A rally was held in Jaffna today to mark World Water Day and highlight the importance of clean water.

The rally saw hundreds of people march through the streets with placards calling for the preservation of clean water.

Sri Lankan police have arrested over a dozen Indian citizens over charges of violating their visa regulations, according to reports.

In Kattankudy two Indian nationals were arrested for reportedly selling textiles, whilst another was arrested in Mannar for selling sarees, reports Colombo Gazette.

Meanwhile The Island reports 12 Indian citizens were arrested in Kattankundy over the weekend.

The Sri Lankan government rejected a United Nations Special Rapporteur report on caste-based discrimination on the island, labelling it “incorrect, inaccurate and misleading”.

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka said a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues was “inaccurate and completely misrepresentative of reality in respect of society and societal formation or structures in Sri Lanka”.

UN Special Rapporteur Ms Rita Izsak-Ndiaye's report earlier this year mentioned Sri Lanka in part of its global overview of caste-affect groups.

The Sri Lankan government though rejected its findings. “It is completely incorrect to state that people in Sri Lanka are under pressure to follow caste based employment,” said Sri Lanka.

“Untouchability, as stated in the report is not a feature one would find in Sri Lanka society at all,” the representative continued. “The term “Dalit” has no relevance whatsoever in the context of Sri Lanka There is no community or caste identified by such nomenclature in Sri Lanka.”

Sri Lanka also claimed Ms Izsak-Ndiaye said three different castes existed on the island – “Sinhala, Sri Lankan Tamil and Indian Tamil” - and slammed it as “completely erroneous”.

However, the Special Rapporteur had in fact stated in her report that each of the three communities operated “three parallel caste systems” and that “caste discrimination is found in each one”.

Sri Lanka's Joint Opposition has spoken out against a USAID sponsored seminar on constitutionalism, stating that only a domestic process for drafting a new constitution should take place.

Joint Opposition leader Dinesh Gunawardena confirmed that  MPs had been invited to the conference later this month, but said it would decrease the Sri Lankan public's confidence in the constitution making process.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Mr Gunawardena said,

“Why is the US getting involved in constitution making in Sri Lanka? It’s a domestic process which should be undertaken by Sri Lankans.”

A book written by the LTTE political division's women's wing leader Thamilini is to be launched in Kilinochchi today, despite reported attempts to block the event by Sri Lankan police.

The book launch will be headed by poet Pon. Kanthan and is set to take place on Saturday at the Kilinochchi Co-operative College Hall. Two books are set to be released, an autobiography reportedly written by Thamilini prior to her death and an anthology of poems, both of which have been spearheaded by her husband.