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China explains their ‘silence’ over research ship issue in Sri Lanka (Pics)

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A top Chinese diplomat in Sri Lanka has said that some countries consider Sri Lanka’s barring of scientific research vessels including those from China, as a diplomatic victory.

Speaking during an interactive session with a group of journalists at the Colombo Port City yesterday (Sep. 12), Deputy Chief of the Chinese embassy in Colombo, Yanwei Zhu said that widespread public concern was raised on Chinese social media over the matter, wondering as to why Sri Lanka, as a friendly nation, had taken such a measure.

Mr. Yanwei said that China fully respects the decision of Sri Lanka as an independent and sovereign nation.

However, he said that there is an issue whether the decision was actually made by the Sri Lanka government independently or otherwise.

“Another issue is whether this decision is made by Sri Lanka government independently or because of outside pressure. To be honest, we heard a lot of rumours… When Sri Lanka government made such a decision, China kept silent… Because we respect our friend… We understand the difficult situation our friend has been facing since last two years. Because some countries took advantage of the difficulty of Sri Lanka and gave a lot of pressure to our Sri Lankan friends,” he said.

We do not want to put our friends in an awkward situation. Therefore we kept silent, he said.

However ‘some friends’ considered the decision to bar scientific research vessels as a ‘diplomatic victory’, Mr. Yanwei said.

History and future will prove to our Sri Lankan friends that China is the real good friend and partner and we are ready to walk together with Sri Lanka, he added.

He also pointed out that the research onboard such vessels are not done alone by China but done in collaboration with Sri Lanka, which lacks the capacity to conduct such research on its own.

He questioned which other country with the capacity and willingness has stepped into conduct joint research in this manner with Sri Lanka.

Without the permission of Sri Lanka, the information of this research cannot be shared with anyone, he emphasized.

Addressing the event, Chinese ambassador in Sri Lanka – Mr. Qi Zhenhong reiterated that the friendship between China can be traced back to 2,000 years.

Speaking on the upcoming election in Sri Lanka, the ambassador further said that if the new government is prepared to strengthen ties with China, they are always willing to remain open to promote friendship and cooperation.

(Pics : Kelum Shivantha | Shanika Jayasekara)

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IMF grants waivers despite obligation breach & erred reporting

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The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewed non complying purchases made by Sri Lanka under the 2023 Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) as well as inaccuracies of information reported to the IMF.

However, the IMF has decided to grant waivers and not pursue further action, citing corrective measures and a commitment to reform by Sri Lankan authorities.

Following the Executive Board’s discussion, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair – Mr. Kenji Okamura, has issued the following statement:

“The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewed non complying purchases made by Sri Lanka under the 2023 Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (“EFF”), as well as a breach of obligations under Article VIII, Section 5. The noncomplying purchases arose as a result of the provision of inaccurate information by the authorities on the stock of expenditure arrears at the first, second, and third reviews under the EFF.

“The inaccuracies in information provided to the IMF were inadvertent and arose because of weaknesses in the timely reporting of arrears by line ministries to the Ministry of Finance, as well as a misunderstanding by the authorities of the definition of “arrears” under the Technical Memorandum of Understanding. 

“The Executive Board positively considered the authorities’ corrective actions, the fact that arrears repayments will be accommodated within the existing fiscal envelope, and the authorities’ commitment to improving public financial management procedures in line with the new PFM law, to reduce the risk of accruing arrears or inaccurate reporting of information going forward. In view of the above, the Executive Board agreed to grant waivers for the nonobservances of the quantitative performance criterion that gave rise to the noncomplying purchases and decided not to require further action in connection with the breach of obligations under Article VIII, Section 5.”

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Abdul Wazeeth appointed to Parliament from SLMC national list

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Abdul Wazeeth of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has been appointed as a Member of Parliament, the National Election Commission has announced.

His appointment comes following the resignation of former MP M. S. Naleem, who had entered Parliament through the SLMC National List after the 2024 parliamentary election.

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Tense situation in Kahawatta as residents clash with police

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Police had been compelled to use tear gas to control a tense situation that erupted between residents and police in Kahawatta following the funeral of a youth who was shot dead recently.

The funeral was held today (July 03) and the clash had broken out shortly afterwards.

Residents had expressed anger over the handling of the and had hurled stones at the police, reports say.

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