CEPA will liberalize following areas creating major problems for Sri Lanka.

- Trade in Goods

- Investments

- Trade in Services

- Free movement of people

<> In a nutshell CEPA will allow Indians to setup even a small business in Sri Lanka and bring employees from India to work in such businesses. Even the families of such employees can be brought.

<> For an example a Lawyer, Doctor or even a Barber can start a small business and work as a single employee or bring in other employees.

<> Sri Lankans too will be able do the same in India. Nevertheless in reality it will be Indians who will flood into Sri Lanka than the other way around.

<> There are many Indian managed Multinationals and Indian owned businesses in Sri Lanka and they could provide jobs to Indians who come to Sri Lanka. However in India since there are about 50 million unemployed people there will be no opportunities for Sri Lankans to find jobs.

Who in Sri Lanka wanted CEPA?

- Did the Industrialists want it?

- Did the Professionals ask for it?

- Did the Service Sector want it?

<> NO, not at all

<> Since 2005 the negotiations are going on but the actual CEPA proposals have been kept a top guarded secret all this time. Although the Indians and one or two of their Sri Lankan supporters claim that the CEPA will have an immense benefit for Sri Lanka, the complete agreement has not been shown to any of the Sri Lankan Industrialists, Service Providers or Professionals.

<> What Sri Lanka should have done was to entirely reject the Indian proposal for CEPA and insisted India to remove the “Non Tariff Barriers” and to properly implement IL-FTA. However the Indian pressure and their influence on some Sri Lankan officials made it possible for the CEPA proponents to complete a frame work agreement of CEPA that was submitted to the President for signature during the SAARC summit in 2008. Nonetheless having listened to the Sri Lankan Industrialists and Professionals His Excellency the President refused to sign the CEPA agreement at that moment. Moreover, the President met leading Industrialists and Professionals after they carried out a large protest against CEPA in May 2010 and assured them that he will not sign any agreement that is not favourable to Sri Lanka.

 

SAY NO TO CEPA AND SAVE SRI LANKA FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS….!

 

UPDATE 4th Jan 2015 - 
A new face is brought to the agreement by using a new name "ETCA", which ultimately drives to the same target. 

 

Reference - 

http://www.cepaepa.com/