Sri Lanka's minister of housing and construction and UNP MP, Sajith Premadasa on Sunday rejected reports that the country's security forces committed war crimes or mass atrocities, and assured that the "government would not permit anyone to lay their hands on our war heroes".

"There are various versions of the Geneva Human Rights conference of this year. Some claim our war heroes committed war crimes. None of them committed any such crimes," Mr Premadasa was quoted by The Island as saying at an opening event for a new housing scheme in Polonnaruwa.   

The Eastern Provincial council on Monday voted in favour of the 20th Amendment to Sri Lanka's constitution, which seeks to hold all provincial council elections on one day. 

The Amendment was voted on with 25 votes in favour, and 8 votes against, Adaderana reported. 

The Northern Provincial Council has sought changes to the draft bill prior to voting on it. 

Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena reiterated on Sunday his government's commitment to 'protecting war heroes from foreign forces', the Colombo Page reported. 

Speaking at an event on a new water purification system at Ritigahawewa Viharaya in Horowpathana, Mr Sirisena said "the government defends the security of all war heroes from the Army Commander to the last soldier and the government would not allow any foreign forces to lay hands on war heroes who laid down their lives to defend the country."

Mr Sirisena has consistently pledged to prevent any international investigation into allegations of war crimes committed by Sri Lankan troops. 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein noted frustration over the “slow pace of reforms” in Sri Lanka and said the absence of action on accountability meant exercising universal jurisdiction was “even more necessary”.

Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, the human rights chief called on Sri Lanka to live up to commitments it had made to the international community.

“I encourage the Government to act on its commitment in Resolution 30/1 to establish transitional justice mechanisms, and to establish a clear timeline and benchmarks for the implementation of these and other commitments,” he said.

Photographs: TYO Canada

The Tamil Youth Organization – Canada hosted the 7^th annual Kilithattu tournament Canada in partnership with the Canadian Tamil Sports Association in Toronto last month, bringing together crowds from across generations to take part in the national game of Tamil Eelam.

On September 9th 1990, Tamil men, women and children from Sathurukondan and surrounding villages were taken to an army camp and slaughtered by Sri Lankan soldiers, with the help of Muslim Home Guards. Only one person, Kanthasamy Krishnakumar, survived. Victims of the Sathurukondan massacre were remembered in Batticaloa on Saturday in an event organised by the World Tamil Students Union and local organisations.

The Commander of the Security Forces in Kilinochchi Major General Ajith Kariyakarawana oversaw the distribution of 100 coconut seedlings to families in the region on Thursday.

President Maithripala Sirisena will issue a gazette allowing uncultivated private lands to be handed over to those that are willing to cultivate them, reports adaderena.lk.

Mr Sirisena said the government is taking the decisions to lift the island out of poverty and strengthen the production economy.

The president added that the move was part of the ‘Vaga Sangramaya’ program to increase food production by bringing drought affected lands to normal conditions.

^{Photograph SundayTimes.lk}

The Sri Lankan navy was forced to tighten security in Hambantota this week as the Chinese delegations arrived for the launch of the port project amid protests. 

Casual port workers protesters demanding jobs directly from Sri Lanka Ports Authority, rather than through the joint venture company, the Sunday Times reported. 

The US Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Alice Wells this week expressed concerned over Sri Lanka's "unsustainable debt burden" from China's non-concessional loans. 

"China is providing non-concessional loans that promote unsustainable debt burdens, which I think are increasingly now of concern to the Sri Lankan people in the government," Ms Wells said.