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Arrival of evacuated Sri Lankans from Lebanon in Colombo
by Air India
324 Sri Lankan nationals evacuated by the Government of India from Lebanon arrived in Colombo late in the night on 30th July 2006 by a special Air India flight. They were evacuated from Lebanon by the Indian Naval ship INS Betwa to Cyprus. Air India then flew them from Cyprus to Sir Lanka. They were welcomed at the airport by Mr. Satendar Kumar from the High Commission of India and by Sri Lankan officials.
110 Sri Lankan nationals evacuated earlier by Government of India arrived in Colombo last week.
These evacuations are being carried out free of cost by Government of India as a gesture of friendship to the people of Sri Lanka and as a humanitarian measure in their hour of need.
The Sri Lankans spoke with emotion of the ordeal they had been through and expressed their heartfelt relief at being back home. Naomi, home from Beirut, gave voice to the feelings of all when she said "India has been a real friend to us and I shall always remember with gratitude the smooth operation by which we were brought back".
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Text of the Indian Cabinet's resolution on blasts in Mumbai and Srinagar
"The Cabinet expresses its profound sense of shock and outrage at the series of blasts in Mumbai and Srinagar on July 11 resulting in heavy loss of life and suffering. It condemns in the strongest terms the senseless, inhuman and dastardly attack by terrorists on tourists and the innocent people of this country.
The Cabinet conveys its deepest sympathies to all those who have lost their loved ones. An immediate priority is to ensure that the families in distress get all possible relief and the injured are provided the best medical attention.
The Government reiterates its strong commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms. Nothing will deter us from our firm policy to fight this menace till it is wiped out. We are determined to apprehend and bring to justice all those responsible for the evil acts in Mumbai and Srinagar.
The Cabinet, simultaneously, pays tribute to the people of Mumbai and Srinagar for their resolve to triumph over terrorism and return quickly to normal life. The spontaneous response of Mumbai's citizens to provide succour to those in pain stands out strikingly. It is a towering example of fellowship and the best in human beings. The Cabinet also acknowledges the truly laudable work done in Mumbai by the public services, firemen, railway staff and medical personnel in providing relief.
The Cabinet recognizes the tremendous resolve, displayed over the years, by the people of Jammu and Kashmir to withstand terrorism. They have not let these influences impair our national unity and secular fabric. The spirit displayed by Mumbai and Srinagar has demonstrated very emphatically that terrorism cannot succeed. Such forces will never be allowed to check our nation's march to economic growth and prosperity."
July 13, 2006
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India will assist in upgrading the Colombo - Galle - Matara coastal railway line
The Government of India is extending assistance to the Sri Lankan Government to implement a comprehensive project for upgrading the Colombo-Galle-Matara coastal railway line. The assistance was announced during the State Visit of His Excellence President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India in December 2005. The project covers upgrading the tracks, bridges, signaling and induction of new passenger trains. When completed, the revamped coastal railway line system will substantially improve the rail services on the Colombo - Galle - Matara section and result in higher average speeds and increased number on train services.
A multi-disciplinary team of railway experts from RITES and IRCON, the overseas arms of the Indian Ministry of Railways for undertaking railway projects have completed work relating to the preparation of a feasibility study for the project. During their visit, the team called on Hon. AHM Fowzie, Minister of Railways and Transport, Mr. PM Leelaratne, Secretary, Ministry of Railways & Transport and a senior team of officers of Sri Lanka Railways headed by Mr. KA Pemasiri, General Manager (Railways). The Indian team made extensive site visits on the Colombo-Matara line with their counterparts of Sri Lanka Railways to draw up a detailed project implementation strategy for undertaking the coastal line upgrade and rehabilitation. The team also held detailed meetings with Dr. PB Jayasundera, Secretary (Treasury). Earlier, during a recent visit to Delhi, Dr. Jayasundera held discussions with the Chairman, Indian Railway Board. The Indian Ministry of Railways had assured full support for the project including Human Resource Development and Technology Transfer to Sri Lanka Railways.
RITES has undertaken a large number of railway overseas projects in over 55 countries, many of them funded by Government of India and World Bank for rehabilitation and upgrading railway systems with emphasis on institutional capacity building and cost-effective technology transfer. The Colombo - Galle - Matara project is likely to be completed in two years.
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Imports under FTA should not hurt domestic industry, but should be a win-win for both sides, says kamal nath sri lankan trade minister calls on commerce & industry minister
Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, has said that imports under the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) should not adversely affect the domestic industry. Rather, such an engagement should be a win-win situation bringing economic benefits to both sides. The Minister said this in the context of vanaspati imports under the Indo-Sri Lanka FTA, when the issue was raised by Mr. Jayaraj Fernandopulle, Minister for Trade, Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Highways, who called on him here last evening.
Vanaspati accounts for more than 26% of total imports coming from Sri Lanka and it has been canalised through NAFED earlier this year. Voluntary export restraint (VER) limiting export of duty-free vanaspati from Sri Lanka to 2.5 lakh metric tonnes per annum has also been under negotiation. The Sri Lankan Minister urged rescinding of canalisation. The Indian side noted the concern of Sri Lanka and said it would look into the matter in consultation with the domestic industry. Shri Kamal Nath also took the opportunity to convey India's concern regarding import of pepper and marble and underlined the need to avert switch trade.
Both sides noted the benefits from the FTA and in particular, the fact that trade between India and Sri Lanka not only crossed the US $ 2 billion mark in 2005 but had almost quadrupled in the last 6 years, largely as a result of the FTA.
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