Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena returned from his trip to the UN General Assembly in New York to a triumphant welcome, as Singhalese across the south celebrated the UNHRC resolution as a victory over the imposition of international involvement in a hybrid mechanism.

Huge crowds had gathered at the airport to receive the president, as Buddhist monks chanted and bestowed blessing on him.

Speaking soon after his arrival, President Sirisena said Sri Lanka "achieved a great victory", as the international community appreciated steps taken by the government to address human rights concerns, while the government succeeded in averting the "electric chair", an international investigation, and a hybrid special court in the resolution passed on Thursday.

The Sri Lankan army's landgrab efforts in a Kilinochchi village have been frustrated by fierce protest by landowners and locals.

Over 20 acres of privately owned land in Paramankirai have reportedly been spared from appropriation, although neighbouring villages in the district have now come under threat from landgrabs.

Concerned property owners and locals, as well as some local politicians, gathered after surveyors were seen measuring and inspecting lands. Government officials reportedly left the sites in anticipation of disputes breaking out.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) called on the Sri Lankan government to implement a UN resolution “in a spirit of honesty and cooperation,” in a statement to welcome its passage at the Human Rights Council last week.

Stating that the resolution “reflects a difficult consensus”, the TNA said it was “deeply mindful that any perceived compromise causes hurt to those most traumatized by the horrific crimes that have been committed in Sri Lanka”. “Nevertheless, the resolution – if implemented – provides a genuine opportunity for real progress on accountability and reconciliation,” it added.

The statement went on to say:

“We welcome the Resolution’s encouragement of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the UN High Commissioner’s Report. In this regard, we urge the government to implement the resolution in a spirit of honesty and cooperation, in particular, the Council’s affirmation of the need for the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, prosecutors, investigators and lawyers in a court enabled to try international crimes, through a Special Counsel for prosecutions.”

In particular the TNA highlighted the “critical importance of the government’s commitment to a political settlement through necessary constitutional measures” as well as the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the return of lands to owners, the ending military involvement in civilian activities, restoring normality in civilian life and cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and special procedures.

“It is now incumbent on the government to implement the resolution,” the TNA concluded. “The resolution, by itself, will not win back the confidence of victims. That would require meaningful implementation in a spirit of cooperation. We call on the government to exhibit the courage to create a conducive atmosphere for implementation.”

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa urged the Indian Prime Minister to “wage a strong diplomatic offensive to uphold the rights and interests of our Indian fishermen”.

In a letter to Narendra Modi, the chief minister called on him to act on the recent arrests of fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan navy. 28 fishermen and their 30 fishing boats are in Sri Lankan custody after being apprehended by the Sri Lankan security forces earlier this week.

The Sri Lankan foreign ministry has confirmed that Sri Lanka’s ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council spoke with government approval, when delivering interventions at discussions regarding the resolution last week.