The Democratic Party, led by the former army commander, Sarath Fonseka, joined the United National Party led coalition, the United National Front (UNF) today.

India's president, Pranab Mukherjee, on Wednesday expressed his hope to strengthen ties with Colombo, as Sri Lanka prepared to mark 'Independence Day'.

The Sri Lankan government has been making contradictory statements regarding the implementation of a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability, said former Sri Lankan foreign minister G. L. Peiris.

Sri Lankan police have arrested a 15 year old boy over the murder of a Tamil schoolchild earlier this month, reports The Island.

Photograph: Will Baxter/Freedom From Torture

Tamil torture victims who suffered at the hands of the Sri Lankan government called on the UN Human Rights chief to ensure that an “internationalised justice process” takes place, ahead of his visit to the island this week.

In a report by UK-based charity Freedom From Torture and the survivor activist network Survivors Speak OUT, victims called on UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein to “deliver a strong message to the President and Prime Minister about the need for Sri Lanka to comply with the commitments it made to the UN Human Rights Council and the consequences if it fails to do so” during his visit to the island.

Updated: 1500 GMT

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe stated the Sri Lankan constitution would not permit foreign judges to sit in domestic inquiries that would deal with mass atrocities committed during the final stages of the armed conflict.

The prime minister added that though judges could “participate” in the process, they would not be allowed to sit in on any inquiries.

Speaking at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Associations Asia Regional Seminar under the theme, ‘Role of Parliament in the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights’ in Colombo on Monday, Mr Wickremesignhe said,

"If we are to permit foreign judges to sit in judgment then our Constitution has to be amended with the consent of the people at a referendum."

"We have no provision here to have foreign judges just as much as in your countries there are no provisions for foreign judges," he told the audience. 

Mr Wickremesinghe said that this "does not preclude commonwealth judges from participating in the process" but they would be unable to sit on the proceedings. He added,

"Then there will be the big question of who shall be prosecutors. That, neither the President nor I nor Parliament can decide. We like yours have the same system, the Bar jealously guards their rights and the Supreme Court decides who should be admitted. If you have passed your exams... all and good. If you are not a lawyer of your own country, the only way is to go before the Supreme Court. If you are going to change that system the Supreme Court will say it requires a referendum."

 The Assistant US Trade Representative for South Asia Michael Delaney visited Colombo to meet with government, trade and business officials ahead of an upcoming set of Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) talks in Washington.

The British Tamils Forum expressed serious concern at the recent statements by the Sri Lankan president that refuted alleged war crimes and the need for international participation in an accountability process.

The statement read,

“It is important to recognize that these statements come at a time when Tamil victims and communities continue to have little to no confidence in the Sri Lankan government’s political will due to the government’s failure to address critical on-going human rights issues including the military occupation of the North-East, reports of on-going torture, continued illegal land acquisition, and the detention of political prisoners.  The stance against international involvement espoused by the President and Prime Minister will only serve to further undermine the confidence of Tamil victims and communities, and is completely unacceptable in light of the UNHRC resolution they co-sponsored.”

See full statement below.