By Rathindra Kuruwita

President Ranil Wickremesinghe had denied false claims that Chinese spy ships were arriving in Sri Lanka, General Secretary of Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL), Dr. G. Weerasinghe, said on Thursday.Addressing the media, Dr. Weerasinghe said the claim that Chinese spy ships were coming to Sri Lanka surfaced from time to time.

“A few weeks ago, we said that there were no Chinese spy ships here and that a Chinese research vessel was on its way as per agreements it had signed with some government agencies. But Washington’s anti-Chinese propaganda is amplified here by those who are paid by the US,” Dr. Weerasinghe said.

The CPSL General Secretary said that on Tuesday, President Ranil Wickremesinghe had declared in New York that no spy ships visited Sri Lanka.

Wickremesinghe also said that Sri Lanka had a standard operating procedure (SOP) for granting permission for foreign vessels. That was set by the Sri Lankan Navy, he said.

“The President also said discussions had been held with India on the and Sri Lanka had accommodated India’s suggestion. We are happy that the President clearly explained the situation,” he said.

Dr. Weerasinghe said there were many local and foreign actors bent on undermining Sri Lanka’s relationship with China. He added that those elements wanted the country to sign the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the US on the pretext that regional safety was under threat because of Sri Lanka’s relationship with China. “SOFA would allow armed US troops to arrive here without visas. The current economic crisis allows foreign countries to intervene in our affairs,” Dr. Weerasinghe said.