EDITH M. LEDERER AND PAISLEY DODDS ASSOCIATED PRESS

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Thursday urged all countries that provide troops for U.N. peacekeeping missions to hold soldiers accountable for sexual abuse and exploitation, an appeal that came after she cited an Associated Press investigation into a child sex ring in Haiti involving Sri Lankan peacekeepers.

She also warned that “countries that refuse to hold their soldiers accountable must recognize that this either stops or their troops will go home and their financial compensation will end.”

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommended that U.N. peacekeepers accused of sexual abuse and exploitation be court martialed in the countries where the alleged incidents take place and said the U.N. would withhold payments to peacekeepers facing credible allegations.

Haley was speaking after the Security Council voted unanimously to end the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti in mid-October, sending a strong signal that the international community believes the impoverished Caribbean nation is stabilizing after successful elections.

But the peacekeepers will leave with a tarnished legacy. U.N. troops from Nepal are widely blamed for introducing cholera that has killed at least 9,500 people in Haiti since 2010 and some troops have been implicated in sexual abuse.

“What do we say to these kids? Did these peacekeepers keep them safe?” Haley asked, citing the AP’s investigation detailing how at least 134 Sri Lankan peacekeepers sexually abused and exploited nine Haitian children between 2004 and 2007.

Sri Lanka never jailed any soldiers implicated in the abuse yet the country was allowed to send troops to other U.N. missions.

Haley said after the vote that while the departure of the peacekeepers “is seen as a success, unfortunately it’s a nightmare for many in Haiti who will never be able to forget and live with brutal scars.”

Nine children in the Haiti sex ring – some as young as 12 – told U.N. investigators how Sri Lankan peacekeepers offered them snacks or money for sex. One boy said he slept with as many as 100 soldiers, averaging about four per day.

The details of the sex ring were part of a larger AP investigation of U.N. missions during the past 12 years that found an estimated 2,000 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers and U.N. personnel around the world.

In Haiti, the 2,370 military personnel will gradually leave over the next six months. A new peacekeeping mission will follow for an initial period of six months, comprised of just 1,275 police to continue training the national police force and assist in developing the rule of law and promoting human rights in Haiti.

Haley said the United States and the international community are committed to Haiti’s “democratic development, independence and economic growth.”

“We will, however, continue to push for accountability of those troops in Haiti as well as all troop contributing countries involved in peacekeeping efforts,” she said.

“We owe it to the vulnerable in these countries who desperately need peace and security,” she told Security Council members. “I ask that you join me in this effort.”

Responding to the AP report, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday: “We need to address the problem, first, for the victims, but also to ensure that the perception of peacekeeping is not a wrong one.”

He stressed it is dangerous work done honorably by “the vast majority” of peacekeepers.

Mark Schuller, an academic studying what happens when international organizations leave countries like Haiti, said for Haitians, the U.N. has garnered a “love-hate” relationship, but the real issue is lack of accountability.

“The U.N. is not accountable to the Haitian government or people. That creates a culture of implied immunity,” said Schuller, a professor at N. Illinois University’s Department of Ethnology who spends part of his time in Haiti.

Jacqueline Nono said she was 17 when she started having sex with a Sri Lankan peacekeeper for money or gifts. She said the sex was consensual but she needed the money to pay for her two children.

“I’ve heard the stories about Sri Lankans abusing Haitians, but I was treated well,” said the 24-year-old in Port-au-Prince.

For Jean-Marie Pascal, there is no love lost for the United Nations.

She said a U.N. peacekeeper sexually assaulted her shortly after troops arrived in 2004 to quell instability following President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s ouster. After the 2010 earthquake struck, her two cousins died from a strain of cholera linked to U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal.

“Haiti has been a playground for the United Nations,” the 43-year-old shop assistant told the AP as part of its investigation.

The United Nations also suffered in Haiti, losing nearly 100 peacekeepers and personnel in the 2010 earthquake that killed as many as 300,000 people.

by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong

Leaders from China and Sri Lanka have voiced support for a proposed bilateral free trade agreement at a recent meeting.

Yu Zhengsheng, Chairman of the People’s Political Consultative Conference (PPC), was holding talks with Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The state news agency, Xinhua, said Yu had called on the two countries to speed up bilateral negotiations towards the pact and expand economic cooperation.

Wickremesinghe responded that he “looks forward to boosting cooperation with China in the fields of trade, finance, ports and transportation infrastructure.” He reportedly noted that the Sri Lankan Parliament supports the Belt and Road Initiative, backs the FTA negotiations with China, and expects more friendly exchanges between the two countries.

– See more at: http://www.tax-news.com/news/China_Sri_Lanka_Back_Free_Trade_Talks____73975.html#sthash.aNpEt3V1.dpuf

By Panchamee Hewavissenti Courtesy  Ceylon Today

In an interview with Ceylon Today, General Secretary of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya and member of the Joint Opposition Udaya Gammanpila said, the economy of the country is on the verge of collapse as the inflation rates, interest rates as well as the rate of unemployment are rising sharply with the county’s foreign reserves depleting rapidly.

Member of Parliament Gammanpila arraigns the government, and says that it has fallen flat in restoring the economy and is embarked on a mud-slinging campaign against the former regime, to cover up their own incompetence.

He went on to say that, during the Sinhala-Hindu New Year season foreign goods are being imported to Sri Lanka on a massive scale resulting in an adverse impact on foreign reserves. If the government fails to keep these conditions under control, Gammanpila warned that the economy will face irrecoverable damage. He further remarked that foreign countries will not come to the assistance of the government to help recover the economy. Instead those countries are anticipating a downfall of the economy to take charge of the country in the guise of assistance. He also stressed that there is no reconciliation process in place as boasted by the government; instead the government is supporting separatism, federalism and Islam extremism.

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

?: Do you intend to contest the next election under the banner of the Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna formed by members of the Joint Opposition?

A: I contested the last Parliamentary election under the banner of the UPFA. In the wake of the last presidential election, the UPFA got split into two. President Sirisena headed a group of SLFP members and the other group was given lead by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The true members of the Opposition are in the Joint Opposition. Those politicians in Parliament who claim to belong to the Opposition can hardly be called members of the Opposition. Instead of objecting the misdeeds of the government, so called members of the Opposition back the government’s unwholesome activities. The real members of the Opposition formed a political party namely the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. Although I am a member of the Joint Opposition, I will remain a member of Pivithuru Hela Urumaya of which I am the General Secretary. Although, I do not intend to be a member of the Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna, I may consider forming an alliance with the party in future, if circumstances warrant it.

I must mention that I was never a member of the SLFP and will not cross over to that party even in the future. Neither will I obtain the membership of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. I will remain the leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya.

You asked me under what party I will contest the next election. This question is hard to answer at this point of time; as the political future is highly capricious. If you were to pose a similar question to Maithripala Sirisena, somewhere, in October, 2014, he too would have been answerless. He was the General Secretary of the SLFP but joined hands with the arch rival of the SLFP that is the UNP and contested the Presidential Election taking the swan as symbol. See how unpredictable the political scenario in the country is.

Moreover, the government keeps putting off the elections which are due. We are not aware of when the government will hold the elections. We may be compelled to make decisions based on the political backdrop of the country at a particulartime. Hence, it is difficult to say under which party I am going to contest the next elections.

?: Some members of the JO have stated that they are willing to extend support to Maithripala Sirisens to form an SLFP Government. Some members of the Joint Opposition recently had a meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena at his office in Parliament. Some are of the view that the Joint Opposition is in agreement to support the President…

A: I do not say that I will refrain from supporting President Sirisena, because I do not have any personal grudges against him. I oppose his policies. He has shown indifference to promotion of local business and is in favour of privatization and promoting federalism and separatism in the country. The security of the country is curtailed to satisfy a few selfish politicians and he too backs the government’s pro- Federalist stance. Many a flaw can be observed in the manner he rules the country. Although he possesses executive powers, he does not execute them for the betterment of the people of the country. As far as I’m concerned, he is rated the most incompetent President in the history of Sri Lanka.

Maithripala Sirisena is the President of this country after all. Despite our political stance and criticism of his incompetent administration, we make it a point to meet him from time to time to discuss issues of national interest. Likewise, as representatives of the people, we also arrange meetings with the Prime Minister and Speaker to discuss problems faced by the people and to convey the people’s sentiments to the leaders. As people’s representatives it is our responsibility and we believe in the practice of talking over issues on public matters. This type of meeting takes place frequently and people should not misconstrue such meetings as being for personal agendas.

?: Do you admit to the allegation that members of the JO often cause mayhem in Parliament? They are charged with demonstrating unruly demeanour; which is not at all appropriate and damage the dignity of Parliament?

A: I strongly refute the accusation that the deportment of the members of the JO caused damage to the lofty culture and dignity of Parliament. The retaliatory actions of the members of the JO against suppression by the Speaker resulted in a chaotic situation in Parliament. It is a prerogative of Parliamentarians to rise against injustice. The reason for the belligerent behaviour of JO members is the unfair treatment by the Speaker.

When we rise against suppression, they interpret that as immoral behaviour.

?: Do you blame the Speaker for suppressing members of the JO and depriving them of the rights of a break-away political group?

A: JO was formed by a group of members that were of the UPFA. Some of the members of the SLFP entered into an alliance with the UNP, the arch rival of the SLFP to form the so called ‘National Government’. JO operates independently of the SLFP. The Speaker should not discriminate members of Parliament based on the political party that they belong to. He is required to prioritize according to the sittings of Parliament. On the right of the Speaker is the government and on the Opposition sits on the left. Whoever, sits on the left is recognized as being in the Opposition.

Not granting the leadership of the Opposition to the JO is discriminatory. It is Parliamentary tradition to appoint the leader of the Opposition from among the parties which has a majority among the members of Opposition. The present speaker has ignored this tradition and that is why the members of the JO are charged with all types of allegations.

The Speaker is weak in arithmetic. He does not have the arithmetic knowledge of a primary school child.

Although the JO is comprised of 52 MPs, the office of the Leader of the Opposition was given to the Tamil National Alliance which consists of 16 MPs. So, the Speaker perceives 15 members as being higher than 52 members. In a similar manner, the leader of the JVP is appointed the chief opposition whip in Parliament; a party which is represented by 6 MPs in Parliament. Thus, the Speaker perceives that 6 members, is higher than 52 members. It is conspicuous that the JO which has the majority of members is being discriminated by the Speaker. He has denied the democratic rights of the 52 MPs that were elected by the people.

The Speaker should recognize the JO as a break-away group and should treat the group in a justifiable manner.

I can cite many an example of break-away groups and how they were given due recognition by the then Speakers. Although the JVP formed an alliance with the UPFA and contested the election in 2004, the party decided to be in the Opposition in 2005.Despite the fact that the JVP contested under the UPFA, the then Speaker recognized JVP as a different group in Parliament and was treated accordingly.

Wimal Weerawansa too broke away from the JVP and formed the National Freedom Front and that group too was given due recognition by the then Speaker. In 2010, the JVP broke into several groups and the groups were independently recognized by the then Speaker. Break-away groups have been recognized by the Speakers throughout history and this is the first time that a Speaker has denied the rights of a break-away group.

If you see, many SLFP members in the government were not elected by the people’s vote. The defeated candidates were taken in by the SLFP leadership. That is against democracy. I also would like to state that the members of the Joint Opposition have bagged the highest number of preferential votes at the General Election. It is clear that they are accepted and welcomed by the people. Nevertheless, the Speaker cannot recognize the rights of these members who are elected by the people. The suppression of the members of the Opposition means a huge blow to the will of the public. So, I dare say that the present Speaker of Parliament is the most undemocratic Speaker in the history of Sri Lanka’s Parliament.

?: Do you still remain an active member of the Sinhala- Buddhist movement? Don‘t you think that being a member of a Sinhala-Buddhist movement would inhibit the reconciliation process of the country?

A: Yes. I am still in the movement to promote the heritage of Sinhalese ethnicity and our religion Buddhism.

This government has not implemented a proper reconciliation process. What the government is engaged in, is promoting federalism, separatism and Islam extremism, under the guise of reconciliation. This so called reconciliation would bring more harm than good to the country.

?: What is the reason for the JO to boycott the media house owned by the infamous treasury bonds scam?

A: The JO decided to boycott the media house that belongs to the Treasury Bond scammers on ethical grounds. Everyone in the country is aware of the loss incurred by them to the economy and we, as representatives of the people, have raised our voice against it. It is against our conscience to support such a media house by expressing our views to them in the form of interviews.
The people who are employed at such media organizations are not ethical. I do not think ethical citizens of this country will spend their hard earned money to purchase such newspapers which carry false propaganda.

?: Do you opine that the arrest and the imprisonment of MP Wimal Weerawansa, is related to the government‘s witch-hunt of those Opposition MPs who raise their voice against the wrongdoings of the government?

A: It is conspicuous that the government is on the witch-hunt of those who censure and bring to light their wrongdoings. Detention and imprisonment of Wimal Weerawansa is a good example of the witch-hunt carried out by the present government. The government thinks it can conceal their corruption by detaining and imprisoning the people who speak against the government.
The recent incident of the Prime Minister interfering with the release of Wimal Weerawansa has explicitly evinced that the country’s Judiciary is not independent, as declared by the government. The Judiciary is under the Executive and is interfered with.

?: The May Day rally of the JO is to be held at the Gall Face Ground. Do you think you can fill the Grounds with supporters of the JO?

A: Each day people become disgruntled with the government and they leave the two parties that rule the country and their destination is the JO. People have confidence in the JO as their saviour. We are confident that our supporters, in large numbers, will attend the May Rally of the JO.

?: Will the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa participate in the JO May Day Rally?

A: Yes of course! People hold former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, in high esteem. Holding a May Day rally without former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is akin to holding a wedding ceremony without the bride.

Sudath Gunasekara 11.4.2017.

President says spiritual leaders are the real messengers who connect the hearts of the people and strengthen reconciliation as wished by every religious philosophy.

President noted that the guidance for reconciliation is witnessed in Thripitaka, Bible, Quran and Bhagavad-Gita.  He highlighted that Buddhist monks and all other priests belonging to Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity are expected to make use of the norms of the great teachings.

President Maithripala Sirisena was speaking at the cultural programme, Erabadu Vasantham”, dedicated to enhance ethnic and religious reconciliation. The event was held at Singakkuliya, Dankotuwa this afternoon (09). A programme was also organized to remember the service of late Rev. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody in line with the cultural event.

Speaking further, President stated that our country was built upon on peace and reconciliation among different communities from the ancient times. Sri Lankan nation should come together as a strong human wall while consolidating peace and harmony among different ethnic communities at the present context, President said.

President explained that though some elements would try to insult the term reconciliation”, Sri Lanka’s future will only be fruitful if the term would be given the true meaning and implement it in the society realistically.

President also commended the services of legendry artiste Rev. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody, who earned the hearts of people from all walks of the life in Sri Lanka.

The President presented a token of appreciation in the memory of Rev. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody to a senior member of his family Winifrida Jayakody. The Maha Sanga led by chief prelate most venerable Iththapane Dhammalankara thero, Christian and Catholic priest including former Archbishop Rt. Rev. Oswald Gomis, Hindu priests, Ministers Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Chief Minister of North-Western Province Dharmasiri Dasanayake, Deputy Minister Arundika Fernando, President of the Sarasavi Arts Association Ananda Karunarathna were also present at the event”.

My observations.

See the vote hunting ‘political animal’ in the Sinhala Buddhist President of this country.

The above quoted speech by him displays not only his ignorance of our history but also the real picture behind his future expectations. He is talking like a big pundit and a philosopher about Tripitaka, Bible, Quran and Bhagavad-Gita. That is to hit four birds with one stone, Buddhist Christians, Muslims and Hindus but I doubt whether he will realize his election dream. I do not want to contest his deep knowledge about these religious treaties. However I have my reservations on his comments on the potential of reconciliation these religions have as only Buddhism has this quality as a way of life that is clearly embodied in one line Mahakaruniko natho-Hhitaya sabba panino’  That is also the only religion where there is no coercive conversion or killing.

But I would also like all who voted him to ask him as to what positive role Bible, Quran and Bhagavad-Gita and Catholics, Hindu Tamils and Muslims have played either during the ancient or modern period in history towards reconciliation or cultural development in this country and at what period of history starting from 543 BC to date.?  As far as I know Sri Lankan civilization is at least 99% Sinhala Buddhist from 543 BC.

I cannot refrain from laughing my guts out when he says Speaking further, President stated that our country was built upon on peace and reconciliation among different communities from the ancient times. Any student of history will know how Tamils and Muslims have disrupted reconciliation, throughout history in this country.

It is a pity and disgust to note the Presidents ignorance of the history of this country. Even a tiny tot who has studied up to 5^th Std knows this country was known all over the world as Sinhale and Buddhism was the State religion of this country from 543 BC and 307 AD to 1815 Ad. (2358 yrs) as one Kingdom where the King had been always a Sinhala Buddhist, Although there had been South Indian Tamil usurpers  who invaded the Island had been occupying Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa areas for very short times like  (Elara 44 and Magha for14 yrs from 1214-1235). But never in its 2358 years the whole country had been occupied by any foreign power until finally British took over in 1815 in a major conspiracy by giving false promises to  Ehelepola Adigar of the Mahanuwara Kingdom which they called the Kandyan Kingdom meaning the Kingdom on the mountains.

Although there were few Tamil settlement in Jaffna (mostly introduced by the Dutch) and few Tamil settlements along the eastern littorals and few sporadic Muslims clusters (on Land given by the generosity of Sinhala Kings) in certain parts of the interior country the whole country was known as Sinhale up to March 2^nd 1815. British gave the name Ceylon also meaning Sinhale. Even the word EELAM means the land of the Sinhala people. The word EELAm has been in vogue in southern parts of India long before LTTE terrorist used it here to designate their dream Tamil homeland in Northern and Easernt parts of Sri Lanka.

The Kandyan Convention throughout used the word Sinhale to designate this country. But for some mysterious reason instead of that name the word Lanka came to be used until they changed it to read as Sri Lanka in 1972. But even today the English speaking countries call it Ceylon meaning the land of the Sinhala people. It was a pity and a tragedy too that our leaders in 1948 have failed even to restore the original name of the country that had been there for nearly 2500 yrs. Every time Tamils invaded they destroyed whatever within their hands. Always our great kings have restored what was destroyed after chasing the enemy out.

I would like all historians and patriotic people of this country to ask President Sirisena as to from what source of history in this country he learned this. His speech clearly shows that he does not know our history.  His ignorance of our long history Checkered by many a battles due to regular Indian invasions and devastations is displayed by this speech. Apparently as usual he is playing to the gallery hoping two things I think. First, second and last dream he has in mind is minority votes. Collection of the Christian votes was the other dream he has in his head at the next Local elections to his new Sri Lanka Party when he made this speech at this particular place. I am just waiting to see how many Sinhalese will vote his new three wheeler party. Second he must be hoping to become the President for a second term, as has already got his acolyte S.B. Disanayaka  to  crack the whip that ‘he has not said he is not coming for the next Presidential election’.

The name of the event at which he spoke is called’ Erabadu Vasantham”, Using one Sinhala and the other Tamil word he must be thinking that is the way for much spoken reconciliation between Sinhalese and Tamils. That again displays his virtuosity. Probably he must be dreaming that now he has already allowed the National Anthem to be sung in Tamil this is the way to hook the Tamil votes  en-masse like last time.

This event was also said to have been organized to remember the service of late Rev. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody in line with the cultural event. That was a very good thing I am quoting a Sinhala verse here composed by the most Rev Fr Jayakody so that the President could see the perception of Sri Lanka’s history of this Great Christian son of Sri Lanka. Should the President be ashamed to see this great Sinhala patriot Father who was not even a Buddhist loved his nation,

As for me I see Fr. Jayakody as a greater and a better Buddhist than most born Buddhists. As the following four lines depict he appears to have known the role of the Monk  in Sri Lankan society than any present day politician and even perhaps than most monks.

‘Aettak eti setiyen kiva                   yutte

Sivurai panadi  rata reka                 gatte

Sivurei helaye anupana                    ette

Adath nasinne me rata                 matte”

President also stated that our country was built upon on peace and reconciliation among different communities from the ancient times”

This is a revelation, the latest interpretation of Sri Lanka history after Sirisena.  Every Sinhala man who is not a converted Marxist, a westernized Sinhala tuppahiya or a Tamil or Muslim Communalist knows who made the civilization in this country.  The Innumerable extant archaeological, Epigraphic evidence found from Kadurugoda in the north to Devundara in the South and Madakalapuwa in the East to Halawatha in the West and the wealth of literary evidence and Mahavamsa will tell you who made the civilization in this country and how it was achieved by our forefathers sacrificing millions of their lives in battles against the Indian invaders in ancient times from the second Century BC  to save the Motherland to posterity including what Anagarika Dharmapala did to restore the devastation the Portuguese, Dutch and British did from 1505 to 1948 through the Church and with the gun.

I hope President Sirisena will revisit and revise his understanding of Sri Lanka history and culture before he makes his next political speech.

Mr President there is only one way to bring back permanent peace and prosperity among all the people in this country that is first for the Sinhalese to assert their ownership of this country. Then the leaders and if they don’t as not done for the past 70 years after Independence, then, the Sinhala people will have to tell the Tamils and Muslims to accept that non-negotiable. Thereafter Tamils and Muslims have to concede that they are only either decedents of left outs of invaders, settlers accommodated from time to time by the Sinhala Kings on their hospitality or illicit immigrants.  Please at least now tell your Tamil and Muslim buddies to concede to this reality and learn to live amicably without asking for parity and separate Kingdoms within this land of the Sinhalese just as all immigrants in past history have integrated with the native Sinhalese. This how reconciliation was achieved for the past 2500 years, at least in this country Everybody know it was the Tamils and Muslims who have always created problems and caused problems and never the Sinhalese Thereafter all people have to set aside their UNP.SLFP, JVP .TNA, Muslim Congress etc and think as one party and one nation then only sustainable reconciliation will come..

That is the only way Mr President any one can bring about reconciliation in this country and not by fighting for Federalism, self-determination and asking for privileges not enjoyed by the Bhumiputras or some rights and privileges not enjoyed by them on the part of Tamils and Muslims or this type of false speeches made by politicians like your PM and yourself to get minority votes. By doing so you are betraying your own Nation and the Motherland. Furthermore you are adding more fuel to the burning fire and thereby make the situation even worse and intractable.

We know most of you also know this hard fact. But no one wants to come out with that bitter truth fearing they will lose minority votes. This is the stark truth about politics in this country ever since Independence.

Unless and until we change this attitude your asking the Sinhalese to sacrifice will never bring in what you are dreaming.  They will never part with their 2500 year old civilization and Motherland at any cost. The adjustments have to come from visitors and not from the natives.

ඇම් ඩී පී දිසානායක

අපේ අතිගරැ ජනාධිපතිතුමා සරල දිවියක් ගෙවන ආදර්ශමත් ප‍ර්තිමූර්තියක් යන විරැදාවලියෙන් වර්ණවත් කලේ,

හරියටම එතුමා ජනාධිපතිවී සතියක් ඇතුලත ලංකාවට ගෙන්වන ලද අතිඋත්තම ෆැන්සිස් පාප්වහන්සේ විසිනි.

“මම ජනාධිපතිවූ පසු සැහැල්ලු අපිස් ජීවිතයක් ගතකරන බවත්, අරලියගහ මංදිරයේ නොව මගේ සාමා‍න්‍ය  ගෙදර ඉන්නා බවත්, වියත් අවියත් හුදී ජනතාවගේ දැනගැනීම සඳහා මගේ හරකබාන වතුපිටි ඇත් අස්  රිය පාබල පෙන්වන බවටත්” ප‍රිත්ඥා දුන්නෝය.

ජනාධිපති තුමා කෙහෙල් කොලයක තම සුරතින් පරිප්පු ලුණුමිරිස් සමග බත් කන අහිංසක

විලාසය දැක මගේ දෙනෙත් තෙත්විය. මෙවන් අග‍්‍රගනයේ දුර්ලභ සුපේශීලී ශික්‍ෂාකාමි දැහැමි මිනිසෙකු

විවේචනය කිරීම   අධම නොවේදැයි මට සිතුනි.

ඔභුට බත් කන්න බෙලෙක් පිඟානක්වත් නැත, කොච්චර පවුද? ඔහුට ගමන්බිමන් යෑමට ඉංදියාවෙන් රික්ශෝවක්

ගෙනත් දෙන්න දෙමළ සම්බන්ධන් නාටාමී කේවට්ටයාට පුලුවන් නේද?  මෙවන් අපිස් දිවියක්  ගතකරන

ජනාධිපතිතුමාට කෝටිගනන් වැය බෙන්ස් කාර් දීමෙන් ඔහුවත් නරකපුරුදු වලට පුරැදුවලට ඇබ්බැහි කරන්න

හොඳනැහැ නේද?

කෙහෙල් කොලෙන්

බත් කාලා හායිහූයී

බෙන්ස්  එකේ

        මං යනවා  චූං චූං

භැඩවැඩ වෙන්න

ඔයා ලස්සන සලුපළඳා

එනවා ඔබව

සොයා

By M D P DISSANAYAKE

When the Holy Pope  Francis visited Sri Lanka, he said the simple habits and unpretentious nature of President Maithripala Sirisena was similar to his life style. When the Holy Pope said ‘President Sirisena is just like me’ I said ‘no you are just like President Sirisena,” Archbishop said.

Maithripala Sirisena says ” on elected as the president he would not move into official residence Temple Trees but would live in his own simple house. He has also declared his assets for everyone to see. He is keen on leading a simple life and serving the people of all communities.

Photo via President’s media director Dharmasri Bandara Ekanayake’s Facebook Page” Colombo Telegraph November 10, 2016

It was unimaginable for either the President or the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to eat his lunch on Banana Leaves.  Our President is committed to simple life.  Extravagant lifestyle is not his cup of tea.   It is possible that our President has no proper cutlery otherwise why should he eat his lunch through plastic containers in  Parippu and Lunumiris.  A simple man like this cannot afford Porcelain, at least some Stoneware  must be provided to our poor President. Otherwise how can he keep his status?

In fact, the government must provide a Rickshaw for the President.  The Rickshaws are freely available in India and his Tamil friend Sambandan can donate a Ricksaw.  Ricksaw and Banana leaf lunch goes well together.

Our President need not have Mercedes Benz Cars.  It will be humiliating for him to eat his lunch on banana leaf and travel in an air conditioned, chauffeur driven Limousine S600 Mercedes Benz with Biturbo Engine, Magic Body Control.  Extended Length with Handcrafted Luxury Finished Cabin, Heated Power Seats, Multi Contour Seats with Massage, Cabin Automizer Frangrance, 20 inch 10 spoke Alloy Wheel.

All Sri Lankans must admire this great personality.  He defeated a Maha Raja.  He defeated poverty of Sri Lanka. He allowed national Anthem sung in Tamil.  He made a Tamil an Alternative Prime Minister. He does not waste public funds by conducting Elections.  He travel overseas  in Economy Class.   He is committed to a simple life.  He wears traditional leather sandals, like Mahatma Gandhi.  His next lunch ought to be also on Banana Leaf, with Rice, Dhall, Chapati, Yogurt and Brinjal, just like Mahatma Gandhi.

Our Great Illustrious President must be nominated for the next Nobel Prize and he should be our President forever for these exceptional qualities.

ධර්මසිරි සෙනෙවිරත්න (මගේ ”’ජාතිය පාවාදීම ”’ පොතේ කොටසක් ”))

 1832 දී රාජකාරිය තහනම කිරීමේදී  එය වැඩවස ම් ක්‍රමයකට අයත් වහල් සේවයක් බව ඉංග්‍රීසීන් විසින්  ප්‍රකාශ කරන ලදී  මතු පිටින් මහා සාධාර නයක් කරන බවක්  අඟවමින්  මොවුන්ගෙන් සමහරෙකු කටයුතුකලේ  වෙනෙකක් සිතතුළ සඟවා ගෙනය .. ඔවුන් සිතුවේ  රාජකාරි ක්‍රමය  තහනම් කර  කුලී  සේවකයන්  ඇති කිරීමේ ක්‍රමයක් ඇති කලවිට  ඔවුන්ගේ වතු වගාවන් සඳහා  අවශ්‍ය තරම් කුලීකාරයන්  සිංහලයන්ගෙන් ලබා ගත හැකිවනු ඇති බවය්  .එහෙත් සිංහලයෝ කුලීයට අනුන්ගේ වැඩ කිරීමට කැමති වුයේ නැත . . රාජකාරි ක්‍රමය යටතේ ඔවුන් යෙදුනේ  තම සමාජයේ පොදු වැඩ වලය . එය යුතුකම් ඉටුකිරීමක් ලෙස ඔවුහු සැලකුහ ..ඉංග්‍රීසින් යටතේ කුලීවදට  අකමැතිවීම  උගතුන්විසින්  අර්ථකථනය කරන ලද්දේ   ”’ සිංහලයන්ගේ උප්පත්ති  කම්මැලි කමක් ”’ ලෙසය .(. ජී  සී මෙන්ඩිස් ගේ ඉතිහාසපොතෙන්  මෙය ලියන මම ඉගෙන ගත්තෙත් එසේය >).එහෙත් එය සත්‍ය වශයෙන් නම් ”’ස්වයං පෝෂිත මිනිසෙකුගේ  අභිමානය ””’ ලෙස හැඳින් විය යුතුයය් මම දැන් සිතමි .

             ජනතා සේවය යය උඩින්  පෙන්වුවත් රාජකාරි ක්‍රමය අහෝසි කිරීමේ යටි අරමුණක් වූ බව ඉමර්සන් ටෙනන්ට් ගේ  මේ ප්‍රකාශයෙන් පෙනී යය් . ….”’….දේශීය ප්‍රභූවරු ට්ටේ රැකියා  හා ජීවනෝපාය  ක්‍රම විෂයෙහි දැක වන  බලපෑම හැකි තරම් පාලනය කිරීම මම නිර්දේශ කරමි . එසේ කරන්නේ මුදල්  ආදායම ගැනම සිතා නොව  බලය තහවුරු කරගැනීම  හා ආධිපත්‍යයේ  අභිමානය අපට වැදගත් නිසාය …..බ්‍රතාන්ය පාලකයෝ  ගම් ප්‍රධානීන් ගේ බලතල කප්පාදු කිරීමට හා  නිලනාම අවලංගු කිරීම……..ආදී කටයුතු  කර ඇති අතර  මහජනතාව  කෙරෙහි විශේෂ  ආධි පත්යයක්  පැතිරවීමට ඇති අවස්තාව නැති කිරීම සඳහා  රාජකාරි ක්‍රමය  නැති කිරීම විශේෂ වේ ..,,,””’

       වර්තමාන සිංහල තරුණ තරුණියනි පාසලේ ඉතිහාසපොතෙන්  මෙතෙක් ඔබ ඉගෙන ගත්තේ ඉංග්‍රීසින් විසින් ඔවුන්ගේ අභිමතය පරිදි ලියන ලද ඉතිහාසයය් සිංහලේ වැඩවසම් ක්‍රමයක්  තිබු නේයය් ද රාජකාරි ක්‍රමය යනු වහල් ක්‍රමයක් යය් ද ඔබටත් මටත් කළු සුද්දන් විසින් උගන්වා ඇත . .අපව ගිලගත් මේ මිෂනාරී අධ්‍යාපනයෙන් කුරුවල් වී සිටි මම නම් ඉන් ගැලවුනෙමි .ඔබට ගැලවීමක් නැත්තේ ඔබ තවමත් මේ මිෂනාරී අධ්යාපනය්යේ හිරකාරයෙක් නිසය් .රජය ඔබෙන් ඉතිහාසය වසන් කරය්.

                                                             ඉන්ග්රීසින්ටත්  උන්ගේ වහලුන් වූ කළු සුද්දන්ටත් එදා සිංහලේ ”රාජකාරිය ”නම්වූ තමන්ගේ වැව පන්සල තමන් විසින් නඩත්තු කර ගැනීම රට රැකගැනීම ආදිය වහල් ක්‍රමයක්සේ පෙනුනත් බටහිර ධනවාදී ක්‍රමයේ ස්වාමි සේවක සබඳතාව යටතේ වැටුප් ලබන  ”කුලී කාරයා ”ට ඔහු ගේ ”’ ‘නව’රාජකාරිය දේවකාරියක්”’ලෙස උගන්වනලදී .”’රජතුමා   ආගම හා වැසියා සමග ඒකීය  භාවයට ‘පැමිණීමේ ”’එදා සම්ප්‍රදාය  වෙනුවට පැරණි රාජකාරිය  අහෝසි කිරීමෙන් පසුව ස්වාමි සේවක  සම්බන්ධතාව ඇතිවී ම නිසා  සේවයේ තෘප්තිය පලාගියේය .

                                                සිංහලයාට ඇති එකම රට රක ගැනීමට නම්,,, ලෝකයේ මේවනවිට ඇති ශ්‍රේෂ්ටතම සංස්කෘතිය රක ගැනීමට නම් සිංහලයා ලෝකයේ අනෙකුත් බලවේගයන් අතරේ දියවී යාම නතර කර කර ගැනීමට අවශ්‍යනම් සිංහල බෞද්ධයෝ එකට එකතුවී දැනට බලවත් වී සිටින සියලු දේශපාලන හා ශාස්ත්‍රීය  මිෂනාරී බලවතුන් ගේ ග්‍රහණයෙන් මිදිය යුතුය .දේශප්‍රේමිත්වය දියාරු කර අපි ස්මාට්  වෙමුයය් කියන්නේ ඔබ යලිත් ඉතිහාසය හදාරා සත්‍යය සොයා යනු වැලක් වීමටය . මේ ප්රෝඩා තන්ත්රවාදයය්.,,,,  

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Higher Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella, yesterday said that the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government wouldn’t give in to what he called a despicable political project undertaken by Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) on behalf of those who had been ousted at the January 2015 presidential poll.

MP Kiriella, who is also the Leader of the House, in a brief interview with The Island emphasised that the ongoing GMOA spearheaded campaign against the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) was meant to undermine and humiliate the government.”The GMOA leadership is working overtime for the Joint Opposition loyal to former President Rajapaksa,” Kandy District MP Kiriella said, adding that various people who had received benefits from the previous administration were busy.

“We have the strength to meet their challenge.”

Asked whether the government would seek a consensus with the GMOA in respect of the SAITM issue, Minister Kiriella said the parliament had been briefed and support was sought from relevant parties, including the GMOA to resolve the matter. The UNPer said that the four-point plan had been presented to parliament subject to the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the subsequent appeal made to the Supreme Court by the SLMC (Sri Lanka Medical Council). “We are ready to address the SAITM issue in line with judicial interventions. Unfortunately, the GMOA rejected our proposals, obviously at the behest of its political masters.”

The GMOA leadership had quite conveniently forgotten that the SAITM wouldn’t have been a reality if not for the previous government and extraordinary support given by then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Kiriella said. Could there be anything as ridiculous as the GMOA forming a common front inclusive of the JO loyal to former President Rajapaksa against SAITM, he asked.

The UNP heavyweight emphasized the importance of stakeholders to the issue knowing the specific proposals made by the government. Minister Kiriella said that their proposals were (1) SAITM students who have already passed the final MBBS examination would be given a further period of clinical training in Surgery, Medicine, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Psychiatry and Paediatrics, one month each in duration, at the Homagama and Avissawella hospitals. (2) Subsequent to this training, candidates would undergo a mandatory examination conducted for granting provisional registration under the joint supervision of the SLMC and the University Grant Commission. (3) Ministry of Health would gazette the minimum standards for medical education in Sri Lanka submitted by the SLMC with the approval of AG. (4) Ministry of Health would initiate the proceedings to bring the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital under the Ministry of Health and continue to run as a teaching hospital.

Alleging that the GMOA functioned as a trade union affiliated to the JO, Minister Kiriella said their overall strategy was meant to cause chaos in every sector at the expense of both legally elected government and people. Kiriella said that the GMOA shouldn’t expect the government to dance to its tune and thereby give political advantage to the JO.

The Minister flayed the GMOA for rejecting government proposals even without discussing them with relevant parties. An irate Kiriella said that the GMOA should realize that it couldn’t enjoy special status as a trade union. The SAITM dispute or whatever the GMOA and those backing the campaign had chosen to call it, couldn’t be allowed to cause turmoil, Kiriella said, adding that the government was willing to discuss solutions on the basis of the four-point plan.

“We’ll not succumb to GMOA’s tactics”, he said.

The Kandy District MP said the government was planning to introduce Quality Assurance Bill soon to ensure proper monitoring of state as well as private educational institutions. Declaring that the project had received the World Bank backing, Minister Kiriella said that the GMOA couldn’t be unaware of the fact that the country required substantial public sector investments in the higher educational sector.

Having recognized the urgent need for sufficient public sector investments, the previous government paved the way for SAITM, Minister Kiriella said, underscoring the fact that the project got underway in the tail end of President Rajapaksa’s first term.

The Rajapaksa administration threw its weight behind SAITM though the JO now propagated lies, Minister Kiriella said. Having established SAITM in 2008, its management received from the University Grants Commission (UGC) right to award degrees in 2013, Minister Kiriella said. The minister recalled the circumstances under which the former President facilitated Rs 600 mn loan to SAITM. “We are not complaining about support given to the SAITM. The Issue is why one opposed a project once fully supported”, Minister Kiriella said.

The UNPer asserted that it was certainly not fair by those who had to suffer as a result of the GMOA crippling hospitals for political reasons. The Minister acknowledged that further trade union action was likely after Sinhala and Tamil New Year period.

By : A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA

The CIA/M16/RAW-Tamil Diaspora installed Sirisena-Ranil government which has abandoned all development activities, and defied all its promises to the people are however committed and determined only to fulfil the unjust and unsubstantiated demands of the Tamils of the North and East which include enactment of a new constitution, providing land and police powers to the provinces, a federal form of governance, demilitarization of Northern and Eastern Provinces, and merge the two provinces.

In addition to this, the government is also fully committed and resolute in preventing Sinhala and Muslim people resettling in the lands in the North they inhabited for centuries, instituting legal processes and punishing the gallant war heroes who liberated this country from thirty years of terrorist atrocities. The government has no inclination at all to counter the false propaganda being carried out by Sambandan and the Tamil diaspora and their cronies saying that Sri Lankan forces carried out a genocide of Tamils during the last stages of the war despite the fact that our gallant war heroes rescued over 300,000 Tamils who were being used as human shields by the barbarous terrorists.

Sambandon addressing an international Forum in their motherland India has claimed that our soldiers killed 150,000 Tamils while others attribute different figures such as Amnesty International 10,000, Ban ki Moon 20,000, the International Crisis Group 40,000, the pro-LTTE reporter Frances Harrison 70,000 to 140,000  and Yasmin Sooka who was appointed by Ban ki-Moon as one of the three members of the Panel of Experts on Accountability on Sri Lanka, and a close friend of Navi Pillay claimed over 110,000 were killed.

The pro tiger terrorist and NGO vulture Jehan Perera in his weekly Island” article today 10^th April states that there are  24,000 families in Sri Lanka having their family members gone missing as per the number of complaints lodged with the Missing Persons Commission. According to this number at least 6 persons of each of these families should have been killed to arrive at Sambandan’s figure of 150,000

In 2012, the Sri Lankan authorities carried out a census among the residents of the north to determine the number of persons who had been killed in the final stages using Tamil school teachers and public servants as enumerators and arrived at a figure of 7,432 excluding those who had died of natural causes. Strangely, on adding up the monthly number of such casualties reported in the propaganda arm of the LTTE, the Tamilnet, the total killed for the period January 1, 2009 to May 19, 2009 was 7,398 which was below the GOSL census count. It should also be remembered that many civilians fought for the LTTE in civils as its auxilary forces.

Although the Sri Lankan government could have used this information to counter the grossly aggravated figures presented by Sambandan and other war mongers the shameless Tamil and Western slavish Sirisena-Ranil government did not take any action to divulge the truth to the world and hence the bloated figures unfortunately remain unopposed.

At the same time the world also thinks that Tamils are one of the original inhabitants of this country blindly believing in the influential Tamil propaganda since the folly of his concept also has not been exposed

The Tamils of the North and East are new immigrants to this country and as per valid and strong historical records these Tamils were brought to this country by the Dutch from South India for Tobacco cultivation in the North and by the British Imperialists to assist them in their oppressive rule of the native Sinhalese. There is no single archaeological or literary evidence found to prove the existence of Tamil settlements before Westerners arrived in Ceylon. There are no historical evidences in Eastern and Western countries, North or South Indian history to prove the existence of Tamil settlements in Sri Lanka

King Dutugamunu ruled this country from 161-137 Century BC before even the Tamil Language was formed, and not even an ethnic group called Tamils existed. Even Elara was a Kalingan (North Indian) and not a Tamil, and ‘Magha’ from Kalinga was also a North Indian.

I think it is appropriate to present below a few points from Dr. Sooriya Gunasekera’s Ceylon Today article ‘Elara was not a Tamil’ which was reproduced by Lankaweb website.

• There was not even a trace of permanent Tamil settlement in this country till 19th Century. The Shiva and Vishnu Srines in the Vanni District were constructed by ‘Vannairs’ who migrated to the Vanni to protect themselves from ‘Malik Kapoor’ invasion in the 14th Century. Since they were Hindus, those Shiva and Vishnu shrines were built by them. But, gradually they absorbed themselves into the Sinhala Buddhist culture and have become Sinhalese by the 19th Century

• The Treaty between King Dharmaparakramabahu and Lorenzo De Almeda in 1517 says, Rightful Lord of the Empire of Cota and of the Realms of Jafanapatao and Candea.” According to this treaty Jaffnapatao belonged to Kotte Kingdom in 1517. (A true and exact description of the great island of Ceylon by Philp Baladeus, published by Thisara Prakashakayo, first published in 1672.

• According to Malwana Treaty dated 29 May 1597, signed between King Don Juan Dhramapala of Kotte and Portuguese Capt. Aswedu, it states that the countries belong to Kotte Kingdom as Jaffna Patanam, Sithawaka Rata, Gampola rata, Uva rata, Mathale, Wellassa and panama rata etc.” Jaffna Peninsula was under the rule of Kotte Kingdom.

• According to Quiroz Jaffna was a trading post by 1600 AD where Muslims were in trading activities. Jaffnapatao was a Jungle and there were 4 Arrachchi Divisions which came under Muddier of Jaffna along four coasts namely Vediaarchchchi, Pashelapali, Thenarachchi and Welihama (All Sinhala names now these are converted into Tamil names)

• In 1618 when Portuguese captured Jaffna Peninsula they fought with Sinhalese army. There was no clue about Tamils. If there had been a Tamil Kingdom in Jaffna, why should Sinhalese fight with them?”

• The 12,000 Cholas brought by King Gajaba became Sinhalese according to the way of production in Ceylon

• King Rajasinha’s title is described in Philp Baladeus’ book page 396, – Rajasinghe Emperor of Ceylon, King of Candea, Cota, Ceytavaka, Dambadan, Amaray aport, Jaffna Patanam, Prince of ouva, Matare, Dinavaca, and the four corles. Great Duke of seven CorelsMathale, Earals of Cotiar, trikunamale, Batecalo, velase, Vintana, Drembra, Panciapato, Veta, Puttalum, Vallar, Galle” etc.

• Temporal and Spiritual – Book 1, page 49 further states, In cause of time there came some Brahmanes, native of Guzarate, called Arus, who claimed Royal descent; and with the favor of the Nayque of Madure they erected the pagoda of Ramanacor, whence they began to have trade and friendship with Kings of Jafnapatao, and one of them married a daughter of that king; and finally his descendants became heirs to that Kingdom of these, the first that tried to free himself from subjection to the King of Cota, was Ariaxaca Varti who being naturally proud and not brooking the haughtiness of the officers of that King, took the life of the one who governed there, and the King of Ceylon prepared to punish him.
• They say he went to meet him at Ceytavaca and took him some verses wherein he so flattered him with praises of him and his ancestors that he left him completely vainglorious and satisfied, and the verses being helped by a goodly present, he not only made him desist from war, but also obtain olas from him (What we should call provisions) and the title king of Jaffnapatao which his successor preserved paying in acknowledgement only some tribute; and because this was the beginning of their greatness, his descendence from the name Aria, were called
  Ariavance, which means the generation of Aria.”

Despite these facts Tamils always adopted an aggressive approach towards the other communities of Sri Lanka particularly the Sinhalese.  When the 1^st State Council elections were held in 1931 under universal franchise, the Jaffna Tamils boycotted this election.

In the 2nd State Council when the granting of independence to Ceylon was taken up for debate, S.J.V.Chelvanayagam demanded that Tamils should be granted a separate nation since the Sinhalese were inferior to govern over the Tamils. This was strongly opposed by the Muslim Member Marcan Markar saying that Sinhalese being the majority in the country has all the rights to govern the nation and the country should not be divided on ethnic grounds.

The above factors relate to the true history of Sri Lankans despite the bogus claims being made by the Tamils the coolies brought to Sri Lanka by the Dutch and the British Imperialists. Can Sambandan or Wigneswaran or their Tamil buddy Ranil Wickremasinghe or the Tamil’s darling old hag Chandrika or the Tamil slavish Sirisena deny these facts?

SUSANTHA WIJESINGHE

IT was in the news sometime back that the Parliament is to sanction Rs283 million to buy SIX cars for some SIX political suckers. Two of them wanted Rs40 million cars, while another wanted Rs20 million car, and Sambanthan was to be given Rs21 Million to extend his Eelaam Palace. Now The PRESIDENT  imports the aforesaid Cars for his son and Daughter perhaps.

Please watch this ITN news clip. PEOPLE ARE STARVING WITHOUT A MEAL FOR A DAY, and some are living on PLAIN TEA AND A BISCOTHU.

THIS IS CERTAINLY YAHA PAALANAYA FOR PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER, AND THE 225 RATS IN PARLIAMENT, AND NOT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THRIVING ON PLAIN TEA. IT IS SAD.

What has become of beautiful SRI LANKA ?  Pardon me, it was a Voter set of Sinhalese who brought about this curse.

http://www.col3line.com/itn-news-6.30pm-25-03-2017/30087.html

The European Parliament’s International Trade Committee

In a letter to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe the the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee has said:”While we understand the complexity of the issues involved and the need to enter into wide consultations on the more sensitive aspects, it is critical that Sri Lanka delivers on its commitments within clearly established timelines. More specifically, we expect the Government to table legislation to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act and amend the CCPA, ensuring their full compliance with international standards, prior to the decision on GSP Plus foreseen for mid-May”

We publish below the letter in full:

His Excelleny Ranil WICKREMESINGHE Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
Prime Minister’s Office
No: 58, Sir Ernest De Silva Mawatha, Colombo 07.

Sri Lanka.

Your Excellency,

Brussels, April 7th, 2017

We are writing this letter in connection with Sri Lanka’s application to join the EU’s GSP Plus scheme under Regulation 978/2012.

The 2010 unilateral preferences under the GSP Plus scheme had been withdrawn from Sri Lanka due to its failure to effectively implement three human rights conventions, namely ICCPR, CRC and CAT. Following the change in the administration in 2015, we were pleased to note the commitment of the new Government of Sri Lanka to introduce substantial reforms and, inter alia, address the issues that had led to the withdrawal of the preferences. As a result, in July 2016, Sri Lanka reapplied for GSP Plus membership, a move evidencing Sri Lanka’s political will to reengage with the EU to fully implement the obligations flowing under the 27 international conventions of the scheme, including the abovementioned ones.

On 11 January this year, having thoroughly assessed Sri Lanka’s application, the European Commission has considered that Sri Lanka meets the eligibility criteria and has decided to propose the granting of GSP Plus status to your country. In line with EU’s legal requirements, the European Commission’s decision is currently before the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for review.

In parallel, we were also pleased to note that Sri Lanka has launched with the EU a bilateral dialogue on human rights, governance and the rule of law (two meetings of the relevant working group have already taken place). We also welcome that Sri Lanka has re-engaged with the UN system by co-sponsoring the UN Human Rights Council resolutions of September 2015 and March 2017 on the promotion of reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka. Equally commendable is the Government’s standing invitation to all UN special procedures mandate holders and facilitation of their visits.

These are important developments that send a positive message about Sri Lanka’s determination to ensure the unimpeded enjoyment of human rights by all Sri Lankan citizens in line with international standards. In that respect, we believe that GSP Plus constitutes a strong incentive for Sri Lanka to promote sustainable development and human rights through economic growth. The EU is ready to stand by Sri Lanka in its path of reforms through, inter alia, such trade incentives.

Sri Lanka’s GSP Plus application has given rise to lively debates in the European Parliament, including at two public hearings in December 2016 and March 2017. As members of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee, we have participated in these debates and have continuously underlined the need for applicants and beneficiaries to honour commitments taken when applying for GSP Plus membership. These commitments must be translated into continuous action towards the effective implementation of the GSP Plus conventions so as to reassure that Sri Lanka is seriously addressing shortcomings.

It is with this aim in mind that we wish to express our concerns over the pace of reforms in Sri Lanka. As noted in the recent report by High Commissioner Zeid, while there is recognition of progress and of the Government’s will to pursue reforms, efforts to address a number of important shortcomings have slowed down or have been stalling. We are concerned that, initiatives on introducing new counter-terrorism legislation and amending the Code of Criminal Procedure Act (CCPA) bringing them in line with international standards, launching a fully operational Office of Missing Persons, addressing torture and impunity, as well as decriminalising sexual orientation have unfortunately not yet come to fruition. Further action on sexual and gender-based violence should also be pursued.

While we understand the complexity of the issues involved and the need to enter into wide consultations on the more sensitive aspects, it is critical that Sri Lanka delivers on its commitments within clearly established timelines. More specifically, we expect the Government to table legislation to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act and amend the CCPA, ensuring their full compliance with international standards, prior to the decision on GSP Plus foreseen for mid-May.

The above issues fall within the human rights conventions covered by the GSP Plus scheme and constitute obligations upon applicants and beneficiaries which must be complied with. If Sri Lanka is granted GSP+, we will call upon the European Commission to strictly monitor the implementation of these obligations by Sri Lanka and report to us at the second GSP Plus Report to be issued by December this year. Thus, while we are strongly in favour of encouraging Sri Lanka down the path of reform, we will be at the same time watching closely developments and expect that Sri Lanka fully delivers on the above issues. Finalising actions on these issues would, above all, benefit the citizens of Sri Lanka and would help solidify a framework of respect for fundamental rights leading to sustainable growth and development.

Should Sri Lanka be granted GSP Plus, we hope the scheme will help in creating the right economic opportunities for our bilateral relationship to thrive and that it will lead to economic growth and the further diversification of Sri Lankan exports to the EU. In parallel, we hope that GSP Plus will help Sri Lanka pursue such growth in a sustainable development framework through the effective implementation of commitments under the 27 GSP Plus conventions.

Yours sincerley,

Christofer FJELLNER, Member of the European Parliament

Sajjad KARIM, Member of the European Parliament

Agnes JONGERIUS, Member of the European Parliament

Marielle de SARNEZ, Member of the European Parliament

David MARTIN, Member of the European Parliament

Jean LAMBERT, Member of the European Parliament

Emma MCCLARKIN, Member of the European Parliament

Cc:
Rodney PERERA, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the European Union

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

This reminds me of a Prison  Chief of India –Dr Krina Bedi (Mrs)

In March 1993, a woman named Dr Kiran Bedi became Inspector General of the Tihar Jail in New Delhi, the largest prison in India holding nearly 10,000 inmates. In her search for a technique of rehabilitation which would not only prepare her inmates for a successful return to society but also render the prison environment more peaceful and harmonious, she learned about Vipassana and its prior use in prisons”

It is a good and timely move by IGP to initiate such program which can be further expanded into following,

Anyone who wants to practice meditation shall start with Ana- Pana Satti where your concentrate in your breathing on and out, thus training  yourself to concentrate your mind .Indian Guru Goenka who was instrumental in Dr Kiram Bedi’s meditation program always advocated  that any Mediation shall be preceded by undertaking Pancha Seela and try to maintain throughout the day

That means police should vouch before meditation………..

• I will not kill/harm anyone ( refrain from  beating up people and kill whether guilty or not or even aiming water cannons to harm people )
• I will not tell any lie ( refrain from booking people for no reason or coughed up offence –especially if you are on highway patrol)
• I will not steal ( refrain from taking santhosam/bribes kick backs from others )
• I will not engage in extramarital affairs (Refrain from asking sexual favours from people in exchange for leniency )
• I will not consume liquor (Refrain from consuming alcohols at least during working hours   )

I would also like to add few more to the vouch.

• I will always use soft words and address every one Sir” ,Madam or at least Nangi.Malli or Lohu Unnahe ,Nande )
• I will not use harsh filthy words like Yakko ,Tho’ Bolla .Paraya ,Balla ,Wesi ,Ballige Putha . Gaaniye ,Miniho etc etc
• I will smile all the time ( few years back there was such Traffic cop at Kolpettty junction who smiles at every driver –I wonder whether he is already in the heaven

Finally I suggest that colour of the uniform should also be changed to white  ( at least the top) from the horrible Khaki look as it tends to  give shudders to law abiding and non abiding citizens

Our Police Service can go to Guinness Book as the kindest police force during this decade and IGP will become a Real Poojitha , as per the Definition from a Dictionary .

• Your first name of Poojithahas made you a patient, meticulous person who enjoys working in a detailed, systematic way.
• You are determined and deliberate in pursuing your ambitions, but you must work at your own speed.
• You hate to be hurried or to leave anything unfinished or untidy.
• Your infinite patience would allow you to develop intricate, involved skills to perfection.
• Often feeling burdened with work, you worry about details out of proportion to their importance.
• Having definite ideas, you are skeptical and do not change easily, for you require proof, preferably in complete detail before you will alter an opinion.
• Once you are settled into a situation, you do not like to move or make changes.
• When on a schedule, you follow it implicitly

IGP Poojitha will be like Dr Kiran Beddi in time to come

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Writes Ram Madhav Courtesy  samvada.org

“During this period, the majority Sinhalese had grown by 38 per cent (from 10,979,400 to 15,873,800); Sri Lankan Tamils by 20.3 per cent (from 1,886,900 to 2,270,900) and the Indian Origin Tamils by 2.8 per cent (from 812,700 to 842,300). But the Muslims grew by 78.6 per cent (from 1,046,900 to 1,869,800).

This almost double growth rate of Muslims has naturally attracted the attention of even the ordinary citizens. It has triggered fears of the possibility of the minorities in general and Muslims in particular dominating the Sinhalese over time. BBS clearly represents that popular resentment against growing Muslim influence on Sri Lanka. Increasing presence of the Pakistanis and the ISI also are an important factor.”

Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) – a Buddhist organisation many wish to call as Right or Ultra Right – is a new phenomenon in Sri Lanka. One may prefer to brand them in any manner one would like to. But the fact remains that this new outfit is slowly growing in stature and popular support in the country’s Buddhist-dominated areas.

It came into prominence due to its public opposition to the Halal mark on all products marketed in Sri Lanka. This was the demand made and achieved by the less than 10% population of the Muslims of the island. Halal mark has been made mandatory to all products in Sri Lanka due to the pressure of the Muslim leadership although a large population of the country – Buddhists, Hindus and Christians – who constitute around 90% of the population don’t need it at all. All producers of food products have been forced to manufacture Halal products and approach a Muslim council for Halal certification. While this rule has become a revenue earner for the Ulemas it has become a burden on the manufacturers whose majority clients don’t need this mark.

BBS’ opposition to this issue had led to the Ulema council withdrawing the mandatory demand for Halal certification. However the story didn’t end there. The BBS has turned its attention to growing Islamisation and Christianisation of the Island nation.

Like everywhere else, there is a spurt in Islamic identity politics in this country too causing alarm to the local population.

The Muslim population in Sri Lanka is growing fast. Muslim parties won elections in the country’s East province, which was one of the strongholds of the LTTE’s second-in-command Karuna. In fact in spite of Hindus – Tamils – being the majority in that province, which was ruled by a henchman of Karuna until last year, elections saw the Muslim party securing majority in the local provincial council and forming the Government.

There are mosques and madrassas sprouting everywhere in the country. A rough estimate suggests that of the 1.2 million Muslim population every 50 households have a mosque. In Colombo itself a new magnificent mosque is coming up, so are in many other places. Increasing number of burqa-clad women and skull cap-wearing men can be sited on the streets of Sri Lankan cities and towns now.

Changing demographics in many villages, districts and even provinces has rung alarm bells in the Buddhist community. A recent media report indicated high rate of growth among the Sri Lankan Muslims compared to other groups like the Sinhalese and the Tamils. According to that report Muslims had outstripped other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka in population growth between the censuses of 1981 and 2011.

During this period, the majority Sinhalese had grown by 38 per cent (from 10,979,400 to 15,873,800); Sri Lankan Tamils by 20.3 per cent (from 1,886,900 to 2,270,900) and the Indian Origin Tamils by 2.8 per cent (from 812,700 to 842,300). But the Muslims grew by 78.6 per cent (from 1,046,900 to 1,869,800). Increase in Muslims had been significantly higher in the districts of Colombo (73.7 per cent), Kandy (74.1 per cent), Matale (76.4 per cent) and Nuwara Eliya (43 per cent).
This almost double growth rate of Muslims has naturally attracted the attention of even the ordinary citizens. It has triggered fears of the possibility of the minorities in general and Muslims in particular dominating the Sinhalese over time. BBS clearly represents that popular resentment against growing Muslim influence on Sri Lanka. Increasing presence of the Pakistanis and the ISI also are an important factor.

The BBS essentially talks about protecting the Buddhist culture of the country from foreign religions. By this it also means the Christian missionaries who are trying to convert people. It is interesting here to note that in Sri Lanka there exists a gentlemen agreement between the Buddhist and Christian leadership that each would not disturb the flock of the other. This agreement was agreed upon by the Catholic Bishop of Colombo who is Simhalese. Of course the non-Catholic denominations don’t recognise it. Also, the Tamil-origin Bishops and priests in Jaffna, Trincomali etc do not pay any heed to it. In any case their targets are the Tamils of the North. The entire Tamil Eelam movement, right from its inception to the LTTE until its wiping out in 2009, was actively supported, if not sponsored, by the Church in Jaffna. It continues to control the Tamil National Alliance leadership – a group of parties that essentially represents the Tamils of the North and East.

The BBS is opposed to Christian conversions also. But so far the BBS has maintained that Hindus and Buddhists of the country should work together on these issues. Recent anti-Sri Lanka campaign in Tamil Nadu and unfortunate attacks on two Buddhist monks in Chennai, which were very widely and vividly discussed in Sri Lankan media, were enough for this body to turn heat on India and Tamils. Fortunately that didn’t happen. BBS restricted itself to marching in a procession to the Indian High Commission in Colombo and submitting a memorandum. But the risk remains.

So far, the issues raked up by the BBS are worthy of active and sympathetic consideration. BBS is able to capture the attention of the Buddhist population of Sri Lanka. This may lead to tensions between the Muslims and Sinhalese there. Naturally any such tensions in the neighbourhood will be a matter of concern for India too. After Myanmar and Bangladesh anti-Muslim campaign in Sri Lanka is certainly causing concern to our intelligence agencies too.

http://samvada.org/2013/news/bodu-bala-sena-a-new-buddhist-movement-in-sri-lanka-writes-ram-madhav/

By Nishthar Idroos Courtesy  FT.lk

It has now transpired that 142 out of the 225 members in the current Parliament have not passed the GCE Advanced Level examination while 94 of the 142 MPs have not even passed the GCE Ordinary Level examination

‘Democracy is the counting of heads, not what’s in them’ – Padraig Deignan

No GCE Ordinary Level certificate for a good portion of our high-flying Members of Parliament. This is no ordinary issue, neither is it a laughing one. It’s serious, very serious.

Parliament is the supreme legislative body of Sri Lanka and if elected members lack a basic qualification then it’s a poor reflection on our democracy. It has now transpired that 142 out of the 225 members in the current Parliament have not passed the GCE Advanced Level examination while 94 of the 142 MPs have not even passed the GCE Ordinary Level examination. This is a startling revelation, a perplexing paradox. How did they get there? That is the billion-dollar question. Another one of those farcical happenings in Paradise Island.
Unqualified legislators perhaps by virtue of a gifted gab and political connections got elected to high office. In no time, they begin to wield superlative power and romp the high life, grossly insulting those that put them there in the first place. The bizarre yet notorious culture of indifference over capability, eligibility and suitability, further compounded by a lack of regulatory policy, has led to this derisory contemporary situation.
Family bandyism is a long-cherished tradition in Sri Lanka. If a father dies while in office, his wife, son or daughter are considered the natural inheritors of his position regardless of what they may have in terms of actual substance. It seems constituents have a lot of tolerance for this kind of ‘trespassing’.

Unique and photoshopped smiling faces bedecking private walls during elections say it all. Qualifications and general IQ are forgotten and disregarded by the voter. A good ‘Sangeetha Sandarshanaya’ is all what is needed with ample dancing space to send the masses into a frenzy. What a great understatement for those who say democracy is not the most perfect system.

Devoid of qualifications

It seems that these present Members of Parliament had expended, deliberated and strove to date without the basic qualification required. The GCE Ordinary Level is a bare minimum for a legislator in Sri Lanka. I wonder what people like Dr. Colvin R. De Silva or Dr. N.M. Perera would have said about this lugubrious state of affairs had they been amongst the living.

Actors, actresses, cricketers and anyone of appeal are placed as candidates sans tangible merit. The objective is apparent – to win votes. Is this something good for the country? Is this the best approach? Of course Gamini Fonseka and Vijaya Kumaratunga were in a different league. Even Ranjan Ramanayake is a great contributor. Exceptions are always there. For sure I would have preferred World Cup-winning cricket captain ‘Captain Cool’ Arjuna Ranatunga to have been the President of Sri Lanka Cricket and Master Blaster Sanath Jayasuriya its CEO. The duo could have done wonders.

In principle those most suited to engage in politics are those sincerely and positively disposed to work for the people and towards their socioeconomic development. This requires basic qualifications, intelligence and lots of skill, pragmatism, real commitment and common sense.

Isn’t it necessary for voters to know the qualifications of their would-be representatives before a general election? Shouldn’t it be made mandatory for candidates to reveal their qualifications? The preservation of a healthy democratic process necessarily hinges on the insight, intelligence and competence of their elected representatives. In this context mandating a basic qualification regime has become necessary today if not inevitable.

This is a palpable affront on constituents whose diverse and unique issues the right honorable Members of Parliament are supposed to represent with understanding, intelligence and insight. No wonder our Parliament today is reduced to a mere talking shop and that too with wholesome unparliamentary stuff coalescing big time. This is not to say that the PhD’s speak sense all the time.

Sri Lanka without a doubt is at a turning point in its tumultuous and checkered history. Decades of murder, mayhem and macabre incidents have come to an end, economic steam is picking up and is poised to take off big time. Amidst all these sparks comes this disgraceful revelation. This is not good. Sri Lanka must have the right people to efficiently navigate the course.

Canadian example

Sri Lanka can learn many things from Canada. Its young, dynamic and energetic Prime Minister Justin Trudeau certainly wants his Government to reach for the stars. He probably called on the right man for at least one Cabinet job, appointing the first Canadian in space as his Transport Minister.

Mark Garneau logged over 675 hours in space on space shuttle missions in 1984, 1996 and 2000. The Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is a decorated lieutenant-colonel in the Canadian armed forces, the first Sikh Canadian to command an army regiment, having served in Bosnia and Afghanistan. Muslim Canadians also praised Maryam Monsef’s appointment to the Democratic Institutions portfolio. She becomes the first Muslim Canadian in Cabinet.

Upon arrival as a refugee, Monsef relied on the support of several charity organisations, including the YMCA and the Salvation Army. In 2003, Monsef enrolled at Trent University, from which she graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology.

Recently, the firebrand leader of the JVP Anura Kumara Dissanayake was addressing a meeting where he said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was working with a kind of a ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ and that too with just a single Member of Parliament. The names mentioned by him included Charitha Ratwatte, Malik Samarawickrama and R. Paskaralingam.

No doubt that if what the JVP MP said was true, the motley assembly comprising the so-called ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ is unconstitutional and undemocratic. On the brighter side of things what can the Prime Minister expect or ask to perform from those without a GCE Ordinary Level certificate?

– See more at: http://www.ft.lk/article/ 605156/Oh–no-O-Level#sthash. ny9Xc4Kf.dpuf

Editorial Island

April 11, 2017, 8:26 pm

We quoted National Unity Alliance Leader Azath Salley, in yesterday’s main news item, as saying President Maithripala Sirisena had assured him that the established procedures would be followed in appointing judges. The President is only making a virtue of necessity! Having promised to usher in good governance, the government cannot act in contravention of time-honoured procedures. Similarly, Salley ought to give a pledge to the public that established procedures will also be followed in removing judges. For, in 2015, his efforts to make the then Chief Justice Mohan Peiris resign left a bad taste in many a mouth.

It is heartening that sanity has shown signs of prevailing at long last. President Sirisena has incurred the wrath of judicial officers by intervening to appoint a lawyer, named Ramanathan Kannan, to the High Court at the expense of a number of deserving District Court judges. He has not only landed the respected member of the unofficial bar in an embarrassing position but also cut a very pathetic figure himself. Now, it is alleged that the government has discriminated against two senior Appeal Court judges in trying to appoint the President of the Court of Appeal. It is said to be planning to appoint a judge of its choice to that post. Such political interference with judicial appointments is antithetical to the concept of good governance the present government pretends to cherish.

Anything King Midas touched turned into gold instantly. Our political leaders, who are full of themselves, have a remarkable ability to turn anything into a total mess by simply touching it. This is why they must never lay their hands on vital state institutions like the judiciary.

Those who expected the present administration, which promised a radical break from its predecessor’s style of governance, to make a difference are disappointed. The manner in which Chief Justice Peiris was ousted immediately after the 2015 regime change came as a shock. The Rajapaksa government abused its power to impeach Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake wrongfully and President Maithripala Sirisena misused his executive powers to get rid of CJ Peiris to pave the way for the reinstatement of Bandaranayake. The incumbent dispensation seems to think that two wrongs always make a right!

President Sirisena should desist from interfering in judicial appointments or resorting to any action which can be construed as a violation of the Constitution, for his own sake. It is only too well known that there is a not-so-cold war between the UNP and the SLFP in the yahapalana government. The SLFP and the UNP members of the Cabinet are at one another’s jugular in a bid to consolidate their power at the centre. This conflict is bound to come to a head sooner or later though the yahapalana leaders are papering over the cracks. If the SLFP-UNP political marriage collapses, the President will be reduced to a mere figurehead. The only way he can avoid such a fate is to capture power in Parliament. This is not a possibility in that the JO, which has within its ranks 50 UPFA MPs, has already said it won’t work together with the SLFP (Maithri faction) on the President’s terms. So, only the UNP has the potential to control Parliament by engineering some crossovers from the SLFP if need be. The JO is likely to remain aloof in such a situation deriving a perverse pleasure from its bete noire, Sirisena, stewing in his own juice. Odds are stacked against the President on the political front.

President Sirisena had no qualms about joining forces with the UNP to achieve his presidential ambitions at the expense of the SLFP. Likewise, the JO is likely to cooperate with anyone desirous of seeing the back of the President.

The need for President Sirisena to tread cautiously and ensure that all his actions are well within the constitutionally prescribed limits cannot be overemphasised.

Leo Fernando Pitipana Courtesy The Island

April 11, 2017, 8:37 pm

This is the sad and angry cry reverberating from the hapless poor patients who spent their meagre means to visit the hospitals on Friday the 7th April seeking treatment and solace, and being denied such by the doctors manning the government and some private hospitals who, they say, had their medical education financed from the taxes paid by these poor members of society.

Closing SAITM alleging substandard medical education in this only private medical school is not a valid reason to deny health care to the poor, and some desperately ill patients. Strikes by doctors become a human rights issue, nay a criminal offence. In the Sunday island paper Dr. AC Visvalingam, Chairman of CIMOGG, had very convincingly argued against the stance of the misguided members of the medical community.

It is clear that the reasons for the strike can be imputed to their greed for money by eliminating competition, and by forming an oligarchy so that they can ply their trade in both public and private hospitals. If I may recall the a bygone era when doctors were fighting for enhanced salaries and the right to do private practice (incidentally denied to all other professionals in the public sector) the salary scales of the new Senior Executive Service proposed by Dr. B. S. Wijeweera, UNDP Consultant, the following stages in their demands for higher salaries are given below.

Stage 1. When Mr. SWRD Bandaranaike was the Minister of Health, if I am not mistaken, medical Specialists were battling with the authorities for the right to admit private patients to government hospitals on chits.

Stage 2. With the grant of this right to qualified Specialists, acting Specialists not having the proper qualifications were doing private practice admitting private patients.

Stage 3. Specialists were entitled to a non pensionable allowance in lieu of private practice. Some, of course, did private practice while drawing the allowance. The late Gamini Fonseka’s film”Sarungale” depicted scenes of a surgeon being caught for doing private practice.

Stage 4. Government Specialists were entitled to do “channeled practice” in private hospitals but were paid by the government hospital authorities. Some Specialists did both “channeled practice”and also “tunnellëd practice”. The latter meant that they were receiving money from the private hospitals too.

Stage 5. All Specialists were entitled to convert the non-pensionable allowance to a pensionable allowance which later got unified with the salary.

Stage 6. Even non specialist doctors i.e. all doctors in the public service got the right to do private practice. They were also entitled to overtime payments, although they were exempted from signing an attendance register, a right they fought for what reason I fail to understand. All non staff grade public servants are required to sign an attendance register. Staff grade officers were not entitled to overtime payments then.

During the period of Stages 4 and 5 the salary scales of doctors were similar to those of District Land officers and Settlement Officers in the Administrative Service. There should not be any objections to the grant of high salaries to medical personnel considering the long hours of work and their qualifications and the high entry standard for admission to medical school. It has to be remembered that other scientists and engineers, with even a PhD, were not enjoying salary scales on par with those of Specialist Doctors.

But the public expects equally high socially responsible humanitarian standards from them. When they strike on matters unconnected to trade union rights there sets in a deficit in social responsibility that could cross the line towards criminality. The so called sub-standard medical education imparted in SAITM has little to do with trade union rights of doctors in the GMOA. If raising standards in SAITM is actuated by a desire to ensure that patients in state and private hospitals would get quality medical care, striking and depriving poor patients their right to medical care and treatment, is a case of holding patients to ransom as hostages in the pursuit of winning trade union rights by a coterie of educated, yet unsympathetic and anti social professionals enjoying the best possible pensionable salary scales and the right to do private practice at the same time; a privilege denied to all other professionals and sub-professional groups in the public service.

Leo Fernando

Pitipana

WITH RAVI LADDUWAHETTY Courtesy  Ceylon Today

“In the face of such heinous war crimes, all civilized people must speak with one voice. That is why Canada fully supports the United States’ limited, focused action to degrade the Assad regime’s ability to launch such attacks.”

– Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

United States President Donald J. Trump has had no choice but to bomb Syria. He was set up and pushed into doing it. If it was a set up job, it cannot be Russia. Trump was going soft on Russia and Russia was backing Syrian President Bashar al- Assad who is the Head of State of the Syrian Arab Republic. He is vested with sweeping powers that may be delegated, at his sole discretion, to his Vice Presidents. He appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister and other members of the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet) and military officers. The period of his term is ‎seven years, and renewable just once.

The segments of people who were very unhappy about these developments were the Neo- Conservatives of the United States, the string Jewish Lobby and their ancillary supporters. They were agitated that Trump was getting close to Russia and that Russia was supporting Assad. So, the strategy was to break the sympathy for Russia.

The US closed in on Syria, when they are alleged to have used chemical weapons. The allegation was that the chemical weapons were in the hands of the rebels and the Assad Government bombed the rebels.

The US lobbies, the Neo Conservatives and the Jews who have wanted to separate Trump and Russia, have attained their goals!
So, the happiest outside the US, would be Israel and the US-based Neo Conservatives who would have assumed that Trump and Putin may have been torn asunder.

Russia likely to counter

On the contrary, Russia is also not likely to take it lying down. They will be waiting to unleash some terror on the US.

This might not escalate to the level of a possible World War III. But tensions in the Middle East and the Gulf are bound to increase rapidly. So, who will benefit by that?

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Hayley, a neophyte in multilateral matters, one season was seen bustling around, literally holding her hands and so on, as she arrived to assume post at a world class multilateral farce.

Thus she appears to have become the latest mouth piece for Neo Conservatives, for the time being. And, the empire under POTUS45 appear to have assumed typical Hollywood style John Wayne skit on the surface to handle external affairs following an invented gas attack, leading to recent demo with Tomahawk Block IV missiles, incidentally with limited shelf life as Brigadier Munasinghe observed. Naturally therefore a need to replenish Tomahawk stockpiles with new product!

Brief recap of timeline to events

March 27th – Syrian militias armed by different parts of the US war machine have begun to fight each other on the plains between the besieged city of Aleppo and the Turkish border, highlighting how little control U.S. intelligence officers and military planners have over the groups they have financed and trained in the bitter five-year-old civil war…

March 30th – Indicating a possible shift in US policy on the war in Syria from the days of the Barack Obama administration, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on a trip to Turkey, that the “longer-term status of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people.”.

…And in New York, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was even stronger about the Trump administration’s decision not to push for Assad’s departure. “Our priority is no longer to sit and focus on getting Assad out,” Haley told wire reporters Thursday, according to AFP. “Do we think he’s a hindrance? Yes,” she said. “Are we going to sit there and focus on getting him out? No.”

April 4th – The CNN Anchor is left speechless after a congressman questions Syria chemical attack narrative. It should be noted that the free media anchor’s expression snapping to attention the instant she realizes Massie is doubting pre arranged dogma?
Expressions on diehard greenish Colombites when chain of command related to ‘foremost daylight robbery’ for Lanka is referred to, let alone accepting such a robbery happened?

“Sometimes People do not want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed!”-

April 5th – Russia stands by Syria at UN over chemical weapons attack. Syria has already turned over its entire chemical stockpile under a deal negotiated by Russia and the US, in a process overseen by the supervision of the Organizationfor the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)…

April 6th – Tillerson: ‘Steps Are Under Way’ to Remove Assad From Power in Syria

April 8th – Here is my take on Syrian airstrike, not what you think… Dr. Steve R. Pieczenik, MD, PhD.

Recognize Dr. Pieczenik is operating on professional psychiatrist mode to intended audience, namely inhabitants of the empire?

Although he illustrates certain elements not quite visible in the frenzied flood of analyses pumped out by organs of free media,
Dr. Pieczenik studiously avoids to dwell on ground reality associated to ‘adversarial party’ alluded to in his narrative.

That is fact that the combined offensive/defensive capacity attained by the middle kingdom and her northern ally far ahead of the empire. Days of asserting hegemony through mammoth floating fortresses, contraptions flying or hissing in the air, massed formations of men and war paraphernalia and so on, long gone, plays no useful role other than to create an illusion besides inflicting prearranged pot-shots as in Syrian theatre. Look around, relevant info is out there to those who wish to seek.

Besides politically motivated moves, POTUS45 appear to be playing a deadly game of Russian roulette with elements entrenched in the deep State system within which a community of white hats appear to be supporting him.

Slightest misstep by, either party and the world would experience that which no inhabitant on earth had ever experienced before within contemporary reality. Faced with such uncertainty in the days and months ahead, we need a time tested team in a lean and mean formation back in the saddle ASAP, dispersing monumentally incompetent regime change actors installed by powers that were to accomplish, exactly that which they have attained in destroyed societies such as Ukraine, Iraq, Libya and others. By the way, Putin graciously restored that were stolen by Colonials recently. Was he saying something in typical ruskie style?

BY RUSSELL A. WHITEHOUS Courtesy Ceylon Today

The past few days have been full of so-called coincidences in the Middle East that can’t help, but to raise eyebrows in the post-Iraq War era. On Tuesday, ‘a suspected chemical attack by government forces’ took place in Idlib, one of the few major cities still under rebel control in President Assad’s Syrian Arab Republic. Two days later, the US launched 59 Tomahawk missiles at a government air base near Homs, right as President Trump was in the middle of a delicate dinner conversation with his nemesis (and Assad ally) Chinese Premier Xi.

All of this tumult is occurring right as regional strongman President Erdogan of Turkey is making his final pitch for an April 16th referendum to vastly expand his executive powers…

Now, why would Trump, who warned against attacking Syria 45 times and who ran on a largely non-interventionist platform, suddenly go against one of his few consistently stated policy creeds? Especially seeing as Trump said that he’d focus military efforts on fighting ISIS, Assad’s strongest opposition force? According to Trump , it’s because, “Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children… Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack.” A bleeding-heart statement from a man who has twice tried to bar all Syrian refugees fleeing such violence and who recently said on live TV that, “when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families.”

The real reason has everything to do with politics. The attack occurred right as Trump was in the middle of a ‘very difficult’ meeting with China’s Leader, Xi Jinping. Trump’s disdain for China has gone back many years… He has accused the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter of creating climate change as a hoax to undermine US manufacturing, condemned China repeatedly as a currency manipulator, and warned that, “We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country.” Just last year, Trump’s Chief Strategist Steve Bannon guaranteed that the US would be going to war with China within a decade. What better way to try to create leverage with your rival than by announcing a sneak attack on one of his allies to his face, right as he’s digging into a Big Mac at Mar-a-Lago?

Trump ally President Erdogan has his own reasons to want a conflagration in the region. Turkey is Syria’s super wealthy northern neighbour and, incidentally, one of the key players in Syria’s war. Almost all of ISIS’ foreign recruits (and supplies) come to Syria through the Turkey-Syria border; so much so, that the US begged Turkey to secure its border. Turkish officials, most notably Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayrak, have been implicated as being complicit in the smuggling of ISIS oil through Turkey. At one point, ISIS was making $50M a month from this illicit source of income. Erdogan is holding a referendum on 16 April that could vastly increase the scope of his already authoritarian powers; a yes vote could allow him to lock up even more journalists and purge even more academics.

Nothing coalesces support for strongmen like fear. With an airstrike and maybe much more to come to neighbouring Syria from Uncle Sam, Erdogan will be able to play the role of Protector, vowing to guard the Motherland from terrorists and US invaders alike.

Who was the biggest winner of the ‘alleged chemical attack’ that Rep. Ron Paul derided as making no military or political sense for a regime that had solidified control of the country months back after seizing Aleppo and that had received a de facto truce with Western powers previously been eager to focus on ISIS? Trump. Prior to Friday’s missile strike, the whole world was enraptured by constant stream of reports of the Trump presidential campaign’s ties to Russia. The political spectacle had an ever-growing cast of characters: Manafort, Flynn, Nunes, Kushner, etc. Trump’s approval rating dropped to just over a third of the country. The word ‘impeachment’ was on the lips of many people throughout Washington, the media and water coolers. Now, Congress, the media and the international community (besides Canadian PM Justin Truadeau) are blindly praising him for his decisive attack in response to one alleged Assad atrocity out of the countless confirmed atrocities he’s committed over the past 6 years.

Even Democrats in Congress have almost unanimously supported the missile strike; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was only unhappy that Trump “didn’t consult with Congress before implementing it.” Best of all for Trump, he can use his attack on Russia’s close ally as evidence that he couldn’t possibly have been colluding with Putin (though a Trump-as-Russian-mole conspiracy theorist could argue that the attack was jointly choreographed by Trump and Putin to throw people off Trump’s trail).

We’ve seen this kind of chemical-weapons-in-the-Middle-East-flavoured ‘manufacturing consent,’ as Noam Chomsky puts it, just 14 years ago. Almost everyone in the Establishment, including Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair and the NYT, blindly accepted the Bush Administration’s bizarre conspiracy theory about staunch secularist Saddam Hussein supporting al-Qaeda and harbouring a secret stash of WMDs and that the only logical solution was to topple the dictatorship of Ronald Reagan & Karl Rumsfeld’s buddy in the 1980s. Prior to that, we had the completely unfounded bombing of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory on 20 Aug 1998.

The attack on the Sudanese ‘chemical weapons facility’ occurred literally one day after the Monica Lewinsky scandal started blowing up. Or who could forget when ‘Nayirah’, the daughter of the Kuwaiti Ambassador, was hired by the PR firm Hill & Knowlton to fabricate before Congress horror stories about witnessing soldiers of Saddam Hussein (remember him) killing babies in incubators? Clearly, the Kuwaiti Ambassador’s daughter would have no incentive to draw the US military into repelling Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait…

If the US and its allies sign onto another ground war in the Middle East due to some presumptive and poorly fact-checked reports on an alleged chemical attack in the world’s most complex war zone, where there are no outside journalists or doctors to examine the victims firsthand, then everyone may end up feeling duped… again.

(moderndiplomacy.eu)

Courtesy The Telegraph (UK)

Boris Johnson had arrived in Italy insisting he was a man with a plan.

The Foreign Secretary would use his powers of diplomacy to win the G7’s backing for threatening sanctions against Russia and Syria, which would in turn persuade Vladimir Putin that supporting Bashar al-Assad was no longer worth it.

Less than 24 hours later, the most important summit of his career appeared to have blown up in Mr Johnson’s face thanks to the intransigence of Germany and Italy, which critics say he should have seen coming.

By the time he left the Renaissance city of Lucca on Tuesday, his standing on the world stage – and that of Britain – was unquestionably diminished and his own colleagues were suggesting his grand plan failed because it had been drawn up on a whim”.

What made matters worse was that Mr Johnson had staked his credibility on gaining a consensus at the G7 meeting of foreign ministers.

Having cancelled a trip to Moscow last weekend to leave the way clear for the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who arrived in the Russian capital last night, he had been mocked as America’s poodle” by the Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron.

Full Story

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/11/sprung-whim-german-italian-interests-meant-boris-johnsons-grand/

MOSCOW (Sputnik) 

It turns out that Ivanka Trump, a mother of three, played a role in her father’s decision to launch a cruise missile strike at a sovereign state, which resulted in the death of several people, according to The Telegraph.

— US President Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump confirmed on Tuesday that his sister Ivanka Trump, who has recently agreed to take an unpaid job as a White House adviser, influenced the decision to launch missile strikes against a military airfield in Syria.

“Ivanka is a mother of three kids and she has influence. I’m sure she said: ‘Listen, this is horrible stuff,” Trump’s son told The Telegraph newspaper.

The news about Ivanka’s influence on the decision made by her father on April 7, to launch missile strikes on a Syrian military airfield in Homs province, was first reported by the Sunday Times. The missile attack was in response to a suspected chemical attack in the Syrian province of Idlib on April 4 that killed over 80 people and was blamed by Washington on the Syrian government.

“It was horrible. These guys are savages and I’m glad he responded the way he responded,” Eric Trump added.

© SPUTNIK/ MIKHAIL VOSKRESENSKIY

‘Fear and Ruins’: First-Hand Account of the Aftermath of US Strike on Syrian Airbase

Damascus refuted the allegations of its involvement in the suspected chemical attack and condemned the US’ strikes in the strongest terms. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said last Thursday that government forces had never and would never use chemical weapons against either civilians or terrorists.On Thursday, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) launched an investigation into the incident. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that groundless accusations over the chemical weapons incident in Syria’s Idlib were unacceptable before an investigation into the matter had been carried out, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the US missile attack as a violation of international law.

Shenali D Waduge

 Ever since western colonial invaders arrived on our island the policy of the western administrators was to eliminate Buddhism and indoctrinate the Sinhala Buddhists. Buddhism stood in the way of totally controlling the people & the island. They divided the Sinhalese by religion creating Catholics/Christians upon whom was tasked the objective of diluting the place of Buddhism and promote Christianity. Ever since independence sinister attempts have been made using ministries, government policies and society groups to dilute the place of Buddhism. The present ‘shared values’ program is one such insidious wolf in sheeps clothing attempt riding on a bogus multicultural multi-religious dogma.

 The latest casualty is likely to be Vesak if the Buddhists of Sri Lanka and Buddhists in general do not wake up to understand the writings on the wall.  

 Vesak honors 3 great events in the life of Buddha – the birth the enlightenment and the Mahaparinibbhana also known as the ‘themagula’. It delivers an universal message of peace, to do good and turn away from evil. In 1999 by Resolution 54/115 the UN General Assembly decided to annually commemorate Vesak in UN Head office and UN offices globally. An International Buddhist Symposium is to be held in Colombo this year but unlikely to even raise the challenges to Buddhism as no one wants to upset non-Buddhists but it is fine for non-Buddhists to smear Buddhists!

 The cultural aspect of Vesak is the lanterns, lamps, Pandals depicting stories in the life of Buddha and the Jataka stories that provide guidance to adults and child to live a compassionate life. Buddhists are very charitable people, always giving dana to the underprivileged but at Vesak that is extended further by arranging dansal – free lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks, ice creams etc. Vesak is a time when the entire country is illuminated in lights. For several years attempts had been made to even adopt symbols of other faiths to the Vesak pandols. Would Islam /Christianity or Catholicism put a single Buddhist symbol alongside their faith unless it is with the plan to project the notion to ignorant masses that there is no difference between Buddhism and Christian/Islam!

 Buddhism is a dharmic religion. It can never be cobbled with Abrahamic religions many of which have been usurped and are preaching a totally different ideology to the original teachings. Christianity today as over 3000 denominations. Islam has been taken over by British created Wahhabi-Islam. There are quarters trying Hinduinize Buddhism. All these are challenges that Buddhists face and without addressing these challenges it is a futile endeavor to commit to shared values when there are no values to share in how institutionalized religions are currently being practiced.

 Both the Church & Islam stand guilty of pursuing historical objective of world conquest and domination of non-Abrahamic territory. In ancient times it was using the gun, in present times it is by conversions, power of money, political arm-twisting and increase of birth. Today’s weapons are ‘human rights’, liberal theories of democracy, freedom of speech, religion slogans all of which the West has a tight control over. Slavery during Christian colonial rule has been replaced by the trade monopolies of IMF, World Bank dictating slave labor in the form of immigration. The newest notions are humanitarian interventions, military interventions, self-determination all insidious attempts to take over non-Abrahamic territories. Though we presume that Islam has challenged the Christian West we are confused how the many terrorists groups that prevail have links to Western intelligence operatives who are supplying them arms, training even funding.

Apart from a handful of Hindus, the 1billion Hindus globally prefer to not challenge the status quo but want to take diplomatic use of Buddhism to expand Hindu However, when Buddhists raise alarm bells and expose the insidious attempts, the response has been to use the might of media to denounce Buddhists as rabble rousers, racists, fundamentalists, completely denigrate Buddhist leaders who are highlighting some of the wrongs taking place and even go so far as to create incidents and accuse Buddhists of being culprit. But, when Buddhist places of worship are attacked, when Buddhist temples are burnt, when statues of Buddha are broken from the head, when museums are attacked and all Buddhist items are destroyed other than a passing statement nothing is done. The Dalai Lama may call himself a Buddhist leader but at no time has he spoken against these acts or highlighted the wrongs and injustices Buddhists today suffer from. Even the heads of the Nikayas in Sri Lanka stand guilty of their silence over the years when Buddhists and Buddhist sites in particular ancient sites have been intruded upon and taken over and places like Sripada which were once only Buddhist places of worship have suddenly become multicultural-multireligious sites! There are enough of examples to show how Buddhism is being targeted – newspapers in the hands of non-Buddhists are regularly out to denigrate Buddhism, contributors to the newspapers are regular Buddhist-bashers, articles on Buddhism are not commiserate to the composition of Buddhists in Sri Lanka. The religious and cultural Buddhist festivals are being diluted. We somehow overcame the attempt to remove the perahera elephants using the bogey of elephant torture but silent over animal ritual sacrifice showing the double standards and duplicity.

Name a single Islamic country that follows multiculturalism or multi-religion? Do they ever agree to dilute the place of their faith and culture? Yet, they demand other countries to adopt to their faiths and more often than not their faith has to be given priority status. Only Austria and Russia has given status to Buddhism as a religion. Temples are not allowed to be built in Muslim majority countries but Muslims want to build mosques even next to Buddhist sacred sites and play the azan to purposely disturb Buddhists in prayer/meditation. The number of mosques in sacred city of Anuradhapura is daily rising. The number of Christian/Evangelical missionary centres are daily rising with no efforts from the government to monitor them.

A Buddhist conference is of no use unless the participants and organizers are not prepared to lay on the table the challenges that Buddhists and the Buddhist world face and draw up a plan on how to address them. Church & Muslim nations annually meet and devise action plans on how to take their institutionalized faith forward globally. Buddhists need to have an effective mechanism to protect and preserve a history of over 2500 years. The tragedy is that those countries that do not have history or cultures or their history and cultures are blood soaked at the one’s out to destroy Buddhism.   

Of late there have been attempts to use media to denigrate Buddhists and thus use that as a logic to denounce and deny the state patronage while completely ignoring the fact that the Church & Islam has billions to promote their faiths and lobby their cause while the handful of majority Buddhist countries have just their government backing based on the notion that these countries historically protected and preserved Buddhism and associated entities to continue to do so.

What needs to be said about the present attempt to bring in ‘shared values’ concept is that anything that comes without reciprocity should not be accepted. You cannot demand what you are not prepared to concede.

Buddhists do not enjoy any of the privileges in other countries that non-Buddhists are presently demanding of Buddhists in Sri Lanka. Moreover, simply promoting a new liberal concept, it is immoral and unethical to terminate and replace a country’s history and heritage. What the obvious plan is to make all Buddhist-only places as multicultural and slowly bring in other faiths into these domains and then with time given that there is no spokesman or institute for Buddhism, slowly and clandestinely remove the Buddhist history, architecture and culture and replace them with either of the Abrahamic faiths or even with Hinduism. South Indian invaders & colonial invaders and presently Islamic incursions have all attempted to replace Buddhism with theirs and their global institutions and political powers are being used to facilitate this objective.

If Buddhists are not aware of these challenges and are unable to pick up these sinister designs and comprehend the ulterior motive and plan, before too long Buddhism will end up in the mantelpiece. With time those that usurped Buddhism will give a western/Islamic/Hindu twist and re-introduce it with a changed history as can be seen in the manner that even the school text books are currently being written and the syllabus is being designed with this intent in mind.

Shenali D Waduge

Sputnik.com

Russia has intelligence from “trusted sources” that chemical weapons provocations are currently being prepared in more regions in Syria, including Damascus, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella Tuesday.

RT

Dr. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

April 10, 2017, 8:09 pm

“The correctness or incorrectness of the ideological and political line decides everything.”(Mao)

UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is mightily helped by the confusion in the ranks of the SLFP and Oppositional forces in general. The SLFP voters and the broader constituency of non-UNP (or non-hardcore UNP) voters are being sent three messages, all of which are wrong. The three messages come, NOT from Mahinda Rajapaksa but from President Sirisena, ex-president Kumaratunga and architect-strategist of the breakaway Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (Sri Lanka People’s Front SLPF), Basil Rajapaksa.

Chandrika Kumaratunga wants a strategic alliance of the SLFP and the UNP, even under the UNP’s leadership. She seems willing to go as far as fusion, which means turning the clock back to pre-1951 and her father’s rupture with the UNP. The alliance she advocates is with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and the neoliberal globalism he represents, rather than with a populist-patriotic (‘neo-Premadasaist’) tendency of the UNP. Chandrika sees the UNP-TNA-SLFP-civil society liberals-West as a durable and desirable bloc.

President Sirisena sees the UNP-SLFP alliance not as strategic, and certainly not as a potential fusion, unless the UNP is led by an ideological co-thinker who is a centrist-populist. He is striving to cultivate such a constituency within the UNP. If not, or until that fructifies, the alliance with the UNP is tactical, not strategic. He is keeping open the January 2015 alignment and its possible recycling but that is not his Plan A, not least because he sees its exponentially growing unpopularity. He has his eye on the exits that are coming up but he hasn’t made up his mind. His main aim is to nurture a moderate, more youthful and modern, non-Rajapaksa/post-Rajapaksa SLFP which is ideologically progressive or even mildly social democrat. He hopes to use it to seize the hegemony within the existing Yahapalana coalition or lead it to victory as part of a new centrist alliance with compatible elements of the JO and the UNP.

Basil Rajapaksa’s perspective is clear. He is seeing it through the eyes of his father DA Rajapaksa and uncle, DM Rajapaksa. He sees the SLFP vacating its historic role as a moderate nationalist alternative to the UNP, while the UNP is playing the role that made SWRD and DA Rajapaksa rupture with it and found the SLFP. Basil sees a historic opportunity. He hopes to build an alternative to the UNP which in this first stage has to be an alternative to the official SLFP. He hopes to kill two birds with one stone, and strengthen himself through this project, vis-a-vis a sibling perceived as a potential rival and successor to the iconic elder brother Mahinda.

CBK’s vision of the merger or long-term strategic alliance of the UNP and SLFP which forms a single center-right, pro-West liberal formation is doomed to be a mirage or at best, have a short shelf-life. Once Ranil’s polarizing policies sink the UNP in a reprise of 1956/1970, both the UNP and the official SLFP will dump the line that got them into the hole and swing decisively to populist-nationalist personalities.

This leaves standing two perspectives of the three: President Sirisena’s and Basil Rajapaksa’s. They are both intelligent, politically knowledgeable individuals, who dislike each other and have a “history”. President Sirisena’s problem with Mahinda Rajapaksa was a derivative of his problem with Basil. President Sirisena and Gotabhaya never had a problem with one another, and the latter actually canvassed unsuccessfully for Mr. Sirisena to be made PM. President Rajapaksa was unable to accommodate Minister Maithripala Sirisena fairly because he was reluctant to antagonize two people—Nimal Siripala de Silva and much more importantly, Basil Rajapaksa. Maithripala Sirisena’s defection and candidacy owed much more to bitterness generated by Basil Rajapaksa’s political behavior than to moves by India, the US and CBK!

Ironically, President Sirisena and Mr. Basil Rajapaksa share the same crippling flaw. The Sirisena line expects us to agree that Ranil and Chandrika are better, or better political company, for the country and the SLFP, than Mahinda Rajapaksa. Hardly any SLFP voter will agree with that proposition. Not many Sri Lankan Sinhalese will, by the next election. Mr. Sirisena’s moderate, modern, non-Rajapaksa family SLFP may have been a viable, even attractive proposition, but not while he is in the company of Ranil and CBK, and the country is careening in the direction decided upon by them. In other words, President Sirisena’s vision for the SLFP would have worked and can work, only in the Opposition or as the dominant element of a government that is headed in a very different direction from this one. As things are, and so long as they remain this way, his line cannot work.

CBK and President Sirisena, albeit to different degrees, push the line that the main enemy is Mahinda Rajapaksa; that the main danger facing the country is a Rajapaksa return; and that the main task is to prevent it. Basil Rajapaksa and the SLPP’s line is that the main enemy is Maithripala Sirisena, rather than Ranil Wickremesinghe, and that the main target should be the official SLFP. In a classic “category error” all these players conflate “rival/competitor” with “enemy/threat”. Neither line is going to work with most SLFP voters (as distinct from hardcore activists) or anti-government voters; those who want change.

While Basil and the SLPF expect another 1956, they are not positioning themselves correctly for it. SWRD and DA Rajapaksa did not regard their competitors the LSSP and CP as the main enemies, but correctly attacked the UNP and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s precursor, the pro-Western, anti-national Sir John Kotelawela (whose ideological advisor was Ranil’s father, Esmond).

The SLPP’s “maestro” does not know what a real maestro, JR Jayewardene did when in the Opposition. JRJ knew that the coalitional character of the government of the day is not only a source of strength but also of weakness, and should be the “seam” or “fault line” that that numerically weaker Opposition should tactically focus on opening up, thereby causing an implosion, while strategically focusing on rebranding, repositioning and (re)building one’s own party as a powerful grassroots movement.

The SLPP counter-argument may be that the Sirisena SLFP is propping up the UNP, which was not the case with the LSSP and CP in the 1950s when the SLFP was launched. True, but when JRJ split the UF Coalition as a prelude to his landslide in 1977, he didn’t target the LSSP-CPSL as main enemy because they were a powerful prop of the SLFP, but instead drew the LSSP and CP out of the coalition while targeting the duo Felix Dias Bandaranaike and Mrs. B as the main enemy. An intelligent strategist would not attack the prop but deprive the enemy of it by detaching it and drawing it away from the enemy it is propping up! An intelligent strategist would also realize that the SLFP in government should not be targeted as the enemy but should be treated as allies, and converted into a Fifth Column waging a guerrilla war of attrition in the government camp, behind the UNP’s lines.

Basil Rajapaksa knows that if the elected Executive Presidential system remains there will have to be a common Opposition candidate at the next election; one whom all factions of the SLFP agree on. Whether the candidate is or isn’t a Rajapaksa, it sure won’t be Basil. No wonder then that the SLPP is fudging the issue of the UNP’s constitutional power grab i.e. the effort to transfer power from Sirisena to Ranil via the abolition of the executive Presidency.

Mahinda himself cannot run, but he won’t mind too much as long as the candidate is a Rajapaksa, because as PM he will have more power than ever before (thanks to the 19th amendment) and will be treated with more respect by the next President than Madam Bandaranaike was when she was PM and CBK was President. He is ambivalent on the abolition of the Presidency not on his own account but because of the complications of balancing the interests of all the political players of two generations within the family—which was the real motivation for the counterproductive 18th amendment (abolishing terms limits) anyway.

The SLPP strategists appear to think that a possible intervention by President Sirisena to recompose the government, ousting Ranil and the Right and effecting a centrist realignment under Presidential auspices would retard the chances of a landslide in 2020. They think that retaining Ranil undisturbed till 2020 would help a backlash and an avalanche. They forget several factors. Firstly, the Presidential election comes before the parliamentary election and a Presidential candidate is an imperative. A split in the anti-UNP vote could mean a victory for the UNP candidate supported by the minorities. Secondly, the UNP’s ongoing sell-off of the country would leave very little to inherit in 2020 except a rump Sri Lankan state. Therefore exploring to the maximum any possibility of an intermediate, interimand transitional solution, a re-set of the political equation, is in the national interest.

If that doesn’t work out, then a “Jathika Virodatha Dinaya” (Day of National Protest), a “Samastha Maha Veda Varjanaya” (General Strike), a “pipireema” (explosion) and “Peraliya”(overturn) – to use terms that are currently in the public political discourse–and are not only inevitable but could also prove our country’s salvation.

Meanwhile, “Stop handing Trincomalee to India!” should be the key slogan of the JO’s May Day 2017 at Galle Face Green, and every citizen who is opposed to giving Trincomalee to the Indians should be urged to be present on that day at that venue.

MEDIA RELEASE , Ranjith Soysa, Media Co-ordinator, Global Sri Lankan Forum

Mr Sampanthan, the leader of the TNA and the Leader of the official opposition of Sri Lankan Parliament, should be brought before the courts for spreading ABSOLUTE FALSE INFORMATION about the Sri Lankan defence forces.

At a conference held on Counter Terrorism in India, Sampanthan came out with a figure of 150,000 Tamils being killed by the armed forces. While the figures vary from person to person or from the NGO to NGO as to the civilians killed during the Sri Lanka’s war against the Tamil separatist Tigers, Sampanthan’s figure of 150,000 killed is at the high end of such a fictitious array of figures.

However, as the leader representing the country’s official opposition, Sampanthan has to express his views responsibly in keeping with the high standards expected of his office.

Hence, the Government of Sri Lanka should take very urgent action to seek clarification from Sampanthan and follow up with legal action for wilfully spreading false information about the Sri Lankan armed forces and its members, at a foreign conference. If Sampanthan cannot defend his position, urgent action should be taken to have the law on him.

Some of the crucial issues arising from Sampanthan’s questionable statement are as follows;

1. Why did Sampanthan make this statement at a conference in India?
2. Can Sampanthan justify his statement with facts and figures?
3. What are the sources for his statement?
4. What evidence can he cite to prove the figures publicised in his talk?
5. As the official leader of the opposition, did he not know that he was jeopardizing the national security of Sri Lanka?
6. Is he willing to defend his position in a court of law?

It has to be remembered that Sampanthan and his political party never criticised the violence perpetrated by the LTTE Tamil terrorists when they were active from the late 80s to 2009. Since the end of the conflict, they have never cited a single incident of HR violations committed by the LTTE including killing of Tamil civilians and use of Tamil child soldiers for armed combat.  Further, Sampanthan and his party is actively involved with various LTTE fronts and partisan NGOs in vilifying the Sri Lankan armed forces and insisting on investigating   ONLY one side for war crimes.

Hence, Samapanathan should FACE AN INVESTIGATION ON ACCOUNT OF HIS VILLIFICATION OF THE ARMED FORCES, AS THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE  PARLIAMENT OF SRI LANKA

Ranjith Soysa

Media Co-ordinator

Global Sri Lankan Forum

සුරිය වංශය යලි ගොඩ නැගීමේ සංවිධානය

උතුරු පළාත් සභා ප්‍රධාන අමාත්‍ය සි විග්නේශ්වාරන් මහතා විසින් 19.02. 2017 දින දැඩි මත ධාරි සිංහල ජාතිවදියකු හා  තමා වාදයකට සුදානම් බව පවසමින් Ceylon Today පුවත් පතට සම්මුක සාකච්චාවක් ලබා දෙමින් පවසා ඇත . එම සාකච්චාවේ පුවත් පත් දිඟුව ceylontoday.lk/print20170101CT20170331.php?id=15580. එයට පිළිතුරු වශයෙන් ආචාරය සුරිය ගුණසේකර මහතා විසින් ඔහු වෙත ප්‍රශ්න 6 යොමු කරන ලද අතර, 23.03.2017 සහ 24.03.2017 දින ඔහු පිළිතුරු ලබා ඩි ඇත.

දිගුව http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print20170101CT20170331.php?id=17714 සහ  http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print20170101CT20170331.php?id=17786. විග්නේශ්වරන් මහතා පවසා සිටින්නේ  සිංහලයන්ට පෙර මෙරටේ දෙමල ජනයා විසු බව සහ සිංහලයන් ඇති වුයේ දෙමළ  ජනයාගෙන් බවය.

විග්නේශ්වරන් මහතා පිළිතුරු සැපයීමේදී සුරිය ගුණසේකර මහතාගේ ප්‍රශ්න හා ප්‍රකාශ විග්නේශ්වරන් මහතා තමාගේ ඒවා  ලෙස විකෘති කොට දක්වා තිබිණ. එසේම වංචනික ලෙස සුරිය ගුණසේකර මහතාගේ නම භාවිතා කරමින් ඔහු විසින්ම ප්‍රශ්න නිර්මාණය කොට විගේනේශ්වරන් මහතා විසින් පිළිතුරු ලබා දි ඇත. එයට පිළිතුරු වශයෙන් සුරිය ගුණසේකර මහතා විසින්  Ceylon Today පුවත් පත වෙත යොමු කරන ලද කොටස කතෘගේ විශේෂ ඉල්ලීම පිට එම පුවත් පතේ පල නොකිරීමට ගුණසේකර මහතා විසින් එකග වී ඇත.

සුරිය ගුණසේකර මහතා විසින් මුලාශ්‍ර සහිතව ඔප්පු කොට පෙන්වා දී ඇත්තේ පෘතුගීසින් ලංකාවට පැමිණෙන විට මෙරටේ වාසය කර ඇත්තේ සිංහයන් හා වැදී යන ජන කොට්ටාශ දෙක පමණක් බවත්, විග්නේශ්වරන් මහතා විසින් එළුගු තමිල් රැස්වීම වලදී හා ඔහුගේ සම්මුක සාකච්චාවේ පවසා සිටිනා ආකාරයට මෙරටේ බුදු දහම පැමිණීමට පෙර දෙමළ ජනයා විසු බව කියනා ප්‍රකාශය සහ සම්බන්දන් මහතා විසින් 13 වන සියවසේ සිට 17 වන සියවස තෙක් යාපනයේ දෙමල රාජ්ජයක් පැවතී බව කියනා ප්‍රකාශ සියල්ල ඔවුන් විසින් මවන ලද බොරු බව මුලාශ්‍ර ශාක්ෂි සහිතව ඔප්පු කොට පෙන්වා දි ඇත. එසේම, වර්තමානයේ ලංකාවේ දෙමළ නිජබිම් යයි  පවසනා ප්‍රදේශ ඇතුළු මෙරටේ වෙසෙන සියලුම දෙමල ජනයා නීති විරෝධී බ්‍රිතන්‍ය පාලනය විසින් නීති විරෝධී  ලෙස මෙරටට ගෙන විත් පදිංචි කරවන ලද නීති විරෝධී සංක්‍රමණිකයන් පිරිසක් පමණක්  බව ඔප්පු කොට පෙන්වා දි ඇත.

Ceylon Today හි පලවූ ආචාර්ය  සුරිය ගුණසේකර මහතාගේ පිළිතුරු මෙම  දිගුවලට  http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print20170101CT20170331.php?id=18730 සහ http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print20170101CT20170331.php?id=18791 පිවිසීමෙන් ලබා ගත හැක.   පත්‍රයෙන් ඉවත් කරන ලද කොටස පහත දක්වා ඇත.

ආචර්ය සුරිය ගුණසේකර මහතාගේ පිළිතුරෙන්  Ceylon Today  පුවත් පතේ පල නොකරන ලද (සුරිය ගුණසේකර මහතාගේ එකගතාව මත) කොට මෙසේ වේ.

I find certain manipulation/ omissions/ deletions on my questions in CM’s reply. Since my original questions were not published prior to CM’s answers, the alterations done by CM on my questions misleads the readers. Therefore I request Ceylon Today to re publish my questions along with my reply to CM.

My Questions were as follows,

1. In fact I would like initially to focus our conversation on certain statements he has made at the interview and elaborate the matter further more.  His Statement I find that there is a well-planned move by certain Sinhalese pseudo intellectuals to rewrite history to suit their whims and fancies”, Should further be explained, what necessities should be fulfilled to write a countries history.
2. Occupation of North & East of Sri Lanka from pre Buddhist time by forefathers of Tamil people, was not taught either in school or in universities during our student days. There for we expect a briefing on that matter.
3. There are two sets of boundaries to North & East provinces demarcated in 1833 and 1888. Which North and East boundary is claimed as the Tamil Home land?
4. .Leader of TNA and the Opposition leader of Government Mr. R. Sambanadan states that Tamil people occupied Jaffna since 1215 AD and he claims for a Tamil Kingdom of Jaffna From 13th Century to 17 Century. But Mr. Vigneshwaran being a member of the same political party and Chief Minister of Northern Provincial Councils Claims that Tamil people occupied North and East before 3rd Century BC. Accordingly two different type of statements made by two main leaders of the same party reveals that there is a controversy about the Tamil history. We need a proper explanation on this with relevant facts.
5. Concept of Federalism is to bring together two or more separate states. What are those separate states within Sri Lanka to amalgamate into Federal States? Declaration of a separate Federal State in North & East of Sri Lanka, will be against the definition of Federalism, and it will only be divided Sri Lanka into two. We expect his explanation on this matter.
6. What does he means by Signalization? And Who is an Ilangaiyist ?  Prior to my reply on CM’s answer I would like to draw attention of Ceylon today, The Readers and CM on following issues pertaining to our debate,

1. My Statement to CM – I would like to hold talks with you on a very professional manner in order to clear this conflict on mutual grounds theoretically, as the theory only leads into a physical devastation act. Therefore, I hope you pay your early attention to this matter and will come back to me with favorable early response”. This has been published as Chief Minister Vigneswaran’s note to Dr. Gunasekara: This should be corrected.
2. CM Has totally omitted my first question what necessities should be fulfilled to write a countries history”, which is very important for a professional debate as I have mention in my letter.  By omitting this CM has always replied in a very nonprofessional and non-academic way with made up stories, traditional false tales instead of historical facts established with proven (Historical) literature and archeological sources.
3. CM replying to my 3rd question, by ignoring my question on provincial boundaries of 1833 and 1888 demarcated by British.  CM has come out with an irrelevant answer. If fact my specific question was not answered.
4. My fifth question to him about concept of federalism and how does it apply to north and east. By his answer it reveals, though he talks about federalism, he is not even aware of the definition and concept of Federalism or he deliberately avoided that question as he has no justifiable answer.
5. And the biggest surprise comes next, CM answering to his own question in the name of Dr. Gunasekaras’ question on 24th Ceylon Today paper. In Fact I have not forward him any questions as such. I was surprised to see CM answering a question what I have not presented to him. I would like to know who submitted this question. If not, did CM himself generated it to talk about irrelevant present day politics? As this whole issue of Tamil Home land starts with bogus Tamil history, I urge,   in this debate, we should first focus on the root of the whole issue i.e. the history which led to develop the concept of North and East Tamil Home Land. Present day political activities emit as a result of the false Tamil home Land Concept. Once the historical matters are sorted out, you will not be left out with anything to talk about current day politics, since Tamils in Sri Lanka are non-other than Coolies (As introduced by British) brought down by British to this country, Therefore Tamils or any other ethnic cultural groups other than Sinhalese has no right to this land.
6. It’s very obvious by his answers that CM does not want to touch historic era, he always tries to go to pre historic era with assumptions. And then he jumps into current day political activities leaving out a gap in-between. What is the secret behind it?

සුරිය ගුණසේකර මහතාගේ පිළිතුර මෙසේය,

My Reply to CM on his answers published on Ceylon Today 23^rd and 24^th   March 2017   

As I mentioned above, I found irrelevance In CM’ answers, jargons filled with assumptions, and also facts given are not supported with proper accepted sources, therefore, those two can be considered as made up stories by him. In Fact I expected much more professionalism from a person of his caliber. In order to continue with a very professional constructive debate, I propose to stick to follow order i.e. Pre historic era, Historic era and preset, as much as possible, without jumping into current politics.

1. My 1^st question – about the necessities to full fill when writing a history. CM omitted this question. I guess he is not aware of those requirements.

My answer – History cannot (has not been) be written on whims and fancies. Historical statements made should be supported with accepted, credible historical Literature and/or Archeological findings.

2. My 2^nd question – his statement in answering to my 2^nd question, Occupation of North & East of Sri Lanka from pre Buddhist time by forefathers of Tamil people”

My Answer – In this context CM has come out with a lengthy answer without any historical proof. His answer is purely based on assumption saying population of Sri Lanka and India was same at 7000 years ago. It makes us to think, CM has a very poor knowledge regarding Indian History.  Tamil is only a language and neither a Nation (ජාතිය) nor a civilization. Tamil means only a language centered ethnic group. They do not have a unique culture as Tamil”. Their Culture is Hindu” . There is no Tamil Civilization found anywhere in the world. After exceeding the primary life only mankind becomes producers living at a permanent place. Along with the production (this doesn’t mean nowadays industrialized production) an economy starts, along with the economy civilization starts, civilization starts forming a nation. During the primary life mankind is known as humans. But there is nothing called Tamil civilization .Therefore Tamils are not considered as a nation. But only an ethnic group.

Right of Nations” the universally accepted concept and theory regarding an ownership of a country goes as,

1. People who formed a civilization and affiliated cultures in a country identified as a Nation”(දේශයට අයත් ජාතිය)
2. Owner of the country (the Entire land) is no body other than the said Nation”

• Their Deed for that Land (country) is the history of the people who civilized that particular land and this is identified as Historic Deed”, even in European countries such as France.

This is the highly accepted traditional norm in all the countries which did not undergo colonialism. It is properly known as Right of Nation” in all over Europe. In order for Tamils to be identified as a Nation in Ceylon they should show Tamil Civilization” they have formed in this land.  Who Built the Civilization of this country? 

Accordingly it says Sangam literature Developed during 1-3^rd century AD, There is no exact determination proving Sangam literature has been written during this period, as there is a missing gap in existence of Tamil language between 3-6 century AD. Also there is no evidence found to describe South Indian History for the period of 3-6 century AD. ( K.A.N Sasthri, A History of south India, Oxford University Press, second Edition, 1958 page 15)

According to Mr. Sasthri, in order to build up  Indian history the main sources are copper plates and stone inscriptions (K.A.N Sasthri, A History of South India, Oxford University Press, second Edition, 1958 page 1-34) Till about 4^th  century AD language used in stone inscriptions were Prakrith” and those are barmy” letterings. From 4-7^th century AD Sanskrit has been used on inscriptions. After 7 century AD, beginning and end of inscription had been written with Sanskrit and middle section of inscription in Tamil, Kennedi, and Theluga Languages. Inscription done with pure Tamil, Kennedi, and Thelugi found only after 10^th century AD.

According to Dr. Senarath Paranavitharana, Sangama Literature has been written during 6^th century AD. (නිකොලස් , සී ඩබ් පරණවිතාන අස්. , සංශිප්ත ලංකා ඉතිහාසය, ඇස්. බි. හෙට්ටිඅර්ච්චි පිට. 109.)

Iyengar, P T S History of Tamils States- Certain scholars try to say there had been a group of people called Tamils in south India before 4-5 century AD. For that there are few sources they try to use. Those are the inscriptions established by Emperor Asoka during 3^rd century BC. In those Cholas and Cheras are mentioned. But there is no proof to say Cholas and Cheras are Dynasties with Tamil speaking. (Iyengar, P T S History of Tamils, Asian Education Services, New Print 1995)

All the above facts revels, even a language called Tamil has come into light after 6^th century AD. Therefore, it proves language based Tamil community started after 6^th Century. Then how could there be forefathers of Tamils existed in Ceylon in pre Buddhist era?

Certain Tamil Extremist scholars who present Tamil emigration theory accept the fact that Tamils emigrated from North Africa. But they try to say these Tamils migrated around 6000 BC and also make a claim for Mohendajaro Harappa Civilization Too. But to support these two claims they do not have any evidence to provide. Similarly CM’s statement of saying ‘population of south India and Sri Lanka were of same ethnic stock prior and after separation is an error or lie created by him. He has no facts to prove it other than his assumption. Talking to him in his own language, one question I need to ask. According to his assumed theory, Same stock of Sri Lankans and same stock of people of south India was same”, India being an undivided sub-continent, why were there so many kind of ethnic groups with different cultures in India? According to his theory, they all should be Tamils. But it wasn’t and isn’t the case. But Sinhala is a Civilization and not an ethnic group or race such as Tamil.

Stone Age and Iron Age are mere concepts of Europeans and not applicable to Sinhalese or Tamils. Humans and Nations are different Mankind before and after civilization. Living in a primary life they are identified as Humans”. As explained above, after civilization they become” Nation”. In primary age, life style of Humans have similar status everywhere in same climatic zone in the world.  Ex- Aborigines life style in Australia is similar to Vaddas in Sri Lanka. It does not mean Vaddas and Aborigines are same stock of people. Therefore, just because the so called stone tools looks similar, it is not a valid evidence to determine South India and Sri Lanka had a same set of people”. In order to support CM’s statement, he has not provided any valid evidences. So CM’s this statement is not true. Similarly, CM’s statements on Iron Age too cannot be accept as he has not provided with valid evidences. So those two statements are considered as merely made up stories by CM.

Reply to CM on his comments about archeological findings in Sri Lanka

Up to now no single archeological or Literature evidence found to prove Tamil settlements before Westerns arrived this country. There are no historical evidences in Eastern and Western countries, North or South Indian history to prove Tamil Settlement in Sri Lanka. Kandaradeyi has been Identified as Buddhist Aranayya (Temple) and not a Tamil Urn. Though it says urns in Pomporripu has similarities to some urns in south India doesn’t mean Tamils were living in this country. Imaginations would not become a history. Before even Tamil language was formed how could Tamils be there in existence before 2000 years ago?

Capturing Dr. Karthigesu Indrapala’s PhD thesis on Dravidian Settlements in Ceylon, University of London 1965. This is what he says,

No definite evidence regarding any significant Tamil settlement in the Batticaloa district of the Eastern Province, or in other parts of Southern Ceylon has so far come to light. (Page 233)”

The language of the gold plate inscription from Vallipuram, the earliest epigraphic record discovered in the Jaffna peninsula, is the early form of Sinhalese, in which inscriptions of the time in other parts of the island were written. This may suggest that the Sinhalese were settled in the Jaffna peninsula, or in some parts at least, in the second century. The gold plate from Vallipuram reveals that there were Buddhists in that part of the peninsula in the second century A.D. At the site of this inscription the foundations are in the premises of a modern Vishnu temple. There is little doubt that the Vishnu temple was the original Buddhist monument converted in to a Vaisnava establishment at a later date when Tamils settled in the area. Such conversion of Buddhist establishments into Siva and Vaisnava temples seems to have been a common phenomenon in the peninsula after it was settled by Dravidians”.

Although it may appear reasonable to presume that these Buddhists were Sinhalese like those in other parts of the island, some have tried to argue that they were Tamils. While it is true that there were Tamil Buddhists in South India and Ceylon before the twelfth century and possibly even later, there is evidence to show that the Buddhists who occupied the Jaffna peninsula in the Anuradhapura period were Sinhalese”.

 ‘It may be recollected that several writers on the history of Jaffna, basing their studies on the traditional legends found in the late Tamil chronicles, have put forward certain theories claiming the establishment of Tamil settlements in Jaffna in the period of the Anuradhapura rulers. These theories are not accepted by serious students of history as they are not based on trustworthy data. Many of these have been convincingly dismissed by scholars in recent years. It is therefore, not our intention to analyze these theories and take serious notice of writings which at best could be described as popular. (Page 266)’

Above are extractions from Dr. Indrpalans Thesis in his own words. So I guess noting to explain more, how CM tried to put Archeological evidences belong to Sinhalese into his pocket. Is this the professional and academic way of arguing? And CM’s assumption saying It is interesting to note that King Dutugemunu could not have been a Sinhalese since the Sinhala language had not been born at the time he lived” the answered can be found in Dr. K Indrapalan extracts given above. Further  King Dutugamunu ruled 161-137 century BC. During that period the Tamil Language has not even been formed and not even an ethnic group called Tamils existed, so how could it be King Dutuganunu is a Tamil Then? Even Elara was a Kalingan (North Indian) not a Tamil, and Magha” from Kalinga is also a North Indian.

In Replying to CM’s Statement The Mahawansa had been identified as a chronological legend for the glorification of Buddhism and not a historical treatise as some people try to make out”.

Answer – Not only historical matters such as Stupa, Daagab etc.,in Ceylon , but historical matters in India such as, identifying Emperor of Asoka also was made possible through Mahawansa only. Period of time regarding Seelappadikaram too identified according to Mahawansa.

My 3^rd question to CM about North & East provinces demarcated in 1833 and 1888”

This question is very specific and but CM evaded answering the question. In replying to this again I will put in a form of question.

My question – In 1833 British Demarcated 5 provinces and then in 1888 British further demarcated into 9 provinces. Present North and East Tamil Home land map is similar to the map of demarcation done by British in 1888, did your so called Pre Buddhist Tamil homeland had the same demarcated areas? And if it is the pre historic Tamil Home Land, how come the same area of land strip was obtained by Dutch from Sinhala king by Hanguranketha treaty in 1766? Then, is it the British who are the forefathers of Tamil in so called Home Land? Need your explanation. A direct reply is needed to say Homeland boundaries are similar to either 1833 demarcation or of 1888.

Reply to CM’s Comments on My 4^th Question 

For your information Mr. Sambanadan has made his statement on an Interview with Divaina newspaper on 14^th March 2016 claiming for the existed Jaffna Tamil Kingdom from 13^th to 17^th Century. In the same he had mentioned Jaffna kingdom existed up to 1833 until British made the area demarcation. You can find my reply to same on Divaina Paper dated 24^th March 2016.

CM has failed to support his statement with proper facts regarding Tamil Settlement in this country in pre Buddhist era, as there was no even trace of permanent Tamil Settlement in this country till 19^th Century. The Shiva and Vishu Srines in Vanni Districts are constructed by Vannairs” who migrated to Vanni to protect themselves from Malik Kapoor” invasion in 14^th Century. Since they were Hindus, those Shiva and Vishnu shrines were built by them. But gradually they absorbed into Sinhala Buddhist culture and have become Sinhalese by 19^th century.

Guru Nayak the founder of Sikh religion in his travel report by his secretory says, the area around Batticaloe known as Madda Kalaapaya” ( මද්ද කලාපය ) i.e mid zone which means mid portion of Ruhunu” Desha.

There were no evidence found to prove any Tamil settlement until the time British started ruling this country. Also Mr. Sambandan’s claim too is not justified with any reliable accepted source of information. He makes his claims based on Dr. K. M. De Silva’s book which has been composed sourcing Yalpanam Vipawamalayi” , said to be written in 1736 by Mailwakanam Pulawar on an invitation from Dutch Governor Jaan Makkan”. But this book  is  in a controversy,  as  John Martiyns argues, Yalpanam Vaipamale was originally written by C. Brito in 1879    (Notes on Jaffna, Chronological, Historical, Biographical etc. With an Appendix, By Jhon H. Martyn, Published by American Ceylon Mission Press, Tellippalai Ceylon, 1923). Further Yalpaanam Vipawamale does not provide any proper sources of information to support its continent. And no original Tamil copy of Vipawamale found so far other than the English translation of C. Brito.

CM in his first interview with Ceylon today has stated – Already Sinhalese names are given to traditional Tamil villages in the North and East quoting fantasy histories about the North and East as having been the abode of the Sinhalese resident earlier and the Tamils during the time of the Cholas in the 10th century AD had captured those areas and chased the Sinhalese away”. This is again a false statement by CM.

Reply to CM’s this statement can be found in above ” Reply to CM on his comments about archeological findings in Sri Lanka” Dr. Indrapalas  quotations given there proves existence of Sinhalese in said areas and nonexistence of Tamils. Adding further from Dr. Indrapalans Thesis, this is what he says,

In an area of only about nine hundred square miles covered by this peninsula, there occur over a thousand Sinhalese place names which have survived in a Tamil garb.

The large percentage of Sinhalese element and the occurrence of Sinhala and Tamil compounds in the place names of Jaffna point to a long survival of the Sinhala population and an intimate intercourse between them and the Tamils”. (Page 270-273)

Further, CM has stated that, Sinhalese were originated from Tamils. The truth is, there were no Tamils in Ceylon until arrival of Westerners and heavy influx of Tamils in British era, resulted in forcible Tamilization of Sinhalese, accordingly converted the names of the villages also into Tamil. This is an example which proves as to how these changes took place,

Assistant Govt. Agent Trincomalee in his official report in 1898 states this, – This part of the District (Kaddukulam West) is inhabited by Sinhalese villagers of Kandyan descent forming an outlying community which is, and I fear rapidly dying out or becoming effaced. This District is most interesting, being dotted over by numerous village tanks, some of which are restored and others abandoned„ The villagers retain many of the primitive customs of the Kandyans, but they are rapidly becoming ‘Tamilized’, which is a great pity. They inter- marry with Tamils and many of them speak Tamil as well as they speak Sinhalese. Even the Government School Master is Tamil and only that language is taught in the only school and unfortunately in some cases lands in Sinhalese villages have been bought out by the Tamils, who now own all the paddy lands of some villages. The Sinhalese have given up their patronymics and adopted the Tamil custom of prefixing father’s name instead of the usual patronymic and even the names of the villages are assuming a Tamil dress. This perhaps not to be wondered at when the interpreters of the court and the Kachcheri, the petition drawers and all through whom the villagers have access to Government officers, can speak nothing but Tamil. I must say I regard this as a great misfortune. I should like to see a strong Sinhalese headman acquainted with English appointed as chief headman of the district and I should like to see the Tamil school abolished. However, the most important assistance which can and ought to be rendered to these villagers would be the restoration of their village tanks. This would render them Independent of the Tamils and make them less likely to abandon their villages”. (Ceylon Administrative Reports Trincomalee District 1898, Public Records Office Kew London).

The Treaty between King Dharmaparakramabahu and Lorezo De Almeda in the year 1517 says this “Rightful Lord of the Empire of Cota and of the Realms of Jafanapatao and Candea” According to this treaty Jaffnapatao belonged to Kotte Kingdom in 1517. (A true and exact description of the great island of Ceylon by Philp Baladeus, published by Thisara prakashakayo, first publication 1672

This is how King Rajasinhas Title is described in Philp Baladeus, book page 396, – “Rajasinghe  Emperor of Ceylon, King of Candea, Cota, Ceytavaka, Dambadan, Amaray aport, Jaffna Patanam, Prince of ouva, Matare, Dinavaca, and the four corles. Great Duke of seven Corels Mathale, Earals of Cotiar, trikunamale, Batecalo, velase, Vintana, Drembra, Panciapato, Veta, Puttalum, Vallar, Galle” Etc……

According to Malwana  Treaty  dated 29^th  May 1597,   signed between King Don Juan Dhramapala of Kotte and Portuguese Capt. Aswedu , The Treaty states the countries belong to Kotte Kingdom as  ” Jaffna Patanam, Sithawaka Rata, Gampola rata Uva rata ,  Mathale , Wellassa and panama rata etc..” This re confirms Jaffna peninsula was under the rule of Kotte Kingdom.

Stating the whole agreement signed between Portuguese and Sangili II, The Book, The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon by Fr. Quveros published in 1630 (composed by Fr. Francisco Nigaro who was the teacher of Dona Catharina and he had Kings permission to travel anywhere in the Island), Book 2, in page 371, says this- These terms (written) in the Portuguese and the Chingala languages”. If there was a Tamil Kingdom in Jaffna, why wasn’t the treaty drafted in Tamil & Portuguese? Further this book says all ten main officials of Sangili II are Sinhalese.

The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon Book 1, page 48 states this about Jaffna peninsula This land was for long years without cultivation and subject to Emperors of Ceylon and though it abounded it groves of trees, its inhabitants lived more on fish and game than on other fruits of their labour. Its government at the beginning was only that of Vidanas, or stewards (abegoes) afterwards industry increasing and with it profits, it came to govern by Araches and finally by Mudeliares. Under this (form of) government it remained for many long years until with the progress of the natives and commerce of the foreigners, when the court of Ceylon was already in the Metropolis of Cota”. 

Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon , Book 1,page 49 further states In cause of time there came some Brahmanes, native of Guzarate, called Arus, who claimed Royal descent; and with the favor of the Nayque of Madure they erected the pagoda of Ramanacor, whence they began to have trade and friendship with Kings of Jafnapatao, and one of them married a daughter of that king; and finally his descendants became heirs to that Kingdom of these, the first that tried to free himself from subjection to the King of Cota, was  Ariaxaca Varti who being naturally proud and not brooking the haughtiness of the officers of that King, took the life of the one who governed there, and the King of Ceylon  prepared to punish him.   They say he went to meet him at Ceytavaca and took him some verses wherein he so flattered him with praises of him and his ancestors that he left him completely vainglorious and satisfied, and the verses being helped by a goodly present, he not only made him desist from war, but also obtain olas from him (What we should call provisions) and the title king of Jaffnapatao which his successor preserved paying in acknowledgement only some tribute; and because this was the beginning of their greatness, his descendence from the name Aria, were called Ariavance, which means the generation of Aria”(ආරිය වංශ පරපුර)

According to Quiroz Jaffna was a trading post by 1600 AD where Muslims were in trading activities. Jaffnapatao was a Jungle and there were 4 Arrachchi Divisions came under Muddier of Jaffna along four coasts namely Vediaarchchchi, Pashelapali, Thenarachchi  and Welihama (All Sinhala names now these are converted into Tamil names)

Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon further says – In 1618 when Portuguese capturing Jaffna Peninsula they fought with Sinhalese army. No any clue about Tamils.   If there had been a Tamil Kingdom in Jaffna, why should Sinhalese fight with them?

The Book – A description of Ceylon containing an account of Country’s inhabitants and natural production had been composed by James Cordiner, The Chaplain to Colombo Garrison from 1801-1807. During the period of stay, he travelled in all the areas of Island which were under British Control, with the Governors Fredric North. His book is similar to a present day daily news reports (Diary Type) on newspapers. Reporting daily events during his stay in this country, he reports the fights between Sinhalese and British after defeating British Army in Kandy in the year 1803 by Sinhalese rebellions, also followed attacks on British fortresses thereafter. These are few extractions from his report,

Page 243- two months after Kandiyans and rebellion Inhibitors (Sinhalese) were driven to frontiers by Lieutenant Arthur Jhonson of the 19th regiment. He seized many of the rebels who were tried at Batticaloe, and one of them were executed”.

Page 244- On 25th of August, Candians in a great force attacked the Government House in Moletivoe which being unattainable, Capatain Driberg of the invalid Malayas, withdrew the few soldiers, who were station at the post. Page 244 – Two numerous parties of rebels and Candians Penetrated into province of Jaffna as far as Chandicolum, and the Elephant Pass” Page 245- The enemy was driven from Molethivoe and its neighborhood by the detachment sent from Trincomalee

James Cordiner Identifies  Sinhalaese  in two forms i.e Kandyans and Sinhalese.  All over his Book he mentions Sinhalese (rebellions) and Kandyans as Enemy, but nothing about Tamils fighting to protect there so called North & East Tamil Homeland or Kingdom.

Page No 92 says – The beddas appears to be the most ancient inhabitants. Next in order are Cingalese and Candians, who were originally one people, and now only distinguished by local circumstances. The Malabar’s must have obtained a footing in the country at a later period”.

Page no. 137 states,

It is mentioned that, on arrival of the Portuguese in Ceylon they only found it peopled by only two classes of inhabitant, The Beddas occupying the Northern , the Cingalese the southern part of Island.”

James Cordiners above statement further confirms that, there were no Tamil Settlements in this country even at 1505 AD.

According Page no 92 & 93 of James Cordiner’s book, British’s tried to form a native infantry using Sinhalese, but their attempt failed, and he says At length a sufficient number of recruits was obtained from coast of Coromandel”. In those regiments which are now called Ceylon native infantry, there is scarely to be found one native of Island” This confirmers there were no permanent Tamil settlement at early stage of British arrival to this country. Then the question is, if there were Tamils in this country since pre Buddhist era and if there was a Jaffna Tamil Kingdom , why did they get down Malabar’s (As Westerns Identified Tamil Speaking people)  from India to form Native infantry” (As they say). Where were the so called Tamils forefathers / decendance in this country during the said period? Doesn’t it mean, the Indian Malabar’s who fought against Sinhalese along with British forces at early stage of British arrival?

A true and exact description of the great island of Ceylon by Philp baladeus, page no.316 states – The kingdom of Jaffnapatan is a squire surrounded with strong high walls as the, it is larger than the fort of Batavia and is the capital of the entire Kingdom. It remained under the Portuguese away for upward 40 years , wrested from the Emperor by Philippo d’ Olivero when he defected the Cingalezen forces near Achiavelli by the great pagoda”

Question to CM – All above extracts proves that before arrival of Portuguese Only Sinhalese and waddas were in this country. Only Sinhalese fought with the Western Europe invaders. There is no even a trace of Tamils or other so called minorities during that era. Where were the fore fathers of Tamils and the so called people in Jaffna Tamil Kingdom during that period?

It is a proven fact by now there wasn’t even Malabar’s until arrival of Portuguese to Ceylon, and I will prove in my next time argument, Tamil Settlements took place in this country in late 19^th Century. And Tamil colonization was done by British after 1834 in Jaffna and 1865 in East.

Summarizing and adding few more evidences in short form,

1. Sinhala Kings were always the rulers of Jaffna and they always mentioned in explanation of their Authority. And there was no trace of Tamils until Westerns arrival.
2. Portuguese fought with Sinhalese soldiers to capture Jaffna in 1619 AD
3. Dutch Military map 1751 says that Jaffna Commandment ended up at Elephant pass and large fortress was there. Treaty in 1619 was drafted in Sinhala & Portuguese only
4. A strap of land along cost of North and East including Jaffna Peninsula obtained by Dutch from Kirthi Sri Rajasinha, King of Kandy. So there was no room for Jaffna Tamil Home Land or Kingdom
5. On 29.1.1830 Jaffna Collector (G.A) stated before Colebrook Commission that there are no Crown Lands, Private Properties, No agriculture and no permanent population in Jaffna.

Therefore, Jaffna Tamil Kingdom from pre- Buddhist era and from 13 -17^th century, both versions are historically wrong.

All the facts quoted above are unbiased notes made by people who were the enemy to Sinhalese. And those are true and exact events took place during stipulated era. The credibility and validity of these information’s are much greater than CM quoting bias recent research paper submitted by a Tamil elites. All the true evidences provided above proves that, it’s not Signalization took place about 100 years ago as CM says, it’s Tamilaization Took place during British regime about 100-150 years ago.

Therefore, I request you to prove, permanent Tamil settlement in this country before British arrival, and also the way Signalization took place as per your statement. But your statements should be supported with valid acceptable source of facts not with the fabricated jargons.  In return will prove you, Tamils were brought down to this country by British as Coolies and made them to settle in this country approx… 150 -175 years ago, further Tamils are merely a set of Illegal Emigrants and do not belong to this Country, also Tamils do not have any right in this land.

Reply to CM’s Comments on My 5^th Question 

CM has deliberately omitted the most important part (Federal Concept) of my question. As he says The request for Federalism is based on the existing ground situation”. Another unprofessional answer from him. If so why don’t Tamils request for Federalism in UK, Canada, Malaysia Etc. where the Tamil population density is high in some areas.  Just because density of certain population is high, is it the definition for federalism according to your view?

In order to bring in Federal or Con federal status, there should be two or more independent States or Kingdoms. In Federalism two or more states to join together and form large and strong state with a powerful Central Government. The central government holds more and important powers and rest is divided among the federal states. Examples are India, USA.  Con federalism is Individual powerful States get together and form a Central Governing body which is weak and more powers are held with individual states and Central Government hold very low powers, examples Europe Union.    But in this country there are/were no any independent states or Kingdoms with different Nations. Replying to answers on the 4^th question I proved with facts there wasn’t a Jaffna Tamil Kingdom. Henceforth, establishing an Illegal Federal state for Illegal immigrants means dividing this country into pieces.  Therefore, Tamils who were brought down  as coolies of British have no right to fight or request for Federal state, devolution of power or for any other right in this country.

In fact if there were any migrants from India before arrival of Westerners to Ceylon, all of them had absorbed into Sinhala civilization before Portuguese arrival, and they became Sinhalese. Mankind differentiation among communities are done according to civilization culture. Once a person leaves a civilization or cultural group and accepts the same of another country or ethnic group is considered as a member of the new one. The 12,000 Cholas brought by King Gajaba became Sinhalese according to the way of production in Ceylon between its earth and sky (Investing Sun, Moon, Sky and Earth) which made a self-sufficient civilization and this disappeared with introduction of commercial economy by British. This is the reason Malabar’s brought by British are still remains in their foreign cultural identity  as a different ethnic group.

Reply to CM’s Comments on My 6^th Question 

About Signalization and Tamilization I have discussed in details under question numbers 4 & 5. But mistakenly CM has used Signalization word to describe Sinhala Colonization. As proved above with unbiased factual evidences, it is illegal Malabar emigrants who colonized Lands belong to Sinhala Nation by force with the blessing of illegal British regime.

Sinhalese is a Civilization unique to this Island (Ceylon). Civilization is formed with correct utilization earth and sun in a country. If getting adjusted to Ceylon’s earth and sky is meant by illangaiyist. It means becoming a Sinhalese or getting absorbed into Sinhalese Nationality, if Tamil Illankai is nothing other than Ceylon.

I think no need to explain more on Ilangaiyist, as proved, Tamils don’t belong into this soil. So must understand weather u are an Ilangaiyist or not.

Reply to CM’s Comments on his own Question 

I need not to give my comments on his answer as I have not asked any question as such. After discussing pre historical and historical facts, if a necessity arrives will discuss about current political issues. But when it became a proven fact Tamils do not belong to this soil, current political issues will have no value.

Replying to CM’s statement -This is typical of conditions in Sri Lanka. There are certain pseudo intellectuals among us in Sri Lanka who would like to barter truth and cogent evidence for their fanciful ideas to distort history”. Northern Provincial Council passed a resolution recently with 15 points including a proposal of re write the history of Sri Lanka and submitted it to the government.  It is done by CMs answers, Tamils are with lack of proper justified historical evidences other than assumptions.  And it is quite obvious that re writing of new Tamil history would be on” whims and fancies” as CM mentioned in his own words. So isn’t it the CM led Tamil Intellectuals who are considered to be pseudo intellectuals” among us trying to barter truth and cogent evidence for their fanciful ideas to distort history?  And trying to re writing a history on their whims and fancies. Any new historical arguments bring in should be supported with very strong evidence and those should have the ability of making the previous evidences null & void. Do you have such evidences and if so what are those?

I sugges,t Tamil Home land concept is not for the betterment of Tamil people but it’s the hunger for power by Velar and Velar Politicians, what’s your comment?

After breaching the Kandyan convention of 1815, the British rule in this country became Illegal. Malabarians who spoke Tamil language were brought to Ceylon and settled them here formally in Jaffna and afterwards in East and Central Hills of the country by this illegal rule of British. As such Tamils (in common identification – Malabar’s) in this country today no body other than illegal immigrants brought by illegal British rulers.

Finally, CM’s statement ground situation” is only an opinion of him. Party politics could not be mixed with history of a country. After 1976 (Waddukodayi) conference Tamil people have been made to refrain from talking real history by conduct but only to talk about bogus Elam History, by racial politics. At least now CM Vigneshwaran should understand what a big damage it can cause to an image of an outstanding personality.

සුරිය වංශය යලි ගොඩ නැගීමේ සංවිධානය

සටහන :- සිලෝන් ටුඩේ පුවත්පත මෙම සංවාදය ඉදිරියට ගෙනයාමට  අදීමදී  කරන බවක් පෙන්වන බව සලකන්න .

Dr Sudath Gunasekara

7.4.2017.

Protection of the country from outside invasion, maintaining law and order and providing the welfare of the people, we have learned, as the three fundamental functions of any state.  Protection of Sambuddha Sasana has been considered even more important in this country by our ancient Kings.

Since the Government of this country today has miserably failed to uphold all these basic functions of a state, I call it a classic example of a failed State in world history. I put the blame for this crime squarely on the President as the legal Head of the State, even though the actual man who runs the show is Ranil Wickramasinha who is considered the de facto Head of the State.

Now to see the latest national crime, please read the following news item (Daily Mirror 8.4.2017)

After deliberations involving President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister and Indian High Commissioner Taranjith Singh Sandhu, the government has decided to lease out the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm for development jointly with India, a Minister said yesterday

In the lower farm, there are 14 tanks currently being used by Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC). However, there are another 84 tanks in the Upper Tank Farm that are not being used at the moment.

Petroleum and Petroleum Gas Minister Chandima Weerakkody told the Daily Mirror that ten of these tanks would be retained by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), and the rest would be developed jointly with LIOC under a joint venture.

He said the government decided on this after a series of meetings involving President Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe , the Indian High Commissioner and him.

  The initial move was to hand over all the tanks to the Indian authorities. However, the Minister said President insisted that at least ten tanks should be vested with the Sri Lankan side. (Kelum Bandara)”

– See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Trinco-oil-tanks-to-be-leased-out-to-India-126944.html#sthash.QhsL2NnY.dpuf

My Comments

Isn’t it strange that these four people are the Government of this country. Weerakkody was only a spectator of this crime. Furthermore since the real critical man behind this decision was the Indian High Commissioner,  I conclude today India is the Government’ of this country. In fact India has been virtually running this country since 1987 with conclusion of the JR/Rajiv Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. The setting up of 9 Provincial Councils the last nail on the head of the Unitary Government of Sri Lanka has virtually come to an end. The Provincial Councils, though introduced at gun point by India in 1987, indeed was the culmination of the colonial process of separation of Sri Lanka on ethnic and regional basis British started in 1832 by carving out the Island in to five Provinces .

It was only last week papers reported Ranil Wickramasinha wanted to lease out all Oil tanks in Trinco to India just to satisfy and pacify India against the Hambantota deal with China. They also reported he is planning to lease out or rather sell some other national assets and parts of the country to other countries like Japan, Thailand, US and India including the Trico harbour and a section of Colombo Harbour as well

Yesterday another news item said some cabinet Ministers objected to Ranils proposal to give the oil Tanks to India quoting National security risks etc.  I wonder whether these Ministers are aware that it was also Ranil who gave 14 tanks to the IOC in 2002 when he was accidentally Prime minister for two years. With this new decision all 101 oil tanks in Trico will be sold to India. Remember that will conclude the selling of the 805 acres on which these Oil Tanks stand, its entire surroundings, Trincommallee Harbour the best natural harbor in the Eastern world and the second deepest  in the world and an invaluable national asset and definitely the most strategic Harbour, not only in the Indian Ocean but also the  21^st century new world. Also we have to remember that Trinco is the capital of the dream EELAM of the Tamils the world over and the Tamil EELAM headquarters in the merged Northern and Eastern Provinces of this country as it was decided both by the Tamils and India.

Rani Wickramasinhas decision to hand over these oil Tank with the hinterland of 850 acres and the Trinco harbour to India is not at all surprising as he is the Nephew of JRJ, who once argued,

A free Lanka, independent of all other nations of the world, is difficult to conceive of. An Indo–Lanka Federation may have to be discussed, may even have to be planned for and may be useful for us to achieve. In the Federal Legislature, Lanka must be accorded a status equivalent to the status of the indian Provinces It is not possible for us ever to be again the Lanka of old. We can only dream of the days of Dutugemunu and Parakramabahu and of the deeds of valour of the Sinhalese heroes against the invaders from India; we have to be citizens of a great and powerful India”

(Documents of the Ceylon National Congress and National politics in Ceylon 1929-1950) It may be his uncle’s dream that now Ranil is trying to fulfill, who knows?

Once Ranils deal is closed virtually this part of the country will be a de facto and de jure Indian territory out of bound for Sri Lankan Government as already the land leased out to India by Ranils Government  2002 with the 14 Tanks  is declared out of bound to Sri Lankan Government. If his plan works the day the entire North and East becoming Indiana territory and part of Tamilnadu is not that far.

It becomes more than clear from this decision that the PM’s decision to hand over this most critical political, economic and strategic national asset to India stands and the cunning diplomacy of Indian Ambassador has succeeded. The main factor being the Indian Ambassador is the Indian interest unlike the self interest of our politicians or officials. This is the difference between Indians and Sri Lankans and also the secret behind their success and our failures. They love their country and their interest above all other factors.  Our people keep self-interest above all national interests.  So it is nothing but a total sell out by the President and the Prime minister.

Look at the Ministers lame excuse,

‘Petroleum and Petroleum Gas Minister Chandima Weerakkody told the Daily Mirror that ten of these tanks would be retained by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), and the rest would be developed jointly with LIOC under a joint venture. He also said the government decided on this after a series of meetings involving President Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Indian High Commissioner and him. (weren’t there technical and economic advisers at this discussion)?  

On his part this is nothing but talking like a parrot criminally neglecting his responsibility as the Minister to point out the repercussions of this dangerous deal. I am sure as the Minister in charge of this subject for the last two years, if he has been awake, he should have seen the numerous political, economic, strategic and social repercussions the country is facing due to the foolish IOC deal. He also should have known how this gold mine that has been described as a forgotten marvel lost in time and absorbed by the jungles” was lying idle since Independence in 1948 without being used by all Governments. This is a glaring example of how our Governments and officials including Secretaries of Ministries, Chairmen of CPC and technical people have been making use of the valuable resources of the country for the country’s development. Also it shows how irresponsible and negligent they have been in their duty by the motherland.  What can you expect from these flag posts ministers and MPP and officials whose fate is entirely in the hands of the Party leader.  No wonder the Indian bureaucrats like their politicians, have crept through one ear, and come out from the other” as the famous Sinhala saying goes, very cleverly deceiving not only the President, PM and the Minister but also the Sri Lankan Bureaucrats. At least if there had been a smart and intelligent patriotic man like the Late N.Q. Dias this disaster would have been definitely averted.

Does this means we have reduced the national security risks from the expansionism and subversive policies and colonizing of Sri Lanka policies of the Indian Government and have changed overnight by appeasing them in this manner. Obviously not.  Definitely it has increased by many folds. On the other hand it clearly displays the worsening life and death struggle for political power and survival to remain in power at any cost between the President and PM have, and they have hit a compromise for their survival at the expense of the country’s national Security and all the future interests of the nation.

The government has already  sold our assets and the profit making business of the CPC to India and killed a hen that could lay golden eggs. Now what Ranil is doing is he is trying ti complete what he could not do in2002.

This is not the last sellout and betrayal. Worst things are yet to come. Already negotiations are going on to sell Air Lanka as well. I am sure next they will sell Katunayala and Mattala Air ports and Colombo Hambantoa harbours as well. Where are they going to stop this ”selling and eating’ policies and when?

I am wondering as to why we should maintain this monkeys cage called Parliament with a bunch of 225 brokers called MPP, better known as rouges and traitors at such high cost to the country to destroy this country?

Is this their national economic policy of nation building? No wonder their Finance Minister is awarded the trophy for the best Minister of Finance in the world by the UK Government and the best in Asia by their agents in Asia for destroying a proud world civilization which they could not do in spite of centuries of Colonial exploitation, plundering and destruction. Now it being done through their agents, the debris left by them when the left our shores.

Ranils argument is that they cannot settle the billions of loans the previous Government has taken. Therefore they are compelled to sell these things to find the money to develop and survive. In their election manifestoes neither Sirisena nor Ranil said these things.  They only promised Yahapalanaya and a Change

At the same time we all know the way they spend the meager resources of this country and the borrowed and printed money in billions on the luxuries of politicians and innumerable superfluous institutions created after every election just to give employments to their political catchers just to enable them to remain in power and enjoy. Why the hell they can’t stop wastage, large scale robbing,  extravagance and scrap curses like the Provincial Council and all useless corporations and political creations created just to give employment to stooges, supporters and relations of politicians, reduce the so-called Cabinet of over 110 and the  225 representatives who never represent the people of but the party leaders only just to collect votes and camouflage the majority in Parliament, excessive perks and facilities afforded to politicians and higher ups like duty free vehicles, official vehicles, numerous allowances, foreign sojourns and pleasure trips for politicians at public expenses, wasteful meetings tamasas and public shows where politician including the President, PM and Ministers of different type show off to the asinine party supporters

This deal reminds me of the strategy adopted by the wise old Craw, in Panchatantara, to destroy the Owl den along with all the owls. The old craw got the others to bring and heap firewood at the doorway of the owl den during day time and set fire in the night when owls are sleeping. Similarly the Indian Ambassador now has got the petrol tanks, obviously more inflammable and destructive than firewood. So is it a way to set fire, rather metaphorically and literally too to Sri Lanka India is planning. Panchatantara is Indian.  The Ambassador is also Indian.  The fire to set Sri Lanka on fire and fuel is provided by our own elected President and the Prime Minister assisted by their bunch of parasitic Ministers and the cohort of MPP. Probably they have taken over the job of the Indian Monkey King Hanuman as well.

The Oil Tank Farm issue should not be treated in isolation as an Indian threat. It has to be considered along with all other incidents such as the Indian  Foreign Minister Sushhima’s threat, Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi  Tharoor’s speech at the Book launching,  Padma Rao Sundarji  of WION’s senior international correspondent’s interview with Ranil, I mentioned in my articles last week in Lankaweb  and many other allied statements and issues like ETCA, poaching problem in the Palk straight, the Tamilnadu issue  and regular statements of spokesmen of the so-called International community who are after our blood.

The last question I pause to my readers and all Sri Lankan voters is as to why we should maintain a treacherous, inefficient and unpatriotic Government like this anymore?

I am also attaching a description of the Trinco Oil Tank Farm for the convenience my readers here.

Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm and World War II – ත්රිකුණාමලය තෙල් ටැංකි සංකීර්ණය

Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm and World War II – ත්රිකුණාමලය තෙල් ටැංකි සංකීර්ණය

RATE THIS LOCATION :1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

Satellite view of the farm of giant storage tanks lost in the jungles

Satellite view of the farm of giant storage tanks lost in the jungles

The Oil Tank Farm of Trincomallee was built by British but the never used in full capacity after independence is a forgotten marvel lost in time and absorbed by the jungles. This  is a hidden landmark  to the public eye but provides a spectacular aerial view creating 101 random circles covering 850 acres, like eggs of a giant alien waiting to be hatched from a sci-fi movie. Most of this land is covered by scrub jungle teaming with wildlife including elephants and leopards.

Trincomalee harbour being the second deepest natural harbour in the world, the British who were in control of the island decided make this as their primary logistics station in the east after world war I. They started the oil storage project in the 1924 and completed in late 1930’s. The farm had 101 storage tanks built with 1 inch thick steel sheets and the tanks near the harbour are enclosed by 1 feet thick concrete rings.

Legend has it that labourers were brought in from British African colonies to complete the work. 102 tanks were planned but the site of 100th tank was cleared but never built probably out of superstition.

[About the tank number 91 on the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]

[Destroyed tank after the Japanese kamikaze attack at the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]

[Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]

[Inside a neglected oil tank at Trincomalee Tank Farm]

[Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]

[Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm]

Each tank could hold 12,000 tonnes of fuel and has a astonishing  total capacity of over 1.2 million tonnes. This dwarfs the CPC’s existing storage facility and even the new storage complex built by the Chinese at Muthurajawela, which has a capacity of 200,000 tonnes.

The storage complex fell in to disuse after the British ceded power in 1948  and the nature took over the land. The government owned CPC used only 15 tanks in the lower tank farm close to the sea until the farm was handed over to the Indian oil giant IOC in 2002. The IOC too used only these tanks while others were forgotten in the jungles.

Out of the 101 tanks one of the tanks was destroyed when a Royal Ceylon Air Force plane crashed in early 1960’s.  The steel has long since been removed with only the concrete cover remaining.

But most famous is the destroyed tank number 91 lying in the far edge of the forest. Only the charred, twisted and melted metal remains of this tank and a small notice near the tank gives details of how the tank was destroyed in a kamikaze attack during the Japanese air raid on Trincomalee at dawn on April 9, 1942.

The Trincomalee harbour was a critical operational and logistic station for the allied forces operating the region during the world war II. The Japanese attacked Trincomalee harbour in 1942 and the tank farm which provided refueling facility for most of the Naval destroyers in the region was one of their main targets. The Japanese couldn’t achieve its objective, but  one plane piloted by a ‘Shigenori Watanabe’ probably hit by anti-aircraft gun fire made a kamikaze dive on to the tank number 91.

The resulting fire that broke out lasted for seven days and generated so much heat that the steel melted and rolled over on itself. The rusted wreckage of the engine is all that can be seen of the aircraft is now on display at the Air Force Museum in Colombo. Only a skull was recovered out of the remains of the passengers of the air craft.

Since this tank farm is under the control of IOC, permission is require to enter the premises from them

John Wight  Courtesy Sputnik.com

“A cloud no bigger than a man’s hand can be a harbinger of great storms to come.” So goes the biblical injunction and so are the potential ramifications of one “proportionate” and “limited” US airstrike carried out against a Syrian airbase, which in of itself was the military equivalent of a slap rather than a punch.

However the symbolism, breach of trust, and return to a world in which Washington asserts the right to act as the judge, jury, and executioner of international law instead of being bound by it has been mesmerizing in its imperial and colonial arrogance, not to mention contempt for a world already scarred by too many years of US hegemony and domination.

In embarking on this reckless act of vigilante justice against a sovereign state, President Trump proves he cannot be trusted to act rationally and with restraint in the midst of a crisis. In so doing, he has shattered any prospect of forging a partnership with Russia against a terrorist menace that recent events have once more confirmed threatens citizens of both countries in equal measure.

Just after he was elected president in November 2016, I was writing, “Donald Trump’s pledge to embark on a new direction when it comes to US foreign policy is both welcome and necessary. However if he is to succeed, he will first have to slay the beast of neo-conservatism in Washington.”

© REUTERS/ CARLO ALLEGRI

Why Trump Must Slay the Beast of Neoconservatism

Five months on we are left in no doubt that rather than slay neo-conservatism, Trump has been slayed by a neocon establishment that is determined to embark on a new Cold War, one that has never been closer to turning hot. It comes as confirmation that when it comes to foreign policy, his administration now conforms to the adage, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

For Russia the message sent by this airstrike could not be clearer. Under Trump’s watch there will be no relationship of equals and no multipolar world. It means that the lessons of the disastrous consequences of the alternative in the shape of US unipolarity — i.e. Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and the eruption and spread of Salafi-jihadi terrorism — have been completely and egregiously ignored, sacrificed to expediency on the part of a President who has decided to abandon the pledges made during his election campaign when it came to departing from his predecessors on matters of foreign policy.

One wonders if he or his teams have stopped to consider that with this unilateral action, all of a sudden the presence of NATO troops and aircraft close to Russia’s borders, along with the missile defense shield in Romania, have been turned from a security concern into an imminent threat, one that amounts to a dagger pointed at Russia’s heart.

Trump said that the footage of children dying such agonizing deaths in the town of Khan Sheikoun in Idlib province, in the wake of this alleged chemical weapons attack is what prompted him to act. Such an emotional response from a man in possession of America’s nuclear codes entitles us to infer that the dozens of children blown to smithereens in Mosul recently, courtesy of US bombs, did not induce any emotional response in the Oval Office.

Or how about the Yemeni civilians, including children, who are being blown to smithereens on a daily basis, courtesy of US-manufactured and supplied munitions to Washington’s Saudi ally?

Have we now entered an age where anguish over the killing of the innocents is calibrated according to who is responsible for their deaths? Is this how low the hypocrisy in Washington has descended?

Returning to the awful events of Khan Sheikoun, nobody at this stage knows beyond reasonable doubt who or what was responsible, with the Syrians deny they dropped sarin or any other chemical weapon on the town, as alleged by Washington and its partners.

Damascus claims that its aircraft did carry out an airstrike in the area, and that it destroyed a warehouse where Salafi-jihadi groups were storing chemical weapons.

© REUTERS/ AMMAR ABDULLAH

Chemical Weapons Attack on Idlib: Why Questions Need to Be Asked

Two competing narratives on the same event and therefore, grounds for an independent UN-led investigation in order to ascertain which one is accurate and which is false. Russia has called for such an investigation, as have the Iranians, yet in Washington those calls have been contemptuously dismissed, swept aside in service to a rush to judgement and, with it, a hail of tomahawk missiles.It is a rush to judgement that invites the question: what are the Americans afraid of? Is this a repeat of the UN investigation into whether Saddam possessed WMD back in 2003, when Hans Blix and his investigation team were precipitately withdrawn from Iraq at the point at which it had become obvious they were about to confirm that Iraq did not have any WMD, thus destroying the then-Bush administration’s pretext for unleashing a war it had already decided was going to be unleashed no matter what?

In the absence of any such investigation concerning Idlib, here is what we do know beyond doubt:

1. The Syrians had no motive for carrying out this attack. It came at a point in the conflict when pro-government forces were enjoying the kind of momentum they have not enjoyed in five years. It also came just after the Trump administration had confirmed that regime change in Syria was no longer an objective, that its priority was defeating terrorism. With this in mind, for President Assad to authorize this attack — and given how close the alleged chemical weapons attack of 2013 came to precipitating military intervention then — this would conform to the actions of man who was intent on bringing about his government’s demise.

2. All the footage of the aftermath of the Idlib event has come from pro-opposition sources. While this does not automatically invalidate the footage’s authenticity or accuracy, it does require us to be careful not to blindly take it as read. No Western journalist or news crew would dare set foot in Idlib, or any other part of opposition-held territory in Syria for that matter. They know that as soon as they did they would be abducted and slaughtered.

3. In 2014, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed that all declared stocks of chemical weapons held by the Syrian government had been destroyed, per the agreement brokered with the Syrians and the Americans by Russia in the wake of the attack on eastern Ghouta, just outside Damascus, in August 2013. The OPCW is an international organization whose work and convention are supported by Washington. The rationale that the Syrians had, in violation of the agreement, retained chemical weapons stocks, does not add up when we consider the damage it would do to its alliance with Russia, not to mention the dire consequences, should the fact it had held onto some, become known.

Perhaps the most egregious aspect of the current crisis to date was the extraordinary histrionics of Trump’s UN envoy, Nikki Haley, at the emergency session of the UN Security Council immediately after the alleged chemical weapons attack occurred. As she got out of her chair and produced images of dead children, which she proceeded to brandish at her Russian and Syrian counterparts, the world’s collective memory was transported back in time to the very same locale fourteen years previously, when then US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, brandished a tiny vial as he indulged in one of the most shameful and dishonest speeches the UN has ever witnessed in its 70-year history.

Speaking for the countless victims of America’s brutal war on Iraq was Bolivia’s UN envoy, Sacha Llorenti. Himself brandishing the image of Powell at the UNSC on that infamous day, he reminded the US and the world of the lies that were told to justify the war on the Iraqi people. Mr. Llorenti said:

“We were told that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and this was the motivation for the invasion. After the invasion there were 1 million deaths and it launched a series of atrocities in that region. Could we talk about [the Islamic State] if that invasion had not taken place? Could we talk about the serious and horrendous attacks in various parts of the world if that illegal invasion had not taken place? I believe it is vital to remember what history teaches us.”

Never a truer word spoken.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Lankaweb.    

By Rathindra Kuruwita and Umesh Moramudali Courtesy Ceylon Today

Indika Perera, attorney at law and the former Director – Programme for Initiative for Political and Conflict Transformation (INPACT) spoke to Ceylon Today about Martin McGuinness, the legendary Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) leader, who passed away a few weeks ago, and his involvement in the Sri Lankan peace process. In the first months of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure as President of Sri Lanka, Perera who played a key role in introducing the two men (McGuinness and Rajapaksa) spoke of attempts made by McGuinness to share the lessons learnt, from their successful peace deal with the British Government in 1998, and how ultimately circumstances prevented Sri Lankan peace talks from coming to fruition.

?: How did you meet Martin McGuinness, the legendary Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) leader and the MP for Mid Ulster and what role did you play in involving him in the Sri Lankan peace process, during the beginning of Mahinda Rajapaksa‘s tenure as President?

A: In the early 2000s I went to England to study for my Masters and I chose to write on the Irish peace process for my Master’s thesis. The Irish peace process had fascinated me for a long time, as unlike many other peace agreements this was definitely a success. Anyone who knows the history of Ireland knows that there is deep enmity between the Irish and the British and the Irish have many historical grievances. I don’t think that many people ever expected the Good Friday Agreement to be signed and fewer people expected it to last. When I went to the UK it was about five years after the signing of the Agreement and I realized that the conflict in Ireland had a number of similarities to the one in Sri Lanka.

So I visited Northern Ireland to collect data for my research and I visited a number of IRA and Unionist political offices. During my field work, I got acquainted with Martin McGuinness, the former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) leader and the MP for Mid Ulster. He knew about the conflict in Sri Lanka and was interested in my work. That is how I got acquainted with McGuinness.

It was during this time that I was involved in arranging an informal study tour for Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was then, the Prime Minister in the Chandrika Bandaranaike administration. Rajapaksa and McGuinness immediately struck up a friendship. I thought this was interesting because Rajapaksa comes from a background which has made him distrustful of white people. This was how the two got to know each other.

After I returned to Sri Lanka, I became more involved with the Initiative for Political and Conflict Transformation (INPACT) Our view was that grassroots work alone is not sufficient to produce lasting change in conflict situations because ‘conflict transformation is ultimately political’. We also ‘organized and facilitated behind the scenes informal dialogue workshops so that the opposing parties who are publicly enemies can privately meet and engage in dialogue on issues of mutual interest.’

This was a very interesting period in recent Sri Lankan history. By this time the initial optimism regarding the Ceasefire Agreement between the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government and the LTTE had given way to disillusionment. In the South it was felt that the LTTE was preparing for war and when Presidential elections were announced, Mahinda Rajapaksa used this resentment against the LTTE to win the 2005 Presidential Election.

Although he came to power promising strong action against the LTTE, Rajapaksa was, in reality, quite hesitant to start a war. The military was weak and neither Gotabaya Rajapaksa nor Sarath Fonseka had secured the kind of iron grip they had around the military. The LTTE was also aware of this and had become over confident. So, Rajapaksa initially attempted to continue the peace process and as someone involved in the process at that time, I can assure that Rajapaksa did not go into these negotiations with an ulterior motive. He really wanted to give peace a chance and wanted someone with international standing to intervene and advise the government. Because of the trust he had developed on McGuinness, Mahinda Rajapaksa thought that McGuinness would be ideal for this job and when we spoke to McGuinness he was very willing to help us.

?: McGuinness arrived in Sri Lanka in 2006 to meet a number of stakeholders. What advice did he give to the Sri Lankan Government and what was his assessment of Mahinda Rajapaksa‘s sincerity in negotiating?

A: Yes, he arrived in Sri Lanka in January 2006 with Aiden McAteer; a few months after Rajapaksa had won the election, and held discussions with a number of political parties. He was convinced, like many of us at that time, that a military victory was impossible for either party and that a political settlement would be the only way. When we used to drive around the country, especially Colombo, he said that the sight of numerous soldiers and check points reminded him of Belfast during the IRA arms struggle. He was also convinced that the government was open for a peace negotiation.

You have to realize that Mahinda Rajapaksa had no infrastructure to conduct the peace negotiations. On one hand there was no team in place; on the other the international perception of Sri Lanka was very bleak. President Chandrika Bandaranaike who came before Rajapaksa tried many times to meet the British Prime Minister and the Commonwealth Officials who continuously refused to meet. At this point McGuinness assisted the Sri Lankan Government to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair. And he also helped select and brief the Sri Lankan negotiators. McGuinness also helped the government to overcome difficulties which arose during the negotiations.

McGuinness arrived once again in mid-2006 to meet the LTTE leadership in the North, which was under rebel control at that time.

He asked the LTTE leadership to re-engage in the stalled negotiations and pointed out the need to build a credible peace process as an alternative to the escalating conflict. However, a few months later the LTTE commenced an operation in Mavilaru and that was an offensive and a violation of the Ceasefire Agreement that the Rajapaksa administration found hard to ignore but even at that point I believe that Mahinda Rajapaksa would not have commenced military operations if not for the fact that Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) led a large number of its supporters to the affected area. And that was that.

?: Considering that there was a ‘connection‘ between McGuinness and Rajapaksa, was the Irishman consulted after the war was over?

A: No. By that time Mahinda Rajapaksa was convinced that there was nothing to talk about. He had won the war, a feat no one thought was possible and he was a God to a lot of people in Sri Lanka and he was no longer interested in negotiations or discussions. But whenever I met McGuinness he would ask me about Mahinda Rajapaksa and on the rare occasion that I would bump into Mahinda Rajapaksa he would ask about McGuinness. I think it was unfortunate that ultimately nothing concrete or fruitful came out of the friendship between McGuinness and Rajapaksa. I think subsequent events took their own course.

The LTTE was overconfident of its abilities and thought that the Sri Lankan Army could never defeat it on the battlefield. And throughout the negotiation period they attempted to get an advantage by creating chaos on the ground, I think they thought they were taking a calculated risk. But the problem is that things can go really wrong when you play brinksmanship diplomacy. On the other hand after the end of the war the Rajapaksa administration did not act as a collective of civilized individuals. It could have easily recognized the suffering of the war affected Tamil people and attempted to come up with a political and economic solution that would have achieved true reconciliation. Instead they just started building roads and big government buildings and wasted a lot of money on tamashas.

?: What can civil society learn from your experience?

A: As I said earlier we attempted to work with the political leadership of the country. While grassroots work is essential and vital in transforming societies, working with top political leadership can, at most times, guarantee rapid change. For example it might take years or even decades to create adequate bottom up pressure for a government to bring in legislation, but if you work with political party leaders you can convince them the importance of such legislation, you can make them pass the legislation in a matter of months.