New York based Human Rights Watch have denounced the Sri Lankan Army’s own inquiry into alleged rights violations as a delaying tactic, attempting to ward off international pressure.

“The program of rehabilitation and on-going detention without charge of surrenderees continues to breed distrust among Tamil populations in the North, and many are still struggling to rebuild their lives after they were severely disrupted by the IDP internment.”

"Upon arriving in the camp she and the other IDPs were placed under close surveillance while the Army questioned people and attempted to screen out LTTE members – she was subjected to a strip search and was forced to go to the bathroom in front of the Army men, as they would not allow the IDPs to leave the presence of the guards even for these private acts. She began crying while telling this part of her story, saying that she felt shame because of this degrading treatment. She said that no matter what the government did now to try to win her trust, she could not give it because of how she was treated in Menik Farm."

"Petty theft and rape of young girls, by both the Army and camp residents, remain problems even now for those still living in Menik Farm, and the current residents expressed concern that life in the camps was destroying their culture and morality. Furthermore, it was reported that when some members of Menik Farm met with workers from an Indian NGO to discuss the camp conditions, the drinking water in the camp was shut off for five days afterwards – with the camp authorities explicitly saying that the water was withheld as punishment for talking to the NGO."

"This internment, particularly the harsh conditions and extreme surveillance, was not justified as necessary to national security, and IDPs who were detained deserve some sort of remedy for this violation of their rights. The government should also be sharply criticized for this policy, and further investigation should be conducted into the IDPs claims that the internment was a cover for maintaining control over the Tamil population. Furthermore, some IDPs are still living in Menik Farm, and their concerns about rape in the camps and the government-created obstacles to resettlement on their lands should be addressed."

"The bright vision painted by the government was a far cry from the reports I heard from people who had gone through rehabilitation."

The European Union Parliament has agreed a resolution to continue to push the UN to establish a commission to investigate crimes committed by all sides during the military conflict in Sri Lanka, as recommended by the Panel of Experts’ report last year.

Tamils in Australia have expressed disappointed and concern at the Australian prime minister's response to LLRC report.

In a statement, the Australasian Federation of Tamil Association (AFTA) said,

The minister of cultural affairs, T.B. Ekanayake, announced that the government intends to amend the Public Performance Act, so that a body, entitled the Public Performance Board (PPB), would in future approve the lyrics and context of songs for public release.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, raised concerns regarding the appointment of General Shavendra Silva as sri Lanka's deputy permanent representative to the UN, in a letter to the UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon.

Speaking to journalists after the UN General Assembly meeting on Monday, Pillay said,

Reports have emerged of attacks by Sri Lankan security forces on Tamil youths in Vanni.

TamilNet reported on Tuesday that a number of Tamil youngsters were dragged off the street and assaulted in seemingly random attacks in Nedungkeani, in the district of Mullaithivu.

The youths were beaten and stripped naked before being tortured in a nearby canal.

The United States will support a resolution pushing Sri Lanka to address accountability issues at the UN Human Rights Council session next month.

The resolution would be asking for the same ‘internal mechanism’ that the UN panel of experts recommended nearly one year ago.

A group of youth activists protested on Saturday, against the presence of Sri Lanka's hockey team in Chennai, for training.

The protest led to the cancellation of the hockey team's training session, and team members leaving the premises.

Chennai City Police arrested all those engaged in the protest. They were all later released without charge.

Tamil businessman, Ramasamay Prabhakaran, was abducted from outside his house in the Wellawatte area by an armed gang on Saturday.

The abduction took place front of his mother and daughter, before witnesses saw him being bundled into a white van by seven men armed with assault rifles and hand guns.

During a three day visit to Pakistan, Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, signed 3 memorandums with his counterpart in Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, on trade, technical education and media.

The trade agreement, includes Pakistan offering an export credit line of $200 million, in order for Sri Lanka to import machinery and equipment. In exchange Pakistan would import goods, such as food.

The US ambassador at large for war crimes, Stephen Rapp, led a team of US officials, including the assistant secretary of state for South and Asian affairs, Robert O'Blake, to Vanni.

The delegation collected eye-witness testimonials from Tamil civilians in Mullaitheevu and Kilinochchi districts, reported Tamilnet.

The Sri Lankan Minister for Livestock and Rural Community Development, Arumugam Thondaiman, was forced to abandon his visit to the Tamil Nadu city of Coimbatore after protestors besieged his residence.

Arumugam Thondaman's visit drew angry crowds to his hotel on Saturday, before he fled to Chennai.