Govt. won't ink harmful agreements: Bandula

COLOMBO (News1st): The government will not ink international agreements that are harmful to Sri Lanka, trade minister Bandula Gunawardena has said. "The President made it clear that the (Colombo Port's) East Container Terminal would not be sold or leased out," Gunawardena told media on Friday. The government has declared that the terminal would neither be sold nor leased despite offering a 49 percent stake to investors including India's Adani Group. Opposition groups have accused the government of attempting to sell off the country's resources to settle its debt. "This government is following a policy to sell the whole nation to pay back a 1.8 billion loan and to amass wealth while in power," Samantha Vidyarathne, a former councillor said. He observed that the Hambantota Port has already been leased out for 99 years to China that has already occupied a stake in the Colombo International Container Terminals.