The Sri Lankan army continues its surveillance and interference in released land, local sources report.

A barricade, with at least one soldier keeping surveillance, went up in Kankesanthurai the day after the use of another army check-point was discontinued.

The United Nations Human Rights Chief Prince Zeid Al Hussein, stressed that the “government had not moved fast enough with tangible measures to build confidence among victims and minority communities” adding “ there are anxieties that the full promise of governance reform, transitional justice and economic revival.”

Addressing the Human Rights Council with an interim update on Sri Lanka’s progress at implementing resolution 30/1 on reconciliation and accountability, Mr Hussein said,

“I remain convinced the international participation in the accountability mechanisms, as stipulated in the Human Rights Council’s resolution, would be a necessary guarantee for the credibility, independence and impartiality of the process in the eyes of victims given the magnitude and complexity of the alleged international crimes, which the OHCHR investigation could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

Mr Hussein added that consultation processes must allow for victims “on the participation of international actors” and with a view to “shaping the design of transitional justice programmes”

Noting that “military presence in the North and east remains heavy,”  he added, “ A culture of surveillance and, in certain instances, intimidation also persists. These point to a deeper challenge for the Government in asserting full control over military intelligence establishment.”

Suggesting that the council should be encouraged by Sri Lanka’s steps so far, the Human Rights Chief caveated,  “continuing allegations of human rights violations must be swiftly addressed and the structures and institutional culture that promoted those practices be dismantled, to show there will be no tolerance for practices of the past.”

An advanced version of the High Commissioner for Human Right’s oral update released on Monday, called on Sri Lanka's government to take concrete “steps to address impatience, anxiety and reservations towards the process,” noting that “international participation in the accountability mechanisms would be a necessary guarantee for the independence and impartiality of the process.”

SriLankan Airlines announced that it will be suspending flights to Paris and Frankfurt as the carrier continues to make losses.

The airline said in a statement that the Sri Lankan government has made it clear that it will no longer fund continuing losses and that the “route network is being continuously evaluated in the context of changing market dynamics”.

The European market travelling with the airlines has reportedly dropped which has been “further exacerbated by the depreciation of the Euro against the Dollar”.