By Dr.Tilak S.Fernando

The Coronavirus entered the 3rd wave in Sri Lanka, and the number of deaths is increasing daily. However, the Government and the  National Operation Centre for Preventing Covid-19 still seem to follow instructions from a set of western orientated experts and maintain that the injection is the only solution to stop the pandemic. Meanwhile, Hela physicians and Ayurveda doctors blame the Government for allowing people to die unnecessarily by ignoring Ayurveda and Hela medicine. They view it as a national disaster and think that the Government is helpless and compelled to listen to the ‘highly educated’ western medicine orientated specialists.

With the emergence of the Covid-19 over a year ago, Western medicine could not find a drug to combat the virus, but various countries invented different types of vaccines on a fast track. Western orientated experts in Sri Lanka seem to depend on vaccines  alone and expect the general public to wear face masks, wash hands regularly and maintain a social distance. Still, Ayurveda and Hela physicians say the Government is spending millions of rupees trying to solve the covid-19 situation when there are economically adaptable Hela and Ayurveda solutions to combat the problem. Even those scientists, who invented vaccines, do not seem to know the long-term consequences of such vaccine(s).

 Chaotic Situation

Coronavirus pandemic spread thick and fast, initially causing mayhem worldwide and caused deaths to an unprecedented level; plague equally crippled the world economy. The virus attacked people indiscriminately, and numerous ideologies erupted from various nations according to their cultural backgrounds.  Some countries identified it as a curse from God; others said it started after consuming Tong Seng Bat meat, which is supposed to cure asthma. Those who believed in the Universe maintain it is due to the destruction of the environment. Others simply say that it was customary to reduce the world population by natural disasters from time to time.

In the second World War twenty-two million of the world population perished; at the same time, fifty million died of a pandemic associated with fever in Spain. In 1929 the entire world population was affected by a drastic economic turmoil, and people lost jobs throughout the world.  In 1933 Adolf Hitler took over Germany, followed by the second world war, where sixty million people perished.  It followed the Korean war that destroyed a significant amount of people.  In 1964 the Vietnam war broke out, and ended in 1975. According to a study carried out scientifically, the Bengal famine of 1943 was the only one in modern Indian history.  It argued, “how Churchill-era and British policies significantly accounted for contributing to the catastrophe”. The famine killed up to three million people, and people  used to drop dead on the streets of Kolkata akin to the present situation in India.

Tasuku Honjo, a Japanese physician-scientist and immunologist , who won the 2018 Nobel Prize, commented on a FB post about the Coronavirus. He kept the question open for people to find out whether it had anything to do with the wrath of God or a natural disaster. He warned   that millions of people would die every day and the humanity would once again have to face a scary time. He expected the truth-seeking fearless, investigative journalists to challenge and expose those in power.

Tasuku Honjo also argued whether a particular nation created the Coronavirus? His comment has became viral on the internet, arguing: “If it were natural, it would not have adversely affected the entire world because as per nature, temperature varies from country to country. It is an entirely artificial virus,  manufactured.” I have forty years of research experience on animals and virus, and it is not natural. I  worked for four years in the Wuhan laboratory in China and  I am fully acquainted with all the staff of that laboratory. I have been phoning them after the Coronavirus surfaced. However, all their phones are dead for the last three months. It is now evident that all those lab technicians may have died.  I can confirm with one hundred per cent confidence that the Coronavirus is not natural. It did not come from bats but China manufactured it. If what I am saying today is proved false, or  after my death, the Government can withdraw my Nobel Prize. China is lying, and this truth will be out one day  to everyone.”

Sri Lanka’s situation.

During the first stage of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka managed quite effectively, with proper guidance and direction from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by liaising with the Health authorities. Sri Lanka went through the 2nd wave and is fast approaching the third phase, which contains a dangerous variant where the germ can float in the air can infect so many people.

The fundamental problem in Sri Lanka appears to be that medical experts reject Helawedakama or Ayurveda treatment. Sri Lanka has variety of herbs whose effectiveness has proved across many generations. These herbs come within two classified groups — ‘heating‘ and ‘cooling‘. The ‘cooling‘ herbs are admimistered to patients contracted with diabetes, imbalances in the lipid profile, or even cancer. The ‘heating’ herbs have a comparatively lower antioxidant potential than the ‘cooling’ herbs. However, this classification has been misunderstood due to inconsistent interpretations and lack of scientific reasoning. Hela and Ayurveda doctors maintain it is absurd for the western doctors to reject the Hela or Ayurveda treatment as all preparations are made out of  natural herbs with no side effects.  These come through the generations for over 6000 years BCM (before the common era).

Coronavirus  pandemic has become a hot potato in Sri Lanka at present. On the one side Western medicine-oriented doctors maintain their stand. On the other, the Hela and Ayurvedic circle maintain that the Government is in a limbo situation, not knowing what action to take. Also, they question as to why the Sri Lanka Government wastes so much money in building massive Ayurveda hositals and research centres , such as  one in Navinna, Maharagama, if Ayurveda is not given its due place!

 Determined Vedamahattaya

Amila Sanjeeva, in the Gampaha district, hails from an ancestral (Paramparika) medical family. He has found a cure for the Coronavirus through his ancestral knowledge and medical journals (weda potha) that comes down from his earlier generations.  Still, he laments that the Sri Lankan western orientated experts do not approve of his Kashaya and immunity booster (prepared out of rare, and age-old medicinal herbs that grow in Sri Lanka). Yet hundreds of people gather at Mahasen Veda Madura daily to obtain his immunisation boosters. He distributes them free of charge stating (Mahasen You Tube video )   that I shall not allow my people to die in vain”. He works in close association with the State Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Rural and Ayurveda Hospital Development and Community Health, Sisira Jayakody . He was also blessed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to proceed with his life-saving campaign. He intends to go from village to village distributing Kasaya free of charge.  He assures that  he is determined to carry out his campaign and no one will be able to stop him from going ahead with his charity programme. His motto is ” to save thousands of human lives’  who die of Coronavirus unnecessarily  and has assured that he would completely put an end to this Covid-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka.  On 18th May 2021, Amila Sanjeeva  distributed his Kashaya and immunity booster free of charge to thousands of locals in the Gampaha district. It was highlighted in the Aubowan Sri Lanka YouTube channel.

 Amila Sanjeewa is also a member of the Sinhala Medical Heritage who works to get the Hela and Ayurveda treatment  a chance to treat Corona affected patients officially. Few members of the Medical Heritage appeared on TV Derana on a discussion recently. During the programme, Professor Nalin de Silva wanted to know what western medical specialists precisely treat Coronavirus affected patients  with at hospitals and quarantine centres when they claim that so many cured patients were released daily.

Inhaler

Meanwhile, when the whole world has become a victim of the Coronavirus, a  Sri Lankan Ayurveda doctor H.M. Vithanchchi has found an inhaler called the ‘Germ Killer’ which has no any side effects. Rather than consuming any medicine, it involves inhaling twice a day through the nose and the mouth. The inhaler is Registered at the Dept of Ayurveda  ( Reg.No.06/02/01/PK/21/1082) consists of a mixture of leaves (comprising Ceylon Cinnamon, Peppermint, Yakinaran, Lime, Pawatta, Dried Ginger, Clove’s powder, Black Pepper Powder and Wenivel Powder. Several members of the Ayurveda Sutra Committee has approved the inhaler. The inventor, Dr. Withanachi has been a member of Ayurveda Sutra Committee.

Ayurveda and Hela treatment consider there are three elements in the human body as VATHA (Air), PITHA (Fire) and KAPHA (Phlegm). Any nostril or oral germ contamination will stick it on the phlegm instantly. Therefore, phlegm samples are used for many medical testing purposes (eg.Covid-19 ).

The inhaler comes in three sizes, 2 glass bottles and the largest size comes in a wooden receptacle, all of them packed with  a mixture of withered natural herbal leaves. The inhaler should be used twice a day for better results. The fragrance of herbal leaves will comfort anyone suffering from blockages of the nostrils, catarrh, headache, and sinus related issues. It is highly recommended for those who snore. Anyone interested in obtaining  the  ‘Germ Killer’ inhaler, may contact the writer. Incorporating more details would entail an advertisement. It fits into any a trouser pocket, lady’s handbag, or students’ satchel. Some consider it is ideal to keep one in the car.

tilakfernando@gmail.com

Laksiri Warnakula  

One boasts; how well the nation-wide vaccination programme is going. And then we have another, who tried to get in the way of health officials at a vaccination centre, demanding that the chit-bearers coming from him be given priority over the rest of the ordinary people in waiting (The editorial of the Island of 31-05-21, ‘Guru-gola way of doing it’), many quite possibly for long hours.

And the next in line is one, who brazenly violated the health restrictions imposed by the authorities and let the people congegate and converge, as they wished. And the result was kick-starting a mega-spread of the virus, which is still going and sweeping through the whole nation without any sign of even receding, let alone stopping altogether.

You see that those, who drink the concoction, made from an oupouring amount of inferiority complex, stupidity, arrogance, ignorence and acquired political might can become lethal to a country. And the sooner the people realise this and unseat them at the earliest opportunity, the better, for the present as well as for the future, of the nation.

However, I am not going to put the whole blame for what’s happening now in the country as regards ‘Covid’ on those misfits alone. The irresponsible public putting ‘Charithra/Varithra’ before the country’s well-being, opting to celebrate with wanton disregard for the dreadful consequenses that would inevitably follow, are equally responsible too, happily apalauding and following the politician/politicians, who made it possible to celebrate without any restrictions. And all the while, the ‘Covid’ must have been waiting, to launch the invasion on all fronts, both rural and urban.

And hasn’t it already done so?

Laksiri Warnakula  

Arun Siddharth Arulanandam

TO EXPATS AND OTHERS – PLEASE DONATE FUNDS TO OBTAIN DRY RATIONS AS A GOODWILL GESTURE TO THOSE IN NEED in Jaffna. A request came in today – May 25, 2021. Due to lockdown, the Civil Society will purchase from known vendors and Cargills and distribute. Deliveries are not possible due to the lock down.

Please share with anyone interested in helping. They appealed to us for help because their Nationalist leaders” have not visited, and the diaspora overseas are not helping the poorest of poor. They have reached a desperate point and we need to respond to their appeal.  We can help them as a goodwill gesture.

This appeal comes from the Sri Lankan American Action Coalition (SLAAC)

Email: excomm@srilankanamericans.com

OFFICIAL REQUEST FROM THE JAFFNA CIVIL SOCIETY

Arun Siddharth Arulanandam – President- Jaffna Civil Society Centre.

               Location No-238, K.K.S, Road, Thavady, Kokkuvil, Jaffna

               Tel.   +94 77 484 2464

Donations to be sent to the Account.

AC Name-Arulanandam Arun

AC No    – 82743354

Bank Name- Bank of Ceylon

Swift Code – BCEYLKLX

Branch Name-Chunnakam

Branch Code-053

Branch Address -No-146, K.KS. Road

Chunnakam, Jaffna

Contact No- 077-4842464

(Arun Siddharth /WhatsApp, Viber  Imo)

How to send funds

Go to www.transferwise.com  (The guaranteed rate today is Rs. 198.50) 5/28/2021

Register with email and a password and proceed.

Some tips to help:

There are 3 options to make transfers

1.       From the checking account (which I have used) and that has the lowest fees

2.      From a debit Card

3.      From a Credit Card (Highest fee)

The transfer is acknowledged as per email provided.  Depending on the day of the week it takes no more than two days to reach the receiving bank account.  Also, a stage by stage notification is received from the start of the US$ transfer to Transferwise (now known as wise but the website responds to TransferWise as before) and then to the receiving account.  Email for Arun is

Arun Siddharth Arulanandam

Arun Arulanandam  <jaffnacivilsociety@gmail.com>

Email he tracks on the phone:   kmarxedu@gmail.com

 
Anjalika Silva

Science may have found a cure for most evils; 

but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all — the apathy of human beings.”

― Helen Keller

https://youtu.be/xbbwothRgoY

Canada’s ‘cultural genocide’ has been unearthed. The remains of 215 indigenous children have been found buried inside a former catholic school in British Columbia. Justin Trudeau has expressed ‘remorse’. But will that be enough?

Sri Lankan Canadian Action Coalition Inc

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

කොවිඩ් -19 වසංගත තත්ත්වය මත ප්‍රත්‍ය පහසුකම් නොලබන විහාරස්ථාන සහ ආගමික ස්ථාන සඳහා සංකේතාත්මකව ආධාර පාර්සල් බෙදාදීම ගරු අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් අද (03) දින පෙරවරුවේ අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේ දී පැවැත්විණි.

සංචරණ සීමා පැනවීම හේතුවෙන් ප්‍රත්‍ය පහසුකම් නොලබන විහාරස්ථාන සහ අනෙකුත් ආගමික ස්ථාන වෙනුවෙන් බුද්ධශාසන, ආගමික හා සංස්කෘතික කටයුතු අමාත්‍යවරයා වශයෙන් ගරු අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගේ උපදෙස් පරිදි මෙසේ ප්‍රත්‍ය පහසුකම් පිරිනැමීම ක්‍රියාත්මක වේ.

මෙයට පෙර රට අගුලු දැමූ අවස්ථාවල සහ සංචරණ සීමා පැනවූ කාලවල දී ද අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගේ උපදෙස් පරිදි ආගමික ස්ථාන වෙනුවෙන් ප්‍රත්‍ය පහසුකම් සැපයීම අඛණ්ඩව සිදුවිය.

බුද්ධශාසන, ආගමික හා සංස්කෘතික කටයුතු අමාත්‍යංශය ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන මෙම වැඩසටහන ඔස්සේ ප්‍රත්‍ය පහසුකම් නොලබන විහාරස්ථාන, මෙහෙණි ආරාම ඇතුළු සියලුම ආගමික ස්ථානවලට “සතොස” සහයෝගය ඇතිව වියළි ආහාර සලාක පාර්සලයක් හිමිවනු ඇත.

මෙම වැඩපිළිවෙල යටතේ සියලුම ආගම් නියෝජනය වන පරිදි අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගේ සුරතින් එම ආධාර පාර්සල් බෙදා දීම අද දින සංකේතවත් කෙරිණි.

ඒ අනුව පූජ්‍ය කොළොන්නාවේ සුගතවංශ හිමි,  පූජ්‍ය වටගෙදර විමලබුද්ධි හිමි, ලින්තොටගේ ප්‍රශාන් ඩිලන්ත ප්‍රනාන්දු පියතුමා, වෑකන්ද ජුම්මා පල්ලියේ නසීර් මව්ලවිතුමා, වැල්ලවත්ත සිවසිරි වී. සෝමසුන්දර පූජකතුමා අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගේ සුරතින් අධාර පාර්සල් ලබාගත්හ.

රාජකීය පණ්ඩිත පූජ්‍ය අග්‍රහැර කස්සප නාහිමි සහ හුණුපිටිය ගංගාරාම විහාරාධිකාරී ආචාර්ය කිරින්දේ අස්සජි හිමි මෙම අවස්ථාවට වැඩම කළ වදාළහ.

අමාත්‍ය බන්දුල ගුණවර්ධන, අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ලේකම් ගාමිණි සෙනරත්, බුද්ධශාසන, ආගමික හා සංස්කෘතික කටයුතු අමාත්‍යංශයේ ලේකම් මහාචාර්ය කපිල ගුණවර්ධන, අතිරේක ලේකම් (සංවර්ධන) ජේ.සී රණේපුර, අධ්‍යක්ෂ (සංවර්ධන) කේ.කේ.චම්පිකා කනේරු, බෞද්ධ කටයුතු කොමසාරිස් ජනරාල් සුනන්ද කාරියප්පෙරුම මහත්ම මහත්මීන් ඇතුළු රාජ්‍ය නිලධාරීහු පිරිසක් මෙම අවස්ථාවට එක්ව සිටියහ.

තිසර සමල් එප්පාවල 

එන්නත්කරණ  වැඩපිළිවෙලට දේශපාලඥයෝ සම්බන්ධ වීම සම්බන්ධයෙන්  අපිටත්  විවේචනයක් තිබෙනවා,අපිත් ඒවා අනුමත කරන්නේ නෑ.සමහර කට්ටිය නූගත්කමට, නොදන්නා කමට එහෙමත් නැත්නම් ලකුණු දාගන්න කරන වැඩ වලින් ආණ්ඩුවක් විදිහට අපි අපහසුතාවකට පත් වෙනවා. ආණ්ඩුව වියදම් කරලා  නොමිලේ එන්නතත් ගහලා බැනුමත් අහගන්නවා.හරි අපරාධයක් ඒක.ඒවා අපි හෝ ජනාධිපතිතුමන් අනුමත කරන්නේ නෑ.ඒ නිසා සෞඛ්‍ය බළධාරීන් සෞඛ්‍ය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ගන්නා තීරණ වලදී සෞඛ්‍ය බළධාරීන් නායකත්වය ගන්න, වගකීම ගන්න.අපි දෙන්න තියෙන උපරිම සහයෝගය ඔබතුමන්ලාට දෙන්නම්.මේක තුවක්කුත් එක්ක කරන ගණුදෙනුවක් නෙමෙයිනේ යැයි රාජ්‍යය අමාත්‍යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතා පැවසීය.

ඒ මහතා මේ බව ප්‍රකාශ කර සිටියේ ඉපලෝගම ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කොට්ඨාශයේ කොවිඩ් මර්ධන කමිටුව අමතමින්ය. ඉපලෝගම ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කාර්යාලයේදී මෙම කමිටුව පැවැත්වුණ අතර, ඉපලෝගම ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම්තුමන්,ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා සභාපතිතුමන්, පොලිස් ස්ථානාධිපතිතුමන් ඇතුළු වගකිව යුතු රාජ්‍යය ආයතන නිළධාරීන් මෙම කමිටුව සදහා සහභාගී වූ අතර, එහිදී අනුරාධපුර දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ එළැඹෙන සතියේදී එන්නත්කරණය කිරීමේ වැඩපිළිවෙල ආරම්භ කරන බැවින් ඒ සඳහා සූදානම මෙන්ම, ජනතාව සමඟ නිරන්තරයෙන් ගැටෙන රජයේ සේවකයින්ට එන්නත ලබා ගැනීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් සාකච්ජා කෙරිණි.

එහිදී අදහස් දැක්වූ ඉපලෝගම ‌සෞඛ්‍ය වෛද්‍ය නිළධාරීතුමන්,

ඉපලෝගම සෞඛ්‍ය වෛද්‍ය නිළධාරී කොට්ඨාශයෙන් රෝගීන් 109 ක් වාර්ථා වී ඇති අතර, ඉන් 80 දෙනෙක් සිංහල අලුත් අවුරුද්දෙන් පසු වාර්ථා වූ රෝගීන්, රෝගීන් රෝහල් ගත කිරීම ආශ්‍රිතයින් නිරෝධායනය කිරීම කිසිම ගැටලුවක් ‌නැතිව කර ගෙන යනවා, අපි බලාපොරොත්තු වෙන්නේ අපිට මේක කරන්න අනෙක් පහසුකම් ටික දෙන්න කියලා.විශේෂයෙන්ම එන්නත් ලැබුන ගමන් එන්නත්කරණය කරන ජනතාව දැනුම්වත් කිරීමට, එන්නත්කරණය සිදු කරන ස්ථානයේ සූදානම් කිරීමට පහසුකම් අවශ්‍ය වෙනවා.ඒ හැර අපි බලාපොරොත්තු වෙන්නේ නෑ, එන්නත්කරණය සිදු කිරීමට තෝරා ගන්නා ලැයිස්තුවට බලපෑමක් දේශපාලන අධිකාරියෙන් එයි කියලා.සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ විදිහට අපි අපේ ග්‍රහණයෙන් තාම මේක විසි කරලා නෑ,සමහර ප්‍රවෘත්තීන් දකිනකොට අපිට සමහර වෙලාවට භය හිතෙනවා.ලංකාව මේ එන්නත්කරණය කිරීමත් ලොකු ජයග්‍රහණයක් සමහර රටවල් ඉන්නවා එක එන්නතක්වත් දීගන්න බැරිව.පරිපාලනයේ තියෙන දක්ෂතාවක් නිසා තමයි මේ තරම්වත් එන්නත් ලැබෙන්නේ.ලැබෙන එන්නත් ප්‍රමාණය හරිම පිරිසට ලබා දීම තමයි අපේ බලාපොරොත්තුව.‍

අනතුරුව අදහස් දැක්වූ රාජ්‍යය අමාත්‍යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතා,

කොරෝනා තත්වය සංචරණ සීමා ඉවත් කරපු දවසින්ම ඉවරයි කියන්න බෑ, හොඳ පැත්තට යන්නත් පුලුවන් නරක පැත්තට යන්නත් පුළුවන්,අපි පාර්ථනා කරන්නේ හොඳ පැත්තට යන්න කියලා. මේ ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කාර්යාල වල,ප්‍රාදේශීය සභාව, පොලීසිය, ගොවිජන සේවා මේ වගේ රාජ්‍යය ආයතන විශාල ප්‍රමාණයක  කාර්යමණ්ඩලය නැති වුණොත් අපිට රට දුවන්න බැරි වෙනවා.මේ තත්වය පවත්වාගෙන යාම සඳහා ඒ අයගේ අවශ්‍යතාවයක් විශේෂයෙන් තියෙනවා.ඒ නිසා ප්‍රමුඛතාවය ඒ අයට ලබා දුන්නොත් තමයි අපිට මේ පද්ධතිය කඩා නොවැටී පවත්වාගෙන යන්න පුළුවන්කම තියෙන්නේ.මේ පද්ධතිය රැක ගන්න නම් ඇත්තටම මේ රජයේ සේවකයින්ටත් ප්‍රමුඛතාවක් දෙන්න අවශ්‍යයි.රටේම ඉන්න ජනග්‍රහණයට එන්නත්කරණය කරන්න අවශ්‍ය බව ඇත්ත,ලැබෙන එකෙනුත් මේක පාලනය කරන්න අවශ්‍යය කරන පිරිස රැක ගත්තේ නැත්නම් මේක නරක පැත්තට යන්න පුළුවන්නේ. දැන් ග්‍රාම නිළධාරීන්, සමෘද්ධි නිළධාරීන් 5000 දෙන එකේ ඉඳන්, රජයේ වැඩපිළිවෙල ගමට ගෙන යන වැඩේදී කටයුතු කරන්නේ.ඒ ටික අපි බලාගත්තේ නැත්නම් අපි ලොකු ප්‍රශ්නයක් වෙනවා.අපි ජනාධිපතිතුමන් සමඟ සාකච්ජා කරලා රජයේ රජයේ සේවකයන්ටත් ප්‍රමුඛතාවය ලබා දිය යුතුයි කියලා ඉල්ලීමක් කරන්නම්.ඉහළින් ලැබී තියෙන තීන්දුව තියෙන්නේ ගමේ පුද්ගලයින්ට එන්නත්කරණය කරන්න නම් ඒක සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ වලටම භාර දෙන්න අවශ්‍යයි, එන්නත්කරණය කරන්නේ කොයි ගම්වලට කියලා තෝරන්න.අපිට ඒ තීන්දුව ගන්න පුලුවන්කමක් නෑ.ඒ වැඩේ සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ පැත්තෙන් සිද්ධ වෙන්න අවශ්‍යයි.ගම් මට්ටමින් එන්නත් ලබා දෙන වැඩසටහනේදී අපි සියලු දෙනාම සහයෝගය දෙන්න අවශ්‍යයි.සෞඛ්‍ය අංශම තීරණය කරන්න ඔ්න කාටද ප්‍රමුඛතාවය කියලා.මේ ගම තෝරා ගන්නේ ඇයි, මේ පුද්ගලයා තෝරා ගන්නේ ඇයි එන එන්නත් ප්‍රමාණය මුළු ගමටම මදි වුණොත් කාට කාටද එන්නත් දෙන්නේ කියන තීන්දුව සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ වලට භාර දෙන්න.ඒ වගකීම අපි ගන්න ඔ්නකමක් නෑ,රාජ්‍ය නිළධාරීන්ට, දේශපාලඥයින්ට ඒ වගකීම් ගන්න ඔ්නකමක් නෑ.ඒ සඳහා අවශ්‍යය  සහය අපි ලබා දෙනවා.

සංචරණ සීමා යෙදීමේ මූලිකම අරමුණ කොවිඩ් පතුරණ එක වලක්වන එකනේ,ඒක ආරක්ෂා වෙන විදිහට ගමේ කඩ සියල්ලම ඇරලා තිබුනත් අපිට ගැටලුවක් නෑ, එක්කෙනාට එක්කෙනා මුණ ගැහෙන්නේ නැති වෙන්න, බෝ වෙන්න නැති වෙන්න, කැරලි ගැහෙන්න නැති වෙන්න ඇවිල්ලා බඩු ටික අරගෙන ගිහින් ඒ වැඩ ටික වුණා නම් අපිට මුකුත් ගැටලුවක් නෑ,සංචරණය නවත්වනවා කියන්නේ බෝ වීම වලක්වන්න මේ එකතු වීම, මුණ ගැසීම නතර කරන එකනේ.ඒ ඇරෙන්න කාටවත් කන්න එපා කියලාවත්,බඩු ගන්න එපා කියලවත් කිසි දෙයක් නෙමෙයි.නීති වලින් ජනතාව ගොඩක් හිර කරන්න එපා.අපේ අරමුණ හරියනවා නම් ඒක කොහොම වුණත් ගැටලුවක් නෑ.

අපි හැමෝගෙම සහයෝගයෙන් මේක පුලුවන් තරම් අඩුම කාලයකින් ඉවර කර ගත්තොත් තමයි අපි හැමෝටම සැනසීමක් තියෙන්නේ,නැත්නම් එන්නත් ගහපු කෙනත් මැරෙනවා, නැති කෙනත් මැරෙනවා.මොනවා වෙයිද කියලා අපි දන්නේ නෑ,ඒ නිසා අපි හැමෝම මේකට තමන්ට දෙන්න පුළුවන් උපරිම සහයෝගය දීලා මේ වැඩටික ක්‍රියාත්මක කර ගන්න එකතු වෙමු.දැනටමත් රජයේ සේවකයින් ඒ සහය ලබා දීලා තියෙනවා.අවසාන මොහොත වෙනකල්ම අපි එකතු වෙලා හිටියොත්නේ මේකේ ජයග්‍රහණය කර ගන්න පුලුවන්කම ලැබෙන්නේ ඒ නිසා පුලුවන් තරම් සහයෝගය දෙන්න.

රූපවාහිනිය බලලා ප්‍රවෘත්ති වල දකින  දේ අනුව එන්නත්කරණ වැඩේට දේශපාලඥයෝ සම්බන්ධ වෙන එක ගැන විවේචනයක් අපිටත් තියෙනවා.අපිත් ඒවා අනුමත කරන්නේ නෑ.සමහර කට්ටිය නූගත්කමට, නොදන්නා කමට එහෙමත් නැත්නම් ලකුණු දාගන්න කරන වැඩ වලින් ආණ්ඩුවක් විදිහට අපි අපහසුතාවකට පත් වෙනවා. ආණ්ඩුව වියදනුත් කරලා සියලු දේ කරලා නොමිලේ එන්නතත් ගහලා බැනුමත් අහගන්නවා.හරි අපරාධයක් ඒක.ඒවා අපි හෝ ජනාධිපතිතුමන් අනුමත කරන්නේ නෑ.ඒ නිසා සෞඛ්‍ය බළධාරීන් සෞඛ්‍ය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ගන්නා තීරණ වලදී සෞඛ්‍ය බළධාරීන් නායකත්වය ගන්න, වගකීම ගන්න.අපි දෙන්න තියෙන උපරිම සහයෝගය ඔබතුමන්ලාට දෙන්නම්.මේක තුවක්කුත් එක්ක කරන ගණුදෙනුවක් නෙමෙයිනේ.ඒ නිසා සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ වලට තමයි මෙහි වගකීම තියෙන්නේ.දේශපාලන අධිකාරිය විදිහට අපේ පැත්තෙන් දෙන්න පුළුවන් උපරිම සහයෝගය අපි දෙන්නම්.ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා මන්ත්‍රීතුමන්ලත් උදව් කරනවා මිසක් මේ වැඩේට මොනම හේතුවක් නිසාවත් වෙන කිසි දේකට මැදිහත් වෙන්න එපා.හරි නම් මේ එන්නත්කරණය කරන පැත්ත පලාතේ අපි නොයා ඉන්න ඔ්න.කිසි තේරුමක් නෑනේ, අපි ඉන්නේ පෝලීම් හදන්නයි,පෝලිම් වලින් පැනලා කට්ටිය දාන්නයි නෙමෙයිනේ.සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ තමයි තීරණය කරන්න ඔ්න මේ ගමේ මේ පුද්ගලයෝ අවධානම් කියලා ඒ අයට එන්නත්කරණය කරන්න යැයි පැවසීය.

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, June 3 (SLPA): A joint operation in coordinating with local authorities and the Indian Coast Guard to mitigate the impact of the possible environmental damage due to the fire on MV X-Press Pearl continued on June 3.

Salvors and other officials have confirmed that the vessel’s aft portion is sitting on the seabed at a depth of about 21 meters.

No signs of oil or chemical spills have been detected so far.

Th Sri Lanka Navy, Indian Coast Guard, salvos and local authorities who have capabilities to respond to any signs of oil pollution are presently on the scene and are keenly monitoring the situation.

By Tang Lu, Jamila Najmuddin Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, June 3 (Xinhua): On June 2, hundreds of security personnel in COVID-19 protective clothing were busy removing tons of chemical pollutants and plastic from a beach in Colombo. About 9.5 nautical miles into the sea, they could see the charred remains of a foreign vessel swaying in the gusty monsoon wind.

On May 20, the X Press Pearl container vessel loaded with chemicals exploded and caught fire off Colombo Port. Many of the containers and other polluting materials on board fell into the sea and were being washed ashore, posing a serious threat to the environment.

On day two after the explosion, Chinese experts from the China-Sri Lanka Joint Center for Education and Research (CSL-CER) received a request from Sri Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), the principal national institute responsible for safeguarding aquatic resources in the country.

Through a forecast model, the CSL-CER helped evaluate the scale of the pollution caused by the debris and the extent to which the chemicals could spread.

The southwest monsoon makes frequent landfall in Sri Lanka in May. At the observation site of the CSL-CER based on the campus of the University of Ruhuna in the south of the island nation, an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) has been recently updated to study the effects of the monsoon outbreak.

Luo Yao, associate professor at the CSL-CER, told Xinhua that the AWS can improve the accuracy of forecasting models, and it can forecast marine environmental disasters caused by the burnt cargo ship.

The AWS can monitor the atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, solar radiation and other marine atmospheric parameters. The accumulated data through long-term observations can be used to study the impact of climate change, sea level rise and other issues in the Indian Ocean and surrounding areas,” Luo said.

Sri Lanka is located in an area with warm currents between the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean and is one of the most active regions on the path of the monsoon, with frequent marine meteorological disasters. Due to the shortage of marine scientific research personnel and the lack of a mature monsoon climate forecast system, Sri Lanka is vulnerable to marine disasters.

In order to strengthen the capacity to cope with climate change, the CSL-CER was established in 2015 at the University of Ruhuna, the only university in Sri Lanka with a faculty of fisheries and marine sciences.

Gamini Zoysa, former Sri Lankan minister of fisheries, once spoke highly of the observation network, saying that the network has provided scientific and technological support for the development of the marine economy in Sri Lanka and the reduction of marine meteorological disasters caused by extreme weather such as tsunamis and storms, which are related to people’s livelihood and economic development.”

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some difficulties for personnel exchanges at the center, it has not stopped its activities. In March this year, the China-Sri Lanka Joint Workshop on Monsoon Climate and Marine Environmental Resource was held as scheduled in both China and Sri Lanka simultaneously by combining online and offline methods.

As an island country, Sri Lanka is particularly concerned about the monsoon. The enhanced cooperation between China and Sri Lanka on the monsoon issue will enable us to better understand the impact of the monsoon on the environment and reduce disasters caused by climate change,” said Tilak Gamage, co-director of the CSL-CER.

The successive bilateral seminars on the ocean and climate have greatly enhanced Sri Lanka’s capacity to address climate issues and influence in the international arena,” Gamage said.

Zhang Changsheng, director of the CSL-CER, told Xinhua that since its establishment, the CSL-CER has not only done research but also paid attention to cultivating marine science talent in Sri Lanka.

The center has trained about 30 Sri Lankan graduate students in the fields of marine science and environmental science. They have later engaged in further scientific research in Sri Lanka.

The center has also conducted hydrological training for Sri Lankan institutions and trained personnel for meteorological observation, instrument use, and maintenance.

Charith Madusaka, a research fellow currently employed by both the CSL-CER and his alma mater the University of Ruhuna, is the first China-trained master’s degree student in oceanography from Sri Lanka.

Madusaka said, Since I went to China, many of my classmates have turned to China.”

Nalin Wikramanayake, a senior Sri Lankan oceanographer, told Xinhua that the CSL-CER has made a major contribution to marine sciences and oceanography in Sri Lanka. Enditem

Press Release Courtesy USAID

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has airlifted emergency medical supplies to Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to help save lives, stop the spread of COVID-19, and continue to meet the urgent health needs across South Asia.

This new airlift follows three shipments of COVID-19 relief supplies by the U.S. Government to Nepal and the delivery of seven emergency air shipments to India to help contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Maldives, this emergency assistance delivery will provide 600 pulse oximeters and 292,000 vital pieces of personal protective equipment to support frontline healthcare workers and people most affected by the current outbreak. Prior to today’s shipment, USAID has provided $9.1 million to assist Maldives’ COVID-19 response and recovery, including a donation of 60 ventilators to care for critically ill patients. This assistance has provided life-saving treatments, strengthened clinical care, and mobilized critical supplies to bolster the response and help the country recover.

In Pakistan, this flight will bring 1,200 pulse oximeters, and 340,000 pieces of personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals. The United States and Pakistan have worked together closely to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this donation is being made at the Government of Pakistan’s request. Prior to this flight, the U.S. Government allocated $40 million to Pakistan for COVID-19 response assistance, including a donation of 200 ventilators to care for COVID-19 patients. This support has benefited more than 2.5 million Pakistanis across the country, providing life-saving treatments, strengthening case-finding and surveillance, and mobilizing innovative financing to bolster emergency preparedness. For more information about USAID’s COVID-19 response in Pakistan, click here.

In Sri Lanka, this assistance includes 880,000 vital pieces of personal protective equipment and 1,200 pulse oximeters to support frontline healthcare workers and others most affected by the current outbreak. The United States and Sri Lanka have worked closely together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic since its outset, and USAID’s assistance has benefited millions of people in all 25 districts and nine provinces across the country, providing life-saving treatments, strengthening clinical care, and mobilizing critical supplies to bolster the response. The U.S. Government has previously provided $11.3 million to assist Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 response and recovery, including a donation of 200 ventilators to care for critically ill patients.

This airlift exemplifies the United States’ whole-of-government response to ensure assistance reaches people who need it quickly. The State of California’s Office of Emergency Services generously donated commodities, USAID sourced PPE from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of State procured the aircraft being used for transport.

USAID is coordinating additional shipments for South Asia in the coming weeks.

USAID is also working closely with the private sector to help address the immediate health needs in the region. USAID will leverage its experience with a range of private sector partners—from manufacturers to investors, from multinational companies to small- and medium-sized enterprises—to meet the critical needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

To contact the team working on mobilizing private sector engagement to support the response, please email COVID-PSE@usaid.gov

For individuals who wish to support COVID-19 relief efforts around the world, please visit the Center for International Disaster Information(link is external) (link is external).

For more information on USAID’s global response to COVID-19, click USAID’s COVID-19 Response | U.S. Agency for International Development

UCA News reporter, Colombo

Singapore-registered container ship has released chemical waste into the sea since catching fire on May 20

The Singapore-registered container ship MV X-Press Pearl, carrying hundreds of tonnes of chemicals and plastics, sinks after burning for almost two weeks just outside Colombo’s harbor on June 2. (Photo: AFP)

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has decided to take legal action against the owner of a ship that has caused an environmental disaster on Sri Lanka’s coast.

He said the fishing community has been severely damaged by the Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, which has spewed chemical waste into the sea since catching fire on May 20.

“I am ready to take the lead in taking legal action against the company that owns the ship,” said Cardinal Ranjith on June 2 in Colombo.Subscribe to your daily free newsletter from UCA News

The container ship was carrying 25 tonnes of nitric acid along with other chemicals and cosmetics when a fire erupted after an explosion.

Officials have warned people not to touch any debris washing up on beaches as it could be harmful. More than 1,000 people including navy and army personnel have been cleaning up beaches in recent days.

By Easwaran Rutnam Courtesy The Daily Mirror

@easwaranrutnam

The United States has picked Sri Lanka, among other countries, to share 25 million coronavirus vaccines. 

The White House said that the United States has received requests for vaccines from countries all over the world.   

As a result, the US will share up to one-quarter of its donated doses directly with countries in need, those experiencing surges, immediate neighbors, and other countries that have requested immediate US assistance. 

Sri Lanka had made a formal request to the US for vaccines to meet its urgent requirement, which included 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

The White House said that the specific vaccines and amounts will be determined and shared as the Administration works through the logistical, regulatory and other parameters particular to each region and country. 

We are sharing these doses not to secure favors or extract concessions. We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, with the power of our example and with our values. And we will continue to follow the science and to work in close cooperation with our democratic partners to coordinate a multilateral effort, including through the G7,” US President Joe Biden said. 

The US announced the proposed allocation plan for the first 25 Million doses it will share.  

Nearly 19 million will be shared through COVAX, with the approximately 7 million for Asia to countries and entities including Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Maldives, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and the Pacific Islands.  

The White House said that the sharing of millions of US vaccines with other countries signals a major commitment by the US Government. 

Courtesy Adaderana

Britain added seven countries, including Egypt and Sri Lanka, to its red list” of destinations that require hotel quarantine on return to England on Thursday, in a review that also saw Portugal move from green” to amber”.

Britain added seven countries — Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Trinidad and Tobago — to its red list” of places with severe COVID-19 outbreaks. 

All but essential travel to red list countries is barred, and U.K. residents returning from any of them must spend 10 days in a government-approved quarantine hotel.

No countries were added to the quarantine-free green list.

The full list of countries added to the red list” is: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Britain said that it is removing Portugal from its list of COVID-safe travel destinations, meaning thousands of U.K. residents currently on vacation there face the prospect of 10 days’ quarantine on return.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the difficult decision” was prompted by rising infection rates in Portugal and worries about new versions of the coronavirus that could prove resistant to vaccines. He said a mutation of the delta variant first identified in India was causing particular concern.

He said there’s a sort of Nepal mutation of the so-called Indian variant which has been detected and we just don’t know the potential for that to be a vaccine-defeating mutation and simply don’t want to take the risk as we come up to June 21” — the date the U.K. government hopes to lift remaining coronavirus restrictions.

The U.K. has recorded almost 128,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest toll in Europe. A mass vaccination campaign that started in December has given two doses of vaccine to more than half the adult population and brought new infections and deaths down sharply.

But case numbers are once again rising as the more transmissible delta variant spreads across the U.K.

-Agencies

Courtesy Adaderana

The Director General of Health Services confirmed 42 more coronavirus related deaths, pushing the country’s death toll due to the virus to 1,608.

Three of these deaths were reported today (03) while the remaining 39 were confirmed between may 11 and June 02, according to the Health Ministry. 

It also revealed that 17 of the deceased are female and that three of the victims are below the age of 50. 

Courtesy Adaderana

The Ministry of Health reported that another 642 persons have tested positive for coronavirus today (03), increasing the daily total of new Covid-19 cases to 3,264.

All new cases reported today are associated with the New year Covid-19 cluster. 

This brings the total cases count in the country thus far to 195,811.

This is also the fifth instance of the daily count of Covid-19 cases in Sri Lanka crossing the 3,000-mark. 

By Raj Gonsalkorale

Actual independence for the dominion of Ceylon came on February 4, 1948, when the constitution of 1947 went into effect. The constitution provided for a bicameral legislature with a popularly elected House of Representatives and a Senate that was partly nominated and partly elected indirectly by members of the House of Representatives. A prime minister and his cabinet, chosen from the largest political group in the legislature, held collective responsibility for executive functions. The governor-general, as head of state, represented the British monarch. In matters that the constitution failed to address, the conventions of the United Kingdom were observed. The UNP had a substantial majority in the legislature and attracted support as it governed. There were, however, some basic weaknesses in the political structure. The consensus that the government represented embraced only a small fraction of the population—the English-educated Westernized elite groups that shared the values on which the structure was founded. To the great mass of Sinhalese- and Tamil-educated residents and unschooled citizens, these values appeared irrelevant and incomprehensible. The continued neglect of local culture as embodied in religion, language, and the arts created a gulf that divided the ruling elite from the ruled. Inevitably, traditionalist and revivalist movements arose to champion local values. Britannica

While the reality pertaining to the beginning of the conflict has been one thing, Sri Lankan politics and politicians on both sides, Sinhalese as well as Tamil, have opted to choose opportunism rather than what is right for the people they represent.

In the immediate period before independence and soon after, a minority on both sides, Tamils and Sinhalese, took comfort in assuming they represented the majority although in reality they were safeguarding the interests of the minority that mattered to them. The Britannica quote To the great mass of Sinhalese- and Tamil-educated residents and unschooled citizens, these values appeared irrelevant and incomprehensible” says it all. There is no running away from the truth that a fraction of the population, the English educated, land owning class governed the country and all its institutions, while the majority on both sides lived as second class citizens in their own country.

When Ceylon gained independence in 1948, less than 5% of the population was literate in English, and government offices, the courts, police stations, all functioned in English, effectively disenfranchising more than 95% of the population.

Leading Tamil politicians of the day never campaigned for the Tamil language to replace English as the working language in the country for the Tamil people. Instead, in effect, they advanced the argument that the privileged position enjoyed by English literate minority of Tamil people should not lose that privilege they saw as a right rather than a privilege.

On the other hand, SWRD Bandaranaike campaigned for the Sinhala language to replace English as the working language in government, progressively, with the Tamil language given that status in traditionally Tamil speaking areas of the country. His clear vision was for the majority of the population, and not just the elite minority, to enjoy the fruits of independence gained by the country as free citizens. The mother tongue, meaning Sinhala for the Sinhalese and Tamil for the Tamils was going to be the language of instruction in schools. However, this was planned to be implemented progressively from the mid-sixties.

Rather than travelling back in history, as that is bound to result in an endless deluge of arguments and counter arguments, the writer wishes to advance a line of thought for a role reversal, meaning, the Sinhalese to imagine they were Tamils, and for the Tamils to imagine they were Sinhalese, and to look at history as well as contemporary times, problems, issues, and solutions, from such a prism.

If the Sinhalese happened to be Tamils, how would they view their past, and their present and their future? How would they view the regular attacks on them by mobs, especially the debacle of 1983? Aided and abetted by sections of the then government, Sri Lanka unleashed an abominable attack on Tamils in July 1983. Leaving all politics aside, this attack on innocent civilians and their homes and belongings, and above all their pride, their sense of security, was never condemned by successive governments. If the Sinhala people happened to be the Tamils, how would they regard their future in the country? Will they feel safe and secure? If a government spearheads mob violence, what hope will they have with the government machinery to protect them?

What if your priceless library, repository of one of the largest collections of historical, rare, Tamil and Hindu classics is burnt by a Sinhala mob, again, at the instigation of sections of the government? A new library building cannot restore ancient historical records of Tamil philosophy, culture and literature burnt to cinders by such thugs.

It took 21 years to offer an apology to Sri Lanka’s own sons and daughters, mothers and fathers who were brutally attacked by mobs organised by people in high places and linked to the then government. Was this a genuine demonstration of remorse?

In such a climate of intimidation, how would Sinhala people react if they were Tamils?

If the coin is flipped, and Tamils were the Sinhalese, especially Sinhala Buddhists, how would they view the Sinhala Buddhist point of view?

The following are some issues that perhaps Tamils could consider wearing a Sinhala Buddhist hat, as it were. A Sinhala Buddhist perspective that prevails in regard to the longevity associated with their pre- colonial cultural and governance dominance. Historically, except for the period of the Jaffna Kingdom of around 300 years, much of the rest of history has revolved around Sinhala Buddhist dominance, of course, interspersed with non-Sinhala Kings and Queens of Indian origin during this time. If a Tamil were a Sinhalese, how would that person view this historical situation?

The Sinhala Buddhist also views the special place accorded to Buddhism due to cultural, and historical reasons, and also entertains fears that a large number of Tamils from across the Palk Straits could impact on the Buddhist heritage in the country. A fear exists that over 70 million in Tamil Nadu is a threat to the 15 million Sinhala Buddhists in Sri Lanka. The influence of Tamil Nadu politics in Sri Lankan issues of course is well known and has been a dominant factor in the Indian government’s policy towards Sri Lanka. 

Another factor that has perhaps prevented an amicable solution to the ethnic conflict has been what Sinhala Buddhists regard as an unsubstantiated claim about what is touted by the Tamils as their homeland in the island, the Northern and Eastern provinces. While there may have been sporadic settlements from time to time, there is no evidence, archaeological or otherwise to identify the Eastern province as part of a Tamil homeland.

In fact it is recorded that Hugh Cleghorn, the first colonial secretary, having never set foot in the North or the East, had recorded an official minute to the effect that the Northern and Eastern regions were occupied by people who were different, culturally, linguistically and by religion to the people in the rest of the country.

Historian K M De Silva states in his publication The Traditional Homelands” of the Tamils: Separatist Ideology in Sri Lanka: A Historical Appraisal” that quote,” the entire claim had been structured on one single minute prepared in June 1799 by Hugh Cleghorn, a British Academic who had been in the island in the early years of the British rule as a political trouble shooter and who later had become the Colonial Secretary for Sri Lank” unquote.

De Silva goes onto say, quote It is this noting that the Tamil separatists have used ad infinitum to drive home their point about their traditional homeland. It should have been obvious to them that Cleghorn’ s knowledge about Sri Lanka was abysmally poor for he traced the origin of the Sinhalese to Thailand,” unquote

A related fear arising from this spurious claim of a Tamil homeland, is the extent of the claimed homeland, being more than 25% of the land area of the island, and more than 50% of the sea front of the country with less than 10% of the population of the country living in this land mass.

It would be useful for this discussion, if Tamil people could think of themselves as Sinhalese, especially Sinhala Buddhists for the reasons given, and consider these factors from such a perspective.

The suggested role reversal approach may hopefully enable both sides to the conflict to see their positions from the others perspective, and people themselves, not politicians, may be able to better understand each other’s position and arrive at some consensus as to how both sides could move forward.

It would benefit the people of the country greatly if the historical position and the origin of this politician made conflict as described in the Britannica, The continued neglect of local culture as embodied in religion, language, and the arts created a gulf that divided the ruling elite from the ruled. Inevitably, traditionalist and revivalist movements arose to champion local values”, could be presented, impartially and objectively, so that subsequent developments may be viewed contextually by all parties.

This has never happened in the past, and finding a solution has been left to politicians, who in fact created this conflict in the first place, letting it simmer even after 73 years of independence.

While the reasons for mistrust felt by both communities are many and not limited to the above mentioned issues, it needs to be recognised that these issues are the reactions to the beginning of the conflict, not the cause of the original conflict. 

The LTTE, the war, UNHRC resolutions, the proposed US Congress resolution, are all reactions to a festering wound, and none of them represent a solution to the core issues that created the conflict in the first place.

Politicians on both sides have their constituencies to consider, and both constituencies have their own power bases. There can never be a solution unless these power bases agree to such a solution. It is impossible to see how this could happen as these power bases are only interested in safeguarding themselves and their power, and in regard to the conflict, the hardening of their individual positions have in fact strengthened their power bases.

Sri Lankans, both Sinhalese and Tamils, through their political representatives, and in the case of Tamils, sections of the Diaspora, have provided the bullets for various entities in the world to fire at Sri Lanka. A mechanism will have to be found for the people concerned to work out a solution and cease distributing these bullets. If is left to the politicians, whatever they come up as a solution will only result in creating another problem, as for them, the conflict is like a beggar’s wound. If it heals, the beggar will have no reason to beg for, and so, consequently, it can never heal.

Shenali D Waduge

India created Bangladesh out of East Pakistan. It took just 13 days. 73million Bangladeshi’s were given ‘independence’. So, the question is why didn’t India do the same to the Sikhs demanding ‘Khalistan’ or the Tamils demanding Tamil Eelam whether it was in Tamil Nadu or Sri Lanka’s North? Why is the West so pumped up to create ‘micro independent states’ that provide it strategic geopolitical advantage – Kosovo, South Sudan, East Timor are just some examples? What can we make out from Resolution 413 presented to US Congress by a handful of US Congressmen linked to LTTE Diaspora or the ridiculous Bills getting passed by LTTE lobbies in Canada? What do Tamils the world over read from these developments? The crux of the problem is that the same ethnic group (Tamils) are demanding a Homeland in 2 different countries using the same definitions to claim self-determination/separate state. How can this be allowed? To solve this, the question of where Tamils originally evolved needs to be answered and that leaves the homeland nowhere else but in Tamil Nadu.

What is a homeland? 

A homeland is a person’s native land of origin. It is where their ethnic group evolved. Generally, every ethnic group has their own country –the Japanese have Japan, the Chinese have China, the French have France, the Germans have Germany etc. Pakistan was divided along ethnic lines and became a state for Muslims, while India” did not become a Hindu state. Unfortunately, when India was created in 1947 combining princely states and autonomous areas of which Tamil Nadu was one, Tamils were not given their demand of a separate independent Tamil State. They only got a separate federal state. That grudge against the North Indians by South Indians remain to this day.

Unfortunately, with 70million Tamils living in Tamil Nadu alone and with over 80million Tamils living all over the world including Sri Lanka, Tamils are the world’s biggest ethnic group without a homeland to call for itself. 

Evolution of Man & creation of ethnic groups

If we are in acceptance of the out of Africa theory, we are in unison that man evolved from Africa and spread out to all corners of the world and with time creating different groups of people who varied by their skin colour, features, geographical location, cultures, traditions etc. These groups later became codified as ‘ethnic’ groups by colonial rulers who went further to define them as ‘minorities’ ‘majority’. So if we are having problems with how people have been classified and categorized first blame the British!

While people are a mixture from the African gene, they went on to create themselves into numerous ethnic groups. Sinhalese are also a mixture but Sinhalese as an ethnic group with its own language, culture etc evolved in Sri Lanka and there are no Sinhalese anywhere else in the world and definitely Vijaya was not Sinhalese to claim the Sinhalese descend from India. Sinhalese are the only ethnic group that evolved in Sri Lanka and can claim the entirety of the island as its homeland. There are Sinhalese living in all parts of the world but their roots are in Sri Lanka.

There are Tamils living in all corners of the world. Most of these Tamils were plucked from South India and shipped off to the Caribbean, South Africa, Far East etc by the Colonials, in particular the Colonial British. During colonial rule in then Ceylon, the Portuguese, Dutch and British did the same by bringing scores of Tamils as indentured labor to Sri Lanka. There have been 18 invasions from South India and many would have decided to stay on in Sri Lanka too.

Now we come to the most important question.

Where did Tamils originate. Where did they evolve as an ethnic group? Is it in South India or Sri Lanka? If anyone claims Sri Lanka, they must also answer how there are over 70million Tamils in India while there are less than 3m Tamils in Sri Lanka.

So the most important question to be answered is where did Tamils evolve from, for that is where Tamils in the Caribbean can call their Homeland, where Tamils in South Africa can call their Homeland, where Tamils all around the world can call their homeland – where their original roots are. They may live in another country, they may hold citizenship in another country but where did their people originate? This is the golden question to answer. This is where Tamil Eelam has to be declared. This is why the self-determination quest started in India with several secession movements that were quelled by the Indian government until they found an escape by palming of India’s headache to Sri Lanka by arming Sri Lankan Tamils to claim a separate state called Tamil Eelam.

Does India want Tamils to have a Homeland & Does India want it created in Tamil Nadu or Sri Lanka?

India created Bangladesh but India will not allow Khalistan for Sikhs and Tamil Eelam for Tamils in either Tamil Nadu or Sri Lanka. Mother Indira Gandhi created Bhindrawale & Prabakaran, Sikh bodyguards killed Indira and son Rajiv was killed by LTTE. 9m of the 30m Sikhs live in Punjab. The Punjab Accord signed by Rajiv in 1985 failed in 1987.  It is noteworthy how LTTE Diaspora in Canada have tapped some Canadian Sikhs to lobby for them and India should take note of this development and the foreign hands behind this!

It is clear that India does not wish to and will not allow a breakaway of South India’s Tamil Nadu losing 130,058 km² area to have it declared a separate independent & sovereign state of Tamils out of India’s Central Government control.

Then why force Sri Lanka to sign Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987, create the useless Provincial Council system, merge two provinces (north & east), handpick 2 Sri Lankan Tamil poodles (Mahaththaya – LTTE’s Deputy and Varatharaja Perumal who declared unilateral declaration of independence) and even send an Indian Peace Keeping Force?

At least now Tamils should understand that India did all this not to help Tamils create any Tamil Eelam. India used Tamils for India’s geopolitical goals.India continues to use Tamils just as foreign intel are using LTTE Diaspora.

When foreign countries have banned LTTE, why are they not taking action against the pro-LTTE groups openly operating in their countries? Why did they use the previous government to deproscribe a select number of banned LTTE groups? These are all part of their larger plan to which LTTE Diaspora have no option but to take part in or have their shop closed & have their international money making network nullified in the process. So naturally, they are playing their role perfectly.

So India and Sri Lanka must take cognizance of the developments taking place building the foundation for 2 objectives – break up of India as that would be aligned to the quest to create micro states and it is a quicker way to their 2 main targets – China & Russia. The other objective if Eelam is created in Sri Lanka is to create another Israel in South Asia for West.

The break-up of India has been earmarked & openly declared in 1998 by US Congressmen Edolphus Towns.

At least the Tamils in Sri Lanka should look at the situation beyond the hype and propaganda and realize that their home in Sri Lanka remains amongst the communities living in Sri Lanka sans any mono-ethno linguistic separate enclave and they must finally raise their voice to say they do not wish to separate Sri Lanka & desire to live in peace with all the communities of Sri Lanka. Let the LTTE Diaspora and anyone else wanting to create separate states carve these out in the countries that fund these campaigns!

Sri Lanka’s Tamils must now boldly say ‘No to Separating Sri Lanka’ & ‘No to Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka”

Shenali D Waduge

Asoka Yapa 

As a resident of Canada for over 50 years I have seen perhaps more than my share of Ceylon/Sri Lanka diplomatic representation in Ottawa and Toronto. It is said that career officers make better envoys than political appointees but, in my experience, this is not always the case. Vernon Mendis, part of the ‘old guard’ of the Ceylon diplomatic corps, had formidable gravitas and was a highly successful high commissioner in Ottawa. But so was Ernest Corea, eminent newspaperman, a political appointee who was named H.C. by the J. R. Jayawardena government. His networking skills and public speaking facility are legendary. More recently, Geetha de Silva and Chitranganee Wagiswara, career officers, graced the post and served with distinction.

The late Bandula Jayasekera, another newspaperman, was appointed Consul General in Toronto by the Mahinda Rajapakse government around 2007, if memory serves. This was a time of great ructions by the Eelam-supporting Tamils in Canada, most of whom lived in the Toronto. The LTTE’s glory days were long over and the Sri Lanka Army’s brilliant tactical decisions and battlefield successes were chasing the LTTE leadership and thousands of human shields into smaller and smaller cordons. In Toronto, the focus of LTTE activism was to take the military pressure off of Prabhakaran and his terrorists and the Toronto supporters stopped at nothing to effect that.

They gathered in their thousands on the streets displaying Tiger flags, spewing forth propaganda at full volume, the goal being to bring political pressure on Canada’s famously corruptible politicians to call off the Sri Lanka Army. I remember returning home from work and trying to make my way through myriads of Eelamists gathered at the entrance to transport hubs. On TV and Canadian radio there was a constant barrage of anti-Sri Lanka propaganda by well trained Tamil and local ‘hired guns’ to smear the Sri Lankan govt. (an effort that continues to this day). Poor communications strategies of the Sri Lankan govt. made things worse. Eelamist argy-bargy culminated in their halting all traffic on the Gardiner Expressway, the major highway into and out of Toronto.

In the midst of all this mayhem stood Bandula Jayasekera. But he hardly stood still. Death threats he got many, right from the start of his tenure. Those seem only to encourage his fighting spirit. Bomb threats accompanied every event Bandula organized. TV interviews here, radio interviews there; he got so many of these media requests that he asked some of us in the Sri Lankan community to speak on his behalf — which we did happily. Assailed as Bandula was and fighting resolutely like Macaulay’s Horatius at the bridge his only help came from the patriotic community; the diplomatic fort in Ottawa, helmed by a man who told the Toronto Star newspaper that he got the plum so that he could be ‘close to his family’ in Canada offered not a whit of help.

We have had excellent diplomats serve Sri Lanka in Ottawa. But in the five decades I have lived in Canada, our motherland never had such a lionhearted defender at her service as Bandula Jayasekera. It was fortuitous that Bandula served when he did because the challenges Sri Lanka faced in Toronto were monumental. Sri Lanka’s reputation was being shredded by Eelam propagandists, past masters at ‘fake news’. Tamils who opposed Eelam — there were thousands — were being attacked physically, financially, and psychologically. Sinhalese children were targeted at Toronto schools. A Sinhalese-owned restaurant in Brampton was bombed. None of this fazed Bandula the Brave Fighter.

I think I speak for tens of thousands of patriotic Sri Lankans in Toronto when I say that we are so glad that this courageous young man was there to assist us at the moment we needed him. His bravery ran deep. The way he faced death amazed all of us. It was truly exemplary. My wife Fiona and I are truly privileged to have been his friends, sometimes confidantes even. How cruel it is that this accomplished warrior was cut down in the prime of his life. With his many talents — writer, television broadcaster, scholar, diplomat — what more he could have achieved had he got more time! We in Canada mourn him.

Shenali D Waduge

They say people living in glass houses should not throw stones. Canada has been one of the staunchest proponents of unsubstantiated allegations against Sri Lanka, simply because a handful of LTTE lobbyists have learnt the art of influencing them through means only they would know &unlikely to admit. In accusing Sri Lanka of genocide and what not, we would expect the accusers to be squeaky clean. Not so…. daily skeletons (pun intended) are coming out of graves of children killed. These are not just one or two incidents but systematic & planned killings & abuse of indigenous children. It certainly dampens the fictitious image Canada tries to portray itself and should remind Canada without cleaning its own backyard, Canada should not try to clean others. It should also wake Canada up to some ground realities of molly-cuddling with terrorists also.

Canada is a created country. Canada was established in 1867. Canada’s history is therefore just 154years. That is less than the years the Portuguese ruled parts of Sri Lanka!

Though the whites took claim over Canada, Canada was inhabited by indigenous people for over 12,000 years.

Canada that is demanding Sri Lanka remove its penal codes, internal laws etc continues the 1876 passed Indian Act. The Act allows the Canadian government to define who an ‘Indian’ is, after which you gain ‘Status’. Canada that boasts about equality still decides who they call an ‘Indian’ and gives status to and linked to the ‘rights’ they enjoy ! The Indian Act does not include the Metis & Inuit people, who are known as ‘non-Status Indians’ and yes, Canada dictates how Sri Lanka treats its ‘minorities’.

The Canada that accuses Sri Lanka of disenfranchising the Indian Tamils imported by colonials, have denied Status Indians their legal & ancestral identities via Canada’s Indian Act! First Nations women lost their Indian Status if they married a non-Status man Their children suffered too! The Indian Act also denied First Nations women from voting & running for elections. But Canada has no problem with LTTE proxies running for elections! Status Indians could vote only in 1960! Sri Lanka’s Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world’s first female PM in 1960!

The Canada that demands rehabilitated LTTE be inducted into the armed forces & police, denies Inuits & Metis women serving the Canadian armed forces, getting college & university degrees or becoming a professional (doctor/lawyer) How many know what happened to Indigenous Tommy Prince, who inspite becoming a decorated Canadian war hero, faced systematic racism after returning to his ‘home’. Not only was he not able to vote but he was not treated like the other white veterans. Shocking!

In their own habitat they were declared ‘citizens’ only in 1951, in their homeland their land was usurped and made to live on ‘reserved’ land and until early 1900s they had to even get permission to leave these areas with passes. These reserve areas still exist & are governed by the Indian Act – no wonder Canada is supporting LTTE to usurp land & create a bogus homeland!

The Residential School system to ‘solve’ the Indian problem and force indigenous to assimilate was another example of the ‘white man’s burden’ having usurped and stolen lands belonging to others and then determining who rules & on whose terms! These schools were operational from 1600s far before Canada per se was created! The Residential School in Saskatchewan closed only in 1996.

Here’s how Canada ASSIMILATED indigenous Indians

• Children between 4-16years were forcibly removed from their families & communities & segregated by gender
• Children were malnourished, made vulnerable to diseases
• Children were sexually abused & subject to various experimental brain tests
• These schools remain federally funded (not provincially) and are under-funded & not given same care as others.
• Indigenous systems of healing was criminalized and prohibited by Amendments to the Indian Act in late 19^th& 20^th

Canada that demands Truth & Reconciliation in Sri Lanka must answer to whether the problems of the indigenous people of Canada has been solved after Canada’s Truth & Reconciliation Commission as well as the National inquiry into Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women???

Canada’s TRC declared the indigenous school system ‘cultural genocide’. So what has Canada done to reverse this 6 years after? TRC commissioners Murray Sinclair, Wilton Littlechild and Marie Wilson are not very happy.

Canada that demands transparency from Sri Lanka was caught hiding evidence https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2014/1/6/canada-accused-of-hiding-child-abuse-evidenceBut evidence keeps popping up https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-01/childrens-bodies-kamloops-indian-residential-school-trudeau/100180332which is why we refuse to fall prey to the LTTE funded global propaganda accusing Sri Lanka of killing 40,000 people and we wish to instead simply ask those making the allegations to name these 40,000 dead, give some form of identity, prove where they lived, show the police complaints filed by their families. Without any of these and no skeletons even, the Sri Lanka’s National Army cannot be accused of killing people who did not exist. Of course the Sri Lankan Armed Forces do not have to apologize for killing LTTE during hostilities.

Between 1836 and 1996, Canada operated 139 residential schools in Canada. An estimated 6000 children are said to have died in these schools. The TRC requested $1.5M to find mass graves at residential schools but the federal government denied the money in 2009 – Oh the very year LTTE was defeated by Sri Lanka! Why don’t the LTTE Diaspora holding positions in Canada question the Canadian government and fight for truth & justice for Canadian Indians?

The indigenous people living in the country called Canada have suffered much. The irony and the issue is that Canada preaches to other countries of the world while hiding and not attempting to remove the racism, segregations and other stigma that aboriginals continue to suffer from. We find this highly hypocritical given that Canada uses its envoys and international officials to issue highly offensive statements to less powerful nations on how they should govern their countries when Canada is doing the opposite back home!

We can only ask Canada to take out its TRC report and look at how justice can be given to the indigenous natives before trying to create separate homelands in other countries for terrorists and their supporters living in Canada, holding Canadian passports & unlikely to ever live in a ‘Eelam homeland’, Canada wants to help create for them. But Canada is more than welcome to help create Eelam in Canada given that more Canadian Tamils demand Eelam living in Canada than the handful of isolated voices heard elsewhere.

Shenali D Waduge

KAMALIKA PIERIS

 Eelam war IV, which started in June 2006, was the LTTE‘s ‘final war’ to establish   Eelam, using conventional warfare across large swathes of land, intermixed with guerilla methods.  It was a high intensity, military confrontation across a vast battlefield. The warring was almost continuous, with few short pauses.

Eelam war IV was a Civil War, a protracted armed confrontation between the state and a   non-state army, sustained by a secessionist movement.  It was not Terrorism” nor was it a War of liberation”.  The intention was to partition the country, creating the littoral state of Eelam, leaving the rest land locked.

This war did not come as a surprise. It had been brewing for some time. Tamil politicians   launched a new political party in December 1949, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK).  The word ‘arasu’ could mean kingdom/government/administration/state. A.J Wilson   made it clear that their ‘Tamil arasu”   meant an ‘autonomous Tamil state’ and   that ‘Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi ‘meant ‘Ceylon Tamil State Party”.

Modern International law uses the term Non-international armed conflict” (NIAC) instead of ‘Civil War’.   In a Non-international armed conflict” the country’s Security Forces should be confronted within its own territory by an organized armed group operating under an effective command structure, having the capacity to carry out sustained and concerted military operations and exercising control over a part of country.  The confrontation must reach a high level of intensity.

In addition, the non state group must have access to weapons, to recruits and to military training. It must have the ability to plan and carry out military operations, as well as the ability to negotiate agreements, including cease-fire or peace accords.

There are several laws which applied to non-international armed conflicts. Firstly, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, secondly, Additional Protocol II of 1977,  and lastly, the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, (1998, 2002) which includes the items held in Common Article 3.

Two sets of Human Rights laws have also been thrown into the arena, namely, ‘International Human Rights Law’ (IHRL) and ‘International Humanitarian Law’ (IHL). The International Committee of the Red Cross is the custodian of IHL. IHRL   is for peace time violations   of human rights while IHL is for those engaged in war. Analysts point out that Eelam war must be judged in terms of International Humanitarian Law.  However, UNHRC has included both IHRL and IHL in its 2021 Resolution on Sri Lanka.

 Sri Lanka has signed Common Article 3 but has not signed Additional Protocol II or the Rome Statute. The most important of these for Sri Lanka was Additional Protocol II, 1977 to the Geneva conventions.

 This is the only regulation that is of any use to a government engaged in civil war, said analysts. This Protocol supports the right of governments to preserve national unity, protect territory, and maintain law and order in a civil war situation. This Protocol prohibits others from meddling in the war or interfering with any actions the government chooses to take on the matter. The Protocol said,

1. Nothing in this Protocol shall be invoked for the purpose of affecting the sovereignty of a State or the responsibility of the government, by all legitimate means, to maintain or re-establish law and order in the State or to defend the national unity and territorial integrity of the State.

2. Nothing in this Protocol shall be invoked as a justification for intervening, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the armed conflict or in the internal or external affairs of the High Contracting Party in the territory of which that conflict occurs. 

3. Civilians shall enjoy the protection afforded by this Part, unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities.

As of July 2020, the Protocol had been ratified by 169 countries,  however, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kiribati, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tuvalu have not signed the Protocol.

Sri Lanka has not signed this Protocol and therefore cannot make use of these valuable clauses.  When asked why Sri Lanka did not sign, officials have no answer, said Nihal Jayawickrema.  Observers ask, was it deliberate? The present trumped up ‘war crimes’ charges are due to this omission.

The conflict in Sri Lanka is a Non –international armed conflict as defined by the ICC for Yugoslavia. However, the government of Sri Lanka has not recognized the Eelam war as a Non international armed conflict, observed Laksiri Mendis . Laksiri has done legislative drafting in many Commonwealth countries.

The government of Sri Lanka has failed  to say at the UNHRC sessions,  in Geneva,  that the Eelam  War was a non-international armed conflict,  and that it comes under Additional Protocol II of 1977. This  is a serious shortcoming on the part of successive governments, observed Neville Ladduwahetty.  

Successive Sri Lanka  governments have been reluctant to categorize the conflict as an ‘armed conflict’ said Ladduwahetty. This is despite the fact that the  Government of Sri Lanka signed a Ceasefire Agreement   with the LTTE which gave the LTTE control over territory which was then identified as ‘LTTE controlled areas’ . The ICRC in Sri Lanka  joined in this, and never referred to LTTE fighters as ‘combatants’. The land held by the LTTE  was referred to as ‘uncleared areas’ added analysts.

The last phase of the war should have been classified by Sri Lanka as an Armed Conflict, said analysts.    All high level commentators, such as Desmond de Silva, said that   this phase was  an Armed Conflict. An Armed Conflict  is protected from HR charges  because it comes under the rules of war.

 Instead of  using the term Armed Conflict,  the Mahinda Rajapaksa government called   the  last phase of Eelam War IV a Humanitarian mission”.  The last word they should have used was ‘Humanitarian’.  When asked why they did this, Gotabaya Rajapaksa  said ‘it was just a name we used. It had nothing to do with Human Rights. We were  rescuing people as well as fighting.    Of course it was not ‘just a name we used.’ It has been deliberately introduced by someone  and thoughtlessly accepted by  those in charge. ( Continued)

Pathfinder Foundation

The Pathfinder Foundation (PF) in collaboration with the Washington based Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) held a virtual meeting in January, 2021 to pursue improved bilateral relations between the US and Sri Lanka. The discussions broadly focused on economic and relations and with a better understanding of the ground situation of the US administration. The report on the discussion presented by Mr. Bernard Goonathilaka to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the President Secretariat.

The objective of the initiative was to provide President Joe Biden administration with a better understanding of the ground situation prevailing in Sri Lanka; challenges, opportunities and priorities that may impact on the US – Sri Lanka bilateral relationship. The discussions broadly focused on economic relations covering trade, investment, science and technology cooperation; strategic and security cooperation; and political and common values.

The Sri Lankan delegation was headed by Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman-Pathfinder Foundation and former Ambassador to the U.S.  Other members included H.M.G.S. Palihakkara – Former Foreign Secretary, Ambassador & Permanent Representative to the U.N; Dr. Rohan Perera – Former Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & PRUN, New York; Prof. Rohan Gunaratne – S. Rajaratnam School of Int. Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Prof. Rohan Samarajiva – Chair, LIRNEasia & former Chairman of ICT;  Dr. Indirajit Coomaraswamy –  Former Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Distinguished Fellow – PF; Waruna Karunatilake – Former Chairman, Independent Committee for Digitalization of Television in Sri Lanka and Senior journalist; and Chathuka Senanayake, Director, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies.

 Amb. Robert O. Blake Jr., former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs under the Obama Administration and Ambassador to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia, headed the US delegation comprising former senior government officials, representatives of civil society etc. The U.S. team included Alyssa Ayres – Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia; Nisha Biswal – President, U.S. India Business Council, Senior Vice President for South Asia, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia; Sajit Gandhi – Senior Professional Staff Member, House Committee on Foreign Affairs; Nilanthi Samaranayake – Director, Strategy and Policy Analysis, Center for Naval Analysis; John Sifton – Asia Advocacy Director,  Human Rights Watch; Knox Thames – Visiting Expert, US Institute of Peace, Senior Fellow, Institute for Global Engagement and Alice Wells – International Government Relations Adviser, ExxonMobil, former Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia.

Following the dialogue, each team produced a report comprising vital areas of the relationship and made recommendations to further develop bilateral relations. Mr. Bernard Goonathilaka, Chairman, PF in picture the event of the report handed over to the President at the President Secretariat on 02^nd June 2021

Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka Bangkok

To Commemorate the Vesak Day-2021 (2564 B.E.), the telecast of the international award-winning True Little Monk” (“True Plookpanya”), documentary series was launched on the Vesak Full Moon Poya Day, 26 May 2021 (2564 B.E. on Haritha TV during the Buddha Rashmi” National Vesak Programme 2021 held at the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The 31-episode series is being telecast for the first time in Sri Lanka in collaboration with True Corporation PLC, Sri Lanka Embassy and Permanent Mission in Thailand, the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, and the Sri Lanka Prime Minister’s Office.The documentary was showcased with Sinhala subtitles. It was the very first translation of the documentary to a foreign language.

In 2018, True Little monk year 7” started with 12 Thai boys. Later the project expanded with the inclusion of 12 other boys from different nationalities around the world, for international audiences and the documentary was titled as True Little Monk: A Wisdom Training Programme for Novices”. During the four week creation period of the documentary, all 24 boys studied Dhamma and the essence of Buddhism through age appropriate learning method in line with monastic practices at Wat Nog Pah Pong, a forest monastery established by Phra Bodhinyanathera (Chan Subhaddo).

Authorizing the broadcast of True Little Monks” for 12 months, starting 26 May 2021 in Sri Lanka, Chief Excellence Center and Education Officer of True Corporation PLC, Thailand Dr. Naetchanok Wipatasinlapin, stated that It is our wish that we are able to reach out to all audiences in Sri Lanka who are looking for true inner peace and happiness in their lives and hope that the True Little Monk” programme will be beneficial, and bring happiness to their lives as it does the Thai audience”

Since the first telecast in 2012, True Little Monk,” the innovative Dhamma documentary has received comment, praises and encouragement from both domestic and international audiences. The Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards (2013 and 2016, Award Winner for Educational TV Programme Category), The Telly Awards (2015, 2017, and 2018 Award Winner for the Religious/Spiritual TV Show Category), Asian Academy Creative Awards (2018, Award Winner for Best Children’s Programme Category (Thailand)), TV Gold Awards (2017, Award Winner for the TV Programme for Youths Category), Nataraj Awards (2015-2017, Award for the Best Children Programme Category), and Chor Sa-ard Awards (2014- 2016 and 2018, Award for TV Programme Category) are the awards received for the documentary locally and internationally.

On 29 and 30 May 2020, after the launch of the documentary in Sri Lanka, the True TV and Thai News Network (TNN) channels as well as online media Matichon, Siamrath, and Today Line in Thailand, gave nationwide due publicity for the launch.

Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka Bangkok 01 June, 202

තරුණ හා ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යංශය

ෆොන්ටෙරා ආයතනය ඉහළ කාර්යය සාධනයක් සහිත  ක්‍රීඩකයින් හැටදෙනා සඳහා ලබාදෙන රුපියල් 25,000ක  මාසික පෝෂණ දීමනාව පිරිනැමීමේ සමාරම්භය  තරුණ හා ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍ය නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන්  අද (02) දින ටොරින්ටන් පරිශ්‍රයේ දී පැවැත්විණි.

එක් එක් ක්‍රීඩා සංගම් හරහා තෝරාගැනීමේ තරග පවත්වා මළල ක්‍රීඩා, බර ඉසිලීම, බොක්සිං, ජූඩෝ, බැඩ්මින්ටන්, පිහිනුම් සහ පැරා ක්‍රීඩාවලට අදාළව  උසස් දක්ෂතා සංචිතය නියෝජනය කරන ක්‍රීඩක ක්‍රීඩිකාවන් ගණන 60 දෙනෙකි.

අමාත්‍ය නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ මගපෙන්වීම අනුව අපේ රටේ ක්‍රීඩාව ඉහළ නැංවීම සඳහා ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යාංශය, ක්‍රීඩා සංවර්ධන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව, ජාතික ක්‍රීඩා සභාව එක්ව කෙටිකාලීන, මධ්‍යකාලීන හා දිගුකාලීන වැඩපිළිවෙලක් ක්‍රියාත්මකය.

ක්‍රීඩක ක්‍රීඩිකාවන්ගේ පෝෂණ අවශ්‍යතා හඳුනාගෙන සුදුසුකම්ලත් පෝෂණ වෛද්‍යවරයකුගේ නිර්දේශ මත නිසි උපදෙස් ලබාගනිමින් මෙම පෝෂණ දීමනාව පිරිනමයි.

ඒ සඳහා මසකට එක්  ක්‍රීඩකයකු සඳහා  වැයවන රුපියල් 25,000/- ක් පමණ වූ මුදල ක්‍රීඩකයන් 60දෙනා සඳහාම වසරක් පුරාවටම මූල්‍යමය වශයෙන් ක්‍රීඩා සංවර්ධන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව වෙත ලබාදීමට ෆොන්ටේරා සමාගම ඉදිරිපත් වී සිටියි.

සැළසුම්ගතව ක්‍රියාත්මක වන මෙම ව්‍යාපෘතිය හරහා ක්‍රීඩක ක්‍රීඩිකාවන් වෘත්තීය මට්ටමින් පමණක් නොව පෝෂණ මට්ටමින් ද සවිමත් කර අපේ රටේ ක්‍රීඩාව රනින් ජයග්‍රහණය කිරීම ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යාංශයේ සැළසුම වී තිබේ.

මෙම අවස්ථාවට රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය ශෙහාන් සේමසිංහ, ක්‍රීඩා සංවර්ධන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් අමල් එදිරිසූරිය,ජාතික ක්‍රීඩා සභාවේ උසස් දක්ෂතා සහිත ක්‍රීඩකයන් හඳුනා ගැනීමේ කමිටුවේ සභාපති සංජීව වික්‍රමනායක, ජාතික ක්‍රීඩා සභාවේ සාමාජික යෂ්වන්ත් මුත්තෙට්ටුවගම, ෆොන්ටේරා සමාගම නියෝජනය කරමින් දිනිත් පතිරණ මහත්වරු ඇතුළු නිලධාරී මහත්ම මහත්මීහු පිරිසක් සහභාගි වූහ.

මාධ්‍ය ඒකකය,

තරුණ හා ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යංශය

තරුණ හා ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යංශය

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජපාන තානාපති සුගියාමා අකිරා මහතා මෙරට ජිම්නාස්ටික් ක්‍රීඩාව ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීම සඳහා අවශ්‍ය ක්‍රීඩා උපකරණ තොගයක් තරුණ  හා ක්‍රීඩා  අමාත්‍ය නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතා වෙත ඊයේ (31) දින‌යේ දී පරිත්‍යාග කළේය.

කොළඹ ටොරින්ටන් කායවර්ධන මධ්‍යස්ථානයේ දී මෙසේ භාර දුන් ජිමිනාස්ටික් උපකරණ තොගය එම අවස්ථාවේ දීම අමාත්‍ය නාමල් රාජක්ෂ මහතා විසින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජිම්නාස්ටික් සංගමයේ ලේකම් ආර්.ඒ.කේ.ජීවන්ත මහතාට ප්‍රදානය කරන ලදි.

මෙසේ ප්‍රදානය කළ ජිමිනාස්ටික් උපකරණ අතර Vaulting Table, a Runway for Vaulting Table, Vaulting Boards, Landing Mat, a Safety Collar for Vaulting Board and a Mat for Hands අන්තර්ගත ය.

මෙරට ජිම්නාස්ටික් ක්‍රීඩාව ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීම සඳහා ජපානයේ දැනුම හා අත්දැකීම් හුවමාරු කරගැනීමට අමාත්‍ය නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතා ජපානයෙන් කළ ඉල්ලීමකට ප්‍රතිචාර දක්වමින් ජපාන ජිම්නාස්ටික් සංගමය මෙම ප්‍රදානය කර තිබේ.

ජිම්නාස්ටික් ක්‍රීඩාව හා බැඳී පවතින දිගුකාලීන සමීප සබඳතාවක් ජපානය සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව අතර පවතින අතර 2006 වර්ෂයේ සිට ජපාන පුහුණුකරුවන් විසින් ශ්‍රී ලාංකික ක්‍රීඩක ක්‍රීඩිකාවන් පුහුණු කිරීම ඒ අතර කැපී පෙනෙයි.

මෙවැනි පසුබිමක් තුළ ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජිම්නාස්ටික් ක්‍රීඩිකා මිල්කා ගෙහානි ද සිල්වා මෙනවිය ජපානයේ ටෝකියෝ හි පැවැත්වෙන ඔලිම්පික් තරගාවලිය සඳහා අවශ්‍ය වන සුදුසුකම් සපුරාලීමට සමත් වූවාය.

ජාත්‍යන්තර ඔලිම්පික් කමිටුවේ ප්‍රතිපාදන යටතේ ජපානයෙහි ශිෂ්‍යත්වයක් ලබාගැනීමට සමත් වූ ගෙහානි ද සිල්වා මෙනවිය ටෝකියෝ නුවර දී විශේෂ පුහුණුවීම්වල නිරතවන අතර ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජිම්නාස්ටික් ඉතිහාසයේ පළමු වතාවට  ඔලිම්පික් තරගාවලියක දී  ජිම්නාස්ටික් ඉසව්වෙන් මාතෘ භූමිය නියෝජනය කිරීමට ඇය සූදානමින් සිටින්නීය.

ටෝකියෝ‍ ඔලිම්පික් සහ පැරාලිම්පික් තරගාවලීන් සඳහා දෙමසකටත් අඩු කලක් තිබිය දී මෙවැනි ක්‍රීඩා උපකරණ තොගයක් පරිත්‍යාග කිරීමෙන් සංකේතවත් වනුයේ ගෝලීය අභියෝගයක් වන කොවිඩ්  – 19 තත්ත්වය යටතේ පවා ජපානය  ක්‍රීඩා ක්ෂේත්‍රය ඔස්සේ සිය මිත්‍රත්වයේ බැඳීම තව දුරටත් ශක්තිමත් කිරීම සඳහා කරනු ලබන නොනිමි කැපවීමයි.

මාධ්‍ය ඒකකය

තරුණ හා ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යංශය

Sputnik V Vaccine

GENERAL INFORMATION

Sputnik V is the world’s first registered vaccine based on a well-studied human adenoviral vector-based platform. Sputnik V is already registered in more than 65 countries.

The ongoing Sputnik V post-registration clinical trial in Russia involved more than 31,000 volunteers. Phase 3 clinical trials of Sputnik V have been conducting in the UAE, India, Venezuela and Belarus.

Sputnik V is one of the three vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%. The Vaccine’s efficacy is confirmed at 91.6% based on the analysis of data on 19,866 volunteers, who received both the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or placebo at the final control point of 78 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

According to analysis of data from 3.8 million vaccinated persons in Russia Sputnik V demonstrates 97.6% efficacy.

RDIF jointly with partners and manufacturers is ramping up the production of Sputnik V. The cost of one dose of the vaccine for international markets is less than $10 (Sputnik V is a two dose vaccine). The vaccine can be stored at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees Celsius, which allows for easy distribution worldwide, including hard-to-reach regions.

The vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by RDIF’s international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries.

This website has been created to provide accurate and up-to-date information about Sputnik V.

Russian Health Ministry registration certificate

The vaccine is named after the first Soviet space satellite. The launch of Sputnik-1 in 1957 reinvigorated space research around the world, creating a so called Sputnik moment” for the global community.

The Russian Ministry of Health, the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) announce that Sputnik Light, a single dose COVID-19 vaccine, has received authorization for use in Russia.

Sputnik Light is the first component (recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)) of Sputnik V – the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus.

The single dose Sputnik Light vaccine demonstrated 79.4% efficacy according to analyzed data taken from 28 days after the injection was administered as part of Russia’s mass vaccination program between 5 December 2020 and 15 April 2021.

An efficacy level of almost 80% is higher than that of many two-dose vaccines.

Sputnik Light has proven effective against all new strains of coronavirus, as demonstrated by the Gamaleya Center during laboratory tests.

Phase I/II of the Safety and Immunogenicity Study of the Sputnik Light vaccine has demonstrated that:

• Sputnik Light can elicit the development of antigen specific IgG antibodies in 96.9% of individuals on the 28th day after vaccination;
• The Sputnik Light vaccine elicits the development of virus neutralizing antibodies in 91.67% of individuals on the 28th day post immunization;
• Cellular immune response against the S Protein of SARS-CoV-2 develops in 100% of volunteers on the 10th day;
• The immunization of individuals with pre-existing immunity against SARS-CoV-2 with Sputnik Light can elicit the increase of the level of antigen specific IgG antibodies by more than 40x in 100% of subjects 10 days after immunization;
• No serious adverse events were registered after vaccination with Sputnik Light.

The two dose Sputnik V vaccine remains the main vaccination tool.

https://sputnikvaccine.com/about-vaccine/

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

ජුනි මස 2 දින රජයේ ප්‍රවෘත්ති දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ පැවති පුවත්පත් සාකච්ඡාවේදී රාජ්‍ය ඖෂධ නීතිගත සංස්ථාවේ සභාපති විශේෂඥ වෛද්‍ය ප්‍රසන්න ගුණසේන මහතා පැවසුවේ චීන රජයෙන් නොමිලේ ලබාදුන් සයිනොෆාර්ම් භාවිතා කිරීම පුද්ගලයන් කිහිප දෙනෙකුගේ ක්‍රියාකාරීත්වය නිසා මාස ගණනක් ප්‍රමාද වූ බවයි.

ඒ නිසි වේලාවට ලබා දුන්නේනම් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට සිංහල අවුරුද්දට පෙර සයිනොෆාර්ම් එන්නත් මිලියන කිහිපයක් ලබා ගැනීමට හැකියාව තිබු බවත් එය වැළකීම නිසා කොරෝනා තුන්වෙනි රැල්ලක් ඇතිවීම පාලනය කර ගැනීමට නොහැකි වූ බවත්ය. සයිනොෆාර්ම් එන්නත භාවිතය වැලැක්වූ බවට ප්‍රධාන වශයෙන් චෝදනාව එල්ල වී ඇත්තේ වෛද්‍යවරු සුළුතරයක් නියෝජනය කරන වෘත්තීය සමිතියක ප්‍රධානියෙක් වෙතයි.

මේ අතර එම පුද්ගලයාම රුසියානු ස්පුට්නික් එන්නත භාවිතය වැළකීමටද සක්‍රීයව කටයුතු කරන බව චෝදනාවක් එල්ල වී ඇත.

ස්පුට්නික් එන්නතේ පළමු මාත්‍රාව පමණක් 50,000 තොගයක් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ලබා දීම නිසා එම තොගය ජනතාවට ලබා ජනතාවට ලබා දෙන්නේ ද නැති ද යන්න පිළිබඳව නිර්දේශයක් ලබා දෙන ලෙස සෞඛ්‍ය සේවා අධ්‍යක්‍ෂක ජනරාල්වරයා තාක්ෂණ කමිටුවක් පත් කළේය.

නියෝජ්‍ය සෞඛ්‍ය සේවා අධ්‍යක්‍ෂක වෛද්‍ය එම් ආර්නෝල්ඩ්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ලෝක සෞඛ්‍ය සංවිධානයේ ජාතික වැඩසටහන් නිලධාරී වෛද්‍ය නාලිකා ගුණවර්ධන, වසංගත රෝග පිළිබඳ විශේෂඥ වෛද්‍ය හසිත තිසේරා, ප්‍රතිශක්තිකරණ විද්‍යාව පිළිබඳ විශේෂඥ වෛද්‍යවරුන් වන මහාචාර්ය නීලිකා මලවිගේ සහ විශේෂඥ වෛද්‍ය ඩී දසනායක යන මහත්වරු මෙම කමිටුවට අයත් වූහ.

ගෝලීය වසංගතය හමුවේ එන්නත් මාත්‍රා දෙකකින් එකක් පමණක් ලබාදීමට වුව කටයුතු කළ යුතු බවට ලෝක සෞඛ්‍ය සංවිධානය ලබාදී ඇති නිර්දේශය ද පදනම් කරගෙන මෙම කමිටුව නිර්දේශ කළේ ස්පුට්නික් මාත්‍රා 50,000 මෙරට ජනතාවට ලබා දිය යුතු බවයි. ඒ අනුව මහනුවර දිස්ත්‍රික්යේ එන්නත්කරන වැඩපිළිවෙළ ආරම්භ විය.

කෙසේ වෙතත් පෙර කී විශේෂඥ වෛද්‍යවරයා ප්‍රකාශ කරන්නේ මේ ආකාරයෙනි ආකාරයෙන් ස්පුට්නික් ඒක මාත්‍රාවක් හෝ ලබා දීම නරක, අදූරදර්ශී, සදාචාර විරෝධී ක්‍රියාවක් බවයි. ඔහු මේ අදහස ස්ථාන ගණනාවකදී ප්‍රකාශ කර ස්පුට්නික් එන්නත්කරණය අඩාල කිරීමට උත්සාහ දරා ඇත.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ කොවිඩ් රෝගයට එරෙහි එන්නත්කරණය අඩාල කිරීමට දිගින් දිගට කටයුතු කරන මොහුගේ ක්‍රියා කලාපය පිලිබඳ විධිමත් පරීක්ෂණයක් කරන ලෙස රජයේ වෛද්‍ය නිලධාරීන්ගේ සංගමය මේ වන විටත් ඉල්ලීමක් කර ඇත. මෙකී වෛද්‍යවරයා හිටපු සෞඛ්‍ය අමාත්‍යවරයෙකුගේ සමීපතමයෙක් බවද පැවසේ.

මේ අතර අදාල පුද්ගලයා එන්නත් පිලිබඳ කමිටුවේ තව දුරටත් රදවා ගැනීම ගැන ජාතික ඖෂධ නියාමන අධිකාරියේ නව සභාපති වෛද්‍ය රසිත විජේවන්ත මහතා ද දැඩි විවේචනයට ලක්ව ඇත.

– repoter

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

නිරෝධායනය සඳහා යොමු කරන ලද නිරූපණ ශිල්පිනී පියුමි හංසමාලි නිරෝධායන මධ්‍යස්ථානයක් කරා ගෙන යද්දී බස් රථය තුළ දැඩි ආවේගශීලීව අදහස් දක්වමින් අන්තර්ජාලයට වීඩියෝවක් මුදා හැර තිබේ.

ඉන් ඇය කියා සිටින්නේ තමන් ඇතුළු කණ්ඩායම කොළඹ ආසන්න හෝටලයක නිරෝධායන සඳහා අවස්ථාව ඉල්ලා සිටියදී ඒ සඳහා අවස්ථාව නොදී කොළඹින් බැහැර බණ්ඩාරවෙල ප්‍රදේශයේ නිරෝධායන මධ්‍යස්ථානයට ගෙන යමින් සිටින බවයි.

https://www.facebook.com/piumi.hansamali.3/videos/3826014397526465/?t=0

තමන් සමග රෝගී වූ පුද්ගලයෙකු ද සිටින බවත් ඔහු රෝහල්ගත කිරිමක් හෝ නොකරන බවටද ඇය චෝදනා කරයි.

චන්දිමාල් ජයසිංහ, පියුමි හංසමාලි ඇතුළු පහළොස් දෙනකු මෙසේ නිරෝධායනයට යොමුකර ඇත්තේ පසුගියදා ෂැංග්‍රිලා හෝටලයේ දී නිරෝධායන නීති උල්ලංඝණය කරමින් සාදයක් පැවැත්වීම හේතුවෙනි.

මෙම සියලු දෙනාම පොලිසිය විසින් අත්අඩංගුවට ගැනීමෙන් පසු අධිකරණයට ඉදිරිපත් කළ අතර ඔවුන් ඇප මත මුදා හරිනු ලැබීය.

නමුත් නිරෝධායන නීති අනුව ඔවුන් සියලු දෙනා නිරෝධායන සඳහා යොමු කර තිබේ.

Sheain Fernandopulle Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases of the Health Ministry has recommended that pregnant women should only be vaccinated with the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath told the Daily Mirror.

He said since there are no sufficient data on other vaccines, the Committee had recommended only the Sinopharm vaccines will be given to pregnant mothers.

Though Army Commander announced that the pregnant woman would be given priority when giving Sinopharm vaccine in relevant areas, Dr. Herath said there are certain practical issues in giving vaccine to the pregnant women.

“The Family Health Bureau is in the process of sorting them out. There are certain checks and balances that need to be included to the circular that is to be issued soon in this regard” he said.

“As it is a very complicated process, the Family Health Bureau is still developing the guidelines,” Dr. Herath underlined.

He stressed that vaccinating pregnant mothers has not yet commenced, and added it would take some time to finalise the relevant guidelines and only after that the vaccination could be started.

Moreover, he said he had received several reports that some pregnant mothers have got the vaccines without proper approval from the Health Ministry.

The attention to vaccinate pregnant mothers has been drawn as they come under one of the high risk categories.

Against this backdrop, Army Commander Shavendra Silva today announced that they would give priority to the pregnant women, and those above 60 years of age when giving Sinopharm vaccines in the areas announced earlier from June 8. 

Courtesy Adaderana

Army Commander General Shavendra Silva says that islandwide travel restrictions will be further extended until June 14.

He stated that the travel restrictions, which are currently in effect and had been initially extended until June 07 (Monday), will now remain in force until 4.00 a.m. on June 14.

Accordingly, the islandwide travel restrictions will not be lifted on June 07, as announced previously. 

Courtesy Adaderana

hirty-nine more deaths in Sri Lanka have been attributed to the novel coronavirus infection, Director-General of Health Services confirmed today (June 02).

The latest fatalities have moved the country’s death toll to 1,566, according to Epidemiology Unit data.

The deaths have taken place between May 17 and June 01, the Department of Government Information stated.

Reportedly, 27 of them were over the age of 60.

The deceased – 19 females and 20 males – were identified as residents of Moratuwa, Muwandeniya, Matale, Borella, Badulla, Jaffna, Wahamalgollewa, Trincomalee, Gampola, Kotmale, Vavuniya, Kelaniya, Waththegama, Badalkumbura, Elpitiya, Dompe, Kattankudy 02, Wellampitiya, Wattala, Horana, Bandaragama, Maskeliya, Hatton, Watawala, Nawalapitiya, Hapugasthalawa, Kurunegala, Gampaha, Gelioya, Bogawanthalawa and Medawachchiya.

COVID pneumonia was recorded as the cause of death of majority of the victims.