The Society of Information Technology Professionals (SITP) yesterday stressed the need to mobilise the masses against the implementation of Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India.

Addressing the media in Colombo, Secretary of the Society Lasantha Wickramasinghe said the people were not aware of the dangers in the agreement and hence all professionals should carry out a campaign to educate the masses on the dangers of ETCA.

The SITP Secretary lambasted Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim for the latter’s doubletalk on the proposed bridge across the Palk Strait linking Sri Lanka and India. Hashim had denied any such plan in Parliament but had gone back on that in Indonesia in the presence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

He said the Prime Minister gave evasive answers when he was asked about ETCA, which was inimical to the country’s interests.

He said ETCA would only benefit India and there was hardly anything for Sri Lanka to gain.

Wickramasinghe said India had a national policy not only where ETCA was concerned but all other agreements, but Sri Lanka didn’t have one on ETCA.