By Skandha Gunasekara The opening of the Lotus Tower has been further postponed due to some security concerns, The Sunday Morning learnt. Commission member of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL), G.B.K. Perera, told The Sunday Morning the security forces had requested the opening be further delayed in order to resolve any security weaknesses. “The military informed us that there may be issues regarding security. The Army is doing an analysis and will submit their recommendations to us.” Perera declined to go into further details, asserting that he had to wait for a report from the Army. “I cannot say exactly what the security concerns are as we have not received the analysis report from the Army, but the security issues pertain to both the physical aspect of the tower and the potential cybersecurity and telecommunication threats pertaining to the tower once it is operational,” he said, adding that the use of drones too was a concern the military had raised. In addition, TRCSL Director General P.R.S.P. Jayathilake said that there had been continuous delays during the construction of the tower. “There have been so many problems which caused delays in the construction. The issues include problems with the contractor,” Jayathilake said. The construction contractor for the Lotus Tower is China National Electronic Import and Export Corporation (CNEIEC). The construction of the tower cost $ 104 million, 80% of which was funded by China’s EXIM Bank. The project was initially expected to be completed by October 2017 and is to house telecommunication antennas, offices, and a restaurant.