The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will participate at a discussion with President Ranil Wickremesinghe tomorrow to discuss forming an all-party government, JVP politburo member Sunil Handunnetti said today.

He told a news conference that they would take part at the discussion following an invitation from the President.

Hadunnetti said they would clarify to the President the stance of the JVP on forming an all-party government and added that they would, however, not join the all-party government.

“We have already disclosed our stance to the country on an all-party government. The all-party government in the making is not an interim government which would hold or facilitate a general election. It was formed to establish the power of President Wickremesinghe and to win the confidence of the international community to obtain loans. The President has formed a government and is now inviting other parties to join it. It is not an all-party government at all,” he said.

Hadunnetti said the JVP would not join the all-party government but they would participate at the discussion with the President to convey their stance.

In the wake of Sri Lanka’s request to defer the planned docking of a high-tech Chinese research vessel at the strategic Hambantota Port, China on Monday took a dig at India, saying it was “senseless to pressure” Colombo by citing the issue of security concerns.

According to reports from Colombo, Sri Lanka has asked Beijing to defer the arrival of the Chinese space and satellite tracking research vessel ‘Yuan Wang 5’ which was scheduled to dock at the Hambantota Port from August 11 to 17 due to security concerns expressed by India.

Responding to the reports, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing in Beijing that China has taken note of the reports and asserted that “the cooperation between China and Sri Lanka is independently chosen by the two countries and meets common interests. It does not target any third party”.

It is “senseless to pressure Sri Lanka” by citing the issue of security concerns, he said, in reference to the reports that Sri Lanka’s move was attributed to concerns expressed by India.

“Sri Lanka is a sovereign state. It can develop relations with other countries in the light of its own development interests,” he said.

“China urges relevant parties to see China’s scientific explorations in a reasonable and sensible way and stop disturbing the normal exchange between China and Sri Lanka,” Mr Wang said.

Sri Lanka is a transport hub in the Indian Ocean. Many scientific exploration ships including those from China have stopped at the port of Sri Lanka for resupplies, he said. “China has always exercised the freedom of navigation in the high seas and fully respects the jurisdiction of coastal states for the scientific exploration activities within their waters,” he said.

According to media reports, India informed Sri Lanka that the docking of the high-tech Chinese research vessel could pose a threat to its national security.

Sri Lanka received strong messages of protests from India as the ship was said to have the capability to track satellites and intercontinental ballistic missiles, the reports said.

India has said it carefully monitors any development having a bearing on its security and economic interests.

“We are aware of reports of a proposed visit by this vessel to Hambantota in August,” India’s External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in New Delhi when asked about the reports of a proposed visit by the Chinese vessel.

“The government carefully monitors any development having a bearing on India’s security and economic interests and takes all necessary measures to safeguard them,” he said last month.

Reports from Colombo on Sunday said China’s embassy in the country sought an urgent meeting with senior Sri Lankan authorities after Colombo sought deferment in the planned docking of the research vessel.

Some Sri Lankan news portals also reported that the country’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe held a closed-door meeting with China’s Ambassador Qi Zhenhong after Colombo sought the deferment of the planned docking.

On July 12, amidst the political turmoil in Sri Lanka, the previous government approved the Chinese vessel’s docking at the Hambantota port.

The Chinese vessel was expected to dock at the Sri Lankan port for “refuelling and replenishment” and to conduct satellite control and research tracking in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean region through August and September.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena recently said Sri Lanka was looking forward to settling the issue of the vessel’s visit with an “approach of friendship”.

Sri Lanka has allowed permission to the Chinese built-Pakistani guided missile frigate PNS Taimur to make a port call at Colombo while on its way to join the Pakistan Navy in Karachi. Build by Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai, the warship is on its maiden voyage to Pakistan while exercising en-route with Cambodian and Malaysian navies. The ship is expected to be at Colombo port from August 12-15, 2022.

While Sri Lanka gave permission to the Pakistani guided missile frigate to make a port call at Colombo, it is understood that the ship was denied a permission to make a port call at Chattogram port by the Sheikh Hasina government from August 7-10 after making a port call at Lumut port in Malaysia.

According to diplomatic sources, India’s close ally Bangladesh denied permission to PNS Taimur as August is a month of mourning for Sheikh Hasina as her father, Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman also fondly called Bangabandhu, was assassinated by Pak instigated and Jamait-e-Islami inspired radical Islamist forces on August 15, 1975.

The Sheikh Hasina government is close to Narendra Modi government with the Bangladesh Prime Minister clear that her father and family was done to death at the behest of Pakistan. The radical Islamist forces also made an assassination attempt on Sheikh Hasina in 2000 as Prime Minister and in 2004 as the Awami League President.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to make a trip to India in the first week of September and along with PM Modi will launch the jointly developed 1320 Mega Watt Maitree Super Thermal Power Project at Rampal in Khulna sub-division.

PNS Taimur, the second of the four Type 054 A/P frigates build in China, was commissioned on June 23, 2022. The lead ship of this class is PMNS Tughril and was commissioned on January 24, 2022. China is also building eight Yuan class -041 diesel attack submarines for Pakistan by 2028 with the objective to militarily flank India on high seas.

(Hindustan Times)

en members of crisis-hit Sri Lanka’s Commonwealth Games contingent in Birmingham have disappeared in a suspected attempt to remain in Britain, a top sports official from the island nation told AFP on Sunday.

The nine athletes and a manager vanished after completing their events, the official said, requesting anonymity.

Three of them – judoka Chamila Dilani, her manager Asela de Silva, and wrestler Shanith Chathuranga – had disappeared last week.

That prompted a police complaint by the Sri Lankan officials.

“Since then, another seven have vanished,” the official said, without identifying them.

“We suspect they want to remain in the UK, possibly to get employment.”

The 160-strong Sri Lankan contingent’s management possessed the passports of all members to ensure they returned home.

That failed to deter some from leaving.

British police located the first three that disappeared, but as they had not violated local laws and held visas valid for six months, no action was taken, the Sri Lankan official told AFP.

“In fact, the police got us to return the passports that we were holding as a deterrent against defections,” the official said.

“The police have not told us about their whereabouts.”

Sri Lankan athletes have been reported missing from international events in the past.

In October last year, Sri Lanka’s wrestling manager abandoned his team and disappeared in Oslo during a world championship tournament.

During the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea, two Sri Lankan athletes made a run for it and were not found.

And in 2004, when Sri Lanka did not even have a national handball team, a 23-member group pretending to represent the country conned their way to a tournament in Germany and disappeared. (Courtesy AFP)

Sri Lankan shares closed near an 11-week high on Monday, registering their eighth straight session of gains, led by sharp advances in financial stocks.

The CSE All-Share index ended up 1.1% at 8,422.97, clocking its longest gaining streak since early January.

Amid severe fuel shortages, Sri Lanka has given approval to Lanka Indian Oil Corp to open 50 new fuel stations, a company official said.

Sri Lanka, which has faced political upheaval amid its worst financial crisis in more than 70 years, is considering a restructure of local and sovereign debt, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday.

Conglomerate LOLC Holdings was the biggest boost to the index, surging 17.1% to its highest since early June.

On the CSE All-Share index, trading volume fell to 58.6 million shares from 101.9 million shares in the previous session.

The equity market turnover was 3.33 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($9.24 million), according to exchange data.

Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading 155.5 million rupees worth of shares, while domestic investors were net buyers, purchasing 3.24 billion rupees worth of shares, the data showed.

Reuters (Source)