Over 100 Sinhala Buddhist monks and supporters attacked a Japanese Buddhist Temple in Kollupitiya on Sunday, forcing worshippers to barricade themselves in for fear of assault.

The Sinhala monks, followers of the Theravada sect of Buddhism, reportedly launched the attack to protect Sri Lanka from the Mahayana sect of Buddhism - the form practised at the Japanese temple.

One worshipper who hid inside the temple as the Sinhala monks stormed the temple, said,

“The Buddhist monks forcibly entered the premises shouting out that we stop our prayer session.

The monks said we should only have Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and not Mahayana,”

Worshippers were trapped inside for over four hours before the police were able to free them and escort them to safety.

In addition to the aggression exhibited by the protesters, the rescue operation was further hindered by five bhikkus who sat in front of the closed door and refused to permit the police to enter.

A confidential report commissioned by the Commonwealth has called on the group to make essential reforms and uphold human rights in the organisation or they risk becoming irrelevant.

The report, obtained by Reuters, was compiled by a 10-member Eminent Persons Group and is due to be presented at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth later this month.

The 204-page report said, "As it is currently perceived, the Commonwealth is in danger of losing its relevance".

With the 2011 Ontario general elections set to take place this week, the Canadian Tamil community looks set to hold considerable sway on the outcome, as candidates are in the height of campaigning for their votes.

The elections, set to take place on Thursday the 6th of October, have given the Tamil community the opportunity to make their voice heard and it seems that the candidates have sat up and listened.

See report from Digital Journal here.

Further to our analysis last week on Sri Lanka’s trade, debt and currency quandary, see this report by LBO:

The Sri Lankan Highways Ministry is borrowing $500 from local banks, ostensibly to finance road reconstruction.

5 people have been arrested for printing 20,400 copies of the JVP newspaper ‘Lanka’, the Daily Mirror reported.

The report comes as the split in the JVP deepened, with both factions planning to hold separate conventions to expel their rivals.

‘Lanka’ is currently run by the dissident JVP, with the main faction claiming ownership of the newspaper.

Despite an ever-increasing call for an international, independent investigation into the allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Rajapaksa asserted that the world should commend Sri Lanka on its 'rehabilitation programme' for alleged LTTE cadres and the release of 1800 Tamil men and women from detention.

All the men and women said to be released on Friday had been detained as suspected LTTE cadres, and ordered to under go a 'rehabilitation' programme.

A last-ditch attempt at halting the deportation of Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lanka has failed.
42 men and 8 women were arrested and questioned by Sri Lankan police on arrival at Colombo airport.

There is now serious concern for the wellbeing of the deportees.

Channel 4 documentary providing video evidence of war crimes, 'Sri Lanka's Killing Fields' was screened at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, on Thursday.

The event, co-hosted by NDP MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan (Scarborough-Rouge River), Conservative Party MP Patrick Brown (Barrie) and Liberal Party MP John McKay (Scarborough-Guildwood), was well attended.

Addressing the crowd, MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan, welcomed the cross-party consensus on war crimes and accountability in Sri Lanka,

Speaking in the House of Commons earlier today, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird lashed out at Sri Lanka, as the issue of war crimes and accountability looms ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth next month.

Having met with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister GL Peiris last week, Baird said he had expressed Canada’s

"concerns on the lack of accountability for the serious allegations of war crimes, the lack of reconciliation with the Tamil community and with events that have taken place since the end of the civil war".

Leaked US embassy cables, state that MP Mervyn Silva was believed to be giving patronage to drug traffickers in 2009, along side his son, Malika Silva.

"According to a former Sri Lankan security services official, drug kingpins in Sri Lanka have political patrons in the government, chief among them Dr. Mervyn Silva, a Member of Parliament and the Minister of Labor."

"His son, Malika Silva, is suspected of trafficking the drug “ecstasy” in Colombo nightclubs."