Representatives of an association describing itself as International Diplomatic Council of Tamil Eelam have met the Finnish parliamentarian Kimmo Kiljunen to discuss their concerns over justice and accountability, including alleged enforced disappearances and the need for international mechanisms to address past abuses, the group reported.

The representatives raised accountability for the alleged genocide of Tamils and the continuing plight of families of the forcibly disappeared, and pressed for these concerns to receive sustained international attention.

The IDCTE told Kiljunen that confidence among Eelam Tamils in domestic mechanisms had diminished, , and a formal and independent international mechanism was necessary to deliver justice. The organisation also discussed developments concerning Sri Lanka’s Office on Missing Persons and the continuing concerns of families searching for those who were forcibly disappeared.

The alleged Chemmani mass grave excavations in Jaffna also formed part of the discussions. The IDCTE said 583 sets of human remains had been recovered from the site, and called for an international mechanism to investigate it and for a systematic DNA database to assist with investigation and identification.

The meeting emphasised the need for greater international attention to the unresolved questions of justice and accountability for Eelam Tamils, and to the continuing concerns surrounding the forcibly disappeared, the organisation said.

Kiljunen, a Social Democrat, has served in the Finnish parliament across several terms since 1995 and was a long-standing member of its Foreign Affairs Committee, chairing it until 2024.

He has considerable experience of the kind of mechanism the IDCTE is seeking. As Special Representative for Central Asia of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, he was asked by the then president of Kyrgyzstan to coordinate the establishment of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry into the violence in the south of that country in 2010, which he went on to lead. The commission was mandated to establish the facts, qualify the violations under international law, determine responsibility and make recommendations. He has also held the vice-presidency of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and led election observation missions across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Finland has its own history of engagement here, having contributed monitors to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, the Nordic body that oversaw the ceasefire between 2002 and 2008, but did a very poor job in playing an even hand.

The Counter Terrorism Investigation Department (CTID) has summoned a Tamil actor over his appearance in the film Venthu Thanninthathu Kaadu.

The actor, Paramasivam Anton Newton, was ordered to visit the CTID office, in Jaffna, yesterday (21), for an inquiry into his appearance in a film that was released in 2022. The film, directed by Mathi Sutha, and shot entirely on an iPhone, centres on the lives of an elderly mother, her three children and their lives trapped in a bunker during the height of the armed conflict, Tamil Guardian reported.

The Tamil Guardian

said the summons was the latest in a series of attempts by the Sri Lankan government to intimidate Tamils in the North-East over their involvement in documenting the armed conflict, organising and participating in commemorative events or asserting their rights.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had come to power promising a new era but for Tamils in the North-East, surveillance, repression and intimidation continues, the newspaper alleged.

India has extended the financial assistance for the passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai for another year. This marks the third consecutive year of financial support by the Government of India for the ferry service, beginning with its resumption in August 2024.

The Indian HC spokesperson said: “The extension reflects India’s continued commitment to enhancing regional connectivity and strengthening people-to-people linkages between the two countries.

The financial support is being extended under the Viability Gap Funding mechanism, amounting to nearly LKR 300 million annually. The assistance is aimed at ensuring the affordability and operational sustainability of the service by covering key logistical and operational costs, on terms similar to the previous year.

Since its resumption in August 2024, the ferry service has facilitated the movement of around 52,000 passengers, significantly contributing to cultural, economic and social exchanges between India and Sri Lanka. The service represents an important milestone in the revitalization of maritime connectivity between the two countries.”