Sri Lankan troops distributed shoes to Tamil school children in Mulankavil on Christmas Eve, reported a military website.

Troops from the 651 Brigade “on the directions of Major General Amal Karunasekerathe” – the Commander of the Security Force Headquarters in Kilinochchi (SFHQ- KLN) – handed out shoes to 50 Tamil school children in the region.

The leader of the PHU Udaya Gammanpila, who is an MP aligned to former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, has asked President Maithripala Sirisena to order the whipping of the organisers of a concert featuring Enrique Iglesias, as he had the authority to order such punishment, the DailyMirror reported.

Mr Gammanpila, who gained the third-highest number of votes in Colombo during the general election, said the environment which "made a woman under the influence" of alcohol throw underwear on the stage should be investigated.

“As far as I am concerned, drinking alcohol in public is prohibited but distributing and selling them in public is not illegal according to Sri Lanka’s regulations. The President should be responsible in preventing such indecent concerts taking place in the country in the future,” he said.

The president yesterday called for the organisers to be whipped with toxic stingray tails, after he took offence to the behaviour of some women at the concert, in comments that went viral and became the subject of ridicule around the world.

The Chief Minister of the Northern Province has spoken about the Tamil People’s Council’s aims, reassuring that the council will not work against political parties or the wellbeing of the Tamil people.

Speaking at the Council’s second meeting, C. V. Wigneswaran, who also heads the TPC refuted criticism of the creation of the council and explained the motives behind the move.

Mr Wigneswaran said the TPC would act as an operation to gather, organise and publish the people’s views as well as assist political representatives whose aim is to protect the wellbeing of the Tamil people. The organisation aims to unite the Tamil people to win our rights, he said.

Expanding on the council’s three main objectives, Mr Wigneswaran said that they would firstly work to build a grassroots movement which could drive political leaders to achieve a solid solution for the Tamil people.

“Any freedom movement must act with the grassroots as a foundation. Individuals and middle-men cannot obtain a solution for us,” he said.

TNA spokesperson MA Sumanthiran on Saturday said that people who were friendly to the alliance were being led astray by Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran.

Commenting on the recently established Tamil Political Council, Mr Sumanthiran said that the Tamil people would not abandon the TNA or the leadership.

Sri Lanka’s announcement of a special court to handle alleged wartime abuses should still be met with scepticism.

Several weeks ago, Chandrika Kumaratunga announced that Sri Lanka would set up a special court to deal with alleged wartime abuses. Kumaratunga is the chairperson of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR); she served as President of Sri Lanka from 1994-2005.

The news about a special court came as a surprise to many people. When the initial announcement was made, Kumaratunga stated that the court was expected to begin its work by late December or early January. Yet it remains unclear if that’s still the case.

The Tamil National Alliance as received the co-chair positions for all District Coordinating Commissions in the districts of the North-East.

Sri Lanka's former army commander, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has reapplied for a US Green Card, weeks after reports indicated that his visa application to visit the US was rejected, reports the Sunday Leader.

The Sri Lankan government is finalising the framework of the Economic and Technology Agreement (ETCA), to be signed with India next May, by consulting with the public and the private sector.

A top level Sri Lankan official delegation will visit India to attend a meeting in New Delhi to discuss modalities of the proposed agreement that will cover investment and services, official sources told The Sunday Times, adding that this agreement was completely different from the earlier proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was opposed by many organisations in the south.

However the ETCA is also being opposed, with several trade unions planning a strike in the new year, which will also be targeted at the new agreement, alongside grievances about the recent budget.