උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණේ කොළඹ දිස්ත්‍රික් පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ජගත් කුමාර මහතා පාදුක්ක ප‍්‍රාදේශීය සංවර්ධන කමිටුවේ සභාපති ධූරයෙන් ඉල්ලා අස්වී තිබේ.

ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ මහතා වෙත ලිපියක් යවමින් ඔහු සඳහන් කරන්නේ තමන් එම ධුරයට පත් කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් ස්තූතිවන්ත වන බවයි.

මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් කොළඹ පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවකදී ඔහු කියා සිටියේ ගාමිණී ලොකුගේ සහ සරත් වීරසේකර යන අමාත්‍වරුන් එක්ව සැලසුම් සහගතව තමනට පහර දෙන බවයි.

පාදුක්ක පොලිස් ස්ථානාධිපති ධුරයට ඇමති ලොකුගේට හිතවත් අයෙක් පත් කර තමනට කෙණෙහිලිකම් කල බවත් ඔහු චෝදනා කරයි.

කුපාඩි වැඩ කරන්න එපා යයි තමන් එම ඇමතිවරුනට පැවසූ බවත් මන්ත‍්‍රීවරයා පැවසීය.

ඇතිව තිබෙන තත්වය මත තම ජීවිතය ආරක්ෂා කර ගැනීමට සම්බන්ධීකරණ කමිටු සභාපති ධුරයෙන් අස් වන බව ද ඔහු පැවසීය.

Courtesy Hiru News

Several parties expressed their views today (17) regarding the revelation of Ven. Gnanasara Thera and the response of the Archbishop of Colombo.

The National Organizer of the ‘Sinhale’ National Organization Pradeep Sanjeewa presented to the media an audio recording of a conversation that took place between former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and Rev. Father Cyril Gamini

By Shamindra Ferdinando  Courtesy The Island

DEW alleges cover-up, warns of dire consequences

One-time Prisons Minister Dew Gunasekera yesterday (16) called for an immediate police investigation into SLPP lawmaker Lohan Ratwatte’s recent wild behaviour inside the Anuradhapura prison, where he issued death threats to two LTTEers incarcerated there.

Gunasekera pointed out that the minister had forcibly entered the Anuradhapura prison on 12 Sept. around 5.30 pm in the wake of the government turning a blind eye to his earlier drunken raid on Welikada prison on 06 Sept. Gunasekera served as the Prisons Minister after the end of the war in May 2009. The former minister stressed that on both occasions the State Minister in a state of inebriation had been armed with a pistol and was accompanied by several others. Law enforcement authorities couldn’t afford not to investigate the incident, the ex-minister said, referring to the presence of a woman among the crowd that entered Welikada and they went onto visit the gallows.

Prison sources said that Ratwatte had arrived at the Anuradhapura prison after being to week-long Sathi Pirith chanting ceremony at Anuradhapura sacred Mirisawetiya compound in order to invoke spiritual blessings for eradication of COVID-19 epidemic from Sri Lanka and the world. The pirith chanting culminated on the following day evening after conducting a special Buddha Pooja.

Conduct a proper investigation or face the consequences,” the former General Secretary of the Communist Party told The Island, pointing out the responsibility on the part of the ruling SLPP to conduct its own inquiry.

SLPP General Secretary attorney-at-law Sagara Kariyawasam said that the matter could be taken up with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Chairman of the party on his return from an overseas visit. Lawmaker Kariyawasam said so when The Island asked him whether the party would initiate disciplinary action against Ratwatte.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, also a member of the SLPP, should brief the Parliament how he intended to address this issue, Gunasekera said. The outspoken political veteran said that the Police Headquarters should make a public statement on those incidents.

Gunasekera emphasiSed that the Anuradhapura incident could have been averted if the government took tangible measures in the wake of Ratwatte’s raid on Welikada prison several days before.

Alleging that the Prisons Department suppressed both Welikada and Anuradhapura incidents, Gunasekera questioned the rationale in Ratwatte being allowed to avoid a proper investigation by giving up Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation portfolio and also queried how Ratwatte could be allowed to continue as the State Minister of Gem and Jewellery related Industries as if nothing had happened.

I’m really disappointed and disgusted with the way the government handled Anuradhapura and Welikada affairs,” Gunasekera said.

Responding to queries, Gunasekera pointed out that the incidents placed Sri Lanka at an extremely embarrassing position at the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) ongoing 48th sessions.

Pointing out that UN Resident Representative in Colombo Hanaa Singer as well as the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) and the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) roundly condemned Ratwatte’s actions; Gunasekera said the government would have to face grave consequences unless a proper investigation was conducted. The government should inquire into those incidents taking into consideration the ongoing Geneva confab and the forthcoming UNGA.

The former minister pointed out that the Prisons Media Spokesman and Commissioner Chandana Ekanayaka denied any knowledge of the incident.

Gunasekera welcomed the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) launching an investigation into the incidents. Nihal Chandrasiri, HRCSL’s Acting Director – Research & Monitoring told The Island that the outfit initiated an inquiry on its own into the incidents that had taken place in Prisons. Three Regional Coordinating Officers of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka visited Anuradhapura Prison on 15th September 2021 to investigate the incidents that took place on 12th September 2021. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka will summon all the responsible parties connected to these incidents as early as possible.”

The CP heavyweight recalled how thousands of LTTE cadres and suspects brought under the military and the Prisons system at the conclusion of the war in May 2009 were protected. Those who had been campaigning against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC and the UN would exploit Ratwatte’s actions, the former lawmaker said, adding that the ruling party seemed bent on causing its own destruction.

Gunasekera said that recently Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne and IGP C.D. Wickremaratne explained measures taken by the government to eradicate the underworld especially those directing the narcotics trade from within prisons. They assured the public of safety and security. However, Ratwatte’s raids on Welikada and Anuradhapura prisons underscored the reality, Gunasekera said and called on the Prisons Chief to explain his failure to address the Welikada incident.

Police headquarters hasn’t so far issued an official statement on incidents at Welikada and Anuradhapura.

Ratwatte was sworn in as the Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Minister in the wake of the Mahara Prison riot in late Nov 2020. Ratwatte succeeded Dr. Sudarshini Fernandoplle.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka’s central bank chief says that the government does not want to keep the import restrictions which are currently in place for too long and that he would like to see them being eased out after a certain period as the restrictions do have an impact on investor confidence. 

During a live interview with “Bloomberg Markets: Asia,” the newly re-appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Mr. Ajith Nivard Cabraal was asked about the capital controls, import restrictions and much longer he believes they need to be in place.

He stated that they want to give a clear guideline on that when the central bank formulates its economic stability roadmap, which is being prepared, as the import restrictions do have some impact as far as the overall confidence levels on investors are concerned.

We don’t want to keep that going for too long. But at the same time, we also want to make sure our rupee stays stable and any additional imports could damage that.” 

That’s a very careful balance that we need to strike over here,” Mr. Cabraal said. 

The governor admitted that they are aware that imports need to be eased once again and hinted that the timeline for this would likely be revealed in the coming days through the roadmap which will be unveiled by the central bank. 

We have mainly curtailed the imports of vehicles, but at the same time the other import restrictions have come in the form of a 100% margin that we have imposed in certain non-essential goods, which we had some time ago as well.” 

But I would like to see that being eased out at a certain period. And that period I would probably be looking to announce with the rest of the Central Bank team in the next few days,” he said. 

Speaking further on the roadmap which is to be unveiled in the next few days”, he said it will take into consideration the different stakeholders and their expectations so that the central bank can give them a clear guidance as to how they should move in these turbulent times. 

I’m confident that this could be done and we are looking forward to the challenge as well in a way.” 

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka has been removed from the United Kingdom’s Red List” – which requires hotel quarantine for all arrivals – effective from next Wednesday, according to the Sri Lankan High Commission in London.

Sri Lanka has been removed from the UK’s Red List which will take effect from 4.00 a.m. of 22 September 2021, the High Commission said in a tweet. 

This has also been confirmed in the UK government’s website for foreign travel advice, which says: Sri Lanka is on the red list for entering England. From 4am on Wednesday 22 September Sri Lanka will move to the amber list for entering England. ” 

Sri Lanka is among eight countries including Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Oman, Kenya, Egypt and the Maldives that will be removed from the list from next Wednesday.

Travellers returning from these countries will not have to quarantine on their return as they are removed from the so-called red list for travel, UK transport minister Grant Shapps said today.

Shapps also said under the new proposals destinations will simply be ranked low or high risk instead of red, amber and green.

From October 4, there will be a single red list of countries from where travellers to England must stay in a government-supervised hotel.

The red list, which features 62 countries at present, will be scrapped to open up travel to destinations previously deemed out of bounds to British citizens. 

Pre-departure tests will be scrapped for vaccinated passengers entering England as part of a significant relaxation of coronavirus travel restrictions.

Shapps confirmed that double-jabbed travellers would no longer need a negative test result to board English-bound flights, ferries and trains from October 4.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 121 coronavirus related deaths for September 16, increasing the country’s death toll due to the virus to 11,938.

According to the figures released by the Govt. Information Department, the victims reported today includes 62 males and 59 females.

One of the deceased is below the age of 30 while twenty-eight are aged between 30-59 years. Ninety-two victims are aged 60 years and above. 

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka has registered 2,078 new coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the total above 500,000 cases since the start of the pandemic.

According to the Govt. Information Department, another 800 persons have tested positive for the virus, increasing the daily total to 2,078.

This includes 792 new cases associated with the ‘New Year Covid cluster’ and 08 returnees from abroad. 

The country’s tally of confirmed cases of Covid-19 has climbed to 500,772 with this. 

Total recoveries have risen to 429,776 with over 59,000 infected patients currently under medical care and home-based care. 

The country also confirmed 121 new deaths on Friday, taking the official death toll to 11,938.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has received a complaint against State Minister Lohan Ratwatte in connection with the incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura prisons. 

Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekara has instructed IGP Chandana Wickramaratne immediately launch an investigation into that complaint. 

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) yesterday said that such acts should be investigated fully and impartially and if proved be visited with penal consequences. 

It is imperative that independent and impartial investigations into these alleged criminal acts are conducted expeditiously,” the BASL said in a statement. 

Courtesy Adaderana

The quarantine curfew currently in effect across the island has been extended until 4.00 a.m. on October 01 (Friday), the President’s Spokesman said. 

In a twitter message, he said that the decision was taken during the meeting of the Special Committee on COVID-19 Control chaired by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa this morning (17).

This was also confirmed by Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, who tweeted that ‘conditional lockdown’ will continue until October 01.  

However, government essential services impacting the economy will be allowed to function, the minister said, adding that conditions are to be notified soon. 

The Health Minister also said that as per President Rajapaksa, he will be consulting with Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to decide which government institutions will be kept open as essential services that contribute to the economy.

He urged the public to adhere to the health regulations and to use this time to get vaccinated. 

A ten-day island-wide quarantine curfew was initially imposed on August 20, however the restrictions were further extended on several occasions in a bid to mitigate the spread of the virus and to ramp up the vaccination process.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defence says there is NO need for the public to panic over the ‘fake email’ received by country’s airport authorities regarding a security threat.

Defence Secretary Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne Referring to the standard security measures adopted at the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport, affirmed that there is no requirement for general public to panic due to the information disseminating over a fake email of hostile nature received by the airport authorities.” 

Country’s defence and law enforcing agencies are continuing their duties in the same vein without letting anyone to disrupt the lasting peace,” the Ministry of Defence said. 

Two suspects involved in placing a hand grenade in a private hospital in Colombo for an individual benefit was also taken into the custody and further investigations are carried out by the Police, the statement added.

Certain media reports yesterday claimed that security has been tightened at the BIA following a suspicious email warning of an impending attack.

By Rohan Abeygunawardena

Incidentally, our memory flows exactly Seventy [70] years back to the  ‘ San Francisco Peace Treaty Conference ‘ in September 1951.

D.S. Senanayake, the first Prime Minister of Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was then known) selected his young and able Finance Minister J. R. Jayewardene to lead the delegation from Ceylon to the conference. The latter made his historical speech on 6th September 1951, 11 days before his 45th birthday (he was born on 17th September 1906 and his 115^th birth anniversary falls this month).

This great visionary defended the sovereign rights of Japan quoting the words of Lord Buddha ‘Hatred ceases not by Hatred but by Love’ (නහි වේරේන වේරානි) which allowed Japan to return to the international society after the World War II.

Twenty six years after the speech J.R. Jayewardene was the elected leader of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan economy was stagnating for quite some time when  United National Party (UNP) under the leadership of J. R. Jayewardene, was elected in July 1977 with a massive 5/6th majority to the National State Assembly (with the introduction of a republican constitution in May 1972 name of the Parliament was changed). The development activities of the country was at a low ebb. The unemployment rate had risen to above 15%.  Import controls and licencing was the order of the day.  The multipurpose Mahawelli diversification programme considered as the keystone of the government’s economic development program planned in 1961 for 30 years was progressing at a snail’s pace.

The New Prime Minister and his government changed the constitution and introduced a system under which the President remained head of state but was given new executive powers as the head of government.

J. R. Jayewardene took oaths on 4^th of February 1978 as the first Executive President of Sri Lanka.

In fact J.R. Jayewardene, first suggested a strong executive chosen by the people at a meeting of the ‘Ceylon Association for the Advancement of Science’ in 1966. This idea was again suggested by him          when Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike and her United Front Government were drafting the ‘1972 Republican Constitution.’  It had been ignored on both occasions.

In 1977, as the elected Prime Minister, J. R. Jayewardene said his first, second, and third priorities were to create employment opportunities for the people in general and youth in particular.

The new government wasted no time and embarked on a massive development programme to modernise the country. The accelerated Mahawelli diversification programme was initiated with a massive financial and technical support from Europe and Japan. Katunayake Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and Free Trade Zone (FTZ) were established to bring in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and to attract export oriented industries.  The other objective of FTZ was to obtain modern industrial and technical know-how.  The Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC) was established to administer the FTZ.

Major liberalisation reforms were initiated that lead to far reaching changes in the structure and performance of the manufacturing sector in the economy. The manufacturing sector has become increasingly export-oriented, and it is no longer reliant on the fortunes of the traditional primary export industries to obtain required imported inputs.

J. R. Jayewardene (JRJ), the first Executive President of Sri Lanka was invited by the Japanese government for a state visit in 1979. This was a unique visit by a Sri Lankan head of state to Japan. He was well received with a 21 gun salute by the Japanese armed forces, the custom that they generally reserve for the Emperor.  Thus, grateful people of Japan displayed their gratitude to the person who defended their country at the San Francisco Peace Treaty Conference in September 1951.

It was said that many Asian countries had attended the Conference with huge lists of demands for reparations from Japan. Japan was still struggling to achieve economic stability immediately after the Second World War and such payments, if made, would have affected her economy adversely.

Quoting Lord Buddha’s teaching ‘Hatred ceases not by hatred but by love’, Jayewardene urged other nations to forgo their demands for compensation and reparations and embrace Japan as a member of the international community.

When the participants heard J.R. Jayewardene calling for compassion and not compensation they withdrew their lists seeking compensation from Japan and thereby saving Japan from an economic disaster.

At the end of the tour President Jayewardene and Japanese Prime Minister Ōhira Masayoshi engaged in bilateral discussions along with their respective officials. Prime Minister referred to the great speech the President made at the San Francisco conference which cemented a strong friendship between Japan and Sri Lanka. Masayoshi then indicated that his government intended to give a special gift to remember and recollect the visit of Jayewardene and as a mark of respect for the great speech he had made at the conference, in 1951.

 The conversation that took place between President Jayewardene and Japanese Prime Minister Ōhira Masayoshi about the gift was narrated by the president of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Mr. Takao Kawakami who visited the Hospital on an inspection tour in 2002. He happened to be the Secretary to the Japanese Prime Minister during President’s visit in 1979. JICA president was felicitated by the members of the hospital management committee. The writer was the Chief Accountant of the Hospital at that time and had the opportunity of listening to his narration.

 ‘What type of a gift are you thinking of?’ asked the President J.R. Jayewardene.

 ‘Something useful to help your modernisation programme, by way of a project grant, perhaps’ answered the Prime Minister. 

President’s next quarry was ‘How large is the grant?’

‘It is immaterial’ said the Prime Minister.

President Jayewardene explained that his government had planned to establish an administrative capital in the ancient city of Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte. Therefore, a modern hospital was useful for the new city.

Prime Minister Masayoshi inquired from the officials whether Japan had gifted a hospital to any other country. They confirmed that there was a modern hospital gifted to Thailand.

‘How big is that hospital? ‘asked the President and an official informed that it was a 1000 bedded hospital.

‘Make it 1001 bedded hospital’ quipped the President Jayewardene.

Amused Prime Minister Masayoshi asked ‘For whom is that extra bed?’

‘For me’ said the President.

Japanese government constructed a beautiful, salubrious modern hospital in a 24 acre plot of land called ‘Kumbi Kelle’ in Talapathpitiya, Nugegoda within three years. This state of the art 1001 bedded modern hospital was ceremonially opened by Ishimaysu Kitaagawa, the representative of Japan and the President Jayewardene on 17th September 1984. The day was President’s 78th Birthday.

President Jayewardene also ensured that the hospital was managed as a semi-governmental organisation under the Ministry of Teaching Hospitals. A board of management was established by a special act of parliament. His intention would have been to free the management of new hospital from the clutches of government bureaucracy. In spite of many requests made by prominent personalities of the era to name the hospital after the then President, he ensured that the hospital was named ‘’Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital (SJGH).’’

The best tribute to SJGH was paid by present Army Commander General Shavendra Silva when he visited SJGH after the war in 2009. He was seriously wounded and unconscious taking part in the ‘Operation Liberation’ in Vadamarachchi in 1987 and airlifted to SJGH. When he regained consciousness he thought that he was in a ‘Five Star Hotel.’ Such was the tranquil surrounding of this Hospital. General also thanked the SJGH staff for saving his life with excellent medical care provided not only to him but also to many others who injured during the 30 year war. SJGH treated over 4000 war casualties from the defence forces and the police.

In 1999 when Health Ministry vote being discussed in the parliament, a prominent member of the opposition (now a minister) criticising the shortcomings of government hospitals said ‘These members do not realise the poor state of government hospitals because they only go to Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital for treatment when they are sick.’ Feather on the cap of SJGH management!

Several foreigners whom I met during my tenure of office, told me that SJGH was one of the most beautiful modern hospitals in South Asia.

The Extra Bed was inside the spacious Presidential suite built at the entrance to the administrative block.

President Jayawardena never used the extra bed. But that bed was occupied by two prominent personalities, Minister of National Security Lalith Athulathmudali when he was injured in a grenade attack inside the Parliamentary Complex in 1987 and the first woman Prime Minster of the world Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike in late nineties.

At the opening ceremony President J.R. Jayawardena appealed to the staff to look after the hospital in the same way they look after their own homes.

The employees followed his advice and considered SJGH as their second home.

President J.R. Jayawardena, retired from politics in late eighties accepted the invitation of Dr. J.B. Peiris, the Chairman appointed by Peoples ‘Alliance government of Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga, and attended the 10^th Anniversary celebrations of the hospital held on 19^th March 1995, as ‘Guest of Honour.’ The chief guest was the then Prime Minister Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

President J.R. Jayawardena in his speech reiterated his appeal to the staff at the inauguration ceremony in 1984 to look after their institution well.

Then Minister of Health A. H. M. Fowzie appealed to the staff and management to keep politics out of hospital administration.

The quality health-care and the pleasing environment at this historical institution should be maintained and continued for the benefit of future generations. This task is now vested with the present and future management and staff.

Tenth Anniversary Celebration – Keep Politics Out

Asoka (Weerasinghe) Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G . Canada

16 September 2021

OPEN LETTER to 
M.A. Sumanthiran MP
Parliament of Sri Lanka
(Sumanthiran_m@Parliament .lk)

Dear Mr. Sumanthiran:

This is my third OPEN letter to you.  I wanted to know more about you other than just a Tamil MP who has adopted a surrogate Mother in  Madam Michelle Bachelet , the UN Human Rights Commissioner, to whom he goes running saying..”.Mommy..Mommy… Sri Lanka is not being nice to me..She is discriminating  and persecuting me and my Tamil people, especially in the North and East of Sri Lanka.”

And what I gathered was that your surrogate Mommy is a contracted employee at the UNHRC, which America’s Nikki Haley called it a “cesspool of political bias.”

So I read about you.  You are a Royalist, and I am a Nalandian.  You are trained as a Lawyer, and I am trained as a Geologist (can identify a hard rock), a Paleontologist (can identify a pea-brained Dinosaur); and a Museologist (interpreting Human and Natural sciences to the public through exhibits).  That you are a clever debater in Parliament, and I am not.  And I still had difficulty figuring out whether you are an Honest politician or someone who pulls wool over a constituent’s eyes and the Sri Lanka Watcher’s like the liar Amirthalingam.

And that both of us passionately love our Motherland – Sri Lanka….or was it  India for you?

“Sri Lanka
This is my country
the land of ancient people
who happen to be my ancestors.
And of elephants and court jesters,
lotuses, moonstones, hills and waterfalls.
This is a magical country and nice
often called  “The Island of Paradise’
but grown on red kabook earth
and lately nourished with blood
by people who were at war.
This is where village mothers I saw
in thatched roofed adobe huts
poor and in patchwork rags
did not seek permission to weep
when their soldier sons
who had gone to war with a will
to save their country from dissection
by marauding separatist Tamil Tigers
returned home dead in plywood boxes
and sometimes in a puzzle of a head, limbs
bones, and bloodied raw flesh.”

                               (from The Land of Serendipity)

So I read your interview – Truth with Chamuditha, and I was bothered.

“Is this guy another lying Amirthalingam?” I asked under my breath.

1.  You were asked – Do you like to see the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim people living together?”

Your response was:.”THAT IS MY FERVENT HOPE.”

“Whow…Whow..Suman, just a minute.!  You must be out of your bloody mind. That is flippant  and down right dishonest.  You had that choice for hundreds of years, but since 1971, you kicked out 27,000 Sinhalese people by 1981;   You stoned and chased 400 Sinhalese undergraduates and lecturers from the Jaffna University campus  in August 1977; and you  terrorized, chased and kicked out 90,000 Muslims in October 1990., giving them 24 hours to get out. 

And that is 117,400 Sinhalese and Muslims and you want me  to believe you.?

Ha! Na!!  Not me, Suman.  Let’s cut out that  –boru..boru – crap of yours; 

2.  Suman, you were asked “What was the actual need to establish the Tamil National Alliance?”

Your response was :”THERE IS A PERCEPTION THAT TAMILS HAVE BEEN UNJUSTLY TREATED IN THIS COUNTRY SINCE INDEPENDENCE.  IT WAS TO RIGHT (the injustices) THAT THE FEDERAL PARTY WAS FORMED IN 1949.  IT HAS BEEN CALLED DIFFERENT NAMES OVER THE YEARS BUT NOW WE KNOW AS THE TAMIL NATIONAL ALLIANCE.”

Let us get this right Suman.  If I was marking that answer paper, M.A. Sumanthiran would have failed for being dishonest and I would have given you a 0 out of a 100 percent.   Here’s why Suman..  I told you once before not to challenge the intelligence of the Sinhalese.  My advice to you is that if you cannot be truthful and honest, then SHUT UP,, as you get caught in the nasty web of deceit.  And your credibility as an “honest” Tamil politiciankeeps dropping like a hot potato that keeps skipping towards the gutter.

History tells us that in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) at the time of Independence on 4 February 1948,  the Tamils enjoyed the luxury of being the “privileged minority” – 10% of the population, for 131 years of British colonial rule.  That is not a Fairy Tale, as it is true and the Sinhalese were the “wronged majority” of 75% of the total population of Ceylon.  

And that is a historical Fact, Suman.

Suman, what baffles me is to accept as Fact  that the breakaway three musketeers (Chelva,  Wanasing and Naga)  formed the Federal Party as their crystal balls read that between February 1948 and December 1949, they were given the  perception  that Tamils have been unjustly treated in this country.  So  they formed the Federal Party to cushion and guard “privileged minority” status that the Tamils enjoyed for 131 years.  That’s a piffle…that’s a load of bollocks…that a crock full of codswallop.

Suman, give this Sinhalese a break and many others.  And don’t you ever…ever. challenge the intelligence of us Sinhalese  I hope you got that bit clear in your mind.

Suman, I hope you are keeping your surrogate Mother, UNHRC’s Michelle  Bachelet  apprised of these FACTs or else she will keep inviting the UN’s Sri Lanka bashers. to play 

“Ring-a-ring-o-roses/ A  pocket full of posies/
a-tishoo!/ A-tishoo/ and  we fall down,” 

and hopefully not injure their buttocks and legs.

3.  Suman, speaking of your surrogate Mother,UN Human Rights Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, she announced on the 13th of September, that her Office was going ahead with a fresh investigation of Sri Lanka’s accountability of...intimidation .…...and excessive use of force on Tamils in Sri Lanka during the Eelam War.

Ibelieve both these items are asinine and hilarious, as Tamils are the  maestros of both these complaints. 

INTIMIDATION:  

Intimidation Story 1: Suman: I have been on this Eelam file since August 4, 1983.  I and Asoka Yapa were the first Sinhalese who went on 6 o’clock evening TV News in Ottawa, Canada,  to tell our side of the story.  For 10 days your Tamils used every print and audio visual-media outlet  to be nasty to Sri Lanka, dropped our  Mother Lanka on the ground, kicked her and spat at her.  I was the 8th Sinhalese who was approached by the TV reporters to find out whether I would speak together with a moderate Sinhalese on camera.  The choice was easy.  Asoka Yapa, another Federal Government employee,  young and bright as a button,  an honest patriot  with a healthy mind was the second Sinhalese who was interviewed. Bring in the cameras I said,  and with Asoka Yapa, we told our side of the story.  The two sleeping lions were woken up and since then we have gone toe-to-toe with your Tamil separatists.  And we were intimidated with a barrage of nasty telephone calls by Tamils. after the TV appearance.  And we have been awake ever since and ready to pounce at the Tamil Tigers with our Lankan-lion claws.  We had enough of the

Canadian Snow-Tiger’s crap.

Intimidation Story 2: On Monday 9th June 1987, at 8:30 in the morning I was called to the office of my Director General of Communications, Dixi Lambert, of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.  I went.

“Asoka, will you please attend a meeting  in Room (?) on the 11th floor at 9.”  She did not tell me what the meeting was all about.  I went, and was surprised to see an Ottawa Police constable in uniform, an officer from Intelligence, Chief of Security of the Department, Chief of Security of Campeau, the owners of the 15 story building at 200 Kent Street, and another colleague from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

It was a meeting on my personal Security, the 15 Storey building and my colleagues at DFO.  The previous Friday’ a Tamil had called the DG, to say that they were going to blow up the 15 storey building since I was employed in the Minister’s Communications Section.  It was a serious  High Security Meeting and I was  walked through the  procedures and drills to handle the threat.

If Your Tamils thought that Asoka WEERA-SINHA was going to shake like an autumn leaf in the wind under his pants and Shut Up they got it wrong Suman. If your Tamils thought that I would run down Kent Street in search of a manhole to hide,  or hide under my office table, what they found out was that  this WEERA-SINHA  was not going to take any of  this “shit” from your Tamils, and was ready to pounce at their jugular with my Sinha-lion claws.

Intimidation Story 3:   It was 1992, I was working for the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa..  Two Tamils had made an appointment to see me.  They came.  They were escorted to my office on the second floor at 26 Range Range in Ottawa.

The two guys may have been in their early 20s.  Maybe around 24.  I met them at the door.  shook hands as any diplomat would do,  Invited them in and showed them to the couch to sit down.  In front of the couch was a coffee table, and my chair was facing them and the coffee table.  No sooner they sat, both raised their feet and placed them on the coffee table.

“Oops!… I suppose you are not used to sitting on a couch, and the coffee table is not a footstool. In case you are used to sitting on the floor on a mat, I  am sorry I can’t offer you one because I don’t have one.  Will you kindly take your feet off the coffee table.” They didn’t.

“Let me give you one more chance for you to display your guest-etiquette.  Please take your feet off the table,”I said.

By that time I had taken off my diplomatic cap and changed gears to deal with these two Tamil punks.

“Perhaps you are used to sitting on your parents’ gold thread woven  luxury mat produced by the Uduvil Punday Mat Weavers, I am sorry, I don’t have one.”

 I called the Security guard on the phone.  He was a burley, pleasant Ethiopian in a Security Khaki Uniform.

“Will you please  remove these two visitors by their ears from my office, and when at the front door, kick their behinds and throw them out,”   I requested.

I told the two Tamil intimidating punks when they were on their way out,  that... “this High Commission Office is a mini-satellite Office of the Sovereign Sri Lankan Government.  And I demand of you to respect this Office.  Nothing more…nothing less.”

“When you come next time, I will be dealing with you and not another diplomat.  I will offer you the same couch to sit down on and there will be a coffee table in front of you.  Please  drill your selves how to sit on a couch and place the feet on the floor.  Anything else, I won’t tolerate.  And by the way, my name is Asoka WEERA-SINHA.”

Suman, I don’t take this ‘shit’ from your  young Tamil punks. I resent such intimidation.

What is your surrogate  Mother worried about the intimidation of the Tamils by the Sri Lanka Government.  

Doesn’t she know that Tamils are maestros of intimidation.  Brief her, Suman.  Ha! what UNHRC rubbish…brief her,

so that she doesn’t get on her high-horse and embarrass herself by wiggling a finger and Tut-tutting at the Sri Lankan Government,  It is not kosher nor is it cricket.

Suman: UN goes ahead with fresh probe seeking funding for project said your surrogate Mother  UNHRC Michelle Bachelet on 13 September, 2021..  One thing she was probing was  THE EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.  Here is my experience and my story:

Excessive Use of Force Story 5:

Suman,  let me take you back to 1992 when I was working for the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa and my High Commissioner was HC Walter Rupesinghe, not a career diplomat, appointed by President Premadasa from the private sector.  And he was excellent…excellent…excellent.   And he was my first Sri Lankan Boss.  I had not worked in Sri Lanka before.

He had invited the Director of Amnesty International for lunch one day and invited me to join them at the High Commissioner’s Residence on Range Road.

After that sumptuous lunch , the conversation was about AI’s serious concerns about the alleged Human Rights violations by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces on the warring Tamil Tiger terrorists.

Good, I thought, let’s hear your concerns, I thought under my breath.

“High Commissioner, we at Amnesty International are very concerned with the excessive force that your Armed Forces are using on the Tamil Tigers!”

Before Walter could respond, I picked on it and said …”Come on  MrX, you must be joking. Do you honestly know what this war is all about?  This is not a game of tiddlywinks between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Tamil Tiger  armed terrorists.  These Tamils were given military training by Indira Gandhi’ s India in 32 army camps in South India and at the foothills of the Himalayas.  Did you honestly think that our Armed Forces are using guns and  bullets on the Tamil Tigers in a school back yard who were fighting  with bamboo sticks and catapults and stones.  

For Pete’s sake Mr.X , be real.   Did you not know that this is a conventional war, there is nothing called “excessive force”. in such a war.

 When your Tamil Tiger points the barrel of his Kalashnikov at my soldier’s heart, I don’t  expect my man to be foolish and point the barrel of his gun at the Tamil Tiger’s kneecap.  I want my soldier to point the barrel of his gun at your Tamil Tiger’s heart and shoot the bastard dead before the Tamil Tiger gets him.

That is how a conventional war is fought.

Stop being so Goddamn naive….don’t be so stupid Mr. X!”

By then High Commissioner Rupesinghe was kicking me under the table to shut me up.  And I had to take my gloves off before I could have landed a knockout punch on this foolish Director of Amnesty International.

Suman, so what the heck is your surrogate Mother Michelle Bachelet, upto,  on her high-horse wiggling her finger at Sri Lanka and bullying our puny island.  Shish… Suman, I don’t get it, nor will she get a Christmas card this December from me.  I refuse to spend $10 for such foolishness.

Suman, did you hear that echo.. ?  which said UNHRC is a “cesspool of political bias.” That’s the voice of US’s Nikki Haley.

Sumanthiran. in North Sri Lanka…“separatists came looking for her brother.  Since he was away,  his 24 year old sister was dragged out of the house, tied to a coconut tree and shot through the ear.”

SINHA

If I have taken a passion of a lion
into my heart by pithy anger,
it is because your grenade clutching fingers
are entangled in my beard hurting me
with the poison darts of half -truths and lies
published in foreign newspapers.
And when the ketchup blood gushes out
from the thumb-print on her forehead,
severing a life for exposing the debt
of joy being a tenth generation native.
This is when the angry lion roars a jungle war cry
propping a lifeless torso strung onto a Jaffna lamp post.    -from Tears For My Roots.

The question at stake is – “Asoka,do you trust MP Sumanthiran?”

“To be honest, I really don’t think I do ….No I don’t.”

Suman that is how the cookie crumbles.

Keep well and be SAFE

Asoka (Weerasinghe)
Ottawa, Canada

Senaka Weeraratna

If Japan did not enter the second world war in 1941 the whole of Asia would have have come under Western colonial domination. There was not an iota of thought in any western country in 1939 to give freedom to people in European colonies. The possibility of what happened to the native Americans, Australian Aboriginies, people of Hawaii, Maoris of New Zealand, Kandyan Sinhalese peasantry of Sri Lanka whose lands were grabbed under enclosure policies and converted into coffee and tea plantations by British settlers killing over 10, 000 wild elephants in the process  to clear the hill country for tea plantations is a poignant story. 

Except for Japan in Asia, no other country outside Europe had the vision and resolve to stop the idea of ‘ Manifest Destiny’ from becoming a reality. What happened to native American Indians and Canadian native Indians has been explained away on the basis of ‘ Manifest Destiny’. Japan and people of Asia who supported Japan to liberate Asia did not subscribe to ‘ Manifest Destiny’.

By Rohana R. Wasala

When I pen these words, average Sri Lankans are still sleeping. I am ahead of them and awake. That is because of the time zone difference between where I live and Sri Lanka, my country of birth. As usual, as the first thing I do in the morning, particularly these days, I glanced at the headlines in The Island epaper, and was depressed to read the banner headline Ratwatte remains a state minister despite resignation over running amok in prisons”,  with the following underneath it: 

State Minister of Prison Reform and Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte yesterday told The Island that he had informed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that he would step down immediately from his post as the State Minister of Prisons. However, he will continue to be the State Minister of Gem and Jewellery Industries”.

Having earlier read and heard over the media about Lohan Ratwatte’s alleged escapades in prisons on Sunday (12) night, I have been eagerly waiting to read a newspaper headline like Deputy minister remanded; a good start to meeting challenge to rule of law”, for I expect nothing less from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. As a disciplined and determined executive with a military background, he, I assume, tries to handle the toughest cases with the strictest adherence to the law. He appears to rely on the ministers and the government servants serving  under him to follow his perfectly lawful commands in a spirit of military discipline, mutatis mutandis, in the context of civil government. Whatever the likely or actual response to the extremely embarrassing deputy-ministerial episode (not the first involving LR), it should be of a kind that contributes to  a restoration of the fast eroding public faith in the hoped-for Gotabaya rule. The Island editorial today (16) under the arresting heading Arrest them” offers sound advice. I drew some solace from that. For I realised that there is at least another person of a like mind.

I was even more shocked and disappointed by Commissioner of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya’s attempted absolution of the deputy minister. According to the online Lanka C News (September 16), the Commissioner has said that the minister visited the prison to discuss about pardoning some prisoners and that the minister has the right to visit the prison to discuss with the inmates at any time of the day. The Commissioner might be technically right, but I am doubtful about the lawfulness of what the minister has done, especially in his alleged inebriated state. Upuldeniya was handpicked by the President for the extremely demanding job. His coming to the defence of LR was a bolt from the blue to the innocent peace loving law abiding citizens of the country who have been for decades persecuted by the persistent menace posed by the unholy alliance between criminals and some jailors and a handful of politicos providing together an impregnable bulwark for the first. 

However, since the case hasn’t yet been verified or investigated, we don’t know for sure whether the deputy minister is guilty of going berserk under the influence of liquor as alleged. As a person embroiled in politics, he could be a victim of some calumnious effort of his detractors, and we must be cautious in passing judgement on him. But again, as he, who has a previous thuggish reputation, has virtually accepted guilt in this case by tendering his resignation, citizens are justified if they expect, as I do, a tougher reaction from the President.

At this moment we should anticipate a presidential response different from the mild rebuke Anthimai!” (equivalent of a sarcastic Great!”) that the then president Mahinda Rajapaksa greeted the hospitalized labour minister Mervin Silva with, on December 27, 2007. (I eagerly hope that President’s deterrent reaction would be known before this reaches The Island readers.) The latter was admitted to hospital  after being given a taste of his own medicine following a rowdy interference he committed with the work of a news editor by the name of T.M.G. Chandrasekera at the state-owned Rupavahini TV station over not giving enough coverage as he alleged to a public event that he had organized in Matara the day before. Though very close to MR, he was not an elected MP; he was only a national list MP from the SLFP that MR led. In any case, it was inexcusable that he conducted himself the way he did, for what he did was bound to reflect badly on the president himself. The other employees of the TV station, angered by the uncouth highhanded behaviour of Mervin Silva, forced him and his notorious sidekick, suspected drug trafficker Kudu Nuwan or Lal or someone (I am not too sure about these trivial details now) to a room and held them there, handling them roughly. Mervin Silva was heard pleading : I will tender an apology if you say I have done wrong”. He had. The workers were providing manual proof as best they could.

Mervin Silva was beaten up right royally, and bundled into his prestigious ministerial Pajero and was briskly driven away to hospital safety. The state Rupavahini telecast the proceedings live for the whole world to see in repeated ‘news flashes’ most of the day that day, as my older readers might clearly remember. It was a sort of news carnival for the wrathful Rupavahini broadcasters and for the scandalized viewers. While watching the scenario live, I convinced myself that president Mahinda Rajapaksa would kick his you-know-what-I-mean within the hour, or at least after his discharge from hospital. To my great disgust and disappointment, nothing like that happened. The fellow flourished for another eight years under MR’s wing until he betrayed him utterly in 2015. Lately, he seemed to try to cozy up to the boss he so treacherously let down; but MR’s brothers have saved him from his erstwhile unequal friend Mervin.

I personally believe that we are not going to be so wretched under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during the remainder of his term.

By Rohana R. Wasala

It may look unfashionable or even indecent to write about Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) in these days of ‘reconciliation’ politics. But that is due to the deliberate distortion of facts by vested interests. So I beg my readers’ indulgence. The Anagarika has been consistently misrepresented by antinationalists as a Sinhala supremacist, a Buddhist fanatic, and a propagator of violent nationalism. But the truth was otherwise; he was none of these. As anthropologist Gananath Obesekera, professor emeritus, Princeton University, mentions in his ‘The Doomed King’ (2017), Dharmapala was the most passionate defender of Sri Vikrama in colonial times…”; Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe had been demonised by the British in the interest of their imperial scheme to annex the Kandyan kingdom. To the Anagarika, the last king of Lanka was a noble ruler and human being who was betrayed by traitorous chiefs like Ahelepola disava (as he conceived of them). He defended Sri Vikrama and implored Sinhala people to model themselves on his life and history….” (ibid.) Gananath says Dharmapala was indulging in ‘hyper-glorification’ of the last king. Perhaps, he was; but that doesn’t invalidate the latter’s assessment of the king, whose non-Sinhala ethnicity did not trouble him. At the same time, I don’t share Gananath’s criticism of Dharmapala’s alleged anti-Christian attitudes.  

Dharmapala was, first and foremost, an international Buddhist missionary, and only secondarily, a Sinhala Buddhist national revivalist and social reformer. Sri Lankans (native Ceylonese) were in urgent need of the brave leadership and guidance of such a heroic figure at that time. He excelled in both roles. Anagarika Dharmapala assumed robes as a Buddhist samanera at an advanced age in July 1931, after a very industrious and productive life; he received the upasampada or higher ordination (state of being a fully fledged Bhikkhu or Buddhist monk) under the name of Ven. Siri Devamitta Dhammapala, hardly four months before his death on April 29, 1933. 

As was the standard practice among the well-to-do families in those colonial days, he received a good school education in the English medium. During all of his active life, he mostly used English for communication. More than 75% of his writings were in that language; he spoke English even more frequently in the course of his lifelong missionary work. No religious leader of the time, whether Buddhist or non-Buddhist, devoted so much attention as he did to the need for a good modern education for the young that included mastery of languages and science and technology (practical skills). 

Anagarika Dharmapala said that he got an insight into Buddhism after reading Sir Edwin Arnold’s poem about the Buddha Light of Asia” (1879). He treated the latter as his teacher. Arnold received the Anagarika when he visited London. Dharmapala was not an enemy of English or the English people; he was well disposed towards both. But he was a vehement critic and opponent of British imperialism, which though he didn’t challenge politically, as he thought that it was not yet the time for it; he wanted to have favourable relations with the existing imperial government in order that he could get on with his global missionary work without any obstruction. His national endeavour was to lead his people towards freedom from foreign rule through peaceful means, which motivated his work for stimulating social reform and bringing about the moral edification of the masses.

This year marks the 157th birth anniversary of the revered Anagarika Dharmapala, who made an immense contribution towards the restoration of the national dignity and the religious and cultural regeneration of the oppressed Sinhala Buddhists in the heyday of British imperialism in our country. He was born to a wealthy business family in Colombo exactly 157 years ago, that is, on 17^th September 1864. The young Don David Hewavitharne, as he was named at birth, despite his strong dislike of British colonialist rule, had a passionate love of English poetry. He particularly liked the poems of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, both assigned by literary critics and historians to the Romantic tradition of English poetry. Ever since he discovered the latter’s ‘Queen Mab’ in a book in his uncle’s library as a schoolboy, it had remained his favourite English poem. The basis of his admiration of ‘Queen Mab’ is not difficult to find. He said about the poem: I never ceased …. .to love its lyric indignation against the tyrannies and injustices that man heaps on himself and its passion for individual freedom” (as quoted in ‘Flame in Darkness – the Life and Sayings of Anagarika Dharmapala’ by the English monk Maha Sthavira Sangharakshita, 1980). There is no doubt that this specimen of Shelly’s juvenilia (i.e. works done in his youth) was nevertheless an important source of inspiration for the Anagarika in his life’s work.

What must have appealed to Don David Hewavitharne in ‘Queen Mab’ was obviously more than just the polemical attack it mounts on the tyrannies and injustices” that humans inflict on fellow humans. The poem embodies many of the radical ideas that Shelley articulated in his works, and some of these such as his atheism, his criticism of meat eating as a cause of vice, and the implicit advocacy of vegetarianism, his idea of death as something not to be feared, his condemnation of political and religious tyranny, his socialist politics, his scientific attitude to human experience and the external world,  his belief in the moral perfectibility of humanity, his nonviolence and antipathy towards war, and his vision of social and political change through intellectual transformation are sure to have struck a chord in the great patriot and Buddhist revivalist that the young David later became.  

‘Queen Mab’, a book-length poem in nine parts, was written and privately distributed by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) in 1813. It was the poet’s first work of genuine literary merit. His decision to make it available to a select circle suggests the type of audience he wanted to address: the target readers were of the same patrician (aristocratic) background as himself who had the time and the means to get an education, and the leisure to read and enjoy poetry; the mostly illiterate downtrodden masses whose welfare he actually had in mind and who stood to gain most from the revolutionary changes he envisioned were for the most part outside of this circle; the Anagarika belonged to the same higher social class in this country as Shelley did in England.

Structurally, ‘Queen Mab’ is a fairy tale composed in nine cantos (main divisions). A fairy named Queen Mab comes down in her ethereal car to the sleeping Ianthe, a beautiful young maiden. Leaving the girl in her deep slumber the fairy awakens her Soul or Spirit and invites it onboard and transports it to her celestial abode  at the uttermost edge of the universe. From that vantage point the Spirit (Ianthe’s Soul) is given a view of the universe stretching below. The fairy promises the Spirit to reveal the state presumably, of humanity’s past and present and the ‘secrets of the future’:

……..Spirit, come!

This is thine high reward: -the past shall rise;

Thou shalt behold the present; I will teach

The secrets of the future.’

Ianthe’s Spirit is afforded a vision of the amazing immensity, wonder and harmony of the universe:

Above, below, around,

The circling systems formed

A wilderness of harmony;

Each with undeviating aim,

In eloquent silence, through the depths of space

Pursued its wondrous way.

Humanity’s past and present are both shown to be oppressive, unjust, and miserable; they are so not due to man’s inherited evil nature (as the priests tell them), but to the fact that

Kings, priests and statesmen blast the human flower

Even in its tender bud; their influence darts

Like subtle poison through the bloodless veins

Of desolate society.

In the evil society that characterizes the past and the present, innocent children are trained to idolize soldiers and link manliness or machismo with violence in their very infancy:

……….The child,

Ere he can lisp his mother’s sacred name,

Swells with the unnatural pride of crime, and lifts

His baby-sword even in a hero’s mood.

So Shelley puts these words in Queen Mab’s mouth that ridicule what people are taught by the priests:

 Let priest-led slaves cease to proclaim that man

Inherits vice and misery, when force

And falsehood hang even o’er the cradled babe,

Stifling with rudest grasp all natural good.   

‘The secrets of the future’ boil down to the utopian vision of a viciously hierarchical society being transformed into one where egalitarianism, justice, and love reign supreme, bringing peace and happiness to all.

At the end of the vision, Ianthe opens her eyes to look at her lover Henry gazing on her waking, with ‘speechless love’: (The word ‘casement’ in the last line means ‘window’)

The Body and the Soul united then.

A gentle start convulsed Ianthe’s frame;

Her veiny eyelids quietly unclosed;

Moveless awhile the dark blue orbs remained.

She looked around in wonder, and beheld

Henry, who kneeled in silence by her couch,

Watching her sleep with looks of speechless love,

And the bright beaming stars

That through the casement shone.

Critics have called this poem a dream vision allegory, a fairy tale, a utopian daydream, a protest- poem etc. The young David Hewavitharne might have identified ‘Queen Mab’ as a protest-poem. In terms of its substance we may call it a philosophical poem as well. In fact, the 1813 title of the poem was ‘Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem with Notes’. Shelley was a ‘philosopher’ among the Romantics in the sense that while treating the usual ‘Romantic’ themes of beauty, passion, power of the imagination, the natural goodness of humanity, political freedom etc which formed their characteristic subject matter, he discovered and articulated causal connections in them with rare precision and clarity. He was unique in this respect among his contemporaries, with the possible exception of  William Wordsworth (1770-1850) as critics have pointed out. Reading ‘Queen Mab’ we feel that it qualifies for all the above labels. Though it is unselfconsciously melodramatic, coldly polemical, and crudely emotive in much of its versification and though he himself seemed years later to have had second thoughts about its estimation as a poem worthy of publishing for public consumption when he came to know that a pirated edition of the poem had appeared in 1821 (which was just a year before his accidental death by drowning), the ‘philosophy’ that he versifies in it is found to be as mature as it ever got in his case (considering the fact that he died at the young age of 30). The poem has even been described as ‘monumental’ by more sympathetic, and in my opinion more rational-minded and more discerning, readers. Obviously, Anagarika Dharmapala was among this group of readers.

 Both Shelley and Dharmapala were revolutionaries, though of different moulds. They agitated for liberty and morality in the political and socio-cultural spheres. They had similar views about how to foster social and political reform (though the political aspect was more subdued in the case of Dharmapala than in the case of Shelley, a difference between the two that points to the Anagarika’s realistic, pragmatic approach as opposed to the dream-visionary impracticality of Shelley’s): Shelley believed in the possibility of perfecting humanity by moral means, which forms the nuclear theme of ‘Queen Mab’; the revolution he envisaged appears to be something to be achieved in this way, but not through armed struggle (despite his probable allusion to the French Revolution in his sonnet ‘England in 1819’ suggested below, which probably was introduced merely for rhetorical effect); the central theme of Canto IV of ‘Queen Mab’ is war:

 ‘War is the statesman’s game, the priest’s delight,

The lawyer’s jest, the hired assassin’s trade,

And to those royal murderers whose mean thrones

Are bought by crimes of treachery and gore,

The bread they eat, the staff on which they lean.

Here the hired assassin’s trade” is soldiering; the army is meant. (The phrase is an illustration of the terseness of Shelley’s poetic expression for which he is well known. The interested readers may unravel its implications by themselves.)

 As socially conscious young men in their different places and times Shelley and Dharmapala had much in common. They shared the same reformist ambitions. Both, born into wealth and privilege, showed an unusual concern for the welfare of the poor and were totally committed to the social uplift and moral refinement of the society including particularly the traditionally oppressed. Shelley’s relentless criticism of authoritarian institutions in his country is explicitly articulated in his sonnet ‘England in 1819’: The state of Shelley’s England is such that the king   is old, mad, blind, despised, and dying”; the princes are the dregs of their dull race”; the rulers who are unable to see, feel or know, cling like leeches to their country until they drop, blind in blood, without a blow”; the ordinary English people are starved and stabbed in the untilled fields”; the army is corrupt and inept; the laws tempt and slay”; religion is Christless – Godless – a book sealed”. (Won’t this sound familiar to readers in many countries of the world even today?) All these (agents of tyrannous evil) Are graves, from which a glorious Phantom may – Burst to illumine our tempestuous day” (This could be interpreted as an allusion to the French Revolution, in which a crucial event was the storming of the ancient fortress of the Bastille  and the releasing of  the wretched prisoners there in 1789, just three years before his birth). Shelley’s diatribes like these preceded, by about three quarters of a century, the Anagarika’s vehement denunciation of the demoralizing British imperialism in our country. Just as Shelley rebelled (ideologically) against what he condemned as the tyranny of the king, priests and  statesmen (‘statesmen’ not in its current dignified sense, but in the sense of mere ‘politicians’), Dharmapala adopted a defiant stance towards the occupying foreigners, errant Buddhist monks, and the Westernized local elite that so slavishly pandered to  the interests of the colonial rulers.

But he was not an irrational hater of everything Western. He admired the positive aspects of European culture. He possessed a very good knowledge of the English language, which he used to write and edit many English publications in the pursuance of his Buddhist revivalist propaganda. His love of English poetry was consistent with the cosmopolitan Buddhist attitude towards what is admirable in other cultures. He criticized the tyranny and injustice of European colonialism, but he obviously had a high regard for the Western nations’ scientific and inventive genius. In return, he acted in compassion towards them according to his own religious convictions. He wrote in his My Life Story” already referred to:

It is time that Buddhists of Asia should give the Dhamma to the people of Europe and America. Buddhism is for the scientifically cultured. The discoveries of modern sciences are a help to understand the sublime Dhamma. The mediaeval theology of ecclesiastical tussle may have satisfied the half-civilized consciousness of pre-scientific Europe and the paganized tribes of Europe of a barbarous age. Today the cultured races of Europe require a scientific psychology showing the greatness of human consciousness. The sublime doctrine of the Lord Buddha is a perfect science based on transcendental wisdom. This Dhamma should be freely given to the European races. 

 The unacceptable reality of our current domestic and international predicament is exactly what the farsighted Anagarika acted to forestall, against many odds, which limited his success. Paradoxically and quite unfairly, leaders like him are held responsible for our present ethnic problems by some individuals. My opinion is that had Anagarika Dharmapala and other patriots that he inspired not been there in that era and after, our plight today would have been worse.

උදුලා ජයසිංහ

ගුරුවරුන් වශයෙන් අපි හඳුන්වනු ලබන්නේ දෙමවුපියන්ගෙන් පසු ළමයින්ට හා විශේෂයෙන් ළමා මනසට වැටහෙන පරිදි අවවාද අනුශාසනා දෙමින් තමා ලද අධ්‍යාපන සුදුසු කම් අනුව දැනුම,බුද්ධිය වර්ධනය කර දරුවන්ට නිසි මගට යොමුකොට සමාජයේ ගරුබුහුමන් ලබන පිරිසකි. දුසිරිත් වලින් තොර සහජ හැකියාවක් ඇති මානවයා සැකසීම කරන්නන්ද ගුරුවරුන් ලෙස හැඳින්වියහැක. පෙර රජදරුවන් කාලයේ පවා රජ දරුවන්ටද, ඔවුන්ගේ දරුවනටද රාජ්ජ්‍ය තන්ත්‍රය ගැන හා නොයෙකුත් ශිල්ප ශ්‍රාස්ත්‍ර ගුරුවරුන් විසින් උගන්වා ඇති බව පෙනී යයි. ඒ සඳහා වෙනම වෙනම තක්ශිලාවක් නොහොත් පාසැල්ද පවත්වා ඇත. අතීතයේදී අප දේශයේ මුල්ම යුගයේ පිරිවෙන් අධ්‍යාපනයද ළමුන්ට ලබා දී ඇති බව පෙනේ . ඒ ඒ යුගවල තොරතුරු පරිශීලනය කරන විට අපහට හොඳින් එය පෙනී යයි. ගුරු මවුවරුන් හා පියවරුන් වශයෙන් මෙම පිරිසම තවත් විරුදාවලියකින් හඳුන්වන් ලබයි.

මෑතකදී අප රටේ අධ්‍යාපනය ලබා දෙන ගුරවරුන් කොටසක් කරන නුසුදුසු ක්‍රියා සහා මන්ද මානසික වගේ විලාසය ඇසෙනවිට, දකින විට, පෙනීයන කරුනක් තමා සමාජයේ ජිවත්වන මානවයාව යහමගට ගැනීමට ක්‍රියා කරන පිරිසක් විසින් කරන හොඳ හෝ යහපත් ක්‍රියාවක්ද, සිරිතක්ද මේ පෙන්වන්නේ කියාය. ඔවුන්ගේ මේ දේශපාලනමය ගුරැ පෙළපාළි කරුවන් ළමයින්ගේ කාලයද කාදමමින් මේ සිදු කරන්නේ මුළු සමාජයම වැනසීම නොවේද?. ඔවුන්ට පෙර සිටි ඔවුන්ගේ ගුරුවරුන් වන සමාජයේ ගරු බුහුමන් ලබමින් සිටි බුද්ධිමත් ඈඳුරන්ගෙන් ලබාගත් දැනුම මුලික කරගෙන ‘සිංහ හම ‘ පොරවාගත් සිවලුන් මෙන් මෝඩ වැඩකිරීම ඔවුන් ඉගෙනගත් ඈඳුරන්වන ඔවුන්ගේම ගුරවරුන් හට කරන මහා නිගාවකි ඔවුන්ගේ ගුණයද කෙළෙසීමකි.

මේ සාවිශාල රෝග භියකට ගොදුරු වී සිටින මොහොතක තමාගේ බඩගෝස්තරය රැක ගැනීමට හා තම දරුවන්ට පමණක් සැප සම්පත් දී තමාද සැප සම්පත් විඳිමින්, අනිත් දරුවන් හට නුගන්නවා තම ගෙදර සිටින ‘ළමයින්’ තරඟ විභාග ආදියෙන් දිනවීමට ‘ රහසේ සැම විෂය කරුණක්ම උගන්වා ජිවත් වීමට වෙර දැරීම සාපරාධි අපරාධයකි. තම නිවසේ සිටින දරුවනට කියා දෙන නරක පුර්වදෙශයකි. එහි ප්‍රතිඑලය ඔබද ඔබගේ ජිවිත කාලය තුලදීම ලබා ගැනීමට නියමිතයි. කර්මය ඔබ මත ක්‍රියාත්මක වීම දරුවන්ගේ නොසලිකම් වලට පාත්‍ර වීම සක්සුදක් සේ පැහැදිලිය.

සමාජයේ පවතින කටවහරක් වන ‘රෝමය ගිනි ගනිද්දී නීරෝ වීණා වාදනය’ කරමින් සිටියාවගේ කියන අර්ථ කථාව දැන් මේ ළමයින්ගේ අධ්‍යාපනය ලබාදෙන තමන් අභිමානවත් ලෙස හුවා දක්වමින් සමාජය ඉදිරියේ උඩඟු වෙමින් ක්‍රියා කරන ‘ගුරු හොරුන් ‘ සඳහා මානාව අනුයුක්ත කළහැක. මේවාටම උඩගෙඩි දෙන දෙමවුපියන් කොටසක් සිටින එක සෝචනීය කරුණකි. ගුරු හොරුන් විසින් රහසේ තම ළමයින්ට ‘ තම ගෙදරදී උගන්වන බව ඔබ දන්නේද ? හිමින් සීරුවේ වැඩ පොත් හෝ ළමයාගේ අදාල විෂය ගැන ප්‍රශ්න කර බලන්න. ඔබගේ ළමයාගේ නුවණ හා සංසන්දනය කරබලන්න. මේ ගුරු හොරුන්ගේ ළමයින්ගේ ‘දැනුම වැඩිවී තිබෙන්නේ. ‘ඔය ගුරු හොරුන්ගේ නැට්ට පස්සේ යන දෙමවු පියන්ගේ ළමයාගේ ජානමය හැකියවක් හෝ වෙනත් අඩුපාඩුවක් නිසා නොව. ඔවැනි ගුරු හොරුන් රහසේ කරන කපටි ක්‍රියා මාර්ගයක් බැවිනි. කැමතිනම් ඔය ‘උඩ පනින’ දෙමවු පියන්ට තමාගේ පාසල් කාලය තුල සිද්ධීන් මතක් කර බලන්න.’ හොඳින් මේ කරුණ මතක තබා ගන්න ‘ උඩ පැන්නොත් බිම වැටේ’ ඔබ ගුරැ උත්ගොෂණ කරුවන් සමග උඩ පනින විට’ මේ පැනිල්ලෙන් සිදුවන්නේ ඔබේ දරුවා බිම වැටි ඒ මදිවට හොටත් බිම ඇනීමය.

යහපත් ගුරු ඇසුරක් තුල හැදී වැඩි සිටින දෙමව්පියන්නම් මෙවැනි ‘ගුරු හොරුන්ගේ වැඩ පිළිවෙලට අත් උදවු කාරයින් නොවන බවද මෙවැනි සමාජ දුෂණ ක්‍රියාවලට අත් පොලොසන් දෙන්න ඔල්වරසන් දෙන්න එකතු නොවන බව සමාජයේ කතිකාවලින්මපෙනී යයි. දෙමව්පියන් විසින් දුක් මහන්සි වී උපයන ධනය පන්ති ගාස්තු වශයෙන් සුරා කමින් රජයෙන් නොමිලේ ලබාදුන් නිදහස් අධ්‍යාපනයෙන් එල ප්‍රොයෝජන ගෙන රජයෙන්ම ගුරු රාජකාරියට පත්වී මහාජන බදු මුදල් වලින් සුවසේ යැපෙමින් උගත්කම් හා තානාන්තර ලබමින් තමාට ආවඩා ගන්නා ගුරු වරුන්ගේ ක්‍රියාකලාප නිසා ගුරුවරුන්ගේ සමස්ථ ගුරු ගෞරවය මේ වනවිට ගිලිහි ඇති බව පෙනී යයි.

මෙය දැකීම සාරධර්ම හා සංස්කෘතික වටිනාකම් වලින් යුක්ත අප මවුබිම වැනි දේශයක ජිවත්වන අපට පෙනීම කණගාටුවට කාරණයක් බවත් ප්‍රකශ කළ හැක.

තෙරුවන් සරණයි !

(මුතුකුඩේ වළවුවේ සහා වෙල්ලසේ මුදියන්සේලාගේ පුංචිරාළගේ පරම්පරාවේ උරුමය ලත් මා)

උදුලා ජයසිංහ

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

කැකිරාව සෞඛ්‍ය වෛද්‍ය  නිලධාරී කාර්යාලයේ පරිපාලන මහජන සෞඛ්‍ය පරීක්ෂකවරයාට පහරදෙමින් කලහකාරී  ලෙස හැසිරුණු බව කියන පල්ලබැද්දේ නන්දරතන හිමි අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය උපදේශක තනතුරක් දරණ බවට පළවන මාධ්‍ය වාර්තා සත්‍යයෙන් තොර වේ.

උන්වහන්සේ වර්තමානයේ අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ    උපදේශක හෝ වෙනත් කිසිදු  තනතුරක්  දරන්නේ නැත.

කැකිරාව පොලිසිය අදාළ සිදුවීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් මේ වනවිට පරීක්ෂණ පවත්වයි.

තිසර සමල් – අනුරාධපුර

දැයක් නගන – සියක් නගර” ව්‍යාපෘතිය යටතේ තිරප්පනය අනුරාධපුර තිරප්පනය නගරයේ යෝජිත භූදර්ශන හා රථවාහන නැවතුම හා තිරප්පනය තුරු සෙවන” විවේක සහ විනෝද කටයුතු උද්‍යානය ඉදි කිරීම් කටයුතු රාජ්‍යය අමාත්‍යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් සමාරම්භ කෙරිණි.

රට නගන සෞභාග්‍යයේ දැක්ම වත්මන් රජයේ ප්‍රථිපත්ති ප්‍රකාශනය අනුව නගර සීයක් සංවර්ධනය කිරීමේ දැයක් නගන – සියක් නගර” ව්‍යාපෘතිය යටතේ අනුරාධපුර තිරප්පනය නගරයේ යෝජිත භූදර්ශන හා රථවාහන නැවතුම වෙනුවෙන් රුපියල් මිලියන 16.8 ක් හා තිරප්පනය තුරු සෙවන” විවේක සහ විනෝද කටයුතු උද්‍යානය සඳහා රුපියල් මිලියන 33 ක මුදලක් නාගරික සංවර්ධන, අපද්‍රව්‍ය බැහැරලීම හා ජල පවිත්‍රතා කටයුතු රාජ්‍යය අමාත්‍යංශය මගින් වෙන් කර ඇත.

අදාළ ඉදි කිරීම් කටයුතු සමාරම්භ කරමින් ඉදි කිරීම් සිදු වන ආකාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් රාජ්‍යය අමාත්‍යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතා එම භූමිය නිරීක්ෂණය කරනු ලැබීය.

ඒ අනුව තිරප්පනය නගරයේ යෝජිත භූදර්ශන හා රථවාහන නැවතුම් භූමියෙහි වොලි බොල් ක්‍රීඩා පිටියක්,  අංග සම්පූර්ණ වැසිලිකි පද්ධතියක්, පොලිස් මුර පොළක්, රථ වාහන ගාලක්, නගරය මඟහැරි යන ලෙස අතුරු මාර්ගයක් ඇතුළුව ඉදි කෙරෙන අතර,  තුරුසෙවන විවේක සහ විනෝද කටයුතු උද්‍යාන භූමියේ වැසිකිලි පද්ධතියක්, ඇවිදින මංතීරුවක්, ව්‍යායාම සිදු කිරීමට ස්ථානයක්, ළමා උද්‍යානයක් ඇතුළුව සංවර්ධනය කිරීමට යෝජිතය.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂ මිහින්තලය ආසන සංවිධායක සරත් ඉලංගසිංහ තිරප්පනය ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා සභාපති රොෂාන් ඉලංගසිංහ යන මහත්වරුන් ඇතුළු දේශපාලන නියෝජිතයන් මෙම අවස්ථාවට සහභාගී වූහ.   

සංවර්ධන නිලධාරී සේවා සංගමය

ගරු අධ්‍යාපන අමාත්‍ය,
දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මැතිතුමා,
අධ්‍යාපන අමාත්‍යාංශය,
ඉසුරුපාය,
බත්තරමුල්ල.

ගරු අමාත්‍යතුමනි,

අභ්‍යාසලාභීන්/ සංවර්ධන නිලධාරීන් ගුරු සේවයේ පුරප්පාඩු සඳහා බඳවා ගැනීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් සාකච්ඡාවක් ලබා ගැනීම.

ජාතික පාසල්, පළාත් පාසල්, අධ්‍යාපන ආයතන ඇතුළු ආයතනයන් වෙත අනුයුක්ත කර ඇති අභ්‍යාසලාභී උපාධිධාරීන්, සංවර්ධන නිලධාරීන් ගුරු සේවයේ පවතින පුරප්පාඩු සඳහා අන්තර්ග්‍රහණය කරගැනීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් අප සංගමය පසුගිය මාර්තු 02 වන දින අමාත්‍යාංශ ලේකම්තුමා ඇතුළු නිලධාරීන් සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කරන ලදි. එම සාකච්ඡාවේ දී ඉහත කරුණු පිළිබඳව යම් තීරණ ප්‍රමාණයකට එළඹි අතර නව අධ්‍යාපන අමාත්‍යවරයා වශයෙන් වගකීම් භාරගත් ඔබතුමාට අධ්‍යාපන විෂයට අයත් කාර්යයන් සාර්ථක කරගැනීම වෙනුවෙන් සුභපතන අතර ඉහත කරුණු සම්බන්ධයෙන් නව අමාත්‍යවරයා වශයෙන් ඔබතුමා සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කිරීමට බලාපොරොත්තු වෙමු.

පාසල් පද්ධතිය තුළ සමස්ත ගුරු පුරප්පාඩු 60 000 කට ආසන්නව පවතින බව වාර්තා වේ. ගුරු සේවයේ පවතින එවැනි විශාල පුරප්පාඩු ප්‍රමාණයක් සම්පුර්ණ කිරීමේ දී අභ්‍යාසලාභී උපාධිධාරීන්ගෙන් හා සංවර්ධන නිලධාරීන්ගෙන් විෂය පුරප්පාඩු සඳහා සුදුසුකම් සහිත සියලූ දෙනාට අවස්ථාව ලබා දීමට හැකිනම් එය උපාධිධාරීන්ට ලබා දෙන ඉහළ ගෞරවණීය අවස්ථාවක් වනු ඇත.

2. පාසල් ස`දහා අනුයුක්ත කරන ලද අභ්‍යාසලාභී උපාධිධාරීන් හා අධ්‍යාපන ආයතන ඇතුළු වෙනත් ආයතන වෙත අනුයුක්ත කර ඇති අභ්‍යාසලාභීන් අතරින් ගුරු සේවය සඳහා මනාපය පල කරන සුදුසුකම් සහිත පිරිස සඳහා අවස්ථාව ලබා දීම,

3. ජාතික පාසල් හා පළාත් පාසල්වල 2012 වර්ෂයේ සිට සංවර්ධන නිලධාරී තනතුර යටතේ සේවය කරන ඉගැන්වීමේ කටයුතු සඳහා ද දායකත්වය ලබා දෙන සංවර්ධන නිලධාරීන් ගෙන් මනාපය පල කරන පිරිස සඳහා අවස්ථාව ලබා දීම,

4. පළාත් මට්ටමින් පැවැත් වූ ගුරු තරඟ විභාගවලදි සමත්ව ඇති, දැනට අභ්‍යාසලාභී පුහුණුවේ හා සංවර්ධන නිලධාරී ස්ථීර තනතුරේ සේවයේ නියුතු පිරිස සඳහා අවස්ථාව ලබා දීම,

5. MN-04 ආශ්‍රීත සේවා වැටුප් තලයට අයත් රාජ්‍ය හා පළාත් රාජ්‍ය සේවයේ 2005 සිට බඳවාගෙන ඇති අදාළ සුදුසුකම් සහිත ගුරු සේවය සඳහා මනාපය පල කරන උපාධිධාරීන් සඳහා අවස්ථාව ලබා දීම.

ඉහත කරුණු පදනම් කර ගනිමින් ඔබතුමාගේ ප‍්‍රධානත්වයෙන් අමාත්‍යාංශ ලේකම්තුමාගේ ද මැදිහත්වීම සහිතව සාකච්ඡාවක් අප සංගමය වෙත ලබාදෙන මෙන් කාරුණිකව ඉල්ලා සිටිමු.

ස්තූතියි.

මෙයට,
චන්දන සූරියආරච්චි
ප්‍රධාන ලේකම්
සංවර්ධන නිලධාරී සේවා සංගමය.

සම්බන්ධීකරණය – 071 81 78 268
Coordinating – +94 71 81 78 268

පිටපත
ලේකම් – අධ්‍යාපන අමාත්‍යාංශය

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

වසංගත තත්වය හමුවේ ඖෂධ වලට හිමිවන්නේ සුවිශේෂී ස්ථානයකි. මෙරටට ගෙන්වන ඖෂධ සම්බන්ධයෙන් වගකීමෙන් කටයුතු කරන ඖෂධ නියාමන අධිකාරිය ගැන මෑතකාලයේදී දැඩි කතාබහක් ඇතිවුණේ එහි දත්ත මැකීයාම සම්බන්ධ පුවතත් සමගිනි.

අති සංවේදී තොරතුරු සමගින් ගනුදෙනු කරන මෙම අධිකාරියේ දත්ත මකා දැමීම පිටුපස සිටින මහමොළකරු දේශපාලනයට සම්බන්ධ බවත් ඔහු විපක්ෂයේ අයෙකු බවත් අනාවරණය වෙමින් පවතියි.

මේ බව තවදුරටත් සනාථ වන්නේ පසුගිය යහපාලන ආණ්ඩු සමයේ ගත් තීරණයකට අනුව ජාතික ඖෂධ නියාමන අධිකාරිය 2017 වසරේ දී තොරතුරු ඩිජිටල්කරණයට පියවර ගැනීමේ දී දත්තවල ආරක්ෂාව ගැන ප්‍රමාණවත් සැලකිල්ලක් දක්වා නැති බව මෙන්ම අතිරේක තොරතුරු ගොනුවක් පවත්වා ගැනීමට පවා කිසිදු පියවරක් ගෙන නොමැති බවට වූ කරුණත් සමගිනි. මේ බව මනාව දැනසිටි මේ මහමොළකරු පෞද්ගලික සමාගමකට ලබාදුන් කොන්ත්‍රාත්තුවක ප්‍රතිඵලයක් ලෙස මෙම දත්ත මැකීයාම සිදු වී ඇත.

දැවැන්ත ආර්ථික ලාභයක් හිමිකර ගැනීම මෙන්ම රට තවත් අර්බුදකාරී තත්වයක් කරා ගෙනයමින් ජනතාව මෙන්ම ආණ්ඩුවද අපහසුතාවට පත් කිරීම මොහුගේ අරමුණ වී තිබේ.

Written by Varsha Sriram | Courtesy The Indian Exprewss

A Sri Lankan song that is viral on Instagram has spawned covers in several regional languages in India. A look at what has made the Sinhala song so popular

Since its release, this version of ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ has not only become one of the most popular tunes for Instagram Reels in India but has also become a hit on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify.

From Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit and social media influencers to usual Instagrammers, all have hopped on to the trend of making reels with a Sri Lankan song — ‘Manike Mage Hithe’. Some have the song as background music in their videos, some have danced to it; others have simply hummed to the tune.

The current version of the viral Sinhala song was released in May 2021 and is sung by Sri Lankan singer-rappers Yohani and Satheeshan, who became overnight sensations not only in Sri Lanka but also in India.

Not many, however, know that the song was originally released in Sri Lanka as a single in July last year and was produced by music producer Chamath Sangeeth – and not by Yohani whose version of the song is currently viral. The original was sung by singer Satheeshan along with rapper Dulan ARX, who is also the lyricist of the song.

Speaking about the making of the original song, Sangeeth said, In 2020, Satheeshan had requested me to produce a song for him. When he came back to me five months later, I did not like the song I had produced for him, and so the music underwent drastic change for a week. I made a new song which is the original version of Manike Mage Hithe so that it matched his voice.”

The Sri Lankan music producer said that Dulan ARX was roped in to write the lyrics for the song and was also asked to rap to make the song creative.

The song, Sangeeth said, talks about a beautiful girl in a rural village in Sri Lanka. The boy who sings the song is in love with this girl and he tells her not to ignore him and make him lose his feelings,” he said.

The music video directed by Hasith Aryan featured Madushi Soysa, Kasun Tharaka and Ruwan Priyadarshana. Since we felt that the song will be a great hit, we got in Hasith Aryan to do the music video for the song,” Sangeeth added.

Also Read |‘Manike Mage Hithe’: The Sri Lankan song that has bewitched Indian hearts

The viral cover

After a year since the release of the original song, Sangeeth got together with Sri Lankan singer-rapper Yohani to release a duet cover of the same song in May 2021 featuring the original singer Satheeshan.

We collaborated with Yohani when we were amidst a lockdown, as we were unable to go out. The cover was done in the most simple way with what was available to us at that time,” Sangeeth said.

Since its release, this version of ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ has not only become one of the most popular tunes for Instagram Reels in India but has also become a hit on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify. It has also crossed over 100 million views on YouTube. It became Number 1 in iTunes’ top 100 in Sri Lanka, India and Maldives, top viral 50 in Spotify India and Spotify Global.

Chamath Sangeeth said that he never imagined that this version would make it this far and become an overnight sensation. Manike Mage Hithe is the only song that has become a viral hit outside the country (Sri Lanka) which is the first for Sri Lanka’s music industry.

It still feels like a dream to me to have achieved this much success and I am unbelievably happy,” Sangeeth said.

‘Manike Mage Hithe’ in Indian languages

Every now and then, a trend goes viral on Instagram Reels that is becoming extremely popular in the country. ‘Manike Mage Hithe’, which was released in May this year, is one such trend.

From music producer Yashraj Mukhate’s cover, to a video of an air hostess dancing to the song on an empty plane, the number of people who hopped on to the trend increased over the last few weeks, simultaneously increasing the views of each video.

Since the song that went viral was the cover sung in Sinhalese, several YouTube artists felt that putting out versions of the song in different Indian languages would reach a wider range of audience.

One such artist was Anas Shajahan from Kerala. As soon as I heard the song on Instagram, I felt that making a cover of it would reach a larger audience,” he said.

Anas made a Tamil version of the song and uploaded it on his YouTube channel. Once this version started to get a lot of attention, Sangeeth contacted Anas and said he wished to collaborate and make an official version of the song with Yohani.

I rewrote the song in Malayalam and since Yohani did not know the language, I had to teach her the words in both Malayalam and Tamil,” Anas said.

While the meaning in Sinhalese is different from the one in Tamil and Malayalam, Anas said he understood the theme of the song and wrote the lyrics based on that. The Tamil and Malayalam versions of the song were officially released on C Music South Channel on 26th July 2021.

The version which Anas did with Yohani is a great success. He has a great voice and the lyrics were good. There were a lot of comments on Yohani’s page to go for a Tamil version of this song as well. This prompted me to invite him to do the official Tamil version for Manike Mage Hithe,” Sangeeth said.

There have been multiple other versions by different singers that have gone viral with millions of views. Some opted to directly translate the Sinhalese song into Hindi or other regional languages and some artists gave their own twist and meaning to the song.

Pune-based singer-rapper Muzistar released a Hindi version on July 30. The song was sent to Muzistar by a friend of his and he fell in love with it and thought that the song was melodious.

Writing the lyrics was the hard part and it took me two days to do it. I retained Yohani’s portions of the song and replaced the male part with my own writing,” Muzistar said.

While Muzistar’s version has now been removed from YouTube, his Hindi version became famous, making even Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan to share it. When I found out that the legend Amitabh Bachchan had shared my version of the song, I began to tear up. Though I was extremely happy, I also shed happy tears,” he said.

When asked how Chamath Sangeeth felt about the number of Indian versions being made on his song, he said, I’m truly honoured and happy that they have remade my song in all these languages. As far as I’ve heard, this song has been remade in around 75 versions.”

This song is made in many languages along with this Hindi version that you know of. But none of them are recognised versions of this song apart from the Tamil/Malayalam one,” Sangeeth said.

Most of the social media users admitted that they did not understand the language or meaning of the song, but that did not stop them from getting addicted to it.

Amrit Ramnath, a singer-composer based out of Chennai, says the simplicity of Manike Mage Hithe was what attracted him the most. I think the song is very catchy and accessible, which is why it works so well even though it’s not a very commonly known language,” he said.

He believed the beauty of accessible music such as this song was that it traverses across language and culture. The song would have been a hit even if it was in an even lesser-known language simply because of the melodic structure and recall value of the song,” Amrit said.Also Read

Beginning of more collaborations

With the success of Manike Mage Hithe in India, the question of ‘will the song pave the way for more collaboration between Indian and Sri Lankan artistes?’ naturally arises.

Sangeeth said, I would definitely think that we will have more collaboration in the future between the Indian and Sri Lankan artistes as India is our neighbour and a very friendly country. Our Sri Lankan artistes have had a history of working with Indian artistes before. Manike Mage Hithe has created a great environment today for artists to work together and I think that only now Indian fans have started loving Sinhala songs.”

Chamath reveals there are plans to make an official Hindi version of the song and discussions are underway with – Series for it. He confirms Yohani has not collaborated with anyone apart from Anas Shahjahan and Satheeshan.Chennai News

• The magic of ‘Manike Mage Hithe’

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He believes ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ has created more avenues for him to showcase his talents. I have had collaborations with Indian artists like Salman Ali, Haricharan, Pragathi Guru Prasad, even before this song, and you will be able to see more collaborations in the future,” he said.

Courtesy The Island

The Central Bank will soon announce a policy package in the form of a short-term Roadmap to provide clarity with regard to the movement of Sri Lanka’s macro-economic fundamentals, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said after taking office yesterday.

The Central Bank’s first and urgent priority under my watch, will be to provide clarity with regard to the movement of Sri Lanka’s macro-economic fundamentals in the desired path and thereby ensure stability in the financial sector. Towards that goal, the Central Bank will need to take the required steps that will reflect its own commitment towards that objective, and will therefore soon announce a policy package in the form of a short-term Road Map that could then be followed by all stakeholders,” he said.

He said that he was extremely privileged to lead the Central Bank once again and was humbled by the trust and confidence reposed in him by the President, Prime Minister and Finance Minister to take up the responsibility.

He also appreciated the good wishes that he had received from thousands of our countrymen.

I will assure all of them that they will not be let down, and the economy will be steered towards continued stability. I also look forward to the close cooperation of the wonderful team of persons at the Central Bank as well the support from all stakeholders with whom I will have early consultations,” he said.

The government, bankers, importers, exporters, lenders, borrowers, investors, developers, service providers, industrial businesses, exchange houses, retailers, wholesalers and most importantly, the people of Sri Lanka must experience economic stability. It is then that undue fears are allayed, and damaging expectations are not escalated,”

To achieve that objective, the Central Bank will need to provide clear and firm guidance to all economic stakeholders particularly at turbulent times, such as the current times. Therefore, the Central Bank’s first and urgent priority under my watch, will be to provide clarity with regard to the movement of Sri Lanka’s macro-economic fundamentals in the desired path and thereby ensure stability in the financial sector,” he said.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

KCI Metro Link Korea Co and the GBK Consortium of more than 15 South Korean companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to undertake a feasibility study for a light rail line running north from Colombo to Bandaranaike International Airport and Negombo, along with an associated mixed use development.

The project is being backed by a US$500m loan from Export-Import Bank of Korea to Sri Lanka, with more than US$1bn of further funding expected to be raised from international investors, the Railway Gazette reported.

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Seoul, Sri Lanka’s ambassador Dr A Saj U Mendis said countries including South Korea and Malaysia had experienced rapid development owing to improved connectivity, and he believed Sri Lanka was now in similar position to South Korea 30 years ago and well positioned to receive foreign investment.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lankans returning to the country from abroad will be sent home without delay following expedited PCR tests, the government has decided.

The decision has been taken at a meeting held at the Ministry of Health today (September 16).

With the new laboratory facilities at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), it is possible to release PCR test results within just hours.

Accordingly, it is expected to send arriving Sri Lankans to their homes without a hotel quarantine period, if their test results come out negative.

Courtesy Adaderana

The total number of people who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in Sri Lanka moved up as 118 more fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Wednesday (Sep. 15).

The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 11,817.

According to the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims include 61 males and 57 females.

As many as 95 deaths were reported among elderly people aged above 60 years.

In addition, 23 individuals aged between 30-59 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reports that another 889 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, moving the daily total of new cases to 2,271.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 498,694.

As many as 428,590 recoveries and 11,817 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The Epidemiology Unit’s data showed that 58,287 active cases are currently under medical care.

Courtesy Adaderana

Approval has been granted to two state-owned companies to import organic fertilizer for crops including tea, coconut, and rubber, Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage said.

Previously, fertilizer was allowed to be imported only for paddy cultivation.

The two state-owned companies will be permitted to import organic fertilizer for other crops as well.

Meanwhile, steps have been taken to allow the private sector to import fertilizer so that all crops can obtain fertilizer from the market without any shortage by October.

For the first time in Sri Lanka, organic fertilizer required for paddy cultivation using organic fertilizer is being produced in the country and sufficient quantities of organic nitrogen and potassium have been imported, Minister Aluthgamage says.

The Minister further said that 300 kilos of nitrogen and 45 kilos of potassium per hectare will be provided to the farmers free of charge.

By Philippa Roxby Health reporter Courtesy BBC

More than four out of five UK adults have now had two jabs, but reported daily Covid cases remain high.

Meanwhile, it’s been confirmed that millions of people will get booster vaccines – while children aged 12-15 will be offered single doses.

Why are infections still high when so many are vaccinated?

The vaccines are designed to protect people against becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19.

They’re less effective at stopping people becoming infected by the virus, developing mild symptoms or passing it on.

Although the vaccine does still reduce the likelihood of these things happening, it might only stop half of infected people from transmitting the virus.

Even if 100% of people in the UK were double vaccinated, the virus would still spread – but the key difference is that far fewer people would become seriously ill.

Do vaccines prevent hospitalisation and death?

They strongly prevent vaccinated people from getting Covid symptoms – and are even better at stopping people from ending up in hospital.

But effectiveness also depends on how well each vaccine works against individual variants. The most common variant in the UK today is Delta.

Public Health England (PHE) studies suggest having two vaccine doses protect 80% of people against getting symptoms from the Delta variant. That’s lower than the Alpha variant (89%), because Delta is more infectious. The PHE also found:

• Vaccines are 96% effective at preventing hospitalisation
• Covid deaths in the double-jabbed are four times lower than in the unvaccinated

But there will always be some deaths, particularly in the oldest and most vulnerable, because vaccines aren’t perfect.

Having two doses remains the best way to protect yourself. After four or five months, a large study suggests you have the same amount of protection whether you had AstraZeneca or Pfizer. Researchers don’t yet have enough data to compare the Moderna jab, but believe it is “almost certainly at least as good as the others”.

Some 44 million people in the UK, about 81% of people aged 16 and over, have now had their second jab.

• Covid deaths rare among fully vaccinated – ONS

Who will be offered third jabs?

Across the UK, single booster jabs will be offered to:

• Over-50s
• Frontline health and social care workers
• Older adults in residential care homes
• People aged 16-49 years old with underlying health conditions which put them at greater risk of severe Covid
• Adults who share a household with vulnerable people

The doses will be offered at least six months after a second vaccination, and are likely to be either Pfizer or Moderna.

England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, says people should also take a flu jab if it is offered alongside the booster.

• How can I get a flu jab?

Which children will now be offered the vaccine?

All four UK governments have also confirmed healthy over-12s will be offered a single Covid jab.

The UK’s chief medical officers argue vaccinating this group will help limit school disruption if Covid spreads during the winter.

There is no vaccine currently approved for use in the under-12s in the UK.

Already, young people aged 16 and 17 are being offered one dose, with the intention of a second at a later date.

The vaccine is also available for over-12s with underlying health conditions, or those living with others at high risk.

• Will children’s Covid jabs be compulsory?
• What difference will jabbing young teens make?
• Vaccinating children – how the UK compares

How do I get a vaccine?

In England, adults and those within three months of turning 18 can book a jab online or by calling 119. You can also visit a walk-in clinic without an appointment. All 16 and 17-year-olds are asked to make an appointment through their GP.

In Scotland, over-16s can register to get the vaccine on the NHS inform website or by calling 0800 030 8013. Most health boards also have drop-in vaccination clinics. Over-12s can go to drop-in clinics from Monday 20 September.

In Wales, adults should contact their local health board if they’ve not been offered their jab.

In Northern Ireland, you can book online or call 0300 200 7813. Walk-in centres are open to older teenagers.

How soon should I get my second jab?

In England, the recommended gap between first and second jabs is between 8-12 weeks.

In Wales, the government says you should be called in for your second dose “within 12 weeks” of the first.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland the recommended gap is eight weeks.

KAMALIKA PIERIS

REVISED 18.9.21

The Tamil Separatist Movement was not crushed by the Eelam defeat. They knew it was going to happen and were ready for it. The Movement created two new organizations after the war ended, ‘Transitional government of Tamil Eelam’(TGTE) and the ‘Global TamilForum’ (GTF). TNA is the local representative in these two groups.

Transitional government of Tamil Eelam

A Transitional government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) was set up May 2010 in the US.  It is a government in exile set up by the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora who wish to establish Tamil Eelam. TGTE said that that like the Jews, the Tamil community was a transnational population, no longer confined to a single nation. A community like that needs a transnational government. Therefore, a government in exile was be set up. However, analysts said that the world will not take the TGTE seriously.

The advisory committee of the TGTE recommended    that aTransnational Constituent Assembly of Tamil Eelam be formed consisting of 135 members. Of these, 115 would be elected and the remaining 20 shall consist of delegates selected by the elected assembly to represent regions where elections aren’t feasible.

The distribution of the 115 elected representatives is: Australia 10, Benelux 3, Canada 25, Denmark 3, Finland 1, France 10, Germany 10, Ireland 1, Italy 3, New Zealand 2, Norway 3, South Africa 3, Sweden 1, Switzerland 10, UK 20 and USA 10.

The distribution of the 20 appointed delegates is: Caribbean & South America 1, India 5, Malaysia 3, Mauritius 1, Middle East 2, Oceania 1, Rest of Africa 1, Rest of Asia 1, Rest of Europe 1, Singapore 2 and South Africa 2.

Elections were held in May 2010. Working groups were established in countries with significant Diaspora communities to organize elections. The inaugural assembly met between 17 May 2010 and 19 May 2010 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, USA. Visvanathan Rudrakumaran, former international legal advisor to the LTTE was appointed Prime Minister .Rudrakumaran is the son of the former Jaffna Mayor Rajah Viswanathan. He is a US citizen and lives in New York City. TGTE established offices in all the European countries where there is a significant number of Tamil Diaspora. It has held three sessions in USA in   2010 and 2011.

TGTE is committed to an independent sovereign state of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka’s north and east. On 19 May 2013, the TGTE unveiled its Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter, which seeks to take the Vaddukoddai Resolution forward. The Charter said, inter alia, that the North and East of Sri Lanka are the traditional homelands of the Tamil people, the people of Tamil Eelam have an inherent right to self-determination, and the creation of an independent and sovereign State of Tamil Eelam remains the only viable option.

President Maitripala Sirisena faced protests by supporters of the TGTE when he visited London for a Commonwealth Summit meeting in 2018. TGTE launched a campaign titled “#GoBackMY3” . The British government turned a blind eye to TGTE displaying LTTE flags at the Commonwealth Summit,  observed Shamindra Ferdinando. This was the first time that LTTE flags were displayed at protests against a Sri Lanka Head of state.

TGTE also displayed banners. Banners declared ‘Sri Lanka President wanted for genocide’, ‘Tamil Eelam is the only solution’, ‘UK stop protecting genocidal Sri Lanka’, ‘Let Tamils decide referendum now’,’ Justice delayed justice denied, ‘Tamils want action not words,’ We don’t want a Constitution,’ final solution is Tamil Eelam,’ where are the surrendered?

TGTE urged the CHOGM to suspend Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth, until Sri Lanka fully implemented the recommendations made by the UNHRC. TGTE said that Sri Lanka should be referred to the International Criminal Court and a UN conducted Referendum was needed for the Tamils to decide their future and to ensure a peaceful, permanent political solution.

TGTE is a make-believe organization formed by an immoderate attorney who has nothing else to do. If he had been a competent attorney, he would have had a lucrative practice and little time for campaigning for an imaginary Eelam, said Kanthar Balanathan.

Global Tamil Forum

Global Tamil Forum (GFT) was started in 2010 and is headed by Fr S.J.Emmanuel, former Vicar General of Jaffna, now in Germany, said Rohan Guneratne in 2010. Global Tamil Forum  consists of 14 Tamil Diaspora groups, including ATC Australia, BTF UK, DFTA Denmark, NCET Norway, NZTC and WTS New Zealand, STF Sweden, TRF Malaysia, USTPAC US, ETU Europe, TEMP France, CTC Canada, TCF+KV Netherlands, MT Mauritius, STF Switzerland, and GT Italy, said Shanaka Jayasekera in 2011.

Global Tamil Forum grew out of the British Tamil Forum, (BTF) which had been established in 2006 to influence British opinion. BTF has a strong presence in UK and did constituency based lobbying, influencing British politicians. 

 BTF funded the setting up of the GTF Secretariat in London. Global Tamil Forum (GTF) was ‘inaugurated’ in the House of Commons in February 2010. All major British political parties were represented at the inauguration, reported Shamindra Ferdinando.

GFT  soon became an influential grouping with access to British and US administration. GFT represents influential Tamil Diaspora groups in Europe Australia, US when necessary, said analysts.   GTF has called for the creation of an ‘autonomous Tamil region’ in merged north and east.  The 13th Amendment was too weak and fragile.

The GTF worked closely with the TNA. GTF spokesman, Suren Surendiran said that among the issues they worked closely on was the accountability issue. They had joined up with TNA to push for full implementation of the Geneva Resolution 30/1, inclusive of foreign judges.

GTF stated that all concerned Tamil organisations had met  in 2012 [ probably in London] to  discuss  Tamil genocide, destruction of Tamil peoples identity, oppression, threat to Tamil claim to north and east, and legitimate aspiration of Tamil people through negotiated political solution. This discussion continued in Berlin in January 2013.  Participants included TGTE, GTF, and International Council of Eelam Tamils. The Sri Lanka component consisted of Tamil National Alliance, Tamil National Peoples Forum, and Tamil civil society representatives.

The British Tamil Forum organization a two day conference in the UK In 2014 to censure Sri Lanka. One session was scheduled to take place in the House of Commons and a delegation of the TNA had arrived from Sri Lanka for this conference.

In 2014,  in response to Sri Lanka’s action of March 2014  the Global Tamil Forum  urged the UK to intervene on its behalf at the UN Security Council to prevent Sri Lanka government exploiting UN Security Council Resolution 1373 of 2011 ( UNSCR 1378) to attack 16 Diaspora groups as well as 424 individual.

In 2015 GTF welcomed the UNHRC report that strongly indicated war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Eelam war IV. GTF recommended an international special court for criminal prosecution. GTF is in full agreement with the report and supports a hybrid court.     It must include substantial participation of international personnel at each stage of the investigation and trial process, said GTF.

 The violations reported are   serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, continued GTF.  It made harrowing reading, indicating the horrific  level of abuse  suffer by the Tamil civilians at the hands of the Sri Lanka armed forces, including indiscriminate shelling, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, denial of humanitarian assistance, ill treatment of IDPs torture and sexual violence.

 GFT welcomes the Geneva resolution (34/L 1) of 2017 co-sponsored by Sri Lanka, which  reaffirmed full implementation of the 30/1. The GTF said it cautiously welcomes the unanimous adoption of the resolution and the fact that it was sponsored by forty seven   countries. Twenty seven countries spoke at the Interactive Dialogue on Sri Lanka.

However, a comprehensive, time-bound implementation strategy was urgently needed.  The victims and their families from the Tamil community have very little faith in the government, and any belief that justice is possible is entirely due to the assurance of international involvement.

 The role played by major international powers and their trust in the impartiality of the UNHRC processes, has been very important in preventing them from descending into a state of despair.  GTF the GTF would like to reaffirm its commitment to a process that will lead to true accountability and a sense of closure to the trauma experienced by the surviving victims., the statement concluded.

A GTF delegation led by Suren Surendiran met with President Sirisena at the Hilton in Park Lane in 2015. The goodwill was so great, they even took a dinner of string hoppers, kiri hodi, and pol sambol for Sirisena and his entourage, reported Sunday Times. He was thrilled. Also present was then Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera. They talked passionately about resolving the issues before them through dialogue. That did not go far said analysts.

THE PARK LANE HILTON IN MARCH 2015 – The then President Maitripala Sirisena with a delegation from the Global Tamil Forum (GTF). Seated on his left is Suren Surendiran, now GTF spokesperson. On his right is Father S.J. Emmanuel and seated next to him is the then Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweera.

In 2016 a delegation of the GTF, representing US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany met USA’s Assistant Secretary of State, Nisha Biswal and Assistant Secretary for Human rights, Tom Malinowski at Washington.

A joint delegation of Tamil organizations went to New York in March 2018 and held talks with UN, US and Norwegian officials in the US. The delegation comprised Jaffna District MP and TNA spokesman M. A. Sumanthiran, GTF President Rev. Father S. J. Emmanuel resident in Sri Lanka, United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), Norwegian Tamil Forum (NTF), Australian and the United Kingdom organizations.

The visit was part of GTF-TNA continued engagement with the international community to ensure that Yahapalana government fully implemented the 2015 Resolution. Suren Surendiran, who had been a member of this delegation, told Island that the mission discussed ways and means to ensure a time-bound implementation plan for two Resolutions and the requirement for UNHRC monitoring and oversight over Sri Lanka beyond March 2019. Resolution 34/1 covers the period up to March 2019.

Island asked,  why did they want UN oversight and monitoring of Sri Lanka even beyond 2019, Surendiran said that in case the current government couldn’t fully implement the 2015 pledges, continuous international oversight was needed over the next government that comes in.  Constant watch was needed until the full implementation of the 2015 Resolution.

The GTF said they were able to secure key appointments with the highest levels of authority at the UN, US Administration and Norway. The delegation had met United Nations under Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and Director for Asia and Pacific Division Ms Mari Yamashita at the main UN building in New York. The delegation also met Senior Republican Congressman Bill Johnson and senior staff of the Foreign Relations Committee at Capitol Hill. The GTF said that Ambassador Alice J Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia had promised to take up their concerns with US missions in Geneva and Colombo.

Deputy US Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Kelley E Currie, who is also the Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, met the delegates at the US Mission at the UN Plaza, 1st Avenue. Ambassador Currie has reiterated US commitment for the full implementation of Resolution 30/1 and promised to discuss points of concern with the missions in Geneva and in Colombo.

The delegation also met Norwegian Permanent Representative to the UN Tore Hattrem, at one time Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo. Hattrem had assured the delegation that Norway shared their concerns. Norwegian Mission in Geneva and the Norwegian government in Oslo were interested in a time-bound implementation plan, with benchmarks. 

Top UN official Feltman (fourth from left) with TNA and GTF delegates (Rev Fr Emmanuel-third from left, MP Sumanthiran-fifth from left) and Surendiran-extreme right)

GTF in a post published by the Canadian Tamil Congress in 2020 said the Tamil people’s struggle for democratic rights in Sri Lanka has a long history and since independence the desire of Tamils to live as a free people has not been diminished by the many setbacks and the tests of endurance faced by Tamils in their onward march for justice, dignity and equality.

When the fangs of the majoritarian state unfairly target minority communities, even the theoretical possibility of legal recourse can be significant. So, it is vital that Tamil, Muslim and Christian communities study their electoral options and act wisely, said GTF.

In 2021 Suren Surendiran, gave an interview to Island where he said that the Tamil community did not believe in commissions appointed by the government of Sri Lanka to address post-war reconciliation issues. In an interview with the BBC Sinhala service, Surendiran said that the Tamil community looked to the UNHRC to address their grievances.

GTF complained that Government of Sri Lanka falsely claims that these resolutions are against Sri Lanka and her people. Instead of dealing with issues like any mature progressive country will and should, the government of Sri Lanka creates a false narrative that these resolutions are undermining the sovereignty of Sri Lanka and that the international community, especially the powerful western countries are undermining Sri Lanka and her people and their war heroes.

GTF issued a statement when the government of Sri Lanka rejected Resolution 30/1 .GTF said the government of Sri Lanka had rejected this resolution, but even all the neighboring countries” did not support that position. The countries voting in favor cover all regions across the globe and several countries who would have traditionally voted against such a resolution recognized the criticality of the situation in Sri Lanka and decided to abstain. Tamils are grateful to the US Administration that initiated the original process of promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka in 2012.

Unlike in the previous years when the outcome at the UNHRC was eagerly sought by the Tamil community, the interests and expectations this year were much more widespread, reported the media. The Muslim community, which was openly victimized through forced cremations and expected bursa ban; the Christian community which is highly disappointed with the dishonest approach towards Easter bombing investigations, and indeed the majority community which is increasingly becoming unsettled with the authoritarian and militarized trajectory the country is adopting. . The Government of Sri Lanka, by rejecting this resolution, is undoubtedly isolating itself from the international community, said GTF.

A third   organization ‘International Council of Eelam Tamils’, was set up by the ‘Nediyawan faction in Norway. The movement started in 2009 immediately after the war. It was led by Perimpanayagam Sivapalan, known as Nediyawan, a hard core LTTE.  Nediyawan is only a figure head, the matter is controlled by a group of pro LTTE activists said one analyst.  Nediyawan faction objected to the appointment of Rudrakumaran as head of TGTE.

This movement controls more than 150 Tamil schools in Europe. These schools are used to inculcate Tamil nationalist sentiments and hatred toward Sinhalese in the mind of the younger generation of Tamils said an analyst.

The leaders of these three groups are interested only in building their personal and political power and financial strength, said Rohan Guneratne in 2011. These leaders and their children are   very well off in Europe. (Continued)

By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

Reincarnation means a ‘soul’ moving from one and taking birth in another human body after death. Hypnosis uses to identify memories of past life. Buddhists and Hindus have a shared belief over incarnations. In Western countries ‘past-life practitioners’ use hypnosis, which has become more or less a business. 

A session with a hypnotist can last up to forty minutes and it is expensive. Clinical psychiatrists and psychologists widely reject Regression. A 2006 survey found that most of the samples studied by mental health professionals rated ‘Past Lives therapy’ as a treatment for ‘mental disorders.’ Those who are in search of a ‘spiritual experience’ may consider it favourably. 

The technique used by hypnotists involves the subject having to answer a set of questions, and the hypnotised reveals his events of ‘ allegedly’ on one’s past life! Scientists say it misrepresents as a realistic recording of previous events rather than a factual set of recollections. 

Scientists maintain that hypnosis and suggestive questions leave the subject particularly likely to hold distorted memories. ‘Created memories can become indistinguishable from memories based on events that occurred during the subject’s life.’ They believe it combines experiences, knowledge, imagination, and suggestion or how the hypnotist guides the hypnotised. 

Religious view

 In the 2nd century BC, Hindu scholar Patanjali in his Yoga scriptures discussed the idea of a person’s soul becoming burdened with an accumulation of impressions (karma) from previous lives, and he called it ‘regression.’ The Chinese deity Meng Po (‘Lady of Forgetfulness’) believed to prevent souls from remembering their past lives by giving people ‘a bittersweet drink to erase all memories before climbing the reincarnation wheel.’ The Seven truths of Jainism’ deal with the soul and its attachment to karma. It reveals that karma can stick to one’s soul and to be free from the cycle of rebirth and death, one must separate karma from the soul! 

Psychiatrists & Psychologists

 Clinical Psychiatrists and psychologists widely reject past life regression. A 2006 survey of mental health professionals rated ‘Past Lives’ therapy as a ‘discredited’ treatment for mental disorders. They say that ‘memories recovered by hypnosis result from narratives created by the subconscious mind using imagination, forgotten information and suggestions by the therapist.’ Such memories created under hypnosis can be indistinguishable memories from actual memories. Those who believe in reincarnation are more likely to report such memories than those who refuse to believe. 

Examples 

Examinations of three individuals’ apparent past life regression ( Bridey, Murphy, Jane Evans) on the Internet reveal their memories were ‘superficially’ convincing. However, upon investigation by experts in languages who used historical periods revealed flaws in all three individuals. 

Moviemakers used the evidence was found the pattern in each speech during the 16th century to convey the impressions of English speech, rather than actual rebirth memories”! The date, too, was completely inaccurate! But at the same time, it was recognised as ‘printing errors in historical pamphlets! ‘ The reported topic was historically accurate from the Roman era, but identical information found simultaneously was in a 1947 novel set. 

A study on Regression. 

A study in 1976 found that forty per cent of hypnotisable subjects described new identities and used different names when suggested to regress their past birth memories. In the 1990s, a series of experiments undertaken by Nicholas Spanos examined the nature of the alleged past-life memory descriptions elaborately with vivid details. It, however, was not indicative of the validity of the therapeutic method. 

‘Human memory involves the ability to both preserve and recover information one has experienced. Memories experienced in past lives can be vivid based on one’s present life, and it is impossible to differentiate from real memories of actual events; any damage could be difficult to undo’ experts say. Past life regression is exhausted on the premise of reincarnation according to many accredited organisations of the APA (American Psychological Association). 

They have begun to refute this method as unethical! Scientists consider past life regression is immoral because it lacks evidence to support such claims! ‘The hypnotic responsiveness justifies past life regression and places the participant in a vulnerable position to establish false memories. Such false memories may be harmful,’ says Gabriel Andrade, Assistant Professor, College of Medicine, Ajman University, United Arab Emirates. He points out that past life regression violates the principle of ‘not harm process’, which is part of the Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors. (Treat the ill to the best of one’s ability). 

Personal experience of the author 

Peter Kalu, the author of the book: ‘Plan your next birth’ has gone through the experience of regression after the writer published a review on his book. He has written his experiences of regression, which the writer chose to describe in detail as follows:

 ” Peter Kalu says, Dr. Azard Uduman (the hypnotist) came on ‘zoom’ ( Internet) and first wanted to know why I needed to involve in Regression? I told him that it was out of curiosity!” Dr. Azard Uduman then hypnotised me. I am tolerant with hypnosis. Within few minutes, I was in a hypnotic state and kept on listening to Dr. Uduman. “He took me through a flight of steps, doors and corridors in a building, until I entered a park. I sat on a beautiful bench in the park.”

He kept on chatting continuously and indicated there was a white screen in front of me. After a few seconds, I could see a large screen and I stared interestingly at the screen . Dr. Uduman kept on guiding me in my hypnotised position. Next, I saw a wall with pictures annexed to it with various deities. I kept on gazing at a particular deity, which I could recognise as Lord Ganesh ( the elephant god! in Hinduism). Dr. Azard guided me to keep looking at Lord Ganesh. The next moment the elephant moved and his trunk wanted to touch me. At that moment, I could hear Dr. Uduman say: ‘Let the elephant touch you with his trunk.”

 I also heard Dr. Uduman say that the ‘elephant god’ ( the deity) wished to communicate with me! Seconds later, I saw a person dressed in immaculate white carrying some garlands – he wore jewellery around his neck. Many devotees accompanied the man. Next I saw everyone in the large gathering worshipping the man clad in white.The man performed ‘ a Hindu’ service. After the pooja was over, the elephant deity re-appeared.”

 Next, I mounted the elephant as it was about to move forward. I realised the man clad in white was the chief priest of the Hindu temple. Meanwhile, a Buddhist monk appeared on the scene.”

 Suddenly, it dawned on me that I was posing as the Hindu Priest in the Hindu Devale. Next moment when I set my eyes on the Buddhist monk, I immediately dismounted from the elephant and walked up to the Buddhist priest.”

He welcomed me adoringly. The Buddhist monk became quite affectionate, and we started chattering like two old friends. When our conversation ended, still walking forward, we both ( the Buddhist priest and self) came to a ferryboat near a waterway. There were approximately fifty people on the ferryboat. The ferryboat started to move slowly, and finally we landed on an island not very far from where we began the journey.”

The Buddhist priest guided me towards a temple on the island and introduced me to the Chief Prelate of the temple. I could see myself sitting in front of the head of the temple and listening to the chief priest’s sermon (Bana). After listening to the discourse, I became a Buddhist. I was curious about the Hindu, Priest, Kovil, and Hindu followers and my appearance as the Kovil Poosari. Still, Dr. Uduman consoled me stating that what I did was a noble act! Finally, I chose to live in the temple as a Buddhist till I eventually died.”

 I saw my dead body cremated with honour. After the funeral, I distinctly saw my parents, as a young couple, both with receding hair. It was supposed to be the beginning of my birth in Sri Lanka as a Buddhist.”

All such details coincide with the scientific proofs mentioned above. One wonders whether Peter Kalu, being a devout Buddhist, memories created under hypnosis was indistinguishable information stored in his retention and reflected as previous life’s data more vividly!

After all, at the end of the exercise, he lost £40 (approx. Rs 12,000) as the fee for the hypnotist. One wonders whether is it is worth going through Regression and for what purpose? It’s food for thought!! 

tlakfernando@gmail.com