OneWorld.net (U.S.)

COLOMBO: The People’s Movement to Protect the Eppawala Phosphate Deposit (PMPEPD) is launching a protest march and a rally against the Sri Lankan government's move to sell the Eppawala mining rights to a Chinese company.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Chinese government recently reached an agreement to use the Eppawala Phosphate deposit. There were strong opposition from some political party leaders, Environmentalists and civil organisations.

Mahanmankadawala Piyara-thana thera, the President of the PMPEPD told The Island yesterday that this government while preaching of strengthening the national economy was planning the sell our natural resources to multinational companies. The Eppawala phosphate deposit is considered to be one of the richest qualitative phosphate deposits in the world, he said.

Piyarathana thera said that the UPFA "which came to power to save natural resources, now shamelessly force us to take to streets again.

We will not let the government go ahead with this project".

Several times in the recent past the PA and UPFA governments tried to sell out the Eppawala phosphate deposit to foreign companies or its local agents. The first attempt by the PA government was checked by a court decision to suspend the project.

Source:South Asian Media Net More