Sri Lankan Church backs fishing community

A coalition of Catholic priests and nuns in Sri Lanka said they stand with the fishing community in their protest against a controversial port project in Colombo.  Along with civil society groups and environmentalists, fisherfolk are protesting the new Colombo Port City project, saying it will adversely impact fish breeding areas, damage coral reefs, cause coastal erosion and disrupt their livelihoods.  The project was halted but is set to resume following the government's environmental impact assessment report.

More than 100 fishermen joined by priests and nuns, marched through Colombo to the government Central Environmental Authority office on Jan. 6 to protest.  They want the government to allow them to fish in these same waters as they have done for generations. At present they are not allowed to enter waters that are considered a fish bank and more construction is likely to kill the fish in the future, they said. 

The Catholic Church has a group of priests and nuns working against this project and is representing the fisherfolk who are mostly Catholic.  Father Sarath Iddamalgoda of Colombo, who heads the group challenging the government project, said they are planning a protest walk to the Coast Conservation Department to submit their objections and comment on the report. The construction would displace about 50,000 families living on the coast.  Different groups from Negombo, Kapungoda, Dehiwala, Moratuwa and Panadura villages had already arrived in Colombo to hand over the document drafted by them to authorities.  (Source: UCAN)