The Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe - Deputy Minister of Tourism

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, since several Opposition Members attempted to mislead the House regarding our foreign policy and stance on the Middle East war, let me reiterate what the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism explained.

¶ 02 We are a nation scarred by decades of war and do not encourage any war. As a sovereign state, we condemn attacks on any nation and on petroleum infrastructure. Some Opposition Members tried to manipulate our position and critique our conduct in specific incidents; the Foreign Minister clarified these matters. We pursue a non-aligned policy and do not endorse war.

¶ 03 Regarding the Adjournment Motion, I disagree with the wording that suggests a nationwide crisis. The crisis occurred earlier. Also, let me note, with regret, today’s court communication arising from the Bribery Commission matter—allegations about payments related to the former President—illustrating how past corruption led to the true crisis. Back then, oil tankers were in our waters, but we lacked dollars to pay; we paid millions in demurrage while dollars were available for corrupt deals. That is what created queues and bankruptcy—people then took to the streets. That was a crisis. Today’s situation is different: a global war affecting fossil fuel supplies.

¶ 04 Despite the “FOO” cyclone losses—World Bank estimated a US$ 4.1 billion hit—we still recorded 5 percent growth in 2025. The Motion’s terminology should reflect that Sri Lanka faces impacts from a global conflict, which we are managing.

¶ 05 On tourism: around 77,000 tourists are currently in the country. Some cannot rebook flights. We established a 24/7 hotline; about 170 complaints have been received, mostly about flight bookings. We extended visas by two weeks at no extra cost, and then extended again by another two weeks. For tourists waiting to enter Sri Lanka and then return home as flights resume, we have facilitated one-month visa extensions free of charge to encourage arrivals.

¶ 06 To ensure the fuel issue does not disrupt tourism, we introduced a dedicated QR mechanism for registered tourism service providers. As of last evening, about 12,000 registered providers had enrolled. We worked overnight to tailor a tourism-specific QR and provided it to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, which has instructed all filling stations accordingly.

¶ 07 Tourists use paramotoring, boat services, and river safaris that require different fuels—some craft on the Madu River use kerosene. We coordinated with District and Divisional Secretaries to facilitate these supplies. The Department of Wildlife Conservation has indicated about 265,000 litres are needed monthly for safari operations; we have directed local administrators and CPC to ensure supply.

¶ 08 We also addressed LPG supply to hotels. A private company previously served many hotels; due to its constraints, Litro has taken over responsibilities to ensure uninterrupted supply. Our goal is to keep tourism operating smoothly.

¶ 09 Let me add: when the Opposition uses alarmist rhetoric, people panic, sales spike two- or threefold, and black markets emerge. We have already apprehended offenders. Such instability is fueled by irresponsible statements. Therefore, we reintroduced the QR system to manage consumption until global conditions stabilize. Petroleum resources underpin all supply chains; we must manage them prudently. We ask everyone to act responsibly and work together as a nation to face this international challenge.

¶ 10 Thank you.