A former major fundraiser for the Obama campaign that was paid more than US$6.5 million by the Sri Lankan government to lobby US officials is now facing charges of tax evasion and failing to declare his work for Colombo.

Imaad Shah Zuberi is accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and making illegal campaign contributions, which included funnelling money in an attempt to influence US elections.

The former head of Sri Lanka’s army has predicted that attacks on Muslims will resume after Saturday’s presidential elections, in a stark warning last week.

Lasantha Wijeratne, a journalist and writer, was attacked on Thursday after he had published a book entitled “Wasteful Development and Corruption”, which was critical of Sri Lanka’s opposition candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

No matter what the result of Sri Lanka’s presidential election this weekend, neither of the leading candidates will meet Tamil demands for equal rights and accountability, writes journalist J S Tissainayagam in an article for the Asian Correspondent on Friday.

Ahead of tomorrow’s polls, Tissainayagam says that “the choice for the Tamils is between an unsympathetic candidate and an apathetic candidate”.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has slammed a report on Sri Lanka’s Hiru News, which alleges that there has been a legal case filed against the part for “attempted secession”, as “irresponsible journalism” and denied all such claims.

Nearly 300 activists, lawyers, academics, clergy, journalists and civil society organisations signed a statement condemning the ‘threats, harassment and reprisals’ against prominent human rights lawyer and senior lecturer at Jaffna University Kumaravadivel Guruparan.

Families of disappeared in Vavuniya marked 1000 days of their roadside protest today, the day before Sri Lanka goes to the polls to vote in a new president.

Sri Lankan police manhandled and dragged a Tamil politician as they arrested him for staging a peaceful protest outside a government office.

A former TNA candidate for the Northern Provincial Council and campaign co-ordinator for the presidential bid of M K Sivajilingam, M. Thambirasa was arrested while carrying out a hunger strike in front of the Jaffna District Secretariat calling for the resignation of election commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), an estimated Rs. 3,108 million has been spent by five candidates for their presidential election campaigning between October 14 to November 10, with Gotabaya campaign spending the most.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa blamed the incumbent government for the Easter Sunday bombings stating that those who “diluted the intelligence service” must be held responsible. 

These comments were delivered during a rally at Wennapuwa on 12 November, where he blamed rival political motives for a lack of security. During his speech he stated;

The Guardian writes that a clear and present danger is posed by the return of a Rajapaksa presidency, in its editorial on Thursday. 

The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) called on the Tamil people to “reject” the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential election in a statement last week, stating that both leading parties had rejected Tamil demands.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has openly rejected Tamil demands, whilst Sajith Premadasa has ignored them entirely said the TNPF.