Sri Lanka on Saturday rejected UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein's condemnation of the government's persistent efforts to discredit the UN inquiry into mass atrocities on the island, accusing him of challenging the right of a sovereign state to "raise concerns regarding procedural aspects of an investigation".

"The Government of Sri Lanka, its departments and agencies made no attempt whatsoever to prevent bona fide witnesses from submitting information to the investigation team," Colombo's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ravinatha Aryasinha, said in a statement.

"Neither was any attempt made to deter and intimidate individuals from submitting evidence. The submissions that the Investigation would have received by now would stand to prove this fact," he said.

"[You] have challenged the right of a sovereign State to raise concerns regarding procedural aspects of an Investigation which impacts its people and their future in the context of the ongoing sensitive reconciliation process."

The Sri Lankan military has increased its presence in the areas near the University of Jaffna, the Uthayan reported.

Troops who have been based at he main entrance for a few weeks have started questioning passing students on activities inside the university and whether students "are talking in groups", the Tamil daily said.

Sources told the Uthayan that this was due to the forthcoming Maaveerar Naal (Heroes Day) commemorations, which the security forces have attempted to prevent from occurring in previous years.

Sri Lanka’s Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) arrested a young Tamil man on Friday, accusing him of being a former LTTE cadre who had not been rehabilitated, reports Uthayan.

S Mahinthan, a 28 year old man from Kodikamam in Jaffna, was arrested by TID officers who came to his house on Friday.

Mahinthan has since been held under custody at the TID camp in Vavuniya.

Indian organisations petitioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) calling for the upcoming cricket series with Sri Lanka to be cancelled, in light of death sentences handed down to five Tamil Nadu fishermen by a Sri Lankan court.

The All Indian Traditional Fishermen Association, Vanighar Sangangalin Peravai, Tamil Youths and Students Federation and the Future India Party jointly delivered a petition to the BCCI, calling for the Sri Lankan cricket team to be barred from playing in India.

The petition stated that protests had erupted across Tamil Nadu against the sentence handed down to the fishermen, adding “with respect to the feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu and in solidarity as people of one nation, we hereby ask the BCCI to take action to send the Sri Lankan cricket players back to Sri Lanka immediately, without conducting any further future matches.”

The organisations went on to say that a sports boycott should be put in place on Sri Lanka due to the “continuous systematic discrimination, human rights violations and genocide of the Tamil people.”

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has asked the Supreme Court to determine whether there is any constitutional “impediment” to him contesting presidential elections for a third term in office.

Rajapaksa requested that the court answer a series of questions that he submitted to them on whether he can contest again, by 10 November.

The 18th amendment, which was passed by the Sri Lankan parliament in 2010, transferred power to the president to appoint individuals to quasi-independent commission bodies and abolished the two-term limit on all presidents.

The Asian Human Rights Commission described Rajapaksa's latest move as a "political trick".

Rajapaksa came to power in 2005 running on a Sinhala nationalist platform and was re-elected again in 2010 following the end of the armed conflict. Government spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella said that the government would be looking to hold elections in January 2015.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has slammed Sri Lanka for refusing to co-operate with a United Nations inquiry into mass atrocities, stating that it has gone to “extraordinary lengths to sabotage” the investigation.

“The Government of Sri Lanka has refused point blank to cooperate with the investigation despite being explicitly requested by the Human Rights Council to do so,” Zeid said.

In a statement released in Geneva on Friday, the High Commissioner went on to say,

“Such a refusal does not, however, undermine the integrity of an investigation set up by the Council – instead it raises concerns about the integrity of the government in question. Why would governments with nothing to hide go to such extraordinary lengths to sabotage an impartial international investigation?”

Zeid went on to criticise Sri Lanka for its attempts to obstruct witnesses from testifying before the inquiry, saying,

“The Government’s attempts to deter and intimidate individuals from submitting evidence to a UN investigation team is unacceptable conduct for any Member State of the United Nations which has committed to uphold the UN Charter.”

“Since the end of the conflict in 2009, Sri Lanka has continued to obstruct any independent investigation despite the persistent, compelling and widespread allegations that possible serious international crimes were committed by both sides during the conflict in Sri Lanka.”

“This continuing campaign of distortion and disinformation about the investigation, as well as the insidious attempts to prevent possible bona fide witnesses from submitting information to the investigating team, is an affront to the United Nations Human Rights Council which mandated the investigation.”

“A wall of fear has been created that has undoubtedly served to deter people from submitting evidence,” he added.

See his full statement here.

The US Ambassador to the Human Rights Council Keith harper “applauded” Zeid’s condemnation of Sri Lanka’s “persistent disinformation campaign”.

Applaud HC Zeid's appropriate condemnation of #SriLanka's persistent disinformation campaign re #UN investigation http://t.co/88jwCpKg70

— Keith Harper (@USAmbHRC) November 7, 2014

TNPF officials meet with survivors of the landslide in a welfare centre (Pics: Lankasri)

Politicians from the Tamil National People’s Front visited the area hit by landslides which left at least 11 dead and heard concerns from people who are temporarily housed in welfare centres.

President of the TNPF Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Secretary Kajendren Selvarajah visited the approximately 2,500 displaced from the Upcountry Tamil community in Koslantha Sri Vidyalayam and Poonakalai Tamil Vidyalayam.

Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that those orphaned in the Koslanda landslide will not be given to the Northern Provincial Council, after they expressed concern that the children would lose their Tamil identity if left in the hands of the Sri Lankan government.

Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been appointed the head of the committee which grants dual citizenship, Minister Dilan Perera told parliament on Tuesday, according to Lankasri.

Foreign citizens wishing to apply for Sri Lankan nationality in addition to their existing passport can provide their details to the committee, who will make the final decision.