India rejects 'Factually incorrect' report of supplying water canon vehicle to Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: India on Saturday refuted a media report that said that New Delhi, under its USD 1 billion credit line, had supplied a water cannon vehicle to Sri Lanka. The report was dismissed as "factually incorrect" and the High Commission reiterated that the Line of Credit was to be used to help buy essentials like food, medicines etc., at the time of crisis.

The High Commission also said that such media reports does not make any "constructive contribution" to the effort of the Indian Government to help a neighbouring country amid their economic and political crisis.

"These reports are factually incorrect. No water cannon vehicles have been supplied by India under any of the credit lines extended by India," the Indian High Commission here said in a tweet.

"Such incorrect reports don't make any constructive contribution to the cooperation and efforts undertaken to address the ongoing challenges faced by the people of Sri Lanka," said another tweet.

The items supplied to Sri Lanka by India under the USD 1 billion concessional loan was also made public in a statement issued by the High Commission.

"In order to strengthen Sri Lanka's food, health and energy security, the Government of India extended a concessional loan of USD 1 billion to the Government of Sri Lanka, through the State Bank of India, on March 17," it said.

"The facility is operational and food items like rice, red chilies have already been supplied under it.

"Several other Contracts for supply of sugar, milk powder, wheat, medicines, fuel and industrial raw materials, based on the priorities of the Government and people of Sri Lanka, have been included under the facility," the statement added.

Sri Lanka is facing an acute political and economic turmoil, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948.

The New Indian Express reported that thousands of civilians across Sri Lanka have taken to the street since April 9 to protest the inaction of the Government as they ran out of money for vital imports. Foreign exchange shortages have also severely impacted the economy of the country with the prices of essential commodities skyrocketing. The country is also facing shortages of fuel, medicines and electricity supply.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa are yet to step down despite this mounting protest.

A second national emergency was declared this month by the President Rajapaksa in a special Cabinet meeting, with effect from Friday midnight.

An emergency was declared on April 1 following a mass protest outside the President's private residence, which was later revoked on April 5.

The protesters blamed the powerful Rajapaksa clan for mishandling Sri Lanka's greatest economic crisis, which had also taken a hit during the global pandemic. The Opposition also censured the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for declaring the emergency that would give security forces the power to arbitrarily arrest and detain people.