Sri Lanka Signals Exit from MOC with India on Colombo Port Indian High Commission opposes Lankan bid
COLOMBO: Reacting to signals from the Sri Lankan government that it is opting out of the May 2019 trilateral Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between Sri Lanka, India and Japan to build and run the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port, the Indian High Commission said on Monday that it expects all parties to adhere to the MOC.
“ I would like to reiterate the expectation of the Government of India for the expeditious implementation of the trilateral Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) signed in May 2019 among the Governments of India, Japan and Sri Lanka for the development of ECT with participation from these three countries,” a statement issued by the spokesman of the High Commission said.
Harsha Gunasena
Collective consciousness is a fundamental sociological concept which refers to a set of shared ideas, attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge which are common to a social group or society. The political leaders, whether they are democratic or autocratic, try to influence the collective consciousness of the society, some in order to uplift the society in a constructive way such as Nelson Mandela and some in destructive way such as Hitler. The people should be vigilant whether these influences on collective consciousness would be in the best interests of the nation.
US example
President Joe Biden took his oath as 46
Posted on January 27th, 2021
MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR, Asia regional correspondent Courtesy Nikkei Asia With eyes on growing Chinese influence, New Delhi ensures its interests get priority Port of Colombo in 2019: Sri Lanka and India recently agreed on terms for developing the port’s Eastern Container Terminal with Indian company Adani Group. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
BANGKOK Sri Lanka’s hawkish President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has caved in to Indian pressure for a stake in the Port of Colombo, the busiest harbor in the strategically located South Asian island where China already has a foothold.
Rajapaksa’s retreat came on the heels of a visit earlier this month by Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to India’s smaller southern neighbor, where he laid down unequivocal terms for Indian-backed development of a container jetty in the port. The Sri Lankan government has given the nod after taking into account “regional geopoliti
Posted on January 26th, 2021
Containers stacked at Sri Lanka’s Colombo port. Photo Credit: Rehman Abubakr, Wikipedia Commons
Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation (JOIN) and India’s Adani Port are among foreign and Sri Lankan companies seeking a stake in the container terminal
The Sri Lankan government has asked stakeholders in Colombo Port’s East Container Terminal (ECT) project to come up with a joint proposal to share a 49% stake in it.
The Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), Maj.Gen. (Rtd) Daya Ratnayake, said that the SLPA will have 51% stake in the company to be formed to build and run the terminal and the remaining 49% will be held by a group of foreign and local companies.
The middle kingdom China, in its ancient past, played a global leadership role by creating a tributary system where nations like Sri Lanka paid tribute. China is far from this position today; now with its function in global multilateral institutions, it is playing a ‘nation-state’ role with its civilisational footprint. China would need to invest more in building trust, respecting diverse political models, and following international norms and values. The strategic neck of water that connects the Indian Ocean to the Pacific will be a highly contested area where China secures its energy route. The recent Chinese unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) submarine drones found in these waters shows the significant investment China makes in undersea surveillance.