Govt. directly handles matter with Chinese Embassy

The government has reportedly taken over the handling of the diplomatic issue regarding the Yuan Wang 5 ship directly through the Chinese Embassy in Colombo instead of going through the Sri Lankan mission in Beijing, Daily Mirror learns.

Sri Lanka asked China to postpone the port call of this ship following security threats cited by India.

The Yuan Wang 5, en route from the Chinese port of Jiangyin, was due in the Chinese-run Sri Lankan port of Hambantota on August 11.

It led to a diplomatic scuffle with India, which raised concerns that the ship's visit to Hambantota will trigger security threats.

According to informed sources, the Sri Lankan mission in Beijing has informed the government that the country will suffer dire consequences as a result of the indefinite postponement.

The government is now handling the issue directly with the Chinese embassy. (Kelum Bandara)