Page 6 - Sri Lanka

SL criticises Britain's 'unilateral' sanctions on its former generals

Sri Lanka on Wednesday slammed the British government's "unilateral action" to sanction its three former military commanders, who led the campaign that crushed the LTTE in 2009, saying the move will complicate the national reconciliation process. A UK foreign office statement Monday said Sri Lanka's three military commanders - former Army Commanders Gen Shavendra Silva, Jagath Jayasuriya and former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda - were among those sanctioned and subjected to UK travel bans and asset freezes. The UK government also sanctioned Vinyagamurthy Muralidaran, the deputy leader of the LTTE, who later turned a rebel of the group and became a deputy minister in the national parliament. In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "such unilateral actions by countries do not assist but serve to complicate the national reconciliation process underway in Sri Lanka". "The government is in the process of strengthening domestic mechanisms on ...

Sri Lanka court sentences Indian to hard labour over cricket match fixing

An Indian national was on Tuesday sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment by the high court in the central town of Matale in connection with a 2024 case of fixing a cricket match. Yogi Patel was charged based on a complaint by Upul Tharanga, chairman of Sri Lanka selectors, over a proposal to fix matches in the Legends League T20 tournament played in Kandy. Patel, who was tried in absentia as he had fled the country despite a travel ban by the court, was arrested in March last year and later released on bail in May under strict bail conditions. After he fled the country, his lawyers told the court that he had fled due to death threats. The judge had previously ordered the police's CID to issue an interpol warrant for Patel's arrest. Sri Lanka, in 2019, adopted the Prevention of Sports Related Corruption Act which carries jail terms up to 10 years and fines of over USD 5,50,000. Local media reports said the accused was also fined Sri Lankan Rupees (SLR) 85 million and ord

UK sanctions 4, including Sri Lanka military commanders, for rights abuses

The UK has sanctioned four individuals, including military commanders, who had led the Sri Lankan government's successful campaign against the LTTE in 2009, for human rights abuses and violations. A UK foreign office statement on Monday said General Shavendra Silva, former Head of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, Wasantha Karannagoda, former Navy Commander, and Jagath Jayasuriya, former Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, and Vinyagamurthy Muralidaran, the deputy leader of the LTTE who later turned a rebel of the group and became a deputy minister in the national parliament, were sanctioned and subjected to UK travel bans and asset freezes. The UK government has imposed sanctions on 4 individuals responsible for serious human rights abuses and violations during the Sri Lanka civil war, including extrajudicial killings, torture and/or perpetration of sexual violence," the statement said. The UK government's sanctions on General Silva follow a similar action against him by the US State ...

Wickremesinghe slams Dissanayake govt for Adani energy project failure

Sri Lanka's former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has criticised President Anura Kumara Dissanayake-led government for failing to move ahead with a Renewable Energy Project in Mannar with Indian Conglomerate, Adani. Wickremesinghe made these remarks during a televised discussion on Saturday the text of which was released on Monday. He also stressed the need for Sri Lanka to enhance economic cooperation with India to maximise results for the island nation. Wickremesinghe said during his two-year term in 2022, he emphasised a South India-focused economic framework in areas of renewable energy, agriculture, and trade links. "I explored many avenues for economic cooperation with India. Regrettably, the current government has failed to pursue the Adani renewable project in Mannar." He criticised them for failing to move ahead with the Renewable Energy Project in Mannar with Indian Conglomerate, Adani. He said he saw no logic in the NPP government's attempt to renegotiate the Adani gre

Petitions against Adani Green withdrawn as firm cancels Sri Lanka project

Five fundamental rights petitions filed against the Adani Green Energy projects in the northeastern region of Sri Lanka have been withdrawn by the petitioners. The withdrawal comes after the Attorney General filed a motion following Adani Green Energy's notification to the Board of Investment about its decision to cancel its wind energy projects. Last month, the Indian conglomerate announced its withdrawal from further engagement in the renewable wind energy project in Mannar and Pooneryn. Fundamental rights petitions were filed in 2024 after the previous cabinet approved the project in May last year. The petitions pointed to the project's environmental hazards and the lack of transparency. The Adani Group left the project after the new Sri Lankan government led by President Anura Kumar Dissanayake decided late in December to review the project and renegotiate the power purchase agreement. The previous government-negotiated price of eight cents was considered too high, with the ..

How Dravidian politics has evolved beyond the LTTE over 35 years

Since the IPKF's withdrawal from Sri Lanka in 1990, the once-powerful ideology and influence of LTTE in Tamil Nadu has faded, with minimal electoral impact

PM Modi to visit Sri Lanka next month to finalise bilateral agreements

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Sri Lanka early next month to finalise agreements reached during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's visit to Delhi last year, a minister said on Saturday. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath made the statement while responding to a question on budget allocation debate in the parliament here. We have maintained a close relationship with our neighbour India. Our first diplomatic visit was to India, where we reached several agreements on bilateral cooperation," Herath said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive here early April," he added. Herath said that during PM Modi's visit, several new memoranda of understandings will be signed, in addition to the opening of the Sampur solar power station. In 2023, the state power entity Ceylon Electricity Board and India's NTPC agreed to build a 135 MW solar power plant in Sampur town of eastern Trincomalee district. Herath said the National People's Power (NPP) government's goodwill policy

Tata Motors returns in Sri Lanka with all-new passenger vehicle portfolio

Marking its return in Sri Lanka, Tata Motors on Thursday announced the launch of its all-new range of passenger vehicles, including electric vehicles, in the country. The company in partnership with its sole authorised distributor in Sri Lanka, DIMO, launched a range of SUVs - Punch, Nexon, and the Curvv, along with its popular electric hatchback, Tiago.ev, while showcasing EV portfolio comprising Punch.ev, Nexon.ev and the Curvv.ev, Tata Motors said in a statement. "We are excited to be here in Sri Lanka, marking a new chapter in our international business strategy. Tata Motors has undergone significant transformation over the years, and there is no better way to mark our return than with a new, game-changing product portfolio," Tata Passenger Electric Mobility - Head of International Business, Yash Khandelwal said. *** TVS Motor Co, PETRONAS Lubricants strengthen partnership * TVS Motor Company on Thursday said it has further strengthened its partnership with PETRONAS Lubricant

Decoding row over Sri Lanka's Muralitharan getting 'land for free' in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir faces political turmoil over alleged free land allotment to ex-Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan for a Rs 1,600 crore beverage plant in Kathua

Sri Lanka asks India to stop fishermen from straying into country's waters

The Sri Lankan government has requested India to prevent its fishermen from illegally entering the country's waters for fishing. Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayaka said the Indian action would be deeply appreciated by the people in northern Sri Lanka as fishing is the only livelihood for them. His remarks came ahead of the likely visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Sri Lanka next month. We know that India has been helping Sri Lanka a lot. But this help towards the people of Jaffna would be the greatest," Rathnayaka told Parliament on Wednesday. They have no other industry and if you go to Mannar and Thalaimannar you will see. Rathnayaka said India was of much assistance to the people of northern Sri Lanka during the country's armed conflict with the LTTE. They gave them protection and we are thankful to India for that," Rathnayaka stressed. The biggest service India, the Tamil Nadu government and, their MPs could do is to help the nor

Sri Lanka gets fourth tranche of $334 million bailout package from IMF

The IMF has agreed to release the fourth tranche of USD 334 million from its USD 2.9 billion bailout package to Sri Lanka to strengthen the island nation's recovery from its 2022 bankruptcy. The release of the fourth tranche was approved on Friday after the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the third review under the 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement to Sri Lanka. The global lender said it would release about USD 334 million to the crisis-hit nation, bringing total funding to around USD 1.3 billion. The IMF said Sri Lanka has performed strongly under the programme. "All quantitative targets for end-December 2024 were met, except the indicative target on social spending. Most structural benchmarks due by end-January 2025 were either met or implemented with delay. The recent successful completion of the bond exchange is a major milestone towards restoring debt sustainability," the IMF said in a statement. "Reform efforts are bearing f

India-Sri Lanka petro pipeline depends on economics, not politics: CPC head

A proposed multi-product petroleum pipeline between India and Sri Lanka will proceed only if economically viable, not based on political considerations, the head of Sri Lanka's national oil company has said. Deliberation on the possible trilateral cooperation between India, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates was held during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's visit to India last year. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Chairman W A Rajakaruna told the Daily Mirror newspaper that currently the project is being assessed for its feasibility. "We will assess the project for its feasibility. We will press ahead only if it is feasible. We cannot decide on it over political reasons only," the report quoted him as saying. Rajakurana said he participated in talks about this with President Dissanayake last week. The project is part of the energy connectivity between Sri Lanka and India. There is a proposal for power grid connectivity between the two countries, according to the report. Accor

Indian envoy, Sri Lankan minister discuss boosting farm productivity

Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha met Sri Lankan Minister K D Lalkantha and discussed opportunities for bilateral collaboration for the modernisation of agriculture in the island nation, according to an official statement. Jha met Lalkantha, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, here on Monday, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said in a post on X. "They discussed opportunities for India-Sri Lanka collaboration in agriculture modernisation in Sri Lanka, with an emphasis on raising productivity, technology and incomes for farmers," it said. Sri Lanka has a central place in India's Neighbourhood First' policy and Security and growth for all in the region (S.A.G.A.R) vision, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India has extended overall assistance amounting to USD 5 billion through concessional loans/swap agreements and USD 600 million as grants to Sri Lanka under its development cooperation. These development projects extend to all 25 ...

India assumes chairmanship of Bay of Bengal Inter-Governmental Organisation

India has assumed the chairmanship of the Bay of Bengal Inter-Governmental Organisation at the 13th Governing Council Meeting in Male, Maldives.India assumed the chairmanship in the presence of senior government representatives from Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in a press release.The event was part of the high-level conference 'Policy Guidance for Mainstreaming Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in Small-Scale Fisheries', hosted by the Ministry of Fisheries & Ocean Resources of the Maldives government, in collaboration with the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO), that has been successfully convened from February 20 to 22, 2025, in Lankanfinolhu, Maldives.As per the Ministry, the Indian delegation was led by Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries. He highlighted that India is committed to upholding and building upon the achievements of the Bay of Bengal

Dissanayake govt unveils first budget, eyes 5% growth for Sri Lanka in 2025

The Sri Lankan economy is expected to grow at 5 per cent in 2025, President Anura Dissanayake said Monday while presenting the budget for this year. This is the first full-year budget presented by the National People's Power (NPP) government, which came to power in November last year. Introducing the budget, Dissanayake said a budget is a "reflection of the government's approach to building the economy and overall policy." He added that this year's budget intends to set a foundation of an economy where "all citizens are active participants, active stakeholders, and active beneficiaries," news portal Adaderana.lk reported. We expect the 2025 economic growth to be around 5 per cent, said Dissanayake, also the island nation's Finance Minister. He asserted that all fiscal measures would be directed towards the commencement of repaying the external debt from 2028. "...Growth in non-debt creating inflows along with robust economic growth and a primary budget surplus of 2.3 per cent of

Sri Lanka expects economic growth at 5%, to repay all debt: Dissanayake

Dissanayake said that he expects the economy to grow at 5 per cent in the medium term and plans to maintain low inflation, while also taking steps to keep exchange rates stable

Adani Green withdraws from wind energy, transmission projects in Sri Lanka

The projects in question included two wind power plants to be set up in Mannar and Pooneryn at a total investment of $442 million

Sri Lanka's fourth IMF tranche of $3 bn to be released soon: Officials

Sri Lanka's fourth tranche of nearly USD 3 billion bailout facility by IMF will be materialised in the coming months, a top official of the world body has said. The National People's Power (NPP) government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review of the USD 3 billion extended arrangement under the EFF in November. On Thursday, Julie Kozack, IMF spokesperson, said in Washington that the USD 333 million fourth tranche is expected to be released in the coming months after the IMF executive board approves it. She said the review would focus on the full implementation of prior action under the programme. Since the IMF and Sri Lanka entered the bailout in March 2022, three tranches of over USD 330 million have been disbursed. On Thursday, in Colombo President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met the IMF officials to discuss Dissanayake's first full government budget for 2025. The President's Media Division (PMD) said a comprehensive discussion regarding the

Where strongman failed, women are fueling a democratic revival in Sri Lanka

When the country all but ran out of cash and fuel, the burden fell disproportionately on women, who shoulder the domestic load

Sri Lanka must unite to achieve economic freedom: Prez Dissanayake

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday said that Sri Lanka must work in unison to achieve economic freedom rather than yield to vulnerabilities within the global economic system. Addressing the 77th Independence Day celebrations of the island nation, Dissanayake said, "Collectively, we must persist in our struggle for freedom on behalf of this motherland." "To secure our economic freedom, rather than succumbing to weakness in the global economic system and being overwhelmed by its every fluctuation, we must unite in our efforts for this motherland," said the 56-year-old president. In keeping with his government's policy of minimizing state expenditures as the island nation struggles to emerge from the 2022 economic crisis, this year's celebrations saw a reduction in the usual pomp and pageantry. Only 1,800 military personnel were deployed in the parade, a reduction of over 1,500 personnel from last year. From last year's 19 aircraft, this morning's celebrations featured only