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Sabry to attend Maritime Security conference in Mauritius

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At the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade of Mauritius Maneesh Gobin, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry will participate at the 3rd Ministerial Conference on Maritime Security and Safety in the Western Indian Ocean in Mauritius tomorrow (Nov. 16).

The West Indian Ocean is an important global trade and commercial hub with multiple inter connections with the global ocean space. The region faces a series of threats to maritime security such as illicit traffic and smuggling, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, human trafficking, and marine pollution, among other things.

In this context, Mauritius has taken the initiative to convene a Ministerial Conference on Maritime Security and Safety in the Western Indian Ocean, 2 editions of which have been held in 2018 and 2019. It serves as a platform for a high-level dialogue which will lead to concrete actions for improving maritime capability in the region.

During his stay in Mauritius, Minister Sabry will also engage in a bilateral meeting with Minister Gobin aiming at fostering the close ties between the two countries and visit the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Secretariat in Mauritius in his capacity as the Chair of the IORA Council of Ministers to discuss the future direction of IORA, with the focus on implementing of the decisions made at the 25th Committee of Senior Officials and the 23rd Council of Ministers meetings which Sri Lanka hosted from 9-11 October 2023 at which Sri Lanka assumed the Chairmanship of IORA.

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Bus associations oppose proposal of 2% fare reduction

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The government’s proposal to reduce bus fares by a 2% effective from July 01 has led to the strong disapproval of bus associations, reports say.

It was also proposed not to revise the fares of the first two stages.

The announcement was made during a meeting between officials of the Transport Ministry and representatives of private bus associations to discuss the annual bus fare revision, scheduled for July 01.

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UN Rights chief meets families of missing persons

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A group of activists and families of missing persons handed over letters and memorandums to the visiting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in Trincomalee today (June 25).

UN Human Rights Spokesperson – Jeremy Laurence, who is accompanying the High Commissioner, said while in Trincomalee that Mr. Volker Turk expressed sorrow and solidarity with the families of the disappeared.

Meanwhile, a peaceful demonstration was also held in Trincomalee during this visit, where a group of activists and victims of disappearances was seen holding placards and banners.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will visit Kandy before concluding his official visit to Sri Lanka tomorrow (June 26) after a special press briefing in Colombo.

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200 new super luxury buses to be procured for expressways

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There is an urgent need to introduce new buses to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus fleet, as nearly 52% of the regular bus fleet of the Sri Lanka Transport Board and nearly 94% of the luxury bus fleet have exceeded the economic life span. 

As to the insufficient buses to meet the passenger demand on the expressway, the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) is currently operating 61 luxury buses belonging to the private sector on a profit-sharing basis. 

Therefore, the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has decided to purchase 200 new super-luxury buses by using their own funds. 

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport, Highways, Port and Civil Aviation to purchase 29 super luxury buses through the financially capable depots and to purchase the remaining buses by making a down payment using SLTB funds and the balance to be paid in monthly instalments over a period of 5 years.

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