A Tamil man who spent almost 9 years in a Sri Lankan prison claimed that many Tamil youths who were forcibly disappeared remain in Sri Lankan custody.

Navaratnam Nishanthan, who was released from Boosa prison in December, told reporters in Vavuniya that during his time in custody, he saw many others Tamils held at the detention centre.

The 31 year old was arrested on April 26 2009 and held for almost 9 years. He was acquitted of all charges and released in December.

A delegation from Iran, headed by the Iranian speaker of parliament, will arrive in Sri Lanka this week to discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria, according to reports.

Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani  told reporters that the trip to Asia, where the delegation will visit Vietnam and Sri Lanka, will discuss the conflict amongst other talks on bilateral co-operation.

"One of the key issues to be discussed with Vietnamese and Sri Lankan officials is the Syrian situation," said Mr Larijani.

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena visited a Buddhist vihara in London, as the first official stop in his trip to the country.

The $1.3 trillion omnibus bill approved by the US Congress and signed off by President Donald Trump last month includes conditions on the funding available to Sri Lanka for the rest of the financial year 2018, including establishing a justice mechanism, addressing the plight of the disappeared, de-militarisation of the North-East and addressing the impunity of Sri Lankan peacekeepers involved in sexual abuse.

A Tamil man has been hospitalised after being beaten by police in Mullaitivu, causing tension between police and locals in the Keppapulavu-Kalliyadi area.

30-year-old Kamalathas Mariyanayagam was handcuffed and beaten by police on the street in Puthukudiyiruppu. He was reportedly kept in handcuffs when taken to the hospital for treatment.

Police alleged that he had provided information to sand smugglers about police activities.

Locals were angered by the brutality, accusing the police of beating an innocent man while being hand in glove with actual sand smugglers and earning lucrative bribes by ignoring and even protecting the illicit activities.

Several residents of Myliddy who were able to return to their lands on Friday for the first time in 28 years have found live explosives in their properties, particularly in dry wells and water tanks.

The Batticaloa Municipal Council paid tribute to Annai Poopathy at its inaugural sitting on Monday.

Family members of the disappeared marked Tamil New Year this week by dressing in black, as they continued their protest for justice and accountability for their loved ones.

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance marked the Tamil New Year, by spending the day in Colombo with the Sri Lankan president.

The Sri Lankan military held yet another show at it’s military base in Jaffna last week, despite calls for the army to vacate the privately-owned land on which the camp occupies.