Residents in Mullaitivu are in a state of fear as Sri Lankan army soldiers collected information about households and businesses in the area this week. 

Soldiers, from the 57th Division, were seen visiting houses in Udayarkaddu, Suthanthirapuram, Kaiveli, Redbaana and Maanikkapuram, and collection information about the number of people in each households and their personal details. 

Soldiers also visited shops and businesses in the area seeking details of owners and employees. 

Mullaitivu district remains deeply militarised despite the passing of over 9 years since the end of the armed conflict. 

The Intelligence Unit at Welikada Prison was disbanded by the Sri Lankan Justice Minister on Thursday.

The decision was taken following an investigation into corruption and irregularities reported in the Prisons Department, the ministry said.

Recent investigations alleged that several prison officials have maintained contacts with prison inmates who are accused of drugs trafficking. It was also reported that with the help of some prison officials, the inmates were getting mobile phones, the Daily Mirror reports.

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister has claimed that people on the island, especially children, should learn Sinhala, Tamil and English to bring about reconciliation.

“If people learn Sinhala, then everyone should be conversant with the language of the majority. If one learns Tamil, then that person will be able to benefit from the development that is taking place in Tamil Nadu. One could get more benefits from South India than from Europe if he or she learns Tamil. Likewise, if one learns English, he or she will be benefitted when travelling to UK or USA.”

The Jaffna Fort should not be handed over to the Sri Lankan army, and all currently occupying troops of the area should be removed, the District Coordinating Committee for Jaffna said last week.

The decisions were made at a meeting convened by the chairs for the committee, Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran, ITAK leader Mavai Senathirajah, and UNP MP Vijayakala Maheswaran.

NPC council member M. K. Sivajilingam heavily criticised the Archaeology Department for continuing to allow the Army to occupy and use as an active base such a place of historical and archaeological importance.

A Sri Lankan parliamentarian has called for the arrest of the former state minister and Tamil UNP MP Vijayakala Maheswaran, following a speech she made in Jaffna earlier this year.

Udaya Gammanpila, a parliamentarian representing the Colombo district, said that he was going to “issue a writ against the Attorney General to immediately arrest” Ms Maheswaran.

Shares in Sri Lanka fell for a fourth straight session, as foreign investors continue to sell blue chip stocks, reports Reuters.

The Colombo stock index dropped 0.47 percent this week, with year to date losses of 3.4 percent.

The fall comes as foreign investors continue to sell equities net worth 169.6 million rupees on Thursday, bringing the year-to-date net foreign outflows to 2.5 billion rupees.

Sri Lanka's law and order minister said yesterday he would be sending a list of wanted criminals to India as many of them were hiding in India. 

Speaking to the Daily Mirror Mr Ranjith Bandara said, “I had talks with the Indian High Commissioner here. We will prepare the details to be submitted to them."

He had previously said he was in discussions with the United Arab Emirates regarding criminals that he believed were hiding there too. 

A Tamil asylum seeker, whose father was shot dead and his mother and sister were disappeared this year has been deported to Sri Lanka from Australia, The Guardian reports. 

The man, known only as 'Kavi', had been detained in an immigration camp for the past four months after his bridging visa expired. 

He fled to Australia 6 years ago after the end of the armed conflict in 2009.

In a statement to Australia's home affairs minister, Kavi wrote:  

“On 5 January 2018 I received a very distressing call from my mother.

A Hindu priest who has been in custody for nearly 13 years under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has finally been released, after a Colombo court accepted he was forced into signing a confession over an assassination attempt on Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary.

The priest. identified as Sriskandarajah Sharma, had been arrested in 2006 under the much criticised PTA, after an assassination attempt on Sri Lanka’s then defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

There was no evidence against the priest apart from a confession, that Colombo High Court Judge Sampath Abeykoon accepted he had been forced into signing.

Despite ongoing reports in Sri Lankan papers that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was planning to purchase a stake in the loss-making Mattala airport, India has denied that such a proposal was on the cards. 

Asked in the Lok Sabha whether AAI was planning to buy a significant stake in the airport, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha was quoted by the Economic Times as replying, "No such proposal is under consideration at present."

Mr Sinha also denied there were plans to build a flying school and complete maintenance work at the airport.