The Sri Lankan military continued with its militarisation of the North-East over the Christmas period, with a series of events across the Tamil homeland during the festive season last month.

Since occupying the North-East, the military has involved itself into several aspects of civilian life in the region, despite opposition from local civil society and political representatives.

Norway’s prime minister acknowledged that her country’s role in mediating a peace process in Sri Lanka was unsuccessful and apologised for “for the way that the conflict in Sri Lanka ended up”.

Speaking to reporters in India, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that “I’m sorry to say I don’t think our Sri Lanka efforts led to a big success”.

“I’m still sorry for the way that the conflict in Sri Lanka ended up,” she added.

Two international non-governmental organisations have begun a worldwide initiative to try and collects names of the conflict dead, to estimate the final death toll from Sri Lanka’s military offensive which killed tens of thousands of Tamils civilians.

The former advisor to President Maithripala Sirisena and presidential media director, Dr Suren Raghavan has been appointed the new governor to the Northern Province, replacing Reginald Cooray. 

Sri Lanka is to face a shortage of milk powder following a decision by several leading companies to suspend milk powder imports, due to rising costs, the Sunday Times reports. 

Several milk powder company heads told the Sunday Times that the government has not allowed them to increase the price of milk powder to consumers, leaving them with no choice but to “stop imports and also stop selling existing stocks of whole milk powder”.

Sri Lankan police claimed today two phones reportedly recovered from a bag of a suspect during the military search operation in Vavuniya on Tuesday, belong to a former LTTE cadre. 

The former cadre, who has not been named, is understood to live in Vavuniya. 

The massacre of ten Tamils, including a local parish priest, by the Sri Lankan army was remembered today in Mannar. 

Armed soldiers arrived at the Vankalai Church on January 6, 1985, and shot dead Father Mariya Bastian and nine other locals, including children who were living with him, at the entrance of the building. 

The Sri Lankan military announced that it had constructed houses for two “deserving” Tamil families in Jaffna, where it continues to occupy vast swathes of lands, without stating how the Tamil families were chosen.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, currently Sri Lanka's opposition leader, vowed not to allow the country to be divided through a new constitution. 

Referring to attempts by the UNP and TNA to establish a new constitution for the island, Rajapaksa warned it would "pave the way to divide the country". 

The 'World Day of War Orphans' was marked at event in Barathipuram, near Muttur, Trincomalee today. 

A local Hindu organisation distributed educational material and books to students, particularly those from families of the disappeared.