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Issues facing proposed NTPC plant in Lanka

PK Balachandran - Hindustan Times

Political issues

Though there are technical arguments for and against the preferences of the two sides, there are important political reasons also, reasons which are understood but not stated openly, because they are sensitive.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa government is keen on getting India to develop an economic and strategic stake in Sampur by building and running the high cost plant there. India is expected to bear 30% of the cost of the plant which is $500 million.

By getting India into the project in Sampur, the Sri Lankan government expects to build a deterrent against the LTTE, which may try to retake the place by force.

Colombo hopes that the LTTE will not dare to indulge in any adventurism in the area for fear of annoying India, a country which it can ill-afford to annoy.

As for the Sri Lankan Security Forces, they need Sampur desperately because it dominates the entry to the Trincomalee civil harbour and naval base.

Tamil factor

The Indians, on the other hand, do not want to antagonise the Tamil minority by readily agreeing to the proposal to set up the plant in Sampur.

The Tamils claim the northeast as their traditional homeland and have been agitating for autonomy for that region both peacefully and militarily. Leading Tamil political parties and the LTTE feel that by establishing the plant in Sampur, New Delhi will only be aiding and abetting the Sri Lankan state which, according to them, has been stubbornly denying the Tamil minority its legitimate political rights.

The Tamils suspect that the development of Sampur as a major security and economic centre envisaging an influx of Sinhalas from outside, will help implement an alleged plan to further reduce the proportion of Tamils in Trincomalee district.

They also say that these demographic and strategic developments will drive a wedge between the Tamil East and the Tamil North as Trincomalee lies in between the two.

The Tamils point out that, already, Sampur has been denuded of Tamils following the seizure of that area from the LTTE earlier this year. The Tamil refugees from Sampur have little or no hope that they will be allowed to re-settle in this high security zone-to-be.

Following a recent Supreme Court judgment which annulled the merger of the Northern Province and the Eastern Province into a single Tamil dominated North-Eastern Province, Colombo has established two separate administrations in the northeast.

The Tamils have protested against this. India too has expressed its displeasure because it was India which had brought about the merger through the India-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987.

Indians favour China Bay

The Indians favour China Bay to Sampur because China Bay, unlike Sampur, has a settled population which can supply the necessary manpower. China Bay is also adjacent to the harbour, unlike Sampur, which is across the Koddiyar bay. Proximity to the harbour is necessary because the coal for the plant has to be imported.

Funding

The other issue is funding. The project envisages a third party equity participation apart from India and Sri Lanka. India has pointed out that any international institution seeking equity participation will have to be satisfied that the project is secure, politically acceptable, and economically feasible.

While the Sri Lankans believe that Sampur will meet all the criteria, it is not certain if the international lending agencies will commit themselves to such a project, at this point of time, when a war is being fought in the vicinity, and war is openly touted as the best way to tackle the Tamil Tiger militants and solve the ethnic problem in the northeast.

MrBrown, With regards to your question asking us for feedback, I do have one idea. lets take this message system you have set up.... as far as I can tell from the little I have used it, it appears we can only send personal messages as senior members to you. However, I feel that it also would be beneficial if we were allowed the personal privilage of being able to send personal one on one messages like that to anyone part of the LN.com

My suggestion for you on this new year's eve is all about giving another Chance to our dear sacked members....They were naughty of course... give them one more opportunity please. But if they do hunkey Punkey again even after this,my support will always be with you to put them on hung to death...

Sivag,Thivya,Robins,Saint,Special and many more deserve the SM.

Mr Brown From this (5%-7%) what is the percentage of Terrorists who try to justify LTTE Terrorism

Sri Lanka's timeline for 2006 is a chilling one dominated as it is by assassinations, attempted assassinations, terrorist massacres, abduction of the young and the old, aerial bombings, artillery duels and massive displacements of innocent civilians.

According to Daily Mirror 954 servicemen, including 221 naval personnel, were killed in the year. The paper put the LTTE's losses at 2097. But the LTTE said it had lost 818. About 250, 000 civilians, mainly Tamils, were displaced. 15,000 Tamil fled to India.

my point is it took quite alot to reach this senior member status, I felt it would take forever but I got here; we shouldn't make it easy for you