Features
Hingurakgoda Airport
by Guwan Seeya
In the early nineties, the Hingurakgoda (Mineriya) Airport was nominated to be upgraded as an alternative airport to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) ‘out of the blue’ with financial aid from Australia. During this time at a regional conference of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controller Associations (IFATCA) held in Sri Lanka, a member of the Air Line Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka commented about the ‘end users’ not being consulted on matters such as these (Meaning the Airline Pilots). Then another commented saying that the real end users were the passengers. To that the Chairman of that segment of the conference replied without hesitation that the passengers were the ‘victims’. The project eventually was shelved for unknown reasons.
Now again the Government of Sri Lanka is keen on making Hingurakgoda an International Airport by investing Rupees17 Billion. If at all, it is felt that it should be developed as a ‘Domestic’ Airport only. That is as recommended by a World Bank (WB) report titled ‘Options Study for Private Sector Participation in the Development of the Domestic Airport Sector in Sri Lanka’ promulgated in 2016. In fact, the WB consultants had shortlisted a maximum of five airports as potential Domestic Airports where facilities could be developed. They being Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), Sigiriya Airport or Hingurakgoda Airport, Batticoloa International Airport and Jaffna International Airport.
I quote from the report.
“As a maximum of five airports must be shortlisted for consideration in the later stages of this study, it is proposed that the five highest scoring existing airports above are shortlisted over the concept of development of a new airport at Digana (Kandy). This is for a number of reasons including the relatively low aviation demand across the forecast period and the need to build a new airport instead of simply to renovate/redevelop an existing air field as for the others shortlisted. (It must be stated here that even Lord Mountbatten didn’t fly to Kandy or Peradeniya, but flew to Mawathagama Airport, Kurunegala and then went by road.)
Key conclusions from the above:
It was concluded that Jaffna and Sigiriya would not provide enough demand in the short-term (2020) to provide what the airlines would consider a minimum schedule (five flights per week of a forty-two seat ATR42 with a 68% load factor).
Jaffna has more perceived upside in the
long term and was therefore included in the shortlist of five airports for further consideration.
Infrastructure Investment Needs
The Consultant undertook site visits to each of the shortlisted airports to assess their infrastructure requirements to facilitate domestic services. Aside from a small amount of investment required at Sigiriya and Jaffna, all airports have the necessary hard infrastructure to cope with regular ATR 42 type services. Most of the airports do not have well developed commercial facilities but these are not considered required infrastructure. However, the lack of commercial facilities will impact the revenue estimates.” (See Table)
As can be seen from the Table 10.2,
* BIA No need for further facilities. A Terminal to handle domestic passengers underway.
Current construction should be completed by the end of 2015
* MI(R)A No investment required
Poor connectivity has caused most of the flights calling at MIRA to be cancelled or changed to BIA. There is also a lack of commercial development
(3a) Sigiriya
USD 115,000
Confirmed potential for upper end tourism market. There is an
Investment required as only 900 metres of usable runway are available.
(3b) Hingurakgoda
No investment required.
Large runway, terminal building, poor condition of access
(when compared with Sigiriya)
* Batticaloa Investment none, if resurfaced
Renovation of the airfield as a domestic airport commenced work is completed in 2012. These improvements include a recently constructed terminal building. The SLAF is resurfacing the runway and apron at a cost of approximately $13 million.
* Jaffna USD 760,000
Military nature of the airport is a major challenge. The runway
is 2305 x 45 metres (7145ft X 140 ft) with a central section of 950 metres (2945ft) having been resurfaced courtesy of an Indian grant. The cost of this was estimated at $8 million, though there were substantial additional costs in additional earthworks to correct a side slope. The apron and remainder of the runway are in a poor condition.
The site visits found that a significant amount of investment is not required in order to service the unconstrained demand forecasts. If higher demand and therefore larger planes were forecast, then the investment required would be substantial, except at BIA and MRIA that are equipped to handle such craft. The use of small aircraft means that only minor upgrades are required in Sigiriya and Jaffna.”
Readers, please note that the above refers to domestic Airports and not International.
Please also note that although the Colombo Airport Ratmalana has not been mentioned anywhere in the said WB report, not even as a domestic airport. However, it has now been classified by the Government as an ‘International Airport’ along with BIA (to the West), MRIA (to the South), Batticaloa International (to the East) and Jaffna International Airport (to the North).
The question is, in the light of an expected second wave of a Covid 19 like pandemic, do we need so many points of entry and exit in a small Island like ours? Are we not courting trouble?
Hingurakgoda (Mineriya) was established during WWII in 1942 to accommodate RAF Hawker Hurricanes, Supermarine Spitfires Fighter Planes and occasional bomber aircraft as it had a 7200 ft Runway. Today, a modern medium size jet like a B737 Max 8 will weigh about 82,000kg(180,400 lbs) or an Airbus A320 will weigh about 75,000kg (165,000lbs), A fully loaded WWII Consolidated B 34 Liberator would have weighed only about 25,000kg (55,000 lbs), (Less than half the weight of a modern day aircraft).
The ‘modus operandi’ at the tail end of WWII, was for these Civil Liberators operating out of Ceylon to Australia, to refuel up to a lower Maximum allowed Take-off weight with passengers out of the short runway in Ratmalana and then fly inland to Hingurakgoda which had a longer runway and refuel there while the passengers had lunch. We also know from reports that they had to over-load these combined BOAC and Qantas operated flights by almost 10,000 lbs over and above the authorised maximum take-off weight so that they could have the capacity to fly non-stop across the Indian Ocean to Learmonth airport, built exclusively to shorten the length of these long range flights and located in Western Australia. They preferred to fly across the ocean in the evening and night as the Navigator could then use the star shots (Astro-Navigation) to establish their position (There was no GPS in those days). In Civil Aviation, each organisation was left to its own devices that worked for them. (Law of the jungle?)
In 1951, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) promulgated the Annex 14 to the Chicago Convention of 1944 titled ‘Standards and Aerodrome Certification’
There, it is stated that a runway at an airport not only has to be long enough but also strong enough to accommodate certain types of aircraft that will carry an Aircraft Classification Number (ACN). All international airports in turn should carry a Pavement Classification Number (PCN). To be officially permitted to operate at an International airport the ACN cannot exceed the PCN.
The chances of the aircraft damaging the runway surface is great. It happened at the Ratmalana Airport in the late fifties when a heavy Bristol Britannia landed and tore up the top surface of the Runway on the landing-roll. Thus, rendering the runway useless for a while.
It could happen in Hingurakgoda too as there is no PCN declared. Even after renovation it is believed that the airport will be able to accommodate only ‘light to medium’ weight aircraft like Cessna 172,’s, Cessna 208’s, De Haviland Dash 8’s and certainly not Airbus A320 and Boeing B737 aircraft.
The Rs. 17 Billion allocated for Hingurakgoda could be better spent. The existing International airports except BIA and MRIA are lacking vital radio- navigational aids to be used during low visibility created by rain, fog, mist, smoke and haze. (Remember the SLAF crash at Hokandara?) There are higher aviation related priorities that the Government should concentrate on such as an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and a VHF Omni Radio-range with Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/ DME) for Colombo International Airport Ratmalana where all civil pilot training takes place.
An ILS and VOR/ DME for Jaffna International Airport. An ILS and VOR/ DME for Batticaloa.
Above all, BIA should establish a parallel second runway, north of the existing runway to accommodate anticipated Civil Air traffic increase. SLAF Katunayake personnel and aircraft squadrons should be transferred out to other SLAF bases including Hingurakgoda for the jet fighters.
The President should be fully implemented National Civil Aviation Policy 2017 passed by Parliament, ASAP.
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 . )
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