Colombo, September 9: Sri Lanka’s last king, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy, was vilified as a cruel despot and was overthrown by the British in 1815, acting in cahoots with disgruntled local chieftains. But Vikrama Rajasinha was a creative builder, town-planner and executor of irrigation projects for the benefit of the common man.
In the latter part of his politically troubled reign (1798-1815), Vikrama Rajasinha had turned all his energies towards making his capital city, Kandy, a cosmic city” fit for God Sakra, the Sinhala version of the Hindu God Indra.
Kandy lost its lustre after the British takeover in 1815. The occupying British showed scant regard for Vikrama Rajasinha’s renovated city. According to Prof. Gerald Peiris, the British intelligence chief, John D’Oyly, who masterminded the coup of 1815, made the king’s palace his residence. Many buildings in the temple-palace complex were turned into military barracks. The Magul Maduwa (the Audience Hall) became an Anglican chapel and later a court of law. The Pattiruppuwa (an octagonal pavilion, one of three main structures which comprise the Dalada Maligawa) was desecrated. A part of the Malwatte monastery premises became a military hospital and an Anglican church came up in the ground belonging to the Pattini Devale. John Day wrote in his work Account of the Interior ofCeylon published in 1821, that the British hoped that not a vestige of the old town will remain, and an English town will rise on the ground it at present occupies.”
Sri Vikrama Rajasinha
Though the British wish was not realized, Kandy town did lose its celestial” character. But there is now a ray of hope that it will recover some its past glory with the US government giving US$ 265,000 for the renovation of the kings’ Palace and the Archaeology Museum located within the Dalada Maligawa complex.
Building of Cosmic City
The saga of Vikrama Rajasinha’s exploits in the field of reconstruction is told engaging by Gananath Obeyesekere in his book The Doomed King: ARequiem for Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (2017). Kandy had been extensively destroyed by British troops in the 1803-04 war. Even the Dalada Maligawa suffered damage. As a devout Buddhist (though a Telugu Nayaka from Madurai in Tamil Nadu), Sri Vikrama Rajasinha began his renovation project by repairing the Dalada Maligawa. He put up the Pattiruppuwa, theeight sides of which represented the eight directions of the universe with the monarch at the center.”
By the end of 1810 he had converted the Bogambara marsh into a lake which was used by devotees to bathe before entering the Dalada Maligawa. Simultaneously, work was in progress on the Kandy lake, the palaces and other civil infrastructure in the city. According to the civil servant cum historian, R. L. Brohier, Vikrama Rajasinha was struck by the idea that he should be able to walk from his palace to the Malwatta Vihara. He ordered his chief architect to build a bund” over the intervening soggy paddy fields. The water, which the bund eventually held, turned out to be a beautiful lake which pleased the king immensely. He named it ‘Kiri Muhuda’ which means sea of milk,” Brohier wrote.
Earmarked for restoration with US aid
According to Ingirisi Hatana, a valuable source of material on the reign of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the king had the length and breadth of the city surveyed. What came up on the land were as if it were the work of Vishvakarma (the divine architect).” The water in the lake resembled the milk ocean (Kiri muhuda). The palace (Vimana) was fit for the God Sakra.” There were 12 streets, one of which was the Svarna Kalyana Street (Golden Pleasant Street). In the words of the Ingirisi Hatana: The streets were replete with arches and other sights and were bustling with people. Beside the large lake, were attractive red lotuses in full bloom. Honey bees hummed and golden geese played in the water full of fish. The rice field and gardens bloomed as if they were the Nandana Gardens of the God Sakra. The city shimmered with silver and gold pinnacles with little openings (kavulu) in the shape of a lion’s mouth.”
Kandy was Sirivardhana (Overflowing with prosperity), where, according to Ingirisi Hatana, resides Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the noble lord of Lanka as he appeared full decked in ornaments and wearing a golden crown such as that he is like the radiant God Purandara himself. May this noble prince be protected by beauty and prosperity, as long as the sun and moon and the Great Meru itself lasts owing to the power, luminosity and fame of the God Ishwara, Maha Brahma, Vishnu, Ganesha, and Skanda Kumara.”
Purandara is another name of Indra and Mount Meru is the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology which is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes.
Obeyesekere says that the king was also a compulsive builder of dams, ponds and irrigation reservoirs, all for the common good. He built a dam across the Talatuoya, north of Kandy for the use of the people of the area. He also built a canal for the people of Pasgama and Sagama.
In great disrepair
Controversial Project
However, the renovation of Kandy was highly controversial in the Seven Korales (present-day Kurunegala district) and also the Four Korales. This was because the Vikrama Rajasinha was commandeering labor from there. The anti-king monk, Hurukgommuwa Unnanse, told British spy John D’Oyly that people were rounded up, bound and taken away to work in Kandy. Molligoda, the Disawe of the Four Korales, was collecting people at the rate of two or three per family and sending them forcibly”. He tore down the roofs of some men who absconded.” One of British spy D’Oyly’s informants told him that the people were waiting for the English to take over Kandy.”
However, Obeyesekere does not attribute opposition in the Seven and Four Korales to forced labor but to the fact that the people were suffering from diseases at that time and there were crop failures too. In 1806, there had been a revolt which Vikrama Rajasinha had crushed.
British Eyed Kandy
The British had been eyeing the Kandy kingdom ever since Fredrick North became Governor in 1798. They began exploiting divisions between Vikrama Rajasinha and his politically ambitious Adigars and chiefs. They seized Kandy by force in 1803 and 1804 but failed to retain control because of the Kandyans’ guerilla tactics. However, the British saw to it that Kandy suffered extensive damage. On his part, king Vikrama Rajasinha treated the rebel chiefs mercilessly, which led to the propaganda that he was a sadist.
Kandy museum needs better facilities
Unfazed by the defeat in 1803-04, British Governors Thomas Maitland and Robert Brownrigg, continued with the campaign to overthrow Vikrama Rajasinha. Spy John D’Oyly sowed seeds of discontent among officials and chiefs of the Fourth and Third Korales where the British were influential. He sold the notion that Vikrama Rajasinha is an alien Tamil oppressor of the Sinhalese. He also bribed the officials heavily with cash. According to Obeyesekere, cash, however small, was much valued in these areas at that time.
However, Obeyesekere insists that despite the anti-king leanings of the top officials and chiefs, ordinary people were supportive of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. They were dismayed when the British captured their kingdom. The British wanted to make their takeover of Kandy in 1815 a public spectacle. But the people ignored the event, not even coming out to the streets to witness the military parade. In fact, some of the local chiefs who handed over power to the British on a platter in 1815, themself rose in rebellion against them in 1817-1818. The British reaction to the rebellion had a devastating effect on Uva-Wellassa.
Colombo, September 9 (Counterpoint): Supporting China on the COVID-19 origin tracing controversy, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, that the next phase of the study should be based on scientific and evidence-based methods and should not be politicized.”
The study should reflect the key findings of the previous WHO-led joint study report, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions to the health, safety, and livelihoods of people around the world. Therefore, multilateralism and international cooperation provide the best possible means to effectively and sustainably defeat the pandemic. It is equally important to conduct a comprehensive, inclusive, and impartial study on the origin of the virus.”
Sri Lanka notes the leading role played by the World Health Organization (WHO) in this regard and the contents of the joint report of the WHO–convened Global Study released in March 2021. Sri Lanka will continue to constructively engage with all international partners to find amicable and comprehensive solutions to unresolved issues in this regard, the Foreign Ministry said.
China’s Case
In an exclusive article in Global Times of August 18, the writers pointed out that the US intelligence agencies had not been able to come to any conclusion on the origins of the virus after 90 days of investigations done on the orders of President Joe Biden. They could not find concrete proof to support the lab leak” theory. America’s own research institutions and allies believe the virus was almost certainly not created artificially.
Despite all those hurdles, the US, determined to use those presupposed investigation to throw mud at China, will make do with mostly circumstantial evidence that is completely unreliable in their report, sources told Global Times.
They confided that Washington has been pressuring the World Health Organization (WHO) and marshaling its allies, including the EU, Australia, Japan and other countries, to launch the second-phase origins tracing on China as soon as possible and trying to bend the will of scientists to churn out materials to chide China,” the Chinese Communist Party publication said.
In May, US President Joe Biden ordered US intelligence officials to redouble efforts to investigate the origins of COVID-19, including the theory that it came from a laboratory in China. He said the US intelligence community was split on whether it came from a lab accident or emerged from human contact with an infected animal, and he asked groups to report back to him within 90 days.
Desperate US
Sources told the Global Times that the US intelligence agencies cannot produce any concrete proof or scientific support to make up the lab leak” theory. Sources, who noted that the so-called evidence that has been fabricated so far is mostly circumstantial and completely unreliable.
Moreover, the US research institutions and the US allies also believe that the virus was almost certainly not created artificially, and that it will be highly unlikely they will be able to draw definitive conclusions within 90 days which can verify the lab leak” theory. CNN cited sources on August 12 that the US intelligence community is still divided over two theories – one suggesting the virus originated from a lab in Wuhan, and the other suggesting it jumped naturally to humans from animals. Officials told CNN that the Biden administration is considering whether to launch another investigation if the current one proves inconclusive.
Finding that it is making little progress on the report itself, the US also resorted to pressuring other countries, the WHO and international scientists to turn them against China on the probe of coronavirus origins.
Sources told the Global Times that the US knows clearly that the Chinese government insists on scientific principles in the virus origins tracing issue, and opposes the politicization or disregarding the conclusions reached in the joint report on the China-WHO research, a stance that is also supported by many other governments.
China’s Refusal To Participate
China’s refusal to participate in the US-led second stage of the WHO virus origins tracing work and the joint statement China made with some developing countries that was sent to the WHO have seriously impeded the US plan to promote their virus origins investigation” that targets China.
In desperation, the US government has to win support from the international community by perpetuating lies like China refuses to join in the virus origins investigation” and China refuses to cooperate with the WHO.”
The latest move by the US government is to arrange the director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and presidential science adviser to coordinate with governmental science advisers from the EU, Australia and Japan to issue a statement on the second phase of investigation to urge the Chinese government to reflect on its decision on the rejection, expressing disappointment on China and requiring China to shoulder responsibility” and take action,” according to the sources.
US Bid To Wear Down China
A source close to the matter told the Global Times previously that the US’ push for the probes on the virus origins was aimed at consuming China’s diplomatic resources. The US is trying to find loopholes” in China’s epidemic control policy, and planning to continue pressuring the WHO and collude with its allies to pressure China in an attempt to discredit the Chinese government for covering up the truth about the origins of the virus.”
While the US is shepherding the trend of politicizing the coronavirus origins probe, a growing number of scientists stepped forward and rejected the US-led lab leak” theory, with some scientists believing objective and scientific voices will be heard more widely which may prompt more objective reporting on COVID-19 origins in Western media.
In early July, 24 international scientists published an open letter in The Lancet reiterating the natural origins hypothesis and their firm support to health professionals and scientists of China and the world, the same views they have been holding since they published their first joint letter in February 2020 in The Lancet, when the Trump administration attempted to smear, attack and stigmatize China on COVID-19.
The Global Times learnt previously that prominent US scientists who have been focused on the tracing of COVID-19 origins have been facing tremendous political pressure, and some have been sidelined for not yielding to politician-driven conspiracy theories on the matter, and many have received anonymous threats.
Jonathan Stoye, head of the division of virology at Britain’s Francis Crick Institute, told the Global Times previously that at this stage, accusations are particularly unhelpful, and merely compound the difficulties in carrying out a successful investigation.”
This process [virus origins probe] must be collaborative and fully transparent. Perhaps this is a little naive, but I truly believe we must set aside any political or cultural differences in order to understand this question for the benefit of the entire population of the world,” Stoye told the Global Times.
Our Neighbourhood First policy had led to increased economic cooperation with Sri Lanka but its economy is in deep trouble and India’s relations with it have taken a turn for the worse this year
India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy towards Sri Lanka had resonated with Sri Lanka’s ‘India First’ foreign and security policy in 2020. India is Sri Lanka’s third largest export destination, after the US and UK. More than 60% of Sri Lanka’s exports enjoy the benefits of the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect in March 2000. India is also a major investor in Sri Lanka. India’s development partnership with Colombo has always been demand-driven, with projects covering social infrastructure like education, health, housing, access to clean water and sanitation, besides industrial development. Concessional financing of about $ 2 billion has been provided to Sri Lanka through various Indian government-supported Lines of Credit across sectors (for railway connectivity, infrastructure, supply of defence equipment, security, and counter-terrorism and solar projects, among others). Foreign direct investment (FDI) from India amounted to around $ 1.7 billion over the years from 2005 to 2019 and went into retail petroleum, hotels and tourism, real estate and manufacturing, apart from telecom, banking and financial services.
However, relations between the two neighbours seem to have plummeted since the beginning of this year. In February, Sri Lanka backed out from a tripartite partnership with India and Japan for its East Container Terminal Project at the Colombo Port, citing domestic issues. Later, the West Coast Terminal was offered under a public private partnership arrangement to Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Ltd.SIMILAR STORIES
Last July, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had signed a currency-swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) under the Saarc Currency Swap Framework 2019-22, for withdrawals of up to $400 million. The CBSL settled the scheduled facility with RBI in February 2021. Even though the agreement was valid till 13 November 2022, India declined any further renewal of it in the absence of an International Monetary Fund programme to address Sri Lanka’s current macroeconomic imbalances.
On 31 August 2021, Sri Lanka declared a state of economic emergency, as it is running out of foreign exchange reserves for essential imports like food. The CBSL was the first Asian central bank to increase policy rates after the covid pandemic in response to rising inflation in August 2021 caused by currency depreciation. Tourism, a big dollar earner for Sri Lanka, has suffered since the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019, followed by the pandemic. Earnings fell from $3.6 billion in 2019 to $0.7 billion in 2020, even as FDI inflows halved from $1.2 billion to $670 million over the same period.
Sri Lanka’s fragile liquidity situation has put it at high risk of debt distress. Its public debt-to-GDP ratio was at 109.7% in 2020, and its gross financing needs remain high at 18% of GDP, higher than most of its emerging economy peers. Following an international sovereign bond settlement of $1 billion in July 2021, its gross official reserves slipped to $2.8 billion, which is equivalent to just 1.8 months of imports. The external debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 62% in 2020 and is predominantly owed by its public sector. More than $2.7 billion of foreign currency debt will be due in the next two years.
As of June 2019, China’s loans to the Sri Lankan public sector amounted to 15% of the central government’s external debt, making China the largest bilateral creditor to the country. Unable to service its debt, in 2017, Sri Lanka lost the unviable Hambantota port to China for a 99-year lease. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka has increasingly relied on Chinese credit to address its foreign debt burden. Many loans have been negotiated between Colombo and Chinese institutions, including a recent syndicated loan for budgetary support of $1.3 billion from China Development Bank and a $1.5 billion currency swap pact with the People’s Bank of China this March. China’s exports to Sri Lanka surpassed those of India in 2020 and stood at $3.8 billion (India’s exports were $3.2 billion). Owing to Sri Lanka’s strategic location at the intersection of major shipping routes, China has heavily invested in its infrastructure (estimated at $12 billion between 2006 and 2019). In May, Sri Lanka passed the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act, which provides for establishing a special economic zone around the port and also a new economic commission, to be funded by China.
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis may further push it to align its policies with Beijing’s interests. This comes at a time when India is already on a diplomatic tightrope with Afghanistan and Myanmar. Other South Asian nations like Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives have also been turning to China to finance large-scale infrastructure projects. Nurturing the Neighbourhood First policy with Sri Lanka will therefore be important for India, albeit with due caution, to preserve its strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region. The Colombo port is crucial for India as it handles 60% of India’s trans-shipment cargo. Regional platforms like the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and the Indian Ocean Rim Association could be leveraged to foster cooperation in common areas of interest like technology-driven agriculture and marine sector development, IT and communication infrastructure, renewable energy, and transport and connectivity. Both countries could also cooperate on enhancing private sector investments to create economic resilience.
Srejita Nandy is an economist with India Exim Bank/ These are the author’s personal views.
Chairman of Sinopharm Group Liu Jingzhen has expressed his enthusiasm in setting up a vaccine refilling plant in Sri Lanka,the Sri Lankan embassy in Beijing said.
According to the embassy, Sri Lankan Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, met with Mr. Liu and the Senior Management Group on September 7, 2021. He also handed over a personal letter from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to the chairman appreciating the ‘uninterrupted supply of Sinopharm vaccines’ to Sri Lanka.
The chairman said that Sinopharm will continue to collaborate with Sri Lanka and supply vaccines. He was enthusiastic about setting up a vaccine refilling plant in Sri Lanka to take advantage of Sri Lanka’s favourable trade access in the region and beyond.
He said that the Sinopharm Vaccine is being used in over 100 countries and over 50 Heads of State and other highranking officials have been inoculated with the vaccine.
Further, he said that there are no recorded adverse effects to persons who have been inoculated with the Sinopharm vaccine. Ambassador Dr.kohona conveyed his appreciation, on behalf of the President and the Sri Lankan people, to the Government of China for supplying vaccines.(Kelum Bandara)
Police have arrested several persons who had come to the vaccination centre of Sangamitta Vidyalaya in Galle and tried to leave by marking on the card that they had been vaccinated without actually administering the vaccine.
Hiru Correspondent stated that a group of residents from Athiligoda and Kongaha areas in Galle have been arrested in this manner.
The health officials who were present at the vaccination centre at the time of the suspects leaving with only the vaccination card marked and had informed the police about it.
Later, the police detained them and arrested them.
They are due to appear in court on charges of reckless conduct that could spread a dangerous disease.
The suspects have been released on police bail after being summoned to appear in court on 21 September.
The United Rice Growers’ Association alleged that there is no systematic approach in the government’s rice procurement program.
Speaking at a media briefing held today (09), the President of the Association Mudith Perera stated that in order to control the price of the rice properly, a new price of rice should be Gazetted so that the owners of rice mills can profit Rs. 5 and the shop owners can profit Rs. 5.
Meanwhile, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena speaking to the media today stated that the owners of rice mills have agreed to release rice to the market at the prices imposed by the government and then take action to create a shortage of rice in the market.
Also, all economic centres on the island and the Peliyagoda Manning Market will remain open tomorrow (10).
The Director-General of Health Services has confirmed another 175 coronavirus-related deaths for September 08 (yesterday), increasing the official death toll in the country to 10,864.
According to the figures reported by the Department of Government Information today (09)the victims include 96 males and 79 females while only one are below the age of 30.
Thirty-five of the Covid-19 deaths are individuals between the ages of 30-59, and the remaining 139 are persons aged 60 and above.
The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reports that another 910 persons have tested positive for coronavirus, increasing the daily count of new Covid-19 cases identified today to 2,856.
This brings the tally of Covid-19 cases confirmed in the country thus far to 477,636.
The number of infected patients currently under medical care at hospitals and treatment centers and under home-based care is 58,656.
Meanwhile total recoveries from the virus has risen to 408,116 and the death toll stands at 10,864.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has decided to impose a 100 per cent cash margin deposit requirement against the importation of selected goods of non-essential/non-urgent nature made under Letters of Credit and Documents against Acceptance terms with Licensed Commercial Banks and National Savings Bank, with immediate effect.
The decision has been made by the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka at its meeting held on 08 September 2021 (Wednesday).
The decision to impose the cash margin deposit requirement is expected to support the ongoing efforts to preserve the stability of the exchange rate and foreign currency market liquidity, particularly by discouraging excessive imports of speculative nature,” the central bank said.
A summary of product categories that are subjected to cash margin deposit requirements, along with information on import expenditure under each category in 2019, 2020 and thus far in 2021 (provisional), is given in the Table below:
Defence Secretary Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne urged the public not to be misled by the various false claims being made regarding the Easter Sunday attacks and that police investigations have progressed rapidly.
A certain group is attempting to create a public opinion that this is a conspiracy by the President to come to power. They are attempting to drag the President into this,” he said during a media brief held on Thursday at the Defence Ministry.
As the Secretary of Defence, I can responsibly say that our police, the CID have carried out investigations to a large extent and are further continuing with the investigations, cases have been filed before court and the Chief Justice has also appointed a Trial-at-Bar with this regard.”
Therefore, I am requesting the public not to be fooled by these false opinions.”
With regard to the Easter Sunday bombings, he went on say that the burden of proof plays a crucial role which is now on state agencies” and he reasoned that is why it seems like time consuming” he also stated responding to further questions from the media personnel present.
Navy Commander Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana Wickramaratne were also present at the media briefing.
The police chief requested that any information related to the aforesaid incident be submitted to CID for onward legal proceedings. The IGP added that the confidentiality of all informants related to any incident will be assured.
The Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne said the present government since its emergence to power in 2019, has crippled all avenues of social threats posed in the face of organized crimes, drug smuggling, underworld activities and extortion through the combined efforts of top level state-run defence agencies under the guidance of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as stated in the policy framework, ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’.
Further speaking, he said, in a short span of less than one year and nine months of the government, the law enforcing agencies have nabbed over 3,200 kilos of heroin, a number of illegal weapons from the clutches of underworld kingpins and various other types of narcotics as of today.”
The government would not leave room for anybody to drag the national security into jeopardy under the guise of COVID-19, he asserted.
The Defence Secretary stressed it is pointless conducting isolated media conferences without informing the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), if precise information available related to any case”.
Illustrating all the strategies adopted to overcome the deep-seated corruption and malpractices in the Prison system, he said it has been regulated strictly while jamming the prison intimates’ communication to external wrongdoers”, adding Because we recognized all the crimes being operated through Prisons”.
Describing swift measures introduced to crush the drug and crime network operated behind the bars in prison cells, he said the conversion of Boossa Prison into a ‘High Security Prison’ was instrumental and the high-profile notorious criminals are imprisoned there as of now”.
Moreover, mobile jammers were fixed at the Negombo and Angunakolapalassa prisons and similar precautions would be introduced to Mahara and Welikada Prisons in due course”, he added.
Elaborating the number of narcotics nabbed to date, Gunaratne said 20,949 kilos of Kerala Cannabis, 42,354 drug-embedded capsules and 104,097 related tablets were also taken into the custody following great endeavours exerted jointly by the Defence Ministry and the Public Security Ministry.
All the routes of drug inflow into the island have been identified as well,” he revealed during the briefing.
Navy Chief Vice Admiral Ulugetenne while citing action initiated to educate the fishing community around the island, requested from the owners of fishing craft to be on alert and find whereabouts of their valuable vessels since a section of persons venturing into sea may use their vessels for such illegal activities.
All the assets associated with illegal drug trafficking will be liable for confiscation if proved guilty, IGP Wickramaratne also emphasised.
Responding to why military is also intervening into the prevention of the spread of highly contagious virus, the Defence Secretary said, facing the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare is a part of the duty of the armed forces personnel and therefore, we have employed our professional medical staffers with them to contain the spread of the pandemic”.
We have informed all our vaccination centres to facilitate all civilians arriving to receive the jabs”, he affirmed.
Revealing on operations in progress, he stated: We are now in the process of netting all persons involved in online advertising of prostitution in the country and they will be produced before the law eventually”.
Meanwhile, replying to a question on a bit relaxed method experiencing in the current quarantine curfew enforced, the Defence Secretary explained we must look into the status quo in a rather humanitarian angle”.
The University of Peradeniya has developed a new low-cost test kit to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infected patients in a relatively shorter time with a higher accuracy.
Developed by a team led by Dr. Ruchika Fernando of the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, this COVID-19 test kit has been priced at only Rs. 1,500.
The test kit has already received the approval of the technical committee of National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA).
As the test kit is based on the Reverse Transcription-Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) principle, patients are detected based on amplification of SARS-CoV-2 virus specific RNA in the sample and compatible with patient samples collected for regular qRT-PCR.
According to its developers, the positive agreement of this test kit with qRT-PCR is very high (97%) compared to similar alternatives such as Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) in which the positive agreement with qRT-PCR can be in the range of 12-71%.
The test kit is equipped with an internal control assay based on human beta actin messenger RNA which can confirm the quality of the patient sample received by the laboratory.
The developers of the COVID test kit have presented it to Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, who commended the new invention.
During the event, the minister stated that Sri Lanka is receiving international acclaim for its national COVID-19 inoculation drive. He assured that the Ministry of Health would take all necessary measures to bring the country back to normalcy as soon as possible.
The World Health Organization called Wednesday for countries to avoid giving out extra Covid jabs until year-end, pointing to the millions worldwide who have yet to receive a single dose.
I will not stay silent when the companies and countries that control the global supply of vaccines think the world’s poor should be satisfied with leftovers,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists.
Speaking from WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, Tedros urged wealthy countries and vaccine makers to prioritise getting the first jabs to health workers and vulnerable populations in poorer nations over boosters.
We do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated,” he said.
The WHO called last month for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine booster shots until the end of September to address the drastic inequity in dose distribution between rich and poor nations.
But Tedros acknowledged Wednesday that there had been little change in the global situations since then.
So today I am calling for an extension of the moratorium until at least the end of the year,” he said.
High-income countries had promised to donate more than one billion vaccine doses to poorer countries, he said — but less than 15 percent of those doses have materialised.
We don’t want any more promises,” he said. We just want the vaccines.”
Appalled”
Despite the call for a moratorium, some countries have been arguing for booster jabs not only for vulnerable people but also for the wider population, citing signs of waning vaccine effectiveness against the highly transmissive Delta variant.
The WHO has acknowledged that an additional dose could be needed for immunocompromised people, but stresses that for healthy people, the vaccines still seem very effective, especially in preventing severe disease.
There is not a compelling case to move forward with a generalised recommendation for booster doses,” Kate O’Brien, the WHO’s vaccines chief, told Wednesday’s news conference.
The UN health agency has set a global target of seeing every country vaccinate at least 10 percent of its population by the end of this month, and at least 40 percent by the end of this year.
It wants to see at least 70 percent of the world’s population vaccinated by the middle of next year.
But Tedros lamented that while 90 percent of wealthy countries have hit the 10-percent mark, and more than 70 percent have already reached 40-percent, not a single low-income country has reached either target”.
He expressed outrage at a statement by a pharmaceutical industry organisation that the world’s seven wealthiest nations, known as the G7, now had enough vaccines for all adults and teenagers — and to offer boosters to at-risk groups — and so the focus should shift to dose sharing.
When I read this, I was appalled,” he said.
In reality, manufacturers and high-income countries have long had the capacity to not only vaccinate their own priority groups, but to simultaneously support the vaccination of those same groups in all countries.”
The fourth country that supported Eelam was Canada. Sri Lanka was
handled at the UNHRC in the 1980s by Canada, said Pathfinder Foundation. Canada
is part of the Core group which put forward resolutions against Sri Lanka at
the UNHRC in Geneva in 2021.
Throughout the 1980s and
1990s, tens of thousands of Tamils arrived in Canada and settled in large
metropolitan cities like Toronto and Montreal. The Tamil asylum claims lodged
with the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board between 1989 and 1998 had an average acceptance rate of 85
percent, compared to 60-70 percent acceptance rates overall . The largest number of expatriate Ceylon Tamils
therefore are in Canada, totaling 157,000 in 2016. The second largest group is
in UK, totaling 120,000 in 2007.
Canada has provided asylum to LTTE
members convicted of criminal charges. Canada gave asylum to Ravi Sanker Thiagarajah who was
found guilty by Supreme Court of Sri Lanka of terrorist charges. He
disappeared. He is now living safely in Canada.
The plot for
the bomb explosion at the Central Bank (1996) had originated in Toronto. Sri
Lankan intelligence officials tell me they traced the explosives used in the
bomb and found they had come from the Ukrainian shipment purchased two years
earlier with money wired from British Colombia, Canada, reported Ranjit Soyza.
It was
decided that an organization should be created in Canada that could provide
support for the notion of Tamil Eelam as well as the Vaddukoddai Resolution.,
with its separatist platform. The Eelam Society of Canada (TESOC) was
registered as a non-profit organization in 1978.
TESOC
functioned throughout the late-1970s, and gradually developed a very strong
relationship with the Canadian government, reported Amaranth Amarasingham. Stewart Bell in his book Snow Tigers” said that Canadian Government
had helped fund Tesco which in turn funneled funds to the LTTE. One of the
directors of TESCO, Devakumar Sabapathy, issued a threat to kill the former
President of Sri Lanka and his brother.
World Tamil
Movement (WTM) was created in 1986. WTM was the Canadian arm of the LTTE, and
was tasked with not only raising money for the LTTE, but also keeping alive the
sentiment of Tamil separatism among the Tamil in Canada.
WTM employed sophisticated
methods of remitting funds from Canada to the LTTE via Singapore and Malaysia
using Bank of Nova Scotia and Canadian Trust Bank. WTM had once remitted a sum
of 3 million dollars via Singapore to the LTTE. WTM had also deposited
approximately dollars 7,63,000 collected by force from the Tamils in Canada.
Stewart Bell stated
that the LTTE and its fronts used every conceivable tactic, government grants,
front companies, every type of migrant smuggling and drugs. ” Canadian
Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) estimated that $2 million a year, in
collections were funnelled to the LTTE in Jaffna from Canada. Another CSIS study
puts the figure at $ 1 million a month.
Federation of
Associations of Canadian Tamils (FACT) was formed in 1992. It lobbied the
Canadian government about Tamils in Sri
Lanka undergoing persecution by Sri Lanka government. FACT was replaced in 2000
by Canadian Tamil Congress. CTC focused
mainly on facilitating the integration of Ceylon Tamils into Canadian society
but it also supported the political aspiration of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Many Tamil organizations
arose in Canada after the end of the war in May 2009 , reported Amaranth Amarasingham .The National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) was set up in 2010 with the expressed purpose of serving
as an ethnic lobby group in Canada. In 2012 it submitted a memorandum to
the UNHRC’s Universal Periodic Review.
The NCCT and
the Canadian branch of Tamil Youth Organization (TYO) organized conferences and meetings to push
the idea of the self-determination of Tamils in Sri Lanka. In February 2012,
they organized an Eelam Tamil Youth conference in Toronto where they brought
together representatives from 14 Tamil student associations in high schools,
colleges and university and they pledged to ‘continue the struggle for Tamil
sovereignty.”
The meeting
passed nine resolutions, two of which
said, we reject the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka state that occupies
Tamil Eelam and we reject the imposition of Sri Lanka identity on Eelam Tamils.
This meeting was opposed to presenting the conflict in Sri Lanka as a civil war.
They rejected the unitary state of Sri Lanka. The conflict is between two nations, and can
only be resolved through a two-state solution.
In 2014 the Canadian ambassador in Sri
Lanka demanded the cancellation of the victory parade, on behalf of all those,
who had been pursuing war crimes allegations, against the Sri Lankan military.”
In 2014, Canadian High Commissioner in
Colombo, sent a strongly worded statement, saying that five years after the end
of the conflict, the time has arrived for Sri Lanka to move past wartime
discourse and to start working seriously towards reconciliation. Canada has
encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to retire its annual Victory Day Parade,
which perpetuates roles of victors and vanquished within the country, for a day
of remembrance for all those who suffered as a result of the conflict.
Sri Lanka quite rightly rejected this
as blatant Canadian interference in purely a domestic matter, said Shamindra
Ferdinando . Canada then declared that
it would not attend the victory parade.
In August
2021, Canada announced funding to nine
Sri Lanka NGOs to the tune of CAD
300,000 under a programme labeled Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. These nine
Organizations includes Centre of Human Rights and Development, Transparency
International Sri Lanka, Verité Research, as well as Colombo Friend in Need
Society. ( Continued)
In 2019 a
Private Member’s Bill (Bill no104) titled An
Act to Proclaim Tamil Genocide Education Week was placed before Ontario
Legislative Assembly, Canada by Vijay
Thanigasalam, MP for Scarborough-Rouge Park. Vijay Thanigasalam is a LTTE
supporter. The move had been facilitated
by the Committee on Regulations and Private Bills coming under the purview of
Logan Kanapathi also of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. The Bill
claimed that 146,679 were killed in the final days of the Eelam War that
civilians were starved and Tamil children were forcibly taken away from their
homes.
The progress
of this Bill was closely watched by the anti-Eelamists in Canada. Several Sri Lankan organizations strongly
opposed the Bill. Submissions were made in writing to the Standing Committee on
regulations and Private Bills.
The Bill
stalled at the second reading, Only 59 supported it. 66 either refrained from
voting or said ‘No.’ The Bill was then referred back to the relevant committee
for want of required support. In the
meantime anti-Sri Lanka resolutions were passed in Brampton, Pickering and
Toronto Municipal Councils, though the matter was outside local politics.
On May 6,
2021 Ontario Legislative Assembly,
Canada, voted in favor of the Bill. It was carried through without a vote
taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic which had restricted the
participation of the majority of members. Vijay Thanigasalam declared the
passage of the Bill ‘a historic event for Tamil people in Ontario and across
the world. Ontario is the first
government worldwide to pass such a law.”
The newly
passed Tamil Genocide Education Week Act establishes a week each year, May 11
to 18, during which Ontarians are encouraged to educate themselves about, and
to maintain their awareness of, the Tamil genocide and other genocides that
have occurred in world history. However, the Bill would not become law until
Ontario Lieutenant Governor General gave her consent on behalf of the Canadian
Government.
Analysts saw
this Ontario move as very significant.
This Bill is an attempt to legitimize the claim that a Tamil Genocide happened
in Sri Lanka. Such projects intended to legitimize war crimes accusations,
should be nipped in the bud, they said.
Canada-based
Dr. Chandre Dharmawardana said that the move in the Ontario Legislative
Assembly was a prelude to the Diaspora grouping seeking to move a similar Bill in
the Canadian Parliament. The provincial move couldn’t be dismissed lightly. He appreciated the fact that the government of
Sri Lanka took up the issue with both Federal and Provincial authorities of
Canada.
It would be a serious mistake, on Sri Lanka’s part, to consider
the genocide rap as a project of the Ontario Legislative Assembly instead of a
Canadian move. The Canadian move is severely inimical to Sri Lanka. The Ontario
project would further strengthen the Geneva-led campaign meant to weaken Sri
Lanka, said Shamindra Ferdinando. The Geneva onslaught will take a new turn
with this Genocide charge.
Sri Lanka
acted promptly. The Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa protested. In Colombo, Foreign Minister Dinesh
Gunawardena conveyed Sri Lanka’s deep concern to Canadian High
Commissioner.. Canadian High Commission in Colombo responded.”It is important
to recognize the high degree of autonomy of the federal governments of the
provinces in Canada, including on issues such as this one.
Anti
Eelamists in Canada also responded.
Neville Hewage, went to Supreme
Court against the Act. He said that Ontario Legislative Assembly did not have
the jurisdiction to pass Bill 104 and
the facts presented in Bill 104 were completely false.
Mahinda Gunasekera sent an open letter to.
Prime Minister, Ministers, Premier of Ontario, Members of the Federal
Parliament/ Ontario Legislature and GTA Mayors on the matter It was
titled On the Impact of Ontario’s Bill 104, Tamil Genocide Education Week Act,
2021 and GTA ( Greater Toronto Area)Mayoral Proclamation of Tamil Genocide
Remembrance Day on May 18th..
He pointed
out that Eelam war IV was a civil war not a genocidal one and its was initiated
by the LTTE not the government, that the UN has not declared the Eelam war to
be genocidal and that the Ontario Provincial Legislature does not have the
authority to determine Genocide.
The Ontario
Centre for Policy Research organized a webinar on LTTE Terrorism and Alleged
Tamil Genocide in June 2020 to discuss the Ontario Bill. The panel consisted of
Neville Hewage, Sarath Chandrasekara and Chandre Dharmawardana.
On June 3 2021, the
anti-Eelamists in Canada issued a joint statement. We are pleased to announce that the following
Sri Lankan-Canadian organizations have joined as a united front to fight a
Superior court case against the Ontario law on Tamil Genocide Education Week,
Sri Lankan Canadian Action Coalition (SLCAC) Canadian Sri Lankan Center for
Social Harmony (CSLCSH) Sri Lanka United National Association of Canada (SLUNA)
and Sri Lanka Canada Association of Brampton (SLCAB). A 12-member steering
committee will address aspects of the proceedings and fundraising campaigns, we
hope to draw attention to the misinformation contained in the Act, and see that
Tamil Genocide Education Week Act is repealed,
this group said.
On the 2nd of
October 2020 Gary Anandasangaree, MP for Scarborough tabled a petition in the Canadian
Parliament. He wanted Sri Lanka taken
before the Committee established under the Convention
Against Enforced Disappearances. He said, inter alia, that genocide in Sri
Lanka is unique among genocides in history because it has occurred over several
decades and under different governments before intensifying into a no-
holds-barred war for nearly three decades and culminating in the mass
atrocities of 2009. Sri Lanka’s historic violations against Tamils, such as
1958 and 1983, in addition to the 2009 war must go before an international
court.
At the June 2021 session
of the UNHRC in Geneva, Canada led an alliance of 44 States (mainly Western and
European countries), demanding that China allow meaningful and unfettered
access to investigate credible reports of widespread human rights violations
against China’s Muslim minority Uighur in Xinjiang province.
Immediately after
this China delivered a joint statement, on behalf of eight countries (Belarus,
China, DPRK, Iran, Russia, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Venezuela) expressing ‘[deep
concern] about serious human rights violations against the indigenous people
Canada,’ and demanding a UN investigation into Canada’s serious human
rights violations against indigenous people.’
This was a
reference to the recent discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of
over 200 children, at the site of a former ‘residential school’ for indigenous
children in British Columbia. China argued that the discovery of the mass grave
demonstrates long-standing discrimination against indigenous people in Canada,
and drew particular attention to the treatment of indigenous children from the
1830s to the 1990s. During this period, many children were forcibly taken away
from their parents and sent to boarding schools, where they were often victims
of malnutrition, violence, rape, and abuse.
Canada has this image internationally of a
great defender of human rights violations, the protector of human rights
throughout the world, but in its own backyard it has ’ violated the rights
of the indigenous inhabitants, agreed
critics. Canada’s ugly record of
Genocide is now emerging.
Canada has its
own ugly record of Genocide, critics said. Canada destroyed the indigenous
people of Canada. There was forced sterilization. Canada created a special
school system for the indigenous children, the Resident or Industrial School
system run by the Federal Government and the Church. Residential Schools were
part of a policy to eliminate Aboriginal people as distinct peoples
and to assimilate them into the Canadian mainstream against their will.”
From the 19th century until the 1970s, more
than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend state-funded Christian
schools, most run by Roman Catholic missionary congregations, in a campaign to
assimilate them into Canadian society. Nearly three-quarters of the 130
residential schools were run by Catholic missionary congregations, with others
operated by the United, Presbyterian and Anglican churches.
This school
system removed children from parents, who were not permitted to visit their
children. They in fact never saw their children again. The result was children
who lacked family love and parental guidance.
Over 70% of
the children were tortured, sexually abused by school teachers, priests, and
nuns. When they left school after 10 years, their level of knowledge and
education was at the level of a Grade 2 child. They did not receive higher
education or skills. They often resorted to larceny, drug and alcohol
addiction, ending up as urban poor.
Five
generations of children went through this school system. Between1890-1970 over
100,000 children were forced to attend 139 resident schools. The Truth and
Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2015 released its final report,
documenting the tragic experience of at least 150,000 residential
school students.
The government has admitted that physical and
sexual abuse was rampant in the schools, with students beaten for speaking
their native languages. Thousands of children died there of disease and other
causes, many never returned to their families.
The discovery of 600 or more remains of
children at the Marieval Indian Residential School, which operated from 1899 to
1997, in the province of Saskatchewan, the remains of 215 children, some as
young as 3, were found buried on the site of what was once Canada’s largest
Indigenous residential school near Kamloops, British Columbia.
Canadians across the country are waking up to
something that quite frankly that Indigenous communities have long known,” Mr.
Trudeau said . Canada’s genocide was camouflaged as state policy and it was
carried out with state patronage and blessings. Former Prime Minister Stephen
Harper issued a formal apology in Parliament in 2008 and Canada offered
billions of dollars in compensation as part of a lawsuit settlement between the
government, churches and the approximately 90,000 surviving students. ( CONTINUED)
In 1927 the Secretary of State for the Colonies announced a special Commission under the Chairmanship of the Earl of Donoughmore to visit Ceylon and submit an account of the Constitution with any difficulties of administration that needed to be surmounted at that time.
The Secretary wanted the Earl of Donoughmore to
consider any proposals for revising the Ceylonese Constitution and to report, if any amendments of the
Orders in Council were necessary.
The Commission’s primary function was to draft a
new Constitution for Ceylon that would satisfy the aspirations of the British
plantation owners so that it would enable all Ceylonese to work in partnership
with the British Empire.
The most significant apprehension of many of the
Ceylonese leaders, both Sinhalese and Tamil, was the recommendation of
Universal Franchise, the right to vote for all adult citizens, regardless of
wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, political stance, or
any other restriction. The four Commissioners arrived in Sri Lanka in 1927 and
spent four months and forty days interviewing one hundred and forty Ceylonese
in thirty-four separate sessions.
The Commissioners paid heed to Ceylonese women’s
suffrage and their right to vote in Elections. From the beginning of the
mid-19th century, women intended to participate in the society & getting their
voice heard for their work broad-based on economic and political equality and
social reforms. They planned to seek change in the voting system that allowed
them to vote at elections.
The Commissioners listened to their requests
and appeals and granted educated women over the age of twenty-one suffrage.
Therefore, all citizens of Ceylon, who were over twenty-one years of age, were
granted the Universal Franchise in 1931, unless they were subjected to any
special disqualification. The right to cast a vote was lowered from twenty-one
to eighteen years of age by the Elections Amendment Act No.11 of 1959.
The Commission’s revelations
The four Commissioners noted, Ceylon, even at that
time, was driven by power struggles amongst ethnic groups. Therefore, they
devised a system of Executive Committees to control all Government Departments
and rejected the principle of communal representation to ensure that no ethnic
group could control all power and financial gain. The most significant apprehension
about the outcome came from both Sinhala and Tamil leaders against the
recommendation and implementation of Universal Franchise by the Donoughmore
Commission.
Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan was a Tamil lawyer,
politician, and SolicitorGeneral of Ceylon. He and most of the ‘conservatives’
believed and argued that allowing the vote to the nonvellala castes and women
was a grave mistake, and it might lead to disturbances. Ramanathan explicitly
suggested that it was anathema to the Hindu way of life”.
According to Jane Russel’s study, the political
leadership of the Ceylon Tamils became dumbfounded by the complete
bouleversement of the policies they had pursued for the previous decade (page
16 & 18). Jane Russel of DC also stated that the Sinhala leaders were
also very dubious about the new franchise, but they were willing to support it
in a quid pro quo for the abolition of communal electorates (page 17).
The All-Ceylon Tamil league first opposed the
Donoughmore Commission’s suggestions because the abolition of the communal (representation)
principle, coupled with the proposed universal franchise would mean ‘death
to the minorities’, as the Sinhalese would receive over 50 per cent of the
seats. Then in 1929, there was a tactical change when the Tamils opposed it and the
Donoughmore Commission did not grant full self-government to any
community.
The report of the Donoughmore Commission was
presented to the British Parliament in July 1928, soon after it was received
and studied at home (Ceylon). One of the most critical issues was the
Constitutional reforms in Ceylon by introducing the Universal Franchise with
the right to participate in the administration of the country by electing their
representatives. Universal Franchise, at that time, was enjoyed by only a
privileged few according to their literal and communal basis. Ceylonese finally
managed to get rid of it in 1947 when the Soulbury Constitution came into being
with the declaration of Independence to Ceylon in 1948.
Oral Evidence
The recordings were obtained at the public
sittings of the Donoughmore Commission in 1928 and did not ‘record’, but
were confined to oral evidence only. It contained some solid and rare evidence
based on the Constitution of Ceylon and consisted of four volumes, which were
in cyclostyled typescripts in duplicated form.
These typescripts were neatly bound with buckram
binding and carried the word ‘Library House of Lords’, on its upper
covers, with morocco gilt labels on covers and spines. This valuable oral
evidence was auctioned at the world-renowned auctioneers in London, Sotheby’s
on Thursday, 27 June 1996 for a reserved price of eight hundred pound sterling
(£800). A Japanese collector of valuable literary property purchased the whole
records and took those to Japan in June 1996. His name remained
anonymous.
Expatriate Sri Lankan Community
Ceylon became a Republic within the Commonwealth,
and its name was changed to Sri Lanka on 22 May 1972 under Sirimavo
Bandaranaike’s premiership. When the Donoughmore Commission Records on Ceylon
were auctioned by Sotheby’s there was a strong Sri Lankan expatriate community
in London.
They became interested in the auction knowing
to what extent those were invaluable pieces of documentary evidence from the
Colonials. They were also aware that it contained four volumes and how
important those were
legally, its validity and beneficial to the Sri Lanka Government at a time when
the Sri Lanka Government was concentrating on making amendments to the existed
Constitution.
President Kumaratunga was very keen to acquire
those records from the Sotheby’s auction for a reserved price. The
archaeological authorities in the UK advised the President that copies of the
same documents were available in the Sri Lankan archives. A letter signed by
Lord Donoughmore accompanied the four volumes of the typed script version of
the Ceylon Report of Special Commission on the Constitution.
Records were bound in half Morocco, 8Vo, and
recorded on a Downing Street headed paper (British Prime Minister’s official
residence) stating that the set of four volumes in cyclostyled typescripts
should be made available at the Library of The House of Lords for public
reference to the public.
The letter by Lord Donoughmore stated thus: We
had hoped to present to you in companion volumes to this report a verbatim
record of our proceedings in public sessions.’ We regret that the
high cost of printing has precluded the adoption of this course. We are,
however, forwarding duplicated copies of this material with the recommendation
that a complete record, which the public may be free to consult, should be made
available both in London and Ceylon.”
The
writer met with the most Venerable Aggamahapandittha Balangoda Ananda Maitreya
Mahanayake Thera in London, when he was 99 years old. The Venerable observed
the rainy season (Vassana retreat) in London at that time.
The
Buddhist Centre organised a religious ceremony on account of his 99th Birthday,
on 23 August. Many Buddhist devotees gathered at the Buddhist Centre to
participate in a religious ceremony. Addressing a large gathering, the
venerable said:
“You
have organised a pinkama on my Birthday to celebrate. I will be 99 years old. That
means my life span is fast coming to an end! Is this a thing to celebrate? It
is an important day for me because the sooner I move towards death, the happier
I feel as death means moving towards a new birth! I could not fulfil my desire
in its pristine purity in this life, but I know in my next life, I will be much
more vigorous in carrying out my services to propagate Buddhism in theworld.”
The
writer had direct access to the Venerable amidst the crowd. Seizing the
opportunity, he wanted to discuss many things with the most eminent monk.
“I
was born on 23 August 1896 to Heenmenike and Mathies Appuhamy. My certificate
of birth carried the name ‘Punchi Mahattaya’. Fourteen days after I was
born, I lost my mother. My grief-stricken father not only left me but the
village altogether. I was orphaned. My uncle Dingirihamy Mudalali and aunt
Yasohamine brought me up.
An
Internal revolution
A representative from the
Mahabodhi Society visited our school in 1905, when I was nine years of age. Mr
Harishchandra Walisinghe delivered a speech on Buddhism that made an internal
revolution in me. I wanted to emulate him. At the age of fifteen, my foster
parents gave their blessings and I ordained as a ‘Samanera‘ priest at
Nandaramaya, Balangoda Udumulla Temple.”
Venerable Sir, with your long experience in life I
would like to hear from you about the moral decadence in Sri Lanka over the years.”
“Towards
the latter part of the British rule, Ceylonese were happy and did not eat beef
at all, because the majority being
Buddhists. When foreign influence began to invade, individuals like Anagarika
Dharmapala fought against foreign influence because he foresaw the impact on
the local community. Such protests gradually continued towards the ousting of
the colonial rule.
But it was rather
unfortunate that once Ceylon gained Independence on 4 February 1948, our
national leaders continued to govern in a worse manner than the Colonials.Foreigners at least listened to peoples’ claims and agitations,
but Lankan leaders turned a deaf ear to any public outcry! The Ceylonese
leaders caused a steep division in society by forming different political
parties and working on their agendas. During the colonial era, local society
was united as one unit and preserved the Buddhist cultural values, but since
the Independence, morality and cultural values became tainted.”
The
writer focussed then on Buddhist stanzas like ‘Eththa Watcha’ and ‘Akastata
Bhummatta’ and wanted to know from the monk whether Buddhists could
transfer merit to various gods (Devas) as is the current practice today; whether it could reconcile with such practices within the concept of
Buddhism?
“Buddhists
do not believe in an Omnipresent or Omnipotent God.” Also, by merely repeating
Gathas ( stanzas) in parrot form, out of habit, or offering alms for the sake
of name and fame, no transference of merit to any god will happen.” Today, when some people want to give alms to priests, they
search for prominent priests (‘big guns’ with an infectious laugh) and
forget about the poor monks who lead sanctified and secluded lives. By offering
alms to the sangha alone, one cannot expect any help from devas! In my personal
opinion every deva has forgotten this country.”
Is
there a difference between the ‘Soul’ and ‘Athma’? The writer
became curious.
In Buddhist philosophy it
does not mention the word Soul or Athma.”
How would you then, Venerable Sir, account for
the cycle of birth and rebirth?
There
are two answers to your question. Let’s take the sun as an example. A
teacher may explain to young children that the sun is rising and setting down,
although no such phenomenon occurs. On mature students he uses a scientific
example. We know that it is the earth that rotates while the sun is stationary.
Therefore, Lord Buddha used the words ‘Soul’ and ‘Athma’ in the
proper backdrops.”
Likewise,
Lord Buddha’s teachings varied according to the level of intelligence of
seekers of the truth. That is why Lord Buddha taught Vipassana Meditation to
deal with this topic to those aspirantswho had opened their intelligence. Also,
according to Buddhist philosophy, a person may be born in one of the six Deva
worlds. To achieve that stage, one needs to lead a moral life in the human
world; mind you, some people have ascended to higher levels of intelligence due
to their good karma!”
The
human being consists of a mind and matter. The mind is a series
of impermanent occurrences as unchanging essence( ‘soul‘). The Physical
body is a stream of material state subject to momentary change.In Buddhist, philosophy the word soul does not
exist at all. This practice of understanding is dependent on one’s level of
intelligence, wisdom, and training.”
The
writer then became curious about ghosts, a subject that the Venerable was
familiar with publicly. Reverend Sir, Currently, there is a Chair for
Parapsychology at the University of Edinburgh to deal with the study of
ghosts. Do you accept that ghosts do exist?
When a person dies, that person will be
born in a different world, sometimes with a subtle body due to his attachment
to his loved ones and property. In that fine (astral) body form the dead person
can live for some time until that astral body ascends to a higher phase with
the help of meritorious deeds done by his relatives. It all depends on the
amount of direct transference of merit to the dead person. Some astral bodies
can travel at a tremendous speed faster than light!”
How is
it that some individuals can see such subtle bodies whereas others do not? The
writer queried.
Some
of the dead could freeze their astral bodies, and others may not, that is why astral
body can be seen.”
Astrologers
do often say that humans belong to various categories, known in Sinhala as ‘Gana,’
meaning Rakksa, Deva and Manussa, Gana. Is there any truth in the saying that
only those born under Manussa Gana can see ghosts?
It is
only an astrological interpretation. Now, I belong to Rakksa Gana, and do you
find me as a horrible person?” (Venerable monk gave my chin a little tickle).
Concept
of worshiping Sai Baba
Many
Buddhists worship Sai Baba these days! Some Buddhists have a different opinion
and say because it is due to devotees’ confused state of mind. What do you
think about this question, Sir?
I
visited Sai Baba some 20 years ago when I suffered a cataract in my eyes. Everyone
advised me against the operation because I was over 70 years of age. I was
confused. But out of the blue, a Dayaka, in our temple, requested me to be his
translator as he could not speak English. He wanted to visit India to see Sai
Baba and promised to look after all my expenses, including my air ticket. I
accompanied him to Bangalore.”
Sai Baba came
straight to where I was standing. Next moment Sai Baba waved his right hand in
the air and wrote something and walked away from me. After taking a few steps
forward, he turned back and walked back towards me, smiled and said, “Get
your eyes operated“. I was stunned. At that exact moment I wanted to
ask him about my eyes! Two weeks after my return from India I went blind.
Immediately, I was admitted to the General Hospital and got my eyes operated
on.
Politics
Some
people spread the rumour that the Venerable was involved in politics ! The
writer was compelled to enquire about it, but the venerable quite calmly said:
“I
am not a politician but a steadfast Buddhist priest. I knew President Premadasa
from his youthful days when he came to our temple to learn Dhamma lessons. I
was in the USA when the President named a village in Balangoda as ‘Ananda
Maitreya Gama in the Gam Udawa programme’. I was clueless about the whole
exercise. When I returned to Sri Lanka, President Premadasa invited me again
and showed me a video of a plot of land and said:
Hamuduruwane,
do you like this place?”
It was a plot of land near
a river and ideal for my meditation. I told him so, and I proceeded to England.
But when I returned home, he phoned me again and requested me to occupy the new
temple he had built (completely without my knowledge). Mr Ranasinghe Premadasa
had already named itThe Battaramulla Chitta Viveka Asramaya.
President
Premadasa said, “Hamuduruwane, this is a personal religious gift to you
from me.”
”
What are your final plans, Venerable Sir?
I want to engage in Dhamma
whenever I get an opportunity. But the problem is that I never get a free
moment whether I am in Sri Lanka, England, or the USA, because people always
visit me seeking advice. My main aim is to accomplish a higher level of mental
development. When I die, I would like to be reborn in Sri Lanka again to
develop Buddhism further and propagate Lord Buddha’s philosophy throughout the
world.”
The
Most Ven. Aggamahapandittha Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Mahanayake Thera expired
at the age of 103!
UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday urged the Speaker to take action against Lawyer Nagananda whom he claimed had insulted Parliament.
Mr.wickremesinghe said the particular Lawyer had made a false allegation that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution which was passed in Parliament way back in 1980s was a false one.
Mr. Nagananda has filed legal action stating that one time Speaker Late E. L Senanayake had put his official signature on a wrong document claiming it to be the 14 th Amendment to the Constitution while the Parliament at that time,had approved a different document claiming it to be the legislation,”he said referring to the Lawyer.
Another doctor of the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 Technical Committee has stepped down from his membership from the committee.
Reportedly, Specialist Dr. Ashoka Gunaratne has resigned from the committee in this manner.
This is the second medical professional to quit the COVID-19 Technical Committee of the Health Ministry.
Recently, Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama also stepped down from the Committee.
Joining the ‘Big Focus’ program on Ada Derana 24 today (September 08), Dr. Anwar Hamdani commented on the resignation of Dr. Ashoka Gunaratne.
There was such a thing this morning. It is informed through an email. That email goes to the Director-General of Health or the Secretary. Several doctors have resigned. It is their personal opinion. But these [doctors] are resources. These are resources that should be with us.”
The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reports that another 648 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, moving the daily total of new cases to 2,917.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 474,780.
As many as 389,969 recoveries and 10,689 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The Epidemiology Unit’s data showed that 74,122 active cases are currently under medical care.
The total number of people who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in Sri Lanka soared yet again as 185 more fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Tuesday (September 07).
The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 10,689.
According to the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims include 102 males and 83 females.
As many as 140 deaths were reported among elderly people who are aged above 60 years.
In addition, 44 individuals aged between 30-59 years and 01 below 30 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.
The government has taken over the stocks of rice owned by large-scale rice mill owners in the Polonnaruwa area today.
Accordingly, the acquisition of stocks of Nipuna, Lathpandura, Temple, Hiru, Nivratna, and Suriya rice mills was carried out under the direct supervision of the Commissioner General of Essential Services, Major General Senarath Nivunhella, and the Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Authority.
With the acquisition of rice stocks that were not issued to the market owned by all large-scale rice mills in the Polonnaruwa area at government-controlled prices, the transportation to Sathosa outlets has commenced at the same time.
The Office of the Commissioner-General of Essential Services stated that the government intends to release these stocks of rice to the consumers as soon as possible.
The owners of the New Ratna rice mills have deliberately objected to the takeover of their stocks and obstructed the duties of officials.
The Office of the Commissioner-General of Essential Services stated that the Commissioner of Essential Services had discussed with the rice mill owners how to maintain adequate production capacity and release rice to the market without shortage after the government sets a control price for rice.
However, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed the Trade Minister, the Commissioner General of Essential Services, and the Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Authority to take over and distribute the stocks of rice to the government as they have not acted as agreed.
Officers of the Consumer Affairs Authority inspected the four large-scale rice mills with the intervention of the Polonnaruwa District Secretary and the Police.
Accordingly, the government seized nearly 1.2 million kilograms of rice from 4 large-scale rice mills operating in Polonnaruwa at Rs. 03 per kilogram less than the government-controlled price.
Nadu, Samba and Kiri Samba rice stocks have been purchased there. The maximum retail price set by the government is 98 rupees per kilogram for Nadu, 103 rupees per kilogram for Samba and 125 rupees per kilogram for Kiri Samiba.
While inspecting the rice mills, a group of people gathered near a public rice mill and protested against the officials of the Consumer Affairs Authority.
Meanwhile, 200,000 kilograms of rice have been sealed in a joint raid carried out by the Anuradhapura District Consumer Affairs Authority and the police.
However, State Minister for Provincial Councils and Local Government Roshan Ranasinghe speaking to the media today stated that action should be taken to find those who are hiding paddy stocks on a large scale.
Meanwhile, another sugar warehouse in the Peliyagoda area was inspected by officials of the Consumer Affairs Authority and representatives of the Office of the Commissioner-General of Essential Services today.
The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) seized 1300 tons of illegally hidden sugar and sealed it.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that 320 metric tons of sugar have been removed from a warehouse in the Enderamulla area in Wattala which was sealed by the Consumer Affairs Authority.
Police Special Task Force (STF) and Consumer Affairs Authority officers were on their way to inspect the warehouse when they were preparing to transport another consignment of sugar. The STF arrested two warehouse keepers and the driver of the lorry.
