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Sleuths from India's National Investigative Agency's (NIA) Kochi unit initiated an early morning search at seven different places in the city, looking for clues in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka.

The searches were carried out on the suspicion that they could have a connection with the National Thowheed Jama'at (NTJ) leader Zahran Hashim, who was the mastermind behind the blasts targeting churches and hotels in Colombo.

A team of officials separately reached the destinations on early hours of Wednesday with the help of Coimbatore city police.

Team of officials conducted a search at different places in Podanur, Ukkadam and Kuniyamuthur. They conducted searches at selective houses, belonging to the suspects.

According to sources, the NIA sleuths conducted raids at residences in Podanur belonging to Sadhaam, Akbar and Akram Jintha.

Houses of Abubakkar Siddiqui and Azharudheen, located at Kuniyamuthur and Anbu Nagar in Ukkadam , apart from two houses belonging to Idhayathullah and Shahimsha at Al Ameen colony near Ukkadam.

"The person Akram Jintha, one of the accused in the murder of atheist H Farook, who was brutally murdered by a gang in March 2017. NIA Kochi unit officials are conducting the search," said city police officials.

The agency is expected to question alleged associates of the Islamic State (IS) Coimbatore module to see if there is any connection to the Sri Lankan attackers, they added.

Sri Lanka will introduce five-year jail terms for those caught spreading fake news and hate speech on social media, the government said Wednesday, following a surge in online vitriol and disinformation after the Easter suicide attacks.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal by the acting justice minister, which will also see offenders fined Rs. 1 million, the government said in a statement.

It did not immediately release a definition of the two offences, but said the penal code will be amended to introduce the new penalties.

The move follows repeated government allegations that platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp have been used to spread online hate, in a country where ethnic divisions still linger after decades of war.

Sri Lanka shut down internet access in March last year to prevent further violence when anti-Muslim mobs went on the rampage in the island nation's central region, killing three people and destroying hundreds of homes, shops, vehicles and mosques.

During the violence, mobs used social media platforms to organise attacks against minority groups.

Sri Lankan social networks also saw a surge in fake news after the Easter suicide bombings that left 258 people dead and nearly 500 wounded.

A nine-day ban on platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp was introduced following the Islamic State-claimed attacks on three churches and three hotels on April 21.

Last month Singapore's parliament passed laws to combat fake news that will allow authorities to order the removal of content and could see those convicted of violations imprisoned for up to 10 years.

Muslim Parliamentarians who had resigned from their ministerial portfolios called on the Chief Prelates of the Malwatta and Asgiriya chapters in Kandy on Tuesday (11) to explain the motives behind their collective decision.

Former Minister Rauf Hakeem in tweet said that the Muslim MPs were "elated to have had this opportunity to appraise (the Chief Prelates) of the reason for our collective resignations."

At the Parliamentary party leaders meeting held yesterday, it was decided to withdraw the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Minister Rishad Bathiudeen from the order paper following the latter’s resignation from his Cabinet ministerial post.

The NCM debate against Bathiudeen was scheduled to be taken up on June 18 and 19.

The Joint Opposition (JO) handed over the NCM against Bathiudeen on May 16, based on allegations that he had supported the extremists who carried out the Easter Sunday terror attack.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Monday that he sought India's help to train Sri Lankan security forces in counter-terrorism during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Modi on Sunday became the first foreign leader to visit Sri Lanka after the deadly Easter terror attacks on April 21 which killed 258 people and injured over 500.

During his visit, Modi said he was confident that Sri Lanka will rise again and cowardly acts of terror cannot defeat the spirit of Sri Lanka.

"India stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka," he said.

Prime Minister Modi also met President Maithripala Sirisena and the two leaders agreed that terrorism was a joint threat that needs collective and focused action.

Wickremesinghe in a statement said he had assured Modi that the delayed Indo-Lanka projects will be expedited.

The prime minister also said a series of joint initiatives between India and Sri Lanka were being planned to ensure continued economic cooperation.

Wickremesinghe said Prime Minister Modi's continual show of support towards Sri Lanka will serve to strengthen confidence and encourage more people to visit Sri Lanka.

"During his trip we discussed matters including the strengthening of regional security through reviving trilateral talks between Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives," Wickremesinghe said.

"I also requested that India work closely with Sri Lanka's security forces, providing them with counter-terrorism training and logistical support," PM Wickremesinghe said.

He also said that PM Modi's visit to Sri Lanka, following the lifting of the travel advisories by many countries including the UK, France and China, will boost the tourism industry.

Tourism accounts for about five per cent of Sri Lanka's economy, with India, China and the UK the main source of tourists.

The United States government has raised concerns over the demonizing of Muslims in the country.

The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs in a tweet yesterday said that the "demonizing of Muslims by certain religious and political forces in Sri Lanka is a concerning development for the country."

Furthermore, the US called on the Sri Lankan government to calm communal tensions and ensure the safety for people of all faiths in the country.

The final report of the special three-member Committee appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena to investigate Easter Sunday attacks on 21 April, was handed over to President Maithripala Sirisena at the President’s Official Residence on Monday.

Supreme court judge Vijith Malalgoda handed over the report to the President and the other members of the committee Former IGP N.K. Ilangakoon and Former Law & Order Ministry Secretary Padamasiri Jayamanne were also participated on this occasion.

Sirisena appointed the committee on April 22 to investigate and report the facts and background of the devastating suicide bomb attacks on churches and hotels that killed over 250 people.

Two interim reports of the investigations conducted in two stages were handed over to the President previously.

Leader of the House and Minister of Public Enterprise and Kandy Development Lakshman Kiriella yesterday informed the Parliament that the leader of the Easter Sunday attacks, Zahran Hashim, was on the government’s payroll during the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration.

"The former government paid salaries from State accounts to 30 members of the Thowheed Jama'ath," Kiriella said

"There is enough evidence to suggest that these terrorists were paid wages by the former regime. We must find out how much they were paid and we will prove this before the Parliamentary Select Committee," he added

US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo will travel to Sri Lanka during his Indo-Pacific region visit planned from June 24-30, US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus announced at a press briefing on Monday.

She said the US Secretary’s visit is to express America’s solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka after Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. She added that the US Secretary would discuss with Sri Lankan authorities on “promising opportunities for US-Sri Lanka cooperation based on shared commitments to a free and open Indo-Pacific region”.

Secretary Pompeo is also scheduled to visit India, Japan and the Republic of Korea during his Indo-Pacific region visit.

The Ambassadors and the High Commissioners of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Sri Lanka have called on the Sri Lankan government to ensure the safety and protection of the Sri Lankan Muslim community.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the OIC said that the developing situation over the past few days has been 'extremely worrying' with regards to the safety and protection of the Sri Lankan Muslim community, including some foreign Muslim refugees.

"The lives and livelihoods of Muslims, including their local stores and large business establishments, are threatened by the prevailing conditions with unforeseen, dangerous consequences.

The Muslim community across Sri Lanka is deeply worried about the politically motivated intimidation and provocations, which President Maithripala Sirisena pointed out in his Iftar reception statement last evening," they said.

The OIC envoys further stated that the smallest incident in an isolated Sri Lankan village can be recorded and shared online for mass viewership, stoking widespread violence and counter-violence and the ongoing divisive, hate speech that demonizes and excludes the other hardly helps remedy this grave situation but worsens it, which should be a cause for our shared concern.

"As longstanding friends of Sri Lanka, the diplomatic representatives of OIC countries promote peace, stability, and harmony among the people of Sri Lanka and we encourage them to seek unity in diversity, which underpins the attractiveness of Sri Lanka as a tolerant and peace-loving nation with a heritage that fosters doing no harm to others," the OIC statement said.

"Therefore, we, the representatives of the OIC countries, urge the friendly government of Sri Lanka to take every measure necessary to prevent communal violence and to take swift, stern judicial action against the perpetrators, regardless of their religious and political influence in the Sri Lankan society."

The Chief Prelates have requested the Muslim parliamentarians who recently resigned from their ministerial portfolios to resume their duties and responsibilities again.

This decision was taken at a Sangha Council meeting that was held yesterday (Jun 5) in Kandy, the Chief Prelates said.

The discussion was held under the patronage of Asgiriya Chapter Mahanayake the Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera at the Asgiri Maha Viharaya. The Lekakadhikari Theras (Registrars) of the three Nikayas and Anunayake Theras of the Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters also took part in the discussions.

Muslim ministers who resigned without any allegations against them will be considered as a part of the group against whom such accusations have been levelled, the Chief Prelate of the Asgiri Chapter said.

Also echoing similar sentiments was the Chief Prelate of the Malwathu Chapter Ven. Niyangoda Vijithasiri Thera. "There is no need for other ministers to resign except for those against whom allegations have been raised," he said.

Australian pilots have helped save dozens of asylum seekers from drowning at sea.

The 41 asylum seekers were sailing from Sri Lanka to Australia 10 days ago when their vessel started to sink in the Indian Ocean.

An Australian surveillance aircraft assisted members of the Sri Lankan Navy to rescue those on board.

Operation Sovereign Borders boss Craig Furini, who is in Sri Lanka with Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, praised the country's navy for pulling off the rescue.

"This highlights the very real danger of attempting these journeys," Major General Furini told The Australian.

"Before (Operation Sovereign Borders) started in 2013 more than 1200 drowned at sea attempting such journeys at sea. Since Operation Sovereign Borders began, there has been none."

It is the second vessel to attempt to reach Australia in the past month, and the third since March.

Several other boats are believed to have been detected in recent weeks.