The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake
Hon. Bimal Rathnayake stated that the port clearance crisis had been used to advance reforms, including moving Port and Customs operations toward 24/7 service and integrating ASYCUDA requirements. He said banks involved in trade finance and some port-related institutions also needed to adjust to support continuous operations, noting that many containers are cleared in the evening and night. He added that, with the President’s intervention, progress had been made and any emerging issues would be addressed promptly.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 There is no resistance. Sometimes a crisis is an opportunity. We turned this crisis into one. The Port was not operating 24/7 in terms of clearance; now it is. But even if the Port and Customs operate, banks providing trade finance also need to operate. Therefore some banks need to adjust. With ASYCUDA integration, some institutions needed to comply. I believe the basic steps are now in place. Certain associations in the port-related family still seem insufficiently committed. Also, you said operations end at 4.00 p.m.—not so; the highest number of containers clear in the evening and night. You know this business better than I. We value your suggestions.
¶ 02 Hon. Speaker, to the country we say this: with the President’s intervention, we have advanced significantly. Newly emerging issues will be corrected swiftly.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Monday, 24 February 2025 ·No. 1741236032093385 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 24 February 2025. No. 1741236032093385. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/11679