The Sri Lankan government has accused the outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay of seeking to influence the OHCHR Investigation in Sri Lanka (OISL).

In a statement released on Thursday, the External Affairs Ministry said it “regretted” comments made by the High Commissioner earlier this week, saying that the access to Sri Lanka was not necessary for the investigation to be credible.

“The High Commissioner who is scheduled to leave office at the end of this month making public pronouncements to the media on an investigation which has commenced only recently is a clear indication of personal bias. It is evidence of an attempt to influence the investigation process and make it follow a preconceived trajectory,” the statement said.

Sri Lanka criticised the “prejudiced” High Commissioner for attempting to create a “distorted impression" of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced on Thursday that the government will provide $1mn in financial aid to the Palestinians.

The government’s official news portal said that the president “has been a long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause and is the Founder President of the Sri Lanka Committee for Solidarity with Palestine”.

(Pictures: TamilWin)

Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ravinath Aryasinha, held talks with the commander of the Sri Lankan Army, General Daya Ratnayake, at the army headquarters on Tuesday.

Aryasinha, who is also Sri Lanka’s Consul General to Switzerland, and Ratnayake discussed “matters of relevance and various world-wide developments taking place in relation to Sri Lanka”, according to the army's website.

Officials from the Jaffna District Office have collected details of households over the last weekend, reported the Uthayan.

Residents were asked by regional secretaries to list individuals in each household, and details were collected about empty houses, rented houses and the homeless.

Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the release of all Indian fishermen in a message on his Twitter account.

The tweet said that the president ordered the release of the fishermen in Sri Lankan custody “on the occasion of India’s Independence Day", coming up later this week.

93 fishermen, arrested for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters, are currently in prisons on the island, according to Colombo Page.

Meanwhile the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka expressed his gratitude to the government for enabling the smooth implementation of Indian projects on the island and said India remained committed to assist Sri Lanka in its endeavours of rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation.

The Bodu Bala Sena attempted to disrupt a pro-Palestinian protest, organised by Thowheed Jamath, in a Muslim-majority area of Colombo, reported Colombo Page.

"Fundamentally, this is a breach of the principle of no forced returns. That's a clear violation of international law."

“As Sri Lanka strives towards a peaceful future, the Government and the people of India remain committed to assist Sri Lanka in its endeavours of rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation.”