Page 38 - Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka to check gold smuggling by airline passengers: Minister

Sri Lanka has directed its custom department to take stringent measures to stop gold smuggling into the country by airlines passengers in a bid to prevent illegal business of the yellow metal, according to the nation's minister of state for finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya. In a statement issued on Saturday, the finance ministry said that no one would be allowed to wear gold valued over 22 carat. The government has decided to take legal action against those who wear unnecessary amounts of gold jewelry as they fly in with the aim of doing illegal business. Accordingly no one would be allowed to wear gold valued over 22 carats, Siyambalapitiya was quoted as saying in the statement. The customs officials have been instructed to deploy technology to detect gold over 22 carat. A gazette is to be issued this week, the release said. Over 50 kilos of gold are being smuggled into the country by unscrupulous racketeers. Estimated that over 30 million dollars are being lost monthly to the ...

Sri Lanka's Tamil parties to discuss federalism ahead of talks with govt

Sri Lanka's all Tamil political parties based in the East and the North are set to meet on Friday to push for federalism ahead of President Ranil Wickremesinghe's proposed all-party meeting next month to address the long-held demand for political autonomy for the minority community in the country. The meeting will be held at the Colombo residence of R Sampanthan, the 89-year-old leader of the Tamil National Alliance, sources in the party said. Wickremesinghe told parliament on Wednesday that it was important to build trust between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamils to resolve the long-standing conflict. He proposed the all-party meeting under his chair to discuss the issue to strike a solution by February 4 next year which is the 75th anniversary of the country's independence from Britain. "Regardless of inter and intra-party differences, the bottom line is that all Sri Lankan Tamil nationalist parties are firmly supportive of a power-sharing arrangement based upon federal ...

HRW urges China, Japan, India to help restructure Sri Lanka's debts

International human rights organisation, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Sri Lanka's major foreign creditors, including China, Japan, and India to help restructure debts

Sri Lanka asks ICC to probe match-fixing allegations during Pak Test series

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Wednesday said it has asked the ICC to probe match-fixing allegations concerning the home Test series against Pakistan held in July. Opposition member of parliament Nalin Bandara had alleged match fixing during the drawn series (1-1) played in Galle. The executive committee of SLC decided today to invite Mr Alex Marshall, the General Manager of the ICC anti corruption unit to Sri Lanka to investigate recent allegations of match fixing made by a parliamentarian regarding the recently concluded Pakistan tour," a statement from SLC said. The SLC accused Bandara of tarnishing its reputation by making the allegation.

Lanka court summons Gotabaya over presidential pardon to murder convict

Sri Lanka's ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was issued a notice by the Supreme Court on Thursday over a presidential pardon granted by him to a former lawmaker of his party who was convicted in a murder of a party colleague in 2011. Rajapaksa, who pardoned Duminda Silva-- a former parliamentarian from his Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, has been issued a second summons since he left office in July this year. Silva who was sentenced to death in 2017 for involvement in the 2011 murder of a party colleague and ex-MP, Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, and four others, was freed in June 2021 after Rajapaksa granted him a presidential pardon. However, the Supreme Court in May this year quashed the pardoning and ordered Silva to be arrested again. He is expected to appear as a respondent before the Supreme Court on December 16 for the hearing of a fundamental rights petition filed by Premachandra's wife and daughter. Similarly, in mid-October, the highest court issued a summo

SL President rules out early elections, vows to crush anti-govt protests

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday rejected the opposition's demand for early parliamentary elections and vowed to use the military to crush any future anti-government protests aimed at regime change. Wickremesinghe, 73, who took over as the President of Sri Lanka in July this year after then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Colombo in the face of the country's worst economic crisis since 1948, said that he will not dissolve the parliament until the economic crisis is resolved. "I will not dissolve parliament early until the economic crisis can be resolved," he said while speaking in Parliament. Wickremesinghe has a mandate to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa's term, which ends in November 2024. However, the opposition parties are demanding early parliamentary elections, claiming that Wickremesinghe's government lacks electoral credibility. The next presidential election is scheduled to be held in 2024. Sri Lanka has witnessed its worst economic crisis since ear

Sri Lanka may miss next month's deadline for securing IMF loan: Report

Sri Lanka is likely to miss next month's deadline for securing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan

Sri Lanka govt drafting new anti-terror law to replace controversial law

The Sri Lankan government is drafting a new counter-terrorism law to replace the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said on Sunday. The PTA was introduced as a temporary arrangement to counter the campaign of separatist violence by the Tamil minority militant groups in 1979. Addressing reporters in the central district of Kandy, Rajapakshe said: The drafting of a new act is currently in the process after careful examination by a group of experts." International rights groups and Tamil parties dubbed it a draconian law that held Tamils in detention over decades without charges being filed in courts. We are keen to bring in an anti-terrorism law so as to ensure the protection of national security," the minister stressed. The government had also come under pressure from the European Union (EU) to repeal the PTA. The EU parliament in mid-2021 resolved that the preferential trade facility of (Generalised System of Preferences) GSP+

Sri Lanka must use its ports for economic growth: President Wickremesinghe

Sri Lanka must use its ports and strategic location for its economic growth, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday while expressing regret over scrapping of the country's trilateral deal with India and Japan to develop the Colombo Port's Eastern Container Terminal. Former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's office said on February 1 last year that his government has decided to run the Colombo Port's Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) as a fully-owned operation of the state-run ports authority. India, Japan and Sri Lanka inked an agreement in 2019 on the development of the Eastern Container Terminal project. Our strategic location is also a means of enhancing our economic prospects. Firstly, our location says we should be a logistics centre with three good harbours, he said. Wickremesinghe said it was regrettable that the trilateral agreement with India and Japan to develop the ECT was scrapped. Last time when I was the Prime Minister, I wanted to push it forward. We had an ..

Sri Lanka's Budget for 2023 aims a way out of current economic crisis

In September, Sri Lanka clinched a deal with the IMF for a 4-year $2.9 billion

Coast Guard apprehends 2 Sri Lankan boats for fishing in Indian waters

The Coast Guard has apprehended two Sri Lankan fishing boats with 11 crew onboard for fishing in Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and escorted them to Kakinada for further investigation. The fishing boats from the neighbouring country were apprehended by ICGS Vigraha, about 175 nautical miles from Kalingapatnam, on November 10 and brought to the shore on Saturday for interrogation. The Lankan vessels were engaged in fishing in Indian EEZ without valid licences and documents, according to an official release. As per the Maritime Zones of India Act 1981, fishing and poaching by foreign vessels in Indian EEZ is an offence and the Lankan vessels violated the Act along with provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Joint investigation and rummaging is being carried out with Marine Police, Fisheries Department, Customs and Intelligence Bureau at Kakinada. Subsequently, the fishing boats and crew will be handed over to Marine Fisheries Department and

Top headlines: Adani to build plants in SL, active Indian firms near 1.5 mn

Business Standard brings you the top headlines this hour

Adani to build power plants in SL, challenge China in support for Modi

Adani has been accused by some Lankan lawmakers of signing opaque port, energy deals closely tied to India's interests, something his group has always denied, saying investments meet Sri Lanka's needs

Adani Group enters Sri Lanka's port industry as the first Indian operator

The group will have the majority stake in the West Container International Terminal Joint Venture (JV) which is valued at $700 million.

Jubilant FoodWorks net rises 10% in July-Sept quarter on high demand

This was owing to uptick in demand across all formats

UN ramps up humanitarian appeal for life-saving assistance to Sri Lankans

The United Nations team in Sri Lanka and non-governmental organisations on Tuesday revised and extended their joint Humanitarian Needs and Priorities (HNP) plan, which aims to provide life-saving assistance to 3.4 million people amid Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis since independence. During the ongoing crisis since June, the HNP plan has been responding to the Sri Lankan government's request for UN-backed multi-sector support for the island nation's debt and food and medicine shortages. Governments and donor agencies have helped the humanitarian community reach over 1 million of the country's most vulnerable people with cash, food, school meals, medicine, protection, and livelihood support, according to a release. The HNP - aligned with appeals from other UN agencies - had raised USD 79 million for Sri Lanka thanks to support from multiple donors like the US and USAID, Australia, Japan including JICA, the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), Canada, Denmark, Norway, New ...

Three-member committee to probe alleged sexual assault by Gunathilaka

A three-member panel will probe the alleged sexual assault by Sri Lankan batter Danushka Gunathilaka during the T20 World Cup in Australia, the country's cricket board said on Tuesday. The probe panel comprising retired High Court judge Justice Sisira Ratnayake, attorney Niroshana Perera and attorney Asela Rekawa will also investigate various other alleged incidents involving the reigning Asia Cup winners during their stay in Australia, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) stated. "Upon submission of the said report by the panel, the Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket will take stern disciplinary action against the players and or officials if proved guilty of any wrongdoing or negligence when carrying out official duties," SLC said. The panel will seek an immediate explanation from the team manager pertaining to Gunathilaka's conduct and other incidents, it added. There are also reports of "a fight involving another player in a Brisbane casino". The 31-year-old left-hander, who was arres

CM Stalin writes to Centre for release of 15 fishermen arrested by SL navy

In his letter, he asked Union Minister to take action to release fishermen and 2 boats which have been seized by Srilankan Navy

T20 WC: SL batter Danushka Gunathilaka arrested on rape charges in Sydney

In a shocking turn of events, Sri Lanka batter Danushka Gunathilaka was arrested in Sydney over alleged charges of rape on Sunday morning.

SL navy arrests 15 Indian fishermen for alleged poaching in northern waters

The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) stated that the arrests were made during 'a special operation in seas north of Talaimannar to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from Sri Lanka's waters'