A spate of Buddha statues have been planted across the North-East this month, reported the Uthayan and Tamil Mirror, some with direct involvement from the Sri Lankan security forces.

In Mulliyavalai, a Buddha statue was erected with Buddhist monks and police officials at the inaugurating ceremony.

A mass grave was uncovered in Udayairkattu, Mullaitivu on Thursday reports BBC Tamil.

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister GL Peiris has said that member states in the UN Human Rights Council are not able to make independent decisions on the Sri Lanka resolution next month.

The Island reported Peiris as claiming members were being blackmailed to vote against Sri Lanka at the next session of the Council in March, and threatened with serious consequences if they failed to do so.

The release of Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran, who were jailed over the death of Rajiv Gandhi, has been halted by the Supreme Court in Delhi, overturning the decision made by Tamil Nadu’s state government.

“We have yet to see a meaningful, time-bound, independent, domestic-led political process with clear milestones in this matter.”

“The Opposition support the Government’s response to this question. Can the Minister confirm to the House that the Prime Minister will be true to his word on this, and that the Government will continue to work closely with the United States Administration and others at the forthcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, to which she has already referred, in the order that an independent international inquiry can be set up at the earliest possible time?”

Samples of human remains found in a mass grave in the central Sri Lankan town of Matale will be sent to the Beta Analytical Archaeological Laboratory in Florida, reported the Daily Mirror.

A commission set up by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to look into the mass grave ordered the investigation.

“Sri Lanka is doing whatever it can to avoid accountability for the alleged horrific violations by its security forces during the armed conflict”

“We urge UN member states to use the HRC to agree a strong resolution establishing an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes. And its equally crucial that the world does not lose sight of the still very troubling assault on dissent in Sri Lanka today.”

“The pattern of harassment, surveillance and attacks against those opposing the Sri Lanka authorities is deeply disturbing and shows no sign of letting up”