Tuesday, 16 February 2021 - 21:26
Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila has stated that there is no change in the decision taken to hand over three northern islands belonging to Sri Lanka to three Chinese companies for a joint energy project to be implemented with China.
He was responding to a question raised by a journalist at a media briefing at the Government Information Department today. (Video of the Ministers response in English at the end of the Article)
The Cabinet had approved the allocation of Delft, Analativu and Nainativu Islands for the project on January 18.
India concerned
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s recent decision to pull out of the East Container Terminal (ECT) deal with India and Japan is not the only challenge to New Delhi’s interests emerging this year according to Indian media reports. A week before reneging on the 2019 Colombo Port terminal agreement, Sri Lanka cleared a Chinese energy project in three islands off Jaffna peninsula that are barely 50 km from the Tamil Nadu coast.