Sri Lanka’s finance ministry confirmed that it had met with officials from the US State Department, USAID and senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) figures, with talks continuing over an emergency bailout loan for Colombo as anti-government protests rumble on.

A day after Sri Lanka’s main opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), presented a drafted proposal for the 21^st amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution, 40 independent MPs presented an alternative draft.

The SJB’s proposal would see the abolition of the executive presidential system which has been in place since 1978. In its place would see a parliamentary-led system, to which the President is accountable and elected by. A further reform would be that cabinet ministers can be removed by a vote of no confidence.

Despite international criticism, the execution of mentally disabled Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam has been set for 27 April. 

The Tamil Malaysian has been on death row since 2010. Dharmalingam was convicted on charges of carrying a meagre 42.72 grams of heroin into Singapore, a country that has received widespread criticism over its harsh drug laws. 

^{Priyantha Diyawadanage}

A Pakistani court sentenced 6 men to death this week, for their involvement in the mob lynching of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot, eastern Pakistan.

During the mass trial, 9 others were sentenced to life imprisonment; one person was sentenced to 5 years and 72 people to 2 years in jail. 

Sri Lankan intelligence officers have visited the homes of at least two Tamil journalists in Batticaloa this week, reportedly looking to interrogate the journalists over social media posts on the ongoing anti-government protests on the island.

The homes of S. Nilanthan and P. Sasikaran were visited by intelligence officers who reportedly accused the journalists of ‘inciting separatism on social media’ through their coverage of the protests and of ‘attempting to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)’.

Memorial events were held in Batticaloa to mark three years since the Easter Sunday attacks that killed nearly 270 people and injured over 500 others. 

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) released a statement condemning the use of excessive force by Sri Lankan law enforcement against protestors, adding that “police and other law enforcement officials have failed to respect people’s human rights, including their rights to protest”.

The International Monetary Fund said that discussions with Sri Lanka on a potential IMF loan program or deal would require "adequate assurances" that the country's debt could be put on a sustainable path.

IMF Sri Lanka Mission Chief Masahiro Nozaki said that IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva discussed lending options and policy plans with a Sri Lankan delegation on Tuesday.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded the Government of Sri Lanka's long-term foreign-currency issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings to Ca from Caa2.

The website of Sri Lanka’s embassy in China has been hacked by the “Tamil Eelam Cyber Force” as the group memorialises the genocide of Eelam Tamils.

The webpage features images of the atrocities that took place during the armed conflict.

At the time of writing the page remains visible on the embassy website.

See the original page here.