President appoints members of Port City Commission: TN police placed on high alert fearing disturbances

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday appointed the members of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission while India put the Tamil Nadu police on high alert.

The Hindu reported that the Indian police were concerned about the possibility of some pro-LTTE group agitating in Tamil Nadu against Sri Lanka and China over the Colombo Port City.

Gamini Marapana, PC has been appointed the Chairman of the commission comprising Treasury Secretary S. R. Attygalle, Secretary to the Ministry of Water Supply Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama, Ex-BOI Chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya, Managing Director,Orel Corporation Kushan Kodituwakku, Managing Director of Mercantile Investments and Finance PLC Gerard George Ondaatjie and Chairman/Managing Director of McLarens Group Rohan De Silva.

Parliament last week passed a law for the forming of the commission to govern the China-funded $1.4 billion Colombo Port City, being constructed on reclaimed land by the Colombo’s sea front.

As per the provisions of the bill the President has the powers to create the commission which would be a single-window management committee for the special economic zone, which is on 269 hectares of reclaimed land along with tax and duty concessions for both domestic and foreign investors.

Meanwhile, The Hindu yesterday said that the Tamil Nadu police have been put on high alert after Sri Lanka passed the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill giving “complete control” of the Port City, coming up in the capital, to China.

The report, quoting sources, said that passing of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill was a major diplomatic and strategic concern for India as China’s footprint would increase in the neighbouring countries, the sources said the move evoked instant protests from not only Opposition parties in Sri Lanka but other organisations like the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam. “Acting on intelligence inputs, Director-General of Police J.K. Tripathy instructed senior police officers across Tamil Nadu to intensify vigil to thwart any attempt to stage protests in front of Sri Lankan or Chinese establishments in the State.

“Referring to statements of a Tamil nationalist group leader that the silence of the international community on the issues in Sri Lanka had caused “great unrest and outrage among Tamils”, the police chief said there were possibilities that members of the pro-Tamil organisations or sympathisers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam may condemn the Sri Lankan government for approving the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill and attempt agitations targeting Sri Lankan and Chinese establishments.”