Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has said he told the CID he doesn’t remember having a telephone conversation with current parliamentary speaker Karu Jayasuriya about the abduction of journalist Keith Noyahr.

Karu Jayasuriya told police he telephoned the then president in 2008 to ask for help after Noyahr was abducted.

"I don't remember such a telephone conversation," the former president told reporters after he was questioned at home.

The former president said the CID investigation was an attempt to smear his government and was part of a political witch hunt.

Tamils in the North-East have joined calls across Tamil Nadu for the release of May 17 movement leader Thirumurugan Gandhi, who was arrested by Indian police last week.

Last Thursday, the Central Crime Branch of the Chennai police arrested Mr Gandhi at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on counts of violating Section 124A and 153A of the Indian Penal Code, respectively, sedition and promoting race-based enmity.

A number of high profile Australian figures and entrepreneurs have joined human rights campaigners in calling for airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia to end deals with the Australian government to deport refugees.

Australian musicians, writers and artists as well as entrepreneurs have signed a statement by Australian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) which says,

Sri Lankan soldiers surrounded, forcibly entered and searched the Tamil National People's Front office in Mullaitivu yesterday, in what the party has described as a “blatant attempt to intimidate us”.

Nearly a dozen Sri Lankan army personnel reportedly surrounded the Mullaitivu district office around 11am yesterday morning, before they forcibly entered and searched the premises for “several hours”, according to a tweet sent out by the TNPF on Friday.

A Tamil woman who had returned to the North-East from London was found dead in Chavakachcheri. 

The body of the 64 year old woman was found in a well at the home of her relative where she had been living. 

A postmortem examination is being conducted in Jaffna Teaching Hospital. 

Chavakachcheri police are investigating the incident. 

^{Photograph: Virakesari}

The Sri Lankan state has replaced the name board at the mountain known in English as Adam's Peak, from 'Sivanadi Patham' (Siva's footprint) to 'The Sacred Footprint of Gauthama Buddha'. 

The move has been condemned by Tamils as further evidence of the Buddhisation of Tamil or Hindu historic and cultural references. 

Three Sinhala fishermen were arrested yesterday over the torching of Tamil fishermen's boats and huts in Mullaitivu on Monday, which destroyed hundreds of thousands of rupees worth of fishing equipment. 

Locals believe the arson attacks to be reprisal attacks for a week long protest by Tamil fishermen against government and police inaction over illegal fishing by Sinhala fishermen. 

The arrested men, who are understood to be residing in Trincomalee, had travelled to Mullaitivu, where they are accused of engaging in prohibited fishing methods. 

Sinhalese settlers in Nayaru, Mullaitivu left the area on Thursday with a heavy police escort, after tensions in the area over ongoing disputes about their illegal fishing activities boiled over this week.

Sri Lankan military intelligence officers harassed Jaffna Municipal Council workers who were putting up a barrier around the Thileepan memorial in Nallur, Jaffna on Tuesday.

The plain clothes military intelligence officers threatened the workers that they could be detained in future, forcing the workers to stop work and return to the Municipal Council office out of fear. They refused to go back.

The council was forced to hire private workers to complete the barrier.

Emirates airlines announced this week that it would be suspending two flights operating between Singapore and Colombo from October.

Flights EK348 and EK349 would cease service from October 28. 

“Passengers with flights originating from Dubai or Singapore with a layover in Colombo will be rebooked on to alternative flights and notified accordingly. Customers booked only on the affected flights between Singapore and Colombo should contact the travel company where their original booking was made for assistance,” the Emirates spokesperson said.

“Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused by the suspension of this route,” they added.