The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák-Ndiaye arrives in Sri Lanka today on a 10 day visit. 

“Experience has shown that the recognition and promotion of minority rights are critical, if not requisite, in achieving long-lasting peace and reconciliation, particularly in countries such as Sri Lanka that were once divided by ethnic conflicts,” Ms Izsák-Ndiaye said ahead of her visit. 

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) warned Sri Lanka's new anti-terror act which was intended to replace the widely criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) "may even by worse than the PTA". 

Describing the new act as "old wine in a new bottle", the TNA spokesperson, M A Sumanthiran warned it would likely include indefinite detention and the acceptance of confessions told to police officers at time of arrest. 

He told the New Indian Express on Sunday, “It may even be worse than the PTA going by the influence of the Security Establishment on government’s thinking on these matters."

The British Tamil Conservatives hosted their annual reception at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on Tuesday. Held in the prestigious Castle Fine Art gallery, the BTC event has become a popular fixture in the conference calendar, and as customary was attended by several MPs and high-profile Conservatives who expressed their support for the Tamil community in their struggle for human rights.

Sri Lanka’s president assured Sinhala Buddhist monks that his government would not pass any laws affecting the clergy, without agreement from them.

Any decision regarding laws on the Buddha Sasana would be passed “only with the blessings of the Sangha led by the Mahanayake Theras,” The Island quoted Mr Sirisena as saying.

Speaking after attending a Buddhist religious ceremony in Peradeniya, Mr Sirisena explained that the passing of a law around the Buddha Sasana has been postponed until advice has been sough from senior Buddhist monks.

The Sri Lankan army declared open new buildings at the military headquarters in Mannar last month, according to an official army website.

Scottish police strengthened ties with their Sri Lankan counterparts on training for the management of public peace. 

In a conference held in Sri Lanka on Friday, Sri Lanka's Inspector of General of police, met with the Superintendent of Police, Mark Anderson. 

The Northern Provincial Council this week urged security to be provided to the chief minister CV Wigneswaran due to death threats by Sinhala nationalists. 

Making the request in a letter to the Inspector General of Police, the chairman of the NPC CVK Sivagnanam said Mr Wigneswaran was receiving further threats from Sinhala groups in the South following the mass Tamil rally, Ezhuka Tamil last month. 
 

The Terrorism Investigation Division's surveillance list of human rights activists has emerged, the Sunday Leader reported on Sunday. 

The details of activists on the list have not been released. 

The TID is yet to comment on the leak. 

The Sri Lankan government announced that it would be hiring retired military personnel for “nation-building purposes,” in a media briefing on Friday.

Speaking to reporters, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Defence and Secretary to the Ministry of Defence said the project was “initiated under a visionary concept of the President Maithripala Sirisena” and is to be officially inaugurated in the next week.

The Northern Provincial Council passed a resolution this week, calling for an investigation into death threats issued against Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran by Sinhalese protestors.

"The resolution asked the Inspector General of Police to investigate the complaint and, if necessary, increase security for the Chief Minister,” NPC chairman, C V K Sivagnanam, told the New Indian Express.