News
Visit to Hamburg: PM Amarasuriya showcases positive investment climate
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya highlighted the significant potential for strengthening the economic ties between Sri Lanka and Germany. Premier Amarasuriya underscored the country’s improving economy, resurgent tourism and policy reforms that have fostered an attractive environment for investment and business.
Premier Amarasuriya said so at the annual gathering of the German Asia-Pacific Association (OAV) in Hamburg, Germany. She declared Germany is both a role model and an important partner in the further development of vocational education in Sri Lanka.
German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Premier Amarasuriya attended the annual gathering of the German Asia-Pacific Association (OAV) as Guests of Honour.
Dr. Amarasuriya said: “For the first time in Sri Lanka’s history, the results of the Parliamentary elections held last year reflected a collective and unified voice from people of all regions of the country” and highlighted that the new government is committed to taking tangible steps in the interest of further advancing national unity and reconciliation. She also highlighted that the current Parliament, which was formed after the election, is one of the most inclusive in Sri Lanka’s history, with a record number of women and representatives of different communities.
During her visit to Hamburg, the Prime Minister held a bilateral meeting with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Premier Amarasuriya also attended the ‘German-Asian Forum on Vocational Education & Training’ organised by the OAV. In a keynote speech at this forum, she conveyed Sri Lanka’s appreciation to German government’s assistance to uplift the vocational education sector in Sri Lanka which date back to the establishment in 1959 of the Sri Lanka-German Technical Training Institute in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, one of the milestones of the bilateral relationship. She stated that Sri Lanka aims to transform vocational education into a modern, relevant field that will help us create a skilled workforce that meets the demands of the industry, and which offer the youth of Sri Lanka real career paths, both in Sri Lanka and abroad.
She also took part in a Business Roundtable with over 20 member companies of OAV and visited German research and technology hubs in the city including ITECH, a vocational school for IT, electrical, and chemical engineering; NXP Semiconductors, a leading global semiconductors company; and DESY, Germany’s largest accelerator centre.
OAV is active in Sri Lanka through the BMO Membership Organisation Partnership Programme in Jaffna, which is a collaboration between the OAV and the Northern Chamber of Industries (NCI), and the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) in Colombo. The programme aims to strengthen the competence and engagement of small and medium-sized enterprises in relation to public institutions and is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
In a 20-minute address German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a strong case for establishing future-oriented partnerships with countries in the Asia-Pacific region. According to Steinmeier, such action is urgently needed to reduce asymmetries and dependencies and mitigate the effects of increasing protectionism in world trade. To achieve this, it is important to better exploit the diverse opportunities in the dynamic region, Steinmeier said.
The remarks came during Steinmeier’s keynote speech during the traditional “East Asia friendship dinner” held in the ballroom of Hamburg City Hall. The event was hosted by the German Asia-Pacific Business Association (OAV), which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.
“Recently, we have been forced to witness how close friends and allies are turning away from the order they played such a crucial role in establishing, and are celebrating wilfulness as progress,” Steinmeier noted. “The 102nd East Asia friendship dinner and 125 years of the German Asia-Pacific Business Association stand for something that might seem old-fashioned at first glance in our time but is all the more important in a time of crisis: partnership.”
Within this partnership framework, Steinmeier highlighted the vast opportunities the Asian market presents for Germany. “We will continue to diversify our foreign trade, reduce our economic and security policy dependencies, and forge closer political contacts with a larger number of countries, including in the area of trade policy,” Steinmeier said.
The General Manager of Railways has announced that the following special train services will operate during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period.
1. From Colombo Fort to Badulla – departing Colombo Fort at 1930 hrs on 11th, 12th, 19th and 20th April
2. From Badulla to Colombo Fort – departing Badulla at 1750 hrs on 11th, 12th, 19th and 20th April
3. From Galle to Anuradhapura – departing Galle at 0400 hrs on 12th and 13th April
4. From Anuradhapura to Galle – departing Anuradhapura at 1500 hrs on 12th and 13th April
5. From Colombo Fort to Galle – departing Colombo Fort at 120 hrs on 10th, 11th, 15th and 20th April
6. From Galle to Colombo Fort – departing Galle at 0610 hrs on 11th, 12th, 16th and 21st April
7. From Colombo Fort to Galle – departing Colombo Fort at 1330 hrs on 12th and 13th April
8. From Colombo Fort to Kankasanthurai [Intercity Express] – departing Colombo Fort at 0530 hrs on 11th and 18th April
9. From Kankasanthurai to Colombo Fort [Intercity Express] – departing Kankasanthurai at 1350 hrs on 11th and 18th April
10. From Beliatta to Colombo Fort – departing Beliatta at 0825 hrs on 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th and 20th April
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya visited Hamburg, Germany, focusing on strengthening vocational education and economic partnerships between the two nations. During her visit, she participated in the 102nd East Asia Friendship Dinner, met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and engaged in high-level discussions on investment, education, and economic reforms.
As a Guest of Honour at the German Asia-Pacific Business Association (OAV) annual gathering, Prime Minister Amarasuriya addressed an audience of business leaders and dignitaries, emphasizing Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and its potential as a growing investment destination. She highlighted the contributions of over 160 German companies in Sri Lanka and invited further collaboration in trade and business.
In her capacity as the Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, the Prime Minister delivered a keynote speech at the ’German-Asian Forum on Vocational Education & Training.’ She acknowledged Germany’s decades-long support in Sri Lanka’s vocational education sector and stressed the importance of modernizing vocational training to align with industry demands. Additionally, she visited ITECH vocational school and German research hubs such as NXP Semiconductors and DESY, discussing collaboration in IT and technology-driven industries.
During her discussions with President Steinmeier, Prime Minister Amarasuriya reiterated Sri Lanka’s commitment to economic stability, social protection, and national unity. She also attended a business roundtable, where she engaged with German companies and government representatives on economic expansion, digitalization, and sustainable development initiatives.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Germany, Varuni Muthukumarana, and senior embassy officials.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Attorney-at-Law Senaka Perera on behalf of the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (Guarantee) Limited has asked Acting IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya to inquire into the death of Sathsara Nimesh soon after he was admitted to the Mulleriyawa mental hospital by Welikada police on the night of April 1.
In a letter dated April 3 addressed to the IGP, the lawyer said that the victim’s mother Lekamwasam Liyanage Samanthi, who visited Welikada police station the following day, thad been old that her son made a bid to commit suicide at the police station. Quoting the victim’s mother the lawyer said that the clothes worn by Nimesh at the time he was taken into custody by Welikada police were found within the premises.
Responding to queries, the human rights activist said that Nimesh had been caught by a group of people at Nawala road, Welikada around 7.30 pm-8 pm on April 1. Alleging that Nimesh who had been undergoing training at a private hospital as a caregiver was acting suspiciously, the group called in the police on 119 emergency line and handed him over to the police, Perera said, urging the IGP to ensure that the police followed laid out procedures when dealing with suspects.
The Attorney-at-law said that the victim’s mother had visited Mulleriyawa hospital and was able to speak with a doctor who had been present at the time Nimesh was brought there. The doctor had told her that her son was barely alive at the time he was brought in. Perera alleged that Welikada police made an attempt to allude that Nimesh was mentally unsound. If the police had been genuinely concerned about Nimesh in case he was experiencing sudden difficulty, they should have rushed him to the National Hospital, Perera said.
Acknowledging the need to deal firmly with those who are on the wrong side of the law, the rights group said that the police couldn’t adopt Gestapo-style strategies.
The National People’s Power (NPP) government couldn’t turn a blind eye to what was going on regardless of the change of government in last Sept. There had been at least two recent deaths in police custody, Perera said, referring to an incident in the Kotahena police area in the third week of February this year.
Police shot dead two persons arrested over the killing of Shashi Kumar in a mobile phone shop at Kotahena. Police claimed that law enforcement men had to open fire when the suspects made an attempt to grab a weapon from an officer while being taken to a hideout to recover hidden guns.
Lawyer Perera said that police should be ashamed to repeat a blatant lie often used by them though they knew no one accepted that.
Political parties represented in parliament should take up this matter vigorously, he said, urging the government to put an end to custodial deaths, he said. The lawyer pointed out that the Supreme Court, too, has intervened in the matter and the issue was taken up at the highest level.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
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