The International Monetary Fund has urged Sri Lanka to push through with pledged reforms to large state-owned enterprises. 

"Reforms need to accelerate to strengthen the Sri Lankan economy's resilience to domestic and external shocks, given still significant vulnerabilities," the IMF official, Manuela Goretti said following her visit to Colombo from September 13 to 27. 

"In the face of greater market volatility in emerging markets, the authorities have maintained a strong policy stance with prudent monetary policy and further fiscal consolidation," she added. 

Parliamentarians from the United National Party welcomed the Sri Lankan president’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly this week, where he rejected ‘foreign influences’.

“What president told at the General Assembly is that Sri Lanka should be allowed to work independently without any interference,” said UNP MP Hector Appuhamy, speaking alongside fellow parliamentarian Kavinda Jayawardene at a press conference. “This is something that has to be done, and therefore, what President said was correct.”

Sirisena was accompanied by Buddhist monks and a senior leader from the extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya party during his visit to the United Nations, where he vowed to protect the “pride of the security forces” and call for war crimes charges against Sri Lankan troops to be dropped.

The head of Sri Lanka’s air force was invited to attend a military conference in Hawaii earlier this month, as Sri Lankan increases its military relations despite concerns regarding human rights abuses committed by troops.

Kapila Jayampathy attended the conference of Chiefs of Defence in Honolulu, Hawaii earlier this month, meeting with other senior military officials from across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Sri Lankan military has been assisting Sinhala Buddhists monks in Punanai who are attempting to expand a vihara that has been illegally constructed on a Hindu temple’s land, according to the local temple administration.

Three Tamil youths were arrested in Jaffna on Wednesday night.

The three were arrested after a reported police chase with Jaffna police who went to Tirunelveli following reports that two groups of Tamil youths were gathered in the area and preparing for a fight.

Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force will take over security and investigations at three major Colombo prisons, Colombo Page reports.

The security and investigations at Welikada, Colombo Remand and Magazine prison have been handed over to the STF effective from next month.

Several Tamil political prisoners are and have historically been detained at Magazine and Welikada, notorious for riots and massacres, prisons. The STF also stands accused of serious human rights abuses including torture and extra-judicial killings.

An Indian national was arrested on Tuesday over an alleged plot to kill the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena. 

Marsili Thomas was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), whilst visiting the residence of the Anti-Corruption Movement Operations Director, Namal Kumara. 

According to local reports the former director of the Terrorism Investigation Division, Nalaka Silva had discussed a plan to assassinate Sirisena. 

Read more here and here. 

Students at the Eastern University in Batticaloa yesterday evening marked the 31st anniversary of Lt Col Thileepan's fast unto death. 

Remembering the sacrifice he made, students lit lamps and paid tribute to Thileepan and his hunger strike. 

A court in Kilinochchi on Tuesday ordered huts built by fishermen from the South who had been fishing illegally to be removed and for the fishermen to leave from Vadamaradchchi East.

The court issued the order to eight organisations who had failed to seek permission from the divisional secretariat at Maruthenkeni and had staying on government land illegally. 

Thirty-two huts are to be removed and 850 Southern fishermen have been ordered to vacate the area. 

The court case follows a case filed by the Maruthenkeni Divisional Secretariat. 

An organisation of Sinhala Buddhist monks have spoken out against Sri Lanka’s president, stating that despite his call at the United Nations against ‘foreign influence’ they remain wary of an international accountability mechanism for war crimes.

“President Sirisena has guaranteed us that he would not let any authority to implement laws against soldiers,” claimed National Academic Bhikshu Forum (NABF) Convener Maduruoye Dhammissara. “However, such laws were implemented soon after President Sirisena’s guarantee of not doing so.”