Further reforms are necessary “before Sri Lanka can be considered on a path to sustainable democratisation governed by the rule of law,” said the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Monica Pinto during an oral update at the 32nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The rapporteur went stress the need to address  the independence of prosecutors and investigators in the accountability process Sri Lanka had internationally committed to, adding

China's Ambassador to Sri Lankan Yi Xianliang called on the Chief Minister of the Northern Province on Tuesday with the two discussing prospects for reconciliation and harmony on the island.

Indonesian police fired a warning shot into the air to stop Tamil asylum seekers from disembarking from the boat which is currently stranded off Aceh's coast, The Age reported.

The group of 44 men, women and children have been stranded there since June 11.

Amnesty International earlier this week called on the Indonesian authorities to allow the asylum seekers to disembark and meet with UN Refugee Agency officials, highlighting the ongoing discrimination faced by Tamils in the North-East.

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa this week called on the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi ensure those responsible for genocide against Tamils to be brought to justice.

Meeting with Mr Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, Ms Jayalalitha made these demands in a memorandum which she submitted to him, the Financial Express reported.

She also called for Eelam Tamil refugees in India to be granted dual citizenship.

The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal said the US stood ‘very firmly’ on the need for progress on accountability in Sri Lanka.

Addressing the Sri Lanka Policy Forum at The Program on Peace-building and Human Rights at Colombia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Ms Biswal noted that a lot more needed to be done, reports Colombo Gazette.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday warned that the Sri Lankan government's inaction on critical areas was putting the country's economic outlook at risk, reported Reuters.

"Despite positive growth momentum, the Sri Lankan economy is facing challenges due to the difficult external environment and a period of significant political transition," the IMF executive board was quoted by the news site as saying.

Amnesty International on Wednesday called on the Indonesian government to allow over 40 Tamils fleeing from Sri Lanka to disembark and meet with UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) officials.

“These people have endured a long and difficult journey already. Now that they have reached land in Aceh, they should be allowed to disembark and meet UNHCR officials,” Amnesty International’s director of campaigns for South East Asia and the Pacific, Josef Benedict said in a statement.

Noting the ongoing discrimination against Tamils, Amnesty said in a statement:

"Despite many recent improvements, there are still concerns about discriminatory practices against Tamils by law enforcement officials."

"The UN Human Rights Council noted in April that Sri Lanka saw a spate of arrests of Tamils under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Arrests carried out under the PTA have, in a number of cases, failed to meet the minimum standards of due process laid out in directives by Sri Lanka’s National Human Rights Commission. Tamil Sri Lankans remain deeply concerned about what they say is a persistent culture of surveillance in the north and east of the country."

The Sri Lankan government is planning to replace the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act with three new acts. The National Security Act, the Prevention of Organised Crimes Act and the Intelligence Act will replace the PTA and are aimed at preventing the re-emergence of terrorism, consolidate inter communal harmony, the rule of law and national security, Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi told the Daily Mirror.

“All these new legislative measures are still in the formative stage and being drafted,” Mr Hettiarachchi said.