China will not have outright ownership to a portion of the land in the Colombo Port City nor it will be able to dock ships or planes without prior permission from the government under a revised agreement.
State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe
According to State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe the China-funded 270 hectare Port City will re-commence soon under a new agreement after deleting several clauses including the above.
The project is undertaken by the China Communication Construction Company and is an investment of about USD 1.5 billion. The project extends to about 270 hectares on a reclaimed land adjacent to the Colombo Port.
The agreement which was signed during the tenure of former government’s time gave outright ownership to China for a portion of the reclaimed land.
However according to Senasinghe this clause will be deleted. Also China will have to seek prior permission as any other country if it docks boats, ships or aircrafts in the port city premises.
Commenting on fears expressed by especially India and some other countries Senasinghe today stressed that Sri Lanka will not allow its soil to be used for military purposes by a foreign country.
The new agreement according to Senasinghe will be signed shortly after resolving legal and environmental issues.
According to Senasinghe an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the project has also been finalized clearing a major hurdle for the commencement of the project.
Jagath Fernando / November 1, 2015
No surprises.
It was a matter of Time before it was approved.
Too much of a risk to annoy China and also the project has gone too far to stop it.
A bi of shouting is ok to mislead the idiots in Colombo.
Good work yahapalanaya !!!
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Don Stanley / November 1, 2015
Chinese Islands in the South China Sea are already causing massive problems and the Philippines has gone to the International Court to protest against Chinese unilateral claims to the Spratly Island.
India will certainly start another war in northeast Lanka and Lanka will end up like Syria.
Chinese White elephant that are environmental disasters in Hambantota are bad enough without a white elephant in Colombo as well.,
Civil society must go on the offensive to stop this idiocy and environmental disaster in the making due to greed and Pathal Champika the megalomanic Minister of Mega Projects.
There is plenty of land in and around Colombo instead of claiming land in the sea and causing environmental disaster.. For whom is this land in anycase
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / November 1, 2015
This new position must be corroborated by China. Srilanka just issuing statements to hoodwink the masses and particularly India is of no use.
The agreement to lease out part of the port city reclaimed land to China by the previous government is an international agreement between two countries which cannot be abrogated or altered unilaterally by one. When Sirisena visited China, riot act was read to him that no changes are to be made regarding Chinese ownership. Government which after coming to power was saying that they will cancel the project, started to sing a new tune after this visit to China. If the government is honest, it must get an official statement from Chinese government about the current status. China may lie low for the present not to rock the boat, but certainly it will exercise its right to ownership and docking warships if any situation inimical to its interest arises in the region. Srilanka has foolishly put itself at the center of a regional power struggle.
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Don Stanley / November 3, 2015
Sri Lanka needs to go into arbitration and close this case and extricate itself from the China grip.
Chinese artificial islands in the South China Sea are a menace and now they are building an artificial island in the Indian Ocean.
The Sri Lankans are morons if they think that India will take this lying down.
There will be a proxy war in because of the stupidity and greed of Sri Lanka’s politicians.
Mahinda Jarapassa who would have got billions in bribes for this deal with China must be held accountable and locked up and his assets used to pay off some of the national debt.
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tika / November 5, 2015
foolish man china has no freehold but only as developer it would have obtained a lease of 99 years and even UK has these with many multinational companies.
If the Brits can have Gibraltar in Spain Why cannot Asian have its own than poo rubbing hindians who can’t live without the Chinese goodies?
The Americans are very much there with USAID and the gift Diego Garcia so why not China the folk with the money and no stupid human rights. One people one nation- all villages tow the line .
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Ken / November 9, 2015
Either you have been misled, have vested interest or have secured a good source of funding for your propaganda. Either way I hope the people smarter than what you give them credit for in believing your comments.
I am sure the UK government signing a multi billion dollar deal with China to build their nuclear power plants are just as stupid as us Lankan’s.
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Barathan / November 1, 2015
Most rational and the only sensible decision to take has been taken. I believe all know that not a cent from government coffers goes into the project.
Recommencement at the earliest is the best course for similarly funded Megalapolis to follow. It will smash the irrelevant question ‘From where will the government get the finances’?
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Bagehot / November 2, 2015
Time to pull your head out of the sand and wake up to reality. “Not a cent from government coffers goes into this?”
Are you insane or just blind? What gives you the impression that any of this is done for free??
That’s not mentioning the shorter and longer term financial burden on the country due to having to combat the various after effects of the environmental problems this project will cause.
Sounds like you are as deluded as Senasinghe and that minister of megaflops.
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Smith / November 5, 2015
270 hectares on a reclaimed land adjacent to the Colombo Port.
According to Senasinghe an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the project has also been finalized clearing a major hurdle for the commencement of the project.
the environmental report would be a fudge. Once the reclaimed land gets loaded the signs of flooding around the area would show.
Once the work runs the Chinese would be needed. about its usage there is nothing like a Shanghai la lease. With Hindian Cochin port out of China reach Lanka wont have that importance.
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Mallaiyuran / November 1, 2015
Port City Project can not be closed.
When Government negotiated to repair Nuraicholai Machines by India, 50 computers in the government departments did not work. If Port City is closed down even the home PCs in Lankawe will stop working. So Port City will go on. Rnail Mahata ,in the evening, when is out of Parliament will apply for VISa From Chinese embassy and he can go for fun into the port City.
But, Jaffaa has seen big development with new big prison. A whopping 1000 person capacity. No need for any new talk of releasing the grabbed lands and spending money on rehabilitating or even releasing the false arrests cases!
Bavo the action of the Ranilpalayana! Better than SLFP’s Chitanta approach.
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Jim softy / November 1, 2015
This Article is a lie.
This govt did not change the Agreement and Sri lanka owns either 49% or 51% of the land after completion.
Senasinghe is another corrupt minister who showed that he was thug and he avoided appearing in the court.
In decent societies, they resign, don’t stay as peoples’ representatives.
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Native Vedda / November 1, 2015
Jim softy
“In decent societies, they resign, don’t stay as peoples’ representatives.”
I hate to agree with you, it only happens in decent societies, not in your tribal, fuedal, fascistic ………. parochial ghetto.
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Thomas / November 1, 2015
EIA reports are normally first published to enable interested parties to study and comment on it ..
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Vibhushana / November 1, 2015
Well, that just means Sri Lanka will have to pay for the dredging and filling up of 200 acres of the island.
I think that is an OK compromise.
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Truth / November 1, 2015
There was no indication that the Port City land will be used as a port. However this is one of the fears expressed by India & the Western Nations. Hence, it is a win-win deal to delete it and increasing the area allotted on 99 year basis.
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ramona therese fernando / November 1, 2015
Good and Bad.
Good because it is quick money that will serve/save immediate financial problems for the Moneyed-Elite (they will not have to pay due taxes for country development). It will kiss goodbye to the fishing villages and environment in the Coastal-Mid-West of course, but if the money is to be spent on organic farms in the interior, then it is a good thing. Fisherman will have to relocate to other fishing areas- government can help.
Bad because, as Don Stanley says, it will be a threat to Western and Indian interests, and they are probably not going to let us get away with it.
Bad, because it will be an artificial attachment of artificial monetary aspiration, away from the country’s true worth. Whist Port City is supposed to have limited Chinese military around, it will yet be meant for boosting up Chinese aspirations in the region, and will surely be a threat to powers greater than China.
Colombo-City will incur pollution of heat, sound, sewage, vice and numerous other detriments.
Reasons for Champika sanctioning Port City : To prevent Northerners from involving too much in separate financial enterprise, away from the rest of the Island. If we place industrial sites Island-wide, even amongst organic paddy-fields, it is feared that Northerners will operate away from the rest of the country.
Best Solution : Encourage China to invest in many an un-polluting industrial sites, Island-wide (amongst organic paddy-fields). Establish permanent sea and air transportation of goods between Sri Lanka and India so land-bridge will never need to be built.
Can we trust the Northerners?- it is better to try, than to crush them completely with a Port City (and also incur the wrath of India and USA). It will be a more complex solution, but a sincere one, that will surely uphold the Motherland for many generations to come.
(If on the other hand, China and the West come to an understanding, then building a Port City can be considered at a later date to further enhance the Moneyed-Elite aspiration….that will hopefully trickle down to the organic farm).
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shankar / November 1, 2015
It is is not a free project as claimed by mahinda govt.A part of our country is being dug out to create another part for the chinese.Millions of tons of granite and sand will be used.These are all dug out from other parts of the country with environmental problems for people there..Who is paying for these.The chinese?Ha,ha,ha,free project indeed.Using our land to create more land for chinese interests.Ask china to ship out the granite and sand or pay for it.
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Bagehot / November 2, 2015
ATTN Minister Sujeeva Senasinghe and Patali Champika Ranawaka:
Do you think all Sri Lankan’s are “pony-tailed Chinamen” to believe the tall tales and contradictory claims you make every day?
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NAK / November 2, 2015
From the very begining this scrapping of the ‘port city’ project was a big farce.
Now this is the second phase of the same farce.Senasinghe, who behaves as if he has few nuts and bolts too many in his body,is only telling us half truths and what he doesn’t say is what they agreed to give in lieu of the 20 Hec. that China is expected give up.
And also what the Environmenal changes that were added to the project.
He should also elaborate on what he means by “no submarines will be allowed without permission” because owning land by any foreigner are subjrcted to the laws of Sri Lanka.
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tika / November 8, 2015
“”“no submarines will be allowed without permission”””
India is still playing with toy submarines and is not capable of building (because hindians don’t know the sea enough)
While nuclear subs are china’s strength.(its all built in the sea and for this reason northern Ireland will never be returned)
if they move the chinese embassy there then submarine and helipad would come in like the Americans – embassy property is beyond national laws.
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Barus / November 3, 2015
Sujeewa Senasinghe, How much has been transferred in to your offshore account, by the Chinese company?
Since you have been very transparent about the entire Port City deal, you can also divulge the REWARDS part of this Agreement as well.
If it is not just your account only , then you can be kind enough to divulge the entire list of Offshore Accounts that received funds on this deal.
It will make life easy for your other wing of this corrupt Yahapalanaya, called FCID to investigate and release some sensational news to the media. As a result, newspaper sales increase.
What a strategy to revamp the mass media industry that was really looking for a fillip all these years. Great work dude!!!
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Ru / November 4, 2015
YHAPALANAYA ON FULL SWING!!!!!!!!
in a recent ruenaround of events i hear DEMO is lined to bring down to Sri Lanka 2 maybach’s. Wonder who are these for. When inquired internally its a top secret.. well not anymore. Its for the gramasevaka from poland ….
The idiots in Colombo are now not only scratching their head but also the back … HA HA … 250 Million each a car he will be the only world leader to own one of them …
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jehan / November 4, 2015
I hope china doesnt claim the sea, as under international law, they can claim twice as much of the land area in the sea. this could be a potential flash point with india, and what about the environmental impact in colombo.
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Sena / November 6, 2015
read a bit more about this `international maritime law` that came into being with ww2 – especially the arctic. There was no law for the winners.
Indian Ocean does not belong to the Hindians.
If we cant have helpful Chinese Asians to have access then whom do you want Islamic State ?? Sirima gave more than the sea to UK/US Diego Garcia.
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