A total of USD 56 billion has been parked abroad by powerful persons during the past few years, Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapaksha informed Parliament today.
A sum of USD 9 billion has been parked this year alone,” the Minister said.
I propose a special motion to order these persons to bring back their money which is parked abroad. There are some secretaries of some MPs who have parked more than USD 150 million each,” the Minister revealed.
It will be possible to settle all debts which Sri Lanka owes other nations if these parked funds are brought back,” he added.
Also he slammed the Constitutional Council for its alleged failure to nominate members to the Bribery Commission.
The Constitutional Council is bound to send in its nominees to the Bribery Commission to the President as per the newly enacted Anti-Corruption Bill.
There is an error in the legislation where the word ‘Constitutional Board’ is mentioned instead of Constitutional Council in some areas. However, the correct wording is mentioned in the section where the appointment of members to the Bribery Commission is stipulated. Therefore there is no reason for the Constitutional Council to send in its nominees to the Bribery Commission. Are the members of the Constitutional Council asleep?” he questioned while highlighting that he would mobilise the people against the Constitutional Council.
The Constitutional Council is headed by the Speaker, while it comprises the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and their nominees, while there are three members from civil society. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)
The government has informed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the tax percentages can not be increased further at this juncture as requested and that the government was expecting to initiate discussions to request the IMF to reconsider its request, Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said today.
He told Parliament that the IMF informed the government that tax revenue should be increased to some extent by the end of the first quarter of next year.
The Minister said if the tax revenue is to be increased, the tax percentage will have to be increased and that the government has informed the IMF that people cannot be burdened with more taxes at this juncture.
The Minister said this clarifying matters raised by the Opposition MPs that the IMF’s second tranche is delayed as the government has failed to fulfil the conditions of the IMF.
“It is not an issue of not implementing the IMF conditions. The IMF is expecting Sri Lanka to obtain tax revenue to a certain target by the end of the first quarter next year. We have to increase the existing tax percentage to meet that tax revenue targets. We informed the IMF that the government is not in a position to further burden the people with taxes. The IMF stresses the need to increase tax revenue,” he said.
The Minister said the next round of discussions with the IMF is to request them to reconsider their request on increasing tax revenue.(Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)
The proposed cable car line from Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya has been halted as a certain Forest Department official was refusing to grant permission to release 150 perches on the Kikiliyamana mountain without any reason, a government MP revealed today.
Parliamentarian Madura Vithanage told Parliament that the project is unable to be implemented due to this reason even though two Cabinet papers have been presented on the matter in 2018 and 2021.
The MP said the particular Forest Department official has continued to refuse permission to release the required plot of land citing that it is a highly sensitive zone.
“I have noticed that telephone towers have been set up in the mountain after clearing a vast area of the forest cover,” he said.
He said he studied the project report of the company and realised that the project had been prepared properly so as to protect the environment as well.
He said the project is an investment of USD 55 million and that halting such investments is a huge loss to the country. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)
While condemning the statement by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Bimal Ratnayake, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera said today that the JVP is engaging in actions that are detrimental to the country by brainwashing young people.
Addressing the media, he said the ongoing detrimental process by the JVP of brainwashing the young generation is similar to the destruction done by Zaharan.
Bimal Ratnayake has claimed that the BBS and the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jama’ath (SLTJ) were formed in 2012 with the support of the army intelligence units, who support the Rajapaksas, and under one DIG. He claimed that those organizations were paid by the army’s intelligence. He also claimed that Zaharan acted after the BBS issued the OK pass.
“The young generation used to accept these kinds of statements as they were clueless about past activities. The JVP does not have an ideology, and they do not try to understand the things we expose. We saw who was organized by the JVP during the Aragalaya,” the Thera said.
These brainwashing activities lead to people killing each other, and spreading these ideologies on social media has become a threat to the entire Buddhist community, the thera. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)
Social media regulation could be an inevitable scenario as the countries in the globe envisage signing an international convention on the same, President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed.
The remark from the President came hours after the Online Safety Bill was presented to Parliament. The Bill was presented to the House this morning.
Many countries in the world are having a dialogue on signing an international convention on regulating social media as of today. Therefore the choice before social media users in Sri Lanka is whether to abide by some international law or to go along with local laws,” the President said at the launch of the book Edmondge Paththara Viplawaya (Edmond’s Newspaper Revolution) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The President assured some tax concessions for raw materials used in the print media.
We will look at the possibility of reducing some taxes,” he said in response to a request by veteran journalist Upali Tennekoon who made the keynote address at the event.
Meanwhile, the Opposition raised questions on the Online Safety Bill in Parliament when it was presented by Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles.
Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella questioned why the Minister of Public Security presented the legislation as the subject of media is handled by another Minister.
Sri Lanka could face resistance internationally because of this legislation as the country is already accused of violating rights,” Kiriella said.
Meanwhile, a crosstalk flared up between Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksa and MP G.L. Peiris on the date which the period given to file objections begins.
The 14-day period given to file objections before courts usually begins from the date on which the Bill is entered in the Order Book. This particular Bill came in the order book on September 27. Therefore, seven days of the 14 day period have already gone. This is not a healthy situation,” Professor Peiris said. The Deputy Speaker who responded said the 14 day period begins from the day the Bill is presented to the House as per Section 121 of the Constitution.
However, Professor Peiris said he would not accept that stance and said he would file legal action against the Bill before the Supreme Court. Minister Alles who joined in the crosstalk said the Bill was originally proposed way back in 2016 during the Yahapalana government. (Yohan Perera)
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, during an interview with an international broadcaster based in Germany, slammed the allegations levelled in the documentary aired by British television network Channel 4 with regard to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
Wickremesinghe stressed that the Sri Lankan government would not carry out an international inquiry on any issue, including the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
On September 06, Channel 4 aired a controversial documentary containing startling accusations relating to the bombings on Easter Sunday 2019 which targeted several Catholic churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. The carnage claimed the lives of more than 260 people and left hundreds of others wounded.
Channel 4’s latest ‘Dispatches’ investigation titled ‘Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings’ is a nearly 50-minute-long video with serious, yet straightforward allegations about the attacks. It was based on the testimonies of high-placed whistleblowers who alleged that senior governmental officials were complicit in this heinous act.
Speaking to Martin Gak from the German state-owned international broadcaster Deutsche Welle during his Berlin visit, the Sri Lankan leader said a few people may have asked for an international probe, but the parliament has not. Further, referring to an FBI report, Wickremesinghe said No one outside was involved [in the attack].”
Clearly peeved when inquired about Channel 4’s allegations in its documentary, Wickremesinghe accused the host of putting the British television network on a pedestal and treating its report as the gospel truth”.
Wickremesinghe said he has appointed a committee comprising a judge, a well-known former air force commander and a renowned lawyer to look into these accusations.
When the host cast doubt about this committee having teeth enough to do anything and inquired about the Sri Lankan Catholic Church seeking for an independent investigation into the carnage, the Sri Lankan president lashed out at him saying, You have no right to ask me this question.”
Interrupting the questions multiple times and losing his cool, Wickremesinghe went on to accuse the host of trying to corner” him and denigrating the incumbent government for not doing anything”.
The World Bank revised up its forecasts for Sri Lanka’s economy on Tuesday, noting the crisis-hit nation had made strides in reducing inflation and had benefited from tourism revenue as well as an appreciation in its currency.
The bank now expects the economy to expand 1.7% in 2024, up from an earlier forecast of 1%. It also said the economy is likely to shrink 3.8% this year, less than its earlier prediction of a 4.2% contraction.
In the last six months, Sri Lanka has seen runaway inflation drop to 1.3% in September, its currency appreciate by about 12% and foreign exchange reserves improve. It has also benefited from an increase in remittances.
But the World Bank also noted Sri Lanka’s outlook was still clouded by significant uncertainty and there were downside risks.
Growth prospects will depend on progress with debt restructuring as well as continued implementation of growth enhancing structural reforms,” Richard Walker, a World Bank senior economist told a media briefing.
We see further monetary loosening and potential exchange rate pressures, which could counter this downward inflationary trend,” he added.
Sri Lanka struck an agreement for a $2.9 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund in March but a potential shortfall in government revenue has meant that a second tranche of funds from the package may be delayed.
In contrast to the World Bank, Sri Lanka’s central bank has predicted a milder 2% contraction this year and growth of 3.3% in 2024. The economy shrunk 7.8% in 2022.
For South Asia as a whole, the global lender predicts growth of 5.8%, led by India which is seen expanding 6.3% in fiscal 2023/24.
But it added that regional growth was still slower than its pre-pandemic pace.
While South Asia is making steady progress, most countries in the region are not growing fast enough to reach high-income thresholds within a generation,” Martin Raiser, World Bank Vice President for South Asia said in a statement.
The Indo Lanka Accord proposes an interim-arrangement administrative system by merging North & East provinces & a referendum in the East one year after signing the agreement to continue merger or not (catch was the inclusion of the postponement clause by the President of SL). The Accord does not refer to administrative system for any of the other provinces nor devolution nor the need to amend the constitution. If so, wo proposed 13th amendment, who drafted it & who wanted to get it passed by Sri Lanka’s Parliament? These are questions that should be asked even after 36years especially those peddling the we cannot anger India” we have to comply with India” sing song. If 13th a was drafted by Sri Lanka & 13tha is not mentioned in the Indo-Lanka Accord it means Sri Lanka has every right to repeal it in toto.
TULF’s letter to the Indian PM on 28 October 1987 days before the 2 Bills were passed in Sri Lanka’s Parliament on 14 Nov 1987.
TULF disagreed with both Bills (13th amendment & PC Council) Sampanthan was one of the 3 signatories of this letter.
The key point from this letter is that both Bills were not drafted by India & as per TULF letter India had not even seen the draft & it had been gazetted without showing India. If 13thamendment was drafting by Sri Lanka (wonder who) then India has no say in deciding whether Sri Lanka keeps or removes 13th
TULF concludes their letter by requesting the Indian PM to ask Sri Lankan President not to proceed with the 2 Bills until the issues highlighted in letter are resolved.
If 13tha was drafted by Sri Lanka & 13tha is not mentioned in the Indo-Lanka Accord it means Sri Lanka has every right to repeal it in toto.
28 Oct 1987 – TULF’s letter to PM Rajiv Gandhi provides a clue to the evolution of 13amendment. Note this letter is written after TULF has read the contents of the 2 Bills.
TULF claims disappointment in the 13th amendment Bill & PC Council Bill
TULF claims both Bills do not meet aspirations of the Tamil people” (why is TNA & Sampanthan now demanding full implementation when he signed a letter to Indian PM saying both do not meet Tamil aspirations?)
TULF claims it cannot recommend the contents of these Bills to the Tamil people”
TULF claims that the 13tha and PC are being foisted on us without any Indian expert playing a part in the drafting” (do we take this to mean that 13a & PC were drafted by Sri Lanka & not India – if so India has no stake in it at all, and no one needs to play the scare tactics)
That India was not aware of draft is further strengthened as a TULF delegation went to meet President JR on 29 Sep 1987 to make a formal request to show the draft to India.
TULF admits that the Bills were gazetted without being made available to India.
TULF on North East Merger
That PM Rajiv had to persuade President JR to agree to one administrative unit merging North & East with one PC, one Governor, one Chief Minister & one Board of Ministers & its continuance subject to referendum on or before 31 Dec 1988 with the catch of postponement by the President.
The setting up of the single administrative unit to be done by executive act by the President in the form of a proclamation which can be revoked (therefore there was no requirement for any amendment to the Constitution to merge NE) –This seriously questions why 13th amendment & PC Bill was introduced at all if the NE temporary merger was to be done by Presidential Proclamation.
How 13thAmendment & PC Bill included devolution to ALL PROVINCES
Topic discussed before signing of Indo Lanka Accord in July/Aug 1986 between GoSL & TULF. TULF claims GoSL agreed that Governor would be ceremonial head & legislative powers to be near absolute (this is unconstitutional)
TULF claims that parties to the negotiations re devolution believed legislative & executive powers to be similar to that in an Indian state.
The reference to Provincial Councils” (plural) denotes that the inclusions of PCs stemmed from GoSL/TULF discussions and not Indo-Lanka Accord.
Executive Power in the Provinces
Powers of President retained by Governor in accordance with Article 4(b) exercised on Presidents direction.
GoSL indicated number of ministers of the province should not exceed 1/3 of total number of members
North Eastern Province to have 71 members (the letter does not mention other provinces)
TULF wanted not more than 1/5 of total number of members.
TULF claims Ministers are restricted to 4
List of Subjects
TULF wanted the list to conform to Indian pattern
TULF claims the concurrent list is loaded, provincial list reduced
TULF claims Fisheries other than beyond Territorial Waters, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Industries, Redemarcation including creation of Districts, Assistant Government Agents divisions, and Grama Sevaka Divisions, restoration, reconstruction of destroyed towns, villages, properties, compensation or relief to persons who have sustained loss or damage, palmyrah plantation and palmyrah industry, coconut plantation and industry related thereto, the ownership, management and control of state-owned industrial enterprises within the province dependant wholly or mainly on raw materials found in the province (recommended by the Political Parties Conference), Co-operative Banks, Prisons, Provincial Public Service, Provincial Public Services Commission, Local Government Service, Inquiries, Surveys and Statistics for any of the purposes in the Provincial List and such others have not been included in the Provincial List
TULF claims powers of PC for Education are substantially curtailed even in secondary education.
TULF claims both Concurrent & Reserve List minimizes scope & content of Councils power.
Land & Land Settlement
TULF claims that as per Appendix II is worse than Appendix attached to proposals on 23 Sept 1986 (before signing of the Indo Lanka Accord)
TULF disagrees to include State Land in Reserve List
TULF disagrees to State Land vested in the Republic & the power of President to dispose of Land
TULF claims Province has no right to use of State land though it is a devolved subject
TULF claims province is restricted to administer & control land made available to it
TULF claims that it is the prerogative of the President to dispose State Land to a citizen or organization according to laws
TULF says the Cumulative Entitlement of the Tamil speaking people in schemes under the Mahaweli Project in the Eastern Province has failed as Appendix II has not been incorporated to Annexure on settlement in Eastern province under Mahaweli Project.
TULF states that though land is a devolved subject, Central Govt has dominant power over State Land
TULF also claims that there is ‘continued colonization of the Northern & Eastern provinces with members of the majority community” (what about Tamils migrating outside of N & E – is this not colonization?)
Trincomalee Port
Ports has been included to Reserve List & Trincomalee comes under central control. Annexure C (finalized in 1984) says A Port Authority under the Central Govt will be set up for administering the Trincomalee Port & Habor. The area which will come under the administration of the Port Authority as well as the powers to be assigned to it will be further discussed” TULF had raised objection to this.
(Trinco Port is only referred in the exchange of letters between President JR & PM Rajiv & not in the Indo Lanka Accord – but 13a had been discussed before the Accord)
TULF claims Annexure C was finalized in 1984 & an extent of 5150 acres of land around the Trincomalee Port was vested in the Port Authority. TULF claims this could create a new town with racial overtones & cause conflict seen by recruitment to port since 1983)
Provincial Public Service
Provincial Public Service & Provincial Public Service Commission is included in draft Bill contrary to the draft proposals amending constitution on 23 Sept 1986.
Appointment, Transfer, Dismissal, Disciplinary control of Provincial Public Servants vested with Governor subject to presidential directors is not what TULF proposed under provisions of Article 55 which vests above with the Cabinet of Ministers.
TULF claims the subjects of the Provincial Public Service & Provincial Public Service Commission are omitted from the Provincial List & the Provincial Board of Ministers have no control over their functions.
TULF claims that the chapter pertaining to PCs enables Parliament & the Executive to circumvent the exercise of powers conferred on the province.
Tamil as Official Language
TULF claims that clause 2 of 13a that makes Tamil an Official Language is nullified in Paragraph (4) which states Parliament shall by law provide for the implementation of the provisions of this Chapter”.
TULF claims that the Constitution provides the manner of use for Sinhala Language which is not so for Tamil
TULF claims there are other matters & therefore requests the Indian PM to ask President Jayawardena NOT TO PROCEED WITH THE TWO BILLS IN PARLIAMENT IN THE PRESENT FORM TILL THE MATTERS REFERRED ARE DISCUSSED & RESOLVED TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE TAMIL PEOPLE”.
It is time we start asking questions and getting proper answers
This is a letter I wrote to Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the present President, in 2006 from Texas USA, when I was holidaying at my younger daughter Achala when he was the Defense Secretary in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government requesting him to take immediate safety measures against a possible LTTE attack on the Kotmale dam. (to which I never got a reply as usual).
The Kotmale dam
The Kotmale dam 87.m high (285 ft) and 600 m long, constructed across the Kotmale Oya a left bank tributary of Mahaweliganga. at 703 m msl (2306 ft) in the central hill country of Sri Lanka. It has a storage capacity of 800 000m2 (28,000,000 cu ft) at spill level. It was constructed against the advice of eminent Geologists like late Prof of Geology, P.W Withanage University of Sri Lanka, as it is identified as a geologically unstable region constituted with characteristic crystalline lime stones.
Map 1
Extreme caution has to be taken not to upset physical equilibrium set by nature by constructing large reservoirs like Kotmale reservoir on these watersheds at such a high elevation. Because one day if there is going to be a dam breach at this level, at spill level, carrying a 285 feet high 28,000,000 cu ft of water either due to natural causes or manmade actions like a LTTE terrorist attack, the resulting downstream disaster would be extremely high and unimaginable, considering the elevation of the location (2306 ft msl) of this dam in relation to the densely populated downstream settlement, the height and the enormous volume of water in the reservoir at spill level, 28,000,000 cu ft and the relative cumulative gravitational force the flood will acquire as it role down roaring over the hills and valleys will be definitely beyond human imagination. If a breach takes place this could be ranked as the world’s most disastrous dam breach tragedy in history. This danger becomes all the more serious in view of the relative location of the reservoir at very high level, the abrupt drop in the elevation and the peculiar radial geomorphological lay out of the Island in relation to the location of the Kotmale reservoir as shown in the map1.
Under these circumstances if the dam breaches due to any reason the enormous volume of water that it empties will roar down the precipice of Kotmale Oya will be extremely devastative with its thundering high tide pouring in to Mahaweli. First it will scoop out Gampola and Gelioya towns together with the rich Kandyan agricultural villages on either side of Mahaweli and once it reaches Peradeniya it will get split in to three massive floods, one turning left at Peradeniya. and another urning right at Getambe while the main flood will go down Mahaweli up to Katugagastota, where it will again bifurcate in to two, the left flood will force up Pingaoya and go towards Matale and the main one, erasing Katugastoa, sweeping Polgolla barrage will surge in to Victoria reservoir. The third flood that will takes its course along the Peradeniya Kandy road and then scooping Kandy town and pouring in to Victoria Reservoir over Buwelikada gap taking a part of Udawatta kele together with the debris of the historic Mahanwara Town together with the Temple of the Tooth with all its sacred and mundane treasures to be deposited in the depth of the Indian Ocean.This will then join the flood coming down Polgolla and together it will get reinforced with the Victoria waters (722,000.000 m2)_ and then
VICTORIA DAM
burst in to Randenigala (647,000,000 cu ft) and finally collecting 361,446 Cu ft of Rantembe with the debris of all the Dams will end up in the Eastern Sea with all what this mighty surge will scoop out from the Eastern province and what it has already collected from either side of the Mahaweli river from Kotmale downward, say up to about hundreds of feet on either side up to end of Rantembe, the last reservoir on the Mahaweli, carving out a huge canyon up to the sea. You can just imagine the thrust of the total volume of water that will scoop out almost 2/3 of the Eastern Province in an open funnel shape cavity in to the Indian Ocean.
Meanwhile the one that go down the Kumbiyangoda precipice will scoop out the Matale town, empties the Nalanda Reservoir and the Moragakha kanda, with its 521,000,000 m3 and will erase what is left out by the main flood that comes down the main Mahaweli and also that is surging in to the eastern flat land at its bend near old Minipe anicut site. The Matale Moragahakanda flood will take the balance of the eastern Province to the Indian Ocean, with the Polonnaruwa town and all the sacred treasures standing in the Polonnaruwa kingdom along with the waters of the Parakrama Samudra(112,500 acre feet).
Finally, the flood that go across Kiribath kumbura and Kadugannava down the precipice to Mavanella will scoop out the areas on either side of the Ma Oya from there onwards and empties in to the Indian Ocean on the western side of the Island around Negambo.
Now you will see how Sri Lanka will end up in three huge permanent canyons like scars from Kotmale to the Indian ocean on either sides of the central axis running north from the central hill country, dividing the Sinhale in to three parts (remnants of the old 3 Sinhale with a major part of the Malayarata} like a huge canyon of the Colarado canyon type with a central axis starting at Kotmale in the Central hill country of Sri Lanka.
I also suggest that you have a look at the disasters caused by similar dam breaches that have taken place in other countries.to imagine how such dam breaches have affected human life in those countries. For example, dam breach studies in countries like USA, (the johnston town flood 1989), Italy, (Vaiont Dam 1963) and India, (Tiwari Dam failure in Maharastra) to understand the national danger I am talking about in this paper.
If this breach takes place I think it could be the worst dam breach in the world in known history, forming a huge canyon looking like a fork with 3 prongs with its handle in the south that had erased a whole civilization that was the ancient Kandyan Kingdom.
MAP 2
GRAPHIC IMAGINATION of man made SRI LANKAN CANYONS
Sudath Gunasekara
It is in this backdrop Mr Gotahbhaya that I appeal to you to take the maximum precautionary action in time to prevent this historic national catastrophe.
Any delay on your part as Defense Secretary to take adequate precautionary measures will put the blame squarely on you for outright negligence, if the Kotmale dam breaks due to an attack by the LTTE.
I only hope by providence of God, they will not attack it. Let us all pray for it
PS: I am writing this note almost 16 years after I addressed this note to Gotabhaya in 2006. I am very happy that no disaster has happened so far thanks God. I warn authorities that they should not take things for grant and rest asleep. A disaster as predicted can take place at any moment in view of its location in a limestone region, particularly at such height in the center of Sri Lanka with the enormous volume of water stored in the reservoir.
Therefore, I plead to the authorities in charge of the DAM to keep a 24 hours vigil on the changes taking place so that you can take timely action at least to mitigate the scale of the disaster that might occur one day.
epilogue
Under the Mahaweli Development Project Kotmale flooded nearly 4000 ha of fertile land in the Mahaweli upper catchment, which included about 600 ha of paddy fields and has directly affected 3056 traditional Sinhala families with a legacy of a rich traditional culture who were involuntarily evacuated from their ancestral lands whose ancestors had been living there from the early Christian times, if not earlier.
Of them 1722 families were moved to downstream areas in the Dry Zone and 1334 families, which were said to be resettled in 17 settlements around the reservoir
The evacuation of such a large number of Sinhala people from an agriculturally rich historic settlement in the heartland of the nation where there is a large concentration of Indian Tamil population invariably leads to weakening the power of the native Sinhala population in the region, which will have serious political repercussions in future.
Thus, considering the immediate and long term economic, and demographic losses to a nation that is impossible to be quantified and the impending disaster for the whole nation as forecasted above, I hold the view that the construction of Kotmale dam was an unpardonable historic political blunder.
This article addresses the origins of the term lawfare, as well as different definitions developed in the Global North and the Global South while proposing a conceptualization linked to the particularities of this socio-legal phenomenon in Latin America. Focusing on the cases of Brazil and Argentina the article deploys the notions of psychological, judicial and media warfare to analyze the different dimensions that an analysis of lawfare opens in relation to democracy, the penal system, and mainstream media.
The article also explores different dimensions of lawfare and a notion in Spanish with the potential to replace the anglicism: dripping coup (golpe por goteo). Finally, the article proposes different measures to counteract lawfare in the judicial, educational, media, and social spheres. In particular, the conclusions refer to the relevance of social movements in what can be conceptualized as a cautionary popular criminology”.
In Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and many other countries of the Patria Grande, the word lawfare” is heard daily – in the media, as well as in the speeches of political leaders – concerning cases of corruption involving progressive political leaders and discussed in key electoral moments.
The term was coined twenty years ago in the Global North (Dunlap, 2001), but it was in the mid-2010s that it started to be broadly deployed in Latin America, particularly in Brazil and Argentina. In Brazil, the term appeared in the public discourse in 2014, when criminal charges were brought against former President and then presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula” da Silva. He was accused of receiving an apartment as part of bribes in return for awarding contracts to specific construction corporations in a case that also implicated many other politicians and members of the state-owned oil company Petrobras. Lula ended up in pre-trial detention and was banned from competing in the national elections (Limongi, 2021). In Argentina, the first case labelled as lawfare occurred in 2016 and involved the then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, accused of manipulating the price of the dólar futuro” (future dolar) – an estimated price of how much a dollar would cost in relation to the local currency- in detriment of the Central Bank reserves (SAIJ, 2021). Cristina Fernández de Kirchner explicitly used the term lawfare when declaring in another case against her under charges of corruption in the adjudication of public work (el País, 2019).
In line with Lula and many other centre-left political leaders in the Latin-American region, Fernández de Kirchner described lawfare as the mechanism through which certain sectors of the judiciary, the mainstream media, and the opposition manipulate criminal cases based on corruption charges to delegitimize and ban progressive leaders from democratic politics. In contrast, part of the judiciary, the mainstream media, and politicians from the establishment argue that the notion of lawfare is deployed by progressive politicians to delegitimize serious criminal investigations aimed at ending corruption in the region (La Nación, 2020).
Amid these conflictive positions, the definition of lawfare is far from clear: What are its main features? Where does the term come from? Why even use an anglicism in Latin America? Is it a new phenomenon? Is it a negative one? If yes, how can it be fought?
Are corruption and related allegations being weaponized to break trust among citizens and leaders by external actors and forces for their Geopolitical Economic gain in Sri Lanka?
Is Lawfare, a form of hybrid (economic) warfare, enabled by Foreign Aid donors to the legal and judicial sector being used to destabilize countries, while promoting Disinformation and protests that shut down national economies and debt trap countries, also to destroy progressive leaders in the Global South—as happened to Brazil’s President Lula?
The Full article is available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14624745221116348
Who else is planning to do a Hamsa? Hamsa wanted asylum, C4 needed to boost revenue, West/UN needed a topic to politicize, foreign funded NGOs needed a topic for survival & funding & a bunch of others needed a reason to cover their guilty conscience regarding knowing but not doing anything to prevent Easter Sunday. These ingredients mashed together produced what was promised to be a sensational documentary that was all about weakening & demoralizing the armed forces & intelligence of Sri Lanka by targeting a key official. That drama became a washout when the directors themselves admitted they had no evidence. Quite a number including the UNHRC must render their apologies but to divert that we have another asylum seeker – this time it’s a magistrate. Another minority member claiming to be under death threats. This is getting really interesting.
This particular magistrate is having a bevy of cases against his biased judgements pending hearing and isnt it timely that he should wish to dart off before he is exposed. How artful it has become to cook up ‘death threats’ share a few posts on social media, engage a few foreign funded NGOs to do the publicity and it’s a piece of cake to carry out a campaign demonising the Sinhalese. There are veterans at this game.
The Western nations, themselves in economic decline, having subjected their citizens to shoulder an useless war in Ukraine, are already at the receiving end of verbal displeasure as Trudeau himself found out recently. Not too many Europeans & Americans are happy with immigrants nowadays. Therefore, western embassies may well have to think twice about accepting crocodile tear asylum seekers to their climes, though of course they do perform well after training to appear in the halls of the UN/UNHRC and deliver deadly statements against their motherland.
But shouldn’t these Western embassies wonder why these asylum seekers do not seek asylum in India or go to Tamil Nadu that is always wailing for their brothers & sisters in Sri Lanka? Why is it that the asylum seekers only want to go to UK, Europe, US, Canada or Australia? Is this question not asked by the western governments?
The problem with the Western governments, their media & the locals they fund is that what is presented to them as news” is false data, fake history and distortions aligned to their political agendas. At some point in time these tales backfire as C4 found out recently. You can repeat the truth but a lie has to be sustained and more often than not one lie leads to another and then it gets out of hand when the liars compete with each other!
The news accounts of some of the cases the judge in question has presided over is full of falsehood. This is no time to be giving history lessons but ignoring historical facts is where the judge has erred. The defense of this is the current theatrics. What is the defense for denying & ordering police to prevent worshipping of flowers that it contravenes existing orders, in a land where Buddhism is state religion? Magistrates are meant to go by the law not play politics.
While the gist of the issue is to harp upon the fact that he is threatened because he is a Tamil, his claim that the AG asked him to reverse his judgement conveniently omits to mention that the AG is himself a Tamil. Then there is another facebook post by a journalist in Norway, also a Tamil, actually finding fault with the judge in question for cooking up a complaint against him & the colossal amount of money he ended up having to pay. These are not plus points to this grievance asylum case!
It has become very fashionable for the minority to cry foul & claim ethnic” discrimination if they are found fault for anything. The message being conveyed is that they can do any wrong & get away because they are Tamil! The law of the land cannot apply to them and the moment they are questioned they go tapping at embassy doors, shedding crocodile tears & then claiming asylum, while the West is happy to use the case, print it to paper & use it as diplomatic demarches against Sri Lanka.
This ugly practice needs to stop. If the judge has received threats, he must produce evidence & present these in a form of a complaint lodged to the police. In the meanwhile, he must be ready to face the complaints against him for biased judgements that have been filed. His judgements have been challenged at a higher court, which is the legal & accepted norm. He cannot take offence over that.
However, if the embassies set precedents by giving asylum to anyone creating a Hamsa like drama, their embassy doors will be pretty busy and with long queues & more fairytales.
Maybe its better for all the bad applese to leave, anyways
Prof. A.D.T.E. Perera Prof. A.D.T.E. Perera, eminent scholar of Buddhist Art and Archeology, passed away on 2023.09.16. at the age of 87 years.
A.D.T.E. Perera was born on 1936.04.29 at the Sarikkamulla village, Panadura in Sri Lanka. His father was D.B. Perera, a planter, and his mother was Perl Danthanarayana.
Perera had his primary and secondary school education at St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa, and attended Sunday school (Daham Pasela) which was close to his house. It was at an impressive age and at this venue i.e., Sri Taksala Vidyalaya, that Perera was able to form a close bond with a well-known archaeologist and scholar monk Ven. Medauyangoda Wemalakirthi Thero, who resided at a nearby temple named ‘Sirinandana Pirivena’.
University of Peradeniya
In the late 1950s Perera gained entry to the University of Peradeniya. He studied Pali, Sanskrit, and Buddhist philosophy for a Bachelor’s degree in Arts. He was in the last batch of students of Prof. Senarath Paranavitana, who served as the Professor of Archeology at the University of Ceylon from 1957 to 1961.
Upon leaving the University in 1962 Perera served as a teacher at both the St. Sebastian College and Sri Taksala Vidyalaya for a short period of time. Thereafter he worked as a Press Officer for a limited period and also as a Deputy Editor of the ‘Ceylon Daly News’, during the era of Esmond Wickremesinghe.
He obtained his Master’s Degree from the University of Kelaniya and the DLitt degree (Doctor of Letters) from the Malwatte Chapter of the Siam Nikaya.
His scholarly interests in Buddhism led him to establish contact with Ven. Baddegama Wimalawansa Thero, then Head of the ‘Odey Pansala’ at Maradana. Also known as Sri Lanka Vidyalaya. He did some lecturing at this temple cum school.
In the mid-1960s Perera married Sujatha Perera, whom he had first met at the Sri Taksala Vidyalaya.
Assistant Editor of the Encyclopedia of Buddhism
During the 1960s Perera had a rapid rise in his career when he was appointed as an Assistant Editor of the Encyclopedia of Buddhism with the approval of Prof. Gunapala Malalasekara who was the Chief Editor. The Office was based at the Peradeniya University. During the 1970s A.D.T.E. Perera’s articles were published in English and Sinhala newspapers on topics relating to Archeology and Buddhist Art. He delivered lectures at the National Museum, the Royal Asiatic Society, and the YMBA. He also took part in a Radio Ceylon program moderated by LucienBulathsinhala, a reputed playwright, author, and stage drama producer. Perera’s writings dealt with concepts underlying Asanagara, Sandakada Pahana, and the rock carvings at Isurumuniya and Sigiriya, etc.
He drew wide public attention with his pronouncements based on pioneering research that Sigiriya was built by the legendary King Ravana whose name finds mention in the Hindu Sanskrit epic ‘Ramayana’. Arthur C. Clarke, the world-renowned Science fiction writer, upon reading the writings of A.D.T.E. Perera obtained some ideas from Perera for his popular television series ‘Mysterious World’. Their friendship continued since then.
Australian National University (ANU)
In 1979 Perera travelled to Canberra, Australia with his family to pursue post-graduate studies at the Australian National University (ANU) under the supervision of Prof. A.L. Basham. He submitted his thesis entitled ‘Evolution of Buddha Image’. He was asked to re-submit it with corrections after he returned to Sri Lanka. He was caught up with the work in Sri Lanka to spare time for revising and resubmitting his thesis to ANU. During his stay in Canberra, he delivered Guest Lectures at the ANU and attended several international conferences held in Australia.
In the early 1980s upon returning to Sri Lanka, Perera participated at various International Conferences held in Nepal, India, Hong Kong, etc.
‘World of Buddhism’ Journal
In 1984 A.D.T.E. Perera co–founded the international Buddhist journal ‘World of Buddhism’ together with the famous monk Venerable Mapalagama Wipulasara Maha Thera (1925 – 2000), who was both an Artist and Sculptor (primarily Buddha statues). He continued with the ‘World of Buddhism’ Journal as the Editor until his wife passed away in 2012. It was an indefatigable effort on his part to create Buddhist Opinion via this Journal.
Prof. Perera’s articles were regularly published in various international journals such as ‘East and West’ in Rome, ‘Studies in Indo – Asian Art and Culture, New Delhi, and CHISSAN, Tokyo, and also in Magazines the Buddhist’, ‘World Buddhism’, and newspapers e.g., Sunday Observer, Daily News, Island, etc.
In the 1990s his path crossed that of the well-regarded Scholar monk and the First Chancellor of the University of Ruhuna, Ven. (Prof.) Paravahera Pannaseeha Mahanayaka Thero, who resided at the Padanaga Viharaya, Maradana. It was a propitious meeting. Favourable for in-depth Buddhist scholarly work.
‘Buddhism in Ancient Arabia and Israel’
Thereafter both scholars began to work and conduct research jointly on esoteric topics. Through intense research, they were able to discover that Buddhism was the earliest religion in the Arabian region. This finding caused a sensation in academia. In 2013, A.D.T.E. Perera’s book named ‘Buddhism in Ancient Arabia and Israel’ won the Buddhist literary award in 2014. It was later translated into Sinhala.
Perera also kept close contact with leaders of other religions. In the late 80s, he visited the Ambassador College, U.S.A, founded by Herman W. Armstrong, on the invitation of the late. Dr. Hoeh of California and delivered several Lectures at this institution. In the 1990s he also delivered several talks at the Sai Baba Center at Barnes Place, Colombo 07, and visited Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India, the residence of Sai Sathya Baba in 1992.
In the early 90s, A.D.T.E. Perera was appointed as an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico, USA. There too he continued his scholarly work.
Upon returning to the Island in the late 90s he joined the ‘Island’ newspaper as a Deputy Editor and in addition, he served as an Editor of the Etymological Sinhala English Dictionary with the collaboration of Dr. Saddhamangala Karunarathna, former Commissioner of Archaeology (1979 – 1983).
All Buddhist Congress of Democrats
In 2000 A.D.T.E. Perera founded a Buddhist organization named ‘All Buddhist Congress of Democrats’, (‘ABCD’) at the Padanagara Viharaya, Maradana.
Here is a news report published in the ‘Asian Tribune’ (now defunct) on the 10th of December 2002. http://asiantribune.com/news/2002/12/10/establish-national-museum-honour-heroes-buddhist-revival-lanka
‘ Establish a National Museum to honour heroes of the Buddhist revival in Sri Lanka
At a public seminar sponsored by the All Buddhist Congress of Democrats on the topic ‘Sinhalayo — The Great Heroic Nation Nurtured by the Sinhala Bhikkhu Fraternity’ and held on November 18, 2002, at the J. R. Jayewardene Cultural Centre, Colombo, the following Resolution was adopted unanimously:
“Considering the courageous role patriotic elements have played in the revival and restoration of Buddhism in the face of a ruthless policy of discrimination and suppression on the part of the Western Christian colonial powers, and considering the undying debt of this nation to remember the heroic struggle of the Bhikkhu fraternity and supportive laity to protect and preserve the Buddha Dhamma in its pristine form,
This House resolves to call on the Govt. of Sri Lanka to establish a National Museum dedicated to honouring the heroes of the Buddhist revival whose valiant efforts against the dark forces of Western colonialism and bigotry, helped to safeguard and sustain Buddhism for the benefit of countless numbers of future generations.”
The resolution was proposed by Senaka Weeraratna and seconded by Professor A. D. T. E. Perera.
Most Ven. Aggamahapanditha Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayaka Thera presided at the Meeting.
Ven. Bellana Sri Gnanawimala Mahanayake Thera, Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka Nayake Thera, Dr. P. R. Anthonis, the well-known surgeon, Dr. Harischandra Wijetunga, Kalasuri Arisen Ahubudu and Professor A. D. T. E. Perera, Hony. Secretary of the All Buddhist Congress of Democrats, addressed the meeting.’
Courtesy: Asian Tribune
Olcott Gunasekera
Olcott Gunasekera (the founder and President of the Dharmavijaya Foundation, founded in 1977 and now known as Ven. Vajiraramaye Ñãnãsiha Thero) made the following observation:
There are many noble Resolutions like this but have not materialized. The recommendations of the Buddha Sasana Commission of 2002, the 20 Point Action Plan of the 2600 Sambuddhatva Jayanthi, and the ten-year programme handed to His Excellency at the end of the term of office of the Sambuddhatva Jayanti Presidential Committee are recent events. There are resolutions passed by the Buddhist Leaders’ International Conference held in 1982 and the International Buddhist Conference sponsored for the first time by the State in 1998. There are enough warnings given by the members of the Maha Sangha, and especially Ven. Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayaka Thera. Buddhists seem to be taken for granted and their tolerance is misused by all governments. The Buddhist leadership has to think of a way out of this impasse.”
Professor Perera delivered monthly lectures under the auspices of the All Buddhist Congress of Democrats, (‘ABCD’) at several temples, in Bambalapitiya and elsewhere. In 2004 the Annual General Meeting of the ABCD was held at the J.R. Jayewardene Cultural Centre, Colombo 7, and awards were handed over to the eminent surgeon, Deshamanya Dr. P. R. Anthonis and Ven. (Dr.) Telagapatha Dammakirthi Thero, in recognition of their services to the wellbeing of the community.
Prof. Perera performed an immense service at the Buddhist Cultural Centre (BCC) at Nadimala, Dehiwala on the invitation of Ven. Kirama Wimalajhoti Thera. There he translated several books into English namely Buddhavamsa-aṭṭhakathā (also known as The Lineage of Buddhas) (in 2011), Chriyapitaka Atthakatha, Vimanavatthy Aṭṭhakathāand Jataka Aṭṭhakathā.
German Dharmaduta Society
Prof. Perera also served as the Vice – President of the German Dharmaduta Society which maintains the Berlin Vihara in Germany and visited Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya (all three institutions of which were founded by Asoka Weeraratna later known as Ven. Mitirigala Dhammanissanti Thero).
Professor Perera leaves behind a son and daughter. The son Dr. Harsha Perera, Attorney at Law, is a famous writer and scholar, while the daughter Priyanwada Perera is a science graduate teacher. His wife the late Mrs. Sujatha Perera, who gained her Master’s degree, passed away in 2012.
Professor A.D.T.E. Perera spent his entire life devoted to the cause of both the nation i.e., Sri Lanka, and the Religion i.e., Buddhism. He supported the idea of ‘Rata, Jathiya, Agama’ with great conviction. His services are unparalleled.
Despite my repeated writings highlighting what has happened to the Dry Zone tanks, the life blood of the people, no action has been taken and today- 2023, there is no proper method of distributing water. This is a matter of great urgency that needs the attention of the Ministry of Agriculture. In entire Sri Lanka today the tanks are neglected and before long we will face starvation, as it is the Dry Zone that is our granary. May this plea reach the ears of our leaders
May my publication in 2017 get some attention from the Government authorities.
His Excellency, Ranil Wickremasinghe President of Sri Lanka
Your Excellency,
I would like to draw your attention to the annexed article written by Shenali Waduge pointing out the invalidity of the Indo-Lanka Accord and the implementation of the 13th Amendment creating Provincial Councils is null and void for the same reasons.
We too have on numerous occasions brought to the notice of the highest in the land the fact that this statute altering the pattern of governance in the country was taken up and passed in parliament without reference of such an important package of laws for public consultation. Even the government party which had a 5/6th majority resorted to use unorthodox methods to force a favourable vote through threats of presenting ‘letters of resignation’ previously obtained from the MPs to terminate their term of election to parliament. In fact they were held in confinement in hotels and bussed into parliament like shackled prisoners to cast their vote in favour of the Indian imposed constitutional amendment.
Your recent efforts to win the consent of the political party leaders for implementation of the 13th Amendment in full, including Land and Police Powers is a misplaced decision, as firstly the consent of the people needs to be obtained prior to parliamentary action.
If you wish to decide on its validity and needs as determined by the public, it must be referred to a national referendum where the people may express their opinion on it.
You are no doubt aware that it is referred to as a white elephant eating into the public purse the limited funds available to the state. On receipt of the decision of the public, you may proceed to either revoke the 13th Amendment or fully implement it with the consent of the people. The Provincial Councils could be replaced with
10 Multi-District
Councils with the Premiers and Provincial Ministers being replaced by an Executive Chaiman and Executive Committee Members together with designated powers instead of devolved powers.
There is also the risk of either the northern or Eastern Provincial Councils breaking away to form a separate state towards which a three decade war was instituted by the militant Tamil groups designated as terrorist movements which even resorted to suicide terrorism.
You are also aware that several of the political parties representing the Tamils including the TNA accepted the LTTE as the sole leader of the Tamils, and continue to uphold the activities of the LTTE and the views of the former terror leaders.
You and your government should ensure that without trying to win over the party leaders and grant further rights to an invalid statute, at least now, you have a public discussion and act in accordance with the public viewpoint which was not done in the first instance.
Yours sincerely,
Mahinda Gunasekera
Encl. Article by Shenali Waduge re Indo-Lanka Accord
This rejoinder sent to Sunday Island to articles appeared there criticizing changes post 56 was not published.
The articles on English language in your Sunday issues are intriguing.
Today I play a senior professional role in my occupation in the kingdom of the English.
I obtained a credit pass at my English O/L and the required level at the ILETS.
However my entire education was in Sinhala up until entry to the University.
Though I had some initial difficulty that was overcome by the necessary application.
I am correct if I say I owe my current position to the post 56 changes brought into education.
I found it much easier to have my primary and secondary education in my mother tongue that was our only line of communication in the family at home.
By the time you come to Uni education you have developed the skill set needed to tackle any such challenge.
Do not forget many students have to learn a foreign language during their overseas Uni course.
If that the case why not English for us, I wonder.
Wales have a population around three million.
Many schools teach primarily in Welsh particularly where many people speak Welsh everyday
though London is only a couple of hundred miles away by road.
Sign boards are in most places in both languages.
Those who point Sinhala is used only by a miniscule of world population should see the patriotic aspiration of a much smaller nation just on the borders of London.
Don’t we have that ourselves?
The English education was not available to the vast majority in the country.
The change in language policy while English continued to be taught enabled the youth in the remote areas of the country to enter the universities correcting a social anomaly.
Devotees gather at Aluthgama Kande Vihara to pay homage to the Sacred Omniscient Relics of Deegawapiya Stupa and the Crest-Gem
The exposition of the Sacred Omniscient Relics of Deegawapiya Stupa and the Crest-Gem takes place at the Kande Vihara today (Oct. 2) for public veneration. Afterwards, the revered articles will move in a religious procession to Waskaduwa Rajaguru Sri Subhuthi Viharaya, tomorrow (Oct. 3).
The relics unearthed from the Deegawapiya sacred site during the excavations as well as the Crest Gem embedded with precious stones will be in exposition for public veneration at Waskaduwa Rajaguru Sri Subhuthi Viharaya during the next two consecutive days (Oct. 3 and 4).
Further, arrangements have been made for the exposition of these revered articles at the Kahawa Sri Samarasinhamathindraramaya on October 5 and Baddegama Sri Wijayawardhanaramaya on October 6. Devotees are invited to witness and worship the Sacred Omniscient Relics and Crest-Gem. They also have the opportunity to support this meritorious act by making financial contributions to the restoration project
All government agencies are geared in all respects to face the prevailing adverse weather condition
All government agencies are geared in all respects to face the prevailing adverse weather condition around the country, the State Minister of Defence Hon. Pramitha Bandara Thennakoon said in a news brief held at the State Ministry in Colombo today (Oct 02).
All amenities have so far been provided at 07 disaster relief centres for 267 victims from 66 disaster-affected households, with the assistance of district secretaries, divisional secretaries and other relevant officials from Galle and Matara districts.
Required funds have been allocated for twenty three (23) districts as a quick response. Arrangements will be initiated to allocate required funds from the treasury to compensate the damages occurred to houses due to adverse weather.
One sluice gate each of Kukuleganga and Polgolla reservoirs has been opened so far. Therefore, the residents of the low-lying areas near the reservoirs are warned to be alert. Flood warnings have been issued for the river basins of Attanagalu Oya, Ging Ganga and Nilwala Ganga and the sub-basin of Kalu Ganga. Therefore, Motorists passing through those areas are informed to take special care in case of sudden floods.
Apart from this, level 2 Landslide warnings have been issued for the Divisional Secretariats, such as Neluwa in Galle District, Ingiriya in Kalutara District, Pasbage in Kandy District, Pitabeddara and Kotapola in Matara District, Kalawana, Aheliyagoda, Ayagama, Palmadulla, Nivithigala, Kiriella, Ratnapura, Alapatha and Kuruwita in Ratnapura District by the National Building Research Organization (NBRO).
According to Met Department reports, heavy rains are predicted to continue for the following two days. The State Minister of Defence further stated that the Disaster Management Centre, Disaster Relief Service Centre, District Governor’s Offices, Divisional Secretariat Offices, the Armed Forces and the Civil Security Department have been prepared to deal with any emergency situation that may arise in the future
Sri Lanka has confirmed receiving further compensation for pollution from the lost container ship X-Press Pearl, which burned and sunk off Colombo in 2021. Speaking to local media over the weekend, Sri Lankan Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said the interim payment made by the vessel’s insurers would help to cover beach cleanup activities and compensate fishermen affected by the disaster.
Sri Lanka Treasury has received $890,000 and 16 million Sri Lankan rupees (around $49,200 dollars) as interim payment for costs incurred by the Maritime Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) and for the affected fisherfolks,” the Minister said.
Since the disaster happened, Sri Lanka has received payments totaling $7.85 million. Its government received the first payment of $3.6 million in July 2021. Another $1.75 million followed in January 2022, and a third payment of $2.5 million arrived in September.
Sri Lanka initially filed for a compensation claim of $40 million shortly after the vessel sank off Colombo in June 2021. However, a 40-member expert committee convened by MEPA put the price of the environmental disaster at $6.4 billion in an interim report early this year.
On April 25, Sri Lanka announced that it had formally filed legal action before Singapore’s International Commercial Courts (SICC) to claim compensation for the massive environmental damage. At the time of the disaster, X-Press Pearl was registered in Singapore and operated by the container line X-Press Feeders.
The choice of filing suit in Singapore was controversial, as a Singaporean court could limit the total liability of the shipowner to the value of the vessel, about $14 million. If the suit had been filed in Sri Lankan courts, national environmental-protection laws would have applied, and the potential damage claim could have been higher.
In July, a nine-member Sri Lankan delegation led by the Attorney General held meetings in Singapore with lawyers representing X-Press Pearl’s owners and insurers. The discussions centered on compensation claims and expedient removal of the fore section of the vessel’s wreck, which is still submerged offshore Sri Lanka.
X-Press Pearl was carrying 1,486 containers when it caught fire, with eighty-one of those containers labeled hazardous. Some of the cargo included nitric acid, which is blamed as a possible factor for the fire. Over 50 billion plastic pellets that were also onboard leaked, contributing to what has come to be known as the worst marine plastic pollution event in the world.
Sri Lanka will not fulfill its renewable energy commitments under current economic conditions. But what if the government could simultaneously tackle its climate, energy, and debt crises?
October 02, 2023
Sri Lankans wait in a long line to refill liquefied petroleum gas cylinders, May 23, 2022.Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ AntanO
Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe recently appointed a Green Finance Committee to pioneer a roadmap for sustainable finance and emphasized the need for resource mobilization from multilateral development banks and the private sector to achieve climate change targets.
As part of Sri Lanka’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), updated in 2021, the government committed to supplying 70 percent of its domestic electricity with renewable energy sources by 2030, with the longer-term goal of achieving a full renewable electricity supply by 2050. However, given the current fiscal constraints imposed by the economic crisis and the scale of investment required to address structural imbalances in the energy sector, it is becoming increasingly challenging to achieve this target. Therefore, policymakers must explore innovative financing solutions to maintain investments in this sector and facilitate the essential green energy transition.
The recent agreement between the governments of Portugal and Cabo Verde signals to Sri Lanka that there may be such a solution. In early 2023, it emerged that Portugal had agreed to forgive a portion of Cabo Verde’s bilateral debt in exchange for commitments to biodiversity conservation and renewable energy development. Although these negotiations are in their early stages, they demonstrate that incentive frameworks exist and that there is an intersection point between debt, climate, and renewable energy priorities.
A debt-for-renewables” swap would reallocate foregone debt repayments toward public sector investments in renewable energy infrastructure and support the diversification of the energy sector. Much like debt-for-nature swaps, a debt-for-renewables” swap would reallocate debt repayments to a more productive sector and generate significant economic multiplier effects as a result of a more reliable, efficient, and autonomous energy sector.
Debt-for-nature swaps enable heavily indebted countries to restructure a portion of their external debt onto more favorable terms in exchange for environmental commitments. This typically involves creditors canceling or reducing unsustainable debt while creating obligations to protect the local environment using freed-up funds. This eliminates the significant opportunity cost of debt repayments by redirecting funds to mutually agreed conservation projects with more concessional repayment terms.
Servicing foreign debt is incredibly expensive for developing countries not only because of the absolute cost associated with repayments but also due to the significant opportunity costs. Developing countries forgo investments in essential infrastructure, social services, and public investments that have high economic and social returns to service debt obligations without direct economic outcomes.
In recent years, these opportunity costs have also materialized through environmental challenges and limiting essential investments in climate change mitigation and adaptation. This new dimension exacerbates the costs of the global debt crisis, as developing countries risk falling into a debt-climate” trap if they are unable to finance climate-resilient investments due to unsustainable debt burdens. Debt-for-nature swaps provide governments with an opportunity to finance investments in climate change adaptation and mitigation without taking on new debt. ADVERTISEMENT
Recent debt-for-nature swaps in Belize and Seychelles primarily targeted marine projects and reallocated funding to long-term biodiversity and conservation projects. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) financed the repurchase of external debt from creditors at a discounted rate and provided more concessional repayment terms, which was combined with a commitment from debtor governments to finance conservation projects using the freed-up funds.
Belize and Seychelles also leveraged their strong blue tourism sectors to incentivize investors to engage in debt-for-nature swaps, as funding marine conservation preserves natural assets that are vital to ocean tourism. The tourism industry guaranteed a sustainable source of government revenue and assured creditors that debtor governments would be able to service their debt obligations alongside environmental commitments.
The success of debt-for-nature swaps in Belize and Seychelles was driven by already established commitments to marine conservation and the economic multiplier effects associated with fulfilling them. Rather than prioritizing debt relief, debt-distressed governments must identify debt swaps as an instrument to maintain investments in environmental conservation and climate-resilient infrastructure by removing the opportunity costs of debt repayments. Strong, ambitious, and achievable environmental targets give debtor governments credibility to pursue debt-for-nature swaps; without clear targets, they risk overcommitting to environmental obligations and falling short, which could create further debt problems in the long run if commitments are not fulfilled.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Sri Lanka’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) provide a strong foundation for targeted, productive investments and must be leveraged to reassure creditors that a long-term approach to finance is sustainable. At the recent Sustainable Development Forum, Wickremesinghe emphasized the importance of finding resources to achieve the SDGs and combat climate change. Debt swap instruments must play an important role in financing sustainable investments, especially to address some of the pressing challenges in Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable sectors.
Sri Lanka’s Green Energy Transition
Addressing structural imbalances in the domestic electricity sector is vital for both climate targets and economic development. The economic crisis demonstrated Sri Lanka’s unsustainable dependence on fuel imports from abroad (around two-thirds of the national energy supply comes from imported fossil fuels); because Sri Lanka relies so heavily on international markets that trade predominantly in U.S. dollars, foreign exchange reserves are required to purchase fuel. When the government exhausted those reserves, fuel supply was limited, and this posed significant challenges to households and businesses on the island.
This overdependence on imported fuel is also exacerbated by inadequate energy diversification and a lack of renewable energy infrastructure in Sri Lanka. Between 1991 and 2014, Sri Lanka’s net energy imports as a share of total energy consumption increased from 25 percent to 50 percent, while the share of energy generated by renewable energy sources plummeted from 80 percent to an all-time-low of 45 percent of total final energy consumption in 2016. Sri Lanka has shifted away from domestic hydroelectric power toward fossil fuels in recent decades, which has created a fragile energy sector that is overdependent on imported fossil fuels.
Unpredictable access to fuel and electricity poses significant challenges for economic development, as energy is essential for businesses and households to function. Creating a more sustainable electricity sector requires significant investment in energy infrastructure to create more energy autonomy, as well as stabilizing and managing the cost of energy in the domestic market. Given that Sri Lanka is not naturally endowed with fossil fuels and other traditional sources of energy, renewable energy infrastructure is essential to build the capacity to supply electricity to the national grid.
Energy sector diversification must come through a blended finance approach; public investments in domestic energy infrastructure and the establishment of strong regulatory frameworks and governance signals to private investors that the government is committed to its NDCs and will reward private sector involvement in its pursuit of a green transition.
Swapping Debt for Renewable EnergyADVERTISEMENT
As part of diversifying the energy sector and supplying clean electricity to the national grid, creditors stand to benefit from revenues generated through the sale of electricity and thus secure guaranteed debt repayments in this form. This can make debt servicing more sustainable in the long run as more generous interest rates, longer-term repayment schedules, and improvements in the productive capacity of the economy relieve pressure on the government to overextend itself to service external debt. Much like how tourism taxes and revenues reassured creditors in Belize’s and Seychelles’ debt-for-nature agreements, the Sri Lankan government can leverage revenue shares from renewable energy sales as a guarantee of creditor repayment and thus improve their credibility in the markets.
To maximize the effectiveness of debt swaps, the government must target the domestic energy sector. Structural imbalances at the heart of the energy sector require serious government intervention and a debt-for-renewables” swap provides a unique opportunity to finance essential investments without taking on more debt. A reliable and affordable domestic electricity supply, powered by renewable energy, is an essential component of sustainable economic development and the economic multiplier effects of this approach go far beyond the intersection of debt, climate, and energy priorities.
The Need for Climate Finance
Sri Lanka will not fulfill its renewable energy commitments under current economic conditions. The government must explore innovative solutions to the climate, energy, and debt crises; a debt-for-renewables” swap exists at the intersection of these challenges. The government must establish a coordinated response across ministries to properly evaluate the potential of debt swaps, focusing specifically on sectors with significant economic multiplier effects that offset the transaction costs of such complex negotiations.
Previous case studies and ongoing negotiations in several highly indebted countries demonstrate that incentive structures exist for such agreements, so Sri Lanka must engage holistically with creditors to explore comprehensive solutions to the ongoing crisis. Debt swap instruments have the potential to unlock funding for renewable energy investments, but the government must establish credibility through strong commitments to its energy sector NDCs. This must be complemented by strong governance and regulatory frameworks that create a more attractive environment for private creditors.
As the government contends with debt and climate crises, climate finance must be at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring processes. However, it must be part of a comprehensive, transparent, and coordinated response from all lenders to create a more sustainable debt structure for economic recovery, without undermining global campaigns for debt justice.
Around fifty percent of the population in this country is contributing at least one rupee to the international Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) diaspora daily, Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne said.
He told the Daily Mirror exclusively that the LTTE and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist organisations are currently the most funded organisations.
He said this fact was revealed following an analysis done by him. He said most of the financial companies are run by funds from the LTTE.
They give the collected money to local politicians, government officials and trade unions to depend on them, and it has become a serious problem to the country.
This is not even being investigated into by the police because the police attempts are also being foiled by the LTTE and ISIS.
“That is why there is a huge objection to the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act and to the proposed Broadcasting Regulatory Commission legislation. This is a result the country has faced after the LTTE war, and any war cannot be defeated by just killing people,” Wijeratne said.
Also, he said that he will reveal all the details if anyone gives him a chance. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recommended sixteen priority actions in its recently released Governance Diagnostic Assessment (GDA) on Sri Lanka to address systematic and severe governance weaknesses and deep-rooted corruption vulnerabilities across State functions in order to unlock the country’s growth potential.
Sri Lanka became the first country in Asia to undergo an IMF governance diagnostic under the global lender’s rescue package. Accordingly, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission undertook a governance diagnostic assessment from the 9th of March to the 31st of March this year.
The technical assistance report released last week revealed widespread corruption vulnerabilities and governance weaknesses originating from ad-hoc tax policy practices, half-baked approaches to Anti-Money Laundering/Combating Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), lack of a robust legal framework and poor processes utilised in SOEs, the absence of public procurement legislation, ad-hoc tax policy practices frequently modifying tax laws, conflict of interest concerns of Central Bank managing EPF and regulating NBIFs, and absence of clear mechanisms for information sharing among tax authorities.
Despite the widespread public outcry leading to mass protests and social unrest last year, the report pointed out that the authorities were yet to take action on recovering stolen funds, while civil society participation remains discouraged.
Current governance arrangements have not established clear standards for permissible official behaviour, acted to deter and sanction transgressions, nor pursued individuals and stolen public funds that have exited the country. Regular civil society participation in oversight and monitoring of government actions is restricted by limited transparency, the lack of platforms for inclusive and participatory governance, and by the broad application of counter-terrorism rules,” it said.
GDA stressed that the impunity for misbehaviour enjoyed by officials continues to undermine trust in the public sector and compounds concerns over limited access to an efficient and rule-based adjudication process for resolving disputes, and hurts the integrity of the judiciary.
Although the new Anti-Corruption Act (ACA) is in force, it noted that key accountability institutions, including the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC), lack both the authority and competency to successfully fulfill their functions.
Improvement brought about by the passage of the ACA needs to be complemented by the drafting and enactment of a modern law on Asset Recovery. Rapid operationalising of the ACA will be critical to address current corruption vulnerabilities associated with the lack of a functional system for receiving, publishing, and reviewing asset declarations by public officials, and procedural and competency issues in the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases,” it added.
Among priority actions, the GDA has recommended the government abolish or suspend the application of the Strategic Development Projects Act until the promulgation of an explicit and transparent process for the evaluation of proposals and costing of investment promotion conditions.
There is no definition of what criteria need to be satisfied for a project to be of strategic relevance, and the revenue forgone from such projects is not systematically contrasted against their potential benefit in a transparent process. Crucially, the Department of Fiscal Policy (DoFP) is not involved in the selection or evaluation of projects, and any data that may exist is not shared with the department. While the specific concessions given to companies benefiting from provisions of the SDP Act differ, the revenue consequences are likely significant,” it pointed out.
It noted that a holistic, impartial, and transparent analysis is required to decide whether a specific project is viable and whether the potential benefit exceeds its social costs – which include revenue forgone, an increase in administrative costs, market distortions, and potentially perceptions of unfairness.
While the BoI is likely well-positioned to understand the investment potential of specific projects, it lacks an understanding of the wider fiscal framework and budgetary needs which are necessary to evaluate the net social value of a specific project. The DoFP should evaluate and guide the design of all tax incentives, including those based on the SDP Act and the Port City Act,” it added.
The analysis also scrutinized the high corruption vulnerabilities in public procurement due to the absence of a procurement law, which has led to high levels of political engagement in the selection of procurement winners, poor contract management, limited transparency, and a number of other issues. Hence, it has been suggested to enact a Public Procurement Law that reflects international good practice by December next year.
In addition, it was highlighted that the lack of information on beneficial ownership of companies increases the risk of conflicts of interest in the awarding of contracts.
While anti-money laundering mechanisms have the potential to reduce corruption vulnerabilities, the report was critical of current approaches to Anti-Money Laundering/Combating Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), which has largely failed to support effective state action.
Issues in legal definitions and processes to capture and share information on the beneficial ownership of companies have not been addressed, since they were first observed in 2015.
Current practices by financial institutions largely fail to identify suspicious transactions and prevent money laundering. At the same time, weaknesses in the legal framework, problems in domestic cooperation on corruption-related issues between competent authorities, and issues in establishing effective protocols for collaboration with foreign jurisdictions impair sanctioning corrupt officials for money laundering offenses or recovering stolen assets,” it added.
Meanwhile, it also highlighted governance weaknesses associated with increased risks of corruption around Contract Enforcement and Property Rights, which has constrained private sector development.
Multi-year waiting times for the resolution of contract disputes prevent reliance on courts for effective and fair resolution of disputes and encourage disputants to find ways, not always legal, to speed up adjudication. Widespread confusion over the allocation of property rights and the lack of progress in digitizing property records generate extensive long-term legal disputes and similarly promote resort to opaque means to influence the resolution of disputes.
Corruption risks around state-owned land, estimated at approximately 80 percent of the country, are particularly severe due to the combination of lack of clarity around titles, the absence of a property registry, and ambiguity in processes for the divestiture of state property,” it elaborated.
As a result, it noted that the integrity of the judiciary has eroded over time and private parties have moved to use illicit payments to resolve disputes.
…the strong incentives of private parties to use illicit payments as a way to solve legal problems that have little chance of being resolved in the near term, and have focused attention on the need to strengthen the independence and competency across the legal sector,” it added.
The recommendations are expected to contribute to the formulation of governance and anti-corruption policies and programmes, improvement of the legal and institutional frameworks, as well as governance and anti-corruption reform measures agreed to in the Staff Level Agreement for an Extended Credit Facility Arrangement for Sri Lanka.
As a result, it noted that the integrity of the judiciary has eroded over time and private parties have moved to use illicit payments to resolve disputes.
…the strong incentives of private parties to use illicit payments as a way to solve legal problems that have little chance of being resolved in the near term, and have focused attention on the need to strengthen the independence and competency across the legal sector,” it added.
The recommendations are expected to contribute to the formulation of governance and anti-corruption policies and programmes, improvement of the legal and institutional frameworks, as well as governance and anti-corruption reform measures agreed to in the Staff Level Agreement for an Extended Credit Facility Arrangement for Sri Lanka.
Before you study the economics, study the economists!”
‘I was there at Torrington Square when we received Independence.
I watched with contempt our PM arriving there in top hat & tailcoat.
I was there at the Town Hall when Bandaranaike formed his party.
I was on the streets of Kandy cheering away when the ’56 victory
was announced. I was in depths of despair when JR Jayewardene
hoodwinked the entire nation with his Dharmista slogan and pushed
his neoliberal economic policy on us which resulted in 2 insurrections,
one in the South & one in the North.’
– Gunadasa Amarasekera
From Gamanaka Mula to Gamanaka Aga – the Wayward Journey of the Middle Class gathers Gunadasa Amarasekera’s reflections over the last 75 years, in the home, on the street, across the seas, and on the page. As Colombo’s anglomaniacs prepare to launch yet another ‘international’ (minus Sinhala, actually a white) literary farce at a colonial Southern fortress, only open to what the sea drags in, for whom Booker is a delicious prize not another Caribbean (oops, West Indian) slave plantation owner, here is the real story, and it ain’t novel:
Politics as such has been outlawed from our serious fiction”, Amarasekera declares. He places today’s modern fabling in dire perspective: His novels forecast Sri Lanka’s trajectory into ‘a colony of India or USA or of both!’ It is important to remember, World Bank (and IMF) interference in the world and Sri Lanka precedes and prepares for ‘independence’ (see 10 August 2019, Central Bank Special).
Here then is 1977 times 10: JR’s media & other strategies, carrot&stick – and more. Such tactics are usually credited to the ‘Old Fox’, yet we know those games too were and are prompted by the USA’s IMF, seeking to bribe and fatten certain fractions.
Here then is the saga of those who sought a ‘Socialism with Sinhala Buddhist Characteristics’. A tale also of a narrow ‘middle class’ who lost their way on the journey from village to town, to university & abroad. Their attempts to recover their roots & their Buddhist civilization through white foreign-funded institutions returns them as strangers in their own land: Alienated & marooned abroad, then disillusioned at home, a colonial mentality still imprisons them…and not just them.
*
This ee also examines ‘The Common Dream’ of the present President and a secessionist Tamil leadership, forged and massaged by colonialism. A dream that remains unchanged. ee has recalled the international merchants of rice and money who have underwritten this leadership process (see ee 07 July 2021, Maharaja’s MTV, Chettiar Bankers & Killer Import Mafia).
Some recall ‘Sir’ Ponnambalam Arunachalam’s call to the Ceylon Tamil League in 1922 to propagate ‘precious ideals throughout Ceylon, Southern India and the Tamil Colonies, to promote the union and solidarity of Tamilakam, the Tamil Land…we have been proud to call Tamil Eelam’.
Kalyananda Thiranagama examines the founding of the ITAK from 1949. Called the Federal Party in English, ‘the name of the Party – Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (or Tamil State Party of Ceylon) itself reflects this dream’ A dream ‘reiterated in various resolutions passed at their conferences and public declarations at different times.’ It is no surprise therefore that the President, most aware of English and its dissembling histories, has spoken of a ‘final solution.’ – a dream to annihilate us all (see ee Focus).
*
• Seeking a real Way Forward, an alarm is being sounded by the Communist Party of Sri Lanka. They point to auguries of ‘an ungovernable state of anarchy’. ‘Rightwing forces will not hesitate to allow extra-legal or even military intervention.’ The CPSL is calling on all ‘progressive, Left & patriotic forces’ to urgently fulfil ‘their historical responsibility’.
There are organized interests and forces pushing this ‘anarchy.’ Those politicians & thinktanks who have promoted the chaos of further colonial control of the economy, are now acting contrite:
Verité Research Head lambasts Government and IMF
for ‘privatising profits & socialising losses’
Verité, a US-funded thinktank, is now trying to deflect from their former reports promoting Domestic Debt Restructuring (DDR). US Verité were the first to put out a paper on DDR, note astute observers. ‘Now that their own advocacy is coming to bite them in the ass, Verité’s headman De Mel is trying hard, but is yet to reach any clarity such as Marx’:
The only part of the so-called national wealth
that actually enters into the collective possessions
of modern peoples is their national debt.
– Karl Marx, Capital Vol 1
Other US-funded somebodies & nobodies are fiddling the same coy violins as Verité. A future SJB government will ‘refine’ Sri Lanka’s agreement with IMF, promises SJB (actually Trans-UNP!) MP Harsha de Silva. President Ranil Wickremesinghe ‘hints’ that the IMF’s ‘ways of negotiation are old’.
Those who invited the IMF in, are now backtracking as the people’s anger grows. Having declared a fertile & rich country, bankrupt. Having bankrolled an ‘Aragalaya’ (Rs250billion, the published ‘advertising spend’ by capitalists in 2022? Advertising what??) to drive out a popular government, accusing it of all the old sins of colonialism. After escalating the intrusion of the USA’s economic war machinery (notice the US’s Fitch & S&P’s generous ‘ratings’ on the state of the currency). The World Bank is given headlines for providing more aid (loans?) for ‘welfare’, even as the IMF is throwing even more people out of work! The US is also providing ‘thriposha’ to combat malnutrition. The USA’s World Bank are funding a National Debt Management Centre, etc, even as they provide loans (bribes) to the country’s political mercenaries to pursue their commands.
*
• So-called diasporas, members of a transnational ‘middle-class’ who have helped the colonial master rob their country’s resources, are those given ‘permanent’ residency in those lands.
The feeble response by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Canada’s revelations about India’s assassination of a separatist Khalistani leader in Canada, only exposes how our capitalist leaders have no interest in truly setting the record straight. Certain ‘national questions’ are beggars’ wounds, meant to fester until amputation. Indeed, some warn the Minister not to interfere in Canada’s affairs, even as they observe Canada’s blatant interference in Sri Lanka.
This week also saw revelations of Canada’s role as a haven for Europe’s & Asia’s fascists & terrorists. It is no surprise that both Europe & their white settler states have become a refuge for this world’s contras – their ‘bastard children’ of nondescript shades. Canada’s own great expertise in manufacturing (after decimating) ‘tribes’ & identities, derives from their genocide of the original peoples – which contrary to the Canadian envoy’s utterances gulped by Colombo’s supine media – continues to this day, and has long been a model for the fascists of this world. Canada has also played a lead role in the ousting of such independence leaders as the Congo’s Patrice Lumumba (assassinated), Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah (couped), Haiti’s Jean-Bertrand Aristide (kidnapped & couped), etc, etc, and opposed anti-colonial struggles (from Korea to Vietnam, etc).
As for the actual surreal diaspora, the truth of their day-to-day lives, as ultra-exploited & terribly insecure workers, is yet to be exposed…
*
• A recent parliamentary debate on the April 2019 attacks, heard ‘reports that those who were in the Aragalaya… are training militarily in remote locations’.
At the same time, Madame Julie Chung is seeking to recruit the leadership of sacred Mihintale to lead the ‘Nava Aragalaya’. Those readers who follow the twitterings & other targeted meanderings of the US Envoy across the country, observe Chung met the Mihintale Thera recently. They were spotted ‘seated with… a Galle Face priest who was with Omalpe & the Cardinal’. The Thera is as usual, most honest. A few months ago, the Mihintale Thera justified the entry of the IMF, declaring, ‘It was the IMF that ruled Sri Lanka… there are financial issues in the country…the government needs to take drastic measures to address them.
These moves make clear that it is the US that is pushing the ‘anarchy’ from the so-called Left and the Right. They have the rock’n’roll for it.
*
No pirates, no digital salesmen: US Envoy Julie Chung also recently met ‘Cyber Security Advisor & Educator’ Asela Waidyalankara – ‘Technocrat, Cyber Security Crusader, Privacy Advocate, Futurist, Techcelerator, Proud Sri Lankan’ – on 27 September 2023. Midst all this hoha about ‘digital economy, disruptive cyber attacks, draft online safety bill’, Chung twittered:
‘Had a good chat w Asela Waidyalankara on the latest cybersecurity law & critical ways the USA can further support Sri Lanka’s proactive steps to develop its digital economy & mitigate disruptive cyberattacks. Also discussed concerns & far-reaching implications of the draft Online Safety bill on citizens & tech companies.’
At the onset of last year’s ‘Aragalaya’, on 9 April 2022 Waidyalankara twittered with a purported photograph of: ‘A high powered Wi-Fi/GSM jammer spotted near Presidential Secretariat’, hinting at covert state surveillance. On 20 April 2022, ‘Anonymous Hacker Collective’ launched cyberattacks ‘against the Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.’ Waidyalankara was quoted as pointing to the ‘incredibly fragile e-Government system’ (see ee Random Notes)…
There are two major impressions that the discerning reader will not miss while reading Galle Face Protest: Systems Change or Anarchy? –Politics, Religion & Culture in a Time of Terror”,writtenby Sena Thoradeniya. One is the vast amount of information it carries regarding the machinations that the US imperialists employ when they decide to change the regime of a country of strategic importance, and the other is the dirty face of the two-faced so called Aragalaya”. It is very unfortunate that this book has not received the attention it deserves from those who love this country and who are aware of the peril it faces. The perilous position is due to two reasons; one is the geopolitical importance of the maritime geography of our Island and the other is its history of struggles against imperialism, both very vital considerations for the US. They will leave no stone unturned to defeat the nationalist spirit of the people to gain a foothold on the Island, which is the southernmost land in the strategically important Indian Ocean. This is the reason why the so-called Aragalayists” were encouraged to ridicule our national and religious symbols. If they can destroy the national fervour that is built on Buddhism half their battle is won.
I feel that the book has not received the attention it deserves because the people have not yet recovered sufficiently from the shock, they went through in the last few months. They have lost their nationalist leader in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis and they don’t seem to know what hit them; they don’t know whom or what to believe. This is very unfortunate for this book which is an eye opener; it tells us what really happened and also what may be in store for us if we are not alert and informed of the danger that awaits us. Thoradeniya’s book is a revelation on all these aspects.
The book has a Preface titled, Taking the Lid off the Golden Bowl” by Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera who succinctly tells us about the value of the book. The Introduction, which consists of 43 pages, deals with the conspiracy to oust the President. The role played by the US Ambassador is revealed with great detail and substantiated with evidence. It also talks in a detached way about the obvious mistakes committed by the President on the advice of dubious experts. How the President played into the hands of his adversary is shown clearly. Straight talking Thoradeniya does not spare even the Cardinal; his role is described in clear terms and one wonders about the intentions of the Catholic Church. The author has seen with his own eyes the Mirihana Outrage” which is portrayed as a harbinger of evil to come. The intentions of the so-called Aragalaya” which was supposed to be the epitome of peace was on display, road tarmac on fire, buses on fire, President’s house on siege, under the eyes of the police.
In a chapter titled Who Were Not Afraid of the Galle Face Protesters” Thoradeniya deals with the supporters of the so-called Aragalaya”. According to him there were two groups, local and foreign. This chapter is very important for it reveals the forces behind the phenomenon, some active in the open, others hidden. Some belonged to political parties, others were anti-nationalist elements; they would announce their arrival, shout a few slogans and then would leave the site to dine at the OneGalle Face”. Infighting among these groups were not uncommon every day. Thoradeniya lists twenty sub-groups who were involved in the so-called Aragalaya” revealing that they were an assortment of groups with no common doctrine or ideology.
The foreign support that was available to the so-called Aragalaya” is described in the chapter titled US Footprints at the Galle Face ProtestSite”. The author makes reference to MP Wimal Weerawansa’s disclosures and Ms Shenali Waduge’s letters published in LankaWeb. The latter’s revelations about the CIA created organisations, International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute and their activities in Sri Lanka form the basis for the discussion in this chapter. Reader is informed of the ramifications and wide networking capabilities of these organisations. Waduge appears to be quite knowledgeable and well informed supported by research publications of repute. How these organisations provide funds, train various groups and NGOs on subversive methods and activities are given in detail. How groups were mobilized using the hashtag called GoGotaHome” and why these placards could not have been the spontaneous outcry of a people deprived of a living but the work of a well-organized, well-funded outfit like the US orgaization Generation Democracy” form compulsive reading. What these US organizations have achieved in other countries in Latin America and Africa are described to support the contention that US was behind the so-called Aragalaya”.
Author very importantly deals with the culture that was manifest at the Galle Face Protest site in the chapter titled Group Formation andCulture of Galle Face Protesters”. He says that this culture is not going to be a permanent feature of the Sri Lankan main cultural milieu and he has been proved right. He discusses the possible means and causes of formation of this culture. There was no uniformity in this culture, the unifying force being the intention to chase out Gota. There was no leadership or hierarchical organization. There was group rivalry and conflicts among the different groups. The use of filthy language in their banners and placards was a common occurrence which reflected on an uncultured culture”. When they surrounded Ranil Wickremasinghe’s residence the placards that referred to him were utterly filthy reflecting on the lack of culture. Author says the The Galle Face culture was anti-national, anti-Sinhala, anti-Buddhist, Federalist and Ealamist”. The village farmers who were deprived of their living would not stoop so low. Author gives a comprehensive account of the culture or lack of it of the Galle Face Protesters.
Thoradeniya bludgeons the arm-chair critics who theorised on the Galle Face Protest with articles under whimsical titles like Mirihana Momentand Movement” and United We Stand”. A vivid description of the theorist including his pedigree is given leaving no room for mistaking the identity of the theorist. Another such theorist is taken to task, an ex-High Commissioner, who has accused the security forces of setting fire to the bus at Mirihana. Author identifies ten groups of such theorists who attempted to valorise the Galle Face Protesters and he also identifies the commonalities among these theorists. This chapter of the book has some very important facts about the anti-national, misguided, rootless groups who operate under various legends like KuppiCollective/Talks”.
In the chapter titled Galle Face Protests and how Operation 2.0 wasFoiled” the author briefly traces the history of the JVP insurrections and then he clearly explains the strategy of the JVP in hijacking the so-called Aragalaya” and attempting to capture state power. May 9th was the dress rehearsal for the real revolution” that was to follow. How meticulous preparations were carried out for the arson attacks by the Helmet Brigades” is vividly described. Molotov cocktails were available to be thrown into Prime Minister’s residence; who has the knowhow to make those bombs” the author asks. The reader has memories of the 1971 and 1989 insurrections and he knows. Author explains what 2.0 means, an advancement on 1.0, in other words a bigger event than May 9th version.
Thoradeniya analyses the failure of the JVP to capitalize on the economic crisis and the resultant suffering of the people. He makes reference to the repeated failures of the JVP in the past. The author gives eight reasons for the failure of the JVP and the main reason is that the JVP has not developed their political links with the masses well enough to succeed in any upheaval they launch. This was evident in all their insurrections and in the attempt to capture power in 2022.
In the chapter titled Ex-President in Retrospect….” the book looks at the reasons for GR’s failure to take action against the protesters who were slandering him in filth, stamp his authority endowed by 6.9 million voters, and chase away the rioters. Dealing with the various theories put forward by various writers the author says he was trapped by the US. On the question whether GR was a dictator the author disagrees saying that GR was a practitioner of abdicracy as opposed to autocracy. Well GR’s term was too short to make a judgement; however, it was evident that he was vacillating in the face of grave provocation and challenge to his authority. His inaction, particularly when Hirunika was protesting and besieging, would have sent wrong signals to all those who were plotting his ouster and also the security forces. The author sympathetically analyses the shortcomings of Gota and answers the question whether GR was a politician. Author asks the question why the security forces on their own initiative did not act against the rioters when the very existence of the state was at risk. Well they finally did act when the Parliament was attacked.
Author thoughtfully has included a chapter on what protesters and politicians should know about systems, systems theory and types of change. The Marxist view on these matters are dealt in detail. Sacrilegious behaviour of the protesters, insulting Buddhism and its sacred symbols under the very eyes of a prominent Buddhist monk who visited the site regularly should be an eye opener if nothing else is and be aware of the peril the country may face due to the action of these revolutionists” who have attempted to grab state power for the third time.
Thoradeniya in his comprehensive analysis of the Galle Face Protest analyses MP Wimal Weerawansa’s book Nine; The Hidden Story”. Weerawansa’s book reveals lesser known important facts. For instance, the reason why the army trucks parked near the Galle Face Protest site were suddenly moved out. The US Ambassador at this stage of proceedings were calling the shots. She called this book pure fiction.
Thoradeniya draws parallels between the Galle Face Protest and other similar phenomena that took place in foreign lands, in a comparative study, such as the Arab Spring”, Iranian women protesters, Brasilia in Brazil and Andean Mountains in Peru supplying much valuable information to the reader.
All in all Sena Thoradeniya’s book titled, Galle Face Protest; SystemsChange or Anarchy? with the cover page depicting a rioter climbing on to the statue of former Prime Minister S W R D Bandaranayake to blind fold him with a black cloth, is indeed a must read for all Sri Lankans who love their country and would rise up against any adversary without hesitation.
What is more is your excellency I feel that this is a big coup d’etat against you and your government, to destabilize the government and send you home” (this last comment I made only to him)
Sarath Wijesinghe (President’s Counsel Solicitor in England and Wales, former Ambassador to UAE and Israel and President Ambassador’s Forum.)
Tourism and hospitality are interconnected and interwoven to each other in many ways linking contributing and interacting with and benefiting each other. Tourism is the visits to other countries for various purposes for a short stay they say less that limited to one year and more than one day. Official definition of WTO tourism is travelling to strange places outside the usual environment more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or any other purpose used often. Presently tourists visit other destinations in large number due to the fast developments on the IT transport and communication systems fast and spread world over, and some figures on movement today are as follows. Travelling within the country and overseas are as a part of the life style anywhere in the world including Sri Lanka and tourism from and to Sri Lanka is increasing in a rapid phase . tourist influx as leading tourist destinations are France 48.1 million, Spain 71.7 million, USA 50.9 million, Turky 50.5 million Italy 49.8, Mexico 38.3, UK 63 million, Germany 28.5, Greece 27.8 receive tourists and it continues as an industry , trade, and mode of pleasure to the citizen to rest and relax after hard work for some time. Tourism and Hospitality are largest industries and trades directly connected to each other which is a fast growing and a largest trades and industries world over. It contributes to the income and GDP in all the countries proportionately as a barometer of the development and the image of respective nations. Some companies in the West give compulsory leave to employees for holidays as a requirement to get the maximum services from the employees. Doctors advice the workers to take leave for long live and health of the body short and long term relaxation as a holiday as a prerequisite of longevity. As defined by the world on tourism, it is a concept and a practice that reaches from generations from biblical times to 1800 also via Europe and Switzerland and many other destinations to date which has transformed to be a worldwide novel concept with the modern developments and the fast way of life in the new generation. It short term movement of a location for pleasure, education, sightseeing including visiting places of interest and historic or archaeological locations , explore wild life experience different climatic conditions may be some of the many reasons of the short stay of a traveller. Tourism is a necessity and a boom for economy of the countries and the world over, that will be discussing in the proceeding paragraphs in fair detail which is most resilient adoptable with dynamism with the tourism that is industry easy to spread on the planet developed in underdeveloped or poor destinations equally. It is developed as a part of the economy at large scale which is a maim portion of the GDP which is used in the world economic calculations and interactions of the world business platforms. Tourism and hospitality are an industry/trade adjustable innovative interchanged and technological spread easily adopted to and environment and circumstances with the touch of the modern technology. Concepts and the tourist industry is ever changing and easily approached developed and easily embraced by any group of the society in the world to benefit themselves and their economies if properly utilized. Friendly, warm, helpful, comfortable and safe environments are factors in Creating more jobs and avenues in the hospitality in large numbers as a worldwide largest trades benefiting job creations that in return will boost the economy that will attract much needed foreign currency for underdeveloped and developing countries equally in addition of many benefits that will be discussed later preceding paragraphs. These factors and requirements are equally applied to upcoming tourist nations such as Sri Lanka that needs more education , training, and facilities such as schools, training centres, ,modern equipment and more teachers in the trade. There are tourist countries generation tourism income and fame and It is expected and projected to generate 1.3 million jobs from tourism which is an ambitious aim if no unexpected drawbacks and disasters reach the world such as covid19 that has retarded the growth in all areas for a considerable period. Tourism creates opportunities and contributing to respective economics immensely with the many more benefits and advantages to the country and the world economy world over, with world turnover of the industry has reached 7.6 trillion where every 10th person will benefit from tourism in some way directly or indirectly. Tourism is a trade easy to commence, train and spread anywhere in the world which is the fastest and most productive trade with common language and technical skills that are similar worldwide via world languages and the technical knowhow which is spread world over. There are schools, training centres, and institutions dedicated to the subject and the concept all over the globe, unfortunately lacking in Sri Lanka and developing and upcoming tourist nations. Good climatic conditions, environment, places of visit, hotels ,transport, proper and train guides and translators, health care systems, proper IT and WIFI facilities all combined are main requirements in a tourist country to attract tourists of quality. All these may not be of use if the people are nor well mannered and friendly and if the country appear to be not safe and clean to the visitor arrived incurring a substantial sum for travelling and hotels in addition to the precious time allocated for the holiday. Tourism and tourist and hotel trade in Sri Lanka is dominated by the private sector and partnership with state and private is essential for innovations, risk sharing and to introduce the modern trends as in competing tourism countries. It is essential for the tourist industry to have closer links with the international cruise , shipping and leading tourism companies for the development with modern shipping and airlines looking to have links with the tourist countries, that will enhance economic activism and image building for publicity for the prospective tourists and it is a justified aims to have a target of 1.3 million jobs in 2031 on jobs related to tourism and hospitality sector by improving the education and training facilities through the tourism machinery with the assistant of the public and private sector, where every 10th world citizen is scheduled to be an employee in the tourism/hospitality trade when the world caters to 7.6 trillion from tourism In addition to the indirect benefits to the world. German fetched 41 million dollars in2019 on tourism which is a recorded sum which is almost same in EU and west when the peaceful situation continues with so many additional benefits and advantages such as business development of all sectors due to travel and hospitality trade are directly unseen yet effective benefits to any country benefiting from tourism and hospitality trade in which 70% are females. Peace is a basic requirement in a good atmosphere for tourist and tourism with the motto on tolerance patience and love towards the visitor expecting to be recognized and treated, benefiting the local community, creating job, opportunities, as by-products of tourism hospitality in addition to the direct benefits on economy and the reputation and image building that are needed to the host country, requiring to safeguard the wild life and the places of worship and religious and historical significance. These are job oriented industries creating millions of jobs with skilled labour encouraging food chains, beverages, travel, communication, and all kinds of by products with the developments and enhance of the economy and the GDPof the host nation.
Bonded with Hospitality
Tourism is bonded with the hospitality trade as a trade of treating visitors with skills generated from the training of skills, customer service talent, flexibility and adaptability to any tourist the trade gives priority as a consumer and the main subject in the trade to be looked after as the person bringing funds reputation and the livelihood to many in the host country. Flexibility, the cultural awareness, team work technical skills are main ingredients to be a successful tourism regime that offers standard hospitality package to the tourists to their satisfaction. Hospitality is tourism as and tourist is attracted to a destination due to the hospital of the host country inherently and voluntarily or for trade and business. They say Sri Lankans are inherently hospitable which is gradually fading aways due to the economic hardships and busy life due economic hardships. But any tourist in the receiving country is bound to be treated in a friendly way in addition to providing him with the necessary requirements and facilities.
World went through a different period due to Covid 19 economic hardships and political uncertainty linked to economy in the members of the world family. Today tourism is picking worldwide and look forward for 2024 expecting a leapfrog developments to surpass the difficulties undergone during Covid and economic downturns. Covid recovery is in the process and the forecast for the year 2023 is 9.5 trillion income and even WTO expects and predicts smooth run on the tourism and steady growth expecting more 41% tourist movements world over. The world tread is bound to spread worldwide if no unfortunate natural or manmade disasters strike the world as Covid19 where the recovery has been slow. Wishing and expecting the present and present trend to continue when the tourism hotspots are planning for a successful new year with the expected tourism boom. Now that the tourism is in an upward trend in world and Sri Lanka it is the duty of the governance, the Embassies and Sri Lankans to receive the message and the goodwill of the world inactivation the tourist industry which is connected to hospitality easy to create, adopt and practice that will bring a better lie and a future of every citizen if work together as a group having received the message of goodwill and the
Economic boom using tourism and hospitality as a vehicle towards prosperity.
Tourism flourishes in countries with requirements or reasons for the visitors to visit the host country for the purposed of travel on various factor and interests, and countries consist of such factors will begiven preference by the visitors. Sri Lanka is famous and known for the beauty, climatic conditions, and places of interest and importance in abundance. Sigiriya is famous as a historic, beautiful, religious, significance world famous in the map of tourism a safe and beautiful rock city with an interesting and historical legend, of the dispute among the father, brothers and the people fought for the kingship, where any average visitor is bound to visit the rock city full of legendary and historical stories. Israel, India and few tourist countries are known on this area tourists visit in search of religious sites and Israel is attracted by Christians Muslims and those interested in agriculture and innovations as a leader of agriculture, innovations and a country with most visited cities and religious monuments such as the Great Wall, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and many more. Temple of tooth and the oldest known tree attached to the ‘’Kandy Prehara’’ are world famous and a place of worship of Buddhists world over. ‘’Pollannuruwa’’ is a historic city close to’’Minneriya’’ to watch hundreds of elephants at one sight are rare in any standard a visitor can view with least effort and expenditure. Botanical Garden in Sri Lanka is full of rare species and the Zoological Gardens are full of rare collection of animals that can be viewed in one place.
HOSPSTIALIATY INDUSTRY – Two sides of the same Coin of tourism
Tourism and hospitality are two sides of the same coin interconnected and interwoven as a part and parcel of each other. It is a trade providing positive experiences to the explorers that has a broader range of services of varied kinds giving positive entertainment to the guest. It is the relationship of host towards the explorer seeking a novel experience, which is the relationship of a host towards a guest and reception and entertainment towards the visitor, opening the door to be the biggest employer in the world, of a business providing food and other wide range of amenities facilities and treatments of various kinds. In the circumstances the tourism could be popularized with the Sri Lankan traditional food in different tasks and the fruits and vegetables to the world via the tourists promoting tourism and the hospitality trade. The opportunities on the hospitality trade are unlimited varies that could be expended with no borders. Hospitality is a necessary ingredient and a source of income and many other advantages to the host country where the visitor expects a hospitable people in a hospitable environment fulfilling their needs and requirements up to the expectations as planned at the journey plan on information collected. Tourism in Sri Lanka fluctuates from time to time depending the country situation on security and economic conditions. War that prolonged for 29 years retarded the improvements on tourism based on many factors in favour of Sri Lanka to be a best destination with the advantages on natural historical and geographical factors. Then came the Covid19 the world too suffered followed by the economic downtown and the crisis now in the verge of recovery. PPP is a necessity in the development of any industry in the current economic conditions which varies from country to country with Sri Lanka not an exception, where tourism and hospitality is managed and controlled by the private sector and the governance as a regulator with powers to regulate and frame rules and regulations to the industry and the network of tourism outlets completely owned and manned by the private sector and public private partnership is the proven example world over in successful tourist nations which are successful competitors of Sri Lanka. Hospitality is a multibillion dollar industry that is so broad and easy to commence and manage anywhere in the world in any part of a country if properly studied managed and practices in a scientific way on any area of hospitality. The basis of the hospitality is providing a positive experience to the prospective guest who has come to you for various reasons of your environment. It is a lucrative industry easy to learn, initiate, manage if learnt well with commitment wherever you are. UK has computed that they have 207,000 eating houses in UK alone and in the world the eating houses may be in billions in various grades. It is an industry based on the relationship of the host towards the guest. Guest travels to he host or the host can provide the service where the guest is depending on the circumstance showing how easy it is to operate the industry wherever you are. Sri Lanka fits into this category as a compact island ideally suited for the travellers visitors and tourists as mentioned by Marco Polo in 13th century who said ( Ceylon then) as a compact island with all requirements for a traveller/tourist that applies to date that has not been properly and fully made use of by Sri Lanka despite the beauty, climate, natural resources, places to visit and access to the entire country so easily only lacking the need, knowledge, commitment with imagination and innovations as in other tourist nations, with an example of Maldives which is destined to go under water in 100 year that has been transformed to an expensive tourist hot spot exploiting the geographical position though vulnerable to be an industry attracting high end tourists is only an example of many beautiful women on the beach, out of whom Sri Lanka too is leading in the competition of tourism and hospitality trade which is booming and expanding daily.
Modern trends
It appears that tourism and hospitality are the modern trends for the exposure of the small tourist nations and bond with the leading tourist giants with interactions and working together on exchange of knowledge and the man power which is the most important necessity which is provided by the developing nations and the small tourist nations for the world to maintain the equilibrium with exchange of knowhow knowledge resources and the man power. The top tourist countries need the assistance of the small tourist and the developing nations for their survival, man power and some row materials which are in short supply and goodwill and also business that derives with the interactions and good will of the world community. Therefore it is time for the trade to plan out a joint programmes for the development of the trade and industry locally as well as globally. (Sarathdw7@gmail.com)
A decent man with childlike innocence, he will be remembered by all those who treasured his company and sagacity.
I would like to end this tribute to Tilak with a plea to his family and friends to strongly consider reprinting a facsimile edition of the Buddhist Youth magazine originally published in 1969 for general distribution, to keep Tilak’s memory alive. His idealistic writings and his youthful images in photographs all in one document would be hard to find anywhere else.
May Tilak attain the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana.
Tilak Gunawardena Scholarship Fund launched by Sri Lanka – Malaysia Business Council
Two Scholarships for two outstanding students to pursue higher education at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka – Malaysia Business Council (SLMBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has launched the ‘ Tilak Gunawardena Scholarship Fund ’.
The announcement of the scholarship was made at the 29th Annual General Meeting of the SLMBC held at Hilton Residence, Colombo recently. The fund will provide an opportunity for two outstanding students to pursue their higher education at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. The scholarship is available to Sri Lankan students who have showcased exceptional academic prowess, and demonstrate a strong commitment to the field of law and a clear vision of how their legal education will contribute to the betterment of the country.
The High Commissioner of Malaysia in Sri Lanka Badli Hisham Adam handed over the Scholarship to students at this ceremony. The President of the Sri Lanka Malaysia Business Council M.H.K.M. Hameez and members were also present.
The death of Tilak Narendra Gunawardana on June 11, 2021, at the age of 77 years removed from our midst another old boy of Royal College drawn from a batch that straddled both the primary and secondary school scene of the 1950s and first half of the ’60s.
Tilak was from a distinguished family. His father, Don Charles Rajakaruna (DCR) Gunawardana, was a scholar, an outstanding student at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, a civil servant, Clerk to the House of Representatives, and later High Commissioner of Ceylon to Malaya (1958 – 1961). His mother was Chitra Gunawardana (nee Wijetilleka).
There were six children in the family – Anoma, Kapila, Tilak, Kumar, Vajira, and Kumudini. Anoma died in a tragic accident with her husband Dr. Sumanasiri Alahendra in the USA.
Tilak was the elder brother of my classmate Vajira who joined the RC 1960 Group in 1961 upon returning from Malaya. All his brothers attended Royal College. Tilak’s family connections to Royal College were further strengthened by virtue of his uncle Professor (Dr.) Carlin (DC) Gunawardana having become a reputed teacher of Botany at Royal, having set up the Botany Department in the pre-war years of the school. The Royal College magazine has paid a handsome tribute to Prof. Carlin in its 1938 edition.
I have known Tilak since schooldays, in several capacities. He used to supervise our drill class on the school grounds, counsel us as a senior student, and later interact with me every now and then on professional matters. He used to cycle to school like most students of that era.
He was a gentleman to the fingertips, a man of high integrity and scrupulous honesty. He was outspoken when the need arose but harmless in every sense of the word epitomizing the ideal ‘Arya’ (noble and dignified) person envisaged in Buddhism. He had a stubborn character stemming from his overzealous commitment to high principles.
He earned a General B.Sc. degree specializing in Zoology from the University of Ceylon (Colombo) and thereafter served briefly as an instructor in the Zoology Dept. of the University. Subsequently, he joined the Fisheries Corporation in Tangalle and worked for a few years there.
Inspired by his maternal grandfather Arthur Wijetilleke, a leading Advocate in Ratnapura, and another close relative, Sir Ukwatte Jayasundera, Q.C., Tilak returned to Colombo to pursue law studies. He graduated with an LL.B. degree as an external student of the Colombo Law Faculty and joined the Attorney General’s Dept. as a State Counsel. He received good training in both the criminal and civil aspects of the law. His next stint was at Mackwoods where he was the Company Secretary. Finally, he joined the unofficial Bar as an Instructing Attorney and served in that capacity until retirement.
Tilak had a strong altruistic bent and found himself engaged in Charity work to his heart’s content. He served as the Vice-President of the Buddhist Youth Forum (BYF) which was founded by Sepala Amarasuriya at his residence at Park Road in November 1968. It had the following objects:
To further the Buddhist Way of Life, and
To establish greater cooperation and unity among the Buddhist Youth.
Sepala Amarasuriya and Anura Bandaranaike served as the Joint Secretaries. Hiranthi Jayasuriya, an old girl of Visakha Vidyalaya, then a Medical student and now a Medical Doctor, was the first President of the Buddhist Youth Forum.
Senaka Weeraratna served as the Editor of the First Magazine of BYF titled ‘ The Buddhist Youth ‘ which was first published in November 1969.
BYF made a memorable trip to the newly opened Aranya – now renowned as the Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya’ in December 1968. Tilak was one of the members who went on that one-day trip and his image is captured distinctly in a group photograph taken on that occasion. The Magazine also carries photos of Tilak on the visit made to a Home for the Invalids at Ragama where the BYF members distributed food to the infirm. Tilak was a proactive member and made valuable contributions to discussions at meetings.
Tilak wrote a resounding article under the title ‘ The Role of a Buddhist Youth Forum’ that was published in the Buddhist Youth Magazine.
In this article, Tilak spelled out the necessity for such Buddhist organizations in a rapidly changing society to protect Sinhala Buddhist values which are threatened by decadent Western materialistic lifestyles that can uproot the young from their Buddhist civilizational consciousness.
He writes:
” In the Buddhist way, the Sinhalese were a peaceful, compassionate, and kind-hearted nation. Though we had our own wars and differences the feeling deep within was essentially Buddhist and for this reason, Buddhism and its teachers enjoyed a position of respect second to none. With the onset of foreign influences Buddhists began to be inhibited. They were scorned by the foreign rulers both for reasons of ignorance of the great teaching and of course for reasons of strategy because they i.e. colonial rulers, believed that the golden thread (religion)
that held the pearls (people) together had to be removed. This was the beginning of the decline which has brought our country to this dangerous state.”
Tilak adds:
” Today with the gradual transition of power once again to our hands after 20 years of full independence and in spite of the proclamation giving Buddhism its old status, has the country improved?
I feel it has not. Though it is a dying idea, the fact still remains that Ceylon is still being run by the city and urban ‘elite’. It is they who lay the pattern for the country. In this ruling elite, we have heterogeneity. We still have in them a class of people who have imbibed the foreign way of life, who benefit from that way of life, and most dangerous – a class of people who still abhor the quiet and calm Sinhala Buddhist way of life. This trend with all its excitement and adventure is indeed too much of a temptation for our youth. It is the time for Buddhist organizations to awaken and rescue the nation from this very cancerous influence by arresting it “.
Tilak’s insights enshrined in this essay written over 53 years ago are as relevant today, perhaps more now, than at the time of its publication in 1969.
Tilak participated in many charity projects as a member of the Lions Club. He chaired the project to celebrate Chitrasena’s 50 years of performance, which had the current Prime Minister ( now President) Ranil Wickremesinghe, as the Chief Guest on one of the days of the celebrations. The project meetings, sometimes thrice a month, were held at Tilak’s residence at De Fonseka Road, Colombo 5, supplemented by a lavish spread of refreshments. He received a reward from the Alliance Française. He was also an active member of the Sri Lanka – Malaysia Business Council.
Tilak remained a bachelor to the end. He was a bachelor in the old sense of the word, preferring to have close friendships and indulge in passions of his choice but then come home and read his favourite books. A decent man with childlike innocence, he will be remembered by all those who treasured his company and sagacity.
I would like to end this tribute to Tilak with a plea to his family and friends to strongly consider reprinting a facsimile edition of the Buddhist Youth magazine originally published in 1969 for general distribution, to keep Tilak’s memory alive. His idealistic writings and his youthful images in photographs all in one document would be hard to find anywhere else.
ඇත්ත වශයෙන්ම සිදුවූයේ කුමක්දැයි නොදැන විවිධ පුද්ගලයින් නිගමනවලට පැනීමට උත්සාහ කිරීම සහ මෙම ප්රශ්නය ගැන අදහස් දැක්වීම ඉතා කණගාටුදායක ය.
