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India concerned over Chinese Vessel due in Sri Lanka!

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Indian media reported that another Chinese marine research vessel, Shi Yan 6, is expected to dock at Colombo and Hambantota Ports in late October 2023.

However, the vessel has not yet received the permission from Sri Lankan authorities.

India, which has expressed its concerns over the arrival of the vessel, has taken up the issue at the highest level.

Indian media reported that the issue of the vessel comes after Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe recently visited New Delhi and reportedly assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Colombo will take care of India’s security and strategic concerns.

In August last year, when the Chinese research vessel Yuan Wang 5 arrived at the Hambantota Port, India expressed serious concern.

Vessel was scheduled to arrive even before COVID pandemic?

However, according to Newsfirst, the Sri Lanka Navy has said that it was not made aware of the vessels’ visit to Sri Lankan shores.

Sri Lanka Navy said that if such a vessel is to reach Sri Lankan shores, it should be made aware via the Ministry of Defence.

Meanwhile, the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) has said the vessels’ arrival is part of an agreement reached with the Ruhuna University of Sri Lanka.

NARA officials said that it would link with the vessel in order to obtain water samples for its own research.

The NARA said the Shi Yan 6 was scheduled to dock in Sri Lankan ports before the COVID pandemic, and it was delayed multiple times.

NARA officials said that the Shi Yan 6 will engage in research operations only along the Southern Coast and they believe it would not be an issue for India.

Non-aligned policy; Equal opportunities for all countries

Commenting on the issue during the Cabinet news briefing held yesterday (15), Cabinet Spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardana said that he was not aware of any report of India expressing concern and that the government would pay attention to it.

“Under our non-aligned policy, countries are given equal opportunities without any favours,” he added.

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03 Lankans featured in 2025 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list

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03 young Sri Lankans have been featured in the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list for 2025.

They are :
Nikin Matharaarachchi, in 2021, founded Sri Lanka-based Synapse AI Labs is the company behind Kommon Poll, an AI-powered social listening tool. Kommon Poll provides businesses marketing insights by analyzing keyword performance across multiple online platforms, including news sites, blogs and social media.

Charith N Silva, known for videos showing him preparing dishes in outdoor settings, launched the YouTube channel ‘Wild Cookbook’ in 2020 during the pandemic. With over 600 videos, ‘Wild Cookbook’ is now Sri Lanka’s largest YouTube channel with over 10 million subscribers, and Silva has over 2.3 million Instagram followers. In November 2024, he opened a restaurant in Colombo called Wildish.

Yanika Amarasekera-Siyaguna, a UC Berkeley and Imperial College London alumna, founded Silver Aisle, Sri Lanka’s first online wedding registry, in 2019. The e-commerce platform has since expanded beyond wedding gifts to include presents for all occasions as well as dining ,vacation packages and lessons in horse riding, golf and pottery, among others. In 2023, Amarasekera-Siyaguna was appointed an independent director of LB Finance, one of Sri Lanka’s largest finance firms.

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SL & India sign USD 930.8 Mn. debt restructuring deal

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Sri Lanka and India have signed a USD 930.8 million debt restructuring deal recently on Sri Lanka’s present External Debt Restructuring Process. 

The signing of Bilateral Amendatory Agreements between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) of India took place on March 25, 2025 and April 03, 2025, respectively. 

The deal concerns 07 Line of Credit and 04 Buyer’s Credit Facility agreements with the Government of India.

Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, Mr. K.M. Mahinda Siriwardana, signed the agreements on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government.

General Manager of the EXIM Bank of India, Mr.Nirmit Ved, signed the Line of Credits, and Deputy General Manager of the EXIM Bank of India, Mr. Amith Kumar, signed the Buyer’s Credit Agreements.

Issuing a statement, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development stated that the signing of these bilateral amendatory agreements marks a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s ongoing External Debt Restructuring Process.

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965 lives lost in road accidents during last 05 months

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A total of 965 people have died between January 01 – May 13 due to various road accidents across Sri Lanka.

During this period,1,842 accidents including 902 fatal accidents were recorded, according to police reports.

The main causes cited for these accidents include negligence, reckless driving and improper vehicle maintenance.

To address the rising number of accidents, police have planned a special island-wide program focused on reducing traffic incidents, including driver awareness initiatives.

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