The former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa said he would be contesting the polls under a broader coalition, speaking to journalists today. 

"Sri Lanka Freedom Party would also be included in this coalition," Rajapaksa, who is currently a member of the SLPP party, added. 

Rajapaksa made these comments whilst taking up his work at his personal office, following religious prayers with senior Buddhist clergy. 

Two youths were arrested yesterday over a post on social media mocking the rampant bribery by Sri Lankan police.

The two youths, aged 23, posted photos of themselves offering bribes to life size cut outs of traffic police officers along the Puttalam-Colombo road. 

A Sri Lankan government minister has blamed “foreigners” for the construction of a sign in Colombo with Sinhala, English and Chinese script, but no Tamil.

A senior UNP leader and Sri Lankan government minister thanked the navy for creating a “very cordial environment” in Nainativu last week, where the military maintains a large camp and has helped to construct a Buddhist vihara.

Harsha de Silva was visiting the island, which has been occupied by the Sri Lankan military for years, when he tweeted photographs posing with the chief monk of the vihara on the island.

Investors from Singapore and Hong Kong met with the leader of the Tamil National Alliance over the development of Trincomalee. 

A number of states have discussed the development of the region since the end of the armed conflict. 

Sri Lanka’s tourism minister admitted that Colombo had missed their tourism target of 2.5 million visitors for the year, blaming “political instability” after the island was plunged into a crisis that saw lawmakers attack each other in parliament.

Kokkuvil residents accused the Sri Lankan police of inaction over gang violence and vandalism after locals were forced to apprehend five men believed to be involved in gang related activities in the region. 

Locals detained the five men on January 1, accusing them of preparing to carry out violence and vandalism in the area. The suspects were handed over to the police. 

There was a tense situation in Vavuniya on Tuesday after Sri Lankan soldiers and Special Task Force (STF) officers conducted a search operation in Puthur. 

Locals expressed alarm at the numbers of officers deployed in the reported operation as well as the 'stop and searches' carried out. 

According to the police, the operation followed a tip off regarding a suspect in the area, who reportedly escaped after throwing his bag into the bushes. The bag contained a pistol, four hand grenades and bullets, the police say. 

Sajith Premadasa, a senior UNP leader, joined Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena at a religious ceremony in Colombo this week, to invoke blessings on a Sinhala Buddhist monk who has marched against an international investigation into human rights abuses.