Sapugaskanda will shutdown for good, warns Handunnetti

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former JVP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunnetti speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday (16) pointed out that the oil refinery will never be opened again and it will be closed down, as this is all entangled as part of the foreign exchange crisis. '' The oil refinery is refurbished once in two years. It was refurbished a couple of years ago. So if someone is saying it's a refurbishment issue, that is a lie'', Handunnetti said. The JVP stalwart indicated, no bids were submitted by suppliers for the tender. "The truth is there are no Dollars to pay, even though it was promised that a fuel tanker will reach the island on the 5th of December." Handunnetti noted that a crisis will arise where SriLankan Airlines will face a shutdown if the supply of jet fuel is stopped, due to suppliers not bidding because there is no foreign currency. '' If this trend continues the country will run out of coal by mid-December. Then the people will have to live in darkness. This is what the finance minister has to say in his budget speech. Solutions must be found for the real problems. The budget hasn't found solutions to the actual problems'', said the former MP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlcXPn99YIs