That Lord Buddha was of Sri Lankan origin is a canard that is being spread around Sri Lanka. This not only upset the historical foundations of Buddhism as the world knows it at present, but also create schisms among the Buddhists.
For a start, Sri Lanka was never a land of ‘Seekers after the Truth’! So it was never a fertile ground to produce a personality of spiritual greatness, let alone a Buddha! Does Sri Lanka record in her unparalleled recorded history, other great seekers or Enlightened Beings as those in India? Even today, India is spiritually vibrant and there are many who are actively ‘Seeking’ and achieving different levels of Enlightenment.
Prince Siddhartha was one such Great Being and we as Buddhists are certain that he was a Fully Enlightened Being. His life as we know it and most importantly his teachings make us certain that He is a fully Enlightened Being. Can any of the proponents of this new theory that Lord Buddha had His beginnings in Sri Lanka provide a similar background in Sri Lanka to that of India 2500 year ago? The great body of knowledge that is Buddha Dhamma did not grow to be – Heenayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana in Sri Lanka!
We as Sri Lankans are at best – followers and what we have done better than most other countries in Asia is preserving and propagating Buddhism. We also perfected a Buddhist way of life that allowed local beliefs, Gods and rituals to be absorbed leaving deeper understanding and following of the Dhamma to active seekers. It is this way of life and culture that is under threat now.
Buddhism had its heyday in India and during those centuries produced the best of the Buddhist way of life and thinking. Beginning with Emperor Asoka of the Maurya Empire and many other Buddhist kings that followed such as King Kanishka of the Kushan Empire took Buddhism Westward, Eastward and Southward. Thinkers such as Nagasena, Nagarjuna, Ashwaghosha et al contributed immensely to Buddhist thought, especially Mahayana traditions that spread eastwards to China, Korea and Japan. The reasons for the disappearance of Buddhism in India are well-researched subjects. The appearance of the Advaita doctrine of the Vedanta schools popularised by Adi Shankara too had a role in making Buddhism nearly vanish from India.
In Sri Lanka, Samantabhadra Himi – former Pitiduwe Siri Dhamma Thero claims to be an Arahant. This person is a former science graduate who has studied the works of Advaita Masters – such as Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ramesh Balsekar then, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, J Krishnamurthi and others and their version of vedic logic. He preaches as Buddhism a mix of the Hindu teachings of the above masters and scientific imponderables that are difficult to be understood by ordinary lay persons. His followers are quite mesmerised by his words, simply because they sound profound and believe what he says to be the words of an Enlightened Arahant! Ven Heenatigala Indrawansa Thero, who stayed at Pitiduwe Siridhamma Thero’s temple ( follow the link below) has read the books in his library and from what is there, it is easy to understand the thoughts of Pitiduwe Siridhamma Thero and a measure of his teachings.
We certainly appreciate his agricultural and entrepreneurial exploits and the example he provides for the lazy serendipitous population in Sri Lanka to wake up and start working!
It is a shame that Buddhism – in fact cultural Buddhism has got so much diluted that most of our Buddhist Priests in Sri Lanka are not what they are supposed to be – rather close to Hindu Pusaris wearing Buddhist Robes offering blessings, Pirith Nool and performing similar religious observances. While Lord Buddha advocated Bhikku and Bhikkuni to live a life of renunciation and seek Nibbana, there are only a few who actively do so. We as Upasaka and Upasika provide a modicum of what we are supposed to do in looking after their welfare the same is not reciprocated by most Buddhist priests in guiding Upasaka and Upasika to follow the Dhamma and guide them to their own emancipation and in the end to Nibbana! While considering simple book knowledge of the Tripitakas as a high achievement, the same importance is not given to the practice of meditation and for the seeking of the higher levels of understanding and achievement – Sovan, Sakrudhagami, Anagami and Arahant.
While Lord Buddha travelled on foot the length and breadth of Northern India and taught his message of Universal Love and Peace to kings in their palaces, to ordinary people in their villages and to wayside mendicants alike, our Mahanayakes remain in air-conditioned comfort like Maharajahs hardly ever out of their Benz Cars let alone soil their dainty feet on a dusty road. I am yet to hear a single Buddhist sermon by anyone of these – for the welfare of the many” – as Lord Buddha advocated the Sangha community of the day!
It is in this background that the Christian West and their acolytes the NGOs, are making haste intent on making Buddhism vanish from Asia – just as it happened in India with militant Hinduism and later with Moghul Invasions. What is happening now is a part of ‘pivoting to Asia’ doctrine of the Christian West led by the US. NATO expansion beyond the borders of the North Atlantic are the death throes of the western ‘civilisation’ trying to set fire to the rest of the world before her own vainglorious demise! Militant Islam is only a malleable tool in their hands in regime change and destroying cultures.
For 2500 years, Buddhism in Sri Lanka survived the Hindu incursions of South India, the Catholic invasion of the Portuguese, the Protestant invasion of the Dutch and finally the Anglican invasion of the British. What is left is to emancipate the land and Buddhists from the Buddhist pretenders – the Kalu Suddas! This is left in the hands of the ordinary pious Buddhists who still throng the Buddhist places of worship, come rain, hail or sunshine – for their faith and willingness to defend the Buddhist Establishment in Sri Lanka is still strong!
Colombo, September 30: India has suffered a geopolitical setback in the Maldives. In the final phase of the Maldivian Presidential election held on Saturday, the pro-Indian incumbent Ibrahim Solih was defeated by his pro-China challenger Dr.Mohamed Muizzu.
But there is a silver lining: In his election speeches, Muizzu repeatedly promised to follow an independent and non-partisan foreign policy.
Be that as it may, the bottom line is that India will not have a monopoly of influence over the Maldives under Muizzu that it had during the Solih regime from 2018 onwards.
In the second and final round of polling, called the runoff” Dr.Muizzu got 53.9% of the valid votes and Solih 46.2%. Having got more than 50% of the valid votes, Muizzu won.
Muizzu got a majority in 131 islands, 17 atolls & 4 cities and Solih won 64 Islands and one atoll, but did not win any city.
With Muizzu grabbing the Presidency, the question in many minds is whether India’s geopolitical rival, China, will benefit from his victory. Muizzu is seen as being friendly to China and Solih to India.
However, Muizzu has not explicitly said that his government will tilt away from India and towards China. His statements indicate that he will not tilt towards any power but follow an independent line seeking the cooperation of all.
He has promised to protect the sovereignty of the Maldives against intrusions by outside powers. And he has categorically stated that he will not allow the stationing of any foreign military in the Maldives.
This affects India adversely because India has deployed military helicopters in the Maldives, ostensibly to protect the widespread islands from smugglers and pirates.
But a section of Maldivians, including some with a pro-India past, are opposed to the Indian military presence, or any foreign military presence, no matter what the reason.
When the helicopters were allowed by the previous Yameen government , the understanding was that Maldivians would be trained to pilot the choppers and the Indians would leave. But no Maldivians have been trained. It looks as if the Indians want to stay on,” said a political activist close to former President Mohamed Nasheed.
Nasheed, who was vocally pro-India and anti-China, is currently neutral.
The India Out” movement initiated by Muizzu’s party, the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), is built around the presence of the Indian helicopters and their Indian crew. The Solih government was totally against the ”India Out” movement, condemning it as being antithetical to Maldivian interests.
India had backed Solih to the hilt from the time of his candidature in the 2018 elections. New Delhi had given his government generous development aid and even budgetary support.
While the Abdula Yameen government (of which Muizzu was part) took huge loans from China to carry out large projects such as the Sinamale Bridge connecting Male, Hulhule and Hulhumale, the Solih regime took most of its loans from India.
Indian funds are being used to build the Thilamale bridge project, which will connect the city with Villimale, Gulhi and Thilafushi. Indian aid was taken for spots facilities also.
However, according to Muizzu’s supporters, the Solih government squandered Indian funds. It failed to deliver on promises. In other words, India’s help had gone in vain.
Solih spoilt his chances further in the run-up to the elections by making, at the eleventh hour, a plethora of promises about welfare projects including grants of land. This these were of no avail.
Muizzu, on the other hand, appeared to be more credible. He had a good track record as a development administrator. A Ph.D in Civil Engineering from the University of Leeds, he had distinguished himself as the Housing Minister in the Abdulla Yameen government and subsequently as Mayor of the country’s capital, Male.
Muizzu gained prominence for his pivotal involvement in overseeing several significant infrastructure projects, most notably the iconic Sinamalé Bridge. This remarkable bridge served as a vital connection linking the capital city, Male, to the Velana International Airport on Hulhule and extending further to the planned new city of Hulhumale.
Throughout the period spanning 2013 to 2018, a multitude of infrastructure initiatives were successfully completed under his leadership, including the construction of numerous harbours, jetties, parks, mosques, public buildings, sporting facilities, and roads.
Muizzu on Foreign Policy
Here are some of Muizzu’s pronouncements on foreign policy made during the election campaign. These indicate the direction his government will take.
In August, he told a public meeting that he intends to counteract threats to the Maldives’ independence from the policies of the Solih government.”
Speaking at a campaign event at Raa Ungoofaaru, Muizzu said that President Solih’s foreign policy had compromised the Maldives’ national interest and its sovereignty.”
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
He further said that the protection of the country’s independence should get priority over development projects.
Muizzu assured that foreign troops would not be allowed to remain in the Maldives under his Presidency.
At another meeting, Muizzu said his foreign policy strategy would centre around fostering strong and balanced relationships with friendly nations while preserving the Maldives’ interests.”
He charged that President Solih’s government was being influenced to the point that Maldives’ affairs were dictated by another country.
The affairs of our country, have been arranged in such a way by the government of today, that it is impossible to do a single thing unless it is endorsed by a neighbouring country,” Muizzu charged.
However, Muizzu always took care not to name India or China or any other country for that matter in his speeches.
He expressed his commitment to avoiding discrimination against any nation. There would be clear boundaries for diplomatic ties”, he stated. We will not praise one country too much nor distance ourselves excessively from it,” Muizzu said.
His statements indicated that he would be even-handed vis-à-vis India and China and not pronouncedly pro-China.
Stating his fundamental principle, Muizzu said: While the Maldives is a UN-recognised nation, the people of Maldives should have the full right to maintain their sovereignty and independence.”
Whether the country is small, big, close or distant, if we don’t go beyond the limits set in our foreign policy, all countries will be equal for us.”
We will not be leaning towards a particular country or leaning away from it.”
Amid the India-Canada diplomatic crisis, Bangladesh’s foreign minister said that he hopes Ottawa will stop sheltering those who flout the law.
Bangladesh on Friday alleged that Canada is becoming a hub of murderers”, reported India Today.
In an interview, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said that he hopes Ottawa will stop providing a safe haven to those who flout the law in their own countries.
Canada must not be a hub of all the murderers,” said Momen. The murderers can go to Canada and take shelter, and they can have a wonderful life while those they killed, their relatives are suffering. So, we have been asking the Canadian government to deport them. They know it, but unfortunately, currently, they do not even talk to us on this issue.”
The statement comes amid the deteriorating diplomatic ties between India and Canada. Ottawa alleged last week that the Indian government may be behind the killing of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil.
The allegations pertained to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force, who was shot dead in the parking lot of a gurdwara in Surrey near Vancouver on June 18. The Khalistan Tiger Force is a designated terrorist outfit in India.
India quickly dismissed Ottawa’s claims as motivated” and asked Canada to take legal action against anti-Indian elements” operating from its soil instead.
Stating that Bangladesh shares a good relationship with India, Momen said on Friday that all countries need to have zero tolerance towards terrorists.
This week, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry had also stated that terrorists have found a haven in Canada, reported ANI. Sabry accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of making outrageous allegations” against New Delhi.
The Canadian PM has a way of coming out with these outrageous allegations without any supporting proof,” said the Sri Lankan minister. The same thing they did for Sri Lanka, a terrible, total lie about saying that Sri Lanka had a genocide. Everybody knows there was no genocide in our country.”
India last week indefinitely suspended visa services in Canada citing security threats to its officials. New Delhi also said that Canada needed to look into its growing reputation as a safe haven” to terrorists, extremists and those involved in organised crime.
On Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that Canada has given operative space to terrorists and extremists, adding that it is an issue that has been a point of contention for long between the two countries.
In the last few years, it [diplomatic crisis with Canada] has come back into play because of what we consider to be a very permissive Canadian attitude towards terrorists, extremists who openly advocate violence,” Jaishankar said in response to a question at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC.
The way the police, judiciary and lawyers operate had left much to be desired in ensuring justice for all, Minister of Justice Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said at the National Law Week – 2023 celebrations yesterday.
Dr. Rajapakshe said that in a country with the rule of law, all citizens felt they had access to justice. The Minister said that the country faced a severe economic crisis in 2022. The breakdown of the rule of law was a major reason for the economic crisis, the Justice Minister said.
Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya said at the same event that people needed to understand the roles and functions of the judiciary, police, mediation boards and other institutions of justice in order to obtain a satisfactory service.
These institutions are there to ensure everyone has equal access to justice. If these institutions were not there, the rich and the powerful would always get their way,” the CJ said
China will continue to firmly support Sri Lanka in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions, getting rid of the poverty trap” and the trap of non-development”, and safeguarding its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity, Ambassador Qi Zhenhong said at the 74th National Day Reception of the People’s Republic of China on Thursday.
Given below are excerpts of the Chinese Ambassador’s speech: Right now, changes of the world, of our times and of history are unfolding in ways like never before, which leads to rapidly growing uncertainty, instability and unpredictability.
In view of these global challenges, President Xi Jinping has put forward three crucial global initiatives, namely the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. We urge all countries to respect each other, seek common ground while reserving differences, and work together to meet the challenges of our times and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping. Over the past 10 years under the BRI cooperation, more than 150 countries, including Sri Lanka, and 32 international organizations, have made great progress in connectivity, infrastructure, trade, and investment, with about 3,100 joint projects bringing tangible benefits to the world. As the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, I am more than happy to highlight the major projects between our two countries, such as the Katunayake Expressway, the Southern Expressway, the CICT, the Hambantota Port and the Port City Colombo, etc.
No matter how the world changes, China and Sri Lanka are good neighbours with mutual respect and trust, good partners with mutual benefit, and good friends who help each other. China’s friendly policy towards Sri Lanka is for all political parties and all people of Sri Lanka and maintains continuity and stability. In the past decades, many landmarks, such as the BMICH, the Supreme Court Complex, the Nelum Pokuna Theatre, the Polonnaruwa Kidney Disease Hospital and the National Hospital Out-Patient Department Building, have been gifted by the Chinese people to the Sri Lankan people.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, especially when Sri Lanka was faced with the economic challenges last year, China has been supporting Sri Lanka to the best of its ability. It includes not only providing emergency assistance from all walks of life in China, but also being the first to reach out to Sri Lanka to properly deal with its debt issues.
More importantly, China will continue to firmly support Sri Lanka in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions, getting rid of the poverty trap” and the trap of non-development”, and safeguarding its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity.”
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is currently in Berlin, yesterday ordered his Secretary Saman Ekanayake to launch a probe into the resignation of Mullaitivu District Judge and Magistrate, T. Saravanarajah, who heard the controversial Kurundimale temple case. The judge has cited receiving death threats as the reason for his resignation.
Judge Saravanarajah had not informed either the police or the Judicial Service Commission of the alleged death threats to him, sources said.
In a letter dated 23 September, 2023, addressed to the Judicial Services Commission, Judge T. Saravanarajah conveyed his decision to step down from various judicial roles including District Judge, Magistrate, Family Court Judge,
Primary Court Judge, Small Claims Court Judge, and Juvenile Court Judge.President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake held discussions on the judge’s resignation with Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles. It was revealed that the judge had not lodged any formal complaint of the alleged death threats prior to his resignation.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has indicated that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is prepared to transition to a youth leadership. Speaking to the media after visiting the Kelaniya Rajamaha Vihara, he mentioned that the party is ready for this change.
During his visit to the Kelaniya Rajamaha Vihara, former President Rajapaksa received blessings. He also had a friendly meeting with Ven Professor Kollupitiya Mahinda Sangharakkhita Na Thero.
When asked about his health during the visit, Rajapaksa reassured the journalist, stating that he is very healthy and does not have any illness. He responded to the inquiry by saying, “Do you see I’m sick? Whether or not I’m fine, that’s what people are saying. They’re not things to care about.
The Civil Defence Department officer attached to the Mapakada Wewa Wildlife Regional Office, who was arrested in relation to the shooting of a female elephant that had participated in the annual Randoli Perahera of Mahiyanganaya Rajamaha Viharaya has been granted bail this evening (30).
The officer in question had shot ‘Sita’ after mistaking it for a wild elephant that had crossed the river.
The mahout, who said he was having breakfast when the incident happened, accused the officer of shooting the elephant despite people telling him that ‘Sita’ was not a wild elephant.
The incident has taken place at around 3:30 a.m. this morning.
It was reported that following the procession, the female elephant had been tied to a tree on the banks of the Mahaweli River.
The injured 48-year-old elephant was later treated by veterinary surgeons of the Wildlife Conservation Department.
In a statement, the Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department, M.G.C. Sooriyabandara had clarified that one of the wildlife officers at the site had mistakenly fired rubber bullets at the female elephant ‘Sita’ while trying to scare off the wild elephants in the vicinity.
Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne gracing a book launching ceremony held at the Auditorium of the Rock House Camp, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps, Mattakkuliya yesterday (Sep 28) unveiled ‘Mihidan Nowu Minisa’ a literary triumph of a serving military officer Brig. Ranjan Wijedasa.
Brig. Wijedasa had the distinct honour of presenting the inaugural copy of his publication to the Defence Secretary.
Eventually, the other dignitaries were also presented with the copies of this literary work.
The event also featured an intellectual keynote address delivered by Dr. W.A. Wijewardena, former Central Bank Deputy Governor.
Brig. Wijedasa is a proud product of Tholangamuwa Dudley Senanayake Central College. He was graduated from the Army Command and Staff College, Sri Lanka in 2005.
During his service, Brigadier Wijedasa has held many command, staff and training appointments including Commanding Officer, Armoured Corps Training Centre Commandant and Director Training of the Army.
The event attracted a diverse and distinguished audience including General Shavendra Silva Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne former Chief of Defence Staff, senior officers of the Sri Lanka Army as well as prominent academics, artists and other notable guests.
U.S. Officials: Our Policy on Allende Worked Very Well”
Kissinger joked that the President is worried that we might want to send someone to Allende’s funeral. I said I did not believe we were considering that.”
The Documented U.S. Role in the Months, Days and Hours Before the Overthrow Of Allende
September 8, 2023, Washington D.C. – In the Eisenhower period, we would be heroes,” Henry Kissinger told President Richard Nixon several days after the overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile, lamenting that they would not receive credit in the press for this Cold War accomplishment. Fifty years later, as Chileans and the world commemorate the anniversary of the U.S.-backed military takeover that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power, a fierce debate over the extent of the U.S. contribution to the coup continues. On September 6, a leading Chilean television channel, Chilevision, broadcast a major documentary film titled Operation Chile: Top Secret,” featuring dozens of U.S. declassified records obtained by the National Security Archive’s Chile Documentation Project, including recently obtained documents published in the new Chilean edition of Archive analyst Peter Kornbluh’s book, Pinochet Desclasificado.”
On the eve of the 50th anniversary, the Archive is posting an edited section of Kornbluh’s book—The Pinochet File—on the Countdown Toward the Coup.” The essay records U.S. government actions, internal debates and policy deliberations as conditions for the coup evolved between March and September 1973. This is an intricate, complicated and extraordinarily revealing history,” Kornbluh said, that holds many lessons on the secret abuses of U.S. power and the danger of dictatorship over democracy for today’s world community.”
COUNTDOWN TOWARD A COUP
On September 12, 1973, a day after the Chilean military violently took power, State Department officials met to discuss press guidelines for Henry Kissinger on how much advance notice we had on the coup.” Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs Jack Kubisch noted that one Chilean military official had told the embassy that the plotters had withheld from their U.S. supporters the exact date they would move against Allende. But Kubisch said he doubted if Dr. Kissinger would use this information, for it would reveal our close contact with coup leaders.”
In the months leading up to the coup, the CIA and the Pentagon had extensive contacts with Chilean plotters through various assets and agents and at least three days’ advance knowledge of a concrete date for a military takeover. Their communications derived from refocused covert operations targeting the military after the March 1973 congressional elections in Chile. The dismal electoral outcome convinced many CIA officials that the political and propaganda operations had failed to achieve their goals, and that the Chilean military, as Agency documents suggested, was the final solution to the problem posed by Allende’s Popular Unity alliance.
Until the spring of 1973, the political operations and propaganda generated by El Mercurio and other CIA-funded media outlets focused on a major political opposition campaign to decisively win the March 4 congressional elections, when all Chilean representatives and half of Chilean senators were up for reelection. The CIA’s maximum goal was to gain a two-thirds majority for the opposition in order to be able to impeach Allende; its minimum goal was to prevent Popular Unity from obtaining a clear majority of the electorate. Of the 3.6 million votes cast, the opposition polled 54.7 percent; Popular Unity candidates garnered 43.4 percent, picking up two Senate seats and six seats in the Congress. Actions undertaken by CIA in the 1973 elections have made a contribution to slowing down the Socialization of Chile,” proclaimed a Briefing on Chile Elections” written at Langley headquarters.
The reality was quite different, as both CIA headquarters and the Santiago Station understood. In the first national test of its popularity since Allende took office, his Popular Unity government had actually increased its electoral strength—despite concerted CIA political action, a massive, covert anti-Allende propaganda campaign, and a U.S.-directed socioeconomic destabilization program. The UP program still appeals to a sizeable portion of the Chilean electorate,” the Station lamented in one cable. The CIA now had to reassess its entire clandestine strategy in Chile. Future options,” headquarters cabled on March 6, now being reviewed in light of disappointing election results, which will enable Allende and UP to push their program with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.”
The Station, now under the direction of a new Chief of Station, Ray Warren, took a forceful position on what future options” would be necessary. In a pivotal March 14 postmortem on the congressional elections, the CIA Station articulated plans to reinforce its focus on the military program. We feel that during foreseeable future, Station should give emphasis to [covert] activity, to widen our contacts, knowledge, and capability in order to bring about one of following situations:”
Consensus by leaders of armed forces (whether they remain in govt or not) of need to move against the regime. Station believes we should attempt induce as much of the military as possible, if not all, to take over and displace the Allende govt ….
Secure and meaningful Station relationship with a serious military planning group. Should our re-study of the armed forces groups indicate that would-be plotters are in fact serious about their intentions and that they have the necessary capabilities, Station would wish to establish a single, secure channel with such elements for purposes of dialoguing and, once basic data on their collective capabilities is obtained, to seek HQS authorization to enter into an expanded … role.
At the same time, the Station also reaffirmed the need to refocus attention on creating a coup climate—the long-standing goal of U.S. policy. While the Station anticipates giving additional impetus to our [military] program”
Other political power centers (political parties, business community, media) will play an essential support role in creating the political atmosphere which would allow us to accomplish objectives (A) or (B) above. Given the outcome of the election results, Station feels that creation of a renewed atmosphere of political unrest and controlled crisis must be achieved in order to stimulate serious consideration for intervention on part of the military.
The Station’s gung-ho position, which clearly influenced its attitude and actions on the ground in Chile, was supported by a number of hardliners within the Western Hemisphere directorate who pushed for a far more aggressive, violent approach—an approach that clearly did not count saving democracy” in Chile as an objective. In a bald and blunt internal challenge to the strategy of pursuing political operations, on April 17 a group of CIA officers sent a memorandum to WH/C Shackley on Policy objectives for Chile” calling for cutting covert support for the mainstream opposition parties. Such support lulled” those parties into believing they could survive until the 1976 election. Moreover, if the CIA helped the opposition Christian Democrats win in 1976, the authors argued, it would be a pyrhic victory” [sic] because the PDC would pursue leftist communitarian policies.”
Instead, the CIA should directly seek to develop the conditions which would be conducive to military actions.” This involved large-scale support” to the terrorist elements in Chile, among them Patria y Libertad and the militant elements of the National Party” over a fixed time frame—six to nine months—during which time every effort would be made to promote economic chaos, escalate political tensions and induce a climate of desperation in which the PDC and the people generally come to desire military intervention. Ideally, it would succeed in inducing the military to take over the government completely.” [42]
But the position of the Station and the hardliners at Langley was not shared by the State Department, nor by key senior CIA officials who feared the consequences of precipitous military action and believed in the prudence of caution given the ongoing congressional committee investigation into ITT (International Telephone & Telegraph) and covert operations in Chile. There was disagreement on a number of fundamental and strategic questions:
Could the Chilean military be counted on to act against Allende?
Should the CIA be encouraging violent demonstrations through covert funding of militant groups before knowing for sure that the military would not move to put down the demonstrators?
Given the current congressional inquiry on the CIA in Chile, did the risks of exposure outweigh potential gains of working directly with the militant private sector and the Chilean military to sponsor a coup?
These questions were discussed repeatedly as the process of formulating the Agency’s Fiscal Year 1974 proposals and budget for covert action became grounds for a significant internal debate—kept secret for 27 years—over the strategic nuances of U.S. intervention in Chile.
The State Department, led by a new Assistant Secretary for InterAmerican Affairs, Jack Kubisch, opposed the Station’s desire to foment a coup through direct support for the Chilean military or collaboration with extremist private-sector groups. Along with Ambassador Nathaniel Davis, who replaced Edward Korry in mid-1971, Kubisch preferred to concentrate covert action on an opposition victory in the 1976 elections. In addition, CIA officers at headquarters, such as former Chile Task Force director David Atlee Phillips—who would return to Chile operations as the new chief of the Western Hemisphere Division in June—well remembered the Schneider fiasco and remained skeptical of the Chilean military’s commitment to a coup. Cables from headquarters to Santiago reflected their uncertainty over whether the Chilean military would be more likely to move against the government than to move against street demonstrators and strikers that the Station wanted to support. Promoting large-scale protests such as a strike,” cautioned a March 6 cable from Langley, should be avoided, as should any action which might provoke military reaction against the opposition.” In a March 31, 1973, budget proposal, ‘‘Covert Action Options for Chile-FY 1974, headquarters argued that,
Although we should keep all options open, including a possible future coup, we should recognize that the ingredients for a successful coup are unlikely to materialize regardless of the amount of money expended, and thus we should avoid encouraging the private sector to initiate action likely to produce either an abortive coup or a bloody civil war. We should make it clear that we will not support a coup attempt unless it becomes clear that such a coup would have the support of most of the Armed Forces as well as the CODE [Chilean opposition democratic] parties, including the PDC.
On May 1, Langley sent a cable to Chief of Station Warren stating we wish to defer any consideration of action program designed to stimulate military intervention until we have more definite evidence that military is prepared to move and that opposition, including PDC, would support a coup attempt.” The Chief of Station responded with a request that headquarters postpone its request for FY 1974 funding until the proposal could be redrafted to reflect current Chilean realities. The most militant parts of the opposition,” including CIA-supported organizations such as El Mercurio and the National Party, the Station reported, were mobilizing to foment a coup:
The planning focus and action of all the opposition forces is on the period immediately ahead rather than on 1976. If we are to maximize our influence and help the opposition in the way it needs help, we should work within this trend rather than try to oppose and counter it by trying to get the opposition as a whole to focus on the distant and tenuous goal of 1976. In sum, we believe the orientation and focus of our operational effort should be on military intervention.
On April 10, the Western Hemisphere division did secure the approval from CIA director James Schlesinger for accelerated efforts against the military target.” These covert actions, according to a May 7 memorandum to Schlesinger from WH division chief Theodore Shackley, were designed to better monitor any coup plotting and to bring our influence to bear on key military commanders so that they might play a decisive role on the side of the coup forces when and if the Chilean military decides on its own to act against Allende.” Headquarters authorized the Santiago Station to move ahead against military target in terms of developing additional sources” and promised to seek appropriations for an expanded military program when we have much more solid evidence that military is prepared to act and has reasonable chance of succeeding.”
The Chilean high command provided evidence that the military was not yet ready to act on June 29, when several rogue units of the Chilean armed forces deployed to take over the presidential palace known as La Moneda. In his secret Sit Rep # 1” for President Nixon, Kissinger reported that Chilean army units had launched an attempted coup against the government of Salvadore Allende.” Later that day, Kissinger sent Nixon another memo, Attempted Chilean Rebellion Ends,” noting that the coup attempt was an isolated and poorly coordinated effort,” and that the leaders of all three branches of the military remained loyal to the government.” The failed coup attempt reinforced the hand of cautious U.S. policy makers who opposed a more activist CIA role to directly support the Chilean military.
This ongoing internal debate led to a delay in approval for the CIA’s FY 1974 covert action budget as the CIA and the State Department worked out compromises on how funding authorizations would be used in Chile. Finally, on August 20, the 40 Committee—an interagency group charged with overseeing covert operations—authorized, via telephone, $1 million for clandestine funding to opposition political parties and private-sector organizations—but designated a contingency fund” for the private-sector operations that could only be spent with approval from Ambassador Davis. Within three days, the Station was pressing for approval to use the money to sustain strikes and street demonstrations as well as to orchestrate a takeover from within—pushing the military to take key positions in Allende’s cabinet where they could wield the power of state and reduce him to a figurehead” president. Events are moving very fast and military attitudes are likely to be decisive at this moment,” the Station cabled on August 24. It is a time when significant events or pressures could affect [Allende’s] future.”
In Washington the next day, CIA director William Colby sent a memo to Kissinger, submitting the Station’s arguments—word-for-word—and requesting authorization to move forward with the funds. The memo, Proposed Covert Financial Support of Chilean Private Sector,” used language designed to assuage State Department sensitivities. The Santiago Station would not be working directly with the armed forces in an attempt to bring about a coup nor would its support to the overall opposition forces have this as its result,” Colby submitted. But he added this caveat: Realistically, of course, a coup could result from increased opposition pressure on the Allende government.”
By then, the CIA had multiple, and promising, reports of coup plotting. In mid-August, C/WHD Phillips had dispatched a veteran agent to Santiago to assess the situation. He cabled back that in the past several weeks we have again received increased reporting of plotting and have seen a variety of dates listed for possible coup attempt.” One report noted that military plotters had chosen July 7 as the target date” for another coup attempt, but the date was now being postponed because of the opposition of Commander in Chief Carlos Prats, as well as the difficulty in lining up the key Army regiments in the Santiago area.” According to the CIA source:
Key problem for the military plotters is now how to overcome this vertical command impediment. One way would be for the plotting Army generals to meet with General Prats, advise him he no longer enjoyed the confidence of the Army high command, and thus remove him. The plotters’ choice to replace Prats, at the time of the coup d’état is to be attempted, is General Manuel Torres, commander of the fifth army division and the third ranking Army general. The plotters do not regard General Augusto Pinochet, who is the second most senior officer in the army, as a suitable replacement for Prats under such conditions.
In late July, the CIA reported that a coordinated coup plan was near completion.” The plotters were still dealing with the Prats problem. The only way to remove Prats,” the Station noted, would appear to be by abduction or assassination. With the memory of the affair of the former Army Commander, Rene Schneider, ever present in their minds, it will be difficult for the plotters to bring themselves to carry out such an act.”
The CIA also reported that the military was attempting to coordinate its takeover with the Truck Owners Federation, which was about to initiate a massive truckers strike. The violent strike, which paralyzed the country throughout the month of August, became a key factor in creating the coup climate the CIA had long sought in Chile. Other factors included the decision by the leadership of the Christian Democrats to abandon negotiations with the Popular Unity government and to work, instead, toward a military coup. In a CIA progress report” dated in early July, the Station noted there has been increasing acceptance of the part of PDC leaders that a military coup of intervention is probably essential to prevent a complete Marxist takeover in Chile. While PDC leaders do not openly concede that their political decisions and tactics are intended to create the circumstances to provoke military intervention, Station [covert] assets report that privately this is generally accepted political fact.” The Christian Democrat position, in turn, prompted the traditionally moderate Chilean Communist Party to conclude that political accommodation with the mainstream opposition was no longer feasible and to adopt a more militant position, creating deep divisions with Allende’s own coalition. The military’s hardline refusal to accept Allende’s offer of certain cabinet posts also accelerated political tensions. The feeling that something must be done seems to be spreading,” CIA headquarters observed in an analytical report on Consequences of a Military Coup in Chile.”
The resignation of Commander-in-Chief Carlos Prats in late August after an intense public smear campaign led by El Mercurio and the Chilean right wing eliminated the final obstacle for a successful coup. Like his predecessor, General Schneider, Prats had upheld the constitutional role of the Chilean military, blocking younger officers who wanted to intervene in Chile’s political process. In an August 25 intelligence report stamped TOP SECRET UMBRA,” the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) noted that the departure of Prats has removed the main factor mitigating against a coup.” On August 31, U.S. military sources within the Chilean army were reporting that the army is united behind a coup, and key Santiago regimental commanders have pledged their support. Efforts are said to be underway to complete coordination among the three services, but no date has been set for a coup attempt.”
By then, the Chilean military had established a special coordination team” made up of three representatives of each of the services and carefully selected right-wing civilians. In a series of secret meetings on September 1 and 2, this team presented a completed plan for overthrowing the Allende government to heads of the Chilean army, air force, and navy. The incipient Junta approved the plan and set September 10 as the target date for the coup. According to a review of coup plotting obtained by the CIA, the general who replaced Carlos Prats as commander-in-chief, General Augusto Pinochet, was chosen to be head of the group” and would determine the hour for the coup to begin.
On September 8, both the CIA and the DIA alerted Washington that a coup was imminent and confirmed the date of September 10. A DIA intelligence summary stamped TOP SECRET UMBRA reported that the three services have reportedly agreed to move against the government on 10 September, and civilian terrorist and right-wing groups will allegedly support the effort.” The CIA reported that the Chilean navy would initiate a move to overthrow the government” at 8:30 A.M. on September 10th and that Pinochet has said that the army will not oppose the navy’s action.”
On September 9, the Station updated its coup countdown. A member of the CIA’s covert agent team in Santiago, Jack Devine, received a call from an asset who was fleeing the country. It is going to happen on the eleventh,” as Devine recalled the conversation. His report, distributed to Langley headquarters on September 10, stated:
A coup attempt will be initiated on 11 September. All three branches of the Armed Forces and the Carabineros are involved in this action. A declaration will be read on Radio Agricultura at 7 A.M. on 11 September. The Carabineros have the responsibility of seizing President Salvador Allende.
According to Donald Winters, a CIA high-ranking agent in Chile at the time of the coup, the understanding was they [the Chilean military] would do it when they were ready and at the final moment tell us it was going to happen.” On the eve of the putsch, however, at least one sector of the coup plotters became nervous about what would happen if fighting became protracted and the takeover did not go as planned. On the night of September 10, as the military quietly assumed positions to violently take power the next day, a key officer of [the] Chilean military group planning to overthrow President Allende,” as CIA headquarters described him, contacted a U.S. official—it remains unclear whether it was a CIA, defense or embassy officer—and asked if the U.S. government would come to the aid of the Chilean military if the situation became difficult.” The officer was assured that his question would promptly be made known to Washington,” according to a highly classified memo sent by David Atlee Phillips to Henry Kissinger on September 11, as the coup was in progress.
At the time of the coup, both the State Department and the CIA were making contingency plans for U.S. assistance if the military move appeared to be failing. On September 7, Assistant Secretary Kubisch reported to State and CIA officers that high-level department officials had discussed Chile and determined the following: If there should be a coup attempt, which appears likely to be successful and satisfactory from our standpoint, we will stand off;” but if there should be a coup, which might be viewed as favorable but which appears in danger of failure we may want a capability for influencing the situation.” Kubisch tasked the CIA to give this problem attention.”
That issue proved to be irrelevant. Chile’s coup d’etat was close to perfect,” Lt. Col. Patrick Ryan, head of the U.S. military group in Valparaiso, reported in a Sitrep” to Washington. By 8:00 A.M. on September 11, the Chilean navy had secured the port town of Valparaiso and announced that the Popular Unity government was being overthrown. In Santiago, Carabinero forces were supposed to detain President Allende at his residence, but he managed to make his way to La Moneda, Chile’s White House, and began broadcasting radio messages for workers and students” to come and defend your government against the armed forces.” As army tanks surrounded La Moneda firing on its walls, Hunter Hawker jets launched a pinpoint rocket attack on Allende’s offices at around noon, killing many of his guards. Another aerial strafing attack accompanied the military’s ground effort to take the inner courtyard of the Moneda at 1:30 P.M.
During the fighting, the military repeatedly demanded that President Allende surrender and made a perfunctory offer to fly him and his family out of the country. In a now famous audiotape of General Pinochet issuing instructions to his troops via radio communications on September 11, he is heard to laugh and swear that plane will never land.” Forecasting the savagery of his regime, Pinochet added: Kill the bitch and you eliminate the litter.” Salvador Allende was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his inner office around 2:00 P.M. At 2:30 P.M., the armed forces radio network broadcast an announcement that La Moneda had surrendered” and that the entire country was under military control.
International reaction to the coup was immediate, widespread, and overwhelmingly condemnatory. Numerous governments denounced the military takeover; massive protests were held throughout Latin America. Inevitably, finger-pointing was directed at the U.S. government. In his confirmation hearings as secretary of state—only one day after the coup—Kissinger was peppered with questions about CIA involvement. The Agency was in a very minor way involved in 1970 and since then we have absolutely stayed away from any coups,” Kissinger responded. Our efforts in Chile were to strengthen the democratic political parties and give them a basis for winning the election in 1976.”
Preservation of Chilean democracy” summed up the official line, spun after the fact, to obfuscate U.S. intervention against the Allende government. On September 13, CIA Director Colby sent Kissinger a secret two-page overview of CIA Covert Action Program in Chile since 1970,” meant to provide guidance on the questions concerning the Agency’s role. U.S. policy has been to maintain maximum covert pressure to prevent the Allende regime’s consolidation,” the memo stated candidly. After a selective review of the political, media and private-sector covert operations, Colby concluded: while the agency was instrumental in enabling opposition political parties and media to survive and to maintain their dynamic resistance to the Allende regime, the CIA played no direct role in the events which led to the establishment of a new military government.”
By the most narrow definition of direct role”—providing planning, equipment, strategic support, and guarantees—the CIA does not appear to have been involved in the violent actions of the Chilean military on September 11, 1973. The Nixon White House sought, supported, and embraced the coup, but the political risks of direct engagement simply outweighed any actual necessity for its success. The Chilean military, however, had no doubts about the U.S. position. We were not in on planning,” recalled CIA operative Donald Winters. But our contacts with the military let them know where we stood—that was we were not terribly happy with [the Allende] government.” The CIA and other sectors of the U.S. government, moreover, were directly involved in operations designed to create a coup climate” in which the overthrow of Chilean democracy could and would take place. Colby’s memo appeared to omit the CIA’s military deception project, the covert black propaganda efforts to sow dissent within the Popular Unity coalition, the support to extremist elements such as Patria y Libertad, and the inflammatory achievements of the El Mercurio project, which agency records credited with playing a significant role in setting the stage” for the coup—let alone the destabilizing impact of the invisible economic blockade. The argument that these operations were intended to preserve Chile’s democratic institutions was a public relations ploy contradicted by the weight of the historical record. Indeed, the massive support that the CIA provided to the ostensible leading representatives of Chilean democracy—the Christian Democrats, the National Party, and El Mercurio—facilitated their transformation into leading actors in, and key supporters of, the Chilean military’s violent termination of Chile’s democratic processes.
You may also recall discussion of a Track Two in late 1970—which has not been included in this summary,” Colby wrote to Kissinger on the routing slip of his September 13 memorandum. Fundamental to the Chilean generals’ understanding of Washington’s support was the knowledge that the CIA had sought to directly instigate a coup three years earlier. Track II never really ended,” as Thomas Karamessines, the top CIA official in charge of covert operations against Allende, testified in 1975. What we were told to do was to continue our efforts. Stay alert, and to do what we could to contribute to the eventual achievements and of the objectives and purposes of Track II. I am sure that the seeds that were laid in that effort in 1970 had their impact in 1973. I do not have any question about that in my mind.
** ** ** **
Our policy on Allende worked very well,” Assistant Secretary Kubisch commented to Kissinger on the day after the coup. Indeed, in September of 1973, the Nixon administration had achieved Kissinger’s goal, enunciated in the fall of 1970, to create conditions which would lead to Allende’s collapse or overthrow. At the first meeting of the Washington Special Actions Group, held on the morning of September 12 to discuss how to assist the new military regime in Chile, Kissinger joked that the President is worried that we might want to send someone to Allende’s funeral. I said I did not believe we were considering that.” No,” an aide responded, not unless you want to go.”
On September 16, President Nixon called Kissinger for an update; their conversation was recorded by Kissinger’s secret taping system. The two candidly discussed the U.S. role. Nixon seemed concerned that the U.S. intervention in Chile might be exposed. Well we didn’t—as you know—our hand doesn’t show on this one though,” the president noted. We didn’t do it,” Kissinger responded, referring to the issue of a direct involvement in the September 11 coup. I mean we helped them. [Omitted word] created the conditions as great as possible.” That is right,” Nixon agreed.
Nixon and Kissinger commiserated over the fact that they wouldn’t receive laudatory credit in the media for Allende’s demise. The Chile thing is getting consolidated,” Kissinger reported, and of course the newspapers are bleating because a pro-Communist government has been overthrown.” Isn’t that something,” Nixon said, excoriating the liberal crap” in the media. Kissinger suggested that the press should be celebrating” the military coup. In the Eisenhower period,” Kissinger told Nixon, we would be heroes.”
At its fifteenth summit in August 2023, the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) group adopted the Johannesburg II Declaration, which, amongst other issues, raised the question of reforming the United Nations, particularly its security council. To make the UN Security Council (UNSC) ‘more democratic, representative, effective, and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries’, BRICS urged the expansion of the council’s membership to include countries from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The declaration specifically noted that three countries – Brazil, India, and South Africa – should be included if the UNSC’s permanent members are expanded. For at least the past twenty years, these three countries (all founding BRICS members) have sought entry into the UNSC as permanent members with veto power. Over the decades, their aspirations have been thwarted, spurring them on first to create the IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) group in 2003 and then the BRICS group in 2009.
The composition of the security council and the question of which states have veto power as permanent members have been central issues for the UN since its founding. In 1944, at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington DC, the main Allied powers (Britain, China, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States) gathered to discuss how to shape the UN and its main institutions. These states – also known as the ‘Big Four’ – decided that they would have permanent seats in the UNSC and, after much deliberation, agreed that they would have the power to exercise a veto over UNSC decisions. Though the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was not keen to bring France into their ranks because the French government had colluded with the Nazis from 1940 to 1944, the United States insisted on France joining the group, which would in turn become known as the ‘Big Five’. The UN Charter, signed in San Francisco in 1945, established in Article 23 that the council would consist of these five countries as permanent members (also known as the ‘P5’), along with six other non-permanent members who would be elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
Pamela Singh (India), Treasure Map 006, 2014–15.
In July 2005, a group of countries known as the G4 (Brazil, Germany, Japan, and India) brought a resolution forward at the UN General Assembly that raised the issue of reforming the UNSC. Brazil’s ambassador to the UN, Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, told the assembly that ‘accumulated experience acquired since the founding of the United Nations demonstrated that the realities of power of 1945 had long been superseded. The security structure then established was now glaringly outdated’. The G4 proposed that the UNSC be enlarged from fifteen to twenty-five members, with the addition of six permanent and four non-permanent members. Most of the members who spoke at the debate pointed to the fact that no countries from Africa or Latin America had permanent seats in the UNSC, which remains true today. To remedy this would itself be a substantial act of equity for the world. To make this change, the UN Charter required approval from two-thirds of the General Assembly members and ratification by their legislatures – a process that has only happened once before, in 1965, when the council was enlarged from eleven to fifteen members. The 2005 resolution was not brought to a vote and has since languished, despite the passing of a resolution in 2009 on the ‘question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters’. Nonetheless, these efforts opened a long-term dialogue that continues to this day.
The G4 countries have not been able gather sufficient support for their proposal because the current permanent members of the UNSC (Britain, China, Russia, the US, and France) cannot agree on who amongst their allies should be granted these seats. Even in 2005, a divide opened amongst the P5 countries, with the United States and its G7 allies (Britain and France) operating as one bloc against both China and Russia. The US has been willing to expand the permanent seats on the council, but only if it means bringing in more of its close allies (Germany and Japan), which would allow the UNSC to effectively remain dominated by five of the seven members of the G7. This, of course, would not be acceptable to either China or Russia.
Today, as the question of comprehensive UN reform is gathering momentum, the US government is once again trying to co-opt the issue, calling for the expansion of the UNSC in order to counter Chinese and Russian influence. US President Joe Biden’s high officials have openly said that they favour bringing in their allies to tilt the balance of debate and discussion in the UNSC. This attitude towards UN reform does not address the fundamental questions raised by the Global South about international democracy and equitable geographical representation, particularly the call to add a permanent member from Africa and from Latin America.
Omar Ba (Senegal), Promenade masquée 2 (‘Masked Walk 2’), 2016.
In 2005, then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan wrote a report entitled In Larger Freedom in which he called for the expansion of the UNSC from fifteen to twenty-four members. This expansion, he said, must be done on a regional basis, rather than allocating permanent seats along historical axes of power (as with the Big Five). One of the models that Annan proposed would provide two permanent seats for Africa, two for Asia and the Pacific, one for Europe, and one for the Americas. This allocation would more closely represent the regional distribution of the global population, with the UNSC’s centre of gravity moving towards the more populous continents of Africa (population 1.4 billion) and Asia (population 4.7 billion) and away from Europe (742 million) and the Americas (1 billion).
Meanwhile, Britain and France, two permanent members of the UNSC, currently have minuscule populations of 67 million and 64 million respectively. It is puzzling that these two European countries – neither of them the most powerful country in Europe (which in economic terms is Germany) – have retained veto power despite their dramatically declining role in the world. The recent setbacks for France’s colonial ambitions in Africa, as well as France’s inability to lead a European agenda for peace in Ukraine, show how increasingly irrelevant this European country has become for world affairs.
Equally, Britain’s declining position in the world after Brexit and its failure to provide a vision for a Global Britain suggest that, despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s anger at the use of the term, it is correct to consider it a ‘midsize country’ with an inflated sense of itself.
Britain and France’s permanent seats in the UNSC illustrate the anachronism of the council’s architecture since neither country inspires confidence when it comes to providing leadership for security and development in the world.
Nicolas Moufarrege (Egypt/Lebanon), The Fifth Day, 1980.
‘The present is an innocent lie’, Samih al-Qasim (1939–2014) wrote in the poem ‘After the Apocalypse’. ‘To see the future, you must consult the past’, he noted, thinking of his native Palestine and its occupation by Israel. The colonial past sits heavily on the present. The colonisers’ power remains intact, with the Banque de France and the Bank of England remaining repositories of the wealth stolen from the colonies. What gives these old colonial powers, Britain and France, permission to remain overlords of the present, even when their basis for this position has long eroded? (It is worth noting that, in addition to being nuclear powers, these countries are also among the world’s major arms exporters.) The power that these and other colonial powers have seized in the past remains a barrier to the needs of the present.
The United States, which has lost its place as the most powerful country in the world, seeks to hold onto inherited advantages (such as having close allies in the UNSC) and to spend overwhelming amounts of money on war (as evidenced by the fact that it accounts for half of the global arms expenditure, for instance). Rather than allow for a more democratic and robust United Nations, the US continues to try to neuter this global institution either by dominating its forums or by violating its charter whenever it pleases. At the recently concluded 78th UN General Assembly session, US President Joe Biden spoke of the importance of ‘sovereignty, territorial integrity, [and] human rights’ – all three routinely violated by the United States through war, sanctions, and its prison at Guantanamo Bay. Absent moral authority, the United States uses its muscle to block the advance of democracy in institutions such as the United Nations.
Thus far, many proposals hailing from all sides of the political spectrum have called for the expansion of the UNSC, which requires votes in the General Assembly and the legislatures of the member states. It is far easier to create equity in the council if two of the members withdraw themselves from the horseshoe table and turn their seats over to countries in Africa and Latin America, which remain unrepresented amongst the permanent members.
A Church damaged during the Easter Sunday bomb attacks
Maulana has been accused of concocting a false story to help him gain political asylum abroad. He reportedly fled Sri Lanka more than a year ago and sought asylum in a European countryHowever, it must be said in fairness to Suresh Sallay that he has denied being in Sri Lanka at the time the meeting allegedly happenedWhen he met Pillaiyan in jail after the bombings, the TMVP Leader had supposedly told him to keep quiet about all this and to speak to no one about it
The first part of this article was published in the Daily Mirror of 16 September 2023 under the heading Who is Hanzeer Azad Maulana the Whistleblower on Channel 4?. The focus of that piece was Mohammed Mihilar Mohammed Hanzeer alias Azad Maulana who appeared in a documentary aired on September 5, 2023, by the UK’s Channel 4 TV. A lot of details about the man who identified himself as Hanzeer Azad Maulana in the film were disclosed in the first part of this article.
Hanzeer Azad Maulana was the main whistleblower featured in the Channel 4 documentary. Azad Maulana made some startling revelations against former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, State Intelligence Service head Maj-Gen Suresh Sallay and Rural Road Development State Minister Chanthrakanthan known widely as Pillaiyan. Gotabaya, Suresh and Pillaiyan have denied the allegations. Maulana has been accused of concocting a false story to help him gain political asylum abroad. He reportedly fled Sri Lanka more than a year ago and sought asylum in a European country. In this second part, the focus will be on how and why Azad Maulana left Sri Lanka and became a refugee in the West. It must be emphasised at the outset that all allegations made by Azad Maulana are yet to be verified and authenticated. Moreover, they have been denied as falsehoods by those whom the allegations were levelled against especially Maj-Gen Salley. The charge made against Sallay by Maulana hinges around an alleged meeting at Karadippooval in Puttalam between the intelligence chief and Zahran Hashim the National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) leader and livewire behind the Easter bombings. Maulana’s allegation as stated in the documentary is essentially conjecture and inference based on that meeting. However, it must be said in fairness to Suresh Sallay that he has denied being in Sri Lanka at the time the meeting allegedly happened. If that is substantiated by Sallay, Azad Maulana’s main allegation would become a terminological inexactitude”. His credibility would be eroded thereafter. It is against this backdrop that this column delves into the reasons for Azad Maulana to flee from Sri Lanka and the mode he adopted in seeking refuge abroad. I have not been able to converse with Azad Maulana so far but have been communicating with several informed sources ranging from residents of his village Maruthamunai to activists from International non -governmental organizations familiar with all aspects of his case. I have also read extracts of a lengthy statement reportedly made by Maulana to several NGOs and selected media personnel. This article’s second part- therefore is pieced together from information provided by multiple sources. Again it must be noted that this is basically Azad Maulana’s version of what transpired. This narrative goes against the grain of positions adopted by persons like Suresh and Pillaiyan.
Azad Maulana
Pillaiyan
Pillaiyan’s Indispensable Aide As stated earlier in the first part of this article, Mohammed Hanzeer alias Azad Maulana had bourgeoned into being an indispensable aide to Pillayaan. He was Pillayaan’s personal secretary as well as spokesperson of the TMVP. Maulana being reasonably proficient in Tamil, English and Sinhala was the interpreter cum translator on whom the monolingual Pillaiyan relied upon when dealing with certain political leaders, Govt officials, and security and intelligence services. Pillaiyan trusted the Muslim” Hanzeer more than several of his Tamil” deputies. This was resented by some. When the Sri Lankan intelligence was paying Rs 35 lakhs every month to the TMVP, it was Maulana who collected it regularly on behalf of the TMVP. Large sums of TMVP money were also deposited at times in Hanzeer’s personal bank account. When Pillaiyan was incarcerated for more than five years over the killing of Batticaloa MP Joseph Pararajasingham, it was Azad who visited Pillaiyan every Saturday with Court permission. Maulana conveyed what was happening within TMVP circles to Pillaiyan and also passed on Pillayaan’s instructions to party members. Maulana also coordinated all legal work regarding Pillayaan’s case. Hanzeer is married to Fathima, a relative of his from Panadura. They have a daughter Ayesha and a son Mubarak. The family resided in Ebenezer Place, Dehiwela. In addition to his duties as Pillayaan’s aide, Maulana also dabbled in commercial pursuits like cycle assembling and wholesale distribution of drinking water. Utilising his political connections, Azad was also a peddler of influence”. Maulana’s monthly income was reportedly in seven digits. Everything was hunky-dory for Hanzeer until the fateful Easter Sunday bombings of April 2019. According to Maulana’s testimony, he was remorseful when it became known that Zahran and other NJT operatives were responsible for the heinous attacks on Churches and Tourist Hotels. As Hanzeer claimed in the Channel 4 film, he had purportedly arranged a first meeting between Sallay and Zahran. He also claimed that Suresh Sallay had telephoned him on the day of the bombing and asked him to transport someone from the Taj Samudra Hotel. Hanzeer could not do so as he was in Batticaloa then. It was learnt later that the person at Taj Samudra was the bomber who died in the Dehiwela hotel explosion. When he met Pillaiyan in jail after the bombings, the TMVP Leader had supposedly told him to keep quiet about all this and to speak to no one about it. In 2019 November Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected President. In the aftermath of the bombings, the electorate yearned for a strong man to keep the country safe.
Suspected Links In the aftermath of the April 2019 Easter bombings, the political grapevine had been buzzing about suspected links between the National Thowheed Jamath bombers and high officials in Sri Lanka’s intelligence services. Popular gossip was about a possible nexus between Govt officials and the Islamic bombers. It was rumoured that the Easter attacks were a conspiracy to bring Gota to power. Conspiracy theories are galore in Sri Lanka and there were few takers for this then. In March 2021 during a debate in Parliament opposition MPs Anura Kumara Dissanayake (JVP) and Manusha Nanayakkara (SJB) made several allusions about top intelligence officials being implicated in the Easter bombing conspiracy. In April 2021 the then SJB Parliamentarian Harin Fernando made several sensational disclosures in Parliament about the alleged involvement of a high intelligence officer in the April 2019 attacks. Harin Fernando was careful not to mention names explicitly, but it was inferred that the references were to Major-General Suresh Sallay the head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS). Sallay had been earlier the chief of Military Intelligence. He served as Minister Counsellor in Sri Lanka’s High Commission in Malaysia after the Sirisena -Wickremesinghe Govt gained power in 2015. In 2019 Suresh Sallay went to India for a course in Defence studies and was in New Delhi when the Easter bombings took place. In October 2021 there was an international webinar held over Zoom about the Easter Sunday attacks, The Catholic Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and the well-known catholic Clergyman Fr. Cyril Gamini participated in the discussions. Some of the comments made alluded to the alleged involvement of Maj-Gen Suresh Sallay in the bombings. Subsequently, Gen. Sallay filed a defamation lawsuit against Fr. Cyril Gamini alleging that some of the remarks made by the clergyman had tarnished his (Sallay’s) reputation.
Video Clips Some days after the Webinar, Gen. Sallay telephoned Hanzeer Azad Maulana and wanted to meet him. According to Maulana, Sallay had played video clips of the Parliamentary speeches by Harin Fernando and other opposition MPs to Hanzeer. He had also shown clips of the Webinar comments by Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and Fr. Cyril Gamini. The SIS director had then allegedly told Hanzeer Only you, I and Pillaiyan know about my meeting Zahran and other NTJ members. Did you reveal this to others? Why are the MPs and Catholic priests making these accusations linking me with the bombers?” According to Hanzeer, he had denied telling anyone else about the Puttalam meeting. Sallay had then checked Hanzeer’s cell phone. After about three hours of verbal interrogation, Sallay allowed Hanzeer to leave. Azad Maulana says he was deeply disturbed and distressed by this ordeal. He had never seen Suresh Sallay being so angry and tough. Hanzeer telephoned Pillaiyan in Batticaloa and told him of what had happened. The TMVP leader had told him not to worry and that he was coming to Colombo the following day and would meet Sallay and sort it out. Pillaiyan arrived in Colombo the next day. It had been the usual practice for Hanzeer to accompany Pillaiyan when he went to meet Sallay. But on this occasion, Pillaiyan met Sallay without Hanzeer. It was through Pillaiyan’s driver Amalan that Hanzeer got to know Pillaiyan had met Sallay. Pillaiyan later told Hanzeer that Suresh Sallay was suspicious of him (Hanzeer) for leaking information about the purported Zahran meeting. After a few weeks, Pillaiyan had asked Azad Maulana to come to Batticaloa for a meeting. Before his departure, Hanzeer says he got a call from a Muslim friend in an intelligence unit. He had warned Maulana that there was a plot to kill him through a bogus accident” in Batticaloa and advised him not to go. Maulana had told Pillaiyan that he had fallen sick suddenly and could not come to Batticaloa.
Escape from Sri Lanka Azad Maulana was now worried about his life being in danger from the TMVP and/or intelligence. He decided to escape from Sri Lanka. Realizing that delaying his departure from Sri Lanka could endanger his life, Azad Maulana went to India first. His intention was to seek a humanitarian visa from Switzerland. Switzerland grants humanitarian visas to individuals on the following grounds.
* The individual’s life and physical integrity are directly, seriously and tangibly endangered in their home country or country of origin. * The individual is clearly in direct danger and not merely at risk because they belong to a potentially endangered group. * The individual no longer has any other options and their situation requires the urgent intervention of the Swiss authorities.
Mohammed Hanzeer alias Azad Maulana flew to Europe and sought political asylum. It is learnt that an international human rights organization based in Geneva, a Sri Lankan journalist cum human rights activist living in Europe and a self-exiled former Sri Lankan Govt official were of great assistance to Azad Maulana in relocating to Europe. A Sri Lankan Muslim doctor now living in Pakistan also helped.
OHCHR After moving to Europe Azad Maulana went to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and made a detailed statement to a panel from the OHCHR Sri Lanka Accountability project. He took five days to testify. The Project mandate is to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve information and evidence and to develop possible strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human rights or serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka, to advocate for victims and survivors, and to support relevant judicial and other proceedings, including in Member States, with competent jurisdiction”. Apart from the OHCHR, Maulana has also made statements to several other Human rights organizations and international NGOs. He has also been interviewed by many law enforcement institutions and intelligence agencies. It is learnt that though Maulana fled from Lanka in a hurry he took along with him much material evidence” relating to several war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights violations. What was revealed in the Channel 4 film was only the tip of the iceberg.
Impressed with evidence A senior NGO official who had interviewed Maulana told this column that he was impressed by him. I can tell you I am very impressed with the evidence that Hanzeer has. I met and interviewed him and find him very credible, though, of course, we need to verify and seek more corroboration,” he said.
SriLankan Airlines has apologised for the extensive cancellation of flights recently, attributing the matter to technical faults.
Issuing a statement in this regard, the national carrier explained that a number of technical faults resulted in the temporary grounding of several aircraft, as part of the routine procedures followed during aircraft maintenance.
Aircraft maintenance follows very strict procedures which necessitate repairs or replacement parts before the aircraft are cleared to fly”, the statement read in this regard.
The airline, however, assured that all efforts are underway to accommodate passengers on alternative flights on both, SriLankan Airlines and other carriers, while passengers have also been accommodated in hotels where necessary.
We apologize for the disruption and inconvenience caused, and assure all our loyal customers that we are working diligently to minimize such occurrences moving forward”, the statement concluded.
The world faced 2 World Wars that killed over 70million people. Annually an estimated 60million deaths occur globally while global population is now close to 8billion. Global youth account for 1.2billion people (age 15-24) while global senior citizens stand at around 771million. Global extreme poverty has risen from 8.4% in 2019 to 9.3% in 2022. The global pandemic resulted in the deaths of 6.9million people. Yet from March 2020 to December 2020 the wealth of global billionaires increased by $3.9trillion, global workers combined earnings fell by $3.7 trillion & left 72m in extreme poverty (ILO) as a result of people losing their jobs. The richest 1% (owning more than $1m) owns 46% of the world’s wealth. Adults with less than $10,000 in wealth make up 52.5% of the world’s population & owns 1.2% of global wealth. Those who have more than $30m hold 6.5% of total global wealth (they are just 0.003% of global populace) The world’s 10 richest billionaires, according to Forbes, own an astonishing $1.448 trillion in combined wealth. The globe is home to 2,755 billionaires, according to the 2021 Forbes. We are living in an inequal world. An inequal world is both unhappy & in lack. Paper proposals, global rhetoric & global conferences has not changed this status quo and never will. A new thinking & new approach is needed.
Inequality is rampant in the developed & industrial world too.
The top 1% in the United States holds 40.5% of national wealth. 7.4 million individuals owning at least $1 million worth of investable assets. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of Americans in the $50 million-plus club increased by over 30,000 – more than in any other country. Inequality is rising in the US faster than any other developed nation. CEO’s compensation increased by 900% while workers increase by just 11.9% – their salaries will show.
When 25 individuals are richer than the GDPs of 27 countries & population of 556.3million people what does that say
Alongside an obvious inequal world, while the poor are understandably unhappy, so too are the rich. The rich often find that money doesn’t buy happiness while the poor think that money can. Majority of the rich suffer some form of depression or dissatisfaction. The poor are equally absorbed in a rat race to not only survive, make ends meet but compete with each other thus landing themselves into debt. This is mostly applicable to the middle class of every society. Clearly, no development can take place where the rich get richer & poor get poorer. The pandemic completely collapsed the financial stability of the middle class. To add to their woes, the rich are introducing new cultural norms making their lifestyles in further calamity (drawing them towards drinking/smoking/LGBTQ/transgender & now preying on children & women) These unless immediately addressed by governments are recipes for further societal disasters & collapse of families & even indivudals.
Nothing is guaranteed – employment doesn’t necessarily provide better health, longer life, or even happiness for those unhappy in their place of employment even though it provides basic needs. However a happy workplace is more productive. Employers & employees agree on this.
How happy are those in State or Public Sector in their current roles. Is their lack of productivity based on their lack of happiness. Is it because they are doing a job they do not like or a job they are unsuited for? Is this due to selection errors?
How do we then turn this into a model to align with national development goals. Happiness is a vital outcome to both the society & economic activity. A development framework must have happy programs for people to sustain their growth. The lack of such is what makes people unhappy – Singapore is a good example. All citizens are simply robots.
Sri Lanka is well placed for such – we have a colourful and historical cultural heritage full of traditions, rituals and much more. We do not need to import new cultures that are counter productive to the native cultures. This is where a societal mismatch takes place. Adopting foreign cultures, thinking them to be the fantastic model is likely to destroy the individual and become a headache to the state (drugs, pornography, excessive liberalism etc)
Sri Lanka’s post-independence management by politicians, public sector & even private sector has not been to a national policy framework & sans targets. Political-driven ad-hoc development drives reversing good initiatives with change of government has been the norm. Private-sector too has been more worried about profitting for itself than working in cohesion with other private sector towards a common national goal aligned to government goals where both entities could have shared the development initiatives – infrastructure by the Government & components of happiness initiatives by the private sector concentrating on the softer aspect.
Given that Sri Lanka is in a state of default & unhappy overall – any initiative properly designed to leverage the economy while making people happier will definitely see dividends. When the starting point is poverty & it gets raised, people become definitely happier. Therefore, we are on a good pedestal if we can start off properly.
We must first identify the minimum requirements for all citizens & their respective levels to be economically better & the desired associated happiness outcomes. It should ideally come in 3 tiers – the transitory happiness / satisfaction happiness & overall happiness.
Whether poor – middle class or rich, there are 4 areas that a government must cater to:
Good governance: State apparatus must have a fundamental slab of basic requirements that provides a productive outcome in workflow, productive workers & happy citizens
Socio-Economy: State apparatus must find ways together with the private sector to combine social & economic contributions resulting in a healthy & happy outcome.
Culture & Traditions: State apparatus & Private Sector must work on preserving & promoting native culture & traditions
Environment: State apparatus & private sector must combine to ensure Sri Lanka’s water, energy, flora & fauna are protected & preserved and the aesthetic healing of nature is untainted.
The world cannot continue with such inequalities that nurture hatred, envy and even result in violence. What can people increasing their trillions really do? Are they going to take that to their graves? How best can they make use of that wealth for a happier world? Why would they want to dump that wealth into insidious gameplans like depopulating the world through pandemics or rolling out transgenderism even among children to break up the institution of marriage, family & procreation? Are such sadisms healthy even for those who plan them or practice satanic rituals thinking themselves a cult above the rest? No cult and no satan can prevent death or even karma. This is the reality of life.
Governments comprising representatives of the people are expected to strategize national goals and raise every segment of society. Development is not concrete structures and skyscrapers as Singaporeans are beginning to realize.
A nation is made up of people, people’s happiness must go parallel to economic development. Any development initiatives must be complimented with parallel happiness programs.
Young economists must come up with a suitable formula where socio-economic-happiness has a minimum level for the poor-the middle class & the rich and development runs parallel to this.
Now that Sri Lanka is at the bottom of the pit – we can restart with a proper program of economic happiness and its success can be shared with the rest of the world.
Children’s Day is around the corner, and celebrating it in a non-conventional way can be a fun and memorable experience for kids.
Here are some ideas to consider perhaps for 2024. Outdoor Adventure Day:
Organize an outdoor adventure day where kids can explore nature, learn survival skills, and have fun in the great outdoors. Activities can include hiking, camping, geocaching, or even a nature scavenger hunt.
Science and Innovation Fair:
Encourage children’s curiosity and creativity by hosting a science and innovation fair. Kids can showcase their homemade experiments, inventions, or science projects, fostering a love for STEM subjects.
Artistic Street Parade:
Organize a colourful and artistic street parade where children can create their floats, costumes, and banners. This allows them to express their creativity while celebrating in a lively, non-traditional way.
Sports and Games Tournament:
Host a mini-Olympic-style tournament where kids can participate in various sports and games. This promotes physical activity, teamwork, and healthy competition.
Cultural Exchange:
Create an event that celebrates diversity and cultural exchange. Invite kids from different cultural backgrounds to share their traditions, music, dance, and food, promoting cultural awareness and understanding.
Environmental Awareness Day:
Teach children about environmental conservation and sustainability by organizing a day focused on eco-friendly activities. Planting trees, cleaning up a local park, and learning about recycling can be both educational and fun.
Fantasy-themed Day:
Let kids explore their imagination by hosting a fantasy-themed day. Encourage them to dress up as their favourite fictional characters and set up activities like a magical treasure hunt or a fairy tale storytelling session.
Music and Dance Showcase:
Allow children to express themselves through music and dance. Organize a talent show or a music and dance workshop where they can learn new skills and perform in front of an audience.
Community Service Project:
Teach children the value of giving back to the community by involving them in a service project. They can participate in activities such as visiting a nursing home, creating care packages for the less fortunate, or organizing a charity fundraiser.
Mystery Adventure:
Create a mystery adventure for children to solve. Set up clues and puzzles around a designated area, and let them work together to unravel the mystery. This activity fosters problem-solving skills and teamwork.
Science Fiction Movie Marathon:
Host a movie marathon featuring classic science fiction films or animated movies that inspire imagination and curiosity. Provide popcorn and comfy seating for a cinematic experience.
Book Swap and Storytelling:
Encourage a love for reading by organizing a book swap event where children can exchange books they’ve already read. Combine this with a storytelling session where kids can share their favourite stories or even create their own.
Have a children’s coding workshop.
This is a great way to introduce children to the world of coding and programming. There are many free and affordable resources available online and at local libraries.
Start a children’s mentorship program.
This is a great way to pair children with adults who can provide them with guidance and support. Mentors can help children with everything from their homework to their social skills.
Host a children’s maker space.
This is a dedicated space where children can come to create and build things. You can provide a variety of materials, such as cardboard, Lego, and electronics.
Organize a children’s book drive.
This is a great way to collect books for children in need. You can donate the books to a local library, school, or homeless shelter.
Organize a first-aid training drive.
Teach them how to perform injury assessments, one-person CPR, and Heimlich manoeuvres, as most accidents happen when they are under less supervision.
Remember that the key to a successful non-conventional Children’s Day celebration is to engage children’s interests and provide them with opportunities for learning, creativity, and fun. Tailor the event to the age group and preferences of the children involved to ensure a memorable and enjoyable experience. No matter what approach you choose, make sure that the activities are fun and engaging for children. The most important thing is to celebrate them and let them know how much they are loved and appreciated.
Colombo, September 28: Events leading to the controversial takeover of the Kandyan kingdom by the British in 1815 and the aftermath have been written about both from the British and the Sri Lankan viewpoint. The British view is vividly presented in Ceylon Ancient and Modern published by Chapman and Hall of London in 1876. It is authored by an anonymous former officer of the Ceylon Rifles.
In 1798, the Prime Minister of the Kandyan kingdom, Pilimatalavuva Maha Adikaram (or Pilame as he is referred to in the book) had placed on the throne of Kandy, Sri Wickrama Rajasinha, the 18-year-old nephew of the wife of the deposed King Rajadhi Rajasinha. Pilame wanted to rule Kandy and replace the Naicker dynasty” by an indigenous Sinhalese” dynasty with the help of the British, who had replaced the Dutch as the European power in Ceylon in 1796.
When Pilame conveyed his plan to Governor Fredrick North, the latter got excited at the prospect of turning Kandy into a British Protectorate. Kandy had been doggedly defying European attempts to subdue or absorb it. But North disapproved Pilame’s proposal for a British attack on Kandy to put his puppet Mootoo Samey (Muthu Swamy) on the throne. North said he would not object if Pilame himself removed Wickrama Rajasinha, and yet he wanted to protect the king! The troops’ presence in Kandy will be the only means of preserving the poor man’s life and dignity, which otherwise will be sacrificed to the ambition of his minister,” North wrote.
He also wanted Wickrama Rajasinha to formally agree to the stationing of British troops. And to talk about this, he sent Maj.Gen. Hay MacDowell backed by 2500 troops. But MacDowell was made to wait inordinately for an audience and had to kneel before the King. The annoyed General returned to Colombo. But Pilame would not give up. In 1802, to force the British to take punitive action against the king, he relieved some Moor merchants from the coast of their property and put the blame on the king. Gen.MacDowell proceeded to Kandy on a punitive mission. Wickrama Rajasinha fled but not before setting Kandy on fire. Pilame put Mootoo Samey on the throne and MacDowell left for Colombo leaving a small contingent of troops in Kandy under Major Davie. But the doughty Kandyans put back Wickrema Rajasinha on the throne.
Thus thwarted, Pilame planned to kidnap Governor North during the talks they had at Dambedenia and also attack British garrisons. The timely arrival of Malay troops put paid to his plans. Nevertheless, Kandyans attacked the British troops, most of whom were too sick to fight. Maj. Davie surrendered Mootoo Samey and also his arms. The Kandyans massacred” all but Davie and Corporal Barnsley, who escaped. The massacre sparked calls for revenge. But North’s plan to send the troops to Kandy did not fructify as the Madras Governor could not send the 3000 men he sought.
Commenting on the misadventure, the author of the book says: The great fault of all those engaged in this terribly ill-managed Kandyan affair was placing any reliance on the word of an Asiatic, or entering into any negotiations or conventions with them, in which Europeans are sure to be foiled by their superior finesse and want of faith. In dealing with these people there is only one policy to be adopted, a bold, straightforward one, with a firm reliance on one’ own right arm and a good display of physical force –the only argument they understand, or at least are likely to attend to.”
When North took up the massacres with Wickrama Rajasinha, the latter blamed Pilame from whom, he said, he had long since withdrawn his confidence. North suspected that the king was being dismissive and dodgy because he was expecting assistance from the French Adm. Alexandre Durand Linois, who was harassing British shipping in the Indian Ocean.
Continually disturbed by the plots and insurrections by his chiefs,” Wickrema Rajasinha became a sanguinary despot.” The crafty Pilame was found plotting to assassinate the king, who beheaded him in 1812. Pilame was succeeded as Adigar by his nephew Eheylapola (Ahalepola). But Eheylapola had inherited his uncle’s disposition for plotting and secretly tried to get Governor Robert Brownrigg’s aid for dethroning Wickrama Rajasinghe and assuming power himself. Brownrigg declined to help.
Meanwhile, the king had discovered Eheylapola’s conspiracy. Eheylapola fled to Colombo. But the tyrant (Wickrama Rajasinha) wreaked his vengeance on his (Eheleypola’s) wife and family and everyone within his reach. The place of execution in Kandy flowed with blood and the neighbourhood echoed with the shrieks of the victims. Eheylapola’s wife and four children and his brother and wife were either beheaded or drowned, and the mothers were compelled, under the dread of being disgracefully tortured, to pound the decapitated heads of their children in a paddy pounder.”
As a consequence of this outrage, war was proclaimed against Wickrama Rajasinha in January 1815. In a few weeks, Kandy was again in the possession of the British, thanks to the defection of the king’s General Mollegodde ( Molligoda) and the gang up the principal chiefs against the king. The king, who was hiding, was found out by Aheylapola’s men and handed over to the British. Upon capture, a remorseful Wickrama Rajasinha told the British: Your English governors have one advantage over us kings. They have counsellors near them who never allow them to do anything in passion. But unfortunately for us the offender is dead before our resentment has subsided!”
In the eyes of the British, Wickrama Rajasinha was not unprepossessing in appearance, except when he was excited, when his eyes gleamed with the fire of a demon, and his face assumed an air or malignant cruelty.”
In March 1815, the Kandyan Convention, by which the kingdom was handed over to the British by the chiefs, was signed. The chiefs were guaranteed their ancient privileges and powers, the impartial administration of justice and the maintenance and protection of Buddhism. However, according to eye witness Dr Marshall, both the chiefs and the people began to show signs of impatience and openly wished for the departure of the British from Kandy inquiring when they intended to leave the country.”
One of the Kandyans told Marshall: You have deposed the king and now nothing more is required. You may leave us now.”
They showed no dislike to us individually, but as a nation, they abhorred us; they made no complaint of misrule or oppression, simply wishing we should leave the country,” Marshalls adds.
These feelings broke out into an open revolt in 1817, secretly fomented by Eheleypola, the professed friend of England”. By 1818, the revolt had spread like wildfire. A monk was made a claimant to the Kandy thrown and the tooth relic was taken out from the temple at Kandy and shown to the people to arouse their fanatical enthusiasm.”
In the 10-month desultory 1880 war, 1000 Indian soldiers fighting in the British army died, which was one-fifth of the entire force deployed.
The Kandyans never met their enemies openly, gave quarter or showed any mercy to those who fell into their hands, and the army imagined they would eventually be obliged to evacuate the country and fight their way out,” an observer said.
Eventually, the Kandyans submitted due to the destruction of their villages, cattle and crops and the loss of nearly 10,000 people due to famine, fever and war. Disunion had also emerged among the rebellious chiefs. Some submitted and others were executed. Peace was restored after the accidentally discovered” Tooth Relic (Dalada) was reinstalled at its rightful place in Kandy.
Colombo, September 27: China’s State Council Information Office has released the country’s blueprint for a better world entitled Global Community of Shared Future: China’s Proposals and Actions”.
Presented on September 26, the document projects a benign, accommodative and progressive image of China, contrasting it with its adversaries which are dubbed hegemonic and narrow-minded.
However, no adversary has been named.
The document says that it is wrong to assume that strong countries will naturally seek hegemony. It disputes the notion that China will be aggressive just because it is growing.
There is no iron law that dictates that a rising power will inevitably seek hegemony. This assumption represents typical hegemonic thinking and is grounded in memories of catastrophic wars between hegemonic powers in the past.”
China has never accepted that once a country becomes strong enough, it will invariably seek hegemony.”
The root of hegemony is an obsession with superior strength, and the zero-sum mentality” the document points out.
It says that China is not in the hegemonic league because it understands the lesson of history – that hegemony preludes decline.”
China develops itself not by invasion or expansion but by creating opportunities for itself while creating more development opportunities for the entire world, and not in order to supersede or subjugate others.”
Further, the strong preying on the weak is not a way for humans to coexist. If the law of the jungle is imposed on human society, and the idea that might is right prevails, the principle of sovereign equality will be fundamentally undermined, and world peace and stability will be severely endangered.”
Making a strong pitch for globalization, the document says that globalization is not an option, but is the reality and the way of life in a highly interdependent and interconnected world.”
Describing the winner-takes-all” mind set as the law of the jungle,” the document says that the way forward is inclusive development for the benefit of all.”
Certain countries still cling to the zero-sum game and blindly pursue monopolistic advantages but this will do nothing for their development over the long run.”
No country should hope for others to fail. Instead, it should work together with other countries for the success of all. This is an integrated world. Those who turn their back on it will have no place in it,” the document says.
Decrying protectionism, including de-coupling and de-risking” from China, the document says that such raising of walls will halt globalization.
The artificial walls thus created, coupled with the pandemic, resulted in the Human Development Index declining for the first time in 30 years.
The world’s poor population has increased by more than 100 million, and nearly 800 million people live in hunger,” the document says.
Describing the security deficit as glaring”, the document lays the blame on the Cold War mindset of some powers who have revived ideological warfare.
Some countries’ hegemonic, abusive, and aggressive actions against others, in the form of swindling, plundering, oppression, and the zero-sum game, are causing great harm,” the document says and points out that non-traditional security challenges, including terrorism, cyber-attacks, and transnational crime, have increased.
The panacea for these ills is in a drastic change in approach.
Standing at a crossroads, humanity is faced with two opposing options. One is to revert to the Cold War mentality that deepens division and antagonism and stokes confrontation between blocs. The other is to act for the common well-being of humanity, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, advocate openness and win-win results, and promote equality and respect,” the documents points out.
Stressing the need to accept the diversity of systems, the document says that the goal should not be to replace one system or civilization with another. Instead, it should be about countries with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures and levels of development coming together to promote shared interests, shared rights, and shared responsibilities in global affairs.
Non-recognition of diversity goes hand in hand with isolationism and exclusivism which run counter to the multipolar trend, the document argues.
It calls for democracy in international relations to make sure that the future of the world is determined by all, that international rules are written by all, that global affairs are governed by all, and that the fruits of development are shared by all.”
It points out that acceptance of diversity leads to mutual learning which gives an impetus to human progress.
It calls for an end to the practice of adopting double standards or selectively applying international law.
Calling or a joint approach to problems, the document says: Viewed from a country-first perspective, the world is small and crowded, and locked in fierce competition; but viewed from the perspective of a shared future, the world is vast and full of opportunities for cooperation. No country can overcome global development challenges on its own. Cooperation among all countries is the only viable option.”
Development is sustainable only when it is inclusive, it adds.
On China’s approach to international conflicts, the document says that when neighbours are in trouble, instead of reinforcing one’s own fences, one should extend a helping hand. As challenges often take on global dimensions, it is all the more important for countries to cooperate in addressing them, turning pressure into motivation and crises into opportunities.”
Citing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as an example of meaningful cooperation, the document cites a World Bank report which says that if the projects are implemented, trade between BRI countries trade will increase by 4.1%.
And by 2030, the BRI will generate US$1.6 trillion in annual global revenues.
Among the successful BRI projects cited in the report are: the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor; the China-Laos Railway; the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway (reaching a speed of 350 km an hour); the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway; and the China-Europe Railway Express.
In addition to the BRI, China has set up the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund to fund hundreds of projects
As regards China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI) the document says that more than 100 countries and international organizations have expressed support for it, and over 70 countries participated in the Group of Friends of the GDI at the UN.
Through the Global Security Initiative (GSI) presented in 2023, China seeks to work with the international community in upholding the spirit of the UN Charter.”
The GSI calls for changes in the international landscape through solidarity, addressing traditional and non-traditional security risks and challenges with a win-win mind set, and creating a new path to security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance, and win-win approach over the zero sum game.”
Declaring China’s belief in peaceful negotiations to settle disputes, the document says that Beijing has settled land boundary issues with 12 of its 14 neighbours and delimited the maritime boundary in the Beibu Bay with Vietnam.
China’s has offered a blueprint for a political solution to the Ukraine Crisis and mediated between Saudi Arabia and Iran successfully.
On the controversial maritime security issue, the document says that China has proposed a maritime community of shared future” concept and is committed to the peaceful resolution of territorial sovereignty and maritime issues and interests through dialogue and consultation.”
Further, China has signed and fully and effectively implemented the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea with ASEAN countries, and continues to advance consultations on the code of conduct in the South China Sea.
China has proposed to jointly build a partnership on Blue economy and strengthen maritime connectivity. The document says that China adheres to the path of pursuing joint development while setting aside disputes, and is actively exploring joint resource development with its maritime neighbours.
Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has been found not guilty of sexual intercourse without consent following an accusation of stealthing” involving a Tinder date in Sydney.
The 32-year-old was arrested in November while in Australia for the T-20 World Cup, after he went for drinks with a woman near the Opera House.
He had chatted online for several days and then had dinner with the woman, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, before being invited back to her eastern suburbs home, the NSW District Court heard.
The Crown’s case was that he removed a condom during intercourse without the woman’s knowledge when she had consented only to protected sex.
The complainant told the court she did not see the batsman remove the condom, but saw it on the floor shortly after the intercourse stopped.
Woman gave two different accounts
Judge Sarah Huggett today found evidence about the genesis” of the woman’s complaint undermined the reliability of her evidence.
The judge said the woman had given different accounts in her two statements; the second, given in April this year, went into further detail about the issue of stealthing.
But the judge said the complainant did not have a clear memory” of what happened around the time she saw the condom on the floor.
The evidence establishes there was no opportunity for the accused to remove the condom during the intercourse because that intercourse was continuous,” she said.
Judge Huggett considered the woman’s first conversations with two close friends, which seemed to frame the complaint in terms of the roughness of the sexual activity.
Crown ‘failed to establish woman’s reliability’
Mr Gunathilaka’s defence counsel argued the woman lied, gave self-serving evidence and appeared to not remember parts of the night that were inconsistent with a narrative” she created, which morphed over time.
Murugan Thangaraj SC told the judge the Crown failed to establish the woman’s reliability and highlighted what he said were inconsistencies and implausibility in her version of events.
He said it was completely illogical” to claim she felt ambushed before lighting candles in her bedroom, effectively setting it up for a romantic sexual liaison”.
In court, the woman alleged Mr Gunathilaka kissed her forcefully” on the way home and on her couch, where she felt ambushed” before moving to the bedroom.
She further alleged he choked her three times during sex, leaving her fearful for her life, and ignored requests to go slow.
Judge Huggett found the woman was an intelligent witness who gave evidence in a considered way”, and was overall a calm and responsive” witness.
But the judge said there were times when it appeared the complainant was motivated by a desire to paint the accused in an unfavourable light.
Police interview played in court
In his police interview, Mr Gunathilaka said he told her his preference generally was to not use condoms but wanted to on the night because it was their first meeting.
In the interview, the cricketer made mention of there being two condoms because one malfunctioned — which the Crown said was a deliberate mistruth.
But Judge Huggett disagreed, finding that his answers were the result of confusion, fatigue, a language barrier and possibly memory”.
I formed the distinct impression he was doing his best to be truthful and assist the police,” she said.
Sitting in the interview room, Mr Gunathilaka told police the woman had organised him a taxi and he kissed her before leaving.
She didn’t even text me, I didn’t text her also,” he said.
And that’s it, then I’m here.”
Mr Gunathilaka has been in Australia on bail since mid-November.
Outside court, Mr Gunathilaka said the verdict says everything” and that his reputation had been restored.
He thanked his lawyers, manager, as well as friends and family back in Sri Lanka, saying everyone believed me, so that means a lot to me”.
I’m happy that my life is normal again, so I can’t wait to go back and play cricket,” he said.
Mr Gunathilaka said the last eleven months have been really hard”, particularly being in Australia without his parents.
Sri Lanka’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the next tranche of funds under a $3 billion lending program has been stalled, threatening to slow down the island nation’s recovery from its worst economic crisis in history.
The IMF team concluded a two-week visit to Sri Lanka on Wednesday without securing the staff-level agreement required to unlock the next $333 million disbursement. Despite Sri Lanka’s “commendable progress” in implementing economic reforms, measures to improve tax and revenue collection fell short of expectations, potentially undermining the government’s ability to provide essential public services and sustain debt.
The delay in agreement comes amidst Sri Lanka’s ongoing process of restructuring both its foreign and domestic debt, which was a condition for continuing with the IMF program. As of the end of 2022, both foreign and domestic debt totalled about $42 billion each.
In addition to these internal challenges, progress on negotiations has also been slowed due to tensions between Sri Lanka’s creditors, including geopolitical rivals such as China and India along with commercial bondholders.
Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt last year following a sharp fall in its foreign reserves, leading to mass protests and shortages of essential goods such as fuel and medicine. This marked the first default by an Asia-Pacific nation in over two decades.
The country’s tax-to-GDP ratio plunged to one of the lowest globally at about 8 percent after former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa cut taxes in 2019. His successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has since taken a number of unpopular steps including raising some taxes, but according to the IMF, these measures have not met what was required.
“To increase revenues and signal better governance, it is important to strengthen tax administration, remove tax exemptions and actively eliminate tax evasion,” the IMF advised. The Sri Lankan official acknowledged that some reforms had taken longer than expected, but insisted that the country had made good progress in turning around its economy.
IMF Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka, Peter Breuerit, stated that disbursing of the second tranche would depend on two critical components: sustaining reforms and progress on the debt front. He also noted that there was no fixed timeline for the second tranche to be disbursed. The IMF mission team, led by Peter Breuer and Ms. Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, emphasized that full economic recovery is not yet assured despite early signs of stabilization.
Shereen Balasingham, a community medicine expert at the Directorate of Non-Communicable Diseases Division of the Health Ministry, said that the number of deaths and hospitalizations due to heart failure has increased significantly.
She stated that 52 percent of deaths in government hospitals in 2020 were due to heart attacks and that both men and women between the ages of 18 and 28 as well as between 29 to 39 years of age suffer from heart attacks.
She made these comments on Wednesday (27) while attending a press conference held at the Health Promotion Bureau.
The National Cancer Control Unit stated that how to quickly identify a heart patient should be added to the school syllabus.
Dr. Anidu Pathirana, a consultant cardiologist at the Colombo National Hospital, said that noise pollution is one of the main causes of heart disease. He also stated that if there are no laws to reduce noise pollution, new laws should be made or noise pollution should be prevented. He said that people suffer from heart attacks due to social and mental stress and the symptoms of pain in the body, difficulty in breathing and chest fatigue (wheezing) are symptoms of a heart attack.
National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No 8
Washington, D.C. – September 11 1998 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet. The violent overthrow of the democratically-elected Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende changed the course of the country that Chilean poet Pablo Neruda described as “a long petal of sea, wine and snow”; because of CIA covert intervention in Chile, and the repressive character of General Pinochet’s rule, the coup became the most notorious military takeover in the annals of Latin American history.
Revelations that President Richard Nixon had ordered the CIA to “make the economy scream” in Chile to “prevent Allende from coming to power or to unseat him,” prompted a major scandal in the mid-1970s, and a major investigation by the U.S. Senate. Since the coup, however, few U.S. documents relating to Chile have been actually declassified- -until recently. Through Freedom of Information Act requests, and other avenues of declassification, the National Security Archive has been able to compile a collection of declassified records that shed light on events in Chile between 1970 and 1976.
These documents include:
Cables written by U.S. Ambassador Edward Korry after Allende’s election, detailing conversations with President Eduardo Frei on how to block the president-elect from being inaugurated. The cables contain detailed descriptions and opinions on the various political forces in Chile, including the Chilean military, the Christian Democrat Party, and the U.S. business community.
CIA memoranda and reports on “Project FUBELT”–the codename for covert operations to promote a military coup and undermine Allende’s government. The documents, including minutes of meetings between Henry Kissinger and CIA officials, CIA cables to its Santiago station, and summaries of covert action in 1970, provide a clear paper trail to the decisions and operations against Allende’s government
National Security Council strategy papers which record efforts to “destabilize” Chile economically, and isolate Allende’s government diplomatically, between 1970 and 1973.
State Department and NSC memoranda and cables after the coup, providing evidence of human rights atrocities under the new military regime led by General Pinochet.
FBI documents on Operation Colombo and Condor–the state-sponsored terrorism of the Chilean secret police, DINA. The documents, including summaries of prison letters written by DINA agent Michael Townley, provide evidence on the carbombing assassination of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt in Washington D.C., and the murder of Chilean General Carlos Prats and his wife in Buenos Aires, among other operations. These documents, and many thousands of other CIA, NSC, and Defense Department records that are still classified secret, remain relevant to ongoing human rights investigations in Chile, Spain and other countries, and unresolved acts of international terrorism conducted by the Chilean secret police. Eventually, international pressure, and concerted use of the U.S. laws on declassification will force more of the still-buried record into the public domain–providing evidence for future judicial, and historical accountability.
THE DOCUMENTS Click on the to view each document.
FBI, Directorate of National Intelligence (DINA), January 21, 1982 This report provides a summary of information taken from prison letters written by Michael Townley, the DINA agent responsible for the assassination of Orlando Letelier. This report includes information not directly provided to the FBI by Townley, but drawn from analysis of his correspondence with his DINA handler: details about meetings between Chilean President Pinochet and Italian terrorists and spies, codenames and activities of DINA personnel, collaboration between DINA and anti-Castro Cubans; the creation of a fake terrorist organization to take the blame for a DINA kidnapping in Argentina; DINA involvement in relations between Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and Townley’s fear that information about kidnappings and assassinations of prominent critics of Pinochet would somehow be traced back to him.
FBI, Operation Condor Cable, September 28, 1976 This cable, written by the FBI’s attache in Buenos Aires, Robert Scherrer, summarizes intelligence information provided by a “confidential source abroad” about Operation Condor, a South American joint intelligence operation designed to “eliminate Marxist terrorist activities in the area.” The cable reports that Chile is the center of Operation Condor, and provides information about “special teams” which travel “anywhere in the world… to carry out sanctions up to assassination against terrorists or supporters of terrorist organizations.” Several sections relating to these special teams have been excised. The cable suggests that the assassination of the Chilean Ambassador to the United States, Orlando Letelier, may have been carried out as an action of Operation Condor.
National Security Council, Chilean President’s visit to U.S., August 8, 1975 This memorandum, written by Stephen Low of the National Security Council, calls Scowcroft’s attention to Pinochet’s plans to visit the United States, and his requested meeting with U.S. President Ford. The memo states that the NSC asked the U.S. Ambassador to Chile, David Popper, to discourage the meeting by telling the Chileans that President Ford’s schedule is full. Fearing that such a visit would “stimulate criticism” and foster embarrassment, Low suggests an “informal talk” with Chile’s Ambassador Trucco.
National Security Council, Disarray in Chile Policy, July 1, 1975 This memorandum, from Stephen Low to President Ford’s National Security Advisor, General Brent Scowcroft, conveys concern about wavering U.S. policy toward Chile in light of reports of human rights violations. The memo reveals a division within the U.S. embassy over dealing with Chile, with a number of officials now believing that all U.S. military and economic assistance should be terminated until the regime’s human rights record improves. According to Low, by reducing aid and sending “mixed signals” to the Chileans, the United States risks precipitating a crisis situation in Chile. Low concludes his memo by recommending that Scowcroft schedule a special meeting in which U.S. agencies can “clarify guidelines for future policy.”
FBI Report to Chilean Military on Detainee, June 6, 1975 This letter, one of a number sent by FBI attache Robert Scherrer to Chilean General Ernesto Baeza, provides intelligence obtained through the interrogation of a captured Chilean leftist, Jorge Isaac Fuentes. The document records U.S. collaboration with Chile’s security forces, including the promise of surveillance of subjects inside the United States. Fuentes was detained through Operation Condor–a network of Chilean, Argentinian and Paraguayan secret police agencies which coordinated tracking, capturing and killing opponents. According to the Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation, he was tortured in Paraguay, turned over to the Chilean secret police, and disappeared.
Department of Defense, Directorate of National Intelligence (DINA) Expands Operations and Facilities, April 15, 1975 This heavily excised Intelligence Report from the Defense Attache in Santiago Chile, describes the growth of DINA, the national intelligence arm of the Chilean government and “the sole responsible agency for internal subversive matters.” Many of the excised portions provide details about the strained relations between DINA and the Chilean Armed Forces because of DINA’s exclusive power. The report states that the head of DINA, Colonel Manuel Contreras, “has reported exclusively to, and received orders only from, President Pinochet.”
Department of State, Kubisch-Huerta Meeting: Request for Specific Replies to Previous Questions on Horman and Teruggi Cases, February 11, 1974 This telegram, written by Ambassador Popper and directed to the U.S. Secretary of State, reports on a meeting between Assistant Secretary of State Jack Kubisch, and Chile’s foreign minister General Huerta on the controversy over two U.S. citizens–Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi–executed by the military after the coup. Kubisch notes that he is raising this issue “in the context of the need to be careful to keep relatively small issues in our relationship from making our cooperation more difficult.”
Department of State, Chilean Executions, November 16, 1973 This memo, sent to the Secretary of State by Jack Kubisch, states that summary executions in the nineteen days following the coup totaled 320–more than three times the publicly acknowledged figure. At the same time, Kubisch reports on new economic assistance just authorized by the Nixon administration. The memo provides information about the Chilean military’s justification for the continued executions. It also includes a situation report and human rights fact sheet on Chile.
Department of Defense, U.S. Milgroup, Situation Report #2, October 1, 1973 In a situation report, U.S. Naval attache Patrick Ryan, reports positively on events in Chile during the coup. He characterizes September 11 as “our D-Day,” and states that “Chile’s coup de etat [sic] was close to perfect.” His report provides details on Chilean military operations during and after the coup, as well as glowing commentary on the character of the new regime.
Defense Intelligence Agency, Biographic Data on General Augusto Pinochet, August/September 1973 This DIA biographic summary covers the military career of the leader of Chile’s military coup, General Augusto Pinochet. The DIA, an intelligence branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, routinely collects “Biographic Data” on all high military officials around the world. The heavy deletions are likely to conceal Chilean sources providing information on Pinochet, his own contacts with U.S. officials, and commentary on his character, reputation, political orientation and actions during his career.
Department of State, Memorandum for Henry Kissinger on Chile, December 4, 1970 In response to a November 27 directive from Kissinger, an inter-agency Ad Hoc Working Group on Chile prepared this set of strategy papers covering a range of possible sanctions and pressures against the new Allende government. These included a possible diplomatic effort to force Chile to withdraw–or be expelled–from the Organization of American States as well as consultations with other Latin American countries “to promote their sharing of our concern over Chile.” The documents show that the Nixon administration did engage in an invisible economic blockade against Allende, intervening at the World Bank, IDB, and Export-Import bank to curtail or terminate credits and loans to Chile before Allende had been in office for a month.
CIA, Report of CIA Chilean Task Force Activities, 15 September to 3 November 1970, November 18, 1970 The CIA prepared a summary of its efforts to prevent Allende’s ratification as president and to foment a coup in Chile– track I and track II covert operations. The summary details the composition of the Task Force, headed by David Atlee Phillips, the team of covert operatives “inserted individually into Chile,” and their contacts with Col. Paul Winert, the U.S. Army Attache detailed to the CIA for this operation. It reviews the propaganda operations designed to push Chilean president Eduardo Frei to support “a military coup which would prevent Allende from taking office on 3 November.”
National Security Council, National Security Decision Memorandum 93, Policy Towards Chile, November 9, 1970 This memorandum summarizes the presidential decisions regarding changes in U.S. policy toward Chile following Allende’s election. Written by Henry Kissinger and sent to the Secretaries of State, Defense, the Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness and the Director of Central Intelligence, this memo directs U.S. agencies to adopt a “cool” posture toward Allende’s government, in order to prevent his consolidation of power and “limit [his] ability to implement policies contrary to U.S. and hemisphere interests.” The memo states that existing U.S. assistance and investments in Chile should be reduced, and no new commitments undertaken. Furthermore, according to Kissinger’s memo, “close relations” should be established and maintained with military leaders throughout Latin America to facilitate coordination of pressure and other opposition efforts.
CIA, Briefing by Richard Helms for the National Security Council, Chile, November 6, 1970 This paper provides the talking points for CIA director Richard Helms to brief the NSC on the situation in Chile. The briefing contains details on the failed coup attempt on October 22–but does not acknowledge a CIA role in the assassination of General Rene Schneider. Helms also assesses Allende’s “tenacious” character and Soviet policy toward Chile. Intelligence suggests that Chile’s socialists, he informs council members, “will exercise restraint in promoting closer ties with Russia.”
National Security Council, Options Paper on Chile (NSSM 97), November 3, 1970 A comprehensive secret/sensitive options paper, prepared for Henry Kissinger and the National Security Council on the day of Allende’s inauguration, laid out U.S. objectives, interests and potential policy toward Chile. U.S. interests were defined as preventing Chile from falling under Communist control and preventing the rest of Latin America from following Chile “as a model.” Option C–maintaining an “outwardly cool posture” while working behind the scenes to undermine the Allende government through economic pressures and diplomatic isolation–was chosen by Nixon. CIA operations and options are not included in this document.
CIA, Cable Transmissions on Coup Plotting, October 18, 1970 These three cables between CIA headquarters in Langley, VA., and the CIA Station in Santiago address the secret shipment of weapons and ammunition for use in a plot to kidnap the Chilean military commander, General Rene Schneider. “Neutralizing” Schneider was a key prerequisite for a military coup; he opposed any intervention by the armed forces to block Allende’s constitutional election. The CIA supplied a group of Chilean officers led by General Camilo Valenzuela with “sterile” weapons for the operation which was to be blamed on Allende supporters and prompt a military takeover. Instead, on October 22, General Schneider was killed by another group of plotters the CIA had been collaborating with, led by retired General Roberto Viaux. Instead of a coup, the military and the country rallied behind Allende’s ratification by Chile’s Congress on October 24.
CIA, Operating Guidance Cable on Coup Plotting, October 16, 1970 In a secret cable, CIA deputy director of plans, Thomas Karamessines, conveys Kissinger’s orders to CIA station chief in Santiago, Henry Hecksher: “It is firm and continuing policy that Allende be overthrown by a coup.” The “operating guidance” makes it clear that these operations are to be conducted so as to hide the “American hand,” and that the CIA is to ignore any orders to the contrary from Ambassador Korry who has not been informed of Track II operations.
CIA, Memorandum of Conversation of Meeting with Henry Kissinger, Thomas Karamessines, and Alexander Haig, October 15, 1970 This memcon records a discussion of promoting a coup in Chile, known as “Track II” of covert operations to block Allende. The three officials discuss the possibility that the plot of one Chilean military official, Roberto Viaux, might fail with “unfortunate repercussions” for U.S. objectives. Kissinger orders the CIA to “continue keeping the pressure on every Allende weak spot in sight.”
CIA, Genesis of Project FUBELT, September 16, 1970 These minutes record the first meeting between CIA director Helms and high agency officials on covert operations–codenamed “FUBELT”–against Allende. A special task force under the supervision of CIA deputy director of plans, Thomas Karamessines, is established, headed by veteran agent David Atlee Phillips. The memorandum notes that the CIA must prepare an action plan for National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger within 48 hours.
CIA, Notes on Meeting with the President on Chile, September 15, 1970 These handwritten notes, taken by CIA director Richard Helms, record the orders of the President of the United States, Richard Nixon, to foster a coup in Chile. Helms’ notes reflect Nixon’s orders: l in 10 chance perhaps, but save Chile!; worth spending; not concerned; no involvement of embassy; $10,000,00 available, more if necessary; full-time job–best men we have; game plan; make the economy scream; 48 hours for plan of action. This presidential directive initiates major covert operations to block Allende’s ascension to office, and promote a coup in Chile.
Department of State, U.S. Embassy Cables on the Election of Salvador Allende and Efforts to Block his Assumption of the Presidency, September 5-22, 1970 This series of eight cables, written by U.S. Ambassador to Chile, Edward Korry, record the reaction and activities of the U.S. Embassy after the election of Salvador Allende’s Popular Unity coalition. Known as “Korrygrams,” his reports contain some of the most candid, and at times undiplomatic, opinions and observations ever offered by a U.S. Ambassador. With titles such as “No Hope for Chile,” and “Some Hope for Chile,” Korry provides extensive details about political efforts to block Allende’s ratification by the Chilean Congress. The cables report on the activities of Chile’s political institutions in response to Allende’s election and provide Korry’s explicit assessments of the character of key Chilean leaders, particularly the outgoing president, Eduardo Frei.
Lankawebහි 13/8/23 දින පළ වුනු ‘Local adoption of the ICCPR Convention – a cunning enactment; works against Sinhala Buddhist activists and soft on Tamil separatist racists’ යන ඉංග්රීසි ලිපියේ සංශෝධිත සිංහල අනුවාදය, එම මුල් ලේඛකයා විසින්ම.
සිවිල්සහදේශපාලනඅයිතිවාසිකම්පිළිබඳජාත්යාන්තරසම්මුතිය (The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – ICCPR)1976දී බිහි විය. එය බහුපාර්ශ්වික ගිවිසුමකි. රාජ්යයන් 175කට වැඩි ප්රමාණයක් මේ වන විට එයට සම්මුති වී ඇත.
While President Ranil Wickremasinghe insists that the Nation will maintain good relations with all countries and will take no sides he should also curb his Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry from direct involvement in the ongoing conflict between India and Canada before it becomes an embarrassment to Sri Lanka straddled with her own issues to contend with.
Thus it was indeed surprising to see Foreign Minister Ali Sabry making a statement to the International Media on the recent Indo-Canada conflict which has no relevance to Sri Lanka whatsoever and could easily be misinterpreted as meddling without a mandate.
His statement which seems to have been a personal one rather than being Sri Lanka’s official view, Sabry has launched a scathing attack on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his allegations against India, which Sri Lanka has neither relevance nor any privy to as his officious tone of voice could have far reaching ramifications to the good relations existing between Sri Lanka and Canada.
Sabry has said that” some of the terrorists have found safe haven in Canada” which in a sense has its realities in a relative sense as Canada has a reputation of harboring support towards the Tamils seeking secession who have sought refuge in Canada.
In the minds of many analysts it has been seen that Canada has often been sympathetic towards the Tamil cause and struggle for secession despite it being a violation of Sri Lanka’s Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity
It may be acceptable from some perspectives to see Sabry take on Trudeau when it comes to local affairs which might involve people of Sri Lankan origin but what seems to be unwanted at this moment of time is to see Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister interfering in a conflict between India and Canada and further dampen relations over a matter which bears no relevance to the Nation he is the Foreign Minister of and a Nation which is very supportive of Sri Lanka’s needs over decades.
It will be interesting to see if President Wickremasinghe also maintains the same view as Sabry relevant to the Foreign Minister who has openly made this statement over a conflict which does not involve the State,and whether he will get Sabry to maintain the PM’s own trend of thought by saying that Sri Lanka will not take sides with either India or Canada.
Bearing in mind that Sri Lanka has her own major issues to cope with presently and can definitely do without interfering in conflicts which do not concern the Government or the Nation, Sabry and others of his standing could well do with maintaining a position of diplomacy rather than involving themselves with issues beyond their jurisdiction.
To reiterate : Sri Lanka has her own battles to cope with and can definitely do without interfering in conflicts which do not concern the Government or the Nation.
Expressing this view were prominent German invitees to a very significant event marking the 50th anniversary (1957-2007) of the first Sri Lankan Buddhist Mission to Germany, at the Savsiripaya Auditorium in Colombo 7, Sri Lanka on August 22.
Sri Lanka honoured the mission – sponsored by the German Dharmadutha Society – with the issue of a commemorative postage stamp and a first-day cover by the Government Philatelic Bureau. This is the second time that a Sri Lankan Postage Stamp depicting a scene in Germany has been issued here. Nihal Sangabo Dias designed the new stamp issued on Wednesday.
Guest of Honour, German Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Juergen Weerth thanked the Sri Lankan Authorities for honouring his country in this manner. Focusing on Buddhism’s contribution to the creation of close and sustainable links between the two countries, he said the understanding of the teachings of the Buddha had been growing in Germany and the rest of Europe for the past 50 years.
He said: “Germans have always been fascinated by the Buddha’s teachings. Arthur Schopenhauer called it the most perfect of world religions. Einstein said that if there was any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.
Why are we fascinated? It is because Buddhism is a philosophy of rationality, realism and ethical purity. The respect for the Buddhist approach towards creation, in general, can lay the foundation of universal social ethics – that are dedicated to ecological well-being and social justice and to world peace.”
Delivering the keynote address – ‘The German Contributions to Theravada Buddhism and the Reception of Buddhism in Germany and its Influence on German Culture ‘ – Professor Karl Heinz-Golzio of the University of Bonn: traced the history of Buddhism in Germany from the early 19th Century to the present day and drew attention to the services of many a German thinker and scholar to the cause of Buddhism in Europe.
Among them were, Arthur Schopenhauer, Karl Eugen Neumann, Dr. Paul Dahlke, the Venerable Nyanatiloka (the first German to become a bhikku) and the Ven. Nyanaponika.
“Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer,” Prof. Golzio said, “was among the thinkers who had recognized the validity of Buddhism before its sources were edited and translated into European languages.”
Golzio said: “To him, Buddhism was the best of all religions because it is preferable to Brahminism with its caste system and even more to Christianity with its fallacious ideas about God and its defective code of ethics in which animals were given no consideration”.
The Professor further noted: “Schopenhauer claimed that his own philosophy agreed with the Buddha’s teachings. The affinity between Schopenhauer’s philosophy and Buddhism is in many ways striking. “
Golzio said that the advent of the Nazis heralded a dark period for Buddhism in Germany. Some Nazi sympathizers had distorted and misinterpreted the Buddha Dhamma, giving it a racial connotation and calling it an Aryan religion similar to Hitler’s National Socialism. At the same time, true Buddhists suffered under the Hitler regime.
Among them was Dr Paul Dahlke’s former Secretary, Dr Kurt Fischer who published a Buddhist Journal each issue of which the Nazis censored. After Fischer died of a heart attack in 1942 upon hearing that he was to be arrested by the notorious Gestapo, the latter confiscated all his books on Buddhism.
“Today, ” Golzio noted “More and more and more Western people have become interested in Buddhism – especially in meditation – as a way to mental peace and calmness. And they convert to Buddhism after a critical trial period.”
He said that Buddhism – although still not an officially recognized religion in Germany – it is now a subject in the school curriculum there. This according to him is very significant.
“It is a chance to teach Buddhist values and Buddhist ethics, loving kindness and compassion and unselfishness to the younger generation of Germans – especially at a time of materialism, consumerism, environmental crime, pollution and natural disasters, terrorism and war. Many western people have lost confidence in Christianity and are searching for rational ways of leading a spiritual life. They are also looking for guidance to lead meaningful and happy lives.”
Richard Lang – Director of Geothe Institute, Colombo – observed:
“One of the articles on Buddhism by Golzio has been particularly quoted again and again – because he puts forward a very interesting question: Whether we can expect even a larger number of Europeans to turn to Buddhism in the future – probably because of this in the world which we are living.”
Chief Guest, Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya said that the German Dharmadutha Society’s first mission – Initiated by a young Sri Lankan Businessmen Asoka Weeraratne – was the beginning of a long and deep-rooted relationship between Sri Lanka and Germany.
“It was not a mission for conversion but an undertaking to meet the German people and give them solace in their hour of need. Asoka Weeraratne saw the immense potential for Buddhism in Europe, particularly in post-World War II Germany.
“I reiterate that this mission was not for conversion but to give the Buddha’s message – to give that philosophy. It is the greatest gift Sri Lanka can offer to the West. I cannot think of anything better.”
The Minister said that today Buddhism has become part of the Western culture. According to him, in America alone, there are over a million people looking at Buddhism. “Germany and Sri Lanka have had a very long and warm friendly relationship. The people of this country have a very special place in their hearts for Germany.
Sri Lankans will never forget names such as Wilhelm Geiger, Paul Dahlke, Ven Nyanatiloka and Ven Nyanaponika. Socially Germans are very fond of this country. When they visit once they visit many times. I thank the good work done by the German Cultural Institute (Goethe Institute).”
Chief Sanghanayaka of Europe and Chief Patron of the Austria Buddhist (Theravada) Society, Sri Lankan Bhikku Venerable Dr Wijayarajapura Seelawansa after speaking briefly in Sinhala gave a lengthy talk in German on Buddhism to the Germans in the audience.
He said that many Germans are deriving an immense benefit from the services that the Berlin Buddhist Vihara (Das Buddhistische Haus) in Berlin – Frohnau in offers. Giving the vote of thanks Emeritus Prof J. B. Dissanayake spoke on the Buddhist connection between Sri Lanka and – Greece – the first European country known to people here.
The Honorary Secretary of the German Dharmaduta Society Senaka Weeraratna also spoke. Raja Kuruppu was the compere.
Pursuant to the Private Security Agencies Regularization Act No. 45 of 1998, the Ministry of Defence has taken steps to update the licensing conditions for the regulation and registration of private security agencies currently registered under the Ministry of Defence.
Accordingly, all registered institutions must submit applications for extension for the next 02 years before three (03) months to the expiration of the license. Operating without a valid license is an offense punishable under the Private Security Agencies Regulating Act No. 45 of 1998.
Further information and applications for extension of private security agency license and registration can be obtained from the Defence Ministry’s website www.defence.lk.
As the latest of a series of activities to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka which falls this year, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi has initiated a book project on Ramayana sites in collaboration with the internationally renowned publisher Dorling Kindersley Publishing Private Limited (DK) India.
The proposed book, with the working title In the Footsteps of Rama; A Cultural Journey through India and Sri Lanka”, will feature the Ramayana sites both in India and Sri Lanka giving reference to the historical, archeological and mythological aspects of these sites.
DK, a publisher of high-quality illustrated reference books plans to bring out the final production of the book by July next year.
The agreement pertaining to the publication was signed yesterday (25) at the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi. DK India’s Managing Director Aparna Sharma, Head Finance & Operations Alka Kumar, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda, Deputy High Commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa, Minister of the High Commission Upul Pushpakumara and Minister Counsellor Gamini Sarath Godakanda were present at the signing.
http://www.democracynow.org – In 1991, Nelson Mandela traveled to Cuba to meet with then president Fidel Castro on one of his first international trips after being freed from prison. Mandela called the Cuban Revolution, “a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people” and thanked Cuba for supporting the African National Congress at a time when it was banned in South Africa and condemned by the United States. “Who trained our people, who gave us resources, who helped so many of our soldiers, our doctors?” Mandela said to Castro. “You have not come to our country — when are you coming?” Earlier today, Cuban President Raúl Castro spoke at the Mandela memorial in South Africa. Watch part of his speech at http://www.democracynow.org/2013/12/1… Democracy Now!, is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on 1,200+ TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch it live 8-9am ET at http://www.democracynow.org.
However, it must be said in fairness to Suresh Sallay that he has denied being in Sri Lanka at the time the meeting allegedly happened
Hanzeer Azad Maulana was the main whistleblower featured in the Channel 4 documentary. Azad Maulana made some startling revelations against former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, State Intelligence Service head Maj-Gen Suresh Sallay and Rural Road Development State Minister Chanthrakanthan known widely as Pillaiyan. Gotabaya, Suresh and Pillaiyan have denied the allegations. 
