Sri Lanka has called for the provision of greater market access to India in an attempt to help increase Sri Lankan exports and reduce the growing trade deficit with India, reported Colombo Page . The suggestion was made during official talks between the two governments on trade, investment and economic cooperation, that were held in Colombo. The two governments agreed that there was considerable potential to expand the bilateral trade between the nations and embolden each others economies.
The Mannar Citizens Committee has accused the Sri Lankan army of obstructing an awareness initiative by on laws relating to land, which the MCC created in view of the arbitrary occupation of land by the army. In a statement published on the 11th June 2013, the MCC Said that it " strongly feel[s] this needs to be inquired into, and those [who are] responsible at all levels held accountable. If not, such unlawful intrusions by the military into activities of the government officials, as well as civil society, will continue. " The MCC outlined the allegations as follows: "On the first day, 30th May 2013, an intelligence officer of the Army had come to seminar, but the President of the MCC had told him that this was a program dealing with purely civil matters and that his presence was disturbing. He had left without saying any word.
Sri Lanka has moved up from 29th to 28th 'most failed state' this year, scoring almost as bad as the state did in 2010 on key markers, in the Failed State Index, by the Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy. See here for results. Sri Lanka scored most highly in 2013 on the 'failed state' indicators of 'Group Grievances' = 9.5 (an increase from 9.1 last year); 'Human Rights' = 9.0 , 'Security Apparatus' = 8.5 (putting Sri Lanka ahead of North Korea, which scored 8.4) and 'Factionalized Elites' = 9.3 . Scores for all four of these 'failed state' indicators this year, are in fact very close to 2010...
Two Sri Lankan defence officers receiving, Indian government sponsored, training in Tamil Nadu have left the state, following strong opposition form political parties and other organisations. The discontent climaxed yesterday, when over 200 workers from the Naam Tamizhar Katchi organisation protested at the military campus of the Madras Regiment Centre. Sri Lankan Secretary of Defense, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has stressed that Sri Lanka will not agree on the proposed transfer of officers to another institute. The Tamil Nadu leadership has been consistently opposing the training provided to Sri...
An Indian minister has defended the decision to continue the training of officers form the Sri Lankan Army. Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Sudarsana Natchiappan said consequences on the strategic relationship between Sri Lanka and India have to be considered. “I appreciate the feelings of those who have organised demonstrations against providing training to Sri Lankan Army officials [in Indian military facilities]. But you should not forget that they have the option of approaching China if India turned its back on them. It will not augur well for India, a close neighbour of...
Writing in the Financial Times, Gideon Rachman said leaders of Commonwealth nations should "feel sick about accepting hospitality from a government with so grim a rights record". See extracts below, for full article click here . The world is so busy cheering on the emergence of democracy in Myanmar that it is in danger of averting its eyes from the assault on democracy in another Asian state – Sri Lanka. In fact, the sins of the Sri Lankan government are not merely being ignored. They are about to be rewarded. This November Colombo is set to play host to the prestigious Commonwealth heads of...
The Sri Lankan government is working towards the prohibition of state or private land to non-Sri Lankan citizens. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president, and the Minister of Finance and Planning, has submitted proposed legislation to a Cabinet of Ministers to impose the restrictions, reports the ColomboPage. According to the news site, the ' transfer of state or private land by way of a sale, donation, gift, or by any other disposition to a person who is not a citizen of Sri Lanka will be prohibited ' and ' further a sale cannot be sold or transferred to a company incorporated in Sri Lanka where...
The Sri Lankan government warned the British government and Scotland Yard of a 'possible threat to Sri Lanka's cricket team from the Tamil Tiger terrorist supporters in England', according to a report in the Sunday Leader. The External Affairs Ministry's Secretary, Karunatalika Amunugama, has requested a report into the possibility of 'security lapses' which allowed Tamil protesters to disrupt the Sri Lanka's cricket match against India at Swalec stadium in Cardiff. Amunugama said: "The ministry has asked the High Commissioner Dr. Chris Nonis to raise the issue with the British authorities"...
The UNP Pradeshiya Sabha member for Chavakachcheri, Kumar Sharvendran, has applied for the SLFP nomination to contest the proposed Northern Provincial Council election to be held later this year. Sharvendran is one of 53 applicants that was interviewed for the position on Saturday, including TNA Jaffna Municipal councillor Remedius Mudiappu, and Daya Master, as well as businessmen and lawyers. Minister A.H.M Fowzie, who was on the interview panel said: “We are excepting more TNA and UNP local council members to join the SLFP before the polls.”
According to Nation.lk, Sri Lankan cricket spokesman said that the Sri Lankan cricket fans had given the Tamil #BoycottLKA protesters "the medicine they deserved". See here . Extract below: '... at the London Oval raged Sri Lankan fans had given them the medicine they deserved when LTTE sympathisers tried to spoil their victory party after the match to a point of hammering them till they ran , an SLC spokesman told ‘The Nation’ yesterday'