A new constitution for Sri Lanka will be formulated and put to public referendum after being passed through parliament, said Sri Lanka’s co-cabinet spokesperson Dr Rajitha Senaratne.

Dr Senaratne said that the unity government was given a mandate by 6.2 million people and would respect this.

Responding to comments made by journalists regarding rejection of any new constitution by senior monks of the Buddhist clergy, Dr Senaratne said that the mandate of 6.2 million for a new constitution also includes support from Buddhist monks and leaders of other religions.

Tamils in the North-East marked Karumpuli Naal in a series of events today, commemorating the men and women of the LTTE’s Black Tigers.

Former Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa held a rally in Trincomalee on Monday.

A business delegation from Japan expressed concern on Monday to Sri Lanka's finance minister, Mangala Samaraweera over the country's frequent changes to its tax policy. 

The delegation requested that at least six months notice was given ahead of any enforcement of new tax changes, warning that such amendments had an impact on exports and would discourage investors. 

The concerns were expressed at a meeting with Mr Samaraweera on Monday, Colombo Page reported. Japan's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Kenichi Suganuma was also present. 

Sri Lankan state departments are refusing to comply with requests of information, said the Right to Information (RTI) Commission this week.

Despite the RTI Act of Sri Lanka having been passed earlier this year, the Commission said it had received several complaints that various state departments have refused to disclose information after requests have been made.

As a result, the Commission itself has had to step in and directly issue orders to departmental officers to ensure information was released.

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Colombo's High Court on Tuesday sentenced a 62 year old Tamil woman for allegedly harbouring a LTTE cadre, who targeted the current president when he was minister of acricultural development and agrarian services in 2008. 

The judge, Piyasena Ranasinghe sentenced her to two years imprisonment suspended for ten years and a fine of Rs 25,000, Colombo Page reports. 

The Sri Lankan navy on Wednesday arrested 18 local fishermen off the coast of Trincomalee. 

Accusing them of using illegal fishing nets, the navy also confiscated their fishing euipment and three dingy boats

The Assistant Director of Fisheries is reportedly looking into the matter, Adaderana reported. 

The Sri Lankan army handed out stationary to Tamil schoolchildren and basic supplies to pregnant Tamil women, at a military ceremony in Kilinochchi last month.

Over 5400 acres of private land in Jaffna is still under military occupation, the government agent N. Vethanayagam has said.

Of the 5400 acres of land still occupied by the army, 4700 acres fall within Valikamam North.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting about releasing military lands held between Tamil parliamentarians and military representatives at the Jaffna District Secretariat on Monday, Mr Vethanayagam said that consensus was being reached through these meetings which were taking place in each district.

The Chief Minister of the Western Province called on Sinhala mothers across to island to produce more children in order to protect Buddhism and the Sinhala race.

Isura Devapriya said this week that Sinhala mothers must bear more children, telling an audience at Nugegoda that,

"Each and every Sinhala mother should deliver at least five children”.

"Increasing the Sinhala race is the only means to safeguard Buddhism, language and our nation," he added.