Charges against twelve Malaysian Tamils accused of being involved with former LTTE members have been dropped. The twelve men were arrested under the Security Offences Special Measures Act (SOSMA) last October for allegedly supporting former LTTE leaders.

In anticipation of Sinamkol’s extended release, director Ranjith Joseph spoke with the Tamil Guardian to provide an insight into how he created Sinamkol, the first film to be directed from a post-war Tamil Eelam perspective.

‘I met fighters and learnt about their pain, and the war’.

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet approved the decision to withdraw from co-sponsoring UN Resolutions 30/1 and 40/1, News First reported.

The proposal to withdraw from the resolutions was presented by Minister of Foreign Relations, Dinesh Gunawardene and was approved unanimously by the Cabinet.

The Sectoral Oversight Committee has proposed to immediately ban all kinds of face veils and face covers in public places, including the burqa, in a special report submitted to the Sri Lanka parliament.

Police arrested an army soldier for the possession of cannabis in Kanakarayankulam, Vavuniya on Tuesday (Feb 18).

Police authorities stated he was caught with 500 milligrams of ‘Kerala Ganja’ at the military checkpoint set up at the Kanakarayankulam border. The 38-year-old army soldier, who is stationed at the Jaffna army camp, was caught whilst he was travelling towards his hometown district of Anuradhapuram from Jaffna. 

Sri Lankan police have repeatedly targeted the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) over its initiatives to provide financial assistance to deprived communities in Mullaitivu.

The home of a student suspended for offences of 'ragging' other students was vandalised and his belongings were trashed by four men, last week. 

A protest was staged by students, teachers and staff at Jaffna College of Technology in relation to a sword-wielding incident and called for the necessary precautions to secure their safety to be taken. The demonstration took place yesterday morning (Feb 18) and condemned the actions of the mob whilst demanding that appropriate sanctions be taken against them.   
 

A protest was staged to condemn the ragging offences that took place against students and sexual harassment that was conducted via mobile phones, last Tuesday (Feb 11). 

Sri Lanka’s prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa sent out a scathing warning to “born traitors who are waiting for the first opportunity to betray the country” as he confirmed his government was withdrawing from co-sponsoring a UN resolution on accountability for war crimes.

In a statement released this morning Rajapaksa slammed the US sanctions on Shavendra Silva, announced on Friday over his involvement in war crimes during a military offensive a decade ago, stating it was a “collective punishment reminiscent of the practice in medieval Europe”.

Amnesty International (AI) voiced their solidarity with the families of the disappeared who marched in Colombo on Friday (Feb 14) and insisted the government “must deliver justice, truth and reparation to the families of the forcibly disappeared.” 

Following the United States’ announcement that the head of Sri Lanka’s army was subject to a travel ban over his involvement in mass atrocities, there have been markedly contrasting responses from Sinhala and Tamil actors on the island and beyond.