Sri Lanka permits Chinese ship to dock after postponement
By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A Chinese research ship will be allowed to dock in a Sri Lankan port after a days-long delay apparently because of concerns raised by India. The Yuan Wang 5 had been scheduled to dock last Thursday in Sri Lanka’s southern Hambantota port. The ministry said the ship will now arrive Tuesday and anchor there until Aug. 22 after China’s reapplication for clearance was approved. Sri Lanka did not give any specific reason for its earlier request to China to postpone the ship’s arrival, but India’s security concerns over the presence of the ship close to its southern borders are a likely reason.