Attempts to terminate Bio-diversity Unit:

Green party seeks Minister's mediation
 

BY FLORENCE Wickramage

THE Green Party of Sri Lanka in a letter to Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama has requested to mediate in the issue of the termination of the Bio-diversity Unit of the Sri Lanka Customs with effect from June 1.

By lodging a strong protest at the proposed closure of the Unit, highlighted in local newspapers, Dr. Prasanna Cooray on behalf of the Green Party said that the Bio-diversity Unit of the Sri Lanka Customs had been in the forefront of detecting illegal smuggling of the country's natural resources by interested parties to overseas buyers and multi national companies.

Several instances of attempts to smuggle our rare and valuable medicinal and other plant species through gene-piracy which would have enabled foreign companies to obtain patent rights of our valuable plant species and medicinal plants have been successfully foiled by the Unit.

Dr. Cooray points out that a gradual weakening of the Bio-diversity Unit had commenced with the transfer of the Unit's Officers to various other places resulting in only two officers being left in the Unit.

The Green Party alleges that this is being done by the authorities on the instigation of unscrupulous businessmen engaged in smuggling activities of the country's natural resources.

The Bio-diversity Unit had done an invaluable service in helping the Government to build up a strong economy as well as to prevent foreigners becoming owners of the country's valuable natural resources.

The Green Party has also informed the Environment and Natural Resoures Minister A. H. M. Fowzie and the Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake in this regard.