The People’s Movement against the Port City has demanded President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to immediately halt the project as it is detrimental to the country’s environment.
In a statement, the movement recalled Wickremesinghe’s initial stand on the project during the Presidential Election campaign in 2014, where he reportedly said the “western coast would be severely affected as a result of the construction activities of the Port City project. We ought to protect the coast. The coastal belt from Colombo to Kalpitiya and from Colombo to Hikkaduwa will be lost as a result if it is carried out”.
“When a journalist threw at him a very specific question during a press conference whether he would stop or continue the Port City project under his government. He clearly replied that the project will be halted,” the statement said.
“Listening to people’s views and criticisms, and the participation of people in the decision making processes, are essential traits of good governance, and views that have been expressed by people, environmentalists, experts as a response to the EIA report on the Colombo Port City Project cannot be ignored by a democratic government,” the movement said.
According to them, it was due to the lack of such democratic traits that the government of Rajapaksa was also rejected by the people.
“Surely, people do not expect such a devilish government back in power. Nevertheless, when the lives of people are threatened by its development strategies and if the country is ruled in a dictatorial manner ignoring people’s views, it is the responsibility of the people to oppose such governance,” the statement added.
Hamlet / March 17, 2016
The Present Government seems to have had their hands tied, by the Actions of the Previous Government. There would probably be Legal and Financial Implications if the Agreement with China was broken.
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Amarasiri / March 17, 2016
People’s Movement Against Port City Wants Project Halted
the Debt/GDP ration is expected to go up whatever action is taken.
This is an investment that will NOT pay for itself, like the Mahinda Rajapaksa Mattala “International” Airport, and the Hambantota Harbour.
MaRa MaRa Chatu MaRa….
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Jagath Fernando / March 18, 2016
It is too late to do anything now.
These guys who protest have no clue about it.
Just get on with it and manage any down side risks.
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Amarasiri / March 18, 2016
Jagath Fernando
“It is too late to do anything now.”
Can’t the People Hang the Culprits and the Idiots at least?
The country may need to send 10,000 maids to the Middle East to pay for this alone.
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Dil / March 17, 2016
china should take all the investments out of SL. Chinese guys should be able to shut down norochchole by sitting in china. make the country chaos, then it will be easy to chase these yamapalane for good
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SJ / March 18, 2016
Dil
Chinese diplomacy has more sense than that.
Economic sanctions to punish the weak even if not friendy is not its usual style.
‘Communist’ China started the rubber-rice deal under an anti-communist UNP. Hostile words from Sir John K at Bandung two years later did not bother Zhou Enlai.
SL regime has changed from China-friendly to (secrely) China-hating regimes and back many times and China has drifted from socialism to capitalism. But the relationship has been stable.
Those who wanted China out had no options on offer.
That is where political astrologers went wrong about China and change of government.
But it is unwise to borrow from anyone for bad investments. We should know what is good for us.
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Native Vedda / March 19, 2016
SJ
“Those who wanted China out had no options on offer. That is where political astrologers went wrong about China and change of government.”
Alright, if you are serious enough, you should advise the government to accede this island to China, as another autonomous region of China.
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Patriot / March 17, 2016
Looks like a Hindian sponsored NGO at work. Sadly Ranil is going on all fours to China to beg to start the project.
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Afzal / March 17, 2016
Wonder where these groups were when the project started during previous government’s time.
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CHANAKYAN / March 18, 2016
Who are these nondescripts and what are their credentials?
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Concerned Citizen / March 19, 2016
Why wont they first ask India to stop the Sethu Samudra project in the North, which is a environment hazard?
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ballah / March 17, 2016
whats the point in blaming the previous government. these stupid morons have no sense of fiscal prudence. started spending money like crazy on government pay rises, this and that as part of their election gundus
only thing now to be done is to defeat this govt in all upcoming elections leading upto the general. Ponil said he would not allow port city like a chandiya. now he’s at the feet of chinese like a nondiya.
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Vet / March 17, 2016
balla, you obviously prefer the type of “fiscal prudence” practiced by your Ali Babba and his thieves.
This is not to imply that Ranil is right to do what he promised not to!
The moral of the story is not to make promises you can’t keep.
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Mallaiyuran / March 17, 2016
Everybody, before they go China, saying they will have dangerous project shut down. But, when they come out of the China, they are even talking of selling new land in Hambantota to China for expansion of Airport, Stadium, Harbour…. . New Royal’s Prime Minister sounded like that he wanted to match Andhra in handing over 10,000 acres to China in Hambantota. But he is hiding the truth that India did not hand over 10,000 acres under a deal like Port City.
We wrote on these pages that when the New Royals took over from the Olds that when the New King retire, he will have 36 billions transferred to foreign banks. China will have them made richest in the Asia by inducing and feeding the corruption.
This is the path was opened when Don Stephen flexed the Soulbury Constitution’s safety clause for minority, the section 29 to deport Tamils workers. They are using Tamils again here. Before the Central Bank Governors fiasco go down, now the Tamils are used again in 65,000 homes for homeless. Everybody in New Royal has been put Mittai in their mouths by the Mittal & Co. to keep it shut and chewing the Mittai-sweet. Tamils are paying again for this foul game.
It is a millenium going to take to fix anything in Wildlife Sanctuary Lankawe.
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Karaiyuran / March 22, 2016
Monkey Mallaiyuran escaped from Wildlife Sanctuary and wants to joint Jihadis. Visar Kurangu!
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justice / March 17, 2016
This so-called Port City, commenced as a money making project – for themselves and for the Chinese – by the coterie of the former regime, and will be another millstone round the neck of Ma Lanka.
The present regime appear to be under pressure by the Chinese government which is corrupt to the core.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_in_China
Why is Ranil going back on his word, as quoted above, is not known.
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Lone Wolf / March 19, 2016
justice,
“The present regime appear to be under pressure by the Chinese government which is corrupt to the core.”
Yes indeed.
“Why is Ranil going back on his word, as quoted above, is not known.”
I suspect that our bankrupt government wants to continue borrowing money from China in addition to the IMF and India. The Chinese are very likely to have demanded that SL restarts Port City.
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Antany Peter / March 17, 2016
This people’s move may has some hiden hands to stop the Sri Lankan government working closely with China. The government must not stop the project under any circumstances. If it does, it will be a suicidal move.
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rohan polwatte / March 17, 2016
Where were these idiots when the Yahapalanaya stopped the project to investigate the enviormental impact? Anotheer rajavassa gimmick.
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jim softy / March 18, 2016
Who are the people in this peoples’ movement.
LTTE’s makkal Padai also was a peoples movement wearing suicide jackets and carrying hand grenades and T-56s.
This looks like RAW.
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Piyadasa Yalagala / March 18, 2016
Sri Lankan like other developing Nation which the country that her economic are indeed entitle to make varying choices among model of sustsnibility of capitalism; among these arrangements depending on ours national , values and interest of growth of GDP in development in ours future.
Port City project is national interest through different combinations of institutional arrangement in labour market, finance, corporate governance, social welfare of our people and other unknown many areas. Port city is funded by People’s Republic of China, its closed US $ 1.4 billion dollars.
This an idea(Port City ) have enormous implications for ongoing globalization of economy and sound democracy and that for how far we can take each presence of the others will depend on ours political leadership of current ruling class vision of politics.
We want to be maintain and deepen democracy ,that we have to choose between Sri Lankan state and international economic integration by promoting Port City proposed projects is vital and fundamental interest of people’s of Sri Lankan. We are in process nation building and keep our right of self- determination our country.
Well, we want deepening ongoing globalization but our roots in neo-colonial economy is reluctance to face up to these ineluctable choice.
Our democracies and its new model of economy have every right to protect ours social arrangement; and when this economic development -example Port City ongoing projects that rights clashes with of that national requirement of big power economies interest , it is the latter that should give way. We want repowering national economy and its democracies will in fact the world community on a safer and healthier footing.
The so-called NGO’s are in narrow political and short sighted agenda of foreign funded politics ,that is why they an opposed Port City Projects that will benefits whole Islanders in time to come.
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sekara / March 18, 2016
Many objections are based purely on the project being Chinese. But there was a highly objectionable aspect relating to allowing permanent possession of part of the reclaimed land.
But many opponents— including a few who expressed environmental concerns —would have gone along with it, if was a country other than China.
The project is a bad idea not merely for environmental reasons. It points to the direction in which the country’s development and economy will be moving. Implications for society can be grave. We will compound problems caused by our reliance on export of labour, including that in the FTZs.
The economy will become highly vulnerable to the vagaries of international politics and economics.
The Port City has to be resisted as part of a bigger picture: the wrong economic policies adopted by successive regimes since 1978.
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Native Vedda / March 18, 2016
sekara
“But many opponents— including a few who expressed environmental concerns —would have gone along with it, if was a country other than China.”
People believe China is a piece loving country, pieces from every corner of the world.
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Nuwan / March 18, 2016
Indeed. This is an election promise by RW. I remember him calling upon the very same people and promised to stop this project immediately. What seem to be the problem now? Is this a government that will spend 10 years blaming MR era dhooshanaya and bheeshanaya? Sounds familiar…
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Diyani / March 18, 2016
Another Yahapalanaya broken election promise. That is all.
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shankar / March 19, 2016
tell the people’s movement that the port city can be halted if the west wasn’t bankrupt and the indians still a poor country.
do they know which is the only country in the world today with deep pockets?
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / March 19, 2016
Are we privy to details of the now approved/ white washed project?
Are we being taken for a big ride, because we cannot extract our tail from the unhedged sawed log- the MR government agreement with Dragon China?
What modified features have rendered what was environmentally unacceptable, now acceptable? What is the probability that those who have made the now acceptable recommendations, are right?
Were countries with experience and expertise with such projects consulted?
Why has this People’s movement not petitioned the Supreme Court on this issue?
Why has the media raised questions about this issue and encouraged an informed debate?
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / March 19, 2016
Correction:
_-dewedged—
Dr.RN
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Dr,Rajasingham Narendran / March 19, 2016
A collarary to be last comment:
The ‘Arab News’ reports that no modifications have been made to the original scheme.
http://www.arabnews.com/news/893376
Is our Yahapalanaya government also lying to us?
Ranil Wickremasinghe must explain in detail why he changed his mind?
Dr.RN
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Concerned Citizen / March 19, 2016
Obviously Ranil changed his mind because the project is of immense benefit to the nation, though India and US wants it stopped for political reasons. Even England is planning a similar project to reclaim the sea and increase land.
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Villageman / March 19, 2016
Now the people have changed the mind because Ranil is of immense harmful to the nation.
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Concerned Citizen / March 19, 2016
It is suspected that India wants to stop the project. Therefore is India funding these groups to oppose the project?
England is planning to reclaim the sea, with an area greater than England itself. So why cant Sri Lanka do the same?
If this so called “People’s Movement” is genuinely concerned about the impact on the environment, then, why won’t they first campaign against India’s Sethu Samudra project in the Northern sea, which has been considered an environment hazard?
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Villageman / March 19, 2016
Reclaiming sea to build modern cities is a very good idea which will develop the country economically. There will be unavoidable environmental impacts which should be mitigated. Recently a ministerial team visited China to get their cut and now greens have given the green light to the project. Peoples believing the politicians are just fools.
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Rodney / March 19, 2016
In this country any new project will face obstacles due to a set of activists who thrive on protests. We are in this state without power due to obstacles we had for the last 20 years in building power plants. These came from environmentalists, the Catholic Church and some other NGO backed people. In turn they are the first set of people who come out saying that there is no development in the country.
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Piyadasa Yalagala / March 20, 2016
The proposed Port City project is not only environment issues by NGO’s ,there is political interest of that. Port City is not only an environment issues time being .
Well I agreed to an environment need to be address by all ruling class in Sri Lankan as well as Globally. That is not here and there in and outside our Island.
Indeed Globally we are want Third Industrial Revolution to shifted fossil fuel to natural energy, that key issues been abandoned by USA, EU countries, Japan, Australia, Canada, UK and other major powers world,as well.
Current NGO project is against China political stand and against developing giant economic in China in globally.
An opposed Port City project is Global politics of US and Indian policies of hegemonies in Indian Ocean. I have no idea that current NGO’s who opposed Port City project is behind by US and Indian power too?
In fact ours NGO are not well skilfully all environmental issues at present ,which I my reading says. Port City of nation vital interest
in many ways. Is my interest as well vital interest of Nation wealth and its building.
This is irresistibility trend of economic development of
sustainability of capitalism -Sri lanka.
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