A recent news item showed former students who studied in socialist countries joining hands with the Russian Cultural Centre to clean parts of Colombo. While such initiatives are commendable, they also remind us of a painful reality: Sri Lanka’s cleanliness problem is not caused by a lack of cleaning campaigns. It is caused by a lack of discipline.
Having studied in the Soviet Union during the 1970s, I witnessed first-hand how a society could function with remarkable order and civic responsibility.
During my years there, I never saw members of the public casually dumping garbage on roadsides, canals, parks, or public spaces. Waste collection was organized systematically, often during late-night hours when public inconvenience was minimized. The streets were clean not because thousands of people were mobilized for periodic cleaning drives, but because people simply did not litter.
In the student dormitories where we lived, responsibility was shared. Occupants of each floor were assigned duties to clean common kitchens, sweep corridors, and maintain shared facilities. Anyone neglecting these duties faced reprimand from fellow residents and administrators. Cleanliness was not considered somebody else’s responsibility.
The same discipline was visible throughout society.
Power cuts were virtually unheard of. Water supplies were uninterrupted. Telephone connections in residential flats were provided without the exorbitant charges common elsewhere. Residents did not have to worry about municipal rates and multiple taxes for basic services. The state planned, maintained, and delivered services with clockwork precision.
The Soviet system certainly had its shortcomings. Yet one lesson stands out clearly: a nation cannot progress without discipline, accountability, and respect for public property.
Today in Sri Lanka, millions of rupees are spent annually cleaning drains, canals, beaches, roads, and public parks. Within days, many of these places are polluted once again. Plastic bottles, food wrappers, polythene bags, and construction debris reappear because the mindset has not changed.
We continue to treat public spaces as nobody’s property.
The “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative will succeed only if it goes beyond slogans and ceremonial events. Citizens must understand that keeping the country clean is not the responsibility of municipal workers alone. Schools, workplaces, apartment complexes, businesses, religious institutions, and households must all be held accountable.
Local authorities should be empowered to impose substantial fines for littering. Public institutions should be evaluated on cleanliness standards. Schoolchildren should be taught civic responsibility from an early age. Apartment residents should share responsibility for maintaining common areas. Commercial establishments that pollute should face strict penalties.
Most importantly, political leaders must lead by example.
A clean nation is not created by one-day campaigns, media events, or speeches. It is created by a culture of discipline practiced every day by every citizen.
Sri Lanka does not need to copy every aspect of the Soviet model. But it would do well to adopt one of its most valuable lessons: public order and national progress begin when citizens understand that their rights come with responsibilities.
Until that happens, “Clean Sri Lanka” risks becoming another slogan. With discipline, however, it can become a national transformation.
I placed a snippet in face book about the precarious road side garbage dumped along the RDA road in Kimbulawala in Kotte
Irony is garbage dumped near the police post where the cops sitting inside surging mobile phone and does not bother about garbage on drain and next to the police post
When I told him they said Sir we cannot do much Public should learn !
The readers of a venerated newspaper from Guwahati noticed an unusual full front-page advertisement on 26 May 2026 stating that the English daily was not for sale. Grabbing the most important space for hard news (meant for valued readers who buy the newspapers every morning), the arrogant management did not hesitate to use the front page for an issue that could have been dealt otherwise. But the question remains, why the Assam Tribune management propagated the advertisement asserting that the acclaimed daily is not being sold to anyone. Refuting rumours on social media, the managerial authority took the unusual step that was read by the media observers not as a clarification, but overreaction to something appearing in the alternate media.
The strongly worded disclaimer/ statement with the sturdy line THE ASSAM TRIBUNE IS NOT FOR SALE claimed that the widespread speculation on social media regarding its alleged sale is unjustified. For the past 88 glorious years, The Assam Tribune has stood as an independent, credible and responsible institution committed to serve the nation and the people with integrity, courage and journalistic excellence,” read the advertisement, adding that the management reserves the right to initiate appropriate legal action against any individual, group entity found involved in creating, spreading or promoting such baseless and defamatory content.
Earlier in its verified social media account, the newspaper pointed out that the rumour was amplified by prominent personalities and even media outlets, many of whom apparently felt verification was an unnecessary formality. No official confirmation. No credible source. No due diligence. Just pure confidence and a share button, it added. For nearly nine decades, The Assam Tribune has remained committed to preserving the trust of its readers, and it will continue to do so in the years ahead. In an era where everyone claims to value journalism and fact-checking, it’s fascinating to see how quickly baseless speculation can be repackaged as ‘news’ simply because it trends online,” stated the newspaper.
The issue got momentum, when many Assamese social media users in the fourth week of May apprehended that the prestigious newspaper was already sold to industrialist Gautam Adani (Chairman of Adani Group) for around Rs 421 crore. It was later amplified by many prominent personalities, who also claimed that the management failed to pay the Assam Tribune employees for months and over 75 ex-workers were yet to get their legal financial dues which compelled them to approach the competent court. Needless to mention that, the social media respondents genuinely expressed their concern at the pathetic financial condition of the media house.
The history of newspapers in Assam of northeast India began as the first issue of Arunodoi (Sunrise) hit the market in January 1846. Published from Sibsagar in eastern Assam by the American Baptist Missionaries, the monthly publication in Assamese language continued its presence till 1879. The second Assamese monthly news magazine named Asam Bilasini started its publication in 1871 from Majuli river island by Deva Dutta Goswami and its journey continued till 1883. Several newspapers and magazines in Assamese later followed the footsteps where Dainik Batori emerged as the first daily published in 1935 by tea-planter Siva Prasad Baruah.
Eminent Assamese entrepreneur Radha Govinda Baruah founded the Assam Tribune group in 1939 and added a few other publications in Assamese language. First published as a weekly newspaper from Dibrugarh, it was brought to Guwahati and transformed into a daily in 1946. The diamond jubilee celebration of The Assam Tribune was graced by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on 7 December 1999. On the other hand, its platinum jubilee was attended by PM Narendra Modi on 29 November 2014, where he highlighted the strength of media and the positive role it could play in transforming a society.
Lately, the oldest media group in northeast India faced a financial crisis and it was reflected in the official statements of Assam Tribune Employees’ Union, where it alleged delays in regular salaries and other due post-retirement benefits to the employees. The union organized a series of demonstrations at the office premise and even addressed a press conference claiming that a huge amount of money (advertisement revenues) was pending at Assam government’s information and public relations department. The management also echoed similar versions stating that it was expecting those pending millions of rupees urgently.
Amid all disturbing developments, the management handed over the responsibility of Dainik Asom, a sister publication, to a separate media house owner. The new owner, while taking leadership of the six-decade old daily on 17 September 2025, denied taking liability of over 75 employees (who were associated with Dainik Asom). The old management was supposed to clear all the dues for the ousted employees at the earliest, but it did not happen. Finally they knocked on the doors of the legal fraternity and the court had recently asked the Tribune management to pay them off.
The Guwahati-based media house was recognized as an honest news entrepreneur across the region. The Tribune group implemented the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Board in 2010 for the first time in the country. Just before evading the responsibility of Dainik Asom, the current batch of owners silently put their seven-decade-old tabloid Asom Bani to die silently. The mainstream weekly was merged with Dainik Asom as a Sunday supplement. However, the buyer didn’t own the weekly and thus it faced an unceremonious death. Asom Bani was last published on 12 September last year as a supplement, but the Tribune management did not issue any statement over its closure.
The media group, which witnessed and reported various important socio-political developments of the trouble-torn region like the medium school instruction movement, anti-influx agitation, sudden rise of separatist militancy, common social unrest, emergence of regional politics, etc with commitment to the indigenous population. Soon after the Covid-19 pandemic all newspapers in Assam faced existential crisis because of drastic fall of circulations and revenues. Media observers note that the Tribune house historically maintained credibility in disseminating information, editorials, and articles, but in recent years, these principles were largely compromised.
The Assam Tribune extensively covered the anti-citizenship act movement in 2019, providing significant space to public protests against the Union government’s initiative to politically support persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Christian families from Muslim majority Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The coverage fuelled weeks of unrest in Assam’s Brahmaputra valley, with the narrative suggesting that the new citizenship law would undermine the Assam accord which was signed in 1985 to culminate the six years long anti-foreigner agitation.
Moreover, the people of Assam remember a series of biased media reports prepared for the English newspaper on the eve of a city press club election in 2020. Those low-credible reports were full of personal attacks against the then secretary of Guwahati Press Club, which ultimately put its hard-earned reputation at stake. Later when the particular scribe won an international award from Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign in 2021, the editorial desk denied space to it.
While the current financial status of Assam Tribune is dire, it was seemingly not created by the pandemic alone, but the habit of exercising editorial liberties without accountability by some of its ill motive news-desk workers, who made the situation worse. Those media professionals even after enjoying all benefits fomented disorder inside the institution inviting colossal troubles, when the management too remained a mute spectator, reasons best known to them only, which finally invited the disaster.
In 1989, five years after returning to Sri Lanka from the United Kingdom and Norway, where I had worked on offshore oil and gas projects in the North Sea, an unexpected opportunity changed the course of my life.
One afternoon, a friend visited my home and asked whether I would be interested in heading a government institution known as the Road Development Authority. At the age of 39, with a background in mechanical engineering rather than civil engineering, I was surprised by the suggestion. Nevertheless, I believed that management, discipline, and integrity were more important than professional labels, and I agreed.
My name was forwarded to the President. However, I later learned that the Secretary to the Ministry of Highways was not enthusiastic about the appointment and was reluctant to accept me as chairman.
Weeks passed. Then I received a message from the Secretary to the Treasury asking me to come to the President’s Office.
At that time, I had never been involved in politics. I had never met the President, nor had I met the Secretary to the Treasury. Wearing my best suit, I arrived at the President’s Office and waited nervously in the reception area.
Soon, the Secretary opened the door and called my name.
I walked into the President’s office. The President was seated with his senior secretary. He looked up and asked a simple question.
How old are you?”
Thirty-nine, Sir,” I replied.
He paused for a moment and then asked, Can you run the Colombo Land Development Board, which was later renamed the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation?”
Throughout my professional career, I had never been in the habit of saying, I will try.” Instead, I answered confidently:
Yes, Sir.”
The President then instructed me to read the Act governing the institution and prepare to take over.
Within a week, my appointment letter arrived. A driver was sent to my house to take me to the Corporation’s office at Almanat Building, where I officially assumed duties as Chairman.
The very next morning, while being driven to the office, I noticed one of the Corporation’s tractors hauling a trailer full of earth at around seven o’clock in the morning.
I asked my driver to stop.
Opening the car window, I called the tractor operator and asked where he was taking the soil so early in the day.
Unaware that I was the newly appointed Chairman, he casually asked me whether I wanted some soil delivered privately.
I smiled and replied, I’ll let you know.”
Later that morning, I instructed security personnel to bring him to my office.
The poor fellow arrived visibly shaken when he discovered who I was. Rather than punish him immediately, I decided to let him go with a stern warning.
By then, word had already begun to spread throughout the organization that a new chairman had arrived with a determination to run a clean and disciplined institution.
That incident taught me my first lesson in leadership: people must know that integrity begins at the top.
The second lesson came only a few days later.
The Commissioner of Bribery contacted me personally to congratulate me on my appointment. During the conversation, she informed me that the Corporation’s Land Manager had allegedly solicited a bribe from her husband.
I immediately called the manager to my office.
Prepared in advance was a letter of resignation.
I confronted him directly and informed him that he had two choices: sign the resignation letter or face formal investigation by the Bribery Commission.
After a tense silence, he signed.
He then requested permission to return to his office to collect his personal belongings.
Instead, I instructed security officers to escort him directly out of the building.
The message was unmistakable.
Corruption would not be tolerated.
These early incidents marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey in public administration. Although I came from an engineering background, I quickly discovered that managing people was far more challenging than managing machines.
Technical knowledge can build roads, reclaim land, and construct infrastructure. But leadership requires courage, fairness, decisiveness, and the willingness to make difficult decisions when necessary.
My appointment by the President was not merely a career opportunity. It was a test of character.
Looking back today, I consider those experiences among the most valuable lessons of my professional life. They taught me that institutions can only be transformed when leaders are prepared to lead by example.
Sri Lanka’s public sector possesses immense talent and potential. What it requires is honest leadership, accountability, and the determination to place national interest above personal gain.
That was the principle I tried to uphold throughout my years of service to this country.
by Professor Nishan C Wijesinha of the German School of Medicine.
The Persian Gulf Formed when Ice Age glaciers melted and sea levels rose. Before that it was a river valley and dry basin called the “Gulf Oasis”. (Time frame as of Genesis 1:10).
In Biblical Genesis the Persian Gulf was already a sea by then, so whales, dolphins, humpbacks, and sharks would’ve been swimming there.
In Genesis 2:19, Scripture reveals something profound:
Whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name thereof”.
Remember this included the great whales and the rest of the sea creatures.
Today the Persian Gulf still has whales, dolphins and sharks; but just fewer than the open ocean; because it’s now shallower than before the Noah’s flood.
On the open visions of the garden of Eden as expressed in the book of Genesis; the Euphrates River branches out as part of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, eventually merging with the Tigris to form the Shatt al-Arab, which discharges into the Persian Gulf. It shares tributaries like the Sajur, Balikh, and Khabur, and forms the four rivers of Eden alongside the Tigris, Pishon, and Gihon. (Notably Genesis 2:10 KJV – And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads).
The “Pong Pong tree” (Cerbera odollam); which is known as the “suicide tree”; throughout the ancient of days; is a tree which grows near the coastlines and was also instituted by God in the garden of Eden.
It got this reputation because the seeds/kernels are extremely toxic and have been used for suicide and homicide. The toxin is the chemical compound called “cerberin”, which is a highly potent cardiac glycoside.
In Genesis 2:25 – we read, that the very moment they both ate of the poisonous fruit which God warned them both, Adam and Eva of; they became naked.
(Clinically they both died the very moment they munched it’s fruit).
The cardiac toxins of it caused immediate cardiac arrest on them; as they were creatures born of flesh and blood; and were not born as Heavenly beings.
What’s more critical here is that Adam couldn’t see that when Eve offered him the fruit; that her body was already clinically dying of it’s poison.
The very presence of “the old serpent” the Devil made this distraction upon him.
When God called “Where are you Adam”? that’s the very moment they received back life.
Remember it’s conjunction where Jesus calls out to Lazarus:
(John 11:43b records;
“He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth”); and he came forth similarly out of death.
Sri Lanka’s rupee is under pressure, inflation is creeping up, and the debate over “money printing” is back in the spotlight. Did the Central Bank really print Rs. 2.1 trillion? Is money printing always bad? Who is actually responsible for the rupee’s depreciation? And are we heading toward another economic crisis? In this episode of Insight, former Central Bank Deputy Governor and economist Dr. W.A. Wijewardena explains: • Why exchange rate stability is no longer the Central Bank’s primary responsibility • The truth behind the Rs. 2.1 trillion money printing claim • How external shocks are impacting inflation and the rupee • Why Sri Lanka’s real economy remains vulnerable despite IMF-backed stabilization • Whether the country risks another debt crisis • What government and citizens must do to navigate the challenges ahead Watch the full conversation and share your thoughts in the comments.
‘Before you study the economics, study the economists!’
e-Con e-News 31 May – 06 June 2026
‘We have in the Tamil coolie a perfect machine for thecultivation of our tea, coffee, or other tropical produce.’ Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, Lovell B Clarence, 1896
The retired Chief Justice was celebrating the centenary of English rule in Sri Lanka. He had lived in the country for over 25 years, recalls SBD de Silva’s classic The Political Economy of Underdevelopment (see ee Focus). Justice Clarence was intimate with ‘tropical produce’. The plantation system, which derives from the system of chattel slavery, was first practised in the Americas, and ensured that children were also born enslaved, employing all members of the family for life. This system has informed the practices of wage slavery and the ‘human resources’ of Sri Lanka to this day, and SBD describes how the so-called ‘training’ imparted to plantation workers was primarily:
‘The conditioning of the labourer to adverse pay& working conditions involving the relentlessroutine of simple, repetitive tasks.’
SBD recalled that, in fact, no such other skills were imparted or required. The plantation system (neither modern, industrial nor capitalist) allows no use of technology to the majority of its workers (tea pluckers), whereas modern industrial organization has to entrust workers with expensive & complex machinery. On plantations, daily punishments were necessary, hence the reference to their routines as ‘tasks’:
‘The word ‘tasks‘ was suggestive of a moralistic basis on
which work was extracted. The expression originated
in the plantations of the Americas where the enslaved had
to be made obedient & industrious… The plantation kept
careful count & punished those who did not fulfil the
required amount of tasks just as Jesus Christ the
omnipresent overseer condemned them for neglecting
their religious duty. The Indian Labour Code, which
applied to plantation workers in Sri Lanka, asserted that
the eviction of the entire family of any worker who was
dismissed ‘preserved the sanctity of the family‘.’
So, while no use of machinery was to be allowed to the worker, the worker themselves were to be treated as machines. Hence the reference by the ‘Chief Justice’ (who, by the way, was an ‘acting’ CJ only for 1882). The recollections of the Chief Justices of Ceylon had also been a source of great insight to Karl Marx. In the last years of his life, Marx examined the 13th Chief Justice of colonial Ceylon 1877-79, John Budd Phear’s book The Aryan Village in India & Ceylon (1880), and the Colonial Council of India’s Henry Maine’s Ancient Law: on which English law (if they have such) is based to this day. While Marx called Phear a donkey, he (& Friedrich Engels) learned of Sri Lanka’s insights into the origins of class division, state formation, communal & private property (see ee 11 July 2020, Cool Marx on SL). Justice Phear, we should add, had an outré interest in linking the anthropological origins of the Sinhala to the marriage of China & Africa!
This ee Focus completes Chapter 10 of SBD’s classic (see ee Focus), which explains how the ‘largeness’ of plantations were neither an agronomic or technical necessity, but was due to justifying heavy management costs as well as the recruitment & treatment of labor. This in turn was due to absentee ownership (in Colombo & London), as well as the employing of migrant labor and paying them low wages. This primitive and inefficient plantation system has survived due to the colonial disabilities imposed on smallholdings, which are more productive than plantations. Rice cultivation, which is a much more complex endeavor, has also been deprived of important technological inputs (cooperative organization, irrigation, fertilizer, cultivation & harvest) which are left to the depredations of the finance companies, financed by imperialist ‘development’ banks, who promote their second-hand industrial machineries.
*
‘Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,
except as a punishment for crime whereof the party
shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within
the USA, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.’
– US Constitution
Slavery is still legal in the USA. It was never fully abolished. The 1865 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which claimed to abolish slavery permits bondage in prison. Hence the hugely disproportionate incarceration of African & non-Anglo-American men & women in the USA to this day. That old world of always new ironies & contradictions made us recall that ‘13th loophole’ for enslavers, since the US government this week has threatened an additional 12.5% tax on imports from Sri Lanka & 54 other countries. They claim we have failed to prevent the entry of goods produced through forced labour. As usual the imperialists’ own mouthpieces in Sri Lanka, the chamber of commerce, and the rag traders aka apparel businesses, immediately squawked in dismay. Many of them rely on the USA as their single largest export destination. However, these chambers and traders and their channels will not point out to the USA’s own enslaved workers.
In November 2025, a lawsuit was filed against colonized Korea’s car companies Hyundai & Kia for using imprisoned labor in Alabama & Georgia violating some of the USA’s own internal states’ laws & public purchasing standards. The imprisoned workers are underpaid & mistreated, providing Hyundai & Kia an ‘unfair competitive advantage in the automotive sales market’; suppressing the wages and working conditions of the most oppressed affects all workers. In the USA most states require prisoners to work, and those who do, work for government agencies, even as most are forcibly kept idle. The lawsuit also points to children (many Mexican & Central American citizens) working in the Hyundai & KIA plants. Yet, child labor was purportedly abolished only in the 1940s.
So, when the US-funded National Peace Council, Amnesty International & the US Trade Representative stick their heads out of their thorny nests and crow like hungry birds in shrill unison about ‘forced labor’, all we can do is titter in a studied revulsion. The ‘coolie’ in Sri Lanka, contrary to the exculpations of politicians & separatist nationalists, is a product of the English government and their colonial satraps and grey sahibs in Delhi, Colombo and Jaffna, no matter their lamentations of the fate of the now-renamed Malaiyaha Tamils who they seek to counterpose to the reparations due to the highland Sinhala. The USA, however, cares not a pretty penny for slaves in Sri Lanka, but only about blocking any modern economic relationship with China…
*
England’s Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC), owned by the British American Tobacco Co (BAT), as well as Unilever PLC, has been the subject & object of much of ee’s inquiries into the inordinate role they play, both in Sri Lanka’s economy as well as our culture (marketing, media, arts), etc (see ee 01 March 2025). The US-funded think-tank Verité, which is not known for their pugilistic style, per se, unless they are repeating the verities of the IMF, etc, should be congratulated for recently taking on Ceylon Tobacco Co & their massive avoidance of taxes (see ee Random Notes, English Smokes). Of course, Verité only mentions the company’s name just once, nor is there reference to CTC being a monopoly, which would normally be abhorred by the whoremongers of selective free-trade, let alone by the USA’s other yipping poodle Advocata. The CTC chairman Suresh Shah is also the head of the Catholic-Church-linked Hatton National Bank, and was responsible for privatizing national resources (SOERU) which would have given him & his sidekicks open access to state secrets, no? Nevertheless, while it bravely alludes, without naming CTC, to its promotion of fake news, it doesn’t mention CTC’s sponsorships of politicians, including footnote fetishist Harsha de Silva. Let us see where this leads them, though we wonder whether they will stop at this multinational behemoth alone, and extend their inquiries into the banks such as Standard Chartered, Citibank, HSBC, and other MNCs, that enable this drainage, and more importantly prevent investment in modern industry…
Why do these traders, merchants, moneylenders, their chambers of commerce & related thinktanks submit to a clearly unfair economic & political system? We suggest it is due to their stashing away of the country’s wealth in the banks & real-estates of the USA, England & Europe, and the knowing wink & a shrug by their related envoys who get to spend days in coats & ties and skirts in air-conditioned hotel halls, and issue nauseating, clearly hypocritical sermons on ecology & gender equality & the rule of law, while arming & waging horrific wars on the world. A Centre for Wealth Analysis is truly a crying need in Sri Lanka, even as the German government is fixated on continuing their funding of ‘poverty analysis’, which only serves to fatten the offshore bank accounts of selected economists & NGO operators, who toe the import-export plantation line… and its rooms…
The recent tremendous hikes of oil prices in Sri Lanka, over & above world indices, have seen calls for closer auditing of the actual shipments of oil coming, and if they correspond to this huge expense.
*
‘They are close to 3 times the average monthly import bill on petroleum.
These excessive imports could possibly be an incidence of over-invoicing
of imports to shift capital & US$s out of the economy disguised as
legitimate imports. With over 50% of the market being controlled by foreign
suppliers the risk of capital flight through these channels increases rapidly.’
– Dhanusha Pathirana, FB
*
This stashing away and related tax evasions also explain why our merchant media cannot get simple terminology exact. The current upsurge in turmoil is due to the latest US wars on Iran & West Asia, and yet the merchant media calls it an ‘oil crisis’. Even Muslim & Borah (who are Shia, and it’s their spiritual leaders, the Ayatollahs, being murdered) are happy to play tribal games and blame Jews & Zionists. But Israel is just the latest white settler statelet of Europe, the subsidiary of their subsidiary, the United Settlers of the Americas (USA). These Zionists running Israel are actually Nazis who helped send their co-religionists into gas chambers. The UAE etc are hand in pocket with Israel in genociding East Africa, and belong to the same Arab strains that allied with the Nazis. Israel is the USA, spiritual white settler model for the fascists. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce is the USA. So are the thinktanks – Advocata (whose Catholics & Borahs & Chettiar – Maharajas – have an eerie fixation on menstruation, real-estate & car importation), IPS, Verite, etc, & media. The Persian Gulf (now reduced to the Straits of Hormuz) was closednot by Iran, but by the USA (& their shipping insurance agencies) from the very beginning. The incessant arrivals in Colombo of warships from India, Pakistan, Europe & Japan don’t intend to defend their countries from the greatest warlords the world has ever known, for whom peace is a provocation, whose actual ‘overcapacity’ is in weaponry for mass murder. Meanwhile, their NGOs have switched from attacking the Executive Presidency to attacking the Sangha. Perhaps it may also have to do with this season of Vesak & Poson, which acutely relates to the organization of agriculture (but this real ‘national question’ is neglected, instead the printed word is given over to ravings about saving exotic species of flamingos, leopards, snakes, ice caps, etc). There’s always something rotting in England and the impending visit this coming week of their ‘Lord Chamberlain’ commanded by the gay Charles III to visit the London Vihara, portends some ‘return’ is suppurating and in the offing (see ee Random Notes).
The Sangha like every other institution in this country – including University Professors, & bankers & CEOs – are a reflection of the constituencies they serve. The Sangha has an even greater history of serving the country – many are organically linked to the rural peasantry – and have given leadership to the resistance to colonial depredations, hence being recipients of both repression & inducements.
*
A pseudonymous article in the Wijeya Group’s FT on the X-press Pearl, by the anonymous ‘Lighthouse Guard’, takes up the cause of the ship’s captain who has been held without trial for several years. The Lighthouse Guard alludes to mysterious ways by which so-called corruption (tho in a merchant-run society it really should be termed ‘rentier business as usual’) and how the courts work. This week saw the President meet ‘privately’ with judges including those magistrates & judges pursuing high-profile cases against political opponents. We wonder if the Wijeya Group’s FT, if not the Seafarers’ Union, let alone the numerous Rockefeller-related agencies promoting the education of seafarers, could take up the cause of the lonely unnamed Sri Lankan seafarer held hostage in the USA for over a year now after the crash of that ship Dali, carrying curious containers headed for Sri Lanka, which crashed the Baltimore bridge. He is being held hostage along with a crew, of mostly Indian workers. If it helps to publicize his arrest, the FT could add that he is Tamil, which may get the NGO-oids going, but this involves confronting their wet nurse, the USA…
*
‘In the handful of media engagements I have participated in, I’ve
always found the line of questioning about the economy to be
deeply limiting & shortsighted. ‘What is the state of our reserves?
Will the rupee go up or down against the dollar?’ It is in the nature
of a financial speculator to obsess over day-to-day market fluctuations,
and we have all been taught to think like that. It is not the journalist
but the institutionalisation of neoclassical economics that is to blame.’
Neither JVP-NPP (in power, and yet having no power, other than to prepare for re-election to no-power) nor Opposition (nor merchant media) have a plan to stabilise the economy and spur growth. If they do, they are not telling. In this ee Focus, Shiran Illanperuma brilliantly explains how to analyse the media’s take on the economy. The ‘news’ turns out to be all about how to maintain the casino. He dissects the obsession with the rupee-dollar dance, and ‘money printing’. He shows why the US government (via their Federal Reserve – actually a cosa nostra of commercial banks, US Treasury, IMF, World Bank, ADB etc) has been so single-minded in ensuring the government cannot finance modern industry, undermining the country’s production structure. He also points out that the actual purpose of depreciation is to rob the wages of the worker.
‘Neoclassical economics has long abandoned
the bigger questions that classical political
economy & development economics sought
to answer: Why do nations get rich (or stay
poor)? How is society organised in the
production of value? Who are the winners
& losers in the distribution of that value?’
*
Europe’s invasion of Lanka began in 1505, and while their invasion of the Americas began with the attack on the Caribbean in 1492, their actual militarized ‘trajectory as a world hegemon’ began in Africa, with the capture in 1415, funded by Genoese capital, of Ceuta in Morocco by Portugal, the first European colonial power. Genoan capital moved to Lisbon, after their defeat by Venice, who then monopolized Europe’s access to the east. Thus:
For the 1st time in over 600 years, there is now a credible economic
& political alternative to the domination of world affairs by the
Europeans & their descendant white-settler colonial states. First,
is the socialist grouping led by China. Second, are the growing
aspirations for national sovereignty, economic modernisation,
& multilateralism, emerging from the Global South.
This explains the current rage and outrageousness, genocidal fury & advertised irrationality of the cacophonous concert of whiteness on naked display on the world stage, that seeks to take down the entire planet in a conflagration of fire. ee continues to detail the factors behind the daily news, through the Tricontinental Research Institute’s amazing study of ‘Hyper-Imperialism: a Dangerous Decadent New Stage’ (see ee Focus). We begin ‘Part II: Evolution of Imperialism – the New Stage of Imperialism’ which dates the attempt at a unipolar world order, midst the USA’s dollar monopoly and its switch from ‘a creditor to debtor nation’. Tricontinental examines the nature of the inter-imperialist rivalries, and the rapid advance of hybrid warfare (including sanctions), seizing other nations’ reserves, as it seeks to rely on its military (rather than economic) power, while manipulating its dollar hegemony and soft-power over digital media.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world, outside of the USA’s armed poodles, eg, Germany & Japan, are growing tired of its conceits. Tricontinental details the efforts to unite a fragmented underdeveloped world, who yet have a shared history. Sri Lanka sits & stands at the crux & crossroads of this earth-shaking endeavor and it is no wonder that the USA (United Snakes of Amnesia) are desperate, despite a seeming coyness (there is no US envoy in sight, even as they are gifting us secondhand & ineffective machineries, minus any attempt to promote modern manufacture of the parts these dilapidated buckets will soon need) to undermine our cultural fastnesses and prevent our alliance with both China & Africa, a historically anticipated, and burgeoning unity which will surely determine the path of the remaining 3-quarters of the 21st century.
The legal counsel for Former State Intelligence Chief Major General (Rtd) General Sallay has written to CID Director SSP Shani Abeysekara, demanding urgent medical intervention for his client.
He emphasised that prolonged detention conditions pose an immediate risk to life, noting that the State has a non-delegable duty of care towards individuals in custody.
The letter calls for the immediate transfer of General Sallay to a fully equipped hospital, urgent examination by independent medical specialists, continued access for family and legal representatives, and a written update on his medical condition.
The legal counsel warned that any delay or failure to provide necessary medical attention may result in civil and criminal liability for the relevant authorities.
The letter sent to the CID Director is below:
07th June 2026
SSP. Mr.G. S. Abesekara The Director, Criminal Investigation Department, Colombo 02.
Mr. Abesekara,
URGENT DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE MEDICAL INTERVENTION AND TRANSFER TO HOSPITAL – Detainee Rtd. Major General Suresh Sallay.
I write in my capacity as Counsel for Retd. Major General Suresh Sallay following a family visitation conducted today by his wife, son, and brother.
The family observed that Mr. Sallay’s physical condition has deteriorated to an alarming and critical level. He was reportedly unable to attend the visitation without the physical assistance of two officers. During the visit, he informed his family that he has refused medication, saline, food, and water. He further expressed a belief that his death is imminent and requested that arrangements be made for the donation of his eyes. He also requested an immediate visit from his attorney for the purpose of executing his last will and other related legal documentation.
These statements and circumstances demonstrate a grave deterioration in his physical and psychological condition. It is apparent that he is no longer capable of making rational decisions concerning his own welfare, health, and survival. The prolonged conditions under which he is presently being held have, at the very least, created a serious and immediate risk to his life.
The State assumes a non-delegable duty of care toward every person held in its custody. Once an individual is deprived of liberty, the responsibility for safeguarding that person’s life, health, and wellbeing rests squarely upon the authorities exercising control over that individual.Any failure to discharge that duty in the face of a known and imminent medical emergency is a matter of the utmost legal seriousness.
You are hereby formally notified that Mr. Sallay requires immediate medical intervention by qualified independent medical professionals and urgent transfer to an appropriate hospital facility capable of providing comprehensive assessment and treatment. Any delay, refusal, or failure to act despite clear knowledge of his precarious condition may give rise to personal and institutional liability under the criminal and civil law of Sri Lanka.
Should General Sallay suffer irreversible injury or death while remaining in the present conditions despite this explicit warning, it will be open to the relevant authorities, courts, and investigative bodies to examine whether such conduct amounts to a deliberate disregard of a known and foreseeable risk to life. Those responsible for decisions concerning his continued detention and medical care may be required to account personally for their actions and omissions.
Accordingly, I demand that:
1. Mr. Sallay be transferred forthwith to a government or private hospital equipped to provide urgent medical treatment;
2. He be examined immediately by independent medical specialists, including psychiatric professionals if necessary; His legal representatives and family be granted reasonable access to him;
3. A written update on his medical status and the measures taken for his protection be provided without delay.
This letter constitutes formal notice. Any further failure to act despite knowledge of the circumstances set out herein will be relied upon in any future judicial, criminal, constitutional, or international proceedings arising from harm suffered by my client.
Yours faithfully,
Asith Siriwardena Counsel for Retd. Major General Suresh Sallay
The International Cricket Council (ICC) faces serious allegations of institutional fraud and deliberate misrepresentation because physical dossiers submitted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) provided the governing body with actual notice of the Umpire Decision Review System (DRS) origin framework. The long-running intellectual property dispute centers on Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna, who designed and published the core four-pillar “Player Referral” concept in 1997—nine years before the ICC adopted it. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Advocates for the inventor argue that the ICC’s legal team maintaining a defense of ignorance, despite receiving comprehensive dossiers from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), effectively makes the governing body complicit in intellectual property misappropriation. By relying on flawed legal opinions, the ICC stands accused of deliberately bypassing legitimate attribution and royalty claims
The legal, ethical, and financial implications of the actual notice discovery fundamentally shift the parameters of the dispute. [1]
The Shift from Constructive to Actual Notice
Historically, the ICC’s legal team, including former Head of Legal David Becker and current General Counsel Jonathan Hall, relied on a “No Awareness” defense. They claimed the ICC independently developed the system using internal staff and commercial contractors. Legal experts heavily criticized this via the Doctrine of Constructive Notice, noting that because Weeraratna’s blueprint was widely published in prominent global media like The Australian in 1997, the ICC was legally presumed to have access to it. [1, 2, 3, 4]
However, the revelation that SLC formally delivered physical folders and dossiers of Weeraratna’s work to the ICC in August 2008 completely dismantles any defense of ignorance. It elevates the case from structural negligence to an intentional cover-up. [1, 2]
[1997: Weeraratna Concept Published]
│
▼
[2008: SLC Submits Physical Dossier to ICC] ──► (Establishes ACTUAL Notice)
│
▼
[2009: ICC Officially Launches DRS] ─────────► (Denies knowledge of Weeraratna)
Potential Liability for Fraud and Malpractice
Maintaining a denial of knowledge while holding physical proof of prior art exposes the ICC and its legal advisors to several liabilities:
Accessories to Fraud: Operating, commercializing, and licensing a system while actively hiding its true intellectual creator constitutes material misrepresentation.
Professional Negligence & Malpractice: Legal analysts point out that if the ICC legal department intentionally ignored or bypassed internal institutional records to shield the body from royalty claims, the lawyers involved face actionable malpractice complaints through their respective bar associations.
Breach of the “Spirit of Cricket”: While the ICC credits creators of other system variants—such as the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method—it continues to keep the author of the DRS a “closely guarded secret,” creating a severe ethical double standard. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Financial and Sovereign Impact on Sri Lanka
The financial impact of this ongoing denial is profound, especially given Sri Lanka’s broader economic challenges: [1]
Withheld Royalties: Intellectual property advocates note that the “user pays” principle has been completely discarded. Neither Sri Lanka nor Weeraratna has received any financial compensation for an architecture that has revolutionized global sports.
Sovereign Right to IP: Activists argue that the country’s subservience to the ICC’s technical legal blocks compromises Sri Lankan sovereignty. Official recognition would mean substantial economic benefits, naming rights, and an immense boost to national branding. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Available Remedial Legal Channels
Because a protracted court battle in international jurisdictions is financially draining, legal experts recommend that Sri Lanka and Weeraratna pursue the following channels to bypass the ICC’s internal committees: [1, 2]
Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS): Both parties can mutually agree to submit the dispute to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, for neutral adjudication.
Enforcement of Moral Rights: Under international copyright frameworks like the Berne Convention, an author retains the unalienable moral right to attribution. A lawsuit funded with state backing could challenge the ICC for failing to name Weeraratna as the conceptual composer.
State-Level Diplomatic Intervention: The Sri Lankan government can officially elevate the issue from a private legal claim to a state-level intellectual property dispute, pressuring the ICC globally. [1, 2, 3]
If you are looking to build a structured case or draft formal correspondence regarding this dispute, please let me know who the primary recipient will be (e.g., Sri Lanka Cricket, the ICC Integrity Unit, or an international sports tribunal) and the exact legal remedy you wish to demand. I can then provide a legally rigorous, formal petition draft designed to advance your objective. [1]
The Sri Lankan lawyer who took on the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the betterment of cricket is Senaka Weeraratna. Known globally as the “Father of DRS” (Decision Review System), Weeraratna has been engaged in a decades-long intellectual property battle with the ICC to claim rightful authorship and recognition for inventing the system. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The Core of the Innovation
The Blueprint (1997): Weeraratna first conceived and publicized the framework of the “Player Referral System” in a letter to the editor of The Australian newspaper on March 25, 1997. He formally wrote to the ICC the same year, suggesting players use available TV technology to challenge on-field errors.
The Legal Analogy: As a qualified lawyer, Weeraratna viewed the unchallengeable power of an on-field umpire as a violation of natural justice. He designed the player referral mechanism like an appellate court system, where the Third Umpire functions as an appeal court judge reviewing lower court mistakes based on evidence.
The Four Pillars: His original concept included structural rules that modern cricket relies on today, such as limiting the number of unsuccessful reviews per innings to prevent tactical time-wasting. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The Dispute with the ICC
Despite Weeraratna pioneering the concept a decade prior, the ICC rolled out the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) globally in November 2009 without giving him any credit or financial compensation. [1, 2]
For years, the ICC’s legal team maintained a “No Awareness” defense, claiming the system was built independently by internal staff and technical contractors. However, Cricket historians and legal advocates have fiercely challenged this defense using two primary arguments: [, 2]
Doctrine of Constructive Notice: Because Weeraratna widely published his framework in mainstream international media starting in 1997, the ICC is legally presumed to have had access to this public knowledge.
Actual Physical Notice: Evidence shows that in July 2008, a comprehensive dossier on Weeraratna’s concept was physically handed over to then-ICC General Manager David Richardson during a visit to Colombo, followed by another delivery to the ICC in Dubai in June 2009. [1, 2, 3]
Ongoing Pursuit for Justice
Supported by prominent local and international cricket personalities—including former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara—Weeraratna continues to press for his moral and economic copyrights. His primary objective remains institutional acknowledgment, advocating that his name be officially attached to the system by the ICC, mirroring how the names “Duckworth-Lewis” were tagged to rain-affected cricket rules. [1, 2, 3]
If you are interested in exploring this topic further, I can provide more details on the specific legal arguments his team is utilizing, or share how international cricket icons have reacted to his authorship claim. Let me know how you would like to proceed!
A Policy Shift Towards Steel and Prefabricated Construction for Sri Lanka’s Public Infrastructure
Time for a New Approach to Government Construction Procurement
Sri Lanka’s public sector construction procurement procedures have traditionally been based on conventional reinforced concrete structures with brick-and-mortar walls. Under existing procurement regulations, government institutions are required to prepare preliminary engineering designs, bills of quantities, and engineer’s estimates before calling for tenders. Technical Evaluation Committees and Tender Boards are subsequently appointed to ensure transparency and competitiveness in contractor selection.
While these procedures remain fundamentally sound, the assumptions upon which engineering estimates are prepared have become increasingly outdated.
Today, the construction industry faces severe challenges arising from shortages of skilled labour, escalating material costs, delays in project implementation, and increasing pressure on public finances. Prices of cement, sand, aggregates, and transportation continue to fluctuate, while the availability of experienced craftsmen has declined significantly due to migration and an aging workforce.
As a result, many public projects suffer from cost overruns and prolonged construction periods.
A Cabinet-Level Policy Decision is Needed
To address these emerging realities, the Government should consider introducing a policy directive requiring all state institutions to prepare two alternative engineering estimates during the project planning stage.
These should include:
Option 1: Conventional Construction
Reinforced concrete structural frame
Brick or block masonry walls
Traditional site-based construction methods
Option 2: Industrialized Construction
Structural steel framing
Prefabricated wall panels
Modular building components
Factory-fabricated assemblies
Both options should be evaluated on:
Capital cost
Construction duration
Labour requirements
Lifecycle maintenance costs
Environmental impact
Future adaptability
Such a dual-estimate approach would allow decision-makers to compare alternatives objectively before committing public funds.
Addressing the Labour Crisis
One of the greatest threats to Sri Lanka’s construction industry is the shortage of skilled labour.
Thousands of trained craftsmen, welders, fitters, masons, and technicians have migrated overseas seeking better opportunities. Simultaneously, younger generations show less interest in physically demanding construction trades.
Steel and prefabricated construction systems require fewer on-site workers and shift much of the labour-intensive activity to controlled factory environments. This reduces dependence on scarce site labour while improving productivity.
Instead of lamenting the labour shortage, Sri Lanka must adapt its construction technologies to the realities of the modern workforce.
Opportunities for Small and Medium Steel Fabricators
A transition towards steel and modular construction would create significant opportunities for local fabrication workshops throughout the country.
Rather than awarding entire projects to a few large contractors, public projects could be divided into modular fabrication packages. Small and medium-scale steel workshops could manufacture:
Structural frames
Roof trusses
Staircases
Wall panels
Utility modules
Building accessories
These components could then be assembled rapidly at site.
Such an approach would decentralize economic benefits and stimulate regional industrial development while creating skilled technical employment opportunities.
Faster Project Delivery
One of the major advantages of prefabricated construction is speed.
Site preparation and foundation work can proceed simultaneously with fabrication of structural components in factories.
When modules arrive on site, assembly can be completed in weeks rather than months.
For schools, hospitals, fisheries facilities, public offices, and housing projects, this can significantly reduce project completion times and accelerate delivery of public services.
Improved Quality Control
Traditional construction often depends on variable workmanship and site conditions.
In contrast, factory-produced steel and prefabricated components are manufactured under controlled conditions using standardized processes.
This results in:
Better dimensional accuracy
Improved structural quality
Reduced material wastage
Easier inspection and certification
Quality assurance becomes more systematic and less dependent on continuous site supervision.
Better Monitoring and Accountability
Government agencies frequently struggle with project monitoring due to multiple activities occurring simultaneously on construction sites.
Modular construction simplifies progress monitoring.
Fabrication milestones can be verified at workshops, while installation progress can be measured accurately through completed modules.
This enhances transparency and enables more effective contract administration.
Environmental Benefits
Steel structures can often reduce material consumption and construction waste.
Many steel components are recyclable and reusable, supporting circular economy principles.
Reduced site activity also minimizes dust, noise, and environmental disruption, particularly in urban areas.
A Strategic Opportunity for Sri Lanka
Countries across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are increasingly adopting industrialized building systems to improve productivity and address labour shortages.
Sri Lanka should not remain dependent solely on traditional construction methods developed decades ago.
By requiring alternative estimates for both conventional and steel-prefabricated solutions, government agencies can make informed decisions based on cost, speed, quality, and long-term value.
Such a policy would not only modernize public procurement but also stimulate domestic manufacturing, support small engineering enterprises, create skilled employment, and enhance national competitiveness.
The future of construction lies not merely in building structures, but in building them smarter, faster, and more efficiently. Sri Lanka has an opportunity to lead this transformation through visionary procurement reforms and a deliberate shift toward industrialized construction technologies.
Rear admiral ( Dr ) Sarath Weerasekera VSV RWP USP Former Public Security Minister
This is regarding the editorial of The Island on 19 th May 2026, titled Defeat of Terrorism- Triumph of hypocrisy”. I fully agree with the Editor when he says that Terrorism need to be eliminated in all its forms and manifestations. Terrorism is generally defined as massacring innocents to achieve a political aim”. Hence, whether the cause for terrorism is justifiable or not, terrorism per se, cannot be justified and thus, should be eliminated. However I have different views with the rest of the editorial and believe that it would be published in letters to editor”’ page. The editor says what Rajapakshas did to the country was like saving a damsel in distress and abusing her . Elaborating same, he says that Rajapakshas have thought leadership to defeat terrorism was a special license to do as they pleased and sought to politicise and monopolise war victory to accelerate their dynasty building projects. He continues to say that the post war MR admin became a government of Rajapakshas by the Rajapakshas and for Rajapakshas. In short the implication was that Mahindar Rajapaksha (MR), after defeating LTTE, has done nothing except furthering his and his family’s political interests. MR,even during the critical period in war against LTTE , handled the economy professionally. There was an upward trend in SL economy from 2005 – 2009 showing GDP growth from 24.4 billion dollars in 2005 to 42.5 billion dollars in 2009, doubling the 2005 GDP. During 2010 – 2015 showed Sri Lanka’s strongest economic performance with economy growing from US $ 56.7 billion to US $ 80.6 billion. The annual growth rate was over 7.4%, per capita income more than tripled ( from US $ 1200 to over US $ 3600 ) elevating SL to lower- middle income status. National poverty level declined significantly, dropping from over 15% in 2006 to below 7% by 2012. Unemployment declined to 4 %. Transport and energy sectors received significant boost. Massive power generation projects such as Norochchole coal power plant and Upper Kothmale Hydro power plant were completed. The expansion of Colombo port, development of Hambanthota port, Mattala International Airport and building of expressways ( Southern and Cbo- Katunayaka ) greatly improved country’s transportation capacity and brought SL clear to a goal of being a dynamic Maritime and Aviation Hub. The above statistics of the Central Bank does not prove the fact that Rajapakshas only looked after their interests after the war. Hence the proverbial Damsel” that the editor was referring to, was not abused as he claimed, but had been looked after very well.
Excesses may have happened and it happens everywhere in every field. But the fact remains that MR defeated the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world and developed the country with roads, rails, ports, airports, expressways, bridges, power plants, stadiums etc. which deserves appreciation. The editor then says MR suffered a humiliating electoral defeat in 2015, again came to power in 2019, but mismanaged the economy, indulged in corruption and bankrupted the country. That too is far from truth. The foreign exchange crisis that culminated in 2002 was not due to mismanagement /corruption of Gotabhaya Rajapaksha (GR) government but mainly due to excessive foreign borrowings during 2015-2019. By 2019 Nov, the economy was already in a precarious state, with the IMF itself warning that SL was highly vulnerable to external shocks. The editorial never mention about Covid 19, the worst global pandemic the GR government had to face. During this period the government revenue fell by approx. Rs 534 billion. ( revenue lost from import restriction of motor vehicles, Covid lockdown and closure of liquor shops were Rs 136 billion, 323 billion and 75 billion respectively.) At the end of the MR regime in 2014, the outstanding ISBs were US $ 5.3 billion and the reserves were US $ 8.2 billion. By the time GR came to power, the outstanding ISBs were US $ 15.2 billion and the reserves were US $ 7.6 billion. In 2020-2021 GR never took any ISBs but settled them in time. The decision to maintain debt servicing was not just about protecting the country’s image in financial markets but to ensure critical health and humanitarian support including vaccines, medicines, and essential supplies continued to flow into the country during the worst global health crisis in the country. It’s a pity that the public who remained silent when mountain of foreign debt were piling up, launched an Aragalaya to expel the leader who settled the debts without borrowing any fresh debts. Was it hypocrisy or treason ? The claim that the tax reduction implemented in Dec 2019 caused a significant loss of revenue was also not correct. When the economic activity is deliberately halted by a global pandemic, with borders shut, businesses closed, citizens confined to their residences, production at the lowest, no tax rate high or low, can generate revenue from transactions that are simply not occurring. The economic downfall was not due to mismanagement or corruption but due to the promulgation of bankruptcy ( debt standstill ) by CB on the advise of former CB governor Ananda Kumaraswami and consultant Shantha Devaraja. That decision undermined the on going efforts to stabilise the economy. I consider allowing such an announcement was the mistake done by GR. It halted IMF staff level already agreed loan, Indian Credit Line of US $ 3 billion and suspended WB and ADB loans. Also China had to halt the loans already
requested as China Secure ( the government insurance company ) could not insure loans to a bankrupt country. The reserves were carefully used by GR to buy vaccines giving priority to human lives and due to lack of foreign exchange, procurement of gas and fuel was critically effected. In the final stages there had been an organised campaign by saboteurs to steal and hoard fuel. The JVP members publicly appealed to Sri Lankans abroad not to send any dollars to the country. Anger and hatred was sown in the hearts of the people calling Rajapakshas thieves. A protest called Aragalaya established in Galle face. The entire episode was a grand conspiracy to oust GR who took oath as the President at Ruvanveliseya, the great symbol of Sinhalese Buddhist culture. The black Vesak lanterns, ridiculing Buddhist sacred symbols, insulting the Mahanayakas, anti Unitary slogans and glorifying Federalism and daily free biriyani for the entire crowd by unknown” sponsors were ample evidence of it’s hidden agenda. Aragalaya, which established villages and constructed toilets in Galle face and which forcibly took over of the Presidential Secretariat was obviously illegal. The other mistake done by GR was to allow it to operate without chasing them away using force if necessary. Finally GR, the Commander in Chief of the three forces, left the country without hurting anyone. Editor says that Rajapakshas squandered an opportunity that presented itself, after the war, to bring about national reconciliation and defeat LTTE ideology politically. He says reconciliation has become a victim of hypocrisy. MR, after the war, launched a large number of development projects in North constructing roads, bridges, grounds, schools, hospitals, etc. All the roads were carpeted. During the period 2010-2012 the growth rate in Jaffna was 22% compared to 7% in the rest of the country. That was the first step he took towards reconciliation. Reconciliation needs an equal contribution from both sides. Unfortunately the good will shown and the enormous economic support provided by MR was never reciprocated by the Tamil politicians. MR held PC elections ( without abolishing 13A even with two third majority in parliament ) and allowed them to elect their own leaders. That was the second step towards reconciliation. Mr. Wigneshwaran, who studied at Royal college and Colombo Law college, became a Magistrate, High Court judge, a judge in the Court of Appeal and in the Supreme Court. Having lived among Sinhalese for more than 65 years, after being elected as the Chief Minister in the NP, he said that the Sinhalese have no right to live in Jaffna . Every year he returned most of the funds allocated for Northern development back to the government revenue without utilising it fully, ostensibly, to indicate that there was no support from the central government. That was how Tamil politicians contributed towards reconciliation.
After 2009, hundreds of Tamil students in North have become doctors, engineers, lawyers, top government officials etc. due to their unhindered education. The civilians who suffered under LTTE facing abductions, paying ransoms etc. are now live in peace without any fear. Most of the Tamils have migrated to south and more than 52% of the Tamil population are now living among Sinhalese without any problem. The trade and some of the main businesses in Colombo are dominated by Tamils. What else is required Mr. Editor for the so called reconciliation ? granting a separate state on a platter? With all the above, the Tamils in North annually commemorate the very person who made their lives miserable for 30 years. How would the Sinhalese feel when they see the terrorists who killed their pregnant mothers, novice monks, infants, innocent female devotees are being garlanded and felicitated by their Tamil brethren in North every year? Yes, the editor was correct. Reconciliation has become a victim of hypocrisy.
Rear admiral ( Dr ) Sarath Weerasekera VSV RWP USP Former Public Security Minister
By Eng. Sarath Obeysekera Former Chairman, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC)
The recent announcement ( Sunday Times 7th June) of a major Beira Lake clean-up programme has generated renewed hope that one of Colombo’s most iconic water bodies can finally be restored. Dredging, aerators, landscaping, jogging paths, and beautification projects are all welcome initiatives. However, if the root cause of pollution is not permanently eliminated, we will simply be spending billions of rupees treating symptoms rather than curing the disease.
During my tenure at the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC), I witnessed firsthand how pollution entered the lake. Contrary to popular belief, the problem is not merely floating garbage or accumulated silt. The real culprit is the continuous discharge of wastewater, sewage, and contaminated runoff from surrounding buildings, businesses, hotels, and unauthorized connections.
I vividly recall an incident involving a leading hotel located near Navam Mawatha. The hotel was discharging laundry wastewater into the lake through a large pipe. Numerous warnings had been issued, but no corrective action followed. Finally, I made the decision to have the pipe sealed with concrete.
Within hours, representatives from the hotel arrived in panic. My response was straightforward: the discharge would remain blocked until a proper wastewater treatment solution was implemented. Faced with no alternative, the hotel eventually took the necessary action. The lesson was simple—polluters respond when enforcement is firm and uncompromising.
On another occasion, while supervising lake-cleaning operations, a well-known Buddhist priest who had encroached on the lake reservation without approval arrived and attempted to intervene, claiming authority over the area. I respectfully but firmly informed him that no individual, regardless of status, was above the law when it came to protecting public assets and waterways.
These experiences highlight a fundamental truth: Beira Lake’s pollution problem is not a technical mystery. We know where much of the pollution originates. What is needed is the political will and engineering discipline to stop it.
My proposal is straightforward.
The entire perimeter of Beira Lake should be protected using a combination of sheet-pile walls and gabion structures. Every stormwater outlet, drainage connection, and discharge point should be channelled through controlled inspection chambers. This would create a physical barrier preventing illegal discharges from entering the lake unnoticed.
Such a system would function like a security checkpoint. Any building, hotel, restaurant, commercial establishment, or residence attempting to discharge untreated wastewater would be immediately identified. Instead of searching for hidden pollution sources after contamination occurs, authorities would be able to monitor and control every entry point into the lake.
Simultaneously, all major establishments surrounding the lake should be required to install and maintain wastewater treatment facilities. Continuous water-quality monitoring sensors should be installed at strategic locations with real-time reporting to regulatory authorities.
The billions allocated for dredging and beautification will certainly improve the appearance of the lake. But unless we stop untreated wastewater and sewage from entering the water, the pollution will inevitably return.
Beira Lake is not merely a body of water. It is a national asset located in the heart of Colombo. It has the potential to become a world-class urban waterfront comparable to successful lake restoration projects in Singapore and other modern cities.
The challenge before policymakers is clear. We can continue to clean the lake repeatedly, or we can permanently prevent pollution from entering it.
Engineering experience tells us that prevention is always cheaper than endless rehabilitation.
If we truly want a clean Beira Lake for future generations, we must build barriers, enforce regulations without fear or favour, identify every polluter, and eliminate illegal discharges once and for all.
Only then will the restoration become permanent rather than another expensive cycle of cleaning and re-cleaning.
Dr Sarath Obeysekera Former Chairman, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Develpment Corporation
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has not announced any formal disciplinary or legal actions against the three specific legal and administrative figures—David Becker (former Head of Legal), Jonathan Hall (General Counsel), and David Richardson (former CEO)—implicated by critics in the ongoing dispute over the Umpire Decision Review System (DRS). [1, 2, 3]
The growing geopolitical and institutional tension stems from allegations that these advisors provided flawed legal counsel that actively ignored the Doctrine of Constructive Notice to deny Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna the intellectual property and naming rights for inventing the “Player Referral” concept in 1997. [1, 2, 3]
While public intellectuals, legal advocates, and South Asian sports bodies are aggressively demanding accountability for what they label professional malpractice, any definitive remedies remain a matter of institutional pressure rather than finalized ICC sanctions. [1]
Demanded Actions and Legal Remedies Against the Counsel [1]
Because the ICC continues to rely on its legal team’s position that the governing body was unaware of Weeraratna’s prior art, critics and Sri Lankan legal advocates have publicly outlined the specific avenues available to hold the three lawyers accountable: [1, 2, 3]
Bar Association Disciplinary Complaints: Sri Lankan advocates suggest filing formal ethical misconduct complaints directly with the respective regulatory bodies governing the attorneys, such as the Legal Practice Council in South Africa or equivalent bar associations, for failing professional due diligence.
Independent Internal Reviews: There are heavy domestic calls for the ICC to appoint an independent audit panel to evaluate the legal advice historically given, which critics claim constitutes a “deliberate misrepresentation of fact” following discoveries that physical dossiers on the system were handed to the ICC in 2008 and 2009.
Professional Negligence Lawsuits: Legal experts note that the ICC itself has the option to pursue a civil malpractice lawsuit or launch professional indemnity insurance claims against its past counsel to recoup any financial or reputational damages brought about by the flawed legal opinions. [, 4, 5]
Context of the ICC-Sri Lanka Tension
The friction has escalated from a private intellectual property dispute into a larger geopolitical issue. The ICC’s legal defense maintains that the system belongs to the organization because it was engineered by third-party contractors. [1, 2]
However, Weeraratna’s camp argues this ignores global copyright treaties (like the Berne Convention), which protect the original architect’s moral right to attribution. The refusal to accord credit to a South Asian pioneer has sparked solidarity from broader legal and cricketing circles across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, placing significant pressure on the ICC’s moral authority in the region. [1, 2]
If you want to track how this dispute progresses, please let me know if you would like me to look into:
The specific legal evidence regarding the 2008 physical dossiers handed to the ICC.
The official statements or responses released by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) or the Ministry of Sports regarding state-backed diplomatic intervention.
How the Doctrine of Constructive Notice applies to international sports law. [1, 2, 3]
Sri Lanka is once again celebrating agreements to send skilled graduates and engineers overseas. While foreign employment generates valuable remittances, we must ask a fundamental question: Are we exporting our most valuable resource because we have failed to create opportunities at home?
Recent discussions on providing employment opportunities in Japan for Sri Lankan fisheries graduates highlight a deeper issue. Instead of focusing solely on exporting our talent, why are we not investing in industries and technologies that can create sustainable jobs within Sri Lanka’s own coastal economy?
One promising opportunity lies in wave energy technology.
Countries such as South Korea have invested heavily in marine renewable energy systems, including wave-powered electricity generation. Sri Lanka, surrounded by the Indian Ocean and blessed with hundreds of kilometres of coastline, possesses a natural advantage that remains largely untapped.
Imagine every major fisheries harbour becoming a small renewable energy hub. Wave energy devices could generate electricity day and night, feeding battery storage systems strategically located within harbour premises. The stored energy could then be sold to multi-day fishing vessels at affordable rates before they leave for fishing grounds.
Today, fishermen face increasing operational costs, including fuel, ice production, refrigeration, communications, and onboard electrical systems. A reliable source of low-cost renewable electricity could significantly reduce these expenses while improving the competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s fishing industry.
The role of the Fisheries Harbour Corporation should extend far beyond maintaining jetties and auction halls. It should become a catalyst for innovation and enterprise development within the Blue Economy.
Each fisheries harbour could host:
• Wave energy generation facilities
• Battery energy storage systems
• Ice manufacturing plants powered by renewable energy
• Fish processing and value-addition centres
• Marine engineering workshops
• Boat maintenance and repair facilities
• Start-up incubators for young fisheries graduates and engineers
Rather than encouraging our brightest graduates to seek opportunities abroad, the government should establish a dedicated Blue Economy Innovation Fund. Such a fund could provide seed capital, technical support, and concessionary financing for start-ups operating within fisheries harbours.
Young engineers could design and maintain renewable energy systems. Fisheries graduates could develop modern fish handling and processing technologies. Entrepreneurs could establish cold chain logistics, marine electronics businesses, and ocean technology companies.
The economic multiplier effect would be substantial. Jobs would be created not only for graduates but also for technicians, welders, electricians, boat builders, and coastal communities.
Throughout history, nations that prospered from the sea invested in maritime innovation. The Netherlands, South Korea, Norway, and Japan transformed their coastal industries through technology and long-term planning. Sri Lanka has every opportunity to follow a similar path.
The answer to unemployment is not always another foreign employment agreement. Sometimes the answer is waiting on our own shores.
If Sri Lanka is serious about building a sustainable Blue Economy, the focus must shift from exporting human capital to creating opportunities for that human capital to flourish at home. Our fisheries harbours should become centres of innovation, renewable energy, and entrepreneurship—not merely departure points for the next generation of skilled Sri Lankans seeking opportunities elsewhere.
The waves that crash against our coastline every day are not just a natural phenomenon. They are a source of energy, wealth, and opportunity. It is time we learned how to harness them.
Sri Lanka is currently engaged in a vigorous campaign against corruption in the public sector. Investigations, prosecutions, and public debate have rightly focused on the misuse of state resources and abuse of political power. However, an equally important question remains largely unaddressed: what about corruption and governance failures in the corporate sector?
Some of the largest financial disasters in Sri Lanka’s history were not caused by government institutions. They occurred within private corporations, finance companies, and conglomerates that were entrusted with billions of rupees belonging to shareholders, depositors, lenders, employees, and the public.
The collapse of companies such as MTD Walkers, Golden Key Credit Card Company, The Finance Company, Touchwood Investments, and several entities within the Ceylinco Group left behind a trail of shattered dreams, lost savings, unpaid creditors, and unemployed workers. While every corporate failure has its own unique circumstances, many shared common warning signs: excessive debt, weak governance, conflicts of interest, questionable transactions, and inadequate oversight.
When a government institution fails, public scrutiny is immediate and relentless. Yet when a major private corporation collapses, the discussion often centres on market conditions rather than the conduct of those who controlled the company. This imbalance raises serious concerns about accountability.
Corporate executives are entrusted with fiduciary responsibilities. They manage assets that belong not to them personally, but to shareholders, creditors, pension funds, and the wider public. When companies fail due to reckless decision-making or misconduct, the consequences can be devastating. Small investors lose their life savings. Suppliers are driven into bankruptcy. Employees lose jobs and retirement benefits. Banks are left with bad debts that ultimately affect the entire economy.
Therefore, Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption drive should not stop at the doors of government ministries and state institutions. It must also examine the governance practices of large corporations. Regulatory authorities should have the resources and independence necessary to investigate suspicious transactions, undisclosed related-party dealings, asset transfers, and any evidence of misconduct by senior management.
The objective is not to punish legitimate business failure. Entrepreneurship involves risk, and not every unsuccessful venture is the result of wrongdoing. However, where evidence suggests fraud, deception, misuse of company assets, or deliberate misrepresentation, there should be rigorous investigation and, where appropriate, prosecution.
History shows that great civilizations and economies have often been weakened not only by external threats but also by internal failures of integrity. From the empires of Alexander the Great and Emperor Ashoka to modern global corporations, sustainable prosperity depends on accountability, transparency, and ethical leadership.
Sri Lanka cannot build a resilient economy by focusing solely on state corruption while ignoring corporate misconduct. True economic reform requires a comprehensive commitment to integrity in both the public and private sectors.
The nation deserves a system where no individual—whether politician, public servant, or corporate executive—is above scrutiny. Only then can public trust be restored and long-term economic growth secured.
The former Director of the State Intelligence Service, retired Major General Suresh Sallay, who is being detained and questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital, according to sources.
This comes against a backdrop where he commenced a fast-to-death since last night (06).
Former intelligence chief Suresh Salle served the country by dedicating his entire life for 38 years, and the time arrived for the people of the country to stand up and show gratitude to him.
Suresh Salle, who is under detention orders in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), commenced a fast unto death, and his wife stated this to the media when she arrived at the CID to see him today (07). His wife, son, and brother arrived to see Suresh Salle this morning.
She alleged on this occasion that everyone knows her husband is an innocent man, and that authorities scapegoated him. She stated that the Judicial Medical Officer report even confirmed that he, who is still only a suspect, is treated very inhumanely inside the CID.
“We tried talking a lot to change his mind and stop the fast unto death. But he does not agree to it at all. He continues to stand up against the injustice happening to him. Conducting investigations is not an issue, but they must treat him humanely.”
“Because he was dedicated to the country all the time, he did not have time to at least go to a child’s school even once. Treating such a man in this ugly manner is highly unfair. We know who is responsible for this.”
“He will not give up the fast. Because he says that he is a person who was prepared to give his life for the country anyway. He was a man who always kept his backbone straight. I am very proud of him.”
She emphasised that responsible parties must take steps to hospitalise him immediately before harm comes to him, given the mental and physical condition Suresh Salle is in.
“Just like Suresh dedicated his whole life for the country, now this is your opportunity to stand up for him. You know who tells the truth. Please stand up,” she requested from the public.
Sri Lanka is witnessing a renewed effort to combat corruption in the public sector. Investigations, audits, and legal reforms are being promoted as essential steps towards restoring public confidence and economic stability. These efforts are welcome and long overdue.
However, there is an equally important question that deserves national attention: Why is the spotlight focused almost exclusively on state-sector corruption while corporate corruption remains largely unexamined?
Over the years, several large Sri Lankan companies have collapsed, entered insolvency, or suffered severe financial distress. When such failures occur, thousands of employees lose their livelihoods, shareholders lose their investments, banks are left exposed, and the wider economy suffers. Yet public discussion often treats these events as mere business failures rather than potential failures of governance, accountability, and ethical leadership.
Corporate corruption can take many forms: manipulation of financial statements, abuse of company assets, conflicts of interest, related-party transactions, procurement irregularities, insider dealings, and excessive executive enrichment at the expense of shareholders and creditors.
When a major corporation collapses, regulators should not simply ask whether the business model failed. They should also ask whether directors and executives fulfilled their fiduciary responsibilities and whether corporate governance safeguards were effective.
The lifestyles and wealth accumulated by some corporate leaders before and during periods of corporate decline deserve scrutiny wherever there are reasonable grounds for concern. Transparency should not be demanded only of politicians and public servants. It should also be expected of those entrusted with managing large private enterprises that affect thousands of employees and investors.
Sri Lanka cannot build a culture of accountability by targeting only one form of corruption. Public-sector corruption and corporate-sector corruption are two sides of the same coin. Both undermine trust, distort economic decision-making, discourage investment, and weaken institutions.
The fight against corruption must therefore extend beyond government offices and into boardrooms. Regulators, auditors, shareholders, lenders, and law-enforcement agencies must work together to ensure that corporate power is exercised responsibly and transparently.
If Sri Lanka is serious about creating a fair and prosperous economy, accountability must apply equally to ministers, public officials, chief executives, directors, and corporate elites. No sector should be beyond scrutiny, and no individual should be above the law.
Only then can the country establish a truly comprehensive anti-corruption framework capable of restoring public trust and protecting future generations.
The three International Cricket Council (ICC) lawyers identified in public legal challenges and reports by advocates for the Sri Lankan inventor are David Becker, Jonathan Hall, and Sally Clark. [1, 2]
Supporters of Colombo-based lawyer Senaka Weeraratna—who conceptualized the “Player Referral” mechanism in 1997—allege that these legal figures provided flawed legal counsel that insulated the ICC and prevented him from receiving due credit. [1, 2, 3]
The Three ICC Lawyers Involved
David Becker (Former Head of Legal): He issued a 2010 legal opinion adopting a “No Awareness” defense, claiming the ICC was completely unaware of Weeraratna’s published 1997 work and that openly publishing the concept effectively waived his rights.
Jonathan Hall (General Counsel): He maintained the ICC’s official stance in 2023, asserting that the Decision Review System (DRS) was developed entirely as an independent product of internal employees and commercial contractors.
Sally Clark (Company Secretary / Legal Team): Named alongside Becker and Hall in formal grievances regarding the legal team’s long-standing refusal to acknowledge the prior art originating from Sri Lanka. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Core of the Malpractice Allegation
Weeraratna’s legal representatives, including the Sydney-based firm Carroll & O’Dea, argue that the ICC legal team’s defense constitutes a major ethical oversight and professional negligence. Their challenge relies heavily on the Doctrine of Constructive Notice. Because Weeraratna’s structural framework for the player-driven review system was widely published in prominent international media (like The Times of London and The Australian) between 1997 and 1999, the ICC is legally presumed to have had knowledge of it long before officially rolling out the DRS in 2008–2009. [1, 2, 3]
If you would like to explore this topic further, I can provide more details on the original 1997 proposal documents or the ongoing efforts by cricket advocates to rename the system to honor its Sri Lankan origin. [1, 2]
Green Hydrogen: Will Sri Lanka Become a Producer or Just Another Importer?
BOI in Sri Lanka has invited global companies for RFi to forward proposals to generate green hydrogen to bunker to ships Most suitable locations for such bunkering will in be Trincomalee
Glad to note that government is shifting attention to generate FDI under blue economy
Based on current global trends, importing ammonia produced in China and then cracking it into hydrogen may, in some cases, be cheaper than producing green hydrogen locally from seawater, especially in countries where renewable electricity is expensive or insufficient.
However, the answer depends on the entire value chain.
Option 1: Import Chinese Green Ammonia and Extract Hydrogen
China has rapidly expanded solar and wind capacity and is developing large-scale green ammonia projects in regions with very low renewable electricity costs. Because electricity accounts for 60–80% of the cost of green hydrogen, Chinese producers can achieve significant economies of scale.
Advantages:
Lower capital investment in Sri Lanka.
No need for massive electrolyser installations.
Hydrogen can be transported as ammonia using existing shipping technology.
Potentially lower delivered cost if Chinese production remains subsidized.
Disadvantages:
Energy losses when converting hydrogen to ammonia in China and then cracking ammonia back into hydrogen in Sri Lanka.
Dependence on imports.
Exposure to shipping costs and geopolitical risks.
Ammonia cracking plants are expensive and energy intensive.
Option 2: Produce Hydrogen Locally from Seawater
Strictly speaking, electrolysers do not usually use raw seawater. They require desalinated water first.
Process:
Seawater intake.
Desalination.
Electrolysis.
Hydrogen production.
The cost of desalination is surprisingly small. About 9 litres of water are needed for 1 kg of hydrogen, and the water cost is usually less than 2–3% of total hydrogen production cost.
The real issue is electricity.
Sri Lanka’s challenge is not water availability but:
High electricity costs.
Limited large-scale renewable energy capacity.
Grid constraints.
Need for substantial investment.
What Makes Sense for Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka may have a competitive advantage if it develops:
Offshore wind resources around Mannar.
Large solar parks in dry zones.
Green hydrogen production close to ports such as Trincomalee Port and Port of Colombo.
For export-oriented projects, producing ammonia locally could be more attractive than importing ammonia and extracting hydrogen.
Strategic Question for Sri Lanka
The key question is:
Should Sri Lanka become a producer of green hydrogen and ammonia, or merely an importer and consumer?
If Chinese green ammonia lands in Sri Lanka at a lower cost than locally produced hydrogen, investors may prefer import-based projects. However, that would create fewer local jobs and less industrial development.
For a country seeking energy security and industrial growth, the long-term objective should probably be to exploit Sri Lanka’s own renewable resources rather than depend entirely on imported ammonia.
A concern for Sri Lankan policymakers is that, just as European producers are worried about cheaper imports, Sri Lanka could end up importing green molecules” rather than building a domestic green-hydrogen industry. The economic benefits of local production—employment, technology transfer, and renewable-energy investment—may outweigh a small difference in fuel cost.
For the BOI’s green hydrogen and ammonia initiatives, a detailed comparison should include:
Chinese ammonia landed cost at Colombo or Trincomalee.
Ammonia cracking cost.
Local solar and wind electricity costs.
Electrolyser CAPEX and OPEX.
Carbon pricing and export market requirements.
The result may show that importing ammonia is cheaper in the short term, while local production offers greater strategic value in the long term.
To achieve a Realistic Successful Goal, The Government of Sri Lanka will need to Invite Top Qualified Professional Leaders from UK-USA-Singapore, to lead the operation Fast Track, with Pay Packages & Success-based Incentives.
Offer 100% Tax & Duty Free to Attract the Hub which will create 1000++ Employment Opportunities + Real Estate growth + Revalue the Rupee!
Simultaneously, qualified Sri Lankans may join the Middle Management.
Initially the Sri Lankan Government only has ot offer Basic Facilities, such as Office & Personal Accommodation by creating a 100% Tax & Duty Free Zone.
Looking at the content of LankaWeb, and many of the Ambassadors of Sri Lanka in Europe-USA-Japan, the outlook is pedestrian & grim! Zero looking Out-of-the-Box!
Here are some of the Options which may compete with Sri Lanka-;
If by investors fleeing Dubai” meaning wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs looking for alternatives to the UAE because of geopolitical risk, diversification needs, lifestyle preferences, or regulatory changes, the most commonly considered destinations are:
Switzerland
Political stability
Strong private banking sector
Asset protection and legal certainty
Attractive for family offices and wealth preservation rather than aggressive growth investing.
Singapore
Often viewed as the Asian equivalent of Switzerland
Strong rule of law
Major wealth-management ecosystem
Popular among investors with business interests in Asia.
Italy
Special tax programs for wealthy newcomers
High quality of life
Increasingly attracting former Dubai-based residents seeking a European base.
Portugal
Strong expat ecosystem
European Union access
Remains attractive despite some tax-program changes.
United States
Deep investment opportunities
Strong venture capital and private equity environment
Popular among entrepreneurs seeking growth rather than tax optimization.
Greece
Residency-by-investment pathways
Lower living costs than many Western European countries
Increasing appeal among international investors.
Bahrain
Tax-friendly environment
Lower cost of living than Dubai
Long-term residency options for investors.
Saudi Arabia
Large domestic market
Major government-backed investment projects
Increasingly competing with Dubai for regional headquarters and investment capital.
The best alternative depends on the investor’s goal:
Goal
Strong Options
Lowest taxes
Singapore, Bahrain
Wealth preservation
Switzerland
Access to EU markets
Italy, Portugal, Greece
Startup and growth investing
United States, Singapore
Staying in the Gulf
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia
Most of the writers on LankaWeb are hawking on yesterday or negative historical stories.!
Forget the Tamil Tiger Terrorists, the Easter Sunday bombings, Start thinking like Albert Einstein!
Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say! The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet.
