The Cabinet has approved two bilateral agreements aimed at cross-border crime, one with South Korea covering criminal investigations and one with China covering immigration control.
Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Nalinda Jayatissa announced both at the weekly post-Cabinet briefing.
South Korea: evidence, documents and information
Ministers cleared a proposal to sign a Mutual Legal Assistance agreement in criminal matters with South Korea.
“The agreement allows mutual cooperation between the states to gather evidence, serve judicial documents, and exchange information to investigate or prosecute criminal offenses across borders,” Jayatissa told reporters, EconomyNext reported.
The idea is not new. It was first proposed in 2023, but the agreement was never signed. EconomyNext did not report why it stalled, or when the signing will now take place.
China: border management and intelligence sharing
The second agreement is between Sri Lanka’s Department of Immigration and Emigration and China’s National Immigration Administration, and is aimed at enhancing institutional coordination, intelligence sharing and border management.
Jayatissa described its purpose as “facilitating visa and immigration matters for citizens engaged in business, investment, and tourism, while taking strict measures against organized crime and trafficking of persons,” EconomyNext reported.
It also provides for official visits between the heads of the two institutions and for training workshops for immigration officers.
The proposal was cleared by the Attorney General and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism before reaching Cabinet.
The minister was asked whether arrests prompted it
Pressed on whether the China agreement was a response to arrests connected to online scam operations, Jayatissa rejected the link.
“There is no link between those arrests and the MoUs we enter into. This agreement comes as a result of extensive discussions held over a considerable period,” he said.
He described the partnership as a broader institutional initiative covering capacity building, information exchange and security cooperation, rather than a reaction to specific cases.
What has not been reported
Neither report gave a signing date for either agreement, said whether either requires parliamentary approval, or set out what changes in practice for Sri Lankan authorities handling a request from Seoul or Beijing. Neither said whether the agreements carry any obligation in the other direction — for example on extradition, which mutual legal assistance treaties typically do not cover.
EconomyNext was the only verified newsroom carrying either decision at the time of writing.
Context
Both pacts extend an existing pattern of institutional agreements with the two governments. Sri Lanka and South Korea already have substantial financial ties, including the restructuring of US$267 million in EDCF debt, and Korea remains a major destination for Sri Lankan migrant workers — a group for whom cross-border evidence-gathering has practical consequences.
The China agreement arrives as Beijing’s diplomatic engagement in Colombo has been visible: the newly appointed ambassador Wei Huaxiang met JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva on Monday. China also remains Sri Lanka’s largest bilateral creditor, at US$5.007 billion.
