Sarath Fonseka, former Sri Lankan Army General was sentenced for three years by the High Court on Friday on charges of "spreading disaffection", "spreading rumours" and "causing public disorder".

According to the prosecution, Fonseka told the Sunday Leader newspaper on 13th December 2009, that the defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, of ordering the execution of LTTE commanders as they surrendered - a war crime. Fonseka disputes this.

He is currently facing a 30-month sentence for alleged corruption and other charges.

The decision to sentence Fonseka fell on the same day as Rajapaksa's birthday, and two days before the proposed release of the LLRC.

Two out of the three High Court judges ruled against him. Attorney Nalin Ladduwahetty said Fonseka would appeal the sentence.

In a statement, Fonseka said,

“I reject this decision with disgust,”

“I believe that the fair-minded people will correct this mistake one day, otherwise it will remain a black mark in the history of our judiciary.”

Fonseka was the Army General during the final stages of the conflict where over 40,000 Tamils were systematically targetting by the Sri Lankan military and annihilated.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has slammed Sri Lanka’s accusations that missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda has gone to seek political refuge in a foreign country.

Sri Lanka’s anti-government website lankanewsweb.com has apparently obtained extracts of the yet to be published LLRC report.

According to the website, which is banned in Sri Lanka, the government is preparing to sacrifice nearly one hundred soldiers, including senior military leaders, in order to save Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse and President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Addressing cabinet on Thursday, Sri Lanka's Media and Information minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, asserted that the Ministry has "full authority" to act against any websites deemed to be publishing "false information".

The statement came following the ruling regime's recent decision to enforce mandatory registration of all websites that deliver "news, information on Sri Lanka, or information on its people".

Addressing the cabinet on Thursday, Rembukwella is reported to have said,

"[the Media] Ministry has the full authority to take action against any website which propagates false information or indecent exposure."

The very next day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha urged India to “assert itself with the Sri Lankan Government”, yet another attack on Indian fisherman has been carried out by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Three Indian fishing boats have been damaged and a fisherman admitted to hospital with head injuries, as yet another incident of Indian fishermen being attacked by the Sri lankan Navy occured on Tuesday.

The fishermen allege that the Navy men pelted them with stones while they were fishing in the Palk Straits.

The head of Sri Lanka's 2018 Commonwealth Games bid committee, suggested that India's shoddy games last year, resulted in Sri Lanka losing out to Australia.

Highlighting India's outstanding debts to contractors, Ajith Nivard Cabraal said,

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha has asked the government of India to assert itself and urge the Sri Lankan government to reign in ‘rogue elements’ in its navy.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh she said:

Cairn Lanka has discovered a second well of natural gas off the shore of Mannar.

The well was drilled to a depth of 3 miles and gas was discovered in three zones.

The company said in a statement that further drilling would be necessary to determine the commercial viability of the discovery.

The Sri Lankan army assaulted three civilians involved in a road traffic accident following a minor altercation, said Kilinochi MP Sritharan.

The Governor of the Central Bank, Ajith Cabraal, said on Monday that the government is going ahead with the building of a 4,000 roomed sports village and a new athletic stadium.

It was expected that the plans would be scrapped following the defeat of Hambantota’s $8 million bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018, especially after the debacle of hosting the cricket world cup earlier this year.

Expressing dismay at the “chauvinistic attitude” of the Sri Lankan state, former US Deputy Secretary of State said on Friday the international community was united in its criticism of Sri Lanka’s conduct in the north and east and that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would not be welcomed internationally unless conditions there improved.

Speaking alongside Mr. Armitage at the launch of the Norwegian evaluation of Oslo’s peace process in Sri Lanka, and echoing his message, Norwegian minister for Environment and International Development, and former peace envoy, Erik Solheim also said the question of accountability for the mass killings of civilians in last phase of the war “will not go away”, and that “the only way the Sri Lankan state can reduce the impact of this is to reach out to Tamils and find a way of resolving the Tamil issue.”

They were speaking in Oslo at the formal launch of the evaluation report on Norway’s protracted peace role in Sri Lanka, at which the question of Sri Lanka’s future was also discussed.

Mr Armitage told the audience,

“I don’t think anyone disagrees that the Tamil people have been mistreated and are continuing to lack – across the board – fundamental freedoms, dignity, etc,”

“Much to my dismay the government of Sri Lanka is still caught up in a chauvinistic attitude,”

“I don’t think they’ve been far sighted enough in their approach to the north and east. There has been a somewhat lessening of violence there, somewhat lessening of the abductions and things of this nature, but not sufficient.”

“From the US point of view we are quite dismayed at the lack of progress in human freedoms, human rights, etc, and I made that view known [to President Rajapaksa].”

“But what to do about it is the question."

"[Firstly] the international community is generally coalesced around the fact that the north and the east particularly need protections, and the government of Sri Lanka has to move in that direction. … That is the united message the international community gives.

Below are extracts from US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asian Affairs Robert M. Scher’s speech at Sri Lanka’s maritime security conference on Monday: