Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry participated in the 18^th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) yesterday (20/9) on the sidelines of the 78^th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, at the invitation of Dr. Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the current Chair of the ACD.

The meeting convened under the theme ‘Post-Pandemic Sustainable Recovery’ was an opportunity for foreign ministers to review progress made over the past year in deepening intra-Asian cooperation through the ACD.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Sabry stated that the ACD is an important mechanism for restoring the cooperation that once existed among the nations of Asia, and its roles and principles as a pan-Asian platform can contribute to regional development and future of an Asian community. The foreign minister expressed Sri Lanka’s gratitude to Bahrain for its leadership of ACD over the past two years and extended the fullest support to Iran, as the incoming Chair, in promoting the objectives of the ACD.

The foreign ministers adopted the Bahrain Declaration that focused on recovery efforts of the ACD as a regional organization following the COVID-19 pandemic, through collaboration.

The Dialogue was inaugurated in 2002 and aims to consolidate Asian strengths and fortify Asia’s competitiveness by maximizing the diversity and rich resources in Asia.

Senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York participated in the meeting.

Colombo (LNW): The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) announced a 12-hour water cuts in several parts of Colombo due this weekend.

Accordingly, the water supply will be interrupted from 6 pm on Saturday (23) to 6 am on Sunday (24), and this will affect Colombo 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 areas.

The water supply disruption will be imposed due to essential maintenance work, according to the NWSDB.

The Contract for Design, Installation, Testing & Commissioning of Signalling system for Sri Lanka Railways from Maho to Anuradhapura (66 km) was signed between the Ministry of Transport and Highways of Sri Lanka and IRCON Ltd today (September 21, 2023) in the presence of the Minister of Transport and Highways of Sri Lanka, Hon. Dr. Bandula Gunawardane and the High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka, H.E. Gopal Baglay. Governor of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, Hon. Senthil Thondaman; State Minister of Highways of Sri Lanka, Hon. Siripala Gamalath; senior officials from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Transport and Highways, Sri Lankan Railways and IRCON Ltd were also present during the signing event. The mentioned project is being executed under an Indian Line of Credit (LOC) of USD 318 million at a cost of USD 14.90 million.

2.    In his remarks at the event, High Commissioner stressed the significance of the Signalling project for easing movement of the people of Sri Lanka, accelerating economic recovery of the country and strengthening the cooperation between the two countries. He highlighted that LOC for this project in the current situation, symbolises the continued desire of the Government and the people of India to stand with the people of Sri Lanka. The Minister of Transport and Highways, Hon. Dr. Bandula Gunawardane thanked Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Government of India for supporting Sri Lanka in multiple ways, especially during the economic crisis last year. It was also pointed out that Sri Lankan railway projects have received support in the form of LOCs in recent times only from India.

3.    Projects of over USD 1 billion in the Railway sector have been completed under 5 Indian LOCs till date. IRCON Ltd, which started its operations in Sri Lanka in March 2009, has completed several projects in Sri Lanka with Indian assistance and has contributed significantly towards rehabilitation and modernization of Sri Lanka Railways, capacity building and employment generation.

4.    At present, IRCON Ltd is undertaking a project for upgradation of the Railway Line including track Rehabilitation and ancillary works from Maho to Omanthai (128 km) at a cost of USD 91.27 million. Under this project, while track rehabilitation work from Anuradhapura to Omanthai has already been completed, work on the section from Anuradhapura to Maho will commence from January 2024.   

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Colombo

21 September 2023

Colombo (LNW): The minimum rates that can be charged by tourist hotels located within the Colombo Municipal Council limits, featuring separate charges for the provision of a room and meals, have been gazetted.

The Gazette dated September 11, 2023, has been issued by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), and will be effective from October 01, 2023.

The rates for rooms:

5-star tourist hotels – US $100
4-star tourist hotels – US $75
3-star tourist hotels – US $50
2-star tourist hotels – US $35
1-star tourist hotels – US $20

The gazette declares that these rates are payable for a period of 24 hours and excludes service charges and other applicable taxes, fees, or charges levied for any other services provided.

Meanwhile, for hotels that fall under the category of ‘residence’ or ‘apartments’ for short-term business (less than one month), an additional amount of US $15 or its equivalent in LKR per extra guest over double occupancy will be charged, the gazette adds.

The rates for meals:

5-star tourist hotels – US $10 (breakfast) / US $15 (lunch) / US $17 (dinner)
4-star tourist hotels – US $9 (breakfast) / US $14 (lunch) / US $16 (dinner)
3-star tourist hotels – US $8 (breakfast) / US $10 (lunch) / US $14 (dinner)
2-star tourist hotels – US $6 (breakfast) / US $8 (lunch) / US $10 (dinner)
1-star tourist hotels – US $5 (breakfast) / US $7 (lunch) / US $9 (dinner)

Read Gazette: http://documents.gov.lk/files/egz/2023/9/2349-02_E.pdf

Colombo (LNW): Mr. Chrishmal Warnasuriya, senior practitioner from Sri Lanka, who was appointed as Counsel to the International Criminal Court last September was selected to be trained at the Courts seat in the Hague, Netherlands.

His training will undergo from 20th to 22nd September.

Mr. Warnasuriya will return to Colombo on the 29th after a brief visit to London, where he also engages in practice.

Colombo (LNW): The Presidential Secretariat has issued a directive to all officers and drivers of the Presidential Secretariat not to display the Presidential Secretariat name board on their vehicles.

“The acting Secretary to the President said all officers and drivers of the Presidential Secretariat have been notified not to display the Presidential Secretariat name board on their vehicles. Any vehicles displaying such name boards are not affiliated with the Presidential Secretariat and are impersonators trying to deceive the public,” a statement by the President’s Media Division said.