Features
Day three of April 1971 insurrection, on duty at Hambantota/Kataragama
by Capt F.R.A.B.Musafer 4th Regt SLA (Retd)
Very early in the morning the OIC Inspector Arthanayake informed us that the Katargama Police station had been attacked but was successfully repulsed. We immediately proceeded towards Kataragama. When near the Tissa rest house I heard a shot that happened to be a rifle being discharged. This was an unfortunate incident, a mentally retarded person happened to break the curfew and when challenged had run away and was fired upon killing him.It was harrowing sight to see a family member wailing over the dead body. I felt bad that this incident happened in broad daylight and unnecessarily. The police arrived at the scene soon after and asked us to proceed to Kataragama.
Months later unknown to me this death had been investigated by the Field Security Division. This was a division that was created in 1970 to provide for the security of the Prime Minister and it also screened applicants hoping to join the armed services and among other things the anonymous petitions against serving service personnel of other political affiliations.
The FSD was headed by Major Denzil Kobekadduwa who was a political victim of the previous regime but as all and sundry knew was a perfect officer and gentleman. In 1970 on his return to the Army he captained the Army rugger team having already captained the Kandy Sports Club and represented Sri Lanka.
During his period of interdiction he was not allowed to enter any Army establishment or premises and as a result the Army vs. Kandy Sports Club Clifford Cup matches had to be played on neutral grounds and many a serving officer dared not be even seen with him. This was not the case when he was reinstated and exerted plenty of influence with the government in power. During the insurgency he was in England following a staff officers course.
The inquiry may have been instigated by an anonymous petition or on the strength of what happened in Kataragama later under Lt Alfred Wijesuriya (a volunteer army officer) where the local beauty queen, Miss Premawathie Manamperi, alleged to be a JVP sympathiser was allegedly raped, shot and left to die in a shallow grave. It transpired later that the bullet that killed her was fired by a soldier to put her out of her misery.
Lt Wijesuriya was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He suffered a fatal heart attack and died in prison a few years later. It was reported that the co-accused was murdered on his release from prison at Matara.
I was totally unaware that an investigation to the death at Tissamaharama was conducted until conveyed to me by one in the FSD unit who happened to be a rugby player a year later when I captained the Army rugby team in 1972. There were no formal charges laid which I presume cleared me of any blame for this death. Nevertheless it was an unfortunate and needless death under my watch that remains as a scar in my mind and conscience.
On our way to Kataragama which was not under my area of operations, we encountered a bus load of students from Trinity College who happened to have stayed overnight at Kataragama I can’t recall if they had witnessed or seen anything. Although a curfew was in operation we allowed them to proceed and make their way to Hambantota. They were put up by the GA till it was safe to return to Kandy.
At Kataragama we found the Police station had been attacked. The power and telephone lines had been cut. The police had been prepared and had successfully repulsed the attack. We were told that an injured insurgent had taken refuge in a nearby temple and proceeded towards the temple. Sitting at the entrance was this young man staring in a daze, bare bodied in a sarong with his hands across his blood soaked and swollen face. He had a bullet lodged in his face that had not exited and was in great pain.
I assumed this would have been from a semi automatic weapon or a shotgun pellet. There were some locals around but they were quite calm and showed no signs of any anger but pity. The police who accompanied me on the other hand suggested that I bump him off. They had an impression that the Army had the license to kill. I very politely told them that I could not do so and that I had to account for every round of ammunition. Much to their disappointment we took him and dropped him off at the Tissa Hospital.
Later in the day we headed for Hambantota and heard through our regimental wireless link that the Polonnaruwa police station had been attacked and the army had killed many insurgents. They had been dressed in blue uniforms and had come in buses. Speaking to Lt Lionel Balagalla months later, he told me he had heard of the attack at Wellawaya on the regimental net and on April 5 evening was tipped off that the Polonnaruwa police station was to be attacked and as a result was prepared for it.
The insurgents walked into a trap set up by the police and the army and as a result suffered very heavy losses. The siege went on till the early hours of April 6. Lionel told me that the resolve of the insurgents was strong, demonstrated by an insurgent who was seriously wounded and dying but still trying to grasp a homemade bomb and throw it .
He also told me that there was a magisterial inquiry held that day as this was the first time in the history of Sri Lanka that so many were killed by the army and police in an internal security operation. The use of weapons in any IS operation had a cardinal rule that the “minimum of force” was to be exercised at all times. The strategy of the insurgents was to overrun the police station with a human wave, they certainly had the superior numbers though not the weapons and were mowed down by rifle and machine gun fire.
Lionel was glad of the inquiry as he was fearful of the repercussions if this was an isolated incident. He treasured the piece of paper that cleared him of any wrong doing although the numbers did not tally to an article written later by a police officer who put the number at over 130. There were no mass graves, the bodies were cremated in the cemetery with probably no record of their identities. Lt Lionel Balagalla ended his military career as the Army Commander and retired as a Lieutenant General .
Weerawila abandoned on April 7
We totally abandoned Weerawila and moved into the Hambantota police station from which we would operate as a mobile force and patrol the area at night. There were reports that there were many police stations that had fallen to insurgent hands and more attacks expected. It was not an encouraging picture. That night we continued to patrol the roads aided by dusk to dawn curfews that was a common occurrence.
News was coming through that the Warakapola police station together with several other police stations had fallen. It was a very worrying situation. We were tuning in to BBC, ABC and the Voice of America for news on a world transistor owned by a gunner. Local radio were guarded in the news conveyed.
Communications were difficult as our battery operated radio equipment could not be charged as there was no electricity, this was previously done at the CTB depot at Kataragama. We were worried that if the police stations were overrun we would be isolated and even contemplated an exit strategy by sea. There was not much a single platoon could do.
Hambantota April 8
In a wireless conversation the adjutant Capt Samarakoon in very flattering and in unbelievable terms said that I was the ‘ Supreme Commander of Hambantota” and was no longer to take orders from the Government Agent. He had a tendency to exaggerate but I was flabbergasted as I was only a lieutenant with only a platoon under my command and a big responsibility shoved on my shoulders to oversee an entire district.
He mentioned that coordinating officers were to be appointed and till such time I was to take charge and take any action I thought fit. I conveyed this communication to the GA who was taken by surprise as he had not received anything official to this effect and asked me if he had done something wrong. I told him that the situation island wide had deteriorated to such an extent that total military intervention was necessary and assured him it was not a coup. He assured me of all the support he could extend.
Denzil Kobekadduwa
There were many curfews enforced from time to time. Some for a period of 24 hours which caused a lot of hardship and inconvenience more so for the townsfolk rather than those in the villages. As water was a commodity in short supply in Hambantota, parents opted to send their children to collect water having instructed them to raise their hands at the sight of an army patrol. We had to turn a blind eye to enforcing the curfew. Rumours were afloat that the curfew was imposed to facilitate the receipt of weapons from foreign sources and to consolidate the positions in the ground with some foreign troops..
Some of the police stations were ordered to withdraw to Hambantota and Tangalle.
Reinforcements from Colombo on April 9
On the morning of April 9 I was informed that there were two volunteer platoons being sent to assist me to take back Tissamaharama supposedly in insurgent hands. and then move to Tangalle by nightfall. Meanwhile we received the news that Capt Noel Weerakoon had been killed in an ambush on April 8 at Rambewa/Welioya together with bombadier Munasinghe and the civilian driver of the jeep.
He and his troops were being airlifted to Anuradhpura but as the airfield was in the hands of the insurgents the plane was diverted to Vavuniya. Alternative arrangements were made to travel to Anuradhapura by road. Determined to reach his objective he made the fatal decision to travel at night. His dedication and commitment to follow orders cost him his life. His body was retrieved from the riverbed at the site of the ambush by sergeant Ameer who had returned the enemy fire and caused the insurgents to retreat.
It was Capt Weerakoon’s men I was commanding and that was a devastating blow to them, a much loved officer. It affected their morale and also brought to our realization that the situation was becoming a serious problem with the army and police on the back foot.
Lt Mohan Mootatamby was recalled from his deployment at Hingurakgoda and sent to take over command of the platoon which was at Vavuniya. He was the sole passenger of an Air Ceylon plane, something he was very proud of stating that no one else ever had that privilege as a lieutenant let alone a general or even a head of state.
There was talk that the army cantonment at Panagoda had been attacked and it was later confirmed that Gunner Beckmeyer had been killed by friendly fire at the panic and confusion that prevailed in the vicinity of the artillery officers mess. If there really was an insurgent attack on the cantonment is unknown to me. There were many unconfirmed reports of police stations being withdrawn or taken over by the JVP.
That afternoon the two volunteer platoons arrived in Hambantota under the command of Lt Alfred Wijesuriya and Lt Gallapatti. The meeting was not a cordial one as Lt Wijesuriya refused to take orders from me. I was taken aback at his decision and was also not impressed by the beret he wore, one worn by the French Resistance fighters. He insisted that he was to report to the GA to which I responded by taking him to the wireless set and contacted Capt Samarakoon who once again confirmed that I was in charge; and the Supreme Commander, protocol was, though senior in age and equal in rank I was his senior by virtue of being a regular officer.
A few hours later we made plans to proceed to Tissamaharama. Before I left the Divisional Revenue Officer came up to me with a glass of gin and tonic saying that he might never see me alive again. Tired as I was I had to refuse his kind offer. He was wrong, there was no opposition whatsoever. It was ghost town with hardly a person in sight. The town had not been taken over but simply abandoned and untouched since the police had withdrawn. Having reached the main town square I drove past the town to see if the areas ahead were safe and secure whilst the volunteer troops had alighted from their vehicles.
On my return I was shocked to see some volunteer troops and a few policeman looting the shops. They had in their hands bales of cloth and whatever was worthwhile. I told Lt Wijesuriya that his men were looting to which he replied that ‘Let them take what they want’. This was something I could not tolerate and I reacted by cocking my sterling sub machine gun and shouting out that “I would shoot anybody who did not return the goods they had taken;” they all responded by walking back to the shops that had been broken into and replaced the goods.
Among them was a police driver whom I knew as a youngster. He o had worked with my father was sheepishly returning the cash box still intact with the money inside. Soon after the chairman of the Town council appeared on the scene whose cooperation I sought to seal the doors of the shops broken into. An incident like this did not augur well, as proved subsequently with the murder of the local beauty queen.
Having done that we drove to the Tissa police station where the two volunteer unit platoons were to take up positions that night They appeared to be inexperienced and lacking in basic military skills. I suppose it was the first time that they were deployed in this role as the volunteers would have in the past been used in noncombatant roles of static guards providing security to key installations. This was a different scenario as it was an attacking unconventional force we were encountering.
firozm@optusnet.com.au
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
