The Chief Minister of the Northern Province has criticised the Sri Lankan President’s attempt to prioritise development as a route to ‘national unity and integration’, over a political settlement, as well as criticising the Sri Lankan government’s approach to development in the North-East.

“National Unity and Integration cannot be forged by foisting so-called development on the politically affected people of the North and East,” Chief Minister Wigneswaran wrote in a letter responding to his appointment as a member of the Presidential Task Force to Direct, Co-ordinate and Monitor Development Activities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The Sri Lankan president blamed the use of “social websites and illegal drugs” for an apparent increase in murders and rapes, as he pledged to sign orders to execute the death penalty on the island.

Continuing its involvement in civilian affairs the Sri Lankan army donated bicycles and coconut trees to low income families this month. 

The event, which took place at Veerasingham Hall in Jaffna on July 9, saw 100 bicycles and 3000 coconut trees be handed over, as well as houses be handed over to the families from Kayts. 

An EPDP member of Jaffna Urban Council has been served an interim ban on sitting and voting in the council, pending a case filed against him at the Colombo Court of Appeals.

A petition was filed against K. V. Kugenthiran alleging that he holds dual citizenship and is therefore ineligible to hold elected office.

The petition also states that the Elections Commission and selection officers broke election rules by allowing his membership, which should be declared void.

With Sri Lankan police failing to tackle an increase in crimes in some parts of the North, a town in Jaffna has decided to take the matter in to its own hands by forming a resident’s night patrol.

Chavakachcheri Urban Council decided unanimously to form the patrol, stating that relying on the police to handle the situation was useless.

The patrols will be made up of council members and local youths.

Sri Lanka launched the development of Trincomalee port with the Singaporean infrastructure consultancy, Surbana Jurong on Wednesday. 

The programme, which was signed in June 2016, plans to develop 1363 sq km in Trincomalee into a centre for tourism, leisure and exports. 

Amnesty International on Wednesday called on Sri Lanka to withdraw its plans to implement the death penalty for drug trafficking offences. 

This week the country's ministry of Buddhasasana announced that the cabinet had decided to implement it, and to include 19 prisoners currently on death row. 

The body of a young woman was found in a home in Mayilaampaaveli village, Eravur.

The woman was identified as a 35 year old mother named Thayaanithi Vasanthakumar. 

Her body has been taken to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital for a post mortem examination. 

A member of the Nallur divisional council (prathesa sabai) has been threatened by army intelligence personnel for bringing resolutions against militarisation in the council.

Council member S. Sivaloganathan told the council yesterday that he had received phone calls from intelligence officers where he had been asked in a threatening tone why he was bringing resolutions against the Sri Lankan military forces, such as resolutions calling for the return of land occupied by the army.

A Tamil councillor with an independent political party has been gunned down in Colombo this week.

Colombo Municipal Councillor Krishnapillai Kirubanandan was killed in a shooting that took place on Sea Street, in the southern capital.

The murder was captured on CCTV, which shows the killer walking into a shop that the councillor worked at before shooting him dead.