450 Families Lose Their Homes In Trinco As Rajapaksas’ Woo China
July 30, 2014
Over 450 families in Trincomalee are to lose their homes as a result of the Rajapaksa regime’s continuous wooing of the Chinese to remain in their good books.
The Australian media establishment ‘Green Left Weekly’ in an article on Monday has revealed that President Rajapaksa during his recent visit to China had signed an agreement to hand over 1200 acres of land in Trincomalee to the Chinese on a long term lease for ‘defense-related development’.
The land that has been promised to be given over to the Chinese is said to be occupied by temples, mosques, schools and houses and the majority among the 450 families who are affected are said to be Tamil speaking Muslims.
Several similar land transfers have been made to China recently by the Rajapaksa regime in a bid to curry favour with the Chinese government. Some 198-acres of land in Gampaha has been promised to a Chinese company in order to settle their losses in constructing the expressway under the build-operate-transfer scheme and another large land area has been promised to the Chinese in return for constructing a dam to prevent coastal erosion along Colombo South Port to Moratuwa.
VIDEO: Tense situation at National Hospital; police deployed
July 30, 2014
A contingent of police officers has been deployed at the Colombo National Hospital to prevent a clash between two groups of doctors, Police spokesman told Ada Derana. A tense situation has erupted after one group tried to conduct a public meeting outside the hospital and another group had come there in opposition to it.