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blog: eesrilanka.wordpress.com

‘Before you study the economics, study the economists!’

Welcome to the 7^th Anniversary of ee

e-Con e-News 14-20 September 2025

A Goldman Sachs banker & US economic advisor to their war on Afghanistan,Kristal Daniel Katz has been made the IMF’s 1st Deputy Managing Director. Katz is presently Chief of Staff to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and claims to have also played a ‘central’ economic role in their wars on Russia & China.

     However, the USA’s latest wars are being waged though their overwhelming dominance of so-called ‘social media’, where those nations who try to maintain national sovereignty are destabilized by an amorphous mass of so-called ‘activists’:

‘Nepal’s social media ban backfires as politics moves to a chat room. The parliament of Nepal right now is Discord, a user said, of the platform popular with video gamers where 10,000s are debating the nation’s future.’– New York Times

We are ‘expected to believe a bunch of kids spontaneously organized & overthrew their country’, writes New Atlas’ Brian Bertelic (see ee Focus), ‘And now, somehow, they know how to use all of these online tools to organize a de-facto interim government.’ Bertelic goes on to detail how such media tools as VPNs, Discord and Bitchat, as well as the other more force-multiplied social media, from Facebook & X to Instagram etc, have been weaponized to overthrow elected governments. Politics, politicians & parliaments are now held captive on a US ‘Cloud’. Political parties, advanced largely through national working-class struggles, are no longer to be allowed, only ‘movements’, boosted by anti-socialist media algorithms (which also enable a profit incentive) promoting conflict or passivity, as needed, depending on their political and economic policies.

     If such machineries were truly democratic, how come such vicious imperialists & their killer poodles, from the USA to England & the EU, from Ukraine to Israel, still rule? Is it a matter of time before they taste their own medicine? Or is it that multinational corporations (MNCs), like Unilever, etc., most, larger than most countries, have now come to more openly rule our nation-states? Nepal links India and China. Bertelic goes on to point out how the USA is targeting those countries that seek to break out of the siege that imperialism has imposed on their lands – and especially if they do so, allied with China and Russia. Are Sri Lanka and other countries being set up to go the way of Libya? And is this why the USA virulently opposes any controls over their digital media?

• Trump or no Trump, Katz or Dogz, Discord or Bitchat, US foreign policy has however always been formulated by the Rockefeller dynasty’s Exxon Corporation, the USA’s leading industrial complex. So, it is no surprise that the IMF demands that Sri Lanka re-privatize the energy sector (petroleum & electricity) before they drop by again in November – promising to release a few dollars more, while stealing suntans during what is late autumn in Washington. However, there is no indication that their loans are anything but sharks’ teeth gnawing deeper into our flesh.

     A delegation from the IMF’s twin, the World Bank (WB), also dropped in last week ‘prioritizing’ the ‘mobilization of private capital’ to attract ‘foreign direct investment to expand services and create jobs’.  Services indeed. The private sector has no interest in developing the country’s resources, which they monopolize (see ee Economists, Bond Standoff: Banks swim in cash but shun government debt, also see ee Quotes, Mannar).

     As Shiran Illanperuma observes, the latest WB report on Sri Lanka, inadvertently reveals ‘a treasure trove of data that serves as a damning indictment of how austerity has suppressed investment, undermined growth, & deepened social distress in the country.’ Meanwhile, ‘the words manufacturing or industrialisation hardly appear in the report’. (see ee Focus)

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• Tearing off their mask of liberality, renaming their Department of Defense as their Department of War, the US nonetheless still claims leadership in democracy & civilization. England & the European Union (EU) & Japan, openly reduced to colonies, are waging horrific proxy wars on the world, also demanding we conform to their versions of honest & good governance, human rights, labour, & environmental standards. How ecological is war? The USA still funds the National Peace Council (NPC) in Sri Lanka, which this week proclaimed, ‘3 different international monitoring bodies have chosen to give the government good reports’ (see ee Quotes). Yes, massa! Other ‘monitoring bodies’, such as the ratings agencies Fitch and S&P, and UN agencies (with no authorization by the UN General Assembly or Security Council), are also handing out report cards, mainly to control Sri Lanka’s ability to industrially advance.

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• Welcome to our 7^th anniversary – ee began on 21 September 2018, a few months after the political economist SBD de Silva – to whose exemplary scholarship & practice this archive is dedicated – made the transition to a magical dust in June of that year, as his energy still enervates those who know his prognoses are most pertinent and vital if Sri Lanka is to survive and thrive.

     In an age of laser & drone, where we lack the precision tools and macro & micro statistics to analyze and truly change our own society, we vitally need to deploy SBD de Silva’s forensic methods of traversing the world, back & forth through history – where past & present meet to fashion the future. We hope we have done our nano part in foregrounding the country’s vital need for modern industrialization, even if a still colonial media and education system constantly seeks to divert and confuse such issues.

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One media diversion is to highlight such performing monkeys as Sashi Tharoor, who eloquently educates Oxford and the BBC on how much the English stole (‘drained’ from India) and may even speak of their destruction of industry – by cutting the thumbs of Indian weavers, destroying their tools, etc. Learning from SBD, we realize that Tharoor is an exponent of a 100-year-old ‘drain theory’, first ‘vigorously expounded’ by the even more fastidious Romesh Dutt, and later popularized by the ‘Dependency School’ in the 1970s by such ‘eminent’ theorists as Andre Gunder Frank, etc.

     Tharoor, however, steadfastly refuses to discuss the ongoing prevention of ‘modernity’– the making of machines that make machines, which Marx alone labels modern industrial capitalism, which media-amplified and domesticated Marxists and their parties apparently know nothing of – modern machine industry, which alone can enable & sustain any liberation we seek…

     SBD de Silva described how merchants & moneylenders & other backward elements promoted by imperialism prevent the development of a class dedicated to capital accumulation, let alone advance an artisanal and proletarian class. For, even when that ‘drained’, stolen surplus is kept here, our so-called capitalists and so-called bourgeois, would never invest in such modern production, as they waste it in rentier speculation (making money from money) and luxury consumption…

     Tharoor can never point to the English promotion of backward classes in our societies, let alone the English (& now US) promotion of so-called aragalists & Gen-Zs, lumpens, anarchists, nihilists & fascists, who also claim to want to change society (by the way, it turns out that only the Monarchist Party headquarters were not torched in Nepal! And only those Indian and Nepali businesses linked to China were attacked?) Tharoor, of course, would never claim to be a Marxist, and would definitely never invoke a Lenin, Stalin, Mao or a Kim or an Amilcar Cabral, who alone were and are the greatest 20^thC practitioners of Marxism made flesh…

     Hence the English are quite happy to have Tharoor entertain them with how ‘baaaad’ they were, and show how ‘big’ & ‘wide’ & ‘liberal’ the English still are, to allow such napuns criticism within their hallowed ivory towers and BBC broadcasts.

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This ee Focus begins reproducing Chapter 2 of SBD de Silva’s 1982 classic The Political Economy of Underdevelopment (PEU). Here is presented SBD’s weltanschauung – worldview – dividing the planet into 3 great encaged worlds – the Non-Settler Colonies such as Sri Lanka, the genocidal dominions of ‘new settlement’ such as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc, and the Settler-Colonies, such as South Africa, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Algeria etc, where the whites have still been unable to totally eliminate the original peoples. Here he describes the nature of the different roles Europeans played in these societies. SB also details the type of Englishmen who came to dominate Sri Lanka, unlike the Englishmen in their other settler dominions. SBD’s dedicated scholarship is such,  that he is also not afraid to list the exceptions to his thesis – countries where there were a large number of settlers such as the Congo, Indonesia, IndoChina, and did not fully industrialize, and thus occupy ‘border positions’ in his analysis. He then concludes that the ‘economic structures that emerged in the underdeveloped countries seem to be connected with the type of colony, which they represented.’

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• Also, in this ee Focus, Vinod Moonesinghe most succinctly recalls the pivotal role played by the much-maligned Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) in shaping a more resilient Sri Lanka. Dharmapala is remembered as ‘a colossus of cultural & religious revival’, yet his equally profound ‘contributions to industrial training & economic upliftment are often overshadowed’. Dharmapala is often vilified by the so-called Left & Right, as a member of that demonic pantheon (pandemonium!) which includes the elder Bandaranaikes & Rajapakses, favourite villains of anglomaniacal Colombots.

     Anagarika Dharmapala (whose 161^st birth anniversary was on Sept 17) and DJ Wimalasurendra stand tall as pioneers of early attempts at industrialization in Sri Lanka. While Wimalasurendra’s efforts to enable energy security were actively sabotaged by the colonial English government (the Institute for Engineers recently claimed the English were just pathetic & indifferent to Wimalasurendra’s plans, which is simply not true – companies such as Shell and British Petroleum, Boustead Bros and Whitehall Petroleum (now Pearson PLC, monopolizing textbooks and examinations and helping to privatize education in Sri Lanka) actively colluded with MPs – later inducted as ‘knights’ –  to undermine his vision), Moonesinghe generously does not mention the insidious role played by the later so-called ‘fathers’ of independence, such as the Senanayakes and the Wijewardenes, about the English killing his brother Edmund in a Jaffna prison, and driving the Anagarika out of the country, so as to assure the continued dominance of merchants & moneylenders serving imperialism. They also promoted rumours still extant to this day about Dharmapala’s so-called chauvinism and his private life.

     Dharmapala, unlike Mahatma Gandhi who wished to go back to the spinning wheel, was a modernist. Moonesinghe mentions positively that the Anagarika met the controversial African-American Booker T Washington in the USA, and their consonance on the ‘dignity of labor’. Yet he cannot tell us who & how it was that such a meeting was arranged. Dharmapala was also taken, on that trip to the USA, to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. Carlisle was where the kidnapped children – of Native American leaders, who had fought the white settlers throughout the 19^th century’s ‘Indian wars’ (more correctly, ‘White Settler Wars’) – were forcibly boarded (incarcerated), after their long hair was cut, while being banned from speaking their own languages. The grounds of those residential schools are perennially giving up the bones of those children tortured and killed, unbeknownst to the UNHRC, apparently. It is also curious how AD was impressed by ‘Booker T’…

     One wonders if his itinerary was arranged by US Colonel Henry Steel Olcott. Olcott had headed the investigation into the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln, and perhaps helped cover it up, for he seems to have headed East thereafter, dabbling in that theosophical mysticism, ‘stoned to the eyeballs with orientalism’, that AD later rejected… (By the way, speaking of mystery rather than mysticism, Mrs Lincoln was wearing a necklace with jewelry smuggled from Sri Lanka on the night her husband was shot…) Booker TW maintained that whites would never grant the formerly enslaved Blacks, political equality – they were then facing full-scale terrorism – mass lynching, etc. – by former Southern slave owners, who had allied with the northern industrialists in the Ku Klux Klan, etc., after the period known as ‘Reconstruction’, where Black people had taken over parts of the South, was dismantled.

     Booker TW stated Blacks should not demand the vote, but strive to be ‘separate but equal’, accepting their inferior status – enduring separate but substandard accommodations and schools – learning basic industrial skills (handicrafts, etc) that would not challenge more advanced industrial skills that whites monopolized. Immigrant white settlers were provided land and trained in agricultural and industrial colleges. Booker TW’s school Tuskegee was financed mainly by a Jewish merchant Julius Rosenwald, who owned the Sears, Roebuck department store chain, and wanted Blacks to work in his shops as manual labor, and buy his goods, handing over their home market, which they perhaps originally supplied themselves.

     Tuskegee was also the place that conducted secret experiments infecting Black people with syphilis. These types of industrial  schools recall that Thurston College was also originally called the Colombo Industrial School (?) and was meant for the children of the servants, whose masters’ sons went to Royal College next door (just like St Mary’s Kollupitiya was for the servants’ children whose masters’ daughters went to Bishops?). We also wonder exactly what type of industrialization Dharmapala was allowed to learn from Japan? Industrial countries are well known for protecting their processes and hiding their secrets. One wonders how the German Technical Training School in Moratuwa, linked to the writer and his father, compares to German counterparts like say Siemens-&-BASF-linked universities. And why are Germans so proud to promote SMEs and not real heavy industry in Sri Lanka? Were the local trainees taught to make the machines that make machines, which is what real capitalism is about? Assembling engines is not that advanced, if the raw materials, the iron and the steel, the screws and lathes and other parts are not produced in Sri Lanka? And, as SB insisted, one thing (product) must lead to another (product), upstream and downstream, to transform the economy.

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• Enter the MCC – The very first issue of ee was on 21 September 2018, just before a so-called ‘constitutional crisis’, engendered by the then-President Maithripala Sirisena sacking his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Entitled Enter the MCC, the first ee noted how a delegation from the US Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation had visited Sri Lanka and met senior government officials, including PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera, State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne, and Foreign Secretary Prasad Kariyawasam. Then too they claimed to be worried about the ‘constraints… holding back private investment and growth’, and wished to invest in ‘the transport and land sectors’. They promised to ‘improve road networks and the bus system’ in Colombo, improve ‘road connectivity between the central region and ports and markets in the Western Province’. They would also ‘improve land administration, and strengthen land rights and tenure security’. Here then is an additional reason perhaps for the continued mayhem & murder enabled on Sri Lanka’s roads – to usher in the USA’s millennial manoeuvres?

     That same week in 2018, the Central Bank directed the commercial banks ‘to impose a 100% margin deposit requirement against letters of credit (LCs) for the importation of motor vehicles with immediate effect’. Such imports threatened ‘macroeconomic stability’, the Central Bank said. ‘Recent global financial market volatility [had caused] ‘generalised pressure on currencies of emerging market economies. Continued excessive motor vehicle imports, partly driven by unwarranted speculation on future exchange rate movements, interest rates movements and budgetary measures…’

     That same first ee headlined how the then-Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera warned ‘of further depreciation of rupee… New cash margin requirement for LCs would reduce the import of vehicles at this juncture. India has imposed regulations on non-essential luxury items as well.’ Well, well, well, the more things ‘change’ under merchant rule, the more they remain the same…

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Corruption, favoritism & blackmail were charged

against all the other departments controlled by Tammany,

though in the Police & Excise departments,

Republican & Tammany commissioners alike

were shown to have winked at the abuses.

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This ee Focus also continues looking at the inner nature of the USA on its late-19^th century march to birthing modern imperialism, through the political machinery of its foremost municipality, the great metropolis of New York. This excerpt of Gustavus Myers’ History of Tammany Hall, whose society was a murderous charade parading as a charity, records its transition from  one dictatorship to another: The Dictatorship of Richard Croker, 1886-97.

     Here we witness the early urban cradles of such US Presidents as Grover Cleveland (who applied the Monroe Doctrine, that they owned the Americas, to challenge England’s meddling in Venezuela – the US is now bombing Venezuela’s ships, threatening to invade it again) and Theodore Roosevelt, who participated in the invasion of Cuba. We met Croker in the last ee, where he was caught (and freed) buying politicians in order to appoint a Public Works Commissioner, to get 10 cents off every barrel on all cement used by that department. Here we see the rise of Croker, a former blacksmith, and machinist, who is recruited to work in the supreme court, even as he is accused of murder. Myers records the capitalist corruption of police, judges and unions, including the Knights of Labor, which ‘had reached the highest point in organization’. As one set of crooks is replaced by another, we see the use of ‘reform movements’, ‘commissions’ & ‘committees’ that selectively expose so-called corruption (capitalism by another name), and bring out ‘much valuable information’, though in truth, ‘constitute no bar to political advancement’…

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Contents:

Aragalaya & Algorithms: How the US Skyjacks Politics & Parliament

Shenali D Waduge

Buddhism entered the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent (today’s Pakistan) around the 3rd century BCE through Emperor Ashoka’s patronage after the Kalinga War with Gandhara (present-day Peshawar Valley and Taxila region) and Sindhu (Sindh) becoming major centers of Buddhist culture that prevailed for over 1200 years running parallel to Afghanistan’s Buddhist era.

Ancient Buddhist Territories

Before Pakistan existed as a nation, the lands were known by historical names:

• Arachosia, Gandhāra, Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan.

These regions were flourishing Buddhist centers, monasteries, and universities, attracting scholars, pilgrims, and traders from across Asia. Gandhāra was particularly renowned for its unique fusion of Greek, Persian, and Indian artistic styles, producing the world-famous Gandhāra art.

Buddhism in Pakistan

• Buddhism entered the region through Ashoka’s missionary efforts in the 3rd century BCE, later reaching its peak under the Kushan rulers (1st–3rd centuries CE), especially Emperor Kanishka, who actively patronized monasteries and convened major Buddhist councils.
• Although earlier Achaemenid and Hellenistic influences shaped the cultural backdrop, it was Ashoka who firmly established monasteries, stupas, and centers of learning across Gandhāra, Punjab, and Sindh, transforming the area into one of Buddhism’s most vibrant frontiers.
• Over time, Buddhism absorbed both Hellenistic and local traditions and spread along extensive trade routes, making the lands of present-day Pakistan a flourishing hub of Buddhist civilization for more than a millennium before the Islamic conquests.
• Vajrayāna Buddhismdeveloped in Uḍḍiyāna (Swat Valley).- Padmasambhava, later known as Guru Rinpoche, who carried Vajrayāna Buddhism into Tibet in the 8th century, is believed to have drawn inspiration from Buddhist centers in Uddiyana (present-day Swat Valley in Pakistan). His legacy ties Pakistan’s northwest directly to the spread of tantric Buddhism across the Himalayas.
• Major monasteries included Taxila, Takht-i-Bahi, Swat Valley complexes, and hundreds across Punjab and Balochistan.

Archaeologist F.B. Flood notes:

Temple after temple was broken down by the foreign conqueror… the material evidence of Gandhāra art was systematically erased.”

Flourishing of the Gandhara School

The Gandhara region developed a unique Greco-Buddhist art style, blending Hellenistic naturalism with Buddhist symbolism. Taxila became a renowned university city attracting monks and scholars.

Monastic Presence

Archaeological surveys indicate hundreds of monasteries once existed:

• In Gandhara and the Swat Valley, estimates range between500–1,000 monasteries during the Kushan and Gupta periods.
• Punjab and Sindh also hosted large viharas and stupas, though less numerous than Gandhara.
• Baluchistan contained important cave monasteries linked to Silk Road trade routes.

The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (7th century CE) recorded over 1,000 monasteries in Gandhara alone, with tens of thousands of monks.

 

Islamic Conquest and Iconoclasm

Buddhism in this region lasted nearly 1,500 years (3rd century BCE – 12th century CE).

Its decline began with Huna invasions in the 5th century, but the decisive collapse occurred with the Arab conquest of Sindh in 711 CE under Muhammad bin Qasim, and later with Ghaznavid and Ghurid invasions. By the 12th century, Islamization had erased most living Buddhist institutions.

From the 7th–12th centuries CE, successive Arab, Turkic, and Persian Muslim conquerors entered these regions. Islamization resulted in:

• Destruction of monasteries and stupas.
• Iconoclasm targeting Buddha statues, reliefs, and inscriptions.
• Re-purposing of Buddhist sites into mosques or fortresses.

Unlike Afghanistan, where the Taliban dynamited the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001, Pakistan’s state today preserves Buddhist sites such as Taxila and Mohra Moradu, partly for international tourism and revenue. Yet, local neglect, looting, and Islamist hostility continue to endanger these remnants.

Scholars consistently link the destruction of Buddhist monuments to Islamic iconoclasm, rooted in the belief that images of worship are un-Islamic. Historian Richard Eaton notes that Muslim invaders often targeted temples and stupas not just for wealth, but also as religious duty. Archaeologist Ihsan Ali similarly observes that the Gandharan Buddhist heritage suffered systematic destruction under successive Islamic dynasties, though fragments survived in remote valleys.”

Population Then and Now

At its height (1st–7th centuries CE), present-day Pakistan’s lands may have been home to millions of Buddhists, with Xuanzang recording over 1,000 monasteries and tens of thousands of monks in Gandhāra alone.

Lay followers spread across Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Swat, making Buddhism a living faith for entire populations.

Today, by stark contrast, Pakistan has fewer than 40,000 Buddhists, mostly in Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan.

While official Pakistani records list fewer than 2,000 Buddhists (2017), independent community estimates place the number between 20,000–40,000, concentrated in Sindh and southern Punjab. Regardless of the exact figure, Buddhism is today only a faint shadow of the flourishing tradition that once dominated the region for over 1,200 years.

Note: minorities in Pakistan (including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists) do not appear in official counts because they lack national ID cards, fear discrimination & may register as Hindu” or Other” resulting in lumping all together.

A civilization that once flourished for more than a millennium has been reduced to a near-vanished minority — a striking reminder of the irreversible cultural and demographic impact of conquest and religious transformation.

Duration of Buddhism in Present-Day Pakistan

• Flourished roughly from 3rd century BCE to 10th–12th century CE.
• Ran parallel with Afghan Buddhist civilization.
• Survived 12–15 centuries before largely disappearing due to Islamic conquest and iconoclasm.

Contrasts with Afghanistan

The Islamization of Gandhara and Punjab unfolded parallel to that of Afghanistan. Both regions lost Buddhism by the 12th century, but while Afghanistan erased its Buddhist memory almost completely, Pakistan retains scattered monuments. This difference lies less in tolerance and more in modern state policy: Pakistan recognizes Buddhist heritage as an economic and diplomatic asset.

• Afghan Buddhists saw systematic destruction without state protection, leading to near-total erasure of heritage.
• Pakistan, in contrast, has retained and restored certain sites, acknowledging their historical and economic value.
• This illustrates that Muslim-majority nations differ in their approach to pre-Islamic heritage: iconoclasm rooted in religious doctrine versus pragmatic preservation of culture.

What Remains

While Buddhism no longer flourishes, Pakistan’s archaeological sites, stupas, and Gandhāra art remain globally recognized. Preservation efforts, however, face challenges: urbanization, neglect, and political shifts.

Lessons for Today

• Islamic iconoclasmwas historically motivated by doctrinal beliefs — destruction of non-Islamic imagery was part of conquering and consolidating rule.
• Preservation requires foresight, not mere tolerance: Pakistan demonstrates how heritage can coexist with a majority religion while retaining cultural identity. This is a crucial and important factor that has to be applauded & appreciated.

The Buddhist heritage of Pakistan demonstrates both the vulnerability of civilizations to religious conquest and the enduring power of cultural memory when safeguarded. It is a warning and a lesson for remaining Buddhist nations: heritage must not only be celebrated, but actively protected – the significance of Sri Lanka’s Article 9 and Article 16 is re-emphasized in this regard.

Shenali D Waduge

By Sanjeewa Jayaweera, Courtesy The Island

The eagerly awaited Performance Report of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) for 2024 has recently been published. It offers some context regarding the IRD’s tax collections. There is room for wider disclosure that would improve transparency. The timeliness of the report’s release could also be considerably enhanced. After all, most large corporations listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange publish their Annual Reports within two months of the financial year’s end.

Sri Lanka’s fiscal challenges remain pressing, despite the strong headline growth in Inland Revenue Department (IRD) collections for 2024. The performance report shows an impressive 44% increase in collections, reaching Rs. 2.6 trillion compared to Rs. 1.8 trillion in 2023.

However, this growth has been heavily skewed towards indirect taxes, particularly Value Added Tax (VAT), whose collections increased by nearly 89%. The structural imbalance between direct and indirect taxes has widened once again, with the ratio shifting from 50:50 in 2023 to 40:60 in 2024.

While VAT reforms, including higher rates and lower registration thresholds, have expanded collections, income tax performance remains weak. The Rs. 1 trillion collected from income taxes conceals significant inequities: fewer than 1 million individuals out of a workforce of over 8 million are within the tax net, and a very small segment of high-income earners shoulder a disproportionate share of the personal income tax burden. This situation is both socially and economically unsustainable.

Recent reports, including the World Bank’s Public Finance Review and commentary from international experts such as Professor Mick Moore, highlight systemic weaknesses in Sri Lanka’s tax administration. Outdated methods, inadequate human resource planning, and governance failures at the IRD undermine enforcement and modernization. Structural reforms, particularly digitization, improved compliance enforcement, and the recruitment of skilled professionals, are essential to move away from reliance on regressive indirect taxation.

Revenue Performance: Headline Gains but Fragile Foundations

The IRD’s collection of Rs. 2.6 trillion in 2024 is unprecedented in nominal terms. VAT alone contributed an additional Rs. 615 billion, nearly doubling year-on-year. This sharp increase is attributable to two main factors: the rate hike, which saw VAT increase to 18% from 15%. – Wider base: The registration threshold was reduced from Rs. 80 million to Rs. 60 million annually, pushing the number of VAT-registered establishments to 21,227—a 53% increase.

However, reliance on VAT has shifted the tax mix towards indirect taxes. The direct-to-indirect ratio dropped back to 40:60, weakening equity. Indirect taxes, by their nature, impact lower-income households more heavily, increasing inequality.

In contrast, income tax collections reached Rs. 1 trillion in 2024—a modest 13% increase from the previous year. Given the urgent need to expand the tax base, this figure highlights the limited success of enforcement and compliance efforts.

Who Pays Income Tax?

Income tax collections reveal the narrowness and inequities of Sri Lanka’s direct tax base:

– Corporate income tax, Rs. 582 billion, from 100,049 companies. The collection represents an increase of 5% over 2023.

– Personal and partnership income tax: Rs. 442 billion from 976,498 individuals and 16,227 partnerships. The collection represents an increase of 26% over 2023.

In the year 456,035 new taxpayers were added to the tax base (mostly individuals). However, the report fails to disclose how much additional revenue these new taxpayers contributed. Such disclosure would improve transparency and might also help dispel the feeling that the IRD is squeezing the same lemon!

Similarly, revealing how many of the registered companies actually pay income tax would promote greater transparency.

The Rs. 442 billion collected as personal income tax has been broken down as follows:

Advance Personal Income Tax (APIT) – private sector employees: Rs. 198 billion.

Advance Income Tax on bank interest payments: Rs. 66 billion.

Advance Income Tax from specified fees and others: Rs. 98 billion.

The APIT collection from private sector employees increased by Rs. 53 billion in 2023, representing a 36% rise. There is a shortfall of Rs. 81 billion in Non-Corporate Income Tax that I could not find in the report.

Private Sector Advance Personal Income Tax Data

A new table in the performance report sheds light on who pays income tax through Advance Personal Income Tax (APIT):

This table highlights three key issues: – Even in the formal private sector, 77% of employees pay no income tax as their earnings fall below the income tax-free threshold. – A very small group (61,293 individuals) accounts for over three-quarters of APIT paid.

With the 2025 increase in the tax-free threshold to Rs. 1.8 million, around 275,000 employees will exit the tax net, further narrowing the base.

Tax Return Compliance

It is compulsory for those liable to income tax to submit a tax return by 30th November following the end of the tax year, detailing their income for the year, as well as assets owned, and liabilities owed. According to the IRD, very few companies and individuals submit their returns on time.

Only the large Corporate Taxpayers, numbering 621, achieved a 93% compliance rate. Of the remaining 91,183 companies, only 26,241 submitted their returns on time, which corresponds to a compliance rate of 29%.

The compliance rate among individual taxpayers is also very poor, with only 110,240 out of 792,530 submitting their returns on time, resulting in a compliance rate of just 24%.

Failing to submit tax returns on time does not necessarily mean taxpayers are evading taxes, but assuming so is reasonable.

World Bank’s Public Finance Review 2025

The World Bank’s Report Towards a Balanced Fiscal Adjustment highlights the fragility of Sri Lanka’s revenue model: – 75% of revenue gains since 2022 came from indirect taxes (VAT, SSCL, excise duties). – Regressive impact: VAT consumes 5.3% of pre-fiscal income for the poorest decile, compared to 3.3% for the richest. – Poverty impact: The 2024 VAT hike alone increased poverty by 2.2 percentage points. – Sustainability concerns: Reliance on indirect taxation is not only socially unjust but also economically unsustainable.

The report calls for digitization and comprehensive reform of the IRD, emphasizing the need for better sequencing, resourcing, and HR capability development. It also warns against the easy option” of squeezing a narrow taxpayer base, urging policymakers to prioritize compliance enforcement and structural reforms.

Professor Moore’s Perspective: 20 Years Behind many African Countries

Professor Mick Moore, a leading political economist on taxation, argues that Sri Lanka’s IRD is as outdated as its Customs Department—lagging 20 years behind even many African peers. He highlights systemic failures: – Low compliance: e.g., only 20,000 of 110,000 businesses in Colombo pay local property tax. – Outdated practices: reliance on manual processes and weak data integration. – Poor HR systems: lack of skilled recruits, minimal training, and outdated promotion practices.

Moore stresses that enforcement should target large businesses and high-value taxpayers, rather than informal operators. He says that without skilled staff, modern audits, and investment in IT/data analytics, Sri Lanka cannot close its revenue gap.

Human Resource and Institutional Challenges

The IRD’s own performance report presents a grim view of institutional capacity: – Approved cadre: 1,639 officers. – Vacancies: 227 (14%). – Ageing workforce: 33% of staff are aged 51–60, with most serving over 15 years. – Promotion bottlenecks: Dozens of senior positions remain in acting” status due to Public Service Commission delays, causing staff dissatisfaction and demotivation.

Compounding the problem, earlier officer-level recruitment was halted by trade union pressure, resulting in the discontinuation of the Tax Officer and Assessor posts. New recruits are now directly appointed as Assistant or Deputy Commissioners, roles that were previously reserved for experienced officers. This undermines institutional knowledge and succession planning. I understand that between 2007 and 2017, there was no recruitment to the officer cadre.

The lack of skilled professionals in IT, data science, and financial analysis has left the IRD unprepared for digitisation and modern enforcement.

Policy Implications and Reform Agenda

Sri Lanka cannot rely solely on rate hikes and regressive indirect taxes to fund its budget. The IRD’s weaknesses demand urgent reform. Some of the key initiatives identified by agencies and experts include:

· Digitisation and Data Integration

· Build a modern, unified tax administration platform integrating VAT, income, excise, and customs data.

· Use third-party data (banks, utilities, property registries, travel agents) to cross-check declarations and expand the net.

· Broadening the Tax Base

· Enforce compliance among high-income professionals and self-employed groups who are currently under-reporting.

· Strengthen property taxation, aligning municipal and IRD databases.

· Human Resource Overhaul

· Recruit IT specialists, data analysts, and forensic accountants.

· Reform promotions to be performance-based rather than seniority-based.

· Resolve acting appointments to restore morale and accountability.

· Targeted Enforcement

· Prioritize audits on large businesses, high-net-worth individuals, and multinational corporations.

· Avoid excessive focus on small informal operators, who contribute little revenue but face disproportionate harassment.

· Institutional Independence and Governance

· Strengthen the autonomy of the IRD to shield it from political interference.

· Ensure stable leadership and merit-based recruitment.

Conclusion

The 2024 IRD performance report highlights both achievements and vulnerabilities. The revenue increase of Rs. 800 billion over 2023 is genuine but relies heavily on regressive VAT hikes, rather than on structural reforms or a broader tax base. Income tax remains underdeveloped, with fewer than 12% of the workforce contributing directly. The result is a narrow and inequitable system that discourages compliance, undermines social fairness, and hampers long-term growth.

The World Bank and experts like Professor Moore deliver a clear warning: Sri Lanka’s tax administration is outdated, under-skilled, and politically ignored. Without urgent reforms—such as digitization, enforcement of compliance, HR renewal, and governance restructuring—the state will keep squeezing a small pool of taxpayers while leaving most outside the net.

Previous governments’ failure to strengthen the IRD has cost the country dearly in lost revenue and fiscal instability. The task now is to develop and implement reforms that are both technically sound and politically viable. A better tax system is crucial for building public trust, reducing inequality, and boosting Sri Lanka’s economy.

By Sanjeewa Jayaweera 

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke, & Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge

The prolonged armed conflict in Sri Lanka, which lasted three decades, has left a devastating legacy of landmines that have caused severe physical injuries among combatants, Tamil Tigers, aka LTTE guerrillas, and civilians. The occurrence of landmine injuries during the Sri Lankan conflict was alarmingly high. As the conflict escalated, the use of landmines became a common tactic, leading to widespread contamination of large areas of land. This caused numerous casualties, with many individuals suffering from serious injuries that often resulted in permanent disabilities.

Sri Lankan soldiers engaged in the military conflict frequently fell victim to landmines strategically placed by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) guerrillas, resulting in numerous fatalities and leaving many survivors with life-altering disabilities. The Sri Lankan military employed landmines as a strategic measure to secure the boundaries of their encampments, creating a formidable barrier against potential incursions. These explosive devices became a lethal threat to members of the LTTE. In the height of the battle, both parties extensively employed both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines as part of their defensive strategies during the prolonged conflict in the region

The impact of landmines extended beyond the battlefield, as a large number of civilians encountered these hidden dangers while pursuing agricultural activities in post-war landscapes still littered with explosives. The repercussions for those injured by landmines are profound, encompassing not only physical ailments but also deep psychological scars. Many victims endure chronic pain and mobility issues, compounded by mental health challenges stemming from their traumatic experiences. Consequently, these individuals require extensive long-term medical care and rehabilitation to address both their physical and psychological needs.

Types of Landmines used in the Sri Lankan Conflict

According to Mannion and Chaloner (2006), antipersonnel landmines can be categorized into two primary types. The first type, known as blast mines, is typically concealed underground and is activated by the pressure exerted by a person’s foot. The injuries resulting from these mines stem not only from the explosive force but also from the intense thermal effects produced during detonation. The second type is fragmentation mines that are typically positioned above ground and are triggered by trip wires or various sensors. Their explosive charge is engineered to disperse hundreds of small, lethal fragments across a designated target area.

The Sri Lankan Security Forces employed a variety of explosive devices during their operations, including Claymore mines, anti-vehicle mines, and anti-personnel mines. Among the anti-personnel mines utilized were the Chinese Type 72, the Italian VS50, and the Pakistani PV4, each designed to inflict significant harm on enemy personnel.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) employed a variety of explosive devices in their operations, including Claymore mines, which are directional anti-personnel explosives designed to inflict maximum damage on targets within a specific range. Additionally, they utilized anti-vehicle mines, which are specifically engineered to disable or destroy vehicles, thereby hindering enemy mobility and logistics. The LTTE also made use of anti-personnel Jony mines, known for their capacity to target individuals, causing injury or death to soldiers and civilians alike.

Pattern of Injuries following Landmine Explosions

Landmine blasts cause severe somatic injuries from blasts and fragments. The legs are especially at risk due to their closeness to the ground, experiencing significant soft-tissue damage and other limb injuries.  Bone fractures are a frequent occurrence, and when they happen, debris can often get lodged in the wound. This contamination can result in serious infections and additional damage to surrounding tissue.

Victims frequently experience “blast lung,” a condition marked by frothy secretions, hypoxia, and significant respiratory distress, necessitating mechanical ventilation for survival. In cases of penetrating abdominal injuries, emergency laparotomy is essential, while chest injuries typically require the insertion of chest drains, with thoracotomy being a rare intervention.

Additionally, those exposed to detonations at close range commonly suffer from hearing loss and ocular trauma. Secondary blast injuries arise when fragments from the explosive device embed themselves in the body or penetrate various tissues. At close range, these fragments act like high-velocity projectiles, creating cavitation effects and leading to contaminated wounds.

The shock wave generated by these fragments can inflict damage on organs and tissues located far from the initial point of penetration. Such injuries demand careful surgical debridement, delayed wound closure, and staged operations to mitigate the risk of infection and facilitate gradual healing. Furthermore, the blast wind effect, resulting from the intense shockwave, can propel victims into nearby objects, resulting in multiple fractures and blunt trauma to the head, chest, and abdomen. Claymore mines, known for their wide dispersal of high-velocity fragments, often cause injuries to the face, chest, and limbs, which typically require numerous reconstructive surgeries and extended hospital stays for recovery.

Anti-personnel mines are specifically engineered to inflict injury rather than to cause death, with the primary objective of incapacitating individuals. The most prevalent type of injury occurs when a person inadvertently steps on one of these devices, leading to a staggering 80% of cases resulting in below-knee amputations.

In addition to this, many victims experience a range of other traumatic injuries, including severe lacerations and shrapnel wounds from explosive fragments. Survivors often endure debilitating eye injuries, loss of upper limbs, and, in some tragic instances, life-threatening injuries to vital areas such as the chest and abdomen. The long-term consequences of these injuries extend beyond physical impairments, profoundly affecting the psychological well-being and quality of life of those affected.

A State of Shock Following a Landmine Injury

A A landmine injury can trigger a state of shock that poses an immediate and life-threatening risk to the individual. This shock is characterized by significant blood loss or extensive tissue damage, resulting in critical symptoms such as hypotension, tachycardia, cold and clammy skin, and changes in mental status. The unique nature of landmine explosions contributes to this condition, as victims may suffer from traumatic amputations, severe lacerations caused by flying debris, and various internal injuries. Effective management of this shock is crucial and involves several key interventions: controlling any active bleeding, ensuring the airway remains clear, and maintaining adequate circulation. Prompt and appropriate medical care is essential to mitigate the risk of catastrophic organ failure, which can occur if the shock is not addressed swiftly and effectively.

Emergency Care in Field Settings

In resource-limited settings, the management of injuries presents significant challenges, particularly in field conditions and smaller hospitals. Casualties often arrive unexpectedly, frequently without having received any initial first aid at the scene of the incident. The transportation of these individuals is fraught with difficulties, as the process is typically slow and hazardous; field ambulances were seldom utilized, leading to the use of army jeeps or trucks that must navigate treacherous terrain. While helicopters are occasionally deployed for urgent cases, their availability is limited. Once at the hospital, the situation does not improve, as facilities are often equipped with minimal surgical capabilities and a shortage of medical personnel. Compounding these issues are inadequate blood supplies and insufficient anesthetic support, which further complicate the treatment of injured patients and highlight the critical need for improved resources and infrastructure in such environments.

In the event of mine-related injuries, it is crucial to take immediate and decisive actions to mitigate the consequences of such traumatic incidents. The priority is to control any severe bleeding, which can be life-threatening if not addressed promptly. This involves applying direct pressure to the wound and, if necessary, utilizing tourniquets to stem the flow of blood. Following this, it is essential to protect the wound from further contamination and injury, which can exacerbate the damage and increase the risk of infection. Additionally, treating for shock is vital, as victims may experience a rapid decline in their physiological state due to blood loss and trauma. This can include keeping the individual calm, lying down, and elevating their legs if there are no contraindications. Finally, initiating a swift evacuation to a medical facility is imperative, as mine injuries frequently lead to traumatic amputations and extensive tissue damage that require specialized medical intervention. The combination of these actions can significantly improve the chances of survival and recovery for those affected by such devastating injuries.

Definitive Care and the Multidisciplinary Approach

In cases where patients required advanced reconstructive surgeries, they were often transferred to larger tertiary care facilities, frequently accompanied by military escorts to guarantee their safety during transit. At these specialized hospitals, a multidisciplinary approach was employed to deliver holistic care tailored to the complex needs of these individuals. Orthopaedic surgeons took charge of stabilizing fractures through precise fixation techniques, while plastic surgeons focused on intricate soft tissue reconstruction to ensure optimal healing and aesthetic outcomes. Concurrently, physiotherapists initiated early mobilization strategies to mitigate the risks associated with prolonged immobility, thereby enhancing recovery prospects. Additionally, prosthetic technicians played a crucial role by facilitating the timely fitting of artificial limbs, ensuring that patients could regain mobility as swiftly as possible. Recognizing the significant psychological toll of such traumatic injuries, psychiatrists and counselors were also integral to the care team, providing essential support to help patients navigate the emotional challenges they faced during their recovery journey.

The Psychological Impact

The psychological consequences of landmine injuries are profound and multifaceted, often manifesting as elevated levels of anxiety, depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Survivors frequently face social stigmatization, which can exacerbate feelings of isolation and despair, alongside challenges such as unemployment and a diminished sense of independence. These factors contribute to a cycle of emotional distress that significantly undermines their overall quality of life. The journey toward psychological recovery is influenced by several critical elements, including the individual’s inherent resilience, the presence of a robust support network, and access to comprehensive medical and psychological care. Additionally, the attitudes of society play a pivotal role; supportive and understanding communities can foster healing and reintegration, while negative perceptions can hinder recovery efforts and perpetuate suffering.

Psychological Care for the Victims

Psychological care for individuals affected by landmines encompasses a diverse array of therapeutic techniques, ranging from conventional methods such as psychotherapy and family counseling to more contemporary interventions like creative arts therapy, virtual reality therapy, and peer support networks. These therapeutic modalities are designed to tackle a variety of issues, including the psychological aftermath of trauma, symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as the physical pain that often accompanies such injuries. Additionally, they address the complex challenges of social reintegration, which may include difficulties in finding employment and the disruption of established social roles. The effectiveness of these treatments is significantly enhanced by robust support systems, particularly community-based initiatives that focus on educating families and training local social workers. Such programs are essential for ensuring that recovery efforts are culturally sensitive and sustainable, ultimately fostering a more comprehensive approach to healing for landmine survivors.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation encompasses much more than merely addressing physical injuries and fitting prosthetics; it involves a comprehensive approach to recovery that includes various facets of physical and psychological healing. The process of physical recovery entails not only the fitting of prosthetic limbs but also essential training in their use, gait rehabilitation, and targeted strengthening exercises to restore mobility and function. Additionally, vocational training plays a crucial role in helping survivors regain their economic independence, allowing them to reintegrate into the workforce and reclaim their sense of purpose. However, the psychological impact of such traumatic experiences can be equally debilitating, with many survivors grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which manifests through symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and depression. This psychological burden is often exacerbated for some of the amputees, who may face social stigma that intensifies their feelings of isolation and negatively affects their overall quality of life. Therefore, achieving true recovery necessitates a holistic approach that integrates physical rehabilitation with mental health support, family counseling, and community reintegration programs, ensuring that survivors receive the comprehensive care they need to heal both body and mind.

The Social Cost of Land Mine Injuries  

The social repercussions of landmines in Sri Lanka are profound and far-reaching, resulting in significant civilian casualties and injuries that often lead to permanent disabilities and enduring psychological distress. These hidden explosives not only claim lives but also dismantle the economic infrastructure of affected areas, rendering agricultural land unusable and obstructing trade routes essential for local commerce. Furthermore, the presence of landmines complicates the resettlement process for refugees, as individuals and families are hesitant to return to their homes when the threat of detonation looms. This pervasive danger fosters an atmosphere of fear that stifles community recovery and development, creating a cycle of hardship that can last for generations. The long-term effects of landmines extend beyond immediate physical harm, embedding a sense of insecurity that hinders social cohesion and economic revitalization, ultimately stalling progress for entire communities.

The Impact of Landmines on Children

In 2010, UNICEF reported that children made up 20% of mine victims in Sri Lanka. Children in Sri Lanka face a significant risk of becoming victims of landmines, primarily due to the deceptive nature of these explosives and the hazardous activities they often engage in, such as land burning and scavenging.

The impact of landmines on children in Sri Lanka is profound and multifaceted, resulting in both direct and indirect consequences. Directly, these explosive remnants of war can cause severe injuries or fatalities among young individuals, who are often unaware of the dangers posed by such devices. Indirectly, the presence of landmines disrupts the daily lives of children, leading to significant barriers in accessing education, agricultural land, and vital infrastructure necessary for their development and well-being.

Children, driven by their natural curiosity, are particularly susceptible to the risks associated with landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), which they may misidentify as toys or intriguing objects. This tragic combination of factors not only endangers their physical safety but also hinders their opportunities for growth and learning, perpetuating a cycle of trauma and deprivation in communities affected by conflict.

The Mine Ban Treaty and Sri Lanka’s Path to a Mine-Free Nation

Injuries and fatalities caused by anti-personnel landmines have become a global epidemic (McIvor Joss 1997), and the presence of mines causes a serious environmental, social, and economic burden (Jeffrey, 1996). Therefore, the Mine Ban Treaty represents a significant international effort aimed at eradicating landmines and ensuring the safety of communities affected by these dangerous remnants of conflict.

In light of the extensive humanitarian crises triggered by landmines over several decades, organizations such as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), established in 1992, have dedicated themselves to highlighting the profound suffering inflicted by these weapons in various nations, including Cambodia, Laos, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Angola. Their advocacy efforts received significant support from prominent entities like the Red Cross and the United Nations, which collectively urged for a comprehensive ban on landmines. This relentless campaign ultimately led to the establishment of the Mine Ban Treaty, which was signed on December 3, 1997, and came into force in 1999, effectively prohibiting the production, use, stockpiling, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.

Sri Lanka officially joined the Mine Ban Treaty in December 2017, with its provisions taking effect on June 1, 2018. As stipulated in Article V of the Treaty, Sri Lanka is committed to declaring itself a mine-free nation by 2028. The country initiated its mine action program in 2002, particularly focusing on the war-affected Northern and Eastern regions, by implementing the internationally recognized five pillars of mine action under the coordination of the Sri Lanka Mine Action Program. However, the escalation of conflict during that period necessitated the suspension of these vital efforts. Mine action was resumed in 2010 after the war ended in May 2009 and is progressing smoothly with the support of various national and international agencies, together with overseas funding, to achieve its target of making Sri Lanka a mine-free nation by 2028.

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke, FRCS is a senior consultant surgeon from Sri Lanka with over four decades of distinguished service. His career spans a wide range of hospitals across the country, including extended service in conflict-affected zones during Sri Lanka’s civil war, where he gained extensive experience in managing complex battle-related injuries.

Dr. Ruwan M. Jayatunge, M.D., PhD, is a medical doctor and a clinical psychologist, and also a member of the American Psychological Association (APA). He is a guest lecturer at Sri Lankan and North American universities.

References;

Goonetilleke,G. (2022) The Extra Mile: a surgeon’s experiences. Sri Lanka

Jayatunge , R.M.(2015). Shell Shock To Palali Syndrome: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sri Lankan Experience. Godage International Publishers, Sri Lanka.

Jeffrey SJ. Antipersonnel mines: who are the victims? J Accid Emerg Med. 1996 Sep;13(5):343-6. doi: 10.1136/emj.13.5.343. PMID: 8894863; PMCID: PMC1342772.

Mannion, S.Chaloner, E. (2006). Chapter 1 Landmines and Landmine Injuries: An Overview, Pain Medicine, Volume 7, Issue suppl_2.Pages S199–S200, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4637.2006.00234_3.x

McIvor Joss D. Anti-personnel landmine injuries: a global epidemic. Work. 1997;8(3):299-304. doi: 10.3233/WOR-1997-8310. PMID: 24441894.

The Pathfinder Foundation

The Pathfinder Foundation held its inaugural policy dialogue with the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF) of India at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. The discussion centred on the theme Strengthening Economic and Strategic Partnerships for Shared Growth”. It assembled an impressive gathering of industry experts, scholars, civil society organisation representatives, and key Sri Lankan officials. 

Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman of the Pathfinder Foundation, and Dr Debajit Palit, Centre Head of the Centre for Climate Change and Energy Transition at the Chintan Research Foundation, delivered the opening remarks. Mr Goonetilleke highlighted the pivotal role that India’s industrial, digital, and economic growth could play in the realistic and sustainable development of Sri Lanka’s economy. Dr Palit echoed similar sentiments, stressing the importance of private sector participation, particularly concerning energy security.  

The event was attended by the High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka, H E Santosh Jha, who highlighted (among many things) the ancient civilisational bond between the two countries, the potential for improved connectivity through air, land, and sea, and the urgent need to improve the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement to meet current market demands. All these efforts aim to foster a non-reciprocal and outcome-driven relationship between Sri Lanka and India. Most importantly, he emphasised that this relationship is not transactional but should be grounded in long-term perspectives.

The dialogue focused on three key areas: Alternative Energy – Building a Shared Energy Future, Strategic Minerals – A New Frontier for Bilateral Resource Diplomacy, and Connectivity and IMEC – Bridging Shores and Opportunities. These topics were chosen considering their contemporary relevance, shared interests of both countries and the potential mutual benefit the two countries stand to gain.

The first session was moderated by Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga, a Distinguished Fellow of the Pathfinder Foundation and Senior Economic Advisor to the Former President of Sri Lanka. It featured Dr. Palit, Mr. Harsha Wickramasinghe, Director-General of the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, and Mr. Saliya Wickramasuriya, former Chairman of Ceylon Petroleum, as speakers. The session was held under the theme Alternative Energy – Building a Shared Energy Future,” with a particular focus on Sri Lanka’s carbon neutrality goal and the strategy to achieve it. Discussions included how Sri Lanka could learn from India’s policy instruments to accelerate renewable energy, potential cooperation between the two countries on this matter, and the necessity for a de-risking mechanism to better analyse and enhance the credibility of proposed energy development projects.

The second session was moderated by Mr. Rajendra Theagarajah, a Distinguished Fellow of the Pathfinder Foundation and former Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. It featured speakers such as Prof. D.M.D.O.K. Dissanayake from the Department of Earth Resources Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, Mr. Nimal Cooke, Executive Director of the Capital Maharaja Group, and Mr. Deepak Amitabh, Advisor to the Chintan Research Foundation. The discussion focused on Sri Lanka’s critical mineral resources, particularly the country’s unexplored offshore mineral deposits between its shoreline and reef. Other topics also included potential strategies for establishing an integrated value chain for essential minerals between India and Sri Lanka, as well as other strategic development opportunities emphasising sustainable mining practices and value addition.

The final session was moderated by Mr. Deepak Amitabh and featured Dr. Chavi Vasisht, an Associate Fellow of the Chintan Research Foundation; Mr. S. Premachandra, an International Port Management Consultant; and Mr. Saliya Senanayake, Group Chairman of Lanka Shipping & Logistics, as speakers. The topic highlighted Sri Lanka’s potential involvement in the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), with particular emphasis on the past successes of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in key projects, the challenges linked to implementing IMEC, and the economic benefits Sri Lanka could gain from joining IMEC.

The closing remarks were delivered by Dr. Chavi Vasisht and Dr. Dayaratna Silva, Executive Director of the Pathfinder Foundation, emphasising how clearly the various aspects of these topics were presented. Coupled with the active engagement of the audience, this contributed to the event’s successful conclusion and the prospect of it being the first in a series of such dialogues in collaboration between the two think tanks. 

The Pathfinder Foundation will continue to facilitate dialogue between related field experts, aiming to direct Sri Lanka towards a sustainable and prosperous future.

National Development Bank PLC

NDB Bank recently entered into a strategic partnership with Ideal Motors (Pvt) Ltd., the official distributor for Mahindra vehicles in Sri Lanka, through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding. This collaboration marks a significant step in providing affordable and accessible financing solutions for both individual customers and SMEs

Through this partnership, customers will now have the opportunity to lease Mahindra’s new passenger vehicle range, including the Mahindra XUV 3XO XUV —available in MX3, AX5, and AX7 L variants and with unmatched convenience. NDB offers tailor-made leasing solutions with minimal paperwork, no guarantor requirements, and flexible repayment plans, ensuring a seamless experience. With approvals within a day, dedicated leasing officers, and access through NDB’s island-wide network of 113 branches and 12 specialized Leasing Centers, customers can confidently take home vehicles with affordable monthly installments.

In addition to passenger vehicles, the partnership extends to Ideal Motors’ trusted Mahindra Bolero City Pickup range, Scorpio Double Cab and Scorpio Single Cab with financing solutions specially designed to support SMEs and entrepreneurs. Notably, this collaboration introduces Sri Lanka’s first-ever bank-financed leasing option for Mahindra Alfa Plus load carriers, a move aimed at empowering micro and small businesses with reliable transportation at accessible terms. Structured leasing solutions and Ijarah financing further enhance the offerings, ensuring businesses of all sizes have access to the vehicles they need to grow and succeed.

Commenting on the partnership, Dilum Amarasinghe, Assistant Vice President – Leasing at NDB, stated, Access to reliable mobility is a critical enabler of business growth. Through this collaboration with Ideal Motors, we are proud to extend financing options that will support both individuals and SMEs in achieving their ambitions. By combining Ideal’s robust vehicle portfolio with NDB’s customized leasing facilities, we are opening doors to new opportunities across the country.”

Adding to this, Ms. Nimisha Welgama, Director of Ideal Motors, commented This partnership with NDB Bank makes owning a Mahindra more accessible than ever. With our trusted after-sales network and NDB’s flexible leasing, we are empowering Sri Lankans with reliable mobility and lasting value

With Ideal Motors’ strong after-sales network and technical expertise complementing NDB’s innovative financial solutions, this partnership provides Sri Lankans with a comprehensive mobility package built on reliability, affordability, and long-term value. Together, NDB Bank and Ideal Motors are empowering businesses and individuals to move forward with confidence and success.

NDB Bank is the fourth-largest listed commercial bank in Sri Lanka. NDB was named Sri Lanka’s Best Digital Bank for SMEs at Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025 and was awarded Domestic Retail Bank of the Year – Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Domestic Project Finance Bank of the Year by Asian Banking and Finance Magazine (Singapore) Awards 2024. NDB is the parent company of the NDB Group, comprising capital market subsidiary companies, together forming a unique banking and capital market services group. The Bank is committed to empowering the nation and its people through meaningful financial and advisory services powered by digital banking solutions.

September 22, 2025 at 2:10 pm | Lanka C News

Leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, Attorney-at-Law Udaya Gammanpila, expressed these views at a press conference.

He said that with the passing of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023 and the decision to make information in asset declarations public, the present government has run into a serious problem. Previously, an asset declaration was treated as a confidential document. It was prepared, sealed in an envelope, and submitted, to be opened only under a court order. But under the new law, everything except personal details must be published by the Bribery Commission. Unfortunately, political leaders had no idea such a law would pass. As a result, they have submitted false information without fear and hidden important details.

The asset declaration currently under discussion covers the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. Between June 13–15, 2024, the President went on a visit to the United Kingdom. Who paid for his airline tickets? Who paid for his hotel bills? All such details should be included in the declaration. But the President has not provided them. Similarly, he undertook visits to India and Canada in 2024. The costs of those trips too should be disclosed.

It is also said that when the President goes to Anuradhapura, he does not stay at the official President’s House, but instead at Pramishka Nona’s Hummingbird Hotel. If so, that information should be included under section 8.2 – Gifts and Sponsored Tours” in the declaration. But this too has not been disclosed.

According to Gammanpila, the President’s 2025–26 asset declaration will be even more interesting. In May 2025, the President returned from Vietnam to Sri Lanka on a private jet. There were conflicting explanations about who paid for it: first the Vietnamese government, then the UN Vesak Committee, and later a Vietnamese NGO. Who actually sponsored the trip—and the cost of it—remains a mystery to this day. Gammanpila expressed hope that the upcoming declaration will reveal the truth about this mysterious” journey.

Concealing information in an asset declaration is a punishable offense with severe consequences. If an asset is hidden, it can be confiscated by the state. Additionally, concealing information can lead to a fine of Rs. 200,000 and a one-year prison sentence.

The President is not the only one at fault, Gammanpila claimed. MP Nalin Hewage’s account reportedly holds Rs. 23 million. He has said this money came as gifts for his daughter’s wedding. But if gifts exceeding Rs. 50,000 were received, the details of who gave them should have been declared. Since that information is missing, doubts arise. Without listing such gifts, it is implausible that Rs. 23 million would remain after wedding expenses. Gammanpila quipped that if Hewage saved money that way, then at the height of the economic crisis when Sri Lanka had to borrow under IMF conditions, the government should have borrowed from him instead.

The asset declaration of Minister Handunnetti, who is known to have received support from friends for everything from clothes to basic needs, was also examined. In the section on gifts received, he had handwritten: None.” Not even the name of Jayashantha, a long-time supporter known for giving him everything, was mentioned. Since 2024 was an election year, every candidate inevitably received gifts. Yet not a single minister or MP has declared any monetary or material gifts.

It is now clear, Gammanpila concluded, that underreporting the value of assets, hiding received gifts, and concealing information in asset declarations could eventually land not only the President but also all ministers and MPs in jail.

Translated from Hiru News

Samagi Jana Balawegaya Colombo District Member of Parliament Mujibur Rahuman stated that a decision has been made to inquire from the Inland Revenue Department regarding the assets of six Cabinet Ministers of the present government.

He pointed out that, under the Right to Information Act, inquiries are currently being made from the Inland Revenue Department regarding the assets of these six Cabinet Ministers.

In addition, the MP noted that information and records concerning the assets of other government representatives are also being gathered.

MP Mujibur Rahuman further said that since serious suspicions have arisen regarding the assets of these six Cabinet Ministers, it was decided to urgently seek information from the Inland Revenue Department.

He emphasized that it is a matter of grave suspicion as to how these Ministers, who are not engaged in employment or business but are fully involved in politics, have managed to accumulate such vast wealth.

The MP also added that once the information is obtained from the Inland Revenue Department, they will proceed with further action after obtaining legal advice.

Udaya Gammanpila

Dark Room

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Udaya Gammanpila

ජනපතිගේ සැගවූ  වත්කම් ගැන නවතම හෙලිදරව්ව මෙන්න | මී ලග ආණ්ඩුවෙන් ඇතුලට යන නම් ලැයිස්තුව බලන්න

Dr. Sudath Gunasekara Ex secretary to Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranayake (A Champion of the NAM) and President of The Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (SASA) 1991-94.

This is an introduction to my Proposal to set up a Memorial Museum of Patriotic Wars of Kandyan Sinhalese (MMPKS) 1505-1848 and an Institute of Colonial Crimes Studies in Sri Lanka and the Non-Aligned Nations ((ICCSSL & NAM)” at the old Bogambara Prison site. Mahanuwara. (Kandy)

Bogambara was an ugly vestige of an uncivilized, repressive, inhuman and brutal British torcher Bastille of Sri Lanka, from 1818 to 1948, where the bones of the patriotic native Sinhalese victims buried under this ground will bear witness to that huma tragedy.  The first two patriotic national leaders to be beheaded here, were, the two heroes Keppetipola Disava and Madugalla Disava on 25th November 1818, for leading the historic Uva Wellassa rebellion, the first freedom struggle by the patriotic Sinhalese against the British invaders, to retrieve the motherland.  This was followed by the most uncivilized and barbarous incident that took place here, the murder of Kudapola Thera, by shooting in his robes on 26th August in 1848, under orders by Torrington, the savage white murderer, in spite of strong objections by his own legal adviser, the then Attorney General H.G. Selby, violating all civilized norms of human justice. Both Brownrigg (1818) and Torrington (1848) followed the same uncivilized and brutal practices on this spot, in all murders between 1818 to 1850. All these public executions were carried out here in the open air, as there was no prison at that time to terrorize the native Sinhalese.

It is to be noted here that the charge against all these patriots was treason against the British Crown, whereas all those who were either shot or beheaded, were executed only for rising against the atrocities of the invader, to protect their mother land, where their ancestors had lived and jealously protected for millennia from the inception of history against the South Indian Invaders ( 2^nd  Century BC-13^th AD)  and the three Western colonial invaders from (1505-1850). By what criterion they called it treason? Was it another synonym for patriotism?

Bogambara prison built in 1877.

This Prison was built on this ground in 1877. Ever since this Bastille of the British was built on the most Sacred and spiritual heart of the Kandyan Kingdom it had been used as a torcher house by the British colonial government that had carried out their carnage and imprisonment sprees until 1948, the year they left the shores of this country, to satisfy their own savages’ killings with no justice for the native Sinhalese or their heritage. Even after they left the shores of the Island in 1948 after handing over the country to their local black white proxy’s, who continued hanging and imprisonment on behalf of their British masters, at the same place. They also continued to have Bogambara Prison at this  place, until rising public agitation against its continuance in front of the Sri Daladaa Maligava, compelled them to shift it to Pallekele in 2014.  (Incidentally, it was I who first started that agitation by writing an article to the Daily News 29th August 1977, demanding that it should be immediately shifted to Pallekele). In spite of all these oppositions the governments of the so-called independent Sri Lanka (In reality a carbon copy of the Westminster system) continued hanging and imprisonment here, even after declaring it a Republic in 1972, until it was stopped temporally in 1977. But the prison remained at the same place until it was finally transferred to Pallekele in 2014 at last, as I had suggested in 1977.

In this historical backdrop we all know that the site on which Bogambara prison stands was a place immortalized by the remains of our patriotic ancestors who sacrificed their lives on our behalf to save the motherland from the invaders for posterity. In my opinion, it is therefore a historic place where all Sinhalese should assemble in tens of thousands annually, to pay their homage to their dead, who died to protected this country for 443 long years from the enemies, confining three powerful invaders with enormous gunpower to a narrow coastal belt of this Island for 310 years (1505-1815).

The uncivilized British murderers, having openly and unilaterally violated the Kandyan Convention of 1815 by Royal Proclamation made on 21^st of Nov 1818, converted this sacred city to a grave yard, where the remains of thousands of our patriotic freedom fighters including Buddhist Monks were brutally executed by beheading, hanging or shooting in public even without trial.  As such Bogambara, in my opinion this cite should be should be protected as a site of annual moaning of the Sinhala nation and a national memorial museum of the murdered Sinhalese patriots and dedicated to their names” rather than making it a fool’s merry making paradise, by converting it to a 7-star Hilton, Marriot or Oberoi, making room for the agents of the same colonial powers to syphon the income generated from it to their own countries making us still poorer,  making the dead to rise from their graves in protest.

Therefore, obviously this place should never be converted to a 7-star hotel for merry making or night life as our politicians and some pliant public officials, who have no vision or a mission at all in their heads for nation building and indulge in promoting crazy tourism have suggested. Such a project will definitely be a veritable canker to our economy and culture, as it has already been proved particularly in the Southern and the Eastern parts of the Island, where Israelites, Indians, Chinese and even Russians have already taken over the trade in to their hands, syphoning all the income to their countries and thereby depriving this country of its much-craved US $.

Therefore, I strongly advice the government go ahead with this proposal instead of indulging in the mad idea of a tourist hotel that is definitely going to be economically and culturally devastative and elusive as, it will only further erode our economy and destroy our valued native culture.

These negative economic benefits of tourism are in addition to the soring cultural and social ills that spill down our society, that will one day completely erode the 2566-year-old pristine Sinhala Buddhist civilization from the surface of this Island. Therefore, I call upon all unpatriotic and self-serving politicians and officials of the same ilk in this country, who are still suffering from this night mare tourist syndrome, to read Dr Asoka Bandarage’s article Sri Lanka: The Beautiful, Besieged Island” in the Lanka web (3.9.2025.) if they are interested in knowing what I mean here.

It is in this sad and appalling backdrop and the crying need to stand up with a clarion call against both colonialism and neo-colonialism, and to do something meaningful, that I propose to setup a Memorial Museum of Patriotic wars of Kandyan Sinhalese (1505-1948) and an Institute of Research and studies on colonial crimes in Sri Lanka prompting all other ex-colonial countries also to start their own colonial Crime Research institutes.

First, to educate our politicians and bureaucrats and the whole world on the centuries of colonial crimes, atrocities and plundering committed directly by them from (16th century to the mid-20^th century) and what they are continuing  even at present, under their neo-colonial agenda, through their own so-called  International, financial and legal and administrative arms like the World Bank, IMF, Asian Bank, the UN and many other arms of the Western ex-colonial block such as the UNCHR, ILO and

second, to outline a strategy to assert the political economic and social freedom, and Independence of the ex-colonial-nations from the persistent colonial intimidation and exploitation and,

 finally, to call upon all victim nations to jointly rise up on our own feet as strong independent and sovereign nations to fight against exploitation oppression and interference in our domestic affairs.  This will stop their interference in our domestic affairs and bring justice, peace and salvation to our nations. That will also put an end to nearly 6 centuries of colonial exploitation and suppression of our motherlands and also relieve 88% of the total world population living in the Afro-Asian and Latin American countries of continued oppression, suppression and exploitation and put them on a new track of independence, development, prosperity and happiness.

I give below the reasons for selecting Sri Lanka for this proposed International Institute

1.Sri Lanka is located at the centre of the world map in the Indian Ocean. 2.It is easily accessible to all countries, both by sea and air.

3.It is also one of the leading and active members of the Aon-Aligned Movement (NAM) right from its beginning in 1956 at Bandung.

4.During Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranayakaya’s time (1970-1977), in 1971, she got the UN to declare the Indian Ocean as a Peace Zone by United Nations General Assembly resolution at the Cairo Summit. (A/RES/2832(XXVI 1971). It was proposed by Mrs Bandaranayaka and seconded by Julius Nierere of Tanganyika. This declaration called for great powers to eliminate military bases and weapons from the Indian Ocean and for all states to respect it as a zone, free from military rivalries and weapons of mass destruction. (But sadly, it had been violated by UK and subsequently by US by opening up a military base in Diago Garcia, right at the center of the Indian Ocean, with B-2 bombers capable of carrying 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs with a 10,000 km range.US used this base in their recent attack on Iran).

 I am lost to understand as to why India, a major participant at the Cairo Summit, and also as the biggest democracy in the South East Asian region is keeping silent on the breach of that very important and historic UN resolution by UK and USA.  All members of the NAM should condemn it and strongly protest against this breach of the UN resolution by UK and USA and call upon them to immediately withdraw their military bases from Diago Garcia, aimed at maintaining their military supremacy in the Indian Ocean and to contain China, and India primarily, and all the peripheral States around the Indian Ocean by violating the Cairo resolution.

4.Again, Mrs Bandarnayaka during her tenure as Chairman of the NAM, 1970/76, had the NAM Summit in Colombo where 85 NAM leaders had grazed the occasion making it one of the most colorful events in the annals of the NAM.

5.Furthermore, Sri Lanka was the only country in the world, where British invaders could not conquer by war. (Instead, they annexed it in 1815 by a mutually agreed friendly” Convention between two equal Kingdoms by intrigue and deception on their part, cleverly hatched jointly by Doily and Brownrigg.

The Kandyan Convention was blatantly and illegally violated by British, on Nov 21^st  1818 as preplanned, by an illegal colonial Royal Proclamation, by which the British annihilated all Kandyan’s and consolidated their arbitrary power and the iron rule, as if they had captured this country by defeating the Sinhalese in war, completely ignoring the Kandyan Convention which is legally valid even today, as an international Agreement inked between the Sinhale and the United Kingdom. Thereafter, Brownrigg, in connivance with Doily, resorted to the most inhuman and uncivilized methods human massacre, which, Daivy in 1821 had described in the following words. 

The history of British rule in Sri Lanka after the 1818 rebellion cannot be related without shame. None of the members of the leading families in the Kandyan country have survived. Smallpox and privations have destroyed those spared by the gun and the sword.” Daivy was the Army surgeon and personal physician on Robert Brownwrigg during the years between 1817 and 1818. In fact, it was under this type of unilateral and criminal violation of the 1815 Convention, Brownrigg issued the 1818 Nov 21^st notorious, and infamous Royal Proclamation.

What is even more deplorable and repressive was that they also ruled this country thereafter up to 1948, under the iron boot with the same type of dictatorial, deplorable and barbarous enactments made under enactments at their discretion.

Thus, the suppression of Kandyans by the British has gone down in world history as one of the most savages and barbaric operations ever known to man on earth.

It is time for some legal luminary to file a case against Britan on two counts.  

First, for violating the Kandyan Convention ex-parte and

Second, for ruling this country under military law illegally thereafter, for 130 years,

suing the British government for compensation and reparation of the wealth they had robbed from this country and other crimes like importing millions of Malaba laborers and settling them in the North and east first and the central hill country in the late 18^th century giving the special privileges to them to alter the demography of this country while discriminating against the native Sinhalese.

 6.Finally, and most importantly, this country was the only country in the world that was not conquered in war by the British, but only by deception and intrigue. Even to get that done, three powerful colonial invaders, the Portuguese, Dutch and the British had to struggle for 310 years from 1505- 1815, where the Sinhalese successfully kept the invaders at bay, by keeping them confined to a narrow coastal belt all that time. This indeed was a unique achievement on the part of the Sinhalese in world history.

In this backdrop, I have no doubt that all NAM countries will readily welcome this idea. Such an institution will form a formidable forum for all NAM countries to voice their objections to the persistent neo-colonial agenda of the colonial Atlantic civilizations as if the destructions done and the crimes they have committed against these countries are not yet enough.

The proposed Institute will also open the gates for the whole world to know, how these colonial invaders had destroyed this country in particular and almost all countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East as well, for centuries, to enrich their treasuries at home and build up their crazy Empires, where the sun never set, as they boast.

This chain of subjugation by war was followed by the creation of a network of global vasal colonial dependencies by these powers, to enrich their empires by the plundered wealth. They used these colonies as sources, of raw materials for their industries and lucrative markets for their products  in order to consolidate their dominance and exploitation over the so called Third World”, while calling themselves first world,  they  had created by exploitation of others wealth, almost for 6 centuries by subjugation, repression,  exploitation,  subordination and murder, in the colonies to perpetuate and tighten their colonial dependency trap at the expense of the so-called Third World or the Global South,  as they sometimes call them, a diabolical creation of the Atlantic Civilization of Sea Pirate nations during this period of colonial expansion.

I am confident the setting up of an International Research Institute on Colonial crimes as proposed will open the gates for a new independent and free world, where all nations will be treated as equals with no conquerors and victims any more.

 I am also confident, that once we initiate this project, it could be expanded to attract the interest of all the so-called Global South countries, who had been the victims of colonialism for centuries and continue to be so even at present. The proposed Institution could be developed as the Headquarters of an International Institute of Research on colonial crimes in the entire Global South.

 As a first step in this mission, I suggest we first address a letter to the SAARC General Secretary and convince him on the advantages of this proposal, not only to expose colonial misdoings but also to keep all major powers led by the Atlantic civilization cartel at bay, by asserting the joint power of the NAM. Sri Lanka could function as the hub in this pursuit in the Indo Pacific region by uniting the Global South (who are the victims of colonialism, under the banner of the Non Aling Movement.

Our next step should be to summon a joint meeting of the SAARC countries to work out the inter-governmental commitment and modalities.  Sri Lanka should take the lead in this mission.

After uniting the SAARC under this banner, the next step should be to summon a meeting of the NAM to build up a joint NAM forum under the NAM banner throwing the name Global South” dubbed by the colonial invaders, in to the dustbin of history. A strong NAM could definitely be a challenge to the Atlantic civilization cartel. It should be organized as the formidable challenge to the Atlantic colonial world with a broader agenda for demanding reparation including damages and compensation for centuries of exploitations, repression and the crimes they have committed nearly for 7 centuries in these countries. Because it was these so-called North countries who have put all the NAM countries in to this poverty-stricken status through their exploitations and regimented rule for 7 centuries.

Sri Lanka could be the NAM epicenter of this new Global Movement, that will give a new lease of life to NAM with a distinct identity and make it the most Powerful International Organization, putting an end to the rat race of building big powers fighting for world domination.  Thereafter, all international organizations, like the UNO and all its affiliated arms should be brought under the control and the banner of the NAM.  With this arrangement in place, domination by the Atlantic Cartel or any other power block will end and the dawn of a new world order with completely free and sovereign nations of a Happy New World Free from the ugly Colonialism of the 26th century; A world of Unity within Diversity and distinct identity, where each nation respects the other on equal terms.”  will emerge.

Thereafter, as Shenali Waduge has brilliantly asserted (Lanakweb 8. 9.2025.)  

Such a strategy could even turn Sri Lanka in to a diplomatic, economic, moral hub of the 21st century with its strategic location right at the center of the Indian ocean on the world’s busiest oceanic and air traffic moves where nearly 8o% of world trade takes place with its enormous physical and human resources stands as the best place even to have the Head Quarters of the NAM movement. In view of its central location Sri Lanka’s role as a neutral hub of dialogue in the Indo-Pacific could be developed. If Sri Lanka takes the lead, it will no longer be a pawn shuffled by others, but the square on which the next game of geopolitics is reset.

” Since my proposal was made few days before September 7th, 2025, it is emboldening to read what Shenali Waduge had written to Lankaweb, high lighting the Sri Lanka’s Hidden Opportunities the pivotal role Sri Lanka can play in the near future under the changing geopolitical map in the Indian Ocean a gist of which I have given below. (Pl read Sri Lanka at the crossroads of a US–India stands)

(Lanka web Posted on September 7th, 2025 Shenali for details)

Sri Lanka’s Hidden Opportunity

Yet within this storm lies an opportunity for Sri Lanka:

India’s ambitions of Akhand Bharat have alienated its neighbors — Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Bhutan are wary of New Delhi’s dominance. Even Sri Lankan people hold the same view although the present government has played in to the Indias hands.

    As India loses credibility in the region, Sri Lanka can position itself as a hub of neutrality, building ties across blocs while resisting absorption into any one camp. Sri Lanka must rejuvenate the non-aligned status & demand the Indian Ocean Region return to its original charter Zone of Peace – Sri Lanka must champion this as a NAM Initiative. Sri Lanka once championed the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace in 1971. Reviving this initiative as part of a Global South narrative would give Colombo both moral and diplomatic leverage

    By exposing India’s record of destabilization — from backing the LTTE to meddling in domestic politics — Colombo can push back against New Delhi’s narrative and reclaim diplomatic leverage.

So, we must ask:

    Will we continue as a pawn in someone else’s endgame, or finally reclaim our sovereignty in the Indian Ocean?

Given the rising anti-India currents in the West and the erosion of trust in New Delhi’s regional role, among the SAARC countries has opened the gates for a dominant role for Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean

That move must be bold and historic: Sri Lanka should convene a new Non-Aligned Zone of Peace” Summit in Colombo. Just as we once championed the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace in 1971, we can revive that call under a Global South framework.

Such a summit would:

Reassert Sri Lanka’s role as a neutral hub of dialogue in the Indo-Pacific.

Rally neighbors wary of both Indian hegemony and Western militarization and will

position Colombo as the moral and diplomatic center for a 21st-century Non-Aligned revival.

If Sri Lanka takes the lead, it will no longer be a pawn shuffled by others, but the square on which the next game of geopolitics is reset.”

Shenali D Waduge”

Postscript

 It is in this Sri Lanka favorable new scenario that I present the Proposal to set up a Memorial Museum of Patriotic Wars of Kandyan Sinhalese (MMW of KS) (1505-1848) and the Institute of Colonial Crimes Studies in Sri Lanka and the Non-Aligned Nations (ICCSSL& NAN)” at the old Bogambara Prison site with room for expansion at Pallekele or Haragama in future.

Before I wind up, I would like to draw my readers attention to the following 5 Principle that were adopted at the first meeting of NAM at the Bandung Summit 1956. They called it Panchaseela

1.Peaceful co-existence for all nation on this globe

2.We are all equals and Free nations

3.No member of NAM will interfere with the internal affairs of another nation’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, freedom who respect and regard the others freedom culture and religion 4. We regard and respect the Freedom of others as of our own

5. The ultimate Goal of NAM is freedom, prosperity and Happiness for all nations on earth.

NB

It should be noted that these original objectives were rarely adhered to by most big members like India by interfering and meddling with the internal matters of all its neighbors and even by sabotaging the SAARC from 2014.

The original list also did not include issues like

 1.Fll freedom from the clutches of colonial rule.

2.Disarmament,

3.Restoration of world peace,

4 Claiming reparation and compensation from the colonial invaders to the victim nations for what the invaders had plundered and destroyed over the centuries to restore their economic, social and cultural prosperity they had prior to the arrival of the invaders.

5. Call for one common flag for the NAM nations to symbolize their identity and unity.

6.The need to transform the United nation in to a world body where all sovereign nations have equal rights and privileges with one vote for each nation without any discrimination like calling some nations as big having more powers than others the Security Council of the six

In my view the root cause of all these problems in the present-day world is Western colonialism. Because it was, they who wanted to impose their language, the political system, religion and culture on all the countries in the whole world by force. To realize this goal they used the sword, the gun and the Bible. In addition, they also used the colour. According to them, white people are a superior over the Black or Brown. This should be stopped within a one world concept

Unfortunately, the Atlantic colonial powers have not yet realized that all these differences are only a product of the geographical environment in which they live and it is not their choice either or it is not the wish of an invisible and imaginary God. In short, all these differences are a direct result of the environment. I am not talking about environmental determinism here. But overall, that is the stark fact. Each environment by nature has determined its fauna and flora, the color of humans their food and culture. As such isn’t it a foolish mistake for some nations to try to impose their own system by force on all others living in different environments

Sri Lanka Sovereignty Forum

We have the honour to address you on behalf of the Sri Lanka Sovereignty Forum regarding an issue of utmost seriousness: the public display of the symbols and insignia of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) — an internationally proscribed terrorist organisation — in Geneva during the sessions of the Human Rights Council.

This development is deeply troubling for several reasons:

1.    Contravention of International Counter-Terrorism Norms

The LTTE remains banned in 32 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, and India. The open display of its flags, insignia, and emblems, as well as placards glorifying its leadership and even calling for the retention of arms, constitutes an overt act of glorification of terrorism. This is in clear contradiction to United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1373, and subsequent instruments which obligate Member States to prevent the promotion of terrorist groups in any form.

Evidence 1: Note what the placard states “LTTE is our savior: dont demand to lay down their weapons” – displayed close to iconic Broken Chair

Evidence: 2 A clearer photo – notice on far right is a map of Sri Lanka with separate state marked

Evidence 3: This is Thileepan a LTTE terrorist who went on hunger strike & died on 26 September 1987 months after Indo-Lanka Accord was signed & Sri Lanka troops were confined to barracks and Indian PeaceKeepers were sent to Sri Lanka.

A terrorist is being commemorated on the UN premises in Geneva. Who gave them permission to erect these? 

1.    Host State Obligations

Under Swiss law, particularly the provisions of the Swiss Criminal Code relating to terrorism, such public displays are prohibited. As the Host State, Switzerland bears the responsibility to ensure that its territory, including the vicinity of UN premises in Geneva, is not used to promote or legitimise terrorist propaganda.

2.    Erosion of UN Credibility and Integrity

Allowing glorification of terrorism in proximity to the United Nations gravely undermines the organisation’s credibility. It raises a legitimate and urgent question: would similar displays in favour of other proscribed groups such as Al-Qaeda or ISIS be tolerated? To permit such partiality in respect of one proscribed group, while rejecting others, damages the neutrality and integrity of the UN system.

3.    Threat to Global Security and Precedent for Impunity

The demand to legitimise the LTTE’s retention of arms is not symbolic rhetoric but an incitement to violence. Failure to act against such provocations creates a dangerous precedent whereby proscribed groups may misuse international platforms to normalise their cause and mobilise support under the guise of civil society activism.

4.    Undermining Sri Lanka’s Peace and Reconciliation Process

The people of Sri Lanka endured three decades of terrorism which claimed thousands of innocent lives — Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, and others alike. 

The LTTE’s recruitment of child soldiers, use of human shields, assassinations, and suicide bombings are well-documented. 

To allow the LTTE’s imagery to resurface in Geneva dishonours the victims and destabilises post-conflict reconciliation efforts.

In light of the above, we respectfully urge:

·      The Government of Switzerland to strictly enforce its domestic counter-terrorism legislation and to ensure that LTTE insignia and slogans are not displayed in public spaces, particularly in proximity to UN premises.

·      The United Nations Secretariat and the Human Rights Council to immediately annul the accreditation of all NGOs and organisations found to be publicly displaying LTTE flags or insignia. Such entities do not represent civilians or victims but act as proxies of a proscribed terrorist organisation.

·      All UN Member States to ensure that photographs and identities of individuals and organisations engaged in glorifying the LTTE are circulated to immigration and border security authorities worldwide, to facilitate surveillance and prevent their misuse of international platforms.

·      Governments of Western capitals and host authorities to closely monitor and prohibit all future public displays of LTTE flags, banners, or insignia within their jurisdictions, ensuring that their cities are not exploited for the promotion of terrorist propaganda.

·      The United Nations System to adopt clear and uniform procedures prohibiting the participation of individuals or groups linked to proscribed terrorist organisations, thereby preserving the integrity of UN processes.

Excellencies,

The credibility of the United Nations depends upon its ability to uphold universal principles without partiality. Terrorism cannot be condemned selectively. We are confident that you will recognise the seExcellencies, Distinguished Members of the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations General Assembly,

We have the honour to address you on behalf of the Sri Lanka Sovereignty Forum regarding an issue of utmost seriousness: the public display of the symbols and insignia of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) — an internationally proscribed terrorist organisation — in Geneva during the sessions of the Human Rights Council.

This development is deeply troubling for several reasons:

1.    Contravention of International Counter-Terrorism Norms

The LTTE remains banned in 32 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, and India. The open display of its flags, insignia, and emblems, as well as placards glorifying its leadership and even calling for the retention of arms, constitutes an overt act of glorification of terrorism. This is in clear contradiction to United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1373, and subsequent instruments which obligate Member States to prevent the promotion of terrorist groups in any form.

Evidence 1: Note what the placard states “LTTE is our savior: dont demand to lay down their weapons” – displayed close to iconic Broken Chair

Evidence: 2 A clearer photo – notice on far right is a map of Sri Lanka with separate state marked

Evidence 3: This is Thileepan a LTTE terrorist who went on hunger strike & died on 26 September 1987 months after Indo-Lanka Accord was signed & Sri Lanka troops were confined to barracks and Indian PeaceKeepers were sent to Sri Lanka.

A terrorist is being commemorated on the UN premises in Geneva. Who gave them permission to erect these? 

1.    Host State Obligations

Under Swiss law, particularly the provisions of the Swiss Criminal Code relating to terrorism, such public displays are prohibited. As the Host State, Switzerland bears the responsibility to ensure that its territory, including the vicinity of UN premises in Geneva, is not used to promote or legitimise terrorist propaganda.

2.    Erosion of UN Credibility and Integrity

Allowing glorification of terrorism in proximity to the United Nations gravely undermines the organisation’s credibility. It raises a legitimate and urgent question: would similar displays in favour of other proscribed groups such as Al-Qaeda or ISIS be tolerated? To permit such partiality in respect of one proscribed group, while rejecting others, damages the neutrality and integrity of the UN system.

3.    Threat to Global Security and Precedent for Impunity

The demand to legitimise the LTTE’s retention of arms is not symbolic rhetoric but an incitement to violence. Failure to act against such provocations creates a dangerous precedent whereby proscribed groups may misuse international platforms to normalise their cause and mobilise support under the guise of civil society activism.

4.    Undermining Sri Lanka’s Peace and Reconciliation Process

The people of Sri Lanka endured three decades of terrorism which claimed thousands of innocent lives — Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, and others alike. 

The LTTE’s recruitment of child soldiers, use of human shields, assassinations, and suicide bombings are well-documented. 

To allow the LTTE’s imagery to resurface in Geneva dishonours the victims and destabilises post-conflict reconciliation efforts.

In light of the above, we respectfully urge:

·      The Government of Switzerland to strictly enforce its domestic counter-terrorism legislation and to ensure that LTTE insignia and slogans are not displayed in public spaces, particularly in proximity to UN premises.

·      The United Nations Secretariat and the Human Rights Council to immediately annul the accreditation of all NGOs and organisations found to be publicly displaying LTTE flags or insignia. Such entities do not represent civilians or victims but act as proxies of a proscribed terrorist organisation.

·      All UN Member States to ensure that photographs and identities of individuals and organisations engaged in glorifying the LTTE are circulated to immigration and border security authorities worldwide, to facilitate surveillance and prevent their misuse of international platforms.

·      Governments of Western capitals and host authorities to closely monitor and prohibit all future public displays of LTTE flags, banners, or insignia within their jurisdictions, ensuring that their cities are not exploited for the promotion of terrorist propaganda.

·      The United Nations System to adopt clear and uniform procedures prohibiting the participation of individuals or groups linked to proscribed terrorist organisations, thereby preserving the integrity of UN processes.

Excellencies,

The credibility of the United Nations depends upon its ability to uphold universal principles without partiality. Terrorism cannot be condemned selectively. We are confident that you will recognise the seriousness of this matter and take immediate measures to safeguard the neutrality of the UN system, the dignity of victims of terrorism worldwide, and the rule of international law.

Please accept, Excellencies, the assurances of our highest consideration.

Respectfully,

Sri Lanka Sovereignty Forumriousness of this matter and take immediate measures to safeguard the neutrality of the UN system, the dignity of victims of terrorism worldwide, and the rule of international law.

Please accept, Excellencies, the assurances of our highest consideration.

Respectfully,

Sri Lanka Sovereignty Foru

UNP සැමරුම සිනා සාගරයක් කරමින් චාමර සම්පත් කරපු සුපිරි කතාව මෙන්න

Shenali D Waduge

21 September 2025

To:

The President, United Nations Human Rights Council
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR
Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN, Geneva
President, United Nations General Assembly
President, United Nations Security Council
Members of the UN Human Rights Council
The Government of Sri Lanka
Dear Excellencies & UN Member States

Terrorists laugh at the UN Geneva: LTTE Diaspora fearlessly calls LTTE their savior” and to retain weapons

A single placard displayed at this year’s Geneva session declares: ‘LTTE is our saviour: don’t demand to lay down their weaponss.’ This brazen statement, made on UN premises, mocks the very institution meant to defend peace. It exposes not only the hypocrisy of the LTTE diaspora but also the UN’s shocking complicity in allowing terrorists to laugh at its rules.”

A single placard displayed at this year’s Geneva session declares:

LTTE is our saviour: don’t demand to lay down their weapons”.

For years, the LTTE diaspora has been extremely careful about what they say, how they say it, and what demands they make — always cloaking their separatist agenda in the language of human rights” and civilian justice.” But this placard tears away that mask. It shows they are now cocksure that neither the UN, the UNHRC, nor the Swiss authorities will act against them — not for glorifying a proscribed terrorist group, not for calling LTTE their savior,” and not even for demanding the right to retain arms in the heart of Geneva.

They are pretty sure all these entities are in their pockets.

This simple message has revealed several hard truths about the LTTE diaspora:

• Their claims of representingTamil civilians are false; the placard exposes their true allegiance to LTTE militants.
• Their accusations of genocide” actually refer to LTTE cadres killed by Sri Lankan forces, not non-LTTE Tamil civilians.

• Their calls forTribunals are aimed at punishing the Armed Forces who defeated LTTE terrorists. They are not seeking justice for Tamil civilians. It is only a smokescreen.
• Their demands forreparations are for LTTE cadres alone, not for non-LTTE Tamil victims or Tamil victims of LTTE.
• It is confirmed that Mullaivaikkal commemorations glorify LTTE fighters, not Tamil civilian victims.Ironically, foreign MPs have annually attended these events, delivering emotional speeches — including former UNHRC Head Navi Pillay and former UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Were they this ignorant, or were they knowingly endorsing LTTE glorification?

• Theirpublic demand to retain arms demonstrates an attempt to perpetuate armed struggle abroad, posing serious international security risks.

• The LTTE is the only terrorist group in the world to have assassinated a sitting head of state and a foreign Prime Minister —Sri Lankan President R Premadasa and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Yet their supporters are now allowed to call for arms retention outside the UN. What credibility does the UN have left if it enables such actors?”

• The assassination ofIndian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 by the LTTE in India, and the fact that LTTE cadres now live as refugees and asylum seekers in Western capitals, are warnings. The Charlie Kirk assassination in US despite surveillance prove the risk of mollycoddling trained terrorists who are openly asking to retain arms within UN premises.

This single placard exposes the hypocrisy, deceit, and dangerous agenda of the LTTE diaspora, while simultaneously highlighting failures and potential complicity of UN/OHCHR, Swiss authorities, and global bodies that have allowed such actions to continue unchecked.

If the LTTE is banned in 32 countries as the deadliest terrorist organization in South Asia — having pioneered suicide bombings, assassinated two heads of state (Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Premadasa), recruited thousands of child soldiers, and used civilians as human shields — how can any entity (UN, OHCHR, Member States, or Swiss authorities) explain their tolerance of LTTE glorification on UN premises without being complicit in global terrorism?

Questions for OHCHR / UNHRC

On Legitimacy of Engagement:

• Is the UNHRC/OHCHR aware that the LTTE remains a proscribed terrorist organization in 32 countries, including the US, UK, India, and EU? If so, how does the UN justify permitting LTTE flags, insignia, and placards glorifying its militants inside or around its Geneva premises?

Does this not amount to tacit endorsement of LTTE terrorism and separatism?

On Representation of Tamil Civilians:

• How can the UNHRC/OHCHR continue to recognize diaspora groups as civil representatives” of Tamils when their own placards openly glorify LTTE militants as saviors” and reject disarmament?
• Clearly, they have never represented Tamil suffering! If they did would they allow Tamil children to become child soldiers while their own children attended western schools, universities and got plum jobs abroad?

On Accountability Agenda:

• Are the calls for international tribunals” truly for Tamil civilian victims, or are they thinly veiled demands for revenge against Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces for defeating the LTTE-their savior”? How can OHCHR justify supporting such agendas under the guise of justice”?

On Double Standards:

• How does OHCHR reconcile its advocacy for PTA repeal, Truth Commissions, and international accountability with the fact that its main diaspora partners simultaneously glorify terrorism, claim LTTE terrorists are their saviors, justify armed struggle, and demand to retain arms?

On Failure of Safeguards:

• Why have Swiss authorities and the OHCHR repeatedly failed to remove banners, placards, and flags glorifying a banned terrorist group displayed openly in front of the Palais des Nations, particularly near the Broken Chair memorial?

What message does this send to victims of terrorism worldwide?

On Vetting & Credibility:

• Were any of these pro-LTTE diaspora groups, which publicly glorify armed struggle, permitted to host side-events, submit reports, or attend official UN consultations during the current session and since 2009? If so, who vetted them, and how does the OHCHR justify legitimizing banned-terrorist-linked entities in UN processes?

• If OHCHR insists on protecting the voices” of LTTE diaspora groups, why have they consistently ignored or silenced Tamil voices who opposed the LTTE, Tamil victims of LTTE killings, or Tamil mothers who lost children to LTTE recruitment? Whose human rights” does OHCHR really stand for — civilians or terrorists?

Questions for UNHRC Member States / UNGA / UNSC

Audit of NGO Infiltration:

• Will Member States demand a full audit of NGOs, observers, or accredited individuals linked to banned LTTE networks, who have gained access to UN processes under the guise of civil society” or community representatives”? Their unchecked presence not only undermines the UN system but reduces it to a platform for terrorist propaganda.

On Double Standards in Accountability:

• How can Member States justify supporting calls for international tribunals against Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces, while LTTE networks abroad openly glorify armed struggle and their cadres live overseas as refugees” or asylum seekers” — a proven global security risk? (The assassination of Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi by the LTTE should remind all States of this danger.)

On Terrorist Symbols at the UN:

• How is it possible that, year after year since 2009, LTTE diaspora groups are allowed to brandish terrorist insignia, hold LTTE flags, and now even demand to retain arms” outside the Palais des Nations?

• Would the UN, Swiss authorities, or Member States ever tolerate the same spectacle from Al-Qaeda, Hamas or ISIS sympathizers?

• Does this not indicate either corruption or a catastrophic failure of oversight within the UN system?

On UN’s Credibility & Propaganda:

• How can the UN justify giving space to groups that use placards to glorify banned terrorists, propagate falsehoods, and encourage continued violence — when the UN claims to be an institution promoting peace, security, and counter-terrorism?

On Core Group Hypocrisy:

• If the LTTE diaspora’s claims of civilian representation are demonstrably false — since their own banners openly glorify LTTE cadres as saviors” and demand to retain arms — how can Member States, in good conscience, support the Core Group resolutions led by the UK, Canada, Malawi, North Macedonia, and Montenegro?

• Would it not be an international scandal if Members knowingly vote for a resolution that aligns them with groups declaring terrorists as their saviors?

• By engaging with and legitimizing LTTE diaspora groups, are Member States not undermining their own national security frameworks against terrorism?

• How will they explain to their own citizens if tomorrow an LTTE-trained cadre, resettled as a refugee,” carries out an attack on their soil?

Questions to the Swiss Authorities

• What legal framework in Switzerland permits the public display ofterrorist insignia and calls to retain arms outside UN premises, mocking international law and norms?
• Why has no action been taken to demand removal of banners glorifyingproscribed armed groups in Geneva?
• What measures will be implemented to ensure Swiss territory isnot used to mock the UN and facilitate terror advocacy?

Switzerland prides itself as a hub of diplomacy and international peace. How does permitting banned terrorist groups to glorify armed struggle in front of UN headquarters align with this image?

• Is Geneva to be remembered as the capital of peace” — or as the safe haven of global terrorists”?
• If Switzerland permits the glorification of LTTE terrorism on its soil, how can it continue to host the UN Human Rights Council and claim to be a neutral guardian of peace?”

Questions to the Government of Sri Lanka 

• How canoverseas voting rights be extended to individuals who claim LTTE is their savior and publicly advocate continuation of LTTE arms while claiming to represent civilians?
• What safeguards will prevent extremists or proscribed actors from influencing Sri Lanka’sdemocratic process – the GOSL should be aware that LTTE overseas continues coercion and extortion and has knife gangs and thugs in UK, Paris, Canada?
• Why should thePTA be repealed when these diaspora groups openly glorify armed struggle and misrepresent themselves as civilian representatives while claiming LTTE is their savior?

• By granting legitimacy and voting rights to these groups, GoSL risks re-exposing Tamil civilians to the same diaspora-backed terrorism that once used them as human shields

• Is the Govt not concerned about the national security risk to Sri Lanka & its people by allowing pro-LTTE Diaspora to vote?
• Why pursuetribunals against Sri Lanka’s armed forces, who defeated terrorism, while the same overseas networks continue to celebrate violence and mock international norms? Moreover, on LTTE witness testimonies is it fair to jail members of the armed forces who bravely fought to defeat terrorism?

• Why is the GoSL silent while terrorists mock Sri Lanka at the UN, and while foreign states openly platform LTTE propaganda? Has the GoSL forgotten that 30,000 soldiers sacrificed their livesto defeat LTTE terrorism? If GoSL will not defend them, who will?

• If LTTE diaspora groups openly declare LTTE is our savior” and demand the retention of arms, is this not the clearest proof that their real goal has never been justice, reconciliation, or civilian welfare — but simply to resurrect a defeated terrorist movementunder the cover of human rights”?

• Why then should the UN, Member States/UNHRC Council Members, or Sri Lanka take any of their claims seriously and continue the bogus resolutions and UNHRC recommendations against Sri Lanka?

This placard is not a cry for justice—it is a public confession of terrorism, made on UN premises. If the UN, Switzerland, or Member States ignore it, they are not bystanders—they are enablers. The world must now decide: will it stand with victims of terror, or with those who call terrorists their saviors?”

Shenali D Waduge

Concerned Citizen

Sri Lanka

Attachments;

Open Letter to Swiss Authorities UNSC on LTTE terrorist insignia display in Geneva

Open Letter to Swiss Authorities UNSC on LTTE terrorist insignia display in Geneva

https://www.shenaliwaduge.com/6367-2/ – videos and photo evidence of LTTE diaspora displaying terrorist insignia and admitting LTTE is their savior”.

චානක බණ්ඩාරගේ

කතරගම – ත්‍රිකුණාමල (කොළඹ හරහා) බසයේ මාගේ අසුන  ලඟින් වාඩිවී ගිය තරුණිය බසය තේ බොන්න නැවැත්වූ වෙලේ සිසිල් බීම බෝතලයක් පමණක් අරගෙන මා සිටින මේසයේම  පුටුවේ වාඩි  විය. මාද  සිසිල් බීම බෝතලයක් පමණක් බොන බව දුටු ඇය කථා කරමින්, ‘මමත් අයියේ කවදාවත් මේ හෝටලෙන් කන්නේ නැහැ. කාටද පුළුවන් මේ කෑම කන්න.  තිබහා  යන්න ඔය කූල් එකක්‌ බීලා ආයේ බස්‌ එකේ නගිනවා;  නිකන් මොනවටද ජරාව කාලා ලෙඩ හදා ගන්නේ.  මං සතියකට සැරයක් මේ පාරේ යනවා’කියා කිවා.

මා එම හෝටලයේ මුලුතැන් ගෙය මැදින් පිලිකන්නට ගියේ ටොයිලටයට යාමටය. හෝටලේ කෝකියා හෝ ඔහුගේ ගෝලයෙක්‌ යයි සිතිය හැකි කොන්ඩය සහ රැවුල අපිළිවෙළට වවා ගත් නිරුවත් උඩුකයෙන් සහ කිළිටි සරං කඩමාල්ලක්‌ ඉණට දවටාගෙන, දාඩියෙන් මුළු ගතම වෙලාගත් අයෙක්‌ මට මෙසේ කෑගසන්නට විය – ‘හා හා, මේ පැත්තෙන් නෙමෙයි එළියෙන් යන්න, ඔහේලා ඔක්‌කොම මේ කුස්‌සිය මැදින් ගිහිං බිම ජරා කරාම?’ කියා මා දෙස ඔරවා බැලීය. ඇත්තටම ඒ මුළුතැන්ගෙයි මැදින් ගියාට එහි අලුතින් ජරා වෙන්නට දෙයක්‌ තිබුනේ නැත. කැඩුණු කළු පැහැ ගැන්වුනු   සිමෙන්ති පොළවම වතුර හැලී මඩ වී තිබු අතර තැන් තැන් වල අපිළිවෙලට කපා දාමා ඇති එළවළු  වර්ගය.  මේසය මත එකෙක්‌ කිළටි දෑතින් කොත්තු සඳහා රොටි කපයි. තවකෙක්‌ බිම දමාගෙන කුකුල්ලු හත් අට දෙනෙක්‌ කුට්‌ටි කරමින් සිටී.  ඔහු වටේ පූසෙක්‌ සහ බල්ලෙක්‌ කැරකුන අතර ඈතින් කාක්‌කන් කරෝ කරෝ ගා බොකු බඩවැල් තරඟෙට ඉල්ලමින් සිටියහ. තවත්, කාන්තාවක් පිළිකන්නේ හිඳගෙන කූඩයකට කුණු වෙච්ච ළුනු, හොඳ ළුනු වලින් තෝරමින් කුනුවෙච්ච ඒවා මිදුලට විසි කරමින් සිටියාය.  මගීන්/සේවකයන් සඳහා වෙන්වුනු  ටොයිලටයෙන් හමන දුගඳ නැතිකරන්නට හෝ ගාලා ඇවිලෙන රබර් දර ලිපෙන් සහ තේ වතුර බොයිලේරුවෙන් හමන දුම් ගඳට නම් කිසිසේත්ම නොහැකි විය.  මා ‘ටොයිලට් යාම කල් දමමි’ යයි මටම කියා බසය තුලට ගොඩ වැදුනෙමි.

තංගල්ල – අනුරාධපුර  බස්  රූට් එකේ කෑම කන්න නවත්වන සමහර හෝටලවල ටොයිලට් නැත. ඇති ඒවායේ ඇත්තේ යාමට නොහැකි තත්ත්වයකි. එක් තේ බොන්න/කෑම කන්න නවත්වන මහා හෝටලයක වැසිකිලියට යන මාර්ගය එක දිගටම  මඩ, පස් සහ මුත්‍රා වලින් පිරී තිබුණි. එහි බොහෝ විට සමහර වැසිකිලි වල මගීහු අපවිත්‍ර කර, එසේම තියෙන්නට හැර පිටව ගොස් තිබුනේ වතුර නැති කම නිසායි.  මෙම වැසිකිලි වලින් හමන දුගඳ සෘජුවම කෑම කන අයටද බලපායි. වැසිකිලිවලින් පියඹා එන මැස්සෝ/නිල මැස්සෝ  පසුව අවුත් කෑමට වහති.  බොහෝ දෙනෙක්‌ බත් මුලක්,‌ පාන් බාගයක්‌ හෝ රොටියක්,‌ පැටිසක්‌ ‌ කන්නේ සිත් සතුටෙන් නොවේ, හුදු බඩගින්න නිවා ගැනීමට පමණි.

මෙම රූටයේම (තංගල්ල – අනුරාධපුර ) තේ බොන්න, බත් කන්න අතරමග නවත්වන සමහර කඩවල තවත් ‘අමුතු වැඩ’  සිදුවෙන බව බස්  මගියෙක් පවසා තිබුනා.   ඒ අතර මගීන් සඳහා වැඩි මිලට මත්පැන් සැපයීම සහ වෙනත් දේ සඳහා කාමර පහසුකම් සොයා දීම වෙනවලු.  මත්පැන් අලෙවියට ඔවුන්ට නිත්‍යානුකුල අවසර නැතත් හොර රහසේ ඒවා විකුණනවාලු.  එක් ස්‌ථානයක  ‘මත්පැන් පානය කිරීම තහනම්’ කියා පඩිපෙල අසල මේසය ලඟ උඩට නගින ඊතලයක්‌ සහිත බෝර්ඩ් ලෑල්ලක්‌ ගසා තිබුනාලු, නමුත්, එයින් ඉඟි කර ඇත්තේ එහි අරක්‌කු ඇති බවත්, ඒවා අවශ්‍ය අය උඩු මහලට යා යුතු බවත්ලූ.

පොළොන්නරුව පළාතේ මුව මස්‌, ගෝන මස්‌, මොණර මස්‌, ඉබි මස්‌ වැනි දේ සුලබ බව අයෙක් අප සමඟ කීය. මස් සපයන්නෝ කවුද කියා ඇසුවාම කීවේ වන ජිවියේ අය තමයි  කියායි.

රාජකාරි ඩබල් කැබ් වලින් මහ වනය ඇතුලේ රජයේ තුවක්කු වලින් කරන වැඩද මේ? රහසේ, වහා සොයා බැලිය යුතුයි.  ඇල්ලුවොත්, ඇත්තනම්, හිරේ යවලත් මදි නේද?

පසුගිය කාලයේ පරාක්‍රම සමුද්‍රය එහා පැත්තේ, ඒ වගේම පහත දැක්වෙන වැව් වල ඉස්මත්තේ  හැදුනු  සුපිරි හෝටලවලට දේශපාලනඥයයෝ හෝ ඔවුන්ගේ ඥාතින් ද  සමහරවිට සම්බන්ධ බව  කවුරුත් දන්නවා. මේවායින් විශාල පරිසර හානි සිදු වුනා කියා කියනවා: අනුරාධපුරයේ නුවර වැව, කළාවැව, නාච්චියාදුව, තබ්බෝව, අග්බෝ, හම්බන්තොට රිදීයගම.

මෑත කාලයේ හැම වසරකම වගේ මිනිසුන් 25  – 100ට එහා මැරුණා නාය යාම් නිසා.  මේ 21වෙනි ශත වර්ෂයේ කිසිසේත් නොවිය යුතු දෙයක්.

අපේ රටත්, පරිසරයත්, ජනතාවත් ගංවතුර, නාය යාම් වැනි අපදා වලින් නිදහස් කර ගැනීමට නම් රජය නිසි වැඩ පිළිවෙලක් සකස් කරලා; දැඩි නීති දාල අනවසරයෙන් පස් කපන (දේශපාලනඥයයෝ ඇතුළුව), ගල් කඩන, මැණික් ගරන, පහත් බිම් ගොඩ කරන, ගස් කපන මිනිසුන්ට අමතක නොවෙන දඬුවම් ලබා දිය යුතුයි. අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මහතා මේ පිළිබඳව යස කථාවක් කළා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ, 2016 මැයි 25 වෙනිදා.

කළ යුතු යයි එදා කිවූ වැඩ කරන්න දැන් කාළය ඇවිල්ලා – බලය ලබා දීලා තියෙනවා.

සියළු සංවර්ධන යෝජනා ක්‍රම පරිසරයට, සොබා දහමට පමණක් නොව මානසික අධ්‍යාත්මයටත් එකඟව සිදුවිය යුතුයි. පහත් බිම් ගොඩ කරලා තට්ටු ගොඩනැගිලි හදනවා – ‘ලක්ෂරි’ මහල් නිවාස ඇතුළුව, හයිවේ කියලා වෙල් ගොඩකරලා පාරවල් හැදුවා. දැන් පොඩි වැස්සක් ආවත් ඒ වතුර ටික උරා ගන්න පොළොවක් නැහැ.

නුවර අධිවේගය නිසා කවදාවත් යට නොවුණු ගම්පහ නගරය දැන් ලොකු වැස්සකින් මුළුමනින්ම වාගේ යට වෙනවලු.

වැලිසර නාවික හමුදා කඳවුර ඉදිරිපිට තිබෙන පරාක්‍රම පාරේ නිවෙස් හිමියන් හමුවී බලන්න. කටුනායක අධිවේගය නිසා දැන් විශාල වැස්සක් වැස්සොත් ඒ අයගේ ගෙවල් වල වැඩිහිටියෙක්ගේ පපුව ලඟට වගේ වතුර පිරෙනවලු. ඉස්සර කිසි කරදරයක් තිබිලා නැහැ. මේ  ප්‍රශ්න කියන්න/අහන්න කෙනෙක් නැහැ කියලයි ඒ අය කියන්නේ. රස්සාවට ගියත් කොයි වෙලෙත්  බයෙන් ඉන්නේ වැහලා ගංවතුර ගෙට එයිද කියා එක් අහිංසක අම්මෙක් කිවා.

කඩුවෙල, ජා ඇල ප්‍රදේශ දැන් පොඩි වැස්සකටත් යට වෙන්නේ කටුනායක අධිවේගය උදෙසා මුතුරාජවෙල විශාල වශයෙන් විනාශ කිරීම නිසාලු.

යහපාලන කාලයේ දේශපාලුවෝ ගොස් මුතුරාජවෙල ප්‍රදේශ අල්ලා ගත් සැටි සැමට මතකයි.

නුවර අධිවේගයට කියා කඩවත සිට මිරීගම දක්වා බිහි කරනවා නව කොන්ක්‍රීට් වනාන්තරයක්.

එදා කෝච්චියෙන් නුවර යනකොට වේයන්ගොඩ සිට මීරීගම දක්වා දෙපැත්තේම තිබුන අති දර්ශනීය පරිසරය – අනන්තය දක්වා දිවෙන නිල්වන් අහස, අක්කර සිය ගණනින් පැතිරුණු කොළ පැහැති කුඹුරු යායවල්/කෙත් වතු, ලස්සන දිය දහරවල්, විවිධාකාර ගස්  කොලන්, ජල  ඇනිකට්, කුරුල්ලෝ, දිය කබරයෝ, තලගොයන්, මී හරක් වැනි සතුන්, වෙල් ඉපනැල්ලේ සරුංගල් යවන සහ වෙනත් නොයෙක් සෙල්ලම් කරන ළමුන්.

සාගර පලන්සුරියගේ (කේයස්) සුදෝ සුදු කවි පෙළේ තිබෙන්නේ එයාගේ ගම ගැන, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සෑම ගමක්ම එහෙමයි.

නමුත් මෙවැනි මෙඝා ප්‍රොජෙක්ට් නිසා දැන් දකින්න ලැබෙන්නේ ඒ වටිනා පරිසරය විනාශ වී, අති දැවැන්ත කොන්ක්‍රීට් වනාන්තර බිහි වීමෙන් පවතින බවයි.  

අර තිබුණු ලස්සන පරිසර දර්ශනය ක්‍රමයෙන් වැහෙමින් යනවා නිමක් නොදක්නා කොන්ක්‍රීට් පාලම්, දැවැන්ත පස් කඳු, නව රථ වාහන පාලම් වලට.

නුවර අධිවේගය නිමවූ පසු මොනතරම් පරිසර විනාශයක් මේ අති සුන්දර ප්‍රදේශ වලට සිදු වේවීද? වාහන ශබ්ධ, කළු දුම්, වාහන වලින් ඉවත්වන තෙල්, ඉන්ධන ….

අධිවේගයෙන් ලැබෙන ආර්ථික වාසිය මේ සිදු කරන පරිසර විනාශයෙන් වසා ගත හැකි වේද?

නැත.

විදේශ සංචාරකයෝ එන්නේ අපේ රටේ ලස්සන – තද  කොළ පාට පරිසරය බලන්න. ඒ රටවල එය නැහැ.

කෝච්චියේ පාපුවරුවේ සිට ගෙන ගොස් දෙපැත්තෙන් වැදෙන සිහිල් සුළඟ, තෙත් කළාපයේ සීතල වැස්ස, කොළ පාට ස්වභාව ධර්මය ඔවුන් උපරිමව රසවිඳිනවා පමණක් නොවේ, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවටද නොමඳව ආදරය කරන්න පටන් ගන්නවා. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ලස්සන මුළු ලොවටම ඔවුන්  කියනවා.

කොන්ක්‍රීට් කඳු බලන්න නෙවී ඒ අය නුවරට යන දුම්රියට ගොඩ වෙන්නේ.

දැන් තියෙන නුවර පාර හැකි තරම් එක් පැත්තකට ලේන් 2ට (සමහර පැතිවල 3ට) පළල් කරලා මේ වැඩය කළා නම් පරිසරය පමණක් නොවේ ඉතා වටිනා කුඹුරු, අඹ, කොස්, කරාබු, සාදික්කා, ගම්මිරිස්, කෝපි, කොකෝවා වැනි වගා ඉඩම්, ඉතා වටිනා රබර්/පොල් වතු, දර්ශනීය/වටිනා ගෙවල්  බේරා ගන්න තිබුනා.

දේශපාලකයෝ මේ රට කෑවා කියා ජනතාව කියන්නේ මේ නිසයි.

ඔවුන් බනින්නේ 225ට මයි, ජවිපෙත් ඇතුළුව.

පසු ගිය වසර 76 තුල ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ලස්සන අපි ක්‍රම ක්‍රමයෙන් මරා ගත්තා. ඉදිරීයේදී තවත් මරා ගනු ලබනු  ඇත.

අන්තිමට අපටත්, ලෝකයටත් බලන්න කිසිවක් මේ රම්යභුමියේ ඉතුරු නොවනු ඇත. ලංකාවත් තවත් මැද පෙරදිගක් වැනි වේවි.

කොළඹ – මාතර, කොළඹ – කටුනායක, කොළඹ – නුවර අධිවේග කමක් නැත කියුවත් මාතර – හම්බන්තොට, නුවර – යාපනය වැනි මාර්ග අධිවේග තනන්න තරම් වාහන තදබදයක් තියෙන මාර්ග නොවෙයි.

මාතර සහ ඉන් එහා දක්වා දිවෙන දක්ෂිණ අධිවේගය නිසා ලෝක උරුමයක් වූ සිංහරාජ වනෝද්‍යානය දෙපලකින් දෙකඩ වූ බවයි වාර්තා වුනේ.

එක් ඇමතිවරයෙකුගේ ගෙදරට යන්න අවශ්‍ය නිසා මෙම අධිවේගයේ පිවිසුම් පොළක් (මාතර) වෙනස් කළාලු.

අනාගතයේදී හදන විවිධ නව අධිවේග මාර්ග නිසා උඩවලවේ වන උද්‍යානය, විතාරකන්ද, ලුණුගම්වෙහෙර, මදුනාගල, වීරවිල, නිමලව, බුන්දල, උස්සන්ගොඩ, කතරගම, යාල, බුද්ධන්ගල, උල්පස්ස, එගොඩයාය මහකන්දරාව, අනුරාධපුරය, මිහින්තලේ, රිටිගල, පල්ලෙකැලේ, සිගිරිය, මින්නේරිය, ගිරිතලේ, සෝමාවතිය, ඇලහැර, බකමුණ, කවුඩුල්ල, චුන්ඩිකුලම, විල්පත්තු, යෝධවැව, මුතුරාජවෙල, මඩු රක්ෂිතය, කලමැටිය,  බිබිලේ නිල්ගල යන ප්‍රදේශ සහ ඒවාට අදාළ සහ අවට වනෝද්‍යාන සහ කැලෑ රක්‍ෂිතයන් තදබල ලෙස විනාශ වී යාමට ඉඩ ඇතැයි පරිසර විද්යාඥයයෝ අනතුරු අඟවත්.

යුද්ධයෙන් පස්සේ 2012 පමණ, යාල මැදින් නව පාරක් කපුවා B35; බුත්තල – කතරගම පාර කියා. යාල වනෝද්‍යානය නැති කරන අදහසින්ම කපපු පාරක්?

මේ පාරේ ගියොත් අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම අලි ඇතුන් පාර අයිනේ දක්නට ලැබෙනවා.

අධික වේගයෙන් යන වාහන නිසා වන ජීවීන් හැපී මැරෙනවා.

වල් අලීන් මේ මාර්ගයේ යන මිනිසුන්ගෙන් කෑම ඉල්ලා හිඟා කන්න පාර අද්දර හිට ගෙන සිටිනවා. අලින්ගේ බඩ ගින්න නිවීමට රජයේ පිළියම මෙයද?

මේ නව පාරේ අලින් වාහනවලට පහර දුන් අවස්ථා බොහෝයි.

මේ පාර නිසා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ වන ජීවි සම්පතට කරන ලද හානිය කියා නිම කල නොහැකියි.

පරිසරවේදීන්ගේ දැඩි විවේචනයට ලක්වුනත් විල්පත්තු වනෝද්‍යානය මැදින් පුත්තලම සිට මන්නාරම දක්වා මාර්ගය යළි විවෘත කරන බවට අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක ජනාධිපතිවරණ සටනේදී මැතිවරණ ප්‍රතිඥ්යාවක් ලබාදී තිබුනා. ගරු සුප්‍රීම් උසාවියට ස්තුතිවන්ත වෙන්න කැපීමට නියමිත මෙම නව පාර පසුගිය මැයි මාසයේදී ස්ථිරව වැළකුනා. නැත්නම් තවත් මහා විශාල පරිසර/වන ජීවී විනාශයක් වෙන්න තිබුනේ.

බදුර්දීන් ද මතක් වෙනවා.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඉතා පුංචි දිවයිනක් – වර්ග සැතැප්ම 25,0000 පමණයි.  අධිවේග බොහෝ දුරට හරියන්නේ විශාල රටවලට.

අනෙක පැ කිමි 100 වේගයෙන් යන්න තරම් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ලොකු රටක් නොවෙයි. අධිවේග නැතිව දැන් පැය 8 න් පමණ කොළඹ සිට යාපනයට යා හැකියි. ඒ හොඳටම ඇති.

අධිවේග භාවිතය ගැන අපේ මිනිසුන් දැනුවත් නැහැ. බොහෝ රිය අනතුරු සිදු කර ගන්නවා.  අධිවේගයන් හී කී සියක් පසුගිය වසර 12 ඇතුලත අනතුරු වලින් මැරෙන්න ඇද්ද?

අධිවේගයේ වෙනත් වාහනයක් ඉස්සර කරන විට ඒ ඉස්සර කල වාහනයට ගොඩාක් ඉඩදී තමා තම වාහනය නැවත වම් පස ලේන් එකට දමා ගත යුත්තේ. බොහෝ දෙනෙක් ඉස්සර කල විගසම මෙය කරනවා; ඉතිං හැප්පෙනවා. මන්ද, පසු පසින් එන වාහනය එන්නේත් ඉතා වේගයෙන් නිසා. ඒ අයට සැලකිය යුතු ඉඩක් දිය යුතුයි.

ඔය මෙගා ප්‍රොජෙක්ට් නෙවෙයි, දුප්පත් මිනිස්සුන්ට අඩු පොලියට මය්ක්‍රෝ ලෝන් දෙන ක්‍රමයක් දිවයින පුරා පුළුල් ලෙස ව්‍යාප්ත කළ යුතුයි. විශේෂයෙන්ම, කාන්තාවන්ට ස්වයං රැකියා පටන් ගැනීමට වැනි. ඒ අයට මහන මැෂිමක්, සිල්ලර කඩයක්, මාළු ලැල්ලක් දාගන්න පොලී නැති හෝ අඩුම අඩු පොලි ණය ක්‍රමයක් හොඳට හැදුවොත් (බැංකු ලියාපදිංචි ගාස්තු/ගෙවීම් ආදියත් නැතුව), ඒ අය කාටවත් බරක් නොවෙන විදියට ජිවත් වේවි. ගත්තු ණය පොලියත් සමඟ අන්තිම සතේට ගෙවාවී.   රට බලා ඉන්දිද්දී දියුණු වේවි.

බංග්ලාදේශයෙන් (අපේ මුතුන් මිත්තන් ආ රට (විජය කුමාරයා) හඳුන්වා දුන්, ග්‍රාමීන් බෑන්ක් සංකල්පය ලොව හොඳම මය්ක්‍රෝ ක්‍රෙඩිට් ව්‍යාපෘතියයි. ලංකාව දියුණු කිරීමට නම් රටට ඔබින්නේත් ඒ සංකල්පයයි. ග්‍රාමීන් බෑන්ක් නිර්මාතෘ, යුනුස්, මහතා අද  බංග්ලාදේශයේ නායකයා.  

සමෘද්ධි/සණස  ග්‍රාමීය බැංකු ඉතා හොඳයි. නමුත් මහා පරිමාණයෙන්, පුළුල් වශයෙන් ව්‍යාප්ත වී නැහැ. එය එසේ විය යුත්තක්.

වටිනා කෑලෑ කපා කුඹුරු/වතුපිටි යට කර, වනජීවි දහන් විනාශ කර, පරිසර දුෂණය උපරිම කර, ලෝකෙටම ණය වී හදන අධිවේග වලින් ප්‍රයෝජන ගන්නේ රටේ 25% පමණ වන ජනගහනයක්. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අධිවේග සැදීමට යන මුදල ඇමරිකාවේ ඒවා හදන්න යන මුදල  හා සමානලු.

කටුනායක අධිවේගය විවෘත කරන දවස්වල පාරේ තියා කිරිබත් කපා, දන්සැලක් කල අහිංසක මිනිහෙක් හම්බුනා  වසන්ත කියලා. සරදියෙල්ගේ නෑයෙක්. ඒ දවස්වල මිනිහාගේ සතුට ඉහ වහා ගිහිල්ලා. ලඟදි මිනිහාව හම්බුවෙලා ඇහුවා ‘කී සැරයක් අධිවේගේ පාවිච්චි කලාද’ කියලා, මිනිහා කියනවා ‘එක සැරයක්  වත් නෑ සර්. මගේ මෝටර් සයිකලේට, මං යන සාමාන්‍ය බස් එකට අධිවේගේ තහනම්’ කියලා.

අධිවේග තිබුනට වැඩක් තියෙනවද හයි ලෙවල්, ගාලු, මීගමු පාරවල තවමත් අතුරැ සිදුරු නැතුව වාහන. කොළඹ සිට මීගමුවේ කොච්චිකඩේට මීගමු පාරේ රෑක මෝටර් රථයෙන් යන්න පැය 3ක් ඉක්මුනා පසුගිය දෙසැම්බරයේදී.   

අනෙක, කොළඹදී  දක්ෂිණ, කටුනායක අධිවේග මාර්ග පිවිසුම් කරා  ලඟා වෙන්න බොහෝ වෙලාවක් යනවා, අධික ඉන්ධන වැය වීමක් සිදු වෙනවා. උදා: බොරැල්ල ඉඳලා – කොට්ටාව හෝ අතුරුගිරිය පිවිසුම්වලට යන්න විනාඩි 75 – 90 විතර යනවා. ඉදින්, ගාල්ලට යන කෙනෙකුට පැය ½ක – විනාඩි 45 පමණ වාසියක් තමා අන්තිමට තියෙන්නේ.

අධිවේග භාවිතය විශාල ලෙසින් අඩු වෙලා බව වාර්තා වෙනවා, මිනිසුන්ට ඒ ගාස්තුව ගෙවන්න තියෙන අපහසුතාවය නිසා වෙන්න ඇති. රෑට වාහන නැතිම තරම්. අධිවේග වල උපරිම වේගය අඩු කරලා (පැ කිමි 70 – 80  පමණ) ඒවායේ සැමට යන්න සලස්වන්න ඕන. ඉන්ටර් සිටි බස්, මෝටර් ස්යිකල්/ස්කූටර්, ත්‍රි වීලර් භාවිතයට ඉඩ දිය යුතුයි (සෙමින් යන කන්ටේනර් ට්‍රක් රථ වලට යන්න දෙනවා නම් ඇයි මේවාට යන්න බැරි?).

අධිවේගවල සෑම විටම රථවාහන  ගමන් කල යුතුයි (24/7) – ඉඳ හිට නොවේ.

අධිවේගවල ට්‍රැෆික් ලයිට් නොමැති නිසා සැමට නොනැවතී ඉක්මනට යන්න පුළුවන්. ඒ වාසිය මේ රටේ සෑම වාහන හිමියෙකුටම/බස් මගියෙකුටම හිමි විය යුතුයි.

අධි වේග හදන්න ගත්ත ණය ගෙවන්නේ ඒ පාරවල වේගයෙන් රථවාහන පදවන අය පමණක් නොවෙයි, මුළු රටේම ජනතාව.

අධිවේග සැමට විවෘත කිරීමෙන් ඒ ‘දුප්පත්’ මිනිස්සුන්ටත් මහඟු ප්‍රයෝජනයක් ලැබෙනවා පමණක් නොව, රජයට ලැබෙන ආදායමත් ඉතා විශාල ලෙස ඉහල යනවා.

මේවාගේ තීරණ ගන්න පුළුවන් නිර්භීත රජයකට පමණයි.

ලෝකයේ සමහර රටවල් තියෙනවා මාස ගණන්, සමහරවිට අවුරුදු ගණන් වහින්නේ නැති. නමුත් අපේ මේ පින්බර රට අධි වර්ෂාව ලැබෙන රටක්. තෙත් කලාපයට ලැබෙන වර්ෂාව ලෝකයේ ඉහලම වර්ෂා පතනයක්. සමහර විට සති මාස ගණන් අහස කඩා වැටෙන්න වහිනවා. නමුත් ඊට මාස කිහිපයකට පස්සේ නියන් කාලය අවාහම  කුඹුරු මැරෙනවා, වතුර/ලයට්  කපනවා කියනවා. 

මේ අපට ලැබෙන මහා වැසි ජල කඳ වියලි කාලයේ ප්‍රයෝජනයට ගැනීමට සුරක්ෂා කර ගත යුතුයි. අලුතින් වැව්, ජලාශ, පොකුණු හදා ගන්න ඕන; වැඩි වතුර බැහැලා යන මනා ක්‍රම වේද සමඟ.  කොළඹ ආශ්‍රිත ප්‍රදේශවල උනත් එහම කලොත් කොච්චර අමතර සිසිලසකුත් ලැබේවීද?

දියුණු රටවල හැම ගෙදරකම වැසි ජලය ගබඩා කරන ටැංකි තියෙනවා. ඒ ජලය වත්තේ වැඩවලට, ලෝන්ඩ්රි, වාහනය සෝදන්න වගේ දේවලට පාවිච්චි කරනවා. වැස්ස අඩු ඕස්ත්‍රේලියාවේ සමහර ගෙවල් වල ලීටර් 2000, 5000, 10,000 වගේ ලොකු වැසි ජල ටැංකි තියෙනවා, මෝටර සවී කරපු.

ලෝකයේ වියලිම මහාද්වීපය වන ඕස්ත්‍රේලියාවේ සමහර ප්‍රදේශවලට අවුරුද්දකට වත් වහින්නේ නැහැ.  වැස්ස නැතුව වගාවන් පාලු වෙලා, මිනිස්සු අතහැර දමා ගිය ප්‍රදේශ තියෙනවා.  බුද්ධිමත්ව වැඩ කරන රටක් නිසා මරේ – ඩාර්ලින් ගංගාව, වැස්ස නැතත් ඒ අය මරා නොගෙන රැක ගත්තා. ඒ අය එය සජීවීව තියාගෙන තියෙනවා; තදබල නීති පැනවීම සහ ඒවා අකුරට ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීම මඟින්.

වැව් වල වතුර අඩු කාලෙට අපට තියෙන ඒ අගනා වැව්වල  රොන්මඩ ඉවත් කරලා, බැකෝ වලින් හොඳට හාරලා, හොඳට වැව් බැමි බැඳලා, ඇල වේලි හරියට හදා ගෙන,  අපේ වාරි පද්ධතිය හදා ගන්නවා නම් ඔය වාන් දානවා කියලා මහා ජල කඳන් පාරවල්, ඉඩම්, පැසුණු කුඹුරු  හරහා ඉවත් කිරීම නතර කරන්න පුළුවන්. අහසින් ලැබෙන සෑම දිය බිංදුවක්ම සංරක්ෂණය කර ප්‍රයෝජනයට ගන්න පුළුවන්. ජවිපෙ සහෝදරවරු 2000 ගණන්වලදී ආණ්ඩුවේ කොටසක්ව ඉන්න කාලේ මේ පිළිබඳව හොඳට වැඩ කළා, විශේෂයෙන්ම රජරට ප්‍රදේශවල.

නිතරම වාන් දමන වැව් වඩා විශාල කර, දැනට තිබෙනවාට වඩා දෙගුණයක් උනත් විශාල කර ගන්න බලන්න ඕන. පුද්ගලීක ඉඩම් උනත් මේ සඳහා පවරා ගන්න වෙනව නම් කරන්න දෙයක් නැහැ. රජ කාලේ විශාල වැව් හැදුවා නම් මිනිස් ශ්‍රමයෙන් නවීන යන්ත්‍ර සුත්‍ර තිබෙන මේ කාලයේ ඕවා සුළු දේවල්.

වටිනා වැහි වතුර ගලා ගෙන යාමට වැව්වල  වාන් දොරටු ඇරලා දානවනම්, ඒ වැව් වලින් ඇති පලය කීම? ගංවතුර ඉවරවෙලා, ආයි මාස 3-4 කින් වැව් හිඳිලා, නියං ආවා කියලා කෑ මොර දෙන්නෙත් අපිම නේද?

ගංවතුර කාලෙට ඒ ප්‍රදේශවල ටොයිලට් වලවල් බොහොමයක් උතුරා යනවා. මෙයින් සිදුවෙන අයහපත් සෞඛ්‍යාරක්ෂණය අති මහත්.  කොළඹට  නැතත් බොහෝ ප්‍රධාන නගරවලට මේ ප්‍රශ්ණය තදින්ම බලපානවා. ඩ්රේනේජ්‍ මළාපවාහන පද්ධතියක තියෙන වටිනාකම මෙයින් පැහැදිලි වෙනවා (කොළඹ සහ යාපනයේ පමණක් තියෙනවා).

ගං වතුර තත්වයන්ගෙන්  පසු එය බලපෑ ප‍්‍රදේශවල විශාල වශයෙන් තැන තැන කැලි කසල එක් රැස් වී තිබෙනවා. තදින් දුගඳ පැතිරෙනවා. මේ හේතුවෙන් එම ප‍්‍රදේශයන් මිහිපිට අපායන් බවට පත් වෙනවා.  ඉතාම  දැඩි දුර්ගන්ධයක් හමා යනවා. මිනිසුන් විශේෂයෙන්ම වයෝවෘධ අය සහ කුඩා ළමුන් ලෙඩ වෙන්න පුළුවන්. 

ගංවතුර/නාය යාම්  නිසා විනාශ වෙන්නේ ඒ ගෙදර තිබුන ඇඳන්, මෙට්ට, tv, ෆ්‍රිජ්, රය්ස් කුකර්, වොෂින් මෙෂින්, වාහන, මහන මැෂින්, පොත් පත්, ලිපි ලේඛන, සහතික පත්, ෆොටෝ ඇල්බම් පමණක් නොවේ, ඒ පවුලේ අයගේ ‘ආත්මයමත්’ ඒ සමඟ විනාශ වෙනවා. ගංවතුර/නාය යාම්  පිඩාවෙන් අත් විඳී කෙනෙක් තමා දන්නේ මොන තරම් දුකක්ද, සාපයක්ද ගංවතුර අරන් එන්නේ කියා.

නගරවල පාරවල්, කඩ සාප්පු, බස්/කෝච්චි නැවතුම් පල වල් අපිරිසිඳු, අපවිත්‍ර නම් අපට ඒ ප්‍රදේශ සංචාරක පාරාදීස බවට පත් කරන්න බැහැ. කවුරුත් කැමති පිරිසිඳු, ලස්සණ පරිසරයකට යන්න.

අද ලෝක සංචාරක කර්මාන්තය ඉතාම තරඟකාරියි. ලොව රටවල් 200ක් පමණ තම රටට සංචාරකයන් ඇද්ද ගැනීමට කල හැකි බොහෝ දේ කරනවා. අනිත් රටවලට යන සංචාරකයන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට කඩලා ගන්න නම් අපේ යටිතල පහසුකම්, පිරිසිඳු කම මීට වඩා බොහෝ ගුණාත්මයෙන් වැඩි වෙන්න ඕන.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට එන බොහෝ හොඳ රටවල සංචාරකයන්ට ඔන් අරයිවල් විසා දුන්නාට කමක් නැහැ, හැබැයි ඉන්දියාව, පකිස්තානය, මාල දිවයින, ඇෆ්ගනිස්තානය, බංග්ලාදේශය, මියන්මාරය වැනි රටවල් ගැන අපි කල්පනාකාරී වෙන්න ඕන.

ඔන් අරයිවල් විසා කල්ල්තෝනීන්ටට අත් වැළක් වේද?

ඔන් අරයිවල් විසා  එක නොමිලේ දෙන එකයි තේරුම් ගන්න බැරි. සමහර විදේශිකයෝ එනවා  බනිස් ගෙඩිය කා ප්ලේන් ටී එක  බී ඉන්න අය. යන්නේ පාරේ බස් එකේ. බැලුවහම, සති දෙකක් හිටියොත් ඩොලර් 500වත් වියදම් කරලා නැහැ. දේශීය සංචාරකයෝ ඊට වඩා වියදම් කරනවා.

අඩුම වශයෙන් ඩොලර් 50ක් වත් අය කරන්න ඕන සෑම විදෙස් සංචාරකයෙක් ගෙන්ම ශ්‍රී ලංකා වීසාව ලබා ගැනීම සඳහා. හැමදේම පිනට දෙන්න බැහැ.

එන කෙනා කොහොමත් එනවා, ඩොලර් 50 රටට ලොකු, විශාල ආදායම් මාර්ගයක්.

ඕන නම් SAAC රටවලට ඩොලර් 35 කරන්න පුළුවන්.

සංචාරකයෝ මේ රටේදී ගෙවපු VAT බද්ද එයා පෝට් එකේදී ආපසු ඒ අයට ගෙවනවා.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා රියදුරු බලපත්‍රයක් රුපියල් 2000ට කටුනායකින් නිකුත් කරනවා.

මේ රජයේ පිස්සුම පිස්සු වැඩ.

පළපුරුද්දද නැති කම.

මෙහෙම  කරලා රටේ ආදායම වැඩි කරගන්නේ කොහොමද?

රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා සංචාරකයෙක් ගෙන් ඩොලර් 75 වැනි මුදලක් ගන්න වැඩ පිළිවෙළක් ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන්න හැදුවා – හොඳ වැඩක්  හැබැයි බැරි වුනා. ඒ ක්‍රම වේදයේ වංචා දුෂණ තිබුන බවත් පැහැදිලිවම පෙනෙන්නට තිබුනා – මුජිබර් මන්ත්‍රීතුමා පැහැදිලිව එය විග්‍රහ කළා.

ලක්ෂ සංඛ්‍යාත ගණනින්  විදේශ සංචාරකයන් මේ රටට ගෙන්වා ගැනීමට නම්, වරක් පැමිණි සංචාරකයන් නැවත නැවතත් ගෙන්වා ගත යුතුයි.  අපේ ප්‍රධාන නගර වල පිරිසිඳු බව, ආපන ශාලා, වැසිකිලි වැනි පොදු පහසුකම්, මගී ප්‍රවාහන සේවා මීට වඩා බොහෝ දියුණු විය යුතුයි.

කොළඹ සහ වෙනත් ප්‍රසිද්ධ නගරවල තිබෙන ගරා වැටුණු සහ අබලන්වූ ගොඩනැගිලි ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණය කර තීන්ත ගා නව එළියක් ලබා දෙනමෙන් ඒ ගොඩනැගිලි අයිතිකාරයන්ගෙන් රජයන් ඉල්වා සිටින්න ඕන.

අධික වැස්ස සමයක, නගරවල පාරවල්, කඩ සාප්පු, බස්/කෝච්චි නැවතුම් පල වල් අපිරිසිඳු, අපවිත්‍ර නම් අපට ඒ ප්‍රදේශ සංචාරක පාරාදීස බවට පත් කරන්න බැහැ. කවුරුත් කැමති පිරිසිඳු, ලස්සණ පරිසරයකට යන්න.

කොළඹ සහ වෙනත් ප්‍රධාන නගරවල හොඳ, පිරිසිඳු වැසිකිලි පද්ධති ගොඩ නැගුනා ගොටාභය මහතා ආරක්ෂක ලේකම් කාලේ (2010 – 2015). ඉතාම හොඳ දෙයක් එතුමා කළේ.

රුපියල් 20ක් වගේ මුදලක් දෙන්න වෙන  උනත් එවැනි පහසුකම් ඇති කිරීම ඉතා වැදගත්. හිඟන්නෝ වගේ දුප්පත් මිනිස්සුන්ට නිකං ප්‍රසිද්ධ වැසිකිලි පාවිච්චි කිරීමට වවුචර් ක්‍රමයක් හදන්න ඕන, නැත්නම් ඔවුන් නගර කිලුටු කරනවාමයි. ස්වභාව ධර්මයාගෙන් එන අවශ්‍යතා මිනිසුන්ට තියෙන බව රජයන් අවබෝධ කර ගැනීම හොඳයි.

සමහර නගර තාම තියෙනවා එකම පොදු වැසිකිලියක්වත් නැහැ. මිනිසුන් තමන්ගේ අවශ්‍යතා ඉටු කරගන්නේ කෙසේද, විශේෂයෙන්ම කාන්තාවන්? සමහර පොදු වැසිකිලි තිබෙන බව මිනිස්සු දන්නෙවත් නැහැ, අදාළ සඥ්යා, නාමපුවරු සවි කර නැති නිසා.

රුපියල් 50ක් අයකරන සමහර පොදු වැසිකිලි තියෙනවා – අනුරාධපුරයේ දුම්රිය ස්ථානය උදාහරණයක්‍. එම ගණන වැඩියි. විවෙකාගාරයත් පාවිච්චි කරන අයට නම් ඒ ගණන කමක් නැහැ.

පොදු වැසිකිලි ඉතා ඉක්මනින් අපිරිසිඳු වෙනවා විශේෂයෙන්ම ශ්‍රී ලංකාව වැනි රටවල බහුල වතුර භාවිතය නිසා. ඒවාට වැසිකිළි  බලා ගන්නන් පත් කල යුතුයි.

බොහෝ දුරස්ථ කෝච්චි වල වැසිකිලි  පහසුකම් තියෙනවා. නමුත් මගීන් සතුටින් වැසිකිලි පාවිච්චි කරන්නේ ඒවා පිරිසිඳු නම් පමණි. උදාහරණයක් වශයෙන් කොළඹ – යාපනය ඉන්ටර්සිටි දුම්රිය – වැසිකිලි පහසුකම් ඉතා හොඳයි.  නමුත්, සවස 430ට පමණ කොළඹින් පිටත්වෙන උඩරට මැණිකේ, කොළඹ – නුවර. දුම්රියේ නම් වැසිකිලි අන්තිමයි, මිනිස්සු ඒවාට යනවත් ඉතා අඩුයි.

සවස 730ට කොළඹ කොටුවෙන් පිටත්වෙනවා ගාල්ලට සිග්‍රඝාමී දුම්රියක් – සමුද්‍ර දේවී, රාත්‍රී තැපැල් දුම්රිය. මෙම දුම්රිය ගැන කළිනුත් සඳහන් කර ඇත.

පිරිසිඳු කමින් නම් අන්තිම දුම්රියකි එය. වැසිකිලි ළඟ අසුනක් ගෙන දිගටම ගාල්ල බලා ගියොත් ඒ මගියා රෝගියෙක් වේවි. ඒ දුම්රියේ සමහර අඳුරු මැදිරිවල ඇති මලකඩ කාපු ජනෙල්  හරියට ඇර ගන්න වත් බැහැ.

යාපනයට කෝච්චියෙන් කිහිප වරක් ගියා. එහි ශබ්ධ විකාශනයෙන්, සිංහලෙන්, කෝච්චිය පැමිණී බව නම් කීවේ නැහැ. හැබැයි බෙලිඅත්තෙත් දෙමළෙන් කියනවා.

සීගිරිය මොන තරම් විශ්මිතද? සමහරු කියනවා ලොව 8වෙනි පුදුමය කියලා. මේ තරම් වැදගත් නිර්මාණයක් අප රැක ගන්නවා මදි; මුළු ලොවටම කියන්න ඕන සිගිරිය ගැන.

සීගිරියේ බඹර ප්‍රශ්නය විසඳා ඇති බව පෙනේ, මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් වගකිවයුත්තන්ට මල් මිටක්.

අධික වැස්ස සමයක, මෑත කාලයකදී, සීගිරියේ වතුර මල් (water fountains) ඉහලටම අහසේ නැඟ ක්‍රියාත්මක උනා කියා අප හිත මිත්‍ර ඕස්ත්‍රේලියාවේ පිලිප් ඇඩම්ස් මාධ්‍යවේදී තුමාව දැනුවත් කළා.  ඔහු එය   ABC රූපවාහිණියට අභිමානවත්ව පැවසුවා.   

අවුරුදු 1,500කටත් පස්සේ ක්‍රියාත්මක වන වතුර මල්. ලෝකයේ වෙන කොහෙද තියෙන්නේ?

ඉතා හොඳට පොලිෂ් කරපු,  කාශ්‍යප රජුගේ මුහුණ බලන ගල් කන්නාඩිය තවම තියෙනවා සීගිරියේ.

සීගිරියේ ගල මුදුනටත්  එදා අප වතුර ගත්තා. අද, අපට ඉතා අගනා, වටිනා, වැහි වතුර ටික පාලනය කර ගන්න බැරිව, පරිස්සම් කර ගන්න බැරිව ඒවා කුඹුරු උඩින්,  පාරවල් දිගේ, පුද්ගලික ඉඩම් උඩින් මහා පරිමාණයෙන්  වාන් යවනවා.

එදා අනුරාධපුර රාජධානි සමයේ (මීට අවුරුදු 2500ට පමණ පෙර – බටහිර ශිෂ්ටාචාරයන් කොළ අතු වගේ ඇඳගෙන ගල් ගුහාවල සිටි අවධියේ), අපේ නිවෙස්වල ජල මුධ්‍රිත වැසිකිලි තිබුනා, නිවෙස්වල නාන්න වතුර මල් තිබුනා.

පණ්ඩුකාභය/දේවානම් පෑ තිස් රජ සමයන්වල ශ්‍රේෂ්ට අනුරාධපුර නගරය දිනපතා ජල බට මගින් සේවකයින් පැමිණ දිවා රාත්‍රී පවිත්‍ර කළා. යම් තරමින් වීදී ආලෝක පවා තියෙලා තියෙනවා.

පිරමිඩ් වලටත්  වඩා උසයි අපේ සමහර ඉපැරණි චෛත්‍යයන්. මේවා ගැන, අපේ ඉපැරණි, උසස් ශිෂ්ටාචාරය ගැන  ලෝ වැසියන් දන්නවා මදි.

අපේ අනුරාධපුර ශිෂ්ටාචාරය, හය්ද්‍රෝලික් වාරිමාර්ග තාක්ෂනය, පොළොන්නරුවේ ගල් විහාරය සහ අනෙක් නටඹුන් විශේෂයෙන්ම වටදාගේ, අවුකන සහ සමාධි බුදු පිළිම, විවිධ අගනා පොකුණු, මිසරයේ පිරමිඩ් ශිෂ්ටාචාරයටත් වඩා උසස් සහ දියුණුයි. මේවා ජාත්‍යාන්තරව මිට වඩා ‘මාර්කට්’ කරන්න ඕන. මුළු ලොවම ඇවිල්ලා මේවා බලන්න ඕන. ලෝවැසියන් පුදුමයෙන් පුදුමයට පත් වේවි.

මිගමුවට කියන්නේ පුංචි රෝමය කියලා.  සංචාරක පාරාදීසයක් කරන්න පුළුවන් ප්‍රදේශයක්. ලුවිස් ප්ලේස් අවට ප්‍රදේශයේ ඇති කැතිද්‍රල් වැනි දැවැන්ත කතෝලික පල්ලි දකින සංචාරකයන් විශ්මිත වෙනවා. මේවා ලොව පුරා දැන ගන්න සලස්වන්න ඕන.

මිගමුව කලපුව, ලෙල්ලම පැත්තේ ගිහිල්ල බලන්න. පාලම උඩ වැනි තැන් කුණු ගඳ ගහන ප්‍රදේශ.  යාපනයේ කලපුව ඉතා හොඳින් නඩත්තු කර තිබෙනවා. කුණු පොදක් නැහැ.

තිතක් වැනි පුංචි ලංකාව ඇමරිකාව,  චීනය , ඉන්දියාව, රුසියාව, UK,  යුරෝපය හෝ ලෝකයේ වෙනත් කිසිම රටක ගැත්තෙක් නොවී සියලු රටවල් සමඟ සාමයෙන්, සහයෝගයෙන්  සතුටින් සිට සැමගෙන් උදව් ගෙන, අපේ ආර්ථිකය සහ පරිසරය හදා ගන්න ඕනේ.

ඇමරිකාව, එංගලන්තය, රුසියාව, යුරෝපය මේ සෑම රටකම කිල්ලෝටවල හුණු තියෙනවා. ඕවා අපට හදන්න/ඉවත් කරන්න බැහැ. අපට විරුද්ධව ආ ජාත්‍යාන්තර කුමන්ත්‍රණ නවත්තා ගන්නේ නැතුව ඒවා අවුල් කරගත්තේ අපිමයි. 

මෑත කාලයේ හොඳටම, උපරිම මානව හිමිකම් සහිතව යුද්ධය කර එය කදිමට, ශිෂ්ට සම්පන්නව අවසන් කල ලොව එකම රට අපයි. නමුත්, ඒ බව ‘මාර්කට්’ කර ගන්න බැරි වෙලා නිකං පරිප්පු කනවා අදටත් මුළු රටම.

මතු සම්බන්ධයි ……

Shenali D Waduge

Afghanistan is today remembered for suffering, oppression, war, militancy, opium, and foreign occupation. Yet for over 1,200 years Afghanistan was a center of Buddhism, known for its monasteries, universities, art, and trade. Few realize that the same land which today exports narcotics, terrorists and violence once produced statues of the Buddha, manuscripts of learning, and monks who carried knowledge across the Silk Road.

Afghanistan: First to Islamize

Afghanistan holds a unique place in history: it was among the first major Buddhist regions to experience Islamization.

The lands of present-day Afghanistan — spanning Bactria, Kapisa, Gandhāra, Balkh, Bamiyan, Mes Aynak, Hadda, Ghazni, and Jalalabad — were once a thriving network of Buddhist civilization.

Northern Afghanistan — today’s Balkh, Kunduz, Samangan, Baghlan, Takhar, and Jowzjan — formed the heart of Bactria, the cradle of Buddhist learning and culture. Monasteries, stupas, and universities flourished here, and the region was a hub of trade along the Silk Road, connecting India, Persia, and Central Asia.

Under the Mauryans and later the Kushan kings, Afghanistan became a vibrant center of Buddhist scholarship, Gandhāra art, and monastic life.

Ordinary people lived under values of compassion, non-violence, and learning, while women actively contributed to religious and cultural life.

By the 7th–10th centuries CE, Arab armies and subsequent Islamic rulers began altering this cultural landscape.

Monasteries were destroyed, monks dispersed or killed, and manuscripts burned.

Buddhism, once voluntarily embraced, disappeared, leaving behind only the ruins of its vast heritage.

Bactria (northern Afghanistan: Balkh, Kunduz, Samangan, Baghlan, Takhar, Jowzjan),

Gandhāra (eastern Afghanistan: Jalalabad, Peshawar in present-day Pakistan),

Population Perspective

Today, Afghanistan is nearly entirely Muslim, with 41 million people; under Buddhism, it might have reached 20–25 million in a culture of ethics, learning, and non-violence.

Buddhism’s Entry into Afghanistan

Before Buddhism, Afghanistan’s people followed the Indo-Iranian traditions, worshipping the sun, fire, and sky, and upholding ethical principles rooted in Zoroastrian and local practices.

When Buddhism arrived, its emphasis on compassion, non-violence, and moral responsibility resonated naturally with these pre-existing beliefs.

People embraced the Dhamma willingly, without coercion.

Buddhism entered Afghanistan through the efforts of Ashoka the Great, who extended the Mauryan Empire westward in the 3rd century BCE. His missionaries spread the teachings peacefully, offering guidance, education, and community support rather than imposing conversion by force.

Under the Kushan kings (1st–3rd centuries CE), Afghanistan became a flourishing Buddhist hub. Rulers such as Emperor Kanishka patronized monasteries, convened great Buddhist councils, constructed stupas, and promoted Gandhāra art. During this era, Afghanistan emerged as one of the most vibrant centers of Buddhist scholarship, culture, and trade in the world.

The People under Buddhism

For ordinary Afghans, Buddhism was not just philosophy — it was daily life.

Afghanistan’s people lived not under fear or oppression but under a culture of compassion and wisdom.

• Farmers cultivated their land under the guiding values of non-violence.
• Monasteries doubled as schools and guesthouses, giving villagers both education and refuge.
• Traders carried silk, lapis lazuli, and manuscripts, finding hospitality in Buddhist shrines along the Silk Road.
• Sculptors, painters, and artisans enriched communities with images that blended Greek, Persian, and Indian styles into the unique Gandhāra art.
• Festivals around stupas were gatherings of joy, learning, and community, not of war.

Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who visited in the 7th century, wrote of monasteries filled with monks, colossal Buddhas carved into cliffs, and bustling communities centered on learning and worship.

Women in Afghanistan: From Dharma to later eras

Under Buddhism

• Women played active roles in religious and scholarly life, studying Buddhist texts and participating in charitable work.
• They were patrons of monasteries, organizers of community festivals, and contributors to art and culture.
• Daily life allowed mobility, participation in public life, and personal expression, making Afghan communities vibrant and inclusive.

Later Eras

• Over time, with new social norms and changing governance, the roles and freedoms of women shifted. Historical records show cycles of restriction, particularly in conservative regions.
• Despite these changes, Afghan women continued to contribute to culture, family, and society wherever possible.

Malalai of Maiwant (1861-1880) is considered a national heroine taking a key role in the Second Anglo-Afghan war.

Queen Soraya Tarzi (1899-1968) was the first Queen of Afghanistan & wife of King Amanullah Khan who advocated for women’s education & rights.

1,200 Years of Buddhism in Afghanistan

• Balkhhoused the great Nava Vihara monastery.
• Bamiyancarved the largest standing Buddhas in the world.
• Mes Aynakcombined copper mining with monastic life.
• Hadda, Ghazni, Jalalabadwere centers of sculpture and learning.

Chinese pilgrims like Faxian and Xuanzang recorded the flourishing Buddhist communities of Afghanistan. Merchants carried lapis lazuli, silk, and manuscripts. The values of non-violence, education, and compassion were the social foundation of then Afghanistan.

From Dharma to Conquest

This order lasted until the 7th century CE, when Arab armies entered Herat and Sistan. Unlike the Mauryans, they came not with monks but with soldiers.

Over several centuries, Buddhist practices were systematically marginalized as Islam spread through conquest, social pressure, and state patronage

By the 10th century, Buddhism had disappeared from Afghanistan.

The people who once built monasteries were forced into mosques. Monks were dispersed or killed. Manuscripts were burned. To survive, Afghans had to submit, and in time they forgot the world their ancestors had lived in.

The Bamiyan Buddhas, though surviving for centuries, were finally dynamited in 2001. What could not be erased in 1,400 years of conquests was erased in modern times. From the time Islam entered Afghanistan, Buddhist monuments were treated as symbols of an older faith and therefore as threats to the new order.

As Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban’s leader, declared in 2001:

We smashed the idols of Bamiyan, and with their fragments built the mosque.”

The Buddhas stood as silent witnesses to Afghanistan’s Buddhist past, their very survival a challenge to those who wished to erase that memory.

The DNA of that Buddhist past remains in people still –

Afghanistan’s Treasures and Today’s Battles

As Buddhism declined and its ethical foundations eroded, Afghanistan became more vulnerable to conquest and the strategic plunder of its wealth.

Afghanistan’s mineral wealth — copper, lapis lazuli, rare earths — has always drawn foreign powers. In Buddhist times, these treasures funded monasteries and art. In modern times, they attracted Soviet occupation, US/NATO invasion, and global corporations.

Afghanistan also became synonymous with the opium trade, something unthinkable under Buddhist ethics, which prohibit intoxicants. What once exported sutras, art, and wisdom, today exports narcotics, terrorists and arms.

What once prohibited intoxicants now became the lifeblood of conflict economies

From Pilgrims to Pipelines

For over a thousand years, Afghanistan drew pilgrims and traders.

In modern times, it has drawn foreign armies. The Soviet Union came in 1979. The United States and NATO followed in 2001.

Both justified their invasions in political terms, yet behind the slogans lay the same reality: Afghanistan’s strategic wealth.

Its soil holds copper, lithium, rare earths, and oil. Its mountains are gateways for pipelines and energy corridors.

What was once a hub of Buddhist monasteries became a battleground for gas lines, oil lines, and mineral plunder.

The golden question – What if Buddhism had endured?

Had Afghanistan remained Buddhist, it is unlikely that:

• Opium fields would dominate its economy.
• Its cultural treasures would be reduced to rubble.
• It would be branded a terror haven” and a testing ground for foreign invasions and corporate plunder.

Instead, Afghanistan might have been remembered like Nepal or Sri Lanka — as a land of monasteries, pilgrimage, and peace – a continued centre for cultural exploration, tourist arrivals and excursions.

Would the US and NATO have invaded a Buddhist Afghanistan?

Perhaps not so easily. Its minerals and routes would still tempt foreign powers, but without the excuse of terrorism, armies could not so readily justify occupation. The world may have come as investors and pilgrims, not as occupiers.

Lessons for Today

For 1,200 years, Afghans lived under Buddhism.

For 1,350 years, they have lived under Islam.

Nearly 3,000 years of Afghan history are split between two civilizations.

One was embraced voluntarily, the other imposed through conquest.

The Afghan people did not abandon Buddhism on their own — it was beaten out of them, burned from their texts, and blasted from their statues and erased from their minds.

Yet every time a Buddha fragment or a monastery ruin is unearthed, Afghanistan’s soil whispers: We were once different. We were once gentle.”

Afghanistan’s past reminds us that civilizations can change — but they do not always change for the better. How a society treats knowledge, ethics, and compassion determines not only its own future but also how it is remembered by the world. History must be learnt and preserved, lest the lessons of a gentler past be lost to the violence of the present

Afghanistan’s Buddhist past reminds us that a society that cherishes knowledge, ethics, and compassion can thrive; a society that loses these values risks centuries of suffering.

As for the Remaining Buddhist Nations

The Buddhist nations that survived conquest — Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, Myanmar, Mongolia, Tibet, Vietnam and Sri Lanka — are fortunate, but survival alone does not guarantee adherence to the Buddha’s path. To truly honor their heritage, these nations must live the Dhamma in daily life: upholding compassion, non-violence, ethical governance, and societal wisdom.

History shows that labeling a nation as Buddhist is meaningless if society does not embody the Buddha’s Dhamma or risk moral decay & erosion of the culture it claims to protect.

Just as Sri Lanka has become a football field for geopolitical agendas and transnational capitalism, it also faces pressures to de-Buddhist itself through Islamization, Evangelical Christian influence, and Hindu expansion. These are additional threats to the Buddhist majority, for which the State must remain vigilant and take appropriate protective measures.

History has to be learnt and remembered so as not to repeat the same mistakes.

Ministry of Defence  – Media Centre

Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), addressing the high profile gathering at the 12^th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in China, emphasized the significance of collective dialogue, regional cooperation, and mutual respect in addressing global and regional security challenges.

He said, We should take seriously the legitimate security concerns of every country and promote peaceful settlement of differences and disputes among countries through dialogue and consultation. We need to continue pursuing open regionalism and steadily advance regional economic integration.”

The 12^th Beijing Xiangshan Forum is being held from 17 – 19 (Sep), at the Beijing International Convention Center in Beijing. Speaking at the Fourth plenary session on the topic of “Building regional peace through dialog and consultation” today (19), the Defence Secretary expressed Sri Lanka’s appreciation to the Chinese government, for the invitation to this high-level security and defence forum, which has become a vital platform for fostering dialogue and promoting peace in the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Quoting President Xi Jinping’s call to respect legitimate security concerns of all nations and resolve disputes through consultation, the Defence Secretary noted that true peace is achieved not merely through the absence of conflict but through dialogue, understanding, and constructive engagement.

Highlighting Sri Lanka’s strategic location, he reaffirmed the country’s longstanding commitment to ensuring that the Indian Ocean remains a zone of peace, open to cooperation and free from conflict. Sri Lanka stands ready to act as a bridge of peace and cooperation, facilitating connectivity, trade, and cultural dialogue between East and West,” he said.

The Defence Secretary further stressed the enduring friendship between Sri Lanka and China, recalling over seven decades of bilateral ties built on trust, mutual respect, and partnership. He acknowledged China’s steadfast support in safeguarding Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and stability, as well as its contribution to military training and infrastructure development.

Reaffirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to regional stability, the Defence Secretary said, Differences are inevitable, but they must never lead to confrontation. Dialogue and consultation are the only sustainable path forward” and also called for regional initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative and ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific to complement one another.

We must solve our problems among ourselves through dialogue and consultation, guided by equality and mutual respect. This is the spirit we carry forward from the Beijing Xiangshan Forum towards a future where peace triumphs over conflict”, he said.

The Beijing Xiangshan Forum, co-hosted by the China Association of Military Science (CAMS) and the China Institute of International Strategic Studies (CIISS), is one of Asia-Pacific’s most influential platforms for international security and defence dialogue. A large number of high profile defence heads and delegates are attending this forum.

National Development Bank PLC

National Development Bank PLC is proud to announce its achievement of winning Gold at the SLIM DIGIS 2.5 Awards, Sri Lanka’s premier recognition for excellence in digital marketing. The accolade was awarded for the Bank’s NDB Avurudu Dupatha campaign, a bold and innovative initiative that blended gaming, storytelling, and digital banking to position NDB NEOS as the app of choice for Sri Lanka’s younger generation.

The campaign, executed in collaboration with Gamer.LK, was launched during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year season, a time that is deeply embedded in culture and community. Rather than opting for a traditional campaign, NDB chose to connect with its target audience in a space where they naturally thrive, the gaming universe.

At the heart of the initiative was an imaginative storyline that transformed NDB’s digital banking offering into a thrilling adventure. The virtual NDB Avurudu Dupatha was under siege by the Economic Demon, Arthika Buthaya”, who disrupted the island’s ability to exchange and trade. Leading gaming influencers Maniya and Sadu rallied together with a team of 16 popular gamers to save the island. Viewers actively followed the journey as players raced to collect 500 scattered NDB fragments” that would restore power to defeat the demon and resurrect the island’s hero.

The campaign reached its climax when Maniya, chosen by popular vote, harnessed the power of the NEOS app to complete the victory. From scanning QR codes to purchasing in-game clothing, supporting digital artists, and donating to the Clean Ocean Force’s ‘Adopt a Beach’ initiative, NEOS was seamlessly integrated into the narrative, demonstrating its real-life applications in fun, relatable, and interactive ways.

By bringing NEOS into this digital storytelling experience, NDB effectively showcased features such as instant fund transfers, seamless QR payments, bill settlement options, and vKYC-enabled online account opening. These integrations resonated strongly with Gen Z and Millennials, audiences who value speed, convenience, and digital-first lifestyles.

The campaign was further amplified through live streams hosted by the gaming influencers, creating a festival-like atmosphere that merged the joy of Avurudu with the excitement of gaming. Audiences didn’t just watch; they interacted, engaged, and became part of the journey, resulting in a level of immersion and brand affinity that conventional advertising could not achieve.

Commenting on the recognition, Darshana Jayasinghe, Assistant Vice President and Head of Marketing at NDB Bank, said, Winning Gold at SLIM DIGIS 2.5 is a landmark moment for us at NDB. Avurudu Dupatha was more than a campaign, it was a cultural moment where digital banking met community storytelling. By entering the gaming universe, we brought NEOS into the lives of young Sri Lankans in a way that was authentic, entertaining, and empowering. This award validates our vision to go beyond banking and create experiences that resonate deeply with our customers.”

The NDB Avurudu Dupatha campaign stands as a benchmark in Sri Lanka’s digital marketing landscape, blending fantasy with functionality, culture with technology, and entertainment with empowerment. For NDB, this victory is not only a recognition of creative excellence but also a reaffirmation of its commitment to redefining customer engagement while empowering Sri Lankans with true financial freedom.

As NDB continues to expand its digital offerings, the Bank remains focused on pushing boundaries, innovating fearlessly, and making banking not only seamless but also meaningful in the everyday lives of its customers.

NDB Bank is the fourth-largest listed commercial bank in Sri Lanka. NDB was named Sri Lanka’s Best Digital Bank for SMEs at Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025 and was awarded Domestic Retail Bank of the Year – Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Domestic Project Finance Bank of the Year by Asian Banking and Finance Magazine (Singapore) Awards 2024. NDB is the parent company of the NDB Group, comprising capital market subsidiary companies, together forming a unique banking and capital market services group. The Bank is committed to empowering the nation and its people through meaningful financial and advisory services powered by digital banking solutions.

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

වර්තමාන රේගු අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් සීවලී අරුක්ගොඩ මහතා ආන්දෝලනාත්මක රතු ලේබල් කන්ටේනර් නිදහස් කිරීමේ සිද්ධියේ දී එම කන්ටේනර් නිදහස් කිරීම අධීක්ෂණය සඳහා පත්කර තිබුණ නිලධාරියා බවත් එහිදී ඔහු එම අධීක්ෂණ කාර්‍යභාරයෙන් ඉවත්වී එම කන්ටේනර් නිදහස් කිරීමේ කාර්‍යභාරයට උරදී කටයුතු කර ඇති බවත් නීරීක්ෂණය වෙන බව, මේ පිළිබඳව සොයා බැලීමට පත් කළ කමිටුව සිය වාර්තාව මඟින් ප්‍රකාශ කරයි.

මෙම කමිටුව වෙත සිය කරුණු දක්වා ඇති වර්තමාන රේගු අධක්ෂ ජනරාල් සීවලි අරුක්ගොඩ මහතා, 2024/7/18 දින ඉහළ කළමනාකරණ රැස්වීමේදී ගත් තීරණය මත පදනම් කරගෙන බහාළුම් නිදහස් කිරීම සඳහා නිලධාරීන් 3කුගෙන් සමන්විත කමිටුවක් පත්කර තිබුණ බවත් එම කමිටුවේ කාර්‍යයන් අධීක්ෂණය තමන් විසින් සිදුකළ බවත් ප්‍රකාශ කර ඇත.

සීවලි අරුක්ගොඩ මහතා සඳහන් කරනු ලබන එම නිලධාරීන්ගේ කාර්‍යභාරය වී ඇත්තේ ග්‍රේලයින් 1 සහ 2 වෙත යොමුවෙන රතු ලේබල් සහිත බහාළුම් ස්කෑන් පරීක්ෂාවකින් පසුව භෞතික පරීක්ෂාවකින් තොරව නිදහස් කිරීම සඳහා නැවත මාර්ගගත කිරිම හෝ RCT වෙත පරීක්ෂාවක් සඳහා යොමු කිරීමය. එහිදී කමිටුව වෙත අදහස් දක්වන සීවලි අරුක්ගොඩ මහතා වැඩිදුරටත් ප්‍රකාශ කර ඇත්තේ මෙම කමිටුවේ විනිවිද පෙනෙන සුළුබව වැඩිකිරීම සඳහා තමන් විසින් මෙම කමිටු කාර්‍යයන් අධීක්ෂණය කළ බවය.

එම අධීක්ෂණ කාර්‍යභාරය පිළිබඳව සිය නිරීක්ෂණයන් දක්වන කමිටුව ප්‍රකාශ කරන්නේ ප්‍රස්තුත බහාළුම් 309 නිදහස් කළ දිනය වන 2025 ජනවාරි 18 වෙනි දින රැස්වූ කමිටුව සඳහා සහභාගීවී ඇත්තේ රේගු අධ්‍යක්ෂ එස්.ඒ.ටී.බී සුරවීර මහතා පමණක් බවය. ඒ අනුව ඔහුගේ එදින කාර්‍යභාරය නිරීක්ෂණය කිරීම සඳහා වර්තමාන රේගු අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් සීවලි අරුක්ගොඩ මහතා සහභාගී වී සිට ඇති බව සඳහන් කරන එම කමිටු වාර්තාව ප්‍රකාශ කරන්නේ සීවලි අරුක්ගොඩ මහතා සිය අධීක්ෂණ කාර්‍යයෙන් ඉවත්වී බහාළුම් නිදහස් කිරීම සඳහා සහභාගීවී සිට ඇති බවය.

බහාළුම් 323ක ප්‍රමානයක් කිසිඳු වගවිභාගයකින් තොරව රේගුව විසින් නිදහස්කර යවා ඇතැයි මාධ්‍ය වාර්තා පළ වීමත් සමඟ ඒ පිළිබඳව සොයා බැලීමට 2025 ජනවාරි 30 වෙනි දින අංක එම්එෆ්/එස්ටී/01/02 ලිපිය මඟින් භාණ්ඩාගාර ලේකම්වරයා විසින් කමිටුවක් පත් කළ අතර එහි සභාපතීත්වය භාණ්ඩාගාරයේ නියෝජ්‍ය ලේකම් ඒ.කේ සෙනෙවිරත්න මහතා විසින් දරනු ලැබීය.

කේ. සංජීව

Hiru News

Former President and United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has called on all opposition parties to unite to defeat what he called “dictatorship.”

Speaking at the UNP’s 79th anniversary convention, held under the theme “Let’s Stand Together” in Colombo today, Wickremesinghe said, “Let’s all unite and get organised to defeat the attempts to establish a dictatorship by silencing opposition leaders.”

He proposed holding 1,000 public rallies across the country, with all opposition parties coming together for a common cause.

Referencing past political movements, Wickremesinghe reminded the audience of the Satyagraha campaign led by the late President J. R. Jayewardene and the ‘Pada Yatra’ led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

He concluded his speech by calling on his supporters to “bring back the double-decker bus” and repeatedly urged, “Let’s unite, let’s unite, let’s unite.”

Udaya Gammanpila

Top News Lk

By Garvin Karunaratne, former G.A.Matara

As a school boy at St Peter’s College I was always dragged by my father to mount and set up a public address system at one of the LSSP meetings. He owned Radio Works Bambalapitiya and held a contract with the LSSP to supply public address systems at election meetings for years. We employed three technicians but they were busy at other meetings. I have many a time observed NM looking hard at me again and again- a schoolboy of     fifteen who could mess up a meeting. But I was up to the mark. Ultimately he found he could rely on me and stopped staring at me.

NM did not know that I was a live member of the LSSP poster pasting campaign centered at the Peradeniya University. It was done at yakku gas nagina welava- one of us kept watch for the police with sharp eyes while the rest worked fast and within hours Kandy was pasted with LSSP notices.

Years later I was Assistant Commissioner of Agrarian Services, implementing the Paddy lands Act in Kegalla District. We never invited politicians for our publicity meetings. I got a nod from him when I met him at katcheri meetings and I always bowed.

Again I was the Additional Govt Agent at Kegalla in1967 and 1968, during the UNP regime of Dudley Senanayake. I ensured that though he was in the opposition all development programs were emphatically implemented in his electorate too. . That was my duty wherever I worked. The people came first and the politicians had to somehow fall in line. At times I forgot the politicians and directed my officers to do it all like at Weligama where Pani could never be found by anyone. .

I was away on a scholarship at Manchester University scored a Distinction in Community Development and came back to serve my Motherland. My wife tried to persuade me to stay in the UK and pursue studies as at times our lives had been ruined by politicians and we had to be on the run. That was Maitripala Senanayake ordering me out of Anuradhapura in minutes- ordered me not to enter my own office and got me transferred. I had interdicted and sacked a number of his men for fraud. I decided to get back as we have to serve our Motherland. If not for out free university studies I could not afford to become as grad,. 

When I returned from the scholarship I was not given a posting. I was moved to the Pool of unwanted administrators. I used to go to the public library every morning on my way to the Ministry find a novel and read it seated somewhere in the Ministry. In the second month, one day all the peons were searching for me and I was rushed to the phone.

“I am NM here. I am told that you spend your time at the Ministry reading novels.? “

“Yes sir, I have asked to be posted anywhere and have never been given a job.” I replied.

“Did you not know that I am the Minister of Finance. Come and see me at once.” He slammed the phone. My head was reeling as to what would happen to me and I drove as fast as I could to his office and was ushered in.

His eyes were rolling in anger.

“Why have you not told me.” He kept scolding me for some five minutes and stopped.

“Tell me where you want to work.”

Anywhere.” I replied.

No tell me where.” he ordered.

“Small Industries”.

He took the phone and spoke to someone;

I am sending my man. Give him a posting in Small Industries .”.

Then to me, Go and meet Subasinghe and get down to work.”

I went and met Mr Subasinghe the Minister for Industries.

NM told me to post you to Small Industries. There is no suitable vacant post as Deputy Director. I told the Secretary to create a post for you. Go and meet him.”

A post of Deputy Director was created in three days and I got down to work.

Again I came into direct contact in implementing the Divisional Development Councils Programme in Matara. That was not :Premier Sirimavo’s programme. It was NM at his best. In his 1970 Budget Speech he tells of his aim: “to fulfill the aspirations of thousands of young men and women for whom life will lose all meaning unless they can find a useful place in our society”. He head hunted the most prominent economist of the day, Professor HAdeS Gunasekera and to get the programme off the ground got him to go to the Districts by helicopter. I can remember greeting him, at the helicopter in Matara several times. We ducked our heads as some soldier had been decapitated at Katunayake earlier. That was the one time that an administrator was given a helicopter to travel.

Dr NM came again and again inquiring about the progress of the projects creating employment for the people he loved. He kept listening and would pose a question that was difficult to answer. It was a master teaching a child.

We struggled along, stumbling at times, in creating employment. Once he was due to open the batik and sewing unit at Tittapaddara. We managed to avoid a catastrophe there. I quote from my book: Papers on the Economic Development of Sri lanka(Godages):

Batik training was at that time not done by any state Department and it continued to be in the hands of the private sector with a high margin of profit…. The services of a batik dyeing entrepreneur was obtained from Galle, the adjoining district. He held initial discussions, provided details of tanks to be built and the ingredients to be purchased.. Twenty girls were found and tanks were built to his approval. He inspected the tanks met the girls and everything was in perfect order

With only 48 hours for the opening it became clear that the private entrepreneur was backing out. It was found that he had gone to Colombo and was missing. Hell was let lose and that entire Sunday morning about five key officers were telephoning all over- jeeps were rushing here and there and we were all lost. My wife was coming downstairs and inquired why many of us were there instead of being at Polhena for a bath. Finally she agreed to be the batik instructor and she and a cousin Welangoda were there for the opening session -lesson and continued teaching a for two full years working on Saturdays. That was a narrow shave.

I met Dr NM last when I hosted him for dinner at my Residency. It was a grand occasion with other members of parliament like Sumanapala Dahanayake. I managed it all- firstly to ensure that no one got poisoned. It was well known that a glass of orange juice offered to Prime Minister Bandaranayake was instead drunk by Minister CP de Silva and he was taken ill, even taken to Harley Street and never fully restored. Once my own Field Officer, GKGS Perera was summoned by me for a flying squad activity in Ambalantota by me and he went to the Ambalantota Rest House for his mid day meal. Then I worked in Ambalantota covering the Southern Province in the Marketing Department. GKGS had luckily brought a driver along and the driver hogged the kitchen area while the master GKGS was seated to be served with the meal. The driver over heard a waiter taking a meal to be served muttering. “how can I keep this meal to a sir who has a gleaming smile.” That driver was smart to peep and see the meal being placed on the table where his master GKGS was seated. He rushed and stopped him partaking the meal.

That event also moved me to give up staying alone in a small  house in Ambalantota, armed with my gun a double barrel.  I gave a call to a friend Sepala Ediriweera. the Post Master at Tangalla and stayed with him from that night. 

I did not go to bid good bye when I left the Ad Service. I knew that he would object. He had heard of my idea and had sent me two messages. I knew he was going to dissuade me from resigning and proceeding abroad. Anyhow I think I was right because though we went through hell at times being waiters at the Michigan State Cafeteria, working fifteen hours a day, when we ran out of funds, we succeeded in studies, my acquiring the M.Ed, M.Phil and Ph.D. and my wife bagging the M.Ed, I have  been able to write some worthwhile books.

In later life. as an international consultant I managed to design and implement the Youth Self Employment Programme of Bangladesh and train the staff of the Bangladeshi Civil Service to continue it after my two year consultancy ended and this is today the premier employment creation programme the world has known, having bagged over three million youths becoming commercially viable entrepreneurs within four decades. This is a continuing programme, coveted by the Bangladesh Government. When Muhammed Yunus had his Grameen Bank Loan Scheme many organizations and universities flocked to Bangladesh and copied it in the USA. The Youth Self Employment Programme which I set up is more worth looking at to create employment and also produce what we import. Today the news is that we are again importing Keeri Samba. We have all the resources to make all our jam and fruit juice and we can easily produce all the rice we need within one to two years. It was President Premadasa that kicked all agricultural officers up stairs to become Grama Niladharis. Unfortunately the Ministry of Agriculture is asleep.

When will we ever learn.

It would be ideal if a  programme of employment and production creation similar to the Divisional Development Councils Programme of 1970-1976 is implemented with immediate effect to stop the economic meltdown of today. This is a task that can be easily accomplished.

Dr NM belongs to that group of sincere, patriotic political leaders that adorned Sri Lanka. I am happy to have worked under his tutelage, a personality for whom I hold a great admiration.

Garvin Karunaratne

Government Agent, Matara 1971-1973

garvin _karunaratne@hotmail,com 17/09/2025

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Ex CEO Cololmbo Dockyard Pvt Ltd and chairman advisory board under EDB to develop Marine and Offshore Industry 

1. Introduction

Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its economic and industrial development. The current Government’s development priorities, especially under the NPP administration, recognize that a robust and skilled workforce is indispensable for sustainable economic growth. While university education remains important, the country faces a significant gap in skilled labour, technicians, and blue-collar professionals essential for industrial, maritime, and service sectors.

2. Rationale

• Workforce Imbalance: Overemphasis on university degrees has resulted in insufficient numbers of technically skilled workers and technicians.
• Industrial Demands: Strategic sectors such as shipbuilding, offshore engineering, manufacturing, construction, and high-value services demand a large pool of skilled workers.
• Global Competitiveness: Countries that prioritize vocational training have demonstrated higher industrial productivity and foreign investment inflows.

3. Policy Objectives

1. Prioritize Vocational Training: Elevate vocational and technical education to the same level of importance as university education.
2. Increase Skilled Labour Supply: Produce a pipeline of well-trained technicians and service professionals to meet current and future demand.
3. Support Economic Growth: Strengthen critical sectors such as shipbuilding, offshore industries, and the service sector to drive industrialization and export earnings.

4. Policy Measures

4.1 Financial Support Mechanisms

• Allocate a sizeable budget for vocational training programs in the annual national budget.
• Provide grants to public and private vocational training institutes to enhance facilities, curriculum, and instructor quality.
• Offer low-interest loans or interest-free student loans for trainees, with options for repayment after employment.
• Introduce collateral-free loan schemes for youth from low-income backgrounds to access technical training.

4.2 Institutional Capacity Development

• Strengthen existing institutions such as NAITA, DTET, and Vocational Training Authority.
• Encourage public-private partnerships (PPPs) to establish new training centers in high-demand sectors (marine, offshore, construction, ICT, hospitality).
• Introduce industry-led apprenticeship programs with recognized certifications.

4.3 Curriculum and Standards

• Align training curricula with international standards and emerging industry needs.
• Focus on practical, hands-on training in addition to theory.
• Regularly review and update curricula with input from industry stakeholders.

4.4 Sector Focus

• Shipbuilding and Offshore Sector: Develop specialized training programs in welding, mechanical and electrical maintenance, offshore safety, and environmental management.
• Service Sector: Hospitality, logistics, health care, and ICT support services.
• Green and Blue Economy: Skills for renewable energy, marine resource management, and sustainable fisheries.

5. Implementation Strategy

• Establish a National Vocational Skills Development Council to coordinate and monitor progress.
• Set annual targets for trainee enrollment, certifications, and job placements.
• Introduce a skills passport system to certify and track worker qualifications nationally and internationally.
• Mobilize foreign and local investment to upgrade training infrastructure.

6. Expected Outcomes

• Creation of a skilled workforce ready for domestic and international employment.
• Reduction of youth unemployment by channeling school leavers into high-demand vocational careers.
• Enhanced foreign direct investment (FDI) due to availability of skilled technical labour.
• Boost to the shipbuilding, offshore, and service industries, accelerating industrialization.

7. Conclusion

By prioritizing vocational training and technical skills development, Sri Lanka can ensure a balanced, inclusive, and sustainable path to industrialization. This policy will create the foundation for long-term economic growth, empower youth with employable skills, and position the nation as a regional leader in technical excellence.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Ex CEO Cololmbo Dockyard Pvt Ltd and chairman advisory board under EDB to develop Marine and Offshore Industry 

Senaka Weeraratna 

Imran Khan delivered the ‘ MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture’ in 2010. 

In this riveting lecture full of exciting personal anecdotes Imran Khan refers also to the tensions on the field due to poor umpiring decisions stemming from either negligence or deliberate wrong doing usually favouring the home side.  

He cites a specific example of an incident in a Test Match played in the Caribbean Islands between the West Indies and Pakistan in 1987 where the newly arrived batsman to the crease Vivian Richards at a crucial moment of the game was declared ‘ Not Out’ to a ball bowled by Imran Khan ( an outswinging ball that turned inward) catching Richards plumb in front of the middle stump of the wicket, to the horror of everyone witnessing the game. The Pakistani fielders had repeatedly appealed to the Umpire (from the home side) for a LBW decision but to no avail.  The reprieved Richards had then proceeded to score a century. 

The match had ended in a draw but may have turned in Pakistan’s favour if not for this Umpiring lapse, which Imran Khan identifies as deliberate Umpire wrong doing thereby distorting the final outcome of the game.

Cricket had no answer to these systemic Umpiring howlers which had been part of the game since its inception.

The entry of Technology however enabled a solution to be found. That solution was the ‘ Player Referral’ concept conceived by Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna in 1997. It was adopted by the ICC without due acknowledgement or mention of the name of the true author of the concept, as the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS).in 2006 and later abbreviated as DRS ( Decision Review System). The ICC is using DRS without ownership of the copyright and without the consent of the true owner of the copyright, in all three formats of the game to this day. It is just not cricket.

.

This palpable injustice done to a significant contribution made by a Sri Lankan lawyer, by the ICC and its affiliates, continues to linger leaving a poor taste in the mouth of all the affectionados of cricket worldwide.

Senaka Weeraratna 

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, Sept. 19 (Daily Mirror) – The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025 with Sri Lanka positioned at the 93rd spot.  

Last year, Sri Lanka ranked the 89th spot in the index.

Published annually since 2007, the ranking uses 80 indicators – from research and development (R&D) spending, venture capital deals, to high-tech exports and intellectual property filings – to evaluate how innovative 139 world economies are.

Switzerland remains the world’s innovation leader in 2025. China enters the top 10 for the first time, while middle-income economies – India, Türkiye, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Morocco, Albania and Iran – are the fastest climbers since 2013.

Switzerland tops the Global Innovation Index (GII) for a 15th consecutive year (Figure 1). It remains the global leader in the Creative outputs pillar and secures a top five position across all other pillars, except for Human capital and research (6th).

Sweden and the United States of America retain their 2nd and 3rd positions for the third year in a row.

The Republic of Korea climbs to 4th place in 2025 – its highest position to date.  Singapore remains within the top 5, despite slipping down one rank to 5th in 2025.

China enters the GII top 10 for the first time, leading globally in Knowledge and technology outputs. As the only middle-income economy within the top 30, China continues to lead its income group and ranks 3rd in its region, behind Singapore and the Republic of Korea. China is set to become the top R&D spender in 2024, according to WIPO estimates. 

WIPO Director General Daren Tang said that countries that view innovation as a fundamental engine of resilience, growth and competitiveness” are observed to perform better in the ranking.

This year’s GII reveals both encouraging progress as well as challenges that still need to be addressed for countries to fully harness their innovation potential. It is a reminder that innovation ecosystems require support and nurturing through thoughtful policies, meaningful investments and cross-sector collaboration,” Tang said. 

However, the findings indicate R&D spending growth slowed to 2.9% in 2024, down from 4.4% the previous year and marking its weakest pace since the 2010 financial crisis. WIPO projects a further decline to 2.3% in 2025.

Corporate R&D spending reached a record USD 1.3 trillion in 2024. However, growth in nominal terms slowed to 3.2%, or 1% in real terms, far below the 8% average for the past decade,” reads the report.