Sri Lanka's CID has summoned the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa over the abduction and assault of the associate editor of The Nation, Keith Noyahr in May 2008. 

Mr Rajapaksa has been summoned to the CID office on August 17 to record a statement. 

The summons was delivered to his official residence on Sunday by the Organized Crimes Investigation Unit. 

Mr Noyahr was beaten after writing an article criticising the then army commander, General Sarath Fonseka and his colleagues.

Two Tamil men have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a sword attack three months ago, Koppay police said.

A 24-year-old and a 28-year old were arrested on Tuesday in connection with a sword attack in Neerveli in May.

Initially three Tamil youths had been arrested by Koppay police in connection with the attack but witnesses did not identify any of them during the identity parade. A further two arrests were made. All five were kept in remand for a month and then released on bail.

The Jaffna Magistrate judge ordered the two new suspects to be remanded until the 23rd August.

Anger has been mounting in Mullaitivu after arson attacks in Nayaru devastated hundreds of thousands of rupees worth of fishing equipment of Tamil fishermen from the area.

The Sri Lankan president has promised to personally intervene in the issue of Sinhalese fishermen fishing illegally in Mullaitivu, which has caused tension in the areas, Minister Mano Ganesan has said.

“At Cabinet, I raised the issue of violence at Semmalai, Mullaitivu between Fishermen factions of North & South. President promised to hold special discussion to permanently settle the conflict when he visits North on 22nd,” Mano Ganesan said on Twitter.

Tensions in Mullaitivu came to a head this week when the huts and boats of Tamil fishermen were set alight, after Tamil fishermen had engaged in a week-long protest against illegal fishing by Sinhalese fishermen.

The Sri Lankan army declared that it had renovated and built a series of buildings and a war memorial statue, at a military camp in Vanni this week, as it continues to consolidate its presence in the North-East.

Former Sri Lankan Navy Lieutenant Commander Prasad Chandana Hettiarachchi, alias 'Navy Sampath', has been arrested by Sri Lankan authorities after skipping bail earlier this year.

Lieutenant Commander Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi is the main suspect in the case of the Sri Lankan navy abducting and murdering 11 Tamil youths from 2008 to 2009. He had been evading authorities ever since he was released on bail earlier this year. He was reportedly arrested at Lotus Road in Colombo with a false identity card.

He is due to be produced in Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court Wednesday.

The Tamil National People’s Front held an event to mark 12 years since the Sencholai massacre, at their Batticaloa office earlier today.

The massacre of 53 schoolgirls in Mullaitivu on August 14, 2006 by the Sri Lankan airforce was remembered today at the site of the bombed Sencholai school in Vallipunam. 

Local residents gathered at the site 12 years on and lit a lamp in memory of the girls and their three teachers who were also killed in the attack. 

The UK will provide £1 million in funding for families resettling back into their lands following the release of land from military occupation in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Batticaloa. 

"The funding will help those returning to their homes in the Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mullaithivu and Batticaloa districts by contributing towards roads, wells and sanitary services, and help re-establish access to local government services as well as local civil society organisations," the UK government said in a statement released today. 

Families of the 53 massacred schoolgirls, who were killed in a Sri Lankan air force bombing raid 12 years ago, gathered in Mullaitivu today, where a community event was held to mark the anniversary of the Sencholai massacre.