The general secretary of the Janatha Sevaka Pakshaya said that the Sri Lankan government should reject a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling for accountability for mass atrocities committed on the island.

Addressing a press conference, Somawansa Amarasinghe, the former leader of the JVP who founded the JSP party earlier this year, said:

“This is a clear threat to our sovereignty and integrity as we are capable of conducting a domestic probe. The US, motivated by separatists, only wants to reap certain benefits from bringing the resolution. If this resolution was implemented, it will be a victory to the separatist elements.”

The residence of a well-known lawyer and rights activist Father Yogeswaran was visited by persons claiming to be from the “Police Media Unit” in Trincomalee on Monday.

Father Yogeswaran who is currently still abroad after speaking on panels at the United Nations Human Rights Council last month is a co-ordinator of the Trincomalee branch of the Tamil Civil Society and anti-disappearances activist.

The “Police Media unit” is thought to be a proxy surveillance unit for Sri Lanka’s intelligence service. Last month, Tamil activists organising campaigns calling for an international accountability process to deal with the findings of the OISl report were also approached by personnel from the “Police Media Unit.”

Father Yogeswaran was well received at the UNHRC and spoke on Tamil sentiment in Sri Lanka at a range of side events organised by Amnesty International and the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR).

Speaking at an Amnesty International event at the UNHRC last month Father Yogeswaran said,

“We talk about transition but there is still no transition in the North-East. There is still military presence and surveillance.”

Commenting on the Tamil vote to bring in Sirisena at January’s presidential elections Father Yogeswaran said, “The victim community suffered for years before the war through systemic discrimination, they didn’t randomly pick up arms. Despite the systemic discrimination, the minority community brought positive change for the whole island. Yet still for the minority community nothing has changed. This is why there was a rise in protests in North-East over last months.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce says the finance bill proposed in March was sending 'negative signals' to the private sector and discouraged investment, LBO reports.

“The CCC believes that the Finance Bill of March 2015, presented to Parliament recently sends a negative signal to the private sector and is likely to deter investment,” the statement said.

“This is unfortunate since the Bill comes at a time that the Sri Lankan private sector was gearing itself to partner the Government in realising the full potential of the country’s economy.”

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and M Karunanidhi called on the Indian government to “realise the real face of Sri Lanka” in a statement issued in Chennai on Monday.

Calling on India to support an international inquiry into mass atrocities committed by Sri Lanka the former chief minister said:

“Countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom that moved the resolution and countries like India that supported it should realise the real face of Sri Lanka.”

“A [UN] resolution by India for an international inquiry will fulfil the long pending demand of the Tamils across the world. It will also provide India an opportunity to correct itself,” he added.

A Sri Lankan minister said his government would ensure the safety of Sri Lankan troops, after a UN resolution mandated an accountability mechanism to prosecute for mass atrocities committed during the final stages of the armed conflict.

The Island quoted Sri Lanka’s University Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella as saying “the government would not allow injustice to be caused to the war heroes” and that it would “ensure the safety of the war heroes so that there would be no problem for them”.

He also said the probe would be a “domestic” mechanism.

Sri Lanka announced that 20 applicants will be interviewed later this month, for the post of hangman at the Department of Prisons.

Prisons Commissioner Rohana Pushpakumara said that the interviews will be held next week and they would be assessing “psychological and physical fitness”.