e-Con e-News

‘Before you study the economics, study the economists!’

e-Con e-News September 2023 Part 1

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ee decided to have some fun this week, and ask the US government’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) program ChatGPT to write us a ‘poem about the IMF robbing Sri Lanka’. It sure did! Here it is:

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In island’s embrace, where oceans sigh,

Sri Lanka’s beauty beneath blue sky,

A tale unfolds of economic woe,

Where shadows of power cast a grievous blow.

The IMF arrived with promises grand,

A lending hand to the nation’s sand,

Yet in the fine print, a story concealed,

Of sovereignty lost, and futures unsealed.

Like a clever thief in the silent night,

The IMF’s grasp took hold so tight,

They demanded reforms, austerity’s song,

While the people of Lanka wondered what went wrong.

The treasures they sought were not gems or gold,

But control & dominance, a story oft told,

They prescribed their measures, their policies cold,

Leaving Sri Lanka’s dreams & dignity sold.

A land with a history, culture so rich,

Reduced to numbers, a balance sheet glitch,

The IMF’s dealings, a complex design,

Leaving Sri Lanka’s sovereignty to decline.

Yet in the hearts of the resilient crowd,

Hope still lingers, though spoken not loud,

For nations united can reclaim their fate,

Rising above the webs that institutions create….

Whoa! But let us interrupt it here, for the poem descends into a kind of maudlin. Mind you, we were impressed, though it left us scratching our heads about the seemingly lame, yet potentially profound line, ‘A lending hand to the nation’s sand…’ (Graphene? see ee Focus).

     ee then asked US ChatGPT to write us a poem about ‘China robbing Sri Lanka’. It obliged in double-quick time! The IMF poem has no reference to debts or loans, yet betrays the US lust for military bases in Sri Lanka? ‘Not gems or gold / But control & dominance…’. ChatGPT’s China poem uses some of the same tropes as the IMF poem, however attaches the usual limpets: loans, harbor, coasts, not to mention the ominous ‘creeps’ in the ‘deep’. Here it is:

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…Beneath the emerald waves, a harbour gleams,

A promise of prosperity, hopeful dreams.

But in this shimmering sea, a shadow creeps,

As Lanka’s fortunes in the deep, China reaps.

With loans & deals, like whispers in the night,

They promised progress, futures shining bright.

But as the years did pass, the debts did swell,

A nation’s sovereignty, a silent farewell.

The pearls of Lanka’s coast, they sought to claim,

In exchange for debts, a nation’s loss, their aim.

Infrastructure rose, but strings attached so tight,

In China’s grip, Lanka struggled in the fight.

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ee then asked ChatGPT to ‘write a poem about the USA robbing Sri Lanka’. & suddenly this is what ‘it’ replied:

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‘I cannot write a poem that promotes harm, theft,

or any negative actions towards any country or people.

If you’d like, I can write a poem that celebrates unity,

understanding, or peace between nations. Please let me know

how I can assist you in a more positive & constructive manner.’

How’s that!? Such sudden qualms of belated conscience & self-righteousness! Only 5 minutes earlier it had instantly written poems to harm & promote negative action against China, & even the USA’s IMF! Perhaps it knows not that the IMF is a US tool! But it remarkably revealed how quickly ChatGPT poetically expresses that it is indeed HMV – his master’s voice. This made ee recall:

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‘The bourgeoisie has stripped of its halo every occupation hitherto honored

and looked up to with reverent awe. It has converted the physician, the lawyer,

the priest, the poet, the scientist, into its paid wage laborers. The bourgeoisie

has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced

the family relation into a mere money relation…’

(from The Communist Manifesto, Marx & Engels)

So, after this enlightening experience with ChatGPT, we thought AI programmers should be added to the list of un-haloed occupations! And perhaps it’s no wonder that China’s Baidu has just rolled out this week, a ChatGPT rival – ERNIE! (see ee Industry, China’s Baidu). Intrigued nonetheless, ee decided to do further battle with ChatGPT by asking the question: Is the home market critical to industrialization? A subject steadfastly ignored by our published economists. This set off another ee–ChatGPT battle (see ee Focus).

     And speaking of sand and graphene? This ee Focus records the recommendations by Institute of Policy Studies hacks that our abundant and rich mineral resources can now be developed, i.e., sold to the USA, etc., without trying to make batteries or any such capital goods. Why? The whites do not want anyone to do business with or buy graphite from China (except themselves)?…

    Next year being the 100^th anniversary of the first tractors made in Russia, ee continues our look at Russian industrial policy, focusing on the factory that first built them. It’s still the top factory….(see ee Focus)

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• Thunder showers fell to slake a droughty landscape as if in response to half a million workers stepping onto the roads of capital Colombo on Wednesday to oppose the US International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s grab for workers’ pensions funds and other vitals. National organizations called for Foreign Minister Ali Sabry to resign for failing to bridle the US & Indian envoys as they compete to break&enter into the country’s inner sanctums.

     In the white West, accusing Russia & China of ‘interference’ is a national media pastime! But in Sri Lanka, US Envoy Julie Chung enjoys her tropical all-expenses paid vacation in the East, perhaps a little too much, zigzagging as she does from northwest to north to east, writing history by twitter (see ee Random Notes, Julie Chung Rewrites History of Mannar). The US & Indian envoys & USAID-funded National Peace Council even pronounced on the wages of Indian plantation workers. Perhaps more pressure needed to be added.

     So here then comes US Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Md (who US Envoy Chung warmly tweeted as a ‘longtime friend of Sri Lanka’, from an incestuous beltway cul-de-sac, born in Pakistan to foreign-service salarymen, mommy in the CIA, daddy worked out of the Colombo US Embassy 1970-76 to destabilize the United Front government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike). He says he is here to ‘explore economic recovery & deepen our joint commitment to upholding democratic ideals’. Way to go CIA!

     Hollen is behind the recent arrest of Pakistan’s President Imran Khan. Khan had addressed a rally, and responded directly to European calls that Pakistan rally behind Ukraine, by asking, ‘Are we your slaves?’ Hollen was reported as acting ‘indignant’at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, berating officials like Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South & Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu for allegedly not being ‘in communication with Khan’ about US displeasure at Pakistan’s decision to abstain from a US resolution at the UN, condemning Russia. Two days later, Lu told Pakistan ambassador that the US was demanding Khan’s removal. Khan was jailed soon after.

     On Friday morning (September 01), the Indian warship INS Delhi sailed in, in the wake of Hollen boarding former US Coast Guard ship SLNS Gajabahu in Colombo on Thursday (31). However India’s war chief stood up a date, perhaps to duck any undue movements of Sri Lanka’s famous guards of honor?

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Addressing the Interest of the USA – ‘Hamilton Bank has been unusually aggressive for a ‘holdout’ creditor though… Seemingly the US objects to this. The letter also mentions in a footnote that the US government ‘understands that other official creditors may separately submit a filing reflecting their views’, but stresses that the SDNY is planning to ‘address the interest of the USA’. This is fascinating, as at face value it is hard to see how & why the US government has an interest in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring, or even grounds for making its views known to the court. It could be a delaying tactic to help Sri Lanka engineer a debt restructuring, by sabotaging Hamilton Bank’s rush to the courthouse for a more restructuring-resistant judgment.’ – see ee Economy, A Sri Lankan debt twist – the US Government Has Some Thoughts

• A shadow play is being acted out in that North Atlantic capital of capital and its fictions: New York, USA, 8,706 miles from Sri Lanka. In a Manhattan courtroom, the US government has betrayed its hand (or its finger?) once again, in roiling Sri Lanka’s economy, asking to delay judgement:

     The US Department of Justice had a US Southern District of New York Attorney intervene on August 30, just one day before a US District Judge in New York was to hear a case involving Sri Lanka’s (GoSL) payment of debt. A judgment in favor of Hamilton Bank would potentially prevent the GoSL from including the bonds held by Hamilton Bank in any debt restructuring process. Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry has stayed mum on these latest developments. But the US government has long been aware of the court proceedings. So why step in now?

     In May, plaintiff Hamilton Reserve Bank and the defendant SL Government jointly outlined a schedule demanded by New York Southern District Court Judge L Denise Cote in April. The plaintiff’s lawyers Bleichmar Fonti & Auld and the defendant’s lawyers Clifford Chance both promised to go through all the motions ‘on or before 31 Aug 2023’.

     In July, London’s Financial Times (owned by Japan’s Nikkei) wondered about the seeming lack of involvement of the US government in the case. Sri Lanka was due to reply on August 31 in support of its motion to delay a lawsuit by Caribbean-based offshore Hamilton Reserve Bank, which wishes to obtain an immediate $250,190,000 in payment for defaulted sovereign bonds. Sri Lanka had filed a motion to stay the litigation for 6 months while it conducts sovereign debt restructuring negotiations with sovereign & commercial creditors.

     The US told the court it is in the process of deciding whether to intervene in the case, and will inform the Court no later than 2 October 2023. In the mewnwhile, ‘Gloom’ had ‘descended on the stock market due to the extension of the date for the conduct of talks between the government & domestic bondholders’ and continued to prevail. ‘A deal had been scheduled for August 27, but due to unavoidable circumstances it was extended to September 11. The domestic debt restructuring exercise is a prime recommendation of the IMF.’

     An IMF team will sniff around Sri Lanka from September 14-27 to conduct the first review of an Extended Fund Facility arrangement. Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe says Sri Lanka will negotiate in parallel with the IMF & external creditors, with the expectation of completing debt restructuring ‘in the October to November 2023 period… Sri Lanka has to complete domestic debt restructuring, which is currently held up over enacting a tax law’ – tax revenues, ‘a key IMF quantitative performance criterion’, have ‘fallen short’.

     ‘First, we have to come to an agreement with official creditors on the terms. That will have to happen before the next review,’ Governor Weerasinghe said.

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• People are having fun with a dubious organization titled Global Finance naming CBSL Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe among the world’s top 21 Central Bank governors ‘based on their success in inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability, & interest rate management (adaderana.lk). They ask: ‘Why not also award Ali Sabry as best finance minister for happily declaring bankruptcy too?’ And since we have elephantine memories, despite the efforts of the capitalist media to infect amnesia, they also recall, ‘Ravi K also won the best finance minister from this same organization after looting the CBSL.’ They note Weerasinghe:

     – was happy to declare the nation as ‘bankrupt’

     – was delighted to go to the IMF and put the country into more debt

     – did not negotiate with creditors for some relief before declaring bankruptcy

     – makes no efforts to recover the profits kept by exporters in foreign banks

     – is not bothered about changing the 2017 Foreign Exchange Control Act

     – has no initiative to investigate money loopholes, recovery of foreign investments unpaid

     – prints money like there is no tomorrow, breaking all records for printing

     – has seen the GDP contract for 5 straight quarters, making it a ‘Recession Squared’

     – yet wins a global award! [– Private Correspondence]

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Sri Lanka Debt Charade in New York Court as US Hitman Enters Colombo

දේශමාන්‍ය පාලිත ආරියරත්න, ජාතික බෞද්ධ බලවේගය.

Anyone who funds fraudulent activities of individuals and groups conducting media warfare operations against the Sri Lanka army is liable to get prosecuted under prevailing laws in Sri Lanka. 

Ethalaya News – ඊතලය පුවත්

මහජන ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යාංශය

2023.09.03 (අද) වන දිනට යෙදෙන 157 වන පොලිස් දින සැමරුම නිමිති කරගනිමින් සර්ව ආගමික වැඩසටහන් රැසක් ක්‍රියාත්මක කර තිබූ අතර ඊට සමගාමීව 2023.09.02 වන දින රාත්‍රී 07.30 සිට පැවැත්වූ පරිත්‍රාන ධර්ම දේශනාව හා 2023.09.03 වන දින හීල් දානමය පින්කම කොළඹ නියෝජ්‍ය පොලිස්පති කාර්යාලයේ 04 වන මහලේ පිහිටි සම්මන්ත්‍රණ ශාලාවේදී පැවැත්විණි.

එහි හින්දු ආගමික වතාවත් පැවැත්වීම 2023.09.03 (අද) දින පෙරවරු 8.30ට බම්බලපිටිය නව කදිරේෂන් හින්දු කෝවිලේදී පැවැත්වූ අතර පෙරවරු 09.30ට මෝදර, ශාන්ත ජේම්ස් කතෝලික දේවස්ථානයේදී කතෝලික දේව මෙහෙය පැවැත්විණි.

තවද ඉස්ලාම් ආගමික වතාවත් කුරුඳුවත්ත දවටගහ මුස්ලිම් දේවස්ථානයේදී පැවැත්විණි. මෙම අවස්ථාවන් සඳහා මහජන ආරක්ෂක ගරු අමාත්‍ය ටිරාන් අලස් මැතිතුමා, මහජන ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යාංශයේ ලේකම් වියානි ගුණතිලක මහතා, බස්නාහිර පළාත් භාර ජ්‍යේෂ්ඨ නියෝජ්‍ය පොලිස්පති දේශබන්ධු තෙන්නකෝන් මහතා ප්‍රමුඛ ජ්‍යේෂ්ඨ  නියෝජ්‍ය පොලිස්පතිවරුන් ඇතුළු පොලිස් නිලධාරීන් රැසක් සහභාගී විය

By P.K. Balachandran/Sunday Observer Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, September 3: Speaking at the prize distribution ceremony at Anula Vidyalaya in Nugegoda on August 16, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that in the future, Sri Lankan children will have to learn Hindi and Chinese to fit into the changing world.

The underlying theory is that the world is poised to enter the Asian Century” which will be dominated by the new economic powers, India and China and Sri Lanka’s economy will have to integrate itself with the Indian and Chinese economies to partake of the benefits of the latter’s growth. And to do so, Sri Lankans will have to obtain proficiency in Hindi and Chinese.

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Hindi and Chinese are already taught in Sri Lanka both as part of the formal school system and outside it. But the facilities and the quality of teaching vary widely. The facilities at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) in Colombo, run by the Indian High Commission, and the Confucius Institutes at Colombo and Kelaniya Universities run with financial and educational help from the Chinese Government and Chinese Universities are excellent with qualified teachers and good teaching aids.

But State schools and private institutions that teach these languages lack knowledgeable and committed teachers and teaching aids. The investments made here do not yield the required dividends. If there is to be mass production of Hindi and Chinese students, this sector will have to get a lot more attention.

Indian Cultural Centre

At the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), classes are conducted by Sri Lankan teachers with formal Indian qualifications in the Hindi language. There are different categories of courses, such as a Beginner’s course; an Intermediate course; an Advanced course, a Post- Graduate Diploma course; GCE (O) Level and GCE (A) Level courses; a special course for children between the ages of 7-15 years and a special Spoken Hindi course. The range is indeed wide.

The duration for each level is one year. The syllabi are set by the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (KHS) at Agra in North India. At the end of each academic year, examinations are conducted by the KHS by their examiners. Scholarships for pursuing advanced courses in India including PhD are an additional incentive and Sri Lankans avail of the opportunities.

In August, 22 Sri Lankan students, including a bhikkhu, left for India for higher studies at KHS. In the past 12 years, 160 students from Sri Lanka have been awarded this scholarship.

The students at the Centre belong to all age groups from children to retired persons. Previously, 400 enrolled but there has been a decline to about 200, perhaps due to the economic slowdown. Results are good with around 80 percent passing.

Students are attracted to Hindi because of their fondness for Bollywood films and songs. Others see Hindi’s usefulness when they travel in India. The Sinhalese, who are the most interested in Hindi among the various ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, find Hindi a familiar language because of the shared Sanskrit base of the Sinhala and Hindi. Native Tamil speakers, on the other hand, being less acquainted with Sanskrit, have to work harder to understand and pronounce the words properly. 

Last December, the ICC inaugurated a course for Sri Lankan police officers, which was well attended. The Deputy Indian High Commissioner, Vinod K. Jacob, said that Hindi is taught in about ten universities and 80 Government schools in Sri Lanka. Besides, there are almost 50 privately-run Hindi classes in and around Colombo.

Hindi teachers from the ICC have won laurels in India, like the late Prof. Indra Dassanayake who was posthumously given the Indian national Padma Shri” award by the President of India in recognition of her contribution to the dissemination of Hindi language and literature in Sri Lanka.

But Hindi teaching and learning face issues in institutions other than the ICC. In her 2016 paper entitled Problems of Learning and Teaching Hindi as a Foreign Language, Hansika W.A. Maduni of the University of Kelaniya said that the students lacked practice and the teachers failed to make the course interesting. The teaching was textbook-oriented and not innovative enough to spur student interest. Sri Lankan schools are yet to develop the art and technique of teaching a foreign language, she said.

A foreign language is best learned at a young age if not childhood. But the school system has failed to take advantage of the age factor. At the ICC, youngsters tend to drop out while the older students persist. Older people stay put probably because they have a passion for the language. Those who stay the course, come out as polished products.    

Chinese Teaching

The quality of Chinese language teaching also varies in Sri Lanka. Chinese is taught in the Confucius Institutes (CI) in the Universities of Colombo and Kelaniya and in several Government-run schools.

Staffed with qualified lecturers, both Sri Lankan and Chinese, and endowed with modern teaching aids, the CIs teach Chinese culture and Chinese language in an integrated way. The teaching is geared to academic needs as well as to the job market.

Chinese companies, which are part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), now renamed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), might take some of those passing out. In fact, the prospect of getting a job in a Chinese project in any part of the globe motivates many students.

For the academically inclined, there are scholarships for higher studies in Chinese Universities because each CI is linked to a university in China. Competitions are held to choose outstanding students who are then awarded scholarships.

The CIs have certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate diploma courses in Chinese language and culture. The integration of culture and language is a must in the case of Chinese teaching because (unlike in the case of Hindi language students) Sri Lankans are not very familiar with Chinese culture and history. The CIs have also developed libraries and IT-based facilities for teaching. Volunteer teachers from China (mainly young university graduates some of whom speak Sinhala or Tamil) join the CIs, mix with Sri Lankan students and help them converse in Chinese. 

Kelaniya University’s CI also teaches Chinese on-line through the Google Classroom” albeit only at the elementary level. This is a great help to those who cannot travel to Kelaniya.

According to L.G. Jing, author of Review of Chinese Language Teaching in Sri Lanka, between 2012 and 2016, the CI at Kelaniya University had turned out 1,576 diploma students and 30,000 non-diploma students, which included 12,500 weekend certificate students and 16,900 teacher-trainees. This is a massive output and Chinese experts vouch for the high quality of those passing out.

Learning Chinese as a foreign language has become a fashion among the young generation in Sri Lanka. In recent years, the requirement for Chinese teachers has increased. The number of local Chinese teachers is also increasing rapidly,” Jing said. But he added that the courses needed to be adjusted” in view of some flaws. Some observers said that Chinese and Sri Lankan directors clashed over the control mechanism.

Sammanie Kandambi of the Beijing Foreign Studies University, said in her 2018 paper that there was a lack of qualified Chinese teachers in schools. Both teaching and learning were inadequate in the schools. Textbooks were limited and so were teaching manuals.

Communication Skills

Kandambi recommended that teachers be given opportunities for professional development in Chinese language communication skills, Chinese culture and in the use of modern teaching tools. Children cannot learn Chinese without a knowledge of Chinese culture.  

It appeared that teacher-student verbal interaction was lacking. Speaking skills were not imparted. Classroom teaching lacked vitality. She recommended student-centred” teaching. While grammar is important, the ability to speak the language would give the course practical utility, a sense of satisfaction and an appetite to learn more. Unlike Hindi, a single line or stroke can give a different meaning in Chinese calligraphy.

All this means that Sri Lanka has to spend more on Chinese and Hindi language teaching in schools. Teachers will have to be trained appropriately.

But there are two great blessings enjoyed by Hindi and Chinese in Sri Lanka. There is popular enthusiasm for the two languages and Governments have been very encouraging. Many bhikkhus show an exceptional interest in learning these languages. Many bhikkhus travel to India on pilgrimages. Some scholarly bhikkhus also want to read the accounts of Chinese Buddhist travellers Hiuen Tsang and Fa-Hien written in ancient Chinese.

Nirupama Subramanian Courtesy Wire

In June 2022, Ceylon Electricity Board chair M.M.C. Ferdinando told the Committee on Public Enterprises that in November 2021 President Rajapaksa had told him the wind power project must be awarded to the Adanis, and that this was the wish of PM Modi. Three days later, Ferdinando retracted his statement and resigned.

Chennai: The Sri Lankan government wants to turn its 500-MW Adani wind power project agreement in the country’s north into a governent-to-government” agreement in order to step around the legal difficulty of having given it to a private company without an open tendering process. This has raised concerns being openly expressed by legislators in Sri Lanka about whether Adani Green Energy Limited (India) has been accepted as the representative of the Indian government.

The weekly Sunday Times reported on September 3 that a proposal in this regard was presented to the Sri Lankan cabinet by the power and energy minister Kanchana Wijesekera. The cabinet paper, quoted by the newspaper, lays out in detail the justification for considering the US$ 400 million Adani project as a G-2-G” project.

The cabinet paper notes that under the rules of the Electricity Act, an open competitive bidding process is a requirement for granting approval to private investment in power projects. But such a condition could be avoided if the approval of the cabinet of ministers is granted to consider the proposal by Adani Green Energy Limited of India as a Government-to-Government Proposal,” the Sunday Times quotes the cabinet paper as saying.

As the cabinet had already considered all aspects of the agreement between the government of Sri Lanka and Adani Green Energy Ltd and authorised all the parties to enter into the said MoU and to proceed with the required future action”, the cabinet paper proposes that it can be strongly justified to consider the said proposal of Adani Green Energy Limited of India under the category of Government-to-Government basis as required under the Electricity Act”.

The wind power deal has been mired in controversy from the start. It was signed in March 2022, six months after Gautam Adani visited Sri Lanka and met with the then president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in the midst of Sri Lanka’s economic meltdown, at a time the Rajapaksas had reached out to India for help.

In June 2022, the chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board, M.M.C. Ferdinando, told a hearing of Committee On Public Enterprises that President Rajapaksa had summoned him after a meeting in November 2021, and told him that the wind power project must be awarded to the Adani Group, and that this was the wish of Prime Minister Modi. Three days later, Ferdinando retracted the statement and resigned from CEB.

In an interview to The Hindu in April 2023, Sri Lankan foreign minister Ali Sabry conceded that the wind power project was a ‘government-to-government kind of project’. We were keen on an Indian investor to come in, so who the Indian investor was for the Indian government and the auth­orities to decide and choose and send it to us.”

It is not clear how the Narendra Modi government will react to the latest developments as it has so far refused to react to Ferdinando’s retracted claim or the suggestion that it chose the Adani group for the lucrative deal.

Always a subject of political controversy, Narendra Modi’s proximity to Gautam Adani has become an even more sensitive subject in the wake of the Hindenburg report and recent allegations that his government chose to soft-pedal allegations of stock manipulation against the company.

The cabinet proposal was reportedly presented on August 14. On August 31, Newsfirst, a Sri Lankan news portal reported that a parliamentarian had expressed concern at the move to give the project legitimacy via the G2G route, and asked if this meant the Adani company was a representative of the Indian government.

Charitha Herath, a dissenting parliamentarian of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, the Rajapaksa-led party that supports President Ranil Wickremesinghe, said power project proposals are usually presented for approval under the provisions of the Sri Lanka Electricity Act.

However, this new cabinet paper calls to consider the project as a government-to-government proposal. So, has Adani Green Energy Limited (India) been accepted as the representation (sic) of the Government of India? If the Indian government has accepted this, I have no reservation. I wish to know what the Attorney General’s interpretation of this is,” the MP said at a media briefing reported by Newsfirst

Lanka Lead News

වයස අවුරුදු 18 – 20ත් අතර තරුණයන්ට පුහුණුවක් ලබාදී සිවුරු පොරවා දේශපාලන අරමුණු වෙනුවෙන් යොදාගැනීමේ සූක්ෂ්ම වැඩ පිළිවෙළක් ක්‍රියාත්මක කොට ඇති බවට රාජ්‍ය බුද්ධ අංශ තොරතුරු අනාවරණය කරගෙන ඇති බව ජාතික පුවත්පතක් වාර්තා කර තිබේ.

එසේ මේ වන විට 500කට ආසන්න පිරිසත් එසේ පුහුණු කර භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේලා ලෙස යොදාගෙන තිබෙන බවට බුද්ධි අංශ රහස් වර්තාවකින් රජයට තොරතුරු ලබාදී තිබෙන බවක් දැනගන්නට ඇති බව එම පුවත්පත වැඩිදුරටත් වාර්තා කරයි.

මෙම ක්‍රියාවලිය පිටුපස දේශපාලන හස්තයක් තිබෙන බවද ඔවුන් පවසයි. මෙම චීවරධාරීන් මගින් දේශපාලන මත ව්‍යාප්ත කිරීමේ වැඩපිළිවෙලක් ඇති බවද ඔවුන් අනාවරණය කරගෙන ඇති බව වාර්තා කරයි.

Courtesy Adaderana

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy highlighted the macro-economic stress as the main reason for the regression in Sri Lanka’s socio-economic indicators during the past 75 years of the country.

Addressing a virtual event to launch the policy report ‘Understanding Multidimensional Vulnerabilities: Impact on People of Sri Lanka’ prepared by the UNDP, he welcomed efforts taken to address interference on the work of the Central Bank via the passing of the New Central Bank Act.

I am not talking about the last 5, 6 or 10 years. Over the last 75 years we have regressed.  And the main source for this regression has been macro-economic stress in my view.”

Commenting further, Dr. Coomaraswamy emphasized that the main cause for these macro-economic issues has been the government’s fiscal operation, adding that the negative effects of that has been amplified by fiscal dominance in monetary policy. 

They have been interference in the work of the CBSL from time to time”, he stressed.

However, he also mentioned that he is pleased to see the new Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act and the tight fiscal operations currently underway within the country.

I am pleased to see that some of that, pretty much of all of that is now been rolled back”, he added.

Meanwhile, the former CBSL chief alleged that in the past, nobody has taken interest on macro-economic issues, except to complain.

All are complaining on the depreciated exchange rates, higher interest rates and the increasing inflation”, he said, adding that nobody asks the question why is this happening”.

This is another part of the governance failure. It’s not the governance failure only on the politicians but the entire country. Nobody takes enough interest in these issues.”

Furthermore, Dr. Coomaraswamy claimed that all the depreciated exchange rates, higher interest rates and increasing inflation are symptoms only, mentioning that all the people have to look at the causes of these issues and exert pressure for those causes to be addressed.

Courtesy Adaderana

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the India has been greatly sensitive to the needs of Sri Lanka, during the tough times faced by the island nation.

We have also been greatly sensitive to the needs of our valued neighbour, Sri Lanka, during their tough times,” he said, during an interview with the Indian news agency ‘PTI’.

Meanwhile, the Indian PM also pointed out that the debt crisis is a matter of great concern for the world, especially developing countries, as India looks at building consensus at the upcoming G20 summit to evolve a tangible framework to help the debt-ridden low income economies.

In an exclusive interview to PTI late last week, Modi said India’s G20 presidency has placed a significant emphasis on addressing the global challenges posed by debt vulnerabilities, especially for nations in the Global South.

The debt crisis is indeed a matter of great concern for the world, especially developing countries. Citizens from different countries are keenly following the decisions being taken by governments in this regard. There are some appreciable results too,” Modi said.

First, countries that are going through debt crisis or have gone through it, have begun to give greater importance to financial discipline,” Modi said.

Second, others who have seen some countries facing tough times due to the debt crisis are conscious of avoiding the same missteps,” Modi said.

Under its G20 presidency, India has been consistently highlighting the need for a framework on debt restructuring to help countries facing mounting debt problems.

China, considered to be the world’s largest sovereign creditor, has been showing reluctance to certain proposals on debt restructuring although an increasing number of G20 member countries are pitching for helping the low-income nations deal with the crisis.

According to estimates, over 70 low-income countries are reeling under a collective debt burden of $326 billion.

The G20 finance ministers and Central Bank Governors have acknowledged the good progress in debt treatment of common framework countries and beyond the common framework too,” Modi said.

We have also been greatly sensitive to the needs of our valued neighbour, Sri Lanka, during their tough times,” he said.

To accelerate global debt restructuring efforts, the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable, a joint initiative of the IMF, World Bank and the G20 Presidency was launched earlier this year. This will strengthen communication among key stakeholders and facilitate effective debt treatment,” he added.

Modi hoped that rising awareness among the people of different countries on the problem will ensure that such situations don’t recur often.

While a lot is being done to address these issues, as I said earlier, I am positive that rising awareness among the people of different countries will ensure that such situations don’t recur often,” he said.

In July, IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva pitched for a speedier debt restructuring process for vulnerable countries.

India is hosting the G20 summit on September 9 and 10 in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake*

Newly formed Sri Lankan Marine Corps gets 241 years of experience in under a week. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob L. – Photo: 2023

France’s Macron and the US Fish in the Indian Ocean, promoting Green and Blue Bond Scams

COLOMBO. 23 August 2023 (IDN) — Sri Lanka continues to swing wildly between being a ‘Donor Darling’ flooded with foreign ‘aid’ and ‘advisors’ on the one hand to a ‘bankrupt’ pariah or outcast on the other.

Last year, the strategic Indian Ocean Island went from South Asia’s wealthiest nation with the best social and human development indicators to a beggar—humiliated and shunned by the ‘international community.’ This was after staging its first-ever Sovereign Default due to a Eurobond debt trap and purported lack of US dollars.

The default triggered rapid rupee depreciation and instantly beggared citizens amid a distracting transnationally networked, remote-controlled ‘Aragalaya’ protest operation led by social media influencers. Ironically, there was a blockade on fuel shipments to the country amid the United States Marine’s ‘Sea Vision’ training program for the Sri Lanka Navy.

Only India, the South Asian regional hegemon and good neighbor, was willing and able to help at the time. The narrative in the local and global corporate media echo chamber was that there was no fuel, food, fertilizer, medicines, or tourists to generate exorbitantly privileged and copiously printed US dollars to buy necessities. As the Rupee plummeted, newly appointed US-backed President Ranil Wickramasinghe promised famine and 15-hour power cuts by promoting fear, out-migration, and brain drain from the country.

Yet, miraculously, like the Phoenix risen from the ashes a year later, Sri Lanka is back, having taken mana from heaven in the form of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan of just $2.9 billion to be disbursed over four years, that enabled the magical US dollars to flow again!

Last week, the island hosted the Indo-Pacific Environmental Security Forum (IPESF) at Colombo’s Shangri La Hotel, which faces South Asia’s busiest Port. More than 140 senior officers from foreign defense forces and top-level environmentalists from 28 countries in the Indo-Pacific took part’ at the confab overlooking Galle Face, the Aragalaya protest site. The 4-day Environmental Security conference was hosted by the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), and Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG).

Although described as an ‘environmental security’ conference, the IPESF did not discuss the environmentally devastating impacts and economic costs of the global military business industrial complex, including 750 plus US military bases worldwide, their carbon emissions, and military exercises.[i]

Environmental impacts of military exercises and war, like the Nordstream pipeline destruction or stranding and death of Pilot Whales and Dolphins due to war games as sonar systems of aircraft carriers and submarines disorient large sea creatures, were NOT on the agenda.

Climate Hypocrisy: Green and Blue Bond Scams

The environmental impact of the NATO war machine and ongoing wars in Ukraine and Africa were the elephant in the room at Colombo’s Shangri-La Environmental Security Forum. Instead, trendy topics like Debt for Nature Swaps (DFNS), also called Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) bonds based on opaque carbon credit calculations, urbanization, ocean plastics, partnerships for climate resilience, data science in climate risk management, etc. were agenda items.

Two weeks before the IPESF, on 28 July, French President Emmanuel Macron paid a midnight visit to Sri Lanka, where the OECD’s Club de Paris, represents Eurobond holders who were primarily responsible for the default, was involved in ongoing IMF debt restructuring negotiations and Numbers Game that are set to deepen the country’s debt bondage.

Macron, attempting to Greenwash Odious Debt and the most corrupt, opaque, and crime-ridden sector of the Western global financial system—Bond trading and derivatives—had been promoting the ‘New Global Financing Pact,’ launched last month in Paris. Based on opaque Carbon Credit calculations, the ‘Anthropocene climate catastrophe narrative was used to market DFNS, or Green and Blue Bonds.

This week amid non-stop rain the Al Jazeera channel ran disinformation that there would not be rain until October in Sri Lanka with a picture of a single farmer complaining about crop failure. The farmers had planted their crops late this year due to misinformation and hence when the normally dry month of August came around complained about a shortage of water due to Climate change’!

Meanwhile, predatory bond traders, principal among them BlackRock, have debt trapped over 55 countries in the Global South during COVID-19 lockdowns and now seek to sell Green and Blue Bonds or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Euro Bonds to further debt trap the island. Hence, anti-corruption activists in Sri Lanka had called for an outright ban on government borrowing on Private bond markets, which caused the Sovereign Default worst economic crisis, and for the country to seek membership in BRICS and the New Development Bank.

Macron, facing a rout in West Africa, was fishing in Sri Lanka’s troubled waters and promised to set up an office of the French Agency for International Development (AFD) in Colombo.

French fisheries fleets stationed in the Seychelles have been accused of over-fishing and Ocean Grabbing and impoverishing Indian Ocean littoral fisheries communities for decades.[ii] Indeed, a Brookings Institution report pointed the finger at French fleets for depriving Somalian Fishers of their livelihoods and forcing them into piracy.

Hot on the heels of departing Macron, a Japanese Government team arrived in Colombo to shower aid on the Ranil Rajapakse regime and restart a rapid rail project. A couple of months before Macron’s visit, CIA chief William Burns had paid a top-secret visit to the country, and the United States Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, Nathaniel C. Fick, was expected in Colombo from 17 to 23 August 2023, according to the Department of State. The Chinese were in the country earlier.

Aid Dependence and a Corruption Pandemic

Is Sri Lanka, which sits on major global trade, energy, and Submarine Data Cable routes, back again as a ‘donor darling’? The strategic island, long deemed an unsinkable aircraft carrier in the middle of the Indian Ocean, clearly suffers from a geostrategic ‘Resource Curse,” as well as aid-induced Dutch Disease and de-industrialization:

The Island, although rich in valuable marine resources and minerals including Graphite, Zircon, Titanium, etc., now depends on European Union GSP plus handouts to export underwear stitched by women and girls, who are working long hours in Free Trade Zone factories and servicing tourists to earn foreign exchange.

Since Independence in 1948, ‘Aid’ dependency has permeated and penetrated the government, military, business elite, policy-making, and civil society institutions, impeding industrialization and development, particularly the leveraging of valuable marine and mineral resources, including Graphite and Phosphates for fertilizer.

So, too, national law and order and investigative agencies and institutions have been penetrated and compromised due to dependency on foreign aid and experts and politicization. This has left the country vulnerable to transnationally networked crime, corruption, and being pumped, dumped, and de-stabilized during staged exogenous economic shocks sans proper investigations, analysis, and research.

Policies of promoting brain drain and skilled out-migration have exacerbated dependency on foreign aid, advisors, and consultants in a country already reeling from two years of COVID-19 lockdowns that had debilitated institutions and oversight mechanisms and enabled Digital Colonialism also visible in the IMF and World Bank debt numbers games/

Middle-Income Country Trap to Make the Economy Scream”

In 2019, the country was also pumped and dumped by World Bank ‘experts’ when Sri Lanka was upgraded to an Upper Middle-Income Country (MIC). MIC status rendered the island ineligible to access concessionary loans available to less developed countries.

During two years of economically devastating COVID-19 lockdowns, successive incompetent and corrupt Ranil Rajapakse regimes related business cronies borrowed from private capital markets and hedge funds like BlackRock that charge predatory interest rates because of the World Bank’s MIC trap—leading to the first-ever default in 2022.

Early in its post-colonial history, Ceylon/ Sri Lanka, caught in Cold War regional refractions, was subject to various exogenous political and economic shocks; the country’s first socialist Prime Minister, S.W.R. D Bandaranaike who set about nationalizing ports, airports, and plantations, was assassinated, and his wife and successor, Sirimavo faced a coup attempt in 1962. A few years earlier, in 1955, Iran’s democratically elected Dr. Mossadegh had been removed in a regime change operation after he nationalize Iranian Oil Fields from British Petroleum, in a coup staged by the British Intelligence agency MI-6 and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Insurrections in the shape of ’Jakarta Method’ operations, were followed by a thirty-year globally networked ‘ethnic conflict’ that ran from 1983-2009. Then came the mysterious 2019 Islamic State (IS)-claimed attacks at Easter Sunday on tourist hotels and churches and Chinese investments to make the ‘economy and society scream’ and encourage the obdurately independent natives to accept the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), compact and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), to enable US boots on the ground.

Amid the Aragalaya protest drama, default, and regime change operation last year, there were shades of President Nixon’s instructions to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to make Chile’s ‘economy scream’ as a prelude to the overthrow of democratically-elected Leftist President Salvador Allende and the installation of dictator General Pinochet in 1973 during the Cold War.[iii]

As protests unfolded, the newly installed pro-Washington Ranil Rajapakse regime predictably promoted the myth that there is no alternative to the IMF” and further Eurobond borrowing and debt colonialism –seemingly in preparation for an IMF Firesale of assets (prime coastal and highland lands, energy, transport, and telecom infrastructure) to benefit Eurobond traders.

Resilient in the Asian 21st Century?

However, once again, the resilient island appears to be back in business and humming along, but this time, the pumping and dumping of Sri Lanka as a new hybrid Cold War ramps up in the Indian Ocean with remote Over the Horizon (OTH), cyber and economic war operations for Full Spectrum Dominance (FSD), by a crashing superpower seems different.

During the first Cold War, there was still space for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to declare the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace,’ free of nuclear weapons and foreign military bases—led by the world’s first female Prime Minister and a Socialist, Sirimavo Bandaranayke.

However, since the Sovereign Default last year, Sri Lanka has not only lost Economic Independence and Policy autonomy to the Washington Twins and colonial Club de Paris, ironically on its 75th year of so-called Independence after being pumped and dumped by the World Bank into an MIC Eurobond debt trap in 2019. 

Sri Lanka has lost its voice and independent thinking due to an ill-conceived policy of Brain Drain promoted by the foreign ‘Force’ backed by the Ranil Rajapakse government. This, in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns and hacking of national institutions and oversight mechanisms, is promoting (Digital) neo-colonialism, also apparent in the debt restructuring Numbers Games being played by the IMF’s experts and consultants, including Lazard, Clifford, and Chance.

While Sri Lanka is being carved up for an IMF Firesale of strategic assets, by IMF’s chosen accounting and legal firms, few among the remaining local intelligentsia have thought to question the adequacy of the exorbitantly privileged and copiously printed US Dollar to measure the ‘wealth of nations’ as the world de-dollarizes. After all, the US has a deficit of $32 Trillion and counting and was downgraded by one of its own rating agencies recently.

Perhaps Sri Lanka’s resilience and the quick turnaround this time also has to do with being flanked by Asian Giants, China and India, in what has been termed the ‘Asian 21st century,’ as the BRICS emerging economies overtake the traditional G7 economic heavyweights while de-dollarizing fast.

Ironically, while France’s Macron sought an invite to the BRICS party in Johannesburg, South Africa, this week, Colombo’s Ranil Wickramasinghe has turned a blind eye to calls that Sri Lanka join the BRICS and New Development Bank.

*The writer is a social and medical anthropologist with international development and political-economic analysis expertise. [IDN-InDepthNews]

Photo: Newly formed Sri Lankan Marine Corps gets 241 years of experience in under a week. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob L.

IDN is the flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate.

We believe in the free flow of information. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, except for republished articles with permission.

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[i] US military pollution is the world’s biggest climate change enabler: https://earth.org/us-military-pollution/

[ii] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/05/eu-accused-of-neocolonial-plundering-of-tuna-in-indian-ocean

[iii] https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB8/nsaebb8i.htm

KAMALIKA PIERIS

When it comes to identifying Buddhist monuments in the north and east, the work of Ellawela Medhananda deserves special recognition. The only bhikkhu who had explored the area successfully for this purpose was Ellawela Medhananda, said the Department of Archaeology research team of 2010. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSdj7YRjbDM)

Ellawela Medhananda   single handedly, with very little   support or money, explored the Buddhist ruins in the north and east from 2003 to 2013.  He made many significant discoveries. His work deserves more attention and publicity than it has received. In order to correct this, I wrote a 10 part series on the work of Ellawela Medhananda. They can be accessed  at https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2020/05/14/ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-1/

Ven. Ellawala Medhananda found new sites which are not in the Sirisoma map.  He found 17 more locations in Jaffna district, including 4 on the smaller islands. 19 more for Vavuniya and Mullaitivu and 32 for Mannar, of which 15 are lined along the sea coast. In the Eastern province he found 22 sites in Ampara many along the coast or near it,  Trincomalee   6, and Batticaloa 4.   Medhananda says this list is incomplete. ‘There should be much more than we found.’

Medhananda went into difficult unexplored territory. For instance, there was no road access to Bambaragastalawa and Medhananda had to go through dense forest inhabited by wild animals to reach Bambaragastalawa.  

 Veherakema, originally known as Mavala vehera   is in the middle of the Lahugala forest. Medhananda took four hours to travel the 7 or 8 miles to get there. He was the first to explore Veherakema. He found a huge rock with the ruins of a probable padhanaghara, columns 6 or 7 feet high and a plain moonstone without decoration.

Medhananda found that many Buddhist ruins have been deliberately destroyed. He recorded these in his writings. At Lankapatuna Medhananda Found an unprotected moonstone, the rest have been destroyed.  I found 6 inscriptions there.  After I told them the Department of Archaeology went and copied the inscriptions.

In his book Pacina passsa, uttara passa, nagenahira palata  ha  uturu palate Sinhala Bauddha Urumaya” (2003)Medhananda  gives a list of Buddhist ruins seen by him  . He has provided maps of the sites he visited. Ven. Ellawala Medhananda was not able to explore the North as much as he would have liked, due to LTTE control. Medhananda said he  was able to explore the Eastern Province with greater freedom than the north. 

 Medhananda  gives  48 places  in Jaffna where he has seen Buddhist ruins.Most are in private lands.  He says there are others as well.  the places listed are Algiriya, Anai kottai, Analativu,Ariyalai,  Atchuveli, Buddhatottam, Buddhawalawwa,  Chakaveli,  Changanai, Chulipuram,  Chunnakam, Delft,  Elavativu, Gotamalu watte,  Karaitivu,Kodiyavatte Mahiyapiddy,  Mallakam, Manipai, Marattamadam,Mavaddipuram,  Nagachcha kovil precincts,   Nagarkovil, Nainativu,Nallur, Neelavarai, Pinwatte, Ponnalai, Poonaryn,  Pukuditivu, Puloli, Puttur,Sambaturai,Tellipilai,  Tennavali, Tiruadanilai,    Tisamalai,   Tunukai, Udupiddy, Uduvil,  Uratota,Uraturai, Vadukkodai, Valikamam and Valvettiturai.  Medhananda says these ruins show bricks, tiles, statues, potsherds, inscriptions.   Most are in private lands, Medhananda observed..

In Mannar  Ven. Medhananda has visited Arippu , Cholayan kaddu,  Compotukki,      Ilukpeyikadachei, Irantivu, Kadappiditti kulam,   Kohala wewa, Kunchi kulam, Magana, Malikai kulam, Mannankulam, Mantota,  Moderagam ara, Mudalikulam, Mukkarayakulam, Mulliyakkulam, Musali, Na vehera,  Olivettikulam, Pachcha addappan wewa,  Paniyankulam,  Pannankamam, Periyanavakkulam, Pesalai, Puliyankulam, Rajakulama, Rajamaduva,Rakkha vihara,  Samadetiya,  Talaimannar, Tiruketiswaram, Ttuvavali,  Valli vihara Vachinikulam    and Vellantarai.  

In Vavuniya and Mullaitivu Medhananda has explored the following places: Ariyamadu,Atambagaskada,  Bogaswewa, Buddha kovil,  Bumaya, Chelliyar villu, Chenkal veddi kulam,Chenmadu, Dollar farm, Eeratperiyakulam,  Erupothana,  ,   Iluppu kulam,  Iranai illupun kulam, Iranamadu, Irasattiram kulam,Iruvil,Kachchilamadu, Kallaru, Kalnattan kulam, Kalukundammaduwa, Kanagarayam kulam, Kanchiramuddai,  Karadikulam,  Karavil kulam,   Karidikkulam, Kokkavelliya, Kongaraya kulam,  Kontaka karnakulam, Kovil puliyan kulam,Kumbakarna malai,Kurum puliyan kulam, Madukanda, Mahakachchkodiya, Mahamailan kulam, Mamaduwa Manikai,  Maniyar kulam,Mankalkeni,Mannan kadal,Manthri vihara,  Maradamadu,Maratamadu, Menik farm, Mohonnan kulam, Molliyavela,  Mudaliyakulam,Namban kulam, Navagama Kirivehera,  Nayaru,Nedunkerni, Nelukkulam, Nochchiya moddai,Oddusuddan,  Odiyamalai,  Olumaduva, Omandan, Paddikudiirippu, Padivettukulam, Palamoddai, Panaiyan kulam,Panangama,   Patta kattuveli,  Pavattakulam,  Periyakulam,  Periyamar iluppai,Periyauttukai, Pokkaravanni  tunukai, Pudukudi iruppukulam,Puleliya, Pumaduva,   Puravasan kulam,  Puvarasankulam, Ruvanmadu, Samalankulama,Sirappanmaduva,Tachcankulam,Tadikkulam,  Tambankulama,Tapassavellliya,  Tiranamadu,  Tiraviyamalai,Tonigala,Tukkumarattadi, Tuntimuruppu wewa, Udavelikulam, Ulakkulam,Unjaral kaddi, Vadamarachhci, Variyakuddiuru, Veherabanda  wewa, Vettilkulam,  Vettiyakulam and   Yakumadu yaya.

Medhananda has explored 80 Buddhist sites In the Eastern province. They included Agbo Raja Maha Vihara,   Ariyakara Raja Maha Vihara, Bollegama Raja Maha Vihara,    Balahandu vihara, Bambaragastalawa vihara, Boralukanda temple, Nilaveli. . Bowattegala vihara,   Buddhangala hermitage,     Dighavapi,  Diviyagala vihara ,   Ganegama vihara ,  Girikumbara vihara ,  Habutala Karandahela vihara ,  Harasgala vihara , Henanegala cave temple,  Illukpitiya kanda len vihara Ampara.  Kalkulam Udagala Dagoba,  Kiliveddi bodiya, Kirivehera  Raja Maha Vihara,    Kombanachhi Ruhunu Somawathi vihara , Kongala natabun vihara ,  Kopavela vihara , Kotaveheragala vihara ,    Kuchchaveli Maha vihara,   Kudimbigala  hermitage,  Kukuluvagala vihara, Lankapatuna Samudragiri vihara , Linemalai Sipavata vihara , Malayadikanda vihara,  Namalu vihara , Nawinna  Raja Maha Vihara ( Ampara),   Neelagiri  vihara and cave,  Niyaguna kanda vihara ,  Okanda vihara ,  Omunugala cave temple,  Panama raja maha vihara , Piyangala vihara ,  Pulakunava Maha vihara ,  Rajagala Maha vihara , Ratgala vihara ,  Rugama  Piyakalutota vihara,  Ruhunu magul maha vihara ,  Samangala hermitage, ,Samudragiri,  Sastravela vihara , Seruwila vihara ,  Sri Pana Raja Maha Vihara, Potuvil, Tilapola pansala,    Tiriyaya, Udayagiri Raja Maha Vihara ,     Vedikkinarmalai rock temple,   Veheragala cave temple, Veheragama kubira therun vanaya Ampara,   Veherakema  Mavala vihara , Velatti badda   aramaya and  Velgam vihara.      

Each time I went to  Vavuniya and Mullaitivu  I found new ruins, said Medhananda.There are  hundreds of  Buddhist ruins in Vavuniya ,there are three sets of ruins in a straight line, at Mahakachca kodiya,    Erupotana,  and  Periyapuliyam kulam malai in Vavuniya     Medhananda   explored Buddanehela  Raja Maha Vihara, Vavuniya  . Ruins are fast   deteriorating he said.   From Jaffna to Wilpattu, all along the ocean strip, one sees ruins. These sites were never examined carefully, other than presenting a random report.  

Buddhist sites were found in several places in Mannar as well said Medhananda .Maligapitti had lots of ruins with a stupa mound. Place is surrounded by houses. A Buddha statue was found near Murungan, also a stupa in a banana plantation. Buddhist ruins were found near Murungan hospital including a siripatula, an inscription and stone columns. The inscription and siripatula were used for patients to sit on.

Ven. Medhananda found many interesting archaeological items in his explorations. One and a half miles to the east of the preset Devalahinda school, Ampara, there is a wall fortification 7’ wide, stretching for a distance of about 600 feet. In the Veheragoda ruins at Ampara, there is a   stupa which shows the earlier style of  stupa building. this  style is also seen at Buddhangala and Rajagala.   Veheragoda wewa  had a  kalugal sorrowwa.

At Veheragalkanda, (NCP) Medhananda   saw a foundation , 50’ x50’ with stone door frame facing the east 9’8” in height There was another structure,  18’8’  by 14 ‘1”  with ten pillars in the middle,  this could be a  gigantic doorway, said Medhananda . When I first visited  the place  there was a torso of a statue lying  there but ‘now it is not to be seen’.

At Karandahela, ( Eastern province) Medhananda found a  lotus petal moonstone,  very old bricks,  a  huge cave, 512 feet long, 30 ft wide,  and 82 feet height   and a rock carved gal vangediya, one foot deep  with circumference of  7’ 2”. 

Medhananda  said that many of the places he saw have not been looked at by the  Department of Archaeology. There are far more Buddhist ruins in Trincomalee district than the 54 given  by the Department, Medhananda said.

Toppigala has not  been properly explored by the Department  of Archaeology .   Medhananda found 150 archaeological sites in Toppigala. All hillsides around Toppigala  such as Motagala, Vesibandagala,  Atubandagala, Varakamulla,  Kunchinamalai,  Devinigala,  Kavinigala, had vihara on it. Every hill side  around Thoppigala has a ruin of  an aramaya.  There were inscriptions too. I spend 8 days exploring in Toppigala jungles, said Medhananda .

There are Buddhist ruins  at Perillaveli in Eravur pattu, Batticaloa district. These are in dense forest and have not been seen by the  Department of archaeology.  The area north of Badulla –Eravur has not been  explored when Medhananda wrote about it. Lots of  Buddhist      sites there in the forests, also ruins of irrigation schemes.  I found very fine archaeological  ruins at Kadavat maduva near Batticaloa  railway station.  No one had looked there, he said.

Viharagalkanda at Trikonamadu  has ruins extending for 10 acres. These have not been explored before. The  ruins of  stupa, walls, caves,  asanaghara could be seen. There is an ancient wewa near ruins.  The archaeological sites   at Vasi bandagala,  Aatubandagala, Iddagala, Nelugala,  Mavulivala, have not been explored before. There are lots of ruins .  Siripalena, Siluminiseya, Devagala in Maduruoya  valley also  have unseen ruins.  

Medhananda   had explored Bambaragastalawa,      Lenama, Budubava, Nalitta,in the Eastern province,   and found ruins which the Department of Archaeology had not found. The ruins around Dighavapi have not been explored, either. 

 There are no reports in the Department of Archaeology as to the ruins at Mahapattuva , 8 km from Timbirigolla Vidyalaya in the North westsern province.   Somawathi vihara, Kombanachchiya had ruins no one has seen before.   In our exploration at Digamadulla, too we found many inscription and ruins never seen before said Medhananda.  ( continued)

Grigory Sysoev

The historic three-day BRICS Summit 2023 wrapped up on August 24 in the South African city of Johannesburg. What are the results of the event and how could it affect the global balance of power in the near future?

The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which together constitute the group of major emerging economies named BRICS, adopted the Johannesburg II Declaration on the final day of the 15th summit.

The member states committed to strengthening the framework of mutually beneficial BRICS cooperation under the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people cooperation. They also committed to enhancing strategic partnership for the benefit of their people through the promotion of peace, a more representative, fairer international order, a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, sustainable development, and inclusive growth.

New Fair Trade and Financial System

BRICS called for maintaining the “open, transparent, fair, predictable, inclusive, equitable, non-discriminatory and rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core.”

The group expressed its concerns about unilateral illegal measures affecting trade and proclaimed the need for creating a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system that would help end hunger and achieve food security.

“We call for reform of the Bretton Woods institutions, including for a greater role for emerging markets and developing countries, including in leadership positions in the Bretton Woods institutions, that reflect the role of emerging markets and developing economies (EMDCs) in the world economy,” the declaration said.

Previously, BRICS leaders placed special emphasis on the rising role of the New Development Bank, founded by the group in 2015 to facilitate funding new infrastructure projects and various endeavors by developing nations.

Local Currencies & New Payment Systems as Alternative to Dollar

BRICS stressed the importance of encouraging the use of local currencies in international trade and financial transactions between members of the group as well as their trading partners.

The concept has taken on a new significance given the West’s weaponization of major reserve currencies in order to achieve its geopolitical objectives.

“We are concerned that global financial and payment systems are increasingly being used as instruments of geopolitical contestation. Global economic recovery relies on predictable global payment systems and the smooth operation of banking, supply chains, trade, tourism, as well as financial flows,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stated on Wednesday.

Likewise, a day earlier, Brazilian President Lula da Silva touched upon the idea of a “new reference unit” for BRICS nations, which would shield emerging markets from G7 currencies’ volatility caused by irresponsible monetary measures.

While the common currency concept was not discussed in detail during the 15th summit, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov disclosed on August 22 that BRICS member states are continuing to discuss the creation of a “single unit of account.” Siluanov explained that it is not actually a single currency (akin to the euro in the EU), but an instrument “in which the cost of commodity deliveries and benchmarks for some goods can be expressed in order not to depend on a single currency or its issuing center.” The proposed single unit of account would become an alternative to the US dollar, per the minister.

On the final day of the summit, the BRICS leaders announced that they had decided to invite Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia to join the group.

“We have decided to invite the Argentine Republic, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to become full members of BRICS. The membership will take effect from January 1, 2024,” Ramaphosa stated on Thursday.

Per Ramaphosa, the admission of new members to BRICS is just the first phase of the group’s enlargement process.

The participants of BRICS have also agreed that the name of the group will not change after the new countries join it, as this will demonstrate continuity, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov specified on the same day. It is expected that the expansion of BRICS will enable an increase in mutual investments between the member states and deepen further collaboration.

The admission of six new members as well as the shift to new payment systems could have a substantial impact on the global balance of power, according to Sputnik’s interlocutors.

In particular, the aggregated gross domestic product of BRICS+ will total 37% of global GDP in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), while the group’s population will account for 46% of global population, as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva remarked on the final day of the summit.

“The bigger it is, the easier it will be to have a clearing system,” Angelo Giuliano, a Hong Kong-based political and financial analyst, told Sputnik. “You need to have a certain amount of unity and exchanges between those countries to make this platform relevant. So if it was only one or two countries, it wouldn’t make sense. But now, since you have so many exchanges between all those countries, this would make this system much more relevant and much more efficient. So the more countries join, the more countries will want to adhere to this system.”

“So this would actually challenge completely the US dollar hegemony […] The first priority for those countries is to challenge the US dollar hegemony, to bypass the dollar, and to go through a clearing system that would actually benefit everyone and will secure an independence of those countries. They want to regain in some ways their sovereignty, because the dollar has been weaponized by the US,” he continued.

At the same time, BRICS’ commitment to inclusion will give voices to those emerging economies of the Global South which have long been underrepresented in Western-centered international organizations, according to Giuliano.

“In the UN Security Council, for example, we don’t have any African countries, so they cannot change the UN. Maybe BRICS could be the new foundation for the future UN,” the expert presumed, adding that this could become a “huge shake-up” for the Western establishment.

Another intriguing point is Saudi Arabia‘s decision to join BRICS, given that it has long been considered “an absolutely crucial imperial ally of the United States,” as per Patrick Bond, professor of political economy at the University of the Witwatersrand. Earlier, Saudi Arabia demonstrated determination to diversify its foreign relations by adhering to commitments it made to OPEC+, despite the pressure from Washington. Bond also referred to Riyadh’s rapprochement with Beijing and a historic peace settlement between Saudi Arabia and Iran brokered by China. Saudi Arabia even broke its exclusive historic petrodollar relationship and started to sell some of its oil for yuans, the professor highlighted.

“These are the sorts of things that reflect the changing world order in which US power must adjust to losing some of its imperial allies like Saudi Arabia and possibly also Egypt and the UAE,” Bond told Sputnik, adding that Ethiopia has also embraced a more independent foreign policy, despite the country’s longstanding ties with the West.

“Ethiopia is looking forward to joining [BRICS] to promote the new foreign policy of the Ethiopian government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad,” echoed Yasin Ahmad, head of the Ethiopian Institute of Public Diplomacy, while speaking to Sputnik. “Its main task is to diversify political and economic alliances, as well as cooperation in the field of security. The country is preparing to reach a new level in regional and global politics.”

“Yes, Ethiopia maintains fairly good relations with the countries of the West, but still strives for an alternative, multipolar center of power. I think we can become that very point of balance between cooperation with the collective West and integration with the Global South,” Ahmad continued.

The Ethiopian scholar stressed that the nation also wants to drift away from the dollar and participate in the creation of a multipolar system of international relations.

The historic 15th BRICS Summit has apparently become a watershed, showing the Global South a new alternative model of development and offering freedom of choice.

BRICS is now the owner of the Artic Sea Route, of the North South Corridor, of the East West Corridor, of the Persian Gulf, of the Red Sea and of the Suez Canal. I bet that Turkey would be jealous on Egypt, not because it has to expand to accommodate this new economic impuls in the Global South, but because it could be used as a strategic waterway by BRICS that can be closed off by Egypt for military ships and for cargo vessels, like the Turks use their Turkish Door! (wink) I wouldn’t be surprised if some countries have to travel the Long Way in a nearby future.

හැමෝම රැවටිලා බැන්නා සියල්ල අවසානයේදී ගිහිකල දරුවාගේ පියා වූ වූ කස්සපතිස්ස හිමි පළමුවරට ඇත්ත හෙළිකරයි දරුවා තනිකර පැවිදි වූ දෙමව්පියන් ගැන කිසිවෙකුත් නොදැන සිටි සත්‍ය කතාව

Niroshana De Silva 

Remembering a Stalwart in Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Industry

[Negombo, 1^st September, 2023] – It is with deep sorrow and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Mr. Christie Alwis, a true luminary in the field of telecommunications. Mr. Alwis, a Professional Engineer with over 30 years of dedicated service in the industry, breathed his last on 1^st September, 2023. He leaves behind a legacy of innovation, leadership, and a profound impact on the telecom landscape in Sri Lanka and beyond.

Mr. Christie Alwis began his illustrious career in telecommunications in 1977 when he joined Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT). Over the years, he ascended through the ranks and held several key positions within the organization, demonstrating unwavering commitment and expertise in his field. Notably, he served as an Engineer, overseeing crucial aspects of switching and transmission in both the Telecommunication Department (Government) and Sri Lanka Telecom (Corporation).

In 1997, Mr. Alwis took on the role of Director Customer Services and Executive Assistant to the CEO under the Japanese management of SLT, showcasing his versatile leadership abilities. He continued to excel in his career as he transitioned to the role of Chief Network Officer – Network Planning and Engineering Group from 2002 to 2007, contributing significantly to the development and expansion of Sri Lanka’s telecommunications infrastructure.

In 2007, Mr. Alwis took on the role of Senior Officer – Corporate Strategic Planning at SLT, once again demonstrating his versatility and adaptability in the ever-evolving telecommunications industry.

Beyond his impressive career, Mr. Christie Alwis was a passionate educator. He served as a Visiting Lecturer for Communication Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Moratuwa and the University of Sabaragamuwa, enriching the minds of countless students over his 25 years of service as a lecturer.

Mr. Alwis’s contributions to the telecommunications industry are immeasurable, and he will be remembered not only for his technical prowess but also for his leadership, mentorship, and dedication to the development of the next generation of telecom professionals.

As we mourn the loss of this telecommunications veteran, our thoughts and condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and all those whose lives he touched. Mr. Christie Alwis’s legacy will continue to shine brightly in the annals of Sri Lanka’s telecommunications history.

by A. Abdul Aziz Press Secretary, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at – Sri Lanka.

 When we fulfil the rights of God, it creates within us the spirit of helping humanity” – Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad

 On 28 August 2023, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered the keynote address at a special reception held to commemorate the opening of the Mubarak Mosque in Florstadt, Germany.

His Holiness officially inaugurated the Mosque prior to the reception by unveiling a commemorative plaque and offering a silent prayer in thanks to God Almighty. Thereafter, His Holiness led the Zuhr (post noon) and Asr (evening) prayers at the Mosque and inspected the new premises.

Later, 120 guests, including dignitaries, politicians and local neighbours of the Mosque attended a special reception held in the Aralia Hall in Florstadt.

During his keynote address, His Holiness spoke of how Islam protects the rights of all people and safeguards religious freedom for all faiths.

Explaining the true purpose of mosques, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

A Mosque is a House of Allah according to Islam. A Mosque is a place where people gather together to worship the One God and inspire one another to exhibit kindness and love towards each other in line with the teachings of God Almighty… It is impossible for a person who truly fulfils the rights of a Mosque to carry out any action that goes against the rights of the worship of Allah the Almighty and the rights of humanity.”

His Holiness referred to chapter 22, verse 41 of the Holy Quran, where permission for a defensive war was granted to the early Muslims and said that the following words of the Quranic verse, there would surely have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft commemorated”, testified to the fact that Islam protects the rights of all religions.

Explaining the verse, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

It is a fundamental teaching of Islam to protect all religions and to respect every faith. This is why we say that we respect Prophet Moses, Prophet Jesus, the prophets of the Hindus and Buddha (peace be upon them all). We respect every faith that has come to the world. We are commanded to respect all people. The Holy Quran says that you should not vilify even the idols of those who worship them because they will abuse the One God in retaliation. Thus, if they hurl abuses at God, it will create unrest and an atmosphere of conflict. This is the teaching of Islam underpinning true Mosques.”   

In conclusion, His Holiness referred to the comprehensive nature of the teachings of Islam and how they seek to protect people in all circumstances.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said that we must condemn injustice and that both the oppressor and the oppressed must be helped. His companions said that they understand how to help the oppressed by saving them from the oppressors but enquired how they could help the oppressor. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said that they must help the oppressor by stopping him from carrying out his cruelties because if he continues to carry out the injustices, he will face the wrath of God. Thus he will ruin himself in this life and the next.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor further explained and said:

Thus, a religious person does not only look to this life; he has his eyes set firmly upon the life to come as well. A religious person does not only care for himself, rather, he cares to protect the people from the punishment of the life to come and to save the people from incurring God’s displeasure. This is the reason we try to fulfil the responsibilities of our worship. When we fulfil the rights of God, it creates within us the spirit of helping humanity. It generates a desire to help both the oppressed and the oppressor.”   

Prior to the address, the national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Germany, Abdullah Wagishauser, introduced the Mosque, after which Mr Herbert Unger, Mayor of Florstadt, Mr Michael Hahn, Mayor of the neighbouring town of Niddatal and Mr Tobias Utter, member of the Hessian State Parliament spoke about their appreciation of the Mosque and the efforts of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for the local community.

The event concluded with a silent prayer led by His Holiness.

Source: Press Ahmadiyya.

by A. Abdul Aziz Press Secretary, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at – Sri Lanka.

In Stuttgart, Germany, on 1 September 2023, the 47^th Jalsa Salana (three day Annual Convention) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Germany commenced with the Friday Sermon delivered by the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. He delivered the inaugural address on the later of the day.

On Saturday, 2 September 2023, at 5:00 pm local time, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, began his second address of the day to non-Ahmadi guests at Ahmadiyya Convention Germany.

This special session started with the recitation of the selected verses of the Holy Quran.

In his address, Ahmadiyya Khalifa said that he would address the major allegations levelled against Islam and said, it is alleged that Islam’s teachings are extremists and encourage Muslims to use force to conquer lands or to eliminate other religions and beliefs. It is also claimed that Muslim consider non-Muslims inferior and that Islam does not priorities human values or bestows equal rights to certain sections of the society, especially women.

One of the primary allegations against Islam is that Islam was spread by sword or force. In Chapter 10, verse 100 of the Holy Quran, Allah says that if He willed, He would have compelled everyone to accept Islam. This verse clearly proves that every person is free to practice their religion and nobody can compel anyone to convert to any religion.

Islam does not permit Muslims to propagate their faith coercively through the destructive powers of swords and bombs, but instead calls on them to use reason, evidence and love to win the hearts and minds of mankind.

Allah the Almighty have repeatedly commanded to practice the highest moral standards. Further, Islam does not tell Muslims to not show kindness, instead it instructs them to treat all people with justice, benevolence and compassion.

The Holy Quran enshrines a timeless and magnificent standard of truth and integrity. The justice advocated by Islam requires that even if someone has mistreated or prosecuted, it must never lead to seek revenge.

Throughout history, wars and disputes have plagued society. The simple answer, Ahmadiyya Head said is No” that such honourable standards of justice are being upheld in international relations or waring nations in this age. Only in Islam we find these standards of absolute justice.

Another allegation against Islam is that it is a religion of warfare and bloodshed. Allah has never given Muslims to fight and take up arms. Where it is granted permission in the Holy Quran, it is clearly under certain stringent conditions.

The battles fought by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were entirely defensive in nature. Prophet Muhammad and his companion migrated from Mecca because of prosecution. Even then, they were not left to live in peace and Meccan army intended to kill the Prophet and eliminate Islam. Under those extreme circumstances, Allah gave the permission to fight a defensive war.

The Holy Quran testifies that the ultimate objective of Meccans was to eradicate all religions and demolish all places of worship. Hence, Allah gave the permission to take up arms against them.

If these are the actual teachings of Islam, then one might think as to why have the terrorists conducted such heinous acts in the name of Islam in recent years. The answer is that hateful extremists or politically motived individuals have extrapolated entirely false conclusions from certain verses of the Holy Quran to serve their own evil desires. Islam does not permit these cruel practices.

Another golden principle for ensuring peace in society is given in chapter 16 verse 91 of the Holy Quran. Allah the Almighty commands Muslims to not only act with justice but go beyond this and treat all people with love and compassion without their religious affiliations. Muslims are emphasized to help everyone selflessly without desiring anything in return.

Ahmadiyya Khalifa said, In essence, the Holy Quran teaches us that serving humanity is a fundamental means of spiritual progress.” 

His Holiness emphasized, Islam teaches that it is essential to care for the sentiments and feelings of one another with sensitivity and consideration.”

His Holiness explained, In an age when women’s rights were not even deemed worthy of consideration, the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) enshrined forever countless rights of women and girls including the rights to education, to divorce, and to inherit.

On one occasion, the Holy Prophet of Islam gave an analogy of a woman being like a rib. As such, they were delicate and to be treated with love and tenderness. If one analyses this statement carefully, they would realize how esteemed the status of women in Islam is. The human rib is designed to protect a person’s vital organs and so by describing women in such a way the Holy Prophet (PBUH) has pointed to the fact that women are fundamental to the survival of humanity.”

In conclusion, Ahmadiyya Khalifa said:

At the end, I pray that the people of the world may come to recognize their Creator and may all mankind, irrespective of their religious beliefs, live together in peace and with the spirit of compassion and respect for one another. Amin.”

Source: Al Hakam, London.

Courtesy Pravda.ru

It seems that Roald Dahl did guess something: when plants are harmed, they emit sound signals – not exactly as humans or animals do when they make screams, but in the form of beeping or clicking sounds at ultrasonic frequencies that go beyond human hearing.

Photo: Openverse

These sound signals are amplified as the plant is stressed. According to a recent study, this phenomenon may be the means by which plants communicate their plight to the outside world.

Lilah Hadani, an evolutionary biologist at Tel Aviv University in Israel, said: “Even in a calm field, there are sounds that we can’t hear, and these sounds convey information. Some animals are able to pick up these sounds, which suggests the possibility of a wide acoustic interaction.

Plants are constantly interacting with insects and other creatures, many of which use sound to communicate. Therefore, it would not be optimal if plants did not use sound as a means of communication.

Plants under stress are more dynamic than one might expect. They undergo significant changes, including emitting strong aromas, changing color and shape. These changes serve as a danger signal to neighboring plants, prompting them to strengthen their defenses or attract animals that are able to cope with pests that harm the affected plant.

However, the question of the extent to which plants emit different signals, such as sounds, has not yet been studied. A few years ago, Hadani and her colleagues demonstrated that plants are capable of perceiving sound. This led them to wonder if plants could also make sound.

To investigate this question, they recorded the sounds of tomato and tobacco plants in various conditions: unloaded, dehydrated, and with the stems cut off. Recordings were made both in a soundproof acoustic chamber and in standard greenhouse conditions. Then a neural network algorithm was trained, which makes it possible to distinguish between sounds made by plants in different states.

The sounds made by plants resemble pops or clicks at frequencies too high for human perception, detected within a radius of more than a meter. Plants that are not stressed are usually silent.

In contrast, plants that are under stress make more noise, averaging about 40 clicks per hour depending on the type of plant. Dehydrated plants have a distinctive sound profile: they begin to click more often before there are visible signs of dehydration, intensify as the plant becomes more overdried, and decrease as it wilts.

The algorithm successfully distinguished between these sounds and even identified the types of plants that made them. Moreover, he did not limit himself to tomatoes and tobacco: other plants, including wheat, corn, grapes, cactus and shrubs, also made sounds.

For humans, the consequences of this are obvious: we can track the sounds made by thirsty plants and give them water before they become severely dehydrated. However, the question of whether other plants are able to perceive and respond to these sounds remains unexplored. Previous research has shown that plants can increase their resistance to drought in response to sound, making this question likely for further study.

Courtesy Pravda.ru

The coconut water found inside coconuts has long attracted attention for its potential health benefits.

Photo: “Coconut (halved)” by SingChan is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Doctors from the Mayo Clinic in the United States conducted a study and identified eight key benefits of this natural fluid.

Coconut Water vs Coconut Milk

The first thing to clarify is the difference between coconut water and coconut milk. Coconut water is a clear liquid found inside mature coconuts.

Coconut milk, on the other hand, is a mixture of coconut water and grated coconut. The main advantage of coconut water is its low fat and calorie content, which makes it an excellent choice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Benefits of coconut water

Experts identify several key benefits of coconut water:

• Low in sugar and calories:

This drink is an excellent alternative to sugar-containing drinks, as it contains a minimum of sugar and calories.

• Blood sugar regulation:

Coconut water helps stabilize blood sugar levels, which is especially important for people with diabetes.

• Electrolyte Richness:

This drink is a natural source of electrolytes, including potassium, which supports heart and muscle function.

• Vitamins and minerals:

Coconut water contains important nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin B1, manganese, and phosphorus, which are essential for health.

• Maintaining Bone Health:

Due to its high calcium content, coconut water helps strengthen bones.

• Lack of fat and cholesterol:

This drink is free of fat and cholesterol, making it a great choice for those who monitor their cardiovascular health.

• Antioxidant properties:

Coconut water contains antioxidants that help fight harmful free radicals in the body.

• Prevention of kidney stones:

Regular consumption of coconut water can help prevent the formation of kidney stones.

Recommendations for use

Experts recommend drinking coconut water in moderation – no more than 1-2 cups per day. This will allow you to get all the nutrients without overdoing it.

Limitations and Cautions

It should be remembered that even such a healthy drink as coconut water has its limitations:

• Caution in hypertension:

Coconut water can lower blood pressure, so people with low blood pressure should use it with caution.

• Preparation for surgery:

Due to the ability of coconut water to affect blood pressure, it should be excluded from the diet at least 14 days before surgery.
Читайте больше на https://www.pravda.ru/health/1876546-zdorove_v_kazhdoi_kaple_uchenye_ssha_proveli_issledovanie/

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Singapore, September 2: Singapore’s President-elect Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a man of Jaffna-Tamil origin, said on Saturday that he was surprised at the margin of his victory at Friday’s polls, calling it a vote for an optimistic future and a vote for unity.

The 66-year-old former senior minister scored a landslide win with 70.4 per cent of the ballot, beating fellow candidates Ng Kok Song and Tan Kin Lian, both 75, who received 15.72 per cent and 13.88 per cent of the vote respectively.

Shanmugaratnam said the result was a real positive for Singapore, and that he had not expected such remarkable unity”.

In fact, walking around today in several hawker centres, although people were congratulating me, I was actually congratulating them,” he told reporters at Toa Payoh Hub, his last stop in a series of post-victory walkabouts on Saturday morning.

It would otherwise not have been possible for me to have had that margin,” said Shanmugaratnam..

I do believe very strongly that it is an expression of hope, an expression of the desire for an optimistic future, and an expression of wanting to work together, including in new ways,” he added.

Lauding Singaporeans for being sensible”, Mr Tharman said the presidential election was a milestone in the way that Singapore has been evolving.

He noted how race was not the only factor in the contest, and said he believed that the results showed that Singaporeans want a non-partisan president.

He also said the election result showed that voters did not see his years of political service as a disadvantage and did not hold it against him.

My on-the-ground experience, my policymaking experience and, of course, my international experience have been a huge source of strength, and it wouldn’t have come about if I hadn’t spent 22 years in politics,” Mr Shanmugaratnam said.

Referencing the president’s role as the second key” to the nation’s reserves, Mr Shamugaratnam said it was not a simple matter of deciding whether to turn it or not.

You’ve got to understand the challenges Singapore faces, you’ve got to understand the revenue options, you’ve got to understand the spending priorities, both in normal times… (and) in crisis times.

Understanding the ins and outs of the government budget and the budgets of the other public agencies concerned is invaluable knowledge and experience,” he added.

Asked if he had anything to say to the voters who did not pick him at the ballot box, Mr Tharman said he would serve them to the fullest regardless.

I did not expect such a high degree of endorsement, which also means that there were a fair number of people who would normally not vote in favour of the ruling party who decided that this was not a political election,” he said.

Asked which part of his campaign strategy during the nine days of hustings he thought had worked in his favour, he said he did what he had always been doing.

I did learn a fair bit about social media as someone who was a complete novice before this campaign… and I became quite active at it, but I don’t think it was any one thing,” he said.

With President Halimah Yacob’s six-year term ending on Sept 13, Mr Tharman will be sworn in as president at the Istana on Sept 14.

He told reporters on Saturday that he had not had time to think about his plans for the next two weeks, but he was looking forward to meeting Madam Halimah and seeking her advice.

I’m not going to rush the process, but I’m very serious about wanting to fulfil the mandate that has been given to me by the people,” he added.

Mr Shanmugaratnam  currently holds several international appointments, including chairman of the Group of 20’s Eminent Persons Group on Global Financial Governance and member of the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees.

He said he will be reviewing these positions now that he is set to be Singapore’s ninth president. He added that he will also need to go along with the advice of the Cabinet on whether keeping some of these appointments is in Singapore’s interests.

With the next general election due by 2025, Mr Shamugaratnam’s six-year presidential term is expected to coincide with a change of leadership within the ruling People’s Action Party.

During his recent National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that his succession plans were back on track, recounting how his original plan before the Covid-19 pandemic was to hand over and step down as prime minister by 2022, before his 70th birthday.

Asked how he sees the president’s role in this leadership transition, Mr Shamugaratnam said this was one of the reasons why he had put himself forward for the presidential role.

I feel we’re going through a very important transition and, as I mentioned, it’s not going to be a matter of clearing one hurdle where there’s a change in political leadership,” he said.

It’s actually a new era that we’ve entered. Singapore society is changing, Singapore politics is changing, and I think the relationship between the president and the prime minister, the new prime minister, should be a constructive one; and I believe we can make that work,” he added.

Mr Shanmgaratnam expects his relationship with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who has been earmarked for the top job, to be one of trust and mutual respect.

As you know, I have a high regard for him and I believe that we will have a very constructive relationship.”

Noting how the president is not a solo operator when it comes to the international stage, he added that Singapore’s head of state has to work together with the Government in this respect.

He said: The president represents Singapore, and it’s critical that the president and the Government have good relations and are working as one.”

The President in the Singapore constitution

Under the Singapore Constitution, the President is the Head of State. The Prime Minister is the Head of Government. The direction and control of the Government rests with the Prime Minister, together with the Cabinet.

As the Head of State, the President is the symbol of national unity. The President presides over important national events, such as the National Day Parade and the Opening of Parliament. He (or she) also exercises custodial powers as conferred by the Constitution.

The President stands above party politics and therefore cannot be a member of a political party.

How the President works with Parliament and the Cabinet:

The Cabinet has the general direction and control of the Government. It makes and implements policies. The Cabinet is led by the Prime Minister, who must command the confidence of Parliament.

The Cabinet as a whole is collectively responsible to Parliament. Parliament, in turn, is responsible for scrutinising and passing legislation. The Cabinet and Parliament are ultimately accountable to the electorate for the laws and policies that they make.

The Constitution requires the President to act on the Cabinet’s advice in exercising his functions, except in specific areas where the Constitution empowers the President to act in his discretion.

Courtesy WION

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Constable R. M. D. Dayaratne was deployed to help protect the colonial-era residence on the day it was taken over by protesters who forced then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country. Instead, he sat at a grand piano in the compound and played a song to the crowd streaming through its rooms

File image – Protesters seized the residence and were later seen frolicking in the presidential pool and jumping on Rajapaksa’s four-poster bed. Photograph:(AFP)

Sri Lanka’s police force said Friday it had sacked an officer who entertained protesters with an impromptu piano performance after they stormed the island nation’s presidential compound last year.

Constable R. M. D. Dayaratne was deployed to help protect the colonial-era residence on the day it was taken over by protesters who forced then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country. 

Instead, he sat at a grand piano in the compound and played a song to the crowd streaming through its rooms. 

“Dayaratne was on social media playing the piano while the building was being vandalised,” a senior officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

“He was our Nero,” the officer added, referring to the ancient Roman emperor said to have played the fiddle while the city burned in a weeklong fire.

Police authorities concluded that the constable had breached discipline after a lengthy investigation. 

Before the compound was stormed in July 2022, protesters had been camped outside Rajapaksa’s office for months demanding he step down over the island nation’s unprecedented economic crisis. 

Protesters seized the residence and were later seen frolicking in the presidential pool and jumping on Rajapaksa’s four-poster bed.

Rajapaksa was accused of precipitating corruption and mismanagement that triggered the downturn, which led to severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines.

He was forced to seek temporary exile in Singapore, from where he issued his resignation, though he has since returned to Sri Lanka.

His successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has offered an amnesty to those returning historic artefacts stolen from the building.

By Sanjib Kr Baruah  Courtesy The Week

Cites ‘unavoidable circumstances’ as reason for cancellation of visit

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh | PTI

In a late evening development on Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Sri Lanka, where he was to ‘review’ the entire gamut of defence ties with the island nation, has been put off with no later date being declared.

A defence ministry release said the visit has been put off due to unavoidable circumstances” and that the minister remains committed to strong bilateral cooperation between India and Sri Lanka”.

He looks forward to visiting the island nation at the earliest possible time frame,” the release added.

Singh was to visit Sri Lanka for two days beginning Saturday. His schedule included meetings with the Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also the country’s defence minister, and also Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

The development acquires significance in the backdrop of Colombo’s reported approval to the docking of the Chinese research vessel Shi Yang 6 in the Colombo and Hambantota ports for 17 days beginning October 26 although it is still not clear in which area in Sri Lanka’s vicinity the Chinese vessel will operate in.

A top source in India’s military establishment had told THE WEEK that the Shi Yang 6’s visit is meant to engineer a crack in the bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka.

While the Shi Yan 6 may be categorised as a research and survey vessel, most such Chinese ships are dual-use vessels with both civilian and military uses. In this effort, the Chinese are partnering with Sri Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA).

Chinese research and survey ships operating near Sri Lankan waters have been controversial because of vehement opposition by India which suspects military intentions.

In November 2022, India protested forays by the China spy ship Yuanwang 6 into the waters of the Indian Ocean Region as the ship’s movement was suspected to be linked to planned ballistic missile tests by India.

In August 2022, ignoring Indian protests, another ship, the Yuanwang 5, had dropped anchor for a week-long stay from August 16 to 22 at the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota.

In deep economic distress, Sri Lanka is delicately positioned between India and China neither of whom Colombo can afford to displease. China is Sri Lanka’s biggest single creditor while it was India that bailed out the island nation from the economic chaos with a $4 billion handover in 2022.

By Sanjib Kr Baruah  Courtesy The Week

China’s research vessels possess dual capability with both civilian and military use

Representation. Hambantota port in Sri Lanka

The planned docking of the Chinese research vessel Shi Yang 6 in the Colombo and Hambantota ports is meant to engineer a crack in the bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka, a top source in India’s military establishment told THE WEEK.

“The move to dock the Shi Yan 6 in the Sri Lanka ports with due approval from the island authorities is a huge smart strategic move by China and should be seen by India as such,’ the source said on condition of anonymity.

“For China, the Shi Yan 6—with its planned underwater and hydrographic survey—will be able to collect all sorts of data required for any future operation, including movement by Chinese submarines by mapping the terrain on the sea bed.”

“On the other hand, Sri Lanka is looking at data on sediment thickness of the continental shelf so that its sea territorial claims can be made before the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).”

“At the moment, Sri Lanka’s territorial claim on the seas is excessive and is therefore on the lookout for sedimentation data which it hopes the Shi Yan 6 will be able to provide,” the source added on condition of anonymity.

In variance with past practices, the Chinese ship has this time sought the permission of the Sri Lankan defence ministry which has been granted although the area of operation of the Shi Yan 6 is yet to be finalised. 

The Shi Yan 6 is expected to arrive in Colombo port on October 26 and operate in the vicinity of the island nation in its stay for 17 days until November 10. The ship’s considerably long presence so very close to India’s coastline is fraught with security implications.

According to UN laws, one of the ways in which a coastal state may establish the outer limits of its juridical continental shelf wherever the continental margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles is by establishing the commonality of sediments.

While the Shi Yan 6 may be categorised as a research and survey vessel, most such Chinese ships are dual use vessels with both civilian and military uses. In this effort, the Chinese are partnering with Sri Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA). 

Chinese research and survey ships operating near Sri Lankan waters have been controversial because of vehement opposition by India which suspects military intentions.

In November 2022, India protested forays by the China spy ship Yuanwang 6 into the waters of the Indian Ocean Region as the ship’s movement was suspected to be linked to planned ballistic missile tests by India.

In August 2022, ignoring Indian protests, another ship, the Yuanwang 5, had dropped anchor for a week-long stay from August 16 to 22 at the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota. Partly owned by Chinese state-owned companies, Hambantota is a deep sea port that is strategically located in the southern coast of the island nation.

In deep economic distress, Sri Lanka is positioned between the two powers India and China both of whom Colombo cannot afford to anger. While China is Sri Lanka’s biggest single creditor, it was India that bailed out the island nation for economic chaos with a US$ 4 billion handover in 2022. 

Courtesy Adaderana

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested the suspect behind the torching of an army bus during a protest staged in front of former President Gotabaya Rajapakse’s residence in Pengiriwatte, Mirihana on 31 March 2022.

The arrest was made on Friday night (01 Sep.) in the Mahiyangana area, based on a tip-off received by the CID. 

Subsequently, the suspect was remanded until 11 September after being produced before the Gangodawila Magistrate’s Court today (02 Sep.).

According to Police, the 33-year-old suspect had confessed to torching the bus, and later destroying all related evidence including the clothes he wore at t

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka’s National Hydrogen Roadmap, which aims to develop and deploy green hydrogen technologies in the country, was unveiled on Friday (Sept. 01).

Power & Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said the roadmap was presented by the Petroleum Development Authority of Sri Lanka (PADSL) and Greenstat Hydrogen India (a subsidiary of a Norwegian energy company with a specific focus on green hydrogen, solar, wind, and zero-emission maritime solutions) with the assistance of the USAID.

Sri Lanka recognizes that green hydrogen offers a unique opportunity to tackle three significant socio-economic challenges: energy security and independence, energy affordability and equity, and environmental sustainability.

Green hydrogen, produced using renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, offers a potential solution for significantly contributing to the transition towards a low-carbon economy, mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by serving as a clean, efficient, and versatile energy source.

Over the past five years, more than 30 nations have either developed or initiated the reparation of national hydrogen strategies. While climate goals pledged by these countries have been a principal driving force, geopolitical dynamics and unpredictable and fluctuating fossil fuel (coal, oil and gas) prices have also catalyzed the shift towards greener fuels, particularly green hydrogen.

Along with the Offshore Wind Roadmap launched last week, Sri Lanka hopes to utilize the immense potential in renewable energy for green hydrogen transformation, Wijesekera said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Courtesy Adaderana

Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, has been named amongst the 21 Bank Governors listed in the Global Finance Magazine’s Central Banker Report Cards for the year 2023.

Accordingly, Dr. Weerasinghe was amongst the 10 governors who earned an ‘A-’ grade.

On 23 August, the Global Finance Magazine released the names of the Central Bank Governors who earned either A+, A or A- grades as part of the Central Bank Reporter Cards 2023.

Accordingly, India’s Shri Shaktikanta Das, and Thomas. J. Jordan from Switzerland along with Nguyen Thi Hong from Vietnam topped the list, being the only three governors to earn an A+ grade, while Bank Governors from Brazil, Israel, Mauritius, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Taiwan and Uruguay were ranked with an A grade.

Meanwhile, Dr. Weerasinghe was accompanied by the Bank Governors of Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Iceland, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, South Africa and South Korea in the list of those governors who earned an A- grade.

The Central Banker Report Cards, published annually by Global Finance since 1994, grade the central bank governors of 101 key countries, territories and districts, including the European Union, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Bank of Central African States and the Central Bank of West African States.

Grades are based on a scale from A to F for success in inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability and interest rate management. (An A” represents an excellent performance down through an F” for outright failure.)

Fighting inflation, which has been fueled by pent-up demand and disrupted supply chains, has everyone turning to their central bankers for help,” said Global Finance founder and editorial director Joseph Giarraputo. Global Finance’s annual Central Banker Report Cards celebrate those bank governors whose strategies outperformed their peers through originality, creativity and tenacity.”

Courtesy Adaderana

As per the statistics of the Department of Export Agriculture, Sri Lanka’s agriculture exports earned a revenue of over Rs. 86 billion thus far in 2023, in comparison to the earnings recorded over the last five years.

Commenting on the matter, Development Director of the Department Upul Ranaweera explained that the revenue was earned mainly through the exportation of cinnamon, black pepper and cloves.

Considering the last 5 years, the Department of Export Agriculture has managed to earn the highest foreign exchange from the export of crops in the year 2023. Accordingly, 34,771 metric tonnes have been exported up to June 2023, earning a revenue of Rs. 86,680 million.  Crops such as cinnamon, cloves and black pepper have contributed mainly, while a lot of foreign exchange was also earned through the export of date palm”, Ranaweera said in this regard.

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පවතින ආර්ථික අර්බුදය නිර්මාණය කළේ වත්මන් මහ බැංකු අධපති නන්දලාල් වීරසිංහ බව ජාතික සංවිධාන එකමුතුවේ වෛද්‍ය වසන්ත බණ්ඩාර චෝදනා කරයි.

2015-2019 දක්වා කාලය තුළ මහ බැංකුවේ නියෝජ්‍ය අධිපතිවරයා ලෙස කටයුතු කරමින් ඇ.ඩො. බිලියන 12 කට වැඩි ජාත්‍යන්තර ස්වෛරී බැඳුම්කර ණයට ගැනීමට සහාය වෙමින් සහ ඩොලර් බිලියන 53 ක මුදලක් අපනයනකරුවන් විසින් විදේශ රටවල රඳවා තබා ගැනීමට හේතු වූ නව විනිමය කලමනාකරණ පනත සම්මත කිරීම දිරිගැන්වීමට කටයුතු කිරීම නිසා මෙම තත්වය ඇති යූ බවත් හෙතෙම පවසයි.

චීනයෙන් ලබා ගැනීමට සැලසුම් යොදා තිබූ ණය අධාර කඩාකප්පල් කිරීමට නන්දලාල් වීරසිංහ මහතා විසින් කිසිඳු අනුමැතියකින් තොරව නීති විරෝධී ලෙස ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ බංකොලොත්භාවය නිවේදනය කළ බව ද  ඔහු පෙන්වා දෙයි.

බංකොලොත්භාවය නිවේදනය කල පසු චීනයට මැදිහත් විය නොහැකි බවත් මුල්‍ය අරමුදලේ මාවතේ ගමන් කරවීමට කටයුතු කල බවත් ඒ මහතා සදහන් කරයි.

අන්තර්ජාල නාලිකාවක සාකච්චාවකදී ඔහු මෙම අදහස් පල කර තිබේ.

 Saeed Naqvi

Dated: 01.09.2023

The absence of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping from the G20 Summit opens the field for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to play the sole voice of the Global South”. Given his talent for choreography, he will rise to the occasion. Indeed, Modi will make it an event more spectacular than Independence Day at the Red Fort when he walked down the blazing red carpet with athletic bounce.

His media advisers will anguish over a different matter: how to balance his solo performance with the state visit of President Joe Biden, the world’s most powerful man struggling not to be seen in decline. The G20 will be his event too.

The twin events, in days of yore, would be an editor’s nightmare. President Kennedy shot dead in Dallas. This coincided with an Indian tragedy: five generals of the Indian Armed Forces died in a copter crash the same day. Editors anguished: which story should they lead with.

No such anguish in store for the editors today. They have been downgraded by the channels. The channels will receive instructions from the minions of the master choreographer. It will be fascinating to see how anchors conceal their obsequiousness.

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Once the dust settle on the G20, both, Modi and Biden, will be staring at their 2024 election prospects. Biden’s deadline is fixed: elections in November, next year. It is ofcourse a matter of interest whether Biden will be able to bag the Democratic nomination.

Modi by now is an expert handler of American Presidents. He has come a long way from the early Barack, Barack” days when someone tried to drape him in a pinstripe suit with his name embroidered in between the stripes.

At the Howdy-Modi” event in Houston, 2019, he was audacious enough to put his arms around the then President Donald Trump and proclaim Abki baar, Trump Sarkar”. Which meant that his hope” for the 2020 US election was that Trump would win.

Trump didn’t. Indeed, when Biden won, Pundits, generally off the mark, thought the new President would be cold to Modi”. The configuration of global power play since the US’s messy withdrawal from Afghanistan and rank miscalculation in Ukraine has placed India in a sweet spot: it is wooed by the US as well as Russia. Since Russia and China are sworn to a friendship with no limit” Modi may be tempted to take temporary risks with China. Russia will be expected to bridge the New Delhi-Beijing distance should it increase, say, in the context of the Biden visit.

Washington’s wishlist from the Summit would include a mention of Ukraine in the final communique, a statement by Volodymyr Zelensky at least virtually, give Modi’s dexterous navigation between BRICS and QUAD a nudge towards the grouping designed to encircle China.

New Delhi too will be reading the fine print of US Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen’s talks in Beijing. On her heels, virtually, was Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimando, looking very chastened as she engaged her Chinese counterpart. Not to be left behind was James Cleverly, British Foreign Secretary. The Beijing-Washington traffic is soaring. Military intentions are not on show. Even containment should be made of sterner stuff.

What then, does one make of all the anxious punditry coming out of US think tanks that the US is making a bad bet on India if it imagines that the country will ever be part of military action against China. The grouse in these US circles is that the word alliance” is anathema to New Delhi. Washington on the other hand does not feel secure enough with terms like partnership”, within which even interoperability is taboo. The fear is that New Delhi will tease but not go to bed. After the consistent Washington-Beijing exchange of high level visits, in the bargain in any case is not a commitment in perpetuity. This three way pirouette is as much a test of affections as of stamina.

The outcome of the summit as well as the crucial bilateral visit will be determined not by what happens but how the western media plays up the event. It must project Biden carrying away a bagful of goodies. What will these be?

Much greater urgency attends what Modi is seen to be carrying away. For the first time in the recent past will an Indian Prime Minister be projected by the media, which is already in his thrall, as one at ease and familiar with the world’s most powerful leaders? Will Modi come across with a sufficiently stellar performance enabling him to advance the date of the 2024 elections. He will thus be able to avoid head winds that possible defeats in the four state elections might generate.

It is another matter that for the first time since World War II, that halo which marks the most powerful will be absent. Indeed the leaders will look as diminished as the collective West does and which has been in decline since the financial crisis of 2008.

Pick them out one by one, beginning with France’s Emanuel Macron. Just consider the egg on his face in Francophone Africa. Burkina Faso, Mali now Niger, one coup after another. The US has a military base in Niger. What for?

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa invited 35 African countries to the recently concluded BRICS summit in Johannesburg. The leaders acquainted themselves with the rapid expansion of BRICS as their emancipators from the colonial, hegemonic world order which filled western coffers and left Africans in poverty.

As focus turns to Africa, a new colonial, imperial chapter is opening up. We are told that western troops in Africa were fighting Islamic terrorism. Really, or were they supervising western loot? The US had built a $110 million drone base in Agadez, Niger. It is the largest drone base in the world. Over 1,000 US soldiers are deployed in the country. All this exertions to fight ISIS and Al Qaeda? Why do these coups resonate well with the people? In Niger, thousands turned up to register for army duty as demanded by the coup leaders

Saeed Naqvi: Putin, Jinping Not Attending G20: Modi Sole Voice of Global South? (naqvijournal.blogspot.com)

Garvin Karunaratne  former GA Matara,

Way back in 1963, as the Assistant Commissioner for Agrarian Services at Anuradhapura I presided over the Kanna Meeting of the KalaWeva-to Anuradhapura Tanks. It was the Yodha Ela that provided water to over a hundred tanks. It was a charged meeting where well over two hundred, were belligerent even about to assault the irrigation officers. The problem was that irrigation water never got to all the tanks in time. In order to solve the problem I suggested that we close all cultivation for one year when the Irrigation Department could put a concrete base for the full length of Yodha Ela. I added that I would find the funds. The farmers looked highly satisfied, but the irrigation engineers looked baffled. There were several irrigation engineers led by a very senior Divisional Engineer. The irrigation engineers were mumbling and did not speak for over ten minutes. By then I had then mastered the use of a theodolite to give levels and thought that my suggestion was the way ahead. Finally the Divisional Irrigation Engineer spoke and said that they would not undertake such a task. I was quick to question Why?” The gradient of the YodhaEla is only 10 to 20 cm in a kilometer, a gradient so miniscule that cannot be laid out in actual practice.” How do you do work now?” I quipped. We take a very small section and give levels, never a long section.”

That reveals the precision to which we did have instruments way back in the Fifth Century.

Let us not forget that The Kashmir chronicle Rajatarangani tells that King Dighadipa wanted irrigation engineers from Sri Lanka in the ninth century”(page 158 of my 2006 book)

TODAY we are begging for dollars on the streets in the whole wide world. A mighty civilization brought to its knees!

Today we are struggling along with millions of our brethern not being able to find three meals a day.

The answer is to build ourselves. It can be done. Let us not build castles in the air. Let us speak out what we once did. It is not on Agriculture, but something phenomenal we ourselves actually did.

Way back in 1971 I served as the Government Agent at Matara. Then the Sirimavo Government came up with the Divisional Development Councils Programme(DDCP)- a new Ministry of Plan Implementation was created overnight and the most eminent economist of the day Professor HAdeS Gunadsekera was head hunted as the Permanent Secretary. Even a helicopter was placed for his travel. At the District level we Government Agents were charged with the work. In my District a few small industries, a dozen agricultural farms were quickly established, involving over a thousand youths. The Ministry was highly satisfied. That programme in seven years offered scientific training to 33,300 youths..

I wanted to do more.

I suggested making sea going boats for fishing. The Ministry was not interested and the Director of Fisheries vehemently disagreed. I had to fight all the way- tooth and nail and it was approved. A boatyard came up overnight on the Nilwala River within a month and work commenced. Some twenty youths made around forty boats a year. It was acclaimed a great success.

I drew up a Plan to Make Water Colours. We then imported it. The Ministry calledfor the opinion of the Industrial Development Board and theyturned it down because none of the ingredients that went into the manufacture were found in my District. My argument that the Japanese could buy cotton from as far as Egypt, take it all the way to Japan, make textiles and sell it back in Egypt did not hold any water.

I suggested growing grass on road verges, on private lands and estates- on neglected land and insisted on a creamerybecause even now, milk cannot find sales. This was thrown out on the grounds that there should be separate land for pastures.

That was all. The Ministry would not approve any more. They told me to make bricks and tiles and I replied that the Private Sector made enough of it at Yatiyana.

It was a stalemate. I had a good team of officers who were interested. I decided to make Crayons. We then imported all crayons. It was allied to water colours but if I asked for approval I was certain that it would not get approval.

My Planning Officer Vetus Fernando was a chemistry grad and I asked him to try to find the method of making crayons. He was willing to try. I had a good team- Wimalaratne the Assistant Government Agent, Chandra a District Land Officer and Daya Paliakkara- all enthusiastic. We agreed to try. I authorized the purchase of ingredients with some rural development funds and we made a few experiments every night at my residency. The experts were the Planning Officer and my wife, a science teacher.. We got nowhere We needed proper equipment. I approached Mr Ariyawamsa the Principal of Rahula College and he readily agreed that we could use the science laboratory of the school after hours.

That science lab was ours from six to midnight everyday- with the two experts trying again and again and we being cheer leaders goading them to continue as we for ever failed to get anywhere. At times we even sang Maname songs to keep up the spirits. In the second month- Vetus got a brainwave to get help from the Professors at the University of Colombo who taught him chemistry. I approved the trip and he took off. On the forth day Vetus turned up, a broken down, dejected man- the professors had refused- they had no time. We all started again at the lab at Rahula. That rejection made us adamant to succeed. Finally in a month we made a perfect crayon. Then I sat with Vetus making small changes in the experiments till the quality was equal to Reeves, the best of the day.

We had won. But now the task of making it cropped up. I could summon Harischandra and give the recipe but we wanted it to be ours- a Cooperative of our own. Finally I summoned Sumanapala Dahanayake. He was then the President of the Morawak Korale Cooperative Unon. Sumane was a hardened fighter- one who like me never takes No for an answer. Sumane was thrilled with the task. We had no authority to use cooperative funds for this experiment. The Government Agent was gazetted as a Deputy Commissioner of Cooperatives for agricultural development. I usurped power and signed a letter authorizing Sumane to use his cooperative funds. I summoned the Assistant Commissioner of Cooperatives at Matara and forbid him to breathe of my decision to his boss, who was known to me because I was certain that he would disapprove my decision.

Sumane purchased all the ingredients and the equipment and found unemployed youths in a day. and cordoned off a few rooms of the Cooperative. We- some five of us moved over to Kotapola the next day ready to stay there for a few weeks. I decided it to be a 24 hour operation making crayons day and night, it was a handmade crayon, like most Chinese products and each crayon stick has to be checked for quality – all under the strict eyes of Vetus and the otherstaff. In a few days things were moving right; Sumane got labels and packets printed and in two weeks time we made crayon in packets to fill two large rooms. We were jubilant.

I was not expected to be setting up a new industry and we were doing everything with the greatest secrecy. I could face censure and punishment but for the sake of Mother Lanka would dare to do anything worthwhile. We had to come to the open. I decided to show the crayons we made to the Minister of Industries and get him to open sales. That would accord legitimacy to our venture. I and Sumane went to meet Mr Subasinghe the Minister of Industries and showed him the crayons. He was so surprised at the quality that he gave a date to come and open sales that weekend itself. We rushed and made arrangements. That great day, when sales were opened saw legitimacy to our Coop Crayon.

The Ministry of Industries denied us a small allocation of dollars to import dyes because we were a cooperative. Two years earlier I happened to be a Deputy Director of Small Industries and then I would have bent the rules to have granted it. In a while we heard that the Controller of Imports was about to authorize imports to a company and we moved in. We convinced the Controller to give us an allocation of dollars from the dollars held for imports. He was a convert but wanted us to get the approval of the Minister as this had never been done earlier. . We moved in and Minister Illangaratne was so moved at the quality of the crayon we produced that he immediately approved an allocation. He shouted in glee that all imports of crayons should be stopped forthwith. He even got me to promise that I will establish a Coop Crayon in Kolonnawa, his electorate.

Coop Crayon was sold in the Matara shops in days and Sumane moved in to Colombo shops too. By the time I left the Administrative Service in April 1973 Coop crayon was sold islandwide. Though we had started Cop Crayon of our own, in utter secrecy, it was finally accepted as a DDCP project and it earned to be the flagship industry of the DDCP, a great honour.

Far later in 1982 I ran into NT Ariyaratne former Deputy Commissioner of Cooperatives and when I said that I last worked as the GA at Matara, he asked me if I knew Coop Crayon. I replied that it was I that started it. Then he said that in 1978 when he served as Deputy Director of Cooperatives, President Jayawardema had summoned him and entrusted him to do a forensic audit of Coop Crayon and find something wrong to punish Sumanapala Dahanayake . He said that he took a team of auditors and audited all the books for four days, and found accounts in perfect order and reported that it was a successful well run industry.

Anyhow the wheels of the IMF steamrolled all commercial ventures of the Government closed in 1978 when we agreed to follow the Structural Adjustment Programme.

Coop Crayon was easily comparable to the Reeves, the best of that day and it is equal in quality to the Crayola Crayons of today. Crayola, based in Pennsylvania USA is sold worldwide today. Crayola makes 3 billion crayons and 600 million colour pencils a year. Is it not sad that Coop Crayon was lost due to political belligerence.

The intrinsic success of Coop Crayon , a sophisticated product tells me that there is nothing we import other than wheat and wheat flour, that we cannot produce or make Coop Crayon was established in three months. We do have the ability to regain that ability and end the economic recession we are in, not to be beggars in the streets of the world,

Garvin Karunaratne

former GA Matara,

Sugath Kulatunga

In recent times there were many instances where unscrupulous business houses have made massive scandalous profits in trade or on investments with the collusion of errant politicians and public agencies. Typical examples are the ill-gotten gains in the sugar scandal and the outrageous embezzlement in the Central Bank bond case. So far the public is not aware whether any part of this loot has been recovered. There was some indication that only a part of the Rs 20 billion excess profit could be recovered through the present income tax provisions.  

Windfall bounties occur with change of policies of the government like the substantial reduction in VAT charges, reduction in customs and other duties and rewards granted by dishonest politicians in undervalued privatizations. A good example was the privatization of the Insurance Corporation by President CBK. In recent times the devaluation of the currency gave an incomparable opportunity to traders to increase price of goods with impunity far beyond the actual price increase as a result of the devaluation and restriction on imports.

Many enlightened governments impose windfall taxes to collect revenue, bring about a level playground in the trade and to penalize the beneficiaries of manipulated windfall profits. Windfall taxes are technologically neutral, not retroactive, and does not affect long term price trends.” However, it is believed that reluctance to impose windfall taxes is due to politicians who create the windfalls and share the pillage are opposed to it.

In September 2022, the Council of the European Union agreed to impose an EU-wide windfall profits tax on fossil fuel companies. Nine months after the EU Council approved the EU-wide windfall tax, 25 European countries have announced, proposed, or implemented the EU-wide windfall tax or some variation of it. Countries like Belgium, Germany and France have imposed a 100 % windfall tax on electricity producers and most others have imposed a 90 % tax on electricity producers and companies in the energy and fossil fuel sectors with a high annual turnover in 2021. A few countries have imposed this tax on even banks. https://kpmg.com/xx/en/home/services/tax/regional-tax-centers/eu-tax-centre/eu-e-news.html

In Sri Lanka there is hardly a need to dig deep to identify Windfall beneficiaries who still actively gain windfall bounties by evading regulations and fleecing the public. One wonders whether they have a mutual benefit arrangement with Consumer welfare authorities. To name a few culprits are the wheat flour manufacturers and rice millers and most importers of essential goods. There is a strong mafia controlling the import and trade of essential commodities led by the sugar and the Pettah gang. While even the EU is taxing windfall bonanzas of leading enterprises Sri Lanka government continues to allow import firms to make unconscionable windfall profits. This behavior of the government has led to opposition critics to accuse the government of making an early start to raise illegal funds for the 2024 Presidential election campaign.

All governments go only for the sprats and allow the sharks to thrive. Political sharks protects and frolic with them. My late neighbor used to say Kata Kiyannada? Monawa Karannada?

Sugath Kulatunga