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Ranil calls for appointment of Parliamentary Select Committee concerning X-Press Pearl

06 Jun 2021

A Parliamentary Select Committee should be immediately appointed to inquire into the fire onboard the MV X-Press Pearl, former Prime Minister and leader of the United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremesinghe urged the government today (06). “I propose that a Parliamentary Select Committee should be immediately appointed to inquire into the fire on this ship. There is a possibility of appointing members and appointing a Select Committee this week when Parliament meets.  Accordingly, the Committee may meet in the first week of July to present a preliminary report on the environmental and economic damage caused by the ship fire,” he stated. He also expressed that the people have a right to know how the ship caught fire and why it could not be extinguished, and that they also must know what steps will be taken next. Further, he alleged that although the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was notified of the need for assistance, neither the Government of Sri Lanka nor the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) requested for international assistance. “Why did the government not enforce the existing laws between May 20 and May 25?  That is the most important question. In such a situation, the National Disaster Council can be convened under the Disaster Management Act. It has the potential to gather and declare a state of disaster in the coastal region,” he said. Wickremesinghe also mentioned that if it had been declared that there would be a national disaster, Sri Lanka could have obtained foreign assistance to put out the fire. He also remarked that assistance from India was sought only after the fire spread. “Why was the International Maritime Organization not informed and why didn't the government request for international assistance to extinguish the fire? Why did the fire grow and let it get to the point of destruction? These questions have arisen. Why didn't we think about the damage to our future economy and the damage to the environment from this fire? The government and the Marine Environment Protection Authority should have thought about these matters,” he stated.


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