Former chief of the Sri Lankan Army, General Sarath Fonseka has declared that he will lead an uprising to oust the government from power.

“I’m definitely asking people to rise up... and overthrow the government by democratic methods,” he said.

Human rights lawyers have lodged a petition at the Supreme Court over the death of political prisoner Ganesan Nimalaruban.

The chairman of the Jaffna doctor’s union has told Uthayan that they are determined to appeal against the ban placed on their protest at Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

The Tamil National Alliance has told The Island it has no faith in the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee and has not yet decided whether it will participate.

A court injunction has been placed on a strike which was due to take place today at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

Veteran Tamil playback singer Hariharan has cancelled his concert tour to Colombo which was set to begin on Saturday, reportedly yielding to anti-Lankan sentiments in Tamil Nadu.

"My music has spread peace, happiness and love throughout the world for at least three decades.

Photographs Uthayan

Hundreds of Tamil men and women gathered in Mannar, holding a satyagraha in protest on Saturday, at the government and military's ongoing illegal expropriation of land in Tamil areas, reported Uthayan.

The military has seized over 5,200 acres of land in Mannar alone, TamilNet said in its report on the protest, citing Tamil activists in the northern region.

The protest was organised by youth activists of Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK), a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

It was supported by the other parties in the TNA and Tamil parties outside the alliance, including the Tamil National People’s Alliance (TNPF), as well as the Democratic People’s Front from South.

Mannaar Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, together with Catholic priests, elected representatives of the civic bodies and other civil activists from Mannaar also took part.

Several TNA parliamentarians attended - Mavai Senathiraja, M.A. Sumanthiran, M. Saravanapavan, Selvam Adaikalanathan, Sivasakthi Ananthan, Vino Nokarathalingam, Appathurai Vinayamoorthy and M.A. Sivajalingam - as well as V. Anandasangaree of the TULF and Bhaskara of the DPF (Democratic Peoples Front).

Extracts from a report by The Washington Post on Friday:

Sri Lankan authorities have turned down a request by the parents of slain Tamil political prisoner Ganeshan Nimalaruban for his body to be handed over to them, reported JDS today.

Nimalaruban died on Tuesday after sustaining serious injuries in an attack on several Tamil detainees by security forces.

Government officials claimed he was admitted at Ragama hospital on Tuesday evening, however hospital authorities told journalists on Wednesday that they were given a dead body by prison officials.

JDS reported that according to legal sources, Nimalaruban was arrested on suspicion of links with the LTTE and was held without charge for 7 months.

Police officials told Mahara Magistrate Mapa Bandara that a funeral may disrupt law and order in the region.

The magistrate issued an injunction, preventing the the removal of the body by the parents and ordered the burial of Nimalaruban by the government.

Arrangements to bury the body in the Western Province are currently being made, reported JDS.

The Indian Defence Ministry has announced it will move members of the Sri Lankan Air Force from Tambaram air base in Tamil Nadu.

A day after strong condemnation from all major parties in Tamil Nadu, the Ministry of Defense released a statement saying the personnel will be moved.

Sri Lanka Cricket has named 56 foreign players who will play in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League.

The list is dominated by players from Australia (18) and Pakistan (13).

There are no India or England players - apart from Azhar Mahmood.

Seven people, including two local government members of the ruling party UPFA, have been arrested in connection with the rape of two teenage girls, reported The Island.