COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s Parliament has passed a law installing a powerful economic commission to manage a proposed Chinese-built port city luxury development after altering elements of the bill deemed unconstitutional by the country’s top court. The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill passed with a 149-58 vote. The country’s highest court ruled that some bill elements conflicted with the constitution and must be approved in a public referendum to become law. The court had also suggested ways to amend the bill to comply with the constitution. The project has raised concerns in Sri Lanka and in India that the massive development would essentiually be a virtual Chinese outpost or colony.
