KAMALIKA PIERIS

The elephant features prominently in the annual Perahera conducted by Buddhist temples all over the island. The biggest perahera is the Esala perahera conducted by the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. Well over a hundred elephants used to participate in this Perahera. . There are similar Peraheras in many provincial towns, during Esala. However, some have only one elephant participating, observed Jayantha Jayewardene. .

Peraheras other than the Kandy perahera are also gaining in popularity and length. There is the Duruthu Perahera   conducted by the Kelaniya Rajamaha vihara, and Bellanwila perahera at Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihara in Boralesgamuwa. Bellanwila started as a small perahera in 1947 but has now developed into a major perahera.  In Colombo, Navam Perahera, of Gangaramaya Colombo, has enlarged in size and popularity since it started in the 1970s, and is now a tourist attraction as well.

Colombo also has Walukarama perahera which had started in 1967 apparently,   and the much younger Sri Sambodhi vihara perahera started in 2009. The Walukarama perahera of 2015 had 30 elephants, 500 dancers, performing Udarata, low country and Sabaragamuwa styles and a dance troupe of school children. The perahera went along Walukarama Road, Galle Road, Liberty Plaza roundabout and back through Duplication Road.

These peraheras have been deeply resented by the non-Buddhists from colonial times. The Buddhist –Catholic riots at Kotahena in 1883 and the Sinhala –Muslim riots of 1915 started by objecting to the noise of the drums as the Buddhist perahera passed a church and a mosque.

The modern day anti-perahera sentiments came out into the open during Yahapalana rule.  In 2016 Prasadini Nanayakkara, a journalist, wrote on the plight of the Perahera elephant in Sri Lanka. She said that these perahera elephants, grandly dressed, were actually captive elephants that silently underwent much stress during the perahera.

During the festive season, they are transported across long distances to pageant sites and are often deprived of rest or sleep, said Prasadini. They are kept tethered or confined for long periods of time, sometimes without adequate food and water in order to keep them from defecating or urinating on the streets during the pageant. They are subjected to massive crowds, loud noises, and sometimes even fire, all of which are very stressful for elephants. The repetitive head-bobbing that elephants often do during these festivals is a sign of trauma.

Prasadini quotes Dr. Deepani Jayantha, veterinarian and country representative of Elemotion Foundation, a US-based nonprofit that works to improve the life of Asian elephants. In a 2014 report titled, Responsible Elephant Tourism in Sri Lanka,” Deepani has said, elephants simply shouldn’t be held in captivity. Unlike domesticated pets, captive elephants are essentially wild elephants in chains, and are genetically and behaviorally predisposed to remain wild.

Elephants were draught animals in the past and their magnificent physique earned them royal recognition. Do we still need an elephant for the same purpose today, she asked. Continuing old-fashioned traditions is the only motivation for present day elephant owners.  There is a need to review our traditional thinking in order to have best management measures for captive elephants, said Deepani.

Deepani added that there is a well-organized, politically backed racket of smuggling baby elephants from the wild. [The media recently] said there are about 20 such abducted animals secretly kept in and around Colombo, she concluded.

Nothing will happen to Buddhism if there are no elephants in the perahera. The elephant is not an object of worship. Nothing will happen to the perahera either. The spectators do not come to see elephants. They come to support the perahera, worship relics, and enjoy the outing. The perahera has other attractions such as dancing, drumming, juggling, kasa karayas, the tubby nilames and so on to provide both entertainment and dignity.

The Tooth Relic can be taken in a chariot as it was done in the Anuradhapura period. The Mihindu Perahera at Poson, which takes place in many towns, big and small, does not have any elephants at all.  It consists mainly of children carrying flowers, flags.

In 2016, action was taken to damage the peraheras. The provisions of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance were used to keep adult elephants   out of the perahera. From 2009, all elephants had to be registered under the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Those who had elephants legally in their possession got their elephants registered but most didn’t, as they did not have the information needed. Also, there seems to have been some barrier to registration in the Act itself.

Using the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance the Wildlife Department started arresting non-registered elephants from temples.  They also arrested registered temple elephants used for other purposes such as tourism. Temples must ensure that elephants are only being used for religious purposes, the Department said.

Thanks to this in 2016 there were less elephants available for the peraheras.    Sambodhi Vihara, Colombo said it could not hold their perahera, in May 2016, because elephants trained for the perahera were in the custody of the Wildlife Department. They had been seized, because they did not have the necessary permits.. But these are not ‘hora ali’ the vihara said. These elephants have ownership permits and registration but the Wildlife Department had not issued permits for 2016.

The Diyawadana Nilame said in July 2016 that around 20 of the elephants used in the Esala Perahera in 2015 were now in court custody due to permit issues. There were 105 elephants in the Esala perahera in 2015, but there will only be 71 for 2016 perahera. Of the 132 domesticated elephants in the island, 52 cannot take part in the procession due to various reasons, such as, illness, musth, aggressiveness or other problems.

In 2017, Diyawadana Nilame again said that only about 65 tamed elephants and tuskers were available. They were with their owners.  But that was not sufficient to meet the requirements of the Esala Perahera in 2017. If this continues, the Kandy Perahera will have to be held without elephants.  The Kandy Perahera is a major tourist attraction as well.  If it goes down in standard, the whole tourist industry and its jobs will suffer.

Basnayake Nilame of Kataragama devale said in 2017 that around 45 perahera elephants were now in custody in elephant orphanages.  38 tamed elephants are at Pinnawela and Uda Walawe pending investigations by state authorities said another. The figures differ but the complaint is the same. There aren’t enough elephants for the perahera.

How is  there is a dearth of elephants for the peraheras  today, when  till now there have been sufficient elephants, brought from different parts of the country for the Esala Perahera in Kandy, Gangarama Perahera, the Bellanwila Perahera and so on, asked observers.  Usually each Perahera is held at a different time, but in 2017 the dates for Esala Perahera, Kataragama and Devundara coincide replied the authorities. 

In April 2017, the Basnayake Nilames of devales urged the government, to release 38 tamed elephants presently held in state orphanages, since this would affect the annual Esala Perahera of principal devales.  They pointed out that around 40 elephants each are needed for the Kandy and Kataragama peraheras, but only around 30 tamed elephants were available in 2017.

July 2017 lawyers presented to court, letters from the Diyawadana Nilame and the Basnayake Nilames of the four Devales, asking   that elephants in custody be temporarily released for the Esala Perahera. Colombo Magistrate ordered the release of 15 elephants for the Kandy Sri Dalada Perahera and several other peraheras.  The release order was from July 27 to August 15. Each elephant was to be released on a bond of Rs. 30 million. President Sirisena had also directed the Wild Life Department to release the elephants.

but there had been a delay in carrying out this order. Senior State Counsel, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General has raised objections to the release of the elephants on bond.  so did several civil society organizations. The elephants have not been released, complained Sambodhi vihara. Some officials and interest groups were objecting to the release, the temples said.

Then it was the turn of the baby elephants. From 2009, all elephant calves had to be registered with the Department of Wildlife Conservation under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance.    Elephant births had to be reported within seven days. Some had not followed these regulations.

Among those charged in 2017  with having un-registered  baby  elephants were  Mahinda,  Gotabhaya, Namal and Gaandhanee Rajapakse , Magistrate Thilina Gamage, Pradeep Mivanapalana who was the owner of the Sri Dalada Maligawa Tusker , Wasana Bakers of Horana and the   Basnayake Nilame of Kataragama  devale,   The monks charged with holding baby  elephants without permits included  Ven.Kolonnawe Siri Sumangala  of Dewram Vehera, Pannipitiya, Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera of Alan Methiniyaramaya, Polhengoda, Dharanagama Kusaladhamma Thera of Sri Sambodhi Vihara ,Colombo 7 and Ven. Bellanwila Wimalaratana of Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihara.

The   baby elephant sold to Ven. Dharanagama Kusaladhamma  has not been properly registered. The previous owner had not submitted a sworn affidavit or Grama Niladhari’s letter. Also the elephant’s height does not tally with its age and the owner had not paid the registration fee either. The initial ownership and the subsequent ownership were also incorrectly mentioned in the registration file.

The Wildlife Department officials had taken into custody a two and half year-old elephant calf found inside the Alan Mathiniyaramaya Temple in Polhengoda in January 2016. Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka it is alleged had kept this calf in his temple knowing, that it had been stolen.  Uduwe Dhammaloka said the elephant calf had been left in the   temple by an unknown person.  it was probably introduced on purpose.

Uduwe Dhammaloka was arrested and remanded in March and released on bail in June 2016.  He was charged   under Fauna and Flora Protection (Amendment) Act, No.22 of 2009 and Public Property Act. .19 persons have been named as witnesses in the case and three documents will be presented as production items in the case, sources said.

Since Yahapalana came to power, bhikkhus have been taken into custody for possessing elephants, the Buddhists declared angrily. The     authorities are hunting any one owning an elephant on the pretext of animal welfare. Their agenda is to prevent elephants participating in Buddhist ceremonies.   (continued)

RANJITH SOYSA

Dear Mr President

I  have been prompted to write this letter to you subsequent to your recent reported statement that you look forward to meeting some members of the expatriate Sri Lankan Tamil groups ( you had mentioned the term ‘diaspora’ which refers to the Jewish ethnic group which was driven away by force from their homeland whereas the overseas Sri Lankan Tamil groups have chosen to live overseas through legal migration or some seeking refugee status) who have expressed their total rejection of Sri Lanka’s war against the Tamil Tiger Terrorists and also endorsed the claims for a Tamil Eelam, in the North and the East of Sri Lanka.

To achieve both these objectives these groups have financed Tamil Tiger terrorism in Sri Lanka and had carried out anti-Sri Lanka campaigns in the international fora and within the countries in which they live. Their anti-Sri Lanka movement has caused death and injury to Sri Lankan citizens through the financed terrorist act and also created political issues for Sri Lankan governments in regard to so alleged violation of human rights.

In such a scenario, it is almost inconceivable how Sri Lanka can meet these anti-Sri Lanka pro-separatist groups for discussions for the purpose of ‘reconciliation’ or for any other purpose, unless without acceptable clarifications at least with regard to following.

1 unitary Sri Lanka,

2 The war against LTTE terrorism was conducted for the protection of territorial integrity and the liberation of Sri Lankan people from terrorism.

We are of the view that,if the Sri Lankan government proceeds ahead for discussions unconditionally, it will negate the mandate approved by Sri Lankan people when they elected you as the President, Besides, such a proposition will only lead to open the doors to ‘little now more later’ ethnic claims which had been the ploy followed by the former political leaders  of these group.

We, therefore, kindly request you to tread carefully in the face of obvious danger.

RANJITH SOYSA

Senaka Weeraratna

In November 1968 Sepala Amarasuriya took an initiative to form a Buddhist Youth Forum and invited a number of his classmates, school friends, and friends outside these two circles to join the Forum. The Office bearers were:

Anusasaka or Patron: Ven. Piyadassi Thera of the Vajiraramaya

President : Hiranthi Jayasuriya
Vice President: Tilak Gunawardana
Joint Secretaries
Sepala Amarasuriya
Anura Bandaranaike
Treasurer: Anil Dias
Editor: Senaka Weeraratna

Several eminent Buddhists delivered talks to members of the Forum every Sunday afternoon. They comprised Ven. Wellawatte Dr. Ananda Thero, Professor K.N.Jayatilleke, Alec Robertson, Ramsay ( R.G. de S.)Wettimuni, C.D.S.Siriwardena, among others.

In addition to attendance at weekly talks at Sepala Amarasuriya’s residence at Park Road, the Forum also organized Trips outside Colombo. 

In December 1968, the members of the Buddhist Youth Forum visited Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya (Mitirigala Forest Hermitage) and spent a day there. They went in a Bus. Some of the visitors to Mitirigala on this trip were Anura Bandaranaike, Sepala Amarasuriya, Tilak Gunawardana, Hiranthi Jayasuriya, Anil Dias, Dilanjan Soysa, Gihan de Silva, Welikala, Mahes Withana, Ravi Kumararatne, Anoma de Silva, Savitri Amarasuriya, Anoma Panditaratne, and Tissa Weeraratna. 

In November 1969, the Forum published a Magazine called ‘ The Buddhist Youth’. The Editor was Senaka Weeraratna. He was assisted by Ven. Piyadassi Thera and  William Peiris, senior Journalist.

The Magazine was given up as lost or untraceable. But fortunately on a routine check up of the material at the Archives of the Berlin Vihara ( Das Buddhistische Haus) in Germany, recently, a copy of this Magazine, was discovered. It had been gifted to the Library of the Berlin Vihara by Tissa Weeraratna over 50 years ago.

There are some interesting articles in the first Edition of the Magazine including several photos taken at Mitirigala on the occasion of the visit of the Forum members to the Aranya in December 1968.

A pdf copy of the Magazine is attached.

https://www.magentacloud.de/lnk/UcsgtwJH

You may also click on the weblink above and download the magazine.

I must thank Dr. Winfrid Liebrich, the honorary Librarian of Das Buddhistische Haus, for his assistance in helping me to trace and recover this rare copy of the Magazine.

Senaka Weeraratna

October 05, 2021

Laksiri Warnakula 

I was going through the ‘editorial’ of the ‘Island’ (29-09-21) titled ‘When heroes cower’ and as usual the ‘Editor’ stung again, where it hurts and matters most. 

And suddenly my mind veered off the rails and there they are, right in front of me: Garlic, sugar and rice. And then there were others as well, too many to fit into this short letter; turmeric, milk powder, to mention a couple.  

However, the three mentioned above occupied the centre stage: Garlic, sugar and, rice, of course, being kept in various forms of storage, some even cleverly hidden from the eyes of the casually curious to serious and honest investigators (sadly though, not many of them left now, of that quality).  

Then I wondered. How come garlic, which in folklore of some countries is regarded as a substance capable of keeping the evil spirits away, took sides with some evil-minded and let them steal it? My somewhat slow-witted mind saw it in that unusually dumb perspective. 

Now we all know Sri Lankans love sugar (including sugar-coated political mumbo-jumbo) and there are plenty unscrupulous out there, who would do anything to take advantage of that love to fatten their wealth. 

Finally, the ‘Rice Band’. I am sure many of us already know when, how and who laid the foundation and then subsequently kept building on it to such an extent, that now seems to have become a law unto itself and it seems to have no problem at all to say stubborn no’s even to the government, which as we have seen very recently had to timidly bow down to its demands.  

They came in, promising big to take those marauding bulls in all arenas of concern including political, by the horns, tackle them and tame them, once and for all. At the beginning it all looked well. However, many of those promises remain yet to be fulfilled and millions, who ticked the boxes in favour of them and not the other parties and their candidates, must be really disappointed, for very obvious reasons. And those bulls are still there (could be more now) and even more active than never before. 

I am sure that our President is capable of putting things straight with stern actions, sending those bulls where they belong and also let those roguish businessmen know, who is calling the shots. 

Laksiri Warnakula 

තිසර සමල් – අනුරාධපුර

පොහොර නොමැති කම නිසා ගොවියෝ වගා කරන්න යම්කිසි අවිනිශ්චිතභාවයකින් ඉන්නවා නම් , වෙනදා මේ වෙන කොට සුද්ධ කරන ඉඩම් තාමත් සුද්ධ කරලා නැත්නම් මේකේ ලොකු අවධානමක් තියෙනවා. අමතර භෝග වලට පොහොර නිර්දේශය තාමත් නෑ, කියන්නේ කවදාද වගාව කරන්නේ. මම මේ ටික ගැන ප්‍රශ්න කරන්නේ තරහකට නෙමෙයි, මේවා කොළඹට කියන්න, මේවා ලොකු මහත්වරුන්ට කියන්න. ඔයගොල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ සාකච්ජාවේදී මේ ඇත්ත කථාව කියන්න යැයි රාජ්‍යය අමාත්‍යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතා තිරප්පනය ප්‍රාදේශීය සම්බන්ධීකරණ කමිටුවේදී ගොවිජන සේවා නිළධාරීන්ට උපදෙස් ලබා දුන්හ.

තිරප්පනය ප්‍රාදේශීය සම්බන්ධීකරණ කමිටු රැස්වීම සූර්ය බල, සුලං හා ජල විදුලි ජනන සංවර්ධන රාජ්‍යය අමාත්‍යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතාගේ සභාපතීත්වයෙන් තිරප්පනය ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා ශ්‍රවණාගාරයේදී පැවැත්විණි.එහිදී ඉදිරියේදී ප්‍රදේශයේ සිදු කෙරෙන සංවර්ධන කටයුතු සම්බන්ධයෙන් මෙන්ම, සිදු කෙරුණු කටයුතු වල ප්‍රගතියද ආයතන හා අංශ මට්ටමින් සමාලෝචනය කෙරිණි.

එහිදී පවතින පොහොර ගැටලුව හා ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් ගොවිජනතාව තුළ පවතින මතය සම්බන්ධයෙන්,ගොවිජන සේවා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව නියෝජනය කරමින් පැමිණි නිළධාරීවරයාගෙන් අමාත්‍යයතුමන් ප්‍රශ්න කර සිටි අතර, ගොවිජන සේවා  නිළධාරීවරයා කියා සිටියේ,කාබනික පොහොර වගාව සඳහා කාබනික පොහොර නිෂ්පාදනයට ගොවීන් යොමු කරමින් සිටින බවත්, මෙතෙක්  අතිරේක භෝග සඳහා පොහොර නිර්දේශය තවමත්  ලැබී නැති බවයි.

එවිට අමාත්‍යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතා කියා සිටියේ, මම ගම්වල ඇවිදින කොට දැක්ක දේ තමයි, අනුරාධපුර බඩඉරඟු අක්කර 1 25000 ක් පමණ වගා කරපු එක,දැන් කවුරුත් වගා කරන්නේ නෑ, පොහොර සම්බන්ධයෙන් හරියට පණිවිඩයක් ගිහින් නැති නිසා, මම ශෂේන්ද්‍ර ඇමතිතුමත් එකක් කථා කරහමත් කිව්වේ පොහොර ටික පුද්ගලික අංශයෙන් අමතර භෝග වලට ගේනවා කියලා.හැබැයි පණිවිඩය ගොවිජන සේවා මධ්‍යස්ථාන හරහා ගමට යන්න ඕන, හැබැයි ඔයගොල්ලෝ තාම මේ පණිවිඩය ගමට කියලා නෑනේ. ඔයගොල්ලන්ගේ සේරම හැදෙන්නෙත් කාබනික පොහොර මෙට්ට්‍රික් ටොන් 1100 ක් විතර,  අක්කර 10 000 ක් විතර වගා කරන්න මේ හදලා තියෙන කාබනික පොහොර මදිනේ.මේවා කොළවල ගණන් හැදුනට බිමේ ප්‍රායෝගිකව වෙයිද මේක, තාම බඩඉරඟු බීජවත් වෙළඳපලට ඇවිත් නෑනේ? මම මේ ටික ගැන ප්‍රශ්න කරන්නේ තරහකට නෙමෙයි, මේවා කොළඹට කියන්න, මේවා ලොකු මහත්වරුන්ට කියන්න. ඔයගොල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ සාකච්ජාවේදී මේ ඇත්ත කථාව කියන්න. දිස්ත්‍රික්කයෙන් මේ ටික යන්න ඕන උඩහට.මුදල් අමාත්‍යංශයත් එක්ක අපි කරපු සාකච්ජා වලදී මම මේවා කිව්වම ඇමතිවරු ගාව ලැයිස්තු තියෙනවා ඔයගොල්ල යවපු ලැයිස්තු,ඒ අයට කරන්න දේකුත් නෑ, ලැයිස්තු වල තියෙන්නේ නිළධාරීන් යවන තොරතුරු ටිකනේ, ඇත්තටම ගොවියෝ පොහොර නැති නිසා වගා කරන්න යම්කිසි අවිනිශ්චිතභාවයකින් ඉන්නවා නම් , වෙනදා මේ වෙන කොට සුද්ධ කරන ඉඩම් තාමත් සුද්ධ කරලා නැත්නම් මේකේ ලොකු අවධානමක් තියෙනවා.අපි දැන් ලෑස්ති කර ගන්න ඕන පුද්ගලික අංශය හරහා කාබනික නයිට්‍රජන් ගෙන්වන්න සූදානමක් තියෙනවා නේ, මේ අවශ්‍යය ටික අපි මෙහෙට ගෙන්වා ගන්න ඕන, මේක පළමුවැනියටම ගේන ටික නිසා ව්‍යාපාරිකයොත් 100%ක් ගෙන්වන්නේ නෑ,   ඒ නිසා අපි දක්ෂ වෙලා, නිළධාරී උනන්දු වෙලා  අපිට අවශ්‍ය ප්‍රමාණය වෙන් කරගෙන, අපි මෙච්චරක් ඕන කියලා ගෙන්වා ගත්තොත් තමයි අපිට ගොවියා ආරක්ෂා කර ගන්න පුලුවන් වෙන්නේ, ඕන වෙලාවට පොහොර ටික නැති වුණොත් වැඩක් නැති වෙනවානේ.ඒ නිසා නියම තොරතුරු ටික දෙන ගමන් ප්‍රායෝගික තත්වය පැහැදිලි කරන්න.අමතර භෝග වලට පොහොර නිර්දේශය තාමත් නෑ, කියන්නේ කවදාද වගාව කරන්නේ, 15 වැනිදා වෙන කොට වගා කටයුතු ඉවර වෙන්න එපැයි.තාමත් අපි ගාව පොහොර නිර්දේශය නැත්නම් මොනවාද දාන්නේ. ඔයගොල්ලන්ට දොස් කියලා වැඩක් නෑ, හැබැයි මේ ප්‍රශ්න ටික උඩහට ගෙනියන්න යැයි පැවසීය.

මෙම අවස්ථාවට හිටපු උතුරු මැද මහ ඇමති එස්.එම් රංජිත් සමරකෝන, තිරප්පනය ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා සභාපති රොෂාන් ඉලංගසිංහ යන මහත්වරුන් ඇතුළු දේශපාලන නියෝජිතයින්, තිරප්පනය ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් සජිදා භාණූ මහත්මිය ඇතුළු රාජ්‍යය නිළධාරීන් එක්ව සිටියහ.

හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර ජනාධිපති නීතිඥ මෛත්‍රී ගුණරත්න
ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ නීතිඥ ශිරාල් ලක්තිලක
හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර රජිත් කිර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්
ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ නීතිඥ ගුණරත්න වන්නිනායක

ලංකා දේශපාලනයේ ගමන් මඟ වෙනස් කළ කුරුඳු පොලු පාගමනේ අට (8) වන සංවත්සරය නිමිත්තෙන් මෛත්‍රී, ශිරාල්, කීර්ති සහ වන්නිනායක නිකුත් කළ පුවත්පත් නිවේදනය

 ලංකා දේශපාලනයේ ගමන් මඟ වෙනස් කළ දෙවිනුවර – මාතර කුරුඳුපොළු ගැටුමේ අට (8) වන සංවත්තරය අදට යෙදී ඇත. විකල්පය විපක්ෂ බලවේගයක් ගොඩනැගීමත්, දුෂණයට මර්ධනයට හා පීඩණයට එරෙහිව ආණ්ඩුවේත් – ආණ්ඩුවේ බළල් අත්වලටත් එරෙහි නැගී සිටීම තුලින් අප යහපාලන ආණ්ඩුවක් කරා වන ගමන ආරම්භ කළේ මෙයින් වසර අටකට (8) පෙර අද වැනි දවසකය.

2010 – 2013 සමයේ අල්ලස දුෂණය වංචාව ඉහවහා ගිය සමයක, සමාජයේ සියළු කණ්ඩායම් වෙත මර්ධනයේ පීඩණය මුදා හැර තිබූණි.    පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ මන්ත්‍රීවරුන්ගේ ගෞරවයට ද, අධිකරණයේ ස්වාධීනත්වය ද විනාශ කර තිබුණි. පාර්ලිමේන්තුව, සමාජ ක්‍රියාකාරීත්වය, ජනමාධ්‍ය, වෘත්තීය සමිති, ශිෂ්‍ය ව්‍යාපාර මර්ධනයේ හස්තයට ගොදුරුව තිබුණි. නීතිඥවරුන්, වෘත්තිකයින්, රාජ්‍ය සේවය හෑල්ලු කර තිබුණි. 

අවස්ථාවක, විපක්ෂය ආණ්ඩු පක්ෂයේ අතකොළුවක් – රූකඩයක් වී තිබූ යුගයක් පසුකරමින් තිබුණි. 

එදා, විපක්ෂයේ ක්‍රියාකාරකම් බලහත්කාරයෙන් මැඩලීමට එරෙහිව ජනතාව පෙළ ගැසෙමින් තිබුණි. එයට නායකත්වය ලබා දෙන්නට විපක්ෂයට නොහැකි විය. එහි ප්‍රතිඑලයක් ලෙස විපක්ෂයේ බල කඳවුර ශක්තිමත් කරන්නට දෙවුන්දර සිට කොළඹ බලා එන දැවැන්ත පාගමන සංවිධානය කිරීමටත් එයට නායකත්වය ලබාදීමටත් අපි ක්‍රියා කළෙමු.  

අපගේ පා ගමනට රජයටත් වඩා රජයේ අතකොළුවක් බවට පත්ව සිටි විපක්ෂයේ කණ්ඩායම් බිය විය. එහි ප්‍රතිඑලයක් ලෙස දෙවුන්දර සහ මාතර දී අවස්ථා තුනක දී ප්‍රහාරයන්ට ලක්වන්නට අපට සිදු විය.  ගිණිඅවි, කඩු පොළු මුගුරු රැගෙන ආ මැරයින් ආණ්ඩුවේ පොලිස් රැකවරණ මැද අපට පහර දුන්හ. අප ද පෙරළා පහර දුන්නෙමු. පා ගමන ගැන අපේක්ෂාවෙන් ද, කුතුහලයෙන් ද සිටි පිරිස් එදා ආණ්ඩුවත් – විපක්ෂයත් අතර තිබූ සම්බන්ධය සක්සුදක් සේ දැනගත්තේ මේ සිද්ධියෙනි.

ගැටුමට මැදිවූ දෙපිරිසේම කොටස් සක්‍රීය විකල්ප වැඩ පිළිවෙලකට යොමු කිරීමට පා ගමන හේතුවිය. වංචාව, දුෂණය, මර්ධනයට විරුද්ධව සවිමත් බලවේගයක් ගොඩනගන්නට අපට හැකි විය.  එහි ප්‍රතිඑලය ලෙස 2015 දී රාජ්‍ය බලය ලබා ගැනීමට සමත්වූවෙමු. 

එදා අප ගත් ක්‍රියාමාර්ග රටට ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය දිනා දෙන බොහෝ සමාජ ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණයන්ට කේන්ද්‍රය වූවේය. පුද්ගලිකව අපට දිනා ගැනීමට කිසිවක් නොතිබූ සටනක ජයග්‍රහණ රටට ලැබුණේය. අද යහපාලනය, ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය, විනිවිදභාවය, අධිකරණයේ ස්වාධීනත්වය, කොමිෂන් සභා ඇතුළු ඒ සකලවිධ ජයග්‍රහණයන් ආපහු හැරවෙමින් ඇත.

අවසනවකට, අප අද තවත් එවැනිම සමාජ ආර්ථික අර්බුදයකට මුහුණ දී සිටිමු. රාජ්‍ය සම්පත් විකුණා දමමින්, රට තව තවත් ආර්ථික අර්බුදයක් කරා යොමු වෙමින් ඇත.

විපක්ෂය කැඩී වෙන්වී එකිනෙකාට චෝදනා කරමින් වක්‍ර ලෙස රජය ශක්තිමත් කරන තත්වයකට පත්ව ඇත.

මෙයට වසර අට (8) කට පෙර මුහුණ දුන් අභියෝගය ජය ගත් ලෙසටම අපි මෙවර ද එක්ව අභියෝග ජයගැනීමට අදිටන් කර ගනිමු.  උපක්‍රම තෝරා ගනිමින් ශක්තිමත් විකල්පයක් බවට පත්වීම හැර, හුදු ආණ්ඩු විරෝධය පමණක් ශක්තිමත් ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදී සමාජ ජයග්‍රහණ ලබාදෙන දේශපාලන ව්‍යාපාරයක් බවට පත්වන්නේ නැත. එක්ව සටන් කිරීම හැර කෑලි පහ හයකට කැඩුණු මහජන විරෝධයකට අනාගතයක් නැත.

අතීත අත්දැකීම් මතින් අනාගතය ගොඩ නැගීමට කුරුඳුපොළු ගැටුමේ අටවන සංවත්තරයේ දී අප අදිටන් කර ගමු. 

හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර ජනාධිපති නීතිඥ මෛත්‍රී ගුණරත්න
ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ නීතිඥ ශිරාල් ලක්තිලක
හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර රජිත් කිර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්
ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ නීතිඥ ගුණරත්න වන්නිනායක

කුරුඳුපොළු සටනේ 8 වන සංවත්සරය අදයි.

මර්ධනය, දුෂණය, බොරුව, වංචාවට එරෙහිව ශක්තිමත් එක්සත් විපක්ෂයක් ගොඩනගමු. 

Manusha Media

රසායනික පොහොර ගෙන්වීමට අවසර දිය යුතුද නැද්ද යන්න ගැන ආණ්ඩුවේ මන්ත‍්‍රී කණ්ඩායම අතර රහස් ඡුන්දයක් පවත්වන්නැයි සමගි ජන බලවේගයේ මාධ්‍ය ප‍්‍රකාශක පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත‍්‍රී මනුෂ නානායක්කාර ආණ්ඩුවට අභියෝග කළේය.

රහස් ඡුන්දයක් තිබුවහොත් රසායනික පොහොර ගෙන්වීමට තුනෙන් දෙකක කැමැත්තක් හිමිවන බවද මන්ත‍්‍රීවරයා සදහන් කළේය.

වැඩිදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ මන්ත‍්‍රීවරයා මෙසේද කීවේය.

පොහොර ප‍්‍රශ්ණය නිසා ගොවියා අසරණ වෙලා. කන්න බොන්න බැරි තත්වයකට ඔවුන් ඇදගෙන වැටෙනවා. රටේ ආර්ථිකය කඩාගෙන වැටෙනවා. ඵලදායිතාවය වැටෙනවා.

පොහොර අවශ්‍යද නැද්ද කියලා ආණ්ඩුවේ මන්ත‍්‍රීවරු අතරේ රහස් ඡුන්දයක් තියන්න කියලා මම ආණ්ඩුවට අභියෝග කරනවා. පොහොර අවශ්‍ය යැයි කියලා තුනෙන් දෙකකින් දිනනවා.

පොහොර තහනම නිසා ආණ්ඩුවේ මන්ත‍්‍රීවරුන්ටත් ගෙදර යන්න බැරිව ඉන්නේ. ගමට යන්න බැරිව ඉන්නේ. ඒ නිසා ආණ්්ඩුවට රහස් ඡුන්දයක් තියලා විමසන්න කියලා අපි කියනවා

Courtesy Hiru News

A tense situation arose at a meeting held at the Medirigiriya Residential Management Office today (05) regarding the provision of water for the Maha season.

This was with the request made by the farmers to provide fertilizer.

There was a heated exchange of words between the representatives of the Kaudulla Agrarian Movement and the Polonnaruwa District Secretary

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

නුවරඑලිය සීත දේශගුණයට හිතකර වු බහුදේශිය පළතුරක් වශයෙන් හදුන්වන ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාවට නිසි වෙලදපොලක් සහ ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාවට යොදන රසායනික පොහොර නොමැති විම නිසා එම වගාවෙන් ඉවත් වි එලවළු වගාවට යොමු විමට ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාකරුවන් තිරණය කර ඇත.

නුවරඑලිය නගරය ආශ්‍රිතව මාගස්තොට, සිතාඑලිය, මිපිලිමාන, යන ප්‍රදේශවල ස්වයං රැකියාවක් වශයෙන් ගොවියන් විශාල පිරිසක් සහ වාණිජ වශයෙන් කිහිප දෙනෙකුම ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාවේ මේ වන විට නිරතව සිටියි.

කොවිඩ් 19 වසංගත තත්ත්වය හේතුවෙන් අන්තර්පලාත් අතර සංචරණ සිමා පැනවිමත් සමග දෙස් විදෙස් සංචාරකයන් නුවරඑලිය  ප්‍රදේශයට නොපැමිණිම හේතුවෙන් නැවුම් ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි අලෙවිය , ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි ආශ්‍රිත නිෂ්පාදන සහ තමන්ගේ අස්වැන්න අලෙවි කර ගැනිමට නොහැකි තත්ත්වය හමුවේ ඵලදාවට දැඩි ලෙස හානි සිදු වි ඇති බවයි ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාකරුවන් කියා සිටියේ.

ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාවෙන් නිෂ්පාදිත ජැම්, අයිස්ක්‍රිම්, කැරමල්, පිට්සා සදහා දැඩි ඉල්ලුමක් එවකට පැවතිම හමුවේ ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාකරුවන් තම වගාවලින් හොද ආදායමක් උපයා ගත් අතර , වර්තමානයේ එම වගාව හුදෙක්ම නුවරඑලිය ප්‍රදේශයට ආවේනික වු කුරුලු විශේෂයන්ට ආහාරයක් පමණක් වි ඇති බවයි එම වගාකරුවන් කියා සිටින්නේ.

නුවරඑලියේ ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාවට අවශ්‍ය රසායනික පොහොර සහ කෘෂි රසායනික ද්‍රව්‍ය ලබා දි සිය ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාව සදහා නිසි වෙලදපොලක් සකස් කරදෙන ලෙස නුවරඑලිය ස්ට්‍රෝබෙරි වගාකරුවන් අදාල බලධාරින්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටියි.

– හැටන් රංජිත් රාජපක්ෂ

Courtesy NDTV

Regarding concerns on Colombo’s ties with China, the Sri Lankan President said to Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla that he would not allow Sri Lanka to be used for activity that could threaten India’s security.

Colombo: 

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday assured India that his country would not be allowed to be used for any activity that could pose a threat to India’s security, as he explained Colombo’s ties with China in a “comprehensive manner” to Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and exchanged views with him on a wide range of issues, including post-pandemic economy revival.

Mr Shringla called on President Rajapaksa before he wrapped up his four-day visit to the island nation to review the bilateral ties. The meeting took place a day after the president returned from the US, after attending the annual UN General Assembly.

“Sri Lanka would not be allowed to be used for any activity that could pose a threat to India’s security,” President Rajpaksa conveyed it to Mr Shringla during the meeting, a presidential release said.

President Rajapaksa explained the nature of Sri Lanka’s relationship with China “in a comprehensive manner and informed the Indian Foreign Secretary not to have any doubts about it,” it said.

China has been ramping up its presence in Sri Lanka, investing billions of dollars in various infrastructure projects, including ports.

Beijing is also providing financial assistance to Sri Lanka as its economy struggles under the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sri Lanka is also key to China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI), an ambitious infrastructure project that aims to expand the country’s influence and global trade links.

A strategic port that was built by Chinese companies at Hambantota – which Sri Lanka was not able to repay and therefore handed over to Beijing in 2017 on a 99-year lease – has enhanced Beijing’s presence on the island. India is also concerned over China’s plans to build a brand new city with Chinese money off the coast of Colombo on reclaimed land.

President Rajapaksa told Mr Shringla that Indian investors are invited to invest in the island and Sri Lanka was keen to resolve the situation regarding the Trincomalee oil tanks in a manner that is beneficial to both countries.

The World War II-era oil storage facility in the strategically advantaged port district of Trincomalee has been a key bilateral economic partnership link for decades.

Since 2003, the Sri Lankan subsidiary of India’s oil major Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the Lanka IOC, has had the leasing rights to 99 tanks at the facility for a period of 35 years, for an annual payment of USD 100,000.

Mr Shringla’s visit to the site on Sunday assumes significance as oil sector trade unions in Sri Lanka have demanded that tanks be brought under the control of the state fuel entity Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).

President Rajapaksa tweeted that he had a fruitful discussion with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

“Both agreed on the need for strengthening the lasting bond b/w 2 countries. I invited Indian investors to come to #SriLanka, while we discussed tourism, power generation & post-pandemic economy revival,” he said.

The Sri Lankan President elaborated on the need to re-establish the friendship and relations between India and Sri Lanka that existed in the 1960s and 70s.

President Rajapaksa said that he is expecting to obtain India’s support in advancing the 1971 proposal to declare the Indian Ocean a peace zone.

The long standing problems faced by the fishermen of the two countries could be resolved by identifying immediate solutions to the existing problems and providing the benefits rightfully owed by the fishing community, the release said.

On India’s concerns over the 13th amendment, President Rajapaksa pointed out the urgent need to understand the weaknesses as well as the strengths of the 13th Amendment.

Mr Shringla, in his meetings with the Tamil minority parties, had stressed the Indian commitment to the 13th Amendment as a means to bring about reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

India has been consistently calling upon Sri Lanka to fulfill its commitments to protect the interests of the Tamil community and preserve the island nation’s character as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

The 13th Amendment provides for devolution of power to the Tamil community. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th amendment which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.

A release from the Indian High Commission said the Foreign Secretary underscored the importance India attaches to expeditiously taking forward mutually beneficial projects, including proposals to enhance air and sea connectivity between India and Sri Lanka.

Earlier, the High Commission of India (HCI), giving details of the meeting, said in a tweet, “they reaffirmed the strong ties of friendship & cooperation between India & Sri Lanka and discussed ways to further advance this comprehensive partnership at all levels.”

In all his engagements, Mr Shringla underscored India’s willingness to pursue economic and commercial ties between the two countries and post pandemic economic recovery by taking forward joint projects of mutual benefit was emphasised, officials said.

The Indian High Commission said that the foreign secretary’s visit involving notable engagements in Colombo, Kandy, Trincomalee and Jaffna was “productive”.

“His visit will give further impetus and momentum to India-Sri Lanka ties,” it said in a tweet.

On Monday, Mr Shringla had a “productive discussion” with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on further consolidating the multifaceted bilateral partnership.

He also met Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister GL Peiris and discussed bilateral ties in all spheres.

He also held delegation-level meetings with his Lankan counterpart Admiral (Retd) Prof. Jayanath Colombage on Monday. during which they reviewed bilateral cooperation.

The Foreign Secretary also interacted with the Indian High Commission officers at the Mission premises on Tuesday.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

“Team HCI is truly grateful for his words of encouragement and support,” the Indian High Commission said in another tweet.

Comments(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Courtesy The Daily News

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China Dr. Palitha Kohona speaking at the Innovation and Development of Cities Summit, attended by many Chinese tour operators and environmental NGOs, encouraged Chinese tour groups to direct at least a million tourists to Sri Lanka.

The Ambassador elaborated on Sri Lanka’s green credentials, including its vast forest cover, the 7000 odd wild elephants, the highest concentration of leopards in Asia, the 26 species of whales off our shores, including the giant blue whale, etc.

He emphasised that Sri Lanka will rely on renewables for 70% of its energy needs by 2030 and has stopped the importation of chemical fertilizers while banning the use of certain popular varieties of plastic.

These attractions were on top of its magnificent historical sites, sacred Buddhist places of worship, including the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, the fragrant tea gardens and kilometers and kilometers of unspoilt and uncrowded beaches, capped by a million smiling faces and unmatched hospitality.

Later the giant Caissa Travel Group (among the top five in China) made a firm commitment to the Ambassador to make its best efforts to send One Million tourists to Sri Lanka when travel restrictions were lifted.

Meera Srinivasan

Foreign Secretary H.V. Shringla calling on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday.   | Photo Credit: Sagara Lakmal de Mel

Sri Lankan President expresses desire to revive the spirit of the relations of the 1960s and 1970s

There is an urgent need” to understand the weaknesses and strengths” of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution and act accordingly”, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday told Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, while expressing a desire to revive the spirit of the relations of the 1960s and 1970s.

Mr. Shringla called on the President on Tuesday morning, before wrapping up his official visit. In addition to underscoring the need to expedite bilateral projects, the Foreign Secretary, in his meeting with President Rajapaksa on the final day of his visit, reiterated India’s position on complete implementation of the provisions under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, including devolution of powers and the holding of provincial council elections at the earliest”, the Indian mission said in a statement, referring to the nearly 34-year-old legislation that remains contentious in Sri Lanka.

Also Read: Chinese military activity near Taiwan provocative: U.S.

Regional security

Both countries agreed on the need for short-term and long-term steps” to take relations to a higher level”, the President’s office said adding that President Rajapaksa is expecting India’s support in advancing the 1971 proposal made by then Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike to declare the Indian Ocean a peace zone.

According to official sources in Colombo familiar with the Foreign Secretary’s discussions over the last few days, the Indian official had raised concern over maritime security in the region, particularly in the wake of Sri Lankan authorities recently apprehending massive hauls of narcotics that India suspects came from a regional drug mafia”. Any threat to Sri Lanka’s peace and security is a threat to the region and Sri Lanka must not become a conduit,” the Indian side is said to have conveyed.

The President’s remarks on elevating ties come after considerable strain in relations over Colombo’s unilateral move earlier this year, cancelling a trilateral Port terminal project agreement signed with India and Japan in 2019; and New Delhi’s persisting concern over the slow pace” of India-backed development projects amid China’s increasing presence in Sri Lanka’s economic and developmental spheres.

However, last week, the Adani Group obtained 51% stake in a deal signed with Sri Lanka’s John Keells Holdings and the Sri Lanka Port Authority, to jointly develop the West Container Terminal at the Colombo Port, offered as a compromise” to India.

Also Read: Explained: The Adani Group’s recent port deal in Sri Lanka

Thrust on energy

According to official sources, both sides identified areas of greater collaboration in the energy sector. The development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm at the eastern tip of the island nation was a key point of discussion, sources indicated, with Colombo expressing willingness to iron out differences. The statement from President Rajapaksa’s office said the Minister of Energy has been entrusted with the task of resolving the situation” regarding the Trincomalee oil tanks in a manner that is beneficial to both countries”.

The subject Minister is likely to travel to New Delhi soon,” an official source said, requesting anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the ongoing negotiations. India has been linked to the project for over three decades now, but the proposal for India and Sri Lanka to jointly refurbish and commission the World War II-era oil storage facility has only hit roadblocks, with worker unions and nationalist groups periodically opposing any Indian involvement in a strategic national asset.

To keep the conversation going and firm up proposals, New Delhi will likely host at least four top Ministers from Colombo soon, officials told The Hindu.

Mr. Shringla’s visit, an official source observed, was mainly to ‘sensitise’ Sri Lankan interlocutors about the need for greater focus” on bilateral relations. Sri Lanka has ‘reassured India, a top official said.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Experts affirm that plant pathogens and invasive species in the imported organic fertiliser may contain deadly human and animal pathogens

• In soil organisms Bacillus anthracis is deadly. It causes anthrax  and that can cause sudden death in humans and animals
• Bacillus Anthrasis is known to survive in soil or compost for at least 50 years
• The presence of Bacillus bacteria in a shipment heading to Sri Lanka must be viewed with extreme caution

In an interview on a television channel the Director of Agriculture said that the authorities would not go back on the decision of not  importing inorganic fertilizer.
For years the Department of Agriculture had in its research programmes was advocating inorganic fertilizer and had submitted material which was rusting in the cupboards of the Department.  If this largest state department had acted ten years ago then the decision by the government go organic could have been implemented at least to a point

In the meantime the dons, especially from the University of Peradeniya, like Dr.Rasika Jinadasa, of the department of Microbiology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Univesity of Peradeniya, says that the causative agent/s for KDU in Sri Lanka is yet unknown. All developed nations have achieved food security and the capacity to export substantial excess of produce.

Dr.Jinadasa is not only a Graduate from the University of Peradeniya, but possesses a Master’s from Nebraska and a Ph.D from Cornell Universtiy. He says that highly distinguished and trained professionals have already highlighted the negative effects the sudden decision taken to ban chemical fertilzer could have on food security, the livelihood of the farmers and the economy of the country. This decision has attracted much criticism from stakeholders in the Agriculture, Industry and Commerce.

 Dr. Jinadasa said that the popular slogans to justify the ban were ‘harmful chemicals/toxins’ in chemical fertilizer and ‘to create a green agriculture’, which was in fact floated without any solid facts.
To substantiate his clame Dr.Jinadsa adds that all developed nations in the world have achieved food security and the capacity to export substantial excess of produce only with the appropriate use of chemical fertilizer. Used within the prescribed guidelines, modern good quality chemical fertilizers are generally safe commodities. It is proven beyond reasonable doubt that the world cannot meet the growing demand for food without prudent use of chemical fertilizer.

The potential double blow to food security and environmental safety comes from the equally sudden attempt to import organic fertilizer; apparently from China at least initially. The importation of organic fertilizer, or any organic matter or even anything that contains soil for that matter is banned by many developed nations; particularly by countries with well-developed agriculture sectors. The regulations are usually stricter in island nations such as New Zealand and Australia. Currently, it is banned in Sri Lanka as well.
The governments ‘sudden’ decision to ban chemical fertilizer has received much criticism from all stakeholders in the Agriculture, Industry and Commerce sectors. 

“All developed nations in the world have achieved food security and the capacity to export substantial excess of produce only with the appropriate use of chemical fertilizer – Dr. Rasika Jinadasa“

The potential blow to food security and enviromental safety comes from the equally sudden attemtpt to improt Organic fertilizer, appraently from China at least intially.  The regulations are usually stricter in island nations such as New Zeand and Australia, says Dr.Jinadasa. Currently, it is banned in Sri Lanka as well.
Dr.Jinadasa says that organic fertilizer should be prevented from being imported to stop plant pathogens and invasive species from entering a country; which could devastate the entire agriculture sector of a coutry literally overnight. 

In addition Dr. Jinadasa said that plant pathogens and invasive species in the imported organic fertilizer may contain deadly human and animal pathogens that may be detrimental to humans and animal health. Introducing animal pathogens alone could have devasting effects on the ecology of a developing country such as Sri Lanka, Dr.Jinadasa said. 

Sounding a warning Dr.Jinadasa said that the extreme danger posed by Erwinia to the vegetable crops has been underscored by other experts. The presence of Bacillus bacteria in a shipment heading to Sri Lanka must be viewed with extreme caution.  Most Bacillus bacteria in solid or animal manure are harmless organisms. But in soil organisms Bacillus anthracis is deadly. It causes anthrax  and that can cause sudden death in humans and animals. The disease could spread by air and the baceria is categorised as a biological weapon. Some Bacillus bacteria, inclding the deatly Bacilus Anthracis, can survive the natural composting temperatures to 70 degrees Celcius and can remain alive in the soil or compost for an extended duration.Bacillus Anthrasis is known to survive in soil or compost for at least 50 years.

The last case of suspected anthrax was reported in Sri Lanka some 40 years ago and therefore we have yet to declare the anthrax-free status ( need to wait for 50 years hence after the last case the bacterial may still be surviving in the soil).

Dr. Jinadasa said that Anthrax is currently present in China.  Therfore technically if the country decides to import soild or organic mater from China we are risking of introducing a deadly disease to the country and we also loose the chance or declaring an Anthrax-free status in the near future. 
Being an island nation the easiest way to prevent the introduction of new diseases is to simply implement strict biosafety measures at our ports and airports; which will ensure that no new pathogens will enter the country. 
Drawing a similarity on what’s said by other professionals Dr. Jinadasa pointed out that the country could have prevented or at least controlled or delayed the COVID-19 outbreak in Sri Lanka if timely measures were taken at the inception. 

“Being an island nation the easiest way to prevent the introduction of new diseases is to simply implement strict biosafety measures at our ports and airports; which will ensure that no new pathogens will enter the country.”

Dr. Jinadasa said that many island nations and other nations like Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and New Zealand do not have rabies. They never had it or vaccinated and eradicated it and are maintaining very tight border controls to prevent the possible entry of it from other countries.  
Sri Lanka, Dr.Jinadasa says, is a littel island and is still struggling to control rabies. The secod highes cost for a single drug for the Ministry of Health is the rabies vaccine. 
Among the devastating viral diseases in cattle called Rinderpest was recently eradicated from the world, but in Sri Lnaka an ouybreak was once reported. 
The last such outbreak in Sri Lanka was apparently linked to goats that came to Sri Lanka; with the Indian Peadce Keeping Force.

The ingredients used to make organic ferilizer is critical for its quality and safety. Many manures-particularly poultry manure- conatians large quantities of antibiotic residues and bacteria that are resistant to bacteria and may enter the food chain and eventually make human pathogens resistant to most common antibiotics. Hence the doctors will be without options when treating patients. Dr. Jinadasa said that China is a heavy antibiotic user in terms of livestock production.
He says that Cyanobacteria produce contains potent toxins and survive the noraml composting temperature and those toxins actually cause CKDU.

Courtesy Adaderana

Asian Development Bank (ADB) Director-General for South Asia Department Kenichi Yokoyama has assured President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that the bank will support the promotion of Small- and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka.

The ADB provided a USD 750 million concessional loan last year for projects in the country. Mr. Yokoyama said that the ADB will take steps to increase this amount to USD 1 billion next year.

His remarks came during a discussion with President Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat, earlier today (October 05).

Mr. Yokoyama further noted that the success of the COVID-19 vaccination drive demonstrates Sri Lanka’s ability to overcome challenges.

The President pointed out that the entire public service and the health and security sectors had worked together to make the vaccination programme and the COVID eradication process a success.

The government’s objective is to reduce the use of fossil fuels and move towards the use of renewable energy sources. A number of solar and wind power generation projects have been planned for this purpose. The government has also taken a policy decision to use organic fertilizer. The President also requested Mr. Yokoyama’s intervention to provide technical assistance for the production of organic fertilizer and nitrogen extraction.

The government aims to uplift the income and living standards of those who make up 90% of the rural population engaged in agriculture. The President further pointed out the need to increase the forest cover through economically viable cultivations and sought the assistance of the ADB.

Asian Development Bank Country Director Chen Chen, Deputy Director Utsav Kumar, Secretary to President P. B. Jayasundera and Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga were also present at this discussion.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 40 coronavirus related deaths for October 04, increasing Sri Lanka’s death toll due to the virus pandemic to 13,142.

According to the figures released by the Govt. Information Department, the victims include 22 males and 18 females while four are between the ages 30-59.

The remaining thirty-six patients are aged 60 and above. 

Courtesy Adaderana

The daily total of new COVID-19 cases moved to 784 today (Oct. 05) as 221 more people were tested positive for the virus, the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry said.

This brings the tally of coronavirus infections confirmed in the country so far to 522,002.

More than 31,000 active cases are currently under medical care at hospitals, treatment centres and homes.

Total recoveries from the virus infection reached 477,851 earlier today as 477 more patients were discharged from medical care upon returning to health.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka registered 40 new COVID-related fatalities confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on October 04. The new development pushed the official death toll to 13,142.

රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් දකුණ සහ මධ්‍යම පළාත් හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර 

ඔක්තෝබර් කන්නයේ වැසි ආරම්භවීමත් සමඟම උඩරට බෝංචි, ගෝවා, කැරට් ඇතුළු සියළුම එළවළ වර්ග දිලීර රෝග හේතුවෙන් විනාශයට පත්වෙමින් ඇත.  ඔක්තෝබර් වැසි සමයේ මීදුම සහ දවසේ වැඩි කාලයක් දැඩි තෙතමනය සහිත තත්වය හේතුවෙන් දිලීර රෝග ව්‍යාප්තවීමේ වැඩි ඉඩක් තිබේ. වැලිමඩ රත්කරව්ව, බොරලන්ද, උඩුබාදන, ගවරම්මාන ප්‍රදේශවල බෝංචි වගාව දිලීර නාශක නොමැති කමින් විනාශ වී ඇති අයුරු මේ සමඟ ඇති ඡායාරූපවලින් දැක්වේ.

1818 උඩරට කැරැල්ලේ දී සුද්දෝ ගෙඩි හැදෙන සියළුම ගහ කොළ විනාශ කළා. දැන් කෘෂි රසායන තහනම උඩරට සියළු කෘෂි වගා බිම් විනාශ කරනවා.  කෘමි නාශක නැතිව ගෝවා, බටු, මාළුමිරිස්, බෝංචි වගාව විනාශ වෙනවා.  දිලීර නාශක නැතිව බෝංචි, කැරට්, සලාද, අර්තාපල් විසිතුරු මල් යායවල් පිටින් විනාශ වෙනවා.  දියරය පොහොර,  පෝෂණ ද්‍රව්‍ය නැතුව ග්‍රීන් හවුස්, විනාශවෙනවා. සත්ත්ව ශාක ජාන සංහාරයක් කරපු උඩරට කැරැල්ලට වැඩි විනාශයක් ආණ්ඩුවේ පොහොර-කෘෂි රසායන තහනම නිසා සිදු වෙනවා යැයි හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් පවසය

රජයේ කාබනික වගා සංකල්පය යටතේ මිනිසාට හිතකර, අහිතකර සියළුම කෘෂිරසායන තහනම් කර ඇත. කොපු අංගමාරය, කොළ පාළුව, දුඹුරු පුල්ලි රෝගය, පුස් වර්ග, මැලියම් වෑස්සීම අතුළු කිසිදු රෝගයක් පාලනයට අවශ්‍ය දිලීර නායක විවෘත වෙළෙඳපොලේ නැත.  ඉන්දියාවෙන් බෝට්ටු මගින් ගෙන්වන දිලීර නාශක වර්ග කළු කඩයේ වෙළෙඳපොල මිලට වඩා සිව් ගුණයකට විකුණනු ලබයි.  රු. දෙදෙහස් පන්සීයට තිබු බෝංචි කරල්වල පුල්ලි මර්ධන දිලීර නාශක රු. හත්දහස් අටසීය කි. ඒවායේ මිල දරාගත නොහැකි බැවින් ගොවීන් දිලීර නාශක යෙදීමෙන් වැලකී සිටී.

දිලීර රෝග හේතුවෙන් දින දෙක තුනකදී සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම වගා බිම් විනාශයට පත් වේ. අස්වැන්න අහිමිවී යයි.  දිලීර ආසාදනය වූ එළවළු හා පළතුරු වර්ග ඉක්මනින් කුණු වී යන අතර පාරිභෝගිකයින් මිලදී ගැනීමට අකමැත්තක් දක්වයි. වැලිමඩ බෝංචි වගාවේ 50% ට වැඩි අස්වැන්නක් වගා බිම තුල විනාශ වේ.  ඇස පිනවන වර්ණවත් උඩරට එළවළු දැන් වෙළදපොලේ නැත.   ගොවීන් අර්තාපල් වැනි ඉහළ පිරිවැයක් දරා සිදු කළ යුතු වගාවන්ගෙන් ඉවත් වෙති.

කිසිදු චාරයක්, විචාරයක් හෝ විකල්පයක් නැති කෘෂි රසායන තහනම උඩරට කැරැල්ලටත් වැඩි විනාශයක් උඩරට වගාවට සිදු කරයි.  ඔක්තෝබර් වගා කන්නයට ඇරඹීමට අවශ්‍ය ප්‍රමිතියක් සහිත කෘෂි රසායන විවෘත වෙළෙඳපොළේ අලෙවියට පියවර ගන්නා ලෙස රජයෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිමි.

(දලීර වගාවෙන් හානියට පත් වැලිමඩ, උඩුබාදන සහ හාලිඇළ බෝංචි වගාව සහ  වගා බිමේ විනාශවන පුල්ලි රෝගයට ගොදුරු වූ බෝංචි ඡායාරූපවලින් දැක්වේ) 

රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් දකුණ සහ මධ්‍යම පළාත් හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර 

Prime Minister’s Media Unit

Foreign Secretary of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla called on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees this morning.

At the outset, Secretary Shringla conveyed the very personal greetings” of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the best wishes of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.

During the meeting, the two delegations discussed a number of sectors of mutual cooperation, including the further strengthening of bilateral relations, ongoing projects, tourism and the promotion of Buddhist ties.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa appreciated Prime Minister Modi’s initiative to promote Buddhist ties. Secretary Shringla said it was a priority area of Prime Minister Modi.

Last year, during the virtual bilateral summit between the two prime ministers, the Indian Prime Minister announced a $15 million grant for the promotion of Buddhist ties that aimed to deepen people-to-people linkages between the two countries.

Secretary Shringla said India is also looking forward to receiving the first pilgrims flight, from Sri Lanka, to the Kushinagar Airport after it was upgraded as an international airport. This was also a request made by Prime Minister Modi during the virtual summit last year.

Another topic of discussion centered around the resumption of tourism. With the vaccine drives in both countries progressing well, Secretary Shringla spoke of the importance of resuming connectivity. India has been Sri Lanka’s top source of tourists with inbound tourism from India making up about 18% of total tourists arrivals in pre-COVID-19 years.

The Indian Foreign Secretary is in Sri Lanka on a four-day official visit.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

ඉන්දීය විදේශ කටයුතු අමාත්‍යාංශයේ ලේකම් ශ්‍රී හර්ෂ් වර්ධන් ෂ්‍රිංග්ලා මහතා අද (04) පෙරවරුවේ අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා හමුවිය.

අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේ දී පැවති මෙම හමුව ආරම්භයේ දී ම ශ්‍රී හර්ෂ් වර්ධන් ෂ්‍රිංග්ලා මහතා ඉන්දීය අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය නරේන්ද්‍ර මෝදි මහතාගේ පෞද්ගලික සුබ පැතුම් සහ ඉන්දීය විදේශ අමාත්‍ය ආචාර්ය සුබ්‍රමනියම් ජයිශංකර් මහතාගේ සුබ පැතුම් අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා හමුවේ තැබීය.

දෙරට අතර ද්වි පාර්ශවික සබඳතා ශක්තිමත් කර ගැනීම උදෙසා  දැනට ක්‍රියාත්මක වන ව්‍යාපෘති හා සංචාරක ව්‍යාපාරය, බෞද්ධ සබඳතා ප්‍රවර්ධනය ඇතුළු අන්‍යෝන්‍ය සහයෝගීතාව වර්ධනය වන අංශ ගණනාවක් පිළිබඳව මෙම හමුවේ දී සාකච්ඡාවට ලක්විය.

බෞද්ධ සබඳතා ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීම උදෙසා මෝදි අගමැතිතුමා ගත් පියවර මෙහි දී අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ ඇගයීමට ලක් වූයේය. එය අගැමති මෝදිගේ ප්‍රමුඛතම කාර්යක් වූ බව ෂ්‍රිංග්ලා මහතා විශ්වාසය පළ කළේය.

ඉන්දු- ශ්‍රී ලංකා අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරුන් අතර  පසුගිය වසරේ පැවති මාර්ගගත ද්විපාර්ශ්වික සමුළුව අවසානයේ දී රටවල් දෙකෙහි ජනතාව අතර පවතින ගැඹුරු සබඳතාව ශක්තිමත් කිරීම උදෙසා ඉන්දීය අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා විසින් බෞද්ධ සබඳතා ප්‍රවර්ධනය සඳහා අමෙරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 15ක ප්‍රදානයක් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කරන ලදි.

මෙහි දී අදහස් පළ කළ ඉන්දීය විදේශ අමාත්‍යාංශ ලේකම් ශ්‍රී හර්ෂ් වර්ධන් ෂ්‍රිංග්ලා මහතා ඉන්දියාවේ කුෂිනගර් ගුවන් තොටුපළ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන් තොටුපළක් වශයෙන් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කළ වහාම ඒ දක්වා පියාසර කරන පළමු වන්දනාකරුවන්ගේ ගුවන් යානය ශ්‍රී ලංකාවෙන් පැමිණෙනු ඇතැයි බලාපොරොත්තුවන බව සඳහන් කළේය. ඉන්දීය අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය නරේන්ද්‍ර මෝදි මහතා පසුගිය ද්විපාර්ශවික සමුළුවේ දී මෙම ඉල්ලීම ඉදිරිපත් කර තිබිණි.

සංචාරක ව්‍යාපාරය නැවත නගා සිටුවීම පිළිබඳව ද මෙම හමුවේ දී අවධානය යොමු වූ අතර රටවල් දෙකෙහිම එන්නත්කරණ ක්‍රියාවලිය ඉතා හොඳින් ක්‍රියාත්මක වන නිසා නැවත සබඳතා ආරම්භ කිරීමේ වැදගත්කම පිළිබඳව ෂ්‍රිංග්ලා මහතා අවධාරණය කළේය.

කොවිඩ් වසංගතයට පෙර ඉන්දියාවේ සිට ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණි සංචාරකයන්ගේ සංඛ්‍යාව සමස්ත සංචාරකයින්ගෙන් සියයට 18ක ප්‍රතිශතයක් ඉක්ව වූ අතර ඉන්දියාව ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ඉහළ සංචාරක ප්‍රභවයකි.

ඉන්දීය විදේශ ලේකම්වරයා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ  සිව්දින නිල සංචාරයකට එක්ව සිටියි.

ආචාර්ය වරුණ චන්ද්‍රකීර්ති

බටහිර ආර්ථික සාධන ක්‍රමවල දී වැඩ සහ විවේකය එකිනෙකින් වෙන්කර තිබේ. දවසක් තුළ නිශ්චිත පැය ගණනක් වැඩකරන ශ්‍රමිකයා එයින් පසු විවේකගනියි. සතියකට දින පහක් හෝ හයක් හෝ වැඩකරන ඔහු සති අන්තයේ විවේකගනියි. වසර මැද හෝ අවසානයේ හෝ ඔහු නිවාඩු කාලයක් ගතකරයි. නියමිත වයස සම්පූර්ණ කළ විට විශ්‍රාම ගනියි. මෙම ක්‍රමය තුළ වැඩ සහ ශ්‍රමිකයාගේ විවේකය, විනෝදය අතර සම්බන්ධයක් නොමැත.

එනමුදු අපගේ සංස්කෘතිය තුළ එවැනි බෙදීමකට ඇති ඉඩ ඉතා සීමිත ය. යම් යම් විශේෂිත කාර්යයන්ගේ නිරතවන ශ්‍රමිකයන්ගේ වැඩ කාලය සහ විවේක කාලය වෙන් කළ හැකි වුව ද බහුතරයක් අය හට තම කාර්යයෙහි නිරතවන අතර ම විවේකය, විනෝදය සහ ඒ හා බැඳුණු අධ්‍යාත්මික සුවය ලබාගත හැකි ය.

පෙර කාලයේ මිනිසුන් ගොයම් කවි, කරත්ත කවි, පතල් කවි ගායනා කළේ තමන්ගේ ශ්‍රමය යොදවා අදාළ කාර්යයෙහි නිරතවන අතර ම ය. ගොවිතැන් කරන්නා ඒ හා බැ‍ඳෙයි. තමන්ගේ වගාව ලොකු මහත් වෙද්දි ඔහු එහි ආශ්වාදය විඳියි. ගෙවතු වගාවේ දී ද, කුඹුරු ගොවිතැනේ දී ද, වෙනත් ගොවිතැන් කටයුතුවල දී ද මෙය සිදුවනු අපි අත්දැක ඇත්තෙමු. කරත්තකරුවා තමන්ගේ වැඩට යොදාගනු ලබන ගවයා සමඟ ලෙන්ගතුව සිටියි. තමන් කරනු ලබන නිර්මාණය පියවරෙන් පියවර ඉදිරියට යද්දී අත්කම්කරුවා සතුටුවෙයි.

ගොඩනැගිලි ඉදිකිරීම් කටයුතුවල නිතරවන පෙදරේරුවන්ට ද වැඩු කාර්මිකයන්ට ද මෙ ලෙසින් ම සතුටුවිය හැකි ය. මෙවැනි කාර්යයන්ගේ නිතරවෙමින් ඒවාගේ ප්‍රගතිය දකිමින් ආඩම්බරවන්නෝ ද සිටිති. එයට අමතරව, තමන් විසින් කරනු ලබන සහ කරන ලද සේවයේ ප්‍රයෝජන ලබන්නන් දෙස බලා ඒ  සම්බන්ධයෙන් සතුටුවන්නෝ ද සිටිති. බොහෝ ගුරුවරු තමන්ගේ ශිෂ්‍යයන්ගේ ප්‍රගතිය බලා සතුටුවන්නේ එ ලෙසිනි.

මෙ ලෙසින් නිරතවන කාර්යය හා අධ්‍යාත්මිකව බැඳී සිටින අතර ම තමන් සමඟ එක්ව වැඩකරන අයත් සමඟ සමීප සබඳතා පැවැත්වීම ද අපේ වැඩ සංස්කෘතියට අයත් කාර්යයකි. ස්වාමි – සේවක දෙපාර්ශ්වය අතර පැවැතිය යුතු සම්බන්ධය දීඝ නිකායෙහි එන සිඟාලෝවාද සූත්‍රය (සිඟාලක සූත්‍රය) තුළින් විස්තර කර තිබේ. එයට අනුව, ස්වාමියා විසින් සේවකයා දෙස බැලිය යුත්තේ වන්දනාවට, බුහුමනට ලක් කළ යුතු එක් පාර්ශ්වයක් ලෙසිනි. එය දක්වා ඇත්තේ යට දිශාව වශයෙනි.

ස්වාමියා විසින් කම්කරුවාට උවටැන් (සැළකිය) කළ යුතු ආකාර පහක් ද සිඟාලෝවාද සූත්‍රයෙහි දක්වා තිබේ. කළ හැකි වැඩ පැවරීම, බත් වැටුප් දීම, ගිලන් වූ කල උපස්ථානකිරීම, තමන්ට ලැබෙන මිහිරි රස බොජුන් සේවකයන් සමඟ බෙදා හදාගෙන භුක්තිවිඳීම, සුදුසු කාලයේ දී සේවයෙන් මුදාහැරීම යන ලෙසින් එම කරුණු පහ විස්තර කර තිබේ. මෙවැනි උවටැන් ලබන ශ්‍රමිකයා තම කාර්යයෙහි නොමැළිව නිරතවෙයි. ඔහු තම ස්වාමියා ගැන ගුණ කියයි. ඒ ඇසුරින් ස්වාමියාගේ සහ කර්මාන්තයේ කීර්තිය පැතිරෙයි.

අදාළ ව්‍යාපාරයේ (නිෂ්පාදන කාර්යයේ) සේවකයන් හට මෙම ප්‍රවාදය විසින් නිර්දේශිත පරිදි කොටස් හිමිකමක් පැවැරීමෙන් ද ස්වාමි – සේවක සම්බන්ධය තවදුරටත් තහවුරු කළ හැකි ය. මෙවැනි හිමිකමක් පැවරුණු කල සේවකයන් අදාළ කාර්යයන්ගේ නිරතවනුයේ එහි ප්‍රතිලාභ සෘජු අයුරින් භුක්තිවිඳීමේ අරමුණ ඇතිව ය. එසේ වූ කල, අදාළ නිෂ්පාදනයෙහි ගුණාත්මක බව ඉහළ නැංවීමට ඔවුහු කැපවෙති. අකුරට වැඩ, වර්ජන වැනි බාධාකිරීම්වලට ඔවුහු නොපෙළැඹෙති.

ස්වාමියා සහ සේවකයන් අතර මෙන් ම, සේවකයන් සහ සේවකයන් අතර සුහද බව ඇතිකිරීම සහ වර්ධනයකිරීම ද ඉතා වැදගත් ය. එවිට ඔවුහු අදාළ කටයුතුවල නිරතවන්නේ මමත්වය ඉක්ම වූ සාමූහික අර්ථයකිනි. තනිව කළ නොහැකි වැඩ සාමූහිකව කළ හැක්කේ ය. එවැනි කාර්යයන් සාර්ථක වනුයේ එකිනෙකා අතර ඉතා සුහද සාමූහිකත්වයක් වර්ධනය වී තිබෙන විට ය. සංස්කෘතිකයට අදාළ ආමන්ත්‍රණ යොදාගැනීමෙන් ද එකිනෙකා අතර සුහද බව වර්ධනය කළ හැක්කේ ය. නංගි, මල්ලී, අයියා, අක්කා, නැන්දා, මාමා, දුව, පුතා” වැනි සංස්කෘතික ආමන්ත්‍රණ යොදාගැනීමෙන් මෙය කළ හැකි ය.

මෙ ලෙසින් සුහද බව ඇති කොට පවත්වාගෙන යනු ලබන කාර්යය පරිසරයක සේවයකිරීමට සැවොම ප්‍රියකරති. එවැනි පරිසරයක් තුළ වැඩකිරීම ඔවුනට වදයක් නොව සතුටකි. එවැනි වාතාවරණයක් තුළ පැය අටක් නොව දිවා – රෑ වැඩකිරීමට ද ඔවුහු පෙළැඹෙති. තව ද, අදාළ කාර්යයන්ගේ නිරතවීමෙන් සහ අන්‍යොන්‍ය සම්බන්ධතා ඔස්සේ ඉගෙනගෙන තම කුසලතා වර්ධනය කරගැනීමේ අවස්ථාව ද සේවකයෝ හිමි කරගනිති.

මෙවැනි ක්‍රමයකින් තමන් පතන සතුට සහ තෘප්තිය සේවකයෝ භූක්තිවිඳිති. එමෙන් ම, ඒ හා බැඳුණු අධ්‍යාත්මික සුවය සහ විවේකය ද ඔවුහු නොමදව ලබති. වැඩ සහ විවේකය එකිනෙකින් වෙන් කළ යුතු බවක් ඔවුහු නොසිතති.

ආචාර්ය වරුණ චන්ද්‍රකීර්ති

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, Oct 4 (newsin.asia) – The All Share Price Index (ASPI) of the Colombo Stock Exchange has surpassed the 9,500 points mark for the first time in history.

The ASPI closed at 9,542.33 points at the end of trading today while the turnover for the day was recorded as Rs. 3.62 billion.

According to market reports, the CSE’s All Share Price Index has grown by 40.86% so far this year.

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia By P.K.Balachandran/Ceylon Today

Colombo, October 4: On February 28, the media quoted the Director-General of the Department of Agriculture, Dr. Ajantha De Silva, as saying that harmful bacteria (Erwinia) was detected even in the freshly submitted sample of the organic fertilizer imported from a particular company in China. Erwinia is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to Escherichia coli, Shigella, Salmonella, and Yersinia.

However, the next day, the Minister of Agriculture, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, said the presence of Erwinia had not been confirmed, but the sample did have harmful bacteria. Even more alarmingly, he revealed that the polluted stocks imported from that Chinese company had already been distributed among farmers by changing the laboratory records!

He then made the welcome announcement that government has banned imports from the Chinese company in question (identified as Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd.,).

Issues Thrown Up

The controversy throws up three issues that ought to be considered in the context of a total switch over to organic fertilizer: (1) whether it is prudent to import organic fertilizer when it could be carrying harmful organisms (2) whether it is legal to import organic fertilizer (3) whether it is good to rely entirely on organic fertilizer, when, in contrast to inorganic or chemical fertilizer, it can easily and quite naturally be polluted.  

Dr. W. A. J. M. De Costa, Professor of Crop Science at the University of Peradeniya, points out to dangers in importing organic fertilizer. He says: Almost all organic fertilizers, being material of plant, animal or human origin, retain a diverse population of micro-organisms. Unlike inorganic fertilizers, which are inert material, organic fertilizers are live material. Micro-organisms, whether in soils, plants or any other location or entity, are often highly environment-specific. Introduction of such alien micro-organisms to Sri Lankan soils could cause all types of unforeseen interactions with local micro-organisms. Some of these interactions could have environmental repercussions, which are irreversible, as once released to the soil, these alien microorganisms cannot be recalled.” (See: https://island.lk/fertilizer-saga-in-sri-lanka-a-considered-opinion/).

Imported organic fertilizer could be cleaned, but only to an extent, De Costa says. Sterilization is done by fumigation. But the large quantities of organic fertilizers that are required to be imported and the toxicity levels of the chemicals that are used in fumigation, could lead to environmental issues that the organic fertilizers are aiming to prevent, De Costa warns.

And given Sri Lanka’s poor record of regulation, implementation and enforcement of quality standards on items, both imported and locally-produced, De Costa wonders if sterilization would be done properly. Indeed, the fudging of the laboratory data in the case of the organic fertilizer stock recently imported from a Chinese company does not inspire much confidence in the local regulatory system.

Since Sri Lanka does not produce enough compost, and the policy now is not to use chemical fertilizer at all, most of the compost has to be imported. But the Plant Protection Act No. 35 of 1999 prohibits the mixing of any soil particles or living organisms with the soil of the country points out agricultural economist Lal de Silva (See: https://manthrana.com/en/2021/06/28/can-organic-manure-or-compost-be-imported/). This is a very fine piece of legislation which protects the country from the invasion of harmful microbes such as bacteria, fungi and weed seeds,” he contends. These microbes could enter through the medium of imported organic fertilizer.

There are certain weeds such as Striga which can cause an enormous threat to rice plants. This particular plant is a parasitic plant which gets attached to the roots of plants and it grows inside the soil and is not visible as only the flowers of this weed comes outside the soil. As it is a parasite and also as it is not visible, it grows under the soil (in the roots of the host plant) and remains extremely difficult to control. Several strains of the weed Striga are already present in India and Philippines. If we import compost from abroad, there is an extremely likely threat to our agriculture,” de Silva warns.  

He points out that Australia and New Zealand have very stringent plant quarantine procedures and recalls that Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian cricket team’s Captain, was fined while touring Australia as his cricket boot had some soil particles (mud)!

Of the global antibiotic produced, 50 to 80% are used on animals and poultry. It is said that 30% of the antibiotics are excreted unchanged and mixed with the soil. These organic materials could also have heavy metals such as Arsenic, Cadmium and Lead than the inorganic fertilizers, de Silva says.  

Imported compost will have to be sterilized. But it is extremely difficult to sterilize compost, as chemicals such as Methyl Bromide or Phosphine cannot be used to fumigate as these are banned pesticides.

Also, unlike inorganic fertilizer, any organic manure or compost produced either in Sri Lanka or abroad, will not have a standard quality. This is a major area of concern. The Lankan government says that it will help farmers make their own compost. But can the farmers do it in the quantities they need? And can they ensure quality?

Inherently Polluting

Organic fertilizers, whether imported or home-made, could be poisonous, warns Peradeniya University soil scientist Dr.Warshi S. Dandeniya and her collaborator, Serene Caucci in their paper entitled: Composting in Sri Lanka: Policies, Practices, Challenges, and Emerging Concerns.

They say that organic fertilizers commonly called ‘compost’ can be a carrier of potentially toxic trace elements. The long-term use of compost in large quantities and/or application of poor-quality compost to the soil can deteriorate environmental quality and pose a threat to the safety of food. The progressive accumulation of toxic trace elements such as lead and cadmium in soils has been reported in several studies where there has been a long-term application of compost produced from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).”

Contamination of food items with potentially toxic trace elements and human pathogens due to the application of compost to crops has been reported in the literature on the subject,” Dandeniya and Caucci point out.

Poultry litter/manure is a source of antibiotic resistance determinants and, therefore, imposes a silent threat” to environmental quality and health, they say. And night soil (human faeces) could also get mixed up with the organic fertilizer. Organic pollutants such as detergents and antibiotic resistance determinants and pathogens surviving in night soil and septic waste, and the fate of these constituents during composting, have not been studied extensively in Sri Lanka.   

The two soil scientists warn that microbial pathogens and parasites could spread in the environment through flies and dogs found at the composting sites. Further, bio-aerosols and volatile compounds could enable transmission from composting sites to other environments with the wind. Leachates coming out from compost piles during the production process, and runoff water from the composting sites, could contaminate both surface and groundwater, Dandeniya and Caucci submit.

Mixed Policy

Sri Lankan agricultural scientists and economists propose a mixed fertilizer policy to fulfil the need for peoples’ health as well as food availability. While organic fertilizer is better for health (on balance) it brings down production because it is deficient in Nitrogen. Government could therefore facilitate adequate and quality production of organic fertilizer, and at the same time, for the sake of higher production and ensuring food security, it could allow controlled and scientific use of chemical fertilizer.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Pandora Papers, which has exposed the secret wealth and dealings of world leaders, politicians and billionaires in one of the biggest leaks of financial documents, last night stirred up the high ranks within the government and political circles in Sri Lanka as former parliamentarian Nirupama Rajapaksa was documented in it.

The papers have been put together by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and over 600 journalists the world over, in the largest collaboration in journalism history.

The Daily Mirror learns that the matter will be discussed within the high ranks today as some leaders such as Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan have already vowed to investigate the claims against all the citizens documented in the papers.

Nirupama Rajapaksa has been documented in the Pandora Papers as a ruling party member.

She was a former member of parliament.

According to the Pandora Papers, it is alleged that Nirupama Rajapaksa and her husband Thirukumar Nadesan together controlled a shell company they used to buy luxury apartments in London and Sydney and to make investments, according to leaked files.

It is alleged that Nadesan set up other shell companies and trusts in secrecy jurisdictions, and he used them to obtain lucrative consulting contracts from foreign companies doing business with the Sri Lankan government and to buy artwork.

According to the Pandora Paper leaks, in 2018, one of the companies, Pacific Commodities, transferred 31 paintings and other South Asian art pieces to the Geneva Freeport, an ultra-secure warehouse where assets are not subject to taxes or duties.

In confidential emails to Asiaciti Trust, a Singapore-based offshore services provider, a long-time adviser of Nadesan’s put his overall wealth, as of 2011, at more than $160 million. ICIJ said it couldn’t independently verify the figure. It was alleged that Asiaciti Trust managed some of Nadesan’s offshore companies and trusts, with assets valued at about $18 million, according to an ICIJ analysis.

The firm listed him as a politically connected individual because of his wife’s political position. asiaciti kept the family as clients even after Nadesan was charged with embezzlement in 2016.

Rajapaksa and Nadesan declined to answer ICIJ’S questions about their trusts and companies, the ICIJ said.(JAMILA HUSAIN)

Courtesy Adaderana

Defence Secretary Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne today responded to the allegations leveled against the government with regard to the investigations related to the Easter Sunday terror attacks. 

Asked whether he believes the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks has been carried out in a fair and impartial manner, Gunaratne said that he cannot take responsibility for the manner in which investigations were carried out before he was appointed as Defence Secretary.

However, after I was appointed as the Secretary of Defence, the investigations were carried out properly and when we felt that they are not being carried out properly, we removed the officers who were in charge of them and appointed other officials,” he said. 

Speaking during the Ada Derana ‘Big Focus’ programme, he stated that various criticisms were directed at them even for that, but assured that they did so in order to ensure the job is done correctly. 

The Defence Secretary said that one accusation that keeps being leveled against them is that ‘still nothing has been done’ and ‘where is the mastermind?’ and that certain groups with vested interests are promoting another ideology that it was a secret ‘deal’ to bring the President to power.

He said that even some respectable people had used the word ‘deal’ for this, and categorically rejected these claims.  

He said that investigations are ongoing and that he can responsibly state that this is not anyone’s deal” and that it is the actions of a group of persons blinded by the teachings conducted by misinterpreting one of the leading religions in the world.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Health Ministry says that another 214 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 today, increasing the daily count of new cases to 786.

This pushes the tally of coronavirus cases confirmed in the country since the start of the pandemic to 521,221.

Over 30,000 patients infected with the virus are currently under medical care at hospitals, treatment centers and under home-based care.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 43 coronavirus related deaths for October 03, increasing the death toll due to the virus in the country to 13,102.

According to the figures released by the Govt. Information Department, the victims confirmed today include 14 males and 19 females.

Twelve of the deceased are aged between 30-59 years while the rest are aged 60 and above. 

Meanwhile the Ministry of Health says that another 572 persons have tested positive for Covid-19.

This brings the tally of Covid-19 cases registered in the country thus far to 521,004.

Presently a total of 30,526 infected patients are under medical care and home based care while total recoveries has also risen to 477,374.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar today served charges on 24 suspects accused over the Easter Sunday terror attacks.

Hearings pertaining to the case are set to commence on November 23, 2021, the court decided when the case was taken up today (04).

The court issued summons on 25 defendants in the case who are in custody to appear before the court today.

However, only 24 of the defendants were produced before the court today as one of the suspects has been infected with Covid-19.

The charges against him are to be served on a later date, the Ada Derana reporter said. 

A special three-member panel of judges were appointed last month to hear the case regarding the 2019 terror attacks in Sri Lanka.

The Chief Justice has appointed High Court Judges Damith Thotawatte, Amal Ranaraja and Navaratne Marasinghe to the three-member bench to hear the cases filed against the suspects in connection with the suicide bombings in which over 270 people, including foreign nationals, were killed.

Colombo High Court Judge Damith Thotawatte chairs the three-judge bench. The setting up of the special Trial-at-Bar at the Colombo High Court came following a request from Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam to Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.

Police had previously filed 23,270 charges against 25 suspects in the case including Naufer Maulavi, Sajid Mailavi, Mohamed Milhan, Sadiq Abdullah, Aadam Lebbe, Mohamed Sanasdeen and Mohamed Rizvan.

The charges filed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act include conspiring to murder, aiding and abetting, collecting arms and ammunition, and attempted murder.

Nine suicide bombers, belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS, carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing over 270 people and injuring more than 500 people on April 21, 2019.

The Attorney General’s Department has already filed two separate cases against the former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, who are accused of criminal negligence of duties and failure to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks due to neglecting the prior intelligence input on the impending attacks. 

The Colombo High Court on Friday (01) served charges on former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundera and former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando.

Peter Andrews Courtesy RT

Peter Andrews is an Irish science journalist and writer, based in London. He has a background in the life sciences, and graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in Genetics.New research has shown that despite being marketed as a healthy alternative, soybean oil, America’s most popular oil, causes neurological changes in the brains of mice, and may contribute to autism and dementia in humans.

Extracted from the seeds of soybeans and used in everything from fast food to animal feed and even baby formula, soybean oil is easily the most widely consumed oil in the US, ubiquitous in the national cuisine.

It’s in McDonald’s fries, Pizza Hut crust, and the healthy” 9-grain bread used for your Subway sandwich.

A research team from University of California, Riverside has been studying the impact of soybean oil for several years. They previously found that it induces diabetes and obesity in mice, hardly surprising given that vegetable oils are high in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. By now, most people know that eating too much fried food is bad for your ticker.

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But what is really shocking about their latest findings is the effect soybean oil seems to have on the brain.

From Alzheimer’s to autism

The study is published in Endocrinology, a scientific journal, and it shows that when soybean oil is fed to mice it has major impact on their hypothalamus, an area of the brain crucial for regulating mood and behaviour.

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More worryingly, it even affected over 100 of the mice’s genes, including one for controlling oxytocin, the love and bonding hormone. Soybean-fed mice showed lower levels of oxytocin in the hypothalamus. Other genes affected had to do with metabolic and hormone pathways, including the insulin pathway, synonymous with diabetes. There was also upregulation of genes associated with anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.

Considering the evidence, the authors believe that soybean oil could increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and autism. However, there is no concrete proof yet that soybean oil causes these conditions, since this research was conducted on male mice only. But mice are used as a model organism for human health for a reason, as a mammal species they have similar tissues and genetics to us, and it is reasonable to provisionally project some of the authors’ health warnings onto humans.

Lead author Poonamjot Deol said: If there’s one message I want people to take away, it’s this: reduce consumption of soybean oil.”

Is the GM version better?

There is a genetically engineered form of soybean oil that has a lower linoleic acid (LA) content, and this form is healthier for the heart. The authors also fed mice this form to see whether the results would be any better, but the low-LA form had a similarly detrimental effect on the mice’s brains.

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It is produced from what are called Roundup Ready soybeans, designed for use with the signature product of bought-out agrochemical firm Monsanto, which is embroiled in a controversy of its own.

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by Kumar David Courtesy The Island

There has been a news blackout on the liquid natural gas (LNG) deal that Basil Rajapaksa’s Ministry has entered into with the American company New Fortress Energy (NFE). The Sunday Island Editorial last week 26 September expressed concern about lack of transparency of facts and secrecy in negotiations. The deal is a response to an unsolicited bid” is the official line but how much soliciting and wheeler-dealing went on no one will never know. The negotiations though commenced when Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was Finance Minister. I am not picking on the deal because it’s an American company, not at all. I am expressing disquiet about negotiating conduct, technical issues and potential long-term implications.

Before pitching into the topic I will define that ugly acronym FSRu&P (Floating Storage and Regasification unit & Pipelines). Natural gas globally is the fossil fuel of choice to replace King Coal. There is much disputation about whether one or two final coal-fired power stations will be built in Lanka in the next 15 years, but natural gas will be the eventual successor. Once released from the bowels of the earth, gas can be piped across continents. When chilled to very low temperatures it liquefies, ready for confinement in strong containers that can be brought into your kitchen or transported thousands of miles in huge tankers.

When a tanker arrives the FSRu&P game starts. Tankers can dock at a harbour designed for the purpose if you have one; if not a floating terminal is launched about five miles out at sea where LNG is stored. It can when needed be regasified – as in your kitchen gas cooker – and sent ashore via undersea pipelines. That’s the FSRU&P storyline and one of these is coming on the west coast, north of Colombo. The gas can be used in power-stations, industries and homes.

The plan is to convert the currently coal-fired 310MW West Coast Power Station (WCPS), Yugadhanavi, to gas, and to make the proposed Sobadhanavi 350MW station also gas fired. The gas-fired capacity will then be 660MW, but this is only the start. The CEB and the CPC (Petroleum Corporation) have reached an advanced stage in preparation and issue of documents calling for international bids for an FRSU and Pipelines, but not yet for the supply of LNG. Then suddenly and out of the blue the process was scuttled – it was infected by a bacillus. The Finance Ministry signed a Framework Agreement to proceed with the unsolicited or privately canvassed bid from NFE. A so-called Framework Agreement was inked in September in secrecy.

There are three harmful aspects. The first is unnecessary secrecy and unseemly sabotage of ongoing tender procedures. The second is a likely financial rip-off that may raise electricity prices and the third is a trap that will endanger Lanka’s long-term energy security and put the country’s neck into a hangman’s noose.

First things first. It is a violation of good practice to make an award to an unsolicited bid when tenders have been called; it rings alarm bells whether someone took 10%. International Competitive Tenders were called by GoSL for an FSRu&P and bid documents were issued but the Finance Ministry inked a secret deal to sell 40% of WCPS to NFE in the midst of this. The deal was reported in New Fortress’s website but not in local media. When Sirasa TV asked Power & Energy Minister Dulles Alahapperuma, he denied any agreement. Something is fishy.

https://www.newfortressenergy.com/stories/New-Fortress-Energy-finalizes-contract-with-government-of-Sri-Lanka

Basil’s defenders and the CEB Engineers Union have locked horns. A Sinhala video by CEBEU President Saumya Kumaravadu provides an excellent summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjWQ9tvIz1k

An English statement is at:

The second shock is that in terms of the Framework Agreement the government has entered into a Take-or- Pay (ToP) deal for LNG. ToP is a bad idea if the amount contracted is large or if the donkeys writing the contracts have little understanding of electricity generation or the complexities of manoeuvring in global LNG markets. Under the tender care of these goofs Lanka will be played for a sucker – recall the oil hedging fiasco a few years ago. Suppose a petrol company offers you a fleet of taxis free (the BAIT), but on condition you buy your petrol exclusively from it for five years (the TRAP). Suppose the value of the fleet is Rs 25 million but the cost of the petrol to be consumed in the five year period is Rs 500 million. Whether you need it or not you must buy an agreed quantum from the petrol company. The BAIT in LNG story is that NFE will buy 40% of WCPS for $250 million (investment) and the TRAP is compulsory purchase of LNG for both power stations and any others subsequently taking gas from this facility.

Pricing could also be a problem. LNG prices are volatile and swings have become mercurial in the aftermath of recent supply chain disruptions. Spot-prices vary widely between Henry Hub, Japan-Korea and the Netherlands TTF spot-markets. Bangladesh bought a cargo for delivery last month at $29.9 per million-Btu, the highest the country has paid for super-chilled fuel. The average LNG price for November 2021 delivery to Northeast Asia is $27 per million-Btu. A wise man surely will keep purchasing manoeuvrability in his own hands.

Say the CEB incurs fuel supply expenditure of $500 million per annum – I am pricing natural gas at $14.5 per million-Btu; see Technical Note below for quantity estimate. If NFE makes, say 10% to 15% on the sale it will make a profit of $50 million to $75 million per year (example only). You might say What’s the problem we have to buy LNG from somewhere?” But if in any year (lots of rainfall say) the CEB does not need that much, too bad; it will have to Take-or-Pay even if it does not use it, like alimony to an estranged wife. There will also be a fixed charge spread over the period by means of which NFE will recover its entire investment costs.

Finally the hangman’s noose. Sri Lanka has been trapped; it is infeasible to build a second FRSU and pipelines in a relatively small country since the investment is large. Once Lanka builds one, that’s it for a decade or more. We will neither need, nor be able to afford a second for a long time. India has only six terminals in operation. In the meantime the CEB long-term generation expansion plan envisages the addition of about 3GW (3000 MW) of gas-fired generation in the period from now to 2037. LNG will become the bedrock of electricity production in the period to 2040, displacing coal. The implication of the deal with NFE is that country will be in the pocket of a foreign company for energy security for the foreseeable future. The government is doing more to jeopardise natural security than any youthful, slogan-intoning, racist or religious hothead!

Renewable energy will and should be encouraged though it’s not going to provide 70% of primary energy for electricity by 2030 except in Aesop’s Fables. The cynic will read a dangerous trick written into a shady contract. Remember how in the 1990s corrupt presidents, politicos and businessmen made a killing from oil-fired private power-plant construction and operation while the CEB, grossly unfairly, carried the flak? Something reminiscent is possible if corrupt politicos and greedy renewable energy (RE) investors act in consort. Today RE investors demand that they be paid at a rate corresponding to avoided-cost. Since one unit of RE electricity can displace one unit of fossil-fuel electricity they demand to be paid the avoided cost, which is the cost of the most expensive unit then on grid. But what if you play the following game: First jack up the price of fossil energy, then enact the drama of the brave saviour lopping off a bit at the top? It could be the game of unscrupulous politicians and RE investors to jack up the price of ‘going-to-be-avoided’ electricity first and after that play the drama of avoided-cost. I don’t need to explain; you can work out what the cynic is saying. And let’s not forget that corrupt politicos and market players impede, not assist, ecological goodness.

Technical Note

If 0.66 GW (660MW) were to run flat out, non-stop, every hour of the year the electrical energy output will be 0.66x24x365 = 5,782 GWh. Since plant cannot run without maintenance and since full output is not maintained all the time the actual plant-factor is, say, 70%. The output is then reduced to 5782×0.7 = 4,047 GWh. If the efficiency of generation is 40%, then the primary-source energy need at the input is 4047/0.4 = 10,118 GWh-equivalent of LNG energy. Now 1 GWh is the same as 3412×106 Btu (British thermal unit). Therefore the input LNG energy that is needed for both power-stations is 10,118 x 3412×106.which works out at 34.5 million-million-Btu per year, or dividing by 365 we get an average of 94,520 million-Btu per day (44,420 for Yugadhanavi and 50,100 for Sobadhanavi). Someone younger than age-80 kindly check these sums.

However the New Fortress Website declares: New Fortress will initially provide the equivalent of an estimated 1.2 million gallons of LNG (~35,000 MMBtu) per day to GOSL, with the expectation of significant growth as new power-plant become operational.” There seems to be a cockup in NFE’s numbers, or maybe it’s meant to obfuscate Ministers and Administrators.

[MM stands for Metric-Million. The initial Metric” is redundant and will be thrown out of the window in self-respecting scientific discourse. So MM simply stands for million].

KAMALIKA PIERIS

The elephants in the Esala Perahera got star billing in an entertaining piece published by two animal rights NGOs in August 2016.  The essay is full of howlers and is probably the silliest piece ever written on the subject.

Are you planning to go and see the Kandy Esala perahera, the NGOs wrote, if so, think of the poor elephants in it. They usually reside in the jungles and only come to Kandy once a year, to take part in the Esala perahera. They have to walk miles to get to Kandy on searing tar roads in the blazing heat, with crazed motorists coming at them all the time. Coming straight from the jungle, it was very unpleasant to be dressed up in robes and battery powered lights, for the perahera, especially with the ears covered.

 Taking part in the perahera year after year is an absolute night mare. The noise is awful with drums, whips, trumpets, loud speakers and ice cream vendors.  The mahouts either climb on and sit on the neck and spine (sic) poking and prodding or walk by the side jabbing away with their ankus. Sometimes three people get on an elephant’s back for a ride. ‘Even a horse only carries one.’ It is difficult for an elephant to like the crowds on the pavements because  they are the same ones who cultivate chenas in the jungles, chasing  elephants away from their homeland.

The tradition of including elephants in processions needs to be rethought, continued  the NGOs. Elephants must be wild and free (sic) not sent on parades to please watching crowds. Sri Lankans living in other countries have begun to celebrate such traditions using artificially constructed, beautifully decorated elephants on wheels. That is much better than real elephants. The NGO ended their song with a plea. When you go to the Perahera, please,  If you observe any cruel treatment of the elephants before, during, or after the Kandy Esala Perahera,  take photos and report such instances to  the Department of Wildlife Conservation and also tell us,  Concerned Citizens of Sri Lanka”  and the Sentinels Against Wildlife Crime” (Island 8.8.16)

Instead of sending  photos of cruelly treated elephants in the Esala perahera, as the NGOs hoped, readers offered to send photos of the slaughter of the pigs, cows and chickens. Why  are these animal rights people  not concerned about the daily slaughter of lambs, cattle, pigs, goats, chickens for food, they asked. This was said by every person who responded to this essay . They particularly noted that pig rearing for pork in Sri Lanka was not mentioned by these two NGOs. They    also drew attention to horse racing, greyhound racing, bull fighting, bear baiting, cockfighting,   fox hunting, deer hunting, and camel rides. They pointed out that in horse racing,  horses are made to run with a human rider three quarter its weight. The horses are whipped to make them run faster and  put down when they are  of no further use.

Rohana Wasala, Cecil Dharmasena and Palitha Kohona  responded to this NGO statement.  The elephants used in the perahera are not wild animals, they pointed out. They are tame elephants. Not every domesticated elephant can be used in a perahera either. They are trained for the task. The elephants are familiar with the perahera drill and they only need a few verbal commands. The mahout is rarely called on to use the ankus. The elephants are conditioned to flashing lights, deafening sounds, crowds and copra torches.  An elephant can march with two, three or more on his back very easily. Elephants walk over 20 to 30 km per day in the wild.  In a  perahera elephants only walk about 2 kilometers.

Elephants used in the perahera are looked after very well by their owners and keepers, they said. Perahera elephants are fed with fruits and sweets, offered by spectators,  even while they are marching. They are washed daily. The inconveniences caused to these animals before, during, and after perahera are minimized as far as possible. They are rewarded with special treats at the end the event. The temple elephant enjoyed an elevated status in Sri Lanka. Without the elephants the perahera will not be the same,   and  a decorated  elephant looking truck carrying the relic is absurd, they   said.

The difference between the ‘wild’ elephant and the  tame one,  were outlined by these writers,   so that these elephant loving NGOS could get it  right in their next essay. They pointed out that ‘wild’ elephants are ‘wana ali’ not ‘wal ali’. One ‘wild’ elephant , after being rescued from a water hole, turned toward the people who saved her, curled her trunk in salute, before leaving. Wild elephants find it difficult to find food in the jungle. The dry and hard jungle surfaces are worse than the tarred roads. ‘Idealists who think jungle life is romantic should try it for themselves’,  said Kohona. The three hour slow walk in the cool climate of  Kandy at  night is a cakewalk in comparison. And there are delicious eats at the end of it.

Domestic  elephants are prized possessions of their owners and are cared for meticulously, continued Kohona. Today domesticated elephants are kept more for prestige than for any useful work. The domestic elephants rarely do heavy work. Once tamed an elephant is as affectionate as a large dog.   Those who are familiar with elephants know how affectionate they can be.  They are well looked after. An elephant in captivity gets more opportunity to walk than a dog in a backyard.  They do not remain tied to trees all the time. They walk reasonable distance each day for the bath, and to collect half a ton of edible leaves for its food. They enjoy the bath and being scrubbed by the mahout..

We who grew up among these animals know that animal abuse is kept to a minimum, said Rohana Wasala.  The elephant goad(ankus)   is used by the mahout to apply strong, clear pressure to  particular control points to make the elephant respond  to commands, stop, turn left, turn right, kneel, stand still,  and so on. An ankus jab causes little or no actual pain. Elephants are huge pachyderms. In some places their skin is about 4 centimeters thick. They hardly feel a mild ankus jab from a tiny human. Causing pain can be lethal for the mahout. Elephant minders know this and rarely treat their charges unkindly.  Maintaining full control over elephants is a key part of the mahout’s job. Full control ensures the safety of the mahout, the safety of other humans nearby, and even the safety of the elephant itself.

The campaign against perahera elephants was not confined to mere utterances. There was action too. There were several incidents of elephants running amok at peraheras in 2016.  My recall of the last sixty years or so,  is that elephants rarely ran amok at perahera. Therefore this was most unusual. Rajakarunanayake said  that the elephant  at    Saman Devale perahera  ran amok because the drunken  mahout had hit the elephant with the goad. What we saw the elephant happily doing on TV to another elephant does not support this. Perhaps something had been given to the elephant instead.

Another anti-perahera   NGO  said  in August 2016 that the Diyawadana  Nilame, had  forcibly removed two  elephant calves from the Pinnawela elephant orphanage. They were still on their mother’s milk, and were removed  despite protest from the officials and veterinarians at  Pinnawela. This was a very wrong move,  said the NGO, the babies were too young to be separated from the mother. Mother was also grieving and put through an enormous amount of stress.  

‘As reasonable Sri Lankans’ we did what we could, said the NGO. We e-mailed the authorities, and we called people all over the island in hopes of putting an end to this cruelty and release the two calves. There is even a Supreme Court case filed by an organization in Sri Lanka called ‘Friends of Animals. ‘If you are visiting Sri Lanka,’  the NGO advised, ‘there is a lot more to do than the Kandy Perahera. It would grossly irresponsible of us to patronize that event’.

Sagarika Rajakarunanayake, President of ‘Sathva mithra’ wants mahouts to be tested for liquor. Most mahouts are drunk during perahera seasons, she said. Festival organizers gave them liquor since intoxicated mahouts ‘gave the best performances.’ This is unlikely. Peraheras, such as those in Kandy and Ratnapura are ritual events. It is unlikely that liquor will be consumed at the start. One Diyawadana Nilame in the 1950s   had  got drunk even  before the perahera started, but this is probably an exception.

Another  question asked was  whether  a  perahera was a requirement of Buddhism. Abeyratne  said that he learnt that Buddhist monks are requesting to allow domestication of more elephants in order to make Buddhist processions more attractive. Did the Buddha ask for this, he inquired. It is only a custom which started in the 14th century.  Also    do the monks know how to manage elephants. Don’t confuse Buddhism with the Perahera said a blogger. The Buddha never asked for perahera.  He never spoke of a Kandy Perahera, or [said to treat elephants cruelly] in his name.

The obvious reply to these rather rhetorical questions is that Buddhists   know the difference between the Dhamma and cultural practices like perahera. They do not confuse the two. Further, elephants are  looked after by the mahouts, not monks. Mahouts learnt their trade very young, as apprentices. Mahouts develop very strong bonds with their elephants, said Kohona and  elephants remain very attached to their mahouts. An  elephant from Ratnapura who saw his old mahout at the Esala perahera, remained without moving until the mahout came and told him to move on.

The  training and care of  elephants is a specialized art. Even today, there is a lot of traditional lore regarding   veterinary treatment of elephants among descendant of families who have been looking after and working with elephants for many generations observed Rohana Wasala.  Elephant training and elephant management were   respected professions in traditional times. Manuscripts such as Gajashastra and Nilashastra contain information on training elephants.

In 2018 too, foreign journalists, continue to be concerned about the sufferings of the perahera elephant.  Kelsey Ables, recently graduated from Colombia University, USA, is in Sri Lanka as a reporter. There is work to be done in Sri Lanka, she tweeted.”

That work included observing the perahera elephant. Kelsey went to Kandy in 2018 , to report on the Esala perahera. ’Spending the weekend in Kandy reporting on the elephants of the Perahera festival,’ she tweeted.  ‘Can’t exactly get a quote from the elephants, so I’m keeping an eye out for elephant distress signals and chatting with the mahouts’.  

Kelsey commented on the awful conditions perahera elephants face at the Esala Perahera in Kandy. To start with they were chained. She heard the loud, rhythmic sound of chains clashing together as the elephants joined the procession. The perahera is a nightmare for elephants, she said. They are tied up for 10 days with limited exercise and ridden by humans in a way that can cause irreparable damage to the spine. Also, the elephants ‘stopped sleeping’ for the full duration of the perahera. They usually sleep in water. 

Many elephant experts agree that for cultural reasons, it would be impossible to remove the elephants from festivals, she conceded. Instead, they argue, we should focus on improving conditions of elephants which participate in pageants. There should be daily health monitoring of the perahera elephant. Also the costume must be altered, so that the ears are free and ‘thereby enable the elephants to better regulate their temperature.’

Elephants recognize their owners and trainers, admitted Kelsey. At the Esala Perahera, one elephant seeing his owner, had stepped out of line.    The owner, standing by the side of the temple, reached out and touched his trunk in a fond greeting.

But elephants live in constant fear of mahouts,who scare them into obedience. There are videos of mahouts hitting elephants, footage of elephants storming the streets, images of elephants with wounds from being poked with the ankus. All this gives mahouts a reputation of being irresponsible and uneducated, said Kelsey. Such reports have led NGOs and animal rights groups to call for the removal of elephants from festivals. The cruelty, captivity, deprivation, restraint and regimentation suffered by these young animals cannot be justified in a Buddhist context.”

Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka  issued a statement condemning the mahouts’ treatment of elephants, said Kelsey. The mahouts have moved away from traditional practices. The centuries-old knowledge of caring for elephants has been largely lost.  Mahouts now base their methods of control on fear and cruelty towards their wards. Train the mahouts so that they are kinder to the elephants, you don’t have to frighten the animal to make it listen to you. If you are kind, it will respond to you kindly,” said an elephant expert to Kelsey.

In 2018 too, there were  several incidents of  perahera elephants running amok during the perahera. In July 2018 elephants had run amok at the Kahawatte Perahera, Ratnapura, with32 injured one seriously. Ven Magalkande Sudantha said these elephants are not perahera trained elephants in temples or privately owned elephants. They are from Pinnawela and the government says they are Perahera trained. They are sent with untrained mahouts.

In September 2018, television news showed the tusker carrying the relic at Galewela Budugehinna raja maha vihara, running amok at the annual perahera. Television news camera  showed, at some length, the elephant running down several streets. This was  also shown on social media.

The anti-Buddhist nature of this bogus concern for the perahera elephant is very clear. But the sangha are determined to continue with the peraheras. Temples which never held major peraheras are doing so now. The Esala perahera of the Walukarama temple on Duplication Road, Colombo is relatively new and still fairly small. it probably started in 2018.For the first time I saw a member of the Maha sangha go in the procession. There were three, four or five elephants, ( the perahera had started before I got there). They proceeded along Galle Road, Colombo and Duplication Road.  It is possible therefore, that one day we will see a doctored perahera elephant,  running amok  in  fashionable downtown Colombo. The story of the perahera elephant is not over. ( CONTNUED)