Srilanka

The US State Department Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper visited Sri Lanka from June 2-5 to discuss security cooperation and assess the progress of US-funded demining programmes. Assistant Secretary Cooper travelled to the Eastern Province to observe demining operations and meet with project beneficiaries. The projects are part of the nearly Rs. 970 million (US$5.5 million) assistance that the US State Department provided towards Sri Lankademining efforts in 2018, a release from the US Embassy said.

President Maithripala Sirisena has asked new Sri Lankan Ambassadors and High Commissioners to remove dispel apprehensions abroad about Sri Lankasecurity situation and urge every country to lift travel advisories. The President addressing 17 new Sri Lankan envoys and senior officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday pointed out that every officer in the last two batches of envoys he had appointed as ambassadors and high commissioners were from the Sri Lanka Foreign Service (SLFS) and with these appointments, the proportion of SLFS officers heading Sri Lankan missions abroad has increased from 35% to 55%.

The tourism industry in Sri Lanka will bounce back and there will be more visitors to Sri Lanka from China, Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan assured while briefing news media on the ongoing US-China trade tariff dispute.Ambassador Cheng yesterday told media at an embassy briefing on Wednesday that the economic and trade ‘friction& between the US and China was damaging world trade and the global economy as a whole. President Maithripala Sirisena during his visit to China had discussed developing the tourism industry in Sri Lanka,& Ambassador Cheng said.

With the South-west monsoons arriving on time with bouts of heavy rains already lashing many part of the island, Agriculture Director General Dr W. M. Wijayasiri Weerakoon yesterday said they are looking at a rapid re-consolidation of paddy cultivation and other main crops. The production of rice, onions and other crops slumped by half due to variable monsoons, the lack of rains and drought over the past couple of years.The Agriculture Department is set to achieve a sharp increase, particularly in the category of rice production, in the upcoming seasons, said Weerakoon. &The department is all keyed up to achieve an increase in the output of vegetables and fruits as well,& he said. &We will introduce crop rotation strategies to help the farmers whose cultivations were hit by the drought. The strategies are centered on maximising crop yields and farmer profits,& he said.