Page 11 - Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan president Anura to visit India after parliamentary polls

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's visit to Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will happen only after November this year, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said on Tuesday. We will discuss dates for the visit only after we form the new government, Herath told reporters here. Voting for the parliamentary election is to take place on November 14, almost 10 months ahead of the schedule. Dissanayake was elected on September 21. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar became the first foreign dignitary to meet Dissanayake after the presidential polls. He extended the invitation to Dissanayake from the Indian prime minister. Earlier in February this year, Dissanayake visited Delhi, as a leader of opposition, for a formal visit, first such by any leader of the Marxist JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People's Liberation Front). The JVP, which Dissanayake heads since 2014, had run a bloody anti-India movement in Sri Lanka during 1987-90. The party had held that the 198

Sri Lanka's new govt reconsidering approval to Adani's power project

Sri Lanka's new government led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday told the Supreme Court that it would reconsider the approval granted by the previous government to India's Adani Group for a wind power project. A five-member Supreme Court (SC) bench was told on behalf of the attorney general that the decision to review the project had been taken at a Cabinet meeting held on October 7. The final decision of the new government would be conveyed after the installation of the new Cabinet after the November 14 parliamentary election, the court was told. President Dissanayake in the run-up to the September 21 presidential election had pledged that his National People's Power (NPP) alliance would annul the project. The NPP claimed that the project posed a threat to Sri Lanka's energy sector sovereignty and promised that it would be cancelled in the event of their victory. The Adani Group was set to invest over USD 440 million in the 20-year agreement for the development of 484 megawat

New Sri Lankan govt orders reinvestigation of several high-profile cases

Sri Lanka's new government has ordered the police to reinvestigate some high-profile cases, including the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks and the 2005 murder of a Tamil minority community journalist. The ruling National People's Power, which won the presidential election last month, pledged to reinvestigate past cases which had not been resolved. The Ministry of Public Security took action to identify any lapses in investigations. The ministry has asked the acting police chief that these cases should be reinvestigated," Police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said on Saturday. The cases to be reinvestigated include the alleged scam in the issue of Central Bank bonds in 2015 blamed on the then government of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the former president, and the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed over 270 people, including 11 Indians. The catholic church has been demanding stringent action on what they alleged was a politically motivated cover-up by previous governments on the ...

EAM Jaishankar's visit was crucial in ending debt restructuring: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka on Tuesday said the recent visit by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was important in ending its debt restructuring with international sovereign bond holders. Jaishankar, who made a day-long trip to Sri Lanka on October 4, became the first foreign dignitary to visit the island nation after Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed office as the new president on September 23. Cabinet spokesman and foreign affairs minister Vijitha Herath told reporters here that India's signing up for the agreement as a bilateral creditor endorsing that the agreement was compatible with the comparative treatment principle in debt restructuring. Ahead of the presidential polls last month, cash-strapped Sri Lanka had on September 19 announced that it had reached an in principle agreement with the external commercial creditors for the restructuring of approximately USD 17.5 billion of external commercial debts. Sri Lanka declared its first-ever sovereign default in mid-April 2022, having run out

Sri Lankan govt reaches debt-restructuring agreement with bondholders

The Sri Lankan government has announced a long-delayed debt restructuring agreement with its sovereign bondholders, in a major relief to the cash-strapped island nation. In a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Finance said it reached an agreement with representatives of its international and local holders of International Sovereign Bonds (ISB) on September 19. Sri Lankan authorities have "completed their consultations with Sri Lanka's Official Creditor Committee (OCC) and the IMF (International Monetary Fund)," said the statement from the Treasury. It added that the agreement is compatible with the comparative treatment principle. The announcement came as the new National People's Power (NPP) government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed willingness to accept the agreement during the talks held with the visiting IMF delegation here in Colombo on Thursday and Friday. During the two days of talks, Dissanayake reiterated Sri Lanka's position that some of the rigid

EAM Jaishankar meets Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajith Premadasa

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met Sajith Premadasa, Sri Lanka's leader of the opposition from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party. Jaishankar, who is here on a day-long visit, is the first foreign dignitary to visit Sri Lanka since the National People's Power (NPP) government led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake came to power on September 23. Premadasa, the leader of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party, is the son of former president Ranasinghe Premadasa. Good to see SJB leader @sajithpremadasa in Colombo today. Appreciate his continued support for the India-Sri Lanka relationship, Jaishankar posted on X along with the photos from the meeting. Premadasa termed Jaishankar's visit important for supporting our mutual interests for regional development. Great to meet @DrSJaishankar during his visit to Sri Lanka. As he often says, A strong and prosperous neighbourhood is in everyone's interest.' We look forward to India's continued fullest support in advancing Sri Lanka's ...

EAM meets Dissanayake, pledges support for Sri Lanka's economic recovery

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and discussed ways to deepen ongoing cooperation and strengthen India-Sri Lanka ties, and assured India's continued support to the island nation's economic rebuilding. Jaishankar arrived here in the morning on a day-long visit, less than a fortnight after President Dissanayake was sworn in. Honoured to call on President @anuradisanayake today in Colombo. Conveyed warm greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and PM @narendramodi, Jaishankar posted on X. Appreciate his warm sentiments and guidance for the India-Sri Lanka relations. Discussed ways to deepen ongoing cooperation and strengthen India-Sri Lanka ties for the benefit of people of two countries and the region, he said further in the post. Jaishankar is the first foreign dignitary to visit Sri Lanka since the National People's Power (NPP) government led by Dissanayake came to power on September 23. He was received at the airport

EAM Jaishankar arrives in Sri Lanka to meet new President Dissanayake

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here on Friday on a day-long visit to meet with the Sri Lankan leadership, less than a fortnight after Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as the president of the island nation. "Good to be in Colombo again. Look forward to my engagements with the Sri Lankan leadership today," Jaishankar posted on X soon after his landing at the Colombo airport. Jaishankar is the first foreign dignitary to visit Sri Lanka since the National People's Power (NPP) government led by Dissanayake came to power on September 23. He was received at the airport by Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardena and the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha. Jaishankar is expected to call on President Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, officials here said. During his visit, the minister is expected to further cement the bilateral relationship with the new NPP government in Colombo, they said. Jaishan

After Nov polls, Sri Lanka to face third major election before 2024 ends

Amid continued economic troubles, Sri Lanka is to witness two more island-wide major elections before the end of the year, months after the recently concluded Presidential polls. The parliamentary election is scheduled for November 14 following the presidential election that was held on September 21 in the cash-strapped nation. Third would be the local council elections in December. Meanwhile, a one-off election scheduled for the southern province's Elpitiya local council will be held on October 26. Sri Lanka's independent Election Commission, in a statement late on Wednesday night, said arrangements would be made to hold the local election immediately after the parliamentary polls following the Supreme Court order of August 22. As per the order, the elections to 340 local councils are to be held between 30-35 days from November 14, meaning that it would be scheduled for the third week of December. The court ruled that the local council election should have been held at the earlie

Committed to IMF's bailout package, hope to discuss terms: Sri Lanka govt

The new Sri Lankan government during its first meeting with the International Monetary Fund said it is committed to the global lender's USD 2.9 billion bailout package clinched by the previous Wickremesinghe regime and hoped to renegotiate certain conditions. The meeting between the IMF team and the Sri Lankan government on Wednesday came two weeks after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People's Power (NPP) was elected two weeks ago. The government team was represented by its economic council members headed by Prof A J Fernando, who was named as President Dissanayake's economic and finance advisor only two days ago. On September 23, Dissanayake, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front, the NPP, was sworn in as Sri Lanka's ninth president, amid hopes that he will bolster the country's economy and eliminate corruption. The primary objective of the visit was to initiate discussions on the progress of the IMF Programme and necessary .

Sri Lanka's new president faces uphill battle to revive debt-ridden economy

Sri Lanka's new president faces uphill battle to revive debt-ridden economy

Sri Lanka's new govt holds its first Cabinet meeting with only 3 ministers

Sri Lanka's new National People's Power (NPP) government has held its first Cabinet meeting with just three ministers in attendance, according to officials. The new Cabinet Spokesman Vijitha Herath, who holds multiple ministries, said that he, along with the newly-appointed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the prime minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya, were the only attendees at Monday's meeting. It was the smallest Cabinet meeting ever, he said. Last week, President Dissanayake appointed his cabinet of four, including himself, before dissolving the Parliament to call a snap election on November 14. The last parliament was convened in August 2020. The constitution limits the cabinet positions to 25 ministers. Herath said while the same number would be maintained after they win the next election, no ministers of state would be appointed. The parliamentary election to appoint 225 members of the Parliament House comes closely on the heels of the September 21 presidential election.

IMF team to hold talks with Sri Lanka govt on loans for economic recovery

A high-level team of the International Monetary Fund will arrive in Sri Lanka on Wednesday to meet the new government headed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and discuss the latest economic reforms supported by the global lender. On September 24, the IMF said that they would begin talks with the new Lanka government led by President Dissanayake. The global lender said it will discuss the timing of the third review of its ongoing economic reform under a 48-month loan. Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe-led government was negotiating with the IMF for the release of the fourth tranche of the USD 2.9 billion facility. A high-level team led by Krishna Srinivasan, Director for the Asia Pacific Department will be visiting Colombo October 2-4 to meet with President Dissanayake and the new economic team to discuss the latest economic developments and economic reforms under Sri Lankas economic programme supported by the IMF," a release said. This will be the National People's Power .

Tamil Nadu fishermen protest Sri Lankan Navy's detention of 17 fishermen

Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, requesting him to ensure the release of 17 fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka orders audit of Indian firms' visa outsourcing deal amid scandal

The new Sri Lanka government headed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has ordered a forensic audit into the visa outsourcing contract with Indian firms alongside a Dubai-based firm allegedly involved in a scandal on arrival visa system for tourists. A forensic audit has been ordered on Indian firms GBS Technology and IVS Global FZCO along with VFS Global which were in April awarded the multimillion-dollar contract as a technology partner to process the visa applications of foreigners, Vijitha Herath, Public Security Minister said. We have initiated an immediate forensic audit to investigate irregularities," Herath said. This comes after the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered to remand Controller of Immigration and Emigration Harsha Ilukpitiya for contempt of court charges for his failure to implement an apex court order on the ongoing disputed system on the issue of on-arrival electronic tourist visas to the country. Herath said the airport immigration from Thursday night onwards

Sri Lanka's new President options: India or China, or India and China

As such, China does play a larger role in resolving this crisis but India can't be wished away, since it is a leading export destination for Lanka

Sri Lanka election is the latest sign India is losing its neighbourhood

Dissanayake has worried New Delhi because his party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, made a name for itself in the 1980s with an anti-India terror campaign

Professors, batchmates recall new Sri Lanka PM Harini's Hindu College days

Amarasuriya graduated in sociology from the college in 1994. Her batchmates and professors remember her as a disciplined young woman - not flamboyant, but not one to be lost in the crowd

Who is new Sri Lanka PM, Harini Amarasuriya, who studied at Hindu college?

Harini Amarasuriya, Sri Lanka's new prime minister, is the first woman to hold the position since 2000. She has completed her graduation from Delhi University's Hindu College

Who is Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake | Sri Lanka Presidential election 2024

Anura Kumara Dissanayake took oath as Sri Lanka's 9th President on September 23. Who is he and what does he stand for? Watch the video to know the details.