PM offers clarification on port deal

• Says agreement presented to P’ment and one signed identical 
• CM Port was willing to postpone signing by 48 hours if objections had been raised 
• Says CPC could not have H’tota tank farm because it was under SLPA
• H’tota Port total loss Rs. 51 b, agreement can be amended if both parties agree  

 By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday assured Parliament the recent agreement inked between the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and China Merchant Port Holdings Ltd. was the same which was tabled in the House and did not contain any amendment.

“The agreement and the draft presented to Parliament were the same. The agreement was presented to the Parliament with the intention of introducing amendments after a debate. The China Merchant Port Holdings Company Ltd. also agreed to consider if there were any proposals to amend the clauses. They were willing to put off the signing by 48 hours. The Opposition however disrupted the debate. Had there been a debate and amendments coming out of it, the Cabinet of Ministers were ready to meet on the same evening to consider them. 

However, there was no need for such as there was no debate. Thus we went ahead with signing the agreement,” clarified the Prime Minister responding to a question raised by Opposition lawmaker Anura Dissanayake.

“The demands of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation trade unions and the signing of the agreement were two different issues. The unions wanted the Hambantota oil tank farm for the CPC. But the particular tank farm belonged to the Ports Authority. Not even the CPC had asked for it. The Ports Authority signed the agreement with regard to a property which belonged to them. The agreement could be amended if necessary and on the agreement of both parties,” he added, assuring Parliament that no amendment was made after the signatures were placed.

Explaining the background which led to the signing of an agreement with the Chinese company, the Prime Minister said: “The Lankan Government had obtained a loan of $ 1,252 million in five instalments from China for the Hambantota Port. As at June 2017, Sri Lanka has paid back Rs. 40,813 million as loan instalments and interest. The loss so far from the operations of the Hambantota Port is around Rs. 9,814 million. The total earning from the port so far is around Rs. 7,119 million. The total loss from the Hambantota Port is around Rs. 51,530 million,” the PM rvealed.