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An Indian Navy submarine, Sindhukesari, has arrived at the port of Colombo for Operational Turnarounds, the Sri Lankan Navy said in a statement issued on Monday. The Sri Lankan Navy welcomed the Indian submarine with full naval traditions on its arrival on Sunday. The submarine's crew is scheduled to participate in a variety of programmes organised by the Sri Lanka Navy, including visits to several tourist attractions in the island nation. "#INSSindhukesari, a submarine of the #IndianNavy, arrived at the Port of #Colombo for Operational Turnarounds and was welcomed by the @srilanka_navy with full naval honours," High Commission of India in Sri Lanka posted on social media. The navies of India and Sri Lanka have recently executed deep-sea dives, enhancing joint capabilities in underwater search, rescue and salvage operations, as part of a bilateral naval exercise held off the coast of Colombo.
Sri Lanka's Finance Ministry has said that the computer system of the External Resources Department has been hacked by cyber hackers who gained unauthorised access and carried out a theft involving a foreign currency payment. The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development on Wednesday said it has already lodged complaints with law enforcement agencies and other relevant institutions regarding the theft. "Cyber hackers have gained unauthorised access to the computer system of an External Resources Department within the institution," the ministry statement said. The statement came to be issued after the opposition claimed that USD 2.5 million of treasury funds had gone to an account other than the relevant foreign debt repayment account of Australian origin. A group of opposition lawyers wrote to the speaker of parliament that in September 2025, Sri Lanka was due to pay USD 22.9 million dollars to a creditor. USD 2.5 million, being a partial payment of that amount, had b
Over 230 sailors of two Iranian Naval vessels distressed in Sri Lanka after a US submarine attack and engine failure respectively have been repatriated, defence officials said here Wednesday. A total of 238 sailors were sent back on board a Turkish Airliner late on Tuesday night. On March 4, Iran's naval ship 'Iris Dena' was attacked by the US killing 84 on board outside Sri Lanka's international waters. As many as 32 others were rescued by Sri Lanka. Then three days later, Iran's second ship 'Iris Bushehr' was allowed into Sri Lanka waters after it reported an engine failure. Over 200 on board the second ship were accommodated at Welisara, a Naval facility outside Colombo. The 238 repatriated on Tuesday were sailors from both ships, defence officials said. A group of 'Iris Dena' survivors were accommodated at Koggala, a Sri Lankan Airforce facility near the southern port of Galle. They were receiving treatment at the national hospital in Galle. On March 14, the Iranian embassy i
At least 12 more Indian fishermen have been arrested and their trawler confiscated by the Sri Lankan Navy for alleged poaching in Sri Lankan waters. "During an operation conducted in the dark hours of April 11, the Sri Lanka Navy seized one Indian fishing boat and apprehended 12 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters off Kovilam in Karainagar Jaffna," an official statement said. On April 8, at least 10 Indian fishermen were arrested and their trawler confiscated by the Sri Lankan Navy for alleged poaching in Sri Lankan waters in the sea area North of Mannar on Wednesday. So far, this year the Sri Lankan Navy has seized 16 trawlers and arrested 112 Indian fishermen for alleged poaching. The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters. The Palk .
Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha took part in the signing of the MoU for Cooperation between Colombo Dockyard and Dredging Corporation of India.The High Commission said on Tuesday that the Indian maritime sector also stands to benefit from the high skill set of the Colombo Dockyard.In a post on X, the High Commission said, "High Commissioner Santosh Jha witnessed the signing of the MoU for Cooperation between Colombo Dockyard & Dredging Corporation of India. The MoU will provide a pathway for Colombo Dockyard to benefit from the enhanced business volumes of the Indian maritime industry. The Indian maritime sector will also benefit from the high skill set of the Colombo Dockyard. The MoU showcases the strengthening of the India-Sri Lanka economic & commercial partnership, contributing to the mutual benefit of both countries."Sri Lanka has also acknowledged India's support in maintaining fuel supplies to the country during a period of global uncertainty, ...
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending an oil shipment to ease the fuel supply disruptions in the Island nation caused by the West Asia conflict. A shipment of 38,000 MT of fuel, comprising 20,000 MT of diesel and 18,000 MT of petrol, arrived in Colombo on Saturday, as an emergency support through the local operation of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Lanka IOC (LIOC). "Spoke with PM @narendramodi a few days ago about the fuel supply disruptions Sri Lanka is facing due to the Middle East conflict. Grateful for India's swift support. 38,000 MT of fuel arrived in Colombo yesterday," Dissanayake posted on social media. The Sri Lankan President also thanked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for his support. "My thanks also to EAM @DrSJaishankar for his close coordination", he said. Earlier, Sri Lanka also held talks with Jaishankar to seek assistance on energy sustainability in view of the volatile situation i
The Sri Lankan government on Sunday urged the public to use fuel and electricity sparingly to cushion potential shortages amid volatile global oil markets. This came as the island nation raised fuel retail prices at midnight, the second such hike in a week. As a conservation measure, the government had rationed fuel retail distribution based on a QR code issued for each vehicle. "We urge the public to consume electricity and fuel mindfully and limit energy consumption to a minimum," said government spokesman and minister Nalinda Jayatissa. He warned against hoarding fuel and sought information on such attempts. The minister's statement comes in the backdrop of Iran's ongoing war with the US and Israel, which has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important choke point for the world's energy supplies. With the two cost escalations, the fuel retail prices are set to return to the levels of the 2022 economic crisis, when the island nation declared its first-
Sri Lanka refused permission for the US to land two of its warplanes in the island's southeast Mattala International Airport in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament here on Friday. Dissanayake said that two US warplanes from Djibouti asked for permission to come to Sri Lanka on March 4 and 8. Both requests were rejected, he said. "We want to maintain our neutrality despite many pressures. We won't give in. The Middle East war poses challenges but we will do everything possible to remain neutral," he said. "They wanted to bring in two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport and we said no," the Sri Lankan president said. Dissanayake's statement comes a day after his meeting with US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor. The two leaders discussed US efforts to safeguard vital sea lanes and secure ports, reinforce mutually beneficial trade and commercial ties, and advance a free,
The US Special Representative for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor and Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Thursday discussed strengthening of bilateral relations and the island nation's position on the West Asia crisis. The US Special envoys' visit to Sri Lanka comes at a time when Sri Lanka came to be embroiled in the joint US-Israeli war against Iran since February 28. Gor met with Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat as part of "US efforts to safeguard vital sea lanes and secure ports, reinforce mutually beneficial trade and commercial ties, and advance a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific for the benefit of both our peoples," a release from the US Pacific Command said. Gor and Dissanayake's "discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties and Sri Lanka's position on the Middle East conflict and its challenges," the President's Media Division (PMD) said in a post on X. The US Special envoy will also travel to Maldives after Sri Lanka in the 5-day vi
A top official of the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation, the company's Sri Lanka operation, on Saturday assured continued fuel supplies amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia. The statement from Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) comes after Sri Lanka's foreign minister, Vijitha Herath, expressed confidence that the request to his Indian counterpart, Dr S. Jaishankar, would help sustain island nations' energy supply chain. Herath discussed the matter with Jaishankar during his official visit to India on March 6. Addressing a gathering of management students here on Saturday, K Raghu, the managing director of LIOC, said,"As the Managing Director of Lanka IOC, I only want to tell the people that you are all in safe hands." "We will maintain the fuel line and provide energy security to the country, which is very important," Raghu added. "I will not say the situation is very rosy, but I will definitely assure you that you are all in safe hands, he said, adding that the companies and the .
Sri Lanka has repatriated the remains of 84 Iranian sailors who were killed when their frigate was sunk by a US submarine, an official said. Last week on Wednesday, Sri Lanka said it had recovered 84 bodies of Iranian sailors after the US submarine attack sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Galle on the island's southern coast. The ship was returning to Iran from Visakhapatnam, India, where it had participated in a naval fleet review exercise. "Human remains were sent by the Iranian embassy on Friday - all 84", a foreign ministry spokesman said. They were sent on a chartered Turkish airliner, which departed on Friday, reporters present at the Mattala international airport in the southern district of Hambantota said. The Chief Magistrate, Sameera Dodangoda, gave the order on March 11 to the Director of the National Hospital at Karapitiya to hand over 84 bodies of the sailors from Iris Dena to the Embassy of Iran. Following the magistrate's court order, the arrangements were ...
Sri Lanka has increased retail fuel prices by over 8 per cent with effect from midnight Monday in a bid to curb hoarding and panic buying amid rising global crude oil prices, officials said on Tuesday. The price revision comes as global crude oil prices crossed USD 100 per barrel for the first time in four years following escalating tensions in West Asia. Under the latest revision, the prices of widely used petrol and diesel varieties have been increased by LKR 22 per litre, the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said. The move is aimed at curbing hoarding and panic buying, it said. "We have noticed heavy consumption since the news of the Middle East war situation," a CPC official said. Long queues have been seen outside fuel stations since February 28 after hostilities intensified following US-Iran strikes against Iran, triggering fears of supply disruptions. The CPC said Sri Lanka currently has sufficient fuel stocks to last until the end of April.
At least 22 Iranian sailors of IRIS Dena, the Iranian ship that was torpedoed by the US, have been discharged, hospital authorities said on Sunday. "They were dispatched in ambulances to the Sri Lanka Air Force facility at Koggala outside Galle under heavy security," officials said. Another 10 sailors remain under treatment at the National Hospital Galle in Karapitiya. They were admitted on Wednesday after the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena sank after being torpedoed by a US submarine off Galle on the island's southern coast. Sri Lanka on Wednesday said it had recovered 84 bodies of Iranian sailors killed in the attack. The ship was returning home from Visakhapatnam in India after a naval fleet review exercise. Sri Lanka on Saturday said steps were being taken to repatriate their bodies. The government said that the situation had not improved yet to try sending them by air or sea. The magisterial inquiry and the post-mortems on 84 bodies were concluded in the southern port town of Gal
Sri Lanka will repatriate the bodies of the Iranian sailors who were killed on IRIS Dena, the first Iranian ship that was torpedoed by the US, the Deputy Defence Minister said on Saturday. Sri Lanka said on Wednesday it had recovered 84 bodies of Iranian sailors after the US submarine attack sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Galle on the island's southern coast. The ship had been returning to Iran from Visakhapatnam, India, where it had participatedin a naval fleet review exercise. "The bodies are kept under refrigeration and action will be taken to send them back to Iran," Minister Aruna Jayasekera told reporters answering a query here on Saturday. The government maintains that the situation has not improvedyet to try sending them by air or by sea. The magisterial inquiry and the post-mortem on 84 bodies were concluded in the southern port town of Galle on March 5. Eighty of the 84 were identified by the survivors. The government announced on Saturday that at the Food Polic
The Sri Lankan Navy on Friday said 204 of the 208 Iranian personnel on board IRINS Bushehr have been "safely" transferred to the port of Colombo, two days after another Iranian frigate was sunk near the island nation. Four sailors are remaining on the ship which had developed trouble in one of the engines, the navy said. The navy said it will take at least two more days for the ship to reach the eastern port of Trincomalee from its current location outside capital Colombo. Navy spokesman Commander Buddika Sampath said the Iranian sailors will be taken to the navy camp at Welisara, a northern suburb in Colombo. "They will be subject to medical examination as a formality of registration," Sampath said. In a televised address on Thursday, Dissanayake said the vessel, IRINS Bushehr, had sought permission to enter Sri Lankan waters, citing an engine failure. "We wanted to remain neutral while dealing with a humanitarian response," he said, adding that Sri Lanka's role was limited to .