Sri Lanka's government has pledged to let tens of thousands of civilians displaced during the war with the Tamil Tigers move freely between refugee camps until their permanent re-settlement, to be completed by the end of January.
Sri Lanka's army chief, who oversaw the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in May, has resigned amid speculation that he will run for president in an election possibly slated for early 2010.
Amid questions over the fate of Sri Lanka’s war refugees, UN undersecretary-general for political affairs, Lynn Pascoe (right), voiced “strong concerns” that the government had been slow to resettle displaced civilians.
The United Nations has told Sri Lanka that it is worried about reports of mistreatment of two of its staffers arrested in Sri Lanka and held without charge since June, suspected by the government of working with Tamil separatist rebels.
Sri Lankan authorities have ordered a spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to leave the country within two weeks, accusing him of "propaganda" in favour of the defeated Tamil Tigers rebels in his interviews with the media.
The UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions has urged the Sri Lankan government to set up an independent inquiry into a video allegedly showing Sri Lankan troops executing prisoners. (WARNING: video contains disturbing images.)
In this edition: the blogosphere mobilises to support a Tamil journalist sentenced to twenty years in prison and a proposed new US law on cyber security causes debate online.
Sri Lanka's High Court has sentenced a Tamil reporter described by US President Barack Obama as an "emblematic example" of a persecuted journalist to 20 years in prison for supporting terrorism.
Selling for an astonishing $1,500 dollars a kilo, Virgin White Tea is more expensive than silver. And this is why: master tea-maker Malinga Gunaratne uses an ancient Chinese method of manufacturing tea without it ever touching human skin.
Only 28% of the 125,000 eligible voters went to the polls for the first election since the Tamil Tigers were militarily defeated last May in the northern cities of Jaffna and Vanuniya. The pro-Tigers Tamil National Alliance won the city of Vavuniya.
