The US will pressure the Sri Lankan government and take all measures to ensure that the needs of the Tamil people are met, according to the assurances of US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, in her meeting with Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran.

The Sri Lankan government has de-proscribed 8 out of the 16 organisation, while 155 individuals remain proscribed, out of the original 424.

In a gazette notification dated November 20, the government amended the list it initially published in March last year.

TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran called on the Sri Lankan government to allow the Tamil people of the North-East to commemorate Maaveerar Naal, in a speech in parliament today.

Mr Sumanthiran highlighted the Sri Lankan government’s desecration of LTTE cemeteries under the previous regime, with thousands of graves destroyed.

“Relatives of LTTE cadres have a right to remember them in the month of November,” said the TNA MP. “Allow people to remember their heroes this week,” he added.

British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire has welcomed the Sri Lankan government’s move to de-proscribe some Tamil diaspora groups.

In a tweet sent out on Saturday, Mr Swire said it was an “important step towards reconciliation”.

The Sri Lankan government has de-proscribed 8 out of the 16 organisation, while 155 individuals remain proscribed, out of the original 424, accused of “terrorism”.

The US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said the "the world is watching what is happening in Sri Lanka," as she arrived in Colombo on Saturday ahead of a trip to Jaffna tomorrow.

Speaking after a meeting with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, the US ambassador said the "world is watching what is happening in Sri Lanka far more closely than I think any of you can imagine". "The changes that have been put in place in a very complex and diverse political environment over the course of the last 9 or 10 months have grabbed the world’s attention," she added.

Stating that Sri Lanka has given the world "great hope," she said that the country "is dealing with the very difficult legacies of a long and very arduous civil conflict". "But it is putting one foot in front of the other, facing hard problems, and again showing no signs of moving away from confronting the difficult issues of the past in order to contribute to that brighter future," she continued, adding that the United States "supports your efforts to reform".

Commenting on her trip to Jaffna tomorrow, Ms Power said the visit would give her "the chance to see places I visited 5 years ago and to see the effects on the ground of some of the new policies that have been put into place in recent days and months".

She is expected to meet with civil society organisations and Tamil politicians during her visit to Jaffna, as well as visit the headquarters of Uthayan newspaper, which has been repeatedly targeted throughout the conflict. Ms Power will also participate in the inauguration of a new wing of Osmania College, which suffered significant damage during the conflict, as well as tour the Jaffna Library, where she will announce US support for the local restoration of ancient Tamil manuscripts, according to a press release.

Father of three, Thanapalasingham Veerasingham, was found dead on the bottom of a swing at his home on Friday morning, shortly after he left to go fishing on Saturday morning.

A panel with international legal experts has been nominated to monitor the design and implementation of the transitional justice mechanisms in Sri Lanka.

The Monitoring Accountability Panel (MAP) is comprised of several legal experts with experience in international criminal law and human rights, national war crimes courts, and regional criminal cases, a statement by the TGTE said.

The Tamil National Alliance's spokesperson MA Sumanthiran said that there is no room for compromise on the need for loyalty to the party and its leader R Sampanthan.

In response to a statement by the Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran, Mr Sumanthiran said that people who attempt to sever the "sacred bond" between the Tamil people and their leader, will be rejected, as they have been in the past.

The MP said Mr Wigneswaran was "specifically handpicked" by Mr Sampanthan to function as the chief minister and that the people expressed overwhelming support for the TNA leader's choice.

"The Tamil National Alliance cannot shirk its responsibility to utilize the opportunity that presents itself today to work for the benefit and freedom of our people with sobriety and wisdom so as to pass the necessary statutes in the Provincial Council; accept and utilize the support already forthcoming from the international community; and transform the provincial administration to efficiently address the needs of the people with respect to fisheries, farming, healthcare, education, livelihoods, technological advancement and development centred on raising living standards," Mr Sumanthiran further said, offering his assistance to the chief minister.

See his full statement further below.

Meanwhile posters condemning Mr Sumanthiran's stance against the chief minister have appeared in several villages in Jaffna, days before he is due to speak at an event in the region.