The Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Isabelle Martin over the last weekend met representatives of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) in the East. Tamil Guardian reported that talks focused on the challenges facing the Tamil people.

The meeting was held at the office of ITAK Member of Parliament Kaveendiran Kodeeswaran and brought together parliamentarians representing the Batticaloa and Ampara districts, alongside local government officials including divisional council chairpersons.

Discussions centred on a range of pressing issues, including livelihoods, access to education, employment opportunities and ongoing human rights concerns, as well as the broader state of democratic governance in the region.

High Commissioner Martin sought updates on prevailing socio-economic conditions, particularly the challenges confronting local communities in the East. She noted the concerns raised and indicated that she would follow up on the matters discussed.

Among those present were ITAK MPs Kaveendiran Kodeeswaran, Gnanamuthu Sirinesan and Dr Elayathamby Srinath, along with several local council representatives.

A section of residents of Keppapilavu, in Mullaitivu, on May Day protested. demanding the release of lands still occupied by the military, 17 years after the end of the armed conflict.

They reiterated their longstanding demand for the return of lands seized by the military, in 2009, to establish a camp, sources in the North said. For over 17 years, Keppapilavu residents have sustained a continuous campaign of protests, petitions and advocacy efforts, calling for the right to resettle on their original lands, they said.

Despite limited releases under successive governments, protesters stressed that substantial areas remain under military control. They highlighted that 171 acres were yet to be returned, including 59.5 acres of residential land and 111 acres of agricultural land. The residential areas once supported over 55 families and included homes, schools, places of worship and shared community spaces.

Holding placards and chanting slogans, demonstrators said that their struggle extends beyond land ownership, framing it as a fight for dignity, livelihood and the restoration of a community life disrupted since 2009.

Residents declared that since the current government assumed office, multiple appeals have been made through formal channels, including submissions to the Presidential Secretariat and the Mullaitivu District Secretariat. However, they stated that these efforts have yielded no meaningful progress toward the release of the remaining lands.

Protesters called on Sri Lankan and the local authorities to take immediate and concrete steps to return the entirety of the occupied land, enabling displaced families to resettle and rebuild their lives without further delay.

SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has strongly opposed the forthcoming Value Added Tax (VAT) increase.

In a post on X, Premadasa has said that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be brought within the tax framework, financial services will be subject to higher taxation, and the digital economy will be incorporated into the VAT system.

He has noted that overall compliance obligations will also increase.

Premadasa has argued that these measures amount to “extortion” rather than reform, warning that it is not possible to tax an economy into growth.

He has said businesses need room to operate and survive, adding that if they are unable to do so, there will beventually be little left to tax.