More than 100 bodies have been excavated from a mass grave site in Mannar, with excavations continuing for the 58^th day on Monday.

Three ministries have sought Cabinet approval to upgrade Palaly airport to a regional airport with flights operating to and from South India, the Sunday Times reports. 

A paper submitted by the ministries of Transport and Civil Avaition, Policy Planning and Economic Development and Tourism seeks Rs 1.2 billion for the development plan. 

“The initial plan will be to convert Palaly into a regional airport and thereafter to an international airport with flights to other countries,” Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva was quoted by the paper as saying. 

Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said the government was ready to hold provincial council elections "in due time" and was "dedicated to conduct all the elections on schedule". 

Opposition groups have criticised the government for delaying the election arguing that the government is stalling as it fears a widespread defeat. 

Mr Wickremesinghe said however that an electoral system would have be agreed prior to holding the elections. 

"This should be immediately sorted out," he was quoted by Colombo Page as saying. 

Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran, the first Tamil to die in the liberation struggle was remembered in his hometown of Urumpirai, Jaffna on Sunday.

Marking the day of his birth, residents and local government officials garlanded a statue of him in Urumpirai.

The 215th anniversary of Pandara Vanniyan's victory was remembered on Friday in Mullaitivu. 

Local residents, Northern Provincial Council member T Ravikaran, and Karaithuraipettu Divisional Council (Pradesiya Sabai) members laid a garland at the Pandara Vanniyan memorial. 

The Sri Lankan military announced that it had constructed a new main gate entrance to its 24 Division base in Amparai last month, as it continues to consolidate its presence in the North-East.

The Sri Lankan military is set to host a defence seminar this week, where they will discuss “cyber conflict”, “Ideological Polarization” and “Diaspora communities”.

According to an official military website, the 'Colombo Defence Seminar - 2018', is expected to be attended by about “800 foreign and local participants including 14 local and 13 foreign speakers”.

The Sri Lankan navy announced that it is in the process of building a new complex at its SLNS Barana in Mullikulam this week, a region which remains heavily occupied by the armed forces.

Sri Lanka’s Law and Order Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara stated that police have arrested at least 38 people in Jaffna amidst an increase in reported gang violence in the region.

Mr Bandara told Sri Lanka’s parliament that in addition to the arrests over the last two months, police have also seized four motorbikes, four swords and an axe.

Sri Lankan police have stepped up security operations in the peninsula.         

As many as 82,000 Tamils in Kilinochchi have been affected by drought in the region, according to a senior official from Sri Lanka’s District Disaster Management Centre.

According to the official, wells have run dry leading to a shortage of drinking water, with areas such as Poonakari, Kandavalai and Karachchi badly affected.