Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena on Friday assured locals that his government would enter into any free trade agreements internationally which would be detrimental to local industry. 

“The government will only enter into any free trade agreements with foreign countries by protecting local industries,” Mr Sirisena was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

Sri Lankan police in Mannar prevented former LTTE cadres and families of fallen LTTE cadres from clearing up an LTTE cemetery on Friday, causing friction between locals and police.

The resettled people of Sampur and Kadarkaraichenai have filed a complaint over land issues to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, submitting over a thousand documents as evidence.

Representatives of the villages went to the Trincomalee regional office of HRCSL to hand over the files of evidence and letters and to register the official complaint.

The fundamental issue of the status of Tamils in Sri Lanka remains unresolved said the former  Norwegian peace-mediator between Sri Lanka’s government and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

In an interview with Indian News outlet DNA India, Mr Eric Solheim said that despite the end of the war . “still the fundamental issues in Sri Lanka – the status of Tamils, and the influence of Tamils within the state of Sri Lanka are not resolved.”

Photographs: Shalin for Tamil Guardian

Over 50 Sri Lankan soldiers were engaged in restoring the tomb of an Indian Army officer in a bid to complete work before the visit of a senior Indian Army commander.

Updated 2300 GMT

Sri Lanka’s constitution does not allow foreign judges to operate in the country and they will not be allowed to hear cases of war crimes, declared the government’s newly appointed foreign minister Tilak Marapana, as he denied his government was under pressure to implement a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability for violations of international law.

The Sri Lankan armed forces are to hold a defence seminar on ‘Countering Violent Extremism’ with hundreds of participants at the end of this month, according to army media.

The seminar, held for the seventh consecutive year, is to be attended by 800 participants, including 200 foreign representatives, according to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence.

Sinhala Buddhist monks from the Asigiri Sangha Sabawa have opposed reported moves to bring about a no confidence motion against Sri Lanka’s justice minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.

The Asgiriya Maha Lekakhadikari, Medagama Dhammananda, said the Asigiri Sangha was “opposed to any move by some politicians to bring a no-faith motion against a minister actively engaged in Buddhist activities,” reports the Daily Mirror.

Muslims in Pottuvil protested on Wednesday demanding Sri Lankan wild life officials stop occupying over 650 acres of land in Pulipiditchachenai in Mathurankuli. 

The march was organised by the Farmers Association of Pulipidichasenai who said the officials came in 2007 and stoped them from entering their homes. 

The no-confidence resolution against Sri Lanka's justice minister, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was adopted by the United National Party's Working Committee at a meeting held on Friday. 

UNP MPs accuse the minister of obstructing fraud and corruption investigations into the Rajapaksa regime. 

The resolution was put forward by MPs Ashu Marasinghe and seconded Sydney Jayaratne, reported Colombo Page.