The next round of talks on India’s Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with Sri Lanka is due to be held in October reports the Dailymirror.lk.

A source close to the ETCA negotiation team said,

“progress is likely after the next round of talks in October. Service liberalisation is a difficult point coming up for discussions.”
Speaking at the inauguration of the Indian Ocean Conference organised by the India Foudnation in Colombo, India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said a revitalised maritime economy in the iNdian

An eyewitness in the case of the 2011 murder of a Tamil youth by Sri Lankan police received death threats prior to testifying at the Kayts Magistrates Court, the court heard.

The witness, a detainee at Welikada prison, received death threats by unidentified individuals while being held at Anuradhapura prison on Wednesday night, en route to the Kayts court.

Five police officers charged with the murder were also being detained at Anuradhapura prison.

Appearing in court on Thursday, the witness complained to the magistrate judge, A. M. M. Riyaal about the threats.

The judge has ordered prison staff to look into the threats and take action.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena claimed his government had “defused” the issue of accountability for war crimes since coming in to power and avoided an international criminal tribunal.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Mr Sirisena reiterated his opposition to foreign judges or lawyers participating in an accountability mechanism and went on to state that it “is premature to talk about a domestic inquiry now”.

Sri Lanka's former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa called on the government to support Jagath Jayasuriya, the former military general who has been accused of war crimes. 

"The government should take a strong stance in support of former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya in his defence against the allegations of war crimes levied against him by a South American Human Rights Organisation," Mr Rajapaksa was quoted by Ada Derana as saying. 

Cabinet minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and JHU general secretary urged the government to protect the former military general, Jagath Jayasuriya who has been accused of war crimes. 

"The government should represent him and deny allegations," Mr Champika said at a press conference. 

"Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa released around 12,000 LTTE cadres without proper investigations. If plans are made to hunt down Sri Lanka's tri-forces personnel we have to keep aside the good governance policies and press for proper investigations on released LTTE cadres," he added. 

Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday assured delegates of the Indian Ocean conference taking place at Colombo that the country would not enter any military alliance with any country. 

“Let me refer to Sri Lanka’s decision to develop its major sea ports, especially the Hambantota Port, which some claim to be a military base. I say this with responsibility. This government does not enter into military alliances with any country. Neither do we intend to make our bases available to foreign countries,” he was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

Sri Lanka's new justice minister, Thalatha Athukorala pledged that no former military personnel, who she described as 'war heroes who saved this country' would be sent to international courts. 

"The President and the Prime Minister have placed an enormous trust in me and I have been entrusted with this responsibility. I will carry out my responsibility with the best of my ability," Ms Athukorala was quoted by Colombo Page as saying. 

"However, I will not give any room to anybody to prosecute our war heroes who have protected this country in a foreign court or punish them."

Marking International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the chief minister of the Northern Province, C V Wigneswaran criticised the government's failure to make progress on the issue despite promises made to the international community. 

"Today is International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Many demonstrations are afoot at the moment throughout the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Even though we had been writing as well as orally calling upon the Government to take meaningful steps regarding Missing Persons, such steps have not been taken so far in this regard," Justice Wigneswaran said in a statement released yesterday. 

International cocaine smugglers are using Sri Lanka as a transit hub to transport cocaine across Asia say authorities, Reuters reported.

Narcotics officers have recently made seizures of cocaine smuggled in containers of sugar from Brazil. Around $140 million worth of cocaine was found mainly in the Brazilian sugar containers.

Produce is usually transferred into smaller boats at sea and then brought ashore. 

This is apparently despite the Sri Lankan navy's formidable presence along the island's coastline. 

Customs spokesman Sunil Jayaratne said “after reaching here, they go out in small boats, they use fishing boats.”

Sri Lankan authorities released 76 Indian fishermen on the day that the Indian external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj arrived on the island to participated in the Indian Ocean Conference. 

The men were arrested and detained, with their fishing boats confiscated in separate incidents over recent months. 

Meanwhile, in a separate incidents today, a total of 8 fishermen were detained by the Sri Lankan navy and taken to the Kankesanthurai navy camp for interrogation.