SL-Indo-Japanese Pact soon, says PM

A tripartite agreement between Sri Lanka, India and Japan was on the cards to start up development projects in the island, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday.

Premier Wickremesinghe came up with this remark at a New Year festival in Suduwella, Maradana during the weekend.

“I will take a message from President Maithripala Sirisena to India on Tuesday and will meet Indian Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday. The objective of the Government is to bring in a tripartite programme to go ahead with the development programs in the East, central and Western Sri Lanka,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the Trincomalee Port will become a developed port soon and Japan will assist Sri Lanka in some projects in that part of the country. He said India will also help other projects.

“Both countries will assist Sri Lanka in few projects together especially in Trincomalee. Singapore will assist in developing the Trincomalee City. “Japan and India will assist Sri Lanka to construct two LNG power plants in Kerawalapitiya. Both countries will be engaged in a project to set up a floating LNG pool in the sea,” he added.

He said the agreement of Japan and India in participation in Sri Lankan development projects is a positive sign.

Wickremesinghe said Japanese team will give its reports on Meethotamulla next week and will assist Sri Lanka in solid waste management.

“A few Ministers and I toured Japan recently. Japan is the only country that assisted Sri Lanka for the longest period. We have got special assistance from that country. Japanese Prime Minister has assured that his country will assist Sri Lanka’s development process. Sri Lanka and Japan has identical policies on ensuring stability and development of Asia. Japan will assist Sri Lanka in the Megapolis programme. It will assist us in developing highways and in developing the Colombo Port.

“The Japanese private sector will invest in projects under the Megapolis Programme. It will assist us in developing the city of Kandy. Initial work has been done in this regard,” he also said.

The Prime Minister said the Most Venerable Maha Nayaka Theras of Asigiriya and Malwatte Chapters have advised the Government to work with Japan which is a Buddhist nation in developing Kandy and the country as a whole.

“Therefore we will work with Japan,” he said.

The Prime Minister said Sri Lanka will work with China as well. He said he will visit China in May this year and would finalize some deals during his visit.

Focusing on the Meethotamulla disaster, Mr. Wickremesinghe said it was something which was unexpected during the Sinhala New Year.

“We should see to it that such a thing will not happen again. Such things do happen in a country. We have to determine the shortcomings, which led to it. It is the Government’s duty to do all that and to see that such disasters are avoided in the future,” he said in this regard.(Yohan Perera)