By Rohana R. Wasala

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? 
Hamlet in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

The initial two year period of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidential term has been largely wasted through no fault of his. The general public know this truth. At the beginning, the MPs of the overwhelmingly rejected yahapalanaya, instead of assisting the then minority SLPP government formed after his election in November 2019, threw a spanner in the works by refusing to pass the ad hoc appropriation bill for securing the funds needed for conducting normal civil administration until a new parliament was elected. I for one don’t think that the voting public have forgotten how the failed yahapalanites spurned the clearly expressed public will on that occasion and tried to scuttle the progress of the fledgeling government in order to get the parliamentary elections indefinitely postponed so that their own electoral prospects would brighten as the government’s would proportionately darken due to its inability to function freely. When the unexpected global corona pandemic hit Sri Lanka soon after his inauguration, president Gotabaya was able to contain it with the assistance of the dedicated health and security personnel. But now, the government is floundering in a sea of troubles, principally due to decisions made for him by advisors who are after goals contrary to his Vision of Prosperity. 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was reported as having said the following at a ceremony to mark the Sri Lanka National Science Day and Science Week in parallel with the World Science Day held at Temple Trees on November 10, 2021. To me, it appeared that, while making these remarks, he was not addressing them to the people sitting in front of him on that occasion; but rather, he was soliloquizing in the imagined hearing of the people who elected him as president:  

It was because of the failure of five years of (Yahapalanaya) that I was elected to this post. But they (the Opposition) speak as if nothing happened during the past two years under my rule. 

To change this system, people ought not to bring back into power the old group if they fail to deliver what you expect of them, be it me, ministers of my government, or MPs. Look for new ones. I don’t know how to do that, though. If we do something good, it is necessary for everyone to cooperate for the sake of the country. That is the duty of the Opposition. We don’t have enough funds to invest in development. We need to bring in foreign investment. A country like ours cannot do without foreign direct investment. We don’t have enough resources. We cannot achieve any progress unless we do these investments.

We had to adjust to a new normal as a result of the Covid pandemic. It’s shameful that when a new normal is announced, they go on demonstrations or hold meetings. Is this what is needed under a new normal? This will lead to a new outbreak of the pandemic. Then we’ll have to close the schools again, and the country, too. Even the Opposition should think about these things.” 

(The above is my free translation of the president’s words.)

I see this as an obviously unintended dramatic soliloquy in which the president reiterates by implication his sincere commitment to the pledges he has given to the public. What  he almost literally says is that he won’t try to get elected to power again, if rejected in case he fails to deliver the promised results like the previous unsuccessful yahapalana government. Detractors read the president’s words as a confession of guilt for having (allegedly) misled the public by offering false promises or as an admission of failure. In my opinion, both interpretations are baseless, considering the constitutional roadblocks placed on the path to recovery by the yahapalana dominated parliament just before its dissolution by the newly elected president, and the severity of the economic issues resulting from the global corona pandemic. Whatever is happening now, the country owes the brightening prospects of the arrival of a younger, less self centered generation of rulers to the achievements as well as the defects of the shared leadership of the two brothers Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa. The ouster of the latter in 2015 in spite of his successful performance during his two terms was facilitated by his own lapses as a politician and a person which, being so well known by now, need no elaboration. Those deficiencies are even more brazenly in evidence than ever before. 

President Gotabaya’s problem is not a straightforward existential dilemma of ‘to be, or not to be’ that racked young prince Hamlet’s brain. It is definitely less life threatening or less fateful than the latter’s uncertainty. Gotabaya’s concern, instead, seems to be more mundane: it is about whether to maintain the illusion of the macho image of himself that the success of his performance as defense secretary during his brother Mahinda’s presidency (2005-15) persuaded his admirers to conjure up in their minds; or whether to betray his feet of clay by reversing the earlier, apparently ironclad, policy decisions that he committed himself to under different circumstances. Relaxing, where necessary, his personally preferred military rigidness, in my opinion, is the need of the hour. Real or perceived lack of flexibility in the current situation (barring instances where leniency is not possible such as drug busting operations) is likely to wrack the boat that circumstances have made it his lot to skipper. 

On an earlier occasion (opening of the new Kelani Bridge, November 6, 2021), president Goyabaya expressed his determination to fulfill the pledges stated in the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour manifesto. He described in some detail what the government had achieved amidst numerous odds stacked against it especially due to the unprecedented and unrecognized corona pandemic that dealt a severe blow on the country’s economy. These achievements were deliberately ignored by the opposition, whose policies when in power led to a critical downturn in the economy. He stressed that he worked according to a plan, from which would not deviate, come what may. He also said he was capable of forcing the cultivators to use organic fertilizer as through military coercion, though that is something he would never apply; he would never violate the country’s democracy for any reason.

Actually, there never could be any resistance to the ban on chemical fertilizer on the part of the poor farmers who are vulnerable to kidney disease due to drinking water contamination caused by chemicals, provided that an effective organic substitute is made available. (Incidentally, why not establish potable water production plants at state expense in the most severely affected areas for providing safe drinking water for the mostly impoverished rice cultivators at a nominal charge or completely free?) However, this is not the time to introduce a total ban, in view of the looming food scarcity predicted by experts. A drop in crop productivity during the switchover is inevitable. It will affect not only rice production, but vegetables, tea, coconut etc. I for one feel that, at least a large enough proportion of fertilizer provided should be of the accustomed chemical origin. Or the chemical fertilizer use could be subjected to a scientifically calculated phasing out period of gradual elimination involving the application of more and more organic with  less and less chemical fertilizer, particularly for food crops. Priority must be given to production of food for domestic consumption, though producing organically grown food for export could be more profitable in terms of foreign exchange earnings. In any case, the organic food production industry must be rescued from the reigning rice and fertilizer mafiosi. People will not blame the president if he turned his hawk’s eye on them and the emerging criminals who trade in soil and rubble mixed with chemicals, pretending it to be organic fertilizer, and hang one or two as a warning to others who may be thinking of following their example. 

KAMALIKA PIERIS

Tamil Separatist Movement says it is entitled to ask for a separate state because the Ceylon Tamils are a separate nation”. The concept “nation’ is not a legally recognized concept, nor is it recognized in international law. International law only recognizes the sovereign state. International law does not recognize imaginary nations either.

The word ‘nation ‘came from the Latin’ natio’ meaning a human group of same origin.  The word came into political use in Europe in the 19^th century. Analysts observed that European scholars used   the word ‘nation’ anyway they wished, in the 19th century and they are doing the same in the 20^th century.

Here is an assortment of definitions, which will indicate the contradictory positions taken, regarding the word ‘nation’. .Karl Deutsch defined a ‘nation’ as “a people in possession of a state”.  Peter Alter suggests that a nation is a politically mobilized people”. Walker Connor suggests that ‘nation’ is a ” self-defined group~. Pilsudski said that it is the state which makes the nation, not the other way round.

 Joseph Stalin, (1912) said that ‘A nation is a historically evolved, stable, community of language, territory, economic life, and psychological makeup manifested in a community of culture’.  To crown it all, Benedict Anderson (1983) said   nation is an “imagined community’. This means that the United Nations is a Union of Imagined Nations.

The nation states of Europe came into existence only about 200 years ago. Up to the 19 century, Europe was governed by two large empires which covered the whole of the European continent. The largest of these were the Holy Roman Empire, which formally ended in 1803, the Ottoman Empire which lasted till World War 1. (1914-1918)

 Within the Holy Roman Empire there were several ruling dynasties such as the Hapsburgs, who divided into the Spanish Hapsburgs and the Austrian Hapsburgs. Europe at this time consisted of a mass of small principalities, dukedoms, bishoprics, fiefs, each with a separate administration. Germany alone consisted of about 360 independent states. The various states went with various royal houses, like private property.  They were exchanged among the various ruling houses, through royal marriage alliances.

Some nations formed slowly. France was the earliest but slowest to turn into sovereign state. It took nearly 4 centuries. From the 10 century France had a continuous hereditary monarchy and a political centre in Paris. From here, over time, the kings annexed adjacent territory, such as Burgundy, Brittany, Normandy, and Toulouse, to form today’s Republic of France.

England had little difficulty in declaring itself a nation, in the 16 century because it was an island. Similarly Spain and Netherlands both jutted out to sea and had one border each with mainland Europe. Once that border was settled, they were on their way to becoming sovereign states. Italy and Germany unified through wars of unification starting in 1848. German unification was completed in 1871.Italy settled the matter during World War I.

Political unification did not automatically create a ‘nation state’. In Italy,   Massimo d’Azeglio’s, Prime Minister of Sardinia, said “We have made Italy, now we have to make Italians”. Bismarck, Chancellor of the newly united Germany, had to create a unified German state from the bunch of independent princely states that were brought under the King of Prussia.

Hobsbaum pointed out that the real push towards nation states was not cultural, it was economic. There was a significant expansion of trade and commerce in Europe during this time. There was an increase in the   number of cities, also trading and business houses and the middle class expanded. Roads and bridges led to better communication.  In Germany, an important milestone in its unification was the creation of the Zollverein, a customs union which included all the German states. Customs barriers between the states were eliminated and a common tariff created, leading to a sort of commercial union.

Europe in the 18 century was also notable for significant advances in political philosophy. It was the age of Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau and Adam Smith. These thinkers commented, inter alia, on economy and government. Their writings which actually reflected the utter backwardness of Europe   were thereafter treated as universal pronouncements of staggering importance and studied all over the world.

The French Revolution of 1789 and the administration reforms of Napoleon also influenced political thinking. The idea of nation state and constitutional government became popular. In 1848 there was a wave of activity all over Europe, with demands for state constitutions.

Countries which were under western rule used the European concept of nation to formulate a reason for demanding independence from the imperial powers. Ceylon did not need to declare it a nation to obtain independence.  It had been a well recognized monarchical state before, but the Tamil Separatist Movement took the opportunity to declare that it was a separate nation.

The Communist Party of Ceylon supported the Tamils. In 1944 Communist Party presented a memorandum on a federal constitution to the Ceylon National Congress. They said that the Tamils were historically evolved nation, living in a contiguous territory in their traditional homeland, speaking a common language, with a community of culture. They were entitled to self determination. The definition is straight out of Stalin’s definition in his Marxism and the national question” observed analysts.  The memorandum had been drafted by Pieter Keuneman and A Vaidilingam. (continued)

MD Pathik Hasan

Myanmar is one of Bangladesh’s closest neighbors with historic connectivity going back centuries. The 271 km long Bangladesh-Myanmar border is very important for Bangladesh due to its strategic position, although at present the area is militarized due to its ongoing internal conflicts. Were this to be resolved, Bangladesh could develop routes via Myanmar to access China to the east, and other southeast Asian countries to the south. 

On the other hands, Vietnam is very closed to Bangladesh and Myanmar geographically. Thailand is a neighboring state of Myanmar. Vietnam can be able to access in South Asia through Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand. There is a huge potential of Vietnamese products in the region. If Vietnam connects itself with Bangladesh-Myanmar-Thailand-India connectivity project and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar connectivity corridor, Vietnam would benefit. A huge potential is waiting for Vietnam. If the two projects can be implemented truly, Vietnam will be gainer in this regard. Bangladesh-Myanmar improved ties is very needed in this regard. Vietnam is a very friendly country to both Myanmar and Bangladesh

Vietnam can also use Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand as a transportation route to reach markets such as Nepal, Bhutan, and India, Pakistan, Afghanistan. Both Bangladesh and Myanmar are members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), an organization consisting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand that seeks to foster regional and economic cooperation. Vietnam can and should join BIMSTEC to utilize the benefits. Being a hub between South East Asian and South Asian country, Vietnam can use the routes to enter in the Bay of Bengal and Indian ocean easily through Myanmar and Bangladesh. Then it would be able to bolster its trade ties with South Asia, Central Asia and Middle East Asia.

Bangladesh is a Southeast Asian country and can be used as an important hub to connect ASEAN and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).  members of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka is difficult. Myanmar too, as an ASEAN member, can access the SAARC free-trade bloc through Bangladesh. Such a way, Thailand would benefit economically to boost up their trade ties. Vietnam will be able to ensure its maximum business interest. Vietnam can access into the market of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Central Asia easily through Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have also resolved a dispute over their maritime borders through the International Court of Justice. As a result, the rights of Bangladesh have been established in an area of 1,11,000 square kilometers. Myanmar’s waters have also been properly identified. Bangladesh-Myanmar-Thailand-Vietnam has potential to invest in maritime business in the Bay of Bengal. These countries should utilize and extract the maritime resource from the maritime zone. Blue economy can bring benefit for Bangladesh-Myanmar-Vietnam also.

The proposed construction of the Asian Highway, funded by the Asian Development Bank can increase land connectivity between the two countries and increase trade in products such as fertilizers, plastics, cement, and furniture, etc. Vietnam should and can join the project to ensure its maximum business interest. Vietnamese entrepreneurs can utilize to ensure their business interest by investing in Bangladesh’s agriculture, food processing, shipbuilding, electronics, leather, jute, light engineering and handicraft industries.

Myanmar and Vietnam which at present does have sophisticated manufacturing, can import electronics and pharmaceutical products that are readily produced from Bangladesh and benefit from the technology transfer. Bangladesh-Myanmar-Vietnam has potential of rice and fishery production. Trilateral effort is very needed here. Bangladeshi medicines, agricultural products garments, footwear and leather goods, knitwear, pharmaceuticals, tableware, home textiles, textiles, seafood and marine products, tea, potatoes, jute and jute products, light engineering products, spices, cosmetics and ceramics, Toilets, etc. can be exported easily to Vietnam through Myanmar and Thailand.

According to Bangladeshi media outlets, Vietnam exported clothes, shoes, electronics, seafood, oil, rice and coffee to Bangladesh. the other hand, Bangladesh has exported Oven Garments and Knitwear, Plastic, Jute and Jute Good, Leather to Vietnam. Trade between the two countries can be further enhanced by enhancing mutual cooperation, sending trade delegations and conducting joint research activities to explore new business opportunities.

But one of the major problems is the lack of adequate transport links for the expansion of bilateral trade between the two countries. Both countries are working to resolve this transportation issue and are in the process of joining the Asian Highway Network, which is expected to address this issue. Bangladesh and Vietnam are longstanding friends and connected by the Bay of Bengal and maritime routes, Bangladesh-Myanmar-Thailand-Vietnam should intensify cooperation in trade, investment and regional connectivity.

According to Bangladeshi media outlets. Bangladesh-Myanmar-Vietnam trilateral relations matters for ensuring great regional interest. Huge growth is possible in trilateral trade amongst the three nations.  Bangladesh will able to create a dedicated economic zone for Vietnamese investors, and pledge to extend all-out support. Bangladesh, Myanmar and Vietnam can Boost cooperation under the BIMSTEC framework.

China is now the biggest investor in Myanmar. China has invested over US$3 billion since the 2016-2017 fiscal year. One of the most strategic components of these investments is the US$1.3 billion Kyaukphyu deep seaport, which when completed, can provide China’s Yunnan province a shortcut to the Indian Ocean. Thailand can extract some benefits from the investments for its own gain.

The country’s biggest economic advantage for Myanmar is that they are a member of ASEAN. ASEAN controls about 24 percent of total world trade and its share in world trade is growing yearly. ASEAN’s trade relations with China, Japan, and South Korea are deepening due to the increase in trade and the upcoming RCEP agreement. ASEAN countries account for more than 50 percent of total trade between themselves and these three countries. 

Bangladesh is keen to provide assistance to Myanmar. Covid-19 vaccine distribution and counter-terrorism training are some areas for cooperation. The Rohingya refugee problem has, however, created some tension between the two countries, and find the solution can serve the longer-term interests of Bangladesh and Myanmar even Vietnam also. Myanmar and Bangladesh should solve this problem to serve its own and reginal interest. Myanmar should understand that it is the issue of the region. Whole South Asia and South East Asia may be volatile and unstable for this problem.

Vietnam can play a very significant role in this regard. Vietnam can mediate to bolster the strained relations between Bangladesh-Myanmar. Vietnam can play to repatriate the Rohingyas in Rakhine in Myanmar. Vietnam can easily resolve the problem because it has a very good relations with Myanmar. However, Vietnam can support for Bangladesh’s bid for membership in Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Forum and the ASEAN Sectoral Partnership. Bangladesh and Vietnam can closely cooperate in different regional forums including BISMTEC, ARF, ASEM, and AMED and multilateral forums including UN, WTO and ITU.

However, the three countries can also increase production in the agricultural sector through joint ventures. Apart from adopting joint investment projects, Bangladesh can increase imports of various agricultural products including pulses, spices, fish and rice. Thus, enhancing trilateral relations could contribute to the growth of trade and investment relations with ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries. This will create an opportunity to solve the Rohingya problem and stop militant activities. Therefore, Myanmar should take effective steps to strengthen bilateral relations to connect the South East Asia with South Asia. Vietnam should and can play an effective role to motivate Myanmar to bolster ties with Bangladesh. Benefit is waiting not only for Myanmar but also for Vietnam.

Dr Sudath Gunasekara. Mahanuwara. 

While welcoming that policy decision of the Government who can say that this is not another election gundu to deceive the people aimed at the proposed Provincial Council Elections? If the Government was really honest and concerned about public good it should have abolished this joke as Canada had done it in 1995, without continuing an unwanted bonanza to trap politicians cunningly used as bait by party leaders, that blead the nation.

The Mike Harris government eliminated MPPs’ pension plans following the 1995 provincial election. Even it is allowed in exceptional cases like in Canada a pension to a politician should be paid only after 65 years when they are disabled to earn a living.

Why pay pensions to politicians at all who volunteer and swear to serve the people at elections and rob and destroy the entire nation

The Government in its Budget speech has proposed that MPP will be eligible for a pension only after completing 10 years continuous service”

My question is why pay a pension at all to any politician in this country Because paying a pension to any politician is contrary to all basic principles related to the principle of paying pensions accepted all over the world. Because the origin of the idea of paying a pension has begun in the world first for people over 70 years in old age for the continuous service, they have rendered to the nation who are disabled to make their living, as a mark of gratitude for the devoted service they have rendered to the nation or the company for life.

The man behind the initiative called The Old Age and Disability Bill” was Otto von Bismarck.  of the German Empire. Germany was thus the first European country to establish a fully-fledged pensions system for workers aged 70 or more. The limit was lowered to 65 in 1916.June.

In 1875, The American Express Co. created the first private pension plan in the U.S. for the elderly and workers with disabilities. Early pension benefits were designed to pay out a relatively low percentage of the employee’s pay at retirement and were not designed to replace the employee’s full final income.

In this country it was started by the colonial Government to make a payment in their old age for the dedicated service they had rendered to the Empire. Subsequently it was extended to retired public servant who had completed 35 years of satisfactory service in the public service. As such there was full justification for a man or a woman who has devoted his or her service to the nation in her or his whole life while debarring any other job while one is in engaged in public service as his or her only income for living comes to an end the day he/she retires. But it should be noted that to get that benefit they had also to contribute a certain percentage monthly from their salary for which the Government contributed a certain percentage. Therefore, in fact they are paid from a reserve fund maintained by the Government out of funds they have contributed throughout their service. What is more is they have to complete 35 years of service to get qualified to get that pension. When someone retires prematurely the pension is freeze until he reaches the age of 55. This clearly shows that there is a very sound rationale for paying a pension to a retired public servant and it is fully justified both rationally and ethically.

 Now let us examine the rationale of paying a pension to a politician in this country. Paying pensions to politicians in this country was started in 1977 by the JR Jayawardhana Government. Curiously it was the first legal enactment of the so-called Democratic Socialist Government of JR. passed by Act No 1 of his government as if it was the most burning public issue his government had to solve. Doesn’t this show the degree of concern and commitment our politicians have towards the welfare of the people who elevate them to high position by electing them with a 5/6^th majority in 1977 hoping to get a better deal than from the previous Government of Mrs Bandaranayaka. What is more hilarious and despicable is this piece of legislation marked the turning point in Sri Lankan political culture where the interests of the politicians overtook that of the subjects in a country that inherited a rich legacy of public goo enshrined in the concept of the Buddhist teaching Bahujana hitaaya Bahujana sukhaaya” (for the good of the many and for their happiness at large) for 2500 years.

What is even more despicable is that it was awarded to all politicians who complete 5 years service” irrespective of whether they served the people or not. The funniest part of it was the payment of that pension to his /her spouse after the death of the MP. Further his family will get another pension if his or her son or daughter had been appointed as the Private Secretary a tradition that had come to stay as a political privilege. Payment of pensions under this scheme was made with retrospective effect and it was payable even to politicians who served in the State Council if they were living with arrears.

Only one man refused to accept this blood money in the history of Parliament. He returned it to Speaker. The man mentioned here was my good friend M.S. Themis the 3^rd MP for Colombo Central in 1956.He was the first person and perhaps the only man to return it. I know it for certain as I was the one who prepared the covering letter to the Speaker.  

This piece of legislation was also a complete violation   of the Pension minute which nobody dared to challenge or even question up to date either in a court of law or Parliament that is said to be the Supreme lawmaking body in the country. Isn’t it interesting to note how our Law makers make laws and for whose benefit they make them in this so-called supreme legislature of the country expected to make laws for good governance for the good of the people and the good of the country at large?

JR did not stop at that. He did everything to enhance the fabulous benefit package to MPP with immediate effect. He dramatically increased salaries, increase payments for attending Parliament, official vehicles with duty free vehicle permits were also provided, which they could sell in the open market and make a fabulous fortune. Official quarters in Colombo were also given where as they had to be in Colombo only for 8 days a month. Unlimited job permits for MPP to give employment for their party supporters only, monopoly of tavern license, business permits and government contracts, LRC land nationalized by Mrs B for a song and government Import permits.  The sky was the limit to such privileges. Here I stop the list for brevity and lack of space. All this was done to buy over the MPP to maintain the majority in Parliament to embellish and consolidate his dictatorial position as the Executive President which perhaps he thought is a lifetime job, but unfortunately not.

 The same corrupt and highway robbery situation still continues in incremental scale without being openly questioned or challenged by anyone in the ‘People’s Parliament. So much so today the whole system of governance in this country has become a veritable national liability.

 JR also increased the number of MPP in Parliament from 196 to 225 by introducing a thing called a National list to provide a place in Parliament for their kith and kin and family friends as backdoor MPP bypassing the elections and thus making Representative Parliament a ”Non-representative thereby making representative democracy a big fast and a hilarious joke. Instead of reducing it to 165 the previous number that would have save billions for national development and reduced IMF and other foreign loans thereby reducing the annual budget deficits and avoiding bankruptcy.

On the top of this JR also signed an Agreement with Rajiv Ghandi completely handing over the North and East comprising 1/3 of the land of the country and 2/3^rd of the coastal belt together with the maritime territory adjacent to it as the Traditional Historical Homeland of the Tamil people completely forgetting the fact that the only Traditional Historical Homeland of Tamil people on earth exists only in Tamilnadu South India. (See Rajiv /JR Indo Lanka Accord of 29^th July 1987 for a full list of JR’S betrayal ) Thereby he committed an unpardonable criminal offence against the Sinhala Buddhist nation by selling 1/3 of the homeland of the Sinhala nation that had been their motherland from the inception of known human history and also thereby making the way for annihilating the Sinhala nation and the Mother  land of the Sinhala nation as he had once predicted in his public speeches where he said the Sinhala nation will be extinct  in another 25 years.  

What was even more traitorous was the Agreement to establish 9 Provincial Councils co-terminus with the British made Provinces to divide the country in to nine independent governing units making the way for the establishment of Future EELAM -the dream land of Prabhaharan to erase the 2500 year old Sinhala Kingdom from the surface of this earth.

Each of these Provinces to be governed by a Governor, a board of 5 Ministers headed by a Chief Minister and an army of Provincial councilors  of about 700 low grade politicians supported by a some 14,000 Pradesiya Sabha (double the number that was there before. Politically this system lead to quasi-Federal status leading to a Federal state to begin with, with (1) a Tamilnadu comprising the North, East, Central, Sabaragamuwa and Uva only for Tamils, amalgamated under the provisions in the Rajiv/JR Accord  for amalgamation  2 or more Provinces comprising 2/3 of the area of the Island, a mono Tamil state and the balance 1/3 for a multi racial community including Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and all others, leading to a virtual pickle and an eternal battle ground of ethnic, religious and social crises that will finally lead to the extinction of the  2500 year old Sinhala Buddhist civilization from the surface of this earth.

What is more depressing is already this provincial council system has wasted trillions (Koti- Prakoti) of public funds for the upkeep  of new political creations for no benefit to the country but benefiting only the politicians, from 1987 to date . It has been said that 85% of national tax collection is spent for the upkeep of politicians and so-called public officials in this country leaving only 15 % left for all other work concerning the country and 21millions citizens. I do not propose to say a word about the lawlessness, corruption and international debts to the tune of 56 billion US $ as at present dragging the country to the bottom of abject poverty and bankruptcy converting this once proud nation and second richest country in South East Asia second only to Japan by 1948 but now to a nation with a begging bowl going round the world and have already taken loans even from Bangladesh and Maldives the latest.

This is the pathetic situation in to which this proud and rich nation which gave Sterling loans even to the British Empire in early 1950s has been put by our politicians who are supposed to have ruled this Island nation from 1948 up to date.

And mind you it is to this kind of politicians who have robbed the nation hook, line and sinker and also those who continue to do the same game and jointly responsible for making this country a debt ridden and begging country this peracetic and good for nothing governments continue to give a fat pension extracting from the beggar’s bowl

In this back drop as for me, I strongly oppose a single scent been given to any politician as a pension. In addition, I also suggest that all extraordinary benefits like palatial official mansions and all other benefits like official vehicles, security and other benefits be withdrawn forthwith before the masses march in thousands and forcibly take over all these public assets as a protest against what they have done to this country and the Sinhala nation over the past 73 years.

 This includes all politicians including the ex-Presidents and their rich widows. However, I am not against for paying a pension to an honest politician like C W.W Kannangara who has devoted his entire life for the service to the people and the country and who had done an indelible and memorable service to the nation, after passing a resolution in Parliament to that effect. That will definitely prevent self- seeking wealth mongering people doing politics and limit it to men and women of outstanding character, dignity and commitment to the service of people.

Finally I propose first, the immediate abolition of the pension scheme to all politicians and second, appointment of a powerful Presidential or a public Commission to enquire in to the illicit and illegitimate earnings of all politicians at all levels starting from 1977 up to date and confiscate all illicitly earned assets proved, both at home and abroad such as Pandora assets and credit all that wealth to the General Treasury Account so that people will get back all their wealth robbed by politicians at least from 1977 onwards so that all those who aspire to be politicians in future in this country will begin with a new political vision opening the doors to a new political culture setting a Sri Lankan model for the entire world and once again restore the ancient glory of this Island nation.

MD Pathik Hasan

Sri-Lanka is located ideally for a direct maritime or short sea
connectivity with many countries in the region. As an island economy, Sri Lanka’s regional connectivity has been mainly through its main seaport in Colombo, for south Asian countries.

The ports of Chittagong in Bangladesh and the ports of Colombo and Hambantota in Sri Lanka are located nearly 1515 nautical miles from each other.  Robust, smooth connectivity and linkages between these ports would ensure and facilitate more shipping, tourism and investments between the two countries. Education and sports are other areas of collaboration between the two nations.

On the other hand, Bangladesh and Thailand are near neighbors, connected by the Bay of Bengal. The development of these maritime ties would benefit both countries in terms of trade, investment, and regional communications. 

The two countries are in talks to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) to boost trade and investment. Bangladesh is geographically positioned as a gateway between ASEAN and SAARC with potential access to both for each other’s export-driven manufacturers. ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, while SAARC includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. 

The Chittagong seaport is the main seaport in Bangladesh. 90 percent of Bangladeshi trade is conducted through the Chattagram Port Terminal, with the rest being taken up by Bangladesh’s Ports at Mangla and Payra.    

Thailand’s Ranong Port is situated on the Kraburi River of the Kra Peninsula, across from Myanmar and on the Indian Ocean, coast and lies 1,220km from Chittagong. 

Thailand’s Southern Economic Corridor project, approved by the Government in August 2018, emphasizes the development of Ranong port as a gateway to trade with Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Using Ranong port for trade with Bangladesh’s Chittagong, Payra, and Mangla ports will reduce the distance between the two countries and boost trade. Then this connectivity can then be extended to India’s Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai ports, Iran’s Chabahar through Lankan Colombo port. 

The launch of direct shipping services amongst Colombo, Mumbai, Chennai, Chittagong and Ranong ports has received a new push as trade amongst the countries is increasing.

Sri Lankan foreign minister GL Peiris recently met his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen in Dhaka and expressed interest in collaborating in the shipping field, with cooperation between the ports of Chittagong and Colombo and Hambantota. He emphasised on feeder services and coastal shipping arrangements. Both discussed bilateral commercial ties.

Cooperation on a transshipment hub would be beneficial to Bangladesh because of the reduction of time and nautical miles, a Bangladeshi newspaper reported.

Sri Lanka’s investment in Bangladesh is around $2.5 billion. About 110 Sri Lankan companies are operating in Bangladesh. The annual bilateral trade volume is now around $200 million.

Sri Lanka is keen on a preferential trade agreement with Bangladesh and is happy that technical negotiations have commenced and are proceeding, Peiris said.

On the other hand, Bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Thailand reached US$837.08 million in 2019-20. Bangladesh’s total exports to Thailand in 2020 were US$35.46 million while imports from Thailand were worth US$801.3 million, very much in Thailand’s favor. 

Bangladeshi exports to Thailand are on an upward trend, however. This year exported values are expected to reach just under US$40 million, a 12 percent increase YoY. 

According to FDI stock data in Bangladesh, Thailand is the 15th largest investor in the country. This however would increase significantly if an FTA can be agreed upon, and the two countries build direct maritime connectivity between Chittagong and Ranong ports. 

There is precedent. When Bangladesh signed FTA with the SAARC members in 2006, its imports and exports doubled within ten years, being a relatively constant (there was a dip in 2011) and sustainable 10% GDP growth in trade per annum. 

In terms of commodities, Thailand mainly exports cement, cereals, plastics, man-made staple fibers, sugar and sugar confectionery, machinery and mechanical equipment, cotton and cotton cloth, salt, sulfur, clay, stone, and mineral fuels to Bangladesh. 

In the reverse direction, Bangladesh exports garments, vegetables, textile fibers, garments, animal products, electrical and electronic equipment, frozen fish, and crustaceans to Thailand. 

Direct sea connectivity between Chittagong and Ranang can be expected to play an important role in expanding trade and commerce between the two countries. The time and cost of transporting goods between them can be reduced by 30 percent and are likely to play a key role in building ties with other Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar and India. The introduction of direct shipping between the two countries will encourage traders from both to expand their regional trade and investment.

Thailand could increase trade ties with India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka under the framework of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

The establishment of trade and economic corridors through coordination between the Look East Policy of India and Bangladesh and the Look West Policy of Thailand and the establishment of connectivity through coastal shipping is likely to bring prosperity for all. 

Dhaka is additionally counting on Bangkok’s support for Bangladesh’s bid for membership in the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Forum as well as the ASEAN Sectoral Partnership.

Thailand and Bangladesh are also both active partners in the Belt and Road Initiative. If Chittagong and Ranong port connectivity can be extended to Iran’s Chabahar port through Sri Lanka’s Colombo and the International North South Transport Corridor project (INSTC) through to Central Asia and Turkey, this will create significant trade potential. 

Although the Maritime Assistance Agreement between Bangladesh and Thailand was completed in 1986 and is currently in force, changes need to be made to bring these opportunities to fruition. But the Bangladesh and Thailand can renew the agreement for ensuring their business interests. 

Progress is being made. Thai ambassador to Bangladesh, Makawadee Sumitmor stated at a bilateral business meeting with the Chittagong World Trade Center in September this year that there is a trade gap between the two countries. She also said that the expansion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral route will boost trade in this region and that she was waiting for the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Thai authorities and the Chittagong Port Authority to establish direct shipping links by sea. 

There are huge opportunities for Thai investors in infrastructure, light engineering, agriculture and food processing, and tourism and healthcare. Thailand and Bangladesh both could and should utilize these potentials. But smooth connectivity is needed to boost the Trade. Colombo, Mumbai, Chennai, Chittagong and Ranong port connectivity would boost up the trade, expansion of tourism. India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Thailand can both benefit from this mutually rewarding sea connectivity project.

The Secretary Agriculture Graduate’s Association of the Sri Lanka Agriculture Service

පළිබෝධනාශක රෙජිස්ට්‍රාර්වරයාගේ  2021.11.22 දිනැති 2255/5 අංක දරන ගැසට් නිවේදනය පිළිබඳව මතුව ඇති ගැටළු පිළිබඳ කරුනු පැහැදිලි කිරීම

ග්ලයිෆොසෙට් ඇතුළු පළිබෝධනාශක වර්ග 05ක් භාවිතය තහනම් කරමින් නිකුත් කර තිබු 2014.12.22 දිනැති 1894/4 අංක දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය අවලංගු කරමින් 2021.11.22 දිනැති 2255/5 අංක දරන නව ගැසට් නිවේදනයක් පළිබෝධනාශක රෙජිස්ට්‍රාර් විසින් නිකුත් කර ඇත. එය නැවත පළිබෝධනාශක මෙරටට ගෙන ඒම සඳහා ලබා දුන් අවසරයක් නොවන බව පැහැදිලි කරුණකි.

·       ඉහත සඳහන් 2014.12.22 දිනැති 1894/4 අංක දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය මගින් ග්ලයිෆොසෙට්, ප්‍රොපනිල්, කාබරිල්, ක්ලෝෆයිරිපොස් සහ කාබොෆියුරාන් ලෙස හඳුන්වනු ලබන සක්‍රිය රසායන ද්‍රව්‍ය අන්තර්ගත වන පලිබෝධ නාශක ද්‍රව්‍ය විකිණීම සහ භාවිතය අනුරාධපුරය, පොළොන්නනරුව, කුරුණෑගල, මොණරාගල, දිස්ත්‍රික්ක තුල හා බදුල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ මහියංගණය, රිදිමාලියද්ද සහ කන්දකැටිය යන ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කොට්ඨාශ තුල තහනම් කරනු ලැබුවා.

·       නමුත් 2016.12.28 දිනැති 1999/33 දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය මගින් කාබරිල්, ක්ලෝෆයිරිපොස් සහ කාබොෆියුරාන් ලෙස හඳුන්වනු ලබන සක්‍රිය රසායනික  ද්‍රව්‍ය අන්තර්ගත වන පලිබෝධ නාශක සම්බන්ධයෙන් නිකුත් කර ඇති සියලුම බලපත්‍ර අවලංගු කර ඇත. එහෙයින් අදටත් බලාත්මක වන්නේ 2016.12.28 දිනැති 1999/33 දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය වන අතර ඉහත සඳහන් පලිබෝධ නාශක ආනයනය තහනමේ කිසිදු වෙනසක් නැත.

·       එසේම 2018. 09. 13 දිනැති 2088/57 අංක දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය මගින් ග්ලයිෆොසෙට් වල්නාශකය සීමා කරන ලද පළිබෝධනාශකයක් (වල්නාශකයක්) ලෙස වර්ගකර ඇති අතර 2018.10.02 දිනැති 2019/13 අංක දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය මගින් එය තේ සහ රබර් වගාවන් සඳහා පමණක් භාවිතා කලයුතු බවට සීමා කර ඇත. 

·       මෙම කරුණ තවදුරටත් පැහැදිලි කළහොත් 2014.12.22 දිනැති 1894/4 අංක දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය බලාත්මකව පවතින අවස්ථාවක 2018.10.02 දිනැති 2019/13 අංක දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීම තාක්ෂණික ගැටළුවකට මුල පිරීමකි. භාවිතය තහනම් කර ඇති ප්‍රදේශයක පවතින තේ හෝ රබර් වගාවක් සඳහා ග්ලයිෆොසෙට් භාවිතා කිරීමට අවශ්‍ය වුවත් 2014.12.22 දිනැති 1894/4 අංක දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය මගින් එය අවුරා ඇත.

·       එම හේතුව නිසා 2016.12.28 දිනැති 1999/33 දරන අති විශේෂ ගැසට් පත්‍රය අවලංගු කිරීම සිදු කර ඇති අතර 2255/5 අංක දරන නව ගැසට් නිවේදනය  2018 වර්ෂයේ නිකුත් කලයුතු ගැසට් පත්‍රයක් වුවත් රජයේ ක්‍රියාවලියන්ගේ තිබෙන ප්‍රමාදයන් නිසා 2021.11.22 දින මුද්‍රණය වී ඇති බව පෙනේ. 

මෙම කරුණු පිළිබඳව හරි හැටි සොයා බැලීමක් සිදුනොකර කෘෂිකර්ම අමාත්‍යතුමා විසින් පලිබෝධනාශක රෙජිස්ට්‍රාර් වරයා ධූරයෙන් පහකලයුතු බවට සිදුකරන ලද ප්‍රකාශය දැඩි ලෙස හෙලාදකින අතර මෙම තීරණය වහාම නිවැරදි කරන ලෙස අතිගරු ජනාධිපතිතුමා ඇතුළු සියළුම බලධාරීන්ට බලකර සිටිමු. 

රජිත් කිර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් දකුණ හා මධ්‍යම පළාත් හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර  

අද ආණ්ඩුවේ කාබනික වගා සංකල්පය පිස්සන් කොටුවට බෝම්බ දැම්මා වගේ එකම විකාරයක් බවට පත්වෙලා.  කවුරුවත් ග්ලයිෆොසෙට් තහනම ඉවත් කරන්න කිව්වේ නෑ.  හැබැයි ගොවියෝ කෘමිනාශක, දිලීර නාශක, වල් නාශක ඉල්ලනවා. ඒ එකක්වත් ගෙනල්ලා ගොවියා, ගොවිතැන ගොඩගන්න කටයුතු කරන්නේ නෑ. හැබැයි උදේ – දවල් – හවස අමාත්‍යාංශයේ එක එක්නෙකා බොරු කිය කිය මාධ්‍ය සංදර්ශනයක් තියෙනවා යැයි හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් පවසයි.

කෘෂිකර්ම අමාත්‍යාංශයට ඕනි මොනවා හරි බොරුවක් කියලා ගොවියෝ ටික කුඹුරට හේනට දක්කන්න පුළුවන් ද බලනවා.  අද ගොවියාට ජනාධිපති, කෘෂිකර්ම ඇමතිලා, ලේකම්ලා, අධ්‍යක්ෂකලා කියන කිසිම දෙයක් විශ්වාස නෑ.  දිලීර නාශක, කෘමි නාශක ඉල්ලුවාම ග්ලියෆොසෙට් වලට ගැසට් ගහන ආණ්ඩුවක් මේක.  ඔය ගැසට් එක කෙටුම්පත් කළේ 2019.  ඔය කෘෂිරසායන අවශ්‍ය මහා පරිමාන තේ, පොල්, රබර් වගාවන්ට. ඒ වගා රැකගන්න ඕනි.  ඊට ඉස්සර වෙල එළවලු ටික, වී වගාව, තේ වගාව, සුළු අපනයන, එදානෙදා කණ බොන වගාවට තියෙන ප්‍රශ්න විසඳගෙන ඉන්න ඕනි.  මේක තරනිකරම ඇස් බැන්දුමක්.  කෘෂිකර්ම අමාත්‍යාංශය එකගෙය ගෙයි කන ගමන් මාධ්‍ය ඉදිරියේ බොරුවට ගහ බැන ගන්නවා.  මහින්දානන්ද බලයට ආවේ ටොප් ටෙන් පෙන්නලා.  හැබැයි අල්ලපු ටොප් ටෙන් කෙනෙක් නෑ.  දැන් මහින්දානන්ද ටොපේ ටොප්. එයා තමයි ජනාධිපති ලඟට හොඳටම කරන්නේ.  

ලංකාවේ වගාවට කෘෂි රසායන 156 ක් ලියාපදිංචි කරලා තියෙනවා. ඒ එකක්වත් නැතිව, තහනම් කරපු ඒවා ගේන්න හදිස්සි වෙලා තියෙනවා.  මහින්දානන්ද – ශෂින්ද්‍ර දෙන්නට ගොවියා ගැන කිසිම හැඟීමක් නෑ. මොකක්හරි ජාවාරමක් දැක්කොත්   

අපි දැක්කා, හිටපු ගමන් ආණ්ඩුව පාසල්, විශ්වවිද්‍යාල වහලා තියොගෙන සුරාසැල් ඇරියා. හැබැයි ඇරපු කෙනෙක් නෑ.  දැන් ගැසට් ගහනවා.  ගැසට් එක ගැහුවට පස්සේ ගහපු මිනිහා අයින් කළා කියනවා.  ඇමතිට ඕනි විදිහට බෑ පිලිබෝධ නාශක රෙජිස්ට්‍රාර්ව අයින් කරන්න.  ලියුම අස්සන් කරන නිලධාරියාට සිද්ධවෙනවා උත්තර දෙන්න.

අද කෘෂිකර්ම අමාත්‍යාංශයේ ලේකම්ට බනිනවා. කෘෂිකර්ම අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජෙනරාල්ට බනිනවා. සභාපතිලා එලවනවා.  මේවා නාට්ටි.  චීන අශුචි නැවට සල්ලි ගෙවන්න අනුමැතිය ගත්තා.  නැනෝ යුරියා මඟඩිය තව නැගලා යනවා.  අද කෘෂිකර්ම අමාත්‍යාංශය ටොපේ ටොප්.

රජිත් කිර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්

දකුණ හා මධ්‍යම පළාත් හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර  

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

නව ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා කෙටුම්පත පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීවරුන්ට ඉදිරිපත් කොට සාකච්ඡාවට ලක්කරන බව අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා අද (23) දින පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ දී පැවසීය.

අය-වැය කාරක සභා අවස්ථාවේ ජනාධිපති, අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලය ඇතුළු ආයතනවල වැය ශිර්ෂ විවාදයට එක්වෙමින් අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා මේ බව අවධාරණය කළේය.

නව ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා කෙටුම්පතක් සකස් කරන බවත් රහසිගතව සිදුවන යමක් එහි නැතිබවත් අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා මෙහිදී පෙන්වා දුන්නේ. 

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා අද දින පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ දී කළ සම්පූර්ණ කතාව මෙසේය.

ගරු කථානායකතුමනි,

ගෝලීය කොවිඩ් වසංගත තත්ත්වය හමුවේ අපි රජයක් ලෙස මූලිකත්වය ගත්තේ ජනතාව ආරක්ෂා කරන්න. ජනතාවගේ ආරක්ෂාව වෙනුවෙන් ගන්න ඕන හැම තීරණයක්ම අපි නිසි වෙලාවට ගත්ත කියල අපි තමුන්නාන්සේලට මතක් කරන්න ඕන.

ගරු කථානායකතුමනි,

මම මේ දේවල් කියන්නේ එම කටයුතු කළමනාකරණය කරන්න අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලය කළ කාර්යය භාරයත් සිහිපත් කරන්න.

කොවිඩ් වසංගතය ආරම්භයේදී අපේ රජය අතවශ්‍ය සේවා කටයුතු සඳහා ජනාධිපති කාර්ය සාධක බලකායක් පත් කළා එම ජනාධිපති කාර්ය සාධක බලකාය අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලයේ සිට අප‌‌ගේ අධීක්ෂණය යටතේ කටයුතු කළා ජනතාවගේ අතවශ්‍ය සේවා ඉටු කිරීමටත් ජනතාවගේ ගැටළු විසඳීමටත් දවසේ පැය 24 පුරාම අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලය කටයුතු කළ බව අපි තමුන්නාන්සේලට මතක් කරන්න ඕන. ඒ වගේම අපි පක්ෂ නායකයන් සමඟ අදහස් හුවමාරු කර ගත්තා. ජනතාවගේ අතවශ්‍ය සේවා සහ සෞඛ්‍ය පහසුකම් ලබා දීමට  අපි හැම අවස්ථාවකදීම මැදිහත් වුණා. වෛද්‍යවරුන් ආරක්ෂක හමුදාවන් ඒ වෙනුවෙන් තමන්ගේ කටයුතු යුතුකම් ඉටු කළා. 

ගරු කථානායකතුමනි,

අපි දන්නවා කොවිඩ් වංසගතයෙන් ඇතිවූ ආර්ථික අවපාතය තදින්ම රටට බලපාල තියෙන බව. ව්‍යාපාර ‌බොහෝමයක් කඩා වැටිලා. රජය මේ අවස්ථාවේ සැලසුම් කරන්නේ කොවිඩ් වංසගතයෙන් වැටුණු ආර්ථිකය ගොඩනගන්න. ඒ අනුව තමයි මුදල් ඇමතිතුමා කෙටි කාලීන සහ දිගු කාලීන සැළසුම් ඇතුළත් අයවැයක් මෙවර ඉදිරිපත් කළේ. ජනතාවගේ පැත්තෙන් සිදුවන ආර්ථීක හා සමාජයීය සංවර්ධනය රටට අවශ්‍යයයි. මේ අසීරු අවස්ථාවේදී ඒ අයට නැගිටින්න පුළුවන් ආර්ථිකයක් ගොඩනඟන එක තමයි අපේ බලාපොරොත්තුව.

ගරු කථානායකතුමනි,

2019 අපි බාරගත්තේ කඩා වැටුණු ආර්ථීකයක් ඒක මතක් කරන්න ඕන. ඒ ආර්ථිකය ඔසවා තබන්න අපේක්ෂාව මෙවර අය වැය යෝජනාවල තියෙනවා. සුපුරුදු පරිදි තම තමන්ගේ දේශපාලනය වෙනුවෙන් කරන වාද විවාද කරනවා අපි දැක්කා. ඒ වුණත් විරුද්ධ පක්ෂය ඉදිරිපත් කරන ‍යම් සාධනීය අදහස්වලටත් අපි සවන් දෙනවා ඔබතුමන්ලා සාධනීය අදහස් ඉදිරිපත් කළොත් අපි එයට සවන් දෙන්න සූදානම්. අපි මේ වෙලාවේ සාමූහිකව රටේ අනාගතය වෙනුවෙන් තීන්දු තීරණ ගත යුතුයි. ජනතාව වෙනුවෙන් ඒ යුතුකම ඉටු කරන්න මේ උත්තරීතර පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ සියලුම මන්ත්‍රීවරුන්ට හැකියාව තිබෙනවා.

ගරු කථානායකතුමනි,

2022 වසර සදහා නව ව්‍යාපාර ලියාපදිංචිකරන ව්‍යවසායකයන්ගෙන් කිසිදු ලියාපදිංචි ගාස්තුවක් අපි අය කරන්නේ නැහැ. අපේ රටේ තරුණ තරුණයින්ට  ආරාධනා කරනවා නව ව්‍යාපාරික අදහස්වලින් රටේ ආර්ථික සංවර්ධනය ගොඩනගන්න එකතු වෙන්න කියලා. ඒ වගේම විදේශීය විනිමය රටට ගෙන ඒමටත් දායක වෙන්න කිලා. 

ගරු කථානායකතුමනි,

අපි ජනතාවට පොරොන්දුවක් දුන්නොත් ඒ පොරොන්දු ඉටුකළ යුතුයි. වසර 25කට ආසන්න කාලයක් නොවිසඳුනු ගුරු විදුහල්පති වැටුප් විෂමතාව මෙවර අය-වැයෙන් විසඳන්න අපි කටයුතු කරමින් පවතිනවා.මෙවර අය වැයෙන් අධ්‍යාපනය වෙනුවෙන් වැඩිම මුදල් ප්‍රමාණය වෙන් කරලා තියෙනවා. අපි මේ හැම දේම කරන්නේ රටේ අනාගතය වෙනුවෙන්.අභියෝග හමුවේ රට ගොඩගැනීමට අප දරන වෙහෙසට ඔබ සියලු දෙනාගේම සහය ලබා දෙනු ඇතැයි අපි විශ්වාස කරනවා.

ගරු කථානායකතුමනි,

අපි විපක්ෂයේ කරන යෝජනා ඒ වගේම විවේචන සාවදානව අහගෙන හිටියා.   සමහර විවේචන අසාධාරණයි. සමහර විවේචනවල සාධාරණයක් තියේනම් ඒ විවේචන අපි පිළිඅරගෙන ඒවා නිවැරදි කරන්න ඕනෑම වේලාවක අප සූදානම් බව මේ අවස්ථාවේදි මතක් කරනවා. ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාව ගැන කථා කළා අපි දැන් කෙටුම් පතක් සකස් කරගෙන යනවා. ඒක පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් වෙත ඉදිරිපත් කරලා එය සාකච්ඡාවට ලක් කරන බව මතක් කරනවා. ඒ නිසා ඒ පිළිබඳව රහසිගතව  අපි කිසි දෙයක් කටයුතු නොකරන බව තමුන්නාසේලාට මතක් කරනවා යැයි අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා පැවසීය.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

දකුණු ඉන්දීය මුස්ලිම් අධ්‍යාත්‍මික නායක අශ් ෂෙයික් ආචාර්ය තයිකා අහමද් නසීර් අලීම් මැතිතුමා අද (22) පෙරවරුවේ අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේ දී අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා හමුවිය.

ඔහු අභාවප්‍රාප්ත ඉන්දීය මුස්ලිම් අධ්‍යාත්මික නායක අශ් ෂෙයික් ආචාර්ය තයිකා සුහායිබ් අලීම් මැතිතුමාගේ පුත්‍රයාය.

ආගමික සහජීවනය වර්ධනය කිරීමට ඉටු කළ හැකි කාර්යයන් ගැන මෙම හමුවේ දී ආචාර්ය තයිකා අහමද් නසීර් අලීම් මැතිතුමා අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගේ අවධානය යොමු කළේය.

ආචාර්ය තයිකා අහමද් නසීර් අලීම් මැතිතුමා ඉදිරියේ දී මෙරට මහා සංඝරත්නය මෙන්ම මුස්ලිම් ආගමික පූජකවරුන් හමුවීමට නියමිතව තිබේ.

මෙම අවස්ථාවට ආචාර්ය අග්‍රහැර කස්සප හිමියෝ ද වැඩම කර සිටියහ.

ආචාර්ය තයිකා අහමද් නසීර් අලීම් මැතිතුමා සමඟ පැමිණි මුස්ලිම් ආගමික නායකයෝ ද අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා හමුවන අවස්ථාවට එක්ව සිටියහ.

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

විසි වැනි ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය පසු අගමැති මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා කොන් කර ඇති බව අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයාගේ මුස්ලිම් කටයුතු සම්බන්ධීකාරක ශිරාස් යුනුස් මහතා සඳහන් කරයි.

https://www.facebook.com/ShirazYoonusOfficial/videos/1813253578875717/?t=4

දැන් අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා සිටින්නේ ප්‍රදර්ශනාත්මක තත්වයෙන් පමණක් යැයිද ඔහු පැවසීය.

මෑතක පැවති විරෝධතාවකදී මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ පින්තූරයට ජනතාව පහර දෙනු දුටු බවත් තමන් ඉන් බොහෝ කනගාටුවට පත්වූ බවත් ඒ මහතා සදහන් කලේය.

තම සමාජ ජාල ගිණුම් ඔස්සේ වීඩියෝ නිකුත් කරමින් ඔහු මෙම අදහස් පළ කර ඇත.

ඉදිරියේදී පවත්වන ඔ්නෑම මැතිවරණයකින් පොහොට්ටුව පරාජය වන බවත් ඔහු එහිදී තව දුරටත් සදහන් කරයි.

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Fertiliser imports from China, India:

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probing allegations against Secretary to the President, Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, as regards the opening of a new account at the Town Hall Branch of the People’s Bank under the name ‘United Farmers Trust Limited’ (UFTL) on Oct.18 for the payment of nano-urea ordered from the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), has questioned Secretary to State Ministry of Agriculture M.N. Ranasinghe.

Declaring that the Indian High Commission in Colombo had facilitated nano-urea imports, Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage recently assured Parliament that payment had been made to the UFTL account as the outfit functioned as IFFCO’s local agent.

The former Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Department is among those so far questioned by the CID. At the onset of the investigation, the police questioned Mahinda Illeperuma, the editor of ‘Aruna’ over their coverage of a statement made in Parliament by JVP MPVijitha Herath on Oct 22.

The Chairman of Colombo Commercial Fertilisers Ltd., Methsiri Wijegunawardena, too, has been asked to furnish a statement to the CID in this regard.

M.N. Ranasinghe is the Secretary to the State Ministry of Organic Fertilizer Production, Supply and Regulation and the Paddy and Grains, Organic Food, Vegetables, Fruits, Chillies, Onion and Potato Cultivation Promotion, Seed Production and Advanced Technology for Agriculture. Shasheendra Rajapaksa received appointment as the State Minister on July 8, 2021.

Denying MP Herath’s allegations, Dr. Jayasundera has lodged a complaint with the CID.

The President’s Media Division (PMD) has quoted Dr. Jayasundera as saying that the opening of an account in a State bank ‘is an act between the relevant bank and the account holder. It is the responsibility of the bank to act in accordance with the standard procedures in this regard.

MP Vijitha Herath yesterday (23) told The Island that the government should make a special statement in this regard in Parliament. Welcoming the CID investigation into the newly formed UFTL opening a new account under controversial circumstances at the Union Place branch of the People’s Bank, the Gampaha District MP said that the order placed for nano urea should be investigated taking into consideration the rejection of organic fertilizer consignment ordered from Qingdao Seawin Biotech Ltd. China on the basis of it being contaminated. The latter has challenged the rejection in court and demanded the company be compensated to the tune of USD 8 mn.

The MP pointed out that the PMD had stated that the rejected consignment was a part of the order worth about Rs 1 bn.

The JVP MP said that the Attorney General had moved the Colombo Commercial Court against Qingdao Seawin Biotech Chinese Company, its local agent Chelina Capital Corporation and the People’s Bank. The court has extended the enjoining order issued in respect of the submissions made by the AG till Dec 3.

Responding to another query, MP Herath said that the Opposition expected the government to explain why orders for nano urea and organic fertilizer had been placed via UFTL and Chelina Capital Corporation, respectively, at the expense of the state enterprises namely Colombo Commercial Fertilisers and Lak Pohora.

Herath questioned the circumstances under which the state enterprises had been prevented from placing orders. It would be pertinent to mention that the government had placed the order for nano urea following a dispute with Chinese organic fertiliser, MP Herath said.

The JVPer urged the CID to submit at least an interim report on its investigation to the Parliament through the Public Security Ministry.

The issue at hand is whether the price of the consignment had been manipulated, the MP said, adding that initially, the price of a 500 ml bottle had been quoted at USD 12.45 though subsequent allegations and negotiations involving all stakeholders brought the price down to USD 10 per bottle. Of the 2.125 mn litres that had been ordered from IFFCO, only a part had been received so far and the arrangements were being made to airlift the rest, sources told The Island.

An enjoining order has been obtained in respect of the Chinese carbonic fertiliser matter only. There was no legal issue pertaining to the nano urea imports, sources said.

Herath said that the government should explain how it intended to address China blacklisting the People’s Bank over the enjoining order issued by the Colombo Commercial High Court to stay the payment for Chinese fertiliser.

The JVPer said that parliamentary watchdog committees should examine both cases. In addition to MP Herath, Samagi Jana Balavegaya MP Patali Champika Ranawaka has launched a scathing attack on the government over nano urea imports.

Courtesy Adaderana

Residents of Kuringankerni area have attacked the house of Trincomalee District MP M.S. Thowfeek of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) following the ferry accident which took place this morning.

A tense situation ensued after a passenger ferry was capsized at the Kuringankerni lagoon in Kinniya, killing six people including four schoolchildren.

The residence of the lawmaker has been severely damaged in the attack.

Meanwhile, State Minister of Rural Roads and other Infrastructure Nimal Lanza said permission to operate a passenger ferry across the Kuringankerni lagoon was granted by Kinniya Urban Council, where the Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the Muslim Congress hold the majority.

He made this remark in response to a statement made by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa in Parliament earlier today.

State Minister Lanza stressed that the Opposition’s move to put the blame on the government for the ferry accident is unacceptable.

Speaking further, he said an investigation into the matter will be conducted.

Courtesy Adaderana

The daily count of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Sri Lanka moved to 740 today (November 23) as 198 more people were tested positive for the virus, the Epidemiology Unit said.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 558,860.

As many as 527,528 recoveries and 14,182 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the COVID-19 outbreak.

More than 17,000 active cases in total are currently under medical care, official figures showed.

The Director-General of Health Services has confirmed another 24 coronavirus-related deaths for November 22, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus to 14,182. 

According to the figures released by the Govt. Information Department, the deaths reported today include 15 males and 09 female patients.

Four of the victims are between the ages of 30-59 years and another is aged below 30 years. The remaining 20 are in the age group of 60 years and above.

Courtesy TASS

On the whole, the meeting between the Sri Lankan President and Russia’s Security Council Secretary laid down the main tracks for cooperation in the areas of politics, trade and energy, and cooperation prospects in the field of security

NEW DELHI, November 23. /TASS/. Sri Lanka and Russia agreed to share intelligence information and counter terrorist financing, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said after a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev on Monday.

‘’Had a friendly discussion w[ith] the Secretary of Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev today,’’ Rajapaksa posted on Twitter. ‘’We agreed on deepening bilateral cooperation to address extremism, terrorism & cyber threats, including sharing of intelligence info & countering terrorist financing.’’

The Security Council’s press service earlier said that the meeting laid down the main tracks for cooperation in the areas of politics, trade and energy, and cooperation prospects in the field of security.

The plane that carried Nikolai Patrushev from Moscow to Colombo on Monday also delivered a shipment of the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus as humanitarian aid.

By Hussain Shazzad* Courtesy Eurasia Review

Bangladesh, the second highest recipient of China’s investment in South Asia after Pakistan, imports the highest volume of goods from China making it Bangladesh’s largest trading partner. This is the beginning of the story where China offers Bangladesh financial assistance and development experience for its ‘big-ticket megaprojects’ to fulfill its vision-2041, a well-crafted dream to be a developed country. The overwhelming funding from China makes the critics pessimistic to ask a question, citing the example of Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Is Bangladesh going to be victim of Chinese debt-trap diplomacy?” 

‘Debt-Trap Diplomacy’, a widely used narrative against China, is thought to be originated from ‘infrastructure war’ between China and Western Allies.  It’s an apple of discord if China really has any ‘Machiavellian Strategy’ as Chinese projects in Bangladesh are too fragmented to achieve such cunning strategic objectives.  Once ‘The Sleeping Giant’ now the ‘Second Economic Superpower’, China follows ‘socialist ideology’ in political affairs but adopts ‘open market policy’ with the name ‘market socialism’. The historical data demonstrates that China always has strong affiliation with South Asian countries because of the region’s ‘Big Bazar’. The geo-political eminence & commercial noteworthiness of Bangladesh has made China pay special heed to catch this money-making market. Sri Lanka and Cambodia has also similar geopolitical importance for which they also have Chinese attention. 

To utilize the potential of becoming ‘economic hub’ of South Asia, Bangladesh needs external funding for its ‘flagship development programs’ financing of which goes beyond domestic affordability. This leads Bangladesh to look for external funding options with conducive conditions. Bangladesh’s loss of substantial financial assistance from global lenders in the recent years e.g., World Bank’s rejection to finance the Padma Bridge, and the attractive nature of China’s investment created a gateway for China to step into Bangladesh’s economy. On the other hand, China, as a part of its external orientation, comes closer to Bangladesh by affiliating the country with different China-led regional platforms e.g., AIIB, BRI etc. Sri Lanka and Cambodia have also close association with different China-led regional platform. 

Sino-Bangladesh relations, started in 1976, were limited to trade deals until the first decade of the 21st century. The bilateral relations have experienced two different phases before and after the initiation of the BRI. The cozy relations turned into strategic partnership after 2010 when the countries signed a number of trades, transit and defense procurement agreements. Both countries are working to alleviate the huge trade-deficit by establishing the ‘Free Trade Zones’. China is trying to prove itself as Bangladesh’s ‘time-tested friend’ by entwining diplomatic, defense and economic ties so is in case of Sri Lanka and Cambodia. 

Though China and Bangladesh have distinct political and social status quo but collaborativeefforts brought them closer. China’s non-intervention principle to the domestic affairs of its partners leads Dhaka to welcome more and more investment from Beijing. As an emerging economy, Bangladesh requires ‘hefty investment’ to tackle its socio-economic problems which is clinched by China.  On the other hand, Bangladesh is all-important in China’s strategic calculus since it can connect the southeastern landlocked province of China. Besides, the cheap workforce of Bangladesh offers China an opportunity to relocate its ‘sunset industries’. Yet, critics give a contentious look on this relationship by denouncing China’s role in resolving Rohingya crisis.

According to the World Bank and IMF, that a country will cross the danger mark if its external debts exceed 40% of GDP ensures Bangladesh is in ‘safe zone’ as its total foreign loan is less than 15% of GDP. ‘Flow of External Resources into Bangladesh’, a publication of the Ministry of Finance, reported total foreign loan outstanding of the country was $4409.51 crore depicting per capita loan is around $278 in 2019-20 fiscal year. This shows clearly how reality begs to differ from the misconception that Bangladesh is overburdened with external debts. Another misreading that Bangladesh is going to be a victim of ‘China’s debt trap’ pointing finger to the growing Chinese investment also doesn’t reflect the ground reality. Bangladesh’s total external debt, in the fiscal year 2019-20, consists of 38% from WB, 24.5% from ADB, 17% from JICA, 6.81% from China, 6.14% from Russia and 1.3% from India. This self-explanatory data shows that Bangladesh is travelling along the right trajectory in contrast to aforementioned misconceptions.

The strategic advantage of cross-border trade tilted Bangladesh exponentially towards China which leads critics say that too much reliance on China’s money will make the country beholden to China. But Bangladesh’s diplomatic maneuvers of the last few decades demonstrate that the country has been striking a fine balance among the donors. By pumping money to Bangladesh, China is actually trying to take the longstanding relations to a new height. Albeit, there is a narrative that Bangladesh is going to be a victim of ‘payday loan diplomacy’, but the counter narrative explains how Chinese ‘soft-loan’ reduces the pressure of western donors for economic and political reforms. 

Bangladesh perceives Chinese investment as a welcome addition to existing sources along with creating a competitive environment. Before reaching to foregone conclusion by tagging China’s debt trap  with Bangladesh, it needs to be kept in mind that the funding options for Bangladesh are very limited. Besides, a loan becomes burden if it is not optimally utilized. To date, all the Chinese-funded projects in Bangladesh have been proved to be financially viable. There is no such instance where Bangladesh has accepted all the diktats, while signing financial agreement, blindfolded.

The current stronger position of Bangladesh, in terms of external debt from China, will alter with the rise of Chinese investment, but long-run return will be more attractive if funds are effectively utilized. Bangladesh needs to negotiate carefully before inking any financial agreement, focus more on soft-loan and ensure timely implementation of projects. Along with taking funds for infrastructural boost, Bangladesh may also leverage the development experience of China to create win-win situation. Not to mention, the macro-economic management policy of Bangladesh is prudent enough to avoid China’s ‘Debt-Trap’, even if there is one. Sri Lanka and Cambodia can follow the debt policies of Bangladesh while dealing with or taking loan from China.

*Shazzad Hussain is a strategic affairs and foreign policy analyst. He has completed his MBA and BBA from University of Dhaka & currently working as a consultant to Palli Progoti Shahayak Samity (PPSS), a Bangladeshi NGO. He can be reached at pksf.shazzad@gmail.com.

Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent Courtesy The Guardian

Government criticised for delay as suspects face charges relating to 269 deaths 30 months after attacks

The trial has begun of the 25 men accused of masterminding the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, which killed almost 300 people when churches and luxury hotels were targeted by Islamic terrorist suicide bombers.

The lengthy process to reach trial after more than two years has been heavily criticised by families of those killed and the Christian church in Sri Lanka, who have accused the government of failing to take proper action against those responsible.

The suspects are facing over 23,000 charges in total, including conspiracy to murder, aiding and abetting the attacks, and collecting arms and ammunition.

Lawyers involved in the trial in the capital, Colombo, warned that the sheer scale of charges, and the thousands of witnesses listed in the case, could mean it drags on for up to a decade. The case will be heard before a special panel of judges.

All eight of the suicide bombers who carried out the Easter Sunday attacks on the three five-star hotels in Colombo and three Christian churches died in the blasts. However, their associates and relatives stand accused of being involved in planning and masterminding the terrorist attacks, the worst in Sri Lanka’s recent history.

They include YM Ibrahim, the father of two of the suicide bombers, Inshaf and Ilham Ibrahim, who targeted two hotels in Colombo and Mohammad Naufer, a Sri Lankan national accused of affiliation with Islamic State and masterminding the attacks.

Several other members of National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), a home-grown extremist Islamic group believed to be behind the bombings, are also among the 25 standing trial.Advertisement

The attacks, which took place on 21 April 2019, killed 269 people, including 45 foreign nationals. In the aftermath of the attacks, a state of emergency was imposed on the country for four months and hundreds of Muslims have since been arrested, including a Muslim member of parliament. However, in recent months senior members of the church accused the police and the government of dragging their feet over bringing the case to trial.

A press statement released by the archdiocese of Colombo in August said: It is clear from this procedure that after such a long time the government has no interest in finding out the truth about the attack and they are going to cover it up and wash their hands.”

They accused the government, led by strongman president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, of capitalising on the Easter attacks to come to power at the end of 2019 on a mandate of security for Sri Lanka, but failing to live up to their promises.

The head of the Catholic church in Sri Lanka, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said last week that the families of victims were struggling to move on while they felt that justice had not been served. We are not here to take revenge upon anyone, nor have we called for anyone’s blood. But we need justice,” he said. On Sunday, members of the Catholic community held large demonstrations pushing for faster action.

Members of the Catholic community allege they are now being harassed for their actions demanding justice. Fr Cyril Gamini, director of the National Catholic Centre for Social Communications who has accused the authorities of complicity with the attackers, was recently subjected to three days of questioning by Sri Lanka’s central intelligence department.

The trial is one of three that will be held in connection with the attacks. On Monday, the trial began for several senior officials accused of criminal negligence for failing to act on intelligence information that could have prevented the bombings.

Sri Lanka’s former police chief Pujith Jayasundera and former defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando are among those who will stand trial, with Jayasundera alone facing a total of 855 charges.

Courtesy News18

Exercise Dosti was initiated in 1991 between the Indian and the Maldives’ coast guards. (Image for representation only: Reuters)

Indian Coast Guard vessels Vajra and Apoorva have been deployed for the exercise.

The coast guards of India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka are currently conducting a five-day military exercise to enhance interoperability and cooperation, officials said on Monday. The 15th edition of the trilateral exercise, Dosti”, began in the Maldives on Saturday.

Indian Coast Guard vessels Vajra and Apoorva have been deployed for the exercise. The aim of the India-Maldives-Sri Lanka trilateral exercise is to further fortify the friendship and enhance the operational capability,” said an official.

Exercise Dosti was initiated in 1991 between the Indian and the Maldives’ coast guards. Sri Lanka joined the exercise for the first time in 2012.

Courtesy Sputnik

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Sri Lanka and Russia have agreed on the exchange of intelligence information and cooperation fighting against terrorism funding, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said following a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.”Had a friendly discussion with the Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev today. We agreed on deepening bilateral cooperation to address extremism, terrorism & cyber threats, including sharing of intelligence info & countering terrorist financing,” Rajapaksa wrote on Twitter on Monday.Rajapaksa and Patrushev discussed in detail the prospects for the development of Russian-Sri Lankan relations in the political, trade, economic and energy fields, as well as cooperation prospects in the security field, according to the Security Council press service.Patrushev participated in bilateral security consultations, where the establishment of bilateral exchange of analytical material on individuals and organizations involved in terrorist activities was discussed.

Shenali D Waduge

On 21^stApril 2019 exactly a decade after the defeat of LTTE terrorists, 8 Muslim suicide bombers blew themselves up in 3 churches, 3 hotels & 1 guest house after making a recorded pledge. This was the first Islamic suicide bombing in Sri Lanka. Was it because Zaharan & Co hated these churches & hotels or were the attacks part of a bigger plot involving a plethora of invisible others? Without determining this, Sri Lanka is being taken round the mulberry bush with canards possibly aiming to divert attention elsewhere from pinpointing the real culprits.

How did NTJ from vandalizing Buddhist statues a few months back pull off multiple attacks that claimed over 300 lives on a single day, something even LTTE could not do in 30 years! What or who promoted them to carry out such an attack! 

We know LTTE had many backers & brains yet LTTE could not carry out such precision attacks even when weak governments were in power or even during the infamous ceasefire agreement where a carte blanche was given to LTTE to travel with arms.

Isn’t it odd that Zaharan Hashim began to preach in 2016 that all non-Muslims should be killed to Islamize Sri Lanka, immediately after US-sponsored regime change in Sri Lanka in 2015. The security lapses leading to Easter Sunday were many but the primary reason behind this was placing unsuited incompetent officials to sit in challenging roles probably with intent to make the security apparatus vulnerable to facilitate future plans. The former government has to be held accountable for weakening the security apparatus. The present government cannot do similar mistake by allowing advisors & canards to divert attention from catching the real culprits or at least revealing the connections for the people to connect the dots!

The war on Islamic terror is a ruse flogged for intervention. 

When Zaharan Hashim & Co pledges allegiance to ISIS – it is a dead giveaway as to the real brains behind all Islamic terrorism across the world.

The 1^stclue was via an article by Shwe Kalaung titled Islamic State training camp busted in Sri Lanka”published in January 2019 (4 months before April Easter Sunday attack)

https://www.weeklyblitz.net/news/islamic-state-training-camp-busted-in-sri-lanka/

The article highlights

• Increase in ISIS in Sri Lanka
• Death of Sri Lankan martyred for fighting in Syria in 2017 (a Syrian was arrested after Easter Sunday)
• ISIS training camp in Wanathawilluwa in January 2019 with 100kg of explosives
• Imam arrested confessed that explosives were meant to bomb sacred Buddhist sites in Anuradhapura.
• Vandalizing of Buddha Statues to force reaction
• Illegal organ trafficking & narcoterrorism to Islamic terror groups across SAARC countries supported by jihadists from Gulf Cooperation Council
• Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)) created in 2012 in Myanmar masterminded the August 2017 insurgency by Saudi imam Ata Ullah confirms Rohingya-Jihadi links via Bangladesh known as Golden Horseshoe Caliphate.
• Golden Horseshoe Caliphate& 786 Movement spans from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India & Sri Lanka covering Andaman Sea, Bay of Bengal & Indian Ocean (Western Side) – Eastern Side includes Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam – not ironically these are all the countries included in US Pivot to Asia policy.
• The 786 Movementis a doomsday prophecy signaling complete global Islamic takeover by 21^stcentury (7+8+6 = 21) This number was displayed in Myanmar food shops that imported from Middle East – are they seen in Sri Lanka too! To counter this the Myanmar Buddhists introduced the 969 Movement.
• Shwe Kalaung highlights the complicated network of Gulf nations, drug trade mafia, Islamic gangs & foreign intelligence agencies – all scratching each other’s backs for self-interest & to advance objectives of their governments. 2 suicide bombers allocated to target Shangri-la hotel provides a clue to that geopolitical significance.

The 2^ndclue is an article by Adam Garrie Sri Lankan Authorities may have fallen into a trap set by a foreign power”

https://english.newstube.lk/featured/3334-sri-lankan-authorities-may-have-fallen-into-a-trap-set-by-a-foreign-power(24 April 2019 – written 3 days after the attacks)

• Adam Garrie refers to an ‘Indian-backed assassination plot against Presidet Sirisena” & raises more questions
• Were foreign countries/foreign intelligence linked with National Thowheed Jamaath?
• When did NTJ begin training from Tamil-Nadu/Chennai where LTTE too had its initial training
• Are NTJ suicide team pawns” in a larger geopolitical game – then who are their real handlers.
• Which foreign countries/foreign intelligence seek to gain from orchestrating such an attack?
• Adam Garrie openly questions links between RAW & NTJ since all of the warnings came from India & only to one Sri Lankan source.
• The regime change foreign operators were all aware that Sri Lanka’s security apparatus was intentionally weakened enabling foreign-UN interference into internal systems.

Immediately after 21/4 two US Govt employees were detected at Hilton Colombo Residence – sniffer dogs found explosives inside their apartment. Staff security at Hilton Colombo stopped 5 US officials checking in with 6 boxes on 30 July 2019 night. The US delegation denied the 6 boxes to be scanned. Then the boxes was loaded into a US embassy vehicle and sent somewhere else. What were in these boxes? MP Wimal Weerawansa released visa photos of the US team claiming they had arrived in a private aircraft. The team had left 2 days later WITHOUT the controversial cargo? MP Weerawansa questioned to whether the boxes were still in the country!

LTTE & its leader canvassed for a separate state with foreign backing to get LTTE to achieve what foreign backers desired. With LTTE defeated, a new pawn was needed. All of modern day Islamic terrorist groups are pawns exported/imported to create trouble.

President Carters National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski created Al Qaeda& admitted so in an interview in 1998 & 2001 to the Le Nouvel Observator that US funded Al Qaeda/Mujahideen 6 months before Soviets invaded Afghanistan. CIA head Robert Gates’s memoir in 1996 admitted $500m aid to Mujahideen. Hillary Clinton too admitted the people we are fighting today, we funded twenty years ago… and we did it because we were locked in a struggle with the Soviet Union”.

Michael J. Springmann, chief of the visa section at the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, claims that the CIA insisted that the consulate approve visas for Afghanis so that they could travel to the United States and be trained in terrorism so that they could then be sent back to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets.

Author Brandon Turbeville claims ISIS is being directed by Western intelligence, the GCC, and Israel that killing of James Mark Foley, US journalist working in Syria was used to justify aerial bombing of Syria.”

Tony Cartalucci writes that as early as 2007 – the United States has been arming, funding, and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and a myriad of armed terrorist organizations to overthrow the government of Syria, fight Hezbollah in Lebanon, and undermine the power and influence of Iran, which of course includes any other government or group in the MENA region friendly toward Tehran”.

He also claimsISIS was harbored on NATO territory, armed and funded by US CIA agents with cash and weapons brought in from the Saudis, Qataris, and NATO members themselves. The non-lethal aid” the US and British sent including the vehicles we now see ISIS driving around in”

Gaddafi was overthrown after West supported proxy Islamic groups & called them ‘rebels’ & UN supported.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh saysExtremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam” and are sympathetic to Al Qaeda” – is a verbatim definition of what ISIS is today”

Michel Chossudovsky writes Bill Clinton Worked Hand in Glove with Al Qaeda: Helped Turn Bosnia into Militant Islamic Base,”….British SAS Special Forces in bases in Northern Albania were training the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army), military instructors from Turkey and Afghanistan financed by the Islamic jihad” 

The US and UK counter terror experts arrived in Sri Lanka & took much of the evidence. How can Sri Lanka figure out the real culprits if the evidence has been removed?

The West defines ‘extremists’ as ‘freedom fighters’ when it suits their geopolitical goals. They use them to create the trouble & then they declare war on them to send their troops for illegal interventions.  While Muslims readily join these groups after being brainwashed with select verses from the Koran, these very Muslims end up killing mostly Muslims in the selected nations they are told to target (Middle East & North Africa Region) for global political, military & economic hegemony. Ironically, the very groups that the West train & fund end up killing the soldiers that the West sends to eliminate them. All’s fair in dirty geopolitics!

How does India & Indian intelligence fit into this scheme of things?India is today a strategic partner of the US and it is strange that India issued 97 warnings but the US envoy in Colombo claims to have not had any prior intel warnings of attacks. It is equally baffling that the then army commander, recent recipient in US Hall of Fame also declared he knew of the attacks only from the internet!

Concern over suspected IS sleeper cells in Kerala

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/concern-over-suspected-is-sleeper-cells-in-kerala/article36625866.ece

‘Significant numbers’ of ISIS terrorists in Kerala, Karnataka: UN report on terrorism

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/significant-numbers-of-isis-terrorists-in-kerala-karnataka-un-report-on-terrorism/articleshow/77164246.cms

Indian intel initially trained LTTE referring to them as ‘our boy’. The Indian intel provided no assistance to the IPKF resulting in LTTE killing over 1000 Indian soldiers. Kerala demography has changed and there is increasing jihadi presence with regular conferences being held – it is also source for much of the illegal narco-trade from India to Sri Lanka (Wilpattu key base). Muslim jihadi clerics have found easy prey in Muslims & Islam creating ready-made suicide bombers and theatre of war has now pivoted to South Asia with Sri Lanka’s ports, airports & harbors providing key geopolitical significance.

Thus, Zaharan Hashim & Co could not have committed this act simply to win applause from global ISIS because none are alive to get any applause, but they have been made pawns for a larger ideological brainwashing which will not end with Zaharan & Co or with Easter Sunday attacks. If according to the tapes released Zaharan & Co hated the intelligence that much – why didn’t they target an intelligence unit/office instead of churches & hotels! These look to be nothing but diversions by the plotters & their apologists!

The present attempts at henpecking on officials who were not holding positions or even in the country during the attacks, shows another set of pawns being let loose to divert and distract attention from connecting the dots.

A nation can be alert 24×7 but even one terrorist strike can be deadly.

Shenali D Waduge

Shenali D Waduge

Maaveerar Naal or Great Heroes Day has been commemorated since 27 November 1989 with a Heroes Week held annually from 21^stending 26^thNovember (Prabakaran’s birthday). It is a LTTE event to remember every LTTE combatant killed. While the LTTE propagandists shed crocodile tears to the world that the GoSL denies them to commemorate dead Tamils, what these LTTE propagandists do not disclose is that they FORBID Tamils from commemorating Tamils killed by LTTE & this is a long list. Ironically, some clueless foreign politicians attend these LTTE commemorations & probably some have already accepted invitations for 2021 events. But, what everyone conveniently ignores is that the Mahaveerar Naal ceremonies do not shed a tear for the likes of Alfred Duraiappah, Lakshman Kadiragamar, Sarojini Yogeswaran or even the leaders of the other Tamil militant groups that LTTE killed to reign supreme. If Prabakaran & LTTE had an objective to create an Eelam for Tamils – why kill their own people including leaders of other Tamil militant groups fighting for the same cause?

Maaveerar Naal is to only commemorate LTTE dead

Maaveerar Naal is NOT TO commemorate Tamil civilians, Tamil politicians, Tamil academics, Tamil public servants, Tamil clergy, Tamil children or even Tamil combatants who were all killed by LTTE.

What do we call event to commemorate these Tamils?

LTTE’s first victim was a Tamil – Mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappahshot dead after stepping out of the kovil on 27 July 1975

LTTE’s second victims were also Tamils – scores of Tamil policemen making Tamils too scared to join the police & the LTTE propagandists twisted this to claim the government was not recruiting Tamils to the police!

M CanagaratnamTamil United Liberation Front’s candidate for Pottuvilshot outside his home in Kollupitiya, Colombo on 24 January 1978 & died of his injuries on 20 April 1980

C E Anandarajah– Principal of St. Johns College Jaffna. Assassinated on 26 June 1985for organizing a cricket match with Sri Lanka Army.

1. Dharmalingam– TULF MP for Manipai & father of D. Siddarthan (PLOTE leader) killed by LTTE in 2 September 1985.

K Sabaratnam– TELO leader killed by LTTE’s Kittu on 6 May 1986.

S Nadarajah Tamil lawyer – Pioneer of All Ceylon Tamil Congress – first & only Chairman of the Jaffna District Development Council. Shot on 12 February 1988for associating with IPKF.

M. Panchalingam– Tamilcivil servant – Educated at Jaffna Hindu College & Ananda Colombo. Shot dead on 1 May 1989at his brother’s house inNallur

Amirthalingam MP, Secretary General of the TULF/ a Former Opposition Leader killed by LTTE on 13 July 1989in his own residence after his wife offered the assassins tea & biscuits. He called LTTE ‘our boys’

V Yogeswaran– husband of Sarojini Yogeswaran – Tamil lawyer & MP. Assassinated along with Amirthalingam on 13 July 1989. Sivasithamparan escaped with injuries.

Dr. Ranjini Thiranagama– Tamil human rights activist killed on 21 September 1989 aged 35. Her sister was a member of LTTE & she too had helped LTTE initially.

Sam & Kala Tambimuttu– Member of TULF. Contested 1989 General Elections under EPRLF. Shot outside the Canadian High Commission on 7 May 1990 – his wife who was also shot succumbed to her injuries on 16 May 1990.

Pathmanabha– EPRLF leader killed by LTTE in India on 19 June 1990

Veerasingam Ganeshasangari Yogasangari– son of V. Ganeshasangaree, brother of Tamil United Liberation Front Politician V. Anandasangaree. EPRLF assassinated on 19 June 1990in Madras, India. LTTE killed 7 members of EPRLF

https://noolaham.net/project/34/3336/3336.pdf

Gopalswamy Mahendraraja (Mahaththaya) Deputy Leader of LTTE executed by Prabakaranon 28 December 1994for being an informant to India’s intelligence.

Chelvy Thiyagarajah– Journalist, she won the International Pen Award in 1992. LTTE abducted and executed her in1997in a LTTE prison along with another Manoharan.

A Thangathurai– lawyer & MP – killed on 5 July 1997

Thangathurai and six others (Sri Shanmuga principal Rajeshwari Thanabalasingham, Namagal Vidyalayam principal S. Joseph, principal K. Seevaratnam, civil engineer V. Retnarajah, social worker P. S. Ganeshalingam and a police bodyguard) were killed

Sarojini Yogeswaran– Mayor of Jaffna, she was shot five times with a pistol near her Jaffna home on 17 May 1998

S Shanmuganathan Senior PLOTE member – killed on 15 July 1998

Neelan Tiruchelvan President’s Counsel / MP – Director of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies. Assassinated on 29 July 1999

Nimalan Soundaranayagam– teacher & MP. Assassinated on 7 November 2000.

Kandasamy Iyer Balanadarajah Iyer (Balanadarasan),Senior Member of EPDP killed on 16 August 2004in Colombo. Initially member of EROS but left when EROS merged with LTTE & joined EPDP.

Lakshman Kadiragamar– Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka assassinated in his own home during the infamous cease fire agreement on 12 August 2005.

Relangi Selvarajah & her husband– Tamil journalist killed on 12 August 2005during infamous ceasefire & on the same day that Lakshman Kadiragamar was assassinated.

Kethesh Loganathan– Human Rights Activist – Deputy Secretary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP). Recipient of Hubert Humphrey Fellowship & joined EPRLF after returning to Sri Lanka – assassinated outside his home 12 August 2006.

Selliah Parameshwaram Kurukkal Chief Pujari of the Santhiveli Pilleyar Kovil killed on 7 February 2007

Jeyaraj Fernandopulle– MP. Killed on 6 April 2008along with 14 othersby a LTTE suicide bomber while raising flag for a marathon race.

Sivashri Kungaraja Kurukkal was the head pandit of the Koneswaram temple of Trincomalee,Shot dead on 21 September 2008

Kumaraswamy Nanthakopan (Ragu)killed in Colombo on 14 February 2008.

The families that participate at these LTTE Maaveerar Naal commemorations are ALL FAMILIES of LTTE & known as Maaveerar Kudumbangal (Great Hero Families) who had a privileged life under LTTE reign. We witnessed this in the manner some Tamils during the last phase were better fed than the rest of the Tamils.

The Maaveerar Naal commemorations are naturally held overseas as well – it is another income generator and a camouflage to fool the gullible international community. The LTTE diaspora lighting candles and holding commemorations are all LTTE runaway families – probably missing & disappeared are amongst them with new names & identities.

While these commemorations are held with pomp & pageant – the families of those killed by LTTE can only mourn their dead in private inside their homes. No public ceremonies are allowed by LTTE for them.

How can we forget the LTTE combatants killed by LTTE – children, women, men? How many did LTTE kill? Are their deaths credited to the Sri Lanka Army? During the last phase scores of injured LTTE combatants were put into buses and set fire. Many Tamils living overseas were killed for not towing LTTE line. Some continue to be threatened still.

So who is Wigneswaran & TNA actually fooling by attending these LTTE Heroes Day commemorations? Decorations are in LTTE colours (red & yellow), LTTE flag is hoisted, Eelam Map is displayed, garland for 1^stLTTE hero Shankar is a dead giveaway (pun intended)

How do the families of these people who were slain by LTTE commemorate their dead?

What is that event called?

Shenali D Waduge

MD Pathik Hasan

Pakistan’s Gwadar port has brought a new dream for the region. This port is not only for Pakistan but also all regional states. Chinese Investment has accelerated the pace of aspirations in this regard. China’s multibillion dollar project “CPEC’ is linked with Gwadar port. This port creates some sort of possibilities and potentials for entire South Asia, South East Asia, Central Asia, Western Asia, Eurasia, East Asia and Middle East.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can utilize the facilities of Gwadar port.  Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can use Pakistan’s Gwadar port to boost up its trade with Central Asia, Western China and Pakistan. Gwadar port is going to be regional trade hub in the region.  Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can reach Western China, Central Asia, and Pakistan easily. Pakistan has some regional connectivity with Central Asian States through Afghanistan. If Bangladesh’s ports such as Chittagong (Chattogram), Payra, Mangla ports can be connected with Pakistan’s Gwadar port, Karachi port or Port Qassim via Sri Lankan Colombo or Hambantota port, both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would benefit. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asian states would also benefit.

Sri Lanka can use Gwadar Port for warehousing to facilitate trade with Afghanistan, Central Asian Republics and Middle East. Pakistan’s exports to Sri Lanka have doubled. Total trade is $ 400 million, with exports over $ 300 million whereas imports are less $ 100 million.  Sri Lanka’s main export item is tea and Pakistan imports a very meager quantity from Sri Lanka with bulk of Sri Lankan tea.

Sri Lankan can use Gwadar Port’s gateway for export to Afghanistan and then Uzbekistan and from there to entire Central Asia. Sri Lanka has already showed keen interest in the proposal during the visit of PM Imran Khan in February this year. Pakistan decided to allocate land to Uzbekistan for warehousing and export. Sri Lanka should try to get the same facility from. Sri Lanka could benefit by offering special packages to international shipping lines for the use of facilities in both Colombo and Gwadar ports, especially to vessels coming from East Asia. On the hand, Pak-China-Sri Lanka-Bangladesh trade ties would boost up.

Afghanistan is now viable and politically stable. Taliban has formed a government. Regional states including China, Russia are interested to invest for the development of infrastructure and Connectivity of Afghanistan. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can also play a role to take part in the development process in Afghanistan.

Therefore, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should use Gwadar port to reach these countries for ensuring its own business interest. Although there are some bilateral crises between Bangladesh and Pakistan, both the governments should reconsider the issue of mutual interest under present global order. Pakistan should play an important role in this regard. It has some responsibilities to Bangladesh. It has to be understood and realized. But these problems must be solved diplomatically with bilateral efforts. On the other hand, there is a free trade agreement between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pakistan’s top exports to Sri Lanka include textiles and cement with and the latter’s top exports to Pakistan being tea, rubber, and readymade garments. Pakistan and Sri Lanka both could benefit from growing trade ties if the connectivity amongst Sri Lanka-Bangladesh and Pakistan could be ensured.

Pakistan’s Gwadar port has very strategic significance. China and Pakistan are working together to establish ‘Gwadar port’ into a regional hub. Using Gwadar port, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can easily access into the markets of Central Asian states, Western part of China, Pakistan, even Afghanistan and Western Asian states.

Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi products can be exported from those regions easily. The raw materials for apparel sector (cotton) can be imported easily from Pakistan and Central Asian states. Such a way, the business relations amongst Bangladesh and other Muslim countries will be strengthened. Sri Lanka-Bangladesh-Pakistan economic ties (Triad) and to some extent Sri Lanka-Bangladesh-China-Pakistan (Quadrilateral) will be further bolstered.

Sri Lankan traditional tea, apparel, rice, and agricultural industries, together with up-coming machinery and industrial manufacturing industries such as auto tyres can be mixed with Bangladeshi apparel, medicines, fruits, and vegetables along with its upcoming IT services and electronic sectors.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka both import goods such as cotton from Pakistan, Central Asian States, Western and Central China and even Russia. Pushing this existing trade however requires a holistic trilateral effort. If Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can make better use of Gwadar port and CPEC, they can take part in the development process in Afghanistan with Pakistan, China, Russia, and Iran. The South Asian SAARC trade bloc may also be revived through these activities. Intra-regional and international tourism can also become a platform for services growth. Religious tourism can be a growing sector amongst Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

During the visit of Sri Lanka, Khan commented that Pakistan is allocating land to Uzbekistan for warehousing and export services, and that the same facility can also be provided to Sri Lanka. Uzbekistan is a rapidly developing Central Asia nation and although landlocked, can access other regional markets that open these up for Sri Lankan made products. Uzbekistan is surrounded by five countries: Kazakhstan to the north, Kyrgyzstan to the north-east, Tajikistan to the southeast, Afghanistanto the south, and Turkmenistanto the southwest. Collectively the Central Asian nations have a GDP (PPP) of US$1 trillion, a projected post-covid growth rate of about 5-6% and a population of some 73 million. Its average GDP (PPP) per capita is four times higher than Sri Lanka meaning the region is a wealthy market for Sri Lanka to target for exports.

As regional states, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should be examining a revival of connections with Pakistan. The Belt and Road Initiative has and is being built to promote such interconnectivity. South and Southeast Asian Governments and businesses should be examining how best to exploit it.

There is no shipping line connection between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Bangladesh imports raw materials and products from western China and Central Asian Countries through either Singapore via Malacca strait or by air. So, the cost of transportation and wastage of time is huge for Bangladesh. Bangladesh can easily overcome this utilizing the Pakistan’s Gwadar port. Bangladesh has already joined China run BRI project in 2017.  Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka all are the members of Chinese BRI project.

Whole South East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia would benefit. ASEAN and SAARC free trade zones could be created. Bangladesh could benefit ultimately. The dependence of Bangladesh on India will be decreased. A greater regional interest could be confirmed.

Why Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should utilize Pakistan’s Gwadar port?

Why Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should utilize Pakistan’s Gwadar port?

1. For ensuring their own business interest.
2. To strengthen the economic and trade ties with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asian States, West Asian countries and Even Russia and China.
3. To decrease their huge trade dependence on India,
4. For creating the ASEAN and SAARC free trade of zones.
5. This connectivity could unite the ASEAN and SAARC free trade zones.
6. The all states in those regions would benefit mutually in the sector of trade, Counter-terrorism approach from multilateral ties.
7. Enhancing bilateral relations could contribute to the growth of trade and investment relations with ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries. This will create an opportunity to serve greater regional interest.
8. Re-establishing the Himalayan-South Asian connectivity can occur if political and diplomatic solutions of Bangladesh-Pakistan strained ties can be found. Sri Lanka could be mediator in this regard.
9. Usage of Gwadar port by Sri Lanka and Bangladesh would ensure the maximum benefit of the people.

So, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should use Pakistan’s Gwadar port. There is no alternative for each and every state in the world without being connected with others. There are huge potentials for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in this regard. Now it’s time for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to utilize this.

තිසර සමල් – එප්පාවල

ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරීමේ බැංකුවේ 50 වැනි සංවත්සරයට සමගාමීව එප්පාවල ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරීමේ බැංකු ශාඛාව මගින් එප්පාවල රජයේ රෝහල වෙත පුටු පරිත්‍යාග කිරීම අද (22) සිදු කෙරිණි.

ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරීමේ බැංකුවේ වයඹ ප්‍රාදේශීය කළමණාකාර ඩෙනිස් ඔලබොඩුව මහතාගේ ප්‍රදානත්වයෙන් මෙම සත්කාරය සිදු කරණු ලැබීය.

එප්පාවල ප්‍රාදේශීය රෝහලේ සායන කටයුතු වලට පැමිණෙන ගැබිණි මවුවරුන් හා වැඩිහිටි පුද්ලයින්ට තමන්ගේ සායන කටයුතු අවසන් වන තෙක් රෝහල් පරිශ්‍රයේ දිගු වේලාවක් රැදී සිටිමේදී අවශ්‍ය තරම් ආසන නොමැතිකම හේතුවෙන්, ඔවුන්ට පවතින රෝගී අපහසුතා මැද සිටගෙන සිටීමට සිදු වීමෙන් පීඩාවට පත්වන බවට එප්පාවල රජයේ රෝහලේ ප්‍රධාන වෛද්‍යතුමිය හේමමාලී දිසානායක මහත්මිය කළ දැනුම්දීමක් මත එප්පාවල ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරිමේ බැංකුවේ කළමණාකාරතුමිය වන රේණුකා අබේසිංහ මහත්මිය ඇතුළු කාර්ය මණ්ඩලය ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරීමේ බැංකුවේ 50 වැනි සංවත්රයට සමගාමීව මෙම පරිත්‍යාගය සිදු කරනු ලැබීය.

ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරීමේ බැංකුවේ වයඹ ප්‍රාදේශීය කළමණාකාර ඩෙනිස් ඔලබොඩුව, ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරීමේ බැංකුවේ එප්පාවල ශාඛාවේ කළමණාකාරතුමිය වන රේණුකා අබේසිංහ මහත්මිය ඇතුළු ශාඛාවේ නිළධාරීන් විසින් එප්පාවල රජයේ රෝහලේ ප්‍රධාන වෛද්‍යතුමිය වන හේමමාලි දිසානායක මහත්මිය හා වෛද්‍ය සම්පත් බංඩාර මහතා ඇතුළු රෝහල් කාර්ය මණ්ඩලය වෙත පුටු භාර දීම සිදු කෙරිණි.

එහිදී අදහස් දැක්වූ එප්පාවල රයේ රෝහලේ වෛද්‍ය සම්පත් බංඩාර මහතා,

එප්පාවල ප්‍රාදේශීය රෝහලට ලොකු අවශ්‍යතාවක් වෙලා තිබුණා පුටු, මේ දින වල රෝගීන් සායන වලට සහභාගී කරවීමේදී මීටරයේ පරතරය පවත්වාගෙන යන්න පුටු අවශ්‍යාතවක් තිබෙනවා.ඒ වගේම රෝහල් පරිශ්‍රයේ නව සායන ගොඩනැගිල්ලක් ඉදි වෙනවා, ඒකටත් රෝගීන් අතර පරතරය පවත්වා ගනිමින් රෝගීන්ට අසුන් පැනවීමට පුටු අවශ්‍ය වෙනවා, රජයෙන් හැම දෙයක්ම ඉල්ලන්න බැරි නිසා අපි ප්‍රාදේශීය ආයතන වලින් සහයෝගයන් ඉල්ලලා තියෙනවා.ඒ අනුව එප්පාවල නගරයේ වැදගත් කාර්යභාරයක් ඉටු කරන, වගකිවයුතු ආයතනයක් වන ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරීමේ බැංකුව අපිට පුටු පරිත්‍යාග කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් ස්තූති වන්ත වෙනවා යැයි පැවසීය.

ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරීමේ බැංකුවේ වයඹ ප්‍රාදේශීය කළමණාකාර ඩෙනිස් ඔලබොඩුව මහතා,

එප්පාවල ප්‍රාදේශීය රෝහලේ ඉල්ලීමක් අනුව, එප්පාවල ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරීමේ බැංකු ශාඛාවේ නිළධාරීන් එකතු වෙලා මේ දිනවල රෝහලකට අත්‍යවශ්‍යම දෙයක් වෙලා තියෙන පුටු පරිත්‍යාගයක් කරනු ලැබුවා.ජාතික ඉතිරිකිරීමේ බැංකුවට තව නොබෝ දිනකින් අවුරුදු 50 ක් සපිරෙනවා.ඒ වෙනුවෙන් සිදු කෙරෙන සමාජ සත්කාර වැඩටහනක් ලෙස තමයි මෙම කටයුත්ත සිදු කෙරුණේ යැයි පැවසීය.

එප්පාවල ජාතික ඉතිරි කිරිමේ බැංකුවේ කළමණාකාරතුමිය වන රේණුකා අබේසිංහ මහත්මිය,

එප්පාවල ප්‍රාදේශීය රෝහලට මේ දින වල පුටු අවශ්‍ය වන බවට වෛද්‍යතුමිය ඉල්ලීමක් කළා, ඒ අනුව අප ශාඛාවේ සියලු කාර්ය මණ්ඩලයේ දායකත්වයෙන් පුටු ලබා දුන්නා.ඒ මගින් එප්පාවල ප්‍රාදේශීය රෝහලට විශේෂ දායකත්වයක් ලැබෙයි කියලා අපි හිතනවා යැයි පැවසීය.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

දෙදහස් විස්ස අධ්‍යන පොදු සහතික පත්‍ර සාමාන්‍ය පෙළ විභාගයෙන් විශිෂ්ට සාමාර්ථ නවයක් ලබාගනිමින් දිවයිනේ ඉහළම ප්‍රතිඵල ලබාගත් ශිෂ්‍ය ශිෂ්‍යාවන් පස් දෙනා සහ ඉතිහාසයේ පළමු වතාවට විශිෂ්ට සාමාර්ථ 9ක් ලබාගත් දෘශ්‍ය ආබාධ සහිත දරුවන් දෙදෙනෙකු අද (22) දින පාර්ලිමේන්තු පරිශ්‍රයේ දී අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා හමුවූහ.

මෙසේ තමන් හමුවීමට පැමිණි අ.පො.ස සාමාන්‍ය පෙළ විභාගයේ විශිෂ්ට ප්‍රතිඵල ලැබූ දරුවන් සමඟ සුහඳ කතා බහක නිරත වූ අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා, ඔවුන්ගේ අනාගත බලාපොරොත්තු පිළිබඳ විමසමින් ඉදිරි අධ්‍යාපන කටයුතු සාර්ථක කර ගැනීමට සුභාශිංසන  එක් කළේය.

මහනුවර මහාමායා බාලිකා විද්‍යාලයේ සයුරන්ගි තරුෂිකා දෙව්මිනි ප්‍රේමසිරි, ගාල්ල සංඝමිත්තා බාලිකා විද්‍යාලයේ ආර්.පහන්මා උපනි ලෙනෝරා, හොරණ ශ්‍රීපාලි මහා විද්‍යාලයේ ආර්. ඔෂධී සන්දීපා, රාමනාදන් හින්දු බාලිකා විද්‍යාලයේ ශ්‍රීමාතුරෙයි සින්තනාචෙල්වන් සහ කදාන ද මැසිනද් විද්‍යාලයේ ඩී.නිපුන් දිනුක අධිකාරි ශිෂ්‍ය ශිෂ්‍යාවෝ මෙලෙස සාමාන්‍ය පෙළ දිවයිනේ ඉහළම ප්‍රතිඵල ලැබූවන් ලෙස අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා හමුවූහ.

ඉතිහාසයේ පළමු වතාවට දෘශ්‍ය සහ කායික ආබාධ සහිත දරුවන් තිදෙනෙකු විශිෂ්ට සාමාර්ථ 9ක් ලබාගෙන ඇති බව එම දරුවන් දෙදෙනෙකු අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාට හඳුන්වාදෙමින් අධ්‍යාපන අමාත්‍ය දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා මෙහි දී පැවසීය.

මෙලෙස විශිෂ්ට සාමාර්ථ 9 ලබාගත් රත්මලාන අන්ධ විද්‍යාලයේ බ්‍රයන් කිංග්ස්ටන් සහ මඩකළපුව ශිවනන්ද විද්‍යාලයේ පාලක්‍රිෂ්ණන් පිරසෝපන් සිසුන්ට අවශ්‍ය පහසුකම් පිළිබඳ විමසූ අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා, ඔවුන්ගේ දක්ෂතාවයට සුබ පැතුම් එක් කළේය.

මෙම අවස්ථාවට එක්වීමට නොහැකි වූ විශිෂ්ට සාමාර්ථ 9ක් ලබාගත් උපතින්ම කායික ආබාධ සහිත මාතර, බඹරැන්ද සද්ධර්මරාජ මහා විද්‍යාලයේ දෙව්මි රන්සාරා රාජපක්ෂ දියණිය ද මෙහි දී සිහිපත් කෙරිණි.

අධ්‍යාපන අමාත්‍ය දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන, අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය අතිරේක ලේකම් හර්ෂ විජේවර්ධන, අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය පාර්ලිමේන්තු සම්බන්ධීකරණ ලේකම් ප්‍රියන්ත රත්නායක මහත්වරු ඇතුළු පිරිසක් මෙම අවස්ථාවට එක්ව සිටියහ.

ආචාර්ය වරුණ චන්ද්‍රකීර්ති

කුමාර කාශ්‍යප මාතාව කරණ කොටගෙන නිග්‍රෝධ ජාතකය දේශනාකර, අප මහ බුදුරජාණන්වහන්සේ අනුදැන වදාළ අත‍්තා හි අත‍්තනො නාථො, කො හි නාථො පරො සියා” නම් ගාථාවෙහි අර්ථය අපි සැවොම දනිමු. තමන්ට තමා ම පිහිට වන්නේ ය. තමා හැර අන් කවරෙක් තමන් හට පිහිටවන්නේ ද?” යනු එහි අර්ථයයි. අන්‍යයන් මත යැපීම බෞද්ධයන් වන අප හට නිගාවකි. ස්ව-ශක්තියෙන් අපගේ ප්‍රශ්න විසඳන ක්‍රම අප විසින් ම හඳුනාගත වෙයි. මෙම ප්‍රවාදයෙන් නිර්දේශිත පාලන ක්‍රමය ද, ආර්ථික ක්‍රමය ද ස්ව-ශක්තිය තහවුරු කෙරෙන, එය තව තවත් ඉහළට ඔසවන අයුරින් ප්‍රකාශ කෙරී ඇත්තේ එබැවිනි.

පවත්නා ප්‍රශ්න හඳුනාගැනීමට, ඒවාට පදනම් වී තිබෙන හේතු සාධක විමසීමට, විසඳුම් නිර්මාණයට සහ එම විසඳුම් සාක්‍ෂාත් කරගැනීමේ මාර්ගය හඳුනාගෙන එ් අනුව අදාළ ප්‍රශ්න විසඳාගැනීමට සම්පූර්ණ කරගත යුතු මූලික ම අවශ්‍යතාව වනුයේ අධ්‍යාපනයයි.  බිම් මට්ටමේ පාලන සභා, කෝරළ සභා සහ ජාතික රජය මැදිහත් වී ලබාදෙන අධ්‍යාපනයේ අරමුණ විය යුත්තේ ස්ව-ශක්තියෙන් පිරිපුන් පිරිසක් බිහිකිරීම ය. ප්‍රාථමික සහ ද්විතීයික අධ්‍යාපනය ලබාදීමේ දී ආයතනගත ආකාරයෙන් මෙම කාර්යය ඉටුකළ හැකි ය. පාසල් සහ අනෙකුත් අධ්‍යාපනික ආයතන පැවැතිය යුත්තේ ඒ වෙනුවෙනි.

එසේ වුව ද, තෘතීයික අධ්‍යාපනය සඳහා පිවිසෙන සෑම දරුවෙක් ම ආයතනගත ක්‍රමය තුළට සීමා කළ යුතු නොවේ. වෛද්‍ය විද්‍යාල, තාක්‍ෂණික විද්‍යාල සහ විශේෂ පර්යේෂණ කටයුතුවලට අදාළ අධ්‍යාපන ආයතන හැරුණු විට තෘත්‍රීයික මට්ටමේ අනෙකුත් අධ්‍යයාපනය ආයතනගත නොවූ ආකාරයෙන් ලබාදිය හැකි ය. ස්ව-අධ්‍යයන කටයුතු සඳහා දරුවන්ව පොළඹවා, ඒ සඳහා අවශ්‍ය පහසුකම් ලබා දී, අදාළ ඇගැයීම් ක්‍රම හඳුන්වාදීමෙන් මෙය කළ හැක්කේ ය.

මෙයින් යෝජනා කෙරෙනුයේ හුදු බාහිර උපාධි වැඩපිළිවෙළක් නොවේ. බාහිර උපාධි ක්‍රමය ක්‍රියාත්මක වන්නේ විශ්වවිද්‍යාලවලට ඇතුළත්වීමට නො හැකි වූ සිසුන් වෙනුවෙනි. මෙයින් යෝජනාකරන්නේ විෂයානුබද්ධ අයුරින් වෙන් කෙරුණු අධ්‍යාපන සහ ඇගැයීම් වැඩපිළිවෙළකි. විෂයානුබද්ධ ඇගැයීම් සහතික ලබාදීම ඉලක්ක කරගෙන මෙම වැඩපිළිවෙළ ක්‍රියාත්මක කළ හැක්කේ ය. ස්ව-ශක්තියෙන් යම් විෂයයක් අධ්‍යයනය කරන දරුවන්ට තමන්ව ඇගැයීම සඳහා සය මාසිකව හෝ වාර්ෂිකව හෝ පවත්වනු ලබන විභාගයකට පෙනී සිට අදාළ සහතිකය ලබාගත හැක්කේ ය.

මේ ආකාරයේ ඇගැයීම් විභාග නිශ්චිත ප්‍රමාණයකින් (නවයකින්, දහයකින් හෝ දොළහකින්) සමත් වී අදාළ සහතික ලබාගන්නා දරුවන් හට උපාධි සහතික ලබාදිය යුත්තේ ය. බාහිර උපාධි ක්‍රමය හා සන්සන්දනය කරන කල මෙම ක්‍රමයෙහි වෙනස ඇත්තේ අදාළ සියලු සහතිකවලට වෙන වෙන ම වටිනාකමක් ලබාදීම තුළ ය. පොදුවේ සළකා ලබාදෙන උපාධියක දී ඒ ඒ විෂයයෙහි ප්‍රවීන බව පැහැදිළිව ප්‍රකාශ නො කෙරෙයි. එහෙයින් පොදු උපාධි ලබාගත් අයවළුන් රැකියා සඳහා බඳවාගැනීමට බොහෝ ස්වාමියෝ අකැමැති වෙති. පොදු උපාධි සහතිකයෙන් ආවරණය වන සියලු විෂයය සඳහා වෙන වෙන ම ඇගැයීම් (සහතික) ලබාගෙන ඇති අය පිළිබඳව මෙවැනි ගැටලුවක් ඇති නොවේ. යම් රැකියාවක් සඳහා අවශ්‍ය වනුයේ පොදු උපාධියක් ලබාගත්, එ මෙන් ම, ඉංග්‍රීසි සහ ගණිතය විෂයයන්වල ප්‍රවීනත්වය ලැබූ කෙනෙක් නම් අදාළ සහතිකවලින් ඒ බව සෘජුව ම ප්‍රකාශ කෙරෙයි.

අදාළ සහතික ලබාගත යුතු කාල සීමාව නිශ්චිත විය යුතු නැත. හැකියාව ඇති, එ මෙන් ම, කාලය වෙන්කිරීමට හැකි අයකුට ඉතා කෙටි කාලයකින් අදාළ ප්‍රවීනතා සහතික ලබාගැනීමේ අවස්ථාව මේ අනුව උදාවෙයි. සාමාන්‍ය හැකියා ඇති කෙනෙක් වසර තුනකින් හෝ හතරකින් හෝ උපාධියක් ලබාගන්නා විට විශේෂ හැකියා ඇති අයකුට එය වසර දෙකකින් කළ හැකිවනු ඇත.

වෛද්‍ය විද්‍යාල, තාක්‍ෂණික විද්‍යාල සහ විශේෂ පර්යේෂණ කටයුතුවලට අදාළ අධ්‍යාපන ආයතන හැරුණු විට තෘත්‍රීයික මට්ටමේ අනෙකුත් සියලු අධ්‍යයන කටයුතු සඳහා මෙම වැඩපිළිවෙළ අනුගමනය කළ හැක්කේ ය. අංගසම්පූර්ණ විශ්වවිද්‍යාල රට පුරා සැදීමට සහ පවත්වාගෙන යෑමට වඩා මෙම ක්‍රමය ආර්ථික වශයෙන් ද වාසිදායක ය. අදාළ විෂයයන්ගේ ප්‍රවීන ආචාර්ය, මහාචාර්යවරු ප්‍රාදේශීය මට්ටමේ උපදේශන කටයුතු සඳහා යොමුකිරීම, ප්‍රාදේශීය මට්ටමින් අංගසම්පූර්ණ පුස්තකාල ඇතිකිරීම, උපකාරක පංති පැවැත්වීම, පොත් පත් සහ අධ්‍යාපනික කරුණු අන්තර්ගත අනෙකුත් දෑ සුලභකිරීම මේ වෙනුවෙන් කළ යුතු වේ.

මෙ ලෙසින් ප්‍රවීනත්වය ලබාදිය හැකි විෂයයන් සඳහා ස්ථානගත විශ්වවිද්‍යාල පවත්වාගෙන යා යුතු නැත. ආයතනගත අධ්‍යාපනය අවශ්‍ය නැති බව හඳුනාගත් සියලු විෂයයන් සඳහා මෙම ක්‍රමය අනිවාර්යය කළ යුතු වේ. ඒ අනුව අදාළ විෂයයන්ගේ ප්‍රවීනත්වය අපේක්‍ෂා කරන සෑම ශිෂ්‍යයෙක් ම මෙම ක්‍රමයට අනුගත කෙරෙයි. ඒ අනුව, ස්ථානගත විශ්වවිද්‍යාල ක්‍රමයේ සීමා ඉක්මවා විශාල පිරිසකට අධ්‍යාපනය ලැබීමේ ඉඩක් මෙම වැඩපිළිවෙළ විසින් නිර්මාණය කෙරෙයි.
ආචාර්ය වරුණ චන්ද්‍රකීර්ති

High Commission of Sri Lanka New Delhi

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda visited the headquarters of the global Information Technology giant HCL Technologies in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The 50-acre campus houses 25,000 employees.

High Commissioner Moragoda’s visit to the HCL Technologies headquarters in Noida came just days ahead of the first anniversary of HCL operations in Sri Lanka and the grand opening of the Company’s new facility in Sri Lanka. HCL Technologies has leased 20 floors (200,000 sq. ft.) of an iconic commercial building in Colombo for their new office, which will be inaugurated on 25 November 2021.

HCL in Sri Lanka will provide high-paying IT employment opportunities to 1100 Sri Lankans initially, and is planning to increase that number to 5000 in five years. The Company would hire high school graduates and offer them employment in the facility, while providing 100% scholarships to complete their university degrees.

High Commissioner Moragoda, met with the Company’s Chief Financial Officer Prateek Aggarwal and his senior management team, and discussed extensively on the investments that the HCL Technologies have made in Sri Lanka, and the ways and means to further expand those investments.

HCL Technologies, a next-generation global technology company with an annual revenue of 11 billion US dollars, has offices in fifty countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Germany with a worldwide network of Research and Development, innovation labs and delivery centres. Globally, it has over 187,000 employees and its customers include 250 of the Fortune 500 and 650 of the Global 2,000 companies.

HCL Sri Lanka would directly serve 49 Fortune 500 companies.

High Commissioner Moragoda was accompanied by Deputy High Commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa, Minister Counsellor Gamini Sarath Godakanda and Senior Principal Secretary of the High Commission Deepak Nathani, while the Chief Financial Officer Aggarwal was accompanied by Vice President-Strategy Abhinav Ghosh, Vice President Praveen Seth and Deputy Manager-Strategic Initiatives- Chairman’s Office Ashish Yadav.

High Commission of Sri Lanka New Delhi

Emeritus Professor Nimal Gunatilleke,  University of Peradeniya Courtesy The Island

Natural forests provide a variety of services that include forest products of utility value, water regulation, biodiversity and soil conservation, climate amelioration and a range of socio-cultural benefits to forest-dependent people. In good governance of natural resources such as that of forests, transparency and inclusiveness in ecosystem management planning, monitoring, and equitable sharing of benefits are safeguarded. Increased pressure on natural forest resources leads to land degradation, biodiversity decline and contribute to change in climate. Major drivers of tropical deforestation are economic, governance, technological, cultural, and demographic factors, all of which are interconnected and interactive. Among the governance factors which contribute to forest degradation and deforestation are i) policies encouraging forest conversion, ii) unclear land tenure, and iii) poor enforcement of environmental laws.

All these factors seem to be influencing the current wave of forest degradation and deforestation in Sri Lanka. A forest governance conundrum has emerged recently as a result of seemingly discordant interests in forest conservation vis -à- vie land development planning and implementation in Sri Lanka. This has become even more pertinent in this post-Covid era during which the concept of One Health is being actively promoted. One Health initiative is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach linking human, animal and ecosystem health which has a deep-rooted cultural significance in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is a party to the three global environmental conventions related to sustainable development (viz. the Convention on Biological Diversity [UNCBD], UN Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC], and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification [UNCCD]). All of them have mobilised a strong political commitment as a potential accelerator of ecosystem restoration effort around the world in this United Nations’ Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) which is being advanced as a unified global strategy towards conserving threatened biological diversity, mitigating climate change, and curbing desertification. This has been further strengthened by the commitments made at the recently concluded UNFCCC -COP 26. Over 130 countries, with a coverage within them of more than 90% of the world’s forests, endorsed the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use committing to work collectively to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. It is said to be backed by the biggest ever commitment of public funds for forest conservation and a global roadmap to make 75% of forest commodity supply chains sustainable.

Sri Lanka has made a conditional pledge to restore 200,000 ha over this decade as its Nationally Determined Contribution to Bonn Challenge commitment, contingent upon the availability of adequate funding. Complementing this international commitment, the Government of Sri Lanka has incorporated in its National Policy Framework – ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor’, a strategy for an increase of national forest cover up to 30% (p.59). Among the proposed activities under this strategy are i) identification and reforestation of suitable lands, ii) restoration and rehabilitation degraded ecosystems and iii) activities related to urban and road-side tree planting. Similarly, in the sub-sector on land utilization in the same document (p. 57), strategies towards i) conservation of sensitive ecosystems to control human impacts on marshy lands and mangroves and ii) restoring barren and abandoned lands for sustainable agriculture and forestry have been proposed.

Despite these national policy proclamations on sustainable environmental governance while, at the same time, complying with international environment-related commitments, recent declarations (in the form of circulars) relating to ‘other state forest lands’ issued by the subject ministries appear to be undermining the laudable objectives in achieving the environmental pledges made by the government. These ‘other state forests’ reclassified in recent governmental circulars as ‘residual forests’ are those located outside the currently declared protected area network. It is estimated to cover about 400,000 ha or more that include fragments of both mature phase forests as well as regenerating forests serving as crucially important biological corridors connecting protected areas mostly in intermediate and dry zone districts.

The closed canopy forests amongst these other state forests are included within the current natural forest cover estimate of 29.2%. The government has pledged to increase this to 30% by 2025 and to 32% by 2030 by restoring degraded forests and deforested lands, mostly found within these ‘residual’ forests. Accordingly, there is a clear government commitment towards expanding the current natural forest cover by 200,000 ha, in honouring these national and international pledges.

However, a disturbing factor that has emerged in recent times is a steep increase of forest offences most of which are encroachments and unlawful extraction of forest products and services. The Forest Department has prosecuted these forest offenders that has steadily increased with over 27,000 court cases since 2006 (especially since 2019), according to the Forest Department records.

On top of this, there appears to be a move to release at least some of these other state forestlands reclassified in recent government circulars as ‘residual forests’ for agricultural expansion (commercial scale?), infrastructure development and human settlements. with a sense of urgency, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. Government’s thrust towards rapid development in land-use for agriculture, animal husbandry and plantations has put severe pressure on these ‘other state forests’, most of which are located in the Northern, North-eastern and North-central provinces in which only a limited amount of long-term land use planning has gone in since the end of the protracted war in these areas. Therefore, some of the critical areas for conservation in these areas have not yet been included into the national protected areas system.

In such a climate, a series of circulars have been issued since the issuance of the circular MWFC/1/2020 on 04 November 2020 by the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation rescinding all previous circulars related to administration of these Other State Forests (OSFs) or residual forests to be utilised for development activities. By this new circular, all OSFs, except those that are identified as important for conservation of biodiversity, soil, and water, to be handed over to the provincial and district administration for land development programmes, subject to conditions laid out for proper land use. The subsequent circulars and advisory notes issued by the Land Commissioner General and Forest Conservator General spelt out procedural details in speeding up the implementation process of the MWFC/1/2020 decisions.

This attempt appears to be at variance with the priorities of the National Policy Framework which proposes restoration of barren and abandoned lands to increase national forest cover to 30% by 2025. However, clearing of natural forests or regenerating forests for development-mostly agricultural – without identifying and prioritizing the ecological service value, these attempts may be counter-productive with time creating a forest governance conundrum.

While the Forest Department has identified 389,562 ha of ‘open and sparse forests’ under its jurisdiction in its 2015 Forest Cover estimates, the Land Use Policy Planning Department (LUPPD) has identified a further 373,387 ha of ‘shrub cover’ mostly in the category of other state forests, a total area of open and sparse forest/shrub cover of over 750,000 ha. While a certain level of overlap of these other state forest and shrub cover may be inevitable and hence to be expected, a speedy mechanism needs to be developed to identify these open and sparse forests as well as the shrub cover of LUPPD on the ground.

From amongst them, those which are important for biodiversity conservation, provisioning of ecosystem services, buffer areas for protected forests, riverine/gallery forests and stream reservations, corridors for animal migration and those that are in advance regeneration need to be set aside for increase in forest cover to 30% by 2025 as stated in the National Policy Document – Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor. From a sustainable land development perspective, the remaining degraded lands should be considered for development purposes.

The global priority when it comes to tradeoffs between conservation and development is to conserve relatively intact tropical forests. It has been categorically stated that forest restoration can no way be a substitute for habitat/landscape conservation. Pledges of restoration should not be used to justify forest conversion to other land uses in critical habitats as proposed in the case of construction of Madugeta reservoir near Deniyaya. This reservoir was designed for taking water from Gin Ganga to SE dry zone by submerging a portion of prime rain forest of Dellawa. In this instance, a claim was made to reforest over 100 acres of Hevea rubber as a substitute which was not endorsed by the UNESCO World Heritage Commission. Dellawa forest is in the buffer zone of Sinharaja World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.

It is clearly evident that Sri Lanka faces a formidable challenge in environmental governance in trading off her critical environmental interests with those of rapid development. This has been further confounded by the lack of employing a proper yard stick in estimating benefits and costs of each competing interest. One of the main impediments in moving along the path of good forest governance in Sri Lanka is our incapacity to estimate a more realistic value of its natural capital including the services the forests provide which can be traded against any proposed developmental alternatives. Valuing natural capital enables governments to account for nature’s role in the economy and human well-being. Estimating the economic value of nature’s benefits, as best as we can using currently available methods, can make the contribution of nature to livelihoods and economies more visible, enabling smarter decisions that account for nature in our economic systems (green economy) and ensuring that it can continue to sustain us.

In this green economic milieu, the green bonds or climate bonds are emerging as innovative financial instruments as the environmental issues are raising high on global investment policy agenda. Green bonds are like conventional bonds, but their only unique characteristic specification is that the proceeds be invested in projects that generate environmental benefits. A green bond could be used to finance or refinance projects that contribute positively to the environment and/or climate. Green bonds can mobilize resources from domestic and international capital markets for climate change adaptation, renewables, and other environment friendly projects.

Green bonds enable governments, corporations and the private sector to borrow capital to fund projects that promote environmental sustainability and a low carbon economy. They are commonly used to finance the following types of projects:

* Natural resources and land management projects,

* Energy efficiency projects,

* Renewable energy projects,

* Pollution prevention and control projects,

* Clean transportation projects,

* Wastewater and water management projects,

* Green building projects.

* Water projects

Some examples of green-bond qualified investment projects in different countries are nature-based solutions such as development of biological corridors, ecotourism projects, certified organic agriculture projects payment for watershed service improvements, and purchase of lands for conservation and restoration purposes and conservation easement projects.

Green bonds are emerging rapidly as key green economic financial instruments at a global scale with over half a trillion dollar investments have already been made during the first half of 2021and ‘1 trillion dollar annual sovereign green bond investment is in sight’ according to the Global Climate Bond monitoring website (https://www.climatebonds.net/).

There are a number of similar attractive opportunities in Sri Lanka to be explored for being eligible for green bond investments. They can even be used for refinancing international debt capital – as debt instruments which is quite appropriate for Sri Lanka at this post-covid state with a heavy burden of international debt. Central and provincial government agencies, municipalities, as well as private organisations, could consider issuing Green Bonds that are focused on biodiversity and sustainable land use, especially in regions that are known for their natural capital and ecosystems (e.g. wetlands in the Weststern Province, watersheds in the Central and Uva province).

The world-renown Sri Lankan agrarian system, the ellanga gammana” or Cascaded Tank-Village system in the Dry Zone, which was designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) may be an ideal candidate for sustainable development. Further expansion of the Wari Saubhagya programme into the LUPPD identified ‘Shrub cover’ and the remainder of the other state forests having carved out the conservation areas first, could be considered in this context for green bond investment projects with community participation.

In the face of this current conundrum, estimation of the value of forest biodiversity and the ecosystem services they render, would pave the way for investing in green bonds that takes into account the natural capital in our economic systems. Since there are strict monitoring protocols in place for these green investments, the governance factors which contribute to forest degradation and deforestation such as policies encouraging forest conversion, unclear land tenure, and poor enforcement of environmental laws would be minimised.

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Declaring that Sri Lanka was experiencing the worst ever post-independence economic crisis, Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday said Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s forthcoming visit to New Delhi might give the country an opportunity to explore ways and means of overcoming the overwhelming challenges.

Prof. Peiris, who is also the Chairman of the ruling SLPP, emphasised that the Finance Minister’s visit was meant to seek not only loans but also wider cooperation on a range of other matters, including investment, trade and tourism.

Addressing the regular weekly SLPP briefing at its Battaramulla party office yesterday (22), Prof. Peiris said Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Gopal Baglay and Sri Lankan High Commissioner in New Delhi Milinda Moragoda had made arrangements for Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s visit.

Minister Rajapaksa is scheduled to meet Indian Premier Narendra Modi, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and other officials.

Both Prof. Peiris and SLPP General Secretary Attorney-at-Law Sagara Kariyawasam strongly argued against repeated calls led by the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) for seeking the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Prof. Peiris asserted that the IMF wasn’t the only solution but one of the alternatives whereas lawmaker Kariyawasam asked whether any country had benefited from such a course of action.

Referring to the unprecedented crisis triggered by Covid-19 eruption in early 2020, Prof. Peiris said there were external factors, and current challenges couldn’t be taken in isolation. Emphasising that Sri Lanka maintained friendly relations with all foreign governments, Prof. Peiris explained the special relations Sri Lanka was having with India.

Finance Minister Rajapaksa on 12 Nov. presented Budget 2022. He declared that the government was confident that the country would not default on its debts and would work to improve its foreign exchange reserves. Sri Lanka has never defaulted in its history and that record will be maintained,” Minister Rajapaksa assured.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo has repeatedly stated that Sri Lanka would receive priority in line with India’s ‘neighbourhood first policy’ widely described as Premier Narendra Modi’s signature foreign policy initiative that sought to develop better relations with the country’s neighbours.

Prof. Peiris also briefed the media on the status of the drafting of the new Constitution undertaken by an expert committee, and the Parliamentary Select Committee handling electoral reforms. The SLPP Chairman said that the government was going ahead with the process in spite of other issues at hand and confident of bringing the project to a successful conclusion. Prof. Peiris said that a new Constitution was a long felt need. The public expected electoral reforms as all accepted the need for far reaching changes.

Quad member India is a major investor in Sri Lanka. Recently, India has reached agreement with Sri Lanka as regards the proposed West Container Terminal (WCT) against the backdrop Sri Lanka reneging previous tripartite agreement involving India and Japan to develop the East Container Terminal (ECT) amidst stiff opposition from port unions. The Quad security alliance comprises the US, Japan, Australia and India.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Following the success of last year’s #BudgetCheck, FactCheck.lk by Verité Research carried out live fact checking on claims made by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa in his 2022 Budget Speech on November 12, 2021.  The team fact checked a total of nine statements from the Budget Speech. Of these, four statements were graded True, three False, one Partly True, and one Blatantly False. 
See below for statements fact checked along with its narrative and relevant sources.

Courtesy Adaderana

There is no change in the government policy.” President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stressed that the country’s agriculture policy is only for a green agriculture that focuses on the sole use of organic fertilizers.

President Rajapaksa said that the government will only distribute organic fertilizer and provide subsidies only for organic farming, the PMD reported. 

He also said that the farmers should be properly educated and that it is also vital to identify the chemical fertiliser mafia that exists when implementing this. The President emphasized that the commitment of the officials was essential to make the right policy victorious.

The President made this observation at a special discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (22) regarding the cultivation for the Maha Season and the supply of organic fertiliser.

The President inquired from officials at the district level about the cultivation of paddy and other crops in all parts of the country. 

The heavy rains that prevailed have reduced the yield of many crops including vegetables. Moreover, the delay in the distribution of organic manure affected the cultivation activities during the Maha Season. However, at the district level, the cultivation activities commenced in nearly 70% of the total agricultural lands, the officials were quoted as saying.

The President pointed out that the reason behind farmers organizing protests and delaying cultivation was that they have not been properly educated. The President expressed his displeasure to the officials for not accurately educating the farmers, the statement said. 

The President emphasized that the officials should work to find answers on behalf of the agitating farmers in accordance with the green agriculture policy and added that there is no obstacle for the officials who do not agree with the government policy to leave.

The President also said that the support of a team that works clearly according to their conscience is needed for the success of this programme.

Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Governors Marshal of the Air Force Roshan Goonetileke and Anuradha Yahampath, Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundera, Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Heads of the Ministry of Agriculture and its affiliated line agencies and organic fertilizer manufacturers were also present on the occasion.

-PMD

Courtesy Adaderana

The Ministry of Health says that another 197 persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus today, increasing the daily count of new cases to 735. 

Sri Lanka’s tally of Covid-19 cases reported increases to 557,361 with this while over 16,000 infected patients are currently undergoing treatment.

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 31 coronavirus related deaths for November 21, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus pandemic to 14,158.

The deaths confirmed today includes 21 males and 10 females while one of the victims is below the age of 30 years. Seven are between the ages 30-59 years while the remaining 23 are aged 60 and above.