News

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Sunday said his government has always taken care of the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils and ‘‘consistently’’ flagged the issue of their rights with the leaders in the island nation.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Sri Lanka have welcomed a funding of CAD 1 million (LKR 151 million) from Global Affairs Canada to help smallholder farmers cultivate nutritious crops for the National School Meal Programme.

An import ban in cash-strapped Sri Lanka is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of its curry lovers, depriving them of vital turmeric supplies and encouraging budding smugglers to take their chances with the spice.

Cabinet has approved a proposal submitted by the Industries Ministry to allocate land plots from eight industrial zones on a 35-year lease basis to 22 investors under the Regional Investment Zones (RIZ) Development Programme implemented by the Ministry.

The Cabinet nod comes following recommendations by the project evaluation committee of the Ministries Regional Industrial Services Committees, the Cabinet Office said in a press release.

According to Cabinet Spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella, the aim is to generate some 3,300 jobs which the new industries will bring.

“Investors are to invest LKR 24,047.85 million in these projects while it has been estimated that 3,326 direct employment opportunities will also be generated," Rambukwella adde

The National Movement for Social Justice has commended the decision taken by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to allow the burial of Covid-19 victims.

Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that discussions on the matter are still ongoing.

He was responding to a question raised on the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port.

“India’s interest for participation in the Colombo port is a long standing one since most goods handled there are from and to India. We had, in principle, agreement from the Sri Lankan government in this regard. Current government has, however, expressed a preference in engaging investors directly. I understand discussions are still underway,” Anurag Srivastava said.

Sri Lanka had recently announced that it will not go ahead with the agreement to jointly manage the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port with India and Japan.

The Memorandum of Cooperation among the three governments of Sri Lanka, Japan and India on the development of the ECT located in the Colombo South Port was signed in Colombo on 28 May 2019.

As per the 2018 agreement, India and Japan were to have a 49% stake collectively in the Terminal Operations Company that was to be set up with the exclusive and explicit purpose of providing the equipment and systems necessary for the development of the ECT and managing the ECT for long periods.

Under the agreement, a stake of 51% of the TOC was to belong to the Sri Lankan government under the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).

Sri Lanka had later sought to maintain close relations with India despite the issue over the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port.

Cabinet co-spokesman Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said that Sri Lanka respects its close relationship with India.

He said that the government will look to negotiate and reach a settlement with India on the ECT issue.

Sri Lanka is to hold talks with New Delhi on the West Container Terminal of the Colombo Port.

Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has instructed relevant authorities to take immediate action to establish quarantine centers for Sri Lankan migrant workers who are being repatriated.

Impunity in Sri Lanka will appear prominently, with the long-awaited report by High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile, being presented in an interactive dialogue on the second day of the session.

In light of the report and other troubling developments, the HRC probably will produce a new resolution on Sri Lanka.

In the wake of these developments, a former United Nations (UN) official has told Sri Lanka not to count on the UN for justice.

Former Assistant Secretary General and former Chair of a UN Panel, Charles Petrie, said that the UN lacks courage to act on the Sri Lanka issue.

Speaking at a webinar organised by the Global Tamil Forum, Center for Human Rights and Global Justice – New York University, Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice and the Canadian Tamil Congress, Petrie said that the UN cannot say it does not have the system in place to address the issue.

He said that there are UN officials in Colombo and elsewhere who want to do the right thing. However, he asserted that the UN lacks courage and so the Sri Lankan public must not depend on the UN.

He said that if the Sri Lankan public depends on the UN, they may end up being disappointed.

Instead, he said if the Sri Lankan public could count on their own resilience and the UN performs, it would be an unexpected win.

Petrie headed a panel appointed by then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to conduct a comprehensive review of action by the UN of the civil war in Sri Lanka.

The panel had found that the United Nations system failed to meet its responsibilities — highlighting, in particular, the roles played by the Secretariat, the agencies and programmes of the UN Country Team, and the members of the Security Council and Human Rights Council.

The prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships were awarded to 150 Advanced Level school students from all 25 districts across Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commission said.

The government has suspended the surcharge on import of fuel as relief to loss-incurring Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the listed Lanka IOC PLC, though there won’t be a change in prices at the retail level.