The trial of four men who are accused of human smuggling after the arrival of 492 Tamils on the coast of British Columbia in 2010, has commenced on Wednesday.

Lesly Emmanuel, Kunarobinson Christhurajah, Nadarajah Mahendran and Thampeernayagam Rajaratnam pled not guilty under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Crown counsel, prosecutors for the Ministry of Justice stated that "none of the 492 persons aboard the MV Sun Sea had the required travel documents” and were smuggled into the country illegally.

Locals in Kilinochchi added their names to a signature campaign calling for the release of Tamil political prisoners who have been detained indefinitely under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. 

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said his government was on track to regaining the European Union’s GSP+ trade concessions by March 2017, if it continues with its current economic plan.

“We have only to resolve some technical issues to regain the status,” said Mr Wickremesinghe, after meeting with EU politicians in Brussels this week. Noting that he had received positive responses from his meetings, Mr Wickremesinghe said that further talks were set to take place with Sri Lanka’s foreign minister and president.

The body of a Sri Lankan soldier who allegedly committed suicide after claiming responsibility for the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, was exhumed this week, after it emerged that the police buried him without taking any fingerprints.

According to reports, the body of former military intelligence officer Ilandarige Edirisinghe Jayamanne was hastily buried in Colombo with Sri Lankan police failing to collect any forensic evidence.

India’s Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is set to visit Sri Lanka this weekend, in a trip aimed at promoting Indian business in the region.

Mr Jaishankar will be accompanied by a business delegation for the three-day trip, where he will meet with Sri Lankan businessmen and government officials.

However, Indian officials have reportedly reiterated that though his trip is aimed at promoting business, the foreign secretary will not be discussing the proposed Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with Sri Lanka, a wide ranging free trade deal that Delhi has been pursuing for years.

The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák-Ndiaye highlighted the ongoing concerns facing the Tamil people in Sri Lanka in her statement concluding her visit to the island. 

Describing land, security-related detainees, and demilitarisation as the "most significant challenges relevant to the reconciliation process", Ms Izsák-Ndiaye said, "in all of my discussions in the northern and eastern parts of the country, where the Tamils and Muslims are concentrated, demilitarization, release of prisoners and issues of land return frequently and prominently featured."

Clashes between Tamil civilians and Navy personnel took place after a member of Sri Lanka’s Navy was caught trespassing a home in Mannar.

The clash happened after families in Arippu, Manner noticed a rise in theft and decided to set up a neighbourhood watch system to tackle the issue. The trespassing member of Sri Lanka’s Navy was captured by local villagers and held until the early hours of Wednesday morning, causing other Navy personnel to fire warning shots demanding the release of the captured soldier.

One villager told reporters,

The European Union will double its development aid to Sri Lanka over the next four years "in support of the government's reconciliation priorities" said a press release this week.

The assistance, totalling €210 million (approximately Rs. 34 billion) for the years up to 2020, will also be used to fund “the resettlement of Internally Displaced People, assisting transitional justice and building local government capacity, as well as supporting development in Sri Lanka's poorest areas”.

The first phase of a Chinese project to build a ‘Central Expressway’ in Sri Lanka has sharply increased by 12 million rupees, after the government failed to make savings on other projects reports the Sunday Times.

The Sri Lankan government is till currently in talks with China’s Exim Bank to fund the first phase of the expressway, which is a 37.1 km stretch from Kadawatha to Mirigama. However, the government’s failure to plan for a 12km viaduct and to make savings on the third phase of the project has led to a grand total of Rs. 158 billion or US$ 1.1 billion.

The Royal Borough of Kingston in the United Kingdom has officially twinned with Jaffna, after a signing ceremony in London on Tuesday.

Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran said the event was a "historic" occasion, as he addressed the ceremony attended by hundreds of locals.

His comments were echoed by Councillor Kevin Davis, who spoke of how Kingston has twinned with other cities around the world, such as in Korea and Germany, that have also suffered the "tragic loss" of war.