File photograph: Protest in Mannar calling for an end to forced cremations

Sri Lanka's Director General of Health Services, Asela Gunawardana, said that "it will take some time" to end the island's forced cremation policy. 

Former Vanni MP and Attorney-at-Law Hunais Farook submitted a statement to Mannar Police over his participation in the Pottuvil to Polikandy (P2P) protest march.

Writing in The Diplomat this week, Tamil Guardian features editor Thusiyan Nandakumar said the February coup in Myanmar “should serve as a wake-up call when it comes to Sri Lanka”.

A hunger strike urging the Sri Lankan government to be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) commenced in Nallur, Jaffna today morning.  

Ambihai K Selvakumar, a director of the International Centre for the Prevention of Genocide (ICPPG) is in the second day of her hunger strike, as she continues her demand that the UK refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court.

The Sri Lankan Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) summoned the secretary of the North-East Relatives of the Missing Persons Association for interrogation, just days after questioning the Vavuniya Families of the Disappeared Association secretary and president.

Families of the disappeared (FOD) across the North-East marked 4 years of continuous roadside protests this week.

The official Sri Lankan state celebration of Vesak will be held in Jaffna this year, following instructions from Prime Minister, and accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa to “focus on the North and East during Vesak this year”.

Whilst accusing the UNHRC of being bias towards the state, Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne has denied allegations that he and the Sri Lankan armed forces committed war crimes during the armed struggle against the LTTE which ended in May 2009. 

^{File photo: Sri Lankan soldiers listen to an address by Shavendra Silva on cyber warfare}

The Sri Lankan navy’s efforts to occupy private land in Karainagar, Jaffna was thwarted by the protests of Tamil locals and politicians, last Friday (19^th February).

Following the presentation of the damning report on Sri Lanka by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet’s damning on report on Sri Lanka, several NGO’s highlighted the prevailing impunity and lack of accountability for human rights violations in Sri Lanka and the failed domestic mechanisms; urging the council to take steps to refer Sri Lanka to the International C

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Selvam Adaikalanathan warned last week that Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekara “is acting towards eliminating Tamil people in the North-East”, after the minister threatened to arrest Tamil protestors and said Tamil lawmakers should have been teargassed.