Three more people including two women have died of Covid-19, according to the Director-General of Health Services.
Government Information Department said the new development brings the total virus-related deaths in Sri Lanka to 152.
One of the victims is a 62-year-old woman residing in Colombo 10. She had been transferred from Colombo National Hospital to the Mulleriyawa Base Hospital after testing positive for novel coronavirus. According to reports, she passed away yesterday (12) due to Covid-19 pneumonia and an acute heart attack.
The second victim, identified as a 71-year-old woman from Wattala, had been transferred from a private hospital to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) where she died yesterday (12). The cause of death was cited as a stroke due to Covid-19 pneumonia and blood infection.
A man, aged 76 years, has also fallen victim to the virus yesterday (12), reports revealed. He has been identified as a resident of the Matale area. After testing positive for novel coronavirus, he was transferred to the Anuradhapura District Hospital from a private hospital in Colombo. He has died of Covid-19 pneumonia and heart failure.
Two decades ago, Motoring up Altamont Pass in California I gazed at thousands of Wind Turbines. It was the Californian Wind churning power for the USA. I could hardly believe my eyes. Once five centuries ago, It was the Wind that took Vas Co de Gama across the Cape of Good Hope, But not in Sri Lanka Where at Ramboda, Madugoda, at Hayes The wind howls blowing us off the roads Once in the Fifties, living in Hambantota My evening walks were all to enjoy the sea breeze The Winds wafted and soothed me; never blew me off It is this evening breeze that wafts the turbines at Mannar and Puttlam Our big wigs are happy with 100MW It is sad that we do not site our turbines Where the Wind howls and blows Instead, let the wind blow through Let Sri Lanka import fuel for power Continue getting more and more into foreign debt.
By Garvin Karunaratne, author of
Wind Power for Sri Lanka.s Energy
Requirements(2019)
The Eelam war
was Sri Lanka’s first post- Independence civil war. It was a protracted war
conducted by a bogus ethnic group,
created by the British administration, now claiming exclusive rights to
valuable coastal territory.
The
government of Sri Lanka was a formidable enemy, not only militarily, but
legally too. Sri Lanka, real name
Sinhaladvipa, is a recognized sovereign state with clear boundaries, a seat in
the UN and a well documented history. The government of Sri Lanka could not be
shaken easily. It fought back and won
the war. It was a decisive win. The LTTE formally declared defeat. It was an
unconditional surrender.
Journalists have attempted to diminish the victory. The ending of
the three-decade long war in Sri Lanka was unusual, journalists said. It
resulted from an outright military victory rather than a stalemate or peace
treaty. There was no negotiated transition, between the army and the LTTE, just
a crushing victory of one side over the other. This is utter nonsense and is
probably said for effect. No treaty was needed. It was an illegal occupation. The land belonged to the government.
Supporters of Tamil Separatism then turned their guns on the war monuments put up in the north by the
government. These war memorials are victory memorials, emphasizing the fact
that the government of Sri Lanka won the Eelam war. So it was necessary to launch a war against the
monuments as well.
The monuments were subjected to snide comments and the government
of Sri Lanka was criticized for crass monumentalism”. Rising from the flat and otherwise featureless
scrubby northern region, the monuments are impossible to miss, foreign
journalists said. War monuments, all over the world, are placed where they are
impossible to miss.
The monuments project a story that is unashamedly heroic, triumphal
and militaristic, said journalists. So what, said critics. They are heroic”
because of the heroism of those who fought. 6,261 died and
29,551 of the Sri Lanka armed forces were wounded in Eelam War IV alone.
The Eelam war was no picnic.
They are triumphal”
because they celebrate the defeat of treason, separatism and illegal occupation
of sovereign land. They are militaristic” because the wars were
fought with military weapons and military strategy from the start. The LTTE
started with T 56 and later moved to
multi-barrel rocket launchers.
The victory memorial in Puthukkudiyiruppu was
specially singled out for criticism. It was described by journalists as a triumphalist
celebration of military victory, that is, death and destruction.” The soldier brandishes an automatic weapon
in one hand and the national flag in another. His mouth is open wide as he
screams, presumably a cry of victory. There is no subtlety or nuance.
Such writings bring up the issue of ethics.
The code of ethics of journalists say, inter alia, that journalists must be
objective and impartial. These writers are not. These seem to be commissioned
pieces, by gullible journalists who believe what they have been told by the Tamil
Separatist Movement.
Brigadier Hiran Halangoda wants to see more war monuments. He
suggests a granite stone marker as a grim reminder, at the locations in Kiran,
Wellawadi, Kallady, Kalwanchikudy and Kalmunai to honor those soldiers who sacrificed
their lives there. Then there effort would not have been in vain. We must make
similar markers at all such locations so that history will not be erased by
unpatriotic elements for their own convenience and hidden agendas, Halangoda
said.
Another set of ‘monuments’ also appeared in the rest of the country. Rajika Hettiarachchi pointed out that the country is dotted with bus shelters alongside roads, dedicated to the memory of a dead son, father, or husband, erected by the families and community groups. This is praiseworthy and should receive more recognition. It says something good about the Sinhala Buddhist” culture of Sri Lanka. Most of these bus shelters have gone into disuse said the pro-Eelamists, ungraciously.
A bus shelter in memory of a father and a ‘Ranaviru’ or war-hero son,
built by the family of the deceased. Such family or community-led public
memorials are a common sight in the South. Rajika
Hettiarachchi
Writers also
looked at two other aspects of the Eelam war, War reporting and War tourism.
War reporting is nothing new. The public in Europe followed the progress of
World War II, listening to BBC broadcasts and locating the battles on their
home maps. Years later, the public in Europe
followed the end of the Vietnam War in the same way.
In the case
of Eelam War IV, the information came via television in the daily news
broadcasts. Final stages of the war came to the living rooms of most Sri Lanka
courtesy of Rupavahini. Government had embedded TV and print media journalists
to regularly report on the war from the vantage point allowed by the army.
This
reporting was criticized by writers who
supported Eelam. They said journalists
brought in news of the war the way the
audience in the south wanted it, clean, professional, no civilian casualties. From the comfort of the living
rooms they saw the collapse of LTTE bastions one after the other. They saw LTTE bastions such as Kilinochchi
fall as if they were watching great battle movies and became familiar with
progression of specific military thrusts
and the names of some military units, such as
57,58, 53, and 55 division
became part of the popular discourse.
This is nonsense. The reporting, made under
difficult circumstances was good and the
public watched the progress of the final stage very intelligently. The public knew what the
critical battles were. The greatest
explosion of firecrackers I heard was when Kilinochchi fell, not when the war
ended. War reports were not watched
only in living rooms. One person told me that he, together with some others,
watched the last stages of the war on the defence.lk website
while attending a conference in Sweden.
There was
jubilation when war ended, said writers. There were wild day and night parties
in the streets of Colombo and beyond with crackers, street music, fluttering
national flags and the cooking of kiribath in the streets. This sounds exaggerated.
These writers
then went on to say these festivities
drowned the sighing of the people in the battle zone, surviving
under the most difficult of conditions.. Most Sinhala
did not see the pain , death and destruction of the north east . In the north,
survivors had nothing to celebrate. The dead LTTE were their own kith and kin. This was
not understood by the Sinhala, said writers.
They went
further. They speculated that the
Buddhists must feel a sense of guilt over the massive destruction that the
war had caused. This went against the Buddhist
conscience. However, Buddhists could console themselves that these deaths were
due to a war initiated by the LTTE . (
continued)
Police officers of the Nuwara Eliya division had tried to silence an individual who had provided a tip-off about the Jihadist Training Camp which was conducted by the National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) in May 2018, it was yesterday informed to the PCOI probing Easter Sunday attacks.
Testifying before the Commission D.T. Ilesinghe, a resident from Nuwara Eliya said that after the Easter Sunday attacks investigators from various agencies visited him and told him not to reveal anything about NTJ’S training camp to others.
According to the statement submitted by Ilesinghe, NTJ Leader Zahran and NTJ mentor Naufer Moulavi had participated at the camp.
It was earlier revealed before the Commission the failure of the Nuwara Eliya Police to find anything suspicious from a search operation conducted at a lodge where NTJ conducted its training camp on May 08,2018,had led the NTJ associates to escape from the Police.
Testifying before the Commission Ilesinghe said that group of people arrived at Thakshila Holiday Inn, Nuwara Eliya in four white vans on May 05, 2018, and the group had never left the premises.
Thakshila Holiday Inn was right next to my house. Unlike other tourists, these people never left the house, and they had kept the lights off in the night,” he said.
Ilesinghe said that he spoke to the owners of the Inn and subsequently, the owners told him to check on the site since he can speak in Tamil.
When I was going to the house I had overheard a conversation.one person in the house said it was not safe to keep the money and weapons in the house,and they should transfer them back to Kattankudy. Responding to that a person named Abdullah said that it was not safe to transport weapons,” Ilesinghe informed the Commission.
The witness said that he had called 119 and even tried to contact an officer at the Nuwara Eliya Police Station but could not reach them.then the witness had remembered that he had noted down IGP Pujith Jayasundara’s contact number from a television programme and called him.
Then IGP gave me SP Mahinda Dissanayake’s contact number and when I contacted him he said that Nuwara Eliya police will visit the place soon. However, a single police car came by around 4.30 pm, and they were unable to arrest the suspects,” he said.
The witness further added that after the Easter Sunday attacks SI Indrajith and two other officers from the Nuwara Eliya Police had visited his house and accepted their failure to arrest the suspects. They also told me not to reveal anything to others, if I had done something like that the ISIS will kill me. In response, I said that I know ISIS never kill me but surely Police will do,” the witness said.
Sri Lanka’s death toll from the coronavirus went up as two deaths were confirmed by the Department of Government Information a short while ago.
A 55-year-old male from Colombo 15 has died of COVID-19 related pneumonia. He had been diagnosed with coronavirus while receiving treatment at the National Hospital For Respiratory Diseases (NHRD) before being transferred to Pimbura Base Hospital and subsequently the Mulleriyawa Base Hospital. He had passed away on December 11.
Another male, aged 66 years and a resident of Imbulgoda, has died upon admittance to the Ragama Teaching Hospital. Reportedly, he had succumbed to severe diabetes and COVID-19 pneumonia on December 10.
Accordingly, Sri Lanka has recorded 149 deaths from the novel coronavirus thus far.
Sri Lanka will be resuming operation of commercial and charter flights from the 26th of December this year, says the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL).
The CAASL has informed the civil aviation authorities around the world of the proposed resumption of flight operations to Sri Lanka.
As the aviation regulator of Sri Lanka, the CAASL will be disseminating the appropriate directives to the travel industry in due course of the opening of the country’s airspace.
CAASL is dedicated to facilitate promoting and marketing tourism in Sri Lanka by respective agencies while acting as an exponent to the aviation industry of the island under the present conditions, its chairman Upul Dharmadasa said.
General Secretary of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) MP Patali Champika Ranawaka has stepped down from his post and the party membership.
The parliamentarian’s media unit announced this in a statement published today (12).
In addition, several other representatives of the JHU have also left the party along with MP Ranawaka.
Commenting on his move during JHU’s Special National Convention held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, MP Ranawaka said they decided to leave the party to establish a new social movement.
He also emphasized the need for a new social and national movement to guide the country’s youth.
Accordingly, former office bearers of JHU’s Central Working Committee MP Ranawaka, Karunaratne Paranavithana, Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe, Anuruddha Pradeep Karnasuriya and Nirosha Atukorale as well as committee members Thushara Swarnathilake, Dhanushka Ramanayake, Boseth Kalahepathirana, Theekshana Gammanpila, Tharindu Dileepa Gamage, Suranga Kariyawasam, Sunimal Janaranjana, Kingsley Perera, Gamini Nishantha, Thusitha Hewage and Local Government members have left the party.
Ven. Hedigalle Wimalasara Thera has been appointed has the new chairman of the party, while Bandula Chandrasekara and Daya Perera were selected as General Secretary and Vice-chairman, respectively. Attornye-at-Law Tudor Perera will serve as the Deputy Secretary.
The new building of the Attorney General’s Department in Hulftsdorp is expected to be occupied by the officials on Monday (December 14).
Soft opening of the new building will be presided upon by Attorney General Dappula de Livera, his coordination officer State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne said.
Acute symptoms of COVID-19, such as cough, fever and shortness of breath, are now widely known. What is not known, however, is what symptoms and complications may linger long after an initial COVID-19 infection. Early research shows the disease attacks more than just the respiratory system, affecting multiple organs with blood clots and inflammation.
Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Gregory Poland are in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy “Gregory Poland, M.D. / Vaccine Research Group / Mayo Clinic.”
“This is a disease that has a number of mysteries involved, compared to the usual respiratory virus,” says Dr. Gregory Poland, a COVID-19 expert at Mayo Clinic. “On the one hand, we see very severe but variable manifestations. On the other hand, (we see) infection without symptoms. We also see a diminution of immunity over time with this coronavirus.”
What’s just starting to emerge, according to Dr. Poland, is this idea of COVID-19 “long-haulers,” which is a term used to describe people who develop long-term and ongoing complications.
“We’re really seeing a number of reports of people who report long-term fatigue, headaches, vertigo (and), interestingly enough, difficulties with cognition, hair loss, cardiac issues, and diminished cardiorespiratory fitness. And I think what we’re going to find out is that a large portion ― not all, but a large portion of that ― is likely to relate to the significant cellular-level damage that this virus can cause,” says Dr. Poland.
Some of the possible long-term effects can affect even patients who are asymptomatic or have mild cases of COVID-19.
“I think it’s an argument for why we take this disease so seriously,” says Dr. Poland. “People who are thinking, especially young people: ‘(It’s a) mild disease, you know. I might not even have any symptoms, and I’m over it.’ Whoa. The data is suggesting otherwise. There’s evidence of myocardial damage, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, decreased ejection fractions, pulmonary scarring and strokes.
“And then in the more acute phase, extending out for a month or two, has been this really interesting issue of coagulation abnormalities, which have been responsible for both small-vessel and large-vessel arterial and venous occlusions. So this can be a really wicked virus in some people,” says Dr. Poland.
“We’re going to see more and more of the longer-term consequences come out, and we’re going to need to study those as vigorously as we did the acute symptoms. Catalog them, understand them and then do clinical trials to figure out how best to treat them,” says Dr. Poland.
Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding along with guidelines and recommendations may have changed since the original publication date.
At
the outset, it needs to be stated emphatically that the argument for a
comprehensive land management policy is not to deter or prevent the economic wellbeing
of people who are engaged in agriculture or to prevent or deter greater private
sector participation in agricultural projects in the country. In fact, the need
for such a policy is to ensure these objectives can be achieved without causing
long term harm to the environment and the bio diversity of the country and
within legally enforceable parameters.
As
has been stated many times, a land management policy should be underpinned by
the principle of achieving more with less, meaning, using less land to produce
more through means such as agriculture reform, research and crop
diversification. Opening more and more
land tracks for cultivation does not meet this criterion.
The
project to grow Aloe Vera in the Rajanganaya, reportedly with the necessary
approvals from the relevant government agencies such as the Environment
Authority, has attracted a lot of attention for several reasons. It is
understood however that an environmental impact study has not been carried out.
Several newspaper
articles have been written about this project. It is not the intention here to
repeat what appears to have been well researched and presented by several
journalists and analysts. Two articles
amongst the many are referred to here to illustrate some key issues that are
relevant to the need for a comprehensive and sustainable land policy for the
country. They are http://www.themorning.lk/aloe-vera-cultivation-in-wilpattu-buffer-zone/ and http://www.dailymirror.lk/recomended-news/High-hopes-for-farmers-despite-looming-threats-to-Wilpattu/277-184628. It is suggested that readers who are interested in more
details of this project and the issues that have been highlighted familiarise themselves
with these and other articles written on this subject.
It is reported that over
100 acres of land had been cleared and lots are being demarcated with
interlock-paved roads in the Rajanganaya, Yaya 18 area in Anuradhapura, in the
Wilpattu Buffer zone. The investment
for the project is stated to be USD 370 million and includes planting
seedlings, construction of a dam across Panikkan Kulama Ela, a research plant,
factory, indoor playground, research institute and development work at
Rajanganaya Junction.
The investor for this
project is understood to be Aura Lanka Herbals and its Managing Director (MD)
Dr. Chandika Viranjith Thambugala. Press reports contend that concerns have
been raised by residents that the private company owner, with the assistance of
Minister of Environment and Wildlife Resources and Lands and Land Development
S.M. Chandrasena is destroying the ecosystem in the area and trying to acquire
state-owned land in the area through this project.
The news item states With most of the land
situated around the proposed plantation site in Rajanganaya belonging to the
Government, there are several plots which have permits for cultivation and some
that do not. Furthermore, some of that land belongs to the Departments of
Wildlife Conservation and Forest, and some of it is under local government
institutions.
When asked about the outcry created by the environmental
organisations indicating that this project is causing massive damage to the
ecosystem as it is conducted adjacent to the border of Wilpattu National Park,
the Minister reportedly had responded that It is in our nature to oppose any
new development project that takes off. The public should not engage with such
a school of thought. We need to understand that this project will not only
assist the farming community in the area, but will also greatly benefit the
country as Aloe Vera products have a huge market internationally. The President
himself has instructed us to assist investors who are introducing projects that
would uplift the livelihoods and the economy”.
The minister had also noted that after studying the project proposal, there was potential
for the project to grow across 100,000 acres.
This project appears to
be a good litmus test to what appears to be a confusing, at times contradictory
and a cross purpose approach to land management.
Issues which are relevant
to the need for a comprehensive land management policy may be noted as (a) Why
was a natural wild life park buffer zone selected for this project and why was
the Wilpattu buffer zone chosen? Were there no other suitable land extents for
this project? (b) Although the extent of
land used presently is 100 acres, the Minister has stated that the project has
the potential to grow into 100,000 acres. This is 1000 times more than the
present extent. Where will land come from for such an extension? Will more buffer
zone land be cleared for this? (c) if and when the project expands as
mentioned, and should the Environment Authority declines to approve further
land clearance, what impact would that have on the project? (d) A large scale
agriculture project will require a substantial amount of water. How will such
water requirements be met? (e) Does Aloe Vera require fertiliser and chemicals?
If so, what impact will that have on soil conditions, water tables etc., and directly
and indirectly on health issues? (f) there appears to be confusion about what
category of land has been cleared and earmarked for this project and which
government agency is responsible for administration of such land. Besides,
issues relating to land permits given to villagers for cultivation which they
have supposedly sold to the private company have raised questions about the
legality of such transactions. A question does arise how State land given on
cultivation permits could be sold by such a permit holder to another individual
or a company and (g) the project appears to be more than just an agricultural
venture. If what has been reported about other infrastructure developments such
as an indoor playground, developments of the Rajanganaya junction etc. are
correct, the project certainly shows potential to grow into the 100,000 acres
that Minister Chandrasena referred to and (h) How does this project fit in with
the Bim Saviya land registration system? Are there survey plans and clear
boundaries between the Wilpattu reserve and the buffer zone and the land
cleared for this project? How would one determine whether there has been
encroachment into the reserve? Has the project or its main investor got a land
title for the 100 acres that has been cleared? If so, how did State land fall
into the hands of an individual?
All these issues and
possibly more raised by others need to be considered and addressed while the
current and future governments work towards providing opportunities for people
to improve their economic and social well-being. Making use of land for this
purpose will always be a key avenue for their upliftment. However, shorter term
benefits that do not take into account longer term costs such as harm to the
environment and its bio diversity, and absence of a well-defined legal
structure for land management will render such economic development work more
damaging than benefiting the very people for whom opportunities are afforded.
The concerns expressed
and protests lodged by many, including villagers are understandable. This is
partly due to lack of clarity arising from the many issues as identified from
(a) to (h) above.
The
Aloe Vera project amply demonstrates the complexities that currently exists
with regard to land management and possibly the potential for many to have
their hands in the pot and spoil chances of future investments. If projects do
get stalled for these reasons, interventions from the highest elected official
in the country could become the norm, and this would undermine and weaken the
administrative system in the country.
This
project needs to be viewed from the bigger picture perspective of land
management in the country as noted in earlier writings has several aspects
The Bim Saviya and its relevance and
suitability for Sri Lanka
Changes needed to laws that existed
prior to the introduction of Bim Saviya in 1997
The need for land laws to regard and
respect the traditional customs and practices
Management of the eRegister and
reasons as to why it cannot be done by an institution like the Moratuwa
University
The classification of State land as
residual land” with its vagueness leaving room for corrupt practices,
encroachment into forest lands and wild life reserves.
82%
of land in Sri Lanka is classified as State land. There are also vast tracks of
land that has traditionally been in the custodianship of religious
institutions. Buddhist temple land is supposed to be quite extensive. There are
forest reserves, wild life reserves and the so called no man’s land called
residual” land. There are also large extents of State land which are unproductive.
There is plantation land where Tea, Rubber and Coconut and other crops are
grown. It is known that some of these lands should be subject to crop
diversification as some Tea and Rubber lands are unproductive. Improving
productivity, attracting foreign investments and private sector participation
has to consider how such currently available land could be made more productive
before the remaining virgin forests are destroyed for short term convenience
and benefit.
In
the context of all this, not having a comprehensive and strategic land
management policy for the country is not consistent with the Presidents own
manifesto and the government’s overall governance document, Vistas of
Prosperity and Splendour, and its key planks.
Land
and people are the most valuable assets of the country. People will not exist
without land, and land will not exist without environment protection and bio
diversity. Bio diversity damage will need many years to heal. The effects of
bio diversity damage done today will be felt for decades and more and it is the
future generations that will pay the price for the callousness and imbecility
of the present generation.
War monuments
are to be found in most countries. They are highly respected monuments (with
the exception of Nazi Germany) and several are tourist attractions as well. Here
are three war monuments from the west. They all commemorate World War II.
First is Motherland Calls” commemorating the
Battle of Stalingrad in WW II. It is
located in Stalingrad now Volgograd. It is
twice as large as Christ the Redeemer and two meters shorter than The Statue of Liberty.
The Battle of Stalingrad was a decisive battle and deserves a monument. The
defeat of Nazi Germany started there.
The second is
the Iwo Jima Monument in USA. it features the six servicemen who raised the
U.S. flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.The statue symbolizes the
American war effort in the Pacific and is dedicated to the United States Marine
Corps who died in the defense of the U.S. since 1775.
The third is
the Donbass Liberators” located in Donetsk, Russia, dedicated to all who liberated Donbas during World War II. This
too was a decisive battle in WWII. The monument is in the shape of a triangle
with a sculpture of a Miner and a Soldier who each grasp a sword, with its edge down, in
their right hands. Veterans march to the monument on Memorial Day.
Sri Lanka
also has a huge WW II monument, a cenotaph, in Colombo taking up an enormous amount of
valuable real estate at the end of
Vihara Maha Devi Park. It is dedicated to the Ceylonese killed in the
two World Wars.
The Eelam war
was Sri Lanka’s first post- Independence civil war. It was a protracted war
conducted by a bogus ethnic group, created
by the British administration, now claiming exclusive rights to valuable
coastal territory.
The
government of Sri Lanka was a formidable enemy, not only militarily, but
legally too. Sri Lanka, real name
Sinhaladvipa, is a recognized sovereign state with clear boundaries, a seat in
the UN and a well documented history. The government of Sri Lanka could not be
shaken easily. It fought back and won
the war. It was a decisive win. The LTTE formally declared defeat.
The
government of Sri Lanka thereafter, rightly celebrated the Eelam victory over
the LTTE, by erecting victory monuments. These were placed in selected
locations which marked decisive battles, Kilinochchi, Elephant Pass, Puthudukuriyuppu
and Kokavil. The Hasalaka Gamini
monument symbolized the numerous acts of individual bravery of the Sri Lanka
soldier. A military bulldozer and a water tank symbolized other aspects of the
War.
State memorial, Kilinochchi
The monument at
Kilinochchi, former LTTE stronghold and capital in the last years of Tamil Eelam,
consists of a black-granite cuboid penetrated by a projectile that blossoms
into a lotus flower. The massive
cracked concrete cube represents the LTTE’s violent insurrection. The bullet
piercing the stone is the Sri Lankan army, the flower represents peace.
the inscription said, ‘the
gallant operation to annihilate savage and brutal terrorism which has marked
this land over thirty years is marked by a cuboid and the projectile which is
penetrated this cuboid symbolizing the sturdiness of invincible Sri Lanka Army
to blossom forth in a lotus of peace enwrapped in the fluttering national flag
that proclaims the resplendent majesty of the nation’s glory’
State victory memorial, Puthukkudiyiruppu
The Victory Monument
at Puthumathalan rises from the lake at Puthukudiyiruppu. It depicts a soldier
brandishing a rifle in one hand and the Sri Lankan flag in the other, with a
dove seated n the gun. Around the base of the monument are four carved stone
lions representing each army division involved in the last phase of the
fighting, the 59th, 58th, 57th and 53rd divisions.
A stone plinth
lists the names of all the army commanders at the time of the conquest. Unveiled
by President Rajapaksa in December 2009 the statue defines the essentials of a
Sri Lankan soldier, a brave warrior, a patriot, and the one who brought peace
to the war-torn North. There is also an army war museum and a photograph
gallery.
State memorial, Elephant Pass
The memorial
at Elephant Pass designed by the National Design Center [1]
consists of large bronze hands hold aloft a model of the island of Sri Lanka
with a flower blooming atop and four lions around it.
The new memorial to ‘Hasalaka Gamini’,
Also at
Elephant Pass, is the towering statue of Corporal Gamini Kularatne of the Sri
Lankan Army. Now known as the Hasalaka Weeraya, Kularatne was a 25-year-old
soldier who sacrificed his life in 1991 to rescue hundreds of fellow soldiers
who were under siege at the Elephant Pass Sri Lankan Army garrison. He climbed
into an LTTE tank and disabled it by throwing two grenades into it.
Kokavil War
Heroes monument.
In February
2011, a special war hero memorial was unveiled in Kokavil, in the former LTTE
Tiger heartland of Mullaitivu.
National War
Memorial, Battaramulla
This is the
main war memorial at Battaramulla in front of Parliament. There are other monuments too. On the
Mullaitivu beach a monument has been set up in memory of the Special Forces
with Col. Lafir’s and Lt. Ranasinghe’s names on the top. Sri Lanka Armored
Corp opened a war memorial at
Kalaththawe in Anuradhapura. (Continued)
Colombo, December 11 (Daily Mirror) – Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday called on health authorities to find an immediate solution to the burial issue of Muslim COVID-19 victims following serious concerns raised by the Muslim community over the cremation only policy.
Rajapaksa held discussions with Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, State Minister of Primary Health Services, Pandemics and COVID-19 Prevention Dr. Sudharshani Fernandopulle, Minister of Water Supply and Drainage Board Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Muslim parliamentarians and some officials from the Health Ministry and urged health officials to find a solution to this matter stating that even the Catholic community had raised concerns over the cremation only policy.
Rajapaksa questioned the health officials as to what was the solution to this matter to which it was suggested that a dry land should be found and then the matter studied, if COVID-19 victims could be buried there.
Rajapaksa questioned the health authorities and the Ministers as to why such a land had not been found yet, to which they replied that by next week, they would come up with a suitable plot.
However Rajapaksa lost his cool and informed the authorities to find a land within a day or two and submit a report immediately stating that he would not allow this matter to be further delayed. Rajapaksa further said the burial issue of COVID-19 victims was presently a concern for all and he wanted an immediate solution. (Jamila Husain)
By Abha Bhattarai and Hannah Denham Courtesy NewsIn.Asia
Washington, December 10 (The Washington Post): Early in the pandemic, Joo Park noticed a worrisome shift at the market he manages near downtown Washington: At least once a day, he’d spot someone slipping a package of meat, a bag of rice or other food into a shirt or under a jacket. Diapers, shampoo and laundry detergent began disappearing in bigger numbers, too.
Since then, he said, thefts have more than doubled at Capitol Supermarket — even though he now stations more employees at the entrance, asks shoppers to leave backpacks up front and displays high-theft items like hand sanitizer and baking yeast in more conspicuous areas. Park doesn’t usually call the police, choosing instead to bar offenders from coming back.
It’s become much harder during the pandemic,” he said. People will say, ‘I was just hungry.’ And then what do you do?”
The coronavirus recession has been a relentless churn of high unemployment and economic uncertainty. The government stimulus that kept millions of Americans from falling into poverty earlier in the pandemic is long gone, and new aid is still a dot on the horizon after months of congressional inaction. Hunger is chronic, at levels not seen in decades.
The result is a growing subset of Americans who are stealing food to survive.
Shoplifting is up markedly since the pandemic began in the spring and at higher levels than in past economic downturns, according to interviews with more than a dozen retailers, security experts and police departments across the country. But what’s distinctive about this trend, experts say, is what’s being taken — more staples like bread, pasta and baby formula.
We’re seeing an increase in low-impact crimes,” said Jeff Zisner, chief executive of workplace security firm Aegis. It’s not a whole lot of people going in, grabbing TVs and running out the front door. It’s a very different kind of crime — it’s people stealing consumables and items associated with children and babies.”
A growing number of Americans are going hungry
With Americans being advised to brace for a difficult winter amid skyrocketing coronavirus infection rates and the economic recovery nearly stalled, the near-term outlook is grim. More than 20 million Americans are on some form of unemployment assistance, and 12 million will run out of benefits the day after Christmas unless new relief materializes. Though lawmakers have made progress this week on a $908 billion bill, details are still being worked out, congressional aides said.
Meanwhile, an estimated 54 million Americans will struggle with hunger this year, a 45 percent increase from 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With food aid programs like SNAP and WIC being reduced, and other federal assistance on the brink of expiration, food banks and pantries are being inundated, reporting hours-long waits and lines that stretch into the thousands.
Several federal food programs that have provided billions of dollars in fresh produce, dairy and meat to U.S. food banks also are set to expire at the end of the year. The largest among them, the Farmers to Families Food Box, has provided more than 120 million food boxes during the pandemic and is already running out of funding in many parts of the country.
A $4.5 billion Trump food program is running out of money early, leaving families hungry
With the United States now registering more than 150,000 new coronavirus cases a day, some communities are reintroducing restrictions in an effort to contain the virus. Most of California is now under strict stay-at-home orders, for example, while states including Nevada, Maryland and Pennsylvania have issued new indoor occupancy limits. Such orders tend to hit already vulnerable workers in low-wage service jobs in restaurants, retail and bars the hardest.
In Maryland, Jean was successfully juggling college and a job, and had just bought her first car, when the pandemic crashed down like a sneaker wave. Her son’s day-care center suddenly closed in April, forcing her to give up her $15-an-hour job as a receptionist. But quitting meant she didn’t qualify for unemployment benefits. She says she was denied food stamps at least three times and gave up on local food banks because of the lines.
With no stimulus aid and her savings gone by May, Jean said she was out of options. So she began sneaking food into her son’s stroller at the local Walmart. She said she’d take things like ground beef, rice or potatoes but always pay for something small, like a packet of M&M’s. Each time, she’d tell herself that God would understand.
I used to think, if I get in trouble, I’d say, ‘Look, I’m sorry, I wasn’t stealing a television. I just didn’t know what else to do. It wasn’t malicious. We were hungry,’ ” said Jean, 21, who asked to be identified by her middle name to discuss her situation freely. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s what I had to do.”
Tracking retail losses
Retailers have historically been most concerned about staff when it comes to what they call shrink.” Workers are typically behind about a quarter of the $25 billion in global losses reported each year, a category that includes lost merchandise, stolen cash and employee errors, security experts say.
That changed with the pandemic as customer shoplifting became more pronounced, especially in areas with high joblessness, said Fabien Tiburce, chief executive of Compliant IA, which provides loss prevention software to retailers. There is a well-known historical correlation between unemployment and theft,” he said, a connection that is more entrenched in the United States than in countries with more robust safety nets like Canada and Australia.
Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, which often are concentrated in low-income areas, have seen increasing instances of theft” during the past year, according to spokeswoman Kayleigh Painter. She declined to share specific data or protocols, but said the company is continually evaluating and enhancing on-premise security and surveillance systems, as well as our associate training.”
In Philadelphia, reports of retail theft jumped about 60 percent, year over year, just after President Trump declared a national emergency in March because of the pandemic. They remained at elevated levels through at least July, according to local police data.
Though shoplifting tends to spike during national crises — it jumped 16 percent after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and 34 percent after the 2008 recession, according to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, which tracks data from U.S. courts — the current trend line is skewing even higher, according to Read Hayes, a criminologist at the University of Florida and the director of the Loss Prevention Research Council.
Hayes has been tracking theft since the coronavirus began sweeping across the United States in March, and has phone calls with the leaders of 60 major retail chains every other week to help them prevent losses. Most reports of retail theft have been anecdotal, he said, and even 10 months into the pandemic, it’s too early to know the full scope.
We believe there is some increase in people who, because of covid-19, are not able to pay for the items,” Hayes said. It’s sort of maintained that there may be a slight uptick in need-based stuff, but it’s really difficult to tease that out.”
‘If coronavirus doesn’t get us, starvation will’: A growing number of Americans say they can’t afford to stock up on groceries
In Virginia, Sloane, 28, says she has been dropping avocados, mushrooms and other fresh produce into her bag without paying for them since September. She worries constantly about getting caught and takes only a couple of items at a time. But when you’re eating cheap meals every day, sometimes it’s nice to have an avocado to spice things up for one night,” she said.
Sloane, who asked to be identified by only her first name to avoid potential prosecution, worked in the food industry until the pandemic upended her job. Her partner, who worked in retail, was furloughed for months, then quit in August because it no longer felt safe going back to work. But the resignation meant no unemployment benefits.
Things are bad: We’re late on bills, we’re late on rent, our car is nine days away from being repossessed,” she said. I’m used to being very self-sufficient and it’s an awful feeling to suddenly be so desperate.”
Like others interviewed by The Washington Post, Sloane said she tends to target major chains because they’re better able to absorb the losses than small businesses.
Park, of Capitol Supermarket in Washington, D.C., for example, said he briefly considered hiring uniformed security guards to ward against theft, but decided it was too costly for the family-run business, which already has had to cut more than half its staff during the pandemic.
My distrust has gone up since I see people shoplifting every day,” he said. I watch the security cameras a lot more often. If we let too many people steal, we’ll have to close.”
Because tracking is spotty, shoplifting is chronically underreported, according to more than a dozen local police departments and sheriff’s offices contacted by The Post. Very few monitor and report shoplifting data publicly, and those that do often don’t keep tabs on what types of items are stolen.
Debt, eviction and hunger: Millions fall back into crisis as stimulus and safety nets vanish
Some store managers said they’ve stopped calling the police for small instances of shoplifting because it’s not worth the time or resources, particularly when store employees also are juggling new responsibilities such as temperature checks and enforcing mask requirements. But many are taking additional precautions: Demand for uniformed security guards and undercover loss prevention experts has risen 35 percent during the pandemic, according to Zisner of Aegis.
Growing food insecurity
Nearly 26 million adults — or 1 in 8 Americans — reported not having enough food to eat as of mid-November, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau. That figure has climbed steadily during the pandemic, and has hit record highs since the government agency began collecting such data in 1998.
We’re supposed to be the greatest, richest country in the world, and we don’t have safety nets for when something like this happens?” said Danielle Nierenberg, president and founder of Food Tank, a nonprofit organization focused on food equity and sustainability. People are being forced to steal when they shouldn’t have to, and that’s a great American tragedy.”
Alex graduated with a master’s degree in May and was immediately in a bind: no job, no money and, with much of the country still shut down, little hope that anything would change.
She’d spent most of her $1,200 stimulus check on rent, and used what little she had left to buy groceries. Everything else — vitamins, moisturizer, body wash — she said she shoplifted from a Whole Foods Market a few miles from her apartment in Chicago.
It was like, I could spend $10 and get a couple of vegetables or I could spend $10 on just a box of tampons,” said Alex, 27, who asked to be identified by her middle name to speak candidly. She has a job now, earning $15 an hour, but still struggles to make ends meet. She says she continues to shoplift — something she’d never done before the pandemic — every few weeks.
She says she moves through the store mostly unnoticed. Usually, she said, she picks up a few bulky vegetables — a bunch of kale, maybe, or a few avocados — to disguise the pricier items she slips into her bag at the self checkout.
I don’t feel much guilt about it,” she said. It’s been very frustrating to be part of a class of people who is losing so much right now. And then to have another class who is profiting from the pandemic — well, let’s just say I don’t feel too bad about taking $15 or $20 of stuff from Whole Foods when Jeff Bezos is the richest man on Earth.” (Bezos is the founder and chief executive of Amazon, which owns Whole Foods. He also owns The Washington Post.)
Whole Foods did not respond to requests for comment.
Jean, the single mother from Maryland, said she had shoplifted a few times before the pandemic, driving to a Walmart one state over for cans of formula when she couldn’t produce enough breastmilk for her infant son. She stopped once the store began locking up baby formula, which many retailers do because of its high price.
A spokesman for Walmart declined to comment for this report.
But the coronavirus crisis, she said, ushered in a new level of desperation. Finding a job and child care became increasingly difficult. When money became tight, she prioritized rent and car payments over groceries. My car, my apartment were things that could be taken from me — and then where would that leave me and my son?” she said. This is going to sound bad, but at least I could try to get food in other ways.”
Her mother sometimes helped, sending a few hundred dollars or using her own food stamps to pay for chicken and frozen peas. That tided her over until July, when she got a big break: a full-time job in a new state making $16 an hour. Jean has health insurance now and donates to the local food pantry.
She hopes she’ll never have to steal again, though she says her sense of security is fleeting.
I know what it’s like to do everything you can and still not make it,” she said. And I know it could happen again.”
Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today directed IGP CD Wickramaratne to conduct an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the death of a Dutch monk who was found at the lagoon in Rathgama.
The body of the Buddhist monk, (59) who was engaged in meditation at the Polgasduwa hermitage in Rathgama was reported missing for several days and his body was found floating in the lagoon on Wednesday.
Police suspect that the monk was murdered as his legs were tied with a piece of wire along with a piece of concrete at the time the corpse was found.
The Prime Minister instructed the IGP to assign a special CID team to conduct an investigation to arrest suspects.
According to the Prime Minister’s media division, IGP Wickramaratne has deployed several police teams including a CID team to investigate into the death of the Dutch monk. The IGP is to brief the Prime Minister on the progress of the investigation.
According to the police, statements have been recorded from several foreign monks who are meditating at the hermitage and from residents in the area.
The Intelligence reports revealed that Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen, the controversial doctor attached to the Kurunegala Hospital who was accused of performing sterilization operations had received funds from National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ) organisation, former DIG in charge of Kurunegala District Kithsiri Jayalath on Thursday informed the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks.
Testifying before the Commission former DIG Jayalath said that Islamic extremists were powerful in the Kurunegala District and 226 suspects were arrested on charges of conducting extremist practices from the district after the Easter Sunday coordinated terror attack.
He said that information was published on media to arrest the suspects related to the Easter attack and the Police were able to arrest six suspects immediately after the attack.
I received nearly 45 important intelligence reports and according to those reports I had taken measures to arrest a vital suspect. After the arrest of that suspect, I was pressured on social media as well as in various ways. Due to those pressures, I was transferred to Puttalam,” he said.
Commissioner: Who is that particular suspect?”
Former DIG Jayalath: The special suspect was Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen”
Commissioner: Did that doctor have any political connections?”
Former DIG Jayalath: Yes, it has been revealed that the doctor was associated with former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen. According to those links I had received instructions to investigate and arrest the suspect. However, after arresting the suspect I was transferred.”
Then Commissioners further questioned the witness whether Zahran Hashim’s wife’s village, Kekunagolla in the Kurunegala district was under the witness’s supervision.
Responding to the question former DIG Jayalath said that he was aware of Zahran’s connection to the Kurunegala area after the Easter Sunday terror attack.
He further added that neither the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) nor the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed about the investigations they carried out in Kekunagolla area prior to the attacks.
He said that these actions taken by the several officers attached to the investigation units had been the cause of the unrest situation which occurred within the area after the April 21 attacks.
Another 226 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 in Sri Lanka.
Previously during the day 536 persons including 75 from prisons tested positive for Covid-19 in Sri Lanka.
Therefore the daily total has increased to 762.
This is the 37 highest daily caseload reported in the world today (11) according to worldometers.
This is also the eighth daily count during the month of December where more than 600 patients were identified including the highest count in a day of 878.
December has seen daily totals in excess of 500 consecutively.
Sri Lanka with over 31,000 reported cases is placed at 95 out of 220 countries.
Colombo, December 10 (PMD): Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday instructed relevant authorities to look humanely at grievances of the prisoners and address them immediately by providing necessary assistance to them.
More than 12,000 people are incarcerated due to drug addiction. President emphasized the need to pay special attention to them and formulate a rehabilitation programme.
President made these remarks at a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (10) to look into shortcomings and issues in prisons and to recommend solutions.
President Rajapaksa instructed officials to explore the possibility of constructing pre-fabricated prisons in the so far identified locations in order to eliminate overcrowding in prisons.
The need to study the models of modern foreign prisons and take immediate measures to provide facilities was stressed by the President.
A large number of people are kept remand due to delays of the Analyst, Attorney General and Police Departments.
President also pointed out that the relevant agencies including Customs, Police, Prisons and Rehabilitation should establish a Presidential Task Force and take steps to resolve existing problems.
Minister of Justice M. U. M. Ali Sabry, State Minister of Prison Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte, Secretary to the President P. B. Jayasundera, Secretaries to relevant Ministries and Security heads were present during the discussion.
Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana Courtesy The Daily Mirror
There will be civic resistance if the government does not allow the burying of Muslims who succumb to COVID-19, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) MP, Leader Rauff Hakeem said.
He, however, called for the avoidance of it.
We have to avoid civic resistance so please change these draconian procedures,” Mr. Hakeem said. He also referred to a media report which said at least 20 unclaimed bodies are to be cremated.
The issue popped up when Tamil National People’s Front MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam raised the issue in the House earlier during the day. Mr. Ponnambalam who referred to the WHO guidelines said WHO adaptation 24(3) states that a person who succumbs to COVID-19 could be disposed while allowing the cultural traditions. Referring to court cases in Sri Lanka and India he said dead person also had human rights just like the living.
Human rights are confirmed in the constitution. The Constitution of a country is a living thing,” he said.
Cremation is not allowed in Islamism. Fire is associated with hell in Islamism. They believe that those who sin are burnt in hell by fire. This is why they don’t like cremation of dead bodies,” the MP added.
Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena who responded said the government will come up with a reply for the issue shortly. He noted that the same question was raised in the House on an earlier occasion and the government had stated its stance.
The Colombo Municipal Council yesterday began cremating bodies of unclaimed coronavirus victims after obtaining legal clearance from the Attorney General.
At least 20 bodies will be cremated from today. Officials said it would take approximately two hours to cremate each body and the process would take a few days.
Only 22 out of 400 people were present from Marawa area in Atulugama, Bandaragama today for PCR and Rapid Antigen tests, Bandaragama Additional Health Officer Dr. Srimali Amarasinghe said.
She said Marawa area was chosen to conduct PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests, as more than 2,800 people are living in that area.
We went to Marawa escorted by army and police personnel,” she said.
Our target was to conduct 400 PCR and 300 Rapid Antigen Tests, unfortunately, only 22 people turned up for tests, she said.
Following the Rapid Antigen tests performed today on the 22 people who were present, two were tested COVID-19 positive, Dr. Amarasinghe said.
