Manusha Media

පටු විදියට හිතන්නේ නැති, ජාතිවාදී, ආගම්වාදී නොවන, ජාතික වශයෙන් හිතන නායකයෙක් එක්ක වැඩ කරන්න උතුරේ ජනතාව සූදානම්

ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ පුස් රැල්ල බිදිලා. ඒ ශෝ එක ඉවරයි

හරිනි අමරසූරියලාගේ දේශපාලන නිරුවත දැන් පේනවා

හැමෝම එකට එකතු කරගනිපු ගමන් අපි යන්නේ

දැන් ආර්ථිකය ගොඩ නගමින් යනවා

වැටී තිබුණ රට ගොඩ ගැනීමේ ගමනට එක්වන සෙට ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ, සමගි ජන බලවේගයේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට ආරාධනා කරන බවත්, දේශපාලන අනාගතය ගැන හීන මවමින් සිටින නායකයින් ජනාධිපතිතුමා සමග එක් නොවුන්, ඇතුලේ සිටින කණ්ඩායම් ගැලවී ආණ්ඩුව සමග එක්වෙමින් තිබෙන බවත් කම්කරු හා විදේශ රැකියා අමාත්‍ය මනුෂ නානායක්කාර මහතා පැවසුවේය.

 
බේරුවල එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ ආසන සංවිධායක  රොහාන් පැට්‍රික් මහතා සංවිධාන කර තිබු ආසන බල මණ්ඩල රැස්වීමේදී අදහස් දක්වමින් අමාත්‍යවරයා මේ බව පැවසූ අතර වැඩිදුරටත් අදහස් දක්වමින් මෙසේ  පැවසුවේය.

අපි මේ ගමන යන විට ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට, සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස මහත්තයාගේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට, පොහොට්ටුවේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට, ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂයේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට අපි ආරාධනා කරනවා. මේ ගමන අපි ඉස්සරට යන්න ඕන. සියලු දෙනාම එකට එකතු කරගන්න ඕන වෙලාවක් මේක.

හැමදාම බේරුවල ආසනය එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයට දිනන්න පුලුවන් වෙලා තියෙන්නේ මේ එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය නිසා. එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයේ නායකත්වයට සිංහල සහෝදරයෙක් ආවොත් පක්ෂ සභාපතිකම, නැතිනම් පක්ෂ භාණ්ඩාගාරිකකම මුස්ලිම් සහෝදරයෙක්ට, දෙමළ සහෝදරයෙක්ට ලබාදෙනවා. හැමදාම එක්සත් කම වෙනුවෙන් එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය පෙනී සිටියා.

ජනාධිපතිවරණයක් එනකොට කියන කතා බලන්න. දර්ගා නගරයට, බේරුවලට වරක් වුන දේවල් මතකයිනේ. ජාතිවාදය, ආගම්වාදය අවුස්සලා, අර කඩේට යන්න එපා මේ කඩේට යන්න එපා කියලා සහෝදරත්වය බිදලා දේශපාලනය කරන්නේ එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය ජයගනීවි කියන බිය නිසා. 1956 ඉදලා සිංහල පමණක් රාජ්‍ය භාෂාව කියලා අපිට එකට එකතු වෙන්න තියෙන අවස්ථාව නැති කළා. එදා බණ්ඩාරනායක ටයි කෝට් ඇදලා එංගලන්තයට නැව් නැගලා අයිමත් ලංකාවට රෙද්ද බැනියම ඇදලා ආවේ අපි අන්දවන්න. රවට්ටවන්න.

ආගම්වාදයෙන්, ජාතිවාදයෙන් මිනිස්සු රටවන එක විවිධ දේශපාලඥයින් විවිධ අවස්ථාවලදී භාවිතා කළා. ඒවායේ ප්‍රතිඵල විදියට උතුරේ අපිට ප්‍රශ්ණයක් ඇතිවුනා. උතුරේ තරුණයින් ආයුද ගත්තා. වලව් පැලැන්තිය කරපු පීඩනය නිසා දකුණේ තරුණයින් ආයුද අතට ගත්තා. ඒත් එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය සියලුම ආගමිකයින්ට, සියලුම ජාතිකයන්ට සමානව සලකන්න කටයුතු කළා.

ජනාධිපතිතුමා ඉන්දියාවේ සංචාරය අවසන් කරලා එන විට 13 වැනි ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය ඉක්මවා යන්න හැමෝම එකග වෙනවා නම් අපි ඒ සදහා කටයුතු කරවා කියලා කිව්වා

පසුගිය සතියේ අපි හිටියේ යාපනයේ. උතුරෙන් අපිට හොද ප්‍රතිචාරයක් ලැබුණා. දකුණේ තරුණ තරුණියන්ට තිබෙන අවස්ථාවන් උතුරේ තරුණ තරුණියන්ට තියෙන්න ඕන කියලා ගාල්ලේ හදන්න තිබුණ විදේශ සේවා නියුක්ති කාර්යාංශයේ දැවැන්ත ගොඩනැගිල්ල අපි යාපනයට පරිත්‍යාග කළා. ඒක තමයි සැබෑ සංහිදියාව. රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මැතිතුමා නැවත නැවත පත් කරගැනීම වෙනුවෙන් ඒ අය පෙනී ඉන්නවා. මේ රට එක විදියට හිතන, බෙදන්නේ නැති, බෙදලා පාලනය කරන්න හිතන්නේ නැති නායකයෙක් එක්ක වැඩ කරන්න ඒ අයට අවශ්‍යයි. ජාතිවාදී විදියට, ආගම්වාදී විදියට කල්පනා කරන්නේ නැති නායකයෙක් එක්ක වැඩ කරන්න ඒ අයට අවශ්‍යයි. පටු විදියට හිතන්නේ නැතිව, ජාතික වශයෙන් හිතලා, වැඩ කරන නායකයෙක් එක්ක වැඩ කරන්න උතුරේ ජනතාව එකගවී සිටිනවා

2015 යහ පාලන ආණ්ඩුව ආවම අපේ මුස්ලිම් සහෝදරයෝ සැහැල්ලුවෙන් ජීවත් වුනා. ඒත් පාස්කු බෝම්බ ප්‍රහාරය සිද්ධ කරලා, මුස්ලිම් ජනතාවට පාරට බහින්න බැරි තත්වයක් ඇති කළා. මුස්ලිම් ජනතාව පාරේ යන විට  බරපතල සැකයක් ඇති කළා. මේක මුස්ලිම් ජනතාව කළ දෙයක් නෙමෙයි, යම්කිසි පිරිසකගේ අවශ්‍යතාවය මත සිද්ද වුන දෙයක් තමයි ඒ. ඒ අයගේ අවශ්‍යතාවය වෙනුවෙන් මුස්ලිම් අන්තවාදය පාවිච්චි කළා. පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ කෑ ගහලා අපි ඒක පැහැදිළි කරලා දුන්නා.

ආර්ථික වශයෙන් රට ජයගෙන, 2048දී දියුණු රටක් බවට මේ රට පත් කරන ගමන තමයි අපි මේ යන්නේ. රට තිබුණ තත්වයට නැවත අරගෙන එන්න යම්කිසි කාලයක් ගතවේවි කියලා ජනාධිපතිතුමා කිව්වා. මාස දෙක තුනක් යන විට විදුලි කප්පාදුව සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම නතර කරන්න, තෙල් ප්‍රශ්ණයට විසදුම් දෙන්න අපට පුලුවන්කම ලැබුණා. ආර්ථිකය තිබුණට වඩා හොද තත්වයකට අරගෙන ඇවිත් තියෙනවා. උද්ධමනය අඩු කරන්න පුලුවන් කම ලැබුණා. උද්ධමනය අඩුවුනා කියලා කිව්වට තවම බඩුමිල අඩුවුනේ නෑනේ කියලා සමහරු කියනවා.උද්ධමනය අඩුවෙනවා කියලා කියන්නේ බඩු මිල වැඩිවීමේ වේගය අඩු කළා කියන එක.

ලබන මාසය, ඊළග මාසය වන විට බැංකු පොලී අනුපාතය සියයට 9 කට 12කට අඩු වෙන්න පුලුවන්. පොලී ගන්න බැංකු ඇතුලේ තියාගෙන හිටපු මුදල් දැන් එළියට අරගෙන ඒවි. ලබන අවුරුද්දේ ජනවාරි, පෙබරවාරි වන විට 2018අවසානයේදී තිබුණ තත්වයකට ආර්ථිකය අරගෙන එන්න පුලුවන් වේවි.

ආර්ථිකය ගොඩ ගන්න මේ ආණ්ඩුව ගන්න කියලා සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාසට කිව්වා. අනුර කුමාර දිසානායකට කිව්වා. ජනාධිපතිකමයි, අගමැතිකමයි, කැබිනට් එකයි දෙනවා නම් මාස හයෙන් මේ තතව්ය ගොඩ දාා දෙන්නම් කිව්වා. එතකොට එහෙනම් අරගන්න කියලා අපි කිව්වා. එතකොට මේ තියෙන තත්වය යටතේ අපිට ගන්න බෑ, අමාරු තත්වයක් කිව්වා. සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාසට මේක ගන්න කියලා කිව්වා. කෑ ගහලා කිවබවා. ලියුම් ගහලා කිව්වා. මේක අමාරු වැඩක්. මේක කරගන්න බැරිවුනොත් මගේ දේශපාලන ඉවරයි කියලා තමයි ඔහු කිව්වේ. ඔය නායකයින් කියාගන්න හැමෝම එහෙම තමයි වැඩ කළේ. මිනිස්සු අමාරුවේ වැටිලා ඉන්න වෙලාවේ රට භාරගන්න කියලා කිව්වම අපේ දේශපාලන අනාගතය විනාස කරගන්න බෑ කියලා තමයි කිව්වේ. ඒ වගේ වෙලාවක තමයි රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහත්තයා, තමන්ගේ දේශපාලන අනාගතය ගැන හිතන්නේ නැතිව, තමන්ගේ දේශපාලන පක්ෂය ගැන හිතන්නේ නැතිව මිනිස්සුන්ගේ ජීවිත වැදගත් කියලා තීන්දුවක් ගත්තා. රට බංකොලොත් රටක් බවට පත්වෙලා, ගහ මරාගන්නා ත්‍රස්තවාදි කල්ලි අතට බලය යන, මිනිස්සු පෝලිම්වල මැරිලා වැටෙන රටක් බවට පත්වෙන්න නොදීමේ තීන්දුව ගත්තා. රටේ වගකීම එතුමා භාරගත්තා. ඒ වගකීමට අපි කර තිව්වේ අපේ දේශපාලන අනාගතය ගැන හිතලා නෙමෙයි. හරින් ප්‍රනාන්දු ඇමැතිතුමත් මමත් ඒ වගකීම් භාරගත්තේ නැවත හෙට දවසේ අපි පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට යාවිද, හෙට දවසේ අපේ ජීවිත බේරිලා තියේවිද කියන දේ අමතක කරලා. අපි ඒ තීන්දුව ගත්තේ රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මැතිතුමා කෙරෙහි තිබෙන විශ්වාසය නිසා. එතුමා අද වැඩ කරලා පෙන්නලා තියෙනවා. කටින් පච කෙලින නායකයෙක් නෙමෙයි. කරන්න පුලුවන් දේ කියලා, කරලා පෙන්වන නායකයෙක්. කරන්න බැරි දේ කරන්න බැහැ කියලා කියන නායකයෙක්.

දැන් ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණ ලොකුවට රැල්ලක් තිබුණා. ඒ පුස් රැල්ල දැන් බිදිලා, ඒ ශෝ එක ඉවරයි. අපි දැන් රට ගොඩ නගමින් ඉන්න වෙලාවේ ෆේස් බුක් එකේ මල්ලිලා, හා කමක් නෑ…අපි මාලිමාවට කියලා කියනවා. අපි කම්කරු නීති වෙනස් කරන්න යන විට හරිනි අමසූරියලා කියන්නේ අයි.එම්.එෆ්. එකේ උවමනාවට ඒවා වෙනස් කරනවා කියලයි. එතකොටත් ෆේස් බුක් එකේ මල්ලිලා,ඒත් කමක් නෑ..අපි මාලිමාවට කියලා කියනවා. හරිනිලා තමන්ගේ දේශපාලනික නිරුවත ප්‍රදර්ශනය කරමින් ඉන්නවා. නූතවාදීව හිතන, කාන්තා නිදහස, සියලුම ජාතීන්ගේ නිදහස ගැන කතා කරනවා කියලා පෙන්නුවට අද ඊට හාත්පසින් වෙනස් දේවල් කියමින් ඉන්නවා. කාන්තාවන්ගේ ආරක්ෂාව වෙනුවෙන්කම්කරු නීති අරගෙන ආවට පස්සේ ඒවා ඇතුලේ මොනවා හරි හොරයක් තියෙනවා කියලා කියනවා. දේශපාලන කුහකම, ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ තියෙන වෛරී දේශපාලනය හරිනිලාගෙන් පේන්න අරගෙන තියෙනවා.

මේ මොනව වුනත් හා කමක් නෑ අපි මාලිමාවට කියලා ෆේස් බුක් එකේ මල්ලිලා කියනවා. ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ වෘත්තීය සමිති ලොක්කෙක් ඇවිත් සැහැල්ලු දුම්රිය එක පැත්තකට විතරයි දුවන්නේ කියලා කිව්වා. මේ කියන්නේ බොරු කියලා උගත්තු ඇවිත් කරුණු පැහැදිළි කළා. ඒත් ෆේස් බුක් එකේ මල්ලිලා කියන්නේ කමක් නෑ.. අපි මාලිමාවට කියලයි

මෙන්න මේ බුද්ධි මට්ටම, මේ දැනුම් මට්ටම නිවරදි කරගන්න ඕන.

අපි මේ ගමන යන විට ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට, සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස මහත්තයාගේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට, පොහොට්ටුවේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට, ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂයේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට අපි ආරාධනා කරනවා. මේ ගමන අපි ඉස්සරට යන්න ඕන. සියලු දෙනාම එකට එකතු කරගන්න ඕන වෙලාවක් මේක. ඒ නිසා එකට එකතුවෙලා රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ ජනාධිපතිතුමා එක්ක මේ ගමන යන්න කියලා අපි ප්‍රසිද්ධියේ ආරාධනා කරලා තියෙනවා. හැබැයි සමහරු තම තමන්ගේ අනාගත සිහිනය බොදවෙයි කියන බයේ ඉන්න අනුර කුමාර දිසානායකලා, සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාසලා දේශපාලන බංකොලොත්භාවයට පත්වෙමින් තිබෙනවා. පක්ෂ ඇතුලේ ඉන්න කණ්ඩායම් දැන් එහෙන් මෙහෙන් ගැලවෙමින් ඉන්නවා.

සමගි ජන බලවේගයේ මන්ත්‍රීවරු රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහත්තයා එන්න කියන්නේ කවදාද කියලා බලාගෙන ඉන්නවා. මේ වන පිට පක්ෂය ඇතුලේ හිටපු මාධ්‍ය කණ්ඩායම්ද, මාධ්‍ය ලේකම්ලාද ගැලවිලා ඉවරයි. තව ටික දවසක් යන විට තවත් අය ගැලවිලා එනවා.

සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස මහත්තයාට බෝට්ටු තල්ලු කරන්න පුලුවන්. ක්‍රිකට් ගහන්න පුලුවන්. බස් එලවන්න පුලුවන්. හැබැයි රට පාලනය කරන්න බෑ. ඒ වගකීම ගන්න බෑ කියන එක පෙන්නලා ඉවරයි.

අද සමගි ජන බලවේගය ඒක්ක ඉන්න එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති තියෙන හැමෝටම ආරාධනා කරන්නේ අපිත් එක්ක එකතුවෙලා මේ ගමන යන්න එන්න කියලයි. සියලුදෙනාගේම ශක්තිය මේ වෙලාවේ අවශ්‍යයි. පාට පක්ෂ, ජාති ආගම් කුල භේධ අමතක කරලා අපි හැමෝම එකට මේ ගමන යන්න ඕන. රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ ජනාධිපතිතුමා  නිර්දේශපාලන නාකයෙක් විදියට හැමෝම එක්ක එකතුවෙල වැඩ කරන්නේ ඔහුගේ පක්ෂය ගැන හිතලා නෙමෙයි. රටේ අනාගතය ගැන හිතලා.

සැප්තැම්බර් මාසය වන විට එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයේ සම්මේලනය එනවා. සම්මේලනයත් එක්ක එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයත් එක්ක එකතුවෙන්න පුලුවන් හැම දෙනාම එකතු කරගැනීමේ වැඩපිළිවෙල ක්‍රියාත්මක කරචවා. විවිධ වෘත්තිකයින්, විවිධ ක්ෂේත්‍ර එකතු කරගෙන එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය නැවුම් වැඩපිලිවෙලක් ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට අපේ ශක්තිය ලබාදෙනවා. ඉදිරියේදී අපි හැමෝම එකතුවෙලා එකට ගමනක් යනවා.

By Uriel Araujo  Courtesy Global Research, 

While Western discussions have focused on sending sophisticated weapons to Kiev, Hal Brands, a Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, argues that what Ukraine needs the most, besides air-defense systems, is artillery ammunition. He describes the current conflict as an artillery-centric one: if Kiev can’t find enough artillery pieces and ammunition, especially 155mm shells, it will be at a dire firepower deficit along the conflict’s front lines.”

Already on March 29, Earle Mack, former US ambassador to Finland, writing in a piece for The Hill, described the current confrontation as proxy attrition warfare, that is one which seeks military victory by wearing down the enemy. He worried that Ukraine seemed bound to tire out first. Things have not gotten much better for Kiev, so far.

A July 23 New York Times story, by former Marine infantryman Thomas Gibbons-Neff, based on dozens of visits to the front line” quotes a Ukrainian commander: we’re trading our people for their people and they have more people and equipment.” According to the story, Ukraine has made marginal progress in its ability to coordinate directly between its troops closest to Russian forces on the so-called zero line and those assaulting forward.” Moreover, the country’s artillery is in short supply, and a mixture of munitions sent from different countries” is employed. The thing is that accuracy varies greatly between them and the Ukrainians need to use more ammunition. In addition, according to the same news report, some of the older shells and rockets sent from abroad are damaging their equipment and injuring soldiers.”

Video: Saving Ukraine”: NATO Prepares for War

Rather than using the complex military communication equipment, Ukraine’s troops employ less sophisticated, but easier-to-use programs like smartphone messaging apps, private internet chat rooms.” Most of this system is dependent on Starlink satellite internet, and therefore it takes longer to communicate important military information when the units are assaulting and a Wi-Fi router is absent. In this case, unbelievably, attacking troops have to reach someone with an internet connection to call for support.”

Regarding ammo, the problem is that US authorities themselves estimate that Moscow is capable of producing 1 million rounds of 152mm artillery ammunition per year.” The US, in contrast, produces merely a seventh of that, according to Hal Brands.

Right now, the US itself needs to purchase conventional artillery ammunition from its South Korean ally. In what Brands describes as a desperate global scavenger hunt for munitions”, Washington has also been seeking ammo from Japan, as well as repositioning  rounds stored in Israel to Ukraine.”

Europe’s stockpiles are in no better shape. According to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, NATO European states armed forces are hollowed out, plagued by unserviceable equipment and severely depleted ammunition stocks.” Bloomberg’s journalist and military historian Max Hastings writes that, over a year ago, Berlin had committed itself to €100 billion to rebuild its worn out forces. So far, however, only an estimated 1% of that has been spent. The German National Security Strategy, last month, stressed the weakness of Germany’s economy. According to Hastings, the political will” to strengthen their armed forces is absent” not only in Germany, but also in other European countries.

As I wrote before, the problem for Europe goes way beyond depleted weapons stockpiles: for it to rearm itself, re-industrialization is badly needed, something which, quite ironically, Washington itself has consistently opposed via its subsidy war against the European bloc. In addition, Europe, with its heavily diffused and fragmented defense, lacks a European Union common defense market and a legal and bureaucratic framework, as Sophia Besch (a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace fellow), and Max Bergmann (former member of the US Policy Planning Staff and Director of the Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies) write.

Britain’s industry today faces many difficulties, and the same thing happens with other European nations – manufacturers badly need funding expansion and governments are increasingly growing tired” of the conflict’s costs.

As for the US, lecturer in History at Yale Michael Brenes argues that America’s own war machine” is broken”, with privatizations and several problems. He paints a picture of shortages in production”, and interruptions in supply chains”, all of which have compromised Washington’s ability to deliver weapons to Ukraine.”

To sum it up, the current state of affairs, with a Western deindustrializations crisis, makes it very difficult for the political West to pursue its proxy attrition war. It simply cannot produce all the weapons it is pledging Ukraine. For the West, in fact, it is already a challenge to provide Kiev with enough ammunition.

Courtesy Adaderana

Minister of Plantation Industries and Minister of Industries, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana stated that action will be taken to establish an Agriculture and Plantation Research University by merging all institutions connected to the plantation industry and agriculture sector, as per President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s concept. 

The fundamental draft related to this has already been prepared, the Minister noted, and it is intended to complete the basic work this year.

He expressed these views today (24) during a press conference themed ‘Collective Path to a Stable Country’ held at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC).

Minister Ramesh Pathirana further commented;

A year ago, plantations and agricultural centers faced a severe crisis due to the shortage of fertilizers. Due to this, the tea industry and other plantations also suffered some collapse. Soon after taking office, President Ranil Wickremesinghe launched a program to provide fertilizers to the farmers.

Therefore, the farmers are getting the fertilizers they need in a systematic way. All the fertilizers required for tea, coconut, rubber and other crops are available in the market at competitive prices. Fertilizer prices, which have increased in the world market due to the war situation, are currently decreasing. As a country, the agricultural and plantation sectors are now showing some effectiveness due to timely availability of fertilizer to the farmers.

251 million kilos of finished tea was produced in 2022. As a result, it is expected that 280 million kilograms of finished tea would be ready by the end of this year. Last year, the price of tea increased drastically due to the decrease in production. Currently, the rupee is strengthening, which has resulted in a fall in tea prices. Tea exports have been adversely impacted by global conditions, the Russian-Ukrainian war situation, and civil wars in countries like Iran, Libya, and Syria, which are our top buyers.

An agreement was recently signed to supply tea for nearly 500 million dollars worth of crude oil purchases from Iran. Accordingly, arrangements are made to provide tea according to the value of the relevant amount. Arrangements have also been made to re-export Sri Lankan tea to the Iranian market under the concept of ‘Tea for fuel’. Due to this, we will be able to re-export more tea to the Iranian market, which was lost to some extent in the past.

Also, it has been possible to get an income of nearly one billion dollars last year through the export of rubber. Its biggest value was 1.1 billion dollars in 2021. During Covid, rubber-related products received high demand in the world market. Sri Lanka is considered to be the hub among the main tyre producing countries. It is believed that the export of rubber-related products will be able to reach between 900 million dollars and 1 billion dollars this year as well.

With the world economic deviation, the export of every product has experienced a decrease. Economists predict that normalcy will return after the third quarter. Due to this, it will be possible to reach the export targets of plantation crops again in the future.

In recent times, apart from tea and rubber, coconut-related products have seen the highest growth. Compared to 2020, the market has expanded by approximately 15%-20% in 2021 and 2022. Accordingly, in 2022, it was able to earn an export income of 836 million dollars. It can reach a value close to that this year as well. Within the next five years, there is a high probability of increasing the export income of coconut-related products to 1.5-2.00 billion dollars.

In order to improve the country’s coconut industry, a law will be brought in the near future that states that a special permission must be obtained to divide coconut lands of more than one acre. For that, we hope to follow up again on the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Additionally, the law requiring the authorization of the Divisional Secretariat and the Grama Niladhari shall be enforced if more than two coconut trees are to be cut down.

In addition, it is believed that nearly 400 million dollars will be earned this year by exporting cinnamon and other spices.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe presented a new proposal to establish an Agriculture and Plantation Research University in Sri Lanka by integrating all research institutes related to the plantation industry and agriculture.

There are seven institutions related to the plantation industry in this country. Agricultural institutions are also to be integrated into this. The basic draft related to this has been prepared by now. This is a very complex project. But the basic work is expected to be completed this year.

However, through the available resources of the country, children are able to get better educational opportunities. Also, efforts are being made to focus on upgrading to university standards.

It is anticipated that the plantation industry’s backwardness will be reduced, allowing it to go forward more vigorously in the future. The government is prepared to offer the assistance required to expand the plantation industry’s value chains. It will step in as a Ministry in situations involving technological know-how and financial resources.

–PMD

By Sena Thoradeniya

Sri Lanka is still reeling from the blows of economic meltdown and bowing down to continuous pressures from Western capitals, this time from Canada as well and India. Hopelessness for the future rather than an abstract theoretical construct has become ingrained in the minds of people as an irrefutable fact. Men and women who carry the label of intellectual” are still not satited with their absurd predictions and engage themselves in a never-ending game.

Continuity or Change? This question has been prominent among historians. This is a very simple question. Continuity and change are two opposite ends of a continuum. Change weakens continuity and vice versa.

To what extent what we experience after RW becoming the President of Sri Lanka as a result of many disruptive events, represent a departure from that which existed before?  Do we experience a continuation of previous circumstances?  Answer is also simple. Instead of change we witness continuity. Media reports confirm that continuity has taken roots everywhere and in every sphere of influence.

We begin with Julie Chung, the American Ambassador. In the month of July, she  continued to meet groups of civil society” men and women, politicians, this time (1) Sampanthan of TNA ( discussed ‘issues facing Tamils and other minority communities in Sri Lanka” (who appointed Sampanthan to speak on other minority communities?), about the way forward”, questions around national identity, reforms and the community’s demands for accountability and justice”) (2) other Tamil politicians including Abraham Sumanthiran, Vigneshvaran, Siddharthan and two others, ahead of RW’s visit to India (discussed importance of devolution, land returns and finding answers for families of missing persons including investigations into mass graves as Sri Lanka still strives for truth, reconciliation and lasting peace”, as Head of Sri Lankan State and Government. Very soon she will stir a hornet’s nest regarding recently excavated mass graves with her BASL and OMP buddies.) (3) Sri Lankan women parliamentary caucus before their upcoming study tour to New Zealand funded by USAID (among them were Thalatha, Sudharshani, Geetha and Pavithradevi), Secretary General of Parliament to congratulate her (does Chung congratulates all other appointees?), Sri Lankan students heading to US on scholarship (first lesson in brainwashing), mobile journalists ( to showcase of the power of mobile journalism in Sri Lanka” : Chung knows well the role played by US trained mobile journalists in the ouster of GR) and issue a barrage of twitter messages. She joined the commemoration of the 56^th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Navy and Maritime Academy and visited the Diving Unit at the Naval Dockyard, Trincomalee and Malima Diving Club. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan armed forces she met instructors, cadets and midshipmen and discussed the importance of Sri Lanka’s maritime operations and bilateral security cooperation”. She met and congratulated the new Chairman of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.  She congratulated Sri Lanka Coast Guard Service members on completion of maritime law enforcement skills training” with US Coast Guard at Mirissa.

Opposition parliamentarians still relish on writing to Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) seeking their intervention to prevent Speaker from conducting parliamentary proceedings in a manner politically beneficial for government”.

The Speaker has appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to investigate the crisis and probe into country’s bankruptcy, reminding past Select Committees (probing bond scam, Easter Sunday carnage etc.).  It is well known that the present crisis is not of recent origin and all of the ruling parties were responsible for the crisis. It started with JRJ’s heavy borrowings and neo-liberal policies, CBK blindly following neo-liberal policies hoodwinking the masses that her regime had a human face” and disastrous policies of Yahapalana government of Sirisena and Wickremasinghe.

One Pohottuwa dissident declared that he would lead a thorough inquiry into economic crisis. Where were they when the government implemented a massive tax cut, reducing sugar tax to 25 cents and interest rates, stopping import of chemical fertilizer and agrochemicals and taking other disastrous moves? Not to be outdone by others leader of the opposition vowed that he would finalise his investigation on finding reasons for bankruptcy of the country and who were responsible for it within three months.  

Bringing no-confidence motions against ministers is also part of this game of deceiving masses. For the present crisis in the health sector only the Health Minister was made the scapegoat. Nobody criticises RW for these wrongdoings. 

Attempt to reconvene the dissolved local government bodies through a private member’s motion reminds the attempt made by the UNP to reconvene the dissolved Parliament during Covid-19 pandemic. It was yahapalana government which postponed Provincial Councils Elections in 2017; all including UNP (including breakaway SJB), SLFP, JVP and TNA supported the postponement. UNP in 1982 instead of holding a General Election, rolling the electoral map”, held a referendum which was heavily rigged.

Canadian High Commissioner and the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka who is perceived at least by his constituency as a national – minded politician, inaugurated a symposium to encourage the implementation of the official language policy, that Tamil shall be the language of administration and courts in the North and East.

TNA politicians bring hordes of rabble rousers to perform Hindu rites at the Buddhist Kurundee Vihare at Mullaitivu in the wake of government releasing state land around the Viharaya and removing its boundary stones.

Meeting Tamil party leaders which coincided with RW’s visit to India and Chung’s meeting with Tamil politicians, RW showed his willingness to full enforcement of 13 th Amendment if the Parliament agrees to do so. Stressing that he was Ranil Wickremasinghe, not Ranil Rajapaksa was a stern warning to the Pohottuwa MPs. True nature of Ranil Wickremasinghe is displayed day in and day out. He cannot free himself from his legacy which he was carrying from 1977. Time has come to implement all the treacherous deeds what he could not fulfill being the Prime Minister on several occasions under powerful executive Presidents.

RW addressing the Colombo-based Indian CEO Forum said that Indian currency would soon be accepted within Sri Lanka and it is expected to boost trade and tourism. It was said that designating Indian Rupee (INR) in foreign currency system in Sri Lanka will enable trade settlements between the two countries in INR and Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka can use INR for their transactions. This will bring disastrous consequences, tying Sri Lanka’s economy to India. What guarantee the government has that Indian tourists will bring here Indian Rupees as there are many avenues to procure Indian Rupees locally through Indian agents? This will aggravate the dollar crunch as it was reported that at present majority of tourists arrive from India.

Meeting the Indian Prime Minister Modi in the Indian capital a few days ago, RW was lured by Modi’s Neighborhood First Policy” and SAGAR” (Security and Growth for All in the Region) Vision to take Sri Lanka into India’s orbit. RW’s MOUs and declarations exchanged with the Indian government during his recent visit to India, (1) high capacity power grid connectivity between the two countries to enable bidirectional electricity trade between Sri Lanka and India (proponents of Accelerated Mahaveli Scheme under RW’s uncle JRJ, said their aim was to export electricity to Southern India!) (2) increasing air connectivity between Chennai and Jaffna, Trinco, Batticaloa and other destinations in Sri Lanka (3) petroleum distribution pipeline connecting southern part of India and Colombo and Trincomalee (4) land  connectivity between Sri Lanka and India (land bridge) for developing land access to ports of Colombo and Trincomalee (5) maritime connectivity (already operating cruise liner, a normal ferry service to begin between KKS and Nagapattinum and resumption of ferry service between Talaimannar and Rameswaram  (6) development of Trincomalee as a national and regional hub (7) designating INR as a currency for trade settlement and tourism  (8) popularising Ramayana Trail”  will be the stepping stones in making Sri Lanka the newest State of India.

A dissident Phottuwa MP, who was very close to GR, handpicked by him for high office, now in the Helicopter” party telephoned the writer and said that he had opposed GR’s move switching over to organic manure, he had never said that Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKD) was caused by excess usage of chemical fertilizer and he was never a Viyathmaga member. What is important is not that. He said that he, along with his Ministerial colleagues had vehemently criticised the way GR carried out Covid vaccination programme and GR was not of sound mind – in other words mad – after his bypass operation. His medical opinion was some chemical goes to the brain from heart and makes a person insane. I consulted some medics regarding this but it is better to stop here without making this discourse a lesson by a clinician. It should be left to medical experts.

Does this vilification need any comment from us?  Now there are no people left to take responsibility to mismanagement, bungling of affairs and ill-conceived decisions taken.

Experts” wash their hands saying that they have not advised GR to cancel the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project.

A political analyst revealed recently that there is news in the grapevine that SOFA will be signed soon. RW has appointed a committee that has endorsed signing of it, including articles previously considered controversial.  Our academics will say that they have not advised GR not to sign SOFA. In such a situation the Pohottuwa MPs will hide their faces like ostriches; no opposition MP will dare to present a no-confidence motion in the Parliament against this.

Pandu karanda (Crudia Zeylanica) tree that stood in the way of Central Highway tested GR’s mettle signifying what was in store for him in facing unforeseen events. In 2021, print and electronic media made a local level junior officer a heroine who wove a story that it was the only tree of its kind remaining in the Island. Some Buddhist monks chanting pirith performed an un-Buddhistic drama by ordaining it (as a Buddhist monk) draping it with a saffron robe.  Environmentalists, media, Buddhist monks and opposition politicians surrounded it opposing its removal. GR had to divert the expressway incurring heavy expenses. In hindsight we conclude that this was a part of the grand conspiracy hatched by interested parties against GR. Nobody understood the warning signals.

Sudden disappearance of it in the first week of July 2023, gave a stern warning to environmentalists and those who opposed not only the removal of it but also RW’s moves. Bandula Gunawardena who served as a Cabinet Minister under GR fully acceded to the decision to change the route of the Highway incurring a cost of Rupees 15 billion more was the man who was responsible for removing the tree this time as a cabinet Minister under RW.

Removing a tree that stood obstructing a planned highway was only a trial run. A week later the Chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) was expelled; two directors representing the government had voted to support his expulsion. It is said that the ousted Chairman opposed privatisation of Telecom.

KAMALIKA PIERIS

The Tamil Separatist Movement complained loudly that Buddhist temples were being built in the north where there were no Buddhists.   They are built on state land and in many instances by the army.

 In 2011 TNA politicians from Mullaitivu protested against the construction of a Buddhist temple at Bogaswewa near the Sapumalgaskada archaeological site. They claimed that the area traditionally belongs to the Tamil people.   TNA’s T. Raviharan said that the area belongs to Tamil people traditionally and it was known as Kachchcalsamalankulam. Tamil people have been given paddy fields and they are cultivating them with water from the Kachchalsamalankulam tank.  It is wrong for Buddhist monks to come there to construct a temple in an area which is predominantly Tamil, said Raviharan.

The chief monk had secured the help of the army to make bricks using clay from the shrubs in the jungle, continued Raviharan. Trees were being felled in nearby jungle to fire the bricks. However, a spokesman for the temple said that Sapumalgaskada area had been identified as a site of archaeological importance and there were ruins of Buddhist shrines, which were some thousands of years old and it was wrong to claim it was not a Buddhist site. The bhikkhus had only revived a temple close to the archaeological site, he said.

In 2015 there was  objection to the building of Sambodhi Vihara  in Kokilai, Mullaitivu. .Tamilnet said that Ven.Tissapura Gunaratana had in 2012 got a surveyor from Maharagama to survey three acres, with the ‘approval’ of the Divisional Secretary C Dayananda,  and started to construct a temple, with the help of the army.

However, the property was private land owned by local Tamils, said Tamilnet   and the project has displaced at least five families.(Tamilnet is not sure how many). The owners demonstrated, in June 2015, demanding back their lands. Land Registry officials inspected their land deeds and instructed the Divisional Secretary to issue an interim ban on the construction activities of the vihara. Mullaitivu District Secretariat issued an interim order    not to proceed with the construction of the ‘Sri Sambodhi Vihara’ until the dispute is solved.  There is also a court case pending verdict on the land dispute, added Tamilnet.   

The interim order was ignored. Tissapura thero said that TNA Provincial Councilor Raviharan had threatened him, stop developing the temple and vacate the area. The monk is adamant that he will build the temple here in our land. He has offered money to buy the premises but the owners do not want to sell, reported the media.

Ven. Tissapura had other plans for Sambodhi. A tube well was dug at Sambodhi premises and the public come there for fresh water. A pinthaliya was provided for them .Tamilnet says that this pinthaliya was thereafter transformed into a memorial site for two Sinhala soldiers who had died in the Eelam war.

The vihara premises will contain a Buddha statue, dharmasala, poya Ge, a two-storied Sangharamaya, a lotus pond   and a 10 meter high stupa. A welfare area’, is also planned with a multi-purpose building, a vocational training centre and a 100 perch model farm to introduce agriculture to fisheries-dependent settlers.

The five floor multi-purpose building will have a nursery, refectory, library and other facilities. The vocational training centre is to cater the adult women and men. It will be housing a sewing centre for the settling women, a yoghurt production unit, Diveneguma-assisted carpentry and welding workshop and a fertilizer manufacturing plant.  The monk is planning to convert the Sinhala Catholics into Buddhism and raise a new generation of the Sinhala occupiers of the north, warned Tamilnet.

Another version of the Sambodhi story by Adaalayam Centre for Policy Research   in   Jaffna, said that a temple is being illegally constructed on land that is partially owned by a Tamil living in the Kokilai region of Mullaitivu District.Security forces arrested this Tamil landowner in 2015 for protesting against the military land grab.  

Tamilnet complained that Ven. Tissapura   was also building another Buddhist temple nearby. Land belonging to the post office, the base hospital, a Hindu temple and a public road have been taken for that temple, said Tamilnet.

In 2018 there were 131 sites of Buddhist religious worship in the North, of which 67 were in Mullaitivu said Tamil Separatist Movement. . Buddha viharas are also coming up are Omanthai, Semmadu, Kanakarayankulam, Kilinochchi, Mankulam, Paranthan and Pooneryn. They are built on state and private lands. they were constructed after the armed conflict ended.   There are no Sinhalese living in those areas.  They must be removed immediately, said MP Raviharan.  

In some areas, such as Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, and Point Pedro, the military has built Buddha statues within or in close proximity to Hindu temples. Buddha statues have come up in front of the 2500 year old Thirukoneswara Hindu temple in Trincomalee and the Thiruketheeswaram temple. A 67 foot Buddha statue is coming up in front of the Nainai Nagabhooshani Amman Hindu temple, complained Tamil Separatist Movement.  

The military’s construction of Buddhist viharas in traditionally Tamil areas with no Buddhist population is a preliminary step to the Sinhala-Buddhist colonization of these areas and a re-assertion of Sinhala Buddhist dominance, said Adaalayam Centre for Policy Research , Jaffna.

Sinhala colonies, Buddhist temples and Buddha statues are being aggressively constructed with military sponsorship with the sole purpose of Sinhala Buddhisation of the North eastern Tamil homeland, said Tamil Peoples Council.

Ever since the end of the war, consecutive governments have accelerated the Sinhalization” of the north and east said Gajan Ponnambalam.

 Buddha viharas are sprouting like mushrooms in areas where there are no Buddhists said C.V.Wigneswaran.  Wigneswaran issued a statement saying stop erecting Buddha statues and Buddhist temples illegally on private lands and in places where there are no Buddhists.

 Why build a Buddhist vihara where no Buddhists live?” asked MP Nirmalanathan.Hindus form the largest religious group, followed by Christians and Muslims, with Buddhists in the fourth place.

The Tamil political parties have been complaining about the Archaeological Department, Mahaweli Authority, Forest Department, Wildlife Department, Tourist Board and the Defence/Internal Security Ministry dabbling in ethno-territorial politics and impacting the livelihood of Tamil and Muslim people in the northern and eastern provinces, said Kumar David.

It is alleged that the Department of Archaeology has been declaring vast extents of land surrounding Buddhist Temples in Mullaitivu and Trincomalee as heritage sites and prohibiting even subsistence economic activities being undertaken on these lands.

 The Tamil Separatist Movement said it had strongly opposed the construction of Buddhist structures in areas with no Buddhists. These protests increased during the time of the Yahapalana government of 2016. In 2016, after the Yahapalana government came to power, there were numerous demands for the removal of Buddhist temples, statues, and shrines built in the Northern Province, reported the media.     

The Tamil Peoples’ Council invited people to join a mass protest in Jaffna on September 24, 2016 to demand a stop to the construction of Buddha statues and Buddhist temples in areas in the Northern Province where there are no Buddhists.  In August 2016 TNA MPs met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and raised concerns about Buddhist temples and statues being built in the area.  

 The Northern Provincial Council   passed a resolution in 2016 prohibiting the construction of Buddhist temples in the north.   It had no legal standing, said lawyers  and D.M. Swaminathan, Minister for Hindu Affairs, said that no one will be allowed to remove Buddhist temples or statues in the north. Buddhist monks and devotees had the right to built temples and statues in any part of the Northern Province.  

In 2017 in London, British Tamil Forum under the auspices of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils launched a book, Proliferation of Buddhist structures in Tamil Homeland-sowing the seeds of disharmony.”

 In 2023, Tamils found that there was an increase in the number of new Buddhist structures and shrines coming up in the Northern Province. MP Selvarasa Gajendran led a demonstration demanding the removal of the Vihara illegally set up by the army in the Thahiti area of Jaffna. The demonstrators were arrested by the Palali police.

In 2023, The Tamil Separatist Movement had, it is reported, approached the Indian High Commission on the matter. But their own group has advised them to steer clear of the BJP which they said was not a progressive force.  (Continued)

KAMALIKA PIERIS

The Tamil Separatist Movement has tried to dislodge Sinhala settlements and the accompanying Buddhist temples    introduced to the north after the war. In 2009 57 Buddhist families were brought in and settled in Navatkuli.   Navatkuli is located 6 km from Jaffna. They were Sinhala families that had been driven out of Jaffna in 1984 and 1990. 

There was a fairly large Sinhalese community in Jaffna at the time. The Jaffna Sinhala Vidyalaya had 250 students. Life was pleasant with the Tamils and Sinhalese getting along like one family. Our family had roots in Maniyamthottam and Kankesanthurai and I knew Jaffna district like the back of my hand,” said one returnee, Malkanthi.   Eight generations of her family had lived in Jaffna.  

We are now granted this land and 57 families received around 20 perches each,” said Malkanthi. We came here in 2010. We gathered all Sinhalese who once lived in Jaffna and those who wanted to live here once again by placing a newspaper advertisement. For three months we stayed at the Jaffna railway station. We then occupied this land, she said.

 There were a hundred people with me. I lived in a hut for almost a year. Thereafter we received a donation from a Sinhala philanthropist. Later, with the support of the Buddhist priest, who also took up residence here, we started to construct our houses. We live here now without any problem. I have got a 15-perch plot for my son and I am now in the process of applying for assistance to construct a toilet,” says Malkanthi. Sharma, her sister-in-law, who had come for a visit from Anuradhapura, agrees and says she, too, wants to apply for land in Jaffna.

But the Tamil public turned against this community. Demonstrations were organized against the settlers,     led by Tamil politicians S.Sritharan and Suresh Premachandran, who said this was government-sponsored Sinhala colonization.  Navatkuliya Sri Samiddhi Sumana Viharaya was constructed in 2013.  It was promptly bombed.

 In 2017   the residents wanted to start work on a new stupa.The Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha refused permission. The Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha filed the case against the construction of the Chaitya.  It was taken up for hearing at the Chavakachcheri Magistrate’s Court. Chavakachcheri Magistrate S. Chandrasekeran ordered the Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha to permit the construction of the temple’s stupa without any hindrance. Her verdict was publicly applauded by the Sangha. The Magistrate has said that she respects Buddhism even though she is a Hindu devotee, reported Ven. Sooriyawewa Sumedha.

We next turn to Gurukanda Raja Maha Viharaya, located in the village of Chemmalai, Mullativu near the Nayaru lagoon. Archaeological Department  had   found ruins of a monastery. They found remains of a stupa, bricks, roof tiles and pot shards. They dated the temple to Anuradhapura period.

Gurukanda had been vandalized. .A new road had been constructed through the middle of the monastery grounds. One stupa had been deliberately bulldozed. It had a diameter of 10 meters and bricks of varying size. However,   a new Buddhist temple has been built on the site on top of an ancient stupa.  

On 14 January 2019 a group of a group of 200     protestors led by TNA’s  T. Raviharan stormed the Gurukanda Raja Maha Viharaya,claiming that the temple had been built on a land belonging to Hindu devotees. They shouted abuse at the Chief monk Ven. Mihindupura Ratanadevakitti.

They demanded the deeds of the temple. The Buddhists could complain to any one they liked but they would not allow the Gurukanda temple to function,   they said . They began digging to construct a Hindu temple inside the temple premises.The mob threatened to cause bodily harm to  Ven.  Ratanadevakitti.   If the chief priest disturbed the day to day affairs of the kovil, he would be killed, together with all present there. 

The mob was so strong that the police found it extremely difficult to bring the situation under control.  The intruders attempted to snatch the mobile phones of  those who were videoing the scene.  

The police filed action against both parties for disturbing peace.  The police had informed the magistrate that a group had forcibly entered the temple on 14 January 2019 & attempted to lay a foundation stone to construct a kovil inside the temple premises.

Mullaitivu magistrate ordered the construction work on Gurukanda vihara to be temporarily  stopped. Mullaitivu police were deployed round the premises.The Mullaitivu police dismantled the CCTV cameras installed at the Viharaya .the CCTV system had been installed by a private company as a security measure since the Chief  monk did not live in the temple.

Director General of Archeology, A B Mandawela summoned before the Magistrate, told  court that Gurukanda Raja Maha Viharaya had a history of over 2,000 years with  many Buddhist artifacts and an ancient monastery. It definitely was a Buddhist temple. The land on either side of the Kokilai-Mullaitivu road are Buddhist sacred archaeological sites including the Gurukanda Raja Maha Viharaya..The Commissioner of Archaeology explicitly told the Magistrate it was against the law to build a Hindu place of worship in a place where there was an ancient Buddhist temple.  

Suren Raghavan  had  this to say . The boundary of the temple was under dispute. Though  the Gazette notification of 2016 said the temple was an archaeological site, the boundary was not mentioned. A problem arose when new measurements were taken to mark the boundary.  While the measuring was going on, ‘both parties had a debate  regarding their historical heritages.” There was an army camp there during the war.  They had a set of buildings which they had handed over to the chief priest, added  Raghavan.  

Gurukande Viharaya had been forcibly constructed between 2004 and 2009 when no civilian was permitted to visit the area, said TNA MP Sampanthan in Parliament.  More recently an attempt was made to restore that temple. This led to unrest in that area between the people who are all non-Buddhists and the monks who had come there. Upon this matter being reported to the relevant Magistrate, an order was made prohibiting the reconstruction of the temple.  Ven. Ratanadevakitti has  filed an application in the Provincial High Court    in Vavuniya, Sampanthan said.

Buddhist monks headed by Ven.Ahungalle Jinananda  are proceeding to file criminal charges against TNA’s Raviharan & others too under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)   said   Shenali Waduge.

The modus operandi  of the Tamil Separatist Movement in the matter of new Buddhist temples is now  clear. Place a rival kovil beside any Buddhist temple, ancient or new, which is under expansion in the north. Then rapidly expand the Kovil so that the Buddhist structures get dwarfed. These kovils will be quickly accepted  by Buddhists. They will  visit these new  kovils very readily  and emerge happily with ash  on their foreheads.  ( continued)

KAMALIKA PIERIS

The opposition to Buddhist temples has extended also to cremation of chief priests on the temple premises in the north. Two such protests are on record.

The first was in 2017.  In 2017, a group of 12    Jaffna-based lawyers had gone to courts to prevent the last rites of the late chief incumbent of the Naga Vihara, Ven. Meegahajandure Gnanaratana, being performed at the Jaffna Fort Sports Ground. The restraining order had been sought on two grounds. Permission had not been obtained from Jaffna Municipal Council and secondly, the cremation of bodies could damage the environment.  Jaffna Magistrate Katheeswaran did not agree. He refused to issue a restraining order.  Last rites were conducted with the participation of the armed forces and the police.

 Hindu Religious Affairs Minister D. M. Swaminathan strongly condemned the bid to prevent the last rites of the late chief incumbent of the Jaffna Sri Naga Vihara, Ven. Meegahajandure Gnanaratana being performed at the Jaffna Fort Sports Ground.Such a move cannot be justified under any circumstances, Minister Swaminathan said, adding that he regretted the latest development. Jaffna Magistrate S. Katheeswaran had averted a major crisis quite rightly turning down a group of lawyers’ plea to prohibit the conducting of the late monk’s last rites at the Jaffna Fort Sports Ground.

The second   protest was at Gurukanda Raja Maha Vihara in September 2019. The chief priest of Gurukanda, Ven. Colomba Medhalankara, passed away in Colombo.  Neeraavi Pillaiyar Temple promptly filed a police complaint that that if the body of the priest is brought to the Gurukanda temple,   while a court case is going on, there will be trouble.  

Mullaitivu Police informed Magistrate’s Court. The magistrate ordered that the body of the deceased priest should not be cremated or buried in Gurukanda temple, until a final order was granted in the court matter.

Court was informed that the Buddhist temple was willing to conduct the cremation ceremony at another location and that the Hindu temple was agreeable to this. Court then ordered that the cremation be conducted at the second location.  Maritimepattu Predeshiya Sabha intervened to say that arrangements were made for the cremation at that location without obtaining permission in terms of the Cemeteries and Burial grounds Ordinance.

However, a group of monks led by Ven. Galagodatte Gnanasara of Colombo took the body of the deceased chief priest to the Gurukanda temple premises and cremated the body there. The cremation was attended by several monks   and took place amidst sadukara from a large crowd.

An equally large or possibly larger crowd were there to oppose the cremation, observed the media.  Television cameras showed heated arguments.  Police were there.A clash occurred and the priest of the Hindu temple was severely injured. A lawyer appearing for the Hindu Temple was assaulted.

Several monks spoke to Derana television after the cremation. It is a Buddhist tradition to cremate a monk in the temple premises.     If Gnanasara did not go this cremation would not have taken place, they said.

Regarding the ownership dispute, the monks told Derana, that Gurukanda is on protected territory. Three acres at Gurukanda belong to the Archaeological   Department. Court should be told this. Ven. Polonnaruwe Thilnakara said there was no kovil there earlier.

 TNA is behind this the monks said.   They scolded Yahapalana as well.  We sacrificed ourselves to establish these temples. We went into jungles. It is we who looked after Buddhism in the north, the monks told Derana, with emotion. 

After the cremation Former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, led a protest opposite the Mullaitivu Divisional Secretariat against the cremation in the temple premises while a court decision was pending. Several politicians, both national and local    as well as lawyers, civil society activists and the public in Mullaitivu joined the protest. Some, including lawyers, wore black arm bands.

The protestors demanded legal action against the cremation. It was violation of a court ruling.  Violating a court ruling constitutes Contempt of Court. They demanded the immediate arrest of Galagodaatte Gnanasara and others responsible for cremation. They were extremely critical of Gnanasara thera’s involvement in the matter, and wanted to know whether the country has a separate law for Buddhist monks.  They burnt an effigy of Ven.Gnanasara.  

The Attorney General should take legal action within three days against all those who are involved in the incident including Ven.Galagoda Aththe Gananasara along with the other Buddhist monk who had openly protested against the court order.   Attorney General must assure them in writing that he will do so.  Unless swift action was taken, the protest would continue.

The demonstrators then marched from Mullaitivu Divisional Secretariat to Mullaitivu District Secretariat and handed over a memorandum to the District Secretary to be forwarded to the UN envoy in Sri Lanka. They also protested opposite the Mullaitivu Magistrate’s court.

All the lawyers of Northern and Eastern provinces led by Batticaloa Bar Association President K.Narayanapillai boycotted court duties in a black arm band protest outside the Batticaloa court premises. The Mullaitivu Trade Association closed shops and carried out a hartal in support of the demonstration.

TNA’s R. Sampanthan wrote to the President Sirisena,  saying, the corpse was cremated in close proximity to the “Theerthakerni” tank in the Hindu temple premises containing holy water for use by the Deity. The temple and the premises were thus desecrated.   He urged President Sirisena to ensure that those who cremated a Buddhist prelate’s remains at Chemmalai, Mullaitivu in violation of a court order are brought to justice. (continued)

e-Con e-News

Before you study the economics, study the economists!”

e-Con e-News July 2023 Part 4

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With the US & India fertilizing chaos in Sri Lanka, while threatening division and invasion – the US Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), to allow troops on Lanka’s soil, has apparently been ‘unanimously’ endorsed – Sri Lanka’s President is now summoned to pose at Delhi’s Red Fort – final citadel of the Mughal invasion, of England’s East India Company (EIC) and of the current Brown-Sahib Raj – to embrace the role of the coolie’s coolie.

     Last ee reported that Washington assigned India to a subordinate industrial caste during Indian President N Modi’s recent overhyped junket there. India has accepted this industrial harijan status – they will labor-intensively assemble & test semiconductors within the US supply chain. Sri Lanka thus has to learn to conjure kotthu from broken chips that fall off their table, just as we have creatively concocted kotthu from discarded Chennai roti, while the IMF hands over our national enterprises to the World Bank and other dubious ‘international accounting firms’ like Deloitte to sell (see ee Quotes).

     The origins of the word ‘coolie’ are gps-ed in the Chinese characters for ‘bitter strength’ and turned into the word for ‘wages’ in South Asia – kuli.

     China rejects such a bitter world-ordering, and seeks to design the latest chip-making machines. This ee looks at the belligerent extents the USA is deploying to prevent China from achieving such modern industrial autonomy. Such industrial retardation is finally aimed at all our countries (see ee Random Notes)

     The Sri Lankan President’s beckoning to Delhi – unleashed over-the-top promises to physically lash Sri Lanka to India at that hip joint called Trincomalee, with an oil pipeline running through, offering a common currency, dividing Sri Lanka via a 13^th Amendment wrought from India’s arming of terrorists. The President has also rammed through a ‘new’ Central Bank Act, which will further enthrall Sri Lanka’s economy to Wall Street’s croupiers. The US thinktank Verite, severe school master, keeps count of the government’s failures to adhere to the IMF dictat (see ee Economy). Yet there is no thinktank to recount the failures to fulfil a so-called independent state’s sacred covenant with its own people.

     Gone are the days when this President’s uncle, then-President JR Jayawardene, with Margaret Thatcher highkicking chorus, promised their over-priced and destructive caricature of the CPSL’s Mahaveli Project would electrify India as well! And where be all the daily wielders of ornery orientalisms as despotism, chaos and corruption of just last year, now? Let there be light! The Wickremesinghe offshoot of the oligarchy outdistances all in their obeisance to a dire anglomania, despite exhalations resounding non-alignment.

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• Then there are the Indo-Saxons atop us. India seeks to kettle economic & international policy by preventing Sri Lanka from pursuing a direct Free Trade Agreement with China. India wants Lanka’s engagement with China only through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Critics wonder if Sri Lanka is being asked to play again the same Bandung-Buru spoiler role it was assigned to play in Indonesia in 1955, to undermine the 1^st conference of the historic Non-Aligned Movement (NAM, see Bandung Buruvo, Bailouts & Giveaways, ee 23 May 2020).

     A senior Sri Lanka government delegation was dispatched to Jakarta, Indonesia, from 12-14 June 2023. Their PR hailed the occasion as the ‘First-ever Fact-Finding Mission to RCEP by any country after it entered into force on 01 January 2022’ The US, it turns out, is openly attempting to sabotage ASEAN. NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg recently stated, ‘security is not a regional, but a global task’. Hence concealing their iron Euro-Atlantic priorities within their silky ‘Indo-Pacific Strategies’.

     To this end, India pushed Sri Lanka’s envoy there, Milinda Moragoda, to get President Ranil Wickremesinghe to appoint Jayanath Colombage as the Ambassador to Indonesia. Indonesia is the current headquarters for ASEAN. Colombage, belonging to Moragoda’s Exxon-funded Pathfinder NGO, is held culpable for misleading former Gotabhaya Rajapakse into major foreign policy faux pas (see Random Notes, Politics of Hedging in the Indo-Pacific).

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ee has been examining the US sabotage of China’s participation in building & laying the latest submarine internet cabling in the ocean (see ee July 2023, Parts 2 & 3). SLTelecom is fighting shy about being lubricated by US ‘compensations’ to deny Sri Lankans access to the latest technology.

     Reader indulgence is requested therefore, as ee seeks to trace the US imposition of its ‘Euro-Atlantic’ (NATO) architecture of war on the Indian Ocean. To track first sightings of the US in the Indian & Pacific Ocean, just after its ‘war of independence’ from England, and enthusiastic involvement in the English-dominated opium trade imposed on China, leading to the USA’s 1^st millionaires, the ‘Boston Brahmin Bankers’ etc.

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Last ee quoted Eric Williams’ classic Capitalism & Slavery. Williams points out that some of the most philanthropic English ‘humanitarians’ of the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries made their glittering lucre from the Atlantic slave trade in kidnapped Africans. Let’s not forget that ‘father of English liberalism’ John Locke was a slave trader.

     Rivers of ink were emptied in denouncing this horrific trade. Some proclaimed, such ‘humanitarians’ would change their investment options if they saw the choked holds within slave ships, or a plantation’s whip-in-hand human-resource policies. Williams said none of this curtailed English investment in the chattel slave trade. Vast profits overcame any shyness. Williams points out that many abolitionists were directors of the East India Company, which turned to the indentured slavery of predominantly Chinese and Indian people, of coolies and opium, etc. (Williams as Prime Minister of Trinidad was inspired to ban his own book! Also: see EIC history below, ee Focus)

     Meanwhile, the USA’s 1^st envoy to China, a former pirate himself, noted how the slave trade required an apropos joy in the horrific suffering of other humans. He also recorded how the English were already resorting in the 18^th century to armed thuggery to extend their attempts to rob China. ee here recalls that the ‘liberal’ expression ‘equal opportunity’ originates in the US demand to also do what other European imperialists were doing in China!

     ee has also extensively quoted former Ceylon Central Bank official Michael Greenberg’s 1969 classic British Trade & the Opening of China 1800-42. Both Greenberg and Williams appear to subscribe to the theory that our ‘non-settler colonized economies’ were crafted to absorb the surplus output necessary to keep the imperialists’ ‘new machines running when the home market sagged’.

     Storm Sewer! Runway Truck Ramp! Coolies indeed! Those constantly craving capricious export markets – even as the US & EU raise their own ‘walls’ and blatantly weaponize access, GSP+ etc – to develop the economy, should take careful note. ee here marks, too, the curious and total silencing about our own home market.

*

PS: Last ee had some egregious ee errors. We have corrected and reposted a complete Harnessing the Mahaveli – our excerpt of Chapter V’s ‘Relief of Ceylon’ in CPSL leader SA Wickramasinghe’s 1955 classic, The Way Ahead. And the entry on Paris is Burning, etc.

Lanka Lead News

රටෙත්, සම්බුද්ධ ශාසනයේත් සුරක්ෂිතභාවය උදෙසා ‘රණවිරු අපි වෙනුවෙන් අපි’ ජාතික එකමුතුවෙන්  අනුරාධපුර රුවන්වැලි මහා සෑය අභියස සලපතල මළුවේ දී අද(22) දින විශේෂ අධිෂ්ඨාන පූජාවක් පැවැත්විණි.

මෙම අධිෂ්ඨාන පූජාව සඳහා ආබාධිත රණවිරුවන් 500 කට අධික පිරිසක් සහභාගී වූ අතර, එම අවස්ථාවට ජාතික සංවිධාන නියෝජනය කරමින් දේශහිතෛෂී ජාතික ව්‍යාපාරයේ මහ ලේකම් වෛද්‍ය වසන්ත බණ්ඩාර මහතා සහ ඉංජිනේරු කීර්ති වික්‍රමරත්න මහතා ද සහභාගී වී සිටියහ.

එම අධිෂ්ඨාන පූජාව පහළින්…

මේ තාක් ලොවට පහළවූ සියලුම බුදු රජාණන් වහන්සේලාගේ අධිෂ්ටානය පරිදි බුද්ධ ශක්තියේ ආනුභාවයෙන් ද, මෛත්‍ රීබෝධ්සත්වයින්වහන්සේ ඇතුලු සියලු බෝධිසත්වයින්වහන්සේලාගේ අධිශ්ටානය පරිදි උන්වහන්සේ ලා පිරූ පාරමීදම් වල ආනුභාවයෙන් ද,ගෞතම සම්බුද්ධ සාසනය චිරාත් කාලයක් පැවතීම උදෙසා මේ රට ආරක්ශා වේවා !!

මේ තාක් සම්බුද්ධ සාසනයේ චිරස්ථිතිය උදෙසා වරින් වර යුධ වැදුනු සොල්දාදුවන්ගේ අධිශ්ටානය පරිදි නැවැත කිසිම දිනක ආක්‍රමණවලට හසු නොවන ආකාරයට මේ රට ආරක්ශා වේවා !!

යුධ වැදී මිය ගිය සහ ජීවත්ව සිටින සොල්දාදුවන්ට මේ රටත්, සම්බුද්ධ සාසනයත් රකින්න තව තව ශක්තිය ලැබේවා !! එදා ගැමුණු කුමරුගේ අදිටන පරිදි (මාගේ මේ ව්‍යායාමය සම්බුද්ධ සාසනයේ චිරස්ථිතිය උදෙසාම පමණයි) අපගේ වෑයම රටේත්, සම්බුද්ධ සාසනයේ ත් චිරස්ථිතිය උදෙසාම වේවා!!

ආබාධිත හා ජීවතුන් අතර සිටින අය රැකගන්න සුදුසු නායකත්වයන් රට තුල තව බිහිවේවා!!

මෙම අධිෂ්ඨාන පූජාව රණවිරු අපි වෙනුවෙන් අපි ජාතික සංවිධානයේ සභාපති බලලත් නිලධාරී ජයලාල් නිශ්ශංක මහතා විසින් සංවිධානය කරනු ලැබීය.

By P.K.Balachandran Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, July 23: In his book on the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, internationally known terrorism expert Dr.Rohan Gunaratna says that de-radicalization of Islamic ideology is the best way to tackle Islamic terrorism. 

In Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday Massacre: Lessons for the International community (Penguin 2023), Gunaratna says that Islamic terrorism is but an outgrowth of Wahhabism or Salafism, which is spreading rapidly across the world using modern tools of communication. It will be futile to try combating Islamic terrorism if nothing is done to destroy its ideological roots.

Gunaratna, who is Professor of Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore, says that the April 21, 2019 bomb blasts which claimed more than 200 lives, could recur if Sri Lanka continues to lack a legal and policy framework to curb radicalization and promote moderation, tolerance, and coexistence in its place.

Typically, governments look to arresting the perpetrators after blasts but do not take steps to prevent the blasts, the researcher says.     

Governments should also build and constantly maintain capabilities in the military, law enforcement, and the intelligence agencies to prevent and pre-empt terrorist attacks, he adds.

For a de-radicalization process to succeed, Sri Lanka has to develop a common approach by eschewing confrontational politics and forging consensus on a national security agenda. Security lies in social and religious harmony. Therefore, there should be no partisanship in these matters.

Religious extremism fostered by the Wahhabist and Salafist Islam and their institutions is reflected in religious exclusivism” Gunaratna points out. Therefore, any tendency towards religious exclusivism should be combated both by State and community action.

The exclusivist tendency is manifested in the Wahhabists’ avoidance of the company of moderate Sufi Muslims and those following other religions. Such avoidance reinforces negative feelings about persons following other religions. Gunaratna says that Sufi Muslims did not get radicalized partly because they abhorred extremism and violence and partly because the Wahhabists avoided them.     

The Easter Sunday attack demonstrated a number of gaps, loopholes and weaknesses in the national security framework. On whether there could be similar attacks in the future, Gunaratna says that it would be suicidal to ignore the potential for a repetition. With enhanced globalization, ease of travel, migration, and advances in communication technology, ideas travel fast, with few restrictions. And action follows.

The Easter Sunday attacks were inspired by events in the Middle East and the ISIS’s counter actions there. Inspiration from Islamic extremists in South India such as P.Jainulabdeen (PJ) also contributed to the radicalisation of Zahran Hashim and his bunch of desperados.

Although terrorism is not new to Sri Lanka, the emergence of Islamic religious exclusivism, extremism, and terrorism presents a new set of problems. Islamic radicalism had been growing without being noticed by the powers-that-be, Gunaratna points out.

Three decades preceding the Easter massacre, radical Salafi-Wahhabi and Jamaat-e-Islami ideologies separated Muslims from non-Muslims. Foreign ideologies supplanted the inclusive Sri Lankan Muslim heritage. These virulent ideologies crystallized in operational cells, networks, and groups that gravely damaged national unity.”

The political and intelligence community noticed this development but did not see them as a threat. Even after the Easter blasts, the appreciation of the threat is weak, Gunaratna says. Many of the banned Wahhabi groups continued to operate either clandestinely or by infiltrating like-minded entities.

Although the ring leader of the terrorists Zahran Hashim committed suicide, his ideology endues. And as long as the ideology of hatred against traditional Muslims and other faiths persists, it is likely that Sri Lanka will suffer other copycat fanatics. Dismantling the ideological foundation is the apex challenge,” Gunaratna says.

But that was not done during the Yahapalnaya (Good Governance) regime headed by President Sirisena between 2015 and 2019.  According to Gunaratna the security and intelligence platforms were systematically dismantled. The architect of the security structure Brig.Suresh Salley was posted to Malaysia and politicians were allegedly under pressure from the human rights lobby to direct the police to arrest and imprison intelligence officers.

The very effective Operation Blind Eye” of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) in the Western Province was called off. Sgt.Khaleel, who was familiar with Zahran’s activities in the Eastern Province was in jail from 2016 to 2021. Intelligence personnel knew all the Easter Sunday attackers but they lacked political patronage and legal support to keep the threat under check, Gunaratna says.

However, under the Mahinda Rajapaksa Presidency, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had raised the radicalism issue with the President of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) Mufthi MCM Rizwe. Rizwe promised to address it but failed. Harmony Centres” were to be set up to reduce the animosity between the Wahhabis and the Sufis. But few came up. This was the situation even after the 2019 blasts, Gunaratna points out.

A number reports had come out after the blasts which had valuable suggestions. Among the suggestions were: screening and certifying local and foreign clerics; blacklisting hate speakers; developing a wholesome curriculum for clerics to bring out the commonalities among various religions and not just the differences; regularly reviewing what is taught to the clerics to remove objectionable material like justification of violence; setting up a Council of Religious Harmony at the national level as in Singapore.

There has been no effort to work out a political consensus on the national security threat from fundamentalism. When Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe told parliament that more than 30 Sri Lankans had gone to Syria to fight for the ISIS, he came in for heavy flak though he was only basing his statement on intelligence reports.

Gunaratna regrets that there is no awareness of the security dimension among political leaders across the board. Awareness needs to be created. Intelligence agencies must keep their political bosses informed and updated. Intelligence agencies must acquire greater competences by recruiting specialists in a variety of fields from various technologies to the social sciences.

There should be inter-agency collaboration. One way of doing this will be to interchange personnel. The head of the Directorate of Military Intelligence and State Intelligence Service (SIS) must be equal in rank with the chiefs of the three armed forces. There should be a National Security Council and a National Security Advisor of cabinet rank. To back up security-related action, there should be a National Security Act, Gunartana suggests. 

A Foreign Interference Act has also been suggested to prevent interference from geopolitical actors operating under the pretext of achieving human rights, democracy and religious freedom.” Foreign actors reportedly give grants to destabilize cultures, promote  divisive ideologies and break up countries.”   

Opposes Lifting of Ban

Against this background, Gunaratna disapproved of the Sri Lankan government’s latest decision to de-list five of 11 Islamic organizations which had been banned following the Easter Sunday blasts.

In a note to this writer, he said: After Muslim radical clerics and politicians lobbied the government, the government has decided to delist a number of Salafi Wahhabi groups. Like other governments, the Sri Lankan government too has compromised national security for personal and political gain. To secure votes and donations and remain in power, politicians weaken the nation’s long term national interests.”

Although politicians believe that giving into such political demands by ethnic and religious entrepreneurs will benefit them, it does not. It erodes national unity and social cohesion and eventually results in ethnic and religious hatred culminating in violence. Instead of pursuing narrow political interests, national leaders should integrate ethnic and religious leaders into mainstream national politics.”

lanka C news

ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා තව වතාවක් ඉන්දියාවට ගිය හොත් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ කිසිම දෙයක් ඉතුරු නොවනු ඇති බව ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණේ පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ගාමිණී වලේගොඩ මහතා සඳහන් කරයි.

ජනාධිපතිවරයා මෑතකදී සිදු කළ ඉන්දීය සංචාරයේදී ත්‍රිකුණාමලයේ කොටසක් ඉන්දියාවට පැවරීමටත්, ඉන්දියාවේ සිට ලංකාවට ගොඩබිම් මාර්ගයක් ඉදි කිරීමටත්, තෙල් නලයකින් ලංකාව ඉන්දියාව සම්බන්ධ කිරීමටත්, විදුලි පද්ධතියකින් සම්බන්ධ කිරීමටත් එකග වී ඇති බව ද හෙතෙම පැවසීය.

එමෙන්ම ලංකාවේ ප්‍රධාන වරාය මෙහෙයුම් කටයුතු ඉන්දියානු සමාගම් යටතට පත් කිරීමටත් මෙරට පුනර්ජනනි විදුලි බලය නිෂ්පාදන ඒකාධිකාරිය ඉන්දියාවට ලබා දීමටත් එකඟ වී ඇති බවද හෙතෙම කියා සිටී.

ජනාධිපතිවරයා ඉන්දීය සංචාරය නිම කර ලංකාවට ආපසු පැමිණියේ ලංකාව ඉන්දියාවේ තවත් ප්‍රාන්තයක් කිරීමේ ඇණය ගැසීමට කලින් ගසන ඇණය ගසාදැයි ඔහු ප්‍රශ්න කළේය.

කොළඹ පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවකදී ඔහු මේ බව කියා සිටියේය.

Lanka Lead News

අරගලයෙන් පසු රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ ජනාධිපති ධූරයට පත්කළේ, ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණේ සහාය ඇතිව රටේ ආර්ථිකය ස්ථාවර කර, ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය ස්ථාපිත කිරීමට බවයි ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණේ ප්‍රධාන ලේකම් නීතීඥ සාගර කාරියවසම් පවසන්නේ.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ වෙනත් කිසිදු ව්‍යාපාරයකට සහාය දැක්වීමට එකඟ නොවූ බවද ඔහු වැඩිදුරටත් පවසයි.

සාගර කාරියවසම් මෙම අදහස් පළ කළේ රාජ්‍ය ඇමැති දිලුම් අමුණුගම, පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ජොන්ස්ටන් ප්‍රනාන්දු ඇතුළු පිරිසක් සහභාගී වූ ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණේ දඹදෙණිය ආසන බල මණ්ඩල රැස්වීමට එක්වෙමිනි.

මේ අතර, ජේ. ආර්. ජයවර්ධන ජනාධිපතිවරයාගේ සිට ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ ජනාධිපතිවරයා දක්වා කාලය තුළ ක්‍රියාත්මක නොකළ 13 වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ ජනාධිපතිවරයාට සදාචාරාත්මක අයිතියක් නොමැති බවද සාගර කාරියවසම් මන්ත්‍රීවරයා පසුගියදා ප්‍රකාශ කර තිබිණි.

Courtesy Asian Age

The visit of President Ranil Wickremasinghe last week to New Delhi was not of the customary meet-and-greet variety.

It was more than symbolic that Sri Lanka should propose a land bridge to connect with India. At no time since the breakout of the ethnic conflict in the early 1980s have Colombo and New Delhi been near enough like this to lend the belief that the geopolitics of the region have changed somewhat, for it does seem Sri Lanka has had to disengage itself from the Chinese embrace lately.

Having suffered at the hands of the debt trap diplomacy of China and in the aftermath of the serious economic strife that gripped the island last year when the Rajapaksas were forced to unceremoniously exit from power, Sri Lanka may now be looking at a settled future thanks to having learnt some home truths about the cost of friendship with China.

In recognising India’s $4bn helping hand as well as that of the IMF through its $2.9bn rescue package, which would not have come without Washington green flagging it, Sri Lanka is indeed looking to reset ties that might help it settle down to an existence nearer normal as India’s closest southern neighbour.

The visit of President Ranil Wickremasinghe last week to New Delhi was not of the customary meet-and-greet variety. It also coincided with the Tamils’ celebration of the bicentenary of their arrival on the island.  The land bridge he has proposed may take a long time to materialise, but the very fact that it is being sought now carries a clear message.

A ferry between Nagapattinam, replacing Dhanuskodi that used to be the hub for transfer to the island but was lost to nature’s fury in the 1960s, and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka will only be a revival of an old service, and yet an important link in these changing times of Sri Lanka trying to reverse on the big swing to China courtesy Mahinda Rajapaksa. The four pacts that the countries signed last week are also an indicator of a different kind of future in dealing with an equitable partner in promoting trade, industry, infrastructure, and green energy.

The shift in Sri Lanka’s outlook may represent the new normal as the pro-India, pro-West President Ranil is in office. But what New Delhi may find difficult to understand is the reluctance of the island to grant rights under the long-proposed 13th Amendment to their constitution that in theory should give the Tamils of the north and east a more equitable access to the development that has taken place in the southern parts.

Ranil Wickremasinghe himself may be at a loss here as he would be subject to the winds of majoritarian politics that may not permit the granting of full privileges to the Tamils who have long felt the big north-south divide. There has been little progress in attempts to address the Sri Lankan national question, which Wickremasinghe had hoped to before the nation marked 75 years of independence from the British last February. Devolution of power and the Tamils’ right to local self-determination remain unaddressed.

The New Delhi view on Tamil Nadu fishermen being harassed by the Sri Lankan Navy must necessarily be different from how Chennai sees it. There are two sides to the recurring problem of fishing outside India’s territorial waters and it may fester. But the overall Sri Lankan tilt towards India is to be welcomed in view of the island’s strategic location on the maritime routes to the Indo-Pacific. The new era is much more promising from India’s point of view.

Courtesy WION

The Sri Lankan government tightened security on Sunday (July 23) as activists in the capital city of Colombo commemorated those killed during the 1983 anti-Tamil riots which fuelled a deadly civil war for six days (July 25-30). According to a report by the news agency AFP, authorities deployed armed troops that outnumbered the protesters.

Several activists lit oil lamps and candles outside Colombo’s main cemetery, where inter-communal inter-communal riots started 40 years ago. 

“Let’s not forget the slaughter of Tamils,” read a banner carried by members of North-South Solidarity, a rights group from the Sinhalese and minority Tamil communities. The AFP report said that during the commemoration, police were seen kicking and stomping on oil lamps placed along the pavement just outside the cemetery.

In 1983, the then-government attempted a mass burial at the cemetery for 13 Sinhalese soldiers killed in a Tamil rebel land mine attack on July 23. Relatives demanded individual funerals for the soldiers and clashed with police, before turning their attacks on Tamils and Tamil-owned shops in the area.

What started as a spontaneous backlash against Tamils escalated to state-led deadly violence. Official estimates say the death toll was between 400 to 600. However, Tamil groups say the actual number is in the thousands. 

Thousands of people in Colombo and other cities were temporarily located in over 20 refugee camps. 

Current President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party was in power when the riots broke out. Wickremesinghe’s uncle and then-president Junius Jayewardene was accused of not doing anything to prevent the violence.

Shenali D Waduge

• Was the former President roped into pretend to be the nationalist” candidate BEFORE or AFTERvictory? (this should answer whether nationalists were taken for a ride from the beginning)
• IF BEFORE – does it explain why he ignored the Viyathmaga policies & began appointing pro-US/India appointees who were misusing their positions and nothing was done against them.
• IF AFTER – at what point & how & by whom was he compromised (his son in US & wishing to return to US & live –is a factor the nationalists failed to look at)
• Was his handling of COVID and initial months a means to FOOL NATION until he was used to change the systems via appointments to slowly collapse the nation (economically / administratively even weaken the armed forces by appointment of former Army Commander & not removing him inspite of many allegations against him including COVID malpractices –taking commissions from expats being brought to SL on flights)
• If former President was a US plant from beginning & US was able to get former President to do as they wanted– why did US want to REMOVE HIM in such an ugly manner? Did he deserve such a treatment? Why have we failed to comprehend the scale both US & India stoop to, to achieve their geopolitical goals. Our leaders continue to fail to learn lessons from global assassinations, regime change and election fraud. Why couldn’t or why didn’t they want to continue to use him & get what they wanted done – or were they in a hurry to get everything done & thought present President was a better bet? Did they think that the R’s would succumb to nationalist pressure & not commit the capitalist agenda they wanted to roll out?
• Was it because former PM was an obstacle (as nationalists would force him to take action) that the plan was to remove him first? Though noticeably the campaign slogan was to remove the President & not the PM.
• Was former President used to OUST MAHINDA as PM & out of politics (MR remains the symbol of nationalism – was the plot to neutralize the nationalist lobby & negate their influence in governance/govt)
• Was former President’s refusal to take LOANS part of the plot to collapse the economy (as advice regarding the impending dangers were ignored & offers of solutions were not accepted/negotiated) – it is also to be noted, that instead of obtaining vaccines from China, large amounts were paid to purchase from Pfizer (which India refused because Pfizer did not want India to test it & refused to enable litigation against them for deaths)
• Why does former President not address the nation and explain his side/version (as Sirisena did to explain why he sacked Ranil), why is he not reminding Ranil that he is not conforming to mandate given to former President by voters, this is the least GR can do to the 6.9lakh voters who placed their trust in him.
• Was former President INFORMED OF A PROTEST BEING STAGED by his handlers & asked not to take action against them– was this why he allowed protestors to park at Galle Face and ignored the illegality of the protestors permanently parking themselves in a public place for months
• Was former President asked to give orders to shoot protestors as part of plot to bring down foreign troops – was this part of the plan in case things were not working to the main plan?
• Was former President ordered to remain in Presidential Palace, falsely given assurance that nothing would happen to him? Was he forced to leave by the few still loyal to him & respecting his status of President? Did handlers bargain that components of the protestors who wanted revenge” would do what was done to Gaddafi to both GR & MR. (Even if this was not planned by the handlers, did they look at the possibility of this happening as a bonus for them)
• Was former President ordered to resign & flee to be given a dose of what his life would be if he did not agree to surrender to the dictates of those who were giving him orders from behind the scenes. WHO ARE THESE UNKNOWN FACES THAT WERE WRONGLY ADVISING HIM? 

• Why did the former President decide to resign? Why didn’t he leave the Palace & return to duties after the situation was calmed & controlled? Was he ordered to resign – by whom?

• Why did the former President appoint the present President who was then Prime Minister as Acting President after deciding to resign? Why didn’t the former President appoint a senior member of SLPP to be the President? Was it because he was told to appoint present President or did the R’s trust the present President more than his own SLPP team members.
• Everyone who played a part – whether they were corporate heads, Colombo socialites, cricketers, media, artists, political parties & supporters, academics, student unions, social media, youth fronts, Catholic Church & other clergy, numerous public personalities, local NGOs and civil society were given respective roles – no one knew what the other was tasked.They each had separate roles which put together resulted in the aragalaya, mass protest, mass destruction of state buildings & illegal occupation. No one knew what the other was tasked to do – but they were brought together on a common podium by those that were funding them or advising them – this is what needs to be understood. 

• Who else in Govt & Public Sector has been co-opted into this greater project that took place in 2022 – what are their current role (it is obvious that some have been kept to continue next leg of their program)?
• It is also important to realize that everyone who funded/supported the aragala had their own agenda & this was what came out as events” inside the protest grounds – revenge & personal hate against Rajapakses (for favors not given to them), anti-Buddhist / anti-Sinhala Culture / promotion of LGBTQ & free sex / commemoration of LTTE / Islamic extremist groups were careful not to project their agenda though they funded much of the food/ disrporportionate number of Catholic clergy & nuns reminded of the role of Catholic Action continuing since colonial times.
• The thinking public should wonder why the protestors who seem to be knowledgeable” of the economy” are now silent about present president taking loan after loan, agreeing to forfeit the handful of profitable states assets we have? If they claim that former president collapsed the economy in 2 years, why cant they see the future scenario when we have to pay back the loans taken, pay interest on the loans but we don’t have any more assets to mortgage or sell? How come these intelligent” protestors are unable to see this future reality happening with every new loan being taken, every import restriction being lifted, every state asset being given away – why are these protestors now suddenly silent? Given that they are silent now, but vocal then, raises more questions than answers
• In the meanwhile, the entities tapped to promote the system change” are now being harnessed in different ways. A good look at the target areas and target groups by US & Indian missions explains the people they are nurturing to create a bloc vote influencer – youth, low-income families, SMEs, special prominence is being given to women (youth, SMEs, social influencers, media, academics, women in armed forces & police etc) minorities (usual favorites) while dividing the majority through various programs using social media, and drawing them to illicit ways, values. People are funded (representing various roles that influence people’s thoughts) and used to indoctrinate/change people’s thinking – this is a slow steering of psychological thought process that would culminate during a future election campaign.

Are we a nation of people being handled by external forces knowingly (via funds/positions/perks/scholarships/sponsorships/gifts etc) or unknowingly (victim to social media psychological indoctrination as a result of one’s inability to think & put facts into perspective without falling prey to disinformation/misinformation) – this is the battle that prevails. So at both spectrums, our people are being pulled and roped in & most are falling prey to the deceits that prevail.

We have 2 choices – we can chose to fall prey or decide to save our nation and become an independent thinker viewing both versions, balancing one’s views & looking at the issue from the angle of what is in the nation’s interest & of national interest devoid of political colors/allegiance or expecting personal political favors.

Shenali D Waduge

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

We have seen many news items about the visit by the President of Sri Lanka and the MOUs signed between the two countries to convert Trincomalee harbor into an energy hub  A multi-product oil pipeline to be laid between Trincomalee and the nearest Indian export port coupled with the development of Steel oil  tanks built by British in Trinco can be a blow to Chinese plan to build a refinery in Hambantota where Synopac envisage to grab  business fuel bunkering of ships and tankers plying between the Middle East and Far East via southern ocean of Sri Lanka

 One might wonder whether pushing away of sea route in the south in the pretext of saving whales by IMO is an Indian-advocated move to scupper the efforts of Hambantota as the bunkering port for hundreds of ships plying via south.

A feasibility study to convert Trinco for storage and bunkering oil Centre  is being completed with the proposed pipeline from India that may change the Chinese plan to convert Hambantota as the bunkering center 

It is high time for Sri Lankan bunkering operators to move to Trinco and establish business asap 

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

RANJITH SOYSA

Indian PM Narendra Mody has advised Sri Lankan PM following many other Prime Ministers of India such as Indira Gandhi and her son Raji Gandhi. He said that India expects Sri Lanka to implement the 13th to ensure a life of dignity and respect for Tamil population” It is frivolous to believe that devolving powers in relation to land and the police to the North and the East are going to enhance the dignity and the respect of Tamils in Sri Lanka as, in fact, the majority of Tamils live in areas other than the North and the East. The Indian big brother should require guidance to understand that the demand for the devolution of powers based on provincial land is to reignite the claim of some Sri Lankan Tamils and their political parties to reignite their mythical claim that, the North and the East are the traditional homelands of Tamils. The claim resulted in the Tamil Tigers waging war destroying the valuable resources of Sri Lanka including thousands of the lives of the soldiers and civilians. Mr Mody should listen to the other side of the story and the aspirations of the majority of Sri Lankans who too desire to live in dignity and respect as citizens of a unitary Sri Lanka.

Mr Mody’s desire directly clashes with the expectations of the majority in Sri Lanka who are keen to live peacefully seeking solutions to their economic woes along with India and other international allies. We thank India for coming forward and joining this effort. But, we do reject attempts to intervene in Sri Lanka’s internal socio-political issues.

RANJITH SOYSA

Manusha Media

ජනතාව දැනුමෙන් ඈත් කරලා, බොරුවෙන් අන්ධ කරලා වෛරය කරා ගෙන යාම ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ අරමුණයි

ඒත් රට වැටුණ වෙලාවේ ජනතාවගේ බර කරට අරගෙන, රට ගොඩ ගැනීම එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයේ වැඩපිළිවෙලයි

වැඩ්ඩෙක් කියලා හිතාගෙන හිටපු සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස වැඩ බැරි දාස කෙනෙක් කියලා දැන් රටටම පෙනිලා ඉවරයි

සජිත්ට හැමදාම විපක්ෂ නායක පුටුවේ ඉන්න අපි උදව් කරනවා

ජනතාව දැනුමෙන් ඈත් කරලා බොරුවෙන් අන්ද කරලා වෛරය කරා ගෙන යාම ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ වැඩපිළිවෙල වන නමුත් ඉතිහාසයේ සිට රට වැටුණු වෙලාවල්වල ජනතාවගේ බර කරට ගෙන රට ගොඩ ගැනීම එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයේ වැඩපිළිවෙල බවට පත් කරගත් බව කම්කරු හා විදේශ රැකියා අමාත්‍ය මනුෂ නානායක්කාර මහතා පැවසුවේය.

වත්තල එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ ආසන බල මණ්ඩල රැස්වීම අමතමින් ඔහු මේ බව සදහන් කළේය.

සංචාරක හා ඉඩම් අමාත්‍ය හරින් ප්‍රනාන්දු මහතාගේ නායකත්වයෙන් මෙම ආසන බල මණ්ඩල රැස්වීම සංවිධානය කර තිබූ අතර එහිදී වැඩිදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ මනුෂ නානායක්කාර මහතා මෙසේද කීවේය.


හරින් ප්‍රනාන්දු ඇමැතිතුමාගේ හැම රැස්වීමකම හරිම කල එලියක් තියෙනවා. නියම එක්සත් ජාතික පාක්ෂිකත්වය ඒ රැස්වීම්වලදී බලාගන්න පුලුවන්. එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයේ තියෙන ආඩම්බරකම තියෙනවා. නායකතුමා මැයි දිනයක් සංවිධානය කළත්, ලොකු රැස්වීමක් සංවිධානය කළත් ඒ සියල්ලම භාරදෙන්නේ හරින්ට. ඒ වගේ දැවැන්ත සංවිධාන ශක්තියක් තියෙන පුද්ගලයෙක්.

දේශපාලනයේ හැරවුම් ලක්ෂ ගණනාවක් ඔහු අරගෙන තියෙනවා. විශේෂයෙන්ම 2015දී එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය බලයට ගේන්න, හැරවුම් ලක්ෂය වුනේ හරින්. දින 52 වෙලාවේ අපි හැමෝටම ශක්තියක් වුනේ හරින්. එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය වෙනුවෙන් තමන්ගේ මන්ත්‍රීධූරය අතහැරලා බදුල්ලට ගියා.

සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස කියන්නේ වැඩ්ඩෙක් කියලා තමයි හැමෝම හිතාගෙන හිටියේ. දුන්නොත් කරයි කියලා හැමෝම හිතාගෙන හිටියා. ඒත් හරින් කියන්නේ වැඩ්ඩෙක් නෙමෙයි, වැඩ බැරි දාස කෙනෙක් කියලා පෙන්වන්නට හරින්ටයි මටයි පුලුවන්කම ලැබුණා. වැඩබැරි දාස කෙනෙක් කියලා රටට පෙන්නලා එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය ශක්තිමත් කරන්න අපිට පුලුවන් වුනා. දැන් අයිමත් මට රට දෙන්න කියලා කියලා කියන්න ඔහුට අයිතියක් නෑ. ප්‍රේමදාස නෙමෙයි, වැඩ බැරි දාස කෙනෙක් කියලා පෙන්නුවා

රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ නායකතුමාට දුර දක්නා දැක්මක් තිබුණා. මැයි මාසය, ජුනි මාසය වන විට අර්බුද ඇතිවෙනවා කියලා එතුමා කිව්වේ මාස ගණනාවකට පෙරදීයි. පක්ෂ දේශපාලනය අමතක කරලා, එකතු වෙලා මේ ප්‍රශ්ණය විසදා ගනිමු කියලා, හරිනුත් මමත් විවිධ අවස්ථාවලදී හැමෝගෙන්ම ඉල්ලුවා. අපිට තිබුණේ මිනිස්සුන්ගේ ජීවිත ආරක්ෂා කරගන්නේ කොහොමද කියන එකයි. කිරිපිටි ටික නැතිවෙන්න යනවා, තෙල් ටික නැතිවෙන්න යනවා, පෝලිම් හැදෙන්න යනවා කියලා අපි කලින්ම කිව්වා. ඒ නිසා තමයි ගෝඨාට බෑ කියලා අපි පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේදී කිව්වේ ඒ නිසා. ගෝඨාට බෑ කියලා විතරක් නෙමෙයි, ගෝඨාට පිස්සු කියලත් කිව්වා. ඒ විතරක් නෙමෙයි, ගෝඨා ගෝ හෝම් කියලා ජනාධිපති මන්දිරය ඉස්සරහට ගිහින් ගෝඨා ගෝ හෝම් කියන වැඩපිළිවෙල පටන් ගත්තේ හරින් ප්‍රනාන්දු මන්ත්‍රීතුමාගේ නායකත්වයෙන් කියන එක අපිට අමතක කරන්න බෑ. අන්තිමේදී ඒක ත්‍රස්තවාදීන් අතට ගත්තට ජනතාව අතරින් ආපු විරෝධය ඉදිරියට ගෙන යන්න අපිට පුලුවන් කම ලැබුණා.

තෙල් නැති, ගෑස් නැති, මිනිස්සු මැරෙන රටක අභියෝගයක් භාගන්නවා කියන්නේ ලොකු දෙයක්. රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මැතිතුමාගේ ගෙදර ගිනි තියලා තියපු වෙලාවේ පාර්ලිමේන්තුව ගිනි තියන්න සූදානම් වුන වෙලාවේ, ත්‍රස්තවාදීන් රට අල්ලාගන්න හදපු වෙලාවක තමයි රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ නායකතුමා එක්ක අ්ි ආණ්ඩු කරන්න පටන් ගත්තේ. අපි ඒ අභියෝගය භාරගෙන අවුරුද්දකුත් දවසක් ගත වෙනවා. ඒ අභියෝගය භාරගන්න වෙලාවේ හැමෝම ඇහුවේ ජීවිතවලට මොනවා වෙයිද, දේශපාලන අනාගතයට මොනවා වෙයිද කියලා. අපේ දේශපාලන අනාගතයට වඩා රටේ මිනිස්සුන්ගේ ජීවිත අපිට වටිනවා. මිනිස්සු නොකා, නොබී පෝලිම්වල මැරෙනවට වඩා මේ රට මංකොල්ලකාරයින්, ත්‍රස්තවාදීන්ගේ අතට පත් වෙනවාට වඩා අපේ දේශපාලන අනාගතය කැපකිරීම වැදගත් වෙනවා. මිනිස්සුන්ට හුස්මගන්න පුලුවන් තැනකට අපිට රට අරගෙන එන්න පුලුවන් වුනා. රට යථා තත්වයට පත් කරන්න අපිට හැකියාව ලැබුණා. දැන් තියෙන්නේ ඉස්සරහට ගමන යන්න. ඒ සදහා එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය සමග සියලු දෙනඑම එකට එකතු කරගෙන, මේ රට ජයග්‍රහණය කරවීමට, මිනිස්සුන්ගේ යහපත වෙනුවෙන් කටයුතු කරන හැමෝම එකට එකතු කරගෙන රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මැතිතුමා නැවත මේ ර්ටේ ජනාධිපතිවරයා බවට පත් කරගැනීමට කටයුතු කරනවා. 2048දී මේ රට දියුණු රටක් බවට පත් කරගැනීමේ ගමන අපි යමින් තිබෙන්නේ.

ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුනේ සද්දෙයි බොරුවයි තියෙනවා. මිනිස්සු දැනුමෙන් වියුක්ත කරලා, වෛරය කරා ගෙන යන්න කල්පනා කරනවා. එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය ඉතිහාහසේ රට වැටුණු හැම වෙලාවකම රට ගොඩ ගත්තා. 1977 රට භාරගන්නා විටත් මිනිස්සු පෝලිම්වල හිටියේ. ලාම්පුතෙල් ගද ගහන, සාරි, චීත්ත ඇන්දේ. පිරිම් අය ගන්ටාර මාක් තියෙන සරම් ඇන්දේ. එහෙම යුගයකුයි වෙනස් කළේ. ඒ රට වෙනස් කරන්න හදපු හැම වෙලාවකම වාමවාදී බලවේග ඇතැම් රටවල සහයෝගය ලබාගෙන මේ ටට දියුණු වෙන්න දුන්නේ නෑ.

1977 ජේ.ආර්. ජයවර්ධන ජනාධිපතිතුමා විවෘත ආර්ථිකය හදුන්වාදුන්නට පස්සේ, චීනයේ දැන් ඉන්න ජනාධිපතිතුමා විවෘත ආර්ථිකය ගැන ඉගෙන ගන්න ලංකාවට ආවා. සිංගප්පූරුව කිව්වේ ලංකාවෙන් අපි ට ඉගෙන ගන්න දේවල් තියෙනවා කියලයි. එහෙම දුර දක්නා දැක්මක් එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයට තිබුණා. නමුත් හදන්න හදන හැම වෙලාවකම වාම වාදී බලවේග එකට එකතුවුනා. කවදාවත් එකට හිටපු නැති ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණ මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ එක්ක එකතුවෙලා පෝස්ටර් ගහලා රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මැතිතුමා පරාද කළා. මේ අය හැමදාම එකට එකතුවුනේ රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහත්තයා පරද්දන්න. එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය පරාජයට පත් කරන්න. මේ අය දන්නවා 77දී පටන් ගත්ත සංවර්ධනය ඉදිරියට ගියානම්, රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ නායකුතුමා අතට බලය ගියොත්, නැවත වතාවක් ආගම්වාදය, ජාතිවාදය විකුණලා, වැසිකිලි කට පෙන්නලා, සමෘද්ධිය දීලා, මිනිස්සු හැමදාම දුප්පත්කමේ තියාගෙන ඡන්ද ගන්න බැරිවෙන බව දන්නවා. ඒ නිසා තමයි මේ අය නිතරම එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ ආණ්ඩුවක්, රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහත්තයා එන හැම වෙලාවකම ඒකට විරුද්ධව වැඩ කරන්නේ. ඒකට ඇතුලේ ඉන්න අයට විදේශීය බලවේග ඒකට උදව් කරනවා. මොකද මේ රට දියුණු වුනොත් සමහර රටවලට අවශ්‍ය ආකාරයට භූ දේශපාලනික වශයෙන් වැදගත් අපේ රට හසුරවන්න ලැබෙන්නේ නෑ. මේක අපි තේරුම් ගන්න ඕන.

දැන් අද ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණ ජනතාව රටවලට නැවත වරක් රට අගාධයකට අරගෙන යන්න උත්සාහ කරනවා. මුල් දවස්වල රටට ඩොලර් එවන්න එපා කියලා කිව්වා. අපි ඩොලර් එවන්න එපා කියලා කිව්වේ නෑ කියලා අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේදී කියනවා. ඒ වෙලාවේම මම මතක් කරලා දුන්නා, එහෙම ඩොලර් එවන්න එපා කියලා කිව්වේ ටිල්වින් සිල්වා සහ සුනිල්ග හදුනෙත්ති වන බව. ඒක දැන් සමාජ මාධ්‍ය හැම එකම යනවා. ලබන පාර්ලිමේන්තු සතියේදී මම ඒක සභාගත කරනවා. මුන් ඉන්නකම් ඩොලර් එවන්න එපා කියලා හදුන්නෙත්ති කිව්වා.

රටට ඩොලර් එව්වේ නැතොත් තෙල් ටික ගේන්න බෑ. බෙහෙත් ටික ගේන්න බෑ. ආර්ථිකය කඩාගෙන වැටෙනවා.  හංදි හංදි ගානේ මිනිස්සු මැරිලා වැටෙන යුගයක් තමයි ඊට පස්සේ උදාවෙන්නේ. අන්න ඊට පස්සේ ත්‍රස්තවාදී කල්ලියට බලය ගන්න පුලුවන්. නැවත වතාවක් ත්‍රස්තවාදී විදියට බලය අල්ලගන්න තමයි මේ අය උත්සාහ කරන්නේ. ඒ වුනාට ෆේස් බුක් එකේ ඉන්න අය අපි මාලිමාවට කියමින් යනවා. මිනිස්සු කොතරම් බුද්ධියෙන් රටවනවාද කියනවා නම් ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ අය සැහැල්ලු දුම්රිය ගැන බොරු වපුරනවා. අත්දැකීම් නැති, අත්දැකීම් තිබුණත් මිනිස්සුන්ට බොරු වපුරන්න තමයි මේ අය කටයුතු කරන්නේ. ඒත් කමක් නෑ අපි මාලිමාවට කියලා කියනවා

අර හරිනි මන්ත්‍රීතුමිය හරි ප්‍රගතිශීලී කාන්තාවක් කියලා කියනවානේ. අපි පහුගිය දවස්වල කම්කරු නීති සංශෝධන අරගෙන ආවා. කාන්තාවන්ට හා පිරිමින්ට සම තැන දෙන්න, කාන්තාවන්ට සේවා ස්ථානයේදී සිදුවන ලිංගික හිරිහැර වැලැක්වීමට අවශ්‍ය නීති ගේන්න අපි යෝජනා අරගෙන ආවා. කාන්තාවන්ට රාත්‍රී සේවය කරන්න අවස්ථාව දුන්නා. මේවා ආලවට්ටම්, අයිසිං කියලා හරිනි කියන්න ගත්තා.

කිසිම කෙනෙක් තවත් අයෙක් විනිශ්චය කරන්න එපා කියලා දෙවියන්වහන්සේ කියලා තියෙනවා. අපි හරිනිට කියන්නේ, අපි විනිශ්චය කරන්න යන ව්ට හරිනිම විනිශ්චයට ලක්වෙනවා. හරිනි බොරුවක් කරන්නේ කියලා විනිශ්චය වෙනවා. ප්‍රගතිශීලී කාන්තාවක් බවට බොරු මවාපෑමක් කරන බව තමයි අ්ි පේන්නේ. වෛරය ක්‍රෝදය හරහා දේශපාලන වාසි ගන්න කාන්තාවක් යැයි ඔබටත් කියන්න සිදුවෙනවා.

වසන්ත සමරසිංහ කියන හාදයා පසුගිය දවස්වල සැහැල්ලු දුම්රිය මාර්ගය ගැන අපූරු කතා ටිකකුත් කිව්වනේ. ඔහු කම්කරු නායකයෙක් ලු. හැබැයි එක දවසක්වත් රස්සාවක් කරලා නෑ. රස්සාවක් වත් නොකර හැම තැනම උද්ඝෝෂණ කරනවා. මොනවාහරි කඩාකප්පල්කාරී දෙයක් කරන්න හදන්නේ. 71දීත් 89දීත් මේ විදියට ජනතාව රවට්ටලා, දැනුම පැත්තකට දාලා, වෛරයෙක් ක්‍රෝධයෙන් ජනතාවගේ ඇස් වහලා අවුරුදු 17, 18, 19 කොල්ලෝ කෙල්ලෝ පාරට බස්සලා, කෝච්චි ගිනි තියන, බස් ගිනි තියන, ගොවිජන මධ්‍යස්ථාන ගිනි තියන තැනට රට පත් කළා. හැබැයි ඒ අවස්ථා දෙකේදීම පාලන බලය ගන්න ඒ අයට බැරි වුනා. මේ තුන්වැනි අවස්ථාවේදී මිනිස්සු රවට්ටලා, වෛරය ක්‍රෝදය හදලා, අවි ආයුද අතට අරගෙන ගැටුම් කරන්න හදන්නේ. මේ රට ගිනි තියලා ත්‍රස්තවාදී ක්‍රමයට බලය ගන්න හදනවා කියලා කිව්වත් අපි මාලිමාවට කියලා සමහරු කියන්න ගනීවි.

අපේ රටේ ජනතාවගේ ඇස් දැන් ඇරිලා තියෙන්නේ. ඒ නිසා තමයි පොදු ජන පෙරමුණට, ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂයට ඡන්දය දීපු අය, මන්ත්‍රීවරුන්ගේ ඉදලා හැමෝම අපිත් එක්ක අත්වැල් බැදගෙන ඉන්නේ. රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මැතිතුමා තව වතාවක් නෙමෙයි, දෙකක්ම බලයට පත් කරලා මේ රට දියුණු රටක් බවට පත් කරන්න ඕන කියලා රටට, ජනතාවට ආදරේ අය අපිත් එක්ක අත්වැල් බැදගෙන ඉන්නවා.

ඒකට සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස. පෙරේදා වෙනකම් අපේ නායකයා. පෙරේදා අපි පක්ෂයෙන් අයින් කළා. ඒ පක්ෂයේ හිටපු ගොඩක් අය අපිත් එක්ක එකතු වෙලා ඉන්න නිසා. හෙට අනිද්දට ඔය මන්ත්‍රීවරු ටිකත් අපිත් එක්ක එකතු වෙනවා.

දැන් උදේ පාන්දර පාර්ලිමේන්තුව ඇවිත් න්‍යායපත්‍රයෙන් පිට ගිහින් මොනවා හරි අදෝනාවක් කරනවා. මේ සිල්ලර දේශපාලනය, වොයිස් කට් දේශපාලනය කරන්න එපා කියලා කිව්වා. ඒ කතාව කියලා ඉවර වුනා විතරයි, දෙමළ ජාතික සන්ධානයේ මන්ත්‍රීවරයෙක් ඇවිත් මට කතාවක් කිව්වා. අපේ ගෙවල්වල අම්මලා තාත්තලා දරුවන්ට කන්න ඉතිරි කරලා තමයි කන්නේ කියලා කිව්වා. ඒත් විපක්ෂ නායකතුමා ආපු වෙලාවේ ඉදලා වෙලාව කාලා, කාලා ඉතිරි වුනොත් තමයි අනික් මන්ත්‍රීවරුන්ට කතා කරන්න වෙලාවක් දෙන්නේ කියලා කිව්වා. ඒ වගේ වැඩ කරන විපක්ෂ නායකතුමාට හැමදාමත් විපක්ෂ නායක පුටුවේ ඉන්න අපිට දෙන්න පුලුවන් උපරිම සහාය අපි ලබාදෙනවා.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය.

“අද රට යම් යහපත් තත්වයකට පත්ව ඇති බව කුහකත්වයෙන් තොරව පිළිගන්න ඕන සත්‍යයක්.”
-කිරින්දේ අස්සජි හිමි
“ව්‍යවස්ථාදායකය හා විධායකය නොගැටී රට සුභවාදී දිශාවකට යොමු කිරිමට ජනාධිපතිතුමා සමඟ අත්වැල් බැඳ ගැනීමට අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාට හැකි වුණා.”
– උඩවෙල කෝලිත හිමි.
උන් වහන්සේලා මේ බව ප්‍රකාශ කළේ දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ධූරයට පත්ව වසරක් පිරීම නිමිත්තෙන් අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලයේ 2023.07.22 දින පැවති ආගමික වතාවත් සිදුකිරීමෙන් අනතුරුව ය.

එහිදී අනුශාසනා කළ කොළඹ, ගංගාරාම විහාරාධිකාරී කිරින්දේ අස්සජි හිමි –
“ඔබතුමා අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ධූරය බාර ගත්තේ ඉතාමත්ම රට අස්ථාවර කාලවකවානුවක. ඇත්තෙන්ම රට ගිනි අරගෙන තියෙන මොහොතක  ඇතිවුණු කැරලි කෝලාහලත් එක්ක රටේ සාමාන්‍ය ජනතාවගේ විතරක් නෙමෙයි මහජන නියෝජිතයන් හැටියට මේ රටට දීර්ඝ කාලයක් සේවය කළ ඒ අයගේ ගෙවල් ගිනිබත් වෙලා රට මහා ව්‍යාකූල තත්ත්වයකට පත්වුණා. ගෙවී ගිය වසර දිහා ආපහු හැරිලා බලනකොට යම් මට්ටමකට සැනසුම් සුසුමක් හෙලන්න පුළුවන් තැනකට අද රට පත්ව තිබීම කුහකත්වයෙන් තොර ඕනෑම කෙනෙකුට පිළිගන්න පේන්න තියෙන සත්‍යයක්.
පරිණත දේශපාලනඥයෙක් හැටියට ඔබතුමා අද ඔය නිලයේ ඉන්නේ. සම්භාවනීය පවුලක මහජන සේවයට කැප වුණු  ඉතාමත්ම ගෞරවනීය  පවුල් පසුබිමක උපන්, උගත මනා යුතු අධ්‍යාපනය  පැත්තෙන් සහ ආධ්‍යාත්මික පැත්තෙන් ගොඩනඟා ගත යුතු යම් යම් ස්ථාවරත්වයක් ගොඩනඟාගෙන මහජන නියෝජිතයෙක් හැටියට දීර්ඝ කාලයක් ශ්‍රී ලංකා පාර්ලිමේන්තුව නියෝජනය කළා.  
ජනාධිපතිතුමා මේ රටේ පැවතුණු නොසන්සුන් වාතාවරණය තුළ රටේ සේනාධි නායකයා, රටේ ජනාධිපතිවරයා හැටියට පත් වුනාට පස්සේ එතුමා ගත් දූරදර්ශී ක්‍රියාපිළිවෙත් අතර මේ අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ධුරයට කෙනෙක් පත්කර ගැනීමත් එතුමාට ලොකු භාරදූර කර්තව්‍යයක් වුණා, කොහොම නමුත් ඔබතුමා කෙරෙහි විශ්වසනීයත්වයෙන් යුක්තව ඒ අවස්ථාවේ ඔබතුමාට අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ධූරය ලබා දීලා මේ රටේ ස්ථාවරත්වය ගොඩනැගීම සඳහා කැපවීමේ ක්‍රියාදාමයට සෘජු දායකත්වය ලබා දෙන්න කියලා ඉල්ලුවා.
ගෙවී ගිය වසර පුරාවටම ඔබ තුමා මේ අමාත්‍ය මණ්ඩලය මේ කර්තව්‍යයට ජනාධිපතිතුමා සමඟ අත්වැල් බැඳ ගත්තා. එහි ප්‍රතිඵලය අද මේ වෙනකොට අපිට ලැබිලා තියෙනවා. කවුරු කොයි විදිහට විවේචනය කළත් අපට සුබවාදීව බලන්න පුළුවන් බොහෝ කරුණු කාරණා මේ ගෙවී ගිය  වසරක කාලසීමාව තුළ අපට දැකගන්නට පුළුවන්.
ඒ නිසා පත්වෙන්න හිටපු අවදානම්කාරී වාතාවරණයෙන් මිදීලා රට  ඉදිරියට අරගෙන ඇවිත් තියෙනවා.  ඉදිරි වසර මීටත් වඩා  ශක්තිමත්ව  මහ ජනතාවගේ පැත්තෙන් බලලා ක්‍රියා කළ යුතුයි.

මෙහිදී අනුශාසනා කළ කොල්ලුපිටියේ වාලුකාරාමාධිකාරි උඩවෙල කෝලිත හිමි
“ගිය අවුරුද්දේ රට ගිනි ගෙන තිබෙන මොහොතක මේ රට සුබවාදී දිශානතියකට යොමු කිරීමේ අදිටනින් වත්මන් ජනාධිපතිතුමා ධුරයට පත් වුණා. ඉන්පසුව අද වගේ දවසක අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා හැටියට දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා පත් වුණා.
මේ රට වැටිල තිබුණු අගාධයෙන්  ආර්ථික අර්බුදයෙන් ගොඩ ගැනීම සඳහා ඔබතුමාලා ගේ සුසංයෝගය ඉතාමත් හොඳින් ගැළපෙන බව අපට පෙනෙනවා. ව්‍යවස්ථාදායකය විධායකය ගැටෙන්නෙ නැතුව මේ රට සුබවාදී දිශානතියකට යොමු කරන්නට ජනාධිපතිතුමා සමඟ අත්වැල් බැඳ ගැනීමට වත්මන් අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයාට සහ අනිකුත් මැතිඇමතිවරුන්ට පුළුවන්වීම සම්බන්ධව අපි මහා සංඝරත්නය හැටියට සතුටට පත්වෙනවා.
මේ හැම ජයග්‍රහණයකටම දේශපාලන නායකත්වය විශාල වශයෙන් බලපානවා. ඒ නිසා ජනාධිපතිතුමා සහ අගමැතිතුමා මෙන්ම අනිත් ඇමැතිවරුන්ගෙ සහයෝගය මේ රට ටිකෙන් ටික ස්ථාවරත්වයට ගෙන ඒමට ඉතාම වටිනවා.
දකුණු ආසියාවේ පවුල් දේශපාලනය සුලභ ලක්ෂණයක්. ලංකාවෙත් එහෙමයි. ගුණවර්ධන පවුලේ ඉතිහාසය කිවුවහම අපි දකින්නේ ඉතාමත්ම හොඳ දේශපාලන ව්‍යුහයක්. අනිකුත් පවුල් දේශපාලනය දිහා බැලුවහම ඊට එහා ගිය සුවිශේෂී කාර්‍යයන් විශාල ප්‍රමාණයක් මේ රටට සිදුකළ පවුලක් හැටියට සඳහන් කරන්නට පුළුවන්.
මෙතුමන්ගේ පියාණන් පිලිප් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා අපේ නිදහස් අරගලයේ ජාතික වීරවරයෙක්. එතුමා සිදු කළ සුවිශේෂී කාර්යභාරයන් හුගක් තියෙනවා. 56 පෙරලිය කියන්නේ නිකම්ම පෙරළියක් නෙවේ. පිලිප් ගුණවර්ධන මැතිතුමන්ගේ ඇතුළු තරුණ නායකයින්ගේ වාමවාදී දැක්ම එතුමාගේ දූරදර්ශී දැක්ම මේ රටේ නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපනය නිදහස් සෞඛ්‍යය ජනසතුකරණය රාජ්‍ය ව්‍යාපාර ආරම්භ කිරීම කියන කාරණා වලදී  බලපෑවා. ගොවි කම්කරු කියන දුගී ජනතාවගේ අයිතිවාසිකම් සහ සිහින වෙනුවෙන්. පිලිප් ගුණවර්ධන මහතාගේ අභාවයෙන් පසුව  මහජන එක්සත් පෙරමුණේ  නායකත්වය අරගෙන වත්මන් අගමැති තුමා  සාර්ථක දුර ගමනක් ඇවිත් තිබෙනවා.”
මෙම අවස්ථාවට කොල්ලුපිටිය වාලුකාරාමාධිපති මහරගම නන්ද හිමි ප්‍රධාන විහාරස්ථාන රැසක සංඝරත්නය ද, අමාත්‍යවරුන් වන නිමල් සිරිපාල ද සිල්වා, සුසිල් ප්‍රේමජයන්ත, විජයදාස රාජපක්ෂ, ටිරාන් අලස්, රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍යවරුන් වන සිසිර ජයකොඩි, අශෝක ප්‍රියන්ත, සුරේන් රාඝවන්, අනුප පැස්කුවල්, පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් වන ගාමිණී ලොකුගේ, යදාමිණී ගුණවර්ධන, මදුර විතානගේ, ජයන්ත වීරසිංහ, ප්‍රේමනාත් දොළවත්ත, හිටපු නියෝජ්‍ය කතානායක ගීතාංජන ගුණවර්ධන, අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලයේ  නිලධාරීහූ සහභාගී වූහ.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය.

Lanka Lead News

අද දින පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ දී මුලතිව් හි කුරුන්දි අශෝක විහාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් හා වර්තමානයේ එහි ඇතිවී තිබෙන අර්බුදය පිළිබඳව පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ජයන්ත සමරවීර මහතා විසින් බුද්ධශාසන, ආගමික හා සංස්කෘතික අමාත්‍ය විදුර වික්‍රමනායක මහතාගෙන් ප්‍රශ්න කිරීමක් සිදු කළේය.

එහිදී ජයන්ත සමරවීර මහතා මතුකළේ අද දිනයේත් දමිළ පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීවරයකු වන රවීහරන් ඇතුළු පිරිසක් මෙම විහාර භූමියේ පෝංගල් උත්සවයක් පැවැත් වීමට සූදානම් බවට තොරතුරු ලැබී ඇති බවත්, 1931 දී කුරුන්දි විහාර ගැසට් කිරීමේ දී මෙය බෞද්ධ පුරාවිද්‍යාත්මක නටඹුන් සහිත ස්ථානයක් බව ප්‍රකාශකර ඇති බවත්ය. මෙම ස්ථානයේ පුරාවිද්‍යා කැනීම් සිදු කිරීමේ දී ද හින්දු කොවිලක හෝ හින්දු ස්මාරකවල නටඹුන් කිසිවක් මතුවී නොමැති බවත් ඒ මහතා පැහැදිලි කළේය.

මෙම ගැටලුවට හේතුවී ඇත්තේ කුරුන්දි විහාරය බෞද්ධ පුරාවස්තුවක් ලෙස නම් නොකිරීම බව පෙන්වා දුන් ජයන්ත සමරවීර මහතා, එසේ බෞද්ධ පුරාවස්තුවක් ලෙස නම් කිරීමට යෝජනා කරන බවත්, ඒ සඳහා ඇති හැකියාව පිළිබඳව හා එසේ කරන්නේ නම් ඒ කවර දිනක දී දැයි ප්‍රශ්නකර සිටියේය.

එයට පිළිතුරු ලබා දෙමින් බුද්ධ ශාසන අමාත්‍යවරයා පැවසුවේ මෙම ගැටලුව සම්බන්ධයෙන් දැනට නඩු දෙකක් විභාග වෙමින් පවතින බවත්, නීති උපදෙස් ලබා ගනිමින් මෙම යෝජනාව ඉටු කිරීමට පොරොන්දු වන බවත්ය.

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Lanka Lead News

තමා දන්නා ලෙසින් පක්ෂයේ කිසිවෙකුත් විදෙස්ගත ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන්ට රටට මුදල් එවන්න එපැයැයි නොකියූ බවත්, තමාගේ මෙම ප්‍රකාශය හැන්සාඩ් ගත කරන ලෙසත් ජාතික ජනබලවේගයේ නායක අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මහතා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ දී පවසා තිබේ.

එහෙත් ජාතික ජනබලවේගයේ සභික සුනිල් හඳුන්නෙත්ති හා තවත් ක්‍රියාකාරිකයකු එසේ විදෙස්ගත ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන්ට රටට මුදල් එවන්න එපා යැයි කියූ වීඩියෝ කිහිපයක් සමාජ මාධ්‍ය තුළ සංසරණය වෙයි.

වීඩියෝව නරඹන්න

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Courtesy abc News

Sri Lanka is considering the possibility of allowing the use of the Indian rupee to be used in local transactions, as the island nation struggles to build its depleted foreign reserves and to emerge from last year’s unprecedented economic crisis.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka is considering the possibility of allowing the use of the Indian rupee for local transactions, as the island nation struggles to build its depleted foreign reserves and to emerge from last year’s unprecedented economic crisis.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said Saturday the move to allow the use of its giant neighbor’s currency would enable tourists and other people from India to directly use Indian rupees here” without going through the hassle of multiple currency conversions.

Sri Lanka imports plenty of items from India — its largest trading partner — including food, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, automobiles, fertilizers and chemicals. Trade between the two nations stood at $5.45 billion in 2021, according to official figures.

Sabry said accepting the Indian rupee would work as an advantage for Sri Lanka as the trade imbalance between the two countries is in favor of India.

We need more Indian currency, so more Indian people coming here and spending Indian currency is good for us,” Sabry told reporters a day after visiting India with Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe.

During the visit, India and Sri Lanka signed a series of energy, development and trade agreements, signalling growing economic ties between the neighboring countries.

Relations between the two countries surged last year when Sri Lanka was mired in its worst economic crisis in modern history, triggered by a severe foreign currency crunch that saw essential items run out and citizens queue for fuel for days. It also suspended its repayment of foreign debt last year.

India provided critical financial and humanitarian assistance worth over $4 billion to its neighbor, including food, medicine and fuel.

India was also the first creditor to extend a letter of support towards Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring efforts that helped kickstart support from the IMF, which approved a $3 billion bailout package in March.

Sri Lanka’s total debt has exceeded $83 billion, of which $41.5 billion is foreign and $42.1 billion is domestic. Sri Lanka has now started the process of restructuring it’s debt.

Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean has long attracted attention from regional rivals India and China. For years, free-flowing loans and infrastructure investments from Beijing helped it gain an upper hand against New Delhi in the quest for influence.

But the country’s economic collapse gave New Delhi an opportunity to swing the pendulum back in its favor, especially as China delayed its support for debt restructuring, experts say. China owns about 10% of Sri Lanka’s foreign debt.

ByShishir Gupta Courtesy The Hindustan Times

During PM Modi and Wickremesinghe’s private lunch, it is not difficult to assume that China was the elephant in the room as Beijing has been engaging Colombo.

During his discussions with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi apparently reminded the visitor that India was among the first responders to economic crisis that wracked the island nation in 2022 while maintaining that Colombo must take into account India’s national security interest before collaborating with a third power.

It is understood that President Wickremesinghe agreed that Sri Lanka will be sensitive to India’s strategic and security concerns. As PM Modi and President Wickremesinghe had one-on-one private lunch extending over an hour, it is not difficult to assume that China was the elephant in the room as Beijing has been assiduously engaging Colombo under the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) with the island nation currently under a mountain of Chinese debt.

It was during the 2022 economic crisis that while the world including China hesitated, India came out with full financial, food and oil support to bail out the island nation from the deep political crisis.

While PM Modi made it known that India will stay its course in helping out Sri Lanka in times of economic crisis, the two leaders decided to take a long term view of the bilateral relation with focus on digital, oil, power, road and perhaps railroad connectivity in future.

It was President Wickremesinghe who suggested a land bridge between India and Sri Lanka on 27 kilometer long possible Rameswaram-Talai Mannar alignment, which was immediately agreed to by PM Modi. The depth of sea in this particular area of Palk Straits is also conducive as there is only one to three meters of water and a bridge could be easily constructed in the region.

The two countries have decided to cooperate in development of ports and logistics infrastructure at Colombo, Trincomalee and Kankesanthurai with mutual understanding as part of maritime connectivity. Besides this there was agreement on air connectivity, energy and power connectivity as well as renewable energy.

While the land bridge proposal was mooted for the first time, there is a strong possibility of having an oil, gas, power pipeline along with the bridge connecting the two countries. There is also a possibility to have a railroad bridge between the two countries as Rameswaram is connected with railroad just as Talai Mannar is on the Sri Lankan side.

According to experts based in Colombo and New Delhi, the two countries will have to play their cards carefully to implement the long term vision on ground as China has deep penetration into Sri Lankan polity and Beijing will do its utmost not to allow India to regain its past heft with the island nation.

Courtesy Adaderana

The former LTTE members, who were found guilty of the bomb attack on the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) on 31 January 1996 which killed 91 individuals, have been granted presidential pardon.

Accordingly, former LTTE member Selliah Navaratnam who had been sentenced to 200 years in prison and S. Shanmugarajah who was sentenced to life in prison have been pardoned and released from prison on Tuesday (18), according to the Department of Prisons.

Selliah Navaratnam is currently 69 years old, while Shanmugarajah is aged 56.

The terror attack – which left 91 individuals including 41 CBSL officers dead, 08 CBSL officers totally blind, 11 CBSL officials partially paralysed, and few hundreds wounded – was carried out using a lorry containing about 440 pounds of high explosives which were crashed through the main gate of the Central Bank, followed by a suicide bombing that tore through the bank and damaged eight other buildings nearby.

Courtesy Adaderana

Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has urged licensed commercial banks to take immediate measures to adequately reduce lending rates in view of the recent reduction of policy interest rates.

Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, in a letter directed to the Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (SLBA) chairman, said the Central Bank would be compelled to take administrative measures in the event the banking and financial sector fails to take adequate and expeditious adjustments in this regard.

Explaining that the central bank recently dropped the policy interest rates by 450 bps on two occasions with a view to enabling the economy to reach its potential while stabilising inflation at mid-single digit levels in the medium term and easing pressures in the financial markets, the governor said it is thus expected that market interest rates – particularly lending rates – will adjust downwards adequately and swiftly”.

It is also expected that the banking and financial sector will pass on this benefit to individuals and businesses, thereby supporting the rebounding of economic activities of the country and enabling borrowers to repay credit facilities which in turn enhances the asset quality of the banking sector, he added.

The governor said the central bank has observed that the deposit interest rates of the banking sector have significantly been reduced while the lending rates continue to be downward rigid. Such rigidity of lending rates would be counterproductive in the process of envisaged economic recovery.”

In addition, faster normalization of interest rate structure would not only benefit the businesses and individuals but also the banking sector as well through the expected improvement in the quality of credit, he pointed out.

Dr. Weerasinghe called for a concerted effort to reduce lending rates as it will enable individuals and businesses to re-commence or continue the repayment of credit facilities and improve the sustainability of borrowers which will lead to a positive impact on the real sector resulting in the banking sector performance to improve.

According to the governor, the central bank strongly expects this will contribute to enhancing the resilience of banks, thereby enabling expansion of banking business in the period ahead.

Hence, he urged licensed commercial banks to take measures to adequately reduce lending rates without delay.

Courtesy Adaderana

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry says that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has discussed India’s intervention for the progress of the plantation Tamil people who have been in Sri Lanka for about 200 years.

Joining a press conference held at the President’s Media Centre today (22), to announce the outcomes of President Wickremesinghe’s official visit to New Delhi, Foreign Minister Sabry detailed the agreements reached with the Government of India.

The Head of State, on July 20, embarked on a two-day visit to New Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the course of his stay, President Wickremesinghe held bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Modi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other top dignitaries.

The minister pointed out that during the visit, attention was drawn to setting up a university in Nuwara Eliya, and also to establish Indian universities in Sri Lanka.

Sabry further emphasized that it was agreed with India to acquire new technical knowledge required for agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy farming on the island, for which a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) was signed.

Further, the banning of bottom trawling fishing practices in the northern sea areas, which have been going on for a long time, have also been taken up during the discussions, along with the decision to allow Sri Lankan fishermen to move to the Arabian Sea through the Indian Sea.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister also expressed that an agreement was reached to work cooperatively in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) so as not to threaten the ‘mutual security’.

The two sides have also mulled using Indian Rupee (INR) in Sri Lanka as a valid currency, Sabry added.

Courtesy Adaderana

Steps will be taken to provide commercially valuable lands located in major cities in the country to investors in a bid to contribute to the economy, State Minister of Urban Development & Housing says.

Arundika Fernando also stated that the government has informed the investors in writing to resume the projects on commercially valuable state-owned land in Colombo that have been halted midway due to the economic situation facing the country.

Accordingly, the government has given an ultimatum to the investors demanding the resumption of the suspended projects, the lawmaker mentioned, adding that if the investors fail to a decision before the end of next month, these uncompleted projects would be taken over by the government and given to new investors.

The state minister made these remarks addressing a press conference organized by the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) on Friday (July 21).

Speaking on the properties with commercial worth in major cities, notably Colombo, the state minister said it has been decided to distribute them to new investors in a way that will strengthen the economy of the country.

Currently, Hilton Hotel is a lucrative business. As a result, it has been agreed to safeguard employee rights as well as the Hilton hotel chain’s conventions and improve it in order to boost the country’s economy. Along with this, steps are being taken to transfer ownership of the Battaramulla-based Waters Edge Hotel to new investors. Additionally, a committee has been established by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to examine how these new initiatives would be carried out.”

Fernando said a decision was taken to grant investors access to 24 coastal regions that have been designated as tourist destinations, so that they can boost the national economy. New investors will be awarded temporary construction rights to those coastal zones. These zones must be formed with tourist-drawing beach activities, as in other countries.”

In addition, on the advice of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, steps have already been taken to develop Colombo, Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Trincomalee as favourable tourist attraction areas.

Some projects are being implemented with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank under the intervention of government agencies including the Urban Development Authority, the state minister added.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Aruwakkalu Scientific Sanitary Garbage Dump under the Colombo Solid Waste Management project is scheduled to be handed over to the public by the end of January next year, he said further.

by Garvin Karunaratne

The Peoples’ Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at a Seed Distribution at Mawatagama rightly said We look forward to accomplishing the special goal of building the economy of the country”. In detail, the economic development of the country has to be with the farmers”. He has also emphasized that the next challenge is to support small and medium scale industry.”(Ceylon Today: 7/7/23)

Our Prime Minister has to be congratulated for making this statement.

How can this be achieved? A year has passed by since our Prime Minister took office and it has so happened that within this year no new programmes have been implemented to bring about any economic development.

This Government inherited a situation where the farmers were deprived of inorganic fertilizer due to the ill-advised programme of the earlier President. The paddy harvest fell by around fifty per cent and consequently, the farmers’ incomes faltered and the country faced starvation. It is correct to state that easily five to six million people in our resplendent country which is blessed by Mother Nature with ample rainfall and fertile land, have had to face starvation and forgo meals. Today food is available but sadly, beyond the purse strings of the majority.

Having worked in the field of economic development in Sri Lanka for seventeen years, and having also worked in other countries- faced with youth unemployment in Bangladesh in my two year consultancy I established the Youth Self Employment Programme and trained the members of the elite Bangladesh Civil Service to continue it after my consultancy was over- and today this programme has flowered to guide over three million youths to become self employed, the most successful employment programme one can find- perhaps my ideas may be worth considering.

As our Prime Minister says farmers should come to the forefront. Recently our Minister for Agriculture hailed seed scientist GA Jinadasa for producing the seed variety AT 362, which finds a record yield. Four farmers that had harvested a yield of 10-11 metric tonnes of paddy per hectare were felicitated. (Ceylon Today: 7/7/23). In a country where the present average yield of paddy is 3 to 4.5 metric tonnes on average the variety AT362 offers a miracle solution.

Sri Lanka has well over a million farmers with small extents of land and how can this seed be provided to all the farmers? Sri Lanka, once, before 1977 had Paddy Seed Farms and today some of these Seed Farms have been sold off- privatized. Sadly our leaders fail to understand the fate of a country that privatizes its important functions. Thus actually we may have a seed variety that turns our a fantastic yield but unfortunately, we have no mechanism to produce enough high-yielding seeds and also no method of distributing it to the farmers. Our Minister talks big but this is sadly the true situation. 

The vacuum in agricultural extension is because President Premadasa in one of his unguarded moments promoted all 2400 Agricultural Overseers working at the village level to become Grama Niladharis and since then- 1992 there is no trained officer at the village level whom the farmers can contact. The agricultural officer closest to the farmers is the Agricultural Instructor at the Divisional level, but he has to attend to 3,500 farmers at Ranorawa or as many as 13,000 at Yodakandiya. In short, there is no method by which the Agriculture Department can make the miracle seeds or even if it is made, distribute it. The Agricultural Ministry can talk and make statements but it has no legs to walk and get things done. The Agricultural Extension Centres of the Agrarian Service Department do not have any officers trained in agriculture. These serve only a farmer who visits.

It has to be stated that once – before 1977 we did have a proper extension service. Then the Department of Agriculture did have 2400 agricultural overseers at the village level and also a sister department- the Agrarian Services Department had established cultivation committees- elected under the Paddy Lands Act and the Agrarian Services had over a thousand field officers trained in agriculture and it was the combined effort of these two Departments that enabled Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake to achieve self-sufficiency in paddy by 1970. I was a live party to this development- first working in the Agrarian Services Department and later as the Additional Government Agent at Kegalla. In Anuradhapura, three of us Assistant Commissioners in Agrarian Services established 296 cultivation committees in 1962-1964 and we worked with the farmers, and our meetings with the farmers continued to even late at night.

Today there is no officer trained in agriculture for the people to contact and there is no peoples organization for the people to meet and discuss and get down to work together.

Thus it is left to our Prime Minister to immediately organize training in paddy cultivation for all officers manning agricultural extension centres and also increase the training of Agricultural Instructors for each Division to have a few Agricultural Instructors. Further, these officers should be asked to develop cooperatives in all areas where the farmers can meet, discuss and arrive at decisions re-cultivation of paddy, hold kanna meetings where extents to be cultivated and when cultivation should take place etc are decided. Today even kanna meetings are not held. Paddy cultivation has become a no man’s land.

I would quote from my book: Nuwarakalaviya:

Instead of development what we are seeing today is the neglect of the irrigation systems and the total destruction of orderly cultivation that once existed when the Government Agents and later the Agrarian Services handled irrigation administration.

It is absolutely necessary that action is taken to backtrack to a vibrant system like what we had when the Government Agents were handling minor irrigation with the Vel Vidanes. Otherwise the death knell of the economy of Nuwarakalaviya is a forgone conclusion”(pg104)

It is my hope that our Prime Minister may please consider re organizing minor irrigation and paddy cultivation as was once done by the Government Agents. This does not required any legislation. The Government Agents and Divisional Secretaries are there in place and they come directly under the Hon. Prime Minister. It is only one decision by the Prime Minister to restore a system that was once in force a few decades ago, in 1965.

Our Prime Minister had also emphasized that we should develop small and medium scale industries. Not long ago- in 1970-1977 the Government established the Divisional Development Councils Programme, where small industrial and agricultural units were established. A total number of 33 200 youths were trained in agriculture, livestock and small industries. Many small industries were established in all Districts. The Divisional Secretary at Kotmale established a small factory making paper and cardboard out of waste paper. This was a great success. Sad to say that though waste paper to paper cum cardboard factories can be immediately established, we have not even thought about it. We import paper instead of making it. .

I served as the GA at Matara and in my distrcit many small industries were established like making farm implements, making sago out of manioc etc. The most successful of the small industries I established was the Mechanized BoatYard at Matara where twenty youths were trained and they did make some 35-45 seaworthy motorboats a year that were sold to fishery cooperatives. Again my Planning Officer Vetus Fernando who was a chemistry grad found the art of making crayons at the science lab of Rahula College and our Morawaka Cooperative Union  did establish Coop Crayon which did produce crayons that were sold island wide from 1971 to 1977. This was a great success. It was all done without a single dollar- dyes were purchased in the open market at high rates. I approached the Controller of Imports when he was about to authorize the import of crayons to a private firm and convinced him that we could make all the crayons if only he gave us a small allocation of foreign exchange to import dyes. He agreed but wanted me to get the approval of his Minister, Mr Illangaratne. I and the member of parliament Sumanapala Dahanayake showed the crayons to Mr. Illangaratne and said that this was produced by our Morawaka Cooperatives. I can yet remember the gleam on his face after he scribbled on a piece of paper and looked at his fingers to see whether the crayon had left a stain. He not only authorized an allocation of foreign exchange for the import of dyes but decided that all imports of crayons should be stopped forthwith. This true story tells us how we should proceed to establish industries. 

It is all in the court for our Prime Minister to act. Please direct the Government Agents to take charge of paddy production as was done by Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake in 1965. Please also direct the Government Agents to develop small industries in the districts using local produce, for our use and this will also save dollars we spend on imports. .

This is a task that can easily be achieved within a few months with no dollars- with local rupees and when we do produce some items like paper we will save our dollars that are spent on imports and if we produce crayons- which we are certain of doing, we will not only save all what we spend today to import but we can also export.

Over to you, sir, these are ideas that can be put into practice immediately if only you do decide.

Garvin Karunaratne,

former GA Matara, 19072023

By Engr. Kanthar Balanathan DipEE (UK), GradCert (RelEng-Monash), DipBus&Adm (Finance-Massey), C.Eng., MIEE, Former Director of Power Engineering Solutions Pty Ltd, Consulting Electrical EngineersLeading Engineer of the World 2006, UK Authority Award

1. General

This article is written not to scorn Tamils, but to think and educate themselves about their shortfall and correct themselves rather than insulting others. Tamils shall not think that Hinduism is the greatest religion in the world because Hindus celebrate the murders of opponents by their gods. Hindus have a mindset of imaginary thinking of events, actions, and programs. E.g., Deepavali. Most Tamils lack in mannerisms, and courtesy, have a very rude behavioural pattern and have a megalomaniac attitude.  While talking to others Tamils always try to take a short path with lies to hurt their opponents, in general, Tamils always tell lies. I am a Tamil born in the North; however, I grew up in the South and worked in various countries. Me being growing up in the South gave me a clear picture and knowledge of the behavioural pattern of Sinhalese and Tamils. In India and the North, milk is used to wash the deity/statue and the waste runs down the drain. While there are people with kids who need milk and in India people and children die starving for milk. In general, the Sinhalese citizens in Sri Lanka are kind, polite and friendly compared to the Tamils and are judged better than the Tamils.

2    General Religious Culture of Tamils

Tamils are more concerned about the caste of their people, and they restricted low-caste people to enter temples because of the cleanliness of the low-caste people. It was not the practice of the low-caste people to walk around with unclean bodies. The elites made sure with the power held by them that the low-caste people were not paid adequately, and the poverty made the people slightly unclean. They made sure that the products were sold at low prices as they decided the prices. Fish in the UK is sold at a very high price, however in Jaffna they were sold at a very low price making sure that the fisherman does not become rich.

When the elite goons go to temples, they wear/apply sandalwood paste to their body. Why is that? Because their body is full of filth and smell and to prevent their dirty smell, they apply the sandalwood paste to hide the dirty smell. However, they spread that sandalwood is god’s creation and must wear in temples. Even the granite stone god’s body they bathe with milk and apply sandalwood paste. The poor cannot buy sandalwood paste. Hence the difference.

The elites do not sensibly ask the question as to why they have several gods and why they have weapons in their hands. Gods can get weapons immediately when they want. The purpose is to KILL the opponent.  Therefore Hinduism is Killing profess.

BUUDHHISM advocates, practices, worships, peace and professes intelligence and magnanimity.

It is a challenge that any Tamil can come to a platform and enter into a debate.

In Australia and other countries Tamils immediately build temples and a medical doctor is elected President of the temple.  Does this mean that the medical doctor is incompetent to practice as a medical doctor? Tamils have a weak mentality that only doctors can be presidents and advocates can be elected to parliament. Finally, bribery and corruption infiltrate the organisation. This indicates Tamil’s mental inability to understand human effectiveness and efficiency.

I have in an earlier article stated how the Hindu temples conduct poojas. It is like a war zone. However, you walk into a Buddhist shrine, the shrine is peaceful. This is what a Buddhist priest taught King ASOKA of Kalinga.

Tamil worshippers even in a Hindu temple fight, argue and attempt murder in Jaffna. However, never in a Buddhist Shrine room. Tamils should think, understand, and learn how to live from the Sinhala Buddhists. Buddhism is practised by over several billion people in the world.

In India, Hindus fight over caste, gods, and wealth. And competition over whose temple tower is the highest. History states Raja Rajan Cholan built the Thanjavur temple tower to a height of 216 feet. Do people realise how many human lives would have been sacrificed during the tower job?

• Cleanliness of Tamils and Sinhalese in Eating Houses

• Eating Houses/Places

Take for example an eating hotel in Colombo: 1960: Luxmi Villas and Pillaiyar Villas in front of Pettah Railway Station.

I am relating this to the 60s. The serving waiter/bearer in a Tamil eating place, in general, does not wear any shirt, except wears a shorts or sarong. Bear body and use hands to serve. They have banana leaves to serve food. Serve with unclean hands. The way the customers wash their hands and mouths is abysmal.

If we walk into a Sinhalese hotel; food is served in a tray full of dishes and a plate to eat. Finally, to wash they serve a bowl full of water. The hotel and service are quite clean.  The servers wear the uniform given by the hotel/eating house. The cost is a little higher than the so-called Dosai Kades”.

The author preferred to eat in Sinhala eating houses always in Colombo and other towns.

The current trend in 2020/2023 in Jaffna eating houses is that food has worms, cockroaches, and other flying insects. What could be the reason for this? During the power cuts period and power cost, Tamils may not use lights but lanterns, which may not give proper lux. Insects flying may drop into the pots and the cooks may not worry about the migration.

Tamils are worried about caste; however, these comedians must concentrate to educate their people with appropriate good hygienic culture. The Jaffna Municipal Council Health Inspectors must visit and arrest people who do not obey the law.  That’s what the MCs are for. Not to advocate for Tamil Eelam and Power sharing”

What happened to me: In Australia, two of the Tamil spice shops had Soya meat. When I looked at the expiry date, the packets had expired the year before. When I told the shopkeeper, his answer was: We cooked the same soya meat this weak end and it was good and tasty”. What could I say to this fool? I just walked out, and I never visited the shop ever again. In the third shop, when I pointed out an expired product, they changed it. It runs in the blood of Tamils to cheat others. Today Tamil organisations are swindling millions of dollars from poor workers. Tamils do not believe in Expiry dates.

I stayed at the Hartley Hostel in 1960. The hostel was poorly managed and run. Water had to be fetched from the well for washing, toilet etc. The food was cooked by Theevu Pandarams. Very poor quality. They used American white flour for pittus and string hoppers. When this is made into a ball, it can hurt people. The dirtiest hostel in SL. Hundreds of students are bulked onto the two floors. It has been the worst hostel I have lived in anywhere in SL or elsewhere. There was only one bucket toilet at the college where over 500 students studied.

I lived in a hostel in Colombo run by the Sinhala people. I would rank the hostel as excellent.

Tamils could not even run the Northern Provincial Council. My view is that Tamils can never manage their affairs but need a walking stick. The worst dirtiest race in the world.

Whatever, Tamils should learn from the Sinhalese people about culture, living, hygiene, motivation, creativity, etc.

The following politicians should leave politics for the betterment of Sri Lanka.

Sambanthar, Mavai, Adaikkalanathan, GG Ponnambalam, Siththathar, Sritharan, selva rajah Gajendran, MA Sumanthiran, Sivajilingham, CV Wigneswaran, the Rajapaksas, Premadasa, and possibly the entire TNA clowns. They should pave the way for the young University crowd to enter politics. Young politicians like Douglas Devananda, Angajan, and Manivannan should lead politics.

The old fools have led the country to bankruptcy.

Tamils should eliminate the dowry system because the dowry system and caste differences make them corrupt and lazy. If the country needs to be technologically advanced, then all people must be equal, and people shall respect the technology and the person’s technical/professional capability.

Recently a clown Ramaraj Veerahia from TGTE attempted to talk to the President Hon MR. RW in broken English. What type of guts has this fool got to rub shoulders with the President of a Republic about Genocide”? How long are they going to bark on Genocide”? This is typical Tamil mentality. What is the highest level of education of this fool who lives in London? What was his objective for this meeting? These are the type of Fools who mess up the Sri Lankan culture and peace.

For any person who starts to work in an organisation, the first thing people want to know is about his caste. The worst culture within the Tamil race.

Today Tamils are all over the planet. All that they want is to hurt and destroy Sri Lanka.

Hon Mr Ranil Wickramasinghe shall be elected as the president again with good young politicians in parliament if people want Sri Lanka to prosper and grow economically and technologically. Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe shall continue as the governor of the CB as he is doing a great job to save Sri Lanka. Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara should be elected again and given a portfolio to contribute to SL’s growth.

The Rear Admiral shall promote innovation, creativity, motivation, and flexibility to the industrial workers within his ministry. The Rear Admiral has lots of energy and wisdom to manage an important portfolio.

Tamils shall forget about PCs and Tamil Eelam, but join hands with the Sinhalese to be allocated portfolios to build SL. There shall be only one race in SL and that is Sinhalese Buddhist. This is good for Sri Lankan citizens and Tamils all over the world.

Ministry of Defence  – Media Centre

Her Excellency R. Demet Sekercioglu, Ambassador of Turkey for Sri Lanka, made a courtesy call on Acting Minister of Defence Hon. Premitha Bandara Tennakoon at the State Ministry of Defence today (Jul 21).

Minister Tennakoon held a cordial discussion with the Ambassador following a warm reception at his office.

Matters of bilateral importance and mutual relevance were discussed during the meeting held between Minister Tennakoon and H.E. Sekercioglu.

During the occasion, the Minister presented a memento to the Turkish Ambassador to mark the occasion.

Deputy Chief of Staff Navy and Director General – Operations Rear Admiral Pradeep Rathnayake was also present at the occasion.