Sri Lankan government minister Mahinda Samarasinghe praised his president’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly last week, stating that it was a “plus point for Sri Lanka,” reports Colombo Gazette.

Mr Samarasinghe, said that Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena’s address “ensured the international community got an image of the progress taking place in Sri Lanka”.

He added that “the international community has begun to recognise the efforts of the Government led by President Maithripala Sirisena”.

Sri Lanka’s president has put forward to a proposal to purchase a US$135 million vessel from a Russian state-owned company for the Sri Lankan navy.

Maithripala Sirisena is reportedly keen to buy the Russian-built Gepard 5.1 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), telling cabinet ministers that the Sri Lanka Navy has “the requirement of this kind (sic) of a ship and already given the recommendation to purchase this.”

The cost of US$ 135 million is “exclusive of 15 percent of Sri Lanka Government’s contribution to the state credit together with which the total ship value including on-board spares and ammunition is US$ 158.5 million,” he added.

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance garlanded a photograph of Lt. Col. Thileepan in Batticaloa this week, paying tribute to the former LTTE political leader’s hunger strike.

The leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) has spoken out against a new constitution for Sri Lanka, accusing the government of catering to “Western forces and the Tamil diaspora”.

Addressing a news conference, NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa warned that the “country will be divided” and “will become jumbled”.

“Is this for what 27, 000 war heroes sacrificed their lives?” he continued.

“The Federal system will not bring any justice to both Tamil and Muslim people,” he added. “Instead, they will have to suffer because this government does not care about them, but the Western based Tamil Diaspora." 

Old students of Jaffna Hindu College organised a blood donation drive to commemorate 30 years since Thileepan’s fast unto death.

125 families from the Muthur East are of Trincomalee are demanding the return of their lands from military occupation.

Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara the Secretary General of the Sinhala Buddhist nationalist organisation Bodu Bala Sena has said that he worked closely with the Sri Lankan military intelligence in the past.

Members of the United States navy conducted a workshop for Sri Lankan troops in Trincomalee this month, teaching them on Underwater Unexploded Explosive Ordinance (UXO) Recovery.

Cricket’s global governing body announced that it has launched an anti-corruption investigation into Sri Lanka.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said that its officers had recently visited Sri Lanka, stating that it “works to uphold integrity in cricket and this includes conducting investigations where there are reasonable grounds to do so.”

“There is currently an ICC (ACU) investigation underway in Sri Lanka. Naturally as part of this we are talking to a number of people,” it confirmed.

“We will not comment any further on an ongoing investigation. If anyone has information that would assist the ACU in its enquiries, we would urge them to get in touch.”

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said his government would not allow Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence into the island, as Sinhala Buddhists continued to rally in support of Myanmar’s military offensive in the Rakhine state.

The Island reported Mr Wickremesinghe as stating Rohingya refugees “could easily seek refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh or Thailand”.

He reportedly told a Sri Lankan parliamentary group that his government “would not permit” any asylum seekers.