The UNP announced Thursday that a new constitution would offer greater devolution of power however, would maintain a unitary state and the current executive presidential system, thereby rejecting Tamil demands for a federal structure. 

The UNP statement, made at its party headquarters did not however detail which powers would be further devolved. 

The statement to maintain a unitary state was endorsed by the SLFP as well. 

The World Bank board last week approved a $75 million credit to improve the selection, administration and payments within Sri Lanka's welfare programs. 

"The Social Safety Nets Project, to be implemented by the Ministry of Finance, will assist the government to develop a single registry of citizens containing information on family structure and economic characteristics. The Welfare Benefits Board, set up to manage the selection and payment of welfare beneficiaries, will develop and apply new selection criteria based on data in the registry," the World Bank said in a statement. 

Thousands of people attended Maaveerar Naal commemorations in Switzerland last month, as Tamils across the word remembered the lives lost in the Tamil freedom struggle.

Soldiers from the 661 Brigade in the 66 Division of the Security Force Headquarters (Killinochchi) gave away school accessories to children in Pooneryn on Monday.

Troops received sponsorship from National Tourist Guide Lecturers’ Association and the ‘Kind Heart’ Association.

The Tamil National Alliance urged the government to relocate chief monk Ampitiye Sumanarathana from the Eastern Province after tensions on Sunday.

Seenithamby Yogeswaran, TNA’s Battacloa District Parliamentarian, asked the government why it has failed to take any action against Sumanarathana for his hate speech against Tamils and Muslims.
Further, he explained how Sumanarathana’s ongoing behaviour has disrupted the community.

The Sri Lankan president cleared the names of Sinhala chiefs who were previously branded 'traitors' by the then British governor in 1818. 

"After 198 years, I cleared the names of Wellassa heroes including Monarawila Keppetipola," tweeted Mr Sirisena. 

The Norwegian ferry operatory, Norled AS, MMBL Pathfinger Group and Aitken Spence are to establish a ferry service linking Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka, SLBC reported. 

The first stage of the operation would link Tuticorin to Colombo, before providing a service connecting Talaimannar to Rameshwaram. 

A further stage would provide a service between Colombo to Kochi, in Kerala. 

See more here. 

Photograph @mhmhisham

The extremist Sinhala Buddhist monk and leader of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), Gnanasara was invited by the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena to attend a meeting as a 'religious leader' this week. 

A parliamentarian with the United National Party has reportedly received death threats over his involvement in the constitutional reform process, as the party called for “maximum devolution of powers within a united Sri Lanka”.

Jayampathy Wickremaratna said that he received death threats over the phone and his since lodged complaints with the police.

A Sri Lankan government minister stated that no one has “the right to tell how many soldiers should be kept in the north or in the east,” in a defiant address to parliament this week.