China to build new port-city in Colombo on 99-year-lease

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 July 2013, 09:47 GMT]
The Sri Lankan State, which has been trading human rights with the West and ports with China for completing the structural genocide on the occupied country of Eezham Tamils, has now signed a US$1.43 billion deal with China Communications Construction to build a port facility with a 99-year-lease on a 230 hectares reclaimed land in Colombo, Sri Lanka Ports Authority chairman Priyath Wickrama has announced. “The Chinese firm will be given 50 hectares of reclaimed land and the construction project, schemed to start in September will last for 39 months,” said a report by Latvia-based Transport Weekly on Monday. 

The port facility will become a ‘city’ with eco-parks, residential areas, offices and shopping malls, the report further said. 

“The site is next to the main Port of Colombo, close to Shangri-La Hotels Lanka, a unit Hong Kong-listed Shangri-La Asia, which is building a 500-room hotel.”

More funds for Mattala

By Shiwanthi Fernando
& Umesh Moramudali

 2013-07-29 

Minister of Civil Aviation, Priyankara Jayaratne, is seeking Cabinet approval to obtain an additional loan from EXIM Bank, China, consequent to which a contract to extend the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), would be signed.

Minister Jayaratne has forwarded the memorandum to Cabinet, as some areas need to be extended at the MRIA, taking into consideration the increase in the price of building and other material. 

Accordingly, the initial contract fee for MRIA has increased from US$ 209,000,000 to US$ 356,875,025.
In the Cabinet Paper, Minister Jayaratne has stated that additional tracks should be constructed in the airport.
Luciano Technic Ltd., together with SriLankan Airlines, is engaged in the construction, and has requested the ministry to provide an aircraft hangar and some other facilities in the Southern side of the airport.Meanwhile, it was reported that areas surrounding the MRIA have been declared a free port in the latest bid to attract business to the multi-billion rupee venture.

There will be exemptions from customs duty, exchange control and import-export regulations, in terms of an order signed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning.

Further, the order declaring the MRIA premises as a bonded area was made by the Department of Trade and Investment Policy, under the Customs Ordinance.

A part of the development plan for MRIA is to set up a tax-free industrial zone within the area allocated for the airport.