{"id":52861,"date":"2017-05-09T06:38:25","date_gmt":"2017-05-09T10:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=52861"},"modified":"2017-05-09T06:38:25","modified_gmt":"2017-05-09T10:38:25","slug":"sri-lanka-port-authority-chairman-dammika-ranatunga-worried-about-govts-hambantota-harbour-deal-with-chinese-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=52861","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka Port Authority Chairman Dammika Ranatunga Worried About Govt’s Hambantota Harbour Deal With Chinese Company"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

Meera Srinivasan<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is not just New Delhi or Washington that is worried about Colombo\u2019s proposed deal to sell a deep-sea port in Hambantota to a Chinese company. Sri Lanka\u2019s port authority has \u201cfundamental concerns\u201d over the proposed deal, its Chairman Dammika Ranatunga said.<\/p>\n

While the Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) appreciates the importance of foreign investment, it would only \u201cgo by the book\u201d, Mr. Ranatunga told The Hindu. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe took a careful look at the [draft] agreement \u2014 it violated the SLPA Act, and the terms were not conducive to us,\u201d he said, adding that even after 10 revised drafts of the agreement, factoring in some of SLPA\u2019s observations, many concerns remained.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Contentious clauses<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week, the SLPA raised the matter again with a ministerial committee overseeing the agreement, flagging key clauses that reportedly ignored the Authority\u2019s observations. The chairman\u2019s remarks come ahead of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe\u2019s scheduled visit to Beijing.<\/p>\n

Mr. Wickremesinghe is keen on signing the agreement and the latest version of the concession may come up for discussion at Tuesday\u2019s cabinet meeting, political sources told The Hindu.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because someone puts a billion dollars in front of you it doesn\u2019t mean you give everything away,\u201d said Mr. Ranatunga, brother of Ports Minister and former cricket Arjuna Ranatunga. Critics have in the past questioned his qualification to be appointed chairman.<\/p>\n

After signing a framework agreement with the Sri Lankan government in December 2016, the state-run China Merchants Port Holdings was expected to pay $1.12 billion for a 99-year lease, on an 80% stake in the Hambantota port. <\/p>\n

The port, built with Chinese loans in 2010, was part of Beijing\u2019s plans to create a Silk Route across Asia. Finalised and completed when ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa was in power, the port was termed a \u201cwhite elephant\u201d by his successor government that came to power in 2015.<\/p>\n

Government politicians negotiated a new deal and pitched it to the public as one aiming to reduce the burden of the $8 billion-debt Sri Lanka owes China.<\/p>\n

However, observing that the proposed deal gave sweeping powers to the Chinese company to handle operations near the port, Mr. Ranatunga asked: \u201cWhat does that mean? Can that be a military base,\u201d pointing to Chinese investment in African countries that had sparked \u201csimilar concerns\u201d.<\/p>\n

Colombo and Beijing also agreed to develop a 15,000-acre industrial zone near the port, and Beijing is now willing to sign the port deal, only if land for the industrial zone is made available. However, locals have been resisting the project.<\/p>\n

Courtesy:The Hindu<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Meera Srinivasan It is not just New Delhi or Washington that is worried about Colombo\u2019s proposed deal to sell a deep-sea port in Hambantota to a Chinese company. Sri Lanka\u2019s port authority has \u201cfundamental concerns\u201d over the proposed deal, its Chairman Dammika Ranatunga said. While the Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) appreciates the importance …<\/p>\n

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