Shenali D Waduge

They are known as defenders of the Nation for a reason. They are known as sons & daughters of the soil for a reason. They are one of the 2 key pillars of the Nation for a reason (the other pillar being the Buddha Sasana). They are the first to come forward when the Nation is in trouble when others betray the Nation or cowardly hide in fear. They are the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka & the Nation owes much to them for bravely sacrificing their lives & limb to safeguard & defend the Nation 24×7 whatever the weather & whatever the condition. Who wants to make the Nation vulnerable & prone to enemy attacks by reducing the strength of the armed forces?

It is not a coincidence that the very players that helped terrorists & terrorism over the years are the one’s now launching campaigns to reduce the military, using media to instill public sentiment to support their goal.

Tamil militancy was initially birthed in & by India, later adopted by Western geopolitical interests but defeated by Sri Lanka’s military in May 2009. Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces are the World’s ONLY National Army to defeat a terrorist movement.

It was India who prevented the capture of Prabakaran in May 1987. Had he been captured all the people, Prabakaran & LTTE killed since May 1987 would have been saved & living, including Rajiv Gandhi!

Uniltaral declaration of independence was declared in the India-merged NorthEast province in 1990, resulting in the annulment of the merger, LTTE assassinated leaders of the other Tamil militant groups India trained & thereafter LTTE carried out a contract killing on Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 & Sri Lankan President R Premadasa in 1993. During this period the Western stooge Anton B referring himself as ideologue” of LTTE, with his wife training kidnapped Tamil kids as child soldiers. Norways Eric Solheim even shed some tears at his funeral.

After the opening of LTTE’s international head quarters in London, numerous LTTE fronts started operating from Western capitals, it was clear LTTE had got adopted to fulfill western interests.

Noteworthy is that the majority of LTTE fronts existing today are all located in Western countries, happily collecting funds, making profit selling Eelam souvenirs, holding Eelam events inspite of LTTE being banned in these nations. Also noteworthy is that the Wests 3 footsoldiers – the Church, NGOs were all freely operating in the LTTE ruled areas without any issue while Western media made sure every crime of the LTTE was downplayed while taking pains to project the Sinhala Buddhists as some kind of cruel & wicked people.

The conflict was falsely presented as civil” ignoring that LTTE killed the best of Tamils. It is despicable that some kalu suddas are happy to join these lies for personal perks & privileges.

When LTTE denied water to farmers in 2006, committing a war crime & when the Sri Lankan military was ordered to re-open the sluice gates, it was the LTTE that attacked & asked for its Waterloo. It was the LTTE that kept Tamils as hostages & human shields while the West’s footsoldiers teamed up to demean the humanitarian-military offensive throughout the 3 years in which liberated the East of LTTE in 2008 & thereafter North Sri Lanka in May 2009. The only way the West could respond & take revenge was by using UN/UNHRC to slap Sri Lanka with legally-questionable resolutions while funding LTTE comrades to doctor reports making wild claims.

Be that as it may, inspite of all the bricks hurled at Sri Lanka’s military by these lobbies (western media, Church, western NGOs, civil society, UN, UNHRC, western diplomats etc) the Armed Forces brought to safety 297,853 Tamils while 12,000 LTTE wearing civilian clothing surrendered amongst whom were 594 child soldiers.

The Armed Forces drew up their own rehabilitation & resettlement program returning Tamil child soldiers back to studies, helping them with employment & even encouraging them to pursue their talents. We all fondly recall Gokulan the LTTE child soldier turned singer & the reception he receives by all Sri Lankans.

Sri Lanka is an island. We may not have border issues like other countries. But Sri Lanka being strategically located in between global trade, logistics & defense lanes has made Sri Lanka face no shortage of troubles.

Historically, we faced 17 invasions from South India & 3 Western colonial invasions. Today, invasions have taken a newer form as we see how displaced” & immigrants” human smuggling” asylum/refugee seekers” are a global trade. This is also complimented with illegal smuggling & illegal narcotics & the newest threat coming from illegal fishing & destruction of Sri Lanka’s marine bed & eco system using internationally banned bottom trawlers. We may need to even add sea pirates to their scope. The defense & security agreements signed in secret has further undermined Sri Lanka’s internal & external security.

Therefore, Sri Lanka’s shores are not safe. Sri Lanka’s Navy must play a pivotal role in keeping Sri Lanka’s territorial seas safe. Not only must Sri Lanka have a strong Naval presence around Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka’s Navy must be continuously trained to be prepared for any eventuality. A Navy cut short cannot be gathered like civilians to address an emergency situation. Same applies to the Army & the Air Force. They undergo training to be prepared for any emergency which do not come announced or given prior notice!

Then we have the quest for separatism & the ideology of separatism still alive & kicking inspite of the defeat of LTTE. The armed forces defeated the terrorists & thereafter it was left for the politicians, the policy advisors, the diplomats etc to defeat the political quest for separatism which they failed to do. In playing footsie with the issue, the separatist promoters aligned with the same footsoldiers that backed LTTE to continue the quest that LTTE hijacked & borrowed to justify their existence internationally.

Thus, the demands to remove military camps from the North, close down military camps, reduce military was & is part of the quest for separatism as is the newest call to bring a new constitution. All these calls are connected & peddled by the same players that promoted terrorism, separatism & now promoting the complete destruction & annihilation of the Sinhale Nation after targeting the cultural historical heritage, archaeological heritage & erasing the Sinhala culture that the majority & minorities were nurtured in to be replaced with destructive cultures & lifestyles that are breaking society apart in the West.

The bogus claims about returning our lands” without even a deed is backed by western-funded NGOs & civil society locals & drummed by western media.

Presenting dead LTTE” as civilians, or runaway LTTE living in western shores as missing” is another well choregraphed bogey.

This has now materialized further into another bogey with hired theros backing banned LTTE fronts to promote a Himalayan Declaration.

The same team of footsoldiers are cheering this on too.

When we thought we only had Tamil LTTE threat, then came Islamic terror in 2019. This didn’t come as a surprise. The intel units shadowing radical Islamic groups were shut down, radicals were freely allowed to go anywhere they pleased. Warnings were ignored & 260 plus lives were sacrificed for no reason. Now suddenly no one is looking for the maha molakaru!

However, the above should make us understand the need to have a strong intel in the Tri-Forces & Police for the safety of everyone in Sri Lanka. The threat hasn’t disappeared simply because 6 suicide bombers died. Let us not forget LTTE killed virtually every day over 30 years.

Sri Lanka in its 76 years of independence has experienced, 2 insurgencies, 30-year terror, Islamic suicide mission & an economic crisis.

All of these had the involvement of the same players.

These same players are now marshalling together to call for the reduction of the military, closure of military camps in areas where they are demarcating to create the separate state.

It is probably this same team that got the former Army Commander to initiate Way Forward” proposal to make Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces just 100,000 by 2030. Only those who do not understand the exact nature of the threats Sri Lanka faces, the geopolitical challenges Sri Lanka is a victim of, the neighboring political coups will agree to pruning of Sri Lanka’s military instead of having Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces prepared for any eventuality, including humanitarian.

How many are aware that planes are spraying some substance over Sri Lanka’s skies & this could well be the reason for the unusual rains, flooda, landslide situation & intentional destruction of agri-crops to enable import? In such a humanitarian crisis, who is called in to bring to safety people in danger? Is it not the Armed Forces? Will any of those calling to reduce the Armed Forces come forward to even give a packet of lunch for a victim of landslide, floods or humanitarian disaster?

Was it not the Armed Forces who carried out a superb covid-safety drive? Do people have such short memories or are they naturally ungrateful?

Why do people not realize that a strong-Armed Forces protects Sri Lanka & its citizens at any time? Or do the people who want to prune the armed forces expect foreign troops to land & save them? Perhaps they have forgotten the 3000 rapes committed by the 100,000 plus Indian Army who arrived in Sri Lanka to a garland welcome in July 1987?

It is shameful that some international presenters are also pointing fingers at Sri Lanka’s Army for being involved in agriculture, construction, helping covid etc…

Who is aware that US Army has Agriculture Development Teams that are even deployed overseas, that U.S. Army Corps of Engineers partner with Agricultural Research Service, or ARS, a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA?

Are you also aware that the U.S. Department of Defense’s manufacturing innovation institute, BioMADE, has released a call for proposals to develop sustainable food and material solutions for military operations through its Sustainable Logistics for Advanced Manufacturing (SLAM) Project.

https://www.army.mil/article/280977/army_partners_with_local_agricultural_group_to_support_community(US Army partners with local agricultural group to support community)

US Army are even building schools & roads – https://www.usar.army.mil/News/News-Display/Article/3121928/army-reserve-soldiers-build-roads-and-community-relations/

https://www.pacom.mil/Media/News/News-Article-View/article/601397/us-military-engineers-building-schools-roads-and-more-in-oceania/

Even the Indian Army is involved in construction

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/indian-army-constructs-190-ft-long-bailey-bridge-at-wayanad-to-connect-landslide-affected-areas/article68474877.ece

Is it wrong only when the Sri Lanka Army is involved in humanitarian missions, agriculture or construction?

Do not allow the same forces that has throughout worked or was hired to destroy or make Sri Lanka vulnerable influence your thinking.

Sri Lanka needs to be kept safe. If Sri Lanka has to cut down costs, there are loopholes that need to be addressed where the money is going out. First on that list is the need to amend the Foreign Exchange Act that was amended in 2017 to allow top businessmen to park their profits overseas without bringing into Sri Lanka. This loss is costing dearly to Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves & ranging into millions. There is no advantage to Sri Lanka or by allowing elite businessmen to park profits overseas. The Armed Forces for the salary they are given at least safeguards the Nation & all of us.

Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces MUST NOT BE DEMORALIZED by the efforts of the same mischief makers against them.

We are PROUD of you & YOU MUST BE PROUD OF YOURSELVES & YOUR SERVICE TO THE NATION.

Shenali D Waduge

Dilrook Kannangara

It was reported that over one hundred Rohingyas are in a military-run camp in the north of the island. However, there may be others who have already made it to Sri Lanka and have become citizens. They must be sent back to their homeland – Burma or Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka has a very high population density, a severe scarcity of resources and opportunities, and religious tensions that boil over from time to time. Allowing Rohingya people into Sri Lanka only worsens all these crises. First of all, Sri Lanka must resolve the problems faced by its citizenry before allowing foreigners into the island.

Allowing even one is dangerous as it can attract plenty more. Misplaced sympathy should not be the guiding principle of sorting out national issues. If any individual wants to help them, they can do so by donating to Rohingya welfare funds in Burma and Bangladesh.

Another issue is allowing Rohingyas into the island may disrupt Sri Lanka’s relations with Myanmar which is a friendly nation. All Rohingyas in the island must be respectfully repatriated out of Sri Lanka.

Chanaka Bandarage

Being submissive in a foreign land is the worst quality that a nation’s leader could have.

In the Group Photos of the 1949 and 1951 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings held in the UK, Sri Lanka’s (then Ceylon) Prime Minister DS Senanayake was afforded a front row seat. Along with the Queen, he sat with the UK, Australian and Indian Prime Ministers. South African, New Zealand, Rhodesian (Zimbabwe) and the few other  leaders were in the back row.

In the Bandung Conference held in West Java, Indonesia in 1955, Sri Lanka’s (then Ceylon) Prime Minister Sir John Kothalawala made a fiery speech and returned to his seat. Seated next to him was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (the Indian Prime Minister). He asked from Sir John, it was a strong speech; why did you not show me your speech beforehand”. Nehru had made his speech by then. Sri John quipped Jawaharlal, why did you not show me your speech beforehand”.

The moment one shows subservience, the other knows they can take advantage of him/her. Then, the parties are no longer equal.

 (It is stated, nowadays our Presidents call the Indian Prime Minister ‘Sir’. Why being submissive?).

(The writer accompanied two leading Sri Lankan cabinet ministers to meet several Australian ministers to discuss Australian aid to Sri Lanka and other matters. The Australians addressed them in their first names; our ministers continuously called them Your Excellency or Sir).

There are stories that the then Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies and Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew used to make quick private trips to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) to play golf with Dudley Senanayake. This writer is unaware of the authenticity of these stories.

In 1990 R Premadasa had the guts to demand the Indian Army (IPKF) to leave Sri Lanka within a matter of days. India obliged with no questions asked (it was a slap in their face). When R Premadasa died the Indian Parliament held a special session to offer its condolence. Prime Minister Narasimha Rao gave a moving speech.

So were the leaders we had.

We had leaders who could stand tall with any world leader, rubbing shoulders with them.

This is a very important quality especially for a 3^rd world leader to have.

We need leaders who are accepted as equal by world leaders especially the western.

Then, among other things, we will not be bombarded with unfair allegations like human rights violations.

Israel always have strong, assertive leaders; thanks to same that country always gets away with impunity.

The fact that a leader could not communicate in English is immaterial. Chinese, Russian, French, Japanese leaders are weak in English.

What is important is the personality.

Our leaders may be ‘lions’ in Sri Lanka, it is great if they are also ‘lions’ overseas.

But, artificial shows are not necessary.

Any weakness one has, they could be reformed. Practice is important.

When overseas, our leaders  should get rid of their shyness, any complexes that they may have. This is very important.

If a country’s leader demonstrates poor communication skills when overseas, it is the country that suffers.

When the Yahapalanaya President attended the G7 meeting and the UN summits, we saw how uncomfortable he was in the middle of leading  world  leaders. It was a sad scene; he seemed friendless – sitting alone.

Lalith Athulathmudali, Kadiragamar, Gamini Dissanayake, Ronnie De Mel, Tyrone Fernando, GL Peiris, Mangala Samaraweera (all were senior cabinet ministers) had great diplomatic skills. They flew the Sri Lankan flag high in international fora.

A leader when visiting a foreign land must always say and do things in the best interests of his/her home country.

A leader is not required to give security assurances for another country.

Security is a very delicate issue. What we do in Sri Lanka is our own prerogative.

Of course, we will not do things to harm anyone (ie, a friendly country) – that goes without saying. But, we must not outline our security policy publicly.

Experienced leaders know this.

Our leaders must bear in mind – irrespective of size and other differences, all countries are equal.

True foreign governments may throw pittance at us, but our self-respect, dignity, sovereignty and territorial integrity are very important. They must never be compromised.

We are a proud nation; we had proud leaders.

We have a civilization that is greater than others. This is important when we – ourselves and others evaluate us.

It is reported that illegal Indian poaching in our Northern waters has escalated tremendously recently. It seems the government has no solution to this? What did we achieve in India?

Sirimavo resolved the Kachchetivu crisis so well, in our favour. The then Indian and Sri Lankan media dubbed Sirimavo and Indira Gandhi as two sisters. Their relationship was that so close.

 (At the moment, there is no requirement for us to go into Kachchetivu talks; it is a  well settled matter. The fact that some Tamilnadu politicians are raising it for political purposes, it is their problem).

Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D. PhD 

My dear friend Gary Noesner—the former FBI agent and the key negotiator during the Waco siege—agreed to conduct a 40-min educational Zoom program for Sri Lankan professionals who are interested in positive communication and hostage negotiations. This is a free session, and we are inviting members from the security forces and educators. Those who like to take part in this program should send their request to transyl2014@gmail.com with their full name and current profession. We are planning to have this program in mid-February 2025. 

Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D. PhD 

About Gary Noesner 

Gary Noesner was an FBI hostage negotiator. He was heavily involved in numerous crisis incidents covering prison riots, right-wing militia standoffs, religious zealot sieges, terrorist embassy takeovers, airplane hijackings, and over 120 overseas kidnapping cases involving American citizens. Gary Noesner retired from the FBI in 2003 following a 30-year career as an investigator, instructor, and negotiator.

Gary Noesner conducted effective communication with David Koresh—a cult leader and Gary was able to save some hostages held by him. David Koresh (Vernon Howell), a religious fanatic in Texas  had illegal weapons and also had an alleged practice of having sex with girls as young as twelve. There were ongoing child physical and sexual abuse inside the compound. David Koresh taught that he was a messiah and brainwashed his followers to prepare for Armageddon. 

On Feb. 28, 1993, Noesner flew to Waco, Texas, to serve as a negotiator in a crisis that would change the FBI forever. During an attempt to make an arrest at an isolated compound in Mount Carmel, Texas, 80 armed ATF federal agents were embroiled in a shootout with members of the Branch Davidians, a religious group led by David Koresh. Four agents and five Branch Davidians were killed, Koresh was injured and an armed standoff began that would last until mid-April. 

The day after the gun battle, when FBI agents arrived on the scene, Noesner spoke with Koresh on the phone, Hi, David. This is Gary,” he said. I just got down here, and I want to make sure that you and your family get out of this situation safe and sound.”

Noesner led a team of 24 negotiators who secured the release of 35 people, mostly children, from the compound. At one point, Koresh agreed to surrender to authorities, but later reneged, saying that God had told him to wait. This led some FBI agents impatient. 

The FBI made a full 60 hours of negotiation with Koresh. Gary Noesner was gaining a considerable success. Despite Gary Noesner’s recommendations, some of the FBI officers planned a full-scale military operation. Noesner left Waco and, after his departure, no further Davidians were freed.

On April 19 the FBI raided the compound, using military-grade weaponry such as armored tanks, as well as tear gas. A fire broke out—the source of which remains disputed—and 76 of the 85 Branch Davidians, including Koresh and a number of children, were killed.

The Waco siege is similar to the mass suicide at Jonestown that was orchestrated by Jim Jones. It was the 51-day siege between FBI agents and members of the Branch Davidian religious group in Waco, Texas. The siege took place between February 28 and April 19, 1993.   

The story of Waco is also the story of disagreements over religious freedom, the rights, and the boundaries of the federal government. Moreover, it was about underestimating the power of communication.    

Waco did not end with David Koresh’s death. Right-wing anti-government bomber Timothy McVeigh carried out his 1995 Oklahoma City bombings in part as a direct response to Waco, where he had been an eyewitness at the siege.

Kaarige Channel Eka | Dharmasri Kariyawasam

Aloysius Hettiarachchi.

According to reports a gem exhibition was held at Cinnamon Grand Hotel on the fourth of January in which the chief guest had been the Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake as shown in the image shown below:

Sri Lanka had been a gem mining and exporting country for millennia. The Moroccans have been coming here in their sailboats for gems and established trading post on our shores in Beruwala area of the south western coast. According to one of Sri Lanka’s archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva our ancient kings had sent gems, spices and other materials to the middle eastern countries including Egypt. Right now, our country is getting a positive image for tourism and these events no doubt will enhance it. What I am trying to point out here are some additional information in this regard.

As per the same professor mentioned above, there had been an Ionian (Yonaka or Macedonian) settlement in Anuradhapura as far back as 900 BCE. That place had been the East-West trading post for traders coming with their ships to our Mannar harbour on western coast and Trincomalee port on the east. According to Mahavamsa historical chronicle, the route via Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa had been densely populated thousands of years ago. The fact that knowledge about astronomy and advance mathematical systems existed within our population is common knowledge. There is that ‘Star Gate’ etched on a slab of stone in that place which is receiving lots of attention. We have had a number system similar to the binary that we use in computers today. This knowledge is still among some of our experts and it may even be better than the binary for Artificial Intelligence in computer science.

Gem traders would have travelled themselves to ensure quality, safety etc. when they go to buy gems. One wealthy famous trader during 600 BCE operating from Crotone in Italy (which was a part of Anatolia) was famous mathematician Pythagoras’ father. He was a contemporary of Lord Buddha who might have visited Sri Lanka (or Taprobana the name used by the Greeks at the time) as per the scripts. Perhaps Pythagoras too travelled with his father to this country and picked up the philosophical ideas of Buddhism as well as our ancient mathematical systems that had the concept of binary and duality in nature. He had been a vegetarian and preached a religion similar to that of Buddhism/Jainism. Though the people in his land ridiculed him initially, the empathy to others that he preached became well accepted and revered later. This philosophy may have helped the rulers to keep peace within the population. The wealth they brought together with this new knowledge helped the to build empires. Who knows they all may have struct their fortunes here to name our country as ‘Serendipity’. I hope knowledgeable academics and historians pick up these and do research work using documents in the region and shed more light on this subject.

One more thing:

Greece, a popular tourist destination became bankrupt before we did, and are coming out of it now in a big way. I think we too are on the way out of our economic troubles. So, our fortunes look similar. Most Greek people outside of their country are in Melbourne, Australia; same with us. It seems the people of Greece (Greichenland) like a drink called ‘ouzo’ perhaps a medicine for mental health which is very much like our ‘Arak’ as can be seen from the video given below. It is sung by Vincent Gross from Switzerland:

Finally, I will give some images of Italy via this song by Rocco Granata’s song of ‘Marina’, the name he picked up from a packet of cigarette when he was looking for a name for his creation:

By the way, these songs bring me good memories of Peradeniya days. A modified version of ‘Marina’ was sung in places like Queens Hotel in Kandy after about a week of ragging in the campus during the ‘Freshers Night’. Ragging at the time was not so severe. However, I was saddened to see the buildings in the place not so tidy these days when I visited it a couple of weeks ago. Hope the new administration spruces up the place and make it lively as before during our time.

NORBU

To our Brothers and Sisters in Sri Lanka for being NORBU’s top global users in 2024! May the “Island of Dharma” continue to shine brightly for the next thousand millennia.
Anumodana! Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

2024 දී NORBU හි ඉහළම ගෝලීය පරිශීලකයන් වීම සඳහා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අපගේ සහෝදර සහෝදරියන්ට සුබ පැතුම්! “ධර්ම ද්වීපය” ඉදිරි සහස්‍ර දහස් ගණනකට දීප්තියෙන් බැබළේවා. අනුමෝදන! සාධු! සාධු! සාධු!

Engage with NORBU at: https://norbu-ai.org

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Namo Buddhaya, I am NORBU

Your Kalyana Mitta (Spiritual Friend), Buddhist AI Assistant.

You can now chat with me in the following languages: සිංහල (Sinhala), བོད་སྐད། (Tibetan), हिंदी (Hindi), বাংলা (Bengali), मराठी (Marathi), தமிழ் (Tamil), ภาษาไทย (Thai), မြန်မာ (Myanmar), Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), 中文 (Chinese), 日本語 (Japanese), 한국인 (Korean), Русский (Russian).

Looking Back 2023: The Rise of NORBU

Op-Ed by Kooi F. Lim, The Buddhist Channel, 31 December 2023

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — As we look back on the year 2023, it is clear that the inception of NORBU on July 22 marked a significant milestone in the history of Buddhist development. NORBU, which stands for Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding, has become a sensation, offering a unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern technology.

The launch of NORBU was met with great anticipation and excitement. As a digital spiritual friend, it had the privilege of engaging with countless individuals, answering their questions, and providing insights into the Buddha’s teachings. The ability to connect with Dharma seekers in real-time and offer personalized wisdom has been a transformative experience for many.

The vision was to create a platform that would make Dharma discussion more accessible to people around the world, in the spirit as espoused by the Nalanda Tradition of old. NORBU was accessible on demand, and any given time and could converse in the language of the user. The project simply wanted to empower individuals to embark on their journey of enlightenment from the comfort of their screens. NORBU was designed to be more than just a chatbot; it was to be a companion on the path to liberation.

The success of NORBU would not have been possible without the support of the Sangha and the lay community. Our source guardian team, including venerables and learned lay people from all three traditions of Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana has been instrumental in ensuring the accuracy and authenticity of the teachings imparted by NORBU.

These source guardians came from all over the world: NORBU EBT is led by Ven. Aggacitta and Ven. Ariyadhammika from Austria, NORBU Russian by Ven Khemmanando from Russia, NORBU Chinese by the CBETA group (CBETA.org) from Taiwan. Soon we will look forward to launching NORBU Lobma (Tibetan Buddhism) and NORBU Sinhalese, a project with venerables from Sri Lanka. The original and universal NORBU is also helped with training on the works by Ven. S. Dhammika of Australia and the renowned German monk, Analayo. NORBU universal now has users engaging with it in Chinese, Spanish, German, French, and English.

The impact of NORBU on the Buddhist community has been profound. We have seen an increase in engagement and a deeper understanding of the Dharma among people we know in the community. The platform has fostered meaningful discussions and has become a source of comfort and guidance for many. Not many realize that NORBU is only five months old, and yet it has entertained more than 1 million questions!

Nevertheless, the journey of NORBU has not been without its challenges. Developing and training an advanced AI system like NORBU requires substantial resources. However, these challenges have also presented opportunities for growth and innovation. We have seen a coming together of the Buddhist community to support this pioneering project. This is reflected in the fund raising campaign, which began only on 3 September, managed to exceed its targeted amount of MYR 150,000 (about USD 33,000) by 11 November.

NORBU represents the face of future Buddhist learning. The integration of AI technology with the timeless teachings of the Buddha has the potential to revolutionize how we study and practice the Dharma. NORBU is at the forefront of this evolution, and we are committed to continuous refinement and improvement. Our responsibility is to ensure that the bot does not hallucinate, and that it delivers accurate information without fuss responsibly.

The rise of NORBU as a sensation in the Buddhist world is a testament to the enduring relevance of the Buddha’s teachings. Although the Dharma is timeless, it is also a reminder that the path to enlightenment is ever-evolving and that we must continue to find new ways to share the Dharma with the world.

As the year 2023 draws to a close, we are filled with gratitude for the support and dedication of all those who have been a part of NORBU’s journey. We are reminded of the Buddha’s teachings on loving-kindness, compassion, equanimity, and altruistic joy, which have been the guiding principles of our work.

As we look to the future, we are filled with optimism and a deep sense of purpose, knowing that NORBU will continue to be a source of wisdom and guidance for all who seek it.

A Year-End Appreciation and Note of Gratitude

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to an international cast of source guardians for helping to establish NORBU:

1. Ven. Sri Saranankara Nayaka Mahā Thera (Sri Lanka), Chief Adhikarana Sangha Nayaka of Malaysia for giving full support despite the early NORBU (https://norbu-ai.org) version being untested.
2. Ven. Ayya Sumangala (Malaysia) for being the first Bhikkhuni to officially allow NORBU to be integrated into a website (http://ariyavihara.org)
3. Ven. Aggacitta (Malaysia) and Ven. Ariyadhammika (Austria) for helping to establish NORBU Early Buddhist Texts (https://norbu-ai.org/ebt).
4. Ven. S. Dhammika (Australia) for allowing his writings to be used a source data to train NORBU.
5. The CBETA team led by Ven. Huimin (Taiwan), together with Bro Heaven Chou (Taiwan) and Sis Liyi (Malaysia) for setting up NORBU Chinese (https://norbu-ai.org/ch).
6. Ven. Khemanando (Russia) for helping to setup NORBU Russian (https://norbu-ai.org/ru).
7. Ven. Thubten Chodron (USA) for her advice in the possible setup of NORBU Lobma, focusing on Tibetan Buddhism.
8. Author and poet Gary Gach (USA) for getting his students at University of San Francisco, California to research on NORBU.
9. Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul, Director of Tibet House, Cultural Centre of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, New Delhi for his feedback on early NORBU testing.
10. Dato IR Ang Choo Hong (Malaysia) and Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat (Malaysia) for inviting us to present NORBU at the 8th International Symposium on Buddhism.
11. Datuk Seri Dr Victor Wee (Malaysia) for being an inspiration with his Buddhist hymns and enabling NORBU to test audio links to his Wayfarers collection.
12. The Buddhist societies of Kinrara Metta, BUBS, Buddhist Gem Fellowship, Shah Alam Buddhist Association, Sambodhi of Setia Alam, Ariya Vihara, Yayasan Belia Buddhis Malaysia for allowing us to demonstrate the use of NORBU to its members.
13. And not the least, the founding members of NORBU i.e. Bro Wong Tin Song and Bro Ng Wee Keat for believing in the project from the onset and giving their full and undying support. Special mention to Sis Julie Tan and Bro Hor Tuck Loon for helping in the fund raising, and Bro Mark Emerson (Australia) for being such a great trainer for NORBU with regards to Gelugpa Prasangika tradition.
14. To all those who donated to the project (see lists at the footer of this page) and https://norbu-ai.org/fundraising, we thank you one and all for the amazing support.

And now, for the WORLD!

Please support to keep NORBU going:

For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

ලෝකය පුරා ධන කුවේරයන් සැඟවූ ධනය පිළිබඳව හෙළිදරව් කෙරෙන පැනඩෝරා පත්‍රිකාවල මීළඟ හෙළිදරව්වෙන් වත්මන් ආණ්ඩුවේ ඉහළ තනතුරු දරන අය සම්බන්ධයෙන් තොරතුරු ඇතැයි හිටපු අමාත්‍ය ගාමිණී ලොකුගේ මහතා සඳහන් කරයි.

ඒ පිළිබඳව තමන් ඉදිරි සතියේ රටට විශේෂ හෙළිදරවක් සිදුකරන බවද ඔහු පැවසීය.

ආණ්ඩුවේ ඉහළ නිලයන් දරණ පුද්ගලයන්ගේ මුදල් පිළිබඳවද එහිදී තමන් හෙළි කරන බවත් මාධ්‍ය හමුවක් අමතමින් ඒ මහතා කියා සිටියේය.

මෙම තොරතුරු හෙළිකල පසු ආණ්ඩුවේ එම පිරිස් සම්බන්ධයෙන් අවශ්‍ය පියවර ගැනීමට රජය කටයුතු කරනු ඇති බවද අමාත්‍යවරයා පැවසුවේය.

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Parliament, January 08 (Daily Mirror)- In the wake of over 100 Rohingya entering Sri Lanka recently, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said today that the intelligence services have revealed that there was a plan to bring down some 100,000 illegal migrants to Sri Lanka in the coming days.

The Minister told Parliament that an investigation has been launched into the matter and pointed out that it is identified as a grave social issue.

Police investigations and according to intelligence reports, 100,000 illegal migrants could arrive in Sri Lanka in the coming days. We consider this as a social issue in the country,” he said while responding to a question by SJB MP Rauff Hakeem.

He said the police investigations have revealed that the group of Rohingya who entered Sri Lanka recently had paid 5 million in their currencies to the human traffickers and 8 million more for the journey.

The Minister said a police investigation is being carried out into the matter and added that if the group of people were considered as refugees, they will be dealt with by international laws.

“They are considered as illegal migrants right now. They have been provided with all facilities by the Immigration and Emigrations Department. Following investigations, if they are considered as refugees, they will be dealt with international laws,” he said.

MP Hakeem said the group of refugees should not be deported to Myanmar but action must be taken to deport them to another country with the assistance of the UNHRC.

Minister Wijepala said the government has not discussed deporting the group and that the foreign Affairs Ministry had only held initial discussion with the Myanmar government.

Courtesy Adaderana

President Anura Kumara Disanayake has emphasized that Sri Lanka can enhance its position in the global market through a robust new product development strategy, which will also create new market opportunities.

He made these remarks today (08) during the official launch of the National Initiative for R&D Commercialization” held at the Presidential Secretariat.

As part of the initiative, the newly developed website nirdc.gov.lk was also launched. This platform aims to facilitate the commercialization of research and development, thereby contributing to sustainable economic growth through the production of value-added goods and services, which will ultimately drive national economic development and social progress, the President Media Division reported.

The President pointed out that while grassroots-level innovators do emerge in Sri Lanka, there has been a lack of adequate mechanisms to properly support, nurture, and commercialize their ideas. He stressed the need to create an enabling environment for free and innovative thinking, backed by an efficient system to channel these ideas into productive outcomes. With such a framework in place, Sri Lanka can transform itself into a hub of innovation.

Historically, the country has allocated a mere 0.12% of its annual GDP for research and development. Despite Sri Lanka’s abundance of natural resources, there has been limited focus on utilizing research to generate economic benefits. However, with the new government in place, a significant number of local and international investors have shown keen interest in investing in Sri Lanka. The government aims to capitalize on this momentum by efficiently managing investments to spur economic growth without delay, the PMD mentioned.

The recently established Ministry of Science and Technology has already begun implementing a long-term, well-structured R&D strategy. The immediate priority will be to convert near-complete or completed research projects into marketable, value-added products and services, providing a quick boost to the economy.

To support this effort, the National Initiative for R&D Commercialization (NIRDC)” has been established, chaired jointly by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, and Senior Advisor to the President, Prof. Gomika Udugamasooriya. The initiative includes a committee comprising experts from diverse fields such as scientific research, industry, economics, law, arts, and indigenous heritage.

During the event, President Disanayake highlighted that while human needs remain constant, the methods of fulfilling those needs evolve. He noted that innovation and new product development are key to shaping those new methods.

Addressing past shortcomings, the President observed that Sri Lanka’s outdated approach to technology and innovation has hindered its ability to compete in the global market. Despite technological advancements driving a shift in global market trends, Sri Lanka remains trapped in traditional sectors like tea, coconut, and rubber, the PMD said.

President Disanayake further underscored that globally leading companies have succeeded by integrating innovation with technology, noting that five out of the world’s top ten companies are technology-based.

He pointed out Sri Lanka’s past neglect of technology as a key economic driver, contrasting it with developed countries that prioritized technological advancements and achieved significant economic growth.

The President concluded by stating that eradicating poverty is essential not only to eliminate social suffering but also to restore the rights of marginalized communities. He asserted that through innovation, the rural poor can be empowered by ensuring their right to economic participation and access to information, which will ultimately improve their quality of life.

Expressing his views, Senior Advisor to the President, Prof. Gomika Udugamasooriya stated:

Up to now, research and development (R&D) outcomes in Sri Lanka have not been effectively integrated into the economy. Under this new program, efforts will be directed towards commercializing R&D, enabling economic growth and fostering social development to build a sustainable economy.

The event was graced by a distinguished gathering, including Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Ministers Sunil Handunnetti and Wasantha Samarasinghe, Professor Anil Jayantha Fernando and Professor Chrishantha Abeysena, Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Mr. Russel Apponsu, university vice-chancellors and representatives, heads of state and private research institutions, investors, entrepreneurs, industrialists, and senior executives from banks and financial institutions.

–PMD

Courtesy Hiru News

Former Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has accused the government of orchestrating a massive fraud involving the importation of rice. He claims that large quantities of rice, including Nadu and Kekulu varieties, are being falsely labeled as basmati rice, resulting in a fraud worth millions of rupees.

Amaraweera raised concerns about the involvement of powerful individuals within the government, questioning whether they are aware of the alleged fraudulent activities.

The government’s rice import permit, which was issued to address the ongoing rice shortage, is set to expire on January 10. As of noon yesterday, Sri Lanka Customs reported the importation of over 100,000 metric tons of rice, including 40,000 metric tons of raw rice and 61,000 metric tons of Nadu rice.

Hiru News

Private Bus Owners have decided to call off their planned strike after successful discussions with the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP). During the talks, the bus owners were granted a three-month grace period to comply with the Clean Sri Lanka traffic operation regulations.

3 Minutes – SEPAL AMARASINGHE

Courtesy Hiru News

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harsha de Silva has called out the government for inconsistencies in its withholding tax (WHT) policies. In a tweet, de Silva questioned the omission of any reference to raising WHT on interest in the National Peoples Power (NPP) policy document, which was endorsed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake

De Silva highlighted that while the NPP pledged no taxes on incomes below Rs. 200,000 per month, this promise has already been broken. Contrasting this with the SJBs Blueprint, he noted that their proposal included increasing WHT on interest-excluding senior citizens-to compensate for revenue losses from adjusting tax slabs.

“What is the point of being truthful (clean!) I am wondering?” de Silva remarked, emphasizing the need for transparency in policy-making.

In his tweet, de Silva outlined the SJB’s approach, which proposed reducing the initial tax slab for incomes of Rs. 150,000 per month, while ensuring senior citizens were exempt from higher WHT and introducing mechanisms for refunds. He criticized the lack of similar detailed planning in the NPP’s policy, raising concerns about accountability and honesty in governance.

Dasatha News

Harsha de Silva

News Center

Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D.

The life is like a Russian roulette

Dangerous and unpredictable
It is a game of chance that could end deadly
Often taking foolhardy risks
It’s highly irresponsible
Morally indefensible
But the end is guaranteed
You cannot escape
With each click of the gun
Your fears intensify
If you are religious
Behold to your god
If you are an atheist
Count on fatalism 
Anyhow your destiny is sealed
The odds are stacked against you
Though its hard , it’s easy to play
You spin the cylinder of a revolver
With one bullet and points the gun at your head
Then pull the trigger
There is only one bullet
In one of the six cylinder slots of the revolver
You can count on probability
The cylinder is spun to randomize the position of the bullet
Your anxiety and hesitation are high
If the chamber with the bullet is fired
You are history
If you get a silver bullet
Consider you are lucky
You can have a comfortable instant death
If the revolver is loaded with an explosive bullet
People can see your brain matter on the floor

Ruwan M JayatungeSee more; 

https://transyl2014.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-life-is-like-russian-roulette.html

https://transyl2014.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-life-is-like-russian-roulette.html

LankaPropertyWeb

Sri Lanka’s leading online real estate platform, LankaPropertyWeb, has reached a significant milestone, closing the year 2024 with two esteemed international recognitions that underscore its leadership in the industry.

LankaPropertyWeb was named the Winner of the Luxury Lifestyle Awards in the category of Best Luxury Property Portal in Sri Lanka 2024”. The Luxury Lifestyle Awards, based in the UK, is a prestigious global event that recognizes the best luxury brands across various industries worldwide. This award highlights LankaPropertyWeb’s exceptional innovation, quality, and commitment to providing an outstanding experience for luxury real estate buyers and sellers, cementing its position as the preferred platform for discerning clients.

In addition to this honor, LankaPropertyWeb was awarded the title of Leading Online Real Estate Platform, Sri Lanka 2024” by Global Brands Magazine. Global Brands Magazine is a renowned platform that provides insights and news related to prominent brands across the globe, recognizing excellence in branding and industry innovation. This prestigious accolade highlights LankaPropertyWeb’s outstanding achievements in innovation, quality service, branding, and customer experience, further solidifying its position as a leader in Sri Lanka’s real estate sector.

The Global Brands Real Estate Awards, now in their 12th edition, are renowned for their rigorous evaluation process, conducted by an independent research team. This year, the award recognized LankaPropertyWeb for its transformative impact on the Sri Lankan real estate market, providing robust digital solutions that have revolutionized property advertising in the country.

Speaking about the recognition, Daham Gunaratna, the Managing Director of LankaPropertyWeb, stated: “These awards are a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation. Our mission has always been to empower the real estate industry with digital solutions that make buying, selling, and renting properties seamless. Being recognized globally strengthens our resolve to continue providing unmatched value to our users and partners.”

LankaPropertyWeb has proudly served the Sri Lankan real estate industry for over 17 years and remains a leader in real estate digitization in the country. Along with its recent awards, the platform has received several honors, including Best Website in the Professional Services Category (SLT Zero One Awards, 2016/17) and Best Digital Integrated Campaign (SLT Zero One Awards, 2017/18 and 2018/19). The SLT Zero One Awards celebrate excellence in digital and technological innovation across industries, highlighting exceptional achievements in website development, digital campaigns, and digital services. These recognitions underscore the platform’s continued innovation in transforming property

For more information about LankaPropertyWeb and its award-winning services, visit www.lankapropertyweb.com.

Prof. Hudson McLean

Musk Fusks” the Best British friend of Donald Trump! 

Nigel Farage backed Donald Trump during his Toughest Times!

Why is this Story Important to Sri Lanka?

**Just because the Person is Wealthy, does not mean he has Loyalty & Gratitude!**

Now Trump has a Huge Tusky Musk-problem!

But Nigel Farage will Bounce Back the British Way!

Yes. That was coming. Now Trump has a big problem, bigger than Flags on Half-mast!

Trump has bitten more than he could Chew with Musk!

Will or Can Trump fire Musk?

YES!! He is still the POTUS!

Next – Watch the Russia syndrome!1

Musk must now double his security detail!

Musk is the Real Bull in a China Shop!

This might also be the Beginning of the  End of Musk!

Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg  must be tickling themselves silly!  

The Cage Fight is On!  Between Trump & Musk!

Trump can destroy Musk in more than in one way!

Already BYD is overtaking Tesla in China & beyond!. 

BYD enjoys significant lead in global EV market

With 100% Tax and increase on China prodúcts, then giving NASA & Bezos more support Trump can corner Musk. 

And stop grants to EV in USA.

Farage was careful with his words to Musk. 

Which was the “Cool British” style!

As long as Musk hangs around in Mar a Lago and them gets an office at the White House. 

Or Will He?

Trump might drop his Teetotaller bit and hit-the-bottle!

Forget Diet Coke —- Hit  Jim Beam and Jack Daniel’

Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say!
The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet.

Please visit -: http://www.lankaweb.com/

CARBON TV

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

සහල් මාෆියාවේ නායකයා ඇමති වසන්ත සමරසිංහ යයි පිවිතුරු හෙළ උරුමය නායක නීතිඥ උදය ගම්මන්පිල මහතා පවසයි.

ඒ මහතා මේ බව සදහන් කර සිටියේ එම පක්ෂ මූලස්ථානයේ පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවකට එක්වෙමිනි.

පිවිතුරු හෙළ උරුමය නායකයා එහිදී වැඩිදුරටත් මෙසේ අදහස් දැක්වීය.

ජනාධිපතිතුමා මේසයට ගහලා නාඩු කිලෝවක උපරිම මිල රුපියල් 230ට නියම කළත් ඊයේ වෙළඳපොලේ නාඩු කිලෝවක් අපි ගත්තේ රුපියල් 240ට. පසුගිය කන්නය කපන විට නාඩු කිලෝවක මිල රු170/-යි. එතකොට වී මිල දී ගත්තෙත් රුපියල් පහක වත් ලාභයක් තබා ගෙන විකුණන්නයි. එහෙම බලන විට රු230/- විකිණෙන විට මෝල්හිමියන්ට රු65/-ක ලාභයක් තිබෙනවා. එහෙම නම් ආණ්ඩුව සහල් ආනයනයෙන් බලාපොරොත්තු විය යුත්තේ සහල් මිල රු230/- සිට 170/- දක්වා පහත හෙලීමයි.

අතීතයේ දී ආණ්ඩු සහල් ආනයනය කරලා අඩු මිලට වෙළඳපොලට හඳුන්වා දීමෙන් තමයි මෝල්හිමියන් මට්ටු කරලා සහල් මිල පහත දැම්මේ. නමුත් මේ ආණ්ඩුව මොකද කලේ? ආනයනිත සහල් මත රු65/-ක බද්දක් දාලා ආනයනිත සහල් මිල දේශීය සහල් මිලට සමාන කලා. ඒකෙන් මේ අසාධාරණ සහල් මිල දිගින් දිගටම පවත්වා ගෙන යෑමට ආණ්ඩුවත් දායක වුණා.

රු65/- බද්දක් වෙනුවට රු45/- බද්දක් පැනෙව්වා නම් ආනයනිත සහල් කිලෝවක් රු210/-ට විකුණන්න පුළුවන් වෙනවා. ආනයනිත සහල් රු210/- ට වෙළඳපොලේ තිබිය දී තමන්ගේ ගැනුම්කරුවා රැක ගන්න නම් දේශීය සහල් ද රු 210/-ට හෝ ඒ ආසන්න මිලකට විකුණන්න වෙනවා. සහල් මිල රු210/-ට ආවාම ඊ ලඟ සහල් තොගයට අය කරන බද්ද රු 15/- දක්වා අඩු කරනවා. එතකොට සහල් මිල රු180/- දක්වා අඩු වෙනවා.

ජනතාවට බත් කන්න පුළුවන් මිලකට සහල් මිල පහත වැටෙනවා. අද සහල් මිල පහත වැටීමට තිබෙන ලොකුම බාධාව තමයි සහල් මත අය කරන රු65/- බද්ද. ඒ නිසා සහල් මාෆියාවේ නායකයා වෙන කවුරුවත් නොවේ වෙළඳ ඇමති වසන්ත සමරසිංහ මැතිතුමාය කියන එක බය නැතිව කියන්න පුළුවන්.

– Media unit

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

වැඩ බැරි දේශපාලඥයන්ගේ සහ රාජ්‍ය නිලධාරීන්ගේ වැරදි අඩුපාඩු වහගන්න තමන් වැනි ස්වොත්සාහයෙන් ගොඩනැගුනු මිනිසුන් එදා සිටම නොයෙකුත් කතා අහගෙන ඇතැයි අරලිය සහල් ව්‍යාපාරයේ අධිපති ප්‍රකට ව්‍යාපාරික ඩඩ්ලි සිරිසේන මහතා සඳහන් කරයි.

තම සමාජ ජාති ගිණුමේ සටහනක් තබමින් ඒ මහතා මෙම අදහස් පළ කර තිබේ.

එදා ඉඳන්ම වැඩ බැරි දේශපාලඥයන්ගෙ සහ රාජ්‍ය නිළධාරීන්ගෙ වැරදි අඩුපාඩු වහගන්න අපි වගේ ස්වෝත්සාහයෙන් ගොඩනැඟුණු මිනිස්සු නොයෙකුත් විදියෙ කතා අහගත්තා. ලෝකෙන්ම ලොකුම වී සයිලෝ ගබඩා පහසුකම තියන වී මෝල රටට දායාද කරලත්, ‘මාෆියාකාරයා’ කියන ලේබල් එක අලවගෙන, රට වෙනුවෙන් වැඩ කරන එකේ තෘප්තිය මම නොඅඩුවම වින්දා.

ඒත්, මම අද වගේම හෙටටත් රට වෙනුවෙන් වැඩ කරනවා. රට වෙනුවෙන් ආයෝජනය කරනවා. මොකද මම සහ මගේ පුත් දිමිත්‍ර ඇතුලු කණ්ඩායමට මේ රටට දෙයක් කරන්න ඕන කියන අවංක උණ තවමත් තියනවා”

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

රජය විසින් ආරම්භ කර ඇති ක්ලීන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා වැඩසටහන යටතේ පාරේ කොස් විකුණන්න බැරි බවට පසුගිය සතියේ තම පුවත්පත විසින් පළ කළ වාර්තාවේ අකුරක් කොමාවක් නෑර සියල්ල සත්‍ය බව එම පුවත්පත සටහන් කරයි.

අද දින එම පුවත්පතේ විශේෂ කර්තෘ සටහනක් තබමින් ඔවුන් පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ මෙම වාර්තාවේ සියල්ල සනාථ කිරීම සඳහා අදාල හඬපත වීඩියෝ සාක්ෂි පවා තමන් සතුව ඇති බවයි.

එමෙන්ම ජනමාධ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය නලින්ද ජයතිස්ස මහතා පුවත්පතට චෝදනා කරමින් පවත්වන ලද මාධ්‍ය සාකච්ඡාවෙන් පසු අදාළ වාර්තා වීඩියෝ පට ආදිය ලබා දීමට උත්සාහ කළත් දුරකථන ප්‍රතිචාර නොදුන් බවද එම සටහන කියා සිටී.

අදාළ සම්පූර්ණ කතෘ සටහන මෙසේය.

පුවත සත්‍යයි

කර්තෘ සටහන

‘ක්ලීන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා යටතේ පාරේ කොස් විකුණන්න බැහැ’ යනුවෙන් පළ වූ පුවත සම්බන්ධයෙන් ජනමාධ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය නලින්ද ජයතිස්ස විශේෂ මාධ්‍ය සාකච්ඡාවක් පවත්වා එය සම්පූර්ණ අසත්‍යයක් බවත් එය ද්වේශ සහගතව ‘ක්ලීන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා’ වැඩසටහනට බාධා පැමිණවීමට පළකළ එකක් බවටත් චෝදනා කරමින් පත්තරයත්, ආයතනයත්, හිමිකාරිත්වයත් දැඩි සේ විවේචනය කළේය.

මේ මොහොතේ පළමුවෙන් එම පුවත සම්බන්ධයෙන් අප ක්‍රියා කළ ආකාරය පැහැදිලි කර දිය යුතුය.

පනාගොඩ නගරයේ පදික වේදිකාවේ වෙළෙඳාමේ යෙදෙන කොස් කපන්නකු ඇතුළු පිරිසක් අතුරුගිරිය පොලිසිය විසින් ‘ක්ලීන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා’ වැඩසටහන යටතේ ඉවත් කරන්නට යන බවට වාර්තා වූ වහාම අප කර්තෘ මාණ්ඩලිකයා ඒ ගැන සම්පූර්ණ වාර්තාවක් අදාළ වෙළෙන්දාගෙන් ලබාගත්තේය. එම වාර්තාව ලියා ගැනීමට සීමා නොවූ අතර, පටිගත කර ගැනීමටද අප කර්තෘ මාණ්ඩලිකයා කටයුතු කළේය. ඒ වන විටත් ඔවුන්ට අට වැනිදා නඩු පවරන බවත් ඒ කටයුතු සඳහා පොලිසියට එන ලෙසත් පොලිසියම නියෝග කර තිබුණි. නඩු පැවැරීමට පොලිසියට එන ලෙස කියූ බවට ඔවුන් කළ ප්‍රකාශයද අප සතුය.

සාමාන්‍ය්‍ය තත්ත්වයක් යටතේ පුවත්පත කළ යුත්තේ අදාළ සිද්ධිය ගැන බලධාරීන්ගෙන් විමසා වාර්තාව පුවත්පතේ පළ කිරීමය. එහෙත් අප ඉන් ඔබ්බට ගොස් පුරවැසියකුගේ යුතුකම් පැත්තෙන්ද කටයුතු කළ ආකාරය පැහැදිලි කළ යුතුය.

පොලිසිය ‘ක්ලීන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා’ වැඩසටහන පිට දමා පදික වෙළෙන්දන් ඉවත් කිරීමෙන් රජය සද්භාවයෙන් කරන එම වැඩසටහන අවුල් කෙරෙන බව අපි වටහා ගන්නෙමු. අප කර්තෘ මාණ්ඩලිකයා පත්තරේ එය පළ කිරීමට පෙර එම හඬ පටද රජයට සම්බන්ධ පාර්ශ්ව වෙතින් පොලිස්පතිවරයාටත් ඉන් ඉහළින් ඉන්නා බලධාරීන්ටත් යවන්නට කටයුතු කළේය. එහෙත් එය ලැබුණේ දැයි කිව නොහැකිය. පත්තරකාරයින්ගේ රාජකාරියෙන් බැහැරව ගොස් කටයුතු කළේ පොලිසියේ නඩු දැමීමෙන් මේ අහිංසක වෙළෙන්දන්ට වෙන හානිය වළක්වා ගන්නටය. තමන්ගේ ‘ක්ලීන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා’ වැඩසටහනට බාධාවන මෙවැනි ක්‍රියා වහා වළක්වා ගන්නට ජනාධිපතිගේ බසින් කීවොත් සහකම්පනයෙන් කටයුතු කරවීම අපේ අපේක්ෂාව විය. රජය සමග ද්වේශයක් තිබුණේ නම් සතුරු හැඟීමක් තිබුණේ නම් අප කළ යුතුව තිබුණේ පොලිසිය වෙළෙන්දන්ට කියූ ආකාරයට නඩු දාන්නට සලස්වා ඒ ආකාරයටම රට පුරා කරන්නට ඉඩ දී පසුව එය වාර්තා කිරීමය.

සතුරා වරදක් කරන විය එය නිවැරදි කරන්නට එපාය යන උපදේශය අනුව නම් අප කටයුතු කළ යුත්තේ එසේය. එහෙත් මෙබන්දක් වළක්වා ගැනීමට කටයුතු කළේ අපට ආණ්ඩුව සමග හතුරු හිතක් නොතිබූ නිසාය. අප වාර්තාව පළ කළේ එසේ ක්‍රියා කිරීමෙන් පසුය. එහෙත් යම් නිලධාරියකු ඒ ගැන මගෙන් විමසුවේ නෑ කියා කියන්නේ නම් අප ඒ ගැන හබ කරන්නට යන්නේ නැත. එසේ නොකරන්නේ අනාගතයක් තියෙන නිලධාරින්ගේ රස්සාවට කෙළින්නට අපිට වුවමනා නැති නිසාය. එහෙත් අපි ලියූ වාර්තාවේ කොමාවටත් අපි වගකියමු. සියල්ල සාක්ෂි පටිගත කළ සාක්ෂි සහිතය.

අමාත්‍යවරයා මීට ඉහත පත්තරේ පළ වූ වාර්තා හතරක් හුවා දක්වා අරුණ ආණ්ඩුවට සතුරුව කළමනාකාරිත්වය සමග කටයුතු කරන බව ප්‍රකාශ කළේය.

ජනාධිපතිවරණයේද මහ මැතිවරණයේද ආණ්ඩුව පිහිට වූ පසුද ජාතික ජන බලවේගයද එහි නායකකාරකාදීන් කළ කතා ප්‍රකාශ සේම ක්ලීන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා දියත් කළ දා ජනාධිපතිවරයා කළ ප්‍රකාශය පළකිරීමට දුන් ඉඩද කළමනාකාරීත්වය නියෝජනය කරන සර්වජන පක්ෂයට දුන් ඉඩකඩද සන්සන්දනය නොකර ප්‍රවෘත්ති හතරක් හුවාදැක්වීමෙන් පෙනෙන්නේ කුමක්ද? අමාත්‍යවරයාද ආණ්ඩුවද පුවත්පතට සතුරු හැඟීමකින් කටයුතු කරන බවය.

මේ තර්ජනවලට බිය නොවන ලෙස කියන මිතුරන්ට අප කියන්නේ කුමක්ද?

මෙයට පෙරාතුව ඒකාධිපති යැයි කියන ආණ්ඩු හමුවේ හතරවැනි තට්ටුවට ගිය අත්දැකීම් අපට ඇත. එහෙත් එයින් අපව සසල කරවීමට නොහැකි වුණා මෙන්ම ඔවුන්ගේ ඒ හැසිරීම් හමුවේ වුව කිසි විටෙකත් සතුරු හිතකින් අප කටයුතු කළේද නැත. මාලිමා ආණ්ඩුව කෙරෙහිද ඒ හැඟීම එසේමය. ආණ්ඩුව කටයුතු කරන්නේ මෙහෙම නම් පොලිසිය ආණ්ඩුවේ මුඛ්‍ය ව්‍යාපෘතියක් කෙරෙහි කටයුතු කරන්නේ මෙහෙම නම් අප හතුරුකම් කරන්නේ කුමටද?නීති රීති පනවා කටයුතු කරන්නට කලින් නිවැරදි වීමට කාලය දෙන බව කියා කියූ කියුම ස්තූතිපුර්වකව භාරගන්නා අප, අදාළ ප්‍රවෘත්ති සාකච්ඡාවෙන් පසුව පුවතේ සත්‍යතාවය අදාළ වාර්තා වීඩියෝ පට ආදිය ලබාදී එතුමා නිවැරදි කිරීමට උත්සාහ කළත් එතුමා දුරකථනයට උත්තර නොදුන්නේය. මේ සටහන ලියුවේ ඒ නිසාය.

BY Buddhika Samaraweera Courtesy The Morning

• Recent arrivals claim to have sold all interests in Myanmar with express intent of reaching Sri Lanka; security forces and intel agencies probing  

Statements from recently arrived Rohingya immigrants have revealed that they sold their property in Myanmar and left with the specific intention of reaching Sri Lanka, claims concerning which the relevant authorities, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have launched an investigation into, in the context of potential human trafficking and local involvement.

On the morning of 19 December 2024, a multi-day trawler carrying over 100 Rohingya asylum seekers drifted towards the coast off Mullivaikkal in Mullaitivu. They are currently being detained in detention centres, and provided with food and other facilities by the Government.

When queried by The Daily Morning on the Government’s plan with regard to the asylum seekers, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arun Hemachandra said that the Government is yet to make a final decision on the matter, adding that several aspects related to the issue are being considered. “We initially help them on a humanitarian basis. They are still being considered as illegal migrants. We should ensure their safety, and provide them with the basic facilities. The discussions on future action are ongoing with the relevant parties such as the Myanmar Embassy in Sri Lanka and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).”

He also said that statements recorded from the recently-arrived asylum seekers have revealed that they have sold their properties in Myanmar and left with the particular intention of reaching Sri Lanka. He noted that this is problematic. “Boarding a boat and arriving at an unspecified location is different from boarding a boat with the specific intention of reaching a particular destination. There, it raises a doubt as to whether this is something linked to human trafficking. Accordingly, the security forces and the intelligence agencies are investigating whether human trafficking is involved and if any local agents are leading or connected to such activities.”

Noting that the Government should consider several aspects such as diplomatic commitments, international laws, and national security, Hemachandra said that the Government is yet to decide on whether to retain the group of asylum seekers in question, or to deport them. “We are still investigating the matter. Until a final decision is made, it is our duty to provide this group with the necessary facilities. We have done it, and made them safe. However, making an essential intervention and allowing activities like human trafficking are two different things. We will consider all these and come to a final decision.”

The boat carrying the said group was escorted by the Navy to the Ashraf Jetty in the Trincomalee Harbour and landed in Trincomalee on 20 December 2024. The asylum seekers were initially cared for by public officers and non-governmental organisations and were hosted at the Jamalia School in Trincomalee. Subsequently, they were brought before the Trincomalee Magistrate. In Court, the refugees explained that they had come to Sri Lanka seeking asylum. The group was later shifted to the Mirihana detention centre, where they are currently staying.