දෙසැම්බර් 31 දින ජාතික පුවත්පතක ලිපියක් පළකරමින් දේශහිතෛෂී ජාතික ව්යාපාරයේ ලේකම් වෛද්ය වසන්ත බණ්ඩාර මහතා විසින් ඉන්දියානු ශ්රී ලංකා ඒකාබද්ධ ප්රකාශ මගින් රටට සිදුවිය හැකි විපත පිළිබඳව දීර්ඝ වශයෙන් කරුණු දක්වා ඇත. ඒ් අනුව රනිල් වික්රමසිංහ මහතා ඔහුගේ මාමා සමඟ 1987 සිට ආරම්භ කළ ක්රියාවලියේ දිගුවක් ලෙස අනුරදිසානායක ජනාධිපතිවරයාට ‘‘රිලේ බැටන්” එක අතට ගැනීමට සිදුවී ඇති බව ඔහු පෙන්වා දෙයි. එම ලිිපියේ විශේෂත්වය යන්නේ එම පහැදිලි කිරීම අනුව ශ්රී ලංකාව ඉන්දියාවේ 29 වැනි ප්රාන්තය බවට පත්වීම වැළැක්වීම සඳහා ගතයුතු පියවර ඉතා සවිස්තරාත්මකව ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමය.
එම සම්පූර්ණ ලිපිය පහතින්
CLEAN SRI LANKA PROGRAMME FROM FIRST JANUARY 2025 INITIATED BY PESIDENT AKD FOR A CLEAN SRI LANKA
December 31st, 2024Sarath Wijesinghe President’s Counsel and former Ambassador for UAE and Israel Solicitor in England and Wales and President Ambassador’s forum in UK/SL
Task force to set up
President AKD has initiated a clean Sri Lanka program by setting up a task force consisting of 16 members head by the Secretary of the President possible for very valid reasons obviously in view of the tourism boom that requires a cleaner environment to attract more tourists when in the recent past Sri Lanka surpassed the 20,0000th tourist and aiming for more soon. One of the main needs and a requirement of a tourist and tourism is cleanliness and clean environment when fortunately, Sri Lanka is possessing with a beautiful environment the community sometimes unable to maintain, despite rules regulations and continuous requests, which is a simple process and mechanism to maintain. President AKD’s programmed to clean the parliament after the general election has been extremely successful having wiped out the membership of the Parliament with unprecedented majority with enormous powers to execute the pledges to the citizen including a clean Sri Lanka of Corruption and Bribery one of the main tasks in the agenda which is an arduous herculean task in the already corrupt society full of bribery, corruption and nepotism up to the neck, when the legal reforms have still to be formulated and the machinery to be implemented with experienced and knowledgeable staff and institutions, as the cancer of bribery is institutionalized in the entire body of the state merchantry. Citizen wished best wished and good luck to the task force for best results in cleaning Sri Lanka for 2025 and thereafter on tourism and all other areas and towards future prosperity.
Learn from Singapore overtaken us already
Singapore a dry Barran land made a leading business education and a navel hub by a visionary leader Lea Kuwan Yew the first Prime Minister and e father of Singapore who raised the nation for what it is today as a strict disciplinarian and a strict and honest ruler who punished the most immediate ministers on charges of corruption with no hesitation on charged of bribery and corruption, who made it a clean and leading city in all respects out of bribery corruption and cleanness of the nation, with implementation of strict rules and corresponding punishments. It is an offence in Singapore to dirt the environment which is a duty of the state and the citizen to look into as a pride and a need of the national identity to be a clean nation with a clean environment extended to the globe to be clean by United Nation Conventions and international regulations on cleanliness of the globe including oceans and rivers world over when in Sri Lanka some unscrupulous citizens pollute rivers and banks by excavations, removal of soil and many other ways of destruction of the river bed and the environment to earn in illegal and immoral ways leading into wanton destructionist the environments we preserve and cherish for the future generation we have been protecting for generations since of the era of ‘’Balangoda Man’’ over 150,000 years with evidence of archeological excavations and research. We look forward for the current the governance to follow suit in cleaning the cite and the polite which has been dirty by corruption and mismanagement.
Need to be clean for promotion of tourism and better positioned in the family of Nations
Though Sri Lanka is no the cleanest country it is a conciliatory factor for us to be above India on sanitation and cleanliness and it is to be noted that majority (out of 20,000) of recent tourists are mainly from India is a matter to be noted considering India too competes with Sri Lanka on tourism trade which is so competitive. Touristed look for clean and beautiful environments. We are full of beauty but not so in cleanness due to our own fault and the step taken by President AKD is complimentary as it is good on his part to initiate it considering many factors and reasons, and it is the duty of the citizen to take part and maintain the momentum to make the country and the environment beauty and clean. Finland Norway and Denmark are in the top rank with Singapore as a clean city but not Sri Lanka anywhere near but on the beauty of the environment she leads few top rank countries. Anyway, cleaning the country and it is as difficult to maintain the clean nature with the help of the citizen who looks forward for a prosperous new year to emerge with a clean nation.
Geographical location and cultural and places religious and cultural heritage sites in abundance with number of UNESCO Recognized Sites
Sri Lanka is blessed with the leading ‘’Tharavada Buddhist’’ country with ample access to Dhamma knowledge and practice not available to the majority of the world citizens. Buddhism is a religion with fastest growth in Europe which is known to the world, which is a credit to the country and an asset to the citizen to purify inside the mind by practice and meditation which is accessible physically or via internet easily. Sri Lanka is surrounded with ocean right round being an island yet unfortunately unable to obtain the maximum benefits form the major oil spill and many other disasters is a pity when the country is supposed to consist of educated citizens. ‘’ Sigiriys ‘’is one of the main tourist attractions patronized and seen by thousands of tourists appear not maintained properly and there was disturbing news than the toot’s and facilitates provided to the tourists are of lawyer quality a disturbing situation, is one of the many black spots in our tourist promotional agenda to be considered as a matter of urgency.
Physical cleanness of the country- duty of the citizen to maintain and keep the momentum
It is nice and professional to keep house and the workplace including the office to keep clean to be on a present environment a necessity in every respect. It is the duty of the citizen and the working class to make the country a clean and tidy for everybody’s benefit and the development of the nation. It needs to be left to the state factor or governance and the citizen must take full responsibility to maintain the states core and the same condition at all times. President AKD should be credited for initiating and leading the timely project in cleaning the country when other South Asian countries are not clean and congested when Sri Lanka is leading as one of the clean and beautiful nations.
Way forward for a clean and a disciplined Nation with peace and prosperity to all
It is not an arduous task to achieve the intended results if the task is planned properly and if and when the intentions are honest with the cooperation of the citizen awaiting ot cooperate. Therefore, it is the duty of the citizen to get together as one in achieving the goals expected by the task force headed by the \president with all good intentions. (author Sarath Wijesinghe could be reached on sarathdw28@gmail.com)
‘’FORCED CONVERSION OF RICE CULTURE TO BREAD CULTURE BY THE FOREIGN POWERS – LEGAL BASIS AND WAY OUT FOR A RESOLUTION TO EASE THE FARMER’’
December 31st, 2024Sarath Wijesinghe president’s Counsel, Solicitor in England and Wales, President Ambassador’s Forum UK/SL
(PART TWO) PART ONE PUBLISHED ON LANKAWEB AND FT
First part of the article on rice culture to bread culture
The first part dealt with the traditional rice culture and how it is embodied in the culture and agriculture in the society with interactions with the foreign powers powerful in various ways influencing the farmer and the society as a whole. Rice was introduced to Sri Lanka sometime in 800 BC and there has been a massive migration around 390 BC and Sri Lanka became the Graner of the East with 20,000 kinds of rice varieties of highest quality. History has gone back to ‘’Balangoda Man’’ 15,000 years ago according to archeologists, and Rawana’s epic is corroborated by ‘’Rama Rawana’’ story based on the Indian historical stories embodied with history. Conversion of rice culture to bead culture is a part of constitutional law related to political changes when the foreign domination led to forceful changes in the Sri lancin society by dominant foreign powers invaded Sri Lanka by naval power, and made forced conversions of religion and culture including rice culture the nation inherited from time immemorial that has been disused in the previous part of the article on the subject.
Rice is healthier than wheat with extracted the husk the most nourishing part
Rice is healthier than the wheat Sri Lankans are given without the husk which is the part of the food useful for the human body is promoted to Sri Lankans in place of rice which is freely and traditionally available, yet the average citizen is compelled to live on flour due to free availability and less expensive to the common man. Ancestors lived long life eating rice, fresh vegetables and living with nature in the village when today the rate of diabetic patients are raising rapidly due to incorrect and erroneous food patterns depending on wheat flour and less portioned depending on more carbohydrates. There is an acute shortage of rice and the economy too is destabilized due to import of rice despite the fact that both ‘’Yala’’ and ‘’Maha’’ seasons are cultivated and there is plenty of water provided with the network of rivers, ‘’Wavas’’ and rain water in abundance, which Israel stores underground in addition of the water they generate from desalination for want of water, where every drop of water is given maximum utility by reclining even waste water purified and used again and again and then taken for agriculture. It is a sorry state that the governance is a miserable failure in the rice issue unable to end the monopoly as planned when errant traders and the rice monopoly has emerged victorious despite the encouragements and the help by the citizen to the governance still is powerful legally to take appropriate legal and procedural steps to correct the situation. The rice culture was broken by the foreign domination and the local administrators who followed foreign domination as their local agents, who managed the nation on their behalf. They never resisted foreign domination instead they followed the system introduced by the foreigners with some adjustments and the same pattern system and even the legal structure followed with few adjustments and changes but not a patriotic novel system of new vision on political, economic, or any other areas such as education or agriculture including paddy cultivation and the trade policy and patterns.
Sri Lanka is a sick nation with plenty of diabetic patients of even your ages due to incorrect food patterns
Though independence was nominally granted changes taken place were slow or nil an many areas. Rice policy, trade policy, economic or education policies and practices continued unchanged including the consumer law and practices that continued until the introduction of new act no 9 of 2008 with no changes in the trade practices and policies. Citizen is goingthrough deprivation, shortages of food, malnutrition of children and elderly, and poverty all over due to shortage of food and unemployment despite the prosperity of the soil and abidance of water to cultivate paddy in both seasons. It is lack of vision, directions, and all round plan for the nation despite the overwhelming major it to given to the governance by the citizen with a free hand to take the country on the correct path.
Law and order in the ‘’lowest ebb’’ and ‘’rule of law’’ do not appear to be positioned in the direct directions- a sorry state
There is shooting during broad daylight, rule of law is in question, underworld and drug menace is rampant, which are worrying with many young become victims of drug Barrons the governances are still unable to address on. The saddest part is the lack of awareness and media attention for some unforeseen reason, with minimum criticism on the governance appear to be powerful, with the feat it may explode at any stage with disastrous results, when those responsible are asleep, when everything is connected to policies, governance, and needs of the poor still falling down the poverty line with no proper development strategy or employment opportunities in sight realities that has direct relevance to the needs of the common man in short supply, when the state is not extending the power of the legal system in force to direct the event trader exploiting the citizen freely when the regulator CAA and the vociferous Minister are confined to worlds and not deeds.
Strict implementation of the CAA and proper trade policies are urgently needed to take the country in the correct path
Act no 9 was established in place of the traditional English system of law forcible imported to Sri Lanka in setting up the Consumer Affairs Authority which is a mixture of Australian, Canadian, USA and British systems which is a muddle impactable to operate without a strong network of consumer organizations still not formed in Sri Lanka, so that the regulator appointed by the act no 9 of 2003 is ineffective leaving the consumer ( citizen) in the hands of errant traders freely operating as in the rice and paddy trade today leaving the governance as a vociferous talk shop. What is need today is proper vision, directions and a strategy on trade and consumerism as in India where they have taken the best methods from UK West and the traditional methods.
Set up Consumer Courts and Consumer Ombudsman
India has Consumer Courts and Consumer Ombudsman process we have been agitating consistently to the governance not appear to hear of. Therefore it is necessary to make necessary changes and adjustments in all sectors including the trade consumer affairs paddy rice vegetables, consumer items and generally an all walks of live directing the governance in the correct path when they make mistakes and blunder which is human. Therefore it is time to make drastic and immediate changes in the entire format and strategies of system changes where necessary, with the participation of the citizen who are going through hardships in need of assistance for their living gong through despite grave hardships in need of changes in the right directions, policies and strategies including new visions and modern technology including AI in our doorsteps and the citizen need to be critical and fearless to find fault and criticize the governance where necessary. Sarathdw28@gmail.com to communicate with the author and the reader is advised to browser the internet for other articles by the anther.
Promised Messiah’s unparalleled love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): Ahmadiyya Khalifa addresses concluding session of Qadian Convention (Jalsa Salana Qadian) 2024
December 31st, 2024by A. Abdul Aziz, Sri Lanka Correspondent, Al Hakam, London.
Ahmadiyya khalifa prayed that all Ahmadis are enabled to truly act upon the teachings of Islam, express genuine love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and fulfil the rights of their bai‘at (Oath of Allegiance)
The three days 129th Annual Convention (Jalsa Salana) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Qadian, India, concluded last Sunday (29 December 2024) with an address by the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, on 29 December 2024 having full of quotations from the writings of Promised Messiah on his unparalleled love for his Master Prophet Muhammad (Sal)
His Holiness addressed the final session via satellite link from the Masroor Hall, Islamabad, Tilford, UK. About 16 ,000 people attended the Convention in Qadian from 42 countries including Sri Lanka, while more than 5,000 gathered in Islamabad, Tilford for the concluding session. The session started with Holy Qurán recitation followed by Urdu translation. Thereafter, a part of poetry work composed by Ahmadiyya Founder Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Promised Messiah, peace be on him, in praise of Holy Qurán and the Holy Prophet of Islam Muhammad (PBUH) was presented.
Ahmadiyya Khalifa Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said that the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, peace be on him, asserted that he is the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, whose coming was foretold by the Holy Prophet Muhamma (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Promised Messiah emphasized that no other Messiah would descend from the heavens and no other Mahdi would appear from Allah, since this era was precisely the appointed time for the Messiah and Mahdi to be raised. Hence, Allah the Almighty sent him in fulfilment of all the signs and prophecies detailed by the Holy Prophet of Islam(PBUH).
Furthermore, the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, invited the entire world – and in particular the Muslims – to examine the prophecies of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He urged them to reflect on these signs and to act upon the commandments of Allah and His Prophet. Ahmadiyya head made it clear that accusing the Promised Messiahof, God forbid, insulting or disrespecting the Holy Prophet(PBUH) was a baseless allegation. The Promised Messiah, peace be on him said he came only to serve the Holy Prophet(PBUH) and to spread his blessed message, for true love of the Holy Prophet is ingrained in his heart.
His Holiness Ahmadiyya Khalifa (may Allah be his Helper) explained that the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, consistently expressed love and devotion to the Holy Prophet(PBUH) throughout his writings, gatherings and personal conduct. This devotion, His Holiness added, is unparalleled and cannot be matched. With this in mind, Ahmadiyya Khalifa announced he would present certain extracts to illustrate the Promised Messiah’s(peace be on him) unmatched love for the Holy ProphetMuhammad (PBUH).
I give below the gist of His Holiness’ address on the concluding session, whereas, His Holiness address had such a lengthy speech that covers maximum portion of writings of Promised Messiah, peace be on him, on the love to his Master Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Ahmadiyya Khalifa presented the following extract from Haqiqat-ul-Wahi that provides a glimpse of the love that the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, had for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The Promised Messiah says: Thus, I always wonder what a sublime Prophet this Arabian Prophet is, whose name is Muhammad (thousands upon thousands of blessings and peace be upon him). One cannot fathom the limit of his sublime status and it is not given to man to estimate the extent of his spiritual effectiveness. It is a pity that his rank has not been recognized as it should have been. He is the champion who restored to the world the Tauhid (Oneness of God) which had disappeared from the world; he loved God to the extreme and his soul melted to the extreme out of sympathy for mankind. Therefore, God, who knew the secret of his heart, exalted him above all the Prophets and all the first ones and the last ones and bestowed upon him all that he desired within his lifetime. It is he who is the fountainhead of every grace, and anyone who claims any superiority without acknowledging his grace is not a human being but is the spawn of Satan, because he (the Holy Prophet(PBUH) has been bestowed the key to every exaltation and he has been given the treasure house of every understanding. He who does not receive through him is deprived forever”.
I am nothing and possess nothing. What am I and what do I amount to? I would be ungrateful if I were not to confess that I have found true Tauhid through this very Prophet. I have attained the recognition of the Living God through this same perfect Prophet and through his light. The honour of converse and communion with God, through which I behold His countenance, has been bestowed upon me through the same Great Prophet. The rays from this Sun of Guidance fall upon me like sunshine and I continue to be illumined only so long as I am facing towards it.” (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation, pp. 137-138)
Hence, Ahmadiyya Khalifa explained that the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, regarded the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the fountainhead of Allah’s grace, asserting that no one can attain salvation or spiritual insights without entering his fold. He categorically stated that every blessing he, the Promised Messiah – Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, peace be on him, received, was entirely a reflection of the Holy Prophet’s(PBUH) own spiritual light.
In conclusion Ahmadiyya Khalifa urged:
May Allah also enable us [Ahmadis] to prove our claim of love for the Holy Prophet(PBUH) through every aspect of our actions. We should reflect upon and deeply consider these matters that the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, has explained. Our love and devotion to the Holy Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) should continuously grow. Let not our words alone speak for us; rather, let us demonstrate through our actions that we truly honour our acceptance of the Promised Messiah,peace be on him. We must strive to establish a standard of love and devotion for the Holy Prophet(PBUH) that reaches the highest levels in the sight of Allah. We must constantly evaluate ourselves: do the feelings and sentiments of the Promised Messiah, peace be on him,resonate within our hearts? Are we making the efforts demanded of us to establish the oneness of Allah in the world, fulfilling the rights of this great responsibility? We should be ever-ready to make every sacrifice needed to raise the banner of the Holy Prophet(PBUH) high across the world. For the sake of establishing the oneness of Allah, we must be prepared for every sacrifice at all times, and we should not rest until we have achieved the purpose for which we joined the community of the Promised Messiah, peace be on him.
Concluding his address, Hazrat Amirul Momineen(may Allah be his Helper) prayed that Allah the Almighty keeps all attendees of Jalsa Salana Qadian 2024 under His protection and grants the same to those listening from their homes. He prayed that all Ahmadis are enabled to truly act upon the teachings of Islam, express genuine love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and fulfil the rights of their bai‘at (Oath of Allegiance)
The session concluded with silent prayers followed by various poems recited by groups in Qadian (India) via satellite link.
Source: Al Hakam – London.
“The significance of the mount of Arafat unseen to many”
December 31st, 2024by, Professor Nishan C. Wijesinha
The ritual at Mount Arafat, known as the hill of mercy, is considered the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage. It is often the most memorable for pilgrims, who stand together asking God for mercy, blessings, prosperity and good health. The hill is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Mecca.
The Prophet said, The best invocation on the day of Arafat, and the best of all the invocations I ever offered or other holy Prophets before me ever offered is: There is no god but Allah: He is Unique ; He hath no partner, the whole universe is for Him and for Him is the praise, and He hath power over all things.” [Tirmidhi]
It is also said by the Prophet in another place, that Apart from the day of the Battle of Badr there is no day on which the Shaitan is seen to be more humiliated, more rejected, more depressed and more infuriated, than on the day of Arafah, and indeed all this is only because of beholding the abundance of descending mercy (on the day) and Allah’s SWT forgiveness of the great sins of the servants.” [Mishkat]
The photo taken by me, which is given below, is of an unique natural meteorite which represents the original mountain of mercy (the Mount Arafat).
It’s uniqueness is highly priced by historian’s in Mecca.
FCID හිටපු ලොක්කා රවී වෛද්යලංකාරගේ සුපිරි ගේමක් පත්තුවෙයි.. CIDය වැඩ අරඹයි
December 31st, 2024VFM RADIO 107
පෞද්ගලික ආයතනයකින් කප්පන් ගන්න ගිය මාලිමාවේ මන්ත්රී වරු අමාත්යවරයා රවටා පාස්පෝට් හැදූ පුද්ගලයා
December 31st, 2024මෙන්න දවසේ කතාව පොහොට්ටු රජයෙන් ජනතාවට කිසිම ප්රශ්නයක් වෙලා නෑලු හිරේදාන්න පරක්කුයි ලු
December 31st, 2024Madyawediya
අනුර තමා දාර ටොයියා ! සීයගේ ටොයිනායක ආශු මාරසිංහ බයි තක්සලාවට ! Milinda Rajapaksa | Iraj Weeraratne
December 31st, 2024Iraj Show
Creating Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka
December 30th, 2024by Garvin Karunaratne
In Bangladesh when the new Military Government of General Ershard took over the country in 1982, the Ministry of Youth Development was providing skills training to 40,000 youths annually but the vast majority of them failed to find employment and continued to be unemployed, scrapping the barrel, 33 for life. I happened to be the Commonwealth Fund Advisor to the Ministry on Youth Development and the new Hon. Minister for Labour and Manpower, Air Vice Marshall Aminul Islam at a Conference held to evaluate youth development programmes, ordered me,:
What can you contribute for Bangladesh”?
I replied:
I would suggest that you approve a self employment programme to supplement the skills training programmes that are being implemented by the Ministry of Youth Development, where the lecturers who train the youths in skills will in addition, also guide the youths to establish enterprises to manufacture items for sale and ultimately become self employed entrepreneurs.”
The Secretary to the Treasury, the highest official in the country who was present replied:
Self-Employment is not a task that can be done. The International Labor Organization (ILO) with all their unlimited resources have just miserably failed to establish a self-employment programme at 3Tangail in Bangladesh. They laboured for three years and brought experts from all over and failed. It was a great loss – a massive expenditure and this Government is not going to waste any more funds again. Self-Employment is not a task that can be done. That was the conclusion of the ILO and they are the experts of international standing”
I replied:
Though the ILO failed, I can establish a Self Employment Programme. I hold the experience of establishing self-employment projects in Sri Lanka for eighteen years and also hold the Ph.D in Agricultural Economics and Non Formal Education from Michigan State University. I am confident of success.”
The Secretary to the Treasury the highest official in Bangladesh laughed loud at my attempt to make entrepreneurs out of school drop outs- the category from which the Department of Youth Development found youths for skills training.
I argued that though the ILO failed I would succeed. The Secretary to the Treasury was adamant that such a programme would never succeed, but I quoted instances where I had established successful employment projects providing incomes to youths while simultaneously producing what the country imported.
The battle went on intensively for an easy two full hours The Hon. Minister was listening in silence,making notes till his patience was exhausted. The Minister finally ordered us to shut up. He asked for any Government training programmes that guided youths to become entrepreneurs. The Secretary to the Treasury replied None”. Then the Minister asked for the number of youths that failed to get into higher education as well as finding a suitable job- the youths that will be scraping the barrel for life, being unemployed. The Secretary answered that it was in the millions, every year The Hon Minister without any hesitation ordered that I should establish a self employment programme to create entrepreneurs.
The Secretary to the Treasury stated that there will be no funds to establish a self employment programme, to which I replied that we will find savings within the approved budgets for the skills training of the youths and re deploy staff as necessary. The Hon Minister approved my suggestion.. .
We started planning work that night itself. The next morning I was addressing trainees at the training centers and also training our Lecturers and Youth Officers on how the programme should be done. The officers who had till then done traditional youth development work were trained in concepts of economics.
All Training Institutes were immediately altered to Training Cum Extension Institutes where the youths in training were to be guided to become self-employed. Overnight we established a countrywide special extension service for the lecturers to go out on inspections and help the youths who faced problems. The youths were guided to draft their own projects to become self employed, starting small farms even with a few cows or chicks. Dresses were sewn using the machines at the training centers that were kept open after work till ten at night. The method was to intensively guide the trainees in the management of their enterprises. Every action from the planning of their projects, to the purchase of raw materials, the chicks, the feed, the process of manufacture, the process of the growth and sale of cattle, the making of garments and their sale was all monitored on a non formal education basis where the youths were trained to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each course of action and act on their own. They were monitored closely and helped when they failed. . The trainees were taught basic economics related to their ventures‚ The training included understanding the free market economy and the youths were guided to think, understand and increase their ability and capacity in the process. This was non-formal education in action.
The achievement was within the village setting where the projects became family concerns with brothers and sisters becoming involved. On our Visits, Training sessions were provided impromptu where everyone could participate.
The effort was to make a youth movement to make youths establish ventures and guide them till they are income bearing equal to the earnings of a clerical officer in the Public Service.
This Programme began at the end of March 1982 with a few trainees and was expanded to 2000 by October 1983. By the time I left Bangladesh at the end of October 1983- in sixteen months my team was guiding 2000 youths. The team comprised the Secretary, the Joint Secretary of the Ministry with a few hundred staff of Directors, Deputy Directors of Youth, Director for Livestock and Poultry, Directors of the 3 Residential Training Centers in Livestock & Poultry, Lecturers in Training Institutes- all of whom were taught the essentials of economics firstly to be able to analyze the economy of Bangladesh and to arrive at areas of economic activity where self employment production would be an asset to the country. They were also taught methods of imparting instructions in a manner that would evoke the active participation of the trainees and enable them to think and make their own decisions. This included national and regional planning culled down to the village level., where the self employment units were established.
We got down to work in earnest.. The officers were patriotic to the extreme. It was long hours every day for months Daily circuits in Toyota Hiace bone shakers- leaving early morning to return whenever. The officials responded ably.
In an evaluation conducted in March 1983, eleven months from the commencement it was found that of the youths that commenced by May 1982, 283 youths had established their own commercial ventures, with stocks of flocks and head of cattle valued at Tk.911,630.00. It was building up stocks, buying chicks and ducklings and seeing them grow. As much as 223 of them had reached a net income of TK 369.00 a month. Of them 83 earned over Tk. 500.00 a month. In the Jamalpur District, in disciplines like dress making, fisheries, retail sales, electrical goods repairing workshops, welding, etc. 73 youths were involved, earning an average net income of Tk 445.00 a month with 20 of them earning net incomes of Tk. 500.00 or over:”
At that time Tk. 500.00 a month was the salary drawn by a Clerical Officer in the Government Service. Getting the youths to reach a net income of Tk. 500.00 was our aim.
In an Evaluation done in August 1983, 16 months from commencement the Report documented:
A Programme of Excellence in every respect unfolds in the results documented. .Of 500 unemployed youths who joined the programme in the early months, 479 are earning an average net income of Tk 596.00 in August 1983, 8 to 12 months after they commenced their commercial ventures, 55 of them earn over Tk. 1000.00 a month and 253 earn over Tk 500.00.”
In August 1983, barely 16 months from the commencement, the achievement was hailed by the two Secretaries of the Ministry of Labour and Manpower; In their words:
Dr. Karunaratne’s significant contribution has been in the field of self employment to the drop-out youths. This programme was not only designed but also guided by him. This activity, which was initially launched as a pilot experimental project, has been a great success and has now being adopted as a full-fledged Programme. The Government of Bangladesh has been successful in providing meaningful employment to a large number of youths on this Programme” . (Asafuddowlah: Joint Secretary of the Ministry)
Dr. Karunaratne’s role as the formulator of the program has been particularly commendable. It was mainly through his dedication and hard work that the pilot project has now been formally accepted as one of the most important development projects.” (Ayubur Rahaman , The Secretary of the Ministry)
The YSEP has stood the test of time for over four decades (1982-2024) The prestigious Five Year Plan of 1997-2002 of the Planning Commission of Bangladesh devotes 8 pages to this program. This is easily the premier employment creation program that one can find in the entire world today. All other programs involve training and apprenticeship only and never include the tasks of motivating youths, involving them in non-formal education endeavor to develop their abilities and capacities, through technical guidance and management advice provided as they work on their projects aimed at their becoming commercially viable, which are the cornerstones on which this programme has been based.
Instead of traditional youth work, the aims of the Ministry of Youth had also been altered to guide the unemployed youth for gainful employment/self employment, providing vocational/skills development training and micro credit support.
Also To involve the youth in the mainstream of national development processes”
(www.dyd.gov.bd/nyp_activities.php)
The above achievement of the Youth Self Employment Programme stands great in comparison to what was achieved by the ILO Project in Tangail in the earlier three years, where the number of entrepreneurs was only 626, where Tk. 1.38 million was disbursed of which only Tk. .61 million was recovered. The best cases document people owning one milk cow or fattening one head of cattle for sale. Many of the 626 people had dropped off.
By August 1983, 16 months after commencement The Department of Youth Development was training 2000 youths. The Programme was expanded apace to involve 7000 youths by 1987, to 16,000 by 1992 and to 160,000 a year from 1997. In 1982 we had only 3 Residential Training Centers. This was increased to 64 by 1997.
The Programme was entirely run with local currency, the Taka. The Programme even received a grant in dollars from the IFAD of the FAO.
In 2011 February The Government of Bangladesh reported to the 34 th Session of the Governing Council of IFAD(FAO) that this programme had guided as much as two million youths to be self employed‚ on a commercially viable basis.(Statement by Bangladesh to the 34 th Session of the Governing Council of IFAD(FAO), dated19/02/2011) Over three million have become self employed by bow(2024)
My task was also to train the officers to carry on the programme after my‚ two year period of service ended.‚ True to a man Bangladeshi officers carried on the ardous task and‚ today 160,000 youths are being guided annually.. A full Department of Youth Development now devotes 95% of their time to training and guiding youths to become self employed..
Every country boasts of skills training programmes where youths are trained in the thousands but none provide training to guide the trained to become entrepreneurs- the task that was successfully done in this Youth Self Employment Programme.
It would behove our new President Anura Kumara Disanayake to consider deciding that all skills training programmes should include guidance to enable the youths in training to establish enterprises of their own and become entrepreneurs. This can be achieved with little extra cost as the staff that train youths in skills will also be guiding them to become self employed.
Having a live successful employment creation programme will be a great asset to any country that wishes to commence activity.
The intrinsic success of the Youth Self Employment Programme of Bangladesh offers hope for any country that hopes to convert their unemployed youth to become entrepreneurs.
When the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh succeeded in providing loans to women in Bangladesh, many Universities and employment creation programmes in the USA even sent professors and specialists to find out how the Grameen Bank programmes could be implemented in the USA. Many new programmes of disbursing loans were implemented in haste to create employment.
The intrinsic success of the Youth Self Employment Programme of Bangladesh to have guided as much as three million youths to successfully establish self employed ventures may perhaps motivate our new Government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to consider establishing a similar employment creation venture in Sri Lanka. If Bangladesh had succeeded in guiding as much as three million youths to become commercially viable entrepreneurs, there is absolutely no reason why Sri Lanka will fail.
If a successful employment creation programme is established in Sri Lanka it will bring great fame and prestige to the Government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Garvin Karunaratne, Ph.D. Michigan State University
former G.A.Matara and Commonwealth Fund Advisor to the Government of Bangladesh in 1981-1983
garvin_karunaratne@hotmail.com 30122024
Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS)
December 30th, 2024Courtesy Federal Aviation Administration
Background
The runway safety area (RSA) enhances the safety of aircraft that undershoot, overrun, or veer off the runway. The RSA provides a clear, graded area which provides additional space for pilots to bring their aircraft to a safe stop. Though RSAs vary in size by runway, they can be as large as 500 feet wide and often extend 1,000 feet beyond each end of the runway. Many airports were built before the current RSA dimensional standards were adopted in the 1980s. In some cases, it is not practicable to achieve the full standard RSA because there may be a lack of available land. There also may be obstacles such as bodies of water, highways, railroads, and populated areas or severe drop-off of terrain.
The FAA began conducting research in the 1990s to determine how to improve safety at airports where the full RSA cannot be obtained. Working in concert with the University of Dayton, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Engineered Arresting Systems Corporation (ESCO, now Runway Safe Inc., of Logan Township, New Jersey), a new technology emerged to safely arrest overrunning aircraft. Engineered Materials Arresting Systems (EMAS) use crushable material placed at the end of a runway to help stop an aircraft that overruns the runway end. The tires of the aircraft sink into the lightweight material and the aircraft rapidly decelerates as it rolls through the EMAS bed.
Benefits of the EMAS Technology
EMAS technology improves safety benefits in cases where land is not available for an RSA of standard dimensions. A standard EMAS installation will stop most aircraft overrunning the runway at 70 knots (approximately 80 miles per hour).
EMAS Manufacturers
Runway Safe acquired the EMASMAX® product range from ESCO as of February 2020. Runway Safe is the sole manufacturer of EMAS products that meet the FAA standards of Advisory Circular 150-5220-22B, Engineered Materials Arresting Systems for Aircraft Overruns.” Currently, Runway Safe has two EMAS systems, the cellular concrete block system called EMASMAX® and a silica foam system called greenEMAS®.
The FAA reviews and accepts each EMAS proposal prior to installation.
EMASMAX® is the latest, most durable version of Runway Safe’s block based EMAS, developed with and technically accepted by the FAA. EMASMAX® arrestor beds are composed of blocks of lightweight, crushable cellular cement material.
Runway Safe’s greenEMAS® is a foamed silica bed which is made from recycled glass and is contained within a high-strength plastic mesh system anchored to the pavement. The foamed silica is poured into lanes bounded by the mesh and covered with a poured cement layer and treated with a topcoat of sealant.
Both EMAS products are located at the end of the runway and are typically the full width of the runway. The bed length and offset from the end of the runway depends on the airport configuration and the aircraft fleet using the airport.
Current FAA Initiatives
The FAA’s Office of Airports has helped facilitate RSA improvements at more than 500 commercial service airports. This means that all practicable improvements, including the use of EMAS technology, have been made at approximately 1,000 runway ends at these airports. These RSAs have been improved to full standards or to the extent practicable including the relocation of FAA-owned navigational equipment. As a result of the success in addressing commercial service airport RSA’s, the Office of Airports has started a similar strategy to improve General Aviation RSA’s across the country.
EMAS Arrestments
To date, EMAS safely stopped 22 overrunning aircraft, carrying 432 crew and passengers aboard those flights.
Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) | Federal Aviation Administration
IT WAS MURDER Not A Plane Crash! Bosses KNEW That Wall Would KILL! Responsible Should Be Prosecuted!
December 30th, 2024Maximus Aviation
ඉතිහාසයේ අවමඟුලකට කඳුළු ගෑස් ගහපු ප්රථම අවස්ථාව POWER HOUR
December 30th, 2024CHINA’S MONUMENTAL LEAP IN ADVANCED AIR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY
December 30th, 2024By Nalliah Thayabharan
Drones have become the ultimate disruptors in modern warfare reshaping how battles are fought but as their dominance grows so does the threat they pose especially in swarms where sheer numbers can overwhelm even the most advanced defenses.
China’s groundbreaking Hurricane 3000 – a high- power microwave weapon capable of neutralizing entire drone fleets in an instant unveiled at the 2024 Zhuhai Airshow. This revolutionary system is rewriting the rules of air defence. This cutting edge technology is a game changer for global security. The heart of the Hurricane 3000 is a technological breakthrough that blends electromagnetic science with air defence. This high power microwave weapon, also called radio frequency weapon or electromagnetic pulse weapon, uses energy waves to disrupt and destroy the electronic systems of its targets.
Imagine the mechanism of your household microwave oven but amplified 10,000 times and applied with surgical precision over a 3 km range – that’s the core principle of the Hurricane 3000 but its real genius lies in its sophisticated design and capabilities. Hurricane 3000 operates by emitting a concentrated microwave beam that travels at nearly the speed of light once it locks onto a target whether a single drone or an entire swarm, it disrupts the internal electronics rendering them completely inoperative. Detection begins at an impressive range of 6 km with optical tracking enabled up to 4 km, the effective strike range of 3 km ensures that even fast moving drones within this radius are neutralized before posing a threat, unlike conventional laser systems which require precise targeting and can struggle against larger swarms.
The Hurricane 3,000 employs what developers call a soft kill method. This hemispherical electromagnetic beam not only covers a wider area but also eliminates the need for pinpoint accuracy. This makes it particularly effective against saturation attacks where hundreds of drones might descend simultaneously. Moreover the Hurricane 3000 is an integrated system housed within a single vehicle – this mobility allows for rapid deployment across varied terrains whether in urban centers or remote battlefields what truly sets it apart is its reliance on electricity instead of traditional ammunition. This eliminates the need for costly missiles or resupply logistics enabling the system to operate continuously as long as it has a fuel source for power generation. The significance of this technology becomes even clearer when considering its applications as the Russia Ukraine conflict shows drones are increasingly pivotal in modern warfare used for reconnaissance, precision strikes and overwhelming attacks.
The Hurricane 3000 not only neutralizes these threats with unmatched efficiency but also reduces collateral damage; its electromagnetic pulses disabled drones without physically destroying them, minimizing risks to civilians and infrastructure. The Hurricane 3000 isn’t just a novel weapon, it represents a monumental leap in addressing one of the most pressing challenges of modern warfare using drone swarms. These swarms often deployed for surveillance attacks or disruption are notoriously difficult to counter. Traditional methods like surface to air missiles struggle with cost scalability and speed issues. The Hurricane 3000 addresses head-on – one of its most revolutionary features is its cost efficiency. Conventional counter drone systems rely on expensive ammunition for example a single interceptor missile can cost tens of thousands of dollars and even advanced laser systems demand considerable resources.
The Hurricane 3000 however uses high power microwaves fueled by electricity. This design not only eliminates ammunition costs but also ensures uninterrupted operation as long as the system has power. It can continuously defend against threats making it invaluable in prolonged combat scenarios. Versatility is another major advantage – the Hurricane 3000 is designed to counter not only individual drones but also large scale saturation attacks. Its soft kill approach using electromagnetic waves to disable electronics is far more effective in these situations than traditional kinetic methods. Unlike systems that physically destroy targets, the Hurricane 3000 disables them by frying their circuits leaving the surrounding environment unharmed. This feature makes it especially suitable for urban combat and scenarios where collateral damage must be minimized.
Additionally the Hurricane 3000’s Mobility is a game changer. Traditional air defense systems are often bulky and stationary, making them vulnerable to attacks or unsuitable for rapidly changing battlefields. Hurricane 3000 is integrated into a single vehicle allowing for easy transportation and quick deployment in diverse environments whether defending a critical urban center or a remote outpost, the system is ready to respond at a moment’s notice.
Its effectiveness against swarms is particularly crucial. Drone swarm tactics where hundreds of drones operate in coordination to overwhelm defenses have become a significant concern in modern conflicts. The Hurricane 3000’s wide coverage area and instantaneous response capabilities make it one of the few systems capable of neutralizing such threats efficiently.
The introduction of the Hurricane 3000 marks a pivotal moment in global defense technology signaling a shift toward energy- based weapons and a new era of electromagnetic warfare, reshaping global military strategies. This high power microwave system doesn’t just neutralize drones it redefines how militaries approach air defense and electronic warfare setting a precedent that could shape military strategies for decades.
One of the most immediate implications is the impact on global arms development with China showcasing such an advanced system. Other nations are likely to accelerate their efforts in electromagnetic weapons. The Hurricane 3000’s ability to counter drone swarms at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems will undoubtedly prompt countries to re-evaluate their reliance on expensive missile based defenses.
This could lead to a broader adoption of cost-efficient electricity powered systems reducing dependency on conventional ammunition. The system’s mobility and versatility also challenged the status quo. Many existing air defense solutions are fixed or semi-mobile limiting their effectiveness in rapidly evolving combat scenarios. The Hurricane 3000’s vehicle mounted design ensures adaptability making it suitable for a variety of operational environments. This could inspire a wave of innovation in modular and mobile defense systems prioritizing flexibility over static installations.
Ethically the development of the Hurricane 3000 raises critical questions about the future of warfare while its soft kill approach reduces physical destruction and collateral damage. The technology could be repurposed for other uses; for instance, electromagnetic weapons capable of disabling drones could theoretically be adapted to disrupt civilian infrastructure or communications systems during conflicts. This highlights the need for international regulations to govern the deployment and use of such technology ensuring it remains a tool for defense rather than a means of escalation.
Strategically the Hurricane 3000 underscores the growing importance of drone Warfare in military planning. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has already demonstrated the effectiveness of drones and reconnaissance targeted strikes and psychological operations. With the introduction of systems like the Hurricane 3000, the battlefield is becoming increasingly dominated by electronic and energy- based engagements. This Evolution could lead to a greater focus on developing counter electronic warfare measures creating a technological arms race centered on energy and information.
The Hurricane 3000 isn’t just a weapon-it’s a glimpse into the future of warfare by combining cutting edge technology with practical efficiency. It addresses one of the most pressing challenges of modern combat – the rise of drones. But its significance goes beyond its immediate capabilities. It represents a shift towards smarter, more sustainable military solutions where precision and cost efficiency take centre stage.
The powerful Chinese manufacturing and the soaring Chinese military power have greatly shocked and deeply worried the United States and its allies.
New Cold War In South Asia As The BRICS Rise – OpEd
December 30th, 2024By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake Courtesy Eurasia Review
There will be no honeymoon for the newly minted National People’s Power (NPP) Government that got a massive people’s mandate for debt justice.
The storm blowing from Washington DC across the Indian Ocean World—targeting China to the East, Iran to the West, and now, India at the centre—is growing and expanding. So too, the US led NATO sanctions regime is expanding and impacting many countries. These include Sri Lanka, which is caught in the crosshairs of hybrid economic war on the rise of BRICS and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Seemingly unable to re-negotiate International Monetary Fund (IMF), and odious debt Eurobond Exchange agreements drafted by the previous Ranil Rajapakse regime that it had accused of corruption, the new NPP government this month signed Sri Lanka up to being pumped and dumped” once again into a second staged Sovereign Default.
Sri Lanka, South Asia’s richest country by the metric that matters—Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) GDP per capita– was declared ‘bankrupt’ and in Default in March 2022 amid distracting US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) funded Araglaya protests—simply due to a purported lack of exorbitantly privileged US dollars!
While the IMF engineered Bond Exchange has got stock markets on a Christmas high with seasonal good news hype in the corporate media echo chamber with Fitch and Moody’s upgrades despite significant deflation, the pain would soon set in as Sri Lanka commenced Odious debt payments to predatory creditors in 2025 and the EPF pension funds whittle down.
A new round of social unrest and protests at high taxes and the IMF’s bitter austerity measures to shrink the economy and pay predatory International Sovereign bond holders with a fire sale of national assets are on the cards, and very likely a second staged Default curtsey the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility.
US Sanctions and Regime Change Aragalayas in South Asia
Simultaneously, shades of an increasingly hot, new regional Cold War are apparent across South Asia and the Indian Ocean world. There were two regime change operations in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2022 amid Victoria Nurland inspired colour revolution’ or Arab Spring Araglaya ‘protests”.
This year, 2024, saw regime change in Bangladesh and just a few weeks ago members of the ruling BJP in India accused the US of targeting Prime Minister Modi’s government for regime change. The SOROS foundation and the NED funded NGO complex were identified as part of local-global networks that were implicated in tarnishing the Modi brand.
Meanwhile, development projects that promised needed foreign investment in Sri Lanka have been thrown into disarray by the United States expanding sanctions regime on the BRICS leaders, this time on Russian firms, as well as court action against the Indian conglomerate, Adani.
Two months ago, India’s Shaurya Aeronautics Pvt Ltd and Russia’s Airports of Regions Management Company’s plans for joint development of the Chinese built Mattala International Airport in southeast Sri Lanka were put on hold due to US sanctions.[i]
The U.S. Department of the Treasury had sanctioned India-based Shaurya Aeronautics Private Limited, among 275 individuals and entities involved in supplying Russia with advanced technology and equipment. The airport near the Hambantota Port is located near some of the world’s busiest trade, energy and submarine Data Cable routes.
Meanwhile a bribery case was filed in New York last month against the Adani conglomerate, which is a partner of BlackRock, that is in turn Sri Lanka’s largest private predatory International Sovereign Bond (ISB) creditor. Although China is routinely blamed in the global corporate media echo chamber for debt trap lending, analysis of Sri Lanka’s loan profile clearly show that ISBs are the cause of the geostrategic island’s first ever Sovereign Default in March 2022.
Adani was set to develop the Western Terminal of the Colombo port in partnership with local conglomerate John Keells holdings with significant US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) funding. This was before US authorities had accused Adani of bribery in Andhra Pradesh and filed a court case in New York.
Adani, said to be Asia’s richest man is seen to be personally close to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Adani which partners with BlackRock, Sri Lanka’s biggest private creditor had already got a sweetheart deal ex-ante the Odious debt restructure Bond Exchange agreements signed this month– for various ‘green energy’ projects!
Sanctions and Visits
As sanctions bit, US Assistant Secretary of State, Donald Lu visited India, Sri Lanka and Nepal earlier this month. Lu met government, the NGO complex and other civil society members to discuss ‘capacity building’ assistance, presumably, for more institutional capture.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has been already effectively privatized to serve the interests of predatory ISBs rather than citizens via International Monetary Fund ‘reforms’.
US moves against Indian firms have likely given Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath a big headache, much like the pending debt trap International Sovereign bond debt restructure agreements that are being forced on the new government in Colombo by the IMF and Lazard and Clifford Chance that represent ISBs that have debt trapped the county in collusion with local politicians and business cronies.
Will Mr. Herath be able to persuade Lu to hold back US sanctions and the ISB vulture funds to make an exception for debt trapped Sri Lanka, and enable the Mattala International Airport and Colombo port west terminal projects to proceed with Indian and Russian investment?
A USDFC, which had agreed to lend $500 million to Adani’s port development in Sri Lanka said it was conducting due diligence on the project.
Targeting Indian Projects and Sri Lanka’s BRICS application
Indian firms are being targeted by Washington, which has long sought access to geostrategic Sri Lanka’s energy, transport, telecom infrastructure. This was evident in the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact, rejected by Sri Lanka back in 2019. At the time there were fears of the US establishing military bases under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), in the geostrategic island nation.
The Colombo harbour is South Asia’s busiest port but that development is also now on hold. Of course, the US promise to fund Adani’s port development to the tune of over USD 500 million was in any case a tall order! The sum was much more than the aborted MCC project, after which the mysterious ISIS-claimed Easter Sunday hybrid war attacks targeted tourist hotels and churches, crashing economy and society. The IS-claimed attacks were clearly designed to set off a ‘cascade of violence” in the multi-religious island nation.
The Mattala International Airport in Hambantota, initially built by the Chinese was perceived to be a White Elephant’ development project but is actually located near one of the world’s busiest maritime trade, energy and submarine Date Cable routes in the world. The Indian Shaurya Aeronautics plan to develop the airport would bring needed foreign investment and showcase collaboration among the big three Asian powers- China, India and Russia but is now on ice due to US sanctions.
Sri Lanka, clearly caught in the crosshairs of big power rivalry, had formally submitted an application to join BRICS and the New Development Bank at the meeting in Kazan in October where President Putin hosted China’s President Xi and Indian Premier Modi along with other Global South leaders. The new government in Colombo would be hoping to leverage regional growth and support from the Global South in the Asian 21stCentury”.
However, no senior Minister from Sri Lanka attended the meeting in Kazan where de-dollarization and trading in national currencies was a hot topic– an opportunity missed in deference to Washington? Sri Lanka’s application to join the New Development Bank has been accepted but the BRICS application remains pending at this time.
A New Regional Cold War?
A new Cold War is clearly ramping up across the Indian Ocean–and not just on China. Having pushed Russia and China into ever close partnership Washington seems keen to ensure that India warmly embraces its erstwhile foe – China and the BRICS.
India had defied US sanctions on Russia over the past two year and ramped up Rupee-Ruble trade and Russian oil and gas purchases, benefiting from Russia’s decoupling from Europe and the war in Ukraine, also given historically strong and deep relations with the Soviet Union during the Cold War (1945-1991).
Was India rewarded with regime change in Bangladesh for defying US Sanctions and drawing nearer its neighbouring BRICS? India was also embroiled in a Canadian Sikh spy murder mystery with Woke Diaspora identity political overtones also emanating from Washington.
More concerning for India and indeed the South Asia region as a whole is the latest regime change operation with the obligatory student protests directed via social media right under India’s nose in neighbouring Bangladesh, and the weaponization of Hindu-Muslim-Buddhist regional religious identity politics that has followed.
Departing President Joe Biden seems to have run out of patience with India. The G-20 afterglow in Delhi now seems like a prelude to the parting of ways between India and the West, as Delhi appears to pivot to BRICS. Or perhaps it’s just Biden’s farewell to South Asia and the world, which increasingly seems like: ‘Apres moi le deluge!’
Debt Neocolonialism as a new Cold War takes Shape in South Asia
Will Sri Lanka caught in the IMF’s neocolonial debt and Eurobond bailout business be able to withstand US pressures as India has and turn its back on Indian and Russian investments?
Will Colombo be asked to choose between Washington and New Delhi again? During the previous Cold War, Delhi armed and trained the Liberation Tigers (LTTE), against any possible US bases in its backyard as Colombo moved close to Washington under J.R. Jayawardena. This ensured that Sri Lanka’s so-called internal ethnic conflict’ which was really a regional Cold War proxy war, with India closely allied with the Soviet Union, would run for 30 years.
Geostrategic Sri Lanka’s ports and airports at the center of the Indian Ocean and a choke point of Submarine Data Cables are again of great interest to Washington’s neocons and the NATO war machine, which now aspires to Full Spectrum Dominance (FSD)–over earth, air, sea and Cyber operations.
The targeting of energy and electricity systems as well as transport and telecom infrastructure in the South Asia region– from MCC in Nepal in the north to IMF’s privatization push in Sri Lanka in the south may have much to do with the rush to setup Data Centers, as well as, control over trade and energy choke points as a new Cold War ramps up.
Cold War Redux: Regime Change and Debt Neocolonialism
Back in 2022 the Pakistan premier Imran Khan accused Donald Lu of running a regime change operation against him. Simultaneously, a soft regime change operation unfolded in Sri Lanka with the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) funded and social media remote platforms directed Aragalaya ‘protests’. This was shortly after Victoria Nurland had visited Colombo.
The 2022 regime change in Colombo was masked, Arab Spring/ colour revolution style, with people’s protests against a no doubt unpopular regime, to ensure that Sri Lanka staged a smooth Sovereign Default into the waiting arms of the lender of last resorts- the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The new Washington backed President Ranil Wickramasinghe was installed to stage the default and deepen the Eurobond debt trap ex-poste.
Two years later, Imran Khan for his impudence in naming Donald Lu as the instigator of regime change in Pakistan in 2022 languishes in prison in Islamabad amid huge protests. Fate has been slightly kinder to Sri Lanka’s erstwhile president Gotabaya Rajapakse who was also ousted in the soft Aragalaya coup in 2022.
Rajapakse remains a free man albeit an ex-American citizen barred from travel to the US. He was dispatched and humiliated amid the Woke Aragalaya protests directed via remote controlled social media platforms that rocked Colombo, after the dreaded Victoria Nurland’s visit in early 2022 to triggered the regime change. Nurland is widely credited with the Ukraine Maidan Square colour revolutions that enabled the rise of Zelinski to precipitate war with Russia.
Thus, South Asia’s only Upper Middle Income County (MIC) was declared bankrupt overnight and forced to stage a first ever Sovereign Default. This was as Lawfare unfolded once again in a New York Court when the shadowy, off-shore Hamilton Reserve Bank filed a case against Sri Lanka in 2022 for non-payment of a small amount of interest.
The HRB Lawfare triggered rapid local Rupee currency depreciation against the exorbitantly privileged US dollar in tandem with rating agency downgrades.
A quiet parting of Ways? Weaponizing Diaspora Identity Politics
Regime change operations in Colombo and Islamabad in early 2022 notwithstanding, India, the South Asian regional hegemon, now grapples with yet another US instigated regime change operation right under her nose – this time in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Deposed secular Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina had sought refuge in Delhi given historic ties but religion/s have been again weaponized in Bangladesh.
Of course, the weaponiztion of religion/s, particularly, Buddhism and Islam, in South and South East Asia was a Cold War project to destabilize the region and counter God-less Communist and Socialist de-colonization, national liberation and independence movements in Asia. Yale University historian Eugene Ford’s book Cold War Monks: Buddhism and America’s Secret Strategy in Asia” is especially enlightening in this regard.
Is a quiet parting of ways unfolding at this time with India’s Adani and various BRICS partnerships being targeted by Washington? The side show with Canada and India expelling diplomats, may well be a distraction from the far more serious issue of regime change in Bangladesh and its regional implications: Religious minorities (Hindus, Buddhists and Christians), are now under threat from the same Saudi-funded Islamist Cat’s paw and handmaiden that the CIA with partner in crime Israel’s Mossad deploys around the world to destabilize countries and regions. Call it the ISIS, ISIL, Al Qaida, the Muslim Brotherhood, rebranded HTS in Syria or ISIS-K in Afghanistan, or whatever.
The recent regime change operation, weaponizing transnational networks and religious identity politics in Bangladesh that saw the ouster of Prime Minister Hasina a close ally of Delhi certainly put a spanner in the works in the West’s wooing of mother India– with the Indian Diaspora in the west in tow: From Rishi Sunak to Kamala Harris who embodied the I-2 (Israel-India) partnership given her Indian name and Jewish husband, to all those Indian Diaspora CEOs of big US and EU corporations, it is increasingly clear that the Indian Diaspora in the Euro-American world and Australia had been weaponized and mobilized for the charm offensive to persuade India to fight a proxy war on China and crash the Asian 21st Century. That kite did not fly.
The I2U2, or West Asia QUAD, comprising Israel, India, UAE and US, was designed to help ‘normalize’ Israel’s occupation of Palestine via the Abraham Accords, and the current genocide in Gaza. But the U2- UAE and US part may be fraying at this time.
ISUS was also set up to cement the I-2 (India-Israel) alliance brokered as part of Washington’s Judeo-Christian-Hindu fundamentalist outreach via I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE, US), with the Islamist Cat’s paw to destabilize South Asia – old Cold War style when there was a proliferation of regional security groupings like SEATO. The new twist is the Indian Diaspora in the West.
Will developments before and during the BRICS summit in Kazan where China and India made relative peace, and the regime change in Bangladesh break the I2U2 partnership, or at least the I2, India-Israel part?
As winds of change blow in Washington come January when Donald Trump would be ensconced President of the United States, Donald Lu would be perhaps saying a fond farewell to South Asia on this trip to the region.
- Dr Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake is a social and medical anthropologist with expertise in international development and political-economic analysis. She was a member of the International Steering Group of the North-South Institute project: Southern Perspectives on Reform of the International Aid Architecture”.
[i] https://economynext.com/us-sanctions-indian-firm-involved-in-deal-with-sri-lankas-mattala-airport-186347/
Protesters confront National People’s Power MPs in Bingiriya (Video)
December 30th, 2024Courtesy Hiru News
A tense situation erupted when National People’s Power Kurunegala District MP Wijesiri Basnayake and Puttalam District MP Ajith Gihan visited a factory in the Bingiriya-Wilattawa area.
The incident occurred as factory employees protested against the MPs and their entourage over an alleged attempt to interfere with the factory’s office transport service, which is managed by local residents. Protesters accused the MPs of trying to take control of the transport service and blocked their jeep as they attempted to leave the premises.
Responding to inquiries, MP Wijesiri Basnayake stated that his visit was related to discussions about a development project at the factory. He claimed the unrest arose as his group was departing, dismissing allegations of interference.
ලංකා බැංකුවටත් පොලු තියපු පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ මන්ත්රීවරු සෙට් එක
December 30th, 2024තිරප්පනේ මාලිමා මන්ත්රීගේ කාර්යාලය වැටලීමත් සමග මහ පාරේ දරුණු තත්ත්වයක්
December 30th, 2024VFM RADIO 107
එන්න කියාපං ඇමතිතුමාට.. එන්න කියාපං.. තිරප්පනේ මාලිමා මන්ත්රීගේ කාර්යාලය වැටලීමත් සමග මහ පාරේ දරුණු තත්ත්වයක් ගමේ නියෝජිතයා කෝ.. ගහලා පන්නන්න ඕන..
ඉතිහාසයේ කවදාවත් මෙහෙම වෙලා නෑ කරුණාකරලා මේක නවත්වන්න පාර්ලිමේන්තු සේවකයින් වෙනුවෙන් අජිත් පෙරට එයි
December 30th, 2024ආණ්ඩුව ගැන මිනිස්සුන්ට හොඳටම තදවෙයි – අමතන ඇමතිල්ලට රෙදි නෑ
December 30th, 2024රනිල් කරපු දේමද අනුර කරන්නේ? – “ඔන්න ඕක තමයි ප්රශ්නෙ” | Dr.Harsha de Silva
December 30th, 2024අපි කරන්න හිටපු දේ එහෙමම වෙන්නේ නෑ වගේ දැනෙනවා
December 30th, 2024මාලිමා මන්ත්රීව වටකරන් බිංගිරියේදී විරෝධයක් – වාහනයෙන් බහින්නත් බැරිවෙලා…
December 30th, 2024අනුර කුමාර කන්නේ තණ කොළ ද ?
December 30th, 2024VFM RADIO 107
US & European Universities Block Asian & African Students from Advanced Technology
December 29th, 2024e-Con e-News
blog: eesrilanka.wordpress.com
‘Before you study the economics, study the economists!’
e-Con e-News 22-28 December 2024
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In 1770, William Pitt the Elder (then Earl of Chatham), ‘made uneasy
by the first manufacturing attempts of the New Englanders, declared that
the colonies should not be permitted to manufacture so much as a horseshoe nail’
– Ha-Joon Chang, Kicking Away the Ladder
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‘Intelligence agencies have been pushing universities:
The Swiss Federal Intelligence Agency’s Technopole Program
wants universities to implement knowledge security’
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‘The securitization trend coincides with the decreasing share of the US,
the EU, & OECD countries in global research & innovation,
& a rising weight of the global South, with China leading the way.’
(see ee Focus)
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The US demand to block certain university subjects to Asian & African students, is being meekly followed by Europe, led by England, rear and tail wagging, despite loud proclamations about ‘free trade’ & ‘free enquiry’ and ‘geopolitical neutrality.’ Luckily for them, while Sri Lanka is not on the lengthening list of countries sanctioned, we can assume that few Sri Lankan students even aim to take on such ‘sensitive’ modern industrial subjects, let alone enable such ‘undesirable knowledge transfer’. The starker truth is that the imperialists have always wished to prevent any type of modern industrialization in our countries:
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‘Yet everything can be military in an engineering school:
…Cybersecurity, robotics, drones , chemistry –
chemical weapons, applied math, artificial intelligence…
Almost all lessons can have dual applications.’
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Citing ‘research security’ concerns, universities are vetting engineering & science students from certain countries, as demanded by the US & European Union governments. Universities have to provide ‘a detailed outline’ of its rules for foreign students applying for masters and doctoral degrees in applied research areas, as well as for invitations to ‘scientific guests’ and new staff appointments. They are also designating certain universities in Asia, blocking their graduates from further study abroad. Many of these now-verboten technologies were in fact developed by the sweat and tears and blood of Asians and Africans.
Meanwhile all the US government NGOs, their thinktanks and economists sing the praises of mythical ‘free trade’ while vehemently opposing industrialization. The US online business journal and ‘lip service’ EconomyNext in Sri Lanka, mostly fabricated by AI algorithms and full of errors, has taken to claiming that ‘Karl Marx, Engels would have approved Sri Lanka Rice Imports for Working Class’ (see ee Random Notes). This is of course just not as simple as that, let alone true. Firstly, Sri Lanka is dominated not by the state-protected mafias but by multinational monopolies like England’s Unilever and the USA’s Proctor & Gamble, and Ceylon Tobacco Co. and US Exxon, etc. Secondly, Marx & Engels show how the early English ‘free-traders’ & ‘protectionists’ worked in tandem to promote slavery, Black & white; sell bread with fecal matter (they called it ‘sophistication’!), employ children under 10, and prevent any reduction in work hours, and to oppose trade unions. Two years after the so-called ‘Victory of Free Trade’ in England, the English state then perpetrated their genocide on the lands of the Sinhala in 1848 … So much for laissez-faire (see ee Focus).
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Welcome to the 350th (almost weekly edition) of e-Con e-News, which we began in dedication to the work of SBD de Silva, as expressed in his classic The Political Economy of Underdevelopment, published in England in 1982. Ironically, in that very same year – rather coincidentally and we dare say, in astrological congruence – the English also published another The Political Economy of Underdevelopment by India’s Amiya Kumar Bagchi. Eleven years earlier, Hungary’s Akademiai Kiado had published Thomas Szentes’ The Political Economy of Underdevelopment, in 1971. It turns out, scholars from the socialist bloc in Eastern Europe and Central Asia had developed their own analysis of neo-colonial mechanisms in the world economy, and the role of internal class structure in the Global South.
Soviet political economist Sergei Tyulpanov, for instance, argued that the state had to isolate those domestic forces hindering industrialization (feudal landlords and merchant capital – mafias, anyone?) and create a strong public sector while encouraging the progressive potential of the national bourgeoisie in a private sector. Within this strategy of non-capitalist development, it was crucial that national-democratic parties take charge and not relinquish political power to the bourgeoisie. It turns out that SBD De Silva’s thesis and criticism of ‘dependency theory’ was also the position of many Soviet scholars: the ruling merchant and moneylender class in Sri Lanka is thrilled be the house-slave for the English industrial bourgeoisie, as their commercial puppy dog. So what, pray, is la difference between these 3 books of the same name? ee shall have to explore this matter at another time.
We may say of such authors, as SBD de Silva noted in the introduction to his inquiry into Sri Lanka’s discontents:
‘This book is not the product of alienated labour.
There was throughout a psychological dimension, involving
a voluntariness and spontaneity of effort – unrelated to
considerations of professional survival or advancement’
So then, let’s examine the contribution of Bengal’s Amiya Kumar Bagchi, who passed last week (see ee Focus).
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Contents:
දේශපාලකයින්ගේ වතුර ටැංකිය හා පිරිමියෙක් මුත්රා කිරීමේ විධි දෙක (two ways of urinating in politics)
December 29th, 2024C. Wijeyawickrema
මේ දිනවල ජනාධිපති AKD ගේ ආණ්ඩුව දෛනිකව මුහුණ පානා ඇබ්බැද්දි දකිනවිට මට ඇමෙරිකාවේ ජනාධිපතිලා දෙන්නෙක් ඒවාට මුහුණ දුන් අන්දම මතකයට ආවේය. ඇමතිකෙනෙක් හෝ මන්ත්රී කෙනෙක්ගේ යම් අහිතකර කතාවක් හෝ ක්රියාවක් නිසා ආණ්ඩුවේ ප්රතිරූපයට ඩැමේජ් එකක්වූ විට, එයට අවංක ලෙස මුහුණදී කල වරද නිවැරදි කර ගන්නවා වෙනුවට එය සුදුහුණු ගා වැසිය හැකියයි සිතා ක්රියාකිරීමෙන් සිදුවන්නේ ඩැමේජ් එකට පිහාටුද ලැබී ඉගිලී යාමය.
කතානායකගේ තොප්පිය, ඔහුගේ හා අන් අයගේ උපාධි අර්බුදය, නැති සුදුසුකම් කියා චන්ද්දායකයින් හා පක්ෂය රැවටීම, ජය මංගල ගාථා නතර කලත් ජනාධිපති ලේකම් කාර්යාලයේ නත්තල් සැරසිලි, රිලා ප්රශ්ණය, පොල්, ලුණු හිඟය කොට්ටච්චිගේ මෝඩ කතා, මන්ත්රීලාගේ අනියම් පෙම් සම්බන්ධකම්, මෝඩි කියන දේ හා විජිත හේරත් කියන දේ හා තායිවානය හා චීනය අතර වෙනස AKD විසින් කළමනාකරගත යුතුව තිබුණේ මීට වඩා ප්රඥාවන්ත ලෙසය. හාල් ප්රශ්නය වුනත් වී මාෆියාවට යට වුනේ නෑ යන අන්දමට හැසිරෙන්නට ඉඩ තිබුණි.
විශේෂයෙන් හොර රාජ්ය නිලධාරීන් දමනය කිරීම ඒ ගැන අත්දැකීම් හා දැණුමක් ඇති පක්ෂයෙන් බාහිර සවාධීන අයට භාරදී ඉෂ්ට කරගත හැකිය. උදාහරණයක් වශයෙන් තිලක් කන්දේගම, සනස නිර්මාතෘ, ගාර්වින් කරුණාරත්න, සුදත් ගුණසේකර, යාපනේ අරුන් සිද්ධාර්ථ් හා දිලිත් ජයවීර වුනත් ප්රයෝජනයට ගත හැකි පංචස්කන්ධය. හිමාලයා ප්රකාශණය නමැති ඊලම් අවතාරයට ගොදුරු නොවීම අ ගත් නිවැරදි තීරණයක් බව මෙහිදී සඳහන් කල යුතුය.
මෙය වැදගත් කාරණාවක් වන්නේ දුන් පොරොන්දු මතක් කරමින් අනිකුත් බොහෝ අයමෙන් තවදුරටත් පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ නොසිටිය යුතුව තිබූ මේ පඬරැල් මේවා අල්ලාගෙනවත් පණනළ රැකගන්නට බලන නිසාදය. ගලේ මොකක්ද කල බළලුන් මෙන් වී සිටින මේ විපක්ෂයට මෙවැනි ප්රමාද දෝෂ අල්ලාගැනීම මිස වෙන දෙයක් කිරීමට ශක්තියක් ඉතිරිව නැත. විපක්ෂයේ සිටින එකම විපක්ෂය වන්නේ දිලිත් ජයවීර නවක මන්ත්රීවරයා පමණය.
(1)ඉන්දියාවට රට පාවා නොදීම (2) 13 A හරහා ඊලමට මඟ පාදා නොදීම (3) සිංහල බෞද්ධ ශිෂ්ටාචාරයට හානි නොකිරීම යන කාරණා තුන අමතක නොකරන්නේ නම් AKD බලයට ඒම ඓතිහාසික වෙනසකි. රටේ කලයුතු මේ වෙනස්කම් සඳහා සහභාගී කරගත හැකි බොහෝ ස්වාධීන ලාංකිකයින් රටතුලත් පිටරටත් සිටී. චන්ද කාලයේදී මළිමාවට පක්ෂවූ අයට අමතරව, විශ්රාමගත් හා නොගත්, මේ පිරිස් රාජ්යපාලනයට හවුල් කර ගැනීම දූරදර්ශී විධායක ජනාධිපති කෙනෙකුට ඇති අනගි අවස්ථාවකි. 16 වෙනි ඇමෙරිකන් ජනාධිපති ලින්කන් 1861-65 සිය ධූර කාලයේදී කලේ එයය. ඔහු තම විරුද්ධවාදීන් ආණ්ඩුවට එකතුකර ගත්තේ නම්යශීලීවෙමින් රට ගැන සිතාය. වහල් ක්රමය රැක ගන්නට පක්ෂව චන්දය ඉල්ලු ඔහු ජයග්රහණයට පසු වහල් ක්රමය නැතිකිරීමට දුෂ්කර යුද්ධයක් කලේ, දකුණේ වහල් ක්රමයට පක්ෂ දකුණේ ජනපදවලට විශාල බලයක් තිබියදීය. අන්තිමේදී දකුණේ වහල් හිමියන් උතුරේ ලින්කන්ගේ යුදහමුදාවට විරුද්ධව ඔවුන් සමඟ එකතුවන ලෙස ආයාචනා කලේය.
36 වෙනි ඇමෙරිකන් ජනාධිපති ලින්ඩන් ජොන්සන් (1963-69) කාලයේදී ජනාධිපති ලින්කන්ගේ විරුද්ධවාදීන් තම රජයට එකතු කර ගැනීමට හා සමාන දෙයක් කලේය. Democratic පාක්ෂිකයෙකුවූ ඔහු, බලවත් රිපබ්ලිකන් පාක්ෂිකයෙකු (X) තම ආණ්ඩුවට බඳවා ගන්නට යෝජනා කලවිට අනිත් Democratic අය ඊට විරුද්ධවිය. එවිට ජොන්සන් කියා සිටියේ දැන් X එලියේ ඉදන් අපේ ටැංකියට චූ කරණවා, ඔහුව අපි ලඟට ගත් විට ඔහු අපේ ටැංකියේ සිට පිටට චූ කරණවා යනුවෙනි! සමහර අවස්ථාවලදී ජොන්සන් ජනාධිපති තම ලේකම්ලාට නියෝග/උපදෙස් දුන්නේ බාත් රූම් කොමොඩ් එකේ ඉඳගෙන ඉන්න ගමන් බාගෙට දොර ඇරගෙනය. ඔහු ප්රායෝගික යථාර්ථවාදියෙක් විය.
අනුර කුමාර ජනාධිපතිට මේ ජනාධිපතිලා දෙන්නා ගෙන් ගත හැකි ආදර්ශයක් නැද්ද? යම් ආණ්ඩුවකට හානිකර වන කාරණා දෙකක් රසික ජයකොඩි සඳහන් කරයි. එකක් නම් උද්දච්ච කමය. අනික නම කඩේ යන යන පිරිසය. මොවුන් කොටස් දෙකකි. ඉන් ඩෝබිලා, රෙද්දේ එක පැත්තක් හෝ අනිත් පැත්ත හෝ අවස්ථාවට අනුව පිලිවෙලින් දෙපැත්තම හෝදන්නේය. රසික කියන අනිත් කොටස නම් දායක සභාවය.
ප.ලි. මෙවැනි කරුණු හුදෙක් සද්භාවයෙන් ජනාධිපතිට, අගමැතිනිට හා පක්ෂයට ඊමේල් මඟින් දන්වා එවූවිට පසුගිය අවුරුදු පනහක කාලවල මෙන් ඔබගේ ලිපිය ලැබුණා, නිසි අයට යොමුකලා යයි පිළිතුරු දීම, අපේ ව්යායාමය ගඟට ඉණිකැපීමක් නොවේද යන සාංකාව ඇති කරන්නේය.
Elon Musk pens German newspaper opinion piece supporting far-right AfD party
December 29th, 2024Courtesy The Guardian (UK)
Billionaire Trump adviser said his ‘significant investments’ in the country justify his wading into German politics
The tech entrepreneur and close adviser to Donald Trump Elon Musk has taken a stunning new public step in his support for the far-right German political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), publishing a supportive guest opinion piece for the country’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper that has prompted the commentary editor to resign in protest.
The commentary piece in German was launched online on Saturday before being published on Sunday in the flagship paper of the Axel Springer media group, which also owns the US politics news site Politico.
Musk uses populist and personal language to try to deny AfD’s extremist bent, and the essay expands on his post on his social media platform, X, on which he last week claimed that only the AfD can save Germany”.
Translated, Musk’s piece said: The portrayal of the AfD as rightwing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!”
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD at the national level as a suspected extremism case since 2021.
Shortly after the piece was published online, the editor of the opinion section, Eva Marie Kogel, used the US tech mogul’s own platform to post on X that she had submitted her resignation.
I always enjoyed heading the opinion department at Welt and Wams. Today a text by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. Yesterday I submitted my resignation after printing,” she posted.
She included a link to the Musk commentary article.
The AfD has a strong anti-immigration stance and, like incoming president Donald Trump in relation to the US, is calling for mass deportations from Germany. Earlier in December, Musk not only posted in favor of AfD but the party’s hard line on immigration appeared to resonate with the incoming US vice-president, JD Vance, MSNBC reported.
Senior Welt Group figures weighed in on Saturday.
Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression. This includes dealing with polarising positions and classifying them journalistically,” the newspaper’s editor-in-chief designate, Jan Philipp Burgard, and Ulf Poschardt, who takes over as publisher on 1 January, told Reuters.
They said discussion about Musk’s piece, which had about 340 comments several hours after it was published, was very revealing”.
Underneath Musk’s commentary, the newspaper published a response by Burgard.
Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally false,” he wrote, referencing the AfD’s desire to leave the European Union and seek rapprochement with Russia as well as appease China.
Musk and Weidel both later posted a link to the article on X.
The AfD backing from Musk, who also defended his right to weigh in on German politics due to his significant investments”, comes as Germans are set to vote on 23 February after a coalition government led by the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, collapsed late this fall.
The AfD is running second in opinion polls and might be able to thwart either a centre-right or centre-left majority, but Germany’s mainstream, more centrist parties have pledged to shun any support from the AfD at the national level.
REVISITING EDIRIWEERA SARACHCHANDRA’S ‘MANAME’ Part 6
December 29th, 2024KAMALIKA PIERIS
Sarath Amunugama observed that one of the many items which made Maname special was its melodious music. [1]Sarachchandra was an accomplished musician. He had gone to Santiniketan in the 1940s to study music. However, in his Pin ati Sarasavi, he spoke of ‘veenawa ata pata gawa,’ so I thought he was a dilettante musician.
His early childhood in a family of devout Christians had exposed him to the English language and western music. He is said to have played the organ in his village church. This double exposure stimulated his intellectual interests which always remained unfettered, and also nurtured his sensitivity and love of music which quickly extended to eastern music and its musical instruments. Much later, after his stay in Japan he was fascinated by the music of Noh performances. Music is then a central element in his later achievements, said Ranjini Obeyesekere .[2]
The music in Maname was outstanding. Sarachchandra had no difficulty in composing lyrics to match the melody. Since he knew Carnatic music, he knew to combine word, melody, and raga to create emotions in us. No other artist in Sinhala theatre has this ability. Dayananda Gunawardena and Gunasena Galappaththy were not as successful as Sarachchandra because they lacked this ability, said Sarath Amunugama.
Even at the time he came to Peradeniya in 1956, Gunasinghe Gurunnanse may have been past 50 years. However he was a perfect dancer in the Nadagam style and perfect singer with precise pronunciation of Sinhala, Sanskrit and Pail languages,” said Lionel Fernando.[3]
Gunasinghe Gurunnanse brought with him the drum known as the Maddalaya, used in operatic folk drama which proved the perfect ensemble along with other low country drums as Maname gradually took shape as a new stylized form of drama. We heard the Maddala playing well before we came to the school hall, said Sarath Amunugama when as a schoolboy he had attended the Pushpadana performance.
Gunadasa Amarasekera stated in his Sinhala kavya sampradaya that in Maname, Sarachchandra was able to shatter the notion that Sinhala was an archaic language which could not evoke emotion on a stage. He showed that it was a living language that could be used dramatically to evoke emotion. And that no other language could achieve this so well.
Sarachchandra was able to forge a poetic diction which is capable of conveying emotion at a very refined level, critics added. Sarath Amunugama observed that language was used very creatively in Maname. Sarachchandra had a unique talent of using words to evoke emotion. He used known words in a new way to do so. Sarachchandra however said that in Maname he was simply trying to speak to his audience in an idiom that they would understand .
Amunugama extensively analyses the language developed by Sarachchandra in Maname, RETAIN THIS REF. Here is a quick example. The opening exchange between the prince and princess, giya veddo- thava veddo- noma viddo- pasu eddo-ida laddo -biya naddo, anticipates their conflict later on.
It was Gunadasa Amarasekera who first noted the poetic richness of Maname, observed Amunugama. Gunadasa said that Sarachchandra was an outstanding poet and had contributed to poetry through Maname.
Sarachchandra developed a new poetic and dramatic idiom which combined several kavi traditions, said Amunugama. He used the classical poetic idiom of 13 and 14 century , as well the idiom of the Matara ( 1720-1830) and Udarata period. He added to this classical scholarship the rich usage of folk poetry. He used idioms drawn from the folk and ritual dramas. Sarachchandra then fused these diverse styles to create a modern poetic Language of the Heart”, said Amunugama.
Sarachchandra had an intimate knowledge of classical Sinhala poetry. Amaradeva, in a talk he gave in 2002, had recalled how Sarachchandra would quote classical poetry while driving his car or seated in a corner of a wayside restaurant.
Once in order to convey the kind of subtle musical effect he needed for the love scene for his play Pabavati that he was then working on, Amaradeva says Sarachchandra suddenly quoted a verse from the 13th century poem the Kavsilumina (Kataka bota mihivita) and passionately expounded on it.
Sarachchandra described that drinking scene and expounded on the minimalist lines with which the poet describes the kiss, and then went into a long discourse on the poet’s descriptive power, his language and usage. This 13th century classical Sinhala can hardly be understood by most of us today, but Sarachchandra’s fine poetic sensibility could bring out the nuances underlying the verse, Amaradeva observed.
Before I end this essay, I would like to add my ‘two cents worth’ to this scholarly topic. Sinhala, unlike English, which is our gold standard for language, is a very musical language. This is never mentioned. Buddhagosha called Sinhala ‘Manorama basha. Sinhala is also a very flexible language . Sinhala is able to indicate subtle humour or sarcasm quickly and easily, with a flick of phrase, unlike English, which needs imagery. ( Continued)
[1] Sarath amunugama Maname mathak vee.
[2] Ranjini Obeysekera https://thuppahis.com/2014/06/10/ediriweera-sarachchandra-a-renaisance-man/
[3] Chandani kirinde https://www.sundaytimes.lk/161023/plus/remembering-sarachchandras-maname-60-years-after-213018.html
Why Finland Needs Foreigners?
December 29th, 2024Prof. Hudson McLean
Why Finland Needs Foreigners?
Force-Feeding Finnish Language to Foreigners is Counter Productive!
Force-Feeding Finnish Language will Drive Most Educated & Intelligent Foreigners Out of Finland!
Why is English now the Global Language?
English is the foremost, and by some accounts The Only, World Language.
English is widely used around the World in Internet Computers and all other Technological Equipment.
For this reason, the English language is dominant in the world of science as well. Since science and technology play a huge role in our lives today, for English to lose its importance in the future.
The Population of Finland 5,6 million
Finland 2024 population is est: 5,617,310
Foreigners in Finland (9,4%) 2024 528,129
Finnish Population Nett 2024 5,089,181
Finland 1975 population 4,711,000
Finland Finnish Population Decrease
During 2041 to 2050 by 103,000 = 4,986,181
Why Finland Needs Foreigners than Foreigners Need Finland?
The total land area is 303,890 Km2 (117,333 sq. miles). 86.4 % of the population is urban (4,853,952 people in 2024). The median age in Finland is 43.0 years.
With the Decrease in the Overall Finnish Population – Finland has a Grave Problem.
By 2050 The Aging Old Population will Need Pensions, Medication, Healthcare workers, General Services industry, and Most of all, TAX PAYERS
Benefits of & Quality of Life in Finland!
Positive Points Outweigh the Negative Points.
There are many Benefits of Life in Finland.
General Personality of the Finnish Citizen-;
Honest – Conservative – Caring – Empathy – Civilised!
Finland is Safe – No Corruption – Pollution & Crime Free.
Great Health Services – Free Education – Less Racism!
What are the major imports and exports of Finland?
Finland’s largest trading partners (imports and exports of goods) in 2022 were Germany, Sweden, China, and the United States.
Finland’s key Export Sectors are transportation, electronics, forestry, machinery, and chemicals. 20 Nov 2023 Export Language – ENGLISH!
Exports and imports of Finland in 2022 are below, along with number of countries and products
- The total value of exports (FoB) was 86,228 million.
- The total value of imports (CIF) was 97,374 million.
- At the HS6 digit level,
- 3,871 products were exported to 212 countries and 4,315 products were imported from 225 countries.
What language is Finnish derived from? Proto-Uralic
Prehistory. The Uralic family of languages, of which Finnish is a member, between 8,000 and 2,000 BCE (estimates vary) in the vicinity of the Ural Mountains.
Compromise Solution:
Make English the Third Language in Finland!
Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say!
The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet.
Please visit -: http://www.lankaweb.com/