Fishermen alarmed by Chinese vessels under Lankan flag

Fishermen’s organisations and boat owners in Kerala are wringing their hands over Sri Lankan government’s recent decision to let more than a dozen Chinese fishing vessels to operate under the island country’s flag under an arrangement called ‘distant water fishing’.
The arrangement lets a country’s fishing fleet to scoop up marine wealth from another country’s exclusive economic zone for money.

China biggest lender to govt, India biggest benefactor

Foreign loans, grants committed in 2012:

June 4, 2013, 8:34 pm


China emerged as the biggest lender to the government of Sri Lanka with loans amounting to US$ 1,056.05 million in 2012 with additional grants amounting to US$ 0.16 million and India became the country’s biggest benefactor with grants amounting to US$ 257.28 million and the third biggest lender with loans amounting to US$ 443.06 million, data released by the Treasury showed.

Japan was the second biggest lender to Sri Lanka in 2012 with US$ 508.74 million and grants amounting to US$ 15.23 million.

With concessionary loans amounting to US$ 324 million, the World Bank came in fourth. It also provided US$ 10.49 million in grants.