<p>Two Tamil youths were arrested on Friday by police in Palai, Jaffna.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to the police the youths were found in possession of swords and were involved in gang fights.&nbsp;</p> <p>Officers raided a house during the early hours of Friday, following a tip off. Some youths managed to escape the police arrest.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sri Lankan security personnel clashed with Chinese workers at the Chatham Street construction site in Colombo yesterday, the <a href="http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Clash-at-a-construction-site-in-Colom…">Daily Mirror</a> reports.&nbsp;</p> <p>Three security personnel were said to be involved in the clash with two Chinese workers following an argument on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Police officers at every station in the Jaffna district have had their leave cancelled until further notice.</p> <p>The announcement was made to all officers-in-charge by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) for the Northern Province on Thursday.</p> <p>The DIG reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of growing crime in the district, including gang violence and robberies, and said that leave would not be granted until the problems had been appropriately dealt with.</p>

The wife of a detained former LTTE cadre has said that she was threatened and forced by Sri Lankan police to drop her hunger strike protest calling for her husband’s release.

Rajakumarar Selvarany had begun a hunger strike protest in Batticaloa’s Gandhi Park with her four children, calling for the release of her husband Kathirgamathamby Rajakumarar alias Ajanthan, a former LTTE cadre who was arrested purportedly in connection with the murders of two Sri Lankan police officers in Vavunathivu, Batticaloa.

Five youths in Jaffna and one man in Kilinochchi were arrested this week over the alleged possession of drugs. 

Sri Lanka's Special Task Force (STF) reported that 153.8kg of cannabis and Rs 10 lakhs were confiscated from the man arrested in the Pannankandi area of Kilinochchi.  

<p>Eight Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on December 17, were released on Thursday with a severe caution.&nbsp;</p> <p>The hearing took place at Kayts court, with Justice A Judson presiding.&nbsp;</p> <p>The lawyer for the fishermen argued that they were forced to cross the border due to rough seas.&nbsp;</p> <p>The latest incident is part of a long history of animosity towards Indian fishermen from the Sri Lankan navy, which has occasionally led to violent attacks and the arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen.</p>

<p>Sri Lanka's president on Friday said he would be expediting a forensic audit into the Central Bank bond scam.</p> <p>At a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat, Sirisena discussed the reasons why the bond scam investigation was being delayed.&nbsp;</p> <p>“No charge sheet had been submitted against the suspects who had been remanded over the scam. When relevant Acts were being reformed to finalise legal action within a fixed time frame, the sectoral committee in parliament had obstructed the move," a statement from the Presidential Media Division said.&nbsp;</p>

Hundreds have been affected by flooding in Kilinochchi following heavy rains overnight. 

Lakes in the region have burst their banks, flooding streets and making them impassable. 

Military personnel were deployed to assist locals. 

<p>The Sri Lankan army has been telling Tamil farmers in Batticaloa district to register their details with the army camp, creating fears among locals that the army is trying to revive the war-time ‘pass system’.</p> <p>Farmers from the grazing land areas Mylathamadu and Periya Mathavanai in Koralaipattu South (Kiran) division who breed livestock were told by soldiers at the Mazhaimandi camp to submit their names and details to the Tharavai camp.</p> <p>The army claimed they were instating this system to prevent illegal activities such as sand mining, timber smuggling and cattle theft in the area.</p>

<p>United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the “resolution of the political crisis in Sri Lanka through peaceful, constitutional means” his spokesperson said on Thursday.</p> <p><a href="https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2018-12-20/statement-attr…">The statement</a> from the Secretary-General, added that he “applauds the resilience of the country’s democratic institutions”.</p> <p>“The Secretary-General calls on all political actors to seize the opportunity of the appointment of the new cabinet to resolve outstanding political differences in the same spirit of respect for democracy and in the interest of the people of Sri Lanka,” it continued.</p>