A precious birthright that belongs to the people of Sri Lanka
Posted on January 23rd, 2017
Ashley de Vos Courtesy The Island
One is horrified by the recent statements by politicians, of coming events. Such as the handing over of the Trincomalee Port to the Indians who have never been our friends, India looks after her own interest first, even in the extraction of the smallest pound of flesh. We cannot blame her; our leaders should be doing the same.
India and RAW have surreptitiously entered Sri Lanka and have spread themselves extensively in the West and South of the country, with the warm support of our leadership, through the Indian Trojan Horse “Ambulance Programme”: A service that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces could have easily accomplished as a peacetime effort, without giving any official access to a scheming hostile force.
Also, giving the Port, Airport and vast acres of land to the Chinese to develop a mega industrial estate or estates, in the Hambantota region. Even though the Chinese have been our friends historically, for the longest period of time, a free hand to develop industry, unless carefully monitored, could also encourage and facilitate pollution industries to ingress into the landscape. A great threat to the environment and unique wildlife habitat.
First the Indians told us we should not purchase hardware from Pakistan and now, still worse, the contracting of our essential services to an American Company, who will be telling Sri Lanka, a country with an unbroken history of over two thousand five hundred years, how we should live in a world where the greed driven Americans have a distinct hand in facilitating the destruction of. Is this a stepping stone to a bigger and larger agenda to convert Sri Lanka into an American Military Base?
Recently India reopened talks with the US on giving access to each other’s military bases. The Logistic Support Agreement (LSA) allows both sides to make changes to each other’s facilities in a way that it allows for easier conduct of military exercises, besides expanding their scope and ambition. The Communication and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) is an agreement that allows both Militaries to come on a common communication platform, and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) largely pertains to geospatial intelligence requiring sharing information on maps and satellite imaging for defence purposes. God forbid, nuclear submarines in the Trincomalee harbour. India would prefer an American base in Sri Lanka rather than within her borders.
Even the Survey Department, one of the most efficient organisations in the country, the only Department that still polishes its floors on a regular basis, a Department that has existed for a century and half, an existence that is about a third of the whole life history of the United States of America, now to be given to an American company, so that this precious land, the birthright of the innocent people of this country, could be freely distributed to whoever ‘they’ please.
In the early 2000, the US tried to introduce the ‘Tropical Forest Act’ that would commandeer the precious resources from all the Sri Lankan forest assets against interest on monies borrowed by Sri Lanka, that is, every forest reserve in the country at less than Rs. 2,300 an acre or Rs. 14.30 a perch. There were a number of “Sri Lankans” supporting this move. If signed, the resources in the Sri Lankan cloud forests would belong to the President of the United States of America, who is free to conduct military exercises and sell or otherwise exploit the precious resources.
The big pharmaceutical companies had their antennas tuned on, on to what could have been a trillion $ lottery. There were heavy protests from a few Environmental NGO’s led by the Wildlife & Nature Protection Society and committed individuals, interested in the protection, preservation of an integral and holistic Sri Lanka, who stood their ground. To the great horror of the authorities concerned, this group of Sri Lankans, genuine protectors and lovers of their country, even offered to buy the resource themselves; for which there was a prompt, NO. Thankfully, it went underground, but there is nothing to stop the ‘Act’ from raising its head again, as many of the original players are back in the ring. Is the taking over of the Survey Department, the final step to facilitate the US Tropical Forest Act.
Are there more statements in the pipeline, or are they all part of a gigantic red herring that is expected to provide an umbrella to a more sinister process or agreement that is still unknown to the larger population, to be unexpectedly, pushed in under the door. Whatever the sinister move no one, neither politician, nor Prime Minister, nor President has the right to dispose of an asset that belongs to the innocent citizens of this country. It is their birthright. Such action is a violation of their basic human rights. The Sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka is at stake.
A “Henegahana Aparadayak”.
Ashley de Vos
January 23rd, 2017 at 7:34 pm
Bravo Ashley, Well Said!
January 23rd, 2017 at 10:35 pm
The UNP MO has always been to sell public property. They did it in 2001-2003 period too. Luckily for the people of SL, that UNP government was sacked by the President. Only this time, with the advent of the 19th amendment, RW has craftily protected himself by placing a clause that the government cannot be dismissed for 4 1/2 years. How nice. The only way to get rid of the UNP would be for mass defections from the UNP which may not happen.
MS may be able to sack the PM but he is probably too chicken to do that. Would MS be able to engineer enough defections from the UNP/SLMC to create a government of his own? Perhaps.
If MS led SLFP loses the PC elections, would the party hierarchy want a change in the SLFP leadership? I think this is exactly what MR is angling for. MS may be able to stay as President but not as the party leader. If that happens, the SLFP will pull out of the government and the UNP will have to get the help of the TNA & SLMC. Once that is done, the UNP will be toast at the next general election.
This is my opinion, but MS, RW & Mangala should be prosecuted for treason for agreeing to co-sponsor a resolution against their own country. If this happened anywhere else, the leadership would have been impeached.
January 23rd, 2017 at 10:35 pm
The UNP MO has always been to sell public property. They did it in 2001-2003 period too. Luckily for the people of SL, that UNP government was sacked by the President. Only this time, with the advent of the 19th amendment, RW has craftily protected himself by placing a clause that the government cannot be dismissed for 4 1/2 years. How nice. The only way to get rid of the UNP would be for mass defections from the UNP which may not happen.
MS may be able to sack the PM but he is probably too chicken to do that. Would MS be able to engineer enough defections from the UNP/SLMC to create a government of his own? Perhaps.
If MS led SLFP loses the PC elections, would the party hierarchy want a change in the SLFP leadership? I think this is exactly what MR is angling for. MS may be able to stay as President but not as the party leader. If that happens, the SLFP will pull out of the government and the UNP will have to get the help of the TNA & SLMC. Once that is done, the UNP will be toast at the next general election.
This is my opinion, but MS, RW & Mangala should be prosecuted for treason for agreeing to co-sponsor a resolution against their own country. If this happened anywhere else, the leadership would have been impeached.
January 24th, 2017 at 9:11 am
Good article Ashley, no doubt the previous Bush and Obama with Hillary Clinton as secretary of state had a sinister agenda you speak of. The agenda is no secret to me anymore and to a lot of people I suspect. My hope is that with new anti-establishment figure in Donald Trump as new President. Things will change. Patriotic Sri Lankans need to reach out to President Donald Trump personally and Steve Bannon his strategist. I am sure there are many influential Sri Lankan-Americans with connections to powerful people in the US who can do this. With the new US Administration in power. This is a great opportunity for Sri Lanka to right any wrongs the Americans may have done in Sri Lanka in the last 20 years especially where during this time period have been particularly active in internal Sri Lankan affairs.
January 24th, 2017 at 11:33 pm
What the HELL is this NADAGAMA: A Regional Consular Office of the Foreign MInistry in Jaffna?
Why, and for What Purpose … to further facilitate Foreign Assistance to Separatist EELAMISTS?
I have NO DOUBT this is a PLOT between the PARA-GATHI AGA-MATHI, his PARA-GATHI Foreign MInister Avamangala Samaraweera, and the Tamil EELAMISTS Wigneswaran and the TNA!
Pay ATTENTION to this NEW DEVELOPMENT patriots!
………………………….
Sri Lanka opens Regional Consular Office of Foreign Ministry in North
Tue, Jan 24, 2017, 08:36 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 24, Colombo: Following the vision of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery to the public, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will open a Regional Consular Office in Jaffna.
The Consular Office which will be located at the District Secretariat in Jaffna, will be declared open on Thursday 26 January 2017 at 10.30 a.m. by the Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
Leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan, the Governor of the Northern Province Reginald Cooray, Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran, Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs D. Swaminathan, Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen, and State Minister of Women & Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheshwaran will participate in the event.
The Regional Office will provide a range of consular services to the public that were previously provided only through the Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo.
Services provided by the Regional Office will range from attestation of birth, marriage and death certificates as well as educational certificates for their use abroad; extending assistance to family members of Sri Lankans who may be stranded abroad; facilitation of redress and compensation claims of families of migrant workers; and repatriation of human remains from abroad.
The office will operate Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. It can be contacted by Telephone: 00 94 21 2215970, Fax: 00 94 21 2215972 and at Email
January 26th, 2017 at 4:14 pm
Well, HERE IT IS Folks, a Consular Office in Jaffna the Foreign State of EELAM!
EVERY DAY in EVERY WAY the PARA-GATHI Yamapalanaya is helping to CARVE OUT an EELAM from Sri Lanka!
……………………..
New Regional Consular Office of Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry opens in Jaffna
Thu, Jan 26, 2017, 09:13 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 26, Jaffna: Following the vision of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery to the public, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened a Regional Consular Office on Thursday, 26 January in Jaffna.
The Consular Office located at the District Secretariat in Jaffna, will provide a range of consular services to the public that were previously provided only through the Consular Office of the Foreign Ministry in Colombo, the Foreign Ministry said.
Services provided by the Regional Office will range from attestation of birth, marriage and death certificates as well as educational certificates for their use abroad; extending assistance to family members of Sri Lankans who may be stranded abroad; facilitation of redress and compensation claims of families of migrant workers; and repatriation of human remains from abroad.
The Regional Consular Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the District Secretariat, Kandy Road, Jaffna will be in operation Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Telephone : 00 94 21 2215970 Fax : 00 94 21 2215972.