<p>Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has decided to postpone a decision on the use of the death penalty to execute four drug offenders until 20 March 2020.</p> <p>This decision was reached today after the court heard a petition from NGOs, human rights groups, and Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission who are challenging the demands of the former President Maithripala Sirisena.&nbsp;</p> <p>Sirisena has previously vowed to implement the death penalty to execute&nbsp;drug offenders before he left the office and has consistently called for the use of the death penalty despite human rights concerns.</p>

Illegal sand miners have fled from sites in Vadamarachchi, Jaffna, after three days of unauthorised sand mining operations, due to deep concern and protests from local residents. 

The sand racket was first carried out in the eastern area of Vadamarachchi, Kudarappu, on Friday by sand miners equipped with hundreds of tillers and bulldozer vehicles. The illegal operation was met with huge discontentment from both locals residents and officials. 

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary, Ravinatha Aryasinha, has warned the Swiss Embassy employee who was abducted, that her status as a Sri Lankan citizen means she is liable to face legal action if found in breach of law.  

<p>Kamal Gunaratne, Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, has been appointed chairman of Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commissions (TRC).&nbsp;</p> <p>The TRC is now under the direction of the Defence Ministry. They claim to be working to improve infrastructure and follow the vision of Gotabaya Rajapaksa by developing 5G technology nationwide.</p> <p>Kamal&nbsp; Gunaratne is accused of overseeing war crimes during his role as&nbsp;&nbsp;Sri Lankan military commander.</p>

<p>Swiss embassy officials and lawyers accompanied an&nbsp;embassy employee who was abducted on November 25, as she gave a statement&nbsp;to Sri Lanka's&nbsp;Criminal Investigations Department earlier today, the <a href="http://www.dailymirror.lk/top_story/Swiss-local-staffer-gives-a-stateme…"><em>Daily</em> <em>Mirror </em></a>reported.</p> <p>The employee arrived at the CID with her lawyers, after Sri Lankan authorities had demanded she be interviewed by the Sri Lankan police.</p>

A Sri Lankan government minister has slammed “Western countries” and “British imperialists”, commenting on a Swiss embassy employee being abducted in Colombo and the UK Conservative Party’s manifesto pledges on Sri Lanka.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Sunday Observer published today, Wimal Weerawansa said that the abduction of the Swiss embassy employee was a “diabolical lie” and also rejected devolving land and police powers to provinces as per Sri Lanka’s 13th Amendment.

The head of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress has said the lack of Muslim ministers in Sri Lanka’s latest cabinet is “just fine”, as he argued that the new government headed by an accused war criminal would treat all on the island fairly.

“They won with a majority,” Rishad Bathiudeen told reporters in Colombo. 

“They can appoint the Cabinet as they want, that’s their right. If they see us too as Sri Lankans and if they treat us equally, that is enough for us.”

Amnesty International released a graphic novel highlighting the discrimination faced by LGBTI people in Sri Lanka. 

The novel, ‘Spectrum: Four Stories of Discrimination Faced by LGBTI People’, follows four characters to illustrate the ‘discrimination and violence in their daily lives, from workplace bullying to police harassment.’ 

Based on true events, the stories depict the ‘alarming ways the police in Sri Lanka handle cases involving LGBTI people.’

A retired Sri Lankan soldier who was protesting outside the Swiss embassy has now claimed that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had falsified evidence about the navy abduction ring which killed 11 youths.

Ajith Prasanna, a retired soldier, lawyer and convenor of the self-proclaimed ‘War Heroes for Motherland’ organisation held a press conference on Friday in which he alleged that the CID had pressured former navy officers and a former LTTE cadre to give false statements about the abductions.

Prasanna presented former navy officers and the LTTE cadre in question to ‘corroborate’ his claims, Ada Derana reports.

An organisation of Buddhist monks have written to the United National Party (UNP), calling on it to ensure that members who have “insulted” monks to not be given any parliamentary nominations in upcoming elections.

The Tri Nikayika Tharuna Bikkhu Sangamaya - an organisation of young Buddhist monks that represent the island’s three Buddhist chapters - handed a petition to the party this week, with demands made to the UNP leadership.