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.
Samaharatvita me weda ohu Janadhipathi wu da sitama arambha karanta eti. Kohoma unath Polonnaruwe ahinsakayinta mehema hari wedak wena eka gena api satutu wenta one. Namuth prasne tiyenne mulu ratema prasna desa mehema balanta beri ai, Karanta beri eiy kiyana ekai. Me wage ratema prasna visadanawanam ape Janadhipathi waraya kocchara hondada. Ehema unanam ohu vismakarmayek.
Me pravurtitya gena ada mama sandahankala welel ek Visva Vidyala achariya warayek kive e rupiyal koti 600 ma Janadhi pathiwarayata kemetideyak karaganta pitaratakin dipu mudal kiyala. E nisa ai ehema karanta beri kiyala ahuwa.Rajapaksath kaleth ekama ne. okkoma kale Hambantotta pamanai ne kiv”. Mama itin e nisa ne meya path karagatte. Ehema koranne ne kiyala newei balayata ave. E kiyala vitarak mama kiva. Mokada Ohu ugra Rajapaksa virodhiyek bawa penuna nisa. Kavuru kalath weredda wedimai. Eka at RAjapaksada Sirisenada kiyan eka adala nehe. Kohoma unath me wage ayada ape Viswavidyala wala lamayinta nidahaswa hitanta ugannane kiyala mata loku kanagatuwaknam eti una. Me pudgalaya kive Rajapaksala karapu weredi vitarai. Adu gane ohu Yuddhaya dinapu ekawat me achariya waraya danne neti patai.
Weredda kavuru kalath weredi. Mage kalpanave heitiyata Rajapaksa peradune 59 laksa ganak aran. Api balagena imu me Janadahipati waraya labana chandedi ki laksayak gannawada kiyala. Magenam kalpanawe hetiyata oya polonnaruwe 160 minisuwath chande deida danne ne den rata yana hetiyata. Me rate wedi denata Rajapaksada, Sirisenada KIyan ek anewei wedagath. Ratata wediya adare kauda janatawata wediya sevayak karanne kauda kiyana ekai wedagath
The time when DS Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake, Srimavo Bandaranaike were the head of State, they governed the country to their best of ability demonstrating their dexterities & proficiencies and honesty among politicians. DSS with his low educational level understood or accepted the advice of his Secretaries to focus on Structural Transformation.
Galoya development Board and RVDB were typical examples. Hambantota area also was developed. Significant areas were focussed for structural transformation. SriLanka was sufficient, however, rice still was imported. Factories such as Steel, Rubber, Tyre, Tea etc were commissioned which solved the employment and product availability issues and satisfied the question of technological development.
Although the subsequent government sucked into the West preached Capitalism, with lack of understanding of the term.
What is capitalism: Quote: In a political system where the country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit and meet the supply and demand characteristics rather by the government.
Private owner’s dishonesty drove the GOSL to take over the privately-owned industries, transport, education etc by the government. Government ownership introduced a significant volume of malpractices, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness. Here, we have to focus on the business culture and social culture of the particular race that practice. The meaning of Competition was forgotten by the owners and the management staff. Are the SriLankan lack of understanding of the words, Supply” and Demand”? It cannot be concluded that the fault lies with the business owners. The fault lies with the government for not legislating Control measures both price and practice. Even in most cases, control measures were there, the practice of bribery and corruption drove the system to violate the practice and forced the government to take over the businesses. Is this due to lack of understanding with uneducated Members of Parliament?
After nationalizing the entire businesses, did the government satisfy the business norms? GOSL was not able to satisfy the norms, because of the corrupt politicians and the management staff who managed the various industries.
The only industry that was nationalized operated very effectively is the education. Schools, Universities, Technical colleges operated under the heads of the units and was proficient and competent and was able to produce a good number of products. However, the products came out with only one motive, which is to earn money.
When we consider the personal attributes of staff:
Lack of innovative and creative quality was absent in the majority of the staff. Most people lacked in lateral thinking, flexibility, and Unions refused to accept the concept change is a constant”.
Having a methodically organized work pattern is still absent in SL.
Most staff were not initiative. Most were troublemakers” and NOT troubleshooters”.
There were only a few who had leadership quality. Behavioural pattern inflicts upon leadership quality”. Even some management staff lacked listening skills.
Some are not decisive.
The absence of analytical skills prevailed and prevails.
Self-discipline and eagerness to learn was and is absent.
In a multiracial society cohesion is a prerequisite, however, at work and games, team spirit is an obligation.
These are linked to the culture of a race. Among the Tamils: (i) Money is important because of the dowry system that prevailed and prevails. Furthermore, the Tamil politicians inflicted the separatism and Federalism into the workplace. 99% of Tamil staff were supporting the cause even in the government industry, (ii) All were inflicted with the dowry sickness, thereby their motive is to collect adequate funds to get professional bridegrooms. This is a shortfall in the system.
It is the fault of the Government then and now not to have legislated proper and adequate measures by enacting laws to remove those people from the workplace. What is the root cause?
Nationalising the industries gave the politicians free hand to walk into a bribery & corrupt” disarray. We know not that even now to procure defense weapons some minister is alleged of bribery and corruption. Throughout after independence, GOSL is run by Sinhale people with support from the Tamil quarter. Therefore, it is correct and legal to presume that those corrupt politicians are the Sinhalese. A significant example is the BondSale” of CB. Therefore from 1948, Sinhale politicians have become so rich to gyrate them in parliament.
However, since 2013, after the birth of the Provincial Councils, bribery & corruption has gone in multiples. We hear of the corrupt practice in the Northern Provincial Council and may be other provincial councils. SO, what the Sinhale government did is to share the bribery & corruption blame with the Tamil politicians.
On the whole SriLankan government system and the parliament is a garbage colliery with dirty politicians and ministers. SriLanka is now copying the Indian style of government.
Today a normal Sinhale family in the SOUTH is finding difficult to have one good meal a day. However, the salaries of ministers have been increased. The tax on cars under 2 liters has been increased. Middle-class people use cars below two liters. This is a hit on middle-class people.
Further, GOSL must think as to why they did not promote industries and sole traders in the North. Tamil professionals running to the South should not be blamed. What GOSL should have done is to promote the North similar to Galoya Development Board project. Cannot bring a river because North is a dry land with no water resources. Suitable large industries should have been promoted with Sinhale settlements in the North. Tamils must think of cohesion.
Please read our Hon Minister for Citizenship & Multicultural Affairs speech: Mr. Alan Tudge MP at http://nrnmind.blogspot.com/2018/08/hon-alan-tudge-mp-minister-for.html
The Communist Party of China (CPC) is said to be hoping to strengthen relations with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) by having further exchange programmes.
Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, Guo Yezhou met former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and SLPP Chairman G.L. Peiris yesterday.
Prof. Peiris said CPC official commended the efforts taken by the former government to foster ties between Sri Lanka and China, while the CPC expressed its desire to enhance party to party relations with the SLPP.
The CPC maintains relations with all the major political parties in Sri Lanka.
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….
ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ ජනාධිපතිවරණයට ඉදිරිපත් නොවීමට බලපෑ හැකි කරුණු කිහිපයක් 2018 ජුලි 22 දින ‘අනිද්දා’ පුවත්පතේ ‘මරණ තුනක් මැද පැණි කෑම’ සිරස්තලය යටතේ මනුවර්ණගේ සතිය විග්රහ කර ඇත. 2018 ජුලි 15 දින ‘අපේක්ෂකයා ගෝඨාභයමයි.’ ශීර්ෂ පාඨය යටතේ ඉරිදා දිවයිනේ මෙම ලියුම්කරු පළකළ ලිපිිය සමග හිටපු ආරක්ෂක ලේකම්වරයා සහ ඩලස් අලහප්පෙරුම මන්ත්රීවරයා සිටිනා මාතර පාලටුවේදී ගත් ඡායාරූපයට ඉහළ දේශපාලන වටිනාකමක් ඇත. ‘මනුවර්ණ’ එම ඡායාරූපය තම ලිපිය සමග පළකර තිබිණි. ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂගේ මෑණියන් දන්දින සමරසිංහ දිසානායක උපන් ගම වන පාලටුවේ හිටපු ආරක්ෂක ලේකම්වරයාගේ ප්රධානත්වයෙන් පැවැත්වූ රැස්වීමෙන් පසු ඔහුට එල්ල වන ප්රහාර වැඩිවී ඇත.![‘මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ’ නමින් ඕස්ට්රියාවේ සුපිරි නිවසක්.. සියළු විස්තර මෙන්න…[Photo/Video]](http://lankacnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/456544566.jpg)
එක්සත් ජනපදයේ රාජ්ය ලේකම්වරයකුගේ පළමු ශ්රී ලංකා සංචාරය ලෙස ජෝන් ෆෝස්ටර් ඩලස්ගේ සංචාරය ඓතිහාසික එකක් බව මහාචාර්ය ලෙවින් දක්වයි. මොහු 1956 මාර්තු 2 වන දින ඉන්දියාවේ සිට ලංකාවට පැමිණි දින දෙකක් මෙහි ගත කර තිබුණි. එකල අගමැතිවරයා වූ ජෝන් කොතලාවල සමඟ පැය දෙකක සාකච්ඡාවක් පැවතුණි. ඒ වනවිටත් ජෝන් කොතලාවල අගමැතිවරයා ඇමරිකාවේ මිත්රයෙක් බව ඔප්පු කර තිබුණේ 1956 පැවති ‘බැන්ඩුම්’ සමුළුවේදී කොතලාවල අගමැතිවරයා “සෝවියට් අධිරාජ්යවාදය” ට එරෙහිව ආවේගාත්මක කතාවක් පැවැත්වීමෙනි. රාජ්ය ලේකම් ඩලස් විසින් එකී ආසියානු සහ අප්රිකානු ජාතීන් අතර පැවති බැන්ඩුම් සමුළුව හෙළා දැක තිබුණේ “සදාචාර විරෝධී යල්පැනගිය දුර නොදක්නා සංකල්පයක්” ලෙස ය. රාජ්ය ලේකම් ඩලස් ඇමරිකාවෙන් ලංකාවට ලැබෙන ආධාර ප්රමාද වීම පිළිබඳ කනගාටුව ප්රකාශ කළ අතර එයට හේතු වශයෙන් ඔහු දක්වා ඇත්තේ ‘රබර් පටිය’ යි. (මින් අදහස් වන්නේ චීන- ලංකා රබර් – සහල් ගිවිසුමයි.) ඔහු කොතලාවලට සහතික කරනු ලැබුවේ රබර් – සහල් ගිවිසුම නොසලකා ලංකාවට ආධාර ලබාදීම සඳහා ධාරා දෙකක පත්රිකාවක් (Two Line Memorandum) සකස් කිරීමට තමන් අණ කළ බවයි. 
මට එහෙම අවශ්ය වුණේ නැහැ … මම හැමදාම හිටියේ ජනතාව අතරේ… විජේවීර සහෝදරයා කිව්වා. ඒ අතරේ රෙදි කැබැල්ලක් ගෙන්aවාගත් රොනී ගුණසිංහ ඉන් නායක සහෝදරයාගේ ඇස්දෙක බැඳ දමනු ලැබුවා. ඔයගොල්ලෝ මාව මේ කොහේද ගෙනියන්න හදන්නේ…. කියලා නායක සහෝදරයා අහද්දි කිසි කෙනෙක් ඊට උත්තර දුන්නේ නැහැ. ඒත් එක්කම හමුදා සෙබළු පිරුණු පැජරෝ රථ දෙකක් වේගයෙන් ඉගිල්ලිලා කොහේද යන්න ගියා. ඊට විනාඩි දෙක තුනකට පස්සේ රෝහණ සහෝදරයා වත් රථයකට නංවන්න ගෙනිච්චා. මම ඒ වෙලාවේ බැලුවේ කර්නල් දසනායක කොහෙද කියලයි. එයා එතන හිටියේ නැහැ. වාහන සියල්ලම පිටව යද්දීත් එයා වෙනම කාමරයකට වෙලා කල්පනා කරමින් ඉන්නවා මම දැක්කා….
බලනකොට අපේ කර්නල්ට තමයි ඉන් පස්සෙ සිද්ධවෙන සිදුවීම් ඔක්කොම අධීක්ෂණය කරන්න කියලා ජෙනරල් භාර දීල තියෙන්නෙ…