The ongoing cleanup efforts of the Tissamaharama Wewa which is a Joint Venture between a Sri Lankan and Chinese company has been halted, the Department of Archaeology confirmed to The Morning today (25). According to Prof. Anura Manatunga, Director General of the Department of Archaeology, prior permission was not obtained from the Department before the cleanup efforts began. “We have informed the relevant parties to halt ongoing work and seek permission from the Archaeology Department to proceed,” he told The Morning. He stated that the cleanup of the Tissamaharama Wewa will be allowed to proceed only after the relevant procedures are followed. Earlier, the alleged presence of what appeared to be personnel attached to China’s People’s Liberation Army at the launch of a Chinese Joint Venture to dredge the Tissamaharama Wewa was reported.

Source: The Nation June 25, 2021 11:15 UTC