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. 

“He is due to take up an important assignment related to Malaysia’s chairmanship of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2020. Given the scale of CHOGM, which will involve 52 countries, early preparations are essential for it to be a success,” the ministry said.

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

Asked about China's control of Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, the MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar was quoted by ANI as saying, "we are confident about the strength and enduring nature of our ties with Sri Lanka which are deep rooted and multi dimensional. Our relations with Sri Lanka stand on its own and are not dependent on our relation with any third country."

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.

"As a full state party, we look forward to taking our place in the promotion of this Convention, including through capacity-building and mine clearance," Sri Lanka's representative at its permanent mission to the UN, Rohan Perera said at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Ottawa Convention, titled 'A World Free of Landmines'. 

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.

The asylum seeker – referred to by the Guardian as ‘Jyran’ – has aan arrest warrant in Sri Lanka for “assisting anti-government activities and supporting and assisting a terrorist organisation”.

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.”

“Our Forces were able to defeat a separatist terrorist organisation but we have not managed to defeat the beliefs that led to it,” Mr Sirisena said, adding that “though the idea of separatism has not been openly dealt within the country.”

Photograph: Sunday Observer

The Sri Lankan government officially handed Hambantota Port to China on a 99-year lease last week, as Colombo continues to struggle to pay off massive debts.

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.

Jaffna is the 5th poorest district on the island, the Chief Minister said.

The level of unemployment is also higest in the Northern Province than in any other province.