Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary accused of leading a military offensive that massacred tens of thousands of Tamils, may run as a candidate in this year’s presidential elections, reports The Hindu.

Political sources reportedly told The Hindu that Gotabaya “is very likely" to represent his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa’s, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

Amnesty International said Sri Lanka has been “backtracking on accountability” and warned that victims groups had become disillusioned in the transitional justice process given Colombo’s failure to meet commitments made to the UN Human Rights Council.

The long running campaign by families of the disappeared across the Tamil homeland was highlighted in a moving photo exhibition, 'Album of Persecution: Justice, Despair, Tears', in Jaffna last week. 

Eleven Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested yesterday by Sri Lankan navy personnel for allegedly poaching fish. 

Residents in Mannar accused Sri Lankan military personnel of dumping trash in private land which was recently released. 

The United States urged Sri Lanka to ensure 'time action' on justice, accountability and reconciliation, responding to the passing of a co-sponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Council this week. 

"We welcome #SriLanka’s renewed commitment to #reconciliation, #justice, and #accountability.  Timely action to address these issues will secure a peaceful and prosperous future for all Sri Lankans," the US State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs tweeted. 

The resolution was passed amid a number of member states expressing disappointment over Sri Lanka's failure to make sufficient progress over the past four years. 

A Sri Lankan army official was arrested last Saturday over being in possession of drugs for supply. 

<p><img alt="Image removed." src="/core/misc/icons/e32700/error.svg" title="This image has been removed. For security reasons, only images from the local domain are allowed." height="16" width="16" class="filter-image-invalid"></p> <p>Six key Tamil diaspora organisations said they were disappointed by the failure to secure a time bound pathway of implementation of Sri Lanka's co-sponsored UN Human Rights Council resolution, ensuring accelerated progress.&nbsp;</p>

Students at the University of Jaffna joined families of the disappeared last Saturday to demand Sri Lanka be referred to the International Criminal Court for committing a genocide against the Tamil people. 

Students condemned the UN Human Rights Council's decision to grant an extension to the government to implement the co-sponsored resolution. 

The protest began in front of the university and ended at the municipality council sports grounds.

Two men have been arrested on Sunday over the robbery which took place at the home of a prominent Mullaitivu journalist, Kumanan.