<p>The Sri Lankan army is attempting to appropriate civilian lands in Mullaitivu, over a week after failing to meet a deadline set by the Sri Lankan president to return all occupied land in the North-East.</p> <p>Owners of land in Alampil, which the Sri Lankan army currently illegally occupies, were notified that their land would be surveyed on January 10.</p> <p>Either civilian-owned land which is currently occupied by an army camp, or the occupied land of Alampil Thuyilum Illam (LTTE cemetery) would be appropriated for the use of the 24th Sinha Regiment, according to the plans.</p>

<p>The Sri Lankan navy yesterday arrested four Tamil Nadu fishermen for allegedly poaching fish.&nbsp;</p> <p>The fishermen were taken to 'Elara' navy base today and are&nbsp;to be handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries in Jaffna.&nbsp;</p> <p>Last month over 3000 Indian fishermen were chased away by the Sri Lankan navy and eight fishermen arrested.&nbsp;</p> <p>The arrest and chasing away of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy remains a regular occurence despite attempts by India's Central Government to attempt to resolve the issue.&nbsp;</p>

A Sri Lankan army truck killed three civilians on Tuesday morning, during a road accident in Iyakkachchi, Palai. 

The army truck collided into an auto rickshaw. 

Investigators within the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have uncovered a plot hatched by senior naval officers to kill the chief investigator and several key witnesses in high profile cases of abduction, torture and extrajudicial killing, reports JDS.

One such case details the abduction and murder 11 Tamil males in the suburbs of Colombo.

^{Photograph: David McKinnon}

The ambassadors of Canada and Germany paid tribute to murdered journalists in Sri Lanka, as they attended the 10 year anniversary of the killing of Lasantha Wickrematunge.

Joined by Sri Lankan journalists and politicians, Canadian ambassador David McKinnon tweeted,

The Sri Lankan military continued with its militarisation of the North-East over the Christmas period, with a series of events across the Tamil homeland during the festive season last month.

Since occupying the North-East, the military has involved itself into several aspects of civilian life in the region, despite opposition from local civil society and political representatives.

Norway’s prime minister acknowledged that her country’s role in mediating a peace process in Sri Lanka was unsuccessful and apologised for “for the way that the conflict in Sri Lanka ended up”.

Speaking to reporters in India, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that “I’m sorry to say I don’t think our Sri Lanka efforts led to a big success”.

“I’m still sorry for the way that the conflict in Sri Lanka ended up,” she added.

Her comments came after she was asked whether Norway could play a role in mediating between India and Pakistan. “Nobody from the outside can make peace or make changes,” she told the media.

Two international non-governmental organisations have begun a worldwide initiative to try and collects names of the conflict dead, to estimate the final death toll from Sri Lanka’s military offensive which killed tens of thousands of Tamils civilians.

“We at least owe the dead the courtesy of collecting their names,” said International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) Executive Director, Yasmin Sooka. “The scale of human loss is important to quantify and the final list of names which we will collate can also inform the memorialisation process which is key for communities”.  

<p>Two court cases against former Northern Provincial Council members, T Ravikaran and M K Shivajilingham, have been adjourned today.&nbsp;</p> <p>The NPC member, T Ravikaran, and six others were arrested for participating in a protest against illegal fishing by Sinhala fishermen in Mullaitivu on August 2.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ravikaran and the others were charged with causing damage to public property during the protest. They were subsequently released on bail.&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, a second court case against Ravikaran and Shivajilingham was also adjourned today until May 27.&nbsp;</p>

The former advisor to President Maithripala Sirisena and presidential media director, Dr Suren Raghavan has been appointed the new governor to the Northern Province, replacing Reginald Cooray. 

Raghavan has been a university lecturer in Colombo, visiting professor at University of St Paul – Ottawa, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies – Wolfson College University of Oxford.