The premises of an online journalist were ransacked in broad daylight today, reported the Sri Lanka Mirror.  The board room of the editor of yukthiya.com, Krishantha Rajapakse, was stormed by three persons claiming to be the police.

The Minister for Economic Development, Basil Rajapakse, has reiterated Sri Lanka’s commitment to continue training its personnel in India.

The resettlement and rehabilitation of Tamils in the North-East "have been of the highest and most important priority" for the Indian government, said Manmohan Singh in a reply to a letter by DMK leader Karunanidhi.

Singh added,

During a meeting with External Affairs Minister GL Peiris, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressed that a political solution must be found “without further delay”.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister, GL Peiris explained what Sri Lanka had been doing over the past three years... 

See here for full address, extract produced below. Emphasis TG's.

"Three years ago, our Government ended the terrorist challenge largely through its own efforts. Sri Lanka is firmly committed to redressing the grievances of all parties affected by the internal conflict.

Sri Lanka exemplifies the challenges faced by a society emerging from the shadow of a sustained conflict which spanned three decades, and entering upon an era of peace and stability. The gradual diminution of these challenges and the brevity of the period which has elapsed since the end of the conflict, leave no room for doubt as to the degree of success achieved by the Government of Sri Lanka in respect of a wide range of issues relating to development and reconciliation. It is only about three years since the conflict ended.
 
Prioritisation was a central feature of the government's plan of action. The progress on the ground during the last three years with regard to the resettlement of internally displaced persons, (all internally displaced persons have been resettled), the re-integration into society of thousands of ex-combatants after exposure to programmes of livelihood skills training which equipped them to earn their living with dignity and independence, the rapid completion of the demining process, and the unprecedented focus on infrastructure development leading to very visible invigoration of the economy of the Island as a whole, and the Northern Province in particular, is quite apparent.

The experience of Sri Lanka demonstrates that, given the quality of dynamic leadership and unwavering commitment which His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa provided, an effective political and military strategy and strong rapport with all sections of the public, it is possible to prevail against the most ruthless forces of terror. No one has greater commitment to reconciliation in an all-inclusive spirit than the government.

Upto 1000 acres of land in Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Mannar districts has been earmarked for a 're-cultivation' programme 'with the help of the security personnel in 30 army camps' reports Colombo Page.

India's envisioned housing project of 50,000 houses for Tamils in the North-East, will be entering it's second phase on Tuesday, reports the Indian news site, Daily News & Analysis.

“Secretary Defence thanked the Maha Sanga for safeguarding Buddhism and Buddhists and the immense support given by the Maha Sangha to the tri forces personnel and government leaders.”

"These types of religious activities show the rise of the Buddhist people".

Whilst also in Kilinochchi, Rajapaksa declared open a renovated Hindu Kovil, greeted by schoolchildren singing the national anthem, decreed to be sung only in Sinhalese almost 2 years ago.

Rajapaksa at Hindu kovil in Kilinochchi, raising the Sri Lankan flag at the entrance.

Rajapaksa also unveiled a plaque at the entrance of the kovil, above which flies the Sri Lankan flag. It is written entirely in English.

The plaque at the vihara however, was written in Sinhala only.

See both plaques below.

After 2012 had the highest ever allocation for the Defence and Urban Development Ministry, Sri Lanka has once again planned to increase the amount of money allocated to the defence budget.

Last week, the cabinet approved the 2013 Appropriation Bill, estimating government expenditure at Rs 2.52 trillion (£12 billion).

A Sunday Leader journalist, Nirmala Kannangara, and photographer were stopped from entering the Suriyapuram camp in Nanthikadal by army officers last week.

The journalist and photographer were also threatened to not write anything detrimental about the army officers.

Tamil Nadu fishermen were attacked by Sri Lankan Navy personnel, reports NDTV.

The fishermen who were fishing around the Katchtheevu area on Sunday, were pelted with stones and had their fishing nets broken by the Navy crew.

See related articles:

Madras High Court urges protection of fishermen (25 Sep 2012)

Another attack on Tamil Nadu fishermen by Lankan Navy (07 Sep 2012)

Tamil Nadu fishermen fear reprisal attacks from SL Navy (06 Sep 2012) and our TG Comment here.

8 more fishermen attacked by SL Navy (19 Aug 2012)