The Inspector General of Police (IGP) has issued new instructions, ordering all members of the police force and Civil Defence Force to resume carrying firearms whilst on duty.

Contradicting earlier reports that the police service was to disarm, Superintendent of Police (SP), Ajith Rohana was quoted to have said the decision to keep them armed was due to incidents were criminals killed police officers on duty.

He also said that all police officers who joined the service after 1982 have gone through military training.

The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, D.M. Jayaratne has called for a total ban of wheat flour imports, the Daily Mirror reports.

Jayaratne said the price of wheat products, including bread, should be increased until it is unaffordable for most people.

He hopes this measure would force people to move towards consuming locally produced rice flour.

The Sri Lankan Navy are reported to be running 'medical and dental camps' in Allappidi, Nagadeepa, Pungudutheevu Island, Mandatheevu Island, Keeramalai and Delft Island.

A secret video, taken by undercover reporters at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, reveals senior executives at Bell Pottinger boasting of their influence and access to senior members of the UK government, including the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and the Prime Minister, David Cameron.

Posing as agents for the government of Uzbekistan - heavily criticised for its brutal, dictatorial state and flagrant human rights violations - reporters inquired how the UK based PR firm would be able to alter Uzbekistan's negative online comments.

The Free Media Movement, a local organisation campaigning for press freedom, has filed a court case against the government’s ban on websites that carried material that was deemed insulting to the government.

A fundamental rights application was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday, saying the blockade breaches people’s rights to information and freedom of expression.

The government blocked websites critical of Sri Lanka from being accessed last month, after calling on all news websites to register with the media ministry.

The Sri Lankan government have approved a deal to lease out a block of land, previously sold to the China Aviation Technology Import Export Corporation (CATIC), to Imperial Tobacco Company Ltd. of India.

The land will be given on a 99-year lease for $US73.5 million, allowing the Indian company, a franchisee for the US based Sheraton Group, to construct a hotel and development project estimated to be worth around US$300 million.

Photograph Tamilnet

Tamils from Maathakal, a coastal village in Jaffna, protested on Monday, against the Sri Lankan Navy occupation of their land, reports Tamilnet.

Protesters descended upon the civic body headquarters in Manipay, despite attempts by the Sri Lankan military and police to hinder their journey.

Despite being surrounded by army officers, protesters remained unperturbed and called for the TNA to intervene.

Having confiscated the Tamil villagers' lands, Sri Lankan armed forces have built an extensive naval base in Maathakal and begun issuing written notice of the transfer of land to the navy.

Photograph Tamilnet

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Further Tamil protests were reported to have taken place in Colombo on Tuesday according to the Tamil language newspaper, the Virakesari.

The Terrorist Investigation Division of Sri Lanka is to investigate the victims of an attack by prison guards in Anuradhapura prison, for what the Daily Mirror described as “ an attempt by LTTE cadres in detention to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka internationally.”

The victims under investigation are 65 Tamil men, who were all left with injuries after being assaulted by the  prison guards, with 5 being admitted to hosital.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapakse has revealed the government approved the setting up of 25 five star hotels across the island.

Rajapakse told media on Sunday, the government is to invite international hotel chains to invest and build the hotels on designated sites.

The minister also said 11 of the luxury hotels will be built in Colombo, 7 in Batticaloa, 7 in Trincomalee and 2 in Jaffna.

The Sri Lankan Government has confirmed that internally displaced people from Sampur will not be allowed to return to their homes, BBC Sandeshaya reports.

Trincomalle Government Agent Major General TTR de Silva told journalists on Sunday, that the Tamil inhabitants of the town cannot go back to the city, which is the site of a planned thermal plant.

Sampur was one of the first LTTE strongholds to be captured by the Sri Lankan Army after the breakdown if the ceasefire.