The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) has stated that Internally Displaced Persons within the island of Sri Lanka are still ‘in need of protection and assistance’, in their latest Global Overview report.

The report noted that the number of IDPs had risen to 28.8 million last year, particularly noting the conflicts in Syria and the Democratic Republic Congo had significantly pushed up the numbers of displaced.

On Sri Lanka the report stated,

“Hundreds of thousands of current and former IDPs in Sri Lanka remained in need of protection and assistance as of the end of 2012… More than 93,000 people were still living in camps, with host communities or in transit situations. Of more than 480,000 people who had returned to Northern and Eastern provinces, many are still to achieve durable solutions”.

The IDMC was also critical of the government’s increasing militarisation in the North-East, stating,

“Of more than 1,300 IDPs still living in the camp in September, 560 were unable to return to their home areas because they were occupied by the Mullaitivu Security Force headquarters. Instead they were relocated, many of them against their will.

Military occupation of land is preventing around 26,000 people from returning across the north and east of Sri Lanka, and it is estimated that more than 3,000 people have been relocated, in many cases involuntarily.”

Human rights expert Yasmin Sooka has criticised the decision to go ahead with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka.

Sooka, who was on the Panel of Experts, appointed by Ban Ki-moon to investigate human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, said it must not be rewarded by hosting the event, as it was still perpetrating abuses against civilians.

Hundreds of Tamil protesters were met with riot police and Sri Lankan security forces, at today's demonstration in Tellipalai against the Sri Lankan Army's seizing of private land in Valikaamam North in Jaffna. (See here for report in Tamil by Uthayan).

After staging a sit down protest in front of Tellipalai Divisional Secretariat, tensions rose as protesters breached police barricades and began to march towards the entrance of the High Security Zone, and attempted to enter the Divisional Secretariat building in order to make their pleas for the military to leave their land.

Dozens of riot police and security forces immediately stepped in to kettle back the protesters within the barricades.

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister, GL Peiris, slammed any notion of foreign intervention in Sri Lanka, whilst speaking at an event to mark the start of Sri Lanka's 'National Policy on Social Integration'.

The United States Embassy in Colombo has announced that the country has been providing training to Sri Lanka’s Navy and Coast Guard as part of improving the island’s “border security”.

The Sri Lankan Air Force has opened a new office of its commercial wing in Jaffna.

Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr has rejected demands that Australia should boycott the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka.

The Foreign Minister claims he has not seen any evidence that the Sri Lankan government deliberately killed Tamil civilians.

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister GL Peiris and High Commissioner in the United Kingdom Chris Nonis, met with Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma at Marlborough House in London, after Sharma confirmed the upcoming Commonwealth Heads Of Government meeting would controversially be held in Sri Lanka.