• UK warns against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka

    Apr 25
    <p>The UK has warned against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka, in a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) update&nbsp;released today.</p> <p>Eight Britons are known to be among those killed during the the bomb blasts targetting churches and hotels on Easter Sunday.</p>
  • Sri Lanka set to lose US $1.5 billion in tourism revenue after Easter attacks
    <p>Sri Lanka is set to lose at least US $1.5 billion in tourism revenue following the devastating Easter Sunday attacks, warned The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL).</p> <p>“This is the first ever time the terrorists have targeted and attacked tourists, particularly hotels. From the immediate reactions, we are estimating that there will be a massive loss of $1.5 billion in tourism earnings this year,"&nbsp; the president of the association Santh Ukwatte told the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ft.lk/front-page/Tourist-hotels-fear----1-5-b-revenue-loss-f…">Daily FT</a>.&nbsp;</p>
  • Muslims attacked and fleeing their homes in Sri Lanka as violence flares

    Reports have emerged of Muslims businesses and homes being attacked in Sri Lanka as well as Muslims forced to flee their homes, in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings that have killed more than 350 people so far.

    At least two Muslim shops have been burnt down, mosques have been pelted with stones and there have been several incidents of attacks on homes and individuals, including Pakistani refugees. A Sri Lankan parliamentarian with the prime minister’s United National Party has also called for a ban on burqas, a type of traditional Muslim attire. 

  • Canadian city of Brampton recognises May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day

    The city of Brampton, passed a motion on Wednesday recognising that the atrocities perpetrated by Sri Lanka against the Tamil nation constituted genocide, and recognising May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.

  • Sri Lanka police ban 'anti-government' black flags in Jaffna

    Police in Jaffna prohibited residents from putting up black flags during Tuesday’s island-wide day of mourning for the victims of the Easter Sunday bomb blasts, claiming the black flags seemed like a protest against the Sri Lankan government.

    Nelliyadi police forced locals to take down black flags and tried to encourage them to put up white flags in memory of the victim instead.

  • Sri Lanka parliament passes widely criticised Emergency Regulations for 30 days
    <p>Emergency Regulations were passed without a vote, as reports of further terror threats were discussed in Sri Lanka's parliament, &nbsp;on Wednesday.</p> <p>The emergency regulations, labelled as draconian and problematic by many, are said to invest police and security forces with the power to take effective measures to safeguard the island, as well as giving the President sweeping executive powers.</p>
  • Sri Lankan president requests police chief and defence secretary resign
    <p>Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has requested that the police chief and defence secretary step down following the Easter Sunday bombings which killed 359 people.</p> <p>This was reported by two sources close to the president who wish to maintain their anonymity.&nbsp;</p>
  • US had no prior knowledge of Sri Lanka threat
    <p>US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Alaina Teplitz, has said that the US had no prior knowledge of the Easter Sunday bombings which claimed over 350 lives and wounded an approximate 500.</p> <p>This statement follows from rumours that foreign officials had had prior warning.</p> <p>Speaking to foreign reporters she said, “clearly there was some failure in the system” as the Sri Lankan government had intelligence on the attack prior to the actual attack.</p>
  • ‘Serious questions’ over Eastern Governor’s links to NTJ, says TNA

    A Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian said there are “serious questions” regarding the Governor of the Eastern Province and his links to the National Thowheed Jamaath, a lesser known jihadist group that has been blamed by Sri Lankan authorities for the Easter Sunday bombings that have killed over 300 people.

  • Man arrested as search operations ramped up in Mullaitivu

    A man was arrested in Mullaitivu in connection with the bomb blasts that killed over 300 people in Batticaloa and Colombo on Easter Sunday.

    The 35-year-old Muslim man from Maradankadawala, Kekirawa was taken for questioning by Puthukudiyiruppu police after reportedly behaving suspiciously in the town, and was placed under arrest shortly afterwards.

  • Tributes paid across North-East for victims of Easter Sunday blasts

    Vigil at St Mary's Cathedral, Jaffna

    Organisations and public bodies across the North-East held vigils for the victims of the Easter Sunday blasts which killed over 300 people in Batticaloa and Colombo.

  • British Tamils hold Hindu vigil for victims of Easter Sunday attacks

    British Tamils held a Hindu vigil at Ealing Amman temple in London earlier today, in tribute to the victims of the bomb blasts in Batticaloa and Sri Lanka.

    MP Virendra Sharma, the representative of Southall and Ealing, spoke at the temple commemorating the lives lost.

    The death toll was last confirmed at 290 although many remained missing or unaccounted for.

  • UK Metropolitan Police sends specialist team to Sri Lanka
    <p>The UK Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command has displaced a small team of specialists to aid Sri Lanka, including&nbsp;family liaison officers to assist the families of British victims and the repatriation of deceased British nationals.</p> <p>Acting Commander Alexis Boon, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command requested any footage or images taken before, during or after the bombing for examination.</p>
  • Human Rights Watch calls for “due process” and “proportionate" response in Sri Lanka
    <p>Human Rights Watch has called upon to follow “due process” ensuring that arrests are made according to international standards and that restrictions on the freedom of speech are done “for a legitimate reason” and are “proportionate”.</p> <p>This follows the Easter Sunday bombings in which close to 300 were killed and approximate 500 injured.&nbsp;</p>
  • Tamil Civil Society Forum condemns Easter bombings, calls for cautious security sector response
    <p>The Tamil Civil Society Forum has condemned, 'with a heavy heart,’ the Easter Sunday bombings.</p> <p>In a statement released on Tuesday, the forum said ,</p> <p>“We fear that these attacks which occur 10 years after the end of the civil war, have the potential of further complicating and sharpening the deep divisions in this country”</p>
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