Dr Sudath Gunasekara
7.4.2017.
Protection of the country from outside invasion, maintaining law and order and providing the welfare of the people, we have learned, as the three fundamental functions of any state. Protection of Sambuddha Sasana has been considered even more important in this country by our ancient Kings.
Since the Government of this country today has miserably failed to uphold all these basic functions of a state, I call it a classic example of a failed State in world history. I put the blame for this crime squarely on the President as the legal Head of the State, even though the actual man who runs the show is Ranil Wickramasinha who is considered the de facto Head of the State.
Now to see the latest national crime, please read the following news item (Daily Mirror 8.4.2017)
After deliberations involving President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister and Indian High Commissioner Taranjith Singh Sandhu, the government has decided to lease out the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm for development jointly with India, a Minister said yesterday
In the lower farm, there are 14 tanks currently being used by Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC). However, there are another 84 tanks in the Upper Tank Farm that are not being used at the moment.
Petroleum and Petroleum Gas Minister Chandima Weerakkody told the Daily Mirror that ten of these tanks would be retained by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), and the rest would be developed jointly with LIOC under a joint venture.
He said the government decided on this after a series of meetings involving President Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe , the Indian High Commissioner and him.
The initial move was to hand over all the tanks to the Indian authorities. However, the Minister said President insisted that at least ten tanks should be vested with the Sri Lankan side. (Kelum Bandara)”
– See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Trinco-oil-tanks-to-be-leased-out-to-India-126944.html#sthash.QhsL2NnY.dpuf
My Comments
Isn’t it strange that these four people are the Government of this country. Weerakkody was only a spectator of this crime. Furthermore since the real critical man behind this decision was the Indian High Commissioner, I conclude today India is the Government’ of this country. In fact India has been virtually running this country since 1987 with conclusion of the JR/Rajiv Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. The setting up of 9 Provincial Councils the last nail on the head of the Unitary Government of Sri Lanka has virtually come to an end. The Provincial Councils, though introduced at gun point by India in 1987, indeed was the culmination of the colonial process of separation of Sri Lanka on ethnic and regional basis British started in 1832 by carving out the Island in to five Provinces .
It was only last week papers reported Ranil Wickramasinha wanted to lease out all Oil tanks in Trinco to India just to satisfy and pacify India against the Hambantota deal with China. They also reported he is planning to lease out or rather sell some other national assets and parts of the country to other countries like Japan, Thailand, US and India including the Trico harbour and a section of Colombo Harbour as well
Yesterday another news item said some cabinet Ministers objected to Ranils proposal to give the oil Tanks to India quoting National security risks etc. I wonder whether these Ministers are aware that it was also Ranil who gave 14 tanks to the IOC in 2002 when he was accidentally Prime minister for two years. With this new decision all 101 oil tanks in Trico will be sold to India. Remember that will conclude the selling of the 805 acres on which these Oil Tanks stand, its entire surroundings, Trincommallee Harbour the best natural harbor in the Eastern world and the second deepest in the world and an invaluable national asset and definitely the most strategic Harbour, not only in the Indian Ocean but also the 21st century new world. Also we have to remember that Trinco is the capital of the dream EELAM of the Tamils the world over and the Tamil EELAM headquarters in the merged Northern and Eastern Provinces of this country as it was decided both by the Tamils and India.
Rani Wickramasinhas decision to hand over these oil Tank with the hinterland of 850 acres and the Trinco harbour to India is not at all surprising as he is the Nephew of JRJ, who once argued,
A free Lanka, independent of all other nations of the world, is difficult to conceive of. An Indo–Lanka Federation may have to be discussed, may even have to be planned for and may be useful for us to achieve. In the Federal Legislature, Lanka must be accorded a status equivalent to the status of the indian Provinces It is not possible for us ever to be again the Lanka of old. We can only dream of the days of Dutugemunu and Parakramabahu and of the deeds of valour of the Sinhalese heroes against the invaders from India; we have to be citizens of a great and powerful India”
(Documents of the Ceylon National Congress and National politics in Ceylon 1929-1950) It may be his uncle’s dream that now Ranil is trying to fulfill, who knows?
Once Ranils deal is closed virtually this part of the country will be a de facto and de jure Indian territory out of bound for Sri Lankan Government as already the land leased out to India by Ranils Government 2002 with the 14 Tanks is declared out of bound to Sri Lankan Government. If his plan works the day the entire North and East becoming Indiana territory and part of Tamilnadu is not that far.
It becomes more than clear from this decision that the PM’s decision to hand over this most critical political, economic and strategic national asset to India stands and the cunning diplomacy of Indian Ambassador has succeeded. The main factor being the Indian Ambassador is the Indian interest unlike the self interest of our politicians or officials. This is the difference between Indians and Sri Lankans and also the secret behind their success and our failures. They love their country and their interest above all other factors. Our people keep self-interest above all national interests. So it is nothing but a total sell out by the President and the Prime minister.
Look at the Ministers lame excuse,
‘Petroleum and Petroleum Gas Minister Chandima Weerakkody told the Daily Mirror that ten of these tanks would be retained by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), and the rest would be developed jointly with LIOC under a joint venture. He also said the government decided on this after a series of meetings involving President Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Indian High Commissioner and him. (weren’t there technical and economic advisers at this discussion)?
On his part this is nothing but talking like a parrot criminally neglecting his responsibility as the Minister to point out the repercussions of this dangerous deal. I am sure as the Minister in charge of this subject for the last two years, if he has been awake, he should have seen the numerous political, economic, strategic and social repercussions the country is facing due to the foolish IOC deal. He also should have known how this gold mine that has been described as a forgotten marvel lost in time and absorbed by the jungles” was lying idle since Independence in 1948 without being used by all Governments. This is a glaring example of how our Governments and officials including Secretaries of Ministries, Chairmen of CPC and technical people have been making use of the valuable resources of the country for the country’s development. Also it shows how irresponsible and negligent they have been in their duty by the motherland. What can you expect from these flag posts ministers and MPP and officials whose fate is entirely in the hands of the Party leader. No wonder the Indian bureaucrats like their politicians, have crept through one ear, and come out from the other” as the famous Sinhala saying goes, very cleverly deceiving not only the President, PM and the Minister but also the Sri Lankan Bureaucrats. At least if there had been a smart and intelligent patriotic man like the Late N.Q. Dias this disaster would have been definitely averted.
Does this means we have reduced the national security risks from the expansionism and subversive policies and colonizing of Sri Lanka policies of the Indian Government and have changed overnight by appeasing them in this manner. Obviously not. Definitely it has increased by many folds. On the other hand it clearly displays the worsening life and death struggle for political power and survival to remain in power at any cost between the President and PM have, and they have hit a compromise for their survival at the expense of the country’s national Security and all the future interests of the nation.
The government has already sold our assets and the profit making business of the CPC to India and killed a hen that could lay golden eggs. Now what Ranil is doing is he is trying ti complete what he could not do in2002.
This is not the last sellout and betrayal. Worst things are yet to come. Already negotiations are going on to sell Air Lanka as well. I am sure next they will sell Katunayala and Mattala Air ports and Colombo Hambantoa harbours as well. Where are they going to stop this ”selling and eating’ policies and when?
I am wondering as to why we should maintain this monkeys cage called Parliament with a bunch of 225 brokers called MPP, better known as rouges and traitors at such high cost to the country to destroy this country?
Is this their national economic policy of nation building? No wonder their Finance Minister is awarded the trophy for the best Minister of Finance in the world by the UK Government and the best in Asia by their agents in Asia for destroying a proud world civilization which they could not do in spite of centuries of Colonial exploitation, plundering and destruction. Now it being done through their agents, the debris left by them when the left our shores.
Ranils argument is that they cannot settle the billions of loans the previous Government has taken. Therefore they are compelled to sell these things to find the money to develop and survive. In their election manifestoes neither Sirisena nor Ranil said these things. They only promised Yahapalanaya and a Change
At the same time we all know the way they spend the meager resources of this country and the borrowed and printed money in billions on the luxuries of politicians and innumerable superfluous institutions created after every election just to give employments to their political catchers just to enable them to remain in power and enjoy. Why the hell they can’t stop wastage, large scale robbing, extravagance and scrap curses like the Provincial Council and all useless corporations and political creations created just to give employment to stooges, supporters and relations of politicians, reduce the so-called Cabinet of over 110 and the 225 representatives who never represent the people of but the party leaders only just to collect votes and camouflage the majority in Parliament, excessive perks and facilities afforded to politicians and higher ups like duty free vehicles, official vehicles, numerous allowances, foreign sojourns and pleasure trips for politicians at public expenses, wasteful meetings tamasas and public shows where politician including the President, PM and Ministers of different type show off to the asinine party supporters
This deal reminds me of the strategy adopted by the wise old Craw, in Panchatantara, to destroy the Owl den along with all the owls. The old craw got the others to bring and heap firewood at the doorway of the owl den during day time and set fire in the night when owls are sleeping. Similarly the Indian Ambassador now has got the petrol tanks, obviously more inflammable and destructive than firewood. So is it a way to set fire, rather metaphorically and literally too to Sri Lanka India is planning. Panchatantara is Indian. The Ambassador is also Indian. The fire to set Sri Lanka on fire and fuel is provided by our own elected President and the Prime Minister assisted by their bunch of parasitic Ministers and the cohort of MPP. Probably they have taken over the job of the Indian Monkey King Hanuman as well.
The Oil Tank Farm issue should not be treated in isolation as an Indian threat. It has to be considered along with all other incidents such as the Indian Foreign Minister Sushhima’s threat, Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor’s speech at the Book launching, Padma Rao Sundarji of WION’s senior international correspondent’s interview with Ranil, I mentioned in my articles last week in Lankaweb and many other allied statements and issues like ETCA, poaching problem in the Palk straight, the Tamilnadu issue and regular statements of spokesmen of the so-called International community who are after our blood.
The last question I pause to my readers and all Sri Lankan voters is as to why we should maintain a treacherous, inefficient and unpatriotic Government like this anymore?
I am also attaching a description of the Trinco Oil Tank Farm for the convenience my readers here.
Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm and World War II – ත්රිකුණාමලය තෙල් ටැංකි සංකීර්ණය
Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm and World War II – ත්රිකුණාමලය තෙල් ටැංකි සංකීර්ණය
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Satellite view of the farm of giant storage tanks lost in the jungles
Satellite view of the farm of giant storage tanks lost in the jungles
The Oil Tank Farm of Trincomallee was built by British but the never used in full capacity after independence is a forgotten marvel lost in time and absorbed by the jungles. This is a hidden landmark to the public eye but provides a spectacular aerial view creating 101 random circles covering 850 acres, like eggs of a giant alien waiting to be hatched from a sci-fi movie. Most of this land is covered by scrub jungle teaming with wildlife including elephants and leopards.
Trincomalee harbour being the second deepest natural harbour in the world, the British who were in control of the island decided make this as their primary logistics station in the east after world war I. They started the oil storage project in the 1924 and completed in late 1930’s. The farm had 101 storage tanks built with 1 inch thick steel sheets and the tanks near the harbour are enclosed by 1 feet thick concrete rings.
Legend has it that labourers were brought in from British African colonies to complete the work. 102 tanks were planned but the site of 100th tank was cleared but never built probably out of superstition.
[About the tank number 91 on the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]
[Destroyed tank after the Japanese kamikaze attack at the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]
[Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]
[Inside a neglected oil tank at Trincomalee Tank Farm]
[Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]
[Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]
Each tank could hold 12,000 tonnes of fuel and has a astonishing total capacity of over 1.2 million tonnes. This dwarfs the CPC’s existing storage facility and even the new storage complex built by the Chinese at Muthurajawela, which has a capacity of 200,000 tonnes.
The storage complex fell in to disuse after the British ceded power in 1948 and the nature took over the land. The government owned CPC used only 15 tanks in the lower tank farm close to the sea until the farm was handed over to the Indian oil giant IOC in 2002. The IOC too used only these tanks while others were forgotten in the jungles.
Out of the 101 tanks one of the tanks was destroyed when a Royal Ceylon Air Force plane crashed in early 1960’s. The steel has long since been removed with only the concrete cover remaining.
But most famous is the destroyed tank number 91 lying in the far edge of the forest. Only the charred, twisted and melted metal remains of this tank and a small notice near the tank gives details of how the tank was destroyed in a kamikaze attack during the Japanese air raid on Trincomalee at dawn on April 9, 1942.
The Trincomalee harbour was a critical operational and logistic station for the allied forces operating the region during the world war II. The Japanese attacked Trincomalee harbour in 1942 and the tank farm which provided refueling facility for most of the Naval destroyers in the region was one of their main targets. The Japanese couldn’t achieve its objective, but one plane piloted by a ‘Shigenori Watanabe’ probably hit by anti-aircraft gun fire made a kamikaze dive on to the tank number 91.
The resulting fire that broke out lasted for seven days and generated so much heat that the steel melted and rolled over on itself. The rusted wreckage of the engine is all that can be seen of the aircraft is now on display at the Air Force Museum in Colombo. Only a skull was recovered out of the remains of the passengers of the air craft.
Since this tank farm is under the control of IOC, permission is require to enter the premises from them.