Colombo, September 19 (Xinhua): These days in Sri Lanka, both locals and the Chinese living here are busy preparing for festivals related to the full moon. The day of Sept. 20 is the monthly Poya Day in Sri Lanka and the following day is the annual Mid-Autumn Festival in China.
Unable to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival back home with his family, Wu Jinghui and his Sri Lankan colleagues will celebrate their moon festival together at the construction site of the China-funded outpatient building of Sri Lanka’s National Hospital in Colombo where they work.
The annual Mid-Autumn Festival is a very important festival for the Chinese people as it symbolizes family ties. Wu, a manager of the hospital construction project, cannot return to his home located in China’s Shaanxi Province.
Chinese kids make the traditional moon cake in Hebei province in North China
To make up for the loss of the chance to be together with his family, he decided to send them Lumomo, a Mid-Autumn Festival gift, through an online store. Lumomo is a kind of mooncake, bread stuffing baked in a fire. Wu has also sent a toy car to his 2-year-old son.
Wu came to Sri Lanka in 2018 to join the hospital construction project. His son was just a few months old when he was last time back at home in late 2019. The movement restrictions imposed in Sri Lanka over the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020 have made it impossible for him to travel to China for vacations.
What I miss most now is the company of my son. I’m sure my family will feel sorry for me not being able to go home for the holidays, but they all support my work and are proud that I am able to participate in Chinese construction projects overseas,” he said.
Learning the technique
I often think that not everyone gets the opportunity to participate in the construction of the Belt and Road initiative. I will do my best,” Wu said.
Cui Ming is the Chinese manager in charge of the Katana water supply project, a livelihood support project in Negombo undertaken by the AVIC International Engineering Corporation. Cui will this year celebrate his eighth Mid-Autumn Festival in Sri Lanka.
My family used to ask me if I could come back and be with them during traditional Chinese festivals, but now they understand me,” Cui said.
Lu Zeying and Pang Tusheng are husband and wife who work together at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant located in Puttalam, built by a Chinese company. Since the commissioning of the plant in 2012, the couple has only spent one Mid-Autumn Festival in China.
Making the moon cake under expert guidance
Pang said No matter how busy we are during the Mid-Autumn Festival, we will never forget to greet our families. Since we can’t be with our parents all year round, we call our parents to greet them during festivals.”
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival and the Sri Lankan Poya Day may coincide as the case in 2020. This year, they are one day apart.
The Chinese workers have planned to celebrate the festival this year with their Sri Lankan colleagues at their project sites.
Cake is baked!
Pang said We will congratulate each other. Our local friends have always thanked us for working at the construction site in Sri Lanka far away from our hometown.”
Wu said Although I cannot eat the Lumomo, I will taste the mooncake here, enjoy the sight of a full moon together with the staff at the construction site, chanting ‘Machan (‘brother’ in Sinhalese), happy festival’ together. We will also pray for the completion of the hospital outpatient building at an early date.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet delivered her oral update on Sri Lanka on September 13 at the 46 Session of the UNHRC in Geneva, which went beyond the council’s mandate in commenting on a member country that has not gone unnoticed by at least 15 member countries that have come out in support of Sri Lanka.
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) chief commented on many internal governance issues and made a vain attempt to link them to the so-called human rights violations. She made comments such as that the Emergency Regulations enforced in Sri Lanka in recent times with the stated objective of ensuring food security and price controls, are very broad and expressed apprehension that they may expand the further role of the military in civilian functions. She said her office would monitor the situation.
She referred to the Easter Sunday terror attacks (of 2019) and questioned as to why the prosecution of culprits had not commenced. She was misinformed on that issue as the cases were already filed and the three-member tribunal has already announced the dates for trial. This was done within just two years of the dastardly terrorist attacks.
It should be noted that the UNHRC Chief had not made any comment when there was a long delay in prosecuting the terrorists who killed 130 civilians in Paris in 2015. The cases were filed by the French Police last week, after six years of investigations. The only surviving member of the group suspected of being behind the 2015 Paris attacks says he and his fellow accused are being treated like dogs.”
Salah Abdeslam and 19 other defendants are being tried in Paris over the attacks which left 130 dead. It is a fact that such ruthless terrorists cannot be treated as human beings, but the UNHRC attempts to defend rights of terror suspects in countries like Sri Lanka while keeping mum on the actions of affluent Western countries makes her office vulnerable to accusations of hypocrisy.
Addressing the media at the Presidential Media Centre here on September 16, Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage said that the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar has been fixed for October 4, to hear the cases filed against 26 accused on a daily basis for a speedy trial in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
The Trial-at-Bar bench comprising High Court Judges Damith Thotawatta (President), Amal Ranaraja and Navaratne Marasinghe has issued summons on the accused through the Prisons authorities to appear before Court on October 4. Earlier, the Attorney General had filed indictments against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara in connection with their criminal negligence and failure to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
Replying to the accusations made by the UNHRC Chief, Foreign Secretary Colombage rejected them and clarified the actual position. He thanked the UNHRC Chief for acknowledging certain steps taken by Sri Lanka including the work carried on for reparation to victims, progress on issues concerning missing persons, release of 16 LTTE prisoners and the proposed amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). However, he pointed out that international organizations were biased against some countries as the top officials of such organizations have to appease the powerful and affluent nations that fund them.
Prof. Colombage said that only four Western countries spoke against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC this time, while as many as 15 countries urged the international community to allow Sri Lanka to resolve its own internal issues without external interventions. Furthermore, Azerbaijan, representing 23 non-aligned countries, Egypt, representing five nations and Cameroon, representing 13 African countries spoke in support of Sri Lanka. Colombage said he is pleased with the support Sri Lanka has received and added that Sri Lanka is absolutely committed to finding solutions under local mechanisms to all the residual issues, not because of outside pressures, but because we owe it to our people.
UNHRC Chief Bachelet, in her submission expressed fears that the military may expand its role in civilian functions. But, earlier Government Spokesman and Information Minister Dulles Alahapperuma has exlained that, there is no militarization (but) what the Government did was to amend just two clauses in the Emergency Regulations to ensure food security”. Alahapperuma also added that the defence forces had successfully handled the vaccination programme of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government’s emergency action is aimed at preventing hoarding of essential items. The Government has appointed a Commissioner General of Essential Services, who will have the power to seize food stocks held by traders and retailers and regulate their prices. The military will oversee the action which gives power to officials to ensure that essential items, including rice and sugar, are sold at Government-guaranteed prices or prices based on import costs at Customs and prevent hiding of stocks.
Bachelet made a strange conclusion on demonstrations. Several peaceful protests and commemorations have been met with excessive use of force and the arrest or detention of demonstrators in quarantine centres,” she claimed.
Apparently, her office, the OHCHR has failed in providing her with correct information. The Government has not even used water jets or teargas against protesters during the last two years. Instead, the protest leaders were called for talks on their demands or grievances. The new regulations on civil society groups are being drafted, and it is widely feared that they will further tighten restrictions on fundamental freedoms. I urge that the draft be made public to allow the broadest possible discussion,” she has said.
Foreign Secretary Colombage pointed out that Sri Lanka could not accept any external initiatives as the domestic mechanisms were sufficient to deal with all the issues. Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, in his virtual intervention, pointed out, any external initiatives will polarise our society”.
The Council must adhere to its founding principles. External initiatives embarked upon without the cooperation of the country concerned cannot achieve their stated goals, and will be subject to politicisation,” he said.
While rejecting unacceptable conditions, Sri Lanka however assured its strong and continued cooperation with this Council and the United Nations mandated human rights system, in keeping with the Constitution and the international obligations voluntarily undertaken.
The Government has taken many steps for reconciliation and ethnic harmony. In dealing with post-conflict recovery from the perspective of healing, recently, 16 LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) cadres convicted of serious terrorist crimes were granted Presidential pardons. The success of post-conflict demining, reconstruction and resettlement programmes has contributed immensely to national reconciliation. The Sri Lankan army has worked with Tamil civilians in many of thhese projects.
Despite the daily challenges of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) continues its eight-point action plan. The National Human Rights Commission is carrying on its mandate. A Steering Committee on SDG 16 is working towards enhancing peace, justice and strong institutions.
In addition, a Commission of Inquiry headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court was established to address issues on accountability and missing persons and to revisit recommendations by previous commissions. The COI submitted its interim report to the President and the final report will be submitted within the next six months.
We are maintaining a vigorous engagement with civil society to obtain their insights and to harness their support in achieving reconciliation and development,” Prof Peiris said, adding, we are open in acknowledging our challenges and as a responsible and democratic Government, we are committed to achieving tangible progress on the entire range of issues relating to accountability, reconciliation, human rights, peace and sustainable development.”
Former President Maithripala Sirisena says that it is not appropriate to build a walking lane around the Parakrama Samudraya.
Meanwhile, it is reported that several places in the Parakrama Samudraya have been eroded due to the removal of stones for the construction of the walkway.
Our correspondent in the area stated that there is a severe erosion near the main sluice of the Parakrama Samudraya.
The Department of Irrigation has taken steps to remove several large stones foriming the Ralapanawa in the Parakrama Samudraya to construct a walking lane.
However, the construction work has been suspended due to protests.
Former President Maithripala Sirisena responded to questions raised by journalists regarding the walking lane after attending a blood donation drive at the Mayurapada Temple in Pelawatta today to coincide with the anniversary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
Sri Lanka reached an important milestone yesterday (September 18) with 50% of the population fully vaccinated, surpassing vaccination goals set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate has been the chant for the pandemic response. This is based on the science of vaccines and global evidence that COVID-19 vaccines can protect against severe disease as well as limit the transmission of the virus, the WHO says.
WHO has called for all countries to vaccinate 10% of their population by the end of September and 40% by the end of the year.
Issuing a press release, WHO says that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ‘ambitious vaccination effort’ that spearheads Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 response has long surpassed WHO’s targets. It is also likely to surpass its own target of vaccinating 60% of the population by 31 December, the WHO predicts.
The press release reads, At the center of this success is Sri Lanka’s strong primary health care foundation. This has been adapted quickly for COVID-19 vaccine readiness in a whole of Government and whole of society approach. Vaccine deployment was initiated with coverage of frontline workers and then expanded progressively to all over 60 and, now, over 30 years of age.
Further, given vaccine supplies, the expansion of coverage was managed strategically starting with the high-risk geographical area of the Western province and subsequent roll-out to other regions. In the context of the predominance of the Delta variant, nationwide coverage with increasing eligibility will reduce transmissions and severe infections.”
Sri Lanka has used six vaccines – AstraZeneca (Japan), Covishield, Moderna, Pfizer, Sinopharm, and Sputnik. All except Sputnik have WHO Emergency Use License (EUL). So far, Sri Lanka has received 27 million vaccine doses, of which 12.2% were accessed through COVAX AMC.
Of course, vaccines alone are not enough – to quote the WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros, we must do it all: get vaccinated, wear masks, disinfect and observe social distancing and avoid the 3Cs (crowed places, close-contact settings, confined and closed places). Compliance with public health and social measures is an individual responsibility to reinforce the collective vaccination achievement,” WHO release concluded.
50% of all #SriLankans are fully vaccinated against #COVID19. Thank you @MoH_SriLanka, #GoSL, and all of the healthcare workers, frontline workers, volunteers, and communities who made reaching this great milestone possible 👏👏👏
Executive Director of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Thushan Gunawardena has decided to step down from his position, Ada Derana learns.
According to reports, Mr. Gunawardena is expected to hand over his resignation to State Minister of Consumer Protection, Lasantha Alagiyawanna next Tuesday (Sep. 21).
He has taken the decision citing the mounting pressure that followed after taking a stand against irregularities that were taking place and opposing to sign certain agreements.
Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s active commitment to dialogue and engagement with the Commonwealth of Nations, at a virtual meeting with the organization’s Secretary-General Patricia Scotland in New York.
Sri Lanka as a founding member of the Commonwealth remains proactive and committed to the values, principles and objectives of the Organization, the Foreign Minister has recalled.
Sri Lanka looks forward to further collaboration with the Commonwealth in a number of areas including commerce, education, vocational training and climate change, he said further, adding that the island nation has been successful in mangrove restoration and has emerged as a Commonwealth Blue Charter leader. Sri Lanka recently initiated a climate and green economy” focusing on food security centric agricultural production and renewable energy.
The Commonwealth is a celebration of diversity with all of its Member States enjoying a common objective, making it unique and exhilarating stated the Foreign Minister.
All members have the advantage of a common law background but have followed different avenues of development.
The Foreign Minister also briefed Secretary-General Scotland on the steps taken by local institutions in the country with respect to reconciliation. This is an ongoing process, and the country requires sufficient space for the local institutions to deliver on their mandates. The work done by these institutions cannot be replaced or taken over by external bodies. He referenced the ad-hoc mechanism that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is trying to establish and stated that it is not acceptable to Sri Lanka and not in line with the spirit and letters of the UN Charter.
Secretary-General Scotland warmly recalled her visits to Sri Lanka in 2018 and 2019 and appreciated the close engagement that Sri Lanka has consistently maintained with the Commonwealth.
She thanked Sri Lanka for hosting the Commonwealth Law Ministers Conference in 2019 and stated that the Commonwealth appreciates Sri Lanka’s continued collaboration with the Commonwealth in a wide spectrum of areas including trade, sports, youth and countering violent extremism.
Sri Lanka is one of the 54 Member States of the Commonwealth and hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2013.
The total number people who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in Sri Lanka moved up as 103 more fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Saturday (Sep. 18).
The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 12,125.
As per the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims include 56 males and 47 females.
As many as 77 deaths were reported among the elderly people aged above 60 years.
In addition, 24 individuals aged between 30-59 years and two youths below 30 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.
The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reports that another 436 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, moving the daily total of new cases to 1,733.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 504,491.
As many as 432,038 recoveries and 12,125 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The Epidemiology Unit’s data showed that 60,328 active cases are currently under medical care.
It seems I was born to restore the Sasana in India. When I started
Buddhist work in India, a lot of lay Buddhists as well as Bhikkhus in Ceylon
started working against me. They did not accept my advice……… I left Ceylon and
went to India to do the work for the Sasana because there was no one to do that
work….. In February 1906, my father passed away. Mrs Mary Foster came to my
rescue. Mrs Foster is the modern Vishaka. She is helping the Sasana through
me……..The well-to-do Sinhalese have no patriotic love for the land. They run
after the British. Our leaders are disunited in faith and nationality. I am
leaving a country with a slave mentality due to the Missionary education which
is unpatriotic, which is not eager to find modern technologies. Uncultured
manners are regarded highly in the society………….. To improve the life of the
foolish Sinhalese is a difficult task. Economically they cannot be uplifted.
They are lazy. They do not have a vision for progress. They do not have an urge
to safeguard the Buddha Sasana….. Even now, Buddhists who did not contribute a
cent towards my work in India, questioned me about the details of the accounts.
They know only to criticize me and question me about accounts.
Anagarika
Dharmapala (‘My Life Story’, ed. Lakshman Jayawardane, Sarasavi
Publishers, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka, 2013)
The
157th Anagarika Dharmapala birth anniversary fell on September 17, 2021. To
mark this occasion, I thought it appropriate to write about the contribution he
made to the revival of Buddhism in the land of its birth.
My
opinion is that it is important to interpret the Anagarika, his language and
ideas, as reflected in the above extract, in relation to the historical context
in which he lived and worked. We today realise how accurate he was in his
observations about the moral and economic degeneration of a great nation that
suffered under foreign rule for centuries and its lost genius that needed to be
restored through its own efforts under a good leadership. Aren’t we still
struggling to live down that national humiliation amidst predatory
interferences from the descendents of those former colonisers? Contrary to the
negative view that most modern Sri Lankans seem to have been brainwashed to
entertain about him due to decades of anti-national propaganda, shouldn’t we
appreciate how far ahead of his time Anagarika Dharmapala actually was? He is
criticised for having been ‘hostile’ towards the ‘minorities’. But were the
‘minorities’ then comparable to the minorities that the majority Sinhala
Buddhists coexist peacefully with today? Which minority then thought about the
historical homeland of the Sinhalese with the same degree of self-denying love
and devotion as they did?
Anagarika
Dharmapala contrived to closely interact with Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders
of the Indian independence movement such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad,
Muslim leader Shaukat Ali, Madan Mohan Malaviya and poet, philosopher and
writer Rabindranath Tagore in the early decades of the last (20th) century, and
achieved what he could for his own cause in India. Dharmapala was active as a
Buddhist missionary who was determined to revive Buddhism in the country where
it originated, initiating his campaign by trying to reclaim Buddha Gaya to
world Buddhists, among whom he considered the Sinhalese to be foremost as the
Custodians of Theravada Buddhism, generally regarded as the pristine form of
the Dharma preached by Gautama Buddha. He wanted to take the word of the Buddha
to the Western world as well as to strengthen ties with the Buddhist countries
of the East. Apart from being in the same boat in terms of their respective
life missions, chronologically too they were close to each other: Dharmapala
was the senior having been born on September 17, 1864. Gandhi was junior to him
by five years, for he was born on October 2, 1869. Close contemporaneity and
shared cultural affinity made interaction between the two easier and more
natural. This was significant because, by then, Mahatma Gandhi was already a
man on a pedestal for many in India.
Having
said that, it is essential to make an important distinction between Dharmapala
and Gandhi as visionary men committed to great missions. Gandhi was more a
political pragmatist than a spiritual visionary. Dharmapala kept to his chosen
Buddhist missionary role and adopted an unwaveringly apolitical approach to his
mission. But this was ignored by the British colonial government, which, during
the 1915 Riot, for fear that Dharmapala’s potential presence in Sri Lanka in
the years following would be problematic, quite arbitrarily subjected him to a
five year long term of house arrest (1915-1920) in Calcutta where he was then
engaged in his normal missionary activities. It was virtually, a punishing term
of internment for a constantly active, mobile individual like Dharmapala.
Gandhi, on the other hand, in his failure to work with Muslim
leaders without compromising legitimate Hindu interests, earned the
murderous wrath of a group of Hindu
nationalists.
Passage
of time and emerging new research studies about them enable us to put them into
perspective, and make fresh assessments of their personalities, individual
perceptions and achievements. To name just two examples among many books
concerning Gandhi, we have The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons from My
Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi” by Arun Gandhi (2018) that provides evidence of a
less admirable aspect of his personality which, if not suppressed by himself,
would have been a stain on his nonviolent image (but Gandhi himself viewed
anger as an empowering emotion that should not be abused), and Gandhi in South
Africa: A Racist or Liberator?” by Dr Siby K. Joseph (2019) which reveals that
he was not initially free from a streak of racist prejudice against black
Africans though, as a lawyer, he stood up for their independence and human
rights. Regarding Anagarika Dharmapala, there is Dr Sarath Amunugama’s Lion’s
Roar” (2016), which, taking the facts of his life and times into consideration,
seems to follow a more cautious, if unconvincing, middle course between
passionate admirers of the iconic figure and his traditionally biased
detractors, though the book repeats the unfounded eurocentric ‘protestant
Buddhism’ thesis to describe the indigenous Buddhist revival movement which
Dharmapala saw the beginning of, and which he enriched with his own epochal
contribution.
Such
deconstructive literature about Dharmapala and Gandhi has by now exposed their
feet of clay as well as their focal strengths, and made them credibly and
acceptably more human in the public perception. Both were great men and played
truly heroic roles in the national and international causes that they
championed; Gandhi was the leading anti-colonial Indian nationalist of his
time, and the model political ethicist; the non-violent resistance movement
that he led ultimately won India its independence from Britain, but failed to
prevent the partition of India on August 15, 1947 into two independent states
that resulted in 2 million deaths and 14 million displaced, and in his own
assassination a few months later, on January 30, 1948. Dharmapala had to
be satisfied with only partial success in his endeavour to acquire Buddha Gaya
for Buddhists. But their monumental legacies have left indelible marks on the
history of their nations and on that of the world at large, though these are
hardly recognized, particularly in respect of Anagarika Dharmapala.
In
the 1940s Gandhi opposed the partition and worked with some Muslim leaders such
as the famous Ali brothers, the Maulanas Shaukat and Mohamed Ali, and his
friend Badhshah Khan who shared his vision of an independent India
based on religious multiculturalism. The Ali brothers were the leaders of the
anti-British Khilafat Movement of Indian Muslims who demanded justice for the
Sunni Islamic Turkey (Ottoman Empire). Gandhi’s actively supportive association
with that organization made him temporarily popular among the Muslims. But with
the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire after WWI and the establishment of the
Republic of Turkey under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923, the Khilafat Movement
also ended in 1924. Gandhi and Badhshah Khan had wanted Hindus and Muslims each
to open their places of worship to the other for prayer. The Hindus offered
their temples to Muslims for prayer, but the Muslims were not ready to
reciprocate the conciliatory gesture. The Hindus’ tolerant and accommodating
attitude, and the Muslims’ less liberal response are not surprising to anyone
who has a basic comparative knowledge of Hinduism and Islam in this
respect. It was obvious that Gandhi did not know enough about the second to
avoid such embarrassment among his own people, although he had claimed he had a
good knowledge of Islam’s holy book.
Dharmapala
met and made friends with Shaukat Ali and tried to enlist Muslim support on his
struggle to legally take possession of the Buddha Gaya holy place for
Buddhists. When Ali visited Colombo in 1921, he spoke in support of Gandhi’s
work in India for promoting Hindu-Muslim unity. Dharmapala wrote articles in
Sinhala expressing solidarity with Indian Muslims engaged in the Khilafat
agitation, but he was shrewd enough not to expect the impossible from Muslims
unlike Gandhi. His love of peaceful Hindu-Muslim co-existence was
utilitarian: he wanted the assistance of both Hindu and Muslim leaders on his
struggle at the Buddha’s birthplace. Though Dharmapala was able to gain only
partial control of the place for Buddhists, he had better luck at Sarnath. He
had founded his Mahabodhi Society with the idea of reclaiming Buddhist sites in
India. He bought a plot of land at Sarnath and built the impressive
Mulagandhakuti Vihara, which he was able to complete in 1930. It became
the main centre of Buddhist worship in India, which it remains even today, as
Amunugama says. It drew the admiration not only of Buddhists, but of the
colonial government and that of Indian national leaders Nehru, Tagore, and
Malaviya. Dharmapala’s remarkable success in causing India’s lost Buddhist
cultural heritage to be brought to the forefront of Indian national consciousness
was not confined to this.
Gandhi
knew little about this heritage. When he confessed to Dharmapala that what
little he knew about Buddhism, he learnt from Sir Edwin Arnold’s Light of
Asia”, he expressed his displeasure, implying that an Indian leader of Gandhi’s
stature had been remiss in acquiring the best part of India’s spiritual
knowledge. Dharmapala himself said that it was through the medium of English
that he himself learnt the Dhamma, for at that time no decent education was
available in the vernacular. People with the ability to do so sent their
children to English medium schools as Dharmapala’s did. But Dharmapala did
learn Sinhala and Pali as well from erudite Buddhist monks.
Nevertheless,
there is no doubt that Gandhi’s work was a source of inspiration for
Dharmapala. The latter quoted in his Diary of 1929 the following verse from the
Mahatma’s Letter:
Does
the road wind uphill all the way?
Yes
to the very end.
Will
the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From
morn to night, my friend.”
Reproduced
here from Sarath Amunugama’s The Lion’s Roar
According
to the 2011 census, there were 8.4 million Buddhists in India, mostly
concentrated in Maharashtra. But they belong to different sects, not only to
the Theravada tradition that Dharmapala represented. The Mahayana sect is the
most prevalent form of Buddhism in India today, as it is in the rest of
the world. But the inspiration that Dharmapala left in India as a Buddhist
revivalist is not small. He was largely responsible for getting the small
village of Buddha Gaya in Bihar, where the Buddha attained Buddhahood, with its
historic Mahabodhi Temple complex recognized as the most important Buddhist
pilgrimage site in the Buddhist world.
Colombo, September 18 (newsin.asia): In line with India’s continuing commitment to assisting Sri Lanka in the development of its railway infrastructure, a consignment of 20 railway passenger coaches supplied by Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) Ltd, reached Colombo Port on Friday, September 1.
This consignment is a part of the contract to supply 160 passenger coaches to Sri Lanka Railways, funded under an Indian Line of Credit of USD 318 million. The value of this contract is USD 82.6 million.
With this consignment, a total of 60 coaches out of 160 have been supplied to Sri Lanka and 20 more coaches are ready to be shipped from India.
It may be recalled that the first lot of passenger coaches had arrived Sri Lanka in March 2021, following which requisite trials were conducted.
These State-of-the-Art ‘India-made’ modern passenger coaches have been custom-made and built as per the requirements of Sri Lanka Railways.
Under the Line of Credit of USD 318 million, RITES Ltd is also scheduled to supply 2 AC diesel multiple units (DMU) to Sri Lanka Railways.
The first AC DMU set (13 coaches) is ready for shipment from India and is waiting for nomination of ship by Sri Lanka.
Other projects under this line include upgrading the railway line from Maho to Omanthai (128 kms), Maho-Anuradhapura signaling project, Double Tracking of railway Line from Polgahawela to Kurunegala etc.
It may be noted that RITES Ltd has previously supplied 6 DMUs (contract completed in October 2019) and 10 Diesel Locomotives (contract completed in June 2020) to Sri Lanka, funded under a separate Line of Credit.
India’s overall development assistance to Sri Lanka is close to USD 3.5 billion. This includes projects/initiatives under Lines of Credit as well as grants.
The development of railway infrastructure in Sri Lanka is a sector of special focus, in line with the priorities of the Government and the people of Sri Lanka. In this connection, reconstruction of railway lines (268 Kms), installation of signal and telecommunication system (330 Kms), upgrading the coastal railway line (118 Kms) have already been completed. Various other projects are at different stages of implementation.
The IRCTC, in a statement issued earlier this month, said that it has joined hands and signed the agreement with Cordelia Cruises being operated by Waterways Leisure Tourism for marketing and promotion of the first indigenous luxury cruise in India.
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will launch the country’s first indigenous cruise liner from Saturday, in partnership with Cordelia Cruises – a private company. The bookings can be done from the IRCTC web portal soon as the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) normalises and international cruises can resume their normal operations, reports the PTI news agency. The luxury travel offering in the form of the indigenous cruise will take guests on-boards to some of the most popular Indian and international tourist destinations – such as Goa, Diu, Kochi, the Lakshadweep islands, and Sri Lanka.
Cordelia Cruises is one of India’s premium cruise liners and aspires to promote and drive the cruise culture in India through experiences that are stylish, luxurious, and most importantly, inherently Indian.” In a statement issued earlier this month, the IRCTC said that it has joined hands and signed the agreement with Cordelia Cruises being operated by Waterways Leisure Tourism for marketing and promotion of the first indigenous luxury cruise in India.
Foundation for Buddhist Brotherhood commends India’s work for maintaining ties with neighbours
Read more At:
https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/foundation-for-buddhist-brotherhood-commends-indias-work-for-maintaining-ties-with-neighbours20210918230831/
The month of August 2006, fifteen years ago was a very eventful month for Sri Lanka Navy. I was the Commandant of Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA) and Flag Officer Naval Fleet (FOCNF) based in Trincomalee; both were busy appointments. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Tamil separatist group, was very active in Eastern area in 2006. They had their Grand Strategy very well laid, with plans to capture Trincomalee harbour and thereby cutting off the lifeline to North, Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC). As no land route to North, (Vanni was under LTTE Control then), Trincomalee was vital to keep our ships and craft to carry men and material to North by sea.
The telltale of LTTE Grand Strategy was felt when LTTE ordered civilian living closer to Naval base to vacate their houses. We were very clear of incoming danger. Trincomalee Naval Base was developed by Royal Navy during the Second World War to station and repair large allied fleet.
The Naval base was huge. It had land area of 850 acres. It had Married quarters, bachelor accommodations, training institutes, workshops, slipways and home for large amount of naval personnel and their families.
The British occupied Trincomalee harbour on in January 1782, from the Dutch during the fourth Anglo-Dutch war. Trincomalee was the only place in Sri Lanka French had occupied during their colonial desires.
The ownership of Trincomalee changed from Dutch to French to British, on the same day. Even after we got our Independence from the British on February 4, 1948, they continued occupying Trincomalee Naval Base (then expanded to China bay airfield and oil tank farm) and Katunayake airfield as per a Defence agreement signed with British.
It was on October 15, 1957, we took over Trincomalee Naval Base back under leadership of late Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike. So, British ruled this beautiful and strategically important deep-water harbour and its facilities for 175 years.
My own assessment was that closing of the Mavil Aru water distribution point in Eastern province (South of Trincomalee) and to attack to Trincomalee Naval Base with their long-range artillery guns were the biggest mistakes the LTTE terrorists made.
On anticipation of imminent LTTE attack on Trincomalee Naval base and to detect LTTE Suicide boats waiting on ambush at Trincomalee harbour mouth, we fixed old Chapel hill naval communication center with radar and thermal cámara.
With this arrangement, we could surveillance day and night the harbour mouth and LTTE occupied Sampoor area very well. When temperatures were high at night, we could even detect a dog walking along the Sampoor beach (which is 8 Km away) with our thermal cámara fixed on top of the chapel hill.
First artillery attack of enemy came into Naval base on August 1, 2006 around 1230 hours, killing one instructor and four sailors at NMA. The enemy simultaneously targeted Jet liner ship returning from Notrhern area carrying 700 military personnel. Jetliner miraculously escaped from attack due to alertness of OIC and the Fast attack craft escorted her.
That evening the enemy attacked both Muttur Naval Detachment and Kattaparichhan Army camp, the two outposts we had in South side of Trincomalee harbour. Both the Army and Navy personnel in these two detachments fought valiantly and held on to their positions. Army and Navy reinforcements were sent immediately.
Captain UI Serasinghe (presently Deputy Director General of Civil Security Department and holding rank of Rear Admiral) and Lt Cdr Roy Raymond (presently a Captain now serving as Naval Officer in Charge Trincomalee South), both from Naval Patrolmen branch (Naval Infantry) volunteered to lead the reinforcement troops to besieged Muttur Naval Detachment.
Ironically Roy was on his honeymoon. Leaving his wife at Naval base, Trincomalee he boarded the Inshore Patrol craft to go to Muttur under enemy attack. Leadership, valor, and bravery showed by these senior officers of Naval patrolmen branch to lead their men into battle was unbelievable. These were the traditions of the silent force” of Sri Lanka Navy.
Another officer volunteered to go with reinforcement troops to Muttur. He was Lieutenant Indika Wijeratne, also from the Naval Patrolmen Branch. Indika joined Navy as a direct entry sub-Lieutenant after his degree from the University of Colombo. He came to my horizon in 1999, in Odusudan. He led a small group of sailors from our Navy bunker line to the enemy lines and killed four LTTE Cadres and recovered their weapons. His bravery was well known in Naval Patrolmen branch.
When our reinforcements reached Muttur, they found the Bravo sector of the detachment, already occupied by enemy fighters. The elite SL Army Commandoes led by Major Ravindra Hadunpathirana (he died of a vehicle accident later) and SLN SBS personnel were holding on, avoiding further advancement by enemy. Things were bad next day (August 3). LtCdr (SBS) Anura Weerasinghe, second in Command of the SBS got injured and five SBS men paid the supreme sacrifice.
When things got from bad to worse, on next day (August 4) Lt Indika Wijeratne, who was tasked to hold on to Bravo sector with reinforcement naval troops, decided to carry out an assault on enemy positions and re-take entire Bravo sector.
This was the first and last time in Sri Lanka Navy history. The assault on enemy line on land was performed. Indika’s buddy, Leading Patrolman Premalal XP 23303, died during this assault. The brave sailor followed his senior officer until his last breath. Great comradeship.
Indika and his troops were successful in re-taking Bravo sector. The enemy withdrew with casualties. Indika positioned two snipers, one from SBS and one from Army Commandoes with their Accuracy International 7.62x51mm sniper weapons. overlooking the Kattaparichchan Aru to target enemy fighters crossing this waterway with their casualties.
They took their targets at will until water in Aru become red with enemy blood. The LTTE was humiliated by gallant Sri Lankan Military forces. Holding on to Muttur and Kattaparichchan by Navy and Army gave a firm foothold to our forces to attack Sampoor and clear all dangers to Trincomalee Naval Base later.
Once our conflict was over in May 2009, this Patrolmen branch, or Naval infantry branch lost their importance. As they were trained only to fight on land, these officers and sailors could not be attached to Navy ships and craft.
When I was Commander of the Navy in 2015, the Navy’s Board of Management decided to convert this branch into Naval Marines. This was happily welcomed by young officers and sailors of this branch who did not have a bright future.
During my visit to San Diego, California, USA for US Pacific Command Amphibious Leaders Symposium in 2016, I had discussions with US Marine Commanders and the US 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit was tasked to train patrolmen officers and sailors volunteered from Naval Patrolmen branch to raise first battalion of Sri Lanka Marines.
Commander (SBS) Thusitha T G Daminda, an excellent SBS officer who had done a six months-long US Marines Basic Officer’s Course in 2012 in US Marines Training School, Continuo, Virginia was appointed by me as first Marines Training Commander. He was given very efficient and experienced SBS and NPM training team.
They started training of new trainees volunteered from NPM branch and few from Engineering, Electrical and supply branches at Mullikulam, adjoining Modaragam Aru. Daminda’s first task was to change land oriented NPM officers and sailors to amphibious role” with long swims and mud walks carrying heavy backpacks. Daminda did a commendable job conditioning trainees to required standards prior to the arrival of US Marine Instructors.
Under watchful eyes of the US Marines instructors, after vigorous training exercises, 164 marines, consisting of six officers and 158 sailors, were inducted into first battalion of SL Marines on February 27, 2017, at Mullikulam, where the then President Maithripala Sirisena was the Chief Guest. Our hero Indika Wijeratne was badged as first qualified Marine of Sri Lanka and Commanding Officer of the First Battalion of SL Marines. Rear Admiral UI Serasinghe became the first Director of Marines.
US Marines were very impressed with our boys. An invitation was extended to one SL Marines platoon to take part in RIMPAC Multinational Naval Exercise in 2018. RIMPAC is the biggest Military/Naval exercise in the World.
Australian helicopter carrier HMHS Canberra carried our Marines platoon onboard for the two months long exercise. They were very well trained to respond to natural disasters and returned home keeping Sri Lanka (SL) Marines flag flying high at RIMPAC.
The SL Marine base was established in Sampoor, the same area where Indika led his assault on enemy. Today SLMrines do periodic training exercise with US and Australian Marines and first responders to any natural disasters.
*The writer is former Chief of Defence Staff and Retired from the Sri Lanka Navy
The Maldives and Sri Lanka, both highly tourism-dependent tropical islands, have seen the pandemic devastate their economies and finances. Government debt this year is expected to linger above 100% of gross domestic product in the two small Indian Ocean nations. Unsurprisingly, both have similar — and similarly poor — credit standings. A default by CCC-rated borrowers is a real possibility” on Fitch Ratings’ scale.
And yet, the Maldives seems to be turning the corner on visitor arrivals, with numbers last month exceeding the figure for August 2019. Sri Lanka, where a deadly Easter Sunday suicide bomb attack two years ago hit tourism even before the pandemic, is falling behind.
With a population of just half a million, the Maldives was hit hard by the delta variant. In May, the virus infected almost three out of a 1,000 people in just one day. Sri Lanka, which is home to 21 million, has seen a more manageable spike by comparison, with the surge peaking at a 7-day average of just under 6,000 new cases late August. That’s 0.28 new infections for a thousand people.
Since then, Covid-19 is in retreat, and the country is on track to cover 60% of its population with the required two vaccine doses by the end of the month. Among other popular beach destinations, Mauritius, which reached that milestone late last month, is optimistic about a revival in its leisure industry. With some luck, and restoration of international flight links, the winter might bring more holidaymakers to Sri Lanka’s sandy beaches, too. Will it be enough, though, to make up for a 99.6% drop in tourism earnings from the pre-pandemic level? Clearly not.
But that’s not the only problem. It it doesn’t help that the 9% decline in the Sri Lankan rupee since the start of the pandemic — a depreciation that could make tourist towns like Galle and Kandy cheaper for vaccinated travelers from India — has also stoked a food crisis. Amid an acute shortage of imported rice, sugar, milk, pulses and cereals, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced a state of economic emergency from Aug. 31, and named an army officer as the commissioner general of essential services, a telltale sign that the food queues are turning serious.
At least they’re serious enough for Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, one of the president’s several brothers in the cabinet, to replace the central bank chief. Ajith Nivard Cabraal, who was the governor between 2006 and early 2015, is returning to his old job to find money. After meeting a $1 billion debt repayment out of foreign-exchange reserves in July, the $3.55 billion kitty can barely cover two months of imports. Additionally, $3.65 billion in repayments are coming due next year on hard-currency borrowings. If Cabraal has a magic wand, he has to wave it now — or Sri Lanka will have to seek a rescue from the International Monetary Fund.
Tea, the country’s most famous export, could have helped soften the blow. But the commodity that pulled in $1.2 billion last year is facing its own crisis because of the government’s sudden decision to do away with chemical fertilizers. The industry can’t possibly find enough new buyers of niche, organic tea to offset a threefold jump in the cost of production. Experts warn that crop diseases could lead to unmitigated disasters like in 1869, when the island’s then significant coffee plantations were wiped out by a fungal infection.
Colombo couldn’t have found a worse time to go back to the 19th century. The country’s share among top global sellers of the beverage has been declining for some time. Rivals who manage to lure more customers away from Ceylon tea won’t let go of them in a hurry. That isn’t all. With even vegetable crops sputtering, the ban on fertilizer imports is untenable. Still, a decision to reverse it was dropped.
The Rajapaksa administration doesn’t want to appear weak politically by changing its mind. Or maybe it knows that Sri Lanka won’t need to go to the IMF. Since the onset of the pandemic, a cozy relationship with China has helped the president secure a $1 billion loan, in addition to a $1.5 billion dollar swap facility with the Chinese central bank and a gift of 600,000 vaccine shots. Colombo could approach Beijing again for help, automatically putting some pressure on its next-door neighbor.
At a public debt-to-GDP ratio of about 90%, India’s own finances aren’t a whole lot better than that of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, though a large, diversified economy gives it a much bigger sway with investors — and a (barely) investment-grade credit rating.
While aware of the economic trouble brewing at its southeastern tip, India has long delayed a decision on Colombo’s request for a loan-repayment moratorium. Having just seen its $3 billion investment in Afghanistan go up in smoke, New Delhi’s appetite for economic diplomacy may even be lower than usual. Still, caught in a debt trap, a previous Sri Lankan government sold the port of Hambantota to China Merchants Port Holdings Co. To stall further Beijing-backed enclaves at its doorstep, New Delhi may be compelled to bring out its checkbook.
A deepening economic crisis is narrowing Rajapaksa’s options, but the president hasn’t run out of cards yet.
Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya Courtesy The Daily Mirror
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed authorities to inoculate children between age 15 to 19 with Pfizer vaccines, Army Commander General Shavendra Silva said.
He said that the President has also instructed to vaccinate the children above 12 years with special needs with the Pfizer vaccines.
The Commander said around 50,000 children with special needs will be inoculated accordingly at their clinic.
General Silva said Sri Lanka will receive Pfizer vaccine in the coming weeks in addition to more Chinese Sinopharm vaccines.
During the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 meeting, it was decided to allow the Department of Motor Traffic, and the Land Registry to operate on a minor scale.
Around 50% of the country’s total population were fully vaccinated by yesterday, State Minister of Manufacturing, Supply and Regulations Channa Jayasumana said.
He said accordingly, a total number comprising of 10,968,195 people have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by yesterday.
The Minister said 8,973,670 people were given Sinopharm vaccine, 949,105 people were administered with AstraZeneca vaccine and 758,282 have received the Moderna vaccine.
He said the Pfizer vaccine was administered to some 243,685 people by yesterday while Sputnik V was received by 43,453 people.
The song ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ sung by Yohani de Silva has been viewed more than 110 million times on YouTube.
With the song becoming a sensational hit in India, the Indian NDTV channel held an interview with her today (18)
Yohani, in the interview with NDTV, said that Priyanka Chopra sharing her song was “crazy.” Yohani spoke to Arun Singh about making it big.
She also said that she wished to collaborate with Indian composers and singers.
Yohani Diloka De Silva’s soulful voice has not just wowed netizens but celebrities too haven’t been able to keep themselves from bopping to this number. Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachchan, Tiger Shroff and several others have shared a video of themselves grooving to Manike Mage Hithe.
A video of an IndiGo air hostess dancing to the song on an empty flight had also gone viral.
Since its release in late May this year, the addictive tune has soared in popularity and has become one of the top songs on Spotify and Amazon Music charts in India. The YouTube video has amassed over 110 million views now.
Colombo, Sept 17 (DailyMirror) – People who haven’t received their vaccines as yet, are not only putting themselves in danger but the others as well.
The younger population aged from 20 to 29 years show great reluctance in receiving the COVID jab in the Colombo City, CMC Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Ruwan Wijemuni said.
He said that only 20% of the estimated youth population had so far received the vaccine.
There is a 97,000 youth population in the Colombo City limits eligible to be vaccinated. However, only 20% had got it so far,” the Medical Officer said.
The health authorities earlier said there was a notable hesitancy among the younger generation to get the vaccine in the country owing to myths such as Covid vaccines would cause infertility and sexual dysfunction.
Colombo, September 17 (newsin.asia): The World Bank announced on Thursday that it has paused” or temporarily discontinued, its Doing Business Report” (DBR), following publication of internal audits and reviews into the report that revealed serious ethical concerns of data manipulation, shattering trust in the rankings. The DBR had been paused” after data irregularities were found in the 2018 and 2020 reports.
The DBR was used to drive policy and regulatory changes favorable to businesses and corporations. Ranking countries on the ease of doing business,” orchestrated a race to the bottom pushing governments to dismantle labor rights, social and environmental safeguards to attract private investors, The US-based Oakland Institute said in a release.
The cancellation of the DBR marks a major victory for the 280-organization strong Our Land Our Business Campaign”, which has advocated since 2014, an end to the DBR because of its disastrous impact on countries in the Global South, including through the grabbing of land and natural resources it encouraged.
. An explosive report to the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors, Investigation of Data Irregularities in Doing Business 2018 and Doing Business 2020, revealed how senior Bank officials applied pressure to manipulate data in order to improve rankings for select countries.
Notably, the independent report exposed how then-Bank CEO (and current IMF Managing Director) Kristalina Georgieva applied pressure” to make specific changes to China’s data points in an effort to increase its ranking for the 2018 DBR” at a time the country was expected to increase its financial contribution to the Bank’s capital.
The then World Bank President Dr. Jim Yong Kim was also implicated in the effort to increase China’s ranking.
Additionally, Simeon Jankov, one of the founders of the DBR and a Senior Bank official was implicated in altering Saudi Arabia’s data to boost the country’s ranking, in an effort to reward the country for the important role it played in the Bank community.”
These revelations follow previous allegations of data manipulation in 2018, when the World Bank’s then-Chief Economist, Paul Romer exposed how the DBR scores for Chile were skewed and politically manipulated to disfavor a progressive government.
Since DBR’s launch in 2002, the World Bank has ranked countries on the ease of doing business,” i.e. on regulatory changes and reforms that make them more attractive to private investors. These reforms” have included lowering corporate taxes, slashing environmental safeguards, social and labor standards, cutting administrative procedures, and removing restrictions to trade and business.
The Oakland Institute has extensively documented the disastrous impact of these regulatory changes at the country level in dozens of countries.
Even before the extent of the data manipulation came to light and destroyed any credibility of the DBR, the rankings had been built on a flawed premise that rewards countries for reducing their labor standards, destroying the environment, and providing easy access for corporate pillaging and land grabs,” said Frédéric Mousseau, Policy Director of the Oakland Institute.
Today is a historic victory for the sustained campaign against the DBR and a step towards ending the race-to-the-bottom between countries vying for World Bank investment dollars,” Mousseau added.
Since 2014, the 280-organizations-strong Our Land Our Business campaign”, comprising NGOs, unions, farmers, and consumer groups from over 80 countries, has called for the end of the rankings. For over seven years, Our Land Our Business” has waged an unwavering advocacy campaign, including letters, petitions, and mass protests around the world.
Coordinating the campaign, the Oakland Institute has produced dozens of reports and advocacy materials providing in-depth analysis and monitoring of the impact of the DBR for people around the world.
The evidence of manipulation of the rankings is a slap in the face of the poorest countries forced to deregulate their economies to attract investors against fallacious promises of aid and development. After this victory, members of the campaign will remain vigilant as the World Bank continues to leverage its influence and pressure countries to prioritize reforms that benefit corporate interests over true development,” said Oakland Institute’s Executive Director Anuradha Mittal.
The world needs development policies that serve people and protect the planet, not policies that focus on economic growth of the corporations,” Mittal said.
Travel experts anticipate ‘large increase in bookings this weekend’ for foreign trips if changes take place
Government is expected to tear up testing rules for the fully vaccinated in time for the half-term holidays
Expedia says Mexico is most popular red list country when comparing this month with September 2020
Skyscanner says it has seen a 92% increase in last full week for return searches by travellers from Britain
Demand for travel to ‘red list’ countries such as the Maldives, Mexico and Sri Lanka is surging amid hopes they could be among the next destinations downgraded in the UK Government‘s next travel shake-up.
Travel experts anticipate a ‘large increase in bookings this weekend’ for foreign trips if the Government goes ahead with tearing up testing rules for the fully vaccinated in time for the half-term holidays.
Under a major raft of changes to be announced today, the double-jabbed will no longer have to take costly PCR tests when they return from abroad – and will instead only need a cheaper lateral flow test.Dailymail.co.uk: News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities from Daily MailPauseNext video0:21 / 2:21SettingsFull-screenRead More
The ‘pre-departure tests’ that travellers are forced to take before flying home are also likely to be scrapped amid a long-awaited review of the travel restrictions that will also see the controversial traffic light rules radically redrawn.
Expedia said today that Mexico is the most popular red list country when comparing this month with September 2020, with a rise in interest of 70 per cent, while the Maldives is up 30 per cent and Sri Lanka 20 per cent.
And Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told MailOnline this morning: ‘I think you’ll see a large increase in bookings this weekend, if the Prime Minister goes ahead with the measures.’
Skyscanner said it had seen a 92 per cent increase in the last full week for return searches by UK travellers with Dubai, ‘everywhere’, Alicante, Malaga and Dublin in the top spots, while interest in Turkey has also seen an uptick.
TravelSuperMarket added that average holiday prices to Spain for this month and next are 38 per cent down on the same period in 2019 given that it remains on the amber list, but green list Malta is up 29 per cent.
Expedia said today that Mexico is the most popular red list country when comparing this month with September 2020, with a rise in interest of 70 per cent. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is pictured above
Expedia also said it had seen an increase in interest of 30 per cent for the Maldives. The beach at Gili Lankanfushi is pictured
Demand for Sri Lanka is up 20 per cent this month compared to last year. The Nine Arch Bridge in Demodara is picturedInternational travel rules eased from October 4thLoaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PreviousPlaySkipMuteCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time1:22FullscreenNeed Text
Amid the changes, instead of the green, amber and red system that was introduced in May, there will be a simplified ‘go/no-go’ regime. All current amber list countries will effectively become green – or ‘go’ destinations.
And the number of red list, or ‘no-go’ countries, will be slashed in half. This means popular destinations such as Turkey are likely to open up to fully jabbed Britons next month, although Mr Charles said this ‘could go either way’.
At a glance: Seven new rules for UK travellers
Traffic light system radically redrawn into simple go/no-go system
Almost all existing amber list countries become ‘go’ destinations
Number of red, or no-go, destinations slashed in half
Double-jabbed travellers no longer need to take a PCR test after returning from ‘go’ or green country – only cheaper lateral flow
So-called pre-departure tests, taken 72 hours before someone flies home, likely to be scrapped
Tougher rules for unvaccinated – they have to isolate after returning from abroad and take two PCR tests on day two and day eight
Hotel quarantine remains for remaining red list countries, even for double-jabbed Britons
Speaking about the surge in demand, an Expedia spokesman told MailOnline today: ‘Overall, Mexico has proven the most popular destination with the greatest interest of approximately 70 per cent this month when compared to this time last year. We also saw an interest increase of 30 per cent for the Maldives and 20 per cent for Sri Lanka.
‘No doubt these surges are a result of the upcoming update that the need for expensive PCR tests for the double vaccinated will be scrapped – saving travellers money and putting their minds at ease when booking their next holiday.
‘This surge in interest also shows that the public is confident to travel abroad when these guidelines lift and eager to explore these once-in-a-lifetime destinations.’
Skyscanner said that in the last full week of September 6 to 13, it had seen a 92 per cent increase for all economy, return searches by UK traveller.
It added that in terms of upcoming October half term week, weekly booking volumes for trips in half term have increased by 22 per cent in the last week.
A survey of more than 2,000 British adults, conducted last week by Skyscanner and OnePoll, found that 43 per cent would be more likely to book travel abroad if the current system was changed. It also found that 36 per cent still find the traffic light system confusing.
Meanwhile Emma Coulthurst from TravelSupermarket told MailOnline: ‘In the last few weeks, we have seen a rise in people searching and booking holidays for September and October.
‘We anticipate it is people who did not make plans this summer abroad but spent their holiday time in the UK due to the rule changes coming late.’ Thomas Cook chief exec wants to see pre-boarding tests ‘abolished’Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PreviousPlaySkipMuteCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time0:27FullscreenNeed Text
All current ‘amber list’ countries will effectively become green – or ‘go’ destinations –while the number of ‘red list’, or ‘no-go’ countries, will be slashed in half. This means popular holiday destinations such as Turkey are likely to open up to fully jabbed Britons next monthEnvironment Secretary: We don’t want unneccesary testing in placeLoaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PreviousPlaySkipMuteCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time0:31FullscreenNeed Text
She said prices to Spain for this month and next are 38 per cent down compared to the same period in 2019 – adding that the country has really suffered from a lack of demand because of its position on the amber list.
What are the current travel traffic light rules?
Green list: Travellers must take a pre-departure Covid-19 test and book a day two follow up after arrival. There is no quarantine requirement unless the test is positive. The rules apply even to the fully-vaccinated.
Amber list: Travellers must take a pre-departure Covid-19 test and book and pay for post-arrival follow up tests. This applies to everyone, regardless of vaccination status. The fully vaccinated must take a day two test. People who are not fully-vaccinated must quarantine for 10 days at home and take tests on day two and day eight.
Red list: Travellers must take a pre-departure Covid-19 test and book an 11 day stay in a Government-backed quarantine hotel where they will be tested on day two and day eight. This applies to all travellers, even those who are fully-vaccinated. The quarantine hotel costs £2,285 which must be paid by the traveller.
Ms Coulthurst added: ‘We are expecting a surge in holiday interest on the back of the expected simplification of the travel rules.
‘Despite being on the red list, so far this month Turkey has still been the fourth most popular country to compare package holiday prices for via TravelSupermarket for a holiday from the UK in September and October – dropping from third place in 2019 at this time.
‘This just shows the pent-up demand to travel to this low cost, warm late summer destination and suggests that people had been hoping that it would turn amber in the last traffic light update.
‘People are still searching for holidays there in the hope of a traffic light change.’
And Ryan Pearson, regional manager at Booking.com, told MailOnline: ‘We welcome today’s announcement which should simplify international travel, whilst at the same time keeping people’s safety a priority. For the first time in a long time, there seems to be a real sense of optimism amongst us Brits on future travel.
‘In light of the vaccine rollout and with many of us eager to experience the world once again, it is no surprise that we have started to see an increase in international booking searches – even if these trips are being booked last minute as people wait to see if government guidance changes.
‘Our Q2 room nights (bookings) were up 59 per cent versus Q1 and we see this driven by domestic and international booking trends across Europe. It’s really encouraging to see travel reopening as people across the nation get ready to explore the world once more.’
Last night, sources said the changes to the Government’s travel rules will save a typical family ‘hundreds of pounds’. But as part of the package, those who are not vaccinated face even tougher restrictions.
They will have to quarantine on their return from all countries – even those on the ‘go’ list – and will still need to take PCR tests. Insiders hope the strategy will help to drive up vaccination rates.
Ministers will meet this morning to finalise the plans, with a formal announcement expected this afternoon.
The changes will be a boost for the beleaguered industry, although travel chiefs said last night they didn’t go far enough and called for all testing for the double-jabbed to be scrapped. It came as:
What are the best value beach destinations?
TravelSupermarket has crunched its holiday price comparison data to identify the 25 beach destinations which are offering the, on average, best value September and October package holidays from the UK.
The data is for any duration of holiday, and in brackets below is the average percentage price difference of the package holiday compared to if you had booked at the same time and gone in September or October 2019, and the relative cheapest price position in 2019:
Costa Dorada (3rd to 1st -27%)
Costa Brava (1st to 2nd, -11%)
Costa de Almeria (11thth to 3rd -38%)
Valencia, Costa del Azahar (2nd to 4th, +4%)
Majorca (9th to 5th, -15%)
Zante (5th to 6th, -8%)
Algarve (8tht to 7th-13%)
Costa del Sol (7th to 8th –13%)
Costa Blanca (4th to 9th, +2%)
Corfu (14th to 10th- -15%)
Istrian Riviera (21st to 11th -20%)
Crete (18th to 12th -14%)
Halkidiki (- -7%)
Kefalonia (15th to 14th -10%)
Menorca (12th to 15th -4%)
Fuerteventura (26th to 16th -20%)
Central Dalmatia (10th to 17th +7%)
Dubrovnik Riviera (20th to 18th -7%)
Rhodes (22nd to 19th +7%)
Gran Canaria (19th to 20th -2%)
Malta (6th to 21st +29%)
Kos (23rd to 22nd -6%)
Lanzarote (25th to 23rd -7%)
Tenerife (- -5%)
Ibiza (17th to 25th +5%)
The booster programme got under way yesterday, with a maternity support worker among the first to receive the jab;
It emerged that a care worker and her daughter died in the same hospital less than a fortnight apart after both refused to get vaccinated;
Industry leaders warned that care homes will be forced to shut, break the law or drop standards if ministers fail to push back the deadline for compulsory jabs;
Nicola Sturgeon has called in the British Army to deal with Scotland’s ambulance crisis after she was forced to apologise for life-threatening delays;
A survey found that a majority of people believe workers will never return to the office full-time after the pandemic;
The latest figures showed that Covid infections appear to be falling in all regions of England, even after children have returned to school.
The travel industry has been calling for testing requirements to be eased or scrapped for the fully vaccinated for weeks.
Many countries in Europe have seen their travel industries recover much quicker than the UK’s, having already dropped PCR testing rules for double-jabbed arrivals from low-risk countries.
There has also been huge controversy over the Government’s approved list of PCR testing providers, with a litany of complaints that the tests are too expensive, and a disincentive to foreign travel.
Although the travel ‘red list’ of countries deemed to pose a high risk from new Covid variants will remain in place, the number of countries will be reduced by more than half from the current 62, opening up the vast majority of destinations to those who are fully jabbed.
Those returning from red list countries will still have to undergo a hotel quarantine at a cost of £2,285.
However, the unvaccinated face an even tougher regime from today.
At present, unvaccinated travellers returning from green list countries such as Croatia, Denmark and Germany have to take a PCR test within two days of their arrival home.
Under the new system they will have to isolate at home for ten days and take PCR tests on both day two and day eight, as they currently do for amber list countries. The changes will be in place in time for the October half-term.
Last night, a government source said the shake-up reflected growing confidence in the effectiveness of the Covid vaccines, coupled with a desire to cut travellers’ costs.
The Office for National Statistics’ weekly surveillance report estimated there were 697,100 infections in England in the seven days to September 11, down 8 per cent on the previous week
The UK is currently recording 1,000 Covid hospitalisations per day, the bulk of which are occurring in England (shown). This is up from around 750 from ‘Freedom Day’ on July 19, when all legal curbs were lifted in England
Deaths have remained low despite high levels of transmission thanks to the rollout of the vaccines
There will be widespread relief at the scrapping of the traffic light system. Since its launch in May, travellers have been subjected to a series of confusing and last-minute announcements.
What school wave? Covid cases in England fall AGAIN as mass testing survey estimates rates dipped by 8% to below 700,000 in first week of children being back in classrooms
Covid cases fell again in England last week despite fears of a fresh wave of infections on the back of children returning to school, official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics’ weekly surveillance report estimated there were 697,100 infections across the country in the seven days to September 11, down 8 per cent on the previous week.
Most schools in England went back from the summer break on Wednesday, September 1, meaning today’s data includes the first full week of the new school term.
There had been widespread concerns that England would see a meteoric rise in infections like Scotland did when classes north of the border resumed in mid-August.
Covid cases there trebled to record highs in the following fortnight which put pressure on health officials to finally approve vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds this week.
The latest estimates, based on random swabbing of 100,000 households in England, suggest one in 80 people were carrying the virus on any given day last week.
Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, said: ‘It does look like those strongly expressed views that we would see a surge in infections after schools went back has not turned out to be the case.’
Separate data from Public Health England found that more than nine in 10 of England’s local authorities saw their outbreaks shrink in the first week of schools returning.
At the peak of the second wave in early January, around one in 50 people in England were estimated to have coronavirus.
The percentage of people testing positive for Covid is estimated to have increased in north-west England and decreased in the West Midlands and the East of England, the ONS said. The trend for all other regions is uncertain, with the outbreaks believed to have flatlined in the most recent week.
North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest proportion of people of any region likely to test positive for coronavirus in the week to September 11 — around one in 60. Eastern England had the lowest estimate, around one in 120.
Today’s changes could also see the number of red-list countries slashed to fewer than 30. Cape Verde, Egypt, the Maldives and Turkey are among the holiday destinations currently on the red list.
Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade said: ‘Getting rid of PCR testing would be a real step forward but not if we still end up with two tests you have to pay for. We need to follow Europe’s example and remove these requirements if you’ve been vaccinated.’
Charlie Cornish, chief executive of the Manchester Airports Group, said: ‘People should be free to travel again to low-risk destinations without having to take any tests – whether that is PCR or lateral flow. The time for baby steps is over.’
George Eustice said that while no decisions have yet been taken on a potential shake-up of travel rules, the Covid Cabinet sub-committee is expected to meet today to look at the current restrictions.
The Environment Secretary told Sky News: ‘My understanding is that no decisions have actually been taken yet, although I understand there may be a meeting today to review this. We regularly review those travel restrictions.’
Mr Eustice said the travel industry’s concerns that current testing protocols are ‘unnecessary’ and ‘onerous’ have been heard.
‘The Government will be listening to that and the Covid sub-committee of Cabinet that decide these things will be considering that probably later today,’ he added.
Mr Eustice stressed, however, that there are issues in switching to using lateral flow tests instead.
The senior Conservative said the ‘difficulty’ with using the rapid-result tests, which are ‘cheaper and simpler to do’ than PCR tests, is that they are ‘not able to pick up’ coronavirus variants of concern that could potentially evade vaccines rolled out in the UK.
Labour said it will support a change to the travel testing regime as long as it is ‘based on evidence’.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’s expected announcement, which could come today or possibly overnight, will only apply to England, but recently the devolved administrations have implemented rule changes for travel announced in Westminster.
It is anticipated that people arriving from red list countries will continue to be required to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel, at a cost of £2,285 for solo travellers.
There are currently 62 countries on that list but this is expected to be reduced.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘Our top priority is to protect public health – decisions on our traffic light system are kept under regular review and are informed by the latest risk assessment from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and wider public health factors.’
Labour’s shadow policing minister Sarah Jones said her party has been ‘calling for ages’ for ministers to scrap the amber travel list because it has ‘always added to confusion’.
‘People never quite understood what the system was,’ she told Sky News. ‘We’ve been calling for a proper process to work out an international vaccine passport so we can get people safely moving around.’
The travel sector has been desperate for the testing and quarantine rules for international travel to be relaxed.
Heathrow said this week it has gone from being Europe’s busiest airport in 2019 to number 10 on the list, behind rivals in cities such as Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.
Speculation that travel restrictions might soon be overhauled sent shares in airlines soaring.
AJ Bell financial analyst Danni Hewson said: ‘October half-term is the next big opportunity for the travel sector and any changes that can make travelling less unsettling and testing less expensive will yield dividends.’
