The bodies of five men who died at sea at Camber Sands last week were formerly identified by the police yesterday as that of a group of five British Tamil men who had been childhood friends. 

Tamil IDPs from Vali North this week accused the Sri Lankan government of seeking to portraying a false image of resettlement to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon during his visit next week by rehousing them in different land instead of allowing them to return to their own homes. 

"As the visit of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon to Jaffna is scheduled this month end, the Sri Lankan government is speeding up its conspiracy to show as if the resettlement issue is settled," the president of the Vali North group for resettlement and rehabilitation, A Gunabalasingam said. 

Three Tamil students involved in clashes at the University of Jaffna last month were granted bail on Thursday worth Rs 60,000 each. 

The Northern Provincial Council member K Jayanthan appeared as the students' lawyer. 

The trial will begin on September 22. 
 

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party demanded the government launch an inquiry into alleged “racist and separatist elements of the” Tamil National Alliance who have been protesting against the building of Buddha statues in the Tamil North-East.

JHU National Organiser and Media Spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe told reporters in Colombo that protests against the building of Buddhist places of worship “should be inquired into”. “A large number of Kovils and Cristian churches are also being built in the North and East.,” he said. “We must ensure rights of the Sinhalese in the North and East.”

The Sri Lankan military announced the opening of a newly constructed building at its Eastern Province headquarters last week, as it continued to expand its presence in the region.

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is to visit Jaffna next week, as part of a visit to Sri Lanka. 

The 3 day visit will include discussions with the Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena and prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe on August 31. 

"While in Sri Lanka, the Secretary General will also visit a resettlement site in Jaffna in north of the country and participate in an event on the role of youth in reconciliation and coexistence in Galle, in the south of the island," his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday.
 

A Tamil political prisoner, who was admitted into Jaffna Teaching Hospital, escaped from Sri Lankan police on Wednesday night.

The prisoner, identified as 37 year old Rasaiya Anantharaja, was admitted into Jaffna Hospital on 14 Aug, following a transfer from Anuradhapura prison hospital.

Despite being held under police surveillance, at around 10 pm on Wednesday, guards noticed Mr Anantharaja was not at his bed. The alarm was raised and security forces immediately began an intense search of the surrounding areas. He has not yet been found.

Sri Lanka’s president has denied reports that he demanded bribes for construction project contracts to be granted on the island, following the leak of internal emails and an ongoing Australian police investigation.

Maithripala Sirisena, said in an overnight statement that he had "no knowledge of the incident" and instead requested further details of the case.

A Red Cross officer was detained and interrogated by the Sri Lankan military after visiting the relatives of a missing person who was a high-ranking member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, reports IPS. 

Speaking to IPS anonymously, the officer was reported to have been "detained by the military for over three hours". 

"“The family in India did not know, I did not know, that he was a high-ranking member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The moment I went to his house to seek information, the military was outside,” the officer said. 

Sri Lanka's army commander, Lieutenant General Crishantha de Silva this week rejected statements made by politicians that military camps in the North would be scaled back, stating that no decision had been made. 

“No decision has been taken to remove Army camps in the North and there is no truth behind this claim,” he was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying on Thursday, whilst addressing a press briefing at the Colombo Defence Seminar.