The Constitutional Assembly Steering Committee has decided to obtain the views of parliamentarians on drafting the new constitution on January 9th 2017 reports Colombo Page.

The decision was made during a report submission to the Chairman of the Constitutional Assembly, Prime Minister Ranil Wickrememsinghe, by the Sub-Working Committee that looked into relations between the parliament and Provincial Councils.

The Sri Lankan government must end impunity for torture by holding those responsible accountable said Amnesty this week. 

The statement follows the report by the UN Committee Against Torture this month which called on the government to investigate ongoing reports of torture by its security services. 

Families of the missing demonstrated in Jaffna town on Saturday marking international Human Rights Day. 

The UNP announced Thursday that a new constitution would offer greater devolution of power however, would maintain a unitary state and the current executive presidential system, thereby rejecting Tamil demands for a federal structure. 

The UNP statement, made at its party headquarters did not however detail which powers would be further devolved. 

The statement to maintain a unitary state was endorsed by the SLFP as well. 

The World Bank board last week approved a $75 million credit to improve the selection, administration and payments within Sri Lanka's welfare programs. 

"The Social Safety Nets Project, to be implemented by the Ministry of Finance, will assist the government to develop a single registry of citizens containing information on family structure and economic characteristics. The Welfare Benefits Board, set up to manage the selection and payment of welfare beneficiaries, will develop and apply new selection criteria based on data in the registry," the World Bank said in a statement. 

Thousands of people attended Maaveerar Naal commemorations in Switzerland last month, as Tamils across the word remembered the lives lost in the Tamil freedom struggle.

Soldiers from the 661 Brigade in the 66 Division of the Security Force Headquarters (Killinochchi) gave away school accessories to children in Pooneryn on Monday.

Troops received sponsorship from National Tourist Guide Lecturers’ Association and the ‘Kind Heart’ Association.

The Tamil National Alliance urged the government to relocate chief monk Ampitiye Sumanarathana from the Eastern Province after tensions on Sunday.

Seenithamby Yogeswaran, TNA’s Battacloa District Parliamentarian, asked the government why it has failed to take any action against Sumanarathana for his hate speech against Tamils and Muslims.
Further, he explained how Sumanarathana’s ongoing behaviour has disrupted the community.