News

‘Bottom-trawling Indian poachers protest against sinking of old buses’

Published

5 years ago

2021/06/18

By Dinasena Ratugamage

Minister of Fisheries, Douglas Devananda yesterday told journalists in Jaffna that Sri Lanka would continue to develop its fishing industry regardless of Indian opposition. He said that Sri Lanka had been submerging old SLTB buses in the deep seas for many years as a part of the deep-sea fish development project.

“This is a strategy used by many countries. From European Nations to the Philippines use this method to increase fish yields. From what I know over 40 countries do this. This is a cheap and effective method and, in the future, we are planning to submerge old railway carriages in the seas as well,” the minister said.

Minister Devananda said that India too submerged buses and railway carriages and that it was absurd for Indian fishers to oppose Sri Lankan endeavours.

“They say their boats might collide with the buses. But the buses are submerged in our territorial waters. So, unless they come here this should not impact them. Also, the buses are submerged in the deep sea, so unless they use illegal fishing methods like bottom trawling their equipment will not interact with buses. Each year we lose millions of dollars’ worth of fish resources because of Indian poaching,” Minister Devananda said.

Members of 17 fisheries associations in Tamil Nadu and Rameswaram held a demonstration on Wednesday (16) opposite the main bus depot at Rameswaram against various development activities carried out by Sri Lankan authorities and the alleged harassment of their fishermen.

They alleged that the Sri Lankan Navy frequently stopped them in international waters and damaged their fishing equipment. That amounted to significant losses, they said.

The fisheries associations also alleged that instead of addressing those issues, Sri Lankan authorities were now submerging old buses in the seas off Jaffna to create new fish breeding grounds. It would affect their yield as more fish would be attracted to the breeding grounds created by submerged buses. N. Devadas, the head of the Indian fishermen’s association in Rameswaram added that there was a possibility that those buses might collide with Indian fishing boats and the equipment they used.

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Cabinet aporives recruitment of Nursing Instructors for Nursing Schools under the Ministry of Health and Mass Media on Contract Basis

Published

46 mins ago

2026/09/1

Priyan

There are 17 nursing schools under the Ministry of Health and Mass Media including the postgraduate primary nursing school.

There are 142 vacancies in the posts of Grade I / Special Grade Nursing Officer (Education) as on 31.03.2026 in those schools while 24 officers are to be promoted to the special grade on 31.12.2025 owing to the vacancies existing in the post of Special
Grade Nursing Officer (Education). Therefore, the number of vacancies is to be 166.

In addition, there are 24 vacancies in the post of Special Grade Nursing Officer (Education).

Although at present action has been taken to upgrade the nursing schools to nursing colleges and upgrade the nursing diploma course to nursing degree course, no action has been taken so far to carry out recruitment for the training relevant to the appointment for the post of Grade I / Special Grade Nursing Officer (Education).

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to recruit retired nursing instructors and nursing instructors who served in the nursing schools belonging to the three armed forces and are retired or have resigned legitimately from service to the post of Grade I / Special Grade Nursing Officer (Education) on contract basis.

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Signing agreement for the establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility in Sri Lanka

Published

56 mins ago

2026/09/1

Priyan

It has been decided to establish a BIMSTEC technology transfer facility in Sri Lanka by entering into a Host Country Agreement at the second leaders’ summit of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) held in New Delhi, India, in 2008, with the objective of enhancing regional cooperation.

The relevant cooperation agreement was signed by the member countries at the 5th BIMSTEC summit on 30-03-2022 in Colombo.
The prime objective of this technology transfer facility is to provide technology, capacity building, and management of intellectual property for the micro, small, and medium-scale
enterprises of the BIMSTEC member countries.

According to the cooperation agreement, an agreement should be entered into between Sri Lanka, as the host country, and BIMSTEC Secretariat for formalizing the legal status, privileges, and immunities of the technology transfer facility.

The drafted agreement has received the relevant institutional approval and legal clearance.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Science and Technology to sign the proposed agreement.

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The cabinet approves agreement on mutual legal cooperation in criminal matters between the Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea

Published

1 hour ago

2026/09/1

Priyan

Approval has been granted at the cabinet meeting held on 11-12-2023 to sign an agreement between the Republic of Korea and the Government of Sri Lanka regarding mutual cooperation
in criminal matters.

However, according to the aforementioned approval, the relevant agreement could not be signed between both parties.

Through this agreement, opportunities will be provided
for mutual assistance to other countries in handing over judicial documents and collecting evidence for the use of criminal case matters.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution provided by the Minister of Justice and National Integration to sign an agreement between the Republic of Korea and the Government of Sri Lanka to cooperate in criminal matters.