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Responding to a newspaper article written by the Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, the Indian High Commission on Saturday accused the Chinese envoy of violating “basic diplomatic etiquette.” In a series of tweets, the mission pointed out that what Sri Lanka needs now is not a controversy thrust on it to serve another country’s agenda, but support.

Sri Lanka is now undergoing a severe economic crisis and is seeking international support.

“We have noted the remarks of the Chinese Ambassador. His violation of basic diplomatic etiquette may be a personal trait or reflecting a larger national attitude. His view of Sri Lanka’s northern neighbor may be colored by how his own country behaves. India, we assure him, is very different,” a tweet said.

Further: “His imputing a geopolitical context to the visit of a purported scientific research vessel is a giveaway. Opaqueness and debt-driven agendas are now a major challenge, especially for smaller nations. Recent developments are a caution. Sri Lanka needs support, not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies to serve another country’s agenda.”

Envoy’s Article

In the article published in the Sri Lankan media, the Chinese envoy accused India of trying to dominate Sri Lanka as it allegedly did in the past, and said that Sri Lanka should join China to fight against forces which pose such threats.

Here are portions of the article referring to India and Sri Lanka:

“Looking back at the great history of the island of Sri Lanka, which overcame aggression from its northern neighbor 17 times, colonization by the West for 450 years, and an anti-terrorism war for nearly 3 decades, is now still standing in the world bravely and proudly.”

“Any infringement of national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka shall not be tolerated. Approving a foreign vessel’s port call at Hambantota or any other port for replenishment is a decision made by the Sri Lankan government completely within its sovereignty, not to mention all the scientific research activities of Yuan Wang 5 that comply with the international law and common international practice.”

“External obstruction based on so-called security concerns but without any evidence from certain forces is de facto a thorough interference in Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence. Fortunately, with China and Sri Lanka’s joint efforts, the incident was resolved properly, which not only safeguarded Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence, but also defended international fairness and justice once again.”

“Just like Sri Lanka, China had suffered a hundred years of humiliation from 1840 till 1949. Because of a similar dark experience, China has always been supporting Sri Lanka in international fora for protecting its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. We will continue to do that. In contrast, some countries, far or near, always make various groundless excuses to bully Sri Lanka and trample on Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence repeatedly. “

“Next month, the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council will be held in Geneva where human rights issues in Sri Lanka might probably be stirred up again. As the Sri Lankan people are still grappling with severe economic and humanitarian difficulties, many might wonder what those countries, who have been always been preaching about human rights, will actually do. Will they help Sri Lanka to ease its human rights crisis by providing concrete support? Or will they again use human rights as a cover-up tool to interfere in the island nation’s internal affairs and continue to rub salt into the wound of Sri Lankan people? Just let’s wait and see,” Qi Zhenhong said.

PETALING JAYA: Jaffna Tamils have long played an important role in Malaysian society by producing numerous professionals in fields ranging from medicine to politics, says Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah.

Launching a book titled “They Came from Jaffna”, he said the Jaffna Tamil community has contributed to Malaysian culture and heritage through music, dance, movies and culinary arts.

“These contributions are an integral component of the multicultural nature of Malaysia that we all cherish,” he said.

Sultan Nazrin congratulated the book’s author, Indra Rani Lavan Iswaran, for the contribution her book has made to both Jaffna Tamil and Malaysian culture.

In the book, Iswaran details the historical journey of her ancestral family from Jaffna in Sri Lanka to Malaya in the 1890s, while highlighting the original culinary heritage of the Jaffna Tamils.

“She weaves these various strands together most effectively. Insightful tales of personal and national history are brought to life in the many evocative photographs and drawings,” Sultan Nazrin said.

He said the Jaffna, or Ceylon Tamils, have contributed significantly to the development of both Malaysia and Singapore since their migration to this part of the world in the late 19th century.

“Travelling by rail back in the old days, one would have encountered many Ceylon Tamil stationmasters, and many of the chief clerks in government offices and business agencies also came from this community,” he said.

“Many Ceylon Tamils also became teachers, reflecting their sound grasp of the English language.”

Source:freemalaysiatoday.com

Colombo/LondonA team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will meet Sri Lanka’s president on Wednesday for talks to finalise a bailout package, including restructuring debt of about $29 billion, amid the nation’s worst financial crisis in more than seven decades.

The second such IMF visit in three months comes as the Indian Ocean island scrambles to lock down a staff-level pact with the global lender for a possible $3 billion programme to pave its way out of the crisis.

“The IMF team will meet with the president and a finance ministry delegation later today,” an official at the presidential secretariat told Reuters, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The team will also hold talks with the central bank governor and other officials, including representatives of Sri Lanka’s financial and legal advisers Lazard’s and Clifford Chance.

The main sticking point of the talks is how to find a sustainable track for Sri Lanka’s unwieldy debt, which stood at 114 per cent of GDP at the end of last year, so as to clinch a staff-level agreement in September.

Sri Lanka’s debts
Sri Lanka has $9.6 billion in bilateral debt and its private credit, which includes international sovereign bonds, stands at $19.8 billion, finance ministry data show.

Japan and China are the largest holders of bilateral debt, with the latter accounting for about $3.5 billion. Overall, when commercial debt is added, China holds about a fifth of Sri Lanka’s debt portfolio.

“The issue will be how Chinese and domestic debt will be included in the talks,” said Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets sovereign strategist at Bluebay Asset Management.

“Other bilateral creditors won’t be willing to allow China to get away with not having comparable treatment this time. China is part of the problem, and needs to be part of the solution this time.”

An economic crisis
For months, the population of 22 million has struggled with soaring inflation, economic contraction and a severe shortage of essential items of food, fuel and medicine caused by a record slump in foreign reserves.

The country’s most severe financial crisis since independence from Britain in 1948 stemmed from the combined impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic mismanagement, stoking unprecedented protests.

In July, the then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and resigned after a mass uprising triggered by what many Sri Lankans saw as his mishandling of the financial crisis.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also the finance minister, plans to ask Japan to lead talks on bilateral debt restructuring after Sri Lanka secures IMF support.

Source: Business Line

Citing the arrest of 10 Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin urged the Centre in India to take steps for their release and freeing all the 94 boats in the neighbouring country’s custody.

In a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Stalin drew his attention to the arrest of 10 Indian fishermen and the seizure of their mechanised fishing boats on August 22 by the Sri Lankan Navy. These fishermen hailed from Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai districts of Tamil Nadu.

“This is the fifth such instance since June and these incidents continue unabated intimidating the fishermen and hampering their livelihoods.” As of now, 94 Tamil Nadu fishing boats are under the custody of Sri Lanka. The apprehended Tamil Nadu fishermen were released on the condition that the owner of the boat should appear before the Sri Lankan court in person to claim the ownership of the boat.

This is, however, not feasible considering the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka and therefore exemption from personal appearance may be sought for the boat owners, the Chief Minister said.

“I request you to press for the early release of all the fishermen and fishing boats apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy,” he said.

Source: Colombo Gazette

The Sri Lankan Freedom Party has accused Minister and party member Mahinda Amaraweera of lying when he claimed he accepted a ministerial position in the current government with the approval of the party’s central committee.

In a release issued by the party on the comments made by Amaraweera, the SLFP said it was decided to only accept positions in the government if the conditions presented by the party are accepted and a true all-party government is formed. The release pointed out that the Chairman of the party had also issued the statement saying accepting ministerial positions in the current government was against the decision of the party central committee.

The release said the party was shocked that Amaraweera along with Nimal Siripala Silva accepted the Ministerial position against the decision made by the SLFP. “The decision to accept the position was personal and not done in agreement with the central committee approval” it noted.

Source: Asian Mirror

Sri Lanka on Tuesday announced that it will soon replace the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) with a new security law, amid international condemnation over Colombo’s use of the draconian counter-terrorism law to detain student activists.

“PTA has been there since 1979. The justice minister informed the cabinet that a new National Security Act would be drafted by deleting the undesirable parts of the PTA,” Cabinet spokesman and minister Bandula Gunawardena told reporters.

The development comes a day after the US and the European Union on Monday expressed concern over the detention of three student activists under its draconian counter-terrorism law for participating in protests, which led to the resignation of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

“Using laws that don’t conform with international human rights standards – like the PTA – erodes democracy in Sri Lanka. We encourage the government to uphold the rights of the people to express their views,” US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung tweeted.

The European Union also voiced its concern.

“Concerned about reports on the use of the PTA in recent arrests as we refer to information given by the (Sri Lankan) government to the international community about the de-facto moratorium of the use of PTA,” an EU statement said.

Mary Lawler, US special rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, has also expressed concern over the use of PTA to detain the students.

The three students – Mudalige Wasantha Kumara, Hashan Jeewantha and Buddhist monk Galwewa Siridhamma – of the Inter-University Students Federation (IUSF) have been detained since August 18 when the IUSF staged an anti-government demonstration.

The Sri Lankan police on Sunday began a probe into their possible links to an anti-government conspiracy and inciting violence and arson attacks across the country amid widespread protests over the worst economic crisis.

Also read: IMF delegation to visit Sri Lanka this month: Central Bank Governor

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has asked the President and the law enforcement authorities to refrain from using the PTA and immediately rescind the Detention Orders.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) in a statement said it is deeply concerned at the use of the provisions of the PTA to arrest and detain persons who have been involved in protests against the Government.

The rights group, Amnesty International, too said protesters must not be detained under the PTA.

On Monday, the police said that three student activists have been detained under PTA. The detainees were transferred to the southern prison at Tangalle on Tuesday.

The police said the IUSF activists are needed to be detained to probe the alleged anti-government conspiracy in the background of recent incidents of violence since 9 May.

After months of protests over Sri Lanka’s unprecedented economic crisis, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives from Sri Lanka on July 13, then flew to Singapore, where he announced his resignation as the president a day later.

The anti-government protesters accused the Rajapaksa family, which has dominated Sri Lanka’s political scene for nearly two decades, of plunging the country into the worst economic crisis since the country’s independence in 1948 through mismanagement and corruption.

Sri Lanka is under pressure from the EU to reform the controversial PTA, which allows detention up to 90 days without being charged with provisions for further extension of the time.

The European Parliament in June 2021 had called for the repeal of the PTA and urged the EU Commission to consider temporarily withdrawing Sri Lanka’s access to GSP+, a favoured trade concession for the island’s exports.

Senior EU officials visited the island nation in October last year and discussed the PTA, recalling that its amendment was a key commitment in readmitting Sri Lanka to the GSP+ in 2017.

GSP+ preferences for Sri Lanka were withdrawn in 2010 due to significant shortcomings in the country’s implementation of three UN human rights conventions. Sri Lanka was readmitted to GSP+ in May 2017.

The EU’s GSP+ trade concession allows Sri Lankan exports to Europe without taxation. This has been a big boost to Sri Lanka’s apparel and fishing industries.

The EU remains Sri Lanka’s biggest exports partner followed by the US and India. Over 80 per cent of Sri Lanka’s exports to the EU are eligible for GSP+ concessions.

Source: Financial Express