JHU slams governments casino plans
April 11, 2013, 12:00 pm
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa
In the wake of the governments push to open up the countrys casino industry to international developers, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday urged it to reveal the areas where the casinos would be located.
The JHU said that it was vehemently opposed to the establishment of casinos in Sri Lanka and criticized the way the casinos were expanding in the country.
Speaking of the governments intention to develop tourism industry with the help of casinos, the JHU argued that the foreigners would not come to Sri Lanka for casino. If they want to gamble they would go to Macao or Goa in India.
Sri Lanka should not be a hub of betting and gaming, the JHU said adding that it went against tenets of the State religion. If large numbers of casinos were set up in Sri Lanka, the country would get a bad name and people would no longer be able to be proud of the country.
JHU General Secretary and the Technology, Research and Atomic Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said that the Casino clubs were not necessary for Sri Lanka to promote tourism, as the country was blessed with natures gifts and a rich cultural, historical and religious heritage.
He said that the countries, which did not have much to offer to visitors, focused on entertainment tourism. They licensed casinos, massage parlours and brothels.
The country could promote cultural tourism because we have cities such as Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa which have a unique historical, cultural and religious background, Ranawaka said. Some people seem to believe that we have to sacrifice moral values to promote tourism.
The JHU General Secretary added that the country could also promote ecotourism as it had scenic beauty and landscapes that were unique and climatic conditions that were diverse.
Ravi accuses govt. of trying to keep economy afloat on casinos, taverns
April 11, 2013, 8:47 pm
By Ravi Ladduwahetty
Colombo District UNP Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake charged yesterday that the government was trying to run the economy on casinos, taverns and brothers with the national economy in an absolute perilous state and moving without direction.
This is the new CTB of the government. It is casinos, taverns and brothels and that is the way the government is running the open economy, despite all its cries of Mathata Thitha. Surveys have revealed that more and more women were taking to alcohol, Karunanayake said.
The government has legalized the import of ethanol, which is a raw material for the production of alcohol, he said. The public debt is Rs. 7,251 billion and small and medium scale enterprises are going out of business with over 25 per cent of them already closed down. The national revenue, as a percentage of GDP, has declined by 11.5 per cent and a further Rs. 9 to 10 billion is needed to finance the Balance of Payments, Karunanayake said, adding that due to the much hyped hedging deals, the government was now saddled with the liability of another USD 60 million to Standard Chartered Bank, while the major power projects such as Norochcholai and Kerawalapitiya, had failed to bring down the cost of power generation.
All the major infrastructure projects of the government had become white elephants, MP Karunanayake said.
