The Rajapaksa regime might be spewing lies to the locals on their stand on casinos, but their underhand deals to establish casinos Sri Lanka cannot be kept under the wraps forever as a powerful henchman of the regime – Dhammika Perera has been listed among the top 50 gaming tycoons in Asia.
Perera has been ranked 26th in Asia’s top 50 gaming tycoons list, described as Sri Lanka’s richest man. He owns three of the four casinos in the country that are officially sanctioned. But the real push of Perera into the top 50 list is owing to his new casino project – the Queensbury, worth 350 million USD for which the government has given the green light.
As the regime keeps pushing for tourism to become the country’s major foreign income generator, casinos are one of the areas where attention was focused on in order to generate some easy money.
Among the other two casino projects that have been given the approval are the Crown Colombo led by James Packer worth 350 million USD and 850 million USD project by John Keells Holdings. While the future of Crown Colombo seems uncertain presently, Perera has become the biggest casino operator in Sri Lanka.
The newest casino project Queensbury is supposed to be 40 stories with a room capacity of 500. His hold on the local economy includes 23 listen companies that account for 8% of all the companies traded on the Colombo Stock Exchange.
Ben Hurling / September 25, 2014
Stupid Sri Lankans wake up!
Your “King” has two faces. A split personality, if you will. Which benefits him, his family, extended clan, cronies and henchmen greatly.
1. “Great guardian of Sinhalese Buddhist nation in the Island of serendepity”. Which is of course nothing but BS. To Bamboozle you. The average, stupid Sri Lankan. Who faithfully votes for his political project again and again. You are truly stupid.
2. “Undercover brutal dictator with major dynastic & financial ambitions”. More or less the truth. Of course you will not get this. Coz’ you are stupid.
Dhammika Perara and his ilk are among King’s closest allies. If you are a Sri Lankan still with a brain you work out the rest of the game plan.
Your country is on a Garage Sale to unscrupulous politicians & businessmen. While you are being so stupid.
Cheers my stupid countrymen! May God Bless you.
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J.Muthu / September 25, 2014
Buddy,
As long as Sinhala [Edited out] in sleepy mode Sinhala [Edited out] will suffer. We Tamils had enough of these [Edited out]…hope changing world will wake up accept our freedom….Any way did u find real culprits who burnt Jaffna library or still u r foolish brain believe LTTE behind this…
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Rattan / September 26, 2014
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Dude Cruz / September 26, 2014
Hear that Bling-s-bury is the name of Damika Perera’s business empire. No aesthetics, certainly not the anti-aesthetic!
KINGS-sbury is stuffed with Goldfish in glass /plastic pillars.
Goon Gota has a Shark fish fetish and so there are gigantic concrete fish cages at his Independence Arcade!
Rajapaksa godeyas and slimy fish have hit Colombo 7 big time along with their oily American junk food fetish!
BLING-KING is the aesthetics of South Asia’s Gaddafi family and casino cronies!
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Sama / September 27, 2014
They would never wake up even if their women would have abducted from Rajapakshe goons.
Such a passive nation – the sinahalaya have been to this day.
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Srilanken_Switzerland / September 27, 2014
This is all because of fears that hold in people s mind today.
Not many seem to have guts to come out of their bins and go against sacrifying their lives. Uni dons went on 3 months long protests, but nothing achieved. Rathupaswala people lost their lives and got injured by gun shot unethically applied on them being against to them, and ones who lost and got damaged through Aluthgama riots painted the picture even more cruel so that average would continue to be passive rather than raising their voices.
Even Dayana Jayathilaka, Vasu and the like public figures, the media men pick as people representatives have been made silent by Gotabaya underhand. This is the reason why JVP and some UNPers call it MR is the outer case but who really governs is made by Gotabaya Rajapakshe. The man who was the brutal architect of taking the civilian lives of the later end of the CIVIL WAR – even after another 5 years – seem to be driving the bang van of Rajapakshe adminsitration.
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Dilhara / September 25, 2014
Perfecting the KINGS-BURY LIFESTYLE: Definition – Casinos, fast cars, hideous houses, and over consumption of designer brands, blond hostesses imported from Russia for the empty headed, car racing sons and family of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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James Bond / September 26, 2014
Dil, u r so right!
The new rich Rajapaksa family are an uneducated, crude and uncultured lot.. shows in their lifestyle, entertainment and consumption choices and patterns..
BLING is the name of the Rajapaksa game and Namal is the King of Bling at DP’s KINGSBURY!
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Ansar / September 25, 2014
BBS Dogs lead by Ponnasara, where are you?
This is what your MARA/GORA and henchmen are doing. You dogs are worried only about the number of places of worships of different faiths who preach only to live a life void of all these nonsense your Master MARA is encouraging.
First look where our country is heading with your most patriotic and Buddhist leader. They have set our country as one of the hubs for heroin,casinos and prostitution.
If you have an iota of shame left with you, do something to protect the young women and men from becoming drug addicts and prostitutes for the pleasure and survival of your most patriotic leader.
You bloody dogs, selling the noble Buddhism for your self seeking ambition and thereby ruining our beautiful country. You fellows will pay the price sooner or later for your crimes against humanity and I wish I live to see that.
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Marwan / September 25, 2014
BBS/SU/SR/JHU the lot, where are your collective voice? Bought over I believe with loads of illicit gambling and drug money inside atapirikara gifts distributed after a sumptuous dhana of the best of food that money can buy, at some glitzy restaurant, escorted to and from in super luxury vehicles.
What sheer hypocrites you guys are wrapped up in safron robes, as the only reason for these special priviledges. You have betrayed your followers by bartering away the principles of your noble religion for a few pieces of silver. What of your own folks to whom you preach and who expect you guys to live exemplary lives, leading by example a life of austerity, humbleness and magnanimity.
You guys have the audacity to criticize others outside your own religion accusing them of having far too many places of worship, prolific birth rates, critical of their eating habits and dress codes, whereas you have lost your voice and courage to make a fuss and some noises against the parliament endorsement of alien culture in the form of Casinos and gaming centres, liquor saloons and bars, gay and prostitute dens and the likes to serve the desires of the world’s rich and famous, which could eventually draw in the incessant gamblers, pedophiles and sex tourists.
It becomes more ironic when you object when people observe their religious duties and build places of religious worship to serve their needs, but raise no concern when people start to degenerate into gambling addicts and lose all family values, and becomes a country famous for glitzy bars, already notoriously high in liquor consumption and suicide rates, and added to that, very soon Colombo becomes famous as the sin city capital of the world, all in the name of promoting Tourism. As usual, priorities all mixed up. First comes unity with amity within the country, before developing business opportunities without violating country’s dignity.
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Horikadey / September 26, 2014
What is the ranking for Sri Lanka under the kudu-friendly Rajapakse regime in (1) Asia (2) the world. In Asia, they may be within the first 5 and in the world ranking a little behind, with strong S. American support. Not surprising with men very senior and others in the Cabinet being the chief facilitators and actors. One of them given the task of protecting, fostering and advancing Buddhism.
The Colombo Port and the Katunayake airport are notorious centres in the regions drug traffic with assured high official backing. Already many school children are into the drug culture – some habituals. Some Chinthana this is.
Horikadey
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The Professional / September 30, 2014
This guy DP, is said to be a “good Buddhist” and follower of “Rahu Kaala” strictly in his daily routine. Lord Budhdha never set limits to earning but set controls. I am sure gaming is not considered as righteous in Buddhism. If so DP cannot be a “Buddhist” in the first place.
What puzzles me is that why the BBS do not utter a word against DP or his casinos. May be because BBS has state patronage and DP is a patron saint of the state.
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