Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing a public rally at Kandy today said, going by the grandiose announcements made just before election that there are oil mines in Sri Lanka , and those oil mines getting lost altogether after the elections, it will not be surprising if announcements before elections are also made that there is gas in the Bogambara tank.

Wickremesinghe elaborating on this oil mine fairy tale , said , SL is a very lucky country because just before elections we discover oil. But what is unfortunate is , after the election this oil mine disappearing into nothingness. Some of you will remember . during the 1977 elections, Mrs. Bandaranaike said , in Pesalai , Mannar oil had been discovered . Bottles filled with that oil were also displayed at the election meetings . But the people could not be fooled. We won the elections. After the elections we visited Pesalai and investigated whether there was oil , we then found that Mrs. Bandaranaike’s oil had evaporated into thin air.

Then again during the final phase of Chandrika’s regime, this ‘Mannar oil’ story was repeated , and that there is oil in Mannar. Finally as that little oil went off so also Chandrika. Now , Mahinda says he found a gas mine in Mannar. How good. But the question is whether this gas found before the elections, will last after the elections ? Ranil noted.

When we were drilling for oil in Mannar in 2003, Norway Govt .had given us a ship. I spoke with those who came in the ship.. Norway is the country leading in oil drilling in the sea. They have oil in their country too. I asked from them whether there is oil and gas in our country .
They laughed , and replied ‘ Dear Prime Minister, in ever country in the world there is oil and gas. When you do a survey , in many places there will be signs of presence of oil and gas . But only when deep drilling is done , it can be decided whether these commodities are there and whether will last long enough to make of it a commercial venture.’ They explained that some mines are not of any use. In the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans , there are such mines which cannot be utilized.

There are such mines in these oceans even now. But to excavate them it is very expensive . One barrel of oil will cost about US dollars 150/- . Therefore such mines are not made use of.

Our President has promised oil without such drilling before the elections. In that case why not you please make an announcement about these oil mines in Parliament. Under the prevailing laws enacted by us , they have a right to come to Parliament and make a report. But nothing of that sort is forthcoming.

I wont be surprised if tomorrow or day after before the Dalada Maligawa, if an announcement is made that gas has been found in the tank of Bogambara.

It is best therefore if these bogus stories of gas and oil being discovered before elections are cast aside by them , and if they get down to brass-tacks , trying to see how they could bring down the price of a cylinder of gas from its prohibitive price of Rs. 2046/- before the elections . Otherwise the people are not going to vote for them , as people cannot be fooled all the time.

The people have now got the best opportunity to hit back at the Govt. which is mollycoddling KP and providing him with Royal luxurious comforts , who bombed the sacred Dalada Maligawa, Ranil observed.