KAMALIKA PIERIS Philip Gunawardene    was the creator of the Multipurpose Cooperatives Society. Until 1956, the cooperatives had been single purpose ones. There were separate cooperatives for food distribution, for savings and loan disbursement.  There were about   10,500 of cooperatives   and they were of 70 different types. Philip decided to weld them into one organization, the […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Philip Gunewardene, who was very sympathetic towards the farmers, introduced a Crop Insurance Scheme which benefited the farmers immensely. I am not sure whether this insurance scheme is still operative, said Elmo de Silva in 2020 .  Philip   prepared a Crop Insurance Bill in 1958. It was necessary to protect the farmer from […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Philip took a deep interest in paddy production and studied it from all angles. He complained repeatedly about the paucity of statistics on paddy cultivation. There was no information on the size of holdings, yield, ownership and so on. Thanks to Philip, in 1962, Department of Census and Statistics started an agricultural census. […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Philip Gunawardena was given the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in the MEP government of 1956. The portfolio included peasant agriculture, animal husbandry and the plantations. He was ably assisted by GVS de Silva as Permanent Secretary.  The combination of GVS and Philip offered the country a socialist vision, said Garvin Karunaratne. I […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Revised 2.4.21 Bandaranaike took firm decisions where international relations were concerned. This essay looks at his handling of several important issues which arose in 1956. ISRAEL Bandaranaike recognized Israel, though he had reservations. Bandaranaike told Parliament, the position is that the previous Government had agreed to diplomatic representation by Israel here, I presume, […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS  SWRD Bandaranaike made an impact on the international scene and brought honor and recognition to his country, said VLB Mendis.  His untimely death two years after assuming office, deprived the country of an astute leader who could have played a major role  in  international  affairs said Bandu de Silva. Bandaranaike first made an […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Bandaranaike had advocated an independent foreign policy for Sri Lanka long before he became Prime Minister. In 1952, Bandaranaike speaking in Parliament during the debate on the Throne speech said that Sri Lanka has so far failed to   formulate a well defined and independent foreign policy. Sri Lanka should play an important and […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Peduru Hewage William de Silva (1908-1988) was the only son of a wealthy professional family of Batapola, near Ambalangoda. William studied at the Buddhist Mixed School in Batapola, then at St. John’s, Panadura, later at Richmond College, Galle, and finally at Ananda College from which he entered Ceylon University College.  He had joined […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardene (1901-1972) was born at Boralugoda, Avissawella, in Hevagam korale.  Hewagam Korale, as its name indicates, had produced many brave hewayo. Philip’s father, Don Jakolis Rupasinghe Gunawardene was known as ‘Boralugoda Ralahamy’. Boralugoda Ralahamy was a vidane arachchi. The Boralugoda clan was known for their generosity and religious patronage, said […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS The United State of America is getting ready for war in the Bay of Bengal and plans to drag Sri Lanka into that war to fight on behalf of USA. Sri Lanka does not welcome this.  We are caught up in this power game between India, China and the US because of our […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS On account of its strategic location, Sri Lanka is a key battleground of geopolitical rivalry, said Asoka Bandarage.  Sri Lanka is now in the crosshairs of dangerous power games among the big powers, said Lasanda Kurukulasuriya. Sri Lanka must pursue an independent foreign policy, said Palitha Kohona. It must protect the territorial integrity, […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS The storming of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021 has made a significant impact on the domestic politics of the USA. It is   seen as a possible sign of things to come. The Capitol attack was preceded by several other similar events. There was a white    supremacist rally, in Charlottesville, […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS   The military relationship between Sri Lanka and USA is continuing. Sri Lanka Air Force Airmen and Pacific Air Forces Airmen participated in the first virtual and fourth annual Airmen-to-Airmen Talk, known as A2AT, hosted from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on December 2020. The Talk included subject matter experts from each country in […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS India has signed many military agreements with US and has cemented a firm military link with USA.  In recognition of this, in December 2020 US President Trump presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi with America’s highest military decoration, Legion of Merit. This is a rarely-awarded, prestigious decoration. It shows how highly US rates its […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS China, unlike India is getting on just fine in South Asia. China has held three multilateral dialogues with South Asian countries. The first in July, 2020 was attended by Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan. At this dialogue, China proposed extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, as well as taking forward an economic […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS The Indian Ocean is the third-largest ocean in the world. It is 70,560,000 km2 (27,240,000 sq mi) in extent. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west, Australia to the east and Antarctica to the south. The Arabian Sea, the Laccadive Sea, the Somali Sea, Bay of Bengal, and the Andaman Sea […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS USA does not have a good human rights record and it does not care either. In the domestic sphere, US has the largest prison population in the world, mainly drug users, and the highest per-capita incarceration rate. 3000 odd were on death row in 2016.  2.3 millions American were behind bars. Many adults […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Revised 17.1.21 Sri Lanka is mainly concerned with American foreign policy, not America’s domestic policy. From the 1980s and especially in the 1990s, the American Neo cons shifted their focus from domestic issues to foreign policy. That is because they wanted a foreign policy which would further US economic interests.  It is the […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS The USA, we are told, has two governments, a visible government and an invisible one. The visible government is the one run by the US President and Congress.   But the real power which drives US policy is elsewhere, say analysts. USA’s politics is masterminded by a small financial elite, they added, a kind […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS United States rose to prominence after World War II. USA and Russia thereafter fought a Cold War which neither won. When the Cold War with Russia ended abruptly in 1991 USA became the world’s sole super-power. Throughout the 1990s, the USA reigned supreme. USA had the best army, air force and navy. No […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Sri Lanka in October 2020. Pompeo received security fit enough for a President, said the media. The visit was clearly intended to urge Sri Lanka to join an alliance against China. USA wished to rope Sri Lanka into the US’s regional plans, said analysts, but US […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS The US is well known for its political and military interventions. USA started to meddle in the politics of other countries in the 1950s.  The first coup was in 1953. This was in Iran where the duly elected and highly popular Mossadegh was removed and the Shah of Iran installed. Mossadegh was going […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS There are three aspects to a local discussion on China, the role of China in Sri Lanka, the role of China in the world and the role of China in Marxism. Let us start with the last item. The latest development in Marxism is ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,’ said analysts.     China is […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Analysts observe that in addition to China, Sri Lanka has close relation with Iran and Russia.     Russia has always stood by Sri Lanka, they said. Russia supported Sri Lanka at UNHRC in Geneva   and gave military assistance during the war.   Iran gave interest free loans as well as military items. Iran also supplied […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS One solution to the problem of a future Indian Ocean war is for Sri Lanka to return to the policy of Non Alignment. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) started at Bandung Conference of 1955, during the time of Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike. It became a formal organization in 1961. Under the Chairpersonship of Prime […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS This is the last essay in this set and it presents two contrating celebrations of grief over the Eelam War IV. SECTION 1.   in 2019,the sun was scorching at the Mullivaikkal memorial grounds as people gathered to remember loved ones and Tamil civilians killed during the war that came to an end on […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS LTTE burial grounds, cemeteries and memorials have been razed, complained the Tamil Separatist Movement. Tiger memorials, monuments constructed in honor of noted Tiger soldiers   were torn down as the Sri Lankan military advanced. Any sites that might build the legacy of the LTTE, cemeteries, the childhood home of Prabhakaran, Thileepan’s memorial were bulldozed […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS Visitors from the South” started to arrive in the North” soon after Eelam War IV ended.  The Northern theatre of war, where the bloodiest battles between the Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE took place, is today a popular destination for Sinhalese tourists, observed commentators. Visitors have been coming in busloads to experience […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS The Eelam war was Sri Lanka’s first post- Independence civil war. It was a protracted war conducted by a bogus   ethnic group, created by the British administration, now claiming exclusive rights to valuable coastal territory. The government of Sri Lanka was a formidable enemy, not only militarily, but legally too.  Sri Lanka, real […]

KAMALIKA PIERIS War monuments are to be found in most countries. They are highly respected monuments (with the exception of Nazi Germany) and several are tourist attractions as well. Here are three war monuments from the west. They all commemorate World War II.  First is Motherland Calls” commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad in WW II.  […]