Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan will meet the Chief Minister of the Northern Province CV Wigneswaran during his 3 day visit to Sri Lanka.

After meeting Mr Wigneswaran in Jaffna, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister will participate in a donation ceremony at Jaffna Library and launch the Lee Foundation-Singhealth Orthopedic Development Programme at the Jaffna University Medical Facility.

Singapore’s Foreign Minister is also set to meet  Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake on Tuesday for bilateral talks, followed by official statements to the media in Colombo.

Talks on establishing a Free Trade Agreement between Sri Lanka and China are to reach their seventh round said Sri Lanka’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen.

Speaking at the launch of the China Guangxi Products Expo in Colombo on Friday, Mr Bathiudeen highlighted that 42% of Sri Lanka’s imports where from China, adding,

“Our talks with China are progressing smoothly, the sixth round of talks were successfully concluded in March in Beijing. We are working for the seventh FTA round next.”

Photographs: Tamil Guardian

Hundreds of Tamils protested in Mullaitivu against Sri Lankan state-organised resettlement schemes for Muslims that that locals say are intended to alter the ethno-demography of the area and destroy hundreds of acres of forest planted and preserved by the LTTE.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced that she will be visiting Sri Lanka later this month where she will hold talks with government leaders.

In a press release on Monday, Ms Bishop said she will meet with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to “discuss progress on the implementation of Sri Lanka's reconciliation process, which is critical to its long-term security and prosperity”.

Sri Lanka's police spoke publicly this week about what they described as "cogent evidence" against the former navy spokesperson over the disappearance of 11 Tamil youths in 2008. 

Speaking at a press conference, the police spokesperson was quoted by Ceylon Today as saying, "on 28 May, 2009 Former Navy Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda submitted a written complaint against his Chief Security Officer, Lieutenant Commander Sampath Munasighe."

The Sri Lankan government on Monday signed a US$ 100 million credit agreement with the World Bank to support the island's higher education sector. 

The Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) operation is aimed at increasing enrollment in priority disciplines, improving the quality of degree programs, and promoting research and innovation in the higher education sector. 

The Sri Lankan government rejected reports that new visa screening processes would result in visas not being issued, stating that visas would be issued "without any special test or delay irrespective of their country of origin". 

Sri Lanka's prime minister and UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday called for the SLFP and UNP to continue to work together as a unity government, arguing it was necessary for the country's development. 

His comments came as Sri Lankan papers were increasingly dubious over the longevity of the unity government. 

The United States and Sri Lanka are to renew a defence agreement which was signed in 2007, according to reports in the Sri Lankan press.

The Sunday Leader and Colombo Gazette report that Sri Lanka’s cabinet was informed of the decision to renewal a defence deal by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who was acting in his capacity as Minister of Defence.

Microfinance loans with soaring interest rates have left the community in Batticaloa trapped in a cycle of debt, reports The Hindu.

In a piece entitled “Getting sucked into a quicksand of debt”, villagers in the Eastern town described how microfinance loans have left many trapped.

“First, it was the tsunami that destroyed our community,” said one villager. “Then came the war. Now, it’s microfinance.”

Another spoke of how he was planning on selling his kidney to repay microfinance loans. “They say I will get LKR 8-9 lakhs (about INR3.7 lakhs), but even that won’t be enough to fully repay our loan,” he said.