The Sri Lankan government has launched an official website for the National Action Plan of the implementation of Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations, reported Colombo Page.

According to reports, the Criminal Investigation's Department (CID) of Sri Lanka, has arrested 12 Special Task Force police officers for the the killing of 5 Tamil students in Trincomalee in Eastern Sri Lanka in 2006.

One of the suspects is reported to include an Assistant Superintendent of Police.

The Trincomalee Chief Magistrate U.L.M. Azhar has ordered that the suspects be remanded until July 18 at the Anuradhapura Prison.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has issued a directive to the Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya to hold the Northern Provincial Council election.

At the same time, the dissolution of the North-Western Province and Central Province has been approved and will come into effective on midnight on Friday.  According to the Election Secretariat, elections for the three provinces will be held in late September. 

The Higher Education Minister of Sri Lanka, SB Dissanayake, has said in an interview to the Daily News that the TNA has not given up on the Eelam ideology taken by “terrorist” groups and should realise that the country had been united under one flag.

Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa outlined his thoughts on a number of issues in a recent interview. See here for full interview. Extracts reproduced below:

Q: Don’t you think all these leaders, including your brother always felt that the LTTE was a result of a political problem, caused by an issue the Tamil people faced in the North? Do you not think that this problem should be addressed?

GR: It is not a political problem, in many countries including so-called advanced societies which have minorities there are issues relating to the minorities. One has to then understand these issues and address them, whether in the US, the UK or any other country, these  issues exist when there are minorities.

Q: But still don’t you believe in devolution or decentralisation of power?

GR: No I don’t believe in devolution because of the above points I mentioned. If devolution is for administrative purposes that is of course legitimate. But if one thinks that devolution would provide an answer to the national problem that is something that I don’t agree with.

Tamil Eelam in the pre-match lineup

Tamil Eelam made a great start to their Tynwald Hill international  Football tournament campaign today, in a thrilling match, which saw the