The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said this week it would continue to work with the Sri Lankan government on economic reforms, as outlined in the Extended Fund Facility programme. 

.“With regard to the current Extended Fund Facility programme with Sri Lanka more specifically, I would like to stress that the Fund remains fully engaged with the authorities as they continue to implement the IMF-supported economic reform programme to make growth more sustainable and inclusive,” IMF spokesperson Raphael Anspach was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

Sri Lanka continued to rank poorly in the 2017 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), performing even worse than it did under former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

According to the 2017 index compiled by Transparency International, Sri Lanka ranks 91^st with a score of 38.

The score is an improvement of just 2 points from last year, matching the same score as 2016. However it continues to lag behind the 2012 score of 40, when Mahinda Rajapaksa was in power.

^{All photographs and graphics courtesy of Sri Lanka Campaign}

The Sri Lankan campaign released a report this week, highlighting the Sri Lankan government’s ongoing surveillance, harassment and intimidation of Tamils in the North – from human rights activists to ordinary citizens engaged in dissent.

In his report published ahead of the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said the "authorities have not yet demonstrated the capacity or willingness to address impunity for gross violations and abuses of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law", arguing the failure to show major progress in emblematic cases strengthens the argument for "the establishment of a specialized court to deal with the most serious crimes committed by State actors in the context of conflict...

Mullaitivu residents whose lands have been earmarked for landgrab by the Sri Lankan Navy protested on Thursday, blocking access to state land surveyors who had to turn back from the area.

Sri Lanka this week increased tax concessions to state officials on importation of vehicles. 

The news was announced in a circular released today by the Ministry of Public Administration and Management, the Daily Mirror reports. 

Sri Lanka's unity government was plunged into crisis this month after both coalition partners suffered losses at the local polls on February 12. 

Read more here. 

The Tamil National Alliance today urged the international community to ensure Sri Lanka implemented the UN Human Rights Council resolution it cosponsored in 2015.

In a meeting wtih the US Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner and his chief of staff, the TNA leader R Sampanthan highlighted the delays in implementation of the resolution and said the government was bount to its commitments both in spirit and letter. 

He also spoke about the recent local government election and reiterated the need for constitutional reform. 

In its annual report on human rights worldwide, Amnesty International said there was "evidence of backsliding" in Sri Lanka, highlighting the ongoing detention of Tamils under the PTA over alleged links to the LTTE and the continued reports of torture during detention. 

"Sri Lanka continued to pursue its 2015 commitments to deliver justice, truth, reparation and guarantees of nonrecurrence for alleged crimes under international law, but progress slowed and there was evidence of backsliding," the report, released on Thursday noted. 

The Sri Lankan government has announced that it will tighten controls on non-governmental organisations, as it looks to enact changes to legislation regarding volunteer and charity organisations.

Sri Lankan Minister Gayantha Karunathilake said that changes to a 1980 law would be made, increasing controls over such organisations. EconomyNext reports that the changes are partly driven by a “requirement of the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank which is in charge of Anti-Money laundering/Combatting Terrorism Finance (AML/CFT), activities.”

Sri Lanka's foreign ministry on Thursday stressed the country's High Commissioner had not resigned, rejected media reports she had terminated her contract. 

"High Commissioner Wijewardene will conclude her contract on her own volition by 31 March 2018," the ministry said in statement.

The Sri Lanka's High Commission in London has faced increased scrutiny over recent weeks after the country's defence attache to the UK, Brigadier Priyanka Fernando was filmed motioning a death threat to Tamils protesting outside the building on February 4.