Goa Shipyard Ltd(GSL) built Sri Lankan Navy AOPV Sayurala sails fm Goa

#BridgesofFriendship @makeinindia Goa Shipyard Ltd(GSL) built SL Navy AOPV Sayurala sails fm Goa. 2be escorted by INS Sunayna till Colombo. pic.twitter.com/kb6OE0cdho

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) July 27, 2017

Sri Lanka Navy Ships Samudura (OPV) & Suranimila (FAC-M) visit Kochi

#BridgesofFriendship SriLanka Navy Ships Samudura (OPV) & Suranimila (FAC-M) visit Kochi on goodwill visit 06-09 Apr @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/NJ6OWFSjoj

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 7, 2017

Pakistan pushing JF-17 to Sri Lanka through shady arms dealer

Link

A former Air Force Chief and an infamous big business wheeler-dealer are attempting to influence the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) to acquire multi-role JF-17 ‘Fierce Dragon’ fighter aircraft jointly developed by China and Pakistan, at a higher rate, an Air Force inside source said.
The source, who wished to remain anonymous, said a JF-17 will cost the SLAF a staggering US $ 29 million while the same aircraft from a reputed manufacturer in Russia would cost between US $ 20-25 million.

“Despite knowing full well that the China-Pakistan jointly developed aircraft are not used by any other air force in the world, these middlemen want to promote this aircraft and get a commission of more than US $ 4 million per aircraft,” the source alleged.

According to the source, the JF-17 has so far not been a proven aircraft nor been used by any other air force in the world. Unless 300 to 400 aircraft are sold by the manufacturer, the source says, no one can guarantee as to how long they would function without giving troubles.

“This is an indigenous product and a country like ours cannot invest a huge amount of our foreign reserves to purchase ‘unknown’ jet fighters. When these middlemen were promoting the JF-17, the Indian government was concerned and offered an Indian manufactured aircraft which is still in experimental stages. The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ‘Tejas’ is a multi-role light fighter and is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). If Sri Lanka goes on to purchase the Indian manufactured aircraft, we will never get proper fighter aircraft because India does not want us to have good jet fighters but only fighter aircraft that do not perform well,” the source added.

Both Pakistan and India are said to have been keen to show that Sri Lanka has agreed to be their export customers. The source further said that unless the SLAF purchases jet aircraft from a reputed manufacturer, when it comes to overhauling the aircraft, it will be a serious issue for the Air Force.
“However, there is a dire need to purchase jet aircraft for the Air Force, so that Air Force pilots to be occupied. After the war ended, many of the pilots and other staff have been confined to offices. The SLAF should purchase new aircraft and give the proper training to its officers without confining them to offices,” the sources added.

According to the SLAF sources, the Air Force has failed to get the jet fighters purchased during the Rajapaksa regime overhauled as the aircraft have been purchased through shady deals and from disreputable companies. As a result, most of the jet fighters are now grounded. This is the reason that the SLFA is now planning to purchase eight fighter aircraft.

“Had these jet fighters been purchased from reputable suppliers, we could have got all these aircraft which still have life-span, overhauled in a foreign country without any difficulty. To overhaul one jet aircraft, it costs about US$ 3 million and much less than the price of a new aircraft,” the sources added.

According to the sources, former Air Force Commander Air Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody had visited Pakistan many times to hold discussions with the Pakistani Air Force Chief for purchasing JF-17 aircraft; the present Commander Gagan Bulathsinhala too had made a few visits to Pakistan for the same reason.

It is also alleged that this Air Marshal who was later posted to Pakistan as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner had continued to discuss the JF-17 purchase with the Pakistani officials. Recalled to Sri Lanka after the fall of the previous regime, Weerakkody is still a frequent visitor to the SLAF Headquarters to get this deal through.

The sources further explained that the Sri Lankan Government has come under severe pressure over the proposed plan to purchase JF-17 from Pakistan, and they claimed that India is very much against the idea.

“The single engine multi-role JF-17 which was jointly manufactured by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aircraft Corporation of China is better than the light combat aircraft ‘Tejas’ that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is manufacturing now. In the event the government seals the deal with Pakistan to purchase eight fighter aircraft, there will be serious repercussions. But how can India lay terms and conditions to us? If we need to purchase aircraft, we should have the independence to buy from any country; neighbouring India cannot ask the SLAF not to buy from Pakistan but from India. Anyhow, if we go to any of these two countries to purchase the fighter aircraft, it is our country that will have to face the loss,” the sources added.

However, owing to the pressure mounted on Sri Lanka, it is now learnt that President Maithripala Sirisena has decided to put off the purchase of the JF-17 fighter aircraft from Pakistan and go for a viable deal with Russia instead.  According to media reports, the Cabinet last week took a decision to put off the purchase of the Sino-Pakistan JF-17 fighter jet aircraft indefinitely to prevent possible India’s ill-feelings towards Sri Lanka.

According to the sources, the present Air Force Commander, the Army Commander, the Sri Lanka Navy Chief of Staff, and a representative from Sri Lanka Logistics are currently in Russia to discuss whether Sri Lanka can purchase the necessary aircraft for the SLAF from them.
“If we can come to an agreement with Russia, neither India nor Pakistan will get angry with us. The Russian jet fighters are cheaper than the Pakistani aircraft and since they are reputable manufacturers, there is no need of looking for any other place for overhauling the aircraft,” the sources added.
Meanwhile, the Air Force sources said the government’s decision to consider Russia for jet fighters had upset the wheeler-dealers.

“Other than the former Air Force Chief, the other wheeler-dealer is a big businessman who was in the elite list of businessmen during the Rajapaksa regime. These middlemen have now panicked since they will be losing the commission,” the sources said.

Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Chandima Alwis, however, said the Air Force had never proposed to purchase aircraft but was carrying out a study of potential fighter aircraft suppliers in the event the SLAF needed to add to the existing fleet.

“The SLAF have Russian manufactured MiG 27 and Israel manufactured Kafir fighter aircraft. We never had any discussions either with India or Pakistan to buy their aircraft. Most of our fighter aircraft are over 30 years old but can be used for a longer period if they are overhauled. But we will have to pay a high price to overhaul these aircraft. It is better to purchase brand new fighter jet aircraft rather than overhauling the old aircraft which will have to be refurbished over and over again which is an extra cost to the SLAF,” Group Captain Chandima Alwis said.

When asked whether new fighter jet aircraft are to be purchased because the existing aircraft do not have modern technology, de Alwis said all SLAF aircraft have modern technology, and they needed to replace these aircraft simply because it would cost the SLAF more money to overhaul them.
All attempts to contact Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi failed because he was at meetings continuously. Several messages were left for the Defence Secretary for this newspaper to obtain his comment, but he did not respond to any of our messages

Chinese Navy PLAN submarine rescue ship arrived in Sri Lanka

Photos of INS Vikramaditya at Colombo, Sri Lanka

गुड महिंदा राजपकसा गॉट किक्ड आउट.

श्री लंका = एंपरर अशोक्स कनेक्षन वित इंडिया


http://www.navy.lk/eventnews-si/2016/01/21/201601211200-si/

Modi govt. turns new chapter in Indo-Lanka relations

India’s most powerful warship, an aircraft carrier, will arrive in Sri Lanka later this week turning a new chapter in Indo-Lanka relations. The 44,500 tonne INS Vikramaditya will berth at the port of Colombo on Thursday. Having commissioned the warship in

November 2013 in Russia, India inducted the vessel in June 2014.

Naval sources told the local media that an aircraft carrier hadn’t made a port of call here for over two decades. The Navy will welcome the Indian flagship in a special way.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was here on a two-day official visit last March. He was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Sri Lanka in 27 years. Sources said the Indian Premier’s visit paved the way for enhanced post-war partnership with India.

A US aircraft carrier was the last such vessel to visit Colombo.

Flagship INS Vikramaditya, formerly of the Soviet fleet and then of the Russian navy, is the second aircraft carrier currently operated by the Indian Navy. India commissioned its first aircraft carrier INS Viraat in 1987.

Sri Lanka says JF-17 still on the table

The Sunday Leader found out that the JF-17 is still under consideration by the Sri Lankan Air Force and that no agreement on the fighter was signed when Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was visiting the country.

Sri Lanka Signs MoU For Eight Pakistani-made JF-17 Thunders

Sri Lanka has signed a memorandum of understanding with Pakistan on Tuesday to purchase at least 8 JF-17 Thunder fighter jets.

The deal was signed during a visit to Sri Lanka by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif this week, confirming earlier rumors about an imminent deal.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) which already flies several other Chinese-made Shenyang F-7 fighter jets - is currently looking to upgrade its fighter capabilities. At present these rely on the Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir.

The Thunders is expected to replace SLAF’s obsolete MiG-23 and MiG-27 fighter jets.

The JF-17 Thunder is the result of a joint program by Pakistan and China. In the latter, the same aircraft is designated Chengdu FC-1.

Sri Lanka Welcomes Japanese Naval Ships

Sri Lanka’s Port of Colombo welcomed two Japanese naval vessels, Ikazuchi and Murasame, which arrived today for a goodwill and supply visit.

The vessels were welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions on arrival. The Head of the Mission, Commander Escort Division One, Captain Atsushi Nakasuji and the ships’ Commanding Officers, Commander Kazuharu Hokazono and Commander Kenji Fujil paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Area Commander of the Western Naval Command, Commodore KG Pual at the Western Naval Command Headquarters in Colombo.

The Head of the Mission and ship’s Commanding Officers are due to pay courtesy calls on the Japanese Ambassador in Sri Lanka and the Director General of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard prior to their departure on August 8.

Use the word ' alleged' and ' quote unnamed sources' and get away with a cheap story

Inviting Praveen Swami and others to exploit the story.

Reuters makes out a story from a sketchy report in Sri Lanka's Sunday Times newspaper.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/141228/columns/lankas-penny-nys-ambassador-to-the-world-128953.html



In diplomatic circles the station chief's identity is never outed but Rajapaksa family was so desperate to hold on to political power in Sri Lanka that they did not care about protocol or relations.


Why are the Rajapaksa's and their cronies fleeing Sri Lanka?
Former defense minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled to Maldives and his children to China.Basil Rajapaksa has left for US.

Story in Sundaytimes.lk

Rajapaksa family used Sri Lankan Air Force for aerial photography.

http://www.lankasrinews.com/view.php?22AMC203lOo4e2BmAca25YAdd3Y5Jac3mBpe44Ol1022gAK3

Sri Lankans reject authoritarian Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa in elections

The Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa has conceded defeat in an election he had been widely predicted to win before a member of his own party defected to run against him, the presidential office has said."The president met with former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe this morning. The president concedes defeat and will ensure a smooth transition of power bowing to the wishes of the people," Rajapaksa's press secretary, Vijayananda Herath, told AFP news agency.

Maithripala Sirisena, a former health minister and political ally of Rajapaksa took an early lead in Thursday's election count, with the Department of Elections saying he had 56.5 percent of the initial votes counted, compared to 42 percent collected by the incumbent.Sirisena, a former government minister who deserted the president and changed sides to become the opposition's candidate in November, has vowed to root out corruption and bring constitutional reforms to weaken the power of the presidency.Rajapaksa won handsomely in the last election in 2010, surfing a wave of popularity that sprang from the defeat in the previous year of ethnic Tamil separatists who had waged a crippling war against the state for decades.But critics say he became increasingly authoritarian since becoming president, with several members of his family holding key positions of power.

Despite his waning popularity, Rajapaksa called the latest election early, confident that the perennially fractured opposition would fail to find a credible challenger.He did not anticipate the emergence of Sirisena, who dined with the president one night and turned on him the next day.

Election officials said the turnout from an electorate of about 15 million was provisionally 65-80 percent.

Yal Devi Queen of Jaffna arrives in former Sri Lankan war zone after 24 years

A nearly 400-km long Jaffna-Colombo railway line, reconstructed with Indian assistance in Sri Lanka's former war zone, was on Monday inaugurated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, 24 years after it was shut down during the civil war.The government hopes that the reopening of the rail link will help alleviate shortage of supplies in the north which was cut off during the conflict. The "Queen of Jaffna", a once-famous train linking the Tamil-majority north to the rest of the nation, stopped operation in 1990 after being attacked by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels who fought with the Island government to create an independent state for Tamil people.

India has helped provide the state of the art tracks and bridges that can accommodate train speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour as part of the technical support.
Indian assisted other projects worth USD 1.63 billions are currently underway in the island country. The railway tracks and Jaffna station were damaged during the war between the LTTE and the government forces. It was said that the members of both the LTTE and the army used the abandoned railway coaches as bunkers.

Chinese Type 39 submarines appears for the first time ever in Indian ocean

String of pearls
Maritime Silk Route
Peaceful rise
INCH towards MILES

Whatever you call, PLA Navy are here to stay.



This ChangZheng 2 submarine is a part of northern China fleet which is nuclear powered has missile power that can hit 80 kilometers distance , and torpedo security system . It is a sophisticated submarine that can communicate directly via the satellite .

From
http://srilankaoneislandtwonations.tumblr.com/post/97775380891/arrival-of-chinese-nuclear-submarine-and-warships-prior

In addition to the submarine that has entered the port ,two Chinese naval warships have been anchored out harbor , according to reports reaching Lanka e news inside information division. Further it is reliably learnt that the SL navy had become aware of the arrival of the war submarine and the naval warships of China only at the last moment.

Photo - eNewLanka

According to Sri Lankan media reported on September 17, the 21st century maritime Silk Road construction in China currently would allow Sri Lanka to reap maximum benefit.

China invested $ 1.4 billion in "Colombo (Sri Lanka) port city" project is Sri Lanka's largest foreign investment project to date.

SLNS Samudura Brings 41 Illegal Immigrants Ashore

Sri Lanka Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessel, SLNS Samudura is bringing 41 Australia-bound Sri Lankan illegal immigrants to the Galle Harbour.They were handed over to SLNS Samudura by Australia yesterday morning when it was on deep sea patrol in the southern seas of Sri Lanka. The group will be handed over to the law enforcement authorities for further investigations when brought ashore.SLN, on humanitarian grounds, has rescued a number of victims from tragedies at sea in its Search and Rescue Region using its assets and professional expertise for the SAR missions.

19th Commander of Sri Lanka Navy Appointed

Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, has appointed Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera RWP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, as the new Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and promoted him to the 3-star rank of Vice Admiral with effect from 01st July 2014.

Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera is the 19th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy in its illustrious history which spans over 63 years. Prior to being appointed as the Navy Commander, he held the post of Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy.

Seyshelles Chief of Defence Visits Sri Lanka Navy Commander

Chief of Defence Forces of Seyshelles, Brigadier Leopold Payet called on Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage.He was received by the Commander of the Navy at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo on 26th June 2014.They held cordial discussions on matters of bilateral importance and exchanged mementos to mark the occasion.