A close associate of the Rajapakse clan has been arrested in connection with the murder of a British tourist and the suspected rape of his Russian girlfriend.

Kuram Shaikah Zaman, who was 27 years old was killed on Christmas eve after intervening in a dispute between locals in Tangalle.

The Sri Lankan army, having been whale-watching, sold vegetables and run hotels, are now trying their luck with herding cattle.

Stray cattle in the Vanni have been herded and are being returned to civilians according to military officials.

Crimes by former and current members of the Sri Lankan security forces are on the increase, the Sunday times reports.

The paper details in its article several crimes committed, including the killing of MP Bharatha Lakshman and grease devil attacks in the Tamil homeland.

Extracts from the report:

Incarcerated, former commander of the Sri Lankan Army, Sarath Fonseka, is to be ignored in the write-up of the new chapters of the Sri Lankan epic, the Mahavamsa, The Sunday Leader reports.

India expects Sri Lanka to "act decisively" to achieve a "political settlement based on the devolution of power' announced the External Affairs Ministry in a statement made Sunday on the release of the LLRC report.

Urging resettlement and normal civilian life, India continues to avoid the issue of accountability and justice.

Political parties and police are amongst the most corrupt in Sri Lanka, according to a survey of South Asian countries by Transparency International.

The anti-corruption organization surveyed six countries and found that more than one in three people said they pay bribes when dealing with public services.

“In previous surveys of this nature, only Sub-Saharan Africa had a higher rate of bribe-paying,” Transparency International said in its press release.

Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, presented members of the military with new houses on Saturday.

The ceremony, held in Kalutara, is the seventh phase of the 'Api Venuven Api' housing project aimed at giving Sri Lanka's military families houses. Construction work has been undertaken by the army itself.

A huge project to develop the Sri Lankan capital Colombo is going to be implemented by the Sri Lankan military, in an attempt to minimise costs to the government.

"The construction work will be entrusted to the engineering services divisions of the Sri Lanka Army, Navy and Air Force so that construction costs would be kept to the minimum," Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said on Thursday.

The Sri Lankan Ministry of External Affairs has announced it will take legal action against organisations that have criticised the LLRC, ColomboPage reported on Friday.