Updated 1655

A team of senior European Union (EU) officials praised Sri Lanka for making progress in advancing human rights but warned that there was a “lack of concrete progress in key areas” which was needed for continued preferential market access under the GSP Plus.

Noting that Sri Lanka is a signatory to 27 international conventions, the EU team stated that "progressive implementation of the conventions is the condition for continued preferential access to the European Union market - the world's largest and Sri Lanka's biggest export market – under the GSP Plus".

The United States Senate Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific stated that there was a need to prosecute perpetrators of mass atrocities and DNA analysis of remains in several countries, including Sri Lanka, in a report released last week.

The report, which opposed a 92% cut in US aid to Sri Lanka, said that the committee “recognizes that there is an ongoing need for DNA analysis and identification of exhumed remains”.

Sri Lanka was named alongside other countries, including Syria, Iraq, Colombia, El Salvador and Guatemala, in which forensic identification was needed.

The United Kingdom called on the Sri Lankan government to deliver on its commitments laid out in a UN resolution, at the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday.

Speaking at the 36^th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Britain said that it welcomed the “recent step towards operationalising the Office of Missing Persons”.

However, it added that “we continue to urge the government to deliver on Resolution 34/1”.

Sri Lanka's newly established National Economic Council held its first meeting on Tuesday with a view to "strengthening the rural economy and ending poverty", the presidential media unit said.

Economic policies, state financial affairs, management of state loans and activities related to finance were also discussed. 

In a special gazette notificiation Sri Lanka's president, Maithripala Sirisena declared 81 members of the 1818 Uva rebellion against British colonial rule as "patriotic national heroes". 

Mr Sirisena's gazette includes 49 people who were sentenced to death and 32 who were declared as traitors and transferred to Mauritius for their involvement in the uprising, the Daily Mirror reported. 

The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) on Wednesday expressed "serious concerns" on the process of operationalising the Office on Missing Persons, after the gazette was signed by the Sri Lankan president yesterday. 

"CPA is disappointed by what seems a complete disregard towards the constitutional framework in Sri Lanka and commitments made in 2015 to usher in good governance, rule of law, democracy and reconciliation. It is also a sad reflection of a process that has been flawed from the outset, resulting in numerous delays and obstacles in the enactment of the legislation, establishment and operationalizing of the OMP," the CPA said in a statement. 

The Sri Lankan President has signed the Gazette Notification to operationalise the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation has announced.

According to the announcement, the OMP will be established and its functions, duties and mandate will come into operation on the 15th September.

The United States Senate Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific opposed a 92% cut in US aid to Sri Lanka.

The cut, proposed by President Trump’s office, was opposed by the Committee’s report, which said,

“Given the geostrategic importance of the country, the Committee does not support the President’s budget request for Sri Lanka, which proposed a 92 percent reduction in assistance from the prior fiscal year.”

Although opposing a complete aid cut, the US Senate committee approved harsher conditions on funds to Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan navy on Tuesday arrested 12 fishermen from Tamil Nadu in India for allegedly fishing in Sri Lankan waters. 

Two fishing trawlers were also seized. 

"The arrested fishermen were brought to the naval base SLNS Uththara in Kankesanthurai and the trawler and the fishing gear were taken to SLNS Elara in Kareinagar," the navy's media unit said.

The detained men have been handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries in Jaffna. 

A Tamil man, who himself claimed asylum was sentenced in Canada for four years for smuggling Tamil refugees fleeing from Sri Lanka on the MV Sun Sea in August 2010. 

Delivering the sentence, British Columbia's Supreme Court said Kunarobinson Christhurajah would not be serving any more time as he had already been detained for the past 7 years awaiting trial.