The Ethanol Business I did was legal - Deputy Minister Lakshman Wasantha Perera
An interview had been made by the deputy Minister Lakshman Wasantha Perera to a week end newspaper.Some of the excerpts from this interview are appended below:
Question: The what was the allegations that were aimed at you on Ethanol?Answer: Ethanol is manufactured in two factories of the government in Pelawatta and Sevanagala.This is the raw material used to manufacture liquor in our country. It is also used for the manufacture of various varieties of perfume. The people who do not know of this are making this very ugly allegation. If ethanol is manufactured by two factories owned by the government how could you make this allegation at me for importation of it. My business has been given the green light and is an approved industry by the government. It was a Company that paid taxes to the government. However I moved out of the business in the year 2009.
Question: Are you still engaged in a business connected to ethanol?
Answer: No.I moved out of the Company in Hingurana. But the business is been carried out by some others.When the name ethanol is mentioned many view from a suspicious angle. There are many members of Parliament who have ethanol permits? How many Members of Parliament are their having Beer permits? Theses are all ethanol.