News
Indian media hyping Chinese research ship docking in Sri Lanka a sensational claim: Chinese expert
Analysts have condemned the politicizing of China’s legal scientific activity in the Indian Ocean after some Indian media made sensational claims about an oceangoing geophysical research ship from China that docked at a port in Sri Lanka, adding that the claims merely serve India’s regional strategy.
The oceangoing geophysical research ship Shiyan 6 reportedly docked at the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, and will stay there until Saturday, AP reported, citing the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry.
Departing from Guangzhou in September, the research expedition team, made up of scientists and experts from 13 institutes. will conduct some 28 offshore research over 80 days, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The expedition is focused on “coupling relationship between the dynamic processes, material circulation, and biogeography in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean,” the report said.
However, a report from Hindustan Times asserted that it is a dual purpose vessel and said it was “not only for maritime survey but also seabed survey for future operations of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean.” It also claimed that the ship docked at the port despite India’s objections.
The oceangoing geophysical research ship from China is conducting scientific research in the Indian Ocean, but some Indian media deliberately linked it with military activities so as to smear and demonize China’s international image to serve its foreign policy of being tough on China, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Hyping the normal replenishment of a research ship will contribute to damaging the political mutual trust between the two countries, which is already lacking, Qian noted, urging India to make practical efforts to bring bilateral ties onto a positive path.
Chen Xiangmiao, director of the world navy research center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times that the activities of Shiyan 6 in the Indian Ocean conform to international law and also the laws of Sir Lanka, adding that India’s objections come from nowhere.
Past experiences have shown that whenever Chinese ships enter the Indian Ocean, whether they are merchant ships or fishing ships, due to its biased perception of China, India will treat them as a threat to the region, making sensational claims against China based on non-existent facts.
Asked why the research ship was going on an expedition to the Indian Ocean, the chief scientist said, “The Indian Ocean plays an important role in regional and global climate change, water and energy exchange, especially through monsoons carrying a large amount of water vapor, which has a significant impact on southern China and the Yangtze River Basin. However, the Indian Ocean is one of the oceans that lacks on-site observation.”
This research in the eastern Indian Ocean aims to further explore the different ocean dynamic processes and material transport in the north and south hemispheres of the tropical eastern Indian Ocean ridge area, as well as their regional climate effects. This serves to enhance the country’s marine disaster prevention, reduction, and sustainable development capabilities along important trade routes, the scientist noted.
Previous reports said that the research ship “Shiyan 6” was added to China’s fleet of marine research vessels in Guangzhou, capital of South China’s Guangdong Province in 2020. It is the country’s first scientific research vessel focused on geophysical exploration.
Qian pointed out that the overreaction from India comes down to pointing fingers at the internal affairs of Sri Lanka. We’ve seen that Sir Lanka is a country that has insisted on an independent foreign policy, and has suffered repeated interventions from India, he added.
Despite this external pressure, Sri Lanka welcomes the visit by the oceangoing geophysical research ship, reflecting the friendly relations between the two countries, and China appreciates Sri Lanka’s insistence on its independent foreign policy, Qian noted. – Global Times
COPF final report on USD 2.5 mn cyber fraud recommends action against all responsible
The US$2.5 million loss incurred during Sri Lanka’s foreign debt repayment to Australia was a clear case of a cybercrime and theft, Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva told Parliament yesterday.
Presenting the COPF final report on the cyber fraud, Dr. de Silva said the incident amounted to a serious financial crime and called for a comprehensive investigation, by law enforcement authorities, to identify and prosecute all those responsible.
The report revealed serious governance, procedural and operational failures that enabled the fraudulent transfer of public funds, while recommending sweeping reforms to strengthen cybersecurity, financial controls and public debt management systems.
According to the report, officials of the Treasury and the Central Bank bore responsibility for governance lapses that contributed to the failures. It also highlighted the fact that the Ministry of Finance was operating an outdated Microsoft Exchange Server after security support had ended, while basic safeguards, such as multi-factor authentication, had not been implemented.
The COPF said suspicious payment instructions linked to debt repayments involving India, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium had also been detected, preventing further losses. However, the US$ 2.5 million fraud materialised only in the repayment transaction involving Australia.
The report has noted that officials had failed to verify lender email domains, relied on unverified email communications and lacked adequate internal controls, allowing the fraud to continue for months.
Although the investigation uncovered system-wide weaknesses across several institutions, only four mid-level Finance Ministry officials had been suspended so far, the report said.
The COPF has recommended a special audit of the foreign debt repayment process, strengthened cybersecurity measures across state institutions, updated financial regulations and improvements to public debt management systems.
by Saman Indrajith
News
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, together with Opposition MPs, yesterday signed a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) in Parliament against Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.The move comes in response to the unrest at the Negombo Prison, where both prison officers and inmates were killed.
Opposition members said the Minister had failed to fulfill his responsibility and accountability regarding their safety.According to the Opposition group, the NCM seeks to hold the Minister directly accountable for lapses in ensuring protection within the prison system.
The Attorney General yesterday informed the Supreme Court that the government has decided to review the legality of agreements entered into by the previous administration to hand over the country’s electronic visa issuance operations to private companies.
Additional Solicitor General Viveka Siriwardena, appearing for the Attorney General, made the submission when the Supreme Court took up the fundamental rights petitions filed by former MPs President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran, Patali Champika Ranawaka, and Rauff Hakeem, challenging the previous Cabinet’s decision to outsource the e-visa system.
The petitions were heard before a three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeyesekere.
The Additional Solicitor General informed court that the current Cabinet had appointed a subcommittee to examine the legality of the agreements with the private companies and requested time to report on its findings, stating that the review was still underway.
President’s Counsel Sumanthiran, appearing as one of the petitioners, told the court that although the present government had indicated its intention to cancel the transaction, the petitioners wished to proceed with the case.
He noted that members of the current Cabinet had been named as respondents in the petitions.The Supreme Court directed the petitioners to issue notice on the members of the current Cabinet, named as respondents, and fixed September 29 for further proceedings.
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