The NPP government should probe the killings of its founder leader Rohana Wijeweera and actor turned politician Vijaya Kumaratunga in keeping with the pledges made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during his policy statement, opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake told Parliament yesterday
The President in his address to Parliament said cases which are buried will be taken out again. Therefore, we request that a probe be conducted on JVP founder leader Rohana Wijeweera and actor turned politician Vijaya Kumaratunga,” MP Dassanayake said.
Find out who blindfolded Wijeweera at Kirulapone police station and how he was killed and how he was taken to Borella Kanatha. Also probe as to who shot Vijaya and from which garage in Polhengoda the killer got the T56 rifle to shoot him. Mete out justice to Wijeweera’s children and children of Vijaya,” he added.
There was one incident in Uva where all children of one family were killed just because one child joined the JVP in 1989. These incidents also should be probed,” he said.
Sarath Wijesinghe (President’s Counsel, Senior Solicitor, former Ambassador to UAE and Israel, President Ambassador’s Forum UK / Sri Lanka)
Attention and priority to foreign policy
Nations give attention and priority to foreign policy due to the importance of the subject for the successful existence in the family of nations they live in. USA gives top priority to the formulation and application of foreign policy based on main four criteria towards and beneficial towards USA friendly foreign policy that entangles with the economy, international relations, aiming at prosperity and development of USA followed by major powers as well as small nations as they too are bound to maintain international relations with the rest of the world for their on benefit and survival. Foreign Policy of a nation is carefully formulated and followed for the benefit of the country promoting the image and policies of the country that benefits the respective nations that benefits all the members of the world family for their economic and all other kinds of activities promoting their countries an all areas. Small countries too must give special emphasises on foreign policy as they depend on the world for their existence as living in isolation is impossible in the modern world that are closely interconnected and interwoven in all respects, that applies Sri Lanka being a comparatively small Island in the complicated and modern world at the door steps of digital Artificial Intelligence age. Rich and powerful countries maintain foreign policy to maintain their power and control of the world on econimic, political and other factors for leadership connected to teh economy of the country, sometimes to be the world policeman. USA foreign policy is based on protection of USA, Advancement of Arms trade, maintain the democracy of the world, Global and international balance, maintain American values amongst many other as the main world power in the absence of the former world power USSR, when there is threat from emerging econimic power China to be a world econimic giant. USA has a direct and indirect control over the United Nations organization which moulds directs and influences the foreign of all nations as members of the UN. UN promotes mutual respect, co existence, respect to each other and neutrality as guidelines the nations expect to follow.
Sri Lanka friendly foreign policy
Sri Lanka foreign policy is very broad friendly and compatible with the modern current and universal world trends to maintain and enhance friendly ties and foreign relations, that benefits Sri Lanka as a Sri Lanka friendly foreign policy that benefits the people of Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans. In nutshell it is based on the principles friendly towards all enormity towards none practised over thousands of years in Sri Lanka especially from 1950 with the declaration principles and application of non alignment subsequently better practised as the leader of the non alignment movement cementing the principle of NAM active to date. At this unstable and volatile situations in the world with signs and threats on another worldwar it is the duty of all members of the United Nations to be extremely cautious and act with restrain to avoid a calamity that will have drastic results with the modern and sophisticated weaponry and modern technology. Sri Lanka though a small nation is a senior member of the UN and has actively participated in world affairs involved and participated in peace building promoting peace and reconciliation, may play a positive role in peace and a new era on foreign relations that will benefit the world to prosper economically and and all other ways.
Collection of strategies on foreign policy and relations
Foreign Policy is a collection of strategies country uses to guide it’s relations with the rest of the world that world watches carefully before talking any steps with the respective member and it is obvious the state will have to take great care in formulating and pronouncing the policy that are bound to change with the movement of the rest of the world whose interest would be themselves and economic and political benefits at an cost in the interest of their respective nations. Diplomatically the newly elected government is bound to take over liabilities of the previous governance and bound to carry on the foreign policies with extreme caution and great care on formulation of new policies without antagonizing those who engaged with the nation based on may be on different policies and strategies.
Conduct of foreign policy
It is the head of the State or the foreign minister ( with the advice of the head of the state) who will conduct and apply foreign policy to suit the nation which is an extremely arduous task, Sri Lanka managed most of the time historically. With the economic downturn and volatile political situation in the world and bitter and unwise steps taken by the predecessors the task appear to have been difficult to the current Minister and the regime appear to be managing the situation quite successfully in the current and difficult context. When Indian ocean is important for all world powers and powerful neighbours independent Sri Lanka placed strategically on the main silk route is sandwiched with requests and demands by many, it is time for Sri Lanka to strengthened foreign policy and relations and be firm on Sri Lanka friendly policy which is strategically and arduous task. World and regional powers including India, China, USA, USSR , and even Pakistan including Indian ocean rim countries have direct and indirect interest on Indian Ocean and obviously trying to influence small nations such an Sri Lanka and Maldives islands and to prevent the pressure the best weapon would be a stable firm and a correct foreign policy and a stable governance.
Challenges to the current regime and the foreign minister
Challenges are immense considering the high expectations of the people who has taken a bold collective decision and the family of states awaiting the conduct of the new government with not much experience and reputation. The current governance is bound by previous decisions with the other members of the world family and international originations which includes IMF taking independent and firm decisions become still difficult, yet it appears the new Minister has managed general and specific reasonably well and obviously he needs bit more time and experience to deliver. But as economy politics and international relations are interconnected and interwoven the task of the governance and the minister is still difficult.
What are the challanges before the newly elected and the Foreign Minister?
Challanges are immense as to date no policy declaration has not been made on teh foreign policy assuming that it is carrying on unchanged as middle path based on the policy of friendly with angry with none, and to be independent from all political and other blocks. Agreements by previous governments, and the importance of Sri Lanka locating in a strategic situation when the two super and regional powers India and China have an econimic war and events taking place in the powerful indian ocean has placed Sri Lanka in difficult stations to maintain and balance especially when she is undergoing econimic hardships needing favours from regional powers will still makes maters world in the operation and conduct of foreign relations.
Unique Feign Policy for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka needs a unique foreign policy considering the complex nature of the happing around and unstable political and economic turmoil hovering around the world and the neighbourhood, and the policy have to be adjusted and adopted according to the conflicts and differences of the world and regional leaders, based on Sri Lanka friendly policy document. Ambassador’s forum has edited a separate volume on Sri Lanka friendly foreign policy document with 40 chapters from reputed anthers in the field of foreign policy and relations.Ambassador’s forum and 13 volumes on foreign policy with topics including Sri Lanka foreign policy is available on Google Drive to be viewed free to the public with 600 chapters on varied topics and subjects and you are invited to browse the internet and be in touch the Ambassador’s Forum for further details which is offered free to any world citizen. Sarath28dw@gmail.com
Sarath Wijesinghe President’s Counsel Sri Lanka, Solicitor in England and Wales, President Ambassador’s Forum UK/SL, and former Ambassador to UAE and Israel
Tourism is a Competitive trade
Tourism is competitive as it is the fastest and easiest to thrive with available resources the country is bestowed with naturally not everybody is lucky to possess. World is different and complex with different climatic, geographical, and difficult condition with some counties prune to natural disasters often and difficult weather conditions. Yet in the modern world all the countries and the world over is contributing a substantial amounts to teh GDP of the nation led by USA, China, Mexico, France and many including Asian counterparts.
Small tourist nations
Napal is a landlocked poor country at the mercy of giant India for access and extreme cold weather close to Everest Mountains Nepal makes use of for tourism making use of expeditions by those who climb the mountain as pleasure and challenges in life. Nepal is a hotspot on tourism also being the birth place of ‘’Gouthama Buddha’’ venerated by Buddhists worldover that also helps tourism in Nepal. Sandy UAE is not attractive or beautiful for tourists or tourism. They use sandy mountains for the enjoyment of tourists mainly during teh night, and after they are blessed with oil in 1960, diverted it to the tourist hotspot with most modern belongs, houses, shopping malls and making available for tourists and investors to invest with tax incentives, based on a vision by visionary leaders, showing vision is the main requirement to implement the mission with necessary adoptions to the system of governance and the culture and religious practices. Islam is a highly disciplined religion – yet in Dubai it is relaxed for tourist to flourish. Singapore once have been a barren land until a visionary leader imposed disciplined less corruption country to be the business, and a naval hub with advanced legal system as a centre for Arbitrations, by the vision of teh visionary took the nation with him to be a leading business hub with rich country with rich inhibitions once a poor island helplessly awaiting for help from the rest of the world. Maldives have no resources or income with no income expect dried fish to consume and export.Visionary leaders exploited sandy beaches, shallow sea water and the cluster of small islands to attract high end tourists to be a rich nation with full of tourists famous for tourism. These are not miracles, it is teh vision and sheer hard work with determined continuous efforts.India and China are industrial, and agricultural countries yet they concentre on tourism which co exists with tourism earning billions for the GDP and citizens with necessary environment protections and precaution on the protection of culture. Malesia is sensitive on ethnicity with three nations living shoulder to shoulder yet on the tourism sector they are a tourist country, making use of the climatic conditions, beauty,and natural resources balancing all areas and sectors. Thailand is a Buddhist country adopted themselves for tourism despite strong religious customs and ties tourists are attracted to Thailand for food, climatic condition, culture, friendly nature, sea and greenery and is a hotspot and a competitor for Sri Lanka due to many similarities. China attracts 50.6 million visitors and Sri Lanka is depending on Indian, Chinese, USA, UK, Germans, as positive customers patronising Sri Lanka in addition to Israel’s visiting for shallow sea surfing and trave, many others to visit historical and religisious places of significance including great history and water and irrigation systems of King of Sri Lankas giving priority to irrigation and construction of Dagobas and ‘Wevas’ that are massive removers of water connected to agricultures and agrarian services the western engineers to have praised for the knowledge of he engineers then.
Where is Sri Lanka positioned today?
Sri Lanka is positioned in the map of tourism as a tourist country with lot of beauty and the compact island, with excellent climatic conditions, network of roads connected to high ways, beauty greenery and scenery, reasonable good hotels, lacking in night life, Malls are being constructed, food prices not as low and reusable as before, political stability unlike sometime back with less crime rate and controlled bribery and corruption, and most importantly a reasonably disciplined community at least on election where free and fair elections help in a most peaceful and exemplary manner of European standard with no violence of any incidents hat had been the practice before.
Security and protection
Tourists are sensitive to security and protection from violence and incidents of this nature are rare on tourists and warnings by foreign embassies are not frequent. There is no tourist place but generally police and security forces have respect and attention for tourists.They move free with bit harassment from beggars, yet tolerated having got used to the way of life. Society is English spoken and consumer items and services are available to the tourists a the retail price with some unpleasant incidents of overcharging by errant traders. We remind the tourist authorities to re introduce tourist police to be active and to be seen to the tourist world watching us with teh microscopic eye. And take steps to protect whale population which is a rate treasure to us without driving them away by lot of stress and disturbances.
Sri Lanka is in need of a vision and a visionary? Can we expect a vision and a visionary for tourism ?
Vision of a leader is is granted to the nation by the visionary with great leadership, with dedication, hard work, understanding and research. Dubai leader we understand has studied and researched the achievements of Singapore, Israel and many other success stories before implementing his vision using the geographical situation, the nee found oil money, and the human factors by spending heavily to employ CEOs to most vent’s from the west including USA to manage app important hotspots. We need a leader with a vision and committed for the cause who is educated and researched the challenge, and it is to be considered whether we have one or some body or a group will put forward a vision by a visionary who has commitment and power to implement. Our citizen is intelligent and are in a position to judge and decide to themselves on the future and future challenges, programs and visionaries. The write is extropy pleased if the readers comment and come out with propositions ideas and share with the majority of the community of all races and languages and they are main barriers today, yet fortunately citizen is computer literate and digitally armed with a Mobil phone with almost every citizen. Sarath Wijesinghe could be contacted on sararhdw28@gmail.com and you are requested to retrieve/read my articles by browsing the internet – digitalisation and tourism today on 27th nov and Lanka web number of other articles on the web against name of the author. Day Sri Lanka becoming the best destination is not too far if we work hard with a vision led by visionary leaders. Let us live on hopes but work hard non stop until we reach teh destination to be the best tourism hotspot in the world.
Sri Lanka will not be able to afford a large public sector in the near future and will soon need to start reducing the number of state employees, a senior advisor to the president said yesterday.
Projecting that the Treasury would be unable to sustain the current expenditure levels in the coming years, Senior Presidential Advisor Duminda Hulangamuwa said that the country would have to downsize its public sector workforce from its current 1.3 million employee base to 750,000 employees.
I can tell you that as we move forward, the funds available in the Treasury will not be enough in the coming years. We can’t afford to have a large public sector. So, we need to rationalise public services, cut down the numbers and move towards digitalisation,” Hulangamuwa said at the BETA Annual Report and Accounts (BARA) Awards of the Association of Public Finance Accountants of Sri Lanka (APFASL), held at the BMICH yesterday.
We will need to reduce the 1.3 million employees to at least 750,000 and pay the remaining staff competitive salaries for efficiency. We will also need to begin digitising these services and make sure the taxpayers’ funds are used effectively,” he added.
Hulangamuwa went on to opine that the public opinion about the inefficiency in public service institutions has both a fair and unfair side, as inadequate salaries also contribute to poor performance in public sector service delivery.
He stressed that the state sector employees, particularly those involved in finance, should explore how public assets can be monetised to improve the overall institutional performances.
Government servants have the liberty to identify inefficient services and remove layers of red tape to see how they can be avoided and rationalised. We are not saying we should privatise. We are saying to generate more profits and serve the public with better efficient services,” he stated.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in October announced that the government plans to raise the public sector salaries in the 2025 budget. (NR)
Central Bankers come and go, but the zombie ghost of the Central Bank of Ceylon’s first US governor John Exter still haunts and rules the land, still laying down the dictat of the US Treasury. IMF Chief Missionary Peter Breuer cannot divulge what the US has threatened the JVP with, that will ‘hit’ them if they do not stay with the ‘guards’. Breuer has been illegally scampering in & out of Sri Lanka, before, during & after elections. They will now be allowed to police the budget (tho this is not new). ‘The IMF is keen that [the budget] is in line with the program objectives. He cited the primary surplus, the revenue & the quality of fiscal measures as the important guardrails… Responding to a query about the announcement by the previous government to lift the ban on vehicle imports, he said it was discussed and would be a very important source of revenue for the government in the year ahead. So, after all that talk of ‘Chinese debt trap’, it turns out the US & so-called ‘local banks’ who are actually importers of crap machinery, and in fact are controlled by the World Bank etc, ‘own’ over 50% of Sri Lanka’s debt. Is it any surprise that the US Treasury Secretary is part of the US National Security Council? (seeee Random Notes).
Who Holds the Wheel? – A ‘Steering Committee’ of a so-called ‘Ad-Hoc Group of Bondholders’ own about 40% of $12.55billion of defaulted bonds, while a ‘Local Consortium of Sri Lanka (LCSL)’, with 11 members including banks, have around 12%. The Steering Committee is made of funds managed or advised by Amundi Asset Management, Barings, BlackRock & its subsidiaries…(to see the rest of the suspects, see Random Notes)…
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‘The current funding arrangement for digitisation of television in Sri Lanka
is a ‘soft loan‘ from the Japanese government, & it is tied up in ‘one bundle’
with loans for other projects… based on the premise that
the deployment of the Japanese digital television standard,
Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial is mandatory.’
– ee Industry, Japanese Digital Television Project announced after meeting AKD…
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‘Conduct a detailed debt audit on foreign loans obtained
by the governments to ensure transparency & accountability
in public financial management and to take legal action
against those who have misappropriated such loans.’
– NPP policy document: A Thriving Nation, A Beautiful Life.
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Indeed, we do not wish to add to the NPP’s heavy load, but their audit of debt could list which corporations & banks import which industrial goods, naming the makers & financiers of such imports. They could also demand, like Indonesia has just done, that certain goods sold domestically need to contain at least 40% of parts manufactured locally in Indonesia (see ee Industry).
And a note to a supine merchant media: When news items declare, ‘ADB approves $200mn Sri Lanka loan for battery storage, grid upgrade’, instead of being pom-pom wielding cheerleaders, they could also list which US & Japanese corporations, for whom the Asian Development Bank is a front for, would supply such industrial goods for ‘battery storage’ & ‘grid upgrades’.
We should also note that the merchant media’s economists & foreign thinktanks are firmly opposed to state-owned enterprises (SoEs), whether they make money or not, and staunchly against any ‘local content’ laws & ‘import-substitution’. Their main interest is high interest rates for their financial finagling, & imports of their industrial products, & export of our natural resources, including workers – the sum total of their slave economics.
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• Not so Peaceable Coercion – Dhananath Fernando, a smart ‘poor’ Koralawella boy (these are his backers’ own patronizing words), has been groomed by Catholic Action and the US government, to front as the grand-sounding ‘CEO’ of the US thinktank Advocata Institute (tho behind him reigns the real power – Borah importer & Advocata Chair Murtaza Jafferjee – CEO, Chair… such bureaucratic corporate hierarchies, but never mind). Fernando had this to say in a recent Financial Times column:
‘As James Madison, one of the great thinkers behind modern democracy, once said:
‘If men were angels, no government would be necessary.
If angels governed men, no checks would be needed.
But because governments are made up of people,
we must create systems that control the government itself’.’
(see, ee Economists, New era of hope & responsibility)
So, so, so, who is ‘we’ who will create these systems to control people? Robots? The ‘business as usual’ merchants & moneylenders & their foreign overlords?
Good Liberals, Mass Rape & the Ideal Commodity – Now let us see who the real James Madison is – what the US embassy will never teach Fernando. According to The American Slave Coast: a History of the Slave-Breeding Industry by Ned & Constance Sublette, Madison was fully part of ‘the brutal story of how the Anglo-US slavery industry made the reproductive labor of the people it referred to as ‘breeding women’ essential to the young settler-state’s expansion. The ‘Captive African Americans in the slave nation were not only laborers, but merchandise & collateral all at once. In a land without silver, gold, or trustworthy paper money, their children & their children’s children into perpetuity were used as human savings accounts that functioned as the basis of money & credit in a market premised on the continual expansion of slavery. Slaveowners collected interest in the form of newborns, who had a cash value at birth and whose mothers had no legal right to say no to forced mating.’
The Sublettes’ story describes power struggle between the rulers of Virginia, the slave-raising ‘mother of slavery’, and South Carolina, the massive importer of Africans – a conflict that was central to US politics from the making of the Constitution through the debacle of the Confederacy. Virginia slaveowners won a major victory when Thomas Jefferson’s 1808 prohibition of the African slave trade protected the domestic slave markets for slave-breeding. (continued in ee Random Notes)
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• In the aftermath of the 19th century US war between their industrial north & the agricultural south, Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels & eminent US jurists declared that slave masters should never be allowed political rights again! Well, the failure to comprehend the true nature of a triumphant white-settler state, despite its social-media-driven virtue signalling, has led to widespread indignation among US-embassy-liberals in Sri Lanka that such a leader as Don ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ Trump could emerge in their promised land. Yet brain-dead Joe Biden was just as bad, 2 sides of a printed US dollar, which baldly declares, ‘In God we Trust’. So what will Trump bring to our table?:
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‘Trump will have a 2-year window before the midterm congressional elections,
during which he will have a certain freedom to push his policies through
the Senate & the House of Representatives. After that, his decisions could
face resistance both domestically & from US allies.’
– Andrey Sushentsov, Russia Foreign Ministry’s MGIMO International Relations Dept dean
(see ee Sovereignty, A defining moment in the Ukraine war)
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‘Industrial policy for me, free trade for thee…’
– see, ee Focus
• Thisee focuses on ‘the challenges of a Trump presidency’, with a yet more expensive US dollar placing inflationary pressures on import-dependent countries like Sri Lanka, which will further impact the foreign debt burden. Shiran Illanperuma notes how the theories & policies propounded by neoliberal thinktanks like the Atlas Foundation-affiliated Advocata Institute & the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, have little to no influence in their own countries of origin. He concludes that Trump offers a ‘Window of Opportunity’ and insists that ‘for an underdeveloped country like Sri Lanka, no industrial policy tool should be off the table. Well, tell that to the traders!
eeFocusalso reproduces Dhanusha Pathirana’s insistence that it is ‘evident’ that the Sri Lankan government’s deal with the USA ‘has been influenced by corrupt interests’. He concludes ‘Sri Lanka’s debt crisis is a stark example of the destructive power of predatory lending’, and calls for holding ‘these lenders accountable for their role in exacerbating the debt crisis in the third world’
Finally, ee reproduces Part 2 of Bram & Howard Nicholas’ ‘Poverty of CBSL’s Monetary Policies’. They too point out, ‘High domestic interest rates on Government debt, combined with the absence of Central Bank intervention to purchase newly issued debt, will escalate the domestic debt servicing burden.’ Such interest rates will have detrimental effects on investment & economic growth. They call for ‘the establishment of development banks (where have we heard this before?) to provide concessional finance for specific sectors. Though they conclude, ‘However, these too are unlikely to sufficiently offset the negative effects of elevated & volatile medium- & long-term real interest rates’. (see ee Focus)
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• A purported ‘mafia’ (aka cartel) of rice millers & rice importers have been dominating the mafia cartel of newsmakers, while winds & rains heralding the northeast monsoons, buffet & inundate the homes & fields of the land. We should recall the Great Uva Rebellion, the first war of independence against English colonialism, took place in such intramonsoonal conditions from October to November in 1818. Also, the failure to complete that independence with the weakening of the ‘independent’ state, especially over its control of agriculture, hijacked by such English multinationals as Unilever (Liptons), ICC-CIC, Ceylon Tobacco Co, has led to various fissiparous tendencies. This is most symbolic in LTTE leader Prabhakaran who was born through such elements in November 1954, and who was propelled to power especially after JR Jayawardena’s fake ‘Open Economy’, which told Jaffna cultivators to sell their onions wherever they pleased – Colombo likewise was going to import them onions too. A portentous month is November, indeed! Then again, all months are… in a Sri Lanka still under siege after 500 & more years of invasions.
The media portrays a battle between rice millers & rice importers, with all manner of ranting & raving, gnashing & grinding of editorial false teeth. But the central issue remains the uneven application of rural labor, and the failure to organize the whole society & rural industry in particular on the basis of the rhythms of rice cultivation – the primary agricultural pursuit. The English destroyed canals & irrigation systems and village industries, particularly iron & steel making. This was done to destroy the solidarity of the ancient village councils, whose unity was based on the management of the irrigation systems. As noted by a reader in the last ee, failure to keep up one’s share of the canal system, could result in being whipped, with the guilty having to also pay for the cost of being whipped. SBD de Silva in his last years focused his research on the urgent need for rural & agricultural industrialization: He noted the control of the village economy by Colombo merchants of imported goods, & related moneylenders, and their control over the media (led by Unilever) prevent such issues from even being broached: eg, he noted the failure to monetize & commercialize the rural economy, with fundamental economic relationships dominated by the pre-capitalist barter of harvests for industrial goods, which could just as easily be made in villages (ask the Japanese ambassador!). De Silva always recalled how the oncoming Japanese kamikazes post-1939 forced the English to give peasants a fixed price, and workers a fixed wage. Indeed, Silva also noted that such price controls required rationing.
Rice rationing was introduced during England’s WW2, and people had to be taught how to use the rice ration book. This period of shortages of essential goods resulted from the non-arrival of merchant vessels due to war. The rationed commodities were then distributed through co-operative societies established throughout the country.
After the end of the white war on Korea led to the end of ‘the export boom’, the terms of trade grew even more unfavourable – due to the refusal of imperialist powers, particularly the USA, to pay a fair price for tea & rubber. The World Bank (IBRD) agreed to ‘rescue’ the economy, according to certain criteria. The US Governor of Ceylon’s Central Bank advised the Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake, who had just won an election, to seek an election before imposing the World Bank’s stringent conditions. Sound familiar?
‘Shortages’ then led to pressure on the government for an increase in the price of rice. At the behest of the World Bank‘s first mission to Sri Lanka, Finance Minister JR Jayewardene increased rice prices from 25 cents a measure to 72 cents. ‘Workers’ parties’ campaigned against the increases, by collecting and submitting hundreds of signatures to parliament, joining national protest against the cutting also of the rice-ration by a 1/4 measure, and the increase in flour price by 15 cents.
Calls for the conclusion of a Rubber-Rice Pact with the People’s Republic of China to solve the rice shortages were strenuously opposed by a US lobby within Sri Lanka, led by (another ‘former Marxist’!) JR Jayewardene, resulting in his nickname, Yankee Dicky, with the proponent of the pact within the government, RG Senanayake, being dubbed China Dicky.
Rice rationing was again introduced in 1974, on the ground that rice was not purchasable for any love of money on the world market… The UNP gained from this total failure of the United Front Government, and especially of the discrediting of the LSSP & CP…. Sound familiar…?
A Statement by Advisor Duminda Hulangamuva tells that our President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has decided to delay the implementation of the IMF’s decision that Imputed Taxes should be taxed. (EN: 2/12/24)
Our President has to be congratulated for this decision.
This is a minor decision but it is important to note that it is a decision by the IMF that has been varied in the interests of our Motherland.
I must mention that it is the decision of the IMF to impose the Structural Adjustment Programme provisions on our country in 1977 when President Jayawardena requested the IMF for help that has proved detrimental to the development of our country.
It is hoped that our President will also consider implementing a programme to create employment opportunities for our people in the process of producing what the country requires. Such a programme will alleviate the poverty in people as well as produce items that are now being imported.
This can be implemented with no additional staff costs as the staff- members of the Administrative Service and the Clerical Service are already available. They do have the ability and the experience as they did once implement similar programmes like the Divisional Development Councils Programme in the days of Prime Minister Sirimavo.
Such a move will also bring great credit and prestige to the present Government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The National People’s Power (NPP) has called on the highest echelons of the Government to abolish the placed Party sources revealed. Executive Presidency as promised and the discussions in this regard have already been initiated, highly- The NPP has always criticized the current Executive Presidency, introduced by the 1978 Constitution, which consolidates significant power in the hands of the President, often bypassing legislative checks and undermining democratic governance.
Under this system, the President holds control over critical areas, including Executive decisions, Military Commands, and sometimes Judicial and Parliamentary functions.
Critics argue that the overconcentration of power has led to political instability, corruption, and weak institutional oversight.
The NPP, therefore, views the abolition of the Executive Presidency as part of a broader effort to decentralize power, foster democratic reforms, and restore parliamentary sovereignty, Government sources said.
However, they said the implementation of this change will require significant constitutional amendments, as the Executive Presidency is entrenched in the current Constitution.
The NPP policy statement, under 4.1 ‘A new Constitution – A united Sri Lankan nation’ also mentioned these points: ‘Introducing a new parliamentary electoral system, limiting official presidential residences to one and abolishing the pensions and special privileges given to retired presidents and their families’.
However, they said the implementation of this change will require significant constitutional amendments, as the Executive Presidency is entrenched in the current Constitution”
How Safe & Secure are the Security Operational Functions & Details of Global Political & Commercial Leaders?
When a bullet transmitted by a highly visible weapon, reached the Ear of an ex-President of USA”, despite a highly professional Team of Secret Service Security personnel, the Safety Operational Control of Security is a Question Mark!
Events proved from the time of Jesus Christ, the closest Disciple, Confidant like Judas Iscariot,gave the Kiss of Death for a few Pieces of Silver!
Julius Caesar was stabbed on his back by Brutus!
Several Presidents of USA were brought down by a bullet.
Even the Pope of the Catholic Church suffered an attack in the Vatican despite the protection of his colourful Swiss Guards.
The Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot by her own trusted” Sikh security guard.
The Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) S.W.R.D Bandaranaike was shot by a Buddhist Monk!
When the trusted Attorney Michael Cohen, who stated that he would take a bullet for President Trump, gave Confidential” details to the public, during a bust-up by-passing his ProfessionalEthics & Code of Conduct .
Michael Schumacher’s Former Bodyguard Blackmails the Family demanding for over Euro 12 million, for holding Sensitive Material.
So many other leaders have suffered the Fate of the Trusted security detail breach, either embarking on a corrupt scheme, to take advantage, or totally turn a blind eye on their asset!
Now To The Food Chain!
Canaries are used in Mines to check Oxygen, Why Not Mice & Rats as Food Tasters to Check Poisons!
Whilst the obvious and highly visual Personal Security today is a Question Mark on its Viability, even a greater concern is highlighted on the invisibility of the security of the Food Chain.
The Food Chain is at worst is several thousand kilometres long, hundreds of operational humans and complex with tons of variables both in Time & in Distance.
Several English kings, a Catholic Pope and many important persons died of food poisoning.
Air travel even in your Private Personal Official Jet, either the food is brought with you or secured on arrival at a foreign airport, the security logistics is a nightmare.
How to protect a Country Leader crossing boundaries having to eat what is being offered?
Should the Official Food taster stand behind the dignitary with a fork and taste a bite off the plate?
Should the bottle of water, checked if the top seal is unbroken, and the food taster checks the safety!
Or should the VVIP carry his own starved Food Tasting Mice in a special cage?
Can every bottle of wine is checked if a few drops of Eye Drops were inserted in between the serving?
No Animal Deserves Cruelty!
However there is an opening for starved Mice & Rats being used as a disposable Food Tasters!
Should an animal be used as a Guinea Pig to Save a Human Life?
Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say! The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet.
In northern and eastern Sri Lanka, people held a peaceful day of remembrance on 27 November for their civil war dead. Despite bad weather, they laid flowers, candles, and fruit in Maaveerar Thuyilam Illam, heroes’ final homes. No restrictions were imposed under the new government. Muthukumara, a businessman from Colombo told AsiaNews, that everyone is a human being,” urging the government to go ahead with peace.”
Colombo (AsiaNews) – Flowers, lamps, candles, coconuts and other fruit are, according to Tamil tradition, offered on 27 November to remember the war dead. Despite heavy rains and the threat of Cyclone Fengal, communities in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka observed “Maaveerar Naal”, Great Heroes’ Day, in memory of those who died during the country’s civil war (1983-2009).
On this occasion, lamps are lit and solemn prayers recited. But for Tamils, this is the first time in 15 years that they can freely commemorate their dead. Many people in southern Sri Lanka who spoke to AsiaNews said that peaceful remembrance “is a right of Tamils”.
Unlike previous years, the recently installed National People’s Power administration of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has not tried to impose legal restrictions or tried to stop commemorations.
The families of those who lost loved ones joined in common prayers, gathering in places called “Maaveerar Thuyilam Illam”, or Heroes’ Homes, for the fallen in war, but also in temples and churches, to pay tribute.
Special platforms supported by poles were erected to allow people to pay their respect to those who fought with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the freedom of their traditional homeland in the northern and eastern regions of the island.
According to reporters covering events in the northern and eastern provinces, more than 200 cemeteries were visited, in almost every district in this part of the country
Ramalingam Chandrasekar, the new Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic and Ocean Resources, said that the government would not stop those who wanted to celebrate “Maaveerar Naal”, noting that they have the right to do so.
At the “Thuyilum Illam” in Kanagapuram, tributes were paid to the fallen, while hundreds of people decorated the place with red and yellow flags, waving in the rain and wind, witnesses reported.
This scene was repeated at other cemeteries in Mullaitivu Theravil, Mannar Atkattiveli and Jaffna Kodikamam, where friends and family, including children, gathered.
Fifteen years after the end of the civil war, which saw the LTTE’s fight for a Tamil homeland crushed, the parents of those who lost their lives against the Sri Lankan army, paid homage to their sons and daughters.
In Jaffna and eastern Batticaloa, Tamils peacefully paid their respect at the Tharavai cemetery and the campus of the Eastern University. People showed up in large numbers with flowers, candles, and incense sticks. Events were also organised in Tharmapuram, Killinochi District, at the “Maaveerar Thuyilum Illam” in Koppai and at the University of Jaffna.
In Mullaitivu, soldiers and police did not interfere with Heroes’ Day preparations, but the organising committee reports ongoing surveillance and intimidation by the intelligence service.
In Mullivaikkal, where the last battle took place, the parents of the war dead, their relatives, former LTTE members, and the public gathered, braving the pouring rain, and paid solemn tribute.
Politicians in the northern and eastern provinces also joined the commemorations held in their respective regions. They include the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (part of the Tamil National People’s Front), and Jaffna District MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Batticaloa District MP Shanakkiyan Rasamanikkam, and Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization leader and Vanni District MP Selvam Adaikalanathan.
“We in the south and even past governments every year considered this anniversary as a great terrorist act carried out by Tamils. This is quite wrong. Everyone is a human being. Those who died are also their relatives,” said Namal Muthukumara, a businessman from Colombo, speaking to AsiaNews.
If a man does not allow another man to commemorate his dead relatives, then who will? We are happy. This is the first year we have not heard any court order or harassment by the police and the army against the people commemorating this day. This government should go ahead with peace,” he added.
A woman working for a private company in Colombo, Mala Karunaseeli, also spoke to AsiaNews. When will the people of this country forgive and shake hands with the innocent Tamils in the north and the east? People should forget the wrongs of the past and unite in peace for the good of all human beings.”
Colombo, December 2 (Daily Mirror) – Referring to the recent actions of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya which has gained much publicity, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha today said both should stop grandstanding
The MP was referring to the report that said Prime Minister Amarasuriya had visited a supermarket on her own and the report that President Dissanayake had walked from the Presidential Secretariat to the Finance Ministry.
The Prime Minister’s grandstanding comes at a time when the country is hit by a serious natural disaster. She should learn to manage her time. She has so many institutions under her purview which need her attention. She should focus on these rather than putting up a show and wasting her time,” the MP said.
We can do the shopping for you, Prime Minister,” he added in a lighter vein.
I have the same remark on the actions of President Dissanayake. He does not have to do grandstand by walking but should manage his time even by using a helicopter,” the MP said.
Also, he said the recent flood could be an ill omen triggered by not reciting Jaya Mangala Gatha at the ceremonial opening of the tenth Parliament.
He said the Rs 1 billion which the government has allocated to provide relief to those affected by the floods is hardly sufficient. At least Rs 20 billion is needed to provide proper relief,” he said.
Colombo, December 2 (Daily Mirror) – A delay in issuing a crucial circular/Gazette has put over 200 specialist doctors in Sri Lanka at risk of premature retirement, threatening the country’s public health service, Daily Mirror learns
Despite a Court of Appeal ruling that extended the retirement age for specialist doctors in state hospitals to 63 years, and cabinet approving the same on 19th June 2024, the Ministry of Public Administration has yet to implement the decision through an official circular/Gazette.
The controversy arose after a general circular and Gazette from the Ministry of Public Administration mandated retirement for public servants at 60 years. This prompted medical specialists to seek legal recourse, which resulted in the court’s decision to raise their retirement age to 63 years.
While the Ministry of Health has complied by issuing its own circular aligning with the ruling, the Ministry of Public Administration has not yet formalized the decision. This administrative inaction has created uncertainty among specialists turning 60 by December 31, who are unsure if they will be permitted to continue their service.
Sources further indicate that affected doctors have been inquiring with the ministry to resolve the matter. However, with the year’s end fast approaching, their future in public health remains unclear.
Meanwhile, Daily Mirror’s attempts to contact a senior official at Public Administration Ministry failed.
With every government, the separatists have managed to continue their roadmap successfully. Inspite of this, the election results of the North saw a significant rejection of parties that had been mooting separatism & ethnic tensions though essentially the Tamil populace have had little or no opportunity to raise their voice accept to take orders either from LTTE, Tamil politicians peddling separatism, India, NGO circles, Western-linked clergy & from LTTE Diaspora as they all hold carrots of promises over the people. The incremental successes are now converging towards an ultimate goal, whether it will happen under the watch of a new government is left to be seen. The new government must comprehend the dangers at stake & realize that the separatists have arrived at their last mile & the political careers of the party will end the moment the separatists achieve their goal.
Role of Tamil Politicians
Creating ITAK in 1949 (year after independence) camouflaged as Federal Party. ITAK means Tamil State.
Following Tamil Nadu quest for self-determination launched via We Tamil Movement of which the Jesuit created Dravida movement by Bishop Caldwell was a precursor with fake history being created by tasking academics to re-write a new history. It is no surprise that this trend is being continued.
Manipulating well-choreographed ethnic situations to push for deals that would incrementally draw closer to their political goals. Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact made issue over language but mooted devolution the first post-independence step towards administratively achieving their goal.
As Sambanthan late ITAK leader claimed at its 2012 Convention, only the modus operandi has changed but the main objective of separating from Sri Lanka remains unchanged. Part of that modus operandi has been attempting to align with the main political parties during coalition governments & press to facilitate the path to their objective or to strike deals for votes during elections in which more demands are agreed by main political parties to come to power. This is revealed when post-election they demand the promised pound of flesh.
The Tamil politicians take turns & pass baton to each other whether they work with the government or part of the opposition. As Sambanthan declared their objective remains unhinged. They take turns to make their position clear either directly, subtly or in the form of using new politicians to play the joker part even inside the halls of Parliament & declare his God to be Prabakaran knowing no action would be taken against him except to ice it off by diverting attention with a drama until the tensions subsided.
The foundation laid by the Tamil politicians and academics via Vaddukoddai Resolution in 1976 changed baton to armed militant groups. The moderate of these were all wiped out by the LTTE.
Role of Tamil separatist armed movements
Initially trained, aided & armed by India in the late 1970s – over 30 such Tamil movements were created of which LTTE became the most ruthless & took over leadership having eliminated the leaders of the other movements. The armed effort failed when the lion flag was hoisted islandwide in May 2009.
Role of Geopolitics & their Alliances
India used armed militancy to demand signing of Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987to amalgamate the North & East provinces primarily due to Trincomalee harbor located in the East province, creating a bogus Tamil homeland” history & amend Sri Lanka’s Constitution to create the 13thamendment and the provincial council system which would facilitate India to influence the North & Eastern areas easily.
The West, UN, the Church, the NGOs & their Media – all played key roles throughout the conflict – Church links to LTTE is clear & can be seen when LTTE buried their dead & put up tombs though their fighters were Hindus., mass conversions of Hindus took place throughout the conflict, there is also allegations of human/child smuggling which needs to be further investigated, the NGOs were also located in the areas in close proximity to LTTE offices & were used to pass funding, gather information & provide other forms of assistance via their international offices, the Western media was used to negate & destabilize Sri Lanka, tarnish the image of the armed forces, the Sinhalese & the Sangha via their news coverage.
While India became closer to US upon signing the QUAD, that partnership is seeing a decline following US role in Bangladesh regime change & US slapping BJPs key investor Adani indicting for bribery triggering questions of his role in Sri Lanka’s deals with Sri Lankan politicians as well. In inviting the US to Asia, India forgot or miscalculated US eventual goal to balkanize India as they did to the Soviet Union & Yugoslavia.
India has been making inroads amongst Tamils in the North, East & Central Province so too has the US envoy. Why are both entities wooing the Tamils of North, East, Central Province? They are giving scholarships, tapping youth, training public sector – there is not an area they have not poked their presence into. Have their outreach programs been audited in the use of their funds, monitored & followed up to ensure these are not used to destabilize Sri Lanka. These are all interventions & interferences that should not be ignored or taken lightly.
Manipulating vote bank politics, the LTTE Diaspora has managed to pass resolutions in nations & Geneva against Sri Lanka using fake propaganda sans facts or evidence, there are genocide weeks being falsely celebrated, fake history being promoted, LTTE memorials being held & lies have become accepted as facts. These however, will eventually help when the declaration for independence does come. These actions have not been powerfully challenged by the GoSL & their apparatus.
How many of Sri Lanka’s politicians, political parties, policy advisors or even foreign Ministry & other Sri Lankan think tanks observed how far Indian BJP’s Arkhand Bharath map which encompasses Sri Lanka is inter-linked to the connectivity partnerships being pushed by air, sea, rail, road, currency & digital links with India as well as handing over to India Sri Lanka’s key ports, airports, harbors and even strategically geopolitical areas.
Simultaneously, how much as US penetrated as part of its triangular ACSA, SOFA, MCC agenda especially as US builds up its defense in the Indian Ocean for an eventual confrontation with China in the South China Seas. How far as US cadastral maps, digitalizing of lands and using USAID to partner with local conglomerates using agriculture” as a front lead to Sri Lanka’s losing its agri-land & whatever self-sustainability we have left? US/West is also denationalizing our citizens via education/media/cultural/economic funding – attempting to lure our youth to become transgenders & LGBTQIA while feeling no sense of pride in the Nation & not desiring to defend the nation, all tools to make their inroads easier.
Path to separatism
Changing the constitution – removing all provisions that have protected the sovereignty of Sri Lanka in particular removing the foremost place of Buddhism as this has been since colonial rule regarded as the pillar that protected not only the Nation but all people both majority & minorities. Making a new constitution that is weak, vulnerable& not only lead to the separation of Sri Lanka but lead to complete disharmony & tensions amongst all enabling plenty of external influences & players in all forms to take over the entire island in due course.
Calling for the removal of the Executive Presidency WITHOUT removal of 13thamendment is to facilitate the declaration of Eelam.
Demanding 13thamendment – land, police, archaeological sites, minerals, all falling under the gambit of the North & East provinces & creating an initial asymmetrical federalism prior to declaring an independent state. Provincial Council elections is likely to now perhaps lead to even Sumanthiran becoming Chief Minister, with a Tamil as Governor – all ingredients in place to facilitate the separation.
Demands for removal of Armed Forces & Army Camps – the main objective here is to remove all avenues for the Govt of Sri Lanka to regain the unified nation established in May 2009 after the defeat of the LTTE & hoisting of the National Flag. It is most likely that a situation will be created where hired gangs (as was seen immediately after the recent Presidential/General Elections) of people demanding the army leave the North to create the ground scenario for the pro-separatist media both locally & internationally to relay to the world the need to establish a separate interim-government towards a separate state. Having removed military bases & soldiers from the North, the government will have to shameless & silently watch Sri Lanka being split.
The recent increase in vandalism on Buddhist heritage sites & archaeological sites in the North & East are no isolated incidents, the involvement of Tamil politicians arriving to claim these as theirs & using their political clout to silence the truth.
The claim that Tamils were Buddhists also fits into this ulterior motive to claim all Buddhist archaeological sites as theirs & aligned to the final goal of laying claim to them & eventually erasing them & replacing them with non-Buddhist sites as we see already happening. This is nothing but cultural genocide to which all governments & officials have failed to protect & preserve.
The 16thamendment making Tamil only the official language in the North & East have denied fundamental rights of the Sinhalese living in these areas & even their administrative needs & rights have been ignored. The Sinhalese that live in these areas especially the children are mistreated as aliens, the public sector mostly influenced by minorities are never sympathetic to their needs & they live a hard life where even schools are denied basic infrastructure facilities.
Connect the dots & see where all the demands lead to – a Separate State!
In all probability, the LTTE Diaspora who have been peddling for a separate state from overseas are unlikely to come & take over reigns, while they are unlikely to be accepted by their own people & sooner than later the North & East will either fall into Indian or US hands for their geopolitical goals.Ironically, majority of Tamil politicians who have peddled the separatist agenda to advance their political careers have had their children married off to Sinhalese. Eventually, Tamils will realize too late that they have been pawns in a bigger game.With the likely scenario known to most, the high caste elite Tamils are either already settled in foreign climes or have relocated to Colombo leaving the rest of the Tamils to suffer their irreversible fate, one that no soldier life can be sacrificed again.
If anyone is still in doubt the US, West & UN created 2 ethno-religious states – Kosovo & South Sudan. Kosovo today is a smugglers-drug-prostitute paradise. South Sudan is in utter chaos & none of those who promoted a separate state want anything to do with either Kosovo or South Sudan. Both are suffering on their own.
The Government must realize the separatist team are all internationally positioned apart from the hired politicians & their supporters who are promoting a separate state. Majority of Tamils are keeping silent as they have been morphed into believing a fake history drilled into them from childhood & ideologically promoted via the Jaffna state university academia.
This government will recall how they sacrificed their lives in protest of the Indo-Lanka Accord that internationally laid the foundation for a separate state.
Their sacrifices cannot be forgotten & we must support this government not to commit to any decision that will likely facilitate the above shown roadmap. Therefore, the Govt must rethink giving into all of the above demands while Tamils too must wonder – is it worth it to want to become a Kosovo or South Sudan or East Timor & many of the other failed separate states” that were created for the geopolitical agendas of others.
According to the Western chronological records, the first patients who showed PTSD-like symptomatology were recorded in 1666. These records were based on Samuel Pepy’s diary, which described the bizarre behavior pattern of the survivors of the Great Fire of London. Samuel Pepy vividly portrayed the nightmares, intrusions and flashbacks experienced by these survivors.
Although the Western World recorded PTSD-like symptoms in 1666, King Seethawaka Rajasinghe – the 16th Century monarch of Sri Lanka, is believed to have suffered from combat-related PTSD, and his disturbed behavior was recorded in the ancient scripts. The king’s abnormal behavior pattern was described in the Chulawansaya – the ancient chronicle and by the Portuguese historian Fernão de Queyroz. In his publication titled ‘Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon, Queyroz writes about King Seethawaka Rajasinghe ‘s behavior in the later stages in detail. These writings came prior to Samuel Pepy’s diary.
The Portuguese came to Sri Lanka in 1505 and launched a massive armed campaign against the islanders. The King Seethawaka Rajasinghe (1544 A.D.D – 1593 A.D) was a great warrior who came to the battlefield at the age of 16. He fought against the Portuguese invaders and witnessed many deaths and destruction. He was a fearless fighter who used proficient war tactics and overpowered the fully equipped and fully trained Portuguese Army that was considered a superpower in the 16th century. e King Seethawaka Rajasinghe defeated the Portuguese in a number of decisive battles. His military campaigns prevented Sri Lanka from becoming a Portuguese Colony. Following long years of combat, King Seethawaka Rajasinghe was exhausted and unquestionably suffered from battle fatigue. In the later years, King Seethawaka Rajasinghe showed outbursts of anger, irritability, deep mistrust, alienation, emotional numbing and various other PTSD-related symptoms.
YouTube Presentation:
King Seethawaka Rajasinghe -The Monarch who suffered from PTSD
History & Psychology Discussion: By Professor Raj Somadeva and Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge;
Sarath Wijesinghe President’s Counsel, Solicitor in England and Wales former Ambassador to UAE and Israel and President Ambassador’s Forum
Tourist Tourism and hospitality trade
Tourist is one who travels away from the residence for a period over 24 hours for pleasure, leisure rest,holiday in addition to any other reason. But human by nature is to travel at any available opportunities are ready to travel and explore as has been done for generations. Human travelled to explore and better green pasters with better resources facialists and environments.With modern facilities to travel human adopted new and quicker methods of conveyance for the human development reached today with faster and most advanced modes of conveyance, until most modern methods are developed on Artificial Intelligence or other means to transmit themselves via most modern methods as now when we watch on movies showing the future travel on space which the human may experience in the near future. This is the era for tourists and tourism which is the most productive and fast moving industry in the world which is easy for any nation to prosper with available resources and the geographical positioning of the nation, add to hospitality which is also a consumer item available at a certain consideration. Hospitality is meeting and greeting with a worm hand for or with a consideration, and in tourism it is prices as payment for tourism all inclusive with food and other requirements and facilities. Ambassador’s forum has published volume 11 on tourism with 40 chapters available to read free on Google Drive, in addition to number of articles on tourism by teh author all research based articles.
Fastest growing industry
It is the fastest growing and easiest industry that contributes 2.3 trillion in USA, 1.3 trillion in China, and 237.1 billion in Whilst contributing 2.5% in Sri Lanka earning 2.35 billion as revenue, when the potential of tourism is much more as the real potential is not properly, and scientifically exploited to the maximum capacity, despite the positive factors the nation possesses to be the best tourist destination on the Globe. Sri Lanka is an ideal compact island tailormade for tourism, yet needs modernisation to bring to world standards to attract tourist of the world over state intervention and State Private partnership is required to take off as a tourist hub in the powerful Indian ocean. It is pleased to note the governance has realised the potential and need to promote tourism in this country with a great potential for tourism with least effort making use of the available resources, and natural beauty and excellent climate conditions differ in a matter of the drive of few miles on the excellent network of roads surrounded by beautiful sceneries. It is unfortunate these beauty, and other advantages are not properly and fully utilised to promote tourism in Sri Lanka, despite high literary rate, IT penetration with youth with kentledge on modern technology,and we see some rays of hopes when articles published, and the positive approach of the head of tourism and the activism of the line Minister who appear to understand the need and a vision for future tourism that could change economic downturn on positive directions.
Public Private Partnership on tourist industry
France is leading as the most visited tourist hotspot,with arrival of 100 million tourists earning 685 billion with activism from the public sector and private sector exploiting all resources on heritage, culture, geographical positioning, and econimic factors. France was quick on grabbing Olympic and the theme park at initial stages as a leader on tourism using Eiffel tower as an emblem of tourist industry and grabbing Olympic to France and using the brand name Eiffel to teh world have brought them to the top of the league on tourism. UK earns 237.1 billion contributing 9.9 trillion to the GDP making use of the position as a business hub and being a world power for teh benefit of the tourist industry which is linked to business and political culture. Business community and trade and industry organizations work hand in hand with the state on the promotion of tourism which is a classic example for Sri Lanka to follow as teh legal system and the governance. USA earns 175.9 billion collecting 2645 per tourist which is an example to out industry depending on only 149$ from each tourist. It is salutary for THASL to invite Minister Herath to plenteous and historic Mount Lavinia and FT to give publicity to the event that will help the tourist industry to take off internationally and encourage for more and more public private cooperation on the industry. These information indicates how important the state intervention and PP partnership is needed for a leading tourist culture. There is lot for us to learn from the success of these tourism leaders.
Speech by Minster Herath
Speech by the line Minister Herath is straight and to the point on policy and strategy is commendable and sending the message across to all the sector locally and internationally, that is a new venter innovation competition with ethers, to raise 169$per day income to international standards when Maldives are attracting high end tourist only with the main resource shallow water and small islands. He said it is more than an industry and it reflects, history,culture and past glory our tourist industry has not properly made use when we possess highest standards in all these sectors. He further mentions on new venters,inventions, competition and devirilization which is the talk of the town linked to general developments.’’THASEL’’ the hoteliers organisation headed by Mr ‘’Shantikumar’’ we understand is controlling 70% of the industry and we as Ambassador’s forum in UK/SL pleased to organize few events in Sri Lanaka with the assistance of Mount Lavinia hotel, Dr Hans Wijesuruya and ICTA he is heading on activating and promoting 66the digitalization process of Sri Lanka which is the need of the hour in all sectors especially on good governance and tourism. There is a good word for the head of tourism and Mt Lavinia hotel for sponsoring promotional events that is need to be followed by others for the benefit of themselves and the nation as a whole.
Developments of the Industry as a leading Mega and SME based industry
Tourism has gained grounds after the introduction of air travel and revolutinary IT developments for the tourism industry to communicate easier, cheaper and faster for the industry to thrive as an industry providing the maximum GDB of world and the respective nations when Sri Lanka gets substantial amount for GDP on tourism ever increasing. Though small in size Sri Lanka have been in the map of tourist industry for decades famous among travellers countries and other sectors such as historians religious leaders and those interested in international business and international relations. Lot is written on the beauty of Sri Lanka culture and Buddhism as a leader of the Theravada Buddhist Chapter and ag an agriculture entity with a great history. Sri Lanka is a beautiful compact island with all requirements and resources to be the best tourist destination yet not fully exploited the natural beauty and resources to the maximum capacity, and a country with place of religious and areological significance interest and places of Worship of many religions.
Traveller
Any traveller will as the initial step look at the bank balance and leave available for travel if employed and days available if in business, and find the destination on the internet and making inquiries from friends, relations and others known and reputed on travel experience and knowledge on world affairs. Traveller may have different kinds of interests needs or requirements as the human nature is for varied and interest which is the human nature. Today with the ‘IT’ literary rates and the modern way of life of internet age is the most probable vehicle for an average citizen to find available information is the internet that has is taken over reliable and efficient mode of communication and collection of information any average person will browse the net looking for a destination based on the knowledge they have collected form friends and media in addition to heresy evidence. There are ample of tourist destinations world over offering tourism to the prospective tourists with facilities, perks and have taken measures to publishes their destinations. Therefore it is a competitive business and it is necessary to live up to the expectations of the tourists expecting world standards at a competitive price with modern filialities. Comparison online is very easy on the developments on the internet and standards are maintained con comparative basis on the other competitors, as the famous adage ‘’Sri Lanka is not the only beautiful girl on the beach’’ showing there are lot more competitors such as India, China, Vietnam, Maldives, Nepal, and many other Competitors for Sri Lanka is close vicinity or even far away. In addition to providing necessary requirements and faciality’s to the tourists and tourism giving priority to the internet the world has access cheap and easily with the click of a button click from anywhere of the world and it is imperative the tourist nations must give priority to make use the modern form of publicity to popularize tourism in Sri Lanka to teh world. Fortunately Sri Lanka can provide most of the needs of tourist in this compact island in addition to the inherent smile with teh common man adds to hospitality the avenge tourist is awaiting for.
Countries offer tourism to travellers
Tourism is the fastest growing, profitable, and productive industry to manage with limited investments that provides substantial sums to the GDP of the world and the respective countries. Most visited country is France followed by USA, UK, China and many due to various reasons despite the cost as due to teh need and teh demand. GDP from tourism globally and especially by USA, FRANCE, UK, China and many other countries are substantial and they give emphasis for the promotion of tourism as a priority with vigorous promotional activities and providing facilities to the tourists at competitive prices. Small nations depend on tourism more than major powers as they need foreign exchange and the easiest mode from tourism to be obtained the maximum benefit from the available resource and offering hospitality and the needs of the tourists, looking for a change and novelty in life away from the busy life they lead in urban lifestyle. UAE is a small nation on the top bracket on tourism with minimum resources has invested their newly found oil in 1960 on developments on infra structure, industrious, and tourism making use of soil which is the only available resource for tourism on sandy mountains in the night and malls and infrastructure with high end hotels and artificial waterfalls in the absence of water and desalinated water from the sea for industrial use. They have invested lot on education, international conference centres, and many buildings and facilities to attract the international community while maintaining perfect peace and law and order with minimum crime rate which is appealing to the travellers, and investors as investments, education, infrastructures, and peace and independence are linked to promoting tourism. UAE is careful on good governance, efficient state sector,excellent communication and IT system with modern systems based on digitalisation with one stop shops for the investees helps tourism directly and indirectly on reciprocal basis. System of legal proceedings on commercial matters are English law and the civil and others are bit expensive but fast and clear with not many complaints. All this helps tourism and the existence of the tallest building, excellent infra structure, availability of land and availability and investment opportunities on land houses and business are attractions for high end tourists and investors looking for peaceful canter hidden from to invest with a peace of mind and accordingly many in other parts f the world choose UAE as a place to invest their money away from home.and the availability of houses at a given price attract the high end tourist in this centre of business, and education hub connected to many air and naval lines situated in somewhat centrally. Maldives is the other small nation extremely successful with least resources , yet attracting high end tourists for peace of mind, shallow water, sunlight on abundance, and safety and security. They most;y depend on tourism for their GDP and maintain the relations with all powerbocks carefully as a tiny nation alone in the mod sea. Any way it is a success story doing so well on tourism only having shallow water as main resource on promoting of tourism. Singapore has been a neglected barren land brought to what it is today by a visionary leader by imposing struct discipline, whilst improving on education infrastructure, and business educations and relations as a business and an education hub and a centre for international arbitrations business promotions with excellent set of admiration supporting business whist promoting high end tourism and an international centre for business, education, business transections, and a naval hub. Singapore has a successful story on tourism connected to business, education and all kinds of business deals. Israel is a small tiny strip of land in enemies around in war yet leading on agriculture, arms deals and manufacture of armament’s, famous for innovations and also tourism manly based on religious tourism due to the historical significance of the historical ad religious sites in Israel for the followers of Christianity and the related religions world wile considering Israeli as the centre of worship yet a famous tourist hotspot despite strict security arrangements. They are the leader on agriculture where it is 96% technology and the citizens highly educated and innovative with large number of SME s engaged innovations, aerostructure and also tours. We have discussed the success stories of few nations with few resources yet successful on tourist industry due to their innovative hard work and adoptability to situations. Undoubtedly Sri Lanka is lot more fortunate that app above mentioned tourist hotspots yet why not so successful despite so much and many natural resources within an a compact island situated on the traditional and famous silk route with access to shipping and airlines on the powerful ndian ocean surrounded by shallow beautiful sandy land and excellent climatic conditions with plenty of water sprung from hill country spread all-over the island when UAE had to desalinate sea water and Singapore had to buy water form the neighbour Malaysia.
Why Sri Lanka and Way Forward
Tourist like and choose Sri Lanka for what it is which the Sri Lankans still have not understood and realised. It is advisable to Sri Lankans especially living abroad, and those employed in Embassies to learn bit more on the motherland which is so easy as it is a matter of browsing the internet which is so easy and cheap. Then it is their duty to collaborate with teh governance and the private sector work towards promotional matters even on a profitable basis or as a SME as in Israel where every citizen is an innovators and an SME on innovation’s that helps tourism too. Line Ministers speech at Mt Lavinia is clear and loud that it is more than a business and that it is our future which is based on our culture,heritage and the compact island with everything gin it. The answer Why Sri Lanka is embodied in the above paragraph.
Please browse articles by the author on the internet on tourism including Lanka today-digital tourism/volume ‘’11’’ on tourism published by Ambassadors forum with 40 Chapters/way forward for the best tourist destination and many more sarathdw28@gmail.com
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