Sri Lanka's police officers dressed in plain clothes on Thursday attempted to abduct a student known for his anti-government views, however, were stopped by fellow students, local news sources reported. 

Condemning what he described as the "white van abduction", the finance minister, Mangala Samaraweera said, "I spoke with the Inspector General of Police and he said he will take disciplinary action against those responsible."

"We condemn this action of the police," he was quoted by AFP as saying. 

The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena said the country should be developed through supporting the agriculture sector, recalling what he described as the island's historic prosperity. 

"When we consider about the historic foundation and the prosperous eras of this country, Sri Lanka can be built through an economy based on agriculture. To do it, we should help farmers to build up a better economic condition," he was quoted by Colombo Page as saying. 

"We should produce many import items within our country. The current government is giving priority for that," he added. 

Sri Lanka's new Inland Revenue Act will be tabled next month, the country's finance minister, Mangala Samaraweera was quoted by Colombo Page as saying. 

"The main objective of the new Inland Revenue Act is to reduce the indirect taxes levied from the people from 80% to 60% and increase the direct taxes from 20% to 40% within three years," Mr Samaraweera was quoted as saying at a press conference on Friday. 

The government of Japan has provided  US $611,000 for demining activates in the North of Sri Lanka, reports Colombo Page.

The grant aims to accelerate the Sri Lankan government’s program to provide livelihood assistance to the resettled people in the North.

Japan has provided US $30 million over the past 3 years for demining projects in the North and East.

The United Nations Secretary-General has welcomed the establishment of the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) in Sri Lanka and called for it to become operational “as soon as possible”.

“The Secretary-General commends the Government of Sri Lanka for establishing the Office of Missing Persons (OMP), a significant milestone for all Sri Lankans still searching for the truth about their missing loved ones,” said a statement by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

The British government may submit its diplomatic cables to a proposed hybrid court that will examine human rights violations committed during the final phase of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict – a move that has been backed by Sri Lanka’s former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, according to a report in The Island.

When asked whether the UK would be submitting documents to a hybrid court a British High Commission spokesperson responded by saying "the UK cannot comment on its approach to court proceedings that have yet to be established,” reported The Island.

A part of a contested forest in Mullaitivu was damaged by fire, with distressed locals suspecting arson in retaliation to protests against deforestation for state-sponsored Muslim resettlements.

The Tamil National Alliance leader R. Sampanthan and spokesperson M. A. Sumanthiran, met with Australian Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, on Thursday to discuss the constitution making process and key issues faced by Tamils which were causing them to lose hope.

British parliamentarians and academics discussed the Sri Lankan state's ethnocratic nature at a book launch in the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday.  

'Government and Politics in Sri Lanka: Biopolitics and Security', authored by Dr Sriskanda Rajah focuses on Sri Lanka’s post-colonial policies and democratic structure and argues that Sri Lanka functions as an ethnocracy leaning on authoritarianism, and was launched with a discussion on Sri Lanka by a panel of academics and Members of Parliament.

Speaking at the event the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell stressed the importance of discussing the characteristics of the Sri Lankan state that allow for the oppression of Tamils, adding that Tamils must be allowed to determine their own future.

The British government expressed “serious concerns” to Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner this week, after a United Nations Special Rapporteur report found torture was endemic, systematic and routine on the island.

Responding to a question from the leader of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils Paul Scully, the Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom said the UK had expressed their concerns over the report’s findings to Sri Lanka’s representative in London.