The Sri Lankan military has expanded its Vanni base in recent weeks building a new bungalow for troops and a new fully pledged cook house.

The commander of Sri Lanka’s Vanni Security Forces Major General MHSB Perera declared open the new bungalow for troops, in a red carpet ceremony, complete with Sinhala Kandyan dancers on 24 August 2016.

The Sri Lankan prime minister on Tuesday condemnded the assault on the High Commissioner in Malaysia, Ibrahim Ansar, stating the Malaysian government was "bound to give protection". 

"We condemn the assault on the High Commissioner. Soon after the incident, I instructed the Acting Foreign Affairs Minister to summon the Malaysian Envoy and register our protest. The Malaysian Government is bound to give protection,” Mr Wickremesinghe told parliament, the Daily Mirror reported. 

Sri Lanka could potentially wield 'soft power' due its strategically important location said Foreign Secretary Esala Weerakon at the conclusion of the two-day Colombo 'Defence Seminar' organised by the Sri Lankan army. 

"Sri Lanka today is a good fit for internal and external expression of soft power reality. It welcomes peaceful engagement, remains open to friendship and persuasions. It does this all, while consolidating democracy; rule of law; reconciliation; upholding, promoting and protecting human rights; strengthening good governance; and rules based systems. We are in fact enhancing the soft power of our State," he said in his closing remarks. 

A Sri Lankan lawyer, N Dharshana Weraduwage filed a fundamental rights petition on Monday looking to safeguard and foster the Buddha Sasana against any attacks or threats, in reaction to recent vandalism of a Buddhist statue in Mankulam, in the Northern Province. 

Weraduwage's petition sought an interim order to direct the Minister of Law and Order to investigate recent incidents of vandalism of Buddhist statues in the Northern Province and to take action to re-build, restore and/or refurbish those properties. 

Photograph: Hiru News

Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived back on the island on Monday, following a series of protests against his presence in Malaysia last week.

Thousands of Sri Lankan soldiers are taking part in a military exercise in the Tamil North-East this week, with delegates from Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and the USA joining in.

The exercise, entitled “Cormorant Strike VII – 2016”, will take place in Kokilai in Mullaitivu, and will have over 3,000 troops participating.

A Muslim businessman who travelled to Trincomalee has been declared missing on Sunday evening, reports NewsFirst.

Police report that the man, identified as Mohammed Nazrin of Bandaragama, had travelled to the North-East for a gold auction. 

Last month an abducted Muslim businessman was found murdered in the South.
 

According to reports in the Sri Lankan press, the body of the former Sunday Leader editor, Lasantha Wickrematunge will be exhumed. 

Mr Wickrematunge, who was openly critical of the Rajapaksa regime, was assassinated in January 2009. 

His grave site has been guarded by police, reports Ceylon Today. 

Malaysia's envoy to Sri Lanka is to be summoned on Monday after Sri Lanka's High Commissioner was attacked by anti-Rajapaksa protesters in Malaysia this weekend. 

"The Malaysian envoy in Sri Lanka would be summoned to the Ministry this morning to register protest," the deputy foreign affairs minister, Harsha de Silva was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

"The Sri Lankan government condemned this incident in the strongest possible terms," he said, adding "the Malaysian authorities were conducting investigations". 

Sri Lanka’s president Maithripala Sirisena vowed that his government would not “bow down” to international pressure, days after meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon.

Speaking at the 65th anniversary of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party, Mr Sirisena told a crowd in Kurunegala that the international community would not be allowed to interfere with the “domestic affairs” of the island.