Sri Lankan parliament passes controversial Bill on China-backed Port City

The development comes after the Supreme Court suggested certain amendments, following over a dozen petition from opposing parties which said it “directly affected” Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

The Sri Lankan Parliament on Thursday passed a controversial Bill on laws governing the China-backed Colombo Port city, with a majority of 149 legislators – in the 225-member House – voting in its favour. The development comes after the Supreme Court suggested certain amendments, following over a dozen petitions challenging the Bill that political opposition and civil society groups said “directly affected” Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. The government accepted the amendments, pre-empting the requirement for a two-thirds majority or a referendum for passage of certain clauses, as per the Supreme Court’s determination.