News
Indian Foreign Secy and Finance Minister hold discussions on strengthening ties
By Ifham Nizam
Visiting Foreign Secretary of India, Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa yesterday had discussions on further strengthening bilateral ties to face the present global crisis situation.
Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa appreciated Indian assistance to Sri Lanka and added mutual understanding would further enhance relations.
The Indian Foreign Secretary assured India’s support to uplift Sri Lanka’s economy, adversely affected by the pandemic.
He said Indian businessmen would be encouraged to explore opportunities in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s office said one of the topics of discussion centered on the resumption of tourism.
India has been Sri Lanka’s top source of tourists, with inbound tourism from India making up about 18% of the total tourists arrivals in pre-COVID times.
During the meeting, the two delegations discussed a number of sectors of mutual cooperation, including the further strengthening of bilateral relations, ongoing projects, tourism and the promotion of Buddhist ties.
Premier Rajapaksa appreciated Prime Minister Modi’s initiative to promote Buddhist ties. Secretary Shringla said it was a priority area of Prime Minister Modi.
Last year, during the virtual bilateral summit between the two Prime Ministers, the Indian Prime Minister announced a USD15 million grant for the promotion of Buddhist ties that aimed to deepen people-to-people linkages between the two countries.
Secretary Shringla said India was also looking forward to receiving the first pilgrims’ flight, from Sri Lanka, to the Kushinagar Airport, after it was upgraded as an international airport. This was also a request made by Prime Minister Modi during the virtual summit last year.
The Election Commission of Sri Lnka [ECSL] taking another step forward in ensuring free and fair elections, launched a Mobile Application for the speedy resolution of disputes arising during elections.
The Election Disputes Resolution (EDR) App a simple and efficient way to report election issues instantly will be put to test during the forthcoming Local Authorities Election
It can be downloaded on Appstore and Google Play
Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) MURASAME arrived at the Port of Colombo on a replenishment visit this morning (22 Mar 25).
The visiting ship was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in compliance with naval traditions.
JMSDF MURASAME is a 151m long Destroyer commanded by Commander HAYAKAWA Masahiro. Meanwhile, she is manned by a crew of 200.
During her stay in Colombo, crew members of the ship are expected to visit some tourist attractions in the city of Colombo and the ship is scheduled to depart the island on 25 Mar 25.
It has been reported that two persons riding a motorcycle were killed in a shooting incident that took place around 11.45pm on Friday [21] night , in front of the southern entrance of the Devundara Sri Vishnu Devalaya, on Sinhasana Road.
The unidentified gunmen, who arrived in a van, opened fire using a T-56 assault rifle and 9 mm firearms before fleeing the scene. The police have recovered 39 T-56 bullet casings, two T-56 rounds of live ammunition, a T-56 magazine, three 9 mm bullet casings, and one 9mm live ammunition.
The van suspected to have been used by the shooters was found abandoned and set on fire on a side road about 800 meters from the crime scene.
The two deceased victims have been identified as Tikira Hennedige Yomesh Nadishan and Marakkala Manage Pasidu Tharuka, both residents of Sinhasana Road, Devinuwara.
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