The former Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the Office of the Missing Persons Act, as a step to prosecute the country's armed forces, Ceylon Today reported. 

In a letter to the senior Buddhist clergy, Mr Rajapaksa urged them to take action on what he described as "acts of betrayal being committed under the guise of promoting reconciliation". 

Rejecting assurances given by the current government that the Act would not be enforced in a retrograde fashion, Mr Rajapaksa said, "That was an outright lie."

Sri Lanka received its largest warship to date from India, SLNS Sayurala. 

The ship was handed over during a special ceremony on July 22nd, with the India's High Commissioner to the island, Chitranganee Wagiswara present. 

The ship includes a landing and hangar facility for an Advanced Light Helicopter, the Sunday Times reported. 

Sri Lanka's Cabinet on Tuesday approved leasing Hambantota port to China Merchant Port Holdings, following months of delays. 

The approval was announced by the ports and shipping minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe, the Daily Mirror reported. However, it now needs to be approved by parliament. 

"The cabinet approved the deal and now it needs parliament approval. We will send it for approval this week," the cabinet spokesman Dayasiri Jayasekera told Reuters. 

The main suspect in the suspected assassination of the Jaffna High Court judge Ilancheliyan was arrested by Sri Lankan police on Tuesday morning. 

The suspect, identified as 39 year old Selvarasa Jayandan reportedly surrendered to Jaffna police station. 

Whilst the judge escaped unharmed, his police escort was injured during the incident and later died from his wounds. 
 

The Sri Lankan government has renewed the employment of the man who ran the island’s “most notorious torture site” in a move that shows “utter disdain for victims of torture and the UN system,” said the International Truth and Justice Project.

Batticaloa lawyers protested and joined their colleagues across the North-East in boycotting court proceedings on Monday.

The Sri Lankan Army's Mannar-based 542 Brigade held a blood donation event at the Murunkan Hospital on Sunday.

Hospital sources said that the donation was not requested by the hospital itself but that the event was initiated and organised by the brigade's commander.

Black July remembrance events took place on Sunday organised by the Tamil National People's Front.

Members and supporters of the party, as well as survivors of the pogrom and family members of victims participated in events in Batticaloa and in Jaffna.

A Tamil youth has died on Monday and another seriously injured in Batticaloa after running from Special Task Forces firing shots in the air.

Brothers, 17-year-old Sathakaran Mathushan and 18-year-old Sathakaran Kishanthan were reportedly loading sand into a tractor on the banks of the Munthankumaraveli River when approached by Special Task Force troops, who immediately started firing shots in the air to scare and disperse the youngsters.

The brothers dived in the river in an attempt to escape the troops but were overcome by the strong currents.

Sri Lanka's Minister of Ports and Shipping, Mahinda Samarasinghe announced this month that the government would be commencing on a three year plan to develop Trincomalee harbour. 

The harbour's current four terminals would be developed for commercial ventures, the minister added. 

The development plan involves identifying 10,000 hectares of land which would be gazetted, Colombo Page reported.