The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stated that the use of torture by Sri Lankan security forces on Tamil detainees continues and called on the Sri Lankan government “to fully honour the obligations it has undertaken in accordance with the Convention against Torture”.

Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal has once more extended an interim injunction which prevents police from pursuing legal action against former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Members of the Tamil community across the North-East commemorated the 11th death anniversary of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s chief negotiator Anton Balasingham.

Malaysia is looking to strengthen ties with Sri Lanka as a visit by its prime minister, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak on December 17. 

Malaysia's foreign ministry said a high level team would be visiting Sri Lanka, followed by the Maldives. 

The Indian government expects Sri Lanka to keep India's security concerns in mind, the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday. 

The Sri Lankan government announced on Thursday it would be joinging the Ottawa treaty banning the use and stockpiling of land mines. 

The move fulfils a pledge made by the government last year amid significant international pressure pushing for reform.

The United Nations Committee against Torture has advised the Australian government not to deport a Tamil man to Sri Lanka, as he faces the risk of torture if sent back to the island.

An interim measure formally requesting Australia to stay the deportation order whilst his case was being heard was issued by the committee, over fears regarding his safety.

Sri Lankan troops deployed in Jaffna will be receiving new perks and incentives, the army announced last month, continuing to ignore the ongoing calls to demilitarise the Tamil homeland.

Sri Lanka’s president warned that the belief of separatism still exists in Sri Lanka and in international forum, calling on more to be done to tackle it.

“Today, we are gathered here because deep down we know that we have a problem in this country,” he told a convention in Colombo this week. “The ethnic and religious conflicts in this country resulted in a 30-year war. The war was ended through a military solution.”

Photograph: Sunday Observer

The Sri Lan

The Sri Lankan cabinet has approved a proposal to hire Sir Hugh Orde, the former President of the Association of Chief Police Officers and Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), in order to advise on reforms to the Sri Lankan police.

Law and Order and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayake put forward the proposals to cabinet this week, having met with Sir Hugh in October with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Poverty and unemployment are higher in the Northern Province than anywhere else in Sri Lanka, the Chief Minister has said.

Presenting the data at the Northern Provincial Council's second budget reading on Tuesday, Chief Minister Wigneswaran said that out of all 25 districts on the island, Kilinochchi was the poorest.

Mullaitivu, which was previously the poorest district, is now number 2 on the list of poverty by district.

The Sri Lankan government is in discussion with Israel's Aerospace Industries (IAI) over upgrading five grounded Kfir fighter jets.

In an interview to Jane's Defence Weekly, a senior IAI official reportedly said, "the company is in talks with the Sri Lankan government to upgrade and return to service its five grounded Kfir fighters."

The former Sri Lankan navy spokesperson Commodore D.K.P. Dassanayake has been further remanded until December 22 over the disappearance of 11 Tamil youths in 2008, Colombo Page reports. 

Mr Dassanayake was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in July this year. 

A number of bail applications made have so far been rejected.