by Walter Jayawardhana Julampitiye Amare, an underworld figure wanted for the murder of two psrticipants at a JVP political meeting at Katuwana in the Hambantota electorate surrendered to the High Court Tangalle while opposition political parties and international human rights organizations were criticizing the Sri Lanka government for protecting the murderers. Tangalle High Court Judge […]

by Walter Jayawardhana After Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir Arunchal Pradesh becomes the fourth state in India to receive the next fully fledged Buddhist Center by the allocation of funds by the ƒ”š‚ Central government of India Its founder Tsona Gontse Rinpoche announced The Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies at Dahung in West […]

by Walter Jayawardhana Deb Chowdhury is a popular music director from the West Bengal state of India with strong and ancient Buddhist roots. The drama company Rangapath of which he is the music director is the producer of a unique stage play entitled Thathagatha , based on Buddha’s life. The stage play became more unique […]

By Walter Jayawardhana The Times of India has reported ƒ”š‚ a section of the wall of the 8th century Buddhist monastery at Jajpur’s Udayagiri collapsed recently.   Another national newspaper, the HINDU has blamed the government of India for lack of interest in preserving the Buddhist center for some time and has been complaining of the […]

by Walter Jayawardhana Just weeks after being freed by the government former Army Chief Sarath Fonseka has been provided with security by the government. The Sri Lanka government is under international as well as domestic pressure to return most privileges he has lost due to the ex-generals incarceration. Fonseka ƒ”š‚ requested the opposition to withdraw a […]

by Walter Jayawardhana The Hindu featured the christening of fifteen baby elephants in Sri Lanka’s unique elephant orphanage and said the naming of the elephants were done according to traditional astrological principles after astrologers casted the elephant horoscopes. The christening ceremony was done last Sunday in front of a large number of foreign and local […]

by Walter Jayawardhana Five Sri Lankan fishermen were taken into custody by Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at Tuticorin Tamil Nadu on Sunday morning. ƒ”š‚ The ICG charged them of illegal fishing in the Indian waters and violating the Indian Maritime Boundary Line. Their fishing boat was also seized. In a statement the Tuticorin ICG office said […]

by Walter Jayawardhana The rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson hit world headlines ƒ”š‚ due to his 2003 World Cup final heroics, when his drop goal in the last minute of extra-time delivered the trophy to England. He made another sensation when he told the London Times that he became a Buddhist by reading Quantum Physics. Wilkinson, a […]

By Walter Jayawardhana During the June 5 Venus transit with earth biological material living on top layers of the cloud shrouded Venus would have reached earth said Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe of the Buckingham Center for Astro Biology. ƒ”š‚  Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe told this corresponent, “The solar wind (a wind of charged energetic particles from the […]

By Walter Jayawardna ƒ”š‚ Frustrated by the unending rivalry between his two sons for the succession of his party leadership the President of the DMK and Chairman of the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization M.Karunanidhi has told on his 89th birthday that he would contest for the position if he was alive next year. Though he is […]

By Walter Jayawardhana ƒ”š‚ DMK President and Chairman of the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization (TESO) Muthuvel Karunanidhi whose 89th birthday wish was the bifurcation of Sri Lanka started his birthday with hearing all kinds of ominous news when Chennai Corporation and Police started pulling down hundreds of illegal flex boards and then banners illegally put up […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Chairman of the Tamil Eelam Supporters Association (TESO) and President of the DMK addressing a meeting held in Chennai to celebrate his 89th birthday vowed to create a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka. At the birthday bash the ageing leader’s supporters decorated him with a crown and a garland made […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Angelina Jolie, one of the most successful women in Hollywood is seeking the advice of astrology of an Asian Buddhist monk to fix a good time for her marriage to Brad Pitt, the National Enquirer reported. The weekly in its June 4 issue said Jolie is very keen in letting the Cambodian […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Amarvati is one of the greatest Buddhist civilizations in India. Mallikarjuna Rao is a Buddhist artist who has been inspired by it. He wants to be part of the great revival of Buddhism currently taking place in the country. His exhibition of paintings has been named , ” A Tribute To Amaravati […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Helped by the falling crude oil prices Indian oil marketing companies have announced a reduction of aeound Indian Rupees 2.00ƒ”š‚  for a litre of petrol. Accordingly ƒ”š‚ a liter of petrol from Saturday midnight has come down by Indian Rupees 2,12 in Mumbai,Indian Rupees 2.07 Kolkata and Indian Rupees 2.13 in Chennai. Indian […]

By Walter Jayawardhanaƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚  Calling Pandith C. Iyothee Thass, a highly intellectual man who died in 1914 as the precursor of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu The HINDU said he believed that the untouchables in the state were one time Buddhists and he went to Sri Lanka converted himself to be Buddhist there and established […]

By Walter Jayawardhana “The ruins of Nalanda stretch out below us, a poem in red. The remains of this ancient monastic university, located on the way from Patna to Rajgir consist of classrooms, stupas, monk’s cells and temples. The crimson of the bricks glows in the light of the midday sun,”ƒ”š‚ said Kauusalya Santhanam writing […]

By Walter Jayawardhana The Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (The tamil name for Sri Lanka Tamil Government Party) has refused to revisit its constitution which seeks the establishment of a separate stateat its 14th National Convention in Batticaloa recently charged the Hindu newspaper. “In short, TNA leader R. Sampanthan’s gesture in Jaffna on May 1 “ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Russia has announced that they have published “The first encyclopaedia of Buddhist philosophy”ƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚ where Buddhism has seen a revival after the collapse of Communism. “The encyclopaedia analyses the philosophical aspects of Buddhism in the context of different civilisations, cultures and religions, including Hinduism, Christianity and Islam”ƒ”š‚, a report said.   Kalmykia state […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Kappan Kishan is a Buddhist artist from Telangana province of Andra Pradesh, South India. The people from the region like to call their area as the seat of Buddhism in India. “These women, according to me, are devotees of Buddha. In this series, you can see them painting Buddha. Andhra Pradesh is […]

By Walter Jayawardhana The ancient Buddhist learning center of higher education Taxila, situated in modern Pakistan has been declared one of the most endangered historical sites in Asia by the Global Heritage Fund which promotes the preservation of historic architectural sites around the world. It is one of the finalized ƒ”š‚ list of the top 10 […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Blaming that those who negotiated General Fonseka’s release from the jail with the President are responsible for the freedom without civic rights he received ƒ”š‚ Ranil Wickramasinghe said Tiran Alles being a member of parliament should tell the nation the circumstances under which such a sorry state came into being. UNP and Opposition […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Sri Lanka’s Housing Minister and leader of the National Freedom Front, a constituent party of the governing coalition,Wimal Weerawansa criticized forrmer Army Commander Sarath Fonseka for saying Sri Lanka must cooperate with ƒ”š‚ any international inquiry into war crimes they allege since we did not do such crimes. Weerawansa appealed to Fonseka not […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Sri Lanka’s main opposition the United National Party has appointed a committee chaired by Wijedasa Rajapaksa to draft a private member’s bill to win back the civic rightsƒ”š‚  of the former Commander of army Sarath Fonseka , said the party’s General Secretary, Tissa Attanayaka. The private member’s bill will seek to win […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Although President Rajapaksa has released him from incarceration with a ban on elections for the next seven years Sri Lanka’s ex- Army Chief Sarath Fonseka is to work hard to build a stronger opposition in the country , he said in his first interview out of jail. In his first interview with […]

By Walter Jayawardhana The Hindu newspaper said the Presidential release granted to his incarcerated rival General Sarath Fonseka is a conditional one and he cannot contest an election for the next seven years. “The presidential pardon is conditional. He cannot vote or contest election for the next seven years,”ƒ”š‚ the newspaper said in an item […]

By Walter Jayawardhana Sri Lanka’s jailed Commander of Army General Sarath Fonseka accusing he was taken away from his people for political vendetta said the people would serve justice for the injustice that was brought upon him. He was addressing a large cheering crowd of people in front of Colombo’s Welikada prisons from which he […]

By Walter Jayawardhana London’s Guardian newspaper indicated that the release of the former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka had a link with the demand of the United States from Sri Lanka to have a better record of human rights and release Fonseka. In a news item on the issue the Guardian said, “The United States regards […]

By Walter Jayawardhana The Hindu newspaper in a front page news item said that contrary to speculation that a procedural snag is delaying the release of former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka the stage has been ƒ”š‚ set for the release . After visiting the jailed leader now in Nawaloka Hospital, ƒ”š‚ with other parliamentarians of his party. […]

By Walter Jayawardhana The BBC said on Saturday that Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse had ordered the release of the jailed former army chief, Sarath Fonseka on Monday. “A presidential spokesman told the BBC he would be freed on Monday after formalities were completed,”ƒ”š‚ the radio station said. Mr Fonseka was arrested two years ago […]