News
Economic crisis driving more and more Lankans to seek asylum in India; 295 so far this year
By Dinasena Rathugamage
Acting on a request from the Indian security authorities, Sri Lankan police are conducting investigations in respect of seven Sri Lankans who reached Dhanushkodi from Mannar on 25 Nov., seeking asylum in India.
They paid Rs 300,000 for their passage across the Palk Bay that took about three hours. They were dropped at the Third Sandbar near the Dhanushkodi islet in Rameswaram by a boat operator in the early hours of Nov 27. The boatman returned to Mannar.
Indian media reports said that following the completion of routine questioning the Indian authorities took all seven, identified as Nagaraja (42), Vanithini (38), Anojan (13), Kajeevan (9), Tanushika (4), Ajanthan (18) and Keesalin (17) to a special detention centre and took action to check with Sri Lanka police as to their antecedents.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the seven persons belonged to one family.
According to Indian media the family told Rameswaram police that they were struggling to make ends meet due to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. As they could not repay their mounting debts, they decided to flee the nation and reach Indian shores.
They would be shifted to the Mandampam refugee camp only after obtaining clearance reports from the Lankan police.
It’s been noted that numerous Sri Lankan criminals and individuals evading the law have entered Indian shores posing as refugees. Therefore, Indian authorities will grant asylum seeker status only after reviewing clearance reports provided by the Sri Lankan police, sources said.
As of Sunday (03), from Jan 1, a total of 295 Sri Lankans have sought asylum in India by arriving there via boats this year, and 26 of them were subsequently returned to Sri Lanka.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
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