Addressing an event in Marawila on Saturday, the infamous minister, Wimal Weerawansa, asserted that the US was seeking to "destablise" the country by working in "separatist organisations".

Weerawamsa said,

Rajapaksa's keynote speech due to have taken place at a meeting of the Commonwealth Economic Fourm at 10am on Wednesday has been cancelled amid fears of mass Tamil protests, after a series of protests against his UK visit over the past few days.

He will still be attending a lunch with the Queen, at an event arranged by the Commonwealth Secretary General and Marlborough House on Pall Mall.

Published 03:00 BST. Updated 10:40 BST

Hundreds of Tamils flooded into the Arrivals lounge at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 on Sunday night, as reports of flight UL503, said to be carrying Mahinda Rajapaksa, emerged.

Carrying placards and banners denouncing him as a war criminal and shouting chants urging the British government and the British monarch not to invite him into the country, protesters filled the arrivals lounge.

Rajapaksa's arrival remains unconfirmed however. One source told Tamil Guardian that Scotland Yard's Community Liaison team were stating that he had not arrived, whilst protesters informed Tamil Guardian that police officers on the ground had announced he was not on flight UL503.

Speaking to Tamil Guardian, one protester who wished to remain anonymous fearing for the safety of her family in the North-East, said,

"There was a flight from Sri Lanka, UL503, that was said to have Rajapaksa on it, but don't know, the police keep trying to divert people by saying he isn't here, but that was what they said last time [protest at Heathrow in Nov 2010 at Rajapaksa's arrival] too."

Updated 10:40 BST:

Reports continue to be unconfirmed. Whilst the Daily Mirror has announced his arrival, one source told Tamil Guardian that diplomatic insiders have stated he is yet to arrive. Other reports state that the police have unofficially stated he is yet to arrive. 

There remains much speculation over his accommodation whilst in UK too with some reports suggesting The Dorchester, due to its close proximity to the Sri Lankan High Commission, and others suggesting the Park Lane Hilton.  

For live updates follow us on Twitter.  

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party has called for a public debate on a recent private member's motion seeking a constitution amendment barring religious clergy from becoming members of parliament.

Responding to a recent statement made by the president's counsel, suggesting the widespread and endemic practice of torture by Sri Lankan police, the police spokesperson, SP Ajith Rohana said,

“Generally as a practice torture never takes place in Lankan Police stations.”

Published 11:19 BST

Scotland Yard have confirmed that Rajapaksa has arrived in the UK after leaving Colombo around midnight last night and is currently staying at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel, according to sources within the diaspora.

For live updates follow us @TamilGuardian on Twitter.

Cartoon in the Island entitled 'Dollar punches rupee'

An International Monetary Fund is expected in Colombo today as the Central Bank, again, promised not to intervene in the currency markets to support the value of the Sri Lankan rupee.

The rupee settled this week at a level of about 131 / 132 to the US dollar, having steadily fallen from a level of about 109/ 110 late last year. (See chart here for rupee’s decline). The Central Bank had attempted to halt this decline by selling off its reserves of dollars, spending US $ 2.6 billion in the five months from August last year.

It was eventually forced to abandon this policy because the money ran out and the IMF refused to release a US $ 400 million loan instalment until Sri Lanka allowed the rupee to fall to its natural level. Sri Lanka is now seeking the final US $ 420 million of an IMF loan agreed in June 2009.

The Sri Lankan military has announced that soldiers were removed from "most" of the army check-points in Colombo on Saturday, reports Xinhua.

The army spokesperson, Ruwan Wanigasooriya, said,

"We removed most of the army checkposts in the city on Saturday and handed it over to the police. This is as a result of the continuing improvements we see in the security of the city,"

According to Xinhua, the sri Lankan army headquarters is due to be relocated outside of Colombo to make room for 5-star hotels.

Meanwhile the government has rebuked any calls to de-militarise the North-East.

See here and here for comments by Mahinda Rajapaksa and here for comments by Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

See also:

Military marks 4000 acres for construction in Mullaitheevu (02 Jun 2012)

Confirming that the UN High Commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay has been invited to Sri Lanka to "observe its post-war development and reconciliation efforts", former attorney general, Mohan Peiris, asserted that "he government has not extended any invitation to any fact finding mission".

According to the official website of the Ministry of Defence (see here), Peiris said,

Commenting on a bill proposed by the Ministry of Justice which seeks to extend the time that police are allowed to detain a suspect from 24 to 48 hours, the President's Counsel, MP Wijedasa Rajapaksha, asserted that “even if the amendments were not brought and the law stayed as it is the torture would not stop."

Wijedasa Rajapaksha made those comments responding to queries stating that the extra time under police custody would increase the torture of suspects.