Celebrating the 66th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force, soldiers took part in the renovation of a Tamil school in Batticaloa.

A group of 24 fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been arrested by the Sri Lankan navy, after allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line on Sunday.

The Assistant Director of Fisheries in Rameshwaram was quoted as saying at leat 15 fishermen were arrested and taken to Talaimannar, whilst another group of nine others fishing near Neduntheevu were also detained by the military.

The JHU MP Champika Ranawaka on Friday urged the government not to devolve police powers to the provincial councils arguing that such a move would like to violent groups and terrorism. 

The Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday said he was "not ready to govern the country on the opinions of NGOs which were operating on international relationships and file charge sheets against the security forces," the Daily Mirror reported. 

Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena, told military force personnel in Jaffna that he would never bring charges against them.

Two Sri Lankan navy officers were arrested over the disappearance of 11 Tamil school children in 2006 in Colombo. 

The arrests, which included a commodore, were made by the Criminal Investigation Department on Friday, reported the Daily Mirror. 

The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena reiterated his rejection of the inclusion of international judges in any justice mechanism stating that he had the "backbone" to voice such a view. 

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu urged the Indian prime minister to secure the release of 13 fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan navy this week. 

The fishermen from Rameswaram, Nagapattinam and Pamban were arrested on Wednesday evening, The Hindu reported.

The lands of some Pilavu villagers who had been protesting for all of February were released on Wednesday.

Although the release was cause for jubilant scenes for some, there was also widespread anger as only sections of the lands were returned, with some protestors, including permit holders, being told they couldn't access their lands.

The remaining lands were released later in the evening.

The current legal framework in Sri Lanka perpetuates the risk of torture, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture told the human rights council in an interactive dialogue on Thursday.

Presenting the findings of his predecessor Juan Mendez, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of punishment, Nils Melzer said:

The measures taken by Sri Lanka since October 2015 have been inadequate to ensure real progress a report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released on Friday in Geneva concluded, reiterating the need for a hybrid court with international judges and lawyers. 

The deputy minister of foreign affairs Harsha De Silva this week sought to allay ongoing rumours that Sri Lanka had agreed to a number of reforms in order to regain GSP+ by reiterating that the country was "under no obligation to any foreign body". 

The Labour party's shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry on Thursday called on the UK government to take a “strong stance at the UNHRC” and “to take further steps to hold Sri Lanka to account by pushing for a follow-up to Resolution 30/1” at the UN Human Rights Council this month. 

The Tamil National Alliance this week highlighted the Sri Lanka's lack of progess on key commitments made to the UN Human Rights Council and called on the government to ensure its promises were kept. 

Speaking in journalists in Colombo Wednesday, the TNA spokesperson, MA Sumanthiran said his party was willing to give the government more time however only if this included a timetable and a process of monitoring to ensure adherence.