The continued involvement of Sri Lankan troops in UN peacekeeping missions is an “endorsement that recognizes our professionalism at international level,” claimed the commander of Sri Lanka’s army this week.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka called on Sri Lanka to “push forward” with commitments laid out in a United Nations resolution on accountability, in a message to mark Christmas and the New Year on Tuesday.

James Dauris said that the United Kingdom shares “the welcome given by people in every community in Sri Lanka to all the steps taken over the year to help achieve and advance reconciliation between communities”.

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena once again reiterated his opposition to foreign judges being involved in an accountability mechanism for violations of international law, blaming “NGOs affiliated to the LTTE” for calling for international involvement.

The Daily FT reported the president as stating he was “of the strict view that foreign judges should not be brought to the country at any time”.

Tamil parliamentarians should reject the proposed new consitution for Sri Lanka as it does not recognise the North-East as the Tamil homeland, Tamil lawyers have urged.

Having been elected both in Northern Provincial Council elections in 2013 and parliamentary elections in 2015, on the basis of campaigns which clearly stated that the North-East was the inseparable and indisputable homeland of the Tamils, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) should not act against the people's mandate, Tamil Lawyers Forum said in a statement on Wednesday.

Continuing the Sri Lankan military’s interference in archaeology in the North-East, soldiers stationed in Jaffna have received lectures on archaeology and the need “to protect National Archaeological sites in Sri Lanka”, reports a military website.

A new shipping service commenced on Monday from Colombo to Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India, and Yangon in Myanmar, Economy Next reports. 

“Our main goal is to promote the Port of Colombo as the transshipment hub with the increased exports from Yangon to Europe, Middle East and Africa,” said Ashan Malalasekara, chairman of Arinma Holdings was quoted by the paper as saying. 

The Sri Lankan cabinet has decided to suspend the ban on the use of white asbestos on state run institutions which was approved earlier this year. 

The suspension of the ban comes amid Russia's ban of imports of Sri Lankan tea, which government officials believe was a retaliatory move over the asbestos prohibition. 

A full ban will continued on blue asbestos, which will come into effect on Janaury 1, 2018. 

The Indian and Sri Lankan navy on Tuesday completed the second phase of their joint hydrographic survey of the south western coast of Sri Lanka, to map the maritime boundary.  

The survey began on October 26 and follows on from phase 1 which took place in May 2016. 

The survey charts were handed over to the commander of the Sri Lankan navy.  

The mapping exercise takes place amid ongoing tensions between the two countries over the arrest of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan navy personnel for allegedly crossing the maritime boundary. 

A Tamil asylum seeker who had fled Sri Lanka is to be deported from Australia, The Guardian reports. 

The man whose identity is being protected for fear of reprisal on return to Sri Lanka was handcuffed this morning at Villawood detention centre in view of deportation tonight. 

He is being deported without his asylum claim being processed as he failed to meet the October 1 deadline, the paper reported. 

Despite repeated criticism for the Sri Lankan military to cease its involvement in civilian activities, the army intensified its presence in Tamil schools in the Vanni this month.