Lucky Sydney

Why do we support?

Sri Lankans have fulfilled their responsibility by electing Anura Kumara Dissanayake as their leader. Now, it is time for the Sri Lankan diaspora to play their crucial role.

Sri Lanka is currently in dire need of foreign capital. If the new NPP government begins negotiations with the IMF, the situation could worsen. The country risks losing IMF instalments and support from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Considering these circumstances, it would be incredibly valuable if the Sri Lankan diaspora could increase their remittances in US dollars or their equivalent. This additional financial support would help offset the potential loss of international aid and strengthen the new government’s position in negotiations. Furthermore, these increased remittances would enable the government to kick-start essential projects and initiatives.

What can be done

The chart given below illustrates the remittances received by Sri Lanka and Pakistan over the past eight years. As shown, the sharp decline in remittances in 2022 played a significant role in Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.

Remittances and yearly increase/decrease in US dollars
Year	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	3021	2022	2023
Sri Lanka	7,26 +0.26	7.19     -0.07	7.04    -0.14	6.75    -0.29	7.14    +0.39	5.52    -1.62	3.82    -1.70	5.4      +1.58
Pakistan	19.82 +0.51	19.86 +0.04	21.19 +1.33	22.25 +1.06	26.09 +3.84	31.31 +5.22	30.18 -1.13	26.56 -3.62

Why include Pakistan in this comparison? The focus here is on the “Imran Khan effect.” When Imran Khan assumed office in 2018-2019,

Pakistani diaspora significantly increased their remittances by USD 9.06 billion over the next two years.

If the Pakistani diaspora can achieve such an increase, there’s no reason why the Sri Lankan diaspora couldn’t similarly remit an additional USD 2 billion over two years. If successful, this would allow the new government to launch critical projects without relying on external aid.

When can be done

Current and Projected remittances in US dollars
Year	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Sri Lanka	3.82	5.4	> 7.0	> 8.0	> 9.0

I have included a table above projecting the timeline and the minimum amount of dollars required. Here’s a simple scenario: the Sri Lankan diaspora currently numbers around 3 million people. Excluding the 2 million who are either new arrivals or not yet settled, we are left with approximately 1 million individuals, which translates to about 250,000 families.

“If each family were to contribute a substantial amount as a gesture of goodwill or appreciation, it could generate several hundred million US dollars—enough to meet the immediate needs for 2024.”

Please note that this is a preliminary estimate and is subject to change pending official government announcements. I am confident that once the new government is fully established, they will implement more formalized procedures for investing in Sri Lanka. The focus will likely be on attracting investment funds rather than increasing debt through investment bonds.

It is time for Sri Lankans to save Sri Lanka from this catastrophe.

Aloysius Hettiarachchi

I came across this interesting podcast by a presenter/interviewer Lex Fridman, who has built a name for himself. He is a Russian born Jewish person who emigrated as a child with parents to the US during the break-up of the Soviet Union. He is an expert in the IT and Electrical Engineering field with a PhD. Though his earlier interviews were on science and software programming, it seems he has developed a taste for world history as well. His podcast on ‘The fall of the Roman Republic’ with Gregory Aldrete explains beautifully how a ruler can balance a difficult situation and continue ruling for a long time, in this case for fifty years.

 If we listen to the videos of Professor Raj Somadeva, we will know our country too had a glorious past and had a recognition by the rest of the world, perhaps due to our country being at the centre of the developed world then. According to one of his stories a ruler of Persian Empire even went to the extent of offering his daughter in marriage to a ruler in our country around the first century AD. And as per the recently discovered rock inscription in Dimbulagala we had a well-developed tax system for collecting dues from ships that berth on our ports and a banking system. However, during the rule of our last colonial power everything about our past seem to have been erased. Was it due to the foolishness of our leaders?. It seems they have bent down to such a low level that sayings like lajja nethi kama mahamudali kamatath wada lokui” have emerged in the society. In my experience with Europeans including Italians, British, Jews etc., I have found it to be otherwise. They would even tell me to bring our countrymen when they pass by the city to the camp. This was when I lived with them in the same camp in Africa. This was soon after our cricket team played and won in London. I was even surprised when they mentioned the names of Warnapura and Wettamuni and told me how they played. Once they asked me to umpire the match they played to commemorate queen’s birthday. I declined as I wasn’t well versed with the rules.

So, who are we (Api Kawruda)?.  Here is one guy with a name Ceylan (or Ceyhalan?) belting out a song to felicitate the fiftieth anniversary of the carrier of a popular singer by the name Roland Kaiser in Germany:

 Like those mercenaries that came from ancient Sri Vijaya empire (comprising the regions of Indonesia, Malasia and Brunei) came to defend our rulers and stayed back marring local women, perhaps our men also went to the region knowns as Anatolia (present day Turkey, Greece, France etc) with our elephants for warfare and stayed back marrying their local women. Today we have a sizeable population with suffix as ‘malla’ or prefix ‘malala’ who go as Sinhalese. In my conversations with some youths in that region it became clear to me that they know that history and are proud to be from that empire. Who knows, they may even be our people who migrated from our East leaving behind the creations that we see as ruins today (late historian Jackson Anthony comes to mind).

We have ‘Tungas’ such as Weeratunga, Jayatunga, Ranatunga, etc. all connected with bravery. These Tungas are a North European/Turkish group, my searches revealed.

Let me finish this write up as usual with a popular song by a late Sr Lankan artist titled ‘Api Kawruda’:

අරුණ ලක්සිරි උණවටුන B.Sc.(Col), PGDC(Col), නීතීඥ.

1. 2015 ගෙනා 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය ගෙනා අවස්ථාවේ එක් නීති විශාරදයෙකුගේ අතපසුවීමක් හේතුවෙන් ජනතාවගෙන් සමාව ගැනීමට
නීතිපති පාරින්ද රණසිංහ, අධිකරණ ඇමති විජයදාස රාජපක්ෂ, අගවිනිසුරු ජයන්ත ජයසූරිය,විනිසුරුවරුන්, නීතීඥවරුන් ඉදිරියේ ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා විසින් 2024 ජූලි 19 දින ගාල්ල අධිකරණ සංකීර්ණය විවෘත කිරීමේ උත්සව අවස්ථාවේදී  පියවර ගත්තේය.

2. ඒ වන විට පුරවැසියන් විසින් 2015 ගෙනා 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේ නඩු පවරා එම නඩු විශාල නඩු ගාස්තු වලට යටත්කර ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කර තිබුණි.

3. එසේම 2015 ගෙනා 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය මගින් ඇති වූ වැරැද්ද / අතපසුවීම නිවැරදි කිරීමට 22 වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පත නීතිපතිවරයාගේ අනුමැතිය ලැබ ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 78වන ව්‍යවස්ථාව යටතේ 2024 ජූලි 18 දින නිකුත් කළ ගැසට් පත්‍රයේ පළ කර තිබුණි.

4. ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 70වන ව්‍යවස්ථාව සංශෝධනය කිරීමට 2002 දී ජනමතවිචාරණයක් අවශ්‍ය වීමත්, 2015 දී ජනමතවිචාරණයක් නොමැතිව සංශෝධනය කර ගැනීමේත් එකිනෙක පටහැනි තත්ත්වය ගැන සමාජයේ පැවති කතිකාව නැවත ආරම්භ විය.

(ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් මෙම ලියුම්කරුගේ 11වන නීති කෘතිය “ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 70 ව්‍යවස්ථාව සංශෝධනයට 2002 ජනමතවිචාරණයක් අවශ්‍ය වීම, 2015 ජනමතවිචාරණයක් අවශ්‍ය නොවීම, සර්ව සාධාරණත්වයේ අයිතිවාසිකම සහ අධිකරණ තිරණ අනුගම්‍ය පූර්වාදර්ශය” (ISBN 978-955-38965-6-8)
(A referendum being required to amend Article 70 of the constitution in 2002, a referendum not being required in 2015, right to equaluty and Judicial Precedent.*) කියවන්න)

5. ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන ගෙන ඒමේදී නීති විශාරදයන් කිහිප දෙනෙකු සිදුකරන අතපසුවීම් සාක්ෂි සහිතව එළිදරව් වීම 22වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පත මගින් පෙන්නුම් කළේය.

6. නීතිපතිවරයාගේ අනුමැතිය ලැබ ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 78වන ව්‍යවස්ථාව යටතේ 2024 ජූලි 18 දින නිකුත් කළ ගැසට් පත්‍රයේ පළ කළ 22වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පත පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ඉදිරිපත් කළේ නම් එම සංශෝධනයට මුල් වූ 2015 ගෙනා 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනයේදී වැරදි / අතපසුවීම් කළ අය කවුද යන්න එළිදරව්වන අතර, එය වැළැක්වීමේ අරමුණෙන් 22 වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය ගැසට් කළද, පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ඉදිරිපත් නොකළ බවට නීතිය පිළිබඳ උනන්දුව ඇති අයගේ අවධානයට යොමු වූ අතර 2024 සැප්තැම්බර් 21 දින පවත්වන ජනාධිපතිවරණයට ඉන් බලපෑමක් විය හැකි බවද ඒ සමගම සාකච්ඡා විය.

7. 2015 ගෙනා 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනයේ තිබූ දෝෂය/ අතපසුවීම නිවැරදි කිරීමට එනම් ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 83.ආ. අනු ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ පවතින ජනාධිපති ධූරකාලය වසර 6 යන්න 5 ලෙස නිවැරදි කිරීමට 22වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පත 2024.07.18 දින නීතිපතිවරයාගේ අනුමැතිය අනුව ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 78වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ විධිවිධාන මත ගැසට් පත්‍රයේ පළකර තිබුණි.

8. එකී 22වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පත මගින් නිවැරදි කිරීමට යන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 83.ආ. අනුව්‍යවස්ථාවේ පවතින ජනාධිපති ධූරකාලය වසර 6 ඉක්මවා යන්න 5 ඉක්මවා ලෙස නිවැරදි කිරීමට නොහැකි වුවහොත් එය වසර 6 ලෙසම පවතී.

9. එනම් ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 83.ආ. ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ ජනාධිපති ධූරකාලය වසර 6 යන්න නිවැරදි කිරීමට නොහැකි වුවහොත්
2015 දී ගෙනා 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය ගෙන ඒමේදී සිදුකළ වැරැද්ද/ අතපසුවීම නිවැරදි කිරීමට නොහැකිවන අතර, ජනාධිපතිවරයාගේ ධූර කාලය වසර 6ක් ලෙස පැවතිය යුතු අතර, ඒ අනුව 2015 දී ගෙනා 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය ගෙන ඒමේදී සිදුකළ වැරැද්ද/ අතපසුවීම නිවැරදි කිරීමද ඒ අනුව සිදුවෙයි.

10. ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 83වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ වැරැද්ද නිවැරදි කිරීමට ගැසට් කළ 22වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය සම්මත නොවුනහොත් 2024 පත්වන ජනාධිපතිගේ ධූර කාලය වසර 6ක් දක්වා පැවතීම සිදුවෙයි.

11. එය එසේ නොවීමට කළ හැකි නීතිමය විසඳුම වන්නේ, 22වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පත සම්මත කිරීම හෝ 1978 ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවට නැවත සංශෝධන ගෙන ඒම නතර කර අලුත් ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවක් ගෙනවිත් 2015දී 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය ගෙන ඒමේදී සිදුකළ වැරදි යටපත් කිරීමට කටයුතු කිරීමය.

(නීතීඥ අරුණ ලක්සිරි උණවටුන සිය 11 වන නීති කෘතිය ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 70 ව්‍යවස්ථාව සංශෝධනයට 2002 ජනමතවිචාරණයක් අවශ්‍ය වීම, 2015 ජනමතවිචාරණයක් අවශ්‍ය නොවීම, සර්ව සාධාරණත්වයේ අයිතිවාසිකම සහ අධිකරණ තිරණ අනුගම්‍ය පූර්වාදර්ශය” (ISBN 978-955-38965-6-8) එළි දක්වන ලද 2024.09.07 දින උත්සවයේදී.)

http://neethiyalk.blogspot.com/2024/09/83-22-2024-6.html?m=1

(කෘතිය ලබා ගැනීමට විමසන්න. දුරකථන 0712063394)

e-Con e-News

blog: eesrilanka.wordpress.com

Before you study the economics, study the economists!”

6^th Anniversary Issue

e-Con e-News 15-21 September 2024

Welcome to ee’s 6^th anniversary issue: This ee doesn’t just recall our first tenuous scribblings (see ee Focus, 6 Years Ago: Who Took the Money? Shut Up!). The portentous perils under a Binara moon this week make us echo SBD de Silva’s advice to those seeking to unravel our dis-ease: ‘If you wish to learn about the state of the economy, talk a walk along the pavement, look at what is being sold, & where & how it is made. And why we cannot make it here?’ It is to SBD de Silva, author of the classic The Political Economy of Underdevelopment, to whom this sketchy blog ee is dedicated. He passed away on 15 June 2018, at the age of 92. ee blog began on 21 September 2018. Even more interesting times unfolded thenceforth. In such extremely ‘interesting times’ the world is facing now, ee would like to express our appreciation to all our supporters & critics!

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‘You go to the Bazaar & you talk nicely with the shopkeeper & get a good discount.

Why would you annoy him by asking stupid questions about the manufacturers?’

– Sri Lanka Daily Mirror Comment on News from Lebanon

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This weekend saw the presidential election uncurtain its expensive democratic diorama, with little mention (at least in English) of our actual political & economic challenges, leaving the country in its state of suspense. Yet more drama lies in store, and all from Negombo to Kattankudy & Jaffna & Chennai & Geneva, all must play their part. This election, we’re told, is about the US & India ‘prying’ a ‘debt-ridden’ Sri Lanka away from China’s ‘grip’. Thus spaketh Bloomberg Intelligence, another private lip service of the US State Department. It turns out we’re being ‘trapped in the US-led efforts to contain China’ (see Shamindra Ferdinando, Unprecedented 3-Cornered 2024 Polls midst External Interventions, ee Sovereignty). So, should we just bend or go limp in order that the NATO (S)Quad not be given further chances to devastate the country as they have done & would attempt, anyway, until they are rendered unable? Return to Sender!

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• ‘Bombshell’ & ‘A Can of Worms’ is how local media greeted NPP presidential aspirant Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s revelation in Kurunegala, on Tuesday, absolving former President Gotabhaya Rajapakse for the country’s 2022 downturn. So what was all that aragalaying all about? Then there was yet another ‘bombshell’ – when another presidential candidate, former Justice Minister Wijeydasa Rajapakse, pointed an invisible finger at the US & India for organizing the April 2019 terror. The terror turns out have been funded through the 2017 changes to the foreign exchange act, as demanded by the IMF. Here then is the wiggling tale of how dollars & remittances were ‘legally’ disappeared (see ee Random Notes & ee Focus), which is usually portrayed as resulting from our ignorance & corruption…

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• Just before Sri Lankans stepped up to our fabled polling booths to show how hip we are to the exorbitant democratic draperies of the imperialist world, we were given yet another powerful jolt by the USA, who demands that Sri Lanka & the ‘Indo-Pacific’ accede to their dictat. Or else!

     Soon after a Yemeni hypersonic missile jolted military installations in Tel Aviv, ‘Israel’ is said to have ‘retaliated’ by exploding pagers & walkie-talkies across Lebanon on Tuesday & Wednesday, 17-18 September. They also targeted hospitals, pharmacies, markets, shops, homes and vehicles. The exploding devices are said to have been tinkered during importation. So much for ‘smart’ homes & patriots.

     The so-called ‘oil-rich’ West Asians (Arabs, Iranian, who transmitted science & technology from East to West) have not invested in their own secure technology. And neither has Sri Lanka. And this is what ee’s 6^th anniversary issue is all about.

     The USA – the latest supreme conductor of the Concert of Europe, with colonies (in all but name) across Asia (from Turkey to India to Japan & Oceania), & Africa & the Americas (from the Arctic’s Beaufort Sea to Tierra del Fuego) – who funds & arms & gently nurses Israel, claims not to know who did it?! Their clangourous media, led by CNN & BBC, claim the ‘Israeli’ operation only targeted ‘terrorists’, and point shaky fingers along a supply chain from Taiwan & Japan to Qatar & Hungary, and now Bulgaria & Norway. To embed an explosive trigger within the new batch of pagers, ‘Israel’ was provided access to the supply chain of these devices, surreptitiously adding an explosive component & remote triggering mechanism into the Lebanon-bound shipment (see ee Random Notes).

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     It is most apropos therefore to peer into the controls over new technologies especially by celebritified(!) ‘entrepreneurs’ such as the South African & US settler Elon Musk, the head (who turns out to not exactly be the ‘founder’) of electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla. Musk purportedly monopolizes certain tech as well as so-called (heavily corporatized) ‘social media’. After all, Musk is famous for twitting, ‘We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it,’ after the US coup against Bolivia’s Aymara President Evo Morales in 2020.  Musk wishes to grab Bolivia’s lithium, though he later backtracked: ‘We get our lithium from Australia.’

     ee already stated, Musk ‘has to perform as a celebrity frontman for organized capitalism’s more anonymous asset managers’. We therefore assess the JVP’s Sunil Handunhetti’s measure of Musk as an ‘economic hitman’, after the still-President Ranil Wickremesinghe touted Musk as yet another possible salvager of Sri Lanka’s economy.

     As a ‘celebrity’ entrepreneur he has to mimic a certain egoism, swagger & je ne sais quoi. Yet we know why he must be basking in former US president Trump recently calling him the ‘greatest cutter’, for his mass layoffs at Twitter & Tesla. And it is not a matter of setting up a faux assembly line in Kuliyapitiya with the aid of the import-mafia’s Ceylon Motor Traders Association. Indeed, for all his ‘disruption’, Musk has to operate within the ‘culture’ of the US automobile industry, and its supply chains, in Japan, in China. His ‘electric’ green economy has been enabled by the state enforcement of ‘climate’ laws. Meanwhile, their media ignores that China’s EV sales in July just surpassed 50% of all car sales; and instead rant about needing 100% North America & EU tariffs against the ‘unfair’ competition of China’s EVs (under $20,000, a fraction of US costs… The whites appear to be looking more than acting green!)

     Indeed, Musk may end up suppressing the ‘industrialization’ of our own abundant highest-quality graphene into batteries. Graphene batteries offer significant energy density, charge speed, and overall efficiency, over both lead-acid & the lithium-ion batteries that Musk uses (see ee Focus). Yet those invested in lithium batteries, like Musk, may claim graphene is more expensive, and difficult to mass produce at scale, than traditional batteries. ee sees no better time than now for Sri Lanka to develop its graphene and make our own high-tech e-batteries?

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The covert US-backed terrorist attacks this week on Lebanon reminds how our countries have little sovereignty over who & what comes in & goes out of our borders. This is evident, not just with capital & dollar transfers and ports, but in the maritime boundaries as well.

     ‘Why did successive governments adopt policies to aid fraudulent traders to misdeclare country of origin’ (asks former Director General of Commerce Sri Lanka, Sonali Wijeratne, Great import/re-export scam set to destroy local production, ee Economists). Indeed, in April 2024, Customs trade unions, themselves under attack by shipping company owners (led by Maersk) for being ornery & corrupt, instead pointed out how the new Customs Ordinance handed over executive power to private shippers. They added: ‘The government of good governance, which existed previously, had annulled the Foreign Exchange Control Act and …created relaxed policies [that] halted the scope for regulating foreign exchange in this country, and all of us are having to suffer its consequences as of today.’

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This is one more reason to simply despise & reject wholesale this media business of labelling politicians alone as corrupt. Let’s honor those national politicians who have strived to build the country out of 500 years & more, of devastation. Less than half the country was deemed literate when the English claimed to exit (but didn’t!) in 1948. Only 1% of the population was gauged literate in English. And infant mortality was 27%!

     What continues to hold us down is not corrupt at all. It is all perfectly legal! Like their genocidal wars on Korea & Myanmar. Like their genocides in Congo & Yemen & Gaza. Where are the UN ‘peacekeepers’, the loudmouthed UNHRC etc, basking in the sun on doing-goodism and ending up very-well on dollar payrolls?

     And as for our economy. It is all legit, this merchant & moneylender capitalism – to which we have been enchained. This Import-Export colonial plantation economy. But don’t depend on the USA’s IMF to tell us any different:

*

 ‘If we analyse the key issues other than ‘Cost of Living’ ‘

that a typical consumer is up against [it’s] ‘Corruption’.

These were the key findings of the IMF 16-point plan that was presented.’

– Rohantha Athukorala, Qualitative Study by India’s

Quantum Research Agency (see ee Economists)

*

It is the uncorrupt & innumerate IMF that calculates – after 500 years & more of this flim-flummery about the wonders of English colonialism – that somehow we owe them. That what they have been doing across the world should continue to be.

     The history of the franchise in Sri Lanka is not just of preserving colonial control through deindustrialization. It is a story of trying to prevent the actual role of the people, while presenting facades of representation: from official & unofficial representatives, appointed & educated (read: civilized), merchants & moneylenders, communal members, proportional representatives, etc.

     A true history choreographing the ballet of the ballot in the shadow of the bullet would array the delights of 76 years of English parliamentary parlez-vous while underwearing the straitjackets of a franchise limited by finance & fiat. At the first election held under colonial auspices in 1947, planters carried guns to deter workers, upper castes blockaded lower castes out of chaste voting booths, etc.

     After targeting the iron & steel workshops and related tool & weapon makers, the English (& that cavalcade of invaders before them) prioritized the destruction of a complex irrigation system on which the solidarity of the village was based. We certainly learn little about the purana Gam Sabha (village council) system, but it appears to be, given the historical context, much more ‘democratic’ than what claims to rule the country now. And this now, contentious as it is, still remains far more democratic than what transpired under colonial rule before 1948.

     Instead of clasping our long Sinhala Buddhist culture & civilization of production and the powerful hand of the state the guides such endeavours, a still-colonial education system & media & other ideological machines (you’re probably reading this on an imported device subject to all manner of imported ‘impulses’!) instead promotes an imported romanticism & fantasy which amounts to anarchism & nihilism and inevitable despair. Rather than the US, England & EU deploying spies in the guise of election monitors across the country, it is we, along with all our struggling comrade countries, who should really be monitoring them….

*

______________

Contents:

The USA is Paging Sri Lanka: Get the Message?

Courtesy National People’s Power 

National People’s Power About NPP

Welcome to the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (NPP), a dynamic political movement comprising 21 diverse groups, including political parties, youth organizations, women’s groups, trade unions, and civil society organizations. Established in 2019, NPP is driven by a shared vision of fostering a more progressive Sri Lanka. Our core objectives encompass cultivating an uncorrupted, service-oriented, accountable, and transparent political culture, promoting economic democracy for fairer wealth distribution, strengthening social protections, and championing an inclusive, democratic Sri Lankan identity. Our organizational structure, from the Steering Committee to District Executive Councils, empowers voices at all levels, making NPP a force for positive change in the nation. Join us in shaping a brighter future for Sri Lanka.

What is jathika Jana Balawegaya NPP Sri Lanka | Who are the members

Our National Executive Committee Members

Anura Kumara Dissanayake (Leader)

Professor Liyanage Amarakirthi

Vijita Herath

Lal Wijenayake

Nimala Siriwardena

Ravi Siriwardena

Asoka Peiris

Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe

Bimal Ratnayake

Professor Anil Jayantha Fernando

Kamal Perera

Mahinda Ratnayake

Dr. Harini Amarasuriya

Professor Vijay Kumar

Harshana Nanayakkara

Lal Kantha

Sheikh Munir Mulaffar

Ajith Hadley Perera

Sunil Handunneththi

Ananda Wijepala

Visakesha Chandrasekharm

Dr. Nalinda Jayathissa

Professor Wasantha Subasinghe

Upul Kumarapperuma

Professor Chrishantha Abeysena

Jagath Manuvarna

Muditha Nanayakkara

Ramalingam Chandrasekar

Saroja Savitri Paulraj

Professor Sunil Senevi

Kumara Jayakody

Vraie Cally Balthazar

Samantha Vidyaratne

Professor Jinasena Hevage

I. N. Ikram

Wasantha Samarasinghe

Charith Galhena

Premaratne Tennakon

Dr. Rizvi Sali

Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne

Aruna Shanta Nonis

Nihal Galappatti

Samanmalee Gunasinghe

Dr. Ajith De Mel

Chaminda Jayasuriya

Vijith Rohana

Namal Karunaratne

P.D.N.K.Palihena

Krishnan Kalaichchelvi

Sunil Vatagala

Dr. H.P. dhammika

Professor Upali Panilage

Nalin Hewage

Chaturanga Abeysinghe

Eranga Weeraratne

Kitnan Selvaraj

Lakshman Nipunarachchi

R.M. Jayawardene

Sandun Yaapa

Dr. Ashoka Ranwala

Ravindu Usvatakeiya

Arun Hemachandra

Rathne Gamage

Upali Samarasinghe

Wasantha Piyathissa

Mahinda Jayasinghe

Eranga Gunasekara

Shantha Padmakumara

Gamagedara Dissanayake

T.B.Sarath

Manjula Suraweera Arachchi

Dr. Anura Karunathileka

Professor Chandana Abeyrathne

Partner Organizations & Political Parties of NPP

• Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP Sri Lanka)
• 71 Sahodrathwa Sansadaya (Brotherhood Society of 71)
• Aluth Parapura (New Generation)
• Aluth Piyapath (New Wings)
• Ethera Api
• Mass Guiding Artists
• Public Servants for Public Service (PSPS)
• Janodanaya
• National Bhikkhu Front
• National Intellectuals Organization
• National Trade Union Centre
• Dabindu Collective
• Sri Lanka Communist Party (Alternative Group)
• University Teachers for Social Justice
• Doctors for Social Justice
• Progressive Women’s Collective
• Samabhimani Collective
• Husmata Husmak
• United Left Power
• All Ceylon Estate Workers’ Union
• Inter Company Employees’ Union

Address: 464/20, Pannipitiya Road, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka

Email: contact@npp.lk

Tel: 0112785612, 0777199524, 0714458399

Fax: 0112786050

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Aryan Rai Courtesy India Today

Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was declared the winner of the Sri Lankan presidential election by the country’s Election Commission after an unprecedented second round of counting of votes.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, 56, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party’s broader front National People’s Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

In Short

• PM Modi said he looked forward to working together and strengthening cooperation
• Dissanayake was declared winner after second round of counting
• Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe was eliminated in first round

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated Anura Kumara Dissanayake for his victory in the Sri Lankan presidential election and said he looks forward to working closely with him to further strengthen the Indo-Lanka multifaceted cooperation.

Marxist leader Dissanayake was declared the winner of the Sri Lankan presidential election by the country’s Election Commission after an unprecedented second round of counting of votes.

Dissanayake, 56, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party’s broader front National People’s Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

Incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe was eliminated in the first round after he failed to come within the top two in the vote list.

“Congratulations @anuradisanayake, on your victory in the Sri Lankan Presidential elections. Sri Lanka holds a special place in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and Vision SAGAR,” Modi said on X.

“I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our multifaceted cooperation for the benefit of our people and the entire region,” the prime minister said.

Harshita Das Courtesy Outlook India

Anura Dissanayake’s victory is a historic moment for his party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, as he becomes the first Marxist leader to assume the presidency in Sri Lanka. This represents a broader shift within Sri Lankan politics.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake Photo: X/@anuradisanayake

On Sunday, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist leader and head of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), was declared Sri Lanka’s next President, marking a historical milestone in the country’s political landscape. Dissanayake, 55, has become Sri Lanka’s first-ever Marxist president after securing 42.31% of the vote in the presidential election held on Saturday.

Dissanayake’s ascent to the presidency represents a remarkable comeback for the JVP,  which has historically struggled to gain a foothold in mainstream politics.

Dissanayake’s political journey

Born in Galewela in 1968 and raised in Kekirawa, Dissanayake came from a humble background. He pursued a degree in science at Kelaniya University, where his political journey began as a student leader He joined the Janatha Vimukthi in 1987 Peramuna (JVP) at a time of national upheaval and became a key figure in the party’s decision-making body.

For decades, the JVP had oscillated between rebellion and political participation, marked by violent uprisings in 1971 and again from 1987 to 1990. However, as the political landscape shifted, Dissanayake advocated for a democratic approach, helping to redefine the party’s image and ultimately leading to its rebranding as the National People’s Power (NPP) in 2019.

Fast forward to September 2024. After mass protests that led to the removal of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022, people turned to Dissanayake for leadership. His message against corruption and promise of a fresh start resonated, especially with young voters tired of traditional politicians. 

His campaign resonated particularly with young voters disillusioned by decades of corruption and mismanagement. Dissanayake’s message of anti-corruption and his vision for systemic change appealed to many who participated in the mass protests that led to the ousting of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022. Now operating as the National People’s Power (NPP), his party has shifted focus toward democratic reforms, economic recovery, and social justice, promising a break from the old political norms.

Throughout his campaign, he pressed for the urgent need for substantial reforms in education, public health, and housing. His focus on accountability was clear as he declared that only an un-corrupt force will take action against the corrupt,” highlighting the failures of previous administrations to tackle the country’s economic crises effectively.

Marxist Leader Dissanayake Says ‘Victory Belongs To All’ Following Win In Sri Lanka Presidential Polls

BY Outlook Web Desk

Challenges ahead

Historically, the NPP had opposed International Monetary Fund (IMF) programs, but Dissanayake’s approach now includes a willingness to engage with such reforms, albeit with conditions for re-negotiation.

As Dissanayake takes office, he faces immediate challenges, particularly in addressing the country’s dire economic situation. His leadership will be scrutinized as he attempts to reconcile his party’s historical stances with the pressing need for economic reform and international cooperation. 

The eyes of a nation eager for change are now firmly on him, as he begins this new chapter in Sri Lanka’s political narrative.

Sri Lanka Presidential Polls Begin; Reflecting On Its 2022 Economic Meltdown & Survival

BY Outlook Web Desk

What does Dissanayake’s win mean for India?

Dissanayake is the leader of the party which has been historically anti-India. As Dissanayake steps into the presidency, he signals a strategic shift in this longstanding position. Despite his party’s history of opposition to foreign influence, particularly from India, he has indicated a willingness to engage diplomatically with international partners. 

Recognizing the geopolitical realities of the region, he has expressed a commitment to engaging with India, acknowledging its significant role in Sri Lanka’s development. He also aims to ensure that Sri Lanka’s interests are prioritized in the geopolitical contest between India and China, advocating for a balanced foreign policy that fosters development without compromising sovereignty.

In interviews leading up to his election, Dissanayake has outlined several key policies aimed at fostering constructive relations with India. He has stressed the importance of ensuring that Sri Lankan territories—land, sea, and airspace—are not used in ways that threaten regional stability, reflecting a more collaborative approach. He also acknowledged the necessity of balancing economic measures with India’s support

Hiru News

In a special address, President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his deep gratitude to the people of Sri Lanka for the mandate granted during the 21st presidential election. He acknowledged that, in accordance with the will of the people, the leadership of the country should now be passed on to President Anura Dissanayake.

President Wickremesinghe extended his sincere thanks to all those who supported him during his tenure. He reflected on his role as a caretaker, stating that he had guided “the beloved child of Sri Lanka” across significant challenges, symbolized by the “Vine Bridge,” and expressed his confidence that under President Dissanayake’s leadership, the journey will continue safely and successfully.

The full transcript of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s speech is shown below;

Ayubowan!

Dear Citizens,

The people of the country have given their decision at this Presidential Election held on 21st September 2024. Therefore, we must respect their decision and act according to that mandate to ensure the functioning of the country.

Two years ago, I took over a bankrupt country and a collapsed economy at an extremely turbulent time.

I accepted the challenge at a time when no one else had the courage to face it.

I successfully completed the responsibility that history put upon my shoulders.

I was able to rescue my motherland from bankruptcy within a short period of two years.

I believe this to be the most important thing I could do for my country during my political career.

Inflation was 70% when I took over the country, but I could reduce it to 0.5% during my time as the President.

I increased the Foreign Reserve, which was at USD 20 Million when I came to power, to USD 5.7 Billion.

I was able to ensure that the Sri Lankan Rupee which was 380 against the US Dollar, came down to a strong and solid amount of 300.

Also, when I took over, the economic growth of the country was negative 7.3% (- 7.3%). But I was able to increase it to a positive 2.3% (2.3%). I am happy and proud about it.

I believe that the future generation of the country will give the proper assessment of my historical political role, the way it deserves.

I am aware that my place in history as the ruler of this country will be decided not today but in the future.

I followed the right path and saved people from hunger and sorrow. I hope that the new President will also follow the right path and put an end to the remaining issues that the people are facing.

I was eventually able to carry the dear child called Sri Lanka along a long distance safely – on the dangerous rope bridge.

Close to the very end of the rope bridge, people have decided to hand over the dear child called Sri Lanka to President Anura Dissanayake.

Mr. President, here I hand over to you with much love, the dear child called Sri Lanka, whom we both love very dearly. I wish that you will be able to carry this child away from the bridge to the other bank, even safer than the way I carried the child.

I will be devoted to serving my motherland with or without power, with or without a post or powers, for the rest of my life.<br />I wish to thank everyone who supported me, who did not support me, and all the citizens of the country during my time as President. Thank you.’

Ranil Wickremesinghe,
22nd September 2024.

උපුටා ගැන්ම  හිරු පුවත්

ජනාධිපතිවරණයේදී ජනතාව දුන් ජනවරම ප්‍රකාරව අභිනව ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායකට රට භාරදෙන බව ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරමින් පවසනවා.

එම නිවේදනයේ සඳහන් වෙන්නේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව නමැති ආදරණීය දරුවා මම ඔබට මහත් සෙනෙහසින් භාර දෙමි ” යන්නයි.

පසුගිය 21වැනිදා පැවති ජනාධිපතිවරණයේදී ජනතාව ලබාදුන් ජනවරම ප්‍රකාරව අභිනව ජනාධිපති අනුර දිසානයක මහතාට රට භාර දෙන්න බවත් තමන්ට සහය දුන් නොදුන් සියලුම දෙනාට ස්තූතිවන්ත වන බවත් ජනපතිවරයා එහිදී පවසා සිටියා.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව නමැති ආදරණීය දරුවා තමන් මෙතෙක් ආරක්ෂිතව වැල් පාළමේ ගෙන ආ බවත් අභිනව ජනාධිපතිවරයා යටතේ එම දරුවා වඩා ආරක්ෂිතව වැල් පාලමෙන් එතෙර කරවීමට හැකියාව ලැබේවායි තමන් ප්‍රාර්ථනා කරන බවත් ජනාධිපතිවරයා සිය නිවේදනයේ වැඩිදුරටත් සඳහන් කර තිබෙනවා.

ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමංහගේ සම්පුර්ණ කතාව පහතින් දැක්වේ.

ආයුබෝවන් , ආදරණීය පුරවැසියනි,

සැප්තැම්බර් 21 පැවති ජනාධිපතිවරණයෙන් මේ රටේ බහුතර ජනතාව තීන්දුවක් ලබා දී තියෙනවා. අපි ඒ තීන්දුවට ගරු කල යුතුයි. ඒ තීන්දුව ප්‍රකාරව ශ්‍රී ලංකා රාජ්‍යයේ යථා පැවැත්ම තහවුරු කල යුතුයි. මීට අවුරුදු දෙකකට කලින් බංකොලොත් වෙලා, ආර්ථික අගාධයකට ඇද වැටී තිබුණ, ඉතාමත්ම අර්බුධකාරී වාතාවරණයකදී මම මේ රට භාර ගත්තා. ඒ අභියෝගයට මුහුණ දීමට තරම් ආත්ම ශක්තියක් බොහෝ දෙනෙකුට නොතිබු අවස්ථාවක තමයි මම ඒ වගකීම භාරගත්තේ. ඉතිහාසය විසින් මට ලබාදුන් ඒ වගකීම මම සාර්ථකව ඉෂ්ඨ කලා. වසර දෙකක් වැනි කෙටි කාලයකදී මේ රට බංකොලොත් භාවයෙන් මුදවා ගන්න මට හැකියාව ලැබුනා. මගේ දේශපාලන ජීවිතයේ මගේ රට වෙනුවෙන් කරන්න ලැබුණු වටිනාම කාර්ය භාරය එය කියලයි මම විශ්වාස කරන්නේ. මම රට භාර ගන්නා අවස්ථාවේදී සියයට හැත්තෑවක්ව පැවති උද්ධමනය බින්දුවයි දශම පහක් (0.5%) දක්වා අඩු කිරීමට මට හැකියාවක් ලැබුණා. ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන විස්සක්ව පැවති මෙරට විදේශ සංචිතය ඇමරිකන් ඩොලර් බිලියන පහයි දශම හසක් දක්වා ඉහළ දැමීමට මට හැකියාවක් ලැබුණා. ඒ වගේම ඩොලරයට සාපේක්ෂව තුන්සීය අසූවක්ව පැවති රුපියලේ අගය රුපියල් තුන්සීයක් දක්වා පහත හෙළමින් ශක්තිමත්, ස්ථාවර අගයකට ගෙන ඒමට මට හැකිවුණා.

එසේම ඍණ හතයි දශම තුනක්ව (-7.3%) පැවති ආර්ථික වර්ධනය ධන දෙකයි දශම තුනක් (2.3%) දක්වා ඉහළ නැංවීමට මා කටයුතු කලා ඒ ගැන මම සතුටු වෙනවා. මගේ ඒ ඓතිහාසික දේශපාලනික කාර්යභාරය ගැන මේ රටේ අනාගත පරපුර නිසි ලෙස තක්සේරුවක් ලබාදෙයි කියලා විශ්වාස කරනවා. මේ රටේ පාලකයා වශයෙන් ඉතිහාසයේ මට හිමි තැන තීරණය වනුයේ අද නොව අනාගතයේ බව මා දන්නවා.

මම නිවැරදි මාර්ගයේ ගිහින් ජනතාවගේ දුක් ගින්දර සෑහෙන දුරකට නිවා දැමුවා. නව ජනාධිපතිතුමාත් ඔහුට ලැබුණු ජනවරම ප්‍රකාරව නිවැරදි මාර්ගය තෝරාගෙන ජනදුක නිවා දමයි කියලා මම බලාපොරොත්තු වෙනවා.

ඉතාම අභියෝගාත්මක වැල් පාළමේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව කියන ආදරණීය දරුවා මම හැකිතාක් උපරිම දුරක් ආරක්ෂිතව රැගෙන ආවා.

වැල් පාලමේ අවසානය පෙනි පෙනී ඒ ආදරණීය දරුවා අනුර දිසානායක ජනාධිපතිතුමාට භාර දීමට රටේ ජනතාව තීරණය කරලා තියෙනවා.

ජනාධිපතිතුමනි, ඔබත් මමත් දෙදෙනාව ආදරය කරන ශ්‍රී ලංකාව නමැති ආදරණිය දරුවා මම මහත් සෙනෙහසින් ඔබ වෙත භාර දෙනවා. මේ දරුවා මම රැගෙන ආවාටත් වඩා ආරක්ෂිතව වැල් පාලමෙන් එතෙර කරවීමට ඔබට හැකිවේවායි මම ප්‍රාර්ථනා කරනවා.

World NewsEdited by NDTV News DeskUpdated: September 22, 2024 2:35 pm IST

Anura Kumara Dissanayake became involved in the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) during his school years and fully engaged in politics during the 1987-1989 JVP insurrection. 

Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on November 24, 1968, in Thambuththegama.

Sri Lanka’s Marxist-leaning leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has taken a commanding lead in the presidential election, winning approximately 53 per cent of the counted votes. According to Sri Lanka’s Election Commission, Dissanayake, contesting for the National People’s Power alliance, surpassed opposition leader Sajith Premadasa (22 per cent) and President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Here are some facts about Anura Kumara Dissanayake:

1. Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on November 24, 1968, in Thambuththegama, Sri Lanka. His father was a labourer, and his mother was a housewife. He attended local schools and was the first from his college to get admission into University.
2. Dissanayake became involved in the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) during his school years and fully engaged in politics during the 1987-1989 JVP insurrection. He initially studied at the University of Peradeniya but left due to threats, later graduating from the University of Kelaniya in 1995 with a degree in physical science. 
3. Anura Kumara Dissanayake rose through the ranks of the JVP, becoming a key figure in the party’s leadership. In 1995, he was appointed National Organiser of the Socialist Students Association and joined the JVP’s Central Working Committee. By 1998, he secured a prominent position in the JVP Politburo. During this time, the JVP re-entered mainstream politics under Somawansa Amarasinghe and initially supported Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government, though they soon became vocal critics of her administration.
4. In 2004, Dissanayake became a cabinet minister in President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government, handling agriculture, livestock, land, and irrigation. However, in 2005, he and other JVP ministers resigned in protest against a joint agreement between the government and the LTTE for tsunami relief coordination.
5. Dissanayake became the JVP’s leader in 2014, succeeding Somawansa Amarasinghe, and ran as the JVP’s presidential candidate in 2019, finishing third with 3 per cent of the votes. He announced another presidential bid for the 2024 elections under the National People’s Power (NPP). Known for his critical stance on Sri Lanka’s economic policies, Dissanayake has opposed IMF conditions, advocating for renegotiations to reduce taxes like the Pay-As-You-Earn tax and eliminate VAT on essential items. His policies focus on increasing social welfare and supporting businesses through targeted taxation reforms. 

Daily Mirror

Colombo, September 22 (Daily Mirror) –  After the Election Commission announces the NPP presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the winner of the 2024 presidential election later today, Daily Mirror learns that Dissanayake will take oaths as the new president at a simple ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat tomorrow morning (23)..

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, September 22 (Daily Mirror)- NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake could be sworn in as the new President later today if the final announcement declaring him as the winner is made by the Elections Commission on time, a party source told Daily Mirror.

NPP General Secretary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe told the Daily Mirror that the time for the swearing in cannot be confirmed due to the delay in issuing the results.

“If the final announcement is made on time, the swearing in could take place today,” he said.

Courtesy Adaderana

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva has congratulated the National People’s Power (NPP) presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

In a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), the former Deputy Minister said they campaigned hard for SJB’s presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa, and that however it was not to be”.

It is now clear Anura Kumara Dissanayake will be the new President of SriLanka.”

Dr. de Silva stated that in the spirit of democracy and goodwill he called and wished Dissanayake the best in the arduous road ahead”. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has also extended his best wishes to NPP candidate Dissanayake.

In a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), he said the following;

After a long and arduous campaign, the results of the election are now clear. Though I heavily campaigned for President Ranil Wickremasinghe, the people of Sri Lanka have made their decision, and I fully respect their mandate for Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In a democracy, it is crucial to honor the will of the people, and I do so without hesitation.

I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. Dissanayake and his team. Leading a country is no easy task, and I genuinely hope that their leadership brings Sri Lanka the peace, prosperity, and stability it so deeply deserves. The challenges they will face are immense, and I trust they will reflect on the lessons of the past—both the successes and failures of those who have held power before them. History teaches us that the real challenge is not in winning an election, but in governing wisely and staying true to the needs of the people.

Too often, those who have won elections in the past lost sight of the promises they made and missed the opportunity to bring real change. I hope Mr. Dissanayake and his team learn from these past mistakes and lead with a commitment to transparency, integrity, and the long-term good of the country.

I wish Mr. Dissanayake and his team every success in their efforts to lead Sri Lanka forward.”

Courtesy cna

22 Sep 2024 07:35AM(Updated: 22 Sep 2024 08:43AM)

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COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Marxist-leaning leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake grabbed a commanding early lead on Sunday (Sep 22) in his bid to become the next president of the debt-ridden country seeking to elect a leader to bolster its fragile economic recovery.

Early results from Saturday’s vote strongly suggested that the 55-year-old would become the first leftist commander-in-chief and head of state of the small but strategically placed island nation.

The election pits Dissanayaka against President Ranil Wickremesinghe and rival candidate Namal Rajapaksa, whose campaign conceded defeat early Sunday.

About 76 percent of the 17.1 million-person electorate turned out to vote, officials said, with final results expected later Sunday.

Dissanayaka’s strong showing in the postal ballot, considered an accurate indication of the entire electorate, boosted expectations that he would win.

Election officials said Dissanayaka had won 58 per cent of postal votes, with about a third of ballots counted.

In previous polls, candidates who garnered more than 50 per cent of the postal ballot have gone on to win the presidency.

Rajapaksa’s aides said Dissanayaka had won the vote.

“Anura Kumara Dissanayaka has won the election,” Rajapaksa’s campaign aide Milinda Rajapaksha said on Facebook, adding: “Namal Rajapaksa won politics.”

The 38-year-old scion of the once powerful Rajapaksa clan entered the fray as a dress rehearsal for the 2029 presidential poll, sources close to him told AFP.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, a close ally of Wickremesinghe, also said Dissanayaka had won.

“After a long and arduous campaign, the results of the election are now clear,” Sabry said on X.

“Though I heavily campaigned for President Ranil Wickremasinghe, the people of Sri Lanka have made their decision, and I fully respect their mandate for Anura Kumara Dissanayaka.”

There was no immediate reaction from Wickremesinghe, but he declared an eight-hour curfew despite the independent Election Commission describing Saturday’s vote as the most peaceful in the country’s electoral history.

Police said the curfew was “an additional measure to protect people”.

Earlier in the day, the government declared Monday would be a special public holiday.

“NO VIOLENCE”

Wickremesinghe is seeking re-election to continue belt-tightening measures that have stabilised the economy and ended months of food, fuel and medicine shortages after Sri Lanka’s worst economic meltdown in 2022.

His two years in office restored calm to the streets after civil unrest spurred by the downturn saw thousands storm the compound of his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country as anger mounted.

“I’ve taken this country out of bankruptcy,” Wickremesinghe, 75, said after casting his ballot.

But Wickremesinghe’s tax hikes and other measures, imposed under the terms of a US$2.9-billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, have left millions struggling to make ends meet.

Dissanayaka’s once-marginal Marxist party led two failed uprisings in the 1970s and 1980s that left more than 80,000 people dead, and it won less than 4 per cent of the vote in the most recent parliamentary elections, held in August 2020.

But Sri Lanka’s crisis has proven an opportunity for Dissanayaka, who has seen a surge of support based on his pledge to change the island’s “corrupt” political culture.

He said at a polling station he was confident of securing the top job.

“After the victory there should be no clashes, no violence,” he said. “Our country needs a new political culture.”

Fellow opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, 57, the son of a former president assassinated in 1993 during the country’s decades-long civil war, was expected to be in second position.

Premadasa has vowed to fight endemic corruption. Both he and Dissanayaka have pledged to renegotiate the terms of the IMF rescue package.

THREE-WAY RACE

Earlier in the day, political analyst Kusal Perera told AFP it was difficult to predict a winner from the three-way race – the first in the island’s history.

The government has banned the sale of liquor over the weekend and said no victory rallies or celebrations would be permitted until a week after the final results.

Economic issues dominated the eight-week campaign, with public anger widespread over the hardships endured since the peak of the crisis two years ago.

Official data showed that Sri Lanka’s poverty rate doubled to 25 per cent between 2021 and 2022, adding more than 2.5 million people to those already living on less than US$3.65 a day.

Experts warn that Sri Lanka’s economy is still vulnerable, with payments on the island’s US$46 billion foreign debt yet to resume since a 2022 government default.

The IMF said reforms enacted by Wickremesinghe’s government were beginning to pay off, with growth slowly returning.

But the country was also warned that it was not out of the woods yet.

Source: Agencies/zl

Courtesy The Straits Times

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s Marxist politician Anura Kumara Dissanayaka took an early lead in the Sept 21 presidential election during the counting of postal ballots, official results showed.

Mr Dissanayaka had 60.21 per cent of the 164,000 votes counted, out of just over 700,000. Public servants involved in conducting the election are entitled to post their ballots, which are the first to be counted.

About 76 per cent of the 17.1 million person electorate turned out for the Sept 21 vote, and final results are expected later on Sept 22.

The election has turned into a referendum on incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s austerity measures, implemented in line with a US$2.9 billion (S$3.7 billion) bailout loan he secured from the IMF early in 2023.

Mr Dissanayaka, 55, had vowed to renegotiate the unpopular IMF agreement under which Mr Wickremesinghe had doubled income taxes, removed energy subsidies and raised prices.

The initial results showed opposition leader Sajith Premadasa had 19.98, almost neck-and-neck with Mr Wickremesinghe who had 18.59 per cent.

If elected, Mr Dissanayaka would be Sri Lanka’s first Marxist head of state

The authorities declared an eight-hour evening curfew across the country while results were being announced via manual counts, as Sri Lanka does not have electronic voting.

Mr Wickremesinghe is seeking a fresh term to press ahead with his austerity measures after claiming credit for stabilising the economy after a crushing default on the national debt in 2022. AFP

Courtesy Hiru News

As per the postal voting results published so far, National People’s Power (NPP) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake continues to lead with a total of 125,999 votes (57.34%).
The current vote distribution is as follows:
Anura Kumara Dissanayake: 125,999 votes (57.34%)
Ranil Wickremesinghe: 42,307 votes (19.34%)
Sajith Premadasa: 40,595 votes (18.56%)
Namal Rajapaksa: 3,970 votes (1.81%)
Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran: 1,677 votes (0.77%)

Courtesy Adaderana

The voting for the presidential election to elect the 9th Executive President of Sri Lanka was held today (21).

The Election Commission says that counting of votes has already started and the first results of the 2024 presidential election, which commenced today (21), will be released before 12.00 midnight.

The Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake described the 2024 Presidential Election as the best in the nation’s electoral history, emphasizing that the election process was notably peaceful, with no reports of violence during the polling period.

A total of 17,140,354 Sri Lankans were eligible to vote, with the Gampaha District registering the highest number of voters with 1,881,129. 

Voting took place at 13,421 polling stations across the island from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. today (21).

Voters had arrived at polling stations early this morning to cast their valuable votes. According to Ada Derana reporter, despite adverse weather conditions, voters in some areas showed increased enthusiasm for participating in the election.

Election officials reported that approximately 75 percent of the total electorate turned out to vote in this year’s presidential election.

Accordingly, the voter turnout percentages of several districts at the close of polls are as follows:  

Nuwara-Eliya – 80%
Monaragala – 77%
Polonnaruwa – 78%
Ratnapura – 75%
Gampaha – 80%
Colombo – 75%
Ampara – 70%
Kilinochchi – 68%
Puttalam – 75%
Kalutara – 75%
Galle – 74% 
Vavuniya – 72% 
Mannar – 72%
Badulla – 73%
Hambantota – 78% 
Kegalle – 75% 
Anuradhapura – 75% 
Batticaloa – 69%
Kurunegala – 75% 
Mullaitivu – 68% 
Kandy – 78% 
Ampara – 70%
Trincomalee – 76% 
Matale – 74%

Hiru News

The first postal vote result of the 2024 Presidential Election has been released, a short while ago.

Accordingly, the postal vote result for the Ratnapura district has been released by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.

National People’s Power (NPP) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake has received the highest number of postal votes in the district with a total of 19,185 votes.

Independent candidate President Ranil Wickremesinghe is second with 6,641 votes followed by Samagi Jana Sandhanaya candidate Sajith Premadasa with 4,675 postal votes.

Namal Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has polled 500 postal votes, while Dilith Jayaweera of the ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ alliance has received 251 postal votes.

Aloysius Hettiarachchi

It was yesterday that BBC and other main world media showed how some devices exploded on vegetable stalls in open air markets somewhere in Lebanon. I do not think what they showed in the markets were pagers. Most likely some of them were just mobiles the vendors placed on their tables while selling vegetable in addition to pagers the terrorist (or freedom fighters to some others) may have used for communication elsewhere. And today their motor cars also started exploding. Can it not happen in our country on the election day to disrupt it?. How can this happen?. This is my two cents worth on the subject:

About three weeks ago one of my old desktops made a huge noise when I switched it on. I thought something inside exploded. There are no batteries inside desktops except a 3-volt battery for the timer, unlike in a laptop in which there is a battery to store power. When I took it to the vender who sold it  (in 2013) their technicians told me that it could have happened if ants go inside and sit between two of those connectors of a chip bridging them. The power already in some capacitors can discharge making a loud noise. They told me the remedy is to replace the power unit. This was the case when I replace the old unit with an external one. What I am going to describe is how this type of explosions could be done remotely via internet. I hope those well versed in these technologies would enlighten the readers better.

Beirut was the first place I set my foot outside Sri Lanka in 1975 on my way to Kano, Nigeria. It looked an affluent place with flashy cars and high-end hotels; the young guys would rev-up the engine of their cars so much so that the wheel would turn a few times before the it took off. However, the British Airways flight that took me to Beirut from Karachi on transit announced that it would be their airline’s last flight to that city, as a civil war has erupted in that place. At the airport I noticed that each official looking at the other in a suspicious way. That situation has descended to the present level that people are divided on ethnic and religious lines and no one seems to know who is doing what. In a diverse country can it not happen to us with so much of foreign meddling as at present?.

A couple of years ago I wrote in this collum about hacking of mobile phones by NSA Group of Israel using a virus named Pegasus with a video by ColdFusion, a website created by a Nigerian researcher living in Australia; it had over million hits at the time. I did so when I felt that my phone also was hacked due to some activities of guys wearing dresses of a certain colour. He explained how the Chip fabricating companies ((or ‘Fabs’ as they are called) like Intel are mandated by their governments to include a mechanism ostensibly for the exclusive use of the owners of the machines to find out the activities of their employee, if they so wish. This may actually be for the governments to track what the users do, if they want for security reasons. One person by the name Edward Snowdon who worked for an NSA contractor ran away from the job and published leaked documents as a whistle blower. He stayed for a while in Russia and ended up in Ecuadorian embassy in London where he sought refuge for many years. Another by the name Julian Assange, an Australian who had been dabbling with computers from childhood and became a hacker is another guy who made a huge din about secret documents in Wikileaks. But none gave away the secret behind how they could get into a computer system; both have been spared.

At the moment, as far as I know, there are two main computer architectures which have been used by the computer processor chip manufacturers. They are the CISC or Complex Instruction Set Architecture and the RISC or Reduced Instruction Set Architecture. The former has about 1500 instructions defined while the latter has about 50, hence the name reduced. In all desktops and laptops (except those with M1, M2 etc belonging to Apple) run with former while 99% of popular mobiles run with the latter. The particular architecture those mobiles used is called ARM (or Advanced RISC Machines), a product developed by British engineers initially in Cambridge University. It’s a fascinating story how a young girl studying in it figured it out even to the extent of challenging those in the Silicon Valley experts in this field. And today the ARM is everywhere controlling our day-to -day activities. Thousands of engineers are employed in that company and we do not know who actually owns it as at present. How it is doing, is the most intriguing question. It is explained by the Nigerian youtuber in his ColdFusion video which I referred to earlier.

The programming language Linux was initially developed by a student by the name Linus Torvalds in the University of Helsinki, Finland with about 12k lines of codes as an open- source programming language. Many free-lancing coders contributed to it and presently it has some 30 million lines of codes, but managed by Linus himself via a platform called Git. However, the interesting part is this: at the beginning there was an allegation that he copied the mini operating system developed by Professor Andrew S Tanenbaum called MINIX having 10k lines of code. He is exactly of my age and is a professor in the University of Vrije, in Amsterdam. His book, co-authored by Ted Autin, name Structured Computer Organisation” was used by almost all IT university students including my daughter who studied in University of South Australia. His earlier version of the book she left behind where I was working overseas inspired me to study this subject of computer architecture as hobby.  I had to purchase a used paperback copy with an equivalent of S$50, although the good professor had given permission to an Indian printing company to print and distribute it at a cost of Indian Rupees 550 only in the South Asian countries including Sri Lanka; its not available in any of the book stores in our country. It’s the equivalent of the bible to Christians for IT students, in my view.

The allegation was that the Jewish professor’s tiny operating system is in all processor chips running both CISC and RISC architectures at the hardware level. And it can be used to do spying on users or whatever they want to do remotely. Perhaps it can shunt or bridge two connectors in the chip that controls power. One can imagine what would happen if the battery is fully charged when this is done remotely or accidentally as in my above-mentioned case with the desktop. With the use of internet, GPS that gives your location anyone who knows how to access the MINIX and use it can damage all devices in a certain area at a given time. There were videos that describe how to get the code to open the access to MINIX in any device. I didn’t dare to try it on my machine though. Perhaps the airlines banning the transport of tablets in bags is due to this reason.

We, too are in a critical juncture now. We should be careful in the use of technology these days. To be forewarned is to be forearmed, they say.

By Palitha Ariyarathna

Chris Knayzeh, a former resident of Lebanon who experienced the 2020 Beirut poChris Knayzeh, a former resident of Lebanon who experienced the 2020 Beirut port blast, was visiting when the news of the pager explosions broke.

Synopsis

The article discusses the catastrophic explosions in Lebanon caused by weaponized communication devices, resulting At least nine people were killed and about 2,750 were wounded.It also addresses the implications of these events in the context of cyber warfare, particularly the NSA’s hacking activities.

2020 Beirut explosion in 218 deaths, over 7,500 injuries, and significant property damage estimated at $15 billion. The blasts, linked to improperly stored ammonium nitrate, remain unexplained a year later.

In a shocking series of events, Lebanon has been rocked by explosions involving pagers and other handheld devices. These incidents have resulted in significant casualties and widespread panic, particularly among the ranks of Hezbollah. Initial reports suggest that the explosions were orchestrated by Israel, although no official confirmation has been made. The first wave of explosions occurred when thousands of pagers, reportedly used by Hezbollah members, detonated simultaneously, resulting in the deaths of at least 37 people and injuring over 3,000. A second wave of explosions involving walkie-talkies caused further devastation, killing 20 and injuring 450 more.

Hezbollah members carry the coffins of two of their comrades who were killed on Wednesday when a handheld device exploded, during a funeral procession in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

These attacks have raised serious concerns about the security of communication devices and the potential for them to be weaponized. The pagers used in the explosions were designed to appear as legitimate devices but were actually rigged to explode upon receiving a specific signal. This level of sophistication highlights a troubling trend where common communication tools are transformed into instruments of violence. Chris Knayzeh, a former resident of Lebanon who experienced the 2020 Beirut port blast, was visiting when the news of the pager explosions broke. The sight of the gigantic mushroom cloud from the port blast, which killed more than 200 people and injured thousands, had already left a lasting impact on him.

That day, the Beirut port blast disaster resulted in a staggering toll: 218 lives lost, 7,500 individuals injured, and 300,000 people left homeless, alongside an estimated $15 billion in property damage. A year later, the cause of the explosions at the city’s port remains a mystery, stemming from 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse for six years

The recent explosions brought back painful memories and heightened his anxiety, especially as he was stuck in Beirut traffic, fearing that any device around him could potentially explode.

According to The New York Times, Israeli intelligence took extraordinary measures by establishing a shell company in Hungary named B.A.C. Consulting, specifically to manufacture and distribute rigged electronics intended for Hezbollah. This company also reportedly sold standard, non-bomb pagers to other clients. The report indicates that the pagers were first sent to Lebanon in 2022 in a small batch. Following a speech by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who denounced cellphones as Israel’s agent” and advocated for a broader use of pagers, additional orders for B.A.C.-manufactured pagers were reportedly placed by operatives of the Lebanese terrorist organization. Shortly after the explosions, unverified images of two damaged pagers began circulating on social media, displaying the word Gold” along with a serial number starting with either AP” or AR.” This led to speculation about a potential connection to the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo. However, Gold Apollo swiftly issued a strong denial of any involvement, clarifying that the model in question is produced and sold exclusively by B.A.C. Consulting.

Images shared on social media showing a damaged pager pointed to Gold Apollo as a potential manufacturer. However, the company has firmly denied any association with the device.

In a related context, the hacking of devices by groups associated with the NSA has also come under scrutiny. The NSA has been known to exploit vulnerabilities in various electronic devices to gather intelligence, often using sophisticated techniques to infiltrate and manipulate devices remotely. One notable example is the use of malware to gain access to smartphones, computers, and other electronic devices, allowing the monitoring of communications, extraction of sensitive information, and even control of the device’s functions without the user’s knowledge. Such capabilities raise significant privacy and security concerns globally, exacerbating fears about the safety of personal information in an increasingly interconnected world.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has introduced technological advancements in cyber-physical systems, including high-capacity connectivity and new human-machine interaction modes. While these innovations hold immense potential for progress, they also pose significant risks that could endanger the entire planet. As nations navigate this technological landscape, the potential for conflict escalates. Many wars have historically been fueled by long-standing, hidden ideologies rooted in divine or religious doctrines, creating a mindset of us versus them” and leading to cycles of violence. To avert such catastrophic outcomes, we must prioritize mindfulness and a genuine commitment to peace.

The rise of new technologies brings about shifts in personality and societal dynamics. As people increasingly interact through digital platforms, profound changes occur in how individuals relate to one another and their nations. The ease of information exchange can foster divisiveness and tribalism, and nations face the challenge of navigating these changes without resorting to weaponized tactics. Moreover, geopolitical tensions are heightened by struggles for control over technology and resources, underscoring the importance of fostering dialogue and cooperation for global safety.

Instead of engaging in conflicts driven by ideological differences, the global community must adopt a framework based on understanding and mindfulness, recognizing our shared humanity. By fostering dialogue and cooperation, we can create a world where technology serves as a bridge rather than a barrier. Furthermore, countries must invest in their technological capabilities, developing indigenous technologies to create communication devices and cybersecurity solutions resilient against physical attacks and cyber intrusions. This approach enhances national security and cultivates innovation and self-reliance.

Given the increasing threats to national security from both physical and cyber attacks, investing in indigenous technology development is crucial. By creating and controlling their own communication devices and security systems, countries can better protect their citizens from external threats. The recent events in Lebanon and the hacking activities by the NSA underscore the critical need for robust security measures to protect electronic devices from exploitation. The potential for harm, whether through physical attacks or cyber intrusions, is significant, and vigilance is required to safeguard against these threats.

As we stand on the brink of new technological challenges brought on by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we must avoid the path of conflict rooted in divine ideologies and instead pursue a future defined by collaboration and mindfulness. By working together to develop indigenous technologies and fostering international cooperation, we can ensure the safety and security of our nations while promoting peace on a global scale. In this rapidly evolving landscape, it is essential for governments to prioritize proactive measures and diplomacy to navigate the complexities of modern geopolitics and safeguard our shared future. By addressing the challenges posed by emerging technologies and fostering inclusivity, we can create a more resilient global community capable of overcoming the obstacles ahead.

-By Palitha Ariyarathna

Geopolitical

අරුණ ලක්සිරි උණවටුන B.Sc(Col), PGDC(Col), නීතීඥ.

1. ව්‍යවස්ථාපිත යුතුකම ඉටු නොකරන රාජ්‍ය සේවකයන්ට දණ්ඩ නීති සංග්‍රහයේ 289 වගන්තිය ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට මහජන පැමිණිලි සටහන් කිරීමට සහ අපරාධ නඩු විධාන සංග්‍රහයේ 136.1.අ. වගන්තිය යටතේ නීතිය ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට “ව්‍යවස්ථාපිත යුතුකම් ඉටුකිරීමේ ජාතික  කොමිෂන් සභාව” පිහිටුවන්න.

2. පනත් කෙටුම්පත් සම්බන්ධයෙන් ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 120, 121වන ව්‍යවස්ථා යටතේ ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේ පවත්වන නඩු විභාග, ජනාධිපතිවරණ ඡන්ද පෙත්සම් නඩු විභාග සජීවීව විද්‍යුත් මාධ්‍යයේ විකාශනය කරන්න.

3. වසර 3කට වැඩි කාලයක් වසා ඇති රාජ්‍ය ගොඩනැගිලි බදු පදනමින් කෘෂි නිෂ්පාදන සහ අපනයන නිෂ්පාදන ගබඩා කිරීම සඳහා ජනතාවට ලබා දෙන්න.

4. ප්‍රයෝජනයට නොගෙන ඇති රාජ්‍ය සහ පෞද්ගලික ඉඩම් කෘෂිකාර්මික කටයුතු සහ අපනයන නිෂ්පාදනය ස‍ඳහා වසර 3ක බදු පදනමට ජනතාවට ලබා දෙන්න.

5. ගෑස්, ඉන්ධන නල මාර්ග පද්ධතියක් අධිවේගී මාර්ග දෙපස ඉදිකරන්න.

6. පාසල් විෂය නිර්දේශයට 6 වසරේ සිට උසස් පෙළ දක්වා නීතිය විෂය හඳුන්වා දී අනිවාර්යය විෂයක් කරන්න.

7. පොදු ප්‍රවාහන සේවාව දියුණු කර ජීපීඑස් තාක්ෂණය හදුන්වා දී ජංගම දුරකථන මගින් බස් රථ ගමන් කරන ස්ථාන හඳුනා ගත හැකි පරිගණක/කෘතිම බුද්ධිමය වැඩසටහන් හඳුන්වා දෙන්න.

8. දේශීය, ආයුර්වේද, බටහිර වෛද්‍ය ක්‍රම සඳහා එක සමාන ලෙස රාජ්‍ය අනුග්‍රහය ලබා දෙන්න.

9. පළමු වරට ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේදී ආරම්භ වන නඩු කටයුත්තකදී නියම කරන දණ්ඩනයකට, සිරභාරයට ගැනීමකට, අත් අඩංගුවේ තබා ගැනීමකට, රඳවා ගැනීමකට හෝ අන්‍යාකාරයකින් පෞද්ගලික නිදහස අහිමි කිරීමකට, දඩ මුදලකට හෝ නඩු ගාස්තුවකට එරෙහිව අභියාචනා කිරිමට “විශේෂ අභියාචනා ව්‍යවස්ථා සභාව” පාර්ලිමේන්තු පනතකින් පිහිටුවන්න.

http://neethiyalk.blogspot.com/2024/09/9.html?m=1

අරුණ ලක්සිරි උණවටුන B.Sc(Col), PGDC(Col), නීතීඥ.
සමායෝජක,
වෛද්‍ය තිලක පද්මා සුබසිංහ අනුස්මරණ නීති අධ්‍යාපන වැඩසටහන.
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By Abdul Rahman Courtesy  InDepthNews

DHAKA, Bangladesh | 18 September 2024 (IDN) — On September 16, the Bangladeshi police arrested two senior journalists, Mozammel Babu and Shyamal Dutta when they were allegedly trying to leave the country. With their arrests, the total number of journalists arrested since the coming of the interim government in power has reached five. Dozens of other journalists in the country face the similar fate while some of them have been subjected to physical violence as well.

Babu and Dutta were surrounded by a mob at the country’s Mymensingh when they were allegedly trying to cross the border to India in a car with another journalist and escorted to the nearest police station, the Daily Star reported.

Babu was the managing director and editor in chief of Ekattor TV, one of the country’s biggest media organizations. He is also the president of the Bangladesh Editors Guild. Dutta is the former secretary general of Jatiya Press Club (National Press Club).

The third journalist arrested on the same day was Shahriar Kabir. All three of them were sent to seven days police remand on Tuesday.

All three were considered close to the Sheikh Hasina-led government and were critical to the quota reform movement led by the students. The Editors Guild of Bangladesh under the leadership of Babu had accused that a section of the quota agitation was against the heroes of the country’s liberation war with Pakistan in 1971.

The groups leading the quota reform agitation prepared a list of 51 traitor journalists” whom they wanted to be removed from their positions and barred from doing their profession due to their criticism of the quota movement. The student groups, who are represented in the interim government, have alleged that journalists named in their list were involved in anti-national activities. Both Dutta and Babu were named in the list.

The quota reform movement started in June this year after a high court overturned an earlier decision of the Hasina government to ban reservations of government jobs for the descendants of the freedom fighters. The students were initially demanding removal of high reservation in government jobs. Later, the agitation turned into a movement of regime change forcing Hasina to resign and leave the country in the first week of August.

On August 29, the interim government in Bangladesh filed a case against 25 journalists holding them responsible for the death of a protester in July. They were also charged with crimes against humanity. The list includes Babu and Dutta.

Journalists Mozammel Babu, Shyamal Dutta. Credit: The Daily Star

Earlier, journalist couple Shakil Ahmed Farzana Rupa were arrested at Dhaka international airport on August 21 when they allegedly were trying to leave the country for France. Both of them were working with Ekattor TV until they were sacked by the management on August 8. They were also on the list of 51 journalists mentioned above, bdnews24.com reported.

Ahmed and Rupa were also charged with the death of another protester in July.

Political vendetta?

A large number of journalists have been attacked by the protesters since the interim government took charge in early August, Reporters without Borders (RSF) claims. It also claims the cases against the journalists are without any base and outrageous and part of a ‘systematic judicial harassment of journalists.”

The purge of journalists who are considered to be affiliated with the former government has reached a new level. Media professionals are bearing the brunt of the need of vengeance that permeates this terrible legal cabal, which is hurting the image of political transition underway in Bangladesh,” said Antoine Bernard, RSF’s director of advocacy and assistance.

Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) too asked the government to drop murder charges against journalists calling it unfair. While it is appropriate for any journalist to face if the specific allegations are proven, it is unjustifiable to entangle them in murder cases merely on accusations of assisting the previous government,” it said in a statement reported in the media.

Since taking power, the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus has been widely criticized for carrying out seemingly politically motivated arrests, targeting members of the Awami League and of the parties that were part of the coalition government. It has also taken a passive position with regards to violence against the Awami League and its allies with scores of leaders killed or their offices vandalized.

A large number of members of the Hasina government have been charged with the death of protesters and sent to jail. Hasina too is facing similar charges.

Left leaders, Rashed Khan Menon and Hasanul Haq Inu presidents of Workers Party of Bangladesh (WPB) and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), were arrested in similar cases despite the fact that they were not officially part of Hasina government at the time of the student agitation.

Sharif Shamshir, a member of the WPB told Peoples Dispatch that, media in the country is facing assaults because they are considered as the allies of the Awami League just like the left parties.

Journalists are arrested not because they committed any real crime but because they were considered to be allies of the Hasina government and their fate depends on how the parties close to the new system think about them in the end,” Shamsir said. [IDN-InDepthNews]

Original link: https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/09/17/bangladeshs-interim-government-accused-of-political-persecution-of-journalists/

Photo: Muhammad Yunus is leading Bangladesh’s interim government. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Saeed Naqvi

Dated: 19.09.2024

That Juan Guaido, 41, has in his CV described himself as the ex President of Venezuela – 2019-2023” is not all fiction. Even when the world sleeps, the leader of the Free World is in relentless pursuit of replacing dictatorships with democracy worldwide. Replacing Nicolas Maduro in Caracas with Guaido was one such enterprise.

The Munro doctrine is alive and well” boomed Rex Tillerson, President Trump’s Secretary of State. It was therefore legitimate for US agencies to find a friend to be installed on the throne in Caracas. Venezuela has the world’s largest reserves of hydro carbons.

Vice President Mike Pence was given charge to keep a steady gaze on Guaido as he commuted between Colombia, the US and Venezuela to somehow ascend the gaddi.

As soon as the failed Guaido initiative became part of global amnesia, the leader of the Free World was dutifully at it again. Headline are still fresh about yet another failed effort to dethrone Maduro.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told Parliament that Venezuela opposition leader Edmundo Gonzales has sought refuge in the Dutch Embassy. Before his papers for exile in the Netherlands could be processed, he found cultural continuity where he is now likely to stay – Spain. It would be interesting to see what new salvo is fired for democracy. It must be galling for the US agencies that colour revolutions are no longer giving the desired results.

Western covert operation must have taken heart from developments where their very own Fulbright scholar, Mohammad Yunus has shown the door to Shaikh Hasina whose emotional ties to India and practical ones with China were becoming something of a puzzle.

This narrative would be woefully off the mark if the explosion of public anger at Sheikh Hasina’s dictatorship is underplayed. It possibly provided the objective conditions which outsiders have exploited. It must be added in parenthesis that scholars like Jeffrey Sachs have been quite emphatic. State Department’s Donald Lou has been as active in Bangladesh and Pakistan as Victoria Nuland was in Ukraine.

While regime change” apparatus is still functional in the US, Europe in its post colonial phase is having no use for it. It has other ways to ward off the Left – occasionally tipping the scales even in favour of fascism.

Look at what was East Germany, fascism has quite impressively opened its accounts in two states. Political theatre in France has an engaging story-line: how to stop the Left?

This story actually begins at the European Union elections in June where Marine Le Pen’s Right extremist, National Rally, trounced Emmanuel Macron’s Right-of-Centre Ensemble by miles. In a state of funk Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called for national elections. The anxious French President hoped to recover lost ground. Exactly the opposite happened. Le Pen zoomed past him with 33% votes in the first round. Not very far behind was Left Alliance. Macron came third with 21%. Here was no absolute majority.

The fifth Republic had had it, should Le Pen win the second round. A fascist as President of France? The Left front and Macron withdrew over 200 candidates from triangular contests to prevent a division of anti Le Pen vote.

The trick worked but only to the extent that it stopped Le Pen. She came third, but Macron and his corporate supporters were in turmoil because the Left Front galloped way ahead. Macron’s neo-con agenda would clash head on with the Left Front’s socialism.

Instead of appointing a Left front Prime Minister as numbers in the National Assembly dictate, Macron placed the mantle on the Michel Barnier from the Republican stable.

Will the Socialist break ranks from the Left front? If not, the possible backroom deals could be sinister. Suppose, Barnier’s minority government is supported by Le Pen from the outside? She will then control the fifth republic.

People’s will as expressed by the progress of the Left front, will have been effectively neutralized by Macron-Barnier’s neo cons agenda.

Social welfare, price rise, health care, unemployment – issues that define the lives of people, will have been replaced by migration, identity politics, Islamophobia, military budgets, the staple that fascism feeds on.

What is being played out on an epic scale in France is more or less the pattern in most western democracies. Remember the excitement that was generated when Alexis Tsipras became the first communist Prime Minister of Greece, the cradle of western civilization.

No sooner had Communist reared its head in a European country than Germany, the biggest donor in EU, sat on Tsipras’s back. Greece’s debts would not be honoured.

In Spain the rise of 39 year old Pablo Iglesias as leader of leftist Podemos, at about the same time as Tsipras in Greece, caused frenzied response from the establishment: Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy whose unspeakable corruption had precipitated the election which brought up Podemos was manoevred into another term, corruption or no corruption. By attrition Podemos was killed.

It was clear as daylight that Bernie Sanders was derailed by the Democratic Party establishment largely for his socialist image. I wrote then: If you make Sanders impossible, you make Trump inevitable.” Likewise, if Jeremy Corbyn is impossible, Boris Johnson become inevitable. He succeeded clowning around as Prime Minister briefly. Right wingers in the Labour party like Peter Mandelson had sworn to undermine” Corbyn.

As the Bible says: there is no new thing under the sun.”

This had been the pattern ever, since Franklin Delano Roosevelt pulled his country out of the Great Depression of the 30s and 40s by taxing the very rich to pay for the welfare schemes. The socialist, communist and the unions had pressured him. The most popular American President in history who died in his fourth term ended up spawning corporate paranoia which has not lost momentum to this day. Joseph McCarthy remains a reaction to anything resembling New Deal. His spirit lives. Atleast in those early days of unbridled capitalism, a journalist of CBS News like Ed Murrow could single handedly demolish McCarthy. Today the field is wide open for capitalist callousness.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Cololmbo, September 20 (Daily Mirror) –  In reference to Sri Lanka agreeing in principle on the restructuring of commercial debts (ISB), Chairman of Advocata Institute Murtaza Jafferjee said it was a game changer on the path to debt sustainability.

He said there is a lot of political discourse on the need to renegotiate debt sustainability analysis, it cannot be done.

Making his remarks to the media, he said Sri Lanka is now under selective credit rating, and it will probably take a few more months probably to complete the whole process. After that, he said there would be a rating action on Sri Lanka.

Getting an investable rating is fundamental to our economic rating. It is important to ensure that our debt carrying capacity is improved before 2028 so that we gain access to the international market,” he said.

He said the most important criterion is to ensure that the country’s economy is growing.

That will require productivity-enhancing investments to come in,” he said. He added that most investors had been stepping out of Sri Lanka since 2020, and the current selective default status is a major deterrent for major money to come in.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has suspended the party membership of three Members of Parliament. 

Accordingly, the party membership of Anuradhapura District MP S.M. Chandrasena, Ratnapura District MP Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Kalutara District MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena have been suspended.

Their party membership has been suspended for going against the SLPP Politburo’s decision to support the party’s presidential candidate, which was taken at its meeting held on July 29.

The statement further says that the three MPs’ membership in SLPP’s All-Island Working Committee, the Executive Committee and Politburo have also been suspended.

Asoka (Weerasinghe)

Dear. Editor:

The time hsarrived for me to respond to Asoka, Your letters are funny and entertaining to read. However, I am afraid that sarcastic letters like these will not yield any positive results.”

Nihal, I thank you for your comment, but that is my writing style and I do not

believe that diplomacy is my forte.  You did not ask me whether I have had any

Positive responses for my letters. I wish you did.

Here are a few, which I Believe are positive responses.

 I like to believe that my letters lay down FACTS, and I have had no negative responses from the Tamil separatist community. They are smart.  They know that if they respond they will give me another window to expose their lying negative views about my Mother Lanka.  The style of my writing is what it is,  I am no diplomat.

*In the first week in July 1988, my good friend Asoka Premachandra then

of Kingston, Ontario,  sent me an article from The Economic and Political Weekly of India, the First of a series of three by V,R. Krishner Iyer on

‘Tamil Tragedy in Sri Lanka’, hoping that I would respond.

I thought the article deserved a response and so I did in my style of writing.

I received a postcard from the Editor of EPW, thanking for responding to

Supreme Court Justice Iyer ‘s article and will be publishing it. When I responded I did not know that he was a Supreme Court Justice.  They did publish my lengthy detailed response on October 15, 1988.  After this first response, the Supreme Court Justice  Iyer decided not to write the 2nd and 3rd others of the series,   My style of writing FACTS may have got him and he backed off;

**On one Commonwealth celebration day in Ottawa held at the City Hall, I believe it was the year 2000,  former Mayor of Ottawa Marion Dewar, the MC, introduced me thus. I am proud to introduce the next item

by one of the constant letter writers on Sri Lanka’s ethnic crisis, telling us the flip side of what is going on.  You all must be familiar with the letter writer’s name,’Asoka Weerasinghe.  He is also an excellent published award winning poet. He will now read a few poems of his…”

***One afternoon the phone rang. The voice on the other end of the phone Introduced herself as, I am Virginia Leary, a Professor of Law at University of New York, and an International Jurist,  I want to meet you on the subject of Sri Lanka’s ethnic crisis. I will not leave town until I meet you”.

*Who asked you to meet me”, I asked.  The Canadian Foreign Ministry.” Was her response.   I am at the Aristocratic Hotel on Cooper Street.”

I met her and from the time I met she was on the attack as if in a Court of

 Law.  How much is the Government of Sri Lanka giving you for

what you are doing?  How many researchers do you have?  The material that I am getting in my letterbox from you, are the best researched material and well written and produced.”

I will take it as a compliment.  You have to believe me that I do not get a single cent from the Government of Sri Lanka.  I do my own research and I am the writer.”   

After a hell-hath-no-fury discussion, I thought we ended our conversation

and I got up to leave.

Just a minute,” she said.  Went into her room and came out with her cheque book.  Wrote me a cheque for US$100, and giving it to me she said, I hope this will help you with what you are doing.  No one needs to know that I gave you this cheque”.  I thanked for her kindness and we parted.

****Dr. Sharma from the Indian High Commission invited me for lunch at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa.  I am not sure of his title.

During lunch he tells me, Mr. Ashok, everytime I open the Ottawa Citizen’s Letters to the Editor page, there is a letter from you on behalf of the High Commissioner, defending Sri Lanka’s honour.  How do you do it?   We have difficulty getting even a single letter in the Ottawa Citizen.”

So I walked him how I did it, and advised him how to go about it.  He’was very appreciative.   Nihal that’s about my writing…my way of writing…

a non-diplomatic way of writing.  And I am not going to change the way

I write.   It works well for me.  I had 56 letters of a possible 64 in print during my 5-years at the Ottawa’s Sri Lanka High Mission in newspapers and political journals, as the Communications Officer (1989-1994)..

In the 40-years of my involvement on this file, I have had over 500 letters

pick-up-ink and I have written over 2000 letters and political articles’’

Nihal I was promised by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry of an entertainment allowance and a  monthly rental allowance,before joining the Mission.  They abrogated what was promised and I was down around $2,500

Canadian dollars a month, from what I was earning as an IS6 in Canadian Public Service,  I left a 20-years of Canadian Government Public Service to help  President Premadasa,  It was not a nepotism Machan’ appointment.   I had never met the man or spoken with him. And that’s the holy truth.

I was embarrassed and resentful that I couldn’ reciprocate the courtesies that I received from Press personnel, Intelligence and diplomatic, and parliamentary personnel. I am still angry and so is my wife (white-Newfoundlander) of reducing our quality-of-life by the ‘liar’ Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry.   And held back my younger daughter going to LSE for one year to do her Masters in Political Science and Communications,

That piece of  MA” paper was costing Mummy $55,000 for a year.   She was hurting and told Mummy, I will take a year off and collect $7,000 waitressing in Montreal for a year towards your scholarship, Mummy.”.  She saved $14,000 for her Mummy’s scholarship. And she attended LSE for her graduate studies. She is a product of McGill University in Montreal.

From then on I was forced to become a Honorary Member of the Developing Countries Beggars Consortium, getting my guests to pay my

Courtesy Entertainment Tabs.

*****The phone rang around 8:30 one weekday morning.  It was the Editor of the Letter’s page at the Ottawa Citizen.

He said,”Hey! Asoka, I was driving to Office around 7 in the morning’

and had the Ottawa Citizen open on the passenger seat. Everytime I had to stop at a traffic light, I glanced at the news-items-of-the day  in it. There was this news item on Sri Lanka.  I wondered whether Asoka will respond to it. Lo and behold, Asoka, your response was on my desk sent at 4:49 in the morning, Don’t you bugger sleep?”  The letter was published on the following day,   My style of writing didn’t matter much to the Editor.. FACTS mattered.  He knew that I was an honest writer on

Sri Lanka’s Eelam Crisis.

****** The Editors of Kingston’s The Whig Standard FORUM  (on Amnesty International’s reports on disappearances’ in Sri Lanka biased), on Thursday January 15,1987), and The Windsor Star (on Separatist terrorists rend peaceful island of Sri Lanka) on Monday, September 10, 1984, both were middle-pages- spread articles by me, challenged me asking, How much does the Sri Lanka Government pay you for what you do?” Not a cent I said.

Both Editors told me that they didn’t believe me and both asked how many researchers do I employ for what you write and produce? ‘ I am the researcher and writer”, I said.  Both told me that they do not believe me but will go ahead and publish them anyway. I swore to them that I am telling the truth and nothing but the TRUTH and I will take ‘ your Opinion about my article’ as a compliment and Thank you for wanting to publish the articles.   And they did.

*******This incident has some relevance to my style of writing.   In the summer of 1993, the Reform Party of Canada was elected as the Opposition in Parliament. The Party decided to introduce themselves to the Foreign Diplomats.  They invited High Commissioner Walter Fernando to an introductory get-together at the Parliament’s West Block. H.C  Fernando took me to meet the Opposition Reformers. They had grouped us with the rest of the Developing Country Diplomats.

About two months later I was having dinner at MUKUT, a Bangladeshi restaurant on Rideau Street, with the Reform MP, Art Hanger, MP for Calgary Northeast (1993-2008) who I met on that introductory evening.  He loved Asian Curries.

During Dinner, Art Hanger told me, Asoka, before I forget, I want to tell

why I am sitting in front of you and enjoying this Bangladeshi curry dinner.

The day when we were introducing ourselves to foreign diplomats, Deborah Gray  (MP for Edmonton North) and I went to meet the diplomats., .We came to the entrance of the Party- room, stood there and surveyed the crowd to see who we should approach.   Deborah noticed you at the far end of the room and told me, That guy with a beard, who is well dressed, and I think he is wearing a British University tie, let’s meet him.”

And so we made our way through the crowd, and you noticed us approaching you.  You saw, took two steps forward, threw your right hand towards Deborah and said, Good evening Deborah, I am Asoka, the Communications Officer at the Sri Lankan High Commission. After shaking hands you turned towards your High Commissioner and introduced him to Deborah saying, this is my High Commissioner, His Excellency Walter Fernando.  Then you turned towards me, threw your right hand towards me and said Good evening Art, I am Asoka the Communications Officer for the Sri Lankan High Commission.  And after shaking hands you turned towards your High Commissioner and introduced him to me.

You know those introductions, when we were supposed to be introducing ourselves to you, you knew who we were and introduced yourselves to us,

 sealed our wanting to come to know you better.

,

Deborah told me on our way back, That diplomat is interesting, let’s cultivate him.

And I invited you for lunch at the Parliament restaurant the following day.

Art and I became friends until he retired as an MP in 2008 and he obliged to be my Parliamentary mentor.

Once when I asked him to present a petition of ours to parliament, his response was, Asoka , I will be honoured to do that favour for you.”

We had several dinners and I cooked for him and he came home for dinners and I always had a couple of Sri Lankans join us.

He guided me, and he told me several times that he enjoyed reading my letters to parliamentarians.  One in particular was the one I wrote to  MP Pierre Poilievre, who is now the leader of the Conservative Party, and

very likely the next  Prime Minister of Canada.  He knows me fairly well.

Nihal, you may not like my style of writing, but it has been generous to me

and I have found friends among Canadian politicians, that matters to me

and also some from the Newspaper reporter faculty,

As for Mayor Patrick Brown of Brampton, who was the Conservative MP for Barrie, I have been shadowing him for many, many moons

I honestly believe to dismantle the Tamil ‘Genocide’ Memorial Monument,’the SriLankan Bramptonians are on the right path to have it removed Legally.  To me there is no other way, and I will support their efforts.  I sincerely want them to win that war too.

I hope you understand me well, and in particular what I Write and how I write it. 

As a concluding note let me tell you that my efforts to guard the good name of Yours and my Mother Lanka, I thought that my enemy was just the separatist Tamils in Canada.   Wrong!  I was in a three pronged attack war,

1. Were the community of Tamil Eelam separatists. All of them phoning and threatening that they will blow my face off this Earth,”

• One day I had a phone call from a friend of mine at the Canadian Foreign Ministry who told me, Asoka, don’t think that you have friends in your Sinhalese community. A petition against you just landed on my desk  signed by over a dozen Sinhalese,  I cannot give you a copy of the petition, but I can reveal the names so that you can be careful and guard yourself.  I chalked every one of them as my enemy.  And three had already phoned me to congratulate me on my appointment. Half of the Sinhese population in Ottawa were/are against me. All have been wanting to shoot poison darts and throw a knock-out punch at me….not sure why!  All what I was doing was to stand tall for my Mother Lanka, going after the separatist Tamils, and nothing else.

• Like, one late evening around 11 in the summer of 1987, the ringing tone of the telephone woke me up.

An agitated female voice told me, Asoka, please don’t ask me who I am, but I want to talk to you or else I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Sorry, Madam, I have difficulty talking to strangers, but please tell me who you are, as I have difficulty talking to phantoms.

She introduced herself to me, in confidence, and I had met her twice before.

This was the conversation.

Asoka I have just come out of a dinner party at Asoka Wickemanayake’s home.  All night the conversation was about You.

I saw them, bashing you… stabbing you… quartering you…..  chopping  off your letter writing right- hand, and all I did not see was them killing and burying you.

 I know you can handle the Tamil Separatists, but please be very careful of your own people.  They are out to get you.  Jealousy perhaps!.  Not liking to see your name signed as the author of letters published in newspapers, and seeing your face on TV’s 6 o’clock evening news commenting on the status of the Tamil ethnic war.  And about the Tamil separatist terrorists in Canada, and not of the High Commissioner’s face.   Tough tiddy! 

Thanks for sharing this Dinner-Story with me.  I promise you that I will be extremely careful.  If I can handle the Tamil separatists, you bet I can handle my Sinhalese enemies too.”   So it wasn’t easy.

• I was barred from entering the High Commission Office to read

the newspapers.  I had the habit of taking half-a-day’s leave from office each month to read the papers and take notes for my research

One day I turned up at the High Commission and  Zakaria, a clerk told me. I am sorry Mr. Weerasinghe, we  have got orders by the High Commissioner (Bull Weeratunga,the Sri Lanka Army Commander) not to open the library and let you in.”

This is a diplomat that I covered his back many a time even on

Television, when he was hammered Black and Blue,  in and out daily in the multimedia-circus by the separatist-Tamil community led by the Roman Catholic Tamil priest  Philip Ratnapala from Vavuniya, in a black Cassock with a white collar starched towards heaven, saying that ‘Bull’  supervised Torturing the Tamils in Army- camps.  Phillip had been sent to Saint Paul’s University in Ottawa to get a  graduate-degree in Theology, but he stayed back and worked as a Library Assistant at Transport Canada.

The evening Fr. Philip Ratnapala, the Roman Catholic priest was introduced to the community at Harrison & Swineetha Perera’s residence, 40 minutes into the introduction, I told this guy in black  to his face in front of the Roman Catholics, Phillip, you are a Goddamn fraud, wearing a white Starched collar looking towards heaven. All the guests were stunned, and how right was,

One evening I joined the High Commissioners of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh at a Commonwealth reception at the City Hall.  One spotted Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner ‘Bull’ Weeratunga  coming to join us and  said, Here comes ‘Handicapped Bull’ coming to join us.”

All heads turned towards him and I butted,”What do you mean?”

This High Commissioner said, He is Sri Lanka’s HC” High Commissioner Bull, isn’t he” and they all laughed at him. And I was peeved for the lack of solidarity among the  High Commissioners of the Asian Continent.  Our HC ‘Bill” Weeratunga was isolated  and the only friends he had were mainly the Sinhalese diaspora.  And one happened to be me who put my neck out to guard him, by giving a taped TV interview to Robin Benger of CBC ‘National” who had flown in from Toronto.

The Deputy Chief of Canadian Press Bureau, Victor Parsons, was

a friend of mine. My two daughters addressed him and his wife as Uncle Vic and Aunty Lorraine. His son David and daughter Jill addressed us as Uncle Asoka an Aunty Jeannie,”

When things were getting ugly and severe in the media addressing High Commissioner Weeratunga as Tamil Torturer Bull”. I approached Victor very reluctantly and asked him to find means of softening the blows on High Commissioner Weeratunga.

Vic quite rightly told me, When there are 400 Tamils demonstrating on Parliament HIll, Asoka, it is a media event.  I cannot ignore it.

But what I can do for you is to write a press-line saying that According to the Government of Sri Lanka, High Commissioner ‘Bull’ Weeratunga is a…………..” and carry it at the end of every Canadian Press new item.  The Sri Lanka Government stayed  dumb and silent on this Weeratunga affair.  I wouldn’t blame them…as they had no way out with this stupid ”machan” appointment.

               4, To continue with notes on my being forced by Sri Lanka’s Foreign 

                    Ministry to take up an Honorary Membership of the DEVELOPING 

                    COUNTRIES BEGGARS CONSORTIUM, to depend on the

guests/hosts to pick up my entertainment tabs because not been

given an entertainment allowance as promised.

                    When my very important group of friends on Canadian security who 

                     had been friends since August 1983, invited me for Monday

                     breakfast meetings to discuss all and sundry Security issues with 

                    Eelamists I told them, :Sorry Gentlemen, this is not going to

                    happen. I am not on an entertainment allowance so Breakfast

                    meetings  are out.

Don’t worry Asoka. We want you at these meetings, we will take care of the breakfast tabs.”  Beggars can’t be choosers , so I accepted their generosity over 40 times.  I say shame on Sri Lanka being this nasty as I was an employee from outside the Box of Foreign Ministry Diplomats, and  treated me as a step-brother  They did everything to sabotage my progress and I let President Premadasa know of these when I asked him, Sir, please light a stick of dynamite under the chair of whoever was supposed to be responding to me.”  And it did happen!  There were several letters of apology from the ‘top-guns’ in Ministries.

What was interesting and this incident proves positive that they

guard their ‘Brownie Points’ interests using outsiders like me. 

Nimal Kulatunga, the Mission’s Intelligence Officer, a CID person

approached me asking whether I could help him to write an 

Intelligence Report to send it to his Boss at the Ministry.

Sure I said, only if the Report goes as a co-authored Report. With

both our names on the cover.

He  assured me that it won’t be a problem.

A 129 page comprehensive report was written within two weeks. Two-thirds of it was my Intelligence content and the other one-third  was his Intelligence work.’

A copy of the completed report that was going  out in the diplomatic bag that morning to Sri Lanka was hand-carried to me by the Mission’s Chauffeur.   The cover as promised had both our names as co-authors of the Intelligence Report.  I was satisfied.  It was neatly typed and presented,

About two hours later, I got a phone call from the Mission’s Minister Counsellor.  He tells me, A funny thing happened at the Mission this morning, Asoka.  I know you told our Intelligence man that you would help him to write the Intelligence Report if it would be presented to his boss in Colombo as a co-authored report with your name in it,”

Yes, I got a copy of it this morning,”

What went out was with a new cover with his name in it and your name was taken out.”

Bxxtxxd” I thought.  I was fit to be tied.  I phoned Kulatunga  and confronted him and told him it was a paraiyar thing to do.”   He was shocked that I had come to know of it.

An apology isn’t good enough Nimal.  This was not the first time your Mission people rode my back to pick up Brownie Points,

I pointed out, and I told him, I am shocked, I am insulted, and will be reporting it to President Premadasa.”  And I did.

There have been several other incidents Like ignoring my request for 13 large Sri Lankan flags to present to the Principal of the 13 schools who invited me as a Guest  ‘Show and Tell’ Country Specific Teacher on Sri Lanka.   The Show and Tell artifacts  were all from my personal collection. I was a Museum-career person. I was no fool.  I knew what the Foreign Ministry ‘Tin-Gods and Goddesses’ were up to. ‘ To Hell with You all’, I said to myself and I asked my sister Sybil, a Musaeus College teacher, to go to Laksala and buy me 13 large Sri Lankan national flags, wrap them well and addressed to me, and Labelling it URGENT and take it to the Foreign Ministry to send it to on to me in the Diplomatic Bag to Ottawa.

If they didn’t oblige,  to take a Tuk-Tuk and, go to President’s Secretariat and hand it over to the President Office with my URGENT letter addressed to President Premadasa,

Thank Goodness, the Foreign Ministry did oblige, so President Premadasa’s intervention was not necessary, and flags were presented to the Principals after explaining the colours and images on the National Flag to the students, especially the colours representing the minority communities Tamils and Muslims, which Canada does not have in her National flag like that of the Inuit.

So I asked High Commissioner Walter Rupesinghe to provide me with 35 doughnuts, five large bottles of orange juice, 35 paper cups

and serviettes as welcoming Sri Lankan courtesies to students who came with their teachers for Specialty Geography Show and Tell talks from Me, the country specific ‘show & tell teacher.  High Commissioner  Rupesinghe lent me his domestic Podi to help me out.  These visits from primary and middle school students visited us four times at the Mission Library which I created.

                    Nihal, not being a wimp,  half of the Sinhalese-Canadians in Ottawa 

                    found it difficult to knock me down as I was a proud Sri Lankan- 

                    Canadian standing tall for my Mother Lanka as she did not deserve 

                    the rubbishing by her separatist Tamils or their Members of Parlia- 

                    Ment, like Patrick Brown, or the Liberal Terrible Five like Oliphant,

                    Lee, Karygiannis, Sgro, and Guanierie of the February 4, 2009,

                    ‘Canadian-Tamil Tiger Blarney Gong Show’ in the Canadian 

                     Parliament Chambers.   

                     I survived an act of intimidation by Canadian-Tamil separatists     

                    who threatened to blow up the 15 storey Centennial Building at 200 

                    Kent Street, on 9th June 1987 where I was employed as a Canadian

                    Government  Communications officer, on 9th June 1987. , It was a

                    big Security  Issue with the, Ottawa Police, Security, Intelligence

                    involved.   I  certainly didn’t run down Kent Street  searching for a 

                    manhole to hide from the Tamil Separatists.  And my writing style 

                    was one of my strong Weapons and not catapults and stones and

                    Bamboo sticks to guard myself from Canadian-Sri Lankan critics, 

                    and so were my poetry another weapon as my defense, like

                    CRITICS IN OTTAWA

                     Come then, and sharpen your knives and pens

                      toss your jealous thoughts, as the juggler’s balls

                      on a summer’s weekends at the Byward Market

                      will speak more sense than you, who supermen

                      play hangmen lassoing ropes at my shadow

                      sitting at Weekend Sinhalese dinner tables.

                      And sometimes playing midwife, wrenching

                      frozen mouse brats from the city’s snow-dumps.

                      Fearing the bleeding Sri Lankan sun,

                      the critics telescopes find supernovae’

‘                     in the faintest blood-coated stars.

                      You shun my defence of the truth,

                      but winged with courage and hope

                      I shall sweep on, a comet,       

                      among all you faint stars

                             (from Tears For My Roots, Asoka Weerasinghe p,24)

The only blessing that I had to make me strong to stand up tall for

My Mother Lanka who nurtured me during the first 19 formative years of my life,  was that of my ‘white-Newfoundlander wife’  for not telling me, Stop this nonsense Asoka, you are putting yourself and our family in danger,  Either You give up  this rubbish or else I will meet you at the Divorce Court”.  Bless her heart!

And what she told  me in late July 1983, which still rings in my ears. Asoka, I know you love Your Sri Lanka, and it is also hurting you to your core, the way the lying Separatist-Tamils are treating her.  I will be disappointed in you if you don’t defend her Honour.  If they take You, they will have to take me with you,  and we will take down one of their rascals with us.” 

Bless, my white-Canadian wife, Jeannie”. She has stood by me right along with my involvement on this Eelam file.  And so has my surrogate younger amazing gutsy brother, with a straight Thomian spine of steel, Asoka Yapa.

                    The bottom line is Nihal Perera, my style of letter writing will remain

                    unchanged as that is only how I know to write, who studied the 

                    English language at Nalanda in Colombo.

Warmly

Asoka (Weerasinghe)

Courtesy Adaderana

The Chairman of the Election Commission, R.M.A.L. Rathnayake, says that all election campaign offices which have been established at the electorate level must be removed after midnight today (19).

During a press conference at the Department of Government Information this morning (19) regarding the presidential poll, he stated that it is essential to remove all current election campaign offices at the constituency level from midnight today. 

Up until yesterday, the maintaining of one main office for the district and one for each constituency related to a polling station had been allowed. However, from midnight today, only one office per election division or district and one for a polling area or previous electoral electorate can be kept open. 

If these offices are not removed, the police will proceed to remove them,” he added.

He also said that a candidate’s residence can be maintained as an office, but if the residence or the office is located within 500 meters of a polling center, all campaign materials must be removed before voting begins on September 21. 

Also, if the candidate’s house is within that limit, the decorations and promotional material in the house must be removed,” R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said.