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By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Chairman of the Oversight Committee on National Security Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara, MP, has warned many countries would endorse Canadian declaration of genocide here unless the government took tangible measures to counter the Ottawa’s politically motivated lie.

The warning was issued on Wednesday (07) when the defence top brass, including the heads of State Intelligence Service (SIS) and Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI)  and top level Foreign Ministry delegation appeared before the committee chaired by the former Navy Chief of Staff. They included Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Shavendra Silva and Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardene.

State Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon was also present. Former Public Security Minister Weerasekera urged the Foreign Ministry to take the initiative to move a motion in Parliament to condemn the Canadian genocide charge after having secured the approval of Cabinet-of-Ministers. The MP revealed a decision to move a private member’s motion in that regard.

Parliamentarian Weerasekera appreciated Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC’s strong response to the Canadian move.On the basis of Canadian motion approved in their parliament in May last year, Canada in January imposed travel ban on ex-Presidents, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The failure on the part of the government to counter travel bans imposed by the US and Canada on the basis of unsubstantiated war crimes allegations would be severely detrimental to the war winning military, lawmaker Weerasekera warned.

The MP said that genocide charge if not challenged and allowed to continue, it could justify their push for a separate state.Sri Lanka brought the war to a successful conclusion in May 2009. MP Weerasekera said that military officers would be discouraged and couldn’t be expected to take the initiative in case of a future conflict.

Since gaining independence 75 years ago, the military and police quelled two southern insurgencies in 1971 and 1987-1990 and terrorist war in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.Underscoring the responsibility on the part of the government whichever party in power and parliament to stand by the military and police, MP Weerasekera urged the Foreign Ministry to appropriately use the disclosure made by Lord Naseby in the House of Lords in Oct 2017 on the basis of wartime dispatches from the UK High Commission in Colombo (January-May 2009) and the then US Defence Advisor Lt. Colonel Lawrence Smith’s declaration in support of the Sri Lankan military (in June 2009).

Responding to The Island queries, MP Weerasekera said that Sri Lanka’s failure to use available information to counter lies propagated by interested parties couldn’t be justified under any circumstances. The whole issue has to be examined afresh against the backdrop of Sri Lanka betraying her own military and police at Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Oct 2015, MP Weerasekera said, adding that he expected the Foreign Ministry to take up this issue vigorously.

During Wednesday’s meeting MP Weerasekera told defence and foreign ministry officials that Sri Lanka had been wrongly dealt with by the UNHRC. The MP asserted that the issues at hand should have been dealt with in terms of non-international armed conflict. In terms of the relevant law, travel bans couldn’t be imposed on the military, MP Weerasekera said.

Pointing out that the UN Secretary General’s report prepared by a three-member team led by Marzuki Darusman as well as the OISL report acknowledged that the Sri Lanka conflict was a non-international armed conflict, MP Weerasekera urged the Foreign Ministry to set the record straight.

Those who had escaped the LTTE and sought protection behind army lines proved the genocide charge a myth, the MP said.MP Weerasereka also questioned the Foreign Ministry’s response to the unsubstantiated war crimes allegations with the focus on the Sri Lankan mission in Ottawa.

Commenting on the ongoing debate over the repealing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) , MP Weerasekera stressed that Sri Lanka couldn’t dilute the security law while being a signatory to UN Resolution 1373 (2001) enacted in the aftermath of Sept 11 Al Qaeda attacks on the US.

MP Weerasekera also warned that the downsizing of the Army shouldn’t be at the expense of security in the Northern Province. The former naval veteran underscored the need to maintain adequate strength to face any eventuality.The government recently declared that the Army would be reduced to 100,000 by 2030 after bringing down the strength to 135,000 next year. At the time the war ended the paid strength was 205,000.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Responding to an oral question raised by MP Jagath Kumara Sumithrarachchi in the House, the Minister said some 35 OICs have been transferred so that inquiries carried out against them will not be affected.

A total number of 73 police officers have been found to have failed in their duty to prevent the violence on May 9 2022, the Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles told Parliament today.

As per the information revealed by the Minister, inquiries are being carried out against 62 sub-inspectors and 6 inspectors who have been identified to have failed in their duty.

In response to a question raised by MP Sumithrarachchi on inquiries carried out on those who staged attacks on MPs and other politicians on May 9 last year, the Minster said separate investigations are carried out against them. We have also found out that some of the attackers have been found to have committed other offences such as running brothels and separate investigations are carried out on those,” he said. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)

Courtesy Adaderana

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed all relevant departments to expedite the drafting of legislation necessary for the implementation of the ‘Action Plan’ for the country’s reconciliation.

Speaking at a discussion held in this regard at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday afternoon (08 June), Wickremeisnghe emphasised the need for enhanced operations of the Office of Missing Persons, including digitisation efforts and the issuance of Certificates of Absence for individuals who had previously disappeared without trace.

The progress of initiatives within five key areas -legislation, institutional activities, land issues, prisoner release, and power decentralization, was also reviewed.

The discussion encompassed several important topics. The implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the establishment of a National Land Council, and the formulation of a National Land Policy were among the matters addressed.

Furthermore, President Wickremesinghe instructed the relevant parties to complete the ongoing initiatives to establish the Office of Reparations and the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation within the next two to three months. A comprehensive report on the progress of these programs was also requested.

Regarding land-related issues, particular attention was given to resolving problems associated with displaced persons’ resettlement, releasing privately held lands for public use, and addressing Mahaweli lands concerns. The President emphasized the urgency of taking immediate action to settle these land-related issues and tasked the officials with devising effective mechanisms for their resolution.

To address the release of prisoners and amnesty matters, the President instructed the relevant officials to submit a detailed report through the Ministry of Justice.

The discussion also covered topics such as power decentralization, provincial-level development plans, and the appointment of a Provincial Ombudsman. These matters were thoroughly deliberated upon to ensure effective governance and progress at the provincial level.

Several key individuals participated in the discussion, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabri, President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Prime Minister’s Secretary Anura Dissanayake, Defence Ministry Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne (Rtd), Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, and other heads of relevant line agencies.

Additionally, the Executive Director of the Missing Persons Office, District Secretaries of Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Batticaloa, Ampara, and Trincomalee, as well as Land Commissioners of Eastern and Northern Provinces, joined the discussion remotely via Zoom technology.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Government of Sri Lanka has assured that the policy decision taken pertaining to the privatisation of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) will not compromise national security. 

Responding to the report compiled and presented before the Parliament today (09 June) by the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Security, it was noted that the report ‘lacked a logical or scientific data analysis pertaining to the subject matter’. 

While the Government has focused its attention to the report which highlighted the concerns surrounding the potential risk to national security resulting from the privatisation of SLT, despite its factual content, the Government believes that it lacks a logical or scientific data analysis pertaining to the subject matter, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said in a press release issued in this regard. 

The SOC on National Security issued recommendations against the privatisation of SLT today (09 June), in a report titled The Effects of Privatization of Sri Lanka Telecom on National Security”. citing the possible leakage of matters sensitive to national security.

Attached below is the relevant release issued by the PMD:
The Government has focussed its attention to the Sectoral Oversight Committee report, which was presented to Parliament today (09), emphasizing the concerns surrounding the potential risk to national security resulting from the privatization of Sri Lanka Telecom.

While acknowledging the factual content of the report, the Government believes that it lacks a logical or scientific data analysis pertaining to the subject matter. To address this deficiency, it is necessary to examine the operation and regulation of information and communication technology service providers in Sri Lanka, analyse financial data related to the sector, understand Sri Lanka’s national ambitions in this field, assess the available capital capacity, and conduct a comprehensive study of global trends.

Furthermore, the Government has reassured that the policy decision taken will not compromise national security, contrary to what is indicated in the report.

Hence, the Government will take a final decision during an upcoming cabinet meeting, considering this report along with recommendations from the information and communication sector.

Additionally, the President emphasizes that the current government’s policy is focused on providing opportunities to the private sector, distancing it from direct government involvement.

Rohan Abeygunawardena

Yes, I am referring to Swarna Mallawarachchi. Wikipedia calls her the “Golden Star of Sinhalese cinema.” But I borrowed the description from quizmaster of Sirasa Laxshapathi, the Sri Lankan version of the British game show ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’, Chandana Sooriyabandara, who called her “The Iron Lady of Sinhala Cinema” when she was invited as a guest competitor. More about this quiz program later.

Swarna’s first hunting expedition was the 1983 Sinhala drama thriller film Dadayama (The Hunt), directed by late Vasantha Obeysekera.

Her second expedition was in Dada Ima (End of the Hunt), the thriller film directed by Dr. Naomal Perera and co-produced by the director himself with Dr. Nishani Fernando for Ensquared Entertainment Private Limited. (I was prompted to write this article after seeing this film.)

The film Dadayama was based on a real tragedy that happened in 1959 and was known as the “Adeline Vitharana murder.”

True Story:

A body of a young woman was discovered late at night on March 14, 1959, at Thimbiriwewa, near the 27th milepost on the Puttalam-Anuradhapura Road. A post-mortem examination conducted on March 16, 1959, revealed that the woman was between 20 and 25 years of age, that she was about seven months pregnant, and that her body bore numerous injuries consistent with her having been run over by a motor car. An alert police inspector noticed a man driving past the scene of crime a couple of times, slowing down and observing what the police were doing. This led to the breakthrough.

The police arrested the man. His name was Anandagoda (Ananda), he was from a well-to-do family, and he worked as a teacher in a school in Kalutara. He met a young woman from a very poor family in late 1956. The woman was Adeline Vitharana, an intelligent and attractive young girl from Katugastota. Her romantic relationship with Ananda (he had given her a different name) produced an illegitimate girl child in August 1957. Adeline was insisting that he get married to her, but he was putting it off.

In the meantime, Ananda was proposed to by a girl of better social status than Adeline’s family. When Adeline learned about this, she made inquiries and found out the true identity of the man. She was worried and sent a letter to the principal of Ananda’s school explaining her relationship with him and claiming that he was the father of her child. She further said that Ananda had promised to marry her. When the principal showed the letter to Ananda, he was furious.

On March 2, 1959, Adeline came to the school where Ananda was teaching. The latter came out and took her away in his Fiat car, registered under No. 01 Sri 6265. In spite of the change of registration in January 1959, he continued to be the actual user and the virtual owner of that car. Ananda took her to Alo Singho in the village of Kalaweilawa. She had resided for a few days in that village with the family of Alo Singho.

On the afternoon of March, 14, Ananda came and picked up Adeline and Alo Singho’s brother; three of them had left for Puttalam. They had arrived at a hotel in Puttalam around 9.30 p.m., had dinner, and left. Later, as planned by Anananda, the pregnant woman Adeline was pushed out of the car near the 27th-milepost on the Puttalam-Anuradhapura road in the Thibiriwewa area and killed by running his car over her body.

Unlike today, people were very sensitive to the murders. The murder rocked the entire nation. Almost daily, some news item appeared in the national newspapers on the murder of Adeline Witharana. This became the talk of the town until Ananda was convicted and sentenced to death.

(For the above description, I have taken information from three sources: 1. an article by Thineth Korasagalla (LLB) published in the Sunday Observer on January 2, 2022; 2. an article by Retired Senior Superintendent of Police Tassie Senaviratne published in the Sunday Times on January 9, 2022; 3. Privy Council Appeal No. 27 of 1961. )

Dadayama (The Hunt)

Based on the above true story, the late Vasantha Obeysekera directed a thriller film. His choice of the cast was its success story. The handsome young playboy school teacher was Ravindra Randeniya as Priyanka Jayanath, and the innocent but playful young beautiful girl was Swarna Mallawarachchi as Rathmali Kekunawela.

The story line was almost the same except for a few scenes.

There was a scene of a brothel house where Jayanath got Rathmali to stay for a few days. Iranganie Serasinghe acted as the madam running the brothel. The girl was raped by a man at this house. The madam threatened her that she had enough evidence to prove Rathmali was of questionable character. Rathmali was offered eight thousand rupees to give up the affair with Ananda.No amount of prodding would budge her.

Vasantha brought in a fictitious Registrar of Marriages Office where Jayanath’s and Rathmali’s marriage was registered. After the fictitious registration, Jayanath and Ratmali left to meet her father. While Ratmali’s intention was to break the good news to her family that two of them got married, Jayanath had other ideas. He diverted his Ford Capri towards a jungle terrain while the girl was asleep. When Ratmali suddenly got up, she noticed the car was speeding in an unfamiliar area. She questioned her husband as to where he was taking her. Realising something fishy, she opened the door to jump out, but changed her mind and closed the door.

“Why didn’t you jump?” asked Jayanath, “Are you scared?”

“Fear, I have long since given up my passion for life,” said Ratmali, “My life was destroyed by you.” She then asked, “Why did you marry me?”

“You must have thought I married you, stupid woman,” Jayanath replied sarcastically.

She lost her temper at this point and shouted, “You animal, you bloody cad,” and started attacking his face with her hands and nails. The attack left his face “gushing with blood.”

Jayanath stopped the car. Ratmali jumped out and started to run. Enraged, Jayanath restarted the car and chased behind her at a very high speed. She picked up a long, heavy stick fallen from a tree and waited for the speeding car. As the car came near at an extremely high speed, she hit the windshield with all her might. With the impact, she fell down but got up and started running for her life. Jayanath could see the sprinting girl through the cracked windshield. He commenced his chase again and knocked her down at a very high speed.

This last scene was very dangerous and risky. Even in Hollywood films, such daring acts were performed by professionally trained stuntmen and women. But in Dadayama, it was done by Ravindra and Swarna. The former had to drive the car at a speed of over 60 miles per hour with good control, like a trained racing car driver. When the latter hit the windshield with the stick, which had a combined speed of nearly 140 miles per hour, she ran the risk of either falling to the ground and run over by the car. In addition, the stick hit her chest with great impact. She fell, but the car did not run over her. The stick hit her chest, but as she was warned by the director, she was alert and escaped with a slight injury.

Both Swarna and Ravindra were young at the time, ready to take the risk, and they performed the deadly act extremely well. Fortunately, Swarna had a lot of confidence in Ravindra as she knew that he was a good driver. They deserve a special award for this high risk performance…

Dadayama screened in 1983 became a very popular film mainly because of the acting skills of the twosome and the powerful dialogue throughout the film. One such conversation was Rathmali’s verbal assault on Jayanath

You can’t let the dogs run wild, either you have to tie them up, or you have to kill them, I can only tie them up. That’s why you should marry me today” (බල්ලන්ට දඩාවතේ යන්න දෙන්න බැහැ, එක්කො උන්ව බැඳලා දාන්න ඕනා, නැත්නම් මරලා දාන්න ඕනා. .  මට පුලුවන් ඌව බැඳලා දාන්න විතරයි. ඒක හින්දා තමුසේ මාව අද බඳීන්න ඕනා  )

At the 12th Sarasaviya Awards in 1984, Dadayama bagged five awards: Best Film (Rabin Chandrasiri), Best Director (Wasantha Obeysekara), Best Actor (Ravindra Randeniya), Best Actress (Swarna Mallawarachchi) and Best Supporting Actor (Somy Rathnayake).

Ravindra was the best judge of Swarna’s bravery when acting in this film. Thus he called her “The Bravest Actress of Sinhala Cinema.” That was the special award she received.

Dadaima (The End of Hunt)

Dr. Naomal Perera, the Oncological Surgeon treated Swarna when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

After curing her fully, Dr. Naomal respectfully asked his patient to resume her acting carrier.

Swarna received her lifetime achievement Presidential Award in 2017.

While congratulating her, Naomal repeated his request. Swarna replied, “Doctor, if you produce a film, I will come forward to act.” Naomal then said, “We will do Dadayama II.”

Yet, Naomal realised it was a challenge to make the second part of a film directed by a legend of Sinhala cinema, Vasantha Obeysekera, perhaps his best film.

Fortunately, Wasantha Obeysekara did not send Jyanath to the gallows for the murder of Ratmali. This allowed some room, to write a beautiful story and produce the second part of Dadayama.

From then on, Naomal developed the story line and the script. After several drafts were reviewed by his wife and family members, he went to see Ravindra Randeniya armed with his ninth draft. This was on the last day of the year. Ravindra accepted the document, saying that it was the best gift he received that year. Yet he did not accept the invitation to act in this second part of Dadayama.

The Story Line.

The story revolves around characters who belong to  Vasantha’s film Dadayama. Jayanath escapes (mystery) arrest and goes to England to qualify himself as a lawyer. Ratmali’s elder sister, Rohini takes her sister’s son to England, to be educated. (Adeline Vitharana’s child from Anandagoda is a daughter.) Ratmali’s son, Ravinath, believes his mother is Rohini.

Ravinath learns music and becomes a pianist by profession. He made his name as a renowned reggae and modern musician.

Jayanath changes his name to Kirthi Gajanayake, and becomes a lawyer. Gajanayake also has a daughter through his marriage to a girl from a rich family. He comes back to Sri Lanka with his daughter and becomes a prominent lawyer. He was appointed a President Council. His daughter, Dedu, too, pursues law studies but is keen on music and earns a name as a musician among the younger generation.

The story begins with a concert in Colombo, where Ravinath is invited to perform. He is coming to Sri Lanka for the first time. Although Rohini is unhappy about her son going to Sri Lanka alone, she finally agrees to his strong request.

Ravinath is assisted by his friend on drums and Dedu on violin. He named his musical composition “Crime and Punishment.” Kirthi Gajanayake, who came to see his daughter perform at this concert, became nervous when he heard the name of the composition.

Ravinath meets Kirthi Gajanayake in an unexpected way. Thereafter, he discovers some facts about his unknown past. Rohini who has resolved never to come back to her country of birth, decides to return to protect her son.

From there on, the film was a suspense thriller. I request that the reader watch the film and enjoy it.

The Cast

Swarna played the role of Rohini displaying her unique, tough character as usual in many other films generally and in Dadayama particularly. Kirthi Gajanayake was Jakson Anthony, and his own son, Akila Dhanuddhara, played Ravinath. (Kirthi’s biological son is supposed to be Ravinath in the story.) The music director of the film, Nadeeka Guruge, who produced excellent background music, also acted as the conductor of the orchestra. Mahendra Perera played a very commendable supporting role, reminding the audience of the dirty politics of the country. The beautiful Marion Weththasinghe played the role of Dedu extremely well. The film commenced with the introduction of the musicians performing at the concert to the audience by professional compere Arun Dias Bandaranaike with his powerful voice.

Multi skilled Dr. Naomal Perera, developed the story line, wrote the script, directed and produced the film along with his wife Dr. Nishani Fernando.

The Iron Lady of Sinhala Cinema

Swarna Mallawarachchi was invited by ‘Sirasa Lakshapathi, on March 19, 2023, as a special competitor.

The quizmaster, Chandana Sooriyabandara, introduced her as a legend of Sinhala cinema who always spoke for women’s rights, always spoke for children’s rights, and was also a champion of social justice. He also called her “The Iron Lady of Sinhala Cinema.” Those who had seen her act in many films, including Dadayama, would not dispute this title.

She answered the first eight questions with ease. The ninth was on the books written by Barack Obama, which she answered using her analytical skills.

Next was a quote from a book: “Men in battle garb, whether they come with swords or guns, on a horse or in armoured cars, the price of conquest seems heightened by the violation of women.” She had to identify the author among the four famous Sri Lankan women writers. She decided to take “Ask the audience lifeline.” The audience helped, and she won Rs200, 000, earning the switch lifeline as well. Swarna also paid tribute to the author Rajani Thiranagama, who was killed by the LTTE during the civil war.

She took the Phone a Friend lifeline for the next question and answered correctly.

In the next question, she had to identify the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War. She took the Fifty-Fifty lifeline and answered correctly as Hecuba. She has now earned Rs. 500,000. Since the time allocated for this episode was over, she had to return on the following Saturday, March 26. 

Quizmaster Chandana asked about her acting with another legend in Sinhala cinema, “Ravindra Randeniya,” before the game started. She explained that, though they acted together in many films, they never acted as lovers. In almost all the films in which she acted with Ravindra, he was the villain and dirty man. He performed those characters so well that her character earned much sympathy from the viewers, she said.

At this stage, Ravindra was contacted over the phone by the quizmaster. The great actor said, “Swarna was the bravest actress in Sinhala cinema.” One example he quoted was her facing the car coming at a deadly speed in Dadayama. He also said she earned distinctions (passes) for all her acting.

Next was a question on the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGAM) held in Sri Lanka. She had to identify the head of state who boycotted the meeting out of four names. The year was crucial for her, as she was diagnosed with a breast cancer. As a result, she was unable to follow the events and activities in the country, she said, switching the question. Her guess was “Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, “but the correct answer was Manmohan Singh, Indian Prime Minister.

Her switch question was about Nobel Peace Prize winners from India. As she was not aware of them, decided to withdraw. However, she won Rs. 500,000.

This competition gave the viewers a glimpse of her memory power and ability to find answers logically. Only a thoughtful, well-read person could answer the way she did.

Swarna had acted in 45 films, starting from “Sath Samudura,” directed by Siri Gunasinghe in mid-sixties, to “Dadaima,” directed by Dr. Naomal Perera in 2019. Yet she feels her best acting was in “Dadayama,” where she fought against male dominance.

She has won 24 best actress awards, 4 lifetime achievement awards, a Zonta Woman of the Year award, a Sanpac Felicitation Award, and a Bangladesh Film Development Board Award.

This article is dedicated to Professor Siri Gunasinghe, who introduced Swarna Mallawarachchi to Sinhala cinema in his film Sath Samudura, released on February 2, 1967.

Rohan Abeygunawardena ACMA, CGMA.

The writer can be contacted on abeyrohan@gmail.com

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 Engineers Leading Engineer of the World 2006, UK Authority Award

Mr Sivagnanam Sritharan: I would like to advise you on some of the key points that may correct you in your political arena. First, do you know the fundamental concept of having a Rear Admiral in the Navy? Rear Admiral Hon Mr Sarath Weerasekara and Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe protected the border of the republic, and General Sarath Fonseka protected the people and the island from invasion and terrorists. Admiral sacrificed his life to protect the border of the island and as citizens, we have to offer him the respect that people can give.

You were a secondary school teacher, and the parliament is not a school, and the MPs therein are not students under you. Sometimes I see that you feel that you are the boss of the parliament and that MPs there are under you. You cannot speak English or Sinhalese, and you speak out of turn and rude attacking the politicians. You have no fundamental understanding of politics, legal and law. You were singing Deva ram one day in parliament disturbing the entire house. Who will want to listen to your deva ram?

Recently I watched on YouTube the way you and Cape Buffalo Gajendran walked to the Thyitti to protest the Vihare. Where were you all these years during the vihara was constructed? The Vihare was not constructed overnight. There is speculation that FP (TNA) received some bribe of about one crore for constructing viharas. So, is this protest to demand more bribes for your party fund?

My dear, I have lived in various countries, and I know the style of politicians and how they earn money. Your leader Mavai Senathirajah demanded that GOSL give the project to his friend, however, GOSL replied that the project will be given through the normal tender process. Mavai rose against the GOSL. You guys in the FP are like tape recorders, intoning the word Genocide” always. To know and study genocide in SL, you must go back to 1947 and the start of 1970. The general illiterate Tamil populace does not know about these incidents, however, blindly support FP based on Tamil Eelam”.

Terrorism started in 1970 when Kuttimani” robbed banks and conducted smuggling and when Prabakaran commenced killing opponents and the public and politicians with the intent of capturing power. These murders were committed with the help of the Indian government which allowed LTTE to operate from Tamil Nadu. My dear, I am from Vaddukoddai but married former MP Thurairatnam’ s niece in Valvettiturai in 1970. I have been monitoring and studying the terrorist group’s activities since 1969. I was working at KCW and was responsible for constructing a Buddhist Panzale and installing security Lights (Flood Lights) in all the police stations, army, and Navy installations. First, you must understand what Genocide” means. Go back to 1947/1970 and study what happened and how many civilians, politicians, and Ministers the LTTE massacred.

What we find is that you always talk in Tamil and are rude and out of politics. What is wrong with constructing Vihara on Sri Lankan Soil? Tamils all over the world are constructing Hindu temples with the aid of government donations under the name of multiculturalism. Do you know the meaning of Multiculturalism” and Cohesive living?

If you do not like the Sinhalese people, then the only option for you is to leave Sri Lankan parliament and get out of SL.

I remember your friend Cape Buff Gajendran, once sitting in the GOSL parliament made a statement; Our Tamil Eelam air force bombed the Sri Lankan airport”. Fortunately, the GOSL was quite kind not to arrest this guy and put him in jail for making a statement that Our Airforce…”

My view is that anyone who protests and opposes any religious affairs should be arrested, convicted in a court of law and jailed. So far, no Sinhala personnel has protested and opposed any Hindu religious affairs. If so, you guys cannot live in Wellawatta and cannot go to Kataragama.

Mr Sritharan:  Just a question as you claim you are a teacher: What is a return on investment (ROI)? Do Tamils understand this process? What return did people in Kilinochi or wherever it is, get when they elected you as their MP? I think only trouble, protests, shouting, economic recession, sawing ethnic hatred, Tamil Eelam, propagation of genocide etc.

What return on investment did SJVC get for their FP members when he formed the FP party? Definitive party representation as FP as the Tamils are illiterates and fools.

What is Cost Benefits Analysis? From the way Tamils operate, they are Communists. They do not practice Humanism.

Do you know that it is the Sinhalese who put food on your plates? If not for the Sinhala people you guys, Tamils will be starving. Today Tamils are getting toilet cleaning money from abroad. 40% of the South Sinhalese have no roof over their head, no proper food to eat, no education, no transport facilities etc. You guys have everything. How and why?

What is the ROI of forming associations, congresses, and building temples on foreign soil? Tamils are like Dog in the Manger”: தானும் கிடவான் தள்ளியும் கிடவான்”. You are the politician who refused water to Jaffna.

Anyway, just some advice please; Please give respect to Admirals and Generals as they protected the country’s border and the people.

Today the economic crisis was instigated and triggered by the Rajapaksas and Tamils with some help of the Indians.

The Governor of the Central Bank is the supreme authority as he guides, controls, and provides the finances to the country and he understands the disasters, catastrophes, emergencies, costs and benefits. Presidents and PMs are just figureheads to steer the country. The Central Bank and the Treasury are the supreme body to protect the economy of the country.

If you still want Tamil Eelam, just get out of the country matey and go to Toronto where you can join your insane friends.

Kanthar Balanathan

25^th May 2023

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 Engineers Leading Engineer of the World 2006, UK, Authority Award

1. The intention of Forming FP (Tamil Eelam)

Since independence in 1948, Tamil politicians worked out a secret plan to be in parliament continually. This was by sowing ethnic hatred and racial configuration and proposal for the birth of Tamil Eelam and the Federal Party. SJVC formed the Federal Party joined with other aggressors. The voters are still illiterate goons who cannot speak a word of English or Sinhalese and be purloined up by the phrase Tamil Only”. To date these labourers of the proletariat are dumb and cannot visualise the economic environment and productivity etc. 90% of the Tamil politicians were Attorneys and were and are incompetent to defend cases in a court of law. The only possible way is to get a government job which is to become an MP. This will allow them to fool the people and guarantee income and privileges irrespective of productivity. Guaranteed income, with privileges, respect, and current police protection and vehicles. From the Jaffna lagoon, the Tamil politicians started the campaign for a federal system and/or Tamil Eelam which became a mindset among the foolish Tamil elites and the proletariat.

The Tamil politicians were quite happy as the people in the lagoon do not know what was transpiring in the Capital and South. The Tamil politicians were quick wicked to know that they have no income due to cases as people were poor and cannot afford to pay large sums to the Attorneys. Further, the Attorneys may be clueless and incompetent. The only option is to follow the violent, protest path against the government and get paid by the government.

In the early fifties, the MPS was engaged full-time in violent protests against the government which led to riots. To the Tamil Attorney politicians, this was a better option than working as Attorneys in the Lagoon Courts which need to use their brains. Tamil National People Front’s legal adviser is now engaged in wasteful protests rather than spending time in a law court. Does this mean that this person is incompetent in legal matters and law? Or is this a mission to accrue more votes in the planned elections? This may be considered a cheap shot option for a democratic election. These guys do not understand the extent of damage they are causing to their race (Tamils). Tamil politicians are quite capable of planning cheap shot options for collecting votes from the proletariat.

The behaviour of Kanagaratnam Sugash was seen to be quite animal-type and foolish. Sugash does not know that the police personnel go through a training course in criminal code procedures before they are sent to the floor. It was quite laughable when he said to the police personnel to bring a blackboard and chalk so that he can teach the law to the police personnel. It’s laughable”. GGP’s party personnel are on the ground at Thyiiti protesting against the Vihara construction. This is also laughable. The party members say they are attorneys; however, they have short of perception in understanding the benefits of this type of protest. What has the Law Society got to state about their members being on the road like stray crows?  Freedom of religion is indispensable and important in a multicultural society.

Tamils have a criminal view by brainwashing their boat people who have illegally migrated to foreign countries to propaganda against the Sri Lankan government. Discrimination, oppression, and genocide are pointing to the Tamil diaspora bases on their propaganda. The critical examination will reveal that it is the Tamils who went on a genocide mission through various methods since 1948. During racial violence, Tamils destroyed Sinhala properties and through LTTE the Tamils wanted to capture power, by destroying the economy of the country.

LTTE went on a mass murder operation in various towns, destruction of key assets like factories and Central Bank etc. An investigation by the GOSL should enlighten the world on the amount of destruction and killing by the Tamils. The military had to defend their country which is what they are for. It was a war on terror and in the war, people get caught which the Tamil diaspora is twisting as a war crime/ genocide. As I said will any country tolerate terrorists manufacturing submarines, aircraft, weapons etc in their backyard?

Tamil culture is quite rough. Every item is argued and sometimes they get into a violent clash. We, Tamils have no sense of diplomatic capability of discussing or negotiating abilities, except enter into rough argument. Criminal activities occur in foreign countries within the Tamil community.

The two MPs in Canada, Gary Anandasangaree and Vijay Thanigasalam: What Return on Investment have these two given their voters in Toronto? The only action is to claim unwanted unrelated to their position and complain about Sri Lanka. How does this help their voters in Canada? The voters in Canada expect more than complaints, rather productive outcomes. Hence, it’s a waste for the Canadian government to have allowed these two to be elected.

In the same way right from 1948, the Tamil MPs; What Return on Investment have their people received since they were elected? Only racial confrontation, violence, intimidation, protests, and unlawful actions by these clowns.

Is Sambanthar, an asset to SL or a BIG Liability to the country? Do we need him?

What is the purpose of these Diaspora organisations such as CTC, GTF, BTF, TGTE etc all over the world? What economic benefits do they accrue to Sri Lanka? They’re only destroying Sri Lanka through their propaganda. Do these organisations accrue any benefits to their domiciled country? They are only sowing racial conflicts in their domiciled countries. How long will it take the Canadian European citizens to tolerate these Tamils who are only campaigning and not producing any benefits by way of technology, economics, and finances? Canada may enter a recession if people do not love manufacture and support the economy. As of now, Tamils state that Tamils in Canada are supported by the DOLE” for unemployed people and do not look for jobs. Can this go on forever on free supplies? Tamils are a liability wherever they are.

Sri Lanka is a small island and cannot have two separate governments as the Tamils in Jaffna” was called Lagoon”. Jaffna has no water, river etc. Further, more than 49% of Tamils live outside the North and East. The key point is that the Tamils are greedy for Power & Wealth”.

The Sri Lankan Law Society should have a Code of Conduct (CC) for its members and should discipline them if they behave outside the CC. Kanagaratnam Sugash (KS) should be questioned and punished for his behaviour with the Police Officer at Thyiiti, as the behaviour of KS and Selvarajah’ Gajendran has proven ugly picture to the world. The Jaffna Tamil proletariat and the elites have no understanding of democracy.

We had a Northern Provincial Council operating from 2013 for five years. What was the return on this investment? Did the people achieve anything? Only affairs where the four ministers were giving appointment letters to teachers etc and posing for pictures with garland. It was a waste of money for the five years of NPC with the incompetent politicians.

It is expected that the Law Society will take corrective action against their violent clueless attorneys.

Nandita Roy

Who is the busiest diplomat in Bangladesh at the moment? No one can answer this without thinking. The US Ambassador Peter D. Hass is currently the busiest diplomat in Bangladesh. Not only among diplomats, he has come to the center of politics in Bangladesh. He is making headlines every day. His busy schedule, and his talks on Bangladeshi politics, put him in the guardian’s seat. And for this, the failure of Bangladeshi politicians is not less responsible. The US ambassador has now come forward as the savior of Bangladesh’s democracy, elections, and human rights. Following his orders has become the main task of the politicians of Bangladesh.

Peter D. What is Haas actually doing? What does he want to do in Bangladesh? Various questions have been raised in the political circles about this. But everything is a whisper. No one is willing to speak against the US ambassador. If his visa is canceled? Or if he wears the US? He is no longer safe if he is exposed to the US. Such a situation has been created for the last 6-7 months. Especially after the new US visa policy on May 24, the US ambassador to Bangladesh is sitting in the driving seat.

But this is not to be. There are still a little more than six months left before the elections in Bangladesh. It is up to the Election Commission how the next election will be held. The Election Commission has not yet announced the election schedule. But looking at the US ambassador’s running around, it might seem like the election is tomorrow.

A country’s elections are entirely a country’s internal matter. How a party will choose in this election, what strategy will be chosen is entirely their internal matter. The US ambassador has stepped into the role of referee in internal affairs of his own volition. Some may be wondering; how many observers were there in the election that was held in the United States. How free and fair was that election? Donald Trump still claims that the election was rigged, and that public opinion was rigged. Seventy-seven percent of Americans believe that democracy is fragile and that the future of democracy is very bleak. The US ambassador continues to talk about the elections in Bangladesh. Politicians are blessed to have meetings with him.

Yesterday he held a meeting with the important people of the two main political parties of Bangladesh. Mirza had a private meeting with Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir considered the meeting so confidential that he did not say anything formal about it. When a leader of a political party holds such a meeting with the envoy of a foreign state and does not inform the people of the country, it needs to be considered whether it is not treason.

In this context, a quote from former Chilean President Ayende comes to mind. He said, if an ambassador talks to any politician of the country, it is a breach of etiquette, a violation of the Geneva Convention. Our Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said something in this regard. But after saying that he was silent again. Shahriar Alam recently said that action will be taken against any ambassador who violates the limit. But everyone knows that he cannot take any measures. The question is Peter D. What do you really want? What do you want to do with Bangladesh? Is it just a free and fair election? Or is there any other purpose behind it?

Many people think that ahead of the election, the United States wants to re-establish its authority in Bangladesh, and in this re-establishment, they have a lot of resources and weapons. And it is because of these weapons that the politicians of Bangladesh have accepted the authority of Peter Haas and if the politicians of Bangladesh cannot stand with patriotism and self-respect before the next parliamentary elections, then the elections will be held on the American prescription. Peter D. Haas will elect a government after this election that will be strictly US loyal. And he is not doing it himself, nor is he doing it as an assistant. It is his responsibility to implement the US foreign policy and he is fulfilling that responsibility with devotion. But the sad thing is that our politicians are not doing their duty with sincerity at all.

We are getting to know from newspaper news that recently government advisers, ministers, political workers, opposition leaders and BNP leaders who resigned from parliament are holding meetings with foreign diplomats. In the 51st year of independence, would it be wrong to say that this tyranny of our politics is plunging the entire nation into despair? We have seen such activity in the past. We welcome him. If we can welcome that time, why can’t we today?

The crisis over the parliamentary elections occurred in 1985. The 1986 election was rigged, the 1988 election was a farce, the 1991 election was accused of rigging. The one-sided election in 1996 led us to the non-cooperation movement which culminated in the Janata Manch movement. Another election in 1996 was held on 12 June. All parties could not accept this election. The 2001 election was called into question and the 2006 election was annulled.

On January 11, 2007, a government with the support of the army came to power and made a landmark reform of the electoral system. The 2 crore fake voters questioning the election for a long time has come to an end. Begum Zia initially did not want to participate in the elections held in 2008. He thought that his leaders and workers could not participate in the elections. They will be harassed by the ruling government. Later, however, he became a passenger in the election train. That day I also called him through one of my writings to make the election meaningful.

My call was from the desire to build a beautiful future for the nation. He participated in the election at our invitation so we got an acceptable election. But the MPs of all parties were critical of the government supported by the 1/11! And on that occasion, a scandalous chapter in the history of Bangladesh took place on 25th February. Bangladesh Army broke down in tears recalling the brutal killing of 57 vigilante officers. Has the nation achieved the ability to bear that suffering?

In 1975, an attack was made on the soil of Bengal to eliminate the family of the father of the nation. The greed for power did not end with that brutal murder. Four national leaders were killed on November 3, Major General Khaled Musharraf, Colonel Huda and several military officers were killed on November 7. Thus, the politics of killing engulfs Bangladesh.

We don’t want killing politics anymore. And because of that, even though BNP wanted to obstruct the 2014 elections, the people did not support them. In 2018, they came to the election after realizing the mistake. We had hoped that they would come in the 2024 elections as well. But they are repeatedly saying that they will not come to the elections without a caretaker government. The nation is worried!

From that anxiety, many people in the society have again taken refuge in foreign diplomats. Mr. Peter Haas is now a very important person in the politics of Bangladesh. Palace politics was once looked down upon. Today that politics has again clouded the sky of Bangladesh.

Did we fight the liberation war in 1971 to hand over the politics of Bangladesh to foreigners? Are our intellectuals exhausted?

We expelled foreign rule in 1947. What if we are going to transform the country into a new colony?

Apologize to the politicians. Do not hand over the country to foreigners like this. Discuss among yourselves first. Give justice to the people. If there is no solution then wait patiently.

We got the freedom of Bangladesh because we all fought together. Let’s make another struggle and take the country forward. Avoid politics dependent on foreign diplomats. The politician who will protest to foreigners is still a patriot? Only your desire to be a patriotic politician without going to foreign countries is enough. We want discussion among politicians. Just as we do not want terror or chaos, we abhor palace intrigues involving foreigners. Hope for your united nation to promote democracy.

Our unity is the spirit of our liberation war. Let our politics revolve around him. We reject politics that sell freedom. We want a peaceful Bangladesh.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

මාලදිවයිනේ විදේශ කටයුතු අමාත්‍ය අබ්දුල්ලා ෂාහිඩ් මහතා 2023.06.07 දින කොළඹ අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේදී අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා හමුවිය.

මෙම හමුවේදී ඔවුන් දැනට දෙරට අතර පවතින සහයෝගීතා ක්ෂේත්‍ර ශක්තිමත් කිරීම සහ වෙළෙඳාම, ආයෝජනය, අධ්‍යාපන සහ සංස්කෘතික  කෙ‍ෂ්ත්‍රවල නව සහයෝගීතා මාර්ග ගවේෂණය කිරීම පිළිබඳව අදහස් හුවමාරු කර ගත්හ.

අධ්‍යාපන ක්‍ෂේත්‍රය වෙනුවෙන් ලබාදුන් සහයෝගයට අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා වෙත සිය ස්තූතිය පළ කළ  , මාලදිවයින් විදේශ කටයුතු අමාත්‍යවරයා මාලදිවයිනේ සිසුන්ට ගාස්තු අය කිරීමේ පදනම මත වෛද්‍ය  අධ්‍යයන සහ පශ්චාත් උපාධි අධ්‍යයන  ක්ෂේත්‍රවල  අධ්‍යාපන අවස්ථා සඳහා පහසුකම් සලසා දෙන ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිටියේය.

  විශිෂ්ට ගුරුවරුන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සතුවෙයි. තමාගේ පාසල් අධ්‍යාපනය තුළ 1 ශ්‍රේණියේ සිට 12 ශ්‍රේණිය දක්වා  ඉගැන්වූ සියලුම ගුරුවරුන් ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන් වූ අතරම ඔවුන්ට ස්තූතිවන්ත වන බවද සඳහන් කළ මාලදිවයින් අමාත්‍යවරයා වෛද්‍ය ප්‍රතිකාර ලැබීම සඳහා විදෙස් ගතවන මාලදිවයින් ජාතිකයින්ගේ වඩාත් ජනප්‍රිය ගමනාන්තය ශ්‍රී ලංකාව බවත් සඳහන් කළේය.

මෙම සංචාරය අතරතුර අත්සන් කරන ලද අවබෝධතා ගිවිසුම යටතේ සෞඛ්‍ය හා සංස්කෘතික සහයෝගීතාව ශක්තිමත් කරන බව අමාත්‍යවරයා පැවසු අතර  ඒ යටතේ මාලදිවයින් සංස්කෘතික මධ්‍යස්ථානයක් කොළඹ පිහිටුවිමට  ද යෝජිත බව කීය.

ඒකාබද්ධ කොමිෂන් සභා රැස්වීමේදී ද්විපාර්ශ්වික සබඳතාවල ප්‍රගතිය සමාලෝචනය කෙරුණු අතර වෙළඳාම සහ ආයෝජන, ආරක්ෂක, සංචාරක, ධීවර, අධ්‍යාපන, සෞඛ්‍ය, රැකියා, තරුණ කටයුතු, ක්‍රීඩා සහ කුසලතා සංවර්ධනය, කොන්සියුලර් සබඳතා සහ සංස්කෘතික කටයුතු ඇතුළු බහුවිධ ක්ෂේත්‍ර වල පවත්නා සහයෝගිතාව තවදුරටත් ඉදිරියට ගෙන යාමේ මාර්ග පිළිබඳව සාකච්ඡා කළ බව අමාත්‍යවරයා පෙන්වා දුන්නේය. 

මාලදිවයින් අමාත්‍යවරයා වැඩිදුරටත් කියා සිටියේ කොවිඩ් වසංගතය සහ ආර්ථික අර්බුදය යන අභියෝග දෙකෙන්  මිදී රට ලබා ඇති වේගවත් ප්‍රකෘතිය පිළිබඳව ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණෙන සියලුම අමුත්තන් මවිතයට පත්වන බවයි.

යුනෙස්කෝ ආධාර යටතේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පිහිටුවා  ඇති දකුණු ආසියානු ගුරු පුහුණු මධ්‍යස්ථානයේ පුහුණුව සඳහා ගුරුවරුන් යොමු කොට ඔවුන්ගේ  දැනුම ඉහළ නැංවීමට මාලදිවයිනට අවස්ථාව විවෘතව ඇති බවත් ආසියානු සංවර්ධන අරමුදලේ සහ ලෝක බැංකුවේ සහාය ඇතිව ඔවුන්ට ශිෂ්‍යත්ව ලබාදිය හැකි බවත් අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා මෙහිදී පෙන්වා දුන්නේය.

සංචාරක හා බලශක්ති ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ, විශේෂයෙන් සූර්ය බලශක්ති සහ සුළං බලශක්ති ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ සහයෝගීතාව වර්ධනය කර ගැනීමේ අවශ්‍යතාව අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා මෙහිදී අවධාරණය කළේය.

අමාත්‍ය ෂාහිඩ් ඇතුළු දුත පිරිසට විදේශ ලේකම් අහමඩ් ලතීෆ්, මාලදිවයිනේ මහ කොමසාරිස් අලි ෆයිස්, විදේශ කටයුතු අමාත්‍යාංශයේ ද්විපාර්ශ්වික ලේකම් ආචාර්ය හලා හමීඩ් සහ ආර්ථික ලේකම් ආචාර්ය හුසේන් නියාස් ද එක්ව සිටියහ. මෙම අවස්ථාවට අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ලේකම් අනුර දිසානායක මහතා ඇතුළු ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ නිලධාරීන් පිරිසක් ද එක්ව සිටියහ.

                                                              .

 අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

Sri Lanka News

Have the State authorities questioned the Principal and Rev. Dushantha Rodrigo (Bishop of Colombo) Chairman of the Board of Governors of Bishops College? 

The College website [https://www.bishopscollege.lk/chairpersons-message/] proclaims that “The Rt. Rev. Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo or ‘Bishop Dushy’ as he is known by all… accepted the opportunity to ‘lead his flock as the shepherd of his diocese’ as the 16th Bishop of Colombo in 2020.

Perhaps, the State authorities should question the “shepherd” of the flock as to why he allows his College premises and the stage to promote blasphemy against the Buddha, Buddhism and the Buddhist people of the country, by inviting such “ නූතන චිංචි මානවිකාවි“ in this recorded instance. 

The Parliament and relevant authorities must inquire as to how many unrecorded orations to promote blasphemy against the Buddha, Buddhism and the Buddhist people of the country have been staged to public audiences in these premises before this, with the Holy Blessings of the Bishop of Colombo?

මොධාභිමානය වැඩ සටහන පවත් උයේ මෙතෝදිස්ත පල්ලියේ කොලොම්පුර වසමේ මහා පූජක බිෂොප් ෆෙර්නාන්දුගේ සහ මෙතෝදිස්ත අන සක මත පිහිටි බිශෝප්ස් විදුහලෙහිය. නතාෂා වැන්නන් බුදුනටත්, දහමටත්, බෞද්ධයාටත් උපහාසයට ලක් කිරීමට පාවිච්චි කලේ එම පූජක වරයාගේ අනු දැනම නොදැනද? මෙවන් දේවල් තව කීයක් මේ විදුහලේත් අනිත් මෙතෝදිස්ත විදුහල්වලත් පවත් උවාද? මෙයට මුදල් දුන්නේ එන්ඝලන්තයෙන් නම් මෙතෝදිස්ත සංගම් කීයක් සහබාගී උනාද? පාසැලේ ගීතය පටන් ගන්නේ මුළු රටම ක්‍රිස්තියානි කරන බව කියමින් මෙසේය: වැඩි තොරතුරු මෙයින්ම  කියවන්න:

කිසිම කෙනෙක් මී ගැන විපරම් තබා සදහනක් වත් තියනවද? මන්ත්‍රීවරු නොදන්නා පාටක් හඟවති!

School Song

Bishop’s College is one of the oldest private Girls’ Schools in Sri Lanka. The school was founded by the then Anglican Bishop of Colombo, Bishop James Chapman (1845 to 1862) and his wife Frances, originally in 1857 as a mission school for girls of elite Christian families and other European residents. (https://www.bishopscollege.lk/profile/)

Dilith Jayaweera is an old boy of the Roman Catholic bastion of St Aloysius’ College, Galle. He has not only made of parody of Prince Siddhartha stated wrong interpretations of Buddha Dharmaya, He said that “the Buddha solved problems of society of that era, meaning that therefore Buddhism is an obsolete philosophy inappropriate for modern society. The truth is Lord Buddha found solution to the eternal problems of karmic carryovers which brought unhappiness in rebirth. Hence the need to attain Nibbana to end this samsaric journey of unhappiness.

Jayaweera and Bishop Fernando should be taken to custody and dealt with through state law and order mechanisms.

Malinda Seneviratne

There are words that seem to be very popular among politicians and political groups when it comes to naming a new part or coalition. ‘Jathika’ or ‘National’ would top the list. We have the Eksath JATHIKA Pakshaya (United NATIONAL Party). Whenever this party led coalitions, ‘pakshaya’ was replaced with ‘peramuna’ or ‘front,’ but ‘jathika’ was left intact.

There are others. There are 86 parties registered with the Elections Commission at present. Four (4) of that have the word ‘jathika’ in their names, thirteen (13) have ‘national,’ one has it as ‘thesiya’ (again, ‘national’),  nine (9) have ‘Sri Lanka,’ five (5) have ‘Lanka,’ one (1) has ‘Hela, ’one (1) has ‘Ilankai,’ one (1) has it as ‘Illankai,’ one (1) has ‘desha,’ one has ‘Maubima’ or ‘Motherland,’ and three (3) have ‘Ceylon.’

Some parties/coalition seem to have been fixated on shoving in all the nice words into the name they register: national, people, front, democratic, united, alliance, democratic and of course the name of the country or some reference to it such as Sri Lanka, Lanka, Ilankai and Ceylon. People (or ‘Janatha’ in Sinhala and ‘Makkal’ in Tamil) is also popular.  In some cases the preferred word is the truncated form ’jana’ or the elaboration ‘podujana.’

One has ‘Republican,’ and although it contains ‘people’ (the word being derived from Latin, rēs (thing”) + pūblica (public”) and hence literally ‘the public thing’) it has more ideological undertones, much like ‘socialist’ (6 parties have it in their names) and ‘democratic’ (18).

What’s interesting is that the claims embedded in the names are not reflected in the practices. We don’t need to get into that. Parties that have ‘national’ in their names have betrayed the nation. Those who don’t aren’t necessarily traitors. The same goes for democratic and socialist. Names. Just names.

The United Republican Front was officially launched just ten days ago (May 22, 2023). Its potential has to be assessed in terms of the track records of its leaders. It provides, however, an opportunity to talk of republicanism.

The idea of a republic emerged in a context of a political need to abolish monarchical rule. The primacy of citizen and citizenship underpin republicanism. Republics are of many kinds, as history has shown, but in the Sri Lankan context the word obtained relevance from the need to unshackle the country from the British Empire. This is why it is more sensible to have May 22, 1972 as ‘Independence Day’ and not February 4, 1948. We became a republic in 1972. In 1948 we were still subjects of King George VI and therefore beholden to the British Crown.

Of course, we reverted to February 4 after the United National (sic) Party came to power in 1977. Ironically, even as we adopted a new constitution in 1978 and called it the Second Republican Constitution, we not only disavowed the significance of May 22, 1972 but were turned into a citizenry ruled by a president with close to monarchical powers.

And, partly but not wholly attributed to the 1978 constitution, we’ve had to live in a country with a reduced value for citizenship. The feudalism that marked the early decades of independence survived. Citizens, even in reduced circumstances, played their part in the persistence of this state of affairs. Governments were associated with personalities and families, not ideology or meritocracy: the Senanayakes and Wijewardenas of the UNP and the Bandaranaikes and Rajapaksas of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.  Of these, the Rajapaksas were the most conspicuously monarchical, which is of course not to say that the other major political families did not and does not have similar sway. The Rajapaksas were more in-your-face.

Republicanism was not touted in name but the ideas certainly were. The word ‘republic’ didn’t make it to the public discourse, but the relevant attributes were written into demands, scripted into speeches and pencilled into manifestoes, the last of which have not persuaded anyone to take notice, considering that parties and coalitions voted into power have all treated them as irrelevant the moment they were declared winners.

So ‘republican’ is not necessarily a bad choice for inclusion in a party name. In the very least it is an umbrella term that can accommodate the long wish-list frequently articulated by those who consider themselves liberals and radicals (but, let us not forget, frequently align themselves openly with political parties and leaders who have monarchical aspirations).

Ok, let’s see we establish the republican ideal in the sense of formal representative democracy and rules that affirm the principle of meritocracy. All done? No more issues?

It’s still a system of governance that formally recognises citizens and citizenship. That’s political. How about the economic issues? How about the political economic issues? How about the system of legally extracting value, legally exploiting? What do republicans have to say about the neoliberal economic theories that make for subjugation, enslavement, impoverishment and, not least of all, are part of a development paradigm that seriously compromise the health of the planet? Are they ‘separate issues’ or are they annoying issues best left unmentioned?

Of course monarchies can be affirmed even in a republic. We have the Kennedys, Bushes and Clintons in the USA, don’t forget. And even if we didn’t have such dynasties can it not be argued that stripped of egalitarian rhetoric democracy in practice is nothing but serial feudalistic regimes? And how about class, by the way?

Reducing it all to an assessment of relative merits comparing republics and monarchies is a side-stepping of important issues. The problem is that republicans will not say ‘republicanism is necessary but not sufficient.’ They talk and act as though republicanism is an end in and of itself or, as some argue, it is The End. Period.

The truth is republicanism is as stinking a dead cat as is any nationalism that ignores the very same things that republicans do not want to touch.

Republic. Nice term, but in essence a distraction. Republics are not islands. Sri Lanka as a true republic would still have to exist in a unipolar world where nations suffer varying levels of subservience. It’s a ‘public thing’ where people are counted occasionally but are for the most part counted out. And those who don’t want to unpack republicanism are either slothful or are invested in preserving elements of the status quo that matter to them: the sustained development of operations that allow profit, entail slavery of one kind or another and ensure planetary degradation (and the ability to activate coercive mechanisms if this status quo comes under threat).

There are republicans to die for, but the ones proposed by republicans are more likely ones where people continue to run the risk of being run over by the powerful, the demented, the closet monarchs and their apologists. 

Courtesy Adaderana

A special discussion took place between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and a group of MPs belonging to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today (08 June), sources confirmed.

Accordingly, several matters of concern, including the land disputes suffered by those in the Northern and Eastern provinces, the distribution of power, and provincial council elections, are believed to have been discussed during the meeting.

The relevant meeting was held this afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday said it has approved Sri Lanka’s eligibility to access concessional financing.

The availability of concessional assistance, offered at low interest rates, broadens Sri Lanka’s options to bridge its urgent development financing needs to restore economic stability and deliver essential services, particularly to the poor and vulnerable, the Philippines‎-based regional development bank said in a press release.

Eligibility for concessional resources among the ADB’s developing member countries is based on gross national income per capita and creditworthiness.

ADB explained that its decision was considered based on a request from the Sri Lanka government in view of the severe and unprecedented economic crisis that has reversed hard-won development gains.

ADB is committed to further enhancing its support for the people of Sri Lanka as the country responds to this deep crisis that has severely undermined their livelihoods and well-being,” said ADB Director General for South Asia, Kenichi Yokoyama. The availability of concessional assistance will help Sri Lanka to lay the foundation for economic recovery and sustained, inclusive growth.”

Thus, Sri Lanka is now eligible for ADB support including concessional and market-based financing, technical assistance, policy advice, and knowledge solutions that together comprise a comprehensive suite of options to address the crisis.

The ADB notes that access to concessional financing will also ease debt servicing pressures through more favourable lending terms.

German Dharmaduta Society

On Poson Poya day (June 03, 2023) the Berlin Maha Vihara ( Das Buddhistische Haus in Berlin -Frohnau) organized a successful program comprising Sil, Dhamma sermons, Dhamma discussions, Meditation, focus on Mindfulness, and a rendition of Bhakti Gee Songs at the end of the day. These songs were sung by the teachers and students of the new Daham Pasela that has been opened at the Berlin Vihara in the last three years to keep young children in step ( as far as possible ) with Sinhala and Buddhist cultural practices of Sri Lanka. Young healthy children all clothed in white Arya Sinhala attire blended well with the Buddhist religious character of the Poson day festivities. What a wonderful sight to behold. 

About four Buddhist monks were in attendance along with members of the Diplomatic Corps of several Asian Buddhist countries including the Ambassador of Sri Lanka, among a large number of ‘dayakayas’ (patrons) of several nationalities.

Ven. Pelene Dhamma Kusala Thero, the monk in residence conducted the program. He was ably supported by a number of youthful volunteers from Sri Lanka who was responsible for making the elaborate arrangements at the ground level under the supervision of Mr. Tissa Weeraratna, the caretaker of the Berlin Temple. 

The entire day’s proceedings have been recorded on camera and uploaded on YouTube.

see the link below

Watch “der Poson Poya Zeremonie” on YouTube

Das Buddhistische Haus ( Berlin Vihara)

Berlin Frohnau, Germany 

German Dharmaduta Society

see also 

An Evening of Bhakti Gee – Poson Full Moon Poya Day (June 24 )  2021 at the  Berlin Vihara

Indrajit Kumar

Why at this time, the issue of the letter of 6 US congressmen  is very inappropriate and illogical, when US President Joe Biden himself, in a letter to PM Sheikh Hasina, has praised Bangladesh’s role in global peacekeeping recently and Bangladeshi peacekeepers have been playing an important role in UN peacekeeping operations for more than three decades and British Parliamentarians learn about Bangladesh: ‘A beacon of religious freedom’

As the 12th National Assembly elections are approaching, conspiracies are increasing to keep the government under pressure. The web of conspiracy has spread not only within the country but also abroad. As part of that, six congressmen recently wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden. It has been accused of various human rights violations including persecution of minorities in Bangladesh.

‘As the information given in the letter is not true, its language is not diplomatic manners, rather indecent. It contains misleading information. The language of the letter is also very weak. They alleged that this letter was given in exchange of money by hiring a lobbyist abroad. They said that such incidents are not new, but they have been trying to destabilize the government for a long time. The six congressmen who wrote the letter had never spoken about Bangladesh before. This letter has been written by appointing lobbyists. Even only one out of six congressmen have uploaded their letter on their website. In other words, they did not take the letter seriously. Before this they never talked about the good and bad of Bangladesh. But it is our surprise that they have talked about taking action against Bangladesh in the first letter. The letter was sent to the White House on May 25. As of writing the report on Monday (June 5), none other than Congressman Bob Goode had published it on his website.

Poor letter language is not diplomatic etiquette

Referring to the language of the letter as indecent, we see that when Quader Molla was sentenced to death for war crimes in December 2013, before the execution of the verdict, the then US Secretary of State John Kerry called Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, so that the verdict was not executed. Kerry said to Sheikh Hasina, ‘You stay the death sentence. If you don’t do that, then the election that will be held on January 5, 2014, will have an adverse effect.

The US is not doing it new. Bangladesh Prime Minister was called by their Foreign Minister to suspend execution of war criminals. Lobbyists can be hired in the United States. Any country or business organization can employ this lobbyist and it does not reflect the truth. Congressmen are members of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the US Parliament. Senate is the upper house. They can be told anything with money. They will always speak for justice, but not.

The speech given by the senators and their language is not diplomatic etiquette. The letter contains words and phrases that cannot be used in other countries—inappropriate. Diplomatic language, what we do in state-to-state petitions, but this is not the case. If there is no democracy, press and freedom of speech, it can be said from within Bangladesh as well. But they told foreigners. The big proof that Bangladesh has the right to speak is that their speech has been aired on Bangladeshi television and aired in the United States as well.

‘The claim that they have made that they have no right to speak is not correct. Because there are democratic rights… This is what they said about oppression, a few days ago the former manager of Grameen Bank and Nobel laureate professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is being tortured, harassed – such a statement was made by forty people. It has been published as an advertisement in an influential newspaper of the United States at the expense of a large amount of money. it appeared that Dr. Yunus himself has evaded taxes, which he has admitted, the case is termed as harassment. A well-known person, a Nobel-winning economist, has tax evasion, for which he has been prosecuted, a case which some American people, including senators, members of the House of Representatives, including forty prominent people, called it ‘harassment’.

When law enforcement agencies take action against bigots, extremism, militancy, it is referred to as political persecution. They call it harassment, claim that there is no democracy in Bangladesh. But those who wanted to thwart the 2014 election, murder, rape; Arson, petrol bombs, hartal-blockade for three consecutive months in 2015, when the law-and-order forces stood up and took action against those violent activities, they termed it as political oppression.

They can talk about if something real happens, if the state does something wrong, takes away people’s rights. But it seems to me, most of what these six congressmen said are made up or taught by others. They spoke as if they were working for a lobbyist firm. They should not speak like this as elected representative of the American people. They should be wary of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

Apart from the economic and diplomatic scope, Bangladesh is involved with the United States in various activities. United Nations, World Bank and IMF are headquartered in the United States. Bangladesh is always playing an active and positive role in the activities of those organizations.

Such a country, which gained its independence at the cost of three million people’s blood, and America gave money and arms to Pakistan against that independence, they should still say this before making a statement about Bangladesh. Fifty-two years ago, the US aided Pakistan in carrying out the genocide in Bangladesh with weapons, which was wrong. They should have mentioned at the beginning of the letter, when Mukti Bahini was on the way to victory, they made a mistake by sending nuclear-armed Seventh Fleet into the Bay of Bengal. But they did not condemn the action of the US government at that time. But if they make a statement, they should say at the beginning that in 1971, the United States stood for the genocide of Pakistan in Bangladesh, we condemn it, it gave weapons to the Pakistanis, we condemn it, we hope that Bangladesh goes on the path of democracy.

Bangladesh is a major trade partner of the United States and said, “We export clothes to their country. But always our workers do not get fair wages. Still, we export garments to that country. But in this case, I am often deprived of fair wages. Do these congressmen criticize, condemn?  Stating that the language of the letter was very rude. This language was undiplomatic.

On May 25, a petition signed by 6 US senators was given to President Joe Biden on the website. The senators are Scott Perry, Bob Goode, Barry Moore, Tim Burchett, Warren Davidson and Keith Self. All of them are Republican Congressmen. The statement of the letter addressed to them is quite long. We are not aware of any lobbyist firms employed in the preparation of this statement. However, the German-based state broadcaster DW (Wood) and Sweden-based Netra News, the two organizations mentioned, have long been known at home and abroad as being run by the anti-government BNP-Jamaat sectarian militant group in Bangladesh. With the names of these two organizations on the letter to the senators, it remains unclear whether the cat in the bag is black or white, innocent or aggressive. Several of their videos are trying to spread the anti-government movement on YouTube at home and abroad. They are also spreading misleading information about the country’s military, independence, sovereignty, etc. in the international and social media. Therefore, the 6 senators cited them to raise various complaints against the government and the call by President Joe Biden to ban the members of the Bangladesh army from participating in the peace mission, actually reflected the desire of Netra News. Not to be outdone, these individuals and groups are heavily involved in spending huge sums of money behind influential lobbyists in the United States.

What is said in the letter

US President Joe Biden has been requested to take urgent action against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government’s violation of human rights. Also, it has been asked to take steps to create the highest environment for the twelfth national parliament election of Bangladesh to be free and fair.

In addition, since 2009, various human rights violations and democracy deprivation have been reported. However, no evidence has been presented. It is alleged that during the current government, the number of Hindus in Bangladesh has decreased by half. Demolition of homes of religious minorities, rape, forced conversions and persecution of Christians have been reported. There have also been allegations of widespread arrests against anti-government protesters. Information about minorities is confusing

Misleading persecutive narrative in the letter?

It is true that false persecution narrative’ has being woven around Hindu minority in Bangladesh. General Secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad Rana Dasgupta termed this letter of six US Congressmen to Joe Biden as  misleading and false projection.

When asked about the allegation made in the letter that the number of minorities in Bangladesh has halved during the government of Sheikh Hasina, he said, if we look at the report of the Bureau of Statistics, it can be seen that since the creation of Pakistan in 1947, 29.7 percent of the total population in East Bengal were minorities. By the 1970s it had dropped to between 19 and 20 percent. That is, in the first twenty-three years of Pakistan, about 9.7 percent was lost.

“The minorities of 1970 unanimously voted for the six parties. When the Pakistani government launched Operation Searchlight, they had five directives. One of them is extermination and annihilation of minorities,” added Rana Dasgupta.

This prosecutor of the International Crimes against Humanity Court said that during the liberation war, I saw that according to those instructions, indiscriminate massacres, rapes, looting and conversions took place in the minority villages of East Bengal. Even among the one crore people who became refugees, 92 lakhs were from the Hindu community. After the war of liberation, they returned to their homeland in one cloth.

Rana Dasgupta said, “The claim that the minority population has halved during Sheikh Hasina’s government is not correct. For the last 52 years I have seen the number of minorities decreasing. If Sixth Congress wrote to Joe Biden and claimed that half the population was lost during Sheikh Hasina’s government, then it is not true. He said, “If this is said, then it is not true. It’s confusing.’

Some information in the letter regarding minority issue is a complete lie. The reality is that after the Awami League government came to power, with the help of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, they are living with the recent communalism. They want to create pressure on the government

We can assume that this letter has been influenced by the people of the opposition party in Bangladesh through the lobbyist firm of Congressmen. Explained to them, gave them letters. It has been said that America should not take the Bangladeshi military forces on peacekeeping missions through the United Nations. It can be understood that these are being done to create unrest among people, to create pressure on the government party.

is it possible to implement the letter?

but at the moment this letter is nothing dangerous. Because it’s just a letter. There was no response from the office of the US President. This is a typical letter so far. Interestingly, if Donald Trump wins the election in near future and becomes president, he is not in favor of interfering in these matters of different countries.

Trump has not taken any action on these issues in the past term. But that’s the Democrats’ priority. It is also surprising that they are all Republicans. Because during the Trump era, there is no democracy in any country in the world, whether the elections are good or bad, they did not show any interest in the matter.

There is exaggeration here. Even there is a major lack of data. You can check line by line yourself, there are inconsistencies. In our country too, parliamentarians say many things to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Maybe writes, we know. But don’t take it into account; That is the responsibility of the head of state. such letters have come in the past and will come more in the future. As the election approaches, such activities will increase.  

Why it is inappropriate

US President Joe Biden himself, in a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has praised Bangladesh’s role in global peacekeeping. (We applaud Bangladesh’s demonstrated commitment to protecting the most vulnerable as the largest contributor to peacekeeping operations)। British Parliamentarians learn about Bangladesh: ‘‘A beacon of religious freedom’’. US also acknowledges Bangladesh’s liberal religious freedom in the ‘2022 Report on International Religious Freedom’ of various countries in 2022 on May 15, 2023. Indian refreshers also said that Bangladesh is a shining example of communal harmony.

Bangladeshi peacekeepers have been playing an important role in UN peacekeeping operations for more than three decades. At this time, the implementation of the letter is very inappropriate. Currently, 6,802 members of the armed and police forces are engaged in peacekeeping operations in nine missions around the world. One of the success stories of Bangladesh in the golden jubilee of independence is its retention of the top position as the country that sends peacekeepers to the United Nations peacekeeping missions. Various international media call Bangladeshi peacekeepers the core or equivalent of the UN peacekeeping force.

Set an example through sheltering Rohingyas

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government’s humanitarian actions in various fields, including the Rohingya issue, have won widespread praise around the world. While many countries in the world with the banner of human rights stop only crying for the Rohingya victims of human rights violations, Bangladesh has sheltered those 11 lakh Rohingya.

Geo politics and lobbyist money behind this

Bob Goode’s solidarity statement with five other congressmen highlighted another issue; That is geopolitics. The statement said that the way Sheikh Hasina’s government is getting closer to China and Russia is harmful to the national security interests of the United States. As a result, it is understood that, apart from the human rights situation, their concern is the closeness of this government with China and Russia. That’s right, geopolitics has changed since the start of the Ukraine-Russia war. The Western countries’ efforts to bring Ukraine into NATO have become fully exposed after Moscow’s aggression. Politically and economically, Russia-China and US allies in the West are trying to build two different rings. In that context, Bangladesh is always trying to adhere to the foreign policy of ‘friendship with all, enmity with none’. As the upcoming elections of Bangladesh are approaching, lobbyists are increasing their efforts to impose some sort of sanctions on Bangladesh by the US administration. Of course, no lobbyist in the United States works for free.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

ක්ෂේත්‍ර රැසකට ආධාර ලබාදෙමින් දකුණු කොරියාව ලබාදෙන අඛණ්ඩ සහය වඩාත් ප්‍රශංසනීය බව අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා ප්‍රකාශ කළේය.  

කොරියානු ජනාධිපතිවරයාගේ විශේෂ නියෝජිත ලී ජින්-බොක් සහ කොරියානු පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් කණ්ඩායමක් ජූනි 6 වැනිදා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලයේදීත්, බුසාන් හි නාගරික අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් යූ ජෑන්ග් චෝ ජුනි 7 වැනිදා අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේදීත් හමුවූ අවස්ථාවේදී අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා මේ බව පැවසීය.

කොරියානු ජනරජය සහ එහි පරිත්‍යාගශීලී නියෝජිතායතන මෙන්ම සංවර්ධන පදනම් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට උපකාර කිරීමේ  බොහෝ සුබසාධන ක්‍රියාමාර්ග අඛණ්ඩව ක්‍රියාත්මක කරනු ලබයි. කොරියානු ජනරජය සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව අතර ගැඹුරු මිත්‍රත්වය සහ ද්විපාර්ශ්වික සබඳතා වර්තමානයේ කැපී පෙනෙන මට්ටමකට වර්ධනය වන අතර දෙරටේ සහයෝගිතාවය ශාස්ත්‍රීය, විද්‍යා හා තාක්ෂණ සහ සංස්කෘතික සබඳතා ඇතුළුව ඉහළ මට්ටමක පවතින බව අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා මෙහිදී පෙන්වා දුන්නේය.

කොරියානු ජනාධිපතිවරයාගේ ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ ලේකම් (දේශපාලන කටයුතු) විශේෂ නියෝජිත ලී ජින්-බොක් පැවසුවේ කොරියාව ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ආයෝජන, වෙළෙඳ සහ සංවර්ධන සහයෝගීතාව වැඩි කරන බවයි. තොරතුරු තාක්‍ෂණයේ තරුණ නිපුණතා සංවර්ධනය සඳහා තවදුරටත් සහාය ලබා දෙන බව පැවසූ ඔහු කොරියානු තොරතුරු තාක්ෂණ විශේෂඥයින් විසින් දැනට පවතින තොරතුරු තාක්ෂණ පුහුණු මධ්‍යස්ථාන වෙත ඉගැන්වීම් පහසුකම් ව්‍යාප්ත කළ හැකි බව පැවසීය.

රාජ්‍ය පරිපාලන රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය ජනක වක්කුඹුර මහතා පැවසුවේ, කොරියානු සංවර්ධන ආකෘතිය සහ කොරියාවේ මානව සම්පත් ධාරිතා සංවර්ධන ක්‍රියාකාරකම් සැලසුම් පිළිබඳව එරටේ පුහුණුව ලත් ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජයේ නිලධාරීන් දැඩි පැහැදීමකට ලක්ව සිටින බවත්, ඔවුන් ඒවා ශ්‍රී ලංකාව තුළ ක්‍රියාවට නංවන බව සතුටින් සඳහන් කරන බවත්ය.  

කෘෂිකාර්මික යන්ත්‍රෝපකරණ, ඖෂධ සහ වෛද්‍ය උපකරණ නිෂ්පාදනය සහ පුනර්ජනනීය බලශක්ති මෙන්ම ධීවර ක්ෂේත්‍ර වැනි නව ක්ෂේත්‍ර සඳහා ආයෝජනය කිරීමට කොරියාවට දැන් අවස්ථාව ඇති බව ශ්‍රී ලංකා නියෝජිතයින් පෙන්වා දුන්නේය.  

දේශීය වෛද්‍ය රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය සිසිර ජයකොඩි මහතා පැවසුවේ, අපනයනය කිරීමට හැකියාව ඇති ශාකසාර ඖෂධ නිෂ්පාදනය සඳහා කොළවලින් සාරය ලබා ගැනීම වැනි ආයුර්වේද වෛද්‍ය විද්‍යාව පිළිබඳ විශේෂඥ දැනුම කොරියාවට ලබාදිය හැකි බවයි.

  EXPO 2030 බුසාන් හි පැවැත්වීමට ගෙන ඇති යෝජනාව සහ එහි සූදානම පිළිබඳව ද කොරියානු නියෝජිතයින් අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා දැනුවත් කළහ.

කොරියාවේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාරාමයේ විජිතවංශ හිමි, කොරියානු පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් වන සංගුම් යූ, වෝවුක් ලී, හුන්සුං ලී, බියුවන් කාන්, රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍යවරුන් වන චාමර සම්පත් දසනායක, අශෝක ප්‍රියන්ත, සිසිර ජයකොඩි, ජනක වක්කුඹුර, තේනුක විදානගමගේ  පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් වන සුදර්ශන් දෙනිපිටිය, යදාමිණි ගුණවර්ධන මෙම රැස්වීම් සඳහා සහභාගි විය.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

John Rozario Karnataka, India

Bangladesh and Myanmar are moving forward with the Rohingya repatriation plan a pilot project. However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has taken a stand against repatriation in Myanmar’s current situation. And as part of this, the organization stopped the food aid of 23 Rohingya families of four who voluntarily agreed to go to Myanmar last Monday. In such a context, yesterday, the Bangladesh government warned by summoning the representative of UNHCR in Bangladesh, Johannes van der Klok, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka. Bangladesh wanted to know from the UNHCR representative about the reason and in what context the UNHCR has stopped the food aid to the four Rohingya families. However, UNHCR has again provided food and emergency aid. That assistance resumed on Tuesday, a day after it was suspended. But UNHCR did not disclose why the food aid has been stopped primarily. In this regard, a report was published in the media on Monday.

The Bangladesh government has warned the UN refugee agency not to obstruct any repatriation activities. Dhaka has urged to comply with the agreement that the organization has with the government regarding the care of Rohingyas. After the Rohingya influx in 2017, the government signed an agreement with the United Nations Refugee Agency to take care of the Rohingya. According to the agreement, the Rohingya are willing to go or not? It is the responsibility of that organization to see that. But under no circumstances has UNHCR been given the right to influence the decisions of the displaced. There must not be a negative campaign about it.

UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner Kelly Clements visited Cox’s Bazar ahead of the decision to stop food aid to Rohingyas seeking to return to Myanmar. During that visit, she emphasized on not sending Rohingyas back by force in any way. In this regard, Bangladesh is also committed to voluntary repatriation.

However, we can say the reason behind the discontinuation of the food assistance. The head of the refugee agency has been asked on what basis the four families were deprived of ration. However, the refugee agency admitted their mistake and said – they are a bit confused where the Rohingyas will be (camps or Bashan Char). In response to this, the organization was told that it is not their responsibility to see where the Rohingyas will stay. Wherever the Rohingyas stay, they should be given food and emergency services.

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State are currently “not conducive” to the sustainable return of Rohingya refugees. UNHCR is not involved in these discussions,” it said in a statement on Bangladesh, Myanmar pilot project on Rohingya returns. The statement was shared by the UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific on Sunday (March 19, 2023) night.

Bangladesh’s top priority is Rohingya repatriation, as more than 1 million Rohingya have been staying here for 6 years. Efforts are underway to repatriate a small group to Rakhine under a pilot project. Bangladesh wants international organizations to help in this. The Rohingyas will be repatriated based on their consent, but the country will not accept anyone giving different advice or influencing those who want to go.

Recently a UN reporter commented that the situation in Rakhine is not conducive to repatriation. Did the reporter get this information from the United Nations?

A section of the international community is playing politics with the Rohingyas in the camps in Cox’s Bazar. Due to this, their repatriation process is becoming difficult at times. Unfortunately, we are noticing that various international circles are doing their own style of politics with the Rohingyas. It is difficult to say how much these quarters will see the interests of Bangladesh, or the Rohingyas. The Rohingyas are expected to return to a slightly better environment than the environment from which they crossed the Myanmar border into Bangladesh. Because the state system of Myanmar will not change overnight. This may not change even in the next 10-20 years. While the junta is killing people day after day, the hope that the Rohingyas will be repatriated to a different status with full citizenship is simply not realistic. This is a harmful thought for the Rohingyas. It is now important to ensure the status they had earlier.

While Bangladesh and Myanmar are preparing their returnee lists and facilitating the repatriation, INGOs and NGOs are expressing concerns over the plan. They are mainly objecting that the environment in Rakhine is not conducive enough for any repatriation at this moment. They are also condemning the Junta and labeling the plan as an eye wash. Prominent INGOs and NGOs including UNHCR and HRW have already given statements clearing their stance on the plan. They want Bangladesh to halt the program.

The international community and the great powers did little to pressurize the Junta to repatriate the Rohingya. Prior to Junta, the international community also failed to convince the democratic government to repatriate the Rohingya and bring the perpetrators to justice. Bangladesh has tried bilaterally, trilaterally, and multilaterally for the past six years for a viable solution. It has left no stone unturned, yet found nothing. Bangladesh eagerly wants to explore the initiative as something is better than nothing. Owing to bilateral political, economic, connectivity, and economic issues, Bangladesh itself has to solve the problem.

While Bangladesh- the guardian of the Rohingya on the global stage is trying heart and soul to repatriate the Rohingya to their birthplace, the NGOs are not doing enough for the most persecuted community of our time. The UNHCR and other NGOs are only maintaining the camps. Due to other emerging crises and donor fatigue, these NGOs are also reducing their effort in every aspect after six years. Recently, WFP reduced its monthly per capita ration from only $12 to $10 citing fund shortage.

Advocacy networks such as UNHCR, HRW, and Amnesty International failed to create effective pressure on Myanmar. Like the NGOs, the Great powers also failed to pressurize Myanmar effectively. As a result, Bangladesh is carrying the burden alone. The declining fund, deteriorating camp conditions, growing insecurity, and adverse impact of the refugees on the host community have made Bangladesh a desperate host looking for reducing the burden, where its international partners are only performing their formal duties within a set boundary. This crisis is also destabilizing regional security. The Rohingya cannot consistently receive food, shelter, and medical care due to Bangladesh’s limited economic capabilities. It is important to note that aid for the Rohingya is decreasing daily. The current Ukraine conflict has the entire world on edge. Although the world community has lost sight of the Rohingya humanitarian issue as a result of the war in Ukraine

Moreover, the ‘conducive environment’ debate is also a politically biased one. As the Junta is repatriating, it is guaranteeing their safety. The other stakeholders of Rakhine and Myanmar, the Arakan Army (AA) and the National Unity Government (NUG) have already recognized the Rohingya. Furthermore, it also has the responsibility of international community to provide an external guarantee for Rohingya’s safety upon repatriation. Therefore, it may not be unsafe to explore the possibilities of repatriation with the Junta. It seems the NGOs are driven by their own compulsion of lengthening ‘projects’ and squeeze their donors displaying the plight of the refugee community.

In a nutshell, the repatriation plan will reduce Bangladesh’s burden at least to some extent. The World community should not go against it; instead, they should come forward and engage effectively to ensure the rapid repatriation of the rest of the refugees. The NGOs and Advocacy networks should also scale up their activity rather than reacting compulsively. The Rohingya situation needs to be resolved successfully and permanently, according to the entire globe. For the Rohingya people to return from Bangladesh to Myanmar with safety and dignity, the successful implementation of the pilot project is necessary. Stupid narrow politics of UNHCR must be stopped in this regard.

Courtesy Aljazeera

Claims of 5G mobile signals harming Sri Maha Bodhi also illustrate the reverence in which the Buddhist-majority country holds the tree.

Published On 7 Jun 20237 Jun 2023

When social media was inundated with rumours that Sri Lanka’s holiest tree was being harmed by 5G mobile signals, Colombo’s cash-strapped government pulled out all the stops.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe dispatched a high-powered team of experts to the 2,300-year-old Sri Maha Bodhi tree in the sacred city of Anuradhapura, an ancient capital of the South Asian island nation.

The team included the head of the telecom regulator, his technical chief and the director of the National Botanical Gardens, along with university professors and district administrators.

Several visits were made, surveys were carried out, and the centuries-old tree was examined and monitored before a conclusion was reached: there were no 5G signals in the area in the first place.

The episode highlighted the speed with which fake news travels in Sri Lanka – but even more so, it illustrated the reverence in which the country holds the Sri Maha Bodhi.

The tree is believed to have been grown from a cutting of the bodhi tree in India that sheltered the Buddha when he attained enlightenment more than 2,500 years ago.

It is both an object of worship and a symbol of national sovereignty on the majority Buddhist island of 22 million people.

‘Great risk’

The first claims it was under threat appeared on a local website: 5G radiation from towers near the tree was supposedly turning its leaves black, and it was at great risk” of eventually shedding them all and dying.

Memes were shared widely on Facebook and WhatsApp groups, and a television presenter repeated the theories on his YouTube channel.

The chief monk of the Bomaluwa Temple that houses the tree in Anuradhapura, 200km (125 miles) north of Colombo, was accused of taking bribes from phone operators to let them set up 5G base stations nearby.

I am not a scientist, nor a botanist, so I raised the issue with the president in February,” monk Pallegama Hemarathana, 68, told AFP news agency. He immediately appointed a panel of experts.”

The government and the Buddhists will do whatever it takes to protect the Sri Maha Bodhi.”

There are four older base stations within 500 metres (1,640 feet) of the tree, but Telecommunications Regulatory Commission Director General Helasiri Ranatunga told AFP there was no 5G coverage in the sacred area as rumoured”.

Radiation in the area was well below World Health Organization thresholds, he said, and botanical experts had ruled there was no threat from existing 2G, 3G or 4G coverage.

The panel did, however, recommend banning mobile phone use to preserve the temple’s tranquillity, he added.

While there are already signs in place to that effect, they are widely ignored by the hordes of visitors to the site.

At the moment, fresh heart-shaped, purple-green leaves are sprouting on the tree.

Botanically a ficus religiosa” – also known as a bo” – the tree is worshipped by thousands of Buddhists daily as a symbol of the living Buddha”.

Comparatively small despite its long history, it is propped up by 10 gold-plated iron supports and dwarfed by another bodhi a short distance away.

First-time visitor G Kusumalatha travelled 400km (250 miles) from Walasmulla with more than 60 other pilgrims to pay homage to the sacred tree.

I feel ecstatic to be so close to the Sri Maha Bodhi,” she said, thanking the good karma” that had given her the opportunity.

But no one is allowed within an arm’s length.

The original tree in India is said to have died centuries ago.

Its Sri Lankan descendant was the scene of an attack in March 1985 by separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, who killed more than 120 people.

Since then, the tree has been provided with airport-style security, with visitors going through metal detectors and pat-downs. It is surrounded by two gold-plated fences and protected round the clock by monks, police and armed troops.

Several men are also deployed to clap their hands and chase away squirrels, birds and monkeys that could threaten the tree.

Sashika Neranjan, 39, visited the site recently with his extended family.

Our sister and brother managed to get permanent residency in Australia after taking a vow here,” he said. We are here to thank the sacred bo tree.”

SOURCE: AFP

raajje.mv

Key agreements have been exchanged between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The agreements were exchanged as part of Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid’s ongoing official visit to Sri Lanka, to attend the Maldives – Sri Lanka Joint Commission’s fourth session.

As such the signing ceremony, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka on Wednesday, was witnessed by FM Shahid alongside his Sri Lankan counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka M.U.M. Ali Sabry.

The agreements signed on Wednesday include a Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of the Maldives Cultural Centre in Sri Lanka, signed by High Commissioner of Maldives to Sri Lanka Ali Faiz on behalf of the Maldivian government and Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs of Sri Lanka Somarathne Vidanapathirana.

FM Shahid noted that the agreement will strengthen, promote and develop cultural cooperation between the two countries.

The second agreement is an MoU on the Field of Health Cooperation which is believed to contribute to enhanced collaboration between the two countries in the field.

The MoU was signed by Deputy Minister of Ministry of Health Shamau Shareef on behalf of the Maldivian government, with Additional Secretary (Medical Services) to the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka Dr. A.K. Sunil Bernard De Alwis signing on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka.

FM Shahid revealed that providing quality healthcare services is a priority for the Maldivian government.

Minister of State for Arts, Culture and Heritage Mohamed Thoriq and Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs of Sri Lanka Somarathne Vidanapathirana signed the third MoU, titled the MoU on Cultural Cooperation between the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Government of the Republic of Maldives”.

The Maldivian Foreign Minister noted that the agreement will provide the opportunity for both countries to cultivate and develop closer and stronger cultural relations, and to promote cooperation in the fields of heritage conservation, preservation and archaeology.

The agreements signed between the two countries on Wednesday aim to foster greater bilateral relations and cooperation in the field of cultural and health cooperation and people-to-people relations.

Courtesy Borneo Bulletin

CNA – Sri Lanka and Thailand could sign a free trade agreement (FTA) by March 2024, a top official of the Indian Ocean nation told media yesterday, as it attempts to rebuild its crisis-stricken economy.

The two nations restarted deal negotiations in January, months after a severe financial crisis engulfed Sri Lanka, as its foreign exchange reserves fell to a record low.

Both sides are enthusiastic and there is strong political will,” Sri Lanka’s chief FTA negotiator KJ Weerasinghe told media.

There will be several more rounds of talks, but I am confident we can conclude the agreement for signature by March 2024.”

A Thai delegation is expected to visit Colombo from June 26 to 28 for the next round of talks, covering goods, customs cooperation, investment, dispute settlement and services, he added.

Two-way trade was about USD460 million in 2021, Sri Lankan central bank data shows.

Sri Lanka exports mainly tea and precious stones to Thailand, from which it imports electronic equipment, food, rubber, plastics and pharmaceuticals.

Last week President Ranil Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka would focus on boosting foreign investment, exports and jobs, as it shifts gears from tackling the crisis to growth.

Economic prospects have benefited from moderating inflation, a stronger currency and lower interest rates in recent months.

The IMF expects Sri Lanka’s economy to shrink by about three per cent this year after a contraction of 7.8 per cent in 2022. The government expects to return to growth next year.

The island also expects FDI inflows to rise by a fifth this year, to USD1.3 billion, as it takes steps to attract investment.

Courtesy Adaderana

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has announced plans to establish a Digital Promotion Agency aimed at developing computer applications for the collection and monitoring of data from various government entities in Sri Lanka.

Previously, private companies had been responsible for creating such applications for government organizations, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.

However, the President emphasized the need for a dedicated agency to carry out this task in the future. President Ranil Wickremesinghe shared these intentions during a meeting with Governing and Opposition Members of Parliament at the Parliament Complex.

The purpose of the gathering was to address the overlapping work of the Oversight Committee and expedite its progress, according to the PMD.

As per the President’s recommendation, Opposition Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha De Silva, was appointed as the new Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, further said:

Standing orders should be followed when appointing chairmen of committees and advisory bodies. According to the existing standards, the chairmanship of the Committee on Public Finance Committee should be offered to members of the opposition. Harsha de Silva’s name and the names of several other members were proposed for this purpose. MP Mayantha Dissanayake has resigned as chairman. If the opposition suggests it, MP Harsha de Silva should be appointed head of the Committee on Public Finance. The IMF agreement was approved by Parliament. The newly appointed chairman should conduct himself appropriately.

The rules and regulations of committees and advisory councils should be set by the MPs who meet in those bodies. If the committee meeting cannot be held in the Parliament, we can find another location. The participating members could be paid separately. One thing should be mentioned here. Before presenting a bill to the Parliament, it should be presented to the MPs in advance to discuss and to be aware of it. It should be presented to them at least a week before the debate instead of delivering the bill today to be submitted tomorrow. It will be meaningless. It would be preferable if MPs were given at least two weeks’ notice.

Under World Bank support, funds have been secured to build an Interim Budget Office. We need your assistance to keep it running. The council should recognize its own obligations and designate Chairmanships of committees and advisory councils, as well as their representatives, with suitable targets.

In the past, District Revenue Officers (DRO) was assigned to Local Councils in Sri Lanka to collect government taxes. In India, there were Collecting Officers. However, when the Regional Secretariats in Sri Lanka expanded, the DROs disappeared and later they became Assistant Government Agents.

As a result, these Assistant Government Officials spent the government’s money rather than collecting revenue for the government. Consequently, the government will have to recruit at least 200 new DROs to collect the income if necessary.

Moreover, until recently, the private sector was responsible for the development of computer apps to gather and store data from government institutions for the functioning of government institutions. It should be stopped. Prompt measures have been made to establish a Digital Promotion Agency (DPA) for this purpose. As a result, DPA will develop computer applications for all government organizations in Sri Lanka in the future. Furthermore, two months before the budget, the Sectorial Oversight Committees shall provide a report on how the government’s money has been utilized.

Member of Parliament Mr Harsha De Silva:

Honourable President, I’d like to thank you for appointing me as the new Chairman of the Government Finance Committee. We questioned the Committee on Public Finance not to disrupt these efforts, but to steer the committee and its responsibilities in the appropriate direction. We collaborated with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to establish an Interim Budget Office.

Member of Parliament Mr Patali Champika Ranawaka,

In the Parliament, there are around 73 Committees and Advisory Councils. Human and physical resources are insufficient to support these Committees. If a rapid progressive committee program is required, the infrastructure should be strengthened.

Member of Parliament Mr. Mahindananda Aluthgamage,

Committees and advisory groups can have a significant impact. However, the representatives who have been appointed are engaged in a political process rather than performing their official duties. They are attempting to address the media through media shows. This is something we should avoid. It needs a quick program as it contains sensitive issues in these areas.

This discussion was attended by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Education Minister and Leader of the House Dr. Susil Premajayanth, Parliamentary Secretary General Kushani Rohanadeera, President’s Senior Advisor on Economic Affairs Dr. R. H. S. Samaratunga, President’s Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Prof. Ashu Marasinghe, and members of the Government and Opposition.

–PMD–

C. Wijeyawickrema, LL.B., Ph.D.

සුද්දෝදනගේ කොළුවා ගැන කතාකල නටාෂා නම් ඔල්මාද තරුණිය වෙනුවට, ඒ හැමදෙනාටම කලින්, ඉස්ලාම් ආගමට අපහාසකල, කිතුණු (බෝන් අගේන් මඩු) හා මුස්ලිම් පල්ලි වලට ගිනි තැබූ,  බොදු බල සේනා සංවිධානයේ ඥානසාර හිමියන් හිරභාරයට ගතයුතු යයි මිසිස් චන්ද්‍රිකා විසින් කරණ ලද ප්‍රකාශය පුදුමයට කරුණක් නොවේ. ජෙරොම්ගේ ජරමරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ජෙරෝම් ගැනට වඩා  යූටියුබ්කාරයින්, අරගලයේ කුමන්ත්‍රණ පඬරැල් හා රටින් පැනගොස් පැරිසියේ සැඟවී සිටින slvlog  හා මංජු නිස්සංකගේ ඒජන්ට්, භාරත තෙන්නකෝන් වැනි පංචස්කන්ධ වැඩියෙන් සඳහන් කරන්නේ  ඥානසාර හාමුදුරුවන් ගැනය.

මීට හේතුව වන්නේ මීට පෙර පාස්කු ප්‍රහාරයේදී එලිවූවා මෙන් ජෙරොම් මගඩියේදීද එලිවන්නේ ඥානසාර හිමියන් රටට පෙන්වා දුන් සත්‍ය කතාවම වීමය. පාස්කු කොමිෂම ඉදිරියේ දින පහක් පුරා උන්වහන්සේ දුන් ශාක්ෂි හා ලේඛණ වලින් පාස්කු කොමිෂම් වාර්තාව පිරී ඇත. කොමිෂම  හාමුදුරුවන්ට පොලිස් ආරක්ෂාව ලබාදී ඇත්තේද මේ නිසාය. මෙම යථාර්ථය ඉදිරියේ නැවතත් ජාතිවාදී හා අගම්වාදී ලේබලය බොදු බල සේනාවට පැටවීමට සමස්ත යුටියුබ් හා සමාජ මාධ්‍ය ජාලයම වලිකමින් සිටී. මොවුන්ට අනුව ජෙරෝම් ලා, නටාෂා  හෝ සේපාල් ලාගේ නාඩගම්වල වැරදිකාරයා ඥානසාර හාමුදුරුවන්ය.

බෲනෝ ඇරිස්ටෝටල් මෙන් හැසිරෙන ගමන් හසලක තුෂාර වේදිකාවේ කලිසම ගැලවීමට තරම් දාර්ශණිකයෙක් විය. කලිසම පහලට දැමූ විට ඔහුගේ පොට්ටනිය කමිසයෙන් වැසී තිබුණු නිසා කමිසය උඩට උස්සන ලෙස නාටාෂා කෑ ගැසුවේය.  එන්න බලන්න හැබැයි  මිරිකන්න එපා යයි හසලක කෑ ගැසුවේය. ප්‍රේක්ෂාගාරයේ පිස්සෝ ඔල්වරසන් දුන්නේය. අභිෂේකා කෙලීද   විනෝද වුනේය. දරු පැටියෙකු උකුලේ තබා ගෙන මව්කිරි පෙවීමේ අත්දැකීමක්වත් තවම නැති slvlog අභිෂේකා කෙලී පවා ඥානසාර හාමුදුරුවන්ට කියන්නේ ඥානසාර සාදු කියාය. බෞද්ධාගමේ සාදුලා නැත. හින්දු භක්තිකයින් කියන අන්දමට සාමි කියාවත් කියන්නට ඇයට නොසිතේ. ඇය බෝනගේන් කාරියක්ද? මේ මංජු නිස්සංකගේ රට හදන අළුත් නිරාගමික දේශපාලන පක්ෂයේ සාමාජිකයින්ගේ මානසික මට්ටමද?

බල සේනා බලු කූඩුවට දැමීම

නාටාෂාගේ නාඩගම ගැන උන්වහන්සේට කැතම අපහාසය කරන්නේ මිසිස් චන්ද්‍රිකා විසින්ය. චන්ද්‍රිකා නෝනාට අමතක නොවන පාඩමක් ඉගැන්වීමට කදිම අවස්ථාවක් ඇය විසින් ඥානසාර හාමුදුරුවන්ට සපයා දී තිබේ. ඇගේ ප්‍රකාශය සම්බන්ධයෙන් බොදු බල සේනා සංවිධානය විසින් පොලිසියට/CID හා මානව හිමිකම් කොමිෂමට පැමිණිල්ලක් කල යුතුය කියා මම සිතමි.

මෑත කාලයේදී, විශේෂයෙන් 2012 මැයි මස බොදු බල සංවිධානය පිහිටුවීමෙන් පසුව රටේ සියළුම පක්ෂ දේශපාලකයින් ඥානසාර හිමියන්ට වෛර කලේය. සිංහල බෞද්ධයයි පෙනී සිටින අය උන්වහන්සේව සැලකුවේ සතුරෙක් ලෙසය. මීට හේතුව අනිත් හැම ජනවර්ගයකටම නායකයින් සිටිනවා නමුත් සිංහල බෞද්ධයින්ට හරිහමන් නායකයෙක් නැතැයි හාමුදුරුවන් විසින් පෙන්වා දීමය. සැකකටයුතු ලෙස රුසියාවේදී පරලොව ගිය සෝම හාමුදුරුවන් මෙන් බණ මඩුවේ සිට නොව ප්‍රසිද්ධ වේදිකාවල මෙම තරුණ භික්ෂුව කල ප්‍රකාශ වල ව්‍යංග අර්ථය වුනේ, මේ බොරු බෞද්ධ දේශපාලකයින් සිංහල බෞද්ධයින්ට සළකන්නේ හරියට සමහර පිරිමි හිත හොද ගෑණුන්ට සළකනවා වගේය යන්නය.

දේශ-පාලනය (සමාජ සේවය) කල භික්ෂූන්ට කඹයකින් බැඳි හරකෙකුට මෙන් කොටුව ඇතුලේ, පවතින සිස්ටම් එක තුල සැරිසරණවා විනා, කඹය කඩාගෙන, වැට උඩින් පැන ගෙන යාමට සිංහල කළු සුද්දන් කල්ලි විසින් ඉඩ තැබුවේ නැත. ඓතිහාසිකව බලන විට නාරද හාමුදුරුවන්ට හෝ මඩිහේ හාමුදුරුවන්ට සිදුවූයේ එයය.  ඥානසාර නම් හිමිනම උපතින් ගෙනා, අවංකකම, කැපවීම හා නිර්භීතකම යන ලක්ෂණ අතින් මිගෙට්ටුවත්තේ ගුනානන්ද, අනාගාරික ධර්මපාල වැනි ජාතික වීරයින්ගේ ගති ලක්ෂණ මුල සිටම පෙන්නුම් කලේය. එම මුල් අවධියේදී චම්පික රණවක, ඇතුරැලියේ රතන හිමි යන අය උන්වහන්සේගේ දේශපාලන ගුරාලා විය. මේ ගුරාලා අවස්ථාවාදී ලෙස ප්‍රතිපත්ති කරණම් ගසද්දී, එකම මතවාදයක් වෙනුවෙන් අදටත් නිර්භීතව නොසැලි දිගටම පෙනී සිටිමින් රටේ ඉතුරුව ඉන්නා එකම පංචස්කන්ධය ඥානසාර හිමියන් පමණය.

මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ පවා ඥානසාර හිමියන් නොර්වේ ඒජන්ත කෙනෙක් යයි පැවසූ කාලයක් තිබුනේය. රජීව විජේසිංහ, රාජිත සේනාරත්න, විජේදාස රාජපක්ෂ යනාදී නොයෙක් නොයෙක් ආකාරයේ පංචස්කන්ධද ඊට සම්මාදම් විය. එහෙත් හාමුදුරුවන්ගේ ජාතික ව්‍යාපාරයට වැඩියෙන්ම වෛරකලේ චන්ද්‍රිකා නෝනාය. බොදු බල සේනා මතවාදයෙන් වඩාත්ම මානසිකව වැටුනේ ඇයය. මුස්ලිම් සභාවක් ඉදිරියේ “අපි ලඟදීම බලු සේනාව බලු කූඩුවේ දමනවා” යයි ඇය පැවසුවේ මේ නිසාය. මේ අතරතුර කුරුණෑගල පැත්තේ පාළු පාරකදී මහරෑ හාමුදුරුවන්ව අත් අඩංගුවට ගන්නට ගිය ආයුධ සන්නද්ධ පොලිස් බල ඇනියක් මහජනයා මැදිහත්ව ව්‍යවර්ථ කලේය. අන්තිමේදී මේ දඩයම ඉවරවුනේ අස්ගිරි මල්වතු මහානායක හිමිවරුන්ගේ මැදිහත් වීමෙනි (අස්ගිරි ප්‍රකාශනය 2017 ජූනි 20 හා ජූලි 4 නිවේදනය).

LankaWeb – අස්ගිරි විප්ලවය

ලෝකයේ අරුම පුදුම නඩු තීන්දු දෙක

එහෙත් චන්ද්‍රිකා දුන් පොරොන්දුව ප්‍රකාරවම වැඩි කාලයක් යාමටත් කලින් නීතිපති දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව හා jvp  නීතීඥ කුමාරප්පෙරුමද එකතුව හෝමාගම මහෙස්ත්‍රාත්ට අපහාස කලා යයි බොරු නඩුවක් පටලවා හාමුදුරුවන්ට වසර 19 ක සිර දඬුවමක් දෙන ලදී. හිර ගෙදර හාමුදුරුවන්ට බණ මඩුවක් වීම වෙනම කතාවකි. නමුත් ඇපැල් උසාවියේ මෙම නඩු තීන්දුව අනීතික තීන්දුවක් බවත්, ඊට විරුද්ධව සුප්‍රිම් උසාවියට ආයාචනයක් කිරීමට කල ඉල්ලීම ප්‍රතික්ෂේපකල සුප්‍රිම් උසාවියේ නිගමනයද  ස්වාභාවික යුක්තියට පටහැනි බවත් පෙන්වමින් මා කල විග්‍රහය ලංකා වෙබ් වෙබ් අඩවියේ පලවිය (එය උසාවි, බාර් ඇසෝෂියේෂන්, අධිකරණ අමාත්‍යාංශ යනාදියටද ඊමේල් කර යවන්න ලදී).

නඩුකාරයින් යයි කියන්නේද ශාන්තුවරයින් නොව කෙළෙස් බරින් පිරි පංචකන්ධ බව ඇමෙරිකාවේ සුප්‍රීම් උසාවියේ නඩුකාරයින් සඳහාද යම්  විනය රීති පද්ධතියක් (code of conduct) අවශ්‍ය යයි මේ දිනවල පවතින වාද-විවාද වලින් පෙනීයයි. ඇමෙරිකාව වැනි රටවල මෙන් ලංකාවේද උසාවි නඩු තීන්දු සම්බන්ධයෙන් කරණ ශාස්ත්‍රීය විග්‍රහ උසාවියට අපහාස කිරීමක් නොවන්නේ  ඒ මඟින් නීති විද්‍යාව (jurisprudence) පෝෂණය වන නිසාය.

LankaWeb – Six lawyers and a monk: importance of impotence

අගමැති බණ්ඩාරනායක ඝාතන කුමන්ත්‍රණය

1959 සැප්තැම්බර් අගමැති ඝාතනය, ඊට කලින් ඔහුට සර්ප විෂ සහිත කිරි වීදුරුවක් පෙවීමට ගත් උත්සාහය (වැරදීමකින් කැබිනට් ඇමති සී. පී. ද සිල්වා විසින් බොන ලද), හා ඉන්පසු 1962 ජනවාරි පොලිස්-නේවි ක්‍රිස්තියානි කුමන්ත්‍රණය සමඟ බැඳී ඇත. සෝමාරාම-බුද්ධරක්ඛිත මෝඩ ඉත්තන් පමණය. මෙය සඳහන් කලේ සිය පියාගේ ඝාතනය නිසා බණ්ඩාරනායක දරුවන් තිදෙනාට සිදුවූ අසරණවීම ගැන මට ඒකාලයේ සිටම ඇතිවූ අනුකම්පාව නිසාය. අගමැතිණි වීමෙන් පසුව ඔවුන්ගේ මවට දරුවන් නිසි ආකාරයට <හදාගන්නට> නොහැකිවිය. උදාහරණයක් වශයෙන් අනුරව බලාගන්නට භාරදී තිබුණේ ඥාතී ලක්ෂ්මන් ජයකොඩිටය. අනුරට සෙනේට් සභා භෝජනාගාරයේදී මත්පැන් පානයට හොරෙන් පුරුදු කලේ ඔහු බව මට කිව්වේ D. A. අබේසේකර නම් නිලධාරියා විසින් මා සිමෙන්ති සංස්ථාවේ සේවය කල කාලයේය (1973?) ආදරේට, මවට හොරෙන් මෙසේ නොකලා නම් අනුර තවමත් ජීවත්වන්නට ඉඩ තිබුණා නොවේද?

චන්ද්‍රිකාගේ සිංහල බෞද්ධ විරෝධී මනස හා ආගම ධර්මානුකූල නොවන හැසිරීම් සමුදාය පියා ජීවත්ව සිටියා නම් මීට වඩා වෙනස් වන්නට ඉඩ තිබුණි. ඇය චතුරාර්ය සත්‍යය හෝ ආර්ය අෂ්ටාංගික මාර්ගය ගැන දන්නේ රෝසි සේනානායක හෝ ටාරා ද මැල් දන්නවාටත් වඩා අඩුවෙන් විය හැකිය. වික්ටර් අයිවන්ගේ චෝර රැජින පොත චන්ද්‍රිකා විසින් ඔහුව රැවටීම නිසා ඔහු දැක්වූ ප්‍රතික්‍රියාවක් විය හැකිය. මීට වඩා ප්‍රබල  ශාක්ෂියක් වන්නේ අගමැතිණි සිරිමාවෝගේ නිල පුද්ගලික ලේකම්ව සිටි සුදත් ගුණසේකර එලිකල කතාවය.

ඇය ඔහුට කියා තිබෙන්නේ චන්ද්‍රිකා (ජනාධිපතිනිය) පිස්සු කෙළිනවා කියාය. තම මවගේ මිනියට නිල්පාට සාරියක් අන්දවා තිබෙනු දුටු මළගෙදරට ගිය හාමුදුරුවරු බෞද්ධ උපාසිකාවක්වු සිරිමාවෝට සුදු සාරියක් තිබුණේ නැද්දයි බලවත්සේ කණගාටු වුනේය. මේ සියල්ලටම වඩා ඇගේ ක්‍රියාකලාපයේ නරකම දේවල් අතර භයානකම දෙය වූයේ නීලන්-ජී එල්-ජයම්පති වික්‍රමරත්න යන අය හවුල් කරගෙන 1995-2000 කාලයේ ගෙනා රට කැබලි 7-10 ගණනකට කැඩීමේ පැකේජ් ඩිල් ව්‍යවස්ථාවය (balkanization of Sinhale). රනිල් අගමැති විසින් ඊට එකඟවුනත් අන්තිමේදී සිය ගෝල බාලයින් ලවා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේදි එය පුච්චා දැම්මේ තමන්ට අළුත් විධායක අගමැති කම නොලැබෙන බව දැනගත් විටය. ඇය ඇගේ මේ ජාති භ්‍රෂ්ට ක්‍රියාවේ තිබෙන ඇයට පෙනෙන <වටිනාකම>  ගැන රනිල්-සුමන්තිරන්-ජයම්පති වික්‍රමරත්නලාගේ 2018 ඔරිමිත්තනාඩු මගඩියේදී මෙන්ම දැන් 2013 ජූනි මාසයේදීත්  මහත් උජාරුවෙන් දොඩවමින් සිටී.

රනිල්ගේ 2002 රට පාවාදීමේ සටන් විරාම ගිවිසුමට නොදෙවෙනිව චන්ද්‍රිකා විසින් ISGA හා PTOM  යන රට නිසැකවම කැබලිවන මර උගුල් දෙකක්ම  අටවා ගන්නට සැදුවේය. මෙහිදී ඇයව  කොට උඩ යැව්වේ JVP විසින්ය

LankaWeb – සජිත්-රනිල්-චන්ද්‍රිකාගේ රට කැබලිකිරීමේ ප්ලෑන

ජාති වාදියා හා ජාතික වාදියා

සාමාන්‍ය මහජනයා හෝ උවමනාවෙන්ම එය විකෘති කර හුවා දක්වන මිය ගිය මංගල සමරවීරලාගේ අනුගාමිකයින් හා දෙස් විදෙස් බලවේග  අමතක කලත් චන්ද්‍රිකා වැන්නෙකුට ජාති හා ජාතික යන වචන දෙකේ වෙනස නොතේරෙනවාද? ජාතිවාදියා කියන්නේ තමන්ගේ උපන් ජාතිය පමණක් උතුම්ය, සෙසු ජාති/ජන වර්ග පහත්ය යයි සිතමින් ඔවුන්ට හිරිහැර, වද හිංසා කරණ හෝ කරන්නට අනුබල දෙන අයටය. හිට්ලර්ගේ යුදෙව් මනස හොඳම නිදසුණය.

ජාතික වාදියා යනු තමන් උපන් ජාතිය හා එහි ශිෂ්ටාචාරය රැක ගැනීමට, එය ලෝක සිතියමෙන් වඳවී අතුරුදහන්වීම වැලැක්වීමට ක්‍රියා කරන්නාය. ඔහු/ඇය සෙසු ජනවර්ග වලට හානි කිරීමට ක්‍රියාකරන්නේ නැත (බුදුවනතුරුම සිද්ධාර්ථ කුමාරයා ජාතික වාදියෙක් විය). විග්නේශ්වරන් විසින් සිංහල ආණ්ඩු  දෙමළ ජන සංහාරයක් කරණවා යයි කරණ ප්‍රකාශයට චන්ද්‍රිකා නෝනා විසින් නිහඬව සිටීම ජාතිවාදය පිළි ගැනීමකි. මේ අනුව ඇය නිර්මාල් රංජිත් දේවසිරි, ජයදේව උයන්ගොඩලා හා රාජිත සේනාරත්නලා වැනි පක්ෂ දේශපාලක ජාවාරම්කාරයින් මෙන්ම ජාතිවාදී හීතල හොරෙක්/හෙරක් ය.  සිංහල වෙලා හෝ ලංකාවේ හෝ ඉපදුනේ තමන්ගේ තීරණයක් නිසා නොවේයයි කේන්තියෙන් කියන්නට බෝන් අගේන් පල්ලි මඩු 200 කට වඩා භාරයේ සිටින එරාන් වික්‍රමරත්න අර්ධ පාස්ටර් වරයා කියන්නේ ජාතික වාදය ඔවුන්ගේ බැටළු පැටවුන් හොයා යන දඩයමට භාධාවක් නිසාය.

ආගම්වාදියා යනු තමන් අදහන දෘෂ්ටියට සෙසු ලබ්ධිවල අයව කැරට් අලය පෙන්නා හෝ වේවැල (කඩුව එල්ලකර හෝ හරවා ගත යුතුයයි බයිබලයේ හෝ කෝරානයේ එසේ කියා ඇතත් නැතත් කරන සංවිධාන වල සාමාජිකයින්ටය. ක්‍රිස්තියානි පල්ලි ක්‍රමය අනුව අස්වැන්න නෙලා ගන්නවා කියන්නේ මෙම ක්‍රියාවලියටය. බුද්ධ දර්ශණය සර්ව බලධාරී දෙවියෙකු විශ්වාස නොකරයි. හින්දු ආගමේ නම් මහා බ්‍රහ්මයෙකු සිටී. මේ අනුව විශේෂයෙන් බෞද්ධයින් වෙනත් ලබ්ධියකට මාරුවීම රේල් පාරවල් මාරු කිරීමකි. ඒ සඳහා අයථා විධි අනුගමණය කරන්නේ ඒ නිසාය.

අම්බෙඩ්කාර්ගේ නිගමණය

ඩලිත් වරුන්ට සිදුවන හානිය ගාන්ධිගේ මතවාදය ඉදිරියේ නොවිසඳෙන බව අවභෝධ කරගත් අම්බෙඩ්කාර් ක්‍රිස්තියානි, ඉස්ලාම් හෝ ශීක් ලබ්ධි වෙනුවට බුදු දහම තෝරා ගත්තේ බුදු දහම වැළඳ ගැනීමෙන් හින්දු ආගමට හතුරු කමක් සිදු නොවනවාය යන මානව දයාව ද නිසාය. ගස් ගල්. සතා සිව්පාවා ඇතුළු සියළුම සත්වයින්ට නිදුක්, නිරෝගී, සුවපත් බව පතන බෞද්ධ දර්ශණය හා ඒ වටා ගොඩ නැගුණ ආගමික ශිෂ්ටාචාරය ගැන නොදන්නා නිසා චන්ද්‍රිකා වැනි  පංචස්කන්ධ රටේ ඉතිහාසය ගැන ඇය පැරිසියේ විනෝදවෙමින් සිටි කාලයේවත්, එහි වැඩ විසූ වල්පොල රාහුල හිමියන්ගෙන්වත් ඉගෙන ගත්තේ නැත. එසේ නැත්නම්  ඇය සුමන්තිරන්ලා පාකියසෝතිලා හකීම්ලාගේ, වසන්ත රාජාලා, හෝ බෝන් අගේන් කාරයින්ගේ සුකොමල හස්තයක් වන්නේ නැත.

අවලංගු කාසි

කලකට පෙර රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා විසින් කියා සිටියේ පරණ දේශපාලන පක්ෂ දෙකම හා ඒවායේ නායකයින් අවලංගු කාසි යයි ඒකාලයේ jvp එක විසින් පෙන්වා දුන් බවයි. දැන් කාලය වනවිට පරණ පිනකට එවැනි අවලංගු කාසියක්වූ රනිල්, රටේ ජනාධිපති විය. එය රටේ වාසනාවද, අවාසනාවද යන්න ඔහු පරණ පව් සමාකර ගෙන විමලධර්මසූරිය වැනි රජෙක් වේද යන්න මත රඳා පවතී. මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මෙන් ඕ මයි ගෝඩ්, පිරිත් නූල් බෞද්ධයෙක් නොවීමට කදිම අවස්ථාවක් ඔහුට ලැබී තිබේ. 

චන්ද්‍රිකා තවමත් අවලංගු කාසියක්ම පමණක් නොව බොරු කතා මඟින් තවතවත් දියේ ගිලෙමින් සිටී. කුමාර වෙල්ගමට ඇයව ගොඩ ගැනීමට නොහැකිය. ඥානසාර හාමුදුරුවන් ව්සින් ජෙරෝම්-නටාෂා-බෲනෝ-මංජු-අභිෂේකා-සේපාල්- පැරිසියේ සැඟවී සිටින භාරත තෙන්නකෝන්, තරිඳු උඩුවරගෙදර, එරාන් වික්‍රමරත්න වැන්නන්ගේ බෞද්ධ විරෝධී  ව්‍යාපාරයේ ආරම්භය  ගැන අනතුරු ඇඟවූයේ 2000 පමණ සිටය. චන්ද්‍රිකාගේ 2002 බෞද්ධ කොමිෂම් වාර්තාවේම මෙය සඳහන් විය. ඇය කලේ කුමක්ද? ඇය මංගල සමරවීර සමඟ නිර්වස්ත්‍රම් පරමං සුඛම් වැනි කතාවලට විරුද්ධ වුනාද?

මුරදේවතා සංකල්පය

1802 න් පසු ලංකාවේ ඉතිහාසය සුද්දන්/කළුසුද්දන් හා පන්සල අතරවූ අතිවූ සනාතන අරගලයේ කතාව යයි සළකන විට ලෝකයේ වෙන රටක දක්නට නොලැබෙන මුර දේවතාවා යන සංකල්පයේ වැදගත්කම එලිවේ. නෝත් ආණ්ඩුකාරයාට පවා තේරුණු මෙම සංකල්පය ගැන දැනුමක් චන්ද්‍රිකාලාට, රාජිතලාට හෝ විජේදාස රාජපක්ෂටවත් නැත.

ථේරවාද බුදු දහම. ත්‍රිපිටකය හා සිංහල බෞද්ධ ශිෂ්ටාචාරය රැක බලාගත්තේ හාමුදුරුවරු රටේ මුරදේවතාවුන් ලෙස කල කාර්යභාරය නිසාය. රජුන් තැනීම, රැකීම හා ඉවත් කිරීම පන්සල ඉටුකල ජාතික වගකීම් විය. 1940ස් ගණන්වල අද්මිරාල් ලේටන් හාමුදුරුවරුන් හමුදා කඳවුරු වල තබන්නට සැලසුම් කලේ ජපනුන් ලංකාව ආවොත් පන්සල් ජපනුන්ගේ පැත්ත ගනීවී යයි ඇතිවූ භීතිය නිසාය.

ඉතිහාසයේ එක් එක් අවධිවල නායකත්වය ගත් භික්ෂූන් සිටියේය. මෑත කාලයේදී මෙසේ මදිහත්වූ හාමුදුරුවරු  සැක සහිත ලෙස අපවත්වීයෑම ලංකාවටම විශේෂිත සිද්ධිය. සෝම හාමුදුරුවන් අපවත් කෙරෙව්වාය යන සැකය මාදුළුවාවේ සොභිත හිමියන් සිංගප්පුරු වෛද්‍ය ගුවන් යානයේ  ගෙනයෑමේ කතාවට වඩා බලවත් වන්නේ, සෝම හිමියන් රුසියාවේ අපවත්වීම ස්වාභාවික හේතු මත සිදුවූවායයි පෙන්වන පොතක් වික්ටර් අයිවන් විසින් ලියා ඇති නිසාය.

පන්සලේ විප්ලවය (Ravaya, Piliyandala, 2006) නම් ඒ පොතෙන් සෝම හිමියන්ගේ පෙම් සම්බන්ධයක් ගැන පවා වික්ටර් ලියන්නේ හාමුදුරුවන් නළුවෙක් මෙන් මුහුණ ආලේප තවරා සකස් කල බව පෙන්වමිනි. එපමණක් නොව මේ ක්‍රිස්තියානි මාක්ස්වාදියා ලංකාවේ සංඝ සමාජය පුනර්ජීවනය කිරීම සඳහා උපදෙස් මාලාවක්ද  ලියයි. ඔහුගෙ මේ පොත ඩොලර්  කොන්ත්‍රාත් එකක් බව නිසැකය.

ලංකා වාසි ජනයාගෙන් කී දෙනෙක් මෙම ලිපියේ පෙන්වන කරුණු කාරණා දන්න්වාද කියා මට සිතේ. මේ අවස්ථාවේ මේවා වාර්තාගත කිරීමේ අරමුණ චන්ද්‍රිකා නෝනාට  ඥානසාර හිමියන් ගැන කට ඇරීමට සාධාරණ හෝ අසාධාරණ අයිතියක් නැති බව පෙන්වා දීමටය.

ඥානසාර හිමියන්ගේ ජාතික සේවය

2012 සිටම ඥානසාර හිමියන්ගේ ක්‍රියාකලාපය විමසිල්ලෙන් බලා සිටි මම ඒ කාලයේ සිටම උන්වහන්සේගේ මතවාදයට එරෙහිව කට මැත දෙඩවූ දේශපාලකයින්ට සිංහලෙන් හා ඉන්ගිරිස් වලින් පිලිතුරු ලිපි ලිව්වෙමි. ලංකාවෙබ් වෙබ් අඩවිය මෙම ලිපි සුරක්ෂිත කර තිබේ. එහෙත් උන්වහන්සේ සමඟ මා මුල්වරට කතා කලේ 2021 දීය. මේ හාමුදුරුවන්ගේ ජීවිත කතාවේ අබමල් රේණුවක් හෝ චන්ද්‍රිකා දන්නවා නම් ඇය මෙසේ දුෂ්ඨ ලෙස කට අරින්නේ නැත. හාමුදුරුවන් ගැන කරුණු කීපයක් මෙහි පහතින් සටහන් කරමි.

*1. කුඩා ලමයෙකු කාලයේ ඔහු මිහිරි හඬින් බෞද්ධ ගාථා කියනු අසා ඔහුව මහණ කර ගන්නට දෙන ලෙස ආරණ්‍යයේ නායක හිමියෝ  ඉල්ලා සිටිවිට ඔහුගේ පියා ඊට අකමැති විය. දැන් TV නාලිකාවල  නිතර නිතර ඇසෙන බෝධි පූජා,  සුත්‍ර ගායනා ඥානසාර හිමියන්ගේ කට හඬ බව දන්නේ කී දෙනාද?

*2. දළදාව හොරකම් කරගෙන යන්නට රතන හිමියන් වරක් ඥානසාර හිමියන්ට යෝජනා කලේය. පසු කලෙක දළදා මාලිගාව අසල කල මාරාන්තික උපවාසයෙන් රතන හිමියන්ගේ ජීවිතය බේරුනේ ඥානසාර හිමියන්ගේ මැදිහත්වීම නිසාය. එහෙත් අවුරුදු 15 ක් ම පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ සිටි රතන හිමියෝ ඥානසාර හිමියන්ට ලැබුණු අවස්ථාව නැති කලේය. ඥානසාර හිමියන් පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ගියා නම් ඉතුරු මන්ත්‍රීන් 223 ටම සිංහල බෞද්ධ මතවාදය උගන්වා දෙනවා නිසැකය.

* 3. බොදු බල සේනා සංවිධානය ගාන්ධිගේ හෝ ඇමෙරිකාවේ මාටින් ලූතර් කිංගේ මෙන් මිලිටන්ට්  ව්‍යාපාරයක් විය. එය අවිහිංසාව, විනය හා පරිත්‍යාගය (ඩෙඩිcඅටිඔන්) මත පදනම් වූවකි. තමන් හෝ තම සංවිධානය කිසිම පුද්ගල හෝ දේපල හානිකිරීමකට ක්‍රියා නොකල බව උන්වහන්සේ සපථ කර සිටී. මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් කරණ චෝදනා දේශපාලන කුමණ්ත්‍රන බවත්, කොමිෂමක් පත්කර කරුණු විමසන ලෙසත් කීපවරක්ම හාමුදුරුවන් ආණ්ඩුවලට අභියෝග කලේය.

*4. එක් උසස් පොලිස් නිලධාරියෙක් වරක් හාමුදුරුවන්ට කතාකර උපකාරයක් ඉල්ලා සිටියේය. යම් චීවර ධාරියෙක් කොළඹ සිටගෙන මහානායක හාමුදුරුවරුන්ගේ නියෝජිතයෙක් යයි කියමින් දූෂිත හොර කාර්යාලයක් පවත්වාගෙන ගියේය. දේශපාලනමය කරුණක් නිසා මෙයට අතගහන්නට නිලධාරියා මැලිවිය. හාමුදුරුවන්  වහාම මැදිහත්ව  චීවරධාරියාගේ කාර්යාලයට ගොස් විමසා බලා ඔහුව නෙරපා දම්මේය. මෙවැනි හොරුන් දුසිම් ගණනක් ඥානසාර හිමියන් විසින් අල්ලා නෙරපා ඇත. මිලිටන්ට් බුඩිසම් යනු එයය.

*5. හාමුදුරුවන් විසින් රටේ පන්සල් 20 ක් 30 ක් පමණ හදාගැනීමට උදව් කලත් තමන්ගේ පන්සල හදාගෙන නැත. බැංකු ගිණුමේ සල්ලිද නැත. එසේ නමුත් V8 හාමුදුරුවරු යන ලේබලය යූටියුබ් කාරයින් උන්වහන්සේටද ගසයි.  ඇමෙරිකාවේ දොස්තර වෝල්ටර් ජයසිංහ විසින් හාමුදුරුවන්ට වාහනයක් පූජා කලේ උන්වහන්සේගේ ශාසනික/සාමාජ කටයුතු සඳහා, දුර ගමන් සඳහා, සුදුසු වාහනයක් අවශ්‍ය නිසායයි පවසමිනි.

*6. හේතුඵල න්‍යාය අනුව කරුණු වටහා ගෙන රෝග නිධානයට ප්‍රතිකාර කරනවා මිස, ජෙරෝම්ලා හෝ නටාෂාලා පස්සේ එලවීම නිෂ්ඵල ක්‍රියාවක් බව පෙන්වන හාමුදුරුවන් ක්‍රිස්තියානි ආක්‍රමණය හා බෝන් අගේන්ලා බොහෝ කාලයක සිටත්. ඉස්ලාම් ව්‍යාප්තවාදය මෑතක සිටත් ලංකාව පුරා ක්‍රමයෙන් මුල් බැසගෙන යමින් සිටින නිසා ඒ පිළිඹදව දැන්වත් ආණ්ඩු ක්‍රියාකල යුතුබව පෙන්වා දෙයි. 1990 ගණන් වල සිට මීට අදාල තොරතුරු තිබේ. මේ නිසා මෙම ඉල්ලීම කිසියම් පක්ෂ දේශපාලනයකට කඩේ යාමක් නොවන බව පැහැදිලිය.

(1952 දී නාරද හාමුදුරුවන්ට පේරාදෙණිය සරසවියට පැමිණ දේශනයක් දීම සඳහා දේශන ශාලාවක් භාවිතයට අවසර ඉල්ලුවිට ඩීන් රොද්‍රිගෝ එය ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කලේය. මෙය නාරද හිමියන්ට වාර්තා කල විට අයිවොර් ජෙනින්ස් ට එය ඉදිරිපත් කරණ ලෙස උන්වහන්සේ ශිෂ්‍ය නායකයාට යෝජනා කලේය. ඒ අනුව ජෙනින්ස් ලඟට ගියවිට ජෙනින්ස් ඇසුවේ ඩීන් ශාලාව නොදීමට හේතුවක්  දුන්නාද කියාය.  හේතුවක් නොදුන් බව ශිෂ්‍යයා පැවසූ විට ජෙන්නින්ස් ශිෂ්‍යාට කිව්වේ ඩීන් ලඟට යන ලෙසය. ඩීන්  ශාලාව භාවිතයට අනුමැතිය දුන්නේය. ඒ කාලයේ ක්‍රිස්තියානි Mර්‍RA (moral re-armament)  ව්‍යාපාරය  බලවත් ලෙස පැවතුණි. මෙත්තානන්ද මහතා කැතලික් ඇක්ෂන් ලෙස නම් කලේද එයය. මට මේ කතාව කිව්වේ ඒ කාලයේ පේරාදෙණියේ ඉගෙනගත් දැන් ඇමරිකාවේ වසන මගේ මිත්‍රයෙකු විසින්ය).

*7. ආරම්භයේදී LLRC කොමිෂමට විරුද්ධවූ පිරිස් පසුව එහි වාර්තාව හිස්මුදුණින් පිලිගත්තේය. ඥානාසර හිමියන්ගේ එක රටක්-එක නීතියක් වාර්තාව ගැනද කිව යුත්තේ මෙයමය. දෙමළ හා මුස්ලිම් දේශපාලකයින් බලාපොරොත්තු වූයේ මිනිසුන් උද්ඝෝෂණකර එය කඩාකප්පල් කාරවි කියාය. එහෙත් උතුරේ හා නැඟෙනහිර දමිල හා මුස්ලිම් ජනයා හාමුදුරුවන් මහඉහලින් පිලිගත්තේය. ගෝටාභය 2018/9 සිංහල බෞද්ධ  බලවේගයේ වින්නඹුවා මිස එහි අයිතිකාරයා නොවීය.

*8. එක රටක්-එක නීතියක් සංකල්පය නාගානන්ද කොඩිතුවක්කු පවා කොපිකරගෙන තිබේ. මෙම සංකල්පය, ජන සභා සංකල්පය සමඟ බද්ධකර ඉදිරියට ගෙනයාමට ඓතිහාසිකව අයිතිය ඇත්තේ ඥානසාර හිමියන්ටය.

*9. බොරු ප්‍රජා (තන්ත්‍ර-නාස්ලණූ) වාදයක්, මානව හිමිකම්, යුක්තිය ගැන කතාකරණ මායාකාරී ලෝකයක, ඥානසාර හිමියන්ට විරුද්ධව ඉස්ලාම්  අන්තවාදීන් හා බෝන් අගේන් කාරයින් විසින් දමා ඇති බොරු නඩු උන්වහන්සේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් චන්ද්‍රිකා මුස්ලිම් සභාවකට පොරොන්දුවූ බලු කූඩු නඩුය. මේ නඩු සඳහා මුදල් උන්වහන්සේට නැත. එක්තරා නඩුවක් සඳහා ප්‍රකට නීතීඥයෙක් ලක්ෂ 10 ක් ඉල්ලුවේය. අරාබි ඩොලර් හාමුදුරුවන්ට නැත.

10. 2015 සිට හමුදුරුවන්ට Facebook තහනම් කර තිබේ. ලංකාවේ හා විදේශ ඩොලර් තැරව්කාරයින්, ජාතිවාදී/ආගම්වාදී දේශපාලකයින් මේ පිටුපස සිටී.  ඥානසාර යන නම හා බොදු බල සේනා යන නම සමහර විද්යුත් මාධ්‍යවල තහනම් වචනය. හාමුදුරුවන්ගේ අත් බැඳ, කටට මුඛවාඩම් දමා හාමුදුරුවෝ නිහඬ මන්දැයි මේ හොර නඩ ප්‍රශ්ණ කරයි!

උපුටා ගැන්ම දිවයින

අතිපූජ්‍ය බළන්ගොඩ
ආනන්ද මෛත්‍රෙය
මහ නාහිමි
(1980 රසවාහිනි සඟරාවට ලියන ලද ඉහත ලිපිය අප වෙත යොමු කළේ මාතලේ තිබ්බටුවාවේ එස්. එස්. වීරසූරිය)

වර්ෂ 1951 දෙසැම්බර් මස 23 වැනිදා මදුරාසියේ රායපෙටා වීදි මාවතේ තුබුණු ශ්‍රී කෞමාර නාඩි කාර්යාලයට ගියෙමි.

එහිදී පණ්ඩිත තංගවේලු නම් නාඩි ශාස්ත්‍රඥයා හමුවී සංක්‍ෂිප්ත බුද්ධ චරිතය (නාඩි වාක්‍ය) ලබා ගතිමි.

එයට ජේසුතුමාගේ චරිතය ද ගන්නට සිතිණි. මේවා ලබාගත හැක්කේ ප්‍රත්‍යෙක කාණ්ඩ හෙවත් ‘තනි කාණ්ඩම්’ නම් ග්‍රන්ථාංශයෙන් ය. මෙහි මනෝමය ප්‍රශ්නවලට උත්තර ඇත.

මම ජේසුතුමාගේ චරිතය ලැබේවා යි සිතීමි, සිතා ඒ බව නොකියා මගේ කේන්ද්‍ර පිටපත දුනිමි. එය හෙතෙම තමා ළඟ ඇති කේන්ද්‍ර සටහන් සහිත ප්‍රත්‍යෙක කාණ්ඩ බලා එහි ඇති බව කීය. මම ප්‍රශ්නයක් සිතූ බව කීමි. එවිට හෙතෙම යථෝක්ත පුස්කොළ පොත බලා ඔබ සිතුයේ ‘මරිය මගන්’ (මරියතුමියගෙ පුතා) ගැන යැයි කීය. එසේ යැයි කීමි. මම කොපි පොතක් කඩේකින් ගෙන්වා දුනිමි. හෙතෙම පළමුකොට තමා ළඟ තිබෙන පුස්කොළ පොතෙන් මා දුන් කොපි පොතට පහත දැක්වෙන ලියැවිල්ල ලියා දුන්නේය.

එය පේළි අටේ කවි තුනකි. මෙහි ඇත්තේ ඔහු ලියා දුන් ලියැවිල්ලේ පිටපතකි.

නාඩි ශාස්ත්‍රඥයා නාඩි ග්‍රන්ථය බලා ලියා දුන් කවි තුනෙහි ඡායාරූප පිටපතේ එක් සටහනක්

මම දෙමළ බස නොදනිමි. ඒ නාඩි ශාස්ත්‍රඥයා ද ඉංග්‍රීසි නොදනී. මා සේම නාඩි වාක්‍ය ගන්නට අවුත් සිටියවුන් අතරෙන් ද්‍රවිඩ ජාතික ඉංග්‍රීසි ගුරුවරයකු දැක ඔහු කැඳවා මට ලැබුණු නාඩි වාක්‍ය ඉංග්‍රීසියට නඟා දෙන්නැයි කීමි. එවිට නාඩි ශාස්ත්‍රඥයා තමා දුන් පැරණි ලියැවිල්ල වර්තමාන ව්‍යවහාර දෙමළ බසට නැඟීය. එය යට කී ගුරුවරයා ඉංග්‍රීසියට නැඟීය. එය මම ලියා ගතිමි. ඔහු ඉංග්‍රීසියට නඟා දුන් පරිදි ඉහත දක්වූ නාඩි ලේඛනයේ භාවාර්ථය මෙසේය.

ලග්නය වෘෂභය වූ, එහි කුජ ද සිංහයෙහි රවි ගුරු ශුක්‍ර කේතු ද කන්‍යායෙහි බුධ ද, තුලාවෙහි ශනි ද, කුම්භයේ චන්‍ද්‍ර රාහු ද ඇතිව උපන් ආනන්ද මෛත්‍රෙය නම් තැනැත්තා මරියතුමියගේ පුත්‍ර වූ ජේසුතුමා ගැන ප්‍රශ්න කරයි. එය විසඳමි. ඒ ජේසුතුමා ධනවත් නොවූ පවුලෙක උපන් කෙනෙකි. බාල වයසේදී සිය කැමැත්ත අනුව කල්යැවීය.

කලකට පසු බොහෝ ධර්ම ශාස්ත්‍ර ඉගෙන ඒවා විමැසුම් ඇසින් බලන්නට විය. අන්තිමේදී බුද්ධ ධර්මය ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨම ආගම යැයි නිශ්චය කොටගෙන එය අනුව පිළිපැද්දේය. එයින් තමා ලත් අවබෝධය අනුව ලොවට දහම් දෙසීය.

මිනිසුන් බොහෝදෙනා එතුමාගේ ධර්මයට විරුද්ධ වූහ. එතුමාට අප්‍රමාණ හිරිහැර කරන්නට වූහ. රළ ගසන්නාක් මෙන් එකක් ළඟට තවෙකක් කරදර හිරිහැර ඇති විය. එතුමා ස්වකීය ජන්ම භූමියේ ම රැඳී නොසිට ඒ ඒ පළාත්වලට වැඩ දහම් දෙසීය. අන්තිමේ දී සතුරෝ එතුමා අල්ලා කුරුසියේ ඇණ ගැසූහ. සිය ප්‍රතිපත්තියෙන් මිනිසකු විසින් ලැබිය යුතු උසස් තත්ත්වය අවබෝධ කොට එය ලෝවැඩ තකා අවංක වැ අභීත වැ කියාපෑමෙන් සත්‍යයේ නමට ජීවිත පරිත්‍යාග කළ බැවින් ලෝ වැස්සෝ එතුමාට මහත් ආදර බහුමාන දක්වති.”

මා දෙමළ නොදන්නා බැවින් මේ උඩ කී පරිදි ඒ දෙමළ කවි තුන අන්කෙනකු ලවා පරිවර්තනය කරවා ගත් අයුරුය. තවත් නාඩි පොතක ජේසුතුමා ඉන්දියාවට වැඩි බව දැක්වෙයි. එතුමා ඉන්දියාවෙහි උතුරෙහි වූ ලාඩාක් (බටහිර ටිබෙට්) රටේ හිමිස් ආරාමයේ කලක් විසූ බව ඒ ආරාමයේ පොත්ගුලේ ඇති පැරණි ලියැවිල්ලෙක සඳහන්ව ඇතැයි කලකට පෙර එහි පැමිණි ‘රෝරික්’ නම් ගත්කරු ්‍යැ්රඑ දf ්ිස් නම් තම පොතෙහි සඳහන් කරයි. අවුරුදු කිහිපයකට පෙර සුළු ආසියාවේ මළ මුහුද අසල පොළොව හැරීමේ දී ලැබුණු බොහෝ පැරණි ලියැවිලි රැසෙක් Dead Sea Scrolls නමින් පළ වී ඇත. ඒවායින් ජේසු නමින් දෙදෙනකු සිටි බව ද පළමු ජේසු තුමාට අවුරුදු 105 කට පසු පැන්දීරා නම් කෙනකුගේ පුත් වූ තවත් ජේසු නම් කෙනකු ඇතිව මහජනයාට අනුශාසනා කරමින් සිටි බව ද දැක්වෙතැයි ඒ පොත් කියවා පිරික්සූ මහතකු කලකට පෙර Theosophist සඟරාවේ පළකොට තිබුණි.

කාස්මීරයේ ශ්‍රී නගර් පුරයෙහි පොළොව කැණීමේ දී හමු වූ ශිලා ලේඛනයකින් එය තුබූ තැන ජේසු නම් කෙනකුගේ සොහොන වී යැයි පැවසේ. අද එය වටා ගෙයක් තනා එය ඉදිරියෙහි Grave of Jesus යැයි නාම පුවරුවක් ද සවි කොට ඇත.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Media reporting incident involving Ven. Ajahn Brahm Thera at BIA.

Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva, who accused the media of involving him and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardane in the ordeal experience by Venerable Ajahn Brahmawanso (Ajahn Brahm Thera), said it was a case warranting regulation of media activities.

The minister said that the Prime Minister was at a different lounge while he was at a separate section of the VIP lounge.

“Media should not manufacture news. They report what really happened. This is why we need regulation on the media,” he said.

He also apologized to the Venerable Thera for holding him back at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for 12 hours. An inquiry conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority would reveal who was at fault and assured to prevent recurrent of such incidents in the future, he said.

The Minister told Parliament that the Civil Aviation Authority as the regulatory body was conducting an inquiry as to how the incident occurred.

“The President ordered an inquiry through the Presidential Secretariat. I informed him that the Civil Aviation Authority is the regulatory body to conduct the investigation and as such an investigation is in progress at that moment. We will be able to know who overlooked his or her duties,” he said.

Meanwhile, responding to a question by SJB MP Ajith Mannapperuma, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles said there were no armed STF personnel inside the VIP Lounge and said they were only outside the Lounge.

MP Mannapperuma requested the Minister to conduct an inquiry to get it confirmed that STF personnel were not inside the VIP Lounge as there were reports of STF presence in the VIP Lounge. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The government will introduce a floor and ceiling price for fuel with the launch of business operations by Sinopec, a leading international petroleum company, in the country shortly, a top source said.

Sinopec has already signed the agreement to distribute fuel in Sri Lanka. Sinopec will be allocated 150-dealer operated fuel stations in the country. Besides, two other foreign fuel companies will be allowed to operate in the country later. Currently, the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and Lanka Indian Oil Company are the only fuel distributors in the country.

A government source told Daily Mirror on condition of anonymity that a floor and ceiling rate would be introduced according to a pricing formula in the future once these foreign companies start operations.

The companies are required to be competitive within the stipulated limit. We cannot expect a drastic price reduction soon, though,” the source said.

The source also said the government will also move away from the QR code system introduced for rationing fuel trade soon.

We will gradually do away with the QR code system,” the source said.

Meanwhile, RM Parks-Shell will start fuel trade in Sri Lanka after signing the agreement on June 8. In the world market fuel prices are likely to rise because Saudi Arabia as a key oil supplier, has decided to curtail supplies. (Kelum Bandara)

Courtesy Adaderana

ගජේන්ද්‍රකුමාර් පොන්නම්බලම් මන්‍ත්‍රීවරයා සමග ආන්දෝලනාත්මක සිද්ධිය ඇතිවූ පොලිස් නිලධාරීයා වන්නේ පොලිස් සැරයන් සනත් ගුණවර්ධන මහතාය.

ඔහු 1990 වසරේදී ඔඩ්ඩුසුඩාන් පොලිස් ස්ථානයට අනියුක්තව සේවය කරමින් සිටින අතරතුර LTTEයේ පැහැරගැනීමට ලක්වී එම කඳවුරක වධ බන්ධනවලට ලක් වූ අයෙකි.

එල්.ටී.ටී.ඊ.යෙන් නිදහස ලබා පැමිණි සනත් ගුණවර්ධන පොලිස් සැරයන් ධුරයට උසස් කෙරුණු අතර යළි උතුරු පළාතට ස්ථාන මාරුවක් ලද ඔහු එහි රාජකාරී කරමින් සිටින අතරතුරයි මෙම සිද්ධියට මුහුණ දී තිබුණි.

මේ අතර පොලිස් නිලධාරීන් පිරිසක් සමග ආරවුලක් ඇති කරගත් පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ගජේන්ද්‍රකුමාර් පොන්නම්බලම් මහතාගේ විදෙස් ගමන් තහනම් කිරීමට කිලිනොච්චිය මහේස්ත්‍රාත් අධිකරණය අද නියෝග කර තිබේ.

මේ අතර මන්ත්‍රිවරයා සිය බලතල අවභාවිත කර ඇති බැවින් ඔහුට එරෙහිව නිසි පියවර ගන්නා ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිවිල් සංවිධානයක් කථානායකවරයා වෙත සංදේශයක් අද භාරදුනි.

වඩමාරච්චි ප්‍රදේශයේ විභාග මධ්‍යස්ථානයක් අසලදී පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ගජේන්ද්‍රකුමාර් පොන්නම්බලම් මහතා සහ පොලිස් නිලධාරීන් පිරිසක් අතර ආරවුලක් ඇතිවූයේ පසුගිය දෙවැනිදාය.

සිද්ධියට අදාළව කාන්තාවක් සහ තවත් පුද්ගලයෙක් පොලිස් අත්අඩංගුවට ගෙන අධිකරණයට ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමෙන් පසු හෙට දක්වා රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාරගත කෙරුණි.

එමෙන්ම මහජන ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍ය ටිරාන් අලස් මහතා සිදුවීම පිළිබඳ තමන්ට කඩිනමින් වාර්තාවක් ලබාදෙන ලෙස මේ වන විට පොලිසියට දැනුම්දී තිබේ.

මේ අතර කොල්ලුපිටිය පොලිසියේ නිලධාරීන් පිරිසක් අද සිය නිවසට පැමිණ සිංහල භාෂාවෙන් ලිඛිත නිවේදනයක් තමාට ලබාදුන් බව පොන්නම්බලම් මන්ත්‍රීවරයා සිය ට්විටර් ගිණුමේ සටහනක් තබමින් පවසා තිබුණි.

මන්ත්‍රිවරයා සඳහන් කර තිබුණේ නමුත් සිංහල ලිවීමට හෝ කියවීමට නොහැකි නිසා තමා එය භාරගැනීම ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කළ බවය.

පසුව පොලිස් නිලධාරීන් එය සිංහලෙන් තමා ඉදිරියේ කියවූ බවත් එහි ප්‍රකාශ වූ පරිදි තමාට ජුනි 8 වැනිදා උදෑසන 10 ට මරදන්කේනි පොලිසියේ පෙනී සිටීමට සිදුව ඇති බවත් මන්ත්‍රිවරයා පවසා තිබුණි.

එමෙන්ම තමා පොලිසියේ පෙනී සිට ප්‍රකාශයක් ලබාදෙන තෙක් සිය විදෙස් ගමන් තහනම් කරමින් නියෝගයක් කිලිනොච්චි අධිකරණයෙන් නිකුත් කර ඇති බවත් මන්‍ත්‍රිවරයාගේ ට්විටර් ගිණුමේ සඳහන්ව ඇත.

පොලීසිය පවසන්නේ එම පණිවිඩය දෙමළ බසින් ලිඛිතව යළිත් වරක් මන්ත්‍රිවරයා වෙත ලබාදීමට අද පස්වරුවේදී  පියවර ගත් බවය.

මේ අතර ගජේන්ද්‍ර කුමාර් මන්ත්‍රිවරයා සිය පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී බලතල අවභාවිත කර ඇති බැවින් එම හැසිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් නිතීමය පියවර ගන්නැයි ඉල්ලා කථානායකවරයා වෙත ලිපියක් භාරදීමට සිංහල රාවය සංවිධානය පාර්ලිමේන්තුව පිවිසුම අසලට අද පැමිණියේය.

පසුව පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ සහකාර වේත්‍රධාරිවරයා එහි පැමිණ ලිපිය භාරගත්තේය.

Courtesy Adaderana

An overseas travel ban was imposed on MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam today (June 06), on the orders of the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court.

The Jaffna District parliamentarian, who represents the All Ceylon Tamil Congress or Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (AITC), is accused of his complicity in obstructing the duties of police officers and verbally abusing them during a recent event in Vadamarachchi.

Soon after the incident, MP Ponnambalam was asked to record a statement with the Maruthankerny Police on Monday (June 05). However, he has failed to appear before the police, citing a parliamentary meeting in Colombo.

Thereby, Sri Lanka Police had presented facts related to the matter to court on Monday.

Taking to Twitter this afternoon, MP Ponnambalam said the Kollupitiya Police served him a written notice, asking him again to appear before the Maruthankerny Police, which he refused to accept as he can neither read nor speak in Sinhala. The subsequently read it to me in Sinhala saying that all they needed to do was to inform me.”

The parliamentarian says the Kollupitiya Police officers then proceeded to ask him to produce himself at the Maruthankerny Police at 10.00 a.m. on June 08.

On Sunday (June 04), Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles had called for a detailed report on the recent heated situation involving the All-Ceylon Tamil Congress leader and a group of police officers in Jaffna.

Accordingly, the minister stated that the Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of Police of Jaffna had been informed to provide a special report on the incident as soon as possible.

A recent video circulated on several social media platforms showed a heated exchange of words between the MP and several officers, believed to be attached to the Jaffna Police, while Ponnambalam was engaging with area residents.

The tense situation had ensued when the police officers asked MP Ponnambalam to call off his public meeting at the Thalaiyadi playground, in consideration of the students sitting for the Ordinary Level examination at the nearby Thalaiyadi Roman Catholic Mixed School.

Meanwhile, the female organizer of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) was remanded until Wednesday (June 07) after being produced before the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court earlier today.

She was arrested on Monday, along with a man, on charges of obstructing the duties of police officers.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Cabinet of Ministers has granted the approval for the proposal to publish the draft Bill on contempt of a court in the government gazette, and subsequently to be tabled in the Parliament for its approval.

On June 27, 2022, Cabinet approval was given for introducing legal enactments on contempt of court” which includes clear and precise provisions and situational circumstances regarding the offense, defense and easing the penalty as well as the procedure to follow when easing the penalty.

The draft Bill, prepared by the Legal Draftsman, later received the Attorney General’s clearance.

Thereby, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs & Constitutional Reforms for publishing the said Bill in the government gazette and later present it to the parliament.

By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

During the Rohana era, one has to consider that after the invasion of Arians and from the epochs of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, the Ruhuna reign existed according to the rules and regulations of the country. It was a self-sufficient reign managing its economic growth for a long time.

It was mentioned in the chronicles that Ruhunu people, in probability, in fear of enemy threats, were returning to Ruhuna after establishing rural establishments with army support. Lots of jobs associated with the forces were available in Ruhuna. Therefore, for a long time, it was clear that it was possible to discuss the possibility of the standard economy of Ruhuna.

Ruhuna has existed from time immemorial based on the above incidents. The wife of King Panduwas, Princess Baddyakathyana, and among her brothers, Prince Ram, named Uruweala village and Anuradha, Vigitha other used towns. Prince Deergayu called the village Deergayu, and Prince Rohana established the Rohana under the hid name. 

After a long time, Ruhuna became a reign of Sinhala Kings. Afterwards, Ruhuna became a different kings were  yet-to-be king (Uya Raja). It was the beginning of Rohana Reign. During the Anuradhapura era, kings were named Uya Rajas and Adi Pada. Later Ruhunu's reign protected Sinhala kings and became a kingdom that could become manageable. If a king was crowned in Ruhuna, kings in the regions were known as separate entities (mentioned in the chronicles). During King Sena’s period, after the death of Prince Weera Mahinda, according to the customs, the crown would have gone to Kassapa the Adi Pada. Still, King Sena appointed his younger brother to charge the southern region as Yua Raja. (It was mentioned in the chronicles), and described how income for Ruhuna was generated from the other areas, possibly from various taxes.

There was a political incident during King Seelaka. A person named Mahanaga, a resident of Ruhuna, became the King of Anuradhapura after working under King Seelakala as a cashier. It was believed that Seelaka worked as a cashier, and his income was generated being investigated. Having worked under King Seelakala as a cashier, he (Mahanaged) worked against and rebelled against King Seelakala, becoming the sole ruler in Ruhuna. 

When Anuradhapura surrendered to the enemies, Wijayabahu managed to expel Ramangna by sending—many people, to Prince Wijabahu, with loads of money. Many kings worked for the welfare of their subjects.

King Kavantissa of Ruhuna made plans for Elara, who ruled Anuradhapura at the time to defeat him (Elara). Still, he intended to protect the country from the enemy by any means. The King employed war tactics employed the military so that no harm was done to his subjects but to protect them peacefully. King Kavantissa could have killed Elara, but his idea was to protect the nation and not kill the Tamil King. The King fortified through military strength, and he ensured that there was no injustice or fear of war to his subjects but created a peaceful environment. The King approached King Elara with the army and threatened to kill him, but he did end up not killing King Elara. It is on record in history books how the King evaded the fear of war by any means to avoid the fear of war towards his sons and the citizens of the nations.

It was established that people’s daily lives were centred on agriculture and other products, and the citizens were self-sufficient. According to history, the population was high, and the production was inadequate to 

PEOPLE, THEIR VOCATION, AND THE SOCIAL STANDARDS.

feed every mouth in the reign. Ancient history indicates that although there was plenty of rainfall, the food production in each district needed to be improved to provide all mouths in Ruhuna. Although there is evidence to show that during the Anuradhapura era, Ruhuna was divided into many communities in the 12th century, and the south of Ruhuna was split into West and South named Tholos das Rata, and the East was named Atadahas Rata. When Prince Mahanaga became King of Anuradhapura, he merged Ruhuna and Anuradhapura. However, the administration was unsuccessful because of the distance and borders marked between the two areas, according to history. Lords (Adi Pada) Dappula managed to form an agreement, and Mahinda prepared an agreement to stop the war. They changed the borders of the two areas, towards south Galga Ganga (Gal Oya) and separated to areas where the north of Gal Oya and Digamulla belonged to Anuradhapura.  

 During the Elara - Dutugamunu war, the famous elephant Kadol was sent for treatment, indicating that veterinary surgeons treated the elephants, horses and other animals, and medical services were available during the Ruhunu era. Afterwards, conflict situations were only mentioned for a few hundred years. It is also noted that cashers posts and building trade vacancies were mentioned in Mahavamsa. It became a part of Anuradhapura.

 During the Rohana era, there were main roads; one was Bibile (across the Mahaweli river and the Pulasathi town and Dass Thota. When transporting goods from one area to another, one had to pay taxes to ferries. The 5th Mahinda came on horseback incognito and complained to the King of Solei reign about how Soli soldiers were ruining the economy of Ceylon and managed to reconstruct the export of various export items such as textiles, cotton, sandalwood, etc., and once again managed to expand the export trade.  

tilakfernando@gmail.com

Courtesy: The writer translated into English from Sinhala, the text of the late Prasad Milinda Siriwardena – Ceylon Economic Analysis between BC 543 to 1832. Only the relevant parts were translated.