President Maithripala Sirisena said Sri Lanka was overcoming obstacles internationally, while some are making baseless accusations.

Speaking at an event in Polonaruwa, Mr Sirisena said that the government was not being influence, despite of what political opponents were saying.

The president also claimed that he can save former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and those who engaged in the war from the electric chair.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said his government was not averse to international participation in the country's touted accountability mechanism, however stressed that "final judgement will be made by the internal judicial system".

The prime minister, who was visiting a temple in Guruvayur, said officials from neighbouring countries such as India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh would be able to participate in discussions on war crimes, alongside representatives from the US and human rights organisations.

Mr Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka wanted to ensure that those responsible for civilian deaths are held to account, whether they were from the military or the LTTE, adding that the UN said it was possible that up to 40,000 people were killed in the last phase of the war.

Representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will visit Sri Lanka next week for a joint ‘Forensic Audit’ on development projects that amount to US $250 billion launched by the former Rajpaksa regime.

Government Minister Sarath Amunagama told media that the consensual government was in a dilemma as to how capital investment could be raised for the projects, as the previous regime had commenced the project without full financial backing.

Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa set up a coordinating office in the wake of announcing that a group of MPs loyal to him will form a new political party.

A large number of parliamentarians loyal to Mahinda Rjapaksa reportedly met at his residence this week to discuss the final details of the new party and finalised the name and party symbol reports Colombo Page.

The office is expected to facilitate the coordination of political affairs and public relations.

The Sri Lankan government on Friday launched a consultations process, the 'Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms'.

The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena on Friday reiterated that his government was not under any foreign influence.

Speaking at the opening of a concrete factory in Balangoda, Mr Sirisena was quoted by Colombo Page as saying his "government is not under any foreign influence as some politicians claim," stressing that the government "will not enter into any agreement that can endanger the local economy and the culture of the country."

Volunteer teachers in Vanni called for permanent appointments to be made as promised months ago by the provincial council.