Repatriation of OSLs constrained by limited availability of quarantine facilities -Sri Lanka engaged with Kuwait to secure an extension of amnesty deadline

Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha has said, so far repatriations have been carried out by the GOSL identifying the most vulnerable categories of Overseas Sri Lankans (OSLs), in the face of the limited availability of quarantine facilities in the country, as Sri Lanka continues to seek to gain control over the spread of COVID 19 in Sri Lanka.

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Sri Lanka Missions abroad seek to re-position Sri Lanka’s exports to meet market conditions resulting from the COVID-19 crisis

Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha has observed that even as the Foreign Ministry was preoccupied with endeavouring to mitigate a multitude of problems faced by Overseas Sri Lankans, it was in parallel also seeking to re-position Sri Lanka’s exports in the context of market conditions that have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. He said if this was successful, Sri Lanka would emerge one step ahead in the global supply chain, in a post COVID-19 world.

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Sri Lanka remembers all those lives lost on 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday attacks

On this day, Sri Lanka remembers all those lives lost and changed forever in barbaric acts of violence one year ago. We share the grief of families who lost their loved ones and stand in solidarity with those countries which lost their nationals.

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මීට වසරකට පෙර සිදු කරන ලද ම්ලේච්ඡ ප්‍රචණ්ඩ ක්‍රියාවලින් ජීවිත අහිමි වූ හා ආබාධිත වූ සියලුම දෙනා ශ්‍රී ලංකාව අද දින සිහිපත් කරයි. තම ආදරණීයයන් අහිමි වූ පවුල් සමග ශෝකය බෙදා ගැනීමට අප එක්වන අතර අතර, එකී ප්‍රචණ්ඩ ක්‍රියාවලින් තම රටවල පුරවැසියන් අහිමි වූ අනෙකුත් රටවලට අපගේ සහයෝගිතාවය පළ කර සිටිමු. 

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ஓராண்டிற்கு முன்னர் வன்முறைகளில் இழந்த, பாதிப்புற்ற அனைவரையும் இன்றைய தினம் இலங்கை நினைவு கூர்கின்றது. தமது உறவுகளையிழந்த குடும்பங்களின் துன்பங்களை நாம் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வதுடன், தமது பிரஜைகளையிழந்த நாடுகளுடன் துணை நிற்கின்றோம்.

Minister Dinesh Gunawardena explores possibilities to assist Sri Lankan Migrant workers

Minister of Foreign Relations, Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations, Dinesh Gunawardena met with the Secretaries and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, the Ministry of Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), today (10 April 2020), at the Ministry of Foreign Relations, to discuss ramifications emanating from the present Coronavirus pandemic to Sri Lankan migrant workers abroad and to explore possible mechanisms to assist these Sri Lankans.

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Minister Gunawardena explores practical solutions to assist expatriate communities with Foreign Ministry Officials

Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena met with senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Relations today at the Ministry to discuss about the welfare of the Sri Lankan expatriate communities, difficulties currently being faced by these communities and ways to explore practical solutions to assist expatriate communities at this time of need.

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Foreign Ministry takes stock of action by Sri Lanka Missions abroad to ensure the welfare of Overseas Sri Lankans (OSL)

The Ministry of Foreign Relations, sensitive to the concerns of the OSLs amidst the rapid spread of the COVID-19 and the inability to return to Sri Lanka, has held consultations over the past 2 days with its Heads of Missions based in 67 cities across the world, to facilitate the wellbeing and safety of Overseas Sri Lankans, while preparing for any exigencies they could have to meet in the coming days.

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Central Bank requests Sri Lankans and well-wishers to make foreign currency deposits in the Country’s banking system

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has made an appeal to Sri Lankans and well-wishers living in Sri Lanka and abroad to make foreign currency deposits within the country’s banking system of Licensed Commercial Banks and Specialised Financial Institutions as a gesture of goodwill and assistance to Sri Lanka and its people during the three months commencing from April 2, 2020, in support of the wide-ranging national effort to safeguard people from coronavirus, to bring its spread under control and to provide healthcare and social security to the people.

The Central Bank has announced that foreign currency deposits in Sri Lankan banking system at this difficult stage will be of immense help to authorities to tide over the present crisis.

The Central Bank has guaranteed that foreign currency deposits into the Sri Lankan banking system will be accepted without hindrance from the government, Central Bank or any other government authority, and future convertibility of these deposits into foreign currency whenever the depositors desire to do so. All  such foreign exchange remittances will be exempted from Exchange Control Regulations and taxes and protected under banking secrecy provisions.

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