<p>The Sri Lankan navy arrested four Indian nationals for attempting to allegedly attempting to enter the country illegally.&nbsp;</p> <p>The men were detained in seas off the Northern province in two dinghies.&nbsp;</p> <p>The navy have accused them of illegal immigration and taken them to their base at Kankasanthurai.</p>

Farmers and local residents celebrated the annual 'Ulavar Vizha' or farmers' festival on January 18 in Palachcholai, Porathivu Pattu, Batticaloa. 

Families with children gathered to celebrate the harvest and traditional farming. 

Students from the Hindu College in Kalviyankadu, Jaffna protested this morning against the authorities failure to curb the increased use of drugs in Jaffna. 

Condemning the violent attacks related to the use of drugs, students accused authorities of allowing the ongoing smuggling of drugs into the region. 

Civil society organisations and women's rights group protested in Jaffna on Sunday against Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the planned Counter Terror Act (CTA). 

"Say no to PTA & CTA" and "don't take away rights by PTA & CTA", protesters demanded, as they gathered by Vempady junction in Jaffna town, and marched towards the main bus station. 

A group of Sinhala villagers led by a Buddhist monk disrupted a Thai Pongal celebration at a Hindu temple in Mullaitivu last week, as tensions continued to flare in the area with the construction of a large Buddha statue.

UPFA MP and former Minister Duminda Dissanayake said he was confident that the jailed leader of the Sinhala extremist Bodu Bala Sena group Galagodaaththe Gnanasara would be freed on Sri Lanka’s Independence Day, after visiting the monk in prison this week.

“The Thera should be released on the Independence Day after considering the service he rendered to the country, to Sinhala Buddhists and his struggle to protect the Buddhism in the country,” Dissanayake told reporters after visiting the monk at Welikada prison.

^{Photograph: Hiran Priyankara for the Sunday Times.}

Sri Lanka’s police claimed to have seized a haul of high powered explosives and arrested at least four men who are accused of belonging to “a radicalised local group of Muslims”.

The discovery was reportedly made as the police were investigating the vandalism of Buddha statues on the island.

<p>Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) officers arrested a former LTTE cadre yesterday.&nbsp;</p> <p>The 40-year-old man, who is understood to have undergone an amputation, has been identified as Suthan, from Karanthai Palai.&nbsp;</p> <p>Accusing him of possessing weapons at his house, the TID have said two pistols, 150 bullets and locally made gun were found at his address.&nbsp;</p> <p>The TID have taken him to Vavuniya for further inquiry.&nbsp;</p> <p>The arrest is part of a series of interrogations and detentions of former LTTE cadre across the North-East over recent months.&nbsp;</p>

The leader of the hardline Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU), Udaya Gammanpila, accused the Tamil National Alliance MP, M A Sumanthiran of controlling the Sri Lankan government. 

Saying that Sumanthiran had become the "unofficial prime minister of Sri Lanka", Gammapila was quoted by Adaderana as saying, "now, MP Sumanthiran is the guidance behind Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Prime Minister implements Sumanthiran’s ideas."

<p>An Indian national, Tara, been arrested in Sri Lanka for alleged involvement in a kidney trafficking racket, the Deccan Herald reported.&nbsp;</p> <p>Sri Lankan police said Tara had confessed to the crime and had been a victim of the kidney racket herself.&nbsp;</p> <p>Tara is a resident of MES colony in Malavalli town, Karnataka.&nbsp;</p> <p>Read more <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/curious-case-kidney-racket-713935.ht…">here</a>.&nbsp;</p>