A Finnish Member of Parliament has urged Helsinki to use a newly signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sri Lanka to press Colombo on accountability for war crimes committed against Tamils.

Tamil Guardian report: Finland and Sri Lanka signed an MoU in Helsinki on 25 February 2026, establishing a political consultation mechanism aimed at strengthening bilateral engagement. In response, Green League MP Bella Forsgrén submitted a formal written question to the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament on Wednesday, calling on the government to ensure that the agreement is used to advance Finland’s human‑rights‑based foreign policy.

Forsgrén said that the Sri Lankan state has systematically denied Eelam Tamils the right to self‑determination since 1948, and has repeatedly failed to cooperate with international accountability mechanisms. She highlighted Sri Lanka’s continued refusal to implement UN Human Rights Council resolution 51/1, which Finland and the European Union supported during Finland’s recent term on the Council.

In her submission, Forsgrén pointed to extensive documentation by international bodies and human rights organisations detailing war crimes, attacks on civilians, forced displacement, massacres and sexual violence committed by Sri Lankan state forces during the armed conflict. She noted that tens of thousands of Tamils remain disappeared, and that these crimes meet the threshold of genocide.

Forsgrén further warned that the current National People’s Power (NPP) government has maintained Sri Lanka’s longstanding position of rejecting international accountability, continuing to oppose meaningful cooperation with the United Nations and resisting justice for Tamil victims.

Addressing Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, Forsgrén asked, “how does Finland intend to use the political consultation mechanism between Finland and Sri Lanka to ensure progress in the investigation of human rights violations against Tamils and war crimes committed during the Sri Lankan civil war?”

Under parliamentary procedure, Foreign Minister Valtonen is required to provide a formal response within 21 days. Tamil rights advocates have repeatedly warned that deepening bilateral ties with Colombo, without concrete accountability benchmarks, risks legitimising Sri Lanka’s record of impunity. International engagement, they argue, must be conditional on tangible progress toward justice for Tamil victims, including cooperation with UN‑mandated mechanisms and recognition of the Tamil Genocide.

Veteran journalist Cyril Wimalasurendre passed away yesterday (21).

At the time of his demise, he was 96 years old and contributed to Upali Newspapers publications, mainly The Island and the Divaina.

Born on November 23, 1929, soft spoken Cyril was active in the media field for nearly 70 years. He initially served as a government teacher.

Starting his media career in the early 1950s, he served as an executive officer and journalist at Lake House for several decades.

Throughout his media career, he was honoured with numerous awards for his capabilities and was also a prominent social worker in the Kandy region.

Having joined Upali Newspapers from its inception in 1981 at the invitation of its founder late Mr. Upali Wijewardene, Cyril as he was affectionately known to several generations of journalists was also an expert in handling dramas in both Sinhala and English languages.

Wimalasurendre was the husband of retired school teacherIndrani Hinniappuhamy Gunathilake, the daughter of the prominent Kandy businessman H.G. Hinniappuhamy (Prince of Wales Businesses). He was the father of Lasanthi Wimalasurendre, Administrative Officer of the Sri Lanka Right to Information Commission, and Kanchana Wimalasurendre, a lecturer at ICBT Campus.

By S.K. Samaranayake

Senior Professor O. G. Dayaratna Banda has been appointed Director General of the National Institute of Education. He assumed duties on 20 April as its 15th DG.

Prior to this appointment, he served as the Senior Professor in Economics at the University of Peradeniya where he also served as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts.

He holds a PhD in Economics from the National University of Singapore. He is a widely published academic, having served as a Visiting Research Professor at the University of Waterloo and as a Visiting Senior Fellow at Transylvania University.

From: M.A. Kaleel