spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena telling journalists in Colombo that the current regime would ensure Sri Lankan soldiers would not be subject to prosecution and that the cabinet has approved to draft an act “in order to stop such things happening in future, to safeguard their official responsibilities, to grant them impunity, to give intelligence services legal powers and to deliver their national duties”.

The Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF) has called on the United Nations to respond to claims made by Sri Lanka’s president that thousands of forcibly disappeared and missing Tamils “are actually dead”.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa made the remarks to the United Nations’ resident co-ordinator Hanaa Singer, during a meeting earlier this month, sparking condemnation from Tamil families of the disappeared who have spent years searching for their loved ones.

Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has questioned former health minister MP Rajitha Senaratne for a second time following revelations made about abductions made through white vans at a press conference last year.

It is reported Senaratne was questioned for nearly four hours by Sri Lankan security forces. He had been arrested last month after he held a press conference introducing Anthony Fernando, a man who claimed to be a ‘white van’ driver who had personally witnessed kidnappings and torture.

Tamils in Batticaloa commemorated the 87 people killed by Sri Lankan security forces in the Kokkadichcholai massacre 33 years ago, amidst revelations that British mercenaries may have been directly implicated in the atrocity.

The Norwegian government announced that it helped to fund the first floating solar plant in Sri Lanka earlier this month, as it launched the project in Kilinochchi.

The solar plant was a result of a research collaboration between the University of Jaffna and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. They were supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo and Ambassador Eskedal, who were present at an unveiling ceremony.

European Union election observers found that Sri Lanka’s traditional and social media platforms had shared “divisive rhetoric, hate speech and disinformation” during the 2019 presidential election, labelling the coverage “biased”.

Areport by the EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) last week added that “biased election coverage by private and state media contributed to an uneven playing field and limited the opportunity for most candidates to convey their message”.

A museum showcasing and celebrating Tamil history and culture has been opened in Navatkuli, Jaffna – making it the first time in history that a museum of its kind has been built on the island.