The Sri Lankan military continued to donate blood in the North-East last week, despite previous comments from senior military and political leaders on how the “army’s Sinhalese blood is in Tamils”.

The Sri Lankan military continued to militarise healthcare in the North-East, holding a medical clinic for Tamil civilians last weekend.

The leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU), Udaya Gammanpila has filed a petition with Sri Lanka's Supreme court to challenge the draft bill of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, presented previously by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).

Gammanpila claims the proposed Amendment, tabled in parliament this week, is a violation of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka's Speaker informed parliament last year that the proposed 20th Amendment would need a two third majority in parliament before being put before the public via a referendum in order to be implemented following a Supreme Court ruling. 

An official with Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Elizabeth Ward this week warned Sri Lanka against overturning the Free Trade Agreement signed with Singapore. 

Speaking at an event in Colombo, Ward warned of the risk of outward flight of investments and reputational damage. 

"Can you roll back an FTA? The damage to Sri Lanka’s reputation would be so bad in international arena," she was quoted by Economy Next as saying. 

"You wouldn’t be able to do an FTA for a long time," she added. 

"There would be capital flight from the country and ramifications on the services coming to this country."

The newly appointed Permanent Representatives for the United Nations in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer, met with Sri Lanka’s president, Maithripala Sirisena this week.

Singer, who was previously the UNICEF Syria Representative, will lead the United Nations Country Team of 22 Resident and Non-Resident UN Agencies, as well as act as the representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's Attorney General advised the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to file a case at the Court of Appeal against the UNP MP, Vijayakala Maheswaran, Adaderana reports.

Maheswaran was forced to resign her ministerial post after Sinhalese politicians objected to her call in July for a resurgence of the LTTE to control the violent crime in the North-East.

Last month the Attorney General told Sri Lanka's parliament that action would be taken and advised Speaker Karu Jayasuirya to examine whether action could be pursued against Maheswaran under current Standing Orders or if not, to let the House decide the procedure to take action against her.

Sri Lanka's leader of the House, Lakshman Kiriella told parliament that a draft of the new constitution would be presented soon, the Daily Mirror reported. 

“We will present a draft for the new Constitution soon and everyone will see the status which will be given to Buddhism,” Kiriella said in a response to a question by the Joint Opposition MP Udaya Gammanpila about the status given to Buddhism in the new constitution. 

The US senate confirmed Alaina Teplitz to be the next ambassador to Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Teplitz, the current US ambassador to Nepal, is reported to be a career diplomat and has been with the US State Department since 1991.

Earlier this year, she acknowledged that “the Tamil community is very concerned about progress made towards reconciliation, accountability, justice,” in her testimony to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

In the face of continued calls for demilitarisation of the North-East, the Sri Lankan army continued to intrude on civilian life in the region, by holding a course for schoolchildren in Trincomalee last week.

Sri Lankan naval troops stationed in Trincomalee are receiving more training from the United States, despite the military’s record of atrocities and continued human rights concerns.

Members from the US Pacific Command’s Counterdrug Task Force, Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West), are currently holding a two-week course for Sri Lankan troops in Trincomalee where they will be taught on “interview techniques, drug recognition, use of force, drug testing, mission planning and search techniques,” according to a military website.