Sri Lanka blocked access to the anti-government website Lanka-e-news this week, drawing criticism from the US.
 
Perhaps this is the story that prompted the move: 'doctored photographs'.

Sri Lankan foreign minister, GL Peiris, attempted to denigrate the TNA (Tamil National Alliance) as the a TNA delegation met US state department officials in Washington, as well as the UN Secretary General in New York. 

Asserting that the TNA was not the sole representative of the Tamils in the North-East, Peiris lamented Sri Lanka's inability to dictate to the UN whom they should meet.

“There are many political parties, some of who are in [the Sri Lankan] parliament, that represent the Tamils.

So it would be a fundamental fallacy to look upon the point of view of the TNA as the one which reflects the view of all Tamil speaking people of this country.”

The TNA swept the local government elections in the Tamil homeland, earlier this year, despite vote-rigging and voter intimidation by the numerous Tamil paramilitary agents working in cahoots with the ruling regime.

The international community,led firmly by the US, have been relentlessly stressed the importance of the Sri Lankan government holding talks with the TNA in order to make genuine progress on addressing legitimate Tamil grievances.

However, the Sri Lankan government has forestalled and interrupted such talks.

See also 'On TNA's election victory' by Suresh Premachandran, of the TNA. 

“While the Embassy does not endorse the views of any particular media outlet, the United States believes that a free and independent media is vital to ensuring the health and continuation of any democracy. 

Freedom of expression, including unfettered access to Internet news websites, is a basic right which must be respected.”

Slamming Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper's threat to boycott the next Commonwealth meeting, which is to be held in Sri Lanka, if there is not satisfactory progress on war crimes investigation, Sri Lankan foreign minister, G.L. Peiris, claimed that such views did not reflect Canadian foreign policy towards Sri Lanka.

Harper vowed last month that he would not attend the 2013 Commonwealth summit to be held in Sri Lanka, unless Colombo agreed to independent investigations into war crimes committed by its forces. Harper is reported to have walked out of the CHOGM summit when Rajapaksa addressed delegates on Sunday.

Harper's views have received widespread support within the Canadian parliament and have been echoed by the British prime minister David Cameron.

Peiris went on to criticise Canadian attempts to discuss Sri Lanka's current human rights situation as "an attempt to politicise the proceeding of the Commonwealth".

He added,

"[The CHGOM] not intended for discussing domestic matters; yet the Sri Lankan government had nothing to hide and are open for bilateral discussion."

Despite the relentless focus on Sri Lanka's human rights record and war crimes during the past week, Peiris proclaimed to Sri Lanka's media that the outcome of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was "an unparalleled achievement of Sri Lanka's foreign policy and diplomacy".

A day after the LLRC spokesperson told reporters the findings would not necessarily made public, Peiris also informed reporters of Sri Lanka's u-turn.

"The president has categorically stated it will be a public document," said Peiris.

The LLRC (Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission) has been deemed as ‘flawed at every level’ by Amnesty International and categorically dismissed by the International Crisis Group, Human Rights Watch, and several eminent persons,including Nelson Mandela.

A new bill, allowing the takeover of 36 private companies is due to be presented in parliament on the 9th of November, the Daily Mirror reports.

The bill, called ‘The Revival of Underperforming Enterprises and Underutilized Assets’, will allow the state to take over the companies and their assets.

The institutions marked for takeovers, include Sevanagala Sugar Industries Ltd, a company owned by Ampara district UNP organizer Daya Gamage, says the Daily Mirror.

The government will also gain powers to appoint a new board to manage the institutions.

An unnamed UNP MP has criticised the bill, claiming that the government could now takeover any institution through amending the bill. He also expressed concerns that potential investors would be put off from investing in Sri Lanka, once the bill is passed.

UNP Chief Whip JohnAmaratunge has slammed the government's attempt to 'rush' through the bill in a letter to Parliamentary Speaker, Chamal Rajapakse, warning that the move will have an adverse effect on the economy.

International human rights group, Amnesty International, slammed the Commonwealth for failing a "critical moral challenge" through its inaction on Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth last week.

Amnesty's National Director, Claire Mallinson, said,

“It is an absolute disgrace that Commonwealth leaders have agreed to hold their next meeting in Sri Lanka in spite of its appalling human rights record.”

“They are allowing war crimes to go uninvestigated, unpunished and unaccounted for.

"The Australian Government as host and other members of the Commonwealth have missed a crucial opportunity to show leadership on human rights.”

“Considering the atrocities, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard simply raising the issue of human rights with the Sri Lankan President is woefully inadequate.

"Commonwealth leaders have failed a critical moral challenge – standing up for the tens of thousands of victims of this brutal conflict,”

“By turning a blind eye to war crimes, the Commonwealth is losing its legitimacy on human rights.”

Sri Lanka has been aiming to boost its trade with Canada, with a delegation meeting with businessmen in Toronto earlier this week, despite Canada’s continued concern regarding Sri Lanka’s war-time abuses committed against the Tamil people.

The ten-member delegation visited the country after a gap of almost three years, attempting to enhance trade links between the two. The visit though comes at a time when Canada is lobbying for Sri Lanka to be held accountable for violations of international humanitarian law.

See report by Inter Press Service here.

Canada had attempted to raise the issue of Sri Lanka’s human rights at this year’s Commonwealth meeting in Perth, but this was blocked by the Sri Lankans.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris told the press that he felt Canada’s move “was entirely inappropriate."

It comes as Sri Lanka grows increasingly frustrated by moves by the international community to address allegations of war crimes, being led by Canada.

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper already walked out during Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s speech at the Commonwealth and vowed to boycott the next Commonwealth meeting, due to be held in Sri Lanka, unless progress is seen on human rights.

High Commissioner Chitranganee Wagiswara told Canadian reporters,

"We are not happy about the statements being made.”

Yet, the Sri Lankans have been reluctant to cut off links with the Canadians.

Buddhadasa Herath, the Sri Lankan deputy consul general and trade commissioner based in Toronto, said,

"We have to work hard to promote trade between Canada and Sri Lanka."

In 2010, Sri Lankan exports to Canada totalled 124 million dollars, while Canadian exports to the country averaged 339 million dollars, tipping the balance heavily in Canada’s favour.

Sri Lanka’s controversial reconciliation commission has completed its report and will present it to President Mahinda Rajapakse in the second week of November.

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission was set up by the President and was supposed to look into the conflict with the Tamil Tigers, but it has been slammed by human rights organisations and foreign officials as a farce.

The spokesman for the LLRC, Lakshman Wickramasinghe told reporters, that it is not in the commission’s hand to make it public.

"Our mandate limits us to handing it over to the President. Making it public or otherwise will be entirely in the President's hands," Wickremasinghe said.

Amnesty International has dismissed the inquiry as ‘flawed at every level’.

A group of eminent persons formed by Nelson Mandela has also criticised the commission.

The Elders Group member and former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari told the BBC that the Elders were sceptical about the LLRC's work "looking at previous examples of special commissions in Sri Lanka.

"Over the last 30 years the reports of other commissions similar to this have not even been made public. So this effort leaves much to be desired," said Mr Ahtisaari.

See our previous reports:

Britain’s Labour Party backs international inquiry into Sri Lanka (02 Oct 2011)

'US comments on LLRC help Sri Lanka thwart international action' (13 Sep 2011)

Amnesty on Sri Lanka's LLRC (07 Sep 2011)

“You need the ability to run events, the technical knowledge, volunteers, spectators that want to fill the stands, the ability to deliver major infrastructure and the ability to organise.”

"The one thing the speech from the president said to me is we are in a fair dinkum competition with Sri Lanka.”

"Let's be very clear about this, we are here to compete and I'm here to win.''

"I've been discussing this with the Canadians and I think we all have a similar view, which is we want to see Sri Lanka do more in terms of human rights, we want them to do more in terms of reconciliation after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.”

"I've had that conversation myself with President Rajapakse, who's here.”

"They should be aware of the fact that they're holding this Commonwealth summit in 2013 and it's up to them to show further progress so they can welcome the maximum number of countries when they do."

"a proper, independent exercise to look into the whole issue of what happened, and whether there were war crimes, and who is responsible".

"The message I've given is look, the Tamil Tigers have been defeated, you're in government, you have an opportunity now to show magnanimity and also to show a process of reconciliation and to demonstrate to the rest of the world that you don't have things to hide.

It is very important that pressure is applied."

"The Commonwealth is a great organisation, a third of the world's population, 54 countries across six continents, a really great network, but it is a network that must have strong values.

"The Eminent Persons Group report will strengthen those values particularly by having a charter setting out the rights, the freedoms, the democracy that we all believe in, and I think that is important."

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed last month that he would not attend the 2013 Commonwealth summit to be held in Sri Lanka, unless Colombo agreed to independent investigations into war crimes committed by its forces.

On Monday, British Premier David Cameron said his government’s position was ‘similar’ to Canada’s.

Both leaders told reporters they had stressed the point to Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa this weekend.

Speaking to reporters later about his conversation with Rajapaksa, Harper said:

“I think it's fair to say that the general tone of the president of Sri Lanka regarding these concerns was reassuring.

“However, I remain skeptical of some of the reassurances and will be working, obviously, between now and the next Commonwealth to ensure that our concerns are genuinely addressed.

“And if they're not genuinely addressed, my previous position remains what it is.”

See The Globe and Mail's report here.

The leader of the BJP, India’s main opposition party, has demanded an immediate stop to the attacks perpetrated by the Sri Lankan Navy on Tamil Nadu’s fishermen.

"Sri Lanka must be told firmly that the repeated attacks on Indian fishermen must end," he told reporters in Madurai.

"It should not be regarded as a local matter as it does not relate to Tamil Nadu only. It must be regarded as a part of the national strategy and the government must evolve a plan on how to deal with it," he said.

"The repeated attacks on Tamil fishermen by Sri Lankan navy and security forces is deeply reprehensible. The government of India must take up the issue in an effective and forthright manner to prevent the recurrence of such deplorable incidents,"

Advani also called for dignified rehabilitation of Tamil refugees along with a recognition of their democratic rights.