sri lanka – Page 3 – Minivan News

Indian Ocean Region Still a Blur on MEA Map: The Sunday Standard

“A new leadership at the helm, the Ministry of External Affairs had restructured internal divisions to create a new one, focusing exclusively on the Indian Ocean region,” writes Devirupa Mitra.

“But even after the division has officially come into existence, its contours are yet to be fully mapped. It seems the ministry cannot quite decide whether to take on everything from piracy to bilateral ties in one fell swoop or it would be too much to chew.

The new Indian Ocean region division was planned as an offshoot of the earlier BSM department, which looked after Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar—all very crucial for India’s foreign policy

After the last joint secretary (BSM) Harshvardhan Shringla handed over his baton in the first week of January, the department was split down the middle with Sri Lanka and Maldives made part of a larger focus on Indian Ocean region.”

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President Yameen to make official visit to Sri Lanka in late January

President’s Office has announced on Sunday that President Abdulla Yameen will be making an official state visit to Sri Lanka from January 21 to 23 with First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim on invitation of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

According to the statement, the president will focus on holding deliberation with his Sri Lankan counterpart on the further strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.

In addition to talks between the two countries, Yameen will also meet with Maldivians living in Sri Lanka during the trip.

A business forum will also be organised in alignment with Yameen’s visit by the Sri Lankan-Maldivian Business Council to discuss ways to enhance business and investment ties between the two countries.

In addition to cabinet members and state officials Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon, Ministers at the President’s Office Mohamed Hussain Shareef and Abdulla Ameen, Foreign Secretary Ali Naseer Mohamed, and Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed will travel.

Members of the government coalition and ruling party Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) will also be in the high level delegation which is to join Yameen on the state visit. This will include coalition partner Jumhooree Party leader and Chairman of Villa Enterprises Gasim Ibrahim, coalition partner Maldives Development Alliance leader and Chairman of Sun Travels Ahmed Siyam, Vice President of PPM MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla, PPM Parliamentary Group (PG) Deputy Leader MP Moosa Zameer and Chief Whip of PPM PG MP Ali Arif.

According to Indian media, the invitation letter to visit Sri Lanka was delivered to Yameen during a courtesy call by the Sri Lankan High Commissioner Dickson Sarathchandra in December.

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Maldives Coastguard joins training with India and Sri Lanka counterparts

Maldives Coastguard, together with their counterparts in India and Sri Lanka, have held a training program in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Defence Ministry is quoted in local media as having stated that the program – titled Trilateral Tabletop Exercise – included training on how to tackle security threats like piracy, environmental threats like oil spills and to conduct search and rescue missions.

According to them, the training programme began on Wednesday.

The training was organized after discussions held between the National Security Advisors of all three countries held in July, where it was agreed to hold similar programs biannually.

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Albino turtle stolen from Sri Lanka was to be used for “black magic on a Maldivian politician”

A Sri Lankan residing in Maldives offered more than US$ 26,000 to buy an albino turtle to use it in a black magic ritual on a Maldivian politician, popular Sri Lankan singer Amal Perera has told Sri Lankan Police.

The rare albino turtle had disappeared from the Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Sanctuary on December 18. According to Sri Lankan media, the police questioned Perera for three hours after the sanctuary’s owner alleged Perera’s involvement in the turtle’s disappearance.

‘Ceylon Today‘ quotes Perera as saying: “I went to the Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Sanctuary in July with a person called ‘Supun’ who had come to the country representing a Maldivian national.”

Amal denied any involvement in the turtle’s disappearance and said there was no exchange of money during the July visit.

Police are now looking for Supun who is believed to be in Sri Lanka at present. Sri Lankan Wildlife Resources Conservation Minister Vijith Vijithamuni Soyza told media last week that he believed the turtle could have been smuggled into the Maldives.

The belief and use of traditional “Fanditha” magic for various purposes – ranging from courting and divorce to sports and politics – is fairly common in the Maldivian culture. A surge in suspected use of Black magic for political reasons was witnessed following the controversial power transfer in February 2011 and in the run up to presidential elections.

Maldives Police Service have investigated a number of cases including the case of a Black magic doll at a polling station and a cursed coconut in September 2013.

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Rare albino turtle stolen from Sri Lanka may be in Maldives

A rare albino turtle stolen in Sri Lanka could have been smuggled in to Maldives, Sri Lankan media has reported.

The five year old turtle, weighing 9.5 kg, 60cm in length and 35cm in width was reportedly stolen from a private turtle conservation center in Kosgoda. It was reported as missing on Sunday night, and is said to be worth USD250,000 – 300,000.

Sri Lankan news website “Hiru News” quoted Wildlife Resources Conservation Minister Vijith Vijithamuni Soyza as saying that he believed the stolen turtle could have been smuggled into the Maldives.

Owner of the conservation center Chandrasiri Aabru suspects involvement of a Sri Lankan vocalist Amal Perera. According to Chandrasiri, Amal had shown an interest in buying it, visiting the turtle with a Maldivian friend to whom he requested it to be sold.

Sri Lankan police have summoned and questioned Amal on this matter. The Wildlife Conservation Department says Interpol help will be sought if it was in fact smuggled out of the country.

Catching, killing, importing and the sale of turtles and turtle products have been banned in the Maldives since mid-nineties. However, the implementation of these bans is weak.

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President Yameen invited to visit Sri Lanka by Rajapaksa

President Abdulla Yameen has been invited to visit Sri Lanka by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The letter of invitation was given to Yameen today when Sri Lankan High Commissioner Dickson Sarathchandra Dela paid a call to the President’s Office today.

“The High Commissioner also praised the smooth and peaceful manner in which the presidential election was held in the Maldives,” the President’s Office reported.

Meanwhile, local media today reported that Maldivian tourists visiting Sri Lanks had increased by 83 percent in the 12 months leading to October this year. Sun Online reported that 46,805 Maldivians had visited Sri Lanks in the first 10 months of 2013.

After discussing the increasing bilateral relations in the fields of health, education, and security at the President’s Office today, Sarathchandra expressed Sri Lanka’s eagerness to work with the new Government of Maldives.

Yameen’s first official visit as president will be to India on December 22.

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Maldives scores 10 in record-breaking victory

The Maldives national football team yesterday began its South Asian Football Federation Championship (SAFF) by putting 10 goals past two Sri Lankan goalkeepers in record breaking style.

The high scoring game represents the biggest win in the tournament’s twenty-year history, with six goals by the Maldives’ ‘man of steel’ Ali Ashfaq making him the competition’s highest goalscorer.

“I feel happy about the result. I was excited that lots of goals were scored,” coach Istvan Urbanyi told the press after the game.

Commenting on Ashfaq’s six goals, Urbanyi hailed an “extra ordinary performance” but maintained that the win was a team effort.

It was Assadhulla Abdulla who opened the scoring for the Maldives after just five minutes from an Ahmed Rasheed cross. Sri Lanka kept their opponents at bay before Ashfaq began to take over, proving too quick for keeper Mohamed Imran who upended the Maldives’ captain when through on goal in the 19th minute.

Imran’s subsequent red card prompted the flood gates to creak, with Ashfaq converting the spot kick before adding another prior to the break. They had finally broken 15 minutes into the second half by which time Ashfaq had added another three to his tally, with his apparent hypnotism of Imran’s replacement in the 51st minute the pick of the bunch.

Sri Lanka appeared in disarray by the time Hassan Adhuham made it six on 76 minutes. The Maldives went on to put another three past the Lankan Lions, with Ashfaq claiming his sixth in the 87th minute and making the his team the first to score 10 goals in a SAFF championship game.

After the match, Sri Lankan coach Claudio Roberto declined to discuss individual players, but accepted blame for his side’s humiliation.

“Everything went wrong I will take the full responsibility of the match,” he told the media.

Post-match congratulations soon appeared across social media, with perhaps the most notable praise coming from former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who praised Ashfaq as “the best player in our region”.

Politicians from all parties took to Twitter to congratulate their side’s historic result. Both presidential and vice-presidential contenders for Saturday’s election took time away from campaigning to send their regards to Urbanyi’s team.

Maldives chief opponent in Group B, Afghanistan, had started their own campaign with a 3-0 win against Bhutan earlier in the afternoon.

The Maldives will take on Bhutan – the lowest ranked team in the tournament – tomorrow, before taking on Afghanistan on Friday.

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Sri Lanka rejects Human Rights Commissioner’s critique

Sri Lanka has rejected United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay’s critique that the country has neglected its investigation of war crimes allegations and is leaning towards authoritarian rule, the Financial Times reports.

Sri Lanka’s civil war with the Tamil Tigers ended in 2009, with a civilian death count of approximately 40,000. International bodies and Western powers have been pushing for thorough investigations into allegations of war crimes committed by the government.

Concluding a high-profile week-long visit to Sri Lanka, Ms. Pillay said on Saturday, “I am deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction.”

On Sunday, Sri Lanka’s information ministry claimed that Ms. Pillay’s critique “clearly transgresses her mandate and the basic norms which should be observed by a discerning international civil servant.”

Financial Times notes that Sri Lanka’s resistance to international input is uncomfortably timed. In March, the UN Human Rights Council passed a US-sponsored resolution criticizing Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for limiting independence in the parliament, judiciary and media.

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already made clear his decision to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) summit, due to take place in Sri Lanka in November, on account of the country’s poor human rights record.

Speaking to Financial Times on condition of anonymity, one Western diplomat claimed that “America has lost patience with the Sri Lankans, but there is now real worry about credibility…If the US and its allies can’t even get a small country like Sri Lanka to behave itself, what hope does it have in more difficult cases, let alone somewhere like Syria?”

The Sri Lankan government reportedly took limited steps to address international critiques immediately before Pillay’s arrival, including the establishment of a commission to examine civilian disappearances during the civil war.

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