The Sri Lankan army handed out stationary to Tamil schoolchildren and basic supplies to pregnant Tamil women, at a military ceremony in Kilinochchi last month.

Over 5400 acres of private land in Jaffna is still under military occupation, the government agent N. Vethanayagam has said.

Of the 5400 acres of land still occupied by the army, 4700 acres fall within Valikamam North.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting about releasing military lands held between Tamil parliamentarians and military representatives at the Jaffna District Secretariat on Monday, Mr Vethanayagam said that consensus was being reached through these meetings which were taking place in each district.

The Chief Minister of the Western Province called on Sinhala mothers across to island to produce more children in order to protect Buddhism and the Sinhala race.

Isura Devapriya said this week that Sinhala mothers must bear more children, telling an audience at Nugegoda that,

"Each and every Sinhala mother should deliver at least five children”.

"Increasing the Sinhala race is the only means to safeguard Buddhism, language and our nation," he added.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said “relations between the United States and Sri Lanka have reached a high point” and called for further co-operation between the two governments, in a message to mark US Independence Day.

In a letter to US President Donald Trump, Mr Sirisena said that it was “especially after the election of the national unity government in Sri Lanka, that I lead” that relations between the two governments had grown.

Sri Lanka's Mahanayaka Buddhist monks of three divisions on Tuesday unanimously rejected the need for a new constitution or any amendment to the constitution, during a special meeting for the clergy in Kandy today. 

The constitutional change for a key promise of the new unity government which pledged amendments to the constitution in view of democratic reforms and reconciliation. 

Sri Lanka's former foreign affairs minister, Rohitha Bogollagama has been appointed as the new governor of the Eastern Province today, after Austin Fernando was appointed as the permanent secretary to the president. 

Mr Bogollagama, who trained as a lawyer, was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2007 till 2010 and spent much of his term denying increasingly substantiated reports that war crimes were committed by the Sri Lankan military in a systematic manner. 

In January 2010, Mr Bogollagama flatly rejected the UN human rights investigator, Philip Alston's calls for an international inquiry into war crimes, after a video emerged of Sri Lankan troops killing blindfolded Tamils. 

The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena appointed the commander of the security forces in Jaffna, Major General Mahesh Senanayake as the new Army Commander. 

Major General Senanayake worked closely with the former Army General, Sarath Fonseka, who was leading the Sri Lankan military in the final stages of the armed conflict against the LTTE in 2009 when widespread war crimes and crimes against humanity took place. His close association with General Fonseka led him to emigrate after the latter was arrested by the Rajapaksa regime, only returning after Mr Sirisena came to power. 

The release of Myliddy harbour is of ‘symbolic significance’ the TNA spokesperson and MP, M. A. Sumanthiran has said.

The Tamil National Alliance urged Sri Lanka to publish interim reports relating to constitutional amendments that are set to be proposed to parliament.

Speaking at a press briefing in Jaffna today, TNA spokesperson MA Sumanthiran further called on the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to release their stance which they are due to present at a constitutional discussion on Tuesday.

 Mr Sumanthiran added that the TNA had held discussions with the SLFP and the JVP regarding the new constitution.

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Photograph Daily Mirror

Sri Lankans protested against the gazetted new Inland Revenue Act bill on Monday, arguing the bill was drafted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to increase the tax paid by citizens. 

Holding placards protesters from the Inland Revenue Trade Joint Front gathered outside the department's presmises, the Daily Mirror reported.