The Elders this week called on the Sri Lankan government to end impunity for those committing and inciting sectarian violence in the country, following attacks on Muslims in Kandy by Sinhala Buddhist mobs earlier this month. 

“I am deeply alarmed by the recent upsurge in sectarian violence in Sri Lanka," Gro Brundtland, the former Norwegian prime minister and Deputy Chair of The Elders said. 

The Sri Lankan President is due to travel to Jaffna next week to inaugurate a 'teaching Buddhism in Tamil language' scheme.

The scheme will be run by the highly-criticised Jaffna Naga Vihara.

Due to its imposing structure and its prime location in Jaffna Town, a Tamil cultural centre with a negligible Buddhist population, locals have viewed the monastery as a symbol of Sinhala-Buddhist colonisation since its post-war expansion.

The monastery also came under fire recently when its former chief monk was cremated, with the backing of Sri Lankan military forces, in the vicinity of a Tamil massacre memorial and Hindu temple, despite fierce opposition from locals.

Sri Lanka’s president confirmed that he held a meeting with the leader of Bodu Bala Sena – a Sinhala nationalist extremist group – whilst on a visit to Japan, in a press release this morning.

In a press release by the President’s Media Division, Mr Sirisena denied that BBS chief Galagodaaththe Gnanasara was part of an official delegation that accompanied him on his visit from Sri Lanka.

He did however confirm that the notorious Buddhist monk “participated in a meeting which was organized by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Japan to provide an opportunity to the Sri Lankan community in Japan to meet the President”.

The Sri Lankan military held a ceremony at its Commando Regiment Special Warfare Training School in the Vanni to celebrate the passing out of new recruits earlier this year.

Mullaitivu police arrested the Northern Province Council member, M. K. Sivajilingam, for his involvement in a land-grab protest in the district last month.

The police department filed cases against Mr Sivajilingam and others including the NPC member T. Ravikaran after a road-block protest by Mullaitivu residents resulted in the surveyors having to turn back from the area, unable to survey the more than 600 acres of Tamil-owned land earmarked for land-grab by the Sri Lankan Navy.

After the protest on February 22nd, Mr Sivajilingam was charged with damage of state property, among other charges, and was summoned for questioning by Mullaitivu police.

Families of the disappeared protest in Maruthankerny marked one year since their ongoing campaign began.

Northern Province residents are forced to wait hours for Tamil-language services at police stations, the Chief Minister has said.

In a meeting with police officials, Chief Minister Wigneswaran said police departments across the North did not have enough Tamil language capacity to serve the population.

Police officials responded that they struggle to recruit Tamil officers and that Tamils did not come forward to join the force.

Sri Lankan police are occupying fifty homes in Kankesanthurai which were supposed to be returned to their owners following the land's release by the Sri Lankan Army, the Northern Province Chief Minister has said.

In a meeting with police officials, Chief Minister Wigneswaran pointed out that around 111 police officers are using fifty privately owned houses as work and residential premises.

Police officials said the homes could only be released when a new headquarters and residence was built for the police department.

Police have agreed to release a Jaffna school's building and well following pressure from the Northern Provincial Council.

The Japanese government has agreed to support Sri Lanka in the development of ports at Trincomalee and colombo. 

Meeting with the Sri Lankan president who is currently visitng Tokyo, the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe was quoted by the Colombo Page as saying that "Japan would provide assistance for the Sri Lanka's infrastructure development prioritizing the development of ports."

Mr Abe reportedly said Japan "would work towards providing funds without loans anytime possible while giving assistance to the development programs of Sri Lanka."

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