Chinese builder to India to woo investors :
Indians to invest in Port City project

CHEC
Port City Colombo, the company handling the much-talked-about Colombo
Port City project, pulled off a masterstroke last week, when it
approached several top Indian companies to invest in the project.
This was a highly significant achievement in terms of geo-political
relations concerning India, China and Sri Lanka.
The previous administration launched the multi million-dollar Port
City project amid claims on China’s increasing activity in the Indian
Ocean, and Sri Lanka’s strategic positioning between the Strait of
Malacca and China’s new base at Djibouti.
In this context, many analysts opined that the Port City was not only
a construction project; but also a barometer of Chinese influence in the
South Asian region where India is a key player. It was quite obvious
that India was “sensitive” about developments on the Port City front,
under the Rajapaksa administration.
Indian orbit
It does not require a lot of wisdom to understand that the tangled
history of port city, especially over the past 16 months, is proof to
the limits of India’s ability to project power in the region. But, it is
still a question whether India’s attempt to bring Sri Lanka more firmly
back into its orbit can match for China’s greater economic power across
the globe.
During the Rajapaksa administration, China became Sri Lanka’s largest
investor and largest creditor. The previous government often came under
criticism for recklessly accepting financial support from China, turning
a blind eye to its political repercussions. In 2013, when the Rajapaksas
were at the helm, China provided 21 percent of foreign loans and grants
to Sri Lanka, and by 2015 Sri Lanka owed China between $3.8 and $5
billion dollars. In 2014, Sri Lanka allowed Chinese submarines to dock
at Colombo without giving India prior notification. This practice,
needless to say, earned India’s ire and it strained Rajapaksa’s
relations with the regional giant.
After the launch of the Port City project, in 2014, speculation was
rife that India might have problems with the Chinese-funded project,
mainly due to its security concerns. Even the Indian media repeatedly
said the Indian government and its policy makers were keeping a close
eye on the port city project as it was “intertwined” with the sub
continent’s security concerns. It was against this backdrop that the
Chinese company handling the projected chose to ‘market’ the Port City
project in India.
In a major turn of events, CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd, Sales
and Marketing Head, Liang Thow Ming left for India last week to conduct
discussions with potential Indian investors.
The meetings were facilitated by John Lang Lasalle (JLL), a
well-known real estate broking firm, which already has a modest presence
in Sri Lanka. It was the first time the company went on to launch a
region-specific marketing exercise to rope in potential investors for
Colombo Port City, a project that was at the centre of a major
controversy 16 months ago.
Indian investors
As an outcome of the company’s interactions with Indian investors,
five Indian companies have expressed willingness to invest in the
Colombo Port City. Three of them, according to informed sources, already
have business interests in Sri Lanka.
“Our interactions with Indian businessmen were highly successful. We
received a warm welcome in India. Our decision to engage with Indian
businessmen was purely a marketing strategy. We want the Port City
project to deliver results,” Ming told the Sunday Observer.
However, many economic analysts told the Sunday Observer that the
company’s move to interact with Indian businessmen was a ‘smart move’ to
allay India’s fears over the project.
“When India develops business interests in the project, they will not
be in a position to resist the Port City over geo-political concerns.
Approaching India to invent in the Port City is a masterstroke from a
strategic point of view. On the other hand, it ensures a win-win
solution to all stakeholders,” a prominent economist, who closely
studied the Port City project from the outset,said.
The Chinese company and the Urban Development Authority have
formulated the mechanism to approve investment for the Colombo Port
City. The UDA, the body representing the Sri Lankan government, will
function as the final approving authority, as far as the investments are
concerned.
“However, every investment will have to be ratified by the Chinese
company as well. When giving the final green light, the UDA will take
the Chinese company’s endorsement into consideration. At the same time,
to fast track the operations of the project, the UDA has already formed
a special unit, especially dedicated for the Colombo Port City,” a
highly placed government source told the Sunday Observer on Friday.
“The company and the Sri Lankan government are looking at the project
from a commercial perspective. When roping investors for the Port City
project, we won’t worry too much about their nationality. Everyone will
be assessed based on their competence, scales of their investments and
their willingness to adhere to our standards and regulations. The
selection process will be very objective and transparent,” he further
added.
“In addition to India, we believe the Colombo Port City will be an
exciting project for South East Asian investors who are now venturing
into global investments. On the other hand, Western countries too have
an opportunity to join hands with the project,” he said.
The Chinese company’s move to approach Indian investors is a clear
indication that the future of the project is not bleak. The company is
convinced that the project will materialize and the money will flow in.
“The problems concerning the Colombo Port City project are not
political or economic issues. They are merely technical problems that
can be sorted out through negotiation. For instance, compensation for
delaying the Port City project is one such problem.
Discussions are currently underway between the Sri Lankan government
and the Chinese authorities to troubleshoot this issue and arrive at a
win-win solution. But the nature of the win-win solution cannot be
disclosed, at this juncture,” an authoritative source who is privy to
discussions between the two parties said.
Thilina Gamage affair
Colombo Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamage became a newsmaker over
the past few weeks over a court case involving a baby elephant.
The Additional Magistrate, whose service has been suspended by the
Judicial Service Commission, avoided the country’s law enforcement
authorities for nearly two weeks, without giving a statement to the
Criminal Investigations Department over the matter.
Although the Colombo Chief Magistrate ordered Gamage to give a
statement to the CID over the baby elephant’s issue, the Additional
Magistrate failed to make an appearance before the investigation team .
Multiple attempts made by the CID to contact the Additional Magistrate
over the phone proved futile as his mobile phone was switched off. As a
result, some sections of the media went on to say that the Additional
Magistrate was “absconding”.
A few days later, however, Gamage broke his silence, when he filed an
anticipatory bail application in Court to prevent the possibility of his
arrest on charges of a non-bailable offence.
In his application filed before Gangodawila Magistrate’s Court
through Senior Counsel Ajith Pathirana, the Additional Magistrate cited
the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Special Investigations Unit
OIC as the respondent.
He also informed Court that there was an attempt by the CID to arrest
him over the alleged possession of an elephant without a valid license.
Gamage informed the Magistrate that a team of CID officers had
arrived at his house in search of him and harassed his mother. He moved
Court to grant him anticipatory bail.
When this application was taken up for hearing before the Maligakanda
Magistrate, it was revealed in court that the CID had not named Gamage
as a suspect in the case.
Reprimanded
At this point, in another interesting turn of events, the Attorney
General reprimanded the CID for their failure to name Gamage as a
suspect in the baby elephant case, despite the AG’s department’s
instructions issued 18 days ago!
The lawyer representing the Attorney General asserted that the CID
Director should be held responsible for the department’s failure to name
Gamage as a suspect in the case.
However, President’s Counsel Ali Sabry with Senior Counsel Ajith
Pathirana and Harith Hettiarachi appearing for the petitioner gave an
interesting ‘twist’, alleging that the CID was deliberately reluctant to
name their client as a suspect since the CID wants to deprive his rights
guaranteed for a suspect.
“The CID wants to arrest our client with handcuffs. Three other
people connected to this incident have been named as suspects. Why do
they act in a different manner to Magistrate Thilina Gamage?” they
questioned. It looked as if the CID, which handled investigations into
matter, was receiving cannons from both sides.
Senior State Counsel Dileepa Peiris submitted to Court that the
behaviour of Magistrate Gamage during investigations was not exemplary
as a Judicial Officer, since he had evaded CID on several occasions.
At this point, Maligakanda Magistrate Kanishka Wijeratne postponed
the hearing into anticipatory bail application for June 2 after the
petitioner’s counsel requested for a further date stating that they
wanted to discuss the matter with the Attorney General.
When his attempt to get anticipatory did not bear fruit, Gamage
surrendered to Court, on Thursday, over the alleged possession of a baby
elephant without a valid license.
Raising eyebrows of some, Gamage was released on cash bail of Rs.
500,000 with four sureties of Rs. 2.5 million. The Court further issued
an order directing the Controller of Immigration and Emigration to
prevent the suspect from leaving the country.
He was was also ordered to appear before the CID on the last Sunday
of each month and further directed him to give a statement to the CID on
June 7. The magistrate maintained that it is unreasonable to remand the
suspect until the conclusion of the inquiry since the matter does not
come under the Public Property Act.
Value
The value of the elephant calf was estimated at Rs. 6.9 million.
Issuing an order directing to release the suspect on bail, the
Magistrate observed that the elephant calf in question can be considered
as a public property since the Wildlife Director General had issued a
license on a previous occasion.
The magistrate set aside the prosecution’s claim that the suspect
would interfere with the witnesses in the case and observed that he
would not be able to do so as he had been suspended from the service by
the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).
Senior State Counsel Dileepa Peiris appearing on behalf of the
Attorney General informed Court that the suspect cannot be released on
bail unless there are exceptional circumstances since the allegations
were leveled under the Public Property Act.
Peiris again informed Court that the Attorney General had given
instructions to the CID on May 12 that Gamage be named as a suspect and
steps be taken to produce him in Court for allegedly possessing a baby
elephant without a valid licence. He said following the amendment of the
Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance in 2009, elephants are considered
as public property.
He said Chandraratne Bandara Yatawara was the first owner of the
elephant calf named Sakura (Reg. No. 334). The SSC said according to
available documents, Chandraratne Bandara Yatawara who claimed himself
as a traditional and long-standing elephant owner had submitted an
application to the Wildlife Department for a licence for a
three-year-old female elephant in 2008.
Elephant owner
Peiris said investigations revealed that the person called Yatawara
was not a ‘traditional elephant owner’ but a welder who struggled to
make ends meet. He said the elephant calf was not a female as mentioned
in the application.
President’s Counsel Ali Sabry with Senior Counsel AjithPathirana
appearing on behalf of Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamage made a bail
application citing that the suspect can be released on bail after taking
into consideration the provisions of the Bail Act. They said Court
should apply the judicial mind rather than the version of the
prosecutors who demand to remand a suspect.
They further argued that Court should not issue remand orders for the
satisfaction of police officers. Meanwhile, the defence decided to
withdraw its anticipatory bail application filed by the suspect last
Friday to pre-empt the possibility of his arrest on charges of a non-bailable
offence.
Meanwhile, another drama unfolded amid the hearing of the case when a
group of lawyers who supported Gamage attempted to interrupt State
Counsel Pieris appearing on behalf of the Attorney General’s Department.
Pieris, responding to attempts of interruptions, said he would not be
intimated by those wearing ‘black coats’.
However, the ‘courtroom drama’ that unfolded on Thursday was quite
intense.
The Additional Magistrate, clad in his cloak, sat among lawyers
appearing for the case. When he appeared before the Magistrate, he gave
his cloak to a lawyer who sat next to him. The Additional Magistrate was
seen wearing a pale green shirt and a red colour tie, during the court
proceedings.
Interestingly, some supporters of Gamage, who identified themselves
as lawyers, prevented journalists from taking pictures of the Additional
Magistrate, on Thursday. The Magistrate, who did not want to face media
queries, used the rear entrance of the court, when he left the premises
after the hearing.
No-Confidence Motion
While the government is looking for a escape route from the current
economic mire, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake is preparing himself
for a fresh challenge.
The no-confidence motion, presented against him by the UPFA rebel
faction in Parliament, is due to be taken for debate in Parliament after
June 6.
When Parliament convenes on June 6, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya will give
a date for the debate. The no-confidence motion focuses on the present
economic situation of the country, the increase of taxes, the proper
management of the country’s economy and, the Central Bank’s bond issues.
The no-confidence motion against the Finance Minister, quite
obviously, will be a news-making opportunity for the UPFA rebels, who
call themselves the ‘Joint Opposition’. UPFA MP and former Minister C.B.
Ratnayake openly requested all Parliamentarians to support the
no-confidence motion against Karunanayake.
“If all the public representatives in parliament love their country
they should definitely support the no-confidence motion,” Ratnayake
said.
However, it is crystal clear that the UNP MPs and the SLFP MPs
supporting President Sirisena will not vote in favour of the
no-confidence motion. Although the JVP says it has not made a decision
on the matter, some argue that the JVP and the TNA may not align
themselves with the ‘Joint Opposition’ group, during the no-confidence
debate. The UPFA rebel faction’s strength in Parliament is less than 50
seats, and in that context, the motion is likely to end up as a damp
squib.
Central Bank Governor
Meanwhile, Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran too will officially
end his first term this month. The JVP, the Joint Opposition group and
some civil society groups have openly urged the government to refrain
from re-appointing Mahendran as the Central Bank Governor. Some civil
society groups who have declared war on the Central Bank Governor are
the ones who supported President Sirisena at the last Presidential
election.
However, it is quite apparent that Mahendran is heavily backed by the
UNP, the largest stakeholder of the national unity government. Against
this backdrop, Mahendran stands a strong chance of securing his
position.
On the other hand, the SLFP MPs representing the government have
still not taken a strong stand against the Governor, probably due to
fears that such demands would ‘upset’ the apple cart. But the final
decision on Mahendran’s appointment will be made by the President, who
himself is an SLFPer. |