News

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.

All News Advertisement

News

NPP: Speaker won’t step down, CIABOC can investigate him

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/10

Sahan Weerasooriya

Nihal

* New Auditor General should not have been sworn in before Speaker – Opp.

* Suspended House Dy. Sec. Gen. Chaminda Kularatne takes his case to CA today

General Secretary of the National People’s Power (NPP) Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe yesterday said that there was no need for Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne to step down in view of the complaint lodged against him with the CIABOC (Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption).

NPP General Secretary said so in response to The Island query whether the parliamentary group of the ruling party discussed the growing Opposition calls for the Speaker, who is also the Chairman of the Constitutional Council, to step down to facilitate the investigation.

The NPP parliamentary group consists of 159 MPs, including 18 National List (NL) members.

NL member Dr. Abeysinghe asked whether any other person, who had been investigated by the CIABOC, stepped down from his or her position to facilitate the inquiry.

The top official emphasised that the CIABOC could go ahead with its investigation without any hindrance.

Chamindra and Dr. Jagath

Opposition sources said that there hadn’t been a similar situation before and the CIABOC investigation into Speaker Dr. Wickramaratne is unprecedented as he heads the 10-member CC responsible and directly involved in all key appointments, including that of members to the CIABOC.

Sources pointed out that the newly appointed Auditor General, Ms. Samudrika Jayaratne, took the oath of secrecy before the Speaker on 5 February in Parliament after suspended Deputy General Secretary of Parliament Chaminda Kularatne complained to CIABOC.

In accordance with Section 9 of the National Audit Act, No. 19 of 2018, Jayaratne took the oath of secrecy in her capacity as the Auditor General of the National Audit Office and Chairperson of the Audit Service Commission.

Sources said that Kularatne would move the Court of Appeal today (10) against his removal at the behest of the Staff Advisory Committee, headed by the Speaker.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

News

Trinco Buddha statue case: All suspects, including 4 monks re-remanded till 11 Feb.

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/10

Sahan Weerasooriya

One of the monks being brought to the Magistrate’s Court

The Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court yesterday (09) further remanded 10 persons, including four Buddhist monks, arrested on 19 January, 2026, for allegedly placing a Buddha statue in the coastal reservation, on 16 January.

The Buddhist monks, including Ven. Balangoda Kassapa Thera, and six other individuals, were further remanded until 11 February.

They have been accused of violating the Coast Conservation Act by placing a Buddha statue on a block of land belonging to the Trincomalee Bodhiraja Temple.

Of the four monks, Ven Balangoda Kassapa Thera and Ven Trincomalee Kalyanawansa Tissa Thera moved the Court of Appeal against the Magistrate’s Court decision. The case was heard on 22 January before a Bench comprising the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya, and Justice K. Priyantha Fernando.

Manohara de Silva, PC, and President’s Counsel Uditha Igalahewa, PC, appearing for the petitioners, urged the Court to take up the matter urgently, describing it as a case of exceptional importance.

However, the Court of Appeal on 3 February dismissed the petitions against the remanding of Ven Balangoda Kassapa Thera and Ven Trincomalee Kalyanawansa Tissa Thera.

The order was issued by the Court of Appeal bench consisting of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Rohantha Abesuriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando.

News

Pakistan HC commemorates Kashmir Solidarity Day

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/10

Sahan Weerasooriya

Exhibition focusing on Kashmir (pic courtesy PHC)

The Pakistan High Commission in Colombo recently organised a seminar and photo exhibition at the HC premises to commemorate Kashmir Solidarity Day. The following is the text of the statement issued by the PHC: “The event highlighted Pakistan’s continued support for the Kashmiri people and emphasised the importance of a peaceful and just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Members of the Pakistani community, friends of Kashmir, and local journalists attended the event.

The seminar concluded with remarks by the High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Major General (R) Faheem-ul-Aziz, HI (M). He reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled stance on the Jammu & Kashmir issue and underscored the need for sustained international engagement. He noted that the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) has remained a matter of concern for decades and called upon the international community, particularly the United Nations, to play its role in promoting peace, stability, and respect for human rights.

The High Commissioner emphasised that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute should be resolved in accordance with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, cautioning that prolonged tensions could have broader implications for regional peace and security.

The event featured keynote addresses by Shiraz Yunus and Ms. Suriya Rizvi, who highlighted the importance of dialogue, interfaith harmony, and peaceful coexistence. They also drew attention to humanitarian concerns and stressed the need for safeguarding fundamental rights in the region.

Earlier, messages from the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, issued on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, were read out by the Press Attaché and the Trade & Investment Attaché, respectively.

As part of the Photo Exhibition, photographs and digital presentations, depicting the humanitarian situation in IIOJK, were displayed during the seminar.”