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FSP picks holes in Trinco Tank Farm deal

Published

4 years ago

2022/01/8

By Rathindra Kuruwita

An agreements signed on Thursday night to develop the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm as a joint venture between Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and Lanka IOC was illegal and Sri Lankans should not accept them, Education Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), Pubudu Jayagoda said yesterday.

Jayagoda said that usually such agreements had three parts, – lease agreement, a modalities agreement and an agreement on the joint venture company, i.e. Trinco Petroleum Terminal Ltd. However, only the modalities agreement had been presented to the Cabinet in late December and it was that agreement the Cabinet approved on 03 January 2022, he said

“Did the government sign the lease agreement too? From what we hear, a lease agreement was signed on Thursday night. However, the Governor of the Eastern Province needs to sign the agreement for this lease agreement to be valid and legitimate. Since the Governor had not signed the agreement, the lease agreement is not legitimate and the entire agreement is null and void without a lease agreement. So we would like to tell Sri Lankans that there is no reason for us to accept or respect this agreement,” he said.

On Thursday night the lease agreement was signed and the signatories were Treasury Secretary, Land Commissioner General, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), LIOC and Trinco Petroleum Terminal Ltd., the Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila said in a Tweet.

The Education Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party said that the government had started to sign important agreements in the middle of the night. Earlier an agreement was signed, in the middle of the night, with US based, New Fortress Energy to transfer 40% of Yugadanavi shares and to handover the monopoly over the supply of LNG, he said.

“These strategically important agreements that have significant impact on our lives are not even presented to the Cabinet, let alone the people. These agreements are against our constitution and the law,” he said.

Jayagoda said given that the people had no access to the full agreement, they had to depend on the statements made by Minister Gammanpila. However, most of the statements the Minister made were false, he said.

“The Minister claims that agreements in 1987, 2003 and 2017 had already granted India the access to the old tanks in Trincomalee. These claims are contradictory. If the 1987 agreement had given the tanks to India, why sign another one in 2003 or 2017. Despite the Minister’s claims, there was no formal agreement to hand over 14 tanks to India in 2003, he said. A MoU was signed, but a formal agreement was never executed. The 2017 agreement between India’s Sushma Swaraj and then Minister Malik Samarawickrama too was only a MoU. So, IOC was holding these tanks illegally. However, when this agreement is signed it will formally have these tanks. The Minister also claims that the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka accord earmarked these tanks for Indian use. However, the agreement only states that if we develop these tanks with a foreign partner that partner will have to be India. So Gammanpila is bending facts,” he said.

Jayagoda pointed out that it was now widely acknowledged that Sri Lanka didn’t sign the Indo-Lanka agreement voluntarily. India twisted the arm of then President J.R. Jayewardene to make him agree. The agreement did not even have clauses on what steps to take if one party violated the agreement, he said.

“The agreement had been violated so many times and it is a joke to say that we are adhering to a non-existent clause of this agreement. There really is no reason why we should accept the accord at all,” he said.

The current agreement signed on Thursday allows LIOC to make changes to the structures in the tank farm, Jayagoda said. The 2003 agreement only allowed IOC the use of the tanks.

“This is why this is a more dangerous agreement than anything signed in 1987, 2003 or 2017. Moreover, the agreement states that Sri Lanka can’t enter into agreements with other companies to operate in the tank farm for another decade. The worst part is that under the 2003, any issue that arises between the two parties could be solved by Sri Lankan law but the 2022 agreement says that we have to go before arbitration courts in Singapore to settle any dispute. Our previous performances before arbitration courts have been less than stellar,” he said.

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Pakistan naval trio leaves Colombo after goodwill visit

Published

6 hours ago

2026/06/6

Priyan

Wrapping up their goodwill and replenishment visit, the Pakistan Navy ships ‘PNS Taimur’ and ‘PNS Aslat’, along with the submarine ‘PNS/M Hangor’, departed the island on 04 Jun 26. The naval units, which arrived in Sri Lanka on 01 June, were accorded a traditional naval send-off by the Sri Lanka Navy at the Port of Colombo, upon their departure.

During their stay, the Commanding Officers of Pakistan Navy ships and submarine called on the Commander Western Naval Area and the Flag Officer Commanding Naval Fleet at the Western Naval Command Headquarters, where discussions were held on several matters of mutual interest.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy personnel had the opportunity to visit the visiting Pakistan Navy ships and submarine. Furthermore, the crews of the visiting vessels explored the rich heritage of Sri Lanka, taking time to tour several culturally significant landmarks across the island.

News

China, Lanka intensify cooperation to fight cross-border crimes spreading across Asia and beyond

Published

11 hours ago

2026/06/6

Thilina Walpola

China and Sri Lanka have intensified joint law enforcement efforts to combat cross-border online gambling and telecom fraud, crimes that authorities warn are increasingly spreading across Asia and beyond.

The Chinese Embassy in Colombo said both countries are working closely to dismantle scam centres and fraud networks that have relocated to Sri Lanka from other parts of Southeast Asia. The Embassy noted that such operations often intertwine with human trafficking and other serious crimes, posing grave risks to public security and social stability.

China’s position on cross-border gambling remains firm: Chinese capital is prohibited from investing in overseas casinos, citizens are barred from operating them, and foreign casinos are forbidden from soliciting Chinese nationals. The Embassy stressed that gambling “almost invariably leads to financial ruin,” with tens of thousands of Chinese citizens suffering losses and harm. Recent amendments to China’s Criminal Law have criminalised cross-border gambling activities.

The Embassy pointed out that Sri Lankan authorities have carried out multiple raids in recent months, dismantling gambling and fraud dens and arresting suspects from several countries. Several Chinese nationals, involved in fraud-related crimes, have been handed over to Chinese authorities, producing what officials described as a strong deterrent effect.

The Chinese Embassy praised the efforts of Sri Lanka’s ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Public Security, particularly immigration and police officials, for their cooperation.

It warned that without firm and immediate measures, the spread of illegal gambling and fraud could damage Sri Lanka’s international image, undermine social stability, and harm the safety and security of its people.

China has already conducted similar law enforcement cooperation with countries including Spain, the UAE, Myanmar, and Cambodia, leading to arrests and repatriations of overseas fraud suspects. It has also proposed the creation of an international alliance against telecom and online fraud to coordinate global efforts, it said.

Going forward, China pledged to actively implement the Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, while continuing to deepen law enforcement and security cooperation with Sri Lanka.

The Embassy said these efforts aim to safeguard lives and property, protect financial security, and build a “clean, safe, and beautiful Sri Lanka,” while contributing to a new global framework for combating transnational crime.

News

Asst. Manager, security officer arrested over Rs 30 mn snatch at Horana PB branch

Published

11 hours ago

2026/06/6

Thilina Walpola

An assistant manager and a security officer, attached to a state bank branch in Horana, have been arrested in connection with the robbery of more than Rs. 30 million that was being transported to replenish automated teller machines (ATMs), Police said.

The two suspects were taken into custody on Friday after statements were recorded from them regarding the incident, which occurred on Wednesday afternoon at the Horana branch of the People’s Bank.

According to Police, a bank employee was carrying two bags containing cash through the rear entrance of the bank at around 2.45 p.m. when an individual, who had arrived on foot, allegedly snatched the bags and fled the scene.

The stolen money, amounting to approximately Rs. 30.5 million, had been prepared for distribution to ATM machines and transportation to other bank branches. Earlier reports had estimated the loss at around Rs. 35 million.

Investigators subsequently arrested a suspect believed to have been directly involved in the robbery and recovered Rs. 17 million of the stolen cash.

Police have not disclosed the exact circumstances that led to the arrest of the assistant manager and security officer but said investigations uncovered information linking them to the incident.

The Western Province North Crime Division is conducting further investigations to determine whether additional suspects were involved and to recover the remaining stolen money.

The daring daylight robbery has raised concerns over security procedures employed during transportation of large sums of cash to/from banking institutions.Further investigations are continuing.

by Norman Palihawadane