File photo: Sri Lankan troops in Colombo.

Preparations for the annual Victory Day Parade in Colombo are in full swing, with rehearsals for the event causing the closure of roads around the Galle Face Green.

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister, G.L. Peiris, will be leaving for the United States on Monday, to attend his meeting with US Secretary of State Hiliary Clinton on May 18th in order to discuss implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC.

Implentation of specific recommendations contained within was an integral part of a US resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council earlier this year.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has been invited to take part in the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee.

Mr Rajapakse will travel to the UK on June 3 for a four-day visit, but according to sources in the British High Commission in Colombo it will not be a state visit and no meetings with British government officials have yet been confirmed.

British Tamils have expressed regret the decision to invite the president to the UK.

Tamil National Alliance MP M A Sumanthiran has hit out at the government’s insincerity in addressing accountability issues.

In a speech to the Sri Lankan parliament on Friday, Mr Sumanthiran said that only an independent international investigation can break the cycle of impunity and prevent the return of violence.

The Sri Lankan military deployed to the North-East are to be trained in public health surveillance and disease prevention, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.

According to the ministry spokesperson, the soldiers will be trained by the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry and will by the end of their training have the same knowledge as a public health inspector in dengue fever prevention, and conduct all inspection activities in the North-East.

The Defence Minister, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, was thanked by the Health Minister Maithripapa Sirisena, for the defence ministry's contribution to the public health initiative.

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Finance Secretary Dr P B Jayasundera has said tea imports into Sri Lanka should be banned in order to protect the integrity and image of Sri Lankan tea.

The Tea Exporters Association, which represents around 75% of Sri Lankan tea exporters, has recently made a proposal to allow the importing and blending of foreign tea with Sri Lankan blends for export.

Speaking at a Dilmah conference, Dr Jayasundera rejected the proposals.