Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Department of Meteorology on Tuesday issued a red warning for fishing boats over strong winds and rough seas in the southeast Bay of Bengal and south Andaman Sea.

The rough seas are caused by the depression in the southeast Bay of Bengal and will gradually develop into a cyclonic storm on Wednesday, the Department of Meteorology said.

Due to this, the wind speeds in the above-mentioned sea areas will be between 50 and 60 kmph, the department said.

COLOMBO, May 8 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka earned nearly 700 million U.S. dollars from tourism, in the first four months of 2023, an increase of 17.8 percent from the same period last year, an official said today.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman, Priantha Fernando, told media that, the country earned 166.5 million dollars from tourism in Apr.

According to figures from the SLTDA, Sri Lanka received 335,679 tourists in the first three months of this year.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s Parliament voted Friday to support the implementation of a four-year International Monetary Fund program aimed at solving the country’s economic crisis and reducing its debt burden.

The proposal, introduced by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also finance minister, was approved by a vote of 120 to 25 after a three-day debate.

COLOMBO, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan police on Saturday arrested a 21-year-old man who allegedly provided false information about an impending bomb attack in Akurana, a predominantly Muslim area in the South Asian country.

According to a statement released by the police, the suspect called the online emergency complaint system on April 19 and anonymously provided false information about a bomb threat to mosques in Akurana during Muslim devotees' prayers in the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Thousands of Sri Lankans held a protest in the capital on Friday, demanding justice for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed nearly 270 people.

The protesters demanded that the government uncover who they said were the real conspirators behind the attacks on three churches — two Catholic and one Protestant — that included simultaneous suicide bombings during Easter celebrations on April 21, 2019. Three tourist hotels were also targeted, killing 42 foreigners from 14 countries.

COLOMBO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's navy said it has brought ashore on Monday 179 kg of heroin and six suspects arrested on international waters.

The navy made the arrests on Saturday night on international waters off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, said the navy spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya.

A multi-day fishing trawler that carried the drugs and the suspects was also brought to the Galle harbor, the spokesman said.

Colombo, Apr 11 (PTI) Sri Lanka's election body on Tuesday said the local body polls scheduled to be held on April 25 have now been postponed indefinitely due to an acute shortage of funds.

The Election Commission made the announcement a day after its officials held meetings with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and members of major political parties.

COLOMBO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has established a committee to oversee Sri Lanka's utilization of the credit facility provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), state media reported on Sunday.

The committee includes Sagala Ratnayaka, chief of staff to the president, Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe, and a group of experts, according to the Sunday Observer.

COLOMBO, Mar 21 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka will receive the first tranche of the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) within the next two days, IMF senior mission chief for Sri Lank, Peter Breuer said, today.

Sri Lanka will immediately receive an initial disbursement of about 330 million U.S. dollars from the EFF arrangement, which is expected to catalyse new external financing, including from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, he told a press conference.

COLOMBO, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan central bank governor Nandalal Weerasinghe told media on Sunday that the country's "dollar crisis" is over, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is set to approve a 2.9 billion U.S. dollar bailout package for the country on Monday.

He said Sri Lanka will hence has adequate foreign reserves for imports for essential sectors, adding that the IMF package will boost investor sentiment and enhance the country's access to more foreign funds and investments.