Decolonizing Sri Lanka’s Sepoy Press
Posted on October 21st, 2013
Shenali D Waduge
With only days apart for the Commonwealth Heads of Government to arrive in Sri Lanka for what is being looked forward to as -Ëœthe-â„¢ most prestigious event on Sri Lanka-â„¢s calendar; what cannot escape attention is the manner that Sri Lanka-â„¢s Press has been functioning. No one argues with the role of media as watchdog but the issue is when the watchdog is acting to project a version seen through only one lens -” the Western. To be more specific, when the CHOGM comprises 53 former colonized nations, now supposedly free and -Ëœsovereign-â„¢ why is it that Sri Lanka-â„¢s press chooses to voice only the versions and statements coming from ONLY the 3 western nations who are members -” UK, Canada and Australia leaving out the voice of the 50 leaders and not dedicating any space for messages being conveyed by them or their take on issues like colonial crimes, colonial depopulation, demographic imbalance through illegal immigrants, transatlantic slave trade, reparations etc?
Commonwealth Member states
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What does the term -Ëœfree-â„¢ press connote to? Does it mean that the press has to be treated above the law of the land, that the press be allowed to do as they like, go where they like and write as they like claiming that it is ‚ their -Ëœpolicy-â„¢ and -Ëœmandate-â„¢ and every one else has to accept all that they say and write? These questions emerge when the bulk of media is today functioning as businesses and owned by politically motivated or religious entities that use the power of media to reach out deceptively to the audience.
96% of US media is not owned by Americans so the news that Americans are privy to is perhaps reason why Americans themselves are baffled why the world hates them. Americans relying on their channels alone are never given the other side of the story and only those that seek versions outside of which the mainstream news relays to them will have a holistic view of the state of affairs in the US and outside. This was clearly evident in the manner that Americans are clueless about links with Al Qaeda and the US Govt/intelligence, Americans are not aware that US funds terrorists, arms and trains them, US aligns with Wahhabi Saudis to stage rebellions in Middle East nations that Saudi wants to destroy, Americans did not know anything about the thousands of women and children killed in Iraq and other nations that US has been targeting to satisfy the greedy thirst of its corporates and has nothing to do with bringing benefits to ordinary Americans or restoring democracy to the nations they falsely invade. The US mainstream press is guilty of keeping Americans in the dark with selective reporting.
Similarly, India-â„¢s media is also not in control of the 80% Hindus -” surprisingly enough India-â„¢s media is owned by powerful religious entities and thus the Hindus are always made to feel guilty in what has become a nation that no longer has a say for the Hindu version of things and whenever Hindus object, the media is quick to project them as racists, extremists or the usual terminology now floating wholesale amongst the media fraternity. No newspaper or journalist is willing to give the version of the Hindus their due place.
Sri Lanka-â„¢s story is no different. When the incursions on Buddhist space has been highlighted instead of reporting with a balanced view the media was quick to continuously project a one-sided version giving no voice to the Buddhist perspective. In a country that has over 70% Buddhists when Buddhists and Buddhism was attacked in Bangladesh, Maldives, Burma and even the holiest place of Buddha Gaya not a single editorial was written and followed up by fellow columnists, not a word was said against the perpetrators other than simply reporting the incident because they had to. Illegal constructions that had no basis for argument was accepted as attacks on -Ëœmosques-â„¢ without highlighting that a takaran shed had no place to be called a mosque and placing in true context that none of the main mosques had been touched to give the slightest credibility to the argument. Not a single journalist mentioned how whole towns had been demographically changed either through conversion or as a result of the older natives having had no choice but to leave their homes because of the pressures brought on by Muslim groups and the manner they were encouraging people to have more children and converting estate Tamils as well as poor Sinhala youth.
Incursions are never highlighted and instead what is promoted is the compromise element which equates to no justice against the incursion but officially recognizing the incursion by forcing a compromise. Thus, Buddhists have been falsely accused of being intolerant yet ground realities and not what media or politicians have us believe show a totally different picture with conversions very much happening, proliferation of NEW mosques and churches along main roads very much happening, new prayer centers for Christians and mosques set up virtually on every road and none of these gets reported because palms are oiled to not do so and even leaders maybe living in a cuckoo land thinking they can deal with issues but they would be surprised how far they can do so when their block vote end up converted. These are numbers that any Government cannot afford to ignore if they rely on the majority Buddhists to bring them to power.
Even halal and animal sacrifice has ended up being reported against the merits of the arguments being made and no newspaper will allocate the other version and prefer instead to project the notion of wrong doing only by the Buddhists wherein all others are correct and have done no wrong. Dr. K N Jayatilake, Prof of Philosophy, University of Ceylon in his evidence in 1964 before the Press Commission had said that an impression had been created in the English reading public that the -Ëœcommunal and religious minorities must get together and oppose the Sinhalese Buddhist majority if they are to get any rights at all-â„¢. When the politically and economically influential people in Sri Lanka read the distorted and slanted versions of the English newspapers ONLY, is it a surprise that the Columbians believe in only a one-sided version of things. Dr. Jayatilake went on to say that foreign news relevant to Buddhists were never given print space again the choice of the non-Buddhist editor though Buddhist editors have always balanced the coverage. (PCR para 159, page 71).
It is not difficult to count how many Buddhist publications are permitted by Editors in the English newspapers in a country where 7 out of 10 are Sinhalese which shows that the calculated move to push the Buddhists into the background has not changed since 1960s. It also explains why editors and newspapers give stepmotherly treatment to Buddhist interests and never debate topics from a Buddhist perspective.
We are well aware that until the Golden Key scandal came to light none of the malpractices in the Kotelawala enterprise ever made it to any papers because the media were handsomely looked after and thus their silence. When the Western world can afford to offer media scholarships, media tours, awards, accolades and what not distributed only amongst the same fraternity of people that tow the line of the Western thought and campaigns on behalf of the West, is it a surprise why the same people walk away with trophies and titles! If we wondered why the Press has not been highlighting the plights of fellow Third World nations and their leaders it is because the local press are stooges of the West helping them carry out their agenda in Sri Lanka.
Press setting up courts
The former motto of -” -Ëœwe report, you decide-â„¢ has today been turned into the press acting as the prosecutor, juror, judge and executioner and they use their newspapers to run the kangaroo courts with a one-sided version outcome. Thus, how many of Sri Lanka-â„¢s media personnel being citizens of Sri Lanka proudly defended the armed forces when the world media and governments humiliated them, accused them of wrong doing and started to build up sensational documentaries that have yet to give a single witness name or credible evidence? How many of Sri Lanka-â„¢s media proudly defended the nation and its defeat of terrorism to say that we did the correct thing and that 20million people were now living in peace. This is the same media that hesitated to even call Prabakaran or the LTTE as terrorists. Now with the CHOGM days away they are just counting how they can add fuel to fire to take on the Government alongside the Western press who will be ever ready to bring up topics of the final days of the war, war crimes and the usual list of accusations that have with the passage of 4 years not seen an iota of evidence except PR tamashas and opportunities for former UN heads to turn into authors and sell printed lies.
Press Commission Report (1964) and Need for National Media Commission
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When newspapers begin to fabricate, suppress and distort news and views suited to them they cannot object to being called anti-national.
In 1963, William Gopallawa Governor General appointed the Press Commission report under the recommendation of Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike. ‚ Former Supreme Court judge, Justice K D de Silva (father of C R de Silva) was appointed Commissioner.
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The observations of the 1964 Press Commission as a whole was that Sri Lanka-â„¢s Press had not conformed to general principles of journalism, that news was slanted, distorted, or fabricated, conducting themselves in a manner hostile to the interests of the country and Buddhism in particular -Ëœthe religion professed by the vast majority of the permanent population-â„¢ (page 12 of report)
‚
The Press Commission Report also highlighted Patriotism in the newspapers
-ËœIf these English language newspapers were sufficiently patriotic they could have made a very useful contribution to bringing about unity among the various communities after the country achieved its independence. They should have advised the minority groups to adapt themselves to the changing circumstances and exhorted the majority to be generous towards the former. They failed to do that. What they consistently did was to poison the minds of the minority groups and encourage them to fight to retain the unjust privileges they had received during the era of foreign domination. - (PCR para 112, page 56)
- The journalists manning the Sinhala language newspapers knew fully well that this policy was wrong and unpatriotic but they themselves were compelled to follow, though unwittingly, the same policy due to pressure exerted on them by the management- (PCR para 113, page 56)
On the conduct of the Tamil Press i.e. Virakesari the Press Commission Report quotes V A Kandiah and G Kumaralingam members of the Ceylon Journalists Association saying
-˜ It is carrying on a continuous communal propaganda in issue after -˜issue. Virakesari is owned and run by Indian nationals, and as such their purpose is to spread the idea of Indian domination of this country and condition the people -˜
Mr. Kumaralingam said that the Thinakaran and Virakesari were
-Ëœinfecting the Tamil population with communalism, thus disrupting the unity of the Sinhalese and Tamil people. These papers should be properly controlled to enable us to play up national unity.-â„¢ (PRC para 47, page 26)
The Press Commission Report mentions -ËœCeylon Daily Mirror-â„¢, -ËœCeylon Observer-â„¢ and -ËœTimes of Ceylon-â„¢ being newspapers largely responsible for spreading communal disharmony on the lines that the minorities were being denied due rights and treated as second class citizens bringing non-existent parallels to the racial discrimination suffered by blacks in South Africa.
The subject of mischievous propaganda was highlighted by none other than Sir Nicholas Attygalle, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ceylon who said that the source of false news to England and USA was from Sri Lanka-â„¢s own leading newspapers (PRC para 49, page 27). Should we then be surprised when the foreign press is hostile towards Sri Lanka when the meat is being provided by our own press! If the press acting anti-national in the 1960s has the scenario changed in 2013?
Yet inspite of their wrongs the Sri Lankan Press has been consistently engaged in playing the role of victim totally ignoring their own shady dealings. In this context we need to return to 1964 when the Bauddha Jathika Balavega emerged in response to the Catholic Action that almost led to a military coup by Christian military officers. The Press report alleges that the Times of Ceylon was aware of the coup d-â„¢etat in the early part of 1962 but they did not have sufficient evidence but the editorial comments during the 2 months preceding January 27, 1962 were purposely calculated to create tension in the minds of the readers against the Government without warning the Government and was instead preparing the people to accept a new Government (PRC para 51, page 27)
Tragically the recommendations of the Press Commission could not be implemented as the Sirima Government was defeated nevertheless the validity of the observations remain very much relevant in 2013 and probably even beyond.
Just as politicians need to have a proper code of ethics underlining their behavior and actions it is important for the press to function under the policies of a National Media Commission. No press can function to their whims and fancies -” the press in Sri Lanka were they to work in a foreign press would have to adjust themselves according to the norms of those nations and laws. Simply because they wear a press tag it does not give them a carte blanche to write what they like. Content analysis can reveal the bias and the writers paid to be biased and why they continue to write as they do. If journalists are funded and sponsored to write against their own country from foreign locations ridiculing their own it is nothing but gutter journalism.
How many American journalists can you find who would laugh at being American, ridicule America or its armed forces? Sadly there are many amongst Sri Lanka-â„¢s journalist fraternity who are made to think that to belong to the English speaking sepoy press the qualification is to ridicule their country, humiliate the majority, take swipes against the military and promote racial disharmony. Those that write on behalf of the side that is humiliated giving reasons are quickly branded racists or extremists so that readers would desist from reading their versions.
This is the culture that has been created within the Western-backed media world. Returning to the topic of CHOGM when there are 50 Third World countries who are members of the Commonwealth why are none of these countries and what the leaders say ever highlighted. In democratic media coverage should the media not give -Ëœequal-â„¢ publicity? Every comment on the CHOGM has been from the prism of either the British, Canadian or Australian view. None of the English newspapers chose to highlight that 14 Caribbean nations have formed an alliance to prepare and demand compensation for war crimes. None of the local press have wanted to explore or question why the British making accusations against Sri Lanka remains mum on its own crimes running across the globe over hundreds of years in calculated strategies to even depopulate Sri Lanka-â„¢s majority. No journalist or English newspaper in Sri Lanka on behalf of Sri Lanka wishes to even make a call for an International Commission of Inquiry into Colonial Crimes. None of the press has chosen to cover some of the British crimes in Sri Lanka some of which are too horrific to mention -” how many know that British officials ate breakfast while watching Buddhists being hung or they made a sport of killing elephants even their babies?.
When countries are unfairly pointing fingers, as proud citizens should we not question those pointing fingers for their dark past is nothing that gives them any credibility to behave as angels. Is to claim media freedom to denounce the nation and natives or to give both sides of the version and allow readers to decide for themselves?
October 21st, 2013 at 1:18 pm
SL press is pro-LTTE/TNA.
But what will the govt. do? My guess is NOTHING.
October 21st, 2013 at 2:19 pm
The pattern will become obvious if the following categorisation is done and matrix shown below is completed giving the ethnicity and religious affiliation of owners, editors, sub editors and journalists and other important position holders for each and every newspaper in Sri Lanka. It is important to distinguish further whether a person designated a Sinhala Buddhist is further a Colombian or Non Colombian. This analysis will show the extent of the cancer of Colonization is still there in the Sri Lankan Press. As always – Thank you Shenali for telling the truth.
Ethnicity and Religion in the Sri Lanka Press
Newspaper Dailynews Island Daily Mirror
Owner
Editor Buddhist Sinhala
Christian – Catholic Tamil
Sub Editor 1 Christian – other Burgher
Sub Editor 2 Muslim Malay / Java
Sub Editor 3 Hindu Moor
Sub Editor 4 Other Other
Sub Editor 5
Sub Editor 6
Sub Editor 7
Journalists1
Journalists2
Journalists3
Journalists4
Journalists5
Journalists6
Journalists7
Journalists8
Journalists9
October 21st, 2013 at 4:00 pm
The right thing for SL is a MILITARY TAKEOVER.
SACK the president, his 190 advisors, 1,500 staff, 225 MPs, 100 ministers and their staff, PCs, MCs, PSs, etc. Immediately SL people will save BILLIONS. GIVE these benefits to people IMMEDIATELY. Punish all drug dealers, thugs, the corrupt IMMEDIATELY.
SCRAP the con-stitution.
SCRAP ALL ethnic specific laws like Vesawalami, Shitaria, etc.
Put a NEW constitution based on Sinhala a must know language for all, Buddhist principles of good governance, TOTAL UNITARY SL, EQUAL RIGHTS FOR EVERYONE, ZERO TOLERANCE of ANY FORM of separatism, ZERO TOLERANCE of illegal immigrants, nationalist media, independent judiciary and police, ZERO TOLERANCE of foreign missionary work, strict rules for NGOs, death for treason and major corruption.
Then hand over to a SMALL LEAN govt. elected from an election within 1 year. Any party that fails to get 20% of the TOTAL NATIONAL vote is DISQUALIFIED from election. Its voted shared between the 2 top parties equally. NO PCs. ANY PARTY violating the new constitution immediately disqualified.
Limit TOTAL politicians’ expenses to 0.5% of GDP.
October 21st, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Given the fabrications and hallucinations published against the govt, by those with vested interests, Sri Lanka has to be the country with the real free press. Anything against the US and western governments by their own press is suppressed or disappear quickly from front line news. All news media are controlled by millionaires who cater directly to their politician. The poor “journalist” in the USA happily writes to keep those who employ him happy…………. Wonder if those who are screaming about “media suppression” in Sri Lanka know or have ever thought of this?
October 21st, 2013 at 6:53 pm
Shenali Waduge has very clearly identified and explained how the average person in the West is kept ignorant of the true situation in the world, as a result of a servile media in the Western nations. This is quite the opposite with Sri Lankan media, where many are trying to emulate the western media by supporting Western interests, even to the extent of regime change through bogus war crime allegations. Western media like the CNN, BBC, Ajjazeera (though middle eastern, now controlled by American interests) etc operate hand in glove with Western regimes and extreme right wing or religious forces. Most of the adverse news about Western aggression and violation of human rights of independent nations are filtered out to keep the masses ignorant. Worst of all is, other than a few independent free lance journalists, the Western media also resorts to fabricating harmful stories to tarnish the image of leaders and regimes in independent nations, not towing the interests of the West and thereby prejudice an unsuspecting western audience. I believe the most powerful weapons the Western regimes have are not their nuclear weapons, but this servile media coupled with stooge NGOs pretending to protect human rights and media freedom. However, they are also ready to compromise for benefits from wealthy private lobby groups. This being the pathetic ground situation in the west, we must not believe all the people in these western nations as enemies, like what was foolishly and wickedly done to a some westerners by extremist forces in the Islamic world, not so long ago. As for Sri Lanka, in the absence of being neither a military power or economic power or a media power, the biggest weapon is to encourage tourism, interact and treat well the visitors from the west as well and let them discover who we really are, like Lord Rogan of Ireland did in his recent visit (but as expected lambasted by Amnesty International for daring to differ from the image AI want to create for Sri Lanka). Therefore, it is understandable why the separatists and hostile NGOs and Western leaders are trying to sabotage the forthcoming CHOGM conference, fearing the large number of visitors who would see what Lord Rogan saw.
October 21st, 2013 at 6:56 pm
“The right thing for SL is a MILITARY TAKEOVER.”
Government in this country is the very image of a whirlpool with the center being sucked in by the sheer weight and rush exerted on it by the periphery. To use another metaphor the foundation of present government held together by the Rajapakse brothers could well cave in under the weight of the supra-structure. Actually no Samson or military might would be necessary to push the columns asunder, as they could well crumble on their own. The only question is as to who, in such an eventuality would have the moral right to intervene to clear the debris. That could well be the military.
I do not think that gratitude to Rajapakse for winning the war should blind us to the ‘be or not to be’ situation that has engulfed this land.
The present day political situation has something in common with the arrival of SWRD into power. The masses were waiting to burst out of their anonymity. They wanted to label everything a ‘APEY’, even the law courts…apey aanduwa, apey usawiya.
Today, it is the dream of access to political office with robbery, plunder, theft in the offing that is guaranteeing the emergence of the new breed of leaders buried up to their throats in dishonesty, illegality and corruption. It is on them that hordes of henchmen or supporters depend to make their way in the illusory sun. So is the voter system layered assuring the government victory after victory.
This situation is reflected even in sports. Nowadays everyone wants to be a cricketer. Recently a promising javelin champion decided to convert to fast bowling. throwing the cricket ball held up for him dreams of riches that throwing the javelin could not muster.
The Rajapakses are riding high on the wave of plunder of national resources. The glamour of the ‘high life’ has reached such unprecedented heights that blinded by its dazzle people no longer have eyes to see.
Today the very notion of government would give rise to be justifiable bust of laughter. The party system has literally vanished. The present ruling party is NOT the party it is meant to be. The opposition is NOT the opposition it is meant to be.The one and the other are both identifiable as being one Schizophrenic personality. Our government is a total ‘mental disorder’. It would no doubt draw to itself the epithet ‘madness’.
This country has lost its identity. Where is this famous ‘Sinhala Buddhist Civilization’? We are now colonized by Indians, Chinese, Muslims.
When will something happen that will clear the tragic mess and restore our pristine grandeur? That ‘something’ would have to be drastic and radical. Someone like a Cromwell for the England of that time. Someone like a Robespierre for the France of that time…someone…someone…a local Messiah.
Mario Perera
Kadawata
October 21st, 2013 at 9:45 pm
I too agree with both Lorenzo and Mario.
When I commented against the government ( not merely to blame ), editor decided to screen all my comments.
Is he now going to screen both Mario, Lorenzo and a lot more who a lambasting MR ?
Even this comment will appear tomorrow. Where is the justice ?
October 21st, 2013 at 11:18 pm
Shenali,
This article on the alienation of the Press of Commonwealth Countries from the beliefs and control of the vast majority of their citizens is perhaps the Most Insightful Article you have written to date!
BRAVO!
Now take the next step …. suggest some approaches to REVERSE this situation and make the Majority Peoples of these countries, including Sri Lanka, TRULY SOVEREIGN!
October 21st, 2013 at 11:20 pm
Revelation! WHO KNEW Lalith Weeratunga’s father was Arumugam Veeraraja … a Tamil? No wonder Lalith was a STRONG supporter of the Eelamists undermining the GOSL at every turn!
I thought he was a Sinhala TURNCOAT … no he was not … he was an undercover Tamil Eelamist hiding in the open in Colombo ….. posing as a journalist for protection against retribution for his anti-national activities!
NOW the general public also knows!
…………………………….
Sri Lankan activists still ‘disappeared’
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Oct 21 (Australian) THE voice on the other end of the line was clear and menacing. “Are you going to remove Lalith from Jaffna, or do you want us to eliminate him?” When Lalith’s father, Arumugam Veeraraja, received the call from an unknown number one afternoon in November 2011, he started shaking.
He told the caller: “Please. I’m just a working man. Please don’t take my son.”
His plea was in vain. Two weeks later, his 28-year-old son, a Tamil human rights activist who had been investigating abductions by Sri Lanka’s security services, vanished.
Armed men bundled him and a colleague into an unmarked white van in Jaffna, the Tamil capital of northern Sri Lanka. It was broad daylight and there were witnesses, but Lalith Kumar Weeraju has not been seen since.
“He was my only son,” said Mr Veeraraja, 54, his voice cracking with emotion as he sat at the family home on a rubber plantation in Srinivas last week. “Sometimes when I think about him I shiver. I don’t know how to cope.”
Mr Veeraraja, who survived an abduction attempt last November after pressing for information about his son’s fate, is not alone.
Next month, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to greet Prince Charles and dozens of world leaders for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, an event he hopes will bolster his regime’s credibility.
October 21, 2013 at 10:59 AM
Delete
Blogger Ananda-USA said…
…..Continued 1……
However, four years after the end of a civil war that left up to 100,000 people dead, activists say the nation’s human rights record remains atrocious and such abductions continue with disturbing regularity. After Iraq, Sri Lanka has the highest number of disappearances in the world, with fewer than half of the 12,000 on record solved.
White vans have become such a potent symbol for abductions in Sri Lanka that they have even spawned their own verb. Being “white vanned” is to be “disappeared” by shadowy groups linked to the security services.
Dimuthu Attygalle, 46, understands Sri Lanka’s dark underbelly better than most. Walking home in Colombo in April last year, she felt a hand grab her mouth and pull her backwards.
“There were six or seven of them, armed with T56 rifles,” said Ms Attygalle, a member of a leftist political party who is now in hiding. “They bound my eyes and beat me. They molested me sexually and used filthy language.”
She was handcuffed and blindfolded for four days and interrogated by security agents, but was relatively lucky. A colleague who was abducted simultaneously was a dual Sri Lankan-Australian citizen. She believes that pressure from Australian diplomats helped to secure their release.
Although the pace of abductions has slowed since the war ended in 2009, Ruki Fernando, a human rights activist, estimates that about two “white van” abductions take place every month. Some believe the number may be higher, as many cases go unreported because the victims’ families are too frightened to speak out. Another activist believes there are at least three abduction squads operating in Colombo, with several more in the north of the country, the heartland of the Tamil insurgency that gripped Sri Lanka for 26 years.
The government denies it is behind the disappearances.
The families say few cases are followed up by the police and the fate of the victims is unknown.
Abdul Hameed Noor Najiba, 62, fought desperately with the men who abducted her two sons outside their home in May 2010. “When I went to see the police, they laughed at me,” she said. “When I saw the police Inspector-General, he said: ‘Don’t bother searching for them, just pray for their souls.’ “
October 22nd, 2013 at 1:43 am
Ananda,
Are you talking about Lalith Kumar Weeraraj ?
But you said Lalith Weeratunga who is MR’s secretary.
October 22nd, 2013 at 4:37 am
The Indian Imperialism of non-violent aggression and oppression is the worst form of aggression and oppression among humans. The animals use violent aggression and oppression. Indians and Indian colonial parasites are the most skilled in non-violent aggression. They built an Empire that the writer has listed.
A friend of mine wanted to put in an ad during Navi Pillais visit to the island nation. It said ” Ms Navi Pillai, Hon. UNHCR You are an Indian colonial parasite from South Africa. Hence you should keep out of affairs of subjects of the Indian Empire”. The Observer and Daily News advertising manager refused to accept the advertisement. The Sunday Island accepted it and was paid up. Later they refused it and offered to refund the payment.
Guess what the reason is?
If you look at the
major advertisers in the media you will see they are the Indian colonial parasites who run the economy of the county. Let us stand up to Indian imperialists.
By the Emperor is not coming as is frightened.
October 22nd, 2013 at 11:36 am
We advise Man Mohan Singh to stay at home, and Sri Lanka to DOWNGRADE relations with India by CLOSING all except one of the Indian Embassiies, canceling the Sampur Power Plant agreement, taking back the Palaly airport and Trincomalee Oil Storage tanks, reducing Economic links with India, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, REVOKING the Indian imposed 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution and DISSOLVING ALL Provincial Councils.
Then, we can say that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has EXECUTED a MASTER STROKE! Not Otherwise!
……………………………
Master stroke: Can Mahinda Rajapakse afford to be as daring as Sri Lankan cricketer Jayasuriya?
By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury
EconomicTimes.IndiaTimes.com
October 23, 2013
NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka has warned that a boycott of next month’s Commonwealth heads of state Summit in Colombo by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will have “consequences” for bilateral relations between the two countries, queering the pitch for the government ahead of a decision on the level of its participation. Singh is under intense pressure from Tamil Nadu politicians, including those in his own Congress party, to not attend the November 15-17 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) as a mark of protest against the treatment of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority. The government intends to decide on Singh’s travel to Colombo after he returns from China on October 24, sources told ET.
But India’s vacillations have frustrated the Mahinda Rajapakse government in Sri Lanka, which diplomatic sources in Delhi, said was pushing hard to have Singh attend the summit that is being held in Asia after 24 years. “Presence of Indian PM means a lot for the Rajapaksa government and Sri Lanka in general. They are obviously disappointed,” one source said. Colombo has threatened that Singh’s absence from the meet will adversely impact bilateral ties, although the sources said it was not clear what the consequences would be.
While India’s Tamil parties are keen that Singh boycott the summit, a top Tamil leader in Sri Lanka – CV Vigneshwaran, head of pro-India Tamil National Alliance that runs the island nation’s Northern Province – is keen that the prime minister not only visits Colombo but also Jaffna, the seat of Tamil power and politics. In the event of Singh boycotting, India will be represented by Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid, which could be viewed by Colombo as New Delhi downgrading the importance of the summit.
A foreign ministry official rued that state politics was affecting the course of foreign policy and harming national interests by pushing Sri Lanka into the arms of others. Sri Lanka has in recent years moved closer to China as well as Pakistan. China had supplied Colombo with arms to fight the LTTE, and after the war, also helped several infrastructure projects.
The West too has been eyeing Sri Lanka’s strategic location for decades. Pakistan has supplied Sri Lanka with metal detectors and body scanners for the CHOGM Summit, reportedly after India dilly-dallied on the issue.
October 22nd, 2013 at 6:19 pm
Hello Ratanapala,
As I know, the following are the editors of main English newspapers in SL.
Daily News: Rajpal Abenayake
The Island: Menik De Silva
The Nation: Malindha Senevirathna
Sunday Times: Champika Liyanaarachchi
Daily Mirror: Ruwan Ferdinandez
I am not sure of the Sunday Observer. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks!
October 22nd, 2013 at 6:23 pm
Hi Nanda,
I never comment against the present government or the president of SL.
However, all my comments in this blog are subject to moderation by the Editor from the begining.
By the time my comment appears, the news value is lost. Sad!
October 23rd, 2013 at 12:16 am
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan demands Indian BOYCOTT of CHOGM at Tamil Nadu wants! Clearly … he does not think and act as a loyal Sri Lankan citizen but an AVOWED ENEMY of Sri Lanka!
What MORE TREASON does the TA have to commit before the GOSL REVOKES the 13th Amendment and DISSOLVES the Provincial Council System? What are we WAITING for?
……………………..
Indian government should listen to Tamil Nadu leaders, Sri Lanka Tamil party leader says
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Oct 22, Colombo: The Central Indian government should listen to the sentiments of Tamil Nadu political leaders over India’s participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka next month, the leader of Sri Lanka’s major Tamil party has said.
Many Tamil Nadu political parties and even Tamil leaders in the Congress have urged the Indian Prime Minister to boycott the Commonwealth meeting in Colombo.
Speaking to the reporters in Chennai, following a meeting with India’s Bharatiya Janatha Party leaders, leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R. Sampanthan has said that he doesn’t think the participation of Indian leaders in the summit would help the Tamil cause despite his party’s divided opinion on the issue.
The newly elected Chief Minister of Northern Provincial Council, C. V. Vigneswaran in an exclusive interview to Times of India has said that the Indian leaders should attend the CHOGM to express their concerns over the Tamil cause and other issue.
“We must have the courage of conviction to tell the Sri Lankan government that it has done this and this and what does it got to say… It is better you say it at the CHOGM rather than keep away,” Times of India quoted the Chief Minister.
However Sampanthan has disagreed with Vigneswaran’s view saying that they might be thinking that the participation of the leaders from India would help the cause of the Tamils but he doesn’t consider that it is the wide opinion.
Sampanthan was in Chennai to hold discussions with the BJP leaders to seek their support on the implementation of 13th Amendment to the Constitution to for power devolution.
“India’s intervention is very much needed for a permanent solution to the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. India should help for resettlement of Tamils,” he has said.
The TNA leader, alleging that the India-sponsored rehabilitation projects had not been properly implemented in Sri Lanka, has requested the leaders of various Tamil parties in the state to work together to help the Sri Lankan Tamils.
He has said that Vigneswaran and other TNA leaders would meet the leaders of various parties, especially those in Tamil Nadu, to get their support.
October 23rd, 2013 at 12:23 am
Nanda said ….
“Ananda,
Are you talking about Lalith Kumar Weeraraj ?
But you said Lalith Weeratunga who is MR’s secretary.”
Oops … I goofed! My PROFUSE APOLOGIES to Mr. Lalith Weeratunga … who I have met … and consider to be a Patriot of the Highest caliber!
Thank you Nanda for pointing out my TERRIBLE MISTAKE. Yes, it is Lalith Kumar Weeraraj I am talking about.
I will try to DELETE all of those posts!