In its annual report on human rights worldwide, Amnesty International said there was "evidence of backsliding" in Sri Lanka, highlighting the ongoing detention of Tamils under the PTA over alleged links to the LTTE and the continued reports of torture during detention. 

"Sri Lanka continued to pursue its 2015 commitments to deliver justice, truth, reparation and guarantees of nonrecurrence for alleged crimes under international law, but progress slowed and there was evidence of backsliding," the report, released on Thursday noted. 

The Sri Lankan government has announced that it will tighten controls on non-governmental organisations, as it looks to enact changes to legislation regarding volunteer and charity organisations.

Sri Lankan Minister Gayantha Karunathilake said that changes to a 1980 law would be made, increasing controls over such organisations. EconomyNext reports that the changes are partly driven by a “requirement of the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank which is in charge of Anti-Money laundering/Combatting Terrorism Finance (AML/CFT), activities.”

Sri Lanka's foreign ministry on Thursday stressed the country's High Commissioner had not resigned, rejected media reports she had terminated her contract. 

"High Commissioner Wijewardene will conclude her contract on her own volition by 31 March 2018," the ministry said in statement.

The Sri Lanka's High Commission in London has faced increased scrutiny over recent weeks after the country's defence attache to the UK, Brigadier Priyanka Fernando was filmed motioning a death threat to Tamils protesting outside the building on February 4.

The Sri Lankan military confirmed that the government’s UK Defence Attache who was sent back to Colombo after he threatened Tamil protestors in London would not be facing any disciplinary action.

Brigadier Priyanka Fernando was filmed on February 4 making a throat slitting gesture at Tamils protesting outside the Sri Lankan High Commission in London. He was reportedly back in Sri Lanka this week, however army spokesperson Brigadier Sumith Atapattu told journalists that “tThis is not for any disciplinary action, this is not (a) probe”.

Residents of a Mannar fishing village have protested against the Sri Lankan Navy’s ongoing harassment and intrusion into their livelihoods.

Tamil journalist P. Sathiyamoorthy, who was killed inside the ‘No Fire Zone’ by a Sri Lankan army artillery barrage in February 2009, was remembered in Jaffna on Tuesday.

The Sri Lankan military held a series of parades across the North-East to mark Independence Day earlier this month, despite continued concern regarding the militarisation of the Tamil homeland.

Britain’s Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific said the UK government was treating the incident of Sri Lanka's UK defence attache Brigadier Priyanka Fernando threatening Tamil protestors “very seriously” and confirmed that he has been ordered back to Colombo.

Brigadier Fernando was filmed on February 4 making a throat slitting gesture at Tamils protesting outside the Sri Lankan High Commission in London. Clive Efford MP for Eltham stated that if “somebody else incited hatred in that way on our streets, they would be interviewed by the police” and asked the minister if Brigadier would be “interviewed by the police about that crime”.

A school principal found guilty of molesting a student has been handed a ten year prison sentence by the Jaffna High Court.

The then 9-year-old girl was molested by the principal at a Kayts school in 2009.

High court judge M. Ilancheliyan criticised attempts by the accused to victim-blame the child and portray her as promiscuous by implying she had sexual relations with other youths.

The principal was handed a 10-year jail sentence and ordered to pay 10 lakh rupees compensation to the victim.

An explosion and fire on a bus in Diyatalawa this morning left 19 injured, including Sri Lankan army personnel. 

The army commander informed the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe the incident was caused by a hand grenade. 

"The Army denies any terrorist involvement in the incident. Police investigations are in progress," the army's website stated. 

The bus was a private vehicle travelling from Jaffna to Diyatalawa.