India is seeking customs duty concession on a number of goods including cars, commercial vehicles and machinery from Sri Lanka under a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA), talks for which are underway, an official said.
India has also sought easier visa norms to further facilitate entry of professionals from here, the official said.
The 14th round of talks between senior officials of India and Sri Lanka was concluded recently in Colombo.
Issues which came up for the talks included rules of origin, goods, services, and technical barriers for trade.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka has sought removal of a quota on apparel exports to India. The island nation is also asking for duty concessions on tea and certain agricultural commodities.
The official said that as elections are announced in Sri Lanka, the next round of negotiations between the two countries will be held after that.
The two nations have already implemented a free trade agreement in goods and now they are negotiating to expand the pact by including more goods and services.
The India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) came into force in March 2000. It enhanced economic relations between the two countries by reducing tariffs on a wide range of goods.
Since the original ISFTA focused solely on goods, both countries have been negotiating for several years to expand it into a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which would include services, investment, and other areas of economic cooperation.
Under the current FTA, India allowed limited imports of garments from Sri Lanka at a 50 per cent tariff (or customs duty) concession for up to 8 million pieces annually, with a requirement that 6 million of these pieces use Indian fabric.
Additionally, India offered a 50 per cent tariff concession on up to 15 million kg of tea from Sri Lanka each year.
Think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that Sri Lanka may be seeking removal of the quota on garments, especially considering that India has allowed duty-free imports of garments from Bangladesh under the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) for Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
However agreeing to this request may not be easy for India as allowing duty free imports has led to a significant increase in garment imports from Bangladesh, growing from USD 144.25 million in FY’2014 to USD 739.06 million in FY’2024, a cumulative growth of 412.34 per cent,” GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said.
Sri Lanka has placed items like automobiles and electrical goods on its negative list, restricting their import.
Since the implementation of the ISFTA, trade between the two countries has experienced fair growth.
India’s exports to Sri Lanka increased from USD 499.3 million in FY’2000 to USD 4.17 billion in 2023-24, a cumulative growth of 735.2 per cent. Meanwhile, imports grew from USD 44.3 million to USD 1.4 billion over the same period.
In the last fiscal, India’s key exports to Sri Lanka included petroleum products (USD 704 million), cotton (USD 260 million), pharmaceuticals (USD 255 million), refined sugar (USD 206 million), fabric (USD 223 million), machinery (USD 171 million), pepper (USD 90.9 million), car and motorcycle parts (USD 79.3 million), onions (USD 63.4 million), and pulses (USD 32 million).
Notably, India’s exports to Sri Lanka fell from USD 5.1 billion in FY’2023 to USD 4.17 billion in FY’2024, primarily due to a significant reduction in petroleum product exports, which declined from USD 1.78 billion to USD 704 million, GTRI said.
India’s major imports from Sri Lanka in FY 2024 were coffee (USD 103.7 million), garments (USD 55.65 million), animal feed (USD 72.2 million), areca nut (USD 65.5 million), light pepper (USD 44.4 million), rough diamonds (USD 26.9 million), and rubber (USD 26.7 million).
A Sakthivel, Apparel Export Promotion Council Southern Region in-charge, said that India should not extend concessions for garments to Sri Lanka, as the domestic industry could be impacted because of that.
We too make those garments and I think India should not give more concessions,” Sakthivel said.
The leader of Mawbima Janatha Party (MJP), entrepreneur Dilith Jayaweera was named as the Presidential Candidate of the ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ alliance, a short while ago.
Executive member of ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ MP Wimal Weerawansa announced this during the alliance’s convention currently being held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo.
Several key members of ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ alliance including MP Wimal Weerawansa, MP Udaya Gammanpila, entrepreneur Dilith Jayaweera, MP Gevindu Kumaratunga and several others were present at the occasion.
1. The dress rehearsal: JVP/NPP behavior during the crisis in 2022
How JVP/NPP behaved during the crisis in 2022 is well-documented by many writers; this writer’s Galle Face Protest: Systems Change or Anarchy? Politics,Religion & Culture in a Time of Terror in Sri Lanka” (2023) gives a detailed account of it.
Handunnetti, NPP front liner advised his ethera api” cohorts not to send remittances to Sri Lanka when Sri Lanka was facing an acute dollar crisis; although he boasted that the NPP can remove the government within a month he did not advise his cohorts not to send remittances to Sri Lanka when RW came into power.
On May 9, 2022, a government MP was killed in broad daylight; arson and killings took place using drone technology; more than 75 houses of government MPs were put under torch; hotels and some other business establishments were destroyed by unidentified Helmet Brigade”, successor to 1988/89 unidentified gunmen”. Worst happened on July 9, 2022; protesters illegally occupied public spaces, Presidential House, Presidential Secretariat and Prime Minister’s office; they tried to enter Temple trees; encircled Trinco naval base where MR took refuge; searched all vehicles heading towards Bandaranaike International Airport, security forces turning the other side; airport and immigration personnel refused to attend to GR’s checking-in and immigration formalities respectively when he was leaving the country. Mobs instigated by NPP stalwarts attempted to capture the parliament.
There is no guarantee that the JVP/NPP would not vacillate to resort to such acts of violence if they win, with state power in their hands. A reign of terror will begin; those who were against the JVP/NPP will be hounded, arrested and summarily executed without any trial. The ex-servicemen would provide them with tactical mastery and combat proficiency what they lacked in 1971 and 1988/1989. Kuragamage Don Lal Kantha has already suggested to settle disputes at village level. Lal Kantha, riding on the crest of a wave has threatened a Kandy Municipal Council employee that they would send the saboteur, in other words Kandy Municipal Council employee who carried out his duties according to the rule book, for rehabilitation” when they come into power.
Samarasinghe, the NPP labour aristocrat has threatened media personnel, that they would not be allowed to flee the country; even they manage to flee Sri Lanka in the event of their victory, NPP cohorts living abroad would look after” them; only place safe for them is a lunar cave!
A Sri Lankan domiciled in Melbourne has posted a comment saying that he was threatened by some NPP supporters, asking him to stop what he writes about the NPP; that they know where he lives (a Melbourne suburb mentioned) and can come to see him at any time after the Presidential Elections; this person has lodged an entry at Victoria Police. If the NPP is determined to unleash violence even in foreign countries who guarantees the safety of any JVP/NPP rival living in Sri Lanka? In 2022 they surrounded the house in which GR’s son was living in the US and a plush high-end residential area in Melbourne in search of MR’s second son respectively.
Lives of those political analysts who crticise JVP/NPP are in danger, as in the cruelest curse of snake-haired Medusa in Greek mythology, if the unattainable thing happens on September 21, 2024.
New York Times reported on 12 July 2024 that a Trump ally is training former police officers for a force of special deputies” as a militia to be activated whenever he chooses. This was before the assassination attempt.
2. Anura Kumara: The prisoner in Thelapaththa Jatakaya
Anura Kumara ’s solutions to economic, political and socio-cultural issues and his rhetoric remind us a Buddhist Jataka Tale, Thelapaththa Jatakaya. In Thelapaththa Jatakaya, a prisoner taken out from a prison, was ordered to carry a bowl of oil full to its brim, without spilling a single drop of oil: he was followed by a swordsman threatening him with death. The prisoner had to carry the bowl of oil in the midstof a large crowd, without having any physical contact of any one of them, or looking at the beautiful damsel dancing and paying any attention to music and songs accompanying her dance. Is Anura Kumara capable in carrying the bowl full of oil under similar circumstances in these turbulent times?
What Anura Kumara does now is behaving like the hapless prisoner; he does not know the mission expected from him to accomplish, the conditions laid down, challenges in the economic, political, legal, technological, socio-cultural and international environments. How to carry the bowl full of oil, without spilling a single drop, save his head facing so many impediments?
3. Internal contradictions within NPP
Internal contradictions are abundant within NPP/JVP ranks. These internal contradictions become visible to the discerning analysts from TV and social media talk shows NPP members appear, press conferences they conduct and utterances made at various public rallies. Biggest contributors who make contradictory statements are its leader himself, the publicist Kuragamage Don Lal Kantha, self-appointed economic wizard Handunnetti, labour aristocrat Samarasinghe and to a lesser extent Harini Amarasuriya, the gender equality champion. Some including Tilvin Silva like the proverbial Horage Amma” (Queen of Thieves), who rules over her (his) gang as the Secretary of JVP attempts damage control, but in the process, all of them put their toes inside their mouths. Now these contradictions appear to be non-antagonistic and are swept under the carpet.
Since speakers of rival political parties and media, especially anchormen in TV breakfast shows” expose these internal contradictions at greater length, internal contradictions have become visible to the general public.
Internal contradictions within the NPP appear to be non-antagonistic and do not make a destructive impact at present, because the NPP/JVP stalwarts are overconfident of winning the next Presidential Elections comfortably; named the election month as Anura Masaya” (Anura month after Esala, Nikini and Binara), already selected its Cabinet of Ministers and announced the dissolution of the Parliament immediately after winning the Presidential Elections. We still have to conduct the polls and count votes!
It seems that Lal Kantha, the suspicious guy is the person who is calling shots, taking the initiative in deciding how to act before, during and after the Presidential Elections.
The imminent electoral setback in the coming months will crumble the NPP intopieces, with all these internal contradictions coming into the surface and turning into antagonistic contradictions as contradictions among enemies of different factions, every faction attempting to find scapegoats for the defeat.
What had happened to the JVP in 1971 after the defeat of its first insurrection would be repeated, this time failing to capture power democratically.
4. Metamorphosis of JVP/NPP
Quest for power has resulted in a sea change in thinking, attitudes, behaviours and leadership roles of JVP/NPP front liners and of their tactics, a political metamorphosis in broader terms.
(i) Now no protests by JVP/NPP; they all actively participated and supported Galle Face Protest and were about to storm and capture the Parliament (legislature), made the Executive dysfunctional and threatened the judiciary uttering that they knew where the judges reside. RW knows very well who were behind these anarchical activities, but did not act against JVP front liners. He still addresses Anura Kumara as my friend” in his meetings,reminding how theyworked together at Temple Trees during yahapalana regime, saying sardonically that the files Anura Kumara claims that are in his possession are empty which do not contain any document.
(ii) JVP/NPP are in compliance with Julie Chung’s role as self-appointed American Viceroy in Sri Lanka, interfering with Sri Lanka’s internal affairs with impunity, in violation of diplomatic protocols; can NPP oppose Chung meeting officials of the ElectionCommission (EC),(X” message dated 28 June 2024), Chairman and Executive Director of the Office of the Missing Persons (OMP) (X” message dated 11 July 2024) and many other government officials and top security personnel, excluding her daily powwows for information gathering with the members of the so-called civil society.
Chung met with the Election Commission for the purpose of to hear about plans for elections and upholding a transparent process …” ; to exchange views on the importance of voting in free and fair election as a pillar of democratic governance”. What right Chung has to discuss about the plans for elections? Chung was the first person to welcome Election Commission announcement of September 21 Presidential Elections affirming Sri Lanka’s longstanding commitment to democracy” in her X” message dated 26 July 2024. She further added: We look forward to free and fair elections that empower Sri Lankan citizens to determine their future”. But Chung has forgotten to advise RW to appoint an acting IGP in accordance with the court ruling, issue guidelines to EC, Presidential candidates and voters. It seems that Chung is more interested in the Presidential Elections than any voter in Sri Lanka; she on 2 July 2024 met with Sarath Fonseka to discuss Sri Lanka’s political and economic environment ahead of Presidential Elections”.
Let us look at some recent meetings Chung had with government officials, security personnel and politicos. She met with Governor of the Northern Province Ms. Charles on 17 May, (to discuss economic development and social issues in the North”), new Northern Naval Commander of Sri Lanka Navy, Rear Admiral Rohitha Abeysinghe on 15 May, (to discuss efforts between the US and Sri Lankan supporting SriLanka’s maritime sovereignty”; (will there be any maritime sovereignty with her interference! ), Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Nandalal Weerasinghe on 10 May, (to discuss bilateral ties , debt restructuring and ongoing reforms”), new National Organizer of SLPP Namal Rajapaksa on 11 May, ( as a part of (our)outreach across the range of Sri Lankan parties” , to hear about politicalengagement including issues affecting youth”), NPP’s Harini Amarasuriya on 4 April, (to listen to news across political parties on the current economic andpolitical situation in Sri Lanka”; to hear about her perspectives on inclusive economic recovery and governance reforms”).
(iii) JVP/NPP are just tongue-wagging about RW’s submission to IMF dictates; like the SJB they have nothing to offer except complying to IMF conditions.
At a Derana 360” talk show Anura Kumara said that if the debt restructuring has not occurred by the time they assume office they must step into ensure a fair restructuring process. We cannot leave without restructuring. Now we must proceed in this direction to address the crisis that has emerged in the financial sector” was his response to a question raised. In another TV talk show, he said carrying forward the IMF programme, reducing the number of government officers (is he going to dump the government officers who now support NPP sponsored strikes?) and restructuring loss making enterprises are his economic priorities.
Recent comments made by the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, addressing members of Sri Lanka- Japan Friendship Society in late July, should be an eyeopener to all candidates especially to SJB and NPP; he said that Sri Lanka should adhere to IMF led recovery programme whoever wins Presidential Elections. He said that the country could not under any circumstances deviate from the IMF path and IMF agreement remain the foundation for the entire debt-restructuring process.
(iv) NPP/JVP were silent about the Speaker’s statement made on 21 March 2024. The Speaker revealed for the first-time that foreign powers (it is obvious who they were although he has not named them), some local politicians (known to all Sri Lankans), a prominent Buddhist priest (not named but easily identifiable) and a Catholic religious leader (recognizable as a piece of white chalk). (Please refer to my article titled Speaker’s statement: Julie Chung and her fellow conspirators in the dock again” posted on March 27, 2024). JVP/NPP know who were the two foreign powers behind the Galle Face protest and the ouster of GR, both their newfound darlings.
(v) TNA received assurances from the NPP as regards to the full implementation of the 13th Amendment; Anura Kumara should be ashamed for what JVP/DJV did against the 13th Amendment and the creation of Provincial Councils; mayhem, mass scale killings and bloodbath followed; they even gunned down the voters and those who supported devolution.
A new development was observed with the Jana Aragala Sandhanaya” (People’s Struggle Alliance) press briefing held recently in Jaffna. Nuwan Bopage, the de jure FSP Presidential candidate and former IUSF stalwarts participated in this press briefing. Sinhala- Buddhist” state structure, violence” against Tamils and other minorities, brutal” conflict waged against Tamils” by the armed forces, military occupation” of the North and East, land grabbing under the guise of” archaeological excavations using distorted” history, lack of justice for the disappeared were the issues highlighted at this press briefing. Instead of full implementation of the 13th Amendment this Alliance proposed Suyadchi” units (self-rule; right to secession and formation of an independent sovereign state and right to self-determination) as the solution to national question”. A main proponent of this solution Swasthika Arulingam now heads the Wame Handa” (Voice of the Left) a breakaway group of the late Vickramabahu Karunaratna’s trade union outfit. A diehard Trotskyite Vickramabahu was a close buddy of RW, who received RW’s generosity.
It was stated that they totally oppose the unitary state structure. Now we should remind the readers that at Galle Face, laser projections were made on the walls of the Presidential Secretariat challenging the unitary state of Sri Lanka, carrying the message United Sri Lanka”; blindfolded the statue of SWRD; re-imagined” a new flag to Sri Lanka; artists of Fearless Community” painted the Presidential Secretariat enveloped with flames. (For full details read chapter titled, Culture ofGalle Face Protesters” in Galle Face Protest: Systems Change or Anarchy? Politics,Religion & Culture in a Time of Terror in Sri Lanka” Pp 101-132).
Who is Nuwan Bopage? He is an active member of the FSP, a group famous for socialist” phrase-mongering, which was not ashamed to align with Fonseka who praised ISUF and FSP at a common platform. Speaking at the 51st session of the UNHRC on 21 September 2022, Bopage called for accountability for war time atrocities, economic crimes and Easter attacks.
There is no doubt that Bopage and Jana Aragala Sandhanaya” represent the interests of Tamil separatists and imperial agents. A front liner of this alliance demanded the executive power be given to the Speaker at the height of the protest movement. We have discussed earlier that this stupid idea came from Julie Chung. Thereby we can identify the nexus between the various actors and actresses.
Proposing Suyadchi”, I do not think that the Jana Aragala Sandhanaya” will be able to deceive the voters in the North and the East; but there is a strong possibility that the JVP/NPP buying this slogan to appease their friends such as Abraham Sumanthiran.
(vi) During Anura Kumara’s India visit he stressed the need to understand and accommodate India’s sensitivities” in dealing with other countries. NPP never had qualms with neither India’s so-called Neighborhood First” or SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) policies, nor 6 Connectivity death traps (Energy and Power, Air, Land, Maritime, Trade, Economic and Financial, People-to-People), India’s role as a member of the US initiated QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue), India’s Unified Payment Interface(UPI), ETCA, so-called Ramayana Trail and Modi’s Maha Bharath Dream. (See: Anura Kumara in India: The Villager Boy Enticed by Gopis- Lost in Vrindavan”; posted on February 15, 2024).
(vii) Can NPP oppose Canadian Government for its baseless allegations of genocide in Sri Lanka; propagating lies and action against war winning Generals?
(viii) JVP/NPP were tightlipped when Amnesty International Secretary General called for Sri Lanka to be referred to the UN Security Council and subjected to international war crimes investigations; she was at Mullivaikkal commemorating dead tigers.
(ix) They did not hold any protest about genocide in Gaza when thousands of US university students were protesting.
(x) Harini Amarasuriya said that NPP will support the bill decriminalizing same-sex relationships; said individuals should not be discriminated based on their gender. We have reported earlier that she was a member of Public Representatives Committee on Constitution Reforms (PRCCR) appointed by yahapalana government; among its proposals were establishing a United Sri Lanka, replacing the present national flag, providing constitutional safeguards to LGBTIQ+ community and establishing a Malayaha Tamil Development Commission. In these matters RW, NPP, Julie Chung and NGO cabal are on the same page.
(xi) JVP/NPP are very careful not to antagonize India in any respect. The party that organised a quantum leap” rally importing a man from the US (incidentally a medical man; GR also had the services of a pediatricianto advise him in organic farming, and some other nuts to advise on cremation of Muslims dead of Corona virus) issilent about the cobalt-rich sea mount called Afanasy Nikitin in the Indian Ocean, which India is attempting to secure rights to explore entirely within an area also claimed by Sri Lanka, as it is within the boundaries of Sri Lanka’s Continental Shelf; Anura Kumara should know the value of cobaltwhen he is talking abouta quantum leap”, making graphite, from miniran” (Sinhala equivalent of graphite!). Recently Anura Kumara said that he is going to produce sulfuric acid at Paranthan Chemical Industries plant. Producing sulfuric acid was already in Paranthan Chemical Industries’ business plan. It has done feasibility studies to produce sulfuric acid, nitric acid and sodium carbonate. Before producing sulfuric acid,he shouldcommenceproduction at Paranthan Chemical Industries disrupted owing to the war and stop importation of chemicals earlier produced at the Paranthan plant.
(xii) NPP was silent when banning Chinese research vessels at the behest of India and the US and QUAD, when Modi claimed Katchatheevu and Indian poachers killed a Sri Lankan naval rating.
(xiii)In a Sunday Times interviewAnura Kumaradisclosed that his party was behind the recent wave of strikes. His view was strikes can arise at any time, regardless of whether it is election time, budget time or any other point and at present a variety of trade unions affiliated to NPP are engaging in trade union action. Close on the heels of this statement Kuragamage Don Lal Kantha said that they have stopped organizing any strike as they are in a winning streak.
But as a travesty of reality NPP labour aristocrat Samarasinghe did not organize any strike in the private sector; reasons are well known.
(xiv) Handunnetti, dubbed by the capitalist press as NPP’s Minister of Finance, recently announced that under a Malima Government” they would establish a state enterprise fund” to attract funds from the public including those that have gone unaccounted and anybody can contribute to it. Accordingly, it can be black money”, parked outside; and that they would not question how the racketeers earned that money. This is none other than a set of self-proclaimed paragons of virtue, anti-corruption crusaders facilitating money laundering with state assistance. If it is so why does Anura Kumara still claim that files of corrupt politicians and other fraudsters are with him and he is going to punish them?
Handunnetti, was the man who said that Elon Musk is an economic assassin”. Recently NPP opened its digital propaganda unitand Anura Kumara said that anybody can ask questions using AI and BOT. Handunnetti, has not told us whose technology that they are using for their propaganda purposes.
Since the NPP supports LQBTIQ+ interests Handunnetti cancastigate Elon Musk again; recently NBC reported that Elon Musk has harassed his son for exhibiting feminine traits, berated him (her) for being queer as a child and pressured him (her) to appear more masculine, including to deepen his (her) voice. Musk has said that she was not a girl” and was figuratively dead”.
NEXT:Ranil’s Strategic Maneuvers and Machiavellian Tricks;Political dynamics and unpredictable nature of voters;Entrepreneurial State;Future of Sri Lanka as an independent sovereign state under US and Indian hegemonic influence; The way ahead
Please ensure that none of these monks, not a single one, get exploited by politicians in the fast approaching election time and ever again in the future. No monks should be allowed to offer themselves as candidates or to collect funds for that purpose from donors. No monks should be allowed to canvass voters on behalf of any political party or candidate, in public or private, or appear on political stages. Your Reverends, please consult experts (suitably qualified monks and lay Buddhists) about how to enforce your injunctions effectively.
This is the second part of my article published under the title ‘Monks driven from pillar to post with the Mahanayakes pandering to politicians’ in Lankaweb on July 26, 2024.. It was also simultaneously run in The Island daily (Sri Lanka) under the same title.
At the outset, I would like to remind my lankaweb readers that I added an important postscript to the end of the first part of my column. Below is that Postscript:.
‘The writer believes, now that Gnanasara Thera has been released on bail pending the hearing of his appeal, further unnecessary humiliation of the concerned monks being driven from pillar to post is, hopefully, not likely.
‘By the way, he finds it very important to stress that he hates to be thought to be associated with the so-called Ravana Balaya Organisation or as a purveyor of the absurd Ravana myth, or as a sympathiser of Ven. Gnanasara’s unwise belligerent approach.’
Please also let me stress that no right-minded observer can question the authenticity of this monk’s revelations about actual and threatened excesses of Islamist (not Islamic) and other forms of religious extremism that are clandestinely plaguing the country at present, because he produces credible evidence to substantiate his arguments. He is not disliked by ordinary Muslims for he seems to have many who come to him for help to escape from coercive extremist groups. I have never met this monk or others of his kind, and don’t expect to, in the future either, and I am not a supporter of the organisation he heads, the Bodu Bala Sena. But I can understand and I appreciate his selfless dedication to the traditional role of the Buddhist monk in the country, which is perfectly righteous, peaceful and nonviolent, and which is in agreement with the Buddha’s own initial admonition to his earliest disciples.
However, there is something seriously wrong with Gnanasara Thera’s own conception or interpretation of that role. Further, I completely condemn his belligerent approach to his self arrogated crusade. In addition to this disclaimer that I am articulating here, I wish to state that I hate to be taken to be linked with the so-called Ravana Balaya Organisation or to be identified as an imbecile believer in any egregious Ravana myth based history. Not that Gnanasara Thera has anything to do with that childish fiction either.
Actually, I started writing this essay before I got the news of Ven. Gnanasara’s release from prison on July 22, 2024. I heard his off-the-cuff remarks to journalists after he was set free on bail, as recorded by the Dasatha YouTube channel on the same day. To be frank, I was deeply disappointed, when I heard him, not by the substance of what he said, but by the accustomed undisciplined manner of his ineffectual protesting. I thought to myself: ‘Years of undue harassment including litigation and prison terms have not taught this fool a lesson; he will get behind bars again, with his legitimate but misconceived cause incarcerated in his seething helpless heart’. I remembered how Anura Kumara Disanayake MP taunted him once once, about a year ago, quoting lines from the Dhammapada: ‘kayena sanvaro sadhu, sadhu vacaya sanvaro…..Restraint in body is good, Restraint in speech is good.’
My immediate impression on observing Gnanasara Thera just emerging from prison spewing out his pent up anger was ‘This man Gnanasara Thera is incorrigible. He is going to spoil everything for the bhikkhus’ current awareness raising movement (disorganised though it is) conducted to ensure the survival of the Buddha Sasana’. That movement consisting of a number of lone voices against unprovoked attacks on the traditional Buddhist cultural heritage of the country needs to streamline its activism with the help of Nayake monks with authority; the fact that not all monk agitators are equally well informed, educated, honest, or genuine is a drawback that remains to be remedied.
The four monks who visited Kandy told the Mahanayakes that Gnanasara Thera must be freed, especially at this time, meaning he has a role to play in electing a president and a parliament that will be conducive to answering their concerns (although they didn’t spell this out explicitly). However, the more discerning among the genuinely concerned can see the obvious truth: these immature young monks are pathetically mistaken; I, for one, totally disagree with their reasoning. Partisan politics doesn’t go well with their historic Guardian of the Nation role at all. At the 2019 and 2020 elections, candidates who were favoured by a majority of the majority Buddhist Sinhalese community and by a minority of the other communities gained power with an overwhelming approval rate. It was a democratic victory, no doubt.
Though the politically active handful out of the estimated 42,000 monks in the country congratulated themselves on making a substantial contribution to that ‘nationalist’ achievement, the truth probably is that those comparatively few monks were more a hindrance than a help in reaching that final outcome. The SLPP’s victory was mostly due to the failure and unpopularity of the Yahapalanaya of 2015-19, and least due to the involvement of the monks, because the majority Sinhalese Buddhist voters are neither religious extremists nor racists to rely too much on monks; they do not want monks to provide them political leadership. This is a fact hardly known to the thoroughly misinformed outside world.
The opening part of my writeup under the bold title ‘Monks driven from pillar to post with the Mahanayakes pandering to politicians’ articulated a common complaint against the Ven. Mahanayake Theras frequently heard these days, especially among middle-aged and older Sri Lankans in and outside Sri Lanka. (It was not with any intention of insulting the Most Venerable Mahanayake Theras that I adopted that casually accusatory title. I humbly beg their forgiveness.) I have been drawing attention to this common complaint for well over ten years now, that is, for almost the whole of the period of BBS founder Gnanasara Thera’s solitary involvement in a mission against the activities of religious extremists from certain non-Buddhist faiths.
The Island newspaper of May 6, 2014 published an article of mine about the Bodu Bala Sena organisation under the title: ‘The Bodu Bala Sena: Other side of the coin’. On a later occasion, I hinted at the principal theme of that column thus::
‘The BBS, widely misunderstood because of its founder’s fiery temper, was a target of severe criticism both among friends and foes. Had the Mahanayake theras played a more active role regarding issues raised by the BBS, the plight of our monks today would not be so bad’.
Later, in a feature article entitled ‘Please don’t forget people who elected you, Mr President!’ carried in The Island of November 02, 2021, I criticised ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s appointment of Gnanasara Thera as the chairman of his One Country One Law Presidential Task Force (PTF) which he had set up to advise him on how to implement that policy. My article concluded with the following words.(These words proved prophetic as subsequent events demonstrated.):
‘In my humble opinion, the appointment of this task force will prove a suicidal move both for the Gotabaya presidency and the SLPP government. The negative image of the monk who heads it, whether justified or not, the apparent mediocrity of the rest of the members, and the suspicion of an anti-Tamil bias generated by the initial imbalance of its communal composition (though set right later) will be major setbacks for its success. The PTF appears to me to be a hastily but cunningly devised contraption designed by a saboteur so as to be dysfunctional from the beginning, and to ultimately kill the project it was purportedly set up to bring to fruition (i.e., the one country, one law project). It seems to be the sinister proposition of an evil genius within the president’s inner circle.’
Who this evil genius was is no secret to those sufficiently capable of rational thinking. I believe I need not add any explicit clarification of what I said here (in the above quote from an article written by me almost three years ago) for the examination of my intelligent and informed adult readers whose opinions are going to matter in this time of existential crisis threatening the independence and sovereignty of the Sri Lankan state which is required to tide over the mighty geopolitical currents it is being pitted against due to its vulnerable geographical location. .
It must also be emphasised that I have no political, personal or monetary motives for my writing. And I have a deep aversion towards politicking monks, as I have explained in previous articles. Among politician monks there are some who are duly ordained, but are pitifully misguided or justifiably frustrated, and (as can be expected in the present dangerously volatile situation) an increasing number of fake monks including non-Buddhist imposters donning the yellow robe that Buddhists treat with reverence as the Arhat Dhajaya (Victory Flag of the Arhat). I think Gnanasara Thera, strictly speaking, is not a politicking monk, unlike the rasputin Rathana Thera, for example.
Unfortunately, immediately after release from jail, among other things, he denounced Rathana Thera, once his colleague, as a ‘kahakadaya’ or ‘yellow ragged hippy’ (The latter ‘stole’ the national list seat in parliament that he deserved in the 2020 general election, as we can remember.) and expressed a desire to get into parliament for a very short term to confront, convince, and defeat his opponents there and get out! Gnanasara Thera has already repeated his limited ambition of being sent to parliament as a candidate from any political party or alliance whatsoever including the TNA and SLMC! He just wants to have a temporary break with his preferred policy of avoiding parliamentary politics while in robes. Having watched the activities of this monk from afar for more than ten years as already indicated, I am sure he will readily accept the proper leadership of the Mahanayake Theras when it is available.
A few days ago, I watched a YouTube video interview of a Sri Lankan monk named Ven. Shantha now resident in California, USA, who knew Gnanasara Thera closely. According to him, Gnanasara Thera has a very warm heart that is revealed in his enchanting voice. If he were a different monk (with a mercenary bent) he could have used that voice in religious chanting to earn popularity and riches and could live a life of luxury as a star monk. But he didn’t do that. He is dedicated to the mission that the Buddha admonished bhikkhus to fulfill for the welfare of the many, for the happiness of the many (bahujana hitaya, bahujana sukhaya). Gnanasara Thera and other young monks demonstrate on the streets because relevant authorities do not address their problems. Instead the monks get exploited by politicians who make false promises to cheat them. Media people also exploit them. What Shantha Thera (clearly of the worldly type) proposes for Gnanasara Thera is that he needs to change his ways, and use his potential for his own (material) benefit, advice that he is not likely to follow. The most relevant piece of advice that Shantha Thera gives his erstwhile friend is Avoid getting used’. Gnanasara Thera has already shown his deep disillusionment with the rascally Rajapaksas.
The purpose of writing this essay is to make the following urgent but humble appeal/proposal, with the greatest reverence, to the four Most Venerable Mahanayake Theras of the Three Nikayas who collectively are responsible for all the 42,000 bhikshus and bhikshunis of the country including Gnanasara Thera and who manage the extensive properties spread throughout the island and benefits accrued from them dedicated to the Buddha Sasana (that constitute Buddha Bhoga) that they enjoy:
Please ensure that none of these monks, not a single one, get exploited by politicians in the fast approaching election time and ever again in the future. No monks should be allowed to offer themselves as candidates or to collect funds for that purpose from donors. No monks should be allowed to canvass voters on behalf of any political party or candidate, in public or private, or appear on political stages. Your Reverends, please consult experts (suitably qualified monks and lay Buddhists) about how to enforce your injunctions effectively.
‘On a research project on debt restructuring and economic recovery of Sri Lanka following the default in April 2022, I have found that the IMF program is further aggravating the crisis. The IMF’s Debt Sustainability Analysis, with targets such as, a primary budget surplus of 2.3% of GDP and foreign debt servicing of 4.5% of GDP are creating a new and extended crisis in the Sri Lankan economy. The primary budget surplus, meaning government revenue minus government expenditure, excluding debt payments, will lead to the continuing regime of extreme austerity, senior economist Dr. Ahilan Kadirgamar said.
Kadirgamar was speaking on the sidelines of the National Consultation on Sustainable Recovery and Development seminar organized by the National Science Foundation. The event took place recently at Sankanthani Hall, SLIDA, Colombo 07.
Kadirgamar stressed that it will also be difficult to raise income tax which is based on the flow of incomes amid a contracting economy. Therefore, wealth taxes on the stock of wealth become important. For example, on property and vehicles.
Kadirgamar added: Low revenues is a major problem for Sri Lanka. We need to raise taxes but we cannot put more pressure on the working people by raising indirect taxes like VAT. The wealthy need to share the burden of this crisis and redistribution is critical. While the government has limited funds, land alienation and land redistribution for the survival of landless people are other avenues for economic recovery.
‘This means government spending will be minimal in terms of providing relief to the people and investment to stimulate the economy that has been contracting. If we are to allocate 4.5% of GDP in yearly repayment of foreign principal and interest, it is unsustainable, as it is equal to 30% of projected government revenue. While the government is talking about an export led economy, 30% of foreign earnings through projected exports will be used for foreign debt servicing. Therefore, according to our research, Sri Lanka will probably default again if the IMF program continues on the same path, and there will be huge social costs, including losing the future of another generation. Any new government that comes to power must renegotiate the IMF agreement or leave the program altogether.’
Why has the US constantly tried to overthrow Venezuela’s leftist government, backing coup attempts against Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro? Ben Norton analyzes the role of Venezuela’s large oil reserves and natural resources; socialist system; anti-imperialist foreign policy; partnership with China, Russia, and Iran; and leadership in building a multipolar world.
Aug 3 (AdaDerana) – The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) has won the Best International Tourism Board” accolade at the Global Tourism Awards 2024, organized by the Travel World Online (TWO).
The Global Tourism Awards 2024 was held on 2nd of August 2024 in New Delhi, India.
The Global Tourism Awards serve as a platform to honour and celebrate organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the tourism industry, shaping its landscape and driving positive change.
With the industry’s leading experts as part of the jury, the awards promise to recognize the dedication and hard work of tourism professionals worldwide.
The event was expected to draw attendees from various sectors of the tourism industry, including travel agencies, tour operators, hospitality professionals, and government representatives. It promises to be an evening of celebration, networking, and recognition of the best in the business.
Travel World Online (TWO) organized the maiden edition of Global Tourism Awards 2024 on August 2 at The Suryaa, New Delhi.
Sri Lanka’s economic recovery continues with real gross domestic product (GDP) posting three consecutive quarters of expansion, and growth accelerating to 5.3 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday.
Sri Lanka’s economic recovery continues with real gross domestic product (GDP) posting three consecutive quarters of expansion, and growth accelerating to 5.3 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday.
According to the statement, an IMF mission team led by senior mission chief Peter Breuer visited Sri Lanka from July 25 to August 2 to discuss recent macroeconomic development and progress in implementing economic and financial policies under an economic reform supported by the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement, Xinhua news agency reported.
Breuer, in his statement, said the economic reform program implemented by the Sri Lankan authorities is yielding commendable outcomes.
Inflation remains below the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s 5 per cent target and domestic borrowing rates have declined.
Gross international reserves increased by $ 1.2 billion during the first half of 2024, reaching $ 5.6 billion, and fiscal revenue collections increased during the same period, he said.
In March 2023, the IMF approved a 48-month extended arrangement under the EFF of about $ 3 billion to support Sri Lanka’s economic policies and reforms
Sanjiva Weerawarana is a Sri Lankan success story. He founded enterprise software firm WSO2 in 2005, got it close to $100 million in ARR, then sold it to private equity firm EQT for $600 million in May.
He sometimes drives for Uber, too.
Sri Lanka isn’t renowned for its startup ecosystem, but one company has been something of an outlier in the South Asian island nation these past two decades. An open source enterprise software provider with customers such as Samsung, Axa, and AT&T, WSO2 recently agreed to be acquired by private equity giant EQT, at a valuation TechCrunch reported at the time to be north of $600 million. (We can now confirm that the valuation was in fact exactly $600 million.)
The transaction, which remains subject to regulatory approvals, means that EQT will become WSO2’s sole owner, procuring all outstanding shares including those of WSO2’s investors and current and ex-WSO2 employees — 30% of the proceeds will be going to those employees.
This liquidity event could also create significant wealth among those inclined to start their own ventures.
This shows that equity is important — one of the things that we have insisted on from day one is that every employee has been a shareholder,” WSO2 co-founder and CEO Sanjiva Weerawarana told TechCrunch in an interview. That’s very important, and it’s a concept that has not been understood here before, because there haven’t been companies that exited and gave any amount of meaningful financial return. Seeing is believing, right? Talk is cheap.”
Thriving through war and unrest
Founded out of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, in 2005, WSO2 is a middleware stack constituting tools such as API management, similar to Apigee which Google acquired for $625 million; and identity and access management (IAM), along the lines of $15 billion publicly traded Okta. The main driving force behind this has been its founding CEO Weerawarana, a computer scientist and key figure in the open source community over the past 25 years, both as a member of the Apache Software Foundation and more recently as the creator of Ballerina, a cloud-native general purpose programming language for integrating distributed systems.
Prior to WSO2, Weerawarana worked within IBM’s research and development team in the U.S., where he helped develop web service specifications such as WSDL and BPEL. And it was there that the seed for WSO2 was sown.
I actually tried inside IBM to build a new kind of middleware stack, but IBM wasn’t interested,” Weerawarana said. So the only option was either start a company, or give up on the idea.”
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So in August 2005, Weerawarana spawned WSO2 alongside two co-founders: Davanum Srinivas, who left after two years; and Weerawarana’s former IBM colleague Paul Fremantle, who would go on to serve as CTO until stepping down in 2015 (he later rejoined and then left again, but remains an advisor today).
Notably, WSO2’s center of gravity has remained in Sri Lanka, despite a longstanding civil war and external pressure to relocate to the U.S. where Weerawarana had lived previously for 16 years.
I came back [to Sri Lanka] in 2001, and two weeks before I landed in Colombo, the airport was attacked by a terrorist group — there were still pieces of planes on the ground,” he said. In 2005, the war was still going on. Sri Lanka as a country has not been able to maintain a consistent calm environment for us, but that’s okay.”
Today, 80% of WSO2’s 780 employees are in Sri Lanka, with the remainder spread across a smattering of hubs in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
I wanted to show we could build a product-oriented tech company from Sri Lanka,” Weerawarana continued. There had never been a company like this, and at that time there wasn’t even a company out of India like this. Indian companies were very services-oriented, as were Sri Lankan companies. But one of the big prices [for staying in Sri Lanka] was that at pretty much every funding round, the majority of investors would ask when I was moving back [to the U.S.]. And my answer was always the same: ‘I’m not moving back.’”
Investors weren’t the only ones who pressured WSO2 to move: Customers and competitors have also used its location against it at various junctures.
Some of our competitors fought against us, saying, ‘do you know where they are located?,’ and that becomes a challenge,” Weerawarana said. Then we’ve had customers saying ‘you’re located way over there, why are you charging us these prices?’”
On the flip side, WSO2’s geographic setting gave it the pick of technical talent, owning mostly to the fact that it was a product-based business in a sea of services.
We’ve never had a problem with engineering and technical talent — we’ve been able to hire the best people in Sri Lanka for the last 19 years,” Weerawarana said. If you are a creative engineer, would you rather work for a services company, or be in a role where you could be creative and work on top-of-the-line technology?”
WSO2 CEO Sanjiva Weerawarana speaks to media during a product launch in Colombo on February 26, 2014
Intel inside
After WSO2 raised a small round of angel funding in 2005, Intel’s VC arm emerged as its earliest backer, investing in 2006 and through several follow-on rounds in subsequent years.
Intel Capital’s initial $2 million cash injection was critical to WSO2’s early growth, and was the result of fortuitous timing. Pradeep Tagare was a senior investment manager at Intel Capital at that time, and met Weerawarana through their associations with the Apache Software Foundation. Tagare was looking to invest in an open source startup to complement a duo of other open source investments it had made — one into Java-centric application server company JBoss (which Red Hat later acquired for $350 million), and another into database company MySQL (which Sun later snapped up for $1 billion).
We were looking at a bunch of open source investments as a strategic initiative for Intel, essentially to build an alternate stack on Intel hardware,” Tagare explained to TechCrunch. We had invested in JBoss, and we invested in MySQL. So we were now looking for an open source middleware company, and WSO2 fit the bill exactly.”
Tagare’s thesis was that countries situated in Asia would not only stand to benefit from the open source movement, but would also be likely to contribute a lot. Open source software development is naturally distributed, opening up the coding and collaboration process to those who didn’t work at the big tech companies of those times.
Now they could contribute — before, it was all really controlled by the Microsofts and the Oracles of the world,” Tagare said. Its location wasn’t necessarily a requirement, but being was based in Asia just made WSO2 even more interesting.”
Much has changed in the 20 years since WSO2 arrived on the scene. With the advent of cloud computing and microservices — software built from smaller, loosely connected components that can be developed and maintained independently and which conveniently rely on APIs — WSO2 has been well-positioned as enterprises transition from legacy monolithic applications.
Now with the AI revolution in full-swing, WSO2 is also set to capitalize given that APIs and and IAM are key components of the AI stack — from integrations through authentication and beyond. Moreover, WSO2 is integrating AI into its own products, recently debuting a new API manager that allows developers to integrate an AI-powered chatbot into their APIs to allow non-coders to test APIs using natural language.
According to Crunchbase data, WSO2 had raised $133 million since its inception, however Weerawarana clarified only $70 million was primary capital. Other rounds, like the $93 million Series E round two years ago led by Goldman Sachs, consisted of equity and debt.
But however the funding is sliced and diced, there’s no ignoring the fact that WSO2 was a startup dinosaur by the time EQT came calling — most successful VC-backed companies reach an exit within 10 years.
So what gives?
We’ve had multiple people wanting to buy our company through the years, but I resisted because I always wanted to build a company that would reach an IPO — an independent business, basically,” Weerawarana said.
That all changed in May, when WSO2 accepted an offer from EQT Private Capital Asia (formerly Baring Private Equity Asia), a private equity firm EQT acquired in 2022 for more than $7 billion. The difference this time was simple — one of WSO2’s controlling shareholders wanted to get liquidity,” according to Weerawarana.
Because they had more than 50%, it becomes a control transaction,” he said.
That shareholder was San Francisco-based Toba Capital, a VC firm set up by Vinny Smith in 2012 after he sold Quest Software to Dell for more than $2 billion. Quest had previously invested in WSO2, equity that transferred to Dell through that acquisition — but Toba bought that stock back from Dell, and went on to make further investments in WSO2 including buying Intel Capital’s portion. Toba Capital partner Tyler Jewell also replaced Weerawarana as CEO for a two-year period, with Weerawarana returning to the hotseat in 2020.
Weerawarana says the company has been cash-flow positive since 2017, and profitable since around 2018,” but it hasn’t had the luxury of vast pools of capital that would allow it to look at multiple year strategies.” This is something it will be able to do under EQT — one of the world’s biggest private equity firms.
Indeed, WSO2 says it will hit $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) by Q3 this year, one of the key reasons EQT came calling.
WSO2 really has all the ingredients we look for in a software business,” EQT partner and global co-head of services Hari Gopalakrishnan told TechCrunch. Deep and long-lasting enterprise client relationships, successful product-led-growth, technically robust products, and prudent financial management. Pick a strength, WSO2 probably has it.”
From the outside, selling to private equity might not seem like the dream outcome for a founder with ambitions to go public and who values his company’s independence. But Weerawarana insists that this outcome will better enable it to do just that.
I started the company to make something that lasts — one of the reasons we didn’t sell it previously is that we knew that would be the end of it,” he said. EQT doesn’t have any other businesses in this domain, they’re trying to build around WSO2, not merge it with something else. Their goal is to build the company for five years, which aligns with what I wanted, and gives us five years to get to an IPO.”
Driving force
Uber logo on top of car
While running WSO2 is a time-consuming endeavor on its own, Weerawarana keeps busy with other initiatives such as a philanthropic effort called the Avinya Foundation, which he established in 2022 to support economically disadvantaged children via vocational education programs.
However, in 2017 Weerawarana also started driving for Uber, a move he says was designed to make it more socially acceptable in Sri Lanka to work in such jobs — if a successful businessman like him can do it, then anyone can.
I would be coming home from work and I would just pick somebody up along the way,” he said. The main point I was trying to get across was that somebody who does a driving job is no different to somebody who does any other job — they’re just offering a service and you pay for it. We have this mindset here that people who do certain kinds of jobs are not the same as other kinds of people. And breaking that is very important — doing Uber-driving is part of it. The Avinya Foundation is also focused on that problem, trying to support all our skilled workers, such as tradespeople.”
The pandemic, among other global events, put a temporary halt on Weerawarana’s Uber driving exploits — because people were doing it for survival, he didn’t want to take money from people who needed it.
I will do it again — things are getting much better,” he said. Tourism is almost back to normal, so the demand will be there, and it might make sense for me to drive — but I don’t want to take any business from somebody else.”
It is time the world wakes up & put an end to this woke” madness. How many more female athletes need to throw in their towel against biological males who are competing in women’s events simply because of some new gender” mumbo-jumbo allowing males to compete in women’s sports as transgenders” or because of a new politically correct concept that foolishly allows who identifies” as the opposite sex to compete in sports. How fair is this by the female athletes who sacrificed years of their lives for a sports activity which they end up having to give up because they cannot compete with a male’s physical power. This undoubtedly proves that males and females cannot be physically made equal and also raises the question as to why the so-called women’s activists are silent on this matter, watching biological females getting battered by biological males who claim to be females.
The world must stand with female boxer Angela Carini & empathize with her. It took just 46 seconds to realize that she could not fight a male pretending to be female & years of hard work to become a professional boxing champion had to be forfeited to safeguard her life. What must have gone on in her mind to make such a decision.
Sadly, the world is full of so called women’s activists but none of them are protesting against the damage the biological female is having to go through with this surge in males suddenly identifying themselves as females” and bulldozing themselves into an arena that should be only for biological females.
Why are the women’s groups silent on this question? How can they accept a male as a female simply because he identifies” himself as a female? This gender orientation new concept is an absolute farce. It is destroying the females and the rights of females. The fundamental rights of 3.5billion biological females/women are at stake because of new politically correct concepts that are being shoved down governments using international funding, international loans, scholarships, diplomatic pressures and via international organizations who are using this as another destabilizing tool upon nations.
However, the safety of the biological female is at risk.
Either these males who identify themselves as females whether they call themselves transgender or whatever other new names they seem to be creating for themselves of late, they must be asked to create a new sport for themselves & they can compete with each other. They cannot be allowed to enter any field that has to remain allocated for biological males & biological females.
The biological female is being ousted from sports & biological males pretending to be females are taking over female sports. Next it will be to take over women’s quotas. What if jobs given to females are taken up by males identifying as females”. How long will these women’s activists chose to remain silent or will they only come out when males identifying themselves as females” become ‘female activists” but make their voice for males & not females!
This experiment of turning males to females & females to males must stop.
We are born as a man or a woman.
Each have their individual roles to play. Neither should be in competition with the other. Each must respect each other & realize that they exist to complement each other & not to compete with each other.
This brings us to the present bills that are being secretly passed in Sri Lanka’s parliament that are opening the floodgates to new woke virus & enabling transgenderism to enter Sri Lanka. With elections round the corner, this issue must become an election platform topic as Sri Lanka cannot afford to have a new virus engulf society. We have seen the damage this political correctness has brought the Western world & even Mr. Donald Trump openly denouncing the woke agenda while Elon Musk who has lost his own son to the woke agenda calls it a virus he is also determined to stop. We hope his investments in Sri Lanka are with precondition that no woke agenda is to be implemented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI5uDTFbX_k&t=1s
We must take lessons from the damage taking place before our own eyes – we saw how the woke virus ruined the Olympic opening ceremony by making a mockery of the last supper, what pride” in a parade that claims to be family-friendly” but is held entirely in the nude in Canada? What a tragedy when a female athlete has no choice to give up playing for fear of her life because her opponent is a male pretending to be a female.The Mahanayaka theros & all of the traditional religions in Sri Lanka have come in unison to condemn such bills being introduced & cautioned political parties from passing such legislation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQBI1oLRqaQ Religious Leaders unite against Govt & Presidents attempt to pass LGBTQ Bills & destroy Society & the Country’s Cultural Heritage
◼️ACJU vehemently condemns the legalization of the practice of seeking sexual gratification through immoral means
Through an unprecedented report, the top international organization of the world lit a light of hope for a severely persecuted community.
Did the time of redress begin for Ahmadi Muslims? It is of course too early to say, but a good sign arrived, unexpected, on July 14, 2024, from the United Nations in Geneva. Or this is the way Ahmadis welcomed the news on the eve and during the (Ahmadiyya convention) Jalsa Salana UK, July 26–28, 2024. This is the annual gathering of prayer that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at (jama’at” meaning community”) celebrates since 2005 on a 208-acre land, named Hadiqat-ul-Mahdi, or Oaklands Farm, it owns in the territory of the city of Alton, Surrey, some 45 miles southwest of London.
We are alarmed by ongoing reports of violence and discrimination against the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan,” the experts write. We urge Pakistani authorities to take immediate action to address this situation. Urgent measures are necessary to respond to these violent attacks and the broader atmosphere of hatred and discrimination which feeds it.”
The proximate cause of the written statement is the extrajudicial killing of two Ahmadis in Saad Ullah Pur on July 8, 2024, and of the President of the Bahwalpur Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on March 4, 2024, but of course observers understand these were just the most recent episodes of a long history of bloody harassment of the community.
Cleverly and strategically, the statement of the nine experts salutes the resolution adopted by the Pakistan National Assembly on 23 June 2024, which urges the federal and provincial governments of the country to ensure the security of all citizens of Pakistan, implicitly including religious minorities and by default also Ahmadis.
It is the first time that the UN is so direct in its judgment on Pakistan and the Ahmadis. The objective value of this statement cannot thus be underestimated. The group of experts was composed by Matthew Gillett, serving as the Chairperson, Ganna Yudkivska as Vice-Chair on Communications, Priya Gopalan as Vice-Chair on Follow-Up, Miriam Estrada-Castillo and Mumba Malila of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Nazila Ghanea, and Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Gina Romero.
Nasim Malik, Secretary General of the International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) in London, the UK, cannot contain its satisfaction. Speaking to Bitter Winter” at the U.K. Convention (Jalsa Salana}, he said he is convinced this is a good starting point. The light on the suffering of the Ahmadis in Pakistan has been lit and it is quite an important light by the most important international organization,” he said. It is the product of fine-tuned advocacy: calm and firm, peaceful and strong. We will start from here: we need to start from here to favor a better future. Indeed, tis extraordinary international recognition sets a point of no-return. No one can now ignore what is happening to the Ahmadis, no one can continue remaining silent. We will build on this.”
IHRC, which is organizing new fact-finding missions in the world to ascertain the life conditions of the Ahmadis, promises to be even more vigilant than before. We are comforted by the report of the UN nine experts,” added Malik. Hope is on its way.”
President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared the immediate initiation of the River for Jaffna” project, which is designed to provide a comprehensive solution to the water scarcity issues in the northern region of Sri Lanka.
The President made these remarks while attending the opening of the Thalaiyady Seawater Desalination Plant, part of the Jaffna-Kilinochchi Water Supply Project, this morning (02).
President Ranil Wickremesinghe further stated that it has been 15 years since the end of the civil war in the north. He emphasized the need for everyone to continue working together on development and expressed his goal to transform the north into a developed province within the next 5-10 years.
The Thalaiyady Sea Water Desalination Plant, part of the Jaffna-Kilinochchi Water Supply Project, is managed by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board under the Ministry of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development, with financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Sri Lanka.
To address the drinking water needs of Jaffna and Kilinochchi, the Government of Sri Lanka launched the Jaffna-Kilinochchi District Water Supply and Sanitation Project (JKWSSP) in 2011 with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the French Development Bank (AFD).
Currently, there are 2.5 million water connections nationwide, and the Water Supply and Sanitation Project aims to add 60,000 new connections.
The main objective of the project is to provide safe drinking water to 300,000 people and improve sanitation facilities for 80,000 people in the Jaffna and Kilinochchi districts of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.
In 2017, the Asian Development Bank signed a contract for the construction of the desalination plant. To date, the project has completed the construction of 20 elevated water tanks, 186 km of water transmission pipelines, and 382 km of water distribution pipelines.
The contract for the desalination plant was awarded in January 2021. The total cost of the project is USD 266 million, and the Jaffna-Kilinochchi District Water Supply and Sanitation Project is expected to be completed by mid-2025, said the President’s Media Division.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe further commented,
This water purification plant will serve as the primary facility of its kind in Sri Lanka. I want to express my gratitude to the local residents who provided the land for its construction. A request has been made to establish a separate Grama Niladhari Division for this village, and I will recommend this to the governor to address this request.
The establishment of this water purification plant will significantly resolve the drinking water issues in Jaffna. We also intend to commence work on the Paliaru Reservoir to provide water to the Pooneryn area, in the future.
I have also decided to launch a River for Jaffna” program. Once both this purification plant and this program are fully implemented, the water problem in Jaffna will be completely resolved. This will help restore the Vadamarachchi area to its former lush state.
To manage the costs of this drinking water, we plan to reduce expenses through solar energy projects. Additionally, we are introducing Drip Irrigation Systems to promote modern agriculture in the area. As we invest in water, it is essential to maximize the benefits we derive from it. These initiatives aim to further strengthen the local economy.
We are also planning to renovate the port of Kankesanthurai in collaboration with India. An investment zone will be established at the site of the former cement factory. Additionally, the development of Palali will enhance tourism opportunities. This area has significant potential for producing wind and solar energy, which can generate substantial income. As a result, Jaffna is expected to become a developed area within the next 5-10 years.
The government is not focusing on establishing universities in Jaffna because the provincial council has the capability to set up two or three universities there. It has been around 20 years since the end of the war, and it is now time for us to unite in our efforts for development.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Asian Development Bank for their support in providing this water purification plant. Even during our financial crisis, they continued their assistance. We have now signed agreements with our Official Creditors Committee and the China Exim Bank, and we have also reached an agreement with the bondholders. With these agreements in place, we are receiving support from these nations. Japan has committed to resuming projects that were previously halted in our country, and development efforts in other countries are also progressing.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I have taken the necessary steps to implement the agreements we reached, and the signing of these agreements is currently underway. We are collaborating with Amul to enhance liquid milk production. We should focus on increasing the country’s income and continue this program. This will help improve the economy and transform Jaffna into a major economic hub.
I would like to express my gratitude to Jeevan Thondaman for his special interest and efforts in this initiative. We are collaborating with the Ministry of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development to establish new villages in the hill country. These plantation communities are being relocated and developed into villages”.
Chief Incumbent of the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple, Ven. Galboda Gnanissara (81) Thera, also known as “Podi Hamuduruwo,” has passed away.
Galboda Gnanissara Thera, a highly esteemed Buddhist prelate, served as the chief incumbent of the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was appointed as the Sanghanayaka of the Western Province in Sri Lanka by the Malwatta Chapter in 2003. Additionally, he was once the Sanghanayaka of Sri Lankan Buddhist temples in the United States but later renounced that position. Thera was widely recognized for his various community service initiatives.
Early Life: Galboda Gnanissara Thera was born in 1943 in the village of Galboda, Matara Municipal Council, Sri Lanka. At the age of eight, he was brought to the Gangaramaya Temple to be ordained and was given the name “Podi Hamuduruwo” (Little Monk).
Ordination & Consecration: At the age of eight, Galboda Gnanissara Thera was ordained at the Gangaramaya Temple. Dewundara Ratanajothi (Devundara Vaccissara Thera), then the Chief Incumbent of the temple, was one of his teachers. By 1959, with Devundara Vaccissara Thera ailing, visually impaired, and disabled, the temple leadership, including Vaccissara Thera himself, requested Galboda Gnanissara Thera to assume the administration of the temple. He was just 16 years old at that time.
In 2003, Galboda Gnanissara Thera was appointed by the Malwatta Chapter as the Sanghanayaka of the Western Province in Sri Lanka. He was also the Sanghanayaka of Sri Lankan Buddhist temples in the United States but later renounced the position.
The Asgiriya Chapter awarded him the Darshana Visharada, equivalent to a doctorate degree.
It is pathetic to see a majority of SLPP MPs under the delusion that President RW has performed a miracle in saving this country from the economic debacle it faced and he is the only one who can continue the recovery. What he has done is nothing but accepting the dictates of the IMF and complying with the IMF conditions as agreed to in the Letter of Intent dated March 6, 2023, submitted to Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund. These dissidents are advised to read the IMF reports where RW has agreed to highly objectionable conditions in the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies Article 3, to phase out administrative measures imposed to support the balance of payments, such as import restrictions, exchange restrictions, multiple currency practices (MCPs), and capital flow management (CFM) measures. (CFM includes the repatriation of export proceeds held back abroad). The President has accepted every condition of the IMF including its primary objectives of trade and payments liberalization. The Central Bank has been made autonomous with power to decide on their salaries and perks.
RW has gone beyond the IFM conditions of the management of State-Owned Enterprises to privatization of even profit making SOEs and increasing the VAT from the IMF recommendation of 15 to 18 percent. While complying with every IFM condition RW has initiated a move to make the country subservient to India in his policy of Connectivity” with India.
It is regrettable that the SLPP approved and voted for these measures and only now has decided not to support RW in the Presidential election. It is rumored that a high-up in SLPP who also was influenced by the US was behind the continuous support to RW regardless of those policies were intrinsically against the policies of the SLPP. SLPP should have realized that RW is using the IMF to implement the policies of Mont Pelerin Society of neoliberalism.
When the IMF appeared on the scene, I said that RW is the best interlocutor we have to deal with the IMF. But he has used the IMF to foist his Mont Pelerin doctrine. The President of course deserves full credit for restoring law and order without which no economic reforms could have been accomplished. He had the guts to stay and fight whereas the military man Gotabaya left the country and abdicated. For personal safety he could have moved to the Dockyard of the Navy in Trincomalee or to the Panagoda Army cantonment. It is a mystery how the Galle Face Aragalaya evaporated with the advent of RW.
Today the talk of the town is on the number of Ministers and MPs abandoning Pohottuwa and switching to the camp of RW thus bringing the votes of their supporters. The UNP claims that so far 95 SLPP members have pledged their support to RW and expect more to follow. There is a misconception here that the votes of a consittuency automatically follow the changing politics of the sitting member.
The term of the Presidency (of both Gota and Ranil) the country has been one of the most traumatic periods since independence. The terrorism, the pandemic, economic bankruptcy and the rocketing cost of living have radically affected the physical and mental health of the people. People are despondent and frustrated and are unlikely to follow old political loyalties and it will be irrational to equate the number of defecting MPs with the peoples votes.In addition there are other political parties in the field which could attract anti SLPP votes.
In the timing of the withdrawal of support to Ranil at the last moment the Pohottuwa has erred. They should have done it earlier against Ranil’s policies inimical to national interest. They could have done so on the objectionable agreements in the Letter of Intent submitted to the IMF or on his proposal for the full implementation of the !3th Amendment or privatization.
SLPP dissidents believe that the IMF program negotiated by Ranil is a masterpiece and could not have been done by anybody else but RW. In a report of July 12th, 2024 by Charles Abugre, Executive Director, International Development Economics Associates, (IDEAs) and a team of eminent economists has been very critical of the Agreement with the IMF and reports that Sri Lanka must Renegotiate IMF Agreement for Sustainable Recovery from the Crisis. They said:
We do not believe that the current economic policy program defined in the 17th Agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provides a sustainable path of recovery for Sri Lanka or a credible means of resolving its external debt crisis. This is based on our analysis of the factors leading to the economic collapse, our assessment of the agreement and the policy package that accompanies it, and our estimation of the economic, social, and political burdens of fiscal consolidation under the current program.”
They further said that:
The benchmarks for economic reform and the austerity conditionalities in the IMF program impose a large burden of adjustment on the poor and vulnerable sections of society, which have already been severely hit by the crisis. The increase in indirect taxation is regressive, as the poor pay a disproportionately higher share of incomes than the rich. The increase in energy tariffs on electricity, cooking gas, and kerosene has increased the burden on working households in both urban and rural areas. Austerity policies have already led to electricity disconnection of one million households; falling school attendance; unemployment and under-employment. The devastating impact of such measures is largely borne by women and children in these households.”
They stress that:The benchmarks for economic reform and the austerity conditionalities in the IMF program impose a large burden of adjustment on the poor and vulnerable sections of society, which have already been severely hit by the crisis. The increase in indirect taxation is regressive, as the poor pay a disproportionately higher share of incomes than the rich. The increase in energy tariffs on electricity, cooking gas, and kerosene has increased the burden on working households in both urban and rural areas. Austerity policies have already led to electricity disconnection of one million households; falling school attendance; unemployment and under-employment. The devastating impact of such measures is largely borne by women and children in these households.”https://www.networkideas.org/news-analysis/2024/06/sri-lanka-must-renegotiate-imf-agreement-for-sustainable-recovery-from-crisis/
Dissidents do not seem to be aware that RW is also responsible for the economis crisis of 2022. His government issued from 2016 to 2019, around $12 billion in International Sovereign Bonds (around 70 percent of the face value of total bonds issued in the country’s history) and in 2021. ISBs accounted for 70 percent of the government’s annual interest payments. The final trigger of the dollar crisis was due to the settlement of the ISB which matured on October 2020 and July 2021 ($1 billion each) and January 2022 ($500 million), which drained our dollar reserves to a paltry 37 million dollars and resulted in the insolvency and bankruptcy of the country.
Interview in progress for 500 Sea Marshal vacancies while thousands more to be available in future.
Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne graced the Employee Appreciation Ceremony held to felicitate retired military veterans serving in Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Limited (RALL) at the Suhurupaya Auditorium in Battaramulla last evening (Jul 31).
The RALL was founded in 2007 under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence with the aim to obtain the services of retired war heroes further towards the motherland.
This ceremony was organized to appreciate employees for their contributions and valuable service rendered to the organization.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Defence Secretary said that RALL despite facing challenges has been able to provide employment for thousands of the retired war heroes and help to uplift their livelihood standard.
He revealed that as a result of negotiations with a foreign company, interviews are underway to recruit 500 Sea Marshals for that company, and thousands of such opportunities will be made available in the future which will generate much needed foreign exchange.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RALL Major General P Chandrawansha (Retd), Ministry of Defence Additional Secretary Saman Dissanayake, Chief Accountant of RALL Sisirakumara Samaratunga, Board Member Kanishka De Silva, distinguished guests including retired senior military officers and a large number of employees were present at the ceremony.
The Sri Lankan Government strongly advises its citizens to refrain from seeking employment in Myanmar through illegal foreign employment agents or persons and institutions involved in human trafficking. Alarming reports have revealed that a group of Sri Lankans who have illegally left for work in Myanmar are being forcibly detained for illegal activities in a camp in the cyber crime area operated by terrorist groups in Myanmar.
Despite prior warnings by the government, it has been revealed that 89 Sri Lankans have illegally traveled to Myanmar for employment. Through the dedicated efforts of officials with assistance of government of Myanmar, 40 Sri Lankans have been released from captivity. However, reports also reveal that 54 Sri Lankans still remain trapped in the cyber crime area.
The Sri Lankan government, in cooperation with the Myanmar government, is making every effort to secure the release of those still held captive.
However, despite prior warnings and ongoing efforts, it is learnt that certain individuals continue to travel to Myanmar for employment through illegal means.
Considering the status quo, the Secretary of Defence requests the public to refrain from seeking employment in Myanmar. Those having any information regarding individuals involved in human trafficking activities are urged to contact the Ministry of Defence or the Criminal Investigation Department to ensure the safety and security of all Sri Lankan citizens
by A. Abdul Aziz, Sri Lankan Correspondent, Al Hakam, London.
Ahmadiyya International Convention in U.K. concludes.
The 58th Jalsa Salana (Annual Convention) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the United Kingdom concluded on Sunday 28 July 2024 with faith-inspiring address by the World Head the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
Before the formal session, Mr. Rafiq Ahmad Hayat, Amir Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya UK, read out a message of goodwill, sent by King Charles III for the Jalsa attendees.
It reads:
Please convey my heartfelt thanks to the Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community U.K. for their loyal greetings sent on the occasion of this year’s Annual Convention,, which is being held at Hadeeqathul Mahdi, Oaklands Farm, in Hampshire.
I deeply appreciate your message and the Community’s continued support. The dedication shown by all involved in organizing this significant event to bring together members of the community and celebrate the values of peace, unity and fellowship is commendable. It is most heartening to hear that His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad will be present, offering his wisdom and guidance throughout the convention.
In return, I send warmest good wishes to you all for a successful event.”
His Majesty King Charles III
BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
It was also announced by Mr. Rafiq Ahmad Hayat that Nicolo Govoni has been nominated for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize for the year 2024.
During his concluding address, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad initiated his address by acknowledging the depth and breadth of the topic concerning the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. He mentioned that despite the vastness of the subject, he would present key extracts illustrating the true status of the Holy ProphetMuhammad (PBUH) elucidated by the Promised MessiahHazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad – Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam.
Ahmadiyya Khalifa described the Promised Messiah’sprofound love for the Holy Prophet(PBUH) stating it was characterised by complete self-effacement [fana] in the Holy Prophet’s love. He highlighted how the Promised Messiah (peace be on him) set a path for attaining true love and devotion to the Holy ProphetMuhammad (PBUH), providing guidance that could enlighten even those who opposed his message.
More than 43,000 people representing 101 countries attended this three day Convention ( Jalsa Salana), which took place at Hadeeqatul Mahdi in Alton, Hampshire., United Kingdom.
Apart from the thousands of Ahmadi Muslims who participated, many non-Ahmadi and non-Muslim guests also attended. The entire event was also broadcast live on MTA International and streamed online.
One of the highlights of the three-day Jalsa Salana (Convention) was the pledge of allegiance, known as Bai’at that took place on Sunday (28 July) afternoon, where the participants pledged allegiance to Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad as the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph) of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him).
The participants formed a human chain leading to the Khalifa as they repeated the words of the pledge in unison.
Ahmadiyya Head already informed in his second day address announced that 238561 people had joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community during the past year from all around the world. He also announced that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was now established in 214 countries. Taiwan is the new country wherein seed of Ahmadiyyat sown.
On 27 July 2024: Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad,, arrived at the Lajna (Ladies) marquee for his address. He admonished to uphold highest examples of worship and modesty for their children’s reformation (tarbiyat).
On Saturday 27th July 2024, Ahmadiyya Khalifa in his main address of the second day of the convention highlighted the continuous progress of Islam Ahmadiyyat.
The three convention was inaugurated by Ahmadiyya Khalifa on last Friday (26th July 2024) His Holiness hoisted the Liwa-e-Ahmadiyyat (Flag of Ahmadiyyat).
His Holiness’ inaugural address, the main topic was, Taqwa (God-fearing) is the root of all good deeds:\.
Faith and worldly affairs cannot coexist except in the case where Allah wills and makes a person’s nature so virtuous that even while engaging in worldly business, they still prioritise their faith…………”
A significant portion of His Holiness address was dedicated to discussing taqwa, or righteousness, which he identified as the foundation of all moral and spiritual virtues.
In his final address last Sunday, His Holiness concluded by saying:
It is the task and responsibility of Ahmadi Muslims to inform the world of the benefits of the true peaceful teachings of Islam. May Allah enable us to do so and grant sense to the world.”
The Convention (Jalsa Salana) concluded with a silent prayer led by His Holiness.
The main suspect in the killing of ‘Club Wasantha’ at Athurugiriya, Sujeewa Ruwankumara alias ‘Loku Patty’ has been arrested in Belarus, according to police sources.
He has reportedly been arrested by security service personnel in Belarus, the source said.
Several accomplices of ‘Loku Patty’, who is said to be an organized criminal and a large-scale drug trafficker, were arrested on multiple occasions over attempts to commit murders and for possession of large consignments of drugs.
He is also the main suspect of the recent shooting and killing of ‘Club Wasantha’ at Athurugiriya on July 08, and is suspected to have orchestrated and funded the assassination.
The shocking shooting incident had occurred during the opening ceremony of a tattoo and piercing studio near the Clock Tower in Athurugiriya on July 08 morning.
Six people were rushed to the hospital following the incident. Police later confirmed that 55-year-old businessman Surendra Wasantha Perera, popularly known as Club Wasantha,” and a 38-year-old male had succumbed to their injuries.
Popular singer K. Sujeewa and Wasantha’s wife were reported to be among the four injured persons.
Police have arrested ten suspects including a 21-year-old female and the owner of the tattoo studio in Athurugiriya where the shooting incident took place. The other arrested individuals were suspected to have aided and abetted in the shooting incident.
During the investigations carried out thus far, it has been revealed that the owner of the tattoo studio has received an amount of Rs. 1 million over a period of time, which he claimed to have received from ‘Loku Patty’.
Hon. Helena Jaczek , Liberal MP for Markham-Stouffville, Ontario Hon, Paul Chiang, Liberal MP for Markham -Unionville,Ontario Cc. Hon. Mona Fortier, Liberal MP for Ottawa-Vanier Members of Canadian Parliament Ottawa, On.
30 July 2024
Dear Honourable Members of Parliament, Jaczek, Chiang and Fortier:
Re: Liberal Party’s Muddled Sri Lankan Pro-Tamil Tiger Policies since July 1983: A Critical Study Essay for your Edification
It was October 16, 1970, when I landed at the old Ottawa airport around 4 o’clock in the evening. The sky was filled with droning army helicopters as if it was a scene from a Permian sky filled with humongous dragonflies from almost 300 million years ago. Wasn’t sure of this welcoming scene and that I was such a visible-minority VIP. It was confusing.
I was arriving from London, England, to take up the job as Head of Thematic Research Section of the newly formed Design and Display Division of Canada’s Museums Corporation, to work in creating 15 brand new exhibition Halls at the Victoria Memorial Museum , on Argyle Street in Ottawa. That included the Dinosaur Hall (Life Through the Ages) and Children of the Raven of the West Coast Haida culture, my two favourite Halls.
The following morning I read and heard that the army helicopter-sky was in response to the invoking of the War Measures Act to nip in the bud of the FLQ separatist terrorist movement in the Province of Quebec. Every Street corner in Ottawa had a soldier in army fatigues and Jackboots, carrying a Kalashnikov rifle, on the ready to shoot with a finger on the trigger.
Please Note, we Canadians, who act like a country of Goody-two shoes, admonishing the Sri Lankan Governments for going after the Tamil Tiger terrorists who perfected the assassinating suicide body-pack and took down two heads of Governments, Rajiv Gandhi of India and President Premadasa of Sri Lanka, invoked the draconian War Measures Act to deal with FLQ terrorists who had an armoury of a grand total of 33 firearms, and 21 other offensive weapons Including 3 smoke grenades, 9 hand- knives and 1 sabre. Sri Lanka’s ceremonial army had to deal with thousands of India’s Indira Gandhi’s Army trained Tamil Tiger terrorists with an armoury of thousands of M-16s, AK-47s, rocket launches, land mines, hand grenades, SAMs and millions of live rifle bullets.
That is how smug yours and my Canada is. A down-right Lilly-white Western Bully Parliament, who had the penchant to sing its deriding hymn for the benefit of Sri Lanka that was under pressure of Tamil Tiger terrorism …”We are Holier than Thou!”
Here is my response to one of your Smart-Alec’s who was the MP for Markham-White Church-Stouffville – BILL ATTEWELL, (from Common Debates on TAMILS, in the Hansard of December 12, 1991, page 6203).
Mr. Speaker, there is still an urgent need to halt the killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka…..
The Amnesty International Report stated: Many people have been arbitrarily rounded up, and sometimes killed, on the basis of anonymous accusations of subversive involvement”.
….We must organize a United Nations sponsored commission to investigate the killing and to bring an end to the violence and tragic abuse of human rights….
Also the Tamils in the northern province, especially the Jaffna District, are in dire need of food and medical supplies. People are starving to death. Mr. Speaker, we must offer our assistance.”
Dear Helena, Paul and Mona, I resented that statement by your Colleague MP BILL ATTEWELL. This guy XILL ATXXWELL to me was ILL and not WELL in his head.,
His arrogant-bombast shows that he was a Know Nothing” MP about the TAMILS in Sri Lanka, who were the Privileged minority (12.6%) compared to the Wronged majority (74% Sinhalese.) for 131-years of British Colonial rule.
Read my response of 33-years ago which seems more valid today with the Canadian-charge of Tamil-genocide of today than in 1991, under your leader Prime Minister Justine Trudeau who uses his Bull-horn to tell the world with his charge that when the whole intelligent- world including the UN says that Tamil Genocide never happened.
Believe me, it will help you in your learning curve about the Tamil separatist movement in Sri Lanka, who you Liberals let them collect $2 million dollars a month for 13 long Chretian-Martin Liberal years to stuff the Tamil warchest to buy sophisticated war weapons to kill my innocent Sinhalese people (I am a Sinhalese and a Buddhist).
_____________________________
HERE’S MY RESPONSE
2066 Kings Grove Crescent Gloucester, Ontario K1J 6G1
1 January 1992
Mr. William Attewell, MP (Markham-Whitechurch-Stouffville) House of Commons Ottawa K1N 0A6
Dear Mr. Attewell:
It was with astonishment that we watched you on television on 12th December expressing a righteous, passionate plea for Sri Lankan Tamils and deriding the Government of Sri Lanka for its alleged human rights violations.
Perhaps it had not occurred to you that you were speaking of an island- country whose over 2,500 year old culture is steeped in the tenets of non-violence, and of a people who respect not only humans but all forms of life. Many of them refuse to adopt lucrative employment in aquaculture, poultry farming or rearing of animals for meat, preferring poverty to the sacrifice of their religious belief of not harming any form of life.
You may wonder how violence and brutality can survive among such people. Could it be the circumstances in which they are placed? It is for concerned international voices like yours to understand these circumstances prior to making public statements on Sri Lanka’s ethnic issue.
Over the past decade the Government and people of Sri Lanka have been grappling with violence, terror, and sabotage by Tamil terrorist groups fighting for a separate State Eelam. Wars have never been squeaky clean confrontations to satisfy the human rights lobby, consequently human rights concerns are bound to arise.
It was unfortunate that you singled out the Tamils in your plea when two other ethnic communities in Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese and Muslims are equally, if not more so, affected by Tamil terrorism in the North and the East of the island. A letter from Project Peace” (copy enclosed) to the Whig-Standard of 25 October 1991, chronicles some atrocities by the Tamil terrorists directed towards the Muslim community.
The issue of human rights in Sri Lanka cannot be considered in isolation. Factors such as political, economic and social imperatives have to be taken into account.
Furthermore, the vulnerability of Sri Lanka to external pressures, such as South Indian politics must also be given weight in the assessment of the human rights record. It is too simplistic in terms of international politics is to attack a soft target based on an Amnesty International Report.
We agree that AI has a critical role in the world in raising the world’s consciousness about human rights abuses,but we should be aware of its shortcomings. We think that it is unfair, as AI does, to focus almost entirely on the abuses by governments. So called liberation” organizations of today, such as the Tigers” in Sri Lanka and the
Shining Path” in Peru, commits ghastly human rights violations that AI barely talks about. Condemnation of the government and whimpering about the ‘Tiger” leads to an understandable suspicion in Sri Lanka that AI is somehow biased.. It also angers us that Sri Lanka” is often whipped up by AI as a fundraising ploy.
In Sri Lanka, for the most part, the cause of human rights has fallen into the hands of the wrong people. They parade it as a pseudo-religion, or as a cult of modern knights in shining armour, or, more often than not, as a cover for a shady political group.
Some Sri Lankan NGOs indeed use the cloak of ‘human rights protectors’ to gain respectability and funding from well-meaning donors abroad. Some have even set up Human rights fronts as a ploy to plug partisan politics. Of course, not all human rights Activists fall into these categories as there are some genuine workers who have the intellectual honesty to assess situations and give guidance, It is for you to sift through this maze of human rights lobbyists so that you will not be used by the wrong group to their advantage, Unfortunately, Sir, you seem to have been taken in by some partisan lobbyists.
The West is very good at condemning others for transgressions of one kind or the other, but is certainly not squeaky clean itself.
The treatment of natives during the confrontation at Oka, Quebec, and the treatment in Canada of natives generally, is hardly something that Canadians can boast about.
At Oka, and during the October Crisis of 1970, extraordinary measures had to be taken to meet an extraordinary situation. That’s the point.
In Sri Lanka a democratically elected government is attempting to cope as best it can with violence and brutality by anti-democratic opponents. We pontificate from peaceful Canada –but how dare we?! Human Rights are not necessarily the first order of business when confronted with Kalashnikovs.
Although Sri Lankan society has been taken to its foundations by the terrorism of Tamil separatists and the nihilism of Sinhalese JVP extremists, it is doing its best to preserve the deep-seated traditions of an orderly society and an independent judiciary. The report you read from Amnesty International will say nothing about such things.
If AI’s report has not provided you with the facts about the many democratic mechanisms that have been put in place by the Sri Lankan Government to deal with the alleged disappearances”, abuse of fundamental rights”, excesses by security personnel when fighting Tamil terrorism to instill law an order”, human rights violations’,
etc., then your political analysts should have briefed you well for you to make a fair comment about SriLanka in the Canadian parliament. These democratic measurers are:
The Independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate reported cases of involuntary removal of persons. This 5-member Commission is headed by a retired Supreme Court judge;
A Human Rights Task Force chaired by a retired senior judge to maintain a comprehensive register of detainees, to ensure humane treatment, and the safe custody of persons at the point of release to establish the identity of persons reported to be missing;
A Presidential Task Force to monitor alleged human rights violations and expedite investigations;
A Special Commission on Excesses headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court to deal with the alleged excesses committed by security personnel during the act of duty;
The Jayalath Commission on persons taken into custody on suspicion of subversive activity, and for the release of those against whom there is no evidence of such activity, and
Acceptance by the Sri Lanka Cabinet, in December 1991, of 28 out of
32 recommendations made by AI in its recent report. This is a landmark decision that surely tells us that the Sri Lanka government is making a serious effort to improve its human rights record despite the horrific pressures from the Tigers”. Have you heard from the Tigers”?
You in your plea also said that – the Tamils in the Northern Province especially in the Jaffna District are in dire need of food and medical supplies. And people are starving to death.”
This comment of yours is typical of Canada’s hypocritical-piety.
Do you not recall that food and medicines were blocked from going into the detoxification center at Oka, in an effort to force the Mohawk Warriors to surrender in the Summer of 1990? It is a perfectly legitimate technique” said Justice Minister Kim Campbell. How easily the political leaders of Canada, who endlessly mouth the great quotations of democracy and human rights, can forget all that stuff in the face of a serious test. Let us not forget that Sri Lanka is facing a civil war where a group of Tamil terrorists, trained, fed, paid, and armed by India are challenging the right to govern by an elected parliament.
Your political analysts failed you again with respect to food. The Sri Lankan Government has been very conscious of this responsibility and, with the help of the ICRC, has been transporting around 8,000 to 10,000 tons of essential foods and medicines monthly by sea in chartered ships to the Jaffna peninsula and the Eastern Province. There are also 726 welfare centres to deal with the situation.
These factual information items prove positive that, as I told you earlier, You are a Know Nothing Canadial MP on Sri Lanka. And you have no legitimate right to pontificate about Sri Lanka in Our Canadian parliament.
Since October, following the onset of the north-east monsoon, the Commissioner-General of Essential Services chartered six ships to ferry food and other essentials to the war stricken areas.
You may be interested to know that since October 20, 1991, 14,707 metric tonnes of food have been sent to Jaffna peninsula. This supply includes 4,750 mt of rice, 7,485 mt of flour, 990 mt of sugar, 1,352 mt of pulses, 105 mt of milk foods, and 25 mt of assorted items. Besides these foods 4,300 mt of fertilizer and 39 mt of kerosene have also been sent.
This certainly questions your arrogant bombast in Our Canadian Parliament, the veracity of your passionate plea, Also the Tamils in the northern province, especially the Jaffna district, are in dire need of food and medical supplies. People are starving to death. Mr. Speaker, we must offer our assistance”. Mr. Attewell, all that doesn’t say much for the truth-seeking- smartness of you Canadian parliamentarians who are sucking up to the Tamils to plead for their votes!
I have difficulty trusting your honesty when you said, Mr.Speaker, we must offer our assistance.” If that is indeed your conscious plea, then let us as honest Canadians be courageous enough to understand the cosmic laws of Cause and Effect”, as it applies to Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict.
Although the Cause” of the ethnic conflict is multi-dimensional, poverty, hunger and lack of employment opportunities surface dominantly in the social and political conflicts on this island nation.
If your intention is to assert your plea in the Canadian Parliament, then it would be an act of humane advocacy for you to recognize and uphold Food as a Human Right” and help Sri Lanka with aid for its development to fight poverty and hunger and provide employment to the unemployed. These Factors have been identified as part of the reason for the ethnic conflict.
Where countries have affirmed their commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, their ”development:” in countries like Sri Lanka should not be tied to human rights. As Minister Babara McDougall said, :”aid cannot be turned on and off like a light switch”. This would be a regressive, clumsy way to punish unfairly a country which is trying hard to function as a true democracy.
Democratic Sri Lanka is fighting a conventional war against foreign-trained Tamil terrorists who support the power of the bullet over the ballot to claim their racist, mono-ethnic, separate Tamil State Eelam.
Canadian know, or ought to know, how difficult the job of government is in a multi-ethnic democracy. We have the advantage of relative peace in Canada, and responsible neighbours who do not fuel armed conflict. It is surely irresponsible to pontificate about conflicts in faraway places like Sri Lanka which is 8,524 miles away from us, jeopardising desperately needed developmental programmes and darkening reputations, without knowing all the facts. Would you not agree with me how wrong you were – a Knowing Nothing about Sri Lanka, Canadian politician who had the audacity to pontificate about that democratic island nation!
Yours sincerely,
Sgd. Asoka Weerasinghe (Mr.)
cc. Hon.John Fraser, M.P., P.C., Speaker, House of Commons, Canada
Mr. Walter McLean, M.P.,Chairman Human Rights Committee, House
of Commons, Canada
Ms. Beryl Gaffney, M.P.,Liberal Party Human Rights Critic
Mr. Sven Robinsion, M.P., NDP, Human Rights Critic
Hon. Monique Landry, M.P.,Minister for International Development
The Ravana project is quite different to the Ramayana Trail. The Ramayana trail links Buddhist Sri Lanka with Hindu India. The Ravana project goes in the opposite direction. The Ravana project aims at removing Gautama Buddha from the temples of Sri Lanka and substituting Ravana as the main idol there. Eventually, Ravana will also be removed and the Buddhist temple will be deserted. That is the plan.
The Ravana movement is not interested in developing a separate Ravana cult. There are no separate Ravana temples. The Ravana shrines are set inside Buddhist temples. They are deliberately placed at sites where Buddhists come to worship. Ravana statues are also available for purchase for worship at home. In this way, Ravana is placed in a Buddhist devotional framework, a Buddhist worldview and Buddhist time frame. Ravana worship is intended to help in the elimination of Gautama Buddha and his doctrine from Sri Lanka.
The Ravana project is carried out by small groups of persons. Sri Devram Vihara in Pannipitiya appears to be taking the leading role in this. This vihara tried to introduce Ravana worship to Meemure, but it failed to catch on. There was opposition from the villagers.
A group of Ravana supporters were present at the RASSL symposium on the Ramayana Trail in 2010. I think they called themselves Ravana Brothers. When anything was said in support of Ramayana trail, this group clapped. After some time they left, smiling, cheerful, cocky. They were satisfied that their Ravana project was not under discussion.
Ravana is held in high contempt in India, but not in Sri Lanka. The Ramayana was recognized by the maverick Sri Rahula who lived in the time of Parakramabahu VI (1412- 1467). Sri Rahula’s sandesa poems refer to Rama, Ravana, Sita and Vibhishana. Selalihini Sandesa refers to a Vibhishana devale. Vibhisana was l Ravana’s brother. Udarata period folk poetry makes a fuss of Ravana.
The present day arguments in support of Ravana-in-Sri-Lanka are very weak and imaginary. I have listed them in a previous essay. Here are two additions to that list. At a talk I attended on evidence for the Ramayana trail, the speaker said that the letters ‘ra-ma’ or ‘ra-va-na’ were plentiful in the inscriptions. There was also a travel documentary where, among other absurdities, the Asoka flower was used to show that Ravana lived in Sri Lanka.
The flattering emphasis on Ravana continues. Tara Jayasekera, who lives in Melbourne, published a piece on Ravana in October 2020 .This was repeated in Lankaweb of July 2024 where it hit the most read” ranking. Tara is an artist by profession, also a creative writer focusing on love, mental health, and the human experience.
Every story has two sides said Tara Jayasekera. Ravana is not a Demon King to Sri Lankans. He’s the Greatest Emperor in World History and No, He’s not Evil. .Ravana was an emperor who lived about 5000 years ago in Sri Lanka. some believe Ramayana to be a semi-fiction woven around a real King who ruled over Sri Lanka from 2554 to 2517 BC. Sri Lanka is able to show human habitation to 125,000 years and beyond, noted Tara.
Ravana usurped the Kingdom of Lanka From his stepbrother Kuvera, said Tara .Lanka was an idyllic city, created by the celestial architect Vishwakarma and was the home of Kuwera, the treasurer of the gods, when Ravana demanded Lanka from him, threatening to take it by force. Ravana’s Kingdom had mainly concentrated around the Eastern and Southern corners of the country and it is believed to have been lost to the sea, said Tara.
Although Ravana usurped Lanka, he had been a benevolent and effective ruler. Lanka flourished under his rule .it is said that Ravana ruled Lanka for several hundred years prior, to the Ramayana period, when he was killed by prince Rama for kidnapping his wife Sita, continued Tara.
Ravana was a descendant of ‘Surya Wansha’ of ‘Hela Yakka’ tribe. .He was a devout follower of the god Shiva, said Tara. But some even go as far as to insist that Ravana was a Buddhist king and holds him to be the creator of monasteries found in Sri Lanka like Kuragala and Rahalgala. He is also believed to have authored Ravana Sanhita, an anthology of Hindu astrology.
Rama came and overthrew one of the greatest rulers of the world with the assistance of his brother Vibhishana, bringing down one of the most advanced civilizations in the history, concluded Tara. She notes that according to ola manuscripts, rock inscriptions and folklore Ravana is still with us, he is not dead.
The government of Sri Lanka also decided to stand by Ravana. In 2020 the government ran a newspaper advertisement urging people to share documents, books, and research material regarding Ravana. Ravana was the ruler of Sri Lanka during the era of Lord Rama .The advertisement was issued by the Tourism and Aviation Ministry. (Daily News 22.7.20 p 10)
The notice said that the government of Sri Lanka wanted to conduct in-depth research on Ravana and the aviation history of the country. The government believes that 5000 years ago Ravana had invented the first airplane and that Ravana was the first aviator in the world. The country is now eager to discover the methods used to fly in the ancient period.
Civil Aviation Authority is starting a research project on ‘King Ravana and the ancient domination of the aerial routes that is now lost’, reported the media. when asked why the Civil Aviation Authority was helming the project, CAA said We are the main aviation regulatory authority in Sri Lanka. Since there are multiple stories over the years about Ravana flying an aircraft and covering these routes, we want to study this matter.”
As a first step in the research, the Civil Aviation Authority has started collecting documents, books and other historical content related to King Ravana. Civil Aviation Authority said that the government has ‘irrefutable facts’ to prove that Ravana was the first person to fly an aircraft. King Ravana was a genius. He was the first person to fly. He was an aviator. This is not mythology; it’s a fact. There needs to be detailed research on this. In the next five years, we will prove this,” Civil Aviation Authority said.
P. Balachandran, reporting for India said When the media reported that the Sri Lankan Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has issued a newspaper advertisement in Sinhala urging people to share documents, books, and research material on Ravana, the legendary king of Lanka, it was not a surprise for students of Sri Lankan nationalism. Far from being a villain (as portrayed in Valmiki’s Ramayana), Ravana has been celebrated by the majority Sinhalese in Sri Lanka as a cultured and creative icon and a defender of the island against a foreign invader. The advertisement said that the Ministry is conducting in-depth research on King Ravana and the ancient domination of the aerial routes that is now lost”. Ravana is believed to have manufactured an aircraft called Dandu Monara” (known as Pushpaka Vimana in India). He had used the aircraft to fly to India and several other places overseas.
The Ramayana Trail and the Ravana cult are not projects for simply destabilizing the country. They are part of a deeper, more subtle attack. They are intended to fatally spear the main unifying element in the island, its Sinhala-Buddhism, which is also is strongest point of defence. The Ramayana Trail and Ravana cult, takes us back to the pre Buddhist and pre Sinhala era in Sri Lanka, observed Bandu de Silva.
The series titled Buddhist Viharas and Eelam” concludes with the following observation. A Buddhist lobby must be set up to deal with these matters. The existence of such a lobby alone will be a deterrent.
This Buddhist lobby must make sure that the Kurundi project is completed. It must support the Buddhist temples in the north and east, convert Jaffna to Nagadipa, keep an eye on the Ramayana trail and take Ravana out of the Buddhist temple.
The Sinhala-Buddhist pubic must receive regular bulletins on what it is happening to Kurundi, to Ravana and other related matters. They must be kept informed. That will be another deterrent. (Concluded)
On the 18 th of December 18- 2022, I wrote on LBN that President Ranil Wickremesinghe was attempting to Grow More Food by statute. The President proposed to bring in new laws to ensure food security. It never happened and we are still importing eggs from India. I emphasized that what we should focus on is innovation, systems improvement, incentives, and application. A legalistic approach is not an adequate solution.
Now the President is attempting to transform the economy again by statute by the new legal package designed to provide for the National Policy on Economic Transformation and for the establishment of the Economic Commission of Sri Lanka, Investment Zones Sri Lanka, Office for International Trade, National Productivity Commission, and Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade. This no doubt is another measure to propitiate the IMF.
The Law has two key objectives. One objective is to establish a plethora of new institutions to support the economic transformation. Some of them would replace existing institutions and others will duplicate the work of existing institutions. The immediate problem would be to appoint competent persons to manage them.
The second objective is the Presidents dream or wish list to set legal targets on economic management ranging from setting public debt to GDP below 95% by 2032,Central Govt. gross financing needs to GDP below 13% by 2032,Annual Debt Service in Foreign Exchange to GDP below 4.5 % by 2027, Net Zero on Greenhouse gas balance by 2050, Exports of Goods and Services to GDP 25% to 60% during 2025 – 2040, Net Foreign Direct Investment not less than 5 % of GDP, in 2030 to Primary Balance in the Govt. Budget to reach 2.3% of GDP etc.
A similar bill setting economic targets titled the Fiscal Management (Responsibility) Act No. 3 of 2003 was brought. by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on what should be done in the management of public finances.It had three main objectives. By 2006, the budget gap should be five percent of the Gross Domestic Product and the Government that comes after that should maintain the budget gap below five percent. It also called for a passage of a law requiring total outstanding public debt to be reduced to 65 percent of GDP by 2013. When the Government of Sri Lanka guarantees loans, it should not be more than 4.5 percent of the GDP. If the subsequent Governments had fulfilled these three terms properly, this country would never have gone bankrupt. The tragedy is that the very governments of RW merrily violated those condition. If he had even a modicum of commitment to the essence of the Fiscal Management (Responsibility) Act No. 3 of 2003 he would not have resorted to ISBs during the Yahapalana regime.
It is doubtful whether the targets in the Economic Transformation Act (ETA) are evidence based or merely elite driven. In most countries such targets are evidence based indicative targets set in a National Development Plan (NDP). It is reported that in 2018 there were 134 countries having National Plans. Rather than a piece of legislaion NDPs are based on a participative process which gives the Plan wider ownetrship. Such plans have internal consistency and are formulated by trained professionals on planning. They are built through sectoral plana and are based on availability of resources and the capacity of the institutions involved. An NPD would not be complete without an implemention strategy and an action plan.
During the UNP government of 1977 ‘planning’ was considered a dirty word. To ambitious politicians a plan is an obstruction which deprives him of the flexibility of political and business prioritation. India made use of national planning from the time of Independence and benefitted by it. Planning and Plan Implementation units must be restored for achieving develoment results. No amount of legislation can be a substitution.
In this essay, I return to the topic of the Ramayana trail in Sri Lanka. The RASSL held a well attended seminar on the Ramayana trail in 2010, where many spoke against the Ramayana trail. They commented on the political implications of the Ramayana trail in Sri Lanka. They thought that the Ramayana trail was not intended to lure tourists. It was part of a bigger agenda to present Sri Lanka as a Hindu country.
Why is the Ramayana epic, which remained unacceptable in Sri Lanka for two millennia making inroads now, asked Bandu de Silva. Ramayana Trail challenges Buddhism. It takes us back to the pre Buddhist and pre Sinhala era in Sri Lanka, Bandu said.
Gaston Perera notes that Sri Lanka is using an epic from India, an epic foreign to us, to attract tourists from India. This has at least one dangerous implication. The triumph of Rama over Ravana equals India over Sri Lanka, he observed.
The local Ramayana Trail is a move to subvert our traditional history and major belief systems, said Oliver Abeynayake. There is no Ramayana trail in India. Ramayana sites are not tourist sites , they are religious sites, to be worshipped on pilgrimage. The Indian tourists will not be ordinary tourists but Hindus obsessed with the idea of the supremacy of Rama and Sita. .
Such pilgrimages can lead to violence. A confrontational situation could be created. The Hindu population in India is highly nationalist and religious and these could be used as a pretext for war. The Tamil issue was bad enough, a Hindu intervention would be worse, concluded Oliver Abeynayake.
Someone must look into this Ramayana trail, said the alarmed audience at the RASSL seminar in 2010. This is no laughing matter. Ravana and Rama sites are now put into places of local historical significance, such as Yudaganawa. This makes it political. We must stop the Tourist Board from continuing with this.
Critics wanted to know on what evidence the Tourist Board is arranging Ramayana trails in Sri Lanka. They say that before this myth gets crystallized, the validity of these sites should be examined. Sri Lanka’s past cannot be distorted merely to attract Indian tourists. Inscriptions have been defaced.
Members of a Tour Guides Association led by their President also attended the RASSL symposium. They did not speak up at the Symposium but told me later that they had serious reservation about the Ramayana trail, though they conducted Ramayana tours.
Sudath Gunasekera commented on the matter in April 2024. He pointed out that the 21 Ramayana trail sites cover the entire island. He provides two maps, one with the sites, second with the route.[1]
Sudath continued, I think it is very dangerous to allow this project, particularly in the context of Modi’s present plan of Indian territorial expansion. They may try to use this project to build up a case for amalgamation of the Island to India.
I strongly suggest These Ramayana tours should adhere to a strictly laid down pilgrimage tour program, the breach of which should be the discontinuation of the trail programme forth with. I suggest the following conditions should be included in the list of conditions to the tourists.
i.The Indian Government or any of their local agents should not put up any monuments of Rama or any god or Hindu religious symbols such as Lingas or any such buildings on any one of these spots in the guise of even pilgrim rests. They should use only facilities available in local tourist hotels.
ii.Neither the Indian Government or any one of their agents either Indian or local should be allowed to put up any religious monuments on these places as it will harm the historical local Sinhala Buddhist cultural landscape, concluded Sudath.
There is considerable evidence against a Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka. Researchers say that the present Sri Lanka is not the Lanka of Ravana. It is not the Lanka in the Ramayana. Both India and Sri Lanka agree on that. Sri Lanka was known to Indians in the ancient period as Simhala or Tamraparni, and not as Lanka.
According to Indian archaeologist, Sankalia, Lanka is a Mundari word which means an ‘island’. People of Sonpur on the Madhya Pradesh-Andhra-Orissa border traditionally regard it as ‘Pashchim Lanka’ (western Lanka).
Critics say that neither Hanuman nor Sita ever came here and there was no Ravana either. Sita Eliya in Nuwara Eliya district has nothing to do with the Rama and Sita story. ‘Sita’ is derived from ‘seethala’, which means cold.
However, Director General of Sri Lanka Tourist Development Authority, S. Kailselvam said in 2010 it is not our job to verify historical accuracy but to encourage tourism, which is what we are doing by promoting the Ramayana trails. As long as people believe in these sites we will promote it.
The government of Sri Lanka supports the Ramayana trail. . In September 2023 As part of activities to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi initiated a book project on Ramayana sites titled In the Footsteps of Rama; A Cultural Journey through India and Sri Lanka”. The book will feature the Ramayana sites both in India and Sri Lanka giving historical, archeological and mythological aspects of these sites.
There is Indian support for the Ramayana trail as well. Indian cultural Centre, Colombo had a seminar on Ramayana trail in Colombo. Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, the Treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Ayodhya, India, arrived in Sri Lanka in May 2024, accompanied by a team of delegates from Ayodhya Shri Ram Mandir to inaugurate the Ramayana trail. He was invited by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to promote religious tourism between the two countries. This brings a Hindutva link to the Ramayana Trail.
The Hindutva ideology wishes to see Hindu hegemony in India. The BJP officially adopted Hindutva as its ideology. Hindutva believe that events in Hindu mythology are true. But, there is disagreement on Hindutva in India itself. One section of India is virulently opposed to Hindutva, and that group find themselves critiquing Hinduism and Ramayana as well.
India is recognizing this slim Hindu component in Sri Lanka .Indian Prime Minister Modi was to have worshipped at Nallur, but due to practical difficulties, worshiped at another Kovil, on his Jaffna visit. Princess Anne did not visit a kovil in Jaffna on her visit here, but visited a kovil in Colombo.
Sri Lanka is now becoming more Hindu than it was before. Sri Lanka now has two sets of Hindu kovils, Siva kovils worshipped by the Ceylon Tamils and Vishnu kovils worshiped only by tourists from India. The Ramayana trail is not patronized by local Hindus. The Hindus of Sri Lanka are Saivites and they worship in Siva temples. The Ramayana trail is connected to Vishnu worship. Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu. Therefore the Ramayana trail is for Hindus from India.
The main Ramayana temples are flourishing. The Mandalabiseka religious ceremony of the Seetha Amman Kovil of Nuwara Eliya was held in 2024 with the participation of hundreds of local and foreign devotees. The ceremonies commenced with a procession carrying the offerings and statues of Rama, Seetha, Lakshmana and Hanuman, Prior to this Mandalabiseka festival, the Kumbhabhisheka festival, which is held every eight years, was held at Seetha Amman Kovil in Nuwara Eliya on May , with the participation of Hindu devotees from many countries including India and Nepal. A special stone pillar was brought to Sri Lanka from the Rama Temple in Ayodhya to place in the Seetha Amman Kovil. A stone plaque brought from Janakpur, Nepal, birthplace of Goddess Seetha, was placed in the Kovil.
Holy Hanuman temple at Wavendon Ramboda hills by Chinmaya missions of India. There were large crowds at its first anniversary, in 2002 with thousands of devotees drawn mainly from the plantations sector, the procession went with the statue of Holy Hanuman to Sita Amman Temple at Seetha eliya, where Hindu poojas were held.
The Ramayana trail project is sailing along nicely, with several ‘inaugurations’, many tour groups and varying itineraries. Agitation about Ramayan trail seems to have died down. But the agitation probably helped to halt the use of the Ramayana trail for political purposes. (Continued)
