Sri Lanka Ports Authority loses US$10mn in 2010

June 12, 2011 (LBO) – State-run Sri Lanka Ports Authority has lost 1.1 billion rupees in 2010 partly due foreign exchange losses on Yen loans and a rising wage bill despite revenues rising 19 percent to 28.2 billion rupees, official data showed. The newspaper quoted SLPA additional managing director Norman Weerarathne as saying that 2,398 […]

India pushes Sri Lanka on Tamil rights

June 11, 2011 (AFP) – India on Saturday asked Sri Lanka to address the grievances of the island’s Tamil minority two years after the Tamil Tiger separatist rebels were finally defeated, reports said. Three top Indian officials held closed-door talks with President Mahinda Rajapakse during an overnight visit to Sri Lanka and urged a renewed […]

Sri Lanka investments could rise with transparency: IMF

June 10, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka may see a more investments, if perceptions about transparency are addressed and there is clarity on the role of the state in the economy, an International Monetary Fund mission said. “Increased transparency and improved governance could also bolster market confidence and lead to higher investment,” an IMF mission […]

Sri Lanka state textile trader; no accounts

June 9, 2011 (LBO) – Lanka Salusala, a Sri Lankan state textile trading firm has not released audited accounts from 2004, had excess staff, unsettled loans and its performance could not be measured, a finance ministry report said. In a related development Sri Lanka’s Daily FT newspaper reported that the trade ministry has requested the […]

Sri Lanka opposition speaks out on rule of law

June 07, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition which contributed to the systematic breakdown of rule of law and limiting the freedoms of the people, has spoken out against the growing lawlessness and attacks on unarmed sections of the population. But small civil society organizations such as Friday Forum, Citizens Movement for Good Governance, […]

Sri Lanka raises US$2.1bn to rebuild north

June 07, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has raised 2. 1 billion US dollars to rebuild roads, rail, power, hostpital, water supply and help resettle refugees in the war torn Jaffna region in 2010, a finance ministry report said. These funding programmes have helped to resettle internally displaced people within a short period of time […]

Sri Lanka gets FDI US$236mn in first quarter

June 07, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has received 236 million US dollars in foreign direct investments in the first quarter of 2011, up 160 percent from a year earlier, led by tourism, the state investment promotion agency said. Hong Kong based Shangri-La group which bought land in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo and Hambantota in […]

Sri Lanka skipper Dilshan defies England

LONDON, June 4, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan led from the front with an unbeaten century as the tourists fought back against England on the second day of the second Test at Lord’s here Saturday. At stumps, Sri Lanka were 231 for one, 255 runs behind England’s first innings 486. Dilshan, who […]

Sri Lanka judicial independence seen weakening

June 03, 2011 (LBO) – The International Bar Association’s human rights arm said it was concerned over what it called “the increasing erosion of judicial independence in Sri Lanka.” The association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) said recent and planned changes to the island’s constitution could undermine the independence of the judiciary. The International Bar Association’s […]

June 03, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka spent 5. 5 billion US dollars in its military campaign which crushed Tamil Tiger separatists, far less than what foreign powers spent on their current wars, central bank governor Nivard Cabraal said. “It was a vital investment not an expenditure like what many people would think it is,” […]

Sri Lanka monks join anti-pension protests

June 3, 2011 (AFP) – Hundreds of Buddhist monks took to the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital Friday to express solidarity with factory workers protesting a controversial pensions bill. The legislation sparked clashes with police on Monday in which a factory worker was fatally shot and more than 150 were wounded. Saffron-robed clergy marched to […]

Sri Lanka deploys troops at free-trade zone

June 3, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka deployed heavily-armed troops around the country’s main free-trade zone on Friday as tension mounted ahead of the weekend funeral of a factory worker shot dead by police, officials said. Soldiers were placed in the Katunayake zone, just next to the country’s only international airport where a range of […]

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