By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Parliament, July 26 (Daily Mirror)- The Speaker and Chairman of the Constitutional Council (CC) said today that removing the IGP requires a special procedure and the situation with regard to the IGP cannot be resolved by the President, and the matter must be sorted out in court if necessary.
The Speaker, announcing his stance on the injunction order on the IGP issued by the Supreme Court, told Parliament that in terms of the Constitution, if an official appointed by the Constitutional Council and Parliament is removed from the position, a special procedure needed to be followed and that in his opinion the President is also not in a position to take a decision on the Supreme Court’s injunction order on the IGP.
“If not, we will have to go before the Supreme Court again to resolve the matter,” he said.
The Speaker refuted claims that a wrong decision taken by the Speaker in the appointment of the IGP has led to the whole episode and said he took the decision to vote to appoint the IGP as per the Constituional provisions.
High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, Ambassador Admiral (R) Ravindra C Wijegunaratne on Friday said the people of Sri Lanka esteemed Pakistan as a friendly country unlike any other nation for its unprecedented support against terrorism.
He was addressing the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS)’s seminar on Building on Pakistan-Sri Lanka Cooperation” in Islamabad as the keynote speaker.
Ambassador Ravindra said Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister and the world’s first female premier Sirimavo Bandaranaike despite her close relationship with her Indian counterpart Indira Gandhi gave safe passage and permission to Pakistan to use its airspace and Colombo air base during its 1971 War.
However, Sri Lank fought thirty years long worst war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), he said, adding, No nation supported us like Pakistan in this war and we have memory like elephants to keep it intact in our minds.”
The Pakistan Armed Forces, he said had forged deep ties with the Sri Lankan military that played a crucial and decisive part in the war against LTTE.
Sri Lanka, he said had 74% Buddhist,16% Muslims and the remaining part of population comprising of Hindus. Pakistan is sitting on a goldmine of Gandhara civilization based Buddhist site whereas 9.3 million Buddhist globally visit their religious sites world over that can be tapped by Pakistan to benefit its tourism sector and national economy,” he suggested.
Sri Lankan nation, he said is the largest exporter of eye cornea and had exported around 88,000 corneas world over with more than 36,000 sent to Pakistan. Every Sri Lankan writes in his last will that if possible his or her eyes be donated to a Pakistani,” he added.
Commenting on the mutually shared cultural affinities between the friendly nations, he said the Lankan nation’s religion is cricket. Sri Lanka has great curiosity of having green shirts facing Sri Lanka’s women cricket team in Asia Cup semi finals and wants Pakistan to defeat India in the finals.”
Ambassador Ravindra mentioned that there were 120 items that could be imported and exported without tax after the free trade agreement (FTA) of Pakistan with Sri Lanka.
He said, We have no direct flights between the two countries as there’s very low competition among the local and regional players. It needs to be addressed to boost tourism and close tries.”
LOLC microfinance bank of Sri Lanka has 85 branches in Pakistan including one in the federal capital that is supporting small entrepreneurs particularly females to get easy loans for their businesses, he said.
In his opening remarks, President IRS, Ambassador Jauhar Saleem said the relationships between Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been cordial since independence. He added that South Asia would have been a different region if the entire region had such level of ties.
During times of conflict and peace both the countries helped each other whereas their position and terms on key matters at international foras has been tremendous, he added.
He mentioned that both the nations had witnessed improved trade and investment cooperation in recent years, whereas Pakistan’s Buddhism tourism potential demands to build a dialogue on it.
Ambassador Saleem said, Sri Lankan foreign minister is coming to Pakistan after a hiatus of two years after the Covid-19 pandemic that would resume bilateral talks.”
He commended that the Sri Lankan ambassador is very popular in Pakistan and got the highest award of Nishan-i-Imtiaz.
Ambassador Seema Elahi Baloch former high commissioner to Sri Lanka said the country helped Pakistan graciously during dengue outbreak in Punjab.
However, We have been supporting each other internationally at global foras and will continue to do so. The Defence Cooperation between the two is important and will be galvanized further, whereas at the moment both the nations have $1 billion trade volume that can be scaled up to $2.7 billion,” she added.
She underlined that there was a lot of scope for joint ventures to explore pharmaceutical, ayurvedic, plastics and textiles potential.
She noted that encouraging trade links and businesses needed environmental trust with appropriate information, whereas there was no media and cultural exchanges between Sri Lanka and Pakistan that were important in that regard.
Tourism and hospitality industry is one of the mainstays of Sri Lanka. It can guide us on keeping tourist attractions neat and clean, and develop sustainable and eco-friendly hoteling infrastructure,” she added.
Ambassador Baloch also called for promotion of drama and film exchange with the aim to focus on culture and media collaborations to improve economic cooperation through public diplomacy.
Former Ambassador to Sri Lanka, and head of Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies, Major General (R) Saad Khattak delivered a detailed presentation on geography, demography, history, defence collaboration and economic engagement between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pak-Sri Lanka trade is hovering around $400-500 million despite a billion dollars potential despite FTA in 2005 which needs to be enhanced whereas both nations have similar security threats internally and externally,” he added.
He mentioned that Pak-Sri Lanka ties remained security centric throughout that made the country’s relevance decreasing amid the latter’s policy shift over geoeconomics.
He highlighted that the attitude of both the countries’ leadership and bureaucracy was taking toll on the current ties that demanded diversification of ties and proactive leadership in the foreign office domain.
Prof Dr Shaheen Akhtar HOD at National Defence University (NDU) said Sri Lankans admire and love Pakistanis at the grassroots level. She shared her memories during her fellowship in Sri Lanka.
She added that both nations have religious, cultural connectivity and social affinity but despite all commonalities there was lack of full scale cooperation, whereas trade and investment needed to be promoted through joint ventures especially in the textile sector.
DG South Asia and SAARC, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Illyas Mehmood Nizami said Sri Lanka has achieved great human development with limited resources whereas political good will and commitment on both sides was the basis of cordial and robust relationships between the two nations.
Sri Lanka was the first country in the world with which Pakistan signed it’s first FTA. We should also focus on services exports and trade as well as defence is another important dimension of this relationship,” he added.
He mentioned that on Buddhism and shared history, the Ministry was working on this important aspect and that’s why it had hosted an international symposium to showcase Gandhara Civilization potential.
The Sri Lankan Minister for Religious Affairs and high ranking monks participated in that seminar, he added.
The Election Commission of Sri Lanka has issued the Gazette notification announcing the date of the 2024 Presidential Election and the date for the accepting of nominations.
Accordingly, the Presidential Election will be held on 21 September, 2024 and Nominations will be accepted on 15 August 2024, according to the Gazette notification.
The Gazette states that the term of the President expires on November 17, 2024 and, that the poll for the election of the President shall be taken not less than one month and not more than two months before the expiration of the term of office of the President in office, as stipulated in Article 31 (3) of the Constitution.
Thereby, the Election Commission declares 15th August 2024 as the date of nomination of candidates for the Election of the President and the office of the Election Commission in Rajagiriya, as the place of nomination of candidates for the said election.
The Gazette also declares 21st September 2024, as the date for holding the poll for the presidential election.
Revolution, Romance, Femininity and Music”: A response
Having read about Inessa Armand in the sixties, who was laid to rest in Kremlin Wall Necropolis in the Red Square Moscow in 1920, the first woman revolutionary to receive this honour, I never thought that she would reappear in a Sri Lankan newspaper after more than a century. Thanks to Satyajith Andradi (SA) for introducing her to Sri Lankan readers in The Island of 10 July 2024 (Inessa Armand – revolution, romance, femininity and music”). I am beyond grateful to him for not using vulgar phrases used by some Western writers to tarnish Inessa’s and Lenin’s images depicting Inessa as Lenin’s mistress” or secret lover” and Lenin’s wife as a deadweight”.
I do not pretend that I know something about music or of great musicians or that I am a film buff. This brief account on Lenin and Inessa is aimed at just to share my readings about these two great revolutionaries and nothing more.
Inessa Fyodorovna Armand (1874-1920) joined the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) in 1904; she was a professional revolutionary, a prominent and an active member of the international working class and communist movements. She did party work in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Zurich, Geneva, Berne and many other European cities. During the first world war she played an active part under Lenin’s guidance in the organisation of the international women’s and youth conferences. She was entrusted by Lenin with the task of spreading Bolshevik ideas among the French socialists, young people and trade unionists. She played an important role in the Great October Revolution. After the October Revolution she functioned as a member of the Moscow Gubernia (Governorate) Committee of the Communist Party and the Moscow Gubernia Executive Committee and the Chairman of the Moscow Gubernia Economic Council. From 1918 she oversaw the Women’s Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks).
Why is SA writing about Inessa and Lenin now? In Sri Lanka the Communists of yesteryear, never discussed revolutionary work of Inessa. Even the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks)” (1951), mentions Lenin’s arrival from exile in only two sentences. Do we have any historical moments to commemorate now? Yes. When Lenin was in exile in Zurich, from 1914 Germany was butchering Russian soldiers in their thousands on the eastern front. It was during 1918-1920, foreign military intervention, blockade of the infant Soviet Country and the bourgeois -landlord- White Guard counter revolution took place. The Soviet Republic defeated the combined forces of British- French – Polish- Japanese interventionists and bourgeois -landlord- White Guard counter revolution.
SA quotes what Maxim Gorky had recollected about Lenin’s comments on ‘Appassionata’, at Yekaterina Peshkova in Moscow one evening, listening to Isaiah Dobrovein playing Beethoven’s sonatas” (Collected Works of Maxim Gorky, Volume 27). Yekaterina Peshkova was Gorky’s first wife; Isaiah Dobrovein was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer. Catherine Merridale also in her book, Lenin on the Train” (First US edition 2017) quotes Gorky, but the translation differs.
SA asks: how Lenin acquired such a refined appreciation of classical music”? Dmitry Ilych Ulyanov, Lenin’s brother and one of the veterans of the Bolshevik Party gives some clues: Vladimir Ilych learned to play piano when he was still a boy. Mother used to say that he had a fine ear and an aptitude for music.” According to Dmitry, Vladimir Ilych gave up music when he entered the Gymnasium not because it interfered with his studies; in those days piano playing was considered rather an unsuitable occupation for boys. But Dmitry adds that all his life Vladimir Ilych loved music and always appreciated its finer points. Dmitry recollects his visit to the opera with Vladimir Ilych when they were living in Kazan in 1888. Vladimir had gone to the opera even when he had been under police surveillance!
Dmitry adds that their mother was very fond of the piano. She played and sang many of the old airs and love songs and had a liking for selections from the opera Askold’s Grave” and sang some parts of it (opera by Alexey Verstovsky). He recalls Volodya (Vladimir) often humming melodies from the opera and singing with Olga (Lenin’s sister, best and closest companion in his childhood and youth, who died when she was only eighteen years) as his accompanist. Dmitry says that Volodya knew of Heine’s lyrics and Faust. Nadezhda Krupskaya also recalls that when they were exiled in Siberia, they had a copy of Faust and a volume of German poet Heine’s poems, both in German.
When their family was staying in Samara region in the Summer of 1889, Olga had been playing on the piano and finished with the Marseillaise; just then Vladimir Ilych came into the room quite unexpectedly and asked Olga and Dmitry to sing The Internationale; it was the first time that Dmitry heard The Internationale; hardly anyone in Russia knew it then. Vladimir Ilych sat down at the piano with Olga and they played the new tune and then sang it together in French. (From Reminiscences of Lenin by His Relatives”, 1956)
During their second emigration to Paris, Vladimir Ilych found pleasure in frequenting cafes and suburban theatres in Paris to listen to revolutionary chansonniers (poets, song writers, singers) of the working class, says Krupskaya. They had the services of a French charwoman (a cleaner) a couple of hours a day. Once Ilych heard her singing a song about Alsace. He asked her to sing it over again and memorided the words he often sang: You have seized Alsace and Lorraine, but in spite of that we shall remain French; you have managed to Germanise our fields, but never will you have our hearts”.
I do not intend to go into details of what authors and their works Lenin liked most and his comments on those works. Lenin had written many articles on art and literature. Nadezhda Krupskaya in her recollections (Reminiscences of Lenin by His Relatives”, (1956) and Recollections of Lenin” (1931)), Maxim Gorky (Collected Works”), Clara Zetkin, one of the founders of the German Communist Party and outstanding figure in German and International working-class movement, ( My Recollections of Lenin” (1956)), Anatoly Lunacharsky, prominent revolutionary and People’s Commissar of Education and Chairman of the Academic Council of the USSR (1932) and many others had shed much light on this aspect.
But how he cultivated a profound love for the music of Beethoven”? In Lenin’s many writings on art and literature we don’t come across any reference either to Beethoven or music, although Engels only in one instance refers to Beethoven in his Notes on Germany”: Economic position of Germany during the Continental Blockade – The period of greatest humiliation from abroad coincides with a period of great brilliance in literature and philosophy while music reaches its culmination in Beethoven”.
Now some thoughts about the letters written by Lenin to Inessa Armand. The letters that Lenin had written appear in his Collected Works, Volumes 34, 36, 37, 44 and 45 respectively; Volume 37 carries letters Lenin had written to his relatives, his mother (Maria Alexandrovna), wife Krupskaya, brother Dmitry (Mitya), sisters Maria (Manyasha) and Anna (Anyuta) and brother-in-law (Mark Yelizarov) respectively. His letters to Inessa Armand appear in Collected Works Volume 35, February 1912- December 1922, Letters (First Printing 1966) and Collected Works Volume 43, December 1893- October 1917, Letters (First Printing 1969) respectively. It should not be construed that all these two volumes contain letters written by Lenin only to Inessa Armand. They contain hundreds of letters written by Lenin to prominent people of the day including Maxim Gorky and Lunacharsky, Marxist theorists, party leaders, leaders of the international workingmen’s and Communist movement, revolutionaries, many institutions and bodies. All in all, Volume 35 contains 321 letters and Volume 43 includes 587 letters respectively. Volume 35 carries 23 letters Lenin had written to Inessa, and Volume 43 contains 69 letters written to her if my calculations do not deceive me! Letters that appear in Volume 43 are very short compared to letters included in Volume 35 and some are postcards. (I recall how I carried home 45 volumes of Lenin, weighing more than 50 kilos with great difficulty, from the People’s Publishing House, then at Kumaran Ratnam Mawatha, Slave House).
In the letters Lenin had written to Inessa he addressed her as Dear Friend”, sometimes writing greetings in English and many expressions and some phrases in French or English. These letters were sent to her from Cracow, Paris, Brussels, Poronin, Berne, Sorenberg (Switzerland), Flums and Zurich.
But in the 92 letters Lenin wrote to Inessa there is no single reference to music, let alone Beethoven. On literature there is only one reference, 35/67 (June 5, 1914) that is, about the new novel she had sent to him written by Vladimir Kirilllovich Vinnichenko , a Ukrainian writer, a bourgeois nationalist who later became a traitor : There’s balderdash and stupidity!” This pretentious crass idiot Vinnichenko, in self-administration has ……compiled a collection that is nothing but horrors – a kind of two-penny dreadful. Brrr…. Muck, nonsense, pity I spent so much time reading it.”
I have not seen the film mentioned by SA. But I have read Catherine Merridale’s Lenin on the Train”, which describes Lenin, who was exiled in Zurich arriving at Petrograd’s Finland Station, with 12 others including Inessa in a sealed railway carriage in a week-long trans-European railway journey (from Zurich ( Switzerland), via Germany, Sweden (crossing to Sweden by ferry) and Finland; three whole days while crossing Germany they could not buy a meal. I think the film director has taken a few creative liberties, adding a bit of movie fantasy to make two Bolsheviks humming the tune from the Appassionata!
SA gives four letter numbers and the dates these letters were written, as they appear in the Collected Works, (43/337 April 11, 1914, sent from Cracow; 43/ 539 January 13, 1917 sent from Zurich; 43/ 541 January 15, 1917 sent from Zurich; 35/84 sent from Berne on 17 January 1915) keeping the readers in dark and suspense. But each of these letters too in my assessment are political in nature.
Now our problem is how to publish our analysis of these 92 letters in a newspaper article. All the letters written by Lenin are totally political in their content, not excluding letters written to Inessa. There are few references which can be described as (i) personal (in 14 letters: that her children are coming to spend the summer with them; advising her to visit new and old friends; asking her to go to the South for sunshine; to go on skiing on the mountains as it is very good for health; Learn the trick; It’s good in the mountains in winter! It’s delightful and smells of Russia”; (nothing strange in this as Lenin had said the same thing to Olga in a letter send to her); Nadya’s illness and her recovery; Nadya intends to write to her); (ii) intimacy and friendliness (in 4 letters: asking her to make a trip somewhere to have a change; not to take his occasional advice in a bad sense”); and (iii) preparing to go back to Russia (in 9 letters). But all these matters appear intertwined with the main political discourse or as postscripts.
In these letters Lenin describes what took place at conferences and meetings, about publications, translations, weaknesses and anti-party activities of some leaders; praising her for her excellent command of French, her translations and the work she had carried out at meetings. He regrets what she had written about free love” in a pamphlet (fortunately not published) and her interpretation of it. He rejects what she had listed as not freedom of love” and asks her if she refutes these, she must show that these interpretations are wrong, indicate which are wrong, replace them by others, if incomplete add those which are missing and whether they are not divided into proletarian and bourgeois demands.
Majority of his letters were intended to correct her misconceptions about slogans such as The Working Men have no country”, defence of the fatherland”; an ideological battle goes on to clear her wrong interpretations of Engels, her political mistakes” and theoretical oddities”. In my opinion you are falling into abstraction and unhistoricalness”. To identify, even compare the international situations of 1891 and 1914 is the height of unhistoricalness”. Indicating her political mistakes, he criticizes her for not assessing what is going on politically. Everything depends on the system of political relations before the war and during the war”.
I conclude this essay quoting a part of a letter written by Lenin on 1 April 1914 (35/62): he begs her pardon for a comment he had made in a previous letter: with this we come to know that Lenin had used the words Holy Virgin”. Please don’t be angry, it was because I’m fond of you, because we are friends, but I can’t help being angry when I see something that recalls the Holy Virgin”. We don’t know whether it was a slip of the pen” or he was referring to the virtues of Holy Mary.
Krupskaya mentions a visit Lenin and she paid after Inessa’s death, to see their young friend Varya Armand (Inessa’s daughter), who lived in a commune for art school students”. Later she (Varvara Alexandrovna Armand), studied at the Higher Art Technical Studios.
Sri Lanka central bank lowered its policy rates unexpectedly by 25 basis points on Wednesday as inflation is expected to remain below the target over coming months.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka decided to reduce the Standing Deposit Facility Rate by 25 basis points to 8.25 percent and the Standing Lending Facility Rate to 9.25 percent.
The bank had reduced rates by a cumulative 625 basis points since 2023.
“The Board underscored the need to signal its desire to continue eased monetary conditions to sustain the revival of economic activity towards the full potential, in the absence of significant inflationary pressures,” the bank said in a statement.
The central bank said financial institutions are expected to transmit the benefits of easing by adjusting lending rates.
The board expects inflation to remain below the target of 5 percent by a ‘sizeable margin’ for the next several months before aligning with the targeted level over the medium-term.
Due to the downward revisions to the electricity tariffs and fuel and gas prices and weaker demand, headline inflation fell to 1.7 percent in June.
Last month, the International Monetary Fund released $336 million tranche to Sri Lanka to support its economic policies and reforms.
The executive board on completion of Article IV consultation said monetary policy should continue prioritizing price stability, supported by a sustained commitment to refrain from monetary financing and safeguard central bank independence.
The European Union said it had not conducted a survey that showed Sri Lanka’s opposition alliance was projected to win in the upcoming presidential election, contrary to false claims shared in news reports and on social media. A spokesperson for the EU told AFP the information was “false.”
“According to a new survey by the European Union, the compass will win in the presidential election,” read the Sinhala-language headline of a news article published by Sri Lankan website LankaeNews on July 16.
The opposition coalition National People’s Power (NPP) is often referred to as “the compass” because of the party’s symbol (archived link). Its candidate is Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The news report went on to say that 53 percent of the purported survey’s respondents preferred NPP, while 24 percent picked Sajith Premadasa, leader of Sri Lanka’s main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna — the party of deposed president Gotabaya Rajapaksa — got six percent. It has yet to field any candidate as of July 23.
The outlet also published the report in English, and shared the false claim in both languages on its Facebook page here and here.
Screenshot of the news article with the false claim, taken on July 22
Local media outlet PFP News published an article with the same false claim here.
Similar claims were also shared on Facebook here and here.
The election commission said that it would announce the date of the presidential election before the end of this month.
It will be the first presidential election in the South Asian country since it was hit by an economic crisis in 2022, one which triggered widespread protests and led to the resignation of Rajapaksa.
But the EU said it had not conducted such a survey.
Fabricated survey
Lars Bredal, EU’s Chargé d’affaires of the delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, told AFP on July 19 that the bloc was not involved in any such election polls survey.
“The European Union has not conducted election polls survey, the information stating otherwise is false,” he said.
The bloc’s mission in Colombo also posted a statement on social media that similarly denied it had conducted election polls survey in Sri Lanka (archived link).
Saman Sri Rathnayake, commissioner general of elections at the Sri Lanka Elections Commission has previously told AFP that they “have not issued any approval or any permission to anyone to do this sort of opinion polls or surveys”.
AFP has previously debunked claims that the UN refugee agency UNHCR had conducted a survey on the upcoming election.
Retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson joins the MintCast director Mnar Adley to discuss the decline and possible fall of the U.S. empire. It is clear to at least half the world, some four billion people, that the United States is not the power that it once was… Our reputation is in tatters in the world,” he said, laying out parallels between the fall of the Western Roman and Persian empires and today’s United States. The U.S. military is a shadow of its former self and could not beat either Russia or China in a sustained war, Wilkerson says. If a war did break out, then it would likely escalate to nuclear Armageddon quickly. Wilkerson and MintPress News’ Mnar Adley also discuss the big geopolitical hot topics of the day, including Iran, Israel and Gaza. The Israel lobby, Wilkerson claims, constitutes a national security threat. Israel is the greatest and most dangerous foreign agent operating on US soil. There’s no question about that,” he said. Make sure to subscribe to us and become a supporter on Patreon. Support independent watchdog journalism!
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C), also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, poses for a group picture with members of the Palestinian factions during the signing of the Beijing Declaration in Beijing, China, July 23, 2024. Credit: Chinese Foreign Ministry
China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, supports all Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, and supports Palestine in realizing solidarity, unity and independent statehood at the earliest possible date. China has been and will continue to make relentless effort to this end. Mao Ning, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman
China has brought together 14 disparate Palestinian groups and helped them form a unity government that will rule Gaza when the Israeli onslaught ends.
On Tuesday, leaders of the main Palestinian factions—including Hamas and Fatah—signed the Beijing Declaration which establishes an interim national reconciliation government” to rule post-war Gaza. The groundbreaking agreement represents the first step towards rapprochement between traditional rivals who have put their differences behind them in the interests of the beleaguered Palestinian people.
In order to capitalize on the progress they’ve made in Beijing, Palestinian leaders need to call a broad and fully authorized international conference under the auspices of the UN, with regional and international participation.” By doing this, they will draw more attention to their decades-long struggle for self-determination, which is already gaining momentum due to Israel’s genocidal rampage in Gaza. With the establishment of a de facto national unity government, the Palestinians will also be in a position to request international peacekeepers to protect their legal (1967) borders, which Israel fails to recognize, and which are the source of the ongoing dispute. In order for international law to have any meaning, UN resolutions must be enforceable. Thus, the legitimacy of the United Nations depends largely on its ability to establish and defend a Palestinian state against Zionist aggression. This is from an article at the Global Times:
China has made another significant contribution to the peace and stability of a world in turbulence as 14 factions from Palestine, including Fatah and Hamas, with key support from China, reached a historic declaration for nationwide reconciliation in Beijing on Tuesday. Experts said it will be a key step for Palestinian people to achieve their goal of establishing a state and the realization of long-standing peace between Palestine and Israel….
The latest…. events on the Palestine issue and the Ukraine crisis prove that China, which always upholds its stance for peace… is taking concrete actions to contribute to political settlements, despite the US and US-led military alliances like NATO continuing to add uncertainties and obstacles. China will continue with its efforts to ensure that peace processes in different regions of the world can be delivered…
Historic declaration for Palestine…
The core outcome of the reconciliation dialogue among Palestinian factions held in Beijing is to specify that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of all the Palestinian people, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday….
Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the declaration is absolutely historic, significant and unprecedented…. (it) is not just a document, but a feasible roadmap with international support and supervision from not only major regional countries but permanent members of the UN Security Council.”… Global Times
Chinese diplomats expect the path to peace to be implemented in three phases:
Phase 1—To achieve a comprehensive, lasting and sustainable cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, and ensure access to humanitarian aid and rescue on the ground.”
Phase 2—To make joint efforts toward post-conflict governance of Gaza under the principle of Palestinians governing Palestine.” Gaza is an inseparable, integral part of Palestine.
Phase 3—To help Palestine become a full member state of the UN and get down to implementing the two-state solution.”
China should be applauded for bringing the rival factions together and making such a courageous effort to bring the 10 month-long bloodbath in Gaza to an end. They should also be commended for understanding that the broader crisis cannot be resolved without internal reconciliation, which is why China’s foreign ministry arranged to bring all the factions together at one time. Fortunately, the three-day confab helped the leaders to iron-out their differences on key issues including the creation of a provisional national reconciliation government that will be formed according to the consensus of Palestinian factions and the current Basic Law of the Palestine.”
This is a remarkable achievement for China which has already distinguished itself as the world leader in promoting policies of peace and non-intervention. Keep in mind, that China recently helped to reestablish diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia and, also, has made numerous efforts to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine. Wherever hotspots emerge and fighting breaks out, China can be found dousing the flames and trying to bring the opposing-sides to the negotiating table. And while their actions may be ignored by the western media, they are having an impact all the same.
The world needs an actively engaged China to offset the destabilizing effects of Washington’s endless coups, interventions and wars. The Beijing Declaration shows what progress can be made when right-minded leaders act in the interests of peace and conflict resolution.
Colombo, July 24 ( Daily Mirror) – Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera requested the governmnet not let terrorist groups get stuck in political camps as they do not have ethics.
Addressing the media today, he stated that he has all the evidence related to the matter, but he can only present it in Parliament.
“My evidence must be debated in Parliament because that’s where laws are made. It’s not worth showing the evidence to anyone outside Parliament,” he said.
“Since we are not given space by a mainstream party, we need help to get into Parliament to reveal information we have collected over the last 15 to 20 years, provided by members of the traditional Muslim community,” he said.
“We aim to present these extremist and fundamentalist doctrines given to us by some in the Muslim society,” he added.
“I need a place in Parliament to address these issues; otherwise, we have no platform to reveal this information. I need to influence where laws are made,” the thera said.
“Monks don’t need to go to Parliament, but as monks, we have a duty to protect the country’s cultural heritage. I’m trying to save the country,” he said.
“Every time I speak outside Parliament, extremist forces accuse me of hate speech. That’s the truth. These extremist forces, according to their teachings, can kill people and no one dispute that. If we raise our voices, they retaliate. Nowhere in the world is Buddhism taught to keep the head bowed even if the neck is cut,” the Thera said.
The Cabinet of Ministers, which convened an urgent meeting today, has decided to announce its response to the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the Inspector General of Police (IGP) within the next two days after studying in depth the legal aspects of the matter.
The Supreme Court today (24) issued an interim order preventing Deshabandu Tennakoon from performing duties and functioning in the position of the IGP.
The Supreme Court issued this order after granting leave to proceed with the nine petitions, filed by several parties including Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, challenging Tennakoon’s appointment as the IGP.
The Supreme Court had also ordered the President to name a suitable person for the position of IGP, for the duration of the interim order being enforced against Deshabandu Tennakoon.
Accordingly, a special cabinet meeting was called this evening at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, chaired by President Ranil Wickramasinghe.
The Cabinet of Ministers was of the opinion that since the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the IGP was received only this afternoon, adequate time is needed to conduct an in-depth study of the related legal issues.
Accordingly, it was unanimously decided that it would be most suitable to announce the response of the Cabinet in the next two days.
The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to provide a special monthly allowance of Rs. 3,000 to pensioners starting from September 2024 until their salary anomalies are fully addressed, according to Minister Susil Premajayantha.
A separate committee has been appointed regarding the salary disparities in the public service. The committee was appointed to solve the salary disparities in all fields at once. In the meantime, according to the committee’s own opinion, it was decided to give an allowance of Rs.3000 rupees to the pensioners from September. About 700,000 people will get that benefit”, said the minister.
The Japanese government has officially announced the release of funds to resume development projects in Sri Lanka. A press conference was held today (24) at the Ministry of Finance Auditorium, where key figures including Misukoshi Hideyaki, Ambassador of Japan, Tetsuya Yamada, Head of JICA Sri Lanka Office, and Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, addressed the media.
The announcement follows the recent signing of an agreement with the Official Creditors Committee. The Japanese delegation praised Sri Lanka’s successful debt restructuring, which has facilitated the restart of Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects.
Among the projects poised to resume are the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) Development Project, the Colombo Port Eastern Terminal Development Project, the Central Expressway Construction, and the Digital Broadcasting Project. Additionally, discussions are underway to restart the Light Railway Transit (LRT) project, which was previously halted, with a focus on alleviating traffic congestion in Colombo.
This renewed phase of cooperation is expected to significantly impact Sri Lanka’s infrastructure and development landscape.
After the end of the Eelam war, something new was introduced to the Sinhala-Buddhist arena, the Worship of Ravana. Ravana worship has been introduced to Sri Lanka in the post-war period, without much fanfare. This is not the Ramayana Ravana this is Sri Lanka’s very own Ravana, sans Sita.
The west tried to bring attention to Ravana by asking, why Ravana has become so popular among Sinhalese Buddhists in the last decade. The answer is that there is no very great interest in Ravana today. The interest is the same as it ever was. Everyone knows about Ravana and his dandu monara, but is not interested in knowing anything more about Ravana because he is too far away in time.
But there is a little known Ravana movement going on. This is an artificial one, probably externally influenced and foreign funded. It is carried out by a small number of Ravana groups, who are actively involved in promoting Ravana, such as Ravana Shakthi and Ravana Balaya.
One Ravana activist hailed from Kurunegala .He was the president of a popular Ravana research group, has written several books about Ravana and is very active in promoting his Ravana ideas amongst youngsters. He organizes training camps at the Ravana Research Centre. He initiated the construction of a Ravana shrine at a Buddhist site. He has presented the programme Hela Vansaya
Ravana groups have constructed Ravana shrines and consider themselves the lay custodians of these shrines. Processions and rituals are organized around these shrines, and people go on expeditions to explore and ‘reclaim’ the ancient kingdom of Ravana.
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 will help in the elimination of Gautama Buddha and his doctrine.
The text used for this is the Lankavatara Sutra. This Sutra is not known in Sri Lanka , It is used only by Ravana supporters. Interested parties abroad have fed this to them. Ravana devotees are not scholars capable of tracking down this Sutra..
The Lankavatara Sutra belongs to a set of Mahayana sutraswritten in the 4th century. It was translated into Sanskrit by Nanjo Bunyu in 1923. D.T. Suzuki English translation of the Lankavatara Sutra in the 1930s.
According to the Lankavatara Sutra Ravana was a Buddhist who lived in the time of a previous Buddha (Dipankara Buddha). The first chapter of the Lankavatara Sutra (a later addition, according to Suzuki) states that the Buddha was invited by Ravana to preach the dhamma in Lanka. It is said that Ravana first went to see the Buddha, and invited him to come to Lanka. Ravana brought Buddha and his companions in the pushpaka ( a floral chariot that became known as aerial car) to Lanka.
Links to Ravana have been found at Lakegala and Ranamure in Meemure, and also at Laggala. The villagers of Meemure are believed to be descendants of King Ravana and his Yaksha tribe. The website of the Laggala-Pallegama divisional secretariat, says that villagers in Laggalabelieve that they are descended from Ravana and that they are the real yaksha people.
Lakegala has been included in the ancient kingdom of Ravana in Sri Lanka, by Ravana supporters. Villagers living in Lakegala area are the descendants of Ravana, not Vijaya, they said. They are Yaksha
Lakegala was very important for Ravana. Lakegala was Ravana’s war zone. Lakegala was also a point of orientation for sailors. Talaimannar and Koneswaram can be seen from the top of Lakegala. Ravana used it as point of orientation for his dandu monara.
At the top of Lakegala was the observatory of rishi Pulasthi where he studied celestial objects . Ravana and Vishrava, Ravana’s father, also studied astrology there. There were reflective mirrors on top of the mountain. Lastly, Ravana was not dead, he was in an unconscious state and his body was being preserved in a boat full of herbs, in a location in Lakegala.
Villagers in Ranamure believe that Ravana’s power is still present in the village. He is remembered in the village ritual, called the Ravana yakkama which takes place annually in the Ranamure village. Ravana was considered a deity, most often Bandara deviyo, but also Ravana devi, Bandara devi, Gange bandara, Sellam bandara, Brahmana bandara.
The revival of the yakkamas in the first half of the 2010s and the increasing tendency to call them Ravana yakkamas are recent inventions, carried out by Ravana groups.
At Ranamure there has been a deliberate attempt to introduce Ravana worship. Villagers recalled that a ‘cultural program ‘was organized in the village and a statue of Ravana was brought and its connection to the area was explained. A Ravana cultural committee set up in Ranamure distributed a handout to show the ‘original version of history.’ It explained that the ancestry in Ranamure is linked to Ravana, not Vijaya.
On another instance, a brand-new gold-colored Ravana statue from the Sri Devram Maha Viharaya had been brought into Ranamure devalaya. Ranamure Devala did not contain any statues prior to the donation of the Ravana statue. The people who donated the statue, had come from Devram vihara in Colombo on a yakkama day and performed their own puja right next to the yakkama .
They said King Ravana is now Bandara deviyo, or something like that . They donated the Ravana statue to the Devala and commissioned the kapu mahaththaya to perform a puja once a week for several months. After the required period ended, none of the villagers took up the initiative to continue these pujas. Also, after the Divisional Secretariat withdrew their sponsorship of the yakkama in Ranamure, the yakkamas did not continue.
The brand new Ravana statue looked odd amidst the other objects. The statue does not fit into the ceremony, either, as the Kapurala are expected to dance with the objects belonging to specific deities and yakshas, commented observers.
The historical connection of Ravana is emphasized by a select group of people with an interest in Ravana, others openly criticized it. Koning said that it was mainly the people who devoted considerable time to ‘Ravana research’ who came up with details of Ravana’s connections to Lakegala. In Meemure and Laggala majority of the villagers are not interest in Ravana . For most villagers Ravana is of limited relevance said Koning. She should have said, ‘of no relevance whatsoever.’
Promoters of Ravana have tried to connect the yaksha ancestry to Ravana not Kuveni. Some have merged the narrative of Ravana and the yakshas with the narrative of Kuveni and the yakshas, arguing that there were yakshas at Ravana’s time and that Kuveni was one of those yakshas that lived in Sri Lanka centuries after Ravana.
People often asked me how many Sinhalese Buddhists actually have an interest in Ravana, said Deborah de Koning who arrived in Sri Lanka in 2016 to research on Ravana for her doctorate. She found there was a group of Sinhalese Buddhists actively involved in promoting Ravana, a group of Sinhalese Buddhists who were clearly opposed to this, and a large group of Sinhalese Buddhists who have taken notice of the emphasis on Ravana in the media.
De Koning has compiled a list of the recent books written on Ravana.
Amarasinghe, J. T. (2009), Ravana and Untold Truth About His Legacy, Kurunegala: Asliya Printers.
Amarasinghe, J. T. (2014), Sri Ravana Urumaya saha Thaporavanaya: Mayanu Varsa 5126ka Gupta Ithihasaya , Kurunegala: Asliya Printers.
Chulavansa, P. S. T. (2012), Hela Ithihasaye Ravana Rajathuma ha Lankapuraya, , Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Gunasekara, S. (2015), Ethihasika Ravana , Boralasgamuwa: Visidunu Publications.
Jayatilaka, B. M. (2013), Sri Ravanna Puvatha: Hela Yak Parapure Kathava, , Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Jayatilaka, B. M. (2015), Sakvithi Ravana Hamuva Saha Venat Atbhuta Siduvem, Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Kolonnave Siri Sumangala (2013), Visvadhipathi Maha Ravana: Sinhala Jathiye Piya vu Mani Manthaka Yagu Kaurana Maha Ravana Raju Pilibanda Vigrahayak , Pannipitiya: Sri Lankeshvara Maha Ravana Mehevara Divya Ramya Jaya Maluwa.
Kolonave Siri Sumangala (2014), Sri Lankeshvara Maha Ravana, Pannipitiya: SriLankeshvara Maha Ravana Mehevara Divya Ramya Jaya Maluwa.
Obeyesekere, M. (2012), Ravana Sistacaraya Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Obeyesekere, M. (2013), Sri Lankave Ravana Adhirajayage Sanskrithika Urumaya Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Obeyesekere, M. (2015), Ravana, King of Lanka Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications.
Obeyesekere, M. (2015), Sri Lankave Ravana Adiradjayagen Pasu ape Raja Parapura, Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Obeyesekere, M. (2016), Ravana Amaraneyayi\ Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Obeyesekere, M. (2016), Ravana Yali Negitiyi Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Perera, M. (2017), Ravanayana: Saga of Lanka, Colombo 10: Colmbo: Godage
Premachandra, A. (2015), Ravana: Story of the Most Distinguished Lankan Monarch (translation of Uthuru Doratuwa]),Udumulla: Asoka Publishers.
Premachandra, A. (2017), Lankadipati Sri Ravana
Puja Bopitiye Ariyangnana (2017), Hela Isivara Maha Ravana: Ithihasayen Vasan Kala Maha Viravarayage Punaragamanaya Ganemulla: Udaya Publications.
Samarasinhe, R. P. (2014), Mityavak Novana Ravana Puravruththaya Dankotuwa: Wasana Publications.
Sandakelum Vitana Gamage, (2015), Hela Vansaya Ravanadaya : Kartṛu Publications.
Seneviratna, A. (2012), Sri Lanka Ravana Rajadhaniya Hettigama:Samanthi Poth.
Seneviratna, A. (2014), Sri Lanka Ravana Rajadhaniya saha Sigiri Puranaya Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Somasundara, D. (2015), Ravana: Sri Lankave Shreshtha Raju Colombo , Godage
Sri Lanka Air Force provides labour contribution to the project
The newly renovated Dambulla Primary Vidyalaya was vested in the students during a ceremony held at the school premises yesterday (Jul 22). The school was renovated with technical and labour provided by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and was vested on the student by State Minister of Defence Hon. Premitha Bandara Tennakoon in the presence of Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon MP.
An estimated sum of Rs. 23.5 million was allocated for the maintenance and modernization of the school by the Central Provincial Education Department with the intervention of State Minister Tennakoon. All required renovations including the buildings, utility and sanitation of the school were completed and handed over for the use of the children.
Speaking at the event State Minister Tennakoon, said that we are carrying out necessary work to transform the religious and culturally important Dambulla area, into an educational hub to uplift the social standard of the people.
In addition, we should provide practical knowledge, courage and leadership to our children through the school system and the investment for the future generation should start from the school system, he added.
Commanding Officer of Sri Lanka Air Force Base Sigiriya Group Captain Wiranga Premawardena, educational authorities, government officials, principal, teaching staff and a large number of students and their parents attended the event.
Deborah de Koning’s doctoral research was on Ravana in post war Sri Lanka. The title of her thesis is: Ravanisation: The Revitalisation of Ravana among Sinhalese Buddhists in Post-War Sri Lanka. The thesis is published online under the title: The Many Faces of Ravana (2021). The full text is available at https://pure.uvt.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/59020919/De_Koning_The_Many_15_12_2021_incl_kaft.pdf
Deborah de Koning read religious studies with a focus on Hinduism and Buddhism at university. She did field work in Sri Lanka from 2016-2018 for her doctorate on Ravana in Sri Lanka. She looked at many Ravana sites and selected two for case studies, Lakegala and the Sri Devram Maha Viharaya, Pannipitiya.
Sri Devram Maha Viharaya, Pannipitiya contains the largest Ravana shrine in Sri Lanka. Ravana rituals are regularly performed at this site. The Viharaya has a weekly Ravana puja and the annual Ravana perahera. The Viharaya attracted people with an interest in Ravana from all over the country. The secretary to the chief incumbent had previously lived abroad and was fluent in English, said Koning.
The chief incumbent, Ven. Kolonnave Siri Sumangala came from Matara to Colombo in the late 1990s. The land at Pannipitiya was donated to him, and he built a small temple there in 1999. Today the temple occupies 16 acres.
A dayaka of the temple had told Koning that he became interested in Ravana when he worked under president Premadasa, who built a statue to Ravana. This dayaka, (unnamed) was a member of the Ravana Shakthi group.The dayaka had suggested to Ven.Sumangala to build a Dutugemunu shrine, but Sumangala rejected the idea. He then suggested a Ravana shrine.
This dayaka, together with others, had been conducting rituals to Ravana at this temple. Then Ravana had revealed to them that he did not like the place where they had been conducting the rituals and that he wanted a shrine at the spot eventually selected for constructing a Buddha shrine.
The dayaka was able to convince Sumangala and soon after a Ravana mandiraya was built. The Sri Lankeshvara Maha Ravana Raja Mandiraya was formally inaugurated on September 19, 2013, by Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was held later that the Ravana mandiraya was constructed at the spot where Ravana met one of the previous Buddhas, Kashyapa Buddha.
The temple has the Tripitaka inscribed in Sinhala script on granite stone slabs. Similarly at the corners of the Ravana mandiraya, there are four granite stone slabs equal to the size of the stone slabs on which the Tripitakais inscribed. The slabs are inscribed on both sides and contain fragments from Ravana publications by Suriya Gunasekere, Mirando Obeyesekere, Arisen Ahubudu and Ven.Sumangala. These slabs say, inter alia, that there were different types of airplanes that the Sinhalese were worshippers of the sun and that Ravana did not die but is only lying unconscious.
Analysts point out that the last observation is significant. Ravana could wake up one day, announce his presence and take over the leadership of the country. On the other hand, Koning was told by the leader of an Angampora group who performed in the Ravana perahera that the Buddha prophesied that Ravana will return in 5,000 years as the future Buddha Maitreya.
When devotees visit the temple, they are met at the gate by volunteers who provide them with background information on the site. These volunteers explained that this temple is the only place where Buddha’s parents are venerated, there are several precious relics kept at the site, and that they could donate 100 rupees for the new stupa, which was at that time being built over the older one. The visitors received a receipt in exchange for the donation and a brick, which they took to the place where the new stupawas being constructed.
There is a weekly Ravana puja. The number of participants is relatively small, between ten and twenty-five people but the ritual itself is lengthy. It has to be conducted on Sunday evenings after 6:00pm exactly in the way it is prescribed by Ven. Sumangala by the dayaka and it takes around one to one-and-a-half hours, reported Koning. The Ravana puja is preferably sponsored by a devotee and the sponsorship is usually for legal cases, for children’s exams or to fulfill vows.
The nanumura ceremony of bathing and anointing is considered the most important part of the ritual and it precedes the Ravana puja. Nanumura takes place in the inner sanctum behind a closed door out of the sight. Only the lay custodian, his assistants, and the male sponsor of the puja are allowed to conduct the nanumura. Women have to wait outside the mandiraya when the nanumura takes place. There is continuous drumming in the Ravana mandiraya till the nanamura ends.
The preparations start well before the actual Ravana puja. The chief dayaka and his assistants have to stay vegetarian on Saturday and Sunday, must take a bath, and change their clothes before entering the inner sanctum. They are dressed in traditional white clothes (sarong and shirt), cover their mouth and hair when they take the offering plates to the inner sanctum, and have the same appearance as a kapurala, recorded Koning.
For the nanumura, eleven liquids stored in large silver cups are used to bathe the statues. The cups contain milk, king coconut water and water mixed with powders such as rice flour, red and white sandalwood. One empty cup is taken to the Saman/Vishnu mandiraya.
The cups are taken by the lay custodian, his assistants, and sometimes by the male sponsor of the puja inside the inner sanctum. There, they undress the first two Ravana statues and the granite statues are rubbed with sesame oil. Then the liquids are poured over the statues.
The liquids in the cups are used one by one to bathe the first two Ravana statues. Each liquid is first via a conch shell poured out over the large granite statue, then the same liquid is also via the conch shell poured out over the small black statue behind it, and last the liquid is again poured out over the large granite statue. Between the pouring of each liquid, the statues are in similar sequence cleaned with water. Finally the statues are rubbed with sandalwood and dressed in new clothes.
While they pour out the liquids, they chant gathas by which they invite Ravana to accept the offerings. The offerings are a plate with small cups and with three oil lamps (ghee, sesame oil, and mustard oil), baskets with flowers, and two plates with nine different types of indigenous fruits (washed in turmeric water and cut into pieces) and nine different types of sweets . Often muruthen bath was brought from the kitchen and added to the offerings. The plates, covered with clothes decorated with svastikas, are then brought in procession from the kitchen to the entrance of the mandiraya.
The bringing of the offerings in procession officially marks the start of the Ravana puja. After the plates and baskets are placed inside the inner sanctum, the people are invited to sit down and liturgies are handed out. Together with the lay custodian, they chant the special Ravana songs composed by Sumangala .This chanting lasts for approximately half an hour, and it is followed by a word of thanks to the sponsor of the puja.
The chanting starts with such well-known Buddhist gathas as namo thassa and Ithipiso. This is followed by special Ravana gathas, poems, and invocations. These were composed by Sumangala and published in 2013. In these chants, multiple Ravana representations are referred to, such as the ten headed Ravana. Ravana is also treated as a deity. He is addressed as deva and deviyo.
The people outside the mandiraya are then asked to symbolically wash their feet with turmeric water, to enter the mandiraya, and to bow in reverence to the freshly anointed and newly dressed Ravana statues. After that, they are served the fruits, sweets, some of the liquids, and muruthen bath.
Ravana puja and Maha Ravana nanumura mangalyaya emphasized indigenous Hela practices and healing. The use of kola kenda and deshiya beheth kola revives indigenous Hela herbal medicine.
The Sri Devram Maha Viharaya organizes two major festival ‘weeks’ each year: one in September and one in March. The Ravana perahera is in March, together with Suddhodana Mahamaya perahera. The month of Medin was selected because the wedding of Buddha’s parents allegedly took place in that particular month. Maha Ravana perahera ritualizes the splendour and power of Ravana’s kingdom by including a ‘replica’ of the dandu monara and Angampora performances.
Ravana statues are available for sale at the Viharaya. They depict the two Ravana representations that Sumangala actively promotes. There is a large statue of Ravana as king available in grey/black stone colour and gold and the smaller statue of Ravana as rishi available in black, white, and gold.
The large statue bears the subscript ‘Sri Lankeshvara Maha Ravana.’ This statue shows Ravana with royal adornments. It is Ravana as king of Sri Lanka .The other statue depicts Ravana as a rishi. Maha Ravana Rishituma”. This statue shows Ravana simply dressed and holding a cup. Sumangala links Ravana’s rishi doctrine to healing. The representation of Ravana as rishi is actively promoted at the Sri Devram Maha Viharaya.
Ravana is also seen as the king of Lanka and the ruler of the Hela inhabitant of Lanka. In the puja, it is explicitly said that Ravana is Sinhala and the ritual, with the chanting of Buddhist gathas, places Ravana in a Sinhalese Buddhist devotional framework.
Koning noted that the time frame for Ravana at this temple was more in accordance with the Buddhist world view than with events in the Ramayana. The Natha bodhisatta statue in the Vihara is also regarded by Sumangala to be Ravana in another incarnation. The idea that Ravana is a bodhisattais not widely shared, or openly discussed, noted Koning. (Continued)
The outgoing Defence Attaché of the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo, Colonel Francois Garraux made his farewell call to the Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne at the Defence Headquarters Complex in Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte today (Jul 22).
The outgoing Defence Attaché was accompanied by the Deputy Ambassador H.E. Olivier Praz and his successor, Colonel (GS) Daniel Bader. Following a warm reception, the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary held a cordial discussion with the Swiss delegation.
The Defence Secretary extended gratitude to the departing Defence Attaché and best wishes for his future aspirations.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to introduce the incoming Defence Attaché Col. Bader, who expressed his enthusiasm for continuing and expanding upon the initiatives set forth by his predecessor.
Gen. Gunaratne welcomed the incoming Defence Attaché while expressing confidence in his abilities to navigate the complexities of the new role. He emphasized the importance of continuity of existing ties between two nations.
The Military Liaison Officer of the Ministry of Defence Maj. Gen. Dhammika Welagedara was also present at the occasion.
* Even at the time Western colonists came to this country, we were a developed nation in every way…
* We were a developed nation at the time we had to surrender…
* We were the first nation to defeat the imperialists… it was by Kings Mayadunne and Rajasingha of Sithawaka…
* Those victories of the warriors is hidden from history today…
* Sithawaka, which has not been researched so far, is a good research ground for researchers…- Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena
The Prime Minister made these comments when in vesting in the public of the Sithawaka Museum (21.07.2024).
This museum has been built in a building owned by the Department of Railway in Avissawella town at a cost of 50 million rupees by the Central Cultural Fund and with the labour of the Sri Lanka Navy.
The Prime Minister further commented that – “This museum is a place where the information of natural history is handed down to future generations. The Kings Rajasinghe and Mayadunne of Sithawaka who defeated the Western imperialist armies that had the strength to invade the world, were the Sri Lankan leaders who challenged the world. The Dutch came to our country first. Although some of their names and surnames were taken, their language was not learnt. After that, when the Portuguese came, the language spread a bit and a few names and surnames were taken, but the language was not learnt in depth, therefore their language disappeared from Sri Lanka. We are proud to have defeated the first Emperor of the world. The English government came later. The Portuguese came first. Even when white people came to this country, we were a developed nation in every way. We are a developed nation even if we later surrendered. Our ancient people had taken steps to trade the country’s natural resources with the people of the world through rivers and ferries. These two war hero statesmen successfully fought for our freedom, thwarting the efforts of those who came to find them and acquired even more. Not only war heroism, but the process that entered into various fields of strategy and governance, which has not been studied yet. We did not want to do such a deep study at that time. Sithawaka is one of the periods that we can be proud of, in our country’s history. This museum is part of that pride. The pride of that history is now to Sithawaka Urban Council. These Professors have brought that gem of pride to you…”
Minister Bandula Gunawardena –
“Today is a day of historical significance for the town of Sithawaka. We offer our respect and thanks to all those who have contributed to the establishment of such a museum so that future generations of children and students can witness the work done by the Kingdom of Sithawaka to proceed in the way through country’s long history. As the Minister for Transport, I am also happy to contribute to the issue of finding a place to build the museum. A cabinet paper was submitted for the transfer of this ancient building and land belonging to the Railway Department of the Government of Sri Lanka. Through that this land and building could be provided for these noble tasks…”
Minister Vidura Wickramanayake-
We should not boast ourselves. It is not the way of Sinhalese. We need to remember the instances where we made faults and try not to do the same mistakes again. We should all stand together and move this country forward from here. Our heritage should not be left aside in the journey towards a digital era…”
Member of Parliament Mr. Yadamini Gunawardena-
“Sitawaka is an area where the most advanced human beings lived in every era of world history. By creating this museum, we can make it clear to all of us that no matter what era we look at in the history of Kelani Valley, Sithawaka Hewagam Korale and the surrounding areas, the most advanced man of that era travelled through this area. Whether it is the prehistoric era, passing through the ages of kingdoms from the Balangoda man to the present day, whether it is the great war against the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial empires, the historical facts prove that we are gathered together today in a land where the most advanced man in the history of the world has walked. For that, a special commemorative honour should be done on behalf of the King Mayadunne and the Prince Tikiri. Those two groups gathered everyone for that national battle and gave leadership to a group who did not see the future beyond. If Portuguese were not restrained in Mulleriya then, the battle in the land would have been taken to the sea from the fort and the entire South Asian peninsula would have been surrendered to Western colonialism five hundred years ago. There is one museum in the Spanish Parliament. A glass box with eight sides of one and a half feet each. It contains the history of the entire South American continent. It took only 30 years for Western invaders to get the South American continent surrendered. When Kotte fell on that day, Sithawaka made the transformation that could be brought to this day by preserving the historical and cultural heritage in this country. It is still the same in our age. If we pass today through any political, cultural or economic collapse, we can unite the nation and create a more proud era. The message from the museum is that it should be given to the unborn children as well. By collecting the stories of that great history in this way for school children, the museum that was created today is able to reminding them of the proud history, and reminding them of the national tasks that have been carried out since the earliest humans till now. It is the border of Colombo, Gampaha, Kegalle, and Ratnapura districts. There are more than 200 schools in those districts. In my young age, I went to those schools and tried to make some reflection about that great history. My expectation is to see those children come to Sithawaka and see their proud history through Sithawaka museum and get involved in research…”
A large gathering including Maha Sangha, Christian Islam and Hindu priests, Member of Parliament Sudath Manjula, Director General of the Central Cultural Fund Professor Gamini Ranasinghe, Ministry Secretaries, and officials from the field of archaeology participated in this event.
State Minister of Defence Hon. Premitha Bandara Tennakoon today morning (July 21) graced the launching ceremony of the Project of City Campus of Technology – Dambulla which will be the latest addition to General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU).
Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Member of Parliament and the Chairman of the Board of Management – KDU and Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne also joined the State Minister on this auspicious occasion.
Minister Tennakoon, the day’s Chief Guest addressing the gathering mentioned, ‘We must comprehend that the country will not expand solely through roads, bridges and large structures. As a result, we resolved to build this university system under the direction and guidance of His Excellency the President Ranil Wickramasinghe. It is expected to commence enrollment of students next January.
The State Minister unveiled the plaque amidst religious blessings and officially declared the launch of the first-ever campus capable of providing tertiary education in the Dambulla area. Subsequently, the Vice Chancellor of KDU, Rear Admiral Dammika Kumara welcomed the distinguished invitees to the project launching ceremony.
The Faculty of Built Environment and Spatial Sciences (BESS) at KDU conducted a comprehensive briefing on the project for the State Minister of Defence.
Ven. Maha Sangha, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Chairman of Urban Development Authority (UDA) Nimesh Herath, former Director General of UDA Prasad Ranaweera, Director General of UDA Mahinda Withanaarachchi, Deputy Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Deans, Faculty Members, Administrative Staff, Cadets and Day Scholars of KDU, School Cadets, School Children and their parents were in attendance at the occasion.
Considering their speeches on political stages about the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, all these political leaders should be in prison and have no moral right to preach or talk about the incident, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera said today.
The truth of this great earth has been killed by all these political gangs operating in the country, including the people who are ruling this country and demanding the ruling power of this country.
Addressing the media, he said that as Buddhist monks, they revealed all the details related to the Easter Sunday attacks to the responsible persons and parties in the country, not only to safeguard Sri Lankan Buddhists but for the sake of all the people in the country, including those of all religions, he added.
“We informed the details about the attacks before we came to know these politicians,” he said.
He further said that all details related to the attacks were provided by a sheikh in Dikwella on June 20, 2014, following a request from the sheikh to meet him in that area. The sheikh requested him to inform about the deadly attacks because they were unable to tell the country themselves, fearing they might be arrested as extremists.
“Due to the influence of global terrorist groups, the Sheikh asked us to inform Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa that Sri Lanka has been chosen for the most powerful and most dangerous terrorist attack in Asia by extremists in the name of Islam in a way that insults the religion of Islam. The Sheikh also said that they could not inform the then government because they would be arrested claiming that they were extremists,” he said.
The sheikh claimed that a deadly attack was planned to kill about 2,000 people, targeting major religious events in the country, including Buddhist, Muslim and Christian festivals. He claimed that all funds and facilities for launching the attack were organized and that there was also a plan to carry out another massacre targeting 50 villages across the country.
“We had no choice but to inform the Defense Secretary, despite the potential backlash. Consequently, many politicians and people blamed us, suspecting us of being extremists. The Defense Secretary took action to prevent the attack. The truth was that no Easter Sunday attack was reported during the Rajapaksa government. After revealing this, some politicians in the Rajapaksa government began attacking us, claiming that we were extremists and accusing us of inciting racism. They also claimed it was a Norwegian conspiracy and prevented us from speaking the truth.
“After revealing the names of more than 15 terrorist and extremist organizations, it was found that they were hidden among political leaders, including those from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the groups that supported the Yahapalanaya government and the National People’s Power (NPP). While providing shelter to extremist groups, they placed the blame on us, claiming that we were the extremists and that was the truth,” Ven. Gnanasara Thera said.
“Later, the extremist forces were armed during the Yahapalanaya government and I was sentenced to prison. I was sentenced to 19 years in prison for requesting the judge not to take actions that would paralyse the intelligence services in the country. I was sentenced for contempt of court by the Homagama Magistrate. If the Rajapaksa government and the Yahapalanaya government had listened to us, there would be no need to discuss the Easter Sunday bomb attacks now.
“I met the Colombo Archbishop, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, at Bishop’s House and was informed about a deadly attack, and he said that all details were revealed in 2014. I was informed about a person named Saharan in Kattankudy who was planning the attack. I also claimed that he was engaging in attacks on people and traditional Muslims with swords. I warned the Cardinal about the attack on the Christian community,” Ven. Gnanasara Thera said.
“The Cardinal told me that he knew about this attack, and to prevent that, we started making plans. That was his answer to me. Now the Cardinal, along with other priests, is requesting justice for the Easter Sunday bomb victims. Now he has nothing to say. He put the blame on all Sinhala Buddhist people and tried to wash their hands,” the thera said.
Ven. Gnanasara Thera finally said that extremist terrorist groups are still operational in the country and have already acquired certain land areas. Some Muslim individuals have claimed that there are ongoing training sessions underway.
“We are not creating racism in the country. As Sinhala Buddhists, we are committed to protecting all the people in the country. We cannot allow anyone to attack people under the guise of any religious community,” the thera said.
Parliament, July 26 (Daily Mirror)- The Speaker and Chairman of the Constitutional Council (CC) said today that removing the IGP requires a special procedure and the situation with regard to the IGP cannot be resolved by the President, and the matter must be sorted out in court if necessary.
ජාතික ජන බලවේගයේ ඇතැම් නායකයන්, මාධ්යවේදීන් අරභයා සිදුකරනු ලබන “ෆැසිස්ට් පන්නයේ ප්රකාශ” දැඩි පිළිකුලෙන් යුතුව හෙළා දකින බව ජාතික නිදහස් පෙරමුණේ දේශපාලන මණ්ඩලය පවසයි. 
Colombo, July 22 (Daily Mirror) –