The former commander of the Sri Lankan security forces in Jaffna has been reappointed as the governor of the Northern Province, a civilian position, by President Mahinda Rajapkasa.

Major General GA Chandrasiri was sworn in for another 5 years by the president at Temple Trees on Friday, reported Ceylon Today.

A new report has revealed the extent of British support for Sri Lanka and training of the Sri Lankan military over three decades.

The report, authored by Phil Miller, a researcher with Corporate Watch, details the closeness of the British government’s relationship with the Sri Lankan state, including the deployment of mercenaries, training by British officers of Sri Lankan forces and the supply of weapons throughout the conflict with the Tamils.

Miller’s report shows how “British collusion with Sri Lankan security forces throughout the thirty years of genocidal counter-insurgency warfare” resulted in “Sri Lanka’s brazen mass killings of Tamils on the beaches of Mullivaikal in 2009.”

Prime Minister DM Jayaratna told Sri Lanka’s parliament on Friday that some non-governmental organisations armed and assisted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Jayaratna was commenting on the controversy over the Ministry of Defence letter, restricting NGO activities, and insisted that the government was not violating human rights by imposing the restrictions.

The prime minister claimed that the country’s intelligence services had uncovered evidence that NGOs were threatening national security through their actions.

“During the 30 year war some NGOs even armed the terrorists,” he said.

The Sri Lankan government has announced that it will enact new laws, requiring all non-profit organisations to register as a non-governmental organisation with the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, with plans to impose sanctions on those that fail to comply.

The director of the National Secretariat for NGOs Saman Dissanayake said to Ceylon Today that according to the new legislation, organisations that do not register with the defence ministry will not be allowed to receive foreign funds and will have their bank accounts closed.

The ministry said that non-profit organisations, currently registered under the Sri Lanka Companies Act No. 7 of 2007, are acting like NGOs.

The Australian government has funded a project to introduce biometric passports in Sri Lanka, in line with efforts by both countries to tackle the flow of refugees.

Australia has provided Rs500mn (£2.3mn) for the project, with Sri Lanka contributing another Rs50mn (£230,000).

The project, spearheaded by the International Organisation for Migration, will introduce Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and digital pantographs in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, reported The Island.

The commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera has praised Australia’s “Operation Sovereign Border” policy, turning back boats with asylum seekers.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the chief prelates of the Buddhist clergy, Perera said that the people in the boats were “merely economic migrants”.

The Sri Lankan Ministry of External Affairs has defended the recent circular, sent to NGOs, prohibiting them from engaging in certain activities.

A statement by the ministry said that the restrictions, including a ban on holding press conferences and work shops, were based on “provisions of the legal framework” of several acts.

“The aforementioned instructions, issued by the Director/Registrar of the NGO Secretariat were sent to all NGOs registered with the NGO Secretariat. As required by the related Regulations, all NGOs registered with the NGO Secretariat are liable to submit annual Action Plans containing details of the activities which would be undertaken in the forthcoming year for approval,” the statement said.

"In the event that NGOs conduct press conferences, workshops, training for journalists, and disseminate press releases, which are not connected to the activities in the approved annual Action Plan, those NGOs would be acting beyond their given mandate.”