Sri Lanka showcased strong commitment to sustainable financing at the Fifth Session of the Committee on Macroeconomic Policy, Poverty Reduction and Financing for Development held in Bangkok.
The Fifth Session of the Committee on Macroeconomic Policy, Poverty Reduction and Financing for Development was held from 19-21 November 2025 at the Unite Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. The Session was opened by Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). During the opening session, special remarks were made by H.E. Ahmed Mazin, Minister of State for
Finance and Planning of Maldives, Mr. Benjarong Suwankiri, Vice-Minister of Finance of Thailand and the Secretary-General of UNCTAD. The meeting brought together key member States,
including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Türkiye, the United States of America, and Viet Nam, reflecting strong regional engagement in advancing inclusive and sustainable development financing.
Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bangkok Hosts “Sri Lanka: Your Next Best Destination”, Tourism Promotional Evening, to Mark the 70th Anniversary of Sri Lanka–Thailand Diplomatic Relations
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bangkok in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and Sri Lankan Airlines, organized “Sri Lanka: Your Next Best Destination”, Tourism Promotional Evening, on 24 November 2025 at the Avani Riverside Hotel, Bangkok, to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Thailand.
A second group of over 80 Sri Lankans, who were stranded in various cities in Thailand due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, were repatriated to Sri Lanka from Bangkok-Thailand this morning (21), via a special Sri Lankan Airlines charter flight UL 403, organized by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bangkok.
The special flight that had onboard a few Buddhist monks, students, Sri Lankans who were on short term visit visas to Thailand, and several others on humanitarian grounds, arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, on Saturday 21 August 2020 morning. All repatriated individuals will undergo the necessary medical tests, and will be directed by the Sri Lankan security forces and health authorities to the mandatory quarantine centers, both State-sponsored and self-paid private hotels, designated by the Government of Sri Lanka.
This special repatriation flight that arrived in Bangkok on 21 August early morning also carried a group of Thai citizens, and Sri Lankans who have received reentry permission to Thailand, and the inward trip from Colombo to Bangkok was organized by the Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo and HE Madam Chulamanee Chartsuwan, the Ambassador of Thailand to Sri Lanka.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bangkok acknowledged the close cooperation and prompt directions received from the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Sri Lanka, including from Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, The COVID Task Force at the Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry’s COVID-19 Focal Point, in making this repatriation process a success. The Embassy also received excellent support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and the staff of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, by timely facilitating the repatriation of this second group of Sri Lankans from Thailand, who had been registered with the Embassy and in the ‘Contact Sri Lanka’ online portal created by the Ministry of Foreign Relations, requesting assistance to return to Sri Lanka. We thank for the support of the National Carrier – Sri Lankan Airlines, Mr. Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Sales and the Head Office team and to Mr. Riza Yusoof, Manager, Bangkok and the team, for all the facilitation and cooperation through this entire process.
Dr. Nenette Motus, the Director of the Regional Office of International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bangkok and IOM Colombo deserves our sincere appreciation for their prompt and generous responses and support received under the Assisted and Voluntary Return and Repatriation (AVRR) project for Bali Process Member States.
Earlier in the month, the Embassy also made arrangements to repatriate a Group of 87 Sri Lankans in Phnom Phen Cambodia via Singapore.
