NEW DELHI: When Chinese surveillance ship Yuan Wang 5 docked at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port on Tuesday after a lag following Indian objections, its Captain Zhang Hongwang snubbed Sarath Weerasekera, former Rear Admiral of the Sri Lankan Navy who is now a politician, by refusing to shake hands with him or let him inside the ship.
Ironically, Weerasekera was the one who was instrumental in getting approval for the ship’s docking after Sri Lanka had asked China to delay its arrival. Colombo has allowed it to stay at the port till August 22. “While the Chinese say they were following Covid protocols, the fact is that basic courtesy was denied to a person who helped them dock at Hambantota,” sources said.
Weerasekera was also amongst the first to announce that permission had been granted to China to dock the ship a few days ago, for which he received a lot of flak. But the Yuan Wang 5 is used for tracking and support of satellite and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“It is not a survey ship; as a politician he should have checked his facts before getting them permission to dock,’’ said sources. A day before Yuan Wang 5 docked, India gifted a Dornier 228 to Sri Lanka. This aircraft is used for maritime surveillance and will be maintained by India for some time.