Page 29 - Sri Lanka

US bans Sri Lankan Governor's entry for 'violation of human rights'

US bans Wasantha Karannagoda and his family from entering the country due to his involvement in a gross violation of human rights during his tenure as a Naval Commander

Protests in Sri Lanka's northern, eastern provinces over anti-terror bill

Normal life was disrupted in Sri Lanka's northern and eastern provinces on Tuesday due to widespread protests by the main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance against a new controversial anti-terrorism bill drafted to replace a draconian counter-terrorism law. The new Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) will replace the much-maligned Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979. The PTA was introduced as a temporary arrangement to counter the campaign of separatist violence by the Tamil minority militant groups in 1979. On April 1, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told reporters that the new counter-terrorism law will be introduced later this month. The protests, organised by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), were against the new Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), political sources from the two provinces said. In the northern Jaffna's Tenmarachchi, Kodikamam and Chavakachcheri, life came to a standstill with all shops and business establishments shut in the three divisions, they said. The government in

Sri Lanka confirms Chinese company request for exporting 100,000 monkeys

Sri Lanka on Wednesday confirmed China's request for importing 1,00,000 endangered monkeys from the cash-strapped island nation, amidst protests from environmental groups against the deal. Gunadasa Samarasinghe, the top bureaucrat in Sri Lanka's Ministry of Agriculture said that a privately-owned Chinese company connected to Zoological Gardens which are animal breeders had made the request to his ministry. We will not send the whole 100,000 in one lot. But we considered the request due to crop damages caused by the monkeys in several parts of the country. They will not be taken from conserved areas. The focus will be only in the cultivation areas, Samarasinghe told reporters. The toque macaque monkey is endemic to Sri Lanka and classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. Last week, Sri Lanka's agriculture minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that China's request for 1,00,000 monkeys to be exhibited at over 1,000 Chinese zoos could be

Sri Lanka's ex-Attorney General summoned over Easter Sunday attack

Sri Lanka's former Attorney General (AG), who claimed that there was a 'grand conspiracy' behind the 2019 Easter Sunday attack, has been summoned

Like Lanka and Pak, Bhutan to face huge losses if it sides with China: Rpt

While owing to its hegemonic desires, China claims the entirety of the plateau, India maintains the dignity of historical treaties

India, Japan, France's common platform to aid Sri Lankan debt restructuring

India, Japan and France have announced a common platform for talks among creditors to address the debt restructuring programme of Sri Lanka which is grappling with its worst economic crisis. The representatives of the three creditor countries, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, held a press briefing on the margins of the annual spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington on Thursday. "The purpose of the event was to demonstrate the multilateral cooperation regarding the debt restructuring process among the creditors, together with Sri Lanka, said an official statement. Finance Minister Sitharaman expressed India's commitment to supporting Sri Lanka in dealing with its current economic crisis. She emphasised that collaboration among creditors was important to ensure transparency and equality in the debt restructuring discussions. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe joined the conference virtually. Japanese Finance Min

India played key role in IMF's clearance of 48-month EFF to Sri Lanka

India played a crucial role in the International Monetary Fund (IMF's) clearance of a 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) worth USD 2.9 billion to crisis-hit Sri Lanka, reported True Ceylon

'Declare Bay of Bengal as Zone of Peace to keep geopolitical issues aside'

The Bay of Bengal has witnessed numerous non-traditional security threats, such as human trafficking, narcotics trade, tsunamis and cyclones. However, thus far, it was never a geopolitical hotspots

FM Sitharaman attends high-level meeting on Sri Lankan debt issues

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended a high-level meeting on Sri Lankan debt issues and expressed India's commitment to support Colombo in dealing with its current economic crisis. She emphasised that a collaboration among creditors is important to ensure transparency and equality in treatment of all creditors in the debt restructuring discussions. The high-level meeting took place on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)- World Bank (WB) Spring Meetings here on Thursday. Japan Finance Minister Suzuki Shunichi, Sri Lanka State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe and Emmanuel Moulin, Director General of the Treasury, France were present in the meeting. Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe participated virtually, an official statement said. The purpose of the event was to demonstrate the multilateral cooperation regarding the debt restructuring process among the creditors, together with Sri Lanka, it said. In the event, the ministers announced the launch

Sri Lanka considers exporting 100,000 endangered monkeys to China

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka is exploring the possibility of exporting 1,00,000 endangered monkeys to China, one of its largest bilateral lenders, the agriculture minister has said. The toque macaque is endemic to Sri Lanka and classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. Sri Lanka's agriculture minister Mahinda Amaraweera has asked officials to study China's request to procure toque macaques, news portal Economy Next reported on Wednesday. They want these monkeys for their zoos, the minister was quoted as saying. The minister said the request for 1,00,000 monkeys to be exhibited at over 1,000 Chinese zoos could be considered, given the large macaque population in the country, the report said. No financial details were made available so far, it added. A special discussion was held on Tuesday on dispatching monkeys to China under the first phase of the programme, the Ada Derana news portal reported. The discussion headed by Minister .

Japan, France and India to launch platform to coordinate Sri Lanka debt

Sri Lanka last month secured a $2.9 billion programme from the International Monetary Fund to tackle its suffocating debt burden and its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades

Sitharaman, Japanese counterpart to announce Sri Lanka debt restructuring

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will join her Japanese counterpart and a senior French finance ministry official in Washington on Thursday to announce Sri Lanka's debt restructuring negotiations process, the IMF has announced. The finance ministers of the three creditor countries will hold a press briefing on the margins of the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington. "Japan, India, and France on Thursday will hold a press briefing on the margins of the Spring meetings to announce the launch of the debt restructuring negotiations process on Sri Lanka," IMF said on Tuesday, quoting a Japanese Finance Ministry statement. The three creditor countries have been working closely for a coordinated debt restructuring for Sri Lanka, the statement said. Japanese finance minister Shunichi Suzuki and France's Director General of the Treasury Emmanuel Moulin will join Sitharaman during the press briefing. Sri Lankan President R

China will support Sri Lanka's debt rework, says Central bank governor

The IMF on March 20 approved a $3 billion loan for the island nation to help bail it out of the worst economic crisis in decades

US has no plans of setting up military base in Sri Lanka: US Envoy Chung

The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie J Chung has said that Washington has no intention of building a military base in Sri Lanka and hailed it as an "important country" in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific region. Chung's comments came weeks after senior US defence officials arrived here on two special aircraft of the United States Air Force. The visit in February sparked speculation that the US was planning to set up a military base in Sri Lanka. Chung put the speculation to rest in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper on Monday. "In terms of the military base, I have said this repeatedly, we have no intention of building a military base (in Sri Lanka)," she said. Chung also said that Washington has "no intention of reviving or reassessing the SOFA Agreement." The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) was signed in 1995. These are multilateral or bilateral agreements that establish the framework under which the US military personnel operate in a foreign country and how th

SL seeks relaxation of travel advisories to facilitate tourist arrivals

Amid the ongoing economic crisis, Sri Lanka witnessed an increase from tourism earnings with around $530 million being received in the first three months of 2023

Sri Lanka delays presenting new Anti-Terror Bill amid fresh opposition

Sri Lanka's Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe on Thursday announced that the presentation of the new anti-terrorism Bill that would replace a draconian counter-terrorism law in parliament would be delayed further, a day after a powerful body of lawyers said it would not hesitate to challenge any legislation that would undermine the rule of law and the liberty of the citizens. The new Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) will replace the much maligned Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979. On April 1, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told reporters that the new counter terrorism law will be introduced later this month. However, the justice minister on Thursday said the bill would be delayed to either late April or early May. Sri Lanka is replacing the PTA with a new legislation called the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) after the former law was roundly condemned for its draconian nature where people were allowed to be detained without being charged for indefinite periods of time. Sri Lanka .

SL to finalise negotiations with creditors before 1st review of IMF bailout

Sri Lanka has received the first tranche of about $330 million from the IMF, and this has not only eased liquidity conditions in the domestic foreign currency market

Sri Lankan economy projected to contract by 4.3%, says World Bank

The Covid-19 pandemic, rising energy prices, populist tax cuts and inflation of more than 50 per cent has battered Sri Lanka

SL central bank maintains current interest rates to continue disinflation

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka announced a decision to maintain its Standing Deposit Facility Rate and Standing Lending Facility Rate at the current level of 15.50 per cent and 16.50 per cent

India hopes for SL's early recovery from economic crisis: Commissioner

India on Tuesday expressed hope that Sri Lanka would soon achieve early economic recovery, with the Indian Deputy High Commissioner here, reaffirming New Delhi's steadfast support to the island nation through the crisis. Sri Lanka has been struck by a catastrophic economic and humanitarian crisis sparked by years of mismanagement and the raging pandemic. Vinod K Jacob, the Deputy High Commissioner of India, speaking at the Coordination Forum of Development Partners of Sri Lanka, said that "India had steadfastly supported the people of Sri Lanka through the economic crisis as well as at the IMF," a press release by the Indian High Commission in Colombo said. Jacob expressed hope that Sri Lanka will achieve early economic recovery. Explaining the flagship development cooperation partnership between Delhi and Colombo, the Deputy High Commissioner said that the engagement was based on the principles of South-South cooperation between friendly neighbours. The projects are selected in l