Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera accused former president Mahinda Rajapaksa of branding Sri Lankan soldiers as “war criminals” in a statement released today, reports ColomboPage.

Mr Samaraweera said the forces loyal to the former president were “political ghosts who introduced the white van culture” to Sri Lanka and accused them of “misleading the people as usual”.

Speaking on Mr Rajapaksa’s opposition to the International Covenant on Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, Mr Samaraweera went on to say,

Sri Lankan police shot dead an unarmed Tamil man in Vadamaradchi East, on Sunday afternoon.

Yogarasa Thines, in his twenties and from Thunnalai succumbed to his wounds shortly after being shot by police around the Manatkaadu desert area of Vadamaradchi East.

The Church of St Peter at Navaly remembered over 140 Tamil civilians killed in its premises by Sri Lankan Air Force bombs 22 years ago.

Hundreds attended the remembrance service which included special prayers led by the parish priest, Father Roy Ferdinand, and tributes led by families of the victims at the memorial monument in the church grounds.

On 9th July 1995, the Sri Lankan Air Force bombed the St Peter’s Church in Navaly and the nearby Sri Kathirgama Murugan Kovil, which were both sheltering displaced Tamils from army bombardment.

A total of 13 bombs were dropped on the sheltering shrines, killing 147 on the spot with many more succumbing to injuries later.

Thousands of Sri Lankan soldiers organised a “special Buddhist sermon” at the Security Forces Headquarters in Jaffna last month, according to an official military website.

The Tamil National Alliance is to meet with Sri Lank's senior Buddhist clergy, the Maha Sangha in order to talk about the need to change the country's constitution, Adaderana and the Sunday Times reported. 

After a meeting between three Buddhist divisions on Tuesday in Kandy, the senior leaders unanimously rejected the need for any constitutional change and expressed concern over the 'threats' faced by Buddhism in the country. 

The Bank of china is to open a branch in Sri Lanka's capital later this year, the Daily Mirror reported. 

China's spokesperson at the embassy reportedly told the paper that it would be opened with an initial capital of US$ 90 million with the aim of facilitating financial transactions between the two states. 

If opened this would be the first branch of China's state bank in South Asia. Overseas branches are currently located in the US, UK, Canada, Kenya and South Africa. 

The Sri Lankan navy on Saturday arrested three further Tamil Nadu fishermen for allegedly crossing into Sri Lankan waters, Colombo Page reported. 

Saturday's arrest follows the arrest of eight Tamil Nadu fishermen earlier this week, and comes amid heated exchanges over Sri Lanka's new fishing bill. 

On Friday the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappdi K Palaniswami, wrote to the Indian premier, Narenda Modi, expressing his concern about Sri Lanka's new fishing legislation which bans bottom trawling. 

Sri Lanka's Fisheries Minister, Mahinda Amaraweera on Saturday rejected concerns raised by Tamil Nadu's chief minister of the island's new fishing law. 

"The new laws were passed in Parliament for the benefit of Sri Lanka’s fisheries industry," Mr Amaraweera was quoted by the Sunday Times as saying. “We have to look after our interests and we cannot be too concerned about fishermen of other countries.” 

The Nagapoosani Amman Kovil in Nainathivu celebrated its annual chariot festival on Saturday.

Sri Lanka’s Minister of International Trade Sujeewa Senasinghe says the government expects to raise exports earnings to US$20 billion by focussing on entering into Free Trade Agreements.

The minister outlined the aim to increase Sri Lanka’s current export revenue from US$ 11 billion to US$ 20 billion by 2020.

Speaking to press Minister Senasinghe said,