Friday, March 10, 2017

SRI LANKA

SRI LANKA

IMF assessment on Lanka warns of impact from drought


Even as it appreciated the Lankan government for strong efforts in implementing  IMF-supported economic reforms, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Tuesday warned that the prolonged drought in Sri Lanka could raise food and oil imports, with adverse impact on growth, inflation... More

US navy moves quickly to stem China’s monopoly over Hambantota port

The US navy’s move to quickly establish its presence in the controversy-ridden Chinese-built Hambantota port in South Sri Lanka, in collaboration with allies Japan and Australia, stems from the West’s anxiety over China’s current and potential moves in South Asia and... More

Sri Lankan navy shoots Indian fishermen, one dead


The Sri Lankan navy has allegedly shot dead a 21-year-old fisherman and injured some others when they opened fire on fishermen from Rameswaram, who allegedly poached in Lankan waters on Monday night. The fishermen who set out for ‘night fishing’ from the... More

UN insists on hybrid courts, Sirisena says no foreign judges, Rajapaksa...


Even as the UNHRC last Friday reiterated the need for foreign judges to try alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, President Maithripala Sirisena, sounding much like his  predecessor declared that he would not allow foreign judges into the country. His comments... More

U.S. - Sri Lanka partnership stretching even more


The U.S. Navy's Pacific Partnership will engage in Sri Lanka for the first time in the 12-year history of the mission making the mission's initial outreach to South Asia. Civil and military personnel of the Pacific Partnership are scheduled to arrive in... More

IMF Chief Christine Lagarde will not make Sri Lanka visit this...


(Reuters) Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will not be visiting Sri Lanka this month as she had been tentatively scheduled to, the global lender said on Sunday. “Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen change in her... More

Sri Lanka coalition government in a rock and hard place 


Coalition government of Sri Lanka is having a hard time maintaining the balance between the two opposition side in this region’s Geo-political scenario. On one hand China’s investment and financial assistance is difficult to ignore for continuing national development amid huge... More

‘Hybrid court’ not feasible in Sri Lanka: Prime Minister


Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe ruled out the possibility of a ‘hybrid court’, saying it was not politically feasible. Instead he proposed a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ as the best option to deal with post war issues of the country.... More

IMF chief to insist on austerity in Sri Lanka


In the backdrop of Sri Lanka grappling with tighter fiscal and monetary conditions alongside an ongoing drought that is spiraling up inflation, the International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on 21 March to... More

Lankan inflation hits record high


Sri Lanka’s consumer price inflation hit a record high of 6.8 percent in February under a new index. The price inflation index pushed up by the impact of a lingering drought and base-year effects, said a Reuters report calculating government data... More

RTI invoked to expose Army wrongdoings


According to Daily FT, a wide-ranging Right to Information Act request was filed with the Army on Saturday, requesting details of how state resources have been used to aid soldiers and officers accused of attacks on media personnel and to confirm or... More

SL Foreign Minister’s call for action


In a National Unity Government that has grown increasingly skittish about crafting Sri Lanka’s post-conflict future, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has steadfastly championed justice and reconciliation issues. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, the FM mounted an impassioned call to his colleagues... More

A glimpse into the saga of Sri Lanka’s constitutional reforms

The attempts by Sri Lanka’s National Unity government to draft a new constitution in order to seek a permanent solution to the long drawn Tamil ethnic question is afloat in the grey skies of ambiguity. Although six subcommittees on various subjects had... More

Sri Lankan elite discusses “frightening economic situation”


The Colombo-based Sunday Times published a lengthy article last weekend about a secret meeting of government ministers and President Maithripala Sirisena. According to the newspaper, the high-level gathering discussed “what portends to be a frightening economic situation unfolding in the country.” The... More

Mehboob Khan, Pakistan’s Chef with a mission

En route to the Pakistani food festival in Colombo last month, a Tamil Brahmin friend tags along unwillingly, vowing that he will starve.  He visualizes chunks of meat in virtually every dish. He also fears that the food will be bathed... More

Indian Foreign Secretary rules out Indian pressure on Lankan North East...

Visiting Indian Foreign Secretary, S. Jaishankar Monday ruled out ‘going back to the past’ and distanced himself from committing to a possible Indian role in persuading the Sri Lankan government to re-accept the unification of the North and East brought about... More

Indian Foreign Secretary to arrive in Lanka Monday


Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar is likely to discuss the controversy over the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation’s (LIOC’s) hold on the oil tanks in Trincomalee in Eastern Sri Lanka when he meets Sri Lankan leaders here on Monday. The Indian Foreign Secretary... More

Sirisena says first president to declare assets


Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said he is the only President to have declared assets publicly and suggested politicians and government officers follow the law to ensure good governance. “If the politicians and government officers openly fulfill their responsibility no problem will... More

Govt. to launch hearts and minds campaign to win support for...


The Government will launch a hearts and minds campaign to win support for a new constitution in the coming months, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga said on Tuesday. The campaign is expected to be modelled along the lines of Kumaratunga’s own Sudu Nelum... More

Former LTTE commander Karuna says his new party will welcome Sinhalese...

Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna Amman, the former LTTE  Commander for Batticaloa and Amparai, who this week formed a new party, Tamizhar Aikkiya Suthanthira Munnani (Tamil United Freedom Front)  says the purpose of his party is to help Sri Lanka move away... More

Impending Draught Catastrophe


Sri Lankan Disaster Management Ministry Monday warned of the drought conditions spreading across more areas in the country in the coming months, with it creating possible drinking water shortages, bushfires and further crop damage. The prevailing dry weather conditions have already affected... More

COLUMNS

(Exclusive): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move to grant citizenship to Hindus from Bangladesh... More

(Exclusive): China and Thailand have long yearned to find faster and more efficient... More

The Central Statistics Organisation (CSO) is an honourable institution. Dr Pronab Sen, the... More

(Exclusive): Over the past few months, particularly in the post-sanctions era, Iran has... More

EDITOR'S CHOICE

AFTER the cataclysmic events of September 2001, a war was declared on ‘terrorism’.... More

This week’s gathering of the Indian Ocean leaders in Jakarta has drawn a... More

Afghans often proudly refer to their country as “the graveyard of empires”. Today,... More

While China’s growing alliance with Pakistan has raised alarm in relevant quarters in... More

MOST POPULAR

READERS' VIEWS

This week people in Myanmar were forced to confront the kind of country... More

Myanmar is currently in the throes of a massive humanitarian crisis. Thousands of... More