Latest news with #BandaranaikeInternationalAirport
Nikkei Asia
17-07-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Japan resumes infrastructure diplomacy in Sri Lanka ahead of China
Japan has decided to resume lending to a project that will expand the Bandaranaike International Airport, north of Colombo. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters) MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR COLOMBO -- Japan's decision to refinance the expansion of Sri Lanka's international airport -- a flagship project dogged by corruption and the country's recent fiscal meltdown -- has pushed it ahead of China in the South Asian nation's postcrisis recovery efforts. The country's airport and aviation agency, Airport and Aviation Services, is reviewing bids submitted in March by prospective developers to upgrade the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), said official and diplomatic sources familiar with Tokyo's decision to reengage with Sri Lanka after lifting its earlier suspension of the loan.
Nikkei Asia
17-07-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Japan's infrastructure diplomacy in Sri Lanka outpaces China's
Japan has decided to resume lending to a project that will expand the Bandaranaike International Airport, north of Colombo. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters) MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR COLOMBO -- Japan's decision to refinance the expansion of Sri Lanka's international airport -- a flagship project dogged by corruption and the country's recent fiscal meltdown -- has pushed it ahead of China in the South Asian nation's postcrisis recovery efforts. The country's airport and aviation agency, Airport and Aviation Services, is reviewing bids submitted in March by prospective developers to upgrade the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), said official and diplomatic sources familiar with Tokyo's decision to reengage with Sri Lanka after lifting its earlier suspension of the loan.
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
SriLankan Airlines Expands Fleet with First New Wide-Body Aircraft in Seven Years, ET TravelWorld
International 2 min read SriLankan Airlines inducts first wide-body aircraft in seven years, signals fleet expansion SriLankan Airlines has added an Airbus A330-200 to its fleet—the first wide-body aircraft acquisition in seven years. The aircraft arrived from Paris with a ceremonial fly-past and touched down at Bandaranaike International Airport. The addition takes the fleet size to 23 and underscores the airline's strategy to enhance long-haul capacity amid growing international travel demand.
The Independent
05-06-2025
- The Independent
British woman jailed in Sri Lanka on drug offences could be months from bail hearing, lawyer warns
A young British woman held in a Sri Lankan prison without charge for the last three weeks could still be months away from a bail hearing after her arrest for allegedly smuggling £1.2m worth of synthetic cannabis or kush in her luggage, her lawyer told The Independent. Charlotte May Lee, 21, a former cabin attendant from south London, was arrested on 12 May at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, after arriving on a flight from Bangkok. She remains in custody on remand for allegedly carrying 46kg of cannabis in her two suitcases. Her lawyer, Sampath Perera, said the 21-year-old is 'coping' as she gets used to her situation, though he would not say she was in 'absolutely good condition'. 'She is doing okay and adjusting to a completely different and alien environment in a third-world country,' Mr Perera told The Independent, adding that little more could be expected of a young woman in such circumstances. Ms Lee has denied knowing about the presence of the alleged drugs in her luggage. The Surrey woman remains in prison in Negombo, a city just north of the capital, and has yet to be charged as police in Colombo continue their investigation, Mr Perera said. He said the report will confirm if the contents from her luggage were actually banned and illegal substances, adding that no evidence has been submitted to the court so far. 'I have made an application in the court that the report on the alleged analysis of the drug haul by the relevant government agency should be submitted to the court,' he said. The next step in the case would be to file a bail application for Ms Lee, Mr Perera said, but he warned that it could take two to three months to secure her release on bail, depending on how the process goes. 'She is innocent until proven guilty. The case has got international attention and it has jeopardised the safety and privacy of my client, who is still suspected and not charged,' he said, adding that her family back in UK is 'suffering' due to the media attention. Ms Lee is a former cabin crew member for TUI and has since been working as a beautician. She faces 25 years in prison if found guilty. She was reportedly holidaying in Thailand and then came to Sri Lanka as her 30-day visa was about to expire, with the intention of returning to Thailand after it was renewed. She left Surrey, England, for Thailand in late April. Wearing an all-white dress and her hands cuffed behind her, Ms Lee was seen for the first time since her arrest during her procedural court appearance last Friday 30 June. She broke down in tears as she stood in the witness box while proceedings took place in the native Sinhalese language. She will have to appear at court every 14 days as long as she remains in custody on remand, according to Sri Lankan laws. Her next hearing is on 13 July. Ms Lee remains in touch with her family in the UK but she has not yet been allowed 'e-visits' that would include video calls with family or friends. Mr Perera said her sister is likely to visit Colombo soon to help signing paperwork to make that happen. Kush is an addictive synthetic drug that that is spreading quickly in west Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone, where it first appeared in 2022 and has since claimed thousands of lives. It is used as a depressant with a promise of a stress-relieving high but contains toxic chemicals such as pioid tramadol, fentanyl, and formalin, a chemical used in mortuaries to preserve bodies. Cheap and highly addictive, synthetic kush is often linked to organised trafficking networks. Media reports have suggested investigators are considering whether Ms Lee's case is linked to that of 18-year-old Bella Culley, who is being held in a Georgia prison on suspicion of drug offences. The two were arrested within a day of each other, having both flown out of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand alone. Ms Culley faces up to 20 years – or life imprisonment – if found guilty for illegally purchasing and storing the drugs and illegally importing them into Georgia. Pictures of Ms Culley's alleged drug haul showed hermetically sealed packages with the word 'hash' written over brown coverings. In Ms Lee's case, photographs published by Sri Lanka's customs narcotics control unit showed the alleged drugs found in her luggage vacuum packed in plastic bags, suggesting a professional job.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Record haul of cocaine found inside woman's plush toys at airport
Sri Lanka's customs authorities arrested on Friday a woman and seized the largest haul of cocaine ever detected at the country's main international airport, an official said. The unnamed 38-year-old Thai woman was carrying nearly 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine stuffed into three plush toys, Customs Additional Director-General Seevali Arukgoda said. "This is the biggest attempt at cocaine smuggling stopped by Sri Lanka Customs at the airport," Arukgoda said in a statement. Customs officials at Bandaranaike International Airport posed for photos with the cocaine, which had been neatly stuffed into just over 500 plastic capsules, with an estimated street value of $1.72 million. The seizure follows three other hauls this month totaling nearly 60 kilograms of synthetic cannabis. Three foreign nationals -- from Britain, India, and Thailand -- were arrested in separate cases. The Briton, identified as Charlotte May Lee, 21, a former cabin crew member from London, was produced before a magistrate on Friday and further remanded until June 13, court officials said. She was arrested on May 12 when officials discovered that her two suitcases were packed with 46 kilograms of kush, a synthetic drug. Lee told the BBC she had travelled from Bangkok to Sri Lanka's capital Colombo to renew her Thai visa. She described her living conditions at a prison in Negombo, a city just north of the capital, saying she spends most of her day inside, although she does get to go outside for fresh air. "I have never been to prison and I've never been to Sri Lanka," she told the BBC. "This heat and just sitting on a concrete floor all of the time." All four suspects, including the Thai woman arrested on Friday, could face life imprisonment if convicted. Sri Lankan authorities have previously seized large quantities of heroin off the country's shores, suggesting the island is being used as a transit hub for narcotics destined for other locations. In October, a Sri Lankan court sentenced 10 Iranian men to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 111 kilograms of heroin. In 2023, nine Iranians received life sentences in a separate drug smuggling case. Sri Lanka's largest single seizure of narcotics occurred in December 2016, when Customs found 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of cocaine in a shipment container of timber addressed to a company in neighboring India. The wonderfully weird world of artist Luigi Serafini Fans turn out for estate sale at home of Tom Petty Dozens killed in attack near Gaza aid delivery point, witnesses blame IDF, Israel denies involvement
