IOC kicked out, ARAMCO in

Friday, 24 May 2013

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is to cancel the memorandum of understanding signed with the Indian Oil Company (IOC) on fuel distribution in the country and is to enter into an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s ARAMCO, sources from the government said.

Sources said the government has already made the initial arrangements to hand over the operations of the Sapugaskaanda oil refinery to ARAMCO. It is now revealed that the operations at the oil refinery had been made to come to a stop as part of this plan.

Petroleum Industries Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told the media recently that there were plans to increase the octane level in local fuel to upgrade its quality and in order to increase efficiency. A few days later, the Minister said the government was looking at setting up a new oil refinery with the help of another foreign country. Sources who are linked to this project say that the Minister’s statements were made with the intention of testing the waters before entering into an agreement with ARAMCO.

The IOC has taken on lease close to 150 fuel stations in the country as part of the oil distribution agreement. Government sources said that ARAMCO is planning on taking on lease and setting up 250 fuel stations in the country.

 Sri Lanka police probe German NGO Friedrich Naumann Foundation
Thu, May 23, 2013, 09:14 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

May 23, Colombo: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka police has commenced an investigation on the Friedrich Naumann Foundation to ascertain whether the German NGO has acted within the country beyond its given legal mandate.
The CID has interrogated the Foundation's local representative Sagarika Delgoda for the past two days and it says further investigations are underway based on the information divulged by Ms. Delgoda.
The investigation commenced after the organization held a workshop for the opposition United National Party parliamentarians. Pro-government media reported that the workshop was a ploy to overthrow the government.
The state-run ITN accused Ms. Delgoda of being engaged in a conspiracy for several years to overthrow the present government and set up a UNP government loyal to the West and the Tamil Diaspora.
According to ITN report, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation is funding the UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe's foreign tours and political activities.
The Police Media Spokesman's office meanwhile said there is no attempt to arrest any opposition MP as they claimed and there was no need to question the MPs while the CID probes the Foundation which is operating in Sri Lanka since 1974.
Wickremasinghe said in Parliament yesterday that the government was getting ready to arrest a number of UNP politicians who participated in the workshop coordinated by the Foundation.

UNP MP Ruwan Wijewardena said today at a press conference that a number of government ministers and MPs had also participated in the programs presented by the Fredric Newman Foundation. He argued that the police had to probe them as well for plotting to overthrow the government.