Ex-BoI Chief backs Prez on ECT deal

Former BoI Chief, Upul Jayasuriya, yesterday (19) said that Sri Lanka should go ahead with the Indian investment at the Colombo port, regardless of protests.

Asked for his stand on the proposed Advani Group’s investment at the East Container Terminal (ECT), the one-time BASL President said that the Indian investment couldn’t have been made at a better time.

“We are struggling to cope with the deteriorating economic situa, against the backdrop of the global Covid-19 epidemic. The government shouldn’t succumb to trade union pressure under any circumstances,” Jayasuriya said.

Jayasuriya appreciated the stand taken by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Pointing out the previous government entered into a MoC (Memorandum of Cooperation) with India and Japan in respect of ECT in late May 2019, Jayasuriya said that the country needed foreign investment.

Trade unions affiliated to various political parties shouldn’t be allowed to sabotage what Jayasuriya called a vital foreign investment that could further strengthen bonds between Sri Lanka and India. (SF)