Sri Lanka’s prime minister has once again reiterated his government’s pledge to “do more work” to protect Buddhism on the island, as talks over a new constitution continue.

A Sri Lankan court has further remanded a group that was arrested last year, accused of vandalising a Buddha statue in Mawanella, in the south of the island.

The group of eleven people have now been remanded until February 27. Amongst those being held are people who were arrested for providing accommodation to some of those accused of vandalism.

Whilst Tamils in the North-East continue to protest for the military to leave their lands, the Sri Lankan army organised a tennis tournament at its occupying military base in the Vanni last week.

Sri Lanka’s prime minister has faced criticism from Tamils after telling them to “forget the past and move forward” at an event in Kilinochchi last week.

<p>Occupation and colonisation in Mullaitivu are more pressing issues than development, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP told the Sri Lankan prime minister.</p> <p>Speaking at a meeting during prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to the North on Saturday, TNA MP Shanthi Sriskantharajah highlighted that development efforts were secondary to the need to end and reverse the occupation and appropriation of Tamil lands in Mullaitivu.</p>

Sathiyamoorthy, the Tamil journalist killed inside the ‘No Fire Zone’ by a Sri Lankan army artillery barrage in February 2009, was remembered by journalists and writers in Jaffna on Sunday.

Keppapulavu residents defied increased security force presence to protest the visit of Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Sri Lankan navy announced that it had arrested a man in Kayts on Thursday, accusing him of possessing 2kg of cannabis.

Families of the disappeared in Mullaitivu have launched a petition campaign on Saturday, calling for an international accountability mechanism to ensure justice for their loved ones.

The former Chief Minister of the Northern Province called on the Tamil diaspora as well as lawyers and politicians across the North-East to work towards ensuring that the genocide of Tamils becomes internationally recognised.