Sri Lanka

Sergio Gor in Sri Lanka for talks on sea lanes, port security amid Iran war

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

US sub sinks Iranian warship near Sri Lanka: Why the strike close to India matters | US-Iran war

An Iranian naval frigate returning from a military exercise in India has been sunk by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka. The incident marks the first time since World War II

West Asia crisis: Sri Lanka declares Wednesdays off amid fuel supply crunch

Sri Lanka has declared Wednesdays as public holidays and introduced fuel rationing to curb shortages, as the West Asian crisis disrupts energy supplies

Lanka IOC assures Sri Lanka fuel supply security amid West Asia crisis

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 repatriates remains of 84 Iranian sailors killed in US strike

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 raises fuel prices over 8% as Iran war fuels panic buying

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.

22 Iranian sailors of IRIS Dena discharged from Sri Lankan hospital

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 to repatriate bodies of Iranian sailors killed in US strike

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

Sri Lanka Navy 'safely' transfers 204 Iranian sailors from ship to Colombo

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 .

US sinking of Iranian warship off Sri Lankan coast piles pressure on India

The US sinking of Iran's frigate IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka brings the Middle East conflict closer to India's neighbourhood, complicating New Delhi's delicate diplomatic balancing

Sri Lanka lets 2nd Iranian ship dock at Trincomalee, evacuates 208 on board

Sri Lanka on Thursday allowed a second Iranian ship to dock at the eastern port of Trincomalee and evacuated all 208 personnel on board, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, a day after another Iranian frigate was sunk near the island nation. In a televised address, 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 responding to a request from one party involved in the conflict. "No one deserves to die. Every life is precious," the President said. He also criticised opposition parties for attempting to politicise the situation. "We won't succumb to pressure. We will maintain our neutrality," Dissanayake said. According to the President, the ship had 208 personnel on board, comprising 53 officers, 84 cadets, 48 senior sailors and 23 seamen, all of whom were evacuated after the ship w

Sri Lanka deliberates appropriate action as 2nd Iranian ship awaits entry

Sri Lanka on Thursday said it is deliberating appropriate action after a second Iranian ship has sought entry to its territorial waters, a day after a frigate belonging to the Islamic country was attacked near the island nation. Sri Lanka on Wednesday said it had recovered over 80 bodies of Iranian sailors killed after a US submarine attack sank the Iranian frigate - IRIS Dena - off Galle, the island's southern coastal town. Government spokesman and minister Nalinda Jayathissa was on Thursday responding to a query by the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa in parliament about the second Iranian ship. "We are aware of it and are contemplating action to safeguard all lives on board," Jayathissa said. "We are intervening to resolve this issue to safeguard regional peace." The ship, according to Jayathissa, awaits in Sri Lanka's Extended Economic Zone (EEZ) but is out of its territorial waters. Sources said the ship had requested emergency assistance. Meanwhile, in Galle, the cre

Iran promises to avenge US sinking of warship in Indian Ocean waters

The IRIS Dena was in India from February 15 to 25 to participate in the International Fleet Review, alongside vessels from 40 other countries, including the US and Russia

US submarine torpedoes Iranian naval ship off Sri Lanka, confirms Hegseth

A top Sri Lankan official says 32 people have been rescued from a sinking Iranian naval ship off Sri Lanka's southern coast and have been admitted to a hospital. Dr Anil Jasinghe, a top health ministry official, says one of them is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment, and others are treated for minor injuries. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that Sri Lanka's navy received information that the ship Iris Dena with 180 on board was in distress, and that the island nation sent ships and air force planes on a rescue mission. There were no immediate details as to how the sailors were wounded and how the ship was damaged.

Sri Lanka's ex-intel head arrested in connection with 2019 Easter attack

Sri Lanka's former state intelligence service chief Suresh Sally was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the 2019 Easter bombings, police sources said. Sally was arrested by police's Crime Investigation Department in the Colombo suburb of Peliyagoda while on his way to work in a non-governmental organisation, they said. The arrest is linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 270 people, including 11 Indians, at churches and five-star hotels in Colombo, according to the sources. Sallay was serving in a diplomatic position overseas when the attacks took place. A retired Major General, he had headed the state intelligence service under the Rajapaksa government before 2015. The coordinated attacks were carried out by a local militant group. There were allegations that the defence establishment had prior intelligence about the impending attacks, including warnings shared by India, but failed to act in time. The then government, led by president Maithripala Sirisena,

Sri Lanka's new law scrapping pensions for parliamentarians takes effect

The Sri Lankan government has gazetted the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Act after it was passed by parliament with an overwhelming majority on Tuesday, fulfilling a key campaign promise of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In Sri Lanka, a member of parliament was entitled to a pension after serving a five-year term. On Tuesday, lawmakers passed the bill by 154 votes in the 225-member House, with only two against. The remaining legislators were not present during the vote. The gazette has been dated Friday. On February 6, the Supreme Court had determined that the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill can be passed in Parliament with a simple majority. The main aim of the bill was to repeal the Parliamentary Pensions Law No 1 of 1977 which had established a non-contributory life time pension to persons who have ceased to be members of parliament. The move caused outrage among former parliamentarians who sought the Supreme Court intervention without success to see it being ...

Sri Lankan President Disanayaka to arrive in India today for AI Summit

At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Heads of State and Government are scheduled to attend the Summit

SriLankan Airlines adds 2 extra Mumbai flights for India-Pakistan match

Carrier schedules additional Mumbai services amid strong corporate bookings and near-full flights for India-Pakistan T20 clash in Colombo

Flight fares rise 50% as fans head to Colombo for India-Pakistan match

Airfares to Colombo surge up to 50 per cent ahead of India-Pakistan clash on February 15, with hotel tariffs also moving up amid strong cricket-driven travel demand

Russia turns to India, Sri Lanka to tackle labour shortage amid crisis

The total number of work permits given to foreigners rose to more than 240,000 in 2025, the highest since at least 2017, statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs show