It has been revealed through media that the present government is taking various steps to tap the oil and natural gas resources considered to be within the sea area that belongs to Sri Lanka.
Mr. A.H.M. Fouzy, Minister of Petroleum & Petroleum Resources Development, making a statement on the 3rd of this month to a radio channel that transmits from Britain had said several exhibitions would be organized in London, Houston and Kuala Lumpur during the next month to attract companies to excavate those oil reserves. Minister Fowzy had further said tender forms for the relevant excavations too would be presented to the companies at the same time. He had further said issuing of tender applications would be closed by December and by April 2008, 3 companies would be selected for excavations after scrutinizing the received tender applications.
The minister has also told that the sum of nearly US$450 million (More than Rs.5000 billion) required as expenses for the mobile exhibitions to be held in London, Houston and Kuala Lumpur is conferred by 'Fugro', a foreign company.
It is our belief that US$450 million required for the mobile exhibitions is given by 'Fugro', a company in the USA, not as a loan. Our investigations have shown that 'Fugro' is a company of auctioneers in Now York. If the US$450 million is given by this company not as a loan what it means is that they have an unholy intention behind their offer. It is only a little child who would not know that the company's intention is not only to 'lick fingertips'.
When a country, which possesses oil and natural gas resources, needs to hold mobile exhibitions to attract foreign companies to explore such resources, it has to be either through necessity or to pave the way for someone to squander a large amount of money. It is for the very reason that there are larger resources of oil and gas in the sea around Sri Lanka than what we have been made to believe that more than 200 companies, including several companies that are involved in large scale exploration of oil and gas, have responded to the bid for tenders by the government; not because those mobile exhibitions are held.
According to the tender forms distributed among these companies the agreement for the exploration of oil and gas that has been prepared is disadvantageous to Sri Lanka so that the country which owns the resources receives only a royalty of 10% which is a very minimal amount. The large portion goes to foreign companies. Even those countries that are desolate and have signed very disadvantageous agreements have not come down to this level. The formulation of agreements and preparation of data has been handed over to 'Fugro' the foreign company, a company which has got involved in oil explorations in Ethiopia, Madagascar etc. It is an agreement prepared by such a company that decides the destiny of the petroleum resources in Sri Lanka.
It is evident that doors are being opened to various companies to plunder the oil and gas resources we possess which is the most valuable and principal resource that has the capacity to develop Sri Lanka. This is more evident when we consider those individuals who participated and what occurred at the international summit on marine oil resources held in Houston in the USA on the 1st of May this year.
According to information revealed already by certain reports those who represented Sri Lanka at the relevant summit were Minister A.H.M. Fauzy, USA Ambassador Robert O. Blake and an economical assassin Neil de Silva, the self appointed Director General for petroleum development and has come here from Canada for the purpose of paving way for the plunder of oil reserves in Sri Lanka and Kew Gomes, Chief Executive of Caltex Sri Lanka (Devron). What is the purpose of American Ambassador participating in such a summit representing Sri Lanka? Why should the chief executive of Devron or Caltex Sri Lanka participate in that summit?
Furthermore, during the summit Joel Haz, senior policy Advisor of the American State Department has participated in a workshop held at rooms 201/201/203 in Lion Centre and also made the welcome address as well as the concluding speech of the workshop. What this implies is that the red carpet is being laid for the oil hungry western imperialism to plunder oil and gas resources that belong to Sri Lanka.
Colombo Dockyard Ltd has already received an order for building oil derrick steering crafts, at a scale unprecedented in this region. It is evident that Colombo dockyard would never receive such an order if there wasn't oil in large quantity. Norway attired itself with the garment of peace envoy only after it attired itself with the garment of explorer for petroleum data. The fact that more than 200 companies have expressed their desire to explore for oil in Gulf of Mannar indicates the vastness of oil and gas reserves in the ocean area belonging to Sri Lanka. Isn't it for this purpose that a proposal was included in Ranil Wickremasinghe' s destructive neo-colonialist programme of 'Regaining Sri Lanka' to build Asia's biggest refinery in an economic zone created by merging Monaragala and Hambantota Districts? Is it for nothing that certain private companies in Sri Lanka have already got ready for joint explorations with Norway? Doesn't all this indicate that Sri Lanka possesses very large reserves of oil and natural gas? If not will the USA, at a time when it declines to finance any programme, make available US$65 million to establish an institute to manage oil related trade?
We have a sea bed area that is more than twenty times of Sri Lanka's land area. In that context Sri Lanka is an ocean state. Our country is situated in the world's oil belt. As it lies along the oil belt from the Middle East to Indonesia and also for certain significant geographical reasons there may be large reserves of oil and gas not only in the ocean bed but also within the country. The government of Sri Lanka has already stated that in reserves in Gulf of Mannar alone there are more than a billion barrels of oil. When compared with our daily consumption of oil this reserve would last us for 20 years.
At the moment neighbouring India produces 30% of its oil needs. In an oil well at Cauvery Basin , very close to Sri Lanka India produces 75000 barrels of oil for a day. A large area in Cauvery Basin belongs to Sri Lanka. Also, it is no secret that most of the countries in this 'oil belt' own oil and natural gas resources. Eastern Timor was separated from Indonesia mainly to plunder the oil resources in EasternTimor, It is evident that the western world is shedding crocodile tears regarding military rule in Burma not to wipe the tears off the masses but to plunder the oil resources in that country. Hence, owning of large quantities of oil and natural gas and the strategic location of the country are reasons enough for imperialist countries to have Sri Lanka in their grasp. As such, it is apparent that there is a serious threat to the destiny of the whole of Sri Lanka and on the manner we manage our oil and gas resources the victory or the destruction of Sri Lankan Nation would largely depend on.
The daily requirement of petroleum in Sri Lanka is hundred thousand barrels. Our refinery supplies between 50000 to 55000 barrels a day and the rest of the requirement is imported spending more than Rs.100 billion per day as foreign exchange. It is for this reason that international economic reports have placed Sri Lanka in the 5th position of Asian countries that are bound to face destruction as a result of spiraling fuel prices. According to accepted reports our fuel requirements go up in about 10% annually.
If we are able to tap our oil resources and produce our daily requirement at a maximum cost of US$15 a barrel, we would be able to save US$80 billion of foreign exchange per day. However, expert reports have shown that oil could be produced in Cauvery and Mannar for less than US$5 per barrel. If so the money that we save would be much higher. Accordingly, it is evident that we could save more than US$30000 million for a year. It is more than the money we spend for the war and the amounts we get as loans annually. Hence, it is evident that it is only on this oil and gas resources we possess that we could come out of the political and economic bondage that we are placed today. We have come to this inference without even considering the large profits we would get if we enter the petroleum byproduct industry which has a very high demand internationally. When considering the escalating demand for oil in countries like China and India and the rising prices of oil internationally it is no secret that we have the measures to develop this sector. On the other hand, when compared with many other countries, the scope to utilize the educated human resources of our country in the development of petroleum industry is higher. We could use all these advantages if we could correctly manage the oil and natural gas resources.
Can we silently watch such a resource being allowed to be managed and plundered by international companies? How many countries are there that have been ruined and divided after allowing plundering companies of western countries to control their oil resources? Isn't it to plunder oil and other minerals that a large number of African counties were divided by the imperialists? Don't we have to think of the unborn future generations of the country, who really are the inheritors of these resources, when we take decisions regarding these oil and gas resources? However, what is in motion at present is not a process that care about such responsibilites.
The decisions regarding the oil and gas resources are being taken secretly in this country today. Has the President seen the data regarding oil and natural gas resources in Sri Lanka? This data is in a special computer that belongs to a company called Fugro. Cannot Neil de Silva, the suspicious character and self-styled 'Director General of Petroleum Resources' who has suddenly emerged from a foreign country be the economic assassin who has come to pave the way for companies of western countries to plunder these resources? Can there be bigger idiots than us if we allow such people and Minister Fouzy to take decisions regarding these resources on which our happiness or sorrow would depend?
The minister or Neil de Silva or the President has no right to take arbitrary decisions regarding these resources. These resources belong to the whole Nation. Hence, decisions regarding it should be taken in a very transparent manner; with the participation of all responsible parties. Sri Lankan expatriates with expert knowledge in this field or our scientists, whether retired or still in service, could be consulted. The agreements should not be prepared according to whims and fancies of a company like 'Fugro.' If we make blunders in coming to agreements or making decisions there is every possibility that they could not be corrected. It is evident the process that is being carried out now is one that allows western countries and their companies plunder the most valuable oil and gas resources that belong not only to us but also to the unborn next generation of our country. Hence, we call upon the President and the government to stop the process that allows a few individuals to acquire their booty immediately. We also demand that the process of taking decision on the oil and natural gas resources be handed over to a special Parliamentary Committee. We call upon the authorities to get our own scientists who love our country to prepare a strategic plan and make it the national charter; open up institutes to train our human resources in the relevant field and to refrain from taking hasty decisions as if selling peanuts.
We also call upon the people in this country to treat this most valuable wealth that belongs to our Motherland as your own, consider allowing it to be plundered by anyone as allowing your and your off springs future to be plundered. Hence, you should consider the correct management of oil and natural gas reserves as your absolute right. We also call upon the masses to rally to defend that right.
Let's not allow anyone to make this wealth that brings dignity and prosperity to the Nation one that would bring destruction and misery instead. Let's not allow imperialist countries that have already directly or indirectly banded together with separatist tiger terrorists to plunder our oil and gas resources. The legitimate children of Mother Lanka would never keep quite when anyone tries to make Sri Lanka another Nigeria, Sudan or Ethiopia. Let's make defending our oil and gas resources and our Motherland the only condition of our lives. We call upon this government not to ignore this and come to idiotic decisions that are hostile to the country.
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