Following a brutal crackdown on demonstrators and the establishment of "high-security zones" in Colombo, Human Rights Watch has urged the Sri Lankan government to reverse course and respect people's right to protest.

The statement follows a sweeping crackdown on demonstrators last week that saw the arrest of 84 people,  who had taken to the streets to demand the release of student activists detained under Sri Lanka's notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act. The police reportedly used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters last Saturday.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reportedly told Sri Lanka’s president Ranil Wickremesinghe that his government was “looking forward to investing in Sri Lanka once again,” as the two met in Tokyo yesterday.

A free trade deal between the two countries was signed in 2018, when Wickremesinghe was prime minister, but was scrapped a year later as Sri Lankan opposition grew.

In the aftermath of devastating floods in Pakistan that have killed more than 1,600 people and displaced millions, Sri Lanka responded by handing over a “Ceylon Tea consignment”.

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Vice Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama, handed the consignment to the Director of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan Col. Sajid Rafiq.

The Northern Province Fisheries Network and the National Fisheries Cooperation Organization held a meeting with the Indian Deputy Consul General for Jaffna on Tuesday to discuss continued difficulties over fishing.

In the meeting, concerns were raised over India's trawling industry and Anrani Jesudasan, coordinator of the Marine Industry Network, issued a request to discuss these issues directly with India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The Indian consul assured her that this could be arranged.

A ceremony was held in Batticaloa this week to mark 50 years since Father Chandra Fernando, a Tamil activist that was assassinated in 1988, was ordained as a priest.

Speaking before the UN General Assembly during its 77^th session, Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Ali Sabry gave a wide-ranging address touching on issues of democracy, economics, and defending Palestinian’s right to self-determination.          

Sri Lanka’s president Ranil Wickremesinghe is in Japan today, as he attended the second international state funeral since he took office earlier this year and also engaged in discussions with senior Japanese officials.

Wickremesinghe attended the funeral of the former prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead whilst giving a speech in the city of Nara in July. He was accompanied by his Chief-Of-Staff Sagala Ratnayake at the funeral, which was attended by several other leading figures from around the world.

The Sri Lankan navy arrested 12 persons, including women and children, who tried to flee the island and escape to a  foreign country via sea through Mannar on September 22nd. 

The apparent confessions of three Tamil political prisoners were today rejected by the Vavuniya High Court, and the case has been fixed for trial on October 14^th.

The confessions were filed by the political prisoners Rasathurai Thiruvarul, Mathiarasan Sulakshan and Ganeshan Tharshan in 2013.

Senior US Ambassador Cindy McCain met with the Sri Lankan president and other officials in the country, as she highlighted the “United States’ long-standing commitment to the people of Sri Lanka,” on a visit to the island.

McCain, the US Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome, will reportedly “assess humanitarian needs, inspect US-funded assistance, and advocate for long-term strategies to build food security for all Sri Lankans” during her trip.