The 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Sri Lanka – Greater Mekong Business Council (SLGMBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was held recently, at the Hilton Colombo Residence. The event was graced by Mr. Le Van Huong, Deputy Head of Mission of Viet Nam; Ms. Prangtip Kongrittisuksakon, Counselor of Thailand, and Ms. Wint Wint Khaing Tun, Counselor of Myanmar.
Addressing the gathering Mr. Le Van Huong, Deputy Head of Mission of Viet Nam, spoke about the many similarities in history, geography, and culture between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam and emphasised opportunities for collaboration in textiles, agriculture, fisheries, food processing, logistics, and tourism. He commended the SLGMBC and the Ceylon Chamber for their vital role in strengthening bilateral business relations. Mr. Huong reaffirmed the Embassy’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurs in both countries and encouraged Sri Lankan businesses to explore investment and trade opportunities in Viet Nam.
Ms. Tun, highlighted Sri Lanka’s USD 9 million investments in Myanmar. She further noted that bilateral trade has more than doubled to USD 11.4 million in 2024–2025 and emphasised the opportunity to expand collaboration in tea, tourism, coconut products, IT, healthcare, and gems and jewellery.
Ms. Kongrittisuksakon meanwhile highlighted the, signing of the Sri Lanka – Thailand FTA as a new milestone in long-standing relations between Thailand and Sri Lanka. She added that this provided an opportunity for Thailand and Sri Lanka to join hands in bringing ancient and traditional wisdoms, combined with appropriate science and technology, to enhance sustainability and people’s well-being in both counties and highlighted the collaborative opportunities in food, agriculture, and health sectors, and also business matching activities in these sectors.
Mr. Nimal Ratnayake, Group Chief Marketing Officer of Lanka Hospitals Corporation PLC, was elected President for the year 2025-2026. In his address, Mr. Ratnayake highlighted the Council’s achievements over the past year, particularly in strengthening relationships with ASEAN nations such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar. He described the Greater Mekong region as a dynamic and rapidly growing economic hub, representing one of the world’s largest economies as part of the ASEAN community.
Mr. Tilak Gunawardane, Director/ Chief Financial Officer, MAC Holdings (Pvt) Ltd was elected Senior Vice President while Mr. Kamal Wimalaratne, Director/CEO, Advantis Projects and Engineering (Pvt) Ltd and Mr. Shameel Mohideen, Chief Executive Officer, Spillburg Holdings (Pvt) Ltd were elected Vice President and Treasurer respectively. Member companies, Advantis Freight Pvt Ltd, Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt) Ltd, Hayleys Advantis Limited, Rhino Roofing products Limited and Star Textiles Processing Industries were elected to the committee.
The SLGMBC is dedicated to strengthening trade, investment, and tourism relationships between Sri Lanka and Greater Mekong nations, including Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. The Council maintains strong diplomatic ties with Greater Mekong missions in Sri Lanka.
For further details regarding membership of the Council, please contact the Secretariat of the Sri Lanka – Greater Mekong Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, No. 50, Navam Mawatha, Colombo 2. E-mail: bizpromo@chamber.lk or Tel.: 011 5588829/ 5588800.