The Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday refuted a report by the New York Times which claimed that China had pressurised the government to handover Hambantota port in order to rectify mounting debts. 

“I must say that the Chinese government never pressurised Sri Lanka on this matter," Mr Wickremesinghe told MPs during a special statement in parliament. 

The Tamil UNP state minister of child affairs, Vijayakala Maheswaran yesterday resigned from her post after she faced criticism from cross-party Sinhala politicians and MPs for calling for a resurgence of the LTTE in order to curb crime rates in North-East. 

Her resignation comes as Colombo papers reported that the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe had requested her to resign. 

The UNP's disclipinary proceedings are set to continue. 

The US military has been training Sri Lankan marines who are taking part in the US-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) navy exercise for the first time.

The Committee to Protect Journalists called for press freedom in Sri Lanka and urged politicians stop to halt the intimidation of journalists by publicly levelling accusations against them.

The statement from the press freedom organisation comes after the editor of the New York Times, condemned the intimidation of journalists by Sri Lankan lawmakers following a report last month into Chinese control over of the Hambantota port.

The United Kingdom has called for Sri Lanka to establish a transitional justice mechanism and repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act. 

"In Sri Lanka, we are encouraged by further recent land returns, the Cabinet’s approval of a Bill to establish an Office of Reparations and steps taken to hold perpetrators of hate speech to account. However, much more still needs to be done," the UK mission said speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. 

Pictured: Commemoration at Vakarai, Batticaloa

Tamils across the North-East marked Karumpuli Naal today, commemorating the men and women of the LTTE’s Black Tigers.

The names of Tamil government officials who applauded a Sri Lankan minister’s speech extolling the LTTE are to be identified and handed to the Jaffna District Secretariat for investigation.

State Minister of Child Affairs, Vijayakala Maheswaran, said in a speech that the resurrection of the LTTE was needed to protect Tamil communities, to which Tamil government officials are reported to have applauded loudly.

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister announced that its southern navy base will be shifted to a port in Hambantota that has been entirely built and controlled by the Chinese.

Ranil Wickremesinghe issued a statement on Saturday, as he sought to alleviate fears that the Hambantota port would be used by China’s military.

Sri Lanka has shown slow pace of progress on reform and justice, said the nominee for the next US ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz.

In her testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations last week, Ms Teplitz said that,

“Sri Lanka has come a long way since voters in 2015 rejected the corruption, strife, and repression of the past and threw their support behind a reform, reconciliation, and accountability agenda.”

She went on to state that,

Sri Lanka’s shares hit a 15-month low today, as political uncertainty ensured that foreign selling continued for a ninth consecutive session.

Reuters reported that there was “continued foreign selling in blue chips, political uncertainty and concerns about lower economic growth dented investor appetite for risky assets” on the island, as shares continued to fall.

Political uncertainty is the main reason that has kept investors on the sidelines,” said Prashan Fernando, CEO of Acuity Stockbrokers.