Multinationals & the Hiding of Import-Export Dollars

May 28th, 2023

e-Con e-News

The uninterrupted interregnum of the aragalaya, from March 2022 – that removed in 3 months a popular President elected by a huge landslide just over 2 years before – took place during the US trial of a relative of the ruling Rajapaksas – former Sri Lanka Ambassador to the US, Jaliya Wickramasuriya – and a former tea exporter.

     Wickramasuriya’s sentencing in a US court for alleged fraud (speculating on land – that foremost US national religion!) was postponed from April to 20 July 2022. With an executive rendered vulnerable in Sri Lanka, coordinated violence (signaled by the May 9th arson attacks on 74 MPs’ homes) then escalated midst threats of foreign invasions, military coups, and assassination by ‘death-dealing 1980s sparrow units’ (see ee 16 July 2022).

     Thus it came to pass that on that 20th day in July 2022, a shut-down Parliament was resumed to choose a new ‘unelected’ President – Ranil Wickremesinghe. Jaliya Wickramasuriya was lightly sentenced later that day in a somewhat quiet Washington ‘show trial’ (minus media ‘perp walk’).

     The US hostage-taking of a Rajapaksa relative may cast further enlightenment on the yet-to-be-shed splotchy snakeskin camouflaging the head-scratching events unfolding before us. It offers private tuition on the limits to a white-west-embedded kalu-suddha leadership (ee Sovereignty, The Ambassador, His Swanky New Embassy & the Limits of Diplomatic Immunity).

     What Washington’s courts have to overlook is that the real scandal of Sri Lanka’s economic practices lies – not just in real-estate speculation – but in the whole colonial import-export plantation game. Yet how could a Washington court or an IMF or World Bank rule against such a system. Why not? The slave plantation system arrived in Sri Lanka via Jamaica and Haiti, etc., wholesale from Washington on the Potomac, hub of the domestic US slave trade.

Sri Lanka’s ruling class and related wannabes are made up of those fully invested in the Anglo-Saxon-led colonial universe anchored in the icy North Atlantic. Their money (the bulk of it ‘legally’ transferred by ‘exporters’, led by the multinational corporations: see, ee Focus) is in the white west. Their children are brainwashed in the ethos and mores of the white west (they just love love love their hollywood & rock’n’roll: Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!). They own property in the white west (property the white west could confiscate or wield as a weapon at will, as shown with Venezuela or Cuba, Russia or Iran, regardless of the so-called ‘international rule of law’).

     The policies enacted to maintain the reckless lifestyles of this Sri Lanka rock-n’rollin middle class have been crashed. At the same time, this middle class seeks to extend by any means this very same untenable unsustainable lifestyle. The Anglo-American media encourages Sri Lanka’s middle class to act more arrogant and lazy, with no constructive plan allowed, driving them full of outrage – not against themselves, though:

‘The Budget has no answer for all these issues.

Despite the crash in the exchange rate,

despite the increase in the interest rates about 2 to 3 times,

the incomes that are already generated in the economy by workers

are not accessible to the government or the public in general.

It is captured by a business elite in the import-export sector

who are more inclined to keep the capital outside the country.

(ee FocusBudget 2023: Heal the Wound or Worsen it?)

Grand robbery has been taking place. For a long time. But the robbers are not those who the white media and their embassies, and the IMF keeps promising to name: The Chinese. Workers. State enterprises. Corrupt politicians. Not them. It’s the old colonial import-export plantation game. What is downplayed however is that this ‘import-export sector’,that’s preventing productive investment in this country, is led by the major MNCs in this country. The national envoys – representing these MNCs – are in a constant state of sermonizing – of undiplomatic tirade and harangue – dutifully reproduced by a salivating hang-tongued media. We will have to await a more incisive hermeneutic of the real role MNCs play in Sri Lanka.

• This ee reproduces an Island analyst’s exegesis of the State Minister for Defense’s promise last week to a visiting US official to ‘right-size’ the military. This visit seemed timed for two anniversaries, largely ignored or disparaged by the English media in Sri Lanka. The defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on 19 May 2009. The inauguration of a republic on May 22 1972, that finally released Sri Lanka from English political but not economic thrall.

     The US Official arrived midst the President’s promise to carve out an ‘Interim Administration for the North & East,’ and demands for a ‘non-territorial community council’ for Tamil settlers in the hill-country. What does all this portend for the imposition of US troops and extraterritorial laws via the MCC, SOFA & ACSA. The Island analyst declares, given the economic threats:

‘The country is in such a precarious situation,

political leadership may tend to conveniently ignore basics,

especially to please Uncle Sam, the obvious king-maker here now,

thereby jeopardizing the country’s national security’

 ee Focus,Blind Security Reforms

Full Story

Digital economy: New laws drafted for undersea cable protection

May 28th, 2023

By Asiri Fernando Courtesy The Morning

Digital economy: New laws drafted for undersea cable protection
  • Govt. working with WB technical support
  • SL’s undersea umbilical cable vulnerable

 Sri Lanka’s renewed focus on a digital economy as part of its recovery effort and the cornerstone of the island’s future economic growth remains vulnerable, with the proposed enactment of legislation on the protection of vital undersea data cables remaining incomplete to date, The Sunday Morning learns.

This, despite the process for the formulation of a protection framework being discussed since 2018 and a draft framework being prepared in 2021. It is learnt that the Government has now decided to draft a new bill for the protection of its undersea data cables.

Today, Sri Lanka’s connectivity, trade, and digital economy as an island nation are largely dependent on seven undersea fibre-optic data cables which remain underprotected by local legislation. This gap in legislation leaves Sri Lanka’s national security, economic security, and planned recovery in a vulnerable state.

The move comes amidst the Government’s stated desire to improve digitalisation of the public service, Sri Lanka’s digital economy, and the ease of doing business in Sri Lanka.

Such legislation, had it been introduced, would have placed Sri Lanka as the regional leader in submarine cable protection – especially in tandem with the Personal Data Protection Act which was adopted – enabling the island nation, which is seeking to improve its ‘hub’ status, to attract tech investments.

New bill

According to Ministry of Technology Secretary Prof. Niranjan D. Gunawardena, the Government is now drafting a new standalone legislation for Undersea Data Cables (UDCs) with technical support from the World Bank (WB).

When contacted, President’s Office Director of International Affairs Dinouk Colombage told The Sunday Morning that the previously drafted framework had been seen as lacking, with the process to draft a new bill tasked to the Ministry of Technology.

The Technology Ministry is drafting the bill and will seek the advice of the Attorney General’s Department regarding it,” Colombage explained, adding that the President was keen on having a well-drafted act for the task.

The Sunday Morning learns that the Government is keen to introduce the new legislation before Sri Lanka takes over the leadership of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) later this year.  

The formulation of the legislation, which was previously under the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been transferred to the Ministry of Technology and the Presidential Secretariat following Ranil Wickremesinghe taking office as the President.

Prelude  

The Sunday Morning earlier reported that a draft legal framework for the protection of UDCs had been presented to the Presidential Secretariat in 2021, but did not progress any further. This, despite inter-ministerial consultation and expert advice from UN agencies in drafting the framework.  

In 2021, Sri Lanka initiated a Submarine Cable Protection Framework with the assistance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Japan, following initial interest in the topic at the 2018 ‘The Indian Ocean: Defining Our Future’ conference held in Colombo.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) worked together with assistance from the UNODC to draft the region’s first protection legislation for submarine cables that link the world. However, the draft and the planned roll-out got caught up in the bureaucracy between the ministries and the Presidential Secretariat and ended up being shelved.    

Last year, before the social and political turmoil occurred, informed sources told The Sunday Morning that the Government was planning to designate submarine cables as critical information infrastructure and legislate it under the upcoming cyber security legislation.

The sources said that the Government would also move to amend the Telecommunications Act to include provisions which would make damaging or tampering with undersea cables a crime. At the time, the draft cyber security legislation was with the Legal Draftsman. However, that process now seems to have been abandoned.

UDCs: Critical infrastructure

Over 95% of global communications occur through fibre-optic undersea cables. An estimated $ 10 trillion (2020) of economic activity moves through submarine cables every day.

Often called the world’s information superhighways,” undersea cables carry over 95% of international data. In comparison with satellites, subsea cables provide high capacity, cost-effective, and reliable connections that are critical for our daily lives.

There are approximately more than 400 active cables worldwide covering 1.3 million kilometres, the Center for Strategic Studies said in 2021.

Given the reliance of nation states on UDCs, particularly island nations, for critical state functions from personnel management and financial transactions matters to military communication, it is surprising that a large portion of the global network of submarine cables is privately-owned and maintained.

Given the importance of UDCs to the global communications network, in 2018 it was identified that there was an opportunity for Sri Lanka to take a lead role in a critical issue of global importance, following the Government’s interest in addressing this issue at the 2018 Ocean Summit, held in Colombo.

Present domestic and international laws on the use and security of UDCs are inadequate, according to a Foreign Ministry official who declined to be named. Most UDCs are privately owned and therefore do not fall under sovereignty jurisdiction of countries beyond territorial waters.

The cables come under Sri Lankan law up to 12 nautical miles, but beyond that we have no legal authority to enforce their security or prosecute any offenders who deliberately or negligently damage them,” a senior Navy official told The Sunday Morning.

Cost of disruptions to UDCs

Sri Lanka is no stranger to the dangers posed to the submarine data cables which link the island to the world.

In 2004, Sri Lanka suffered its first major internet and international communications outage, which lasted a few days when the Indian-flagged merchant vessel State of Nagaland dragged its anchor over the SEA-ME-WE3 data cable that supplied linkages to SLT.

The incident occurred in a coastal sea area which has restrictions put in place to stop ships from deploying anchor. SLT later took the vessel owners to court seeking $ 5 million as compensation for damages. The cost to the economy from the outage has not been calculated.

More recently, with growing tensions between Russia, Europe, and the US, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union have become concerned about the safety and security of undersea cables.

In 2021, 4.3 kilometres of an undersea cable on the sea bed off the north Norwegian coast was severed and vanished without a trace, causing alarm and disruption to internet and e-commerce services.

Later, in September 2022, damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea carrying natural gas to energy-hungry Europe was quickly labelled an act of sabotage by some security experts.

There are growing concerns that UDCs may become a tool for ‘hybrid warfare’ and intimidation of states that are largely dependent on them for their survival. Sri Lanka should be well aware of the risks and vulnerabilities it faces and act quickly.

Concerns over sovereign control

Meanwhile, senior Government officials The Sunday Morning spoke to questioned if the rush to divest State-owned shares of the telco SLT-Mobitel may leave Sri Lanka in a vulnerable position as the company controls and services many UDCs which service Sri Lanka. The SLT leadership was not available for comment on the matter.

However, when contacted on the impact of sale of SLT-Mobitel’s shares, State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) Restructuring Unit Head  HeadSuresh Shah pointed out that Government oversight could be managed through regulations.

With SLT-Mobitel, the Government’s control is 49%, so the majority control is already out of its hands. But the GGovernment has the ability to regulate,” Shah added

President says Sri Lanka will apply for RCEP membership

May 28th, 2023

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Says with RCEP Sri Lanka aims to achieve higher level of economic liberalisation

Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the Nikkei Forum 

In an effort to become more integrated in global trade, Sri Lanka will apply for membership to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced yesterday.

By entering into a free trade agreement with the Asia Pacific nations, the island nation aims to achieve a higher level of economic liberalisation.

Wickremesinghe made the announcement in Tokyo, Japan this week while addressing the ‘Nikkei Forum: Future of Asia’ where he shared the island nation’s approach to the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific regions.

With the RCEP, Sri Lanka will be able to reap the benefits of entering into an agreement with 10 ASEAN countries and six other countries in the Asia Pacific region. 

The RCEP member countries are Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Sri Lanka will be able to boost trade and investment in the region as the RCEP is the world’s largest FTA in terms of GDP.

 Sri Lanka is committed to multi layered connectivity in the Indo-Pacific. Furthermore, we also support Prime Minister Kishida’s Principles for Peace and Rules for Prosperity,” he told the forum.

President Wickremesinghe went on to point out that Sri Lanka welcomes the G7s announcement that they are prepared to build a stable and constructive relationship with China for which Japan pledged its commitment.

 We appreciate this cooperative approach of Japan and give it our full support. It is crucial for the emergence of a peaceful and prosperous Asian region. We also support a dialogue between all Asian nations,” he said while adding that Sri Lanka is of the view that Japan, China, India, and ASEAN, should commence an open-ended dialogue amongst themselves and thereafter with the other Asian countries.

 This is the first step in establishing a new framework for peace and cooperation in Asia,” he stressed

නිහතමානී සමාව ඉල්ලීමේ උද්ධච්ඡභාවය

May 28th, 2023

රුහුණු වෛද්‍ය පීඨයේ පීඨාධිපති මහාචාර්ය වසන්ත දේවසිරි මහතාගේ විග්‍රහයක්) Courtesy Lanka Lead News

එක්තරා ස්ත්‍රියක විසින් සිදුහත් කුමරුවන් සුද්ධෝදනගේ කොලු පැටියා උපන් හැටියේ කවි කියමින් ඇවිද්ද බව පවසමින් මතු කිරීමට උතසාහ ගත් ග්‍රාම්‍ය උපහාසය ජාති ආගම් භේදයකින් තොරව සියලුම ශිෂ්ට සම්පන්න ජනතාවගේ පිළිකුළට භාජනය වීම පුදුමයට කරුණක් නොවේ.

මා වඩාත් මවිතයට හා සෝකයට පත් වූයේ මේ තරුණ ස්ත්‍රිය සමාජ මාධ්‍ය ඔස්සේ ඒ පිළිබඳව සමාව ඉල්ලූ දියාරු විලාසය යි. ඇයවත් ඇය සමඟ එහි පෙනී සිටි එම පුරුෂයාත් තම වරදෙහි බරපතළ කම පිළිබඳ ව මේ වනතුරුතුත් මඳ වශයෙන් හෝ අවබෝධ කරගෙ ඇතැ යි නො සිතමි.

ඇය කියූ දේ වලින් යම් පිරිසකට හෝ පුද්ගලයෙකුට හෝ සිත් රිදීමක් ඇති වී නම් නිහතමානී ව සමාව ඉල්ලා සිටින බව ඇය ප්‍රකාශ කළා ය. ඇයගේ වදන් සිංහල බෞද්ධ සභ්‍යත්ව විඥානය විසින් මෙහෙයවනු ලබන අති විශාල බහුතරයක් සිටින රටක සමස්ත ජනතාවකගේ අධ්‍යාත්මයට එරෙහි ව කරණ ලද කරන ලද බියගුලු වූ ද නින්දිත වූ ද අපහාසයක් මිස ඇය කී පරිදි යම් පිරිසකට හෝ පුද්ගලයෙකුට සිදු වූ සිත් රිදවීමක් පිළිබඳ ප්‍රශ්නයක්නොවේ.

ඇතැම් බෞද්ධයින් විසින් පවා සිදුහත් කුමරුගේ උප්පත්තිය බුදු සමයේ හරය නොවන බවත් එය බෞද්ධ සාහිත්‍ය තුළ ගෙඩ නැගුනු අතිශෝක්තියක් බව ප්‍රකාශ කරමින් ඇයගේ ප්‍රකාශය සාධාරණීය කිරීමට තැත් කරනු ඇත.

තවකෙක් බුදු දහම ආගමක් නොවන බවත් එය තවත් හුදු දර්ශනයක් බවත් ප්‍රකාශ කරමින් මෙවැනි දේ ගැන අප කලබල නො විය යුතු බව ද පවසනු ඇත. එසේ පවසන අය බුදු දහම (බුදු වදන) ගැනවත්, පොදුවේ දර්ශනය යන්න පිළිබඳ වත්, ථේරවාද, මහායාන මෙන් ම ඊට පසු කාලින බෞද්ධ සම්ප්‍රදායන් හා එ හා බැඳුන් සාහිත්‍ය පිළිබඳ වත් අවබෝධයක් නැති හිස් පිරිසක් ලෙස ය මා දකින්නේ.

ථේරවාදී සම්ප්‍රදායට අයත් වන සූත්‍ර පිටකය මුල් බුදු සමය ලෙස මුලු ලෝකයේ ම ගෞරයවයට භාජනය වන්නේත්, පිළිගනු ලබන්නේත් එය විශාල වශයෙන් වෙනස්වීම් වලට භාජනය නොවූ බැවිනි.

සූත්‍ර පිටකයේ මජ්ඡිම නිකායේ එන අචාරියා අද්භුත සූත්‍රය (123) බෞද්ධයින්ගේ අප්‍රමාණ ගෞරවයට බඳුන් වන ආනන්ද හිමියන් විසින් බුදුන් වහන්සේ ඉදිරි පිටදීම දේශනා කරන ලද්දකි. සෙසු සංඝයා වහන්සේට බුදුන්ගේ ආශ්චර්ය ගුණයන් විස්තර කරමින සිදුහත් කුමරු තවුතිසා දෙව් ලොව සිට සිහියෙන් චුත ව සිහියෙන් මහාමායා කුස පිළිසිඳ ගත් අයුරුත් කුමරු ඇවිද ගිය අයුරුත් උදාන වාක්‍ය කියූ අයුරුත් ආනන්ද තෙරණුවෝ පවසත්.

එපමණක් නොව බුදුන් වහන්සේ ද එම දේසනාව එඅයුරින් ම අනුමත කරති. මෙම සූත්‍රය තුල තවත් බොහෝ ආශ්චර්යයන් විස්තර කර ඇත.( සූත්‍ර පිටකයේ එන ‘එවං මෙ සුතං’ යනුවෙන් ඇරඹෙන දේශනා සියල්ලම ආනන්ද මහ රහතන් විසින් ම වදාරා ඇති බව ද මෙහි ලා සිහිපත් කිරීම වටී)

මෙම විස්තරය බොරු උගත් කමින් දූෂණය නොවූ බෞද්ධයන්ගේ සිත් සතන් පහන් කරන්නේ සිදුහත් කුමරුන් ගේ උපත සාමාන්‍ය දරු උපතක් නොව, සාර අසංක කල්ප ලක්ෂයක් දස පෙරුම් සපුරා මවු කුසක පිළිසිඳගත් පින්වත් කුමරෙකු ගේ උපතක් වූ බව ඔවුන් දන්නා බැවිනි.

එවන් වූ පින්වත් දරු උපතක් අනුවණ ස්ත්‍රියක විසින් සුද්ධෝදන ගේ කොලු පැටියා ලෙස ගරුසරු නැතිව හඳුන්වනු අසන විට රිදුම් දෙන හදවතක් මට ද හිමි ව තිබීම පිළිබඳ ව මම මා ගැන ම සතුටු වෙමි. එසේ රිදුම් දෙන්නේ මා හට මෙන් ම මෙරට අති බහුතරයකට උරුම වී ඇති බෞද්ධ අධ්‍යාත්ම යි.

ඇතමුන් බුදු දහම දර්ශනයක් ලෙස හඳුනවතත් එය එසේ ගිණිය නොහැක්කේ, දර්ශනයක් අර්ථ දැක්වීමේ දී ඉදිරිපත් කරනු ලබන එහි මූලික අංගයන් තුන අතරින් metaphysics මෙන් ම epistemology ද මුල් බුදු සමය තුළ එතරම් සැලකිල්ලට ලක් නොවන බැවිනි.

කෙසේ වෙතත් නූතන දර්ශනවාදයේ ඉතිරි අංගය ලෙස ගැනෙන ethics මුල් බුදු සමයේ ද ප්‍රධාන අංගය වේ. සුත්ත නිපාතයේ එන ඉතාමත් ප්‍රචලිත සූත්‍ර දේශනාවන් වන කරණීය මෙත්ත සූත්‍රය හා මහා මංගල සූත්‍රය යන සුත්‍ර දේශනා දෙක තරම් පැහැදිලි ව බෞද්ධ සදාචාරය (Buddhist Ethics) ඉදිරිපත් කර ඇති තවත් තැනක් සූත්‍ර පිටිකය තුලින් මෙතෙක් මට හමු වී නැත.

අප කුඩා කල සිට ම කට පාඩමින් දන්නා මෙම සූත්‍ර දේශනා දෙක තුලින් බෞද්ධයන්ට අනුබල දෙන්නේ විහිළුවට හෝ උද්ධච්ඡ අමන කතා කීමට නොවේ. මෙත්ත සූත්‍රයේ ‘සුවචෝ චස්ස මුදු අනතිමානී’ මෙන් මංගල සූත්‍රයේ ‘ගරාවෝච නිවාතෝ ච’ යන පද බොහෝ බෞද්ධයන්ගේ හදට සමීප ය.

බුදුන් වහන්සේ දේසනා කළ මඟ සද්ධාව මත ගොඩ නැඟුනෙකි. සද්ධාව තුලින් ආරම්භ වන්නෙකි. නිවන් දකින තෙක් ම සද්ධාව හා බැඳී පවතින්නකි. මේ මුග්ධ ස්ත්‍රිය පහර දෙන්නේ බුදු දහමේ මූලික පදනම වන සද්ධාවට ය.

ඇයගේ නොදන්නා කම හා බැඳුනු නොපනත් හැසිරීම දෙස කරුණාවෙන් බලන අතර, ඇතැමුන් යෝජනා කරණ අයුරින් ඇයට විරුද්ධව නීත්‍යානුකූල ව පියවර ගත හැකි නමි එය සමාජයේ යහපත පිණිස වන බව මම ද විස්වාස කරමි. ඒ ඇයගේ ‘නිහතමානී’ සමාව ගැනීම තුල දක්නට ලැබුනු උද්ධච්ඡ බාවය හා මුග්ධ භාවය නිසා ය.

උද්ධච්ඡකම හා මුග්ධ භාවය එකිනෙක හා වෙන් කළ නොහැකි ලෙස අත්‍යන්තයෙන් ම එකිනෙක හා බැඳී ඇත. නීතිය ක්‍රියාත්මක විය යුත්තේ ඇය පුනුරුත්ථාපනය කළ යුතු ස්ත්‍රියක නිසා ය . පුනුරුත්තාපනය තුලින් ඇයට යම් පිහිටක් අවශ්‍ය ය. ඒ ඈ තුල සහජයෙන් පිහිටා ඇති ‘ගරවෝච (ගරු කළ යුත්තනට ගරු කිරීම), නිවාතෝ (නිහතමානී) බව යළි මතු කර ගැනීම ඇයට උදවු වීම සඳහා මිස ඇයට දඬුවම් කිරීමට නොවේ.

2023 වෙසක් මස 28 වැනි දින
(උපුටා ගැනීමකි)

Britain’s Lies Boomerang on Britain!

May 28th, 2023

By Shivanthi ranasinghe Courtesy Ceylon Today

 

For nearly a decade-and-a-half, the British establishment has been catering a damning falsehood against Sri Lanka. There had been a concerted effort with the active participation of the British media and Parliament to defame Sri Lanka as war criminals. Notable politicians as Prime Ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron have behaved disrespectfully towards Sri Lanka and have done their best to embarrass Sri Lanka. Today, in the most unexpected manner Britain has got a taste of their own medicine from the most unexpected quarters – Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle.

Justifying terror

Since 1975, Sri Lanka had been gripped by a terror group that plundered, murdered, enslaved children and wreaked absolute havoc and destruction – all in the name of Tamils in the North and East. As the Tamils are a minority community in Sri Lanka, the issue was politically sensitive.

Unfortunately, there were many stakeholders and onlookers who benefited from the ensuing confusion. Therefore, their effort was to encourage the deteriorating situation than help contain it. Somehow the slaughter of innocent civilians, which included babies still in their mothers’ wombs to the elderly and everyone in-between was justified as collateral damage in a freedom fight. Not even a 12-year old monk – the most harmless in Sri Lankan society – was spared in this so-called freedom fight that destroyed the very people in whose name the terror was unleashed.

It is noteworthy that in the three decades of terror, three generations of Tamil children lost their future. As the new millennium dawned, the world was speculating how computer-driven systems handle the change of date.

In the North and East of Sri Lanka, parents were wondering how to keep their children from being forcibly conscripted by the terrorist organisation. Some parents went to extraordinary lengths to protect their children.  Yet, according to a UNICEF count, LTTE was holding over 5,000 children in their underage cadre. At the time, not even a national school had that many students in all its 13 grades.

The blame for this awful situation must be borne solely by Sri Lankan politicians. They dastardly lacked political will to end terrorism in Sri Lanka as they tried to gain political leverage at the expense of innocent Sri Lankan citizens. However, the manner the outside world reacted to this crisis was also very telling.

Outrageous British Behaviour

For decades during the terrorist era, British media gave a very biased coverage of what we were experiencing. This was echoed by the British politician, whose outrage on the atrocities committed by the terrorists was greatly muted compared to the  grave concern” expressed over the Security Forces’ counter terrorist acts.

After exhausting every possible peaceful approach to the problem, Sri Lanka still had nothing to show. By 2006, there were only two options before the Island nation. One was to allow terrorism win the day and give into demands that would never be possible democratically. The other was to eradicate terrorism once and for all.

The second option was obviously the better one. Giving into terrorism, as Sri Lanka found the hard way, does not end a problem but encourages the outrageous demands to multiply.

Fortunately, the then political arm recognised this stark truth and gave the Security Forces its wholehearted support to end terrorism from Sri Lankan soil once and for all. Unfortunately, UK refused to support Sri Lanka in this endeavour. In fact, the then British Foreign Minister, David Miliband visited in person to persuade former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to stop the military intervention. He refused and the British establishment never forgave him for it. When the latter visited the UK to deliver a speech, he was booed and heckled. This was justified by the British Government as a democratic right of the British people. Eventually, the former President had to cut short his visit as it was clear he would not be provided with adequate security.

Furthermore, every year since 2009, Britain had been part of the campaign to tarnish the military victory as a war crime. When the USA quit the UNHRC claiming it to be a political cesspit, the UK picked up the baton to play a lead role in bringing resolutions against Sri Lanka.

The fallacies of this grievance were exposed by none other than their own parliamentarian, Lord Naseby. Presenting communication that was passed from the British High Commission in Colombo with its Home Office, he proved that the British government was well aware that the allegations against Sri Lanka were false. Even after this expose, the British establishment shamelessly  continued with the charade to hound Sri Lanka on bogus war crimes.

Meghan Markle’s Platform

Meghan Markle (MM) has given the British establishment a taste of its own medicine. This has left the British media spluttering and authorities seething. All she had to do was scream racist” and she was instantly believed. This despite the well documented warm reception she received from both the British public and royal family from the time Prince Harry (or is it Just Harry”) introduced her as his life partner.

MM brazenly expected the royal family to change according to her prescriptions. As preposterous as her behaviour was, it is not a new experience for us. We too get these experts” who swoop down on us, telling us that our culture, ways and beliefs are archaic” and need to be changed as dictated. When we refuse, we too have been insulted with labels as tribal mindset”, xenophobic” and a host of other things.

It was a smart move on MM’s part to run to Oprah Winfrey with her list of complaints. Ms Winfrey’s Foundation is built on her own fight against racism, which she often attests with her own alleged experiences. For her, MM’s account thus was too juicy and resonated so well with her own fight against colour bar to listen with an open mind. Right across the US, people saw this interview conducted by a shocked Winfrey on national television.

Yet, how much of what MM stated is verifiable. For instance, she claimed a senior royal had asked her husband if he were worried about the baby’s colour”. Without establishing who said it or in what context, the entire royal family has been in one stroke painted as racist.  

Since that interview, through MM’s own antics, her credibility has nosedived. Finally, the discerning American public is waking to the fact that the British media took cudgels against MM in the first place. The British media never ridiculed MM for her colour but for her hypocrisy. Yet, the hard questions the British media threw at her were twisted by her as hounding her for her colour.

It is not only the liberties MM took with facts that is affecting her credibility. The emerging reports of ill-treating staff, her bullying tactics and intimidating those serving her has contributed as well. Yet, there is still an audience willing to ignore these hard realities on the mere premise that racism within the royal family is possible. When logic fails their argument, many personalise MM’s accusations, claiming that they too faced similar experiences.

This kind of presumption that deliberately ignores hard core facts is the most insulting and frustrating of all. Those who follow this kind of thinking and allow baseless speculation and allegations to establish do not realise the polarising effect of their actions. In effect, they contribute to the problem than resolve it.

Prince Harry’s (or Just Harry’s) role in this drama is interesting. He admits that until MM pointed out, he was unaware of his own unconscious bias”. This led him to obnoxiously trample on his birth right and family. We too have a number of ‘Just Harry’ in Sri Lanka. They come in the form of NGOs and just like ‘Just Harry’, they too expect to be paid and looked after for not wanting to be part of the Sinhala community.

For the record, the writer neither endorses MM’s behaviour, nor gloats over Britain’s discomfiture. As a protester against false propaganda, this writer’s support and sympathies are fully with Britain and her people. Nothing hurts as much as falsehoods propagated against one’s own country. However, as we can only learn from our mistakes, we in Sri Lanka hope that Britain henceforth will treat matters concerning Sri Lanka much more sensitively and allow truth to finally emerge without redacting” it.

(ranasingheshivanthi@gmail.com)

By Shivanthi Ranasinghe

India did more for Lanka than IMF: Jaishankar

May 28th, 2023

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

India has done more for Sri Lanka than the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Union Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar stressed on Saturday. The Modi government, he underlined, is working on developing an extended neighbourhood” that involves islands in the Indian Ocean, Gulf countries and nations in South-East Asia.

What we are also trying to do today is for a bigger, influential and ambitious India. We are trying to expand what should be our neighbourhood. We look at what this extended neighbourhood should be. It could be islands in the Indian Ocean, nations in South-East Asia and Central Asia, or Gulf countries. The relationship with the UAE and Saudi Arabia has undergone an enormous transformation. From what was a traditionally much more constricted view of our neighbourhood, we have undertaken something much more ambitious,” said Jaishankar during a talk on Modi’s India: A Rising Power” at Anant National University in the city.

Pointing out how the world has become more uncertain, volatile and turbulent, Jaishankar underlined it was time to use the complex global landscape” for the betterment and growth of India. The pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia conflict has helped to build resilient and reliable supply chains”, domestic capacities” and trusted relationships,” he highlighted.
A Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Jaishankar also spoke about the linkages” and perception” India has developed in the last nine years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

If you are the biggest in your neighbourhood, then it is in our interest that our other neighbours have a share in our prosperity, happiness and are linked to us. That will happen if we are generous and have a non-reciprocal way of engagement. Many of our neighbours like Bangladesh or Nepal and Bhutan are today linked with us through roads, railways, and waterways. We have electricity grid connections; there are fuel supplies. In many ways, they benefit from the scale and economy of India,” Jaishankar said while addressing an audience largely composed of students and faculty members from the private university.

The linkages and perception today of India in the neighbourhood has changed. Nothing illustrated that more dramatically than what happened to Sri Lanka. Last year, when they went through a very deep economic crisis, we stepped forward in a way we ourselves have never done before. What we have done for Sri Lanka is bigger than what the IMF has done for Sri Lanka. If any of you have visited Sri Lanka recently, then you will note the popular perception that has accrued from this action,” he added.

Speaking about India’s relationship with China, the Union minister said, The challenge from China is complicated. But in the last three years, it has been particularly visible in the border areas. There are clearly responses that are required and those responses have been undertaken by the government and a lot of it is to ensure that no attempt is made to unilaterally change the status quo in the border areas. We will ensure peace and tranquillity. It is the basis of our relationship. If peace is disturbed, it cannot be that the relationship remains unaffected.”

Both India and China, he said, will have to find some kind of equilibrium” where there is mutual respect, sensitivity and recognition. Today, if we see that respect, sensitivity and recognition, we can have a better relationship with China. But if we do not, then we have to stand up for our rights. We need to be firm in asserting our positions. That is unfortunately the current situation,” he added.(Indian Express)

Britain seeks Sri Lanka’s cooperation to prevent illegal immigration

May 28th, 2023

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The United Kingdom (UK) has sought assistance from the Sri Lankan government to prevent Sri Lankans from coming to Britain as illegal immigrants.

British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Sarah Hulton who met Public Security Minister Tiran Alles recently requested the Minister to cooperate in preventing illegal Sri Lankan immigrants from coming to Britain.

The meeting was also attended by UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Director Ben Mellor who was visiting Sri Lanka.

The current situation in the country was also discussed during the meeting.

The Public Security Ministry said that a long discussion on the Prevention of Terrorism Act was also held.

Highlighting the recently introduced new laws in Britain, the minister pointed out that the introduction of these laws is necessary to maintain law and order in the country.

Meanwhile, Mr Mellor inquired from the minister on four suspects arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

The Minister informed the officials that all four of them were suspects in connection with the Easter Sunday bomb attacks and that they were arrested and brought before the law according to the PTA that existed at that time.

Minister Alles further pointed out that the proposed new anti-terrorism law should be balanced to maintain law and order.

Also, the British High Commissioner informed the Minister that a training workshop on the use of rules and regulations will be organized for the officers of the Sri Lankan Police through Zoom conferencing. (Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya)

Stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya remanded

May 28th, 2023

Courtesy Adaderana

Stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya, who was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over her recent controversial comments, has been ordered to be remanded in custody until June 07, after being produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.

This order has been issued by Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage this evening (May 28).

Nathasha Edirisooriya, who found herself in hot water over her remarks on religions which stirred much controversy in the country, was arrested at the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) early this morning, while trying to fly out of the country.

The CID on Saturday (27) received a complaint pertaining to a woman who had allegedly insulted religions including Buddhism, and Christianity during a stand-up comedy show recently held at a leading school in Colombo.

The stand-up comedian in question, identified as Nathasha Edirisooriya and the individual who had posted the relevant video online later publicly apologised for the statements made.

Despite their apology, however, several parties severely criticised the insults made during Nathasha’s segment, adding that she had used ‘derogatory’ language.

Thus, a complaint had been filed with the CID, calling for the arrest of the youth, citing that she had insulted Buddhism.

Applications sought for scholarships to study in Nalanda University in India

May 27th, 2023

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, May 26: Nalanda University in India is inviting applications from Sri Lankan nationals for following programs under the BIMSTEC Scholarship Scheme for the academic year 2023-24.

•       MA and PhD in Historical Studies

•       MA and PhD in Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions

ADVERTISEMENT

•       MA and PhD in Hindu Studies (Sanātana Dharma)

•       MSc and PhD in Ecology and Environment Studies

•       MBA in Sustainable Development and Management

•       MA and PhD in World Literature in English

The Scholarship Scheme covers admission fee, tuition fee of the course, residential charges and a monthly stipend in addition to a one-time to and from travel fare.

Details regarding the Scheme are available on https://nalandauniv.edu.in/admissions/. Further details may be obtained by emailing foreignstudents@nalandauniv.edu.in. The priority deadline for submission of applications on the website (https://nalandauniv.edu.in/admissions/) is 10 June 2023.

President apologizes to Japanese Government over the termination of LRT project

May 27th, 2023

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

May 26 (AdaDerana) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his regret to the Japanese Government for the suspension of the Colombo Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, which was being implemented with Japanese support.

During the official meeting in Tokyo this morning (25) between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the President emphasized the need for future legislation in the Parliament to ensure that bilateral large-scale projects cannot be halted or canceled without the agreement of both parties.

For similar articles, join our Telegram channel for the latest updates. – click here

ADVERTISEMENT

The Prime Minister of Japan warmly received President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and bilateral talks commenced after a friendly conversation between the two leaders.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his gratitude to Japan for its support in helping Sri Lanka recover from its economic crisis, thanking the Japanese Prime Minister for his assistance.

The leaders also discussed new opportunities to enhance cooperation between Japan and Sri Lanka.

In another meeting held on the same day (25) in Tokyo, President Ranil Wickremesinghe met with Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki to discuss Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring and the International Monetary Fund’s program. Subsequently, President Ranil Wickremesinghe met with Japanese Foreign Minister Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi, focusing on strengthening long-term bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Japan, including increased cooperation in economic and cultural fields.

Additionally, President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Prime Minister of Japan Mr. Yasuo Fukuda participated in a breakfast meeting organized by the Japan-Sri Lanka Association in Tokyo on the same day (25).

During the meeting, President Ranil Wickremesinghe briefed the former Prime Minister of Japan on the ongoing economic recovery program in Sri Lanka. The President highlighted the favorable investment climate in Sri Lanka and extended an invitation to Japanese investors to return and invest in the country.

Furthermore, a meeting was held between the former Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Taro Aso, and President Ranil Wickremesinghe, focusing on potential steps to strengthen the existing close and friendly relationship with Sri Lanka.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe also engaged in bilateral talks with Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in Tokyo on the same day (25). The President reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to implementing the Singapore Free Trade Agreement during discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore.

President spearheads Sri Lanka’s economic revival and seeks Japanese investment

May 27th, 2023

Courtesy The Island

President Ranil Wickremesinghe actively engaged in a pivotal business round table on Sri Lanka’s Economic Revival & Opportunities for Japanese Enterprise,” where he presented the nation’s commitment to stabilizing and liberalizing the economy while actively inviting new foreign ventures.

The event, jointly organized by JETRO, Japan-Sri Lanka Business Co-Operation, and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Japan, aimed to strengthen economic ties between the two nations.

During the round table, President Wickremesinghe fervently outlined the ongoing efforts undertaken by Sri Lanka to restore stability and openness to its economy, presenting an inviting climate for foreign investment. With a clear vision to attract Japanese enterprise, he discussed the various measures and reforms being implemented to create a conducive business environment for potential investors.

Recognizing Japan’s significance as a vital economic partner, President Wickremesinghe emphasized the mutual benefits that can be derived from increased collaboration between the two nations. Sri Lanka’s strategic location and skilled workforce were highlighted as key advantages, providing a gateway for Japanese companies to expand their operations in the region and leverage the country’s emerging economic opportunities.

As Sri Lanka continues its journey toward economic revival, President Wickremesinghe’s active participation in the round table, underscores the government’s unwavering commitment to attracting foreign investment and driving sustainable economic progress.

බුදු දහමට අපහාසාත්මක ප්‍රකාශ සිදුකළ කාන්තාවට එරෙහිව අස්ගිරි පාර්ශ්වයේ පුත්තලම මහා දිසාවේ ප්‍රධාන සංඝනායක හිමිගෙන් පැමිණිල්ලක්

May 27th, 2023

Lanka Lead News

නතාෂා එදිරිසිංහ නම් කාන්තාව බෞද්ධාගමටත්, සිදුහත් උපතටත් විශාල අපහාසයක් සිදු කර ඇති බව ප්‍රකාශ කරමින් අස්ගිරි මහා විහාර පාර්ශ්වයේ පුත්තලම මහා දිසාවේ ප්‍රධාන සංඝනායක පූජ්‍ය මිගෙට්ටුවත්තේ සුමිත්ත හිමියන් විසින් පොලිස්පති චන්දන වික්‍රමරත්න මහතා වෙත පැමිණිල්ලක් කර තිබේ.

අදාළ පැමිණිල්ල මෙසේ ය.

Stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya arrested at BIA

May 27th, 2023

Courtesy Adaderana

Stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya, who found herself in hot water over her remarks on religions which stirred much controversy in the country, has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

She was taken into custody at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake while trying to fly out of the country, according to the police.

The CID on Saturday received a complaint pertaining to a woman who had allegedly insulted religions including Buddhism, and Christianity during a stand-up comedy show recently held at a leading school in Colombo.

The stand-up comedian in question, identified as Nathasha Edirisooriya and the individual who had posted the relevant video online later publicly apologised for the statements made.

Despite their apology, however, several parties severely criticised the insults made during Nathasha’s segment, adding that she had used ‘derogatory’ language.

Thus, a complaint had been filed with the CID, calling for the arrest of the youth, citing that she had insulted Buddhism.

This scenario comes against the rather controversial backdrop of Pastor Jerome’s recent statements during a sermon he had delivered, which was also accused of insulting Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.

Part 5: Errors of Judgement, IMF, and Potential Solutions to Avoid Bankruptcy -A candid study and an action plan Economic and social development for Sri Lanka

May 26th, 2023

by Professor Sunil J.  Wimalawansa

Consequences of IMF loans:

Under IMF-imposed policies, Sri Lanka has witnessed the dramatic deterioration of many local industries.  Sri Lanka had sold off its profitable public sector enterprises such as the Tire Corporation, Sugar Corporation, Milk-food Corporation, Air Lanka (which used to be Sri Lanka’s national airline), Ceylon Transport Board, and textile factories at Tulhiriya and Veyangoda.  Due to multiple reasons, the partnership of Air Lanka, Sri Lanka’s national airline with Emirates, miserably failed.  It did not economically affect Emirates, but Sri Lankan airline went down the drain—our assets.

It has been reported that these state-owned enterprises were sold to the local and foreign private sectors for a fraction of their value based on commissions earned.  Subsequently, in many cases, local and foreign owners have sold these valuable assets at large profits, made money, and left the country, leaving behind unpaid loans, wages and bills, and abandoned factories.  So, who did that to Sri Lanka?  Sri Lanka has also seen unreasonable price increases under privatisation.  For example, telephone charges, cooking gas, and gasoline (petrol) prices have increased by over 200-1,000%.  With the inability to service current loans, if other loans are taken, it will make the conditions much worse.

There is some rationale for selling those highly subsidised state-owned enterprises that lose money.  However, selling profitable assets such as the national airline, electricity board, telecom, petroleum corporation, etc., is another scandal.  While people can argue lending from the IMF and World Bank to developing countries further increases the debt burden, curtailing self-sufficiency and making developing countries even poorer in the long run.  It also makes it difficult to sell goods produced in developing countries to the industrialised countries.  

Unfortunately, these policies have resulted in increased debt, decreased local production, increased prices, higher inflation, increased unemployment, and a reduction in the value of the local currency.  It is time to break away from this vicious cycle of stagnation and mounting international debt.  However, open economies propagated by the World Bank and IMF—the West had benefited a handful of countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Ireland. Still, many developing countries have been unable to escape poverty. 

Conversely, a closed economy such as North Korea and Russia are apparent self-inflicted disasters.  However, most developing countries, including Sri Lanka, fall in between and continue to have problems lifting their heads above water.  Sri Lanka must develop methods to attract FDIC and have plans to pay off and get rid of loans speedily.  If opted to seek more loans (with the goal of more pilferage of funds) to pay off existing loans, or in the disguise of projects, it will further increase the debt burden, accumulation of interest payments, pushing to selling of our national assets—classic loan trap (i.e., stupidity).

Fundamental errors made by the Sri Lankan government

The government made several critical policy errors over the past three decades.  One such was abolishing grass-roots-based organisations, such as the Paddy Marketing Board, CWE, Marketing Department, etc., that helped millions of ordinary people.  It eliminated the opportunities for farmers to sell their products at a reasonable price and provided a formal opportunity for private businesspersons to exploit farmers.  These have resulted in further reductions in local production, increased consumer prices, and increased cheap imports.  Due to the pressure from intermediaries and traders (primary beneficiaries), and failure to sell their products at a reasonable price (manipulated by corrupt officials), many farmers have committed suicide over the past few years, adding insult to injury.  Does anyone take responsibility?

 Government must curtail corruption and break up of mentioned monopolies to minimize vicious cycles to protect its citizens.  For example, re-establishing the village-based cooperative organizations and cultivation officer positions that empower local people, enhancing their production (local selling-purchasing-bartering system, which also minimises transportation costs), and improving the supply chain and farmers’ income and living standards.  Bringing farmers out of the poverty trap needs a fool-proof economic revival system.

Adopting outward-looking policies

Without economic success, Sri Lanka will not be able to maintain peace, harmony, unity, and prosperity, or for that matter, national security.  Irrespective of political interferences -settlements, an improved economy will resolve many inherent social unrest and political stability and enhance the economic and social advancement of the country.  Social unrest, however, will disappear once the economy improves and people are not starving.  On the other hand, continuing loan traps, devaluation of rupees, and monetization add to inflation, increase the cost of living, and enhance poverty and misery for most Sri Lankans.

The above-mentioned is another reason the government must focus on sustainable macroeconomic improvements.  The government is not an employment agency for parliamentarians and ministers or a loan agency.  Instead, it must implement beneficial laws to facilitate growth and eliminate unnecessary and outdated regulations.  However, increasing subsidies is not the right approach, which would further increase the local debt burden.  A correct and balanced approach will help individuals and the business community prosper.  An improved economy and job opportunities created by the industries lead to increased governmental revenue, allowing paying off existing loans along the supply chain economics.  Such collective actions will lead to fair and sustainable economic and social advancement.

Compared to the rapidly developing neighbouring countries, the profit margins in most Sri Lankan export industries are small.  Rather than increasing the price of products, which will eventually phase one out of the market, firms should consider decreasing the cost of goods and production costs.  A significant reduction of overall production costs is achievable through reducing the cost of raw material, supply chain and process improvements, and minimising or eliminating non-value chains. 

Prioritising key areas, especially in manufacturing and development, is necessary before moving into less demanding or essential places.  In contrast to China and India, the market within Sri Lanka is petite.  Therefore, the strategic focus should be to produce high-quality goods, mainly branded products, for export to Asia and other foreign markets.

Text Box:  A broader macro-economic vision, incentives for local production (e.g., increase local availability of fertiliser at affordable cost, improve food storage facilities and transportation), and tax holidays to start new businesses and attract foreign investments are also necessary for economic growth.  This is precisely what Ireland successfully did a few years ago with their supply-side policies.  They became the Celtic tiger” quickly because substantial tax cuts for foreign investments led to a massive influx of foreign direct investment.

Although tax cuts stimulate growth (as illustrated in supply chain economics), they must be done cautiously and strategically: not for political reasons, to favour cronies, or to attract votes before an election.  Haphazard major tax cuts will likely increase budget deficits, inflation, job losses, and defaulting loan-interest payments. The above example illustrates the importance of FDIC in developing a country, rather than dependence on international loans that worsen the situation (supply chain economics—Regonomics).  Political uncertainty, weakening and/or unstable local currency, failure to develop infrastructure, outdated laws, and education system, destruction of forestry and the environment (social injustice), and ongoing corruption discourage foreign countries and firms from investing in Sri Lanka. 

Most of these problems can be dealt with relatively quickly with honest/ transparent, forward-looking governance and dedicated strong leadership willing to take bold, candid steps, including extraordinary measures.  Therefore, FDIC will go hand in hand with the honesty of government transparency and less legislative restriction, a lack of which has been a root problem in Sri Lanka and other developing countries.

One should also remember that foreign investors are not interested in developing Sri Lanka or any developing country.  Their sole interest is profits.  Business enterprises and investors will move in to take advantage of tax breaks, cheap labour, perhaps weaker labour laws, and ineffective environmental protection laws (see Truth of Capitalism).  But the government should harness its strength and efficiency to capitalize on these medium-term investments to tie into Sri Lanka’s long-term development plan while proactively minimizing potentially harmful influences and the need for loans.

Effects of globalization

With globalization and the expansion of tourism (especially the lower economic end), adverse social and foreign influences, such as illegal drugs and abusing children, are likely.  Over the past Text Box:  decades, these have increased in the southern coastal region of Sri Lanka.  These were associated with expanding uncontrolled adult entertainment, sexually transmitted diseases, drug abuse, alcoholism, misleading advertisements, unethical or culturally unacceptable programs, gambling, illegal activities, fraudulent businesses, alienating habits and distorting Hela history and Buddhism. 

Inefficient regulatory oversight, irresponsible mass media, and the lack of control of material published continue to harm innocent minds and psyches of children and youth.  These have led to dramatic negative changes in attitudes and mentality of some sectors in Sri Lanka.  The editorial staff of the national news media has direct responsibility to curtail such misinformation, prevent dissemination of harmful information, and safeguard the younger generation, who are the country’s future.  What warrants is not government censorship but self-censorship by the media? 

Despite the above, if these are getting out of control, the government should introduce legislation specifying the contents of all television channels and other mass media—a statute on the truth of advertising.  In addition, an introduction of a mandatory period for educational and patriotic programs on television, a limit on the duration and content of advertising, and elimination of untruthful advertising and false propaganda would be helpful to curtail s negative influences.  It might become necessary to enforce legislation with significant monetary damages and provisions to revoke media licenses if they repeat offences, but n must protect from political abuse.

For the past two decades, with the semi-Westernization of cities and suburban regions, there has been a significant increase in the sex-trade and adult entertainment, abuse of women and children, illegal drugs and alcoholism, expansion of casinos and gambling facilities, and other forms of underworld activities.  In addition, violence has seriously impacted the youth across the country, some of which politicians patronise.  In parallel, divorces, underage marriages, spousal and child abuse, illegal abortions, drug addiction, and other sins have also become commonplace.  If this trend and unsafe environment continue, would foreign investors continue to invest in Sri Lanka?  Such was seldom heard of in Sri Lanka four decades ago.  Why now?

Understandably, some of these are known as adverse outcomes of globalization.  The government is responsible for curtailing this vicious cycle of negative social and economic disruption and its repercussions.  These weaknesses led to the deterioration of the health of the country’s workforce with increased absenteeism and sickness, imposed an extra burden on healthcare and industry output, and caused an impact on the national security and economy.

What should be done?

Sri Lankan should not depend on loans or handouts to develop the economy: instead, it needs to expand the FDIC and endogenous development and associated exports to strengthen foreign reserves.  Following the tsunami disaster, the government of Sri Lanka had the golden opportunity to appeal to the West for debt cancellation or favourable restructuring of its existing loans (debt forgiveness or moratorium); but it failed to take this opportunity.

Instead of obtaining further loans, the government should negotiate to decrease or eliminate trade barriers, acquire favourable export status, and get preferential market access in industrialized countries.  Even though these may not immediately impact debt relief, the gains from the increased trade to Sri Lanka would substantially reduce the trade gap and facilitate a sustainable economy in the long run.  The government’s approach of dependence, begging for loans, and handouts is not the right approach for Sri Lanka.

The state must provide honest governance, a ‘safe capital’ environment, enforceable contracts, honour intellectual property rights, and incentivize foreign companies to invest in Sri Lanka.  It must market its new economic policies honestly to the world.  In contrast, selling a country and its assets is like selling soap or salt—one in water ends up with nothing.  All politicians, especially the President, Finance Minister, and Central Bank governors, must proactively engage to provide wide international publicity for the country’s new economic plan and incentives to attract FDIC.  The efforts have been haphazard and unconvincing to date, including from the Bureau of Investment (BOI).

To attract business, the government should offer incentives, like Ms. Ruth Richardson, the former Finance Minister of New Zealand, successfully did on her every visit to a foreign country.  We need to learn from these examples and act appropriately.  Every Sri Lankan politician or diplomat on each foreign trip must make at least one favourable trade deal for the country; otherwise, they should not be allowed to engage in similar travel in the future, representing Sri Lanka.  Does this happen now?  Instead, most foreign travels by ministers using taxpayer funds have become personal/family trade trips, including for prime ministers.

The BOI is the government organization that should champion foreign investments in Sri Lanka.  The BOI authorizes tax benefits—tax holidays, easing imports and exports, and allocating land to foreign investors in Sri Lanka.  However, the negative attitude of the leaders of this organization is hampering progress.  To achieve significant improvement, the BOI needs to have transparent leadership dedicated to the cause without taking bribery and commissions. 

Buercrtic delays should be eliminated

Politicians and senior bureaucrats in Sri Lanka have not been adhering to ethics and the fundamentals of a booming economy.  They have not come to grips with what needs to be done to develop and strengthen the economy.  To minimize social unrest, unethical and forceful religious conversions by I-NGOs and disparaging the main religions in Sri Lanka must be stopped.  Legal measures should be introduced with punitive punishments to prevent exploiting the innocent, children, women, and the poor.  Government must avoid the destruction of the rural economic base and cultural heritage, environmental destruction and deforestation, and converting our cities and urban communities into slums.

Flooding the local market with poor quality, cheap gimmickry imports from China and Taiwan, and food from India will hinder the local production of goods. Failure to curtail these would prevent local farmers from selling their products competitively.  Given their already low margins, local farmers and producers risk their enterprises and will likely go out of business.  Therefore, unwanted and unauthorized imports need to be restricted: if they arrive, either these should be returned or released slowly and systematically to minimise the harm to the local market.

In addition to Western markets, Sri Lanka should make tight alliances with emerging new economies in the Asian region, including India and China.  It is likely that within the next two to three decades, global power and capital markets will shift from the West (i.e., USA and Europe) to Asia, and US dollars may not remain the globally dominant currency.  Asian developments have begun to threaten the Western world, which has controlled global affairs and the world’s economy for two centuries.  This new Asian economic power block should open their markets, especially for developing countries helping each other.  Sri Lanka must be at the forefront of this new economic revolution and embrace the comparative advantages of these newly emerging economic opportunities.

Part six encompasses overcoming the stagnant GDP— reforming subsidies, energy, and taxes.  

POLITICS IN SRI LANKA Part 4G

May 26th, 2023

KAMALIKA PIERIS

Premadasa set up the Koggala Free Trade Zone.The National Housing Development Authority, Urban Development Authority, Central Environmental Authority and the Institute for Construction Training and Development,  (ICTAD).  He started the Housing Development Finance Corporation in 1984.(Daily News./2023/05/01).  This later became HDFC Bank .

Premadasa  secured British funding for the construction of the Victoria Dam.    Premadasa set up Sevana fund which started as a fund to help build a new house for a poor family in Wellawaya. There arose the Sevana Lottery.He managed to secure support for Sevana Sarana Foster parents scheme when he was abroad, added Bradman Weerakoon. Premadasa role in these projects is  forgotten today.

In 1978, R. Premadasa, who was then the Minister of Local Government, ordered recruitment of GCE A.L. qualified youth as Health Wardens (at present called Health Instructors) to mainly uplift the public health of the people, living in marginalized lands in Colombo, said Pradeep Kariyawasam

150 Health Wardens were recruited and their task was to organize the communities and form Community Development societies, create children’s societies, improve hygiene practices and sanitation, provide basic amenities, look into the nutritional aspects and train the women in preparing nutritious, safe but cheaper food items, etc.

 During my period as the Colombo MOH, they helped me to control cholera and dengue and chikungunya epidemics, and eradicate polio from the city. They were the link to the poorer marginalized people in the flats and slums, continued Pradeep.

This service was only available at the Colombo Municipal Council and it suffered once the CMC came under provincial rule. Provincial Council said recruitment should be done by the CMC and CMC said it should be done by the PC. During the last 40 years, officers were recruited only twice, and with the retirement of officers, their numbers dwindled to around 25.

 Knowing the value of this service, I got the cadre increased to 185 before I left the service of the CMC, but on my return to the CMC, as a Councilor, to my utter dismay, I found that the cadre has been reduced to 75,said Pradeep Kariyawasam in 2020.

In 1990, Mrs. Moir was requested by President Premadasa to run a multimedia English language programme on television and radio to give the rural people an equal opportunity to learn the English language. She invited Barbara Goldsmith, a former Head of BBC English, to work with her. This team bought the hugely successful English language programme ‘Follow Me’ from the BBC and used this with introductions in Sinhala and Tamil on the state radio and television at prime time..

 They   had 80 language centers across the country from Jaffna in the North to Matara in the South, and held written and spoken English examinations set by the University of Warwick.The cost of sitting the exam was only Rs 100. Several teachers were sent abroad for training for Follow Me programme under Moir’s watchful eye. Almost all who got the Follow me certificate from Warwick, were able to get good jobs.

Follow me programme became so popular that the Department of Education found that more students were sitting for Follow Me than for their exams. It was a huge success. Premadasa was very satisfied, said Goolbhai Gunasekera. Truly what a president we lost when Mr. Premadasa was assassinated, she concluded.

Premadasa built the cricket stadium on Khettarama Road, MaligawattaColombo .It was built on swamp land previously used by monks ferrying across to the Khettarama temple. It is the largest stadium in Sri Lanka with a capacity of 35,000 spectators. It was Opened on 2 February 1986 with a match between a Sri Lanka ‘B’ side and an England ‘B’ team, and is today one of the main venues where the Sri Lankan cricket team play, having hosted more than 100 one day international matches.

Premadasa resuscitated the Tower Hall Foundation for drama and music, and rescued the old and now feeble artists who had performed there in the 1920s. He brought them on to the stage where they belted out songs. His father had loved Tower hall plays. Premadasa initiated a pension scheme for the senior Tower Hall artistes.

Jinadasa Vijayatunga who wrote Grass for my feet” was specially flown down from England in 1989 on the invitation of President Premadasa. He moved to his new home in Nugegoda that had been set up for him by President Premadasa – with two attendants to look after him since he had a heart ailment.Vijayatunga was to live in his new house for only a few weeks he passed away and was cremated at the General Cemetery, Kanatte, after which his ashes were interred in his beloved village of Urala where the grass had caressed his feet in his childhood. ( CONTINUED)

ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේ මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් මුල් අවස්ථා අධිකරණ බලය ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයෙන් ඉවත් කර මහාධිකරණයට පැවරීම නීතිය සැමට සාධාරණව ක්‍රියාත්මක කර ගැනීමට පසුබිම සළසයි.

May 26th, 2023

නීතීඥ අරුණ ලකසිරි උණවටුන

1978 ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවෙන් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයට මුල් අවස්ථා අධිකරණ බල කිහිපයක් ලබා දී ඇත.

1972 ව්‍යවස්ථා සම්පාදකයන් විසින් ලබා නොදුන් මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් මුල් අවස්ථා අධිකරණ බලය 1978 ව්‍යවස්ථා සම්පාදකයන් විසින් 1978 ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවෙන් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයට ලබා දෙන ලදී. මේ මුල් අවස්ථා මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් අධිකරණ බලය බලවතුන් විසින්  ඉංග්‍රීසියෙන් ක්‍රියාත්මක කර ගත්තේය.

මේ සඳහා කාර්ය පටිපාටියක් පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසින් හැදුවේ නැත.අපාරධ නඩු විධාන සංග්‍රහය, සිවිල් නඩු විධාන සංග්‍රහය වැනි කාර්ය පටිපාටි නීති, සහ සාක්ෂි ආඥා පනත වැනි නීති අදාල වන්නේ පහළ අධිකරණ වල මුල් අවස්ථා අධිකරණ බල කාර්ය පටිපාටිවලටය.

1978 ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවෙන් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයට මුල් අවස්ථා අධිකරණ බල කිහිපයක්ම ලබා දුන්නත් කාර්ය පටිපාටියක් පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසින් හදුන්වා නොදීම නිසා ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණ විනිසුරුවරුන්ගේ අභිමතය අනුව එකී කාර්ය පටිපාටිය සහ නඩු නිෂ්ප්‍රභ කිරීම සිදු විය.

පහළ අධිකරණ නඩුවක් නිෂ්ප්‍රභා කළ විට හේතු දැක්විය යුතු වුවත්, ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය නඩුවක් නිෂ්ප්‍රභ කළ විට හේතු දැක්වීමක් අවශ්‍ය නොවීය.ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණ විනිසුරුවරුන්ගේ අභිමතය මැන බලන මිනුම් දණ්ඩක් නොවීය. මේ හේතුවෙන් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේ මුල් අවස්ථා අධිකරණ බලය ක්‍රියාත්මක කර ගැනීම ඉංග්‍රීසි දන්නා බලවතුන්ට පමණක් සීමා වීම දිගින් දිගටම සිඳුවන අතර එකී අධිකරණ බලය ක්‍රියාත්මක කර ගැනීම පොදු ජනතාවගෙන් ඈත් වී තිබේ. මෙය වෙනස් විය යුතුය.

1978 ට පෙර මෙන් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය අභියාචනා සහ ප්‍රතිශෝධන අධිකරණ බලය හිමිකර දී පහළ අධිකරණ වල නීතිමය සහ සිද්ධිමය වැරදි නිවැරදි කරන අධිකරණයක් බවට පත් කරන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනයක් ගෙන ඒමෙන් මෙය පාලනය කළ හැකිය.

මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් වැනි මුල් අවස්ථා නඩු  මහධිකරණයට පැවරිය හැකිය. ඒ සදහා විධිමත් කාර්ය පටිපාටියක් එනම් අපරාධ නඩු විධාන සංග්‍රහය සහ සාක්ෂි ආඥා පනත දැනටමත් ඇත. එවිට අභියාචනා, ප්‍රතිශෝධනය සහ යථා තත්ත්වයට පත් කිරීමේ අයිතියද රැකිය හැකිය.

නීතීඥ අරුණ ලකසිරි උණවටුන විසින් 2023.05.22 කොළඹ මහජන පුස්තකාල සම්මන්ත්‍රණ ශාලාවේ දී පැවති ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේ සහ අභියාචනාධිකරණයේ සිංහල භාෂාවෙන් නඩු පැවරීමේ වැඩසටහනේදී කළ දේශනයෙන්….(2023.05.22)

President attends business roundtable on economic revival, seeks Japanese investment

May 26th, 2023

Courtesy Adaderana

President Ranil Wickremesinghe actively engaged in a pivotal business roundtable on Sri Lanka’s Economic Revival & Opportunities for Japanese Enterprise,” where he presented the nation’s commitment to stabilizing and liberalizing the economy while actively inviting new foreign ventures.

The event, jointly organized by JETRO, Japan-Sri Lanka Business Co-Operation, and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Japan, aimed to strengthen economic ties between the two nations.

During the round table, President Wickremesinghe fervently outlined the ongoing efforts undertaken by Sri Lanka to restore stability and openness to its economy, presenting an inviting climate for foreign investment, the President’s Media Division (PMD) says.

With a clear vision to attract Japanese enterprises, he discussed the various measures and reforms being implemented to create a conducive business environment for potential investors.

Recognizing Japan’s significance as a vital economic partner, President Wickremesinghe emphasized the mutual benefits that can be derived from increased collaboration between the two nations.

Sri Lanka’s strategic location and skilled workforce were highlighted as key advantages, providing a gateway for Japanese companies to expand their operations in the region and leverage the country’s emerging economic opportunities.

As Sri Lanka continues its journey toward economic revival, President Wickremesinghe’s active participation in the round table, underscores the government’s unwavering commitment to attracting foreign investment and driving sustainable economic progress.

Meanwhile, President Ranil Wickremesinghe also joined a meeting with the Japan-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Association.

Meanwhile, a meeting took place in Tokyo between Japan’s Minister of Digitization, Mr. Taro Kono and President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

During the meeting, President Wickremesinghe provided a comprehensive overview of Sri Lanka’s program to advance towards a digital economy.

Furthermore, the discussion emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation between Japan and Sri Lanka in their respective digital transformation endeavours.

Simultaneously, President Ranil Wickremesinghe also engaged in talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang in Tokyo. The discussions between the two leaders primarily focused on strengthening bilateral relations and fostering cultural cooperation between Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

BOI gets green light for pilot project to cultivate cannabis

May 26th, 2023

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka has received the approval from an expert committee to embark on a pilot project to cultivate cannabis within a BOI zone.

This was revealed by Investment Promotion State Minister Dilum Amunugama during a media briefing at the BOI headquarters.

The pilot project is to kick-off soon in the Katunayake zone and discussions are underway with investors and experts to finalise the pilot project.

“We have been authorised as the experts committee report is out. It’s a ‘Yes’. We have got the instructions to go ahead with the pilot project,” said Dilum Amunugama.

“The investors who are interested in the project will have to grow the cannabis and manufacture a product out of it, which will be the income for the country,” he stated.

The State Minister proceeded to say that the Cabinet would have to be briefed as to how the project is to be implemented.

Meanwhile, he said the BOI has been able to attract investments worth USD 604 million during the period from January to May in 2023, with 22 new projects and six expansions.

Jerome Fernando and his profane gimmicks – II

May 25th, 2023

By Rohana R. Wasala  Courtesy The Island

Some well meaning, erudite, but very naive and innocent,  young bhikkhus are challenging the pastor to a debate over his deprecatory remarks about Buddhism, which I think is ridiculously ingenuous and unnecessary, because that is giving this mocker of the sacred a measure of dignity that he doesn’t deserve, and also because he cannot be credited with a decent understanding even of Christianity, let alone anything additional outside that domain. These young monks are being eclipsed in their calm but determined attempt to react to Jerome’s disinformation and deception without any ill will. By whom? They are getting overshadowed by a few yellow-robed  imposters who are themselves Buddhist versions of pastor Jerome Fernando. Actually, those few false monks and the fake prophet are birds of a feather  probably fed by the same hands, as some say. 

It has also been observed that certain discredited politicians are exploiting the opportunity that came their way through this obviously well rehearsed Jerome Fernando episode to take a dig at each other for the heck of it, without utilising it to repair the damage it is causing to reconciliation.  Last but not least, where are the Ven Mahanayake theras? Their silence in crisis situations has often aggravated issues affecting the Buddha Sasana. The online media I normally consult have nothing in this regard. However, one can’t blame the Ven Mahanayakes because they avoid politics, as they have done down the centuries. They used to advise the monarch only in spiritual matters, and the monarch took responsibility for looking after the Shashanaya. The most senior monk or monks, close to the royalty, offered their opinion in succession matters on rare occasions, and also when the ruler failed in his duties or when there were foreign threats to the nation. The Sangha never took part in ruling, but remained above the ruler.  The Buddhist Sangha is a very democratic community, where one monk has no control over another. Times have changed. It is urgent that the Mahanayakes do more to save the Buddha Shasanaya including the Fourfold Assembly of Followers (Sivvanak Pirisa) of male and female lay Buddhists and bhikkhus and bhikshunis.  . 

Back to the topic. Meanwhile, a complaint was lodged with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) by the propaganda secretary of the political party, Pivituru Hela Urumaya (PHU), Iranga Vidvath Mendis, in connection with the relevant offensive statements made by Jerome Fernando who calls himself a prophet, which are derogatory to the Buddha, Buddhism, and other religions. This is the only meaningful reaction I have seen so far to Jerome Fernando’s outrage (up to the time of writing). The complainant demands that the law be applied to the (suspect) offender in this case in terms of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act No. 56 of 2007.  

The aforementioned petition to the CID was published in a news report in the online lanka c news.  It quoted the following fromJerome Fernando’s importunate harangue:

 This is what separates Christianity from Buddhism. Because for a Buddhist in their mind, it’s like, okay, අනුන්ට කලදේ තමන්ට පලදේ in a sense, it’s true, especially if you do something to a prophet. Anyways. Now, but in the Buddhist mind, they never hear the love of Buddha. Are you hearing this? Their focus is enlightenment. But to be enlightened, you need light. The Buddha himself, the name Buddha means enlightened one. Ladies and gentlemen, what is greater, light or enlightened? Jesus said, I’m the light of the world. so i tell you now, jesus didn’t said i’am the enlightened one, No, no, no, no. Jesus came from a different wavelength. Jesus said I’m the light. So I submit to you, the Buddha was looking for light. He was actually looking for Jesus. This is why every Buddhist needs Jesus.”

I came across a YouTube video clip of the relevant part of Jerome Fernando’s coercive religious rant against the Buddha, Buddhism and Buddhists that contained more. There was a singing part to it too, that ridicules such traditional curative and protective magical remedies as tying charmed threads, anointing charmed oil, etc usually found among rural folk, as superstitious practices based on Buddhist teachings. Those are cultural things and should not be confused with Buddhism. Buddha did not advocate such things. He himself visited a physician called Jeevaka when he fell ill, according to the known life of the Buddha. He preached no religion, and never prescribed blind-faith based devotional practices or mindless rituals. Even the most ignorant Buddhists know that magical cures like charmed threads, oils, and chants are not part of the doctrine they actually follow. Instead, those ritual performances are part and parcel of the established holistic native healing culture which maintains the vital balance between the physical and mental aspects of the patients’ health. These ancient healing arts have survived, particularly  among villagers, into modern times. Jerome also staged some faith healing episodes, not different from them. Such magical fake cures are daily performed in many hundreds of devales dedicated to local deities found across the country which are patronised not only by gullible villagers, but by superstitious city dwellers including politicians and businessmen among others of the same ilk seeking divine assistance with their often nefarious projects.  Why should a prophet demean his god by descending to the level of a village kapurala unless he was a genuine fake?

 In the letter to the CID referred to above, Mendis has left out (probably, as irrelevant to the point of his plaint) Fernando’s disparaging references to Hinduism and Islam and relevant sacred figures, which are equally outrageous, such as that Hindus venerate animals. A common allegation he raised against the leaders of all three non-Christian religions did not preach Love! But this fake prophet’s real target is the Buddha, his teaching and the Buddhists, his followers, whom he demeans, by implication, as a spiritually misguided lot. Though it is evident that Jerome is proficient enough in Sinhala for preaching to them, he speaks only in English and has himself interpreted in Sinhala. That, I think, is just an act he puts on to further impress his apparently mesmerised audience, whose awed gazes were fixed on his constantly beaming beatific smile. 

What is Jerome Fernando saying in the snatch of speech quoted above? Simply, nonsense. He appears to be ignorant of his own religion of Christianity and its truly great founder Jesus Christ. Christianity came five or six hundred years after Buddhism. The latter is definitely beyond pastor Fernando’s power of understanding. What did Buddhists do to him (if he means himself by ‘prophet’) for him to say anunta kala de tamanta pala de” (which would be equivalent to the English proverb ‘Curses come home to roost’)? (When he said this, though, he seemed to be mocking his own ‘prophet’ act!) This idea of ‘retaliatory justice’ is not part of the Buddhist concept of karmic causation. People from different cultural backgrounds accept the idea that bad deeds earn you bad results and that good deeds bring you good results, as a self-evident truth. The Karma concept taught in Buddhism is much more profound and complex than ‘Curses come home to roost’. 

A word about the idea of love that Jerome finds missing in Buddhism. Buddhism is nothing if it is not about wisdom and compassion. Buddha does uphold love as a positive emotion,  but says that it is ultimately based on selfishness/the illusion of ‘self’. Buddha’s teaching recognizes a difference between love (that you feel for a person) and unconditional universal compassion or loving-kindness (maitri, friendliness) towards all sentient beings, something that is completely selfless. I think Christian love is also very close to or identical with the Buddhist concept of loving-kindness. To me it looks like the highly intelligent Jerome Fernando has not so far cared to grasp at least a faint idea of the Buddha’s profound dhamma. He has no sense of history, for he doesn’t know that the Buddha lived five to six centuries before Jesus was born. Otherwise, if he is in his right senses at least temporarily, how can he say that the Buddha was looking for Jesus? What do you know about the Enlightenment concept taught in Buddhism, Jerome? Obviously, NOTHING! You equate enlightenment to lighting up or illuminating something. That is stupid. An Australian YouTuber of Sri Lankan origin says that he had some slight acquaintance with Jerome as a young Burgher with a different name doing modelling work for commercial firms about twenty years back. It’s plausible information. He uses both Sinhala and English equally fluently. Oops! I almost forgot. At the end or thereabouts of his Buddha bashing, quite paradoxically, like a true Christian preacher  or a genuine Buddhist monk for that matter, he admonishes his congregation: Never persecute anybody, never shame another person’s faith”.

I will wind up with a reference to the Buddha’s famous Kalama Sutta discourse. The Buddha advised his disciples to question and examine even the Tathagata (Buddha) himself to find the trustworthiness, the authenticity, of the teacher they  chose to follow. A group of young men called the Kalamas came to the Buddha with a question. They wanted to learn from him how they could separate truths from falsehoods uttered by the various venerable recluses and brahmanas who visited their village of Kesaputta from time to time and preached their different doctrines that disagreed with each other. Obviously, the young men had heard of the fame of the Buddha who himself had studied under the most famous teachers of the time and exhaustively analysed their teachings, and dissatisfied, had embarked on his own long and assiduous search for the Truth and  eventually attained Enlightenment. The Buddha’s advice to them was: Kalamas, do not be led by reports, or tradition, or hearsay. Be not led by the authority of religious texts, nor by mere logic and inference, nor by considering appearances, nor by the delight in speculative opinions, nor by seeming possibilities, nor by the idea: ‘this is our teacher’. But…when you know for yourselves that certain things are unwholesome (akusala), and wrong, and bad, then give them up… and when you know for yourselves that certain things are wholesome (kusala) and good, then accept them and follow them”. (I am quoting here from Ven Walpola Rahula thera’s classic dhamma compendium ‘What the Buddha Taught’ first published in London in 1959, and reprinted many times since, which Jerome Fernando may profitably read and still remain, or learn to become, a pious and virtuous Christian (which, I am afraid, he is not at present.)

I can easily answer your criticisms of Hinduism and Islam, but it is better for you to learn by yourself their moral essence that is as noble and as ennobling as Christianity. 

(Concluded)

Part 4: Inability To Pay Loan-Traps, and Future Bankruptcy – A candid study and an action plan Economic and social development for Sri Lanka

May 25th, 2023

by Professor Sunil J.  Wimalawansa

Would taking excessive (unnecessary) loans by Sri Lanka lead to bankruptcy?

In 2002, Sri Lanka paid more than US $320 million as import duties to affluent countries.  While some European countries exported three to five times more than Sri Lanka, Norway paid only $125 million, and Switzerland paid $245 million in the same year.  Why such a discrepancy?  Such data illustrates how Sri Lanka is trapped in increasing its debt and widening its trade gap, partly due to the Western agenda but primarily due to greed, lack of familiarity with macroeconomics and proactive actions by lazy politicians. 

 Irrespective of the political party in power, the government must have a long-term, viable and sustainable national policy to develop the country, protect its sovereignty and unitary status, and maintain security, law and order.  The general development strategies carefully mapped out for the government should continue, regardless of changing the political party in power or the ideas.  Legislations imposing severe punishments for anyone attempting to derail the country’s progress, irrespective of party politics, must create deterrents: this seems a reality only with a replacement of the constitution. 

Dangers of depending solely on the traditional economy

In an economy based solely on exporting raw materials, low-quality, easily manufactured products are highly vulnerable to fluctuating currency and competition from cheaper suppliers such as China and Taiwan.  A similar was observed recently in the tea and rubber markets.  In these situations, the country’s economy can take a downturn overnight, as happened during the Asian currency crisis a few years ago.  In the long run, Sri Lanka must develop its brand names and identity (such as Ceylon Tea, Sri Lanka Tourism, Sri Lankan Eco-Tourism, etc.), especially in high-margin industries, to sustain fierce competition from under-cutting countries like China, Taiwan, and South Korea.

Sri Lanka must consider augmenting the traditional raw material export markets with value-adding to raw materials before exporting, as with the manufacturing industry and export of finished goods.  It would not make economic sense to ship raw materials cheaply to industrialised countries, and import finished products from the same raw materials at a much higher cost.  It is also necessary to consider exporting non-traditional and refined products like titanium and thorium extracted from sand, which provides a larger profit margin.  Similarly, instead of exporting cardamom, cloves, and other spices, Sri Lankan must remove essential oils and aromas and ship these spices at a significantly higher price.

NGO involvement and the need to avoid spending traps

Sri Lanka does not have the luxury of importing everything just because the mass media induce fantasy markets or the consumption of luxury items (e.g., luxury cars).  Irrespective of who imports them, such irresponsible imports drain the country’s foreign exchange for the benefit of a handful.  Similarly, the trap of spending money from international donors or expatriates on importing non-essential items in developing countries, like Sri Lanka, is detrimental to the recipient country’s economy: this leads to repetitions of the poverty cycle.  Furthermore, international aid agencies as well as I-NGO’s must be made accountable to their governments, philanthropic donors, and the recipient countries for (im)proper utilisation of funds, poor outcomes, and the lack of cost-effective use of donated funds. 

There are other issues associated with grants, donations, and loans.  By scrutinising the projects over the past two decades, it is apparent that no government agency is responsible for monitoring progress, finances, and outcomes.  Consequently, there is no accountability for how money was spent (e.g., competitive bidding or allocated underhand to political cronies) or the quality of outcomes.  Donors should ensure more cost-effective utilisation of funds if they identify focused projects created by motivated local organisations or individuals, oversee contractors’ work and progress, and find creative ways to solve locally relevant problems.  The local talent must take that challenge and use the most cost effective and suitable way and material for the job.  Sri Lanka experienced these scenarios during the recent post-tsunami era, where little work was accomplished by the large I-NGOs versus the progressive and cost-beneficial work done by the grass-root small organisations.

Organisations and independent auditors must monitor, oversee, and scrutinise these projects in the field to document the progress and outcomes—emphasising pros and cons and the cost-effectiveness as an audit process and for the benefit of future projects.  Unfortunately, Sri Lanka does not have such authorities independent of politicians and government bureaucrats, with legal control to monitor operations and take firm actions, including exposing the organisations that do not deliver or do inappropriate or unethical work locally and internationally.  Auditing, internal policing, and punitive measures are necessary to minimise fraud and pilferage of funds and wrongdoing.

Government responsibilities for economic development

Governments are not expected to act as job agencies.  Instead, they should facilitate the environment and business opportunities to create jobs for the country’s benefit.  Other than maintaining sovereignty, law, and order, the government’s position is to identify potential and strengths for economic growth and identify and facilitate international markets for exports.  Especially in high-intense economic activities such as communication centres, high-tech industries, propagating brand names, export of highly skilled labour to the West, export of value-added finished products, and systematic development of credible tourism.  Critical barriers to these include widespread corruption, bribery, lack of proper infrastructure, and destructive/ negative behaviour of specific sectors, including unacceptable driving habits. 

The government should earmark essential development resources that increase revenue generation and stop constructing roads to ‘nowhere’ (i.e., dismiss unnecessary and wasteful projects).  It is also crucial to ethical business and marketing; training that includes compliance and adherence to ethics is essential.  These sectors must have comparative advantages for Sri Lanka and strategically position the country for recurring revenue.

However, these should not be at the expense or compromise other sectors like agriculture, education, peace, or the country’s sovereignty (e.g., division of the country or setting up any foreign military bases in Sri Lanka).  All sectors must be modernised, supported, and expanded without political interference.  In addition, the Sri Lankan government must assist and nurture local industries and businesses, identify new export markets, and facilitate export products via its foreign missions/ambassadors.  There is little effort in these vital areas essential for economic growth.

These will boost local industries and enhance job opportunities, help recover from the current economic downturn, and decrease future debt, assuming politicians would not seek unnecessary loans, yet again, from creditors.  The Chinese government has been doing this efficiently for the past three decades, and the Indian government has begun to adopt this process, but it is yet to happen in Sri Lanka.  Another area that needs strengthening and diversification is the positioning and bolstering of high-margin, low-risk industries such as assembly or manufacturing, production of essential items, and some high-tech products.

As a country endogenously moves through its product life cycle, this will likely happen eventually but letting it for decades is unacceptable—respective governments have not leveraged or taken steps to expedite this cycle.  For example, Singapore and Hong Kong began with petrochemicals, plastics, and textiles: with their maturity, they moved to more stable industries like shipping, electronics, and banking.  They eventually established themselves as the shipping and financial capital in the region, accelerating their growth and advancing social welfare.

Reliance on international loans

Historically, Sri Lanka has been a wealthy country; it has even given loans to Great Britain and supported Japan immediately after the second world war.  However, since independence in 1948, forward-looking things and projects, use of brain-power, and accountability systematically deteriorated to the extent that the country now relies on foreign aid and loans.  Consequently, each year, Sri Lanka became economically poor.  All those who govern Sri Lanka are responsible for this failure.  

Successive governments and their political leaders failed to deliver what the country needed.  While, except for prime minister Dudley Senanayake, all others fattened their pockets, while the country became poo.  They must bear responsibility for the economic and social deterioration of the land, but to date, none of them has been made accountable.  Sri Lanka has not yet seen the bottom: thus, it is up to the public to prevent further destruction of the country and its economy by politicians.  Since there is no mechanism to recall and replace” politicians who failed and/or engaged in criminal activities available in the USA, constituents must vote them out from elected positions.

Text Box:  The dependency on loans was created by politicians and converted into a perfect situation for them to siphon funds and appoint unqualified and uneducated persons like themselves into high positions in the government, adding to inefficiency and over-burdening taxpayers.  They have developed skills to use others to get their dirty work done with false promises at the expense of the public.  At the same time, the West is exploiting the situation to its advantage: imposing its failed culture and policies” (disguised as human rights and democracy) and gaining control over the local decision-making process.  They use secret services organisations, like the CIA and RAW, to entice local folks to achieve their goals, including regime changes.

The involvement of the International Monetary (IMF) and the World Bank are designed to impose the Third World Structural Adjustment Policies/Programs” in developing countries, including Sri Lanka.  The end-game includes marketing their unwanted products (dumping), spreading religion (i.e., unethical conversions by gimmicks and false promises), and eroding the traditional culture food and drinking habits (illegal drugs, night-clubs, larger-scale gambling, alcohol parties, etc.).  The expansion of such economic traps began after the dreadful 1977 constitution that opened the doors for globalisation and opening the markets.

In their attempts to assist Sri Lanka, IMF, and the World Bank, plan to provide credit liberally, which inevitably became massive burdens to developing countries like Sri Lanka.  However, the negativity we see is only the tip of the iceberg.  As with several other developing countries, the debt trap will continue to increase with the cumulation of interest payments and will eventually lead (with the greed of politicians) to default.  That will likely happen to Sri Lanka—the question is when?  In specific cases, temporary/ short-term financial assistance for restructuring (structural reforms) could be helpful to come out of the mess; however, not under some of the conditions imposed by organisations like the IMF with hidden agendas.

Unfortunately, those countries that shortsightedly accepted the new ‘generosity’ of the IMF and World Bank would not consider the negative consequences of enforcing full-fledged free trade and liberalisation as lenders advocated.  Doing so without drastically reducing government spending with austerity measures will significantly erode local production of agriculture and other products and increase import dependency, further draining precious foreign exchange.  It will also pave the path to dumping shiploads of cheaper products, including food, preventing the local production and sustainability of local farming that cause some families and small businesses to go bankrupt.

Loan traps increased the misery of constituents

There is no free lunch.  Even though lending organisations are forcing their austerity policies, the governments of affected developing countries must be responsible for accepting these.  Loan traps are destructive for the recipient country.  Printing money, significantly increasing taxes, and over-regulation invariably led to inflation that would mostly hurt ordinary people, and small businesses may not survive this threat.  While a few of these policies are good, like reducing government spending, developing countries must implement these gradually to prevent chaos, increasing unemployment and threatening security.  But that is contrary to what the donors like the IMF are demanding as conditions of loans.

Unsurprisingly, many Western countries control the IMF and the World Bank.  The Blackrock and Vanguard corporations control these global lending agencies.  This octopus-like arrangement makes it easy for the West to exploit developing countries politically, economically, and socially.  The system is designed to use lines of credit to infiltrate and spread the Western agenda, not rescue developing countries from poverty.  If these counties with higher economic growth become self-sufficient and come out of poverty, the existence of the IMF and World Bank becomes redundant.  They will lose the power to control developing countries and impose Western economic agendas on them.  Supply chains for importing raw materials and exporting unwanted commodities to them are lost.  They do not want to see that happen.  As a result, there is a massive conflict of interest inherent to these lending organisations.

Consequently, the mentioned organisations will prevent developing countries from becoming developed.  So, those controlling countries in the West can continue exploiting developing countries and maintaining the raw materials supply chain cheaply.  Therefore, the surest way to ensure their goals and marketing agenda is to keep an economic grip on developing countries.  For example, since accepting the conditions associated with these loans, the Sri Lankan currency has continued to devalue, particularly against the US dollar, the lending currency and inflation skyrocketed.  This resulted in an increased cost of living and associated impoverishment of its citizens and poverty—70% of the population in the country.  This vicious cycle will repeat and worsen if the government borrows more funds.  The only way to prevent this is to maintain vigilance, transparency, good governance, and a balanced budget and oust the unpatriotic, evil politicians.

Loans provided by the IMF under the Structural Adjustment Program are contingent upon allowing an open free economy with no import restrictions so that wealthy, industrialised nations can flood markets in developing countries, dumping their (un)wanted products and curtailing local products.  Lifting foreign exchange restrictions will allow citizens (and foreigners) to drain the remaining foreign exchange out of the country.  Eliminating limits on individual borrowing will lead to escalation of debt, loan defaulting, bankruptcy, social unrest, and suicides.  How come these are good for Sri Lanka?  Does this what ordinary Sri Lankan want?

Besides, untimely deregulation increases the country’s budget deficit while keeping the interest rate high, harming small industries and ordinary people.  Entrepreneurs and enterprises will have to borrow capital at higher rates, increasing the risk of bank failures and bankruptcy.  Encouraging imports and reducing tariffs will eliminate the competitiveness of local products.  This would further increase imports and decrease exports leading to an increase in the budget deficit—creating a vicious cycle of unemployment and poverty in the recipient (developing) country—a classic poverty trap.

Could Sri Lanka head for bankruptcy?

Due to the bad loans taken by politicians on behalf of the country but without the approval of constituents, Sri Lanka’s foreign debt rose from US $750 million in 1977 to over $12 billion in 2005.  Ironically, even Sri Lanka cannot service its current debts without austerity.  Yet, further expensive projects and loan initiatives are planned.  The latter includes an additional $4.5 billion US$ loan (under the disguise of ‘reconstruction’: sheer insanity)—a dangerous slippery slope which may eventually lead the country to bankruptcy.

Against any common sense and internationally accepted norms, even as we speak, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the IMF negotiate directly with the known terrorist group in Sri Lanka before handing over a loan to the government.  Ironically, as pushed by the Norwegians and biased Western I-NGOs, loan organisations have expressed interest in directly providing part of the loans to this terrorist group.  Despite that, this extremist group is labelled a terrorist organisation and banned by many countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and Europe.  With this backdrop, why are international lone-givers negotiating with a terrorist group in Sri Lanka—and for whose benefit?  Why are they trying to bypass the country’s legitimate financial institute—Central Bank, and the government?

If these loans are granted to named terrorist organisations, against common sense and violating international law, more innocent people will die.  The ordinary taxpayers in the country will have to pay back these loans to the creditors.  Thus, such arrangements are insane.  One should notice that these are neither donations nor interest-free loans: they will increase the country’s debt by 38%.  Who will be paying this back?—certainly not the current politicians or the government.  These demonstrated the sheer lack of responsibility of politicians.  

Part five discusses errors of judgement by successive governments, the International Monetary Fund, and potential solutions to prevent bankruptcy.

Those forgotten final days – By N Sathiya Moorthy

May 25th, 2023

Mahinda Gunasekera Agincourt, Ontario

Honourable Political Party Leaders, Please see the article by the Indian Journalist, N. Sathiya Moorthy published in the Colombo Telegraph where he writes about the final stages of the nilitary action taken by the Sri Lankan authorities to eliminate the internationally designated (including Canada) terrorist group known as the Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), after a period of over 33 years of blood letting and killings and war crimes in 2009, which action is being deliberately misrepresented by the political leaders of Canada for none other than to woo the Tamil community resident here for their votes to gain power for short parliamentary terms.

The UN’s resident representative in Sri Lanka estimated a total 7721 deaths without distinguishing between LTTE combatants and Tamil civilians after a process of verification conducted by them which the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts headed by Marsuki Darussman, together with Steven Ratner and the pro-LTTE campaigner Yasmin Sooka sitting in New York and not visiting Sri Lanka came up with an unverified number of 40,000 deaths, which report also recommended that the one sided submissions received by the Panel be witheld for a period of 20 years till April 2031.  The American Association for the Advancement of Science commissioned by Amnesty and HRW to study the satellite images relating to the latter stages of the conflict were only able to come up with a figure of 1362 graves in the area of the battleground in Mullivaikkal.  The Tamilnet website which was a pro-LTTE propaganda organ reported a total of 7398 deaths during the period January 1 to May 19, 2009, which was less than the Sri Lanka government’s census figure of  7,437 deaths during the related period using 15,000 enumerators comprised of teachers and government officials from the Tamil community.

The number of deaths are inflated by the pro-LTTE groups, ranging from 7398 to 140,000 which latter number was contained in Bill 104 presented by LTTE supporter and MPP Vijay Thanigasalam, adopted by the Ontario Provincial Legislature without conducting a fact check, or hearing Objections submitted for review by the Standing Committee as is the normal procedure. It has been established that the LTTE fired on Tamil civilians that attempted to flee their area of control, and even blew up busloads of their disabled cadres.  Even the UNSG’s panel reported that the LTTE held the civilian population of around 310,000 as a human shield and would not release them despite two 48 hour ceasefires declared by Sri Lanka, nor would they accede to the request to surrender, as they expected the USA to mount a rescue and  take the terror leaders to Eritrea or other African country from where they could continue their terrorist warfare to break up the unitary state of Sri Lanka.  They fired their long range weapons on the Sri Lankan armed forces who had ceased the use of such weapons to save lives placing their guns in the midst of the civilians, or near schools/hospitals, so that retaliatory fire would certainly kill the civilian population.  The Sri Lanka armed forces succeeded in eliminating the terror leaders and bringing the armed conflict to an end on May 19, 2009, and at the same time rescue the civilians numbering 295,873 held as a human shield to safety, house them in welfare camps, feed and provide them with special training to lead independent lives after demining the area and resettling the rescued civilians including 594 Child Soldiers and 12,000 LTTE fighting cadre that surrendered.

It is indeed a gross violation by Canada’s political leadership to speak of unsubstantiated numbers of civilian deaths without any valid reasons or verification of the facts, purely for political gain to win the support of the large Tamil community resident in Scarborough, Markham and other areas of the GTA. Their actions will only contribute to cause ugly racial rivalry and disharmony within Canada’s ethnic people.

Those forgotten final days | Colombo Gazette
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pathfinder Foundation and Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue Co-host Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue

May 25th, 2023

Press Release Pathfinder Foundation

The 3rd Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue hosted by the Pathfinder Foundation, Sri Lanka and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue of Switzerland was held on 23 – 24 May in Colombo.  The event was attended by over fifty delegates at the senior government level, regional organizations leading think tanks, universities independent experts in the region from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.  The keynote address on the theme of global sustainability” was delivered by Nobel Laureate Professor Mohan Munasinghe. 

Held annually, the Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue explores issues of critical concern to the region, such as the promotion of cooperation on marine environmental protection, opportunities and challenges for marine and scientific research, the prevention and mitigation of illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, regional approaches for managing interactions between (foreign) fishing vessels and maritime law enforcement agencies.  

Of particular interest were discussions relating to the need for intra-regional cooperation in dealing with oil spills, chemical spills and firefighting in ships.  These are areas of importance, especially for Sri Lanka, following recent maritime accidents.  The opening ceremony was attended by the High Commissioner of India and Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh and Ambassadors from Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand.

The opening address was delivered by Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman of Pathfinder Foundation and Venu Rajamony, Senior Advisor, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.  Ahmed A. Jawad, Director of Pathfinder Foundation and Willem Punt, South Asia Coordinator, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, made the closing statements.  

දෙමළ ජන සංහාරයක් ගැන කියූ කැනඩා අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයාගේ නොදන්නා කම කියාදෙමින් ගෝලීය ශ්‍රී ලාංකික සංසදය ලිපියක් යවයි

May 25th, 2023

Lanka Lead News

දෙමළ ජන සංහාරයක් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සිදුවූවා යැයි පවසමින් කැනඩා අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ජස්ටින් ටෘඩර් මහතා කළ ප්‍රකාශයට පිළිතුරු සැපයීම සඳහා ගෝලීය ශ්‍රී ලාංකික සංසදය විසින් කැනඩා අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයාට ලිපියක් යොමු කොට තිබේ.

නොමග යවන සුළු බලපෑමක් මත, අනවබෝධයෙන් කැනඩා අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා සිදුකර ඇති මෙම ප්‍රකාශය නිවැරදි කරගැනීම සඳහා එම සංසදය විසින් මෙරට සිදුවූ මානුෂීය මෙහෙයුමේ සැබෑ පසුබිම සඳහන් කරමින් මෙම ලිපිය යොමුකර තිබීම විශේෂත්වයකි.

අදාළ ලිපිය පහළින්…

2023 මැයි 21
නුවන් බැල්ලන්තුඩාව මහතා,
415/34, හයිලෙවල් පාර,
ගංගොඩවිල,
නුගේගොඩ,
ශ්‍රී ලංකාව.
ගරු ජස්ටින් ටෘඩර් මැතිතුමා,
කැනඩා රාජ්‍යයේ අගමැති,
කැනඩාව

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සිදු වූවා යැයි පැවසෙන දෙමළ ජන සංහාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් වන ඔබගේ වැරදි වැටහීමට පිළිතුරු සැපයීම සහ කැනඩාවේ නේවාසික පාසල්වල සිදුවූ සංස්කෘතික ජන සංහාරයට වන්දි ගෙවීමට මැදිහත්වී ඔබ පෙන්වූ අවංකභාවයට ස්තූතිය පල කිරීම සඳහායි

හිතවත් මහතාණෙනි,

ගෝලීය ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංසදයේ – විධායක කමිටුව වන අපි, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සිදුවී ඇතැයි පැවසෙන දෙමළ ජන සංහාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ඇති ඔබේ අනවබෝධය පිළිබඳව ඔබව දැනුවත් කිරීමට සිදුවීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් කනගාටු වෙමු. ඔබ විසින් මෙවැනි වාර්ගික වශයෙන් වෙනස්කම් වලට ලක්කරන ප්‍රකාශයක් පිළිගත හැකි සාක්ෂි නොමැතිව නිකුත් කර ඇත්තේ කිසියම් නොමග යවන සුළු මග පෙන්වීමක බලපෑම් මත බවය යන්න අපගේ පිළිගැනීමයි. ඇත්ත වශයෙන්ම, ඔබ සත්‍යය දන්නේ නම්, වැරදි පිළිගැනීමට ඔබ තුළ ධෛර්යයක් ඇති බවත්, සත්‍යය දැනගත් විට වන්දි ගෙවීමට ඔබ නිර්ලෝභී බවත් අපි කිසිදු සැකයකින් තොරව විශ්වාස කරමු. අපි මෙම ලිපිය ඔබ වෙත යොමු කරන්නේ නේවාසික පාසල්වල සංස්කෘතික ජන සංහාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ඔබේ අතීත ඥාතීන්ගේ වැරදි පිළිගෙන කැනේඩියානු ඩොලර් බිලියන දෙකක වන්දියක් ගෙවීමට ඔබ දැක්වූ අවංකකම නිසයි.

ඇත්ත වශයෙන්ම, 2009 මැයි 18 වන දින නන්දිකඩාල්හිදී අවසන් වූ වසර 30 ක් පැරණි ත්‍රස්තවාදීන්ට එරෙහි සටන ලෝකයේ කුරිරුතම ත්‍රස්තවාදී සංවිධානය සටන් බිමේදී පරාජය කිරීම අරමුණු කරගත් එකක් වූවා පමණක් නොව,එල්ටීටීඊ ත්‍රස්තවාදී කණ්ඩායම විසින් මිනිස් පලිහක් ලෙසින් යොදාගත් ප්‍රාණ ඇපකරුවන් 255,000 කට අධික දෙමළ සිවිල් වැසියන් නිදහස් කර ගැනීමේ මානුෂීය මෙහෙයුමක්ද වූවාය. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සිදු වූවා යැයි පැවසෙන ඊනියා දෙමළ ජන සංහාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ඔබ තුළ වන උද්යෝගය අවුලුවාලීම සඳහාත් ඔබගේ විවේක කාලයේදී ඔබගේ වැඩිදුර අධ්‍යයන කටයුතු සඳහාත් මූලික තොරතුරු කිහිපයක් අපි ඔබ වෙත යොමු කරමු.නායකයෙකු විසින් කැනඩාවේ වෙසෙන ශිෂ්ට සම්පන්න නිහතමානී සිංහලයෙකුට මෙන්ම ලොව පුරා වෙසෙන එවැන්නන්ට වේදනාවක් ගෙන දෙමින් නොදැනුවත්ව කළ ප්‍රකාශයකට ප්‍රතිචාර දැක්වීම පුද්ගලිකව වරදක් වන්නේ නැතයි අපි විශ්වාස කරන්නෙමු.
ඔබේ අවධානයට පහත දැක්වෙන තොරතුරු අපි ඉදිරිපත් කරන්නෙමු:

1) 2015 ඔක්තෝම්බර් මාසයේදී, එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ මානව හිමිකම් කවුන්සිලයේ අනුග්‍රහය යටතේ ඇමරිකාව, ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාව, එංගලන්තය, ජර්මනිය, ග්‍රීසිය සහ තවත් රටවල් හයක දායකත්වයෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ මූලික අනුග්‍රහය ඇතිව ඡන්දයකින් තොරව 2015 ඔක්තෝබර් 1 වන දින මානව හිමිකම් කවුන්සිලය විසින් සම්මත කරන ලද 30/1 යෝජනාව ඉදිරිපත් කර සම්මත කර ගන්නා ලද්දේය. ශ්‍රී ලංකාව තුළ සංහිඳියාව, වගවීම සහ මානව හිමිකම් ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීම (A/HRC/RES/30/1) යනු ත්‍රස්තවාදය පරාජය කළ රටකට හෝ වෙනත් වචනවලින් කිවහොත් සන්නද්ධ ගැටුමකට එරෙහිව UNHRC විසින් සම්මත කරන ලද ඉහළම භයානක යෝජනාව වන්නේය.

2) මෙම A/HRC/RES/30/1 යෝජනාවේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සිදු වූවා යැයි කියන දෙමළ ජන සංහාරයේ තත්ත්වය ගැන කිසිදු සඳහනක් කර නොමැත.

3) A/HRC/RES/30/1 යෝජනාව පදනම් වන්නේ මානව හිමිකම් කවුන්සිලයේ තිස්වන සැසිවාරයේ න්‍යාය පත්‍රයේ අයිතම අංක 2, එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ මානව හිමිකම් පිළිබඳ මහ කොමසාරිස්ගේ වාර්ෂික වාර්තාව සහ මහ කොමසාරිස් කාර්යාලයේ වාර්තා සහ මහ ලේකම්වරයාගේ යොමු අංක A/HRC/30/CRP.2 මත පදනම්වය .(OHCHR ශ්‍රී ලංකාව පිළිබඳ විමර්ශන වාර්තාව (OISL)).

4) OISL වාර්තාවේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට එරෙහිව චෝදනා එකොළහක් ඇති අතර ඒවායෙන් කිසිවක් දෙමළ ජන සංහාරයක් සිදු වූවා යැයි කියා පවසන්නේ නැත. ඔබගේ අධ්‍යනය පහසු කිරීම පිණිස OISL වාර්තාවේ සොයා ගැනීම් පහත වගුවෙන් දක්වා සිටිමු.

(වර්ෂ 2015 දී එවකට පැවැති ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජය ඊනියා යුධ අපරාධ චෝදනාවලට එරෙහිව ඔවුන්ගේ පුරවැසියන් සහ සන්නද්ධ හමුදා ආරක්ෂා කිරීමට ඉදිරිපත් නොවන අවස්ථාවක, අපි, ගෝලීය ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංසදය සන්නද්ධ හමුදාවන්ගේ ආරක්ෂාව තහවුරු කිරීමට සහාය වූ බව ඔබට දන්වා සිටිමු (නිෂ්ප්‍රභ කිරීමේ” වාර්තාව ඉදිරිපත් කිරීම මගින් ). සන්නද්ධ ගැටුම් පිළිබඳ ජාත්‍යන්තර විශේෂඥයින්ගේ සහය ඇතිව අප විසින් මෙම වාර්තාව සකස් කළෙමු. OISL වාර්තාවේ 2 වන කොටසේ තේමා පරිච්ඡේද” එකොළහෙන් 6, 7 සහ 9 පරිච්ඡේද එල්.ටී.ටී.ඊ. සංවිධානයට අදාළව සකස් කෙරුණු ඒවා වේ. ඉතිරිය ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජයට විරුද්ධව ඇති ඒවා වේ. නමුත් නිෂ්ප්‍රභ කිරීමේ” වාර්තාව සකස් කරන අවස්ථාව වන විට 11වන පරිච්ඡේදයේ දැක්වෙන අවතැන් වූවන් නැවත පදිංචි කර තිබූ බැවින් අවතැන් කඳවුරු අදාළ නොවීය. ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජයට එරෙහිව එල්ල වූ අනෙකුත් චෝදනා සියල්ල මුළුමනින්ම ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කරන ලදී. නිෂ්ප්‍රභ කිරීමේ” වාර්තාවේ පළමු වෙළුම ඔබේ අධ්‍යනය සඳහා මෙහි අමුණා ඇත.නිෂ්ප්‍රභ කිරීමේ” සම්පූර්ණ වාර්තාව එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ මානව හිමිකම් කවුන්සිලයේ සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ හැන්සාඩ්ගත කර තිබේ. නිෂ්ප්‍රභ කිරීමේ” වාර්තාව පදනම් වී ඇත්තේ ශ්‍රීමත් ඩෙස්මන්ඩ් ද සිල්වා (රැජිනගේ නීතිඥ ), මහාචාර්ය ඩී එම් ක්‍රේන්, ශ්‍රීමත් ජෙෆ්‍රි නයිස් (රැජිනගේ නීතිඥ ) , රොඩ්නි ඩික්සන් (රැජිනගේ නීතිඥ), මහාචාර්ය මයිකල් නිව්ටන් සහ මේජර් ජෙනරාල් ජෝන් හෝම්ස් ( DSO OBE MC) විසින් සම්පාදනය කරන ලද වාර්තා මතය.)

5) ජන සංහාරය සහ ජන සංහාරය වැලැක්වීම පිළිබඳව අධ්‍යයනය කරන කීර්තිමත් සංවිධාන සහ ආයතන සිය ගණනකට වඩා ලොව ඇත. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සිදු වූ බව කියන දෙමළ ජන සංහාරය පිළිබඳව එම පිළිගත් ආයතන එකක් හෝ කිසිවක් හෙළි කර නැත.

6) 2017 ඔක්තෝම්බර් මාසයේදී, බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේදී නේස්බි සාමිවරයා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ බටහිර, විශේෂයෙන් එක්සත් ජනපදය සහ එක්සත් රාජධානිය, සියලුම ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන්, විශේෂයෙන් ඔවුන්ගේ නායකයින් අභිබවා යන සහ අතිච්ඡායනය කරන යුද අපරාධ චෝදනා සහ විදේශීය විනිසුරුවරුන්ගේ තර්ජනය ඉවත් කළ යුතු බවයි. තවද, 40,000ක් නොව 7,000 ත් 8,000 ත් අතර සිවිල් මරණ ප්‍රමානයක් සිදුවූ බව පිළිගැනීමට එක්සත් රාජධානිය ජිනීවාහි එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ සංවිධානය සහ සහ අවතැන් වූවන් පිළිබඳ එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ මහ කොමසාරිස් කාර්යාලය (UNHCR) වෙත යායුතු බව නේස්බි සාමිවරයා පැවසීය. ඊට අමතරව, මෙය ත්‍රස්තවාදයට එරෙහි යුද්ධයක් බව එක්සත් රාජධානිය හඳුනාගත යුතුය. ඒ අනුව ප්‍රතිඥාත නීති පදනම් වී ඇත්තේ මානව හිමිකම් පිළිබඳ යුරෝපීය සම්මුතිය මත නොව ජාත්‍යන්තර මානුෂීය නීතිය මත ය. (නේස්බි සාමිවරයාගේ සිවිල් මරණ මට්ටම සම්බන්ධයෙන් වන ප්‍රකාශය තහවුරු කිරීම සඳහා අපගේ නිරීක්ෂණයන්හි පිටපතක් ඇමිනීමට අපි කටයුතු කරමු. එල්ටීටීඊ හිතවාදී ටැමිල් නෙට්” වෙබ් අඩවියේ දැක්වූ සිවිල් මරණ සම්බන්ධයෙන් වන වාර්තා ඒ සඳහා අපි පාදක කර ගත්තෙමු.)

7) ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ හිටපු කැනේඩියානු මහ කොමසාරිස්වරයෙකු වූ මාර්ටින් කොලොකොට් මහතා ඔහුගේ සුප්‍රසිද්ධ Slow down you’re granting asylum too fast” යන ප්‍රසිද්ධ ලිපියේ ඔහුගේ නිරීක්‍ෂණය මෙසේ දක්වා ඇත: කැනේඩියානු ත්‍යාගශීලීභාවය සහ ලිහිල් බව පිළිබඳ එක් ඇඟවීමක් සහ සරණාගත හිමිකම් ඇත්තවුන්ට අප තුල වන ත්‍යාගශීලීභාවය මෙසේ ඉදිරිපත් කරමි.සරණාගත හිමිකම සාර්ථක වීමට නම්, තම උපන් බිමේ රැඳී සිටීම ආරක්ෂිත නොවන නිසා ඔවුන් තම උපන් රටවලින් පලා ගිය බව ඒත්තු ගන්වා සරණාගතභාවයට හිමිකම් පෑමට හැකි විය යුතුය. එහෙත් වසරක් තුළ පමණක් කැනඩාවේ සරණාගත හිමිකම් ඇති ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන් 8600ක් සංචාරක ලියකියවිලි ලබාගැනීම සඳහා ඔටාවා හි ඇති ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ කොමසාරිස් කාර්යාලයට ඉල්ලුම් කළ අතර ඔවුන්ට නැවත සංචාරය සඳහා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට යාමට හැකි විය.”

8) කැනේඩියානු මාධ්‍යවේදියෙකු වන Barry O’Regan මහතා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ කැනඩාවේ සරණාගත තත්ත්වයට හිමිකම් කියූ දෙමළ ජනතාවගෙන් 70%ක ප්‍රමානයක් දෙමළ ජාතිකයන් සමූලඝාතනය කරන බව ඔවුන් ප්‍රකාශ කරන රටක් වන ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ දිගටම නිවාඩු ගත කරන බව අභ්‍යන්තර රජයේ ලේඛනවල සටහන්ව තිබෙනවා” යනුවෙනි. තවද, ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජය විසින් සිදු කරන ලද මානුෂීය මෙහෙයුමට අදාළව කීර්තිමත් සහ විශ්වාසනීය පුද්ගලයන් විසින් කරන ලද අදහස් සහ ප්‍රකාශ කිහිපයක් ඔබ වෙත ලබා දීමට අපි කැමැත්තෙමු.

• එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ සංවිධානය 2009 දී අවසන් කරන ලද රාජ්‍යන් පිළිබඳ වාර්තාවේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට අදාලව දක්වා ඇත්තේ, ගැටුම තුළ, 2008 අගෝස්තු සිට 2009 මැයි 13 දක්වා කාලය තුළ මියගිය පුද්ගලයින්ගේ සංඛ්‍යාව 7,721 ලෙස තක්සේරු කරන බවයි. ඒ අනුව, සරණාගත තත්වය ඉල්ලා සිටින අය විසින් පවසා සිටින 40,000 හෝ 100,000 සත්‍ය අගයක් නොවේ.

• සටන් පැවති උච්චතම අවස්ථාවේදී, ගුවන් ඡායාරූප පිළිබඳ වූ ඇමරිකානු සංගමය විසින් ගැටුම් කලාපයේ කරන ලද අධ්‍යයනයකින් තහවුරු වූයේ සොහොන් බිම්වල ප්‍රසාරණයක් හෝ සමූහ මිනී වළවල් පිළිබඳ සාක්ෂි නොමැති බවයි.

• එල්.ටී.ටී.ඊ සංවිධානය විසින් සිවිල් වැසියන් යුධ රංග ශාලාවේ මිනිස් පලිහක් ලෙස යොදා ගනිමින් ඇති කළ මානුෂීය අර්බුදය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජය කටයුතු කළ ආකාරය ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සෙසු ලෝකයට ආදර්ශයක් සැපයූ බව එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ මානව හිමිකම් කවුන්සිලයේ නියෝජිත අමීන් අවාඩ් මහතා ප්‍රකාශ කර තිබුණි.

• එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ නේවාසික සහ මානුෂීය සම්බන්ධීකාරක නීල් බුහ්නේ මහතා, එවැනි සංක්‍රමණවලදී අවතැන් වූවන්ට සහන සැලසීම සහ ආධාර සැපයීම සඳහා දිසාපති ව්‍යුහයන් හරහා සිදු කරන ලද යහපත් ක්‍රියාව අගය කළ අතර ඔවුන් කරන ලද කාර්යය සඳහා රන් පදක්කමක් පිරිනැමිය යුතු බව සඳහන් කළේය.

ඉහත දැක්වෙන්නේ ඔබ විසින් කරන ලද ම්ලේච්ඡ අපරාධ පිළිබඳව ඔබට දැනගැනීමට ලැබුණු එල්ටීටීඊ දෙමළ ත්‍රස්තවාදී අධ්‍යයනෙහි සැබෑ සංක්ෂිප්තය විය යුතු නමුත් එල්ටීටීඊය පිළිබඳ ඔබේ ප්‍රකාශයේ සමතුලිත බව සලකා බලා ස්වයං අධ්‍යයනය ආරම්භ කිරීමට උපයෝගී වන උදාහරණ කිහිපයකි. තවත් විදියකින් පවසන්නේ නම් දෙමළ-කැනේඩියානුවන්ගේ අනුග්‍රහය යටතේ එල්ටීටීඊ දෙමළ ත්‍රස්තවාදී අධ්‍යාපනය යනුවෙන් පවසා යටපත් කර ඇති තිරස්චීන අපරාධ මාලාවයි.

ඔබගේ අධ්‍යනය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ඔබ සමාලෝචනය කරන්නේ නම් එල් ටී ටී ඊ ත්‍රස්ත කණ්ඩායම විසින් හිටපු ඉන්දීය අගමැති රජිව් ගාන්ධි, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ හිටපු ජනාධිපති රණසිංහ ප්‍රේමදාස, ශ්‍රී ලංකා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ විපක්ෂ නායක ලෙස දශකයකට වඩා වැඩි කාලයක් කටයුතු කළ අප්පාපිල්ලේ අමිර්තලිංගම්, ඔක්ස්ෆර්ඩ් විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයේ කීර්තිමත් ආදි සිසුවෙකු වූ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ හිටපු විදේශ අමාත්‍ය ලක්ෂ්මන් කදිරගාමර් ඇතුළු දේශපාලනඥයන් ඝාතනය කර ඇති ආකාරය මෙන්ම අරන්තලාවේදී බෞද්ධ භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේලා 32ක් ඝාතනය කිරීම, අනුරාධපුරයේදි පුර පසළොස්වක පොහෝ දිනක ආගමික කටයුතු වල නියැළුනු බෞද්ධයන් 132ක් ඝාතනය කිරීම, කාතන්කුඩියේ මුස්ලිම් පල්ලියක කරමින් සිටි මුස්ලිම් බැතිමතුන් 196ක් ඝාතනය කිරීම, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ උතුරේ සහ නැගෙනහිර ජීවත් වූ ලක්ෂ සංඛ්‍යාත අහිංසක සිවිල් වැසියන් ඝාතනය කිරීම, ගැබිනි කාන්තාවන්ගේ උදරය පොරොවෙන් පලා විවෘත කිරීම සහ ලී කොටවල ගසා ළදරුවන්ගේ හිස් කඩා දැමීම, ප්‍රසිද්ධ ස්ථානවල සහ මගීන් ගැවසෙන පොදු ප්‍රවාහන මධ්‍යස්ථානවල මරාගෙන මැරෙන බෝම්බ පිපරවීම සහ ළමා සොල්දාදුවන් ආදිය පිළිබඳව ඔබට තහවුරු කරගත හැකි වනු ඇති බව අපට විශ්වාසය. ඔබ සිංහල-කැනේඩියානුවන් කෙරෙහි එවැනි වාර්ගික වෙනස්කම් කිරීමේ ආකල්පයක් ප්‍රකාශ කිරීමට උත්සුකවීමේ චෝදනාවලට ගොදුරු වී ඇති අතර, ඔබ ඉක්මනින් සත්‍යය අවබෝධ කර ගැනීමටත්, සිංහල-කැනේඩියානුවන්ට ගෞරව කිරීමටත්, ස්වභාවික යුක්තිය ප්‍රතිෂ්ඨාපනය කිරීමටත් අවශ්‍ය ක්‍රියාමාර්ග ගනු ඇතැයි අපි බලාපොරොත්තු වෙමු.

ගෝලීය ශ්‍රී ලාංකික සංවිධානය – විධායක කමිටුව

අත්සන් කළේ,
යසස් ධර්මදාස- ලේකම් විධායක කමිටුව, එරික් මාකේවිට- සභාපති ස්විට්සර්ලන්ත ශාඛාව
සේනක රාජපක්ෂ- සභාපති පෝලන්ත ශාඛාව, ජගත් චන්ද්‍රවංශ සභාපති රුසියානු ශාඛාව,
ලලිත් ප්‍රේමලාල් සභාපති අයර්ලන්ත ශාඛාව,ප්‍රසංග ජයමාන්න සභාපති එක්සත් රාජධානියේ ශාඛාව,
නුවන් බැල්ලන්තුඩාව නේවාසික ඒජන්ත ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ,ජෙයරාජ් පලිහවඩන ලේකම් එක්සත් රාජධානි ශාඛාව,
රාජා ප්‍රනාන්දු පුල්ලේ සභාපති ස්වීඩ්න් ශාඛාව,සමන්ත වීරමන්ත්‍රී ලේකම් එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යය,
ප්‍රිමාල් ප්‍රනාන්දු ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ක්‍රිස්තියානු කටයුතු පිළිබඳ සම්බන්ධීකාරක,චානක කුරේරා සභාපති කැනඩා ශාඛාව

Saemaul Foundation projects immensely helpful for rural upliftment- Prime MInister

May 25th, 2023

Prime Minister’s Media Division

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena thanked the Saemaul Foundation of Korea for expanding its rural infrastructure and livelihood development projects after the successful implementation of two pilot projects in Sabaragamuwa district. These efforts have inspired our villagers to speed up their drive to uplift the rural economy,” he said.

The President of Saemaul Foundation Lee Seung Jong, Governor, Gyeongsangbuk-do province, the head of the grant aid supporting body, Korea and the President of Gyambuk Art & Cultural Foundation, Koo Yum Cheol and senior officials of the two Foundation called on Prime Minister at the PM’s Office in Temple Trees today.

A Memorandum of Understanding for expansion of Saemaul Foundation projects in Sri Lanka was signed by the Foundation and the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government. It was signed by the , Koo Yum Cheol, Secretary K D N Ranjith Asoka and Director General of External Resources Department of Finance Ministry, Ajith Abeysekara in the presence of the Prime Minister and Foundation President Lee Seung Jong at the Temple Trees.

Prime Minister praised the Saemaul Undong New Village Movement for its tremendous service to uplift Korea to be a developed nation and said Sri Lanka could use its experiences for its rural development plans.

Saemaul President said based on the combination of global interest in Saemaul Undong and the passion of the Korean government for transferring the approach as the core contents for rural development ODA to developing countries, it has expanded its support to Sri Lanka.

Further Saemaul Projects will implement in border scale in Sri Lanka in future with these initiatives and will uplift the rural communities, reform mind-set towards Self-help, Cooperation and Diligence as a catalyst to economic development plan in Sri Lanka to discuss future projects of Saemaul in Sri Lanka, he said.

Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake, Acting Korean Ambassador Jung Sohnyee and senior officials were present on this occasion.

Take immediate steps to prevent the spread of dengue.- Instructions from the Prime Minister to the Governors

May 25th, 2023

Prime Minister’s Media Division

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena  advised the Governors to take urgent measures to prevent the spread of dengue with the intervention of all the relevant authorities at a discussion held at Temple Trees today (25) to discuss the progress of dengue control programs.

The discussion was held with the participation of Governors, Provincial Council Secretaries, Provincial Government Commissioners and Provincial Health Service Directors through Zoom technology and the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of collecting information about the spread of dengue in their jurisdictions and taking measures to control the disease since priority should be given to preventing the spread of the disease through the continuous implementation of programs carried out by the regional medical offices of health.

The governors commented on the measures taken so far in the respective provinces to control the dengue disease and its progress. They mentioned that as there is a tendency for dengue mosquitoes to breed around construction sites, schools and places of religious importance, more attention will be paid to keep such places clean with the contribution of health and security sectors.

State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Janaka Wakkambura, State Minister of Home Affairs Ashoka Priyantha, Prime Minister’s Secretary Anura Dissanayake, Ministry of Public Administration Secretary Ranjith Ashoka and many other officials participated in this event.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

New US visa policy: Bangladesh’s commitment and responsibility to hold a free and fair election

May 25th, 2023

Nandita Roy

Had PM Hasina any other intention, she would not have requested the Commonwealth, international community to send election observation teams

A short introduction New US visa policy for Bangladesh:

US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken on Wednesday announced a new visa policy for Bangladeshi individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process. The individuals who fall under this policy include current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services, Blinken said in a statement.

The actions to be treated as disqualification for a US visa include vote rigging, voter intimidation, the use of violence to prevent people from exercising their right to freedoms of association and peaceful assembly, and the use of measures designed to prevent political parties, voters, civil society, or the media from disseminating their views.

The US Embassy in Dhaka also gave clarification on the issues related to the new announcement. The embassy says it is a general practice to notify individuals whose visas are revoked or cancelled. It states that the US does not support any particular political party. Restrictions under this new policy target individuals engaging in behaviour that undermines the democratic election process, regardless of affiliation.

The United States supports free and fair elections everywhere. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government have committed to supporting free and fair elections in Bangladesh. We welcome the Prime Minister’s expressed commitment to holding free and fair elections.” This policy is designed to support these efforts and the Bangladeshi people, so they may hold elections to choose their leaders.”

Even if individuals commit offences after following orders from higher levels and it is difficult to link higher-level decision-makers to those carrying out orders, the policy will apply to anyone undermining the democratic election process.

Bangladesh’s stance towards the new US visa policy

On the new visa policy of the United States, Bangladesh says that due to this policy, undemocratic forces will stay away from violence. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to this in a statement on the visa policy on Thursday (May 25) morning.

Apart from the statement, Bangladesh also praised the support given by the whole world, including the United States, to Sheikh Hasina’s commitment regarding fair elections. The Bangladesh government has taken note of the US Secretary of State’s announcement regarding the visa restriction policy under the so-called 3(c) provision of the US Immigration Act, the statement said.

Bangladesh wishes to see this announcement in the larger context of the government’s unequivocal commitment to conduct free and fair elections at all levels to uphold the country’s democratic process. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is a democratic and politically stable nation with experience of holding consecutive elections at the national and local levels. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the people of Bangladesh are very aware of their democratic and voting rights.

There is no precedent of any government staying in power by taking away the verdict given by the people through vote rigging. The right of the people to vote is considered by the Awami League government as a national sanctity for which there is a political legacy of relentless struggle and sacrifice. The government attaches importance to freedom of assembly and assembly for all peaceful and legitimate democratic processes. The electoral reform process in Bangladesh is being conducted in a consultative manner with all stakeholders involved. Photo-based voter ID cards were issued as part of the process. Transparent ballot boxes are being used to instill confidence among voters as well as polling officers and agents. The National Election Commission is structured to perform its functions with full independence, credibility and efficiency. The present government for the first time took the initiative of enacting the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners Act-2022. According to this law, a new election commission has been formed. As mandated by the Constitution of Bangladesh and the Representation of the People Order, 1972, the entire executive structure will be under the control of the Election Commission to help it discharge its duties.

In view of that, government structures will take necessary measures to prevent and counter interference by any person, group or entity in the fair and participatory conduct of elections, the statement said. The electoral process will be closely monitored by the International Observers accredited by the Election Commission. The government hopes that the local undemocratic forces who indulge in violence, arson and destruction will remain vigilant and desist from their misguided attempts to jeopardize the constitutionally mandated electoral process. It is entirely up to the people of Bangladesh to sustain the hard-earned democratic process, political stability and development achieved in the country. The government appreciates that the international community, including the United States, stands firmly behind the Prime Minister’s sustained commitment to ensure free and fair elections.

International strategy to developing countries

However, even though we are trying hard for peace in the world, for a long time, wars, killing people, oppression, women and children torture, human trafficking, loss of life in immigration are making us worried. Developed countries have not calmed down by erecting walls across national boundaries, they are trying to make the poor and oppressed people more civil by adopting various international strategies. The developed world, which worships democracy, does not exert pressure on rich countries in the process of civilizing them in the same way as it has a strong position on poor countries. Our freedom is not being undermined by the way diplomats are active in the case of Bangladesh? Are this responsibility only oppressed people?

Doesn’t government believe in free and fair election?

Election is the strongest pillar of democracy. In a democratic polity, people run the state through their representatives. Only elections can make these happen. In case there is no election and no elected representatives of the people, there will be none to serve the interest of the masses. Without a system of election, there can be no true democracy. Election is the only way to come to power or bring change as the politics of terror and violence in the name of movement can never be beneficial for the country, society and economy; rather, it makes the political atmosphere chaotic.

Negative politics of some political parties during election period

People now understand that the negative politics of some political parties. Countrymen also know who carried out bomb, grenade and bullet attacks, smuggled in 10-truck arms and misappropriated the money of the public and the orphans.  Perhaps, the question of a ‘free and fair election has the least to do with the process considering the legal boundary and constitutional binding. The existing perception may take that only a party wants a free and fair election and hence demands a caretaker. But it is a wrong perception politically considering that AL as a political party also echoes the same. The debate among these largest parties is therefore only on the process.

India Example

‘Free and Fair Election’ takes place under incumbent governments all over the world. Even Bangladesh’s closest neighbor, India also follows it whose internal politics are similar to Bangladesh’s.  But there is no debate about such. Hence, it has nothing to do with fairness. Unfair and irregularities can also take place under the caretaker system if the caretaker decides to side with any political party.  At this moment, politicians and their parties know very well that the only path towards breaking the deadlock is through negotiation that benefits the nation and the common people. The demands and capabilities regarding elections are bargaining chips in this negotiation.

Bangladesh’s efforts to organize a free and fair election

Thus, a deadlock exists in the political arena. Election under an unelected government is impossible without amending the Constitution. The majority in parliament sees no reason for constitutional amendment and are not willing to entertain such an idea. Under the circumstances, there is a strong possibility that forces favouring election under poll-time administration will boycott elections, which is not desirable at all in a democratic system of governance. We expect that they will shun the path of election boycott and take part in it to make democracy meaningful. And without participation of all – a free, fair and participatory election will remain a chimera. 

The political forces that demand elections under a poll-time administration clearly apprehend that the likely elections will not be free and fair under the incumbent government. But our reading is that there is no ground for such an apprehension. Actually, nothing less than a fair poll is acceptable to the people. The Election Commission is independent and strong enough to ensure voting rights of the people. It has the requisite power to hold elections without interference from the incumbent.

Had PM Hasina any other intention, she would not have requested the Commonwealth to send election observation teams:

Moreover, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has on several occasions reiterated her commitment for fair polls. During talks with the UK Foreign Minister, Hasina expressed her belief in Westminster type of democracy and made it clear that her government is determined to hold fair polls. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the next general election in Bangladesh will be held in a free and fair manner upholding democracy and voting rights of the people. So, under government, definitely election will be free and fair, she told a session titled in conversation with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) at the Raffles Hotel here. Had she any other intention, she would not have requested the Commonwealth to send election observation teams comprising of representatives of its member countries. We are hopeful about an end to the culture of election boycott, once and for all.

Why Continuous pressure of the USA!

Since its establishment in 1971, Bangladesh has faced various international pressures. The pressure was reduced for some time. But it is being pressed again. What can be the way to get rid of this? Those in the opposition coalition will say – hold an election with a caretaker government, the problem will come down to near zero.  Many commented that the government must be worried about the new US visa policy. Rather, all political parties should be concerned about this. The new visa policy announced by the United States wouldn’t not disturbing the Bangladesh government at all, as the government is committed to giving the people a free and fair election. The parties who violated the election law and vandalized properties should be concerned about this. Any kind of violence before or after the elections will rather hinder their visas.

A positive outlook at the new US visa policy for Bangladeshi citizens

We should look positively at the new US visa policy for Bangladeshi citizens. The US government’s visa policy can help Bangladesh in its efforts to ensure that no one can undermine the commitment and position on fair elections through incitement.

Vested interest at the Bangladesh case!

 No one cares whether the government of Bangladesh is elected or unelected. If elections were the main issue, they would be focused on ending the existing monarchies in the Arab states. The statements of those who wrote in the inquiry why attention is not paid to the people are convincing.

The contribution of developed countries to the fact that Bangladesh is moving forward is undeniable. After those imposing restrictions on us one after the other is a matter of deep thought. It may be wrong to think that this is a result of lobbying or lobbying by the opposition parties in the country. Fair, free and peaceful election is the only reason for imposing all those restrictions? Is a free, fair and peaceful election enough for the development of Bangladesh? However, Bangladesh is always committed to hold free, fair election. However, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she also wants fair elections and the next elections will be held under the ruling government as elections are held all over the world.

Bangladesh might be able to thwart conspiracy

It appears to me that no one can come to power by creating suffering for the people. If the caretaker government is to achieve the freedom of vote and rice, it is possible only by standing by the suffering of the people. Bangladesh hopes that the United States will remain a true friend of Bangladesh. I want to think about my problem and try to solve it instead of spending time trying to figure out why the restrictions are imposed by them. The aim of politics should be people-oriented – not diplomat-oriented. We need to be more tolerant and have a unity among honest people.

It is the dream of all of us that Bangladesh will move forward and Bangladesh will stand tall in the court of the world. The onus is on the government to come out of the way foreign diplomats are engaging.

Russia-proposed nuclear power plant, the ball is in SL’s court – Russian ambassador

May 25th, 2023

Courtesy The Daily Mirror


  • We condemn all kinds of attempts to interfere with the domestic affairs of independent countries   
  • America and some other Western countries like to pressurize other countries   
  • Vows to continue to fight with Ukraine   
  • Appreciates Sri Lanka’s neutral position on the war  
  • We are against military bases in the Indian Ocean. They are against whom? Does China pose any threat to you? I don’t think so. China does not pose any threat to anybody. China is focusing on economic cooperation and helping other countries. They help a lot. That is why we appreciate our relationship with Beijing   
  • We did not talk about transactions in Russian Rouble. We discussed the possibility to implement the Russian payment system card called Mir. It was not accepted by Sri Lanka. 
  • We understand it because Americans are pressurizing the countries using this payment system. The countries that will use this payment system will be subjected to secondary sanctions. You have a lot of Russian tourists coming here

Russian Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan takes questions from Daily Mirror in an interview on bilateral ties and the current position of his country on the war with Ukraine. He spells out the importance of nuclear energy cooperation with Sri Lanka. Excerpts: 

QThere are reports about the energy sector cooperation between Russia and Sri Lanka, particularly in the development of nuclear energy. What is the current status?


I made the proposal last year when I came here. I met some high-ranking officials- first of all, the Minister of Energy, and my colleagues in the Foreign Ministry. Before I came here, I had talks with top-ranking officials of Rosatom (Russian State–run Atomic Energy Corporation). Initially, my idea is to set up a small nuclear power plant of 110 megawatts- two blocks each with 55 megawatts. Of course, the number of blocks can be increased to two, four or six. It depends. But, frankly speaking, I am not authorized to go into details. Details should be discussed by specialists. My job is to pave the way for negotiations. I would like the Russian delegation to come here to start talking about conditions, financial, technical matters or which kind of nuclear power plant you need. After my proposal, the local media had very controversial articles- pro and contra. Some people are against this cooperation. I understand whose interests they represent. They always indicate negative experiences- Fukushima in Japan and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Russia. It was not in Russia but in Soviet Ukraine. We have very good examples of our international cooperation with many countries – for example, your close neighour India’s Kudankulam nuclear power plant in the Tamil Nadu State, Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, and the power plants in Turkey and Iran. Recently we signed a very good agreement with Myanmar to set up a small nuclear power station. Now the ball’s in your court. It is up to you. If you need it, let us know.   


QIs it practically possible to set up a plant in Sri Lanka?


I am not a specialist. Specialists should decide. Before you face shortages of electricity, it is better to have alternative sources of electricity- not only to rely on coal or thermal. It is very important to have solar, wind, and green energy, but they are not reliable. Climate change is doing its job. Therefore, it is very important to have alternative sources.   


QThere were discussions about possible transactions with the Russian currency. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka did not agree to that. Did it affect bilateral ties?


No. We did not talk about transactions in Russian Rouble. We discussed the possibility to implement the Russian payment system card called Mir. It was not accepted by Sri Lanka. We understand it because Americans are pressurizing the countries using this payment system. The countries that will use this payment system will be subjected to secondary sanctions. You have a lot of Russian tourists coming here. We were number one. Now I don’t know because the season is now over. So far we did not hear that the Russian tourists faced some problems when coming here. Anyway, they have cash. They have payment cards from other countries. So, it is not a big problem. If you are not ready to accept it, it is your sovereign right. We don’t pressure, unlike other countries. We respect your decisions.   


QWill there be fresh engagements with the government led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe with some high-profile visits as happened during the time of the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa?


Right now, we are very busy, to be frank, during our special military operation in Ukraine. It does not mean that we stop our activities in other directions. Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited South Africa and the Latin American countries. In August, I will go to Moscow for vacation and ask my colleagues in the Foreign Ministry about the possibility to resume consultations and talks. But we are ready to cooperate with the governments of friendly countries. Let me stress the friendly countries! Sri Lanka is among them. We have no problem with the Government or the President elected by the people. Mr Wickremesinghe is a very respected President. We have no problem.   


QSri Lanka-Russia bilateral trade volume is way below the potential. What blocks the unleashing of the full potential?


We have the Inter-Governmental Economic Commission. We are talking about the date it can be conducted in virtual mode. The Sri Lankan side recently suggested July. From your side, it is Mr Atapattu, the Secretary of the Trade Ministry. From our side, it is Federal Agency for Fishery. Our proposal is to organize a meeting between the chiefs of these organizations. From the fisheries sector here, it is Mr Fernando. Mr Fernando is planning to go to Russia in June to participate in the St Petersburg Economic Forum. I just conveyed the message to Moscow. We are waiting for the response. It is quite high time to have the session of the Joint Economic Commission in virtual mode. It is very important. The last session was held in 2019.   


QThere was a proposal from the Sri Lankan side to purchase oil from Russia. The Sri Lankan ambassador to Russia initiated some action. What is the progress?


It is a private business. When they are engaged in negotiations with their private partners here for coal or other items, they sometimes don’t inform the embassy. It is a private business. We don’t interfere.   


QBut, oil trading sometimes has a strategic component. Then, there is diplomatic involvement. What is your comment?


As they don’t inform us, we don’t ask questions from private companies. I just only follow the issues which are just proposed by the State bodies like Rosatom.   


QAs the ambassador, what can you tell us about the profitability of oil trading with Russia?


It is profitable because many countries, despite sanctions imposed by European Union and America, continue to buy. They just increase the purchases from the Russian Federation. For India, China and some other countries, it is not a problem. These sanctions don’t work.

   
QWith India, you do a lot of oil business?


Yes, we do it with pleasure. We are very grateful to our Indian friends. Despite sanctions, they are buying Russian oil. It is profitable for both countries.   


QThe United States designated Sri Lanka’s wartime Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda. You openly criticized it. What prompted you to do it?


I did it with pleasure. I criticized it because we condemn all kinds of attempts to interfere with the domestic affairs of independent countries. Sri Lanka is an independent country. America and some other Western countries like to pressurize other countries by saying what to do and what not to do. We criticize them for double standards. My message was that they have no right to criticize anybody including Mr Karannagoda. I have got a letter from him. He sent his regards to me. It was my pleasure. Sanctions are illegitimate.   


QThe Russian war with Ukraine is still going on. How long can Russia sustain it?


We have goals designated by the President. That is the deNazification and demilitarization of Ukraine and it is neutral and non-proliferated to any bloc status. It is a Fascist, Terrorist regime. We want Ukraine not to join NATO, not to threaten us and not to create problems for us. They must admit that new regions are parts of Russia. They historically belong to Russia.   


QWith China stepping in, is there any effort now being undertaken to end the war? 


China has just appointed an envoy. He will be travelling there. High-ranking officials in Europe, including the NATO Secretary-General, Chancellor of Germany and PM Rishi Sunak of the UK aim at defeating Russia. They don’t talk about negotiations. The regime in Ukraine is their puppet. The puppet cannot be independent. The puppet cannot adopt any decision. How can we negotiate with puppets?   


There was a good chance in Istanbul last year. They had good chances. But, the British government told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop negotiations.   


QYou mean to say that the ball is in their court to end the war?


Yes of course. But, they are pumping Ukraine with weapons. Ukraine is now in Europe begging for money.   


QStill, it is Russia that started the war?


We demanded guarantees for our security. If we had not started the Special Military Operation, they would have started a full-scale war to massacre Russians.   


The war has been launched by them in 2014 right after the illegal coup d’etat. Inspired by Anglo-Saxons. After this overturn the Nazis came to power in our neighbouring country, the people of which we have designated as our brothers. As my President said, in fact, we are the one people.   

Since 2014 Kiev’s junta launched numerous military operations in the regions, which didn’t accept the new Nazi order in their capital. In Odessa, dozens of oppositionists were burnt alive in the House of Trade Unions.   
In Zaporizhzhia, Nazis blamed dissidents and using deterrence urged them to leave the country. In Donbas, people managed to and successfully resist the Nazis. But the price was numerous brutal, inhuman bombings of the civil population, conducted by Kiev forces, extrajudicial punishments, waves of plunders and rapes by Nazis that tried to eliminate Russians who have been living there even before entire Ukraine was established.   


In 2022 it was a reality that Ukraine can join NATO. After Ukraine had become a part of the Alliance, Western nuclear weapons could be deployed on that territory, and Ukraine would start the aggression against Russian Federation with the usage of all deployed arsenal.   


That’s why on February 24, 2022, we started the Special Military Operation to deNazify, demilitarize and assure the neutral status of Ukraine.   


QIt means you are ready to continue to fight?


If they are not ready for talks but want to continue fighting, we will fight.   


QHow has this impacted economic relations with Sri Lanka?


I don’t think there is any impact. Several times I have expressed my gratitude to Sri Lanka for your balanced position. We know that you are under pressure. For us, Sri Lanka is very important for its neutral position. Russia is important for Sri Lanka. Russian tourists are coming here. They are bringing in a lot of money.   


It was my message to Russian tourists. Don’t go to Europe! Come to friendly countries including Sri Lanka! Spend your money here! 

 
QSri Lanka has become a country relevant to most world powers because of its strategic positioning. They talk about the Indo-Pacific. They talk about the rules–based order. What is your view?


Who invented these rules? Where are the rules? We are speaking about international law. We are not going to commit to any rule other than that. They want to neglect international law. We don’t accept it.   


QWhat is Russia’s perspective?


We would like to see the Indian Ocean peaceful and cooperative based on open equal rights without militarization, without threatening independent countries, without sanctions and so on.   


QBut, the Western powers also say equal rights. Aren’t ’they?


But they have military bases. Why? Their military infrastructure is very close to the Russian Federation. Can you imagine Russian missiles in Mexico? Can you imagine the American reaction? We installed them in Cuba in 1962, America was about to start World War III. They can install missiles close to Russia. But, they don’t allow you to deploy it close to them. Double standards and hypocrisy! It is totally unacceptable.   


We are against military bases in the Indian Ocean. They are against whom? Does China pose any threat to you? I don’t think so. China does not pose any threat to anybody. China is focusing on economic cooperation and helping other countries. They help a lot. That is why we appreciate our relationship with Beijing.

මා ස්ථිරවම මීලග ජනාධිපතියි.. විශ්වයෙන් ඒ පණිවුඩය දැන්වූවා.. මගේ වත්කම බිලියන හතරයි.- මහජන උපයෝගිතා කොමිෂන් සභාවේ හිටපු සභාපති ජනක රත්නායක

May 25th, 2023

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

රටේ මීළඟ ජනාධිපතිවරයා නියත වශයෙන්ම තමන් බවත් එ් බව විශ්වයේ විශ්ව ශක්තිය විසින් තමාට දැනුම් දී ඇති බවත් මහජන උපයෝගිතා කොමිෂන් සභාවේ හිටපු සභාපති ජනක රත්නායක මහතා සඳහන් කරයි.

ඇතැමකුට මේය සිනහසීමට කාරණයක් වුවත් එය පරම සත්‍ය බවත් ඔහු කියා සිටී.

ඉන්දියානු අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය නරේන්ද්‍ර මෝදි මහතා තමාගේ ඇඳුමට සමාන ඇඳුම් අඳින බවත් නරේන්ද්‍ර මෝදිට පෙර තමන් එම ඇඳුම් ඇඳි බවත් රත්නායක මහතා සඳහන් කලේය.

ඔහු මේ බව සදහන් කරන්නේ අන්තර්ජාල නාලිකාවක සාකච්චාවකට එක්වෙමිනි.

තමන් රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහට, ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂට, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂට, මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේනට කිසිදු දිනක ‘සර්’ කියා අමතා නොමැති බව ද ජනක රත්නායක මහතා එහිදී කියා සිටී.

අද වන විට තමන් සතුව බිලියන 4ක වත්කම් ඇති බව ද ජනක රත්නායක තව දුරටත් එහිදී සදහන් කර ඇත.

Women brought to support Jalani Premdasa remain clueless as to why they gathered

May 25th, 2023

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

A large group of women who gathered in Colombo in support of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s wife, Jalani Premadasa said they had no idea as to why they had gathered in Colombo.

The women representing Colombo North said they had gathered to protest against a mud-slinging campaign against Mrs Premadasa.

However, most elderly women in the group appeared to be clueless as to why they had gathered in Colombo.  “I don’t know why I’m here. They asked us to come, we came,” one woman said when questioned by reporters.

Gota’s shift to organic farming led to 50% drop in rice yield during 2021/22 Maha season: HARTI

May 25th, 2023

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The sudden shift to organic farming in 2021 by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resulted in a drop of more than 50 percent in paddy yield in the 2021/2022 Maha season, according to a research.

The then government enacted the Import and Export Regulations No. 7 of 2021 which banned the import of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals. The government later revoked the gazette notification. The Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI) conducted a survey from August to September 2022, comparing the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Maha seasons to identify the effects and consequences of the fertilizer policy changes on rice production, household economy and food security.

The study has found that only three percent of paddy farmers were in support of a complete shift to organic farming, while 46 percent believed only chemical inputs are suitable.

Yield reduction of paddy in the 2021/22 Maha season was more than half when compared to the previous season, a much higher yield loss than expected. Therefore, moving towards complete organic cultivation was not desirable or sustainable. The yield penalties and unmatched price premiums of farm inputs can be multiple threats to food security. There is a need for more environmentally and economically sustainable fertilizer policies but extreme solutions such as a complete ban or restrictive licensing might not be feasible in the short run,” the research paper says.

The move also resulted in five percent reduction in paddy extent cultivated. Besides, 53 percent average yield loss of paddy per acre was reported during the same Maha season.

This study compares the two main paddy cultivating seasons (2020/21 and 2021/22), before and after the import ban, among 625 paddy farmers from 11 districts representing major, Mahaweli, minor and rain-fed irrigation systems. (Kelum Bandara)


Copyright © 2025 LankaWeb.com. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Wordpress