News
India, Japan to work together to help Lanka during crisis
By Meera Sirinivasan
India and Japan have agreed to work together on assisting crisis-hit Sri Lanka, the Japanese government said, following a recent meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Fumio Kishida in Tokyo.
Modi and Kishida met on May 24 on the sidelines of the Quad summit and held bilateral talks on “close cooperation” to promote efforts to realise a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’, in addition to collaboration in spheres including defence, clean energy, and investment.
Following the meeting, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the leaders “discussed the situation in Sri Lanka and confirmed that they will cooperate with each other in light of the current economic crisis and deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.” Further, they “shared the view to work together to develop Indo-Pacific Economic Framework into an inclusive framework that will bring substantive benefits to the region,” according to a statement.
Ministry of External Affairs made no specific mention of Sri Lanka. “The two leaders exchanged views on recent global and regional developments. They noted the convergences in their respective approaches to the Indo-Pacific and reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region,” read its May 24 statement.
For over half a century, Japan has been one of Sri Lanka’s top donors and development partners, although its grants and investments have received much less attention compared to those from China or India.
Japan’s announcement of collaborating with India to help Sri Lanka, assumes significance, coming shortly after Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal that Quad members— United States, India, Japan, and Australia — take the lead in setting up a foreign aid consortium to assist Sri Lanka, that is reeling under the worst economic crisis since Independence. India has extended about $ 3.5 billion assistance since January this year, by way of loan deferments and credit lines for essential imports.
Japan’s initiative also comes despite Colombo scrapping two major infrastructure projects with Japanese involvement. In September 2020, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered the termination of a $ 1.5-billion Japanese-funded light rail project, on that basis that it was not a “cost-effective solution”. In early 2021, Sri Lanka ejected Japan and India out of a trilateral project to jointly develop a container terminal at the strategically located Colombo Port, causing considerable diplomatic tensions. India’s Adani Group was subsequently roped in to develop another terminal at the same port.
Meanwhile, addressing the ‘International conference on the future of Asia’ organised by Nikkei virtually, Gotabaya said Sri Lanka “urgently requires” assistance of friends in the international community “to ensure that our immediate needs in terms of the importation of essential medicines, food supplies, and fuel are met.”
Japan “remains one of Sri Lanka’s key development partners”, the Sri Lankan President said, expressing hope that ongoing negotiations on “bridging funds” from Japan would soon conclude. “We are also in urgent need of bridging financing to restore confidence in our external sector and stabilise our economy until the debt restructuring process is completed and an IMF programme commences,” he said, while thanking India, Sri Lanka’s “close friend and neighbour”.
Colombo earlier sought India’s help in securing bridge financing to cope with the downturn, until an International Monetary Fund package materialises. The government is in talks with IMF on debt restructuring after opting for a preemptive default on its foreign debt of about $ 50 billion.(The Hindu)
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasized that addressing the drug issue in the country must be treated as a national priority, highlighting that it must deliver results at the ground level.
A meeting to brief the Prime Minister on the National Strategic Plan for the Management, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Persons with Substance Use Disorders (SUD) 2026–2030 was held with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Health and Mass Media and other key stakeholders on 13th of March at the Temple Trees.
The discussion focused on the proposed national strategy developed to address the growing health, social and economic challenges associated with substance use disorders in Sri Lanka. The strategic plan aims to strengthen prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration services through a coordinated and evidence-based national approach.
During the meeting, attention was drawn to existing gaps in early identification of substance use disorders, continuity of care, community-based follow-up and reintegration of recovering individuals into society. The plan proposes several key interventions, including strengthening screening and symptomatic treatment at primary healthcare and outpatient levels, improving hospital-based treatment and follow-up services, expanding residential rehabilitation facilities, and enhancing community-based rehabilitation and relapse prevention programmes.
Special emphasis has also been placed on providing targeted support for vulnerable groups, including children and adolescents, pregnant women, mothers with children and prison inmates.
Speaking on the importance of strengthening the national response to drug issues, the Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya noted that the drug menace has evolved into a serious social crisis that threatens social stability and security of families and the nation as a whole highlighting that law enforcement and rehabilitation in this regard must be given equal priority.
The Prime Minister further underscored the importance of including public awareness initiatives and responsible media reporting as key components of the national strategy.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Anil Jasinghe, officials from the Department of Prisons, Bureau of Rehabilitation, Sri Lanka Police Ministry of health, Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Justice and National Integration ,Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and other relevant department and ministries.
[Prime minister’s Media Division]
The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) on Friday said the largest groundwater source discovered in Sri Lanka so far had been identified during tube-well drilling near the Pitabeddara Police Station.
Indrajith Gamage, geologist in charge of the Southern Province, said the source recorded a continuous flow of about 10,000 litres (10 cubic metres) per minute, marking the first instance in the country where a groundwater source of that magnitude had been found.
He noted that the previous largest groundwater source was discovered in the Madhu area, which recorded a flow of about 7,000 litres per minute.
According to the NWSDB, the tube well was drilled following geological studies of rock layers and the identification of underground water through fractures in rock strata using specialised technical instruments.
The Board said steps would be taken to distribute water from the newly discovered source to residents facing shortages in Pitabeddara, Morawaka and surrounding areas.
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has formally handed over its historical records to the National Archives Department, entrusting over a century of the nation’s commercial history to the country’s official custodians of heritage.
The archive, spanning from the CCC’s founding in 1839 to 1973, includes correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, ledgers, and publications that chronicle the development of trade, enterprise, and industry in Sri Lanka. Together, the records provide a rare and detailed account of the island’s economic evolution and the role of its business community in shaping national progress.
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