Sri Lanka's plan to send 217 Tamil political detainees to rehabilitation prior to release has run into legal difficulties. The New Indian Express reported.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson M.A.Sumanthiran, said on the 17th of this month that the government would send the first batch of detainees for rehabilitation in ten days. But according to the Minister of National Dialogue Mano Ganeshan, there may be a delay on as some detainees have multiple cases against them and they would only be eligible for rehabilitation for one case, he explained.

“We are discussing this issue with the Attorney General to find a way out. In a week or so, it may be sorted out,” Mr Ganeshan told Express on Tuesday.

Spokesperson of the Tamil Civil Society Forum Kumaravadivel Guruparan said in a Facebook post that it may not be possible to send the detainees for rehabilitation as they are not “surrendees”. They were captured or arrested against their will, and as such, do not come under the law governing rehabilitation and release of LTTE cadres, which says that rehabilitation is open only to “surrendees”.

The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) will be replaced with an act which would be appropriate to deal with contemporary global challenges, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said on Tuesday. The PTA was a law which specifically addressed local issues, he said.

"In the current global context, we need to have a broader outlook. Hence the need for new laws that could combat terrorism both from a local and international perspective," the foreign minister further said.

Responding to former foreign minister GL. Peiris’ warning against releasing Tamil political prisoners, Mr Samaraweera asked whether Mr Peiris wanted the suspects to be kept in prison permanently even if there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prosecute them.

Several members of Sri Lanka's opposition have expressed their "serious" concern at the government move to partially lift a ban on Tamil diaspora organisations, claiming that the security of the island was now at risk.

National Freedom Front leader and Colombo MP Wimal Weerawansa told Ceylon Today that "this is a very serious situation... which will pose a serious security threat to the country, which would also pave the way for separatism as well". The move "has compromised the security interests of the country," he added.

The former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday urged the Sri Lankan police to ensure the Tamil Eelam flag was not hoisted in the North ahead of Tamil national remembrance day (Maaveerar Naal) on November 27.

“Some people in the South have forgotten the importance of this week. In the past Prabakaran marked heroes’ week by attacking the south or some village. If the people are allowed to raise the LTTE [Tamil Eelam] flag it will be a case where we are falling on our knees before the LTTE,” Mr Rajapaksa was quoted by Colombo Gazette as saying.

A Sri Lankan government minister stated that the government would be granted the European Union’s GSP+ trade concessions in June 2016.

Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrema told parliament today that with the expected reinstatement of the concessions, the country would go on to gain many benefits.

Former Foreign Minister Professor GL Peiris criticised Sri Lanka’s government for allowing the United Nations Working group for Enforced disappearances (WGEID).

Mr Peiris said that no country will allow a foreign group to have access to its Navy camp, and accused the United Nations Working Group of making false claims after visiting the camp.

The Sunday Times has criticised Ambassador Samantha Power and other countries in the west over its Middle East policy and the terrorist attacks in Paris last week.

In its editorial published on Sunday, the paper said, "The US Ambassador to the UN is in Sri Lanka right now. One of those ‘bleeding-hearts’ who advocates human rights ‘values’ and argued passionately against the Sri Lankan military campaign against terrorists in this country, pushing for the UNHRC resolution, is deafeningly silent on the West’s bloody war in West Asia that has caused innumerable deaths and an influx of thousands of refugees to Europe."

Sri Lanka's largest Sunday paper, seen to be close to the ruling UNP, also criticised France for its 'lukewarm' policy on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and linked it to the attacks on Paris on November 13.