Tamil families of the disappeared marked the end of 2020, with a protest demanding justice for their forcibly disappeared loved ones last week.

Demonstrations took place in Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya last week, as the families continued their struggle and demanded answers over the disappearances of thousands of Tamils.

Jaffna

Demonstrators in Kilinochchi

Kilinochchi locals voiced their discontent concerning Sri Lanka’s policy of compulsory cremations, as campaigns against the moved continued across the North-East.

Politicians, religious leaders and locals in Mannar took part in a protest on Thursday (31^st December) against the Sri Lankan government’s continued insistence to forcibly cremate Muslim victims of COVID-19.

24 high ranking military personnel have been appointed to oversee COVID-19 responses and quarantine procedures in districts across Sri Lanka.

Marking 1414 days of protest, Families of the Disappeared (FOD) took the streets in Vavuniya demanding that the international community and UN refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court.

Their demands come in advance of the 46th UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva this March. They have written to ambassadors to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, and Australia.

Tamil Heritage Month began in Canada this week as politicians from across the political spectrum paid tribute to the Tamil community.

An online event with cultural performances was held on New Year’s day to mark the start of the month, which will see events held virtually throughout January.

Commemorating the 13th anniversary of Tamil MP, Thiyagaraja Maheswaran's murder, members of the UNP and supporters gathered in Vaddukoddai constituency office on New Year's Day.

On this day 15 years ago, five Tamil students were summarily executed by Sri Lanka's Special Task Force, whilst they spent an afternoon on the beach in Trincomalee.

To date no one has been held accountable for the murder.

Sri Lankan police burned approximately 532 kg of turmeric which they alleged was smuggled from India last week, as an import ban on the spice has sent prices soaring.

The 65 Infantry division of the Sri Lankan army, which is stationed in Kilinochchi, marked their twelfth anniversary by seeking blessings from Sinhala Buddhist monks in an elaborate religious ceremony last month.

Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, and accused war criminal Kamal Gunaratne, denied that Sri Lanka’s military committed war crimes, during his New Years address, insisting that they had launched a “humanitarian operation”.

Sri Lanka’s Army has announced that it will be taking over the responsibility from printing driving licences instead of using a private company. 

Three Ukrainian tourists who arrived in Sri Lanka have tested positive for COVID-19.

The first batch of 185 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka on the 28 December, being the first group of tourists to arrive in Sri Lanka for nine months. The second batch of 204 tourists arrived on the 29 December. The government has reopened Sri Lanka for tourists this week after closing its borders since March. The pilot project is expected to welcome tourists from various countries to assess its capability of handling flights and tourists amidst the pandemic.