The Sri Lankan military is set to host a defence seminar this week, where they will discuss “cyber conflict”, “Ideological Polarization” and “Diaspora communities”.

According to an official military website, the 'Colombo Defence Seminar - 2018', is expected to be attended by about “800 foreign and local participants including 14 local and 13 foreign speakers”.

The Sri Lankan navy announced that it is in the process of building a new complex at its SLNS Barana in Mullikulam this week, a region which remains heavily occupied by the armed forces.

Sri Lanka’s Law and Order Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara stated that police have arrested at least 38 people in Jaffna amidst an increase in reported gang violence in the region.

Mr Bandara told Sri Lanka’s parliament that in addition to the arrests over the last two months, police have also seized four motorbikes, four swords and an axe.

Sri Lankan police have stepped up security operations in the peninsula.         

As many as 82,000 Tamils in Kilinochchi have been affected by drought in the region, according to a senior official from Sri Lanka’s District Disaster Management Centre.

According to the official, wells have run dry leading to a shortage of drinking water, with areas such as Poonakari, Kandavalai and Karachchi badly affected.

The Sri Lankan military decided to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the 51 Division’s occupying Headquarters in Jaffna, with a blood donation program, despite previous widely criticised comments from officials previously that the blood of Sinhalese soldiers runs in Tamils who have received treatment.

Approximately 275 farming families in Batticaloa are still waiting for land deeds to be issued, despite having legally owned land and settled in the region since at least 1967.

The families had settled in Kaddumurivu in the Vaharai Division of Batticaloa under an agricultural expansion scheme and were given 3 acres of land each.

However, despite more than 50 years having passed since, the families have still not been issued land deeds. The issue has plagued the Tamil farmers for decades, rendering them unable to transfer land ownership to their children, or even apply for fertiliser subsidies and agricultural loans.

Sri Lankan police have arrested a further two Tamil youths in Kilinochchi over the alleged discovery of an LTTE flag and ammunition in Oddusudan in June. 

One of the arrested youths is a former LTTE cadre and father of three, from Santhapuram, whilst the other is from Mallavi. 

Last month officers from Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) collected information about babies born in Kilinochchi from May 25 - 30 in order to arrest a man over the alleged discovery of the flag and ammunition.

The Sri Lankan military have begun rebuilding a Buddhist vihara in Kankesanthurai this week at an event headed by Buddhist monks. 

Officials at the Divisional Secretariat (Pradesiya Sabai) have said that the rebuilding work is taking place without proper authorisation. 

Sri Lanka's ambassador to China, Karunasena Kodituwakku on Wednesday denied reports that the country was forced to accept loans from China.

"What I want to highlight here is that Sri Lanka asked for this project loan on our own. We were not forced to get this loan," Mr Kodituwakku said in an interview to the Global Times in Beijing. "In the case of Chinese finance for Hambantota, that came to Sri Lanka at the request of Sri Lanka."

Moody's Investor Service said Sri Lanka was among countries that would be most vulnerable to rising interest rates given its large debt burden and imminent debt repayments.