Defence Secretary and war crimes accused Gotabhaya Rajapkasa has said he welcomes international visits to the north of the island, as this could help the government “counter the lies” that are spread by the “LTTE rump”.

Rape and torture by Sri Lankan security forces continues unabated despite the imminent arrival of David Cameron and 50 world leaders for a Commonwealth summit in the country, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) today.

Data gathered by Human Rights Watch revealed that Sri Lanka had the 2^nd highest number of outstanding disappearance cases in the world.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) urged the Sri Lankan government to regain Sri lanka’s image.

The UNP spokesperson, Gayantha Karunathilaka, outlined the need to build confidence among members of the international community and improve the country’s ‘image’ in the international arena.

The Sri Lankan military commander of the 57 division that was deployed in Vanni during the final stages of the armed conflict, has been side-lined from an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) event in Australia.

The Vatican’s ‘Justitia-et-Pax’ (Justice and Peace) commission in the Jaffna diocese has denounced the genocide against the Tamil people and called on The Holy See to exert political pressure on the government of Sri Lanka.

An Australian activist was detained during a raid by immigration authorities on a meeting of journalists on Wednesday.

Jacqui Park, the Asia-Pacific representative for the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), was accused of working without a visa.

NPC Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran said it was unlikely that he would attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, according to Sri Lanka’s Financial Times.

“I do not think I will be going,” Wigneswaran said.

“I will ask the TNA to advise me on whether or not to attend CHOGM. I will go along with the party’s decision,”