Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) Member of Parliament Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam condemns the Chinese involvement in the production of sea cucumbers in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.
While speaking to the press on Saturday in Puthukkudiyiruppu, he says, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic situation of Tamils has been greatly affected. At this point, there has been a lot of opposition amongst them against the creation of establishments by Chinese people in Jaffna and Kilinochchi in the name of producing sea cucumbers.”
“When I visited the Ariyalai coastal area, a Chinese organisation had set up a production house for sea cucumbers, where only Chinese workers were seen to be employed,” MP Gajendrakumar said.
He says that the manager of that firm is an EPDP (a party headed by pro-government politician Douglas Devananda) representative in the Jaffna Municipal Council, Mr. Ganesan.
MP Gajendrakumar further explains that his party would not oppose the Chinese business if there was no “geopolitical angle” to it.
“If it is just a veneer, and has ulterior geopolitical motives behind it, we will definitely oppose the move.”