CHENNAI: Eighty-six Tamil Nadu fishermen, who were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy in the past two months, would be released on October 28, the state government said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said despite the integral role played by Sri Lanka towards the establishment of the UN in 1945, the ignorant attitudes of certain politicians and other officials of the previous government placed the country on a collision path with the international community, which in turn stalled the country’s journey forward.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has reassured their support for the government to implement the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution in full with honesty and credibility.

The truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence are the crucial words in the process in achieving true reconciliation, Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan said in Parliament yesterday.

Sri Lankan police have detained 11 people, most of them soldiers or former soldiers, in a widening probe into the disappearance of a cartoonist that has become a test case of the new government’s resolve to address human rights abuses.

MP Wimal Weerawansa has been arrested and will be produced before the Negombo Magistrate Court after a statement is recorded, Police Spokesman told media.

Dr. Sarath Amunugama took oaths as the Cabinet Minister of Special Assignments before the President a short while ago.

If the Paranagama Report was released before passing the Geneva Resolution, the resolution could have been much more negative than the current one. The Paranagama report is much more serious than the UN Report, Cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said.

India’s former Union Finance and Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said “credible inquiry” [into alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka] could be achieved in many ways.

Two cases filed against former Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake and her husband were yesterday fixed for January 21 by Colombo Chief Magistrate, to seek the opinion of newly elected Bribery Commission to decide whether it proceeds with the cases or not.

JVP Leader and Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday made a stunning revelation in Parliament that a former Higher Education Minister has robbed valuable furniture and other items donated to the female hostel at the University of Colombo.

United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Mr. Miroslav Jenča, will be visiting Sri Lanka today (21) on a four-day official visit.

President Maithripala Sirisena expressed deep appreciation to China for providing continuous assistance for development of Sri Lanka.

PMK leader S. Ramadoss on Tuesday appealed to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to allow universities in Tamil Nadu to conduct correspondence courses in Sri Lanka for the benefit of Tamil students in Sri Lanka.

The view of the Commission of Inquiry into Abductions and Disappearances (Maxwell Paranagama Commission) has found that the principal reason for the loss of civilian life during the final phase of the war was the hostage taking and use of human shields by the LTTE.

Former External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris had written to the religious leaders including the Mahanayaka Theras informing them on the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka and requesting them to intervene to reject the resolution from being implemented.