Jaffna: Jaffna University Vice-Chancellor Sivakolundu Sreesatkunaraja has refused to sign an MoU with China’s State Agricultural University, saying the deal has China’s hidden agenda to grab fertile land under the guise of development projects in the north and east. Ceylon Today reported. Since then, relations between China and Sri Lanka have become more tense. The student union appealed to the government not to sign the MoU with China against the will of the people. On 28 November, the Sri Lankan Students’ Union of the University of Jaffna expressed shock that a “secret arrangement” had been made to sign an MoU strongly supported by the Sri Lankan government, an official statement read.
According to Ceylon Today, “The student union expressed its gratitude to its vice-chancellor for refusing to sign the MoU. The statement further stated that China has directly and indirectly encroached on marine areas under the pretext of promoting sea cucumber farms. Grabbed large parts of and made division among their fishermen.
ALSO READ: Chinese in Sri Lanka: India Alert on China’s Spy Ship Yuan Wang 6!
“Now, China is eyeing to grab fertile agricultural land in the north and east with a malicious calculation to manage a severe food crisis, which appears to be imminent in China in ten years time. supplied faecal matter with harmful bacteria to India as fertilizer and forced Sri Lanka to pay millions of rupees.This is a classic example of how China will grab our fertile agricultural land and manage the upcoming food crisis in China. Will make us slaves to do.
The statement further explained that Sri Lanka became a victim of the current situation due to non-transparent and unsustainable Chinese loans. Even in the current negotiations for debt restructuring, although Japan and India have supported Sri Lanka’s IMF plans, China has stuck to its offer of refinancing rather than restructuring with a hidden agenda, resulting in the latter. Disaster struck, which was clearly visible later. Sri Lanka’s recent history with China, reports Ceylon Today.
Based on China’s point of view, the student union suspected that the Sri Lankan government had already made secret deals with Beijing to sell fertile agricultural land and seas in the north and east to China.
(With inputs from ANI)