Sri Lanka’s Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila has said that the allegation on leasing the Trincomalee Port, Oil Tank Complex and 33,000 acres surrounding it to the United States is a blatant lie.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Minister Udaya Gammanpila said Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Politburo member Wasantha Samarasinghe, posing as the convener of the Voice Against Corruption, has made a series of lies about him at a press conference on Sunday.
“He has stated that I have submitted a Cabinet paper to lease the Trincomalee Port, the oil tank complex and the 33,000 acres associated with it to the United States. His statement is a blatant lie. I did not submit such a cabinet paper. I challenge him to show me a copy of the cabinet paper,” the Minister said in a statement.
“I would also like to inform Mr. Samarasinghe for his general knowledge that the Ministry of Energy does not have 33,000 acres in Trincomalee to lease to the United States, not even to be used for a domestic purpose and 33,000 acres is a vast tract of land spread over many villages.”
