Sri Lanka President vows not to betray the people for US $ 150 million GSP Plus concession

(September 28, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse vowed not to betray the nation for US $ 150 million concession received through GSP Plus tariff relief scheme of the European Union. "I will earn that amount in another way and safeguard the industries," he said addressing lower rank government officers and village level elite of Southern Province at his ancestral home in Medamulana in Hambanthota district.

Rajapakse showed that he was clever to obtain the IMF stand-by arrangement that was also in balance one time. He boasted that as a man born in southern Sri Lanka, he was well versed in dealing such matters.

The President pointed out that one third of the land and two third of the sea given to Tamil rebels under agreements were united to the national economy.

Sri Lanka is about to lose the GSP Plus tariff concessions given to it by European Union to recover from the damages of 2004 Boxing Day tsunami due to criticism on its human rights conduct and the government's reluctance to investigate such issues.