The President's son, Namal Rajapaksa, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya and Jaffna Commander Major General Mahinda Jathurusinghe were 'distinguished guests' at the Elephant Pass Thai Pongal event organised by the Sri Lankan security forces.

The Jaffna Security Forces handed out gift parcels to those present.

The army's website said that it was to rekindle 'hopes for a better future and spirits of reconciliation and harmony'.

Speaking out about the alleged discovery of explosives at his Kilinochi office, TNA MP Sritharan accused the government of spinning a charade.

In a statement to Uthayan on Monday Sritharan also claimed that the raiders of his office did not have a court order or a police warrant to search his office.

After a TNA member was arrested following the five hour raid, Sritharan also stated that selected pro-government media were invited to cover the event, with no independent media present.

After weeks of controversy over an impeachment motion and Supreme Court rulings, Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake was sacked today by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. A letter signed by Rajapakse was delivered to Bandaranayake's office.

In a statement, the Presidential office said:

"The president has said in the removal statement that he was in agreement with the request for the removal of the chief justice from office made in the said address of parliament."

See here for coverage by Reuters and The Independent, which described it as a "constitutional crisis".

Commenting on the situation, the former BBC journalist and author of Still Counting the Dead, Frances Harrison wrote:

"It’s been frustrating to watch the international reporting of the story of the impeachment of Sri Lanka’s top judge. Some reports have got bogged down in the issue of whether or not she is guilty of corruption. That’s not the issue at stake.

This is a story about rule of law – about whether the country’s politicians will heed the ruling of the highest court in the land. If they don’t, then there’s little hope for the future."

See here for her full opinion.

See our editorial on the (ir)relevancy of the impeachment to Tamils here.

Several protestors, who have been demonstrating for a boycott of Sri Lanka’s cricket team, have said that they are being ‘stalked’ by individuals, suspected to have links with the Sri Lankan embassy, reported SMH.

Former sports journalist Trevor Grant said he had written to Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr about the stalking.

Mr Grant added that fellow Tamil protestors said that the men were connected to the Sri Lankan government.

''They say they have done this before, using the photographs and film for identification, in order to harass relatives back in Sri Lanka,'' he said.

''We have photographs of these men and I can send them to you in order to identify them through the Sri Lankan embassy. We believe we know the identity of one man.''

Reporters contacted the consul-general Bandula Jayasekara and questioned him on the interrogation.

''I am told that the protesters wore separatist T-shirts,” he said.

''I don't know what intimidation you are talking of. Let me tell you that the high commissioner and I had to enter the grounds in Sydney under your police protection due to threats and intimidation tactics of these groups. I am sure you understand now who was threatened. Do not give them the air they need to destabilise another country.''

When the reporters asked him about the identity of the man in the photograph, Mr Jayasekara asked:

''Are you trying to intimidate us on the advice of separatist supporters? I am told that they have several people on their payroll both here and in other countries.''

15000 Tamil graduate students were left disappointed after a conference promising appointments turned out to be a film screening of Sri Lankan state propaganda, reports Uthayan.

Up to 50,000 graduates were told that the conference in Colombo was essential for academic appointment, although the students were expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs.

The conference turned out to be comprised of a film detailing how Sri Lanka was restored to democracy and various speeches from ministers.

There was no mention of academic appointments throughout the entire conference, which was completely conducted in Sinhala, with neither translations in Tamil or English.

Speaking to Uthayan, Tamil graduates expressed their anger and disappointment at 'being tricked into' spending almost a month's wages to attend a meaningless government event.

The Sri Lankan Minister for Health, Maithripala Sirisena, has suspended all drug imports from an Indian company called Biomet Pharmaceuticals of India.

The decision was taken in response to the discovery of a fragment of glass in an intravenous Cloxacillin vial at Colombo South Teaching Hospital.

Six hundred vials of the drug were subsequently removed from hospitals and an inquiry ordered by the Ministry of Health.

Over 70% of pharmaceutical drugs used on the island are Indian imports.

The Sri Lankan Army has reportedly discovered a stash of explosives and pornographic material in the office of Tamil National Alliance MP for Kilinochchi, reported the Daily Mirror.

Military Spokesperson Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya was quoted as saying the MP's Coordinating Secretary had been taken into custody over the incident.

See details in TamilNet's report.

The Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) has been at the forefront of a systematic campaign since November to intimidate Tamil university students and MPs amid protests and agitation in Jaffna.

According to the accompanying narrative, the TNA, the TNPF, the university students and various civil society actors in Jaffna comprise a 'pro-LTTE network'. See this leaflet circulated on university campuses in the Sinhala areas amid the crackdown in the north.

Criticising the impeachment of the Chief Justice, the Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma said the "Commonwealth, collectively, is profoundly concerned about this situation."

"I strongly urge that time be taken to reflect and consider fully the constitutional and other ramifications of the differing positions taken by the Judiciary and Legislature before any decision is taken by the Executive on the impeachment of the Chief Justice."

"I recognise that this is a matter for Sri Lanka, but am also conscious of our shared Commonwealth values and principles, to which Sri Lanka and all member governments have subscribed."

Echoing the Commonwealth's statement's, the UK FCO said:

"We share the concerns already expressed by many people in Sri Lanka over both the process and related reports of the intimidation of members of the Sri Lankan Bar Association,"

"the motion to impeach the Chief Justice runs contrary to the clear rulings of Sri Lanka's highest courts and the proceedings appear to contravene basic principles of fairness, due process and respect for the independence of the judiciary and the Commonwealth Latimer House Principles."

"Together with our international partners, we call on the Sri Lankan Government to respect democratic principles and the right to peaceful protest and to ensure the continued safety of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake,"

The Sri Lankan government has recalled their ambassador to Saudi Arabia in response to the execution of a maid, convicted of murdering her employer’s baby.

Karunatilake Amunugama, secretary of the External Affairs Ministry, told Reuters,

"(This is) to show our displeasure for not hearing the government's appeal to save Rizana Nafeek,"

"He (the envoy) has been recalled with immediate effect."

Saudi Arabia was one of the 15 countries to vote against the March 2012 United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka, joining others such as Cuba, China and Russia. The country was also a source of crude oil for Sri Lanka as their main supplier Iran faced tightening sanctions.

Speaking on the Seventh Hour Programme, the well-known Minister Wimal Weerawansa informed viewers that the recent situation with the Chief Justice was 'another LTTE conspiracy to destabilise the country.'

Stating that the Chief Justice had published articles on devolution of power, Weerawansa pointed his finger towards the publication of the Chief Justice's articles on the Groundviews website and TamilNet.

He added, 'the Chief Justice is implementing Prabhakaran’s agenda in another form to destabilize the country by creating a rift between the judiciary and the legislature to resolve her own problem,' and said, 'this is being done with the support of international forces and the Tamil Diaspora to prove the allegation at the Geneva Human Rights Council sessions in March, that there is a breakdown in law and order in the country and that the Chief Justice had been driven out of office.'