Maithri -Maharaja mahajara (filth) deal and decision wreak havoc ! Factual story behind Russia’s ban on SL Tea

(Lanka-e-News - 18.Dec.2017, 11.25PM)   The decision taken by Mathripala Sirisena and Kili Maharaja alias mahajara (filth ) wheeler dealer group who have no  knowledge of  State diplomacy,  and because their gaze are  solely and wholly fixed on rackets, has  plunged the entire country into doom and gloom on an unprecedented scale . The saddest part is , It is the helpless and hapless  people who have to bear the brunt of all the problems generated  by their illicit deals.  

Even before the saliva that oozed out of the mouth could dry of  president Maithripala when he was saying ,  Russian president Putin is his bosom pal , while  Maithri was on a tour of South Korea , it is the same so called bosom pal Putin who decided that the import of Tea from Sri Lanka shall  be halted with immediate effect despite the fact SL has been exporting tea to Russia for decades.   

Even as  president Sirisena was bragging that the leaders of foreign states whispered to  him ‘ give me just a call for any assistance’ , Russia without any intimation took  this disastrous decision against SL.

The reason cited officially by Russia for this action is , the Tea in the container imported from SL contained the insect ‘trogoderma  granarium’ alias ‘Kapra’ 

These  insects do not live among tea leaves, and are found in seeds.  This controversial  SL  tea export had been dispatched via Turkey Port and in Turkey’s  containers.  The insects have been detected not in the SL tea but among the cardboards meant for packing the tea . These cardboard materials  had been transported sans the necessary written certificate  along with the tea consignment . Though the insects were allegedly found in the container of tea , the ban was imposed not on tea alone , rather on all plantation products of SL.

Russia is a main import hub for SL tea , and about 50 million kilograms are exported to Russia annually. That constitutes about  17 % of the total tea export of SL. The SL tea export makes up as large as  23 % of the Russian tea market. (It was 33 % before the present government) .  During the first ten months of this year alone , 141,300 tons of tea valued at US dollars 436 million  had been exported to Russia. 

In the circumstances the action taken by Russia has metaphorically speaking , given  a slap in the face of SL. Moreover , because of the publicity given to this incident through the European media , already SL’s  tea market has been most adversely affected in the long run.  

It is the consensus  that all these are the evil fallout of the decision taken unilaterally by the Maithri- Maharaja group to ban Asbestos ceiling sheets within SL on the grounds that those cause lung cancer , without any medical data or technological report to substantiate that claim.

 Notorious Maharaja  the mahajara wheeler dealer orchestrated this camouflage  because he had plans to manufacture S- Lon variety asbestos ceiling sheets. When asbestos sheets are unavailable maharaja the mahajara would have no competitor. 

It is noteworthy when  president took this decision, UNP the main constituent party of the government was not  consulted. In any event , by 2020 , asbestos ceiling sheets will be completely eliminated from the SL market .

It is significant to note asbestos sheets are mainly  imported to SL from Russia. The ex Russian ambassador to SL , Alexander Kerchavo expressed his bitter resentment in Colombo to the SL government against this decision taken without any research report . It is a pity President Sirisena who gleefully and proudly said ‘ I am the one who was invited to Russia after 44 years and  Putin is my friend ’ did not have any sense of diplomacy despite being a president of the country. Sirisena who knows only to brag does  not know how to resolve diplomatically or give   diplomatic answers.

In any  case , let us say a few words about president Sirisena ‘s much vaunted invitation to Russia after 44 years . This was not an invitation extended to president Sirisena by Russia , rather an invitation extracted via inducements.    When President Sirisena was earlier invited to the G 8 conference he had occasion to meet  the Russian president most briefly.  Our president’s translator told Putin   ’ our president likes to see your country as he has not seen Russia’. Putin ‘s reply was ‘ then pay a visit .‘  After casually saying that Putin left the venue. That was a very brief meeting lasting just a few seconds . President Sirisena who returned to SL , began writing letters after letters to the Russian foreign ministry  .Your president at the G8 conference extended an invitation to president  Sirisena, the letters  stated .The latter sent letters begging  to make official arrangements towards that . It is only thereafter , unable to endure the pestilence that the invitation from Russia was sent .So that is how the invitation after 44 years was solicited .

Sadly, this close  friendship flaunted by Sirisena however was  reciprocated in a most weird way  by president Sirisena’s so called bosom pal Putin  - he imposed  a ban on SL ‘s tea and plantation product exports.  Though this  reaction did not match the obnoxious  action taken by  SL in exactitude  , by July 2017 itself there were signals that Russia is going to retaliate.  It is the present minister of foreign affairs now in Russia , who speaks Sinhala fluently and  considers SL as his second homeland who  revealed  what was in store.   Even Sirisena’s maturity had been ignored. 

 In November, four Inspection centers were established at   Russia’s four Customs departments of the State to obtain quarantine certificates pertaining to imports of agricultural products .  However Sirisena’s present  ambassador in Russia,  Saman had been unconcerned and had been blind  to this  development.

 While there was no need for a quarantine certificate when SL tea was  imported into Russia after 2012 , Saman who is there after getting an extension  had not inquired why  these changes are  being effected.  This unconcern of his was   natural because Saman is there to facilitate the warship deal  engineered by Maithri-Maharaja group , and the gaze is only  on colossal illicit commissions which are part and parcel of the deal. 

The  decision taken by Russia against SL will apply to four other countries -Kazakhastan , BeloRussia , Kirgisthan and Tajikistan .Syria which is a  close friend of Russia is also likely to abide by this decision. Since SL exports tea to all these countries , the situation is most grave and portentous.

Earlier on following a political issue that erupted between Russia and India , a similar ban was imposed in regard to import of rice , and it took over 6 months for India to get that withdrawn. 

It is very unfortunate due to the ‘mature’ decisions taken by Maithri-Maharaja  , Naveen Dissanayake has been made the scapegoat.  Though Naveen with a delegation left for Russia , it is unlikely he can meet any minister or official these days because of the Christmas holidays.

Having got the opportunity therefore to drink Vodka and enjoy the flesh of body peddlers   at State expense  to kill time , they are sure to thank the ’Kapra’ insect which paved the way for their mirth and merriment  at public expense. 

By Special correspondent
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by     (2017-12-18 17:57:08)