Sri Lanka to handle Iranian vessel under int'l law: president

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Thursday that the government has taken over operations concerning the Iranian ship IRIS Bushehr and its crew under international conventions as a neutral state, as authorities move to bring the crew ashore and relocate the ship away from the country's main commercial harbor.

Dissanayake told a news conference that IRIS Bushehr reported to Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 4, and sought permission to enter a Sri Lankan port. He said the government decided not to bring the vessel into the Port of Colombo due to commercial sensitivities. Instead, Sri Lanka will transfer the crew to Colombo by naval vessels and then move the ship to the Trincomalee Port area in the country's east.