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Abhijeet Dey

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Jayalalithaa urges PM not to train Sri Lankan naval officers in India
Julie Mariappan,Times of India, 1 Dec 2013

LINK: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Jayalalithaa-urges-PM-not-to-train-Sri-Lankan-naval-officersin-India/articleshow/26699649.cms

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday lambasted the UPA government for what she called "an insensitive policy of defence cooperation with Sri Lanka, which totally ignores the impact it may have on the feelings of the Tamils."

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a copy of which was released to the media, Jayalalithaa urged the Centre to review the policy and instruct the defence ministry not to pursue the proposed training programme for Sri Lankan naval officers.

"I am dismayed to note from media reports that the Indian Navy has offered to train Sri Lankan navy officers and will put them through the four year Bachelor of Technology course being offered to Indian Navy officers," she said.

Her reaction comes against the backdrop of a meeting between the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral D K Joshi and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently.

"This has come as a great shock to the people of Tamil Nadu," Jayalalithaa said. The commitment made by the government was tantamount to actively working with the Sri Lankan regime and providing them with the necessary wherewithal to act even more strongly not only against the Tamil minority in Lanka, but also against the poor fishermen who regularly bore the brunt of the attacks of the Sri Lankan Navy, she said.

Earlier, Jayalalithaa had objected to imparting of training to Sri Lankan defence personnel at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, in the Nilgiris. She demanded the Centre issue a clear policy direction that the Union ministry of defence should not provide training or engage in any form of co-operation with the Sri Lankan armed forces, until satisfactory and credible action was taken by the Sri Lankan government to stop the human right violations against the Tamil minorities and end the attacks on fishermen from Tamil Nadu.

In September, she wrote a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to cancel an agreement to supply naval warships to Sri Lanka and ensure that no support of any kind was provided to the Island nation.
 

arnabmit

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New mass grave found in Sri Lanka four years after war | NDTV.com



...

At least 154 people had been buried in the grave at the central district of Matale, a hotbed of an anti-government uprising between 1987 and 1990.

Local forensic experts said it dated back to a period when the then-government led a crackdown on leftist Sinhalese rebels.

The insurgency by the mainly Sinhalese JVP was unrelated to the separatist campaign in the north and east by Tamil rebels.

...
 

happy

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Indian Coast Guard arrests 25 Sri Lankan fishermen

Indian Coast Guard has arrested 25 Sri Lankan fishermen on charges of trespassing and illegal fishing in Indian waters, official sources said today.

The fishermen were illegally fishing in five boats in Indian waters 48 nautical miles east of Velankanni when they were arrested last night, they said.

The fishermen, their boats and fish catch were brought to the port early today.

The fishermen belonged to Thondurakandu, Paruthithurai, Marapanganni and Devookanni in Jaffna, the sources said.

Indian Coast Guard arrests 25 Sri Lankan fishermen | Business Standard
 

airpower183

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A 64-year-old Pakistani was arrested last night at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with nearly Rs.8 million worth of heroin concealed inside twelve oranges, Customs spokesman Leslie Gamini said.

He said the 984 grammes of heroin were packed in nylon poly-sacks before concealing them inside 12 of the oranges among the 72 oranges he was carrying.

The suspect and the oranges were handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for further investigations.
 

airpower183

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The Road Development Authority (RDA) plans to open the Kottawa – Kaduwela stretch of the Outer Circular Highway (OCH) on March 8 and the Galle-Matara stretch of the Southern Expressway on March 15, the Government information Department said.

More than Rs.25 billion has been allocated for the construction of the 11 kilometre stretch of the highway between Kottawa and Kaduwela under the first stage.
 

kseeker

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@airpower183,

Welcome to DFI. Enjoy your stay here.

Please don't forget to create an intro thread in members intro section once thread creation restrictions are lifted (after 10 + post I believe)
 
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Illusive

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No :rofl:

The news was that the Pakistani Air force was assigned to try an market and sell the aircraft's to 'Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Qatar and other friendly countries'"

I highly doubt SLAF would pay money for that garbage.
Still, SL will want to modernize its existing fleet, it would be good if SL buys LCA or atleast some other Indian defense products like rudhra. It will be a good confidence building measure. India can help in UAV's department too.
 

airpower183

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Still, SL will want to modernize its existing fleet, it would be good if SL buys LCA or atleast some other Indian defense products like rudhra. It will be a good confidence building measure. India can help in UAV's department too.
Currently MoD is focusing on restructuring with large portion of the defence budget going towards 'on going operations and maintenance'.
I will post a link to the MoD defence expenditure by program once I'm allowed to posts links.

The main focus of the government right now is, the economy and infrastructure.

SLAF has developed its own UAV's or drones, these were extremely effective and extensively used in the combat operations.

Cant posts links but here you go.
"The Sri Lanka Air Force has developed its own unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which is being tested at the moment, CDS and Air Force Commander Roshan Gunathilake said.

He said this local UAV would be demonstrated after testing a new engine for it.

"In the 80's we developed an indigenous aircraft, a small one and we tested it and flew it. Now it's in the Ratmalana Air Force Museum. We soon plan to build a medium range aircraft by using our own resources as well", Air Chief Marshal he said.

He also said the Air Force would upgrade its air to air capabilities in the near the future and encourage more research and development programmes.

"We have to purchase new aircraft as well since we have to phase out old aircraft. We have to train pilots properly to meet high standards of future aircraft", he said.

"So we are identifying areas that need improvement. An Air Force should always be ready to fall in line with the advanced technology," he said."

You can see footage from SL UAV's in action engaged in live combat operations on youtube.
 

airpower183

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Sri Lanka Bank consolidation a good move: Fitch

Sri Lanka's plan to bring about financial sector consolidation is a strong statement of intent of raising systemic stability and boosting long-term economic development, says Fitch Ratings.

If effective, the rating agency says the "Master Plan for the Consolidation of the Financial Sector" should improve the credit profile of financial institutions, strengthen franchises, and reduce supervisory burden.

Fitch says if successfully implemented, these measures may even boost the overall position of Sri Lankan banks internationally.

However it says the biggest impact in the near term will be felt across the NBFI sector.

"Consolidation benefits for the NBFIs include enhanced capital buffers, the ability to attract cheaper and longer-term funding, and improved cost efficiencies," Fitch announced.

The agency says if realised, the benefits of consolidation should support the credit profile of the NBFI sector more broadly in light of its lending focus on sub-prime customer segments.

It points out that the reduced number of institutions would also improve regulatory oversight.

Below is the full statement issued by Fitch Ratings

Fitch Ratings-Colombo/Singapore-10 February 2014: Sri Lanka's plan to bring about financial sector consolidation is a strong statement of intent of raising systemic stability and boosting long-term economic development, says Fitch Ratings. If effective, the "Master Plan for the Consolidation of the Financial Sector" should improve the credit profile of financial institutions, strengthen franchises, and reduce supervisory burden.

The top five banks already account for two-thirds of system assets, and the system could become more concentrated. The authorities wish to build up at least five major banks with an asset base of more than LKR1trn (USD7.7bn) within a "reasonable" period. Only one bank met this threshold at end-September 2013. The government intends these institutions to be able to eventually establish a regional presence and improve overall access to funds. The Master Plan also sets a minimum asset size of LKR100bn for the remaining banks, which raises the prospect of further consolidation as seven domestic banks do not meet this threshold.

The authorities also envisage an enhancement of the role of foreign banks in the Sri Lankan economy, and the establishment of one large development bank to provide an impetus to policy-driven development banking activities in the country. Plan execution is to be accompanied by strengthened regulation – including enhancements to minimum capital requirements – and the adoption of Basel III capital standards. If successfully implemented, these measures may even boost the overall position of Sri Lankan banks internationally.

The biggest impact in the near term will be felt across the NBFI sector, which accounts for just 7% of financial system assets, but where the central bank wants to sharply curtail the number of institutions from 58 to 20. Consolidation benefits for the NBFIs include enhanced capital buffers, the ability to attract cheaper and longer-term funding, and improved cost efficiencies. If realised, these benefits should support the credit profile of the NBFI sector more broadly in light of its lending focus on sub-prime customer segments. The reduced number of institutions would also improve regulatory oversight.

The commitment of the authorities to NBFI consolidation is evident from their articulation of broad mechanisms and specific deadlines. It is underlined by the provision of tax, regulatory and concessional loans for the timely completion of valuations, accounting assessments, and other due diligence. Much of the NBFI consolidation process is projected by officials to be driven by the acquisition of weaker and smaller institutions by their stronger counterparts, or by the banks, and largely completed by the end of this year, and no later than March 2015.

The central bank's Master Plan follows historical and recent instances of costly and painful failures at several finance companies and one private bank.
 

mikhail

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No :rofl:

The news was that the Pakistani Air force was assigned to try an market and sell the aircraft's to 'Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Qatar and other friendly countries'"

I highly doubt SLAF would pay money for that garbage.
mate can i ask you a question?why is it that you show strong anti-Indian sentiments in PDF and at the same time criticise pakistani products and terming them as "garbage" in this forum!actually i am quite confused in this matter:confused:
 

airpower183

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mate can i ask you a question?why is it that you show strong anti-Indian sentiments in PDF and at the same time criticise pakistani products and terming them as "garbage" in this forum!actually i am quite confused in this matter:confused:
I was trolling on PDF. what do you expect, I conformed to the standards of PDF:lol:

If I called their products garbage there I would have been banned a while back.
 
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mikhail

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I was trolling on PDF. what do you expect, I conformed to the standards of PDF:lol:

If I called their products garbage there I would have been banned a while back.
okay my bad!anyways welcome to this forum mate:namaste:,hope you have a long stay here:thumb:
 

airpower183

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Sri Lanka to sign landmark trade pact with China soon

China has said it will take forward plans to boost maritime connectivity with Sri Lanka, where it is already building a major port project, with both countries this week also agreeing to deepen economic links and sign a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) before the end of the year.

A push for closer economic ties was emphasised during this week's four-day visit by Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris to Beijing.

Mr. Peiris said on Thursday a feasibility study for the FTA was "on the verge of completion."

"It will be a landmark, historic achievement since the Rubber-Rice Pact in 1952," he told the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister hailed China's support, particularly following the end of the civil war in 2009, saying it was "among the nations contributing most to Sri Lanka's economy" in terms of development assistance.

China is now the biggest provider of loans to Sri Lanka, overtaking countries such as India and Japan that had earlier been the largest source of financing for infrastructure projects.

Today Beijing is involved in projects ranging from roads and railways to the massive port project in Hambantota, with investments amounting to $4 billion according to state media reports.

Both sides also discussed building a "21st century maritime silk road," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters. This would involve boosting "maritime interconnectivity," besides working together on disaster prevention and expanding people-to-people exchanges.The visit of Mr. Peiris this week had been somewhat overshadowed by next month's United Nations Human Rights Council meeting, where the United States is expected to put forward a resolution criticising the country's post-war right record.

The main objective of his trip to China was seen by many analysts here as aimed at reinforcing Chinese support to Sri Lanka ahead of the UNHRC meet.

China, which was among 14 countries elected to serve on the 47-member UNHRC in November for a three-year term, has been among the most vocal backers of the Sri Lankan government amid increasing international criticism of the post-war reconciliation process and the human rights situation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week underlined that support, telling Mr. Peiris that China opposed "some countries' interference," without directly naming the U.S., "in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka under the pretext of human rights issues."

Sri Lanka to sign landmark trade pact with China soon - The Hindu
 

airpower183

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Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa on Saturday February 8 inspected 11 KM long-the Kottawa-Kaduwela Expressway scheduled to be opened next month.

It is a section of the outer Circular Highway (OCH) is located in the Colombo Metropolitan Region and passes through Colombo and Gampaha Districts. This highway runs around 20 km away from the City centre of Colombo, connecting radial routes and has a total length of 29.2 km. The northern end of the highway is located at Kerawalapitiya on Colombo-Katunayake Expressway and the southern end is located at Kottawa on Colombo-Ratnapura-Wellawaya-Batticaloa (A004) road where Southern Expressway meets OCH.

The Highways Ministry is constructing the Kottawa-Kaduwela Expressway under the direction of local engineers on the advice of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The speed limit is 100 KM per hour on the new expressway which also has an entry point to Athurugiriya.

This expressway is the third of its kind, according to Minister Rajapaksa who also said that by the middle of the year the Kaduwela-Galle and Galle-Matara Express would be built. Thereafter it would become one expressway from Katunayake to Matara passing the Gampaha, Colombo, Kalutara and Galle Districts.

The second stage of the Southern Expressway and the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway will be the stretch from Kaduwela to Kadawatha and from Kadawatha to Kerawalapitiya. The 8.9-long stretch from Kaduwela to Kadawatha will be completed this year while the 9.3 KM-long Kadawatha-Kerawalapitiya section will be completed next year.
Sri Lanka's longest bridge and flyover will be the 3.3KM-long Mahawewa Bridge on the Kottawa-Kaduwela Expressway. The objective of these constructions is to reduce traffic congestion in the Western Province and encourage the development of high populated urban areas in the Western Province. The volume of vehicular traffic in these areas is around two million per day and most of them are compelled to move via Colombo city due to lack of alternative roads.

Work on the Northern Expressway has already begun and its first stage will be from Enderamulla to Ambepussa, the second stage from Meerigama to Pallandeniya and the third from Ambepussa to Kandy.

Among those who participated in the inspection tour were Environment and Renewable Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha Deputy Ministers Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Dulip Wijesekera, Kaduwela Mayor G.H. Buddhadasa, Maharagama, Mayor Kanthi Kodikara and Highways Ministry Secretary Ranjit Premasiri.












 

airpower183

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The Tamil Nadu government has decided to release three men and one woman convicted of killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. The death sentence of the men was commuted to life in prison by the Supreme Court yesterday.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's cabinet met this morning and decided to free the four convicts a day after the court had left it to the state government to grant them remission. Murugan's wife Nalini Sriharan's death sentence had been commuted earlier on the intervention of Rajiv Gandhi's widow, Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

While sparing the three men from the gallows, a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam, said, "It is definitely not a pleasure for this court to interfere with the powers of the President. We implore upon the government to advise the President so that mercy petitions can be disposed of at the earliest."

The court did not accept the government's view that the convicts did not deserve mercy. The Centre's lawyer, Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati, had said there was "not a word of remorse" in their mercy plea and there was "no agony, torture or dehumanizing effect due to delay."

The Supreme Court had on January 21 commuted the death sentences of 15 convicts, announcing that "inordinate and inexplicable" delays in carrying out executions were grounds for reducing their original punishment.

Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan were convicted in 1998 for Mr Gandhi's assassination by a woman who greeted him with a garland and a bomb strapped to her chest during a rally in 1991. Their mercy petition was sent to the President, the last stage in the process of appeals, in 2000 and was rejected 11 years later. Their hanging was stayed in 2011 on the orders of the Madras High Court.

That year, the Tamil Nadu assembly had passed a resolution urging the President to grant mercy to the convicts and consider "Tamil sentiment." (Source: NDTV)

Video: TN govt to set free all Rajiv Gandhi killers

These individuals are a threat to Sri Lanka's national security. GoSL should do something to apprehend or kill them.
 
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SajeevJino

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These individuals are a threat to Sri Lanka's national security. GoSL should do something to apprehend or kill them.


:okay: ..The Culprits should get penalty no negotiations on this ..but your words looks Comedy to me
 

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