National People’s Power (NPP) presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake toured the homeland this week but remained tight-lipped about his party’s stance on the key issues affecting Tamils in the North-East. 

On his last leg of the tour, Dissanayake spoke in Jaffna, aligning himself with the NPP narrative of an “inclusive Sri Lankan identity”. 

Sri Lankan police are alleged to have assaulted a Tamil man, after he asked for the return of a mobile phone that they had seized earlier this month.

42-year-old Pradeepan was admitted to the Mannar District General Hospital where he received treatment for his injuries following the assault and his family members have lodged a complaint at the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission.

Amnesty International called on the international community to “urgently review cooperation with the Sri Lankan government” including the training and provision of its security forces, as it released a new report detailing how the military and police engaged in violent suppression of protests.

Women from all 8 districts of the North-East staged a protest today in Mannar demanding that Sri Lankan government to bring down the price of rice to below Rs.100 as families grapple with effects of the economic crisis. 

A replica display of the Vedukkunaari Malai Shiva lingam was forced to have the name written on the artwork erased, following reported “pressure from higher authorities” in the wake of attempts to reclaim the area by Sinhala Buddhists.

In response to Sri Lankan minister Vajira Abeywardena's advice for Tamils not to field a Tamil candidate for the presidency, parliamentarian C V Wigneswaran issued a rebuttal, adding that Abeywardena in his capacity as Chairman of the UNP makes a statement like this to make the “incumbent President win.”

Four Indian fishermen sustained serious injuries when they were attacked by the Sri Lanka navy with “iron rods” near Katchatheevu yesterday. The Sri Lanka navy patrol had also collided with Indian fishing boats causing it irreparable damage. 

Sri Lanka’s head of police faced criticism over his decision to visit a church that was bombed in the deadly Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, despite his own role in failing to prevent the killings.

Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon's surprise visit to the St. Sebastian Church, Katuwapitiya, where nearly 67 devotees died during the attacks was slammed by the church, who said the state should instead focus on delivering justice. 

Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) leader and former parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran told reporters in Vavuniya that plans are afoot among some Tamil political parties to field a common Tamil candidate ahead of the upcoming presidential polls scheduled to be held later this year. 

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Fisheries and government-aligned paramilitary leader Douglas Devananda was forced to flee on a motorcycle, after he was confronted by protestors in Kilinochchi last week.