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There are many gray elephants in Sri Lanka but the southern town of Hambantota can boast more white elephants than anywhere else. Before the town was completely boondoggled by PM Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa, who hails from this area, it was a sleepy fishing village. That was before his pork barrel projects began about a dozen years ago. Take, for example, this conference center and the 6 lane highway leading to it. It's rarely used and is expensive to maintain. The roadway is refreshingly empty. Or how about the International Cricket Stadium. It can seat 35,000 but it's never been filled. The Rajapaksa International Airport opened in 2013 at a cost of over $200 million. Airlines are reluctant to use it as it borders a large bird reserve. For the few flights that do come in wild animals have to be chased off the 3½ km runway. Then there's the port itself, and the enormous hospital complex ... but you get the picture. Where did all this money come from? The Chinese. Sri Lanka could not pay them back and now China has a 99 year lease on the port. Makes one yearn for the enlightened leadership of King Parakramabahu of 1000 years ago.