The US Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, has responded to concerns from India and Sri Lanka and denied that there are plans for a US military base on the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Blake said he could not authenticate an alleged leaked draft of a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the Maldives and the US, which seemed to suggest the establishment of US military bases on the islands, claiming that the agreement would provide a framework for existing joint military exercises.

Sri Lanka and India had expressed concern about the agreement, which was published on a Maldivian website, but Blake said that the agreement was nothing out of the ordinary, pointing out that the US has SOFAs with over 100 countries around the world.

"I want to reassure everybody that this SOFA does not imply some new uptick in military co-operation or certainly does not apply any new military presence. It would just be to support our ongoing activities," Blake said in an interview with PTI.

"I haven't seen the draft agreement. So I can't comment. But we are in the process of negotiating one now. These are standard text round the world, nothing very secret about them,

"I do not foresee that this (SOFA) is going to be difficult negotiations (with Maldives). These are the things we do with partners around the world,

"I would like to reassure all our friends in India, what it is and what it isn't. We have status of forces agreements with more than 100 nations around the world. And these are basically agreements we have with partners where we have significant military activities, typically exercises,

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has stated his country stands with Sri Lanka on international issues, after meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris in Colombo on Monday.

After the meeting Mammadyarov stated,

Intelligence needs to be shared amongst nations to 'remain vigilant and proactive' against the 'threats' of terrorism, argued Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, whilst addressing the inauguration of BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime.

The Jaffna Press Club expressed concern on Tuesday, regarding copycat social media accounts after it emerged a copycat Twitter account had been created asserting itself as the Jaffna Press Club.

In a statement the consortium of journalists said:

The London School of Economics screened the feature length documentary, ‘No Fire Zone- The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka’ , today.

The film screening was preceded by a series of panel presentations on options for accountability and victim support and followed by a Question and answer session. Members of the panel included No Fire Zone director Callum Macrae, Shivani Jegarajah of the Renaissance Chambers, Janani Jananayagam, founding director of Tamils against Genocide and Dr Devika Hovell a lecturer in law at the LSE.

“No-where in the world has there been such a thorough investigation as we have carried out in Sri Lanka”

“When I finished the country case, I realised that you cannot analyse a Tamil asylum case without considering at the forefront of your analysis that there was genocide.”

The director of the Non Governmental Organisation Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), Janani Jananayagam, outlined that the problem in Sri Lanka was more than an unruly regime, drawing upon several historic presidential statements that highlighted the inconsiderate nature of the Sri Lankan government towards the Tamils in the North-East.

“When you watch, think about why this is happening,” she told the audience.

The site of the former LTTE cemetery in Varani, Kodikaamam, has been acquired by the Sri Lankan army citing the Land Acquisition Act, reports Uthayan.

The seven acre plot was owned by two unnamed persons. 

The Sri Lankan government is currently drafting the 19th amendment to the country's constitution, which will repeal powers that were granted to provincial councils under the previous 13th amendment, reported ColomboPage.

The Sri Lankan government will declare a month starting from May 08th as the National War Heroes Commemoration Month (Ranaviru Month) to commemorate war heroes of the three armed forces and Police who perished and were injured in the three-decade long civil war, reported Colombo page.

Speaking to Channel 4, activists criticised Cameron's decision to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka in November.

The director of Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), Jan Jananayagam, said:

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian, S. Sritharan, has been summoned to the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) headquarters for questioning over comments he made to the press on land grab by the Sri Lankan state in the Kilinochchi District.

Two men from the TID arrived at his house in Jaffna and questioned his wife regarding himself.

The leader of a new political movement Unity of Diversity, Azath Salley, is being held by the CID on a three-month detention order.

Salley, who is also the leader of the Muslim Tamil National Alliance, was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act after complaints were made that he was inciting racism, and has been admitted to hospital after starting a hunger strike.

“He was taken into custody under Section 120 of the Penal Code and provisions under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). He has violated clause 21 of the PTA,” said police spokesman SP Buddhika Siriwardena.

Family members reported that his health had further deteriorated.

UNP MPs Karu Jayasuriya, Ravi Karunanayake and Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene, Colombo Mayor A. J. M. Muzammil and Azath Salley’s three brothers were refused permission to visit him, while the TNA’s Sumanthiran visited Salley in his capacity as a lawyer, reported The Island.

Human rights groups have criticised the British government’s stance on Sri Lanka and called for a Rolls Royce engine deal with Sri Lankan Airlines not to influence their position, in light of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to attend the upcoming Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting.

The Guardian reported Amnesty's UK head of policy and government affairs, Allan Hogarth, said,

"This must not detract from raising human rights issues. It must not be a condition on Britain remaining silent".

Brad Adams, of Human Rights Watch, also commented on the deal, stating,

"The UN estimates that 40,000 civilians were killed by the Sri Lankan army. Although the British economy is in trouble, it would be a serious outrage and betrayal of basic principles to sell the attendance of the Queen or prime minister at CHOGM for the purchase of some Rolls-Royce engines. These decisions should be made independently and on the merits."

The British Foreign Office meanwhile responded by saying,

"The decision to hold the meeting in Sri Lanka was taken by the Commonwealth as a whole in 2009 and reaffirmed in 2011. We respect the collective will of the Commonwealth".

"Obviously, you have to separate the bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka from CHOGM. They are aligned but our decision on CHOGM will be a result ultimately of what our objectives are for that meeting. Our relationship with Sri Lanka is not defined by one meeting."

See more from The Guardian here.

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) - a constituent of the ruling UPFA coalition, warnedyesterday that it would quit the coalition, if the Northern Provincial Council election, was to take place.