Page 7 - India-sri Lanka

Modi's swearing-in: Top leaders of neighbouring countries to be invited

India is likely to invite leaders of a number of its neighbouring countries, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, to the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the weekend, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Modi is all set to take charge as the prime minister for a historic third consecutive term with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning 293 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. The people cited above said top leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Mauritius are likely to be among the foreign leaders to be invited for Modi's oath-taking ceremony. The media division of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said Modi invited him to the swearing-in ceremony. It said Wickremesinghe accepted the invite. It said Wickremesinghe congratulated Modi on the electoral victory in a phone call. "During the conversation, Prime Minister @narendramodi invited President Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in ceremo

Leaders of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, congratulate PM Modi on poll victory

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Tuesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the victory of the BJP-led NDA coalition in the general elections and expressed their desire to work closely with him. "I extend my warmest felicitations to the BJP-led NDA on its victory demonstrating the confidence of the Indian people in the progress and prosperity under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi," the Sri Lankan president wrote on X. As the closest neighbour Sri Lanka looks forward to further strengthening the partnership with India, he added. Nepal Prime Minister 'Prachanda' congratulated his Indian counterpart on the electoral success of his party-led alliance. "Congratulations to PM @narendramodi on the electoral success of BJP and NDA in the Lok Sabha elections for the third consecutive term. We are happy to note the successful completion of the world's largest democratic exercise with enthusiastic participati

15 yrs on, Tamil survivors of Lanka civil war live in fear, disempowerment

At the site of a bloody battlefield that marked the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, Singaram Soosaimuthu fishes every day with his son, casting nets and reeling them in. It is a skill he has known for much of his life and one that he had to relearn after a devastating injury. The former Tamil fighter lost both legs in 2009 as the nation's generation-long civil war drew to a close and the Tamils retreated in defeat. Making something of himself despite his injuries brought Soosaimuthu success an achievement in which he finds profound meaning. He sees his fellow ethnic Tamils in the same light: To regain their voice, they must thrive. But defeat bloody, protracted and decisive has brought Sri Lanka's minority Tamil community to a point of despair. Some parents have given up hope of ever learning the fate of the thousands of missing children. Parts of the Tamil lands are decimated, with poor infrastructure and fewer economic opportunities. Survivors have lived under surveillance for

Senior Lankan officer to lead team probing arrest of 4 nationals in India

Sri Lanka police on Wednesday said a senior Deputy Inspector General will head a team appointed to investigate four of its citizens arrested in Gujarat when on an alleged mission to carry out terror activities in India at the behest of the banned Islamic State. Acting on a tip-off, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Sunday apprehended four Sri Lankan nationals at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel airport in Ahmedabad after they travelled from Colombo via Chennai. The men travelled to India to carry out terror activities at the behest of the banned terror outfit Islamic State (IS) and are members of IS radicalised by a leader from Sri Lanka who is living in Pakistan, according to the Indian police. A senior Deputy Inspector General-headed police team has been appointed by the Inspector General Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, police Spokesman and Senior Superintendent Nihal Thalduwa told PTI. He said the police chief's action followed official intimation of the Lankan citizens' ..

Centre extends ban imposed on LTTE for 5 more years to contain separatism

The Centre on Tuesday extended the ban imposed on the LTTE for five more years as it continues to foster a separatist tendency amongst the masses and enhance the support base for it in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. The Union Home Ministry imposed the ban invoking the sub-sections (1) and (3) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In a notification, the home ministry said the central government is of the opinion that the LTTE is still indulging in activities which are prejudicial to the integrity and security of the country. It said that even after its military defeat in May, 2009 in Sri Lanka, the LTTE has not abandoned the concept of 'Eelam' (an independent country for Tamils) and has been clandestinely working towards the 'Eelam' cause by undertaking fund raising and propaganda activities and the remnant LTTE leaders or cadres have also initiated efforts to regroup the scattered activists and resurrect the outfit locally and internationally. "The ...

Sri Lanka retains $50 visa fee for foreign visitors, free for Indians

Visitors from India, China, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia will continue to receive tourist visas free of charge, the Sri Lankan government has said

Looking forward to greater economic cooperation with India: Sri Lanka Prez

Sri Lanka is looking to accelerate greater economic cooperation with India with the tourism sector taking the lead, the island nation's President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Thursday. India's status as a rising economic giant and Sri Lanka's location as a strategic logistics hub will complement each other in driving forward the two economies, he said while addressing the opening of Indian firm ITC Hotels' first overseas property, ITC Ratnadipa here. "I have no doubt that this icon (ITC Ratnadipa) will help increase tourism into Sri Lanka, more particularly from India. Now these are part of the vision statement which Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and I signed last year on how do we integrate our economies and we get closer," Wickremesinghe said. The economic background, the convertibility of Indian rupees, all have now been laid, he said, adding,"so this is the start. I think more than any other sector we identified this (tourism) is one which you can start." He further said, ...

China's Sinopec charts global expansion with refinery in India's backyard

India is also deepening its involvement in Sri Lanka's power sector with solar projects and grid connectivity

Govt assisting five nations develop early warning systems, says IMD chief

India is helping Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Mauritius develop early warning systems to reduce the loss of life and property due to extreme weather events, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra has said. In a conversation with PTI editors, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) director general said India will play the role of a big brother and a peer advisor to Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Mauritius in the efforts to guard against the impact of extreme weather events. India's efforts are part of the 'Early Warnings for All' initiative announced by the United Nations in 2022 to ensure that everyone is protected from hazardous weather, water or climate events through life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027. Mohapatra said India is helping five of the 30 countries identified across the world for the first phase of the initiative of establishing early warning systems. "Fifty per cent of the countries do not have an early warning system. The poor .

Katchatheevu conundrum: Can disputed island set tone for campaigning in TN?

Katchatheevu, located northeast of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and southwest of Sri Lanka's Delft island, has been a subject of dispute between the two countries since 1921

'No ground' for India's request for return of Katchatheevu: Lanka minister

The statements coming out of India on "reclaiming" Kachchatheevu island from Sri Lanka have "no ground", the Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda has said. The senior Sri Lankan Tamil politician's comments came days after the Narendra Modi government targeted the Congress Party and its ally the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu accusing them of overlooking national interests in the ceding of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974. The BJP has also been targeting the two parties for not ensuring the rights of the fishermen wanting to fish in waters around the Katchatheevu island. It is the election time in India, it is not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counterclaims about Kachchatheevu," Devananda told reporters in Jaffna on Thursday. I think India is acting on its interests to secure this place to ensure Sri Lankan fishermen would not have any access to that area and that Sri Lanka should not claim any rights in that resourceful area, Devanan

Congress callously gave away 'Katchatheevu' island, can't ever trust it: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cited a media report to assert that new facts reveal that the Congress "callously" gave away Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. "Eye opening and startling! New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu. This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people's minds- we can't ever trust Congress," he said on X, sharing the report. The BJP is hopeful that the issue will come handy to its efforts to gain political traction in Dravidian state as it gears up for the Lok Sabha polls. The report is based on a RTI reply Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai received on the decision of the then Indira Gandhi government in 1974 to hand over the territory in Palk Strait to the neighbouring country. Modi said, "Weakening India's unity, integrity and interests has been Congress' way of working for 75 years and counting." The report also cites first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's comments on the issue, a source of dispute between India an

India provides grants to build houses in Buddhist sacred town of Sri Lanka

India has signed an additional grant of Sri Lanka Rupees 150 million to build houses and infrastructure facilities in the Buddhist sacred town of Anuradhapura, the Indian High Commission has said. Santosh Jha, the High Commissioner of India, and the relevant Sri Lankan officials on March 21 exchanged letters about the grant to the island nation. With this, the Indian government's total commitment to the project currently stands at SLR 450 million for the construction of houses and infrastructure facilities in Sobitha Thero village of Anuradhapura. The late Sobhitha Thero was an iconic Buddhist monk in the island nation's good governance movement. Responding to the drastic changes in the economic landscape of Sri Lanka, the Government of India decided to infuse additional funds into nine ongoing grant projects to expeditiously complete these projects, while also minimising the impact of the sharp rise in the cost of construction materials on the original scope of projects. The exten

Sri Lankan Prez Wickremesinghe instructs Cabinet to prepare for elections

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed his Cabinet to prepare for the presidential election to be held later this year, as the cash-starved nation strives to recover from its worst economic crisis. The next presidential election must be called by the elections commission by September and must be held by mid-November. The parliament election is not due before August of 2025 but President Wickremesinghe has the power to hold it anytime now by dissolving the 225-member Assembly elected in August 2020. Ending speculation, Wickremesinghe during a Cabinet meeting on Monday announced that the presidential election will be held first and instructed it to prepare for the polls, news portal Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday, quoting sources. Citing the Constitution, Wickremesinghe, 74, said the presidential election should take place first, and arrangements will be made accordingly. The election will be the first held after Sri Lanka plunged into a severe economic crisis in

IOR poised to become economic hub in next 50-60 years: Wickremesinghe

The Indian Ocean region is experiencing tremendous growth and is poised to become a significant economic hub in the next 50 to 60 years, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, calling for extensive trade and economic ties between the island nation and India. Addressing a gathering at the Sri Lanka-India Society in Colombo on Thursday to mark the 76th Independence Day of Sri Lanka and the 75th Republic Day of India, Wickremesinghe said that nations such as India, Indonesia, Iran and Saudi Arabia have a greater role to play in the Indian Ocean region and they have been rapidly advancing in various aspects. "The Indian Ocean region is experiencing significant growth, with countries like India, Indonesia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia rapidly advancing in various aspects. The Indian Ocean region is poised to become a significant economic hub in the next 50 to 60 years, especially as the African region undergoes development," he said. "It is imperative that we initiate this endeavo

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, among countries looking to start rupee trade: Goyal

Many developed and developing countries including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and nations of the Gulf region are keen to start trade in rupee with India as it would help cut transaction costs for businesses, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said. He expressed confidence that the development is going to be a "very game-changing" dimension to India's international trade. "Bangladesh, Sri Lanka are already talking to us and they want us to start this immediately. Other countries in the Gulf region are looking at that. I think it'll take some time for people to see the benefits. And then we'll have more and more developed countries and countries in the Far East also joining the bandwagon. Singapore is already on board to some extent," he said. The minister added that gradually countries are realising that undertaking trade in domestic currencies has several advantages. The minister said that it is now picking up traction and a lot of countries have come forward for this ...

Sri Lankan minister calls India 'big brother', thanks PM Modi for aid

Highlighting the development of Sri Lanka, he said, "Tourism is flourishing in Sri Lanka. We are looking at the renewables and the ports and the real estate in Sri Lanka is developing"

UPI payments launched in Sri Lanka, Mauritius to boost economic ties

India's Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services were on Monday rolled out in Sri Lanka and Mauritius during a virtual ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the top leadership of the two island nations. Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth and Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe joined Modi at the virtual ceremony. The launch of the Indian services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius came amid New Delhi's increasing bilateral economic ties with the two countries. The launch enables the availability of UPI settlement services for Indian nationals travelling to Sri Lanka and Mauritius as well as for Mauritian nationals travelling to India.

Third offshore campus of IIT likely to be set up in Sri Lanka: Report

The third offshore campus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is likely to be set up in Sri Lanka, according to sources. The proposal for an IIT in Sri Lanka was announced last November in the 2024 Budget unveiled by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also serves as the finance minister. According to sources, the Sri Lankan government is in touch with IIT Madras for the ambitious project. A high-level delegation had recently visited the Chennai campus to discuss the future roadmap. The talks are on and the campus is likely to come up in Kandy, a source said. The delegation also visited the Research Park at the campus and interacted with officials about possible areas of engagement, the source added. The Indian government had announced that opportunities for admission to the IITs in India will be provided to meritorious Sri Lankan students from the 2017-18 academic sessions onwards. If the plan for the Sri Lanka campus comes through, it will be IIT

SL Navy arrests 19 Indian fishermen for illegally fishing in its waters

Sri Lanka has arrested 19 Indian fishermen and two trawlers for illegally fishing in the island nation's waters near Delft Island in northern Jaffna province, the country's Navy said on Thursday, in the second such incident this month. The Sri Lanka Navy in the operation with the Sri Lanka Coast Guard on Wednesday also seized 2 Indian trawlers alongside the arrest of 19 Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters, the Navy said in a statement. The apprehended fishermen and their two trawlers were escorted to the Kankesanthurai Harbour and will be handed over to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector for further action, it said. The Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practised by foreign fishermen as they have a direct impact on the livelihood of locals, it said. As an extension of these operations, the Northern Naval Command deployed Fast Attack Craft of the Navy and Coast Guard to chase away a cluster of Indian poachin