Category: News

Sri Lanka’s Port City to have international university

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An international university to be established in Sri Lanka’s Port City, a multi-services special economic zone, will offer undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes including in medicine and IT.

The university is estimated to accommodate 3,000 to 4,000 students, and will be located next to the City’s international school on a 2.5 Ha land plot, CHEC Port City Colombo Pvt Ltd said in a statement.

“Fulfilling the regional demand for undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in engineering, information technology, business studies/management, finance, marketing, and medicine, Port City Colombo aims to contribute positively towards the reversal of ‘brain drain’ and reduction of the current skills gap in the local employment market.”

The university, with research and development facilities, aims to position Colombo as a regional hub for tertiary education.

“The university will offer a projected academic programme in the field of medicine, which will support Port City Colombo’s vision of providing world-class learning and training facilities that would encourage prospective medical students to pursue their studies locally.

“This will also include a potential partnership with the teaching school at the proposed International Hospital in Port City Colombo.”

Many medical students migrate due to limited university placements in Sri Lanka and attractive post-graduate work permit programmes. Private medical campuses have been vehemently opposed by leftist parties in Sri Lanka.

The university will offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in technology, an industry that has also seen a loss of skilled professionals and limited graduates produced annually.

“The university at Port City Colombo aspires to mitigate the current supply gap in the market, with its assortment of academic programmes, and strengthen Sri Lanka’s digital economy.”

Degree programmes in the STEM field will also be a focus with the goal of making Sri Lanka more globally competitive.

Sri Lanka is currently outpaced by STEM graduates from countries such as Singapore, India, and China.

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Sri Lanka to launch marine tourism campaign in Trinco, Arugam Bay from August: Harin

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Sri Lanka will launch a campaign to promote Trincomalee and Arugam Bay as part of efforts to promote marine tourism and attract higher spending tourists, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said.

“We will do a marine tourism launch in August,” Minister Fernando told reporters at the Presidential Media Centre Monday.

“We will take Trincomalee to the world as a brand. Arugam Bay is a brand.”

“We will focus on deep-sea diving in Arugam Bay and Trincomalee as a form of bringing Marine Tourism in the country.”

Trincomalee and Arugam Bay in the island’s Eastern Coast has sunny weather around August, as the beach tourism hotspots in the South and Western coasts are struck by Moonsoon rain.

Sri Lanka expects 2.3 million tourists for the year 2024 while striving to attract high-end tourists.

“Currently our average spender is 180 dollars but we are looking to attracting 30 percent or 20 percent of our arrivals to spend up to 300 to 400 dollars next year,” Fernando said.

Fernando said that Sri Lanka has regional competitors in the tourism industry such as Maldives, Thailand and Singapore.

In order to secure more foreign tourists, Fernando said that Sri Lanka needs to develop its water sports industry.

“We have an ocean all around us but we don’t have a single yacht. We have catamarans, people should invest in these,” Fernando said. “That’s why we want to do deep sea diving. Deep sea diving is an expensive sport.”

In May, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said that Sri Lanka will host a water festival in Trincomalee, ArugamBay and Kalpitiya in order to draw attention to Sri Lanka’s capacity for water sports.

Cardinal: Bridge project poses danger to sovereignty and Independence of Sri Lanka

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The Catholic Church has opposed the proposed India-Lanka land bridge connectivity project, warning that it will endanger Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence.Colombo Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, speaking to the media at Ruwanwella on Friday, said that if implemented, the project would make Sri Lanka part of Tamil Nadu.

“Our history is full of instances where invaders came from South India from time to time to capture parts of this country to rule them. On each occasion, the Sinhala kings had to mobilise armies to get rid of them and liberate those areas. Now, the government in power is proposing to build a land bridge connecting Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. This certainly would end up with this country becoming a part of Tamil Nadu,” the Cardinal said.

The Cardinal’s criticism of the bridge project came days after President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s announcement that a pre-feasibility study for a land connection between Sri Lanka and India had been completed, and a full feasibility study would be conducted in the near future. The President said so when he met Rev. Dr. Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando, the Bishop of Mannar, Diocese of Mannar, at the Mannar Bishops House on 16 June, according to a statement issued to the media by the President’s Media Division subsequent to the visit.

The Cardinal said: “Who needs this bridge? It is clear that the idea has been mooted following a request from foreigners not because of a request from the people here. This government is resolute in carrying out all directives coming from outside without thinking whether they are good or bad for us. We must be careful not to carry out what is not beneficial to us. Otherwise we will end up in a worse crisis than what we already have. We must not do anything that harms our sovereignty and independence.”

Meanwhile, the Indian media have reported that in July 2023, during a visit to India, Wickremesinghe discussed the development of a land bridge between the two countries in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The proposal for land connectivity had come from Sri Lanka, New Delhi at that time.

Creating land connectivity across the Palk Strait, which is as narrow as 25km (15 miles) at certain points, would provide India access to ports like Trincomalee and Colombo. This initiative aims to fortify the millennia old relationship between the two neighbouring countries. The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, serves as a rich fishing ground for both countries. Incidents of fishermen from both nations being arrested for inadvertently trespassing into the waters are common.

India and Sri Lanka formally commission Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre

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Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday called on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo and commissioned the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre built with a USD 6 million grant from India.

Jaishankar arrived in Colombo early on Thursday, his first visit here in his second consecutive term in office.

The two leaders met at the Sri Lankan President’s House, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

President Wickremesinghe and Jaishankar jointly unveiled the virtual plaque to mark the formal commissioning of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Lanka under a USD 6 million grant from India.

This includes a centre at Navy Headquarters in Colombo, a sub-centre in Hambantota and unmanned installations at Galle, Arugambay, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kallarawa, Point Pedro and Mollikulam.

“Joined Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ministers and senior officials at the virtual commissioning of Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and virtual handing over of 154 houses under GOl housing schemes @RW_UNP,” Jaishankar posted on X.

“President @RW_UNP and Indian EAM @DrSJaishankar jointly unveiled the virtual plaque for 106 houses in Kandy, N’Eliya and Matale under the Indian Housing Project with 24 houses in each model village in Colombo and Trincomalee being handed over virtually,” the PMD posted on X.

Jaishankar is also scheduled to discuss the progress of all ongoing Indian projects in Sri Lanka, officials said. He is also expected to discuss preliminary arrangements for a visit by Prime Minister Modi to the island.

Following his meeting with Wickremesinghe, Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

On his arrival in Colombo, Jaishankar was received by Tharaka Balasuriya, State Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Senthil Thondaman, Governor of the Eastern Province.

“Landed in Colombo for my first visit in the new term. Thank Minister of State @TharakaBalasur1 and Governor of Eastern province @S_Thondaman for the warm welcome. Look forward to my meetings with the leadership,” Jaishankar posted on X.

Sri Lanka is central to India’s Neighbourhood First and SAGAR policies, he wrote.

Under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, India is committed to developing friendly and mutually beneficial relations with all its neighbours.

SAGAR or Security and Growth for All in the Region is India’s vision and geopolitical framework of maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.

The trip to Sri Lanka will be Jaishankar’s standalone bilateral visit after he assumed charge as the external affairs minister for the second term on June 11.

Jaishankar was last week part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s delegation at the G7 Outreach summit in Italy’s Apulia region.

Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe was among seven top leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Union Council of Ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9. (PTI)

China to keep supporting Sri Lanka on debt sustainability – spokesman

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China will keep supporting Sri Lanka to achieve debt sustainability as it has always been doing to help the country’s socioeconomic development, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing.

Lin Jian, the spokesman, made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to a media question about the recent diplomatic consultations between China and Sri Lanka in the Chinese capital.

“On the 13th round of China-Sri Lanka diplomatic consultations, China has released a readout, which you may refer to. What I can tell you is that the Chinese side has been providing assistance to Sri Lanka’s socioeconomic development to the best of our capability.”

“We stand ready to continue to work with relevant countries and international financial institutions to support Sri Lanka’s debt sustainability,” he said.

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“If you don’t want us once, we don’t want you hundred times” Basil lashes out in presence of President

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Founder of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Basil Rajapaksa is reported to have told his party’s breakaway group at a meeting even attended by President Ranil Wickremesinghe that the Rajapaksas were not ready to cow down to any pressure.

He delivered tough remarks when Minister of Housing and Urban Development Prasanna Ranatunga, a breakaway member of the party backing the President, informed the meeting that there is a request from other parties and groups for the accommodation of the SLPP for a broad alliance sans the members of the Rajapaksa family.

Expressed his displeasure over the presence of the SLPP breakaway group representatives and the SLFP Incensed by such a remark, Mr. Rajapaksa lashed out saying “if you don’t want us once, we don’t want you a hundred times.”

He also said he attended the meeting as requested by the President out of courtesy for him and otherwise the Rajapaksas could not be beaten into submission in this manner.

Mr. Rajapaksa expressed his displeasure over the presence of the SLPP breakaway group representatives and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He said that it is open for the President to decide whether to deal with the SLPP or its breakaway factions.

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Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Chamber links up with Gujarat Chamber

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The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has signed an agreement with the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) to increase trade cooperation between India and Sri Lanka.

The MOU was signed by CCC CEO Buwanekabahu Perera, SGCCI President Ramesh Vaghasia, in the presence of Dr Valsan Vethody, Consul General for Sri Lanka in Mumbai, India.

“With the signing of the MoU, … the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and SGCCI aim to facilitate trade between the two countries via initiatives such as trade fairs and delegations, business networking events, training programmes,” the Ceylon Chamber said in a statement.

“This partnership will open doors for Sri Lankan businesses to explore opportunities in Surat’s dynamic market and enable the sharing of expertise and resources between the two regions.”

Established in 1940, SGCCI engages with over 12,000 members and indirect ties with more than 2,00,000 members via 150 associations. It promotes trade, commerce, and industry in South Gujarat.

The region’s commercial and economic centre Surat has risen to prominence as the global epicenter for diamond cutting and as India’s textile hub, and is ranked the world’s 4th fastest growing city with a GDP growth rate of 11.5%

Surat’s economic landscape is vibrant and diverse. As India’s 8th largest and Gujarat’s 2nd largest city, it boasts the highest average annual household income in the country.

The nearby Hazira Industrial Area hosts major corporations like Reliance, ESSAR, SHELL, and L&T.

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UN concerned over impact of austerity measures in Sri Lanka

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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk raised concerns over the impact of austerity measures in Sri Lanka.

He said that while Sri Lanka’s macro-economic situation has improved, the impacts of the economic crisis together with associated austerity measures are affecting the poorest and already marginalized groups the most.

“Between 2021 and 2023, the poverty rate doubled from 13.1 to 25.9 per cent and is expected to remain at such levels over the next few years,” he told the UN Human Rights Council, Tuesday.

He was speaking while delivering the global update at the 56th session of the Human Rights Council.

“Globally, inequality has seen the largest increase in three decades, as poorer countries took a bigger economic hit from the COVID-19 pandemic compared to richer countries,” Türk said.

According to Oxfam, the wealth of the world’s five richest billionaires has more than doubled since the start of this decade, while 60 per cent of humanity has grown poorer.

Türk said that 4.8 billion people are poorer than they were in 2019 and the wealth gap between men and women globally was 100 trillion USD.

Minor tremor reported in Vavuniya

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A minor tremor has been reported in the Vavuniya area.

The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) stated that the minor tremor, measuring 2.3 on the on the Richter scale, had occurred between 10.55 p.m. and 11.10 p.m. last night (18).

It is reported that the tremor was felt in areas including Vavuniya and Medawachchiya and that it had been recorded at the seismic stations at Pallekele, Mahakanadarawa and Hakmana.

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CC rejects extending AG Rajaratnam’s term

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The Constitutional Council (CC), yesterday (18), rejected President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recommendation to extend Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam’s term of office, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana told Ceylon Today.

This decision was made during the CC meeting held in Parliament at 2:00 p.m. yesterday, chaired by the Speaker.

The decision comes after the Constitutional Council met twice previously to consider the President’s recommendation regarding the Attorney General’s term but was unable to reach a final decision.

President Wickremesinghe had recommended that Attorney General Rajaratnam’s term of service, which ends on 26 June, be extended till 31 December.

Meanwhile, Opposition political parties strongly objected to the President’s recommendation to extend the Attorney General’s term, especially with a Presidential Election approaching.