On this day 12 years ago, five Tamil students were summarily executed by Sri Lanka's Special Task Force, whilst they spent an afternoon on the beach in Trincomalee. The case of the murdered Tamil students has become emblematic of the environment of impunity that continues in Sri Lanka, and the long arduous struggle for justice on the island.

Sri Lankan police have arrested three senior members of a Hindu temple board in a Trincomalee village where tensions have been ongoing since Sinhalese monks claimed the village was the site of an ancient Buddhist shrine.

Sri Lankan soldiers were heavily involved in new year rites held by villagers at the newly released Keppapulavu Pillaiyaar temple.

Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is to approve new media regulations ahead of the upcoming local government polls. 

"All media divisions will be bound by the criteria and it is their responsibility and duty to abide by them," the PM's office said, claiming it was "another victory for good governance". 

The Tamil actor, Rajinikanth announced on Sunday that he is to enter state politics, contesting the next Tamil Nadu Assembly polls in 2021. 

Speaking at an event in Chennai, Mr Rajinikanth said he was yet to make a decision about the 2019 parliamentary elections. 

He denied he was contesting elections for power or money, stating, "If I was hungry for power, I would have entered politics in 1996”. 

The Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties of Sri Lanka's coalition government, the UNP and SLFP expired on December 31. 

The MoU which was initially signed for two years, came to an end last September, before being extended until yesterday. 

The end of the agreement comes amid increasing speculation over the longevity of the coalition into 2018. 

Sri Lankan soldiers have embarked on a United Nations peacekeeping mission to Mali this week, despite concern over their role in the sexual abuse of minors on a previous mission.

The Sri Lankan military declared that 150 troops from 10 regiments of the army had left this week to join the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

A further 50 Sri Lankan soldiers will also join.

Thirteen Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested on Sunday morning by the Sri Lankan navy for allegedly entering island's eaters. 

The navy also confiscated two fishing trawlers, which have been taken to the naval base at Karainagar. 

The 13 fishermen have been handed over to Jaffna fisheries officials, the Daily Mirror reported. 

The Sri Lankan Army is demolishing houses and buildings in unreleased lands in Myliddy and using those materials for further construction on the Thalsevana resort, a  military-run resort built on occupied land in Kankesanthurai, the Vali North resettlement committee has said.

In the majority of cases where Tamil lands have been released from high security zones and general army occupation, the residents have returned to destroyed homes and infrastructure, the committee said.

Sri Lanka’s navy provided interest free loans to forty sailors this week as part of a range of benefits provided for its troops, as defense spending continues to dominate Sri Lanka’s budget.

Loans worth Rs. 500,000 each were granted to the sailors, reports an official military website. The loans are part of a range of benefits granted to the military.

The Sri Lankan military continued to intrude on Christmas festivities in Jaffna this month, despite government pledges to withdraw the military from civilian activities.

Sri Lanka received its first instalment from China for Hambantota Port totalling US$ 292.1 million, the Central Bank confirmed on December 26. 

The sum was credited to Sri Lanka by China Merchant Port Holdings (CMPort) in line with the long lease of Hambantota Port to the Chinese state owned company. 

The whole programme is expected to see a US$ 1.12 billion investment by CMPort. 

The Sri Lankan government has sought an emergency supply of fertiliser from Pakistan after farmers raised concerns of supplies running out. 

The government's news portal reported that the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena "immediately contacted Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi" requesting assistance. 

The Indian government offered Sri Lankan officials training towards understanding India's method of governance, PTI reports. 

Forty-five day long training courses have been introduced, starting on January 15, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement. 

"The training courses aim to give Sri Lankan government officials an understanding of India’s approach towards governance and rural and urban development," the statement noted.