Pakistan's new prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi assured the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena of his country's continued support on Tuesday at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. 

"Pakistan will commit to take the economic and trade relationship between the two countries to a stronger level through new a new approach," Mr Abbasi was quoted by Colombo Page as saying. 

Thanking Mr Abbasi for his country's support at the UN Human Rights Council, Mr Sirisena described Pakistan as a "true friend during a period of conflict in the country". 

Stating the government has made tremendous progress towards reconciliation, the Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to support the country in making progress towards reconciliation. 

“As a country that has suffered violent conflict for 30 years, we are drawing from experience and lessons learned to strengthen national reconciliation, and we are determined to prevent the recurrence of conflict. We have given priority in this context to consolidate freedom and democracy in our country, and through a strong foundation of national reconciliation forged through unity and friendship among communities,” the President said.

Nine Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on Wednesday morning for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line, Colombo Page reported. 

The men along with their trawlers and fishing equipment were taken to the navy base in Karainagar. 

They will be handed over to the Assistant Fisheries Director of Jaffna, the paper reported. 

The Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament today that Local Government polls could only be held after January 2018, the Daily Mirror reported.  

Mr Wickremesinghe reportedly said this was "because of GCE Ordinary Level Examination, which would be held in mid-December and because of the budget". 

"We will have to talk with the Polls Chief and political parties on this issue," he said.

The announcement that Sri Lanka will be accepted on the ‘Circle of Leadership on the prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations operations’ has been slammed by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) today.

Responding to the move ITJP’s head Yasmin Sooka said she was “astonished” and “equally surprised that they will be allowed to do so”.

“This flies in the face of the Secretary-General's commitment to victims, manifested in his recent appointment of a Victims Advocate. Haitian victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by Sri Lanka peacekeepers have received scant reparation and justice", said Ms Sooka.

Sri Lanka's Speaker informed parliament on Tuesday the proposed 20th Amendment to the constitution 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. 

Mr Karu Jayasuriya told parliament that the Court had made the ruling as certain clauses within the draft proposal were reportedly deemed "unconstitutional". 

The Amendment seeks to hold all Provincial Council elections on the same day. 
 

The secretary for Sri Lanka's internal affairs ministry assured that there were no Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar in Sri Lanka, after a petition was launched to bar them from entering the island.

Sri Lanka's Controller General of Department of Immigration and Emigration Nihal Ranasinghe also told the Daily Mirror that visas would only be issued for Myanmar nationals and not for Rohingya refugees. 

2422 Tamils are registered at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat as still waiting to resettle in their own homes after the end of the war.

Of the four divisional secretariats in the district, Poonakary has the highest official number of families waiting to return to their homes, with 357 households having registered their details.

233 families from the Pachchilapalli division are still waiting to be allowed to resettle, 130 families in Karaichchi and a further 21 in Kandavalai.

Delays in clearing explosives in the Muhamalai area of the Pachchilapalli division have caused delays in resettlement, the district claims.

Tamil National Alliance MP M A Sumanthiran warned that the Sri Lankan government’s decision to postpone the Enforced Disappearances bill demonstrate that Tamils are “fourth class citizens” on the island.

“We condemn the reported move to postpone the debate on the Disappearances Bill and the Prime Minister’s interpretation of the Bill’s applicability,” said Mr Sumanithran in the Daily Mirror today.

“If the disappearance of the Tamils during the conflict and war can’t be inquired into, it means that the Tamils are not just second class citizens, but are fourth class citizens,” he added.   

Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lanka’s former army chief, has said he was denied a visa to attend the UN general assembly because of unresolved war crimes allegations against the military.

The war-time commander and now minister of regional development claimed he was due to travel to New York with President Sirisena this week, but was the only member of the Sri Lankan delegation to be denied a visa.

"I was not given a visa because of the war crimes allegations against the military," Fonseka told reporters, according to AFP. "That is why I say they must be investigated."