Page 18 - Sri Lanka

Katchatheevu island controversy: All you need to know

Katchatheevu, a small uninhabited island in the middle of India and Sri Lanka is making the headlines again. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched an attack against the Congress for giving it away

Day after attacking Cong, PM Modi targets DMK on Katchatheevu island issue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday targeted the DMK over the Katchatheevu island issue, alleging the ruling party of Tamil Nadu did nothing to safeguard the state's interests. New details emerging on the issue of India handing over the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lank have unmasked the DMK's double standards totally, he said on X, citing a news report which claimed that then chief minister M Karunanidhi had given his concurrence to the agreement despite his party the DMK's public posturing against the deal. The media report is based on an RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai to his queries on the 1974 agreement between India and Lanka when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister. Modi said, "Rhetoric aside, DMK has done NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadu's interests. New details emerging on Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMK's double standards totally." "The Congress and DMK are family units. They only care that their own sons and daughters rise. They don't care

Modi reignites Katchatheevu controversy, Cong say 'distortion of history'

In 1974, PM Indira Gandhi ceded the uninhabited island between India and Sri Lanka to the latter, aiming to resolve maritime border issues and foster bilateral relations

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

Baltimore bridge: Biden okays $60 mn aid, Guv warns of long road ahead

Maryland Governor Wes Moore warned Thursday of a "very long road ahead" to recover from the loss of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved USD 60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse. Massive barges carrying cranes streamed toward the site to begin the challenging work of removing twisted metal and concrete as a first step toward reopening a key shipping route blocked by the wreckage of the span. Moore promised that "the best minds in the world" were working on plans to clear the debris, move the cargo ship that rammed into the bridge from the channel, recover the bodies of the four remaining workers presumed dead and investigate what went wrong. "Government is working hand in hand with industry to investigate the area, including the wreck, and remove the ship," said Moore, a Democrat, who said quick aid is needed to "lay the foundation for a rapid recovery". President Joe Biden has pledged the federal government would pay the

Sri Lanka on high alert on Good Friday; security beefed up around churches

Sri Lanka was put on high alert on Friday and security beefed up in major cities across the country, with special surveillance around the Churches having Good Friday services, according to a senior police official Police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said over that 6,000 police personnel, over 3,000 military soldiers and over 400 elite special task force members had been deployed across the country on the occasion on Good Friday. "We have identified 2,268 churches having Good Friday services to provide special security, Thalduwa said. Police have also set up a special hotline to report any suspicious movements near the churches. The police said they were taking all precautions in view of the fifth anniversary of the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings which killed 270 people, including 11 Indians. Meanwhile, the Magistrates Court in central Colombo's Maligawatta has issued a summons to former president Maithripala Sirisena to appear before the court on April 4 to record a statement. T

Sri Lankan PM Dinesh Gunawardena meets Chinese President Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping has assured continuous support to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena for Sri Lanka's efforts for political and socio-economic progress and also said Beijing will stand for safeguarding the island nation's territorial integrity and sovereignty. China and Sri Lanka agreed to continue to act under the friendship, peace, mutual respect and fivefold principle in international affairs that do not interfere in the internal affairs of a country during a meeting between Xi and Gunawardena on Wednesday at Great Hall in Beijing, the prime minister's office said in a statement here on Thursday. Chinese President assured continuous support of China to Sri Lanka's efforts for political and socioeconomic progress. The Chinese President said that China will always stand for safeguarding independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka, the statement said. It was emphasised that bilateral relations should be based on mutual respect and mutual productivity

Sri Lanka's economy records 4.5% growth in fourth quarter of 2023

After six successive quarters of negative growth, Sri Lanka's bankrupt economy is estimated to have recorded a growth of 4.5 per cent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2023, the Central Bank announced here on Tuesday. It was only during the third quarter of 2023 that the economy recorded positive growth after six successive quarters of negative growth experienced by the cash-strapped economy. The headline inflation, as measured by the year-on-year change in the Colombo Consumer Price Index, had decelerated to 5.9 per cent in February from 6.4 per cent in January. The gross official reserves improved to USD 4.5 billion by the end of February 2024, which includes the swap facility from the People's Bank of China. Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said the reserve buildup was better than the Central Bank's expectations. The reserve buildup was supported by considerable net purchases by the Central Bank from the domestic foreign exchange market amidst increased foreign currency inflow

McDonald's closes stores in Sri Lanka after deal with partner ended: Lawyer

Wijewardane declined to describe the issues but local media reported that McDonald's went to court against Abans over allegations of poor hygiene

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

Foreign research ships allowed for replenishment after Chinese protest: SL

Sri Lanka has said it will allow foreign offshore research ships for replenishments at its ports despite a one-year ban on such vessels, a senior official has said after China protested to Colombo for allowing a German survey ship but turning down Beijing's similar request. This is the first time Sri Lanka has officially admitted that foreign research vessels will be allowed for replenishments since President Ranil Wickremesinghe's government imposed a one-year ban on offshore research vessels in December last year after strong security concerns raised by India and the US following the visit of two Chinese high-tech research vessels in 14 months. "The ban on foreign ships is for research purposes, not on replenishment," the Economy Next portal quoted Niluka Kadurugamuwa, Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, as saying. There was a German research vessel recently for replenishment and Sri Lanka allowed it, he said. Chinese Embassy in Colombo has raised strong protest against the m

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

Ballot boxes for Malvides' polls to be placed in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia

The ballot boxes for Maldives' upcoming parliamentary elections will be placed in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, after around 11,000 Maldivians submitted re-registration requests to relocate their polling stations, the country's election commission announced on Sunday. The six-day window for people to relocate their voting stations for the April 21 parliamentary elections expired on Saturday, media reports said, citing an Elections Commission notification. The top electoral body said that ballot boxes for the island nation's elections will also be placed in Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), the capital of Kerala, Sri Lanka's Colombo and Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur after at least 150 people re-register to vote in each of the three countries. "As previously, enough people registered in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. And since 150 people had registered in Trivandrum, India, we have decided to set up a ballot box there," web portal adadhu.com quoted EC's secretary-general Hassan Zakariyya as ...

21 fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka, TN parties tell Centre to seek action

The Tamil Nadu unit of BJP and the PMK on Sunday flagged the arrest of 21 more fishermen by Sri Lanka and urged the Centre to swiftly secure the release of fishers and their boats. Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai and PMK top leader Anbumani Ramadoss said 21 fishermen have been arrested by the island nation. Also, their two boats have been seized. The fishermen were arrested on the night of March 16 by Lankan authorities. Writing to External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, Annamalai said: "We bring to your kind attention the detention of 21 fishermen from Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy and 2 fishing boats belonging to these fishermen were also apprehended. We request the intervention of our External affairs ministry to facilitate the early repatriation of the detainees and the release of their fishing boats." Annamalai posted a copy of his letter to the minister on 'X'. In a post on 'X', Anbumani, also a Rajya Sabha MP, said during the past one week, as many as 58

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

China deepens bilateral defence ties with Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal

On Tuesday, India rejected Chinese objections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's weekend visit to Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas, which China claims to be a part of southern Tibet

21 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka for working on tourist visa: Report

Sri Lankan authorities have arrested 21 Indian nationals for illegally operating an online marketing centre in the island nation, violating the relaxed tourist visa norms, a media report said on Wednesday. The 21 Indian men in the age group of 24 to 25, who were in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, were taken into custody on Tuesday by the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported. After a preliminary inquiry, the department raided a rented house in Negombo city, where those arrested were found operating an online marketing centre. The house had been converted into an office space where computers and other devices had been installed, the report said. Under Sri Lanka's law, those who visit the island nation on tourist visas are prohibited from engaging in any paid or unpaid work. The Indian nationals had used the free-of-charge visa condition that Sri Lanka has granted to a set of countries till March 31 as part of an ongoing pilot project to promote ..

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 Lanka hopes to seek respite from debt repayment: Wickremesinghe

Sri Lanka hopes to avoid repaying debt till December 2027 after the completion of the ongoing restructuring process and repay them in the period running up to 2042, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday, as he defended his unpopular reform plans to revive the bankrupt economy. Sri Lanka is currently stuck with debt restructuring with negotiations taking a long to reach an agreement. By 2022, Sri Lanka had to meet external debt repayments worth 6 billion per year. It is 9.5 per cent of the GDP and an amount hard to sustain," he said. "We hope to reduce this to 4.5 per cent of the GDP by debt restructuring, Wickremesinghe, also the cash-strapped island nation's finance minister, stressed. Currently we are actively engaged in discussions regarding the restructuring of all loans including domestic and foreign loans. We are optimistic that these negotiations will reach a successful resolution soon. Our goal is to obtain temporary relief from debt defaults from 2023 to 2027. .

India committed to well-being of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka: Envoy

India is firmly committed to the well-being and holistic development of the Indian Origin Tamil community in Sri Lanka, India's envoy here said on Monday after meeting the leaders of Tamil Progressive Alliance. During the meeting, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha also said that it was agreed to work closely toward the well-being of the minority community. The leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) is Mano Ganesan who represents mostly the Western province-based Tamils of Indian-origin. "High Commissioner @santjha met the leaders of Tamil Progressive Alliance. Reiterated India's firm commitment to the well-being and holistic development of the Indian Origin Tamil community. It was agreed to work closely towards this endeavour," Indian mission in Sri Lanka posted on X. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th Amendment which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987. The 13A provides for the devolution of power to the Tamil