News
CARAT-21 involving Japan concluded in East, India denies it sought to conduct joint exercise with US here
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Three nation Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT–21) exercise involving the US Seventh Fleet, Japanese Maritime Self Force (JMSDH) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) concluded in Trincomalee amidst simmering controversy over a section of the local media reporting Sri Lanka turning down an Indian request for the use of Sri Lankan airspace for a joint exercise.The US has termed CARAT-21 as an exercise involving the USN and its partner nations in South and Southeast Asia as part of their overall Indo-Pacific strategy.
Foreign forces and SLN concluded weeklong CARAT-21 conducted in the Trincomalee harbour and off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka on June 30.
Indian High Commission sources said that there was absolutely no basis for reports in a section of the media that Sri Lankan authorities had declined a request by India to use the Sri Lankan airspace for a Joint Military Exercise with a third country. Sources emphasized that such a request hadn’t been made by India for using the Sri Lankan airspace in the recent past for the purpose of any joint exercise with a third country.
The Island learns that the third country referred to by the Indian High Commission was the US. There had never been a reported instance of Quad members US and India conducting a joint military exercise in Sri Lankan waters or airspace though they conduct regular exercises. However, the US and another Quad member Japan conducted CARAT-21 in eastern theatre. Deployed assets included USS Charleston (LCS 18) and a P-8A Poseidon aircraft Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels SLNS Indian-built SLNS Sayurala (P623), JMSDF Asagiri-class destroyer JS Yuugiri (DD-153).
CARAT-21 marks the commencement of the first cooperation afloat readiness and training event to be held in 2021, where representatives from the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Sri Lanka and Japan participated. JMSDF had joined CARAT-21 for the first time making it a multilateral exercise.
For the first time, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the EU Critical Maritime Route Wider Indian Ocean (CRIMARIO) participated in the exercise.
Sri Lanka entered into ACSA (Access and Cross Servicing Agreement) with the US in August 2017. Sources said that contrary to reports, Quad members-US, India, Japan and Australia maintain close relationship with the Sri Lankan military.
pic caption: CARAT-21 underway off Trincomlee (pic courtey SLN)
News
Cabinet nod to appoint Mrs. Tharani Kumaradasa to the Post of Commissioner of Cooperative Development / Cooperative Society Registrar
The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal
furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development to appoint Mrs. Tharani Kumaradasa, a Grade I officer in Sri Lanka Administrative Service, serving in a post of Senior Assistant Secretary at the Ministry of Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development to the post of Commissioner of Cooperative Development / Cooperative Society Registrar
News
Cabinet nod to hold 28th joint Asia Pacific Regional Social Workshop from 18-21 November in Sri Lanka
It has been planned to conduct the 28th Joint Asia-Pacific Regional Social Workshop from 18th November 2025 to 21st November 2025 in Sri Lanka, and 13 local representatives and 104 foreign representatives from 30 countries will participate in the said summit.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security,
and Community Empowerment to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Social Development Institute and the Society of Professionals engaged in Sri Lankan social services to conduct the aforementioned workshop in Sri Lanka and obtain the necessary institutional support to
conduct the said summit.
As per the current national policy of the government to make public transport in Sri Lanka efficient and streamlined, the necessity of establishing multi-modal transport hubs with required facilities has been identified to enable efficient public transport services to be initiated from transit cities and main cities through the interconnection between transport modes.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved in principle the proposal presented by the Acting Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development to develop the following multi-modal transport hubs on a priority basis, with the objective of upgrading the interconnection of transport modes such as buses, trains, and taxi services by integrating bus stands and railway stations identified as having a growing passenger circulation on the island, subject to a formal feasibility study.
• Kandy Multimodal Transport Hub (Construction work has already been started under world bank financing)
• Anuradhapura (South) Multimodal Transport Hub (Constructions are about to be completed under the Anuradhapura combined urban development project)
• Anuradhapura (North) Multimodal Transport Hub (feasibility study has been performed and preliminary work completed)
• Multimodal Transport Hub centered around the Fort Railway Station (as proposed by the ComTrans Master Plan, which has been prepared for urban transport in Colombo and suburbs)
• Moratuwa Multimodal Transport Center (proposed by the ComTrans Master Plan)
• Ragama Multimodal Transport Center ( identified through a study conducted by the Japan International Coorperation Agency)
• Avissawella, Galle, Katunayake, Kurunegala Multimodal Transport Centers (identified according to the urban plans of the Urban Development Authority)
• Gampaha Multimodal Transport Center ((identified according to the urban plans of the Urban Development Authority and railway electrification of the Colombo Suburban Railway Project)
• Katunayake Multimodal Transport Hub (identified under the Airport Development Plan)
• Kaluthara Multimodal Transport Center (identified as a proposal of the District coordination Committee)
• Kankasanthure Multimodal Transport Center(identified according to the urban plans of the Urban Development Authority)
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Cabinet nod to appoint Mrs. Tharani Kumaradasa to the Post of Commissioner of Cooperative Development / Cooperative Society Registrar
Cabinet nod to hold 28th joint Asia Pacific Regional Social Workshop from 18-21 November in Sri Lanka
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