The former head of Sri Lanka’s army has spoken out against paying reparations against those “who worked to divide the nation”, indicating that those who supported the LTTE would not receive any compensation.

“LTTE were those who worked to divide the nation by taking up arms,” said the former commander who oversaw the massive military offensive at the final phase of the armed conflict which killed tens of thousands of Tamils. “It is a serious offence according to the Constitution. I don’t approve of paying compensation to them.”

Sri Lanka’s Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka called for the withdrawal of a United Nations resolution, which mandates for a hybrid accountability mechanism for international crimes.

Addressing the Sri Lankan cabinet earlier this week Ranawaka, who heads the Sinhala extremist JHU, reportedly said “the government should also make every effort to replace the current resolution”.

Tamils in the North-East have continued clearing destroyed LTTE cemeteries - thuyilum illams - in preparation for Maaveerar Naal, the Tamil national remembrance day.

The former director of the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) has been arrested today, over allegations that he was involved in a plot to kill current Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena and former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Deputy Inspector General Nalaka de Silva had been questioned for 5 days by Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) prior to his arrest.

The alleged plot has caused a stir in Colombo, with Sirisena beefing up his personal security detail and reports that he had accused Indian intelligence of involvement.

The Sri Lankan Army continued with its series of trips to the Palaly military base for Tamil preschool children, despite criticism about intensifying militarisation of Tamil schools and preschools.

A total of 32,855 acres of land in Mannar is occupied by either security forces or government agencies, according to statistics published by the Mannar District Secretariat.

Publishing in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request, the secretariat said 2,271 acres of state land and 312 acres of private land was occupied by the Sri Lankan army and navy.

13,890 acres of state land and 2,920 acres of private land was occupied by the forest department; 10,304 acres of state land and 3,145 acres of private land by the department of wildlife; and 11 acres of state land and 2 acres of private land occupied by the archaeology department.

A senior Sri Lankan navy officer has been arrested and charged with the murder of two Tamil businessmen, after they were abducted by the military in January 2009.

The two Tamils were reportedly kidnapped by the navy and taken to the Welisara navy camp, a police official told AFP. They were abducted allegedly under the pretext that the vehicle they were travelling in was carrying an explosive.

"Later, they dismantled the vehicle and sold the parts after having killed the two men," said the official.

Their murder took place despite the families of the Tamils paying the military a ransom for their release.

Chief Minister of the Northern Province C V Wigneswaran criticised the Sri Lanakn government and Tamil National Alliance for failing to deliver on promises made to the Tamil people, in his final address to the Northern Provincial Council this week.

Shortly before he announced the formation of a new political part, the retired Supreme Court judge said that the Sri Lankan government had failed to uphold its pledge to devolve power to the North-East.

Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force (STF) troops arrested four Tamil youths in Jaffna on Monday.

Three of the youths from Kokkuvil and Mallakam were accused of smoking cannabis.

The STF said that the fourth, arrested separately, was involved in a recent sword attack at Uppumada Junction in Kondavil.

All four were handed over to Jaffna police.

The Hindu has hit back at the Sri Lankan president’s denial of reports that he told cabinet ministers that Indian intelligence services were involved in a plot to assassinate him, stating that their report had been cross-verified.

The Hindu’s Readers’ Editor said their reporter in Colombo had “directly cross-verified the information with two Ministers who were present at the Cabinet meeting in which the President made this incredible statement”.

“She got indirect confirmations from two others,” he add.