Two former Army officers have been sentenced to death by the Trincomalee High Court for assaulting and murdering an individual from Gurunagar area in Jaffna after taking him in for interrogations, says Ada Derana reporter.
Following a lengthy trial, the verdict was delivered by the High Court Judge Manikkavasagar Illancheliyan.
Accordingly, former Army Major Dickson Rajamanthree and an employee of the camp named Priyantha Rajakaruna have been sentenced to death.
On the September 10 1998, the convicts had assaulted and murdered an individual named Gnanasingham Anton Gunasekaram for by taking him in for questioning, claiming him to be a terrorist.
Reportedly, the judicial autopsy reports revealed that the deceased had suffered 21 cut wounds to the body.
The case was first taken up before the Trincomalee High Court on May 05 2009.
The responsibility safeguarding the legitimate right of the Opposition falls under the Speaker, not the UPFA General Secretary, stated SLPP Chairman Prof. G. L. Peiris.
He stated this joining a media conference held in Colombo, today (07).
However, the Speaker has completely abandoned his responsibility of safeguarding the legitimate right of the Opposition, he points out.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has become a pot box today, further said Prof. Peiris.
Colombo, August 7 (newsin.asia): The Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, stressed the substantial” advantages that Sri Lanka will have if it links up with India, which is the sixth largest and the fastest growing major economy in the world today.
Addressing the Sri Lanka-India Society (SLIS) at a function here to mark India’s Independence Day and the SLIS’s Platinum Jubilee on August 5, 2018, the envoy said that India– Sri Lanka relations should look towards opportunities waiting to be exploited..
He said that Sri Lankan youth could fulfill their aspirations by becoming part of India’s growth story.
The High Commissioner said that India and Sri Lanka have jointly executed various people – oriented development projects undertaken. These have had a direct impact on the lives of common people. In this context he cited the Indian Housing Project and the Emergency Ambulance Service – the nationwide expansion of which was recently launched.
High Commissioner Sandhu stressed that India has also done close to 70 people-oriented small development projects across all the provinces of Sri Lanka.
Around 20 such projects, including construction of rainwater harvesting units, construction of toilets, upgrading and constructing schools such as the tri-lingual school in Polonnaruwa, and providing infrastructure facilities for universities including a 1500 seat auditorium in Ruhuna University in Matara are currently underway.
The envoy emphasized that India’s development partnership is not limited to one sector or area but encompasses a wide variety of sectors and was spread across the island.
He added that it is heartening to note that India has been able to fulfill its promises in time.
High Commissioner Sandhu pointed out that as democracies which are mandated by the will of the people to fulfill their aspirations, India and Sri Lanka have the responsibility to make the developmental journey as smooth, fast and comfortable as possible.
Not just the governments on both sides, but industry, academia, the youth, and civil society have an important role to play in shaping the future of India-Sri Lanka relations.
During the event, the past Presidents of the Sri Lanka-India Society were felicitated. The event concluded with a musical performance by the Oriental Choir of Colombo and a fellowship dinner.
Among those present were the State Minister for Foreign Affairs Vasantha Senanayake, the Mayor of Colombo Ms. Rosy Senanayake, the Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya, President of SLIS T.S. Prakash.
The SLIS was founded in 1949, soon after the independence of India and Sri Lanka. SLIS is the oldest and largest friendship society in Sri Lanka.
(The featured image at the top shows Indian High Commissioner, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, being received at the Sri Lanka India Society Platinum Jubilee function)
Sinhala has been in use for two and a half millennia, the language has a continuous recorded history of 2300 years. It has today entered the world of information technology with its own UNICODE, said J.B.Disanayake in his book ‘Encyclopedia of Sinhala language and culture’ (2 Ed 2017). The Sinhalese could achieve artistic and technological heights only because they were able to create a language that could express their thoughts with precision, efficiency, and imagination, he added.
There is linguistic creativity in Sinhala, continued J.B.Disanayaka. There are several remarkable linguistic features in Sinhala, which make Sinhala a unique indo Aryan language. Sinhala writers modified the brahmi script by adding two sets of new letters. Sinhala has two vowels and a set of four consonants, all of which are unique to Sinhala. This has made the Sinhala alphabet one of the most creative alphabets of the world. At the International World Character Conference, Seoul 2009 Sinhala was declared one of 16 creative alphabets. Verbs in the Sinhala language, work in ‘unusual ways’, added Disanayaka. Every verb has a corresponding ‘passive verb’.
Sinhala language has played an important role in the preservation of Theravada Buddhism. The commentaries on Theravada Buddhism, which would originally have been in Magadhi, were eventually to be found only in Sri Lanka, written in Sinhala. They were known as Helatuva and were held in great esteem in India. Secondly, the Tripitaka was written down for the first time, at Aluwihare, in Maghadi but in the Sinhala script. Thereafter the Magadhi language, in Sinhala script, became known as Pali. ‘the written form of Magadhi as modified by the sinhala monks, was given the new name Pali’ said Disanayaka. [1] Since ‘Pali’ simply means ‘text’, in my view, the correct name of ‘Pali’ still remains ‘Magadhi.’
J.B. Disanayaka divides Sinhala language and writing into five periods: Old Sinhala, Middle Sinhala, Classical Sinhala, Pre-modern Sinhala, and Modern Sinhala. Old Sinhala can be found in the period up to 2 AD and is best seen in the cave donation inscriptions. They are in brahmi script. Buddhist texts were written in Old Sinhala. Mahavamsa mentions three kinds of Helatuva, ‘Maha atuva’, ‘Mahapasuru atuva’ and ‘Kurundivelli atuva’. These have disappeared but quotations from them are given in Dampiya atuva getapadaya. In the Hela atuva ‘lakuntaka’ means ‘short’ and ‘rahado ‘means ‘pit, said Disanayaka, but we do not know how old Sinhala was spoken.
Middle Sinhala’ period is from 2 AD to 8 AD. Writings of this period can be seen in cave, rock, and slab inscriptions and in the Sigiri Graffiti. Sigiri Graffiti is an important source of information. This period saw the birth of two new vowels, a new set of consonants called ‘sannaka’ that have no equivalent in any other Indian language and the introduction of long vowels. The letter ‘ja’ was substituted for the earlier ‘cha’ in many words. . There are many examples of this in the Sigiri Graffiti. The language in the graffiti has many variants. This is a conspicuous feature in the graffiti. This indicates that Middle Sinhala was an intermediate stage of evolution between Old Sinhala and Classical Sinhala.
A substantial body of Sinhala writing, both prose and poetry, developed in this period. There is reference to the ‘Dolos maha Kaveen’ during the reign of king Agbo II. (604-614). Their names are available, but not their writings. However, quotations from their works are used as illustrations for grammatical rules.
Sigiri graffiti shows a unique poetic tradition found nowhere else in the world. It displays excellent poetic expression, by ordinary folk. There is skill in handling language. There are certain metrical limits when writing graffiti and within this limitation, words had to be chosen well and put together in the best order, observed Disanayaka.
Classical Sinhala” belongs to the period 9-15 century. This was a period full of literary activity. Classical Sinhala is the creation of an ‘impressive array of Sinhala writers, monks, kings, and laymen.” It was also the period of the long galpota of King Nissanka Malla. For the first time, Sinhala included words from Sanskrit, both loan and derived. There were hardly any Sanskrit words in the previous period. This innovation enriched the Sinhala vocabulary and created new language patterns. New letters were needed for the Sanskrit words, new strokes were created, and also two styles of writing, the poetic, and the regular style were developed.
‘Pre modern Sinhala’ covers the period 15-19th century. Sinhala took on a new role in this period. The Roman Catholic religion had arrived and Sinhala was used to teach the Roman Catholic religion to the natives. Sinhala words, such as ‘deva’ were used by the Roman Catholic priests, in explaining their religion. The Protestant Christian missionaries, who followed, used spoken Sinhala in their Sinhala Bible and also in their sermons. They had to convert both Buddhists and Roman Catholics.
Sinhala underwent major changes towards the end of their period. Writing transferred from ola leaf to printing press. This in turn, led to the creation of word boundaries, with spaces between the sentences and between words. This period saw the rise of Sinhala journalism. Sinhala Journalism made a significant contribution to the development of the Sinhala language by influencing its orthography, style, usage, and vocabulary, said Disanayaka. Certain linguistic styles were created by the journalists, though purists objected. In any case, old styles had to give way to new. The phrase ‘rising of the price of fish’ changed to ‘the price of fish goes up,’ added Disanayaka.
In the pre- modern period, words from western languages came into the island, brought in by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. Some of these words were incorporated into Sinhala. There are lists of the Sinhala words derived from Portuguese, Dutch and British, such as ‘viskotu’ ( Portuguese) ‘ kokis’ ( Dutch) ‘cake’ (English).
Among these western words, there were plenty of words with the sound F”. Initially the Sinhala letter ‘pa’ was used as a substitute for ‘F’ but a new letter , the inverted ‘ya’ was suggested by Mendis Gunasekera in his Comprehensive Grammar of the Sinhalese language in 1891. This letter came into use in the early 20th century.
Sinhala of this period had a larger set of pronouns of the second and third person in contrast to those in classical Sinhala. There was ‘umba’, ‘oya,’ ‘thama,’ ‘thammunnanse’, ‘thamuse’, for second person. There was ‘oo’ ‘unde’, ‘unnahe’, ‘aru’, ‘ eya’, ‘eka’, for third person,
Disanayaka observed that it was possible to get some idea of the Sinhala spoken in the Udarata kingdom of this period, from the travelogue of Vilbagedera Rala who led the delegation to Siam in mid 18 century sent by King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747-1782) asking for the upasampada. On the return journey, he had written a travelogue, almost like a diary, in language close to spoken idiom, Disanayaka observed. They used ‘tibenava’, ‘dutuva’, ‘karanta’, ‘padinta’, ‘idichcha’, ‘patavapu’ and ‘tanapu’,
Modern Sinhala” is of course the contemporary Sinhala we are using today. Many exciting things have happened to Sinhala in the contemporary period. Firstly, Sinhala was subject to intense ‘language planning.’
After Sinhala only, (1956) new words had to be found in a mighty hurry. For instance, a new way of saying ‘you’ in conversation was needed. The word ‘oba’ which was used for the third person in Classical Sinhala was now transferred to the second person.
Words are coined in no time now, said Disanayaka, in 2017, giving the example of ‘salli karaya. Sinhala slang, such as ‘kota uda’ has now entered standard Sinhala, but scholars will not use it, he said. Sinhala is a phonetic language but nevertheless, there was a fuss over spelling. There are guide books now on how to spell Sinhala words correctly, said Disanayaka in 2017.
In 1968, I.M.R.A. Iriyagolle Minister of Education, appointed a committee to create a ‘sammatha Sinhala’ standard for written Sinhala. The Hela Havula group got into this committee and the recommendations were all Hela Havula. There was a terrific uproar among the writers and University dons. It was an ‘open battle’ and print media gave wide coverage to the issue, said Disanayaka. The report was revised and a second report appeared in 1970. I cannot recall this report and I think the whole project was abandoned thereafter.
Sinhala came into the Modern Period with 58 letters, 40 sounds, and 20 vowel strokes. This underwent change. There was a call for the simplification of the script. One reason was that print setting was easier with less letters. Therefore some letters, some strokes, and ‘bandi akuru’ began to be left out. Purists said that the murtada nayanne”, and the double petalled layanne” must be retained since they indicated different meanings within the same spelling, but others pointed out that the meaning emerged in the usage regardless of the spelling for instance in ‘tana kiri’ and ‘tana kola’.
Modern Sinhala has attempted to bring the spoken and literary Sinhala together. This is partly a result of language planning, said Disanayaka. Scholarly writing, non fiction, textbooks and legal documents, still keep to traditional grammar, but novels are today written entirely in the spoken idiom. Television news today is a blend of formal and informal Sinhala. Private television and radio use more spoken Sinhala in news reading than the state television. But both radio and television use the spoken idiom in popular shows. So the difference between spoken and written Sinhala is diminishing. Both styles are influencing each other and producing new forms, observed Disanayaka.
In the early 20 century spoken Sinhala and folk idiom were not recognized as areas worthy of serious study, said Disanayaka. Martin Wickremasinghe said in his autobiography, Upan da sita” that he was ridiculed by the academics when he spoke of Sinhala folk poetry. Disanayaka records that the initial work on folk idiom was by A.V.Gunapala who published ‘Hela vahara” in 1957.(Saman Press). Gunapala had focused on spoken Sinhala with emphasis on regional usage. His work was a trailblazer, said Disanayaka. After that many researchers, studied Sinhala folk speech and recorded it for posterity. Disanayaka coined the term’ jana vahara’ for folk language
Disanayaka in his book, records the regional variants of Sinhala.. Ruhunu Sinhala uses ‘karahang’, Southern Sinhala uses ‘makkatai’, Udarata Sinhala says karanta, kiyanta,’ Rajarata Sinhala (North central province) says‘ umbahe’, Digamadulla uses ‘balapa.’ In Hat korale ‘to go for medicine’ is ‘bet para yanawa. In Hatara korale wedding is ‘taruvava’, I think that this usage would-be confined to the rural sector in these regions, not the urban sector.
In addition to this, Disanayake pointed out that certain occupational groups such as brass workers, cinnamon peelers, fishermen, graphite miners, jewelers, lacquer workers, masons, potters and toddy tappers had occupational jargon of their own . There was also a special vocabulary relating to paddy cultivation. This, of course, is well known. The young grain of paddy is ‘vee’, the harvested rice is ‘hal’ and the cooked rice is ‘bat’
Disanayake pointed out that in contemporary Sri Lanka there are two sacred spaces, the kamatha in the paddy field and the temple in village and town. A special Sinhala is used in these two spaces. The threshing floor is considered sacred and harvesting has ritual significance. A special set of words is used. Odd numbers avoided in counting, instead of eka they say hapura. However, in my view, this is an inherited tradition coming down for centuries. It is not a special characteristic of modern Sinhala. This usage shows the remarkable continuity of the Sinhala language and Sinhala culture.
Similarly, a special set of words are used for everyday things, when inside a temple. The teledrama ‘Sidu’ which is showing now, is giving us instruction on this, through its two little samanera. Vatura is ‘pan’, midula is ‘maluva’, evening tea is ‘gilan pasa’. There is a separate terminology when speaking to a bhikshu and of a bhikshu, such as ‘vadinava’, ‘satapenava,’ ‘ apavat veneva,’ ‘avasarai’, ‘ehei hamuduruwane,’ ‘dane valndanne’ and ‘tun namak’ .
There was a third area where modern Sinhala speakers had to be cautious. The old ways of address were no longer acceptable. Modern spoken Sinhala has inherited more than a dozen pronouns meaning ‘you’ and different ways of commanding. . There is a choice of oba, oya, umba, tamuse, also commands, ‘yanta’/ ‘pala/ ‘and ‘kapan’/ ‘kapiya’. Today these need to be used with utmost care, commented Disanayaka.
In 1989 the National institute of Education (NIE) was requested by W.J.M Lokubandara, Minister of Education, himself a Sinhala scholar, to standardize the Sinhala alphabet. There were some letters in use which were not in the alphabet. These were now given official recognition. The Sinhala strokes were also regularized (ispili, papili, alapilla, hal) and the number of letters rose to 60. This was a historic achievement, said Disanayake. A set of letters that were in actual use for centuries but were not included in the alphabet were now given official recognition. This standardized alphabet paved the way for CINTEC, NARESA, and SLSI to propose a Sinhala Unicode to ISO.
With the arrival of computers, it was necessary to digitize Sinhala. ISO was offered three versions of the Sinhala alphabet for ratification. One by Irish expert on signs and symbols, Michael Everson, one by Microsoft and a third by Sri Lanka Standards Institute. ISO got ready to approve the Everson version. Sri Lanka got the Everson draft suspended till ISO General assembly met in 1997 in Greece. Naresa sent two representatives, T.Nandasara and J.B.Disanayaka. Disanayaka said they had a hard time getting ISO to accept the SLSI recommendation, which was the sole local recommendation. ISO ratified the Sinhala alphabet in 1998. Sinhala UNICODE of 61 characters was created thereafter.
(CONCLUDED)
[1] J.B. Disanayaka encyclopedia of Sinhala language and culture 2 ed 2017 p 756
Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka Thera, a leading Buddhist monk associated with the nationalist movement, shares his views on the current political developments in the country in an interview with Daily Mirror
Govt should have invited Lord Nasbey soon after he spoke in support of SL
Greatest meritorious act is to topple Govt now
We need to build a local support base for him
It is possible if proper strategies are applied
Q You are a leading member of the Buddhist clergy who voiced against the government right from its formation. How do you see the current status of politics?
We are not content with the political situation. I am not referring to the government’s politics only. We cannot be happy about politics being done by the opposition either.
Q Why do you say so?
There is an urgent thing to be done. It is the agitation for elections. The main struggle should be aimed at toppling this government somehow. I do not see any concerted effort being made in that direction. In my view, the most meritorious act to be done is to unseat this government. Buddhists are the majority in this country. Yet, all believe in meritorious acts.
This Government will do anything to stay in power. Other political forces in the country insist elections as means to get into power again. Both the government and the opposition are driven by the craze for power
Q Yet, it is only possible by securing a majority in Parliament. How could it be done?
It has to be planned strategically. We do not divulge strategies in advance.
Q Do you believe it is possible?
If the proper strategies are applied, it is possible.
Q Why do you consider toppling the government as the topmost priority of the opposition at this juncture?
Three years have elapsed after the government was formed in 2015. There is no development in the country taking place. It is difficult for people to eke out their living under the current circumstances. We, as members of the Buddhist clergy, live off meals or alms offered by people. So, we can sense their economic difficulties. The government is held responsible for this economic plight of the people.
There are signs of terrorism raising its ugly head again in the north. Politicians like Vijayakala Maheswaran, C.V. Wigneswaran, M.A. Sumanthiran and R. Sampanthan boost Tamil separatism by making various statements. Their separatist agenda is becoming obvious by the day. This government is held responsible again for it.
Q How do you support your argument that terrorism is rising today?
When the intelligence apparatus is crippled, underground preparations for terrorist activities cannot be traced in advance. Recently, a cache of weapons was seized, while being transported in a three-wheeler in the north. If the intelligence services were operational in full, it could have been detected at the initial stage of its planning. We need not wait till it is transported in a vehicle. That is the advantage of having an intelligence service. Intelligence officers who worked diligently in the past have been penalized now on various charges by the government.
Q As a Buddhist monk, you travelled internationally and lobbied against the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka. How do you assess the results you got in this case?
Sri Lanka is always under surveillance by so-called human rights activists because there is a subservient government. In 2009, a section of the international community wanted former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to stop the war on terror. Nevertheless, he did not give up despite pressure being exerted from international corners. We need to act with a backbone. We should not be servile to any power bloc or nation.
Q The United States moved out of the UNHRC. How do you see it?
The United States did so primarily because the UNHRC did not endorse the activities of Israel. We cannot justify the US’ action on that premise. Yet, the UNHRC becomes a weak body in the absence of the US. So, these human rights lobbyists may not have the same strength to pounce upon the countries.
From that perspective, it is an advantage for us that the US is no longer there with the UNHRC. Otherwise, we cannot condone the US action taken purely in the interests of Israel. If the US did it in protest over the UNHRC double standards towards the countries like ours, we could welcome it. After the US pulled out, then US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Atul Keshap said the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka would prevail.
Q Ambassador Keshap, in a meeting with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leaders, insisted that Sri Lanka should work out a new Constitution. What is your view?
It amounts to meddling with our internal affairs. How can the US dictate terms in that manner? Sri Lanka is not part of the United States. We should respond in the way the President of the Philippines did to such interference once. The Philippines is a small country like ours. Yet, its leader has a backbone whereas ours don’t.
Today, crimes are on the rise. We see a surge in underworld criminal activities. But the IGP is meditating. The Police should not do meditation in the face of criminal activities. When I say this, I would be criticized. One would question as to how I could oppose to meditation being a Buddhist monk.
What I meant is different. There is a specific task assigned to the Police. Meditation is not something assigned to the Police. The Police should fulfil its duty. If the Police discharges its lawful duty, the underworld will not thrive. Terrorist activities will cease in the north, then. This Government will do anything to stay in power.
Other political forces in the country insist elections as means to get into power again. Both the government and the opposition are driven by the craze for power. We are only asking them to place the country before self
Gotabaya is the best candidate in the greater interests of the country. Lawyers say there are no provable charges against him. The government may be able to take him to remand custody. But, they cannot punish him legally
Q What do you think of the next Presidential Elections?
I have a feeling that the UNP-led forces would field President Maithripala Sirisena as the common candidate again. They might field another flanker candidate to engineer a split in the Sinhala Buddhist vote base. We have learnt it from reliable sources. Then, it will be a challenge to a candidate like Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The political forces, supportive of him, are yet to contemplate strategies.
In our view, Gotabaya is the best candidate in the greater interests of the country. Lawyers say there are no proven charges against him. The government may be able to take him to remand custody. But, they cannot punish him legally because there are no legitimate charges. It is difficult for the Police to take action against him under the current circumstances.
If he is nominated as the presidential candidate as soon as possible, it will be advantageous. If the government opts to arrest him, it would then amount to the incarceration of a nominee for the Presidential Election. If he is remanded, he can contest from being behind the bars. Time is ripe for the Joint Opposition to nominate him as the Presidential candidate.
Q Yet, there is an objection to his candidacy according to reports…
Within the Rajapaksa family, there are no splits. I know it for a fact. All will agree to what Mahinda Rajapaksa says. Only he has the experience to do it.
Lawyers say there are no proven charges against him. The government may be able to take him to remand custody. But, they cannot punish him legally because there are no legitimate charges
Q After the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa at the elections in 2015, an organization led by you undertook a task to bring him back. How do you look at it in retrospect?
We initiated the struggle. The Joint Opposition took it over from us and proceeded. At the local level, we carried out our campaign, though. Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) won the Local Government polls in February, this year as a direct result of the campaign we initiated. That is the success of that campaign we spearheaded. It is making further gains now.
Q You met with Lord Baron Naseby, a member of the British House of Lords, who spoke for Sri Lanka countering allegations of war crimes. How was that meeting?
The Pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora groups are all powerful in Geneva. It is a long story. The successive Sri Lankan governments, since 1977, maintained stoic silence in the face of the LTTE’s international propaganda.
So, Tamil separatist forces are more powerful than us in this sphere today. They have funding from multiple sources. MP Vijayakala Maheswaran might get a lot of funding because of her statement calling for the revival of the LTTE in recent times. It is a virtual appeal to the Tamil Diaspora asking for funding. Unfortunately, our State intelligence do not get information to this effect today.
Lord Naseby is supportive of us. However, he asked us to build a support base within Sri Lanka for his stand. He said he could ensure further support only when the support base grows in strength here.Without a support base for him in Sri Lanka, it is difficult for him to be a lone voice. The government should have invited him to Sri Lanka soon after he spoke in support of us countering allegations of war crimes. Then, his opinion becomes our opinion. It would deliver a clear message to the international community. Unfortunately, the government holds a different view. The government’s position favours the pro-LTTE diaspora.
If he is nominated as the presidential candidate as soon as possible, it will be advantageous. If the government opts to arrest him, it will then amount to the incarceration of a nominee for the Presidential Election
Q Now, some Sinhala organizations such as Global Sri Lanka Forum carry out propaganda to counter the Tamil Diaspora. How successful it is?
It is continuing.
Q What is your view on the Constitution-Making process?
It is tottering. Let alone, the government has not abandoned it. We continue to protest against the government.
Colombo, Aug 7 (newsin.asia) – The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, on Tuesday awarded 22 Sri Lankan university students scholarships to pursue their higher education in Chinese universities in a bid to strengthen education ties between the two countries.
The students received the scholarships at the annual Chinese Government Scholarship Award Ceremony held in Colombo. The event was organised in collaboration with Sri Lanka’s Higher Education and Cultural Affairs Ministry.
The selected winners will leave for China in September and will pursue their bachelors degrees, masters degrees and doctoral degrees in different fields such as medicine, art, environmental science, archaeology and museology, Chinese Language Teaching and international economic and trade.
The students will study in prestigious universities including Zhejiang University, Wuhan University and Peking University.
Secretary of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs, J.J. Rathnasiri, while thanking China’s contribution in helping Sri Lankan students said this Chinese Higher Education Scholarships program had benefited a large number of Sri Lankans over a long period of time by providing undergraduate and postgraduate education opportunities in prestigious Chinese universities.
I request all students to get the maximum benefits out of the scholarships and after your return serve the country in your best and help more and more to strengthen China, Sri Lanka relations,” Rathnasiri said.
Charge d’Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, Pang Chunxue, while congratulating the winners said the students will be the needful talents for the national development of Sri Lanka and will become friendship envoys for both China and Sri Lanka.
Today, China is aligning its One Belt and One Road Initiative with Sri Lankan national development strategy to reach common development. China will never pursue development at the expenses of Sri Lanka,” Pang said.
We are confident that the increasingly deepening win-win cooperation in many fields between our two countries would bring tangible benefits to our two peoples,” she added.
Colombo, August 7 (newsin.asia): Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow” on the death of the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.Karunanidhi.
In a tweet in Tamil, Sirisena said: The passing away of the former Chief Minister and senior political leader M.Karunanidhi pushed me into deep sorrow. I send my deepest condolences to his grieving family and supporters.”
Earlier, Sirisena had sent the Ceylon Workers’ Congress leaders Arumugan Thondaman and Senthil Thondaman to Chennai to call on the ailing leader at Kauvery Hospital with a message wishing the ailing Tamil leader speedy recovery.
Karunanidhi, who had been Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu several times from the late 1960s onwards, died at 94 after a prolonged illness.
Chennai, August 7 (The Hindu/D.B.S. Jeyaraj): Muthuvel Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of the South Indian State of Tamil Nadu and President of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), film script writer, Tamil scholar and champion of social equality, passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was 94.
The end came at 6.10 p.m., hours after the Kauvery Hospital announced that he was extremely critical” and unstable”. Mr. Karunanidhi was under treatment at the hospital after his health suffered a setback to his health past midnight on July 28 at his Gopalapuram residence.
Before being moved to the hospital, the nonagenarian leader was suffering from fever and infection for the past few days and was treated round-the-clock by a team of doctors and nursing personnel at his house.
Mr. Karunanidhi fell ill in October 2016 due to a drug-induced allergy. The veteran leader was admitted to the hospital for optimisation of nutrition and hydration” in the first week of December 2016 and later, for a throat and lung infection.
He had undergone tracheostomy, a procedure to optimise breathing.
Since then he was staying away from active politics and made only a few public appearances, the last one on June 3, 2018, when he turned 94.
On July 28, the day he was moved to the hospital, he entered his 50th year as DMK president.
Mr. Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924, at Thirukuvalai, now in Nagapattinam district (then in the composite Tanjore district) and did his schooling in nearby Tiruvarur. His father Muthuvel was a nagaswaram player and his mother Anjugam, a housewife.
Sri Lankan journalist DBS.Jeyaraj writes: Known widely as Kalaignar”(artiste), Karunanidhi had been leader of the DMK since 1969 and served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for a total of 19 years.
The nonagenarian Kalaignar” who celebrated his 94th birthday on June 3, had held office as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister five times from 1969 to 1971; 1971 to 1976; 1989 to 1991; 1996 to 2001; and 2006 to 2011.
Karunanidhi’s health had been on the decline since 2016.The silver tongued orator renowned for his powerful speeches over the years had been silenced” due to a speech impairment.
His movements too were restricted and had to be pushed around in a wheel chair. Still he was receiving and meeting dignitaries and also visiting the DMK party office Arivaalayam” (Temple of Knowledge) from time to time.
Karunanidhi remained the party leader, a post he had held for more than 49 years.
While Karunanidhi remained as de jure” DMK leader, his son MK Stalin functioned as the de-facto” leader and heir apparent in his capacity as Seyal Thalaiver” or Working Leader.
Thousands of DMK members and supporters from all over Tamil Nadu had flocked to the hospital premises mounting vigil over their leaders health. They kept chanting Neendu Vaazhha Thalaivar” (live long leader) and Meendu Vaa Thalaiva,” (come back leader).
There had been widespread outpourings of grief in the state and despite the atheist/agnostic/rationalist” ethos of the Dravidian movement, special poojas seeking the blessings of the Amighty had been conducted in different places of worship.
A very large number of Indian political leaders, including Indian Vice-President Venkiah Naidu, Defence minister Nirmala Sitaraman and Congress party chief Rahul Gandhi had visited Kauvery hospital.
Many others including Prime minister Narendra Modi kept inquiring about the DMK leader’s physical condition. Many eminent personalities issued statements and tweets expressing concern over Karunanidhi’s health.
In Tamil Nadu despite deep political differences there is a genuine consensus of concern over the DMK patriarch’s health.
India’s Elder Statesman
Whatever may be his faults and foibles in his colorful yet chequered political past, Muttuvel Karunanidhi was no ordinary politico but a veritable political institution.
Although the patriarch of Dravidian politics in Tamil Nadu state, the veteran politician Karunanidhi was arguably India’s elder statesman.
He was first elected to the State Legislative Assembly in 1957 and had not lost an election since. No Indian politician can boast of such an unbroken record. He had been at the helm of the DMK for 49 years leading the party through thick and thin.
He was dismissed as state Chief Minister twice by the central Government of India. His party was defeated several times at the polls. On one occasion Karunanidhi was the sole victor from his party at the Assembly polls. In spite of all these setbacks the indefatigable Karunanidhi had always bounced back.
His ardent supporters would fervently hope that their leader would once again return” this time too.
Karunanidhi was born on June 3rd 1924 in the village of Thirukkuvalai now in the Thiruvaaroor district of Tamil Nadu. His parents Muttuvel and Anjugam were of Isai Vaelaalar stock. The Isai Vaelaalar community had been historically a talented artistic community. Some of India’s greats in the spheres of music,dance,drama and cinema hail from this caste group.
Karunanidhi’s given name at birth was Daksinamoorthy.He later changed the Sanskritized” Dakshinamoorthy to the more Tamil sounding Karunanidhi (though that was also Sanskrit!).
His foray into active politics was in 1938 when he participated in an anti-Hindi agitation at the age of 14. He formed a student political organization while a high school student and started the journal Murasoli”(Drum Beat) which still remains as the DMK flagship newspaper.
Karunanidhi quit secondary school studies and became a political activist while working freelance for newspapers and contributing articles. He also became a stage actor and playwright. Later he ventured into films as a script writer.
This brought him much recognition and more remuneration which helped him greatly to carve out a name for himself as a politician. He was a versatile, multi-talented writer and stage actor.
It was the well-known actor M.R.Radha who bestowed upon him the title Kalaignar”(artiste) when the drama Thookumaedai”(Gallows) was staged for the 100th time. Karunanidhi wrote and acted in the play.
Kalaignar” Karunanidhi developed a writing style for cinema that was flowery and alliterative(adukku Mozhi), and soon became very popular. His reputation had producers advertising their movies by proclaiming, Story and Dialogue by ” Kalaignar Mu. Karunanidhi”. When film titles were projected in the cinema halls, his name would be shown ahead of the stars and greeted with applause.
There were others to follow Karunanidhi in both content and style from the DMK camp — Aasaithamby, Krishnaswamy, Maaran and Kannadasan etc. But Karunanidhi was the master in that genre surpassing even his mentor and leader Annadurai.
Announcement of Karunanidhi’s death by Kauvery hospital, Chennai
Screenplay and Dialogues
Karunanidhi had written the screenplay and dialogues for over 60 films.The first two films he wrote scripts for were Rajakumari” and Abhimanyu”. However Karunanidhi was not credited for those films. It was his third film Marutha Naattu Ilavarasi” released in 1950, for which Karunanidhi was first credited as script writer in the titles.
Among the films scripted by Karunanidhi are Manthiri Kumari, Parasakthi, Manamahal, Panam, Manohara, Thirumbi paar, Malaikkallan, Pudumaippithan, Kuravanji, Raja Rani, Arasilankumari, Iruvar Ullam, Rangoon Radha, Pudaiyal, Kaanchi Thalaivan, Poompuhaar, Poomaalai, Avan Pithanaa, Marakka Mudiyumaa, Pillaiyo Pillai, Paalaivana Rojakkal,Uliyin Oasai and Ponnar Shankar.
It is said that he received 3000 rupees for his first film. However in later years he got up to Rs.7.5 million to script a film.
Kalaignar also formed a film company called Mekala Pictures in partnership with others and produced several films. Later his nephew and former Indian Cabinet Commerce minister Murasoli” MK Maaran took over the company. In addition to being a script writer and playwright, Karunanidhi had also written film songs. He was also a reputed creative writer having written many novels and short stories.
He was also well-known for explaining classical Tamil literature in elegant yet simple prose. Two of his outstanding works are Kuraloaviyam” and Sangath Thamizh”.He had also written a four -part autobiography named Nenjukku Neethi”.
Interestingly Karunanidhi’s family has had and continues to maintain close links with the Tamil film industry. Apart from Karunanidhi, his nephew and former cabinet minister Murasoli Maran, who is no more, was also a former film script writer. Maran’s brother Amirtham was a cinematographer. Maran’s sons Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi are co-owners of the Sun” TV network . They also produce films under the banner Sun Pictures”.
Karunanidhi’s son and heir apparent M.K. Stalin too has dabbled in acting, as the hero of a TV serial Kurinji Malar”. Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi is both a successful film producer as well as actor who has played the hero in many Tamil films. His wife Krithika directs films.
Karunanidhi’s younger son Thamizharasu’s son Arulnidhi has made his mark as lead actor in some films. Elder son Azhaghiri’s son Dayanidhi is a film producer and distributor. Karunanidhi’s eldest son MK Muthu also had a short lived film career as an actor-singer. Moreover the DMK chief’s second wife” Rajathi was a stage actor who got involved with Karunanidhi as his Thunaivi” (companion) when acting in dramas penned by Kalaignar. Their daughter Kanimozhi who is a Rajya Sabha MP is the owner of Kalaignar TV.
If cinema and politics are inter-twined in Tamil Nadu then Karunanithi’s family seems to be immersed in both.
Although Karunanidhi is known nowadays as a political leader(and rightly so) there is no denying that it was his association with films that gave him the necessary popularity with the masses of Tamil Nadu.
This is due to the peculiar course of politics in Tamil Nadu where the influence of cinema on politics has been of a phenomenal nature. Popular film personalities have enjoyed great support among the masses.
Unlike in north India, Tamil Nadu film personalities served as an integral component of their parties. In most cases, they were the ‘axles’ around whom their party wheel revolved.
Significantly, from 1967, most Chief Ministers in Tamil Nadu have had connections to the silver screen – Annadurai,Karunanidhi,M.G.Ramachandran,Janaki Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa Jayaram.The exceptions have been the current Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy and earlier O. Panneerselvam nominated as caretaker” CM on three occasions.
With a population of more than 70 million , Tamil Nadu has the third highest literacy rate among the states of India. The state is also home to India’s original rationalist movement, started by E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar).
Known as the Suyamariyaathai lyakkam, or self-respect movement, it promoted healthy political protest against caste oppression, the imposition of Hindi as the national language and superstition in religion. Periyar also founded the Dravida Kazhagham or Dravidian Party in 1943, to which both today’s ruling party All -India Anna -Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham(AIADMK) and chief opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham(DMK) trace their lineage.
In spite of this Dravidian” heritage of rationalism and self-respect, it is Tamil Nadu that has allowed film stars to exercise political hegemony like no other. How this situation came about is a bizarrely unique story.
Struggle for Indian Independence
The involvement of popular artistes in Indian politics dates back to the struggle for Indian independence. Back then it was more a case of singers, musicians and drama artistes involving themselves at a provincial level, where explicit and implicit messages extolling the virtues of Mahatma Gandhi and independence were conveyed to the audience.
Social reform was also advocated. Congress party leader Sathiyamurthy was one who recognized the political potential of actors and singers and began utilizing their services in the Tamil speaking areas of the former Madras presidency. The singer-actor KB Sundarambal and the TKS Brothers Drama troupe being glittering examples in this sphere.
The message of Swarajya was projected through song recitals, street dramas, folk theater, stage plays and later through silent and talkie”films.
Logic gave way to patriotism in many instances. For example the mythological film Sathi Anasuya” had women of the Puranic era weave Khadar” on the hand loom in keeping with Mahatma Gandhi’s tenets.
As the film industry bloomed, some films were perceived by the erstwhile British rulers as possessing seditious content. The authorities clamped down on some objectionable” films, a notable example being the Tamil film Thyaga Bhoomi (Land of Sacrifice) made in 1938. It was written originally for the screen by Kalki” Krishnamurthy and serialized in the Tamil journal Ananda Vikatan. The film directed by K. Subramanyam spoke eloquently against oppression of women as well as against British rule.
The advent of Independence in 1947 and the early post-Independence years saw cinema and politics take different directions in North India. Though there was some political content in certain movies, there was no overt politicization. Likewise, a few North Indian movie stars did get involved in politics but never played a pivotal role. In recent times many actors North of the Vindhyas have been involved in election campaigns. Several have been elected MPs with a few becoming Ministers too.
To generalize , Northern film stars are essentially ornaments” for the respective political parties and not decision makers wielding real power.
However, in South India, and particularly in Tamil Nadu, politics and cinema have been inextricably intertwined in a big way. The larger-than-life image of actors like N.S. Krishnan, M.G. Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, SS Rajendran N.T. Rama Rao, and Jayalalitha, dominated the political scene. As stated earlier political leaders like former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and his mentor and predecessor C.N. Annadurai also came in from careers in cinema, as screenplay and dialogue writers.
Dravidian Consciousness and Ideology
The role of cinema in the political history of Tamil Nadu provides interesting insights into present-day developments. The politics of Tamil Nadu for the past 75 years has been pervaded by notions of the Aryan-Dravidian divide. This concept itself is not very scientific and has been greatly mythologized. Nevertheless, this Dravidian consciousness and ideology has helped politicize significant sections of the Tamil masses and has sustained whole political parties and movements.
According to its proponents, the original inhabitants of India were the Dravidians and it was the invading Aryans who took over the north and pushed the Dravidians southward. In addition, the Aryans also imposed their caste structure on the Dravidians, who had until then a classless society. This hierarchy placed the Brahmins on top. Dravidian ideologues maintained that Tamil Brahmins were not Tamil even though they spoke the language, but were alien Aryan relics. While its social reform platform was quite progressive, the Dravidian movement’s crude version of the Aryan-Dravidian interface and its venomous antipathy towards Tamil Brahmins left much to be desired.
Socio-historical reasons had enabled the Brahmins to remain the ruling elite in the state. They were better educated and dominated most fields, including the professions. In addition there was the stamp of authority provided by orthodox Hinduism. The emerging non-Brahmin elites chose to adopt the Dravidian ideology to overthrow what they saw as Brahminic hegemony. The clearly perceived position of power that the numerically inferior Brahmins enjoyed, made them vulnerable targets. The democratic process made easy the mobilization of non-Brahmin caste groups on the basis of the Dravidian ideology.
Dravidian languages are 19 in all, of which Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Tulu and Kannada are the most prominent. Interestingly, there were few takers for the Dravidian” ideology among the other South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh (Telugu), Kerala (Malayalam) and Karnataka (Kannada). However, it took firm root in Tamil Nadu.
The original political demand of the Dravidian parties was a Dravidian state comprising present-day Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It later modified itself into a secessionist movement, focused on Tamil Nadu alone.
It was only after the 1962 war with China that the DMK dropped its separatist demand in the interests of national unity and security. It now agitates for greater autonomy within the Indian union.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK)
The DMK was born in post-independence India. Karunanidhi’s ascendancy in politics basically corresponded with that of the DMK’s rise in TamilNadu. The parent Dravidian movement of the DMK was the Dravida Kazhagham (DK) founded by E,V.Ramaswamy Naicker known as Periyaar” (great person) .It was opposed to participation in politics.
But Periyar was autocratic. A group of dissidents, including Karunanidhi, revolted under the leadership of Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai and formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) in 1949. Starting out as a social reform movement, the DMK later decided that change was impossible without capturing political power through democratic means.
In 1957, the DMK decided to enter electoral politics and secured 15 seats in the State assembly and two in the Indian Parliament. In 1962, the figure went up to 50 in the State assembly and eight in Parliament. 1967 saw it capture power for the first time when it got 138 out of the 234 seats in the State. The DMK also won all the seats (25) it contested for the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament).
Annadurai became Chief Minister. He changed the name of the State from the previous Madras to the present Tamil Nadu (Tamil Country/Land). Annadurai died in 1969.He was succeeded by Karunanidhi who was earlier the Public Works Minister.
In 1971, the party registered a landslide victory when it captured 184 seats in the state and 23 in Parliament. The party seemed invincible.
But 1972 saw a major split. The DMK’s chief vote gatherer and matinee idol Maruthoor Gopalamenon Ramachandran, or MGR, broke away from the party and floated his own that year. He named it after Annadurai and called it Anna DMK. It was later changed to All India Anna-DMK.
MGR’s party won three elections in succession, securing 125 seats in 1977, 130 in 1980 and 125 in 1984. Karunanidhi had to remain content as Opposition Leader for 11 years. When MGR died in 1987 December, his wife Janaki succeeded him. But the government fell after one month, due to Congress machinations.
With MGR’s leading lady and then propaganda secretary Jayalalitha also staking her claim to party leadership, a split resulted. In 1989, a divided ADMK contested as two factions led by Janaki and Jayalalitha. The Janaki faction (one seat) was trounced by Jayalalitha (24 seats) but the DMK under Karunanidhi romped home as the winner.
After Rajiv Gandhi’s death, the Jayalalitha-Congress combine routed the DMK in 1991. Only its leader, Karunanidhi, managed to win. In 1996, the DMK was returned to power and retained it till 2001.Jayalalithaa returned to power in 2001 and was de-throned by Karunanidhi and the DMK in 2006.
The wheel turned again in 2011 and Jayalalithaa became Chief Minister. She followed it up by winning again in 2016. However she fell ill and passed away in December that year.
Her arch rival Karunanidhi too had begun to decline in health since 2016.
Karunanidhi’s Son M.K.Stalin
The DMK was not doing well either. Karunanidhi’s son M. K. Stalin has donned the leadership mantle but there are strong doubts whether he can deliver. The recent RK Nagar by-election was a shock to the DMK. It was expected that the DMK would win because the AIADMK votes were split among the official candidate and the dissident independent candidate. In spite of split votes, the independent candidate came first and AIADMK candidate second. DMK finished a poor third. Of course the cash for votes” syndrome was rampant.
Attempts by smaller parties including the leftists to form a common front as a third alternative failed miserably at the 2016 polls. Casteist and parochial parties have a community vote bank but are unable to transcend those barriers.
The BJP and Congress have again and again demonstrated that their national appeal does not work in Tamil land. Against that backdrop it is felt that a political leadership vacuum exists in the state. There is a need for change from 50 years of Dravidian politics.
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The 52nd Jalsa Salana (Annual Convention) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the United Kingdom concluded on Sunday 5th August 2018 in which five speeches. by the World Head the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
The Convention began on Friday with the traditional Friday Sermon and the raising of the black and white flag of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community alongside the Union Flag. On Saturday (the second day of the event), the Caliph conducted proceedings from the ladies marquee where 15,000 Muslim women witnessed His Holiness awarded prizes to women for academic achievements and deliver a speech on the rights and empowerment Islam affords them.
38,510 people from 115 countries including Sri Lanka attended this three day Convention (Jalsa Salana), which took place at Hadeeqatul Mahdi in Alton, Hampshire.
Apart from the thousands of Ahmadi Muslims who participated, many non-Ahmadi and non-Muslim guests also attended. The entire event was also broadcast live on MTA International and streamed online.
One of the highlights of the three-day Convention was the pledge of allegiance, known as Bai’at that took place on Sunday afternoon, where the participants pledged allegiance to Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad as the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph) of the Promised Messiah – Hazrat Mirza Ghlam Ahmad(peace be upon him).
The participants formed a human chain leading to the Khalifa as they repeated the words of the pledge in unison.
Prior to the ceremony, His Holiness announced that 6,37,891 people had joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community during the past year from all around the world. He also announced that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was now established in 212 countries. The event concluded with silent prayer led by His holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
(මෙමකෙටිකතාවටපාදකවූවස්තුබීජයමගේසිතේතැන්පත්වන්නේ 1994 වසරේඅධිකරණවෛද්යපුහුණුවලැබීමටෆ්රැන්සිස්මාවතේපිහිටිමෘතශරීරාගාරයටගියඅවස්ථාවේදීය. අපගේපුහුණුවපවත්වනලද්දේසුප්රකටටඅධිකරණවෛද්යවිශේෂඥයෙකුවූවෛද්ය L B L අල්විස්මහතාවිසිනි. මෙමමෘතශරීරාගාරයේදීඅව්යක්තකතාකියමින්මිනීකැපුසුළුසේවකයෙකුමගේඅවධානයටලක්විය. කෙටිකතාවේරාත්රීමුරකරුගේචරිතයගොඩනැගෙන්නේමෙමපුද්ගලයාඇසුරෙනි. එහෙත්මෙමකතාවමනෝකල්පිතඑකකි. එවැනිසිදුවීමක්සත්යලෙසින්සිදුවීනොමැත.)
Colombo, August 7 (newsin.asia): The Sri Lanka army, which in May 2009 did what was thought to be impossible”, namely, annihilate the dreaded separatist militant group, the Tamil Tigers, is today in the process of transforming itself into a multi-faceted and capacity-based force capable of tackling multifarious threats to national security from a multiplicity of sources.
The SLA, led by the tough Special Forces officer cum qualified engineer, Lt.Gen.Mahesh Senanayake, is putting his officers and men through training in various skills which will enable them to tackle any situation, whether man-made or nature-made.
In every crisis, whether man made or nature made, the first responder is always the army or the armed forces. And that calls for the right orientation and preparedness. Gen.Senanayake recalled that the Sri Lankan army had been the first responder when a devastating earthquake struck Nepal in 2015.
The SLA is already involved in the repair of hundreds of irrigation tanks in the North Western, North Central and Eastern provinces and cultivating crops in the North. It has exchanged ploughshares for swords and has transformed itself from a fighting force into an agent of post-war ethnic reconciliation, which came in for praise from the chief of the US Pacific Command when he visited Sri Lanka.
In its efforts to be socially and economically relevant in peace time (even as it keeps itself fighting fit to meet any violent threats to the country), the SLA’s officers attend courses in universities to equip themselves with technical, managerial and intellectual skills.
The SLA’s expanding universe and broad outlook is reflected in the annual seminar it has been conducting since 2011. The international Colombo Defense Seminar 2018 to be held on August 30 and 31, is the most ambitious to date.
It will discuss subjects like: Demographic Transformation and Implications for Security; Technological Disruptions; Human-Induced Climate Change; Political and Violent Extremism; Internal Displacement; Cross Border Migrations; Urban Security in the 21 st.Century; Cyber Conflicts and Future Power; Social Media and Authenticity; Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Weapons; Destabilization of International Systems; Violent Non-State Actors; Diaspora Communities Amidst Conflicts; and Technological Advancements and the Future of Warfare.
The overall theme of the seminar will be: Security in an era of global disruptions.” About 800 foreign and local military and security experts and research scholars will participate, with 13 foreign and 14 local experts making presentations. All army chiefs in the SAARC region have been invited to participate. Thirty eight countries, including India, have confirmed participation. Gen.Senanayeke said that China is expected to send a delegation at the Major General’s level.
On the final day, the various groups formed to discuss specific subjects will present a summary of their discussions and any consensus that might have emerged.
While Sri Lankan President and Defense Minister Maithripala Sirisena will be the Chief Guest on the opening day, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will deliver the keynote address.
Explaining the reason for discussing the Diaspora’s impact on security, Gen.Senanayake said that some Diaspora communities have evolved out of conflict (such as the Tamil Diaspora in the Western countries). These again may be divided into two groups: those willing to engage with the government and come back to economically develop their homeland; and those who are hostile, Those interested in coming to terms with the State should be encouraged to do so, while those who are hostile should be engaged constructively,the General said.
The General and his team said the nature of warfare and security issues have changed and will continue to change. Security forces trained to fight in a particular scenario could find themselves facing new challenges in new settings for which they should be prepared. Armies all over the world are gearing themselves up to identify these challenges and get prepared to face them. Urban warfare and warfare against small but elusive and deadly non-State groups are among the new challenges.
Armies interact with each other to get to know more about these challenges and how various armies face them. The annual Colombo Defense Seminar has established itself as an appropriate forum, the General said.
(The featured image at the top shows the Sri Lankan Army Commander Lt.Gen.Mahesh Senanayake)
India topped the number of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka at 206,337 followed by the Chinese tourist whose figures stood at 136,294.
Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka may soon be exempted from visa requirement as the government is mulling granting visa free entry to visitors from countries like India and China, Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said today.
Mr Amaratunga said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a task force to study the possibility of granting visa free entry to visitors from certain tourist friendly nations to boost arrivals.
India and China along with some other European and West Asian nations can benefit from it, he said.
Following recommendations from the task force, this proposal may be implemented in the off season months of October to November and March to April, the minister said.
Sri Lanka’ tourism industry faced a difficult time until a decade back due to the civil war with the LTTE. However, in the recent years the island nation has emerged as a top tourism destination in Asia.
Tourist arrivals have recorded a growth of 15.3 per cent during the first half of 2018 compared with the same period last year.
India topped the number of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka at 206,337 followed by the Chinese tourist whose figures stood at 136,294.
All tourists to Sri Lanka must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before their arrival.
COMMENT
On the basis of reciprocity, citizens of Singapore, the Maldives and the Seychelles are exempt from the ETA and can obtain a visa on arrival free of charge.
Sri Lanka would go to a presidential election sometime during the next year as the presidency enters the final year of its five year term in January 2019. The prospect of a new Constitution, which may also require the approval in a referendum is diminishing. And even the constituent partners of the government are divided over the rationale of abolishing the executive presidency. A presidential election plus a general election should the president decide to dissolve Parliament after four and a half years into its term – is the most likely outcome. And it would also be a three way race, that pits Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, President Maithripala Sirisena, who has now gone back on his earlier commitment to not to seek a second term, and the Joint Opposition candidate, most likely Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The candidacy of Wickremesinghe and Sirisena would see anti-Rajapaksa voters divided and as the recent local government elections vindicated, the winner of this rivalry would be the Joint Opposition.
Gotabaya plays his presidential ambitions close to his chest, yet, despite the quirky calls for Chamal Rajapaksa or Dinesh Gunawardene as a potential presidential candidate, even those who make such claims know in deep down their hearts, that those gentlemen are yesterday’s garbage, who neither inspire voters , nor have political courage for decisive policy.
In contrast, Gota is an autocrat first, and if ever, is a populist by pretense . For those like Gota, electoral legitimacy matters only until they achieve political power
In contrast, to give the devil his due, Gota is different. Being a Rajapaksa adds up to his electoral appeal. But, a good part of his image is built on not being a politician, though younger Rajapaksa was more powerful, and lethally so, than any politician during the presidency of his brother.
Gota speaks as if he has rendered himself unto his elder brother. If former President Mahinda Rajapaksa asks me to contest and to carry forward the ex-president’s mission, I would”, he asserts. However, even MR knows Gota, who is unpredictable and a law unto himself is a dangerous choice. When he was the president, he used to tell the media, don’t criticize Gota, criticize me.” Those who count on Gota to be the reincarnation of MR may be committing a costly miscalculation. Gota is not MR.
Consider the contrast of their personalities
Local and foreign political pundits tend to describe MR as authoritarian. Yes , he was, however, the operative word of Rajapaksa’s political character is that above all, he was and is a populist. Absolutism of his rule was subjective and was a predictable outcome of his populist legitimacy. In other words, MR was a populist first, and authoritarian later.
In contrast, Gota is an autocrat first, and if ever, is a populist by pretense . For those like Gota, electoral legitimacy matters only until they achieve political power. Once there, rather than playing by the rules, they are more likely to rewrite them and to rely on the arbitrary force of the state’s coercive organs. The Rajapaksa administration’s resort to white-vans and extra-judicial killings of prison inmates to address the law and order problem, at the expense of the very rule of law it was entrusted with to defend, was primarily a product of Gota’s personal preference.
Those who terrorized the public with bed time stories of Idi Amin, during Sarath Fonseka’s presidential campaign now has a real prospect to worry about.
MR was a populist to the extent that he was so cocksure that he would win the popular vote, that he disregarded opposition from his advisors to call snap elections one and half years before the end of his presidential term. When he lost, he left power gracefully, perhaps because, he knew he would make a comeback. Gota may not. Electoral mandate would not matter much in a Gota presidency. There will be other layers of state power through which he derives legitimacy and obedience. If MR was a Hugo Chavez,Gota is more likely to become an Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,Egypt’s Army chief-turned President, who exploited popular grievance to capture power and then made an ass out of the country’s nascent democracy.
MR was a populist to the extent that he was so sure that he would win the popular vote, that he disregarded opposition from his advisors to call snap elections 18 months before the end of his presidential term
Nonetheless, MR’s populism had its constraints. The economic windfall at the end of the war provided him with time, space, and sufficient legitimacy to address the structural problems of the economy. MR squandered that opportunity because he valued his political calculations over the long term viability of the economy. When the post- war bonanza fizzled away, economic troubles, hitherto suppressed and unattended, magnified. His government spent US $ 2.5 billion to defend the value of an over-priced rupee. By the last year of his government (2014), exports as a share of the GDP halved from their 2000 value (33%). The Electricity board and Petroleum Cooperation accumulated looming losses due to unaffordable subsidies. National carrier was ran to the ground. He left a right royal mess for his successor to clean up.
Perhaps, Gota might have been more proactive. As much as he was willing to send Police STF to evict slum dwellers, he was also not inclined to feed the people with subsidized sprats and lentils. Some of the much talked about feats of the Rajapaksa administration such as Colombo beautification was made possible due to Gota’s cold-hearted determination.
Nonetheless, MR’s populism had its constraints. The economic windfall at the end of the war provided him with time, space, and sufficient legitimacy to address the structural problems of the economy
However, there is a glitch. Even the dictators need a group of competent advisors to run the economic policy. Pinochet had ‘Chicago boys’, young economists trained in the University of Chicago; pro-American autocrats in East Asia had their American advisors. Who has Gota got? Majority of the so- called intelligentsia in ‘Viyath Maga’ are no name nobodies, who are more at ease in parroting long lost economic theories of a middle path, which has proved to be a road to nowhere. They imbibe a nostalgia for the 1956, a populist misadventure that deprived the country of its hitherto held competitive advantage, leading us to the depravity of sending our women to toil in the Middle East. There is also a sense of strong opposition from his backers towards free trade agreements. Though such opposition is shrouded in the concerns for saving local jobs, the untold desire is to maintain the rotten status quo that favours a few under-performing industries at the expense of the future of a nation.
At the end, running a country is far more complicated than evicting squatters in Kompannavediya. If the panacea for the efficient governance is enlarging the role of military in public life, Pakistan could now have been an economic miracle. Gota’s hype does not provide solutions to complex problems that Sri Lanka is currently faced with. Still, more than anything else, the current government’s failure to provide a strong leadership continues to provide currency to that farce.
There are so many cooking programmes in British TV, almost on daily basis. One thing I didn’t notice is there was no technique to save energy and to avoid any cooking aroma while cooking, still the programme producers give priority to their kind of cooking. While cooking so many other gases are formed and the chefs totally ignore them that means they pollute the atmosphere while cooking that means the chefs tend to inhale those polluted gases while they were given out while cooking. It has been found that inhaling polluted gases would bring about breathing difficulties and other cardiovascular problems.
The cause of cardiovascular disease
The primary cause of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis – the narrowing and eventual blockage of arteries by the deposition of fatty plaques on the walls of the artery. Eventually these plaques can rupture – thrombosis – and the resultant blood clot deprives vital tissues of oxygen. If this happens in the major blood vessels supplying the heart, you have a heart attack. In the brain, you have a stroke. In the peripheral arteries, crippling pain can result.
Don’t Miss the Early Signs of Heart Disease
There is a common misconception that minor pain or pain in various parts of the body does not indicate a heart problem. Some people are surprised to discover that not all heart attacks involve massive pain or a collapse that results in the need for an ambulance. In fact, some indicators are so insignificant that people overlook or dismiss them. If you have any of the symptoms below, you should see your doctor and ask him if they could be early signs of heart disease.
Angina
This painful condition is sometimes the precursor to cardiac arrest, although it can also recur for years without triggering any more serious signs. Angina is the most common early warning of cardiovascular disease and can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including a feeling of heaviness in the chest, pain, a squeezing sensation, weight on the chest or a deep pain that causes you to catch your breath. Many people mistake angina for heartburn or indigestion, particularly since the pain is sometimes felt in other areas of the body, including pain in the shoulder, the middle or upper region of the back or even the jaw line.
Atherosclerosis
This is the narrowing or blocking of the major arteries due to the build-up of plaque from too much cholesterol. Years ago, it was referred to as hardening of the arteries. As the arteries become clogged, blood flow to and from the heart is restricted, forcing the heart to work harder. Most people first notice poor circulation that leads to difficulty keeping their hands and feet warm.
More Early Signs of Heart Disease
There are other indications of heart disease that may come and go for months or even years without an individual connecting them with any sort of serious problem such as cardiovascular illness. Among these are dizziness, shortness of breath after exertion or exercise, sweating, a rapid pulse and heart palpitations. Many people dismiss these signs if they are under fifty years of age, particularly if the symptoms come and go.
from short term exposure to cooking fumes.
Exposure to cooking fumes is abundant both in domestic homes and in professional cooks and entails a possible risk of deleterious health effects. When food is cooked at temperatures up to 300°C, carbohydrates, proteins, and fat are reduced to toxic products, such as aldehydes and alkanoic acids which can cause irritation of the airway mucosa. Cooking fumes also contains carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic compounds. Exposure to cooking fumes has also been associated in several studies with an increased risk of respiratory cancer. Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified emissions from high temperature frying as probably carcinogenic to humans.
Frying at high temperatures also produces aerosols of fat with small aerodynamic diameters of 20–500 nm which disperse in the air of the kitchen and nearby facilities. Such aerosols, containing fatty acids, irritate the airway mucosa, and can cause pneumonia. It has also been shown that the inhalation of aerosols of oil mist from other kinds of oils can cause small airway obstruction. Chinese investigations have shown that exposure to cooking fumes at work can be associated with rhinitis, respiratory disorders, and impaired pulmonary function. In two Norwegian studies, it has been shown that cooks and kitchen workers had an increased occurrence of respiratory distress associated with work and increased mortality from airway disease. Few other studies have addressed the biological effects of exposure to cooking fumes in western domestic and professional kitchens.
Spirometry is the most common, and also a quite sensitive pulmonary function test. It has been used for a long time in many investigations, for detecting chronic work-related impaired lung function in general, but it has also been possible to study short term cross-shift changes in different settings. The traditional spirometric time-volume curve measures the bowl function of the lungs, while flow-volume curves and other measures also give indications of the function of the smaller and more peripheral airways.
The aim of this study was to see if short term exposure to moderate levels of cooking fumes in an indoor environment causes changes in pulmonary function.
Persons who come into contact with food, in either occupational or non-occupational settings, can inhale food particles that may lead to adverse reactions in highly sensitive individuals, or may cause de novo sensitization. Although the degree of exposure to food allergens is a major factor, concomitant environmental exposures to non-specific irritants can enhance the reactivity of the respiratory tract. Given the unpredictability and variety of these exposures, their identification by patients and clinicians can be challenging.
If anyone watched British TV cooking programmes, you would notice the contestants always produce far too much cooking aroma while cooking. When they cook, they have to stay there that means they invariably inhale those unhealthy fumes. The so called judges appear to be not taking any notice of how the contestants cook as far as the final products are palatable to them. Who would agree that kind of cooking and judgements are right and let the public watch that kind of competitions. Sometimes TV is a media for educating the public but these kinds of cooking certainly would not help the public to cook in the correct manner.
Research findings about cooking aroma
Exposure to cooking fumes is abundant both in domestic homes and in professional cooks and entails a possible risk of deleterious health effects. When food is cooked at temperatures up to 300°C, carbohydrates, proteins, and fat are reduced to toxic products, such as aldehydes and alkanoic acids which can cause irritation of the airway mucosa. Cooking fumes also contains carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic compounds. Exposure to cooking fumes has also been associated in several studies with an increased risk of respiratory cancer.
One must understand about the health aspects as well in cooking rather than cooking only. Back home in Sri Lanka even most uneducated ladies are aware of cooking but not the science behind cooking. I managed to demonstrate how to cook scientifically saving nearly 60% energy. My method was demonstrated to Sustainable Energy Authority and also to the Invention Commission in Sri Lanka. My method was approved by them and they awarded me a certificate as well. If the British public watched my method of scientific energy saving cooking then they would save plenty of energy that means money. I have followed some scientific laws that are more than two centuries old and still accepted so my method should be correct. If my method was disproved then there is a huge sum of money to give away. Please remember according to science every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. Only if one needs to save energy and cut down some air pollution while cooking so why not let me demonstrate my scientific energy saving cooking so that majority of British people would benefit. Your comments are welcomed perera6@hotmail.co.uk
Colombo, Aug 6 (Xinhua) – Sri Lanka’s southern Hambantota port is gearing up to become a leading port in the Indian Ocean region, a port official said on Monday.
CEO of the Hambantota International Port Services (HIPS) Ravindra Jayawickreme said the location of the Hambantota port had always been extremely advantageous as it was located just a little less than half a nautical mile from the sea lanes.
But what was necessary to push this into the limelight, was the right partnerships and this is what China Merchants Port Holdings brought to the table,” Jayawickreme said.
China Merchants Port Holdings (CM Port) entered into partnership with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority in July last year to develop and manage the port.
Jayawickreme added that the Hambantota port was being developed into a multipurpose port, which will provide a variety of services such as handling containers, break bulk, roll-on/roll-off, passenger, oil, bulk terminal, gas and project cargo.
The port is slated to become one of a kind, as it will be the only port in the country designed to handle the full gamut of services in the maritime and logistics area, he explained.
The great noble soldier and a gallant leader of defense forces , the Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa became a victim of a land mine 26 years ago on 8th August 1992 in Araly Point while planning an offensive operation Balavegaya.
“Though one lamp lights a hundred lamps The brightness of the first never dims ,,,”(subahasitaya)
He was selected as an officer cadet of the Army at the age of 20 years and proceeded to Sandhurst Military Academy for further training.He was a senior member of the Ta FAII operations which was combating illegal migrants from India, In mid 1980s he was promoted as a Brigadier and assumed duties at the Army HQ, Later ,He became on of the most important strategist in countering the LTTE terrorism His fight against the LTTE commenced when he successfully cleared the Eastern region and halted the expansion of the LTTE. Then he was moved to Jaffna where he skilfully managed the Operation Liberation also popularly known as Vadamarachchi Operation. The operation had 8000 armed personnel with 3 brigades and commenced in May 1987. After clearing a large area of land and when the forces were on the verge of capturing the LTTE chief Prabahkaran India invaded Sri Lankan skies and the President J.R.Jayawradene terminated the Vadamarchchi operations providing space for the LTTE to subsequently to re-gather and revamp its killing machine,
Among the other notable operations carried out under the valiant leadership of Major General Denzil Kobbekaduwa were Operation Gajasinghe and Operation Balvegaya
He was well loved by the uniformed men and women as he had the time to look after the welfare of the cadres and into their grievances. He addressed his cadres Putha and Duwa which elicited utmost companionship among the fellow soldiers. He always exerted his efforts to win the hearts and minds of the people who were liberated from the enemy and very often skillfully dragged the war front away from the centers of population to minimize the dangers to the civilians. He actively involved himself with the civil co-ordinators in fulfilling the expectations of the ordinary citizens with regard to the provision of food, health requirements, transport and educational needs while helping to improve the irrigation facilities and roads.He was posthumously promoted to the Lt General rank and awarded the Visista Seva Vibhusnaya and Rana Sura medals.
As we now witness the separatist forces slowly gathering strength in the North and moving to and from the former LTTE strongholds the bombs and other arms , we are compelled to think of the principled leaders of the armed forces like late Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa who can save our Nation
“When the sun rises ,by its magnificent rays, The dense darkness of the world gets dispelled,but only during the day, The deep sorrows of darkness both internal and external Vanish at the mere sight of a noble leader ,equally during day and night (subahasitaye )
New Delhi: Holding the tenth round of talks for widening the scope of existing free trade agreement in goods, India and Sri Lanka are aiming at concluding the negotiations by December 2018.
“The talks are going at a healthy pace and both the countries are targeting to conclude the talks by December for the Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement (ETCA),” an official said.
File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Sri Lankan President Sirisena. PIB
The pact is aimed at further boosting the economic ties between the two countries by liberalising trade norms.
Both the countries already have a free trade agreement (FTAs) in goods, but now the talks are on to widen the scope of this pact by including services and investments to make it comprehensive.
India and Sri Lanka have a free trade agreement in goods. The agreement was implemented in March 2000.
India has a healthy trade surplus in goods with Sri Lanka. India exported goods worth $4.5 billion in 2017-18 and its imports from that country were only $773 million.
Sri Lanka is India’s major trading partner in South Asia.
In 2003, both sides set up a joint study group to widen the ambit of the FTA. Based on its recommendations, they started negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement in February 2005.
New Delhi, Aug 5 (Prensa Latina) India and Sri Lanka are celebrating the tenth round of talks to expand the scope of the free trade agreement, in negotiations that are likely to conclude in December, as reported today in this capital.
The talks are going at a healthy pace and both countries aim to conclude them in December for the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement, noted the Press Trust of India news agency.
The pact aims to further boost economic ties between the two countries through the liberalization of trade rules, pointed out the source.
Both countries already have a free trade agreement on goods, implemented in March 2000, but now the talks broaden their scope to include services and investments, to make it more complete, it added.
India has a healthy trade surplus in goods with Sri Lanka, its main trading partner in the South Asian region.
The South Asian country exported goods worth 4.5 billion dollars in 2017-18, while its imports from the neighboring country were only 773 million dollars.
Sri Lanka govt had announced that it will go ahead with the deal with India to jointly operate the $210 million Mattala Rajapaksha International Airport at Hambantota
The Sri Lankan government is reworking on the draft of a memorandum of understanding to hand over the management of Mattala Rajapaksha International Airport at Hambantota to Indian airport operator, according to a media report on Sunday.
Dubbed as the “world’s emptiest airport” due to lack of flights, the MRIA was build with high interest commercial loans from China by the Mahinda Rajapaksha government. It was officially opened in March 2013 and the only international flight operating from there was halted in May.
Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport. Photo: Wikipedia
Last month, the government had last month asked the Indian airport operator to submit its business plan for operating the loss-making airport.
A draft MoU on handing over of the MRIA to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was recently presented before the Sri Lankan Cabinet and is now being reworked at the Indian government’s request, the Sunday Times reported.
The talks for management control of the MRIA are continuing between India and Sri Lanka, at no point during the negotiations with India was the proposal withdrawn or denied despite what the media reported, it said, quoting an unnamed official.
“The Sri Lankan government’s terms only allow for management control of the commercial activities of the airport while ownership and statutory functions including air traffic control and air traffic rights will be under the control of Sri Lankan authorities,” said another official
The AAI is to enter a deal with Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Authority to run the MRIA, named after Rajapaksa in his home district. The AAI is to have a 70 per cent stake while Sri Lanka’s CAA will invest 30 per cent, parliament was told.
The private-public-partnership will allow AAI to enter into a 40-year lease agreement to take up the management control of the airport.
(…..Similarities are not only quantitatively provocative but striking as well in terms of particular isolated physical traits that distinguish both Vedda and Balangoda man from other southern Asiatic populations…….)
මෙරට පැරණි ප්රජාව සම්බන්ධයෙන් අනෙක් වැදගත් ජීවවිද්යාත්මක නිරීක්ෂණය කරනු ලැබුවේ ඩයනා හෝකි විසින්. ඇය විසින් සිදු කළ The Peopling of South Asia: Evidence for Affinities and Microevolution of Prehistoric Populations of India and Sri Lanka මැයෙන් යුත් පර්යේෂණයේ වාර්තාව ඇරිසෝනා විශ්ව විද්යාලයට ඉදිරිපත් කරනු ලැබුවා. එය 2002 වසරේදී කොළඹ ජාතික කෞතුකාගාරය මගින් ප්රකාශයට පත් කර තිබෙනවා. එම නිබන්ධයේ එක් තැනෙක ඇය සඳහන් කරන්නේ ශ්රී ලංකාවේ ජීවත් වන වර්තමාන සිංහල ජනයා ඓතිහාසිකව හා ජීවවිද්යාත්මකව වඩා සමීප වන්නේ මෙරට පළමුවරට යකඩ භාවිත කළ ප්රජාවට මිස දෙමළ ජනතාවට හෝ ප්රාග්ඓතිහාසික දඩයක්කරුවන්ට නොවන බවයි (Dental data suggest that Sri Lanka Iron age peoples are more similar to recent Sri Lanka Sinhalese, than to Sri Lankan Hunter gatherers, Tamils or Vaddahs……..) මෙවැනි පසුබිමක සිංහලයින් දෙමළ ජනතාවගෙන් පැවත එන බව කීම ශාස්ත්රීය වශයෙන් නිශ්ඵල අදහසක් පමණයි.
Q You are a leading member of the Buddhist clergy who voiced against the government right from its formation. How do you see the current status of politics?
Gotabaya plays his presidential ambitions close to his chest, yet, despite the quirky calls for Chamal Rajapaksa or Dinesh Gunawardene as a potential presidential candidate, even those who make such claims know in deep down their hearts, that those gentlemen are yesterday’s garbage, who neither inspire voters , nor have political courage for decisive policy.
Nonetheless, MR’s populism had its constraints. The economic windfall at the end of the war provided him with time, space, and sufficient legitimacy to address the structural problems of the economy. MR squandered that opportunity because he valued his political calculations over the long term viability of the economy. When the post- war bonanza fizzled away, economic troubles, hitherto suppressed and unattended, magnified. His government spent US $ 2.5 billion to defend the value of an over-priced rupee. By the last year of his government (2014), exports as a share of the GDP halved from their 2000 value (33%). The Electricity board and Petroleum Cooperation accumulated looming losses due to unaffordable subsidies. National carrier was ran to the ground. He left a right royal mess for his successor to clean up.
පසුගිය ඉරිදා කොළඹ ෂැංගි්රලා හෝටලයේදී ඒකාබද්ධ විපක්ෂයට සම්බන්ධ දේශපාලනඥයෙකුගේ මංගල උත්සවයක් පැවැත්විණි. මංගල උත්සවය පැවැත්වුණේ පුත්තලම දිස්ත්රික් පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්රී පියංකර ජයරත්නගේ දියණිය විවාහ වීම නිමිත්තෙන් බැවින් ඒකාබද්ධ විපක්ෂයේ මන්ත්රීවරු විශාල පිරිසකට මේ සඳහා ආරාධනය කර තිබිණි. හිටපු ජනාධිපති මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂ, චමල් රාජපක්ෂ, ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ ඇතුළු රාජපක්ෂ පවුලේ බහුතරයක් පැමිණි මගුල් ගෙයක් ලෙස මෙය කැපී පෙනෙන්නට විය…
‘‘පසුගිය සතියේ අමාත්ය රාජිත සේනාරත්න ට අලූත් නමක් පටබැඳුණු බව සමාජ වෙබ් අඩවි ඔස්සේ බොහෝ දෙනෙක් දැනගත්හ. ඒ නම ‘‘සුවපති” රාජිත සේනාරත්නයි.
මංතීරුව ඔස්සේ ඇවිද යමින් ඇවිදින මංතීරු විවෘත කළ ජනාධිපතිවරයා ඊළඟට පැමිණියේ ශාරීරික ව්යායාම් කරන ස්ථානයට ය….