DMK President M Karunanidhi said the Indian government must act on the issue of Tamil Nadu fishermen being arrested by the Sri Lankan navy, in a statement on Tuesday.

"When compared to India, Sri Lanka is a small country,” said Mr Karunanidhi.

“Should not the big country India put an end to the atrocities of the Sri Lankan navy. Where there is a will, there is a way.”

The Sri Lankan army ceremoniously declared open a Buddhist shrine in Kilinochchi with a religious ceremony in the Tamil North-East on Monday.

An official military website boasted that the shrine had been built “within a short period of time” following the planting of a branch of a Bodhi tree at the military headquarters on January 2nd 2016.

“In this invaluable religious programme was arranged under the direction of Commander, Security Forces - Kilinochchi and opening ceremony were lined with a religious event like Perahera and Bodhi Pooja Pinkama,” said the website.

Chief Minister of the Northern Province C V Wigneswaran said attempts by the Sri Lankan military to hold on to land in the North-East will “never lead to reconciliation” at a speech in Jaffna on Saturday.

Speaking at a ceremony where 700 acres of land where handed back to Tamil civilians in Jaffna, the chief minister said that “the return of even one acre of land to the owners by those who are not entitled to hold on to it, is to be welcomed” noting that “As soon as the War was over, steps should have been taken for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) which is an integral part of post conflict peace consolidation”.

He added that more land must be released, stating the military cannot continue “point to the Militants to enable them to continue to hold on to any property without handing them over to the legitimate owners”.

“Any attempt by the Military to hold on to such land would create the perception among our people that they are being held forcibly by an Occupational army,” he added. “The Sinhalese would then be continued to be looked upon as aliens who have forcibly taken possession of their traditional lands. This could never lead to reconciliation.”

“Every person displaced because of the war must be allowed to get back to his/her land, trade, profession or means of livelihood,” continued the chief minister. “That is sacrosanct.”

Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said there are no motives to arrest military personnel and assured troops that “national security” would be strengthened.

Speaking to a gathering of troops at a ceremony to launch a new benefit scheme for soldiers, Mr Wijewardene was reported as stating “there are no any motives to arrest military personnel or to lessen the strength of the military owing to external factors (sic),” by the Ministry of Defence’s official website.

The chairman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs has written to Secretary of State John Kerry, urging the US government to press Sri Lanka to release Tamil political detainees, repeal the PTA and return land held by the military.

The Sri Lankan army organised alms giving stalls at the Tamil Hindu Sivarathri festival at several temples in Jaffna.

Sri Lanka’s finance minister announced his government would be raising taxes as part of a drive to improve its debt rating and reduce the budget deficit.

Stating that the imposition was a necessary measure, Mr Ravi Karunanayake said his government would be raising Value Added Tax and reintroducing capital gains taxes.

"We want to tax the top end of [the consumer], which basically consumes, rather than the downtrodden,” he said.

"Imposing new taxes is a hard-sell, but what more can you do?"

However the taxes are expected to hit Sri Lanka's economically disadvantaged too. The reforms will lead to price rises in "a variety of goods and commodities", according to the Sunday Times.

"[The] price of a kilo of Prima flour went up by Rs. 7.20. This will raise the price of bread, a common diet among Sri Lankans, to a new high," the paper said in its political column.

Mr Karunanayake also slammed recent decisions to downgrade Sri Lanka’s credit rating as "absolutely unfair".

The Sri Lankan state is still practising “serious discrimination” against Tamils on the island and continues its military occupation of the North-East, Northern Province Councillor Ananthy Sasitharan told the UN Human Rights Council this week.

“The systematic structural genocide is continuing,” said Ms Sasitharan. “The Tamil nation is still under military occupation,” she said, adding that “there is no point in talking about accountability while we are all under military occupation”.

Noting that the Sri Lanka government still continues to practise “serious discrimination”, Ms Sasitharan said “there has been no real change for the Tamil people”. “A real reconciliation could only come through demonstrating serious commitment to resolve the conflict and address the wounds,” she continued.

Drawing the Council’s attention in particular to the plight of Tamil women in the North-East, Ms Sasitharan said:

“I witnessed the situation of those [who] were handed over to the SL military that announced general amnesty through loud speakers on 18 May 2009. I am a living witness to this. I handed over my husband through Catholic Father Francis Joseph on 18th of May 2009.”

Both Ms Sasitharan’s husband, LTTE member Ellilan, and Father Francis Joseph, are currently missing, last seen in Sri Lankan military custody on that day almost 7 years ago.

Parliamentarian Joan Ryan called on the British government to “remain resolute” in seeing through the full implementation of an UN resolution on accountability in Sri Lanka, as she pushed the UK on its engagement with the Sri Lankan government.

In a letter addressed to British Minister Hugo Swire, Ms Ryan said that “a number of issues remain” on the island “despite the positive steps which have been taken over the past year”.

On the issue of accountability for mass atrocities, Ms Ryan said “international participation is vital, as only through a credible truth, accountability and justice mechanism will Sri Lanka be set on the path to genuine reconciliation and a sustainable peace”.

“I believe it is incumbent upon the UK Government, along with its international counterparts, to remain resolute in its commitment to support the full implementation of the UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka,” she added.

“It is vital that the government continues to voice – in the strongest possible terms – the need for Sri Lanka to uphold the rights and freedoms of all its citizens and to impress on the Sri Lankan authorities the need to make greater progress towards realising a comprehensive political settlement which addresses the issue of Tamil self-determination.”