The Sri Lankan army - the all-rounder, ever expanding security force - has found yet another civilian project to venture into - education.

A new computer centre, a reading camp, books, stationary and seminars have been bestowed upon Jaffna, the army has proclaimed.

And what of the teachers? What do they think of the army's boon?

Teacher's complain about the destruction of Tamil youth's education in the north (11 Jul 2012)

Teachers campaign against building of army camp over teaching centre in Palali (22 Apr 2012)

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned of an increase in anti-Britsh rhetoric and an ‘upsurge in nationalism’, and has warned its citizens to stay away from political rallies.

In its travel advice it also noted an increase in reports of sexual attacks on minors.

See extracts below:

“Political rallies in Sri Lanka have on occasion turned violent in the past. You should avoid any political gathering or rally and be wary of spontaneous large gatherings. Detentions do occur, particularly of people of Tamil ethnicity.

“Travellers should note that the end of the military conflict in May 2009 has seen an upsurge of nationalism in Sri Lanka. As a result, anti-Western (particularly anti-British) rhetoric has increased. This has led to violent protests against the British High Commission and other diplomatic premises. Although no protests have so far been directed at the British community more generally, you should be vigilant and avoid demonstrations.

“Violent crimes against foreigners are relatively infrequent, although there have been an increasing number of reports of sexual offences including on minors. When travelling around Sri Lanka, you should make arrangements through reputable travel companies and exercise appropriate caution. Women should take particular care when travelling alone, or in small groups, and carry personal alarms.

“Although incidents involving tourists are rare, a British national was killed during a violent attack by a gang in a tourist resort in December 2011.”

Murder and rape leads to fall in British tourists (19 Feb 2012)

Further incident of tourist raped in Sri Lanka (09 Feb 2012)

Tracking tourists (25 Jan 2012)

More rape incidents of tourists emerge (02 Jan 2012)

Rajapakse associate arrested for murder and rape of tourists (27 Dec 2012)

Boys being forced into prostitution - US State Dept (20 Dec 2012)

The Sri Lankan government has announced that they will be establishing diplomatic relationships with 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The move, proposed by External Affairs Minister GL Peiris, has been described as “another step forward in Sri Lanka's foreign policy".

The 13 countries are Guatemala, Suriname, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, St Kits and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Earlier this year, Sri Lanka closed a string of embassies in European countries that had voted against them on a resolution that was approved by United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC).

Sri Lanka has rejected South Africa’s offer to broker talks between the Tamil National Alliance and the Colombo government, The Island newspaper reports.

The government will not accept any third party mediation, the paper said.

There is no need for an external role in essentially a domestic political process, it quoted External Affairs Ministry sources as saying in response to a recent offer by South Africa to assist Sri Lanka in the post-war reconciliation process.

A senior foreign ministry official said that assistance had been offered by a South African government delegation which met External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris in Colombo last Friday.

South Africa’s Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Ebrahim Ebrahim and former Minister of Constitutional Affairs Roelf Meyer met Prof. Peiris to discuss ongoing efforts to achieve peace.

Correspondents in Colombo, citing government officials, said that the South Africa had earlier offered to encourage investment in Sri Lanka as part of the offer.

President Rajapaksa’s government has ignored the international community’s calls for it to negotiate with the TNA towards a solution to ‘legitimate Tamil grievances’

Instead Colombo has intensified the military’s role in administering the Tamil areas.

See our earlier post: South Africa offers assistance for Sri Lanka’s ‘peace efforts’ (10 Aug 2012)

"Protecting the population includes not only complying with the law of armed conflict, but also consistently respecting and protecting the human rights and basic dignities of the populations we serve. Failure to treat civilians with respect risks alienating the population and re-animating old or new grievances that can give rise to renewed conflict."

"This is the first lesson I’d like to speak about, the need to engage legitimate authorities as early as possible. In our experience the engagement of legitimate civilian authorities includes working with civilian authorities both within our own government, and, more importantly, outside of it – with local experts."

"Finally, before closing, I want to make one last overarching point that encapsulates the themes discussed here today -- the critical importance of imbuing military culture with respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. Acting within these principles and obligations is a core element of military professionalism and international legitimacy. Failure to do so can compromise a military’s reputation and effectiveness. This means that if a military conducts itself outside these principles and obligations, there has to be a meaningful process for having its conduct examined, and for holding those who commit transgressions to account."

"This is why the United States ensures these principles are embedded not only in our own military ethos, but in our cooperative engagements with foreign militaries."

"One way my government emphasizes the principles I’ve just discussed – the role of legitimate civilian governance, representative armed forces, and human rights – is through our requirement, stemming from a provision of U.S. law known as the Leahy Amendment, to vet all program candidates to ensure they have not been implicated in gross violations of human rights."

Protesters gathered by Jaffna bus stand, demanding justice to the murdered Tamil political prisoners - Nimalaroopan and Dilrukshan.

See here for report on Uthayan.

Despite the presence of police officers and intelligence officers within and around the crowd, protesters gathered in this morning. Shouting slogans such as "the deaths of Nimalaroopan and Dilrukshan need justice", and "we'll send the murderous regime home", protesters  held banners and placards demanding that the those responsible be punished.

Photographs Uthayan

The protest was organised by the TNPF (Tamil National People's Front), and was endorsed by a wide cohort of other parties including the TNA and the Democratic People's Front.

Slogan reads "Don't they have a right to life? Dilrukshan and Nimalaroopan

Slogan reads - "Justice is needed, justice is needed. The massacre of Nimalaroopan and Dilrukshan needs justice"

Human rights activists in Sri Lanka have blamed the government for the deaths of Tamil detainees after violence in a Vavuniya prison and called for an UN-led investigation the deaths, reported the BBC on Wednesday.

A total of 28 activists have issued a statement, saying the deaths of Nimalaroopan and Dilrukshan were caused by torture, inflicted by prison officers, after detainees protested over the disappearance of a fellow Tamil inmate.

"We, the civil society, have lost confidence in domestic mechanisms in being able to deal with such situations," they write.

They have called on the government to appoint an inquiry, which will be controlled by the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay.

Charles Haviland, the Sri Lanka correspondent for the BBC, highlighted the protests in Jaffna by Tamil activists against the killings and drew attention to the difference in media coverage on the island.

"Media coverage of the episodes has highlighted Sri Lanka's ethnic faultlines." he wrote.

"Sinhala-language media have tended to describe the prisoners as 'terrorists', while Tamil-language outlets have termed them 'political prisoners'."

The power cuts imposed across the country due to continuing problems at the Chinese built Norochcholai power plant have been extended for another fortnight.

Sri Lanka has lost around 17% of its capacity to meet demand for electricity due to the failure.

“In our opinion, it has not been performing up to the standards and up to the expected level,” Anura Wijepala, CEB’s deputy head told reporters referring to the country’s only coal-fired power plant.

“Unfortunately all our efforts to restore Norochcholai power plant have not been successful. It needs about two weeks shut down for the repairs.”

The power plant was built by the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMEC) who were paid by Sri Lanka using a US$450 million loan from China’s EXIM Bank.

Another $891 million will be loaned for the second phase of the project, due to be completed in July 2012.

The Norochcholai power plant seems to be another Chinese fiasco, after the much-hyped $1.4 billion Hambantota port’s depth was found to be insufficient for large ships to enter.

See who benefits from Chinese loans to Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile oppostition legislator Harsha de Silva has said the hundred Rupees note, which depicts the power plant should be withdrawn from circulation, reported LBO.

He said in a statement that it was amusing that authorities had "thought it fit to depict this symbol of corruption in the guise of development as our nation’s pride in ‘development and prosperity’."

“There are many elements operating locally and internationally, trying to disturb the peace we have gained. A political party had adopted a resolution stating that the country should be divided.”

“These things should be taken seriously, and the country should allocate more funds for defence."

Speaking to mourners of the Tamil political prisoner, Dilrukshan, Father Sakthivel described seeing him in hospital in the days before his death - in a coma, but still with his feet chained together.

See here for report on Uthayan.

Drawing comparisons to the persecution of Jesus for his perceived dissent at the time, Father Sakthivel said, that Dilrukshan's defiance had led to his death at the hands of the ruling regime.

Father Sakthivel said,

"We went to see Dilrukshan in hospital. He was unconscious and barely breathing. Yet even then his legs were chained. Why would someone fo this to a person in a such a critical condition? Were they scared of him? Did they think he might escape when he regained consciousness? This is against humanity."

"Now, the question is why did they do this to him? This [attack] happened to him just after he said 'we are ready to face a hundred Mullivaikkaals."

"Killings like this are not acceptable. Killings like this should not continue. Our journey towards freedom isn't over, we need to get out struggle for it, it is only then that when we can stop all the atrocities against us."

Dilrukshan died last week after being in a coma for several weeks following the Vavuniya prison riots in June where Tamil political prisoners were attacked by prison guards.