A Tamil Guardian journalist, K. Kumanan, was assaulted by the police officer in charge of the Kokkilai police station in Mullaitivu after he went to Neeraviyadi Pillaiyar temple to report on the lack of progress in fulfilling a court order to remove CCTV cameras.
The Sri Lankan military’s Psychological Operations department held a series of public meetings in the last week, reportedly “in view of the recent upsurge of violence and the birth of Muslim fundamentalism”.
A Sinhalese settler in Mullaitivu was arrested on the charges of obstructing a government official from carrying out his duty, after he assaulted the Kokkilai West village officer.
The incident occurred on May 14 when a confrontation occurred between the village officer’s team of officials and Sinhalese settlers about a government housing scheme that was to be built in Mugathuvaram.
Sri Lanka's president, Maithripala Sirisena yesterday urged the international community to relax travel advisories, stating the security situation was 99% ensured.
Sri Lanka’s military commanders who have been put in charge of the recent ramp up in security across the island pose “an enormous potential risk to rule of law”, said the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) in a joint dossier released last week.
The Sri Lankan military reported that 10,000 extra troops have been deployed as emergency rule was re-enacted, grating the security forces wide ranging powers of detention.
<p>UNP parliamentarian and health minister Rajitha Senaratne welcomed the presidential pardon of Gnanasara Thero, leader of the extremist Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), adding that the UNP was of the same sentiment. </p>
<p>Speaking on the presidential pardon, Senaratne said,</p>
Jeshanika Thivanithan was in grade 8 at St Cecilia’s Girls College in Batticaloa and excelled at extra curricular. The second of three daughters, Jeshanika’s death at the hands of suicide bombers on Easter Sunday has devastated her family.
On Sunday, April 21, thirteen-year-old Jeshanika and her sister, ten-year-old Jeromika, were attending Sunday school at the Zion Church of Batticaloa. They were sitting on the church’s staircase when the first blast went off.
<p>The Sri Lankan navy yesterday arrested nine people for alleged illegal fishing in Trincomalee. </p>
<p>The nine people were accused of using unauthorised fishing nets. </p>
<p>The men were taken into custody and their fishing nets and dinghie confiscated. </p>
Sri Lanka's permanent representative to the UN in New York criticised UN Special Advisors as "ill-conceived and insensitive" for releasing a joint statement earlier this month, warning Sri Lanka was moving backwards towards inter-ethnic conflict.
As part of a series marking the atrocities of Mullivaikkal, we invited activists, journalists, and writers from around the world to share their experiences and reflections a decade on.