An official from the US Department of Commerce met with representatives from American businesses in Sri Lanka this week, as part of his visit to the island

James Golsen, Asia Executive Director at the US Department of Commerce met with members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (AMCHAM Sri Lanka).

The discussion reportedly covered “trade tariffs and remedies, e-commerce, issues facing US companies in Sri Lanka and the trade/investment climate in the country”, according to AMCHAM Sri Lanka.

The United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) has written to Sri Lanka, after the government failed to respond to a report, which called for information on the “establishment of a judicial mechanism” to investigate torture and information on the role of a former Criminal Investigations Department head.

“The information sought by the Committee has not been provided yet, although more than one year has elapsed from the transmittal of the Committee’s concluding observations,” said a letter sent to Sri Lanka’s ambassador in Geneva.

A joint venture from the world's largest oilfield services company Schlumberger and French-based Total began in the seas off the Eastern province today, as vessels began a seismic survey searching for oil.

The project, which was signed off by the Sri Lankan government earlier this year, will see the research vessel BGP Pioneer survey the area for up to 50 days.

"If the results of the 2-D (two dimensional survey is positive, a 3-D survey will start," Sri Lankan Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said on Sunday.

More than 60,000 people are on a Sri Lankan government blacklist preventing them from leaving the island with “Tamil diaspora sympathisers” amongst those banned, reports Ceylon Today.

A total of 62,338 are said to be on the government blacklist according to Ceylon Today’s “senior state intelligence sources”.

“Tamil diaspora sympathisers” have been named as amongst those banned from leaving the country, with “state-of-the-art equipment” reportedly deployed at Sri Lanka’s international airport to prevent them from doing so.

Members of the Sri Lankan navy are currently in Germany, as they participate in the 12th World Military Golf Championship, despite concerns of human rights abuses committed by Sri Lankan troops.

The Sri Lankan military held a memorial service for the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), a unit accused of committing widespread human rught abuses against Tamils, at a ceremony in Jaffna earlier this month to coincide with India’s Independence Day.

Hundreds of Tamils gathered in London last week to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances and to call for justice and accountability for the thousands of Tamils who have been forcibly disappeared in Sri Lanka.

China is to train Sri Lankan athletes for international games after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two countries' Olympic committees at the sidelines of the 18th Asian Games this week. 

“China has agreed to help train our athletes in selected sports, not only those which are part of the Summer Olympics, but also in sports which are in the Winter Games,” the president of Sri Lanka's National Olympic Committee, Suresh Subramaniam was quoted by the Sunday Observer as saying. “This is an unprecedented step of support from China. They will not only train our athletes but also coach our coaches.

"It is a broad and open-ended agreement and we can rely on their help for anything. We have their full backing,” he added.

A government minister on Friday denied that state sponsored settlement of Sinhala people into the Tamil areas was taking place under the current administration, claiming instead that it only took place under the previous regime with the former defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

"It was during former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s time that Sinhala settlements had been created in the North," Sri Lanka's health minister, Rajitha Senaratne was quoted by The Island as saying. 

"No such thing is happening now," he said. 

A new Sri Lankan constitution is a "fundamental necessity" the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson, M A Sumanthiran said whilst speaking at the 7th meeting on constitutional reform, held in in Galle this week. 

"All the problems of the Tamil people won't be solved by a new constitution, but a new constitution is fundamental," he said. "Without this, no issue can be addressed."