A satyagraha protest, which demands an end to the occupation of the Vavuniya ponds in order to build a tourist centre, was initiated by the People's Action for Vavuniya in front of the Vavuniya District Secretariat on Friday morning. 

Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, has urged the German government to "immediately halt" its planned mass deportation of Tamil asylum seekers which will put them in "harm's way."

In a letter addressed to the German government, he wrote:

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Shritharan conveys that the party embraces the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC) resolution on accountability for mass atrocities passed earlier this week, despite uncertainty of achieving it.

The son of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Sivagnanam Shritharan was assaulted in an unprovoked attack by unknown assailants on Friday afternoon.

German authorities have conducted mass detentions of Tamil refugees across the country, but particularly in Nordrhein-Westfalen and Baden-Württemberg, and may deport as many as 100.

Authorities reportedly invited asylum seekers to renew their permits to remain but upon arrival at the building were detained by police officers who confiscated their phones and prevented them from communicating with their relatives and loved ones who do not know about their whereabouts. The German authorities are set to be deported on 30 March despite ongoing reports of torture by Sri Lanka’s security forces. This has caused shock and outrage throughout the German Tamil community and the wider Tamil diaspora.

Following a claim of victory at the UN Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, has decried the passage of the resolution as “unwarranted, unjustified”, and “illegal”.

Responding to the passage of the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka, the British Tamil Conservatives welcomed the passage of the resolution but called for further legal action on Sri Lanka officials implicated in war crimes as well as trade sanctions against Sri Lanka.

TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam expressed his party’s concern over the new UNHRC Resolution 46/1 on Sri Lanka, which seeks to investigate the crimes committed by the Sri Lankan government, as being “very disappointing” and “contrary to natural justice” during a speech in Parliament.

“It is a resolution that deceives the affected people,” he said. “Affected Tamils are asking for an international mechanism that can fully investigate all crimes, including the genocide perpetrated against Tamils by this government.”

The Sri Lankan archaeological department has initiated an attempt to seize another 400 acres of land in the Thannimurippu area around Kurunthoormalai in the Mullaitivu district, as local Tamils continue to face threats from Sinhala Buddhist monks.

The department instructed the provincial secretary of Karaithuraipatru in a letter to cede 400 acres of land surrounding Kurunthoormalai that belongs to native Tamils. 

This move is seen as an attempt to erase the Tamil identity of the area and further the ‘Buddhisation’ of the traditional Tamil homeland. 

Devotees in Mannar celebrated the St. Soosaiyappar church festival last week. 

Responding to the UN resolution on Sri Lanka, former Finance Minister Eran Wickramaratne decried the government’s disastrous management of “foreign diplomatic relations” and raised concerns over the economic impact stating:

Responding to UN resolution on Sri Lanka, which mandates that the Office of High Commissioner for Human rights must gather and preserve evidence for a future war crimes tribunal, former Indian Finance Minister and member of the Rajya Sabha, Palaniappan Chidambaram described India’s abstention as a “gross betrayal of the Tamil people”.