A United Nations (UN) committee called on Sri Lanka’s military to end its involvement in commercial or civilian activities and begin returning appropriated private lands. 

The UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UNCESCR) concluding observations on the fifth periodic report review on Sri Lanka, released in June, expressed concern that “the military still controls substantial areas of private and public land in the North and East of the country and continues to engage in commercial activities, including farming, tourism, coffee shops and hotels.”

The TNA MP M A Sumanthiran on Thursday filed a Fundamental Rights petition against the Sri Lankan government's plan to build 65,000 pre-fabricated steel houses for Tamil IDPs in the North-East. 

An Interim Order was sought in order to stem the progress on the project. 

The project, which is in collaboration with the Arcelor Mittal Construction France, has been criticised by locals, civil society activists and the TNA who have called for traditional brick houses to be built. 

The former Sri Lankan navy spokesperson, who was arrested over the abduction and enforced disappearance of 11 Tamil youths in 2008, has been remanded by Fort Magistrate until July 19th, the Daily Mirror reported. 

Commodore D K P Dassanayake was arrested on Wednesday. 

The leader of the PHU has defended the former navy spokesperson and said the arrest "was merely an attempt made by supporters of the LTTE to get back at the individuals who helped defeat the LTTE using the government."

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met with the newly appointed Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake this week, thanking him for his work during his time as Jaffna Commander.

Torture and rape of Tamils in Sri Lanka has continued into 2017 found the International Truth and Justice Project’s (ITJP) latest report  “Unstopped: State Torture & Sexual Violence in 2016/17."

Commenting on the continuation of torture under the Sirisena government, which came into power in January 2015, ITJP Director Yasmin Sooka said,

The Chief Minister of the Northern Province has condemned the deadly shooting of a Tamil man by Sri Lankan police.

Speaking to journalists about the killing of Yogarasa Thines in Vadamaradchi, Chief Minister Wigneswaran said:

“Even if the murdered youth had done something wrong, there would have been many ways to have stopped him. They could have shot the wheels of the vehicle he was in. Or they could have informed police officers based in the opposite direction. None of this was considered and instead a young man has been shot and killed.”

“This is the wrong approach. The police officers that carried out the shooting have abused their authority.”

The TNA leader and Opposition leader R. Sampanthan visited families of the disappeared in Kilinochchi, on the 143rd day of their protest on Wednesday.

The leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU), Udaya Gammanpila condemned the arrest of a former Sri Lankan
navy spokesperson over the disappearance of eleven Tamil youths in 2008, arguing that he was "wrongfully
accused". 

Commodore D K P Dassanayake was arrested on Wednesday over the abduction and enforced disappearance of the
Tamil youths. 

An inquiry was launched on Thursday into the 2012 prison riot in Welikada which led to the deaths of 27 inmates, mainly Sinhalese, at the hands of Sri Lankan security forces, AFP reported. 

Eye witnesses said the officers executed many of the inmates in cold blood. 

The launch comes just days before the anniversary of the worst massacre at the prison on 25th July 1983 when 54 Tamil detainees murdered by Sinhala inmates. 

Over three decades later no inquiry has been held and no one has been brought to justice. 

Prison riots in 1997 and 2000 also saw Sinhala inmates murdering Tamil inmates. 

In a statement published on Thursday, Human Rights Watch criticised the Sri Lankan governments failure to meet its promises on accountability. 

"To heal, there needs to be communication, understanding, and above all a sense of righting wrongs. In this, Sri Lanka’s Government is faltering, despite promises to its own people, as well as to the international community," the statement read.