Turning Mattala Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport into a paddy storage was done as an act of revenge against the Rajapaksa’s, says MP Namal Rajapaksa.
In a statement issued today Namal the eldest son of former President Rajapaksa urged both the President and the Prime Minister to act immediately to bring to a halt such revengeful acts against the former rulers and use the facility for the benefit of the country.
In a hard hitting statement Namal described the Mattala airport as one of the most successful development initiatives launched by the Rajapaksa regime while adding that he condemns the act of turning it into a paddy storage with deep abhorrence.
The younger Rajapaksa pointed out that such large scale development projects are enacted with long term goals in mind and these will not produce instant benefits or garner popularity.
As an example Namal pointed out to the Mahaweli multi-purpose irrigation scheme and added that it had taken several years for the country to reap the full benefits of the project.
Rajapaksa suggested that the government using the Airport in conjunction with the Hambantota harbour could develop an economic zone encompassing five provinces in the country.
Meanwhile a group of residents and a section of the employees at the Mattala Airport on Wednesday staged a protest against the Government’s move to store paddy in a warehouse of the airport.
They blocked the road leading to the Airport as the first lorry carrying paddy stocks to be stored in the warehouse reached the airport.
The Paddy Marketing Board had earlier asked for some warehouse facilities at Mattala as the storage facilities of the Food Department, Co-operative Department and several stores of the Army have already been utilized to store the Yala season paddy harvest.
A PMB official said “there was congestion at the PMB stalls because we insisted on maintaining standards and procedures when purchasing paddy from farmers. As we exceed the capacity of our storage facilities, we have requested for storage facilities at Mattala Airport” .
Mattala, Sri Lanka’s second international airport was built in the home constituency of the Rajapaksa’s when they were in power.
However, the facility failed to attract international air traffic mainly due to its isolated location, more than 200 km’s from the capital, Colombo.
Samy / September 6, 2015
Namal. idiot. Please do not open your foul mouth again. It stinks even before you talk. I feel sorry for those idiots to record your statements. They are also better fools like you and four father and the rest of your family. Shut-up for ever.
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Jacob / September 6, 2015
Hell is a place on earth, buddy. I wish you have endless sleepless nights and I also wish that your tainted corrupt dark soul that survived the previous years on state funds, walking the streets as if your gods gift to man kind, driving your cars as if you actually bought them with your own cash, took over club rugby made yourself captain too cause you really deserved it, and Of ourse made the other two donkeys captains too just for fun, right… and used influence to achieve success, suffer till eternity. There is no escape for johnnies like yourself.
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Randy / September 6, 2015
What was your monthly salary?. And how much did you inherit from your Family?. So now tell me how you got rich, punk. What happened to a leveled playing field?. Of course you always want an advantage, a very big one at that just so you can build a sufficient lead. Every one knows about the way you took advantage of the state for personal gain. Wevall know how you and your mother made commissions. Greedy sons of bitches!!!. The karma you built made a U- turn in January. There is never an escape for thives like yourself. Enjoy!!!.
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Emil van der Poorten / September 7, 2015
I ask this question in all seriousness:
Did those who planned the Mahinda Rajapaksa airport and the Mahinda Rajapaksa harbour, plan for them to be devoid of traffic and, if so, for how long? Perhaps, Namal Rajapaksa can take some time out of a day spent writing media releases to answer this question.
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maalumiris / September 9, 2015
The airport and harbour were NEVER for Sri Lanka Emil., and I think you know that quite well.
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Jason / September 8, 2015
Don’t u wish you could have juts fired a call to daddy and made him sensor the media now, huh?. Hahahaha ain’t karma a bitch, boy. Nobody wants to be you right now. Saludos.
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Samy / September 10, 2015
Namal idiot’s comments must be disregarded. He is brain dead like his father. This guy must be deported to China. By now they don’t him too. For your information, Mattala airport and the Harbour in Hambantota, both are suitable for paddy storage, as neither of them serve the original purpose.I hope this idiot read all these comments on a daily basis and keep his mouth shut.
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Adrian / September 14, 2015
May you, your family and of course your brothers the deserving captains attain NIbbana or ever., NOT. if you know what I mean. ;). SHAMLESS GUTTER SNIPES
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