Image courtesy of @awanthaartigala on Twitter.com

The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined the many voices that have come forward to highlight the dangers to democracy that the Anti-Terrorism Bill and the Online Safety Bill pose. Their statement insists that the government should withdraw the bills to protect democratic values in the country. 

A hartal has taken place across the Mullaitivu district today, protesting against the intimidation of a Tamil judge who was forced to resign and flee the island last month.

The hartal was initiated due to the resignation of Mullaitivu Judge, T. Saravanarajah. The Judge had resigned from all his posts due to the threats that had been issued against him and the pressure for him to change his verdict regarding the Kurunthurmalai archeological site. As an extension of these demands, Tamil politicians demanded that the independence of the judiciary be preserved, and highlighted the ramifications of the ongoing Sinhala colonisation project of the North-East that is being carried out by the state. 

The 23rd anniversary of the murder of Tamil journalist, Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, was commemorated at the Jaffna Press Club and at the Vavuniya Press Club on October 19th. Nimalarajan was one of the few independent reporters in the Tamil homeland who contributed to both local and international press. Nimalarajan’s murderers, who shot him to death in his house in a high-security zone, are yet to be prosecuted. 

Seeing success in every feature since his 2017 debut ‘Maanagaram,’ Kanagaraj has quickly become a directorial darling in Tamil cinema, featuring acting titans of the industry in his last three films. Kanagaraj joins hands once again with actor Vijay, following their 2021 film ‘Master,’ for one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year ‘Leo.’ Unfortunately, the film fails to live up to expectations. 

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Agriculture called for further police intelligence officers to be deployed to the already military-occupied Jaffna district, in order to arrest a “gang” that is reportedly extorting local farmers in the region.

The University of Jaffna has appointed a committee to investigate reported attempts to remove the reconstructed Mullivaikkal monument, according to an article in the Uthayan this week.

The monument, which was dedicated to the tens of thousands of Tamils killed in the genocidal offensive at the end of the armed conflict in 2009, was originally constructed in 2019.

Sri Lanka’s Leader of the Opposition has denounced “terrorism and state terrorism” and called on the United Nations Security Council to intervene in Israel’s military offensive into Gaza, despite defending war criminals and opposing international intervention in Sri Lanka.

Speaking in Sri Lanka’s parliament after the bombing of Ahil Arab Hospital in Gaza which saw the killing of hundreds, Premadasa described the situation as “carnage”.

The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) requested that renowned musician Santhosh Narayanan postpone a scheduled concert in Jaffna this week, as it clashes with the anniversary of India’s massacre of dozens of Tamils at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

Narayanan is currently in Jaffna, and the music composer will be performing at his concert 'Yaazh Gaanam' on October 21^st alongside Tamil diaspora artists from around the world.

Though Sri Lanka’s sweeping aragalaya protest moment that forced its then-president out of office is now over, long-awaited reforms on the island have not taken place. Instead, Colombo’s latest president, the purportedly Western-friendly president Ranil Wickremesinghe, has proceeded to slide the island further down the path of authoritarianism.

Amid the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Sri Lankan migrants working in Israel have chosen to remain in the country and face the possibility of escalating armed conflict rather than return to the island.

According to a spokesperson from the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB), there are some 8,000 Sri Lankans in Israel at present.

However, whilst other countries have been organising evacuations, there have not been any requests to return from Sri Lankan citizens, confirmed Labour Minister Manusha Nanayakkara. “There is no trend of Sri Lankan workers in Israel coming back to Sri Lanka,” he told reporters.