• GDP will reach $150bn by 2020 – Central Bank governor

    Aug 05

    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.

  • Senior Australian border protection official in Sri Lanka

    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.

  • UNHCR “deeply concerned” at Sri Lanka’s deportation of Pakistani refugees

    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.

  • Rajapaksa to travel to Pakistan in August

    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.

  • Four Muslims arrested for 'hate messages'
    Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested four Muslims for allegedly sending “religious hate messages”, reports ColomboPage.
  • Psychological impact of disappearances leads to increase in suicides
    The Northern Provincial Council's health minister stated the number of people committing suicide has been increasing, blaming it on the psychological impact left from disappearances and murders across the North-East.

    Health minister Sathiyalingam noted that almost everyone in the North-East has been affected, stating that at least one person from each house in the North-East has been arrested, disappeared or murdered. With many of these acts taking place in front of relatives, a large number of people have suffered psychologically and have gone on to commit suicide, added Sathiyalingam.

  • UK, France, Germany and Switzerland condemn mob disruption of meeting
    The embassies of the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland condemned the disruption of a meeting on Monday organised for families of the disappeared from the North, by a mob led by Buddhist monks.

    "Over 30 family members of disappeared persons having travelled from the Northern Province, members of civil society and NGOs as well as members of the diplomatic community were in the premises when the disruption took place. All those present felt that their security was under threat," the embassies said in a joint statement issued on Tuesday, calling on Sri Lanka to "ensure and respect freedom of assembly and expression".

    "We sincerely hope that the security of those having travelled from the Northern Province to share their experience will be assured upon their return," the statement added.

  • Rajapaksa expresses regret over MoD article as outrage continues in Tamil Nadu
    The Sri Lankan president expressed regret on Tuesday over a derogatory article posted by the Ministry of Defence over the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    "I regret that it has happened. I have called for a report on it," Rajapaksa told media in Colombo, the Daily Mirror reports.

    The public statement of regret comes as there was widespread outrage in Tamil Nadu from cross-party politicians as well as personalities from the hugely influential Tamil Nadu film industry.

  • Sri Lanka continues to intimidate journalists' – TNA MP
    Member of Parliament for the Tamil National Alliance P Ariyanethiran has condemned Sri Lanka's continued intimidation of journalists in the North-East, calling for an immediate halt to curbs on media freedom.

    Uthayan reports that the Batticaloa district MP said it was not just Sri Lanka's infamous Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) that was intimidating journalists, but that other government authorities were also involved.

    Ariyanethiran went on to cite the recent case of a journalist in Batticaloa who had been called in for questioning by the TID over a news article published on a website. Calling it a “condemnable matter”, the MP added it was “unacceptable” for the TID to call intimidate and investigate journalists over news.

  • Call for submissions as 'OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka' begins
    The terms of reference for the UN inquiry on mass atrocities in Sri Lanka - 'OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL)', which begins work this week, were published on Tuesday, detailing the legal and time framework to be applied and how to submit evidence.
  • Buddhist mob disrupts meeting for families of disappeared Tamils
    Updated 15:34

    A second meeting for families of the disappeared from the North was cancelled over concerns of safety, after mobs led by Buddhist monks disrupted a similar meeting held earlier today in Colombo where Tamil families were meeting with international diplomats.

     

    Picture: @Mari_deSilva

    Activists and journalists who were at the meeting, reported via Twitter, that the mob charged into the meeting and shouted abuse at the Tamil relatives of the disappeared.

    Members of the mob took photographs of the Tamils at the meeting.

    “You are selling our motherland for dollars. You are supported by the USA to give evidence at [the] war crimes panel,” the protestors shouted, an independent journalist, Dushi Yanthini, reported.

    Diplomats from the US, UK and the EU, including the Acting Deputy Chief of the US mission, Mike Honigstein, witnessed the incident.

    Condemning the incidents of mob intimidation, the Deputy Chief of the US Mission consoled Tamil families and said that he would raise the issue with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, tweeted Dushi Yanthini.

  • Gotabaya Rajapaksa ‘ready to enter parliamentary politics’

    The Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has told NewsFirst that he is ready to enter parliamentary politics if President Mahinda Rajapaksa tells him to.

  • India summons SL High Commissioner amidst protests against Sri Lanka's MoD article
    The Indian government is to summon the Sri Lankan High Commissioner over a defamatory article posted on the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence website last week, said the Indian External Affairs Minister on Monday, reports The Hindu.

    “The government strongly condemned the development,” said the minister, Sushma Swaraj.

    The decision came as India's Lok Sabha was disrupted by protests, with AIADMK MPs demanding stricter action against Sri Lanka, the BBC reported.

  • US embassy expresses concern over SL police support to mob
    The United States Embassy in Sri Lanka expressed concern over the Sri Lankan police's apparent support of a mob lead by Buddhist monks that disrupted a private meeting for families of the disappeared from the North on Monday.

    “The US embassy is concerned that the initial reaction of the local police to this disruption appeared to be in support of the mob efforts to shut down the meeting, though after discussions with diplomatic officials the police did effectively calm the situation," the embassy said in a statement issued hours after the mob violence.

    “The mob shouted hateful slogans, made unfounded accusations, and behaved threateningly towards the families of the disappeared. These protesters were not exercising their right to peaceful protest, but rather were disrupting a peaceful gathering of conflict survivors, including children. The strong impression was that the protesters were seeking to intimidate and silence those in attendance," The statement added.

  • Scotland criticised over training of Sri Lankan police
    Scotland has faced criticism over a training program for more than 3500 Sri Lankan policemen, which takes place as the Sri Lankan government comes under investigation by the United Nations for war crimes and gross violations of international humanitarian law.

    The program, funded by the UK Foreign Office, will see senior Sri Lankan commanders receive training from the Scottish Police College     and is set to run until the end of 2015.

    The Sunday Herald reports that the program aims to embed “international standards in police training”.

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