Tamils in Jaffna protested calling for the release of Tamil political prisoners who are currently hunger striking for their freedom in Anuradhapura prison.

The US Naval Special Warfare Unit held further training sessions for Sri Lankan navy soldiers in Trincomalee last week, as engagement between the two militaries continues to grow despite a lack of accountability for war crimes committed by Sri Lankan troops.

Sri Lanka's military "is always in its highest readiness to defend the country in all aggressions" said the head of the army Mahesh Senanayake in a speech to troops as they concluded a military exercise last week.

Sri Lanka's president told an audience at the embassy in New York that his government is "always fully committed to safeguard the honour, dignity and respect of war heroes from the top generals to the last private soldier", as he continued to reject a hybrid accountability mechanism for crimes committed by Sri Lankan troops.

Tamil political prisoners who have been hunger striking for 16 days have begun refusing medical treatment since Friday.

All ten detainees who have been protesting for their release were receiving treatment for around a week due to the severe decline in their health.

However all ten, including two detainees that were transferred from Magazine to Anuradhapura prison, decided to escalate their strike on Friday by also refusing medical treatment.

A Tamil journalist was attacked in Jaffna on Friday while she was riding her motorcycle home.

Sumithi Thangarasa, a freelance journalist, said she was on her way home from the temple when she noticed she was being followed by an unknown person on another motorcycle.

She attempted to swerve her vehicle away when she noticed the attacker was attempting to crash into her, but the attacker followed and crashed into her and threatened her verbally before fleeing the scene.

The Sri Lankan government has strongly considered the possibility of resuming the ferry service between Rameshwaram and Talaimannar according to the tourism minister.

Speaking at a World Tourism Day event at the University of Jaffna, the minister, John Amaratunga, said the government was keen as the service would benefit Northern Province tourism.

The minister all said he frequently requested the Tamil diaspora to return and invest in tourism.

Sri Lanka’s army commander has said the army can reinstate camps in the North if necessary and clamoured for the forces to be given powers to deal with Jaffna’s gang problem.

A group of Sinhalese people including two Buddhist monks who had been handed over to police in Mullaitivu for attempting to install a Buddha statue have told the court they were just carrying out research.

The Sri Lankan president on Friday claimed the LTTE was preparing an air strike from Chennai during the end of the armed conflict in 2009. 

“The Tigers were going to operate an aircraft from Chennai or some other jungle in Tamil Nadu to bomb and destroy targets in Colombo,” Sirisena was quoted by Economy Next as saying. “I was the acting defence minister. All the others had fled because they feared air attacks.”

Sri Lankan police this week arrested three men who took a photograph at Pidurangala Rock with their bottoms showing.

The arrest was made after a Buddhist monk filed a complaint claiming the men had made a religious insult by taking the photograph with the Sigiriya rock in sight. 

The Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe has also ordered an investigation into the photograph. 
 

Sri Lanka’s finance minister has claimed it “is not the end of the world” despite Sri Lanka’s rupee continuing to tumble to record lows this week as foreign investors exited government securities.

The murder case of the Sunday Leader editor, Lasantha Wickrematunge has been postponed until January 17.

Progress on the investigation was presented by the Criminal Invesigations Department (CID) yesterday. 

The International Monetary Fund has urged Sri Lanka to push through with pledged reforms to large state-owned enterprises. 

"Reforms need to accelerate to strengthen the Sri Lankan economy's resilience to domestic and external shocks, given still significant vulnerabilities," the IMF official, Manuela Goretti said following her visit to Colombo from September 13 to 27.