On the 14^th of May 2022, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Viet Nam carried out the Vesak Day Blessing Ceremony of 2022, in collaboration with Bai Dinh Pagoda in the Ninh Binh Province of Viet Nam, Linea Aqua Viet Nam Co. Ltd, and Sri Lanka International Buddhist Academy (SIBA Campus) in Pallekele, Kundasale.

The event commenced with a traditional Pooja to the Lord Buddha, which was followed by blessings led by Most Ven. Thich Minh Quan, Chief Monk of Bai Dinh Pagoda, and other resident Monks of the Pagoda. A pre-recorded sermon conducted by Ven. Viharagala Pannaloka Thero, Lecturer of SIBA Campus, was also relayed to the congregation.

Addressing the worshippers, Most Ven. Thich Minh Quan expressed his profound gratitude to the Embassy for organizing the event at Bai Dinh Pagoda for the first time. Most Ven. Quan recognized the contributions of Sri Lanka to preserving and propagating Buddhism, of which he was also a beneficiary. He blessed Sri Lanka and its people and prayed for the good health and happiness of the peoples of Viet Nam and Sri Lanka.

Ambassador Prasanna Gamage acknowledged the dedicated support extended by Bai Dinh Pagoda in making the event a success. During his remarks, the Ambassador emphasized the importance of the teachings of the Lord Buddha to the modern world – in particular, the principle of impermanence and its relevance to human life.

On behalf of the Monks and the Management Committee, Most Ven. Thich Minh Quan and Mr. Nguyen Van Truong, the lay custodian of Bai Dinh Pagoda, donated a sum of USD 20,000/- as a contribution to the economic relief efforts in Sri Lanka.

A dansal was also organized on the Pagoda premises, which was a novel experience for the more than 300 Vietnamese Buddhist worshippers who gathered at the Pagoda. Mr. Sanjaya Lakpathirana, Director, Linea Aqua Viet Nam Co. Ltd., and the staff generously contributed to the dansal.

Embassy of Sri Lanka

Ha Noi

Viet Nam

17 May 2022

The All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association states that a company that imports wheat flour has taken steps to increase the price of a kilogram of wheat flour by another 35 rupees.

The Chairman of the All Ceylon Bakery, N.K. Jayawardena stated that wheat flour is imported by only two companies and one of them has increased the price yesterday (17).

Accordingly, the wholesale price of a 50 kg bundle of wheat flour has now risen to Rs. 12,500 and some time ago it was below Rs. 4,000.

The European Union (EU) has granted Rs 60 million to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA)  to disburse among Covid-19 affected small tourism businesses in  the island.   

The Delegation of the European Union inSri Lanka (EU) and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) recently awarded the first three grants – worth Rs.1 million each – to small tourism enterprises to help them accelerate their post COVID-19 recovery and build a stronger base for growth as tourists start returning to the country. 

Grants will be disbursed to up to 60 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) over the next two months, under the EU-funded ‘Tourism Resilience Project’ (TRP), the EU said.

The tourism industry has been gradually emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, but is now being affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and by the ongoing crisis in the country. Many SMEs have been slow to recommence their businesses due to a lack of funding.

EU Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Denis Chaibi speaking at the event to hand over the first grants said: “Small enterprises in the tourism sector were hit the hardest by the pandemic and needed support on multiple fronts, including grant funding. 

The current difficult situation in the country and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is pushing local tourism industry yet into another phase of uncertainty. 

Therefore, the EU is working together with the SLTDA to put in place a series of activities for businesses to reestablish their operations in the short term and build a stronger base for the future growth. 

This includes access to finance, business incubation, and supply chain integration to help build a more resilient, sustainable, and safety conscious industry”.

SLTDA Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said: “There are over 550,000 people, directly and indirectly, engaged in the tourism industry—most of them working in SMEs and over 3 million dependent on tourism. 

The EU  took a proactive approach from the start of the pandemic by putting in place measures to mitigate the challenges faced by the industry. 

It has supported Sri Lanka in this process, helping jointly develop a wider programme to build resilience in the industry and support the development of authentic signature experiences.”

Over 280 grant applications were received from tourism SMEs across the country and were subject to a multi-level screening process, before being shortlisted for the funding. 

Several criteria were put in place to qualify, including the size of the business, the number of employees, and their plan to regrow their businesses and retain staff. SMEs were also evaluated on their commitment to environmental sustainability.

The grants are part of the EU’s 5.7 million euro (Rs.1.3 billion) investment in support of Sri Lanka’s tourism recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Tourism Resilience Project (TRP) is one of the interventions under this larger EU’s support package. Workforce and enterprise capacity-building projects are key components of the TRP project to ensure staff retention and attract back lost talent, upskilling, and foster a start-up culture in existing and new tourism destinations in the island

The Sri Lanka High Commission in Maldives organised a blood donation programme today (14.05.2022) to mark the auspicious day of Vesak.

The programme was the first ever blood donation initiative, undertaken by the Sri Lanka Mission with the active support and participation of the Sri Lankan  community and was sponsored by  SriLankan Airlines and Bank of Ceylon.

The one day blood donation programme was conducted at the Maldives Blood Services (Thalassemia Centre) in the Maldivian capital, Malé under the   distinguished patronage of the Minister of State for Health of Maldives,  Dr. Shah Abdulla Mahir and with the participation of the Mission staff, the Country Manager of SriLankan Airlines, Mr. Fawzan Fareid, the Country Manager of Bank of Ceylon, Mr. Govinda Arampath and members of the Sri Lankan community.

Speaking at the inauguration of the programme,  the Maldivian State Minister of Health, Dr. Mahir conveyed the sincere appreciation of the Maldivian government  to the  Sri Lanka High Commission and the Sri Lankan community in Maldives  for this noble endevour in organising a blood donation programme. 

He highlighted the fact that there is an acute need for blood, not only for surgeries in hospitals but also for the considerable number of Thalassemia patients, who require regular blood transfusions, which is a matter of survival for them.

Delivering the welcome remarks,  the Sri Lanka High Commissioner, A.M.J. Sadiq thanked State Minister Dr. Mahir for his presence and patronage of the blood donation programme at short notice and stated that the event had been organised as a gesture of goodwill and friendship by the Sri Lankan community towards the Maldivian people.  He thanked the members of the Sri Lankan community and well-wishers who had volunteered  to donate blood on the occasion to mark Vesak, signifying the Birth, Enlightment and Passing away (Nirvana) of Lord Buddha.  He also thanked the Country Managers of SriLankan Airlines and Bank of Ceylon, Malé, for their sponsorship of the programme.  The two Country Managers in their brief remarks, pledged their continued support to the Sri Lanka High Commission in all future community related activities too. 

The event was a resounding success and had to be extended beyond the scheduled closing time to accommodate the 65 volunteers who  donated blood, far  in excess of the 40 volunteers  who had signed up for the programme.

Sri Lanka High Commission

Malé

Maldives

17 May, 2022