Jaffna's High Court judge M Ilancheliyan has ordered Sri Lanka's army commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake to appear in court on January 18 in relation to disappearances in army custody in 1996, Ceylon Today reported. 

Twenty-four Tamil youths disappeared after they were taken into army custody on July 19, 1996 at Navakkuli. 

Nineteen people were arrested by the Sri Lankan police after clashes broke out between Sinhala and Muslim people is parts of Galle yesterday, with reports of Muslim homes and businesses being attacked. 

Police imposed a curfew in Kurunduwatta, Maha Hapugala, Welipitimodara, Ukwatta, Ginthota and Piyandigama Grama Sevaka Divisions amid tensions in the region. 

Sri Lanka reiterated its commitment to UNHRC resolution 30/1 on reconciliation accountability and justice whilst stopping short of accepting calls for a time-bound benchmarked action plan for its implementation in the final draft summary report of its Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council.

Sri Lanka's finance minister, Mangala Samaraweera reiterated his endorsement of the 2018 budget, stating that liberalisation was "non-negotiable". 

His comments come after the country's Minister of Ports and Shipping, Mangala Samarasinghe criticised the budget's proposed plan to allow 100% foreign ownership in the shipping sector as "completely wrong". 

Sri Lankan police instituted a curfew in Galle on Friday night, amid reports that a number of Muslim homes and businesses in Gintota were attacked by Sinhala mobs. 

Police in Jaffna had their leave cancelled until further notice due to authorities claiming that a clash could break out around the time of Tamil National Remembrance Day (Maaveerar Naal). 

The order was issused by the Northern Province's Senior DIG Roshan Fernando on Wednesday evening, the Daily Mirror reported. 

Sri Lanka's president, Maithripala Sirisena on Friday once against rejected reports of secret detention centres on the island.

Meeting with families of the disappeared, Mr Sirisena said, "there is no such secret detention centers for the present government and no one is held in custody". 

Tamil families of the disappeared told the Sri Lankan president that they are “deeply frustrated” and had been “let down repeatedly by broken promises”, as they called on the government to ensure lists of surrendees, detainees under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and all other indefinite detainees, be released within 20 days.

Ten fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested by Sri Lankan navy personnel on Thursday for allegedly fishing off the coast of Neduntheevu, The Hindu reported. 

The men from Akkarapettai, Nagapattinam, were taken to Kankesanthurai by the navy. 

India's external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj assured Tamil Nadu politicians that she would take up the removal of Thondaman's name from government institutions in Sri Lanka with Colombo, PTI reported. 

Savumiamoorthy Thondaman was the leader of the Ceylon Workers' Congress and Tamil of Indian origin in Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary on Tuesday denied reports published this month by the Associated Press of recent rape and torture of Tamils by security forces, calling the allegations "baseless and unfounded". 

Sri Lanka faced pressure to deliver a time bound benchmarked action plan on full implementation of its commitments in United Nations Human Rights Council resolution 30/1 on reconciliation, accountability and human rights during its Universal Periodic Review.

The Sri Lankan government has blamed opponents who accuse them of inviting foreign interference for its slow progress on improving human rights.

“Unfortunately, each step taken to reconcile the nation and acknowledge the legacies of our difficult past is contested,” Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of National Policies and Economic affairs said at the UNited Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Sri Lanka's minister of ports and shipping, Mahinda Samarasinghe criticised proposed changes to the shipping sector outlined in the 2018 budget released last week as a move towards liberalisation. 

He condemned the proposed plans to allow 100% foreign ownership in the sector as "completely wrong", the FT reported.