Tamil politicians have objected to the approval of a housing scheme for Sinhalese settlers in Mullaitivu on what several have said is Tamil-owned land. The original owners of lands around the Kokkilai Lagoon were evicted by the Sri Lankan army and most are too scared to come forward due to the hostilities in the area between Sinhalese and local Tamils, one politician said.

Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena today appointed the Air Commodore responsible for operations in Kilinocchi during the end of the armed conflict in 2009 as the country's new Air Force Commander. 

The leader of the extremist Buddhist monk group Bodu Bala Sena, who was recently released from prison following a presidential pardon pledged to expose Islamist militancy in his first press conference since being freed. 

The media director of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Ali Hassan, was arrested today accused of being in possession of ammunition. 

Sri Lankan police reported 93 rounds of 12-bore gun ammunition were found in his possesion. 

Hassan was arrested at his home in Malwana, and the area was searched by the military and police. 

The arrest of a government official follows that of a Muslim Hansard officer last week, who was accused of helping one of the suicide bombers responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks. 

Sri Lanka's Department of Archaeology is dumping the ruins of an ancient Pillaiyar temple situated near the seven hot springs in Kanniya into a well, and building a Buddha statue in its place, residents in Trincomalee told the Tamil Guardian. 

A farm worker in Mullaitivu was injured yesterday when an explosive detonated in Neththaliyaru, Visvamadu West. 

Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday announced the establishing of the 'Palmyrah Fund' to develop the North-East. 

After months of delays, Sri Lanka on Tuesday signed an agreement with India and Japan to develop the East Container Terminal at Colombo Port. 

Members of India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) is on its way to Sri Lanka, CNN News 18 reported today. 

The visit follows the Easter Sunday suicide bombings by Islamist extremists supportive of Islamic State, which left over 250 people dead. 

Soon after the bombings it emerged that India had warned the Sri Lankan government about the attacks. 

"We have our own FIR against ISIS modules. The visit is not to assist Sri Lanka with their probe but to see if an exchange of information and evidence gathered by us and them can be mutually beneficial,” a senior NIA official was quoted by the news site as saying. 

A Tamil Guardian journalist, K. Kumanan, was assaulted by the police officer in charge of the Kokkilai police station in Mullaitivu after he went to Neeraviyadi Pillaiyar temple to report on the lack of progress in fulfilling a court order to remove CCTV cameras. 

The officer was reported to have verbally abused him; thrown his camera; taken photos of him; and has physically assaulted him.