Will India topple Ranil’s government too?

Will India topple Ranil’s government too?

2016-04-13

India maintained strict silence on Ranil's visit to China. Only India is aware of the secret behind that silence. Subsequent to Mahinda's defeat, his brother former Defence Secretary Gotabaya said at a conference that Indian Defence Adviser Ajit Doval had told him to halt the Colombo Port City (Chinese) Project. Gotabaya said, his brother's government got involved in problems with India because of the decision the government took not to halt this project.

If Doval had told Gotabaya to halt the Colombo Port City Project then there is no reason for them not to tell the same thing to either Maithri or Ranil. However, during his tour of India it was reported that India had given their approval for the project.

The maintenance contract for the roundabout close to the Colombo Port City Project at the Galle Face had been handed over to the Kingsbury Hotel located nearby during the period of the Rajapaksa Government. Recently when the Kingsbury Hotel expressed their willingness to hand over the maintenance to another institution, the Indian Oil Company (IOC) expressed their desire to take over the contract of maintenance.

IOC is also in charge of the project of renovating fuel tanks in Trincomalee. At the same time IOC is in charge of the Trincomalee Port Development Project as well. We do not know how China interprets the taking over of maintenance of the park near the Chinese Port Project by IOC. The government has not yet agreed to hand this over to the IOC. Maintaining a silent policy about Ranil's Chinese Tour and the Chinese Port Project and remaining silent on the IOC taking over maintenance of the park near the Chinese Port Project depicts the secret behind India's silence. During Mahinda's Government, India wanted to establish an Indian Consul General Office near the Hambantota Port. It is not that Ranil is unaware of India's fear regarding his visit to China and the Chinese Port Project. Ranil says that he pointed out to India that the Chinese Port Project will not be a threat to the security of India.

However, India had a keen eye on the manner in which Ranil's agenda for his trip to China was prepared. We do not know whether Ranil was aware of that. He took preparation of his agenda for his trip to China to Temple Trees from the Foreign Ministry. The agenda was prepared secretively at Temple Trees. Therefore, India found it difficult to obtain information on it. The other thing is that when Ranil went to China, President Maithripala Sirisena met a group of German parliamentary representatives in Sri Lanka. Here Maithri said, that Sri Lanka will not act in a manner that will cause a threat to the security of another country because of a relationship with a certain country.

Maithri gave that message to India. Germany is a country that is interested in the Chinese impact on Sri Lanka. When Maithri visited Germany, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was more interested in the topic of Lanka-Chinese relations. She showed that during Mahinda's Government Germany was not happy regarding Lanka-China relations.

America

It is no secret that Western countries led by India and America helped to bring the Maithri-Ranil Government to power. The main reason for this was that Sri Lanka was under the influence of China. However, we do not know how they will analyze Maithri-Ranil getting close to China. The Bandaranaikes had close ties with India. However, in 1962, during the Indo-China war, Prime Minister Sirimavo acted as a peacemaker depicting that she was working towards an attempt to halt it, but there was an accusation that she acted in a manner that was advantageous to China. There was a suspicion that a secret agreement had been reached by her to hand over the Trincomalee Port to China if an Indo-China war took place. In 1964, India supported the UNP in overturning her government. That was against her government's preference to China. In 1970, when Madame Sirimavo came back into power,

she was accused of having helped the JVP in their 1971 uprising. Although she had a very close relationship with then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi during the Indo-Pakistan war she allowed Pakistani Aircraft to refuel in Sri Lanka. However, India did not fall out with her.

During Ranil's visit to China, Chinese media reported pleasant news to India. That is that when the Chinese Silk Route Port Plan is being implemented, China will not depend on or have any hopes regarding Pakistan harbours or about Pakistan itself. Chinese media had stated that it was due to threats of terrorism in Pakistan. This was a very auspicious message for India. India is most fearful of this Chinese Port City Project due to the possibility of China getting together with Pakistan. Just as the Chinese media have given the message that Pakistan is not secure, it has given a signal to India as well. A signal has been given that the Chinese Colombo Port City Project will not be a threat to the security of India by Maithri-Ranil changing the agreement on the Port Project. How will India accept these signals? It is difficult to say whether India will renew its ties with the Rajapaksa's to teach the Maithri-Ranil Government a lesson.

Zero environment pollution at Norochcholai - அமைச்சர்

 Nuraichcholai Coal Power Plant

Zero environment pollution at Norochcholai
APR 13 2016
Sandasen MARASINGHE

 The Norochcholai Coal Power Plant's emission of flying ash as well as environment pollution is almost 'Zero', Power and Renewable Energy Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera said.

He made this observation during an interview with the media.

Minister Perera said although some people have said that flying ash affects their agriculture, it is totally misleading.

He said 99.4 percent of the flying ash is trapped at the chimney and sold to cement factories. He also said sometimes a bit of bottom ash is blown away with the sea winds.

"Building a parapet wall where the bottom ash is dumped will give a permanent solution to this issue," the deputy minister said. "Even after a lapse of a considerable period the CEB has failed to construct it. It will be constructed soon."

He said that sulfur emission of the Norochcholai Coal Power plant is also "Zero". The only emission is Carbon Dioxide and added that it is not hazardous. 

பயங்கரவாதம் ஒழிந்தது! அந்நிய நிதி மூலதனம் நுழைந்தது!!

Sri Lanka among Asia's top 10 FDI hotspots : IHS
APR 15 2016

Sri Lanka is ranked among Asia Pacific's top 10 foreign direct investment (FDI) hotspots, according to a study by US-based global information company IHS Inc.

The other Asia Pacific FDI hotspots are China, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

In a statement today, IHS said that over the next decade, the Asia Pacific is forecast to be the fastest growing region of the global economy and the region that offers the biggest potential gains for FDI.

"The Asia Pacific region will grow at an average annual rate of 4.5 per cent per year, boosted by rapid growth in consumer spending in China, India and Southeast Asia," said IHS Chief Economist Asia Pacific Rajiv Biswas.

Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are also expected to join the ranks of Asian nations with a Gross Domestic Product exceeding US$1 trillion by 2030.

"This will help to increase the geopolitical and economic importance of ASEAN and economic grouping in international diplomacy and the global dialogue on trade, investment and international standards-setting," said.

IHS said that Southeast Asia is expected to be one of the world's fastest growing regions with these four ASEAN nations.

Referring to Malaysia as Asia's next advanced economy, the IHS report said that Malaysia's economy is forecast to achieve a per capita GDP of US$20,000 by 2025, with total GDP exceeding US$1 trillion by 2030.

Biswas pointed out that the structure of the Malaysian economy will continue to shift towards higher value-added manufacturing and services.

"Strategic growth industries in the services sector will include financial services, healthcare, education, commercial aviation, tourism and the IT-Business Process Outsourcing industry, as Malaysia becomes an increasingly important services, services-exporting economy for Southeast Asia," said Biswas.

Indonesia's GDP is forecast to grow at five per cent per year over 2016-2020, supported by strong growth in consumer demand and infrastructure investment, he added.

"By 2020, Indonesia will have already become a nation with a GDP size exceeding US$1 trillion, and by 2030, Indonesian GDP is projected to exceed US$3.7 trillion," said Biswas, adding that Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy and one of the world's largest emerging markets.

The Philippines, he said, has shown rapid GDP growth averaging at around six per cent per year over 2011-2015, with GDP growth of 5.8 per cent per year forecast over 2016-2018.

"The total size of the Philippines' economy is projected to grow from US$300 billion in 2016 to US$700 billion by 2025, and a US$1 trillion economy by 2030," Biswas added.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN frontier markets of Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos are forecast to continue to grow rapidly.

The IHS study showed that Vietnam will grow at a pace of around 6.5 per cent per year over the medium term, with rapid growth in manufacturing exports of electronics and garments driving industrial development.

"The new EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the planned TPP deal will significantly boost Vietnam's market access to the EU and the US for its manufacturing exports by reducing tariff barriers substantially," he added.

(BERNAMA)