SL Ambassador in China clarifies on Lotus Tower Project allegations

Sri Lankan Ambassador in China Karunasena Kodituwakku yesterday issued a clarification regarding the Lotus Tower Project allegations. 

“Since the Lotus Tower was declared open on Monday, September 16, various news reports have been shared regarding the companies that were involved in its constructions. I am releasing this interim statement to clarify the extent of the interventions in this matter by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing, as my name has also been mentioned in some of the reports. 

The construction of the Lotus Tower had originally been assigned to two Chinese companies, namely the China National Electronics Importers & Exporters Corporation (CEIEC) and the Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co. Ltd. (ALIT). In mid 2018, His Excellency President Sirisena telephoned me in Beijing and requested that I look into the whereabouts of the second company (ALIT), as letters posted to it by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka had been returned to Colombo informing that no such company was at the 
given address. 

I then entrusted the task of tracing the current location of ALIT (since the company was no longer located at the given address) to the Head of the Commercial Section of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing. After much effort, the Embassy found that the company had moved to a different location, as well as withdrawn from the Lotus Tower project without informing the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka. Once the company’s new premises were located, we visited it and met the officials who were present there at the time. They then informed us that their company (ALIT) was no longer involved in the Lotus Tower project. 

Following this meeting, the Embassy prepared a report about our visit and the meeting, and this report was forwarded to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka for their information. Simultaneously, we were able to establish connections with the other company (CEIEC), and the Lotus Tower project went ahead to be completed this year. 

The above information is given based on my recollections of the interventions made by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing regarding this project a few months ago. The names of those who were present at the meeting we attended, as well as the contents of the Embassy’s detailed report on what transpired at the meeting, will be issued for further clarification upon my return to Beijing on the weekend,” the statement by Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku said.