The Sri Lankan military continued to consolidate its presence in the Tamil homeland, announcing that yet another building had been constructed at its headquarters in Jaffna.

The Tamil Nadu activist who self-immolated in protest at the Indian government's failure to stop the massacre of Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka was remembered yesterday in Jaffna. 

Muthukumar, from Thooththukkudi, wrote for Pennea Nee feminist magazine. On January 29, 2009 he doused himself with petrol and set himself afire in front of the Shastri Bhavan, the Indian Central Government's Chennai Head office, condemning the futile visit by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who failed to stop the war in Sri Lanka and save Eelam Tamils.

<p>Sri Lanka’s newly appointed chief of staff, who is accused of playing a leading role in the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians and breaking international law, warned that the military “was watching the country’s security situation carefully,” according to a report in The Island.</p> <p>Speaking to reporters after visiting senior Buddhist monks and praying at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Major General Shavendra Silva, reportedly also added the military was continuing to recruit new troops “in keeping with manpower needs”.</p>

Tamils of Valikamam North who returned to view their lands found that during the Sri Lankan army’s 28 year occupation of the area their homes and lands had been converted into guesthouses and leisure resorts.

<p>Sri Lanka has failed to make progress in tackling corruption, maintaining the same score on Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) as the previous year.</p> <p>The global anti-corruption organisation’s index ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, using a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.</p> <p>Sri Lanka retained its score of 38 from 2017, falling most closely in the range of Transparency International's definition of a 'hybrid regime', showing&nbsp;'elements of autocratic tendencies'</p>

Two India-funded school buildings in the Jaffna district were inaugurated by Indian officials on Monday.

The buildings in Navatkuli Mahavidyalayam and Drieberg College were opened by the Deputy High Commissioner of India for Sri Lanka Shilpak Ambule and the governor of the Northern Province Suren Raghavan.

<p>Sri Lanka's minister for ports and shipping, Sagala Ratnayaka pledged this week that the harbour in Trincomalee, along with Galle, would be operational by the end of this year.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to the minister Trincomalee harbour would commence night time operations by April. However, infrastructure, night navigation systems and radar systems are yet to be estabilished at the site.&nbsp;</p> <p>The project was part funded by Japan, which provided a grant of Japanese Yen 1 billion.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Japan's government this week pledged Rs 100 million for humanitarian demining in the Northern province.&nbsp;</p> <p>The contract was signed by the Japanese ambassador, Akira Sugiyama and the programme manager of Devlon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH) on January 24.&nbsp;</p> <p>Japan has given over US$ 34.5 million for demining since 2003.&nbsp;</p> <p>Read more <a href="http://www.colombopage.com/archive_19A/Jan29_1548739066CH.php">here</a>.&nbsp;</p>

The Sri Lankan navy arrested a man in Point Pedro, Jaffna on Monday, accusing him of possessing at least 86 kg of cannabis, as the military launched a reported crackdown on illegal drugs.

The navy said that a 50-year-old man was concealing the cannabis on the roof at a home in Point Pedro and has since been handed over to the Sri Lankan police.

Youth in Jaffna protested on Sunday demanding action to curb the widespread availability of illicit drugs. 

The protest, organised by the Youth Movement for Democracy, took place by the main Jaffna bus station. 

Protesters also called for an end to the abuse of women and children, and a salary rise for tea plantation workers.