People demonstrate for fair compensation – President advises filing a case at the International Court of Arbitration in Singapore
President Ranil Wickramasinghe has instructed Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to take steps to file a case against the relevant shipping company before the International Court of Arbitration in Singapore to get compensation for the damages caused by the destruction of the MV X-Press Pearl cargo ship.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a discussion held with the Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe regarding the MV X-Press Pearl has advised the Minister to expedite the recovery of compensation from the Singapore-based operators of the ship X-Press Feeders.
The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl container ship carrying a hazardous chemical cargo caught fire on 20 May 2021 while at anchorage 9.5 nm off Colombo Harbor due to a chemical leak in a container and burned for 13 days before the fire was put out on 2nd June. The ship along with its hazardous cargo sank afterwards.
Meanwhile, a peaceful demonstration was held on last Thursday (03rd November) near the Colombo court complex demanding appropriate compensation for the damages caused to Sri Lankan fishermen due to the fire of the X-Press Perl ship in June 2021.
A large number of representatives of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) institute and other civil organizations as well as the affected fisher families , and some Christian religious dignities were attended this demonstration.
Nearly a year and a half after the sinking of the cargo ship, Sri Lanka is still trying to claim compensation for the environmental damage created by the ship’s fire.
Fishermen living in Mutwall, Hendala, Palliyawatta, Wattala to Poruthota, Negombo affected more with the X-Press Pearl issue. And some fishing areas also had been restricted for fishing in a long period and families of fisher folk faced many problems due to disturbing their livelihood.
A group of people affected by the incident have also filed a fundamental rights petition before the Supreme Court demanding compensation for the damage caused by the fire on the ship.
Chief of Staff to the President and Senior Advisor to the President Sagala Ratnayake said that Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam has also informed that a case may be filed against the shipping company before an international arbitration court.
Also, the President has instructed the Minister of Justice to prepare a cabinet paper regarding the filing of a case before the International Arbitration Court, stating the amount of compensation demanded from the shipping company.
