The chief of the Indian army, General Bikram Singh, commences his four day tour of Sri Lanka today.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, the Indian army said that the visit was in light of ongoing defence cooperation between the two armies.

General Singh's wife, Bubbles Singh will also be present on the tour and will focus on war widows. The statement said, "This will facilitate in mutual understanding and benefit from each others' experiences on the issue,"

Sri Lanka’s GDP has grown by 4.8% in the third quarter of 2012, compared to 8.5% during the same period last year.

The growth is the slowest since the end of the armed conflict in 2009.

The industry sector grew by 7.3%, a decrease from last year’s 10.8%, while agriculture contracted by 0.5%, compared to 6.5% growth last year.

The manufacturing sector grew 3.3%, slowing from 7.7 percent last year, with textiles and apparel expanding by 2.9%, a large drop from the 10.2% recorded a year earlier.

British Member of Parliament Simon Danczuk has stated that the Sri Lankan government may be covering up the case of a British tourist who was murdered in Sri Lanka on Christmas Eve last year, and called on Prime Minister David Cameron to boycott the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Speaking as the anniversary of Khuram Shaikh's murder, Danczuk said,

Global pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has invested $11m in expanding its Sri Lankan operations.

The investment will be welcomed by the government and its struggling economy.

Sri Lanka is facing difficulties in financing the upkeep of its military, proportionally one of the largest in the world.

A significant part of its national budget is dedicated to the defence ministry, headed by war crimes accused Gothabaya Rajapakse.

Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon has criticised Foreign Minister Bob Carr’s decision to strengthen the country’s strengthening of military and intelligence co-operation with Sri Lanka amid increasing reports of human rights abuses.

In a statement released on Monday, Senator Rhiannon said,

"I urge Minister Carr to acquaint himself with reports out of Sri Lanka that on 12 December, 17 Tamil women were admitted to a hospital in Northern Sri Lanka. There is concern that these women had been sexually abused and brutalised by the Sri Lankan military”

"I have been contacted by a number of Tamils living in Australia who are very distressed about these latest developments.”

"Australia's standing as a country committed to promoting peace and protecting human rights is at risk if Minister Carr seeks to strengthen military ties while turning a blind eye to ongoing abuses in Sri Lanka".

See her full statement here.

Her statement follows on from Australia Greens Leader Christine Milne urging Carr last week to hold Sri lanka to account for alleged human rights abuses. She stated,

"Submissions to the UN Human Rights Council from international and Sri Lankan human rights organisations have documented the continued extrajudicial killings by military operatives, suspicious deaths in police custody, disappearances by paramilitary groups, white van abductions, torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, arbitrary arrests and detention of alleged members of armed groups, their family members and colleagues, as well as outspoken critics and perceived political opponents of the Government, including journalists.

"It is time for the Government to explain how our diplomats in Geneva can condemn human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, while our bureaucrats in Canberra can send asylum seekers back to this very violence and persecution they are fleeing."

Dr. Brian Senewiratne, a Sinhalese activist who has voiced for the Tamil rights in Sri Lanka was refused access into Singapore on Saturday.

According to the Bangkok Post, Dr. Senewiratne was scheduled to give a speech in Johor Bahru in Malaysia about the political nature in Sri Lanka and the factors that’s contributing to the rise in Sri Lankan asylum seekers.