Amidst a disastrous economic crisis, Invest Sri Lanka has removed a planned “investor forum” in Edinburgh from their website as concerns are raised over the country’s human rights record.

In a statement, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa thanked China for its donation of 2,000 tonnes of rice amidst a disastrous economic crisis that has seen food shortages across the island.

The long-postponed meeting between President Gotabya Rajapaksa and the representatives of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) took place on Friday. 

The meeting started at 10.30 am at the Presidential Secretariat and lasted till 1.30 pm.

At the leadership of R. Sampanthan, a senior leader of the TNA, Senathirasa, the leader of the ITAK, and other MPs including MA Sumanthiran, R. Shanakiyan, Charles Nirmalanathan, Shritharan Sivagnanam and Kalaiyarasan were also present at the meeting.

Sri Lankan officials have finally admitted that they will seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week with reports claiming that Colombo will also look to the Word Bank as the island braces for further economic hardship in the months ahead.

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivaar Cabraal however told an all-party conference in Colombo yesterday that though they were going to the IMF, his government remains wary.

At least 16 Eelam Tamils have been detained by Indian authorities after fleeing the island this week, citing the worsening economic crisis in Sri Lanka as a factor that forced them to leave.

The 16 Tamils, who arrived in two groups, included women and children with the youngest being just 4 months old. They all come from the North-East, arriving in India on Tuesday 22 March. The mother of the four-month old child said "We can't live there, the prices of everything have increased; that's why we came here". Her husband added: "There are no work opportunities there ... a day's wages is low there".

Valikamam East Pradeshiya Sabha chairperson Thiyagaraja Nirosh and Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha deputy chairperson Selvaratnam Mayuran have been summoned to Chavakachcheri police station today for questioning for joining Tamil families of the disappeared at a rally opposing the Prime Minister's visit. 

Fuel shortages have caused long queues to form in Vavuniya, causing petrol stations to implement a limit on fuel purchases. 

Families and farmers were seen queuing for long periods of time to purchase kerosene with purchase limits being imposed. At one petrol station in Vavuniya, only 1000 LKR per card for a family was allowed to be purchased whilst at another the figure was 500 LKR. 

The US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland commended Sri Lanka’s foreign minister in “moving forward” on “issues of national healing and justice” in Colombo this morning, just days after protesting Tamils continued to demand justice for wartime atrocities.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Sri Lanka’s G L Peiris, Nuland said that the US commends “the first steps taken in recent weeks and days towards national healing here, towards human rights, towards justice”.

Sri Lankan parliamentarian Vijitha Herath of the JVP-led National People’s Power (NPP) quoted words from the LTTE’s Lt. Col. Thileepan this week, during a debate on amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

Speaking in parliament, Herath reportedly said,

The United States has “welcomed action taken by Sri Lanka to promote reconciliation and human rights” in a joint statement this morning, despite Colombo’s deteriorating record of jailing critics and ongoing rights abuses.

The statement, released as part of the Fourth Sri Lanka – U.S. Partnership Dialogue in Colombo today, said that the regime in Sri Lanka “outlined its progress in reconciliation, in promoting and protecting human rights, and in strengthening democracy”. “The United States acknowledged progress in these areas,” it added.

It comes as Under Secretary for Political Affairs of the U.S. Department of State Victoria Nuland landed in Colombo and met with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs G.L. Peiris.