The Ministry of External Affairs played down comments made by Prime Minister Dm Jayaratne that Sri Lanka supports Vietnam in the ongoing dispute with China regarding maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Jayaratne, who was in Vietnam to celebrate the Buddhist Vesak festival, said that Sri Lanka supports Vietnam’s demand that China adhere to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and withdraw its drilling rig out of Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone.

Tamil child awaits turn for a haircut by a Sri Lankan soldier (Pictures: SFHQ-E)

The Sri Lankan Army has held a “barber service” for Tamil students at a school in Kanchanakuda, Amparai, earlier this month, according to Security Forces Headquarters (East) website.

Members of the 12th Sri Lanka National Guard, who are under the command of the 23rd Division of the security forces, organised the service “for the development of child health care”, the website said.

The Sri Lankan Army is organising the celebration of Buddha’s enlightenment on a grand scale in Jaffna, according to the Civil Military Coordination website.

A ‘Vesak Zone’, with ‘huge Vesak lanterns’ and a large decorative construction is currently being built and will be at the venue near Jaffna library from the 14th-20th of May.

An open invitation on the website carries the Singhalese name of the festival, Yapa Patunai Daham Amavai, written using the Tamil script.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Minister Hugo Swire said that the British government will continue to support and work with the UN Human Rights Council, to ensure the “proper implementation” of the resolution which established an independent investigation.

Mr Swire, speaking in parliament on Wednesday, said that the OHCHR will lead the independent investigation into alleged violations and that the British government continues to urge Sri Lanka to cooperate with the resolution.

A senior Japanese official has told media that the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka was unhelpful, reported the Colombo Gazette.

Speaking after meeting President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo, Japan’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Seiji Kihara said that Japan will not accept “biased reports” by international organisations.

Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN denied reports of rape committed by the Sri Lankan Army during the armed conflict at a closed door meeting about rape during the conflict at the Canadian Mission to the UN on Tuesday, reported Inner City Press.

Sources told the Inner City Press that Silva claimed that "certain organisations are propagating false allegations, they are repeated by different organisations and form an opinion."

Canadian Permanent Representative Guillermo Rishchynski is reported to have spoken of a risk of further violence in Sri Lanka, as none of underlying causes of conflict have been dealt with. He also expressed regret for the harassment of civil society in wake of Navi Pillay's visit.

A Tamil refugee was found dead in India earlier this week, reported the Uthayan.

Punithavathi, 44, fled Sri Lanka with her famliy 30 years ago and lived in Bharathy Nagar, Kanchipuram.

The mother of three is reported to have been beaten to death and Kanchipuram police are investigating further.

Events organised to commemorate dead LTTE fighters will not be allowed in any part of the country, said Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, the spokesperson for the defence ministry.

Speaking at the weekly press briefing earlier today, Wanigasooriya said that families who had lost relatives due to the “terrorist insurgency” have the freedom to mourn their loved ones in private.

Wanigasooriya denied that the defence ministry was behind the closure of universities in the Northeast, saying that the ministry does not get involved in matters that come under the purview of other ministries.

The spokesperson added that the display of flags or other insignia of the LTTE or any of the diaspora organisations recently proscribed is also illegal and thus not allowed.

According to The Nation, Wanigasooriya also said that details of the proscrfibed organisations will be provided to the respective countries from which they are operating.

The Agriculture Minister of the Northern Provincial Council, Ponnuthurai Ayngaranesan, has accused the Sri Lankan government of not providing drought relief to the people of the province, reported Ceylon Today.

"The Northern Province is currently experiencing drought conditions due to the changes in weather patterns as well as due to the harmful actions of the people to the environment," he said, adding that there is a lack of drinking water and crops have been damaged.

Canada should rethink its decision to ignore Sri Lanka's proscription of 16 diaspora organisations and over 400 individuals, Sri Lanka's military spokesperson said, reported the Business Standard

"Canada must remind themselves that LTTE remains a terrorist organisation as they have banned them," said the military spokesperson, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya.

"We hope that Canada will act accordingly," he added.

Stating that the proscription was in line with a UN security council resolution on counterterrorism, Brig Wanigasooriya warned that Canada's decision to ignore it was tantamount to violating that resolution.