The Mahaweli Authority has issued land permits to 8 Sinhalese settlers that have been squatting on Tamil-owned land in Mullaitivu, defying a court order to return the lands to their original owners.

Sinhalese settlers and fishermen occupied Tamil-owned lands in Kokkilai, Karunadukkeni and Kokuthoduvai after the residents were forced to displace in 1983. The settlers built permanent houses and continued to occupy the lands after the war, requesting the Sri Lankan state to issue deeds in their names.

Japan’s defence minister was taken on a tour of the Sri Lankan navy camp in Trincomalee earlier today, as part of his visit to the island.

A public interest litigation petition has been filed in by a non-governmental organisation in India to refer Sri Lankan navy attacks on Indian fishermen to the International Court of Justice, prompting the Director of Fisheries to call for the central government to put diplomatic pressure on Sri Lanka to “avert such instances in future”.

Director of Fisheries G S Sameeran filed a report in response to the petition by Fishermen Care, stating that “Indian fishermen... are apprehended/shot at/harassed by Sri Lankan Navy repeatedly”.

Tamil villagers in Trincomalee confronted officials from the Sri Lankan government’s Land Surveying Department on Tuesday, who were reportedly surveying land so that they could construct a Buddhist temple in the region.

The Sri Lankan government officials had arrived at Thiriyai in the Kuchchaveli division in Trincomalee, when locals gathered at the area they were surveying as they fell within areas of private land owned by the villagers.

Five Buddhist monk students were remanded by Matara Magistrate Court on Monday over the ragging of a first year student at the University of Ruhuna. 

The five, who are second year students, were charged last month under the Anti-Ragging Act over the incident which is said to have taken place at the Bhikkhu hostel in Eliya-Kanda on July 18. 

They have been remanded until November 3, Colombo Page reports. 

The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) member, T Ravikaran and six others, who were arrested after participating in a protest earlier this month against illegal fishing in Mullaitivu by Sinhala fishermen, have been ordered to appear before the Magistrate's court on October 30. 

Mr Ravikaran and others were charged with allegedly causing damage to public property during the protest. 

Local fishermen protested for almost a week against police and government inaction against illegal fishing by Sinhala fishermen in the area. 

The BJP MP, Subramanian Swamy met with the former Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa today in Medamulana. 

Describing him as a "long-time friend of Sri Lanka who has always so vehemently spoken out against LTTE Terrorism", Mr Rajapaksa tweeted that he had accepted Mr Swamy's invitation to speak at an event in New Delhi. 

The expert committee appointed by the Sri Lankan president to re-examine the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed with Singapore in January, has announced it will be seeking public opinion. 

Maithripala Sirisena appointed the committee after the Joint Opposition reiterated its threat of legal action against it. 

Objecting against the FTA, the JO MP Bandula Gunawardene said, "the government has claimed that a gazette notification containing a list of items for which tax and duty will be removed was issued, but such a document cannot be found. Therefore the FTA is illegal."

The Sri Lankan navy arrested eight Indian fishermen on Tuesday night for alleged poaching. 

The men were apprehended off the cost of Kalpitiya. 

Their fishing boat was impounded and has been transferred to the authority of fishing officials in Puttalam.

The arrest is the latest in a series of arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy, despite ongoing talks by both governments on the issue. 

4.5 acres of land in Kankesanthurai were released by the Sri Lankan Army today, after 27 years of occupation.