(Photo @meaindia)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his last engagement during his visit to the island.

Around 19 acres of civilian land in Puthukkudiyiruppu, in the Vanni, will be transferred to the Sri Lankan army on March 17, reported the Uthayan.

The land, outside the town's local government office, belongs to 20 families and includes 18 properties.

India and Sri Lanka began bilateral discussions as the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi arrived in Sri Lanka on the early hours of Friday morning and met with the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena.

The US has welcomed the release of Ms Balendran Jeyakumari, a human rights activists, who had been detained without charge for a year.

Speaking at the daily press briefing of the State Departmen, spokesperson Jen Psaki said,

"The United States welcomes the March 10th release of eight Sri Lankan detainees, including human rights activist Balendran Jeyakumari, who had been arrested under the previous administration and held without charge. We understand Ms. Jeyakumari has been released on bail pending trial, and we encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to afford the individuals and all detainees due process of law. We applaud this positive step and encourage the government to continue its efforts to ensure human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Sri Lankans."

Ms Jeyakumari and her teenage daughter Vipoosika were detained on March 13 2014, by Sri Lanka’s anti-terror police under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Vipoosika was later released, however, her mother was transferred to Boosa prison, notorious for its endemic use of torture and sexual violence against Tamil detainees.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Sri Lanka to go beyond the 13th Amendment and reiterated his belief in “co-operative federalism”, as he began his visit to the island with speeches in Colombo.

Speaking to the media on Friday morning, Mr Modi said,

“We stand with [Sri Lanka] in your efforts to build a future that accommodates the aspirations of all sections of society, including the Sri Lankan Tamil community, for a life of equality, justice, peace and dignity in a united Sri Lanka.”

“We believe that early and full implementation of the 13th Amendment and going beyond it would contribute to this process,” added the prime minister.

He later addressed the Sri Lankan parliament where he said he was “a firm believer in cooperative federalism.”