November 22, 2024 1:08 am
Results: 273
Sri Lanka will not be flooded by Indians - Harsha
Officials in Sri Lanka have described as “premature” the controversy currently raging in the island over the Lankan government’s intention to sign an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India. MORE...
Neo-fascists opposing closer India-Sri Lanka ties - Mangala
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has criticised “neo-fascists” in Sri Lanka for opposing closer ties with India. MORE...
13th Amendment back in the limelight in Sri Lanka
Even as Sri Lanka is preparing to come up with a new Constitution with devolution as one of the key issues, the 13th Amendment, which created provincial councils in the country, is again in the limelight. MORE...
Twelve Tamil Nadu fishermen were today arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy when they were fishing near Katchatheevu. MORE...
TN parties stoke sentiments on Sri Lanka, LTTE ahead of polls
Ahead of the 2016 assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, the ruling AIADMK and other political parties are attempting to stoke public sentiments on emotive issues like Sri Lankan Tamils’ sufferings and LTTE, although they have not translated into electoral gains in the past. MORE...
Drug kingpin who smuggles narcotics to Lanka arrested
Indian Police have arrested an accused, who acted as a kingpin of a drug peddling gang, which smuggled narcotics to Sri Lanka after a high drama during a vehicle check, The Hindu newspaper reported.MORE...
Govt will not sign CEPA with India - PM
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe informed Parliament today that the government will not sign the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India but will enter into an Economic/Technical pact with the neighboring country. MORE..
Jaya urges Modi to get TN fishermen released from Lanka
Hours after the Sri Lankan Navy arrested eight Tamil Nadu fishermen and seized their two boats, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the release of a total of 37 fishermen and 55 boats, including those held today. MORE...
Eight more Indian fishermen arrested
Eight Indian fishermen have been arrested by the Navy in an early morning action today. MORE...
India wants to get back boats as well
The National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) in India has reiterated its demand to the Centre to prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to release 56 boats belonging to Indian fishermen. MORE...
Sri Lanka to release 126 Indian fishermen on Monday
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All the 126 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody will be released by courts in the island nation on Monday. The Sri Lankan government has already issued release orders to the fisheries department, according to the Times of India news agency. MORE...
Legal hurdles hold up release of fishermen
Legal hurdles both in Sri Lanka and India are apparently holding up the release of 120 Tamil Nadu fishermen and 34 Lankan fishermen currently in detention in Lanka and India respectively. MORE...
Navy arrests five more TN fishermen
Sri Lankan Navy arrested five Tamil Nadu fishermen today and seized their boat on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in their waters. MORE...
120 Indian fishermen to be released in “next few days”
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The Sri Lankan government has said that it will release “in the next few days” the 120 Tamil Nadu fishermen in its custody in return for the release of 36 Lankan fishermen held by India. MORE...
Govt. mulls bail for Tamils held under terror act: Mano
The Ranil Wickremesinghe government is open to the idea of allowing Tamils held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to get bail, the New India Express quoted the Minister for National Dialogue on Ethnic Issues Mano Ganeshan as saying. MORE...
Sri Lanka condoles with quake victims in Afghanistan
The Sri Lanka Government has said it was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and destruction to property caused by the devastating earthquake in the Hindukush region of Afghanistan on Monday which also affected parts of India and Pakistan. MORE...
Indian Coast Guard arrests 29 Sri Lankans
Indian Coast Guard Ship Samudra Prahari apprehended two Sri Lankan trawlers namely Holy Cross III and VI along with 29 Sri Lankan nationals in Lakshadweep waters for poaching of endangered marine species, sea cucumber. MORE...
Sri Lanka mulls imposing heavy fines on Indian poachers
Sri Lanka is mulling imposing fines as high as 150 million rupees on Indian fishermen poaching in the country’s waters, officials said. MORE...
Sri Lanka to release 86 Tamil Nadu fishermen on October 28
Eighty-six Tamil Nadu fishermen, who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy in the past two months, would be released on October 28, the Indian government has said today. MORE...
Five Lankans reach India using high-speed boat?
Five persons were suspected to have arrived onboard a high-speed fibre glass boat from Sri Lanka that was found abandoned at a coastal village in India, a topTamil Nadu police official has said. MORE...
India, Sri Lanka fisherfolk want to Meet Jaya
An Indo-Sri Lankan team of fishermen is all set to seek a meeting with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, to resolve the long standing and irksome issue of fishing in the Palk Strait. MORE...
Jayalalithaa writes again to PM Modi, fishers arrest by Navy rises to 87
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up at the highest political level the arrest of fishermen from the state by Sri Lanka and said the number of those apprehended has now gone up to 87 besides their 39 boats. MORE...
Navy arrests nine more Indian fishermen
The Sri Lankan navy on Wednesday apprehended nine Tamil Nadu fishermen and their boat on charges of trespassing into the territorial waters of the island nation, marine police sources at Mandapam in India has said. MORE...
Billionaire’s exit prompts SL to seek new oil explorer?
Sri Lanka will issue a fresh international tender for offshore oil and gas blocks after billionaire Anil Agarwal’s Cairn India Ltd. relinquished its exploration rights in the South Asian island, the Bloomberg news agency reported today. MORE...
Navy arrests 24 Indian fishermen
The Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday arrested 24 Indian fishermen arrested and also seized four boats near Gulf of Mannar. MORE...
Third India-Sri Lanka joint training exercise culminates
The third Indo-Lanka Joint Training Exercise ‘Mitra Shakti’ focusing on counter- terrorism and insurgency operations culminated in India. MORE...
Fisherworkers forum urges Modi to find permanent solution to fishermen issue
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Indian National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) has requested Prime Minster Narendra Modi to use diplomatic channels to hold dialogue with neighbouring countries including Sri Lanka, who arrest, attack and incarcerate Indian fishermen, the New Indian Express news agency reported. MORE...
SL deceiving nations, says Karunanidhi
India’s DMK leader M Karunanidhi has charged Sri Lanka with using its geographical location to deceive other nations and asked the Indian government to take steps to safeguard the livelihood of the fishermen of Tamil Nadu. MORE...
Navy officials meet Indian counterparts
Senior officials of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard met their counterparts from Sri Lanka on board a navy patrol vessel near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) recently and discussed operative effectiveness of the forces. MORE...
Indian fishermen protest against Lanka
The fishermen of Rameswaram island in India and the family members of a missing fisherman have observed fast here, urging the authorities to trace him who went missing after the boat he was in sank on the high seas, and protesting against Sri Lankan navy. MORE...
Indian traffickers attempt to take Lankans to Europe
Sanjay Kumar, key operative of the racket that attempted to traffic Sri Lankan Tamil refugees from Munambam, had earlier attempted to take people to Europe on board a fishing vessel from Thiruvananthapuram, The Hindu newspaper reported. MORE...
Indian govt. urged to move resolution against Lanka
India’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has urged the Union government to move a private member resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) seeking an international inquiry into the alleged war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan Army in the last phase of the civil war. MORE...
Jaya seeks Modi’s help to get TN fishermen freed
Accusing Sri Lanka of intimidating Indian fishermen through repeated arrests to prevent them from venturing into their traditional fishing waters in the Palk Bay, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa drew the attention of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to yet another incident of arrest of fishermen by the island navy on October 1. MORE...
Tamil Eelam is the solution: Ramadoss
India’s PMK leader S. Ramadoss has said that if Sri Lanka was ready for an international inquiry into the alleged “war crimes and human rights violations,” the United Nations should hold a referendum among the Sri Lankan Tamils across the world for the creation of a separate Tamil Eelam, The Hindu newspaper reported. MORE...
Sri Lankan govt urged to release all Tamil Nadu fishermen
India’s National Fish Workers Forum (NFF) today urged the Sri Lankan government to immediately release the seven Tamil Nadu fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on charges of fishing in their waters on Monday. MORE..
India’s NFF seeks lasting solution to fishing row with Lanka
Thanking the India’s Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for helping arrive at a decision to not shoot fishermen at sea, during talks with Sri Lanka, the National Fishworkers’ Forum has requested him to consult Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and find a permanent solution to all the issues faced by the fisherfolk. MORE...
India, Sri Lanka to hold third joint army exercise
The Indian and Sri Lankan armies will be conducting their third joint military exercise Mitra Shakti-2015, starting September 29, said a statement issued in New Delhi today, according to the NDTV news agency. MORE...
Move resolution for probe into Sri Lanka war crimes: PUCL
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The India’s People Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has called upon the Centre, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, to move a resolution calling for a credible, independent, international investigation into the violations of humanitarian and human rights laws. MORE...
India has to maintain friendly relations with Sri Lanka: Venkaiah Naidu
Reiterating the Narendra Modi government’s stand on relationship with Sri Lanka, India’s Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said on Saturday that India has to maintain friendly relations with its neighbour. MORE...
India refloats plan for lanka port
With a friendlier government now at the helm in Colombo, India has revived its plan to develop a port in Sri Lanka, hoping to catch up with the Chinese, the New India Express news agency reported today. MORE...
Indian fishermen protest against Lankan navy
Fishermen of Nambiyar Nagar in Nagapattinam district in India has gone on an indefinite strike, seeking the intervention of State and Central governments to secure the release of 15 fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy, The Hindu Newspaper reported. MORE...
Sri Lanka fishermen reject talk offer by Indian counterparts
Sri Lankan fishing community representatives in Colombo have rejected a request by their Indian counterparts to visit them to discuss their issues, including poaching.MORE...
$5.19 billion road project to begin by October
Keen on fostering ties with neighbours, India is set to engage in high-level talks with Sri Lanka by October for an ambitious $5.19 billion road project to connect both the nations through a sea-bridge and an underwater tunnel, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. MORE...
Sri Lanka has given approval for SAARC satellite project
Sri Lanka has given its approval for SAARC satellite project, one of the mandatory requirements for ITU registration before the launch even as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) waits for nod from other countries. MORE..
Indian Government urged to study Lanka resolution by TN Assembly
Indian Union Minister of State for Shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan, has said the Centre would analyse the contents of the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly (TNA) on the Sri Lankan issue and will take an informed decision, The Hindu newspaper reported today. MORE...
No discussions on CEPA: says PM, President
The President and the Prime Minister have yet again assured that discussions on a trade agreement entitled Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was not held during PM’s visit to India earlier this week. MORE..
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi invited to Sri Lanka by PM
In a significant development that could bring Congress role into India’s neighbourhood diplomacy, party president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi have been invited to Sri Lanka by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe. MORE..
Indian Court dismisses appeal filed by Sri Lankan fishermen
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An Indian High Court has dismissed a criminal appeal filed by 10 Sri Lankan fishermen, who were convicted of fishing in Indian waters without permission in 2006, after it was informed that they had gone back to their country after serving the entire sentence period in prison. MORE...
TN assembly for international probe on Sri Lanka
A day after India and Sri Lanka decided to renew efforts to address the vexed ethnic issue in the island nation, Tamil Nadu today stepped up pressure on the Modi government for an international probe against alleged human rights violations and war crimes committed in 2009 in Northern Sri Lanka. MORE..
PM Wickremasinghe meets Indian President
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan a short while ago. MORE...
Looking at power sharing and devolution within a unity state: PM
“We are looking at how power sharing and devolution take place within the Constitution, with in a unity state,” Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe says. MORE...
Modi confident Sri Lanka will achieve genuine reconciliation
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed confidence that Sri Lanka will achieve genuine reconciliation and development with the wisdom and will of the leadership and the support of the people.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in Delhi a short while ago. MORE..
Boat Suspected to be from Lanka found abandoned in India
A fibre boat suspected to be that of Sri Lankan fishermen was found abandoned at Maniantheevu near Kodiakarai in Nagapattinam district in India, The Hindu newspaper reported today. MORE...
Sri Lanka to release 16 Indian fishermen ahead of PM’s visit
Sri Lanka today said it will release 16 Indian fishermen, arrested recently for allegedly poaching in its waters, in a “goodwill gesture” ahead of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to India, his first foreign trip after winning last month’s polls. MORE...
Trade minister says no to CEPA
Sri Lanka will not be discussing a trade agreement with India entitled Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during a visit to India tomorrow, said the Minister for Development Strategies and International Trade, Malik Samarawickrama on Sunday. MORE...
What would happen to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India?
At a time when efforts are on to send Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to their country, opinion is divided on whether hill country Tamils of Indian origin (in plantations) should be persuaded to go back or conferred with Indian citizenship, the Hindu Newspaper reported. MORE...
Why Sri Lanka has done a China-style ‘managed float’
Sri Lanka’s central bank is allowing the local rupee to become more market-oriented but like Bejing, it has shied away from turning the currency into a true free float. MORE...
Massive killings if Mahinda returned to power - CBK
Mahinda Rajapaksa during his tenure as the President of Sri Lanka ran a police state and if he was successful in returning to power as Prime Minister in recent parliamentary polls the country would have experienced massive killings of innocents, according to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. MORE..
India attaches highest importance to ties with Sri Lanka: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Sri Lanka and looks forward to taking the ties to new heights as he received former President Chandrika Kumaratunga in New Delhi. MORE..
Atapattu resigns as Sri Lanka cricket coach
Marvan Atapattu has resigned as head coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team while his resignation has been accepted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). MORE..
Sri Lankan fishermen want resumption of talks
Maintaining that Indian fishermen were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy only when they fished deep into the island territory, a Sri Lankan fishermen leader today urged both nations to hold talks to resolve the issue of fishing rights in the Palk Strait. MORE..
Chennai US Consulate refuses to meet Vaiko on Lanka
Former Indian MP and MDMK general secretary Vaiko charged that the US Consulate in Chennai had “disrespected” Tamils by not allowing him to meet the Consul General and present a memorandum on the stand the country had taken on international investigations into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. MORE...
Tharindu Kaushal reported with suspected illegal bowling action
Sri Lanka off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal has been reported with a suspected illegal bowling action during the third Test against India, which concluded at the Singhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Tuesday. MORE..
Indian Goverment should act tough on Sri Lanka: Vasan
The Indian Government should act tough and put an end to the attacks and arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, Indian Tamil Manila Congress leader G. K. Vasan has said. MORE...
Push Sri Lanka not to arrest fishermen - Jayalalithaa
Bringing to the notice of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yet another incident of arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Lankan Navy, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday urged him to take immediate steps to release the 16 fishermen and their boats. MORE..
Navy rescues ten local fishermen off Hambantota
The Sri Lanka Navy has rescued ten local fishermen who were drifting 63 km off South East of Hambantota due to an engine failure. MORE...
Vaiko, Ramadoss oppose India gifting away ship to Sri Lanka
Opposing the gifting away of an Indian Coast Guard ship to Sri Lanka, Indian MDMK chief Vaiko today said it was a “betrayal” of Eelam Tamils and Tamil Nadu fishermen the Press Trust of India reported. MORE...
Karunanidhi condemns US support to Sri Lankan domestic probe
DMK chief Karunanidhi today condemned the US government’s reported proposal for support to a domestic probe by Sri Lanka into alleged war crimes rather than going in for an international investigation. MORE..
Indian forum seeks Centre’s intervention to prevent attack on fishermen
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Indian National Fish Workers Forum (NFF) has urged the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swraj to ensure that Tamil Nadu fishermen were not attacked while fishing by the Sri Lankan naval personnel. MORE...
India not capable of providing large investment and loans to SL?
China’s state media today said Sri Lanka should retain friendship with cash-rich China as India is “not capable of providing large investment and loans”, in the first commentary following the defeat of pro-Beijing Mahinda Rajapaksa in the recent parliamentary elections. MORE...
Sri Lankan held for drug trafficking in India
The Indian police have detained a Sri Lankan Tamil over his alleged involvement with a fake currency circulation, drug and human trafficking gang, the Hindu newspaper reported. MORE...
Four Indians arrested for visa violations
At least four Indians have been arrested in eastern province for allegedly abusing visa conditions, the police said. MORE...
India should take efforts to solve Lankan Tamils problem: CPI
The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Friday said that the Centre should take efforts to find a solution to the problems of Tamil population in Sri Lanka, considering the changed political equation in that country. MORE..
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated Ranil Wickremesinghe on being sworn-in as Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister. MORE..
Arrested Sri Lankans have no links with LTTE: Indian Police
Dismissing suggestion that the five Sri Lankans arrested from a city hotel have connection to a “terror group”, the Indian Police have said it has started looking for those who brought them to the city promising fake passports and help getting jobs in France. MORE...
Suspected former LTTE members arrested in India
The Special Task Force of the Indian Police have arrested five Sri Lankan nationals, allegedly former LTTE members, and two Indians from a hotel here in the city, the PTI reported today. MORE...
Nepal-bound Sri Lankans held by India’s SSB
Seema Surkashya Bal (SSB), the border security force of India, arrested five Nepal-bound Sri Lankans from Panitanki, India, along Nepal-India on Friday. MORE..
Sri Lanka stun India with remarkable comeback Test victory
Rangana Herath picked up seven wickets in a sublime display of left-arm spin bowling to power Sri Lanka to a spectacular comeback win by 63 runs against India on the fourth day of the opening Test at Galle on Saturday. MORE..
Six suspected LTTE operatives arrested in Kolkata
The arrest of 6 men allegedly belonging to the LTTE has left security officials in West Bengal in a spot of bother. They are verifying why these six men had come to Kolkata from Chennai. MORE..
Indian-American Atul Keshap sworn in as US Envoy to Sri Lanka
Indian-American Atul Keshap has been sworn in as the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives, becoming the second Indian-origin diplomat to be posted to the region after Richard Rahul Verma. MORE...
Courts release Tamil Nadu fishermen
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Two courts in the Northern province today (10) ordered the release of 40 fishermen arrested by the Navy for allegedly fishing in Sri Lankan territory in June. MORE...
Retrieve Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka: Jayalalithaa tells Modi
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect the fishing rights of Indian fishermen and to retrieve the Katchatheevu islet from Sri Lanka. MORE..
Vasan plans stir for release of fishermen from Sri Lankan jail
India’s Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) will stage State-wide agitation if the 14 Rameswaram fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on a charge of poaching on June 2 were not released at the end of their judicial remand on August 13, party president G.K. Vasan has said. MORE..
A day after busting a fake currency circulation and drug trafficking gang by arresting four people, the Indian police have arrested five more, including two Sri Lankan Tamils, on Tuesday while launching a dragnet for five others to pin down the entire network, the Hindu newspaper reported. MORE...
Will the govt. give nod to road link SL with India?
A road and rail link between Rameswaram in India and Thalaimannar could be a reality soon as the government of India has asked Asian Development Bank to carry out pre-feasibility study for financing the project across Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. MORE...
Five Indians held for kidney change in Sri Lanka
The Special Task Force of the Crime Branch in India has arrested five persons of a family from Berhampur, including a woman, in connection with an illegal kidney transplantation carried out at a hospital in Colombo recently. MORE...
Swaminathan conveys condolences over death of Abdul Kalam
The Special Envoy of the President, Minister D.M. Swaminathan paid his last respects to the late former Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at the State Funeral which was held in Rameshwaran on Thursday, the foreign ministry said. MORE..
Another batch of Sri Lankan refugees return home
A fresh batch of 45 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees headed back to their homeland from the international airport in Tiruchi on Tuesday, The Hindu reported. MORE..
Abdul Kalam’s funeral in Rameswaram on Thursday
The funeral of the former President will be held in Rameswaram, his birth place in Tamil Nadu, on Thursday (30) with full military honours. MORE...
Sri Lankan student reported missing in India
A Sri Lankan girl student doing hotel management course at a college in Moodbidri near Mangalore has been reported missing from her hostel since July 25, police said. MORE..
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam died on Monday at a hospital in Meghalaya, where he had gone to deliver a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management in Shillong, reports Press Trust of India. He was 83. MORE...
Fishermen act as sea route smugglers?
The Indian Customs officials anticipate possibilities of gold sneaking into the State from neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka through fishing boats following the large-scale seizures of smuggled gold at the airports in the State, the Hindu newspaper reported today. MORE...
Ex-LTTE man held in India while trying to flee
The Indian city police arrested a former LTTE operative while he was attempting to escape to Switzerland on a fake passport at Trichy International Airport, the Times of India reported. Police also registered a case against two more persons from Ramanathapuram and Chennai for helping him obtained the fake passport. One of them was arrested. MORE...
Indian fishermen attacked by Sri Lankan navy yet again?
Indian fishermen were attacked off Katchatheevu islet on Saturday night allegedly by Sri Lankan naval personnel, who opened fire in the air, forcing them to return to shore, the PTI news agency reproted. MORE...
Conviction of ‘LTTE sympathisers’ in India set aside
The Madras High Court Bench in Madurai on Friday set aside an “illegal conviction and seven-year sentence” imposed by a trial court on three alleged LTTE sympathisers for conspiring to smuggle acetone, glycerine, formaldehyde and dicyanamide to Sri Lanka for making explosive substances and indulging in unlawful activities in 2008. MORE..
Sri Lankan fishermen issue warning to Indian counterparts
Sri Lankan fishermen have reportedly warned their Indian counterparts that they would be attacked if they continued using banned fishing nets and damaged nets anchored in the Sri Lankan sea. MORE..
Navy assists Indian fishing trawler in distress
Sri Lanka Navy today rendered assistance to an Indian fishing trawler with 4 fishermen in distress in Sri Lankan waters. MORE..
No pressure from India on Port City project - govt
The Sri Lankan government has denied reports that the Indian government is exerting pressure on it to stall the $1.4 billion Colombo Port City Project. MORE..
Navy denies attacking Indian fishermen
The Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday denied reports that it had attacked a group of Indian fishermen who had strayed into Sri Lankan waters on Tuesday evening. MORE...
WFFP urges full implementation of UN Law of seas
The World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) has sought a permanent solution to tackle the issue of arrest and incarceration of fishermen crossing the national borders and entering the territory of neighbouring countries. MORE...
Three Indian fishermen injured in attack by naval personnel?
Three Indian fishermen were injured when they were allegedly attacked by Sri Lankan naval personnel off Katchatheevu, the Press Trust of India reported. MORE...
SL and India fishermen call for resumption of dialogue
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Leaders of Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen have called for a resumption of the conciliatory dialogue which has been deadlocked since April last, the Hindu newspaper reported. MORE...
India, Sri Lanka sign currency swap agreement
The Reserve Bank has signed a special currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka that will allow the latter to draw up to $1.1 billion. MORE...
Indian police to fight drug traffickers to Sri Lanka
As Indian authorities witnessed a spurt in smuggling of drugs to Sri Lanka via the sea route, the district police have constituted “D-Team”, an exclusive police team to mount surveillance on drug traffickers and contain the smuggling activities, the Hindu Newspaper reported today. MORE...
India wanted Sri Lanka to stop Colombo Port City – Gotabaya
Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that India’s National Security Advisor had requested the former Sri Lankan government to stop the Chinese-funded Colombo Port City project as it would pose a threat to that country’s security. MORE..
Smuggling through sea route increased: Report
The sea route from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu is being used to smuggle gold into India and this trend is increasing, the Hindu newspaper reported today. MORE...
Four Indian fishermen arrested with 165 kilograms of “Kerala Ganja”
The Sri Lanka Navy on Tuesday (14) arrested four Indian fishermen with 165 kilograms of cannabis (Kerala Ganja) in the seas north-west of the Thalai-mannar. MORE...
India extends tsunami warning services to Sri Lanka
India has extended its tsunami early warning system services to Sri Lanka and the Seychelles. MORE..
Rs 220 billion plan to link Rameswaram to Sri Lanka, says Gadkari
The Indian government is working towards a Rs 220 billion (Indian rupees) project to provide connectivity between India and Sri Lanka for which the Asian Development Bank has expressed willingness to provide funding, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said. MORE...
Sri Lanka fast emerging as organ transplant hub for Indians - report
With Indian organ transplantation rules making it impossible for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients to buy organs, the island nation of Sri Lanka is fast emerging as the market for organ trade for Bengalureans, Indian media reports. MORE..
Indian fishermen claim attack by Sri Lankan counterparts
About 30 to 40 fishermen claim they were attacked allegedly by their Sri Lankan counterparts off Kodiakarai coast, who damaged their nets worth millions of rupees and threw the catch into the sea, an Indian fisheries department official said. MORE..
Indian Ocean cannot be backyard of India - China
China recognises India’s special role in stabilising the strategic Indian Ocean region but the perception that it is India’s “backyard” may result in clashes, Chinese military officials and experts have cautioned. MORE...
Sangakkara announces Test retirement
Sri Lanka’s batting great Kumar Sangakkara has ended speculation about his future by confirming that he will retire during his team’s home series against India in August. MORE..
Gold, liquor bottles smuggled from SL seized at airport
Indian Customs officials at the Madurai airport seized 604 grams of raw gold chains (unfinished 24 karat gold chains) and 35 bottles of foreign liquor from 11 persons, all Indian citizens, who arrived from Sri Lanka. MORE..
Lankan refugee stages protest at camp
A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee housed in a camp at Thuraimangalam near Perambalur abstained from taking food for some time on Friday seeking action against one of the refugees. MORE..
Lankan refugees allege illegal custody, torture by Police
Sri Lankan Tamil refugees of Aanaiyur camp in Madurai are living in morbid fear borne out of police torture. MORE..
Eight Indian men arrested with gold in rectums, waist band
Eight Indian nationals have been arrested by Sri Lankan customs officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake for attempting to leave the country with gold worth over Rs 4.5 million concealed in their rectal cavities and waist band. MORE..
Sri Lankan Navy asked not to open fire on fishermen: India
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday informed the Madras High Court Bench in Madurai that it has impressed upon the Sri Lankan Navy “to act with restraint, not to fire on [Indian] fishermen and to treat [Indian] fishermen in a humane manner.” MORE..
Protest demands release of 14 Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka
Members of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) and the fishing community staged a demonstration in Rameswaram on Friday, demanding the release of 14 Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on charges of poaching and protesting against the Centre’s directive to paint the trawlers in green colour. MORE..
Young refugees in TN keen on trying luck in Sri Lanka
As World Refugee Day falls tomorrow, several young Sri Lankan Tamils born and raised in camps in Tamil Nadu are eager to go back to the land of their ancestors to try and connect with their roots and get a sense of belonging. MORE..
India-Sri Lanka road link in the works: Nitin Gadkari
Following the inauguration of Agartala-Dhaka bus service and signing of the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal motor vehicle agreement, the Centre is also looking at connecting India and Sri Lanka, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday. MORE..
Sri Lankan refugee seeks compensation for his daughter’s death
A Sri Lankan refugee at a Tamil Nadu refugee camp today moved the Madras High court seeking Rs 10 lakh in compensation from the state government for the death of his minor daughter who succumbed to injuries as the dilapidated house they were staying in collapsed in rains last year. MORE..
India unsafe if Sri Lanka is not kept secure – Seneviratne
Sri Lanka has recalled its envoy to India Sudharshan Seneviratne, within a year of his appointment and just when bilateral ties were looking up between the two neighbours. MORE..
BJP says committed to solving fishermen issue
Voicing its commitment to solving the dispute over fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Strait, the BJP on Thursday said it was handling the problem “carefully” and a final solution “needs time”. MORE..
Sri Lanka to talk to India on fishing
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Sri Lanka said on Monday that it will continue to engage with India on the fishermen issue to seek satisfactory short-term and long-term solutions. MORE...
Sri Lankan Minister’s remarks not helpful – India
Differences between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen’s associations spilled into relations between the two governments, as India responded sharply to the Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister’s refusal of a proposal to allow Indian fishermen into Sri Lankan waters for 65 days. MORE..
Sri Lankan held for travelling on fake passport
The immigration staff of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad arrested a Sri Lankan passenger during the custom checkup for travelling using a fake passport. MORE..
Modi paying special attention for Sri Lankan Tamils’ welfare - BJP
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been paying special attention for the welfare of Tamils both in India and in Sri Lanka, says Muralidhar Rao, national general secretary of the BJP. MORE..
Film on slain LTTE presenter banned in India
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has refused to certify ‘Porkalathil Oru Poo,’ a film based on real life story of television journalist, Isaipriya, who was allegedly killed in captivity by the Sri Lankan armed forces in the final stages of the civil war in 2009... MORE
India hands over 16 Sri Lankan fishermen
India on Saturday handed over 16 Sri Lankan fishermen—arrested for allegedly poaching in the Indian waters—to Sri Lankan authorities, several days after they were ordered released by courts. MORE..
India may offer credit for building houses in land released by Army
India, which is funding the construction of 50,000 houses for internally-displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka, may offer a line of credit, this time for building houses in lands released by the Army from the high security zones. MORE...
No Smuggler in team - Fishermen Delegation
Members of the delegation of Tamil Nadu fishermen who met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena here on May 12 have denied the charge that one of the members of their team was a smuggler. MORE...
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector outperforms broader economy: report
A steep rise in visitor numbers to Sri Lanka is driving growth in the country’s tourism industry, though a slowdown in the Chinese economy and problems in Russia could take the edge off the surge of arrivals later in the year. MORE..
LG launches smartwatch at Rs 30,000 in India
LG Electronics Tuesday launched LG Watch Urbane at Rs 30,000 in India powered by the Android Wear which works seamlessly with smartphones running Android 4.3 and above. MORE..
NFF claims ‘fake’ Indian fishermen group met Sirisena
Amid allegations that the fisherfolk group which met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena recently included a smuggler, the National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) in India has demanded that the State, Central, and Sri Lankan governments probe the incident and bring to book the fake fishermen associations. MORE..
Would rather die than go back to Lanka - Refugee
The tiny 10x16 sq ft houses awaiting doors, windows and a coat of paint at the Melmonavoor Sri Lankan refugee camp in India, one of the six camps in Vellore district, reflect the conflict that every refugee from the island nation is going through. MORE...
Majority of Sri Lankan refugees not willing to return - Swaminathan
Only 35 per cent of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in Tamil Nadu are willing to come back, D.M. Swaminathan, Minister for Resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Religious Affairs, said on Friday. MORE..
Tamil Nadu fishermen freed under Indo-SL swap deal
The 37 Tamil Nadu fishermen detained in Sri Lanka were released by a court in Point Pedro in Jaffna district on Friday, following a swap agreement with India under which 16 Lankan fishermen jailed in India will also be released, Indian officials told Express. MORE..
Indo-Sri Lanka trade up 10-fold after FTA
Trade between India and Sri Lanka has increased 10-fold after the Free Trade Agreement. But there is more to be explored, said Y.K. Sinha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka. MORE...
65 Sri Lankan refugees return from India
A batch of 65 Sri Lankan refugees, from some 32 families, returned from India today, Minister of Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs D.M. Swaminathan told Ada Derana. MORE..
DMK welcomes Sri Lanka’s efforts to solve fishing dispute
Welcoming Sri Lanka’s efforts to solve the fishing dispute in Palk Strait, DMK today urged the Indian government to take steps for bilateral talks involving fishermen of the island nation and India and bring about a lasting solution to the vexed issue. MORE..
Release order for 37 Indian fishermen - Devadas
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered the release of 37 Indian fishermen lodged in various prisons of the island nation after a meeting with a delegation of five Indian fishermen. MORE...
Indian man kills Sri Lankan nurse in Kuwait
An Indian man murdered a Sri Lankan nurse in Kuwait following a rift over a KD500 (Rs 220,860) debt, a newspaper in the oil-rich Gulf emirate reported. MORE..
Journalists in Sri Lanka most vulnerable: Report
Journalists in Sri Lanka are among the most vulnerable in the South Asia, because attackers generally go scot-free, says a report of the International Federation of Journalists. MORE..
High Court suspends Salman Khan’s jail sentence
The Mumbai high court suspended on Friday actor Salman Khan’s jail term in the 2002 hit-and-run case, pending appeal, giving him temporary reprieve. MORE..
TN MPs want India to reclaim Katchatheevu
Indian Rajya Sabha members from the AIADMK, DMK and the CPI want the Centre to renegotiate with the government of Sri Lanka to reclaim the island of Katchatheevu. MORE...
India, Sri Lanka should hold talks on fishermen – Congress
India’s Congress Party says that the BJP-led NDA government should hold talks with the Sri Lankan government with regard to the fishermen problem in order to reach a solution. MORE..
Navy denies allegations of shooting Indian fishermen
The Sri Lankan Navy on Thursday denied allegations that it had shot Indian fishermen who had illegally strayed into local waters and said such an action would be taken only as their “final resort”. MORE..
Sri Lankan gang arrested over fake passport racket
The Q branch of the Tamil Nadu police busted on Wednesday, a fake passport racket run by a Sri Lankan gang which had been ‘issuing’ fake Indian passports and fake visas to Sri Lankan refugees after collecting huge amounts and helping them to go to Europe and Canada via Nepal. MORE..
India urges Sri Lanka Navy not to fire on stray Indian fishermen
The Indian Government today said it has requested Sri Lankan Navy to act with restraint and not to fire on Indian fishermen if they stray into the waters of the island nation. MORE..
Lankan woman forced into hiding for questioning extremists
Sharmila Seyyid, a Sri Lankan Muslim woman journalist and human rights activist from Sri Lanka, received so much backlash from a comment in a BBC appearance that she left her home country. She did not receive a warm welcome in India, which forced her into hiding. Now outlets are pressuring both countries to protect Seyyid. MORE...
Death toll in Nepal may touch 10,000 - PM Koirala
The death toll in Nepal’s devastating earthquake may go up to 10,000, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala on Tuesday told the envoys of India, China and the US. MORE..
Sri Lankan gets 7-year jail in robbery case
The Second Additional Assistant Sessions Court in Tiruchy on Monday convicted and sentenced a Sri Lankan Tamil to undergo seven-year imprisonment for robbing a woman of a gold chain after attacking her in April 2013. MORE..
Indian fishermen indulge in illegal acts in Sri Lankan waters, says ICG
In a stand that may not go down well in Tamil Nadu, Indian Coast Guard on Monday told the Madras High Court that Indian fishermen allegedly indulge in various illegal acts such as smuggling and trawling in Sri Lankan waters resulting in action by the island nation’s navy. MORE..
Sri Lankan woman arrested smuggling gold into India
Indian customs officials have arrested a Sri Lankan woman who smuggled gold weighing nearly one kilogram into the country by concealing it under her garments. MORE..
AUDIO: Nepal earthquake kills atleast 449, triggers avalanches
(UPFATE) The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Kathmandu says that so far there have been no reports of Sri Lankan nationals in Nepal being affected by the earthquake. MORE..
AUDIO: 7.5 magnitude earthquake rumbles Nepal, no impact on Sri Lanka
The Disaster Management Center (DMC) says that the 7.6 magnitude earthquake which hit Nepal this morning, causing massive tremors lasting well over a minute across northern India, had no impact to Sri Lanka.
Cairn India exits Sri Lanka oil exploration
A nearly 50 per cent drop in crude oil prices has forced Cairn India to exit its operations in Sri Lanka. MORE..
Sri Lanka ranks 132 on global happiness index
Sri Lanka has climbed 5 places in a global ranking of the happiest nations, coming in at the 132nd spot out of 158 countries on the index that took into account GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support and freedom to make life choices as indicators of happiness. MORE..
No complaint of Sri Lanka Navy hurling petrol bombs
The Indian government did not get any complaint against Sri Lankan navy allegedly hurling petrol bombs at Indian fishermen, the Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh informed the Rajya Sabha. MORE..
Wigneswaran requests Modi to release 3 convicted of raping 13 girls
Chief minister of Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority Northern Province C V Wigneswaran has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release three life convicts in the sensational Swamy Premananda case. MORE...
Indian-origin estate workers to get land with deeds
The Sri Lankan government, headed by President Maithripala Sirisena, has taken a decision to give each of the 200,000 families of Indian Origin Tamil workers in the island’s plantations, seven perches or 1,900 sq ft of land with ownership documents. MORE...
Tamil Nadu fishermen to leave for Sri Lanka to salvage boats
A team of 141 people on 18 boats will set sail from the Tamil Nadu coast on Wednesday to repatriate 31 of the 81 boats released by the Sri Lankan government. MORE...
Chinese contractors reject Lotus Tower ‘spying’ allegation
Chinese contractor of the Lotus Tower in Sri Lanka on Tuesday denied allegations that the tower was to be used as an electronic surveillance facility against India and added that such “baseless rumours” only insulted the Sri Lankan government. MORE...
Indian fishermen demand access to Lankan waters
Over 100 fishermen from Tamil Nadu will meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj next Monday to give a petition demanding uninterrupted fishing rights in the Sri Lankan waters. MORE...
Will solve fishermen issue: PM
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, on the sidelines of his visit to Guruvayur temple, said that measures would be taken to solve the issues plaguing the fishermen community in India. MORE...
Indian police seize 142 kg cannabis bound for Sri Lanka
The Indian district police have detained under the National Security Act (NSA) two ganja smugglers who were arrested while attempting to smuggle 142 kg of ganja to Sri Lanka via sea route. MORE...
Sri Lanka neither pro-India nor pro-China: Ranil
Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has said Sri Lanka is neither pro-India nor pro-China. MORE...
Sri Lankan couple, daughters land near Rameswaram
A Sri Lankan Tamil couple with their three teenage daughters landed clandestinely at Arichalmunai, off Dhanushkodi in the early hours of Friday, The Hindu reports. MORE..
India unsuited to play mediator due to TN factor - Dayan
India is “structurally unsuited” to be mediator or facilitator in the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict because it is subject to the “emotional and electoral power” of one of its constituent states, namely, Tamil Nadu, argues former Sri Lankan envoy at the UN in Geneva, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka. MORE..
Ranil merely joked about shooting Indian fishermen - CBK
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe was joking when he made the comment about shooting Indian fishermen, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga said in an interview with DNA. MORE...
No room for any family to control country again – President
President Maithripala Sirisena says that with the proposed amendments to the Constitution, the government will not leave room in the future for any single family to control the country ever again. MORE..
Bishop meets Sri Lankan Tamils in Chennai
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who is on a visit to India, has held talks with Sri Lankan Tamils living there and termed the meeting as “constructive”. MORE..
Naxals getting arms from Sri Lanka?
The Indian Central intelligence agencies have launched a major investigation into a “specific tip-off” that Naxals were now getting sophisticated weapons through the sea route from Sri Lanka. MORE...
Chinese naval ships to use Gwadar port after Colombo snub
Pakistan’s Gwadar port which has been taken over by a Chinese firm could guarantee maintenance and supply for China’s naval ships in the Indian Ocean after the new Sri Lankan government declined permission for Chinese vessels to dock in the country. MORE..
Currency pact with India to boost Sri Lanka’s reserves
Sri Lanka’s official reserves are set to receive a boost by the currency swap arrangement with India, signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, the country’s Central Bank said today. MORE..
Sending IPKF to Sri Lanka was high level policy failure: VK Singh
India’s Union Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd) V K Singh says that the decision to send the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka in 1987 was “a high level policy failure”. MORE..
Indian held at BIA with gold worth Rs 17 million
An Indian national has been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake with gold worth around Rs 17 million. MORE..
Rajapaksa gov’t was more diplomatic on fishermen issue: Leaders
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In contrast to Lanka’s present leaders, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was more diplomatic, fishermen’s leaders in Karainagar, Jaffna has told the New India Express. MORE...
Indian fishermen protest arrests by Sri Lankan navy
The fishermen of Rameswaram staged a demonstration, protesting against the arrest of fishermen and confiscation of their boats by Sri Lankan navy and urging the authorities to secure their traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay. MORE..
Lankan refugees held over bid to escape
The Marine police of the Coastal Security Group (CSG) in India have apprehended two Sri Lankan Tamil refugees when one of them tried to clandestinely leave for Sri Lanka from Pamban near Ramanathapuram. MORE..
54 Sri Lankans evacuated from Yemen
The Government of Sri Lanka today said that at present 54 Sri Lankans have been evacuated from Yemen. MORE..
Health Minister to attend fifth SAARC health meet
India is all set to host fifth meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Health Ministers at New Delhi on Wednesday where Health Ministers of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan will attend the meeting. MORE...
Chinese mafia behind red sandalwood smuggling in SL?
The Indian police have found details on a Chinese mafia that smuggles red sandalwood through Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Sri Lanka which has a major demand for it in China, Japan, Middle East and the United States of America. MORE...
440 people including a Sri Lankan evacuated from Yemen
Indian naval ship INS Mumbai reached Djibouti safely on Sunday with a total of 440 people which includes Indians and nationals of 17 other countries including a Sri Lankan on board who were evacuated from the Yemeni port of Aden amid heavy shelling. MORE...
37 Indian fishermen, 5 boats arrested
Sri Lanka Navy personnel have arrested 37 Indian fishermen along with their 5 boats for engaging in poaching activities in Sri Lankan waters. MORE..
26/11-like attack by ISI agents based in Sri Lanka thwarted - report
A 26/11-like attack was in the making, but this time, from the east coast. That is how National Investigation Agency (NIA) Director-General Sharad Kumar sums up the agency’s exhaustive nearly two-year investigation into what it says was a massive terror plot against India by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). MORE..
Sri Lankan boat with six fishermen on board arrested off Chennai
Indian Coast Guard on Friday seized a Sri Lankan fishing boat with six fishermen on board for allegedly fishing in Indian waters. MORE..
Eight Sri Lankan safely evacuated from Yemen
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that three Sri Lankans have already Yemen and that another five are currently on their way to Djibouti via sea. MORE..
Indian couple found dead at hotel in Wellawatta
Police today discovered the bodies of an Indian couple who had died under suspicious circumstances at a hotel in Wellawatta. MORE..
China to help evacuate Sri Lankans in Yemen
China has agreed to assist in evacuating Sri Lankan nationals stranded in Yemen following a request made by the Government of Sri Lanka, Acting Chinese Ambassador Ren Faqiang said. MORE..
Sri Lankan fishermen welcome Ranil’s ‘shooting’ remarks
Fishermen of the Jaffna peninsula in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province say they welcome Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe’s remarks that Indian fishermen may be shot if they intruded into Sri Lankan waters. MORE..
Lanka for India’s inclusion in regional cooperation with China
Sri Lanka has backed China’s surprise initiative to make India an important component of a regional cooperation to address New Delhi’s concerns over Chinese involvement in large-scale projects in the country, a senior Sri Lankan minister has said. MORE...
India and Sri Lanka to fight ISI influence
Top intelligence sources said that some Pakistani embassy staff were allegedly using their diplomatic cover in promoting ISI’s anti-India activities. MORE...
Four Indian ships arrive at the port of Trincomalee
Indian Naval Ships, “TIR”, “KESARI”, “SUDARSHANI” and Indian Coast Guard Ship “VARUNA” belonging to the first training squadron of the Indian Navy arrived at the port of Trincomalee. MORE...
Sri Lanka fires fresh salvo at Chinese firm
The Chinese company involved in the controversial US$1.4 billion Colombo Port City project has failed to furnish the necessary documents within the two-week deadline set by the new government, which is also reviewing other Chinese projects including a high-profile telecommunications tower, Sri Lanka’s finance minister said. MORE..
Indian Naval vessels to reach Sri Lanka’s east coast for drill today
Four Indian Navy vessels will arrive in Sri Lanka on Friday to hold a three-day training exercise for Sri Lankan Navy personnel in the country’s east coast. MORE..
Australia crush sorry India to advance to another World Cup Final
India’s defence of their ICC Cricket World Cup title came to a disappointing end at the hands of Australia on a spin-friendly wicket at Sydney as the hosts cruised to a 96 run win to advance to their 7th World Cup final. MORE...
China offers Sri Lanka olive branch and warnings
President Xi Jinping worked to mend relations with Sri Lanka on Thursday as Chinese state-run media warned the island nation’s new government against shutting off billions in investments from Beijing, AFP reports. MORE...
Sirisena meets China’s President amid new look at ties
Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena has held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amid efforts to recalibrate his predecessor’s strongly pro-China policies. MORE..
TN fishermen may get 83-day access to SL waters - Indian media
The third round of talks between representatives of fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka ended in Chennai on Tuesday, a day ahead of schedule, with the two sides meeting each other half way. MORE...
Sirisena heads to China to smooth ruffled ties
Sri Lanka’s new president heads to Beijing this week for talks with China’s leadership, seeking to smooth ruffled feathers after scuttling Chinese-funded projects and seeking stronger ties with regional rival India. MORE...
Sri Lanka orders release of 54 fishermen
The Sri Lankan government on Monday ordered the release of the 54 Indian fishermen arrested early Sunday by the Navy on charges of poaching. MORE...
Rameswaram fishermen launch indefinite strike
Fishermen in Rameswaram launched an indefinite strike on Monday demanding the release of 54 fishers who were apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy on Saturday night. MORE..
Free arrested fishermen before talks - Tamil Nadu CM
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has sought Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention for the immediate release of 54 fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday. MORE..
Indian, Sri Lankan fishermen to meet to sort out issues
Fishermen’s associations of India and Sri Lanka will meet in Chennai next week to resolve the vexed issue of violation the maritime boundary and invading each other’s waters. MORE...
29 Indian fishermen detained by Navy
Twenty-nine fishermen from India were taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Navy yesterday night while they were fishing near Katchatheevu. MORE...
India denies ‘security breach’ during Modi’s Jaffna visit
The Indian Government has denied media reports alleging a security lapse while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Sri Lanka’s northern region. MORE..
19 member Sri Lankan team to attend Chennai fishermen talks
A 19-member Sri Lankan team, comprising 10 leaders of fishermen and nine officials, will be participating in the talks between the fishermen’s associations of Sri Lanka and India to be held in Chennai on March 24 and 25, officials said on Saturday. MORE..
Bid to invite Dalai Lama stirs up controversy
The reported bid by a leading Sri Lankan Buddhist monk to invite the Dalai Lama to the island nation, has received flak from official as well as non-official quarters in Colombo. MORE..
India interfering in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs, says Chinese thinktank
A Chinese government backed thinktank has accused India of interfering in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka when Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited the Tamil dominated Jafna area. It has also said India was trying to counter Beijing’s influence by encouraging Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh to avoid the China’s Silk Road program. MORE.
Sri Lankan Muslims won’t fall prey to ISIS trap – Fonseka
Former Sri Lanka army chief General Sarath Fonseka urged India and Pakistan to speedily resolve the Kashmir issue, adding that countries of the region should start behaving like neighbours. MORE..
Concern in Indian Parliament over PM’s remarks
Members in Parliament today voiced concern over remarks of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe that his country’s navy has the right to shoot any “intruder”, prompting the government to express willingness for a debate on the issue. MORE...
SL personnel pelt stones at fishing boats?
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Two boats of fishermen were damaged after Sri Lankan naval personnel allegedly pelted stones at them while they were fishing near Katchativu islet on Tuesday morning. MORE...
Modi’s call for devolution of power gets mixed reactions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s call for early and full implementation of the 13th Amendment, that sets up a mechanism for devolution of power to provincial councils, and going beyond it to achieve reconciliation with the Tamil minority community during his recent Sri Lanka visit has got a mixed response. MORE...
Modi’s ‘historic’ visit will pave way for stronger ties: BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Sri Lanka as ‘historic’ and said that it would pave the way for strong ties between both nations. MORE...
Fishermen to leave for Sri Lanka to bring back 87 boats
A group of Tamil Nadu fishermen accompanied by technicians will leave for Sri Lanka to repair and take back their 87 boats; these boats were released by Sri Lanka ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit as a goodwill gesture. MORE...
Sri Lanka Navy denies allegations
Sri Lanka Navy on Sunday (15) “totally denied” allegations that a naval troop of attacking a group of Indian fishermen off Katchatheevu sea. MORE...
Navy attacks 5 Indian fishermen?
Sri Lankan naval personnel allegedly attacked five fishermen when they were fishing near Katchatheevu on Saturday, the India Today news agency reported. MORE...
Modi visit won’t hurt Sri Lanka-China ties: Chinese commentary
China-Sri Lanka relations will not be affected by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s visit but only grow stronger, a commentary in the Chinese media said. MORE...
Modi meets Rajapaksa, concludes Sri Lanka visit
In a personal gesture, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his two-day visit to Sri Lanka on Saturday with a meeting with the former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was ousted from power in elections in January. MORE..
Sri Lanka-India ties have grown stronger: Maj Gen Sinho
Major General (retd.) S.R. Sinho, an Indian defence expert, on Saturday said the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Sri Lanka should be seen as a good gesture on the part of as India, and added that the bilateral relationship between India and its neighbours has improved. MORE..
We are going after Rajapaksa’s stolen assets: Mangala
The Sri Lankan government has asked India to help with its investigation against the former regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa for alleged corruption, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told The Hindu. MORE..
Be patient with Sri Lankan govt.: Modi to TNA
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Sri Lanka’s Tamils to be patient with the new government in Colombo, The Hindu learns from sources. MORE..
Rajapaksa says RAW rallied opposition to his presidency
Claiming that the Research and Analysis Wing conspired with “Western agencies” CIA and MI-6 to rally the opposition led by President Maithripala Sirisena against his presidency, Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa says he does not, however, believe Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the government was responsible. MORE..
Unity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka paramount to India: Modi
India and Sri Lanka don’t have a land boundary but we are the closest neighbours in every sense, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, addressing the Sri Lankan Parliament today. MORE..
Tamils in Canada urge Modi to pressure Sri Lanka
Welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Colombo, a leading Tamil group in Canada - home to the largest Tamil diaspora outside Sri Lanka - has urged him to put pressure on new President Maithiripala Sirisena to resolve the dragging ethnic issue. MORE..
India to help Trincomalee become regional energy hub
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that the Indian government will extend visa on arrival facility to Sri Lankan nationals from 14 April this year. MORE..
Indian PM Narendra Modi arrives in Sri Lanka
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Sri Lanka early this morning for a historic visit during which he is expected to hold talks with the country’s top leadership. MORE..
India, Sri Lanka to release fishermen ahead of Modi’s visit
President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered the release of 86 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody as a goodwill gesture ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island. MORE..
Modi likely to meet Rajapaksa during visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet the former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to the island nation beginning Friday. Efforts are on to arrange a meeting in Colombo, political sources has told The Hindu newspaper. MORE....
Modi to discuss growing influence of China with Sri Lanka
Indian defence expert Qamar Agha on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take up the matter of growing Chinese influence in the region with the Sri Lankan government during his upcoming visit to the island nation. MORE..
Don’t look at Sri Lanka through Tamil prism - Champika
India should see Sri Lanka as a whole and stop focussing just on the island’s Tamil-majority Northern Province, Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said in an interview to The Hindu on Monday. MORE...
Karunanidhi condemns Ranil Wickramasinghe’s remarks
Slamming Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe for his remarks that Indian fishermen may be shot if they intruded into Lankan waters, DMK on Monday said it “amounted to a slap” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face ahead of his tour to the island nation. MORE...
PM Modi to push economic ties in Sri Lanka
India is expected to offer a credit line to Sri Lanka to ensure funds for infrastructure and development projects and expanded support for military training during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the island nation this week, as New Delhi aims to match growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean Region. MORE...
Congress leader wants PM to cancel Lanka visit over Ranil’s remark
Condemning Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe’s controversial remarks regarding Indian fishermen, Congress leader V Narayanasamy today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cancel his visit to the island nation scheduled for next week as a mark of protest. MORE...
Sri Lanka may release Tamil detainee ahead of Modi’s visit
Coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here next week, Sri Lanka is likely to release a Tamil mother who has symbolised the fight against the alleged disappearance of Tamils during the final stages of the war against the LTTE in 2009, DNA Iindia news agency reported. MORE...
Lanka Tamils ask Modi to stop poaching in waters
Sri Lanka’s main Tamil party Saturday asked neighboring India to stop poaching in local waters, saying it was affecting fishermen struggling to rebuild their lives after decades of ethnic war. MORE...
Six Sri Lankan fishermen detained off Nagapattinam
The Indian Coast Guard has detained six Sri Lankan fishermen on the charge of poaching in Indian waters, 128 nautical miles off Nagapattinam coast on Friday. MORE..
India, Sri Lanka mull resuming ferry services
Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday discussed with her Sri Lankan counterpart Mangala Samaraweera the possibility of resuming ferry services between the two countries, The Hindu reported. MORE..
Sushma says India, Sri Lanka destinies intertwined
Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is here on a two-day official visit ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival next week, said India and Sri Lanka were bound by ties of history, geography and culture, and their destinies were intertwined. MORE..
DMK urges Modi to ensure ‘harsh comments’ are not made
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader TKS Elangovan on Saturday said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi must discuss the fishermen issue with Sri Lanka and ensure that such harsh comments are not made from the other side in near future. MORE..
Sushma Swaraj arrives in Sri Lanka
Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in the island today on a two-day official visit, in preparation for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit later this month. MORE..
TN wants bilateral fishermen talks with SL after mid-March
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is working on fixing a fresh date for holding third round of talks between fishermen of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu after the State government informed that it would be difficult to host it on March 11 as proposed by the island nation. MORE..
Sri Lanka keen on Indian investment - CB chief
Signalling potentially closer economic ties with India, Sri Lanka has invited several top Indian companies to invest in major projects in the island nation, particularly for collaborations in the manufacturing sector. MORE...
Modi to offer assistance to Sri Lanka to counter China influence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will offer island nations in the Indian Ocean a broad range of military and civilian assistance next week in a bid to wrest back some of the influence China has gained by spending billions of dollars in the region. MORE...
India, Sri Lanka to revive fishermen talks
Sri Lanka today accepted India’s request to revive talks between the fishing communities of the two countries, days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to the country. MORE...
Mid-sea fight threatens to jeopardise talks between Indian, Sri Lanka fishermen
Fishermen in the region, who were looking forward to a new round of talks between their representatives with Sri Lanka, are in a state of suspended animation as a mid-sea fight seems to have turned the tides. They were hoping that bilateral talks would begin on March 5 once the state government received clearance from the Centre. MORE..
Indian FM to visit Sri Lanka this week
Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will arrive in Sri Lanka on a two-day official visit on March 6 to pave way for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island nation in mid March, the foreign ministry officials said Sunday. MORE...
Jaishankar to arrive in Sri Lanka
Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will today begin his South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ‘Yatra’ with Bhutan as the first stop. MORE...
Tamil Nadu CM seeks Modi’s help to release fishermen
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Friday sought urgent intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the early release of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and their boats held by Sri Lankan Navy on February 26. MORE..
China formally backs trilateral partnership with India, Sri Lanka
China on Friday formally backed a trilateral partnership with India and Sri Lanka to establish a Maritime Silk Road (MSR) and promote the rise of Eurasia. MORE..
Lankan govt must devolve more powers to provinces: CPI
The Sri Lankan Government must devolve more powers to the provincial governments, restore people’s fundamental rights and provide homes to internally displaced persons, said D. Pandian, State Secretary, Communist Party of India. MORE..
Gold recovered from Sri Lankan’s abdomen
Ending a wait that lasted about three days, Indian Customs officials succeeded in recovering the gold stuck in the abdomen of a Sri Lankan national who attempted to smuggle gold into the country by swallowing it. MORE...
Indian Coast Guard to release 19 Sri Lankan fishermen
The Indian Coast Guard will release 19 Sri Lankan fishermen who were apprehended on charges of trespassing into Indian waters on Tuesday morning. MORE...
19 Sri Lankan fishermen arrested by Indian Coast Guard
A crew of 19 Sri Lankan fishermen was apprehended by Indian Coast Guard personnel, Tuticorin on Tuesday on the charge of illegally fishing in Indian waters, the Hindu Newspaper reported. MORE...
India can’t dump radioactive waste in Sri Lanka: Champika
The Indo-Lanka civil nuclear agreement would not permit India to dump its radioactive waste in Sri Lankan territory, Minister of Power and Energy Champika Ranawaka said. MORE..
Over 4,000 Indians to attend Katchatheevu feast
The annual St. Antony’s church festival at Katchatheevu islet off Sri Lanka would begin on February 28, with 4,336 pilgrims from India getting registered so far to participate in it, Indian officials said today. MORE..
Indian Premier to visit Sri Lanka from March 13
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Sri Lanka from 13 to 15 March, the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM to the island nation in over 25- years, Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Rajitha Senaratne said. MORE...
US welcomes Indo-Sri Lanka nuclear pact
The United States has welcomed the signing of civil nuclear cooperation agreement between India and Sri Lanka, saying it is consistent with IAEA safeguards and other international standards and practices. MORE...
Navy provides treatment to Indian fisherman
Sri Lankan Navy personnel today offered treatment to an Indian fisherman after he was stung by a poisonous fish while poaching in the Palk strait, PTI reported. MORE..
Sri Lanka, India relax visa regulations for diplomats
Sri Lanka and India have signed an agreement granting diplomats and government officials from both sides of visa-free access and stay for up to 30 days, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said here on Monday. MORE...
India signs nuclear pact with Sri Lanka, countering China
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena signed a deal with India to receive training for his country’s civilian nuclear program, a sign of improving ties as he looks to reduce the island nation’s dependence on China. MORE...
President meets PM Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena at the Hyderabad House, this morning. MORE...
India, Sri Lanka may sign nuclear agreement
India and Sri Lanka will seek to open a new chapter in ties on Monday with a meeting between PM Narendra Modi and President Maithripala Sirisena who has chosen India for his maiden visit abroad as president. MORE...
President’s India visit to begin today
President Maithripala Sirisena will leave for India today on his first foreign trip after assuming charge during which he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discuss key issues including peace, and reconciliation process in the country. MORE...
India to file petitions in various courts seeking release of boats
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The Indian High Commission in Colombo will be filing petitions in various Sri Lanka courts from on Wednesday, seeking release of 81 boats of Indian fishermen even as the Tamil Nadu government has sent officials to the island nation with necessary documents. MORE...
TN fishermen seek compensation for damaged boats
Indian fishermen’s leaders and owners of the 87 fishing vessels detained by Sri Lanka, were ecstatic when they learnt that the boats were going to be released this week on the orders of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena. MORE..
’India must be on guard against Tamil separatists’
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former defence secretary of Sri Lanka, former army officer and former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother, was largely seen as the driving force behind Sri Lanka’s Eelam War IV that decimated the Tamil Tigers and ended an intense, quarter century long civil war in the island nation in 2009. MORE...
SL Navy ‘reluctant’ to arrest Indian fishermen now?
Earlier, Sri Lankan Navy acted promptly, but now they are reluctant to arrest the poaching Indian fishermen, Jaffna-based fisher leaders has told the Hindu newspaper. MORE...
157 asylum seekers legally detained at sea, Aussie High Court rules
A group of 157 Sri Lankan asylum seekers were legally detained at sea by Australian authorities last year, the High Court finds. MORE...
UNHCR, EU to help SL Tamils return
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union (EU) have undertaken to help the Sri Lankan government repatriate Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu and resettle them in the Island Nation, the Lankan Ministry of Resettlement has said. MORE...