Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has officially been recognised as the leader of the Opposition by Speaker of parliament Karu Jayasuriya, despite calls from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to not to allow him to take up the post.

The Speaker’s decision was announced by Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri when parliament met on Tuesday.

Shavendra Silva, a Sri Lankan army commander who headed a division accused of war crimes, has been appointed as the army’s Chief of Staff, according to several reports in the Colombo press on Wednesday.

Adaderana and the Daily Mirror stated that the army confirmed Silva was the 53^rd chief of staff of the Sri Lankan army.

Last year, the commander, who headed the notorious 58th Division of the Sri Lankan Army during the final stages of the armed conflict were tens of thousands of Tamils were massacred, was promoted by the current government to the post of Adjutant General.

<p>The Sri Lankan govenrment is having discussions with China regarding the importing of hybrid buses for the island's public transport &nbsp;system.&nbsp;</p> <p>Sri Lanka's State Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Ashoka Abeysinghe said a procurement plan "had been finalised" for hydrogen powered and hybrid buses.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I went to China a couple of months ago and visited the Chinese companies,” Abeyshinghe said.</p> <p>“We are looking at hybrid buses as we do not have enough charging stations for electric buses,” he was quoted by Xinhua as saying.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sri Lanka has failed to investigate a mass grave of over 80 skeletons discovered in Mannar in 2014, a TNA MP has accused.</p> <p>While commending efforts to investigate the mass grave in Mannar town in the Sathosa retail premises, excavation of which has unearthed over 200 skeletons, including those of children, TNA MP Charles Nirmalanathan said that other sites in the district have been ignored or even covered up.</p> <p>Referring specifically to the discovery of over 80 skeletons at a mass grave site in the Thirukketheeswaram area, Nirmalanathan said delays and adjournments in the Sri Lankan courts had resulted in a failure to investigate.</p>

<p>The Sri Lankan army is attempting to appropriate civilian lands in Mullaitivu, over a week after failing to meet a deadline set by the Sri Lankan president to return all occupied land in the North-East.</p> <p>Owners of land in Alampil, which the Sri Lankan army currently illegally occupies, were notified that their land would be surveyed on January 10.</p> <p>Either civilian-owned land which is currently occupied by an army camp, or the occupied land of Alampil Thuyilum Illam (LTTE cemetery) would be appropriated for the use of the 24th Sinha Regiment, according to the plans.</p>

<p>The Sri Lankan navy yesterday arrested four Tamil Nadu fishermen for allegedly poaching fish.&nbsp;</p> <p>The fishermen were taken to 'Elara' navy base today and are&nbsp;to be handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries in Jaffna.&nbsp;</p> <p>Last month over 3000 Indian fishermen were chased away by the Sri Lankan navy and eight fishermen arrested.&nbsp;</p> <p>The arrest and chasing away of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy remains a regular occurence despite attempts by India's Central Government to attempt to resolve the issue.&nbsp;</p>

A Sri Lankan army truck killed three civilians on Tuesday morning, during a road accident in Iyakkachchi, Palai. 

The army truck collided into an auto rickshaw. 

Investigators within the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have uncovered a plot hatched by senior naval officers to kill the chief investigator and several key witnesses in high profile cases of abduction, torture and extrajudicial killing, reports JDS.

One such case details the abduction and murder 11 Tamil males in the suburbs of Colombo.

^{Photograph: David McKinnon}

The ambassadors of Canada and Germany paid tribute to murdered journalists in Sri Lanka, as they attended the 10 year anniversary of the killing of Lasantha Wickrematunge.

Joined by Sri Lankan journalists and politicians, Canadian ambassador David McKinnon tweeted,

The Sri Lankan military continued with its militarisation of the North-East over the Christmas period, with a series of events across the Tamil homeland during the festive season last month.

Since occupying the North-East, the military has involved itself into several aspects of civilian life in the region, despite opposition from local civil society and political representatives.