A month after the fire, the X-Press Pearl now lies dormant in a semi-submersible state off the coast of Sri Lanka, its hull resting on the sandy bottom of the shallow sea. The X-Press Pearl burned for 13 days off the coast of Sri Lanka. Photo: BBC. Although the fire on board has been extinguished, the problems stemming from the fire are just beginning. Many stacked chemical containers are still stuck on the ship. Many of these barrels have leaked and soaked into the water, raising concerns about marine life being poisoned by the chemicals. In addition, tons of microplastics have washed up on nearby local beaches. Hundreds of tons of engine fuel sealed in the sunken hull is also likely to leak into the sea. In addition to the environmental threats, the X-Press Pearl ship fire also had devastating consequences for local communities, according to the report. BBC . Indigenous fishermen lose their livelihood overnight and may suffer the consequences for years to come. “We are fishermen, we have to go to the sea every day. We can only make a living by going to sea, otherwise our whole family will starve,” said Denish Rodrigo, who lives on the Sri Lankan coast. with BBC . Billions of microplastics One of the most striking features in the photos documenting the X-Press Pearl fire disaster is the many small round plastic beads spilling from the ship. The number of pieces of plastic is so much that the naked eye can see them when they are next to each other. These microplastics are the main ingredient of most plastic products on the planet. Large amounts of microplastics from the X-Press Pearl ship could threaten the Sri Lankan ecosystem. Photo: BBC. “There were about 46 different chemicals on that ship (X-Press Pearl),” Hemantha Withanage, a Sri Lankan environmental activist, told the BBC. BBC . “But what we’ve been able to see most clearly so far are tons of microplastics.” Since the end of May, pieces of plastic from the X-Press Pearl have washed up on the beaches of Negombo city on the west coast of Sri Lanka. Locals also reported dead fish floating around because of ingesting microplastics. Normally, plastic takes between 500 and 1,000 years to completely decompose. The aforementioned microplastics may have been pushed by ocean currents to the coasts around Sri Lanka or even beyond. “Our whole family will starve to death” For fishermen in Negombo, their concern isn’t just about ingesting microplastics in their fish, but the possibility that they won’t be able to catch any fish. Local authorities have issued a fishing ban in the area affected by the fire. This means that many fishermen have lost their entire source of income and livelihood overnight. “Fish species grow on coral reefs in the area, and authorities say those areas have been destroyed by the effects of dangerous chemicals. Now there is no choice but to jump into the sea naturally. death,” said Mr. Tiuline Fernando, who has been a fisherman for the past 35 years BBC . Many fishing families in Negombo struggled to make ends meet because they lost their livelihood overnight. Photo: BBC. The Sri Lankan government is demanding compensation and insurance from the owners of the X-Press Pearl. However, locals do not expect that money to be used to support them. The local fishermen’s association said it needed help from the whole community. “It’s not just us (fishers) but many other related industries are also affected,” explained the president of the indigenous fishermen’s association Densil Fernando. “Suppliers of nets, engines, boats and oil are involved in fishing operations. Thousands of jobs related to the fishing industry are being affected,” said Mr. Fernando. Chemical pollution The most lasting impact from the fire is believed to be a problem of chemical contamination. Activist Withanage said some of the hazardous elements found on board the X-Press Pearl were nitric acid, sodium dioxide, copper and lead. When mixed with water, these elements enter the internal organs of local sea creatures. Small fish can die immediately from poisoning, but large fish are more likely to survive, the poison will gradually accumulate in their bodies over time. Toxic marine life washed ashore in Negombo, Sri Lanka. Photo: BBC. Mr Withange said fish, turtles and dolphins had died and washed up on beaches. Many of them have turned green, indicating that the body is contaminated with metals and chemicals. “In a couple of years, if you catch a tuna, there’s a good chance it’s still poisoned,” Mr Withange said. “This chemical buildup is a serious problem.” “People should be informed about this,” he added. “The X-Press Pearl is now a toxic ship. Anything from this ship that washes ashore is very poisonous. People shouldn’t even touch them.”

Criticism of China’s economic project Headwind on the “New Silk Road”

Status: 06/11/2021 12:58 p.m.

China is expanding its influence worldwide, and the “New Silk Road” is intended to further strengthen the country. But the criticism of the project is growing. At the G7 meeting, the Australian head of government wants to report on his experiences. From Steffen Wurzel, ARD studio Shanghai Ding Laisong from the customs authority of the Chinese port city of Ningbo was satisfied at the beginning of the week: Trade with the states of the so-called “New Silk Road” had increased by 30 percent, he said on the Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV. In the case of trade with the particularly committed Silk Road countries in Central and East Asia, the plus is even 50 percent.

Sri Lanka regrets cooperation

China’s state and party leadership continues to sell its controversial strategy and trade project “New Silk Road” within the People’s Republic as a great success. In numerous partner countries, however, the initial enthusiasm for the project has given way to sober insight. China’s state and party leadership has nothing to give away with the Silk Road. On the contrary: in many cases, the Silk Road partner countries have borrowed considerably – with Chinese state banks. This sometimes creates considerable dependencies. One example is the Hambantota port project in Sri Lanka. According to media reports, the expensive Silk Road port project has hardly brought the island state anything economically. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena now openly speaks of a mistake in leasing the port on the southern tip of the country to China for 99 years.

One billion euros in debt for Montenegro

In Europe, too, it is now becoming clear what the Silk Road critics have been calling a debt trap for years: the Balkan state of Montenegro, for example, had borrowed around one billion euros in China for the construction of a nearly 180-kilometer-long motorway. The autobahn is far from finished. But now the repayment is due – and the EU accession candidate lacks the money. The mood has also changed in large industrialized countries: In Italy, Prime Minister Mario Draghi put the Silk Road cooperation with China on hold, and the government in Canberra has also completed two projects in Australia. Only smaller, more symbolic projects were affected, but China’s communist leadership reacted angrily. She described Australia’s decision as “unreasonable and provocative”.

Australia accuses China of “extortionate behavior”

It is becoming clear that the communist leadership sees itself increasingly on the defensive in the Silk Road project, officially known as “Yi Dai Yi Lu”. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison complained at an economic conference in Perth “blackmailing behavior” by states like China. “Where compulsive acts have no consequences, there is little incentive to restrain,” said Morrison. Australia’s prime minister called for the sanctioning mechanisms of the World Trade Organization to be strengthened. Because if blackmailing behavior has no consequences, there is no reason for the corresponding states to hold back.

The G7 summit in Cornwall The heads of state and government of the seven leading industrialized countries (G7) will meet from June 11th to 13th in Cornwall, southwest England. For the first time in two years, they will meet again in person in the afternoon. In addition to climate change, the conference will also focus on trade issues and investments as well as the fight against the corona pandemic. In addition, the meeting will focus on the positioning towards Russia and China.
The G7 group includes the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Canada, France, Italy and Japan. Like-minded democratic states such as South Korea, South Africa, Australia and India are invited to the summit as guests. After the government in Canberra demanded a complete clarification of the origin of the Covid 19 pandemic around a year ago, Australia was de facto covered with an economic war by China’s leadership. The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to share this experience with the G7 countries. He will be a guest at the summit in England.

The Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar in Sri Lanka have been the center of the international pearl trade for more than 4,000 years. Since ancient times, the region has produced some of the world’s finest natural pearls, supplying the courts of the ancient kings and queens of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and later the Greek empires. , Roman and Byzantine. Kuwait was also once one of the centers of this industry in the Persian Gulf, with a history of developing the pearl industry at least four millennia. Pearl fishing in Kuwait had its heyday before the 19th century. (Source: Pinterest) Before the discovery of oil in the 1930s and extraction after World War II, the main economic activity in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf was the extraction of pearl resources mainly on the Arab side of the Persian Gulf. The history of pearl farming in the Persian Gulf goes back more than four millennia. References to this industry were made by early writers such as the Greek historian Pliny and the Roman geographer Ptolemy of the 2nd century AD. Historically, people living around the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar discovered and appreciated the beauty and value of natural pearls created from mussels, opening the pearl industry. Ups and downs with history Since then, Kuwait’s pearl industry has experienced many ups and downs of history. At one stage, pearls became the main export product of the Gulf state, alongside horses, dates, timber and spices. From the early seventeenth century until the 1930s, the country’s economy was largely dependent on pearl diving off the coast of the Arabian Gulf, home to the richest reserves in the world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Kuwait had nearly 700 pearl diving boats with a workforce of about 15,000 people. The pearl diving season usually lasts for 4 months, from mid-May to mid-September. In the remaining 8 months, traders often use ships to trade and fish offshore. It is the basis for Kuwait’s thriving maritime and shipbuilding industry. Kuwaiti fishermen regularly call at ports in the Middle East, the East coast of Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. Historical evidence shows that Kuwaiti pearl fishermen sailed as far as Mannar Bay, between the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka, especially during the fishing season of these pearl fishing grounds. Natural pearls of Kuwait are thought to be caused by a combination of soil environment, water salinity, climatic conditions and accidental conditions when a small foreign object or grain of sand enters. inside the clams, mussels and stay in it. Irritated by this foreign object, the mussel creates a layer of mother-of-pearl that surrounds the intrusive sand. This process repeats for many years and creates a wonderful gem. For three centuries, Kuwait’s economy based on the pearl industry, seafaring and commerce has thrived relative to the rest of the region. It created a prosperous merchant class, but did not provide a steady income for much of the population, mainly pearl divers and supplementary workers. But there are ups and downs. The large-scale production of cultured pearls in Japan in the 1930s, and the Great Depression shortly thereafter, caused the traditional pearl industry in Kuwait to gradually decline. Pearl divers and their families are entering an unprecedented period of economic hardship. Fortunately, a promising new revenue stream has emerged. In 1938, oil was discovered in Kuwait. After World War II ended and oil extraction and exports were boosted, most of Kuwait’s population gradually emerged from its economic decline, and began to enjoy the fruits of its wealth. Pearl divers have found alternative work in the burgeoning oil industry. The pearl industry in Kuwait is also gradually disappearing… Find the return date However, even though life is full, the Kuwaiti people have not forgotten their old identity. The Kuwait Tower, one of the iconic works of Kuwait, is inspired by pearls, expressing the pride of the people about the ancient occupation of their ancestors. More importantly, the Kuwaiti government has worked to revive the natural pearl industry. Every June, Kuwait holds a month-long pearl diving festival, to pay tribute to the industry’s ancestors, who dedicated their lives to the pearl industry that formed the foundation of Kuwait’s wealth in the past year. past. The festivals also help Kuwait’s younger generation to recognize and appreciate the ups and downs that their ancestors went through in order to protect and preserve this glorious but potentially dangerous industry. Thereby, the festival also helps preserve the pearl diving tradition that has become an integral part of Kuwaiti culture. A Kuwaiti girl waits for the return of pearl divers during the 2019 Kuwaiti pearl diving festival (Photo: Gazi/Xinhua) Pearl diving in Kuwait is called “ghaus” and those who participate in diving are called “ghawawis”. Divers use traditional equipment such as “Dieng” (neck-basket), “hager” (anchor) and “fotam” (nose clip). The end of the festival called “qafal” is celebrated with traditional singing and dancing performances. The Kuwaiti public responded enthusiastically and participated in the festival, expressing their desire to preserve national traditions and culture. The festival also attracts international tourists and friends: Many are excited to take part in the diving competition after initial training. The pride of the “Kuwait pearl” also helps remind the people of Kuwait about the once glorious pearl industry of the Gulf nation. The “Kuwait Pearl” has a special design, 19th century style with the brilliant shine and ivory characteristic of natural pearls from the Persian Gulf, once incorporated by the first owner as a faceplate. necklace. The “Kuwait Pearl” has an almost perfect teardrop shape, weighs 64.35 carats, (12.87 grams), and measures 41.28 x 19.05 mm in length and width, respectively. It is known as the 6th largest natural pearl and one of the 12 rarest pearls in the world. The ‘Pearl of Kuwait’ (Source: Smithsonian Institution) The pearl’s current owner is Bond Street, jeweler Symbolic & Chase, purchased on November 24, 2004 for £150,000 ($270,000) and named it “Kuwait Pearl” in recognition. and a true reflection of the pearl’s natural origin. The sale was made at Christie’s in London from an anonymous private family consignment for auction in 2004. The “Pearl of Kuwait” is now part of the Pearl exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The island nation of Maldives is a tourist attraction. (Source: business-standard) The Maldives Islands have decided entry ban for people from South Asian countries; including India, in an effort to prevent the spread of the acute respiratory infection pandemic COVID-19 . The Maldives Ministry of Tourism on May 12 said: “The Maldivian government has decided to temporarily stop issuing tourist visas to visitors from South Asian countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.” The ban also applies to passengers who transit more than 24 hours in these countries and who have been to these countries within the past 14 days. Meanwhile, guests from other countries are still allowed to go to the Maldives resort islands if available negative PCR test within 96 hours before entry, but do not have contact with local people. Previously, the Maldives has reopened tourist resorts from July 2020 after 3 months of closure against the epidemic. But the country has recorded a record high number of new infections per day (1,500 cases on May 11), while a month ago, this number was less than 100 cases / day.

Tourists to Maldives. (Source: PSM News) Located in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives has always been a popular destination and a major attraction for travelers looking for a quality vacation and leisure time. The Maldives is heavily dependent on the tourism industry as it is the main source of foreign currency earnings contributing to the national economy. However, the Covid-19 pandemic occurring around the world, resulting in travel restrictions, has had a significant impact, even a recession, on the country’s economy. On January 30, 2020, the Maldives recorded its first suspected case of corona virus. From the end of March to July 2020, this country was forced to close its borders to tourists, bringing the economy to a standstill. After stopping international flights for more than three months since the start of the pandemic, on July 15, 2020, the Maldives reopened its borders, being one of the first major global tourist destinations to open. back door for foreign visitors. The Maldives Ministry of Tourism has issued the Covid-19 Safe Travel Guide along with a certification program that ensures the safety and hygiene standards of all tourist facilities including accommodation, transportation, airport and other related facilities. Accordingly, the Maldives introduces a program called “Vaccination Tourism” that allows visitors to the country to travel without having to wait until the vaccine trial is completed. The Maldives also offers a distinctive ‘one-island-one-resort’ concept, allowing visitors to maintain social distancing while enjoying a truly safe and secluded stay. As a result, last year, the island nation welcomed 555,000 tourists to visit the Maldives and welcomed more than 400,000 tourists since the beginning of January this year. The Covid-19 vaccine program in the Maldives was started on March 1, with 200,000 doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca “Covishield” vaccine funded by the Indian government. To date, Maldives has also received 12,000 doses of Covishield vaccine through COVAX and 10,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China. With 36% of residents fully vaccinated, the Maldives is currently the fifth most immunized country. With an adequate supply of vaccines, the Maldives is also preparing to launch a “vaccine on arrival” program as soon as all of its population has been vaccinated. However, the nation of islands with a population of 340,000, is currently struggling with an increase in the number of Covid-19 infections, the number of infections increased to a record in a day of 1,500 cases on May 6 compared to May 6. with less than 100 cases just a month ago. White sand resorts and beaches, have been reported to be home to the fastest Covid-19 outbreaks in the world. The average number of new infections recorded in the Maldives every day has reached a new high. To date, there have been 87 deaths related to Covid-19 in the Maldives, including 74 locals, 11 foreign nationals. The Maldives government is forced to take strict measures to contain the current situation. As part of its efforts, the Maldives government has decided to suspend the issuance of tourist visas to visitors originating from South Asian countries, effective from May 13. The ban will also apply to travelers who stay more than 24 hours, have transited or have been to the listed countries within the previous 14 days. Restaurants and cafes are only allowed to open for delivery and takeout, and indoor dining is prohibited. From May 12, a partial curfew was in place in the capital Malé from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., for a week. Some other restrictions include moving government agencies’ activities to an online service, banning group prayer at mosques, and suspending students at universities from going to school. (according to Vietnam Embassy in Sri Lanka concurrently Maldives)

Patient COVID-19 was treated in an isolation ward in New Delhi, India on May 8, 2021. Photo: THX / TTXVN Half a month ago, when the COVID-19 crisis shook India, the Regional Director of South Asia at the International Association of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Udaya Regmi warned the rate of infection. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the region is “really frightening”, possibly making South Asia “the new epicenter of the next US pandemic”. In the past two weeks, according to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, the number of new infections in this region has been higher than the total number of cases in the first six months of the pandemic combined – an explosion that has stunned at South Asia. Along with India, the number of new infections is increasing alarmingly across South Asia, especially in Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Charities fear South Asia is approaching “disaster”. Experts say that the epidemic situation in South Asia has become more serious recently, mainly due to the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, especially the double mutation in India. Over the past week, Nepal has seen a number of new cases of more or less 9,000 cases / day, while this number during March was only a few dozen cases. The number of reported infections in Nepal is 57 times more now than in April 2021. The rate of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection per 100,000 population per day increased more than 7 times in just two weeks. In Sri Lanka, since the beginning of May alone, more than 18,000 new infections have been recorded. If on April 27, for the first time, the number of cases per day in this country reached 4 digits, then on May 10, the South Asian country witnessed the highest number of cases ever, 2672 cases. Pakistan in February averaged 1,100 cases per day, now this number has increased 5 times. Maldives on 11/5 recorded 1,204 cases, while a week ago the average daily number was about 600 cases. The rapid infection rate in all South Asian countries makes experts warn a new global epidemic wave is emerging that South Asia is the epicenter. Dr. Ashish Jha, Rector of Brown University of Public Health (USA) commented: “Here’s the bottom line: When there are big outbreaks, those variations will arise… India is a large country. “People and at large, when there are big outbreaks there, we will have to worry about new variants that are more harmful to the people of this country and of course they will spread around the world.” India first discovered variant B.1.617 in October 2020 and WHO classified it as a “variant of concern” at a global level due to its more contagious nature and higher mortality. as well as being resistant to many current vaccines and treatments. According to reports, this variant has appeared in at least 17 countries. Explaining the cause of the current devastating COVID-19 “tsunami” in South Asia, experts say that the region is inherently densely populated, with a large number of poor living together in the Narrow spaces in the slums of the city or rural areas turn this into “fertile ground” for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to rage. Currently more than 35% of the about 800 million poor people worldwide are struggling with the pandemic living in South Asia. People wait in line for the COVID-19 vaccine to be vaccinated in Kalutara, Sri Lanka. Photo: THX / TTXVN As one of the poorest countries in the world, Nepal was hit by a pandemic while still sinking in serious crises after the 2015 earthquake disaster. Currently, 44% of health care facilities here are damaged after The earthquake has not yet been reconstructed, more than 70% of the population has to earn a living by informal jobs so they do not have access to the social safety net. Since 2015, an additional 700,000 Nepalese have fallen into the poverty line. High density of the population, the proportion of people who are malnourished and have no income are factors that increase the risk of COVID-19 more easily and make medical care almost impossible. Although Nepal has increased its border controls and imposed blockades in heavily affected areas, including the capital, Kathmandu, experts fear that is not enough to keep the virus from spreading. As fast as a wind from the Kathmandu valley to the foot of Mount Everest. Meanwhile, the Maldives archipelago has an economy dependent on tourism, so it reopened the border to international tourists since July 2020 after 3 months of blockade, becoming the first country to celebrate. welcome foreign tourists in the midst of a pandemic still raging around the world. Until India’s other neighbors have begun to close their borders and impose a travel ban, resorts in the Maldives still welcome Bollywood stars and Indian citizens who want to visit the island nation. avoid the domestic epidemic crisis. As a result, early May, the Center for Medical Emergencies (HEOC) Maldives said hospital admissions had tripled in just a few days and that a new variant of the virus could have entered the island nation. In Sri Lanka, in the early days of May, the number of new infections in the day quickly exceeded the peak of the first wave in February. Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi admitted this was the result of mass gatherings in New Year’s Eve (April 13-14), when many people go to the streets to celebrate and go shopping. In Pakistan, schools and restaurants have been closed, shops have shortened hours of operation and troops have been deployed in response to the epidemic. But every night, groups of devout Muslims flock to temples across the country to pray, though Pakistani authorities have tightened restrictions on and banned travel during Eid al- Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Pakistan has recorded more than 861,000 cases and nearly 19,000 deaths, but the testing system in the country is very limited while the health care infrastructure is sagging, prompting experts to warn of epidemics. much worse. Home to half of the world’s poor, South Asian countries lack adequate public health facilities and are increasingly scarce in the medical supplies needed during a pandemic outbreak today. The countries in the region depend on India, the largest country in South Asia, for medical equipment and especially vaccines. However, India is also facing a serious shortage of both anti-epidemic products. The current very low vaccination rates in South Asia are one of the reasons the virus spreads “out of control”. According to UNICEF data, in most countries in the region, less than one tenth of the population is vaccinated. About 1.7 million out of nearly 30 million Nepalese people have just received the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Among them, 380 thousand people received the second shot. It is also worrying that investment in public health in most countries remains modest. According to World Bank (WB) data, in 2017, Sri Lanka invested about 2% of GDP in public health, Bangladesh at 2.27% of GDP, the figure in Pakistan was 2.9% and 3 , 19% are in Bhutan, while the US is 17.06%, Austria is 10.4%, and Brazil 9.47%. Due to limited investment in health, most South Asian countries are “ragged” in the pandemic. For example, Nepal has about 1,600 hospital beds with active treatment and less than 600 ventilators, on average 0.7 doctors will care for 100,000 people. Sri Lanka, at a rate of 3.6 hospital beds for every 1,000 people and 1,200 people with only 1 doctor, quickly fell into overcrowding due to the pandemic. Cremation of patients dying from COVID-19 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: THX / TTXVN Moreover, since South Asia is one of the two regions with the highest poverty rates in the world (along with the southern Sahara), experts warn the consequences of this outbreak for South Asia will be. very cruel. According to the World Bank, COVID-19, which has been raging for more than a year, can push an additional 115 million people deep into poverty and most of the “new poor class” will be concentrated in South Asia. It can be said that the “terrible storm” COVID-19 that swept through India has also swept into other poor countries of South Asia. Dr. Netra Prasad Timsina, of the Red Cross of Nepal, warned “what is happening in India right now is the terrible future of South Asian countries” if we do not take drastic action. IFRC Asia Pacific Director Alexander Matheou also affirmed, “We need to act now, quickly to have hope of preventing this disaster,” because the virus “does not distinguish borders and strains are spreading throughout Asia “. South Asia is the region that accounts for 25% of the world’s population and whether the region can overcome the COVID-19 crisis will determine the “success or failure” of the fight against the global pandemic.

The new leadership of Vietnam: General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue. Photo: VNA * Letter and congratulatory letter to the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc: – Indonesia (Indonesia) President of Indonesia (Joko Widodo); – Governor-general of New Zealand, Ba Pát-si Rét-go (Patsy Reddy); – President of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka) Wood-we-fly-a Ra-in-PAC-sa (Gotabaya Rajapaksa); – The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Republic of Azerbaijan) Indonesia (Ilham Aliev); – The President of the Kyrgyz Republic (The Kyrgyz Republic) ZehauPop (Sadyr Japarov). * Letter of congratulation to the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh: – Indonesia’s President Jonathan (Joko Widodo); – Prime Minister New Zealand of Giapanda A- single (Jacinda Ardern); – Prime Minister of Buan (Bhutan) Lo-tay Sot ring (Lotay Tshering); – Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan A-Zau Dop (Ali Asadov). * Letter and congratulatory letter to the President of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue: – The Chairman of the House of Representatives of New Zealand Tremorah (Trevor Mallard); – Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian FederationVyacheslav Volodin. * On the occasion of Comrade Bui Thanh Son was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Foreign Minister New Zealand Ba Naagua Ma-hu-ta (Nanaia Mahuta), Foreign Minister Sri Lanka Di-net Guana black (Dinesh Gunawardena) sent a congratulatory letter. https://dulich.petrotimes.vn/

Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport is located in Mattala town, Hambantota district (Sri Lanka), considered the quietest airport in the world. According to Forbes, almost no passengers arrive at this airport for travel purposes, because the number of operated flights is too low. Photo: Forbes. Most of the visitors to the airport are visitors from nearby wildlife parks. They were curious to see what the world’s quietest airport would look like. The airport was named after the then President of Sri Lanka (Mahinda Rajapaksa) and was opened in 2013. Photo: Wade Shepard. The airport is located in a forested area 250 km from the capital Colombo. The 12,000-square-meter terminal includes 12 check-in counters, two gates, a 3500 m long runway capable of receiving the largest line of commercial jets with a capacity of one million passengers per year. However, during more than 7 years of operation, the airport is extremely deserted despite its close proximity to famous tourist destinations such as Arugam Bay and Yala National Park. Photo: Forbes. There are very few aircraft anchored at this airport. “There are very few other sounds, no flight announcements through the speakers, no scenes of crowded passengers or the sight of a taxi driver trying to solicit passengers. The corridors are empty, no one. Except for me, “said Forbes reporter Wade Shepard. Photo: Wade Shepard. In fact, MRIA airport still has full services such as information kiosks and support staff, cleaning workers, souvenir stalls, coffee shops and security guards. Full service and only no passengers to service. Photo: Wade Shepard. The airport is part of the plan to create Hambantota to become the second largest city in Sri Lanka, attracting foreign investment and becoming a destination for international trade and transactions. In addition to the airport, Sri Lanka also built a huge deep-water port costing more than $ 1.4 billion, an industrial park, a convention center, a stature cricket stadium, and resort hotel. and a modern highway system. Photo: Wade Shepard. However, many experts assess Mattala town is not an ideal area for urban development. This is just a small fishing village, surrounded by jungle. In 2020, MRIA’s total passenger capacity is only about 20,610 seats, much lower than other airports in the world. In 2019, the airport’s passenger capacity is only about 19,600 people. On average, the airport serves only 55 passengers a day. There are times a day the airport only serves 10-20 passengers. Photo: Wade Shepard. The road leading to the airport is also deserted, with no traffic or tourists. The national airline of Sri Lanka has stopped operating the route here. The airport reported a loss of about 18 million USD / year. To finance the construction of mega-projects, Sri Lanka borrowed at least US $ 4.8 billion from China. Mattala Rajapaksa Airport alone has been invested hundreds of millions of dollars. Photo: Wade Shepard. The government is using the airport for a number of other purposes such as renting warehouses and stations to store rice, and runways with long-term parking. The government also mobilized up to 300 soldiers and police to prevent wildlife from appearing on the runway. Staff were also cut. Airport management said that initially there were 600 employees, then cut it down to 300, or even lower. Photo: Wade Shepard.

After sunset in Jaffna, Anthony Vigrado dived into the waters of Palk Bay to catch sea cucumbers – a prickly skin creature that has grown in value and has been his main source of income for the past 12 years.

But after 10 hours of searching, what he got is a fraction of what he used to be. The reason is that sea cucumbers have been extensively exploited in the northern coasts of Sri Lanka and southern India.

Treasures of the sea

“Illegal fishermen are fishing illegally in the places where we often dive for sea cucumbers. We are losing income and a livelihood for them, ”said the 31-year-old fisherman.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms with a soft, tubular body resembling a vegetable of the same name. Photo: Guardian.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms with a soft, tubular body resembling a vegetable of the same name. They are an unusual animal but play an important role in the marine ecosystem. When they eat debris in sediments, they regenerate nutrients and excrete nitrogen, ammonia and calcium carbonate – components that make up coral reefs. Sea cucumber also helps slow ocean acidification due to human activity.

The demand for sea cucumbers is huge in China and Southeast Asian countries, where they are processed into delicious dishes and used in traditional remedies. Dried sea cucumber is called calche-de-mer or trepang. They are also considered by many, especially China, an aphrodisiac.

This has made the sea cucumber trade become “super profitable”. Therefore, this animal is in danger of extinction. In the 1980s, sea cucumber was priced below 70 USD / kg, now the price has increased to more than 270 USD / kg. The rare species cost up to nearly 3,500 USD / kg.

Over the years, sea cucumbers in Palk Bay and Mannar Bay are overfished. For the most expensive species, the number of individuals has dropped by more than 60% globally.

Fishermen harvested sea cucumbers caught on Mannar Bay. Photo: Guardian.

Now, this tiny tropical island has become a hotspot for smuggling and illegal sea cucumber fishing. Like Vigrado, more than 10,000 fishing families living along Sri Lanka’s north coast are anxious about their livelihoods.

Chamari Dissanayake, Senior Lecturer in Zoology at Sri Jayewardenepura University in Sri Lanka, said: “The number of sea cucumbers is plummeting due to overfishing. It affects the biodiversity and the livelihoods of coastal fishermen who have long depended on this profession ”.

Vigrado said many illegal fishing boats damaged the facilities and equipment of local fishermen to catch sea cucumbers, causing some people to commit suicide because they could not pay the debt.

“They are grabbing everything”

AM Stanny Lambert, a 31-year-old fisherman from Vankalai in Mannar, said he was sad and angry at these crimes.

“It was unethical and we were stuck, because they were doing everything in front of us,” he said. Lambert and his father have been licensed to fish for 11 years and are the breadwinner of the family.

Most reported offenses take advantage of different regulations from neighboring countries. While Sri Lanka issued fishing permits and permits the export of sea cucumbers, India has completely banned all trade in these animals since 2001.

As a result, sea cucumbers are illegally caught in India and smuggled into Sri Lanka, where they are legally exported to Southeast Asia, or exported from India under fake labels.

Marine animal protection forces in Lakshadweep Islands, India seized 486 sea cucumbers died in March 2021. Photo: Lakshadweep Forest Management Board.

In August 2020, three men were caught smuggling nearly 1,000 kg of sea cucumber from Tamil Nadu in India to Sri Lanka via Mannar Bay. The Indian Coast Guard priced these sea cucumbers to nearly $ 700,000 in the international market. A similar case was reported in March 2021.

Teale Phelps Bondaroff, research director at OceansAsia, an organization that recently mapped sea cucumber arrests and seizures in the two countries, said: “If you have a legitimate market near a market, illegal, legal markets will become huge “fish wash” dens.

Exhausted

For many years, the Sri Lankan and Indian authorities have worked to combat this type of marine crime. But the growing number of arrests shows that illegal trade is spreading to areas that have never been affected before.

Nowadays, as the value of animals is increasing, exploitation is also becoming more common. Great demand for sea cucumbers has led to deadly violence in Mexico, related to yakuza criminal organizations in Japan, and smuggling between Tanzania and Zanzibar.

According to OceansAsia, the network of organized sea cucumber fishing and smuggling criminals is spreading from the Palk Bay and Mannar Bay into untapped areas of the Lakshadweep alliance, an archipelago off the west coast. South India.

Wild island of Suheli in Lakshadweep. Photo: Guardian.

In the largest recorded arrest, disclosure from local fishermen in February 2020 helped authorities find 1,716 sea cucumbers worth nearly $ 580,000 hidden in nearby coral reefs. Suheli deserted island.

“Resource depletion may be the main reason these people are looking for new locations. Lakshadweep is still pristine, which may be why merchants moved there, ”said Sajan John, head of the Marine Projects and Policy Management Unit at Wildlife Trust of India.

Realizing the seriousness of the crime of selling sea cucumbers, the local government reacted strongly. In February 2020, the world’s first sea cucumbers conservation area was established in Lakshadweep, anti-theft bases were established across the islands and Lakshadweep Sea cucumber Protection Task Force was established. established with the help of the Central Bureau of Investigation of India.

A batch of 416 dead sea cucumbers was seized on a deserted island off Perumal in Lakshadweep in March 2021. Photo: Lakshadweep Forest Management Board.

“The people of Lakshadweep understand the importance of sea cucumber because their livelihood depends on fishing. When sea cucumbers are affected, other fisheries are also affected, ”said Sivakumar Kuppusamy, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Wildlife.

But as the majority of illegally-caught and trafficked sea cucumbers continue to be smuggled into Sri Lanka, Kuppusamy agrees that while it is important to stop this illegal supply chain, educate the fighters. Illegally catching sea cucumbers correctly appreciates the importance of this animal is also important to protect them.

“We have to convince them of the role of sea cucumber in the ecosystem. Without sea cucumbers, they are jeopardizing the sea, ”he said. “That’s when they begin to realize that their livelihoods and their children’s futures will be affected.”

“Break that illegal supply chain and convince the fishermen – we have to do both. If not, this business will continue to grow ”.

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Many customers visiting and shopping at the 30th Vietnam International Trade Fair had the opportunity to enjoy Ceylon tea – processed and produced from Sri Lanka.

Mr. Trung Dung (Hanoi) shared that he had heard the name of Ceylon (Ceylon) tea for a long time, but this was the first time he tasted it. The first impression of the world’s most famous tea produced in Sri Lanka, Trung Dung said, the tea has a rich aroma, the taste is very sweet, and the aroma is delicate. However, because he is accustomed to the sweetness of Vietnamese green tea, Trung Dung believes that this product will suit Vietnamese women more than men.

Ms. Thu Hoai (Nam Dinh) said that she was very impressed with the rich but not harsh aroma of Ceylon tea. This product easily immerses the drinker in the most relaxed and lucid. This product is very suitable to drink while relaxing and can be mixed with milk to become a delicious and favorite milk tea for women.

Ceylon tea – a famous specialty of Sri Lanka was introduced at the 30th Vietnam International Trade Fair.

Sharing about Ceylon tea products, Ms. Prasadi Boomawalage, Third Secretary of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Vietnam, said that in addition to tea produced and packaged from Sri Lanka, there is now also Ceylon tea produced from Vietnamese raw materials but processed according to the special formula of Sri Lanka. This is a product that strengthens the friendship between Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is the world’s 4th largest tea exporter; second only to China, India and Kenya. Tea production and processing is also one of the key economic sectors of this country with over 20 million people.

Sri Lanka is known as a tea-growing paradise because of the ideal conditions of climate, soil, sunlight and density of rain. Sri Lanka’s Ceylon tea is believed to contain more antioxidants and health benefits than other teas due to its soil, climate, and processing methods.