The governor of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank, Nivard Cabraal said that Sri Lanka’s GDP will reach $150bn by 2020, almost double of the country’s current GDP of $77bn.

Speaking at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce economic summit in Colombo, Mr Cabraal said that the target can “easily” be reached, and that several other economic indicators and international rankings for Sri Lanka will also improve.

The governor said that worker remittances, one of the highest contributors to the economy will reduce by 2020, claiming that most of the “would be Lankan expatriates” would find “better and more paying employment opportunities” on the island.

Mr Cabraal also claimed that regional economic differences will further reduce and “all provinces would be enjoying similar incomes” in the next few years.

The Sri Lankan government has previously been accused of manipulating statistics to boost GDP figures, a charge it denied.

The head of the Australian Border Protection Command, Rear Admiral Michael Noonan, is currently on a visit to Sri Lanka to discuss various issues relating to maritime security, including refugees travelling to Australia by boat.

Noonan met with Sri Lanka’s Navy Commander Jayantha Perera at the SLN headquarters on Tuesday and is reported to have thanked Sri Lanka for its cooperation in “combating people smuggling”.

“The Australian Border Protection Commander expressed his appreciation of the cooperation extended by Sri Lanka Navy for combating people smuggling ventures at the operational level and pledged his support for SLN’s continued efforts to prevent perilous journeys taking place from Sri Lankan shores,” the navy said after the meeting.

The navy also said that it drew attention to the “counter measures implemented to thwart illegal maritime migration”, according to the Daily Mirror.

The UN Refugee Agency has criticised Sri Lanka for deporting 36 Pakistani asylum seekers last week, urging the government to stop the deportations and granting the UNHCR access to the remaining refugees.

“UNHCR urges the authorities to stop the deportations and grant us access to refugees and asylum-seekers still detained in Colombo,” spokesperson Ariane Rummery told media in Geneva.

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry has confirmed that President Rajapaksa will be visting Pakistan later this month to “take stock of the bilateral relations and identify potential areas for mutual benefit”, NDTV reported.