Sri Lanka is to introduce key changes to the income tax system aimed at reducing evasion and achieving the Rs 800 billion a year target, the Sunday Times reported. 

The changes which are set to come into force on April 1, will see increased jail terms, fines and penalties to those who evade income tax, make false statements or make late payments. 

Sri Lanka's Inland Revenue Department is aiming to increase direct taxes from 20% to 40% by 2020, decreasing indirect tax revenue by an equal measure from 80% to 60%. 

Sri Lanka's foreign minister, Tilak Marapana is to leave tomorrow for Geneva to participate in the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council. 

Mr Marapana will be accompanied by the Senior Advisor to Finance and Media Minister Mano Tittawella, Deputy Solicitor General Nerin Pulle, Advisor to Prime Minister Prashanthi Mahindaratne, Additional Secretary of the Foreign Ministry A.L.A. Aziz and Director General UN Division, Mahishini Colonne, Colombo Page reports. 

The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday issued an order revoking the state of emergency, which was imposed following attacks against Muslims in Kandy. 

"Returned from a very successful tour of Japan, that brings many short and long terms benefits to us. Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday," Mr Sirisena tweeted.

The Sri Lankan diaspora group, GSLF Australia, condemned the government's decision to set up the Office of Missing Persons (OMP), saying it was set up to appease LTTE supporters. 

In a letter to the Sri Lankan president, the GSLF spokesperson, urged politicians to lodge their protest against the commencement of the OMP. 

MPs of the Joint Opposition began collecting signatures this week towards a no confidence motion against the Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

The motion criticises Mr Wickremesinghe over his management of the treasury bond scam and the recent violence in Kandy. 

The Elders this week called on the Sri Lankan government to end impunity for those committing and inciting sectarian violence in the country, following attacks on Muslims in Kandy by Sinhala Buddhist mobs earlier this month. 

“I am deeply alarmed by the recent upsurge in sectarian violence in Sri Lanka," Gro Brundtland, the former Norwegian prime minister and Deputy Chair of The Elders said. 

The Sri Lankan President is due to travel to Jaffna next week to inaugurate a 'teaching Buddhism in Tamil language' scheme.

The scheme will be run by the highly-criticised Jaffna Naga Vihara.

Due to its imposing structure and its prime location in Jaffna Town, a Tamil cultural centre with a negligible Buddhist population, locals have viewed the monastery as a symbol of Sinhala-Buddhist colonisation since its post-war expansion.

The monastery also came under fire recently when its former chief monk was cremated, with the backing of Sri Lankan military forces, in the vicinity of a Tamil massacre memorial and Hindu temple, despite fierce opposition from locals.

Sri Lanka’s president confirmed that he held a meeting with the leader of Bodu Bala Sena – a Sinhala nationalist extremist group – whilst on a visit to Japan, in a press release this morning.

In a press release by the President’s Media Division, Mr Sirisena denied that BBS chief Galagodaaththe Gnanasara was part of an official delegation that accompanied him on his visit from Sri Lanka.

He did however confirm that the notorious Buddhist monk “participated in a meeting which was organized by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Japan to provide an opportunity to the Sri Lankan community in Japan to meet the President”.

The Sri Lankan military held a ceremony at its Commando Regiment Special Warfare Training School in the Vanni to celebrate the passing out of new recruits earlier this year.

Mullaitivu police arrested the Northern Province Council member, M. K. Sivajilingam, for his involvement in a land-grab protest in the district last month.

The police department filed cases against Mr Sivajilingam and others including the NPC member T. Ravikaran after a road-block protest by Mullaitivu residents resulted in the surveyors having to turn back from the area, unable to survey the more than 600 acres of Tamil-owned land earmarked for land-grab by the Sri Lankan Navy.

After the protest on February 22nd, Mr Sivajilingam was charged with damage of state property, among other charges, and was summoned for questioning by Mullaitivu police.