The South African government must arrest Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, London-based advocacy group Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), demanded.

In a statement released on Sunday, the group pointed out the International Criminal Court had issued two arrest warrants against the president for charges including crimes against humanity and genocide.

Al-Bashir on Sunday was prevented from leaving South Africa, in anticipation of a ruling for his arrest by The Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC).

“TAG welcomes the interim ruling of the High Court in Pretoria, preventing Al-Bashir from leaving South Africa, pending its ruling on an application for his arrest by The Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC),

The Sri Lankan government must consult with the victims and their families to ensure support for mechanisms to establish accountability, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussain, said at the opening of the 29th UN Human Rights Council Session in Geneva this morning.

The high commissioner said his office will remain “very engaged” with Sri Lanka on the need for a transparent and inclusive process to establish credible mechanism for accountability, ahead of the OISL report to be published in September.

Sri Lanka’s government refuted former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s accusation that the government has removed 59 army camps during its tenure since January.

Highways minister and UNP general secretary Kabeer Hashim said it was Mahinda Rajapaksa who ordered the removal of several camps and the release of land, and not the present government. He said the former president insulted the country’s security forces by implying an LTTE resurgence.

"Rajapaksa is saying that 59 camps have been removed from the North by the current administration. We urge him to stop lying. All the camps were removed during Rajapaksa's time. In addition, of the 11 000 acres taken over by the security forces over 5000 acres were released during Rajapaksa's time. Not only that Rajapaksa ordered the removal of the Army camp in Sampur," Mr Hashim said

Mr Rajapaksa “accused” the government of dismantling the camps in a letter addressed to the 'Bring Back Mahinda Rally' in Matara in southern Sri Lanka, adding that he was “shocked” by the development.

 Tamil leaders in the North-East of Sri Lanka are concerned that the new Sri Lankan government’s actions do not address issues of Tamils desire for greater autonomy and the withdrawal of military troops from the North-East, reports the Washington Post.

The Jaffna Peninsula has seen a five-fold increase in the consumption of alcoholic beverages in 2013, reports.

The President of the Jaffna Chamber of Commerce R Jeyasegaran said that alcohol consumption was rapidly increasing after the end of the war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

According to the department, beer consumption increased to over 4 million litres from the initial consumption levels of 762,610 litres in 2009.

Jeyagaseran told Ceylon Today the introduction of alcohol and drugs in the North-East was a systematic attempt to damage the social structure of the youth in Jaffna.

The president of the Jaffna Chamber of Commerce, added that liquor stores had been illegally set up near temples, schools and important institutions.

Genocidal agenda behind increase in drugs in North - TNA MP (10 Jun 2015)

Tamils still face genocidal agendas says TNA MP (07 Jun 2015)

Increased drug problem since Sri Lanka's military arrived in North-East says CV Wigneswaran (08 Jun 2015)

Minister Kabir Hashim, responding Mahinda Rajapaksa’s statement, said that Sri Lanka’s current president Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had not removed any of the army camps in the North-East.

A Tamil girl from Kilinochchi has been reported missing after she failed to return home earlier this week.

Kanesamoorthy Santhimalar went missing on her way home from Kilinochchi town to Thirunagar on Tuesday, said her parents in a police complaint.

Unidentified persons in a rickshaw were reportedly involved in her disappearance, although investigations by Kilinochchi police have not returned any information on her whereabouts.

The Sri Lankan military marked six years since the capture of Mullaitivu, by holding a Buddhist ceremony overseen by monks as they donated blood at their army headquarters in the region.

Buddhist ceremonies at the Security Force Headquarters in Mullaitivu were held as over 371 pints of blood were donated to mark the sixth anniversary of Sri Lankan troops and the Buddhist ‘Poson Full Moon Poya Day’.