The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena recalled the country's ambassador to Vienna along with five other embassy staff for leaving his phonecalls "unanswered for several hours", the AFP reports. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Ambassador Priyanee Wijesekera recall, however remained silent on the reason for it. 

Sri Lanka's embassy in Austria also extends its purview to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia and Serbia. 

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has expressed concern about draft counter-terror legislation, which is intended to replace the widely criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). 

A proposal by the minister of foreign affairs, Tilak Marapana to gazette the Counter-Terrorism Bill was approved by the Cabinet on September 11. 

“There were several drafts in this regard and in the context of the particular Parliamentary Oversight Committee, we raised concerns regarding a majority of matters. We were told that the issues were addressed. We have yet to see the draft presented to the Cabinet," the TNA spokesperson and MP, M A Sumanthiran told Ceylon Today. 

A Sri Lankan diplomat was arrested last weekend for alleged human trafficking, the Italian news site, Varese7 Press, reported. 

The diplomat, whose identity remains unknown, reportedly attempted to bring two woman and two men in their twenties into Italy, for a fee of 4000 Euros per person. 

An extract from the Daily Mirror is reproduced below: 

A former Sri Lankan minister who was part of the Rajapaksa administration has admitted that surrendered Tamils, including civilians and LTTE cadre, were executed by the military during the end of the armed conflict in 2009. 

Speaking at a press conference in Colombo on September 13, the former higher education minister, S B Dissanayake highlighted the case of the LTTE military commander, Col. Ramesh. 

“Ramesh surrendered, and Ramesh was killed," Dissanayake told journalists, JDS reported. 

The Sri Lankan government has rejected news reports stating the country's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was looking to arrest the chief of defence staff, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne over his alleged involvement in helping the main suspect of a disappearance case evade arrest. 

“He was only requested to make a statement regarding the allegations against him,” Director General of the Government Information Sudarshana Gunawardena, was quoted by the state-owned Daily News site as saying. 

A hand grenade was found on Friday at the site of the Parameswaran temple, located inside the university complex. 

The grenade, which is understood to be faulty, was found by workers, who are currently renovating the temple. 

Two Tamil youths were arrested on September 12 by police for allegedly possessing cannabis. 

The youths, who were detained at the police station for questioning, are believed to be from Alvai, Vadamaradchchi. 

Police accuse them of being in possession of 1kg of cannabis. 

Tamils across the North-East today marked 31 years since Lt Col Thileepan began his fast unto death, demanding the Indian government upheld its promises to the Tamil people. 

Over 100,000 people gathered at the Nallur temple in Jaffna on September 15, 1987 to hear his words as he began the hunger strike. 

Sri Lanka’s rupee continued its fall, dropping to a fresh low on Friday, amidst a shaky outlook for the economy.

The rupee hit a fresh low of 163.60 per dollar, according to Reuters data, ending at 163.60/70 per dollar.

The latest fall comes after a gauge published by Nomura this week showed Sri Lanka is most at risk of an exchange rate crisis, as fears over currency crunches continue to build in emerging market economies.

The memorial for Lt. Col. Thileepan was cleaned this week in preparation for commemorative events later this month. 

The memorial, located in Nallur, Jaffna, had previously been destroyed by the Sri Lankan military. 

Earlier this year, the Jaffna Municipal Council decided that they would renovate it, with plans that the monument will be rebuilt to its former design, which originally included a 23-foot pillar.