The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) called the release of all political prisoners in a meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence Mr. Pablo De Greiff who is currently visiting Sri Lanka. 

Mr Sampanthan told Mr Greiff the Tamils were "in custody not because they robbed or stole for personal gain. Every one of their cases has a political dimension, therefore their cases need to be looked at in that context and resolved."

Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe detailed on Friday a three year plan to improve the country's economy and tackle its significant debt burden. 

His comments come as the World Bank and the IMF called on Sri Lanka to deliver on planned reforms. 

"It is an urgent need to draw our attention on spending more than the revenue. We have initiated a process of fiscal consolidation based on revenue generation by passing the Inland Revenue Act, which is already yielding returns," he said. 

The Jaffna Teaching Hospital marked 30 years since Indian soldiers massacred 68 of its staff and patients.

Colombo Fort magistrate, Lanka Jayaratne ordered prison authorities to produce a report explaining why Sri Lanka's former navy spokesperson, Commodore D K P Dassanayake was not present at his scheduled court hearing today. 

The magistrate also queried why Commodore Dassanayake was currently being held at the Welisara Navy hospital, instead of the prison hospita. 

He was arrested in July this year over the disappearance of 11 Tamil youths during 2008 - 2009. 

The Sri Lankan President told families of political prisoners that he would resolve their problems when the attorney-general and justice minister return to the country.

Three detainees at Anuradhapura prison - 40-year-old Rasathurai Thiruvarul, 30-year-old Mathiyarasan Sulaksan and 26-year-old Ganesan Tharsan - have been fasting for over 22 days in protest of the transferral of their cases from the Tamil Vavuniya High Court to the Sinhalese Anuradhapura court.

Their family members met with President Sirisena on Thursday.

Journalists from the Jaffna Press Club and Jaffna locals held a remembrance on Thursday for the murdered Tamil journalist, Mylvaganam Nimalarajan.

Mr Nimalarajan, a senior journalist who contributed to the BBC Tamil and Sinhala services, the Tamil daily Virakesari and Sinhala weekly Ravaya, was murdered on October 19th 2000.

Sri Lanka's military in Kilinochchi hosted Buddhist monks in a ceremony for religious harmony for peace and prosperity reports the army website. 

The Buddhist monks were received to participate in the ceremony held at the offices of the 16th battalion of Sri Lanka's 57 division. 

Sri Lanka's military stationed in Kilinochchi presented nutritional packs to pregnant mothers in the Mallavi reports the army website.

Troops from the 65 Division of Sri Lanka's military held an event at the Ministry of Health office were 35 pregnant women were asked to attend and receive packages from troops of the 651, 652 and 653 Brigades.

The Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday, the government would repay Rs 3 trillion debt within two years. 

"The Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera will make the provisions in the 2018 & 2019 s to pay this massive public debt," Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted by the Colombo Page as saying at an event in Naththandiya in Puttalam district on Wednesday. 

"Finding such a massive sum of money is not an easy task," the prime minister said, adding, "our generation should repay the debt without handing over to the next generation."

Sri Lanka's senior Buddhist clergy from the Malwatu and Asgiriya chapters urged the government to "stop drafting" the new constitution immediately, stating it was "not needed". 

“We have decided the unsuitability of the proposed Constitution. We say that a new Constitution is not needed. The present Constitution is good for us. We will express protest of the Maha Sangha after briefing the Mahanayakes of the Asgiriya and Malwathu Chapters, Ramannaya and Amarapura Nikayas," they were quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying.