Melani Manel Perera

The festival dedicated to the Mystic Rose sees 300 devotees, Tamils and Sinhalese, visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Lanka Tewatta. A tradition that has been repeated for 15 years.

A donation worth 1.5 million rupees, the equivalent of over 9 thousand euro, made possible by the intervention of the Italian Bishops' Conference. Bishop Perera of Kurunegala: This help testifies to our ongoing commitment “in the many disasters that have hit the country, according to the teachings of Jesus. "

Some 300 people gather in Colombo’s New Town Hall to remember Lasantha Wickramathunga and protest against the lack of freedom of expression in the country. Since 2007 10 journalists have been assassinated, 27 assaulted, 11 imprisoned and six abducted.

The doctors who accused the army of having killed thousands of civilians in clashes with the Tigers retract their version of events. In the Colombo parliament clashes between government and opposition over the real conditions of refugees and on commitment to their rehabilitation.

Thousands of people have lost their husband or wife. “I want them to understand that they are not alone in this world, and that they have a task to perform,” priest says.

A report into “Land issues in Sri Lanka" shows that throughout the country there are thousands of refugees. In addition to the harrowing situation of the victims of the war and the tsunami, there are many small cases of people who leave their homes to escape elephant attacks, because of expropriations linked to the tourism industry or contradictory policies of the government.

An unknown group calling itself the Tamil United Force to Safeguard the Country tells the Northern Province’s main newspaper to close down. The newspaper has been critical of the main Tamil parties backing President Rajapaksa.

In Colombo the Catholic Church publishes a booklet titled ‘Prayers for Priests’ in Sinhala, Tamil and English to help presbyters pursue their vocation and lay people know and support the mission.

The men fished along the coast between Trincomalee and Mullathivu. They disappeared without a trace in 1998 and 1999, leaving their families in poverty. The latter suspect they were abducted by Tamil Tigers and now want the government to allow them visit the refugee camps to look for them.

Funds come from the Asian Development Bank and World Bank. Jaffna University and future university in Vavuniya (to open in 2011) are the beneficiaries.

The Platform for Freedom urges Sri Lankans to defend civil liberties and freedom of expression. Its members want an end to corruption, abuses and discrimination and a political solution to Tamil demands.

Sri Lankan authorities will ensure free access to the shrine, impossible to reach for a long time because of fighting between the military and Tamil Tigers. The government will provide power, water, health and hygienic services for thousands of faithful who will converge on the shrine on 15 August in a repeat of the 400-year old pilgrimage.