Cost of Sri Lanka Oxford Union PR is $ 8 million
Thrishantha Nanayakkara | 20.11.2011 09:52 | Anti-militarism | Ocean Defence | Terror War | Oxford | World
Sri Lankan Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal reveals that Chime Group offered favourable front page interviews in The Time and The Daily Telegraph alongside an Oxford Union speech and glory to Mahinda Rajapaksa was almost bought out in December 2010.
Liam Fox the UK defence minister who recently resigned , his assistant Adam Werritty and some hitherto unknown associates had helped raise funds to pay contacts they themselves have identified.
Liam Fox the UK defence minister who recently resigned , his assistant Adam Werritty and some hitherto unknown associates had helped raise funds to pay contacts they themselves have identified.
The Sunday Times in Sri Lanka runs a story on 20th November 2011, of staggering cost of the botched PR job which started with a contract to cover the 1st ever 2nd speech by a serving head of government to the Oxford Union.
PMP Legacy, a part of Chime Group run by Lord Bell, and has pushed the cost to a staggering $ 8 million since the ´Oxford Debacle´.
Sri Lanka lost its bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018 to Australia last week.
Exorbitant cost created by the president´s son Namal Rajapaksa and an entourage of 160 to St Kitt´s and their after parties even on loosing the bid has attracted a lot of renewed attention in Sri Lanka.
National List UNP MP and Economist, Harsha De Silva told "The Island" of 15th October that according to the British press the beleaguered Liam Fox and his friend Adam Werritty, have had discussions with Governor of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Nivard Cabraal to set up the "Now Infamous Sri Lankan Development Trust" which claimed to invest in road building and other infrastructure projects using private investments.
When Liam Fox and Adam Werritty visted Mahinda Rajaksa who was holed up at the super expensive Dorchester Hotel in London, Ajith Nivard Cabraal reached Glasgow quietly to initiate a parallel effort to the Oxford Union speech, the Commonwealth Games 2018 bid.
Mahinda Rajapaksa fled the UK the next day presumably tipped off that at least one of his entourage faced arrest under War Crimes charges.
The Oxford Union had earlier been forced to cancel the scheduled talk by unknown forces.
A lot of determined Tamils did mount loud protests although a sudden severe cold spell had been chosen in a hurry to rush the speech on to the Oxford Union agenda as it had been postponed a month earlier.
Yet the suspension of the Oxford Union Speech citing security fears by the Thames Valley Police is widely believed to be politically motivated.
Chime Group´s Bell Pottinger PR outfit is thought to have organised such changes at short notice for a higher fee while also supplying a crack team of contacts within the ruling echelons of UK society.
Ajith Nivard Cabraal claims that only $1 million was from the impoverished island´s limited state coffers.
That raises the question where was the rest $7 million raised?
PMP Legacy, a part of Chime Group run by Lord Bell, and has pushed the cost to a staggering $ 8 million since the ´Oxford Debacle´.
Sri Lanka lost its bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018 to Australia last week.
Exorbitant cost created by the president´s son Namal Rajapaksa and an entourage of 160 to St Kitt´s and their after parties even on loosing the bid has attracted a lot of renewed attention in Sri Lanka.
National List UNP MP and Economist, Harsha De Silva told "The Island" of 15th October that according to the British press the beleaguered Liam Fox and his friend Adam Werritty, have had discussions with Governor of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Nivard Cabraal to set up the "Now Infamous Sri Lankan Development Trust" which claimed to invest in road building and other infrastructure projects using private investments.
When Liam Fox and Adam Werritty visted Mahinda Rajaksa who was holed up at the super expensive Dorchester Hotel in London, Ajith Nivard Cabraal reached Glasgow quietly to initiate a parallel effort to the Oxford Union speech, the Commonwealth Games 2018 bid.
Mahinda Rajapaksa fled the UK the next day presumably tipped off that at least one of his entourage faced arrest under War Crimes charges.
The Oxford Union had earlier been forced to cancel the scheduled talk by unknown forces.
A lot of determined Tamils did mount loud protests although a sudden severe cold spell had been chosen in a hurry to rush the speech on to the Oxford Union agenda as it had been postponed a month earlier.
Yet the suspension of the Oxford Union Speech citing security fears by the Thames Valley Police is widely believed to be politically motivated.
Chime Group´s Bell Pottinger PR outfit is thought to have organised such changes at short notice for a higher fee while also supplying a crack team of contacts within the ruling echelons of UK society.
Ajith Nivard Cabraal claims that only $1 million was from the impoverished island´s limited state coffers.
That raises the question where was the rest $7 million raised?
Thrishantha Nanayakkara
Comments
Display the following 5 comments