India’s road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, said that a proposal for bridging the divide across the Palk Strait had been submitted to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), for a pre-feasibility study and subsequent financing.

The clarification was made in light of comments by a United National Party (UNP) minister alleging that Mr Obama was expected to visit Sri Lanka before the end of the year.

The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), referring to Sri Lanka’s reconciliation task force head Chandrika Kumarataunga as the sister of the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), urged the public to take action against a 'political project of reconciliation in the country.'

Sri Lanka's Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said the government will conduct a credible, domestic inquiry, in response to a statement by Human Rights Watch earlier this week, demanding an international process for accountability.

"I must say that our domestic inquiry would definitely be a credible mechanism acceptable to the international community. We are in constant touch with the relevant global agencies and organizations in constituting this panel for a credible investigation.

“Sri Lanka has also sought the advice of eminent persons like Sir Desmond De Silva of UK who has a thorough knowledge on International Humanitarian Law. The term of reference, formation and the composition of the inquiry panel would be known by before the UNHRC report releases in September," the minister told the Daily Mirror.

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripla Sirisena met with senior members of the SLFP today, in order to resume the dialogue with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The president stressed the need to preserve unity in the party and appointed a six member committee to reach out to the Mahinda-faction of the party.

The Tamil National Alliance will not accept ministerial portfolios in the government, out of respect for the “immense sacrifices” made by the Tamil people during the armed conflict, the party’s MP for Batticaloa, MP C Yogeswaran said.

The MP said the party was not “greedy” for such posts in this or the next government and would only consider the portfolios once the political aspirations of the Tamil people are fulfilled.

"We should respect the immense sacrifices made by our people during the three decades of civil war. Therefore, we cannot accept the portfolios for prestige reasons," Mr Yogeswaran said, while addressing a public meeting in Kiran, Batticaloa last Friday.

"Thousands of Tamil people in the past had sacrificed their lives to fulfil the political aspirations of the Tamil community. We are still negotiating with the government in power to achieve the political target of the Tamil people. Not a single cent had been allocated for the development of the Kiran village,