Page 32 - Sri Lanka

CM Stalin writes to EAM, seeks intervention over attacks on TN fishermen

The Tamil Nadu CM highlighted the incident where six Tamil Nadu fishermen were allegedly attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy

India, Sri Lanka agree to increase 'complexity' of bilateral exercises: MoD

India and Sri Lanka on Thursday agreed to increase intensity of bilateral military exercises and vowed to avail maximum benefits from each other's experience and capacities, a move that came amid China's attempts to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean region. The two sides reviewed their defence and security cooperation at the seventh India-Sri Lanka annual defence dialogue that took place in Delhi. "During the meeting, the ongoing defence cooperation activities between the two countries were reviewed, with both sides agreeing to increase the complexity of bilateral exercises," the defence ministry said. "In the context of training, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to avail maximum benefits from each other's experience and capacities," it said in a statement. The dialogue was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and his Sri Lankan counterpart General Kamal Gunaratne. The ministry said the armed forces of both countries continue to seek bilateral cooperation i

Sri Lanka okays two Adani Group power plants with investment over $400 mn

According to the BOI, the two wind power plants of 350 MW which are scheduled to be commissioned in two years, and would be added to the national grid by 2025

Sri Lanka investment board approves $442-mn Adani Green wind power plants

Sri Lankans have been struggling with rolling powers cuts for over a year as the country struggled to generate sufficient amounts of thermal and coal power

Pak, Sri Lanka close in on IMF deals after raising taxes to boost economies

Pakistan has taken all the measures needed to unfreeze a $6.5 billion credit line and expects to clinch the deal "any day now," Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar said in an interview

IMF only option available to SL to overcome economic crisis: Wickremesinghe

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday emphasised that seeking the IMF bailout package was the only option available to the debt-ridden country to overcome the ongoing economic crisis. "When a country goes bankrupt, it has to go to the International Monetary Fund. Apart from that, there is no other organisation in the world that provides aid when a country goes bankrupt," Wickremesinghe said. Addressing a gathering in the central town of Kandy, he said that each nation that experienced an economic catastrophe recovered after engaging in talks with the IMF and cited the example of Greece which took 13 years to recover from the collapsed economy. "I have no hope of being President for 13 years," Wickremesinghe said, amidst opposition to his hard economic reforms which had triggered utility rate hikes and increased personal taxes. "There is only one way to rebuild this collapsed economy. That is the International Monetary Fund. Different political parties are presenting

Srilankans attacked Indian fishermen, took their catch & equipment: TN CM

Srilankans assaulted Indian fishermen, took away their catch and equipment, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin apprised the Centre on Monday and urged that the matter be taken up with Sri Lanka to ensure action against assailants and prevent recurrence of such attacks. Writing to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Stalin said while fishermen from Nagappattinam in Tamil Nadu were fishing east of Thopputhurai area on February 15, about "10 Sri Lankan nationals in three fishing boats surrounded the Indian fishing boat and beaten our innocent fishermen with iron rod, sticks and knives." The Nagappatinam based country craft sailed with a crew of six. In this attack, one fishermen sustained injuries in head and left hand and other five fishermen sustained internal injuries. The Sri Lankan nationals took away materials worth about Rs 2 lakh including walkie-talkie, GPS equipment, battery and about 200 kg fish. The injured were admitted in Nagapattinam government hospital for ...

Sri Lanka returns to non-stop power supply after a year, at higher cost

After a year of load-shedding, Sri Lankans will get continuous power from Thursday, albeit with a hike in tariff in line with the conditions set by the IMF. The Sri Lankan government's move comes as the debt-hit country aims to secure a much-needed USD 2.9 billion tranche from the Washington-based global lender. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed officials to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to customers after the tariff revision is implemented, a statement from the President's Media Division said. The state power entity said that the power cuts ranging from one to 14 hours from January last year would end on Thursday. A 66 per cent tariff hike would be in effect, the second in the last six months. A 70 per cent rate increase was introduced in August last year. The government opted for a cost-reflective tariff plan as dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said. This will be a giant step in securing the IMF facility, he

Lankan govt gives temporary green light to import of eggs from India

A temporary permission had been granted to import eggs for a period of two months

Piyush Goyal discusses economic recovery with Sri Lankan envoy Moragoda

Moragoda thanked India for the unprecedented support that it has extended to Sri Lanka to mitigate the negative impact of the economic crisis

Sri Lanka to fast-track trade pact with Thailand amid economic crisis

Debt-stricken Sri Lanka is fast-tracking efforts to seal a stalled trade pact with Thailand in order to boost trade and tourism, and improve the foreign currency shortage that has led to its worst economic crisis, a government minister said on Tuesday. Sri Lanka began talks with Thailand on a free trade agreement in 2016, held two rounds of discussions in 2018, and the latest last month. But government spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said there's been a huge delay and Sri Lanka is now determined to sign the agreement before the end of March. The trade pact aims to boost two-way trade from $550 million to $1.5 billion. Sri Lanka is also in talks with neighbouring India and China to reach trade agreements. The country is bankrupt and has suspended repayment of its $51 billion foreign debt, of which $28 billion must be repaid by 2027. Gunawardena said the agreement with Thailand would help Sri Lanka to boost trade, tourism and investment and help resolve its foreign currency shortage.

PM says Jaffna Cultural Centre signifies close cooperation between India-SL

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Jaffna Cultural Centre, which was inaugurated on Saturday, an "important initiative" signifying the close cooperation between India and Sri Lanka

In final stages of negotiations with IMF on bailout package: SL President

President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday said Sri Lanka was in the final stages of negotiations with the IMF on the much-awaited USD 2.9 billion bailout package that could help the debt-trapped island nation recover from the unprecedented economic crisis. Wickremesinghe also said that his government was having "direct discussions" with Beijing to restructure the country's debts with China. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September last year approved Sri Lanka the USD 2.9 billion bailout package for over 4 years pending the island nation's ability to restructure its debt with creditors -- both bilateral and sovereign bond holders. By the end of June 2022, Sri Lanka owed nearly USD 40 billion to bilateral, multilateral and commercial loans, according to the figures released by the Sri Lankan Treasury. With assurances from creditors, the USD 2.9 billion facility could get the IMF board approval in March, officials said. The IMF facility would enable Sri Lanka to obtain ...

SL Prez Wickremesinghe calls for unity, to continue with his decisions

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday that he will go ahead with the devolution of powers within a united Sri Lanka and continue with his unpopular decisions to ensure that the bankrupt country recovered from the economic crisis. In a major policy address, Wickremesinghe also told Parliament that talks with the IMF to unlock a USD 2.9 billion bailout package are in the final stages. "We expect to devolve power within a Unitary State. However, I wish to reiterate a fact that has been emphasised on many occasions. There will be no division of the country, Wickremesinghe told lawmakers. His remarks came days after the powerful Buddhist clergy expressed strong opposition to the move, claiming it challenges the unitary nature of the country. President Wickremesinghe has underlined the need to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to grant political autonomy to the minority Tamils in the country. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13A which w

Sri Lankan police quiz Gotabaya Rajapaksa over president's house cash

Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been questioned by police over the discovery of a large amount of cash in his office-cum-residence when he fled the country for safety as thousands of protesters stormed the place in July last year. "A three-hour long statement was recorded on Monday at his private house as directed by the court," police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told reporters. The protesters who occupied the President's House in the capital in July last year said that they had discovered over 17 million rupees in cash and handed over the money to the Colombo Fort police. The police reported the matter to the court, which ordered a statement to be recorded from Rajapaksa on the discovery of cash. The 73-year-old disgraced former president fled Sri Lanka on July 13 last year to the Maldives. From there, he travelled to Singapore from where he sent in his resignation on July 14, paving the way for the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe to take over the presidential rein

India is Sri Lanka's biggest friend in time of crisis, says Sri Lanka PM

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has said that India is the biggest friend of the island nation in times of crisis. Sri Lanka declared bankruptcy last year and defaulted on its USD 51 billion foreign loans for the first time since independence from Britain in 1948. India has played a significant role in aiding the island nation over the last year to tide over the economic crisis. Addressing the Tata Tiscon Dealer Convention 2023 in Colombo, Prime Minister Gunawardena called on Indian companies to invest further in Sri Lanka. He further said that India is the biggest friend of Sri Lanka in times of crisis, the Colombo Gazette portal reported. Outlining the benefits of Indian investments in Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Gunawardena highlighted that 90 per cent of components used by Lanka Ashok Leyland were indigenous, it said. Speaking at the event, High Commissioner Gopal Baglay said that both Government of India and Indian corporates are working to build relationships tha

Cannot reboot SL's battered economy through painkillers: Wickremesinghe

Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday said he is fixing the debt-ridden country's economy by treating the "root cause" of the malaise and not by administering "painkillers", asserting that systematic change and national unity in conjunction with economic reforms are needed to achieve prosperity. President Wickremesinghe made these comments through a series of tweets a day after Sri Lanka celebrated its 75th Independence Day. Sri Lanka was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis last year due to a severe paucity in foreign exchange reserves that also sparked political turmoil in the island nation that led to the ouster of the all-powerful Rajapaksa family. I'm not treating the superficial condition with painkillers. I am treating the root cause of the malaise. Many of the decisions I have been compelled to take are unpopular, but because of these, no citizen will die in queues or starve, Wickremesinghe tweeted. From April to July last year, chaos reigned supreme in Sri

Sri Lankan coal company requests over $12 million amid power cuts fear

Chairman of the Lanka Coal Company Shehan Sumanasekara told media on Saturday that he has asked the money from Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera

India a dependable partner, reliable friend of Sri Lanka: Muraleedharan

India is always a dependable partner and a reliable friend of Sri Lanka, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said. His remarks came as he attended Sri Lanka's 75th Independence Day. Several other foreign dignitaries also attended the event. Muraleedharan said he was happy to represent India at "friendly neighbour" Sri Lanka's 75th Independence Day celebrations. "This milestone coincides with 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries India is always a dependable partner and a reliable friend of Sri Lanka," he tweeted. Muraleedharan also prayed to The Buddha at the sacred Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo. "Offered his respects to Ven Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thero," the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tweeted. Assaji Thero is the Chief Incumbent of Gangaramaya Temple. Muraleedharan highlighted the close civilisational ties between India and Sri Lanka which are manifested, including through Buddhism. Last year, India extended USD 3.9 bi

Sri Lanka must correct its errors, failures: Prez at 75th Independence Day

Sri Lanka needs to rectify its "errors and failures" and review its strengths and gains as a nation, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday, as the country marked its 75th anniversary of independence at a critical time when it is reeling under an unprecedented economic crisis. The main Independence Day event was attended by foreign dignitaries, including India's Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan. Wickremesinghe presided over the ceremony which featured a military parade with a 21-gun salute. The celebrations happened despite criticism from Opposition groups who claimed the events costing Rupees 200 million were a waste as the island nation continues to grip in its worst economic crisis since gaining independence. In his message, Wickremesinghe said: Our 75th anniversary of independence from colonial rule is being observed during an extremely critical and challenging time in the country. However it presents an opportunity for us not only to review our