Page 6 - India-sri Lanka

Adani project to China: What Sri Lanka President's stance means for India

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, known for pro-China leanings in the past, on Monday officially took the oath of office as Sri Lanka's new President

Inspired by Che: Who is new Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake?

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning politician, has been sworn in as Sri Lanka's new President. Who is he? Why did he join politics? How does he view India? All your questions answered

Share PM Modi's commitment to boost Lanka-India ties: President Dissanayake

Sri Lanka's new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday said that he shares Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. Dissanayake said this in a post on X in response to Prime Minister Modi's post on Sunday in which he congratulated the Marxist leader for his victory in Sri Lanka's presidential election. "Thank you, Prime Minister Modi, for your kind words and support. I share your commitment to strengthening the ties between our nations. Together, we can work towards enhancing cooperation for the benefit of our peoples and the entire region," Dissanayake said. Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president on Monday after his victory in Saturday's election. Dissanayake, 56, the leader of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front National People's Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). Modi in his post said he looks forward to working closely with him to further strengthen the

Congress congratulates Sri Lanka President-elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake

The Congress on Monday congratulated Anura Kumara Dissanayake for his victory in the Sri Lankan presidential elections, and said the people of India look forward to strengthening ties and shared values for the benefit of the region. Marxist leader Dissanayake was declared the winner of the Sri Lankan presidential election by the country's Election Commission after an unprecedented second round of counting of votes. Dissanayake, 56, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front National People's Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "On the behalf of the Indian National Congress, I extend my heartiest congratulations to Anura Kumara Dissanayake on being elected the Executive President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka." India and Sri Lanka have a rich legacy of multi-faceted cooperation and interaction, which dates back centuries, he said in

India signs MoU for establishment of Colombo Security Conclave Secretariat

India on Friday signed the Charter and memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Secretariat along with Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Mauritius.National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, along with representatives from Maldives, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka, signed a charter and memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Secretariat, according to the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka.The Signing Ceremony was hosted in Colombo by the Government of Sri Lanka. The signing event marked a significant step in regional security collaboration among India, Maldives, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka.High Commission of India in Sri Lanka shared some photos of X and stated, "NSA Mr Ajit Doval KC joined reps from Maldives, Mauritius & Sri Lanka in signing the Charter & MoU for the establishment of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Secretariat today. A key platform to enhance regional security cooperation, the ...

NSA Ajit Doval calls on Sri Lankan Prez, discusses economic collaboration

India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Friday called on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and discussed the ongoing bilateral economic collaboration. Doval arrived here on Thursday to attend the Colombo Security Conclave to be held on Friday. Doval called on President Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat this morning, the President's Media Division (PMD) said. They discussed the ongoing economic collaboration between Sri Lanka and India. Senior Advisor to the President on National Security, Sagala Ratnayake, also attended the meeting, the PMD said. The Colombo Security Conclave brings together National Security Advisors and Deputy NSAs from India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mauritius. Bangladesh and the Seychelles have observer status at the conclave. The conclave deals with maritime security counter-terrorism and cyber security with India bringing to the fore its own strategic concerns in the Indian Ocean.

India hands over first payment to Sri Lanka for hybrid power projects

Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha on Thursday handed over the first payment for the hybrid power projects on three Sri Lankan islands off northern Jaffna that are being implemented under Indian grant assistance of USD 11 million. The projects to install a hybrid renewable energy system in the Delft, Nainativu and Analaitivu islands are being implemented under Indian grant assistance. "HC @santjha handed over 1st payment for Hybrid Power Projects in Delft, Nainativu and Analaitivu islands to Secretary, Ministry of Power and Energy, Dr Sulakshana Jayawardena and Chairman, Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA)," the Indian High Commission here said in a post on X. It said the project is aimed at addressing the energy needs of the people of the three islands that are not connected to the national grid. The three islets are located close to Tamil Nadu. The Memorandum of Understanding for the project was signed in 2022. It replaced the Chinese venture initially awarded the .

Indo-China naval race hots up as Indian, Chinese warships dock in Sri Lanka

Beijing is also continuing efforts to establish additional overseas military installations and secure access agreements, including in regions near New Delhi

Sri Lanka sets expenditure limits for prez election campaign for first time

For the first time, Sri Lanka's upcoming presidential election on September 21 will be subject to campaign finance regulations, following the introduction of the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act in January 2023. According to a gazette notification dated August 16 and published Monday, each candidate is allowed to spend a maximum of Rs 109 per elector for election campaigning activities, totalling Rs 1,868,298,586 (approx USD 5 million) per candidate. The expenditure limit per candidate has been set at 60 per cent of the total amount, while political party secretaries are allowed 40 per cent for their candidate's election campaign activities. The parties must submit expenditure reports to the Elections Commission within 21 days of the election results being declared, the notification stated. A record number of 39 candidates are in the fray for the upcoming presidential election. Incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe, the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, and the lea

EAM Jaishankar assures to facilitate Indian, Sri Lankan fishermen meet

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday assured a delegation of Tamil Nadu fishermen that a meeting between the fishing communities of India and Sri Lanka will be facilitated to discuss the issues affecting them. He also informed that the recent apprehension of Indian fishermen by the Lankan authorities would be taken up at a meeting of the Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group to work out a solution to the problems, Tamil Nadu BJP state chief K Annamalai said. At the meeting in which the government secretaries too participated, Jaishankar mentioned that the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India was summoned over the death of the Rameswaram fisherman, and a strong protest was registered. "The representatives of the fishing community requested that a joint meeting between the representatives of the fishing community of the two countries be facilitated. Our EAM assured that the same would be considered," Annamalai said in a release here. Jaishankar had reaffirmed that the ...

Indian Navy submarine INS Shalki arrives in Colombo for formal visit

The Indian Naval Submarine (INS) Shalki arrived at the port of Colombo on Friday for a two-day formal visit. The visiting submarine was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy according to naval traditions. INS Shalki is a 64.4m long submarine with a crew of 40, and it is commanded by Commander Rahul Patnaik. During the submarine's stay in Colombo, personnel of the Sri Lanka Navy are expected to visit the submarine to take part in an awareness programme on its operational features." Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of INS Shalki called on Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumarasinghe, at the Western Naval Command Headquarters on Friday. Moreover, the crew members of the submarine are expected to explore some of the tourist attractions in the country. Concluding the official visit, INS Shalki will depart the island nation on August 4. The last Indian submarine to call at Colombo was INS Karanj, which arrived on February 3 on the eve of Sri Lanka's 76th anniversary of

India, Sri Lanka plan roadmap to train 1,500 officers from island nation

A roadmap is being discussed for a collaboration between the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and Sri Lanka's Institute of Development Administration to train 1,500 administrative officers of the island nation in India, according to an official statement issued on Thursday. A high-level Indian delegation, led by NCGG Director General and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) Secretary V Srinivas, visited Sri Lanka from July 7-9. According to an statement issued on Thursday by the Personnel Ministry, the visit was marked by productive deliberations and strategic meetings, and paved the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation and capacity building support for senior public officials of Sri Lanka. "The two sides discussed the roadmap for collaboration between the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration for capacity building programs for 1,500 Sri Lanka Administrative Service Officers in India

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 13 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, seizes 3 boats

As per information received by the Rameswaram Fishermen Association, the fishermen belonged to the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu

India donates digital equipment worth Rs 30 cr to 200 schools in Sri Lanka

Describing it as a project for posterity, India on Saturday donated digital equipment, including 2,000 Tabs, worth Rs 300 million for use by 200 schools in the southern province of Sri Lanka. A ceremony in the southern district of Galle, attended by President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, marked a significant step towards educational modernisation, with the provision of 200 Smart Classrooms and 2,000 Tabs to 200 schools in the Southern Province. Following a request by the Minister of Health and Industry, Dr Ramesh Pathirana, the Government of India allocated Rs 300 million to the Southern Provincial Council for this project. Of the 200 selected schools, 150 are in the Galle district, while the remaining 50 are in the Hambantota and Matara districts, a statement from the President's Media Division (PMD) said. Additionally, 2,000 Tabs were distributed, with each of the 200 classrooms receiving 10 Tabs, the statement said. We deeply appreciate the supp

Lankan politician Sampanthan passes away, PM Modi, EAM sends condolences

R Sampanthan, a veteran Sri Lankan politician and a moderate Tamil leader, passed away last night while receiving treatment in a hospital, the Tamil National Alliance has announced. Sampanthan, 91, led the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) from 2004 and became only the second Tamil to become the main opposition leader in the Sinhala-majority country. He was ailing for a long time and was missing the current parliamentary sessions for a long time. He was a moderate Tamil who had been leading the political movement to achieve a negotiated political settlement to the Tamil demand for political autonomy. The Tamils put forward their demand for autonomy since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, which, from the mid-70s, turned into a bloody armed conflict. He took office as the leader of the opposition in 2015 and was actively involved in the process of drafting a new Constitution until 2019. A brilliant lawyer, Sampanthan entered Parliament for the first time in 1977 from the easte

200 foreigners, mostly Indians, held for cyber financial scams in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan police have arrested at least 200 foreigners, the majority of them Indians, for allegedly engaging in online financial scams, a media report said on Saturday. The Criminal Investigations Department also found that funds obtained through such frauds have been deposited in bank accounts in the UK, Dubai and India. News portal NewsFirst.lk quoted officials from the Criminal Investigation Department who said that there were Chinese, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Nepali nationals among those arrested but a majority of them were Indian nationals. About 400 computers used by the suspects are being subject to investigation. Earlier on Friday, police spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said some 60 Indians were arrested on Thursday from the Colombo suburbs of Madiwela and Battaramulla and the western coastal town of Negombo. The CID had conducted simultaneous raids in these areas leading to the seizure of 135 mobile phones and 57 laptops. The crackdown was the result of a complaint from

10 Indian fishermen arrested, 1 Sri Lankan sailor killed in ops: Navy

At least 10 Indian fishermen were arrested while one Sri Lankan naval sailor was killed in an operation launched by the island nation's authorities to seize a trawler allegedly engaged in illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters, authorities said on Tuesday. The incident came two days after 18 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy for alleged poaching. The operation was launched on Tuesday off the coast of Delft islet in Northern Jaffna when the Sri Lankan Navy received information that an Indian with some fishermen was involved in illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters. "The Navy launched an operation to nab an Indian trawler and fishermen doing illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters. However, during the operation, one Sri Lankan sailor suffered chest injuries from an iron rod in the Indian trawler and died," Navy spokesman Captain Gayan Wickremasuriya told PTI. However, in the operation, the Sri Lankan Navy seized the trawler and arrested 10 Indians from it. T

EAM Jaishankar likely to visit Sri Lanka next week, say officials

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit Sri Lanka on June 20, Foreign Ministry sources said here on Saturday. Sri Lanka was anticipating a visit by Jaishankar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi too was expected to visit the island nation at a later date, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told reporters on Friday. Sabry said the visits were a sequel to President Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to New Delhi last week to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony after he won the third term. However, there was no official announcement on Jaishankar's visit from India's Ministry of External Affairs. If confirmed, this could be Jaishankar's first official stand-alone visit abroad after he was appointed India's External Affairs Minister in the new government. The last time that Jaishankar was in Colombo was in October 2023 to participate in the 23rd Council of Ministers' meeting and the 25th Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). News portal Adadera

IMF extends $336 mn to Lanka amid 'knife-edged' path to debt sustainability

The International Monetary Fund in March this year approved a 48-month, $2.9 billion extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to support Sri Lanka's economic policies and reforms

Sri Lanka has made 'strong progress' on debt restructuring front, says IMF

Sri Lanka's macroeconomic policy reforms have started to "bear fruit" and the country is expected to reach agreements with external commercial creditors soon, the IMF has said ahead of the second review of it's USD 2.9 billion bailout programme to the cash-strapped country. Addressing a press conference on Friday, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Communication Department Director Julie Kozack asserted that Sri Lanka has made "sufficiently strong progress on the debt restructuring front". She said that the island nation's programme performance is "strong", with most quantitative and structural conditionality for the second review met or implemented with delay, adding that reforms are still ongoing in some areas. The second review of the IMF's Extended Fund Facility under the USD 2.9 billion bailout of Sri Lanka has been set for June 12. Kozack confirmed that the IMF's Executive Board will meet to discuss the second review and the Article IV Consultation. Under Article IV of the IM