Garvin Karunaratne

The Ministry of Youth Development where I was working as the Commonwealth Fund Advisor in Youth Development was attending to traditional youth work and providing skills training to 40,000 youths annually. The Military Government that took over in 1982 expressed dissatisfaction with the programmes and at an evaluation, presided over by Air Vice Marshall Aminul Islam, the Minister for Labour and Manpower,  I was questioned as to what contribution I could make for Bangladesh. It was delivered in the form of a military command

I replied that it would be ideal to have a Self Employment Program which will guide and train the annual intake of 40,000 youths  undertaking skills programs to become self employed.  Bereft of any such programme to guide them to venture into employment most of the trained youths remained unemployed. I was told blankly that this was something that can never be achieved because The ILO had miserably failed to establish a self employment program in Tangail in the earlier three years. The Secretaries of the Finance and other Ministries strongly objected, stating that it would end up in a waste of funds and also that the Youth Ministry should not be entrusted with the task of creating employment opportunities. I argued that though the ILO failed, I had the ability to  succeed because I had established many employment projects in my work in Sri Lanka. I also argued that youth work should concentrate on skills training and guiding the trained to establish enterprises. The Hon Minister listened carefully to an easy two hours’ arguments between me and the Secretaries of some Line Ministries. Finally he ordered all of us to shut up and asked the Secretaries for the number of drop outs of the education system in any one year, those who would be searching for employment without any qualification. The answer was in the millions. Then he asked for the number of youths who would be guided to become self-employed through Government Programs. The answer was none. He immediately ruled that I should be allowed to establish a youth self employment program. The Secretary to the Treasury immediately vetoed it by stating that there were no funds. I immediately said that I needed no funds, but authority should be granted for the Ministry to re deploy officers, redraft their work remits and to find savings within the skills training budgets for expenses on holding workshops to train and guide youths to become self employed. The Hon Minister granted that request.

The Youth Development Department under my direction  got cracking the very next day, identifying key areas where the work will commence, drafting training schedules to train the staff who attended to skills training on how to guide the youths to make their own assessment of how they can be self employed in their habitat. The Ministry took over elements of national planning, in identifying areas where there was a potential for youths to become self employed. I with a core of officials addressed the 40,000 youths in training on identifying areas where they could generate incomes,  and how they should draft plans to be self employed. It was to be a family basis where the parents and elders of the youths were also consulted. All skills training institutes were activated till late at night to enable youths to utilize the machinery to make something that  could be sold. What they made was evaluated at the next days training and this took on a process of training to make marketable products. The three Livestock and Poultry Training Institutes of the Ministry established  an extension service to help youths who commence farms in their homes. The Deputy Directors of Youth Development in charge of Districts took on the mantle of guiding the youths to establish income generation activities and guiding them on a day to day basis. In short the Ministry of Youth Development  became in facto a Ministry creating employment.

In 1982 I commenced training the staff in economics and techniques of community development and non formal education where the thrust was to enable youths to make their own decisions  and develop their abilities to make them become successful entrepreneurs. I was training 2000 youths and also training the staff to continue the program when I leave.

The design of the program and what was achieved in eighteen months is recorded by the two Secretaries with whom I worked.

Mr Ayubur Rahaman, The Secretary to the Ministry wrote on 5/10/1983:

His contribution towards successful launching of a number of skills  development training programs to promote employment of youths deserves special appreciation. His role as formulator of the self employment project has been particularly commendable. Dr Karunaratne  applied his initiative, skills, expertise and energy on training of youth officers, preparation of business profiles for encouraging self employment and guding youths to formulate small projects. It was mainly through his dedication and hard work  that the pilot program  for self employment  has now been formally accepted as one of the most important development projects to be implemented  by the Youth Development Department.”

Mr Md. Asafuddowlah, Joint Secretary on 28/8/1983:

Dr Karunaratne’s significant contribution has been in the field of self employment to the drop out youths. This Programme was not only designed by him but also guided by him. This activity which was initially launched  as a pilot experimental project has been a great success and has now been  adopted as a full fledged programme of the Youth Development Department. This is a non subsidy programme  in which the youths are subjected to non formal education inputs while they are engaged in viable bur small scale commercial ventures. The Government  has been successful in providing  meaningful employment  to a large number of youths on this programme.

Mr Md Asafuddowlah,  Secretary to the Ministry, on 20/2005, again wrote to me:

You will be happy to learn that the Self Employment Program of the Youth Development Department  has expanded across the country and attained great success. I have not forgotten your valuable contribution to the success of this programme.”

The Programme has been expanded apace, run by the administrators trained by me. . On 19/2/2011, the Government of Bangladesh,  in its Report to the 34 th Session of the IFAD(FAO) stated that two million youths have found self employment on this Programme.

Today this is the largest employment creation program the world has known. The Programme currently guides  160,000 youths to become self employed. The Ministry has taken over the task of national planning to create employment. Ninety five percent of the work of the Youth Development   is to create employment for the youth. In the first four years this Programme was not provided any funds. It was entirely worked on savings found in other approved training budgets. Later it was  provided ample funds. The Fifth Five Year Plan of the Planning Commission of Bangladesh details an  eight page assessment of this great programme. 

The Youth Self Employment Programme of Bangladesh, now in its third decade, having guided as much as three million youths to become viably self employed stands out as a success that can be repeated in many a Third World country. I can give the assurance that it can be done. 

Garvin Karunaratne,

garvin_karunaratne @hotmail.com

18062026

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Port-City-secures-600-m-new-investment-through-71-strategic-businesses-in-1H2026/44-793674#

Quote 

The announcement that Colombo Port City has secured over US$600 million in new investments through 71 strategically approved businesses is encouraging and reflects improving investor confidence in Sri Lanka’s economy. However, the composition of those investments deserves closer attention. Much of the current focus appears to be on real estate, hospitality, logistics, and commercial developments.  

Unquote 

Port City Must Become Sri Lanka’s Blue Economy and Heavy Industry Command Centre
The announcement that Colombo Port City has attracted over US$600 million in new investments through 71 Businesses of Strategic Importance is a positive milestone for Sri Lanka. It demonstrates growing confidence in the country’s economic reforms and investment climate.
However, Sri Lanka must now ask a more fundamental question: What kind of investment will transform our economy over the next fifty years?

While luxury apartments, hotels, office towers, and logistics companies have their place, they alone will not create the industrial strength required to generate large-scale exports, high-income employment, advanced technology transfer, and foreign exchange earnings.

 Sri Lanka is an island nation strategically located in the centre of the Indian Ocean. Our greatest untapped resource is not land—it is the Blue Economy.

Port City should therefore evolve beyond being primarily a real estate destination. It should become the regional headquarters for global marine, offshore, and energy industries.

 Priority sectors should include:
● Offshore oil and natural gas exploration management.
● Marine engineering and offshore construction companies.
● Floating production systems and subsea engineering.
● Ship management and vessel-owning companies.
● Green hydrogen and green ammonia project developers.
● Offshore wind energy management.
● Maritime technology and digital navigation companies.
● Marine insurance, arbitration and finance.
● Ocean research and marine biotechnology.
● Regional headquarters for international energy service companies.

Instead of focusing mainly on selling luxury apartments overlooking the marina, Sri Lanka should attract the management and engineering headquarters of multinational companies operating throughout the Indian Ocean, Middle East, East Africa and South Asia.
These headquarters would employ Sri Lankan engineers, naval architects, geologists, data scientists, marine lawyers, accountants and project managers while creating thousands of high-value professional jobs.

 At the same time, the Government should accelerate heavy industrial development outside Port City through special industrial zones dedicated to:

● Petroleum refining and petrochemicals.
● LNG import, storage and distribution.
● Steel fabrication and heavy engineering.
● Offshore fabrication yards.
● Shipbuilding and ship repair.
● Renewable energy equipment manufacturing.

Countries such as Singapore, the UAE and the Suez Canal Economic Zone in Egypt demonstrate that world-class financial centres thrive alongside advanced industrial and maritime ecosystems—not instead of them.
Sri Lanka has the geographical advantage, skilled workforce and maritime heritage to become the Indian Ocean’s premier Blue Economy hub.

Port City should not merely become another waterfront skyline. It should become the command centre for the industries that will power Sri Lanka’s economy for generations to come.

Sarath Obeysekera

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), supported by energy and marine consultancy ABL, has completed the relocation of 44 jack-up rigs ahead of the monsoon season.
The pre-monsoon rig moves were carried out between March 15 and May 31, with the rigs travelling a combined distance of more than 5,500 nautical miles before the onset of seasonal adverse weather conditions.
ABL, part of Oslo-listed consultancy group Aqualis, also supported an additional 75 rig moves within ONGC’s offshore fields on India’s west coast between September 2025 and May 2026, acting as tow master and marine warranty surveyor throughout the campaign.

Were those rigs moved for lay up
Any brought to Trincomalee ?

The movement of the 44 jack-up rigs was not primarily for lay-up.

Every year, before the southwest monsoon, offshore drilling contractors working for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) reposition jack-up rigs from exposed drilling locations to safer designated locations. This is a routine seasonal marine operation known as a pre-monsoon rig move. Once the monsoon ends, many of these rigs are moved back to drilling locations or to their next contracts.  

The reasons include:

• Avoiding severe monsoon weather.
• Moving between drilling campaigns.
• Going to shipyards or anchorages for inspection and maintenance.
• Positioning for the next drilling programme.

These are operational relocations, not necessarily long-term lay-up.

Were any brought to Trincomalee?

As of now, there is no public evidence that any of these 44 ONGC rigs were towed to Trincomalee as part of this pre-monsoon campaign.  

However, Trincomalee has hosted offshore rigs before. Its deep, sheltered natural harbour is well suited for:

• Temporary anchorage,
• Repairs and maintenance,
• Crew changes,
• Heavy logistics,
• Waiting between contracts.

For example, the semi-submersible rig Olinda Star was handled at Trincomalee anchorage several years ago, and maritime companies are actively promoting Trincomalee as a regional offshore support hub.  

Given your long-standing interest in developing Trincomalee as an offshore industrial hub, this is an important point: there is a genuine opportunity for Sri Lanka to attract idle or between-contract drilling rigs by providing:

• Rig repair and dry-docking services,
• Steel fabrication,
• Marine engineering,
• Supply base operations,
• Crew logistics,
• Waste management,
• Bunkering and fuel services.

These are high-value maritime services that could complement the planned development of the Trincomalee oil tank farm and the port as an energy hub.  

In fact, Trincomalee could aspire to become for the Bay of Bengal what places like Singapore or Batam are for Southeast Asia—an offshore support and maintenance centre serving rigs operating in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and potentially Sri Lanka’s own offshore fields.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Many leading educational thinkers and industrialists have argued that education should develop creativity, problem-solving, adaptability, and character rather than only memorization. Here are some of the best-known quotes and how they can inspire modern educational reforms.

1.

Albert Einstein

Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”

Modern adaptation:

Education should teach students how to think critically, solve problems, and innovate, rather than simply memorize information.”

Reform implication:

• Greater emphasis on critical thinking.
• AI-assisted learning.
• Project-based and inquiry-based education.

2.

John Dewey

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

Modern adaptation:

Schools should reflect real life by integrating entrepreneurship, community service, digital skills, and practical experiences.”

Reform implication:

• Internships.
• Community projects.
• Financial literacy.
• Environmental education.

3.

Nelson Mandela

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Modern adaptation:

Education should empower every student to improve society through knowledge, ethics, and innovation.”

4.

Peter Drucker

The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Modern adaptation:

Education should produce creators, entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovators who build the future.”

5.

Steve Jobs

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

Modern adaptation:

Schools should encourage creativity, experimentation, and calculated risk-taking.”

6.

Henry Ford

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.”

Modern adaptation:

Learning should continue throughout life through continuous reskilling and lifelong education.”

7.

Jack Ma

We have to teach our children something unique so machines can never catch up.”

Modern adaptation:

Since AI can process information, schools must focus on creativity, ethics, teamwork, emotional intelligence, and leadership.”

8.

Yuval Noah Harari

The most important skill in life is the ability to reinvent yourself again and again.”

Modern adaptation:

Education should prepare students for careers that do not yet exist by building adaptability and resilience.”

9.

Rabindranath Tagore

The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.”

Modern adaptation:

Education should balance academic excellence with emotional well-being, sustainability, culture, and social responsibility.”

10.

Lee Kuan Yew

The wealth of a nation lies in its people.”

Modern adaptation:

A country’s greatest investment is developing skilled, disciplined, innovative, and ethical citizens.”

A Vision for Modern Educational Reform

Drawing on these ideas, a reform agenda could include:

• Teach students how to think, not what to think.
• Integrate AI literacy and digital technologies across subjects.
• Make English proficiency and the mother tongue complementary.
• Strengthen science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM).
• Expand technical and vocational education alongside university pathways.
• Foster entrepreneurship and innovation from school age.
• Build ethical leadership, environmental responsibility, and civic values.
• Promote lifelong learning, allowing people to reskill throughout their careers.
• Align curricula with future industries such as artificial intelligence, robotics, renewable energy, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and the blue economy.

A concise guiding principle for educational reform could be:

The purpose of education in the 21st century is not merely to prepare students for existing jobs, but to equip them with the knowledge, character, creativity, and adaptability to create the industries, technologies, and societies of tomorrow.”

This principle reflects the common thread running through the work of many influential educators, business leaders, and policymakers while addressing the challenges of an AI-driven and rapidly changing world.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019 remain one of the most devastating tragedies in Sri Lanka’s recent history. It claimed the lives not only of Sri Lankans, but also of foreign nationals. Therefore, countries such as the United States also have a responsibility to determine the real culprits.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted an investigation and identified Zahran Hashim as the mastermind.

The FBI reports, along with inputs from other foreign agencies that assisted post-blast investigations, have reinforced the conclusion that Zahran played a central role in planning and directing the coordinated strikes carried out by local radicalised cells affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS).

Similarly, investigative assistance provided by Australian authorities, including forensic and intelligence cooperation, has contributed to mapping networks, confirming the identities of perpetrators, and strengthening the evidentiary base linking the attackers to transnational extremist structures. These external inputs, taken together, broadly support the view that the bombings were locally executed, but internationally inspired and ideologically linked.

However, differences have emerged within Sri Lanka over the question of the mastermind. The current government and the Catholic Church portray a different narrative, and investigations are now underway.

These perspectives have often pointed to alleged intelligence failures, lapses in prevention, and questions around possible higher-level facilitation or negligence. All in all, the narrative suggests that the attack may have been orchestrated to gain political mileage, allegedly to influence the election of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa to office by capitalising on the national security sentiment triggered by the attacks.

It is difficult to dismiss the FBI report, given that the United States has a legitimate interest in investigating the incident. A number of US nationals were killed in the bombings. Similarly, other countries such as the United Kingdom and China also have a stake, as their citizens were victims.

A key concern arising from this situation is the way foreign investigative contributions are being publicly understood. References to FBI findings, for instance, have been cited in public discourse as affirming Zahran Hashim’s central role. However, there has been limited effort by the Sri Lankan state to systematically present these international findings alongside domestic investigative conclusions in a consolidated format. As a result, the public is often left to interpret fragmented references.

This gap has broader implications. In this case, where national trauma intersects with international terrorism investigations, clarity isn’t merely a procedural requirement, but a matter of public trust. The victims include Sri Lankans of multiple faiths as well as foreign nationals, underscoring the global relevance of the tragedy. In such a context, consistency in communicating investigative outcomes is essential to prevent misunderstanding and speculation.

Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church, which has been at the forefront of calls for justice for victims, has repeatedly emphasised the need for full disclosure and accountability.

It’s incumbent upon the government, once again, to state its position on the FBI findings. The country deserves an answer to this question.

The United States, in its Country Reports on Terrorism 2019: Sri Lanka, also referred to the ISIS-inspired attackers as the perpetrators.

ISIS-inspired terrorists conducted a series of suicide attacks against churches and hotels across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, resulting in hundreds of casualties. Then ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi publicly praised the attacks, illustrating that ISIS remained determined, following its defeat in Syria and Iraq, to continue its global campaign through affiliated branches and inspired attacks. The attacks also led to isolated outbreaks of anti-Muslim violence, the report stated.

The National People’s Power (NPP) came to power with the promise of identifying the mastermind, or mahamolakaru”, of this attack. The question therefore remains: who is correct—the FBI, the Catholic Church, or the NPP government?

The government must clearly state its position; otherwise, attention will be diverted by a narrative that is yet to be conclusively established. Alternatively, the matter should be referred to the judiciary after the conclusion of ongoing investigations for determination.

The Easter Sunday bombings are not only a domestic concern but also an international one, as a number of foreign nationals, including five Americans and six Chinese ocean scientists, were among those killed. Sanity should prevail in the end.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA) will be repealed within this year, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated in Parliament today (25).

The President said the law, introduced in 1979 as a temporary measure for one year, had remained active for approximately 46 years despite longstanding demands for its abolition.

President Dissanayake noted that successive campaigns had been conducted calling for the removal of the act, citing concerns over civil liberties and its continued use over an extended period.

The President said therefore the government will repeal the PTA within the year.
 

President Dissanayake made this assertion while joining the adjournment debate on combating the drug menace, which was moved by the government.

The President said corruption, organized criminal networks, drug trafficking and the links between crime and politics must be decisively addressed.

President Dissanayake noted that the country already possesses the necessary legal framework and state institutions to combat such activities, and alleged that the opposition has become a principal obstacle to these efforts.

The President highlighted the work of the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Deputy Inspector General Shani Abeysekara, describing him as a key figure in efforts to combat crime.

President Dissanayake claimed that DIG Abeysekara has become a target of criticism from opposition forces.

He also referred to several public officials, including the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, Ranga Dissanayake, the Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala, officials of the Attorney General’s Department and the judiciary, stating that they too have faced opposition for carrying out their responsibilities.

During his speech, the President said that exposing crimes allegedly committed with state backing should not be viewed as an act of betrayal, but rather as part of a broader effort to establish a more accountable and civilized state. He emphasized the government’s commitment to strengthening the rule of law and democratic governance.

The President also expressed support for the armed forces and intelligence services, praising their contributions to national security. However, he maintained that individuals within those institutions who may have misused their positions for political purposes should be held accountable under the law.

Referring to several high-profile cases, including the murder of rugby player Wasim Thajudeen and the 2019 Easter Sunday Bombings, the President alleged that elements within the state apparatus had been involved and argued that the truth behind such incidents must be fully revealed.

He further stated that the government would continue to support law enforcement and investigative officers carrying out criminal investigations and warned against attempts to intimidate or threaten officials engaged in such work. The President also called on the public to support efforts aimed at combating organized crime and ensuring accountability.

Addressing Parliament, President Dissanayake also said that relevant red notices would be issued to facilitate the extradition of individuals involved in fraudulent and criminal activities who are currently residing overseas.

The President claimed that laws would be amended to enable overseas witnesses who fear appearing in Sri Lanka to testify remotely.

Furthermore, President Dissanayake said under the present administration, a total of 3,390kg of heroin, 304kg of cocaine, 5,543kg of Crystal Methamphetamine (‘Ice’), 1,521kg of Kush cannabis, 5,110,735 narcotic pills and 2,454,267 drug capsules were seized.

Around 58 organised crime suspects have also been arrested abroad and extradited, according to the President.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera 

What kind of education system best serves Sri Lanka’s long-term development?

The issue is not whether Sri Lanka should have schools similar to prestigious British schools such as Harrow School, Merchant Taylors’ School, or The John Lyon School. The real question is whether our education system produces citizens who can create value in Sri Lanka rather than simply preparing students to leave.

The Current Situation

Sri Lanka has several excellent international schools that prepare students for British, Australian, or International Baccalaureate qualifications. Many graduates proceed to universities abroad and often settle overseas.

At the same time, leading national schools prepare students for GCE O/L and A/L examinations, with the objective of entering Sri Lankan universities and obtaining professional or public-sector employment.

Both systems have strengths, but both can be criticized for focusing heavily on examinations rather than innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, and industrial development.

Why Singapore and South Korea Are Different

Singapore and South Korea invested heavily in:

• Science and technology education
• Technical and vocational training
• Research and development
• Export-oriented industries
• Merit-based public administration
• Strong links between universities and industry

Students remain because opportunities exist at home. Patriotism helps, but economic opportunity is usually the decisive factor.

The Real Problem Is Not Emigration

Many Sri Lankan students leave because:

• Higher salaries abroad
• More advanced industries
• Better research facilities
• Larger technology ecosystems
• More merit-based career progression

If Sri Lanka offered similar opportunities, many would stay or return after gaining experience overseas.

Some Ideas for Sri Lanka

1. Create Technology-Focused Secondary Schools

Establish specialized public schools focusing on:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Robotics
• Renewable energy
• Maritime technology
• Aerospace engineering
• Advanced manufacturing

Students should learn practical innovation, not only examination techniques.

2. Strengthen Vocational Education

Countries such as Germany have elevated technical education to a prestigious level.

Sri Lanka could expand institutions such as technical colleges and vocational academies to produce:

• Welders
• Mechatronics technicians
• Marine engineers
• Renewable-energy specialists
• Industrial automation experts

This aligns closely with your long-standing interest in vocational and marine industry development.

3. Develop AI and Digital Export Zones

Create technology parks in:

• Colombo
• Galle
• Jaffna
• Trincomalee

Offer incentives for companies developing:

• AI software
• Fintech
• Cybersecurity
• Data analytics
• Digital services

These sectors require little physical infrastructure but generate significant foreign exchange.

4. Link Universities with Industry

Engineering and science students should spend substantial time in industry placements.

Research projects should solve practical national problems:

• Ports
• Fisheries
• Water management
• Energy
• Agriculture
• Logistics

5. Encourage Return of Overseas Talent

Many Sri Lankan professionals abroad possess valuable expertise.

A structured Return and Invest” program could attract them to:

• Start companies
• Teach at universities
• Mentor entrepreneurs
• Invest in technology ventures

A Balanced View

Sri Lanka should not discourage international schools or overseas education. Exposure to global standards is valuable.

The objective should be:

Study globally, create value locally.”

If Sri Lanka develops high-value industries, advanced manufacturing, AI, maritime services, renewable energy, and technology-based exports, many talented young people will choose to remain or return because attractive careers will exist here.

Education policy alone cannot stop brain drain. The most effective solution is to build an economy that gives talented Sri Lankans a compelling reason to stay and contribute to the country’s growth.

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Dr Sarath Obeysekera 

Extract from AI 

In many Buddhist schools, especially in the Theravāda tradition practiced in Sri Lanka, the state of mind at the moment of death (maranasanna citta or death-proximate consciousness”) is considered important because it can influence the next rebirth.

For example:

• A mind filled with loving-kindness (mettā), compassion, generosity, and calm may support a favorable rebirth.
• A mind overwhelmed by hatred, fear, anger, or greed may contribute to an unfavorable rebirth.

However, Buddhism does not generally teach that the final thought alone determines everything. The accumulated force of one’s actions (kamma/karma) throughout life is also very important.

A traditional analogy is that the last thought is like the rudder of a ship, but the ship’s size, direction, and momentum were built over an entire lifetime.

Does Dementia Help Because It Removes Hatred?

This is where the matter becomes more complex.

At first glance, one might think:

If I forget my enemies and grievances because of dementia, then I will die without hatred.”

There is some logic in that observation. Many people with dementia do lose memories of old conflicts and resentments.

However, Buddhism would not necessarily regard dementia as spiritually advantageous.

Why?

Because dementia also often brings:

• Confusion
• Fear
• Agitation
• Delusion
• Difficulty maintaining mindfulness

The Buddhist ideal is not forgetfulness but wisdom.

The Buddhist Ideal: Letting Go While Remaining Aware

The Buddha encouraged people to gradually abandon hatred while their minds are still clear.

A person who consciously cultivates:

• Loving-kindness (mettā)
• Compassion (karuṇā)
• Forgiveness
• Equanimity (upekkhā)

can approach death with peace and awareness.

This is considered more spiritually beneficial than merely losing memories through illness.

An Example

Imagine two elderly people:

Person A

• Has dementia.
• Has forgotten many past conflicts.
• Is often confused and frightened.

Person B

• Has a clear mind.
• Deliberately forgave old enemies.
• Practices meditation and loving-kindness.
• Accepts death calmly.

Most Buddhist teachers would say Person B is in a stronger spiritual position because peace arose through understanding rather than through loss of memory.

A Further Buddhist Perspective

Buddhism distinguishes between:

1. Suppressing or forgetting hatred
2. Uprooting hatred

If hatred is forgotten because memory fails, the underlying tendencies may still exist.

If hatred is removed through wisdom and compassion, the root itself is weakened.

That is why the Buddha repeatedly emphasized mental cultivation throughout life rather than relying on conditions at the end.

For Someone in Old Age

At age 75, a practical Buddhist approach might be:

• Reflect on gratitude rather than grievances.
• Reconcile with people where possible.
• Practice loving-kindness meditation daily.
• Read or listen to Dhamma teachings.
• Develop acceptance of aging, illness, and death.
• Keep the mind occupied with wholesome thoughts rather than old resentments.

In Buddhist terms, a peaceful, forgiving, and mindful old age is generally considered more valuable than dementia, because it allows one to consciously cultivate the qualities that lead to a serene death.

The Buddha summarized this principle in many discourses: the mind that has been trained throughout life is more likely to remain peaceful when the final moment arrives.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Senaka Weeraratna

Being the only World religion without a belief in God and yet able to have a perfect system of Ethics and high Morals Buddhism can be held as largely responsible for the decamping of the Church in their millions. Belief in a creator God is dead or dying in the Christian West because Buddhism has shown an alternate path through meditation, compassion to all beings and development of the mind without prayer to God, enmity towards others and peace to all forms of lives including Nature.

Buddhism never used a sword for its spread, not in the sense of the conquest of the world by Columbus and his followers, and Abrahamic religions down the centuries. There is no Sword of Buddhism.  Instead it has the Sword of Wisdom of the Buddha.. In Buddhist teachings, this flaming sword is entirely symbolic. It is never used to harm others, but rather to cut through the veils of ignorance, attachment, and conceptual delusion. 

The spread of Buddhism through the conquest of the Minds of Billions of people all over the world especially in European lands, through the Internet, YouTube programs and and other paths, online and offline, is what Dr. Arnold Toynbee, the celebrated British Historian, once referred to as the ‘ counter offensive of Buddhism’.  

Dr. Arnold Toynbee, used the concept of a “counter-offensive of Buddhism” (or Eastern spirituality) to describe how Eastern religions—particularly Buddhism—would peacefully spread to the West and reshape global civilization. [1, 2, 3]

Toynbee, famous for his 12-volume magnum opus A Study of History, analyzed human history through a framework of “challenge and response”. He believed that Western civilization had become overly materialistic and spiritually bankrupt. To survive its internal crisis, he argued that the West needed the spiritual and ethical insights of the East. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key Dimensions of Toynbee’s Concept

• The Famous Prediction: Toynbee famously remarked that “The coming of Buddhism to the West may well prove to be the most important event of the twentieth century.”
• Challenge and Response: He viewed Western technology, science, and materialism as an initial “offensive” that impacted Asia. The “counter-offensive” was Asia’s peaceful export of spiritual wisdom back to the West to restore global balance.
• Mahayana Buddhism and Confucianism: In his later years, during deep dialogues with East Asian thinkers like Soka Gakkai leader Daisaku Ikeda, Toynbee predicted that the Mahayana Buddhist emphasis on compassion and the Confucian emphasis on social harmony would be crucial to saving 21st-century human civilization from self-destruction. [1, 2, 3]

Core Tenets of His Historical Theory

Toynbee’s view of Buddhism aligned with his broader theories on how societies evolve: [1]

Historical Element [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]	Toynbee’s Analysis
Civilizational Suicide	Civilizations die from internal spiritual decay, not outside conquest.
Higher Religions	The ultimate purpose of a civilization’s peak is to give birth to major universal religions.
Global Unity	True human advancement requires learning from dominant cultures and non-Western civilizations alike.

The statement that Buddhism offers a profound alternative to traditional Western theism highlights a significant shift in modern global spirituality. Buddhism provides a complete framework for ethics, personal growth, and mental cultivation without requiring belief in a creator God. [1, 2, 3, 4]

While historians and sociologists debate whether Buddhism is the primary reason for declining church attendance in the West, its philosophy has undoubtedly filled a spiritual void for millions seeking secular, evidence-based, and introspective paths. [1]

🌟 Core Frameworks of Non-Theistic Religion

Buddhism demonstrates that a religion can maintain high moral standards without divine command. [1, 2]

• Self-Reliance: Spiritual progress depends entirely on individual effort and mental training, not divine grace.
• Natural Law: Ethical consequences are governed by Karma (the natural law of cause and effect), not divine judgment.
• The Middle Way: It avoids the extremes of strict materialism and dogmatic theism.
• Empirical Testing: The Buddha encouraged followers to question teachings and test them against personal experience (Ehipassiko). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

🧠 Why Buddhism Appeals to the Modern West

The intersection of Buddhist philosophy with Western secular trends has created a unique cultural synthesis.

• Psychological Alignment: Western mind sciences frequently integrate Buddhist practices like mindfulness to treat anxiety and depression.
• Scientific Compatibility: The absence of a creation myth makes Buddhism highly compatible with evolutionary biology and modern cosmology.
• Universal Compassion: The focus on Ahimsa (non-harming) aligns closely with modern movements for animal rights and environmentalism.
• Experiential Spirituality: Meditation offers immediate, verifiable states of peace, shifting the religious focus from “believing” to “experiencing.” [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• Sinhala Buddhist Missionaries in the West
• Sinhala Buddhist missionaries pioneered the introduction and establishment of Theravada Buddhism in the West. This movement was spearheaded by trail-blazing figures like Anagarika Dharmapala, who founded the London Buddhist Vihara in 1926, and Asoka Weeraratna, who established the Berlin Buddhist Vihara in 1957. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The footprint of Sinhala Buddhist missionary work has grown significantly in North America and Europe. Key aspects include: [1, 2]

• Pioneering Missions: Anagarika Dharmapala (born Don David Hewavitharana) introduced Theravada Buddhism to Western audiences after his famous address at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago.
• UK Establishments: The London Buddhist Vihara operates under the Anagarika Dharmapala Trust and remains a premier center for Theravada teachings. Other prominent UK centers include the Athula Dassana International Buddhist Vihara in London and the Sri Saddhatissa International Buddhist Centre.
• European Missions: Asoka Weeraratna founded the German Dharmaduta Society in 1952, paving the way for resident scholar monks to spread the Dhamma in Germany and continental Europe.
• North American Centers: Sinhala monks and lay organizations have established several prominent monasteries and temples, such as the Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery system, which has numerous branches in the USA and Canada. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Today, these missions continue to offer structured meditation retreats, Dhamma sermons, and community support globally. [1, 2, 3]

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⚖️ The Broader Context of Western Secularization

While Buddhism’s influence is profound, sociologists note that the decline of traditional church attendance in the West is multi-causal.

• The Enlightenment: Centuries of scientific, philosophical, and political evolution weakened institutional religious authority.
• Rise of the “Nones”: Many Westerners leaving churches do not adopt a new religion; they identify as atheists, agnostics, or “spiritual but not religious.”
• Cultural Adaptation: In the West, Buddhism is often practiced secularly, stripped of its traditional Asian cultural, cosmological, and monastic elements. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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If you would like to explore this topic further, I can provide more details. Let me know if you want to look into:

• How modern neuroscience validates Buddhist meditation practices.
• The specific differences between Secular Buddhism in the West and Traditional Buddhism in Asia.
• The historical timeline of how Buddhism first arrived and spread in Western academia and culture. [1, 2]

•  
• How Buddhism stands apart — not as a belief system, but as a way of understanding life 1️⃣ It’s not centered on worship, but awakening. Buddhism doesn’t ask you to surrender your power to a creator. Instead, it invites you to look within. The focus is not on pleasing a higher authority, but on understanding your own mind, your suffering, and your patterns. It shifts the question from Who will save me?” to How can I understand myself?” 2️⃣ It begins with truth, not belief — the Four Noble Truths. At its core, Buddhism starts with a simple observation: life includes suffering. Not as a punishment, but as a reality. It then shows why suffering exists (attachment, desire, ignorance) and more importantly—how to end it. It’s less about believing something… and more about seeing clearly. 3️⃣ It emphasizes self-effort over divine intervention. No one else can walk the path for you. Through mindfulness, meditation, and ethical living, you slowly transform your inner world. Buddhism teaches responsibility—not dependency. Your peace is not granted… It is cultivated. 4️⃣ Enlightenment is inner realization, not a reward. It’s not something given to

Senaka Weeraratna

Reference

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AI Overview

Senaka Weeraratna, a prominent Sri Lankan Attorney-at-Law and legal scholar, has made foundational contributions to shaping domestic and international legal frameworks across multiple sectors, including foreign investment, unit trusts, environmental law, and animal rights. Though globally famous for conceptualizing cricket’s Decision Review System (DRS), his domestic legal legacy is rooted in public interest litigation and structural law reform. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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📈 Foreign Investment Law [1]

Weeraratna was a pioneering academic voice advocating for structured statutory control and institutional oversight over foreign capital in Sri Lanka.

• The Proposed Foreign Investment Authority Law (1976): He authored a definitive legal treatise, The Proposed Foreign Investment Authority Law of Sri Lanka (1976) (published in 1982).
• Intellectual Advocacy: His publication was one of the earliest critical legal analyses arguing for a centralized authority to filter, regulate, and safely promote foreign direct investment (FDI) while protecting national economic interests. This structural approach heavily mirrored the eventual legal and institutional evolution of bodies like the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka. [1, 2, 3, 4]

🏛️ Unit Trusts Law

Weeraratna advanced the commercial legal framework of Sri Lanka by providing critical legal literature on collective investment schemes.

• Public Unit Trusts Framework: He authored and edited several legal papers and foundational books detailing the operational and regulatory mechanics of Public Unit Trusts.
• Market Democratization: His legal interpretations helped clarify how mutual funds and unit trusts could safely operate within Sri Lanka’s jurisdiction. This paved the way for retail investors to securely participate in capital markets via legal instruments governed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka. [1, 2]

🔊 Noise Pollution Control

Weeraratna directly reshaped Sri Lankan environmental jurisprudence by legally establishing a citizen’s right to silence. [1]

• Ashik v. Bandula (2007): Weeraratna served as a critical intervenient litigant (8th respondent) in this landmark Supreme Court case. The case originally centered on loudspeaker restrictions at a religious venue, but Weeraratna intervened on behalf of the general public.
• The “Captive Listener” Argument: He introduced the groundbreaking legal argument that individuals are “captive listeners” when excessive sound is forced into their homes, violating their fundamental right to the quiet enjoyment of property and the right to a clean, healthy environment.
• The Judgment: His participation led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling that strictly banned or heavily restricted the use of sound amplifiers and loudspeakers in public spaces between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, forming the bedrock of modern domestic noise pollution law. [1, 2, 3]

🐾 Animal Welfare Legislation

Weeraratna is widely considered an architectural force behind modern animal rights law in Sri Lanka, pivoting the system away from archaic colonial legislation. [1, 2]

• Law Commission Role: He served as the Honorary Legal Consultant on Animal Welfare Legislation to the Law Commission of Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2006.
• Drafting the Animal Welfare Bill: During this tenure, Weeraratna was the primary force steering and drafting the progressive Animal Welfare Bill. The bill was designed to replace the outdated Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance of 1907.
• Key Innovations: His draft legally recognized animals as sentient beings rather than mere property, criminalized specific acts of cruelty, stiffened archaic monetary penalties, and created mechanisms for community-led animal welfare governance. [1, 3, 4, 5]

…………………….

Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna’s core global legacy is the conceptual invention of the “Player Referral” system, which fundamentally revolutionized international sports jurisprudence and laid the foundational architecture for cricket’s modern Decision Review System (DRS). By utilizing his legal background to challenge centuries of absolute on-field umpiring authority, Weeraratna introduced a paradigm shift that transferred the right of appeal directly to the competitors. [1, 2, 3]

The extensive breadths of Weeraratna’s global and institutional legacies span across sports law, international animal welfare, and intellectual property rights. [1, 2]

1. The Architectural Blueprint for DRS

• Legal Analogy to Sports: In March 1997, Weeraratna published a pioneering letter in The Australian newspaper. He argued that just as a dissatisfied litigant holds the right to access an appellate court, an athlete should possess an appellate mechanism to contest on-field human errors.
• The Four-Pillar Framework: He constructed the initial rules dictating how a player invokes a review, the role of the television umpire, and the preservation or loss of reviews. This served as the direct operational model adapted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) into the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) in 2008.
• Quantifiable Fairness: His conceptual work effectively changed cricket from an environment vulnerable to unchallengeable officiating mistakes into a high-accuracy sport. The ICC has noted that the integration of this framework raised on-field decision accuracy by roughly 7% (from 91% to 98%). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

2. Cross-Sport Technological Ripple Effects

• The Multi-Sport Precedent: Weeraratna’s “player-driven challenge” concept broke strict cricket boundaries. It established the psychological and structural framework for modern technology review protocols worldwide.
• Global Systems: The mechanism paved the evolutionary path for Football’s Video Assistant Referee (VAR), Tennis’s Hawk-Eye challenge framework, Rugby’s Television Match Official (TMO) reviews, and Major League Baseball (MLB) replay reviews.
• Economic Industry Growth: His insistence on error-correction rule changes forced a technological boom. It drove the rapid development of ball-tracking, ultra-edge audio engineering, and infrared sports imaging into a multi-million dollar global business infrastructure. [1, 2, 3, 4]

3. Sports Jurisprudence & Intellectual Property Battles

• Shaping Global Sports Law: Weeraratna’s ongoing pursuit of formal legal credit from the ICC has turned into a classic landmark case study for sports law and intellectual property curricula worldwide.
• Moral Rights Advocacy: His legal campaign highlights global copyright treaties (such as the Berne Convention). It emphasizes that a creative composer retains the moral right to attribution and naming rights for a framework even if a formal technical patent was not initially filed.
• The Naming Campaign: Backed by global sports figures, historians, and South Asian legal ministries, there is a prominent international movement to formally rewrite history and rename the officiating architecture the Weeraratna Decision Review System (WDRS). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

4. Animal Welfare and Domestic Legislation

• Global Legal Paradigms: Beyond the sports arena, Weeraratna worked extensively as an Honorary Legal Consultant on Animal Welfare Legislation to the Law Commission of Sri Lanka.
• The Animal Welfare Bill: He was a principal legal architect behind the structural drafting of Sri Lanka’s modern Animal Welfare Bill. His domestic legal contributions regarding animal rights, environmental noise pollution, and foreign investment models have frequently been studied internationally as frameworks for progressive South Asian governance. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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AI Overview

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see also

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Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna is globally recognized as the conceptual architect of the Decision Review System (DRS) in cricket. He first published the idea of a “Player Referral” mechanism in 1997, which revolutionized international sports by challenging the centuries-old absolute authority of on-field umpires. [1, 2, 3, 4]

His global impact extends across multiple areas:

1. The Decision Review System (DRS)

• The “Player Referral” Concept: In March 1997, Weeraratna published an article in The Australian proposing that players should have the right to appeal an umpire’s decision to a third official, functioning similarly to an appellate court.
• Global Implementation: This framework became the foundation of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), which the International Cricket Council (ICC) formally implemented in 2008.
• Ongoing Advocacy: Weeraratna’s legacy also includes an ongoing, high-profile intellectual property battle to secure proper official and financial recognition from the ICC, leading many commentators to advocate for renaming the DRS to the “Weeraratna Decision Review System” (WDRS). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

2. Multi-Sport Influence

• Paving the Way for Replay Systems: Weeraratna’s “Player Referral” concept broke the boundaries of cricket by serving as a historic, multi-sport precedent.
• Global Sports Jurisprudence: His original framework directly paved the way for modern, player-driven review systems worldwide, including Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in football, Hawk-Eye line-calling in tennis, and replay reviews in baseball (MLB) and American football (NFL). [1, 2, 3]

3. Animal Welfare Advocacy

• Legal Drafting: Beyond sports, Weeraratna has been an advocate for global animal rights, notably serving as an Honorary Legal Consultant on Animal Welfare Legislation to the Law Commission of Sri Lanka between 2000 and 2006.
• Legislative Reforms: His legal draftwork and campaigns have significantly contributed to advancing modern animal welfare laws and rights both regionally and internationally. [1, 2, 3]

Would you like more information on Senaka Weeraratna’s ongoing IP campaign against the ICC, or details on his contributions to Sri Lankan animal welfare laws?

AI Overview

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Dasatha News

View in Browser     MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Colgan Amy.Colgan@osumc.edu https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/mediaroom   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2026   (EDITOR’S NOTE: Video and photos are available for download: https://bit.ly/4vou0bm) New vaccine offers hope against growing tropical disease in U.S.    Ohio State researchers develop a first-ever vaccine against leishmaniasis, which could infect more than 10% of the world   Key takeaways: Researchers at The Ohio State University are leading work on a first-ever vaccine for leishmaniasis. The vaccine is moving toward human testing. After strong results in animal studies, clinical trials are expected to begin later this year. As leishmaniasis becomes more of a concern in the U.S., Ohio State physicians and researchers are raising awareness about symptoms, testing and treatment. COLUMBUS, Ohio – Abhay Satoskar, MD, PhD couldn’t get the image out of his head. A young boy had just died after falling on the playground. He had no visible injuries, but a parasite caused by a tropical disease had silently damaged his spleen, causing it to rupture. Satoskar was a surgical intern at a hospital in his native India and felt the calling to do something.    That day more than 30 years ago led to a lifetime of studying the disease, leishmaniasis, a world away at The Ohio State University. This year, clinical trials are expected to start on a vaccine he helped create.    An effective vaccine is indispensable for the elimination of leishmaniasis. More than 10% of the world is at risk of contracting the disease. Leishmaniasis is a completely new disease for the U.S. When I started my career, it was only a problem of Third World countries,” said Satoskar, a professor of pathology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.   Satoskar has spent his career looking for a way to develop a safe vaccine against leishmaniasis, a disfiguring skin disease. Earlier attempts used parasites that could spread in the body and included antibiotic-resistant genes, making them unsafe for human use. A game changer was the development of CRISPR gene-editing technology. Satoskar and his team realized they could use CRISPR to remove the gene from the skin-only species of the parasite and create a safer vaccine that can train the immune system without causing disease. In animal studies, the vaccine was 100% effective.    It worked beautifully. It worked beyond my imagination to be honest,” Satoskar said. Last year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine as an investigational new drug.    What is leishmaniasis and where is it found?   Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by tiny parasites that are spread through the bite of an infected female sand fly, which is much smaller than a mosquito. For decades, it was predominantly found in tropical regions like Africa, the Middle East and South America. It is now endemic – or regularly occurring – in other regions such as Europe and the U.S. because of deforestation and climate change, Satoskar said.    Sand flies don’t know borders, and more and more infected sand flies are being found in U.S. states that border Mexico,” said Bradford McGwire, MD, PhD, an infectious diseases physician and professor at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center who has treated patients that acquired leishmaniasis while traveling, living or stationed in endemic countries while in the military.   How many people are affected by leishmaniasis?   The World Health Organization lists leishmaniasis as one of the top neglected tropical diseases in the world. At any given time, about 6 million people are infected with up to 1 million new cases annually. More than 1 billion people in 99 territories and countries where leishmaniasis is endemic are at risk of getting the disease. Satoskar, a world-renowned expert on leishmaniasis, was asked to write an explainer article for the New England Journal of Medicine to help raise awareness about the growing threat of the disease now that it’s endemic in the U.S.    In the last two years, we’ve seen on average two to four cases per year at Ohio State. In the past we used to see maybe one case per year. It’s definitely been ticking up over time in the U.S.,” said McGwire, who for the past 35 years has studied leishmaniasis as well as the tropical parasitic disease Chagas, which is caused by contact with kissing bugs. Chagas disease is also on the rise in the U.S.   What are the symptoms and treatment of leishmaniasis?   Many patients are asymptomatic (don’t show signs of the disease), or it could take months or over a year for symptoms to start showing up. While there are several forms of the disease, the three main forms are:   Cutaneous leishmaniasis  This is the most common form of leishmaniasis and affects the skin. Symptoms may include one or more skin sores or ulcers that can take months to heal, bumps that may slowly grow larger or scars that remain after healing. Some cases heal on their own over time without medication while others require medications or creams, especially if sores are large or infected or likely to leave scars.    Mucosal leishmaniasis In this form, parasites infect cells lining mucosal areas, causing disfiguring lesions of the mouth, nose, sinuses, palate and vocal cords. This form is particularly difficult to treat because it is often slow to respond to medications and can often reoccur.   Visceral leishmaniasis  This is the most serious form of leishmaniasis and affects internal organs, especially the spleen, liver and bone marrow. Symptoms may include fever, weight loss, weakness, enlarged liver and spleen or anemia (not enough healthy red blood cells). Doctors typically use anti-parasite medications via pill or IV to treat patients. Visceral leishmaniasis can be life-threatening without treatment.   An Ohio State researcher’s vaccine could be a medical breakthrough   This summer, Satoskar has been traveling the world meeting with the vaccine manufacturer, investors and leishmaniasis experts as his team prepares to start the first human trials in Brazil and Kenya. Plans are to add a U.S. site. Satoskar is passionate about raising awareness about the vaccine as well as a skin test that he helped developed that is similar to a tuberculosis test. The skin test would help detect the disease and track its spread.   Because this is a new disease in the U.S., many physicians don’t know that a mysterious skin disease they’re seeing may be leishmaniasis. We’re hoping to get the word out to educate more people,” he said.   Funding for the vaccine trial comes from Japan-based Global Health Innovative Technology Fund and the Wellcome Trust in the United Kingdom.    ###   The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center 452 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, Ohio, 43210 United States For all inquiries, please contact us at: Amy.Colgan@osumc.edu If you would like to opt out of future emails, please unsubscribe

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

In May 2020, during the most volatile period in the oil & gas sector in 40 years, Nigeria LNG Ltd (NLNG) signed a historic US$3 billion corporate loan to finance the construction of its seventh liquefied natural gas(LNG) train. The Nigeria LNG Train 7 project (Train 7), expected to boost Nigeria’s LNG output by close to a third, is seen as a strategic imperative for the country’s long-term economic stability.

The financing package for the development of Train 7 set a new template for structuring expansion financings in the international oil & gas sector. The large and complex financing is the first time that development of an LNG project has been financed using a multi-sourced corporate loan structure.

 Train 7 will be financed by a combination of NLNG’s internally generated cashflows and US$3 billion of debt raised from a broad range of financiers, including three export credit agencies (ECAs), two developmental financial institutions (DFIs) and 26 international and Nigerian banks.

Structured as hybrid corporate finance, the Train 7 financing shares features of both corporate and project finance, even though it fits more towards the corporate end of the finance spectrum. From a bankability perspective, regardless of the financing’s ultimate classification, the overall risk assessment was similar, although financiers derived comfort from NLNG’s operational and financial track record and its robust credit history.

During a difficult period for the market, the Train 7 financing sends a signal to international markets that oil & gas projects with strong fundamentals can continue to raise debt—even in the midst of a global pandemic and one of the worst oil & gas shocks in history.

This financing package is a new template for structuring expansion financings in the international oil & gas sector

THE PROJECT

The Train 7 project is led by NLNG, a joint venture between the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and international oil majors Royal Dutch Shell, ENI and Total, established in 1989 to monetize Nigeria’s vast but underutilized natural gas reserves. NLNG commenced operations following the successful completion of its two-train base project in October 1999 on a site approximately 40 kilometers south of Port Harcourt on the eastern part of the Niger Delta.

NLNG currently operates a liquefaction complex comprising six complete liquefaction trains and associated facilities with a capacity of 22 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG and five mtpa of liquefied petroleum gas and condensates. It has grown to become a leading LNG producer in the Atlantic Basin and transformed Nigeria into one of the largest LNGexporting countries in the world.

Train 7 will add approximately eight mtpa of LNG and increase NLNG’s overall capacity to 30 mtpa, while further bolstering Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global LNG market. The Train 7 financing leveraged NLNG’s credit history and long-term operational and profitability track record to establish the hybrid structure, which enabled NLNG to raise a nine-year US$3 billion corporate loan with an availability period of four years. Lenders will rely on NLNG’s balance sheet and will have no direct recourse to NLNG’s shareholders for the Train 7 financing, including during the construction phase.

Train 7 has received support from a diverse group of global financiers, including:

• 26 international and Nigerian commercial banks
• Two DFIs—the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim)
• Three ECAs—Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (KSure), the Korea Export-Import Bank (K-EXIM) and SACE

The international and Nigerian banks and the DFIs provided US$1.5 billion of debt on an uncovered basis, and the South Korean and Italian ECAs directly funded or covered the remainder of the Train 7 financing. Guaranty Trust Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) were the joint financial advisers.

A NEW FRONTIER

Train 7’s financing structure has created a new playbook showing how similar projects may be funded in the future. NLNG’s strong cash position provided a solid foundation for the innovation.

Prior to the Train 7 financing, NLNG was essentially a debt-free company with significant cash reserves on its balance sheet. Its lease obligations under LNGtanker time-charters with its wholly owned shipping subsidiary, Bonny Gas Transport, accounted for the balance of its substantive financial liabilities. In addition to its strong credit history and low leverage, NLNG built a successful operational track record over two decades and attracted a strong portfolio of internationally rated buyers under long-term sales arrangements.

As NLNG expanded production capacity over time, its turnover grew substantially, with high profit margins allowing it to deliver consistently strong financial results year-on-year. Even as its business matured, NLNG’s shareholders continued to be integrally involved throughout the value chain, from dedicated long-term gas supply through to technical support and marketing and sales. NLNG’s credit strength meant it could approach the market with a financing proposal for Train 7 that was heavily slanted towards corporate finance. The group was able to rely heavily on its historic financial performance and operating track record, which allowed for flexibility when choosing its financing model.

Traditionally, large-scale LNG expansions have been financed using a project finance model with some degree of recourse to additional credit support during the construction phase.

This reflects the capital-intensive nature of expansion projects, the associated construction and interface risks, and the longer debt tenors typically sought. However, NLNG’s financiers accepted hybrid financing terms for Train 7 on the spectrum between corporate and project finance.

Although NLNG sought to raise US$3 billion in debt, it had significant turnover from its existing operations, with multiples of earnings to cover debt service—even before factoring in the future cashflow from Train 7. This provided a strong mitigant for the financiers against the completion risk of Train 7. Nevertheless, NLNG is still essentially a single asset business operating within the LNG industry, and the Train 7 financing was seeking a nine-year tenor, which was at the high end for corporate finance. Therefore, certain project finance characteristics, in particular lender controls and oversight, were incorporated into the financing terms. These characteristics were generally much lighter than would be found in more classic project finance models. For example, the security package provided as part of the Train 7 financing is not the full-blown security regime typically found in project finance transactions.

While security extends to NLNG’s bank accounts and LNG sales, the controls over its commercial arrangements are less extensive. NLNG retains the flexibility to manage its business with minimal interference in the normal course. This includes the freedom to establish and operate its accounts and manage its cashflows and investments outside the confines of a controlled payment waterfall structure.

Notwithstanding the hybrid nature of the Train 7 financing, the overall risk assessment was very similar from a bankability perspective, regardless of its ultimate classification, whether as corporate finance or project finance, or a combination of the two. However, the financiers derived comfort from the management of NLNG’s operations over the preceding 20 years and assumed that NLNG would continue to conduct future business in a prudent and rational manner.

PROFITABILITY

The Train 7 financing undoubtedly benefited from a number of economic factors that facilitated the financing terms it was able to secure.

A number of NLNG shareholders, well known in the international debt and capital markets, had interests in successful LNG operations across the value chain in other parts of the world. NLNG had generated close to US$7 billion in gross revenues in 2018 and consistently achieved approximately 30 percent average profit margins. Based on its historical financial performance, the financial model in the management case presented to the financiers indicated that NLNG was expected to maintain a strong financial profile during the life of the Train 7 financing. Even under conservative assumptions, it was projected to be able to service its debt obligations through its contracted LNG volumes from its existing Trains 1 to 6 operations.

From the financiers’ perspective, these factors reduced the Train 7 completion risk and reinforced the approach of focusing on NLNG’s balance sheet rather than relying onmodeling the forecast revenues from the Train 7 project. Although NLNG ran a number of modeling sensitivities for the financiers, the corporate finance approach of balance sheet financial ratios was adopted, with a focus on EBITDA, gearing and net worth, rather than forecast cashflow ratios applied in project finance.

TRACK RECORD

Before Train 7, NLNG had implemented three expansions, including the NLNG Plus Project, comprising Trains 4 and 5, which had been funded through multi-sourced project finance in 2002. Each of the expansion projects was built in line with Shell’s design and engineering practices under its own lump-sum turn-key construction contract. Each project was delivered under budget and within three months of the scheduled completion date.

NLNG’s operations have been underpinned by technical support and robust health, safety and environmental management systems. Shell Gas Nigeria BV provides ongoing technical and operational assistance to the existing LNG complex and will continue to do so for Train 7. Shell’s active participation has played a key role in ensuring that NLNG’s production consistently exceeded its nameplate capacity over the past ten years. From the financiers’ perspective, NLNG’s experience in completing expansion projects and the technical combined with operational support provided by Shell Gas Nigeria BV mitigated NLNG’s construction and operating risks for Train 7.

SUPPLIER AND CUSTOMER DEALS

The natural gas for the complex is supplied to NLNG by experienced upstream gas developers affiliated with its shareholders under three long-term gas supply agreements. The gas developers source natural gas from a large number of fields with proven, deliverable reserves. These are transported to the plant by gas transmission systems.

NLNG’s gas supply agreements allow for capacity optimization among the gas suppliers to ensure NLNG’s supply security. In addition, NLNG benefits from long-term take-or-pay sales agreements for the existing Trains 1 to 6 with LNG buyers with strong credit and/or long-term access to regasification terminals, and it has concluded the LNG sales agreements in connection with Train 7.

To further mitigate marketing risk from a bankability perspective, NLNG has undertaken to maintain a minimum annual base contract quantity of LNG sales contracts for the duration of the Train 7 financing. The basket gives NLNG the flexibility to respond to current market conditions and optimize its sales strategy, while providing assurance to the financiers that NLNG will maintain a minimum contracted volume of LNGsales at all times.

THE VALUE CHAIN

NLNG makes a significant contribution towards the Nigerian government’s revenue drive and its objective of eliminating all flaring of associated gas. In recognition of the likely benefit to Nigeria’s economy, the Nigerian government promulgated the 1993 Nigeria LNG (Fiscal Incentives, Guarantees, and Assurances) Act, which allows NLNG to establish and operate foreign accounts with minimal foreign exchange restrictions.

The NLNG Act granted NLNG and its shareholders certain tax incentives, guarantees and assurances by the government. This legislative backing mitigates foreign exchange and volatility risks, as the requirement for repatriation of proceeds of sale is not applicable to NLNG’s revenue flows.

NLNG’s entire gas intake is supplied under three gas supply agreements with gas suppliers operated by affiliates of its shareholders. Similarly, some of its produced LNG is sold to affiliates of its shareholders. This vertical alignment of interests has guaranteed NLNG’s enduring success. It reduces conflicts of interest related to delivery delay or failure, force majeure and other defaults, which could typically cause tension between gas suppliers and LNGproducers (on one side) and LNG producers and their buyers (on the other). This dynamic provides a further measure of justification for the limited controls that the financiers agreed to impose on NLNG’s commercial arrangements.

THE WAY FORWARD

It is clear that strong fundamentals underpinning NLNG’s business enabled it to attract the groundbreaking US$3 billion hybrid corporate loan and to introduce ECAs into the debt mix to augment the commercial bank offering and enhance liquidity and pricing. NLNG responded to bankability issues and structured the financing to accommodate the needs of a diverse range of financiers.

This financing sets the benchmark for future LNG financings globally, as LNG markets continue to develop and companies mature into significant industrial players worldwide.

Sarath Obeysekera 

Some business leaders and professionals are now lamenting that projects for FDI are not coming 

They suggest privately that decision -makers who are cabinet ministers may be allowed to take an incentive rather than calling it bribery, so that FDI can grow in 

Large infrastructure projects are often evaluated on their economic return. In capitalist economies, investors expect profits, dividends, and performance-linked rewards. Corporate executives are compensated based on the value they create for shareholders

Governments, however, operate under a different principle. Ministers and public officials are custodians of public funds rather than investors. Consequently, any personal financial benefit derived from awarding contracts is generally considered corruption rather than profit sharing.
Yet this distinction raises an interesting question. If private-sector decision-makers are rewarded for successful investments, should governments develop transparent mechanisms that reward public-sector leaders for creating measurable national value?

Sri Lanka has invested heavily in highways, ports, airports, conference halls, sports facilities, and other strategic infrastructure. Some projects have generated substantial economic benefits, while others have produced returns below expectations. The challenge is that the individuals responsible for selecting, designing, and implementing these projects often receive the same compensation regardless of the outcome.

In the private sector, a failed investment affects profits and shareholder value. In the public sector, the consequences are often borne by taxpayers. This creates what economists call an incentive gap.”
The solution is not to legalize commissions or unofficial payments. Instead, governments could explore transparent performance-based systems. Rewards could be linked to measurable outcomes such as increased trade, higher tax revenue, job creation, export growth, foreign direct investment, or improved public services. Such incentives would need to be publicly disclosed, independently audited, and approved through legislation.

For example, a port expansion that increases national export earnings and attracts international shipping lines could justify performance rewards for the institutions responsible. Similarly, a successful industrial zone that generates thousands of jobs might warrant recognition and incentive payments to the agencies involved.

At the same time, projects that fail to meet economic objectives should be subject to review and accountability. Public investment must be assessed not only on construction costs but also on long-term economic returns.

The debate is therefore not whether bribery should be renamed or accepted. Rather, it is whether governments can create transparent, legal, and accountable incentive structures that encourage better decision-making while preserving public trust.

As Sri Lanka seeks to accelerate development, attract investment, and improve infrastructure, the country may need to reconsider how public-sector performance is measured and rewarded. The ultimate objective should be to align the interests of decision-makers with the prosperity of the nation rather than with personal financial gain.
Sarath Obeysekera

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

MEDIA RELEASE |  June 24, 2026 Collective for Social Media Declaration (CSMD)

The ‘Collective for Social Media Declaration'(CSMD) hereby expresses its grave concern regarding the.       “CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF MEDIA PROFESSIONALS OF SRI LANKAl” gazetted by the government in June 2026, which poses a serious risk of severely restricting the digital civil space and the freedom of expression of independent voices in this country. While this bill presents itself as introducing and maintaining professional standards in the media sector, it carries a high potential of becoming a repressive tool that directly silences independent journalism and professional criticism in practice.

It is factually clear that the very initial operation of this bill, upon enactment, opens the door to direct political interference. Under Clause 5(4) of the bill, the “Interim Council” appointed for the first year of the act’s operation falls entirely under the influence of the Minister in charge of the subject. This council, composed of members nominated with the consent of the Ministry Secretary and the Minister, is empowered to determine the foundational criteria for selecting members of the permanent council – paving the way for the institution’s very foundation to be shaped according to political will, devoid of any independent professional basis.

In this context, the three primary threats posed by this bill – particularly to the digital space, social media activists, and content creators – can be identified as follows:

1. Entrapping Digital Creators Through the Definition of “Media Professional”
This bill directly includes not only traditional journalists but also “content creators” and “content editors” operating on online platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok within the legal scope of “media professional.” While on the surface this may appear to be professional recognition or appreciation extended to them, its true underlying intention is to bring independent citizens under an institutional and state regulatory framework.

2. The Risk of Vague “Misconduct” Rules and Disciplinary Control
The governing council established by the bill is granted full authority to impose a professional code of ethics and exercise disciplinary control over members. The most serious legal gap therein is that “professional misconduct” is not specifically defined within the bill itself. Leaving this to be determined by rules subsequently formulated by the governing council creates a broad political opening to persecute independent journalists by labeling any content critical of the government or corrupt officials as “unethical” or “misconduct.”

3. The ‘Triple Legal Threat’ Converging with Other Repressive Legislation
If a social media activist’s professional registration is revoked through disciplinary proceedings under this bill, the impact is not limited to mere institutional punishment. A deadly ‘triple legal trap’ is activated here, where this bill converges with the already-enforced Online Safety Act (OSA) and the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA).

As a practical illustration: an independent social media activist (YouTuber) who exposes large-scale government corruption could have their professional registration revoked under this bill on grounds of “ethical violation.” They could then be reduced to the status of an ordinary unofficial citizen, after which the content could be removed from the internet under the Online Safety Act(OSA) on claims of spreading misinformation, and punishment imposed. Furthermore, if the exposure triggers public outrage, it could be framed as inciting anti-state sentiment, and if the proposed PSTAl is passed, the mechanism would be in place to arrest the individual without a warrant.

Our Request and Emphasis

As a collective that stands for and operates with socially responsible, human rights-based ethical social media activism, we make our emphasis on that ethical foundation.

The combination of these laws has the full capacity to directly or indirectly threaten the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution, and to create a dark era of “self-censorship” in this country’s digital space – where media personnel, especially social media activists, censor themselves out of fear of legal punishment.

Therefore, we strongly urge the National People’s Power (NPP) government to immediately withdraw this bill, which suppresses civil space and the right to criticize under the guise of professionalism. We, as the ‘Collective for Social Media Declaration (CSMD),’ also earnestly call upon all civil society organizations, media professionals, and citizens who respect democracy to immediately unite in defense of both media freedom and democratic rights in this country.

Faithfully yours,
Sampath Samarakoon,
Convener | Collective for Social Media Declaration (CSMD)
+94 777 248304

More Information: https://www.socialmedialanka.org/

ABOUT CSMD: The Social Media Declaration collective  is a coalition established by civil society organizations, citizen activists, websites, and subject-matter experts, with the aim of promoting a ‘human rights–based’, Socially Responsible use of Social Media’. This collective is dedicated to advancing human rights, including digital rights, and to systematically analyzing online content through research, advocacy, training, awareness-raising, and critical inquiry. It continuously strives to foster and sustainably promote democratic discourse in online spaces grounded in internet freedom, transparency–openness, and democratic values. In this way, the collective remains committed to ensuring societal well-being through the influence of technology and to encouraging the development of responsible, ethical use of social media in the digital age.

The following organizations belong to this collective. Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association | Jaffna Press Club  | Eastern Provinces Journalists Forum | Centre for Policy Alternatives | Human Elevation Organization | Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform | ActNow Youth Campaign | Wedabima Media collective | National Collaboration Development | Foundation Best Vision foundation | Internet Media Action | maatram.org | vikalpa.org | groundviews.org

AI දළ විශ්ලේෂණය

“ඔබ කළ දේ සඳහා පිළිගැනීමක් ඉල්ලා නොසිටින්නේ නම්, ICC (ජාත්‍යන්තර ක්‍රිකට් කවුන්සිලය) එහි නීති කණ්ඩායමේ ඉල්ලීම පරිදි වංචනික ලෙස කළ ආකාරයටම ඔබ කළ දේ සඳහා අනෙක් අයද ගෞරවය ඉල්ලා සිටිනු ඇති අතර එමඟින් ශ්‍රී ලාංකික නව නිපැයුම්කරුවෙකු සහ නීතිඥවරයෙකුට ලැබිය යුතු ගෞරවය සහ වන්දි අහිමි වේ”. 

“ඔබ එය ඇත්තටම කර ඇත්නම් ‘මම එය කළා’ යැයි කීමට කිසි විටෙකත් බිය නොවන්න.” 

සේනක වීරරත්න ‘ක්‍රීඩකයා – යොමු කිරීම’ (DRS) හි ගෘහ නිර්මාණ ශිල්පියා

……………………

ශ්‍රී ලාංකික නීතිඥයෙකු සහ නව නිපැයුම්කරුවෙකු වන සේනක වීරරත්න ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාවේ තීරණ සමාලෝචන පද්ධතිය (DRS) පිටුපස සිටින පුරෝගාමී බුද්ධිමය ගෘහ නිර්මාණ ශිල්පියා ලෙස පුළුල් ලෙස ලේඛනගත කර ඇත, එය මුලින් “ක්‍රීඩක යොමු කිරීමේ පද්ධතිය” ලෙස සංකල්පනය කර ඇත. ඔහුගේ උපුටා දැක්වීම බුද්ධිමය දේපළ (IP), ආයතනික පිළිගැනීම සහ නිර්මාණකරුවන්ට ඔවුන්ගේ කාර්යය සඳහා පෙනී සිටීමට ඇති අරගලය පිළිබඳ දිගුකාලීන දුක්ගැනවිලි ඉස්මතු කරයි. [1, 2]

ආරවුල් සහ මූලික කරුණු

1997 සැලැස්ම: වීරරත්න විසින් ක්‍රීඩකයන් විසින් මෙහෙයවනු ලබන සමාලෝචන පද්ධතියේ මූලික යාන්ත්‍ර විද්‍යාව ප්‍රථම වරට ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කරන ලද්දේ 1997 මාර්තු 25 වන දින ඕස්ට්‍රේලියානු පුවත්පතේ කර්තෘ වෙත ලිපියක් යවමිනි. ඔහු එම වසරේම ජාත්‍යන්තර ක්‍රිකට් කවුන්සිලයට (ICC) සැලසුම විධිමත් ලෙස දැනුම් දුන්නේය.

නීතිමය රාමුව: සුදුසුකම් ලත් නීතිඥයෙකු ලෙස, වීරරත්න අභියාචනාධිකරණ පද්ධතියකට අනුව සංකල්පය ආදර්ශනය කළේය. රූපවාහිනී තාක්‍ෂණය නිවැරදි කළ හැකි විට මානව විනිසුරු දෝෂ පැවතීමට ඉඩ දීම ස්වභාවික යුක්තිය උල්ලංඝනය කරන බව ඔහු තර්ක කළේය.

කුළුණු හතර: ඔහුගේ මුල් ප්‍රකාශනය ICC පසුව ක්‍රියාත්මක කළ නිශ්චිත මෙහෙයුම් කුළුණු ගෙනහැර දැක්වීය: සමාලෝචන ආරම්භ කිරීමට ක්‍රීඩක බලගැන්වීම, තුන්වන විනිසුරු අභියාචනා විනිසුරුවරයෙකු ලෙස ක්‍රියා කිරීම, උපායශීලී කාලය නාස්ති කිරීම වැළැක්වීම සඳහා අසාර්ථක අභියාචනා සීමා කිරීම සහ මන්දගාමී චලන නැවත ධාවනය තාක්ෂණය භාවිතා කිරීම.

ICC හි ස්ථාවරය: 

ICC විසින් 2008 සහ 2009 අතර කාලය තුළ වීරරත්නට කර්තෘත්වය ආරෝපණය නොකර හෝ මූල්‍ය වන්දි ලබා නොදී පද්ධතිය අත්හදා බලා දියත් කරන ලදී. ICC හි ඓතිහාසික නීතිමය ස්ථාවරය වී ඇත්තේ, පේටන්ට් බලපත්‍ර රහිත “අදහසක්” විවෘතව ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කරන ලද එකක් ප්‍රකාශන හිමිකම් ආරක්ෂාවක් ලබා නොදෙන බවත්, රාමුව අභ්‍යන්තර කමිටු හරහා පරිණාමය වූ බවත්ය. කෙසේ වෙතත්, පද්ධතිය සඳහා නිල ප්‍රකාශන හිමිකමක් හෝ නිශ්චිත නම් කරන ලද කතුවරයෙකු නොමැති බව ICC පිළිගෙන ඇත. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාවේ ව්‍යුහාත්මක නවෝත්පාදන සංසන්දනය යාන්ත්‍රික විකාශන තාක්ෂණයන් මෙන් නොව, වීරරත්නගේ දායකත්වය ක්‍රීඩා විනිශ්චය කිරීමේ නීති සහ නීති විද්‍යාව වෙනස් කළේය. [1, 2] නවෝත්පාදන රාමුව [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] නම් කරන ලද/ගෞරවනීය නිර්මාණකරුවන් සංකල්පීය අවධානය වර්ෂාව අනුව සකස් කරන ලද ඉලක්ක ෆ්‍රෑන්ක් ඩක්වර්ත්, ටෝනි ලුවිස් සහ ස්ටීවන් ස්ටර්න් (DLS) ඉලක්ක නැවත සැකසීම සඳහා ගණිතමය සහ සංඛ්‍යානමය ගණනය කිරීම.

රූපවාහිනී/තෙවන විනිසුරු (රේඛා ඇමතුම්) මහින්ද විජේසිංහ (ශ්‍රී ලංකාව) පිටියේ නිලධාරීන්ට දුවද්දී දැවී යාම සහ ස්ටම්ප් කිරීම සඳහා වීඩියෝ උදව් ලබා ගැනීමට ඉඩ දීම.

තීරණ සමාලෝචන පද්ධතිය (DRS) සේනක වීරරත්න (ICC විසින් පිළිගැනීමට ලක් නොකළ) අභියාචනා අධිකාරිය හරහා පිටියේ තීන්දු අභියෝගයට ලක් කිරීමට ක්‍රීඩක බලගැන්වීම.

ව්‍යාපාරයේ වත්මන් තත්ත්වය 

පාපන්දු ක්‍රීඩාවේ VAR සහ ටෙනිස් අභියෝග යාන්ත්‍ර විද්‍යාව සඳහා සැලැස්මක් ලෙස සේවය කරමින් පද්ධතිය මූලික වශයෙන් ගෝලීය ක්‍රීඩා විනිශ්චය නැවත සකස් කර ඇති බැවින්, ආරවුල කලාපීය පිළිගැනීම සඳහා පුළුල් ව්‍යාපාරයක් දක්වා පරිණාමය වී ඇත: [1]

ව්‍යාපාර නැවත නම් කිරීම: 

ක්‍රිකට් ඉතිහාසඥයින්, විචාරකයින් සහ නීති කණ්ඩායම් පද්ධතිය විධිමත් ලෙස සේනක වීරරත්න තීරණ සමාලෝචන පද්ධතිය (SWDRS) හෝ සේනක තීරණ සමාලෝචන පද්ධතිය (SDRS) ලෙස නැවත නම් කිරීම සඳහා බලපෑම් කිරීම දිගටම කරගෙන යයි.

ආයතනික සහ රජයේ සහාය: 

මෙම දේශීය නවෝත්පාදනය සඳහා විධිමත් ගෞරවය ලබා ගැනීම සඳහා දකුණු ආසියාවේ උපදේශක කණ්ඩායම් ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් (SLC) සහ කලාපීය ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යාංශවලින් ඔවුන්ගේ ආයතනික බර රාජ්‍ය තාන්ත්‍රිකව ICC ට එරෙහිව භාවිතා කරන ලෙස නිතිපතා ඉල්ලා ඇත. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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” If you do not claim recognition for what you have done others will claim credit for what you have done like the way the ICC (International Cricket Council) has done at the behest of its Legal Team fraudulently and thereby depriving a Sri Lankan Inventor cum Lawyer due credit and compensation”. 

“Never be afraid to say ‘ I did it’ if you have really done it.” 

Senaka Weeraratna

Architect of ‘Player – Referral’ (DRS)

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Sri Lankan lawyer and inventor Senaka Weeraratna is widely documented as the pioneering intellectual architect behind cricket’s Decision Review System (DRS), originally conceptualized as the “Player Referral System”. His quote highlights a long-standing grievance regarding intellectual property (IP), corporate recognition, and the fight for creators to stand up for their work. [1, 2]

The Dispute and Core Facts

• The 1997 Blueprint: Weeraratna first published the foundational mechanics of the player-led review system in a letter to the editor of The Australian newspaper on March 25, 1997. He formally communicated the design to the International Cricket Council (ICC) that same year.
• The Legal Framework: As a qualified attorney, Weeraratna modeled the concept after an appellate court system. He argued that allowing human umpiring errors to stand when television technology could correct them violated natural justice.
• The Four Pillars: His original publication outlined the exact operational pillars the ICC later implemented: player empowerment to initiate reviews, the third umpire acting as an appeals judge, limiting unsuccessful appeals to prevent tactical time-wasting, and using slow-motion replay technology.
• The ICC’s Stance: The ICC trialed and launched the system between 2008 and 2009 without attributing authorship or providing financial compensation to Weeraratna. The ICC’s historical legal position has been that an unpatented “idea” published openly does not carry copyright protection and that the framework evolved via internal committees. However, the ICC has admitted it holds no official copyright or specific named author for the system. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Comparison of Structural Innovations in Cricket

Unlike mechanical broadcast technologies, Weeraratna’s contribution altered the rules and legal jurisprudence of sports officiating. [1, 2]

Innovation Framework [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]	Designated/Credited Creators	Conceptual Focus
Rain-Adjusted Targets	Frank Duckworth, Tony Lewis, and Steven Stern (DLS)	Mathematical and statistical calculation for resetting targets.
TV/Third Umpire (Line Calls)	Mahinda Wijesinghe (Sri Lanka)	Allowing on-field officials to seek video help for run-outs and stumpings.
Decision Review System (DRS)	Senaka Weeraratna (Uncredited by ICC)	Player empowerment to challenge on-field rulings via appellate authority.

Current Status of the Movement

Because the system fundamentally reshaped global sports officiating—serving as a blueprint for football’s VAR and tennis’s challenge mechanics—the dispute has evolved into a broader campaign for regional recognition: [1]

1. Renaming Campaigns: Cricket historians, commentators, and legal groups continue to lobby for the system to be formally renamed the Senaka Weeraratna Decision Review System (SWDRS) or Senaka Decision Review System (SDRS).
2. Institutional & Government Support: Advocacy groups in South Asia have routinely called upon Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and regional sports ministries to diplomatically leverage their institutional weight against the ICC to secure formal credit for this indigenous innovation. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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see also

AI Overview

The International Cricket Council (ICC) adapted its Decision Review System (DRS) from the “Player Referral” concept originally conceived and published by Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna in 1997. Weeraratna has extensively advocated for his rightful intellectual property (IP) and moral rights, arguing that the ICC and its legal team fraudulently claimed or ignored the system’s Sri Lankan origins to avoid paying compensation. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

The lack of formal naming or compensation has sparked an ongoing, decades-long dispute. Historical and legal advocates consistently press the ICC to acknowledge Weeraratna’s four-pillar appellate architecture, which fundamentally shifted power from an unchallengeable on-field umpire to technology-backed accuracy. [1, 2, 4]

Key arguments in Weeraratna’s battle for recognition include:

• The Original Blueprint: Weeraratna first published his “Player Referral” idea in March 1997 via The Australian, proposing that players be empowered to appeal subjective umpiring decisions to a third umpire using television replays.
• ICC’s Stance: The ICC and its legal counsel have historically maintained a “no awareness” defense, claiming the system was built independently and that Weeraratna waived his rights by publishing the idea openly without a patent.
• The Call for Justice: Backed by various regional advocates and cricket historians, Weeraratna and his legal team continue to press for proper attribution and financial restitution, frequently drawing comparisons to the DLS method, which officially credits its inventors. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

If you would like to delve deeper into this ongoing intellectual property battle, I can provide information on:

• The specific legal arguments Weeraratna’s representatives have used (such as the Doctrine of Constructive Notice).
• Details of how Weeraratna’s four-pillar concept aligns with modern DRS rules.
• Steps being taken by advocates and Sri Lankan institutions to secure official national recognition.

Let me know which aspect you want to explore further.

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Dasatha News

KAMALIKA PIERIS

Medical prescriptions were written down on palm leaf manuscripts. Besajja Manjusa is the oldest medical manuscript   written in Sri Lanka. There is a Sinhala translation of the Pali original in the Colombo Museum library. The manuscript of Bessajja Manjusa held in Ayurveda Research Institute, Maharagama was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World national register in 2016.

Bessajja manuscripts can be found in Dalada Maligawa patirippuwa library, Galvene purana vihara Angoda,   Mettaramaya in Bambalapitiya, Colombo , Valukaramaya  at Pamburana,Matara and  Kosgodella raja maha vihara

Sirancee Gunawardana says she has seen a   medical manuscript belonging to Ms. Sirimavo Bandaanaike, handed down from her grandfather, a medical practitioner.  It had prescriptions using herbs, roots, barks of trees and indigenous seeds, for ailments ranging from stomach trouble, pediatric, pregnancy, fever, headaches, cholera, small pox, chicken pox, eye, cancer and snake bite. It was written in 1850. There are 39 other such manuscripts in the collection.

Palm leaf manuscripts mention immersion therapy    and acupuncture. Sirancee has paid special attention to acupuncture. Sirancee found a very old manuscript on acupuncture in Institute of Ayurveda, Rajagiriya. It is very well illustrated.     Pelmadulla Raja maha vihara has a 12 th century manuscript giving acupuncture points for humans, also for cock, horse, buffalo. The full manuscript is reproduced in her book.  She has also included in full  another acupuncture manuscript by Sadiris Perera.

Manuscripts that give remedies for snake bite were known as Sarpa veda poth.  Colombo Museum Library has one where the prescriptions are given in verse. Sirancee   owned   a ‘very interesting’ ola on herbal treatment of cobra and other  snake bites.

The Sinhala state had its own healing system in the Udarata before the British  took over the kingdom. Western medicine soon displaced the vederala but some parts of the native system survived up to the middle of the 20 century.

The Report of the 1950 Commission on the Ancient system of Sinhalese Medicine (SP 17 of 1950) stated that Sihala vedakam was a distinct medical system with its own drugs, diagnostic methods and treatments. It was particularly effective for snake bite, fractures, rabies and cancerous tumors, said the Report.’  The Sinhala vedakam or Desiya chikithsa physicians saw themselves as a distinct group, belonging to ‘veda parampara’ through the possession of secret family recipes, the report said. A national health system cannot operate on secret   prescriptions.   This secrecy would have been a later aberration.

Sinhala vedakam prescriptions would have been recorded on palm leaf.  The National Library of Sri Lanka has publicized the fact that it has manuscripts on Sinhala Vedakam. Hugh Neville collection has a Sinhala pharmacopeia, written in 19 century. Pelmadulla purana Viharaya  had an ola dealing with surgical specialties, written in Sinhala, copied in 1862.

There are many palm leaf manuscripts   written in Sinhala    containing herbal prescriptions that have originated in Sri Lanka, said Sirancee.  Firstly, there is the  collection of prescriptions   which the vederala carries with him for immediate use.  It is a collection compiled by him or his ancestors and is known as ‘beheth vattoru potha.’ This potha contained prescriptions   for emetics, purgatives, medicine for diarrhea, piles, worm treatment and blood ailments.

 There is a  ‘beheth vattoru pota’ in the Kosgoda vihara library. There are about 103 beheth  vattoru poth in the TPP Goonetilleke collection. Historical Manuscripts Commission was shown a Udarata beheth potha,  One manuscript held in a curated collection, contained the prescriptions of a physician named Hatara Korale Huhgampola Ruppege Dara Mudalihami (sic).

Elephants played a major role in the Sinhala state. There are many palm leaf manuscripts on how to manage elephants and treat their illnesses. The manuscript titled ‘Hasti Yoga Silpa’ , seen by Sirancee is in verse and has charms for protection of elephants. Harakola Sri Anandarama Viharaya  in Gampola had two manuscripts on elephants, one manuscript was an Ali veda pota , the other was on elephant charms and sensitive spots.

Palm leaf manuscripts provide scattered information on music, song and dance. Alutnuwara  Raja Maha vihara had a manuscript with music notations. Sirancee Gunawardana in her book ‘Palm leaf manuscripts of Sri Lanka’ said she has not seen anything else like it and published a photograph of the manuscript in her book, see p 169. Historical manuscripts Commission found a manuscript which had a stanza in very rare meter   in a chant for Kataragama deviyo

  On the subject of drums, Andreas Nell presented the Colombo Museum library with a copy of an ola titled Bera, davul, tammata adiye upata.”  The original is in the British Library.  Tupavamsa manuscript mentions 20    types of drums used in Sri Lanka.  The Isavara nartaya” manuscript in the Colombo Museum, which is in Sinhala, gives 32 tunes for drums  written in kavi style.

 Regarding dance, Hugh Neville collection has a manuscript titled nrutya upata”. It has three sections, gitaya, nrutya, and pada and provides 36 different beats for the drum.    Alutnuwara  Raja Maha vihara had a manuscript called Pada Natuma.   

There were three other manuscripts on movement. Hugh Nevill collection had 100-year-old manuscript on Sokari nateema,. There were many palm leaf manuscripts on leekeli in Colombo Museum library. Historical Manuscripts Commission (1951) had found a manuscript, titled Pandama ganna kavi ,5 verses sung to invoke the blessing of the gods before the dancers approach the road.   This would have been for a perahera.

 There was some information on song. Historical Manuscript Commission (1933) found in family collections, lots of panegyric type songs for the Udarata kings.  One manuscripthad verses sung at the coronation of Kandyan kings. Verses sung at the coronation of king Narendrasinha were recorded in a manuscript titled Sringara alamkaraya (1842).

Sri Lanka has a notable   kavi tradition. There are many   kavi manuscripts dating from the 18 th and 19^th centuries, in palm leaf collections. An interesting feature in these collections, are the kavi to be sung at work, including songs to be sung when spinning thread.

Colombo museum library has a manuscript with two sets of kavi. Kavi to be sung when weeding paddy fields and Nelum kavi to be sung when reaping the harvest. The Nelum kavi manuscript was prepared by Tikiri Yadesguru in 1862.   

Olas contain kavi   for harvesting Kurakkan.  Colombo Museum library has a manuscript on growing    kurakkan (millet), how to sow the grain, protect it, fence it from wild pigs , how to put up a watch hut, how to harvest the millet and how to cook it.

Hugh Nevill collection has a kavi manuscript titled Peduru Male” This manuscript relates the story of a rush mat weaving competition between a mother-in-law and a daughter in law. They first weave ordinary mats then a strong knotted mat, gold flowered mat, tasseled mat, mat with hare, mat     showing a jackal about to eat the hare, then a deer mat, leopard mat, cat, rat, lion and elephant mats. Thereafter, they weave   a mat with a buddha’s throne and finally a mat with loha-maha-paya and dagoba design. Sirancee observed that this ballad describes various unusual mat designs    and provides information on the art of weaving rush mats.

Historical Manuscripts Commission (1933) found an architectural plan at Lankatilleke vihara, 17th or 18^th century .  It was   the ground plan of a royal palace, a ‘raja maliga salasma’. Design was rectangular, with ornate triangular and circular buildings within the space. The plan gave the Sinhala names for special buildings and the different departments set aside for different services. This was of considerable value    since these words are rarely met and indicates the functions of these apartments.

 Cook books were found among curated collections. Dalada Maligawa library has a book titled ‘Supa Sastra’ containing recipes and food prepared for the   king.  Hugh Neville collection has a manuscript in Sinhala which gives rules for selecting a cook, how to arrange the logs in a hearth, how to make a fire and how rice should be cooked. The ola gave instruction on cooking fish, meat, broths, vegetables, sambals, chutneys and spiced curries.  The ola had recipes   for making milk rice, pickle, jak fruit curry, and oil cakes. There was advice on how to avoid over eating and how to distinguish poisons in food.

Traditional Sinhala society believes in astrology. Horoscopes are cast when a child is born. The chart and interpretation are inscribed on an ola. This was the tradition up to the first half of the 20 century.  My horoscope, prepared in the 1940s, is on palm leaf. It is wound round and round and fastened through a slit in the leaf itself.  From 1960 onwards, horoscopes were written on paper, but there are persons capable of recording them on palm leaf, if requested, even today.

Traditional Sinhala society also believes in the supernatural. There is a great fear of sorcery in our society. Yantra (talisman) are used in Sri Lanka to counter   such sorcery. Yantra are mystic diagrams and geometrical designs, drawn onto strips of palm leaf or engraved onto copper or gold foil which are then rolled up and worn in a little metal case around the neck or upper arm as a protection against harm.

Yantra are meant to be protective charms primarily,   but yantra are also used for curative purposes, for soliciting favors, and in rituals of revenge.   Yantra were inscribed on palm leaf until recently.  They are now etched on thin copper sheets.

 Yantra manuscripts are profusely illustrated.  They have diagrams and also ritual images drawn on them. Yantra drawings are in secret code. Hugh Neville collection has manuscript containing seven yantras which served as guidelines for those creating yantra images. These were kept secret by the practitioners. 

LSD Peiris has one of the largest collections of Yantra manuscripts in the country. He has written a book titled ‘Yantra drawings in palm leaf, Sri Lanka.’ He has studied the subject for many years and has some interesting observations.

He says there is intricacy in the art forms way beyond what is needed, while preserving their ritual properties and intended purpose.   I found the proportions and the ornamentation around the geometric outlines, the circles, ovals, square, rectangles, diagonals and arcs very pleasing to the eye, though I could not appreciate their ritual significance.

Peiris says the script in which the text is written has ‘the authentic flavor of the Sinhala written script’. He says   it is possible to locate fragments of letters from the Sinhala alphabet in the drawings. This can be seen in the fingers, toes and facial features of the figures drawn in the yantra.   CONCLUDED.

REFERENCES

1st report of Historical Manuscripts  Commission 1933 SP 9 of 1933 

3rd report of Historical Manuscripts Commission 1951, SP 19 of 1951.

Report of the Commission on ancient system of Sinhalese medicine SP 17 of 1950

 Sirancee Gunawardana Palm leaf manuscripts of Sri Lanka .  1977  

L.S.D. Pieris Yantra drawing on palm leaf Sri Lanka 2018

UNESCO MOW

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

I often reflect on my days as a young engineering student in the former Soviet Union. My mentor, a Russian Jew and a passionate patriot of Russia and its revolution, frequently spoke about how a nation becomes powerful through knowledge, discipline, and scientific inquiry. 

Under leaders such as Stalin, he believed that Russia transformed itself into an industrial and scientific giant because it encouraged rigorous study and intellectual curiosity.

I was fortunate to receive both theoretical and practical training in oil and gas exploration, learning about the machinery and technologies of the 1960s and 1970s.

 During those days there was no internet, no search engines, and certainly no artificial intelligence. Knowledge had to be earned through long hours in libraries and laboratories.

At one stage, my professor entrusted me with an important research task. I had to develop a method for predicting the remaining operational life of enormous eight-cylinder reciprocating gas compressors. These machines pumped natural gas through large pipelines and into underground porous limestone formations for storage before it was later cooled to nearly minus 160 degrees Celsius and converted into liquefied natural gas (LNG).

My research focused on the hydrodynamics of the lubricating oil film in the journal bearings of these compressors.

 I travelled to libraries searching for books and scientific papers, studying every available publication on the subject. I eventually developed a mathematical formula and tested it on actual compressors in Kaluga, a suburb of Moscow. 

I still remember how the engineering fraternity there helped me verify my calculations, despite our journey being made without official permission from Soviet authorities.

The most valuable lesson I learned came from Professor Kozobkov. His words remain with me even today:
Do not try to invent before you study what has already been invented. Visit libraries, examine the literature, understand existing formulas, and then derive a better one.”
This advice is remarkably relevant in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

Today, many educators fear that AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini will make students lazy thinkers. I respectfully disagree. AI should not be prohibited. Instead, it should be guided and harnessed.

I propose a simple methodology for schools. Before students use AI to write an essay, they should first write a short paragraph expressing their own understanding, opinions, questions, and ideas on the topic. 

They should then submit this paragraph together with the prompt they gave to the AI system and the final AI-assisted essay.

P
This initial paragraph will reveal the depth of the student’s thinking. It will show whether the child merely asked the machine to think for him or whether he used AI as a partner to expand his own ideas.

The libraries of my youth have now become digital and intelligent. Artificial Intelligence is perhaps the greatest library ever created by mankind. But just as my professor advised me decades ago, young people must first learn to think, question, and explore before asking for answers.

The future does not belong to those who merely use AI.

 It belongs to those who can ask profound questions, challenge existing knowledge, and use AI to discover what has not yet been discovered. 

• The true purpose of education is not to create children who can copy answers from machines; it is to create curious minds capable of exploring the universe and imagining possibilities beyond the limits of today’s knowledge.

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

AI Overview

Under the doctrine of stare decisis, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka generally treats its own prior judgments as binding. However, it can and does overturn its own previous decisions to correct legal errors, adapt to changing social realities, or rectify judgments made per incuriam (through carelessness or lack of regard to the law). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The primary mechanisms for doing so are assembling a larger Divisional Bench (e.g., a 5, 7, or 9-judge bench overriding a 3-judge bench) or invoking its inherent revisionary powers to vacate an earlier order in exceptional circumstances. [1, 2, 3, 4]

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1. Key Landmark Examples of the Supreme Court Overruling Itself

Sunpac Engineers (Pvt) Limited v. Abeygunawardena (2023)

• The Overruled Case: Ramachandran v. Hatton National Bank (2006).
• The Legal Context: For nearly two decades, the Ramachandran ruling dictated that under the Recovery of Loans by Banks (Special Provisions) Act, a bank could not use parate execution (selling mortgaged property by public auction without going to court) if the property belonged to a third-party guarantor rather than the primary borrower.
• The Overruling: A larger bench in Sunpac Engineers explicitly overruled the majority decision in Ramachandran. The court ruled that Parliament intended to facilitate speedy debt recoveries for the entire banking sector, meaning third-party mortgaged properties can be subjected to parate execution. [1]

Walker Sons & Co. Ltd. v. Gunatilake (1978/1980)

• The Overruled Case: Various early split-bench decisions regarding appellate finality.
• The Legal Context: This case heavily debated whether the Supreme Court was strictly bound by its own prior interpretation of labor laws and industrial disputes.
• The Overruling: The Supreme Court formally affirmed that while it values consistency, it regards itself as bound by its own decisions subject to their being overruled by a bench of greater numerical strength. This landmark case set the modern procedural baseline for how the apex court can legally overturn its own jurisprudence. [, 2, 3]

Pathirathne v. Abeywardena and others (2024)

• The Overruled Principle: Previous restrictive judicial remarks regarding the scrutiny of the Constitutional Council.
• The Legal Context: The case was filed seeking a judicial review of the Constitutional Council’s refusal to approve a judge’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
• The Overruling: The Supreme Court explicitly affirmed its jurisdiction over the council’s vetting powers. In doing so, it overruled by implication previous apex court remarks that limited inter-branch accountability concerning the executive and the council. [1]

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2. Legal Mechanisms Used to Overturn Previous Decisions

The Supreme Court utilizes specific frameworks when departing from its own precedent:

Mechanism [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]	Description	Example Scenario
Larger Divisional Bench	A bench with a greater numerical strength of judges (e.g., 5 or 7) is constituted by the Chief Justice to deliberately re-evaluate and overrule a prior 3-judge bench decision.	Used to overrule Ramachandran via the Sunpac ruling.
Per Incuriam Rule	The Court establishes that a previous decision was reached in ignorance of a statutory provision or a binding case law, rendering it non-binding.	Regularly argued in land partition and prescriptive title disputes.
Inherent Revisionary Power	The Court uses its exceptional powers to vacate its own order if it is proven that the initial judgment caused a gross miscarriage of justice or was based on fundamentally wrong facts.	Exercised strictly to prevent an abuse of process or structural injustice.

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AI Overview

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In Sri Lanka, the Supreme Court is the apex judicial body and is technically bound by its own prior rulings under the doctrine of stare decisis. However, an enlarged bench (usually 5 or 7 judges) can explicitly overturn a previous Supreme Court precedent if it was decided per incuriam (in error) or if societal and legal shifts require a departure from past interpretations. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Notable instances and contexts where the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has varied or reconsidered its earlier positions include:

• Rights of the Accused & Confessions (Ediriweera vs. The Attorney General): The Supreme Court has historically revisited strict rules of evidence. In notable evidentiary and criminal jurisprudence, the Court has sometimes had to re-examine or re-interpret earlier categorical stances established by prior benches regarding circumstantial evidence (such as the strict application of the Ellenborough dictum) or the admissibility of confessions, adapting precedents to ensure no miscarriage of justice occurs.
• Administrative Law & Statutory Ouster Clauses (Maradana Mosque Trustees vs. Mahmud): The Sri Lankan Supreme Court historically adopted the English Anisminic approach, which allowed the higher judiciary to disregard statutory ouster clauses and review decisions that were deemed erroneous. This represented a significant shift in judicial review and administrative law, setting aside older, more restrictive precedents regarding the finality of administrative tribunals.
• Devolution and Self-Determination (Federal Party Case of 2017): In a landmark 2017 determination assessing whether the advocacy of a federal constitution violates the Sri Lankan Constitution, the Supreme Court revisited earlier post-1972 and post-1978 foundational rulings. The Court expanded the scope of permissible constitutional discourse by determining that advocating for federalism is not tantamount to secession, and recognizing the Tamil minority as a distinct “people” entitled to internal self-determination—a notable jurisprudential pivot from earlier, rigid unitary interpretations.
• Fundamental Rights and Confiscation (Manawadu vs. The Attorney General): A classic example of the Court correcting a previously harsh statutory interpretation was seen when the Supreme Court re-evaluated legislative provisions (like those under the Forest Ordinance) that allowed the automatic confiscation of vehicles used in offences. The Court recalibrated the balance between the State’s power to penalize and the fundamental right to own property, ensuring constitutional fairness. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Note: In Sri Lankan legal practice, the Court more frequently overturns decisions made by the Court of Appeal to reinforce its ultimate hierarchical authority. Instances of the Court explicitly overruling its own prior apex determinations require the convening of specially constituted benches to ensure legal certainty and finality. [1, 2, 3]

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AI Overview

By Sarath Obeysekera

The Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) remains one of Sri Lanka’s most debated infrastructure projects. Built in 2013 at an estimated cost of US$209 million, with the majority financed through Chinese loans, the airport was originally designed to handle one million passengers and 50,000 tonnes of cargo annually. Unfortunately, traffic projections never materialised, and the airport became globally known as one of the world’s least utilised international airports.
However, underutilisation does not necessarily mean failure. Around the world, many airports have been successfully repurposed as aviation maintenance centres, logistics hubs, industrial zones, and aerospace parks. Mattala could still become a major economic asset if repositioned strategically.
Construction Cost and Environmental Considerations
The initial investment exceeded US$209 million, and some estimates place the total implementation cost at approximately US$240 million after variations and associated expenditure.
Environmental criticisms focused on:
• Proximity to wildlife habitats and bird migration corridors.
• Disturbance to elephant movement and local ecosystems.
• Increased bird-strike risks to aircraft operations.
• Conversion of large tracts of land for airport development.
These concerns require continuous environmental management rather than abandonment of the facility.
What Could a 50-Year Lease Generate for Sri Lanka?
A long-term concession model could unlock substantial foreign direct investment (FDI).
A reasonable estimate for a 50-year concession could include:
Initial Upfront Lease Premium:
US$150–300 million
Additional Capital Investment:
US$500 million–US$1 billion over 10–15 years
Annual Lease and Revenue Sharing:
US$10–20 million per annum plus passenger, cargo and commercial revenue-sharing arrangements.
The exact figures would depend on the investor’s development commitments and land utilisation rights.
Which Countries Are the Most Suitable Investors?
India
Advantages:
• Geographical proximity.
• Synergy with Indian tourism and airline markets.
• Potential integration with Hambantota Port and regional logistics.
• Growing demand for aircraft maintenance services.
United Arab Emirates (Dubai)
Advantages:
• Expertise in aviation hubs and airport city developments.
• Experience in free zones and logistics parks.
• Strong tourism marketing capabilities.
Singapore
Advantages:
• World-class airport management expertise.
• Integrated airport-commercial development experience.
• Excellent reputation for MRO and logistics.
South Korea
Advantages:
• Advanced aerospace manufacturing capabilities.
• Strong engineering and vocational training systems.
• Potential for electronics and aviation component manufacturing.
A consortium involving India, Dubai and Singapore may offer the most balanced commercial and geopolitical solution.
Infrastructure Required Around Mattala
The airport alone cannot succeed. Supporting developments are essential:
Airport City
Hotels, convention centres, shopping malls and entertainment facilities.
Eco-Tourism Zone
Safari parks, bird-watching centres, wellness resorts and adventure tourism.
Aviation Free Zone
Duty-free logistics centres, bonded warehouses and cargo distribution facilities.
Industrial Zone
Aircraft component manufacturing, marine engineering workshops and precision engineering industries.
Education and Training
Aviation academies, aircraft engineering institutes and technical universities.
Transport Connectivity
Rail links, expressway improvements and dedicated public transport systems.
Employment Potential
Direct Employment:
3,000–5,000 jobs
Indirect Employment:
15,000–25,000 jobs
Induced Employment:
10,000–15,000 jobs
Total long-term employment potential:
Approximately 30,000–45,000 jobs.
Employment opportunities could arise in:
• Airport operations
• Tourism and hospitality
• Engineering and manufacturing
• Logistics and warehousing
• Technical training
• Construction and support services
Can Mattala Become an MRO Hub?
Yes.
Mattala has several advantages:
• Long runway capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft.
• Large land availability.
• Low air traffic congestion.
• Proximity to major East-West shipping routes.
Potential MRO activities include:
• Heavy aircraft maintenance
• Aircraft painting facilities
• Engine overhaul centres
• Aircraft storage and preservation
• Conversion of passenger aircraft into freighters
• Aviation training centres
The global aircraft maintenance industry exceeds US$100 billion annually and continues to grow rapidly in Asia.
Can Mattala Become an Aircraft Storage and Recycling Centre?
Yes.
Several airports worldwide generate revenue from:
• Long-term aircraft parking
• Aircraft dismantling and recycling
• Salvage and resale of components
• Storage during airline downturns
• End-of-life aircraft processing
The dry climate of southern Sri Lanka and abundant land availability make Mattala suitable for an aircraft storage and recycling park.
A New Vision for Mattala
Mattala should no longer be viewed solely as a passenger airport.
Its future lies in becoming:
1. South Asia’s aircraft maintenance and MRO hub.
2. Aircraft storage and recycling centre.
3. Aviation training and technical education city.
4. Logistics and free-trade zone linked with Hambantota Port.
5. Eco-tourism and convention destination.
6. Aerospace and precision engineering cluster.
If integrated with Hambantota Port and the Southern Expressway, Mattala could evolve into a specialised aviation-industrial ecosystem that generates significant foreign direct investment, creates tens of thousands of jobs and transforms southern Sri Lanka into a new economic growth pole.

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

ECONOMYNEXT

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has urged investors from Belgium and Luxembourg to seize opportunities in the island nation, citing economic reforms, affordable real estate and cheap labour.

Speaking at a panel discussion during the BELGOLUX -Sri Lanka Business Forum with a number of Belgian and Luxembourg delegates at Colombo Port City, deputy minister of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development Chaturanga Abeysinghe called on investors to capitalize on early-stage opportunities to maximize returns.

Being a part of this growth as early as possible is going to yield greater returns because land is competitively priced, real estate is affordable, and you can hire talent that is not as costly as in other developed regions,” Abeysinghe said.

Abeysinghe said the government was was planning to push through reforms such as the Investment Protection Act, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act, along with land and labor policy overhauls.

The event, organized by the BELGOLUX – Sri Lanka Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, highlighted growing trade relations with the European Union while emphasizing Sri Lanka’s strategic maritime location.

I think the number one investment opportunity is in infrastructure because we will open up public-private partnerships this year through the new Public private partnership act. There will be a significant opportunity to partner with the government of Sri Lanka in investing in infrastructure. May it be energy, may it be telecom, may it be road networks, ports, or airports,” Abeysinghe said.

Extract

Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia Pilot Project for Sri Lanka: A Strategic Opportunity

The global engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV⁠ has extensive experience in developing green hydrogen ecosystems and has undertaken similar World Bank-supported studies in countries such as Morocco. Sri Lanka has now embarked on a serious initiative to develop green hydrogen and green ammonia projects, supported by its National Hydrogen Roadmap and recent investor outreach initiatives.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Energy and the Board of Investment (BOI) have invited international investors to submit proposals for:

* Green hydrogen production facilities
* Green ammonia manufacturing plants
* Storage and export terminals
* Hydrogen component manufacturing facilities
* Associated renewable energy infrastructure

Why Sri Lanka Has Potential

Sri Lanka possesses significant renewable energy resources:

* Solar potential of approximately 16 GW
* Wind potential exceeding 50 GW, particularly in the Northern and Eastern Provinces
* Deep-water ports suitable for export and bunkering operations
* Strategic location on major East-West shipping routes

Potential Pilot Project Locations

Trincomalee Harbour

* Offshore wind-powered hydrogen production
* Green ammonia export terminal
* Bunkering hub for future green-fuelled ships
* Heavy engineering and assembly base for hydrogen equipment

Hambantota Port

* Industrial-scale green ammonia production
* Export hub to Asia and the Middle East
* Integration with industrial zones

Mannar

* Large-scale wind-powered electrolysis projects
* Hydrogen production feeding export terminals

Economic Benefits

A successful pilot project could:

* Generate significant foreign direct investment (FDI)
* Create high-skilled engineering and technical employment
* Produce future marine fuels for global shipping
* Reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels
* Position Sri Lanka as South Asia’s first green hydrogen and ammonia export hub

Sri Lanka’s National Hydrogen Roadmap aims to establish a green hydrogen economy and has set an aspirational target of generating around US$1 billion annually from the green energy value chain by 2030.

For your interest in developing Trincomalee Harbour as a heavy engineering and offshore services hub, a World Bank-funded pilot project led by Royal HaskoningDHV could be expanded beyond hydrogen production to include:

* Green ammonia bunkering facilities
* Assembly and repair of offshore wind equipment
* Manufacturing of electrolyser components
* Production of green fuels for shipping and industrial users

This could transform Trincomalee into a regional Green Energy and Offshore Engineering Hub of the Indian Ocean.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was finally unveiled a few days ago only reaffirmed how misguided the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 was, as by every account and careful analysis, despite Iran’s heavy losses, it has come out on top. Should the US and Iran negotiate the various provisions of the MUO in good faith, the latter will likely gain considerably more at the negotiating table than it would have before the war.

Before we delve into the reasons why Iran has emerged victorious despite its massive losses, it is important to revisit the reasons why the US and Israel attacked Iran in the first place and why they failed to achieve any of the objectives that they set out to accomplish. The war’s stated objectives—regime change, the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, the curtailment of its ballistic missile arsenal, and the weakening of its regional proxy network—were not merely ambitious; they were fundamentally detached from what defines Iran as a state, a society, and a strategic actor. The US’ and Israel’s failure should not come as a surprise. It was, in fact, predictable.

Before any military confrontation or serious negotiation, a state must rigorously assess its adversary across several dimensions: political structure, ideological conviction, historical experience, cultural identity, geostrategic positioning, and national aspirations. In the case of Iran, the US and Israel ignored the implications of these dimensions that characterize the country and how they might manifest themselves in a time of national crisis.

Iran’s psychological national mindset is anchored in a powerful sense of civilizational continuity and historical grievance, fusing Persian pride with an acute memory of foreign intervention and betrayal. This produces a deeply entrenched siege mentality—a conviction that Iran must rely on self reliance, strategic patience, and asymmetric power to withstand external threats—let alone existential ones—and to preserve its revolutionary identity at home and across the region.

Politically, Iran is not a fragile state susceptible to rapid political internal breakdown. Its governing system, complex, layered, and deeply entrenched, has demonstrated remarkable durability. The regime’s political cohesion, particularly among its security apparatus in support of the regime, has repeatedly proven resilient in the face of both domestic unrest and international sanctions and military threats.

Ideologically, Iran’s leadership operates within a framework where religion and governance are inseparable. The Islamic Republic’s worldview is not merely strategic but also ideological and theological. It perceives resistance to external pressure, particularly from the US and Israel, as both a political necessity and a religious duty. This ideological foundation reinforces, rather than weakens, the regime under attack. External aggression tends to consolidate internal support rather than ignite a popular uprising, as was hoped.

Historically, Iran’s sense of identity is shaped by more than 2,500 years of history. This long civilizational memory has cultivated a deep-seated buoyancy and a capacity to absorb and outlast external threats. Unlike younger states, which lack that historical perspective, their endurance becomes far more brittle. Iran draws strength from its continuous survival and adaptation. This historical consciousness cannot be bombed out of existence, as Iran has proved.

Culturally, Iran is a nation of profound pride and sophistication. Iran’s deep intellectual, artistic, and philosophical heritage contributes to a strong national identity that resists humiliation. Any strategy predicated on coercion or submission fundamentally misunderstands this cultural reality. Iranians, regardless of their views on the regime, will not accept externally imposed dictates that compromise national dignity.

Geostrategically, Iran occupies one of the world’s most critical positions. Its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz—through which one-fifth of global energy supplies pass—grants it immense leverage, as demonstrated by Tehran’s closure of the Strait. Combined with its natural resources and substantial human capital, Iran is not easily isolated or neutralized. The failure to account for this reality has triggered a global economic disruption, especially in the oil and gas sectors.

Military Capabilities: The US and Israel failed to accurately assess Iran’s military capabilities, including its vast arsenal of missiles and drones, along with proxies capable of asymmetric warfare. Its armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have for years been in combat readiness and deeply committed to regime preservation. This ensured that Iran would absorb the attacks and continue to retaliate unabatedly.

The Memorandum of Understanding

The extent of the US and Israel’s miscalculation becomes clearer. The MOU ensures freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz—something that existed before the war—and reaffirmation that Iran will not pursue nuclear weapons, a position Tehran has publicly maintained for years. These provisions amount to a return to the status quo rather than a strategic breakthrough.

Instead, Iran has achieved unprecedented milestones: control over the Strait of Hormuz at will, uncontested power in the Gulf, bringing Lebanon into the MOU, and partially realizing its regional hegemonic ambition. It has also shown it can withstand both the US and Israel, the most powerful global and regional militaries. All of this was predictable, but Trump and Netanyahu conveniently chose to ignore it.

Moreover, Iran has secured the suspension of crippling economic sanctions, the ability to export oil freely, and access to approximately $100 billion in previously frozen assets, and substantial international investment—potentially reaching $300 billion—to support Iran’s economic development.

The agreement defers critically crucial contentious issues, such as Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and its regional proxy network, to future negotiations, effectively sidestepping Israel’s primary security concerns.

Negotiating these unresolved issues will not be quick or straightforward. A comprehensive agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent—alongside its missile capabilities and regional proxies—will likely take many months, if not longer. The current 60-day timeline is unrealistic, albeit it may be mutually extended as stipulated in the MOU.

The Adverse Implications for Trump and Netanyahu Facing economic pressures and upcoming mid-term elections, Trump appears eager to declare a diplomatic victory and was compelled to make concessions, making a mockery of his earlier demand for unconditional surrender. Netanyahu, confronting an election in the fall, sought to demonstrate that a joint military action could achieve his long-standing strategic goals of regime change and permanently wiping out Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missiles program, which has proven to be nothing but a mirage. Instead, both leaders now face the consequences of their arrogance toward and misreading of Iran.

The broader geopolitical fallout was equally troubling. The conflict has strained the US’ relations with European allies, disrupted global trade, and driven up energy prices, contributing to inflationary pressures worldwide. Gulf states, long reliant on American security guarantees, are reassessing their strategic alignments with the US amid the rise of Iran as the undisputed leading power in the Gulf, which will have lasting repercussions for the US’ strategic regional interests and influence.

Paradoxically, despite suffering significant military damage—including the destruction of naval assets, missile infrastructure, and key military installations—Iran has emerged with a strengthened strategic position. By failing to assess how Iran’s national character and resolve have shaped its reaction to the war, the US and Israel have inadvertently strengthened Iran and forced the US to engage it on terms that preserve its core interests.

The central lesson is unmistakable: wars conceived on illusion and waged in defiance of a nation’s historical identity do not transform that nation—they reaffirm it. In Iran’s case, force did not weaken the regime or bend its ambitions; it consolidated both. What was meant to compel surrender instead elevated Iran’s standing and leverage, leaving diplomacy to recover, at a higher cost, what military power failed to secure—and what, from the outset, it could never have achieved.

____________

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is President of the Institute for Humanitarian Conflict Resolution.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

AI assisted to formulate following .

Many of the world’s great advances came from exceptional individuals such as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Tim Berners-Lee, and countless scientists, engineers, and thinkers whose creativity changed civilization. Their inventions brought enormous benefits but also risks. Nuclear technology, for example, can generate electricity or destroy cities.

Will AI make human genius unnecessary?

Probably not. AI can:

• Process vast amounts of information.
• Generate ideas and designs.
• Accelerate scientific discovery.
• Assist with research and decision-making.

However, humans still provide:

• Values and ethics.
• Purpose and goals.
• Empathy and moral judgment.
• The ability to decide what should or should not be done.

AI may become a powerful intellectual partner, but it does not eliminate the need for human wisdom.

Could AI develop technologies that seem impossible today?

History shows that many things once considered impossible became real:

• Flying across oceans.
• Speaking instantly with someone on another continent.
• Organ transplantation.
• Landing humans on the Moon.

Could AI help develop technologies that allow a person to appear” in two places? In a practical sense, perhaps through:

• Highly realistic holograms.
• Telepresence robots.
• Digital avatars that act on one’s behalf.
• Advanced virtual or augmented reality.

Whether a person can literally exist physically in two places at the same time is a different question and currently lies outside established science.

Regarding spiritual traditions, many religions, including some Buddhist traditions, describe extraordinary abilities attained by enlightened beings. These are matters of faith, philosophy, and spiritual experience rather than subjects that science has verified or disproved.

Could AI destroy the world?

AI itself has no desires, ambitions, or intentions. It is a tool created by humans. The danger arises from:

• Misuse by people.
• Autonomous weapons.
• Large-scale misinformation.
• Poor governance and lack of safeguards.
• Concentration of power.

This is similar to nuclear technology: the technology itself is neither good nor evil; its consequences depend on how humans use and control it.

Many religions speak of a day of reckoning or the end of the world. AI cannot determine whether such prophecies are true. From a secular perspective, AI is one of several powerful technologies that humanity must govern responsibly.

A useful way to think about it is:

Human intelligence created AI. The future depends not only on how intelligent AI becomes, but on whether human wisdom, ethics, and compassion grow alongside it.

AI may become extraordinarily capable, but the responsibility for its direction remains with humanity.

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

AI Response

Yes, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka can overturn its own decisions, but only under strictly defined, highly exceptional circumstances. [1, 2, 3]

As established in landmark rulings, the Supreme Court is the apex judicial body and its judgments are constitutionally final. It has no statutory or constitutional power to rehear, review, or alter its decisions simply because a party is dissatisfied. However, the Court possesses inherent powers to vacate or set aside its own orders to prevent a miscarriage of justice or an abuse of the process of Court under specific conditions. [1, 2, 3]

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Exceptional Circumstances Permitting Revision

The Court may exercise its inherent power to overturn its own final decision in the following exceptional situations: [1]

1. Decisions Passed Per Incuriam (Through Inadvertence/Lack of Care):
   • This is the primary ground. A decision is per incuriam if it was made in ignorance of an inconsistent statutory provision or a binding legal precedent that would have altered the outcome.
   • It also applies if the judgment is based on a manifest, obvious mistake of fact where the court accidentally misunderstood the record.
2. Breach of the Rules of Natural Justice (Audi Alteram Partem):
   • If a final order was made without giving an affected party a right to be heard (e.g., passing an adverse judgment against a party who was never legally noticed or substituted).
3. Fraud or Collusion:
   • If it is subsequently proven that the judgment was obtained through patent fraud, deception, or false evidence practiced directly upon the Court.
4. Lack of Jurisdiction:
   • If the decision was a complete nullity ab initio because the Court acted entirely outside its legal jurisdiction or composition. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

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Supporting Case Law

The boundary between finality and the inherent power to correct mistakes is governed by several core Sri Lankan cases:

1. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle v. Premachandra De Silva (1996) 1 SLR 70 [1]

• Principle: This 5-judge bench decision definitively ruled that the Supreme Court does not have a general revisionary jurisdiction to review its own final decisions.
• Ruling: The Court emphasized that its decisions are final to ensure litigation comes to an end. However, it explicitly preserved the Court’s inherent power to correct decisions made per incuriam (defined strictly as decisions made in ignorance of an inconsistent statute or binding case law). [1, 2]

2. Gunasena v. Bandaratilleke (2000) 1 SLR 292

• Principle: The Court invoked the Roman-Dutch and Common Law maxim actus curiae neminem gravabit (an act of the court shall prejudice no man).
• Ruling: The Supreme Court affirmed that all superior courts possess the inherent authority to repair an injury caused to a litigant by the court’s own obvious mistake or slip, extending the per incuriam rule to clear clerical or factual errors made by the judges during the reading of the record. [1, 2, 3]

3. Ganeshanantham v. Goonewardene (1984) 1 Sri LR 319

• Principle: One of the earliest major jurisprudence inquiries into whether a bench of the Supreme Court could revise a decision made by a previous bench of the same court.
• Ruling: It established that while final judgments stand, they can be set aside if there is a fundamental violation of natural justice or a clear per incuriam error that invalidates the proceedings. [1, 2]

4. Kariyawasam v. Priyadarshani (2004) 1 SLR 301

• Principle: Reaffirmed the per incuriam doctrine regarding an error of oversight.
• Ruling: The Court ruled that because a critical page of a final decree was overlooked during the initial hearing, it was a duty of the court to exercise its inherent power to rectify the error, stating “No man shall be put in jeopardy by a mistake made by a court“. [1]

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If you are evaluating a specific judgment for a potential review, please let me know:

• Did the court overlook a specific section of an Act or a prior Supreme Court precedent?
• Was there an obvious administrative or factual slip in the final text?

I can help you evaluate whether the situation fits the strict definition of per incuriam.

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Source:  AI Overview

By Sarath Obeysekera

As a child, my mother was an ardent devotee of the deity of Kataragama Temple. Before every important examination or milestone in my life, she would take me on a long journey by bus to Kataragama. In those days, it was an adventure in itself.
We travelled for an entire day and stayed in a simple dormitory near the temple. We enjoyed the hospitality of the devotees and even received free northern-style breakfasts. Early in the morning, we stood in long queues carrying a basket of fruits and a humble offering of one hundred rupees, hoping to attract the attention of the temple’s custodian, the Kapuwa”.
Did the ritual itself make me pass my examinations? Perhaps not directly. But I always returned home with renewed confidence, optimism and determination. Faith gave me courage, and courage often became the key to success.
My father was different. He was a devoted Buddhist and never accompanied us to Kataragama. Every evening at seven o’clock, he gathered his eight children and taught us Anapanasati—mindfulness of breathing. We sat quietly, observing our breath and learning to calm our minds.

As I grew older, I realised that both my parents were teaching me valuable lessons in different ways.

My Tamil friends visited the sacred Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil in Jaffna. My Muslim friends sought blessings at the historic Kahatagaha Mosque. Though our places of worship differed, we all searched for the same things—hope, protection, courage and peace of mind.
Later in life, a friend introduced me to the teachings of S. N. Goenka and a ten-day residential retreat at a Vipassana Meditation Centre.

The experience was transformative.
For ten days there was no communication with the outside world. No telephone, newspapers, television or social media. There was noble silence. One simply observed one’s breath, sensations and thoughts.

Initially, the silence seemed difficult. Then, gradually, the mind became calm and clear.
I discovered that true confidence does not come from external praise or possessions. It arises from understanding one’s own mind.

Vipassana taught me mindfulness, kindness, compassion and equanimity—the ability to remain balanced in success and failure, pleasure and pain.
The Buddha taught that suffering arises because we constantly react to pleasant and unpleasant experiences. Through mindfulness and meditation, we learn to observe without attachment or hatred. This understanding gradually brings peace and wisdom.

What Can Young People Learn?

From Kataragama: Faith can inspire confidence and hope.

From Nallur Temple: Devotion teaches discipline, gratitude and respect for tradition.

From Kahatagaha Mosque: Prayer and community strengthen brotherhood and compassion.

From Anapanasati: Awareness of breathing develops concentration and emotional stability.

From Vipassana: Mindfulness teaches us to understand ourselves and respond wisely rather than react impulsively.

Why Religious Education Alone Is Not Enough
Every child should learn religion. Religion provides moral values, teaches right from wrong and nurtures respect for others.
However, as young people mature and face the pressures of examinations, careers, relationships and an increasingly digital world, they need another essential skill—the ability to manage their minds.
Meditation develops:
• Concentration
• Emotional intelligence
• Self-discipline
• Resilience under stress
• Compassion and kindness
• Inner confidence and peace
Modern education teaches us how to make a living. Meditation teaches us how to live.
Perhaps this was the wisdom of the Buddha’s teaching. Faith may guide us to the temple, church, kovil or mosque, but mindfulness guides us to understand ourselves.
Sri Lanka is blessed with many religions and sacred places. Yet all of them ultimately point towards similar human values—kindness, compassion, self-discipline and inner peace.
Our children should learn religion to become good human beings. As they grow older, they should also learn meditation to become peaceful, balanced and wise human beings.
The journey that began for me as a little boy carrying a basket of fruits to Kataragama eventually led me to discover something even deeper: the greatest temple we can ever explore is our own mind.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Anadolu Agency

President Dissanayake authorizes security forces to join mosquito-control efforts as daily hospital admissions surge past 1,000

ISTANBUL

Sri Lanka has deployed its military to assist in dengue-control operations amid a sharp rise in infections that has pushed daily hospital admissions above 1,000, local media reported Tuesday.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake authorized the armed forces to support public health authorities in eliminating mosquito breeding grounds and strengthening prevention measures in areas hardest hit by the outbreak, according to local broadcaster Ada Derana.

On Monday, a high-level meeting, chaired by Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa and Secretary to the President Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, decided key measures to control the outbreak.

The meeting decided to establish a monitoring unit, strengthen legal enforcement measures, and expand dengue prevention efforts through community empowerment and public safety committees already operating at the local level, according to a statement issued by the President’s Office.

The intervention comes as health officials warn of a worsening dengue situation driven by seasonal rains and an increase in stagnant water, which provides ideal breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes, the primary carriers of the disease.

Hospitals across the country are now recording more than 1,000 dengue-related admissions daily, raising concerns about mounting pressure on Sri Lanka’s healthcare system.

Military personnel will work alongside public health inspectors, local authorities and community volunteers to identify and destroy mosquito breeding sites, participate in cleanup campaigns and assist with public awareness efforts.

Authorities have urged residents to regularly inspect homes, schools and workplaces for standing water and take preventive measures to reduce mosquito populations.

Dengue fever remains a recurring public health challenge in Sri Lanka, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall. Symptoms include high fever, headaches, muscle and joint pain, while severe cases can lead to potentially fatal complications.

Officials said the government would continue monitoring the outbreak and could expand response measures if infections continue to climb.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, June 22 (Daily Mirror) – The United States today announced the provision of a Fleet Broadband satellite communications system worth approximately US$4 million (over Rs. 1.2 billion) to the Sri Lanka Navy, in a move aimed at strengthening maritime security and connectivity across the Indian Ocean.

The announcement was made by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur during a visit aboard SLNS Gajabahu at the Port of Colombo. Deputy Minister of Defence Major General (Retd.) Aruna Jayasekara and Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda hosted the visiting U.S. official.

During the visit, the officials held discussions on expanding maritime cooperation and the role of advanced U.S. satellite communications technology in safeguarding international shipping lanes, supporting regional disaster response, and combating illicit activities across the Indian Ocean.

The Fleet Broadband system, manufactured by Cobham and Inmarsat, will be installed across the Sri Lanka Navy’s fleet of offshore patrol vessels. The technology provides secure ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications, enabling reliable voice, data, and information sharing while operating far beyond coastal waters.

According to the U.S., the new system will enable the Sri Lanka Navy to maintain real-time connectivity with headquarters, aircraft and other vessels across vast maritime areas, strengthening maritime domain awareness, improving operational coordination, enhancing emergency response capabilities, and supporting efforts to interdict vessels involved in illicit trafficking and protect key international shipping routes.

Speaking at the event, Assistant Secretary Paul Kapur said the technology represents a transformational upgrade for the Sri Lanka Navy, ensuring uninterrupted communications across its offshore patrol vessel fleet. He said the capability would help Sri Lanka respond more effectively to emergencies, protect commercial shipping, and counter illegal activities in the Indian Ocean.

Deputy Minister of Defence Aruna Jayasekara said the introduction of the Fleet Broadband system significantly enhances Sri Lanka’s maritime domain awareness and further strengthens defence cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United States. He noted that the technology will improve fleet-wide connectivity, support real-time situational awareness, facilitate information sharing with regional partners, and reinforce the security and reliability of international shipping lanes.

Courtesy Hiru News

Claudia Sallay, the mother of the Major General (Retd) Suresh Sallay, who is the former head of the State Intelligence Service, forwarded a letter to Pope Leo XIV today (23).

The letter requests justice, human dignity, and a compassionate intervention regarding Suresh Sale. Accordingly, arrangements were made to hand over the relevant letter to the Apostolic Nuncio, the representative of the Holy Father in Sri Lanka, at the Vatican Embassy in Colombo.

The letter is mentioned below:

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV

The Apostolic Palace

00120 Vatican City

23rd June 2026

Your Holiness,

Humble Appeal for Justice, Human Dignity, and Compassionate Intervention Regarding Retired Major General Suresh Sallay

I write to Your Holiness with profound humility, deep respect, and unwavering faith in the moral leadership of the Holy See. I humbly seek your compassionate intervention regarding the continued detention, alleged torture, and public vilification of my son, Retired Major General Suresh Sallay, whose life, dignity, and reputation are being irreparably destroyed before any court of law has determined his guilt or innocence.

My son, Retired Major General Suresh Sallay, is one of Sri Lanka’s most highly decorated senior military officers. During more than thirty-five years of distinguished military service, he received numerous gallantry, campaign, and long-service decorations in recognition of his dedication, leadership, and service to the nation. Throughout his career, and particularly in his senior appointments, he faithfully served under five successive Presidents of Sri Lanka, irrespective of political affiliation, demonstrating unwavering loyalty not to any political party or individual, but to the State and its people. He devoted his life solely to the security and protection of Sri Lanka. Never during his career was he found guilty of misconduct or convicted of any criminal offence. His professional life was built upon discipline, integrity, honour, and selfless service, making the present circumstances all the more painful for our family.

Today, however, he remains detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act merely as a suspect in an ongoing investigation. He has not been convicted of any offence. No court has found him guilty. The judicial process remains ongoing, and under every principle of justice recognised throughout the civilised world, every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law. Despite this fundamental principle, my son has already been publicly condemned.

Your Holiness, throughout the many investigations conducted into the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, my son was never identified as a suspect. The Presidential Commission of Inquiry did not identify him as a suspect. The investigation conducted with the assistance of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) did not identify him as a suspect. Reports associated with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) likewise did not identify him as a suspect. Despite years of investigations by both local and international authorities, no official investigative body concluded that my son bore criminal responsibility for those tragic attacks.

Yet today, before a court has had the opportunity to examine the evidence against him, he is publicly portrayed as the principal architect, the alleged “mastermind”, behind one of the darkest tragedies in Sri Lanka’s history.

It is with great sadness that I respectfully bring to Your Holiness’ attention our deep concern regarding the continuing public narrative surrounding my son, which has been actively promoted by Rev. Fr. Jude Rohan Silva and Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando through repeated public statements concerning the Easter Sunday attacks.

For a considerable period, these repeated public statements have advanced the allegation that my son was the “mastermind” behind the Easter Sunday attacks despite the fact that judicial proceedings remain ongoing and no court has found him guilty of any offence.

In our respectful view, these repeated public statements have significantly influenced public opinion and contributed to sustaining a narrative that presents my son as guilty before the courts have had the opportunity to determine the truth.

Given the moral authority enjoyed by priests of the Catholic Church, such statements inevitably influence the thoughts and emotions of many faithful Catholics. The continuing repetition of these allegations has fuelled conspiracy theories, intensified public hostility towards my son, and created an atmosphere in which he has effectively been judged in the court of public opinion before any judicial determination has been made.

It is with equal sadness that we note that these public statements have continued over an extended period without any apparent public intervention to discourage the prejudgment of a person who remains presumed innocent under the law. We respectfully believe that this has contributed to the perception that the continuing public narrative has the support or acquiescence of the Church’s leadership, thereby further reinforcing public conviction before trial.

It is pertinent to note that the present investigation was initiated following a complaint made by Rev. Fr. Jude Rohan Silva of the Catholic Church and, subsequently, based on a letter which contained allegations by Mr. Azad Maulana, which were submitted by Rev. Fr. Busebaduge Cyril Gamini Fernando.

In these circumstances, I am deeply concerned that certain members including the said two members of the clergy who have provided statements and are witnesses in this matter have continued to conduct regular press briefings and make public pronouncements regarding the case. These statements, made on an almost biweekly basis, appear to advance a narrative that my son is the alleged mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks, notwithstanding the fact that the matter remains under investigation and has not been adjudicated by a court of law.

With the utmost respect to the clergy concerned and to the Church they represent, I submit that such conduct is inconsistent with the principles of fairness, impartiality, and justice that should guide all persons, particularly those who hold positions of spiritual and moral leadership. It is especially concerning when such public commentary emanates from individuals who are themselves witnesses in the proceedings and are therefore closely connected to the matter under investigation.

Furthermore, Article 13 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka enshrines the fundamental principle that every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law.

Public statements that appear to prejudge the outcome of an ongoing investigation risk undermining this constitutional safeguard, influencing public opinion, and causing irreparable prejudice to the reputation and rights of the individual concerned.

Your Holiness, I respectfully submit that no individual, regardless of the seriousness of the allegations against him, should ever be publicly condemned before an independent court has spoken.

Another matter of profound concern is the apparent conflict of interest surrounding the present investigation.

Individuals against whom serious allegations have previously been made, and against whom findings and recommendations have been issued concerning their failure to prevent the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, negligence in the discharge of their official duties, failures in the handling of intelligence, and shortcomings in the subsequent investigations, are now exercising authority over the very investigation into my son.

It is deeply troubling that officials whose own conduct in relation to the Easter Sunday tragedy has itself been questioned are now directing, supervising, or influencing an investigation arising from those very same events.

This creates a serious and unavoidable perception of a conflict of interest.

Justice requires not only that investigations be fair and impartial, but also that they be manifestly seen to be fair and impartial. Public confidence in the administration of justice is inevitably undermined when those whose own actions and omissions have been the subject of criticism, adverse observations, or recommendations are entrusted with investigating another individual connected with the same events.

It is particularly troubling that while these unresolved questions concerning institutional accountability remain, public attention has instead been directed almost exclusively towards portraying my son as the alleged “mastermind” behind the Easter Sunday attacks. The combination of an apparent conflict of interest within the investigative process and an ongoing public campaign declaring his guilt before trial risks undermining confidence in the administration of justice, the independence of the justice system, and the rule of law.

Justice cannot be delivered through public opinion.

Justice cannot be determined through rumours, speculation, or sustained public campaigns.

Justice belongs only in the courts of law.

If the courts, after hearing all the evidence, determine that my son is guilty, we shall respectfully accept that judgment. However, if the courts determine that he is innocent, no judgment will ever restore the honour, reputation, dignity, and life that have already been taken from him through relentless public accusations and character assassination.

An acquittal cannot erase years of humiliation.

An acquittal cannot restore a destroyed reputation.

An acquittal cannot undo the suffering inflicted upon his wife, his children, his elderly mother, and our entire family.

It is therefore essential that every person, especially those entrusted with immense moral influence, exercise restraint while judicial proceedings remain before the courts.

Your Holiness, my son has also endured immense physical and psychological suffering while in State custody.

As detailed in communications submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteurs, he has been subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment while under detention. Judicial medical assessments have reportedly found evidence of severe psychological trauma consistent with torture and ill-treatment. His health deteriorated to such an extent that he commenced a hunger strike in protest against his treatment and was eventually admitted to the National Hospital, where he continues to receive medical treatment.

This appeal is not made against the Catholic Church. On the contrary, our family has always held the Catholic faith in the highest regard.

My family has deep Catholic roots. I am a devout and faithful Catholic who has lived my entire life according to the teachings of the Church. I was baptised on 24th February 1946 in the Catholic Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Certificate of Baptism is attached at Annex A). I belong to the parish of St Joseph’s Church, Nugegoda in Colombo District and attend church regularly. I raised my children with Christian values of compassion, honesty, humility, forgiveness, and love for one’s neighbour. Above all, I have taught them to respect every religion equally and to treat every person, regardless of faith, ethnicity, or background, with dignity, kindness, and compassion.

The Catholic faith has long been part of our extended family. My brother-in-law’s sister, the late Rev. Sister Martha Costa of the Holy Cross Convent, Jaffna, dedicated her life to God and to the service of the Church. Her life of faith, sacrifice, and devotion reflected the Christian values that have guided our family for generations. These values profoundly shaped my son’s character and have remained with him throughout his life and distinguished military service.

It is therefore especially heart-breaking for our family to witness him being publicly condemned before the courts have spoken.

The Easter Sunday attacks brought unimaginable pain and suffering to countless innocent Catholic families. Their grief deserves truth. Their loss deserves justice. Those genuinely responsible must unquestionably be brought before the law.

However, justice for victims can never be achieved by condemning someone before a fair and impartial trial has taken place.

Justice demands truth.

Justice demands fairness.

Justice demands impartiality.

Justice demands that no innocent person be sacrificed to satisfy public expectation or political expediency.

Your Holiness has consistently reminded the world that every human being possesses an inherent dignity bestowed by God and that justice must always be accompanied by mercy, truth, compassion, and respect for the rule of law.

It is in that spirit that I humbly appeal to Your Holiness to use your immense moral authority to encourage that the judicial process in Sri Lanka be allowed to proceed free from prejudice, political influence, public campaigns, and premature declarations of guilt.

I respectfully ask Your Holiness to encourage all religious leaders, public officials, and persons of influence to allow the independent courts of Sri Lanka to determine the truth solely upon the evidence presented before them.

I further humbly appeal to Your Holiness to encourage that every person involved in this matter, particularly those who possess significant moral influence over public opinion, exercise restraint until the judicial process has concluded, so that justice may not only be done but also be seen to be done.

Above all, I humbly beseech Your Holiness to intervene, within your moral and pastoral authority, so that justice may prevail; so that the dignity of my son may be protected; so that due process may be respected; so that torture and inhuman treatment may cease; and so that no individual may ever be condemned before the law has spoken.

I also humbly ask Your Holiness to remember my son in your prayers, together with all those who continue to suffer because of the Easter Sunday tragedy. May God guide Sri Lanka towards truth, reconciliation, justice, healing, and lasting peace.

May Almighty God continue to bless Your Holiness with wisdom, strength, and abundant grace as you shepherd the Universal Church and continue to be a beacon of justice, mercy, peace, and hope for all humanity.

With profound respect and filial devotion,

Mrs. Claudia Sallay

Mother of Retired Major General Suresh Sallay

Sri Lanka