Lord Naseby, a controversial British politician who has been persistently criticised for his partiality for Sri Lanka has once again emerged to condemn the political aspirations of the Tamil people by denouncing efforts of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) to remove the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Eleven international human rights organisations have cautioned the Sri Lankan government in a statement demanding that they end targeted detention and the intimidations of lawyers, activists, human rights defenders, and journalists in Sri Lanka.

According to the joint statement, signed by organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, and CIVICUS;

Unknown attackers have smashed the door of the inner sanctuary of Kusalaanamalai Saiva Kumaran temple and destroyed the main deity statue, as vandalism attacks on places of worship have increased across the North-East in recent weeks.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaska told an election rally last week that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) “will not be allowed to achieve through the election what the LTTE and its leader Prabhakaran failed to achieve with a gun,” as he continued his campaign of speaking out against devolving powers to the Tamil North-East.

“It is risible to suggest that we (Tamils) must embrace and live at peace with those who butchered our people and destroyed our nation,” said Seeman, chief coordinator of the Naam Tamilar Katchi in a recent interview, where he comments on the upcoming Sri Lankan general election.

During an SLFP rally in the city of Kelaniya, in Colombo, Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, vowed to tackle the drug menace whilst preserving the “city’s historical heritage”.

Former Sri Lankan Minister and Colombo district candidate representing Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Champika Ranawaka, rejected the idea of federalism and attacked former Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and former President, Maithripala Sirisena, for a “weak, lethargic approach” that allowed for the return of the Rajapaksas, during an interview with the Daily Mirror.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is considering amending the Antiquities Ordinance, an act that is intended to conserve archaeological heritage sites and buildings, as the Buddhist clergy has called for power over land disputes in the North-East connected to Buddhist colonisation be transferred to courts in the South. An all-Sinhala committee has been put together to determine the implementation of these changes.

The move comes as the Sri Lankan president appointed an all-Sinhala committee "comprising Maha Sangha and experts in the field to study how the amendments should take place".

Former Northern Province Chief Minister and leader of the Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) C.V. Wigneswaran, expressed his concerns to the Swiss Ambassador about the security of ballot boxes from the military in the North-East during the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Sri Lankan police have questioned the former Supreme Court justice and current leader of the Tamizh Makkal Kootanii over a press release from December, with just days left until Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election.

C V Wigneswaran said police had visited him to question him about the press release, where had spoken on the history of Tamils on the island.

See the full text of the press release here.

"I stand by every word of what I have said here," the former chief minister told the questioning SL Police inspector on Friday, according to an interview with TamilNet. “You may collect it and you can question me on anything if you like.

Candidates from the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) who are contesting in the Eastern province are “on the verge of withdrawing due to ferocious threats and harassment” from paramilitary groups, said party leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, with parliamentary elections scheduled for next week.

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said he was confident that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will win with a two-thirds majority in the upcoming parliamentary elections, at a rally earlier this week.

Rajapaksa claimed the SLPP “was born and emerged as a strong party due to the intimidation and harassment by the Yahapalana Government” and highlighted how the previous government overlooked the SLPP as the opposition party, despite winning 53 seats.