The head of the Canadian NDP Party has said MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan was “right to be concerned” after she reported facing political intimidation on a private visit to her place of birth, in the the North-East of Sri Lanka.

Responding to accusations by Canada’s Sri Lankan High Commissioner that Sitsabaiesan had tried to embarrass Sri Lanka, NDP leader Tom Mulcair defended the Tamil Canadian MP, adding that Sri Lanka's

The Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has accused the US Ambassador in the country, Michelle Sison, of interfering in domestic affairs and overstepping her mandate, after it emerged that the ambassador had met NPC Councillor Ananthi Sasitharan, along with Chief Minister Wigneswaran and TNA MP Sumanthiran.

Rajapaksa said that foreigners would only make matters worse, so any solution to the problem would have to be found domestically.

An Australian student in Sri Lanka was raped by a tourist guide in the Southern town of Ambalangoda, reports the Colombo Page.

The student was part of a group of 15 taking part in an educational activity.

The Sri Lankan government spends US $ 66,000 a month hiring Thompson Advisory Group LLC (TAG), a US lobbying firm, reports the Sunday Times.

The body of a 30 year old Tamil man, who went missing earlier this week, was discovered by local fishermen in Pannai sea by Jaffna yesterday, reported the Uthayan.

The Sri Lankan government has announced that almost 60,000 deserters, who left the Sri Lankan Armed Forces after the armed conflict in 2009, are to have warrants issued for their arrest.

Over Rs. 700 million has been cashed out to soldiers from the Sri Lankan Armed Forces in the past year, in the form of grants for those who have their third child, stated the Ministry of Defence.

The announcement was made in parliament as the government responded to questions on how to stop deserters from leaving the military.

The Investment Promotion Minister, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene, submitted a Cabinet memorandum this month,  seeking to overrule current legislations that ban sales of private or crown Sri Lankan land to a foreign national or company.

Arguing that the Finance minister has the power to overrule legislation, Abeywardene is looking to acquire legal exemption for 69 acres of land to allow a Singaporean Company to establish a private university and related infrastructure.