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SL passports for Lankan refugees living in Tamil Nadu

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S.C. Chandrahasan

Founder and chief functionary of Organization for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR) S.C. Chandrahasan on Friday said that Lankan refugees living in South India welcome recent move by the government to issue passports to them.

“This recognition will help around 100,000 Lankan refugees in South India. This was announced by Eastern Province Governor Senthil Thondaman at a function held at the Sri Lankan consulate in Chennai during his recent visit. Around 600 Lankans living in refugee camps have already applied for Lankan passports,” Chandrahasan told the Sunday Island.

Chandrahasan, who is a son of former Federal Party leader SJV Chelvanayakam, said that around 59,000 Lankans currently live in various refugee camps maintained by the Tamil Nadu government while around 41,000 have been able to live in their own homes with the assistance of their relatives living all over the world.

President of OfERR, S Sooriyakumari, told the Sunday Island that this proces would immensely benefit the members of Lankan refugeee community in Tamil Nadu as these passports will enable them to visit their families in Sri Lanka or any other country. This should have been done many years back, he said.

Governor Thondaman in a ‘Face to Face’ interview telecast last week said that President Wickremesinghe had directed that work on issuing passports and travel documents to Lankans living in Indian refugee camps begins early.



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IMF staff team concludes visit to Sri Lanka

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An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Evan Papageorgiou visited Colombo from April 3 to 11, 2025. After constructive discussions in Colombo, Mr. Papageorgiou issued the following statement:

“Sri Lanka’s ambitious reform agenda supported by the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) continues to deliver commendable outcomes. The post-crisis growth rebound of 5 percent in 2024 is impressive. Inflation declined considerably in recent quarters and has fallen to ‑2.6 percent at end-March 2025. Gross official reserves increased to US$6.5 billion at end-March 2025 with sizeable foreign exchange purchases by the central bank. Substantial fiscal reforms have strengthened public finances.

“The recent external shock and evolving developments are creating uncertainty for the Sri Lankan economy, which is still recovering from its own economic crisis. More time is needed to assess the impact of the global shock and how its implications for Sri Lanka can be addressed within the contours of its IMF-supported program.

“The government’s sustained commitment to program objectives is ensuring policy continuity and program implementation remains strong. Going forward, sustaining the reform momentum is critical to safeguard the hard-won gains of the program and put the economy on a path toward lasting macroeconomic stability and higher inclusive growth.

“Against increased global uncertainty, sustained revenue mobilization efforts and prudent budget execution in line with Budget 2025 are critical to preserve the limited fiscal space. Boosting tax compliance, including by reinstating an efficient and timely VAT refund mechanism, will help contribute to revenue gains without resorting to additional tax policy measures. Avoiding new tax exemptions will help reduce fiscal revenue leakages, corruption risks and build much needed fiscal buffers, including for social spending to support Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable. Restoring cost recovery in electricity pricing will help minimize fiscal risks arising from the electricity state-owned enterprise.

“The government has an important responsibility to protect the poor and vulnerable at this uncertain time. It is important to redouble efforts to improve targeting, adequacy, and coverage of social safety nets. Fiscal support needs to be well-targeted, time-bound, and within the existing budget envelope.

“While inflation remains low, continued monitoring is warranted to ensure sustained price stability and support macroeconomic stability. Against ongoing global uncertainty, it remains important to continue rebuilding external buffers through reserves accumulation.

“Discussions are ongoing, and the authorities are encouraged to continue to make progress on restoring cost-recovery electricity pricing, strengthening the tax exemptions framework, and other important structural reforms.

“The IMF team held meetings with His Excellency President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya ; Honorable Labor Minister and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Honorable Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Secretary to the Treasury Mr. K M Mahinda Siriwardana, Senior Economic Advisor to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, and other senior government and CBSL officials. The team also met with parliamentarians, representatives from the private sector, civil society organizations, and development partners.

“We would like to thank the authorities for the excellent collaboration during the mission. Discussions are continuing with the goal of reaching staff-level agreement in the near term to pave the way for the timely completion of the fourth review. We reaffirm our commitment to support Sri Lanka at this uncertain time.”

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New Year dawns at the auspicious time of 03.21 a.m. tomorrow (14).

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The Sinhala and Tamil New Year will dawn at the auspicious time of 03.21 a.m. tomorrow (14th Monday).

The auspicious time to light the hearth and prepare the first meal is at 0404 am on  Monday (14) facing South.

The auspicious hour to commence work, perform the first transactions and  partaking of the first meal is at 0644 am  facing South dressed in white coloured clothes.

 

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PNB detect large haul of methamphetamine and heroin in local fishing trawler intercepted by Navy

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Acting on credible information, the Sri Lanka Navy launched a special operation on the high seas on 11 Apr 25, resulting in the apprehension of  06 suspects along with a local multi-day fishing trawler, believed to be involved in smuggling of narcotics.

Subsequently, the intercepted trawler was brought to the Dikkowita Harbour, where a thorough inspection was carried out with the assistance of the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) experts, leading to the detection of  approximately 77kg and 484g of heroin and 42kg and 334g of methamphetamine (Ice).

The consignment, which had been meticulously hidden in the trawler, was handed over to the PNB for onward legal action on 12 Apr.

 

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