President Anura Kumara Disanayake held a meeting yesterday afternoon (July 08) at the Presidential Secretariat with senior officials of the Sri Lanka Customs Department.

The discussion focused extensively on identifying solutions to challenges arising from the complexity of customs procedures. Attention was also drawn to the technological solutions implemented thus far as part of the department’s institutional digitization process and the obstacles encountered in that effort, particularly in the context of achieving the government’s goal of establishing a digital economy by 2030.

In this context, the President instructed officials to expedite the process of amending existing legislations, identifying it as a key challenge that must be addressed without delay.

A review was conducted of the on-going ASYCUDA system and its existing shortcomings, the National Single Window service, and key challenges such as accurate recording of imports and exports, the granting of tax exemptions and the proper identification of revenue. The discussion focused on digitalization as a means to address these issues and assessed the progress of measures already implemented.

Additionally, the President addressed the growing concerns surrounding e-commerce and called on officials to deliver efficient and fair, customer-centric solutions to the issues currently faced in this area.

The meeting was attended by Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Senior Presidential Advisor on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijesuriya, Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Russell Aponso, Director General of Customs P.B.S.C. Nonis and other officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Digital Economy.

(President’s Media Division)

Several spells of showers will occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in the Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and Matara districts today (July 09), the Department of Meteorology said.

A few showers may occur in the North-western province, it added.

Fairly strong winds of about 30-40kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills and in the Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in the Trincomalee and Hambantota districts.

The International Maritime Organization declared the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Somali Sea, a high-risk zone in 2010 due to the pirate activities that had to be endured by the merchant ships engaged in international maritime traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Somali Sea. 

As a remedial measure for these threats, merchant ships obtain the services of armed maritime guards from foreign private maritime security companies. Even though the International Maritime Organization has declared that the said high-risk zone has been removed from 01-01-2023, the commercial ships have continued the obtaining of the services of the armed maritime guards from foreign private maritime security companies. 

The Galle and Colombo ports are primarily used to embark armed maritime guards onto ships entering the aforementioned high-risk zone and to disembark armed maritime guards deployed to protect departing ships. On certain occasions, such maritime security operations are also carried out in the Hambantota and Trincomalee ports. 

When carrying out the operational activities of the aforementioned project, the Sri Lankan Navy has been entrusted with the overall responsibility for national security.

Therefore, considering the knowledge and experience of the Sri Lankan Navy in relation to maritime security operations, it has been deemed appropriate to grant approval for the Sri Lankan Navy to independently carry out these operations. 

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by His Excellency, the President, in his capacity as the Minister of  Defence, to conduct maritime security operations by the Sri Lankan Navy under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence.