China's People's Bank and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka signed a Bilateral Investment Agreement on Bond Investment Sunday, in order to allow Sri Lanka to increase its investment in China's bond market.

“As a result, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka could now access one of the largest and growing securities markets in the world, while also enhancing the cooperation between the two central banks, and the two countries,” the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said in a statement.

British Tamils demonstrated, on Sunday, outside No 10. Downing Street  to remember the killing of 53 girls in Sencholai orphanage by Sri Lankan Air-Force strikes in 2006.

Photo: Tamil Guardian

The demonstrators held placards calling for an end to the Sri Lankan state sponsored genocide of the Tamil people and demanded an internationally monitored referendum on an independent Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka.

14 Aug 2006: 53 Tamil school girls killed by Sri Lankan air strike on children's home (14 Aug 2014)

Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development stated the government would not allow any Indian fishermen into their waters, even for short periods of time.

Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunarathne dismissed the notion of allowing Indian fishermen permission to enter Sri Lankan waters saying,

“We cannot agree to let Indian fishermen fish in Sri Lankan waters even for a day.”

His comments come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting in Delhi to discuss the issue of repeated arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. Frequent attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy has led to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa writing several letters to the Prime Minister, expressing her concern and calling for a “strong and robust" response to the arrests, whilst protests against the arrests have taken place in Tamil Nadu.

The Commander of the Sri Lankan Army said that the military was still working on the “psychological elimination of the threat” since the end of the armed conflict and rejected suggestions of reducing the size of Sri Lanka’s armed forces.

Speaking in an interview to Adaderana, Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake justified the increased involvement of Sri Lanka’s expanding military in civilian affairs, saying,

“Winning a war of this nature has basically two parts. That is physical elimination of a threat and psychological elimination of the threat. What we achieved in May 2009 is physical elimination of the threat. Thereafter achieving psychological elimination is a process and there are no shortcuts to it,” added Ratnayake.

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs ministry has confirmed that a visa for US journalist Gardiner Harris has been “put on hold” following advice from the Sri Lankan High Commission in India, reports the Sunday Leader.

Harris, South Asia Correspondent for The New York Times, tweeted that he had applied for a visa more than 50 days ago, yet was still waiting to hear from Sri Lankan authorities.

I applied for a J-visa to Sri Lanka on June 30. 50 days later, still no word. Press freedom? @Abeynayake @tingilye @CHOGMSriLanka — Gardiner Harris (@GardinerHarris) August 18, 2014