Ministers from Myanmar and Sri Lanka pledged their governments take steps to have closer defence co-operation this week.

At the side-lines of the ASEAN summit in Manila, Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs Vasantha Senanayake met with  H.E. U Kyaw Tin, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for Myanmar, where the two discussed co-operation in areas of tourism, education and defence.

“The two Ministers noted the longstanding friendship between the two countries including in Buddhism and Cultural Linkages,” reports Colombo Gazette.

A 22-year-old Tamil man, reportedly a main suspect in the sword attack on police in Kokkuvil, was arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Department, along with six other Tamil youths on Monday.

A police spokesperson claimed that all seven youths were part of the 'Aava' criminal gang.

The youths underwent extensive interrogation by TID officers and are to be presented to the Jaffna Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The Australian government deported at least 13 asylum seekers to Sri Lanka on Friday, according to a press release from the Australian High Commission.

“These non-citizens have been found not to engage Australia’s protection obligations, and have no lawful basis to remain in Australia,” said the statement. 

“Settlement in Australia will never be an option for anyone who attempts to travel to Australia illegally by boat”.  

The Northern Provincial Council chairman C V K Sivagnanam criticised the reports that recent violence in the North-East was due to the LTTE regrouping, describing such comments as "malicious" and "unreasonable".

"An unknown power wants to keep this part of the country in tension. There is information that some of the people who are so-called rehabilitated ex-militants are allegedly used as informants and military intelligence agents," Mr Sivagnanam was quoted by Ceylon Today as saying. 

The Northern Province's health minister P Sathiyalingam resigned from his ministerial post on Monday. 

He will continue to serve as a councillor in the province. 

The reasons behind his resignation are not yet clear. 
 

Interpol is to hold a workshop in Colombo in collaboration with the Sri Lankan police on counter-terrorism and transnational crimes. 

The three day workshop will be attended by police teams from India, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia and Bangladesh. 

Sri Lanka's police spokesperson told the Daily Mirror, “the visiting investigation officers have excelled in the fields of crime and terrorist investigation, intelligence office, transnational crimes, law enforcement and Police training."

Sri Lanka's police along with its armed forces have been accused of human rights violations over many decades

The Iranian president on Monday offered Sri Lanka its technical and engineering services, IRNA reported. 

“Iran-Sri Lanka ties have always been friendly and excellent and removal of sanctions today has created good opportunities for promoting mutual cooperation which should be used optimally in line with boosting bilateral ties,” Mr Rouhani said to Sri Lanka's Speaker of House, Karu Jayasuriya who is currently visiting Tehran. 

Welcoming the offer, Mr Jayasuriya said the “people of Sri Lanka have a great respect to the Iranian nation.” 

Ten Tamil youths have been arrested after Vadamaradchi villages were subjected to a third search and round-up operation by Special Task Force troops in 24 hours.

Thunnalai, Kudavaththai and Vembadi villages were surrounded by STF troops and police at around 4am on Sunday morning, with the security force personnel going house by house to carry out searches.

Ten were arrested and one motorcycle seized.

Ten Tamils were arrested in Jaffna on Saturday evening when Sri Lankan Special Task Force troops and police engaged in sudden checking activities in the Thirunelveli and Kondavil areas.

Koppay police said that some of youths were arrested on various suspicions, others because they failed to sufficiently identify themselves.

Although parents of some of the arrested youths went to the police station to identify them, they were told by police that since they were arrested by Special Task Force troops, they could not be released without their permission.

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has assured  parliamentarians from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) that Minister of Foreign Affairs  Ravi Karunanayake will be out of government in the near future, reports Colombo Gazette.

The assurance was given after parliamentarians of the SLFP requested a meeting to speak about corruption charges against Mr Karunanayake.

The Foreign Minister previously denied having been asked by President Sirisena to resign.