Shenali D Waduge

The 13^th amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution followed the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord between Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi & Sri Lankan President J R Jayawardena. Both are now dead. LTTE was defeated in May 2009 & Prabakaran is dead. Prabakaran was kept in India until the Indo-Lanka Accord was signed & he was never in favor of either the Accord or the 13^th amendment. Nevertheless, LTTE-created TNA which was originally against the 13A, are now demanding it with full police & land powers, realizing it is the only way they can be lords over Tamils & continue the elitist/caste system. Given that TNA was formed by the LTTE & LTTE had its own POLICE FORCE as well as own Courts, lawyers and judges, apprehensions by Sri Lankan citizens for the renewed demand for police powers, is valid.

It is obvious that the majority of present-day opinion makers are clueless about the existence of a parallel governance system that prevailed under LTTE that ran a virtual defacto rule after being given territory by the then 2002 Government under the premiership of Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe. It was during this period of a bogus ceasefire that LTTE openly began raising funds, purchasing weapons, training their cadres, opening offices, travelling all over the island & even going overseas while Sri Lankan troops had to be confined to barracks as per the CFA agreement.

Many in the Armed Forces will recollect the humiliations and embarrassments they were subject to, having to provide guard & escort to LTTE who did not think twice about mocking our war heroes. This was the type of embarrassment & humiliation our armed forces were subject to.

The toothless Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission tasked to monitor the ceasefire were only given a mandate to be bookkeepers & all they could do was tabulate violations. LTTE committed over 3000 against 356 attributed to the SL Armed Forces. The GOSL failed to even table this report in Geneva/UNHRC to showcase the violations by LTTE.

Foolishly made to follow the path of being politically correct or politically foolish, the GoSL failed to present all the facts that would have sealed the guilt of the LTTE and exonerated our war heroes of the lies that are being circulated purely on the power of money & people who are pawns to money, resulting in tarnishing the good name of our war heroes who sacrificed to defend the nation & its citizens.

The 1^st LTTE Police Station was opened in Trincomalee on 8 November 2002 (after the Norwegian brokered Cease Fire Agreement under the watch of present President who was the Prime Minister & signed the CFA with Prabakaran (without the knowledge of President Chandrika Bandaranaike)

https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?artid=7786&catid=13

LTTE police (Known as Tamil Eelam Police) was functioning even in December 2007.

Prabakaran appointed K. Elangko as Head replacing B. Nadesan who was appointed LTTE Political Head after Tamilselvan was killed on 2 Nov 2007.

Given this scenario, with TNA continuing its aspiration to separate & promoting self-determination & continuously harping on about a bogus Tamil Homeland as well as the renewed attempts to ruin Buddhist archaeological sites and replace these ancient Buddhist stupas with Siva Lingams, the GoSL is out of its mind if it is even considering giving 13a with or without Land & Police powers.

The NPC began refunctioning after the LTTE was defeated & held its first election in 2013 with Wigneswaran winning – the Tamil people should ask him what he has done to develop the North after taking over as Chief Minister. Majority of development was done by the Central Govt and not by the Northern Provincial Council. The budget allocation was never spent & always returned back to the Treasury primarily because caste issues, prevented the low caste Tamils getting any relief.

Shenali D Waduge

Shenali D Waduge

Inspite of the reconciliation mumbo-jumbo, what is being promoted is retributive justice for a National Army & restorative justice for an internationally banned terrorist movement. When foreign govts slap sanctions on those who ended decades of terror and envoys visit terrorist linked individuals, what is the message being conveyed? It therefore comes as no surprise when successive Canadian envoys are happy to be chit chatting with those linked to either terrorism or separatism and now cultural genocide with the vandalism taking place targeting Buddhist archaeological sites. Of course, cultural genocide is a topic close at heart to Canada,  having been declared guilty of mass murders of Canadian indigenous natives in residential schools run by the Church. The truth & reconciliation promoted is to forgive Canada & the Church & for the indigenous to forget, while the indigenous natives continue to suffer discriminations & inequalities. Obviously the same remedy is being peddled in Sri Lanka.

On 17 January 2005, Paul Martin the Prime Minister of Canada met the TNA & TRO at the Colombo Hilton. TNA was formed by Prabakaran in 2001. TNA requested the Canadian PM to channel funds through NGOs instead of through the GoSL.  Incidentally, the TRO was banned by US in 2007 for raising funds for LTTE.

The TNA delegation included R Sampanthan, Joseph Pararajasingham (killed in Dec2005 months after meeting the Canadian PM), Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. K P Reggie (Exec Director of TRO)

Fast forward to July 2023, the Canadian High Commissioner Eric Walsh was seeing paying courtesy calls on a controversial Northern PC Member T. Raviharan, involved in a series of mischief and propagating vandalism & violence upon Buddhist heritage archaeological sites in the North of Sri Lanka.

He has been at the forefront of protests & unruly behavior in Kurundi, Gurukanda Raja Maha Viharaya.

When questioned about the sudden visit the Canadian High Commission claims that Eric Walsh’s visit was to ‘meet people in different parts of the country, to better understand their priorities and perspectives”. The below breakdown of the Canadian High Commissioners visits should give a good idea or the people he has met & the priorities” that Canada is giving prominence to.

It is baffling why the Canadian High Commission would want to go to Jaffna twice & in particular to meet with T. Raviharan whose name has been repeatedly appearing for causing ethno-religious tensions. It is reliably informed that the envoy is arranging a Colombo-meet of these unscrupulous elements with obviously a well-funded plan to increase the tempo of attacks on the Buddhist archaeological sites as they foresee this as one of the biggest obstacles to advancing 13^th amendment & cutting the North & East out of Colombo control.

The reason to raise concern about the Canadian High Commissioner’s visits primarily centres around the decisions by the Canadian Government. It is true that outside of Sri Lanka, Canada & in particular Toronto holds the largest number of Tamils. What is also true is that these numbers are mostly asylum seekers or refugees as the numbers do not tally with the 2021 Canadian census. Be that as it may, these pro-LTTE elements are making considerable influence over Canadian Parliamentarians. Domestic politics and funding appear to be a key reason to promote a bogus genocide claim & slap sanctions when no legal court has declared anyone guilty of war crimes & even UNHRC has failed to provide evidence of even the 40,000 dead that kicked off a global tarnishing campaign. Incidentally, Serbia was accused of the same number of dead & eventually that figure ended up only 2500 or less. The war crimes/genocide hype resulted in imprisoning the Serbian President who died in jail before he was eventually exonerated & those who accused have yet to even apologize for putting a President in prison for no valid reason. This is clearly the same outcome for Sri Lanka.

It is shocking that to satisfy domestic politics, a national government like Canada is happy to mourn terrorists that died in the last phase of the conflict while agreeing to declare genocide remembrance week as well as subject Canadian children to learn about a genocide that never took place. Years down the line, Canada will end up a laughing stock. We await for the day Canada finds out to their embarrassment that they had been commemorating dead LTTE terrorists, genocide was to mourn LTTE dead and a genocide sans names of the dead/dead bodies or even skeletons. To cover up this, Canada is ranting about Mannar graves when the site is on the other end of where the conflict took place. Take a map and look at where Mannar & Mullaivaikkal is located, please.

• Canadian Parliament in 2022 declaring May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day (the GoSL should request Canada to produce genocide figures, the names of dead at least)
• July1983 statements by even the Canadian PM Trudeau displaying ignorance of facts.
• Ontario Bill 104 in 2023 – Tamil Genocide Education Week

Are these foreign envoys here to build bridges or to break existing bridges & kickstart new turmoils?

If envoys are in Sri Lanka to help make peace, what they are presently doing is no where near this objective. An analysis of who they meet, what they discuss is testament to what they are really up to veiled by their statements that ooze out peace, reconciliation & whatnot.

It is a pity that the Sri Lanka Foreign Minister & Ministry are not keeping a tab on the diplomatic movements, interferences into internal affairs and the funding that is being channeled to lay grounds for new mischief. Nothing in the Geneva protocols covers the type of interference & incursions being committed with impunity by a handful of Western & Indian diplomats in Sri Lanka. It is a shame that the objectives & goals of diplomacy is being clouded by these actions & behaviors.

Shenali D Waduge

KAMALIKA PIERIS

 The Tamil Separatist Movement invented a fictitious Tamil Buddhism to prevent Sinhalese taking over the Buddhist ruins in the north. Buddhist ruins, dated to the ancient and medieval periods and looking just like the ruins in the south were found in abundance in the north and east of Sri Lanka. This was a great blow to the Tamil Separatist Movement.

 Ven. Santhabodhi said that an academic from the University of Jaffna had arrived at Kurundi. He had been sent to find proof that Kurundi was not Buddhist. On his return he had stated that it was not possible to deny that Kurundi was Buddhist, but   we can say it is Tamil Buddhism and keep the Sinhalese out”.

 However, the evidence which shows that the North was Sinhala does not come from its Buddhist ruins. They come from Sinhala place names, cattle branding and the Vallipuram gold plate. Vallipuram plate was a valuable find. It showed that the north was ruled by the Sinhala king.  The Vallipuram plate was to be kept away from the Sinhala public, but its Tamil custodian waited for the right time and gave it to the Sinhalese.

Tamil Buddhism” means Buddhism   transmitted in Tamil as part of the Tamil culture.The fictitious Tamil Buddhism of the Northern Province must therefore come from Tamilnadu, not Anuradhapura. 

 Tamilnadu certainly had a Buddhist period and made a limited contribution to Buddhist civilization. Tamilnadu produced three Buddhist scholars Buddhagosa, Buddhadatta, and Dhammapala. But there is some doubt whether Buddhagosa was Tamil.

Tamilnadu produced several Tamil Buddhist epics, such as Manimekalai.  11th-century Veerasoliyam shows the prominence given to Buddhism in Tamil scholarship.  Tolkappiyam, the earliest Tamil grammar, written around the 3rd century BC, was written by a Buddhist. It was widely used in the Buddhist monasteries of Sri Lanka by those who knew Tamil.

Buddhism did not last long in Tamilnadu. Buddhism was eliminated from Tamilnadu, by Tamilnadu’s   Bhakti movement, which started in the 7^th century .The Bhakti movement focused on   Hindu gods and goddesses with special emphasis on Siva and Vishnu.  It was a militant movement. It opposed Buddhism. Buddhism lost popular support and also the patronage of the rulers. Tamilnadu became Hindu and has remained Hindu ever since. There are no Buddhist monuments on show in Tamilnadu today.

However, Mavali Rajan and Palas Kumar Saha (2020) stated that Buddhism did not disappear after the Bhakti cult came. Nagapattinam had a Buddhist colony and a Buddhist temple complex long after the arrival of Bhakti. 127 other Buddhist sites belonging to the same period were found along the coast, challenging the theory that Buddhism had vanished from Tamilnadu after Bhakti.

Rajan and Saha then went on to say that Buddhism flourished in Tamilnadu during  two  periods,  firstly in the early years of the Pallava rule (400-650 AD) and secondly in the Chola period (mid 9th to the early 14th century AD) .  The evidence for both Pallava and Chola Buddhism is in the   Buddhist shrines at Nagapattinam, Kanchipuram and  Kaveripattinam,,

Hiuen Tsang  had counted 50 monasteries and 4500 monks when he visited India in Pallava time. The Chola rulers  did not did not allow  Buddhism in the royal court, they  were dedicated Saivites. But they allowed the establishment of a huge Buddhist complex at Nāgapaṭṭiṉam in the 10th and 11th century,  for political reasons.

Other South Indian states fared better with Buddhism. The present day Hindu temples in Kerala show the influence of Vatadage architecture.  Buddhism declined in Karnataka by 7th century, but Mahayana Buddhism continued in pockets till the 12th Century. Gujarat had Buddhist rock cut caves of 1-4 AD at Talaja and Dhank.Devnimori had a monastery and stupa.

Buddhism was strongest in Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh has 140 listed Buddhist sites, the best known are Nagarjunakonda, Amaravati and Bavikonda. Buddhism and commerce went together and Andhra Pradesh was at the centre of trade routes. Five routes converged at the capital, Vengi. The Andhra  kings were known as Vengi kings.

The rock cut monasteries in the Western Ghats show that   Buddhism was strong in Maharashtra too. Ajanta and Ellora in northern Maharashtra are well known but there are  more than 50 other sets of rock cut temples.     Kanheri caves were a major monastic education centre. It became Mahayana later.These cave temples were executed by several dynasties ruling in  Maharashtra  such as Satavahana, Vakataka, and Rashtrakuta.  

The Tamil Separatist Movement has sporadically put forward the notion of Tamil Buddhism in Sri Lanka .TNA MP S. Sritharan said in Parliament in 2011, that people who lived in places such as Madagal and Nandagal were Tamil Buddhists and they have left evidence of this . Historians say Nagadeepa and Kantarodai are Sinhala Buddhist settlements. In fact they are Tamil Buddhist settlements. The Sinhalese and Tamils are the two main races in the country and both have their heritage. Equal importance must be given to protecting not only the cultural heritage of the Sinhalese but also of the Tamils.

 In 1995, Buddhist items in Jaffna museum were   labeled Tamil  said historian DGB de Silva at a talk  on the archaeology of the Jaffna peninsula, given at the RASSL in 2012. University of Jaffna   has  added the subject Buddhism in Tamilnadu” to its courses of study.

Tamil Separatist Movement   looked to see whether  Tamils in Sri Lanka  had actually embraced Buddhism . The  ICES journal Nethra, published a piece by K.B. Malik on the  subject (2002).

Malik looked at the Census data and found that  there were 12,813  Tamil Buddhists, in the 1881 census Most were in the Western province.  By 1891 Tamil Buddhists had grown to 15,861.   JP Lewis writing of the Vanni, (1895) said that there were three Sinhala Hindus but he had not seen them. Also four Tamil Buddhists who also he has not seen.   

Ponnambalam Arunachalam said in the  1901 Census report that many Tamil who were really Hindu had been given as Buddhist due to a misunderstanding with the census takers. And in the 1911 Census the enumerator was asked to check when Tamils said they were Buddhist  whether they went to kovil or temple.  In the  1921 and 1945 Censuses there were no Tamil Buddhists in the Western province or anywhere else, concluded Malik..

There is no evidence  to  show that Tamil Buddhism ever existed in the north.  But there is plenty of evidence to show that Sinhala Buddhism was practiced  there. The Buddhist ruins found in the north and east are  identical to the Buddhist ruins found in the south. The   Buddha image, its headdress, the way the robe is draped, the mudras, are identical to those in the south. Similalry, the stupa mounds, the guard stone, siripatula, yupa gala and the script used in the inscriptions,  resemble those found in the south.

Buddhist  countries developed their own distinctive Buddha  image. Sri Lanka has the Samadhi Buddha. Thailand favored the    bhumi sparsha pose   and  also  did the  walking Buddha. If there  really was a separate Tamil Buddhism in the north, excavations would have produced  a distinct Tamil Buddha statue. Nagapattinam  yielded   Buddha statues, small ones, I think,   but no one has said that our statues resemble Nagapattinam.

The American missionaries who arrived in Jaffna in  1813  looked carefully  at  the culture they had come to meddle with. They made inquiries about religion because that was their main interest. If there had been any kind of Tamil  Buddhism  in Jaffna,  even if it was held only in oral tradition, and  had only been practiced in the dim past,  the American missionaries would have sniffed it out and stated it in their records. But the American missionaries say nothing about Tamil Buddhism .

Lastly, if the Tamil Separatist Movement  honestly thought that the ruins were those of  their own precious Tamil Buddhism ,they would have preserved them  for political reasons, not destroy them as they are doing today. Shenali Waduge observed  that  genuine Tamil Buddhists would  protect the  Buddhist heritage sites in the north, not vandalilse  them.   (CONTINUED)

Insight By Sunil Kumar

25thJuly 2023

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has every right to protest incongruous statements by those without the real knowledge of what truly transpired in Sri Lanka during the three and a half decade long terrorist insurrection eventually put down by the Government Armed Forces in defense of her people and Sovereign Territory. It has sometimes erroneously been termed a civil war which detracts from the reality it was an internal armed insurrection by Tami Tiger Terrorists where there were Tamil People who were against it also and paid a severe price for their dissent.

 Relative  to this, once again Canadian Prime Minister Mr.Justin Trudeau seems to have taken a  path  which his World Respected father Mr. Pierre Elliot Trudeau who was once  closely associated with Sri Lanka would never have taken by virtue of  how well informed of world affairs he was and never once dipping into  the till of misinformation to give him due credit or towards his political gain.

Unfortunately  the younger Mr.Trudeau’s recent comments at a so called Genocide Remembrance Day in Canada appears  perhaps simply to secure his Tamil voting base and constituents  of which there were none during his father’s tenure but nonetheless  something beneath the decorum he always possessed as a political  leader, referring to the senior Mr. Trudeau who was a class act.

 It has been a trend one might add for Canadian politicians whether Liberal, NDP or Conservative in the past also to make statements in support of Tamil Tiger sympathizers who made up their voter base perhaps while being coerced about a misconceived genocide which never took place, all the while never admitting that what transpired in Sri Lanka for nearly 4 decades was an internal armed insurrection led by Insurgent Tamil Terrorists and  minority Tamils in their quest to disrupt Sri Lanka towards their own objectives of secession which was put down  by the Armed Forces as an uprising against  Sovereign Sri Lanka and her Territorial Integrity where it would be totally wrong to even think of it as Genocide.

It was a well organized Military operation that other Nations wish to emulate where the Armed forces even protected the  Tamil minority whose insurgent oppressors eventually turned on them in a final  act of aggression when they were being overrun.

Thus  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  has made a statement recently  in recognition of what is called ‘Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, the  day  the ‘war’ ended in Sri Lanka 14 years ago where Mr Trudeau has somewhat misguidedly made his comments which has caused an uproar within the Sri Lanka Administration with valid reason.

 Consequently Sri Lanka through its Foreign Ministry has denounced the  statement which it  has cited unhelpful to the reconciliation process  locally as well as  majority world opinion which has always deemed the  conflict as an internal armed insurrection against a Sovereign Nation  by a terror group so much so that its perpetrators have been outlawed  globally including Canada so what is Mr.Trudeau talking about?.

The Canadian leader in his statement  has said, “Today, we reflect on the  tragic loss of life during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, which ended 14 years ago. Tens of thousands of Tamils lost their lives, including  the massacre in Mullivaikal, with many more missing, injured, or displaced. Our thoughts are with the victims, survivors, and their loved ones, who continue to live with the pain caused by this senseless violence.“

Curiously, nothing has been mentioned about the vast number of lives within the Sinhalese and other minority communities including innocent  women, children and elders who were massacred  by the terrorists beyond their right to exist where the wanton destruction of life, limb  and property was no ordinary turn of events but constituted a genocide  by rights initiated by the Tamil Tigers backed by the Tamil minority and needs to be clearly outlined for the world to fully comprehend and probably needing investigation by the International Court of Justice.

The world needs to understand that what the Canadian Prime Minister is alluding to appears to be a definition of convenience which is the furthest from reality and there  is another side to this so called Genocide” regardless of what  anniversary they are celebrating.

 A footnote to all of this is that the Tamil Tigers  and their supporters are banned in Canada and have taken their covert activities and database underground.Their entire operation was outlawed and  disbanded by the( RCMP) Royal Canadian Mounted Police and have not  surfaced since! If Mr.Trudeau in all sincerity wishes to comment about Sri Lanka he  should do so in an impartial manner citing every perspective which  very nearly destroyed Sovereign Sri Lanka for which it was the Tamil  Insurgents backed by the minority Tamils who initiated the horrors  that the Sri Lanka Government with the Armed Forces valiantly fought off.

 The ( UNHCR) United Nations High Commission For Human Rights  which makes such a huge issue about Sri Lanka Tamils needs to also take up the case of the Sinhalese and other minority communities who suffered unimaginable atrocities and ruthless acts of terror at the hands of the unrelenting Tamil Tigers backed by a greater proportion of the Tamil Community now lamenting with the help of voices like Mr Justin Trudeau’s which only portrays one side of what really transpired in Sri Lanka which will  neither help the reconciliation process nor the reunification of  ethnic harmony.

Sufian Siddique Independent researcher and freelance columnist, Dhaka

The incident took place on Sunday morning local time in the Casagrande area near the city of Phoenix in the state of Arizona, USA.

Earlier on July 18, Bangladeshi youth Yazuddin Ahmed was shot dead at a gas station on Hampton Avenue in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam tweeted this information. He wrote, ‘We are horrified by the news of the second Bangladeshi being killed in the United States in the last five days. The last victim is Abul Hashim.

He also wrote that Yazuddin Ahmed, who was killed earlier, went to the United States for higher education. This freedom fighter’s son used to work in a grocery store to pay for his education.

We are appalled to know the killing of a second Bangladeshi in the last 5 days in the USA. Abul Hashim is the latest victim. Eazuddin Ahmed who was killed earlier went to USA for higher studies. Son of Freedom Fighter was working in a grocery store to meet his educational expenses.

     — Md. Shahriar Alam (@MdShahriarAlam) July 25, 2023

Mahabub Reza Rahim, the leader of the Bangladeshi community in Arizona and the former chairman of Fobana, said that Abul Hashim of Comilla died on the spot at Sunlight Market located on Sunland Jean Road and West Concordia Drive in Casagrande City at 7:30 am on Sunday morning.

Hashim has a 6-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter. His other siblings also live in the same city.

A Bangladeshi youth has been killed in a terrorist attack in the United States. According to media reports, the incident took place at the BP gas station in the 1100 block of Hampton Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. Before this, on January 4, another young Bangladeshi, Saeed Faisal, was shot dead by the Massachusetts police on Chestnut Street in Cambridge.

The incident of Bangladeshis being killed by police or terrorists in the United States is not new. Such killings are often reported in newspapers in Bangladesh or the United States; But there is no news about their investigation or trial later. According to a report published in the media of Bangladesh in 2015, six Bangladeshis were killed in various attacks in the United States in these three years from 2012 to 2015. In October 2015, the brave freedom fighter Mushtaq Ahmed was killed by terrorists in the state of Florida.

In August of the same year, businessman Shahidul Islam was killed in another tragic attack. In 2013, the leader of Bangladesh Awami League’s United States branch, Nazmul Islam, was killed in a terrorist attack in New York’s weight park. In 2012, another leader of Awami League, Belal Tarafdar, was killed in an attack by miscreants in Connecticut. Bangladeshi film director AB Manik was also killed in August 2014. At the same time, a cab driver named Kamal Uddin was killed by terrorists. His body was lying on the road.

In 2015, when Bangladeshis were being killed one after another in the United States, two foreign nationals were also killed in Bangladesh. The US Embassy was very active about the murders of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in Dhaka and Japanese citizen Kunio Hoshi in Rangpur. The then US Ambassador Bernicutt almost gave up on the issue in the name of expressing concern.

Our media also promoted it quite strongly. But on the contrary, we have not seen any strong protest or diplomatic activity regarding the killing of Bangladeshi citizens in the United States. Even Barnicutt was not asked any strong questions about this in various press conferences.

Extrajudicial killings have become an almost daily occurrence in the United States. Every now and then we read in the newspapers about gunmen attacking the United States wearing the cheeky moniker of ‘Champion of Democracy and Human Rights’. In the first six months of 2023, there were 28 gun attacks in the United States and 140 people were victims of extrajudicial killings, according to data from a joint research-archive by the news agency AP, USA Today and Boston’s Northeastern University.

Based on the data obtained from January 1 to June 30, it is known that almost every week there has been a gun attack somewhere in the country. According to the news published in the US media, in 2017 there were 224 extrajudicial killings in the country, 211 in 2019, 610 in 2020, 692 in 2021 and 648 in 2022.

But there is no news of any initiative or activity of the administration regarding these murders, there is no news of any case or trial. The situation of the country is so dire that they go to different countries of the world including Bangladesh and interfere in the internal affairs of those countries in the name of protecting human rights.

As much as the Biden administration has spent the last few months on the election, governance and human rights situation in Bangladesh, it has not spent much on the law-and-order situation and extrajudicial killings in its own country. Otherwise, three Bangladeshis would not have been victims of extrajudicial killings at least six months apart.

It has been already mentioned the various protests surrounding the killing of Syed Faisal in January 2023. As the protest came from the Foreign Office of Bangladesh, Bangladeshis living in Bangladesh and the United States also joined the protest. Writing and discussion about it has just started in the media. Then suddenly on May 24, the United States Minister of Foreign Affairs Anthony J. Blinken announced the new visa policy. The number should not be too complicated if you match two two by four. For various reasons, Bangladeshis who are interested in immigration put the United States in their list of preferences. The hassle of getting a visa to the country is also high.

Although the democratic elections were held, we think the main objective of the US administration was to suppress the protests that started on the streets and social media about the Bangladeshi people who were killed at various times, including Saeed Faisal. Earlier, on International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2021, the United States Treasury Department (Revenue Department) and the State Department sanctioned seven former and current officers of Bangladesh’s law enforcement agency RAB. They were charged with human rights violations. Such unilateral definition of human rights violations is rare indeed.

The question is, has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh been able to take a strong position on these issues? Our Ministry of External Affairs could not take a strong diplomatic stand despite taking mild initiatives like expressing ‘dissatisfaction’, ‘anger’ or ‘protest’. There are plenty of reasons not to. The United States is one of the world’s superpowers. A country like Bangladesh cannot enter into an open diplomatic fight with such a superpower even if it wants to.

Apart from that, Bangladesh’s foreign policy also follows a balanced approach. As a result, what else can be effective for Bangladesh except adopting a ‘go slow policy’ in the face of US hegemonic diplomacy? But the way Bangladeshi citizens are being killed in the United States and after each killing the US ambassador to Bangladesh is giving empty words of sympathy to the families of the victims, it has become a big question as to how long Bangladesh will be sufferer of US vested interest. Where is Anthony Blinken, Uzra Zeya, Donald Lu, Victoria Nuland, Peter Hass?

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

අස්වැසුම ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමේදී පැනනැගී ඇති ගැටලු පිළිබඳව සාකච්ඡාවක් අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් 2023.07.26 දින අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේ දී පැවැත්විණි.

වැඩිහිටි, ආබාධිත, වකුගඩු යන නිර්ණායකයන් ඒ ආකාරයෙන්ම ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට සහ මතුව ඇති අනිකුත් ගැටලු වහා නිරාකරණය කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් මෙහිදී දීර්ඝවශයෙන් සාකච්ඡා කෙරිණි.

රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍යවරුන් වන ෂෙහාන් සේමසිංහ, අශෝක ප්‍රියන්ත, අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ලේකම් අනුර දිසානායක,  රාජ්‍ය පරිපාලන ලේකම් රංජිත් අශෝක, අස්වැසුම සභාපති බී. විජේරත්න ඇතුළු රාජ්‍ය නිලධාරීහු මෙම අවස්ථාවට සහභාගි වූහ.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා මෙසේ පැවසුවේ 2023.07.26 දින අරලිය ගහ මන්දිරයේ පැවැති  දහම් සරසවිය බුද්ධ ධර්ම උසස්  ඩිප්ලෝමා සහ ඩිප්ලෝමා සහතික පත්‍ර ප්‍රධානෝත්සවය අමතමිණි.
ශ්‍රී ලංකා බෞද්ධ හා පාලි විශ්ව විද්‍යාලය හා බෞද්ධ කටයුතු දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ඒකාබද්ධව ක්‍රියාත්මක කරනු ලබන දහම් සරසවිය බුද්ධ ධර්ම ඩිප්ලෝමා පාඨමාලාවේ  ඩිප්ලෝමා හා උසස් ඩිප්ලෝමාධාරීන් 1544  ක්  සඳහා සහතික පත් ප්‍රදානය මෙහිදී සිදුකෙරිණි.
එහිදී අදහස් දැක් වූ අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා –
උසස් අධ්‍යාපන සුදුසුකම් නොලබා දහම් පාසල්වල සේවය කරන ගුරුභවතුන්ට අවශ්‍ය දැනුම ආකල්ප කුසලතා වර්ධනය කර දීම සහ ඔවුන් එම කාර්යයෙහි නියුතු නිපුණතා ඇත්තවුන් බවට පත්කිරීම  තුළින් සාරධර්ම පිරි යහපත් දරු පරපුරක් බිහි කිරීමට ඉවහල් වෙනවා. මේ සඳහා බෞද්ධ කටයුතු දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව වාර්ෂික ව මහා භාණ්ඩාගාරයෙන් රුපියල් මිලියන 8 ක් වැය කරනවා. දසදහසකට අධික මෙරට දහම් පාසල් වල ගුරුභවතුන් එක් ලක්ෂ විසි හයදහස් තුන්සිය හතලිස් හයක් ඉගැන්වීම් කරනවා. දහම් පාසැල් වල ඉගෙනුම ලබන දරුවො විසි ලක්ෂය ඉක්මවනවා. මෙසේ පුහුණුව ලබන ගුරුභවතුන් සියලුදෙනාම නොකඩවා දහම් පාසල් ගුරුවරු ලෙස  කටයුතු කරන්නේ නම් අපේක්ෂිත යහපත් ඉලක්ක කරා ළඟා වෙන්න පුළුවන්. අපි කවුරුත් බලාපොරොත්තු වෙන මධ්‍යම ප්‍රතිපදාවේ ගමන් මාර්ගයට අපේ සමාජය යළි පිහිටුවා කටයුතු කිරීමේ ඕනෑකම වෙනුවෙන් දැනට දැවැන්තම දායකත්වය ලබා දෙන්නේ භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේ සහ දහම් පාසල් ගුරුවරුන්. ඒ නිසා දහම් පාසලට ලබා දිය හැකි සම්බන්ධතාවය අතහරින්න එපා.
 පාලි හා සංස්කෘතික  වැනි භාෂාවන් පිළිබඳ ගැඹුරු වූ දැනුම දරුවන්ට ලබා දිය යුතුයි. අපි පාසල් යන කාලයේ අපට පාලි බස අනිවාර්යෙන් ඉගෙනගත යුතු විෂයයක් කර තිබුණා. ක්‍රමානුකූලව මේවා ඉවත් වන්නේ කුමන අරමුණු සඳහා ද කියන එක ගැන යම්කිසි අපහැදිලි තාවයක් තිබෙනවා. අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා වුණත් අවංකව කතා කළ යුතුයි. රටක ඉතිහාසය, ගැඹුරු සභ්‍යත්වය, සංස්කෘතිය නොදත් පරම්පරාවක් බිහි කරන්නේ කුමක් සඳහාද?  
 මේ ගතවන්නේ අපේ රට තවදුරටත් ශක්තිමත් කිරීමේ අවශ්‍යතාවය මතුවී තිබෙන කාලපරිච්ඡේදයක්.  අපි සරුව පිත්තල දේවල්  පිටිපස්සෙ ගිහිල්ලා අපේ ජීවනරටාව හානි කර ගන්නේ නැතුව ගැඹුරු බුදුදහමෙන් ශක්තිමත් වී අපේ ජීවනරටාව ශක්තිමත් කර ගතයුතුයි. අපේ ආර්ථිකය ලෝකයේ අනිත් රටවල් වගේම අමාරු තත්වයකට පත්වූ වෙලාවේ ජනාධිපතිතුමා  රජය මේ කාල පරිච්ඡේදයේ අභියෝගයක් භාර ගත්තා. ඉතිහාසයේ කොයි දවසකවත් එවන් බංකොලොත් භාවයකට අපේ ආර්ථිකය වැටුණෙ නැහැ.
බෞද්ධ හා පාලි විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයේ මහෝපාධ්‍යාය, මහාචාර්ය, පූජ්‍ය නෙළුවේ සෝමවංශ  හිමි,   ඇතුළු මහා සංඝරත්නය, බුද්ධ ශාසන අමාත්‍ය විදුර වික්‍රමනායක, බුද්ධ ශාසන අමාත්‍යාංශ ලේකම් සෝමරත්න විදානපතිරණ, බෞද්ධ කටයුතු කොමසාරිස්  කීර්ති සිරිබද්දන, ශ්‍රී ලංකා බෞද්ධ හා පාලි විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයේ ආචාර්යවරු, ඩිප්ලෝමාධාරීහු  මෙම අවස්ථාවට සහභාගි වූහ.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

By P.K.Balachandran/Daily Mirror

Colombo, July 26: Given the stony silence of the Chinese government about the missing Foreign Minister Qin Gang, rumours about his fate and about why he has gone missing abound. The 57-year old Qin, has not been heard or seen since June 25, even though he still figures as ‘Foreign Minister’ in the ministry’s website.

The story that has gone viral is that he has been shamed for an alleged extra-marital affair with a high profile TV anchor, Fu Xiaotian, and fathering a child out of wedlock.

Having an extra-marital affair is not a crime” in China as infidelity is covered by civil law. But it is generally frowned upon by Chinese society, and more particularly, by the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China (CPC). Elderly women who staff local neighborhood committees” (the grassroots eyes and ears of the government) try to stop activities which they disapprove, such as extra-marital affairs.

In 2015 that China’s supreme governing authority led by President Xi Jinping received an updated set of rules to ensure clean governance”. This was a yardstick to decide whether a government official should be retained of sacked on moral grounds. According to Xinhua, having improper sexual relationship with others,” is one of the don’ts listed.

The CPC trumpets the sexual trespasses of top officials who fall from grace, describing in some detail their adultery and mistresses. The list includes Zhou Yongkang, who for 10 years ran China’s court and law enforcement systems and Ling Jihua, chief of staff for a former Chinese president; and many minister-level officials and heads of big state-owned enterprises.

In 2021, New York Times quoted the Legal Daily, an official newspaper, to say that 63 senior officials were accused of having inappropriate sexual relationships” during a 16-month period starting in October 2017.

The year before, China’s top prosecution agency listed the six main traits of senior officials prosecuted for corruption. No: 3 in the list was: exchanged power for sex recklessly.” One top provincial official had a reputation for working for his mistresses” — needing all the money he could get to maintain them.

Prosecutors who investigated Lai Xiaomin, the former chief of a state financial firm, accused him of keeping three tons of cash in his home — and of having more than one wife. State media said he kept more than 100 mistresses.

In a high profile case in November 2021, Chinese woman tennis star and Wimbledon Doubles winner, Peng Shuai, accused, through the social media, that former Vice Premier, Zhang Gaoli of forcing her to have sexual relations with him. It was the first time such an allegation was made against one of China’s senior political leaders.

Zhang, 75 at that time, had served as China’s Vice Premier between 2013 and 2018 and was a close ally of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After the accusation, both Peng and Zhang disappeared. But both reappeared after sometime, with Peng withdrawing her allegation and Zhang making an appearance as a part of the top Chinese leadership.

Infidelity Growing 

However, despite all the naming and shaming, infidelity has been going up in China, with changing economic and social conditions. In a survey in the 2000s, 60% said they had an affair at some point during their marriage, compared to 15% in the 1980s.

Rising divorce rates in China are an indication of an increase in infidelity. About a third of the divorces in Beijing from 1984 to 1985 were caused by extramarital affairs. In 1991, it had increased to 40%.   

Labrecque and Whisman said in their paper in the ‘Journal of Family Psychology’ in 2017, that the infidelity rate in China was higher than in the US. In 2016, only 16.3% of married Americans admitted that they had ever had sex outside marriage.  

As China became more integrated with the world after the economic reforms of the 1990s, individualism grew. In an individualistic society, people value pleasure, freedom, and autonomy. And under the changed social order, marriage is expected to fulfil these individualistic aspirations. If it does not, the male, and increasingly the female too, look for sexual gratification outside marriage.

In the traditional Chinese society, sexual relations in marriage are essentially for procreation and the extension of the lineage and not for recreation or pleasure. In modern society, with the economic necessity to pursue a career and to increase one’s earnings, interest in raising a family and having sex for procreation recedes. Therefore, the family, as a unit, diminishes in importance. And the need to keep it intact loses its salience. That adversely affects conjugal fidelity.  

Studies reveal that marital satisfaction has declined in China. In 2000, 74% reported that they were very happy” in their marriage, but this came down to 52% in 2015.

Rising Income

Between 1990 and 2020, the per capita disposable income in China  increased at the rate of 9.3% per year in urban areas, and 8.61 % per year in rural areas. A higher-income meant that individuals were able to meet attractive people and bear the expenses of an extra-marital relationship.

As compared to the past, Chinese work longer hours and spend more time in the work place. The average working time per week for urban employees increased from 44.9 hours in 2001 to 47.0 hours in 2020 according to official figures. Thus they have more time now than before to be out of home and make friends and establish contacts.    

There is an increase in spatial mobility too, which facilitates infidelity. Couples stay apart to pursue their separate careers. More often, the husband works out of town while the wife stays put in the home town. With the result, family cohesion weakens.

Even temporary migrants acquire a certain amount of freedom to choose lifestyles, including liaisons outside marriage. The anonymity of urban life facilitates philandering. No wonder, the more static rural Chinese households have less extra-marital affairs.  

The spread of the internet has been a major factor in the development of a new attitude to sex and fidelity. The number of internet users in China touched 1.03 billion in December 2021, up from 0.62 million in November 1997. This means greater access to pornography, and more avenues for the expression of feelings and contacting extramarital partners. Studies show that compared to non-netizens, netizens show more sexually permissive attitudes.

The Chinese news media have featured the growing phenomenon of young women willing to take rich and married lovers for an apartment or a car. How to deal with corrupt officials who have mistresses is a continuing problem for the government and the CPC.

In 2009, China’s top prosecutorial agency said that 90% of provincial- or ministerial-level officials found guilty of corruption in the earlier  seven years, had engaged in extra marital affairs, according to China Daily, a government-run English language newspaper. That year, Meishan, a city in Sichuan Province, decided to issue an edict ordering officials to remain faithful to their spouses.”

by Arundathie Abeysinghe Courtesy PIME Asia News

As Chinese influence grows in the country, the link would give India access to the key ports of Trincomalee and Colombo. It remains an ambitious project and not without technical problems and socio-economic risks, but the step forward took place at a significant moment in a political key: the first official visit to New Delhi by the president of Sri Lanka.

Colombo (AsiaNews) – The governments of India and Sri Lanka have signed an initial agreement to lay the foundations for the construction of a bridge that connects the continent to the island’s key ports: Trincomalee and Colombo. The work would also include a possible pipeline from southern India to Sri Lanka.

Analysts are of the opinion that the bridge connection between the two neighboring countries could favor dialogue in the Indian Ocean region. In fact, although New Delhi has always had solid ties with its southern neighbor, Sri Lanka has become a land of conquest of China and its companies, thanks to its strategic position in the Indian Ocean.

Ski Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe was welcomed to India last week for a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the Indian Foreign Minister Vinay Mohan Kwatra, the “land” connection between the countries was proposed again by the president of Sri Lanka, who had already presented the same project to India when he was prime minister between 2002 and 2004 The difference is that this time he has found an ally in Modi.

The bridge would be built over Palk Strait, a particular conformation known as Adam’s Bridge, 33 kilometers long. The bridge would rest on this seabed which in some points is less than 10 meters deep. For comparison, the Channel Tunnel between France and the United Kingdom crosses the sea for around 38 kilometres.

Political analyst Anuradha Senanayake explains to AsiaNews that “the plan also provides for a short-term strengthening of passenger ferry services between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka.

Connectivity between India and Sri Lanka, sea and air links are already strong, with the bridge the interpersonal ones will increase. In any case, I believe it is necessary to study the feasibility of the proposed bridge, see the advantages for both countries and carry it forward”.

According to academic Sampath Malaslaekara “due to the increase in Chinese naval presences in the Indian Ocean, during the meeting Modi also raised his concerns for India’s security – given the tensions with Beijing – aiming to keep Colombo in sphere of influence of New Delhi”.

On the infrastructure front, Sri Lankan computer engineers Harin Mirihella and Randesh Bandara are of the opinion that when India and Sri Lanka are connected with a land bridge, there will also be disadvantages for Sri Lanka: many Indian professionals enticed by the quick connections and lower cost of living they might relocate their businesses. Sri Lankans may also be missing out on job opportunities in several fields, including the IT sector, where many projects are currently being managed by Indian tech giants.”

As part of the meeting between Modi and Wickremesinghe, the two countries signed five agreements on renewable energy, including an energy contract for Sampur Solar Power, which includes economic development projects in the Trincomalee district and an agreement for the use of the system Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India in Sri Lanka

Lanka Lead News

විදෙස් ණය බරේ විශාලම පංගුව ඇත්තේ ජාත්‍යන්තර ස්වෛරී බැඳුම්කර හරහා ගත් ණය බවත්, රාජපක්ෂලා ගැන විවේචන තිබුණ ද 2007 සිට 2015 දක්වා ඔවුන් ජාත්‍යන්තර සවෛරී බැඳුම්කර ණය ලබාගෙන ඇත්තේ ඩොලර් බිලියන 3.5ක් පමණක් බවත් ජාතික ජනබලවේගයේ නායක අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මහතා පවසයි.

ජාත්‍යන්තර ස්වෛරී බැඳුම්කර හරහා ඩොලර් බිලියන 12ක ණය ලබාගෙන ඇත්තේ 2015 – 2019 කාලසීමාවේ දී රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ ප්‍රමුඛ ආණ්ඩුව බවයි අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මහතා පවසන්නේ.වීඩියෝව නරඹන්න…

By Shivanthi ranasinghe Courtesy Ceylon Today

The successful campaign by the LTTE ideologists to promote a false narrative in the West must not be ignored. This spells a serious  issue for Sri Lanka as this narrative is peddled by some of the prominent politicians in the West. 

The LTTE propaganda – A time bomb

It is noteworthy that these politicians, for reasons of their own, are latching on to this narrative, despite holding reliable evidence that resolutely negates this blasphemy. These reasons have nothing to do with any of the communities in Sri Lanka. It is not even out of sympathy for the LTTE ideologists that these politicians support this narrative. 

Though Sri Lankan authorities believe that this maybe to further their own vote banks, there is very little evidence to support this theory. After all, both main parties equally support the LTTE narrative. Instead of entertaining grand conspiracy theories, it might serve us better to study the effect this narrative, largely unchallenged by Sri Lanka, has had on
Sri Lanka. 

The most obvious outcome is that it has kept the LTTE cause alive. After the Easter Sunday attacks and the anarchy movement of 2022, it is clear that terrorism has been redefined. It no longer needs an organisational structure, nor any weapons. By presenting as an unarmed protester, it is now possible to render as much or even more damage as a conventional terrorist. Therefore, having these falsehoods propagated and floating around with the sanction of renowned personalities is a threat to our national security. 

Remembering only the fallen soldier 

When the war against terrorism ended in 2009 and the terrorist organisation completely decimated, the then Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa was keen to keep the past in the past. The effort of that Government was to move forward. A key step in this endeavour was to erase all traces of this dark period. 

For a while, Prabakaran’s 40-foot hole in the ground, where he used to hide when battles raged above and his massive pool that he used to relax in, were exhibited to the public. However, that too was completely erased afterwards. Today, there are no monuments from that era. 

The one or two that is present now have been built by the LTTE sympathisers much later. These had been possible due to the weak and opportunistic political will. 

The only reminders of the long 30-year protracted war are the memorials built to commemorate the fallen soldiers. This include the memorial built for the lost lives of the IPKF. It is noteworthy that such a memorial does not exist even in India. 

What About the Unsung Heroes? 

Curiously though, the forest lands, where over 700 Policemen and officers were killed by the terrorists, remains an unmarked killing field. This massacre took place in 1990. 

It was one of the worst catastrophes we suffered during the terrorist era. This only took place because the then ill advised Ranasinghe Premadasa Government ordered the Police personnel in the Eastern Province to surrender to the LTTE instead of sending reinforcements to take control of the situation. Both, the then Government and the IGP ,disregarded the protests of the senior officers on site. 

When the Police personnel were brutally murdered instead of being ‘escorted out of the province’, the then Government quickly shoved the matter under the proverbial carpet and acted as if no such tragedy had taken place. Shockingly, none of the successive governments had acknowledged this disaster either. 

Today, except for a handful of nationalists who lived through these dark times, no one talks of the LTTE atrocities or how terrible life was at the time. Consequently, the present generations only hear the false propaganda promoted by LTTE ideologists and other vested interest groups. 

When moving forward was the effort, dwelling in past hurts was seen counterproductive. One could argue that this was not the portrayed ethnic conflict. After all, at the hands of the LTTE, the Tamils in the North and East suffered much more than any other community in the country. As such, these Tamils also wanted the LTTE defeated. 

The best visual evidence is in the last days of the conflict. The LTTE was under siege and their only trump card was the civilian hostages. The very fact that they had to force them at gunpoint to remain with them speaks volumes of the ordinary Tamil civilians’ sentiment at that point. 

It is noteworthy that in the Tamil cultural values, betrayal is an unforgivable offense. Yet, the Tamil civilians refused to stay loyal to the LTTE. Finally, braving the LTTE bullets, the entire hostage group ran towards the advancing Army to take refuge from the LTTE. 

Notwithstanding these harrowing experiences, Prabhakaran remains a hero to a large Tamil population in the North and East. This is because he stood up to an oppressive social system based on caste. This aspect of the LTTE is hardly discussed. As such, this is still a contentious issue in these two provinces – especially in the North. 

As Prabhakaran is seen as a hero to many, the then Mahinda Rajapaksa Government might have thought that it is best not to speak of the LTTE atrocities. Highlighting these dark truths would have been seen as driving a wedge between communities. 

Whether this sensitivity by the then Government should be appreciated is a question before us. Instead of allowing the conditions that made Prabhakaran a hero to many, the Government should bring in policies that nullify these conditions. Simultaneously, the Sri Lankan Government cannot allow our country to be vilified by a false narrative. 

The most pressing issue resulting from this silence is the failure to acknowledge the trials of the ordinary citizen who faced the LTTE atrocities. The stories of how these citizens tried to stand up to the terrorists is truly heart rendering. 

Fathers trying to hold the flimsy door with their bare backs to prevent terrorists from storming into his home to kill his family are one too many. Just because these fathers were not in uniform does not make them less of a hero. They may have not chosen to face or fight the terrorists, but that does not negate their bravery. 

It was their gruesome fate that alerted the country the LTTE’s true nature and depravity. It was what stopped the LTTE sympathisers from fully and overtly justifying the LTTE’s agenda. It was what strengthened the nation’s resolve to never give into the terrorists. Therefore, those who lost their lives to terrorists too deserve to have their name carved with pride and gratitude for their heroism. 

Recently, the first memorial stone was laid by the citizens of the Eastern Province. On 23.6.2023, a memorial stone with nearly 200 names was erected. These names belonged to the unsung heroes who met a horrific end in the LTTE’s act of ethnic cleansing of Muslim and Sinhala communities. The Government must take a step further and memorialise their stories so that neither the present nor the future generations would take the peace we have today for granted. 

Courtesy Adaderana

President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed the need for inclusive discussions on the 13th Constitutional Amendment during the All-Party Conference being held at the Presidential Secretariat this evening (July 26).

The meeting was convened with the primary aim of apprising party leaders representing Parliament about both, the National Reconciliation Programme, and the North and East Development Plan.

Commenting further, Wickremesinghe emphasized that this matter affects the entire country and should be addressed with the participation of all political parties, not just limited to MPs of Tamil political parties, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.

During his address to the All-Party Conference, the President also highlighted that seven out of the nine Provincial Councils are situated in regions where the majority of Sinhalese people reside, mentioning the need to address the existing shortcomings if the Provincial Council system is to be sustained in the future, according to the PMD.

During the All-Party Conference, President Wickremesinghe asserted that neither he nor any of the previous Presidents had the mandate to formulate laws, noting that this responsibility solely lies with Parliament.

He further emphasized that his role was limited to presenting proposed laws for the betterment of the country.

Wansarathne Senanayake. B. Sc. (Cey), Textile Engineer (Germany), LTI (UK), IWSP Grad (UK), FIFST (SL) President SINHALA NADAYA

  SRI LANKA AT A GLANCE – DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION & LAND

• Out of the 9 provinces, only 1 province – only Northern Province- is having  more than 50% Tamils
• Out of the 9 provinces, 7 provinces are having  more tan 50% Sinhalese.

–     When Nothern & Eastern Provinces are combined around 150% more land is available per average person living in the Northern & E astern provinces when compared with an average  person living  in the other 7 provinces.

• The  ratio in 1981  has gone  up during the past  3 – 4  decades due to migration of LTTE affected people from Northern & Eastern Provinces to other provinces (& to Foreign countries) increasing the excess land ratio in Northern & Eastern Provinces at present to a ratio of 100 : over 280%

3          Distribution of Land among Provincial population in Sri Lanka. (2012 Central Bank Statistics)

The above data clearly indicates that an average individual in the Northern & Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka is having over 180% land than a similar person living in other 7 provinces. (1.78 : 0.63 Ac)

How can a country like Sri Lanka afford this type of favoritism to an ethnic group, large majority of whom were brought to Sri Lanka within the last 350 years as labourers & left behind by British Hollendish & Portuguese Invaders against the wishes of  the people who developed & protected the country for over 2000 years.

.4-        Presence of over 260 identified & over 1000 archeological sites yet to excavated up to 2500 years old  in Northern & Eastern Provinces & complex Sinhalese  irrigation systems available only in Sri Lanka, with small & Large Tanks  indicates clearly that Sinhalese were spread all over Sri Lanka including Northern Eastern Provinces Historical evidence further indicates that huge majority of the Tamils in the northern & Eastern provinces were brought by Hollanders as laborers after 1650, – around 350 years back (to commence Tobacco plantations in the area & British Later ,)  who did not returned to India.. British Administrative reports indicate that more than1.4 Million laborers were brought to Sri Lanka by the British between 1843 & 1887. Hence the above special privileges to them, requested by the TNA ,India, or any other country can not be justified.

According to Mr. Paul E Peris, in 1505 the population in Jaffna was 120,000, which consisted of 79,200 (66% ) Sinhalese, 22,800 Muslims(19%) & 18,000 (15%) Tamils. But in 1680 , the total population in Jaffna was,169,299, which consisted of 50,789 (30%) Sinhalese, 66025 (39%) Muslims, & 52480 (31%) Tamils. .The reduction of Sinhala population in the area was due to migration of Sinhalese families to other areas caused by the ill treatment of Hollanders & the general dislike towards the Indian Laborers who were newly brought & settled in that area  by the  Hollanders. Further according to the information available in Haig Museum in Holland, 1689 reports indicate the areas & lands owned by Sinhalese in Jaffna at that time.

According to James Ruthnum (Tribune1957,) & Tikkama Mahindakumara, (Divaina page 36, 2019.March 17^th).  the ancestors of Ponnambalam Arunachalam, , were brought from India as  similar laborers by the Hollenders & was arranged to live in Gurudawilwala, a then Sinhalese Village in Jaffna. Velupillai Prabhakaran’s ancestors too were Laborers serving  in Hollendish ships . The person who initiated the North East Problem, Chelvanayagam, was born in Malaysia & whose ancestors too were Malabar  laborers. Similarly Sambandan & Wigneshwaran’s ancestors  too are descendants of such laborers who were brought to Sri Lanka after 1650.

Sinhalese,  the community who is responsible for the development of  this country since the inception 25 centuries back has lost the nicest, most fertile land in the country  1,395,642  Acres  –   (5650 sq.km) due to Mudu Bim Panatha” made effective in 1830’s by the British. Almost all this land is presently occupied by the descendents of South Indian Laborers who were brought to Sri Lanka around 150 years back & who were not willing to return to their homelands  in India & kept by the  Tamil as well as Sinhala politicians & plantations companies without almost any special consideration to the descendents of the Sinhalese in those areas who fought for the freedom of the country, for over 300 years loosing their lives, families as well as their ancestral property..

If the T N A  request is to be granted, the Sinhalese will loose  their ancestral rights on further 18,662 sq. km.  That is 28.6% of the country’s total land area covering the Northern Eastern Provinces, which includes the 2^nd Best Natural harbor in the world & the Best Natural Harbor in Asia – Trincomalee.as well as around 2/3 of the country’s 1785 Km. coastal belt.  Tamils from North & East have the freedom & will migrate to other 7 provinces as they wish, & purchase what they want, including the limited land in other  7 provinces  as they have done during the past. As Tamils in the North East will be considered as Sri Lankans,  although Sinhala migration to the Northern Eastern provinces will be strictly controlled as they are Sinhalese (although Sri Lankans). With time the Buddhist archeological sites & their lands will be destroyed & Hindu Kovils & Tamil Villages will be constructed  as done in no. of places in the North & East even under the present situation.

3. Sri Lanka is a very small country – which is around 2% of the size of India.  Out of the International Tamil Population less than 4 % live in Sri Lanka & less than 2% live in Northern & Easten provinces. More than 80% of the International Tamil Population live in India in State Tamil Nadu – Land of Tamils- the Traditional Home land of Tamils – (one out of 28 States in India  which is twice the size of Sri Lanka.)

4. It is clear that Tamils do not have a country of their own  like we Sinhalese have our country – Sri Lanka. Their language was just a provincial language in India & the state Language is Hindi . First time in History Tamil Language became an International Language only after J R Jayawardene ( said to be a descendent from a Tamil who migrated from South India to Sri Lanka around 350 years back) made Tamil a State Language in Sri Lanka, which I personally feel is the main reason behind  the armed  struggle of LTTE & Tamil Diaspora to cave out an ‘Artificial Traditional Home land in Sri Lanka, the place in which Sri Lankan Tamil as well as Tamil International Population was able to win their 2^nd main objective– the language issue.(Main Objective –another  Homeland with all their rights in Sri Lanka)

5. Tamils have tried throughout the past – for over 2000 years – to conquer Sri Lanka. But have failed.

What ever said & done the LTTE struggle to carve out a Tamil Homeland for Sri Lankan & international Tamils, was prevented after 30 years, due to  correct decisions taken, locally & Internationally  by our then executive President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse    .

      Tamils are trying again, specially with the assistance of Tamil Nadu, India  & the Western countries,       who do not like to see continuous development in Sri Lanka & specially Sinhalese.. Hence it is clear       that      granting of unjustifiable rights,  Federalism or Land & Police rights to Tamils in the Northern       & Eastern Provinces, will definitely affect the future generations of all living in this country &       specially          Bhumiputra   Sinhalese & should be avoided. Special privileges to minority       groups,( Official Records       in the Northern Province is said be maintained in Tamil only)   even       surpassing the rights of the     Sinhalese, who developed & protected this country for over 25       centuries. This, will definitely  lead way for continuous almost never ending  future disturbances as it       is totally unjustifiable

6. Here it should be pointed out that, if the USA Govt too,  has reduced the No. of Official languages in USA, saying that the unnecessary expenditure of  US$ Billions to maintain more official languages, could be saved & could be used for better purposes by having one official Language ( only English) as the other  languages, Eg Spanish, used by more than 13% of the then  population are available in Spain etc. In contrast In Sri Lanka, we Sinhalese – 75% of the country’s Population -are spending Billions of Rs per Annum-  75% from Sinhalese ( even under the present pathetic situation) to educate ourselves & our children Tamil Language forcebly, just to keep the 15% of the population  -Tamils happy & majority of our 225 Politicians happy– without any return for the Sinhalese, present & future Generations , who will not apply for jobs or citizenships in Tamil Nadu – the only thing that they could do after investing their valuable time, money & effort to learn Tamil for decades in future, until a patriotic intelligent Sinhala  leader is selected to run the country.

7. Given below are few sentences of a speech delivered by the Soviet president Vladmier putin at the

Lower house of Russias federal Assembly .

   In Russia live Russians, Any minority from anywhere, if it wants to live in Russia, work & eat in Russia, should speak Russian,& should respect the Russian Laws. Russia does not need minorities. Minorities need Russia. We will not grant them special privileges or try to change our laws to fit their desires no matter how loud they yell ‘discrimination’. We will not tolerate disrespect of our Russian Culture.

 Shall add another few sentences from a speech by the Australian Prime Minister John Harvard:

            Immigrants & not Australians must adapt. Take it or leave it. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individuals & their culture. This culture has developed over 2 centuries of struggles, trials & victories by millions of men & women who have sought freedom. We speak mainly English. If you wish to become part of our society, learn the Language. Christian men & women, on Christian Principles founded this nation. If God offends you then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home. We will accept your beliefs, & will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, & live in harmony & peacefully with us.

When compared to the above ideas what have  our political leaders  done since 1948 except granting unjustifiable privileges to Tamils & Muslims & ruining the country in almost all fields.. It is not difficult to understand why is that no Government, all selected from Majority Sinhalese votes,  appoint a proper educated impartial commission to look into this area creating disturbances to Millions, without being almost 100% partial, listening only to the TNA & other representatives of minority communities without .consulting any Sinhalese Organization or the very few Sinhalese MPs ( may be less than 5 from around 160) who raise their voices against the unjustifiable demands of TNA.

8.  Finally it should be stated that all the past unjustifiable privileges were granted to Tamils  with the consent of majority of Sinhala Parliamentarians, Except majority of our Sinhalese politicians, who enter the Parliament with the help of Sinhala majority votes (app.75%),who are enjoying unparalleled political privileges, than their colleagues when compared with  most of other countries, any open minded normal  person Tamil or otherwise, will accept that the Tamil Homeland, if to be demarcated, should be in India, as a state, or if possible as a separate country, where more than 80% of the International Tamil population is living, and not in the Nothern & Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka where less than 2% are living & which is definitely a part of the Sinhalese traditional Home Land for over 2500 years. & further no special privileges of what so ever nature should be demanded by TNA & no such demands should be tolerated or granted by our Sinhalese” Parliamentarians as done previously, evensurpassing the rights of the Sinhalese, where they are presently compelled to learn Tamil Language without any advantage for themselves in the future by our own said to be” Sinhalese Politicians.

Wansarathne Senanayake. 

B. Sc. (Cey), Textile Engineer (Germany), LTI (UK), IWSP Grad (UK), FIFST (SL)

President SINHALA NADAYA

Sasanka De Silva Pannipitiya

Autophagy is a natural cellular process that occurs in the body to maintain cellular health and balance.

The word “autophagy” originates from Greek, where “auto” means self, and “phagy” means eating.

Essentially, autophagy is the process of self-eating, where cells degrade and recycle their own damaged or dysfunctional components.

Here’s how autophagy works:

Recognition:

The cell identifies and targets damaged organelles, misfolded proteins, and other intracellular waste for degradation.

Formation of autophagosomes:

Membrane-bound structures called autophagosomes are formed to enclose the targeted cellular components.

Fusion:

The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes, which are organelles containing enzymes capable of breaking down various biological molecules.

Degradation:

The contents of the autophagosomes are broken down by the lysosomal enzymes, and the resulting breakdown products are recycled and reused by the cell for energy and building new cellular structures.

Autophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and promoting overall health for several reasons:

Cellular quality control:

Autophagy helps eliminate damaged organelles, aggregated proteins, and other harmful substances that could otherwise lead to cell dysfunction or death. By clearing out these cellular “junk,” autophagy helps maintain cellular integrity.

Cellular energy balance:

During times of stress, such as nutrient deprivation or energy shortage, autophagy acts as a survival mechanism. By degrading and recycling cellular components, it provides the cell with essential nutrients and energy.

Immune response:

Autophagy is involved in the immune system’s response to invading pathogens, as it helps capture and degrade them within immune cells.

Disease prevention:

Dysfunctional autophagy has been linked to various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), cancer, and metabolic conditions (e.g., diabetes). Maintaining proper autophagy is crucial for preventing or mitigating the progression of these diseases.

Longevity:

Some studies suggest that autophagy’s proper regulation might play a role in extending lifespan and promoting healthy aging.

Researchers are continually studying autophagy and its implications for various aspects of health and disease.

Intermittent fasting, caloric restriction, and certain medications have been shown to influence autophagy, and they are areas of interest for potential therapeutic interventions in the future.

However, it’s essential to note that the topic is still an active area of research, and there’s much to learn about the precise mechanisms and potential applications of autophagy in human health.

Sasanka De Silva

Pannipitiya.

By Dr M. R. Somasunderam.

Warner and Khawaja are of the age where their respective performances as opening batsmen for Australia are of paramount importance. They cannot afford to be dropped and selected again to the national team based on their respective ages at thirty six years of age respectively.

The Australian team has included Warner too long based on his past performances and Khawaja even if he keeps making the same mistakes again time after time. I will be more specific in regard to both Warner and Khawaja.

Warner in my view is past his best. He chases wide deliveries outside his off stump and drags some deliveries to his stumps from way outside off stump. He does not seem to know where his off stump is and at times nicks deliveries outside his off stump to the slips or wicket keeper. He plays the half pull, which is a non-effectual stoke which has also brought his demise on a few occasions. Round the wicket by a right arm pace men targeting him just on a fourth stump line is good enough to bring the downfall of Warner these days, which was not necessarily the case in the past when Warner was in good form and scoring runs consistently.

Khawaja is like David Gower in some ways as he is causal does not move his feet precisely forward or back and is front on rather than being side on when playing defensively off the back foot. He also plays away from his body on the back foot and does not get right to the pitch of the ball or delivery when playing off the front foot. He also does not have a traditional V Grip when holding the bat. His stance is also too much opened or two eyed stance rather than being side on when facing a bowler. Khawaja is not a quick runner of singles and does not look to get singles in order to rotate the strike regularly. He keeps making the same mistakes gain and again. He also likes to feel ball on bat and plays at deliveries outside his off stump when he should be leaving them alone as they are good deliveries bowled on a fourth stump line. He therefore is not sure like Warner where his off stump is.  So in conclusion I feel Warner and Khawaja should be given their final opportunities or chances at the Oval in London in the upcoming fifth Test Match against England and if their performances are not good, drop them and look for young blood, as it is vitally required or needed in the Australian Men’s national team.        

MOD  Media Centre

When baseless allegations were raised on the international platform, China remained a true friend, standing shoulder to shoulder with us, and providing us with the necessary understanding and backing’ said the Defence Secrtary General Kamal Gunaratne speaking at a ceremony held to celebrate the 96^th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China, on Monday (Jul 24).

Recalling the long standing friendship between the two countries Gen. Gunaratne said that our countries have shared strong diplomatic ties and have cooperated in various fields, particularly in defence and security”.

Both Sri Lanka and China value peace and stability in the region and the world at large, he said the armed forces of both nations play a vital role in upholding this commitment, ensuring the safety of our people, and contributing to regional and global security.

Ambassador of China H. E. Qi Zhenhong received the Chief Guest of the occasion, Defence Secretary Gen. Gunaratne and Chithrani Gunaratne on their arrival at the Shangri La hotel, Colombo last evening.

The PLA’s remarkable journey from its inception to its current form as a modern and formidable force is a testament to China’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty and promote regional stability”, he went on saying.

He expressed gratitude to China for its solidarity and assistance during the conflict.

Their unwavering commitment to our nation’s well-being played a pivotal role in our journey towards peace and stability” he added.

Ministers, Parliamentarians, Chief of Defence Staff, Tri Forces Commanders, Chief of National Intelligence, former military Commanders, Military Liaison Officer of the MOD, Chinese Defence Attache Senior Col. Zhou Bo, members of the diplomatic community and senior tri forces officers were also present at the occasion.

Dr Sudath Gunasekara

I fully agree with PC Manohara.This kind of pardoning is something unheard and unseen in Statecraft anywhere in the world. Pardoning two convicted and sentenced criminals who waged war against the State, (one for life and the other for 200 years, thereby making the supreme court a mockery) in the public eye. It is crystal clear that this decision of the President is aimed at winning Tamil support at the next Presidential election. I am not a lawyer. But, even as a lay man, I think this type of decisions, that appears to be a gross abuse of supreme executive power and misuse of prerogative authority to gain highly personal benefits should be condemned by everybody who love the country and therefore warrants immediate withdrawal from constitutional or legal texts in the interests of the country and the general public, so that no future President will indulge in this type of abuses for personal gain.  It is best therefore, that this type of judicial decisions should be left as an exceptional prerogative of the court.

    Furthermore, it appears that the President has completely forgotten that he was elected by the Parliament for the vacancy created by the resignation of Gotabhaya prematurely only for the period left behind by him. Moreover, it was the same Parliament elected in 2020 on a specific election manifesto, in addition to the 2019 manifesto of Gotabhaya, both of which he has to strictly abide by until the next Presidential election in 2025.

     As such he has no legal authority to bypass or exceed the unprecedented mandate given to Gotabhaya by 69 m voters in 2019 and the mandate given to SLPP in 2020. He also should not forget how he and his party were routed in the 2020 general election, even without a single seat in Parliament. It is external manipulation and sheer that luck brought from his previous birth and the miscalculations and lack of foresight on the part of the SLPP, which it has already realized by now. If the SLPP withdraws its support the match will be over.

    Therefore, whatever he does as President, it has to be within the framework of the above mentioned two mandates. As far As I know he has no public mandate or ay constitutional provision take decisions like this. Any decision taken contrary to them will be unconstitutional, illegal, immoral and unethical. The entire Rajapaksa clan take the full responsibility for all these Jaathidroehi and Dhesadrohi decisions taken by their assumed guardian and savior.

    This is not the only shady decision he has taken.To quote another such decision he has taken with an eye on the Tamil vote is the decision to take ministers Sentil Thondaman, a novice to politics to woo the estate Tamil vote and Douglas Devaananda as members of his Indian delegation to woo the Tamil vote in the north. In my view both these persons are utterly unsuitable to represent this country in any international forum.

    Not only that, if you look at most of his decisions, they all point to two issues.The first is the minority vote at the next Presidential election and the second is the multiple support he expects to get from the West by winning them over by supporting their agenda.

    As for me I do not know who his advisers are. Hope they are not the same type, who sent Gotabhaya to exile at midnight

Lanka Lead News

පුරාවිද්‍යා ආරක්ෂක ස්මාරක හා පුරාවිද්‍යා රක්ෂිත ගැසට් කිරීමට පෙර අමාත්‍ය මණ්ඩලයට යොමු කිරීමට ජනාධිපති දුන් නියෝගය අභියෝගයට ලක්කරමින් හා පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිවල මායිම් ගල් ගැලවීමට ජනාධිපති දුන් නියෝගය අභියෝගයට ලක්කරමින් ඉදිරිපත් කළ පෙත්සම් දෙක හෙට(25) දින විභාගයට ගැනේ.

පුරාවිද්‍යා ආඥාපනත මගින් විෂයභාර අමාත්‍යවරයා හා පුරාවිද්‍යා අධ්‍යක්ෂක ජෙනරාල්වරයාට පිළිවෙළින් පුරාවිද්‍යා ආරක්ෂිත ස්මාරක හා පුරාවිද්‍යා රක්ෂිත ගැසට් කිරීමට ඇති බලතල ක්‍රියාත්මක නොකොට අමාත්‍ය මණ්ඩලය වෙත ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට කටයුතු කරන ලෙස ජනාධිපතිවරයාගේ උපදෙස් පරිදි ජනාධිපති ලේකම් සමන් ඒකනායක මහතා පුරාවිද්‍යා අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජෙනරාල් වෙත නිකුත් කර ඇති 2023 ජනවාරි 11 වන දින ලිපිය හා එහි අන්තර්ගතය අභියෝගයට ලක්කරමින් රීට් ආඥාවක් ඉල්ලා අභියාචනාධිකරණයේ පවරා ඇති නඩුව (CA WRIT 86/23) 2023 ජූලි 25 දින විභාගයට ගැනීමට නියමිතය.

මෙහි වගඋත්තරකරුවන් ලෙස ජනාධිපතිවරයා මෙන්ම, නීතිපතිවරයා ද, ජනාධිපති ලේකම් සමන් ඒකනායක, විෂයභාර අමාත්‍ය විදුර වික්‍රමනායක, විෂයභාර අමාත්‍ය ලේකම් සෝමරත්න විදානපතිරණ, හිටපු පුරාවිද්‍යා අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් මහාචාර්ය අනුර මනතුංග යන මහත්වරුන් ද, වත්මන් වැඩබලන පුරාවිද්‍යා අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජෙනරාල් ආචාර්ය ප්‍රදීපා සේරසිංහ මහත්මිය ඇතුළු පිරිසක් වගඋත්තරකරුවන් ලෙස නම්කොට ඇත.

මෙම නඩුවේ පෙත්සම්කරුවන් වනුයේ පූජ්‍ය කණුපැලැල්ලේ අනුරාධ හිමි, ශ්‍රී ලංකා යුද හමුදාවේ හිටපු මාණ්ඩලික ප්‍රධානී විශ්‍රාමික ලුතිනන් ජෙනරාල් ජගත් ඩයස්, විශ්‍රාමික බ්‍රිගේඩියර් අතුල හේමචන්ද්‍ර ද සිල්වා, විශ්‍රාමික නාවුක කොමදෝරු ඉසිර කාසිවත්ත, හිටපු පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී තිලක් කරුණාරත්න, පුරාවිද්‍යා උපදේශන සභාවේ හිටපු සාමාජික ග්‍රන්ථ කර්තෘ, මාධ්‍යෙව්දී මතුගම සෙනවිරුවන්, ජාතික පුනරුදය සංසදයේ ඒ.ඒ. ආරියදාස, ජාතික උරුමයන් සුරකීමේ සම්මේලනයේ කැඳවුම්කරු ජනක බෝධිනන්ද ගුණතිලක, යන මහත්වරුන් ය.

දැනට ගවේෂණය කර තහවුරු කරගත් පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්ථාන කඩිනමින් මැන අවසන්කොට ගැසට්කරන ලෙසත්, විනාශවීමේ හා තර්ජනයට මුහුණ දී ඇති ස්ථාන කඩිනමින් සංරක්ෂණය, අන්තවාදීන් විනාශකරමින් ඇති ස්ථාන ආරක්ෂාකොට ඒවාද හැකි ඉක්මනින් ගැසට් කිරීමට කටයුතු කරන ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිටී.

එමෙන්ම කුරුන්දි විහාර පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමියේ සහ නැගෙනහිර පළාතේ පුරාවිද්‍යා උරුම කළමානාකරණය සඳහා වන ජනාධිපති කාර්ය සාධක බලකාය විසින් හඳුනාගෙන ඇති ස්ථානවල මායිම්ගල් ගැලවීම ජනාධිපති හරහා 2023.06.08 දුන් නියෝගය අභියෝගයට ලක්කරමින් හිටපු යුද හමුදා මාණ්ඩලික ප්‍රධානී , මුලතිව් ආරක්ෂක සේනා ආඥාධිපති හා මානුෂීය මෙහෙයුමේ 57 වැනි සේනාංකාධිපති වූ විශ්‍රාමික ලුතිනන් ජෙනරාල් ජගත් ඩයස්, විශ්‍රාමික බ්‍රිගේඩියර්, අතුල හේමචන්ද්‍ර ද සිල්වා, විශ්‍රාමික ලුතිනන් කර්නල් අනිල් සුමේද අමරසේකර මහත්වරුන් අභියාචනාධිකරණය ඉදිරිපත් කර ඇති රිටි අයදුම්පත ද ( CA writ 367/23) විභාගයට ගැනීමට නියමිතය.

පෙත්සම්කාර පාර්ශ්වය වෙනුවෙන් නීතිඥ අනූෂා පේරුසිංහ මහත්මියගේ උපදෙස් මත ජනාධිපති නිතිඥ මනෝහාර ද සිල්වා මහතා ප්‍රධාන නිතිඥ හරිත්‍රියා කුමාරගේ මහත්මිය ඇතුළු නිතිඥ මඩුල්ලක් පෙනී සිටී.

DR. BECCY CORKILL Courtesy IFLScience

Using cinnamon in your homebakes? You may be barking up the wrong tree.

Cinnamon is synonymous with the Christmas season – in pumpkin spice lattes, dense spice cake, and gooey cinnamon rolls, it is a key staple of the cozy aesthetic that many people fantasize about. So, it may be disappointing to know that the cinnamon that you make putting into your delicious homemade treats may not be “true” cinnamon at all.

True cinnamon spice (Cinnamomum verum/ Cinnamomum zeylanicum) comes from the bark of evergreen trees from the laurel family. It is called true cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon, and is native to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon, hence the name), Burma, and the Malabar coast of India, while also being cultivated in South America and West Indies.

The dried inner bark is delicate and sweet in flavor. It has been used for centuries in food and was once more valuable than gold, used in religious practices by different cultures. Cinnamon has also shown some medicinal properties, such as potentially acting as an insulin mimetic.

As always, when there is a product with a high commodity, a cheaper one will always be snapping at its heels.

Enter so-called fake” cinnamon, or cassia (Cinnamomum cassia), this spice is also made up from the bark of a tree from the same family as Ceylon cinnamon. However, cassia is more likely to whack you over the head with its fragrance — it is more pungent and less delicate in flavor. Like the party-girl cousin in the family.

Cassia is often used as it is cheaper, as it is more readily available due to it spanning over a larger territory. As such, if you buy cinnamon sticks, they are often cassia. This is allowed, as the FDA does not distinguish between cassia and Ceylon cinnamon, despite it having a different flavor, aroma, texture, and look.

Often, both of these cinnamon products come to us in little jars sitting on grocery store shelves. To the untrained eye, they may look very similar – however, Ceylon cinnamon is more tan-brown in color and cassia is more reddish brown in color. The differences are even more vast when it comes to the bark – cassia is darker in color, rolled in thicker sheets, and rougher in texture than Ceylon cinnamon.

To complicate matters even further, there are even three different types of cassia cinnamon – Chinese, Saigon, and Indonesian. All three have different flavor profiles. Chinese cassia is often strong and bitter and is often used medicinally in China, Saigon is very flavorful, fragrant, and almost spicy, while Indonesian is very sweet but mild and is the one that is most found in the American supermarkets.  

All cinnamon has a compound called coumarin. This compound is found in higher levels in cassia and can cause health risks if consumed regularly in high quantities – sthe use of cassia cinnamon should be limited. One teaspoon of cassia contains 5.8-12.1 mg of coumarin which is above the Tolerable Daily Intake set by the European Food Safety Authority, whereas Ceylon cinnamon contains much less of this compound.

But, what do you do if you want to stick to the true cinnamon? Well, it is recommended that you buy Ceylon cinnamon sticks (where it says so on the packaging) and grind them yourself. At least then you know exactly what you are putting into your delicious cinnamon buns or your hot chocolates. 

Lanka Lead News

ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතාගේ ඉන්දීය සංචාරයේ දී ජනාධිපතිවරයා මැදිහත්වී ඉන්දියාවේ දී ගිවිසුම් කිහිපයකට අත්සන් කළ බවත්, එම ගිවිසුම් අත්සන් කිරීමට ජනාධිපතිවරයාට තිබූ ජනවරම කුමක්ද යන්න විමසා සිටින බවත් නිදහස ජනතා සභා කාර්යාලයේ ඊයේ (24 දා) පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවට එක්වෙමින් පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී මහාචාර්ය චරිත හේරත් මහතා විමසා සිටියේය.

රට තුළ මෙතෙක් පැවති ප්‍රශ්නවලට අමතරව අනාගතයේ දැවැන්ත ප්‍රශ්න රැසක් නිර්මාණය කිරීමට මෙම ගිවිසුම් හේතු වන බවත් ඒ මහතා පවසයි.

නීත්‍යානුකූලව අනුප්‍රාප්තික ජනාධිපතිවරයකු වූ වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතාට ජනතාව නියෝජනය කරමින් ගිවිසුම් අත්සන් කිරීමට නීත්‍යානුකූලව කෙසේ වෙතත් සදාචාරාත්මක අයිතියක් නැතැයි පැවසූ මන්ත්‍රීවරයා එම නිසා මේ ගිවිසුම්වල අත්සන් කළ දෑ රටට හෙළිකරන ලෙසද ඉල්ලා සිටියේය.

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Garnier Francis

Analysis of telephone data revealed that Swiss embassy employee Garnier Banister Francis had been in touch with Chief Inspector Nishantha Silva before the latter left for Switzerland. She had also been in touch with several others. Had she really desired to migrate to Switzerland with her family, the Swiss mission here could have arranged it. They could have left the country without making an issue. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka seems still blind to the machinations of Western powers. That is the undeniable truth. However, the government response to the Swiss accusation can be considered an exception. The then Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha and Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne on Dec 01, 2019 briefed Swiss Ambassador Hanspeter Mock and the Deputy Chief of Mission. They set the record straight. CCTV footage, Uber taxi and telephone records as well as GSP data proved Mock wrong (Alleged abduction: Swiss Ambassador’s claim not true-gov., The Island, Dec 02, 2019) It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Swiss Ambassador lied. The issue is whether the local employee misled the Ambassador or she was part of a wider conspiracy

There hadn’t been a previous instance of a local employee of a diplomatic mission, based in Colombo, receiving international media attention before Garnier Banister Francis ended up in the New York Times in late Nov., 2019. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), as well as the Indian media, reported the alleged incident, following the New York Times (NYT) exclusive headlined ‘Sri Lanka critics fear a crackdown is underway, and some flee.’

The alleged abduction of a female Swiss Embassy employee, just a week after the swearing in of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the seventh executive President, rattled the government. Even Anton Stanislaus Balasingham, 68, the late theoretician of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), hadn’t received such prominent media attention during the time he had served the British High Commission, in Colombo, as a translator. Balasingham captured media attention after he received the LTTE recognition as its spokesperson. That was years after he left the BHC, Colombo, and got married to Australian-born Adele, a nurse by profession, in 1978. British passport holder Balasingham passed away at his South London home on Dec. 14.

Francis received wide media coverage after she alleged being abducted by government agents on the evening of November 25, 2019, near St. Bridget’s Convent, sexually assaulted, and questioned regarding Sri Lankans who sought asylum in Switzerland. She claimed to have been abducted by five persons who arrived in a Toyota Corolla car soon after she left the Embassy at No 63, Gregory’s Avenue (Srimath R.G. Senanayake Mawatha), Colombo 07.

Both the UNP and the JVP immediately and blindly found fault with the government. They didn’t even bother to wait for a preliminary inquiry before accepting the Swiss Embassy employee’s claim. The NGO grouping, generally funded by the West, too, wholeheartedly backed her claim.

Maria Abi-Habib and Sameer Yasir reported the abduction in the NYT online edition on Nov. 27, the day the then Swiss Ambassador, in Colombo, complained to the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, at his Wijerama Mawatha residence, about the abduction. They updated the story on Nov. 29, 2019.

By the time the NYT reported the alleged abduction, now admitted in the Colombo High Court as a lie by the accuser, the local police hadn’t been at least aware of the ‘incident.’ But, the Embassy had briefed the New York Times journalists of the incident. They quoted diplomatic officials in Colombo as having said that the men held the Embassy employee for several hours and then, before releasing her, threatened to kill her if she told anyone. For a country like Switzerland that maintains a lily white image, despite getting super wealthy by secretly handling black money, from around the world, under convenient banking secrecy laws, is capable of committing any heinous crime. Remember the country’s banks also stole funds of Jews burnt in Hitler’s gas chambers.

They were further quoted as having claimed the men appeared to be focused on finding information about a Sri Lankan detective who had been investigating President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. NYT refrained from naming the detective.

NYT was referring to Chief Inspector Nishantha Silva of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who left for Switzerland with the blessings of the then Swiss Ambassador in Colombo Hanspeter Mock. The investigator with obvious stained hands was accompanied by his wife and three children.

NYT quoted Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pierre-Alain Eltschinger as having declared: We can confirm that a local employee of the Embassy was detained against her will on the street and threatened at length by unidentified men in order to force her to disclose Embassy-related information.”

Switzerland regards this incident as a very serious and unacceptable attack,” he said, adding that the Swiss government was demanding an immediate and complete investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Sri Lanka last week brought the high profile case to a conclusion. Colombo High Court Judge Namal Balalle on Friday (Nov. 14) sentenced Francis to two years RI suspended for five years. She was also ordered to pay Rs. 2 mn as compensation to the government and fined Rs. 5,000. She is now free to join her husband and two children in Switzerland.

Probably the person who should be compensated is former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa whose administration was the target of this wholly staged drama to malign it no sooner he became the President with an overwhelming mandate.

The judgement was delivered four years after the alleged incident. Francis pleaded guilty to charges in open court. Judge Balalle lifted the travel ban imposed on Francis. She was represented by former President of the Bar Association Kalinga Indatissa, PC.

The Bar Association, during Indatissa’s tenure as its President, took offence over the high handed statement issued by the Swiss government on Dec. 30, 2019, as regards the proceedings pending in the Magistrate’s Court of Colombo over the purported abduction of Garnier Francis. The Bar Association issued a strongly worded statement that condemned the Swiss position and their motives. At the Magistrate Court, Upul Kumarapperuma appeared with Sudharshana Gunawardena. Once the case was moved to High Court, Indatissa led the defence team.

Manohara de Silva, PC, strongly criticized the Swiss mission here over the incident. The Island carried two statements issued by the lawyer. The then Chairperson of the HRCSL, Dr. Deepika Udugama, too, in respons to The Island query issued a statement that dealt with the issue. She stressed the need for investigators to have access to the Swiss Embassy employee.

The Swiss Embassy employee’s canard was exposed by our intrepid investigators who wasted no time in perusing CCTV and other evidence before interested parties could have tampered with them.

Swiss salvo

A few days after the alleged incident, the Swiss mission, in Colombo, issued the following statement: On 25 November 2019, a serious security incident, involving a local employee of the Embassy of Switzerland, in Colombo, occurred. The employee was detained against her will in the street, forced to get into a car, seriously threatened at length by unidentified men and forced in order to disclose Embassy-related information.

Several false pieces of information are circulating in the reporting of this incident. The Swiss Embassy in Colombo is issuing the following clarifications: (1) The Swiss Embassy immediately lodged a formal complaint and is fully cooperating with the Sri Lanka authorities in order to support police investigation and initiate an inquiry over the case, while duly considering the health condition of the victim and her relatives. (2) Due to a deteriorating health condition, the victim is currently not in a state to testify. (3) It has been alleged that the Swiss government rejected a request for the extradition of an employee of the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and his family. No such request has been submitted.

Having declared the Embassy was fully cooperating with authorities, Hanspeter Mock accommodated the local employee in the mission till Dec. 8, 2019. She reported to the CID on the afternoon of Dec. 08, 2019, but declined to undergo medical examination in the absence of a female doctor though two female nurses were present (Alleged abduction: Swiss embassy employee makes statement to CID, The Island of December 09, 2019 edition).

It would be pertinent to mention that Ambassador Mock handed over the local employee to the CID after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa rejected his proposal to evacuate the Embassy employee, along with her family, to Switzerland, in an air ambulance, they had managed to fly into BIA well in advance. No less a person than President Rajapaksa told the writer on the night of Nov. 29, 2019, about the Swiss bid (Swiss mystery takes a new turn: Air ambulance to move embassy employee, govt. insists on immigration formalities, The Sunday Island, Dec. 01, 2019 edition). Until then Hanspeter Mock hindered the investigation. While demanding a thorough inquiry, the Swiss Embassy initially declined to reveal the identity of the alleged victim. In hindsight, the Swiss planned to take her out of the country without she being subjected to any form of investigation (Alleged abduction: Swiss embassy denies SL access to employee, withstrapline FM asks embassy to follow established procedure to allow smooth probe, The Island, Nov. 29, 2019, edition)

The attempt to evacuate the group (Garnier Francis and her family) was made during President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s two-day visit to New Delhi. At the behest of the President, those who dealt with the Swiss authorities insisted that evacuation could be permitted only if the Embassy employee and her family underwent immigration formalities. Had the government gave in to diplomatic pressure and allowed her to go, the unsubstantiated allegations wouldn’t have been proved false. And the malicious claim against our country would have stuck for good across the world.

Interestingly, the Swiss Embassy statement conveniently failed to name the detective, though the local media identified the officer concerned. In fact, Sri Lanka never sought a clarification from the Swiss Embassy as regards the detective. Actually, it wouldn’t be fair to blame the Swiss Embassy for Sri Lanka’s inept response. Regardless of who held political power, Sri Lanka lacked the political will to face challenges, and external powers enjoyed manipulating the country to their hearts’ content. It would be a grave mistake on our part to blame external elements working through their agents here without taking remedial measures.

Those who planned the propaganda blitz over the Swiss Embassy employee ‘abduction’ case certainly took into consideration a spate of still unsolved cases – the disappearance of 11 youth at the hands of the Navy, mostly in 2007/2008, torturing of Deputy Editor of The Nation, Keith Noyahr, on May 22, 2008, assassination of the founding Editor of The Sunday Leader, Attorney-at-Law, Lasantha Wickrematunga, in the morning of January 08, 2009, on Attidiya Road, near Bakery Junction, attempt on the life of Rivira editor, Upali Tennakoon, on January 23, 2009, at Imbulgoda, Gampaha, abduction and assault on well-known journalist and civil society activist, Poddala Jayantha, on June 1, 2009, near Embuldeniya Junction, in Nugegoda, and disappearance of media personality, Prageeth Ekneligoda, on the eve of the January 26, 2010, presidential poll. Keith Noyahr and Upali Tennakoon secured political asylum overseas.

We are not saying the Rajapaksas were behind all of the above, but they and the succeeding UNP-led Yahapalana administration failed to get to the bottom of any of them.

Need for a wider inquiry

The incumbent Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, was the first parliamentarian to raise a CID officer taking refuge in Switzerland. In conversation with the writer, the then UNP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakse explained the responsibility on the part of the Foreign Ministry to seek the extradition of CI de Silva as the relatively junior officer and his family receiving political asylum in Switzerland should be examined against the backdrop of many senior military officers being denied visas. The MP also disclosed how the then senior officer in charge of the CID, DIG Ravi Seneviratne, defended the conduct of CI de Silva when Yahapalana President Maithripala Sirisena summoned the top man for a discussion in late 2018 following a complaint made by him. Lawmaker Wijeyadasa Rajapakse said that he felt the urgent need for President Sirisena’s intervention as the CID was making moves to arrest Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne over the abduction of 11 persons and giving protection to Lieutenant Commander Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi falsely implicated in the abduction cases, respectively (Wijeyadasa reveals powwow between CID Chief and President MS: Govt. urged to seek Nishantha’s extradition, The Island, Nov. 27, 2019)

Police headquarters went to the extent of deliberately calling Lt. Commander Hettiarachchi ‘Navy Sampath’ in a bid to manipulate the case. The Swiss got involved when Lt. Commander G.G. Laksiri, who gave evidence against Admiral Wijegunaratne, was granted political asylum to the Volunteer Naval Force officer. Therefore, Laksiri had secured Swiss protection much before CI Silva and attempts to depict the detective as the first man from the security sector to do so are not fair.

Then there was the case of Lt. Commander Welagedara who secured political asylum in Australia claiming his life was at risk here. Welagedara migrated to Australia during the Yahapalana administration in spite of Admiral Karannagoda complaining to the then Defence Secretary over accusations made by the officer. The then President’s Office intervened on behalf of Welagedara who skipped a Tri-Services Board of Inquiry scheduled to begin hearings on January 07, 2017.

Other cases

Sri Lanka lacked political will to counter those who propagated lies in a deliberate attempt to tarnish the country’s image.

One-time Northern Province Chief Minister and ex-SC judge C.V. Wigneswaran (member of the current Parliament) couldn’t stomach the LTTE’s defeat. In August 2016, Wigneswaran accused the military of killing over 100 LTTE combatants, in custody, by poisoning them. The PTI and NDTV were among international media which reported unsubstantiated allegations.

Wigneswaran placed the number of such deaths at 104. Accusations were made while the U.S. Pacific Command’s ‘Pacific Angel’ exercise was underway in the Jaffna peninsula. Obviously, the politician took advantage of the US exercise to propagate war crimes accusations.

Wigneswaran boldly declared that the U.S. Air Force medical team, in Jaffna, could examine the former rehabilitated LTTE cadres, who, he alleged, had fallen sick because they were injected with poisonous substances at government detention centres. The government never bothered to seek an explanation from Wigneswaran.

The then State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene and Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne dismissed the vicious accusations. Wijewardene offered the international community access to rehabilitation facilities. What the Ministers didn’t realize was that by Aug. 2018, the vast majority of ex-LTTE combatants had been released.

The US conveniently refrained from making its position clear on Wigneswaran’s claim when the writer raised the issue with the US Embassy in Colombo. There had never been such a claim before TNA’s Wigneswaran sought to humiliate Sri Lanka. It would be pertinent to mention that one-time LTTE subordinate, the TNA, backed common candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the 2015 presidential poll, having earlier supported Gen. Sarath Fonseka at the previous presidential poll.

On both occasions, the TNA delivered all northern and eastern electoral districts to Fonseka and Sirisena, who contested on the New Democratic Front (NDF) ticket with the ‘Swan’ as its symbol. The TNA did the same for Sajith Premadasa in the North and the East at the last presidential election, though the South overwhelmingly defeated the UNPer as was the case with Fonseka previously at the 2010 presidential poll.

Unfortunately Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had been elected with a staggering 6.9 mn votes could not overcome the overwhelming economic-political-social crisis that was created by his predecessors while he, too, took some short-sighted disastrous decisions possibly on wrong advice.

The Swiss project against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should be examined taking into consideration accusations made at a media briefing chaired by Dr. Rajitha Senaratne a week before the Nov. 16, 2019 presidential election. The briefing was held in support of UNP presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa.

The SLPP presidential candidate was accused of ordering the killing of people and throwing their bodies into a crocodile-infested tank in the Moneragala district during his tenure as the Defence Secretary. At the same media briefing, the Mahinda Rajapaksa government was also accused of secretly moving 700 tonnes of gold from the North during and after the conclusion of the war.

When the lie backfired, the UNP called a media briefing at Sirikotha on Dec. 26, 2019. in support of Dr. Senaratne who was in hiding. Guess who was there to defend Dr. Senaratne? TNA heavyweight M.A. Sumanthiran, whose party, in 2001, declared the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil-speaking people. A few hours after the briefing, Dr. Senaratne, who arrived at Lanka Hospital, Narahenpita, got himself admitted. That case is pending in the Colombo High Court.

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Ex-NPC member T. Raviharan of TNA greets HC Walsh

Jawaharlal Nehru University facilitates talk on ‘structural genocide’

SLPP MP retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera yesterday (24) accused Canadian High Commissioner Eric Walsh of backing those propagating separatist sentiments.

The former Public Security Minister, who is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on National Security, claimed that the HC’s recent visit to the Northern Province was intended to further divide the communities.

The one-time Chief of Staff of the SLN was critical of what he called the Canadian interference in the continuing dispute over the Kurundi temple in former LTTE bastion Mullaitivu.

Weerasekera found fault with the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government for its failure to take up the issue at hand with the Canadian government. The Foreign Ministry had to explain how it intended to counter external interference with the country’s internal affairs, the MP said.

The Island raised the accusations directed at Canadian HC Eric Walsh with the HC spokesperson. We received the following response: Meeting people in different parts of the country, to better understand their priorities and perspectives, is a normal part of a High Commissioner’s role.”

Referring to the recent presidential pardon granted to two LTTE cadres, convicted of the 1996 suicide attack on the Central Bank, MP Weerasekera said the government was going out of its way to appease the LTTE rump and the pro-LTTE activists overseas while they continued their Western-backed campaign against Sri Lanka.

MP Weerasekera said that the government should be seriously concerned about the Canadian HC meeting former Northern Provincial Council Member T. Raviharan, who is spearheading the protest against the Kurundi temple. Pointing out that the matter was now before the Court of Appeal, the former Minister said that the whole issue should be reviewed against the backdrop of Canada’s shocking declaration of genocide against Tamil people here.

Canadian Parliament in 2022 declared May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. Responding to The Island queries, MP Weerasekera pointed out that Canadians exploited the current political-economic-social crisis to the hilt. The statements issued by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and HC Walsh to mark the Black July riots of 1983 showed  how conveniently they forgot the origins of terrorism here,” an irate Weerasekera said, adding that as a nation Sri Lanka should be ashamed of its failure to set the record straight.

Sarath Weerasekera

HC Walsh tweeted on Sunday, July 23: Today, we remember the victims of anti-Tamil violence that spread across Sri Lanka forty years ago. The wounds from July 1983 have yet to heal. Acknowledging these terrible events and commemorating the victims are vital steps towards inclusivity and sustainable prosperity in Sri Lanka. We’ll continue to support the efforts of all who are working toward these goals.”

In his statement, PM Trudeau, having declared their intention to push for accountability for human rights violations in Sri Lanka, underscored that Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day was marked for the first time this year.

Canada has conveniently forgotten that the public went on a rampage after a group of Indian-trained LTTE terrorists wiped out an Army patrol at Thinnaveli, Jaffna, killing 13 soldiers. Would Canada also demand accountability for thousands of deaths caused due to Indian intervention, and from the Tamil community, for assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi? MP Weerasekera asked. How could they raise this issue without referring to the deployment of the Indian Army here (July 1987-March 1990) in the Northern and Eastern Provinces where thousands perished at a time the Sri Lankan military was confined to barracks in terms of the Indo-Lanka Accord, the SLN veteran queried.

The Canadian PM couldn’t be unaware that India lost well over 1,000 men in Sri Lanka and nearly 3,000 wounded, the MP said. That would have been sufficient to understand the losses suffered by the Tamil community here.

The ex-Minister said that in his capacity as Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on National Security he intended to raise the entire gamut of issues with the Foreign Ministry. Asked whether he was confident of securing the support of other political parties to pursue the accountability challenge, MP Weerasekera said that he was pushing for Parliament to adopt a resolution against Canada over the Canadian Parliament resolution claiming that genocide took place in Sri Lanka. The MP said: I handed over a Private member’s motion in this regard to the Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera.”

MP Weerasekera said that he didn’t talk about how Canada treated its indigenous people, including children.

The MP said that in Parliament last week he called for the expulsion of HC Walsh for meddling in domestic affairs. Canada was pursuing an extremely dangerous agenda, MP Weerasekera said, alleging that their declaration of genocide would influence anti-Sri Lanka sentiments the world over.

The former Minister pointed out the Black July 1983 Remembrance, titled ‘A structural genocide and ethnic cleansing of Tamil Hindus’ held at Jawaharlal Nehru University yesterday (Monday July 24) emphasized the growing danger. Such events gave credence to unsubstantiated allegations especially when a State University got involved, MP Weerasekera said. He pointed out this happened soon after President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to New Delhi.

Then the Indian media recently quoted BJP State President K Annamalai as having said that he was concerned about the declining Hindu population in the north and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, where Tamils form the majority, MP Weerasekera said.

This silly statement was made in a speech Annamalai made in a chamber of the House of Lords, the MP said, alleging that such declarations were meant to increase pressure on Sri Lanka. The BJP official should know a sizable Tamil population lived among the Sinhalese in the South and the LTTE was responsible for forcing the Muslim community out of the Northern Province in Oct./Nov. 1990, MP Weerasekera said.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Court of Appeal today refused to further extend its interim order preventing Justice Ministry officials from deducting the Advance Personal Income Tax (APIT) from the monthly salaries of the High Court Judges, Magistrates, District Judges and Presidents of Labour Tribunals.

However, the Court of Appeal decided to issue notices on the respondents in three petitions filed by High Court Judges’ Association, Judicial Service Association and Presidents of Labour Tribunals. 

The petitions were fixed for argument on September 22.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Claiming that Sri Lanka had outstanding foreign loans of USD 36 million to be settled until 2048, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardane said today anyone who wishes to come to power during that period is bound to pay the loans and must have plans to do so.

He told the weekly Cabinet briefing that if anyone came to power deceiving the people without having any plans in advance would only put the people in crisis again just as the country experienced in the recent past.

Sri Lanka has outstanding foreign loans amounting to USD 36 million. Only 37 percent of the total loan amount is maturing during the next five years. 51 percent of that is maturing between the next six years and twenty years. 12 percent is maturing even after 20 years. So, if anyone is planning to take over the country is bound to pay the loans due during their tenure,’ the Minister said.

He said those who were aspiring to take over the country must have a strategy to pay back the foreign loans which would be due during the period of their governance. If they deceive the people and take over the country. People will end up in another crisis of power, fuel, gas, fertilizer and other essentials, he said. (Ajith Siriwardana)

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected the reference to a ‘Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day’ in a recent statement by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Issuing a statement in this regard, the Ministry said it unreservedly rejects the reference to a Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day in the statement issued on 23 July 2023 by the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.”

They further accused that Canada’s continued reference to a false, distorted narrative” of the past conflict in Sri Lanka is aimed solely at achieving local vote-bank electoral gains”, and is not conducive to broader goals of communal harmony.

Thus, Sri Lanka has urged Canada and its leaders to support Sri Lanka in its efforts to ensure stability, progress, peace and reconciliation among all communities in all parts of the island, and amongst those Sri Lankans residing abroad.

Courtesy Adaderana

The proposed Sri Lanka – Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is expected to be signed in March 2024, in accordance with the action plan concerning the proposed agreement, Sri Lanka’s cabinet spokesman said today.

Accordingly, negotiations pertaining to the proposed FTA are scheduled to conclude in February 2024, as per the information presented by the President on the progress of the fifth round of negotiations on the proposed trade agreement, during the cabinet meeting held yesterday (24 July).

The fifth round of negotiations on the proposed agreement was held in Colombo from 26 -28 June, during which discussions regarding customs cooperation and trade facilitation, economic cooperation as well as sanitary and phytosanitary chapters were completed. 

The two nations restarted deal negotiations in January, months after a severe financial crisis engulfed Sri Lanka, as its foreign exchange reserves fell to a record low.

Sri Lanka and Thailand have held five rounds of talks on their trade agreement with the last in July.

Shenali D Waduge

When countries with records of unprecedented mass murders feel it politically fashionable to annually commemorate an incident which took place in Sri Lanka which is miniscule to the crimes they committed, when political correctness has silenced people & prevented them voicing the truth, at least this 40^th year we need to produce some unpalatable facts for all to digest in particular the countries with murderous records.

The background to 1983

• July 1975 Prabakaran committed his first assassination in killing Jaffna Mayor Alfred Duraiappah
• May 1976 Vaddukoddai Resolution calling for a separate Tamil state & calling upon youth to take up arms.
• 1977 – A pro-US government J R Jayawardena came into power. He was, openly anti-Indian (at a time India was tilted to Russia) To secure Sri Lanka’s territory from illegal Indian immigrants, N Q Dias, the foreign minister to Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, set up military camps in the North. Why or on whose advise is unknown by these camps were removed by President JR after coming to power.
• The Jain Commission Report following assassination of former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi confirms that India began training Sri Lankan Tamil youth as armed militants, the camps where training was given was mentioned as well. These took place from mid 1970s. Affidavits presented further provided evidence of India helping armed militancy..
• Ironically, the father of Tamil separatism S J V Chelvanayagam passed away in April 1977 a month after declaring My advice to the Sinhalese leaders is to allow us to go our way ..” (26 March 1977). His son-in-law A J Wilson was JRJ’s constitutional advisor.
• 1981 UNP accepts blame for the burning of the Jaffna library.
• 1982 JR Jayawardena instead of holding elections in 1983, decides to hold a referendum in 1982 & extended his term by another 6 years making a mockery of democracy.

https://www.shenaliwaduge.com/chronology-of-tamils-taking-firearms-since-1950s/A perusal of this list will show you that by 1983 at least 56 recorded incidents of Tamils using arms have been recorded

• Shooting Sinhalese – 1956,
• Attacks on Army camps – 1956, 1961
• Assassination of politicians – 1970 (attempted Deputy MP Chandrasiri) 1971 failed assassination attempt on Duraiappah succeeded in 1975, UNP leader R Balasundaram killed in Kilinochchi.
• Making explosives – 1971, 1973
• Bombs thrown at police – 1974 (visit to Jaffna by PM)
• Shooting Police – armed youths begin attacks on Tamil police, 14 policemen killed in 1978 including Bastiampillai, 3 policemen in 1979, 2 policemen in 1981 (altogether 19 policemen had been killed from 1978-1981)
• Arson & violence – 1975 (Thangathurai group, Tamil New Tigers)
• Bank robberies – 1974, 1975 (Peoples Bank by LTTE), 1977, 1978. 1981
• Bombing of plane – 1978 AVRO 748 Air Ceylon blasted.
• In 1977 – 10% of Jaffna population were Sinhalese (bakers, traders, civil servants & businessmen)
• The Aug-Sept 1977 riots is also noteworthy & the Sansoni Commission report will reveal much & negate the oft promoted narrative only against the Sinhalese. This commission report is critical to understand the bigger picture.

• LTTE was proscribed in 1978.

What is clear is that by 1980s – India was training Sri Lankan Tamil youth in guerilla warfare, Tamil Nadu became a logistics hub and numerous killings were taking place in the North by these groups including bank robberies and India-trained Tamil militants had killed 19 Sri Lankan policemen by 1981. 19 policemen is 5 more than the 13 Sri Lankan soldiers killed on 21 July 1983 which is falsely used as a reason for the July 1983 riots as Paul Sieghart of International Commission of Jurists concluded.

The Foreign Newspapers on 1983

• London Times on 8 Aug 1983 admitted that the rioters had a particularly detailed knowledge of who lived where & who owned what” – this clearly shows it was NOT a spontaneous riot. It was planned.

Foreign Reports on 1983

• Paul Sieghart of the International Commission of Jurists in March 1984 too admitted it was not a spontaneous upsurge of communal hatred among the Sinhala people” and the most important part comes in his claim that it was also not a popular response to the killing of 13 soldiers”. He concludes that it was a series of deliberate acts, executed in accordance with a concerted plan,conceived and organized well in advance”. Crucial points – it was not communal hatred by Sinhalese nor revenge for killing of 13 soldiers but a series of deliberate acts with a concerted plan & organized well in advance.

So the natural question should be WHO devised the plan & WHY & WHAT was the end objective. So far no one has bothered to answer this.

A riot did take place – if it was spontaneous it should have occurred immediately after becoming aware of the deaths of 13 soldiers on 23 July 1983. Not many know that between 1981-1983 nearly 35 soldiers had been killed. The riots began only on 25 July 1983 by a gang from Wanathamulla (that should give a further clue)

How did the rioters know which homes were Tamil – they were given electoral lists by UNP MPs to their supporters. These supporters were from all ethnic groups, united by political affiliation & united in their common goal to loot. There were no SLFP, or other political party supporters involved in the riots. JVP however were blamed & banned. That UNP organized the riots was clear because their Tamil friends & Tamil shops were protected & guarded. Nothing happened to Sea Street the home of the Tamil jewelers.

Anyone who joined the riots, joined not because they were Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims but because they saw the window of opportunity to loot & plunder. There was no ethnic element to the looting.

Incidentally, the IGP at the time was a Tamil & the 6 next in line senior officers were also Tamils. After a whole day of watching rioting, curfew was imposed & media was gagged. The official dead figure was 350 out of which 50 were Sinhalese. No one seems to be mourning them.

The International Commission of Jurists report also claims some homes/businesses of Tamils were self-inflicted (to facilitate application for refugee or collect insurance), some Tamils claimed themselves victims to get passage overseas.

The Sinhalese have been made to feel guilty, primarily because they have failed to explore the circumstances that led to the incident in 1983, read & appraised themselves of the background incidents leading to 1983 & have been happy to run with the popular politicized bogus narrative. When rioters/looters have voters lists, when UNP guard & protect their elite Tamil friends & businesses – where is the spontaneity of an attack?

Ultimately, close to 1million Tamils were able to live in Western climes, LTTE set up shop & a kitty with an annual profit of $350m & Sinhalese got the blame for an incident they did not commit.

It is against this injustice of branding the 1983 riots as a riot by the Sinhalese against the Tamils is what we are trying to clear even after 40 years. The injustice continues because countries who have blood on their hands, are happy to be commemorating & issuing statements shedding crocodile tears for an event that is wrongfully playing a guilt trip on the Sinhalese, when the crimes by these countries are yet to be accounted for.

Most Tamils who were saved by their Sinhalese friends have not forgotten that ugly day in 1983, but there is no outward proclamation to silence the false propaganda & for 40 years, the world has been made to falsely believe Sinhalese attacked Tamils in July 1983.

Sinhalese do not expect thanks after 40 years, but it would be nice if the Tamils finally admitted that the attacks that took place in July 1983 were a political riot by a political party with their party supporters who comprised looters of all ethnicities.

This 40^th year – this is all that the Sinhalese are asking of the Tamils. Please set the story straight.

Shenali D Waduge

Sugath Kulatunga

Merrill Fernando the pioneer of branded teas and the creator of the internationally recognized Dilmah Tea is no more. With his demise there has been a number of articles of appreciation in the media. In his path of triumph, he had to face many problems both in the market and on the domestic supply side. His unique success is more striking when one recalls the not very friendly local scenario on tea production and promotion.

The Export Development Board (EDB) was proud to have been associated with Merrill in the difficult journey he travelled.  

The focus of the EDB was on value added forms of tea in packets and tea bags. At our request the ITC commissioned two experts in Tea marketing and promotion. If I remember Julian Hill had been the marketing manager of Brooke Bond in Europe. He made a comprehensive report stressing on the strategies to be adopted. His main thrust was that SL should have a target of converting 50 percent of tea exports to value added exports. The Tea Board was not happy with this recommendation and argued that the strength of our Tea is in the traditional form in bulk exports. Tea in bags is only for inferior teas. Hill pointed out that the growing market is in the tea bags and all major buyers demand for teas that can be used in tea bags i.e., C.T.C teas- Crush Tear and Curled. Even the private sector was not enamored in the new demand. Miss Thudugala, asst. director carried out a survey among exporters on their preference for CTC teas. I was amazed that the response was zero. When I discussed the tea industry response with Minister Athulathmudali he quipped ‘that is their Thottam mentality.

The parallel need was a new promotional strategy. I do not remember the name of the expert we got for this task. Among others he gave us two specific proposals. One was to have a new symbol and the other was to use a new film. On the symbol, he pointed out that the present symbol spotted the lion is an insult to the lion and does not make a strong impression on the customer. He produced an attractive heraldic’ lion as a new symbol. His main task was to produce a promotional film. He was quite impressed with the GFU film Song of Ceylon” by William Blake. He wrote a storyboard which was more a new version of Blake but highlighting the Tea Industry.

The reports of the two experts were sent to the Tea Board and the Ministry of Plantations. The Ministry convened several meetings to discuss these, and other matters related to Tea Promotions. These meeting were attended by the Chairman but I had to attend a crucial meeting as acting Chairman. I mentioned that EDB had supported 3 exporters to promote their company brands in three specific markets and invited the support of the tea Bd.to make these new ventures a success. I asked the Secretary why the Tea Board is not undertaking Brand promotion. The secretary gave a long explanation of the objects of the Tea Board and said that Brand promotion is not one of their objects. I remarked if that is the problem then the law must be changed. At this the Secretary seemed to be annoyed and asked me whether laws can be changed like that. I replied meekly that the EDB law took only 3 months from the cabinet paper of first approval, to the debate in Parliament. He obviously had not experienced junior officers questioning his explanations.

But what he said about the Tea Bd law lacking provision on brand promotion is correct. Tea Bd has 18 objectives and the only objective at least with the term marketing is subsection i) where Tea Bd. may

e) assist and encourage the marketing of tea in and outside Sri Lanka and to promote the demand for and the consumption of tea in the world markets.

Unless a specific provision is made to enable promotion of selected firms, inclusive of brand marketing it seems that Tea Bd cannot go beyond the provision in the sub section (e) of the objectives.

It must be conceded that under Minister Ranjan Wijeratne the Tea Bd made use of sub section (i) of the Objectives i.e.

to provide financial, advisory or other assistance to persons engaged in the growing or manufacture of tea- the Tea Board assisted tea factories to manufacture CTC teas.

For brand promotion, the EDB selected 3 firms for promotion in three specific markets i.e. Dilmah in Australia, Ferntea in the Emirates and another firm in the Scandinavian countries. In Scandinavia the immediate target market was Sweden where our exporter linked up with the Cooperatives which had a strong network of shops. EDB met the shipping cost of a large first consignment. The product was on display in the shop shelves and consumer interest was noted within a few days but suddenly all the products on display disappeared. The exporter did not suspect any foul play and the EDB met the cost of airfreight of a further lot. The same fate of the previous experience was repeated. The exporter made some investigations of the events and found that a Multinational firm was responsible for the villainy. The Scandinavian promotion was given up.

The Ferntea in the the Emirates had a different kind of problem.The state agency Conselexpo also had a joiny venture in the Emirates.  Both Ferntea and Conselexpo did not have staying power and faded out. By that time their most dynamic trader Harry Jayawardhane had left Conselexpo.

In contrast, Merrill was a toughie and prevailed against all obstacles. We admired his tenacity. He had unmatched expertise in both the product and the market. He was innovative, highly  motivated and not averse to risks. Other than the competition in the market he had to install in the country CTC and tea bagging machinery which was again a challenge. EDB helped him with these investments. If there was a tea exporter who could break into the highly competitive tea market it was Merrill.

It has to be mentioned that Chairman EDB Victor Santiapllai took an abiding personal interest in Merrill’s endeavor.

Merrill has set an example of brand promotion which leaders of export of other products like garments and spices should emulate.

Other than his entrepreneurial excellence he was a charming friend full of wit and humor. While wishing Merrill rests in peace I wish Dilmah tea and other ventures initiated by him every success

By Sanjeewa Jayaweera Courtesy The Island

In a statement issued on July 12,, Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said, Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption. The CPIB investigates all cases without fear or favour and will not hesitate to take action against all parties involved in corrupt practices.”

The statement was issued following the arrest of the senior member of the governing party and cabinet minister S Iswaran holding the Transport and Trade Relations portfolio. He is a 22-year veteran lawmaker for the ruling People’s Action Party, having held a long list of other leadership posts.

He is under investigation for unspecified corrupt acts, although the CPIB’s statement didn’t elaborate further, only saying that Iswaran is assisting” in the probe. Along with Iswaran, a high-profile business tycoon Ong Ben Seng, was also arrested, and it is believed that the arrests are interlinked.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acted decisively by asking Minister S Iswaran to take a leave of absence until the investigations are completed. This he did no sooner than the CPIB informed him that the Minister was under investigation. According to news reports, the Prime Minister told the Minister to go on a leave of absence about a week before his arrest.

The last time a Minister in Singapore was investigated for corruption was in 1987 when the Minister for National Development, Teh Cheang Wan and a close associate of the then Prime Minster Lee Kuan Yew committed suicide rather than face corruption charges.

In June of this year, there was a further controversy involving Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Law Minister K Shanmugam regarding the circumstances and finances surrounding their rental of state-owned colonial bungalows in an exclusive area. The properties had been renovated at state expense. Competition to rent any property in land-scarce Singapore is enormous, raising public irritation and unprecedented questions about how two civil servants got into them. The CPIB investigated the transactions and cleared both Ministers of any wrongdoing.

It is pertinent that the Singapore government does not provide any official accommodation for the Ministers. How different to our policy, where Presidents, Prime Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and even former Presidents are provided with official accommodation at a great expense to the country’s taxpayers. It seems the poorer the nation, the greater the extravagance lavished upon those in power and even those who held power!

As I write, the Speaker of the Singapore Parliament and a female member of the Parliament have tendered their resignations due to a relationship deemed inappropriate. It is believed that the Speaker having a relationship with a Member of Parliament would result in a conflict of interest.

Over several decades, Singapore has cultivated an image of ruthless concentration on rooting out public corruption and scrupulous attention to governmental efficiency. The recent events would undoubtedly cause those in power a certain degree of embarrassment. However, to their credit, they have acted decisively and transparently with no effort to suppress the controversies nor spare those being investigated.

Thousands of Sri Lankans have visited Singapore or at least read about the country and admired how it is governed, the respect for law and order, and the country’s prosperity. Many videos of snippets of wisdom articulated by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew are circulating on social media amongst Sri Lankans, lamenting how we have lacked politicians with such statesmen-like qualities. He is quoted to have once said, Sri Lankan elections are an auction of non-existing resources”. This simple fact has been consistently ignored for decades by our politicians in their pursuit and greed for power. We are now paying the ultimate prize for the folly of our politicians.

The commonsense approach of the Singapore government was well illustrated in an article of mine that was published on September 12, 2021 and titled SRI LANKA SHOULD CLOSE DOWN MOST OF OUR OVERSEAS MISSIONS AS A STEP TOWARDS REDUCING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE.” https://island.lk/sri-lanka-should-close-down-most-of-our-overseas-missions-as-a-step-towards-reducing-public-expenditure/. I highlighted how Sri Lanka maintains over 60 resident missions, including consulates as opposed to Singapore having only 36 overseas missions. Although former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa closed down three overseas missions, the current President and the Foreign Minister have not seen the need to close down any additional missions despite the country declaring itself bankrupt and subjecting the citizens to extremely high taxes. This failure just about sums up our politician’s lack of vision, common sense and empathy.

Sri Lanka has grappled with the ill effects of corruption for many decades. Undoubtedly, post-1977, when the economy was liberalized, corruption took off. In an article written by Victor Ivan in 2019, titled Roots of Corruption and Bribery”, he states, The magnitude of the growth of bribery and corruption in Sri Lanka can be considered as an ugly and destructive epidemic created and nurtured by the rulers of the country from 1977, rather than a phenomenon that occurred naturally and spontaneously. Even though the regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa can be considered a period in which bribery and corruption reached a maximum height, it was indeed President J.R. Jayewardene who introduced large-scale corruption to the country at the State level.”

Victor Ivan also stated in the article, Prior to 1977, parliamentarians weren’t allowed to do business with the government. That was the tradition that prevailed up to then. The MPs who had done business were deprived of their parliamentary seats. This is a prime principle being practiced in all countries where there is a democratic system of government. Accordingly, the MPs were prohibited to serve as Government contractors, Government suppliers, act as Government license holders, or become buyers of public properties or sellers of properties to the government.

The best illustration of this practice is Albert Silva, a UNP candidate elected to the Galle constituency in 1977. He lost his parliamentary seat by a Court ruling on the ground that he held a kerosene permit issued by the government in his name. President Jayewardene did not abolish the law pertaining to this. But, he disregarded the tradition and suppressed the imposition of the law, making it virtually inoperative. By doing that, he granted the MPs of the ruling party the freedom and the right to conduct business with the government without restrictions. So they were allowed to serve as Government contractors, Government suppliers, become Government license holders, and buyers of public properties and sellers of properties to the government.”

It is anybody’s guess when Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) will take action similar to those taken by their counterparts in Singapore. The question is whether they have a similar mindset as The CPIB, whose declared policy is We investigate all cases without fear or favour and will not hesitate to take action against all parties involved in corrupt practices.” And, Importantly, does the President of Sri Lanka have the nerve to send a cabinet minister or a state minister on a leave of absence pending an investigation?

The decision to grant a further extension of service to the retired Inspector General of Police indicates that the President is unable to take decisive action. It seems that a compromise has been agreed upon to placate the subject Minister. How differently things are done in Sri Lanka when compared to Singapore?

Insight By Sunil Kumar 

The recent proposal by  President Wickremasinghe  to approve a land bridge between Sri Lanka and India may not be beneficial to Sri Lanka from many perspectives.It could open the floodgates to many issues that have been contentious towards Sri Lanka’s National Security  in the past  and have been conscientiously kept secure for very valid reasons.

It could also provide a foothold for Indians in Tamil Nadu as well as the Indian Government to gain access to Sri Lanka in a manner previously kept in control through the protocols of Territorial Integrity and subsequently cause a huge dilemma for Sri Lanka so the President is well advised to rescind this proposal regardless of how lucrative or superficially beneficial it may seem as compromising National Security with all that has transpired in the past needs to be viewed objectively overall.

Apparently there are sources in powerful places Internationally with intentions  to put pressure on Colombo to accept the Asian Development Bank-funded Indian project which surfaced some years back to build a bridge between India and Sri Lanka across the Palk Strait but it could create vast incidental security issues and  is more than likely to even compromise the Territorial Integrity and Sovereignity  of the Island Nation to an incomprehensible degree  where any plans to implement such an action needs to be nipped in the bud and viewed as a dangerous idea perhaps with  sinister consequences overlooked by those trying to initiate such a plan namely the GOSL.

Such a bridge seems just what the doctor ordered for Tamil Nadu to get a foothold on Sri Lanka at a time when tensions  between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka are rife over various issues and the plan unthinkable from the perspective of Sri Lanka’s National Security which could also imperil all Sri Lankans who have only just recovered from the evils of Tamil Tiger Terrorism that once threatened to destroy and disrupt the smooth functioning  of the country where the administration and the armed forces had to wage a near  three decade long defensive campaign to quell it.The Tigers are said to be mulling a recovery and awaiting an opportunity to re-emerge and the last thing Sri Lanka needs today.

It must also be remembered that the Tamil Tigers  despite being defunct have always vowed to resume their activities within Sri Lanka given the slightest opportunity and such a move ( the bridge in

question) seems a golden opportunity for them to do just that, remembering that there are underground cells of the LTTE still circulating in the country. So this appears to be a case of playing with fire despite the so called economic benefits  and the media hoopla and hype often initiated by the USA and others where China too must be watching with a wary eye.

Hopefully in hindsight the Sri Lanka Administration will not be baited into accepting the proposal of a land bridge at random and eventually face disastrous consequences unless there are strict measures to enforce who gains access to Sri Lanka from the South of India but even if such measures are implemented, the risk to National Security and the pouring in of undesirables and the like seems imminent and the

plan- if there is such a plan that will be ratified- with the Sri Lankan authorities mulling over its pros and cons is better off abandoned before things get complicated rather than face far reaching consequences in the long term.

If one reads between the lines it certainly points to India’s interest in annexing Sir Lankan territory fueled by the Presidents recent visit  to India and Sri Lanka’s naivete to accede to such a move where Ranil Wickremasinghe and his partners in administration  agree to go ahead with the proposal and could further accentuate the issue towards Sri Lanka’s detriment.

It certainly provides Sri Lanka citizens much food for thought about their well being and posterity.