Colombo, March 20 -- Sri Lanka refused permission for two US warplanes to land at Mattala International Airport in the island's south-east early this month, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament on Friday.
According to Dissanayake, the aircraft, coming from Djibouti, requested landing on March 4 and March 8, but both requests were denied. "We want to maintain our neutrality despite many pressures. We won't give in. The West Asia war poses challenges but we will do everything possible to remain neutral," Daily Mirror quoted him as saying in the parliament.
"They wanted to bring in two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles, and we said no," the president added.
The statement comes a day after Dissanayake met with Sergi...