Chanaka Bandarage

Politicians love megaprojects. They know it is not their money that they spend.  In megaprojects, they often enrich themselves through massive commissions and other unethical ways. At the end of the megaproject, they revel in trying to obtain the credit for themselves, even if it was a failure.

According to Professor Bent Flyvbjerg of University of Oxford, nine out of ten megaprojects in the world end up in failure. The biggest drawback in megaprojects is the cost overruns. In the US alone, about 65% of the megaprojects have failed (‘Infrastructure Intelligence’, September 2014). In Sri Lanka, the biggest drawbacks are the waste, mismanagement and massive corruption.

In Sri Lanka, we first experienced a megaproject in the then government’s accelerated Mahaveli program. True, Mahaveli opened up thousands of new agricultural land and volumes of hydro power, but, it also caused severe environmental damage. Large swaths of fertile land (eg. rich fertile lands of Teldeniya) went under water and thousands of people were forcibly uprooted from their ancestral lands. Thanks to Mahaveli, the human – elephant conflict took an adverse upturn. Hundreds and thousands of virgin forests were cleared for the new settlers. The deforestation blocked ancient elephant corridors. Other wildlife too lost their habitats; they either became extinct or endangered. Veddah communities lost land that they had enjoyed from time immemorial. In some areas, due to the building of huge dams, the healthy Mahaveli almost ended up ‘dead’. The large, shark-like fish (some capable of growing to over 8 feet in length) that roamed Mahaveli are no more; they have disappeared forever.

In the last ten years we have seen the emergence of megaprojects in Sri Lanka on an unprecedented scale* The Hambanthota Port (Rs 36,100 million), Mattala Airport (Rs 21,000 million), Sooriyawewa Cricket ground (Rs 4,000 million), the new expressways (Rs 70,000 million), Uma Oya project (Rs.76,316 million ) are just a few examples (*the author is unable to confirm the accuracy of the megaproject costs stated herein; the records were obtained from reputed sources).

The then government was hell-bent on developing Hambanthota into a ‘concrete jungle’. Was it necessary to do that? They even wanted to hold the Commonwealth Games there after building an Olympic style stadium including an athletes’’ village, a modern swimming pool, basketball/netball/tennis and badminton courts, a velodrome, and a gymnasium!

The question that needs to be asked is why do we not leave the ‘sleepy’ Hambanthota on its own; so that its authenticity and natural charm can be preserved (the place where Lenord Woolf’s Silindu and his two daughters, Punchi Menika and Hinnihami ‘lived’). Hambanthota is a beautiful, rural location which is in very close proximity to Sri Lanka’s large wildlife parks, Yala, Uda Walawe and Bundala. There is no need to create a ‘new Colombo’ in Hambanthota. We already have enough ‘concrete jungles’ in Sri Lanka.

To create the new port in Hambanthota, one of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful beaches was mercilessly dug up, thus that fabulous beach was denied to future generations forever.

What the then government should have done was to expand the existing harbor in Galle (130 km from Hambanthota). Galle is much closer to the busiest east-west international shipping route (where more than 1,000 ships ply a day), than Hambanthota. Galle is a superb harbor built by the Dutch in the 17th century. Infrastructure and manpower for a world class port were already available there.

The building of a second airport in Hambanthota was unnecessary. Any proper feasibility study would have revealed that such an airport was doomed to fail. What the then government should have done was to expand the current Katunayake airport. For this, land adjoining the airport, belonging to the SLBC, Air Force, CGR and private owners should have been acquired, after paying due compensation. Any developed country needs a modern, sophisticated airport located closely to its capital/main city. In Sri Lanka, all energy and resources should have been utilised to develop Karunanayake, so that it could compete in equal terms with such world class airports as Singapore,  Hong Kong, Bangkok and Kuala Lampur.  Spending money to build a new airport in remote Hambanthota was definitely a mistake. When Katunayake is unavailable, planes can land in Chennai or Bangalore – they are close enough international airports for the purpose of emergency landings.

There was absolutely no necessity to spend Rs 4 billion to build a floodlit cricket stadium in Sooriyawewa, Hambanthota. Thanks to Sooriyawewa, the fine cricket stadium in Dambulla has almost become obsolete. On a per capita basis, Sri Lanka (still a 3rd world country) has more international cricket stadiums than any other ICC nation.

When Mattala and Sooriyawewa were built, thousands of acres of virgin forests (connected to Yala, Bundala and Panama) were cleared – they were the former roaming grounds of the wild elephants and other wildlife. We hear reports how important wildlife such as elephants, peacocks, monkeys etc are being killed on a daily basis in this area, as those animals now have less space to roam. Elephants have died of electrocution as well.

The Uma Oya project has already caused enormous health, hygiene and livelihood problems to sections of people in Uva, especially in Bandarawela, Badulla areas. Lots of drinking water wells and even some water falls have gone dry. True, Uma Oya will help to cultivate more land in Wellassa plus the generation of new hydroelectricity, but its adverse effects on the people and the environment (note the massive impending de-forestation) needs to be given high consideration.

Despite certain environmental concerns and earlier frequent breakdowns, the megaproject, Norochchalai coal power station, is a success story. It currently provides 400 MW to the national grid. The government spent a massive Rs 134,100 million for the project, some say the end cost was three times more than the initial estimate. Let’s hope that Sampur coal power station (500 MW) will also be successful.

The previous government spent billions of rupees on new expressways. Today, not many vehicles ply on them; lots of people are unable to pay even the toll to use them. Sri Lanka is still largely an agrarian society where only about 20% of the population own a vehicle (excluding  the owners of three wheeler taxis). Building high speed motorways is not a must for Sri Lanka, just because many other countries have them.

Tiny Sri Lanka is only of 65,600 sq km. What Sri Lanka requires is a well carpeted network of roads everywhere, including in rural areas. Preferably they should be dual track on the main highways. The burning transport problem in Sri Lanka is the lengthy traffic jams in major cities especially in Colombo and the dilapidated roads of the interior. Everyone knows that the bottlenecks created by the new Expressways have exacerbated Colombo’s traffic congestion.

These traffic jams are a major impediment for attracting foreign investment and tourism promotion. Instead of spending large amounts of money on expressways that extend to very remote areas like Hambanthota, the government should have given top priority to fixing the traffic problem in Colombo and other major cities like Kandy, Kurunegala etc (repeat, this is a major problem for Sri Lanka).

To ease the huge Colombo traffic congestion during the working week, where applicable, the government should have erected more traffic lights, widened the streets, created new alternative roads, built more overhead bridges and even considered building underground road tunnels.

Also, the interior village roads (and bridges) should have been upgraded. Most of these roads are not tarmacked and are in pathetic condition. When rural roads are improved, farmers will be able to sell their produce speedily and at a reasonable price (where trucks and lorries can reach the villages directly).

Thanks to the Southern and Katunayake Expressways one could see how fertile rubber estates and paddy fields have been divided into two. As a result, the adverse impact on the economy must be huge. Large, dark swaths of land (due to lack of sunlight) that lie under these giant concrete structures are now unproductive and cannot be used for any purpose. They are an eyesore too. Contrary to what was anticipated, foreign tourists who travel to Galle prefer taking the Galle Road instead of the expressway. The former is more scenic, lively and refreshing (runs parallel to the coast). The roadside businesses, especially restaurants that operated on the Galle Road had a massive economic setback. On the expressways, one could see the carcasses of dead wildlife, especially alligators that get killed by vehicles, when they cross the expressways.

The writer is not implying that these expressway projects were an entire waste of money, he states they were not the priority for the nation. Given the country’s small size, high costs of these projects, and of course the serious damage to the environment; the government should have concentrated on micro development rather than macro development solely. For example, when the majority of the population still commute on jam packed rickety old buses and trains, where patients still sleep on fly infested floors in public hospitals, where school children lack desks and chairs in many remote schools and where sewer and garbage disposal in the main cities is a major environmental and health hazard (the list is endless), governments should have been wiser to identify these major problems and attended to them first, giving top, urgent priority.  What is important is that the governments must assist people directly, not doing things from the periphery. The governments must have the intellect and the capacity to understand the people’s real needs and assist them directly. This is not a time to do experiments or waste valuable time and money.

It is rumored that thanks to the Karunanayake Expressway, politicians (from both sides of the politics) grabbed and acquired valuable state land for themselves. Even the most precious Muthurajawela marshy land was not spared.

The writer acknowledges that the Mathara  and Katunayake expressways are now built and though there are genuine environmental and other concerns, they do serve a purpose. He states it is not required to extend them beyond Mathara and Katunayake respectively, to remote areas where traffic congestion is not an issue. He believes given that work has already commenced on the Kandy expressway, that project should be carried out to the finish, if the environmental impact assessment for same is favourable. There is absolutely no need to build a Northern Expressway when vehicular traffic on the current A9, which is a well carpeted, modern road, is minimal.

In Sri Lanka, the recent unsuccessful megaprojects, including some expressways, have not helped to bring down inflation, but, they have helped to increase inflation. Due to imposition of various taxes and duties, the cost of living for the people has skyrocketed. Some basic consumables are more expensive than those found in developed countries (eg. bread, fresh liquid milk and fresh fruits). The writer has come across people who are so poor that they are unable to feed their families with three meals a day.

Thus, it is appropriate that we ask the question whether megaprojects have really helped Sri Lanka or not?

The megaprojects have increased the country’s foreign debt (as of 31 December 2009 Sri Lanka’s external debt stood at US$19.45 billion – per Wikipedia).

Today Sri Lanka is one of the most debt ridden nations in the world (about 30 years ago it had almost zero foreign debt). True, it is thanks to the injection of foreign debt that the country’s economy grew at about 6% per annum, but, it was an artificial growth of the GDP.

No country can go on borrowing money from elsewhere, like what Sri Lanka has done in the past 10 years. About 90% of the country’s earnings are spent on paying off the debts. Some economists have alarmed that Sri Lanka can face the same fate as Greece, and people can lose their life savings deposited in banks.

The political parties that canvass for votes in the present general election promise creating new jobs if they are elected to power. This is very good. But, these new jobs should not be government jobs but private sector jobs. It is time that Sri Lanka starts creating ‘small governments’ and give every possible incentive for the private sector to flourish.

Small businesses should be the engine room of the Sri Lankan economy. Sri Lankan people are so entrepreneurial, hardworking and determined. Given a small incentive, they will start new businesses and flourish. There should be no doubt about this. It is the new small businesses that will create new jobs and a prosperous Sri Lankan economy, nothing else.

Giving incentive for small business can stop people from leaving the country looking for ‘greener’ pastures. At the moment about 300,000 people leave Sri Lanka every year to work in foreign lands. This must not be encouraged. People should be afforded opportunities to remain in the mother country, live around their families.

It is very difficult for a person to obtain a personal loan from a bank today. This especially applies to poor people who cannot provide a collateral, those who are unemployed and those who do not have a verifiable credit history. For this, at least the future governments must intervene and start initiatives to provide people with microloans so that they can start their own businesses.

For people who work in the public and private sector, the government must encourage state banks to provide low interest home loans (at the moment, the home loan interest rates are too high).

In Sri Lanka even a startup capital of Rs 100,000 can make a big difference in a person’s life – who wants to be their ‘own boss’. When the person has established good credibility, the microloan amounts can be gradually increased.

What is important is that for the future governments to initiate projects, including through state banks to provide microloans to all eligible and deserving citizens (not just for the Samurdhi recipients). This should happen on a grand scale. The microloans need to be low, fixed rate interest loans, with no fees and charges attached. As stated before, these loans should  be for people who want to start/expand their own small businesses.

Microcredit is the best way of empowering women, thereby uplifting entire communities. Grameen Bank founded in Bangladesh in 1983 reports that the repayment success rates are between 95 and 98 percent. Grameen loans have been provided to people from buying a cell-phone to establish a profit making venture, to fishery, livestock, carpentry, masonry, tailoring, food preparation, cleaning, grocery store, typing services, IT related work and running passenger transport operations.

The writer, a Lawyer, is the President of Sri Lanka Support Group (Global) (chanakab@hotmail.com)

 ධර්මසිරි සෙනෙවිරත්න

   මේ කෙටි ලිපිය ලියන්නේ තව හොරා කීපයකින්  අපේ පුන්න්ය භුමියේ ඉරණම තීරණය වීමට නියමිත බැවිනි .  වීරෝදාර සිංහලයිනි විශේෂයෙන් බෞධ්ධයිනි  මුළු මහත් ජාත්ත්යන්තරයම රනිල් පිටිපසලු.  ඇ ය්  ඒ  . හිතාබලන්න  රනිල් තමය මේ සිංහල අපේ ලොකුම දැන් ඉන්න ද්‍රෝහියා රට බටහිරයන්ට පාවාදීමට කැසකවන ලොකුම ද්‍රෝහියා මෙන්ම ලංකා ඉතිහාසයේ ලොකුම මුදල් හොරා ජවිපෙ කාරයොත්  බැංකු වලින් හොරකම් කළා තම එහෙත් රනිල් දිනකීපයකින් කෝටි  6000 කම හොරකම්කර  ගිනස් පොතෙත් වාර්තා තියල තියනවා  මහවැලියේ පදිංචි කල සිංහලයන් 40000 කම තලා මරා කාඅ කොටා  පලවා හරින්න ජේ ආර් ට  උල් පන්දම් දුන්නේ රනිල් සිංහලයන් 60000 ක්මරුවේ රනිල් මිලේනියම් සිටි බුද්ධි අංශයේ නිලධාරීන් මැරුවේ රනිල්  කොටි සමාග ගිවිසුම් ගැසුවේ රනිල්  ධර්ම්සන්ගායනා නමින් ඉදිරියේදී බෞද්ධ සංහාරයක් පටන් ගන්නේ  බිෂොප් වික්රමසින්ඝගේ බෑනා වන රනිල් . දෙමලුන්ගේ ඉල්ලීම වෙනම ඊලමක් එකදී බටහිරයන් පිනවන්නේ රනිල්
රට බේරා ගැනීමට නම් මහින්ද දිනවන්න  ඉහලින්ම  මහින්ද මරු සිරාගෙන් බේරාගන්න.

By Mahanuwara Sinhala Bauddha Jesta Purawesiyange Sanvidhanaya

Dear all,

We thought it very timely and our duty too by our Motherland to make a special appeal to all voters to cast their vote with extreme diligence and caution tomorrow as there are innumerous vicious organizations and individuals, both at Home and abroad, who are conspiring to ruin this country, our nation and its 2500 year heritage.  Please remember your vote will decide the destiny of this country tomorrow. Remember this is going to be a watershed in the history of our elections just like 1956. There are four cardinal things you have to bear in mind when you cast your vote tomorrow.

They are the protection of

Desa –     Country

Resa –    Nation

Basa-     Language

Samaya – Religion

So in casting your vote tomorrow first, please see that you are fully convinced that the political party you select will definitely protect these four things. Because, it is our avowed duty to leave behind this precious wealth, we ourselves have inherited from our ancestors, to posterity as well, in the same form. If you make the wrong choice, posterity will have no country to live and none of the other things to preserve the continuity of our cherished culture and civilization.

Secondly when you mark your preference please ensure you select the correct people who are suitable to be the legislators of the nation. If you don’t have any one suitable according to your criterion you may mark only your vote against the symbol of the political party of your choice and leave it at that so that, that will teach a good lesson to political imposters who are not fit to be in Parliament.  Even if a candidate happens to be your father, do not mark your preference to him if he doesn’t satisfy your criterion. I think that will also discourage such people seeking nomination in future and also political parties nominating such candidates.  You know best and you are the best judge as well. Do not leave room to repent later for selecting the wrong people. So make the correct choice.

What the country needs today is a patriotic set of statesmen to fill Parliament who will ensure good governance and take the country to economic, social and cultural prosperity. We need legislators who will protect the people, the State, sovereignty and territorial integrity of this Island without dividing it on ethnic, religious or any other basis at the instigation or intervention of local or foreign forces.

Best of luck! Jayatu Jayatu Sri Lanka Mata!

Let sanity, peace and prosperity prevail on our Motherland!

Dr Sudath Gunasekara President (MSBJPS)

By Charles.S.Perera

Before turning to the subject of this article it is important to point out how undemocratic is Ranil Wickrmasinge.  Because he did not like the questions put to him at the Derana 360 political programme, the UNP has used its power to undemocratically stop internet access to  Derana.

A friend who does astrology as a hobby for his pleasure telephoned me this evening ,saying that there is some good news to give me. He said that he has found with all calculations possible  that the  people will vote for the Betel Leaf in large numbers, therefore no one can stop a comfortable win for Mahinda Rajapakse.

He says  except for any last minute fraudulent act –a computer jilmart, by the UNP in coordination with foreign CIA, MI6, and  RAW computer experts to falsify vote count, under normal circumstances Mahinda Rajapakse is sure to win. I  believe him.

One can be absolutely sure despite all these stories about fraud, bribery and corruption UNP had been raising hell since the 9^th January, 2015,  that Mahinda Rajapakse  is not a corrupt leader.

We can say that with certainty as  UNP is  vindictive, revengeful and would not have left any stone unturned  with its FCID,  all the contacts Mangala Samaraweera had with foreign investigators of corrupt deals, all the experts of CIA, MI6 and RAW, to find even the most feeble evidence possible to inculpate Mahinda Rajapakse or any one they may have taken to interrogate , investigate and drill.

They may have examined files, letters, and documents, they may have checked the telephones, Desktop computers,  laptops and Ipads. But they  have not found an iota of evidence against any of the persons they arrested, interrogated, investigated.

They have found absolutely nothing ,  any thing even reasonably doubtful. 

 If they had found the slightest evidence against any one of them , they would have turned the country upside down to hail their victory  and  done every thing possible to howl Mahinda Rajapakse or any one they would have found guilty before a tribunal to prove criminal charges of corruption.

They would have done hell with their Judges.

But where, where are the fraudsters, bribe taker, corrupt Ministers or officials ?

Evidently there is none.  That is why Ranil is now obsessed with another story about Mahinda Rajapakse paying 200 million Rupees to the terrorists.  It is the same story . Sling mud and say HORA,HORA.

That is what Ranil studied for one year in America, but no one in Sri Lanka swallows those ropes of his.  He is trying to invent another story of  the murder of Thajudeen to find out whether he could smear Rajapakses with that story.

Time is up Ranil.  Your days are numbered.  It is time you prepare for the 30the election defeat.

Ranil denied that there is no proposal to make any one  pay a tax for water, but a cabinet paper has been prepared  on a proposal by Rauf Hakeem to set up a River Basin Managing Authority, where every one including the Farmers will have to pay a Taxe for using water.

 There is also a proposal to handover public Hospitals to a Private Company where people have no more free medical services,  and they will have to pay even to remove dead body from a hospital.

Colombo District UNP candidate and economist Dr Harsha de Silva yesterday said that a sharp increase in state tax revenue should be a priority to the next administration elected at the August 17 parliamentary polls.(The Sunday Island)

This is what it would be under a future capitalist UNP Government . The people are therefore pre- warned what the Wenasa” (change ) would be after 18 August, if UNP would come back to power.

As the month-long campaign for the August 17 Sri Lankan parliamentary elections closed this weekend, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned of a constitutional logjam if Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes Prime Minister.No Prime  Minister can take the country forward while being at loggerheads with the President,” Wickremesinghe said, alluding to the on-going public spat between his rival, former President Rajapaksa, and the incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena.  (India Express)”

Wrong again. This is good for people who knows nothing of world politic. In France the Republican Prime Minister Jacques Chirac got along very well with the Socialist President Francois Mitterrand.  There was no constitutional logjam.  They had political difference but they did not let France suffer because of that.

But it has become evident to very close observers that, there are some things really wrong in the heads” of President Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe. President Sirisena shows  anxiety and fear over a likely win of Mahinda Rajapakse, which is becoming more and more evident as days pass by.

The first sign of it was  President Sirisena’s first warning that Mahinda Rajapakse will not be made the Prime Minister even if he were to win.  The second was the long letter addressed directly to Mahind Rajapakse.  The last was when he addressed the Committee to hold free and fair election.

All those addresses and the letter show confusion in President Sirisena’s mind almost a psychological anxiety disorder.

The worst of it came yesterday with the sacking of the Secretary Generals of SLFP and UPFA and appointing two new Secretaries. It is certainly a sign of a serious mental problem. President Sirisena is  frightened of loosing his importance with the coming of some one with a greater popularity and a commanding personality, who stands tall and high amoung  the people, making the other a mere Lilliputian, with no personality or stature.

Any way all these  surprises by  both the President Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe  will only redouble Mahind Rajapakse’s popularity amoung the people., making them all vote for the Betel Leaf.

In the mean time the most ridiculous couple to usurp the political scene Champika Ranawaka and  Anura Kumara Dissanayake are moving to remove both the MP and the civic rights of Mahinda Rajapakse

It is exceptional seeing that man Mahinda Rajapakse at close quarters.  He is a remarkable man, extremely gentle and pleasant with a broad smile brightening his face.  Seeing him one could imagine the Maha  Sinhala Yodayo of the South who fought Elara the Cholan King. Seeing his regal figure one cannot help wonder whether Mahinda Rajapakse is perhaps a re-incarnation of King Dutugemunu.

Mahinda Rajapakse  is certainly not a cowered like Champika Ranawaka and  Anura Kumara Dissanayake  singing hosannas to President Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasingh to keep their political places,  one as a Minister, the other hoping to become the leader of the Opposition.  Champika Ranawaka cannot  even be compared to the good Tamil King Elara, but both can be reincarnations  of the cruel Tamil Kalinga Magah who terrorised the Sinhala for 21 years..

Mahinda Rajapaksa is not the sort of man who will pay money to Prabhakaran or any one else  to keep him and his family safe. Mahinda Rajapakse is the one and only Sinhala Political Leader who risked his life and the life of his family to save the country from the terrorist and deliver the people Sinhala, Tamil and Muslims from terrorism and gave them peace and security.

When the moon is bright and full in the sky the dogs bark.  This is  how they have barked to the unreachable greatness of Mabhinda Rajapakse

United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) General Secretary and Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka addressing a press briefing last Tuesday said that the former President would lose not only his MP post but also his civic rights for violation of the Clause No: 157 of the Constitution.He said the Constitution clearly says that aiding and abetting a terrorist outfit is an offense that could result in the loss of civic rights for seven years. The former president Mahinda Rajapaksa would be stripped of his civic rights if he was found guilty of misappropriating Tsunami funds and funding the LTTE which fought for separatism,” the Minister added.These sentiments were echoed by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka almost three weeks ago in an exclusive interview with The Nation. The JVP leader said that the allegations on funding the LTTE through the Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) headed by former MP Tiran Alles will be investigated, regardless of who comes to power.”

Geethanjana
දේශය බෙදී වෙන්වීම වලකාලිය හැකි, රට දේශීය හා විදේශීය කුමන්ත්‍රණ කරුවන්ගෙන් බේරාගත හැකි ජාතික නායකයා වන මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මැතිතුමාට චන්දය දෙන්න!!

in Featured, LNW SPY August 16, 2015

Shenali D Waduge

We have approached the most decisive election in the history of post-independence Sri Lanka. It will decide the future of Sri Lanka, the continuation or elimination of a 2600 Buddhist history and the ethnic demography of our country. With each year since 1505 the enemy has made incremental changes each time biting into traditional spaces and claiming joint status using nomenclatures like ‘multiculturalism’ ‘multifaith’ and these imperial objectives of the West co-championed with the Church is camouflaged by the political notion of democracy and pushed via Western created United Nations. At the receiving end is Buddhism and the patriotic forces led by the nationalists and the armed forces all from the South of Sri Lanka. They committed their lives in blood and sweat to save their nation from foreign invasions/occupations and now it is upto us fellow countrymen to not allow their blood and sweat to go in vain by handing over our nation meekly to the enemy.

Our choice is simple. Do we decide on a leader who has proven by his past actions of being able to question and challenge foreign bullying or a party that has followed a policy on ‘unwinnable war’ and appeasement and ever ready to fall at the feet of the Western capitalist apparatus where our future would mean privatization, tax burdens and foreign occupation. Do we want our nation to turn into a South Korea or have our independence subjugated as Hawaii, is what our countrymen need to think minutes before they cast their vote!

Practicing a religion/ Converting a nation is two different things

Every citizen is allowed to practice their personal religion without any discrimination but it is when the institutions of some religions engage in a diabolical agenda of converting using ugly practices that the majority Sinhalese object and have every right to object. If the conversion and Christianizing agenda was allowed to prevail without opposition the entire country would be on its way to what South Korea has become in less than 60 years. From a majority Buddhist nation South Korea today is an Evangelical preaching nation. It is wrong and immoral for country’s to fund such religious change. When it is pointed out the messenger becomes subject to a terrain of attacks and the message is nicely buried. We know the tactic too well.

No sooner an unelected Opposition Leader was declared Prime Minister his manifesto states an inclusion of a Christian ministry and all the Christian churches have been brought under an umbrella to make obvious the plan for Sri Lanka. Is it wrong for us to point this out and object. These plans have nothing to do with people themselves changing by conviction but by a well programmed initiative to move people away from a compassionate scientifically proven Theravada Buddhist leaning towards liberal West and its Christian dogma and capitalist systems which makes it easier for the West to control the new converted foot soldiers who are more loyal than the Western natural born Christians. Once these Asians/Africans are converted they are the shield and the men who are used to destabalize a country for the Church as an institute is able to wield enormous control over the minds of these people very Sunday and through a very powerful network at play.

What needs to be understood is that the opposition is not against people practicing their personal faiths but when the religious Institute is politically used to undermine the politics of the nation and steer public away from protecting their nation. These underhand conversion efforts do not give any right for the heads of these institutes to pretend to us that they are peace loving because under their veiled niceties is a bigger objective masqueraded by words and good deeds.

What minorities must accept

The other fact that needs to be acknowledged and accepted is that every time the country’s sovereignty was at risk it was not the minorities but the majority who came forward to defend the nation. In fact historically there is proof that the Tamils and Muslims sided with the enemy Portuguese, Dutch and the British alongside a handful of local Sinhalese traitors too. Just as in the past these Sinhala traitors are easily identifiable and they are rejects of society. They have no place of credibility amongst the masses except feel proud servants in the cocktail circuits of the foreign company they keep until they find better servants to pay and get the job done.

Minorities should also not feel offended when the truth is reminded to them. Hard as it may be to swallow it must always be accepted that apart from a handful of Tamils we have yet to see the Tamils coming forward to denounce the TNA’s separatist manifestos, claims for homeland, notions of self-determination etc. We initially thought that the LTTE prevented them from voicing their views openly, now with Prabakaran dead and a handful of former LTTE cadres yet fearful of showing heir might openly, we are still to see the Tamils denounce TNA or the LTTE fronts.

Similar situation prevails amongst the Muslims Again only a handful of Muslims come forward to denounce separatist politicians like Hakeem, Bathurdeen, Azad Salley etc while most are silent though many have tried to showcase the difference in Islam and Wahhabi Islam and the manner Muslims are likely to be made the next sacrificial lambs by the UNP/Ranil at the behest of the West. We have been quick to realize that the War on Terror is nothing but a means to destroy Muslims and take over the resources in the Middle East and control the trade lanes. Nevertheless, again the messengers are ridiculed and chided and the message is conveniently forgotten. Now with UNP inviting Tony Blair, a war criminal and murderer as guest, probably paying his holiday too we can well predict the next theatre of war and this time the Muslims are to be sacrificed.

In such a scenario we need to have a strong leader, we need to realize that it is Buddhism the religion of the majority that has always protected the nation, the nationalists and the armed forces that have defended Sri Lanka in the past and will defend the country in the future as well. It is realizing the defense lines that the West is slowly trying to demean and devalue them amongst the public.

Theravada Buddhism is the West’s greatest enemy. They can destroy the men wearing robes but that pristine religion cannot be destroyed. It is the only religion that is scientifically proven and not based on myths, hypes and fairy tales. This is why some men in robes are often targeted by tapping into their inner weaknesses. The Buddhists of Sri Lanka do not worship the man, or even the robe it is the religion that holds our power and that cannot be destroyed by arms and ammunition the West must realize.

The armed forces have been next targets using UN resolutions again ridiculing them and carrying out a global campaign to tarnish them. Every army will have a soldier that does not fall in line. That does not make the armed forces any less patriotic or give us any reason to be less proud of them. We continue to honor their sacrifice and we will not forget the price they paid with their lives to give us a tomorrow without LTTE terrorism bombs, suicide missions and fright.

The nationalists – are the next saviors of this country. The NGOs/INGOs and their local partners are given accolades, awards distributed amongst the same culprits each year honouring themselves for carrying out the Wests agenda. They are nothing but paid employees used to advance the will of the West and the objectives of the imperialists. Nationalists are not paid, they cant be bought over and they have the vision to see the future. They know the plans in store and they provide the people early warning signs and it is for the people to realize these warnings and pay heed.

The media also in control of the West and another employed lot of people will write according to what their employer’s orders them. Invariably they always distract the people’s patriotism away from feeling a sense of personal duty to ensure the country is safeguarded from imperialists and parties out to destroy the nation and take over assets that belong to our people.

This election is not about taking trivial things into consideration and voting based on these.

This election is about voting for a leader who can lead the nation not a leader who is led by other nations.

This election is about voting for a leader who now needs to undo the colossal damage done to the nation in the past 8 months.

This election is for people to realize that despite the irregularities, illegalities and unconstitutionalities taking place none of the very people international and local came forward to object against them

• Did those who objected against the 18^th amendment object to the Opposition Leader (RanilW) being appointed as PM when the sitting PM had not been sacked?
• Did those who objected to the removal of CJ Shirani B object to why CJ Mohan Pieris was removed without even following any due process?
• Did those who objected to good governance say anything against the Central Bank bond scam?

• Did those that preach democracy not question why a President should come on national television and say a candidate will not win and that he is not supporting that candidate and then days before the election write a 5 page letter saying that candidate will not be named Prime Minister. Where are those people who sleep with, eat and wake up to democracy??? Why have they not officially said a word against this unfairness? Whoever the candidate is, it is totally wrong for a candidate to be victimized like this. Even if this had been done to RanilW we would have also objected to this but why are these liberal West democratic preachers and their local stooges not doing the same?

With every year Sri Lanka has lost its traditional heritage, history, historical places and these incremental wins will with time lead Sri Lanka to become another South Korea, Haiti, Indonesia, Hawaii Maldives, Nepal – all nations that have been either Evangelized or Islamized.

Sri Lankans must be aware of these last defense lines and ensure that these are protected because no sooner these obstacles are removed the country is open for all the dogs, cats and vultures to enter and devour our people.

The citizens of Sri Lanka whether they are minority or majority must also realize that those that represent these defense lines will always ensure they are protected and will always stand for their protection at all times. It is therefore imperative that the citizens of Sri Lanka acknowledge who defends the country and bestows respect and help protect them too.

Shenali D Waduge

 http://indiafacts.co.in/why-christianity-poses-a-clear-threat-to-india/

 http://www.culturalsurvival.org/ourpublications/csq/article/hawaiian-sovereignty

 http://mondoweiss.net/2014/04/speech-dangerous-muslim#sthash.ltbbedDr.dpuf

 http://unethicalconversionwatch.org/unethical-conversions-4/tactics-strategies/

 https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/08/05/christianizing-of-sri-lanka-unps-betrayal-of-buddhism/

By Rohana R. Wasala

Where national leadership is concerned, Mahinda Rajapaksa is a diamond; he may be a slightly flawed diamond, but he is the only diamond we have. The bitter lessons he has learned will help him to change himself into a polished gem of enhanced value. (These ideas are entirely my personal opinions. Readers need not accept them without first critically examining them. I wrote this essay because I love my motherland [i.e., my people of all ethnicities]. I am not personally acquainted with any politician that I support or oppose here; I have never even seen any of them in person, and don’t expect to know them personally in the future. If you don’t agree with my views, please forget about them.)

Patriotic Sri Lankans of all political colours and creeds will recognize the indisputable fact that the general election scheduled for August 17 will be decisive for the future of the country as never before. There is no such unanimity of opinion about the alleged ‘change’ that was won or wangled by challengers of the then incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa in the January 8 election. Some assert that it was a revolution; some others agree with that assertion, but call it a palace revolution, as boastingly admitted in a TV interview by a self-congratulating key figure involved in the plot. But the signs are that the majority of Sri Lankans, including those who supported Mahinda’s ouster in January, are gravely concerned about the future of our motherland.

While there were no allegations about the free and fair manner the elections were held then, the inordinate interest taken by foreign elements in producing an anti-Rajapaksa result in that election did not make for a plausible representation of the public will. It is absurd to be required to believe that meddling outsiders are more concerned about resolving our internal problems than we ourselves are. This time, however, the electors will be relatively free from the mala fide attention of those unwelcome nosy parkers. So there is a better chance for the voice of the people to be heard more loudly and more clearly. Then, the electorate were confused, because few thought that the popular Mr Rajapaksa who had performed well both on the national security front and in the economic development field would lose to an upstart subordinate from his own party. In contrast, on this occasion, they have a clear choice to make between the two most prominent personalities and the two most  powerful parties found on the scene today to form the next government under the Sirisena presidency which is a fait accompli. Since, according to the revised constitution, important executive powers are vested in the prime minister, the election of one of the two main contenders for the post is where the public attention is naturally focused.  No more antithetical a pair than these two leaders and these two parties can be found in the Sri Lankan political arena at the moment, which will make the choice easy despite misleading propaganda. But again, a low turnout of voters due to a possible bout of ‘election fatigue’ and bovine ignorance and indifference on the part of some voters (to whom it matters most) might lead to a nationally unfavorable outcome.

Mr  Rajapaksa’s personal charisma and his proven track record as a leader largely account for his   still undiminished popularity, especially among the mature Sri Lankan electorate, even in the face of long sustained, but utterly unjustified, attacks on his reputation and the turbid stream of personal abuse spouted at him by his detractors. The very fact that his opponents found no really valid reasons to attack him other than alleged corruption, nepotism, and a streak of authoritarianism in his style of ruling goes to prove that they are unable to pick holes in his politics. Mere allegations may be useful as a weapon in an election in a country where the voters are not sufficiently well informed and are without a critical sense, but not in Sri Lanka. In the case of most average Sri Lankan voters, both these attributes – political awareness and critical discrimination – have been reinforced by long experience in electoral politics and culturally acquired wisdom.  Mr  Rajapaksa’s undeniable success as president during two terms earned him the envy of his rivals. But he should know that All who have taken it upon themselves to rule over others have incurred hatred and unpopularity for a time; but if one has a great aim to pursue, this burden of envy must be accepted, and it is wise to accept it”; these wise words were uttered by Pericles (495-429 BCE), the legendary ruler of the Athenian city state during its Golden Age, with which his name was synonymous, for  Pericles was a great statesman, public orator, military leader, and a promoter of democracy and culture.

Mahinda’s two main antagonists (Chandrika and Ranil) cannot help feeling diminished before him in this respect. He and they have nothing in common between them except their chronological age; in all other respects Mahinda is ahead of them by a mile. And the contrasts are sharp. In managing interpersonal relations, he is always friendly and cheerful; he is rarely glum and overbearing. He never talks insultingly about his opponents, though he may criticize them on reasonable grounds. The roiling malice that the other two invariably spew when they speak about Mahinda has failed to provoke a matching response from him. The recent claim by  Mr Tilvin Silva of the JVP that Mahinda is slinging mud at him is the funniest joke I’ve heard in this election campaign!

Addressing newspaper editors and other media personnel at a news conference in the Hilton Colombo Residences hotel, Union Place, Colombo on August 9, a confident Mr Rajapaksa said, among other things, that the investigation of alleged corruption cases must be carried out in a lawful manner, but that it should not be turned into a witch hunt. Queried about Ranil’s claim that Mahinda had bribed Prabhakaran in 2005 so he could win the presidential election, the former president asked in reply, if that was the case, how it came to pass that the terror leader was defeated within three or four years of that alleged deal; besides, he said, he was in parliament throughout that period of LTTE terror, and he knew well what happened to all the (Sri Lankan government) leaders who tried to have close dealings with Prabhakaran; so he was careful not to resort to the same approach. He warned them (the LTTE): Don’t start (any trouble); I will put an end to it”. However, he added, he offered them a chance to negotiate; but finally he was forced (by their intransigence) to go for a military response (against their terror). In this news briefing, he admitted that there were some shortcomings committed by him as a pratujjana (a worldling, a fallible ordinary human being); but he insisted that he never regretted his political decisions and actions, which were correct. But before going further, I’ll try to give the reader a sense of perspective, which might help them to respond critically to this my personal point of view about the evident ascendance of the Mahinda star in the local political firmament at this critical juncture.

Personal attacks based on unsubstantiated allegations of corruption, nepotism and cronyism, and a dictatorial tendency shown in ruling have been the mainstay of anti-Rajapaksa propaganda. Mahinda has already answered most of these criticisms with his accustomed patience, humility, and sense of humour on numerous occasions including in his recent campaign speeches, in the media conference referred to above, in the Ada Derana interview (10^th Monday night), and in the interview with The Island political analyst C.A. Chandraprema published today (12^th Wednesday). The yahapalana slogan has proved to be just another empty shibboleth like the Dharmishta Samajaya of the J.R. Jayawardane presidency (1978-89). The conduct of those who formed a government headed by an unelected prime minister after the January 8 election has been so contradictory to the touted good governance principles that it has led the opposition to raise the same allegations against them with really valid supportive evidence.

It is difficult to think that the vast majority of the population are ready to let foreigners decide their future through enforced regime changes. All patriotic Sri Lankans are bound to accept as prime minister the principal candidate of the party that wins the most number of seats or that can establish a workable majority in parliament in alliance with other parties. Forming a national government with parties that want to put an end to the unitary status of the country through federalism or the creation of another (separate) state within Sri Lanka  is inconceivable for either of the two major national parties (the UNP and the SLFP) which represent all communities. Federation and separation are non-starters unless imposed from outside. I don’t want to go into details, but it should be remembered that there is not a single internal or external factor that justifies the dismantling of the unitary character of the Sri Lankan state. The Sinhalese account for 75% of the population. More than half of the Tamil and the Muslim communities, though they form the majorities in the northern and the eastern provinces respectively, live among the Sinhalese in the south. All three communities are spread right across the island, with uneven distribution, of course. Creation of ethnic enclaves will not be much of a problem initially for the two minorities, but it will be a disaster for the majority community, and a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions for all.

Throughout the nearly five hundred years of European intrusion in Sri Lanka, the majority Sinhalese, except for the few collaborators among them who betrayed their motherland to the foreign occupiers for privileges, were always hostile to them. They shed blood in the name of the independence and security of the country. But they always allowed the minorities to live in peace and harmony with them. Ours is perhaps the only country in the world that has had a harmonious multicultural society for thousands of years before the concept of multiculturalism was invented in western countries in the latter half of the last century. It was due to the tolerant accommodating religious values inherent in Buddhism and Hinduism. Westerners are already lamenting that multiculturalism is failing in their societies. Tendency towards xenophobic exclusivity bred by rigidly dogmatic religious traditions may be a contributory factor of that failure.

The agitation by the Sinhalese in some form or other against foreign imperial rule never ceased during the whole of that half millennium. It continued from the very inception of the last phase of European occupation.  And it lasted until the middle of the twentieth century. Many armed rebellions by our patriotic ancestors including the better known ones like the 1818 and 1848 uprisings against the occupiers offered heroic resistance to them, though these legitimate liberation struggles were ruthlessly put down by the superior arms of the invaders. Later, the nation was inspired by leaders such as Anagarika Dharmapala and Walisinha Harischandra who perpetuated the tradition of rightful resistance to political and cultural colonization of the people of Ceylon (Sinhale, as Sri Lanka was known then) by foreigners. It was by later leaders who followed their example that freedom from bondage was finally achieved in 1948.  The privileged class generally opposed the emancipation of the downtrodden masses. They opposed the introduction of universal franchise, free education for them, change of the medium of instruction from English to Sinhala and Tamil, and making English available to children from dispossessed classes. The young people today don’t know these things. That is not their fault. There’s so much modern knowledge to keep abreast of that there is little time to learn about the past; and education is being subjected to political correctness. There must be proper reforms to address these problems.

Under colonial rule, generally, the minorities had been given preferential treatment. The Sinhalese were always discriminated against. Some minority leaders and some leaders among the Sinhalese elite did not want freedom from British rule, because they thought that they would lose the special advantages they enjoyed under it, in case a parliamentary system of government was introduced and the common people came to rule over them. The important Tamil minority leaders were not ready to trust the Sinhalese majority to be fair to them in wielding power after the departure of the British. They wanted the departing British rulers to establish that 50% of the parliamentary seats be allocated for the Sinhalese majority and the other 50% be reserved for all minority ethnic groups together. This demand put forward by Mr G.G. Ponnambalam, a prominent Tamil leader, and a member of the State Council at the time (1947), was flatly rejected by the British governor general Lord Soulbury who ridiculed the proposal as a mockery of democracy”. All executive government leaders from the very beginning of independent governance in Sri Lanka did their maximum to reach out to the minorities and included their representatives in government as a matter of course. However, the initial reluctance of certain Tamil leaders to share power with the majority community on an equal footing turned into a so-called ‘aspiration’ for a separate state soon after independence. They hardly participated in the important changes that Sri Lanka achieved in 1956, 1972, and 1978. However, we have never had an exclusively ‘Sinhalese’ government even during the time that the country was worst hit by separatist terrorism.

Unlike the LTTE, the JVP revolutionary movement was not an interethnic struggle. Only young Sinhalese were involved in both of its disastrously abortive attempts (1971 and 1988-1990) at capturing state power over the whole country through armed rebellion. No Tamils took part in it, and no Tamils were harmed. Over 60,000 young Sinhalese insurgents of both sexes laid down their  lives in fighting for the unrealistic, unattainable ambitions of their leaders in the second instance alone that occurred during a previous UNP regime. No international human rights agency cared to speak on behalf of the JVP that was being ruthlessly suppressed then. It was Mahinda Rajapaksa, then an opposition MP, who worked to raise a voice about them and even went to Geneva to try to draw the attention of the world to the human rights violations that were taking place in Sri Lanka at that time.

We must also remember that the pioneer leaders of the JVP including Rohana Wijeweera had been initially mentored by Mr Nagalingam Shanmugathasan from Manipay, Jaffna. A lawyer by training he was one of the few patriotic Tamil politicians at the national level we have had; a trade unionist and a Maoist revolutionary, he was general secretary of the Ceylon Communist Party (Peking wing) in the 1960’s. Mr Lakshman Kadirgamar whose 10^th death anniversary falls today (August 12) was another much loved Tamil politician of national standing. This great son of Sri Lanka is being remembered in an excellent editorial in The Island today.  He was sidelined by the then president Chandrka (who had been romantically deluded about the malleability of Tamil terrorists). Mr Kadirgamar was assassinated by the LTTE a few months later.

Both Mr Shanmugathasan and Mr Kadirgamar were patriots; they were Sri Lankan nationalists. They were not racists. Despite differences between their political ideologies, their commitment to the common good of all citizens of our motherland was evident. No doubt, they were inspired by nationalist politicians such as Mr D.S. Senanayake and Mr C.W.W. Kannangara, rather than by Tamil racist politicians like Mr G.G. Ponnambalam and Mr S.J.V. Chelvanayagam. Even Mr S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was not a racist. To propose changes to government policies that had disadvantaged the majority of the citizenship for many decades of foreign domination, but that had given undue privileges to an infinitesimal minority (of diverse ethnicity), is not racism. The dethronement of English and restoration of national languages to their due place of prominence benefited the dispossessed majority of all Sri Lankans. Some Tamil racist politicians opposed these changes because of their own divisive political ambitions.

All previous leaders of the UNP and the SLFP were nationalists, but not racists. The same can be said only about one of the three present leaders of these parties mentioned above: that is, Mahinda. The other two represent a deracinated minority which has no national identity or affiliation. They only look up to the West, while looking down upon the nationalists, condemning them as racists, chauvinists, and fanatics. They ignore the threats to national security that concerned citizens point out to them. Instead, they want to destroy on insubstantial grounds the only national politician who can provide the necessary leadership to the whole country at this critical hour.

Before concluding, I must say something about the youth vote and the JVP. Just before the January election, I had the opportunity to ask some youngsters from Sri Lanka what their opinion was about the presidential candidates. They were unanimous in condemning Mr Rajapaksa for all the corruption and other charges he was being accused of in Facebook gossip. I asked them whether they consulted any other more authoritative source of information about the subject. They didn’t need any, it seemed. This trend was reflected back in Sri Lanka: the youth vote was thought to have gone against the then incumbent. Ironically, it was he who had done much to spread IT education to the villages through the Nanasalas (Centres of Knowledge). Of course, they appeared less sentimentally attached to any particular politician than their parents, and that’s not a bad thing, provided that their decision was based on some acceptable rationale. I think this ripple of anti-establishmentarianism is a welcome sign. Yet it is good to remember that it means nothing to be born in an age of ‘information explosion’ unless young people make that information instrumental in creating happiness for one and all in the society.

In our time, information communication technology was only a steadily widening rivulet, but we managed to get immersed in it. As a result we were somewhat better informed about things than our parents. For example, about domestic politics, world culture, science and technology, space travel, Uri Gagarin the Russian astronaut, Cassius Clay (Later Mohamed Ali) the American boxer, transistors, South African heart transplant surgeon Christiaan Barnard, landing on the moon, etc. We looked forward to exciting times. Beatles, the popular British rock band came during the youth movement known as the Youthquake in Europe in which teenagers played the dominant role in revolutionizing fashion, music, and culture. Today, the information world is a boundless ocean, and most people including the young seem to be satisfied picking up pebbles on the beach, which is not a thing to be happy about.

In Sri Lanka, young people over 18 were given the voting right in the mid-60’s, I think. I voted at a general election for the first time in 1970. The 1970’s decade was probably the most eventful period in post-independence Sri Lanka, that is, in terms of real ‘change’, politically and economically speaking: a left coalition led by the nationalist SLFP under Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike came to power through a landslide electoral victory (1970). However, only a few months after Mrs Bandaranaike formed her government, the JVP launched its first abortive attempt to topple it (1971). The government’s response to the youth revolt helped shape in some measure the republican constitution of 1972, which removed the last vestiges of foreign monarchical rule such as the institution of ‘governor general’ representing the nominal head of the United Kingdom (Britain). Under the new republican system, the post of governor general was replaced with that of president, but the executive powers were vested in the prime minister. Then the UNP led by Mr J.R. Jayawardane defeated Mrs Bandaranaike’s government getting a five sixths majority in parliament and he changed the constitution bringing in the executive presidential system; he also introduced the free market economy model, and initiated substantial development work such as the Mahaveli scheme. Mr Jayawardane released Rohana Wijeweera who had been jailed by the previous government of Mrs Bandaranaike, and seemed to use him to attack her. (Is the JVP being subjected to the same treatment today?) The JVP made a second failed attempt to grab power in 1988-90, but was decimated as a rebel force. They gave up armed struggle as a strategy and entered the main democratic stream in 1994. Over the past two decades the party formed coalitions with both the main parties at different times, but left them disillusioned. Now the chances are that the JVP may emerge as the most powerful third national party in the country, if the leaders use their foresight and hindsight properly.

But its current strategy of attacking both the SLFP and the UNP seems to suggest that they hope that the people will reject those parties in a future election and give them (the JVP) a mandate to rule. But that is waiting until the masses get really fed up with both of those parties through their wrong policies. It reminds one of the story about the jackal that patiently followed a fat goat earnestly hoping that a certain pendent part of its anatomy would fall off suddenly so he could eat it. That is a bad strategy. The JVP cannot win by itself. No alliance with the UNP is possible for them. The best option for the JVP is to tone down its criticism of Mahinda, hoping to join forces with him to defeat the antinational schemes now taking shape. The disillusioned youth of the country have begun to look for an alternative leadership. The JVP can fill the vacancy if they are patient enough to work with Mahinda for the time being. A previous alliance with the SLFP did not allow the JVP to work freely and realize its ideals; but that was under a different SLFP leadership and in different circumstances. It is a reformed Mahinda they will have to cooperate with as an initial step towards the top.

Where national leadership is concerned, Mahinda Rajapaksa is a diamond; he may be a slightly flawed diamond, but he is the only diamond we have. The bitter lessons he has learned will help him to change himself into a polished gem of enhanced value. (These ideas are entirely my personal opinions. Readers need not accept them without first critically examining them. I wrote this essay because I love my motherland [i.e., my people of all ethnicities]. I am not personally acquainted with any politician that I support or oppose here; I have never even seen any of them in person, and don’t expect to know them personally in the future. If you don’t agree with my views, please forget about them.)

Concluded

ධර්මසිරි සෙනෙවිරත්න

ඇමරිකාවේ සහ එංගලන්තයේ ජීවත් වෙන එජාපයට ගැතිකම් කරන  කීපදෙනෙක්  ලංකාවේ සංචාරය කර  දින කීපයකට පෙර  ආපසු තම රටවල් වලට පැමිණ  රහසේ කසුකසු ගාමින් කතාකල දේවල් ටිකක් ඊයේ මට දන ගන්නට ලැබුනේ අහම්බෙනි . මේ රහස් කතා  වල යෙදුනවුන්ගේ  මුහුණු වල දැකගන්නට  ලැබුනේ වික්ෂිප්ත භාවයකි තැති ගැන්මකි  අන්දුන්කුන්දුන් ස්වභාවයකි.
                                           සිංහල බෞද්ධයන් මහින්ද වටා  පෙළගැසෙන අයුරුඋන්ට  අදහා ගන්නට වත් බැරි බවඔවුහු පැවසුවේ තරහෙන් පුපුරමිනි  එසේ පෙළ ගැසෙන මිනිසුන්  කන්දරාව දුටු සැනින් එන පොට හොඳ නැති බව දනී චන්දෙට ඔන්න මෙන්න තියා උන් ලංකාවෙන් පිටවී ඇත්තේ  මහින්දගේ ජග්‍රහණයෙන් පසුව තමන්ට ආරක්ෂාවක් නැතිවෙයය් බියෙනි . එකෙක් පැවසූ පරිදි අනිවාර්යයෙන් මහින්දට ආසන  115 ලැබේ ඊට එහා මිස මෙහා නොවන බව තමය අනෙක් අයගේ අදහස වුයේ . මේ කල්ලිය පිටරටවල  තමන් ඉහල පෙලේ  රැකියාවල් කරන බවත්  සමහරු ලෝකව්‍යාප්ත සමාගම්වල මුල්‍ය විශ්ලේෂකයන් බවත් අඟවමින්  රනිල්ගේ මහා බැංකු වන්චාවටද සුදු හුණු ගාන්නට ගොස්  සමහර ලාංකිකයන්ගෙන් ලුනුඅම්බුල් ඇතිව   කුණුහරප අසා   අකුලා ගෙන ඇත . එකෙක් මෙසේ කීවේය ” යකෝ ලංකාවේ දැන් ඉන්න  ගමේ බය්යාලත් දන්නවනේ බැංකු කොල්ලයේ සුලමුල උන්ව රවට්ටන්න අපි ඉගෙන ගත් ත  මදි ‘

                                                                       මේ කල්ලියේ සමහරු විදේශ තානාපති කාර්යාල වලටත් සම්බන්ධඅ  යය්  සමහර විට උන්ගේ ගුවන් ටිකට් පවා  නොමිලේ ලැබෙන්න ඇති  මට හරියටම ඒගැන හෝඩුවාවක් ලැබුනේ නැහැ  හැබය් දෙන්නෙක්ම  ක්‍රිස්තියානි  අන්තවාදී  සංවිධානවලට සම්බන්ධ බව දැනුනේ බෞද්ධයන්ට රටේ ඇති තැන නැතිකිරීමට  තමන්ගේ සංවිධාන ගන්නා උත්සාහයට    මහින්ද නිසා බාධාවක් වෙන බව  ට කියූ අන්දෝ නා නිසාය. රනිල් බල යට ගෙන එන්න උන් උත්සාහ ගන්නේ  රනිල් ලවා ඒටික කරවා ගත හැකි නිසා බව  උන්ගේ කතාවලින් පැහැදිලිවිය .

                                                      මෙනිසා  මහින්ද ජය ගත්තත්  කොටි ප්‍රකෝටි ගණනින් මුදල් බෙදාදී හෝ මන්ත්‍රීවරු සල්ලි වලට ගැනීමට දැන් සැලසුම් කරගෙන යන බවත්  මේ අවස්ථාවේ  රනිල් බලයට පත් කිරීමට ඉන්දියාවේ පාලකයන්ද  නොමසුරුව මුදල් වියදම් කරන බවත්  උන්ගේ සාකච්චාවේදී හෙළිවිය ..මෙයින්  එකෙක් වික්‍රමබාහු ගැනත් කතා කලේ මිනිහා අපට හරි ලොකු උදව්වක්  කියමිනි . දෙමළුන්ට උතුරත් නැගෙනහිරත්  පූර්ණ බලතල සමග දුන්නොත් ලංකාවට ඉන්දියාවෙන් සහ බටහිර රටවලින් නොමසුරු ආධාර ලැබෙන නිසා  බය නැතිව රනිල්ට ආණ්ඩු කරගෙන යාමට ඉඩ ලැbobබෙන බවත් එහෙම වුනාම තමන්ටත් ආණ්ඩුවේ ලොකු ලොකු තනතුරු වරප්‍රසාද ලබාගත් හැකි බවත් උන්ගේ   අදහසය .’
 
 තවත් දිගට කතාව ගියත් ඒවා මට ඇහුනේ නැත .මේවාට මම කන් ඳුන්නෙත් ළඟ ඉඳගෙන නොවේ  මුන් භයානක  මිනිස්සුය
හෙළිකරන්නේ රටට ඇති ආදරේ නිසාය  සිංහලයන් විනාශ කිරීමට  දෙමළුන් ලංකාවට ගෙනා උන්ට අවශ්‍ය වී ඇත ..

                                                 ””’  බලු අඩියට සෙනග හත ගානේ ”””  මහින්ද වටා මිනිස්සු රොක්වෙන විට  මේ පරයෝ අටත් දමා දුවයන්නේ පන බයේය  එනිසා  සිංහල බෞද්ධයෝ වත් මේ අවස්ථාවේ  එකා වන්ව  මහින්ද දිනවා මේ මුසල හතුරන්ගෙන් රට බේරා ගැනීමට   17 වෙනිදා සුදානම් විය යුතය . ඔබේ මුතුමිත්තෝ 1818ත් 1848ත්  සටන්කලේ  ඔබවෙනුවෙනි ගැමුණු විජය බා  පැරකුම්  රජවරු සටන්කර රැකදුන් රට මේ අවස්ථාවේ  රනිල් වැනි  හොරෙකුට මිනීමරුවෙකුට   දුන්නොත්  ඔබේ අනාගත පරපුර  කිතුනු හින්දු හෝ මුස්ලිම්  මිස සිංහල බෞද්ධ නම් නොවෙන බව සහසුද්දෙන්ම කිව හැක  ..

                                                 ඔබ නොදන්නා දේ පිටරට සිටින දේශ ප්රෙමීන්ට  දන ගැනීමට  නොයෙක් අවස්ථා ලැබේ  .මේ එක අවස්ථාවකි   වාසනනාවට  චන්දෙට දිනකට කලින් හෝ මෙය  මට දන ගන්නට ලැබුනේය  මම මගේ යුතුකම කලෙමි දැන් ඔබ ඔබේ යුතුකම කරන්න  
 සිංහලේ  දිනේවා   .”’  

By Raj Gonsalkorale Courtesy – Asian Tribune –

Whatever one’s view is about the letter President Sirisena, as the President of the SLFP, has written to Mahinda Rajapaksa, the contents of the letter are unambiguously political, and it is bound to favour the UNP and the UNFGG combine as well as other political parties opposed to Mahinda Rajapaksa.

In the interest of democracy and a free and fair election, the Elections Commissioner should instruct the immediate withdrawal of this letter from public circulation as it is not befitting of the President of the country, who took a position that he will not support any political party or combine directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly at this election, to have made this letter a public document on the eve of the general election.

That would be a fair outcome for all concerned.

In the 5 page letter which President Sirisena would have burnt much mid night oil writing it and pouring his vitriol out, he has mentioned once in the dying embers of his political inferno, that he hopes the UPFA will win enough seats to form a government. Although he has made this grudging after thought, there is no doubt in the letter where his preference is and who he would want to have as the government and the Prime Minister although he is the President of the SLFP and the Chairman of the UPFA.

He is basically asking the voters to give the UPFA a majority but not to vote for them because of Mahinda Rajapaksa! He also seems to be saying do not vote for those supported him to be the President, but give them a majority so that he can ask Ranil Wickremasinghe to be the Prime Minister. Confused? No doubt the entire electorate is.

Those who wish to see this latest act surpassing what Brutus did to Caesar, as a principled position, the argument will be that Maithripala Sirisena as the President of the SLFP has written this letter as he is entitled to do so considering Mahinda Rajapaksa is a candidate of the SLFP. However, what is difficult to sustain here is that the President of the SLFP is also expressing an opinion as to what he will do as the President of the country, and also expressing an opinion on something that is hypothetical at the moment, and which can favour a particular political group at the election which is not his group, and which clearly muddies the water as to where he draws the line as the President of the country and President of the SLFP.

If the matter was one of principle, he could have expressed his wish as the President of the SLFP that Mahinda Rajapaksa and all SLFP and UPFA candidates conduct the election campaign free of violence or intimidation and not say or do anything to inflame racial hatred, and to project an image of inclusiveness. He could have a written a similar letter to all political parties as the President of the country.

However, his diatribe is entirely about Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the President of the SLFP and the President of the country (considering his expression as to who he would and would not select as the Prime Minister in the event the UPFA wins an absolute majority in Parliament).

This cannot be regarded as expressing a principled position on the eve of the general election.

Some may feel he has stuck to his principles but many will feel he is now the proverbial Emperor without clothes, totally exposed, and his attack is personal and not on principles. They will also question whether such a person is fit to be the President of a country that boasts of being the cradle of Theravada Buddhism and boasts of a rich cultural heritage spanning more than 2600 years. They will also wonder whether he is the latest in the line of traitors who have sold the country to foreign elements considering that the entire regime change plan, hatched and executed, had the finger prints of a particular powerful foreign government which is well known for the destabilization and destruction they leave behind wherever they have been involved in interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries.

Contrary to what Maithripala Sirisena may have expected from writing and making public this letter, and contrary to what those who would have drafted this letter would have expected, the person who will gain most will be Mahinda Rajapaksa, as Maithripala Sirisena does not command the respect and regard of a majority of people in the country and as he has identified himself with those who have attacked Mahinda Rajapaksa the person, mercilessly, and not given any credit to him, ironically, for giving back the very environment to make these attacks by ending the 30 years scourge that sapped the country’s spirit, its belief in itself, and its wealth.

In a sense this letter is a disservice to those who are opposing Mahinda Rajapaksa and the UPFA, as it is bound to favour the very person and the political combine they are opposing. It is also a letter which is challenging and setting a precedent in regard to how one interprets the peoples mandate at elections. The lingering question will be whether one person should have the power over the mandate of the people, and if so the purpose served by asking for a mandate from the people.

Maithripala Sirisena’s energies should have been directed to making structural changes within the SLFP to prevent a recurrence of everything he accuses Mahinda Rajapaksa of having done during his tenure. While it may have been Mahinda Rajapaksa in the past, it could be Maithripala Sirisena today, and it could be someone else tomorrow who could abuse their positions. Removing Mahinda Rajapaksa does not address the structural weaknesses that allow someone to exploit such weaknesses.

As the President of the country, like taking leadership for the passage of the 19th Amendment and the re-introduction of the independent commissions, Maithripala Sirisena should have devoted his time and energy to address national constitutional weaknesses that impacts negatively on democratic practices. He should also have taken a lead in addressing the national question in regard to issues with the Tamil and Muslim communities. When there is so much to do, and so much he could do to so many people, it is perplexing why he devoted so much energy to destroy one person.

– Asian Tribune –

By Raj Gonsalkorale

“Madness” is a condition of emotional stress, short of insanity, caused by inability to handle mentation, the process of reasoning and thinking”

Those whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad, said ancient Greeks. This is an ancient saying credited to Euripides, the Greek dramatist who lived in the fifth century BC. The background to this ancient saying was that people who become mad, become, to varying degrees, unthinking and unable to act in their own best interests, and that if an individual is driven mad by the powers that be, the authorities, then the collective would become complicit in their own destruction.

There is no direct or indirect reference here to President Sirisena, and no doubt he is very much sane and knows what he is doing. But his recent action in sending former President Mahinda Rajapaksa a 5 page vitriolic letter accusing him without facts or justification, of misdemeanors one could imagine and even what is beyond the pale of one’s imagination, leads one to think everything is not right with the course of action he has taken over the last 24 hours.

Firstly, he waited till the eve of the general election to fire his first missile. This showed he was as bad a political opportunist as the ones he has been accusing of. Of course his methodology is nothing new as he has shown no one can rely on him for what he might do on a day to day basis. After all, he betrayed President Rajapaksa after his last supper with him!

The timing of this action showed President Sirisena was abusing his powers to influence the outcome of the general election. This is unethical and probably unconstitutional as well. Again, he has done what he has accused others of doing in regard to abuse of power.

He has now sacked the two Secretaries of the SLFP and UPFA, and plunged the SLFP and the UPFA into turmoil on the eve of the general election, leaving some to ask the question how a political party that cannot manage itself could manage the country as a government.

In creating this havoc, President Sirisena has demonstrated he would go to any length to defeat his own party and the political combine, the UPFA at the general election, all to prevent one man from becoming the Prime Minister through the will of the people.

President Sirisena has shown he does not care for mandates, except his own and he seems to have preferred to do the bidding of those opposed to the SLFP and the UPFA, rather than be loyal to his own party. So much for loyalty.

If one is to examine a connection if any to what the Greek dramatist is supposed to have coined, President Sirisena is showing some signs that there is unthinking and an inability to act in his own best interests, if one were to assume his best interest is the same as that of his party and the country, and by acting in this strange manner, he is leading his party and his country to destruction as the damage he is doing to the democratic traditions and structure of the country could well be irrevocable.

One cannot imagine how anyone could have confidence in Sri Lanka if its democracy is damaged by its own President. The economic and social consequences will be severe for the country. A country that was freed from 30 years of terrorism and war, and which was on an economic and social renaissance for the last 5 years and up until January 2015, will revert to economic hardships it experienced in the past.

All this because President Sirisena simply could not countenance the possibility of the return to power of the person he beat in January 2015. He could not stomach the possibility that the people could in fact give that mandate to Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Maithripala Sirisena has shown that he loves himself more than the country. Surely, if people decided to vote Mahinda Rajapaksa back to power, why is it that he cannot accept the people’s mandate? Mahinda Rajapaksa will have to face the consequence if a court of law finds him guilty of corrupt activity or any serious misdemeanors is has been accused of. But till that happens he is innocent of all the accusations, and he should have the freedom like any other citizen to stand for election and to hold any office that the constitution allows him to hold. President Sirisena cannot thwart a peoples mandate should Mahinda Rajapaksa get that on the 17^th of August.

President Sirisena is showing increasing signs that he may not be able to cope with the pressures of the Presidency and leadership of the country. One shudders to think what he would have done if he was the President when the final war was fought against the LTTE, and how he would have handled the pressures that Mahinda Rajapaksa had to face during those dark days.

Mr Sirisena will have to give serious thought about his ability to be the President of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan American

The response to this and the follow up action required of the Sri Lanka Government should be high on the agenda.  They should not drop the ball because as Daya Gamage states, this is a matter of Sri Lanka’s integrity and the unprecedented downgrading of it as a country based on the LTTE lobby with deceit.

May be some capable Patriotic Sri Lankans should begin to follow up and do what is necessary to prevail on the Government to follow through.

The Government of Sri Lanka needs to give serious note of the interpretations, determinations and policy declarations of the Government of the United States on the law of war in the Department of Defense’ Law of War Manual to frustrate the efforts of the United States aimed at making Sri Lanka responsible for the deaths of unarmed innocent Tamil civilians killed during the final months of the battle. The State Department’s Office of Global Crimes in two reports made Sri Lanka mainly responsible for those killings while accusing the LTTE of using unarmed civilians as human shield.

Why Sri Lanka needs to bring up this issue a fresh because of the official position adopted by the United States through the DOD Manual. The interpretations, determinations and policy declarations in the Manual clearly absolves Sri Lanka of incidents that occurred during the final months of the battle.

The Government of Sri Lanka should immediately use its diplomatic channels to clear its name with the US Department of State based on the deliberations found in the 1204-page DOD Manual which can be found at http://www.defense.gov/pubs/Law-of-War-Manual-June-2015.pdf.

https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/08/15/u-s-clears-sri-lanka-of-civilian-deaths-faults-tiger-human-shield/

U.S. clears Sri Lanka of civilian deaths: Faults Tiger human shield
Posted on August 15th, 2015

By Daya Gamage – Asian Tribune Media Note

Washington, 14 August (Asiantribune.com):

U.S. Department of Defense – just released June 2015 – Law of War Manual, the authoritative position the Government of the United States takes in war situations in both international and non-international warfare, gives the USG official positions on may situation one of which is connected to ‘Human Shield’ and

PLEASE WATCH THIS BEFORE YOU VOTE TOMORROW. DON’T BE TOO LATE

Chamara Kusumsiri

Dr.Sudath Gunasekara Mahanuwara 16.8.2015.

This will definitely boomerang on Sirisena and seriously affects the results of the Election like a Tsunami.

Once upon a time there was a peacock.  Of course it did not have a beautiful feather as it has today. One day it had to attend a wedding of one of its arch rivals. The purpose of attending the wedding was to avenge his own leader over some trifle issue and win over the birds of its rival group to strengthen his own group. But it had a very big problem. That is the lack of a colourful wedding suit that would outshine all others so that it could win over the followers and relations of his enemy. While the peacock was pondering over this almost impossible task there came an old witch who told the peacock not to worry as there is a bird called Avittiya living far away in the thick jungle, a close friend of her, who has a wonderful suit not worn by any other bird in this world, from whom he could burrow it. She has said that she can get it for him on the condition the she will be appointed as the chief purohita after he becomes the leader. He readily agreed and both of them immediately went to the friend and borrowed the said suit and wearing that the peacock attended the wedding. All kind of birds that had attended the party from all over were so impressed with this new costume, though little unfit to him, thought this is a new kind of bird in front of whom their leader is no leader at all, and decided to be the followers of this new bird deserting their colourless old leader. After coming home that day the next early in the morning as the sun rises in the east started to dance on the compound in front of its peahens. Everyone started dancing and singing. The peacock was so proud of its newly acquired costume,   but of course without realizing that its rear side was all open when it dances, it decided not to return the borrowed suit. From that day onwards it is wearing that suit not realizing ( as it didn’t  have the brain to understand that much) that he will be charged one day for keeping a burrowed suit illicitly belonging to somebody else and put behind bars for life or hanged, depending on the law of the land.

I related this story learnt in the kindergarten to compare the present situation in Sri Lankan politics as to how Sirisena was instigated and hired by Chandrika, the witch in the modern context, to rob the Presidency from Mahinda Rajapaksa on Jan 8. 2015.

Now coming back to the 5 page harangue Maitri rather Vairee letter in the first place I don’t think this was written by him. It is beyond my imagination. As I have been telling all the time My3 is only a cat’s paw used by Chandrikka and Ranil in their joined conspiracy to play their dirty and treacherous trick against the Sinhala nation and the Sambuddha Sasana. I am surprised a Head of a State writing such a foolish letter telling the aspirant PM that he will not appoint him and therefore he wants the aspirant to support him to appoint one out of 7 others whom he has named. Have you ever heard this kind of silly talking in any democratic state in the world? Obviously it is the people who decides as to who should be their leader and the head of the State thereafter only has to perform his constitutional duty by the country. It is simple as that. So why all these last minute letter writing unless he has up his sleeves. More over the Constitution is very clear on that issue.  He should really understand at least now that he should not violate the Constitution of the country any more. Because, he has already violated it six- seven times. The whole country knows it.

My3’s letter to MR appeared in the media is overflowing with malice and hatred intending to destroy the MR’s chances of getting elected just two days before the election. His intention therefore is highly questionable. The expulsion of the UPFAs and SLFP Secretaries has further complicated the issue. One should not get surprised even if you see MR also gets a letter expelling from SLFP membership even before next morning. In this regard I must say that MS should have been the first man who should have been sacked from the party for joining the UNP to contest elections as their candidate.  Equally difficult to comprehend is the decision of the UPFA as well as MR to hand over the leadership of both UPFA and SLFP on a platter to a man who had already deserted them to seek elections from a different party.

My3’s behavior now reminds me the story of the proverbial Bull in the china shop. On the other hand look at the world of difference between MS’S 5 page letter and the one page, three short paragraphed reply, MR has sent to him. Short, precise and to the point it has all the qualities of a reply sent by a seasoned statesman and a leader unshaken and undisturbed in a crisis situation, who is fit to lead a nation without any doubt.

I have no doubt that finally all these actions will have reactions. In this case they will definitely have immediate reactions, perhaps beyond the imagination of those who design them. In contrast to what My3 expects out of these actions, I am positive that all these actions will boomerang on him on the 17^th perhaps like a Tsunami destroying all his day dreams and demolishing and razing to the ground, the Chandrikka-Ranil- Sirisena-Champaka and Rajita, 7 1/2 months old Pancha Vairee Prasada (fortress) of Jan 8^th 2015 of political conspiracies.

Almost all who spoke to me today in the town, ranging from respected Buddhist monks, professional, public servants, businessmen, three wheel drivers, villagers who had  come to town and even the barber who cut my hair spoke disparagingly about what the President has done. Number of telephone calls I got from different parts of the country while confirming these sentiments clearly pointed to an Island wide wave of disapproval and disgust of this action sweeping across the country like a wild fire. The architects of these foolish and malicious designs, I am sure, will see the harvest on the 18^th of August.

Shenali D Waduge

 When US advisories are released regarding Sri Lanka elections it was a surprise to see Tony Blair disembark with family claiming to be on a holiday. The surprise got worse when media announced Blair had been a special invitee of UNP via foreign minister Mangala Samarasinghe. The immediate response by Sri Lankans was why should Sri Lanka invite a war criminal to the country moreover how would it affect the sensitivities of the Muslims who have every right to feel angered and upset by the presence of a man with blood-soaked hands, an imperial agent peddling corporate deals pocketing millions for himself and one acting as a virtual pimp plotting trouble. If Sri Lanka’s Muslims are to learn any lessons they just need to look at the Middle East burning to turn to Ranil Wickremasinghe and ask for all the years of blind loyalty is he sacrificing the Muslims to be used as the next bait for West’s geopolitical agenda?

The manner that Tony Blair has carved out a very lucrative globetrotting position conveniently combining business with personal business and adding deals for wife to add spice certainly raises valid questions of what is he doing in Sri Lanka and that too in the middle of an election and immediately scooting off to Anuradhapura and Jaffna. We are told that his Faith Foundation has been distributing ‘gracious giving’s’ to UPFA families to help change their vote to the UNP and we certainly hope that is just rumour too. We also hope that the visit to Jaffna has nothing to do with Wiggy wailing for separation and demilitarization and isn’t it just convenient that all these chorus fits so well when Diego Garcia falls vacant in 2016 and its just a matter of a short distance to transfer that base to Sri Lanka’s north. Wonder who may be funding both the TNA and SLMC calls for a remerger of the North and East and it just so happens that a remerger is sought simply because Trincomalee falls in the Eastern Province. How nice too that Wilpattu deforestation and the accusation that some weird language speaking people wearing funny dresses are settled in Saudi funded villages as IDPs. Where are these IDPs springing up from we wonder.

Now that loosely gives an idea of the plot but for anything else to happen you need to have gullible people and the West has 30 years of success with Tamils and they continue to be loyal to an utopian ‘homeland’ cause drummed long enough for West to prepare their manoeuvres.

Now the theatre is the West and having used a wonderful plan to place a puppet in power and make sure the greed of politicians are satisfied well enough to keep them busy with elections and canvassing the arrival of Blair certainly affords a surprising new twist to it all.

Before approaching the question of what Blair intends to do in Sri Lanka what we all are damned annoyed about is why a war criminal should be garlanded and given a rapturous welcome by the UNP when he should be getting a citizens arrest as advised by a web portal ‘Arrest Blair’. The media now tells us that this war criminal is soon to be the guest at various forums speaking to our public … on what we may ask ‘how to lie, mislead, invade nations and kill innocent people’ may be a good topic to start off with.

He may put that wry British colonial grin and think we are gullible fools that may be so to Mangala, Ranil and all others party to the invitation but it is not just Muslims who are angry with Blair it is a lot of people loving people the world over and in Sri Lanka.

We are annoyed that nations like Britain, US and NATO deem it their god given right to use their corporate owned media, feed us unending lies, pay journalists, hold expert panel discussions, produce false evidence, use the UN as puppets and showcase to us that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the world and then invade, bomb and occupy and then take over all of Iraq’s assets…. And they have not stopped there… how many other nations have been attacked and taken over similarly? There is no stopping of lies and sheer disregard for people’s lives and what makes it even more annoying is that having committed so many murders planned and calculated they want to appear as Guests, enjoy full State honours and preach to us about good governance and how to live virtuously!

The problem with us Asians is that we are taking all this nonsense without pulling the red card to remind them of their atrocities. India’s Shashi Tharoor must be commended for taking a lead and others must surely follow.

Blair in town showcases two glaring scenarios. The UNP cares two hoots for Muslims who have been loyal to the UNP since its inception, otherwise knowing Blair is a declared war criminal and in the midst of an election the UNP would not have invited him to Sri Lanka.

The next and more possible scenario is that UNP & Blair are jointly working out the next theatre of conflict in which UNP leader is ready to sacrifice the Muslims for him to remain in power.

The question Muslims now need to ask is whether they are going to take the same treacherous path as the Tamil leaders did in using Tamil low caste as bait in a conflict that lasted 30 years. In the end who are the beneficiaries? If the East jihadi conflict starts we don’t need to imagine what life will be like we just need to look back and see how much we suffered in the 30 years. Are Muslims really ready for this, of course they are not asked for permission which happened to the Tamils too, the plotters have a way of simply mesmerizing them automatically to be roped in never to return alive. Muslims in Sri Lanka may find their roots to the Middle East must they have learned to live as the Sinhalese and in many ways are less violent than their counterparts in the Middle East. The Muslims must feel anxious that the UNP & in particular Ranil has shown callous regard for the Muslims if as all clues show the jihadi war is next on the menu list as per Blair’s masterplan now being discussed and ironed out!

IF RANIL/UNP CARED ABOUT THE MUSLIMS BLAIR WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INVITED.

THAT UNP’S MUSLIMS LEADERS ARE SILENT IS ALSO STRANGE AS ARE THE MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS IN SRI LANKA.

IT WAS THE SINHALA WRITERS WHO BROUGHT UP THE ISSUE OF WHY WAR CRIMINAL BLAIR SHOULD BE INVITED BECAUSE HIS HANDS ARE BLOOD-STAINED AND BECAUSE WE ARE COMPASSIONATE ENOUGH TO FEEL THE SADNESS OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND ALL THE OTHER NATIONS THAT BLAIR / THE WEST AND NATO HAVE TRESPASSED ON AND RUINED FOR THEIR POLITICAL GOALS AND CORPORATE GREED.

Muslims voting for Ranil/UNP will mean they are actually mandating what Blair has come to Sri Lanka to advise Ranil/Government on how to launch the next theatre of conflict!

Shenali D Waduge

https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/08/12/tony-blair-war-criminal-imperialist-agent-docks-sri-lanka/

https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/08/13/tony-b-liar-the-harbinger-of-doom-is-in-sri-lanka/

By M D P DISSANAYAKE

The following forecast had been calculated based on a quantitative analysis, trends and historical reasoning.    Three traditional methods of forecasting, viz. Best Case Scenario, Worst Case Scenario and the Most Likely Case Scenario  were  used for each district.

Some of the punitive actions  taken by President Sirisena during last few days against  his own party candidate  Mr Mahinda Rajapakse  has  swung the voter sensitiveness in favour of MR to an unbeatable position.  These actions have further energised the Pro MR vote bank and an increase in voter turnout is expected at polling booths.

The Worst Case Scenario for UPFA will be 96 seats as against 85 seats for the UNP and JVP/DP, with the Best Case Scenario projecting 135 for UPFA and 49 for the UNP and JVP/DP.   The Most Likely outcome is projected as 127 for UPFA and 55.  In all three scenarios, the UPFA will be the winner with the largest number of seats.

Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1

15 August 2015

Mr. Jack MacLaren, MPP

Carleton-Mississippi Mills

240 Michael Cowpland Drive, Suite 100,

Kanata, ON

K2M 1P6

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THIS LETTER ON THE TAMIL TIGERS AND THEIR SUPPORTERS IN CANADA

Dear Jack:

My Sri Lankan-Canadian friend Visita Leelaratna briefed me of your interest in Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamil and Sinhalese strife, and the reconciliation that should be done to bring the two communities  in Ottawa together, which has been, in my strong opinion, polarized by all three major political parties,  the Conservatives, Liberals and the NDP.  Why?” you may ask.  I will come to that later.   It’s hideous and all wrapped in seeking the Tamil votes in the Greater Toronto Area by all three major parties.  It is sickening.

My Canadian politics revolves around how well Canada treats my Motherland, Sri Lanka.   I have been in Canada since 1968, and this is the first year in my life that I will not be voting for either of the three major parties, as I am disgusted the way Sri Lanka has been treated showing a bias towards the separatist Tamils in Canada, thus supporting their cause of founding their mythical mono-ethnic, racist, separate Tamil state, Eelam. Especially when we Canadians abhor the separatist Québécoise, wanting to break up Canada and form their French state, Quebec.  Not right!  What is good for the goose surely should be good for the gander is it not?

I had been a card carrying Conservative from the Reform days, through the days of the Canadian Alliance, and my mentor was Art Hanger, the former MP for Calgary Northeast from 1993-2008.  I have made a conscious decision to never vote again for the Conservatives having witnessed the hissy-fits of Prime Minister Stephen Harper boycotting the Commonwealth Conference held in Colombo.  Having witnessed our former Foreign Minister, John Baird, doing his Nepean Jig at the UN’s Security Council meetings lambasting our sister Commonwealth country, Sri Lanka,  for alleged human rights violations during  the last five months of a  ruthless 27 year long war and making a fool of himself.     Having witnessed Jason Kenney going to Sri Lanka, and preaching on Human Rights violations to the Sri Lankan Government, when in fact, he  was trying to convince them that ‘We are Holier than Thou” and got snickered at by the Sri Lankan Government because on that very day, that very hour, that very minute he was preaching to the Sri Lankan Government  impersonating as ‘I am the son of the Canadian Preacher Man’, the First Nation peoples headed by Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence were engaged in the Idle No More’  protest against the Canadian Government for violating their Human Rights, not respecting their Treaty Rights and on their economic and social inequality, just a stone throw away from the Parliament Hill Office of Jason’s.   What a fool!  Having witnessed the embarrassing event when Deepak Obhrai representing Canada at the Commonwealth Conference in Sri Lanka, acted as a high-handed High School bully, when he laid a wreath at Elephant Pass where three Tamil Tiger battles took place, for the Tamils who died there during the battles, when he was requested by a Sri Lankan official not to do it.   He didn’t recognize that the Eelam War was between two factions and the Sinhalese soldiers too died at battle. That was insensitive, that was crass, and that was Thuggish.  He took a photographer with him to record that event and went straight to the Tamils in Toronto  on his return to Canada, to report what he did for their cause.   Almost saying Hey! See what I did for you Tamils, now give the Conservatives your vote.”   That is sick!

You said at the 32^nd Black July Remembrance Day for Tamils in Scarborough, that Rioting civilian mobs systematically attacked Tamil people in Sri Lanka for a week in 1983 from July 24 to 29^th.  Tamil business and homes were burned and people were raped and murdered.   Tens of thousands of Tamils were left homeless.  Thousands left Sri Lanka with nothing – to start new lives on other countries…This was the start of the civil war which lasted 26 years.”

 You obviously spoke having listened to the Tamil Truth of this incident, thus exaggerating a lot and leaving quite a lot of important elements of what went on.   The rape part of it, I am not sure as it is too easy to say, but difficult to prove.  I am disappointed in you as that was a cheap shot below Sri Lanka’s belt.

Now that you have heard the TAMIL TRUTH, now listen to the SINHALESE-ASOKA WEERASINGHE’S FACTS.

1. Yes, there was rioting from July 24^th to the 29^th of 1983, and the Tamils got the brunt of it. But what you did not say was that almost every Sinhalese household in Colombo took in Tamil families to keep them out of harms way.   My family at Dematagoda, a suburb of Colombo, hid and looked after three Tamil families who were our neighbours for weeks.  Will the Tamils tell you of this generosity of the Sinhalese in Colombo taking chances as they too would have been beaten to death by the angry Sinhalese mobs?   AND THAT IS A FACT.

2. You know what Jack, this riot didn’t erupt like a volcano suddenly. The billowing fires of discord were fanned by this minority Tamil community  for donkey’s years going back to the early 1940s, terrorizing and chasing the Sinhalese from the North who had been living  there for generations.  And the Tamils ethnically cleansed 27,000 Sinhalese between 1971 and 1981.   And the Tamils stoned and chased 400 Sinhalese lecturers and undergraduates from the Jaffna University campus on 13^th August, 1977.  Will the Tamils tell you that?  Na! Of course not, when they are after your sympathy and seeking  greener pastures, as 90 percent of the  Tamil refugees were economic refugees, and 90% of these Tamil refugees wouldn’t have had a snowball chance in hell to get immigration if they tried to immigrate according to the Canadian Immigration Point system.   AND THAT IS A FACT.

                    And ask these refugees why the heck they bypassed their     Motherland, Tamil Nadu, the southern state of India, where 65 million of their Tamil kith and kin lived, and landed on Canadian soil saying they are refugees having been persecuted and discriminated by the majority Sinhalese.  I am a Sinhalese-Buddhist.  And this is why I resent lies.  And do you know what Jack, I am on a Mission to guard the good name of Sri Lanka from being sullied unfairly, and it doesn’t matter even if it is our Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and the former Prime Ministers Brian Mulroney and Jean Chretien, let alone the Canadian-Tamils, as I have told them so in my letters.

The litmus test of the honesty of the Convention Tamil refugees in Canada is that when they get their permanent residency and the Canadian passport, they buy the first plane ticket to jet their way to their country that they ran away from alleging persecution and discrimination by the majority Sinhalese to spend their holidays and visit their families and friends.  So they took you and the other Tamil supporting parliamentarians for a ride along the garden path on a rickety cart held together with Band-Aids of Lies.   And I laugh at all of you, for being so gullible and so foolish.

3. The Tamils may be painting themselves as lily-white and that they are paragons of virtue when they whine into your ears about Sri Lanka and hiding FACTS.   And that the Sinhalese are the villains of this unfortunate riot.  Here’s what happened and you won’t hear this from a Tamil voice.   Remember, they are lily-white and paragons of virtue and the innocent victims!   Right,  Jack.  Telling the FACTS doesn’t fit in to their scheme of things to fool you all and become Canadian citizens.  So now we have inherited and adopted a bunch of Tamil liars to become part of our pristine Canadian society.   If they had come here admitting that they are ‘economic refugees’, I have absolutely no problem, at all.  Don’t get me wrong. I rejoice  And I will welcome them with open arms.

On the night of July 23^rd, 1983, the Tamil Tiger terrorist Sellakili who had sworn to avenge the death of his Tamil Tiger comrade had made a careful study of the movements of the Sri Lankan Army patrols in the North.    He deployed a platoon of about 25 Tamil Tiger terrorists in battle fatigues at Tinnaveli in the Jaffna peninsula on the Palali-Jaffna road, at a point where the road was dug up to install new telecommunication systems. In one such excavation they placed four mines.  The plunger stolen from the Kankasanthurai Cement Factory was placed on the balcony of a nearby house.  The wiring was then connected.  Machine gun nests were placed near the exploder and across the road.  These machine guns (SMG) were once the property of the Sri Lankan Government’s Chavakachcheri Police Station that the Tamil Tigers demolished in a lightening attack on 2^nd July, 1982.

The main Tamil Tiger ‘killer squad’ and the ‘cut off party’ were located about 100 yards behind and on both sides of the road.  Every body, including Sellakali were there armed with SMGs and repeater shot guns, T-56 Chinese assault rifles and a  Made in India SLR.

At 11:38 on that evening the radio at Gurunagar crackled, Four Four Bravo for Four Four.  We are now leaving Urumpirai junction.  Absolutely nothing to report.  The town is very quiet.”

Within five minutes of leaving Urumpirai the Army convoy’s jeep was slowing down near Tinnaveli because of the obstruction on the road due to the installation of telecommunication equipment.  As it was passing the excavation on the road, the exploder laid by the Tamil Tigers set off the mines with a thunderous explosion followed by a hail of machine gun fire on the Jeep and a bigger barrage on the half-truck carrying the army personnel.  With that attack 13 of the army personnel of that convoy were killed. That included a 2^nd/Lieutenant; a Sergeant; a Corporal; a L/corporal; and nine Privates.  And thus ended patrol Four Four Bravo on July 23^rd, 1983, ambushed by the Tamil Tigers.

The word got around all over Sri Lanka about the ambush at Thinnaveli and that was the last straw of the non-aggressive, passive Sinhalese community.  That pulled the trigger of the powder keg that they were sitting on of their built up and dormant anger, who had been taking horrendous insults and mental and physical abuse by the Tamil Tigers and other separatist Tamils up North and East through the years.

The thirteen caskets of the dead soldiers arrived at the General cemetery at Kanatte in Colombo for a military burial with honours which was the epicenter of the anger that turned into an angry riot against the Tamils in Colombo and there was another in Jaffna.

And that is the FACT of what exactly happened.  And the Canadian-Tamils have no moral right to paint themselves as a bunch of lily-whites and  victimized paragons of virtue.  And that riot was a God send for the 300,000 Tamils from all over Sri Lanka who bought a plane ticket to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver to land on Canadian soil saying that they were running away from persecution and discrimination and that they had no travel documents as the legitimate passports that they used to get on the plane with the single word A-B-R-A-C-A-D-A-B-R-A got torn and disappeared in the toilets.  I say it’s a bunch of baloney hanging from a Deli stall in Ottawa’s ByWard Market.

Jack, to be honest, this minority Tamils were a privileged minority back in Ceylon/Sri Lanka, much more than our First Nation peoples.  And those indigenous Canadians living in remote Reserves would move heaven and earth to exchange places with the Tamils in Sri Lanka.  And that is A FACT.

With all the ballyhoo of the 32^nd Rememberance Day of  the Sri Lankan ‘Black July’  in Scarborough, you must be having the impression that the capital Colombo is a fiery Hell Hole for the Tamils.  Wrong! These Tamils are thriving sucking on the economic-blood of the majority Sinhalese (75%). Isn’t it amazing that 40% of the population of the capital Colombo which was the epicenter of the riots 32 years ago is where the Tamils are living happily ever after, some inter-marrying with the once hated Sinhalese.  In Wellawatte, a suburb of Colombo and its Rothwell Heights, 75% of its prime and most expensive real estate are owned by Tamils.  The one mile long shopping-drag in the Pettah in Colombo, every three out of four shops are owned by either the Tamils or Muslims and patronized by the majority Sinhalese.  There you find the best of Tamil pure gold jewellery stores, sari emporiums, pharmacies, hardware stores, eateries, spice grocery shops, you name it and you could find it along the Main Street in the Pettah in the heart of Colombo.  Your Tamil constituents aren’t telling you this, do they?  Why should they when they have got you and politicians like Patrick Brown caught in their lying pincers.  It is time that you take a step back and think about what I have related.    They are all FACTS, and no Tamil will be prepared to challenge me in a public debate.  If they do, I will be happy to take them on anytime and you can be the Moderator.

4. Now to why I have a strong opinion that it were the three major political parties – Conservative, Liberals and the NDP who polarized the Sinhalese and Tamil communities in Canada.

I have already spoken of Stephen Harper, John Baird, Jason Kenney, and Deepak Obrahi’s derisive acts thrashing Sri Lanka about alleged human rights violations against the Tamils and not a word of the Tamil Tigers human rights violations against the Sinhalese, who took away their most precious human right of right-to-life with claymore-mines, suicide bombs, and Kalashnikov explosions,  et cetera, killing them instantly and shredding their body parts, heads, hearts, limbs, bones and flesh into smithereens.

The Liberals who under Jean Chretien and Paul Martin let the Tamils collect two million dollars a month for  13 long years, to stuff the Tamil Tiger war-chest to buy sophisticated  war killing weapons to kill the innocent Sinhalese.

How the Liberals supported Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka when two cabinet Ministers, Paul Martin (Finance) and Maria Minna (CIDA) and several back benchers like Jim Karygiannis, patronized a $60-a plate fund raising dinner for the Tamil Tigers on 6 May 2000, organized by the Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils (FACT) a front organization of the Tamil Tigers.  How they allowed the Canadian-Tamil supporters of Eelam in 1994 cut a cheque for $7.5 million from an account of a Tamil from a bank in Vancouver to buy 50 tons of  TNT and 10 tons of RDX explosive materials from the Rubezone Ukraine Chemical factory, which were used in a truck-bomb to bring down the Central Bank Building in the financial district of Colombo on 31^st January 1996 killing 114, and maiming for life another 1,338  innocent people,  and I could go on and on and on;

And the NDP by habouring a Tamil Tiger terrorist supporter in their caucus, and Jack Layton calling for an Emegency Debate in parliament on 4 February 2009, which I called the ‘Canada’s Tamil Tiger Blarney Gong Show.’  They talked a lot of piffle, while Tamils were sardine packed in the Chamber Gallery.   The Sinhalese like myself were ignored to get the opposite opinion of the Eelam Issue. I can well understand this muggish Canadian politics, because the Sinhalese Sri Lankan-Canadians couldn’t match the voting numbers as would the Canadian-Tamils who want to claim 33% of the Sri Lanka’s territory bordered by 66% of the coast line for a population of 12.6% Tamils.  And these are FACTS.

5. Just one last FACT that you ought to note. Sri Lanka has been accused  of ‘genocide’ of the Tamils.  During the Special  Emergency Parliamentary Debate on Sri Lanka called by Jack Layton on February 4, 2009, which I called the  Canadian Tamil Tiger Blarney Gong Show, the Liberal Party’s Terrible Five – Derek Lee, Robert Oliphant, Judy Sgro, Jim Karygiannis and Albina Guaneiri, charged Sri Lanka of Genocide.  But they didn’t prove with any evidence of such genocide.   You know Jack, talk is cheap, and sometimes they can be nauseating. This was one such incident.

I wasn’t sure how this Liberal’s Terrible Five would reconcile with the FACT that at the end of the Eelam War, by 19 May 2009, the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, the alleged ‘Genocide’ enforces saved 295,873 Tamils from the clutches of the Tamil Tiger terrorists who used them as a human shield for 30 months  herding them like unwashed cattle under a hot tropical sun from the west coast to the east coast.

I cannot see how this ‘Liberal’s Terrible Five’ the accusers of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Genocide, explain why the Sri Lankan Government showed their compassion by saving the 295,873 Tamils  from the Tamil Tigers but also housed them in refugee camps and  sustained them by feeding them daily with three hearty breakfasts, lunches and dinners for almost three years.  The Sri Lankan Government prepared a million meals a day and the majority of the people who prepared the meals were from the majority Sinhalese community, that the Tamil refugees ran away from to land their feet on Canadian soil.  Hmmmmm….. a little fishy, isn’t it, Jack?   Tamil Genocide, my foot!

So you have now been exposed to Tamil lies by the Sinhalese Asoka Weerasinghe’s FACTS.

After 30 years of my involvement with this file which made me write 1,800 articles and letters to the Editor of newspapers across Canada, Canadian parliamentarians, and International Sri Lanka Watchers, I retired from this file on August 4, 2013.  However, I will certainly make myself available to meet with you to discuss this subject.  If you wish to, you may contact our mutual friend  Visita to make such an arrangement.

I swear that my strength is honesty.  And the Tamil separatist’s couldn’t muzzle me with their threats to blow my face off the earth if I didn’t stop talking about them, nor did their threat to blow up the 15 storey Centennial Building at 200 Kent Street on June 24, 1987, because I was working on the 14^th floor in Communications of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. It was a major security concern for the Ottawa Police.  Nor did I fade away due to their threats through their Toronto lawyers that they would sue me for defamation.

Jack,  I repeat, my strength is telling the TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH on this file.

With all good wish,

Sincerely,

Asoka Weerasinghe

613-747-2272

e-mail: <weerasin@magma.ca>

Gandara John

1. Why did Sirisena dissolve parliament?

To save Ranil from disgrace and investigation.

2. What was the disgraceful thing that Ranil did?

That he colluded with Arjuna Mahendran on the Treasury bill scam

3. Sirisena by saving Ranil was he not harming the country?

Yes he was; to Sirisena Ranil was more important than the country.

4. Is that Sirisena’s position even today?

Sirisena’s speech and his recent letter is with the aim of helping Ranil.

5. Does it not mean that Sirisena is openly attempting to ruin the chances of the UPFA candidates standing for election?

Yes, he is trying to ruin the chances of the UPFA candidates standing for election.

6. Why would Sirisena want to do that?

Sirisena wants the UNP candidates to come into parliament.

7. Is Sirisena not working against his own party and its candidates?

Of course he is; Ranil must win to implement the plan with the TNA.

8. What is that plan?

To give to the TNA the gift Ranil had given the LTTE through the CFA, PTOMS and the ISGA and what Mahinda had to take back by force when he defeated the terrorists.

9. What gifts did Ranil give through the CFA, PTOMS and the ISGA?

1/3^rd of the island; 2/3^rd of the Sri Lankan coast line and an interim self governing mechanism for ten years

10. How can it be said that Ranil wants to give back what Sri Lanka won at war?

Read the TNA manifesto and the Hindu news report and see what Sambandan is saying. The TNA is important for Ranil  to come into power as Ranil has to please the US.

11. Is it true that Ranil has invited US forces to set up a base in Sri Lanka?

It is not known whether Ranil has done so. What is known however is that Ranil has signed an agreement with the US government that US soldiers if accused of committing war crimes in Sri Lanka will not be prosecuted or handed over to the ICC. Why would he do that if US forces are not fighting in Sri Lanka.

12. How could Ranil do this when he intends prosecuting Sri Lankan soldiers for war crimes in Sri Lankan courts with foreign judges?

It is morally incorrect. Ranil intends to prosecute Sri Lankan soldiers in Sri Lankan courts manned by foreign judges; the courts are described as hybrid courts.

13. Why is Sirisena permitting all this to happen?

Because Ranil knows Sirisena’s secret he committed when he went abroad in Nov 2014.

14. What was the secret?

Ranil knows that Sirisena met Arjuna Mahendran and Mahendran knows Sirisena met him.

15. Is Arjuna Mahendran a powerful figure?

Well, Mahendran is close to Ranil and convicted terrorist financier Raj Rajaratnam who is also very close to Karunanayake; besides with Mahendran’s banking experience he knows and has the clout to make money disappear into secret Swiss and offshore banking accounts.

16. Is the Central Bank in safe hands?

The Tamil terrorists have today very strong links to the Central Banking system of Sri Lanka and some of them who were put to graze have now been brought in as advisors.

17. In the backdrop of all this what type of government do we have?

The government describes itself as Yahapalanaya. The people describe it as Yalpalanayam.

18. It is quite obvious that the people are angry with the government. How can they remedy the situation?

Sirisena has sensed the anger of the people and has a premonition of what the people will do; hence the letter. The people can defeat Ranil, the TNA, the US and Sirisena, all four at once, by simply voting for the UPFA.

ධර්මසිරි සෙනෙවිරත්න

දෙමල හා මුස්ලිම්  පක්ෂවල   අරමුණ දෙමල හා මුස්ලිම් කලාප ලබාගැනීම බවූවුන්ගේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති ප්‍රකාශන වලින් පහ දිලිව තිබියදීත්  උන් හා එකතුවීමට  කිසිදු ජාති හිතය්ශී පක්ෂයකට  නොහැක  එකතුවුනොත් එසේ කරන්නේ මේ රට හදා වඩාගත් ආරක්ෂා කරගත්  සිංහල බෞද්ධයන්ට හතුරුවූ අ  ය පමණි  1818  හා 1848   වසරවල පරයන් එළවීමට දිවි පිදුවේ සිංහල බෞද්ධයන් පමණි දෙමලු හා මුස්ලිම් වරු  පරයන්ට විරුද්ධ නොවුයේ මේ රට  තමන්ගේ නොවන බැවිනි .සුද්දන් ට වා ල් කම් කර  උන්ගෙන් වරප්ප්‍රසාද ලබා ගෙන  සිංහල රට කොටස් කර කඩා ගෙන තම මදිය තර කර ගත හැකිබව ඔවුන්ට වැටහී තිබුනේය . හිරු නොබසින අධිරාජ්ජයම  හෙල්ලූ සින්හල බෞද්ධයන්  මර්දනය  කිරීමට සුද්දෝ එකාලයේම  මේ සුළු වාර්ගිකයෝ ඉත්තන් වශයෙන් යොදා ගත්හ

ඉතිහාසය නොදන්නා අමනයෝ  මේවා කෙසේ නම් දනිත්ද ?

 බදුද්දීන්  මොහමඩ් ඇමතියා ඉතිහ්හාසය ඉගැන්වීම නැවැත්විය ජේ ආර් ජයවර්දන  ඉතිහාසයත් සාහිත්‍යයත් කන්නදය් ඇසුවේය . කෑම  ගැනත්  කාම  ගැනත්  පමණක් තකන්නේ බල්ලොය . ලන්දේසීන්ට හා ඉංග්‍රීසින්ට  වහල්ල් කම් කර  දෙමලු  ”’ තෙසවලාමි  නම් නීතියක්  මගින් උන්ට විශේෂ නීතියක් අනුමත කරවා ගෙන  සිංහලයන්ට උතුරේ ඉඩම් මිලට ගැනීමට බරිවනසේ කටයුතු කලත්  මේවනතෙක්  කිසිදු ආණ්ඩුවක් එය අහෝසි නොකළේය    අහෝසි කිරීමට යම් උත්සාහයක් ගත්තේ  ශ්‍රී ලනිප රජයේ ඇමති  ෆීලික්ස් ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක පමණි එහෙත්  දෙමල හා උන්ට ගති සිංහල විරු ද්ධ පක්ෂය වන එජා පයෙන් ෆීලික්ස් ට සහයක් නොලැබුනේය  විරුද්ධත්වය බලත් වී උත්සාහය අසාර්ථකවිය   . කිසිදා එජා පය සිංහලයන්ට පක්ෂ නොවීය   සිංහල භාෂා රාජ්‍ය භාෂාව කිරීම්මටත් විරුද්ධ වූ එජා පය හැමදා ම  සුළු වාර්ගිකයන් නලවමින් සිංහල ජාතිය  ට වල කැපුවේය .ඉංග්‍රීසින්ගෙන් නිදහස ලබන තෙක්ම අටේ තිබු   එකම ජාතික කොඩියත් විකුර්ති කලේ එජාපයය්   යහපාලන කාරයෝ ජාතික ගීයටත් විනකටියහ . ඉතින් දෙවියනේ  මුන් දෙමලු හා මුස්ලිම් බෙදුම් වාදීන් සමග එකතුවීම පුදුමයක්ද   .. 
                                   පුදුමය නම් රනිල් වැනි මිනීමරුවෙ ක්   බැංකු මංකොල්ල කාරයෙක්  හා අබෞද්ධ යෙකු පිටු පස යන බෞද්ධ යන්   ලක්ෂ ගණනක් සිටීමය  මේ මිනිසුන්ට අම්මෙක් අප්පෙක් නැද්ද  ජාතියක් ජම්මයක් නැද්ද  මුන් දැන් කිසිවක් නොදන්නවා මෙන්  හැසිරෙන්නේ මේවාට උත්තර උන් ළඟ නැති හෙයිනි .  කතාකරන්නට ගියොත්  ඉබේම ත මන් ජාතිද්‍රෝහීන් වන බව උන් දනිති ඉතින් හිමින් සැරේ රනිල්ට කතිරය ගසා  තමන්ගේ නොදනුම් කමත් වසාගෙන  හෙමිජ්ජෝ වගේ සිටීම උන්ට වාසිය 
                                               බල්ලෝ ගූ   කති   මිනිස්සු බත් කති  දෙකම ආහාරය  එහෙත් මිනි ස්සු නාහේ අල්ලාගෙන ගූ ගොඩ ලඟින් අහකට දුවයන අතර   බල්ලෝ ගූ ගොඩ දෙසට   කෙල හල මින් දුවයති  එය රසකරකර බුදිති  වෙනස  ප්‍රඥාව ය්
                                    අගෝස්තු 17 වන දින චන්දදායකයන්  සැලකිය යුත්තේ එකම කරුණකි  ඉහතකී බෙදුම්වාදී සුලුවාර්ගික පක්ෂ සමග එකතුවූ  එජාපය ප්‍රමුඛ    පක්ෂ වලින්  සිංහල බෞද්ධයන් හා රටත් බෙරාගන්නවාද  නැත්නම් තමන්ගේ රට අහිමි කරගෙන නැවතත් ඊලාම් යුද්ධයකට   මුහුනන දෙනවාද   යන්නය් සැලකිය යුත්තේ   බුද්ධි අංශය විනාශ කල මිලේනියම් සිටි සිද්ධිය   බටලන්ද  මිනීමැරුම්   කෝටි  6000  බැංකු කොල්ලය භික්ෂුන් ඇතුළු තරුණයන් හැටදාහක් මැරීම   දළදා මාලිගාවට බෝම්බගසීම අරංත ලා ඝාතනය  ශ්‍රීමහා බෝධියට  වෙඩි  තැබීම මෙන්ම ප්‍රභාකරන්ට එරෙහි මානුෂික මෙහෙයුම ට මැදවච්චි පාමංකඩ කියමින්   උසුළු විසුළු කරමින්  බාධා කිරීම ආදී දේ  නොසලා හරින සිංහල බෞධ්ධය න්  
  ලංකාවේ සිටීනම්  උන් පමණක් රනිල් ඇතුළු  ද්‍රෝහීන්ට චන්දය දෙනු ඇත
      
                                           ජාති හිතය්ශී සිංහලයිනි  එවන් ද්‍රෝහීන් ට විරුද්ධ බලවේගයක් අනාගත යෙදී බිහිකිරීමට අදම හිතට ගම්මු  නැත්නම් ඉන්දියාව ළඟදීම අපව ගිල ගන්නවා ඇත  උන්ට එරෙහිව   ‘ හසලක වීර”  වැනි  බලවේගයක් වහාම අවශ්ෂ්‍ය  ය . ජාතිද්‍රෝහී නායකයන් පමණක් නොව උන්ට ගතිකම්කරමින් උඋන්බලයට පත් කරන ද්‍රෝහී චන්ද දායකයන්ටත්  අමතක නොවන පාඩම් උගන්වන බල වේගයක් බිහිනොවුනොත්   රටම අනතුරේය

      රනිල් හනුමා    හනුමන් පාල හැදුවොත් උදේට උදේට ඉන්දියානුවෝ  ජොගින්  කරමින්  ලංකාවට ඇවිත් මෙහි කක්ක දමා 
 දවල් ආපසු යනු ඇත  උන්ට එහි වැසිකිලි නැත . නැත්නම් මෙහි පැලපදියම් වනු ඇත  . උන් හදන කක්කුස්සි  වලට  අපෙ සන්දකඩ  පහන් යොදා ගනු ඇත  දැනටමත් කොටසක් උතුරේ දෙමල කක්කුස්සි වලය .
                                                එජාප චන්දදායකයිනි   ඉතිහාසය නොදනිතත් විල්පත්තුවේ දැන් සිදුවෙන දේවත් හොයා බලපල්ලා   නැත්නම් තොපට යන්නට වෙනම අපායවල්  හදන්න වේවි .   ගූ නොකා බත් කන කොටසට එක්වෙයව් 

By Shelton A. Gunaratne Professor of communication emeritus, MSUM

If the Tamil community of Sri Lanka would follow the advice that Lord Krishna gave warrior Arjuna in the battlefield as explained in the Bhagavad Gita, they could rub shoulders with the majority Sinhalese as   equal citizens in a united country exemplifying diversity within unity much sooner than by insisting on a federal structure, which the Buddhist Sinhalese are unlikely to concede in the foreseeable future short of another tragic ethnic war.

The close cultural and religious bonds that the Tamils and the Sinhalese in

Sri Lanka share call for greater cohesion of the two communities rather than separation through a dubious federal structure that is unlikely to produce a lasting solution for current Tamil grievances.  Separation entails divisiveness, conflict, rivalry–reflected in the three mule (unskillful roots) of lobha/raga (greed), dosa (aversion/anger), and moha/avijja (delusion) unleashed by the humans’ uncontrolled tanha (craving/desire) and upadana (clinging/attachment)–that are likely to place more roadblocks on the path toward ethnic peace and harmony. Tamil leaders must take the blame for leading their community along the wrong path toward separatism to achieve Eelam irrespective of how it might affect the other communities. The same suffering afflicts the Sinhalese and other communities because all human beings are composites of the Five Aggregates of craving — material form, feelings, perception, mental dispositions and consciousness.

A main priority of the new parliament/government should be to set up an inter-ethnic expert group to establish similarities between the path toward salvation/liberation as outlined in Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as the Abrahamic religions, if deemed necessary. If my understanding of these religions” is correct, such an expert group is likely to document that both Hinduism and Buddhism follow a similar path toward attaining liberation from dukkha (suffering /unsatisfactoriness) inherent in samsara (cyclic existence), the vortex of punarbhava (re-becoming) or rebirth/reincarnation depending on one’s belief.

Historians have failed to trace the exact beginnings of Hinduism because it evolved as time and culture impacted the religious ideas of early India. Patheos Library <www.patheos.com> identifies Hinduism as a collective term applied to the many philosophical and religious traditions native to India” with neither a specific moment of origin nor a specific founder. It is backed by a collection of sacred texts known to constitute the Sanatana Dharma (The Eternal Teaching).

Thus, Hinduism encompasses a number of major sects, as well as countless subsects with local or regional variations. However, the Hindu worldview is grounded in the doctrines of samsara (cyclic existence) and karma (the universal law of cause and effect), which hold that one’s actions (including one’s thoughts) directly determine one’s life, both current and future.” Hinduism is divided into four major sects: Shaiva (devotees of the god Shiva), Vaishnava (devotees of the god Vishnu), Shakta (devotees of the goddess), and Smarta (those who understand the ultimate form of the divine to be abstract and all encompassing, Brahman).   More than two-thirds of the 2.6 million Hindus in Sri Lanka, about 90 percent of whom are Tamils, belong predominantly to the Shaiva sect.

These Hindus share with the Buddhists the doctrines of samsara and karma, which appears as the fourth of the Five Aggregates (panca khandha) and the second of the 12 nidanas (in paticca samuppada) bearing the identity sankhara (volitional action/ dispositions).

The Buddhist path to escape samsara and attain nibbana (non-existence) is remarkably similar to that of the Hindu to attain moksha (union with the Brahman). A comparison between the Dhammapada and Bhagavad Gita, the two jewels of Buddhism and Hinduism respectively, makes this absolutely clear.

The primary sacred texts of Hinduism are the four Vedas (the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda), the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Epics (Mahabharata, and Ramayana), and other texts like the Laws of Manu. Bhagavad Gita constitutes a part of Mahabharata. Because Buddhism arose from the Vedic background, doctrinal similarities undeniably exist between the paths to salvation articulated in the two complementary religions.

If Buddhists and Hindus follow similar paths to reach their spiritual goal of attaining nibbana or moksha, it’s time that they realize that they could follow the same steps in attaining their socio-political goals of liberation. Sixty-seven years after independence, the Sinhalese and the Tamils have been unable to see each other as mere composites of the Five Aggregates that have to be disciplined through mind consciousness by following the   three-dimensional path of panna (wisdom and compassion), sila (ethics and morality), and samadhi (mindfulness and concentration).

The Bhagavad Gita asserts: A person who has given up all desires for sense gratifications (kaman), who lives free from desires (nihsprhah), who has given up all sense of proprietorship (nirmamah) and is devoid of false ego (nirahakara)–he alone can attain real peace”  (BG 2: 71). A more comprehensive comparison of the two jewels appears in the excursus to chapter 3 of our book Mindful Journalism and News Ethics in the Digital Era: A Buddhist Approach (Routledge, 2015).

The current demand of the Tamil political parties for a separate federal state comprising more than a third of the territory of Sri Lanka shows excessive desire, proprietorship, and false ego of the Hindus. The reluctance of the Sinhalese Buddhists to concede reasonable Tamil grievances also shows excessive craving and lack of wisdom and compassion. The result of these conflicting defilements has been increasing dukkha of all Sri Lankans.

The expert group I have suggested would be able to provide a spiritual approach to diminish the dukkha that the ethnic problem has engendered. Educating the people on the similarities between the Buddhist and Hindu paths to liberation should unite the minority and the majority in a manner that is alien to the strategies borrowed from secular (Western) political science.

Asoka Bandarage 

BLESSINGS ON SRI LANKA 

Sri Lanka, the resplendent ​land​, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, the blessed isle, Dhammadipa, where the Buddha’s teaching was written down and safeguarded for the human race. 

Sri Lanka, the land ​that ​the forces of ignorance, greed and hatred seek to usurp and tear asunder.

May the forces of wisdom and compassion prevail on this election day August 17, 2015-to protect Sri Lanka, her culture and the well-being of all her people and the generations to come. 

By Jerry Yellin and Dr. David Leffler 

In their well-written articles published in the Daily News (Post traumatic stress disorder” 11 December 2010 and Challenge before post-war Sri Lanka 13 December 2010), Dr. Neil J. Fernando and Dr. Ruwan M. Jayatunge estimate that nearly 10 percent to 12 percent of the members of the [Sri Lankan] armed forces are suffering from combat related stress.” Their estimation is backed by an interview of 824 active duty Sri Lankan soldiers referred to the Psychiatric Ward at the Military Hospital in Colombo. It reveals that: [a]lthough the War is over the psychological repercussions caused by the Eelam War can still hound the combatants.” Dr. Fernando and Dr. Jayatunge assert a study would give an insight to the policy makers in the military and care providers in the mental health sector to deal with combat trauma in Sri Lanka effectively.”

The authors salute Dr. Fernando and Dr. Jayatunge for bringing attention to the combat stress–related problems of Sri Lankan soldiers and veterans. We agree with their assessment, a study is necessary to determine the PTSD rate so screening, case identification, effective treatment and psychosocial support can be provided to the combatants.” In addition, we urge such a study also utilize a random assignment protocol to investigate not only the present modalities of PTSD treatment currently used by the Sri Lankan military, but also a modality, which has already been extensively scientifically validated to reduce stress – the Transcendental Meditation® (TM) technique.

TM involves a simple, non-religious, psychophysiological practice, demonstrated in over 600 research studies to reduce a wide variety of stress-related problems. It is practiced twice a day for twenty minutes and is so easy, anyone who can think a thought can to do it. It carries one’s awareness to a profound level of rest, clears out deep-seated stress, and revitalizes frazzled nervous systems. Meta-analyses published in peer-reviewed journals provide more evidence for the superior effectiveness of the TM technique over other practices in the areas of anxiety reduction, reduced high blood pressure, self-development, physiological relaxation, improved psychological outcomes, and decreased use of drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. Research shows all meditation practices are not the same.

In recent studies these practices have been classified into three categories: Focused Attention, Open Monitoring, and Automatic Self-Transcending. Techniques in the Focused Attention category are techniques requiring concentration. Those forms of meditation show brain activity associated with focusing – fast EEG called gamma (20-50 Hz). Techniques in the Open Monitoring category include mindfulness or Vipassana. They are reported to activate brainwaves associated with internal mental processing – theta activity (4-8 Hz). Techniques in the Automatic Self-Transcending category transcend their own procedure – take the attention out of thinking, analyzing, controlling, or watching to a state of pure consciousness. The Transcendental Meditation technique is in this category. During TM synchronous alpha1 (8-10 Hz) activation is seen primarily in frontal executive areas as well as over the whole brain, indicating integrated functioning of the brain. Different meditation techniques use different procedures, have different effects on brain functioning, and so lead to different benefits. The more focused the meditation procedure, the more focused the effects.Techniques of concentration such as Zen are found to activate attentional centers.

Another technique in this category, Loving-Kindness Compassion, actives emotional centers of the brain. Techniques of Open Monitoring such as Vipassana are reported to decrease pain perception and have a small effect on anxiety. TM, a technique in the Automatic Self-Transcending, is reported to have a wider range of effects, perhaps owing to the experience of pure consciousness underlying all thought activity. For instance, meta-analyses report that TM practice results in higher levels of self-actualization and greater decreases in anxiety than other meditations. In the bigger picture, research on TM practice reports significant effects on psychological measures – improved moral reasoning, creativity, cognitive flexibility, coping and problem solving, improved health – reductions in blood pressure and in hospitalization, and significant improvement on social interactions.

The TM technique is also different because it turns one’s attention inward to experience deeper levels of thought, until one goes beyond active thought and the mind comes to a state of complete inner rest. But the mind is alert. There is an inner wakefulness, and a feeling of calm and peace. This is the state of restful alertness. The brain functions with significantly greater coherence and the body gains deep rest. Research shows the deep rest gained during TM practice is more profound than deep sleep. This allows the body to rid itself of deeply-rooted stresses, especially the stress associated with traumatic conditions like PTSD. For instance, a peer-reviewed, random assignment study on Vietnam veterans who practiced TM (Journal of Counseling and Development, 1985: (64); 212-215), found the technique effectively influenced the neurobiological aspects specifically affected by PTSD.

The University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers demonstrated that TM practice had positive effects on symptoms associated with PTSD. Instruction in the technique, followed by three months of regular TM practice, significantly reduced emotional numbness, anxiety, startle response, depression, alcohol consumption, insomnia, and family problems. The TM group also reported improvements in sleep and obtaining/keeping employment. Seventy percent of the TM practitioners reported that they no longer required the services of the veteran’s center.

In a new pilot study (under review), Iraq and Afghanistan veterans experienced a 50% drop in PTSD symptoms by the fourth week of TM practice, and greater improvements by two months and three months. This study is summarized in the book The Resilient Warrior: Healing the Hidden Wounds of War (2011) by authorsJerry Yellin and Dr. Sarina Grosswald. But even with impressive results like this, critics might argue that military personnel would not be willing to practice the TM technique. Initially this might be the case, but the results of the practice speak for themselves. For those concerned a perceived machismo pushback” for meditation may prevent Sri Lankan warriors from learning to meditate, should think back through history to great examples of alert, ready and finely-tuned warriors. The ideal might be martial arts experts like thesamurai. They represented the total integration, the total union, of mind and body – quick, clear thinking combined with a precise strong body, working as one. This intimate connection between mind and body is now beginning to be rediscovered in several militaries in Latin America. For instance, an Ecuadorian General was very receptive to the concept and decided to have his warriors instructed in the TM technique on 8 March 2010. As a test case, the General selected two units from training centers where young soldiers received their six months’ basic military training before they were sent to operational units. Each training unit had 300 soldiers who were taught the TM technique, and 200 among them who became advanced experts. The General set the time and place for the soldiers to practice their meditation program in a group in accordance with their duty routine.

After one month of practice, a test was done together with military psychologists in order to check the validity of the TM program. Here is a summary of the warriors’ statements:

• 96 % thought it was a very practical activity
• 95 % said it was completely satisfying
• 92 % declared they improved dealing with stress and had better performance in their actions
• 96 % declared their relationships with others improved.

Wounded and traumatized military as well as healthy military personnel need – and deserve – every opportunity to regain and/or sustain their health. Research also shows that practitioners of the TM technique rise to a higher level of health. For instance, a 1987 study inPsychosomatic Medicine, a mainstream medical journal, monitored for five years the medical care utilization of 2,000 people who regularly practiced the TM technique. The findings: 50 percent fewer doctor visits and hospital admissions than non-meditators of comparable age, gender, profession, and insurance terms. Multiple statistical reviews published in respected scientific journals provide powerful evidence for the superior effectiveness of the TM program in the areas of blood pressure and anxiety reduction, self-fulfillment, physiological relaxation, improved psychological outcomes, and decreased use of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. If you are interested in the research, visit this web sitehttp://www.tm.org/research-on-meditation.

Today’s warriors train their minds and bodies, but separately. They fill their minds with information about how to respond to every imaginable situation, and train their bodies for strength and endurance. Strong protective armor is provided to protect their bodies from physical harm, but nothing for their minds to protect them from stress. Research on the TM technique indicates that the practice produces beneficial effects for the mind and body, opposite to those of chronic stress. The TM technique is a portable strategy. After learning the technique, all one needs is a comfortable place to sit and close the eyes. No additional resources are needed. The self-reliance of this approach appeals to the warrior mind-set.” Why not try this innovative approach in Sri Lanka and conduct a randomized study comparing it to other modalities of treatment to find the best way to treat PTSD? If this proposed project is successful, military leaders could provide this innovative approach in the healing mix of services to more effectively and efficiently treat the wounded minds of the warriors who protected Sri Lanka. TM offers a do-less-and-accomplish-more approach that can not only help the precious minds and lives of Sri Lanka’s warriors, but also save money in the process.

About the Authors:

 Jerry Yellin was a P-51 Pilot in WWII who flew 19 missions over Japan. Jerry and Helene, his wife of 61 years, have four sons and six grandchildren – three living in America and three in Japan. Jerry is a member of the Military Writers Society of America, author of three award winning books, Of War and Weddings, The Blackened Canteen and The Letter; and is an honorary board member of the Iwo Jima Association of America. His new book is The Resilient Warrior: Healing the Hidden Wounds of War.

David Leffler, Ph.D. a United States Air Force veteran, is the Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS)http://www.StrongMilitary.org. Dr. Leffler later served as an Associate of the Proteus Management Group at the Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College. The Journal of Management & Social Science recently published his paper A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising – Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace,” indicating that the military application of the Transcendental Meditation is merited. Dr. Leffler is a certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique.

By Latheef Farook

Ignorance of international affairs or indifference towards Island’s Muslims sentiments?

A Daily Mirror report on 12 August 2015 stated that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family arrived in Sri Lanka previous day on a two week holiday on an invitation by Foreign Minister Mangala Samarwaeera.

Allowing war criminal Tony Blair to step in to the soil of Sri Lanka, dismissing the sentiments of the island’s Muslim community and all other right thinking people, is not only shocking and insulting but disgraceful.

The question is whether this is due to ignorance on international affairs or indifference towards sentiments of Muslims here and abroad.

This demonstrates Foreign Minister Samaraweera has opted to be with the neo con United States led European war mongers who, implementing the Zionist Jewish agenda, has turned the Muslim Middle East into a killing field and destroyed Muslim societies.

Minister Samaraweera’s and his UNP leadership’s special love for Israel, United states, UK and European war mongers is not unknown to people here. However what one cannot understand  is the wisdom behind inviting a war criminal, despised by even the British public, on a government invitation almost a week before the parliamentary  elections.

The question is that if this is how Muslim sentiments were dismissed when they   plan to vote for UNP one could imagine what is in store for them after the elections.

Though mainstream media played down the invitation, Muslims take serious note of this   in view of this especially ever increasing Israeli presence, with the full support of   the previous and present governments, with its global agenda to destroy Muslim societies worldwide.

Mainstream Sri Lankan media depends on the   pro Jewish western media which remains integral part of US led western war machine for its international coverage.

Thus most people in the island perhaps may be not aware of the magnitude of the barbarity perpetrated on Iraq and its innocent people by US led war mongers.

Thus this article for those interested.

Iraq is an ancient country   where many great ancient civilisations such as Mesopotamia, Sumer, Akkad, Mesopotamian, Babylonian and Assyria flourished between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers for more than 7,000 years.

Today’s Iraqi is the creation of western colonial powers in the aftermath of World War 1. 

In the 1960s Iraqi President Hassan Al Bakr nationalized the country’s oil resources plundered by Western oil companies. However United States recruited Saddam Hussein to assassinate President Bakr and install him as Iraq’s   dictator.  With oil wealth Iraq was turned into an almost developed country where people enjoyed   best of comforts.

In the early 1980s Saddam Hussein was manipulated by US,UK,Europe,Israel ,Saudi Arabia and the other Guff countries to declare war on Iran which, under  the new revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, was trying to export Islam to the Gulf.

The result was the eight year Iraq- Iran war destroying both countries, killing almost a million Muslims to the benefit of Israel and the weapons manufacturers in US, UK and Europe.

Iraq emerged victorious in the war alarming Israel and Saudi Arabia which were all out to destroy Iraq’s battle hardened war machine.

US President George Bush Sr tricked Saddam Hussein to invade Kuwait and triggered the Gulf war in 1990. Later under   the guise of liberating Kuwait   George Bush Sr, unleashed a ferocious bombing campaigns in known history and pushed Iraq to its pre-historic age.

Bush used cluster bombs to rip bodies apart, napalm and white phosphorous to cling and burn skin and small nuclear bomb type fuel air explosives to cause other damage.  The total amount of bombs dropped on Iraq was far more than the bombs dropped by the allies in the entire World War II. The military campaign, financed by the Gulf States led by Saudi Arabia, incinerated around 130,000 Iraqi civilians. The western weapons industry flourished as they sold a staggering $ 157 billion worth of armaments.

Battered by aerial bombardments and crippled by UN sanctions that killed more than 500,000 children, Iraq was virtually an occupied country. Since 1991 Iraqis were subjected to untold misery, hardships, and more than one-third of the population were exposed to malnutrition, epidemics, miscarriages and declining life expectancy.

Once again implementing the Zionist design to destroy Iraq George Bush Jr and Tony Blair unlashed a fierce media campaign, selling lies and deception, to indiscriminately bomb Iraqi cities in 2003 with unprecedented intensity.  Day in and day out the skies over Iraq rained bombs which shook the earth and relegated once thriving cities into bloody human abattoirs.  Child survivors, many of them maimed for life,   remain haunted by the nightmare of the gruesome catastrophe. Screaming in fear and panic, they simply could not comprehend why they were being subjected to such horror and heartlessness.

Then there emerged shocking pictures of American troops’ gang-raping Iraqi women.  These hapless women were forcibly dragged out of their homes, screaming in terror, stripped naked and gang-raped by the very people who had ostensibly been there to protect them. Nonetheless, such criminal depravity had been committed by so-called civilised uniformed personnel of Bush and Blair representing the most powerful military nation on earth.

Among the victims, were ordinary housewives, mothers and daughters – all brought up in a decently conservative society and whose religious traditions have always valued feminine purity as a prerequisite for a happily wedded life? Did Bush and Blair who perpetrated these appalling crimes ever stop to wonder that their victims were the same kind of women as their mothers and sisters at home?

Hundreds of thousands of innocent men and women were arbitrarily arrested and   subjected to the most sadistic and savage forms of torture, which brought swift condemnation from all over the world.

The invading forces used the most vicious interrogation techniques including hooding, stripping detainees naked, subjecting them to extremes of heat, cold, noise and light, and depriving them of sleep – in violation of the Geneva Conventions and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This heartless routine that included infliction of pain, discomfort and humiliation has expanded in all too many cases into vicious beatings, sexual degradation, sodomy, electrocution, near drowning, and near asphyxiation. Several detainees had died under questionable circumstances while in incarceration.

Obviously, these bestial crimes were kept under wraps until Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published a series of exposé articles illustrated by damning photos of the torture by US military police of prisoners in the Iraqi prison of Abu Ghraib near Baghdad.

The photographs included images of a hooded prisoner with wires fixed to his body, nude inmates piled in a human pyramid – a lewd type of Karma Sutra circus where the performers were forced into simulating mass sexual techniques. The harrowing pictures also showed a dog savagely attacking a prisoner and other inmates being forced to masturbate or simulate sex with each other.

The destruction of Iraq had been so meticulously planned, embracing every aspect that one of their main aims was to physically eliminate academics, professionals and other intellectuals from the society for generations to come. There were reports that Israel’s secret service Mossad arrived with a list of names and addresses of professionals such as university lecturers, professors, scientists, doctors, lawyers, engineers and other intellectuals, and went from house to house, killing them in their sleep.

According to many latest reports, 2,000 doctors, killed, and 5,500 academics and intellectuals assassinated or imprisoned.

In many cases, they used sharp weapons to cut the throats of husband in the presence of wives who were killed later. American forces looted the museums and robbed very valuable historic artefacts. .They armed Shiites and Sunnis and provoked civil war.

Besides massacring innocent civilians, the US troops mercilessly slaughtered Iraqi soldiers who had surrendered,   but unfortunately, for the world, no one will know exactly how many Iraqis perished in this carnage as it happened during the 1991 Kuwaiti crisis and in the Bush war against Muslim Afghanistan.

They even burnt birth, marriage, death, land, company, industrial and vehicle registration offices and all other such places to create chaos.

In Fallujah, a city of 300,000 people, they dropped even cluster bombs and used phosphorous weapons that caused severe burns in the military’s most intense urban fighting since the days of Vietnam. Within ten days Fallujah has been laid waste, a hell on earth of shattered bodies and destroyed buildings while the city entered history as the place where US imperialism carried out a crime of immense proportions.

The head of Turkey’s Parliamentary Human Rights Committee said this genocide surpassed those of Pharaoh, Hitler and Mussolini.

The carnage was very well planned and timed. Bush and his neo con team of war mongers did not want the world to know about their murderous holocaust in Fallujah.

Later reports emerged of the US military using banned napalm, poison gas and other outlawed weapons to kill innocent civilians. Hundreds of melted” bodies proved that the napalm gas had been used. Residents said invading troops used everything – tanks, artillery, infantry, poisonous gas and other non-conventional weapons to raze Fallujah to the ground. They used these weird bombs that put up smoke like a mushroom cloud. Then small pieces fell from the air with long tails of smoke behind them. Pieces of these bombs exploded into large fires that burnt the skin even when water was thrown on the burns. Phosphorous weapons as well as napalm are known to cause such effects and people suffered so much from these.

There has been nothing like the attack on Fallujah since the Nazi invasion and occupation of much of the European continent—the shelling and bombing of Warsaw in September 1939 and the terror bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940. All the talk about precision bombing in Iraq is dust thrown in the public’s eyes.

Twelve years   later today Bush and Blair   have killed almost two million Iraqi men, women, children and the aged,   driven almost five million Iraqis into refugee camps in neighbouring countries, four million Iraqis are refugees in their own country while more than half the population suffer from starvation.

Iraq today is a country of two million widows and five million orphans many of whom are homeless .Almost a third of Iraq’s children suffer from malnutrition. Some 70 per cent of Iraqi girls no longer go to school. Medical services, once the best in the region, have totally collapsed: 75 per cent of medical staff has left their jobs, half of them have fled the country, and after six years of reconstruction” health services in Iraq still do not meet minimum standards.

Iraq’s infrastructure is in ruins. There is lawlessness everywhere with sectarian thugs and gangs   virtually running the show, driving terror among people already subjected to unbearable sufferings.

Today the entire Iraqi population remains traumatised and these are the obscene images of crimes that cry out to the Heavens for vengeance.

Describing the barbarity in Iraq British Nobel laureate Playwright Harold Pinter had this to say;

THE invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law. The invasion was an arbitrary military action inspired by a series of lies upon lies and gross manipulation of the media and therefore of the public; an act intended to consolidate the American military and economic control of the Middle East masquerading – as a last resort – all other justifications having failed to justify themselves – as liberation. A formidable assertion of military force responsible for the death and mutilation of thousands and thousands of innocent people.

We have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it ‘bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East’. Therefore it is just that Bush and Blair be arraigned before the International Criminal Court of Justice.

These are the crime records of Bush and Blair.

And our Foreign Minister Samaraweera invites Tony Blair, one of the two main architects of this genocide and destruction,   on a two week holiday.

This is the lowest depth to which Sri Lanka, once a proud and inspiring third world country loved by the entire Arab world with great affection, has descended to. Ends

by Gandara John

National Endowment for Democracy – Interfering in Elections, Polls monitoring and Cultivating the ‘Free Press’ 

(Several organisations in Sri Lanka are funded by NED and include BASL, Transparency international and CPA)

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a Washington D.C-based quasi-governmental organization funded by the U.S. which boasts that it is “supporting freedom around the world.”^[1]

Alan Weinstein, one of the founders of the NED, explained in 1991:

A lot of what we [NED] do was done 25 years ago covertly by the CIA^[2]

Most of the NED, and its affiliated organizations, deals with influencing political processes abroad. The means employed range from influencing civil society, media, fostering business groups, lending support to preferred politicians/political parties, election monitoring, and fostering human rights groups.

Depending on the level of development of the political system and the sophistication of politicians, different strategies are applied. In underdeveloped countries (e.g., Haiti), it involves developing the civil infrastructure/civil society groups, human right monitoring groups, and especially, bonding with the country’s business elite.

In more advanced countries, with a civil society base, the focus is on fostering politicians/elite who favor the neo-liberal economic/political model.

From the NED’s website it is evident that the principal regions where it seeks to influence political outcomes are Asia, the Middle East, the former Soviet republics, some countries in Latin America, and Africa.^[3]

NED funding mostly flows through the four foundations listed below; these in turn are active in influencing “civil society” and electoral processes around the world, in a process sometimes referred to as “cloak and ballot” operations.

While NED remains accountable to the US Congress and has to publish its disbursements, this doesn’t apply to the organizations that it in turn finances.

Founding

NED was founded during the Ronald Reagan presidency in 1982, and shaped by an initial study undertaken by the American Political Foundation.^[4]

NED was created with a view to creating a broad base of political support for the organization. NED received funds from the U.S. government and distributes funds to four other organizations – one created by the Republican Party, another by the Democratic Party, one created by the business community and one by the “labor” movement (N.B.: the names of these organizations have changed over time):

• International Republican Institute (IRI)
• National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
• Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Private Enterprise (CIPE)
• AFL-CIO’s American Center for International Labor Solidarity

Although publicly funded, the activities of these four institutes are not reported to Congress. According to William Robinson, “NED employs a complex system of intermediaries in which operative aspects, control relationships, and funding trails are nearly impossible to follow and final recipients are difficult to identify.”

In a March 2005 interview, former CIA officer Philip Agee discussed the thinking behind NED’s establishment:^[5]

During the late 1970s there was new thinking at the highest levels of the U.S. foreign policymakers, and they reconsidered whether these ugly murderous military dictatorships of the 1970s were really the best way to preserve U.S. interests in these countries – U.S. interests being defined traditionally as unfettered access to the primary products and raw materials, to the labor and to the markets of foreign countries.

This new thinking led to the establishment in 1983 of the National Endowment for Democracy. They had chosen the German pattern in which the major political parties in Germany have foundations financed by the federal government. They did more or less the same thing with the establishment of the NED as a private foundation – there is really nothing private about it, and all its money comes from the Congress.

But then there were the other core foundations – this was the fundamental mechanism for promotion of democracy around the world, but in actual fact, when they say the promotion of democracy, or civic education, or fortifying civil society, what they really mean is using those euphemisms to cover funding to certain political forces and not to others.

In other words, to fortify the opposition of undesirable foreign governments as in the case of Venezuela, or to support a government that is favorable to US interests and avoid of coming to power of forces that are not seen as favorable to US interests.

This will be the case since the early 1990s in Nicaragua because all those programs that were started in order to assure the defeat of Daniel Ortega in 1990 continued, and they continued to make sure that Sandinista Front was not reelected again after their defeat in 1990 – and that has been the case.

These programs go on in various different countries and they require quite a bit of research. … I am sure that one could find these programs in Mexico, Colombia, Peru probably, Brazil, and other countries outside the Latin American region.

Involvement in Foreign Political Processes

NED regularly provides funding to opposition candidates in elections in countries other than the USA.

According to Allen Weinstein, one of the founders of NED, “A lot of what we [NED] do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA” (Blum, Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower, 2000, p. 180).

NED has principally supported candidates with strong ties to the military and who support the rights of U.S. corporations to invest in those countries with minimal restriction.

The NED has not supported candidates who oppose investments by U.S. corporations or who promise restrictions on investment rights of U.S. corporations.

Tom Engelhardt notes that “we’ve seen “the Rose Revolution” in Georgia, “the Orange Revolution” in Ukraine, and now “the Tulip Revolution” in Kyrgyzstan, all heavily financed and backed by groups funded by or connected to the U.S. government and/or the Bush administration.”^[6] He then quotes Pepe Escobar, who writes:

“The whole arsenal of US foundations — National Endowment for Democracy, International Republic Institute, International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), Eurasia Foundation, Internews, among others — which fueled opposition movements in Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine, has also been deployed in Bishkek [Kyrgyzstan]…

Practically everything that passes for civil society in Kyrgyzstan is financed by these US foundations, or by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

At least 170 non-governmental organizations charged with development or promotion of democracy have been created or sponsored by the Americans. The US State Department has operated its own independent printing house in Bishkek since 2002 — which means printing at least 60 different titles, including a bunch of fiery opposition newspapers.

USAID invested at least $2 million prior to the Kyrgyz elections — quite something in a country where the average salary is $30 a month.”^[7]

Revolving Doorways

The close alignment of the NEDs activities with US foreign policy interests comes as no surprise, especially when you consider the revolving doorways between the US Government and the NED Board of Directors, some of the most notable of which include:

“…former US Secretaries of State, Henry Kissinger (Nixon) and Madeleine Albright (Clinton), former US Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci (Reagan), former National Security Council Chair Zbigniew Brzezinski (Carter), former NATO Supreme Allied Command in Europe, General Wesley K. Clark (Clinton), and the current head of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz (George W. Bush). Another notable, Bill Brock, served as a US Senator, a US Trade Representative, and US Secretary of Labor, and then Chairman of the Board of NED.” [7]

Fostering “Free Press”

In late 2004, Adam Wild Aba wrote, “The new intelligence law also directs the State Department to promote a free press and the development of ‘professional journalists’ in the Muslim world.

It says free press is a must as part of the overall public diplomacy strategy for the Middle East, according to the State Department’s statement. Under the law, the National Endowment for Democracy shall fund a private-sector group to establish a free-media network to help participants share information concerning development of free media in ‘societies in transition’.”^[8]

NED also supports the nonprofit organization Internews which encourages media worldwide to “promote democracy”.

In 2004, Internews had a budget of $27 million, 80 percent of which came from the U.S. government.

Covert embedded reporters

Several articles about the political process in Haiti, Iraq, and the Palestinian-occupied territories have appeared in The New York Times, NPR, and other mainstream US media. The impression is given that the articles are from bona fide journalists, but it transpires that several of them are paid by the NED or its affiliated organizations.

The case of Regine Alexandre is particularly interesting. She wrote articles for the New York Times, AP, and commented on NPR. It transpires that she is on the NED payroll, and the NED confirmed this fact. However, when confronted with this information both the NYT and NPR failed to respond or take this seriously.

Source: Anthony Fenton and Dennis Bernstein, “AP reporter RéGINE is wearing two hats,” Haiti Action.net, December 29, 2005.

Conducting polls

NED (or its satellite organizations) has been active in conducting election exit polls in Serbia, Ukraine, Venezuela. These results were used on occasion to cast doubt on the actual election results, and thus deligitimize the winner of the election, and thus create pressure for an election re-run. ^[9]

In December 2004, the NED-association organization International Republican Institute conducted a survey in Iraq to determine the popular intent to vote. It found that 75% of Iraqis would opt to vote, thus lending some legitimacy to the electoral exercise. However, IRI didn’t poll the key cities where the insurgency is strong, i.e., Fallujah, Ramadi and Mosul. ^[10]

Such surveys lend legitimacy to so-called demonstration elections, or discredit electoral outcomes when the “wrong” candidate wins/or could win.

By Dharman Wickremaratne.

Village thugs were in Sri Lanka since ancient times. They however threw their weight around only when others challenged them.  That was how these men showed their powers to the rest of villagers.Later towards the end of the 1960s these thugs were overtaken by urban hoodlums like Cheena of Dompe, Choppay of Maradana, Harbour Martin, Aggona Chandare and Diga Piyadasa.  Instead of brandishing swords and clubs like village thugs these urban gangsters were armed with galkatas (locally-made crude firearms) and ‘duppi’- crude, hand bombs which were packed in small Marmite bottles.

There were also other gangsters who emerged in the Provinces.  The notorious among them were Podi Wije of Polonnarwa, Ukkuwa of Tangalle, Maradankadawala Yakadaya and Siripala of Anuradhapura alias Maru Sira.  But hardly any of them committed large scale robberies, inhuman crimes including rape. This writer was present at the funeral of Saanchi Aarachichige Jinadasa alias Maradankadawala Yakadaya, who lived up to a ripe old age, at the Nelligama Cemetery, Kekirawa on October 29, 2011.  Maradankadawala Postmaster at the time Jayawardena told the writer that the death of Thambayiya, postmaster of Maradankadawala in 1955 at the hands of Yakadaya (iron man) was an accident.  He had actually robbed only Rs.365 from the post office and not Rs.5000 as alleged.  Yakadaya earned his nickname after his jail break by bending the iron bars of his cell.

From Left:Podi Wije of Polonnaruwa, Siripala of Anuradhapura, Maradankadawala Yakadaya, Aggona Chandare and Choppe of Maradana, all of whom were notorious thugs over four decades ago.

The most despicable underworld characters emerged parallel to the evolution of the lowest form of political culture hitherto unseen in Sri Lankan society.  It happened with the landslide victory of the UNP Government on July 22, 1977.   After the election the rulers allowed hoodlums attack political rivals both in towns and villages. UNP leaders openly stated that they were sending the police on vacation.

In addition to state repression, thuggery was also used for suppressing strikes and opposition demonstrations.  Ruling party thugs openly attacked meetings of the JVP and other opposition parties.These hoodlums were provided with firearms and allowed to engage in narcotic drug peddling, extortion  and armed robbery. They also killed on contract.  Their main source of income was narcotic drugs.In order to suppress the JVP’s second insurgency the Government deployed – in addition to security forces – paramilitary groups. These groups often comprised underworld criminals.  The Government provided them with vehicles, identity cards, weapons and ample funds.

President JR Jayewardene who paved the way for the emergence of the underworld and Presidents Ranasinghe Premadasa and Chandrika Kumaratunga who used these criminals for their own ends.

Underworld characters such as Gonawala Sunil, Soththi Upali, Kaduwela Wasantha, Nawala Nihal and Noel Amarasinghe under the protection of ruling party politicians terrorized people.  While President Jayewardene gave birth to the politicized underworld its power reached the zenith during President Premadasa’s rule, when the JVP’s second insurgency was plaguing the country. Under President Kumaratunga too thugs continued to enjoy state patronage, committing most despicable and atrocious deeds.

During the Premadasa regime the unseen hand behind the Colombo underworld was Minister Sirisena Cooray. It was President Premadasa who appointed leading underworld figure Arambawela Don Ranjit alias Soththi Upali alias Pidali Upali a UNP Working Committee Member. By the time Upali was killed on December 18, 1998 he had killed dozens of people. Although complaint after complaint was made against him to the police towards the end of the 1980s no police station accepted the complaints. There were even allegations that he had sat on the office chair of the OIC, Borella Police.

From left: Minister Sirisena Cooray who was the unseen hand behind the Colombo underworld during the Premadasa regime, Underworld leader and UNP Working Committee Member Arambawela Don Ranjit alias Soththi Upali, when he was killed on December 18, 1998 and Minister Paul Perera who was the unseen underworld leader of Gampaha.

There were cartoons in the Communist Sinhala daily ‘Eththa’(Truth) drawn by Yunus on the Premadasa regime’s killing of young people in 1989 during the seond JVP insurgency.  Reacting to this Soththi Upali went to the home of Yunus at Gothami Road, Borella and cut one side of his mouth with a razor after brandishing a pistol, threatening him with death.  Even in the Lalith Athulathmudali asssasination case Soththi Upali and UNP Provincial Councilor U.L. Seneviratne came under suspicion.

The UNP Government crushed a countrywide strike with the help of underworld thugs.  It began when nearly 400,000 public and private sector employees staged a lunch-hour demonstration on July 5, 1980 demanding a monthly pay increase of Rs. 300. Two armed gangs which emerged from the direction of the Government Supplies Department at Chittampalam Gardiner Mawatha, and Lake House started attacking the protesters with stones. The thugs included underworld gangster Aluthkade Paala.

(1)Sunil Perera alias Gonawala Sunil of Kelaniya, the most powerful underworld leader during the reign of terror (2) Sunil and his wife and (3) a house Sunil and his wife illegally occupied at the infamous Batalanda Housing Complex until his death in 1988.

At this time a group in jeep No.31 Sri 1111 which came from the direction of Slave Island started throwing sticks and stones at those who were picketing.  It was followed by the sound of an explosion.   Six injured persons were hospitalized.  Agalawatte MP Merril Kariyawasam was seen seated on the front seat of the jeep which moved away from the scene before going past Lake House. One person – Dedduwage Somapala who was a Supplies Department Employee – died in the bomb throwing incident.

The thugs who regularly attacked Kelaniya University’s leftwing and other anti-UNP students from 1978 onwards were Gonawala Sunil’s men led by UNP Minister Cyril Mathew.  The assailants were backed by the pro-UNP Eksath Samawadee Students Front which was first set up in the Kelaniya University in 1973.  These students unofficially resorted to thuggery in the Kelaniya and Moratuwa Universities from 1978 to 1984.  The majority of those recruited as university security personnel by Jayewardenepura University Vice Chancellor Karunasena Kodithuwakku were underworld criminals.  They regularly attacked university students who were opposed to the Government.

From Left: Underworld leaders Nawala Nihal and Kaduwela Wasantha who helped the UNP to suppress the JVP and Baddegane Sanjeewa, notorious gangster who worked for President Chandrika.

On March 16, 1978 about 40 underworld gang members who arrived armed with clubs at the Kelaniya University attacked students who were demonstrating.  The attackers were instigated by the pro-UNP Samawadee Students Front. In the process one of the leading attackers Christopher Jayatilleke was killed.  Among those who attended his funeral held on March 18, 1978, was President Jayewardene.

Up to the end of 1986 thugs armed with bicycle chains were seen together with the police outside the Colombo University during student demonstrations.  Samawadee Students Front leaders Gayakantha Wannigama and Wimal Ranjit Wickremarachchi were charged with the murder of Jayaratne Rajapaksa who was stabbed to death at the Moratuwa University on July 20, 1983.Witnesses to the murder Amarasiri Gurusinghe and M. Gunadasa testified at the murder trial.They were later abducted by underworld thugs in 1988, during the JVP insurgency. The two victims were never heard of again.

Police officers who worked together with the underworld during the JVP’s second insurgency: DIGs Ronnie Gunasinghe and Premadasa Udugampola and Colombo South SSP Abdul Gafoor.

At the end of the Rajapaksa murder trial the Panadura High Court sentenced Gayakantha to seven years rigorous imprisonment in 1995.  The Appeal Court however reduced the sentence to two years on March 26, 1996 following an appeal which led to the seven year-sentence being suspended for 10 years.

Leading the underworld linked to the UNP regime included Gonawala Sunil, Nawala Nihal and Kaduwela Wasantha.  At one time when there were serious threats against Kaduwela Wasantha he was given protection by Major Padmasiri Udugampola in a comfortable room next to the torture chamber at the Race Course, Cinnamon Gardens Colombo.Soththi Upali, Anil of Rajagiriya and Koholwala Denzil very often stayed at UNP Minister Paul Perera’s home, according to Shelton Perera, a brother of Gonawala Sunil.  Paul Perera was also the invisible leader of the Gampaha underworld.

Upper from left: Dhammika Amarasinghe, Mahinda Godage alias Bada Mahinda, Kalu Ajith all of whom powerful underworld figures later killed (Kalu Ajith was burnt to death), Karate Dhammika, Vambotta and Olcott.Bottom row from left: Potta Nowfer, Army Roshan, Mamasmi, Faji, Nadaraj and Navy Asanka.

Sunil Perera alias Gonawala Sunil of Kelaniya was the right hand man of the most powerful politician of Batalanda, Sapugaskanda in the Gampaha District.  Sunil illegally occupied a house next to the torture chamber in the Batalanda Housing complex until he died in 1988.  Vincent Perera, caretaker of the Batalanda Tourist bungalow told the Batalanda Commission that among those who came to see the powerful politician regularly was Gonawala Sunil.  After Perera gave evidence at the commission’s inquiry, he mysteriously disappeared.

The underworld thugs in the paramilitary groups based at Batalanda undertook the task of burning the bodies of detainees at the garbage incinerator at Mattakkuliya, after killing them.  The bodies were put into  polythene bags before being burnt. The same thugs killed 27 detainees at the playground of a school at Naiwala, Minuwangoda after they were arrested at Kalutara.  The young women at the detention camps too were treated brutally.

Sub-Inspector Rohitha Priyadarshana, OIC (Crime Branch) Sapugaskanda Police whose body was found on February 23, 1990 after being abducted on February 20  and his father S.M. Amarasena who died on December 9, 2007 after being an invalid for 17 years following the shock he suffered as result of his son’s murder.

Gonawala Sunil had seven brothers – Piyadasa, Sammy, Harold, Vincent, Cyril, Shelton and Tudor.  The Gonawala Perera family is well-known for its active support to the UNP.  Their father was known as Rende Mudalalali. Gunawala Sunil worked as a UNP provincial leading activist and associated with a number of UNP leaders for a long time. He used to welcome UNP bigwigs at the Katunayake airport whenever they returned to Sri Lanka.  His house was regularly used for the party’s small group meetings.  Sometime back Sunil ran a sports cub together with a friend Rohana Tillekeratne at the River Valleys Development Board, Ampara.

There were allegations agaist Sunil that he stole ballot boxes on the UNP’s behalf at the Katana by-election and that he gave orders to the police while sitting on the OIC’s chair.  The Government’s leading thug at the Mulkirigala by-election was Gunawala Sunil. Although he attempted to attack Rohana Wijeweera and other JVP members and douse Wijeweera with green paint when they came to address a meeting at Delgoda, Gampaha it was foiled when the JVP counter attacked.

Soththi Upali cut the mouth of ‘Eththa’ cartoonist Yunoos residing at Gothami Road, Borella, because he drew satirical cartoons against the Premadasa regime.

Apart from political thuggery, Gonawala Sunil was accused of other crimes.  He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for raping Dr. Paul’s daughter towards the end of the 1970s.  Sunil’s appeal against the sentence was unsuccessful and the sentence was confirmed.  However before long he was released – not surprisingly – from prison under a Presidential pardon.Sunil was also involved illegally obtaining fuel oil through an underground pipeline from Sapugaskande to Kolonnawa.  But he was never charged in courts for this offence.  On the contrary he was appointed a JP all Island and Chairman of the Gramodaya Mandalaya of his area.

Underworld thugs armed with bicycle chains standing opposite the Colombo University together with the police in 1986 to suppress a student demonstration.

According to the Batalanda Commission Gonawala Sunil had the blessings of the then Government. His brother Shelton, married to Pushpa Ranjani, was his manager in the oil supply racket.  He was killed on July 26, 1989.  The previous year, on July 25, 1988 the JVP killed Gonawala Sunil and his wife with bullets fired from a T-56.  Sunil was the father of two children.  His daughter Kamila was nine years old when her father was killed. Her young brother Dinushka was just five months. At the time of Sunil’s death he had given several lorries on hire under the name Kamila Transport Service.  He had also underaken contracts under the name of one of his brothers to construct Government buildings including the Delgoda Agrarian Services Centre.  It was Sunil who owned the Samanala Restaurant, Kiribathgoda.

The man who killed Sunil was Prasad, a former soldier who later joined JVP and became the leader of its armed wing in the Eastern Kandyan region. He gave weapons training to JVP cadres in the Bambarenda and Knuckles hills in the Central Province. It is said that he was later killed and the body dumped near the Katugastota bridge.

Youths inside a police cell after being arrested in connection with the JVP’s second insurgency.

OIC Sapugaskanda Police Crime Branch, Rohitha Priyadarshana worked fearlessly to suppress underworld actvities in Kelaniya.  Born on November 30, 1964, he was a past pupil of Nalanda Vidyalaya. While on duty on February 20, 1990 at 8.30 a.m. he received a phone call from Keerthi Athapattu, OIC Sapugaskanda Police, asking him to come to Biyagama Village Hotel.  After reaching the hotel Priyadarshana dissappeared.  His body along with five other bodies were found floating in the Kelani River near the Peliyagoda Police Station on February 23, 1990.  The reason for killing Priyadarshana was that he arrested Tudor Perera,  a brother of Gonawala Sunil in connection with criminal activities, on February 8, 1990. Later Tudor dissappeared after a senior police officer – at the request of a powerful politician – abducted him while in police custody.

Arrested youth blindfolded and tortured.

During President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s rule the underworld became stronger. One of its powerful leaders was Baddegane Sanjeewa of the Presidential Security Division (PSD). It was he who shot dead journalist Rohana Kumara, editor of the ‘Satana’ on September 7, 1999.  The supposed reason for the shooting was that he exposed the Channel 9 affair in his paper.It was on a contract given by the then ruling circles that actress Anoja Weerasinghe’s house was set on fire, completely destroying it.  In the process, the irreplaceable awards she had received and other valuable items too were destroyed.

Opposition MPs Dinesh Gunawardena and Vasudeva Nanayakkara who protested strongly in Parliament against the suppression of young people by the UNP Government and underworld thugs conniving with the ruling party.

Baddegane Sanjeewa also led the forcible entry to the home of the popular singers Rookantha Gunatilake and his wife Chandralekha Perera at Mattegoda on January 27, 2000 and intimidating them by cutting Chandralekha’s hair and pouring petrol on their bodies.The persons charged with this ofence were several PSD members. Over a year later Baddegane Sanjeewa was shot and killed on November 2, 2001 by one of his own close associates – Dhammika Perera – who too was  involved with Presidential Mafia. Dhammika Perera in turn was shot dead by other underworld gangsters inside the Colombo Magistrates Court on January 12, 2004.

Gonawala Sunil, Soththi Upali, Kaduwela Wasantha, Nawala Nihal, Noel Amarasinghe, Dhammika Amarasinghe, Vambotta, Chinthaka Amarasinghe, Baddegane Sanjeewa, Thunmulle Padme, Delu of Slave Island, Thoppi Chaminda, Bada Mahinda, Kalu Ajith, Olcott, Faji, Potta Nowfer, Anamalu Imitiyas, Moratu Saman, Dematagoda Kamal, Guna of Kimbula Ela, Thel Bala, Prins Column, Danushka, Navy Ruwan, Navy Asanka, Karate Dhammika, Ice Manju, Neluwe Priyantha, Army Roshan, Mama Asmi, Nadaraj and Usa Kumara among others reigned supreme until President Mahinda Rajapaksa succeeded in almost completely eliminated the underworld in 2014.  Some fled the country while others are spending their last years in jail.

Underworld crimes are a most virulent form of terrorism.  Suppressing it needs a special strategy. People have the right to live without fear of an underworld mafia.(The writer is a senior journalist who could be reached at ejournalists@gmail.com)

– දිල්රුක් කන්නන්ගර 

සිරිසේන ජනාධිපති වූයේද, ආතක් පාතක් නැති රනිල් අගමැති වූයේද සිරිසේනට ලැබුණු දෙමළ ඡන්දයෙනි. ඡන්දය දිනූ දා සිට කළේ දෙමළ ජනතාව පිනවීම මිස වෙන කිසිවක් නොවේ. අද සිංහල තරුණයන් අතර දෙමළ තරුණයන්ට වඩා සේවා වියුක්තිය සහ ඌණ සේවා නියුක්තිය දක්නට ලැබේ. විශ්ව විද්‍යාල තුලද මෙම අසාධාරණ ව්‍යාප්තවාදය දක්නට ඇත. මෙම නින්දිත පරිහානියට සිරිසේනගේ රනිල් ප්‍රමුඛ UNP ආණ්ඩුව වග කිව යුතුය. අගෝස්තු 17 න් පසුව මෙම පරිහානිය තවත් දරුණු වනු ඇත.

රාජ්‍ය සේවය කපා දමා ඒ වෙනුවට කොන්ත්‍රාත් පදනමට රාජ්‍ය සේවකයන් ඉතා තාවකාලිකව බඳවා ගන්නා ක්‍රමයක් සකස් කර හමාරය. මේ යටතේ සියලු කළමණාකරු නොවන නිල සේවකයන් රජයට සේවකයන් සපයන කොන්ත්‍රාත් සමාගම් වල ලියාපදිංචි විය යුතුය. ඔවුන්ගේ පඩි නඩි ගෙවනුයේ මෙම කොන්ත්‍රාත් සමාගම් විසිනි. වැඩ ප්‍රමාණයේ පමණට කොන්ත්‍රාත් සමාගම් සේවකයන් යොදවයි. වැඩ නැතිනම් පඩි නැත. කොන්ත්‍රාත් සමාගම් මහා ලාභයක් ලබමින් සේවකයන්ට ඉතා සුළු වැටුපක් ගෙවයි. අගෝස්තු 17 න් පසුව දින 100ක් ඇතුලත මෙය ක්‍රියාත්මක කල යුතු බවට IMF (ලෝක මූල්‍ය අරමුදල) නිර්දේශ කොට ඇත. චීනය එලවා ගත් UNP ආණ්ඩුවට IMF හැර අන් සරණක් නැත. රුපියල් කෙල කෝටි 52ක් මහා බැංකු මගඩියෙන් හොරකම් කල UNP ආණ්ඩුව රාජ්‍ය වැටුප් ගෙවනුයේ රටින් ණය ගෙනය. මෙම බොහෝ කොන්ත්‍රාත් සමාගම් 1990 දශකයේ ලංකාවෙන් විදේශ ගතවුණු දෙමළ සරණාගතයන්ට අයත් ඒවාය. දකුණු ඉන්දියාවෙන්ද රාජ්‍ය සේවකයන් ගෙන ඒමට ඔවුන් සූදානම්ය. අගෝස්තු 15 අත්සන් කිරීමට නියමිතව තිබූ, ඡන්දය නිසා කල් ගිය, ලංකා-ඉන්දියා ආර්ථික සහයෝගීතා ගිවිසුම (CEPA) යටතේ ලක්ෂ ගණන් රැකියා නැති ආර්ථික වශයෙන් දුර්වල ඉන්දියානුවන් ඔබේ රැකි රක්ෂා කොල්ල කනු ලබයි.

සෞඛ්‍ය, අධ්‍යාපන සහ සුළු පරිමාණ ව්‍යාපාර ද ඉන්දියානුවන් ට, 1990 දශකයේ ලංකාවෙන් විදේශ ගතවුණු දෙමළ සරණාගතයන්ට  පැවරීමට කටයුතු යොදා හමාරය.

UNP යට ඡන්දය දීමට පෙර මෙය සිතන්න.

U.S. Department of Defense – just released June 2015 – Law of War Manual, the authoritative position the Government of the United States takes in war situations in both international and non-international warfare, gives the USG official positions on may situation one of which is connected to ‘Human Shield’ and ‘Civilian Deaths’.

The interpretation of the ‘Proportionality Law’ in non-international war and the definition the Government of the United States declared on ‘Human Shield’ and ‘Civilian Deaths’ – in fact the language in the Manual – clears Sri Lanka’s culpability of civilian deaths during the final month (April-May 2009) of the intense battle between the GSL military and the Tamil Tiger fighting cadre in the battle of Puthukkudiriyirippu in the banks of the Lagoon Nathikadal in the Sri Lanka District of Mullaitivu.

Since the Eelam War IV was concluded, the US Department of State – in two reports released by its Office of Global Crimes – alleged the Sri Lanka military of discriminately using heavy military artillery which cause the deaths of unarmed civilians. Lobbied and forced by the professional activists within the Tamil Diaspora who were once providing ‘material support’ to the LTTE in its secessionist war against the legitimate government of Sri Lanka, the USG went far as the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva to bring resolutions against the GSL from 2010 through 2014. The theme of those resolutions was ‘accountability for what occurred during the final months of the war which produced civilian deaths’.

The interpretations and definition provided by the US Department of Defense (DOD) in its latest Law of War Manual in fact absolves the Sri Lanka military of the ‘war crime and genocide charges’ blaming the non-state actor – the LTTE – in declaring [i]f the proportionality rule were interpreted to permit the use of human shields to prohibit attacks, such an interpretation would perversely encourage the use of human shields.”

It is in the context that we in the Asian Tribune used the caption’ U.S. clears Sri Lanka of civilian deaths: Faults Tiger human shield’.

During final months of the Eelam War IV, the state department and foreign offices of EU nations continually appealed to the LTTE not to use unarmed civilians as human shield and urged to allow the civilians to move toward the GSL declared No-Fire Zones to prevent mass casualty. It was quite apparent to everyone at that time that the LTTE was in fact using the unarmed civilians as human shield to prevent the GSL military from using its offensive to capture its rightful territory held by the secessionist movement. The Tigers were using heavy artillery to attack GSL military using the human shield and prevented them from leaving toward the No-Fire Zone. In fact there were reports that the Tigers brutally killed civilian who chose escape toward the NFZ.

It is to this scenario during the final months of the war that the Asian Tribune endeavors to connect the determinations, interpretations and declared official US positions found in the DOD-released Law of War Manual.

The commonly called Proportionality Rule ‘ is combatants must refrain from attacks in which the expected loss of life or injury to civilians, and damage to civilian objects incidental to the attack, would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage expected to be gained.

Under international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute, the death of civilians during an armed conflict, no matter how grave and regrettable does not constitute a war crime…. even when it is known that some civilian deaths or injuries will occur. A crime occurs if there is an intentional attack directed against civilians (principle of distinction) or an attack is launched on a military objective in the knowledge that the incidental civilian injuries would be clearly excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage (principle of proportionality).

The DOD Manual, among others, gives the USG interpretation and determination to this principle of proportionality. And this interpretation and the determination in the Manual which is now the official position of the Government of the United States that the Asian Tribune endeavors to connect to the scenario that prevailed during the final months of the intense battle between the non-state actor Tamil Tigers and the military of the legitimate Sri Lanka government which gave rise to issues of human shield and civilian deaths.

The Manual states that [t]he party that employs human shields in an attempt to shield military objectives from attack assumes responsibility for their injury.”

The Manual further states that [i]f the proportionality rule were interpreted to permit the use of human shields to prohibit attacks, such an interpretation would perversely encourage the use of human shields.”

One of the most significant policy positions the USG has taken is when the DOD Manual states that [i]f the proportionality rule were interpreted to permit the use of human shields to prohibit attacks, such an interpretation would … allow violations by the defending force to increase the legal obligations on the attacking force.”

When interpreting the scenario that prevailed during the final months of the Eelam War IV battle, the LTTE (defending force) ‘allowed violations’ using the human shield knowing full well that the attacking forces’ (GSL Military) ‘legal obligations could increase’.

This is how the Manual gives the USG ‘official position’ on ‘Human Shields’ and ‘Civilian Deaths’. The DOD declares the USG policy plank that it is unfair for defending forces to intentionally trigger the legal obligations of the attacking force, through unlawful conduct, as a means of obtaining tactical advantage. The state department and EU nations have gone on record that the LTTE use of human shield was wrong urging the secessionist movement to allow the unarmed civilians to move toward the NFZ for safety.

It is internationally accepted in covenants that parties to a conflict must: (1)take certain measures to help ensure that military forces and civilians can be visually distinguished from one another; (2) physically separate, as feasible, their military objectives from the civilian population and other protected persons and objects; and (3) refrain from the misuse of protected persons and objects to shield military objectives.

The LTTE totally disregarded this, and the International Community was well aware of it.

Under Protected Persons and Objects, the US Defense Department Law of War Manual says:

(Quote) In particular, the civilian population, protected persons under the GC, POWs,
fixed medical establishments and medical units, parlementaires and other persons protected by a flag of truce, and cultural property are protected persons and objects that may not be used.

“Although persons and objects that are protected by the law of war may not be used in
these ways, this rule does not prohibit a party from using what would otherwise be a civilian object for military purposes and thereby converting it to a military objective that is not protected by the law of war.

“For example, a building that previously was a civilian object could be used for military purposes (including as cover) and would not implicate this rule because it would no longer be a protected object. (End Quote)

It was widely known to the International Community that the LTTE converted hospitals and make-shift medical units as military objectives to attack the GSL military forces during the final month of the battle.

The U.S. position is that the LTTE was not prohibited “from using what would otherwise be a civilian object for military purposes and thereby converting it to a military objective”, and then the Manual declares once such a civilian facility was converted to a military objective that facility “is not protected by the law of war”.

Which is why the Manual determines “For example, a building that previously was a civilian object could be used for military purposes (including as cover) and would not implicate this rule because it would no longer be a protected object”.

The DOD Manual further interprets the law of war under Protected Persons or Objects to Deter Enemy Military Operations in this manner:

(Quote) The essence of this rule is to refrain from deliberately endangering protected
persons or objects for the purpose of deterring enemy military operations. This absolute duty to refrain from purposeful misconduct may be contrasted with the affirmative obligation that parties have to take feasible precautions to separate the civilian population, civilian internees, POWs, fixed medical establishments and medical units, and cultural property, from the dangers of military operations.

An adversary’s intention to violate this rule is likely to be clear because that adversary
normally would make it apparent to the opposing party that attacks against the military objective being shielded would risk harming protected persons or objects. (End Quote)

The US Department of State throughout knew that the LTTE was using unarmed civilians as human shield, converted medical facilities as military objectives. Going by the language of the Manual, If the United States Government position of the use of unarmed civilians as human shield, it can be interpreted that the LTTE“violations increased the legal obligations on the attacking force”, attacking forces in this instance the GSL military forces; and converting civilian facilities such as make-shift hospitals and existing hospitals into military objectives, such facilities are “not protected by the law of war”.

The Government of Sri Lanka needs to give serious note of the interpretations, determinations and policy declarations of the Government of the United States on the law of war in the Department of Defense’ Law of War Manual to frustrate the efforts of the United States aimed at making Sri Lanka responsible for the deaths of unarmed innocent Tamil civilians killed during the final months of the battle. The State Department’s Office of Global Crimes in two reports made Sri Lanka mainly responsible for those killings while accusing the LTTE of using unarmed civilians as human shield.

Why Sri Lanka needs to bring up this issue a fresh because of the official position adopted by the United States through the DOD Manual. The interpretations, determinations and policy declarations in the Manual clearly absolves Sri Lanka of incidents that occurred during the final months of the battle.

The Government of Sri Lanka should immediately use its diplomatic channels to clear its name with the US Department of State based on the deliberations found in the 1204-page DOD Manual which can be found athttp://www.defense.gov/pubs/Law-of-War-Manual-June-2015.pdf.

This is not a Sirisena, Wickremasinghe or Rajapaksa issue: This is about the global image of Sri Lanka, and to frustrate the global efforts of former Tamil Tiger activists who were giving legal counsel, political strategy, lobbying services, raised funds and even advocated the procurement of arms to sustain the secessionist LTTE – now taken over the global diplomatic offensive against Sri Lanka – in their quest to de-legitimize the Sri Lanka state as a first move to facilitate the entry of the United Nations as a supervisory body to the North-East Provinces of Sri Lanka, go for a referendum to bifurcate the nation: what the LTTE leader Prabhakaran failed to achieve through his 26-year terror.

The Asian Tribune urges the authorities in the Sirisena administration and others who are associated with the administration along with the leading political activists of other major political parties to study the DOD Manual to come out – jointly – with a diplomatic discourse to frustrate the global strategy of the LTTE rump in the Tamil Diaspora from fulfilling that first objective – De-legitimize the Sri Lanka state.

Using the language of the DOD Manual when in discourse with state department officials is the first move: after all, it is their policy document on Law of War which can be easily interpreted into the scenario which existed during the final months of the Eelam War IV.

– Asian Tribune –

Rajanram

Secrecy + hypocrisy = Ranil Wickramasinge who has now assigned the globally most hated man Tony Blair as advisor to retain his power and loot the country and the innocent people.

Sri Lankan people should not vote for Ranil led party for the following reasons:

He was one of those ministers who burnt Jaffna library and the Jaffna town in 1980.

He was one of those ministers who were behind the 1983 riots.

He was the one who masterminded to kill 60.000 Singhalese youths in 1990s.

He was the one who was financing and supplying materials to LTTE which banned all democratic rights in the North and East.

He was the one who masterminded to fall all front line army camps into LTTE hands in 2000 with the helps of corrupt army brigadiers.

He was the one who had given the list of Tamils working with army so that LTTE could wipe them and their families off.

He was the one who through his aids, had given the security details of former foreign minister Laksman Kadirkamar so tha LTTE could take safe position and kill him.

He was the one who has given very sophisticated weaponries and machineries to LTTE which built bomber planes, gun boats and submarines.

He is the one who is behind the central bank bond scandal.

He is the one who leads politics with the help of underworld gangs.

The history of Ranil Wickramasinge is full of blood, cheats, hypocrisies, betrayals, anti Sri Lankan, anti Tamil and manipulative.

Who will vote for him? Save Sri Lankan innocent citizens.