A spokesperson for Sri Lanka’s army has said no decision has been taken to reduce the number of troops in the military, noting instead that over 20,000 people had been recruited into the armed forces for "development projects".

According to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence, when questioned by reporters on plans to reduce the size of the armed forces, army spokesperson Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera responded by saying no such decision had been taken.

“Members of this House may not be aware how closely the British Government and their representatives work with our colleagues in the European Union on issues such as this—in Sri Lanka as in Georgia—to exert pressure and bring it to bear. There is of course the UN human rights investigation, which will continue. The UN Human Rights Council will discuss that at its forthcoming meeting in March.”

A court in Tamil Nadu has sentenced five Eelam Tamil asylum seekers to two years imprisonment for illegally entering India, after the group fled Sri Lanka with their five children last year.

The group of asylum seekers, consisting of three men, two women and five children, had arrived in Dhanushkodi in May 2014. Originally from Mullaitivu and Jaffna, the group went to Mannar, where they boarded two boats taking them across the Palk Strait.