The Speaker of House, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne interdicting the Deputy Secretary General of Parliament and Chief of Staff, Chaminda Kularatne from his post, allegedly without even giving a hearing sets a dangerous precedent, the Leader of Opposition, Sajith Premadasa has stated.
Opposition Leader Premadasa noted that in any democracy, officials are given a hearing before they are punished.
The incident related to the removal of Deputy Secretary General of Parliament from his post is very concerning and makes it feel very personal in nature, he added.
In a post on X (formally Twitter), Opposition Leader Premadasa said he will strongly register his protest in Parliament pertaining to the incident.
Deputy Secretary General Chaminda Kularatne was suspended with effect from Friday (23).
The decision to suspend Kularatne, was taken by the Parliament Staff Advisory Committee (SAC), chaired by Speaker of House Jagath Wickramaratne.
The decision is reportedly linked to certain alleged irregularities concerning his appointment to the position.
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This is not a debate about technology.It is a record of decisions taken without consent. Sri Lanka’s digital education reforms are being presented to parents as inevitable, progressive, and already approved. They are not. This document traces — in strict chronological order — what was approved, what was not approved, what was implemented anyway, and what parents were never told. It separates policy from practice, planning from permission, and authority from accountability. What emerges is not reform — but a governance failure, where silence replaced consent and planning was misrepresented as mandate.
Chronological Record of Decisions, Approvals — and what has not been disclosed to Parents & the Public
I. BEFORE FORMAL CABINET APPROVAL
(Policy Direction Without Public Mandate)
Pre-2024 – Early 2025: Internal Curriculum & Digital Shifts
· Curriculum content changes (history, religion, new CSE)
· No Exams (reforms)
· Vocational tracking or subject reduction
What parents were not told:
That only a task force was approved — not the reforms themselves
That implementation activities would begin before Cabinet approval of policy
Collective responsibility question:
Why did implementation begin when Cabinet had approved planning, not execution?
III. MID-2025 — PARLIAMENT INFORMED, NOT CONSULTED
July 2025: Parliament Briefed
Parliament was informed of:
· Appointment of a 30-member task force
· Digital transformation objectives
What Parliament did NOT approve:
· No vote on curriculum changes
· No debate on textbook removal
· No discussion on CSE inclusion
· No scrutiny of child-impact assessments
What parents were not told:
· That Parliament did not approve the substance of reforms
· That MPs were not given content drafts or impact studies
IV. THE 30-MEMBER DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION TASK FORCE — AUTHORITY WITHOUT TRANSPARENCY
Who comprises this 30 Member-Digital Transformation Committee
Leadership & Core Government Representatives
1. Chairperson: Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Pradeep Saputhanthri — appointed as the head of the Task Force overseeing education digital transformation.
2. Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education- Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Mr. Nalaka Kaluwawa — member.
3. Ministry of Digital Economy – Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy, Mr. Varuna Dhanapala — member.
Political / Ministerial Members Present at Appointment
(Engaged in task force discussions, indicating involvement in oversight and potential participation)
4. Prime Minister & Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education — Dr. Harini Amarasuriya (Chair of Education Ministry and publicly leading the initiative)
5. Deputy Minister of Vocational Education — Nalin Hewage
6.Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education — Dr. Madhura Seneviratne
Sector & Stakeholder Representation (According to government reporting):
7. Other senior officials from relevant ministries and government bodies — representatives of multi-sector stakeholders were included alongside the above secretaries.
8. Education sector stakeholders, including:
· Officials from the National Institute of Education (NIE)
· Officials from the National Education Commission
· Officials from the Department of Examinations
· Officials from the Department of Educational Publications
· Provincial education authorities
These sectors are described in implementation arrangements for education reforms and task force structure documents, but individual names have not been publicly released.
9.Private sector and civil society representatives
The task force mandate explicitly includes engagement with development partners, private sector, and civil society, indicating that some members come from outside direct government service, though names and organizational affiliations are not yet published.
What Is Not Publicly Available
Despite the official count of 30 members, there is no publicly released list of all names and institutions represented, including:
· The identities of private sector representatives
· The academic, civil society, or industry members
Whether specific curriculum, child development, or safeguarding experts are included
Whether subject content specialists (e.g., history, religion, ethics, child protection, sexuality education) are officially on the task force
This information has not been published or disclosed in Parliament or in government press releases as of early 2026 — meaning parents, educators, and the public currently cannot see the full roster or expertise mix of the Task Force that is shaping major education reforms.
What is also not made publicly available is if the members of the Committee liaise or are partners of any UN-agencies and have been strategically selected to quietly introduce CSE once reforms are accepted without giving full content of the global CSE curriculum.
V. LATE 2025 — IMPLEMENTATION SIGNALS WITHOUT POLICY APPROVAL
Grades 1 & 6 Rollout Announced
What the Ministry/NIE stated:
· Modules and guidebooks prepared
· Digital platforms (Channel NIE) to support learning
· Printed textbooks not issued for Grades 1 & 6
What was NOT clarified:
· Whether this is a pilot or permanent shift
· Whether textbooks for all grades will be removed
· How national exams will function without textbooks
What parents were not told:
· That removal of textbooks for Grades 1 & 6 signals possible removal across all grades
· That children may be required to learn digitally without guaranteed access
V. DIGITAL ACCESS & EQUITY — NEVER DISCLOSED
Infrastructure Claims vs Reality
What the Ministry says:
· All schools to be connected by end-2025
What is not disclosed:
· School-wise readiness data
· Household access statistics
· Electricity stability
· Device availability
What parents are not told:
· What happens if a child cannot access digital learning
· Whether printed alternatives are guaranteed by right
VI. SUBJECT CONTROVERSIES & CONTENT SILENCE
History, Religion & Global Citizen” Framing
What the Ministry claims:
· Subjects not removed, only restructured
What is not disclosed:
· Who defines narratives
· How national history is safeguarded
· Whether global citizenship” overrides constitutional and cultural priorities
VII. CSE — DECISION WITHOUT DISCLOSURE
CSE Inclusion
Health Sector & UN-Linked Policy Pathway)
A. What Is NOT Disclosed to Parents
· CSE content appearing in education modules does not originate solely from the Ministry of Education or NIE.
· It is linked to a long-standing policy and program stream led by the Health sector, in collaboration with UN agencies, particularly UNFPA.
B. The Health Bureau-UNFPA Track
What is known from public records and prior government programmes:
The Family Health Bureau (FHB) under the Ministry of Health has for years implemented:
· Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) programmes
· Life skills and sexuality-related awareness initiatives
· These programmes have been financially and technically supported by UNFPA
· Content frameworks used by UNFPA align with Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) standards promoted internationally
What parents were not told:
That education-sector CSE content mirrors health-sector UNFPA-supported frameworks
· That education content may be cross-fed from health policy documents, not approved education policy
· That international agency-linked content pathways exist outside Cabinet-approved education reform
C. The Cross-Ministry Accountability Gap
What has NOT been disclosed:
· Whether the Ministry of Education formally adopted Health Ministry / FHB / UNFPA-developed content
· Whether NIE curriculum committees relied on UNFPA-linked materials or guidance
· Whether Cabinet approved any cross-sector transfer of CSE frameworks into school curricula
· Whether Parliament was informed that internationally promoted CSE standards were being introduced via education reform
D. The Consent Problem
Parents were never informed:
· That CSE content may originate from health-sector programmes designed for adolescents, not school curricula
· That international agencies involved in health policy may influence classroom content
· That no formal parental consultation or consent process exists for such content transfer
E. Legal & Policy Implications
This raises serious questions:
· Can health-sector programmes, supported by UN agencies, be embedded into school curricula without Cabinet and Parliamentary approval?
· Does the Task Force or NIE have authority to import externally developed CSE frameworks into education modules?
Who bears responsibility if content contradicts:
· National education policy
· Cultural and religious safeguards
· Child protection principles
· Parental rights
Critical Accountability Question
· Which authority decided CSE should be taught –
· the Ministry of Education, the Health Bureau, the Digital Task Force, or an external UN-linked policy framework – and on whose mandate?
What is NOT disclosed:
· Who requested CSE inclusion
· Whether Cabinet approved it
· Whether Parliament debated it
· Whether parents consented
Critical accountability question:
Which authority decided CSE should be taught — and on whose mandate?
VIII. DISCIPLINARY ACTION & COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
Who Is Accountable?
Despite public concern:
· No disciplinary inquiry
· No independent review
· No named decision-makers
Yet decisions involve:
1.Minister of Education
2.Ministry Secretaries
3.NIE leadership
4.Curriculum committees
5.Digital Task Force
Unanswered questions:
If harm arises, who is responsible?
Does collective responsibility mean no one is accountable?
Why has the Minister not clarified who approved what?
IX. DROP-OUT RISK & TEACHER IMPACT — IGNORED
Not disclosed:
· Studies on dropout risk
· Impact on children with slower learning ability
· Whether digital education reduces need for schools/teachers
X. PRESENT STATUS (EARLY 2026)
What is factually true
· Task force approved (June 2025)
· Policy framework still pending Cabinet approval
· Implementation signals already active
What parents are not being told
· This reform is proceeding without full Cabinet-approved policy
· No guarantees exist for access, equity, or accountability
CORE POLICY ISSUE
Parents were never given the truth in sequence.
Planning approval was presented as policy approval.
Pilots were presented as inevitabilities.
Silence replaced consent.
Key Transparency Questions Parents & Public Should Ask
To ensure accountability and rightful authority, the following questions remain unanswered:
· Who are the remaining members of the Task Force by name, qualification, and representing institution?
· Which members are subject-matter experts in child development, curriculum design, assessment, and education equity?
· Who on the Task Force recommended the inclusion of CSE & reviewed or contributed to decisions about controversial content areas in CSE (Comprehensive Sexuality Education)?
· Are any members external consultants or international advisers — and if so, who appointed them and on what terms?
· What mechanisms exist to hold Task Force members individually accountable for outputs used in policy decisions?
This reform was never approved in full. Textbooks were never abolished by Cabinet. CSE was never approved by Parliament. Parents were never consulted.
Yet implementation has begun.
When planning is presented as policy, when pilots are treated as inevitabilities, and when responsibility is spread so thin that no one is accountable — governance collapses.
This is not opposition to reform. This is a demand for truth, authority, and consent —in the right order.
Until that happens, this reform lacks legitimacy.
And parents cannot be ignored.
Silence is not approval. Silencing is definitely not approval. Funded protests hide the truth that eventually hits the segments of society that current lack & need proper reforms before digital learning.
Shenali D Waduge
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In today’s age of the internet, the concept of modesty can seem like a relic of the past. Yet, for Ahmadi Muslim women, it is a core value that is as relevant as ever. In an era where anything and everything can be shared online, how can women maintain modesty and dignity in the digital age?
We live in an age where the internet shapes most of our daily interactions and influences societal norms, which is why maintaining modesty can be a challenge, especially for Muslim women. The digital landscape presents a myriad of opportunities and temptations, often testing one’s commitment to Islamic values. However, for many Ahmadi Muslim women, embracing modesty in the virtual realm is not only possible but essential for upholding their faith and identity.
Is it not sad that the current Government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has not come up with a new Programme for development, to allay poverty. It is true that we have been assailed by Mother Nature- the Ditwah that devastated our country recently. However any problem has to be surmounted.
My words are clear,
Dear sir, Please get going with a new programme to tackle poverty, bring incomes to the people, creating entrepreneurs. Such an innovative programme will be a feather in your cap, some day.
I served as the Government Agent at Matara some fifty years ago. The then Government of Prime Minister Sirimavo ordered the foremost economist of the day, Professor HAdeS Gunasekera to establish a new Programme to create employment. A new Ministry was created in days and Professor Gunasekera was appointed the Permanent Secretary, He was even provided a helicopter for his travel. I yet can remember ducking to meet him at his helicopter as a soldier had been once decapitated by the helicopter blades.
I was only a Government Agent in charge of the Matara District, but yet me tell you what I did with my men, Vetus Fernando a raw chemistry graduate posted as the Planning Officer, some twenty Development Assistants- graduates who did not have a day’s experience and all the workers at the Matara Katcheri, who of course had work to do, work they had done for long.
We got going with establishing Divisional Councils and got ideas from them and they talked more nonsense.
Matara had a sea coast and a boatyard making sea going 40 foot boats with an inboard motor was planned and some lack of rupees was allocated, a boatyard was established, the machinery purchased and Ran Ariyadasa my Divisional Secretary went chopping all the trees he could find converting them to boats and selling them to Fishing Cooperatives- a job well done. The Ministry also funded a few sewing and small craft industries and the big wigs were very happy, commending me and that was all.
I and my men provided other suggestions but the Ministry was fully satisfied with the work done and would not fund any more.
My men, battle hardened officers District Land Officers, Assistant Government Agents were full of ideas but the Ministry turned a deaf ear. They were highly satisfied with the Boatyard, some small craft industries and small farms established here and there. We suggested a Creamery and we said we will rear milking cattle and Deniyaya was an ideal climate, but the Ministry would not approve.
We oft clashed, our suggestions creating problems.
The craze in me wanted to do something phenomenal and commandeered the science lab of Rahula College in the evening from six to midnight, when we officers used the science equipment to do experiments at making something we imported. That was the criteria.
The Planning officer Vetus Fernando a grad in chemistry ,the science teachers at Rahula and the rest all unqualified nonentities who knew nothing in industries were all burning the mid night oil for endless experiments from six to midnight every day, after a gruelling days work at office.
We tried everything we could think of and finally came in two months of experiments to make crayons which were not of suitable texture for sale.
Then my Planning Officer the chemistry grad got the bright idea of obtaining expertise from his professors- those that taught him chemistry at the portals of the University. I authorized him funds for travel and he took off fully enthusiastic. In three days he emerged a broken down man. He had gone behind all his lecturers and the professor of chemistry and he was turned away- they were too busy with teaching.
We were not to take it lying down and recommenced our experiments from six to midnight. In another month of experiments we came across the reciepie to make a good crayon. We fine tuned it to be equal to Reeves the best of the day.
Then the major question of how to produce crayons came up. One officer suggested of giving the recipe to Harischandra and we shouted at him.
I decided that it should be a Cooperative and decided on the Morawaka Korale Cooperativs, as it was led by Sumanapala Dahanayake, the MP for Deniyaya, a man who could be trusted. Sunamanpala was summoned and told to produce crayons. He readily agreed.
Then the problem was to find funds. The Coop Unions rolled money but I had no authority to use that money to create an industry. The GA was gazetted a Deputy Commissioner for Cooperatives for the purpose of directing the paddy cultivation programme. I usurped authority from that gazette notification and authorized him to use cooperative funds and establish a crayon factory.
The Assistant Commissioner for Cooperatives in Matara District was summoned and told of this decision and also told to keep the decision to use coop funds to establish a crayon factory a secret and not to tell head office. I knew the Commissioner for Cooperatives well but also thought that he will never agree to allow me to use coop funds.
Sumanapala was authorized to use coop funds and purchase the ingredients burners and pots and pans and find space at Morawaka Coop Union for that night and the key personnel from Matara- the Upadisapathy Ranjith, Planning Officer Vetus, DLO Chandra Silva, and a few others moved with bag and baggage to Morawaka in the evening. We started operations, gas burners burning the dyes mixed with water and other measured ingredients-non stop day and night, training some twenty youths to make crayons. It was a twenty four hour operation. Sumanapale went somewhere and got packets printed and two rooms were filled with packets of crayons.
Next we were worried as to how to sell what we made in an unauthorized manner. Sumanapala and I decided to take the crayons we made, show them to some Ministers. We showed the crayons to the Minister for Industries Mr Subasinghe who was highly taken up and he agreed to, open sales. We hurried back and staged a public meeting where he made the first sale. We then sold the crayons far and wide in Sri Lanka.
We approached Small Industries for a foreign exchange allocation to import dyes. We were refused. We were buying dyes in the open market at high prices.
Two years earlier I was a Deputy Director of Small Industry and would have cherished the idea of a cooperative making anything imported. That problem was surmounted in a peculiar manner.
We showed the crayons to Minister Illangaratne who was so highly taken up that he ordered the Controller of Imports to stop the import of crayons. He even wanted me to set up a crayon factory in his electorate Kolonnawa to which I had to agree.
Coop crayon won the day and was sold in the entire Sri Lanka till 1977, when President Jayawardena ordered all industries established by the earlier government to be stopped. That was actually an order by the IMF which had to be obeyed if we were to get loans from the IMF .
Later on in 1981, when I was working in Bangladesh as a Consultant I met A T, Ariyatne who had once worked as the Commissioner of Cooperatives in Sri Lanka and when I told him that I had been the GA at Matara told me that he was summoned by President JR Jayawardena and told to proceed to Morawaka and somehow find some reason to take action against Sumanapala Dahanayake who was the President of the Morawaka Coop union that made coop crayon. He said that he spent three full days auditing Coop Crayon books and found them in proper order and had to report that Coop Crayon was well run and every book was maintained perfect.
However the open market being introduced in 1977 saw to it that Coop Crayon was closed down
To our Hon President.
Sir, This is one of the industries that I established in Sri Lanka using the powers of a G.A. Sir, you are today the President of Sri Lanka. Please very kindly consider ordering a programme to make items that we import and thereby create employment for our youth and also save our foreign exchange. It will be ideal to have a successful employment creation industry in every District. .
Sir, please consider to approve such an industry creation programme to make things we import though I am in my Nineties, I will be there to assure you that such industries will be successful. This will also bring you a name for establishing industries, creating employment and saving valuable foreign exchange. The creation of a Viable industry in each District, will stand you in good stead. I can assure you of success.
I will ensure that it will be a great success and this will bring you great credit
Please kindly consider this request.
Garvin Karunaratne, Ph D. Michigan State University
G.A. Matara 1971-1973
garvin_karunaratne @hotmail.com
21/1/2026
Comments Off on A MESSAGE TO THE PRESIDENT of SRI LANKA
It is utmost important that Sti Lanka develops vocational training educational revolution to train our youngsters Proposed curriculum will help them students to get into a highly paid employment
IDMNC ADVANCED WELDING
ACADEMY GALLE
Proposed Refresher Training Program for Overseas Employment
7-Day Intensive Refresher Course in MMAW & FCAW
1. Program Title
Intensive Refresher Training Program in Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW) and Flux
Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)
2. Program Objective
This short-term refresher program is designed to upgrade and standardize the practical welding
skills of experienced welders prior to screening and trade testing by foreign employers.
The program focuses on:
• Improving quality and consistency
• Enhancing positional welding skills
• Familiarizing candidates with international trade-test conditions
• Reducing common causes of rejection during overseas screening
The syllabus is benchmarked against internationally accepted welding training references,
including the AWS Welding Handbook (Volumes 1 & 2) and Welding Principles and
Applications.
3. Target Group
• Experienced welders (local or returnee)
• NVQ Level 3 / 4 welders or equivalent industry experience
• Candidates nominated by foreign employment agencies4. Course Duration
07 Days (Intensive)
Daily training duration: 6–7 hours per day
Mode: Theory + Hands-on Practical Training
5. Welding Processes Covered
• Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW / SMAW)
• Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)
6. Detailed Course Syllabus
DAY 1 – Welding Safety, Fundamentals & Trade-Test Orientation
Theory
• Welding safety and health hazards (electrical, arc radiation, fumes, fire)
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements for overseas worksites
• Welding symbols and basic fabrication drawing interpretation
• Overview of overseas welder trade tests:
o Plate vs pipe tests
o Welding positions (PA, PB, PC, PF / 1G–3G–5G)
o Typical acceptance and rejection criteria
Practical
• Familiarization with MMAW and FCAW equipment
• Machine setting verification
• Arc striking techniques and bead appearance standards
DAY 2 – MMAW Fundamentals & Fillet Welding
Theory
• Principles of MMAW
• Welding current, polarity, and heat input control
• Electrode classification and applications:
o Rutile electrodes (E6013)
o Basic electrodes (E7018)
• Electrode storage, handling, and moisture control
Practical
• Fillet welds in:
o PA (Flat) positiono PB (Horizontal-Vertical) position
• Slag removal and bead profile improvement
DAY 3 – MMAW Groove Welds & Positional Welding
Theory
• Joint preparation and root gap control
• Causes of common MMAW welding defects
Practical
• Butt welds in:
o PC (Horizontal) position
o PF (Vertical Up) position
• Multi-pass welding techniques
• Identification and correction of defects:
o Lack of fusion
o Undercut
o Slag inclusion
DAY 4 – FCAW Fundamentals & Fillet Welding
Theory
• Principles of Flux Cored Arc Welding
• Differences between FCAW and GMAW
• Flux-cored wire classifications
• Gas-shielded vs self-shielded FCAW
• Parameter selection:
o Voltage
o Wire feed speed
o Travel speed
Practical
• FCAW fillet welds in:
o PA (Flat) position
o PB (Horizontal-Vertical) position
• Spatter control and bead shape optimisation
DAY 5 – FCAW Groove Welds & Vertical Welding
Practical
• FCAW butt welds in:o PC (Horizontal) position
o PF (Vertical Up) position
• Heat input and inter-pass temperature control
• Inter-pass cleaning discipline
• Productivity vs quality balance for trade tests
DAY 6 – Weld Quality, Inspection & Repair
Theory
• Visual inspection criteria for weld acceptance
• Common causes of overseas trade-test rejection
• Introduction to Non-Destructive Testing (NDT):
o Radiographic Testing (RT) – awareness
o Ultrasonic Testing (UT) – awareness
o Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI) – awareness
Practical
• Weld defect repair techniques
• Time-controlled welding practice under inspection conditions
DAY 7 – Mock Trade Test & Performance Assessment
Assessment
• Simulated foreign employer trade test:
o One MMAW test coupon
o One FCAW test coupon
• Welding performed under strict time limits
• Visual inspection and quality evaluation
Feedback
• Individual performance feedback
• Assessment of readiness for overseas screening
7. Training Methodology
• Short classroom lectures
• Demonstrations by instructors
• Intensive hands-on practical welding
• Continuous supervision and feedback
• Mock trade testing under realistic conditions
8. OutcomeUpon completion of the program, participants will:
• Demonstrate improved weld quality and positional welding skills
• Be familiar with overseas trade-test expectations
• Be better prepared for foreign employer screening
A training completion letter may be issued upon request (this is not a certification or
IN the Fifth Century we built Yodha Ela at a gradient of five inches in a mile. Today,we are begging for dollars from the IMF. Our leaders were fooled by the IMF and we that were never in Debt, got weaned to live on loans. Our leaders are urged to put an end to this nonsense.
The Rajatarangani, an Indian Chronicle tells us that we sent irrigation engineers to Kashmir. The Yodha Ela the marvel irrigation channel that brings water from Kalaweva to Anuradhapura on a delicately marked meandering route, collecting water from 66 mini catchments while it feeds water to 120 small wevas, following topographical contours”. meanders along with a single bund, using the natural lay out of the land as its second bund, thereby also providing water seepage and prosperity to the entirety of the Eppawala Area- a marvel in irrigation engineering, a precison in irrigation construction which defies the irrigation engineers of today.,
Once way back in 1963 as the Assistant Commissioner of Agrarian Services in the Anuradhapura District, I presided over the Kanna Meeting of all proprietors and farmers,in the Talawa Eppawela Area. Easily over 200 of them were belligerent, clamouring that the water from the Yodha Ela never flowed in time. The farmers were even about to manhandle the irrigation engineers. I was with them as I had repeatedly inspected and found that the water never flowed in time. With little knowledge of irrigation- a bright idea struck me. I told the gathering of a posse of irrigation engineers led by a Senior Divisional Engineer; I will provide funds, put a concrete base for the entire Yodha Ela so that the water will go to every tank in time.”. There was a deafeaning silence. The engineers did not reply, but were mumbling amongst themeselves for a while. Finally the Divisional Irrigation Engineer spoke. We cannot provide a concrete base as the gradient is as low as six inches in a mile- a gradient of six inches in over fifty thousand inches.” It was an unexpected answer. How do you do repairs on the Yodha Ela now”, I quipped. Out came the answer: We take a very small section of the Yodha Ela at a time. Never any long length. ”. In short the most precision instruments of today cannot make a channel at the gradient our irrigation engineers built Elas in the Fifth Century.
Recently I came to know another marvel feature- The Yodha Ela has only one bund. The distance from KalaWeva to Anuradhapura as a crow flies is only thirty seven kilometers. but the Yodha Ela meanders along the topographical contours a distance of 87 kilometers. The Yodha Ela uses the natural terrain as the second bund and enriches the terrain with water that has resulted in the luxurious growth in the entirety of the Eppawela basin, while taking water to the tanks to Tissa Weva in the City of Anuradhapura. Though I had built irrigation channels over short distances in my minor irrigation repair works , and due to interest have seen and carefully looked at canals taking masses of water of water all over California, converting a desert into a luxurious land I could not believe of an Ela that has only one bund. My curiosity made me proceed to see this wonder of a single bund Ela(canal)
On 23 th January 2024 I travelled in a small car a Nano from Colombo to Kekirawa and took the Mahailluppalama – Eppawela Road, purposely to see for myself this single bund marvel. I came across the Yodha Ela crossing the main road at Kunci Kulama Junction and as the bund of the canal looked good- a firm jeep track, I got our driver Siri to turn our car onto the bund. The bund was , very narrow with the deep water rushing on a side and a second thought flashed that we were in severe danger if the car falters. We proceeded forward as reversing would be more difficult. Siri drove with great care, but it could turn into a calamity if the bund was severely eroded. Generally I took over the wheel when escorting the Prime Minister Dudley when I was in Kegalla. But Siri was a good driver. I observed that there was never a bund on the other side. It was normal land, with trees and shrubs. We drove on this bund- eroded at places for over three to four miles upto a place where we came across the road to Tirappane crossing the Canal. The Yodha Ela crossed the road and continued, with its single bund. We drove on the road and in around 400 yards came to Ipalogama Village . Going towards Anuradhapura we came across the Yodha Ela again crossing the main road and observed again that the Ela had only a single bund. Driving along the narrow bund was extremely dangerous as the Yodha Ela water was rushing on a side and had there been a tyre burst, there was the chance of our car and all of us being drowned in the deep raging waters. However we dared to tell the tale of Yodha Ela, the single bund marvel that feeds the mouth of many a farmer in Anuradhapura.
Under the Mahaweli Development Programme a small section of this Yodha Ela was taken and a straight canal with two bunds was built. Replaced a section of the Yodha Ela with rapid and high discharge straight channel,” but it was a total disaster as revealed:
It is clear that the ancient YE has been constructed with detailed technical information controlling natural slopes, drainage divides, sedimentation, flow properties and sustainability. The method is properly drafted with unknown technical maneuverability. The modern engineering practices completely obliterated the natural flow mechanism embanking the flow both on the surface and within the subsurface. Considering other areas consist of similar YE remnants may be indicative of serving the same purpose so that YE is a technical mechanism established in the ancient hydraulic regime to supply sustainable water satisfying geoenvironmental conditions in the dry flat areas of Sri Lanka.” ( From:Does the ancient Yoda Ela in Sri Lanka represent a technical innovation of hydraulic engineers? A geoenvironmental appraisal R. D. D. P. Rathnayake, H. A. H. Jayasena )
All this tells me that our irrigation engineers did wonders. I have seen, passed by many canals in Sri Lanka. In India and the United States but every canal I saw had two bunds.
The function of the Yodha Ela was not to take water only, but to saturate the entire area with water and therein lies the secret for the luscious growth in the entire terrain from Kalaweva to Anuradhapura.
If the new YodhaEla diversion built by the Mahaweli Engineers in the Seventies, on a section of the Yodha Ela , which must be an eyesore and also a serious blot on the knowledge of the irrigation engineers, has not been totally removed and the original Yodha Ela restored fully, action may please be taken to remove it totally to enable the Original single bund Yodha Ela to serve the farmers. This seems held in secrecy. I would request any of my readers who live in that messed up area or anyone knowing anything about the Mahaweli misadventure on the Yodha Ela to please e mail me details.
Zhou Enlai was one of the most iconic figures of the Chinese Communist revolution — diplomat, premier, strategist, and the man who kept Mao Zedong’s state functioning for decades. But behind the polished image was a darker truth: Zhou spent his entire political life trapped between loyalty to a dictator and knowledge that could get him killed. As Mao’s purges, paranoia, and political storms intensified, Zhou became both indispensable and endangered. Drawing from historians such as Ezra Vogel, Rana Mitter, Jonathan Spence, Roderick MacFarquhar, and Frank Dikötter, this documentary exposes the internal struggle of the man who managed foreign policy, protected victims in secret, and watched China burn under Mao’s campaigns. From the early revolution and the founding of the PRC to the Cultural Revolution and Zhou’s final illness, this episode reveals how the loyal premier” became a prisoner of the very system he helped build. This is the story of Mao’s most loyal servant — a man who knew everything, saved millions, and still could not save himself.
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I beg every Republican official to take a moment and ask themselves:
Am I truly living up to my oath of office to defend and protect the Constitution?
Am I upholding America’s democracy and freedoms for which millions have perished to protect?
Am I fighting for what’s right, opposing what’s wrong, and embracing what’s morally virtuous?
Am I elevating my homeland’s well-being above my own aspirations and my treasured dreams?
Are there 10 honest Republican members of Congress who can say, yes, I have lived up to these ideals and values?
I dare say no.
There aren’t even 10 courageous Republicans who have risen to sound the perilous alarm. They continue to support a lawless, delusional president who is cynically and absurdly tearing this country apart under the guise of Making America Great Again.”
I ask every Republican official: How on earth are Trump’s horrifically misguided executive orders and policy initiatives making America great again, or putting America first? We are witnessing in real time the unravelling of America’s ideals, values, and moral principles, but Republican leaders remained numb, busy protecting their careers, while Trump is ravaging the domestic and international scene by:
Domestically
Dispatching ICE with no restraint, waging a brutal onslaught on immigrants, with no due process, terrorizing communities, and instilling a deep sense of fear and insecurity.
Cutting Medicaid coverage by $900 million, which will greatly impact recipients, nearly 50 percent of whom are children. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 10 million more people will be uninsured by 2034 due to the cuts.
Launching chaotic trade wars, raising consumer prices, squeezing farmers and manufacturers, while failing to revive industrial heartlands.
Deploying prosecutors against political enemies,” chilling dissent, corroding equal justice, normalizing retaliatory investigations, and edging the justice system toward authoritarian loyalty over law.
Smearing independent media, spreading disinformation, encouraging harassment of journalists, shrinking trusted news space, and conditioning reporters to reject inconvenient facts.
Stripping anti-discrimination safeguards, green-lighting harassment, and pushing LGBTQ people back into vulnerability and stigma.
Gutting civil rights enforcement in schools, abandoning marginalized students to unchecked discrimination, and deepening educational inequality nationwide.
Locking in regressive tax breaks, swelling federal debt, supercharging inequality, constraining future social investment, and anchoring policy around the wealthy and large corporations.
Sowing lies about voter fraud, inciting efforts to overturn election results, encouraging intimidation of officials, and degrading public faith in democratic elections and transfer of power.
Internationally
Slapping punitive tariffs on key allies, weaponizing trade, fracturing Western unity, and driving partners to hedge trade toward rival powers, especially China, and destabilizing global supply chains.
Slashing foreign aid, including USAID and development programs, weakening global health systems, fueling instability and migration, ceding influence to rivals, and eroding US soft power and moral authority.
Threatening NATO cohesion, bullying allies, and dangling abandonment of NATO’s Article 5, playing into the hands of America’s foremost adversaries, Russia—precisely the outcome Putin was hoping and waiting for—weakening NATO’s unity, and shaking confidence in US security guarantees.
Tying NATO and Arctic security to a coercive takeover of Greenland, justifying it by the fact that he was not given the Nobel Peace Prize, while destabilizing the alliance’s legal and territorial integrity.
Embracing America First” unilateralism, sidelining multilateral institutions, normalizing policy by ultimatum, and signaling that US commitments are transactional and even reversible.
Denigrating democratic allies while praising authoritarian leaders like Putin, supporting right-wing parties in Europe, and delegitimizing liberalism.
Launching a resource-driven intervention, invading Venezuela to control its oil, threatening the sovereignty of other Latin American states, and pursuing regime change over multilateral diplomacy.
Providing unwavering diplomatic cover and military backing to Israel, ignoring its genocide, enabling siege tactics and famine, and undermining international law.
Are there 10 Republican Lawmakers with a Spine?
When I landed in the US more than 50 years ago, I said to myself, with joyful tears, “This is the promised land, here is where I will realize the American dream.” For me, this glorious nation was the true light unto all others, the most noble experiment in democracy and freedom in human history.
With all its mistakes and misadventures, America was unrivaled, compassionate and caring, with millions upon millions the world over, yearning to experience the American dream.
Now, as I witness the calamitous upheaval that Trump is wreaking on this magnificent country, my heart sinks, murmuring no, this can’t be; are we at the precipice of the fall of the American empire?
Trump would have never been able to violate the Constitution and sow domestic and foreign chaos to the detriment of this nation without the muted acquiescence of the majority of Republicans. Like blind sheep, they followed a hallucinating shepherd who had long since lost his way.
However, there are clear signs of fissures among Republican lawmakers who are terrified of what may come next from an unhinged President.
Are there 10 Republicans among them who would rise, put their careers on the line, and impede, if not stop, Trump’s cataclysmic destruction of everything this nation stands for, to save America?
____________
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.
Colombo, January 2026 — The Sri Lankan land market maintained solid growth in 2025, with Colombo suburbs and Western Province districts emerging as key drivers, according to the latest Land Price Index (LPI) 2025 (updated), published by LankaPropertyWeb (LPW). The 2025 index shows that Colombo 1–15 recorded a 4% year-on-year increase in average land prices per perch, reaching LKR 12 Mn, while Colombo suburban areas saw stronger growth of 8%, averaging LKR 2.3 Mn per perch. In the broader Western Province, the Gampaha District average land price per perch rose 15% to LKR 769,097, whereas the Kalutara District gained 10%, reaching LKR 486,396.
Suburban and Emerging Areas Lead Price Growth
The report highlights a clear shift in investor interest toward suburbs and emerging towns offering strong development potential and affordability. The recent rise in land prices has been largely fueled by new residential projects, ongoing land sales projects, and improvements in local infrastructure over the past few years.Yakkala in Gampaha emerged as a standout performer with prices rising 35% to LKR 831,015 per perch, closely followed by Homagama in Colombo suburbs at LKR 916,912 per perch reflecting a similar 35% increase, attracting investors looking for residential land for sale in these suburbs. Negombo in Gampaha recorded a 35% rise to LKR 1,561,925, while Bandaragama in Kalutara grew 34% to LKR 545,533. In Colombo’s suburban belt, Piliyandala posted a 30% growth to LKR 1,222,181 per perch, and Kaduwela, Pannipitiya, Moratuwa, and Nugegoda all experienced gains above 25%, reflecting sustained investor demand.
The 2025 LPI data indicates that price appreciation has been strongest in areas connected to urban infrastructure improvements and new development projects. Central Colombo areas showed more restrained growth, with Colombo 10 rising 25% to LKR 14,589,277 per perch and Colombo 4 increasing 17% to LKR 18,870,504, while areas such as Colombo 6 and Colombo 13 experienced minimal gains.
(Insert 2024/25 Year Asking Price Change Map here)
Long-Term Growth Trends Highlight High Returns in Suburbs
Looking at longer-term trends from 2020 to 2025, several locations outside main cities have seen remarkable appreciation. Ingiriya in Kalutara topped the five-year growth chart, with the average land price per perch rising 322% to LKR 344,850. Padukka in Colombo suburbs followed with a 221% increase to LKR 387,628, while Ragama in Gampaha grew 183% to LKR 1,121,599. Dompe, also in Gampaha, recorded a 143% rise to LKR 289,250 per perch, and Bandaragama in Kalutara appreciated 130% to LKR 545,533. Other high-performing suburban areas include Moratuwa, Kaduwela, Piliyandala, and Hokandara, all demonstrating strong cumulative gains over the past five years, highlighting the growing attractiveness of affordable land for sale in the suburbs.
According to LPW, this upward trend reflects a shift in buyer preference toward well-connected, affordable suburbs with strong development prospects. Investors are focusing on areas that combine accessibility with value, driving robust growth in Gampaha, Kalutara, and Colombo’s suburban belt,” the report noted.
(Insert 5-Year Asking Price Change Map here)
About the LPI
This index captures annual changes in land prices across Western Province. Publicly available average asking prices for bare land published on LPW and other online media were used in the analysis. The Land Price Index considers 2017 as the base year (indexed at 100), and the 2025 update reflects comparisons with 2024 averages. The Price Index has been updated in 2025 with average prices taken for a calendar year, rather than Q1 to Q1 as done previously. Investors can also explore opportunities in various areas, including listings for land for sale in Western Province. Prices within specific areas may vary depending on proximity to main roads, junctions, and other locational factors. For accurate prices in your neighborhood, users are encouraged to check property listings on LPW or consult a registered valuer.
Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, stated she is prepared to step down from the position of Prime Minister once the people of the country decide that a change is necessary.
The Prime Minister, who attended the 2026 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, returned to the island this morning (23).
She made these remarks after arriving at Parliament this afternoon to participate in the parliamentary debate.
Addressing the Parliament, Prime Minister Harini said:
They failed to remove the President. Then they tried to at least attempt to remove the Prime Minister. Where is it? I came running this morning prepared to face the no-confidence motion. I am still waiting for it. Won’t it be brought? We were ready.”
She further said that there is no need to bring a no-confidence motion. When the people of this country decide that the Prime Minister must change, we are ready to go home. We are accountable to the people of this country, and we will continue to work accordingly.”
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Before continuing, please let me correct a serious error (a senior moment, a senile memory slip) that occurred in Part I, while updating an earlier piece of writing; in paragraph five their of, I went on the presumption that KD’s predictions were meant to apply to the (still hypothetical) 2029 presidential election, whereas he was actually writing at the beginning of June 2024 about the presidential polls already scheduled for September the same year. I humbly beg the readers’ forgiveness over this lapse. The following paragraph, I hope, will clear away the confusion caused by my wrong presumption (pun intended):
In the old Sunday Island feature, Kumar David predicted that, at the upcoming presidential polls (slated to be held in September 2024), the battle would be between Ranil and Anura with ‘Sajith wailing in the wilderness’, while ‘the utterly hopeless SLFP and SLPP will find refuge with Ranil Wickremasinghe’ (as he put it), which meant that Kumar David left Namal (Rajapaksa) out of the scenario that he foresaw, because he probably thought that Namal wouldn’t be fielded at all for fear of sure defeat. But, as it turned out, Namal had to enter the fray to avoid total parliamentary obliteration of the SLPP. As for KD, prophesying at the beginning of June 2024, he was trying wishfully to discern emerging signs of such a pre-poll division of political loyalties that would be advantageous to Ranil Wickremasinghe (the alleged kingpin of the 2015 regime change operation to which Kumar David made available his strategic intellectual contribution).
Part I concluded with:
It is only KD’s ingrained anti-Sinhalese Buddhist prejudice that has instilled such ideas into his hate filled mind. KD adds that the ‘import of his (Lalkantha’s) words is that ‘the JVP-NPP is going to be identified at the polls as a Sinhala party and this will have consequences. Will it draw the already radicalised Sinhala-Buddhist youth in larger numbers into the JVP camp or will it damage the JVP’s image? Time will show.’ What balderdash is this? If the JVP cannot attract anti-extremist peaceful Sinhalese Buddhist youth (those that the prejudiced call ‘radicalised’) and their counterparts in other communities into its fold, will it survive in politics, let alone save its image?
Part II starts here:
So, it is clear that Kumar David called Lalkantha a buffalo because the latter did not seem to agree with the Tamil separatists’ false claim that the Sri Lankan government forces were fighting against Tamil civilians, and that the separatists were their saviours. Some sympathisers of the separatist ideology among the Tamil diaspora have propagated the same conscious lie abroad, especially in the powerful Western countries, where unprincipled local politicians exploit it for winning support among immigrant Tamil voters. Traditionally communalistic minority politicians of the older generation in Sri Lanka also resort to vote-bank politics; of course, there are honourable exceptions, but they fail to get into parliament in spite of their honesty and patriotism. In the case of politicians from the majority community, vote-bank politics comes in the form of political correctness (in the use of language and formulation of policies) towards minority voters. In the end, it is the truly patriotic nationalist politicians (irrespective of their individual racial or religious identity) who are accused of playing vote-bank politics by allegedly succumbing to the whims of the majority community when such politicians make an attempt to address their genuine grievances such as the problem of resettling the war-displaced Sinhalese in the north and east provinces, preservation of the Buddhist archaeological sites scattered throughout those areas, and the restoration of the basic human rights of the war-orphaned original Sinhalese inhabitants in isolated villages in the Batticaloa district.
In my reply to ‘Quo vadis?’ I asked the rhetorical question to KD: ‘Where are these ‘radicalised Sinhala-Buddhist youth?’ and went on to drive home the point: ‘There are none, as you know in your heart of hearts. Why don’t you dare even hint at the confirmed existence of internationally known radicalised youth belonging to certain fundamentalist sects, who have actually caused unspeakable unprovoked terrorist violence within Sri Lanka? Why do you level false allegations of violent extremism against innocent Sinhalese Buddhist youth? Actually, the false ‘radicalised’ label was stuck on some young peaceful Sinhalese Buddhist activists who warned against early signs of the emergence of some extremist Islamist groups whose activities eventually culminated in the April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
In my reply I pointed out that ‘the JVP-NPP is not a Sinhalese only party or alliance, but like any major pan-Sri Lankan national party, it has a majority of ethnic Sinhalese in its ranks as they form the majority of the total Sri Lankan population. But its leaders have already alienated the Sinhalese Buddhist voters by making inane utterances smacking of anti-nationalist prejudice in the hope of winning the approval of foreign interventionist forces and the minorities that they offer to look after as alleged victims of ‘Sinhalese Buddhist majoritarianism’ which is a malicious false fabrication against a hapless global minority. Only race- or religion-based parties have members who exclusively belong to a specific religious or racial group. It was not necessary to mention examples as these were well known to KD and our readers.
KD had made another interesting revelation: ‘The monks went on an expedition to Europe and the US, sought out Tamil links such as the Global Tamil Forum and others and initiated a dialogue. The initiative is now in motion and grass-roots activities are in full swing. Important figures like Karu Jayasuriya (former Speaker), Austin Fernando, Sarvodaya, Jehan Perera’s National Peace Council and Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu’s CPA are involved. Branches have been established in many localities and an active movement is in full swing.’ So, is that why the Justin Trudeau government declared an utterly baseless Tamil Genocide Remembrance Week in 2024 and Canada has been issuing statements bullying Sri Lanka with egregious lies about human rights violations, communal attacks on innocent Tamils, etc., without any credible, transparent investigations. Was this ‘initiative’ also KD’s like his ‘single issue candidate’ stratagem of late 2014, which has brought the country to this sorry pass today? Former Sri Lankan foreign affairs minister Ali Sabry correctly characterised such treacherous anti-Sri lanka gimmicks as being prompted by sought-after domestic vote bank benefits in that country.
Who were these monks who went on an expedition to Europe and the US, seeking to establish links with the GTF and other Tamil organisations? They were probably from the Jatika Bhikshu Peramuna allied to the JVP (Janatha Vimukti Peramuna). The young monk who talked in support of demolishing Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya in Kankesanturai must be from this group.?
They are not very different from the fraternity of yellow-robed Buddhist monk impersonators to which sixty-four year old Saman Ratnayake (a wanted crime suspect according to social media reports) who has found asylum in Norway posing as Cleppe Ariyamagga Thero or the eighty-two year old retired Dept of Agriculture statistical officer Sirisena Hapuarachchi with an embezzling history who has assumed robes in old age as Meewanapalane Siridhammalankara belong to? The first of these is propagating a fictitious history of Buddhism according to which Gautama Buddha was born, attained Buddhahood, preached and died in Sri Lanka; the second has declared himself to be a Buddha and misleads gullible Buddhists with a wrong interpretation of the Tripitaka which is in the Pali language, himself having no knowledge of that language. (I gathered this information from social media sources, which may or may not be available now) Their activities seem to be lavishly funded by foreign donors. Eighty-four year old Karu Jayasuriya (former Speaker mentioned above) seems to be his main backer, who protects him from protests and challenges by concerned Buddhists, though he knows that he has already been expelled from the nikaya he had joined at some obscure Buddhist monastery. The activities of these two imposters and several monks who became their followers have already caused divisions within the Sangha community and the Buddhist laity, which are very harmful to the Buddha Sasana.
I have no comment to make on KD’s proposals about identifying and advancing national economic goals (as I know little about political economics), except that his ideas might be expected to give a boost to the president’s authoritarian national assets selling economic policies, which are meeting strong opposition from nationalist patriots of all communities.
KD added a maliciously false, hateful NOTE at the end, which needed a comment:
“The absolute core Sinhala vote in the country is the infamous 69 lakhs”; maybe 70 now by natural increase. I reckon that the minorities – Ceylon Tamils, Upcountry Tamils, Muslims and Catholics – are about one third of the core Sinhala vote. That is (1/3) x70 about 23 lakhs. This is why I reckon that RW is making a play for a clear majority of this 23-lakhs in the presidential poll’. This could be a deliberate ploy that KD slily suggests for the UNP and the non-Sinhalese communalist parties led by racists and religious opportunists to use, persuading them to form into a common alliance against the majority community at the polls (as it mostly happened even in 2019 and 2020 elections, despite the urgent and genuine appeals of the nationalist leaders to the contrary; their eventual betrayal of the victory achieved is a different story).
KD described what he called ‘the absolute Sinhala vote’ as “the infamous 69 lakhs”, and that this figure might be 70 then ‘by natural increase’! Could all the new voters of any specific ethnic community be expected to exactly follow their elders’ politics without any deviation? This was a shameless exhibition of his inexplicable visceral hatred of the Sinhalese in general. The hatred he inspired in the hearts of the young will poison the minds of generations to come. I ended my response to ‘Quo vadis?’ with: ‘This is not worthy of a venerable old man like you, Kumar David!’
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s despicable remark that the Sinhalese Buddhist pilgrims from the south who travel north passing Anuradhapura go to Tissa Viharaya, not to observe Sil, but to spread hatred against Tamils living there is not surprising. He is Kumar David’s buffalo’s comrade. Both were beneficiaries of KD’s mentoring.
Concluded
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Immanuel Kant’s exploration of mental disorders is extensively articulated in his later work, Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View (1798). Unlike the predominant medical or biological perspectives of his era, Kant adopted a pragmatic approach, emphasizing the impact of mental illness on an individual’s cognitive and moral agency rather than merely its physiological origins.
His philosophy underscores the importance of self-understanding and resilience in the face of psychological challenges. For Kant, a sound mind is characterized by the harmonious functioning of the three faculties—cognition, feeling, and desire—under the guidance of reason. Disruption in this balance, where one faculty becomes dysfunctional or unruly, is what he identifies as the root of mental illness.
Kant’s perspective on mental illness is a philosophical rather than solely a medical issue, emphasizing the mind’s failure to adhere to its own logical and judgmental norms. He offers profound insights into the essence of mental disorders, suggesting that individuals bear some responsibility for their mental well-being, even as he recognizes that certain conditions may be hereditary or beyond cure.
Kant identifies the “only universal characteristic of madness” as the substitution of shared, rational reasoning with an individual’s private logic. He categorizes mental pathologies through a tripartite framework encompassing cognition, feeling, and desire, distinguishing between weaknesses (deficiencies) and illnesses (active derangements). In his view, the philosopher, as an expert in reason, is best equipped to assess the nature of madness, which he sees fundamentally as a breakdown of rational thought.
Kant’s theory of mental disorder is a sophisticated philosophical framework defining mental illness as a breakdown of the conditions for objective experience (Frierson, 2009). Kant argued that mental disorder is the transition from “common sense” to a “private sense.” For Kant, “common sense” is a normative tool for testing the truth of our perceptions and judgments against the world. Kant defined a healthy mind not by the absence of biological disease, but by its normative functioning—specifically, its ability to align with the universal rules of logic and a shared social reality.
Kant explicitly stated that madness can be hereditary, referring to “germs of madness” that develop alongside physical reproduction. He believed certain physical states, such as issues with the digestive system or a naturally “melancholy” temperament, could make an individual susceptible to mental derangement. Kant argued that nature might provide the “predisposition” for illness, social life, and personal habits, which often act as the catalysts. He stated that societal pressure could break the natural balance of the mind’s faculties. Kant emphasized that even a sound intellect can fall into illness because human reason is fragile and depends on constant social communication to remain healthy.
Kant indicated a profound connection between mental illness and the historical evolution of society (Falcato, 2025). This indicates that Immanuel Kant did not view mental illness merely as a biological malfunction. Kant’s assertion that humans possess an inherent inclination toward social interaction, or sociability, alongside a simultaneous tendency to seek isolation and act in self-interest, creates a psychological conflict.
As society progresses, it generates artificial needs that can lead to mental strain. Kant discussed issues such as hypochondria and mood disorders, arguing that culture plays a role in shaping and moralizing human behaviour. He suggested that human nature inherently resists societal constraints, which in turn exerts pressure on the mind. Kant posited that as society progresses towards greater civilization and intelligence, individuals become more susceptible to mental anxieties, a condition he referred to as hypochondria, as well as various cognitive disorders.
Van den Berg (2025) highlights that Kant’s theory of mechanical explanation remains relevant and aligns with contemporary mechanistic paradigms. It provides a robust philosophical framework for the current biological turn in psychiatry and neuroscience. Kant strongly believed that the mind must be studied through its physical manifestation. Mental health professionals today assert that mental disorders stem from dysfunctions within brain circuits. This is a direct application of the Kantian mechanical explanation.
Kant rejected the binary choice of viewing madness as either purely a spiritual/moral failing or purely a biological disease (Polianskii, 2023). However, Kant insisted that the symptom itself is a disorder of judgment and reason. Kant adopted a moderate stance: Madness is a medical problem in its origin (requiring a physician for the body), but it is a philosophical problem in its manifestation (requiring a rational approach for the mind).
Kant’s “tripartite psychology” identifies specific failures of the mind that mirror modern psychotic symptoms. For Kant, a healthy mind is one that successfully synthesizes sensory data into a coherent experience of reality (Annett, 2023). Therefore, “mental dysfunction” is not just behaving oddly, but a structural failure of cognition—the mind’s inability to perform the necessary “synthesis” to construct a stable, shared reality. Kant argued that true mental illness (dysfunction) occurs when the mind steps outside the “bounds of sense”—producing thoughts that have no possible connection to objective experience.
Kant’s classification of mental illness extends beyond individual health into the realms of public order and legal accountability (Ferrara, 2022). Kant used mental illness to define the boundaries of legal agency. A person suffering from a “malady of the head” is classified as “incapable”, meaning they lose the legal standing to represent themselves in court or enter into contracts. Kant argued that because a mentally ill person is governed by a “private sense” rather than universal reason, their actions are not “free” in the moral sense. He emphasized that they cannot be punished for crimes in the same way as a rational citizen, as they lack the capacity to recognize the law they have broken.
Kant’s work from 1798 serves as a pivotal link between the traditional, often supernatural interpretations of mental illness and the emerging framework of modern medical psychiatry. Kant should be seen as a forerunner of the trends in modern psychiatry (Tényi, 2019). Kant was truly a visionary for his era. During his lifetime, mental illness was frequently seen as a result of demonic possession or a moral shortcoming. In such a rudimentary understanding of mental health, Kant’s progressive views on the subject were remarkably advanced, reflecting a deeper insight into the complexities of the human mind.
Falcato, A. (2025). Kant’s early diagnosis: The maladies of the head as a cultural phenomenon. Philosophy Today, 69(1), 131–147. doi.org.
Ferrara, I. (2022). The political dimension of pathology: Kantian mental illnesses between fragility, freedom, and imputation. Estudos Kantianos, 10(1), 119–138. doi.org.
Frierson, P. (2009). Kant on mental disorder: Part 1. An overview. History of Psychiatry, 20(3), 267–289. doi.org.
Polianskii, D. V. (2023). Kant’s concept of madness, psychiatry and anti-psychiatry. SHS Web of Conferences, 161, 07007. doi.org.
Tényi T. (2019). [Immanuel Kant’s concept of mental disorders]. Psychiatr Hung. 2019;34(3):325-326. Hungarian. PMID: 31570664. Van den Berg, H. (2025). Kant’s essentialism and mechanism and their relevance for present-day philosophy of psychiatry. European Journal for Philosophy of Science, 15(1), Article 7. doi.org
Protests erupt across Kurdish regions, condemning US inaction as Syrian forces advanced
A Kurdish protester waves a national flag in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern autonomous Kurdish region, during a demonstration in support of Kurds in Syria on 20 January 2026 (AFP)
Published date: 21 January 2026 14:45 GMT | Last update: 1 day 8 hours ago
After crossing the Semalka border bridge between Iraq and Syria, travellers are met by protests and hundreds of Kurds waving Kurdish and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) flags.
The crowd gather to welcome arrivals from Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, answering a call to stand together against Damascus in a show of cross-border solidarity.
The protests come as Kurdish authorities have lost large swaths of territory in recent days amid a sweeping military operation aimed at bringing all of Syria under government control.
We are here welcoming our Kurdish nation, the brothers from Kurdistan. They want to annihilate us, but they will never be able to do that. The Kurdish people are all one,” Dijwar, a Kurdish protester, told Middle East Eye.
Long live the brotherhood of the Kurdish people,” several chanted behind him.
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The day before, thousands marched on the US consulate in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Erbil to protest against Syria’s military offensive and what they see as Washington’s failure to support the Kurds, their main allies in northern Syria over the past decade.
In Turkey, meanwhile, more than 1,000 people marched through the town of Nusaybin, towards the border, ending in a confrontation with police, who fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse them.
On Tuesday evening, Damascus announced a four-day ceasefire with Kurdish forces and a deadline to agree on integrating into the central state.
The rapid government takeover of Kurdish-controlled areas marks the most significant shift in control since President Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power in December 2024.
Before the government offensive that began earlier this month, the SDF controlled large parts of northern and eastern Syria – territory it had seized while fighting and defeating the Islamic State group (IS) with the support of a US-led coalition.
The SDF has now pulled back from the predominantly Arab provinces of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor.
Baz Mawati, a protester outside the consulate, told MEE on Monday that the Kurds were the main force on the ground in the fight against the Islamic State… but now, we are the ones being killed”.
Four-day deadline
Washington’s relationship with the SDF has changed since Donald Trump returned to office last year, redirecting support towards Sharaa.
On Tuesday the US president told reporters that while he liked Kurds, they were paid tremendous amounts of money, were given oil and other things”.
So, they were doing it for themselves, more so than they were doing it for us. But we got along with the Kurds, and we are trying to protect the Kurds,” he added.
In its ceasefire announcement, the Syrian presidency said the Kurds have been given four days for consultations to develop a detailed plan” for integrating the Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakah province.
It said that if finalised, Syrian forces “will not enter the city centres of Hasakeh and Qamishli… and Kurdish villages”, and will remain on their outskirts.
The US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said on Tuesday that the role of the SDF as the primary anti-IS force has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities”.
On Tuesday, Syrian forces seized al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected IS fighters, after Kurdish forces withdrew from the site.
‘Colonial mindset’
Many Kurdish civilians fear the ceasefire could collapse during the four-day period and have denounced the US for aligning with Damascus.
Some are planning to pack their belongings and move to Iraqi Kurdistan.
In Derik, one of the towns closest to the border, an exchange shop was seen removing its cash from the premises.
The SDF, meanwhile, reported that last night a drone strike and a suicide bombing targeted Kurdish-held Qamishli.
The US has destroyed the Kurdish nation in the most dirty way. Kurds showed humanity, democracy and goodness, but America chose terrorism for the Middle East,” said Hoger, a Kurdish resident.
I feel sad, hopeless, broken, afraid and angry when I look at my children, when I hear their laughter, and when I see the troubles America has chosen for their lives.”
Polat Can, one of the founders of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), said that in future, when the world needs their help to fight terrorism, the Kurds will not be ready to save it again”.
Terrorism is not over,” he said. Terrorist networks are spread across the world, and Syria will become a hotbed for them. The international community will soon regret supporting al-Qaeda’s control over Syria and betraying the SDF and the Kurdish people.”
Can, who worked closely with US forces in operations against IS, singled out US envoy Barrack for criticism for supporting Syria’s new government, now led by former members of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate that was officially dissolved in January 2025.
He [Barrack] completely supports the HTS and Turkish policies in the region,” said Can.
However, Can added that many coalition soldiers remain loyal to the Kurds.
It is the policymakers,” he said, who continue to think with colonial mindsets about the Middle East and the Kurdish people.”
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The Court of Appeal has scheduled January 30 to deliver its order on the petitions seeking to invalidate the Trincomalee Magistrate Court’s decision to remand Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thera and Venerable Kalyanawansatissa Thera.
The decision was announced today (22) after the matter was considered by a bench comprising Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando.
The case stems from an incident on November 16, 2025, involving the placement of a Buddha statue in Trincomalee.
The monks were remanded on January 14 and 19 on allegations of violating the Coast Conservation Act.
During today’s proceedings, the court noted that while the Registrar of the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court had submitted the order from 14 January as previously instructed, the order from 19 January was missing.
The legal counsel for the petitioners, President’s Counsel Manohara de Silva, raised serious concerns in open court, pointing out that a specific portion of the certified copies provided to the court appeared to have been intentionally removed.
He described the situation as highly suspicious. Furthermore, President’s Counsel Uditha Egalahewa requested the court to summon the audio recordings of the proceedings from 19 January, noting that all courts maintain such records.
In response, the Court of Appeal bench summoned its own Registrar to inquire into the matter and subsequently ordered the immediate submission of the missing 19 January order along with the relevant audio recordings.
Representing the monks, Manohara de Silva PC argued that the placement of the statue caused no public disturbance.
He alleged that the police had used reports of potential communal tension as a pretext to seize the statue and had physically assaulted monks during the process.
He further charged that the police intentionally reported the matter under the Coast Conservation Act to make obtaining bail more difficult, despite the government’s constitutional duty to protect and foster Buddhism.
Additional Solicitor General Vikum de Abrew, appearing for the state, contended that the petitioners’ approach to the Court of Appeal was legally flawed.
He argued that the appropriate legal remedy would have been to file a revision petition in the High Court against the Magistrate’s order or to apply for bail through the High Court as per the provisions of the Coast Conservation Act.
The court directed all parties to file any written submissions by January 27 before delivering the final order at the end of the month.
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Dheshamanya Dr Sudath Gunasekara Former Secretary to Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranayaka and the Ex-President of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (1991-1994).
20.01.2026.
(This article is of two parts. This is Part 1 to be followed by part 11.)
Part 1
It is a historical fact that it was the heroic ancestors of the present day Kandyan Sinhalese who defended the motherland against three powerful invincible Western colonial invaders, for 343 years (1505-1848), and who protected it for posterity, with dignity and bravery unmatched in world history. This is a brief noteon the tragic story of the Kandyan areas and its people, betrayed and neglected by their own politicians who ran the country since 1948 up to date.
The betrayal of the heroic Kandyans in the post 1948 period up to date, by Sihala politicians at a glance.
The Kandyan Peasantry Department (initially a “C” grade sub-department) was created in 1958. It was placed under a Coordinating Officer for Kandyan Peasantry Rehabilitation within the Home Ministry at that time,
Instead of Appointing a high-powered Development Board and an Advisory Board with advisory capacity with direct access to the Prime Minister (The Head of the State at that time) and his Cabinet in regard to all matters which fall within any development program prepared by them with adequate technical and financial assistance to enable it to make its own investigations and a Secretariate under a secretary of an officer of Government Permanent Secretary Status who should have direct access to the Prime Minister (157-160)”
But none of these recommendations were implemented by any government in the post independent period up todate.
This clearly shows how all governments since 1951 have treated the Kandyan areas and their people, the saviors of the Sinhale and its heroes, (our ancestors) who saved this country for these ungrateful politicians to enjoy the privileges of political power.
The department was later upgraded to a “B” class department in 1964, and subsequently to a full “A” class department in 1994 again only by name, minus adequate power and financial resources to uplift this vast area covering 1/3rd of the country.
The establishment of this department was based on the recommendations of the Kandyan Peasantry Commission Report of 1951, which identified landlessness and poverty as the major issues in the region. This Report was a sequel to the Commission appointed by Governor Mason Moor on 13th January 1949 to make recommendations as to the measures that should be adopted for the amelioration of their twin problems of landlessness and poverty. It must be stated here that the commission had not made any reference to the main and real issues, that created the above twin problems of landlessness and poverty of the Kandyan regions or its people but touched only the tip of the ice berg, details of which I have referred to in the following pages. Even the one and the only Six -Year plan submitted by Minister A Ratnayaka was put in to the wastepaper basket together with the CPR by the government of the day and left fully ignored until 1958, until the new government created a teethless and moneyless C grade Sub Department that had to wait for another 36 years until 1994 to upgrade it in to an A class Department. But even after 1994 unfortunately, the subject of Kandyan area rehabilitation and development was never considered as an important national issue, until it was finally murdered and buried under 10 feet below for good by Basil Raajpaksa in January 2014.
Both the 56-year-old ailing Kandyan Peasantry Department and the Uarata Area Development Authority created in 2005 (based on a paper I submitted to Prime Minister Mrs. B in 1994) were also finally abolished, in January 2014 with the creation of The DiviNaguma Authority by Minister Basil Rajapaksa and buried it forever, never to rise from its grave again.
This in brief is the tragic obituary notice of the Kandyan heroes who fought for 310 years (1505-1815) against three powerful western colonial invaders, dying in tens of thousands to defend their motherland and saved it for you and me, to live today, on this cherished land ofGauthama the Buddha, known as the Sinhale, the land of the Sinhala nation.
The Six Year Plan (1954/5-1959/60)being the only meaningful action ever taken on this subject by Home Minister A Ratnayaka submitted to the then Government in 1952, made to ameliorate these twin problems landlessness and poverty as the major issues in the region, that were only the tip of a Himalaya Mountain of physical, economic, social, political and even the pain in the neck conflict with India, our closest neighbor, left behind as an ugly legacy of British colonial rule. But is it not an unpardonable negligence and disgrace on the part of all post-1948 governments, that not even 10 % of the proposals made under that first and the only 6 Year plan had never been implemented fully up to date.
On the other hand, look at the treacherous way as to how all our own Sinhala unpatriotic politicians, who had no love for their motherland, its people or the 2500 year old pristine Sinhala Buddhist heritage and who have no vision or a mission of nation building have betrayed our motherland, its heroic Sinhala nation, the sons of the soil together with their millennia old heritage have paved the way to hand over 1/3 of our motherland to these Malabar immigrant Tamils on a platter for their vote (which they never get) who were only imported slave labour by the British colonial invaders after 1870 to work on their plantations and left behind, when they left the Island in 1948 as a bunch of stateless coolies, whose history even as British collies left behind is only 77 years.
Also Look at the way as to how these unpatriotic politicians have made a bunch of immigrant foreign laborers only with 77 years of illicit staying on this Island, almost the virtual owners of these lands by their political blunders made in the name of governing from 1948 to date.
The tragic story of the KandyanSinhalese, whose heroic ancestors defended and protected the motherland, Sinhale and its civilization and the Buddha sasana, from the second century BC, to the 13trh century AD, first, against the South Indian invaders and second, against three powerful invincible Western invaders with their mighty naval and gun power, Portuguese, Dutch and the English for 310 years (1505-1815) and also who protected it for posterity without allowing it to be a country like Australia, America or New Zealand, where all natives were totally annihilated by these European invaders and established their own Kingdoms on others soil.
In this country, on the other hand, they were able to captured only a narrow coastal strip, not more than few miles, around the Island abutting the Kandyan Kingdom and ruled it by converting the people there to the invader’s religions, by force, completely destroying the native Buddhist temples and viharas that were there. They baptized almost all native Sinhala people within this coastal belt and gave their names and forced them to adopt their cultures.
But the enemies were fiercely resisted and never allowed to capture the Sinhale, the Kandyan Kingdom at the center, by the Sinhala heroes of the Kandyan Kingdom who protected it, covering more than 90 % of the total area of the country, by restricting the invaders occupation to the coastal belt for 310 long years from 1505 to 1815. This is how today we have large number of Pereras, Silvas, Perises, Coorays,Fenandos, Pintos, Singhoes, Martins, Simons, Davids. Dias, Davids, Johns, Alvises, Richadrs, Simons, Marys, Elizebeths, joslins, Dulcys, Anns etc in the South Western coastal strip even at present.
(See map below by Henry Marshell Ceylon).
Had the Kandyan Sinhalese also meekly yielded to these sea pirates like the Sinhalese of the coastal areas, we would never have a country as Sinhale and a nation to be called Sinhale, with Buddhism in this country as the foremost Religion as we have it today and ended up under a different name of their choice like Australia or Amerika packed up with Silvas Fernados, Peirises and Diases and Pintos all over the Island with no Bandas and Manikes or Appuhamis, and infested with Catholic and Cristian Churches and Cathedrals with no Buddhist Temples, Viharas and a Temple of the Tooth to be seen and probably without Sri Paada, which they had already named as Adams Peak in the early 19th century probably copying from what Iban Battuta an Arabian Traveler, who visited this Island around 1344 AD was supposed to have called it. This is how Sinhale with its pristine Sinhala Buddhist Civilization would have ended up, had the Kandyan Sinhalese not protected it from the invaders of course at a price.
The Kandyan Kingdom in 1815
The red line shows the boundaries of the Kandyan kingdom as at 1815.The narrow strip between the red line and the sea is the area to which the three invaders were confined for 310 years by our heroic Kandyan Sinhala ancestors.
This is why I maintain the argument that all Sinhalese, whether they reside in the lowlands or the hill country, in this Sacred Land must at least now resole to call themselves by that epithet Sinhalese only, without any prefixes like Kandyans or Low country Sinhalese, a trickish division Robert Percival introduced to divide the 2500 year Sinhala Nation in 1803, as the first conspiracy to weaken the Sinhala Nation to further their vicious divide and rule policy by dividing the Sinhala nation in to two adversary camps as Kandyans and Low country Sinhales camps. The nation had to be ever grateful to the never yielding brave patriotic Sinhalese of the Kandyan Kingdom for Protecting the Kandyan Kingdom at the center covering the Major area of the Sinhale Kingdom with its Buddhist civilization until finally it was annexed to the British Empire on March 2 1815 by conspiracy, intrigue and deceit hatched jointly by Doily the Master brain and Brownrigg the white murderer Governor of the coastal belt at that time.
It must be clearly stated here that the 1815 annexation was done between two equal Sovereign Kingdoms by a mutually agreed Convention and never by yielding to the invader. Therefore, all Sinhalese in this country must be proud that Sinhale was the only country in the world the British annexed to their Empire by mutually agreed convention between two sovereign and independent nations and not by conquest as some historians have stated. Doily had convinced Brownrigg that this was the only way to capture this country, recollecting their disgraceful defeat at Danture and Kandy in 1803. Doily and Brownrigg had other plans up their sleeves, when the Kandyan Convention was singed which, they activated in 1818 on Nov 1st under the Royal Proclamation 1 declaring war on the Sinhale Kingdom and on its people and thereby unilaterally violating the Kandyan Convention, that remains a valid agreement even today, as it was never abolished by law up to date, as I know. Thereafter, the British ruled this country in their own way by the gun and the sword under Royal Proclamations by the British Crown, seemingly legal but technically illegal under repressive laws and enactments up to 1948, while the Kandyan Convention was still valid.
I am writing this essay today to express my deepest sorrow and disgust on all post 1948 Sinhala politicians and their governments, that were supposed to have governed this country from 1948 up to date, with five exceptions only, who have looked at this issue pragmatically and realistically up to date. The first was D.S.Senanayaka, the first Prime Minister who disenfranchised all Indian coolie labourers in 1948, who were brought and settled on the newly opened up Coffee and Tea plantations in the central country after 1870 by the British. This I consider as the first step taken by any politician to send these army of South Indian labourers back to their own country. But unfortunately, he did not live to complete that historic task. Second person was A. Ratnayaka Minister of Home Affairs who presented the first and the only Six Year Plan (1953-59) with such enthusiasm and joy saying at last justice had been meted out to two provinces of Central and Uva. May the coming years bring up to view a grand vista in these Provinces redolent of the glories of the pristine past’ he concluded with immense joy. But unfortunately, his wild dream ended up in a day dream due to political infightings within the government followed up by change of government in 1956 that put Minister Ratnayakas dream in to limbo due to lack of patriotism and commitment in meeting justice to the Kandyan areas and its heroic people by all successive governments until the subject of rehabilitation of the Kandyan areas and its people were finally literally killed and buried under 100 feet by Basil Rajapaksa in January 2014 for ever by abolishing the ailing Kandyan Peasantry Commissioners Department established in 1958 and The Kandyan Areas Development Authority
The Six Year plan on rural reconstruction and rehabilitation of social and economic conditions of the Kandyan areas in Central and Uva Provinces made in 1953 on the recommendations of the Kandyan Peasantry Commission Report of 1951 was a very comprehensive and pragmatic development plan. The Minister of Home Affairs Mr A. Ratnayaka in his forward to the Six Year Plan had said that a sum of Rs 220 million was provided for that Six Year Plan. But whether that money had been provided to this cause is moot question, the way how that Six Year plan was implemented up to date.
The High-Powered Development Board on (P229/30 KPC Report) or the Main recommendations made in (P232 and 233) including 4 additional Kachcheries, at Naula and Rikillagaskada (Kandy district) and at Bibile and Wellawaya (Uva Province) and the proposal made set up the establishment of a Development Fund and to collect special Taxes and roads in the area to be diverted to the Development Fund etc never saw the light of the day. There is also a contradiction between the Development Board given of (P230) and the Advisory Board on (P233). For these reasons and the defeat of the Government in 1956 Minister Ratnayaka’s expectations and good intensions never saw the light of the day.
The third was Sir John Kotalawala who entered in to a Sri Lanka friendly Agreement in 1953 with Nehru by which he insisted that any plantation worker, if he or she want be a Sri Lankan Citizen and stay here should learn Sinhala, the Language of the country, and be prepared to assimilate and intergrade with the native Sinhala society. Those who agree to do so will be kept on provisionary list for 10 years before they become full citizens of this country and those who are not prepared to do so will have to leave the country and go back to India.
The fourth was R.G.Senanayaka (the son of FR) who formed the new political party Sinhala Mahajana Pakshaya in 1972. He spelled out the best manifesto ever, that is the Ideal Constitutional format to this Sinhala Buddhist country. But with his untimely death in 1972, this country lost the only politician who presented a patriotic national policy for the first time, based on the civilizational foundation of this country which Gunadasa Amarasekara call the sabhYathva raajya” publishehed recently. Had R.G. survived to form a government and to implement his manifesto, I have no doubt the story of this country today would have been completely different. But the people of this country are not fortunate enough to have such a constitution as he also died prematurely.
Coming bac to the implementation of the Six Year Plan, I note, it is a national tragedy that even 10 % of this Six Year Plan has not been implemented up to now. (See below for more details).
Although the KPC 1951 was the 2nd best Commission Report produce in pre 1952 period (After the Kannangara Report on Free Education 1943), it dealt only with the ‘Social and Economic issues’ as that was the mandate given to the Commission by the then Governor. As such the KPC Report Commission did not include the following major national issues to make it a comprehensive and realistic rehabilitation and development plan.
1.The need to restore the lost physical stability of the Central hill country, so critical for the survival of, not only the Kandyan Provinces but also the entire life system in this whole country, that was completely destroyed first, by the invaders by deforesting the whole hill country, the main watershed of the Island up to 8000 ft msl, which resulted in drying up all the major rivers of the Island that have their sources and degrading 1.3 million acres in the hill country, by opening up the land for largescale Coffee (1840)- and Tea (1870) plantations. It was followed by other activities like constructions of roads and railways, buildings and shelters for millions of imported slave laborers from South India who had no love for this land as they had come only to make a living for survival as conditions in India were so miserable at that time and millions of South Indians left drought and poverty-stricken India to other parts of the world in Asia, Africa and even far away countries like the West Indies in search of a way of living.
The massive physical changes that took place in the central Hill Country due to its opening up for plantations followed by largescale deforestation by the invader was followed by large scale eco-biological changes; earth slips and landslides on the hills and untold flash flood and misery in the downstream areas as it had been clearly explained in the Kelani Valley Railway Commission Report (1894) which reached the climax of devastation this year due to cumulative effects that gathered momentum over time up to now. (Therefore, the need to restorephysical Justice)
2. The need to restore the lost land rights of both crown and private within the Kandyan Kingdom of the native Kandyan Sinhalese, exceeding 1.3 million acres first by a) restoring the pristine natural forest cover that was strictly protected (thahanchi kele) during the times of the Sinhalese Kings in the hill country on all lands above 3500 ft msl and
b) returning all the land owned by native Sinhalese to their original owners as these lands were taken over by the invaders from the native people by force with no compensation either, under repressive and illegal laws like the Act no 12 of 1840 on Encroachment on Crown Land, (as if they were the property of the British Crown), the Temple Land Ord of 1853 and the Wasteland Ord of 1897. (The need to restore the Legal Justice of the Bhumiputhras)
3Above all the need to send back the 1.2 million Indian labour forcebrought by the British as their slaves by 1948, back to India (As they were British Citizens then), like what Burma, Tanganika and most Colonies in Asia and Africa did, as we need to get back the vacant possession of our mother land handed over to the British in 1815 by mutual agreement. Therefore Sri Lanka/ Sinhale Government too had a solid legal claim to make this request from the English in 1948 ( which they never did) when they declared ‘freedom’ to this Island as even the Kandyan Convension1815 had already explicitly stated and committed not to allow Malabar people to do anything with this country after 2nd March 1815, by statingAll claim and title of the Malabar race to the Dominion of the Kandyan Provinces as abolished and extinguished” (sec 2 of Kandyan Convention of 1815). I hold the view that this Constitutional provision applies equally to all Malabar immigrants imported even by the British since March 2. 1815 to this country and settled anywhere in the Island including the North and the East, who were brought after 1799. Furthermore, even at the time this Commission was appointed in 1949 these plantation Tamils were not-citizens of this country. As such the Commissioners should never have addressed estate Tamils in this survey as they had done by publishing notices in Tamil.
4.The need to get compensation by way of reparation from Britain for using our land by exploiting its resources to enrich their Empire, where the sun never set. Compensation also should be claimed for the Kandyan people for the loss of life and property and the means of living in 1817-1818 and 1848 freedom struggles and for crimes they committed like murder against native leaders and banishing them to foreign countries like Mauritius. (Political and social justice for violation of human rights)
However, one can argue that the commission cannot be blamed for these lapses as it has carried out its duty within the terms of reference only ” But I hesitate to exonerate the Commissioners, more particularly its Chairman N.E. Weerasuriya, a distinguished legal luminary and its Secretary Victor Tennakoon, who was also a noted Kandyan legal luminary, M.D. Banda, a patriotic and noted Civil Servant and finally D.B. Allepola Assistant to the Commission, a renowned scholar on Kandyan affairs for not drawing the attention of the Governor to revise the terms of reference more objectively in terms of the above requirements I have mentioned1-4. With these serious lapses, I opine the Commissioners have given birth only to a baby rat after making a mountain of efforts” as the famous Sinhala proverb says and also it reminds me the story of the seven blind men who described the elephant.
It also should be noted that Governor Mason Moore (1944-1948) who appointed this commission was a great schemer and an exponent of the British Divide and rule policy. He was the man who named the newly found political party as the United National Party (UNP) implying that there is more than one nation in this country. He convinced leaders that it is an attempt to unite all nations in this country and cleverly implanted the idea that this country is a multi-national, multi-ethnic and multi religious country, in the heads of our visionless politicians, which they had already inculcated in the heads of the minority groups such as Tamils and Muslims and also in the international circles starting from 1799 with the infamous yarn of two nations and two countries in this land of the Sinhalese, naked historical fabrication cooked up and invented by Cleghorn, the father of this master conspiracy to destroy the Sinhala Buddhist civilization in this country and he submitted it to Governor North. This may be why Moore deliberately limited the terms of reference of this commission to social and economic conditions only, so that he can deceive and appease both Sinhalese and Tamils by that trick, and also killing two birds with one stone. By that subtle trick he deceived the native Kandyan Sinhalese politicians that his government is genuinely interested in the welfare of the Kandyan Sinhalese whereas the truth is not.
Exclusion of the above 4 indirectly guaranteed the safety of the immigrant Indian Tamils on the Estates, indicating to Estate Tamils that they are also safe under his government as a separate nation within the Kandyan territory in this country and therefore they should not worry about the appointment of this Commission
But, nevertheless, in fairness to the Commissioners who had devoted their valuable time for 3 years from 3rd March 1949 to 28th Feb 1951 and covering 2 Provinces, Central and Uva with extremely difficult terrain, meeting thousands of officers and villagers and producing a 529 page thesis on this subject that prevailed at that time, I should not fail to say that they have produced a comprehensive and detailed record on these two subjects assigned to them namely, the social and economic conditions in the Central and Uva Provinces that should definitely serve as the foundation of any socio-economic rehabilitation and reconstruction programme in these two Provinces.
However, the Commissioners as patriotic and responsible citizens, in my view should have requested the Governor for a revision of the terms of reference to include the above four requirements, if meeting justice to Kandyan areas and its heroic people is the genuine objective of the Governor in appointing this Commission, as social and economic justice of the great people of these Provinces in particular and the nation in general can never be accomplished without fulfilling those four requirements in this country as an independent nation, as they form the steal foundation of any future political, social and economic rehabilitation and reconstruction programme in this country to make it an independent and a free Sinhala nation, as it used to be prior to 1815 for more than 2500 years.
In spite of the intrinsic value of the KPC Report as a source of statistical hand book on socio-economic data for any future development plan in the Central and Uva Provinces, it was not seriously accepted for implementation when it was submitted to the cabinet in 1953. I am also sad to note that it had always been given step motherly treatment by all governments up to date, as if there is no Kandyan area or a Sinhala population by that name. At the same time unfortunately, there had never been a political leader from the Kandyan Provinces who could stand up in Parliament to say this. There was also no social leader or an organized power group of Kandyan leaders or a formidable political or social power group to speak on behalf of the Kandyans regarding their plight in their own ancestral land or to speak a single word on their behalf in Parliament and take up this issue with the authorities in protests against this discriminatory and lukewarm treatment given to the them by all governments ever since 1948 up to date, although 77 years of misery have already gone.
Compared with the special patronage extended by all governments and their leaders, towards these migrant foreign estate Tamils workers who were brought to this country only as coolly labour by the British after 1840 to work as cheap labour, the way how the native Sinhalese had been treated by all post 1948 governments are depressing and appalling. The estate Tamils, who had been here only for 75 years as illicit immigrants, have never considered this country as their motherland. But they play their political clout by bargaining their vote to get established permanently right at the center of the country in the Heartland of the Sinhala Kingdom as Malayaha probably to be converted as Malayanadu with a different culture, a different religion and a different language with allegiance to India which they consider as their motherland for all intent and purposes, with the subversive blessings of India and the so-called Euro-American International neo colonial powers whose dream is only to destroy this land of the Sinhala Buddhist civilization, after establishing a mini Tamilnadu within the Geographical Heartland that had been the strategic citadel and hideout of the Sinhalese Royalty jealously guarded from time of Dutugamunu and Walagamba( 2nd century B.C.) up to the days of Sri Wickrama Rajasinha(1798-1815).
Unfortunately, none of the post 1948 governments or the politicians in this country (with the exception of D.S. Sir John and R.G Senanaayak) have been able to understand this historical reality of the Sinhala nation and the Central Hill Country in particular up to now. Also, none of them has realized the imminent danger of having an unfriendly foreign population of a different ethnic group, different culture and a different religion and historically anti Sinhala anti Buddhist nationality who were sworn enemies of the Sinhala Buddhist and whose ancestors had been a headache invading this country from the second century BC, presently playing hell right at the Geographical, historical and strategical Heart land of this land and the urgent need to get rid of them before they establish their 29th Indian State within this country with an international Airport at Nuwara Eliya right at the Geographical Heartland of the Sinhala nation.
That is how the politicians of the post 1948 period have treated the Kandyans, who had saved this 2500-year-old our motherland and its unique Sinhala Buddhist civilization from foreign occupation for 310 years from three invincible Western invaders and protected the Sinhale, the motherland of the Sinhala nation. Even the First and the only Six Year Plan submitted to the Cabinet by the Minister of Home Affairs A. Ratnayaka in 1953 was rejected due to objections by the then Minister of Finance M.D.H Jayawardhana who refused to allocate money for its implementation, stating that he opposes special treatment for any one area or the Kandyan people.
Ever since 1948 the subject of Kandyan Peasants was looked down upon by all Governments and the descendants of the brave Kandyan Sinhalese, the saviors of the motherland at very high cost were illtreated and neglected for hidden political reasons I think, until the Kandyan Peasantry Department and the Upcountry Area Development Authority (as they had named it due to their allergy towards the word Kandyan) was finally killed and permanently dumped in the bed of the Indian Ocean, symbolically, along with the 4 million Kandyan people by Basil Rajapaksa on 1st April 2014 by abolishing both the Department of Kandyan Peasantry Rehabilitation and the Upcountry (as these politicians hated even the word Kandyan) Area Development Authority without a hum from any Kandyan area politician, in Parliament or any Provincial Council or even a single Pradhesiiya Saba. (The then Government named it as Upcountry Area did not accept the name Kandyan Area Development Authority” I proposed in my memorandum to Mrs. Bandaranayake in 1994 for the first time by any.
I see many political and sectarian reasons for this apathetic attitude of all governments. Out of all, I see the following main reasons as to why it was sidelined by all governments.
1.The first is the Kandyan- Low Country conflict. Created by the Colonial masters in 1803 and swallowed by who lived under the colonial powers for 310 years as their obedient captives enjoying various privileges under them even without supporting the Kandyan freedom fighters to defend the motherland.
2.The second and perhaps even more critical was the treacherous betrayal of the Kandyans by the Low Country Sinhala politicians for the petty privileges they had got from the white rulers and
3, Third, their greed for the Tamil vote in the plantations and even in other areas in the country as all political parties who consider political power is more important than even their motherland and their own nation.
4. Fourth, is the ignorance of all politicians and the reluctance to accept the unique and historic role the Kandyan people had played in protecting the motherland from the invaders for 310 long years and the yeoman sacrifice they had made on behalf of the present generation in the whole country to live as Sinhalese on this resplendent paradise on earth.
5.Fifth, all Governments in this country since 1948 were run mostly by the Colombo based westernized English educated elite with a mediocre set of representatives from the village sector who were only flag bearers in Parliament dictated by the party leaders. The government of this country therefore was always run by a selected set of elite leaders either from Cinnamon Garden or Banana Garden (Kehelwatta) who decide what to do.
Again, Look at the Rajiv/JR Accord of July 29. 1978 under which JR agreed to merge the two provinces NP and EP as the Traditional and Historical Home land of the Malabar immigrant Tamils who were imported to this country only after 1799 as collie labourers of the Colonial government, to legalize Tamil also as an Official Language in this country by the 16th amendment to the Constitution whereas it is not so even in India where 70 million Tamils live (in their actual Historical Home land of the Tamils) also made Tamil the language of administration in these two province opening the door to political separation as an independent State, to grant Sri Lanka Citizenship to all Tamils living in this country by that time, violating the Ceylon Citizenship Act and most of all to establish 9 Provincial Councils to devolve Legislative, Executive Judicial and land powers to the Provinces and thereby totally dismantle the well-established Kachcheri system of District Administration under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and thereby reducing the 1978 Constitution to a mere scrap of paper paving the way for a separate Tamil State within this country ending the unitary State of Sri Lanka.
Next Premadasa devolved power to the Divisions by his famous, Transfer of Powers to the Divisional Secretaries by Act no 52 of 1992, by which he devolved land powers to the Divisions taking it out from the GAA. The PA Circular 21 of 1992 by which he betrayed the motherland by dismantling the unitary character of the Sri Lankan State Leading to a division of the county first to a quasi-Federal status and end up with complete separation with the declaration of the Tamil EELAM in the North and East very soon.
Moreover, all these Colombo based politicians were always advised by the Colombo based Western educated legal, professional, financial and business elite. In reality it was this Colombo elite who ran all the Governments of this country since 1948.They take the politicians on a blind alley by their noses, making them their victims and often their prisoners and the proxies of the Westminster system of government, because it is the perpetuation of that system that protects their privileges.
The sixth as I perceive is the minority bias arising from the eternal fear that if they implement the KPC recommendation even in the limited way, they will not get the support of the Estate Tamils. I have personal experience on this subject as I have been speaking to many politicians representing the Kandyan areas, where there is an insignificant minority, where they have their reservations on this subject noting their dependence on the Estate Tamil vote. But in reality, very rarely an Estate sector Tamil cast his/her vote for a Sinhala Candidate.
None of the Estate Tamils joined any national party. Tamil politicians in the Estate sector have their own Communal political parties who support whatever the Party that comes to power and get their communal demands fulfilled. They never thought that they were a part and parcel of the Sinhala nation. They always think and act as Indians even in their dreams. But when it comes to governance, they always support the party in power. In return the Estate Tamils often get Ministries and even Cabinet Portfolios. The Sinhala Governments who never see anything beyond their noses, and who never had national policies thus have succumbed to all their demands at the expense of the Kandyan Sinhalese right from the beginning just to retain their power.
All the Sinhala politicians representing Kandyan areas keep deaf, dumb and blind to all these issues. Those Sinhalese politicians in the low country also keep quiet as if it is not their business either.
One has to read Part 11 that will follow without fail to get a full picture of this tragedy.
Part 11 will follow
Comments Off on The tragic story of the Kandyan areas and its people, betrayed and neglected by their own politicians who ran the country since 1948 up to date.
His Excellency Santosh Jha Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka 36-38 Galle Road Colombo 3 Sri Lanka
cc.Hon. Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka
Your Excellency:
I was surprised to read your New Delhi’s Christmas Fairy Tale of 2025 –…the bilateral defence pact with Sri Lanka has NO UNSTATEDOBJECTIVES.” It prompted me to ask…’Mirror..mirror…on the wall,Who is the liar of them all?”
I don’t believe You Commissioner Santosh! Since when did you all honestly” destroy the police-crowds-controlling bamboo Lathi-stick that you all used like a Step-Mother’s whip to control Sri Lanka’s politicians in the 70s, 80s and 90s, to bring her on line as the other neighbouring countries when Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv’s commanding loud voices ordered – S R I L A N K A
A T T E N T ION …Y O U A R E N O W T H E LA T E S T COUNTRY IN TH E I N D O- C A B A L O F IND I A ‘ S I N D R A G A N D H I’S -M O N R O E D O C T R I N E C O U N T R I E S.
Right HC Santosh?
I would like you to consider studying my well researched compendium of India’s
Step-motherly treatment of your southern neighbour, Sri Lanka, which happened to be my Motherland, separated from your India by the 18 nautical miles of waters of Palk Strait washing over a sand bar of Miocene times.
To expose the bullish audacity of your India, who painted yourselves as lily-white having aided and abetted the Northern Sri Lankan separatist-Tamil terrorists for wanting their separate, racist Tamil State of Eelam, were considered as good neighbours. While you all sent thousands of bare footed Sri Lankan- Tamil guerillas to 32 military camps in South India and the foothills of the Himalayas to be trained as Kalashnikov carrying Tamil Tiger terrorists. Who were sent back to Sri Lanka, in military fatigues and Jack boots , carrying Kalashnikovs like babies huddled in their arms, and festoons of live bullets around their necks to destabilize Sri Lanka after having trained them to terrorize Sri Lanka to destabilize that democratic island nation..
As you all would violate Sri Lanka’s sovereign- skies with your Operation Poomalai on June 5 1987. When your Eagle Mission of 5 Antonov An-32 transport military Transport aircraft of No. 7 Squadron, escorted by Mirage 2000 jet fighters parachute-dropped 20-tons of food items for 8,700 Tamils in the Jaffna peninsula to apparently sustain them as you all told the world that they are being starved by the Sri Lankan Government. What Tosh, High Commissioner Santosh.
So that is what our friendly neighbour did and watched thousands of Tamils clawed on their knees to gather three grains of red lentils to boil in water to drink it as a soup.. Commissioner Santosh, you don’t seem to remember all this, white washing your disingenuous truths with your 2025 Fairy Tale. Shish! Commissioner Santosh. Stop dishing out your sun-dried cakes of Holy-cow crappings from the streets of Tamil Nadu to Sri Lankans.
Here’s what I had to say for the Canadians to understand the ethnic issue and your Indian’s crass fingering of our Sinhala-kavun pies. Read my letters to editors of leading national Canadian newspapers. Consider them as letters of Study 101s for Indian and Sri Lankan career Diplomats.
I took that role of an informer of the TRUTH to counter your Indian-FACTS, as follows, in letters to Editors of leading newspapers in Canada where I lived.
1. Tamil problem is also India’s: The Gazette, Montreal, July 22, 1985;
2. Indian move; The Ottawa Citizen, December 2, 1986;
3. Tamil bases (Indian High Commission Press Attache
Shashi Tripathi strangely denies the existence of Training camps, a sanctuary, and arms source in India for Sri Lankan Tamil terrorists;The Ottawa Citizen, December 19;1986;
4. India must wake up to realities, SUN, May 2, 1987;
5. Destabilization of Sri Lanka poses threat to states In Indian Ocean region, The Whig Standard, Kingston, Ontario, May 4, 1987;
6. Lanka threat (You reported that the Indian Government…”)The Ottawa Citizen, June 2, 1987;
7. Sri Lanka assumes right to self defence. (Gandhi decries slaughter…”) The Toronto Star. June 4, 1987;
8. Indian bullying, The Ottawa Citizen, June 24,, 1987;
9. Gerol right (Despite what India High Commission’s Sashi Tripathi said about
Ilya Gerol’s “Indian aggression glimmers behind the image of peacefulness….)
The Ottawa Citizen, July 23, 1987;
10. Indian Troops, The Ottawa Citizen, April 7, 1988,
And there are several hundreds of letters more, which will open your
eyes after an ‘Eye-wash’ with your Fairy Tales of your Love-in’s with your
Southern neighbour, Sri Lanka. Who always claim that India is a loving friend
of Sri Lanka?
Your researcher can access my letters on India’s duplicity on her ‘Good
neighbour, Sri Lanka from Lankaweb Archives.” HC Santosh Jha. It will be
good-night readings!
. Yes, of course,there have been certain symbiosis’ exercises making an effort
to be good neighbours…but never lie to the world that you Indians are
Kid-gloved Goody-two shoes, when there have been times when you
all voted against my Sri Lanka at UNHRC gatherings to tighten the
lasso around her neck and choke her. How dare you HC Santosh!
Here’s proof – India abstains yet again on UNHRC Resolution, opposed
by Sri Lanka (October 6, 2022);
India votes in favour of UNHRC Resolution censuring Sri Lanka,
(May 21, 2013). Oops! Are you really a Sri Lanka friend? That lie hurts!
I will end this letter sharing an incident that happened in June 1989 at
125 Reid Avenue, Colombo, Sri Lanka, the home of Hon. A.J. Ranasinghe,
Minister of Of Communication of President Premadasa Government.
THE INCIDENT – on June 9, 1989
That morning I had gone to Minister Ranasinghe’s residence to pick
up my new Sri Lankan passport which President Premadasa had
arranged before I left for Canada. I had been appointed as the
Deputy High Commissioner at the Ottawa Mission to take care
of Communications. I had left my permanent position at Canada’s
Federal Government as a Middle-Manager in Communications an
Officer of 20-years. I had never worked in Sri Lanka.
Minister Mohammad, the Cabinet Minister for Commerce was present
and another person was there who I did not know. Sita, AJ’s wife was
present.
A Sikh gentleman in a turban entered the house in a hurry, and he was
introduced to me as a staff member of the Indian High Commission.
President Premadasa was at Mahiyangama preparing to close the
Gam Udawa Festival., where he was expecting about 5000 people
in attendance.
This Sikh guy surprised me. He was probing AJR – asking him…
Sir, is Lalith (Atulathmudali) going to be at the closing ceremony?
Sir, is Gamini (Dissanayaka) going to be at the closing ceremony?.
They were both Cabinet Ministers jockeying wanting to be appointed as
as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
The Sikh officer didn’t like me asking him, Why does it concern the
Indian High Commission whether these two Cabinet Ministers
would be attending the closing ceremony of the Mahiyangana
Gam Udawa?”
Notwithstanding this Sikh Officer’s probing continued
Sir, my top man (Dixit) will be attending the ceremony. Please
ask President Premadasa, not to make any comment on the IPKF
which will embarrass him”
I butted in…”O , No…No….AJ, you are not going to do anything of
that sort….His top man has a choice. He can stay at home, if he
cannot handle such a situation, He should realize that your
Head-of-State, is not a puppet on a string, that his top man at the
Indian High Commission think that he is the Viceroy of Sri Lanka
and can manipulate President Premadasa, your Head of State.”
Obviously annoyed, the Sikh got up from his chair, and started
walking towards me in a threatening manner. I got up. Within
seconds the Indian Sikh and I were standing eye to eye, nose to
nose, beard’s whisker to whisker, shouting at each other.
Ministers Ranasinghe and Mohamad, Sita and the visitor got up and
retreated to the kitchen. Its wall of which was separated from the
dining room wall by a wood-trellis wall from where they could watch
what was going on.
Our voices turned loud and ugly, One puff from either of us would have
dropped the Sikh and myself onto the cement floor rolling with our
arms flaying. It did not happen. After about five minutes of this
confrontation, I do not remember what cooled us. We backed off
and each went to our chairs. My blood was simmering inside me and
I am sure so was his too.
My passport arrived. Ransinghe sent me home at 35 Veluwana
Road in Dematagoda in his official car. I was told by AJR, that your
Sikh at the Indian High Commission had told him. These are
the Krishna Menon types, who make our lives difficult”
My response, High Commissioner Santosh Jha was, Tough tiddy!
I couldn’t care two pebbles of the River Ganges, rolling down
knocking each other silly on a stormy day.”.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha, I will bet my last dollar that the
Indian High Commission in Canada found that Sri Lankan High
Commission in Canada was running a quality Bullying
Indian-FairyTale Clipping Service on Sri Lanka, with my challenging
every unhealthy statement on my Motherland, Sri Lanka, in the
Print media. Not one or two but several, not being a Wimp-diplomat”.
Commissioner Santosh, here is the positive proof.
One weekday morning in 1992, Dr. Sharma of the Indian High
Commission phoned me and invited me to join him for lunch at the
Chateau Laurie.
While having lunch he tells me, Ashok, every time I open the Ottawa
Citizen, I found a letter from you for the High Commissioner
defending some aspects of Sri Lanka.
How do you manage to do it? We can’t get even one letter in”.
So I walked him through what I do and how to do it. He appreciated
my honesty and willingness to help him. He thanked me profusely.
I read his next draft of a letter for the Ottawa Citizen, which I noted
had guidelines of my approach of letter writing to the print-media.
It picked-up ink…and he was in letter-writing business to the media
for the Indian High Commission in Ottawa with substantial success.
With respect to you High Commissioner Santosh Jha your
statement that the bilateral defence with Sri Lanka has no
unstated Objectives’, coming from an Indian diplomat who used
effectively on Sri Lanka in mid-1987, your bullying’s best tools
of fear, and Rajiv Gandhi
useing the low flying Mirage 2000s over Sri Lanka , and had a
silver-shining war ship parked outside the island facing Sri
Lanka’s Colombo capital’s waters, to get that Indo-Lanka Accord
signed. I don’t trust your words. They are good for the birds.
And Rajiv Gandhi boasted to the Sri Lankan Tamil separatist Tamil
Tigers… “I have given you more than what you asked for, in that
Accord”… as if giving away his grandmother’s property.
Well…you heard me, Commissioner Santosh Jha loud and clearly
as the screaming Indian Mirage 2000 Jet fighter planes that flew
over Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo.
Warmly,
Asoka Weerasinghe (Mr.)
Sri Lanka’s Deputy High Commissioner
(Director of Communications)
in Ottawa, Canada (June 1989 – June 1994);
former Head of Thematic Research, Canadian
National Museums Corporation, Ottawa, Canada
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Since the 2016 coup attempt, Erdoğan has built a regime in which power is centralized, freedoms are curtailed, and dissent is met with an iron fist. Now that there is a historic opportunity to end the conflict with the Kurds, Erdogan is seeking surrender rather than a dignified, sustainable solution
The Turkish Kurds: Erdoğan’s Folly On Full Display
Nearly a decade after Turkey’s failed coup attempt of July 2016, the political landscape of the country has been transformed beyond recognition. What began as a night of dreadful uncertainty for the Turkish state has become the long day of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s consolidation of power—an authoritarian restructuring that has reshaped institutions, narrowed civil liberties, and placed entire communities, particularly Kurds, under intensified repression and persecution.
The Persecution of the Kurds
Perhaps nowhere has Erdoğan’s nationalist authoritarian shift been more devastating than in his treatment of Turkey’s Kurdish population. In the early 2010s, Erdoğan surprised observers by launching a peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). For the first time in decades, there was the prospect of a negotiated solution to the entrenched conflict. Kurdish language, culture, and political expression seemed poised to enter mainstream legitimacy. But by 2015, the peace process collapsed spectacularly at Erdogan’s design.
Since then, Erdoğan intensified repression to a degree unmatched in the post-1980 era. The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which emerged as a major parliamentary force in 2015, has been relentlessly targeted. Thousands of its members have been arrested, and dozens of HDP-run municipalities have been seized—a de facto dismantling of Kurdish political representation through legal and administrative means. Kurdish identity itself became suspicious, and Kurdish political engagement is equated with terrorism.
One particularly egregious example is the siege of the town of Cizre from December 2015 to February 2016 during a conflict between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants. Civilians were trapped without food, water, or medical care, which was a horrific case of collective punishment. In the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir, elected Kurdish mayors were removed and replaced by government appointees, grossly undermining the political rights of the Kurdish community.
A Renewed Effort Towards Peace
Following the historic call of Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, for his organization to disarm in February 2025 and dissolve, the dialogue between the Turkish government and Turkish Kurds has entered a fragile new phase marked by conditional reciprocity and unresolved political demands.
The PKK has taken concrete steps: it announced a ceasefire in March 2025, renounced armed struggle in May, staged a symbolic weapons-burning ceremony in July, and announced a complete withdrawal from Turkish soil in October 2025. However, senior PKK commanders now state they have fulfilled all measures set by Öcalan and will take no further actions until Ankara reciprocates first.
The Kurdish side’s core demands are clear: unconditional release of Öcalan and constitutional recognition of Kurdish identity and political rights (not independence) within Turkey. The PKK commanders explicitly warn that peace will halt without these steps, arguing that as long as the leadership is inside [prison], the Kurdish people cannot be free.”
The Turkish government, while welcoming Ocalan’s disarmament call as a historic step” that could tear down the wall of terror,” frames the process as a surrender rather than a negotiated settlement. Ankara has publicly refused direct negotiations with the PKK leadership in exile and insists any reconciliation must occur on Turkey’s terms.
Erdoğan and his far-right MHP ally Devlet Bahçeli initiated the process primarily for domestic political calculations—seeking Kurdish parliamentary support for constitutional changes and improved regional standing—rather than as a comprehensive initiative to end the more than four decades of bloody conflict.
The pro-Kurdish DEM Party actively facilitates dialogue, but the process remains vulnerable. Öcalan warns of coup mechanics” that sabotaged past peace efforts, while the government has not yet outlined concrete political reforms, legal guarantees, or a roadmap for democratic rights beyond expecting the PKK’s dissolution.
After 41 years of violent conflict that claimed the lives of over 40,000 on both sides, the dialogue stands at an impasse. Even though the Kurdish side has forsaken its armed resistance, Ankara still refuses to reciprocate with the institutional changes necessary to secure an enduring political settlement and grant the Kurds in Turkey the human and civil rights they are entitled to.
Although the Kurds are not seeking independence, Erdoğan still refuses to accept the principle that they are an ethnic group that has the inherent right to live their lives as they see fit—speak their language, practice their culture, music, dance, and ritual—as long as they fully abide by the rules and laws of their country to which they have fully committed.
Erdogan must remember that nearly 15 percent of the Turkish population— approximately 16 million—are ethnic Kurds. They will never rest until their human and ethnic rights are recognized. But leave it to the blind nationalist Erdoğan to miss yet another historic opportunity, demonstrating his folly, even when facing a real prospect of ending the most debilitating domestic conflict in modern Turkey.
____________
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.
Colombo, Jan 21 (Daily Mirror) – UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake raised serious concerns in Parliament over what he described as a growing disconnect between Sri Lanka’s record tourist arrivals and the weak flow of foreign exchange into the country’s official financial system.
Speaking in Parliament, Karunanayake noted that Sri Lanka recorded more than 2.36 million tourist arrivals in 2025, yet total tourism earnings rose only marginally to about USD 3.22 billion. He pointed out that average spending per tourist had declined by nearly 12 percent year-on-year, even as arrivals surged, raising questions about the quality and sustainability of tourism growth.
He also said that tourism-related foreign exchange inflows reflected in the reserves of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) had not increased in line with the rise in arrivals, suggesting possible revenue leakages, offshore settlements and weak regulatory enforcement in the sector.
The MP further drew attention to the fact that around 40,000 hotel and accommodation entities operating in Sri Lanka remain unregistered, allowing a large segment of tourism activity to take place outside formal regulatory and banking systems.
Karunanayake sought clarification from the Government on the structural reasons behind the decline in per-capita tourist earnings, including changes in source markets, length of stay and pricing practices.
He also asked how much tourism-related foreign exchange was actually converted through licensed commercial banks and reflected in CBSL reserves in 2025, and how that figure compares with the total earnings reported by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.
Furthermore, he questioned whether the Government had assessed foreign exchange leakages arising from offshore settlement of payments by international online booking platforms and overseas credit card usage, where invoicing and settlement often take place outside Sri Lanka, thereby bypassing domestic taxation and the local banking system.
The MP further asked what proportion of tourism activity is estimated to be carried out by unregistered accommodation providers and informal operators, and whether the Government accepts that a significant share of tourism-generated foreign exchange is not strengthening official reserves.
Karunanayake also queried why enforcement of mandatory registration, banking-channel settlement and foreign exchange repatriation requirements has remained weak despite existing legal powers, and when the Government plans to present to Parliament a comprehensive tourism policy linked to earnings, foreign exchange inflows and reserve accumulation rather than just headline arrival numbers.
He warned that unless these structural and regulatory gaps are addressed, Sri Lanka risks losing a substantial portion of the economic benefits of its tourism boom, despite the impressive growth in visitor numbers.
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