Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has been refused a prime ministerial portfolio in the upcoming general elections, said the government cabinet spokesperson on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference after Sri Lanka’s president Maithripala Sirisena met Mahinda Rajapaksa, Rajitha Senaratne said,

Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry, on Wednesday, announced that commodity levies on lentils would be reduced.

The Sri Lankan government has denied it is operating secret detention camps for Tamil political prisoners.

Speaking to The Island, foreign ministry spokesperson Mahishini Colonne asked for individuals with information on any such camps to come forward, so investigations can be made.

"[T]the Government has assured that there are no secret detention camps. However, since concerns continue to be raised, persons who may have information pertaining to such secret detention camps are urged to bring such information to the attention of the authorities or persons at high-level so that arrangements could be made to investigate and even arrange for unannounced visits," she said.

"The Government is committed to investigate and therefore, seek the support of all who may have any information to share such information," the spokesperson added.

The government already handed a list of all detainees to the families and the ICRC, she further said, adding that this list will not be made public.

A man who is being held on suspicion of having murdered Tamil National Alliance MP Nadarajah Raviraj, has filed a fundamental rights violation petition in Sri Lanka's Supreme Court.

MA Sampath Munasinghe, alleges illegal detention by the CID and cited the IGP and the CID as respondents in the case. He requested the court to declare the violation of his personal liberty, The Island reported.

Mr Raviraj was assassinated in Colombo in November 2006, at a time when the capital was heavily fortified by Sri Lanka's military. The government was accused of being behind the attacks by the TNA, diaspora organisations and the UNP. The US led international criticism of the government and urged it to conduct an investigation.

Parliamentarians from the Mahinda-faction of the UPFA claimed the former president had more support than ever and would be appointed the prime minister after the elections.

The Sri Lankan government has decided it will reconsider restarting the 'Port City' project, a Chinese-funded development.

Cabinet spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne said the government will consider an Environmental Impact Assessment report, before deciding whether to go ahead with the $1.5bn project.

The project was reviewed by the new government along with several others initiated by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Right after the election, the government announced it would cancel the project.