The Pathfinder Foundation

The Pathfinder Foundation hosted a high-level discussion featuring Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, during his official visit to Sri Lanka. The event brought together diplomats, policymakers, academics, and media representatives for an in-depth exchange on evolving global geopolitical dynamics and bilateral relations.

The session was attended by Alexey Pavlovsky, Director of the Second Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Levan S. Dzhagaryan, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Sri Lanka, and senior officials from the Embassy of the Russian Federation.

Welcoming the delegation, Chairman-Pathfinder Foundation, Ambassador (Retd.) Bernard Goonetilleke noted that the visit of the Deputy Minister marked the second high-level engagement by the Russian Federation with Sri Lanka in a short period, following recent discussions on energy cooperation led by Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin. He observed that while earlier engagements focused on addressing Sri Lanka’s immediate energy challenges, the present dialogue provided an opportunity to broaden discussions to include the wider geopolitical and strategic environment.

Ambassador Goonetilleke highlighted that the meeting takes place at a time when the international system is under considerable strain, with ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, rising tensions in the Persian Gulf, and disruptions to major maritime corridors. He stressed that for countries such as Sri Lanka, located at the crossroads of key global shipping routes, these developments are not abstract concerns but have direct implications for economic resilience, supply chains, energy security, and national stability. He further noted that the world appears to be in the midst of a transition toward a new international order, the contours of which remain uncertain, making it particularly important for Sri Lanka to engage with major global actors such as the Russian Federation.

In his remarks, Deputy Minister A. Rudenko expressed appreciation for the opportunity to engage with the Pathfinder Foundation and described his visit to Sri Lanka as both his first and an important opportunity to better understand the country’s role in a changing global landscape. He emphasised that the international system is undergoing a profound transformation from a unipolar structure to a more multipolar order, where multiple centres of power will play a role in shaping global outcomes. He noted the increasing influence of countries of the Global South, including major economies such as China and India, as well as regional groupings like ASEAN, in determining economic, political, and security dynamics. He observed that the transition to a multipolar world is complex and often accompanied by instability, with current conflicts reflecting deeper structural changes in the international system. While acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding the eventual shape of the emerging order, he reiterated Russia’s position that future global arrangements should be based on principles of sovereign equality, mutual respect, and non-interference.

Deputy Minister A. Rudenko also referred to Russia’s proposal for a broader Eurasian security architecture, aimed at fostering cooperation across a vast region extending from Europe to Asia. He suggested that such an approach could help create more inclusive and coordinated mechanisms for addressing shared challenges, while allowing regional organizations to interact more effectively on the basis of equality.

A significant portion of the discussion focused on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its global repercussions. The Deputy Minister described the situation as highly volatile and unpredictable, with potential consequences extending well beyond the immediate region. He stressed that continued escalation could have serious implications for global energy markets, maritime security, and economic stability, particularly for countries dependent on energy imports and secure shipping routes.

In response to questions on energy security, he reaffirmed Russia’s willingness to supply energy resources to countries in Asia, including Sri Lanka, and emphasized the importance of long-term agreements to ensure stability and predictability. He noted that while geopolitical pressures and sanctions have at times constrained cooperation, there is now renewed opportunity for engagement, provided countries pursue independent and sustainable energy strategies. He also highlighted the growing trend towards conducting trade in national currencies, reflecting broader shifts in the global financial system.

On the issue of global governance, Deputy Minister A. Rudenko acknowledged the challenges facing multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations, and expressed support for reform efforts aimed at making them more representative and effective. He emphasized that countries of the Global South should have a stronger voice in international decision-making processes, including in the United Nations Security Council, while noting that such reforms require careful and consensus-based approaches.

The discussion also touched on the role of groupings such as BRICS, with Deputy Minister A. Rudenko noting that while differences exist among member states, the platform provides an important mechanism for coordination and dialogue among emerging economies. He highlighted ongoing efforts to bridge differences and enhance cooperation within such frameworks.

Participants raised a wide range of questions on regional security, trade dynamics, investment opportunities, and Sri Lanka’s strategic position in the Indian Ocean. Deputy Minister A. Rudenko acknowledged Sri Lanka’s importance as a regional hub and noted the potential for expanding cooperation in areas such as tourism, trade, and investment. He emphasised the need for improved connectivity, reliable financial mechanisms, and stronger institutional frameworks to support deeper economic engagement. The session concluded with an exchange of views on the challenges and opportunities presented by the evolving global order, highlighting the importance of continued dialogue and cooperation in navigating a period of significant geopolitical change.

The Pathfinder Foundation expressed its appreciation to the Russian delegation for their participation and reaffirmed its commitment to fostering informed discussion and international engagement on issues of strategic importance to Sri Lanka and the wider region.

Pictures

01-   Alexey Pavlovsky, Director of the Second Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and Chairman-Pathfinder Foundation, Ambassador (Retd.) Bernard Goonetilleke

02-   Alexey Pavlovsky, Director of the Second Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Chairman-Pathfinder Foundation, Ambassador (Retd.) Bernard Goonetilleke and His Excellency Levan S. Dzhagaryan, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Sri Lanka

03-   Alexey Pavlovsky, Director of the Second Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Chairman-Pathfinder Foundation, Ambassador (Retd.) Bernard Goonetilleke and His Excellency Levan S. Dzhagaryan, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Sri Lanka,

04-   Alexey Pavlovsky, Director of the Second Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and Chairman-Pathfinder Foundation, Ambassador (Retd.) Bernard Goonetilleke

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Key unsolicited Projects Executed in 70/ 90 

• Kotmale Dam – fast-tracked with Swedish funding under Gamini Dissanayake
• Parliament of Sri Lanka dredging – awarded to Boskalis
• Sea sand dredging project – linked to Dutch funding + loans
• Canal rehabilitation – feasibility by WS Atkins
• Project management – Nippon Koei
• Execution – Keangnam Enterprises

These represent a classic 1970s–1990s model of development:

👉 politically driven

👉 externally financed

👉 consultant-led

👉 quickly executed

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 Lessons to Learn

1.  Speed vs. Process

Then:

Projects moved very fast—decisions taken at ministerial level, minimal bureaucracy.

Lesson:

• Speed is essential for development
• But lack of structured procurement can lead to:
  • inflated costs
  • poor negotiation outcomes
  • dependency on external parties

Today’s takeaway:

Create a fast-track approval system” WITH safeguards—not without them.

Unsolicited Proposals – Double-Edged Sword

Then:

Foreign companies like Boskalis brought ideas + financing.

Advantages:

• No need for government to conceive projects
• Access to technology and funding
• Quick start

Risks:

• Supplier-driven (not country-driven)
• Weak price discovery (no competition)
• Hidden long-term costs

 Lesson:

Accept unsolicited proposals—but subject them to competitive benchmarking (Swiss Challenge” model).

Foreign Funding Comes with Influence

Examples:

• Swedish funding for Kotmale Dam
• Dutch grants + loans for dredging
• Japanese and Korean firms executing canals

Reality:

Funding often tied to:

• contractors from donor country
• technology lock-in
• political alignment

 Lesson:

Diversify funding sources and negotiate from strength—not urgency.

Strong Political Champions Matter

Figures like Gamini Dissanayake drove projects personally.

Positive:

• Projects didn’t stall
• Bureaucracy was bypassed

Negative:

• Decisions concentrated in individuals
• Weak institutional continuity

Lesson:

Blend political leadership with institutional frameworks

not personality-driven development.

 Role of Consultants – Value vs Dependency

• WS Atkins (feasibility) with RDV local company 
• Nippon Koei (project management)

Observation:

• High-quality planning and execution
• But local capacity remained limited

 Lesson:

Every foreign consultancy must include:

• technology transfer
• local engineer training
• knowledge retention

 Financing Structure Matters More Than Speed

Projects were funded by:

• grants
• soft loans
• export credit

But often:

• repayment terms were not fully scrutinized
• revenue models were weak

 Lesson:

No project should proceed without a clear repayment + revenue model.

 Missed Opportunity: Build Local Industry

While foreign companies executed:

• dredging
• canals
• infrastructure

Sri Lanka did not build its own large-scale contracting capability.

 Lesson:

Every project should:

• mandate local contractor participation
• develop domestic industry (like what South Korea did)

 Strategic Takeaway for Today

If Sri Lanka wants to replicate that clock  work” speed again:

 What to Keep

• Decisive leadership
• Willingness to engage foreign partners
• Bold infrastructure vision

What to Fix

• Transparent procurement
• Competitive pricing
• Strong legal frameworks
• Local capacity building
• Debt sustainability

Final Insight

The past model worked because:

• the country was starting from a low base
• urgency justified shortcuts

But today:

 The stakes are higher

debt is heavier

geopolitics is sharper

Dilrook Kannangara

Sri Lanka tends to arrive late at the party; often embracing what the world flushes down the toilet. The latest is multiculturalism which failed and doomed the countries that embraced it. The world is dropping it faster than it adopted it. But poor Sri Lanka embraces this failed concept as refuse comes cheap. Instead, Sri Lanka must learn from the failures of the countries that went head in into multiculturalism and avoid it like the plague today. New laws have been introduced to curtail it. Migration is under strict rules to weed out harms to the domestic and native culture. External arrivals are diversified across the large number of different cultures so that no single external culture can establish itself. Unless multiculturalism is dropped, Sri Lanka will be forced to embrace permanent economic collapse, social collapse, lack of legal and values driven collectivism, violence and other ills.

Once upon a time the world scientific community demonized coconut consumption as high-fat food leading to cardiovascular disease. However, subsequent studies debunked this myth and found it contains many beneficial nutrients with protective properties. A coconut craze swept across the world and continues.

The original anti-coconut movement arrived in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s and lasted a long time. During this time people with some western medical knowledge shunned the healthy food over false, old and outdated western claims. Coconut farms slowly divested, demand fell and people moved to palm oil and other extremely unhealthy oils. Good news about coconuts arrived very late in Sri Lanka and by then the damage was done.

Multiculturalism is the same. It is now considered nothing more valuable than body waste in countries that touched it. None of them want it. They flush it down the toilet and unfortunately Sri Lanka picks it up from there.

Nations that did not embrace multiculturalism survived its ills. These include Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, most Nordic countries, conservative European countries, Arabic countries, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. They value their firm historical and cultural foundations and would not fall for every fad that sweeps the world.

Sri Lanka must shed multiculturalism. A population of different ethnic and cultural values is not by itself multiculturalism. Diversity is a normal part of modern nations. However, giving equal importance to all cultures is the evil of multiculturalism. The dominant and native culture must be given exclusive importance. Others must be recognized and respected for what they are – foreign cultures – mostly originated from far less-developed and poorer South Indian and Pakistani sub-cultures. They have their motherlands across the seas, just not Sri Lanka where a far superior culture has taken hold for over two millennia and it must be protected and promoted exclusively. Claiming others’ cultures as ours is also an injustice to the rightful (overseas) owners of those cultures. They rightly enjoy exclusive importance in their native lands.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

One of the mostly viewed photos available on the internet of Zahran Hashim

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Whatever Gammanpila’s critics may say, it is indeed a fact that Zahran Hashim played a pivotal and pre-eminent role in the Easter bombings of April 21, 2019, perpetrated by suicide bombers. Zahran Hashim may or may not have been the mastermind, but he certainly was actively involved in the dastardly exercise

‘Pasku Praharaye Mahamolakaru Soyayema (In Search of the Mastermind of the Easter Attacks)’ is the title of a book written by ‘Pivithuru Hela Urumaya’ party leader and former Cabinet minister, Udaya Gammanpila. The book launch event held in Colombo on March 31 was well attended. Among those in the audience were Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa and  former Presidents Maithripala Sirisena and Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

According to media reports on the event, Udaya Gammanpila has pointed the finger at Zahran Hashim – the former leader of the National Thowheeth Jamaat – as being the ‘Mastermind’ behind the Easter bombings of April 21, 2019. Mohammed Zahran Mohomed Hashim, also known as Zahran Hashim, the fiery Muslim preacher from Kattankudy in Batticaloa District, was a man about whom very little was known outside of Islamic circles before the Easter Sunday bombings. Subsequently, Hashim became well-known after  the terror attacks on April 21, 2019 in which he  was deeply involved. 

Zahran Hashim has been frequently named as the mastermind behind the Easter attacks in the past. This has been disputed by several others. Despite Hashim’s deep involvement in the attacks,  it was doubted that the man from Kattankudy was the mastermind behind the Easter bombings. Several conspiracy theories have been afloat about who the actual mastermind was. Now Udaya Gammanpila, through his book, has beamed the spotlight again on Zahran Hashim as the mastermind. 

Since I have not read Gammanpila’s book, I do not want to comment at this juncture on the case made by him against Zahran Hashim as the mastermind. However indictments have been filed in court against some suspects while investigations are yet continuing to ascertain whether there was indeed a mastermind and if so, to identify the person or persons.  Under these circumstances there may be many who doubt Gammanpila’s ‘discovery’ and ascribe political motives to him, in alleging Hashim was the mastermind. 

Whatever Gammanpila’s critics may say, it is indeed a fact that Zahran Hashim played a pivotal and pre-eminent role in the Easter bombings of April 21, 2019, perpetrated by suicide bombers. Zahran Hashim may or may not have been the mastermind, but he certainly was actively involved in the dastardly exercise. Therefore this column – with the aid of earlier writings –  focuses on Zahran Hashim alias ‘Abu Ubaidah’  this week. 

Kattankudy 

Mohammed Zahran Mohomed Hashim was born in the Muslim coastal town of Kattankudy in 1985. Kattankudy pronounced in Tamil as ‘Kaathaankudy’ is situated 211 miles away from Colombo in the eastern littoral known as ‘Ezhuvaankarai’  (shore of the rising sun). 

The thickly populated Kattankudy is arguably the most prosperous Muslim town in the East.  It is said that Kattankudy is the busiest business centre in the Batticaloa District. The natives of Kattankudy are well-known for their entrepreneurial skills and business acumen. A very large number of leading Muslim commercial establishments in the East as well as in other areas of the island belong to people from Kattankudy. 

However, in recent times Kattankudy has acquired the hallmarks of an Arabian town. Kattankudy today is a modern township bustling with women clad in black abayas and men sporting bristling beards. Date palms are grown within urban precincts and many signboards and street arches have Arabic lettering. Kattankudy has more than 60 registered and unregistered mosques. Except for a handful, most of them are in practice influenced by Wahabi ideology. 

Cassim to Hashim

is in this Kattankudy milieu that Zahran Hashim was born in 1985 to Hayath Mohomed Hashim and Sameema Hashim. It is said that the surname Hashim was earlier spelt as Cassim but later changed to Hashim. The family resided in the Ward 3 area in the town. Zahran was the eldest of five children. Following Zahran were two brothers Zain and Rilwan. The youngest two were sisters Madaniya and Yaseera. All of Zahran’s siblings were married with children.

Zahran Hashim himself was married in 2010. His wife Fathima Haadiya is from Kekunagolla near Narammala in the Kurunegala District. She was a student at the Kekunagolla National School when the wedding took place. They had two children, a boy and a girl. The boy was killed along with Zahran’s parents, siblings and their families at Saainthamarudhu, in an explosion triggered off by Zahran’s brother. Zahran’s wife and daughter survived with injuries.

‘Jamiyyathul Al-Falah Madrasa’

After obtaining primary and secondary education up to GCE O/L at a government school in Kattankudy, Zahran enrolled at the Jamiyyathul Al-Falah Madrasa (Theological College) in Ward 4 of Kattankudy in 2001. He was a very bright student but soon fell foul of his teachers due to his insolence and contrarian views. Young Zahran became very fluent in Arabic and was soon attracted to fundamental Islam and Thowheedism encapsulating the ‘indivisible oneness concept of monotheism in Islam.’ 

Zahran Hashim became extremely rebellious at the madrasa and argued vehemently with his teachers. He also refused to abide by norms and rules. As a result, he was expelled from Al-Falah Madrasa in 2007. Had he completed his full course of studies, Zahran would have become a Moulavi or religious scholar/teacher. But he did not and therefore was officially denied such status. 

In later years, many of his followers addressed him as Zahran Moulavi and Hashim did not correct them. Some of his disciples opined that Zahran had completed his studies at a school in the South.

Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jamaath

After being ejected from the madrasa, Zahran Hashim attached himself to Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jamaath (SLTJ). Thowheeth also spelt as, Tawheed, Thawheed and Tawhid, denotes oneness with God. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam states as follows: Tawhid is the defining doctrine of Islam. It declares absolute monotheism – the unity and uniqueness of God as creator and sustainer of the universe. Used by Islamic reformers and activists as an organising principle for human society and the basis of religious knowledge, history, metaphysics, aesthetics, and ethics, as well as social, economic, and world order.”  

Jamaath on the other hand means assembly or congregation in Arabic. 

National Thowheeth Jamaath

Zahran Hashim initially worked with the Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jamaat (SLTJ) in Kattankudy after his madrasa studies ended abruptly. But Zahran with his ultra-radical views was soon at loggerheads with SLTJ. He then struck out on his own and formed his own organisation called National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ). Associated with Zahran in this venture was his one-time mentor Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer known as Naufer Moulavi. Neither SLTJ nor its off-shoot the Ceylon Thowheeth Jamaat (CTJ) had anything to do with Zahran Hashim’s National Thowheeth Jamaath.

Although short of funds, Zahran set up a makeshift prayer centre at a wooden shed in Kattankudy and got down to work. Hashim was a very powerful orator in Tamil and Arabic. He was forcefully effective in putting his viewpoint across. Soon Zahran Hashim became a popular figure in Kattankudy. Furthermore, he was invited by Muslim devotees in different parts of the island to conduct religious lectures. Zahran Hashim travelled to many districts in Sri Lanka to address Muslim congregations.

It was during the course of such visits to the North Western Province that he met his wife Fathima Haadiya in Kekunagolla and married her. She was introduced to Zahran by Naufer Moulavi who was married to Haadiya’s aunt.

Zahran Hashim with his ultra-radical views and fiery speeches in flowery language became a magnet for young people of both sexes. He opened a Tamil website for NTJ and propagated his viewpoint. This attracted many in Tamil Nadu as well as those from Sri Lanka, who were working in gulf countries. He later operated a Facebook account on the same lines. Soon donations began to pour in.

‘Tharul Athar  Athaviva’

The NTJ Mosque was now housed in a modern building at New Kattankudy – Ward 3. Although Zahran’s oratory was relished by many at meetings, not many participated in the prayers conducted at the National Thowheeth Jamaath Mosque also known as Tharul Athar Athaviva.” This may have been due to the proliferation of different mosques in Kattankudy. 

Zahran Hashim also travelled around the country enrolling members for his Jamaath. The National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) began to grow in strength and influence. Even as NTJ began developing into a significant entity, Zahran Hashim’s political thinking became more and more extreme. He began sympathising openly with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Islamic  State

The turning point came in June 2014 when ISIS rebranded itself as Islamic State (IS) and announced the creation of a ‘Caliphate’ (Islamic State) erasing all State borders and making Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi the self-declared supreme leader of the world’s estimated 1.5 billion Muslims. 

Thereafter, Zahran Hashim became an avid propagandist of IS in Tamil. He kept posting news items about IS battlefronts in Tamil and also wrote opinion pieces in support. Zahran Hashim was seen as the voice of IS in some Muslim circles. 

Baduriya Mosque

Everything seemed hunky-dory for him but Zahran Hashim got into trouble by overreaching himself. To most Wahabi influenced Muslims in Kattankudy, the Baduriya Mosque at the Aliiyar Junction in Ward 6 is anathema. This is because Baduriya Mosque adheres more to mystical Islam known as ‘Sufism’ and adopts practices such as paying homage to saints and indulging in grave worship. Wahabis regard this as blasphemous and heretical.

So in an ill-advised bid to teach a lesson to Baduriya Mosque people, Zahran Hashim organised a NTJ meeting at the Aliyar Junction in close proximity to the mosque. When the meeting commenced on March 16, 2017, speaker after speaker made insulting references to Baduriya Mosque. The intention was to provoke Baduriya Mosque devotees. Zahran Hashim had brought clubs and swords clandestinely to the venue and kept them concealed on the stage. 

As expected, Baduriya Mosque devotees were provoked by the insults and retaliated by pelting stones at the stage. Zahran Hashim and his followers then set upon their rivals and attacked them with swords and clubs.

In the clash that ensued several persons on both sides were injured. Three sustained serious injuries and were hospitalised. The people of Kattankudy were incensed at the violence done in the name of religion. A protest demonstration organised by the Baduriya Mosque management opposite the Kattankudy Islamic museum was well attended. There was tremendous pressure on the Police to take action. 

As a result, nine from NTJ Mosque and two from Baduriya Mosque were arrested and remanded for several months. These included Zahran’s brother Zain. Zahran himself was wanted by the Police. He chose to evade arrest by absconding. A story was spread in Kattankudy that Hashim had gone to the Maldives.

Kerala – Tamil Nadu

Zahran Hashim left Kattankudy and moved to the North Western Province  where his wife hailed from. After spending some time in Sri Lanka, Zahran relocated to India where he began interacting with Muslim extremist groups in the South Indian States of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. His sojourns were mostly in the Malappuram District of Kerala and the Coimbatore, Trichy, Thirunelvely, Vellore, Nagapattinam, Kanniyakumari and Ramanathapuram Districts of Tamil Nadu. 

All these districts have sizeable Muslim populations. It was during his lengthy stay in India that Zahran Hashim underwent a transformation. From a radical activist propagating fundamental Islamic ideology and eulogising the Islamic State, Zahran Hashim, turned into an exponent of armed militancy and practitioner of violence. 

In a remarkable turnaround, Zahran Hashim resolved to return to Sri Lanka and promote violence for what he thought was the cause of Islam.

Anti-Muslim violence

After returning to Sri Lanka, Zahran began cultivating links with rich and educated supporters of the Islamic State (IS). The aim was to enlist more volunteers to go to the Middle East and fight for the IS. But the anti-Muslim violence in Amparai town in February 2018 and the Kandy District anti-Muslim violence of March 2018 made Zahran change his mind.

Zahran now wanted to attack a symbolic Buddhist target like the Ruwanweli Seya in Anuradhapura or the Esala Perahera in Kandy. New members were recruited, arms and explosives collected and arms training workshops held. 

Jamaate Millat Ibrahim

This re-invigorated extremist fervour caused a split in the NTJ. Zahran and his militant disciples broke away and began functioning as the extremely militant Jamaate Millat Ibrahim (JMI) group.At some point of time, Zahran supposedly influenced by Naufer Moulavi put on hold his plans of attacking Buddhist” targets. Instead he opted to take on the Christian West”. It is presumed that Hashim thought this would grab worldwide attention and help ingratiate himself further with the Islamic State. Thus churches and luxury hotels catering mainly to Western tourists were selected as targets.

Islamic Caliphate

The Islamic State (IS) objective of eliminating or subjugating the ‘kaffirs’ (non-believers/infidels) and establishing a worldwide Islamic ‘Calpihate’ was something which Zahran embraced wholeheartedly.

 I have seen some video clips of Zahran’s speeches. They were very powerful spectacles of persuasive oratory of an inhuman nature. He referred to the Christians as siluvai vanangihal” (worshippers of the cross) and Hindus and Buddhists as silai vanangihal” (worshippers of statues). While calling for the destruction of Kaffirs”, Zahran emphasised one point strongly. He said that even if the Kaffirs were good people who were friendly and helpful towards Muslims, they had to be destroyed when necessary. 

‘Bloody’ Easter

Those disturbing words came brutally alive when Zahran and his followers launched the Easter bombings on April 21, 2019. Two Catholic Churches, an Evangelical Church, three upmarket tourist hotels and another hotel   were targeted in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa, in the morning. Suicide bombers with explosives strapped to their bodies exploded themselves while worship was going on in churches and breakfast was being partaken of in hotels. 270 people were killed and over 500 injured as a result of that ‘bloody’ Easter Sunday.

Two days later, the international ‘Jihadist’ or Islamic militant movement known officially as Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the terror and horror of ‘bloody’ Easter in Sri Lanka. It attributed the attacks to Islamic State fighters”. A few days later in April 2019, the then-leader of ISIS Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi praised the attackers for what he called retaliation against ‘the West’ for defeating ISIS the previous month in Baghuz, Syria.

The IS, known earlier as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), aimed at establishing a worldwide ‘Caliphate’ or a single Islamic government. In 2014, the IS controlled extensive swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. Subsequently, the areas held by IS shrank greatly, thanks to the military defeats inflicted by the US-led coalition of forces. 

F.B.I.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the USA, men who were part of a group of ISIS supporters which called itself ‘ISIS in Sri Lanka’ had collaborated with IS in carrying out the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka. Some  believe that Zahran Hashim was the linchpin in this lethal nexus between the Islamic State and the ‘ISIS in Sri Lanka’.

Zahran Hashim alias ‘Abu Ubaidah’ was one of the two suicide bombers who targeted Shangri-La Hotel at Galle Face on Easter Sunday. A media release by the ‘Aamaq’ news agency on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) revealed that Zahran had adopted the nom de guerre Abu Ubaidah” in the IS. 

‘Abu Ubaidah’

Abu Ubaidah refers to Abu Ubaidah Amir ibn Abdillah ibn al-Jarra who was one of the 10 prominent companions of Prophet Muhammad. He later served as a commander of the Rashidun Army under Caliph Umar. Abu Ubaidah, credited with several military victories, was hailed then as the commander of all commanders”.

(D.B.S. Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com)

China has strongly condemned recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, calling them a violation of international law. Speaking in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the attacks lacked UN authorization and targeted civilian infrastructure, urging all sides to return to dialogue to avoid a worsening humanitarian crisis. The remarks came hours after U.S. airstrikes destroyed the B1 Bridge, also known as the Karaj Suspension Bridge, near Tehran. Iranian state media reported casualties, claiming the second strike hit while emergency crews were already responding. Washington has defended the attack, stating the bridge was used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to transport missiles and drones.

Entangled News

Shenali D Waduge

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) must undertake an independent review and verification of the statements made by Mohammed Hanzeer alias Azad Maulana concerning the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka on 21 April 2019, which killed 270 people, including 45 foreign nationals and 5 American citizens, and injured more than 500.

Azad Maulana publicly alleged, through Channel 4 in August 2023 and later statements made in Geneva, that Maj-Gen (Retd) Suresh Sallay, former Director of Sri Lanka’s State Intelligence Service, orchestrated and coordinated these attacks.

He has not produced any documentary, digital, or witness evidence to support these allegations, and refuses to testify before domestic Sri Lankan authorities, limiting the verifiability of his claims. His allegations were made public only in 2023 through a foreign media documentary, 4 years after the attacks and after multiple domestic investigative, judicial, and commission processes had already recorded findings.

He specifically claimed that Sallay arranged meetings with the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) leadership, including Zahran Hashim, in February 2018, and that Sallay communicated operational instructions to him on the morning of the attacks.

While every person deserves the opportunity to be heard, these allegations appear to materially conflict with the local findings and those contained in the FBI Special Agent Merrilee R. Goodwin affidavit and the U.S. Department of Justice indictment, both of which identified Zahran Hashim and his NTJ/ISIS network as the direct planners and executors of the Easter bombings.

Furthermore, the FBI and DOJ findings are based on direct access to forensic evidence, recovered devices, SIM cards, and witness interviews, whereas Maulana’s claims are largely uncorroborated.

Maulana himself has declared that he is willing to testify only before an international forum, He is currently seeking asylum in Switzerland.

Azad Maulana has already submitted a five-day evidentiary interview before a non-judicial UN evidence-preservation mechanism that lacks prosecutorial authority, this gives even greater justification for the FBI — which possesses actual criminal investigative expertise and forensic jurisdiction linked to the murder of 5 U.S. citizens — to independently test those same claims from Azad Maulana. The FBI is ideally placed to question him and test the credibility of his allegations against the evidence already gathered by U.S. investigators.

1) Timeline Impossibilities

Passport, immigration, and travel records reportedly place Sallay in Malaysia in February 2018 and in New Delhi in April 2019.

The FBI must therefore ask Maulana to provide documentary evidence, travel corroboration, communication metadata, or witness confirmation proving:

• that he arranged any meeting in Puttalam in February 2018
• that Sallay personally gave him instructions on Easter morning, 21 April 2019

Without such evidence, these claims remain unverified assertions.

2) Contradiction with FBI & DOJ Findings

The FBI affidavit sworn by Special Agent Merrilee R. Goodwin reportedly concluded that Zahran Hashim was the mastermind and operational commander of the Sri Lankan ISIS cell, while the U.S. Department of Justice indictment charged additional NTJ/ISIS associates with providing material support.

The FBI must therefore ask Maulana to produce specific evidence implicating Sallay in planning, directing, financing, facilitating, or executing any operational aspect of the Easter attacks.

If his claims materially contradict the FBI’s own terrorism findings, the discrepancy must be resolved transparently.

3) Witness Credibility Must Be Tested

Maulana was a former TMVP propaganda officer, with no publicly established operational role inside the NTJ network.

The FBI must therefore require him to substantiate:

• how he obtained access to NTJ members
• why Zahran Hashimwould trust him
• what direct links existed between him and Sallay
• which portions of his allegations are based on direct personal observation and which are based on statements allegedly made by third parties
• whether he possesses messages, call logs, notes, location records, financial trails, or witness support

This is especially important because he has refused to testify before Sri Lankan courts. The FBI should also clarify why these allegations did not surface before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, CID investigations, or earlier judicial processes if they were genuinely based on direct knowledge.

4) Channel 4 Must Also Be Questioned

Channel 4 aired Maulana’s allegations globally, significantly influencing public perception.

It is publicly known that the broadcaster sought Sallay’s response before airing the documentary and that he rejected the allegations as false.

The FBI should therefore obtain:

• all raw interviews
• editorial notes
• source communications
• legal review memos
• fact-checking material
• corroborative evidence used before publication
• timeline verification records
• travel-location corroboration
• independent witness validation

The key question is simple:

On what evidentiary basis did Channel 4 decide to broadcast allegations of complicity in mass murder after the principal accused party categorically denied them?

5) Victims’ Families Deserve Facts, Not Endless Narratives

The families of the Easter Sunday victims have been subjected to years of competing narratives, political theories, media sensationalism, and bizarre claims.

These must now be buried by facts.

Given that Mohammed Hanzeer alias Azad Maulana is currently in Switzerland, the FBI may lawfully seek his testimony through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty mechanisms and Swiss law-enforcement authorities under its established international terrorism investigative mandate based on what FBI has already investigated regarding Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday attacks.

• telecom data
• recovered SIM cards
• device forensics
• ISIS communications
• witness interviews
• crime-scene evidence
• DOJ prosecution materials

Unchecked dissemination of unverified allegations risks:

• misattributing responsibility
• damaging reputations
• distorting the historical record
• undermining media credibility
• compromising the integrity of international justice discourse

We trust the FBI will take this request seriously and act with the diligence, neutrality, and professionalism that the victims (both local & foreign) deserve.

The families of the Easter Sunday victims, and indeed the people of Sri Lanka as a whole, have for years been forced to endure an endless cycle of competing narratives, political theories, media sensationalism, and bizarre floating claims that resurface annually around the tragedy. These repeated attempts to weaponize the memory of the dead for political ends have only deepened public grief and eroded trust.

Today, the people stand increasingly united in their loss of faith and confidence in all those who continue to use Easter Sunday as an annual instrument for political agendas rather than truth and justice.

It is precisely for this reason that the people now look to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with its internationally recognized expertise in terrorism investigations, forensic analysis, and evidentiary verification, to finally bring clarity to these unresolved contradictions.

The victims’ families deserve facts.

The nation deserves closure.

And the truth deserves to be separated from narratives that have drifted too far from the evidence.

We trust the FBI will take this request seriously and act with the diligence, neutrality, and professionalism that the victims, their families, and the people of Sri Lanka deserve.

By independently questioning the central witness whose claims have redirected public understanding of the attacks, the FBI has the opportunity to determine whether those claims are supported by admissible evidence or whether they have merely prolonged confusion and distrust.

We are confident that the FBI will provide long-overdue clarity and closure to the victims’ families in Sri Lanka & abroad as well as to the people of Sri Lanka.

Shenali D Waduge

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

During the 1990s, particularly under the government of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK), Sri Lanka moved toward privatization and foreign investment.

• The Colombo Gas Company, which handled LPG distribution, was privatized.
• Shell plc entered Sri Lanka by acquiring a controlling stake.
• This was part of a broader policy shift to bring in foreign expertise, capital, and technology.

It was an unsolicited proposal aligns with how many privatizations and BOI-era investments were structured at the time.

2. Infrastructure Development – Storage & Engineering

The construction of LPG storage was a major technological leap for Sri Lanka.

Key features:

• Installation of pressurized spherical LPG tanks (highly specialized engineering structures).
• Initial land identified near Bloemendhal / Port Road industrial areas.
• Final relocation to Muthurajawela, which was more suitable due to:
  • Safety buffer zones
  • Availability of larger land extent
  • Distance from dense urban settlements

3. Role of 

Colombo Dockyard

My own contribution here is significant from an industrial policy perspective.

• I ensured local participation by pushing for Colombo Dockyard to construct the tanks.
• This had multiple benefits:
  • Technology transfer
  • Skill development
  • Foreign exchange savings
  • Industrial capability building

Challenges faced:

• Sri Lanka lacked coded welders for high-pressure LPG tank fabrication.
• Skilled welders were imported, likely under supervision of foreign consultants (as you mentioned, Dutch expertise).
• The project resembled a Middle Eastern industrial camp, reflecting:
  • Strict safety protocols
  • Temporary worker accommodation
  • High engineering standards

Spillover Benefits

This project created a multiplier effect:

• Dockyard later secured overseas work (e.g., tank construction in Maldives).
• Sri Lanka gained exposure to:
  • Pressure vessel fabrication
  • International welding standards (ASME, etc.)
  • Industrial project management

This is a textbook example of learning by doing” industrialization.

5. Transition to  Litro Gas Lanka

Later developments took a different turn:

• The government restructured the LPG sector.
• Shell plc exited Sri Lanka.
• Litro Gas Lanka was established as a state-owned entity.

Likely reasons:

• Political pressure to regain control of strategic assets
• Pricing and subsidy issues
• Nationalistic policy shifts
• Patronage-based employment (as you pointed out)

6. Strategic Analysis

Following observation highlights a recurring issue in Sri Lanka:

What went right:

• Successful FDI attraction
• High-quality infrastructure built
• Local capacity development (Dockyard)

What went wrong:

• Policy inconsistency
• Weak long-term investor confidence
• Political interference in commercial operation

Big Picture Lesson

This case is similar to missed opportunities in:

• Trincomalee oil tank farm
• Hambantota industrial investments

The key lesson:

Sri Lanka is good at initiating high-value projects—but struggles with policy continuity and long-term strategic discipline.

By Sarath Obeysekera

The global economy is increasingly shaped by conflict-driven disruptions—energy shocks, food insecurity, and supply chain fractures. For a small nation like Sri Lanka, survival demands not ideology, but adaptation.

When Lee Kuan Yew took charge of Singapore in 1965, he inherited a poor, divided society. His solution was not abstract theory—it was discipline, housing, jobs, and food security. Sri Lanka today faces a similar inflection point.

1. From Welfare to Productivity: A Social Contract Reset

Sri Lanka must shift from a consumption-driven welfare model to a productivity-linked social contract.

• Provide basic housing, food access, and healthcare
• In return, require participation in productive sectors:
  • Agriculture
  • Fisheries
  • Manufacturing

This is not authoritarianism—it is structured national discipline.

2. Affordable Living: The Singapore Hawker Model Adapted

Singapore’s early hawker centres ensured cheap, hygienic food for workers.

Sri Lanka can replicate this by:

• Creating state-supported food courts in urban and semi-urban areas
• Standardizing low-cost meals:
  • Rice + fish curry + vegetables
  • Manioc (cassava), sweet potato alternatives
• Supporting small vendors with subsidies and regulation

This reduces household costs and increases workforce participation.

3. Food Security Revolution: Eat What We Can Grow

Rice dependency is a strategic weakness.

We must:

• Promote alternative staples:
  • Manioc (cassava)
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Kurakkan (finger millet)
• Launch a Grow Your Own Food” campaign
• Encourage:
  • Home gardening
  • Backyard poultry
  • Small-scale aquaculture

This is how rural India survived poverty—not comfortably, but sustainably.

4. Blue Economy: Sri Lanka’s Untapped Goldmine

As an island, Sri Lanka has a natural advantage.

A national Blue Economy Mission should include:

• Coastal fish farming zones
• Seaweed cultivation for export (pharmaceuticals, food industry)
• Lagoon-based aquaculture (prawns, crabs)
• Public-private partnerships for offshore fisheries

This can generate foreign exchange quickly.

5.Chemical & Pharmaceutical Innovation – With Caution

Your idea of converting illegal substances into pharmaceuticals is conceptually similar to how some controlled drugs are used in medicine.

However:

• It must strictly follow international law and safety standards
• Focus should be on:
  • Licensed pharmaceutical research
  • Value-added herbal and marine-based products

Sri Lanka could build a niche in natural medicine exports, not unsafe shortcuts.

6. Decentralized Micro-Production Economy

Instead of relying only on large industries:

• Encourage home-based production units
• Provide:
  • Micro-financing
  • Tools and training
• Focus areas:
  • Food processing
  • Garments
  • Fisheries-related products

This spreads income across the population.

7. Governance: Strong State, but benevolent dictatorship

While decisive leadership is essential, history shows that unchecked power often leads to corruption and inefficiency.

Sri Lanka needs:

• Efficient, technocratic governance
• Clear targets and accountability
• Reduced bureaucracy
• Digital monitoring of production and subsidies

The goal is not dictatorship—but disciplined democracy.

8. Cultural Shift: Living Within Means

A difficult but necessary transformation:

• Reduce dependence on imports
• Encourage simple diets and lifestyles
• Promote dignity in labor

Economic recovery begins with behavioral change.

Conclusion

Sri Lanka cannot copy Singapore entirely, but it can learn from its pragmatism and discipline.

The future lies in:

• Feeding ourselves
• Producing more than we consume
• Using our natural advantages—especially the sea
• Building a society that values work over entitlement

This is not a return to poverty—it is a transition through austerity toward resilience.

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Courtesy Adaderana

The World Bank Group and the Government of Sri Lanka today (03) launched a new five-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) to support Sri Lanka’s continued recovery, help achieve its 7% medium-term economic growth target, and support job creation.

We are committed to building on the continued macroeconomic stability, strengthened governance and revenue-based fiscal consolidation that we have already achieved. Our goal is to confidently steer our economy towards strong, sustainable and inclusive growth. We are working towards an economic growth rate of over 7% in the medium term,” said President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The World Bank Group has been with us for more than 7 decades. This partnership will further strengthen that relationship.”

Private sector-led job creation is at the heart of the new partnership. Nearly one million young Sri Lankans are expected to enter the job market over the next decade. 

Without stronger growth and greater private investment, the economy will create only around 300,000 new formal jobs — leaving roughly 7 out of every 10 young job seekers without access to a quality job, according to a statement issued by the World Bank Group.

Sri Lanka’s recovery over the past three years has been hard-won and impressive. This new partnership framework is designed to ensure that the benefits reach everyone,” said Johannes Zutt, World Bank Vice President for South Asia. By pairing public resources with private capital and innovation, we aim to help Sri Lanka create quality jobs, including for women, young people, and communities that have been left behind.”

The partnership will mobilize significant resources from the World Bank Group, including more than $1 billion in direct and mobilized investment over five years by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and up to $1 billion in low-interest financing over the next three years from the World Bank. 

It will deploy the full range of WBG instruments — financing, guarantees, advisory services, and private capital mobilization, the statement said.

Sri Lanka’s next phase of growth will be driven by a private sector that can compete, innovate, and create jobs for all,” said Sarvesh Suri, IFC Vice President for Asia and the Pacific. With its strategic location and skilled workforce, Sri Lanka is well-placed to expand its role in the region—and we are committed to supporting the private sector as a catalyst for progress.”

The partnership focuses on four key areas:

1. Making it easier to do business. Simplifying government regulations, modernizing trade processes, and bringing more government services online will make Sri Lanka a more attractive place to do business and invest. These reforms will support Sri Lanka’s ambition to double annual export earnings to $36 billion by 2030.
2. Stronger infrastructure that benefits everyone. Investments will expand the capacity of the Port of Colombo and attract private operators to help it remain one of Asia’s leading maritime hubs. In the energy sector, a phased program will help Sri Lanka generate 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, adding 1 gigawatt of new clean power. This aims to lower electricity bills for households and businesses, which are currently among the highest in South Asia.
3. More and better jobs in tourism and agriculture. Recognizing that tourism and agriculture are two of Sri Lanka’s greatest assets and offer strong potential to create jobs across the island, the partnership will support Sri Lanka’s Tourism Strategic Plan 2026–2030, as well as connect farmers to new technologies, markets, and financing. The Northern and Eastern Provinces, with remarkable natural and cultural endowments, yet representing less than 10% of the national economy, will receive dedicated investment and advisory support.
4. Preparing for future shocks. Following Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025, which caused an estimated $4.1 billion in damages and affected 2.2 million people, the partnership will fund stronger early warning systems and resilient infrastructure to help communities recover faster from future crises and with greater support.

Implementation begins immediately. The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has just approved the first major project under this framework: the Regional Empowerment through Vibrant, Inclusive, and Viable Economies (REVIVE) Project — a $100 million investment in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. 

REVIVE will boost local economic opportunities in key areas like Jaffna, Pasikuda, Trincomalee and Arugam Bay, spanning the tourism and fisheries sectors that are central to the region’s economic revival; provide targeted support to small businesses, with a particular focus on women entrepreneurs; and is expected to create 3,000 new jobs and benefit around 260,000 people by 2031, the statement said.

The World Bank Group has been working alongside Sri Lanka for more than 70 years. Today, it supports 13 active projects worth over $1.5 billion spanning education, health, energy, transport, agriculture, and social protection. The IFC has committed nearly $1.8 billion in both long- and short-term financing to Sri Lanka’s private sector from 2021-2026, it added.

Hiru News

A total of 30,898 candidates failed all subjects according to the results of the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level examination, Commissioner General of Examinations A. K. S. Indika Kumari Liyanage says.

This group includes 19,301 school applicants and 11,597 private applicants.

By Raj Gonsalkorale

Failure of the UN system is a failure of member States to maintain and foster its objectives. Inequality of the powers of member States, and the partiality shown by some States in decision making have contributed to the overall impotence of the system. Erosion of objectivity to uphold the charter approved by Member States appears to be the main cause of this impotence. Decline of the UN system is a manifestation of the impermanence of all things. However, a system vacuum in the world order is not the answer as it could lead to anarchy and greater suffering throughout the world. Perhaps regionalism and collective decision making by regions and regional groupings could be the new Order that should replace the old Order.

With all its blemishes and shortcomings, the World order as one knew it, provided some degree of respect for human lives and the sovereignty of Nations before a new order that is unfolding before the world came into being. At this stage, the new order is dominated by a few over many and the many does not have any power or a voice in how the new order is attempting to determine rules for the rest.

At the end of World War II, the world was desperate to avoid such a conflict in the future and after an unsuccessful attempt to drive multilateral cooperation through the League of Nations after World War I, national leaders came together to create the United Nations (UN). Designed as a forum for international engagement, the UN was founded to defuse international conflicts and to stop aggression from escalating into a full-scale war. Underpinning this new world order was a respect for sovereignty—the principle that no country can interfere in the domestic affairs of another.  

For decades, the United Nations maintained that sovereignty must be respected. But after the Rwandan genocide and wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, scholars and diplomats reevaluated this thinking. In 2005, UN members endorsed the responsibility to protect (R2P) doctrine. This idea asserts countries have a fundamental sovereign responsibility to protect their citizens. If they fail to do so, the UN has the responsibility to protect vulnerable people. R2P allows the UN (and its member countries) to violate another country’s sovereignty if needed to protect innocent and engaged people. In other words, countries acting within the UN system can use all means necessary—including military intervention—to prevent large-scale loss of life and violation of their basic rights as humans.

In the context of the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the USA and Isreal, and preceding this, the annihilation of Palestinians in Gaza, it appears that the R2P doctrine has been consigned to history. Activities of parties like Hamas, Hezbollah on the one hand and the Iran Revolutionary Guard on the other have been used as reasons for military intervention by Isreal in Gaza and Lebanon, and by the USA and Isreal in Iran. In either case, there is no indication that the UN has been involved in any effective way within the ambit of the R2P doctrine to defuse the unilateral Military activities of Isreal and the USA and prevent the large-scale loss of lives. Overall, the system has failed as evident from these recent events. While this is not a reflection on individual leaders, it is a reflection on a system that has failed and which has provided avenues for some leaders to act in their country’s self-interest at the expense of the rights of others.

While the United Nations (UN) has a mandate to involve itself in countries with repressive regimes, they are constrained by the influence of superpowers who are members of the UN Security Council with veto powers to prevent any such intervention if they feel such action will be against their self-interest. While the UN Charter is built on the principle of state sovereignty and non-intervention in domestic affairs (Article 2(7)), it is balanced by obligations to uphold international peace, security, and human rights although recent events have not been consistent with this policy (https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/ en/content/purposes-and-principles-un-chapter-i-un-charter#:~:text=E.-,Article%202%20(7)%20%2D%20Non %2 Dintervention%20in%20domestic %20affairs, a%20particular%20situation%20was%20questioned)

The UN’s involvement in such countries is primarily handled through the Security Council, which can authorize actions ranging from diplomatic pressure to military intervention when a regime’s actions pose a “threat to international peace and security,” a definition that has broadened over time to include mass atrocity crimes. Readers are left to ponder whether the UN Security Council took any concrete action, diplomatic or Military, to intervene in the above-mentioned situations.

The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect does so by mobilizing the international community to act in situations where populations are at risk of mass atrocity crimes. The limitations faced are many and the selective, self interest motivated decision making by countries that hold veto powers is one on the key limitations as stated by the Council on Foreign Relations (https://education.cfr.org/learn/timeline/rise-and-fall-responsibility-protect#:~:text=To%20help%20facilitate%20a%20transition,2011%20amid%20Libya’s%20civil%20war.)

While the UN has the legal mandate (via Chapter VII and the R2P norm) to intervene in repressive regimes, the practical execution of this mandate has been limited by the geopolitical interests of the Veto power holding members and the threshold selectively applied to deem a domestic situation a threat to international peace.

When it comes to protection of human rights, and loss of innocent lives in member countries, it is very unlikely that the failed UN system could be resurrected as its flaws are many. The overriding power given to the Security Council with veto power given to some members of the council over the wishes of member countries is one of them. Even if an attempt is made to resurrect the UN system, it is extremely unlikely that the security council itself and its powers will be changed. In this context, a system that distributes this power and responsibility will have to be considered to protect the citizens of the world from human rights abuses and loss of lives.

A regional model is suggested as an option to replace the UN system. In such a model, the global “police” role could shift from a central UN Security Council with individual country membership, to a council with membership of organizations like the African Union (AU), ASEAN, the European Union (EU), the Organization of American States (OAS) and similar regional groupings (current groups and ones that may be formed) focused more on trade and commercial activities rather than security interests, without any individual country membership. As a norm, the responsibility for ensuring basic human rights in any country within a regional grouping are upheld and no lives are lost in defending that basic right, should first and foremost be with the specific regional grouping. In such instances, negotiations and diplomacy should always be the first and main option, but the grouping should have an option to intervene through trade sanctions, and as a last resort, militarily if diplomacy and sanctions fail.

This approach is built on three main pillars:

1. Local Solutions

The core logic is that neighbours understand a conflict’s history, culture, and key players better than a bureaucrat in New York. Regional bodies have a higher stake in stability because refugee flows and economic spillover hit them first.

2. Legitimacy and Peer Pressure

Regimes that ignore UN resolutions often find it harder to ignore their neighbours. It is reported that for example:

• ECOWAS (West Africa) has a history of successfully using military intervention and trade blocks to reverse coups in its member states.
• The African Union has a “non-indifference” policy, allowing it to intervene in war crimes or genocide, unlike the UN’s stricter “non-interference” rule.

3. Avoiding superpower gridlock

If no country or regional groupings have a veto power, action will be determined by regional consensus rather than global geopolitics.

Some challenges

• Resource Gaps: Some regions (like Europe) have the money and military hardware to self-police, while others (like Southeast Asia or parts of Africa) often rely on UN funding to launch missions.
• Regional Hegemony: There is a risk that a dominant local power (like Brazil in South America or Nigeria in West Africa) could use the regional body to bully smaller neighbours under the guise of stability in a particular region.
• Inconsistency: Human rights might be protected fiercely in one region but ignored in another if the local bloc prioritizes non-interference (as ASEAN often does)

In all these cases, at the core is the wealth and military power of one or more countries within a grouping. It will be almost impossible to overcome such situations in all instances. However, if economic development of all countries within a region for the benefit of each other rather than acquisition of wealth to fund military power and superiority becomes the key focus of each group, there could be a more equitable governance model in each region. No doubt cultural practices in some countries within regions too will have an impact on the cohesiveness of the grouping, but these are matters that each grouping should discuss and arrive at as consensual solutions.

The bigger picture for regional groupings will be the ability to do collective bargaining as smaller nations will have a greater voice when the regional group they belong to acts as a unified bloc whether it’s a trade matter or a human rights impingement. In many instances, they could function outside the dome of superpower rivalry.

The military vs economic development challenge

The biggest hurdle for this model is that superpowers often view these independent regional blocs as a threat to their sphere of influence. They may try to weaken them from the outside through bilateral deals (offering aid or weapons to a single member to break the bloc’s unity). To survive, these regional groups would need their own independent funding and defence capabilities as otherwise, they will remain at the dictates of whoever pays the bills

One way to overcome such situations would be for trade and economic development to underpin the ethos of the regional grouping over military expansion. UNCTAD has stated that as of early 2026, global trade is increasingly fragmenting into regional hubs as nations seek to insulate themselves from superpower rivalry and supply chain shocks. 

This market expansion within regions is already showing signs of reducing traditional dependencies and as reported by ESCAP, ASEAN has matured into one of the world’s most resilient trade systems, reaching a value of nearly $4 trillion in 2024. Its trade is now split roughly evenly between intra-regional flows and global linkages and by strengthening internal manufacturing and digital trade, ASEAN has outperformed global growth averages, maintaining its own momentum even when the U.S. or China slows down. As reported by NWU news, the African Union’s African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is being treated as a “strategic imperative” to end the continent’s reliance on narrow export baskets to major powers. In 2026, industries like textiles in East Africa and pharmaceuticals in Southern Africa are using pooled regional demand to achieve the scale needed to compete globally without superpower backing and the AU’s 2026 budget shows a marked increase in self-financing, reflecting a move to reduce donor dependency on international partners. The Institute for Global Dialogue reports that the expansion of BRICS (now including 10 members) has significantly reshaped trade flows with merchandise exports between developing countries reaching $6.8 trillion by 2025 and by establishing their own financial institutions and trade frameworks, BRICS members are aiming to bypass Western-dominated systems like the IMF or World Bank, and as reported by UNCTAD, the European Union has moved towards strategic autonomy, implementing tools like the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) starting in 2026. This allows the EU to set its own standards for trade based on environmental priorities, rather than purely following the industrial lead of the U.S. or China. 

At the end of the day, some powers will be more super” than others with their economic and military might. By giving priority for trade and economic development over military spending, regional groupings could replace even the ethos of such superpowers and shift their strategic thinking towards economic development over military superiority. The recent mid-east conflict has shown the more effective power of cheaper weapons like Drones over extremely expensive military hardware. Costly military expansion could well have reached its redundancy and an opportunity now to value improving the lives of people through collective economic development as a far greater investment for all countries. Competing for resource ownership for economic development need not happen if they can be shared amongst all to avoid conflicts with each other. Regional groupings have a far better chance of facilitating this rather than a system like the UN system.

Digital currency that can strengthen regional groupings

A factor that could provide substantial advantages would be technical advances and digitalisation, including the introduction of digital currencies.  If a region produces goods the world needs and manages its debt well, its digital currency could become akin to a hard currency because of its utility. It is understood that regions like ASEAN are already using a real-time digital system that swaps currencies instantly. Sound economic governance is the only real backing for a currency rather than say gold reserves. as without it, even a gold-backed currency will eventually see its gold depleting to pay for trade deficits arising from poor economic management. Regions could take the lead in transforming trust in assets (Gold/USD) to an era of trust in architecture (Algorithms/Code).

In this potentially possible new regionalised world, digital rules can offer three things gold cannot:

1. Programmable Neutrality: An algorithm doesn’t have a national interest. In a regional bloc like ASEAN or the African Union, member states might trust a pre-set digital rulebook for currency issuance more than they trust a dominant neighbour’s central bank.
2. Instant Settlement: Digital rules allow for simultaneous settlement where the trade and the payment happen at the exact same micro-second, removing the need for a superpower middleman to guarantee the transaction.
3. Data-Backed Value: Instead of gold, these regional digital currencies can be backed by real-time data on a region’s industrial output, energy reserves, and trade balances. The algorithm adjusts the currency value based on the actual health of a country’s economy and its strength in the regional market, making it a reflection of economic governance.

A new balance of power?

The strength of regionalism could usher a new balance of power over time. Power would be shared rather be concentrated amongst a few. There could be less in-country confrontations as well as between countries, with regions taking greater initiatives to avoid them. Through such initiatives, hopefully, human rights abuses will be lessened and wanton killing of innocent people avoided. The existing system has failed on both counts, and it is time for a new system to replace it. Regionalism could be that new system.   

Shenali D Waduge

Consider the chronology given below: count how many warnings, attacks, and radical activities directly linked to Zahran Hashim prior to Easter Sunday 2019? From the repeated intelligence reports, the public preachings, the recruitment of associates, the Sufi attacks, to the growing network of potential operatives — the pattern is unmistakable. If these incidents were visible to the highest offices of government and security, why was decisive action not taken to neutralize the threat? The failure to respond to repeated signals by those seated in top positions raises questions about prioritization, awareness, and accountability. There is no similar case scenario where so many warnings were repeatedly given while those who were sent the warnings were well aware of Zaharan’s extremism but did nothing. Were these non-actions part of a bigger action plan to introduce new anti-terrorist laws that do not necessarily answer to the problems but silence those raising valid concerns? Let us not forget, the 2015 government came after regime change orchestrated by US & India. It is in this backdrop the readers must critically analyze below chronology.

2016–2019: Intelligence Known Before the Attack

Intelligence reports on ISIS radicalization, including Zahran Hashim & network, ran from 20 April 2016 to 30 April 2019, with 97 reports to the IGP and lists in 2017/2019 containing suspects according to the Supreme Court determination.

2012 – Zaharan establishes his own mosque in Kattankudy

2014 — one future bomber investigated by Australian JCTT for ISIS travel links
Abdul Latheef had already come onto the radar of Australian counterterror authorities for links to ISIS operative Neil Prakash

2014–2017 — Sustained anti-Sufi hate campaign

Zahran and NTJ spent several years targeting Sufi Muslims in Kattankudy through speeches, pamphlets, monthly publications, and public meetings, repeatedly branding Sufis as non-Muslims and urging social and religious isolation. Sufi leaders later told the PSC that at least 11 police complaints were lodged in 2016–2017, with earlier complaints to the Army in 2015.

2016 – Zaharan Hashim started preaching violent extremism publicly, releasing online videos advocating jihad and violent actions

Zahran uploaded his sermons and extremist messages to Facebook and YouTube.

These videos included calls for violence against non‑believers and rejection of pluralism, and drew followers across Sri Lanka.

Social media was a primary medium for spreading his radical views beyond local mosque audiences.

His online media outlets (sometimes attributed to what was called Al‑Ghuraba media”) helped him build a larger virtual network of supporters and transmit his views to people who never met him in person.

20 April 2016–April 2019 — Early Warnings & Intelligence on Zaharan Hashim

The State Intelligence Service (SIS) sent at least 97 intelligence reports to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) warning about ISIS‑inspired radicalisation and activities linked to National Thowheed Jama’ath (NTJ) and its leader Zahran Hashim — including lists of suspects — according to affidavits presented in court.

20 Jul 2016:

Sisira Mendis → Secretary Defence, concept paper on countering ISIS threat

12 Sep 2016 / 17 Feb 2017 / 2 Mar 2017

documented extremist speeches

At public meetings in Kattankudy, Zahran allegedly declared that all non-Muslims in Sri Lanka should be killed, while continuing anti-Sufi incitement.

These speeches were later submitted on CD to senior state offices as advance warnings

18 November 2016

Then Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told Parliament that around 32 Sri Lankans from four wealthy families had joined ISIS in Syria, highlighting the presence of foreign fighter networks and suggesting radicalisation beyond local actors.

Muslim Parliamentary MPs, including AHM Azwer, objected in Parliament to Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s claim that 32 Sri Lankans from four families had joined ISIS,. The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) issued a strong statement rejecting the claim as misplaced and urging that peaceful Muslims not be conflated with extremists, calling for factual investigation and action against any lawbreakers irrespective of religion.

10 March 2017

Armed attack on Sufi gathering, Kattankudy

Zahran’s followers attacked a Sufi religious event with swords, knives and metal rods, injuring participants. Several NTJ members including his father and brother were arrested, while Zahran went into hiding soon after. This incident is one of the clearest early transitions from hate speech to organised violence.

March 2017:

1st arrest warrant was reportedly issued against Zaharan Hashim based on earlier police intelligence.

SIS maintained detailed lists of radicalised individuals, including 94 names by October 2017 and 129 names by January 2019, continuously tracking Zahran Hashim and his associates.

Sufi leaders sent CDs and written complaints to the President’s Office, Prime Minister’s Office, Justice Ministry, Law & Order Ministry, State Defence Ministry, IGP, AG’s Department and TID, warning that a disaster would follow if Zahran was not stopped.

7 June 2017: (TID/AGs Dept)

TID opens file on Zaharan and sends it to AG’s dept for necessary legal advice/actions.

Azard Navavi (Deputy Solicitor General) testified before the PCoI that the TID file on Zahran Hashim was received by him on 7 June 2017 and that he assigned it to State Counsel Malik Aziz to handle because video clips were in Tamil.

Navavi admits the file was ignored until 3 weeks AFTER the attacks when TID reminded them about the file.

Malik Aziz testified that the file was sent in 2017 & updated in 2018 but it did not include 2 arrest warrants or statements from Zaharans family until March 2019. He claims the file did not have a strong legal case.

NOTE: TID file to AG’s Dept ignored until after attacks with exact delay (Azard Navavi → Malik Aziz, file received 7 Jun 2017, acted only 3 weeks after 21 Apr 2019)

Jayantha Jayasuriya was AG till 29 April (during Easter attacks) Dappula de Livera was AG from 29 April to May 2021.

9 September 2017:
Shani Abeysekara was appointed Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) — Sri Lanka’s main investigative arm — and held that post through to 21 November 2019.

31 Oct 2017:

SIS sends list of 94 radicalised individuals to IGP (includes Zahran, Rilwan, Milhan, Jameel)

Nov 2017:

Further ISIS threat report Sisira → IGP

Early April 2019 — Panadura operational meeting

Zahran reportedly met more than a dozen operatives in Panadura where the final attack plan was discussed and targets confirmed.

Noteworthy is that the Channel 4 star witness Asad Maulana was also living in Panadura while after marriage he lived in Ebenezer Place, Dehiwela where Jameel the Taj/Tropical Inn suicide bomber came to a mosque before blowing off his suicide vest.

By 2017–2019, Zahran had expanded his influence beyond a single mosque in Kattankudy:

He lectured in locations across eastern and western Sri Lanka even in Nuwara Eliya to attract young people to his views.

Community reporting notes he spoke at NTJ‑affiliated gatherings and mosque rallies — including a mosque set up in a private house used by local NTJ coordinators (e.g., in Kuliyapitiya and Hettipola).

2 July 2018

TID files B report at Colombo Magistrates Court against Zaharan Hashim

August 2018

arrest issued against Zaharan Hashim.

September 2018

TID investigation disrupted when TID Head Nalaka de Silva removed.

1 Nov 2018 → 25 Apr 2019:

Around 11 reports sent to Hemasiri Fernando (Secretary Defence) via SIS/intelligence chain

December 2018

Buddha Statues vandalized in Mawanella by Zaharan’s gang (2 brothers)

Early 2019 — Zahran Hashim actively associated with and recruited the Ibrahim brothers (Ilham & Inshaf), convincing them across months via personal contact and private online forums to join his extremist network.

14 January 2019

1^st NSC meeting chaired by President Sirisena

18 January 2019

100 kg explosives in Wanathawilluwa near Wilpattu

31 Jan 2019:

Second SIS list of 129 radicalised persons

19 February 2019

2^nd NSC meeting chaired by President Sirisena.

19 Mar 2019:

Weekly ICM agenda explicitly mentions Zahran, NTJ

4 April 2019:

Indian intelligence shared specific warnings about planned attacks targeting churches and hotels with Sri Lankan authorities.

Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) later found that this intelligence was not shared promptly with operational units, delaying preventive action despite the clear threat.

5 Apr 2019:

Confirmed in writing twice (09:00 and 12:15)

6 Apr 2019: Initial briefing; further verification sought by Nilantha J

7 Apr 2019: Escalation by Nilantha J to Sisira Mendis (CNI) → 3-day delay

8 Apr 2019:

Sisira Mendis forwards foreign warning to Hemasiri Fernando and IGP (formal awareness established)

9 Apr 2019:

ICM – Chaired by Hemasiri Fernando, attended by SIS, CNI, IGP, tri-forces, intelligence heads

(perfect opportunity to discuss threat but Hemasiri: did not take any initiative to open discussion” / Sisira: failed in coordinating intelligence.

16 April 2019:

A motorcycle carrying explosives detonated accidentally in Kattankudy — a clear signal of imminent violence.

SIS submitted additional detailed intelligence reports on 18, 19, and 20 April 2019 regarding Zahran Hashim and his network; these reports were inadequately acted upon prior to the attacks.

No ICM or NSC convened.

20 April 2019–SIS informs→ SDIG/CID Ravi Seneviratne, copy to IGP (no action taken)

20 Apr 2019:

SIS → Hemasiri Fernando

16:53 → attack imminent, 8 targets

18:23 → Hemasiri well received”

21:10 → Discussed with IGP”

21 April 2019 — Easter Sunday Attacks

Coordinated suicide bombings occurred across Sri Lanka — killing nearly 270 people and injuring hundreds.

The nine suicide bombers were part of a coordinated NTJ/JMI operational cell led by Zahran Hashim. Identified members included Ilham and Inshaf Ibrahim (hotel attacks), Naufer Maulana (St. Sebastian’s, Katuwapitiya), Mohamed Nasser Asad, Mohamed Azzam Mubarak Mohamed, Abdul Latheef, and other associates, linking them directly to the extremist operational network surrounding Zahran.

Dematagoda housing complex suicide blast

When police entered the home of the 2 suicide bomber brothers one of the wife blew off her suicide vest killing herself, 2 children and the baby in womb alongside 3 policemen.

21 Apr 2019: IGP appended endorsements of previously received warnings only on 21 Apr; called for report by 5 May

Supreme Court called this action by the IGP  nothing is more lackadaisical than this approach”

22 April 2019 — President Sirisena appointed the Malalgoda Committee to investigate the Easter attacks; final report submitted on 10 June 2019.

23 April 2019 – ISIS‑linked media released footage of Zahran and other attackers pledging allegiance to ISIS, illustrating ideological and operational alignment beyond Sri Lanka’s borders.

26 April 2019 — Sainthamaruthu Safe House Raid

Sri Lankan security forces raided an NTJ hideout in Sainthamaruthu (Ampara District) . During the raid, three detonated suicide devices, killing themselves along with multiple family members including women and children (15 DEAD)

Rilwan Hashim Suicide Detonation – brother of Zahran Hashim, detonated a suicide device at the Sainthamaruthu safe house, killing several family members.

Sarah Jasmine (Pulasthini Mahendran) wife of Easter Sunday bomber Atchchi Muhammadu Hasthun (St. Sebastian’s Katuwapitiya), died in the Sainthamaruthu safe house explosion.

Zahran’s father (Mohamed Hashim), his two brothers (Rilwan and Zainee Hashim), his mother (Abdul Sakar Siththi Umma), his eldest son (Mohamed Zahran Wasim), and his pregnant sister (Mohamed Cassim Hidiya).

Zahran’s wife (Abdul Qader Fathima Hadiya) and daughter (Mohamed Zahran Rusaina) survived with injuries.

This shows that Zahran’s immediate and extended family were directly part of the Easter Sunday attacks — reinforcing that he was more than an ideologue, but a leader whose network included close family members involved in the same militant activities and sheltering together when confronted by security forces (note they moved from Kattankudy to Sainamaruthu after discovering their photos appearing on tv)

26 April 2019

Sammanthurai logistics cache discovered

Security forces recovered over 150 gelignite sticks, ISIS flags, uniforms, a drone, detonator materials, and a laptop from another linked property

27 April 2019

Government formally bans NTJ, JMI and related extremist entities

May 2019 — AG directs CID to investigate former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and IGP Pujith Jayasundara for failures to act on intelligence.

2 May 2019 —

Mathaniya Mohammed Hashim, a sister of NTJ leader Zahran Hashim, was *arrested by police with Rs 20 lakhs seized from her residence in New Kathankudy,

22 May 2019 — Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to probe intelligence/security lapses related to Easter attacks.

22 September 2019 — Presidential Commission of Inquiry (Janak de Silva) appointed to probe the attacks.

23 October 2019 — PSC presented its final report to Parliament.

21 November 2019:

Shani was transferred out of the CID and reassigned as Personal Assistant to the Deputy IGP (Galle Range)

27 November 2019

AG recommends disciplinary action against Azard Navavi and Malik Aziz to the Public Service Commission for failure to provide formal legal advice to TID on Zaharan. PCoI did not permit publication of the PSCs decision. There is no public record they were punished or dismissed

11 December 2020 — FBI affidavit formally identifies Zahran Hashim as the mastermind of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, based on extensive investigation including forensic evidence, communications, and witness accounts

December 2019 / 7 January 2020:

Shani Abeysekera interdicted (suspended) from the police service by the National Police Commission citing leaked phone conversation with former Minister Ranjan Ramanayake as the reason.

Subsequent Parliamentary and Supreme Court scrutiny documented intelligence lapses, delayed responses, and failures to act on prior SIS reports, highlighting gaps in the handling of Zahran Hashim’s threat network.

Shani Abeysekera files 4 FRs

1. 20 Dec 2019 – challenging removal/transfer from position as Director CID
2. 15 July 2020 – challenging National Police Commission interdiction & seeking reinstatement (this petition was withdrawn by him on 30 July 2020)
3. 21 February 2022 – file to prevent arrest/detention based on B report filed in Kuliyapitiya Magistrates court (B report No 1411/2022) sought immediate release and compensation if detained.
4. 8 October 2025 – SC grants leave to proceed alongside petitions by Sudath Mendia & H D M Premathilaka (former CID officers) challenging their arrest by CCD in 2020 claiming arrests were politically motivated.

8 January 2021 — U.S. Department of Justice publicly announces terrorism charges against three Sri Lankans for conspiring to provide material support to ISIS linked to the Easter Sunday attacks; the underlying criminal complaint was filed on 11 December 2020.

1 February 2021 — Final report of the Presidential Commission submitted to the President.

24 April 2021 –

Rishad Bathiudeen and brother arrested by CID under the PTA over alleged links to the Easter Sunday attackers.

Muslim MPs resign following arrest.

12 January 2023:

Supreme Court FR determination on Easter Sunday attacks by multiple petitioners. The Court found the following guilty of lapses and ordered to pay compensation – former President Sirisena, former IGP Pujith Jayasundera, former CNI Sisira Mendis, former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former SIS Head Nilantha Jayawardena.

Whether the earlier sectarian attacks were carried out by others or by Zahran personally is secondary. The continued pattern across the world is what needs to be analyzed. It is the same violent themes, same targets and same extremist ideology that begins with hate speech, includes sectarian intimidation and then elevates to organized terror attacks which includes suicide terrorism as martyrdom

The chronology therefore shows that the principal driver was not a single individual alone, but an evolving extremist doctrine capable of being preached by one actor, adopted by another, and operationalized by future recruits into mass-casualty violence.

This shows that the real mastermind” is the ideology and indoctrination system itself: the path from hate to violence and suicide attacks will repeat unless stopped early. If individuals can be indoctrinated to kill, the source that indoctrinates them must be stopped first.

If not, multiple individuals may emerge as successive operational masterminds following the same ideological cause. Unless the root of the ecosystem network is identified there will be more masterminds.

The persistent public fixation on identifying a single mastermind, obscures and obstructs the more important security reality: identifying extremist ecosystems capable of repeatedly generating new leaders, planners, facilitators, and attackers.

Focusing solely on a single ‘mahamolakaru’ actually obscures the real danger and obstructs efforts to identify and disrupt the underlying extremist ecosystem that breeds potential killers.

Shenali D Waduge

Source:  https://caricomreparations.org/

The Global Reparations Movement

Ever since slavery was abolished in the Caribbean in the 1830s and in the broader Americas in the 1860s and 1880s, the victims of slavery and their progeny have been struggling for justice to repair the damages wrought by this most horrific of crimes against humanity.

This struggle has ebbed and flowed over the decades of the 19 th and 20 th centuries but has always been consistent in the demands for restitution and recompense for the crimes of chattel slavery in the Western Hemisphere. Reparations has been part and parcel of other liberation movements over the years i.e. the anti-colonial, anti-imperialist, Pan-Africanist, civil rights and human rights movements in the Caribbean, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean especially during the decades from the 1930s through the 1990s.

The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA) , a mass-based coalition organized for the sole purpose of obtaining reparations for African descendants in the United States was launched in September, 1987.

N’COBRA defines reparations as a process of repairing, healing and restoring a people injured because of their group identity and in violation of their fundamental human rights by governments or corporations. Those groups that have been injured have the right to obtain from the government or corporation responsible for the injuries that they need to repair and heal themselves. In addition to being a demand for justice, they argue that reparations is a principle of international human rights law.

In January 1989, US Congressman John Conyers of Detroit, the dean of the Congressional Black Caucus and the longest-serving member of the entire US Congress, introduced H.R. 40, a bill that calls for the establishment of a Commission to study the need for reparations for the descendants of slaves in the USA. And, every year since 1989, Cong. Conyers has re-introduced his H.R. 40 bill in Congress.

This landmark piece of legislation represented a crucial milestone in the long struggle for reparatory justice in America.

In 2001 at the UN’s World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, the demands for reparations featured prominently in the discussions and debates at this global forum.

Since the launch of the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) in July, 2013, the global movement for reparatory justice has been re-energised and over the past three years the CRC has inspired the formation of the National African American Reparations Commission, the European Reparations Commission and similar formations in Canada and Great Britain.

In April, 2015, hundreds of reparations advocates from some 22 countries, including representatives from the CARICOM Reparations Commission, assembled in New York City for an International Reparations Conference organized by the US-based Institute of the Black World 21 st Century.

Since then, conversations and debates about reparations and reparatory justice have intensified across the world. Scholars and journalists in the USA, Europe and the Caribbean are now publishing more books and essays on these subjects than ever before.

Recent public opinion polls in the USA have indicated a substantial increase in the percentages of African Americans and young white Americans who now support the call for reparations.

The State Legislature of Illinois recently passed a unanimous resolution calling on US President Barack Obama to use his executive authority to commission a study to detail the economic impact” of enslavement and the failure of the nation to create a system that guaranteed equality to newly freed African descendants upon emancipation. In addition, the study would look at how others who received reparations in America have benefited from them and offer reparation proposals that address the legacy of enslavement among current African descendants in the areas of education, employment, housing, health care and justice.”

And, in the wake of the national conventions of both the Republican and Democratic Parties in the USA, a broad coalition associated with the Black Lives Matter movement released a platform of its own, demanding reparations and an end to the wars against Black people.” The list of demands from the Movement for Black Lives platform also includes the abolition of the death penalty, legislation to recognize the impacts of slavery, as well as investments in education initiatives, mental health services and employment programs.

The Reparations idea is resonating beyond the boundaries of the Caribbean and the United States. In early 2016, the prime minister of India said his country needs to seriously examine a claim for reparations for the suffering inflicted on the people of India from decades of British colonial rule prior to independence. The indigenous peoples of Australia and New Zealand are also voicing reparations demands, as are the large communities of African descent in Brazil and Colombia in Latin America.

By all objective indications, the global movement for reparations has turned a corner and will continue to strengthen and expand in the years ahead. And, the Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission Prof. Sir Hilary Beckles has predicted that the movement for reparatory justice will become the greatest political and historical justice movement of the 21 st Century.

……………………………..

10 Point Reparation Plan

• 1. Full Formal Apology
• 2. Indigenous Peoples Development Program
• 3. Funding For Repatriation To Africa
• 4. The Establishment of Cultural Institutions And The Return Of Cultural Heritage
• 5. Assistance in Remedying the Public Health Crisis
• 6. Education Programmes
• 7. The Enhancement of Historical and Cultural Knowledge Exchanges
• 8. Psychological Rehabilitation as a Result of the Transmission of Trauma
• 9. The Right to Development through the Use of Technology
• 10. Debt Cancellation and Monetary Compensation

Source:  https://caricomreparations.org/

Senaka Weeraratna

Sri Lanka artefacts: Dutch government returns stolen treasures

Attorney-at-Law Senaka Weeraratna has called for the sharing of revenue earned by Western colonial countries from exhibiting stolen artifacts with former colonies, particularly within the context of the 2023 repatriation of stolen artifacts from the Netherlands to Sri Lanka

. 

Key Details of the Call and Context:

• Context: The call was made in relation to the return of six colonial-era artifacts stolen from Sri Lanka (including Lewke’s cannon, a Golden Kasthane, a Silver Kasthane, a Sinhalese Knife, and two guns) which were returned by the Netherlands in December 2023.
• The Demand: Weeraratna argued that Western countries, specifically in Europe, have benefited financially by exhibiting looted items (such as the “Cannon of Kandy”) in museums for over 200 years.
• Revenue Sharing Principle: He stated that sharing profits with the victims of Western Colonialism is a “universal principle” and called on the Government of Sri Lanka to actively pursue this matter, advocating for the return of revenue generated from exhibiting stolen goods.
• Justification: He linked this demand to the need for compensation for damages during the Dutch occupation of Ceylon (1658–1796), noting that the Netherlands must pay for looting treasures, including those taken from the Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa). 

The Sri Lankan Archives (National Museum of Colombo) became the venue for the handover of these stolen items in December 2023. 

Source: AI Overview

https://share.google/aimode/WTrPNxccx26ybZ2hx

………………………………………………..

see also the following report

During a meeting at the

Sri Lanka National Archives

in December 2023, Attorney-at-Law

Senaka Weeraratna proposed that Western colonial countries should share the revenue earned from exhibiting stolen artifacts with their former colonies. 

He argued that this principle of sharing profits should apply to revenue collected over centuries from displaying looted items, such as those taken from Sri Lanka, Africa, and Asia. Weeraratna specifically referenced the “Unjust Enrichment” principle of Roman-Dutch Law to support his call for financial compensation, noting that Sri Lanka is a financially struggling nation that has received “not one cent” from the long-term exhibition of its treasures in Dutch museums. 

Context of the Meeting

The proposal was made during events welcoming a Dutch delegation for the repatriation of six significant artifacts: 

• Ornate Cannon of Kandy (Lewke’s Cannon): A bronze, silver, and gold ceremonial weapon inlaid with rubies, looted by the Dutch Governor Baron van Ecyk in 1765.
• Other Repatriated Items: A Golden Royal Kasthane (sabre), a Silver Royal Kasthane, a Sinhalese Knife, and two Wall Guns (Maha Thuwakku). 

The Dutch delegation was led by

Dewi van de Weerd

the Dutch Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation, and the formal handover took place at the

Colombo National Museum

https://share.google/aimode/9rWPgwliWRLQtcuHn

. https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2024/03/01/sri-lanka-artefacts-dutch-government-returns-stolen-treasures/

By Senaka Weeraratna Hony Secretary, German Dharmaduta Society

බුදු දහමේ හරය වටහාගත් ජර්මනියේ සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව’’˜‘Divaina’, June 10, 2025

උදේශ් සංජීව ගමගේ, zදිවයින කතෘZ
අංක : 223, බ්ලූමැන්ඩල් පාර, කොළඹ 13.

මහත්මයාණනි,
වර්ෂ 2025 ජුනි මස 10 වෙනි දින දිවයින පුවත්පතේ කතුවැකිය පිටුවේ (4 වැනි පිටුව) පුජ්‍ය රඹුක්වැල්ලේ දේවානන්ද හිමි විසින් ලියන ලද —බුදු දහමේ හරය වටහාගත් ජර්මනියේ සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව˜ යන මැයෙන් පළ වු ලිපිය හා බැඳේ.

මෙම ලිපිය සකස් කර ඇති පූජ්‍ය ආචාර්ය රඹුක්වැල්ලේ දේවානන්ද හිමි (1992

• 1998 කාලය) ජර්මනියේ බර්ලින් විහාරයේ නේවාසික භික්ෂුවක් ලෙස වැඩ සිටියහ. එම කාලය තුළ එම භික්ෂුවගේ සත්කාර නඩත්තු සහිතව වැඩම කිරීමට සැලැස්සුවේ ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත සංගමයයි. එය එම ලිපියේ සඳහන් නොවීම සැලකීමට කරුණකි.

සේනක වීරරත්න වන මම ජර්මන් ධර්මදූත සංගමයේ දීර්ඝ කාලයක් භාරකරු සහ ගරු ලේකම්තුමා ලෙස කටයුතු කරනු ලබයි. මේ ලිපිය කියවීමෙන් විකෘතිභාවයක් පෙනී ගියේය. එම සටහනේ ඔබතුමාගේ සහාය ඇතිව ඒ වැරදි අඩුපාඩු නිවැරදි කිරීම මගේ කාරුණික ඉල්ලීමයි. එමනිසා එම අසම්පුර්ණ ලිපියට පිළිතුරු ලිපියක් ලෙස මෙම ලිපිය සැලකිය යුතුයි.

ජර්මනිය සහ සෙසු අපරදිග රටවල බුදු දහම ප්‍රචලිත කිරීම සඳහා සංගමයක් පිිහිටුවීමේ අදහස එවකට වයස 32 වු තරුණ ව්‍යාපාරිකයකු වු අසෝක වීරරත්න මහතාට පහළ වුයේ එතුමා පළමුවරට 1951 දී ජර්මනියේ සංචාරයක යෙදෙමින් සිටි අතරවාරයේදීය. දෙවන ලෝක මහා සංග්‍රාමයෙන් මුළුමනින්ම විනාශයට පත් වීමෙන් අනතුරුව මන්දගාමීව නැගිටිමින් සිටි ජර්මනිය කෙරෙහි සාමයට සහ අවිහිංසාවට මුල් තැන දෙමින් සිංහල බෞද්ධයන් හැටියට අපට කළ හැකි යමක් ඇති බව අසෝක වීරරත්න මහතාට වැටහුණි. යුද බියෙන් මුඳවා ගෙන ජර්මන් වැසියන්ට බුදු දහමේ ශාන්තිය හා කරුණාව පෙරදැරි කොට උගන්වන මානසික සුවය කෙතරම් වටිනවා දැයි සිතීය. එහි ප්‍රතිඵලයක් වශයෙන් 1952 සැප්තැම්බර් 21 වන දින, කොළඹ, මරදානේ තමාගේ ව්‍යාපාර ,ඡගන‍ග උැැර්ර්එබ් ) ීදබි, නමින් හැඳින්වෙන ගොඩනැගිල්ලේ ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත සංගමය පිහිටුවනු ලැබීය. (මුලදී එය හඳුන්වන ලද්දේ ලංකා ධම්මදූත සංගමය නමිනි.)

ත්‍රිපිටක ග්‍රන්ථ රාශියක් ජර්මන් භාෂාවට හා ඉංග්‍රීසි භාෂාවට පරිවර්තනය කළ සුප්‍රසිද්ධ ජර්මන් ජාතික ඥානතිලෝක මහ තෙරුන් වහන්සේ ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත සංගමයේ ප්‍රථම අනුශාසක කම ඉතාමත් කැපවීමෙන් කටයුතු කිරීමට පිළිගත්තේය.

ලංකා ධම්මදුත සංගමයේ ආරම්භක ගරු ලේකම් මහතා වන අසෝක විරරත්න 1953 පෙබරවාරි මාසයේ දී ජර්මනියේ බෞද්ධ තත්ත්වය විමර්ශනය කිරීමට ගොස් මාස 04 පමණ දීර්ඝ කාලයක් ජර්මනයෙහි කාලය ගත කරන්නට සිදුවිය. එම සිටින කාලය තුළ ජර්මනියේ මියුනික් නගරය, බර්ලින් නුවර, ස්ටුට්ගාට් නගරය, හැම්බර්ග් නගරය වැනි සුප්‍රසිද්ධ නගර වලට යමින් ජර්මන් බෞද්ධ සංගම් මුණගැසී ඒවායේ බෞද්ධ ප්‍රධානියන් හා සමඟ සාකච්ඡා පැවැත්වීටත් ඉඩ ලැබිණි. ධර්ම ප්‍රචාරයට ද යොමු වු සමිති සහ බෞද්ධ සංගම්වල සභා රැස්වීම්වලට ද සහභාගි වුහ. එහි ප්‍රතිඵලයක් වශයෙන් 1924 දී තනන ලද, ෘ්ි ඊමාායසිඑසිජයැ ්‍ය්මිල ඩාල්කේ තුමාගේ මන්දිරය ප්‍රථමවරට දැකගත හැකි විය. නැවත ලක්දිවට පැමිණි විගසම 1953 මැයි 31 වන දින ආනන්ද විද්‍යාලයේ දී ජර්මනියේ බෞද්ධ තත්ත්වය යන මැයින් ජර්මානු සංචාරයේ වාර්තාවක් ගිහි පැවිදි දෙගොල්ලෝම ඉදිරියේ සමාජගත කළහ. මෙම අවස්ථාවේ මුලසුන හොබවුයේ හිටපු අධ්‍යාපන ඇමති ආචාර්ය ක‍ගඋගඋග කන්නන්ගර මැතිතුමාය.

ඉන්පසුව 1954 සැප්තැම්බර් 06 වන දින ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත සංගමයේ දැවැන්ත මහජන රැස්වීමක් කොළඹ නගර සභා ගොඩනැගිල්ලේ හිටපු අගාමාත්‍යවරයෙකු ගරු ඩඩ්ලි සේනානායක මැතිතුමාගේ මුලසුනෙන් පැවැත්වුණි. එහිදි සංගමය විසින් රුපියල් දස ලක්ෂයක් සොයා ගැනීමට අරමුදලක් ආරම්භ කෙරුණි.

1954 නොවැම්බර් 25 / 26 වන දින අලූත් ඔප්පුවකින් :ඔරමිඑ ෘැැා- ප්‍රථම භාරකාර මණ්ඩලය ඇරඹීය. හිටපු අගමැති ඩඩ්ලි සේනානායක මහතා, නීතිපති සහ පසුව අගවිනිසුරු හේමා බස්නායක මහතා දැවැන්ත ඉඩම් හිමිකරු එච්. ඩබ්ලිව් අමරසුරිය මහතා, ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණ පෙරකදෝරු එච්. නෙල්සන් සොයිසා මහතා. (පසුව අනගාරික ධර්මප්‍රිය මහින්ද නමින් ප්‍රසිද්ධ විය.) සහ ව්‍යාපාරික අසෝක වීරරත්න යන මහත්වරුන් පත් විය.

වර්ෂ 1955 දී රජය මගින් බුලර්ස් මාවතේ පිහිටි රජය සතු අක්කර 1 පර්චස් 4.65 ක් වු ඉඩම් කොටස 99 අවුරුදු බදු ක්‍රමය යටතේ රජයේ ගැසට් පත්‍රයක් හරහා මෙම භාරකාර මණ්ඩලයට ප්‍රදානය කරන ලදි. කොළඹ 07 බෞද්ධාලෝක මාවතේ අංක හාරසිය දාහත (417) දරන ස්ථානයේ පිහිටි මෙම ඉඩමේ අලූතින් සංගමයේ මුලස්ථානය සහ සංඝාවාස අභයාස මධ්‍යස්ථාන ගොඩනැගිලි දෙකක් තනන ලදි. එය සඳහා වැය වු මුදල දස ලක්ෂය අර මුදලින් ලබාගත් මුදලින් කොටසක්ය. 1956 අගෝස්තු මස 6 වනදා එවකට ගරු අග්‍රාමාත්‍යව සිටි ීගඋගඍගෘග බණ්ඩානාරනායක මැතිතුමාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් විශාල ගිහි පැවිදි පිරිසක් ඉදිරියේ ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත මුලස්ථානය සහ සංඝාවාසය විවෘත කරන ලදි. එම අවස්ථාවේ සංඝයා වහන්සේලා අට නමක් වන සංඝාවාසයේ වැඩ සිටිම ආරම්භ කළේය.

පණ්ඩිත ආචාර්ය බලංගොඩ ආනන්ද මෛත්‍රී හිමි, පුජ්‍ය ඥානතිලෝක මහතෙර (ජර්මන් ජාතික) ගාල්ලේ අනුරුද්ධ තෙර, පණ්ඩිත පුජ්‍ය අකුරැටියේ අමරවංශ තෙර, පුජ්‍ය ඥානපෝනික හිමි. (ජර්මන් ජාතික), පුජ්‍ය කඩුවෙල වංගිස්ස තෙර, පුජ්‍ය වප්ප හිමි (ජර්මන් ජාතික), සහ ෆෙඩ්රික් මුලර් මහතා දසසිල් උපාසක (පසුව පොල්ගස්දුවේ ඥානවිමල හිමි) යන හිමිවරු වේ. 1957 ජුනි 16 වනි දින ජර්මනිය බලා පිටත්ව ගිය බෞද්ධ ධර්මදුත පිරිසේ නායකත්වය ඉසුලූ අසෝක වීරරත්න මහතා ප්‍රථම වජිරාරාම වාසි පුජ්‍ය සෝම හිමි, පුජ්‍ය ඛේමින්ද හිමි පුජ්‍ය විනීත හිමිවරු වැඩම කළහ. 1957 ජුලි දෙවන දා වැඩමකළ හිමිවරුන්ගේ වාසස්ථානය වුයේ ඩාල්කේ තුමාගේ බර්ලින් බෞද්ධ මන්දිරයයි. ජර්මනියේ බුද්ධාගම ව්‍යාප්ත කිරීම සඳහා අසෝක වීරරත්නගේ වඩාත්ම වැදගත් දායකත්වයක් වුයේ 1924 දී ආචාර්ය පෝල් ඩාල්කේ විසින් පිහිටුවන ලද ,ෘ්ි

ඊමාායසිඑසිජයැ ්‍ය්මි, මිලදී ගැනීමේ දී ඔහු ඉටුකළ තීරණාත්මක කාර්යභාරයයි. මෙහිදී අසෝක වීරරත්න මහතා තමන් සතු ව්‍යාපාර කටයුතු ගැන අවධානය යොමු නොකොට මාස 06 ක කාලයක් තමන්ගේ වියදමින් ඉතාමත් කැපවීමකින් සහ පරිත්‍යාගශීලීව කටයුතු කිරිමේ ප්‍රතිඵලයක් වශයෙන් අබලන් වු ගොඩනැගිලි සහ වර්ග මීටර 15530 ක වනාන්තර ප්‍රදේශයක් සහිත ඉඩම ඩාල්කේ තුමාගේ උරුමක්කාරයන් විසින් ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත සංගමයට විකිණීම, ඇටෝනි බලය සහිතව අසෝක වීරරත්න මහතා (භාරකරු) විසින් ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත සංගමයේ භාරකාර මණ්ඩලය නියෝජනය කරන ලද අතර පසුව භාරකරුවන් වෙනුවෙන් දේපළ මිලදී ගන්නා ලදි. ඔහු පාලක සභාවේ පරිපාලක ලෙස රැඳී සිටියහ. මෙය ආසියාවේ බෞද්ධ ඉතිහාසයේ ඉතාමත් වැදගත්ම සිද්ධස්ථානයක් ලෙස ලියැවනු නිසැකය. 1957 දෙසැම්බර් 13 වැනිදා ගොඩනැගිල්ල සහ හිස් භූමි ප්‍රමාණයෙන් කොටසක් අසෝක වීරරත්න මහතා භාරකාර මණ්ඩලය වෙනුවෙන් මිලදී ගනු ලැබීය.

මෙහිදී ප්‍රථම භාරකාර මණ්ඩලයේ සාමාජිකයින් දුන් මුදල ඒ සඳහා භාවිතා කෙරුණි. ලිපියේ සඳහන් වු බර්ලින් විහාරය ගැනීමේ අරමුණ ලංකාවට සතු කර ගැනීමේ වැරදි ප්‍රකාශය නොවේ. ලක්දිව ථෙරවාදී බුද දහම ජර්මනියේ පිහිටුවාලීම සහ බටහිර රටවල පැතිරවීමටය.

මෙහි ප්‍රථම හිමිකරු වන්නේ භාරකාර මණ්ඩලයයි. 1960 පසුව ජර්මන් ජාතික ධනවතෙකු වන උ්කඑයැර ීජයපසඑි මහතාගේ බූදලයෙන් ප්‍රමාණවත් කොටසක් පරිත්‍යාගය ද සංගමයට ඉතා වැදගත් විය. මොකද, එම ගොඩනැගිල්ල නඩත්තුවට සහ ඉතිරි කොටස් මිලදි ගැනිම වෙනුවෙන් එම මුදල් යොදා ගැනුණි.

1972 අගෝස්තු 22 වන දින අසෝක වීරරත්න මහතා මිකිරිගල ධම්මනිසන්ති හිමි නමින් මහණ වී තමන් ආරම්භ කර නිස්සරණ වන ආරණ්‍යයෙහි වැඩ සිටියහ. අවුරුදු විසි හතක් මීකිරිගල නිස්සරණ වන ආරණයෙහි වැඩ සිටි උන්වහන්සේ 1999 ජුලි 02 වන දින අවුරුදු අසූවක් ආයු වළඳා අපවත් වූහ.

ස්ථීර මධ්‍යස්ථානයක් පිහිටුවීම :- මෙම අත්පත් කර ගැනීම —යුගයක් නිර්මාණය කිරීමේ සිදුවීමක්˜ ලෙස විස්තර කරන ලද අතර එය මහාද්වීපික යුරෝපයේ නේවාසික භික්ෂුන් වහන්සේලා සමඟ පළමු ස්ථීර ථෙරවාද බෞද්ධ විහාරය නිර්මාණය කළේය. එය අද දක්වාම පවතින බෞද්ධ දේශනා, භාවනා පාඨමාලා සහ ප්‍රජා ක්‍රියාකාරකම් සඳහා මධ්‍යස්ථානයක් ස්ථාපිත කළේය. ජාතික උරුම අඩවිය :- එහි ඓතිහාසික හා සංස්කෘතික වැදගත්කම පිළිගැනීම සඳහා ජර්මානු බලධාරීන් 1995 දී බර්ලින් බෞද්ධ විහාරය ජාතික උරුම අඩවියක් ලෙස නම් කළහ.

එම බර්ලින් බෞද්ධ විහාරයට වර්ෂ 100 ක් සපිරීම නිමිත්තෙන් වර්ෂ 2024 අගෝස්තු තුන්වන දින සහ හතරවන දින සැමරීම් කටයුතු ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සහ ජර්මනියේ බර්ලින් විහාරයේ සිදු කෙරිණි. බර්ලිනයේ Zැයකැබාදරෙ ක‍දපපමබසඑහ ක‍ැබඑරු ශාලාවේ අගෝස්තු හතරවන දින ජාත්‍යන්තර සමුළුවක් ද පැවැත්විණි. එම සමුළුවට ප්‍රධාන අමුත්තා ලෙස ජර්මන් ජාතික මහාචාර්ය මාර්ටින් බච්මාන් මහතා, තායි, ඉන්දියාව, ඉන්දුනීසියාව, කාම්බෝජය, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව යන රටවල තානාපතිවරු සහභාගී වුහ. ඊට සමගාමිව ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ දී අගෝස්තු තුන්වන දින අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේ මුල් දින සමරු කවරයක් සහ සමරු මුද්දරයක් නිකුත් කෙරුණි. එදිනම ඉංග්‍රීසි බසින් ලියැවුණු ඉතා වටිනා දුර්ලභ ගණයේ දැවැන්ත ග්‍රන්ථයක් ද නිකුත් කෙරුණි. එම පොතම බර්ලින් විහාරයේත් නිකුත් කෙරිණි. ජාත්‍යන්තර සංඝ භික්ෂු බෞද්ධ සභාවේ සභාපති සහ අධිපති විධායක නිලධාරීණි වියට්නාමයේ උපන් ආචාර්ය භික්ඛුණි එලිසඛෙත් මෙහෙණින් වහන්සේ විසින් මෙම ඉංග්‍රීසි බසින් ලියවුණු ග්‍රන්ථය මුද්‍රණය කිරීම සඳහා සම්පුර්ණ වියදම දැරීය. මෙම ග්‍රන්ථයේ සංස්කාරක වශයෙන් කටයුතු කළේ ජර්මන් ජාතික ආචාර්ය වින්ෆ්රඩ් ලයිබ්රිච් මහතාය. කතෘ ලෙස කටයුතු කළේ සේනක වීරරත්න මහතා සහ තිස්ස වීරරත්න මහතාය. එහිදී තායිලන්ඩ් තානාපති භ්ාය්ර්එයබ් ණරසියබ්පර් මහතා ද කාම්බෝජය, ඉන්දියාව, පකිස්තාන, මියන්මාර්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සහ තායිලන්ත තානාපතිවරු සහ අප සංගමයේ භාරකාර මණ්ඩලයේ ආනන්ද විමලධර්ම මහතා ද සහභාගී වුහ. ඊට අමතරව නොයෙක් රටවල 40 ට අධික පැවිදි පිරිසක් ද, 50 ට වැඩි ගිහි පිරිසකගේ සහභාගීත්වයකින් සිදුවුණි. ඒ අවස්ථාවට ශ්‍රී ලංකා තානාපතිනිය වන වරුණි මුතුකුමාරණ මහත්මියගේ වටිනා දායකත්වයක් ලැබුණි. ඒවගේම මෙම සමුළුවේ සහකාරයා වශයෙන් කටයුතු කළේ ලංකානන්ද පෙරේරා මහතාය. ඒවගේම බර්ලින් බෞද්ධ විහාරයට බර්ලින් සංගමයේ නිලධාරීන් හට සියවෙනි සංවත්සරය සාර්ථක කර ගැනීම සඳහා දුන් සහයෝගයට අපගේ උණුසුම් කෘතඥතාවය පුදමි.

මෙම ලංකාවේ උත්සවය සංවිධානය කරනු ලැබුවේ අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලය සහ ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත සංගමය එකතුවෙනි. ප්‍රධාන ආරාධිත අමුත්තා වශයෙන් එවකට සිටි අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා කථානායකතුමා ඇතුළු ඇමතිවරු, මන්තී්‍රවරු,

නියෝජ්‍ය ඇමතිවරු, සහභාගීත්වයෙනි. ඊට අමතරව ජර්මන් තානාපති ෘරග ත‍ැකසං භැමප්බබ චීන තානාපති, නවසීලන්ත තානාපති, මාලදිවයින තානාපති, වියට්නාම නියෝජ්‍ය තානාපති, ඉන්දීය නියෝජ්‍ය කොමසාරිස් තුමා, යුරෝපීය සංගමයේ
තානාපතිනි යන ප්‍රභූවරුන්ගේ ද 50 ට අධික මහා සංඝරත්නයෙන් ද 600 ට වැඩි ගිහි පිරිසකගේ සහභාගීත්වයකින් ඉතා උත්කර්ෂවත් අන්දමින් දායකත්වය සැපයිණි. අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය දිනේ්ෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා සහ අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලයේ නිලධාරීන් විසින් දක්වන ලද අනුග්‍රහයට අපේ විශේෂිත වු ස්තූතිය.

ජර්මනියේ ෆ්‍රොනව් නගරයේ පිහිටි බර්ලින් බෞද්ධ විහාරස්ථානයේ සියවෙනි සංවත්සරය මෑතකදී අරලිය ගහ මන්දිරයේ දී පැවැත්විණි. මෙම උත්සවයේ ප්‍රධාන අමුත්තා ලෙස අගමැති දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා සහ ගෞරවනීය අමුත්තා ලෙස ශ්‍රී
ලංකා ජර්මානු තානාපති ආචාර්ය ෆෙලික්ස් නෝමන් මහතා සහභාගී වු අතර පාර්ලිමේන්තු කථානායක මහින්ද යාපා අබේවර්ධන මහතා ද පැමිණ සිටියහ. චීන තානාපති ූස Zයැබබයදබටල යුරෝපීය සංගමයේ තානාපති කාර්මෙන් මොරෙනෝ, නවසීලන්ත මහ කොමසාරිස් ඩේවිඩ් ග්‍රෙගරි පයින් මහතා, ඉන්දීය නියෝජය මහ කොමසාරිස් ආචාර්ය සත්‍යාන්ජල් පන්ඩේ සහ වියට්නාමයේ නියෝජිත ලෙවෑන් හුවන්ග් හා තවත් ආරාධිත අමුත්තන් පිරිසක් ද මෙම අවස්ථාවට සහභාගි වුහ.

මිකිරිගල නිස්සරණ වනයේ පූජ්‍ය පානදුරේ චන්දරතන ස්ථවිරයන් විසින් අනුශාසනාව පවත්වන ලදි. බර්ලින් විහාරය පිළිබඳ දේශනාව පූජ්‍ය ඕලන්දේ ආනන්ද ස්ථවිරයන් විසින් පවත්වන ලදි. අගමැතිතුමා සහ ජර්මානු තානාපති විසින් ප්‍රධාන අමුත්තා සහ විශේෂ අමුත්තාගේ කතා පැවැත්වෙන ලදි. ජර්මානු තානාපති තුමා තම කථාවේ දී රටවල් දෙක අතර සංස්කෘතික සහයෝගීතාවයේ 100 වසරක ඉතිහාසය අවධාරණය කරන ලදි. ජර්මනියේ බෞද්ධ ධර්මය හා බර්ලින් විහාරය සම්බන්ධ වීඩියෝ කිහිපයක් ද එදින ප්‍රදර්ශනය කරන ලද අතර, කෙටි නාට්‍යයක් ද ඉදිරිපත් කරන ලදි. සේනක වීරරත්න මහතා විසින් සම ලේඛකයෙ= ලෙස රචනා කරන ලද 100 හැ්රි ෘ්ි ඊමාායසිඑසිජයැ ්‍ය්මි නම් පොත ද එදින දියත් කරන ලදි. ඔහු විසින් එම පොත පිළිබඳ කතාවක් පවත්වන ලදි. තැපැල් දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව මගින් නිකුත් කරන ලද මුල් දින කවරයක් —රුපියල් 25 තැපැල් මුද්දරයක්˜ අගමැතිතුමාට තැපැල් ස්ථානාධිපති ජනරාල්තුමා විසින් භාර දෙන ලදි. ජර්මන් ධර්මදූත සංගමයේ, සභාපති මේජර් ජනරාල් සාරදා අබේරතන මහතා විසින් ස්තූති ප්‍රකාශය ඉදිරිපත් කරන ලදි. මෙම උත්සවයට,

අප සංගමයේ භාරකාර මණ්ඩලයේ කෝසල වික්‍රමනායක මහතා ද සහභාගි විය. ඊට අමතරව ලක්ෂ්මන් හෙට්ටිආරච්චි මහතා සහ එම මැතිණියද මෙම උත්සවය සාර්ථක කර ගැනීම සඳහා මුදල් පරිත්‍යාගයකින් ද දායක විය. එම මහතා අප සංගමයේ භාරකාර මණ්ඩලයේ සාමාජිකයෙකි.

බුදුන් වහන්සේ පෙන්වා දුන් මැද මාවත යුරෝපීයයන් සහ අනෙකුත් බටහිර ජාතිකයින් ආකර්ශනීය කරගෙන ඇති බව අගමැති දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතා පැවසීය. උගත් යුරෝපීයයන් ද බුදුන් වහන්සේගේ විමර්ශනයට ඇති විවෘතභාවය සහ බුද්ධාගමේ ආකල්පය වන —එන්්න තමන්˜ විසින්ම දැක ගන්න, —යන්න˜ ඛෙහෙවින් අගය කරති. කෙනෙක්ගෙන් කිසිවක් විශ්වාස කරන ලෙස ඉල්ලා නොසිටින බවත්, බුදුන් වහන්සේගේ උපදෙස් වන පළමුව අදහස් විමසා සිටීම අනුගමනය කරන ලෙසත් ඔහු පැවසීය.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව නැගෙනහිර සහ බටහිර පාලි සංස්කෘත විද්වතුන්ගෙන් සමන්විත ස්වභාවික මධ්‍යස්ථානයක් මෙන්ම නිධානයක් විය. නමුත් සැබෑ ඔටුන්න හිමි වුයේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ථෙරවාද පිළිවෙතටයි. බුද්ධ ශාසනය පෝෂණය කිරීම ශ්‍රී ලංකා රාජ්‍යයේ ප්‍රමුඛතම යුතුකම සහ වගකීම ලෙස සලකන බව ඔහු පැවසීය. බුද්ධාගම ප්‍රචාරය කිරීම සඳහා බර්ලින් බෞද්ධ විහාරයේ කටයුතුවලට පූර්ණ සහයෝගය ලබා දෙන බවට අගමැතිවරයා සහතික විය.

ජර්මානු තානාපති ආචාර්ය ෆිලික්ස් නියුමන් මහතා පැවසුවේ බර්ලින් විහාරය ජර්මානු සමාජයේ බහු සංස්කෘතික, බහු ආගමික ඉවසීමේ ශක්තියට විශිෂ්ට සාක්ෂියක් බවයි. බුදුන් වහන්සේගේ ඉගැන්වීම්ල සඳහන් වන අනුකම්පාව සහ ප්‍රේමණීය කරුණාව
තවදුරටත් වර්ධනය කිරීමේ ප්‍රතිපත්තියට ජර්මානු සමාජය කැපවී සිටින බව ඔහු පවසන ලදි.

මහා සංඝරත්නය, කතානායක මහින්ද යාපා අබේවර්ධන මහතා, රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය අසෝක ප්‍රියන්ත සහ ආචාර්ය සුරේන්ද්‍ර රාඝවන්, ආණ්ඩුකාර Aන‍ඵග මුසම්මිල් මහතා පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීන් වන මධුර විතානගේ, A්‍යඵ ෆවුසි සහ යදමිනි ගුණවර්ධන රාජ්‍ය
තාන්ත්‍රිකයින් විශ්ව විද්‍යාල ආචාර්යවරුන් ගුරුවරුන් සහ සිසුන් මෙම අවස්ථාවට සහභාගී වන ලදි.

1957 සිට මේ දක්වා ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සහ වෙනත් රටවලින් පැමිණෙන ථෙරවාදි බෞද්ධ භික්ෂුන් වහන්සේලා 70 කට වැඩි ප්‍රමාණයක් මෙම විහාරස්ථානයේ වැඩ වාසය කරමින් ආත්ම ශක්තිය අවිහිංසාව සහ සියලූ සතුන් කෙරෙහි දක්වන මෛත්‍රිය සොයා යන යුරෝපීය ජාතිකයින් මහත් පිරිසකට බොදු මඟ උගන්වමින් භාවනා ක්‍රම කියාදෙමින් එම භික්ෂුන් වහන්සේලා උදාර සේවයක් කරමින් තවමත් වැඩ වාසය කරයි. දැනට බර්ලින් බෞද්ධ විහාරයේ පුජ්‍ය පැළෑනේ ධම්ම කුසල හිමි සහ පුජ්‍ය තල්පාවිල කුසල ඥාන යන හිමිවරු සියලූම බෞද්ධ කටයුතුවල නිරන්තරයෙන් නිරත වෙමින් ලොකු සේවාවක් සිදුකරන අතරම තිස්ස වීරරත්න මහතා අවුරුදු 25 ට අධික කාලයක් කළමනාකරු ලෙසද විහාරයේ නඩත්තු කටයුතු සහ එදිනෙදා කටයුතු සොයා බලමින් යුහුසුළුව කටයුතු කරයි.

ඒ වගේම විටින් විට බර්ලින් විහාරස්ථානයට පැමිණෙන ජර්මන් ජාතිකයින් විදේශ රටවල අමුත්තන් පාසල් ළමුන් ලෝකයේ වෙනත් රටවල භික්ෂුන් වහන්සේලා මෙහෙණින් වහන්සේලා ඒ රටේ වෙසෙන සිංහල ගිහි පිරිසගේ ද පැමිණීම සෑමවිටම සිදුවන්නකි. ඒවගේම ජර්මනියේ ලංකා තානාපති කාර්යාලයේ තානාපති සහ කාර්ය මණ්ඩලයේ ද සහාය නිරතුරුවම බර්ලින් විහාරයට නොකඩවා ලැබේ. ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත සංගමය, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සහ ජර්මනිය අතර ආගමික හා සංස්කෘතික සබඳතා වර්ධනය කිරිම සඳහා අඛණ්ඩ කාර්යභාරයක් ඉටුකරන අතර, සිංහල භික්ෂුන් වහන්සේලාගේ පැමිණීම මෙම ප්‍රයත්නයේ වැදගත් කොටසක් වී ඇත.

ඊට අමතරව බර්ලිනයේ ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංගමය :ීඛA- විසින් සැලකිය යුතු කාලයක් තිස්සේ ෘ්ි ඊමාායසිඑසිජයැ ්‍ය්මි වෙත ලබා දුන් සහයෝගය සහ සමීප සහයෝගීතාවය අපි ඛෙහෙවින් අගය කරමු. ජර්මන් ධර්මදූත සංගමය ආරම්භ කළ දා සිට මේ දක්වා බර්ලින් විහාරය සහ ජර්මන් ධර්මදූත සංගමය වෙනුවෙන් සේවය කළ භාරකාර මණ්ඩලයටත් කාරක සභාවේ සාමාජිකයන්ටත් සංගමයේ සාමාජිකයන්ටත් බෞද්ධ කටයුතු සඳහා බර්ලින් විහාරයට වැඩම කළ ස්වාමීන් වහන්සේලාටත් සංගමයේ සේවක මණ්ඩලයටත් අප සංගමයේ කෘතඥතාවය මෙයින් පුද කර සිටී.

මේ අයුරින් ජර්මන් ධර්මදූත සංගමය, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සහ ජර්මනිය ඇතුළු ලෝකයේ සෑම රටකම ථෙරවාද බුදු දහම ප්‍රචලිත කිරීමට සෑම උත්සාහයක්ම දරමින් සිටී.

තෙරුවන් සරණයි සාසන ලැදි

……………………………………
සේනක වීරරත්න
ගරු ලේකම් සහ භාරකරු ජර්මන් ධර්මදුත සංගමය

                 Das Buddhistische Haus in Berlin – Frohnau ( The Entrance)

Photo taken in the Garden of the Berlin Vihara with 40 monks attending the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Das Buddhistische Haus

(1924- 2024) on August 3-4, 2024. Mr. Tissa Weeraratna, nephew of Asoka Weeraratna (founder of the German Dharmaduta Society), and current Manager of the Temple is seen seated in front of the monks. 

         Asoka Weeraratna

                               Dr. Paul Dahlke 

Photo – Senaka Weeraratna, Hony. Secretary, German Dharmaduta Society, (which is a Regional Center of  the World Fellowship 

of Buddhists) (WFB) on the premises of the Vajiravudh College, Bangkok, Thailand at an event organized by the WFB IN 2012     

The celebrations of the100th Anniversary of the Das Buddhistische Haus (Berlin Vihara) 

concluded with an International Buddhist Conference held on August 04, 2024 at the Zehlendorf Community Hall, Berlin.

The Conference discussed Buddhism’s role in Peace, history of Das Buddhistische Haus, and relevance of Buddhist teachings today. Picture shows in the front row, Ms. Varuni Mutukumarana ( Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Germany), Mr. Nadahavathna Krishnamara ( Ambassador of Thailand) and his wife, Tissa Weeraratna, among a large section of high level dignitaries including Buddhist monks and Nuns.

A First Day Cover and a Commemorative Postage Stamp (Rs. 25 stamp) issued by the Postal Department was presented to the Prime Minister Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena (Chief Guest) at Temple Trees on August 03, 2024.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

⚓ Strategic Opportunity: Sri Lanka as a Neutral Maritime Services Hub

My experience at Colombo Dockyard with Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines shows three critical truths:

1. War-affected fleets always need repair capacity outside conflict zones
2. Neutral देशों (like Sri Lanka) become trusted service points
3. Margins are high when capacity is scarce

 Why This Opportunity Will Re-emerge

If tensions ease or reconstruction begins:

Iran will need:

• Tanker fleet refurbishment
• Naval auxiliary vessel repairs
• Dry docking outside sanction-sensitive zones

But Today’s Reality Is

Unlike my earlier tenure:

1. Sanctions Environment

• Iran is still under varying levels of international sanctions
• Companies dealing with them must avoid exposure to:
  • OFAC
  • Secondary sanctions from US/EU

 This is the single biggest constraint today

2. Compliance Requirements

Modern shipyards must ensure:

• Transparent payment channels
• Non-sanctioned vessel certification
• Insurance clearance

 So the strategy must be carefully structured—not politically naive

 Strategic Framework for Sri Lanka

1. Position Colombo as Neutral Repair Hub”

Build on:

• Port of Colombo and Trincomalee 
• Existing capability at Colombo Dockyard

Target:

• Commercial tankers (not military vessels initially)
• Third-party managed fleets

2. Develop Trincomalee for Heavy Industry

Leverage:

• Trincomalee Harbour

Potential:

• VLCC / ULCC repair (large tankers)
• Floating dry docks
• Offshore fabrication

 This is where scale can surpass Colombo

3. Ship Recycling (Scrapping Yard) – High Potential

Model to follow:

• Alang Ship Breaking Yard

Key requirements:

Environmental compliance

Follow:

• Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships

 Waste handling systems

• Oil sludge
• asbestos
• heavy metals

Labour standards

Avoid reputation damage seen in:

• Bangladesh
• Pakistan

 If done properly:

• Sri Lanka can become a premium green recycling hub” (higher margins than low-cost yards)

 Business Model (Your Experience Scaled)

Based on your figure (~$1M per tanker):

Scenario:

• 10 ships/month = $10M/month
• $120M/year (repairs alone)

Add:

• Recycling
• Fabrication
• Offshore support

 This becomes a $300–500M maritime cluster

Strategic Advantage Sri Lanka Has

1. Neutral foreign policy

• Not seen as hostile by Iran, India, or West

2. Geographic position

• Near major shipping lanes

3. Skilled workforce

• Proven capability from Dockyard legacy

 Risks We  Must Address

 Sanctions exposure

• Must use legal structuring
• Possibly work via:
  • third-country operators
  • non-sanctioned vessels

Political inconsistency

• Investors fear policy reversals

Port authority bottlenecks

• As you’ve seen in Trincomalee

Practical Way Forward (Action Plan)

Step 1: Cabinet-Level Policy

• Declare Neutral Maritime Services Strategy”

Step 2: Create Special Zone (Trincomalee)

• Separate regulatory framework
• Fast-track approvals

Step 3: Invite Strategic Partners

• Japanese (your proven link)
• Korean shipbuilders
• Middle Eastern tanker operators

Step 4: Compliance Shield

• Dedicated legal & sanctions advisory unit

 Final Insight

Your instinct is exactly right:

War does not only create destruction—it creates floating assets that must be repaired somewhere safe

Sri Lanka’s opportunity is not to take sides—but to become:

the workshop of the Indian Ocean

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

War economies don’t just enrich weapons manufacturers. A whole ecosystem benefits: logistics, reconstruction, energy, finance—and yes, pharmaceutical and 

1. Do drug companies profit from war?

Yes—but indirectly, not in the same obvious way as arms companies.

They benefit from:

• Treatment of wounded soldiers and civilians
• Increased demand for:
  • antibiotics
  • painkillers
  • trauma care drugs
  • vaccines (especially in conflict zones)
• Post-war:
  • rehabilitation drugs
  • mental health treatments (PTSD, depression)
  • disease outbreaks in unstable regions

However:

• Governments and NGOs often control pricing in war zones
• So profits are less direct and less dramatic than weapons sales

2. Biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world

Here are the global giants (2025–2026): 🇺🇸 United States (dominant player)

• Johnson & Johnson
• Pfizer
• Merck & Co.
• AbbVie
• Eli Lilly and Company
• Bristol Myers Squibb

👉 The US dominates due to:

• strong patents
• high drug prices
• massive R&D investment

🇨🇭 Switzerland (very powerful for its size)

• Roche
• Novartis

 Switzerland punches above its weight in biotech innovation.

🇬🇧 / 🇸🇪 United Kingdom & Europe

• AstraZeneca
• GSK

🇩🇪 Germany

• Bayer

🇫🇷 France

• Sanofi

🇩🇰 Denmark

• Novo Nordisk

🇯🇵 Japan

• Takeda Pharmaceutical Company

 These companies generate tens of billions annually, with leaders like Merck and Pfizer each making over $50–60 billion in drug sales 

3. Which countries dominate pharma?

Top countries by influence:

• 🇺🇸 United States – largest and most powerful
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland – innovation hub
• 🇬🇧 UK – major R&D and vaccines
• 🇩🇪 Germany – strong industrial pharma base
• 🇫🇷 France – large European player
• 🇯🇵 Japan – advanced research

4. Hidden giant: India 

Even though not top by revenue,”:

• India produces a huge share of the world’s generic drugs
• Supplies affordable medicines globally (including war zones

• Western companies = high-profit patented drugs
• India = mass production, low-cost supply

5. Who REALLY makes money from war (beyond pharma)

1. Energy companies

• Oil & gas prices surge in conflicts

2. Construction & engineering firms

• Post-war rebuilding (billions in contracts)

3. Logistics & shipping companies

• Military supply chains

4. Private security contractors

• Mercenaries, protection services

5. Finance & insurance

• War-risk insurance, reconstruction funding

6. Tech & surveillance companies

• Drones, AI, cyber warfare tools

Sri Lanka should get ready to be fit from the war

Fast track training of vocational training to train shilled workers to work in redevelopment 

Jou  with heavy construction engineering firms with construction  equipment to deploy I  was zoned

Export doctors and health care walkers to postwar zones 

Maintain food stocks in Sri Lanka for reexport 

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

 YOHAN PERERA  Courtesy The Daily Mirror

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Colombo, April 1 (Daily Mirror) – Those who pasted posters calling for the execution of late President J. R. Jayewardene in the 1980s have failed to change the policies of Mr. Jayewardene though they have remained in power for more than a year, a senior media personality said.

Regional Advisor (Asia) International Media Support Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya who was speaking at a launch of the book. The J.R. I Disliked” penned by former Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Markar said those in power in Sri Lanka have failed to bring a system change as per the pledge they have made in their electoral manifesto.

I requested information from AI on late President Jayewardene. I was told he had a strategic political vision. We have not been able to move out of his vision to this date. Mr. Bakeer Markar once said that those who criticized Jayewardene have not been able to change the constitution and it has become a twist of fate. Those who pasted posters calling for JR’s death have been in power for more than a year and they have not been able change it. His economic policy has not changed. There were at least five to compete as Mr. Jayewardene’s successors. Today there are no potential successors for political leadership.

Political figure Rehan Jayawickrama who also spoke stressed the need for giving space for the young Young should be nurtured to become leaders,” he said.

---

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Oceanic Pivot: As Diego Garcia becomes a frontline target, Washington turns its gaze toward Colombo’s strategic neutrality

Iran’s apparent use of intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the attack has startled the West, showing a reach far longer than the medium-range capabilities previously assumed.”

The shifting tides of the Indian Ocean have placed Sri Lanka at the heart of a high-stakes geopolitical gambit. As Iran’s intermediate-range ballistic missiles successfully challenge the perceived invulnerability of the UK-US base at Diego Garcia, the Pentagon faces a crisis of geography and diplomacy. With British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wavering under the shadow of Operation Epic Fury,” the strategic necessity for an alternative regional foothold has never been more acute. Recent rebuffed requests for US fighter jets to land at Mattala Airport underscore a tightening knot: Washington is no longer just observing Sri Lanka—it is eyeing it as a vital insurance policy against a fractured Chagos lease and an increasingly long-reaching Tehran.

Iran’s targeting of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia island becomes the second incursion into the Indian Ocean since the US-Israel war on Iran began – the first being the sinking of the Iranian ship IRIS Dena by a US submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka, on March 4. Iran’s apparent use of intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the attack has startled the West as it showed Iran has missiles with a far longer reach than the medium-range missiles it was thought to have. With the UK wavering over permission for the use Diego Garcia, is the US eyeing Sri Lanka – another strategically located island in the Indian Ocean – as a potential alternative foothold in the region? US interest in Sri Lanka on account of its strategic location is nothing new, but recent events have brought the issue sharply into focus. 

Diego Garcia, the largest island in the British colonial territory of Chagos Archipelago – has housed a massive joint UK-US military base since the 1960s. Iran fired two ballistic missiles targeting the base following a re-set of UK’s position regarding the use of its bases in the war. The UK  said yesterday the bases could be used for strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz,” the BBC reported, on March 21. UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer had adopted different positions on the matter twice already. When the US-Israel attacks on Iran first started Feb. 28, he had opposed the use of UK’s military bases, making a statement in parliament on UK’s decision ‘not to get involved in international strikes.’ But the very next day (March 01), the BBC’s live blog reported him saying that permission had now been given for defensive” strikes on Iranian missile sites from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.” The position finally adopted on March 20, allowing strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz, signaled UK’s participation in ‘Operation Epic Fury,’ and seemed to set the stage for Iran’s attempted missile strike on the base.

Before Mauritius gained independence in 1968, the Chagos Islands had been separated from it by Britain. The move was held to be illegal in a 2019 ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Hague, that recommended their return.  In May last year, Prime Minister Starmer had signed an agreement whereby sovereignty over Chagos Islands was to be returned to Mauritius, with Diego Garcia to be immediately leased back to the UK for 99 years. The deal was about to be made into law, when US President Donald Trump urged the UK not to proceed with it. According to available information, it appears the bill is stalled. 

Self-fulfilling prophecy?

Trump had conveyed his displeasure with the UK a full month earlier, in a post on truthsocial.com Feb. 19, ending in capital letters ‘DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!’ At the time, he said: Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime — An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly Countries.” 

Could Trump’s prophecy become self-fulfilling? 

With Britain giving permission for the use of Diego Garcia to strike Iranian targets, Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on ‘X’, saying: 

Vast majority of the British People do not want any part in the Israel-US war of choice on Iran. Ignoring his own People, Mr Starmer is putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran. Iran will exercise its right to self defense. (12.37am – 21 March 2026)

When Araghchi warned that Iran will exercise its right to self defense,” what he was saying was, if a UK base is used to target Iran, Iran will hit back at the UK. The trajectory of the war has made it clear that when Iran makes a warning, the threatened action is carried out, unlike some of Trump’s bombastic threats. 

Days after the US-Israel strikes started, Trump complained, at a joint White House press briefing with German Chancellor Frederik Merz, that he was ‘not happy with the UK’ which, at that point in time, had not lifted the veto on striking Iranian sites. They didn’t allow us to use that island that you read about,”  he said, without naming it.  The lease – for whatever reason he made a lease of the island – somebody came and took it away from him – and it’s taken three-four days for us to find out where we can land.. It would’ve been much more convenient landing there, instead of flying many extra hours, so we’re very surprised,” he said, adding the much-reported line This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with.”

US envoy visits

So it’s clear, Diego Garcia had been part of Trump’s war plan from the start, to carry out bombing raids on Iran. The base had earlier been used by the US to launch long range missile attacks against Iraq and Afghanistan. The missiles fired by Iran – neither of which reached their target – are believed to have been intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) which are said to have a range between 3000 and 5500 km. One was reported to have failed in midflight, while an interceptor had been fired at the other from a US warship. Whether the interception fully succeeded remains unconfirmed” according to the Indian Express. Be that as it may, the targeting of Diego Garcia, 4000km away, has caused concern among Iran’s attackers.  

Is it a coincidence that Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Stephen Koehler visited Sri Lanka from 19 – 21 February? The US embassy issued a press release the same day, saying the visit was to highlight the strategic importance the United States places on Sri Lanka’s role at the crossroads of global maritime routes and underscores our shared long-term commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.” (emphasis added) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake did not meet the USPACOM chief, who only met military officials. 

From 19-24 March US Special Envoy (the US ambassador to India) Sergio Gor was in Colombo, and did meet President Dissanayake. But apart from an ‘X’ post by the president, with a formal ‘handshake photo,’ there was little other publicity regarding this visit on the Sri Lankan side. 

Request to use Mattala Airport

The emphasis in the US press releases on ‘sea lanes’ and ‘maritime routes’ is of interest, given the backdrop of  conflict in the Gulf. It’s also notable that these visits were arranged when attacks on Iran and counter attacks in the Gulf had peaked. (Israel hit Iran’s South Pars – part of the world’s largest natural gas field – and Tehran retaliated with strikes on Ras Laffan LNG complex in Qatar and other energy targets in the Gulf, during this period.)

President Dissanayake made a revelation in parliament on March 20, when he said that on Feb. 26 – the same day that the government received a request from three Iranian ships to make goodwill visits on March 9th and 13th – there was a request also from the US for two fighter aircraft, that he said were near Djibouti, to be allowed to land at Sri Lanka’s Mattala International Airport. Even at that time there were signs of imminent war. We took the position of protecting our country’s neutrality (‘madyastha bhavaya’). We turned down both requests” he said. 

The US has already made an unwelcome military incursion in the Indian Ocean, to sink a ship thousands of kilometres away from the Gulf, in international waters just 19 nautical miles from Sri Lanka, within its E.E.Z. 

Any use of Diego Garcia to launch attacks against Iran will be responded to in a way that will extend the geography of the war with unpredictable consequences. A strike from a UK base will drag Europe into a conflict that has already spun out of control. 

Diego Garcia 

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

• Russian Deputy Energy Minster’s visits will provide positive results
• Russia mostly transact in national currencies instead of US dollar: if there is a will, there is a way
• Russia’s natural resources are not also unlimited,
• There is quite a line of countries who want to have access to our crude oil and energy
• Ready to start talks on nuclear power if requested

International dynamics keep changing in the present climax. The countries’ roles fast evolve. Sri Lanka is making fresh approaches in its engagements, particularly for energy security. Against the backdrop, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko is visiting Sri Lanka for a five-day diplomatic trip. The Deputy Minister participated in a discussion organized by Pathfinder Foundation in Colombo and took questions from participants who represented the media and the think tanks. He said the situation is quite serious and unpredictable. He said the role of the global south is obviously increasing, and countries like China, India, some entities like ASEAN countries, play a much stronger role economically, politically, and in the security area, which would not let the United States or its allies to do whatever they want. Russia in this changing world positions itself as one of the key elements of the new world order. He said, Russia in this changing world positions itself as one of the key elements of the new world order. It does not pretend to be a leader of this new world. It will be ready to share all responsibilities for what is happening with other countries. But at the same time for us the matter of principle is preserving our own certainty and independence- not only political, but also security-wise, economy -wise. It is not that easy now. You see under what kind of pressure Russia is living at the moment, but our choice is deliberate, our choice is of principle, and we would not deviate from this policy. There are many aspects of our relations with other countries, with the United States, with China, with India, with the nations of South Asia,” Excerpts of the dialogue. 

QMany countries in the global south are experiencing the secondary effect of the conflicts that we are facing right now, particularly in the energy markets, food security and supply chains. How does Russia see its role in mitigating these impacts, if there is an opportunity to do so, especially in relation to the partners in Asia and in particular South Asia?

I guess it’s one of the fundamental issues the world is facing- how to overcome the consequences of this unfortunate event which happened in the Middle East and affected all countries, not only in the Middle East, but beyond the region.

Russia is not affected by this conflict so far greatly, although, of course, some longer-term consequences may also take it all on us. For example, Iran is our neighbour, with whom we develop quite extensive cooperation in different areas. If there is a negative outcome of the whole thing, it will affect the Russian economy, immigration policies etc.

We are very much interested in ending this conflict as soon as possible. As far as the countries of Asia are concerned in terms of economic and energy security, of course, Russia is ready to provide its resources to all those who wish to have them. You know, we haven’t deleted our good neighbouring relations with the countries of Asia.

Our policy is of principled nature. We would be ready to deepen our cooperation in all spheres, but sometimes the countries themselves are reluctant to deepen this cooperation with Russia because of the threats of secondary sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union. To our regret, this has caused for a while a decline in our energy cooperation. These countries are quite reluctant to be targeted by the American restrictions.

Now our situation has changed. The United States has lifted the so-called ban on the purchasing of Russian energy, first of all, of crude oil. I think it’s a good opportunity for the countries of Asia to take advantage of this moment. But of course, what will happen after this one-month term expiry. We would strongly prefer that our relations with all countries in Asia are based on the long-term context, not on spot trade of oil and gas.

QIt’s a good thing that the ban has been lifted, at least temporarily. Would the Russian Federation take payments in rubles, US dollars or Chinese Yuan?

We are not as selective as some may think, actually. Our trade now with other countries is moving fast from major currencies like the dollar or Euro to the national currencies . For example, 99 percent of our trade with China is done in Yuan or rubles.

Our trade with India is also done mostly in rupees and rubles. We actually see the clear trend of decline in the role of the dollar worldwide. For example, just a few years ago, the dollar consisted of about 67 percent of world trade. Now its share has declined up to about 40 percent, and other percentages of trade are done in the national currencies. If there is a desire, there is a will. We can find a way to address this issue. We are happy to find flexible means which will be beneficial to all of us.

QYour Deputy Prime Minister recently announced that a ban on gaso line exports will come into effect today. Could you take us through that and the potential impact of that on energy cooperation?

Yes, to tell you frankly, Russia’s natural resources are not also unlimited. There is quite a line of countries who want to have access to our crude oil and energy, for example. But I guess we will implement all contracts which were concluded in full.

We will, of course, do our best. A recent visit by Deputy Minister of Energy Roman Marshavin has shown that there will be a deal. Hopefully the follow-up of this visit will see some positive results concerning the supply of energy from Russia. The sooner we end the conflict, the better it will be for everyone. 

QWhat is really stopping the proposed nuclear 

power project?

I know that there is a strong interest to develop nuclear capacity in this country- nuclear capacity for peace.  I’m not aware of particular parameters. But there is a strong interest from many countries of Asia, for example, from Southeast Asia, to take advantage of the Russian expertise in a small modular nuclear station.

For example, we have one project which is very attractive and could be used by other states. For example, we have a floating minor modular nuclear plant which is now providing energy to our Siberian region. It’s just a huge ship on which there is a nuclear station.

If the countries want, this ship can come closer to them and provide energy to them. Many countries want to have this facility. Russia is the only state which has this technology. It not only has this technology, but also realized it in the real projects.

If there is an interest here, of course, we can have the relevant negotiations started. It’s clear that it’s not a very cheap endeavor. But it’s very useful because such a facility has unlimited resources and power. 

QHow has Russia taken note of Sri Lanka’s strategic importance at this juncture? Secondly, Russia-Sri Lanka economic cooperation remains way below the potential. So why it is way below the potential, and what are the plans for increasing them? 

All these issues of bilateral cooperation will be discussed.  The recent crisis and the pandemic took effect. The current crisis also contributed to this. Unfortunately, we saw a decline in bilateral trade over the last year.

But we think it’s a kind of a temporary trade which we need to revert. I’m sure it will be. Sri Lanka is a very attractive place for us, and it will continue like that, especially now when all other destinations are closed for Russian citizens. The Persian Gulf countries will be popular, but they will not remain peaceful for a while. The European Union got to close their borders for the Russian citizens. Therefore, Sri Lanka and some other countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia, are becoming even more attractive places for our citizens.

If we manage to maintain the frequency of our direct flights between the two countries, it will also contribute to an increasing number of our people coming here. If we manage to establish a reliable system of payment between our countries, our tourists can use their bank cards here in Sri Lanka- just to feel comfortable, not to bring cash with them. It will play a role.

After tourists, the real business may come here not only in trade but also in technological service investment. But again, for this, you need to know each other better now—not to limit our communications or restrict some support deals on energy when the United States allows it, but to build it on a solid legal and economic foundation.

QWhy does Russia not condemn Iran’s attacks on neighbouring countries?

 On Russia and Iran, we did not join those countries who condemned Iran for shelling its neighbours. We don’t like what is happening there. But if you approach this issue, you should approach it from a world in a general context. Who started the war? It’s not Iran.  Iran was attacked, clearly attacked, surprisingly, conveniently. This is implementation of its right of self-defence. Iran has warned its neighbours not to provide access to the U.S. military to the airspace and the military facilities.

If that is the case, Iran will not retaliate. However, I understand that this view is not widely supported. We participate quite actively in the deliberations on the relevant UN Security Council resolution to stop the war once again.

There is often a one-sided view and a one-sided approach to this issue. The demand is that Iran should stop fighting and stop shelling its neighbours. But why is there no demand that the United States and Israel stop bombing Iran and its infrastructure?

If you want to approach this issue properly, you need to consider it from all angles, not in the way some countries prefer. That is why we cannot support the idea that Iran is the only country to blame for what is happening there.

The conflict has quite extensive root causes that have existed for many years. It is now very difficult to determine who is responsible for what has happened. But obviously, Iran was not the country that initiated the catastrophe currently unfolding in the region.

The war must be stopped, and the shelling from either side must cease. Peace should be restored, including the right of countries to have their cargo ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

If the situation escalates further, and if there is a prospect of land operations, the conflict will spread and spill over into other areas that we have not seen before. That is why our position is clear. First of all the United States and Israel—should stop the aggressive war against Iran. Then the whole situation could change for the better.

Iran is interested in maintaining better relations with its neighbours, particularly the Arab countries. Over the past few years, we have seen improvements in these relations. For example, we saw the signing of the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to re-establish diplomatic relations. This was an event of great significance for the region. Unfortunately, this process of maintaining peace in the Persian Gulf has now been disrupted by the current conflict.

The eventual solution must be comprehensive in nature. There are many aspects to the situation in the region — the security environment, the nuclear issue, ballistic missile concerns, and economic cooperation. For example, Russia proposed many years ago the creation of a system of collective security in the Persian Gulf. At that time, this initiative was not taken on board, but now it’s becoming more and more. So, let’s call on those perpetrators of the war to stop it. 

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

• The new reality is that the war has de facto created a gas and oil hegemon who now controls 20% of Gas and oil as we read this, with significant impact on the fertilizer industry as well. 
• The reality is that no matter how many bombs each party has, disruption is only going to keep the strait shut and the price of oil and gas high

If there was one thing that was sure to happen as an external factor that would affect the economy of Sri Lanka, it was the turmoil in the Middle East. This has been a constant since 1948 when Israel was established. All governments and organizations that have existed in this country have either had to deal with a war or some kind of disruption in the Middle East. Historically most of them have completely and utterly failed to deal with this issue preemptively, which now in all probability is going to becoming a long term certainty. The current government, government owned business undertakings and the other private businesses in Sri Lanka at this time is no exception; no contingencies only reactive crisis mitigation action at the cost of the public.  

The usual risks for Sri Lanka are inward remittances and tourism and some export of tea. Sri Lanka has nearly 2 million people working in and around the Middle East and sending their hard earned salaries back home. Now, any disruption to this is going to have a massive effect on the economy of Sri Lanka. It is sad that over the years no government has been able to enhance this English illiterate, unskilled and low-skilled migration to the Gulf to an English literate, upskilled migration where people could be working across the world rather than in one region where there is a high demand for low-skilled and no-skilled jobs. 

In addition to this, a significant amount of tourists had started to come from the Middle East. Not only was the Middle East becoming a hub that brought in tourists to Sri Lanka from other regions but the Arabian Peninsula was fast becoming a significant source market for Sri Lankan tourism. Now with this turmoil, all these are going to get disrupted and have a major negative impact on our economy. Even though there does not seem to be immediately actionable contingencies, Sri Lanka may be well be able to bring in tourists, flights would operate circumventing the geographic region where the conflict is happening and take them back to their home countries without major issues. However, the number of tourists that originated from the Arabian Peninsula will have to be replaced by another market. 

Today, due to global connectivity and inter-connectedness of industries, conflicts do not distinguish among ordinary people, it really doesn’t matter to which race, religion you belong to, or which country you belong to, or which political opinions you have. At the end of the day, the amount of money you pay for your fuel at the pump and everything else is going to cost more due to this conflict. Who started it and how it ends will be inconsequential as we will probably never go back to those low oil and gas prices.

Was Iran gifted an unexpected victory? 

The reason why I say this is that prior to this conflict, Iran was only a major producer of oil. It had its global share of 9% to 12%, however it did not have influence over 20% of the oil and natural gas that went through the Strait of Hormuz. The new reality is that the war has de facto created a gas and oil hegemon who now controls 20% of Gas and oil as we read this, with significant impact on the fertilizer industry as well. The reality is that no matter how many bombs each party has, disruption is only going to keep the strait shut and the price of oil and gas high.

It has also brought in to the limelight   the cost of shipping and the fees charged by many such choke points around the world. 

 Panama Canal: Charges fees based on vessel size and weight, and charges high premiums for last-minute booking slots.

 Suez Canal (Egypt): A primary, high-cost route connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. It charges tolls that have increased following the Red Sea crisis.

 Turkish Straits (Bosphorus & Dardanelles): Türkiye regulates passage and has increased fees for international ships transiting these straits.

 Kiel Canal (Germany): Connects the North Sea to the Baltic Sea and charges tolls to avoid the longer route around Denmark.

 Corinth Canal (Greece): A narrow waterway that charges fees, primarily for smaller vessels and tourist traffic

Even though currently the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is open to international shipping, with no fees levied for crossing it. The strait has the potential to become the next flash point in this crisis creating duel choke points to international trade. 

In the current context, the only alternative to small countries that cannot project maritime power across the world is to agree to Iran’s terms and start trading oil and gas at a now higher price which includes a levy for passing through the Straits of Hormuz; paid in Chinese Yuan. 

No matter how powerful a country may think they are and they may very well be, they won’t be able to put this Genie back in the bottle. The Iranians who as the aggrieved party having suffered from unilateral sanctions (again I am not judging the right or wrong of it) would see this as their opportunity and right to apply unilateral sanction as a result of this illegal war. In fact they may feel that they have nothing to lose. The world know that a low intensity asymmetric war can go on for decades keeping shipping away from this area and the prices of oil and gas high. Many countries would gladly pay the tax and get the oil and gas at a higher price than not have gas and oil and face instability within their own countries.

What’s next for Sri Lanka? 

Not wanting to sound like a broken record on a repeat loop, the choices for Sri Lanka remain very simple and limited and has not changed since independence.

What has been consistent is successive governments have abandoned these strategically important activities to engage in petty politics which has resulted in the population being pulverized when these risks become real. 

Let’s face it we will not be able become petroleum independent in the foreseeable future. No country or company is going to come and drill for oil and gas in Sri Lanka with a multiple billion-dollar investment when there are cheaper source options available around the world. Since we don’t have the technology, having our own petroleum is way over the horizon. Having said that, diversity of power sources is a must to be power-independent in the future. 

It is sad that many learned economists make bold predictions of SL GDP growing at 4 – 5 %. However most don’t mention that for the economy to grow at that pace the power sector has to grow at least at double the pace in a stable manner. 

1. Upgrading the national grid. How long and how often have we heard this from the previous to current government, the CEB and experts in the field? For any country to grow a major requirements is to have an efficient and manageable grid which is able to deliver power to areas that require it. Be it a factory (even oil and gas extraction and refining) a hotel or any other business, foreign or local investment will not happen in areas that does not have reliable power and a stable grid. If Sri Lankan electrical engineers are not knowledgeable and able to do this upgrade the state must intervene and get the expertise from countries such as India, China etc. and resolve this immediately before it becomes a major obstacle standing in the way of development of the country.

2. Invest in nuclear power energy to provide the base power need of the country. It is sad that since 2009 (end of the war) Sri Lanka has delayed implementing a nuclear power plant. Had we started in 2009, by now we would have a fully operational power plant. Moving the entire railway network into electric mode as well as moving all the buses into electric buses will help Sri Lanka considerably reduce the demand for diesel fuel. It should also help the country to manage the cost expectation of the public transport.

3. Within a period of 5 years ban all petroleum engine based three wheelers in the country and ensure that all new imports are done only for maintenance and new electric three wheelers. 

4. QR Codes should only be issued to those with TIN Numbers to ensure those tax evaders and fuel hoarders are brought to book/eliminated 

5. Maximize solar and wind projects to the level where all excess energy can be used to pump water back into the reservoirs to create and maintain a natural battery system and the balance of natural resources.

6. Adjust the vehicle import tax system to bring down the price of electrical vehicles and reduce the demand for petrol.

7. Enact a new Petroleum Retail Act so that it allows the petroleum retailers to be mandated to hold storage of three months’ supply of fuel (all types of fuel) in their retail establishment. This way all price fluctuations can be smoothed out.

8. Apply this same philosophy to all government institutions, such as the Central Transport Board, Railways, Airport and Aviation Services, the Tri-forces, police and other security agencies and any other organization that has their own pumps above ground to hold three months of fuel supply.

9. Leverage the utilization of all available and repairable tanks at the Trincomalee tank farm to store oil for our consumption. 

Why Sri Lanka is still unable to become an air hub? 

A weird dichotomy often pondered and discussed at various local and international fora. This elusive hub status for Air Line activity in Sri Lanka seems to evade us at every turn. Even during this current crisis there was a lot of hope on the much-debated white elephant down south in the name of Mattala International Airport. This crisis was perhaps seen as its salvation. However it turns out that we have only built half of a white elephant, which is completely unsuitable for any kind of hub operation with wide bodied or large aircraft. Aviation experts are of the view that the operational capacity it is less than ten wide-body aircraft that can be operated simultaneously at the Mattala airport. Whereas the requirement for a hub operation is much greater. In addition the lack of taxiways along the runway and so on, the list of should have beens seems to be greater than the list of could have beens. Which means that, most probably, Mattala will have a few more flights landing and taking off, especially cargo flights. However in terms of major passenger operations we are unlikely to get any large traffic through Mattala and will continue to have a few of those Russian planes landing in the foreseeable future.

So far there is only one Gulf Air aircraft which is parked (probably) on a long term basis at Katunayake. However, Authorities must take steps to move these aircraft to Mattala in order to prevent further congestion and denial of access to revenue generating activities at Katunayake. 

Katunayake Airport it seems have more requests for transit flights at this time. The last thing we need is that flights will divert to India or Maldives due to the lack of space at Katunayake due to the negligence and lack of foresight of the officers’ operating the airport. 

With regard to our national carrier; simple things such as air service agreements for emergency landings, refueling, and technical assistance that bypass the Middle East on a southerly route (Kenya, Nairobi, Ethiopia, Addis Ababa) connecting to Southern and Western Europe servicing hubs such as London; and easterly route (flying through the CIS countries to Turkey and into the Eastern and Central European destinations and hubs such as Amsterdam) should have been pre-entered and should have been ready in our books. When such an event occurs we could leverage on those air service agreements to fly to Europe and keep our tourism industry going at the level required by the country.

It is so sad and embarrassing to see the elites in the aviation industry fumbling about, not knowing what to do, when to do, how to do. Whereas these are fundamental conclusions that one can get to if one had followed a simple tool such as a SWOT analysis.

Another opportunity has come our way due to current congestion at the Katunayake airport where all the operations of the small business aircraft could be moved to Rathmalana. This is the ideal opportunity to rebrand and re-launch the Rathmalana airport (Another white elephant created by us since the construction of the KIA) as the Colombo City Business Airport of Sri Lanka with easy access to the Port City and connectivity to the expressways. 

Once again it seems that the Sri Lanka is held, back by our own apathy. It is almost ubiquitous with Sri Lanka that most projects that are started are never completed. The same goes for the baseline road extension connecting the Kelaniya Bridge to the Rathmalana Airport. The road was terminated in Kirulapone and never extended to Rathmalana Airport. It seems that some sanity has prevailed and the current government is hoping to extend it maybe a couple of kilometres until it reaches Dutugemunu Street.

I hope that, given this current crisis, the government will expedite this project and extend it to the gates of the Rathmalana airport to ensure that we are able to make best use of this strategic connection between Rathmalana Airport and the city of Colombo to facilitate business and high net worth individuals (HNI’s) travel. 

The fact that this road has been planned and designed and not executed for the last 20 years should be a source of national embarrassment and all necessary steps should be taken to quickly fulfill this need for the business community and investment flow. 

The Rathmalana airport is also of great significance in terms of the rest of the infrastructure of the country. In terms of connectivity to the expressway and the Makumbura multimodal transport hub the distance is only 12 to 13 km.

While nations look for the silver lining in these dark cloud” times, Sri Lanka would be better served by looking inward for its silver lining and expediting and finishing projects so that we can avail of their strategic intention as well as enjoy the maximum economic benefit.   

About the Author

Roshanga Wickremesinghe is the author of book How Small Countries Can Compete and Grow – A Case for Sri Lanka”. He is the founder of Think Tank Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. – a Strategy think tank and R & R Associates Consulting, a sector-independent Strategy Consulting practice.

Eva Golinger June 3, 2010

Make the economy scream,” wrote Henry Kissinger in a note to CIA forces involved in efforts to oust President Salvador Allende in Chile in the early 1970s.

The same strategy was applied in Venezuela in 2002. A coup d’état that briefly succeeded, but then failed, was followed by an economic sabotage that shut down the oil industry and depleted the nation of basic consumer products, causing more than $20 billion USD in damages to the economy, but failing to remove Chavez from power. The business, labor, media and political groups backing the coup and the sabotage received direct funding and support from Washington and its agencies, including USAID, National Endowment for Democracy, International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.

In 2007, they tried again, causing major product shortages nationwide, which spiked inflation, while at the same time taking protests to the streets and garnering international media attention that attempted to portray the Chavez government as dictatorial, repressive and in crisis.

Former US Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, explained the US strategy and role at the time on Fox News, [Chavez’s] ability to appeal to the Venezuelan people, only works so long as the populous of Venezuela sees some ability for a better standard of living. If at some point the economy really gets bad, Chavez’s popularity within the country will certainly decrease and it’s the one weapon we have against him to begin with and which we should be using, namely the economic tools of trying to make the economy even worse so that his appeal in the country and the region goes down.”

Eagleburger, also advisor to President George W. Bush at that time, went on to state that Anything we can do to make their economy more difficult for them at this moment is a good thing, but let’s do it in ways that do not get us into direct conflict with Venezuela if we can get away with it.”

Sabotage

Shortly after Eagleburger’s statements, Venezuela’s economy plummeted. But the Chavez government’s swift nationalization of several industries and companies, along with firm legal action taken against those businesses hoarding products and illegally raising prices, saved the country from recession. The year 2007 in Venezuela was incredibly difficult, even toilet paper was hard to find, along with basic food staples like sugar, milk, flour and coffee. But it wasn’t because these products were lacking in the country. Discoveries were made of tons of products, hidden from consumers in warehouses belonging to national and transnational corporations. Other products were illegally transported across the border into Colombia and Panama for resale at higher prices.

During the past several years, the sabotage has continued in waves. Sometimes sugar is absent from supermarket shelves, causing panic, other times it’s milk, or corn flour, napkins or black beans. Then, mass quantities of these products are found in some container or warehouse belonging to a private corporation or overseen by a corrupt government official.

Just recently, 32 tons of decomposed food products, including oil, coffee, sugar, butter, rice, pasta, meat and milk, were discovered by Venezuela’s intelligence agency, Sebin, in 1,300 containers sitting in Port Cabello, on the north-central coast. The products were destined to be sold in the government subsidized markets, Mercal and Pdval, but corrupt officials had purposefully left them there to rot in order to provoke product shortages. Several government officials have already been detained and are under investigation for their role in this and other acts of corruption and sabotage in the food industry.

War on corruption,” declared President Chavez on Wednesday, adding that These are vices of the past, and we have discovered many public officials involved in corruption and will investigate and bring them to justice. No one is protected from corruption here, whoever falls, falls.” Chavez revealed that more than 30 public officials had already been tried and imprisoned for corruption in the food industry during the past few years.

Economic Warfare

In an event on Wednesday at a new socialist processing plant, Diana Oil, President Chavez responded to his private sector critics, diminishing their accusations. They say Chavez is destroying the country, that the workers don’t have the capacity to manage companies and that worker-run production is a crazy idea. They say the government destroys all the companies we run.”

Chavez also called for a response to what he perceives as a declared economic war” against the people and the Revolution. I call on the true working class in Venezuela to battle in the economic war against the bourgeoisie,” he exclaimed, adding, I was born for this battle. They have declared economic warfare against me and I call on all workers to join with me in the fight to take back our economy.”

The Venezuelan President had particular words for the owner of the nation’s largest food and beverage producer and distributor, Lorenzo Mendoza. One of the wealthiest men in Venezuela, and a Forbes billionaire, Mendoza runs Empresas Polar, which produces and distributes products such as Polar beer, PepsiCola and all kinds of juices, vinegars, sauces, ice creams, cereals, canned and frozen foods.

Chavez responded directly to Mendoza’s claims that the Venezuelan President is destroying the country, stating, I accept your challenge. Let’s go. You with your millions and me with my morals. Let’s see who lasts longer, you with your Polar and your riches, or me with my people and the dignity of a revolutionary soldier.” Chavez also warned Mendoza that if his company continues to hoard products, speculate and violate price regulations, Empresas Polar could be nationalized.

I’m not afraid to nationalize Polar, Mendoza, so be careful. The law is the law,” declared the Venezuelan head of state.

Polar has been one of the principal companies propelling product shortages in the country during the past few years, by hoarding the consumer goods in its hundreds of warehouses nationwide until enough panic and discontent has been generated in the country. Then the products are released at higher prices, violating financial regulations, causing inflation and attempting to cripple the economy.

But this week, President Chavez called on all sectors, private and public, to resist and combat this economic warfare. We are working for the well being of everyone, even the upper classes and private businesses. You won’t be stable until the rest of the country is, so let’s work for that together.”

Despite the economic turmoil affecting Venezuela, unemployment rates have decreased over the past few years, and poverty has been reduced from 70% to 23% since 1999.

Source: Chavez Code

Senake Weeraratne

 The Reply of David Becker (Head of Legal, ICC) to Senaka Weeraratna was dismissive, disrespectful and patently wrong in the interpretation of law.

The reply of the South African lawyer David Becker (Head of Legal, ICC) to Senaka Weeraratna in May 2010 on the question of the intellectual property rights over his brainchild ‘Player Referral’ which was rebranded by the ICC as the UDRS (Umpire Decision Review System), was dismissive, disrespectful and patently wrong in the interpretation of law. The legal doctrine of Constructive Notice was overlooked in Becker’s response. Constructive Notice acts as a legal presumption that a person has received notice, even if they actually have not, provided the information is public or easily accessible. Furthermore Becker’s reply was legalistic when the context demanded equity, fair play and simple Justice.

Senaka Weeraratna was the first person in World History to propose a mechanism to empower players to challenge the on – field umpire’s decision and appeal to a Third Umpire to make an informed decision using Video Replay( see Michael Roberts ‘ The DRS Technology as Idea: Senaka Weeraratna’s Inventive Mind)  https://thuppahis.com/2022/12/30/the-drs-technology-as-idea-senaka-weeraratnas-inventive-mind/

”  This was the first occasion in world history that a case was made (in 1997), using the analogy of the appellate function of the legal system, to press home the point that we needed to adopt it on the playing field in a modified form in combination with modern technology, i.e. video play back in the hands of Third Umpire, to determine the accuracy of a decision made by an on field or ground umpire by way of a Review System.”

…………………………..

Chat GPT says as follows:

https://share.google/aimode/ucqc8MxsAU80dItz7

The reply from David Becker

, then-Head of Legal for the International Cricket Council (ICC), to

Senaka Weeraratna on May 9, 2010, is a central point of contention regarding the origins of the Decision Review System (DRS).

The ICC’s Position

Becker’s response fundamentally denied Weeraratna’s claim to the Player Referral” concept based on several legalistic arguments:

• Waiver of Confidentiality: Becker argued that by publishing his idea openly in newspapers and journals between 1997 and 1999, Weeraratna had waived his right to confidentiality” and effectively placed the idea in the public domain without securing a patent.
• Lack of Prior Knowledge: Becker stated that the ICC Cricket Committee members who eventually developed the UDRS in 2006 were not, and are not, even aware of who you are”. He claimed their deliberations did not involve any information originating from Weeraratna.
• Requirement for Formal Registration: The ICC maintained that if Weeraratna sought ownership, he should have registered a relevant patent” rather than addressing the public through mainstream media.

Overlooked Legal and Moral Arguments

Critics argue that Becker’s interpretation disregarded key legal and ethical principles:

• Constructive Notice: Critics argue that widespread, prior publicity of the Player Referral” concept in major media outlets means the ICC is legally presumed to have known of it, a concept detailed in discussions of the case, such as this Lankaweb article.
• Professional Responsibility: It is argued that a committee reviewing technical improvements to the game has a duty to be aware of existing public discourse, making the claim of ignorance implausible.
• Moral Rights and Attribution: Supporters assert Weeraratna holds moral and economic rights, arguing that the ICC failed to attribute the core Player Referral” mechanism to its original creator.
• Precedent for Recognition: The case of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method is often cited as a precedent for properly crediting innovators, suggesting a double standard in the ICC’s action.
• ………………………………………………………….

Decolonize Cricket: Re-name UDRS as the Weeraratna Rule

https://www.onlanka.com/news/decolonize-cricket-re-name-udrs-as-the-weeraratna-rule.htmlAuthorship of Umpire Decision Review System: Sri Lankan claims recognition from ICC

Authorship of Umpire Decision Review System: Sri Lankan claims recognition from ICC

Source:  AI Overview

Senaka Weeraratna

The Netherlands occupied parts of Ceylon from 1658 – 1796 as a Dutch Colony. Its legacy as an occupying power is a mixed bag. Ceylon was administered by the Dutch from Batavia (Indonesia), until the British replaced the Dutch in 1796. As a Colonial power the Dutch vandalized the treasures of the native Sinhala people, including the Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth) in Kandy, which was plundered by the Dutch led by the Dutch Governor Baron van Eck. A notable artifact seized was the ornate “Cannon of Kandy,” which was later sent to the Netherlands as a trophy (and returned to Sri Lanka in 2023). The Sinhalese fought and retook Kandy forcing the Dutch to retreat. Van Eck returned to Colombo but fell ill with malaria. He died on April 1, 1765, while still in office at the age of 46 years. 

A large number of artifacts looted from Ceylon have been exhibited in famous Dutch Museums such as the RijksMuseum (for over 250 years) with not one cent given to Sri Lanka from the revenue earned from the visitors to these Museums. Sri Lanka has proposed to the Government of Netherlands to consider sharing the profits ( Revenue) earned from the time of display (250 years back) to date. Sri Lanka is a financially struggling country most of the time. The law of Unjust Enrichment is a part of Roman Dutch Law which is still extant in Sri Lanka ( though not in the Netherlands). Whatever the name of the law, ‘ Fair play’ is required here in the interest of Justice. 

An Apology, Reparation, Repatriation of Stolen Artifacts, Atonement, Catharsis, and the like still figure in the negotiations for a Restitutio in integrum (or ad integrum)( Latin legal term meaning “restoration to original condition) between the Western colonial powers and the former colonies including Sri Lanka.

Senaka Weeraratna

Ansari and The Briefing w. Ansari

AI Overview response

https://share.google/aimode/MQDf4i4KoSTdvPHrq

The question of whether the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have acted within the

Spirit of Cricket regarding the ownership of Decision Review System (DRS) intellectual property (IP) is a subject of significant debate and public criticism, particularly within Sri Lanka. While the ICC maintains that it followed internal processes to adopt the technology, critics and legal representatives of the claimant argue that the current handling of these rights lacks fairness and transparency. 

Core Claims and Allegations

• Original Concept: Sri Lankan lawyer

Senaka Weeraratna

claims he conceived the “Player Referral” concept—the foundation of DRS—in 1997. He published these ideas in major newspapers in Australia, England (London Times), Pakistan (Dawn), Malaysia (New Strait Times) and Sri Lanka, and ‘International Cricketer’ Journal ( Edited by Richard Hutton),  nearly a decade before the ICC formally moved toward the system in 2006.

• Lack of Recognition: Critics highlight that while inventors of the rain-rule system, Duckworth and Lewis, received global recognition and naming rights, Weeraratna has received no such acknowledgement or compensation, or even basic courtesies such as being invited to major public functions of SLC,  ICC or International Cricket Tournaments. This is what the political analyst Shenali Waduge in a breath taking article categorized as ‘Eerishiyawa’ (Envy) that afflicts not only the decision makers of SLC but the country as a whole. Not a single President of the country, political party, parliamentarian (Member of Parliament) have taken up this cause of injustice to Sri Lanka, except the brave young MP Mr. Yadamini Gunawardena, who wrote a letter to the Secretary, Ministerial Consultative Committee on Sports & Youth Affairs dated July 25, 2024

• Economic and Moral Rights: Proponents for Weeraratna argue he holds both “moral” and “economic” copyright, and that the ICC’s use of the system without consent or royalties constitutes a failure of “fair play and justice”. 

Institutional Positions

• ICC’s Stance: Former ICC legal counsel (South African lawyer Mr. David Becker) has stated that the committee members were unaware of Weeraratna’s work during their own deliberations. The ICC has reportedly argued that by publishing his idea openly without a patent, Weeraratna “waived his right to confidentiality”.
• SLC’s Role: While SLC did make a submission to the ICC on behalf of Weeraratna in 2008, critics within Sri Lanka have accused the SLC board and the government of “cowardice” and “betrayal” for not more aggressively pursuing these claims for the benefit of the nation.
• Ongoing Requests: As recently as 2024, there have been renewed calls for the Sri Lankan government and SLC to appoint a Commission of Inquiry or seek Third Party Arbitration to resolve the dispute in a manner consistent with the “Spirit of Cricket”. 

Arguments Regarding the “Spirit of Cricket”

The debate often hinges on whether the “Spirit of Cricket”—which emphasizes respect for opponents and the game’s heritage—extends to the equitable treatment of those who innovate for the sport’s benefit. 

• Against the Spirit: Critics describe the ICC’s stance as “daylight highway robbery” and compare it to historical colonial attitudes where intellectual property is robbed and taken without any form of redress or accountability. The insensitivity of Euro – centric Administrators of the ICC to this righteous claim from a man from an economically struggling (almost bankrupt) country and former colony i.e., Sri Lanka, is shocking, to say the least. Shame on them. 
• The ICC has been accused of acting like a Multinational corporation which visits Third World countries and  exploits the heritage of the poor indigenous people. 
• see  
• Authorship of Umpire Decision Review System: Sri Lankan claims recognition from ICC   
• https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/04/12/authorship-of-umpire-decision-review-system-sri-lankan-claims-recognition-from-ic
• Legal vs. Ethical: Legally, the ICC may be protected by the lack of a formal patent; however, ethically, many argue that the spirit of the game demands formal recognition of the individual who provided the solution to “umpiring howlers”. 
• The Government of India which acts like an elder brother of Sri Lanka in many difficult situations like the COVID crisis where a large sum of money was given to help salvage the country from total collapse has remained totally silent on the DRS issue. The President of ICC is Mr. Jay Shah who is the Chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC), having taken office on December 1, 2024.
• In both India and Sri Lanka Cricket is treated next to religion but why is India silent on a matter that requires fair play and equity and not legal bluff like some within the ICC are using to prevent Justice being done.
• India’s silence on who owns the intellectual property of DRS gives rise to charges of tacit acquiescence to a Daylight Robbery on the Playing Fields of Cricket. Player – Referral system ( basis of DRS) is Sri Lankan. Make no mistake. Not ICC. 
• The stocks of India and particularly that of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will rise to astronomical heights in the entire cricket world particularly in Sri Lanka if India were to help Sri Lanka gain due recognition and adequate financial compensation from the ICC for use of DRS without the consent of the inventor of the Player – Referral system in Cricket (and an increasing number of other Sports) Mr. Senaka Weeraratna.  

https://share.google/aimode/MQDf4i4KoSTdvPHrq

Source:  AI Overview ( Chat GPT) with input from Senaka Weeraratna

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See also

https://share.google/aimode/muI3FAluNAHO6RbUu

Whether the ICC and SLC acted within the “Spirit of Cricket” regarding the Decision Review System (DRS) intellectual property is contentious. While SLC formally moved to push the ICC to review claims that a Sri Lankan (Senaka Weeraratne) invented the system

 Critics argue the ICC has used bullying tactics, failing to acknowledge authorship to avoid royalty payments, and that SLC hasn’t pursued this vigorously. 

• Claims of Authorship: It is argued that the Player Referral concept was invented by a Sri Lankan in 1997, nine years before the ICC implemented the UDRS in 2006, and should be recognized as such.
• ICC Position: The ICC has stated that its committees developed the DRS concept independently and were unaware of prior publications, essentially bypassing legal doctrines of constructive notice.
• “Spirit of Cricket” Concerns: Critics argue that using a system invented by a citizen of a financially struggling nation (Sri Lanka) without proper recognition or royalties violates the “Spirit of Cricket”.
• SLC Involvement: While SLC CEO Ashley de Silva agreed to submit these claims to the ICC for study in 2020, there has been public frustration within Sri Lanka regarding the lack of, or ineffective, follow-up action to get the invention recognized. 

The situation remains a complex dispute between intellectual property claims and the ICC’s development of its own technology. 

• Is the ICC cheating Sri Lanka? – LankaWeb
• https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2024/01/12/is-the-icc-cheating-sri-lanka/
• https://share.google/aimode/y8zTQkA3M7ItYJtQj
•  

Jan 12, 2024 — Shenali Waduge Is Eershiyawa” (Jealousy) blocking Senaka Weeraratna and Sri Lanka from gaining credit for the invention of DRS? T…

• https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2022/03/23/is-eershiyawa-jealousy-blocking-senaka-weeraratna-and-sri-lanka-from-gaining-credit-for-the-invention-of-drs/

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