The former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has prevented his arrest, with the Supreme Court issuing an interim order, staying his arrest until his fundamental rights petition, filed on Monday, is considered.

Mr Rajapaksa said in his petition his arrest would be a violation of his personal liberty.

The Fundamental Rights Petition was considered this morning before a panel of three Supreme Court judges, Justice Eva Wanasundera, Justice Sarath Abrew and Justice Buwaneka Aluvihare.

Photos: @uthayarasashali

According to sources, police and intelligence officers behaved in an intimidating manner, suddenly amassing at the location, but did not cause any disruptions.

The chairman of the Northern Provincial Council, CVK Sivagnanam on Tuesday reiterated the Tamil people’s right to remembrance of those who died during the armed conflict.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Sivagnanam said as the government has changed its annual war victory day, marked on May 18, to a remembrance day, all dead, including fighters, scholars and civilians, should be able to be remembered without fear.

Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa filed a fundamental rights violation petition to Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court requesting that it blocks any attempts by the government to arrest him.

The move comes after Mr Rajapaksa was called in for questioning by the government initiated bribery commission on Monday, regarding allegations of corruption. He has been called to appear again in front of the commission by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) on May 20.

The head of the Tamil National Alliance has expressed his confidence in President Maithripala Sirisena’s ability to present a political solution based on autonomy for the Tamil people in their traditional homeland to the Sinhala people.

“We have high hope that President Maithiripala Sirisena would speak to the Sinhala community with an open mind seeking support to find a sustainable political solution to the six decade old Tamil problem,” Sampanthan said at an event in Batticaloa.

The leader of the TNA further said his party was not asking for a separate state or a federal solution within Sri Lanka.