Sri Lanka invited those "who make unfounded and exaggerated allegations as well as unrealistic demands as solutions" to visit Sri Lanka for themselves and see the progress themselves, in a statement issued today by the External Affairs Ministry. Deeming the call by the Tamil Nadu state assembly as "disturbing", the ministry asserted that the reports of Tamil Nadu fishermen being attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy were "erroneous and without any factual basis".

Mahinda Rajapaksa celebrates the Sri Lankan rugby team winning the Asian rugby tournament by presenting the winning trophy to the team captain. The Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage is stood beside them.

In his congratulatory address, Rajapaksa said:

“You have made Sri Lanka proud. The Sri Lanka team has now proved that they are good enough to play with the Asian rugby giants. It is an honour to the country. I wish them well.”

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Ministry expressed surprise at the delay in the country's new Deputy High Commissioner to India, A. Sabrullah Khan, obtaining a diplomatic visa to India.

An official within the Ministry told the SundayTimes.lk: 

“Surprisingly we have not been told yes or no. Never before has there been such a delay.”

The Palestinian Religious Affairs Minister, Dr Mahmoud al-Habbash, and his delegation will arrive on Monday for a three day visit in Sri Lanka, reports the SundayTimes.lk.

The Palestinian embassy said that Habbash is due to meet with Sri Lankan officials to discuss mutual interests and enhance bilateral relations between the two states.

The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 30 more Indian fishermen, taking the total number of those arrested to 56 in the last two days, as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking for the release of those arrested.

A ferry carrying 100 Tamil asylum seekers from the North-East, en route to Australia ran into difficulty off the coast of Karaikal. The refugees had been staying in Tenkasi and Kadayam in Tamil Nadu.

The refugees were reportedly brought ashore by the Indian Coast Guard and informed that they would be arrested for illegally entering the country.

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board expects the government to assist with the financing of two new stadia that contributed greatly to the Board's financial debts last year.

The Board's treasurer, Nuski Mohamed said:

"We talked with the national treasury twice about the stadium debt, and we are discussing it with them now,"

"The ICC has also told us that because this debt has had such a major bearing on our balance sheet, we should somehow negotiate to get that money from the government. As far as I see it, the government has said it would look at things and take over that debt, but there has not been a concrete outcome there yet."

The Board owed almost $70 million after the building of Hambantota and Pallekele, and the renovation of the Premadasa stadium in Colombo.

"Today marks the fourth anniversary of the Tamil Occupation of Parliament Square in protest against the actions (or lack of any action) of the Sri Lankan government, the UK government and other key international actors at the time."

Check out full blog post by JP here. Extract reproduced below:

"Today for me is a day to be celebrated. It marks the coming of age for not only me but a whole generation of Tamil activists. It is a testament to the power of collective action, creating a voice in the public space for the previously voiceless, opening up dialogue and raising awareness.  For me, it honours the unity of a community that had previously stood isolated and what the force of that unity can achieve. It was the beginning of a new era, although we did not entirely know it then. It set in motion of wheels for a new political age for the liberation struggle for Tamils in Sri Lanka. Although many believe it was a wasted effort, and certainly what followed soon after was definitely not something to be celebrated- the death of at least 40,000 Tamils by conservative estimates, the protest in itself is.

The Tamil Nadu opposition political party, DMK, announced today , that its MPs would meet the london envoys of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) member nations, that are scheduled to meet in London at the end of April.

The DMK intend to explain, to the CMAG, why the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, due to be held in Sri Lanka, should be held in another country, and urge them to discuss the issue at the upcoming CMAG meeting.

The Sri Lankan Navy arrested twenty-five Indian fishermen on Friday night. The navy's spokesperson Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya said that the fishermen were arrested for violating the international maritime boundary and were caught off the coast of Karainagar.

The Navy also seized six trawlers during the arrest. See here for more.