Sri Lanka remains open for positive role in dousing India-Maldives tension

Colombo, Jan 20 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka remains open to play a positive role in dousing tension between India and the Maldives in the greater interest of regional peace, Daily Mirror learns.

First, tension between India and the Maldives flared up since the election of the new Maldivian president Mohamed Muizzu who openly advocates a pro-china policy and even called for Indian troops to leave his country for a foreign policy with better ties with China.

Later, on January 4, social media posts from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praising the beauty of India’s beaches in Lakshadweep sparked a diplomatic row with the Maldives, a country that counts on tourism as its main source of income.

Following the social media posts, three Maldivian junior ministers criticized the Indian Prime Minister, which led to calls from Indian social media users to boycott the Maldives as a tourist destination.

Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry who met with his Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer on the sidelines of the NAM Summit in Uganda is reported to have stressed the need for regional peace and stability for the benefit of all countries.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to hold bilateral discussions with Indian External Affairs Minister DR.S. Jaishankar in Uganda today. In addition to bilateral matters, the tension between India- Maldives is likely to be discussed.

Comments

’’Minister asked me to do, I did it’’: Supplier tells court

BY FAROOK THAJUDEEN Colombo, Dec. 28 (Daily Mirror)- Counsel appearing for the first suspect, owner of the company Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt) Ltd, involved in the substandard human immunoglobulin deal, told the court that he followed the instructions of the then Health Minister saying that "The Minister asked me to do, I did it". Counsel Jaliya Samarasinghe told this in Court before Maligakanda Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrame. The Maligakanda Magistrate queried the CID whether former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella had prior knowledge of the drug scam that involved over Rs. 01 billion of public money. Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrama made this observation following counsel for two suspects in the case alleging that when their clients had mentioned the name of former Minister Keheliya Rambuwella as the person who had ordered them to carry out the deal of the substandard human immunoglobulin, the CID had failed to mention Minister Keheliya’s name in the statements o...

CID visits Minister Keheliya’s residence

Colombo, Dec 26 (Daily Mirror) - The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is currently recording a statement from former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. Police spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that a group of CID officers visited the Minister's residence in Colombo this morning to record a statement in connection with the import of substandard Human Immunoglobulin to the country.

Public Security minister used shell companies to own London flats

Colombo, Dec 15 - Sri Lanka’s public security minister, Tiran Alles, is the first sitting Sri Lankan minister to be identified in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ Pandora Papers data trove as having offshore holdings. An ICIJ analysis of the leaked records and U.K.’s public property register shows that Alles, a media tycoon and politician, owns two British Virgin Islands companies that hold properties in London. The Pandora Papers is a trove of 11.9 million leaked documents obtained by ICIJ that were at the core of a 2021 global investigation exposing the financial deals and hidden assets of politicians, celebrities, business people and criminals in more than 200 countries. The files came from 14 offshore service providers that specialized in setting up shell companies and trusts in tax havens and secrecy jurisdictions. ICIJ’s analysis shows that Alles’ Brompton Properties Ltd. owns a flat in an affluent area of London that was purchased for about $960,000 ...

lankanNews

Search This Blog