Sarath Bulathsinghala

Canada is following up on Ban ki-Moon’s Darusman’s Report a clandestine report purportedly made for the eyes of the former UN Secretary of General of the UN – Moon only, but later surreptitiously leaked to the public and now used as a major document to castigate the Sri Lankan government and her past leaders for wartime human rights violations. Any war is a human rights violation. There are no two words about it. Then war becomes the final arbiter when diplomacy and talks fail! This is what happened in Sri Lanka.

Then countries such as Canada are in no position to point fingers at others when they themselves have violated the rights of children and their parents – the lowest of lowest crimes against humanity. It is clear that Canada is a country that has engaged in the past and is now actively participating in crimes against humanity as well as genocide by themselves and by being party to others engaged in such barbarity!

How did Canada violate human rights? Significant human rights issues included credible reports of unlawful or arbitrary killings; crimes involving violence against indigenous women and girls; and crimes involving violence or threats targeting Black, Asian, Jewish, and Muslim minorities.

Are there any world organizations who will hold Canada responsible for their Human Rights violations or impose some sort of sanctions against organizations and personnel connected with these crimes against humanity?

Canada is a diverse, multi-cultural democracy that enjoys a global reputation as a defender of human rights and a strong record on core civil and political rights protections guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Despite these efforts, Canada continues to struggle to address longstanding human rights challenges, including wide-ranging abuses against Indigenous peoples, the continued confinement of immigration detainees in jails, and a prison law that does not rule out prolonged solitary confinement.

Canada also grapples with serious human rights issues relating to the overseas operations of Canadian extractive companies, and persistent exports of military equipment to countries with a record of human rights violations.

Indigenous children Between May and the end of the year, the remains of more than 1,381 Indigenous children buried at six former residential schools were located. The Canadian government established the schools, and churches administered them. The authorities failed to fully implement and share a public timeline for the 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada or to implement the 142 calls for action from the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous peoples and public services in Quebec.

In September, the Federal Court upheld the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruling ordering Ottawa to pay Can$40,000 (approximately US$32,000) to each of the approximately 50,000 First Nations children forcibly separated from their families. At the end of the year, the parties reached an agreement-in-principle whereby Can$20 billion (approximately US$15.7 billion) will be paid in compensation to First Nations children who were removed from their homes and approximately Can$20 billion over five years will be spent on long-term reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services program.

These measures can never bring back – childhood lost to children nor the pain caused to parents and indigenous communities in Canada. This is just eye-wash!

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/canada

https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/americas/north-america/canada/report-canada/

Canada has continued to meddle in the affairs of Sri Lanka while being a gross violator of so-called Human Rights themselves! Their aid to Sri Lanka has always come with 'strings attached'.They began their partisan approach to race relations in Sri Lanka beginning Maduru Oya -Mahaweli works.

This country with a strong Catholic – Tamil bias has consistently worked towards the dismemberment/balkanization of Sri Lanka, a country that is only a fourth the size of the United Kingdom!  They and others of their ilk desire the dismember of Sri Lanka into fiefdoms – a part for racist monoethnic Tamils, a part for the Catholic Church and many more for Muslims all over the country!

It is not difficult to see that the long term objective is for the dismemberment and balkanization of India. For this Sri Lanka should remain divided, unstable and disunited. This is the objective of the recent Maidan II carried out with Regime Change Queen – Victoria Nuland in attendance in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is to be just the stepping stone for the balkanization of India. In this respect, Canada is working in lockstep

Lanka Lead News

ජනාධිපතිවරයා පසුගිය දා උතුරේ කළ සංචාරයේදී එක්තරා දෙමළ පිරිසක් විසින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොලිසියේ නිලධාරීන් මඩ වතුරෙන් නහවමින් සිදු කළ අමානුෂික විරෝධතාව තමන් දැඩි ලෙස හෙළාදකින බව යාපනයේ සිවිල් සංවිධාන කැදවුම්කරු අරුන් සිද්ධාර්ථන් සදහන් කරයි.

මෙම ක්‍රියාව සිදුකළේ සමස්ත උතුරේ ජනතාව නොවන බවත්, විවිධ දේශපාලන කණ්ඩායම්වල නියෝජිතයන් හා අතුරුදන් වූවන්ගේ ඥාතීන් ලෙස පවසන දේශපාලකයන්ගේ අතකොළු බවට පත්වූ පිරිසක් මෙම ක්‍රියාව සිදු කළ බවත් ඔහු පවසයි.

මෙය ඔවුන් විසින් සිදුකළේ ව්‍යාපාරික වුවමනාවකින් බවද, එයින් යැපෙන කණ්ඩායම් මේ සිදුවීම පිටුපස සිටින බවද ඔහු හෙළි කරයි.

පොලිස් බලතල නොදී ජනාධිපතිවරයකුට උතුරට යාමට නොහැකි නම් පොලිස් බලතල දුන් පසුව දකුණේ කිසිවෙකුටත් උතුරට යාමට නොහැකි වන බවයි අරුන් සිද්ධාර්ථන් පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ.

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By P. K. Balachandran Courtesy Eurasia News

China’s EXIM Bank says in a letter to Sri Lanka that the latter need not pay back the principal and interest due on EXIM bank’s US$ 2.8 billion loan that were due in 2022 and 2023.   

Reuters reported on Tuesday that the Export-Import Bank of China has told Sri Lanka, through a letter, that it is going to provide an extension on the debt service due in 2022 and 2023 as an immediate contingency measure based on Sri Lanka’s request.” 

At the end of 2020, China’s EXIM bank had loaned Sri Lanka US$ 2.83 billion which is 3.5% of the island’s debt, according to an IMF report released in March last year.

According to Reuters, which had seen a copy of the letter, the EXIM bank said: You will not have to repay the principal and interest due of the bank’s loans during the above-mentioned period.”  

Meanwhile, we would like to expedite the negotiation process with your side regarding medium and long-term debt treatment in this window period,” it added.

The bank will support Sri Lanka in your application for the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to help relieve the liquidity strain,” the letter further said.

Sri Lanka owed Chinese lenders $7.4 billion, or nearly a fifth of its public external debt, by the end of last year, calculations by the China Africa Research Initiative showed, according to Reuters.

India’s Offer

Earlier, India had written to the IMF saying that it would give Sri Lanka financial assurances and debt relief on the condition that Sri Lanka abides by the IMF’s conditions. It also made it clear that other creditors should chip in equitably.

The IMF has set tough debt sustainability goals for Sri Lanka for the latter to receive the IMF’s Extended Funding Facility (EFF) and get its creditors to restructure their debts. On April 12, 2022, Sri Lanka declared that it was defaulting, when it’s overall loan external burden was US$ 50 billion.   

It is understood that the IMF’s expectations from Sri Lanka in regard to the restructuring of its debts are: (1) reduction of the ratio of public debt to GDP to below 95% by 2032; (2) bringing the annual gross financing needs to below 13% of GDP on an average between 2027-2032; (3) scaling down the annual foreign currency debt service to below 4. 5 % of GDP every year between 2027-2032; (4) closing its external financing gap.

India has promised to continuing its talks with the Sri Lankan government along with the Paris Club (of creditors) on a medium-to-long term debt management through maturity extension and interest rate reduction or any other financial means that would provide financing or debt relief. 

The financing or debt relief provided by the Export-Import Bank of India will be consistent with restoring debt sustainability under the IMF-supported program, India has said. According to one calculation, Sri Lanka owes US$ 1 billion to India.

Sri Lanka’s Job

Sri Lanka will have to seek equitable debt treatments from all commercial creditors and other official bilateral creditors, as well as adequate financing contributions from the multilateral development banks. India will support Sri Lanka’s efforts in this direction. India will keep having in-depth discussions with the Sri Lankan authorities, the IMF and the Paris Club of creditors.  

Other Creditors

Given the Indian and Chinese moves, Japan is expected to follow suit as India and Japan are allies vis-a-vis Sri Lanka. The United States comes into the picture because most of Sri Lanka’s private creditors are from the US. These private creditors own almost 40% of Sri Lanka’s external debt stock, mostly in the form of international sovereign bonds.

The private creditors also get higher interest rates on the basis of risk in lending to Sri Lanka. They receive more than 50% of external debt repayments, according to economists.

These private lenders pose a problem because they are generally averse to restructuring their debt. One US lender went to court immediately after Sri Lanka defaulted in April 2022. But still, there is optimism that an equitable and acceptable solution will be found to satisfy all creditors.

P. K. Balachandran

P. K. Balachandran is a senior Indian journalist working in Sri Lanka for local and international media and has been writing on South Asian issues for the past 21 years.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Central Bank has said that the interest rates can be relaxed once again with a cash infusion via the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) from International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Central Bank officials told this at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) which met at the Parliament Complex chaired by Committee on Public Finance Chairman Dr. Harsha De Silva yesterday, the Communications Department of Parliament said.

Commenting on the adverse effects of market contraction due to the stifling interest rates, the Central Bank said that those measures have been taken to limit growth in order to prevent the need for greater foreign exchange given the dwindling amount currently in the country. 

They have reiterated that with a cash infusion via the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) from IMF, interest rates can once again be relaxed, and the market will once again have an opportunity to expand. 

When the question of alternatives to an IMF bailout were reached, the CB stressed that no other international financing/funding institute is willing to partner with Sri Lanka on its debt management unless they see an IMF partnership materialize first. With the ostensible debt treatment measures that an IMF program accompanies, it reassures international agencies of Sri Lanka’s credibility to once more partner with the country for future ventures including debt management. This is why the CB stresses that it is imperative for Sri Lanka to lock in the bailout.

The Chairman of the Committee reiterated the Committee’s commitment to providing bipartisan support to the reforms put forward by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Dr. De Silva stressed that the aim of the committee regardless of allegiances will be to stand by the reforms promulgated by the IMF and being executed by the Central Bank (CB).  This comes in the wake of a Central Bank confirmation that they are confident of having an actual IMF first tranche disbursement within the 1st Quarter of 2023.

CoPF queried the severe social implications of such steep mechanisms to adhere to IMF conditions. The CB responded by confirming that the IMF are wary about the social impact to vulnerable communities and has invoked certain safeguards such as expenditure ceilings to negate those effects. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)

Courtesy Hiru News

Sri Lanka is committed to meeting all its debt repayments and is hoping to complete debt restructuring negotiations in the next six months, the country’s central bank chief P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said on Tuesday.

“There has been good progress this month with India already pledging financing assurances. We expect assurances from China and Japan soon,” Weerasinghe said at an event titled “Economic Outlook 2023”.

The island nation of 22 million people has grappled with challenges during the past year ranging from a shortage of foreign currency to runaway inflation and a steep recession – the worst such crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.

Sri Lanka is racing to secure a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but requires the backing of both China and India, its biggest bilateral creditors, to reach a final agreement with the global lender.

India last week told the IMF that it strongly supports Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring plan.

“Once the IMF program is unlocked then we will start specific debt restructuring negotiations with both commercial and bilateral lenders,” the head of the apex bank said.

“We hope to complete this process in six months. The biggest uncertainty is the timeframe for the debt restructuring. It is only after debt sustainability is assured can Sri Lanka return to a sustainable growth path,” he added.

Weerasinghe added that good progress has been made in negotiations with the Paris Club creditor nations and other creditors.

On the domestic front, talks with local banks to reduce rates were ongoing but the restructuring of domestic debt remains an uncertainty, he said.

On a separate note, Weerasinghe said Sri Lanka’s inflation would reduce at a faster pace in 2023 and expects it to reach single digits by end of 2023.

The central bank is aiming to bring down interest rates in line with inflation expectations and the process would be fast-tracked once the IMF programme is unlocked, he added.

Sri Lanka’s National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) (LKNCPI=ECI) eased year-on-year to 59.2% in December, after a 65% rise in November, data on Monday showed.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Two members of Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka ( PUCSL) including Deputy Chairman Udeni Wickremesinghe and Member of the Commission Professor Mohan Samaranayake had requested the Ministry of Finance and the defence authorities to probe the incident of alleged storming of civil activists into the PUCSL office on St. Anthony’s Road, Kollupitiya last Sunday (22)

The two members have lodged a complaint with the police. The duo had alleged that they were threatened by the group who claimed to be civil activists.

The group had also questioned the recent decisions made by PUCSL.

They have called for a probe to find out as to how the group who stormed in knew that they were at the office at the time. (Yohan Perera)

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Retired Major Ajith Prasanna was today sentenced to four years rigorous imprisonment by Supreme Court in connection with a contempt of court

The Supreme Court further imposed a fine of Rs. 300,000 for the charges.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

There was a conspiracy hatched to evict former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, where even some of the ministers at that time, got involved, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said today.

He told a news conference that people have now realised it clearly and that they will take proper action against such individuals in the future.

He said however, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was reluctant to admit that there was a conspiracy against him. “That is why he had to leave,” he said.

“There was a conspiracy to evict Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the President. Even some ministers were behind that conspiracy. There was a severe fuel shortage at that time. Even we could not obtain fuel. We are still importing the same amount of fuel that we imported at that time. But, we don’t see any shortage now,” he said.(Ajith Siriwardana)

Courtesy Adaderana

The High Commission of Pakistan in Colombo has rebutted a statement made by the Director-General of the Animal Production & Health Department that no eggs can be imported from India or Pakistan due to the outbreak of bird flu.

In a letter addressed to the Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Ministry, the high commission informed that the authorities in Pakistan, refuting the statement made by Hemali Kothalawala, have clarified that there has been no outbreak of bird flu and that Pakistan has been free from HPAI (H5N1) since 2008.

In addition, Pakistan is regularly exporting poultry and poultry products to a number of countries including the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, the letter noted.

The Pakistani High Commission went on to request the Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Ministry to update the relevant authorities in Sri Lanka on the situation, along with the request to retract the statement based on unsubstantiated claims which could potentially have an adverse impact on Pakistan’s exports and public perception in Sri Lanka.

Moreover, Sri Lankan importers are encouraged to explore Pakistan as a keen supplier of international quality of poultry products.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has summoned the Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy, and the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for an inquiry as to why they failed to prevent the implementation of power cuts during the ongoing 2022 G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination. 

Accordingly, the inquiry is scheduled to take place at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow (25 Jan.), at the HRCSL premises. 

Although the pair were notified of the relevant inquiry yesterday (23 Jan.), the HRCSL have raised concerns over the fact that neither party has yet responded. 

The PUCSL recently requested the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to refrain from imposing power cuts after 07.00 p.m. during the ongoing 2022 GCE Advanced Level Examination, based on requests made by various parties including the Department of Examinations. 

Later that day, however, the CEB noted that power cuts will have to be imposed even during the period in which the exam will be held, owing to the high costs incurred for the generation of electricity, and the lack of funds in this regard.

Courtesy Adaderana

(Reuters) – The Export-Import Bank of China has offered Sri Lanka a two-year moratorium on its debt and said it will support the country’s efforts to secure a $2.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.

India wrote to the IMF earlier this month, saying it would commit to supporting Sri Lanka with financing and debt relief, but the island nation also needs the backing of China in order to reach a final agreement with the global lender.

Regional rivals China and India are the biggest bilateral lenders to Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people that is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades.

According to the letter, the Export-Import Bank of China said it was going to provide an extension on the debt service due in 2022 and 2023 as an immediate contingency measure based on Sri Lanka’s request.

At the end of 2020, China EXIM bank had loaned Sri Lanka $2.83 billion which is 3.5% of the island’s debt, according to an IMF report released in March last year.

…you will not have to repay the principal and interest due of the bank’s loans during the above-mentioned period,” the letter said.

Meanwhile, we would like to expedite the negotiation process with your side regarding medium and long-term debt treatment in this window period.”

Sri Lanka owed Chinese lenders $7.4 billion, or nearly a fifth of its public external debt, by the end of last year, calculations by the China Africa Research Initiative showed.

The bank will support Sri Lanka in your application for the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to help relieve the liquidity strain,” the letter said.

Sri Lanka’s foreign and finance ministries did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.

Sri Lanka’s central bank chief P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said on Tuesday that the country hoped for assurances from China and Japan, another major bilateral lender, soon and complete debt restructuring in six months.

Source: Reuters

–Agencies 

By Garvin Karunaratne

The Comilla Programme of Rural Development was implemented in Bangladesh from 1960 to 1969 by a tri cornered effort of the Government of Bangladesh, The Agency for International Development of the United States of America and the Ford Foundation. The Agency for International Development of the US Government handed over the task to Michigan State University and a few major professors of Michigan State University were resident in Comilla throughout this nine years.

The Government of Bangladesh selected a senior civil servant, Dr Akhter Hameed Khan to be the Director of the Programme, established an Academy where there were specialists in agriculture, livestock and rural development to direct the programme involving the future of every family within the area.

This Comilla Programme involved the development of agriculture and livestock with small industries being established in an area of 107 sq miles and a population of some 150,00. It was a pilot project to find the easiest and best method of enabling economic development and therein lies its importance to all Third World countries. and the land was developed through deep tube wells. It was easily the most successful major development programme the last century has known.

It achieved the task of developing agriculture and livestock to the maximum by getting the people organized into a process of developmental action through cooperatives where the full membership met every week, when Akhter Hammed Khan and professors from Michigan State University looked into their difficulties and organized action to surmount the problems. It was this unending effort over eight years or more that enabled the achievement- of doubling the yield of paddy, the staple crop, the development of cattle breeding, establishing a creamery that churned milk into cheese and butter and the establishment of industries. The cooperative took charge of building up every person in the area and thus a situation of full employment was achieved.

It involved a process of developing an administrative framework where all development departments like agriculture, livestock, industries etc. were housed together at the divisional level, which enabled development to be achieved. Instead of Government village level employees like overseers handling extension, each cooperative selected a model farmer who was trained at the divisional level. These model farmers ended as trained farmers and it was easier for them to convince the people than outside extension overseers.

Cooperatives was the people’s institution which enabled the people to meet, discuss their difficulties and cooperate, and take action to enable the increasing of their incomes. Everyone was found employment and it ended up making the Kotwali Thana an area of 107 sq miles and a population of over 170,000 becoming prosperous. As a result the Kotwali Thana is an area of full employment and prosperity in a country full of poverty.

The Comilla experiment was so successful that it was adopted in other sections of Bangladesh.

Sri Lankan extension in paddy farming and agriculture suffered a major set back in the late Seventies when the World Bank imposed the Training & Visit System which specified that agricultural workers were forbidden to use peoples organizations like cultivation committees and cooperatives. Instead the workers and officials in agriculture were to contact the farmers direct. This contacting farmers direct is suitable for countries where there were farmers with large extents and not suitable for peasant farming where an agricultural officer has a few thousand farmers to contact. (Yodakandiya has 13,000 farmers) ,

The Third World countries followed the Training & Visit System because if you followed it a foreign aid package was provided towards the salaries of local officers and servicing costs. This package also has a grace period of 10 years. This made Governments readily accept this package. In any Third World country where the number of farmers is in thousands , peoples organizations like cooperatives and cultivation committees etc have to be used in contacting farmers. These organizations give the opportunity for farmers to cooperate and work together. Cultivation Committees were disbanded with the abolition of the Paddy Lands Act and cooperatives died down as few farmers used them. This marked the death knell of agricultural extension in Sri lanka .(A Critique of the Training & Visit System of Agricultural Extension in Administering Rural Development in the Third World, University Press Dhaka, 1983)

Further, President Premadasa in one of his unguarded moments promoted all Agricultural Extension Overseers to become Grama Niladharis in 1992 and since then there is no qualified and trained agricultural extension worker at the village level. The closest trained and qualified agricultural officer is the Agricultural Instructor at the divisional level. He has around 13,000 farmers in Yodakandiya and 3,500 farmers in Ranorawa. In short the agricultural extension work was totally crippled.

The Cooperatives if developed and made vibrant can step into this vacuum in agricultural extension. Hon Philip Gunawardena when he was the Minister of Agriculture in 1956-1959 built up farmers organizations like Cultivation Committees and Multipurpose Cooperatives to offer the nexus for the farmers to participate and enable cultivation to be done in an organized manner.

Thus the Comilla Programme method of bringing about agricultural and economic development perhaps offers a solution to the Sri Lanka economic meltdown today. The ideas of Hon Minister Philip Gunawardena too comes to the forefront. It is the only method that is available.

Muhammed Asafuddowlah, once Director of the Comilla Programme states:

The Comilla Approach showed results yet unmatched in terms of application of non formal techniques in imparting lessons of management, discipline and increased income. The pristine quality of this system is its comprehensiveness and is its conceptual integration….. The greatest testimony of the viability of its viability of a concept is its result. In that analysis, the Comilla Approach has no peer.”(Introduction to The Works of Akhter Hammed Khan)

Sugath Kulatunga

The year of the Rabbit has brought Sri Lanka the good news of the two-year moratorium proposed by China on debt repayment. This should be acceptable to all creditors and Sri Lanka. We cannot expect haircuts or of debt cancelation in the present global economic downturn. If SL can achieve the levels of foreign exchange earnings of 7.1 billion US$ from foreign employment in 2018 and Tourist income of 4.3 billion US$ in 2018 and maintain a trade balance deficit of less than US$ 6 to 8 billion US $, and with a modest FDI of 1 billion dollars and an increase in IT/BPO income to 2 billion US$, SL could get a total annual foreign exchange return of 13.4 billion US$. A modest 10 to 12 percent increase of this will make it 15 billion US$. If the trade deficit of 6 to 8 is deducted from this amount there will still be a surplus of 7 billion US$. Even if the net of services and primary income of .5 billion US$ is discounted SL should have an annual balance of 6.5 billion US$. This is a back of an envelope calculation. But the overall picture will not be too different from this. If the government can make an honest effort to get back at least the current amount of foreign exchange kept back abroad by exporters which is estimated at around 3 to 4 billion US $, we need not go begging for funds. Honesty of the authorities is in serious doubt.
This is not a solution to the massive domestic debt which must be resolved before specially the state banks go bust. The huge bad debts of political henchman must be recovered with rapid pareto execution. Hyperinflation has to be controlled, cost of living reduced and a business-friendly climate reintroduced. More than anything else discipline has to be established in both governance and society. There should be no complacency.
But there is no need to sell off the family silver. What is required in State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) is to institute sound management systems. What is revealed is that the Secretary of the Ministry, who is the Chief Accounting Officer is not doing his job of evaluating performance and preventing corruption in the SOEs.

Sugath Kulatunga

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

This is a document of appeal to the Tamil Politicians, Tamil Diaspora Organisations, and Terrorist groups articulating that they are liberation groups, and Tamils who are domiciled in Sri Lanka to give up their demand for separation as the country has been facing economic recession and collapse due to the uprising and terrorist activities of the several Tamil groups.

The country had a thirty-seven-year war to which SL had to spend millions of dollars to procure weapons to defend the country. It is the responsibility of SL to defend her country and the boarders. The terrorists in SL are those who started the civil war like satyagraha and organise the terrorist groups to fight the war. Well, here the main foundation is the hatred of the Tamil race against the Sinhala race. History will tell who the Tamils are and where they came from. Today the Tamils have dispersed radially and propagate that they left because of the atrocities of the Sinhalese, which is not exactly 100% true. It’s the wealth greediness of the Tamils made them to leave SL.

Analysis

Statistics states that the total population in SL is 23,044,123 as per July 2022 census. Sinhalese is 84.9%, SL Tamils 11.2 %, Moors 9.2%, Indian Tamils 4.2%, Others 0.5%.

Educated Tamil people shall think and decide whether the 11.2 % of the people need another state country called Tamil Eelam. Or even a state or Provincial Council for the North. Since independence in 1948, the country was driven down to poverty due to insurrection and wars. In 1970 people in SL had to exercise austerity measures as the economy went to recession. Foreign exchange was stopped for travellers and education. People were asked to plant vegetables in their backyard. We Tamils have a peculiar culture where the dowry system kills the economy of the country. Tamils hoard treasure in gold which is not circulated. I have reported before that Tamils have occupied government jobs. SriLankans enjoyed everything free given through the government coupons. Everyone wanted government jobs with pensions. Particularly Tamils are in the practice of hoarding wealth in gold. Money was not circulated among the country. One of the causes is the dowry system among the Tamil races.

Considering South America, the country was occupied by the Red Indians of different tribes. Today, the entire continent is occupied by Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Italians, Germans etc. The Incars etc are not enjoying the fruits of the Country and speak the language and they are quite happy. Another example is USA and Canada. The two continents were occupied by Red Indians. Today the Indians are happy calling themselves American and Canadians. These are two great continents. Sri Lanka is an island quite small, and the Tamils and Sinhalese have exploited the land of the Veddas, Nagas and the Yakkas, however, fighting among themselves like fool’s and idiots for power. The country has been driven to economic recession because of the bribery and corruption of the Rajapaksas and in general the entire politicians. None of the politicians are honest.

If Tamils call themselves clever and intelligent, then why should they prolong the demand without analysing and understanding the situation and economic position of the country. Tamil politicians are total idiots saturated in their mind with power hunger and avidity.

Tamils can educate their children in the South; however, the Sinhalese have no way of educating their children in the N&E. Why not have Sinhalese stream in the N&E colleges for students whose parents work in the N&E. If Tamils oppose to this, then they should be stamped as Racists and oppressive and discriminatory  race. Why cannot Sinhala people come and live in Karaitivu (Karainagar)? If Tamils can live in Fiji, Brazil, then it’s a question I would like to ask the Tamil politicians: Who are you all? Pure racists. In a democratic perspective view, it is considered that its pure racism and utter autocratic attitude.

The country has no economic independence, no natural resources, and people do not work for productivity but practice, bribery and corruption and want to have and enjoy everything. With no brains and have no aptitude to think about the economic condition of the country, what the coolies want is absolute power for wealth. How will power generate wealth unless they kill their own people.

Can the country afford to have nine/ten PCs? What do we need the PCs for? With the current political system and the economic environment, the country should abolish the Provincial Council system and operate with one government and local government only. Pure reason is the country has no money/wealth to enjoy luxurious governing system.

People are fighting for POWER. Do they understand how they will exercise power if the country has no wealth. Government is providing everything free to its people: Education, Hospital facilities, Law & Order, pensions etc. What more do they want? The Local government elections should not have been finalised if the Councils are functioning okay. The foolish politicians wanted to check their popularity through the LG elections at the expense of the citizens survival.

Please

1. Please give up the demand for separation, autonomy, PCs, and missing persons. The missing persons are terrorist who joined the LTTE. Prabakaran is a fool.
2. Have the Tamils got any natural resources. Can they generate wealth locally?
3. With autonomy they must beg the Centre for funds to operate their administration.
4. Firstly, the Centre is struggling to pay salaries and wages, operate railways, buses etc.
5. How will you maintain health services?
6. Do you think that the current generation children will ever come to SL? Jaffna. They are now intermarrying other races.
7. How long do you think Tamils will fly into Nallur, and Sannathi? The current children do not even go to the temples in their domiciled countries.
8. Cohesive living in SL is highly recommended.
9. People shall exercise austerity measures. They should have vegetable planted in their backyards. Why not every household have a chicken coop in their backyard? Only cowards and FOOLS shout that the country has no EGGS. How did we all mange cooking in the fifties in villages. Have a small birthday celebration, small puberty celebration, etc.
10. Please do not garland politicians.
11. It’s a disgrace for politicians to accept garlanding and presents when their citizens are suffering. Disgrace and a laughing matter.

DO THE TAMILS, TAMIL TERRORIST POLITICIANS, AND POLITICIANS WANT GOSL CB TO SELL BONDS, BILLS, NOTES IN THE ORDER OF BILLIONS OF Rs TO RUN THE PROVINCIAL COUNCILS?

Let the people in SL use their brain to run the country effectively and efficiently.

Shenali D Waduge

With Indian ferry service, Indian flights direct to Palaly & a history of illegal immigrants from India. In particular when India is the virtual defacto chief minister & governor of the North & controls essentials, even dictates the Sri Lankan govt to supply Jaffna unhindered supply of electricity and fuel. Well-funded campaigns that scare the govt into giving land to people who may not even be holding deeds to the lands they now occupy. These campaigns have ousted the Sri Lankan troops from the Jaffna High Security zone. If the political bigwigs and their pundit advisors cannot fit the dots to imagine a future scenario where the armed forces and camps are removed, there is little point in appointing any of them to governance.

It is important to at all times keep at the back of one’s head that the Indo Lanka Accord has no legitimacy not only because it was signed under duress, but it is legally questionable on account of India not fulfilling any of its objectives which makes the document null & void.

The Indo Lanka Accord assured to disarm LTTE within 72 hours.

With what logic was police & land powers given to the provinces, when the issue was only about disarming the LTTE? What had land to do with the issue? For whose benefit is land & police being devolved? Is it the Tamil people, Tamil politicians or India?

Has the Govt surveyed the North & East & taken stock of what India controls in these areas?

• Economic strongholds
• Shipping & imports from India direct to North/East
• Education
• Cultural
• Investments – what are the direct & indirect businesses that operate with Indians
• Indians working in the North/East
• Indian NGOs/
• Indian Intel

Has the Govt thought of what is likely to happen when land & police powers is given to an area that is virtually under control of India? Will this land not be further leased, transferred, mortgaged, donated or acquired & even be annexed?

What right does a government that is only a custodian to hand over land?

The land does not belong to any government to relinquish even under foreign pressure.

Tamil politicians – LTTE – TNA & India are not out to do any good to the Tamil people, all they want is to get hold of Crown Land and determine who they will hand over land to based on what personal benefits they get for this exchange. Police powers entitles a sort of private army inducted to take orders from them & function to their orders.

Given the inroads India has made into the North which the Govt should take good stock of, it is a dangerous scenario to implement 13a and devolve land & police powers. The IGP will be appointed by the Chief Minister not the President of Sri Lanka. The IGP & Police will be Tamils or Tamil speaking police & with no Sinhalese in the North, no Sinhalese can apply to join the police force, but outside of North East police must give quotas to Tamils to join Police. What hypocrisy prevails.

The moment the Central Govt loses control over these areas, the Govt loses right to rule over the areas. This constitutes a violation of fundamental rights as people will lose freedom of movement granted by Article 12. Freedom to live is also violated. People outside North & East will not be allowed to enter the North & East in their own country.

The Central Govt will lose right to defend its territorial waters, & there is likelihood that illegal immigrants will flood from South India to Sri Lanka’s North & East to settle. There may even be a situation where Sri Lankan Tamils may get pushed south, to eventually create a North/East occupied by Indian Tamils. Have Tamils thought of this scenario?

Have people wondered why there are calls to remerge N & E – could it be aligned to the demands for full implementation of 13a with land & police powers divulges which will lead to a possible secession of the 2 provinces & coming under either Indian control or western control? To prevent Western control, India is doing its best to quickly wrap all of the resources & important areas – road, rail, harbors, ports, airports, investments under its wing to prevent the West & its alliances controlling them. So we will see a major effort steered by Church & India to take hold of the North & East. The competition has now begun.

India that got Sri Lanka to sign Indo-Lanka Accord under duress, pressured the then Govt to pass the Provincial Council system via 13^thamendment, merged the NE, included provision for land & police powers & is strategically & incrementally taking over all areas of polity & resource in the North is now using the economic crisis to simply stand by” and get Sri Lanka to do a 1815 – handover of the NE to India. All of the clauses in the 13^th amendment were as a result of arm-twisting by India. It is a pity that even govts that had 2/3 majority failed to annul this key amendment to protect Sri Lanka.

Everyone has forgotten that every solution” was never meant as a solution but a means to advance other people’s agenda. Indo-Lanka Accord did not disarm LTTE or stop LTTE terror or even solve the non-existent ethnic” problem. Those who use ethnic problem” do so only to advance their agendas or enjoy a means of livelihood (jobs in NGOs/civil society etc)

The military ended the terrorist problem. The politicians failed to end the political separatist problem In fact politicians are making the political separatism worse by their dilly dallying.

In a world where the largess of the LTTE kitty enables even foreign politicians into the LTTE pocket, should we be surprised if local politicians & other decision makers are also inside their pockets?

Only a handful of people function with integrity – all others are easily coerced by funds” and silenced or lured to take decisions disadvantageous to the sovereignty & unitary nature of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka and India can never be compared. India’s system is suited for its size. India’s system cannot be plugged into Sri Lanka. 1.4billion people in India to a mere 21million people in Sri Lanka. Most of India’s states are bigger than Sri Lanka.

The present President is only an interim President, completing the term of Gotabaya Rajapakse, therefore the policies that the people voted for continues to apply. The current President who had no electoral mandate to even sit in Parliament cannot bring his own whims & wishes as he is only a President by default & not by an election.

Politicians cannot be thinking of their personal political visions or ideology when it comes to taking decisions on behalf of the country & its people. They have no right to be deciding to carve out any part of the island or hand over any part of the island even on lease if it endangers the nation, its resources, its assets & its people.

Shenali D Waduge

KAMALIKA PIERIS

The UN Human Rights declaration has evoked a range of attitudes from uncritical admiration to utter contempt. Admirers of Human Rights praise them extravagantly. Human Rights are the inalienable fundamental rights which a person is entitled to simply because he/she is a human being. They are universal in the sense of being applicable to everyone, everywhere. They are egalitarian as they apply equally to everyone and they are inalienable as they cannot be given away, said loyal Human Rights defenders.

Human Rights are rights that apply to everyone because they are human, explained Human Rights defenders. They are based on the notion of a shared humanity, not on the citizenship of a particular country. Human rights are interrelated and indivisible. No one right is more important than another and no one right can be claimed as a reason for violating another, they said.

Human rights are legal rights. They are legal entitlements and the state has a legal obligation to protect Human Rights. There must be remedies where there are violations of human rights, a human right without an effective remedy is not a right at all,   announced Human Rights defenders.

They pointed out that  Human rights are part of international law as well. International law was earlier limited to activities between states. Once Human Rights came in, international law  was extended to cover not only   state to state relations, but also  relations between the individual and the stat. This was  earlier considered the private domain of the sovereign state. Today, International law provides remedies for rights violations said Human Rights defenders, happily.

However, there was no universal applause for universal Human Rights” . The UN Declaration implies absolute human rights set in a perfect society. But life it not like that analysts said. Human Rights started as a Judeo Christian view. The Christian doctrine has shaped the human rights law, therefore it is not universal.  Further, the UN Declaration tends to be legal in its wording, individualist in emphasis and lacked a community perspective, critics concluded. Human Rights need to link with democracy, social justice as well as the market because economic progress is important, especially for developing countries.

Human Rights continued to garner criticism. Some  critics were contemptuous. We are now witnessing the birth of an age which knew all about its rights but had forgotten its responsibilities, they said. Human Rights is the new religion. It is adopted by those who do not have any other religion, they added.

Others were skeptical. ‘There’s a new thing been started called Human Rights’ . I was reading about it in the news paper. It means that people have got a right to have what they need, ‘said William Brown, the fictional schoolboy created by Richmal Crompton.[1] 

There is open opposition. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights  Zeid bin Ra’ad al-Husseinsaid at the opening of the 32 session of UN Human Rights  Council in 2016,  that a  growing number of countries are refusing to cooperate with the UN on Human Rights .

Thanks to the criticism, the west has now started to look more critically at the  Human Rights agenda. In 2008, London School of Economics started a Human Rights futures project. This project seeks to explore and analyze the future direction of human rights in the UK and elsewhere. Analysts in Asia also said the time has come to reevaluate the Declaration and covenants of the UN in the light of the cultures of other countries, particularly those of Asia and Africa.

Everybody wants rights for themselves, but not for the others, moaned Human Rights devotees. People turn to rights only when they are in trouble.   That is not enough, they said. They want a ‘rights based approach’.  But in such an approach, you move from spontaneous assistance to legal rights, warned critics.

Human Rights should be careful in its use of the law, they said. Human Rights should never become a subject which is rooted so deeply in the law that the only correct Human Rights actions are those  decided by this or that document  or by this or that  judgments in the law courts. An over emphasis on law in Human Rights will drain the subject of life, energy, and ethics. Already, rights law has been interpreted in law courts in a manner removed from its original intent.

Human Rights has its negative side. Human Rights creates much friction. By placing the individual at the centre of the universe it drives a wedge between individual members of society. It detracts from the community and social bonds of solidarity that play a central role in many traditional societies.

Human Rights is today used as a political tool, observed many critics. The UN Declaration has become a useful tool for political manipulation. It was used by activists who wished to destablise sovereign states. Samantha Power, head of USAID spent her early years hopping onto different lily pads in the human rights pond, said TIME.

 It is not easy to administer Human Rights .Human Rights supporters assume that all human conduct come under Human Rights. They forget that the range of human rights given in the UN Declaration is vast   and a common yardstick does not exist with which to measure violations of Human Rights all over the world.

Also, Human Rights defenders assume superiority. They seem to think that they are the only people truly concerned about man. That is not so. Human Rights supplies an important perspective but it is not the only thing.

Human Rights does not have the same following in Asia, as in the west. Asia saw Human Rights as a western implant. Human Rights attitudes are ideas developed in the west and then thrust on Asia. Asians consider this interference to Asia’s sovereignty. Traditional society also had elaborate system of duties, concepts of justice and human dignity, said Asia.

Asia has a different approach to Human Rights, said analysts. Asian states said that people function within societies, and the individual must be seen as a member of a wider social group. Asian values do not regard freedom to be important in the same way as it is regarded in the west.

Asian is more concerned with order and discipline than freedom. Many civil and politic rights given in UN Covenants are not considered to be relevant or suitable for Asia either.  Asia feels that development needs must be addressed first before civil and political rights can be tackled.  (Continued)

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 [1] Richmal CromptonWilliam catches his trains” in Wlliam the  Lawless.”’

Senaka Weeraratna

Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948 mainly on the back of Japan’s resounding military victories during the Second World War and the Indian independence struggle.

The importance of the overthrow of Western colonial powers in Asia by freedom fighters supported by Japan should not be underestimated. If the intervention of Japan had not taken place beginning with the bombing of Pearl Harbour on December 07, 1941, then the occupation of almost the whole of Asia by Western powers would have continued for decades upon decades.

In 1939 the end of Western Colonialism was not in sight. Nobody talked of giving freedom to the people in European colonies. They were second-class citizens in their own countries. The entry of Japan into WW2 in late 1941, led to the beginning of the end of European colonies in Asia and Africa. This is starkly clear in historical terms, and it cannot be ignored.

Ceylon Independence Movement

In Sri Lanka, there was no threat of a physical nature from the local people toward British occupation. The Ceylon Independence Movement was an unashamedly passive movement confined to the exchange of letters. Several of the leaders had knighthoods and were proud of their British titles. They were basically Empire loyalists. They never saw fit to join hands with the broader Asia-wide independence movement or seek help from Japan to end foreign occupation of Ceylon. The fighting Sinhalese spirit displayed in 1818 and 1848 calling for the ending of foreign occupation of Ceylon had evaporated. Not a single bullet was fired after the Matale rebellion (1848). People were resigned to their fate. They were very weak, dispirited, and incapable of giving ultimatums to the British to vacate the country. No civil disobedience movements. No ‘Quit Ceylon’ movements. Our leaders did not seek ‘Purna Swaraj’(Total freedom). Only dominion status unlike, say, Burma which demanded and obtained Republic status on the day of the grant of independence. Full political freedom was gained only in 1972 with the declaration of Sri Lanka as a Republic and the drawing of a National Constitution by our own people unlike the Soulbury Constitution drawn by foreigners with their interests and their acolytes in mind in 1947. There were no ‘Push’ factors in the Ceylon Independence Movement unlike in the Indian independence struggle, which was the real fulcrum that led to Ceylon gaining independence.  

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose

In India, the British were forced out of the country as there was a likelihood of a large-scale Indian Mutiny in 1946 bigger than the one in 1857 and inspired by the memory of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army (INA).  This dimension finally convinced the Labour Govt. of Clement Atlee to quit India. This was the ‘Push’ factor.

If India did not gain independence on August 15, 1947, neither Burma nor Ceylon would have been granted independence on January 04, 1948, or February 04, 1948, respectively. When Britain lost the jewel in its Crown i.e., India, it decided to vacate South Asia altogether.

We need to revisit the distorted narrative of how Sri Lanka achieved independence and considering both the internal and external factors, revise it. To be truly independent our minds and our institutions must be decolonized.

There must be unity among Asian countries in claiming compensation from Western colonial powers which ravaged Third World nations including Sri Lanka (then Ceylon).

The biggest proponents of Human Rights today at the UN and UNHRC platforms are the very same countries that had decimated ancient civilizations in the two Americas (Aztec, Inca, Mayan, and other Native American – the so-called Red Indian), Australia (40,000-year-old Aboriginal civilization), Africa, Middle East, and Asia, within the last 500 years. There is mounting evidence of these crimes.

The West has been able to get away with these genocidal crimes because the cry for redress has been weak particularly in Asia whereas in contrast Africa and the Caribbean are far ahead.

Office of Reparations

The Caribbean countries have set up Government machinery for this purpose. In India so far, the demands for restitution have been confined to pure rhetoric. The legal dimension is missing in the demand for reparations in India. In Sri Lanka, we are going in the opposite direction such as celebrating our country’s destruction at the hands of foreigners. The British Tea Planters are now being projected as the new heroes without any reference to the plunder of the lands of the Kandyan Sinhalese by unjust ‘grab land’ laws (Wastelands Ordinance 1841), and who were made destitute without any compensation paid to them. The Kandyan Peasantry Commission Report gives a good account of the injustice meted out to the Kandyan Sinhalese peasantry by the British Raj.

The Indentured Labour (now increasingly referred to as ‘reinvented slaves’) who were brought down from the Malabar Coast of India in their thousands suffered heavily from malnourishment, lack of medical care, poor pay, harsh treatment, etc. The English and Scottish tea planters were brutal and merciless to both humans and animals, especially wild elephants, which they hunted down as a game for pure pleasure. About 10,000 wild elephants were killed by professional big game hunters like Samuel Baker acting in tandem with the new European settlers to clear the dense forests for tea cultivation. This is the forgotten holocaust of elephants.

International Inquiry into Colonial Crimes 

These negative aspects are all conspicuously missing in the new narrative being constructed by interested parties including the local media to project colonial rule as benign and in turn convey the message that the local Sinhalese are unfit to govern themselves. The storyline that is emerging from the social media exchanges is that the Sinhala Buddhists are the villains of our history, and whatever good has been done on this land was due to foreign influence faithfully carried out by those who had embraced the religions of the West and transferred their allegiance from the local sovereign to the foreign sovereign.

The 75^th Anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence in 2023 will be an appropriate time to reexamine the harm caused to this land and its people during the Euro – Christian era of colonial rule (1505 – 1948) and demand an apology, restitution, and reparations.

The former Indian diplomat Shashi Tharoor and several others are now making their voices heard in the international arena. Sri Lanka must not hesitate to join hands with them and the whole of Asia must unite to call for compensation and apology. An international inquiry on colonial crimes all over the world must precede such demands. International Conferences must be held on this issue. This Chapter cannot be closed until there is repentance and reparations. It should not be confined to only the return of stolen artifacts blatantly displayed without remorse in European Museums.

Demanding accountability – a sign of coming of age

Sri Lanka will come of age only when we ask for accountability from those who have oppressed our people during the colonial era. The time for finger-pointing in the reverse direction has come. Naming and shaming countries on false pretenses should not be allowed to be a monopoly of a few Western countries at the UNHRC and other international fora, who think that they have been mandated by providence to perform that role. Defiance in the face of aggression in the past and present by the oppressed must be admired and encouraged. We need to create a pantheon of heroes not only from India but all over Asia who defied the West for the freedom of their people. Decolonization of the mind is the next step forward in Asia’s path to true liberation.

The holding of a public seminar alongside the celebration of the 75^th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence on the subject of ‘Who won freedom for Sri Lanka’ is appropriate. The foreign-funded NGO sector must not be allowed to dominate this subject and rewrite the historical narrative to suit their sinister agenda.

Conclusion

There is a huge void in the information flow today among the current generation with respect to colonial crimes in British-occupied Ceylon (1796 – 1948).

There is a need to examine the deployment of genocidal warfare including a scorched earth policy and mass murder of innocent civilians during the freedom struggles of 1818 and 1848. Furthermore, collect evidence recorded in official inquiries of the use of Lidice-type operations’ in crushing the Matale rebellion (1848). These were the first two major wars for independence from British colonial domination. Investigate whether the colonial rulers were engaged in a deliberate policy of retardation of development of the Kandyan Provinces, especially in Uva, where there was great loss of life following the destruction of irrigation works and the decimation of cattle that combined to impoverish the people and depopulate the area.

British injustice was felt mostly in the enactment of wasteland laws. Kandyan peasants were made landless. They were reduced to a landless state by the takeover of their lands for the plantation industry (initially coffee, then tea) under a series of wasteland laws commencing with the Crown Lands (Encroachments) Ordinance, No. 12 of 1840.

Kandyan chena which traditionally had no documentary proof of ownership was taken over for plantation agriculture. This is demonstrated by the names of estates with older names ending with hena or chena crop names. This affected the food security of the people. Evidence of starvation sometimes resulting in death is revealed in the writings of authors such as Le Merseur. The British systematically transferred the wealth of the Kandyan region into their own coffers.

An accountability process for these colonial crimes is warranted through an apology, catharsis, and adequate reparations. An Apology must be particularly directed to the descendants of the Sinhala Buddhist Kandyan people who were singled out as victims of colonial brutalities. These are the descendants of a highly oppressed group of people who were also deprived of their inheritance by the colonial rulers planting thousands of indentured Indian labour of Malabar descent in their traditional homelands without their consent. 19th-century British official documents reveal how the freedom struggles against British colonial rule were suppressed in a most brutal, genocidal manner in one of the darkest pages of European colonial history.

DEMANDS

1)     The Government of Sri Lanka must demand from all three colonial powers i.e., Portugal, Netherlands, and Britain:

a) Accountability for crimes committed against both humans and non – humans e.g., the holocaust of elephants in the upcountry, including seeking

a)    Apology and Repentance

b)    Atonement and Remorse

c)     Catharsis

d)     Reparation

e)     Restitutio in Integrum (in Latin this means ‘Restoration’)  

b) Inquire into Colonial Crimes committed by the three Colonial Rulers including Genocidal crimes and wholesale destruction of Buddhist Temples and illegal seizure and occupation of Buddhist Temple lands, and the building of Christian Churches on top of destroyed Temple sites (see the ‘Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon’ by Father Fernao de Queyroz), and the prohibition of the practice of Buddhism.

c) Establish a museum dedicated to remembering the freedom struggles of the people of Sri Lanka against Colonial Rule (1505 – 1948)

d) Research and rewrite the narrative surrounding gaining independence taking into consideration both the internal and external factors

e) Plan a celebration that gives due place to all those who fought against all three Euro – Christian powers that ruled Ceylon in an unjust way

f) Convene an International Conference on Colonialism jointly with former European colonies

g) Consider changing the format of the celebration to exhibit more the historical, cultural, scientific, and Ayurvedic medicines and medical achievements in improving the quality of life, and the creative abilities and contributions of our people in our 2, 500-year history including the names of our freedom fighters i.e., the brave Kings and Queens who fought and protected this land from foreign invasions, and help build the pre-colonial and admirable Buddhist Civilization of Sri Lanka.

Senaka Weeraratna

Sasanka De Silva Pannipitiya.

Xenophobia is a fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers.

It can manifest as prejudice, discrimination, or hostility towards individuals or groups perceived to be foreign or different.

Xenophobia can also manifest in the form of political policies or actions that discriminate against or exclude certain groups of people based on their perceived foreignness.

Some signs of xenophobia may include:

1.     Prejudice or discriminatory attitudes towards people from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds.

2.     Hostility or aggression towards foreigners or immigrants.

3.     Belief in the superiority of one’s own culture or ethnicity over others.

4.     Fear or mistrust of people from different backgrounds, often based on stereotypes or misinformation.

5.     Expressing or supporting discriminatory policies or actions, such as laws or policies that restrict immigration or discriminate against certain groups of people.

6.     Refusing to interact or engage with people from different backgrounds, or actively avoiding places or situations where they may be present.

7.     Using hateful or offensive language or slurs to describe or refer to people from different backgrounds.

It’s important to note that these signs can manifest in different ways and at different levels of severity and can be exhibited by individuals, groups or even societies.

Here are a few steps that may help protect yourself from xenophobic attacks:

1.     Educate yourself: Learn about different cultures and the experiences of people from different backgrounds. This can help dispel stereotypes and misinformation that may contribute to xenophobia.

2.     Stand up against hate: Speak out against xenophobic or discriminatory language and behaviour when you see it.

3.     Seek support: Connect with others who may have similar experiences or who share your values of tolerance and acceptance. This can help you feel less alone and more empowered.

4.     Be aware of your surroundings: Be aware of your surroundings and the potential for hate-motivated violence.

5.     Stay safe: If you feel you are in danger, trust your instincts and leave the area.

6.     Report any incidents of xenophobia: Report any incidents of xenophobia to the authorities.

7.     Practice self-care: Take care of your emotional and physical well-being and seek help if you need it.

It’s important to remember that these steps may not prevent every attack, but they can help you feel more prepared and empowered to protect yourself and stand up against xenophobia.

Several actions can be taken to reduce xenophobic behaviours:

1.     Education: Educating people about different cultures and the experiences of people from different backgrounds can help dispel stereotypes and misinformation that may contribute to xenophobia.

2.     Encourage cultural exchange: Encourage people to interact with and learn from people from different backgrounds through programs and events that promote cultural exchange.

3.     Promote diversity and inclusion: Encourage workplaces, schools, and other organizations to promote diversity and inclusion, and to take active steps to combat discrimination and prejudice.

4.     Media and entertainment: Encourage media and entertainment companies to create and promote content that presents a diverse and inclusive representation of people from different backgrounds.

5.     Hold leaders accountable: Hold leaders and political figures accountable for promoting xenophobic rhetoric or policies and encourage them to adopt more inclusive and tolerant positions.

6.     Encourage activism: Encourage individuals and groups to speak out against xenophobia and to act against discrimination and prejudice.

7.     Support organizations that combat xenophobia: Support organizations that work to combat xenophobia and promote tolerance and acceptance of people from different backgrounds.

It’s important to remember that the actions must be a consistent and ongoing effort, and that progress may be slow, but it is possible to reduce xenophobic behaviours through education, awareness, and collective action.

A mini-election in Sri Lanka is around the corner and this trump card will be used by some political parties to gain more votes for them.

So, be aware.

Sasanka De Silva
Pannipitiya.

Shenali D Waduge

The Indo-Lanka Accord signed under duress in July 1987 with even Prabakaran held virtual hostage in Delhi until Rajiv Gandhi returned from Colombo to New Delhi, does not mention a word about 13a or devolution. All that the Indo-Lanka Accord mentions is one election for the merged North East province to be held no later than December 1988. This means the Accord only created 1 merged North East Province for an interim period, which required a referendum to be held in 1988 in the East, asking if they wished to remain merged or not. There was no reference to other provinces or elections in those provinces at all. We continue to claim that only a minority among Tamils wish to separate Sri Lanka & a minority of the majority are also promoting the same. The Majority of both Tamils & Sinhalese wish to live amongst each other as they have over centuries. Nevertheless, if Tamils can ask a separate province for themselves, why can’t Sinhalese ask for same? What if all of the 9 provinces became micro independent provinces?

The present President has openly claimed to wish to give full autonomy to the North & this would entail forsaking his powers over the Governors that he currently appoints. It would also mean that he may have to obtain visa to visit the North & be at the mercy of the North to provide his security. What a come down for any President to forsake his rule & be at the mercy of Northern Chief Minister as well as Chief Ministers of different provinces if other provinces equally demand the same demands that the North is demanding.

No province is more important than the other. If one province is getting special privileges, the other provinces should be entitled to the same privileges. The law of equality must apply.

Imagine 9 independent provinces with 2 provinces under Tamil rule & the rest ruled by Sinhalese.

Of course this also means the end of Parliamentary & Executive system currently prevalent in Sri Lanka. It means the hegemony of the Politicians who are responsible for the majority of ills in Sri Lanka is also over. They have played with fire since independence, dividing people to sustain their existence & the situation has been made worse by external players inducting local parties & individuals to stage multiple divisive programs across Sri Lanka.

The hegemony of the politicians would end but it would also mean bigger problems where mini conflicts will arise for ownership of the lands’resources & these are areas that need to be considered NOT TO ALLOW division of any part of Sri Lanka & for everyone to realize the importance of maintaining a unitary Sri Lanka.

People must look at all the possible scenarios that may occur & realize that no part of Sri Lanka should be allowed to separate, if it is allowed, then may as well separate the rest of the provinces too. The question is posed for everyone to understand the futility of the Tamil quest which is likely to lead to many more problems than solutions.

This is food for thought for the President the Parliament & even the Judiciary who are giving false hopes to the Tamils & creating more problems – if the Northern province seeks a separate provincial council, which is just another province among the other 8 provinces in Sri Lanka (a provincial system that was created by the British since 1833) why shouldn’t other provinces equally demand a separate & independent provincial council too.

If the President / Parliament / India / West & even UN are happy to give a separate province in the North – they cannot object to similar separate provinces across the 8 other provinces too.

Shenali D Waduge

Sarath Wijesinghe (President’s Counsel former Ambassador to UAE and Israel former Chairman Consumer Affairs Authority)

Consumer his power and the unfortunate plight today

Consumer is not aware of his strength and power within as in the other parts of the world where they are a powerful force as an organized group. Today egg issue has been the tip of the iceberg to open out the Pandora’s Box on eggs as an eye opener to the consumer of the way he is cheated/treated and misdirected by the regulator (CAA), the trader, and the industrialist in every way. Unfortunately the consumer in Sri Lanka is not properly organized and without any leadership against the exploitation by the trader, industrialist and the governance in addition to the economic downturn and the unbearable depreciation of the rupee due to mismanagement of the governance in power before. Treatment to the consumer (considered to be the citizen as every citizen is a consumer) is unfair and shabby compelled to go through the hardships, for exorbitant prices of consumer articles they are not responsible for. Citizen deserve legally and morally consumer items of essential items of quality and of required standard as guaranteed by the constitution various kinds of freedoms and legal protections legally and as a policy. Consumer’s plight is miserable in that he is compelled to purchase the consumer items for the price nominated by the trader at his will in the free economy. In the United Kingdom this egg issue would have been taken over by ‘’WHICH’’ – the main pressure group followed by many on behalf of the helpless consumer awaiting for the mercy of unknown for his legitimate rights to live guaranteed even by the United Nation guidelines on consumer at large. As the consumer day on 15^th march is nearing this is a timely topic for the consumer groups in Sri Lanka (If any) and other interested groups to take over activism.

Prize of Eggs the talk of the town

Prize of Eggs is the talk of the town in Sri Lanka today being as a consumer item for the daily meal  affordable for the consumer as a part of the meal which is sky rocketing with no control by the regulator and the governance expected to monitor. There are reports the Consumer Affairs Authority has determined the maximum prise of eggs by section 18 of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act no 9 of 2003 for rs 43 and 44 in the market with no specifications or standards mentioned as required by the act in the interest of the consumer, they say is the king and powerful to bring down governments. But again there are conflicting press reports and social media campaigns that eggs are not available for the price determined which is absolutely true. Then what is the use of the maximum price if it cannot be implemented by CAA that requires bullions to maintain to maintain the staff and branches countrywide. Now that the price control concept is done away with abolition of the control of prices act (chapter173) by act no 9 of 2003 the process of implementing is still difficult of the price implementing the Gazetteer notification. This matter was discussed at the COPE committee of the Parliament chaired by Hon ‘’Ranjith Bandara’’ who interrogated the parties and proposed that the outdate act not changed since 2003 to be amended or a new act proposed that will cater the new challenges and demands in the digital stage with international digital platforms active in Sri Lanka used by Sri Lankan consumers. Consumer Affairs Authority too was summoned and given a timeframe to come up with suggesting as the issue is imminent and about to burst. Yet no one has still has emerged with a solution temporary or permanent on eggs and others connected as a tip of the iceberg as situation on prices, quality, quantity, availability, are uncontrolled with the economic crisis and the shortages of consumer items mainly on essential food items for the poor. CPOE chairman inquired from CAA whether there is a research unit and mechanism to compute the prizes of eggs and other consumer items as it is a requirement as duties and functions of the Consumer affairs Authority. 8 (f) carry out investigations/9 undertake studies/12 determine standards/20 investigate into/18/19/20 research are provisions on research available probably not utilized in a proper way.

Egg Mafia

There are allegations of monopoly of egg mafia based on cartels monopolising the trade and production over the ordinary egg producers struggling to rise in the trade. Egg mafia they say consists of four companies head by a rich group with political and financial backgrounds as business leaders. 50% SMEs are struggling to have their share of 300,000 full production and the main four groups are using various methods and tactics to disturb the movement of products by influencing the governance to import products in the guise of bringing down the prizes to disturb the movement of the market. Fortunately  this episode have become an eye opener to the governance and the market leaders for a new thinking considering all other areas and circumstances in the field of consumerism as a whole. As a result the law makers have new plans and thinking for new ways of production and marketing to cater the producers and the consumer as well during the time of crisis.

Keep pace with the modern trends and changes

World is changing fast and consumerism world over is developing at the same pace with modern digital platforms invading the world with online trade and e-business Sri Lanka has become an active member due to the computer literacy of the citizen which is high and mobile penetration of 110% with mobile phones in every household younger generation has changed the outlook of the social fabric with demands and expectations with increased use of bank cards, online and international transactions with EBay Emerson and many platforms by educated young has shown the need for changes to keep pace on  law, practice and general consumerism that has still not  initiated or touched by the regulator CAA nor the Governance, which is a sorry affair. It is time the governance, Ministry of Trade, Industries, and other relevant institutions to come to terms to keep pace with changes before collapse for want of changes. It is an irony that the governance has even not though of any changes for changes on the consumer law, consumer affairs authority, trade law, competition law  company law IT and other areas that needs drastic changes.

The responsibilities of the regulator (CAA) for the consumer and societies at large

It is the policy of the government of Sri Lanka to provide for the better protection of the consumer through the regulation of trade and prices of gods and services and to protect traders and manufactures against unfair trade practices and restrict trade practices. This is very interesting and important. It is the primary duty of the governance to protect the consumer by regulations and also to protect the trader and manufacturer as well in the process is a balancing process on trade promotions rather than a consumer protecting as in the UK or India where there is special and strong legislation to protect the consumer. Therefore it is timey is Sri Lanka too to difference ate this carefully as in the UK system we had before that was abolished by act no 9 0f 2003 when the abolished legislation is still growing in UK successfully with modern changes blended with Europe Law.

Way forward on the Egg issue in Sri Lanka

There is no easy way out unless the main legislation is completely changed by introducing a new act as suggested by the previous chairman of CAA who appear to have drafted a new act meeting the new demands changes and modern aspirations with modern challenges. Until such time it is important to appoint a strong academic /professional team for the immediate challenges/needs and change of the CAA act completely as a matter of urgency.  Until it is done it will be a non-starter and issues/problems will continue. But as a temporary measure it is a good idea to revisit the CAA as a temporary measure to meet the modern demands and challenges on modern digital and online developments the CAA is still not conversant with and not looked into. At the same time the attitude and thinking of the CAA staff is to be considered to meet the modern challenges which are hard to achieve without innovative approaches based on practical approaches that are practices in other jurisdictions successfully. We are also made to understand that the draft of a new consumer act is already drafted by a previous Chairman still not made use of with necessary modifications to suit the modern challenges based on the digital age and the new developments. It is time to start new fresh keeping pace with modern trends. Sarathdw28@gmail.com Reading materials by the author Lanka Web 12/4/21 digitalization and modernization Colombo Telegraph 2/1/23   Price Control and regulatory powers.

Sarath Wijesinghe President’s Counsel

Sarath Bulathsinghala

22 Jan 2023

In a by-gone era seven wandering beggars arrived at a wayside resting place- (අම්බලම) in an evening to rest their weary limbs and feed their hungry stomachs. After exchanging pleasantries, they all decided to have some gruel for dinner. All agreed to contribute a handful of rice to the common gruel that they were about to prepare. So, they went about preparing a fire and then set up a pot of water on a hastily constructed fireplace. Then they all ‘took a handful of rice’ from their shoulder bags and carefully added each one’s contribution to the boiling water in the pot. They covered the pot and allowed it to cook.

After much waiting and anticipation thinking that the gruel is cooked, they began to ladle the stuff into their plates – only to find hot water and nothing else! None of them have contributed any, thinking – others will!

Is this not what is happening among the NATO countries today?

Why are Ukrainians are dying to keep NATO in business? The main question which is not addressed openly is – Is the current suffering of a vast majority of Ukrainians worth the carrot of NATO expansion to Ukraine? It is Ukraine and Russia that are bleeding, fighting each other. For Russians expansion of NATO into Ukraine is an existential threat. ie: it threatens their very existence and survival. In other words, a threat big enough for them to go for all-out war – meaning an all-out Nuclear War! They have mentioned that even if the whole of Russian leadership gets wiped out on a first strike, a DEAD HAND mechanism will fire away all of the Nuclear Arsenal in Russia automatically at pre-planned targets. That’s MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction for those asking for it and Armageddon and thousands of years of Nuclear Winter for any cockroach that survives!

https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuclearweaponswhohaswhat

Is this a worthwhile future for the world or at close quarters to the rich European nations – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, the Scandinavian Countries and many others already in the NATO camp – enjoying a very high standard of life than most in the rest of the world? Certainly not. Do they want to even think of life in a Nuclear Winter let alone the current winter!

Except for a few former COMECON countries such as Poland, Romania and others of their ilk, who have an axe to grind over their past under the Soviet Union, it will soon dawn on others, that they are not ready to go for nuclear war with Russia. Countries such as Poland and Romania are ready to send armaments to Ukraine so that Ukrainians will fight with their Slavic Brothers on somebody else’s war to the last Ukrainian!

Let us hope before this winter is over, this war will come to an end at a negotiating table, with Russia retaining most of its winnings and a Peace Treaty that will prevent Ukraine from ever dreaming of joining NATO.

What will ensue may lead to the end of NATO as well as the EU. The nationalist forces are tugging at their very seams already! The future of Europe will be under a Common Security Framework for Europe and not under NATO! The US will be kept at a safe distance away, across the Atlantic where Monroe Doctrine can prevail! As Prof Mearsheimer says, the UNIPOLAR moment is over – the world is already Multi-polar and it will stay that way for the foreseeable future!

This war, in fact, is a gimmick by NATO to stay in business and show that it is relevant to the security of Europe. It was only a few years ago that the Trump Administration was about to write its obituary and epitaph! Soon a vast majority of Europeans will shy away from NATO’s false narrative. NATO only helps to keep alive the Military Industrial Congressional Complex in the US alive and kicking that keeps the 1% running the United States and the rest in a perpetual delusion of Pax Americana and an imagined greatness – Make America Great Again!

Innocent Ukrainians need not die for the US Military Industrial – Congressional Complex to stay in power and to keep the European NATO / EU bosses in unbridled wealth and power!

Shenali D Waduge

The US, UK, EU, Canada are eternally parroting the need for an inclusive society, so too does UN & its associated organizations, the western-salaried NGOs/INGOs and civil society also preach need for inclusive, peace-loving, society & their slogans are togetherness”, assimilation” unity” & what not. What is baffling us is, why all of these entities are pulling every string possible to implement 13^th amendment that aspires to divide Sri Lanka along ethnic lines? Do they think people are stupid not to question their hypocrisy when openly they chant peace, unity & inclusive society” but sheepishly they are trying to divide Sri Lanka along ethnic lines.

This effort is shrouded in hypocrisy by not only those that are pretending to be angels of peace but in reality Satans of division, the recipients themselves are divided to.

Who wants 13a?

• India for its own geopolitical advantage as a means to gain access to South Asia seas & create a base for itself in North Sri Lanka.
• US & its Allies for its own geopolitical advantage as well, no different to how they have created satellite states in Japan’s Okinawa, Indonesia, Philippines, Kosovo, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq & many more countries that US & Allies continue to occupy including Germany where US & British camps remain even after end of World War 2. The West’s poodles in the form of NGOs, civil society are only paid to mouthpiece what the US & Allies want & carry out grass root programs to facilitate this quest.
• LTTE Diaspora primarily because segments of the Diaspora are either working with India or with the Western bloc & are their mouthpieces & coordinate efforts in Sri Lanka amongst Tamils. The largess of the LTTE kitty is such that the aging LTTE Diaspora parents have already assigned the continuation of the kitty to their children who are already using their foreign education, technological & academic skills to take the bogus claims to a new level. All this is to ensure the wheels of their campaign continue not necessarily because they want to give up western citizenship & move over to live in Sri Lanka, it is a multiple set of objectives that includes satisfying their ego, seeking revenge for denting their program but primarily to keep alive their money-making kitty – only when they show they are relevant & able to steer emotions of the people in Sri Lanka, will they be in the basket of international geopolitical players who outsource their dirty work to them.
• Tamil politicians & any other politicians that can be bought into the separatist basket are equally co-opted to mouthpiece slogans that fall in line with the separatist quest.

How far India-West-Diaspora are cohabitating in unity will be seen closer to the realization of their goals. While LTTE Diaspora will remain the outsourced party able to monetarily influence foreign parliamentarians in their home states/towns, the strategic decisions will be taken by India & West. How far India will allow West to roost in their home turf is questionable given the animosity arising from Church-Hindu differences in India as a result of mass conversions. India is well aware that like Soviet Union, Yugoslavia was balkanized, India is well targeted to be similarly cut up into independent states. This plan is quite open & clear. How far Indian politicians themselves have been co-opted to facilitate this effort by the West & Diaspora groups, is something for India to ponder. We all know that Indian Diaspora groups are extremely influential in the West but inclined to be advancing Western agenda & not necessarily the protection of a Bharath Hindu India. Even Kamala Harris on the issue of Kashmir openly declared that US will not hesitate to take action in the interest of the people (what people – was never elaborated)

Kosovo was divided on ethnic lines – it is a proven failure, one that which UN has to also take blame.

South Sudan was divided on ethno-religious lines – another proven failure, which US is also accountable.

Those that preach globalization, global society cannot at the same time be promoting division of countries along ethnic or religious lines.

What is even more laughable about Sri Lanka’s scenario is that with the 13a creating a separate State for Tamil ethnic group based on the argument that Sinhalese are discriminating Tamils & marginalizing them – the Tamils who are living among the Sinhalese want to continue living among the Sinhalese.

This implies Tamils want to live all over the Island but have a separate area only for themselves while Sinhalese cannot live in the North but have to live with all other communities.

What kind of joke is this? Can learned people in the West-India or even Sri Lanka shamelessly make such requests without thinking of the hypocrisy behind the request?

Will US agree to allow US to be divided along ethnic or religious lines? Will US give a separate state for Blacks but allow Blacks to also live in other parts of the US though White Americans cannot live in the Black separated state?

Will India allow a separate state for Muslims where Indian Hindus cannot live in but Muslims can live in all parts of India? Note the British when creating India” gave an ethnic state to Muslims called Pakistan but made India combining all ethnic groups instead of declaring it a Hindu state.

Dividing countries on ethnic or religious lines is ridiculous. It is something that can never be done & should never be promoted. Does it mean Tamils can only go in Tamil only planes, Tamil only buses, Tamil only schools, Tamil only restaurants, Tamil only kovils – when Tamils are divided by caste & the Jaffna Tamils hate the Trinco & Batticoloa Tamils, when these Tamils all hate the estate Tamils, how ridiculous is it to implement 13a & create a Tamil Only homeland of people who presently live divided & are not even served tea in the same cups & saucers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq9x6hkQlOQ (Sinhala-Tamil Marriage)

Shenali D Waduge

Shenali D Waduge

We challenge anyone & any country accusing Sri Lanka of genocide” to place their facts first.

These facts should give a good background knowledge of what LTTE is & what LTTE did to not only Sinhalese, Muslims, foreigners but also Tamils.

1. LTTE emerged not after the July 1983 riots but in 1972 as TNT and thereafter in 1976 as LTTE.
2. LTTE only hijacked the separatist objective from separatist Tamil political leaders to justify their militancy & used 83riots as a smokescreen to create an ethnic” label to a separatist quest.
3. LTTE is an international proscribed terrorist organization banned by 32 nations & continues to be banned even after LTTE ground force was militarily eliminated in May 2009.
4. LTTE killing began in the 1970s killing initially Tamils – first the Mayor of Jaffna, then Tamil policemen on duty & thereafter Sinhalese soldiers on duty.
5. LTTE killed Sinhalese, Muslims, Tamils even foreigners (an entire British family was killed when LTTE bombed a Sri Lankan plane) & killed even on foreign soil
6. LTTE was banned by Sri Lanka in 1978, in 1998 and thereafter since 2006.
7. Sri Lanka’s military offensive was against Terrorists not Tamil civilians – any Tamil civilian engaged in hostilities either by force or volunteering for LTTE loses his/her status as a civilian. Any deaths arising as a result of cannot claim to be civilian. The laws of war is clear about this.
8. Sri Lanka does not need to reconcile with terrorists – Sri Lankan Army are not Sinhalese though LTTE were all Tamils but All Tamils are not LTTE. Only pro-LTTE Tamils seek a separate state not non-LTTE/TNA Tamils. LTTE were supported by non-Tamils that include Sinhalese, Muslims, foreigners, NGOs, Civil Society, diplomats, UN officials & even the Church.
9. There have been countless ceasefires, 5 failed peace talks, negotiations in Sri Lanka & overseas but LTTE killings, assassinations, bombings, suicide missions did not stop & only in 2006 that Sri Lanka decided to militarily defeat LTTE. The infamous Norway brokered ceasefire saw over 3000 violations by LTTE that went on paper only.
10. NO UN – NO WESTERN GOVT – NO FOREIGN ENVOY – NO HR GROUPS came forward to STOP LTTE throughout 30 years of LTTE terrorattacking villages, killing villagers, chasing them from their homes, shooting unarmed civilians worshipping, cutting pregnant mothers & babies, planting bombs on roads, trains & buses. But now these entities are screaming ‘accountability’
11. So-called International Community DID NOT STOP LTTE kidnapping Tamil children turning them into child soldiers inspite of compiling reports/statistics about them
12. So-called international community knew about LTTE illegal networks run by Tamils living on their soil and operating from their countriesmanipulating their systems and even duping their citizens (credit card scams, illegal human smuggling, illegal arms trade, money-laundering, hawala system) etc but did very little to stop them.
13. UN/Western Govts continue to do nothing against the woman (Adele Balasingham) who not only trained Tamil children to killbut instructed them to bite cyanide capsule & commit suicide.
14. Decision to defeat LTTE militarily came after enduring 30 years of terror & over 300 suicide attacks & failure of 5 peace talks, negotiations, ceasefires.
15. Sri Lanka would not have endured LTTE terror, had India allowed the capture of Prabakaran in May 1987 when cornered in Vadamarachchi. India not only threatened action against Sri Lanka but whisked Prabakaran & family to Delhi in helicopters. There would have been no war in Sri Lanka after 1987 had India not given a lease to Prabakaran to continue his terror.

What prompted the decision to militarily defeat LTTE?

• In 2006 LTTE made its biggest blunder by closing the Mavil Aru anicut committing a war crime by denying water to farmers. The military was called into open the sluice gates, LTTE attacked, the armed forces retaliated, LTTE attacked villages & military was called to action resulting in the liberation of East Sri Lanka in July 2007 & liberation of North from LTTE in May 2009.

Opportunity was given by the GOSL to foreign govts / diplomats/ NGO heads via Consultative Committee meetings held twice weekly enabling them to put their issues and questions on the table.

From the Govt side the invitees were briefed on the food, medicines sent to the conflict areas – if there were any shortcomings the invitees should have posed the questions at these meetings.

Why are they posing questions years after the war ended?

Here’s some questions for Canada to answer.

First it is important to picture the groups inside the conflict zone.

1. The Sri Lankan Armed Forces – carried arms & ammunition
2. The LTTE in LTTE uniform (men / women & child soldiers) – carried arms & ammunition
3. The LTTE in civilian clothing (men / women & child soldiers) – some carried arms & ammunition
4. Civilian Men (adults & elderly) – some carried arms & ammunition (by force/voluntarily)
5. Civilian Women (adults & elderly) – some carried arms & ammunition (by force/voluntarily)
6. Male Children below 10 years – some carried arms & ammunition (by force/voluntarily)
7. Female Children below 10 years – some carried arms & ammunition (by force/voluntarily)
8. Male Children 11 to 18 years – some carried arms & ammunition (by force/voluntarily)
9. Female Children 11 to 18 years – some carried arms & ammunition (by force/voluntarily)

Therefore, if everyone had some form of arms & ammunition we cannot be certain who shot whom & who died as a result of whose shooting.

This was an armed conflict. There are casualties on both sides. It is against armed warfare to subject civilians to risks. It was LTTE that took Tamils to be used as human shields & hostages. Had LTTE not taken Tamil civilians the armed conflict would have been between LTTE & Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces. It was LTTE that put civilians in harms way. LTTE must be accountable for subjecting civilians to risks by keeping their armour amongst civilians & shooting from amongst civilians. In an armed warfare, it is the right of the other party to fire back. LTTE cannot fire keep civilians among them.

When even the UN Secretary General, diplomats also requested LTTE not to shoot at Tamil civilians, it is clear that LTTE were shooting at civilians who were trying to flee LTTE.

If LTTE was their hero, would civilians wish to flee LTTE?

LTTE shot Tamils attempting to flee to prevent them leaving LTTE as that would have reduced the people LTTE had to use as hostages & human shields.

Let’s figure out

• How many Tamil civilians tried to flee LTTE
• How many LTTE combatants also tried to flee & got shot by LTTE (injured LTTE put inside buses and blown up by LTTE)
• How many succeeded to flee LTTE
• How many failed to flee LTTE & got shot dead or injured for doing so?
• How many LTTE in uniform died during the final phase of Sri Lanka’s conflict?
• How many LTTE in civilian clothing died during the final phase?
• How many Tamil civilians in civilian clothing took part in hostilities & died?
• How many Tamil civilians in civilian clothing without taking part in hostilities died from LTTE firing?
• How many Tamil civilians in civilian clothing without taking part in hostilities died from Sri Lanka Army firing?

Without knowing these details – UN/UNHRC CANNOT make any allegations against Sri Lanka.

People came to the Sri Lankan Forces not fled from them.

People fled LTTE & they faced LTTE fire. There are plenty of witness accounts to prove this.

Can those making allegations, please quote the numbers!

If they can quote the dead, they should be able to quote the number of people who tried & failed to flee & got shot dead.

How many Tamils did LTTE kill?

Those that came to the armed forces were taken to the camps set up to feed and shelter them. It was also inside one of these camps that a LTTE posing as a civilian blew herself up killing 20 soldiers include 3 female soldiers & 8 civilians while injuring over 40 civilian refugees.

It is also to be noted that close to 12,000 LTTE terrorists surrendered in civilian clothing to the Armed Forces including 584 child soldiers. All were put through rehabilitation. The child soldiers were given a presidential pardon, returned to school, given vocational training & the armed forces even arranged marriage ceremonies for the LTTErs who had fallen in love.

While no one is able to give figures as to how many Tamil civilians or LTTE terrorists, LTTE killed – all these deaths are being conveniently credited to the Sri Lanka Armed Forces.

Sri Lanka Armed Forces are a professional army. They have followed the laws of war but during the height of hostilities no one can expect them to be flipping through law books when the enemy is dressed in civilian clothing, holding a gun and about to fire. Do people want the soldier to be a sitting duck to an enemy that doesn’t care too hoots about the laws of war & but happy to seek refuge as there are bunches of people unfairly placing soldiers on part with terrorists. LTTE are armed non-state actors.

They were given several chances to lay down arms & surrender. They refused & accepted their fate. No one can be shedding crocodile tears for a terrorist movement & demanding restorative justice to terrorists & retributive justice for a national army that was called in to protect the citizens of a nation.

If Canada or Ontario or anyone else is alleging war crimes or even genocide, there has to be dead people, the dead people must have names & addresses, there has to be relations, they must have some form of ID to verify if they were even born. Those that claim anyone is missing or dead should have filed complaint with the local police – where are these complaints, they also had chances to file names with the UNHRC investigation (OISL) – where are these 40,000 names? Then there was the Sri Lanka Missing Persons Commission – that list had only 20,000 names of which 5000 were soldiers and majority of missing were before the final phase of the conflict.

Canada recently banned 4 persons – 2 former Presidents and 2 soldiers. One soldier was not involved in the final phase of the conflict which leaves just 1 soldier accused of committing war crimes.

Canada by now should be wondering how the hell can 1 soldier kill 40,000 while both sides were fighting it out in a small strip of land near a lagoon. Just visualize the scene & see if it is even possible.

Next imagine 40,000 or even 200,000 dead bodies – how the hell can the armed forces dig mass burial sites bury these people while rescuing some 300,000 Tamils? Even the US satellite images captured only 3 graves 2 of which were LTTE grave sites.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon & a foreign contingent arrived 3 days after the conflict ended & flew over the conflict zone – surely, he & others would have seen freshly dug graves & 3 days cannot produce skeletons, so there should have been visible corpses. Where were these supposed to be dead bodies?

Canada & Ontario if they have a semblance of common sense must realize that without dead bodies or even skeletons, no one leave alone a national army can be accused of war crimes or genocide.

By all means, commemorate a bogus genocide – no one can stop Canada from doing so, but eventually Canada will become a laughing stock in history and the history books will eventually declare that there was never 40,000 dead or killed, if there were by now we would know the names of at least 500 dead. We have been challenging all those who drum the genocide charges to come out with the list of names & details – but they are all mum & prefer to simply drum genocide and commemorate dead LTTE claiming these dead terrorists to be civilians.

There is certainly something amiss in the manner Sri Lanka is being hounded. The UNHRC resolutions themselves are legally questionable – from an initial resolution that congratulated Sri Lanka for defeating terrorists on 27 May 2009, since 2012 Sri Lanka has been facing successive resolutions based on a personally commissioned report that was never tabled in the UNHRC/UNSC or UNGA. UNHRC has failed to follow due process and there are many procedural lapses at play creating legally questionable precedents.

It is curious why the 6 reports of international terrorist experts who took up the UNHRC/OISL allegations & negated them by concluding that the Sri Lanka Armed Forces did not commit war crimes is being intentionally ignored.

No country can be accused of genocide without dead bodies, without skeletons, without names of the dead or even proof that they were even born! It is preposterous to be drumming war crimes or genocide allegations without these fundamental facts. If people had phones & were taking videos – why didn’t they video soldiers digging graves & dumping dead people inside?

Sri Lanka Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission Report

LTTE dead = 22,247

LTTE dead identified with names = 11,812

LTTE dead without names = 10,435 (why did families not identify them)

This LTTE dead are not Civilian dead

This LTTE dead cannot be used by Canada/NGOs/LTTE Diaspora or quoted by UN/UNHRC.

If Canada, US, UK, EU, LTTE Diaspora are making wild allegations, they must back it up with evidence & ensure that the dead they present are not LTTE.

We would like to know if Canada’s leaders want to commemorate LTTE Terrorist dead and why?

Canadas Truth & Reconciliation Commission was advised not to use genocide” inspite of incriminating evidence against Canada of committing colonial & cultural genocide against Native Indians. In 2016 the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal accused Canada of racially discriminating 163,000 indigenous children. In 2019 Canada was declared guilty by the Canada’s National Inquiry into Missing & Murdered Indigenous women & girls. The Commission accused Canada of ONGOING genocide too. Before accusing other countries – Canada best get its house in order first & deal with the real genocide, Canada is accused of.

Shenali D Waduge

Sasanka De Silva Pannipitiya

Fatal and serious road accidents are very common reporting in the media in Sri Lanka these days.

Some common reasons for road accidents include:

1. Distracted driving, such as using a cell phone or eating while driving.
2. Impaired driving, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
3. Speeding or reckless driving
4. Fatigue or drowsy driving
5. Failing to obey traffic laws and signals.
6. Poor weather conditions
7. Mechanical failure or vehicle defects
8. Poor road design or maintenance.

Several preventive steps can be taken to avoid road accidents, including:

1.     Practice safe driving habits: Always obey traffic laws and signals, and avoid distractions while driving, such as using a cell phone or eating.

2.     Avoid impaired driving: Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you plan on drinking, decide on a designated driver or use public transportation.

3.     Be alert and rested: Never drive while fatigued or drowsy. Get a good night’s sleep before a long trip and take regular breaks when driving for long periods.

4.     Maintain your vehicle: Regularly check your vehicle’s brakes, tires, lights, and other systems to ensure they are in proper working condition.

5.     Adjust your driving to road conditions: Slow down in poor weather conditions and be extra cautious around large trucks and other vehicles.

6.     Use safety devices and wear seat belts: Always use safety devices such as airbags and wear seat belts, which can greatly reduce the risk of injury in the event of an accident.

7.     Be aware of other drivers: Remember that other drivers may make mistakes, so stay alert and be prepared to take evasive action if necessary.

8.     Use of GPS and navigation system: The use of GPS and navigation system can help to reach the destination safely and avoid unfamiliar routes which may cause accidents.

9.     Be aware of your surroundings: Always be aware of your surroundings, especially when driving in unfamiliar areas or when approaching intersections and other potential hazards.

10. Take defensive driving courses: Consider taking a defensive driving course to learn how to anticipate and avoid potential hazards on the road.

There are several things that law enforcement agencies can do to prevent road accidents, including:

1.       Increase patrols and enforcement: By increasing patrols and enforcing traffic laws, law enforcement can help to reduce the number of accidents caused by reckless or negligent drivers.

2.       Conduct checkpoints and sobriety tests: Setting up checkpoints and conducting sobriety tests can help to detect and deter impaired driving.

3.       Increase education and awareness: Law enforcement agencies can work with schools and community organizations to increase education and awareness about the dangers of distracted and impaired driving.

4.       Conduct high-visibility enforcement campaigns: High-visibility enforcement campaigns can help to remind drivers to obey traffic laws and reduce the number of accidents caused by reckless or negligent behaviour.

5.       Monitor critical locations: Law enforcement agencies can identify critical locations with high accident rates and increase patrols in these areas to help prevent accidents.

6.       Increase penalties for traffic offences: Increasing penalties for traffic offences can help to deter dangerous driving behaviours.

7.       Use technology: The use of technology such as cameras, sensors and data analysis can help to identify dangerous driving behaviours and enforce traffic laws more effectively.

8.       Partner with other agencies: Law enforcement agencies can partner with other organizations, such as transportation departments, to address issues related to road safety and infrastructure.

9.       Encourage reporting of dangerous driving: Encourage the public to report dangerous driving behaviours to law enforcement, as this can help to identify and address problem areas.

10.    Work with community groups: Law enforcement agencies can work with community groups and organizations to address issues related to road safety, such as educating young drivers about the importance of safe driving.

Individuals have a responsibility to take steps to prevent accidents on the road, including:

1.       Obeying traffic laws and signals: Always obey traffic laws and signals to help ensure safe driving conditions for yourself and others on the road.

2.       Avoiding distractions: Avoid distractions while driving, such as using a cell phone or eating, to help ensure that you can react quickly to changing road conditions.

3.       Being alert and rested: Never drive while fatigued or drowsy, as this can greatly increase the risk of an accident.

4.       Maintaining your vehicle: Regularly check your vehicle’s brakes, tires, lights, and other systems to ensure they are in proper working condition, this will help to prevent accidents caused by mechanical failure.

5.       Adjusting your driving to road conditions: Slow down in poor weather conditions and be extra cautious around large trucks and other vehicles.

6.       Using safety devices and wearing seat belts: Always use safety devices such as airbags and wear seat belts, which can greatly reduce the risk of injury in the event of an accident.

7.       Being aware of other drivers: Remember that other drivers may make mistakes, so stay alert and be prepared to take evasive action if necessary.

8.       Being aware of your surroundings: Always be aware of your surroundings, especially when driving in unfamiliar areas or when approaching intersections and other potential hazards.

9. Avoid impaired driving: Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

10.    Reporting dangerous driving: Report dangerous driving behaviours to law enforcement, as this can help to identify and address problem areas.

By taking these steps, individuals can help to make the roads safer for themselves and others and reduce the risk of accidents.

Road accidents can have both visible and unseen social costs. Some examples of visible social costs include:

1.       Property damage: Accidents can result in damage to vehicles, buildings, and other property.

2.       Medical costs: Accidents can result in injuries requiring medical treatment and rehabilitation, which can be costly.

3.       Lost productivity: Accidents can result in lost productivity due to time off work for recovery and can also result in permanent disability or death.

4.       Lawsuits and legal costs: Accidents can result in lawsuits and legal costs for those involved.

5.       Insurance costs: Accidents can result in increased insurance costs for individuals and businesses.

Some examples of unseen social costs include:

1.       Psychological trauma: Accidents can result in psychological trauma for those involved, as well as for witnesses and family members.

2.       Emotional and financial burden on family and friends: Accidents can result in emotional and financial burdens on the family and friends of those involved, especially in cases of death or permanent disability.

3.       Loss of community resources: Accidents can result in the loss of community resources, such as emergency services and medical facilities.

4.       Decrease in quality of life: Accidents can result in a decrease in the overall quality of life for individuals and communities due to increased stress, reduced mobility, and decreased access to services.

5.       Impact on the environment: Accidents can also have an impact on the environment, such as pollution and damage to natural habitats.

These costs can be significant and have long-lasting effects on individuals, families, and communities.

Reducing the number of road accidents can bring several social benefits, including:

1.       Reduced medical costs: With fewer accidents, there would be fewer injuries requiring medical treatment and rehabilitation, which would lead to reduced medical costs for individuals and society as a whole.

2.       Increased productivity: With fewer accidents, there would be fewer people missing work due to injuries or recovery time, which would lead to increased productivity for individuals and businesses.

3.       Improved quality of life: With fewer accidents, there would be fewer people experiencing psychological trauma or permanent disability, which would lead to an improved quality of life for individuals and communities.

4.       Reduced insurance costs: With fewer accidents, insurance costs for individuals and businesses would be reduced.

5.       Less burden on emergency services: With fewer accidents, there would be less demand for emergency services such as ambulances and hospitals, which would free up these resources to be used for other purposes.

6.       Reduced environmental impact: With fewer accidents, there would be less pollution and damage to natural habitats caused by vehicle crashes.

7.       Increased community safety: With fewer accidents, there would be increased safety for individuals and communities, which would lead to a greater sense of security and well-being.

8.       Reduced traffic congestion: With fewer accidents, traffic congestion would be reduced, which would lead to increased mobility and improved access to services.

9.       Increased economic growth: With fewer accidents, there would be less economic disruption caused by lost productivity, reduced mobility, and increased insurance costs, which would lead to increased economic growth.

10.    Increased social cohesion: With fewer accidents, there would be less emotional and financial burden on the family and friends of those involved, which would lead to increased social cohesion.

Overall, reducing the number of road accidents would bring a wide range of social benefits, both for individuals and for society as a whole.

Some signs of dangerous driving include excessive speeding, tailgating, running red lights or stop signs, sudden lane changes, and erratic or unpredictable movements.

Additionally, a driver who is distracted, such as by using a cell phone or not paying attention to the road, can also be considered dangerous.

If you encounter a dangerous driver, it is important to stay calm and avoid engaging with them. Instead, maintain a safe distance and report the incident to the proper authorities if necessary.

Sasanka De Silva

Pannipitiya.

Chanaka Bandarage

Courtesy: Vanguard Post

News emanating from Sri Lanka shows that there is the tendency to give land and Police powers to the Provincial Governments including the Northern and Eastern provincial governments.  The Sri Lankan Government is under enormous pressure from the TNA (Tamil National Alliance) and other Tamil MPs; it is quite probable that the ultimate political package can contain giving these two and other powers to the Provinces.

The Government is also under pressure to reduce the troop numbers in the North and the East, if this is recklessly carried out, it will be a major threat to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Already, the Army has handed vast amounts of its land to Tamil civilians and the Northern Provincial Council. In the former Jaffna HSZ, the Army does not hold any land now.

The TNA wants the Army to be confined to 2 or 3 camps in the North. Will the Government succumb to this? This largely depends on how the three namesake Sinhala political parties in the Parliament – SJB, SLFP and JVP behave.

During the Yahapalana regime (2015 – 2019), Mr Maithripala Sirisena, the then President boasted that he handed most of the land held by the Army to Tamils (about 90% of the questionable lands). How can an Army conduct operations only by owning buildings sans land?  But, this is what has happened. The Army had to relinquish large farm lands that it once occupied.

Why giving land and Police powers to the Provinces (especially to the North and East) is too dangerous?

This means they will have the sole power to legislate in relation to land and Police. Then, basically the provincial Governments can sell, transfer, lease, mortgage, donate, and acquire land anyway they like within the province. Included in the land deal, it is possible that the central Government may relinquish crown lands and lose the sea shores.  The Northern and Eastern Provinces hold about  ¾ of Sri Lanka’s coastal area.

This is exactly what the LTTE – the world’s most dangerous terrorist outfit had fought for. Now the TNA has taken over their ideological mantle (when the LTTE was alive, they were their political proxy).  The TNA now states that they will not talk to the Government unless land and Police powers are part of the forthcoming political package. 

It should be noted that Sri Lanka is very small and it is currently jam-packed with an ever-growing population. There is hardly any space left in the South for human expansion. The only areas available for future human habitation/expansion are in the Northern (above from Vavuniya), and Eastern provinces. Once the central government loses the entire control of these areas, there is absolutely no way that people from other provinces can live in these areas. This will be a grossly unfair situation to rest of the population. The Constitution articulates the freedom of movement for people (Article 12).

Once these two powers are given, the Northern provincial Government can effectively (legally) block the Southerners from not only buying land but also visiting the area.  

If the two provincial governments want (they will be hostile to Sri Lanka anyway), they can give land to their counterparts in India, bypassing the central Government. It will be easy for such enemies of Sri Lanka like Vaiiko, Nedumaran, Seemen et al to set up even para military style camps in Sri Lanka on the invitation of the Chief Ministers of the two provinces.  After vesting Police powers with the Northern and Eastern provincial governments, boatloads of illegal immigrants can freely sail from India to Sri Lanka. Some can come in the guise of fishermen (this happens even now).

The illegal migration of Tamils into Sri Lanka is not an old phenomenon, it happened extensively in the 20^th century until the Sirima – Shastri pact was signed in 1964. This activity can flourish under the new powers to be given to the Northern and Eastern provincial governments.

The Police positions – IGP (Inspector General of Police) downwards in the provinces will be appointed by the Chief Ministers of the provincial governments. With time, these two Police forces will exclusively have Tamil speaking people serving them, with a Tamil speaking Muslim component in the Eastern Police force (it seems with the TNA, the Muslims are also demanding the two powers). 

The two Chief Ministers will have the power to disallow the Sinhalese from joining their Police forces. We have seen how Mr Vigneswaran, the former Northern Province Chief Minister had vigorously tried to block the Sinhalese from settling down in the North.

Once these two powers are granted, it is possible for the two provinces to re-merge and then make a claim to secede from Sri Lanka (it is 1/3 of the total land mass). They may then have the key ingredients for claiming a separate nation of their own. The Yahapalanaya Government in 2019 gave an international airport to the North.

The international law is so developed now, we live in an era where new nations are constantly being created. Kosovo is a creation entirely by the international world – it was created despite severe opposition by its former ‘owner’ Serbia. Serbia had the support of Russia and China, but, still failed to hold on to Kosovo. Other recent examples of the creation of new countries are –South Sudan, East Timor and Eritrea.

South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Ingushetia are new nations recognised only by Russia.

A number of other new nations (12) were formed after the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

Under enormous pressure from India, in 1987, Mr JR Jayewardene, the then President, introduced the provisional government system in Sri Lanka. This has caused untold problems in Sri Lanka, and they are continuing. The system has made Sri Lanka poorer.

Previously the people had to put up with corruption by the central government only. After 1987, corruption expanded like a cancer to the provincial levels. The country’s bureaucracy increased tremendously, it cannot sustain such an array of legislatures and bureaucrats, most of who were unsuitable for their jobs and have caused many problems to the country.

Prior to 1978, Sri Lanka was served under the ‘Saulbury Constitution’ which was slightly amended by the Sirima Bandaranaike Government in 1972. Under the old Constitution (until 1978), Sri Lanka had a strong centralised government, which served the country remarkably well. Parliamentary democracy flourished where Independent MPs were elected to the parliament defeating candidates from the two dominant parties (this can never happen under the current electoral system). There is now a ‘Manapa’ system that favours political candidates who have deep pockets.

Those days the country had by-elections when an MP resigned or died. This was democracy at real work. This system was scrapped by Mr JR Jayewardene.

Sri Lanka is simply too small and too poor to be governed by provincial governments (9), with a central government in the Centre; then also an Executive President.

Sabaragamuwa, Uva, Vayamba etc have less than a million voter base. For them to have separate Courts, a Chief Justice, an IGP, an Attorney General of their own!  Is Sri Lanka going mad?

We must not forget that the country’s armed forces made supreme sacrifices to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity. If land and Police powers are given to the two provinces now, the supreme sacrifices that the armed forces made will be in venin.

It is important to understand that there is no ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. Only there was a terrorism problem which was resolved in 2009. Now the country’s two main communities are living in harmony like loving siblings of one family. This should be encouraged. Giving land and Police powers will not build unity between the two peoples, but division. Like what they are doing now, the Government must try to uplift the standard of living of all the people including those in the Northern and Eastern provinces.

During Mrs Bandaranaike’s regime of 1970 to 1977, the Northern farmers were greatly benefitted. That is why they voted for Mr Hector Kobbekaduwa in large numbers at the Presidential election in 1982.  They wanted to show gratitude to his good work as the Minister of Agriculture where he tirelessly helped to increase the country’s food production.

True, the Government is under enormous pressure from the TNA and other Tamil political parties to create a Federal system – giving these two powers as well as other powers such as the right to legislate – create own laws, conduct criminal prosecutions, run schools, hospitals, build highways, fully control the public transport etc.  

The Central Government with its 225 parliament MPs will be left with very little real power – Defence, Foreign Affairs and Immigration.

Just to satisfy the North and the East, do we need to create 9 ‘new countries’ within Sri Lanka?

Let us hope that the country’s leaders will have the courage not to succumb to these unfair demands. The Opposition parties (SJB, SLFP and JVP) must endeavour to uphold the nation’s unitary status. Unfortunately, these two parties also seem in favour of granting the land and Police powers.

This is because of their sheer political expediency. All the so called Sinhala political parties think that they could win the North/East minority vote; but that will never happen. Those people will always vote for their own Tamil and Muslim political parties.

Albeit a few patriotic Sinhalese, there is hardly any opposition in the country against the proposal to give land and Police powers. Majority of the Sinhalese do not care. They only think about their day to day life. The politicians know this well. Taking the advantage of this weakness in 1987 Mr JR Jayewardene went ahead to introduce the 13^th Amendment that is extremely detrimental to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is looking after its Tamil minority well (this is a fact).  When Tamil political leaders are asked to highlight any specific problem that the current Tamils face that the Sinhalese do not face, they go unanswered.

Disadvantaged Sinhalese face a multitude of problems of their own. No one wants to hear them and fix those problems.

For eg, all Sri Lankan and Indian Governments help the Upcountry Tamils immensely. This is good. But, what about the plight of the Upcountry Sinhalese? They also like to work in the tea plantations, but they are denied of this right. There are ‘Lahirus’ and ‘Damayanthis’ that live in Sinhala villages surrounding the tea plantations, they struggle to feed their families with at least 2 meals a day.  We must not forget that the British built the tea plantations forcibly acquiring the lands belonging to the forefathers of Lahirus and Damayanthis. The British imported Tamil labour from South India to work in the tea (and rubber) estates. But, the Upcountry Tamil Trade Unions today oppose the Sinhalese from working in the tea plantations. Is this fair? Is this not a denial of a fundamental right to many thousands of Lahirus and Damayanthis who live in the Upcountry?

A main discrimination that the Sinhalese face is their inability to live in the North and the East, which is 1/3 of Sri Lanka. TNA and Tamil political parties block them from settling down in those areas.

It is easy for a Tamil to leave Kilinochchi and settle down in Tangalle. A Muslim can easily leave Akkaraipattu and settle down in Gampaha. But, for a Sinhalese living in Tangalle or Gampaha to settle down in Kilinochchi or Akkareipattu? This can never happen in contemporary Sri Lanka.

In relation to the 13^th Amendment, it is currently well functioning.  When Mr Vigneswaran was the Chief Minister, he meddled with the province’s land willy nilly.  He behaved as if he held the land power. The Central Governments tolerated him too much. He was a former Supreme Court Judge; that may have been a reason. Also, he is a fierce orator.

It is impractical to create a Federal system in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is not India.  A Federal system can work in India – a country of 1.4 Billion people; Sri Lanka has only 22 Million people. From time immemorial, Sri Lanka has been a one nation.

It is true that land powers were included in the Concurrent list of the of the 13^th Amendment (Schedule 9), enacted as a result of the India – Sri Lanka pact, 1987, but the fact of the matter is that they were suppressed from the very beginning. India agreed to this. There is no need to lift that supersession now. 

What the TNA is asking is that Sri Lanka should enforce the 13th Amendment to the letter. The country has not dismantled the provisional government system despite the fact that it is extremely costly and unworkable.  It is definitely a White Elephant.

What the Government must tell the TNA and other Tamil MPs is that since Sri Lanka is looking after its Tamil minority very well, the Tamils are happy and are economically fast progressing; there is no necessity to create a federal system here.  It is impractical, costly and useless.

The Government is wrong to convene an ‘All Party Conference’ now to give full 13 or even 13+.  The country is hemorrhaging as a result of the worst economic crisis it is facing since gaining independence 75 years ago. This is not the time to embark on huge political, administrative and structural changes for the country. Rather than exacerbating the ethnic problem, all Tamil political parties must work with the Government in fixing Sri Lanka’s economic woes.

In relation to the war crimes allegations made against Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka now correctly states that it will investigate each and every credible allegation of war crimes as put to them and will prosecute those who have allegedly offended. It is up to those who made the allegations to provide particulars of the alleged atrocities. Sri Lanka cannot conduct an investigation based on dubious ‘expert’ and press reports and fabricated TV documentaries. Proper Complaints must be first lodged with by parties with the Sri Lankan Police and/or other relevant Sri Lankan Government institutions. This has not happened.

Overall, Sri Lanka is an independent sovereign nation; other nations have no right to interfere into her affairs, unless very serious human rights violations have taken place there.  Then, the Government must investigate.  The serious allegations waged by the UK’s Channel 4 contain many fabrications. This writer has provided comprehensive analysis about them.

It is not to be forgotten that very serious human rights violations have taken place and still takes place in the rich West.  They do not want others’ to investigate their affairs, but, they continue to pick on tiny Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has become a political football of some of the powerful.

This writer is a Sri Lankan national of Sinhalese decent He is a freelance International Lawyer.  He was the Principal Barrister of City First Solicitors, Canberra and Sydney. He is the President of Sri Lanka Support Group (Worldwide).

Courtesy Teheran Times

This past week for an evening in North Carolina I had the pleasure of speaking briefly with Medea Benjamin and hearing her opine about Ukraine to an audience at a local church. A petite, elegant, straight talking Jewish lady, now 70, who for decades has been at the forefront of trying to explain to far more average” and largely perplexed American multitudes and the world at large just what the U.S. government has been doing — criminally — across the globe but especially in the Middle East with its war machine over and over again, especially in the last 30 or so years but beginning primarily elsewhere Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s.

In this century alone the U.S. has already spent and wasted over $8 trillion dollars on making wars, killed millions of innocent people, virtually bankrupted the Treasury and turned the U.S. financial system into the largest Ponzi scheme ever. This is evident where, like soon, the government must raise the debt ceiling, a much repeated action, yet again simply to pay off outstanding Treasury debt by issuing newly minted debt with printed money”. If ever a U.S. President was correct in warning about the future, Dwight Eisenhower was the man in 1960 when he left the White House saying that the Military Industrial Complex, back then not nearly as vast as it is today, could become a danger to America at the very least.

Medea Benjamin came to North Carolina for a day to speak factually about the proxy U.S. war on Ukraine. She explained exactly what has been happening, and why, and especially that the U.S. Neocons actually started planning this proxy war a decade or so ago when it became evident that Vladimir Putin was pulling Russia up by its bootstraps and reviving at least a shadow internally and economically of what Russia had been when the Soviet Union was strong enough to limit to some degree if not grossly challenge the U.S. as the world’s dominant nation.

Full Storey

The Die is Cast” for the U.S. … – Tehran Times

Harunur Rasid

In the cross-border commerce with Bangladesh, Myanmar has been exporting more than it has been importing, with 8,620.7 tonnes of exports to Bangladesh valued at US$10.733 million between April and October of the fiscal year 2022–2023.

The two border checkpoints between Myanmar and Bangladesh, Sittway and Maungtaw, saw a 65 percent increase in the sale of fish from Myanmar and a 35 percent increase in the export of dried goods. Farm-raised rohu, hilsa, mackerel, dried anchovies, and dry fish powder are among the fishery products. Also exported are tamarind, onion, ginger, dried jujube powder, jaggery, longyi, and clothing.

With 8,620.7 tonnes of exports to Bangladesh valued at US$10.733 million between April and October of the fiscal year 2022–2023, Myanmar has been exporting more than it has been importing.

Rohu fish trade

Fish sales from Myanmar increased by 65% while exports of dried commodities increased by 35% at the two border crossings between Myanmar and Bangladesh, Sittway and Maungtaw. Among the fishing products are farm-raised rohu, hilsa, mackerel, dried anchovies, and dry fish powder. Tamarind, onion, ginger, dried jujube powder, jaggery, longyi, and textiles are further exports.

Bengalis have a long-standing bond with fish and rice; hence the Bengali proverb “fish and rice” is accurate in its actual sense. Fish has long been a staple of Bengali cuisine. Because rice is a basic diet for Bengalis and fish is a favorite dish on the daily menu, rice and fish have a tight relationship.

Bangladeshis depend on imported seafood from Burma. Without the cost-effective Burmese imports, Bangladeshis would not be able to afford fish for their daily meals because the price of local fish is skyrocketing.

The most common fish imported from Burma to Bangladesh are salmon, carp, and shrimp. These fish are first brought to Teknaf before being shipped to Chittagong, Dhaka, and other cities around the country. Additionally, Bangladesh receives substantial sums of money from the importation of seafood through the Teknaf land port.

Retail merchants in Chittagong bill customers between 160 and 200 takas per kilogram for their items. The most popular goods are salmon and Burmese carp. When Burmese fish is hard to find in the city’s markets, local fish prices increase.

In the first half (April to September) of the current fiscal year 2022–2023, Myanmar sent 5,195.2 tonnes of rohu to Bangladesh through the two cross-border crossings at Sittway and Maungtaw.

The value of Myanmar’s 5,180.6 tonnes of rohu exports for the six-month 2021–2022 mini-budget period was $6.314 million. The figures showed a slight increase of $0.18 million for this fiscal year. However, the Maungtaw border post reports that due to concerns over transportation security, border trade has been prohibited since September.

Rohu are sent to the Sittway border gate by cold-storage trucks or ships after being processed in Yangon. They are subsequently transferred to Bangladesh using motorboats. Since 2016, Myanmar has been exporting rohu to Bangladesh through the Sittway and Maungtaw border crossings.

Myanmar’s economy is focused on agriculture and livestock. Commercial fish farming enterprises can be found in the townships in the regions of Yangon, Bago, and Ayeyawady. As the crop has increased its market share in international markets, farmers have expanded the rohu farming sector.

Rakhine State receives roughly 1,000 tonnes of rohu from Yangon City through the border crossings at Sittwe in Myanmar and Maungtaw in Bangladesh.

From the other two cities, Rohu is also brought to the border by road and by water. Myanmar’s exports have regularly outperformed imports in cross-border trade with Bangladesh, with exports reaching $19.066 million and imports totaling $0.14 million between 1 April and 2 December in the 2022–2023 FY.

From $6.318 million ($7,093.413 tonnes) in the 2019–2020 fiscal year to $4.76 million ($5,010.7 tonnes) in the 2020–21 fiscal year to $13.987 million ($11,362.97 tonnes) in the 2021–2022 six-month mini-budget period, the value of fisheries products exported to Bangladesh through two border crossings ranged (October-March).

A Chittagong fish vendor claims that when Burmese fish is hard to come by in the city’s markets, local fish prices rise. Rohu fish has been exported from Myanmar to Bangladesh via the border trade crossings at Sittway and Maungtaw since 2016. Between 1 April and 10 September 2022, about 8,000 tons of Rohu fish worth over 10.021 million USD were shipped to Bangladesh. Rohu accounts for 70% of the nation’s total exports, along with other items including dried fish, prawns, and occasionally hilsa fish, while its imports are made up of electrical products, soft drinks, children’s toys, and medications. Fish are currently being transported from Yangon and the Ayeyarwaddy region to Sittway and Maungtaw border trade stations for shipment to Bangladesh. It has been discovered that Sittway currently lacks sufficient fish farming to sustain an export sector.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, during the first five months (April through August) of the current fiscal year 2022–2023, MYANMAR shipped 5,160 tonnes of rohu valued US$6.449 million to Bangladesh through two cross-border posts.

Salt trade

Salt produced in Arakan State will be exported to Bangladesh this year for the first time in more than a decade, according to those engaging in salt production.

Bangladesh and the military regime reached an agreement in March 2022 that will see salt from Arakan State shipped to the South Asian country.

The chairman of the Arakan State Salt Farmers Association, U Than Win, said that it is not yet known how many tonnes of salt will be exported, as it depends on the quality of the salt.

If the quality of the salt is good, Bangladesh has offered to buy it from Arakan State. We have to produce good quality salt,” he said.

From 1993 to 2004, nearly 150,000 tonnes of salt were exported from Arakan State to Bangladesh, but the purchases were stopped for a variety of reasons for several years thereafter.

In 2012, Bangladesh bought 30,000 tonnes of salt from Arakan State, but that was the last purchase made until this most recent deal because the salt was deemed of insufficient quality.

U Maung Tun Win, a local salt farmer from Shwenyoma Village, Kyaukphyu Township, said that if the salt produced in Arakan State is exported to Bangladesh once again, there will be more people working in the salt industry and the acreage of salt farms will increase.

If the government allows the direct export of salt to the Bangladesh market, the people of Arakan will also benefit,” he said.

Bangladesh consumes nearly 1 million tonnes of salt annually, but the country can only produce about 300,000 tonnes of salt per year, according to the Arakan State Salt Farmers Association.

Salt farmers in Arakan State say they need loans, technologies and markets to rejuvenate the local salt industry.

Areca Nut trade

Myanmar shipped 1,096.500 tonnes of areca nuts to Bangladesh in the first half of the current financial year 2022-2023, according to the Ministry of Commerce of Myanmar. The country delivered 890.345 tonnes of areca nuts during the six months 2021-2022 mini-budget period. The export volume was up by 206.155 tonnes this FY.

Myanmar’s agriculture and livestock businesses are the mainstay of its rural community. The rural people execute areca nut farming as a family business. The areca nuts are sent to Bangladesh through the Maungtaw border.

Fresh supply of newly harvested areca nuts brought down the prices, according to the Mawlamyine areca nut market.Myanmar’s areca nut fruit market has become widespread. The commodity depot of areca nut fruits emerged in the producing states and regions (Rakhine, Mon and Kayin states and Taninthayi and Ayeyawady regions). As a result of this, the dried areca nut production is likely to drop in future and the prices are likely to go up on low inventory and possible foreign demand, traders forecast.

Manusha Media

නීති විරෝධී ක්‍රම ඔස්සේ එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යයට පුද්ගලයන් ගෙන්වන අයට එරෙහිව නීතිය තදින් ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන බවට එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යයේ මානව සම්පත් අමාත්‍ය ආචාර්ය Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar මහතා කම්කරු සහ විදේශ රැකියා අමාත්‍ය මනුෂ නානායක්කාර මහතාට සහතික විය.

රැකියා සඳහා සංචාරක වීසා මගින් එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යයට පැමිණෙන ශ්‍රී ලංකික ශ්‍රමිකයන් මුහුණදෙන ගැටලු සම්බන්ධයෙන් කම්කරු සහ විදේශ රැකියා අමාත්‍ය මනුෂ නානායක්කාර මහතා කරුණු පැහැදිළි කළේය. සංචාරක වීසා හරහා එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යයේ රැකියා සඳහා පැමිණෙන ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන්ට නොයෙක් දුෂ්කරතාවයන්ට මුහුණදීමට සිදුව ඇති බවත්, සංචාරක වීසා මගින් එලෙස රැකියා සඳහා පැමිණීම වැළැක්වීමට ජනතාව දැනුවත් කිරීම පිණිස ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන වැඩපිළිවෙල පිළිබඳවත්  මනුෂ නානායක්කාර අමාත්‍යවරයා එහි දී කරුණු ඉදිරිපත් කළේය.

එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍ය තුළ වර්ධනය වන රැකියා වෙළඳපොළ තුළ ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන්ට වැඩි රැකියා අවස්ථා ප්‍රමාණයක් දෙන ලෙසටත්, පුහුණු සහ වෘත්තීය ශ්‍රමිකයන්ට වැඩි අවස්ථා ලබාදීම සඳහා ලංකාවේ පුහුණු සුදුසුකම්වලට පිළිගැනීමක් ලබාදෙන ලෙසටත් අමාත්‍ය මනුෂ නානායක්කාර මහතා කළ ඉල්ලීමට එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යයේ මානව සම්පත් අමාත්‍ය ආචාර්ය Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar මහතාගෙන් යහපත් ප්‍රතිචාරයක් හිමිවිය.

පුහුණු හා වෘත්තීමය සුදුසුකම් ඇති ශ්‍රමිකයන්ට රැකියා  අවස්ථා වැඩි වශයෙන් ලබාගැනීමට ලංකාවේ පුහුණු සුදුසුකම්වලට අවශ්‍ය පිළිගැනීමක් සුදුසුකම් සමාන කිරීමේ වැඩපිළිවෙලක් (Qualification Equalization) හරහා  ලබාදීමට අවශ්‍ය ඉදිරි පියවර ගැනීමට තාක්ෂණික කමිටු මට්ටමින් සාකච්ඡා පවත්වා, අවශ්‍ය ඉදිරි පියවර ගැනීමට දෙපාර්ශවයේ එකගතාවය හිමිවිය. මේ වන විට එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍ය තුළ ශ්‍රී ලාංකික ශ්‍රමිකයන්ගේ වර්ධනයක් ඇතිවී තිබෙන බවත්, 2021 වසරට සාපේක්ෂව 2022 වසරේදී ශ්‍රී ලාංකික ශ්‍රමිකයන්ගේ පැමිණිම 27% කින් ඉහළ ගොස් තිබෙන බවත් අමාත්‍යවරයා පැවසුවේය.

එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යයේ සේවය කරන ශ්‍රමිකයන්ගේ රැකියාවක් අහිමි වුවහොත් ඔවුන්ගේ වැටුපෙන් 60% මුදලක් මාස තුනක කාලයකට ලබාදීම පිණිස හදුන්වාදී ඇති රක්ෂණය සම්බන්ධයෙන් අමාත්‍ය ආචාර්ය Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar මහතා එහි දී පැහැදිළි කළේය.  ඒ අනුව ශ්‍රී ලාංකික ශ්‍රමිකයන්ගේ රැකියාවක් අහිමි වුවහොත් ඔවුන්ට එයින්  ප්‍රතිලාභ ලබාගැනීමට අවස්ථාව හිමි වන බව ද සඳහන් කළේය. එක්සත් අරාබි එමිර් රාජ්‍යයේ රැකියාවල නිරත ශ්‍රමිකයන්ට ඇතිවන ගැටලු ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට භාෂා විස්සකින් ක්‍රියාත්මක ඇමතුම් මධ්‍යස්ථානයක් ක්‍රියාත්මක බව ද අමාත්‍යවරයා සඳහන් කළේය.
ශ්‍රමිකයෙක් බඳවා ගැනීමේ දී අය කරනු ලබන ගාස්තු සම්බන්ධයෙන්ද මෙහිදී අවධානය යොමු කළ අතර විවිධ බඳවා ගැනීම් ආයතන විවිධ ගාස්තු අය කිරීම් පිළිබඳ සාකච්ඡා කළ අතර,  ඒ අනුව බඳවා ගැනීමේ ගාස්තු නියාමනය කිරීමේ ක්‍රමවේදයක් සකස් කිරීමටත්, තාක්ෂණික කමිටු මට්ටමේ සාකච්ඡාවලදී ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් වන තීරණ ගැනීමටත් මෙහිදී එකඟ විය.
පසුගිය කාලයේදී ලංකාවේ ආර්ථිකය බරපතල අර්බුදයකට ලක්ව තිබූ බවත්, මේ වන විට එම අර්බුද ක්‍රමිකව විසඳා ගනිමින් සිටින බවත් මනුෂ නානායක්කාර අමාත්‍යවරයා සඳහන් කළ අතර ඒ සඳහා එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යයෙන් ලැබෙන සහයෝගය ද අගය කළේ ය.

මෙම ද්වීපාර්ශ්වීය සාකච්ඡාව සඳහා එක්සත් අරාබී එමීර් රාජ්‍යයේ මානව සම්පත් අමාත්‍ය ආචාර්ය Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar, කම්කරු සබඳතා පිළිබඳ සහකාර ලේකම්, Ayesha Belharfia, සහකාර ලේකම්වරුන් වන Abdulla Alnuaimi, Mohsin Muhsih, ජාත්‍යන්තර ද්වීපාර්ශ්වීය සබඳතා පිළිබඳ සහකාර අධ්‍යක්ෂ Noora Alsuwaidi, ජාත්‍යන්තර සබඳතා විශේෂඥ Mohamed Alhammadi, විධායක නිලධාරී Moza Alshamsi, එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යයේ ශ්‍රී ලංකා තානාපති උදය ඉන්ද්‍රරත්න, ඩුබායි හි ශ්‍රී ලංකා කොන්සල් ජෙනරාල් නලින්ද විජේරත්න ප්‍රමුඛ නිලධාරීහු සහභාගී වූහ.

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බි්‍රතාන්‍ය ඉංජිනේරු ගාල්ලේ දෙව්සිරි පී. හේවාවිදාන ලන්ඩන් නුවර සිට ලියයි

බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය ඉංජිනේරු ගාල්ලේ දෙව්සිරි පී හේවාවිදාන ලන්ඩනයේ සිට ලියන අලුත්ම ලිපිය 2023 ජනවාරි 22 ඉරිදා සති අග අරුණේ 14වෙනි පිටුවේ

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ආර්ථික තත්ත්වය කොතරම් දරුණු වී ඇද්දැයි කියනවා නම් පාසැලට යවන්නේ තමන්ගේ මොන දුවදැයි හා ගෙදර නවතාගන්නේ මොන පුතාදැයි යන අවාසනාවන්ත තත්ත්වයට බොහෝ දෙමාපියන් පාත්‍රෙව්යයි ලෝකයේ ඉහළතම ජනමාධ්‍ය වු BBC ප්‍රවෘත්ති සේවය කියයි.

එම වාර්තාවේ සාරාංශය මෙසේය.  

මේ පින්තූරයේ සිටින දහ හැවිරිදි මල්කි තම සහෝදර සහෝදරයින් හතර දෙනාට පැයකට පෙර උද්යෝගයෙන් ඇඳෙන් ් නැගිට්ටේ ඇයගේ නියපොතු ලස්සනට පාට කරගැනීමටය.  අලුත් අවුරුද්දේ පළමුවැනි දවසේ පාසැලට යාමට ඇය ඉතා ආසාවෙන් ලැහැස්තිවෙයි.  නමුත් අවාසනාවට ඇයගේ සහෝදර සහෝදරියන්ට අද පාසැල් යාමට වරම් නැත.  එයට හේතුව ඒ හතර දෙනා පාසැල් යැවීමට මල්කිගේ දෙමව්පියන්ට වත් කමක් නැත.

හයමසකට පෙර ශ්‍රී ලංකාව නිදහස ලැබීමෙන් පසු පැමිණි දරුණුතම ආර්ථික අර්බුදයකට මුහුණු පෑය.

දැන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ තරමක් හෝ ස්ථාවරයකට පැමිණ සිටී.  නමුත් රැකියා විරහිත බව, දැරිය නොහැකි අධික බඩු මිළ නිසා බොහෝ පවුල් බලවත් ලෙස පීඩාවට පත්ව සිටී.

ආර්ථික උද්ධනමය 95%ක් දක්වා වැඩි වී ආහාර මිල වාර්තාගත ලෙස අහසට ගොස් ඇත.

මල්කිගේ අම්මා ප්‍රියන්තිකාට තම දරුවන්ගේ පාසැල් ගමන ඇන හිටවන්නට සිදුව ඇත්තේ ඔවුන්ගේ සමඟ එකතු වී උත්සවයේ රතිඤ්ඤා විකුණා කීයක් හෝ උපයාගැනීම සඳහාය.

සමහර දිනවල මල්කි  ගේ පවුලේ කිසිවකු වේලක්වත් කන්නේ නැත.  ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පාසැල් අධ්‍යාපනය නොමිලේ ලැබෙන නමුත් දිවා ආහාරයට මුදල් ගෙවිය යුතුය.  එයට අමතරව පාසැල් නිල ඇදුමට බස්ගාස්තුවට යන වියදම ගැන සළකන විට අධ්‍යාපනය යන්න ප්‍රියන්තිකාගේ දරුවන්ට ලබා ගත නොහැකි සුඛෝපභෝගී (ඛමංමරහ) දෙයක් වී ඇත.  

ඈ කියන්නේ දරුවන් පාසැල් යැවීමට ඇයට අඩුම ගානේ පැන්ස 90ක් හෙවත් රු. 400ක් අවශ්‍ය බවයි.පවුලේ හැමදෙනාම නිදාගන්නා කාමරයේ ඇඳ උඩ වාඩි වී ප්‍රියන්තිකා කදුඵ සළයි.  මගේ දරුවෝ පස්දෙනා හැමදාම ඉස්කොලේ ගිය ළමයි.  දැන් එයාලව ඉස්කෝලේ යවන්න මට සල්ලි නැහැ.

මල්කි ට තවම ඉස්කොලේ යන්නට පුඵවන්ව ඇත්තේ ඇයගේ පරණ සපත්තු දෙක හා පාසැල් ඇඳුම තවමත් ඇයගේ සිරුරට ප්‍රමාණවත් :ත්‍සඑ *වන නිසාය.

නමුත් මල්කිගේ නැගණිය දුලන්ජනී ඇඳට වී හඬන්නේ අද දවස ඇයගේ පාසැල් යාමේ දිනය නොවන නිසාය. රත්තරන් දුවේ අඬන්න එපා.  මම හෙට ඔයාව ඉස්කෝලේ එක්ක යන්න බලන්නම්” ප්‍රියන්තිකා ඇය අස්වසයි.

හිරු නැග ඒමත් සමඟ සුදු නිල ඇඳුමින් සැරසුණු දරුවන් දුවිල්ලෙන් වැහැණු පස්පාර දිගේ පයින් නැතිනම් මෝටර් සයිකලයෙන් හෝ ත්‍රීවිලයෙන් පාසැල් යති. නගරයේ අනිත් පැත්තේ සිටින කොටහේන මහා විද්‍යාලයේ විදුහල්පති පරාක්‍රම වීරසිංහ මහතා දිග සුසුමක් හෙළයි.

ඉස්කෝලේ දවස පටන් ගත්තාම උදේ රැස්වීමේදි ළමයි බඩගින්න නිසා කලන්තේ හැදිලා වැටෙනවා”.

වීරසිංහ විදුහල්පතිතුමා කියන්නේ ළමන්ගේ පාසැල් පැමිණීම 40% දක්වා අඩු වු බවය. ඊට පස්සේ මම මගේ ගුරුවරුන්ට කිව්වා ගෙදරින් එකනොකට හැමදාම වැඩිපුර බත් පැකට් එකක් ගෙන්න කියලා.  අපේ කරුණාවන්ත ගුරුවරු නිසා දැන් වෙනදට වඩා වැඩි ළමයි පිරිසක් පාසලට එනවා”

ආණ්ඩුව කියන්නේ නම් දැන් එයාලා ඉස්කෝලවලට හාල් බෙදනවා කියලා.  නමුත් BBCය   කරපු විමර්ශනයකදී හෙළිවුනේ බොහෝමයක් පාසැල්වලට ඒවා ලැබී නැති බවය.

ලංකා ගුරු සංගමයේ ලේකම් ජෝශප් ස්ටාලින් කියන්නේ අධික වියදම දරන්න බැරි නිසා බොහෝ ළමයින් පාසැල් අද්‍යාපනය අතරමඟ නවතා ඇති බව ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජය නොසලකා හරින බවයි.

අපේ ගුරුවරු තමයි ඉස්කෝලේ දී දිනපතා හිස් කෑම පෙට්ටි දකින්නේ මේ ආර්ථික අර්බුදයේ බරපතලකම වින්දිතයන් තමයි පාසැල් ළමයි.   නමුත් ආන්ඩුවට කිසි ගානක් නැහැ.  ඔවුන් ඒකට විසඳුම් හොයන්නේ නැහැ.  නමුත් එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ ආහාර සංවිධානය ඹබසජැf ඇතුඵ පිටරට ආයතනවලට මේ ඛේදවාචකය පෙනී තියෙනවා”.

UNICEF ආයතනය කියන්නේ තව මාස කිහිපයක් යන විට, උද්ධමනය ආහාරවල මිල අධික වීම නිසා පාවුල් පිටින් හාමතට ලක්විය හැකි බවයි.  තව මාස ටික කලකින් මුඵ රටේම ළමයි පාසැල් පැමිණීම නවත්වන තරමට මේ තත්ත්වය උද්ගත වෙයි.”

ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජයේ මේ ළමයින්ට කිසිම උදව්වක් නොකරද්දී ඔවුන්ට පිහිට වීමට නොයෙක් ස්වේච්ඡාසංවිධාන ඉදිරිපත් වී තිබේ.දශක තුනක් තිස්සේ අගනුවර අසරණ පවුලවලට පිහිට වන  ර්‍ සැමට සරණ” එවැනි එක් ආයතනයකි”.

අද අපි එහි යන විට අගනුවර වටේම ඉස්කෝලවල සිට පැමිණි බඩගින්නෙන් පෙළෙන දරුවන් 200ක් පමණ එහි කෑම අනුභව කරමින් සිටියේය.

ඔවුන්ට ඉල්ලුම තරමට සැයීම කිරීමට බැරිතරම පැමිණෙන දරුවන් ගණන අති විශාලය.

මේ මාමලා නැන්දලා අපිට රහට කන්න දෙනවා.  ගෙදර යන්න බස් ගාස්තුවත් දෙනවා. කෑම පෝලිමේ සිටින පස් හැවිරිදි මනෝජ් අපට කියයි.

අම්මේ අද අවුරුද්දේ පළවෙනි දවසේ ඉස්කෝලේ ගිහින් යාලුවෝ හම්භවෙලා මම හරියට සතුටු වුනා”පාසැල ඉවර වී ගෙදර ආ මල්කී තම අම්මා ප්‍රියන්තිකාට කියන්නේ බලවත් සතුටුනි. 

නමුත් ඊළඟ දවසේ ඉස්කෝලේ ගෙනියන්න මල්කාට උදරනඉදදන” එකක් අවශ්‍ය බව ඇය මවට කියයි.   ර්‍ණ ඒවගේම ඡරදවැජඑ එකකට අවශ්‍ය බඩු ගන්න සල්ලිත් අරන් එන්න කියලා ටීචර් මට කිව්වා.”

ඇය ඉල්ලා සිටින්නේ පවුල සන්තකේට නැති දෙය වු සල්ලිය.  ප්‍රියන්තිකාගේ කඩ හඬ දුක්මුසුය.  අනේ මහත්තයෝ අද වේල කන්න අපි සල්ලි හොයාගත්තොත් ඊළඟට කල්පනා කරන්නේ හෙට කන්නේ කොහොමද කියලා.  මේක තමයි අපේ ජීවිතේ”

මේ වාර්තාවට අමතරව බීබීසී ප්‍රවෘත්ති අන්ශයේ නැන්ගුරම ලෙස සැලකෙන NEWSNIGHT අංශයේ ප්‍රධාන නිවේදිකාව Kirsty Walk විසින් පසුගියදා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ වත්මන් අර්බුදය  පිළිබඳව කොළඹ සිට විශේෂ වැඩසටහනක් බි්‍රතාන්‍ය පුරා විකාශනය කරන ලදී.   ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ෂඵත්‍ ආධාර ලබා ලබාදීම වළක්වන්නේ චීනය යයි  ඇමරිකා තානාපතිනි ජුලි චැන් බොරු චෝදනාවක් කළේ එහිදිය.

එයට අමතරව බි්‍රතාන්‍යයේ ITN හා SKY නාලිකාවන්  ද ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජනතාව  පන නළ  ගැටගසා ගැනීමට මෑතක සිට කරන බරපතළ අරගලය ගැන විශේෂ ප්‍රවෘත්ති වාර්තා වරින් වර ඉදිරිපත් කරමින් සිටී. මෙයින් බොහෝ වැඩසටහන් පුන පුනා සඳහන් කරන්නේ ලංකා පාසල් දරුවන් මුහුණ පා ඇති ගැටලු  විසදීමට රජය කිසිම උනන්දුවක් නොදක්වන බව ය.

පිටරට ජීවත් වන ලාංකිකයන් වන අපට මේ ප්‍රවෘත්ති වාර්තා දකින විට ඇතිවන ශෝකය හා වේදනාව හා බලවත්ය.

මා පාසල් ගිය හැටේ හැත්තෑ දශකයන් දීදී ඉතාම දුප්පත් දරුවා පවා පාසැල් ආවේ උදේට හොඳ  ආහාර වේලක් ගැනීමෙන් පසුවය. ඒ කාලයේ මන්දපෝෂණය කියා එකක් රටේ තිබුනේ නැතග  කන්න නැතුව ළමයෙක් උදේ  කලන්ත වෙලා වැටුනා කියන කතාව අපි පාසල්  කාලයේ කිසි දිනක ඇසුවේ නැතග නමුත් අද තත්වය කුමක්දග බීබීසී, ITNහා අල් ජසීරා  නාලිකා  කියන්නේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පාසැලක දරුවන් දහ දොළොස් දෙනෙක් හාමත නිසා උදේ කලන්තව ඇද වැටීම දැන් සාමාන්‍ය සිද්දියක් බවට පත්ව ඇති බවයි. එනිසාම ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජයට ඒ ගැන කිසිම ගානක් නැතැයි ඔවුන් කියති. වේලක් කන්නට මුදල් හොයා ගැනීමට බැරුව ලත වන දෙමව්පියන්ට දරුවන් සඳහා සපත්තු අභ්‍යාස පොත් හෝ උපකරණ මිලදී ගැනීමට බැරි තරමට ඒවායේ මිල අහස උසට නැග ඇත.  බීබීසිය කියන්නේ මෙය ගහෙන් වැටුණු පාසල් දරුවාට ගොනා ඇනීමක් මෙන් කියා ය.

නමුත් ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජයට මේ බරපතළ  තත්ත්වය  පෙනෙන්නේ නැත. අඩුම ගානේ පාසැල්   දරුවන්ට අවශ්‍ය සී ආර්  පොත් හෝ පහසු මිලට ලබාදීමට අධ්‍යාපන ඇමතිවරයාට වුවමනාවක් නැත.

ඇමරිකන්  ආධාර යටතේ  සමහර පාසැල් වල ප්‍රාථමික අංශයේ ළමයින්ට දැන් දිවා ආහාරය ලැබේ. නමුත් ඒක බත් කෝප්පයකට  වඩා දරුවන්ට බෙදිම තහනම්ය. හතරවැන්නේ සිටින නංගිට බත් චුට්ටක් පමණක් ලැබෙන නමුත් 6 වැන්නේ සිටින අය්යට හෝ 10 වෙනි පන්තියේ සිටින අක්කට බනිස් කෑල්ලක්වත් ආණ්ඩුවෙන් ලැබෙන්නේ නැත. මෙය කොතරම් අකාරුණික හා කෲර ක්‍රියාවක් ද.

වාසනාවට ලංකාවේ මැති මැතිඇමතිවරුන්ට නොතේරෙන දරුවන්ගේ දුක ගැන අවබෝධ කරගත් ස්වේච්ඡා සංවිධාන දහස් ගණනක් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ දැන් තිබේ. මා සමග ආනන්දයේ ඉගෙනගත් සීනිගම  කුෂිල් ගුණසේකර මිතුරාගේ  ර්‍”ගුණ ජය සතුට” පදනම මගින් මාස්පතා පවුල් 35,000කට  වියලි ආහාර ලැබේ. කරුණා පදනම, සෙත් සරණ, ලන්කා දරුවෝ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ළමා පරපුර  රැක ගැනීමට වෙහෙසෙන තවත් ආයතනය කීපයකි.

අප විසින් ආරම්භ කරන ලද  ර්‍”එක්සත් රාජධානියේ ගාළු මිතුරු පදනම” විසින් කඹුරුපිටියේ පාසල් 12ක දරුවන් 2400 ක ට  පසුගිය ජූනි සිට නොවැම්බර් අග දක්වා දිනපතා දිවා ආහාරය නොමිලයේ සපයන ලද්දේ බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය දානපතියන් පරිත්‍යාග කල රු ලක්ශ 57කිනි. එම පාසැල්  දැරියන්ට සනීපාරක්ශක තුවා . ලබා දීමත් මේ දිනවල අපි කරගෙන යන්නෙමු.

නමුත් මේ රටේ අනාගතය වන   ළමා පරපුර රැක බලා ගැනීම බාහිර ආයතන විසින් කළ යුතු දෙයක් නොවේ.  එය මහජන ඡන්දයෙන් බලයට පත්වූ   රජය අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම කළ යුත්තක් නොවේද.  නමුත් ඇමතිවරු  කරන්නේ ,අනේ අපට ඕවාට සල්ලි නැතයි  බොරු  අදෝනා නගමින් වොයිස් කට් දීම පමණි.    නමුත්  පාසල් දරුවන්ට නොමිලේ එක වේලක්වත් දෙන්න මුදල් නැතැයි කියන ආණ්ඩුවට අලුත් ඇමතිවරු පත්කරගෙන රුපියල් ලක්ෂ ගණන් පඩි ගෙවීමට  නම්   සල්ලි    තිබේ.

රෝහල් වලට උපකරණ ගැනීමට මුදල් නැත.  ෆාමසි වලින් වැඩි මිලට වත් අවශ්‍ය බෙහෙත් ගන්නට   බැරි නිසා   අකාලයේ සිය ගනන් ලෙඩ්ඩු මිය යති.  බඩගින්න ඉවසන්නට බැරුව අම්මලා දරුවන් සමග සියදිවි නසා ගනිති.  ආණ්ඩුවට සල්ලි  නැහැ  කියා ජනතාවට අධික බදු බර පටවද්දී රාජ්‍ය ආයතන තුල කෝටි ගණන් මුදල් වංචා වෙති. ඒවා හොයන්නට හෝ වරදක් කරුවන්ට දඬුවම්  දෙන්නට ආණ්ඩුවට වේලාවක් නැත.

මේ අතර මුලූ රටම හිඟමනට වැටී තිබෙන අවදියක හැත්තෑ පස් වෙනි නිදහස් උත්සවය රුපියල්  මිලියන 18ක  වියදමෙන් අති උත්සවාකාරයෙන් පැවැත්විය යුතු  යැයි අගමැතිවරයා  අවධාරණයෙන් කියා සිටී.   මෙයට විරුද්ධ වීමට විපක්ෂයනායක වරයාටද  කොන්ද පණ නැත .  ඉතා චාම් ලෙස මෙම නිදහස් උත්සවය පවත්වා ඉතුරු කරගන්න  සල්ලි වලින් පාසල් දරුවන්ට මාසයක් දිවා ආහාරය  දෙන්න යැයි  අගමැති දිනෙශ්ට නියොග කිරිමට ජනාධිපතිවරයාට බැරි. ඇයි.

පක්ෂ විපක්ෂ මන්ත්‍රීවරු පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ බයිලා  කීයමින්

පිස්සු නටති. ජනතාව හාමතේය.  මුළු රටම සීඝ්‍රයෙන් අඳුරට ගමන් කරමින් සිටී.

නැව  ගිලෙමින් යද්දී පාලකයින්ට් තවමත් බෑන් චූන් ය.

බි්‍රතාන්‍ය ඉංජිනේරු ගාල්ලේ දෙව්සිරි පී. හේවාවිදාන ලන්ඩන් නුවර සිට ලියයි.

devsiri@hotmail.com

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Jan 21 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka expects to get China’s backing for its debt restructuring plan within days to help unlock a $2.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, a government official said on Friday, as India pledged further support to its crisis-stricken southern neighbour.

The island nation of 22 million people has grappled with challenges during the past year ranging from a shortage of foreign currency to runaway inflation and a steep recession – the worst such crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.

Sri Lanka is racing to secure a bailout from the IMF but requires the backing of both China and India, its biggest bilateral lenders, to reach a final agreement with the global lender.

India has already told the IMF it strongly supports Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring plan and China, the island’s largest bilateral lender, is the last major creditor that has yet to agree to the deal.

It is difficult to give details of the debt restructuring negotiations because of the confidentially of discussions,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Priyantha Ratnayake told reporters. However, we can say that discussions with China are at the final stage and we expect their assurances in the next few days.”

Ratnayake said China has been engaging with his country consistently and Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe had earlier this month with the head of China’s EXIM Bank, which is a key creditor.

India has also told Sri Lanka it is committed to boosting investment in its debt-ridden neighbour, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday during a visit.

India will encourage greater investments in the Sri Lankan economy, especially in core areas like energy, tourism and infrastructure,” Jaishankar told reporters in Colombo. We count on the government of Sri Lanka to provide a more business friendly environment to create a powerful pull factor.”

On Friday, Jaishankar met Wickremesinghe, and they are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding for a renewable power project covering three islands in Sri Lanka’s north.

Sri Lanka owes about $1 billion to India that will come under the purview of the debt restructuring deal. New Delhi has provided the island nation another $4 billion in rapid assistance since early last year.

We felt strongly that Sri Lanka’s creditors should take proactive steps to facilitate its recovery,” Jaishankar added.

India decided not to wait on others but to do what we believe is right. We extended financial assurances to the IMF to clear the way for Sri Lanka to move forward.”

Sri Lanka owed Chinese lenders $7.4 billion, or nearly a fifth of its public external debt, by the end of last year, calculations by the China Africa Research Initiative show.

Sri Lanka’s Ratnayake said there was no delay in negotiations with China.

The initial plan was for Sri Lanka to go for IMF board approval in December,” he added. India has already given their assurances and once China also gives assurances soon, then Sri Lanka will work to get approval as soon as possible. The next IMF board meeting is scheduled for March but we believe that can be advanced.”