The Chief of Sri Lanka’s army has pledged he would protect those who “fought bravely” in the military and that “murderers” would be punished, in a speech in Kandy this week.

"Those who fought the war will not be punished,” said army chief Mahesh Senanayake.

“Not a single soldier who fought bravely has been punished, nor will they be allowed to be penalised because we have not committed any offences".

Hundreds of Sri Lankan soldiers and Civil Security Department members were involved in cleaning up shrubs and wild plants from around Mallavi hospital last month.

Five Sri Lankan soldiers remanded in connection with the 1997 abduction and murder of two Tamil youths in Siruppiddy have been granted bail on the order of the Court of Appeal.

The five suspects had their remand extended after eleven other suspects in the case were acquitted at the Attorney-general’s advice in March.

Selvaratnam Jeyaseelan and Nagamany Soundararajan of Madduvil North, Chavakachcheri, were abducted on 28th October 1997 while on the way to a relative’s wedding.

The men are suspected to have been murdered by soldiers based in the Vatharavathai camp in the Puttur, Siruppiddy area.

Over 200 Special Task Force troops and police officers have been deployed to the Vadamaradchi town of Thunnalai, resulting in two arrests and the seizure of several vehicles.

Last month a Tamil man from Thunnalai was shot and killed by Sri Lankan police, resulting in protests and tensions boiling over between locals and police across the Vadamaradchi region.

Seven unexploded mortar shells and a range of other weapons allegedly used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been discovered at an abandoned outpost in Mannar, reports Adaderana.lk.

Officials of Adampan Police said the weapons were recovered using intelligence from Sri Lanka’s Air Force.

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ravi Karunanayake has denied allegations that he was asked to resign by President Maithripala Sirisena in relation to corruption allegations.

“The reports and rumours that I have been asked to resign from my post is utter nonsense,” Mr Karunanayake told reporters.

Reports emerged that President Sirisena had told the minister that the best possible solution to protect himself and the government was for Mr Karunanayake to resign from his ministerial portfolio.

Mothers of the disappeared protesting in Mullaitivu marked 150 days since they began their campaign on Friday.

Troops from Sri Lanka’s security forces held a ‘basketball coaching academy’ for youth in Kilinochchi last month, as the military continues to involve itself in civilian activities in the North-East.

Two Sri Lankan policemen have been arrested for the theft of gold worth over 10 million rupees in Mannar.

The Island reports the two policemen had reportedly robbed 16 gold biscuits from a businessman in Pesalai last month.

The policemen were arrested along with four other fishermen from the area, who had reportedly assisted in the crime by alerting them of the businessman’s movements.

The suspects are due to be produced before the Mannar Magistrate.

Sri Lanka's election monitors threatened legal action of the government's decision to postpone elections in Provincial Councils. 

Elections were due to be held in the Eastern, North-Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces in October this year, however, the government announced last month that it would be postponing them until it was able to hold all provincial council elections on one day.