The Sri Lankan government is reportedly planning to build a third international airport in Trincomalee, local papers reported on Thursday. 

The airport appears to be part of plans to re-develop Trincomalee as a tourism hub, which the government says will be completed by 2050. 

The Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said, "when you look back at Sri Lanka's history, we were a hub in the Indian Ocean where there were several ports."

The Sri Lankan military ran a cataract clinic in Jaffna this month despite ongoing calls from civil society organisations and the NPC to stop taking part in civilian affairs. 

Over 150 locals were examined at Palali military hospital on July 4, with around 20 undergoing treatment the following day. The rest are to reportedly receive their treatment in Colombo. 

The event was organised by the army commander deployed in Jaffna. 

Since 2003, the Sri Lankan Navy has used threats against local government officials to have their electricity bills paid by a Jaffna divisional council.

Valikamam West divisional council (prathesa sabai) has paid out over 7 lakh rupees of local funds to foot the Navy’s electricity bills, which included electricity for the navy camp and power used to extract water from the Ponnalai Water Supply Scheme.

Member of Vali West council, N. Ponrasa said in the council’s sitting on Tuesday that the Sri Lankan Navy should reimburse all the money paid out by the council in 15 years.

The Sri Lankan cabinet has reportedly approved a special provisions bill that will allow the involvement of the Sri Lankan armed forces in drug enforcement across the island.

The bill, a  joint proposal by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Minister of Law and Order Ranjith Madduma Bandara, will see an increased military involvement in drug prevention activities.

British parliamentarians have launched an Early Day Motion on the UK’s weapons sales to Sri Lanka, calling for the immediate end of all arms exports to Colombo.

The motion, brought forward by Liberal Democrat MP Edward Davey,  “notes that Sri Lanka remains of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's list of countries with serious human rights concerns and that an estimated 200,000 military, police and intelligence personnel remain in Sri Lanka's north-east region resulting in a repressive militarised environment”.

The motion goes on to state that it

The Chief Minister of the Northern Province has criticised the Sri Lankan President’s attempt to prioritise development as a route to ‘national unity and integration’, over a political settlement, as well as criticising the Sri Lankan government’s approach to development in the North-East.

“National Unity and Integration cannot be forged by foisting so-called development on the politically affected people of the North and East,” Chief Minister Wigneswaran wrote in a letter responding to his appointment as a member of the Presidential Task Force to Direct, Co-ordinate and Monitor Development Activities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The Sri Lankan president blamed the use of “social websites and illegal drugs” for an apparent increase in murders and rapes, as he pledged to sign orders to execute the death penalty on the island.

Continuing its involvement in civilian affairs the Sri Lankan army donated bicycles and coconut trees to low income families this month. 

The event, which took place at Veerasingham Hall in Jaffna on July 9, saw 100 bicycles and 3000 coconut trees be handed over, as well as houses be handed over to the families from Kayts. 

An EPDP member of Jaffna Urban Council has been served an interim ban on sitting and voting in the council, pending a case filed against him at the Colombo Court of Appeals.

A petition was filed against K. V. Kugenthiran alleging that he holds dual citizenship and is therefore ineligible to hold elected office.

The petition also states that the Elections Commission and selection officers broke election rules by allowing his membership, which should be declared void.

With Sri Lankan police failing to tackle an increase in crimes in some parts of the North, a town in Jaffna has decided to take the matter in to its own hands by forming a resident’s night patrol.

Chavakachcheri Urban Council decided unanimously to form the patrol, stating that relying on the police to handle the situation was useless.

The patrols will be made up of council members and local youths.