President Rajapaksa congratulates Pranab Mukherjee on his election as President of India; Over 750 Sri Lankan refugees returned to Sri Lanka from India with the monetary support from the UNHCR; Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam: “Jo
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • President Rajapaksa has conveyed his congratulatory message and best wishes to the newly elected President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee. 1

    According to reports, over 750 Sri Lankan refugees who were living in India have returned to Sri Lanka with the monetary support from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) this year. A total of 1,728 Sri Lankan refugees returned under UNHCR facilitated voluntary repatriation programme in 2011 and 2,040 have returned in 2010. 2
    Sri Lankan high commissioner to India, Prasad Kariyawasam said that the joint patrolling by Indian Coast Guard and the Sri Lankan Navy could be the answer to settle the problem of fishermen. 3

    Reportedly, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will set up its first refinery outside India with an investment of up to Rs 20,000 crore in Sri Lanka. It will thus become the second Indian company to have a refinery abroad. IOC plans to set up the refinery in a joint venture with the Sri Lankan government, as the route would allow it easy clearances along with the government’s commitment. 4

    The Sri Lankan government has sent its report for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on human rights to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. 5

    According to reports, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized a US$ 64.9 million loan to build a water supply system in Sri Lanka. The 12-year direct loan, authorized for the first time since 2008, will finance the design and construction of the Badulla, Hali Ela and Ella Integrated Water Supply System by Tetra Tech of Pasadena, California. 6

    Meanwhile, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have recognized that the bilateral trade between the two countries has potential to increase significantly. Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, on July 26, 2012, said that the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has the potential to increase much more than the current volume of US$ 4 billion. 7

    In other developments, according to Sri Lanka’s Controller of Immigration and Emigration Chulananda Perera, the government has decided to hand over 20 Pakistani nationals who were in Sri Lanka's prisons for a long time for drug related offences. 8

    Top