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Sri Lanka has reported 05 more coronavirus-related deaths, the Director-General of Health Services confirmed today (April 05).
As per the Department of Government Information, one female patient and four male patients are among the victims.
The new deaths bring the number of COVID-19 related deaths witnessed in Sri Lanka to 586 in total.
Sri Lanka on Monday (April 05) confirmed another 37 fresh cases of the novel coronavirus in the country as total infections detected within the day reached 137.
This brought the total number of Covid-19 confirmed in the country thus far to 93,595.
According to the Epidemiology Unit, 2,451 patients infected with the virus are currently under medical care at designated hospitals and treatment centres while total recoveries have reached 90,563.
The death toll due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the country stands at 581.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered the importation of Palm Oil into Sri Lanka to be halted with immediate effect.
Secretary to the President P. B. Jayasundera has advised the Controller-General of the Department of Imports and Exports Control to issue the relevant gazette order to give effect to these instructions within today (April 05).
Further, the Director-General of Customs has been advised to refrain from clearing palm oil cargos at the Department of Customs.
Concurrently, the cultivation of oil palm (Katu Pol) will be completely banned, President’s Media Division stated. Orders have been issued under the relevant laws enforcing the advice given by the President to ban the cultivation of oil palm completely.
Over six months ago, the President instructed to gradually ban the cultivation of oil palm in Sri Lanka.
Furthermore, companies and entities which have oil palm cultivations shall be required to remove them in a phased out manner with 10% uprooting at a time and replace it with the cultivation of rubber or environmentally-friendly crops each year to free Sri Lanka from oil palm plantation and palm oil consumption.
When this is fully operational, the government intends to stop the cultivation of oil palm and the consumption of palm oil completely, President’s Media Division stated.
Moditha Ekanayake, Attorney-at-Law, has issued a Letter of demand against 12 individuals seeking compensation of Rs 500 million for the physical and psychological damages caused to him by the failure to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.
The letter of demand issued via Attorney at Law Sujeewa Gunatilake has been issued to 12 respondents including the former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Prime Minister, former State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara, former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, and Attorney General.
Ekanayake, via his letter of demand, claims that the respondents had not taken steps to prevent the attack despite receiving sufficient intelligence on it.
Pointing out that he suffered critical injuries in the suicide bombing that took place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo, the Attorney at Law demands Rs 500 million as compensation from the respondents.
The letter of demand further stated that legal action will be sought if the compensation is not paid within 14 days.
Further, Attorney at Law Moditha Ekanayake has issued another letter of demand to the Director Board of the Shangri-La Hotel in Sri Lanka demanding USD 1.5 million in compensation for the attack.
He claims that 02 suicide bombers were able to carry out their attack due to the lack of proper security arrangements at the Shangri-La Hotel.
In addition, the Attorney has issued yet another letter of demand to three more individuals including Mohammad Yusuf Ibrahim – father of the Shangri-La suicide bomber Mohamed Insaaf – who is currently under remand custody.
He has demanded compensation of Rs 400 million from the relevant letter of demand.
State Minister of Money & Capital Market and State Enterprise Reforms, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, says that Sri Lanka had spent Rs. 1,239 billion to import vehicles from 103 countries during the period from 2015 to 2019.
During 2015 to 2019, Sri Lanka has spent Rs. 1,239 billion to import vehicles from 103 countries”, he said speaking in parliament today (05).
He further said that the total number of vehicles imported during the period from 2015 to 2019 was 2,515,546.
In response to a question raised by MP Mohamed Muzammil, the State Minister stated that Sri Lanka has spent Rs. 41,576 million for timber imports from 2015 to 2019.
Two suspects, who had been arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) after being deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have been revealed to have propagated extremist ideologies.
Sri Lanka Police and the TID recently arrested two individuals who were deported from the UAE over various offenses.
One suspect, a 44-year-old from Mawanella, had been arrested on March 30 while the other, a 47-year-old from Matale had been arrested on March 25.
The laptops seized from the suspect had been analyzed and examined by a team of experts, revealing various lectures and video footage containing extremist ideologies.
Further investigations being carried out by the TID have revealed that the duo had conducted various lectures for Sri Lankan families in the UAE.
A special team has been deployed to interrogate the duo, according to Police Media Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana.
There is so much publicity today in the Western Media of the vile nature of the Burmese (Myanmar) Army.
Before the Army took power overthrowing the Govt. of Aung San Suu Kyi recently, the entire Western media was gunning for Aung San Suu Kyi branding her as a tyrant engaged in the persecution of Bengali Muslims who had infiltrated Myanmar illegally and calling themselves as ‘ Rohingyas ‘.
All the accolades she had won previously were withdrawn one by one by western institutions and Universities for the ‘crime’ of not allowing illegal immigrants to settle down in Myanmar permanently.
Now again she is projected in better light by the media in order to demonise the Myanmar Army.
What the vast majority of readers all over the world do not know (and which is kept hidden from them) are the factors that have contributed substantially to the political and economic crisis of Myanmar.
The exploitation of Burma by the British Empire.
This article was written by an Englishman E.A. Blair in 1929 and archived by the Orwell Foundation.
SW
……………………………….
Following the recent troubles in India, we have asked our contributor, Mr E. A. Blair, whose investigations on ‘The Plight of the British Worker’ have already appeared in these pages, to tell us something of the unrest which has been fermenting in the sub-continent for some years, and which is threatening to spread to English Indo-China.
Mr E. A. Blair, who lived in Burma for some years, has written the following interesting article for us[1], which shows the methods the British Empire uses to milk dry her Asian colonies.
Burma lies between India and China. Ethnologically it belongs to Indo-China.
It is three times the size of England and Wales, with a population of about fourteen million, of whom roughly nine million are Burmese.
The rest is made up of countless Mongol tribes who have emigrated at various periods from the steppes of Central Asia, and Indians who have arrived since the English occupation.
The Burmese are Buddhists; the tribesmen worship various pagan gods.
To be able to talk in their own language to the people of such diverse origins living in Burma, you would need to know a hundred and twenty different languages and dialects.
This country, the population of which is one-tenth as dense as that of England, is one of the richest in the world. It abounds in natural resources which are only just beginning to be exploited.
There are tin, tungsten, jade and rubies, and these are the least of its mineral materials.
At this moment it produces five per cent of the world’s petroleum, and its reserves are far from exhausted.
But the greatest source of wealth-and that which feeds between eighty and ninety per cent of the population-is the paddy fields.
Rice is grown everywhere in the basin of the Irrawaddy River, which flows through Burma from north to south.
In the south, in the huge delta where the Irrawaddy brings down tons of alluvial mud every year, the soil is immensely fertile.
The harvests, which are remarkable in both quality and quantity, enable Burma to export rice to India, Europe, even to America.
Moreover, variations in temperature are less frequent and sharp than in India.
Thanks to abundant rainfall, especially in the south, drought is unknown, and the heat is never excessive. The climate as a whole can thus be considered one of the healthiest to be found in the tropics.
If we add that the Burmese countryside is exceptionally beautiful, with broad rivers, high mountains, eternally green forests, brightly coloured flowers, exotic fruits, the phrase ‘earthly paradise’ naturally springs to mind.
So it is hardly surprising that the English tried for a long time to gain possession of it.
In
1820 they seized a vast expanse of territory. This operation was repeated in
1852, and finally in 1882 the Union Jack flew over almost all the country.
Certain mountainous districts in the north, inhabited by small savage tribes,
had until recently escaped the clutches of the British, but it is more and more
likely that they will meet the same fate as the rest of the country, thanks to
the process euphemistically known as ‘peaceful penetration’, which means, in
plain English, ‘peaceful annexation’.
In this article I do not seek to praise or blame this manifestation of British imperialism; let us simply note it is a logical result of any imperialist policy.
It will be much more profitable to examine the good and bad sides of British administration in Burma from an economic and a political standpoint.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Let us turn first to politics.
The government of all the Indian provinces under the control of the British Empire is of necessity despotic, because only the threat of force can subdue a population of several million subjects.
But this despotism is latent. It hides behind a mask of democracy.
The great maxim of the English in governing an oriental race is ‘never get something done by a European when an Oriental can do it’. In other words, supreme power remains with the British authorities, but the minor civil servants who have to carry out day-to-day administration and who must come into contact with the people in the course of their duties are recruited locally.
In Burma, for example, the lower grade magistrates, all policemen up to the rank of inspector, members of the postal service, government employees, village elders etc. are Burmese.
Recently, to appease public opinion and put a stop to nationalist agitation which was beginning to cause concern, it was even decided to accept the candidature of educated natives for several important posts.
The system of employing natives as civil servants has three advantages.
First, natives will accept lower salaries than Europeans.
Secondly, they have a better idea of the workings of their fellow countrymen’s minds, and this helps them to settle legal disputes more easily.
Thirdly, it is to their own advantage to show their loyalty to a government which provides their livelihood.
And so peace is maintained by ensuring the close collaboration of the educated or semi-educated classes, where discontent might otherwise produce rebel leaders.
Nevertheless the British control the country. Of course, Burma, like each of the Indian provinces, has a parliament-always the show of democracy-but in reality its parliament has very little power.
Nothing of any consequence lies within its jurisdiction. Most of the members are puppets of the government, which is not above using them to nip in the bud any Bill which seems untimely.
In addition, each province has a Governor, appointed by the English, who has at his disposal a veto just as absolute as that of the President of the United States to oppose any proposal which displeases him.
Yet although the British government is, as we have shown, essentially despotic, it is by no means unpopular.
The English are building roads and canals-in their own interest, of course, but the Burmese benefit from them-they set up hospitals, open schools, and see to the maintenance of law and order.
And after all, the Burmese are mere peasants, occupied in cultivating the land.
They have not yet reached that stage of intellectual development which makes for nationalists.
Their village is their universe, and as long as they are left in peace to cultivate their fields, they do not care whether their masters are black or white.
A proof of this political apathy on the part of the people of Burma is the fact that the only British military forces in the country are two English infantry battalions and around ten battalions of Indian infantry and mounted police.
Thus twelve thousand armed men, mostly Indians, are enough to subdue a population of fourteen million.
The most dangerous enemies of the government are the young men of the educated classes. If these classes were more numerous and were really educated, they could perhaps raise the revolutionary banner. But they are not.
The reason is firstly that, as we have seen, the majority of the Burmese are peasants.
Secondly, the British government is at pains to give the people only summary instruction, which is almost useless, merely sufficient to produce messengers, low-grade civil servants, petty lawyers’ clerks and other white-collar workers.
Care is taken to avoid technical and industrial training. This rule, observed throughout India, aims to stop India from becoming an industrial country capable of competing with England.
It is true to say that in general, any really educated Burmese was educated in England, and belongs as a result to the small class of the well-to-do.
So, because there are no educated classes, public opinion, which could press for rebellion against England, is non-existent.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Let us now consider the economic question. Here again we find the Burmese in general too ignorant to have a clear understanding of the way in which they are being treated and, as a result, too ignorant to show the least resentment.
Besides, for the moment they have not suffered much economic damage.
It is true that the British seized the mines and the oil wells. It is true that they control timber production. It is true that all sorts of middlemen, brokers, millers, exporters, have made colossal fortunes from rice without the producer-that is the peasant-getting a thing out of it.
It is also true that the get-rich-quick businessmen who made their pile from rice, petrol etc. are not contributing as they should be to the well-being of the country, and that their money, instead of swelling local revenues in the form of taxes, is sent abroad to be spent in England.
If we are honest, it is true that the British are robbing and pilfering Burma quite shamelessly.
But we must stress that the Burmese hardly notice it for the moment. Their country is so rich, their population so scattered, their needs, like those of all Orientals, so slight that they are not conscious of being exploited.
The peasant cultivating his patch of ground lives more or less as his ancestors did in Marco Polo’s day. If he wishes, he can buy virgin land for a reasonable price.
He certainly leads an arduous existence, but he is on the whole free from care.
Hunger and unemployment are for him meaningless words. There is work and food for everyone. Why worry needlessly?
But, and this is the important point, the Burmese will begin to suffer when a large part of the richness of their country has declined.
Although Burma has developed to a certain extent since the war, already the peasant there is poorer than he was twenty years ago.
He is beginning to feel the weight of land taxation, for which he is not compensated by the increased yield of his harvests.
The worker’s wages have not kept up with the cost of living.
The reason is that the British government has allowed free entry into Burma for veritable hordes of Indians, who, coming from a land where they were literally dying of hunger, work for next to nothing and are, as a result, fearsome rivals for the Burmese.
Add to this a rapid rise in population growth-at the last census the population registered an increase of ten million in ten years-it is easy to see that sooner or later, as happens in all overpopulated countries, the Burmese will be dispossessed of their lands, reduced to a state of semislavery in the service of capitalism, and will have to endure unemployment into the bargain.
They will then discover what they hardly suspect today, that the oil wells, the mines, the milling industry, the sale and cultivation of rice are all controlled by the British.
They will also realise their own industrial incompetence in a world where industry dominates.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
British politics in Burma is the same as in India.
Industrially speaking, India was deliberately kept in ignorance.
She only produces basic necessities, made by hand. The Indians would be incapable, for example, of making a motor-car, a rifle, a clock, an electric-light bulb etc. They would be incapable of building or sailing an ocean-going vessel.
At the same time they have learnt in their dealings with Westerners to depend on certain machine-made articles. So the products of English factories find an important outlet in a country incapable of manufacturing them herself.
Foreign competition is prevented by an insuperable barrier of prohibitive customs tariffs. And so the English factory-owners, with nothing to fear, control the markets absolutely and reap exorbitant profits.
We said that the Burmese have not yet suffered too much, but this is because they have remained, on the whole, an agricultural nation.
Yet for them as for all Orientals, contact with Europeans has created the demand, unknown to their fathers, for the products of modern industry. As a result, the British are stealing from Burma in two ways:
In the first place, they pillage her natural resources; secondly, they grant themselves the exclusive right to sell here the manufactured products she now needs.
And the Burmese are thus drawn into the system of industrial capitalism, with any hope of becoming capitalist industrialists themselves.
Moreover the Burmese, like all the other peoples of India, remain under the rule of the British Empire for purely military considerations. For they are in effect incapable of building ships, manufacturing guns or any other arms necessary for modern warfare, and, as things now stand, if the English were to give up India, it would only result in a change of master. The country would simply be invaded and exploited by some other Power.
British domination in India rests essentially on exchanging military protection for a commercial monopoly, but, as we have tried to show, the bargain is to the advantage of the English whose control reaches into every domain.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To sum up, if Burma derives some incidental benefit from the English, she must pay dearly for it.
Up till now the English have refrained from oppressing the native people too much because there has been no need. The Burmese are still at the beginning of a period of transition which will transform them from agricultural peasants to workers in the service of the manufacturing industries.
Their situation could be compared with that of any people of eighteenth-century Europe, apart from the fact that the capital, construction materials, knowledge and power necessary for their commerce and industry belong exclusively to foreigners.
So they are under the protection of a despotism which defends them for its own ends, but which would abandon them without hesitation if they ceased to be of use.
Their relationship with the British Empire is that of slave and master.
Is the master good or bad? That is not the question; let us simply say that his control is despotic and, to put it plainly, self-interested.
Even though the Burmese have not had much cause for complaint up till now, the day will come when the riches of their country will be insufficient for a population which is constantly growing.
Then they will be able to appreciate how capitalism shows its gratitude to those to whom it owes its existence.
E. A. BLAIR
[1] Raoul Nicole wrote on 22 March 1929, while Orwell was still in the Hôpital Cochin, to say he was sorry Orwell was ill and thanking him for his article on Burma. This would, he said, be included in an early issue of Le Progrès Civique, and, indeed, would have appeared already were it not that the journal had been embarrassed by a large number of articles on foreign affairs. Orwell was paid 225 francs for the article on 11 June. This was the last article he is known to have had published in Paris.
Published by Le Progrès Civique, 4 May 1929. CW 86. Translated into English by Janet Percival and Ian Willison
The global bully has his nose bloodied
Jayawewa! Venceremos! Viva la Sri Lanka! We, the Non-Aligned, the Global South and Sri Lanka, gave a bloody nose to the global bully; we together defeated America, the new Caucasian Colonial cuss which attempted to use the UNHRC, to drag our heroic soldiers and fry them after a mock trial in an Electric chair in the US for having decisively defeated the American backed terrorists; the Americans also attempted to use the UNHRC to give itself unilateral powers to invade sovereign Nation States with impunity and, to unilaterally impose economic sanctions on other Nation States of the world.
The Americans failed thanks to the valiant efforts of the Progressives in the Government, spearheaded by Mahinda Rajapaksa and which included Dinesh Gunawardena.
But that was only a single battle; let Sri Lanka gear up for more. We shall overcome the Enemy if we are vigilant and use our heads.
But first things first, let us savour our victory.
The henchmen of the Americans tabled the draft Resolution against Sri Lanka, with all its fabrications and lies.
America’s devious plan
While Sri Lanka was the obvious target of the draft Resolution, the Americans had deftly concealed a far more devious plan; the Americans conspired to have the draft Resolution adopted unanimously using some of their agents, inside Sri Lanka.
If the draft Resolution against Sri Lanka had been adopted unanimously, such unanimity would have given moral justification, by virtue of precedence, for the application of these same recommendations to other sovereign Nation States, especially those in the Non-Aligned bloc and the Global South, also targeted by the Americans for Colonisation.
Bachelet attempts to arrogate to herself the powers of the UN Security Council
It is ironic that the justification for the application of the Resolution to Sri Lanka and extending that justification to other Sovereign States was being made when the recommendations made by Bachelet were in total violation of the UN Charter, when the High Commissioner was acting ultra vires in making such recommendations and when the High Commissioner, arrogantly and in violation of the UN Charter, was arrogating unto herself the powers of the UN Security Council.
The New World Order – the Order of the American bully
If the draft Resolution had been passed, unanimously, the world would have been pushed, yet another step closer, to a new Global Order, the Order of the American bully where only American unilateralism would prevail; it would have resulted in the demolition of some major pillars of the existing Multilateral Global Order where every Nation State enjoys Sovereign Equality and every sovereign Nation respects the sovereignty of the others.
The recommendations and wording in the Bachelet Report gave the lie to why the Americans were pushing for the draft Resolution to be adopted unanimously.
Reaching Consensus on the Resolution meant Sri Lanka admitting to being a Failed State
Bachelet in her report says, The Government has now demonstrated its inability and unwillingness to pursue a meaningful path towards accountability for international crimes and serious human rights violations.”
If the draft Resolution had been adopted, unanimously, it would have meant that Sri Lanka admits and agrees with the rest of the world community to being a Failed State; viz, unable and unwilling to enforce the law against perpetrators of major crimes and violators of Human Rights.
And loaded into that statement, subtly camouflaged but nevertheless implied, is the admission that Sri Lanka did commit ‘international’ crimes and that Sri Lanka is indeed guilty of serious Human Rights violations.
With such a self-admission, with the Resolution having the unanimous support of all the Nations of the world, it would have been a herculean task for Sri Lanka to resist the recommendations, made by Bachelet, being implemented within the country, although the contents of Bachelet’s recommendations are in violation of the UN Charter and although Bachelet has not been delegated by the UN with the powers, she has arrogated unto herself to make such recommendations.
Bachelet copies verbatim from the dust -binned American template of Colonising Sovereign Nation States
The Bachelet report contains verbatim, some passages from that obnoxious document, rejected by the world community, ‘Responsibility-to-Protect-Other-Nations’, the American template to Colonise Sovereign Nation States.
Bachelet had perhaps retrieved this document from the dustbins of a handful of fellow trailer-trash who in 2001, banding together, had given a highfalutin description of themselves, heh-heh-heh, ‘The International Commission of Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS)’!!
Canada embroiled in the ongoing genocide of a group of its citizens funds the ‘Responsibility to Protect-Other-Nations’ project
It was this schmuck that produced this fetid document, ‘Responsibility-to-Protect-Other-Nations’. This trailer-trash group was financed and directed by Canada, that white settler Nation making feeble attempts to clear itself of charges of ongoing genocide of the country’s indigenous population.
Some crucial passages from this discredited doctrine, have been borrowed and insidiously inserted by Bachelet in her Report.
The Bachelet Report recommendations permit the Americans to military invade any country, if America unilaterally decides to do so; it permits America to kidnap, investigate, prosecute, convict, imprison and execute soldiers of any country (like the case of Sri Lanka’s soldiers) in American facilities including those forcibly and illegally occupied by them like Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay, and additionally to peremptorily invade any country to prevent an anticipated disaster or tragedy as foreseen by America.
/ to be continued
Introduction of digitalization during the festive season for sustainable educational framework
World is fast changing despite dangerous ‘’Covid19’’ – a Pandemic leading towards success in Sri Lanka through education on vistas of prosperity and spender in order to digitalize the system and modernize the natural knowledge based on human capital to suit the 21st century on the theme ‘’Towards a perfect education that enriches wisdom and experiment’’ on steps taken by the programme and vision of the President ‘Gotabaya Rajapaksa’ , in education and digitalization on introducing a new platforms and programmes coupled with education, development and other subjects including trade and international issues- a leap frog from programme for the future. It is a salutary news that Sri Lanka is keeping pace with the modern developments even during the festive season easing the citizen pressurised with pandemic and economic hardships due to economic downturns world over. It is indeed salutary that digitalization and modern international platforms are utilized in combating ‘’Covid 19’’ and development strategies including agriculture which is in the topic of the agenda today.
Festive season and prices of consumer items in the current legal regime
Festive season is nearing and the talk of the town is the prices of consumer items and the legal frame work which has not still been settled on trade, business, competition and prices of items in demand. There is a leading news by the Minister ‘Bandula Gunawardena’ that Consumer Protection act of 1979 will be amended when in fact it is repealed by the Consumer Affairs Authority Act no 9 of 2003 on 17th march 2003 with other existing legislation amalgamating the current act which is a combination of Australian, Canadian, Modelled system with basic English principles partly embodied in the act which is not a properly effective piece of legislation in action today. It is the duty of the officials to brief the minister on updates on legislature on making such important public statements which are the basis of current and future changes on legislature, when the Minister again claims to change current old and outdated legal structure to be proactive modern and applicable for the current developments. Minister has quite correctly stated that the current legislation is outdated and is a ‘’toothless lion’’ needing drastic changes and vigour with modern changes on the digital age with new international platforms and developments in line with the changes world over. Act no 9 of 2003 changed the existing (then) pattern and structure of successful concept of price control still in force in the United Kingdom to the current system of regularization of trade also based on competition law and modern commercial law concepts, which has not been understood by the successive regimes attempted to implement the concept introduced by Hon ‘Lalith Atulathmudali’ then Minister of Trade who introduced the legislation with best of intentions which unfortunately unsuccessful on implementation. Undisputedly change of the CAA act is badly needed and the CAA during successive Chairmen has attempted to do so with no success. It is advisable to seek the advice of the previous chairmen in the process.
Drastic changes necessary
This is not the time for immediate major drastic changes of law, and best is to give time and long space for a complete and comprehensive study in the law and practice with international trade and developments which are now interwoven and interlinked. What is news today is the controversy over coconut oil, paddy and rice prices, alleged sugar scam, and rising cost of living due to price rise of every consumer item the CAA has miserably failed to answer. How does the price structure operate in Sri Lanka is very interesting. Trader can sell consumer prizes at any reasonable price provided it is of good quality and of quality health standards in order to provide the prize mark is exhibited on the show room cage for the citizen clearly seen identifying the items, whereas under the previous legislation control of prices act 173 (which is repealed) prize mark was strictly adhered to on conditions on price control legislation with prize control system. Then what is the maximum prize? In the current prize regime and the fluctuation of the prizes of paddy, rice, sugar, coconut ect are issues confronted to the consumer which is bit hard to understand to follow. It is operative under S/18 of the act when the Minister and the Authority can determine the wholesale and retail prize if the consumer item by a gazette notification with the condition that 18(2). No manufacturer or trader shall increase the retail for wholesale price of any goods of and services specified under subsection (1) except with the prior written approval of the authority. This is not effective and straight as the price control procedure which is working well in UK which is repealed here in 1979. Attempts have been made to change the consumer law on many previous occasions and today we have to be extra cautious due to the modern trends, introduction of new international platforms and changes due to digitalization process which is ever growing with the mobile penetration of 110% of the population and the developments on the knowledge an practice one learning when village children climbed water tanks for WIFI and the villager got use to what’s up for the payment of water and electricity bills through the network of computer centres at aver junction. A good trend ever increasing in deed! We have to take note of all international trends and changes in framing if any legislation or rules on consumerism in future! School teachers conducted online classed with the help of their computer literate children – our future scientists.
‘’Covid 19 ‘’- do not see and end so soon- let us be ready for any eventuality
‘’Covid 19’’ has changed the entire marketing developments and life of the ordinary citizen including students and the working class. There is no guarantee the ‘’Covid 19’’ will end or a time frame to end thereby we have to live on hopes and be prepared for any eventuality, so that future planning is near impossible. Sri Lankans proved themselves to be adoptable to any adverse conditions or situations on facing for ‘’Covid 19’’ and hardships to citizen all of whom are consumers. Prices of consumer items are going up with ‘’Covid19’’ in addition many other considerations which effects the consumer in all fronts, food being the main consideration. Food that is available should be reasonably prized and of quality as requited by section 7 (a) (b) (c) and (d) which states that it is the duty of the Authority to see that consumer is provided with goods and services not hazardous to the consumers (section 4) protect against unfair trade practices, adequate access to goods and provide redress against exploitation. All this has to be implemented by regulatory powers in part two of the Act. Anti-competitive practices are dealt with in the Consumer Affairs Council also engaged in research and procedure on air trade practices. ‘’Covid 19’’ also has melded the attitudes of the citizen with better relations with the trader consumer, and the regulator, for the trader and industrialist to be fair and the consumer to be smart sharp and careful to have the ideal combination of fair trader, alert consumer and able regulator. Consumer must change attitudes to be simple and smart to ascertain a) when to purchase, b) where to purchase and how to purchase items available. Consumer items to be purchased with required quantities and well planned for the day or week giving priority to health and quality. Fruits should not be purchased from long term stalls and imported fruits and vegetable should be avoided when we have such great verities- for example Banana in UK has only one variety which is available with not much taste when we have so many verities at very reasonable of taste and quality. Fresh vegetables and fruits could be purchased cheap in markets. Cola should not be consumed at any cost which is poisons and expensive. Why consume bottled water in plastics bottles which can be poisonous, and unhealthy, when we can have boiled and cold water in glass bottles which is cheap and healthy. Where you purchase consumer items is north worthy to note as the best would be ‘Sathosa’ when non-perishables can be stored and it is a good idea for the family to plan out the week or month as an exercise to save and be healthy. During goods online purchase can be practised which can extend to clothes and other consumer items for convenience and safety. Now that the entire life style is changed due to ‘’Covid 19’’, it is time to be prepared to go through it for an unspecified period with changes of future plans. Needless to state that all precautionary measures are to be followed to the last word for a long term solution and healthy stable and happy life with the family.
Bogus Sales, Congestion, perches of varied items and presents to family and friends
Consumer should be aware of rights, duties and the expectations from the trader and the industrialist. It is the duty of the trader to give the consumer dignity, quality goods, and services, at a reasonable price indicated on the rack or the showcase. Consumer has the right to complain to the CAA or a branch office which you will have access form 1919 system, or personal complain to the CAA office or a branch. Telephone and written complaints are accepted and the CAA is prompt on complaints by the consumer who the CAA and the trader considers as top priority. Consumer need not be hesitant to question or complain and it can be done in friendly manner as it is your right to do so. Bogus sales are plenty and the consumer should use common sense in purchasing very cheap items with hidden charges. It is advisable to take your own time in selecting the gods as it is your money that you are parting with. Consumer should know the basic needs rights and duties and expectations from the trader to be a satisfied consumer. When you purchase electric and electronic items one should be careful on the make, quality and the condition you may not be conversant with when you have to be careful on the guarantee/documents/cards and specially the letters in small letters in a language not known to you. It is advisable to demand for a receipt for which you are entitled to and you can request more details on the receipt. Some traders will encourage you to give on credit on hire purchase schemes, and you should be careful in signing documents on conditions with small letters in a language not known to you, and giving your personal information. It is advisable to seek the advice of a known family member generally conversant with trade practices. Always ask for the visiting card and other details of the trader and trading names with contact numbers. It is a joint effort of trader, consumer, regulator, and industrialist for a better consumer regime and a fair trading regime. Especially during festive season be extreme careful of the 8000 drug addicts on the road in Colombo awaiting for preys which can be dangerous with their addictions on drugs. Always be in touch with security forces and loved ones always during exposure to the traders and public.
Quality of consumer items/ Consumer Organisations
Trader is bound to give items of quality to the consumer and finding the quality is an issue always unless it is tested by the standard bureau or tests by a group of consumers. It is imperative for the consumers to be a member of one or more consumer organization which is very forceful in other parts of the world. In the United Kingdom the consumer organizations are very powerful and the trader is obliged to be consumer friendly based on the famous adage that consumer dies no wrong and always correct. Consumer Affairs Authority is expected to assist monitor and encourage consumer organizations as powerful groups though less powerful compared to UK and other parts of the world. Then what about the rice prices, adulterated coconut oil, consumer items of inferior quality, and hiding a storing the consumer items refusing to sale are offence under the consumer liable to be prosecuted. In UK and west the returned items are accepted but sadly not in Sri Lanka, when you can exchange if and when you need to change or return. Consumer organizations should agitate for this right with the help of CAA.
Digitalization modernization and modern trends on trade practices
The quality of goods services of food and consumer items are substandard, and of inferior quality due to lack of supervision and regulation by the CAA and other regulators such as TRCEL insurance, and Trade Ombudsman ,Public health inspectors local councils , health department, and many statutory bodies. With advancement of technology Sri Lankans are at the doorsteps of digitalization with mobile phones in everybody’s hand (110% of the population) and computer literacy of 40% ever increasing? Younger generation is now armed with excellent computer skills able to use credit cards, advanced banking methods, and engaged in modern technology via face book and other social media platforms for day to day office with computer centres every corner on the road used by adults. However in Sri Lanka online shopping is not practiced often as in the United Kingdom where 40% of the consumer items are purchased online when the practice is fast used in Sri Lanka too. Sri Lanka appears to be ready for a leap frog with the advanced applicability of modern technology and day to day transections and day will not be too far when the majority of the population makes its purchases online. ‘’Uber’’ a worldwide digital application catering to millions of people worldwide including Sri Lanka. These technologies are expanding to blow drying to food chains when majority of consumer’s population purchases online. ‘’Uber’’ – a main digital application catering to millions of customers worldwide including Sri Lanka These techs are expanding to bring blow drying and food items to door steps which will revolutionize online purchasing further. Digitalization of Education has commenced by setting digital classrooms which equips students and teachers with laptops and tabs how do you make digital regimes fairer in Sri Lanka with outdated regulator CAA with fast developments on technology? We watched on the television an impressive digital class room at ‘’Thurstan College’’ and we understand the trend is fast spreading. Are we in the digital age or in the door steps are the issues to be resolved today. Digitalization in the world is fast spreading with adverse effects shedding billions of jobs with no strategy from the state and the leaders of the private sector to find alternate arrangements to use them as innovators as in Israel. Digital Market places are thriving in west has a foothold in Sri Lanka and the potential is very interestingly limited changes of lifestyles due to innovative changes making life easier. However these changes include the risk of health other unexpected and undesirable changes in the economy. Will Sri Lanka be effected by the ripple effect or to what extent it will invade Sri Lanka is a matter of time Digitalization developments depend on the vision considering the mobile and internet user are young. Experts predict saturated digital market in Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in 10 year with innovative smart cities in line with Israel Hong Kong and UAE When 40% of the global population is online with 750 million global internet users Sri Lanka will be finding it difficult to join the world out of necessity ad compulsion. Chinese multinational company Alabama started by the owner an English Teacher Hangzhou is the biggest retailer with 100 British Brands and with 440 million active clients which is also protected by the UK government could be considered as a guide lines for our digital mister Introduction of the Mycroft 365 with cloud business transformation by commercial banks are in the It is good to be Careful anyway It is time to encourage and promote our young entrepreneurs in in with the vision in the Israel youth on innovation taking them up to the world standards on creative innovative Dhammika Perera supposed to be the richest man in Sri Lanka who bought Singer recently said at the recent presentation in Colombo he has increased business of singer by 38% after taking over and introducing online observed that online trend was settling to a mixture of online and storage stores worldwide again indicating the uncertainty of world business trends at successive speed.
Challenges and Way Forward
Digitalization, Modernization, Trade and Consumerism is interconnected and interwoven with each other in the present context connected and depending on each other. Trade and consumerism is a part and parcel of the life and digitalization and modernization are complementary. World is ever changing with challenges they are faced with especially on ‘’Covid19’’ pandemic when village bravely faced by using what’s app to make payments, children climbed water tanks for WIFI and teachers were guided and trained by children for distant teaching on line are proof that Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans are adoptable to any challenges. Invasion of international digital platforms to Sri Lanka is inevitable and be ready to accept and meet challenges without changing ourselves culturally and age old traditions and habits we are lived with. Consumerism is not an alien concept to us when we had the Badulla ‘’TAM’’ in 1857 AD, with instructions to the consumer and trader along with other 4000 ‘’TAMS’’ found on excavations, to show our past glory and education on the subject. Therefore it is time for us to give and interpret the correct meaning on consumerism to have the balancing livelihood of consumer, trader, regulator and the industrialist. We hope and expect the citizen be happy contended and extend peace goodwill and loving kindness to the world over. Sarath7@hotmail.co.uk
මුදාහල මුත් ජිවිතේ
උපන්නේ ජනතා හදේ
ඔබෙන් නැගි හඩ රණ බිමේ
විජය ගීතය වේ අපේ.
“අධිරාජ්යවාදයට විනාශය- ජනතාවට විමුක්තිය”
ඔබ හැම එදා එක්වුණේ, අධිරාජ්යවාදයට විනාශය-ජනතාවට විමුක්තිය; යන සටන් පාඨය යටතේයි. ජාතික හා ජාත්යන්තර දේශපාලන තලයේදීදී, මෙයට වඩා අගනා සටන් පාඨයක් ඇත්තේම නැත. සතුරා, වර්ෂ 1505 සිට විවිධ වෙස්ගෙන, ශත වර්ෂ 5 ක් පුරා මෙරට ජනතාව පෙලන ලදී. ඒ අධිරාජ්යවාදීන්ව මේ මාතෘභූමියෙන් පන්නා දැමීම යනු, මෙරට ජනතාව මත ඇති ගැටළු වලින් හරි අඩක් නිවැරදිව විසදා ගැනීමට මග පාදා ගැනීමයි.
මෙම කාර්යය කියුබාව තුල සිදුවෙද්දී, කියුබාව සමග එක පෙලට සිටගත් ඔබ; එම කාර්යය, වියට්නාමය, ලාවෝසය, හා කාම්බෝජය තුල සිදුවෙද්දී එම විප්ලවීය සහෝදරයන් හා අත්වැල් බැද ගැනීමේ මාවත කුමක්දැයි සොයා සමාජ සමීක්ෂණයක නිරත වූවෝය. ඒ කාලය තුලදී ඔබට මහා විප්ලව වාදීන් ගනනාවක්ම හමුවිය. ඉන් එක් අයෙක් වූයේ, මෑත කාලයේ මිහිපිට බිහිවූ අසහාය විප්ලවවාදියකු වූ චේ ගුවේරා සහෝදරයාය. ඔහු විසින් ලෝකවාසී විප්ලව වාදී තරුණ පරපුරට කල ආයාචනය ඉතා සිත්ගන්නා සුළු විය. ඔහු මිය ගොස් සිටියද, ඔබ ඉතා ආදරයෙන් ඔහුව වැලද ගත්හ.
ලෝකය පුරා සිටි මුලුමහත් විප්ලව වාදී පරපුරට අත්විදින්නටවූ සියලූම දෑ ඔබ විසින් අත්වින්ද බව අපි දනිමු. ඇස්, ඉස්, මස් ලේ දන් දුන් ඔබ, සිර ගෙවල් තුල ගාල් කර දැමූවිට, එදා ඔබට හඩගා කථාකලේ, ඔබව සමාජයෙන් වෙන්කිරීම සදහා ගොඩනංවා තිබූ මහා පවුරයි.
එම පවුරු මත ඉහලින්ම වූයේ
“අධිරාජ්යවාදයට විනාශය- ජනතාවට විමුක්තිය” යන්නයි.
එය ලොවටම දිව්ය මන්තරයක් මෙන් වූවකි.
ඔබට සදාකාලික සතුරන්ද, සදාකාලික මිතුරන්ද සිටියහ. අධිරාජ්යවාදය, උන් හා බැදුන සියලු සකලවිද ඥාති පරපුර, ඔබගේ සදාකාලික සතුරන්ය. අධිරාජ්යවාදයෙන් බැටකන හා එයට බැටදෙන අය ඔබගේ සදාකාලික මිතුරන්ය යන සතුරු මිතුරු මායිම මනාව වටහා ගෙන සිටියහ.
1971දී මියගිය ඔබ අද අප සමරන්නෙමු. ඒ ඔබ දිවි දී වසර, 50ක් ගතවීම නිමිත්තෙමි. නමුත් එදා මරා දැමූ ඔබ සදාකාලිකව මරනින්දකට වැටී අනේ මම මැරුණායයි සිතමින් නොසිටින වග අප මනාව හදුනන්නෙමු. ඔබේ ආත්මීය කාර්යභාරය අඛණ්ඩව මේ මාතෘ භූමිය වෙනුවෙන් සුපැහැදිලිවම ඉටු කරන බව දන්නා අප, ඔබ සැබෑ ලෙසම අධිරාජ්යවාදී හමුදා බල ඇණියක්වූ කොටි සංවිධානයට එරෙහිව ගෙනගිය අරගලයේදීද මහා කාර්යයක් කල බව දන්නෙමු. උපත, මේ දේශයට මහත්වූ භක්තියකින් ආදරය කිරීම හා මේ දේශය වෙනුවෙන් සටන්කිරීම සිය ආත්මීය කාර්යභාරය කරගත් ඔබට අද අපගේ ප්රණාමය පුදකරන්නේ, මීට වසර 50කට පෙරදී අධිරාජ්යවාදීන්ගේ මහා කුමන්ත්රණයක් හේතුවෙන් ඝාතනයට ලක්වූ, මේ රටට ආදරය කල තරුණ විරු පරපුරක් පමණක් ලෙස සලකා නම් නොවේ. මේ බිමේ විමුක්තිය උදෙසා ඉතිහාසය පුරාම සටන් වැදෙමින් මියැදෙමින් යලි ඉපදෙමින් සිය ආත්මීය කාර්යභාරය මේ මාතෘ භූමියේ විමුක්තියම කොටගත් තුන් කාලයේදීම, මේ මාතෘ භූමිය පුරාම සිය ආත්මීය කාර්ය ඉටුකරමින් ගමන් ගන්නා විරු පරපුරක් ලෙසය.
අප ඔබව, සදාතනිකව ගෞරවයෙන් සමරන්නෙමු.
Colombo, April 2: Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his telephone conversation with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa earlier this week, said that China can lend a hand to Sri Lanka in the eradication of poverty adding that China succeeded in ending extreme poverty among 99 million people.
President Rajapaksa said that the Hambantota Port Project and development of infrastructure facilities are continuing in a satisfactory manner and urged the government of China to complete the project. He said he is committed to putting the country on the track of prosperity within the next four years. The eradication of poverty is my prime concern for which we can take a cue from China,” President Rajapaksa said.
On September 25, 2020, President Gotabaya launched the ‘Discussion with the Village’ (Game Samaga Pilisandara) program in Haldummulla in Badulla district. The core intention of this program is to meet the people of remote villages who have not been given due attention so far, and inquire into their problems, to bring them to the notice of officials and provide solutions. The ultimate aim of the program is to eradicate rural poverty.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had a similar program in which he continually conducted grassroots visits since he became President of China in the beginning of 2013. His program titled, Precision Poverty Alleviation” began with a visit to Shi Ba Dong Village, Hu Heng County, Hu Nan province, which is a remote village, marked by rampant poverty.
Right after President Xi’s visit to this village, a national campaign to alleviate poverty with precise and sustainable solutions was developed. By December 2020, China has successfully eliminated extreme poverty for the first time in its 2200 year existence as a State.
Based on the experiences and successes achieved with the Precision Poverty campaign, China further developed its rural development mechanism to a comprehensive system called Rural Revitalization”, launched in January 2018.
In January 2021, while still being challenged by domestic and international challenges caused by the pandemic, the Chinese government issued the No.1 Government Document to set Rural Revitalization” as the top priority of the President Xi’s administration. China would like to share its experiences and solutions with other developing countries through innovative international cooperation.
President Xi has emphasized that the reason why his administration has put rural livelihood development and upgrading among its top priorities is because a really healthy and strong country or a human society cannot be formed without a solid foundation of the happiness of their people coming from different geographic and social backgrounds, especially the most vulnerable ones. This is not merely a mission of China, but the vision for human civilization.
Chief Researcher of International Research Center for NeoChina Socialism, Liu Yang Sloan, says there is vast potential to integrate China’s RR experiences into the Sri Lankan context and form a duplicate mechanism for other developing countries. It is believed that the system will be able to integrate international support and investment directly to even the most remote corners of the earth through cutting-edge technologies such as GIS and Blockchain.
We will take a close follow-up look at this mechanism and see how such a miracle is happening here in Sri Lanka,” he added.
To develop a comprehensive and sound rural revitalization system which can deal with the complexity of the rural situation in each developing country is not an easy job. However, thanks to the joint work of the International Research Center of NeoChina Socialism , National Youth Service Council, Sri Lanka Telecom, Colombo Stock Exchange and a number of other technical and social institutions in Sri Lanka and China, an integrated RR mechanism called 3DRROS is currently under development in Sri Lanka, Liu said.
President Rajapaksa sought Chinese assistance for the establishment of a Technology University in Hambantota as a symbol of close and cordial relations between the two nations. With regard to cooperation in technology for economic development, Chinese Researcher Liu detailed the proposed cooperation under the academic enhancement campaign of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) which has been widely accepted by the world to boost human, social and economic development for any specific region.
As the entire human race is facing unprecedented challenges caused but the COVID-19 pandemic, continuous out-of-box solutions must come on stage as soon as possible to meet the urgent needs of the people, especially the most vulnerable ones, he said.
All such solutions should be objective and STEM-based so that they can be delivered to the people efficiently to make some real changes.
Liu pointed out that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has a sound technical background with his academic achievements while studying as an IT student in Colombo University and working as a Unix Solaris Expert in the USA. He has a clear understanding about the importance of integrating the STEM environment into the social development of Sri Lanka.
Ever since the establishment of the Ministry of Technology and as the Minister, President Rajapaksa has emphasized the necessity to immediately equip Sri Lankan youth with STEM-related knowledge and skills to better deal with the current challenges and difficulties of their personal lives in national and international scenarios,” he said.
When it comes to Rural Revitalization, STEM means to bring all the cutting-edge technology to the rural area and make miracles happen, starting from satellite based smart agriculture to all sorts of agricultural equipment to comprehensive e-commerce mechanism which can link rural products to the world market efficiently, to smart classrooms which will pave a solid foundation for rural children so that they can have enough capabilities to change their lives.
Senior Advisor Hemal Dias of International Research Center for NeoChina recalled that since independence all the successive governments in Sri Lanka have focused on poverty alleviation with the introduction of many programs such as Janasaviya, Samurdi and Gamaneguma, but many people still live below the poverty line.
The majority of our rural families are still poor. Droughts, floods, diseases, and economic shocks could drag huge numbers further into poverty. To lift themselves out of poverty, rural people need to learn new skills and one of our main tasks through the Rural Revitalization (RR) project in Sri Lanka is to help rural people learn and practice new skills so they can improve their incomes from their newly acquired expertise,” he explained.
During his telephone conversation on March 29, Chinese President Xi said China is willing to work with Sri Lanka to enhance the Belt and Road cooperation and contribute to the economic revival of Sri Lanka in the post-pandemic era. He said China will continue to provide necessary assistance to Sri Lanka, conduct cooperation in areas including aviation and education, and explore other potential cooperation areas.
The Chinese President said that China firmly stands by Sri Lanka in the face of unjust pressure exerted at various multilateral forums. President Rajapaksa thanked China for donating 600,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Sri Lanka. He also expressed his gratitude to President Xi and the Chinese Government for standing by Sri Lanka at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The President also appreciated the swap facility offered by the People’s Bank of China to the Central Bank and reiterated that this facility will lead to Sri Lanka’s financial stability.
Colombo, April 3 (Daily Mirror) – The Serum Institute in India, which manufactures Covishied Astrazeneca vaccines, which was administered in Sri Lanka, has informed the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) that it is presently unable to supply any further doses due to the temporary ban imposed on vaccine exports by the Indian government.
The Daily Mirror learns that the SPC has sent several emails and made calls to the Serum Institute but it has only responded saying it will not be able to supply the further doses due to the Indian government’s temporary export ban, due to the high demand for vaccines in the Indian market following a staggering rise in COVID-19 infections in several states.
The SPC was expecting 500,000 doses of the Covishield Astrazeneca in April and a further 500,000 in May which would have been sufficient for the health authorities to complete the second round here.
However now with the Serum Institute unsure when they can re-commence supplies, Sri Lanka is left with only an estimated 340,000 doses which will be administered to health workers and tri force personnel who were the first to receive the jabs in late January and February.
Up to now we have not got any positive response from Serum Institute so we are waiting for it. We are continuously sending them emails and calling them but their issue is the government ban. What they say is when the Indian government lifts the ban, they are willing to export it,” a senior SPC official said.
The April and May doses are not confirmed till the Indian government gives them the greenlight. Till then they are not in a position to proceed with this,” the official added.
Chief Epidemiologist of the Epidemiology Unit, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka has in total received 1,264,000 doses of the Astrazeneca doses and as of last morning, 923,954 doses had been administered. Which leads to a remaining of 340,046.
Due to the sudden halt in supplies by Serum Institute, the government has immediately suspended the vaccination programme which was ongoing in the Western Province, to save the remaining doses for the second round. The government says it will commence the second round from mid April.
The SPC says it will continue to be in constant touch with Serum Institute, hoping they could recommence supplies soon.
Meanwhile, as health experts do not recommend the vaccines to be mixed, for example, the first and second doses to be of different brands, and in order to avoid a shortage, the SPC is in discussions with Astrazeneca in UK and have requested the manufacturers in Britain to submit the documents to obtain NMRA clearance. Presently, the SPC is awaiting the documentation from UK.
Meanwhile, 100,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines will arrive in Sri Lanka this month after Sri Lanka signed the initial agreement to purchase 7 million doses.
The SPC official said that Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute had agreed to supply the 7 million doses within this year, in installments and yesterday the SPC received a confirmation that an additional 6 million doses which had been requested had also been approved. The SPC has received the delivery schedule and the government may recommence the vaccination programme in the country once again after the Sputnik V doses arrive. (Jamila Husain)
Action should be taken against former President Maithirpala Sirisena without delay as he has been held responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said today.
Cardinal Ranjith who was speaking to the media after Easter Sunday services said a question arises whether some politicians who are held responsible are shameless to go before the people once again.
Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith questioned whether the former President is leading a party and is seeking re-election wearing clothes.
Why wait for months to take action against the former President as he has been clearly held responsible for negligence when it comes to preventing the Easter Sunday attacks despite receiving prior warning,” he questioned.
Some who associated with Zaharan Hashim are still in Parliament,” he also said.(Yohan Perera)
Ministry of Health on Saturday (April 04) confirmed 25 more new cases of the COVID-19 in Sri Lanka as the daily cases count reached 122.
The new development has brought the total number of COVID-19 confirmed in the country thus far to 93,436.
According to the Epidemiology Unit, 2,647 patients infected with the virus are currently under medical care at designated hospitals and treatment centres.
Total recoveries from the virus infection have reached 90,208 while the death toll stands at 581.
Sri Lanka has reported 02 more coronavirus-related deaths, the Director-General of Health Services confirmed today (April 04).
As per the Department of Government Information, a male patient and a female patient are the latest victims of the virus.
The new deaths bring the number of COVID-19 related deaths witnessed in Sri Lanka to 581 in total.
Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith called on the government to take legal action against former president Maithripala Sirisena, who has been found guilty in the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
Speaking to the media following the Easter Sunday Mass at St. Lucia’s Church, Kotahena, this morning (04), the Cardinal called for the recommendations of the report to be implemented as soon as possible.
The Archbishop said, I earnestly request the Government to implement the report of the Commission appointed to study the Easter Attacks.
We feel embarrassed at times. There is a rumor that our former President is seeking to contest at the elections. I would like to ask whether this was stated while wearing clothes. How can a President who left the country while knowing about the deaths of people contest at elections once again? How can he become a party leader?
The Commission has convicted him through its report. So, there is no need to delay further in taking legal action against him.
I ask the relevant leaders not to be like [Pontius] Pilates who wash their hands of their crimes. Go home and mind your own business.”
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today moved to give a reminder that all public servants, including those in Forest Conservation and Wildlife Departments, are in fact there to serve the people and should therefore look at both sides of the issues when addressing them.
Some do not understand the issues of the underprivileged. They haven’t visited these areas and haven’t witnessed anything. If I ask to release these lands, I will be attacked from tomorrow saying that I asked for the forests to be cleared.”
Speaking further, the President said the officials in forest conservation too do not understand this since they don’t look at the other side of the matter. All officials in forest conservation, wildlife, agriculture and environment are there for the people.”
His remarks came during the 17th phase of ‘Gama Samaga Pilisandara’ held in Vavuniya earlier today (April 03).
Touching on the criticism levelled at the government with regard to the unhealthy coconut oil importation saga, the President made it clear that it is not the government that imports these goods but private entities.
Coconut oil is the best and there is a great global demand for it. We haven’t cultivated that much and coconut trees were also felled in recent times. We had to import coconut oil. There are various businessmen who import it. There are government institutions to inspect the quality of the imported goods. The responsibility of these institutions is to crack down on substandard goods” he said stressing that the government is accused of importing toxic coconut oil when such crackdowns are executed.
The President went on to note that there are falsehoods circulated in an organized manner against him and the government. I always say that it is not ‘Gotabaya Rajapaksa’ who is important but the force that brought me here. That is what we should protect. It is against these that falsehoods are spread. I’m doing what I promised the people.”
The recent UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution A/HRC/46/L.1/Rev.1 of March 16 has brought extensive charges against Sri Lanka over alleged human rights violations, but is arguably seriously flawed. Opportunistic and strategic use of human rights by the western powers to maintain hegemony continually ignore violations of the rights of nature and humanity rooted in the destructive model of economic development the same powers introduced to the world.
Ancient Sri Lanka was known for its Buddhist eco-centric approach to life. The origin of the contemporary ecological and social crisis can be traced to the colonial period and the incorporation of the country into the global capitalist economy.
Vast tracts of forest were cut to establish mono-cultural coffee, tea and rubber plantations and local people lost rights to ancestral lands and resources. Deforestation destroyed water resources that irrigated the rivers leaving village tanks dry. Multi-crop subsistence agriculture was undermined, leaving people to become dependent on imported food supplies.
Sri Lanka’s forest cover declined from 84% in 1881 to 70% in 1900 and to around 50% in 1948, when the British left. Deforestation and plantation development laid the basis for land erosion and loss of animal habitats and biodiversity.
The origin of the current human- elephant conflict is attributed to deforestation starting in the British era, along with the widespread colonial practice of killing animals for sport and trade. The revered elephant was declared a pest and a reward of a few shillings was given for the head of an elephant.
With the introduction of the Open Economy in 1977, Sri Lanka became subjected to neo-liberal policies such as privatization and structural adjustment, largely as conditions to loans from the World Bank and the IMF. The massive Mahawaeli River Development Program of this period provided access to land for the poor and a significant increase in the country’s food production and power resources. However, the construction of dams and irrigation networks, roads, and similar infrastructure also radically altered soil and water systems including degradation of watershed conditions and loss of wildlife habitat and populations.
A related agricultural reform began in the 1960s (the Green Revolution”), with a campaign to promote the use of agrochemicals and transgenic crop varieties, resulting in the loss of original indigenous seed varieties. The Mahaweli program and irrigation have supplied the water for most of the rice cultivation in the North Central Province. This area is also – likely not coincidentally – the site of the nation’s highest incidence of chronic kidney disease among poor farming communities.
The rich industrialized countries in the Global North are responsible for nearly 80% of historical global carbon emissions. Yet poor countries in the global South, such as Sri Lanka – whose carbon footprint is negligible – are the greatest victims of climate disasters. The current and looming impact of climate change on Sri Lanka is massive:
The 2004 tsunami drastically highlighted the vulnerability of the low-lying plains in the coastal zone to any future rise in sea level. Northern and eastern coastal areas claimed as traditional ‘Tamil homelands’, are vulnerable to submersion as they are flatter than other coastal areas. This has serious implications for both population displacement and renewed political conflict, concerns totally absent in UNHCR Resolutions that focus on identity politics and calls for political devolution.
In 2015, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC), an international aid NGO, identified Sri Lanka ‘as the country with the highest relative risk of being displaced by disaster in South Asia. For every million inhabitants, 15,000 are at risk of being displaced every year in Sri Lanka’.
In 2017 alone, the country experienced seven disaster events, mainly floods and landslides, and ‘135,000 new displacements due to disaster. Sri Lanka is also at risk from slow-onset impacts like soil degradation, saltwater intrusion, water scarcity, and crop failure’.
Sri Lanka was ranked second among countries most affected by extreme weather events in the Global Climate Risk Index 2019 and sixth in 2020.
Deforestation is considered the greatest environmental threat facing Sri Lanka today. Sri Lanka ranked fourth among countries with worst deforestation of primary forests in the world in the 2000-2005 period. Forest cover, which had declined to about 50% at the end of British rule, has further declined to 44% in 1956 and 16.5 % in 2019.
A highly controversial current case is the housing development supposedly constructed for internally displaced persons (IDPs) on Willpattu National Wildlife Park. The housing will remain despite a recent court judgement that declared it illegal. The ‘polluter pays’ principle was upheld, but this only requires that the offender reforests other lands ‘in any area equivalent to the reserve forest area used for re-settlement of IDPs’. Even this court decision is under appeal by the 7th respondent, former Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishard Badiuddin. Moreover, as ecologists point out, mere tree planting elsewhere will not lead to recovery of the intricate forest eco-systems that were destroyed.
Another major controversy involves the Sinharaja Rainforest covering an area of 18,900 acres. It is home to over 50% of the country’s endemic species and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Deforestation is now taking place in the Sinharaja area for the construction of a road for an isolated village bordering the Forest Reserve and for the suspected building of hotels, shops and other encroachments.
A National Plan based on surveys and clear demarcation of boundaries of Forest Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Conservation Areas and enforcement is urgently needed to avoid conflict and encroachment over remaining forests.
A recent announcement was made by the Government Minister of Irrigation, Chamal Rajapaksa, regarding proposals to construct two irrigation tanks inside the Sinharaja, each spanning an area of five acres, with Chinese involvement. A 30-kilometer water tunnel to transport fresh water to areas in the South (including possibly Chinese controlled Hambantota port) is also reported. This announcement has raised alarm over environmental impact and likely loss of the UNESCO World Heritage status.
There are, unfortunately, many other environmental controversies, the most destructive of which involve export-led growth and foreign companies.
In 2017, 263 waste containers carrying biomedical, plastic and other waste from the UK was brought for illegal dumping in Sri Lanka. Such toxic dumping by rich Northern countries in the poor countries of the South is sadly a common practice. After a legal victory by environmentalists, the containers are being sent back to the UK.
A proposed new project in the Eastern Province is the Eastern Minerals Project of Capital Metal, a company from the UK which plans to mine the ‘highest-grade’ mineral sands containing ilmenite, rutile, zircon and garnet. While it promises to be a highly profitable venture, environmentalists fear massive and irreversible damage to the vulnerable eastern coastline.
Yet another controversial mining project is proposed by Titanium Sands, an Australian company,that wants to mine titanium on the island of Mannar off the northern coast of Sri Lanka. Mannar is a bird paradise and local environmentalists blame the Australian company of ‘illegal conduct’ and plans to dramatically transform the ecosystem and limit land use by the local community.
Just as the world is at the cusp of a new era of technological and corporate authoritarianism, Sri Lanka, with its strategic location in the Indian Ocean, is also at a decisive historical juncture. The island is facing new forms of external intervention and competition primarily involving the expansionist and national security efforts of China, USA and India. These three countries are also the biggest carbon polluters, pursuing unbridled economic growth despite the impending global climate catastrophe.
Sri Lanka is centrally placed in the maritime route of China’s Belt Road Initiative. China is now in control of the Hambantota port, the Colombo Port City, a terminal of the Colombo port and a hybrid renewable energy project on three islands off the Jaffna peninsula, just 50 km from the Tamil Nadu coast.
The Quadrilateral Alliance of the USA, India, Australia and Japan is challenging this Chinese expansion, and is, in turn, in control of key strategic positions and natural resources.
India, for example, is in control of the British colonial era Oil Tank Farm in the seaport town of Trincomalee. It is reported that the development of the west terminal of the Colombo port will also be given to the company of Indian billionaire Adani.
The US Millennium Challenge Corporation’s proposed Compact with Sri Lanka was turned down by Sri Lanka due to local protests over resource exploitation, land grab and an effort to splinter Sri Lanka into two separate entities under the control of the United States. However, there is suspicion that some of the main objectives of the MCC to digitalize land registers and privatize land to make them available for development by transnational corporations maybe be continuing in other ways.
The US signed an Acquisitions and Cross Services Agreement (ACSA) with Sri Lanka in 2017 making the island a ‘logistics hub’ allowing US military vessels open-ended access to Sri Lanka’s seaports and airports. The ACSA is part of the ‘grand strategy of a united military front between the US and India in the Indo-Pacific’.
A Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the USA and Sri Lanka, which could turn Sri Lanka into a US military base, has been proposed but not yet signed due to local protest.
While the implications of Neo-Colonialism for Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity have been much discussed in recent media, the ecological and social implications remain relatively unexplored. Some of these include:
Sustainable agriculture has a long history on the island, as in any long-lasting indigenous culture, and it needs to be brought back to the fore. Local self-sufficiency and agro-ecology are the only solutions to future food scarcity and surviving the vicissitudes of the global economy.
Both Sri Lanka and the world have enough natural resources to support people if resources are shared equitably and sustainably used. It is the apocalyptic destruction of the unregulated greed of neoliberalism that must end.
For this to happen, policies of corporate regulation must be put in place at both the national and global levels. These policies also need to incorporate a broader definition of human rights that includes the rights of nature and people’s rights to natural resources and livelihoods. 250 major civil society organizations from around the world have signed a declaration calling for an end to ‘corporate control and cooptation’ of the United Nations including the U.N. Convention on Climate Change. Indeed, the moral authority of the United Nations and its partisan approach to human rights need serious questioning.
There is an urgent concurrent need for environmental education that transcends political party and ethno-religious divisions and unites people both with each other and with a survivable environment. Environmentalism is also humanism that looks to the future, and the rights and survival of future generations.
The 1956 government attempted to radically reform the economy. It was the first Sri Lanka government to try to do so. It was also the first government, and the only government to date, to see the need for a modern policy of Industrialization for Sri Lanka.
There were no local industries when MEP came to power in 1956, everything was imported. The country was importing everything, from a pin, comb, pencil, and biscuit to mammoties, water pumps, agriculture and industrial machinery, reported economists.
MEP had a long term plan for industrialization. The state would lead with a few basic industries whilst the rest were left to the private sector. There were three lists. The first list consisted of items reserved for the state. They included iron and steel, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, salt, mineral sands, sugar, power alcohol and rayon.
The second list had industries which were open to both state and private sectors. They included textiles, tyres and tubes, tiles, asbestos products, bicycles, industrial alcohol, acetic acid, sugar, vegetable oil, ceramic ware, glass ware, leather products, plywood, paper, electric bubs, dry cell batteries, accumulators, barbed wire, lumber, agricultural implements, wood working, furniture and cabinetry, and concrete products.
There was a third list of 82 industries ranging from motor car assembly to activated charcoal, reserved exclusively for the private sector. Persons embarking on these industries would receive tax concessions and tariff protection. Meegama observed that this period therefore saw the beginning of a private sector in industry with government encouragement. Industrialists promptly asked the government to stop imports in the goods they are producing. The first industrial estate was established at Ekala in 1960.
MEP planned to diversify its overseas trade and build up new markets. Under Bandaranaike foreign policy was linked to trade policy. Bandaranaike entered into agreements, mainly trade, with US, Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, Czech, India, Canada, UK, Italy, china, USSR, Sweden, Australia, Burma,
When MEP took over, external trade was confined to 25 countries, mostly the white dominions of the British Commonwealth. And that trade was dependant on the goodwill of those countries.
But the MEP government was never able to break this monopoly. The only new addition was trade with Russia. Imports from non-Commonwealth countries went up to 51.9% in 1959. But exports continued to go to Commonwealth countries.
Sri Lanka’s import and export trade was dominated by expatriates. They came during British rule, and stayed on. The traders were all non- Ceylonese, mainly British but also Indian. Non Ceylonese were allowed to free transfer of their entire holdings. The trading houses were all foreign owned. Their profits were sent abroad.
The MEP government restricted this outflow. In 1956, profits and dividends sent out was 52.4% for foreign capital and 83.3.% for profit and dividends. In 1957 Central Bank restricted the repatriation of money and in 1959, the figures were13.6% and 58.4%.
MEP government encouraged locals to engage in external trade. The number of registered Ceylonese traders increased from 772 in 1955 to 1179 in 1960. Import of certain goods, such as textiles, motor cars, watches and export of certain commodities like timber were reserved for Ceylonese traders.
Trade with certain countries was also reserved for Ceylonese traders. The countries were Austria,. Bulgaria, China, Czechoslovakia, West Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland , Rumania, USSR and Yugoslavia . (HSS Nissanka. The foreign policy of Sri Lanka under SWRD Bandaranaike . p 106 )
Bandaranaike’s foreign policies angered the British who controlled most of Sri Lanka external trade. His Non-aligned policy also worked against western trade. This led to a sharp decline in export trade. There was a huge drop in export to Commonwealth countries, such as Australia, Canada, Britain, but fortunately, trade with other countries such as Germany continued satisfactorily.
Sri Lanka’s balance of trade fell drastically in the period 1957-1959. In 1956 there was a surplus of 102 million rupees, but by 1959 there was a record deficit of 252 million culminating three years of deficits in foreign trade.
In 1955 external assets were Rs 80 million in 1959 it was Rs 15.2 million. This means that Sri Lanka was in great financial difficulties during MEP rule. But this was common to all newly independent countries in Asia and Africa, at the time, observed Nissanka.
It was the same with foreign investment. During Bandaranaike’s rule, Ceylon attracted only Rs 141 million in investments. Assets worth Rs 427 million were taken away by private investors.
In 1957 there were 12 banks in Sri Lanka of which 11 were foreign owned. The exception was Bank of Ceylon (est. 1939) . The foreign owned banks were Chartered Bank of India, Eastern bank, Hatton bank, HSBC, State bank of India, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas bank, Mercantile bank of India, National overseas and Grindlays bank, Oriental bank of Malaya, Habib bank.
These banks did not bring in any capital. They did their business using rupee deposits and then sent all the profits , around Rs 5 or 6 lakhs, out of the country. In 1961, the banking situation improved. Bank of Ceylon was nationalized and a second national bank, the Peoples Bank was started.
Up to 1956 Sri Lanka had profited greatly from ships that entered its harbor. Sri Lanka had harbor facilities which other countries did not possess. But from 1956- 1959, there was a sharp decline in shipping revenue. The number of vessels dropped from 13,000 in 1955 to 8400 in 1959. This was due to the crop of dock workers strikes set up by the Left. This non cooperation by the Left to a fledgling progressive government must be placed on permanent record and condemned.
Sri Lanka did not have her own shipping lines, she depended heavily on British shipping. Bandaranaike was considering an independent shipping line for Sri Lanka, but he did not live long enough to pursue the matter.
Bandaranaike seems to have juggled his foreign policy well. His Non aligned policy gave him, leverage and Bandaranaike was able to get aid from western bloc as well.
MEP got 457.3 million in aid from 1957-1963 of which, Communist bloc gave 373.8 million. Foreign aid from Commonwealth countries in 1956-1960 had declined sharply. But the contribution from USA trebled. The earlier government was not able to secure such a quantity of foreign aid.
From 1956-1959 Sri Lanka entered into 45 agreements, relating to trade, aid, technology, economic cooperation and cultural relations with different power blocs. 19 with western bloc 15 with communist, 5 with non aligned countries.
There was a loan from China of 75 million rupees for a period of five years. There were also economic and technical cooperation agreements with Sweden and Italy. An agreement with Germany. provided , inter alia, steel superstructures of ten bridges, and one substructure for one bridge, equipment for dismountable bridges, design and technical equipment for a roofing tile factory, and qualified German staff.
UNP complained that in 1953, USA only provided a cook for Kundasale Girls’ school when they asked for USA’s point four aid”(1950) in 1955 Prime Minister Sir John said we received no aid from US.
But USA had a ‘general agreement’ with MEP government . It included, in the form of grant, a large amount to wheat, the sales of which were to be converted to local currency. But USA put many condition for their wheat flour even on a commercial basis, said Sarath Amunugama. PL 480 which provided subsidized flour shipments to Sri Lanka was a highly contentious issue with the Bandaranaikes, he said.
Bandaranaike saw that it was unwise for newly emerging states to rely only on foreign aid. He said it was not good for third world countries to be too dependent on foreign aid. Another mechanism was needed. Bandaranaike thought that maybe, the solution lay in an Asian Economic Community.
He called for a meeting of African and Asian nations to discuss the idea. The first session of the Afro Asian Economic Conference was held in Colombo in May 1959. Bandaranaike was the convener. He addressed the Conference and spoke of the need for commodity trade in the region, diversification of exports, and establishment of national regional banks.
Bandaranaike brought in world renowned economists to advise on a new economy for Sri Lanka. HSS Nissanka had quoted some recommendations given by Gunnar Myrdal in 1958, to the National Planning Council. His recommendations are relevant even today .Myrdal said
UNHRC voting clearly showed Sri Lanka’s friends and enemies (and the in-betweens). Although India abstained from voting, India fully supported the anti-Sri Lanka resolution. Sadly, some enemies are key export destinations (and import origins) of Sri Lankan produce (and Sri Lanka’s imports) which can become a future threat. While it is only the UN Security Council that can impose economic sanctions on a nation, individual nations are free to impose their own sanctions on another nation. It was not that long ago that the EU removed the GSP Plus facility to Sri Lanka following the defeat of Tamil terrorists. Therefore, it is vital to UNHRC-proof the Sri Lankan economy by diversifying Sri Lanka’s exports (and imports) away from EU nations and India.
Relying on EU nations and India will prove disastrous very soon when they complete their investigations into alleged war crimes and compel Sri Lanka to handover war heroes to be executed by them. While this process will take years, Sri Lanka must act now to diversify international trade away from these nations.
Besides the exports to these nations and USA actually earn on peanuts for Sri Lanka. All material, machinery, equipment, etc. for garment manufacturing are imported. If one considers the real local value addition it is extremely small. Other exports to these western nations are the same. This is the very reason they manufacture these in Sri Lanka and other less developed nations!
Sri Lanka’s future is in shipping, industrial exports, electronics, tourism, knowledge economy, marine resources, food production and import substitution. Garments, tea, export processing zones and other near slavery sweatshops are on their way out. Interestingly these industries locally are dominated by the very people who connived with the enemies of Sri Lanka at the UNHRC!
It will be a twin victory for Sri Lanka to move away from exports to and imports from enemy nations. The time to act is now.
අප්රේල් කැරැල්ලට වසර 50ක කාලයක් ගතව ඇත. වසර 50ක් යනු සුළුපටු කාලයක් නොවේ. ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණ ගොඩනැගීමට දායකවී අප්රේල් කැරල්ලටද සහභාගිවී, සිරගතවී, සිරගෙදරන් පලාවිත් යලි දේශපාලනය කල අයෙකු තුල මේ වන විට ඇති සිතුවිලි දහරාව කුමක්විය යුතුදැයි සොයා යනවිට, ජිවිතයේ සුන්දරම අවදිය, ඔවුන් විසින්ම ගින්දර ගොඩකට ඇදදමුවාක් වැනි මේ ක්රියාදාමයට ඔවුන් සහභාගී වුයේ ඇයිද යන්න ගැටලුවකි. විශේෂයෙන්ම අප්රේල් කැරැල්ලට දායකවූ තරුණයින් අයත්වන්නේ මධ්යම පාන්තික හා සුළු ධනේශ්වර පන්තියට අයත් පවුල් වලට වීම එම කැරැල්ලේ ඇති විශේෂත්වයයි. ස්වභාවය විසින් මේ තරුණයින්ගෙන් යමක් බලා පොරොත්තුවී ඇත.
අපි මිලින්ද ප්රශ්නය තුලින් දකින්නේ ස්වභාවයේ ක්රියාකාරිත්වයේ සංකීර්ණභාවයයි.ස්වභාවයට අවැසි දේ ඉටුකරවා ගැනීම සඳහා දිව්ය සම්පත් විදිමින් සිටි අයෙකුව ඔහුගේ විරෝධතාවය නොතකා යොදවාගත් ආකාරය අපි එහිදී දකිමු.. කාරණය ඉතා අතවශ්ය නම්, ස්වභාව කුමන පදනමකින් හෝ බ්රහ්මයෙක්, දෙවිකෙනෙක්, මිනිසෙක් හෝ මිනිසුන් සමුහයක් යොදා ගන්නා අකාරය අපි දැක ඇත්තෙමු. 1971 අප්රේල් කරල්ල තුලද එවැනි පසුබිමක් අපි දකිමු. වැදගත් වන්නේ ඒ තත්වය මනාව අවබෝධකර ගැනීමයි.
අපේල් කැරැල්ලට සහභාගිවූ තරුණ සමුහය, ශ්රී ලාංකීය විප්ලවය අරමුණු කරගෙන පසුබිම සකස් කරන්නේ, ජාත්යන්තර විප්ලවවාදියකුවූ චේ ගුවේරා මුළු ලෝකයේම තරුණ තරුණියන්ගෙන් විශේෂිත ඉල්ලීමක් කර ඇති පසුබිමකය. ඒ ඉල්ලීම වුයේ, “ලෝකයේ ව්ප්ලවවාදිනි, ඇමරිකානු අධිරාජ්යවාදය පරාජය කිරීමට ලෝකය පුරාම වියට්නාමයන් ගණනාවක් බිහි කරව!” යන්නය.
එදා ලෝකය මිට වඩා ගොඩාක් වෙනස්ය. මුළු ආසියාවම පැවතියේ යුධ ගිනි දැල් මැදය වියට්නාමය, ලාවෝසය, කාම්බෝජය, කොරියාව පුරාම දිනපතාම හෙලනු ලැබුවේ සිය දස ගණනින් මිනිසුන් මරා දැමීමට පමණක් නොව පරිසරයද විනාශ කරන බෝම්බය. ලතින් ඇමරිකාව ලෝකයේ නොදියුණු ආකාරයේ කුරිරු මර්ධනයකට යටත් කරගෙන පාලන රටාවක් පැවතිනි. අප්රිකාව වර්ගවාදී සුද්දන් පාලනය කලේ අප්රිකානුවෝ වහලුන් හා සතුන් ඝනයට ලාගෙනය. චීනයට එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ මහා මණ්ඩලයේ ආසනය අහිමිකර, එහි අයිතිය පොමොසාව නම්වූ රුකඩ චිනයකට ලබාදී තිබුණි එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ මහා මණ්ඩලය ලොව පුරාම යුධ ඇතිකරමින් ඒවා පෝෂණය කරමින් වර්තමානයේදී මෙන්ම එදාද කටයුතු කරමින් සිටියහ. එවන් යුගයක මේ රටේද අධිරාජ්ය ගැති රුකඩ පාලන රටාවට එරෙහිව එකී තරුණයින් සංවිධානය වීම එදා ආරම්භ කළහ.
එදා සටන් පාඨයන් වුයේ
“අධිරාජ්යවාදයට විනාශය ජනතාවට විමුක්තිය ”
“ඉන්දීය ව්යාප්තවාදයට විනාශය ජනතාවට විමුක්තිය ” යන්නන්ය.
ඒ අතරම රතු ආසියාවක් ගොඩනැංවීමේ ප්රබල අපේක්ෂාවක් මේ තරුණයින් අතර විය. අවසාන ඉලක්කය වුයේ සමාජවාදී සමාජයක් රටතුල ගොඩනැංවීමය..
සතුරා අපිට වඩා දක්ෂය,අප අතරට රිංගු සතුරා අප ගොඩනැංවූ සංවිධානය එදා අප විසින්ම ගොඩනැංවූ සිරිමා බණ්ඩාරනායක රජයට එරෙහිව මෙහෙයවා, මෙරට දේශප්රේමී තරුණයින් පිරිසක් මෙන්ම ජාත්යන්තරයේ ප්රගතිශීලි කාර්යභාරයක් ඉටුකළ රජයක්ද විනාශ කළහ. ඔවුන් සියුම්ව සිදුකලේ අප අපේක්ෂා කල දෙය නොවේ. 1971 අප්රේල් කැරැල්ලට මවෙක් හෝ පියෙක් නැත.එයට අණ දුන්නේ කවුදැයි කිසිවෙක් දන්නේ නැත. විජේවිරයන්ට අනුව සිරගතව සිටි ඔහු මේ පහරදීමට අණදී නොමැත.නමුත් අපි පහරදිමකට සහභාගී විය. ඒ කාගේ අණ යටතේද යන ප්රශ්නය මිනිස් බුද්ධියට තීරණය කිරීමට ඉතිරිව ඇත.
එදා අප්රේල් කැරැල්ල සිදුවෙන විට විශේෂිත දේවල් රාශියක් මෙරට තුල සිදුවිය. අප්රේල් කැරැල්ල මේ රටේ හමුදාවේ ඇති දුර්වලත්වය පෙන්වා දුන්හ.එය මේ කැරැල්ල විසින් මේ රටට කල විශේෂිතම මෙහෙවරකි. එහි පලයක් වශයෙන් යුධ හමුදාව වහාම පුළුල් කිරීමට පියවර ගැනිණි. ඒ සමගම තවත් විශේෂිත කටයුත්තක් සිදුවිය. ඒ මේ මවුබිමට ආදරය කල වෙනත් ආකාරයෙන් සිතන තරුණයින් කණ්ඩායමක්ද ශ්රී ලංකා යුධ හමුදාවට බද්ධවිමයි. එම තරුණයින් පසුකලෙක මෙරටට එරෙහිව අධිරාජ්යවාදීන් විසින් නිර්මාණය කල කොටි ත්රස්තවාදය මුළුමනින්ම බිදහෙලා මේ රට අධිරාජ්යවාදී මර උගුලින් බේරා ගත්හ.එය මේ අවස්ථාවේදී ගෞරවයෙන් සිහිපත් කරනුයේ “අධිරාජ්යවාදයට විනාශය ජනතාවට විමුක්තිය” හා “ඉන්දීය ව්යප්තවාදයට විනාශය ජනතාවට විමුක්තිය” යන සටන් පාඨයන්ම වෙනත් ආකාරයකින් පෙරමුණේ තබාගෙන මේ සටන සිදුවුණා බැවිනි.
1971 අප්රේල් කැරැල්ල ආරම්භවීමත් සමගම එක්තරා තරුණයෙක්, එම කැරැල්ල මර්ධනය කිරීමේ අරමුණින් එදා හමුදාවට බැදී සේවය කිරීම ආරම්භ කළහ. මේ තරුණයා හමුදාවට දිමේ කටයුත්තට මාවත විවර කලේ 1971 අප්රේල් කැරැල්ල නම්, ඒ කැරැල්ලෙන් සිදුවුණා විශාලම ජාතික මෙහෙවර වන්නේද එයයි. ඒ තරුණයා අද මෙරට ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂයන්ය.මේ අනුව අප්රේල් කැරැල්ලට වසර 50ක් ගතවන අවස්ථාවේදීම ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ මහතා මෙරට ආරක්ෂක හමුදාවට සම්බන්ධව වසර 50ක සේවාකාලය සැමරීමද සිදුවේ.
දැන් අපි වසර 50ක ඉතිහාසය හාරා අවුස්සා බලන විට,
1.එදා පවතී යුධ බිය ආසියාවෙන් තුරන්ව ඇත.
2.වියට්නාමයෙන් හා කාම්බෝජයෙන් ඇමරිකන් හමුදා මුළු මනින්ම පලවා හැර ඇත.
3.චීනය අද එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ සංවිධානයේ ප්රබල සාමාජිකයෙකි.
4. චනය ලෝකයේ ප්රබලම රාජ්යක් බවට පත්ව ඇත.
5.ලතින් ඇමරිකාවේ එදා ඇමරිකාව දැමු සෙල්ලම් සියල්ලක්ම ලේල්ලම්වී හමාරය.
6.අප්රිකාවේ සියලුම වර්ගවාදී රාජ්ය ක්රම අහෝසිවී ඇත.
7. ඇමරිකාව හා ඉන්දියාව බලවත් ආර්ථික හා දේශපාලන ගරා වැටීමට ලක්ව ඇත.
8. මුළු යුරෝපයම අර්බුද ගණනාවකට ලක්ව ඇත.
9. ශ්රී ලංකාව අධිරාජ්යවාදීන්ගේ සතුරුම දකුණු ආසියාතික රාජ්ය බවට පත්ව ඇත.
10. අපේ රටට ජාත්යන්තරව රැකවරණය ලබාදෙන්නේ එදා රෝහණ විජේවීර සහෝදරයා අපේක්ෂා කල ආකාරයටම, රුසියාව, චීනය, වියට්නාමය, කියුබාව හා උතුරු කොරියාව යන රාජ්යන්ය.
වසර 50ක කාලය තුලදී අපි පතු ආකාරයට අධිරාජ්යවාදය විනාශවී පන අදිමින් සිටි. හෙට අනිද්දා යුක්රේනයේ ඇතිවන තත්ත්ව තුල, ඔවුන් යලි නොනැගිටින තත්වයකට පත්වෙනු ඇත.
ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂයන්ගේ පාලන කාලය තුලදී ඉන්දීය ව්යාප්තවාදින්ටද යලි නොනැගිටින තත්වයක් උදාව ඇත. වැදගත් වන්නේ පුද්ගලයා නොව ගෙන යන ප්රතිපත්ති කුමක්ද යන්නයි. මේ ප්රතිපත්ති තුල පැහැදිලිවම ඇත්තේ අධිරාජවාදින්ට එරෙහිවීම හා ඉන්දීය ව්යාප්තවාදින්ට එරෙහි වීමයි.
වසරව් 50ක් සපිරෙන මේ අවස්ථාවේදී අපි අප්රේල් සටනේදී දිවිදුන් හා එයට දායකත්වය සැපයූ සියලුම සොයුරු සොයුරියන් සිහිපත් කරමු. අද රාජ්ය ප්රතිපත්තිය බවට පත්ව ඇත්තේ ඔබ අප හැම පැතු ප්රතිපත්ති මාලාවය. එය මෙහෙයවන පුද්ගලයා එදා අප්රේල් කැරැල්ල මර්ධනය කිරීමට හමුදාවට බැදුන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂයන්ය. එතුමාද ඉල්ලා සිටින්නේ පුද්ගලයා දෙස නොබලන්න ප්රතිපත්ති දෙස බලන්න යනුවෙනි.
පාස්කු දින ප්රහාරයේ වින්දිතයන් වූ සැමට සාධාරණය ඉටුවන තෙක් වූ කිතුණු ජනතා ඉවසීම විශිෂ්ට බව ගරු අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා අද (03) දින සිහිපත් කළේය.
දෙවසරක් ගතවන පාස්කු දින ප්රහාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් අදහස් පළ කරමින් අග්රාමාත්යතුමා මේ බව අවධාරණය කළේය.
ලොව පුරා කිතුණු බැතිමතුන් සමඟ එක්ව ශ්රී ලාංකේය කිතුණු ජනතාව හෙට (04) දිනයේ ඉමහත් හරසරින් පාස්කු මංගල්ය සමරති.
විමුක්තිදායක ප්රීතියේ සැමරුම් දිනය වන මෙදින ශ්රී ලාංකේය කිතුණු ජනතාව ජේසුස් ක්රිස්තුස් වහන්සේ මරණය පරාජය කර උත්ථානවීම බැතියෙන් සිහි කරති.
මෙයට වසර දෙකකට පෙර 2019 අප්රේල් 21 වැනිදා පාස්කු මංගල්යය දින එල්ල වූ ත්රස්ත ප්රහාරයෙන් කුඩා දරුවන් ඇතුළු කිතුණු බැතිමතුන් දෙසිය පනහකට අධික පිරිසකගේ ජීවිත අහිමු වූ බව අපි දනිමු.
මෙම මිලේච්ඡ ප්රහාරය එදා මෙන්ම අදත් අප තරයේ හෙළා දකින අතර ප්රහාරයෙන් ජීවිත අහිමි වු කිතුණු ජනතාවගේ පවුල්වල සමාජිකයන්ට මෙන්ම සමස්ත කිතුණු ජනතාවට අපගේ සංවේගය පළ කරන්නෙමු.
එමෙන්ම පාස්කු දින ත්රස්ත ප්රහාරයට වගකිවයුත්තන් නීතිය හමුවට ගෙන ඒමේ පරීක්ෂණ රජයක් ලෙස මේ දක්වා අඛන්ඩව ඉටු කර තිබෙන බව ඔබට සිහිපත් කරමි.
කිතුණු ජනතාව බලාපොරොත්තුවන පරිදි ප්රහාරයට වගකිවයුත්තන් නීතිය හමුවේ වරදකරුවන්වනතුරු එම පරීක්ෂණ ක්රියාවලිය කිසිඳු බලපෑමකින් තොරව ක්රියාත්මක වේ.
පාස්කු දින ඉටි පහනේ අලෝකය සහෝදර ජනතාවට සහනාලෝකය අත්විඳින්නට ඉඩ සළස්වනවා මෙන්ම පාස්කු අර්ථයෙන් ගත්විට සියලු දෙනා එතෙර වීම කිතුණු ජනතාවගේ ද අපේක්ෂාවයි.
එම උදාර අරමුණ අනුව යමින් පාස්කු දින ප්රහාරයේ වින්දිතයන් වූ සැමට සාධාරණය ඉටුවන තෙක් වූ කිතුණු ජනතා ඉවසීම විශිෂ්ට බව සිහිපත් කරමි.
සමාජය තුළ මුහුණ දීමට සිදුවන විවිධ අභියෝග හමුවේ මානව දයාවෙන්,සහජීවනයෙන් හා අන්යෝනය ප්රේමයෙන් යුතුව දිවි ගෙවීමට කිතුණු ජනතාවට හැකිවේවා යන්න අප සැමගේ ප්රාර්ථනාවයි. ශ්රී ලාංකේය කිතුණු බැතිමතුන් සැමට සුබ පාස්කු මංගල්යයක් වේවා!යි ප්රාර්ථනා කරමි යැයි අග්රාමාත්යතුමා පැවසීය
Sri Lanka has confirmed 37 more positive cases of COVID-19 today (April 03) as the daily infections count climbed to 167.
Among today’s positive cases are 07 persons who were detected from the prisons cluster and 32 who arrived from foreign countries.
According to the Department of Government Information, the country has confirmed a total of 93,295 positive cases since the outbreak of the pandemic.
However, 2,695 of them are still under medical care at designated hospitals and treatment centres across the island.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the virus stands at 579.
Sri Lanka has confirmed 04 new COVID-related deaths today (April 03), according to the Director-General of Health Services.
The new development has pushed Sri Lanka’s death toll to 579, says the Department of Government Information.
One of the deceased is a 44-year-old woman from Akurana area. She died on March 28 while receiving treatments at the Teaching Hospital in Kandy. The cause of death was recorded as sepsis and COVID pneumonia.
A 44-year-old who was residing in Rambukkana area died on March 31 due to COVID pneumonia. He was also under medical care at the Teaching Hospital in Kandy at the time of his passing.
In the meantime, a 78-year-old man from Colombo 10 passed away on April 02 on admission to the National Hospital in Colombo. The cause of death was recorded as COVID SARS pneumonia, the Government Information Department said.
The last victim is a 37-year-old woman from Ratnapura area. She was identified as a COVID-infected patient while receiving treatment at the Teaching Hospital in Ratnapura. She was then moved to the IDH where she passed away on April 02. The cause of death was cited as COVID pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and chronic kidney disease.
HE the President,
Republic of Sri Lanka
Dear Sir,
I would like to draw your serious and immediate attention to the content of this article, (attached) especially sections marked in red by Kamalika. I am afraid the same intrigue by the West is in full thrust even now, rather in a more organized and larger scale
What is worse is the additional conspiracies now hatched by India and Muslim Jihad terrorists
Both the western countries, their allies and India and even Arabic terrorist have established their own terrorist, jihad and ISIS networks within the country in addition to their global operations
In this context, I would request your Excellency to be extremely careful in your personal security and restrict your movements within the country and avoid foreign travel as well. I am deeply concerned about your safety and security
In this backdrop, I would strongly advise you to rethink and revisit your weekly Gamana samanga Pilisandarak programme as well.
In the Indian Ocean, we are surrounded and sandwiched by the Quadrilateral forces, and at home threatened by the Dasa bimbarak marasena of the opposition, Tamil and Muslim extremists and separatist, and the agents of the West and India that have infiltrate every nook and corner in the Island
If I were you I would seriously think of an alternative way to get this Pilisadarak program implemented through the Officials of the respective Districts more efficiently at a lower cost
I think that will avoid a big risk, save the time of public officials and also the excessive cost
Things in the country are so bad and vulnerable I think we should not take a chance.
With best regards.
Dr. Sudath Gunasekara
This essay looks at two important ‘results’ or ‘consequences’ or whatever, of the 1956 General election. They are firstly, the emergence of the SLFP. Secondly, the rise of Sirimavo Bandaranaike as the world’s first woman Prime Minister.
SRI LANKA FREEDOM PARTY
SWRD Bandaranaike formed the SLFP for two reasons, said Wiswa Warnapala. Firstly, as a democratic alternative to UNP and Marxist parties. Secondly, to provide a means of political expression for Sinhalese and Buddhist vested interests. SLFP stood for Sinhala culture and Buddhism at the time when no other political party was prepared to articulate these issues.
SLFP had its base in the rural areas. It catered to the full spectrum of voters there, from the ordinary villager to the rural elite. Unlike the other parties, SLFP knew how to make use of interest groups, observed Wiswa. This gave the SLFP a formidable base.
The SLFP from the beginning was a political party founded on the aspirations of the villager. The impoverishment of the village and its alienation from western culture isolated the villager from the political and economic life of the country. This group, who were marginalized during colonial period, needed its own political party. SLFP filled this need.
SLFP still remains loyal to its traditional support base, said Wiswa. The rural forces never allowed the party to move in any other direction. It never functioned as an instrument of the people in the urban areas. Even after half a century SLFP remains the main vehicle for the aspirations of the ‘common man’, said Wiswa.
The urban sector had a complementary view. The urban middle class wished to escape its village roots. That was why they left the village in the first place. They wanted a western model of governance, not a village one. They did not wish to support the SLFP. That reluctance continues to this day.
SLFP was never considered a party that could run the country. UNP was considered a better bet, due to its so-called sound economic policies. But Sri Lanka’s foreign policy under SLFP rule has been far superior to UNP foreign policy. SLFP knew to frame the right foreign policy, said analysts. Bandaranaike set the direction, Sirimavo and Mahinda Rajapaksa continued it.
SLFP became utterly unpopular in the 1970s due to its absurd economic policy. SLFP lost the 1977 general election and the 1982 Presidential election, but the party did not fall. Instead its voter base rose from 1,855,331 in 1977 to 2,548,438 in 1982. This was a jump of 37%. The SLFP got nearly 700,000 new votes that they had never got before. Nobody has yet broken this record, said Chandraprema in 2015.
SLFP was not in power from 1978- 1994. The period under SLFP’s Chandrika Kumaratunga 1994-2005 did not please anyone. But when Mahinda Rajapaksa took over the leadership of the SLFP in 2005, as President, the rural base got energized, said Wiswa.
They had voted Mahinda in to create yet another 1956, with a different emphasis, he said. The rural voter now wants a leader who could take them beyond the achievements of 1956. Therefore SLFP now needs to meet the challenges of the 21st century, a very advanced and developed century, concluded Wiswa, writing in 2006.
SIRIMAVO BANDARANAIKE
The assassination of SWRD led to the unexpected rise of his widow, Sirimavo, to the position of Prime Minister .Sirimavo held the post of Prime Minister from 1960- 1965 and 1970-1977. The 1960-65 period is definitely a continuation of the 1956 run.
Sirimavo was not the backward rural product she was made out to be. She came from a top family, the Mahawalatenne family, and she had studied at a leading Christian school in Colombo, St Bridgets.
As first woman Prime Minister Sirimavo made global headlines and brought fame to Sri Lanka. Fame which lasted for decades said analysts. But Sirimavo was not a mere figurehead. She actually led the country and was most effective. Sirimavo from the beginning showed strength of will, shrewd judgment, and political skill of a high order, said KM de Silva.
Sirimavo took to politics like a duck to water. She was well prepared .Sirimavo had supervised the breakfast press briefings given by Bandaranaike when he was Prime Minister. So she knew what was happening. She had offered her opinion to Bandaranaike on the Paddy Lands Bill, and asked whether the Bill need be so extreme. Politics was not entirely unknown to her, said DB Dhanapala.
Sunetra Bandaranaike confirmed this when interviewed about her mother. Asked whether her mother was interested in matters of state during Bandaranaike‘s tenure of office Sunetra said ‘oh yes. She used to always be deeply involved in his political life from the outside, finding out what was happening. When Cabinet ministers came home, she would sit and listen a little, or bring in tea and hear conversations. She was fully aware of what was happening and gave her views very strongly.’ said Sunetra.
She argued ‘all the time’ with SWRD on political matters, continued Sunetra. They would discuss politics over morning tea. Sirimavo who had her own ideas on the political problems of the moment would say’ now Solomon, if I were you, this is how I would do it.’ Sunetra had heard this many times. She had taken a far more strict position than SWRD. SWRD would agree and then do what he wanted, said Sunetra. (Interview with Sunetra Bandaranaike. Daily News 4.1.16 p 11)
Sirimavo was very active in domestic politics. She took over Lake House. Peoples Bank was set up, providing bank services to places which did not have banks. State Insurance Corporation was set up. Assisted schools were nationalized. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation took away the oil distribution from Caltex and Shell. Ceylon Civil Service was abolished and Ceylon Administrative Service which included the DROs was set up. The position of Village headman was abolished and the grama sevaka created.
Sirimavo showed bias in her domestic administration. I think that she would have had a very parochial attitude. Victor C de Silva, a relative of mine, rose to the position of Director, Public works Department on his own merit and seniority after decades of dedicated, unblemished service. The family was proud and happy. Then they got a shock. Prime Minister Sirimavo had summarily removed Victor and appointed someone else, whom no one had heard of, to the post. I forget his name. The matter was corrected later, but it caused much temporary unhappiness and left a bad taste in the mouth. I am sure that there would have many other instances of this sort.
While the faults of Sirima” are widely accepted, her foreign policy and internationalism, deserves attention, said Leelananda de Silva. She had great achievements during her first term, as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister between 1960 and 1965.
The period that she was foreign minister (and Prime Minister) saw Sri Lanka punching above her weight in foreign affairs. The Cold War was on, and international diplomacy required careful navigation, especially for a country like Ceylon that had recently achieved independence.
Diplomacy was not new to Sirimavo. She had entertained the several heads of state who visited Sri Lanka when her husband was Prime Minister. Sirima entertained and came into close contact with some of the world’s topmost leaders said DB Dhanapala. He named Nehru, Chou, Tito, Rajendra Prasad and Harold Macmillan. She had visited US, Britain, France, India and Burma with her husband when he was Prime Minister said Dhanapala. Sirimavo was therefore familiar with diplomacy and diplomatic protocol,. Bradman Weerakoon said Sirima was always impeccably dressed for any function, neither over nor under dressed.
Sirimavo strengthened the two valuable diplomatic links established by her husband, China and Russia. In the summer of 1962, she became the first Sri Lankan Prime Minister to visit the Soviet Union. Sirimavo was treated as a special guest of Khrushchev. She was given red carpet treatment. Most state visitors were put up in hotels or the state guest house but Sirima and her group were put up in luxurious suites in the Kremlin Palace.
As soon as they arrived, Khrushchev had ordered that the group be given warm clothes. He did not want them to die of the cold on this official visit. The Sri Lanka delegation was taken to the Bolshoi Ballet and in return, Sri Lanka presented the Chitrasena ballet, Kara Diya. It had been well received.
In December 1962 Sirimavo visited China. This was the first time that a Sri Lanka Prime Minister had visited China. China treated it as a state visit and Sirimavo was received with much pomp and ceremonial. At Canton she was greeted with an army guard of honor, march past, dancers in traditional lion costume and bands playing Chinese music. They were given heavy fur overcoats and head gear to face the cold. She met several times with Chinese Premier Chou en Lai at Peking.
In February 1964, Chou visited Bandaranaike in Ceylon with offers of aid, gifts of rice and textiles, and discussions to extend trade. The two also discussed the Sino-Indian border dispute and nuclear disarmament. There was a second state visit to China in 1972. This was the most successful visit of a Sri Lankan leader to a foreign country that I have witnessed said Jayantha Dhanapala.
Sirimavo had a close friendship with Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India. Sirimavo had first met Indira when Nehru had invited SWRD and family to India for a private visit, recalled Sunetra. We stayed at his residence. That is how they met. We had had a lovely visit, seeing all the sites.
Indo-Sri Lanka relations were excellent said Leelananda. Sirimavo settled the issues relating to Indian citizens in Ceylon (the Sirima-Shasthri pact) and maritime border issues with India.
In September 1964, Bandaranaike led a delegation to India to discuss the repatriation of the 975,000 stateless Tamils residing in Ceylon. Along with Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, she ironed out the terms of the Srimavo-Shastri Pact, a landmark agreement for the foreign policy of both nations. Sirimavo also got India to withdraw its claim to Kachchativu.
Sirimavo intervened in the Sino-Indian dispute, travelling to both countries as an intermediary. She was a key player in reducing tensions between India and China after their 1962 border dispute. In November and December of that year, Bandaranaike called conferences in Colombo with delegates from Burma, Cambodia, Ceylon, Ghana and the United Arab Republic to discuss the dispute. She then travelled with Ghanaian Justice Minister Kofi Ofori-Atta to India and China in an attempt to broker peace . In January 1963, Nehru agreed to present to the Indian Parliament the settlement Sirimavo had advocated.
Professor J.K. Galbraith, who was the US Ambassador in India at the time, records in his Ambassador’s Journal, the anticipation with which interested parties looked forward to Mrs. Bandaranaike’s mediation efforts. Mrs. Bandaranaike attached the highest importance to the maintenance of friendly relations with India, and she did that as an equal and not as a subordinate party, observed Leelananda.
However, Sirimavo took an independent stand when it came to India’s two neighbors, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Sirimavo gave Pakistan refueling facilities for its aircraft and permission to use Sri Lanka air space, during Bangladesh war of independence 1971, irritating Mrs. Gandhi no end, observed Leelananda. Pakistan and Bangladesh have never forgotten this, though Sri Lanka has.
Sirimavo was careful. When the tea estates belong to Sterling companies were taken over, she was anxious to ensure that fair compensation was paid to British owners and she discussed this issue with Harold Wilson, the British Prime Minister. She did not want to jeopardize the relationship with Britain.
Sirimavo benefited from SWRD’s diplomatic activities. When Sirimavo took over oil distribution from Shell and Caltex, America was angry. Egyptian President Abdel Nasser sent oil tankers to Sri Lanka. Egypt had not forgotten that Bandaranaike had strongly supported Egypt during the Suez crisis.
Sirimavo paid state visits to Poland, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany,. She recognized East Germany though it angered West Germany. Yugoslavia was a favorite country of hers. She went there often for treatment for her arthritis. Her relations with Josip Broz Tito were excellent, said Bradman.
Sirimavo continued her husband’s policy of linking diplomacy with trade. She wanted foreign policy to be of relevance to her domestic economic policies, said Leelananda. When she visited countries in the South East Asian region including Japan her concerns were equally economic and political.
There are many instances I can quote, from my own experience of Mrs. Bandaranaike’s concern to link up domestic and foreign policy, said Leelananda. She returned from the Russian visit with an agreement for large quantities of discounted petroleum from USSR. With only two weeks’ worth of rice in stock, she negotiated an emergency shipment of 40,000 tons from China. In 1975 Ms. Bandaranaike negotiated with Saddam Hussein, then Vice President of Iraq, for 250,000 tons of oil on a deferred payment scheme.
Sirimavo followed SWRD’s policies in international affairs. She attended the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference in London March 1961. Sirimavo was ever anxious to push the image of newly independent Sri Lanka on such occasions.
When she was in London for this conference, she found that Ceylon’s High Commissioner was giving a dinner in her honor. Sirimavo wrote to Bradman Weerakoon that she would like some Ceylon fruits used at this dinner. She wanted mangosteens, rambuttan and mangos. She said that the mangosteens could be plucked fresh form Horagolla. The rambuttans must be sweet not sour. She specified the amount, 100 mangosteens, 50 rambuttans and 3 dozen mangos.They must not be too ripe when they leave Ceylon. They could come on the Air Ceylon flight just in time for the dinner. This letter in Sirimavo’s handwriting can be seen in Bradman Weerakoon’s Rendering unto Caesar p 91.
Sirimavo developed SWRD’s line on Non-alignment and did it better than SWRD, who was not given a change to develop it himself. Sri Lanka grew in stature internationally as a founder nation of the Non-Aligned Movement under the guidance of Ms. Bandaranaike, said Leelananda.
Sirimavo attended the Conference on Non-Aligned Nations in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961 . She co-sponsored the Non-Aligned Conference held in Cairo In October, 1961 at Cairo, . She got much publicity for her speech which started As a woman and a mother.” Felix Dias Bandaranaike and others in her team had initially toyed with the idea of saying ‘Mummy’ instead of Mother, since they were in Egypt, the land of mummies.
She also addressed the UN General Assembly in 1976 as Head of Non-aligned movement . The climax of her work in Non-alignment was the highly successful Non Aligned conference held in Colombo in 1976. This was Sri Lanka ‘s first international conference and Colombo did an excellent job.
Mrs. Bandaranaike also proposed that the Indian Ocean to be a Zone of Peace. She first mentioned the idea briefly in her speech at the NAM Summit in Lusaka in September 1970, and it was reflected in the final declaration of the Lusaka summit. On her return from Lusaka she directed the Foreign Ministry to flesh out the concept. The concept had been influenced by Diego Garcia becoming a U.S. base.
A resolution was proposed by Sri Lanka at the UN General Assembly’s First Committee dealing with Disarmament and International Security Issues. The resolution was introduced hastily at the behest of Mrs. Bandaranaike without full consultations among the littoral states and the major powers, observed Jayantha Dhanapala. Out of respect for Mrs. Bandaranaike the NAM countries supported the resolution, but most of the West abstained with the U.S., U.K. and France strongly opposed. However, an ad hoc committee was created with the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka appointed chairman.
The Prime Minster did not have the time or the inclination to intervene with details of foreign policy management and administration. Those tasks Mrs. Bandaranaike left to her permanent secretary, said Leelananda.
The management of the Foreign Service was highly professional at that time, said Leelananda. SWRD was responsible for initiating this. Sirimavo appointed career diplomats as heads of missions: Arthur Basnayake to Japan, Ben Fonseka to Kenya and H. O. Wijegoonewardena to Iraq. Vernon Mendis remained as Director-general in the foreign ministry. Mrs. Bandaranaike relied on his advice and expertise, said Jayantha Dhanapala.
The best fortnightly reports sent in by the diplomats were sent to Mrs. Bandaranaike. She also received special dispatches from the Sri Lanka diplomatic missions, as well as policy papers generated by the Foreign Ministry. She studied them and they were all returned with neatly penned marginal comments, recalled Jayantha Dhanapala.
This essay concludes
with two reminiscences by Jayantha Dhanapala.
A group of Chinese doctors came on a
private visit to Colombo in the 1970s to attend on Mrs. Ezlynn Deraniyagala, a
kinswoman of Sirimavo and on Sirimavo herself.
They were accommodated in the Prime Minister’s official residence, but official
transport was not used for their private
excursions. The delegation was given
lunch at the Hikkaduwa Rest House.
Sirimavo had later asked for the bill and paid the expenses from her personal
funds. I continue to marvel at this exemplary conduct, unique in the behavior
of our politicians,” said Jayantha Dhanapala.
At the end of the 1972 state visit to China , the officials in Beijing began preparing the customary gifts for those in the Chinese government associated with the visit. It was late at night in the Sri Lanka delegation’s office room as we gift-wrapped the parcels and pasted the appropriate labels on them. A figure in a dressing gown with her hair let down in a plait slipped in to join in our collective work. It was Mrs. Bandaranaike, quietly working with her staff. Her personal touch in supervising the tying of the bows and the neatness of packaging of us clumsy-fingered men was invaluable, concluded Jayantha Dhanapala. ( Continued)
Largely a good response against a case built on the foundations of the allegation of an uneacceptably large civilian casualty rate of 40000 or over in the last few weeks of the war, being led & peddled by Uk and US against the reporting of their own embassies in Colombo at that time.
These embassy’s Defence attaché s regular dispatches during these weeks, obtained using suppression of information act in UK and tabled in the UK House of Lords in Oct 2017 by Lord Naseby, clearly and repeatedly had indicated that this was not the case .Instead that the real casualty rate was around 7000 later supported by the then UN resident rep Sir John Holmes and confirmed later by the Tamil University Teachers Census and further evidenced by the absence of any burial sites for such a large number of casualties even ten years after the war nor evidence of the two to three times that number of injured civilans had the casualty figure been correct.
These dispatches had also confirmed that the SL security forces took every care to minimize civilian casualties against tigers deliberate attempt to increase the civilian casualties to use this to make the international community apply pressure on the SL govt to withdraw their offensive that was going to soon destroy them as happened and for future use as propaganda such as what Tim Sebastian is doing now.
Tigers deliberately sought to increase civilian casualties by using them as human shields , nearly 300,000 of them were rescued at the end of the war.
The abject hypocrisy on the part of the UK and US to sponsor the recent UNHCR resolution against this background is what Tim Sebastian should be questioning .This has to be repeatedly pointed out to TS and the international community.
Against this monumental hypocrisy, deceit and deception neither US nor UK has any moral right or standing to question SL on accountability when they ignore their trusted information sources without any accountability. Lord Naseby only got this information using the freedom to information act and that too much redacted. Instead they now orchestrate the allegations that the Tiger Diaspora first initiated which has since been orchestrated by many cash strapped media outlets first by UK channel four and now by Tim Sebastian begging the question of what part the ill gotten billion dollar war chest of the Tiger diaspora is playing in all this orchestration.
Even more deplorable is how Tim Sebestian attempted to stoke the calming embers of Muslim concerns by orchestrating their past concerns re burial rights for Covid victims, which is now a thing of the past which no doubt the likes of the Tiger Diaspora would hate to see settled.
The UNHCR described as cess pool of intrigue” by President Trump is doing itself no favors nor Tim Sebestian , by orchestrating Tiger Diaspora rhetoric ignoring the over whelming evidence against it’s veracity.
Even worse ,countries like US and UK by doing the same is bringing into disrepute the very concept of democracy and free speech if it uses this sacred right to peddle such falsehood simply because it suits their respective political agendas.
The nations committed truely to democracy sans political agendas should rise up against these powerful nations for political reasons pouncing to vulture a small nation doing a sterling job eliminating world’s worst terrorism, carrying out the greatest rescue in human history of 300,000 human shields , in itself worthy of Nobel Prize recognition .
The political reasons , lest it not be realized , is SL’s closeness to China to which SL has been driven to by cornering by these nations and their own development necessitations and the Tiger Diaspora’s orchestrated political clout in UK ‘s marginal electorates and hence the eventual outcome of the whole election.
This vendetta against Sri Lanka based onTiger Dispora inspired allegations must stop .
Instead countries like UK, US and Canada that provided safe havens to this Tiger dispora to to fund to wage three decades of world most brutal terrorism as characterize by the FBI,that saw over one hundred thousand casualties and many times more maimed should be made to account for this UNPRECEDENTED WAR CRIME IN HUMAN HISTORY, , through legal mechanisms. Their safe havens should immediately be withdrawn . The rest of the world should make a clarion call for this
It is only then that regurgitation ,of this same wine in different bottles , will stop.
The United Nations and the rest of the world , must rise up to the challenge.
Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM
Spokesperson
United Sri Lanka Association
Wellington NZ
පොලීසිය ඉන්නේ දඩ ගහන්න නෙමෙයි,පොලීසිය ඉන්න ඕන සමාජය යහපත් කරන වැඩේ කරන්න.ඒ නිසා අපි වෙනදටත් වඩා මහජනතාවත් සමඟ සම්බන්ධ වෙලා කරන වැඩ කළ යුතුයි.ඒකෙන් මම කියන්නේ නෑ හොරු අල්ලන්න එපා, කුඩු අල්ලන්න එපා,කසිප්පු අල්ලන්න එපා කියන එක නෙමෙයි,ඒ ටිකට දඩ ගහනවාට අමතරව,ඔවුන් යහපත් මාර්ගයට ගන්න වැඩේ තමයි අපි කරන්න ඕනකම තියෙන්නේ යැයි රාජ්යය අමාත්යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතා පැවසීය.
ඒ මහතා මේ බව ප්රකාශ කර සිටියේ අනුරාධපුර දිස්ත්රික්කයේ තිරප්පනය ප්රාදේශීය සම්බන්ධීකරණ කමිටු රැස්වීමේදීය. සූර්ය බල, සුළං හා ජල විදුලි ජනන සංවර්ධන රාජ්ය අමාත්යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතාගේ සභාපතීත්වයෙන් මෙම කමිටු රැස්වීම තිරප්පනය ප්රාදේශීය සභා ශ්රවණාගාරයේදී පැවැත්විණි.
එහිදී වැඩිදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ රාජ්යය අමාත්යයතුමන්,
අපි ආණ්ඩුවක් විදිහට තීන්දුවක් අරගෙන තියෙනවා, වෙනදා අපි එක පුද්ගලයෙක් වෙනුවෙන් විදුලිය ලබා දෙන්න වැය කලේ උපරිමය ලක්ෂ තුන හමාරයි,ලක්ෂ තුන හමාරකට වඩා වියදමක් යනවා නම් වැඩිපුර යන වියදම පාරිභෝගිකයා විසින් දැරිය යුතුයි.හැබැයි අපි ප්රථිපත්තිමය තීන්දුවක් ගත්තා සැමට විදුලිය ව්යාපෘතිය යටතේ 2021 වර්ෂය සියලු දෙනාටම 100% ක් විදුලිය ලබා දී අවසන් කරන වසර විදිහට.ඒ අනුව අපේ ප්රථිපත්තිය වෙලා තියෙන්නේ මුදල පදනම්ව නෙමෙයි,සෑම නිවසක්ම, විදුලිය අවශ්යතාව තියෙන සෑම කෙනෙකුගේම නිවස හෝ සේවා ස්ථානය හෝ අදාළ ස්ථානයේ ඉදිරිපිට තියෙන විදුලි කණුවේ විදුලිය තියෙන්න ඕන,මේක තමයි අපේ ප්රථිපත්තිය දැන්. විදුලිය ගන්නවාද නැද්ද කියන එක එයායේ වැඩක්,ඒ නිසා අපි ලක්ෂ 3 ½ ක් යනවාද, ලක්ෂ 05 ක් යනවාද, ලක්ෂ 10 ක් යනවාද, ට්රාන්ස්ෆෝමර් දාන්න වෙනවාද කියලා නෙමෙයි අපි බලන්නේ, විදුලිය කියන එක සියලු දෙනාටම තියෙන්න ඕන පහසුකමක් විදිහට තමයි මේ ආණ්ඩුවේ අපි සලකන්නේ,ඒ නිසා විදුලිය නොමැති සියලු දෙනාගේම අයදුම්පත් අරගෙන අපිට ඒවා භාර දෙන්න, ඒ වගේම අපි සිංහල-හින්දු අලුත් අවුරුද්දට කලින්, මීටර 50 ට අඩු විදුලිය දීර්ඝ කිරීම් ටික කරලා, ඒ අයට අපි විදුලිය ලබා දෙන්න කටයුතු කරනවා.ඒ වගේම මේ වැඩසටහන යටතේ අපි සමෘද්ධිලාභීන් හා සමෘද්ධි පොරොත්තු ලේඛනයේ ඉන්න සියලු දෙනා වෙනුවෙන්, නොමිලේ විදුලිය ලබා දෙනවා,විදුලි බල මණ්ඩලයෙන් සම්බන්ධ කිරීමේ ගාස්තු ලෙස රුපියල් 20 000 ක් පමණ අය කරනවා සාමාන්යයෙන්, හැබැයි ඒ 20 000 ක මුදල අය නොකර, ඒ මුදල ආණ්ඩුවෙන් දරලා, සමෘද්ධිලාභීන්ට හා සමෘද්ධි පොරොත්තු ලේඛනයේ සිටින පිරිසට නොමිලේ විදුලිය ලබා දෙනවා.සමෘද්ධි ව්යාපාරය හරහා වයරින් කර ගන්න අවශ්ය උදව්ව ලබා දීමේ වැඩසටහනකුත් ක්රියාත්මක වෙනවා. ඒ අනුව මේ වර්ෂය තුළ විදුලිය 100% ක් ලබා දීමේ වැඩසටහන ක්රියාත්මක කරනවා.
ඒ වගේම අපි කීප විටක්ම තොරතුරු ගත්තා, විදුලිය ධාරිතාව සම්බන්ධයෙන් ගැටලු තිබෙනවා නම්, පාරවල් වල තියෙන කණු ඉවත් කර ගන්න තියෙනවා නම්,වතු හරහා යන වයර් අයින් කර ගන්න තියෙනවා නම්, විදුලි බල මණ්ඩලය සම්බන්ධ ගැටලු සියල්ලම අපිට ලබා දෙන්න,එම ප්රශ්න-ගැටලු ටිකත් මේ වර්ෂය ඇතුළත අපි විසදලා දෙනවා.
එහිදී ප්රදේශයේ ආරක්ෂක කටයුතු සම්බන්ධයෙන් අදහස් දැක්වූ තිරප්පනය පොලිස් ස්ථානාධිපති, පොලිස් පරීක්ෂක ආර්.එම්.අයි බණ්ඩාර මහතා කියා සිටියේ,
රථ වාහන පාලන රාජකාරීයේදී, බීමත්ව රිය පැදවීම වැනි නඩු තතුළින් පමණක් මේ වර්ෂයේ අනුරාධපුර දිස්ත්රික්කය තුළ කෝටි 22 කට අධික මුදලක් දඩලෙස අය කර ගෙන තියෙනවා යනුවෙනි.
ඊට පිළිතුරු දුන් දිස්ත්රික් සම්බන්ධීකරණ කමිටු සභාපති රාජ්යය අමාත්යය දුමින්ද දිසානායක මහතා,
පොලීසිය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ගත්තම ආරක්ෂාව සම්බන්ධයෙන් පමණක් නෙමෙයි,මහජන හිතකාමී පොලීසියක් විය යුතුයි.දඩ ගහනවා කියන එක ගත්තම පොලීසිය ඉන්නේ දඩ ගහන්න නෙමෙයි,පොලීසිය ඉන්න ඕන සමාජය යහපත් කරන වැඩේ කරන්න.ඒ නිසා අපි වෙනදටත් වඩා මහජනතාවත් සමඟ සම්බන්ධ වෙලා කරන වැඩ කළ යුතුයි.ඒකෙන් මම කියන්නේ නෑ හොරු අල්ලන්න එපා, කුඩු අල්ලන්න එපා,කසිප්පු අල්ලන්න එපා කියන එක නෙමෙයි,ඒ ටිකට දඩ ගහනවාට අමතරව,ඔවුන් යහපත් මාර්ගයට ගන්න වැඩේ තමයි අපි කරන්න ඕනකම තියෙන්නේ යැයි පැවසීය.
වැඩිදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වමින් නිළධාරීන්ට උපදෙස් දුන් රාජ්යය අමාත්යයතුමන්,
ඒ වගේම හදිස්සියේ අමාත්යංශ වලින් සංවර්ධන යෝජනා ඉල්ලීම් කරනවා,ඒ සෑම යෝජනාවක්ම ඉල්ලනකොට ග්රාමීය කමිටුවත් එක්ක සාකච්ජා කරලා අවසන් තීන්දුව ගන්න.ඒක පුරුද්දක් කර ගන්න.මොකක් හරි යෝජනාවක් ගන්න ගමට ආවොත් ඒක කමිටුවත් සමගින් සාකච්ජා කරන්න.මොකද හැමදේම ක්රමවේදයකටනේ අපි යන්න යන්නේ,ජාතික කමිටු හදලා, අනු කමිටු හදලා,දිස්ත්රික් කමිටු හදලා, ප්රාදේශීය සම්බන්ධීකරණ කමිටු හදලා, ප්රාදේශීයව අනු කමිටු හදලා අපි බලාපොරොත්තු වෙන්නේ කාගෙන් යෝජනාවක් ගත්තත් ඒක සාකච්ජා කරලා ගන්න හරිම යෝජනාව විදිහට අපි දකින්නේ.හැබැයි අපිට තේරෙනවා අපි ක්රමවේදය හදාගෙන ආවාට,දැන් ක්රීඩා බඩු බෙදන එකක් ගත්තොත් අර තාම පුරුදු වෙලා ඉන්නේ ක්රීඩා නිළධාරීතුමා තමන් ගාව තියෙන ලැයිස්තුවට තමයි, නැත්නම් ගමෙන් තමන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලීමක් කරපු එක තමයි එයා එවන්නේ.එහෙම නොකර ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් ග්රාමීය කමිටුවත් සමඟ සාකච්ජා කරන්න, එහෙම සාකච්ජා කරලා ප්රමුඛතාවය අනුව තමයි ලැයිස්තුව එවන්න ඕනකම තියෙන්නේ.
ඒ වගේම මම දැක්කා වසමකින් නිවසක් හදන වැඩසටහනේදී,වසම් කීපයකම යෝජනා ඇවිල්ලා නෑ,ඇයි කියලා ඇහුවම මන්ත්රීතුමත් උඩ බලනවා, නිළධාරීන් කියනවා අපිට දීලා නෑ කියලා,රජයේ නිළධාරීන් ලෙස ඔබතුමන්ලාට යම් යම් නිර්ණායක මත තමයි මේක තෝරන්න දීලා තියෙන්නේ,ඒ නිර්නායක අනුව තමයි දේශපාලන අධිකාරියයි,ඔබතුමන්ලයි හැමෝම ප්රථිලාභීයා තෝරන්න ඕනකම තියෙන්නේ. කොට්ඨාශයෙන් මේ යෝජනාව ගන්නවා නම් අපිට නිළධාරීන් ඕන නෑනේ, අපිට කැමති කෙනෙක් තෝරන්න පුළුවන්.ඒ නිසා රජයේ නිළධාරිනුයි, දේශපාලන අධිකාරියයි සහ මේ නීතී රීතී හා චක්ර ලේඛණ වලට අදාල විදිහට තමයි මේ ටික තෝරන්න ඕනකම තියෙන්නේ.කාටවත් ඇගිල්ල දික් කරන්න එපා මේක මන්ත්රීතුමා දුන්නා,මේක නිළධාරියා දුන්නා කියලා, මේක නෙමෙයි අපිට අවශ්යය කරන්නේ, හරිම කෙනා තෝරා ගැනීමයි අවශ්යය වෙන්නේ,ඒ නිසා මම කියන්නේ එන සෑම යෝජනාවක්ම ග්රාමීය කමිටුව සමඟ සාකච්ජා කරන්න, ඊට අමතරව අපි හිතමු වැව් ටික හදන්න ඕන කියලා, අපි ආයේ පාරක් ගමෙන් ගිහින් වැව් ලැයිස්තු ගන්න බෑ,අපි දැන් ගම සමඟ පිළිසඳරක් හරහා සියලුම යෝජනා ටික ප්රමුඛතාවක් ලෙස හදලා තියෙනවා.ඒ නිසා මේ ටික වෙනම කාණ්ඩ ගත කරන්න.එවිට සංවර්ධන කටයුතු ඒ ප්රමුඛතා ලැයිස්තු අනුව කළ හැකි වෙනවා. පහුගිය කාළයේ අපි එක එක විදිහට වැඩ කරපු නිසා ක්රමය පොඩ්ඩක් එහෙ මෙහෙ වෙලා ඇති,නමුත් ආයේ පාරක් අපි හරි පාරට ආවම වැඩ ටික කරන්න පුලුවන් යැයි පැවසීය.
මෙම අවස්ථාවට, මිහින්තලය ආසන ශ්රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂ ජාතික සංවිධායක සරත් ඉලංගසිංහ,තිරප්පනය ප්රාදේශීය සභා සභාපති රොෂාන් ඉලංගසිංහ යන මහත්වරුන් ඇතුළු දේශපාලන නියෝජිතයින්,තිරප්පනය ප්රාදේශීය ලේකම්තුමිය සජිදාභාණු මහත්මිය ඇතුළු රාජ්යය නිළධාරීන් සහභාගී වූහ.
GENEVA (Reuters) – Chinese vaccine makers Sinopharm and Sinovac have presented data on their COVID-19 vaccines indicating levels of efficacy that would be compatible with those required by the World Health Organization, the chair of a WHO advisory panel said on Wednesday.
The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) hopes to issue recommendations on those vaccines by the end of April, its chair Alejandro Cravioto, told a Geneva news briefing.
“The information that the companies shared publicly at the (SAGE) meeting last week clearly indicates that they have levels of efficacy that would be compatible with the requirements that WHO has asked for this vaccine,” Cravioto said, referring to the group of independent experts’ closed-door meeting.
“That means about 50% (efficacy) and preferably close to or above 70% and of course, they have all the safety data to show that this vaccine would cause no harm in humans when used.”
The vaccines would first require emergency use listing from the WHO or from what the agency considers to be a stringent regulatory authority before SAGE experts can make recommendations about their use, he added.
WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said earlier this month that Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines could receive WHO emergency listing “quite soon”.
No detailed efficacy data of Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine has been publicly released but its developer, Beijing Biological Products Institute, a unit of Sinopharm subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG), said the vaccine was 79.34% effective in preventing people from developing the disease based on interim data. It has been approved in several countries including China, Pakistan and the UAE.
Sinovac’s vaccine showed varied efficacy readings of between 50.65% and 83.5% based on trials from Brazil, Turkey and Indonesia.
The two China-made vaccines have seen strong demand from many developing countries which have limited access to shots made by rival Western drugmakers.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Kate Kelland)
State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control, Sudarshini Fernandopulle speaking to Ceylon Today stated that Sri Lanka’s inoculation program has been temporarily suspended due to lack of COVISHIELD Vaccine stocks.
When inquired further, Minister Fernandopulle stated that the Ministry of Health is in possession of only 264,000 doses of the vaccine, and therefore it has been decided to suspend the administration of the vaccine till 19 April, despite promises made that at least 20% of the population will be vaccinated.
The second dose of jabs is scheduled to begin on 19 April, as per a statement previously made by Chief Epidemiologist of the Epidemiology Unit Dr. Sudath Samaraweera.
Speaking about the vaccines that were due to arrive from the Serum Institute of India (SII), the State Minister explained that due to the dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 patients in India, they have decided to prioritize their own population.
Following this rapid increase, Sri Lanka’s requests for additional stocks of vaccines have remained unheard, she said, adding that it cannot be expected for the consignment to arrive as promised.
“We are at their mercy”, she said.
Moreover, with relation to Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, Minister Fernandopulle stated that as per the requests that have been made thus far, and the discussions that have followed, doses of the Sputnik V vaccine are due to arrive in Sri Lanka in May.
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