An estimate for supplementary expenses, submitted by the Sri Lankan government on Monday, included Rs 347,500,000 to pay for 52 vehicles for several ministries and members of the judiciary, reported The Island.

Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Dilan Perera and UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayaka called each other ‘gigolos’ during a debate in parliament, The Island reported on Wednesday.

The debate centred around the fate of Rizana Nafeeq, a house maid on death row in Saudi Arabia.

Tamils from Palali who remain internally displaced after the army took control of the area, demanded that they be allowed to go home, reported the Jaffna newspaper, Uthayan.

A large number of Buddhist monks and supporters took part in a protest march in Kalutara on Monday, demanding the removal of the mosque in Dambulla.

The protest was organised by a Buddhist organisation called 'Buddhist Protection Foundation'.

After days of defiance, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Tamara Kunanayakam, was transferred to Cuba, reported the Daily Mirror.

A Sri Lankan Navy sailor placed in Trincomalee has committed suicide after shooting a female officer earlier on Monday, reported Ceylon Today.

Canadian embassy officials examined the residence of the 53-year-old murdered Canadian Tamil, reported the Jaffna daily newspaper, Uthayan.

The Sri Lankan government will submit its formal protest against the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, reported the Daily Mirror.

The Sri Lankan government will be sending a letter to the High Commissioner, accusing Pillay of violating her mandate and the UN Charter.

One of those believed to be working on this campaign is Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative in Geneva, Tamara Kunanayakam.

Interestingly, Kunanayakam has reportedly been asked by her government to resign from her current position.

However, refusing to resign, Ms Kunanyakam argued that such a move would "suggest instability" in Sri Lanka's diplomacy, in letter to the external affairs minister G.L. Peiris

Commenting on the recent killing of a deported Tamil refugee in Sri Lanka, the US-based activist group, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) highlighted the "urgent need" for better access to legal and financial support.

Speaking to Tamilnet, Jan Jananayagam of TAG said,

The Sri Lankan government has issued instructions to all Divisional Secretaries and senior Officers at police stations to take legal action against those who "disrespect the Buddhist flag", the pro-government newspaper, The Island reports.

In a Vesak message released Saturday, the president, Mahinda Rajapaksa said,

“We had great joy in seeing Sri Lankan Buddhists giving emphasis to the principles of Buddhism with the dawn of the Sri Sambuddhathva Jayanthi at the last Vesak festival."

"With the immense pleasure of contemplating on the Buddha, we recall the great religious awakening of devotion and wisdom that spread throughout Sri Lanka during this year, as we now see the end of the Sambuddha Jayanthi commemorations on this Vesak Day. It is our wish that this joy in the Buddha and his teachings would abide in the minds of all Sri Lankans."

"The teachings of the Buddha are the best way to lead a life that is free of confusion. These teachings show us the path to lead a life free of the four-fold evils and achieve success in this world and the next."

"We must be aware that all who are of wrongful mind and thinking cause many divisions and clashes that close the doors to our progress." As it is stated in the Dhammapada:

Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa has commenced a programme for the  "propragation" of Buddhism to countries that do not currently practise it announced Sri Lanka's prime minister, D. M. Jayaratne  on Saturday.

Warning of the "uncertainty" caused by people pretending to be Buddhists, Jayaratne emphasised the "constitutional guarantee" the president had for the protection and foster of Buddhism.  

The comments were made at Jayaratne's Vesak message delivered on Saturday: 

“I seriously believe that in a country where the majority are Buddhists by birth we are passing through a period of uncertainty where we are confronted with the task of differentiating between the genuine Buddhists and pretenders.