Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said his government was looking to expand relations beyond Colombo and reach out to Jaffna, after signing a series of free trade agreements with Sri Lanka earlier this month.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was on an official three day visit to Singapore last week, where he signed “four Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), and a Joint Statement between the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore and the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade of Sri Lanka to launch negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement”, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Prime Minister Loong though said his country wanted to go beyond Colombo, stating Sri Lanka can be a gateway “to the Indian Ocean region for Singapore companies”.

During a lunch held to mark Mr WIckremesinghe’s visit Mr Loong highlighted how “since the 19th century, Singapore’s small but vibrant Sri Lankan community has contributed significantly to our development”.

He went on to point out that “Jaffna Tamils in the Straits Settlements’ civil service helped to lay the foundation for Singapore’s administrative and government services”.

Plainclothes police and Sri Lankan intelligence officers have been deployed at Jaffna University said a senior police official, following clashes between Sinhala and Tamil students at the campus last week.

Inspector General Pujitha Jayasundera told the Divaina that security in Jaffna would be maintained.

“In addition to officers in civvies, we have deployed a large number of officers within the Jaffna university,” he said.

He added that intelligence officers had also been deployed in order to provide “security to Sinhala students”.

This is the first instance of Sri Lankan police officials admitting to the use of plainclothes and intelligence officers at the campus reports JDS.

Tamil and Sinhala students have been ordered to appear before the Jaffna judicial Magistrate court over charges related to a clash at Jaffna University last week.

A total of 4 Sinhala and 4 Tamil students appeared on charge sheets issued by Magistrate C Satheeskaran on Tuesday, based on a complaint filed by Koppai Police.

The Tamil students have been ordered to appear based on a complaint lodged by Sinhala students who were injured in the clash and are currently receiving treatment at a hospital in the southern capital Colombo.

Meanwhile after a complaint raised by the Jaffna student's union chairman at the Koppai police station, 4 Sinhala students names have also appeared on the charge sheet.

Outside of the courtroom following the acquittal announcement.

Six former Sri Lankan army corporals were acquitted by a Sri Lankan court today over the rape and massacre of 24 Tamil civilians in Kumarapuram in 1996.

The Sri Lankan soldiers were standing on trial over the involvement in the killings, which took place in the village in southern Trincomalee on the 11th of February 1996. Several women and children among the murdered and two young girls were raped before they were killed.

The 33rd anniversary the Black July pogrom that claimed thousands of Tamil lives was commemorated in Jaffna this week.

The fishermen were threated last week and had their equipment destroyed, forcing them to flee from Kokkilai, astensions rose in the area.

Following a complaint to the Sri Lankan government divisional secretary by Northern Provincial Council member T Ravikaran, a ‘Kottu’ permission deed was issued to the Tamil fishermen, reaffirming their right to conduct business in the area.

The events of Black July in 1983, where thousands of Tamils were killed by Sri Lankan government backed mobs, must be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice, said Together Against Genocide (TAG).