Photograph: ColomboPage

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena declared Theravada Buddhism the island’s biggest wealth, at a Buddhist religious festival in Kandy this week.

After 30 years of military occupation, the Sri Lankan armed forces have released a Tamil school playground that it had taken over.

The Rambaikulam Girls’ school playground in Vavuniya has been occupied by the Sri Lankan Air Force since March 12, 1986.

The military took over the playground “in view of terrorism,” reports The Island and despite the end of the armed conflict more than 7 years ago, it had continued to be under military occupation. After a request by the principal of the school, the playground has now been released.
 

Sri Lanka’s Governor of the Northern Province defended the building of Buddhist viharas in the Tamil North-East, stating that it should be welcomed instead of being objected to.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the government-appointed governor s questioned as to why Tamils across the North-East have objected to the rapid construction of Sinhala Buddhist places of worship.

Tamil parliamentarians said that the Sri Lankan government has not assisted Tamils across the island, in comments made during a trip to India on Friday.

Tamil National Alliance MPs S Sritharan of Kilinochchi, C Nirmalanathan of Mannar and Democratic People's Front MP M Velukumar of Kandy said the current government still had not taken any steps to help Tamils, especially war widows in the North-East.

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry claimed it had been defrauded by over $100,000 by the embassy in the United States.

Detailing trips made by diplomats at the embassy, Sri Lanka’s current foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera said records are inaccurate and several files were missing. One trip to the United Nations in 2006 saw then president Mahinda Rajapaksa accompanied by an 142 member delegation, he added.

Last year Mr Samaraweera that staff at the embassy had "adult films, $200 shots of cognac and $288 steaks” under the previous government.

The Sri Lankan military ceremoniously declared open a new extension to the  563 Brigade Headquarters in Vanni this week.
The newly constructed cooking house was inaugurated by Major General Boniface Perera, Sri Lanka's commander of the Vanni headquarters. 
It was constructed entirely by Sri Lankan troops, with building materials alone amounting to Rs 8.7 million.

The Chief Minister of the Northern Province C V Wigneswaran criticised the current UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, accusing her of ignoring the topic of war crimes in a report that was sent to his office.

Addressing the Northern Provincial Council earlier this week, Justice Wigneswaran said that whilst topics such as justice, harmony, good governance and reconciliation were mentioned in the report, there was no mention of war crimes.

The Sri Lankan Joint Opposition threatened to mvoe a motion of no confidence against the Speaker of the Parliament if he signs the controversial Office of Missing Persons bill, on Thursday.

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader MP Udaya Gammanpila said the matter had been formally raised with the Speaker, calling the bill - which was passed without a vote - illegal.

“He would not intend to sign the Draft Bill, if he truly loves the country since he even wears a national flag pin on his dress,” Adaderana reported him as adding.

Family and loved ones of the disappeared protested in Kilinochchi on Thursday demanding to know the whereabouts of the missing. 

The chief minister of the northern province, C V Wigneswaran highlighted the need for justice for the Tamil people, as he addressed a public event where the former president, Chandrika Kumaratunga was present. 

"Without compensation for all the injustice meted out to the Tamils in the past, including war crimes, whatever benefits that are provided to us will not satisfy us," Mr Wigneswaran told the gathering on August 12.