Page 15 - Sri Lanka

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

137 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka for cyber scam; 158 mobile phones seized

At least 60 Indian nationals part of a group engaged in online financial scams have been arrested by Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department. They were arrested on Thursday from the Colombo suburbs of Madiwela and Battaramulla and from the western coastal town of Negombo. According to Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa, the CID conducted simultaneous raids in these mentioned areas, leading to the seizure of 135 mobile phones and 57 laptops. The crackdown follows a complaint from a victim who was lured into a WhatsApp group promising cash for social media interactions. Further investigation revealed a scheme where victims were coerced into making deposits after initial payments. In Peradeniya, a father-son duo admitted to aiding the fraudsters, Daily Mirror Lanka newspaper reported. Key evidence uncovered during a luxury house raid in Negombo led to the initial arrest of 13 suspects and the seizure of 57 phones and computers. Subsequent operations in Negombo yielded 19 ...

Sri Lanka deal key milestone towards restoring debt sustainability: IMF

Sri Lanka still needs to convince bondholders to restructure about $12.5 billion in international bonds, on which the global lender said it hopes to see swift progress in the near future

India hails Lanka's debt restructuring pact; reaffirms support to recovery

India on Wednesday welcomed Sri Lanka's debt restructuring agreement with a group of creditor nations and said it will continue to support the island nation's economic recovery, including by promoting long-term investments. India is one of the co-chairs of the Official Creditors Committee (OCC) that was formed in April last year to finalise a plan for restructuring Sri Lanka's debt. The Sri Lankan government said it has finalised a long-delayed debt restructuring agreement for USD 5.8 billion with its bilateral lenders, including India and China. "After several rounds of engagements, the OCC signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on debt restructuring on June 26," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. It said this milestone demonstrates the strong progress made by Sri Lanka in stabilising its economy and moving towards reform and growth. "As one of the co-chairs of the OCC, along with France and Japan, India has been steadfast in its commitment to the stabilisation, .

Jaishankar meets envoys of Kuwait, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand in Delhi

Kuwaiti Ambassador Meshal Mustafa Jasim Alshemali called on Jaishankar and discussed bilateral relations

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

Lanka approves debt restructuring; to ink deal on Jun 26: Govt spokesman

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka has approved the debt restructuring deal with its creditors while the negotiations with international sovereign bondholders are to be continued further, cabinet spokesperson and minister Bandula Gunawardena said on Tuesday. Gunawardena also said that top treasury officials along with the minister of state for finance have been sent to Paris to sign the relevant agreements with the Official Creditors Committee which comprises two types of creditors called Paris Creditors and Non-Paris Creditors. There are a group of 15 countries under the Paris Creditors group whereas seven countries, including India in the Non-Paris Creditors. "Sri Lanka on Tuesday approved the debt restructuring deal with creditors committee while the negotiations with international sovereign bondholders are to be continued further," Gunawardena, the minister for Transport, Highways and Mass Media said. "Sri Lanka faced its worst crisis since independence when we were no longer able to meet

Sri Lanka likely to sign bilateral debt agreements: Foreign minister

The South Asian island nation defaulted on its foreign debt in May 2022 after its economy was driven to the brink by a severe fall in foreign exchange reserves

Sri Lanka sports minister denies night club visit caused team's T20 WC exit

Sri Lankan Sports Minister Harin Fernando on Monday challenged the critics to prove that the alleged night club visit had caused the cricket team's premature exit in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the Americas. Sri Lanka could not progress to the Super 8s stage, finishing third in Group D behind South Africa and Bangladesh, who made the grade. "I challenged them (critics) to prove it, and I will resign if they can prove it," Fernando said referring to a comment reportedly made by his predecessor. It has been alleged that the team was late for a practice session due to their late night-out. Fernando had taken over the ministry in November 2023 from Roshan Ranasinghe, who was removed from the post by president Ranil Wickremesinghe following his action to sack the Sri Lanka Cricket management and appoint an interim committee. The International Cricket Council had subsequently suspend Sri Lanka's membership due to government interference. Fernando said all the facilities were provided

22 fishermen held, 3 boats seized by Sri Lanka: Stalin tells Centre

As many as 22 Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested and their three boats were seized by Sri Lanka, Chief Minister M K Stalin conveyed to the Centre on Monday and sought immediate steps to secure the release of all the fishers arrested so far and their boats. Writing to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Stalin referred to continuing loss of livelihood for fishermen due to 'incidents of arrest and intimidation' by Sri Lanka and said that on June 22, twenty-two fishermen from Rameswaram fishing harbour were apprehended by the island nation along with their three mechanised fishing boats. "I request you to ensure the immediate release of the apprehended fishermen and their boats. I would also like to inform that permission is yet to be granted for the salvage boats and crew for bringing back the released boats from Sri Lanka. Similarly, the requests of various Fishermen Associations in Tamil Nadu to visit the fishermen jailed in Sri Lanka, to provide them with some consolation and ..

Baltimore bridge collapse: Ship crew may leave US if they comply with probe

Crew members on the cargo ship Dali can head home as soon as Thursday under an agreement that allows lawyers to question them as part of investigations into the cause of the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. Attorneys had asked the judge Tuesday to prevent the roughly two dozen total crew members - all hailing from India or Sri Lanka - from leaving. Eight of the Dali's crew members were scheduled to return home, according to emails included in court filings. None of the crew members has been able to leave the U.S. since their ship lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns on March 26. Under the agreement, which was confirmed by U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar during a hearing Thursday, the crew can return home but must be available for depositions. In the court filings, attorneys representing the City of Baltimore said the men should remain in the U.S. so they can be deposed in ongoing civil litigation to decide who is responsible

Google launches Gemini Chatbot service in India, other South Asian nations

This announcement marks a significant step in Google's efforts to broaden the reach of its chatbot technology beyond select markets, as per reports by GSM Arena

EAM Jaishankar to visit Sri Lanka on Jun 20, discuss wide-ranging issues

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Sri Lanka on Thursday in his first bilateral visit abroad in his second consecutive term in office. The visit reaffirms India's 'Neighbourhood First Policy' and underlines New Delhi's continued commitment to Sri Lanka as its "closest" maritime neighbour and time tested friend, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The MEA said Jaishankar's visit will add momentum to connectivity projects and other mutually beneficial cooperation across sectors between the two countries. Jaishankar was last week part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's delegation at the G7 Outreach summit in Italy's Apulia region. The trip to Sri Lanka will be Jaishankar's standalone bilateral visit after he assumed charge as the external affairs minister for the second term on June 11. The MEA said the external affairs minister will have meetings with the Sri Lankan leadership on wide-ranging issues. "This will be the external affairs minister's first ..

Sri Lanka SC asks govt & Adani group to respond over wind power project

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has given Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the Cabinet and the Adani Group three weeks to file preliminary objections to a petition filed by an environmental group against the wind power project undertaken by the Indian conglomerate in the country. Sri Lanka's Adani Group renewable project entails two wind energy projects; a 250 MW in the northeastern district of Mannar and a 234 MW project at Pooneryn in the north. The total investment was to be USD 750 million. On Tuesday, a three-member bench of the apex court gave the prime minister, the Cabinet and the Adani Group three weeks to file preliminary objections to the rights petition against the project. An environmental rights group had claimed in court that a decision by the Cabinet to treat the Adani wind power project as a Sri Lanka-India government-to-government venture was illegal and that it would cause immense damage to the migratory bird population causing environmental hazards. They had also .

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

Penna Cement acquisition: Adani spells out Lanka, South India strategy

Company sets target to achieve 140 MTPA capacity by 2028, aided by greenfield expansions

Sri Lanka economic recovery hinges on sustaining ongoing reforms: IMF

The key to Sri Lanka's transition from stabilisation to full economic recovery is sustaining the ongoing reform momentum, the IMF said on Friday after it decided to release the third tranche of USD 336 million from the USD 2.9 billion four year bailout package to the island nation. While releasing the third tranche, the IMF on Thursday noted that Sri Lanka's economy has started recovering, inflation remained low, revenue collection was improving, and reserves continued to accumulate but warned that despite these positive developments, the economy is still vulnerable and the path to debt sustainability remains knife-edged. We encourage the (Sri Lankan) authorities to continue to build on these hard-won gains and remain steadfast with their reform commitments, Peter Breuer, the head of the Sri Lanka IMF mission, told reporters here on Friday. In April 2022, Sri Lanka declared its first-ever sovereign default since gaining Independence from Britain in 1948. The unprecedented financial

Sri Lanka President recalls crisis help from SAARC nations including India

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday recalled the assistance received from India and Bangladesh during the early days of the worst economic crisis and said the island nation would not have been able to recover from the turmoil had these countries not helped. Expressing gratitude to the government and Reserve Bank of India, as well as the government and Central Bank of Bangladesh, for their financial support, which he described as lifesaving, the president in his keynote address at the inaugural session of the 45th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Meeting and Symposium here said the assistance, along with aid from the United States Agency For International Development (USAID) and the World Bank, was pivotal in stabilising the country's economy. I must thank the government and the Reserve Bank of India and the government and the Central Bank of Bangladesh. That USD three and a half billion and that USD 200 million were lifesavers. Without that, we wouldn't be here today; there

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

Look forward to India, Maldives working together closely: Jaishankar

Union Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held separate bilateral meetings with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Muizzu, Hasina and Wickremesinghe were among seven leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers on Sunday. "Delighted to call on President Dr Mohamed Muizzu of Maldives today in New Delhi. Look forward to India and Maldives working together closely," Jaishankar said on 'X'. Jaishankar was the external affairs minister in Modi's previous Cabinet. He took oath as a Union minister on Sunday. It was Muizzu's first visit to India after he became the island nation's president on November 17 last year. The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office. Within hours of his oath, he ha