ආචාර්ය කොඩිසිංහ හේරත්.

කොරෝනාවෙන් ආරක්ෂාවෙන්න නිවාස අඩස්සියෙ හිටපු කාලෙ පරණ පොත් ගොඩක තිබිලා හම්බවුන පොත් පිංචක් ‘මැලේරියාව ‘, මේක මගේ මතකය ඈත අතීතයට ගෙනි යන්න සමත්වුණා. අද වෙනකොට සිරි-ලංකාව මැලේරියාවෙන් නිදහස් වුනත් එදා මේ රෝගය මේ රටට විශාල තර්ජන්යක් වගේම විශාල බරක්වෙලා තිබුනා. එයින් රටේ ජනතාව බේරාගැනීම සදහා සිය -රට වෙනුවෙන් තම සේවා කාලය කැපකළ දහසකුත් මැලේරියා මර්ධන රාජ්ය සේවකයින් අතර මමද එක්කෙනෙක් වූවෙමි . කෙනෙකුට අහන්න පුළුවන් ඔබ කරපු ඒ සේවයට එදා පඩියක් ලැබුවා, තවත් මොනවද කථාකරන්න තියෙන්නෙ? මේ වගේම පහු ගිය දවසක ‘රණවිරුවන්’ ගැන රටේ කතිකාවක් ගොඩනැගෙන දවසක එක්තරා දේශපාලන කණ්ඩායමක නායකයෙක් කියල තිබුණා ‘හමුදා සෙබළු කියන්නෙ පඩියට වැඩකරණ රජයේ යුද හේවායෝ, ඔවුන් විරුවන් වෙන්නේ කොහොමද? . ඔව් ඒක ඇත්ත, ඔවුන් වගේම අපිත් එදා රජයේ සේවකයො . නමුත් මෙතැනදී මතක්කර දිය යුතු වැදගත් කාරණාවක් තියෙනවා. තමන් ගන්න පඩියට සරිලන සේවයක් රටට ලබා නොදෙන අතලොස්සක් දෙනා සිටියත් බොහොමයක් තැන්වල සේවකයො එහෙම නෑ . ඔවුන් තමන්ට ලැබෙන වැටුප ගැන පමණක් නොවෙයි ඊටත් එහා ගිය සේවාවක් තමන්ගෙ රටවෙනුවෙන් ඉටුකරණ අවස්ථා ඕනෑතරම් තියෙනවා. එදා මරාගෙන මැරුණු ත්රස්තවාදීන් එල්ල කල අනේක-විදි පීඩාවන්ගෙන් සහ මරණ බයෙන් මුළු රටම තක්කු-මුක්කු වෙලා හිටපු යුගයෙ ඊට අභීතව මුහුණ දී රට මුදවාගත් යුද හමුදාවත්, ඒ වගේම එදා මැලේරියාවෙන්, විශේෂයෙන්ම වියලි කලාපයේ ජනතාව අසරණවී හෙම්බත්ව සිටි යුගයේ එම වසංගතය රටින් අතුගා දැමීමට කටයුතු කල මැලේරියා මර්ධන සේවකයොත් තමන් කල සේවය වැටුපක් ලබන රැකියාවක් ලෙස හිතනවට වඩා මැලේරියාවෙන් පීඩා විඳි අහිංසක ගැමි-ජනතාව එයින් මුදවා ගැනීමට කල සේවාවක් ලෙස සලකා කටයුතුකළ බව මට විස්වාසය. එදා සිරිලංකාවේ, මගේ සේවා කාලයෙන් හරි අඩකටත් වඩා වැඩිකාලයක් මැලේරියා මර්ධන කටයුතු සඳහා මිඩංගු කල මා ගැන පුද්ගලිකව කතාකලොත්, මේ පොත්-පිංච කල- එලි බැස්සෙ මා කල අමතර කටයුතුවල ප්රිතිපලයක් විදියට. මේ වගේම මගේ සම කාලින මැලේරියා -මර්ධන අනෙකුත් සහෝදර නිලධාරීන් විසින්ද ඔවුන්ගේ සේවා බල ප්‍රදේසතුළ මේ හා සමාන කර්තව්යසන්, ක්ෂේත්රි පර්යේෂණ ආදී කටයුතු අමතර ලෙස ඉටුකළ බව මම දනිමි. මා මෙහිදී කථාකරන්නෙ මේ පොත්-පිංච ගැන පමණි. මොකද? මේ පොත නිර්මාණය කිරීමට හේතු-කාරක වූ පසුබිමත් එය නිර්නමායවි පොතක් ලෙස කල -එලි බැසීමෙන් පසුව රාජ්ය-ආයතනයක මා අත්දුටු අනෙකුත් අත්දැකීම් ඔබ සමග බෙදා ගැනීමට තරම් මිහිරිය.

එක්දහස් නවසිය අසූව දශකයේ ක්රියාත්මක වූ කඩිනම් මහවැලි සංවර්ධන ව්යාවපෘතිය යටතේ අනෙකුත් කලාපවලදී මෙන්ම මාදුරු ඔය, දෙහිඅත්ත කණ්ඩිය , වැලිකන්ද සහ බකමුණ වැනි ප්රදේශවලද එතෙක් මිනිස් වාසයෙන් බැහැරව තිබු කැලෑ සහ වන-රොදවල් එළි-පෙහෙළි කර එම බිම්වල අලුත් කුඹුරු සහ ජනාවාස ඉදිකලෝය. මේ ප්ර්දේශවලට මහවැලි ගඟෙන් හරවපු වතුර ගලාගෙන එනවත් එක්කම එතෙක් වතුර නැතිකමින් අඩ-පණව සිටි මදුරු-ගහනය ඉතා සීග්රයෙන් තම වර්ගයා බෝකිරීම නිසා මුළු මහත් මහවැලි බිම් සියල්ලම පාහේ මදුරුවන්ගේ පාරාදීශයන් බවට පත්විය. තෙල්දෙණිය, වික්ටෝරියා වැනි රට මැද්දෙ ප්රුදේශවල එතෙක් ජිවත් වූ මිනිසුන්ගේ, ගේ -දොර හා ඉඩ-කඩම් මහවැලි ජලාශවලට යටවීම නිසා ඔවුන්ට එම ප්රදේශ අතහැර ඒ වෙනුවට මාදුරුඔය වැනි අළුත් මහවැලි කලාපවල තම වාසස්ථාන ගොඩ නගා ගැනීමට සිදුවිය. අලුත් මිනිසුන් කොටසක් විදියට ඒ ප්රදේශවල පදිංචිවීමට සිදුවිය.

ජිවිතයේ කිසි දවසක මැලේරියා අත්දැකීම් ලබා නොතිබුන මේ මිනිසුන්ට මැලේරියා මදුරුවන්ගෙන් එල්ල වූ තර්ජනය සුළුපටු නොවිය. ඒ අනුව ඔවුන්ට ජිවිතයේ කිසිදාක නොවිඳි දුක් කන්දරාවකට මුහුණ දෙන්නට සිදුවිය. ඇඟ ශිතලවී, ගැහි-ගැහී වෙවුලලා ටික -මොහොතකින් හිස්කබල පුපුරණ තරමට මතුවෙන හිසේ ඇම්මකුත් සමග ඇඟසහළවලා උණ ගනී. දවසක් හැර දවසක් මේ විදියට මැලේරියා උණෙන් පෙළුණු මොවුන් ටික දවසකින් ගතින් මෙන්ම සිතින් වැහැරී ගියෝය. තමන්ට ලැබුණු අලුත් කුඹුරු-බිම් අස්වැද්දීම තබා ඔවුන්ගේ ජීවිත ආරක්ෂාකර ගැනීම ඔවුන්ට තිබුන එකම අභියෝගය විය. ඒ අනුව බොහොමයක් ඉඩම් ලාභින් මහවැලිය අතහැර වෙනත් ප්ර්දේශවලට සංක්රමණය විය.

තමන්ට යන්න වෙනත් තැන් නොතිබුණ මිනිස්සු අන්ත අසරණවිය. ඔවුන් ජීවිතයත් මරණයත් අතර සටනක යෙදී එම ප්රදේශයේම රැඳුනත් ඔවුන්ට මැලේරියා ප්ර්තිකාරය නිසි වෙලාවට ලබා දීමට තරම් අවශ්යවු රෝහල් සහ වයිද්ය පහසුකම් එම ප්රදේශවල නොතිබිණි. ඒ අනුව මේ මිනිසුන්ට මැලේරියා ප්රීතිකාරය නිසි වෙලාවට ලබාදීම සඳහා විකල්ප ක්රමයක් දියත්කිරීම එදා මැලේරියා මර්ධන අංශ ප්රධානීන්ට එල්ලවූ අභියෝගයක්විය. ඒ අනුව ලෝක සවුක්ය සංවිධානය (WHO) විසින් ඒ වෙනකොට අප්රිකානු රටවලට හඳුන්වා දී තිබූ ස්වෙච්චා ප්රතිකාර මද්යශස්ථාන ක්රමය අපේ රටේ මහා වැලි කලාපවලට හඳුන්වා දීමට තීරණය විය. අලුත් පදිංචි කරුවන් අතරින් ස්වේච්චාවෙන් ඉදිරිපත්වූ දැන-උගත් තරුණ දරුවන් පිරිසක් තෝරාගෙන ඔවුන්ට මැලේරියා ප්රතිකාරය පිළිබඳව මනා පුහුණුවක් ලබා දී ඔවුන් ලවා තම අසල් වැසියන්ට මැලේරියාව හැදුන විගසින් නිසි ප්රතිකාරය ලබා දීමේ වැඩ පිළිවෙලක් ක්රියාත්මක විය. (මේ වැඩ පිළිවෙලට එදා බටහිර වයිද්ය්වරු පිරිසක් විරුද්ධ වූවත් ඒ වෙනුවට වෙනත් විකල්පයක් එතෙක් නොතිබුන නිසා එය එසේම ක්රිමයාත්මක කිරීමට සිදුවිය).
මාදුරුඔය මහවැලි කලාපයට එල්ලවූ මේ මැලේරියා තර්ජනය එදා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ විවාදයට ලක්වුන උණුසුම් මාතෘකාවක් වූ බැවින් එවකට සවුක්ය් ඇමති, රංජිත් අතපත්තු සහ මහවැලි ඇමති ගාමිණී දිසානායක යන මත්වරුන්ගේ විශේෂ අවදානයක් මාදුරුඔය ව්යා්පෘතියට යොමුවී තිබුනි. ඔවුන් පිම්බුරත්තෑවට පැමිණි දවසක කියා සිටියේ මේ මහවැලි බිමේ පදිංචි කරුවන් මැලේරියාවෙන් ආරක්ෂා කිරීමත්, ඒ වනවිට ඉඩම් අතහැර ගොස් සිටි සියලුම දෙනා නැවත ආපසු ගෙන්වා ගැනීම කලයුතු බවත්ය. ඔවුන් වැඩිදුරටත් කියා සිටියේ පොලොන්නරුව දිස්ත්රික්කය සහමුලින්ම මැලේරියාවෙන් නිදහස් කල යුතු බවය . ඒ අනුව පොලොන්නරුව – හිඟුරක්ගොඩ දිස්ත්රික්කයේ ප්රා්දේශීය නිලධාරී වශයෙන් කටයුතු කල මට එම භාරදූර කටයුත්ත පැවරුණි.
ඒ දවස්වල මගේ පාවිච්චියට තිබුනෙ බොහෝවිට මග නවතින, පරණ ඇලුමිනියම් පාට ලෑන්ඩ් -රෝවර වාහනයක්. එක දවසක මහවැලි රැස්වීමකට මා පැමිණෙනවා දැක තිබු මහවැලි ඇමති ගාමිණී දිසානායක මහතා එදා ඒ රැස්වීම අවසානයේ මා අසලට පැමිණ මගේ පිටට තට්ටුකර “පුතා මේ වැඩේ කරන්න ඔබට ඕනෑම පහසුකමක් මහවැලියෙන් ලබා දෙන්න නේවාසික කළමණාකාර මහත්යතයට මම කියලයි තියෙන්නෙ” ඔහු පැවසිය. ඒ කථාව මට ලොකු ශක්තියක් විය. ඒ වෙනකොට සුළු වැඩකට උනත් කොළඹ මැලේරියා මුලස්ථානයට ලියලා මුදල් ලබාගැනීමට බොහෝ කලක් බලාසිටිය යුතුවූ මට මෙය අස්සිවැසිල්ලක් විය. ඒ අනුව එදා මහවැලි කලාපය තුල මැලේරියා මර්ධනය සඳහා තිබූන අවශ්යතා කීපයක්ම මහවැළි මුදලින් ඉටුකර ගැනීමට මම සමත්වුවෙමි.
එයින් එකක්වුයේ ඒ වනවිට මහවැලි කලාපවල ක්රි්යාත්මකවූ ස්වෙච්චා ප්රතිකාර සේවකයන්ට උපදෙස් සහිත අත් පොතක් නැතිකම. ඒ අනුව මේ පොත් පිංච දින 2-3ක් තුල මා විසින් ලියා මහවැලි මුදල්වලින් මුද්ර-ණය කරවා ගතිමි. එහිදී එවකට මැලේරියා මර්ධන ව්යාපාරයේ පුහුණු හා අධ්යාපන අංශ ප්රධානි, දොස්තර පී . බී . ආර් . ඩයස් මහතා ගෙන් ලැබුන නීතිමය සහයෝගය අගය කල යුතුය. ඒ අනුව මේ පොත දිවයින පුරාම මහවැලි කලාපවල ස්වෙච්චා ප්රතිකාර මද්යස්ථානවලට බෙදා හැරීමටද දොස්තර ඩයස් මහතා කටයුතු කළේය.

කෙසේ නමුත්, ඊට වසරකට පමණ පසුව මේ පොත් – පිංච තවත් අදියරයකට තල්ලු වුනේ මම දන්නෙම නැතිව. මැලේරියා මර්ධන මුලස්ථානයේ ප්රරධාන නිලධාරීන්ගේ අනුග්රසහයෙන් මේ පොතේ එක අකුරක් හෝ වෙනසක් නොකර එහි අන්තර්ගතය එලෙසම තිබියදී, මගේ නම කතෘත්වයෙන් ඉවත්කර ‘මැලේරියා මර්ධන ව්යාපාරයේ ප්රකාශනයක්’ ලෙස පිටපත් දහසකට වඩා වැඩි ගණනක් අළුත් මුහුණුවරකින් මුද්රණය කරලා – මුළු දිවයින පුරා මැලේරියා ප්රදේශවලට බෙදාහරිනලදී . මෙහිදී මගේ කතෘත්වය තබා අඩුම වශයෙන් පොත ලිවීමේ ගවුරවය වචන කීපයකින් හරි එහි මුල්ලක සදහන් නොකිරීම අසාදාරනයක් ලෙස පෙන්වූ ඇතැම් නීති-ක්ෂේස්ත්රවයේ මිත්රියින් කියා සිටියේ බුද්ධිමය දේපළ සොරා ගැනීමට එරෙහිව එහි වගකිව යුත්තන් නිතිය ඉදිරියට ගෙනියන්න. මම කාටවත් විරුද්ධ වෙන්න තරම් ආවේගයක් හිතට ගත්තෙ නැහැ. මම කල්පනා කලේ ඊට හාත්පසින් වෙනස්‌ විදියකට; මගේ පෑන් තුඩින් මැලේරියාව පිළිබඳව – පැල්පත්වල ජීවත්වෙන මිනිසුන්ට තේරෙන විදියට ගැමි- වහරින් ලියපු පොත මහාවැලි කලාපවලින් ඔබ්බට ගිහින් කතරගම , මොණරාගල , පුත්තලම , පදවිය , ඇඹිලිපිටිය මෙකි- නොකී ගම්වල මැලේරියාවෙන් පීඩා වින්ද මිනිසුන්ගෙ අතට නොමිලේ ලැබිලා ඔවුන් මේ රෝගය පිළිබද දැනුවත්වී එයින් නිදහස්වීම කොයිතරම්නම් භාග්යික්ද ?

ඒ කොහොම උනත් මේ පොත නැවත මුද්රනණයේදී සිදුවූ වෙනස්කම පිළිබඳ කසු-කුසුව එදා සවුක්‍ය අමාත්‍යන්සේ ප්‍රධාන නිලධාරීන් කිහිපදෙනක් අතරටද ගොස් තිබිණ. තවත් කලකට පසු එවකට සවුක්ය සේවා අධ්යක්ෂ ජෙනරාල් (මගේ සේවා ප්රධානියා ) ලෙස කටයුතු කල දොස්තර ජෝ ප්රනාන්දු මහතා මගේ ඉදිරි ගමනට වල කැපෙමින් පැවතුන මොහොතක ඒ එදිරිවාදින්ට එරෙහිව වහා ක්රියාත්මකවී මට හිමි තැන ලබාදීමට කටයුතු කල බව හද පිරි සතුටින් මෙහි සදහන් කරමි.
ආචාර්ය කොඩිසිංහ හේරත්.

ආචාර්ය කොඩිසිංහ හේරත්.

Chuls Rajapakse MNZM

The outstanding violence that Sri Lanka experienced in the last fifty years are:

1. The thirty-year terrorism of LTTE of a Tamil group supported by a national and international diaspora consisting of Tamil people supported by significant contributions from Christian & Catholic clergy.

2 The Easter Sunday carnage caused by a militant Muslim group supported by National and International diaspora.

Buddhist organizations had no hand in any of this carnage

As Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has repeatedly acknowledged it is the Magnanimity and Tolerance of Sri Lanka’s 2500 yer old Buddhist culture, that permitted other religions like Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam to thrive as it has been doing for several hundreds of years in SL.

As he stated Buddhism is like the trunk of the tree of Sri Lanka and these other religions are like some of its branches. The trunk has to them for the rest to do so.

Don’t pick on a leaf that may be drying and. try to make out that this represents the tree.

The much-maligned Gnanasara Thero of the BBS informed the authorities in great detail about impending dangers from Zaharan and his comrades well over twelve months before the bombings happened with amazing accuracy particularly in relation to who the attackers would be.

When asked after the event of how he came by such accurate information he said that it was the peaceful Sufi Muslims of Eastern province from places like Kattankudya where Zaharan did his indoctrination from, frustrated by the lack of response (possibly stifled by influential Muslim politicians,), from the police when they reported the ongoing subversive activities of Zaharan and his group, they reported it in 2017/18 to Gnanasara of BBS hoping that he could stop pZaharan on his tracts. As it turned out when he reported it to the police, Zaharan’s strong Muslim allies warded of any action against Zaharan even then, painting BBS and Gnanasara as Anti Muslim extremists.

It took 300 innocent catholic lives to expose Zaharan and co but the stigma they cleverly attached to BBS and Gnanasara still lives on, possibly till the next ISIS or Tiger instigated carnage.

There has never been any carnage of the Tiger or Zhaharan instigated magnitude, attributable to any Buddhist organization.

Concepts war of Crusades or War of Jihad to spread their respective religions is totally contrary to Buddhist Teachings and ethos and never occurred anywhere in history.

This loving-kindness inherent in Buddhism has been systematically exploited in Originally entirely Buddhist countries like Afghanistan, South Korea, Bangladesh where Buddhism has been completely wiped out in these regions.

This process still continues currently especially in SL and Mynamar and any opposition to these movements is cleverly misrepresented to the world as intolerance and violence of Buddhists.

Perhaps, if not for resistance from groups like BBS, the percentage of Buddhists who was 80% in 1900 now reduced to 70%, but for the a percentage of Buddhists in SL would have been reduced to 50% by now.

Shame, Shame Shame

Chuls Rajapakse MNZM

The violent side of Sri Lankan Buddhism

Courtesy Adaderana

BEIJING: China has suspended debt repayment for 77 developing countries as part of its efforts to help underprivileged nations in the fight against Covid-19.

However, it did not reveal the nations that would be benefitting from this move.

Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ma Zhaoxu, made the announcement at a press conference where the country also issued a white paper on its war against the coronavirus.

The white paper, titled “Fighting Covid-19: China in Action”, was issued by the nation’s State Council Information Office on Sunday (June 7).

It recorded the country’s efforts in combating against the pandemic while sharing its experience with the world.

Ma revealed that the country had so far provided assistance to over 150 nations in various forms, including dispatching their medical experts out.

“When we were at our most difficult time, more than 170 world leaders, over 50 heads of international organisations and 300-over political parties sent their regards and support to us.

“A total of 77 nations and 12 international organisations donated items for us to combat the virus while people from all over the world showed their support for China in various forms.

“We will not forget this precious friendship,” he said.

Ma also refuted claims that China’s relationship with other countries were affected by the negative sentiments brought by the pandemic.

– thestar.com.my

By Shivanthi Ranasinghe Courtesy Ceylon Today

At the recently concluded Ranawiru Day commemoration, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa vowed “not to allow anyone to exert undue pressure and harass our war heroes who have sacrificed so much for the country” to return to the status of peace and tranquility to the people and our country. 

He then expanded, “If any international body or organisation continuously targets our country and our war heroes, using baseless allegations, I will also not hesitate to withdraw Sri Lanka from such bodies or organisations”.

Continuous target 

Ironically, independent onlookers instantaneously assumed that he was referring to the UN. Since then, many subject experts have articulated their concerns. Many warn that while the President’s words are great for local consumption, leaving the UN is not an option for Sri Lanka. Instead, they advocate that Sri Lanka must stay on and continue to engage with the UN. 

The fact that almost all jumped to the conclusion that the President was referring to the UN exclusively and was not making a general statement should get the UN bigwigs to closely study the President’s statement. The statement that he will not hesitate to leave offending entity cannot be taken in isolation.

 Instead, it must be taken in conjunction with the conditions that he specified that must come true for him to leave such an entity. The two conditions for him to leave are, if “our country and our war heroes” continue to be “targeted using baseless allegations”. 

Thus, the stress should be on “continuously target” Sri Lanka and “baseless allegations,” rather than on just target Sri Lanka with accusations. The allegations must be both baseless and continuous beyond reason for such a drastic step to be activated. 

Concrete evidence a prerequisite 

Therefore, President Gotabaya’s loaded statement can also be correctly interpreted as; any entity has the space to raise questions about our Military Forces’ conduct as long as it is not baseless. The charge must be followed with tangible evidence. This means, if there is evidence on which one can conduct a credible investigation, it will be done so. 

Hence, it is not enough to simply level allegations such as thousands had disappeared and insinuate that all disappearances had been involuntarily enforced. Each person who is alleged to have disappeared must be accompanied with details such as a name, his NIC number or some form of identification (if he is a minor) and so on. Otherwise, an investigation simply cannot be conducted on the mere allegation that “thousands have disappeared”.

A la Deutsch – the German way

It is not only the paucity of information that has stalled Sri Lanka’s efforts of conducting thorough investigations. It is also the lack of cooperation from the accusers. A classic case would be the arrest by German authorities of a person involved in Sri Lanka’s then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar’s assassination. 

He, identified as only “Navanithan G” in line with German privacy rules, had applied for asylum in Germany in 2012. The war ended in 2009. At the asylum interview, he had admitted to have been a member of the LTTE. 

Instead of handing him over instantly to Sri Lankan authorities for further investigations, the German authorities arrested him in January 2019 and in 2020 sentenced him to prison for six years and ten months. As Germany did not share their information with Sri Lanka, our authorities still do not know the identity of Navanithan. 

He may well be listed as missing in Sri Lanka. How did he arrive in Germany? Did he leave Sri Lanka alone, if not, where are the others who accompanied him? What was he doing in Germany for seven years before his arrest? 

Navanithan is not an isolated incident. Over the past 11 years such “disappeared” persons have surfaced from many places including Tamil Nadu, Europe and Australia. Yet, none of these countries agree to cooperate with Sri Lanka to locate those who had disappeared from the Island but now settled in their countries. 

By allowing those with a criminal past, still nurturing the LTTE ideology, capable of unleashing violence against fellow Tamils domiciled in these countries such as extortion without any form of rehabilitation carries a risk. 

Yet, clearly it is a risk these countries are willing to carry. In 2009, summoning the UNHRC for a special session Germany tried to pass a resolution against Sri Lanka citing war crimes. Yet, Germany is unwilling to corporate with the Sri Lankan authorities to conduct investigations into these allegations. 

Navanithan gets German crime record!

Sri Lanka, instead of prosecuting the LTTE cadres, sent former LTTE cadres into rehabilitation. This was designed with the help of international experts, including Harvard. The programme, ranged from six months to two years depending on how high the level of LTTE ideology was indoctrinated, the cadres were either sent back to school or trained in a vocational skill. 

Afterwards, much support was extended to them to reintegrate into society and rebuild their lives. They now live amongst citizens without any branding or blemish attached to them. 

Thus, it is not as if cooperating with the Sri Lankan authorities would result in former LTTE cadres been subjected to gross human rights violations. Hence, the reluctance of countries that accuse Sri Lanka of war crimes to cooperate is questionable. 

The irony is, had Navanithan surrendered to the Sri Lankan authorities, the chances are that by now he would have been able to firmly put his violent past behind him. As it turned out, 11 years after the war ended, he is being punished for a crime he committed 15 years ago. In 2026 he will leave the German prison with a permanent criminal record. 

Yahapalana Govt co-sponsored defeated UNHRC resolution 

The second condition President Gotabaya stipulated was that Sri Lanka must also have the space to clear its name. Once Sri Lanka conducts and concludes an investigation, the matter must be allowed to rest. This is something Sri Lanka has not been allowed to do. In 2009, the Germany initiated UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka was defeated. In fact, a counter resolution commended Sri Lanka for resolutely eradicating terrorism from the Island. Yet, the resolutions kept coming. Each time, the accusations within became more aggressive. 

Had the Yahapalana Government not co-sponsored the 2015 resolution, this exercise would have continued. However, co-sponsoring the resolution did not stop this process either. For instance, the Office for Missing Persons that came about as a result of this resolution states that if a missing person is located, his status as missing cannot be changed without his explicit consent. The whole premise of bringing closure to his loved ones who do not know his fate is thus lost. Worse, Military officers accused for his disappearance can never clear their name or record. 

LLRC and Paranagama Commissions

Contrary to what many internationally think about the Sri Lanka Government trying to push war crime allegations under the carpet it is not true. After the war, Sri Lanka engaged in two mechanisms – the Lessons Learnt and the Reconciliation Commission and the Paranagama Commission. The LLRC was made up of some of the finest legal brains in Sri Lanka. Citizens of all walks of life were encouraged to share their experiences and opinions vis-a-vis the war and causes that led to the war. 

The Paranagama Commission, though a domestic mechanism, also included experts on warfare and International Humanitarian Laws as Sir Desmond Silva, Sir Rodney Nixon, Major General John Holmes, Sir Geoffrey Nice, Professors David Crane and Michael Newton. 

Both commissions found the Sri Lanka Military did not intentionally target civilians, nor commit war crimes. Yet, these findings did not stand a chance. 

Ban Ki-moon violates UN mandate

Before the LLRC was concluded, the then UNSG Ban Ki-moon initiated his own fact finding mission – the Panel of Experts who produced the controversial Darusman Report. Though he violated the UN mandate, he assured that it was for his own personal appraisal. 

Yet, the contents of this report was leaked and republished by other sources. Today, these contents despite its questionability are established as true and factual, when true facts are pushed out of sight. More damagingly, Ban Ki-moon undermined the domestic mechanism without due cause. 

President Gotabaya is not being unreasonable when he noted that allegations must be with evidence that can lead a solid investigation and the findings must be accepted. He demonstrated his sincerity during the recent allegation involving an employee from the Swiss Embassy. Even in his Ranawiru Day speech, he did not accuse or address any specific entity. 

However, all independent onlookers immediately linked this to the UN. This despite the Gotabaya Administration pledging at the recent UNHRC session to continue to work with the UNHRC. This means the onlookers are accusing the UN of needlessly targeting Sri Lanka with baseless accusations. This is a very serious charge and the UN must immediately conduct an internal investigation as to the reasons for this presumption. 

ranasingheshivanthi@gmail.com.

Courtesy Adaderana

In a backdrop where the COVID-19 outbreak has been controlled and a suitable environment for holding the election has been facilitated, the behavior of certain officials of the Election Commission is controversial, says Prof. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa.

The former General Secretary of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) mentioned this during a press conference held in Kandy yesterday (07).

Prof. Piyadasa says that the opinions of certain members of the Elections Commission are debatable. Some say that these have somehow led to a delay of the elections, he added.

Further speaking, he said that there is no use of searching for reasons to delay the election and that the country should go for an election as soon as possible.

Courtesy Adaderana

Eight individuals have tested positive for the novel coronavirus hiking the count of infections in the country to 1,857 cases.

With 18 more persons also being confirmed to have contracted the virus, a total of 26 COVID-19 positive patients have been reported within the day so far.

This brings the total number of Covid-19 infected patients currently under medical care to 856.

Meanwhile, the number of recoveries in Sri Lanka has risen to 990 with 49 patients being discharged from their respective hospitals today.

The death toll due to the virus in the country stands at 11.

Courtesy Adaderana

An expert in geology produced a report to the Supreme Court that the burial of persons deceased from COVID-19 infection may cause adverse effects in the environment.

Previously, 12 individuals, including the son of a COVID-19 victim, filed a Fundamental Rights petition claiming that the cremation of persons deceased from the virus is a violation of their fundamental rights.

The petition was heard before the Supreme Court Justices Sisira de Abrew and Yasantha Kodagoda today (08).

Representing Professor Meththika Vithanage, President’s Counsel Sanjeewa Jayawardena submitted a report compiled by the Professor to the court.

Jayawardena pointed out that according to the relevant report, the virus may enter the groundwater and soil by burying persons who had deceased from COVID-19.

Subsequently, the court postponed the hearing to July 13.

Courtesy Adaderana

The date for holding the General Election will be declared within this week, stated the Elections Commission a short while ago.

The Elections Commission is currently holding a press conference regarding the General Election 2020, in Colombo.

Earlier today (08), the members of the Elections Commission convened to decide on the date to hold the upcoming general election.

Speaking at the press conference, Chairman of the Commission Mahinda Deshapriya further said that the gazette pertaining to the preferential numbers will be issued tomorrow (09).

Deshapriya had made a request to the Director-General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe to regularize campaign guidelines through a gazette.

Courtesy Hiru News

Chairman of the Avant Garde Company, Nissanka Senadhipathi states that the main reason for the loss of GSP plus for Sri Lanka is the illegal fishing business conducted by a private secretary of former Minister Rajitha Senaratne.

This was while he was giving evidence before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate incidents of political revenge

Meanwhile, former Prisons Commissioner Emil Ranjan Lamahewa had also been summoned to give evidence before the commission.

H. L. D. Mahindapala

The Twentieth century, it is safe to say, has made all of us into deep historical pessimists – The End of History and the Last man – Francis Fukuyama

One of the primary tasks of a creative and path-breaking political scientist is to demystify and demythologise the hidden past to raise the consciousness of a shared / common political domain to progress into a better and a new world, leaving the misery of the failed past. To achieve this objective, they must be blessed with a holistically integrated intellect with a critical capacity to grasp and understand the new realities that rise constantly as opportunities to carve new paths to the world of tomorrow. But the stupid political scientists will continue to find excuses and theories for the failed past to resuscitate, justify or glorify the political criminals who misled the people into inescapable depths of death, destruction and despair.

I regret to say that my long-time friend Dayan Jayatilleka, who never ceases to advertise himself as a political scientist extraordinaire, has revealed that he belongs to the latter category of political scientists as demonstrated in his latest outburst against the Sinhala-Buddhists, regurgitating the hackneyed theoretical concoctions that had not taken him or his fellow-travellers anywhere.

Tirade

In his latest tirade against the Sinhala-Buddhists in the Financial Times, shedding buckets of tears for Tamil grievances and aspirations”, he has returned to his original ideological base locked in cock-eyed theories that formed the basis of Varatharaja Perumal’s state that was dead at birth. He snaked out of it and meandered for a while in the sober world of hard realities which eventually manifested itself in full measure in the last Presidential election. (November 19, 2019). In fact, he was an integral part of it initially. He was a leading light in Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s viyathmaga. But then came the tempting offer of an ambassadorship in the Yahapalanaya administration and he jumped into it breaking all known Sri Lankan records in high-jumping. He must be excused because this kind of high-jumping is built into his genes.

I also gathered that before going on his mission to Moscow he rushed to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and assured him that he would work for ‘Pohottuwa’ underhand, betraying his sworn commitment to serve the Yahapalanaya regime. In other words, he was acting according to his genetic make-up of being an Under..” (no, I do not want to mention the obnoxious word for reasons he knows best) doing underhand deals!

Before I dig my teeth into the meat of his latest attack on Sinhala-Buddhists, it is necessary to highlight that no one can beat Dayan Jayatilleka’s extraordinary capacity to stooge those in power disguised as ‘political science’. The unscrupulous jumps he makes from one side to another is projected by him as the quintessence of political science computed at the highest cerebral level.

He began his career in stooging as a Cabinet Minister in Varadaraja Perumal’s Cabinet. But Perumal was a stooge of India. And, ipso facto, that makes Dayan a stooge of India. Of course, this was done in the name of political science, with a bit Gramsci, Lenin and Marx thrown in for good measure. Then he veered away from Perumal and gravitated towards President Ranasinghe Premadasa. They were two extremes in the inter-ethnic equation. The somersault he made from Perumal to Premadasa deserves an Olympian medal. But it was one of the few good ‘scientific’ decisions he ever made.

He has also kept one foot in NGOs. He was in fact the master of ceremonies for the award given to Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu by Jehan Perera – a Tweedledumbo scratching the back of Tweedledingo, with the blessings of Dayan presiding over the ceremonies. Of course, all this was done in the name of ‘political science’. He thinks that his capacity to rationalise each jump into various camps is ‘political science’. It is his political science that made him one of the leading lights in Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s viyathmaga. It is the same political scientist who is now attacking Gotabaya.

Now in his latest outburst in the Financial Times, reviving the myths of Tamil ‘demands, grievances and aspirations’, he has turned against his idol of yesterday, Gotabaya. He condemns the triumph of Gotabaya as ‘armed Dharmapalism’, echoing Isaac Deutsche’s ‘Prophet Armed: Trotsky.’ But he was quite happy to continue under ‘armed Dharmapala’ until he was recalled. Then when he was recalled he saw his world tumbling down. If he was a man of principles dead against ‘armed Dharmapalaism’ why didn’t he send in his resignation immediately from Moscow saying he will not serve ‘the Sinhala Hard Right’/ ‘Sinhala ultranationalist unilateralism’, which is aiming to for the first time….. end of Tamil political history’ the end of history of a specifically Tamil politics, the politics of power-sharing at the centre and autonomy at the periphery, damned in the President’s discourse (Parliament Jan 2020) as ‘political agendas founded on race…playing the role of king maker…the influence of extremism’?

But he stayed on hoping that he could continue to represent President Gotabaya — the ‘Sinhala Hard Right’, the ‘armed Dharmapala’ even though he knew that Gotabaya had acknowledged his debt to the ‘Sinhala Hard Right’ / ‘armed Dharmapalism’ for his victory. As a ‘political scientist’ he should have known what he meant and resigned instantly to prove that he was a man of principles, if he has any. He did not resign. He was with ‘the Sinhala Hard Right’ until he was recalled. And when he was thrown out of Moscow, leaving him without a job, he went bananas. If, however, he was asked to continue he would have taken the first trans-Siberian train to Vladivostok – the other end of Russia – proclaiming all the way across the vast tracts of the largest land mass in Asia, as loud as he can, that any rise of any shade of Prabhakaranism and the Vadukoddian ideology was contrary to the principles of his theoretical dodo, Gramsci and his latter-day idol, Gotabaya.

His kinky obsession with Gramsci is as relevant to Sri Lanka as the authoritarian militarism of his most favoured political hero, Fidel Castro. Sri Lanka’s political and social achievements are far greater than those scored by both put together. Take, for instance, his baby doll, Gramsci. There isn’t a following for Gramsci even in Italy – his homeland. But Dayan is now fossicking desperately for Tamil Gramscis in Jaffna. In Moscow he would have noticed that no one gives a hoot to Gramsci. Gramsci was an Italian egg-head whose inedible theoretical spaghetti twisted round his head provided no relief to the hungry Italian workers in Mussolini’s jails. His negligible impact on the Italian workers’ movement did not go beyond the impact of the local Marxists at the Wellawatte Spinning and Weaving Mills. He failed to move the Italian workers to any meaningful political goal.

Fashionable thinkers

The Italians are reacting to Covid-19 more than to irrelevant Gramsci. But after he came back from Moscow Dayan has gone hysterical. Dayan is fossicking in Jaffna for Tamil Gramscis who will be totally irrelevant to either peninsula politics or national issues. His writing indicates that his knowledge of Gramsci makes him an exceptional ‘political scientist’. Our intellectuals are very good at dropping names of fashionable thinkers of the West. But they never pause to ask how relevant they are to ground realities of Sri Lanka. For instance, in the last presidential election was it Gramsci who determined the result or Dharmapala? They drop names to impress how clever they are. But how many of their theories have moved the nation beyond its cultural and spiritual base?

With his latest somersault Dayan has jumped into the camp of discombobulated jokers in the anti-national NGOs. His greatest achievement so far was his victory at UNHRC. Did he score that victory defending the bellicose Vadukoddian ideology or the peace-making state of Rajapaksa – the leading icon of Sinhala-Buddhism in contemporary times? He might try to come back saying that there is a fundamental difference between the Rajapaksa he served in Geneva and the Rajapaksa who has thrown him out now. But that will be all hogwash. He will only be splitting hairs trying to prove that there are two Rajapaksas, one of whom is not so Sinhala-Buddhistic as the other.

We are in a time when even the UNPers regret that they had swung to the ‘Hard Tamil Right’, giving ‘Ellam’ which runs parallel with Eelam, under Ranil Wickremesinghe, a leader rejected by his followers. The millions that voted for Gotabaya were not that stupid not to recognise the difference between the many shades of Prabhakaranism, including cock-eyed Dayanishitism, which pretends to be the kokatath thailya, and the Sinhala-Buddhist forces that took on the most formidable force ever launched by the Tamils, backed by Solheims, Millibands and the well-oiled machine of the Tamil Diaspora. Whether in the Vadukoddai War, or in electoral contest, or in confronting Erick Solheims and Millibands the Podi Appuhamys and Podi Nonas who voted with their feet knew that the Rajapaksas stood as defenders of Sinhala-Buddhism. If they knew it at that level how come our ‘political scientist’ didn’t know it? Why was he with the ‘armed Dharmapalas’ when they were buttering his bread? And why has he jumped once again to ‘armed Vadukoddians’ who committed the grievous crime against peace – the only community to do so?

His career has zig-zagged across the political compass in so many directions that it is difficult to locate him at any given place at any given time. He has been all over the place, justifying each position as the latest political science of a pundit whose infallibility exceeds that of the Pope. His unscrupulous tergiversations indicate clearly that he is for sale for the highest bidder. Dayan, as everyone knows, is the proverbial hound who is loyal to any master willing to let him lick the crumbs that fall off the table. Karl Manning was thinking of characters like Dayan when he said that the intellectual’s pen is always ready for sale.

Spinning his theoretical yarns as usual, pretending to be Marx XIV (or is it Gramsci II?) he has come swinging against Gota. This Pavlovian behaviourial pattern, salivating at the first sight of a bone thrown in his direction, is a clear indication of an incurable recidivist returning to his infantile days when he was a stooge of Varadraja Perumal who was a stooge of India.

I don’t have to ask him to get stuffed because his head is already stuffed with all the theoretical muck that justifies authoritarian Castro’s one-man regime and other left-wing characters of the Marxist left. He believes in his exaggerated greatness as if he is God’s gift to Sri Lanka. But only knowing people know (Singlish) that he has been juggling so many balls that he has come to point where he does not know whose ball he is juggling now. What is clear now is that he up for grabs for anyone who wants their balls to be juggled. He is now trending towards Sajith Premadasa. Soon he is likely to surface as the guru and ideologue of Premadasa. Will Premadasa abandon his other guru, Victor Ivan and hire Dayan. Or will he have both?

Victor Ivan theories didn’t take Sajith very far in the last election. The populist tampons and buns didn’t win. The people went for their spiritual and cultural values. How far will Dayan’s theories take Sajith?

To sum up, the grass that comes of the bull at the butt end of his anatomy has been more productive to the nation, down the ages, than the constipated theories that had come out of Dayana’s four-legged brain.

It’s time he started thinking on two legs.

More on DJ’s cock-eyed theories next

Dr. Varanthaja was one of the 5 doctors who was in the war zone till the final stages that ended in May 2009. The country has no issues in him seeking asylum and living in the US since 2011. With LTTE terrorist arm disseminated everyone wanted to get on with their lives after living 30 years in fear. This was a feeling applicable to all communities. However, we did not and do not expect the LTTE business arm to take over and make a living lying. This is why as citizens we have every right to question Dr. Varatharaja who was educated with public funds, who enjoyed a state salary until his departure and who now lives abroad but wishes to continue lies that is impacting on the entire nation. 

We pose these questions and in so doing ask readers to ponder about how many others like him are out there ridiculing and denigrating the country they were born in and in so doing violating our human rights by the manner they are partnering with entities out to destabilize and destroy Sri Lanka & its development, wishing Sri Lanka to suffer perpetual misery sans peace.

BIOGRAPHY 

1975 Born

1986 Passed Grade 5 scholarship

1991 Passed O/L

1994 Passed A/L Bio given Mahapola Scholarship

1997 Entered Jaffna University

2004 Graduated

2004 Intern at Pudukudurippu hospital, Mullaitivu

2005 Intern at Kurunegala Teaching hospital – Paediatrics/Surgery

2006 Relief House Officer at ICU

2006 1^stAppointment MOH Kalmunai District/Eechilampatru hospital/Vaharai hospital

2007 March – Mullaitivu Hospital

2007 December – Appointment Regional Director of Health Services

2008 – Overseas training Philippines

2008 – Anti-Malaria training Anuradhapura

2009 – May 16 Arm injured from bomb & carried to army rescue point in Mullaivaikal on 17 May 2009

2011 – US gives him & family asylum

Despite living in LTTE controlled areas, he was able to study, obtain scholarships, enter university & even become a doctor. How many other Sri Lankans have been this lucky?

Can you explain why US chose only you to offer refuge in USA instead of the other 4 doctors who also served in the war zone?Why did USA only choose you & your family to give asylum? What makes you more special than them? All were employed by the State and paid to take care of Sri Lankan citizens.

What was your real role as a child living amongst LTTE where many had to function as Pottu Amman’s informant?

This is what your Facebook features

While MOH Kalmunai District in 2006, when doctors refused to be stationed at Eechilampatru hospital (in a small village of 70,000 people located North of Vakarai) because it was under LTTE control, why did you wish to be stationed there? 

Is it true that having made contact with NGOs/INGOs/UN Agencies OXFAM ICRC, UNICEF etc you became one of their ‘credible reporters’?

Why did you move to Vakarai with the civilians when the army was advancing to Eechilampatru LTTE controlled area? If you were not part of or sympathetic to LTTE, you could have stayed on with the other civilians and patients?

Did you continue to report to INGOs/NGOs & Media while stationed at Vakarai hospital?

If you were just a doctor doing your duties looking after patients, why should EPDP or Karuna Group threaten you? 

Was the 12 December 2006 UNICEF report on Vaharai stating that you were the only doctor treating patients for diarrhea and dysentery, as a result of inputs given by you?

Did you decide to leave Vakarai hospital after media broadcast that the hospital was run by LTTE – is this why you contacted the UN agencies & INGOs to inform that the GoSL was about to attack the hospital OMITTING that the hospital was run by LTTE and you were a doctor treating LTTE as well?

Isn’t it true that the Govt & Ministry of Health trusted you so much that they requested you to use a white flag and leave the Vakarai hospital concerned for your safety and not even doubting you may be on the side of the LTTE?

When the Ministry of Health reposted you to Trincomalee General Hospital, why did you APPEAL to be posted to Mullaitivu which was under LTTE control?

Is it true that you abused your authority as Regional Director of Health and submitted requests for medical supplies IN EXCESS OF what was required?

Is it also true that you handed these additional supplies to LTTE pharmacy chains and private pharmacies & pocketed the money from commissions?

Isn’t it true that you made use of your position to manipulate both the GoSL as well as the LTTE knowing LTTE needed to have you as a doctor to treat LTTE injured as well as keep civilians with them? You were taking advantage of both sides

Is it also true that when GoSL permitted essential drugs to be taken in lorries to uncleared areas you ordered in excess and sold these to LTTE and private pharmacies? 

Didn’t you think what you were doing was wrong by the poor taxpayers who were paying for all the excess medicines which were sent to North rationing what was sent to other parts of the country? 

You knew very well that Sri Lanka was getting internationally cornered for deciding to eliminate the LTTE. You knew very well the restrictions Sri Lankans was facing and yet you only thought of making money.

You present yourself as a hero but you made money from commissions on sale of items paid by the Sri Lankan tax payer

Is this how you accumulated money to buy a luxury jeep imported by former MP Kanagaratnam with his vehicle permit in 2008? Can you explain how you got MILLIONS being a government doctor to buy a luxury imported vehicle? 

You started work in 2005 – how did you accumulate 11million (eleven million) to buy a luxury vehicle by 2009 —- in just 4 years?

In the thick of war, you had enough time to think of buying a luxury vehicle! 

Is it true that you decided to remain in LTTE controlled area not because of any love for patients but because the LTTE leadership refused to allow you to take your luxury jeep out of Vanni even when you requested to travel in it to Colombo for meeting in January 2009? 

Didn’t LTTE doubt of your plans to flee with jeep & that was why you were not allowed to take your jeep out of Vanni? LTTE leadership had profiled you correctly.  

Was it not because of your luxury jeep that you made frantic efforts to cross Omanthai as the land route had closed from 14 Jan-23 January 2009 but you had no choice but to stay in Vavuniya Kurumankaadu bungalow & somehow managed to return to Mullaitivu. 

All for the love of your jeep and nothing else. How can you present yourself as a ‘hero’ given these realities?

Is it also not true that when land routes to Vanni got closed from February 2009, you & your luxury jeep was virtually ‘trapped’ and you had no other choice but to remain in the Vanni?

Was it not you that bloated civilian figures to the international media/INGOs to give an impression that the GoSL was planning to kill them? 

Is it not because of your daily lies to the international agencies that their hysteria over civilian killings resulted?

How is it that as soon as you arrive in US, your first visitors are the LTTE lobby and the international players linked to the LTTE lobby? How did they know where you were in the US?

How come you were invited to only pro-LTTE events to deliver speeches in New York, Toronto & Europe.

Who arranged a meeting with a UN Special Representative in New York before you travelled to Geneva for UNHRC? What was the deal?

Were all the allegations against Sri Lanka & Its armed forces a culmination of the liaison with LTTE fronts and the UN entities attempting to prove their allegations were correct. Is this what resulted in the Geneva session statement by you in 2014?

What is your relationship with Human Rights Watch & Channel 4?

How come LTTE fronts are only awarding you with awards for heroism in the war zone? Why are the other doctors excluded?

Is it true you travelled to London to remember LTTE dead – doesn’t this remind you of how you as a Student Youth Leader went on hunger strike after LTTE’s Thileepan died of hunger strike – you were then just a teenager!  

Who is funding you to travel round the world?

How much do you know about South Africa & apartheid to compare that to Sri Lanka? 

How did you strike a relationship with Sooka

Is it you that has provided Sooka with missing/dead LTTE that Sooka lists as civilian missing/dead? Are you taking them for a ride too?

From your Facebook – anyone mourning dead with LTTE flags is mourning DEAD LTTE and not Tamil civilians.

Are you basing your ‘Genocide’ story on the exaggerated figures you yourself admitted to the international media in July 2009?

How can you expect people to believe you when you keep changing versions of the same story? 

What is the credibility you have as a result of your links with LTTE since childhood, aligning with LTTE while working for the State, seeking asylum in exchange for singing for LTTE diaspora? 

Have you not sold your soul to the LTTE diaspora who decide what you say, how you say it, when you say it? Is this not torture by another name? Isn’t it a torture to have to daily lie and keep alive the lies just to enjoy luxuries? Does that provide any luxury for your mind except torment & torture?

From humble beginnings are you happy for forsaking the country that educated you, that provided you a Mahapola scholarship to become a doctor, that provided you, local and international training, that gave you promotions and never distrusted you even when you were making money bloating medical requirements & selling them for commissions from which you were even able to buy a imported luxury vehicles for millions? 

It is we who must press charges against you for violating our human rights, for making us suffer while you enjoyed from what we toiled to earn. 

Is this how you repay the state? Is this how you show solidarity with the rest of the citizens? Do you hate our country and our people this much? 

Don’t you have a guilty conscience for the human rights violations you are committing against the people of Sri Lanka? 

This is the real torture for fabricating allegations of physical torture. Mental torture is far more harmful than physical torture, especially knowing you had done wrong by an entire nation & its people in lying to the international community.

You left Sri Lanka and none of us grudged you for leaving to make a new home in another land.

But you left Sri Lanka with intent to harm us by your lies. This is violating our fundamental rights.

Can you sleep at night knowing your lies are impacting an entire nation and its citizens? 

You made use of the LTTE, the GoSL, the international community and now you have joined a bandwagon of equally corrupt people taking advantage of the loopholes & manipulating international systems. 

Shame, Shame, Shame on all of you.

Shenali D Waduge

Myriam François Courtesy Guardian

As Cambridge investigates its past, it’s time we acknowledged that slavery embedded a racial privilege that exists to this day

Cambridge University has announced that it will finally – just two centuries after the abolition of slavery and about 80 years after the end of the British empire – conduct an in-depth academic study into ways in which it contributed to, benefited from or challenged the Atlantic slave trade and other forms of coerced labour during the colonial era”.

I’m not sure in-depth” is how I would describe an inquiry which omits all 31 of its colleges, which hold most of the wealth in Cambridge, and some of which already have verified slavery connections. And it is worth pointing out that, while Cambridge has framed this inquiry as part of its race equality initiatives”, this conversation was forced on it by students, activists and brave academics.Advertisement

But Oxbridge institutions are not alone in owing a tremendous debt to slaves. The Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slave-ownership at UCL has created a vast database that shows just how profoundly slavery shaped modern Britain – well beyond its two best-known universities. Among the institutions with a history of slavery connections are the Bank of England, high-street banks (RBS, Barclays and Lloyds), railway companies, insurance companies and even the Royal Mail. And as these organisations flourished through their use of forced labour, their owners bequeathed part of their huge wealth to some of the UK’s leading cultural institutions, including the National Gallery, the Royal Academy, the Tate, the Victoria & Albert and the British Museum. Visitors to these galleries today are given little or no indication of their murky histories.

Slave-owning planters, and merchants who dealt in slaves and slave produce, were among the richest people in 18th-century Britain. Profits from these activities helped to endow the industrial revolution, Britain’s naval supremacy, and even British capitalism itself. By the late 1700s, slave-generated profits were large enough to have covered up to a third of Britain’s overall investment needs.

But the privileges accrued from slavery were not only economic: prestige properties were built which would be passed down as generational wealth. If you’ve ever marvelled at some of Britain’s stately homes or listed buildings, you should be aware that many of them were built or bought using money derived from slavery. One example is Dodington Park, a beautiful estate, currently owned by British inventor James Dyson, and which was originally built by Christopher Bethell-Codrington, using sums derived at least in part from plantation profits.

Often this wealth translated into political power. Alderman William Beckford, whose father was one of the most powerful men in 18th-century Jamaica, went on to serve as mayor of London. He even kept enslaved Africans to serve him in England. More recently, former prime minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, were both revealed to have slaveowners in their family background. Inherited wealth matters for generations.

Yet, as historian David Olusoga has pointed out, it would be a mistake to think of slave-ownership in the UK as confined to the upper classes. Many middle-class people, including clergymen, naval personnel and people who had returned from the colonies were also slave-owners”, regarded an enslaved person as a sound investment”.

The footprints of slavery, and the profits it bequeathed to generations, still shape the present. The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 formally freed 800,000 Africans. Not one of them got a penny. Instead, the British government paid out today’s equivalent of £16bn to former slave owners to compensate” them for their loss of property”, a national debt that took until 2015 to be paid off. Yes, that means the descendants of slaves here in the UK were, until just four years ago, paying off slave owners for their ancestors’ freedom.

Britons today aren’t directly responsible for the actions of their ancestors, but we are responsible for making the consequences of their wrongful actions right – starting with recognising how history and a culture rooted in supremacy feed into modern-day injustice.

Today in Britain, Pakistani and Bangladeshi people are more than three times more likely than white British people to live in the most deprived neighbourhoods. Rates of prosecution and sentencing for black people are three times higher than for white people. Unemployment rates are significantly higher for ethnic minorities; from mental health to education, crime to housing, there are enduring inequalities. The question, then, is why?Advertisement

Could it be that the supremacist beliefs that shaped slavery and colonialism did not simply evaporate in 1833? And that the structures – social, economic, cultural – forged by that period haven’t disappeared? That we are still beholden to hierarchies shaped by racism, such as the idea that the barbarism of some faiths justifies military encroachment, or that white people’s DNA makes them genetically smarter? The structures forged by white supremacy have proved incredibly durable, partly because we refuse to recognise them, and partly because feeling superior to other races justifies actions which would otherwise seem unacceptable.

As the Jamaican-American philosopher Charles W Mills points out, while other political ideologies are acknowledged – socialism, capitalism, fascism – we consistently fail to name the ideology that forged global European imperialism: white supremacy.

Professor Stephen Arata argues that narratives of colonial reversal”, whereby colonisers and exploiters are treated with sympathy, and their victims dehumanised, were frequent in late-Victorian popular fiction in Britain. But such fiction is just as popular today, with bestselling books about the genetic superiority of Germans being dumbed down” by migrants; or the Great Replacement” theory, in which the French author Renaud Camus claims the presence of Muslims in France will lead to the destruction of French culture and civilisation. It’s seen too in media frenzies about white female sexuality being under threat from migrants.

Across Europe, far-right parties are making gains. The mistake is to view these developments as a new phenomenon – this is a resurgence. White supremacy is back with a vengeance because Europeans failed to unpick the dangerous underpinnings that forged its first incarnation.

So, here in Britain – in a country whose modernity was birthed in violence and racial supremacy – what is each and every one of us doing to confront that past and pave the way for a fairer future? Far beyond Cambridge and Britain’s elite institutions, this is a conversation that implicates us all. Because as American author James Baldwin wrote, Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed if it is not faced.”

• Dr Myriam François is a research associate at the Centre of Islamic Studies, Soas University of London, and founder of the blog We Need to Talk about Whiteness

Aloysius Hettiarachchi

On the 4^th of June  former president made a startling revelations to say that he had to personally sign 22,000 documents within  a couple of days or so for the extradition of Arjun Mahandran from Singapore. He has been convinced again to say that he cannot be brought to Sri Lanka to face charges because he is now an Alexander and not a Mahendran. This is amazing given the fact that all those around him were very experienced civil servants and top lawyers. I think the Attorney General at that time was the current one. Did they all take our head of state as a joke?. If so, no wonder a thing like Pasku Praharaya (the 4/21 attack) took place when all law enforcement forces as well as armed forces were under him. And all those top brass took advantage of the situation to make a fast buck at the experience of about 300 innocent lives as well as those 500 people who have been critically injured. If what he said was true, then it is an insult on the whole nation (especially on the Sinhalese) and action should be taken against all those who advised him to do this shameful act.

Similarly we see the same thing happening to the current president, too. We see that he is being surrounded by a similarly experienced lot and being advised to approve some wonderful projects. The world’s largest cricket grounds with money collected by begging is one. And then he has been advised to embark on beach nourishment project at a most unsuitable period of rough and high tide seas without any serious studies. Almost one billion rupees gone in water in just a couple of days. I remember the government of the country where I previously worked sent some senior engineers from their relevant department together with a representative of the company where I worked to Sri Lanka (Lanka Hydraulic Institute) to do the modelling of the project in their research station for a Coastal Protection Project. They were the consults together with LHI for that multimillion dollar project and they had high regard for those engineers doing the modelling. Why was LHI overlooked for this project?. Like signing the documents by the former prez, these coastal conservation officers and their contractors must have created a very nice picture of beautiful beaches after the work was over. However there should have been a clause to rectify the damages by the contractor if things go wrong.

We saw the other day a bunch of so called experts on dairy farming which included some lady professors giving a rosy picture to the nation. The whole nation knows how silly their plans are as similar importation of cows have gone awry more than once.

Not stopping there now the education ministers want to build so many universities in one go without any planning  when we are running short of money to pay even the salaries according to some news reports.

When we supported the prez in these forums for his campaign we had a good idea about him.  We thought he would at least take back Hambanthota port as promised and will not be openly supportive of some sections of the minorities who are hell bent in destroying the country.

Looking at the number of blunders already committed or planned to do within this short period of time we do not know where we will be heading on the long run, if advisors remain the same.

Aruna Laksiri Unawatuna (Attorney-at-Law)

The ruling power of the British Crown in the United States was brought to an end when the Declaration of Independence was pronounced in 1776 with the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). It was recognized as a free state by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

The racial laws for the weak and the powerful which were separately introduced by the British for the countries that they governed; South Africa, India, Sri Lanka and also United States including other countries as colonies.

Unlike the other British colonial countries, the United States was the only nation in the world to disarm the British with an armed revolution but there was a huge tragedy in its society because of the strong establishment of laws for confirming racial discrimination and oppressing the oppressed which were introduced by the British.

As a result, great personalities such as President Abraham Lincoln (1865) and Nobel laureate Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968) sacrificed their lives to the bullet, and the persistence of such assassinations expose the dark areas of the rule of law in the United States.

Another such brutal murder which was committed by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA by torturing a black man named George Floyd (46) to his death on May 25, 2020, has achieved to create a stir in public opinion in all countries.

Although there have been many horrific murders all around the world, the murder of the black man named George Floyd by depriving him of air for nearly 9 minutes, even after he begged for a breath reminds us especially of the massacre of Jews by the Nazis using the gas chambers preventing them from breathing during the 2^nd World War, and it was clearly a cruel act against humanity.

Although there are many protests in the United States of America and other countries around the world for equality disregarding the white-black discrimination while implementing legal actions regarding this cruel murder which was done by preventing breathing, the nature of the protests of the Blacks of the United States against the brutal murder of George Floyd proves us that they are far more ahead than the people of other countries which had been colonized by the British in demanding the right to equality before the law.

Unlike the people of former British colonies such as Indians and Sri Lankans, Blacks in the United States are well-versed in English, so they have the legal literacy to read the laws of the United States and the judgements of its Supreme Court.

Therefore, without the operation of anyone else the Blacks in the United States have the legal literacy to independently utilize the knowledge gained through it and obtain a successful procedure against the legal discriminations taken against them. Because of that strong legal power, Blacks in the United States will have the opportunity to seek justice for George Floyd’s murder.

Unlike the Blacks in the United States, the Sinhalese who are the majority of the Sri Lankans are a community who are neither free nor able to access legal literacy. All necessary and important legal matters in Sri Lanka are handled and decisions are made in English language which is used only by a minority and not in Sinhala, the language of the majority. As a result, the legal literacy of the Sinhala majority in Sri Lanka is very low and they do not have the knowledge to act legally against the actions that the powerful people take against them.

The Sinhalese in Sri Lanka do not know how to obtain freedom through legal activities, unlike the Blacks in the United States can obtain freedom through legal activities. While being ignorant of the law is not an excuse (Ignorantia juris non excusat), the Sinhalese are not allowed to know the law.

Although the People’s Voice against George Floyd’s cruel murder testifies that Blacks in the United States are far ahead in demanding equality before the law, it cannot be said how much more time it will take for the majority of Sinhalese in Sri Lanka to demand equality before the law.

This is an English translation of writer’s article of ‘නීතිය ඉදිරියේ සමානත්මතාවය අයදීමේදී එක්සත් ජනපදයේ කලු ජාතිකයන් බොහෝ ඉදිරියෙන් බව ජෝර්ජ් ෆ්ලොයිඩ් කෲර ඝාතනයට එරෙහි ජනතා හඩ සාක්ෂි දරයි…!’ Dated 04.05.2020

නීතිය ඉදිරියේ සමානාත්මතාවය අයදීමේ දී එක්සත් ජනපදයේ කලු ජාතිකයන් බොහෝ ඉදිරියෙන් බව ජෝර්ජ් ෆ්ලොයිඩ් කෲර ඝාතනයට එරෙහි ‘ජනතා හඩ’ සාක්ෂි දරයි…!

Aruna Laksiri Unawatuna (Attorney-at-Law)

RANJITH SOYSA

It is reported that Ratnajeevan Hoole, the commissioner of the Elections Commission has told a TV station that Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna ( SLPP) had been criticizing him and is against democracy and therefore the people should not vote for the party.

The members of the independent Election commission are considered as public servants under section 9 of the terms of reference of the Elections Commission as specified in Amendment 17 of the Constitution.

As such Hoole’s action contravenes the law and the expectations of a member of an independent commission.

We trust that the public service commission or any other relevant disciplinary body will take the required action to discipline Hoole and to prevent the recurrence of such unethical, and illegal actions.

RANJITH SOYSA

By Jane Lee for The History Listen Courtesy ABC Radio National

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Two retired judges say a section of the constitution which allows federal laws to be made for a particular race of people should be changed, because it is a relic of Australia’s past and is potentially dangerous.

The races power, in section 51(xxvi) of the constitution, gives parliament the power to make laws for “the people of any race for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws”.

It was introduced into the 1901 constitution to regulate the migration of particular races to Australia, amid concerns about Chinese and other Asian migrants after the gold rush period of the late 19th century.

Retired NSW Chief Justice James Spigelman, QC, says when it was introduced, “there was no doubt that it was a racist power”.

He says the races power no longer has a place in the constitution.

“A power with respect to people is I regard a very dangerous power to confer on any legislature, even the Commonwealth parliament … because it can be focused on particular groups by reason of their presumed characteristics, rather than what their behaviour is or what their needs are, but just because of who they are,” he says.

Robert French, a retired Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, says the term ‘race’ is a term of the past.

“I think the term ‘race’ itself is a cultural construct whose day has passed and has very little factual referent apart from what you find in so-called cultural realities,” he says.

“And I think we’d be better off without it.”

The judges discussed the races power in interviews about the 1998 Hindmarsh Island Bridge case for Section 71, an RN series about significant High Court cases.

In that case, the late Ngarrindjeri woman Doreen Kartinyeri unsuccessfully challenged a federal law based on the races power, which paved the way for the South Australian bridge to be built on a site she said was sacred to Ngarrindjeri women.

The future of the races power has been discussed in talks about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders should be included in the constitution.

The Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians recommended in 2012 that the section be removed and replaced with a new power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which recognised them as the first people of Australia and respected their cultures and languages and heritage.

Races power supports Aboriginal groups

Initially, the only race of people the federal parliament couldn’t make laws for were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders — this was a power reserved for state governments.

But this changed in 1967, when most Australians voted in a referendum to include Indigenous Australians in the federal power.

Indigenous barrister Tony McAvoy, SC, says since then, successive federal governments have largely used the races power to help fund national organisations specially formed to support Aboriginal people.

This includes the Aboriginal Medical Service, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, Aboriginal housing companies and the now-defunct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.

“So [the races power] has made a significant change to the way Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been able to access services, to participate in society,” Mr McAvoy says.

The federal government also used the races power to make laws to implement the Northern Territory intervention in 2007, which has been widely criticised by Indigenous groups.

“That legislation I think remains a low point in terms of the relationship between the Commonwealth and Aboriginal people nationally but particularly in the Northern Territory,” Mr McAvoy says.

He says the races power is “entirely anachronistic” and should be changed. “The notion of distinction between peoples upon the basis of race is something that has generally been left behind internationally.”

Options for changing the races power

Justice French thinks the federal parliament should still have the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders — not because of their race, but to recognise their “antecedent ownership” of Australia.

“I know people say that everybody should be treated the same but it’s not just a distinction based on race,” he says.

“It’s a distinction based upon their special status as the first people of this country and a hugely important part of our national identity now in a way we haven’t appreciated before.”

In the shadow of Terra Nullius

The story of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is contested and complex. Over three programs, Rear Vision traces this journey.

Read more

Justice Spigelman says the races power could be replaced with a power that ensured federal funding for national Aboriginal organisations could continue to exist.

“You could replace it with something which is focused on the support of Aboriginal Australians and their culture and traditions or some other language which was purposeful, which is what most of our Commonwealth powers are,” he says.

Mr McAvoy says that while racially discriminatory language should be removed from the constitution, it’s difficult to know how to fix the “extraordinary injustice and disadvantage” colonisation has caused Indigenous Australians without a specific legal power.

“I tend to agree with those that have called for a specific power for the federal parliament to make laws benefiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people rather than simply repealing [the races power] and leaving nothing in its place,” he say.

“There are some that would say that having a law identifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as potential beneficiaries of [laws] is racist in itself.

“But that is the argument that is thrown up by people who it seems to me [are] frequently interested in playing that particular race card that goes something like ‘Well we’re all here and we’re all equal now and we should get on with it’, as opposed to many of the people in Australia who understand the injustices that have gone on in the past and the need to take steps to remedy those injustices.”

Justice Spigelman argued in the Hindmarsh Island Bridge case that since 1967, the meaning of the races power had changed, so that parliament could only make laws for the benefit of Aboriginal people, and not to their detriment.

The majority of the High Court did not rule on this issue in its decision, leaving the power open to ‘beneficial’ or ‘detrimental’ laws.

The judges ruled for other reasons that the federal government could change its law to remove the site of the Hindmarsh Island Bridge from the cultural heritage protection of the Aboriginal Affairs Minister.

The terms of the Australian constitution can only be changed if the majority of people in the majority of states and territories support the change by voting in a referendum.

More stories from The History Listen:

• ·         The dog fight over school funding that went all the way to the High Court
• ·         The story of Tupaia, Cook’s star navigator
• ·         What it’s like to stand at Maralinga’s ground zero
• ·         Guide Alice and the ‘sleeping buffalo’ that stole her heart

Former Commonwealth solicitor-general Gavan Griffith QC, who represented the Howard government in the 1998 case, says there is “no obvious appetite” to change the races power.

“Firstly there’s not much purpose — it’s part of our history and one would expect, particularly with the abandonment of white Australia, that it’s not in the future going to be exercised in a racist manner,” he says.

The second aspect is there’d be 100 percent no prospect of having such an amendment.”

Justice Michael Kirby, the dissenting judge in the Hindmarsh Island Bridge case, says the races power probably won’t be misused often because of Australia’s traditions and politics.

“But politics can sometimes be tricky in protecting minorities and the plain fact of the matter is that over the history of the Australian nation back to settlement, we have not by our legislation adequately protected the Aboriginal people of Australia,” he says.

Therefore we have a warning — and that warning should make us careful about the interpretation of our constitution, especially where it says you can make special laws on the basis of race.

They can be good or bad [laws] according to the majority in the Hindmarsh Island Bridge case.”

Dr Sarath Obeysekera

White-skinned invaders came to Africa and Asia and made colonies settle down. Most of them not only scraped the national wealth and sent it to their counties some of them settled down in these countries and started living with local women leading to children becoming lighter in skin colour.

In South Africa and in few other countries including Asia  the population gradually became light-skinned

Some of the light-skinned people in Asia were the decedents   of Light-skinned Arabs who migrated via Hambantota ( we call them Hambayas)  and yet some remained darker due to the Arabs who came from Arabic world of dark-colored people 

Despite all these intermarriages and having children of darker colored decedents, white people consider all darker people are inferior to them

In America, it is quite obvious and many other white communities are racially biased 

It is difficult to understand why the whites think that they  are superior and some in our part of the world also think done way 

The irony is that dark-skinned people especially women try to make their skin  white by applying various herbs and creams because their own men prefer light-skinned partners 

I even wonder whether we had a leader who was dark-skinned other than Premadasa. I wonder whether we like light-skinned politicians?

Then why we lament about whites who discriminate dark-colored people?

It is quite interesting to listen to the song in the attached video 

Dr. Sarath Obeysekera
CEO Walkers Colombo Shipyard
Colombo
Sri Lanka

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka has detected 14 more positive cases of COVID-19 as of 10.30 pm today (07), says the Ministry of Health.

Thereby, the number of confirmed coronavirus infections hiked to 1,835.

The Department of Government Information says a total of 21 infections were detected so far within the day – 02 returnees from London undergoing the quarantine procedure, another two from Qatar at Ampara quarantine centre (QC), 01 from Bangladesh at Rantambe QC and 16 from Kuwait (04 at Trincomalee QC and 12 at Minneriya QC).

Earlier today, the country’s recoveries tally escalated to 941 as a total of 50 coronavirus patients had recovered from the disease completely.

They were discharged from the IDH (05), Welikanda Base Hospital (01), Iranawila Hospital (02), Kattankudy Base Hospital (13), Homagama Base Hospital (22) and Minuwangoda Base Hospital (07).

Accordingly, 883 Covid-19 patients are currently under medical care, says the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry.

In the meantime, the death toll from coronavirus stands at 11.

It is just as well that Dr. Varatharaja has taken to films. He certainly deserves the award for Best Actor. From reading of a script called Hippocratic Oath to serve humanity and practice profession as a doctor with conscience and dignity, he is now reading different scripts and writing memoirs, films and going round the world talking human rights too. He was one of the 5 doctors in the war zone controversially involved in giving one set of information to the Govt that paid him and an opposite version to the foreign media and international organizations based on which he has now found a new source of living.

Dr. Varatharajah and 4 other doctors served in the war zone. Somehow only he has been fortunate enough to ask America’s help and be given visa for entire family to live and work in USA. They left in 2011.

There are 4 characteristics to Dr. Varatharajah

1. The first can be understood by reading this biography of him. https://en.everybodywiki.com/Dr._Varatharajah_Thariajah

Whoever has written it is venerating LTTE.

Thileepan went on hunger strike and died. LTTE called him Maaveerar Thileepan” and Varathan as Dr. Varatharajah was known was a Student Union leader who also joined the strike. That he joined a strike that LTTE Thileepan died from is a dead giveaway. He was 15years, this naturally makes any to wonder if he was a child soldier.

Reading the long biography also provides us clues to understand the reason for him making contradictory and conflicting statements.

The case of an email sent to INGOs/Media in January 2009 http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/15366but informing his superiors that he had no access to emails yet admitting he gave daily info to the international community highlights his duplicity of character.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sri-lankan-official-says-army-shelled-hospital-1.366060 /https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2009/06/sldr-j13.html  establishes why Ramani de Zoysa writing to Lankaweb in 11 April 2009  asks Is Dr. Varatharajah a LTTE mole”. She questions the 3 confusing statements by him including a letter which Daily Mirror had run on 7 March 2009 titled IDPs starving to death’ which a diplomat had picked up” on 4 March 2009. She questions about the innuendos made by Dr. Varatharajah regarding starvation and claims that people had to bury the dead where they were killed. Perhaps Dr. Varatharaja can show where these skeletons are!

1. The Second aspect to his character was seen in the manner he faced 70 members of the international media in July 2009https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-40904020090708

All the 5 doctors denied they were pressurized to recant

They admitted less than 1000 civilians died from late January till 18 May

Dr. Varatharaja said around 350-400 people were killed from April 15 to May 15 and 300-350 civilians were killed from late January to April 15 (totally less than 700 deaths)

The media asked every question that needed to be asked. The doctors gave their answers including Dr. Varatharaja. Everything he now negates he affirmed in 2009. How can his word be trusted? Anyone can to their advantage keep changing versions. How morally correct is this?

Interview with the Doctors who served in uncleared areas 

These 70 media personnel are eye witnesses to what the 5 doctors told them

• LTTE shot dead civilians trying to escape
• GoSL sent food was stolen by LTTE inside NFZ
• No civilian died of starvation
• Food brought by ICRC given to LTTE not civilians
• Medical supplies sent by GoSL taken by LTTE for their injured

All the above was told not by the other 4 doctors but by Dr.Varatharajah himself.

Both Dr, Sivapalan and Dr. Shanmugarajah admitted they had worked with the LTTE. All the doctors admitted they initially thought LTTE were liberators. They even apologized for false information given to foreign media

Dr. Varatharaja admitted that the LTTE used their names for false propaganda against the Sri Lankan Government.

Dr. Varatharajaadmitted that the LTTE had put their names on the internet with statements purported to have been made by them.

Dr. Varatharajaadmitted that they were not in a position to even object and came to know that the LTTE/Diaspora had used their names only afterwards.

1. Third phase following special treatment by US in allowing him & family to settle down in USA in 2011

Dr. Varatharajah and family arrive in US to their 2^ndhome.

In December 2011 – Channel 4 – Callum McCrae visits him for an interview.

In November 2012 – Illangai Tamil Sangam invites him to give a speech at their annual event in New York where foreign dignitaries and US politicians were also present.

In December 2013 – he travels to Germany to participate in the Permanent People’s Tribunal in Bremen

Pro-LTTE website claims Dr. Varatharajah is living in exile in the US https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=36833

In 2014 – he flies to Geneva, Switzerland to speak on human rights

In May 2015 – he flies to London to take part in the 6^thanniversary of May 2009

In 2015 he flies to Johannesburg, South Africa to meet Yasmin Sooka

In 2016 he flies to South Africa again for an event organized by Yasmin Sooka

In 2017 he begins giving talks in universities – McGill in Montreal Quebec and University of London

Is it a surprise that he has been working in 13 places from 2012 to 2014 since arriving in the US?

Who is funding all these trips?

After leaving for US, Dr. Varatharajah now reverses all that he said in 2009 to the international media.

20 March 2014 – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26670691

Dr. Varatharajah is interviewed by BBC – he now changes his story

Tamil Tigers neither forced us nor did we exaggerate casualty figures”

Every day, we received hundreds of casualties.

I only told what actually happened on the ground.

Tamil Tigers neither forced us nor did we exaggerate casualty figures,”

So they only sent food and medicine for 80,000 people.

There was no blood and no anesthetic. Many wounded died as a result.”

26 March 2014 – Channel 4 https://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-war-crimes-inquiry-doctor-varatharajah-thariajah

‘I cried every day’: inside Sri Lanka’s ‘No Fire Zones’

They attacked the hospital.

They refused to send medicine. They refused to send food” (They implying GoSL).

Blood was not given at all.

Most of the time during surgery we used the patient’s own blood”

We gave some pain injection, and we thought he would die within about one hour –

but he took a long time to die”

The reversal of Dr. Varatharaja must be taken with the 10 May 2012 affidavit by the other doctor who served in the war zone – Dr. V Shanmugarajah. To date he has not reversed his affidavit or claimed he was forced to do so.

https://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/dr-veerakanthipillai-shanmugarajahs-affidavit-description-of-conditions-in-the-vanni-pocket-in-refutation-of-channel-four/

1. Fourth Phase of Dr. Varatharajah is an amplification of joining an international network of a money generating nexus of Tamil and international personalities making a living out of Sri Lanka’s conflict to live luxury lives lying for a living. 

So the only doctor to be given asylum by the US begins a life of globe-trotting to tell a version of the conflict he keeps changing to his advantage and he’s found haven in teaming up with others doing the same. This has culminated in venturing to the film and book publishing circuit where in May 2019 Dr. Varatharaja’s ‘Memoirs get written by Kass Ghayouri A Note from the No Fire Zone” which unsurprisingly gets nominated for a Nobel peace prize. Look who is also present at the launch the former UNHRC head Navi who has exposed her bias and hypocrisy finally to the world.

His career in films started with the screening of The Lamp of Truth” screened on 30 Nov 2019 in Toronto, Canada.

The latest venture is teaming up with EU employee who instead of looking into the interests of South Africans is 24×7 busy going after Sri Lanka’s President & military on behalf of her comrades in the LTTE who are domiciled overseas. Her anti-SL entity plugged into the NGO that is paid to look into South Africans has been preparing over 70 reports since 2014. Now who is sponsoring these tours & events? The latest venture is in partnership with this obsessed LTTE ‘comrade’ whose latest reports quotes Dr. Varatharajah against yet another Sri Lankan military personnel.

https://itjpsl.com/assets/press/English-PRESS-RELEASE-1-june-2020Suresh-Sallay-promotion.pdf

Dr. Varatharaja left for US in 2011 and has been living overseas since but he remembers only in 2020 that he was tortured. Leaving aside his period in Sri Lanka or even the interview in July 2009, Dr. Varatharajah had enough and more time and occasions to add the torture fairytale to his talks across the globe. He could have done so in Geneva in 2014. He has been visiting many countries delivering talks on human rights – he could have easily brought up his own example of torture if it had happened. Why is he doing so only in June 2020? Is there an auspicious timing for these revelations?

There is much that does not tally and raises suspicions about these latest revelations and when it comes from the reports of an obsessed LTTE comrade, these tales are only good for the bandwagon of people using LTTE to make money & secure global positions and fancy lifestyles for themselves through lies. If only, Prabakaran was alive you can be sure that none of these people and parties will be doing what they are doing including Dr. Varatharajah.

Shenali D Waduge

By Senior Lawyer

It was  heartening to see the Deputy Survey General’s advice  given in the Daily Mirror. He says  the new law  is  that Originals will be of no value,  but I  strongly recommend the owners to retain the original deeds, extracts and the certified copies of their deeds,”  http://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/District-Bim-Saviya-offices-asked-to-report-issues-to-main-office/108-189216

Deeds – should we get rid of them?

This is   crucial  advice  to all land owners and lawyers ,  as the owners need  documents to establish their rights in a court of law. The  law of foreign origin applicable to the e register; it says original documents of ownership will be of no value. The foreign law is referred to as Bim Saviya, this law annuls the fundamental right of a citizen to access court, if affected by fraud. The absence of deeds and paper documents is the main feature in the e register. Act 21 of 1998 [Bim Saviya  in section 53 has   statutory provision    to  destroy notarised conveyancing documents submitted to the land registry [ notarised sales gifts mortgage bonds etc ] without returning them  to owners .  

Questions often asked,  will these laws reduce poverty ? Or will they be beneficial to  fraudsters to steal land from the  poor ? Is Sri Lanka  prepared   overnight to introduce laws and electronic  systems  developed  in nations that have sped in the last three decades with law reforms  to sustain the system and the  integrity of the registry  .  It must be remembered unlike in other  countries ,  we have not revised the old register. Names of owners   are  entered to the e register from the  old  register that   dates back to  1864 . The pages are badly damaged and according to the Registrar   50% of the entries are fraudulent entries.    

The Torrens Law  referred to as Bim Saviya  govern  the e register

This is how  the  Torrens law practiced in developed nations , which we refer to as Bim Saviya found its way   to govern the e register.  Sri Lanka is  not alone,  the conversion to Torrens law   is  happening in several countries, especially in  Commonwealth nations,  the   vacuum left by the British colonialists  tentatively filled  by the Global organisations such as the World Bank.  With  aid  programs  laws working well in other nations and in operation for over  100 years are   haphazardly introduced to our countries repealing the laws practiced for over 100 years  as a ‘one fit for all solution ‘. 

  It is therefore evident that   Sri Lanka  has sufficient literature to follow as Judicial interpretation of the law has commenced in many countries where victims of fraud are demanding their lands to be returned. A day will arrive    when the Judiciary  will be called upon to interpret the  Torrens Law  which   we conveniently refer to as  Bim Saviya [which it self  a misnomer.]   Until then the  advice given by the Deputy survey General is  important as the owners need  documents to establish land rights in a court of law .

Remedy for fraud victims, Government promises to pay compensation

The public in the meantime   look in horror at the development of land law in this manner without publicity , where rights acquired under forged deeds could be justified under Bim Saviya subject to section 59 of Act 21 of 1998

Section 60 of the Act 21 of 1998 provides the    remedy available to land owners who are   affected by fraud.  That   is  to obtain compensation from the Government for the  loss of  rights. The Government has set up a fund to compensate owners called the Assurance Fund .

 Has this important matter   ever been discussed in parliament ? Has the Government considered whether it has funds to reimburse a sum equivalent to the value of land to owners.

 The much hyped Globalisation agenda , tales of   liberal free markets and  logic of mercenary economists  make us believe the  falsestory    that  poverty will end  with  the introduction of   western laws, technology with western design .  It is  proved beyond doubt that this argument is  fake , as the foreign law Bim Saviya was introduced 20 years ago and , has  made us indeed more indebted with increase in levels of poverty not only economically but in  in terms of resources and services.

It is also worthwhile to note the lamentation of  Government officials who are vexed by the operation of Bim Saviya  The  Title Commissioner the officer in charge of Bim Saviya  in his 2017 report states as follows –   ‘only 1.1 millions of land parcels of 12 million  land parcels in Sri Lanka have been surveyed even after  19 years to operate Bim Saviya.  How  pragmatic is it  to supervise 9.5 million blocks of land  and manage an island wide office system for Bim Saviya I believe this is time to probe into the performance of Bim Saviya the current Act  21 of 1998 ‘.https://www.parliament.lk/uploads/documents/paperspresented/performance-report-land-title-settlement-department-2018.pdf

E register and Bim Saviya to be administered with legal immunity according to the MCC

 Despite  the 20 year period of   failure and opposition to Bim Saviya  by the people and the Bar Association, successive Governments’ have been lulled  into extending the law to the e register which will be funded by the MCC. The Government’s intention is clearly  stated in the MCC,  they will follow designs by the World Bank , USAID, US Embassy and US Actors .What about the local designs

According to the MCC   the E registry project and Bim Saviya  is  to be handed over to a  private company called the  ‘Agent of the Government’  named  MCC Private Limited for a period of 5 years .   The company and the   US officials engaged  in the land project in 10 land registries   will be  granted  legal  immunity   and will not be responsible for  any crimes of omissions , crimes of commissions or any crimes  committed by them   [please see section 6.8 of the MCC on the internet .]

Public ask many questions as their basic rights to access court is no more ? 

• Why is it that  US citizens are all exempted from Civil and Criminal actions  committed by them  during the  Transport and Land Project. Can we  trust that US citizens  will not commit  crimes ?
• Will we  donate access to  extremely  lucrative rich information about our lands under the MCC program.? 
• Are we not  concerned about ,  data protection   the right to software , hard ware and ability to  work  independently..
• Do we not require intervention  by Sri Lanka lawyers  to  set up the e register  .
• Are we not concerned    to train and provide  local programming experts to land registries prior to embarking  on such a revolutionary venture . 
• why are   conveyancing transactions destroyed under section 53  of  Bim Saviya   [notarised  sales , gifts agreements to sell mortgages ]   .
• what can be done for the  disability of  lawyers and owners who do not own computers and have  internet facility  
• What can be done for a registry without  protection for owners ,  specifically as the law of Bim Saviya does not offer legal solutions to owners for fraud and forgery 

The e register has commneced  with poor publicity and without  protection  to owners. Owners  are not aware of their responsibilities ,  that all unregistered interest have to be rgistered as they will lose their rights,such as rights on  agreemnts to sell, leasees, pending cases  , life interest  and other interest .

. E  regiser requires  protecion from fruad and forgery,   the introduction of  owner identification laws  practiced internationally . They are Biomertric  Bolck chain method  to detect owners . The latest method to protect owners in an E register is the Block Chain solution. simplest form, a block chain can be described  as a data file  with a collection of digital fingerprints and the names of  former owners..

1]                                                                                            2]

 The Government must achieve goals through pragmatic approaches ,studying and consulting local experts. Local research and advice contained in  1] Amendments to the Act 21 of 1998 by the  Bar Association, 2]Samarasekera Report , a report made on the advice of the President and 3] the Ordinance  No 3 0f 1907 specifically designed for land title registration which can be used for  e register

References—https://photos.state.gov/libraries/sri-lanka/577989/pdf/eLand%20Hub%20Project.pdf

US Embassy interest  Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are called from consultancy firms to develop an Electronic Land Hub for a National Land Titling Program in Sri Lanka.

Registration of Title –Arthur Samarasekera report

Ordinance  No 3 0f 1907 specifically designed for land title registration which can be used for  e register

World Bank Reports 2002 and  2007

Australian Principles of Property Law [ Torrens Law Bim Saviay ] Samantha Hepburn 

E mail –srilankstudy circle @yahoo.com —-

By Li Qingqing Source:Global Times 

US Republican Senator Marco Rubio File Photo: VCG

US Senator Marco Rubio, known for his extreme anti-China stance, announced the launch of the so-called Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a new coalition comprised of some 20 anti-China legislators from different countries to counter the “global challenge” by China’s rise on the world stage. 

Are they trying to form a new “Eight-Nation Alliance”? Rubio and the other lawmakers need to realize that this is not the year 1900 anymore. China is definitely not the country it was in 1900. They are trying to form an anti-China alliance in the globalized era of the 21st century, and they are doomed to fail. These legislators are still narcissistically staying in the old days of imperialism.

The so-called IPAC reflects these members’ panic and anxiety about China’s rise. They try to use the national security legislation for Hong Kong and so-called China’s “lack of transparency” in the COVID-19 fight to attack us, aiming at instigating the international community’s widespread criticism of China. 

However, they cannot impose any substantive influence on China’s development. As for the legislators who want to join in on the alliance, some of them want to increase their sense of presence, and some simply want to tag along. Instead of affecting China, they will simply make some noise truly showing their anxiety and powerlessness.

Some US’ partners and allies blindly follow the US’ hostility toward China, and this will harm their own diplomatic independence. For example, various politicians from the UK, Australia and Germany follow the US’ suit to criticize China in terms of 5G technology and the Hong Kong issue, and this is not in line with the concept of major power diplomacy in the new era. 

In the 21st century, simply choosing sides will only bring trouble for themselves, needless to say that the US has adhered to its “America First” policy and its attitude has been inconsistent in many issues. Is Washington really a reliable backer?

The US is gradually sabotaging its national image. It has been incompetent in controlling the epidemic, interfering in other countries’ internal affairs, roping in “like-minded countries,” assuming itself as world’s policeman and destroying world order. These have all harmed the US’ reputation. Such a country can never succeed in forming an alliance to oppose China. 

Besides, the US can hardly draw a broad alliance against China on IPAC’s so-called missions under the cover of safeguarding international rules-based order, upholding human rights, promoting trade fairness, strengthening security and protection of national integrity. Most countries know it all too well that Rubio aims at nothing but serving the interests of the US itself.

By forming the so-called IPAC, these legislators will only humiliate themselves. 120 years have passed, and as the second largest economy worldwide, China and its people will not let the shame of the year 1900 be repeated again on its territory. 

මතුගම සෙනෙවිරුවන්

           මහනුවර යුගයේ මෙන්ම කෝට්ටේ යුගයේ රදළයන්  බණ්ඩාර නාමය භාවිත කළ හෙයින් ලක තුළ බණ්ඩාරවලියක් ඇති වී යයි කියති. ඉංග්‍රීසීන්ට රට භාර දුන් පසු කාලයේ දී උඩරට බණ්ඩාරලා බණ්ඩා බවට පත් වී කොළඹ කුරුඳුවත්තේ බංගලාවල වැඩට පැමිණියහ.බන්ඩලා මෙන්ම මැණීකේලාද මෙලෙස කොළඹ බංගලාවල මෙන්ම සුද්දන්ගේ වතු බංගලාවලද සේවයට යෑමට සිදු වූයේ උඩරට ඔවුන්ගේ ඉඩම් වතු සමාගම් වලට යටවී සිදුවුණු නස්පැත්තිය හේතු කොට ගෙනයි.බණ්ඩලාට උපන් බිම අහිමි වුවද බණ්ඩාරනායකලාට  රටේ ඉහළ තැනක් හිමි වූයේ ගමේ බණ්ඩාගෙන් වෙන්වී ආගම් මාරු කොට තානාන්තර රැගෙන කවුන්සලයට යෑමට කෙටි පාරවල් සොයා ගත් බැවිනි.කෙසේ වෙතත් ගමේ බණ්ඩලාගේ ඉඩම් දකුණු ඉන්දියාවෙන් ගෙනා දෙමළ වතු කම්කරුවන් හට බුක්තියට සවිකරවන්නට ගමෙන් නගරයට පැමිණි බණ්ඩාරනායකලා සේනානායකලා මෙන්ම ජයවර්ධනලාත් කළ සේවය ඉහළය.පුරවැසි පණත අනුව ලියාපදිංචියෙන් ඔවුනට මෙරට පුරවැසිකම් හිමි වූහ.ජයවර්ධන ගේ කාලයේ දී දිව්රුම් පෙත්සමකින් මේ අයට පුරවැසිකම දෙනු ලැබූයේ අත්තා මුත්තා පමණක් නොව කිරි කෑමුත්තා ගෙන් ඉහළට පාරම්පරිකව මෙරට සිටි සිංහලයන් හා ලියාපදිංචියෙන් පුරවැසිකම ලබන අය ව්‍යවස්ථාවෙන් එක සමාන යයි සම්මත කරගනෙය. මේ නිසා ගමේ බණ්ඩාගේ අයිතිය නොලැබී කන්ගානිලාට මුට්ට කාසි කාරයන්ට උඩරට ගම් බිම් අයිතිය ලැබුණී.

         1960 සිට නුවරඑළිය ආසනය නියෝජනය කළ විලියම් ප්‍රනාන්දු මහතා 1964 දී පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ දී කළ කතාව හැන්සාඩ් වාර්තාවේ සඳහන් වීඇත. එය මෙසේය.ලාංකික ජනතාව අතර විශාල මුදල් අඩු නිසා වතුකරයේ ඉන්දියානු කන්ගානිලාත් අසරණ කම්කරුවන් සූරා කමින් වතුකරයේ ජීවත්වන ඉන්දියානු ව්‍යාපාරිකයනුත් ඒ වතු මිලදී ගන්නට පිළිවනි. එම වතු එයින් බේරා ගැනමටත් යම් කිසි සැලැස්මක් වහාම පිළයෙල කරන්නට ඕනෑ. ඒ සඳහා අප දැන් පිළියම් නොකළෙහොත් අපේ රටේ වටිනා දේපොළ විදේශිකයන් සතු වන්නට ඉඩ තිබෙනවා. එම නිසා එදත්අදත් කවදත් මේ විදේශිකයන් සතු දේපොළ රජය සතු කළ යුතුය. යන හඬ මා කීප විටක්ම ඇති කර තිබෙනවා. ගරු කතානායක තුමනි. අද ලංකා කර්මාන්ත සියල්ලක්මපාහේ අත්පත්කර ගෙන තිබෙන්නේ සම්මාන පුර වැසි කම් ලැබූ ලංකාව සූරා කෑ ධනේශවර විජාතිකයන්. සමහර කර්මාන්ත සම්බන්ධයෙන් දැනට ඒකාධිකාරයක් පවත්වාගෙන යනවා. එක පුද්ගලයෙකුට නැත්නම් එක සමාගමකට පමණක් මේ රටේ සුළු කර්මාන්ත කීපයක් කරගෙන යෑමට පුළුවන්කම ලැබී තිබෙනවා. ඔවුන් පමණක් ඒ සඳහා ලියාපදිංචිව සිටිනවා.

     බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය පාලකයන් විසින් රටට කරන ලද මහා වරදක් හරිගැස්සීමට තබන ලද පළමු පියවර විලියම් ප්‍රනාන්දු මහතා විසින් දියත් කරන ලදී.එනම් ශාන්තිපුරය නම් ජනපදයක් නුවරඑළියේ මීපිළීමානේ බිහි කිරීමයි. පසුව මහගස්තොට ගැමුණු පුර ධර්මපාල පුර සේන පුර සිරිසඟබෝපුර ආදී ගම්මාන බිහිකරන ලදී. මෙම ශාන්ති පුරයට සහ පසුව විවෘත කරන ලද කලාපුරයට පැමිණි ගමනේදී අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය සිරිමා බණ්ඩාරනායක මහත්මිය තබා තිබෙන්නේ මෙවැනි සටහනකි. කන්ද උඩරට ප්‍රදේශයේ සිංහල ජනතාවගේ අනාගතය අන්ධකාරවීමට තරම් හේතු වූයේ එම ප්‍රදේශයේ ඉඩකඩම් වැඩි හරියක් විදේශිකයන් අත්පත් කොට සිටි බැවිනි. එහෙත් එම භයානක උවදුරෙන් උඩරට ප්‍රදේශය ගලවා ගැනීමට නුවරඑළිය මහජන මන්ත්‍රී ටී.විලියම් ප්‍රනාන්දු මහතා විසින් ආරම්භ කරන්නට යෙදුනු සිංහල ගොවි ජනපද ව්‍යාපාරය සමත්වන බව අද ශාන්තිපුර උත්සවයට සාභාගි වූ මගේ එකම හැඟීමයි. මේ වෙනුවෙන් සෑම සිංහල දේශප්‍රේමියෙකුගේම සහය නොඅඩුව ලැබෙනු ඇතැයි මාගේ එකම බලාපොරොත්තුවයි

          නුවරඑළිය දිස්ත්‍රික්කය හඟුරන්කෙත වලපනේ කොත්මලේ සහ නුවරඑළිය මස්කෙළිය වශයෙන් මැතිවරණ ආසන කීපයකින් සමන්විතය. 1947 වර්ෂයේදී එහි පළමු මැතිවරණය පවත්වා තිබේ . ඉන්පසු 1977 වසර වන තෙක්ම නුවරඑළිය තනි මැති වරණ ආසනයක් විය. 1977 න් පසු නුවරඑළිය මස්කෙළිය නමින් බහුආසනයක් බවට පත් කළ පසු ගාමිනී දිසානායක අනුර බණ්ඩාරනායක මෙන්ම එස් .තොන්ඩමන් මහතා ද ජනතාව නියෝජනයට පත් විය. 1977 ට පෙර යටත් විජිත සමයේ නුවර එළිය යනු වතු කාර සුද්දන් සහ වතු කරයේ දෙමළ කම්කරුවන් බහුතරය විසූ කලාපයක් විය. නුවර එළියට සිංහලයන් ගේ ආකර්ශනය සිදු වූයේ එහි පැවති වෙළෙදාමත් ඉන්පසුව සිදු වූ වානිජ වැවිලි ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ දියුණුවත් සමගින්ය.නුවරඑළිය දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ මැතිවරණ සිතියම ගත් කල්හි එය 1947 සිටම ඉහළ ධනපති පංතියේ දේශපාලනඥයන් ගේ පොරපිටියකි. මෙය පොදු ජනතාව අතරට මාරු වූයේ 1960 මැතිවරණයේදී සිරිමා බණ්ඩාරනායක මැතිණියගේ නායකත්වයෙන් යුත් රජයක් පත් වීමෙන් පසුවයි. එහිදී නුවරඑළියේ වතුකරයට මැකනික් වැඩට පැමිණි දකුණේ පුද්ගලයකු වූ ටී.විලියම් ප්‍රනාන්දු මහතා එම ආසනයේ මන්ත්‍රීවරයා බවට පත් විය. 1960 -65 කාලය තුළ නුවරඑළි ආසනය විශාල පරිවර්තනයකට ලක් විය.. සිරිමා රජය 1965 දී පරාජයට පත් වූ පසු විලියම් ප්‍රනාන්දු මහතාටද ආසනය අහිමි විය. නමුත් ඔහු 1970 නගර සභා මැතිවරණයෙන් ජයග්‍රහණය ලැබ සිය පළමු අභිලාශයන් ව්‍යාප්ත කරමින් නුවරඑළිය තුළ සිංහල ජනතාවගේ උරුමය තහවුරු කරවීය.ඒ පියවර මගින් මුඩුබිම් පණතෙන් ඉඩම් අහිමි වූ උඩරට සිංහලයන්ගේ අයිතිවාසිකම් යම් පමණකින් හෝ ස්ථාවර විය. 1960 දී නුවරඑළිය ආසනයේ තිබූ සමස්ත චන්ද දායක සංඛ්‍යාව දෙගුණයක් වන්නේ ඔහු විසින් පදිංචි කරන ලද සිංහල ජනතාව නිසාවෙනි. ඒ නිසාම ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂයට නුවර එළි ආසනයේ වැඩි බලයක් හිමි කරගත්හ.

        1977 වර්ෂයෙන් පසුව නුවර එළිය දිස්ත්‍රික්කය එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයේ ප්‍රධාන බල කඳවුරක් බවට පත් කරවන ලදී. දිව්රුම් පෙත්සමට පවා වතු දෙමළ කම්කරුවන්ට පුරවැසි කම ප්‍රදානය කළ එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය ලංකා කම්කරු කොන්ග්‍රසය මත සිය චන්ද පදනම ශක්තිමත් කරගන්නා ලදී.මේ නිසා කම්කරු කොන්ග්‍රසය සතු දෙමළ චන්ද  වෙන්දේසි කරමින් ජාතික දේශපාලනයට පවා අභියෝග කරන්නට තොන්ඩමන් මහතා සමත් විය. පසුව කම්කරු කොන්ග්‍රසයෙන් කැඩී ගිය තරුණ කොටස් කොටි සංවිධානය සමග සබඳතා පවත්වමින් 1999 දී පමණ කඳුරට ජනතා පෙරමුණ බිහිකළහ. වර්තමානය වන විට උඩරට වතු කරයේ මෙම දේශපාලන බලවේගය ඉදිරියට පැමිණ තිබේ. නමුත් ඔවුහු කණ්ඩායමක් ලෙසට දිගින් දිගටම අසාර්ථක විය. මෙම කරුණු නිසා කවදත් එ.ජාප. යට පිටින් යන බලවේගයකට නුවර එළිය දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ජය ගැනීම පහසු කරුණක් නොවීය. එම බල කඳවුර යම් තරමකින් දෙදරුම් කෑවේ 1994 සහ 1999 ජනාධිපතිවරණ වලදී චන්ද්‍රිකා මැතිණිය ලබා ගත් මනාප හේතු කොට ගෙනයි. විජය කුමරතුංග මහතාගේ ජනප්‍රියත්වයත් කොටි බෝම්බයෙන් ලද පීඩනයෙන් ලද ජනතා අනුකම්පාවත් නිසා චන්ද්‍රිකා මැතිණිය අනෙක් අය අභිබවා ඉදිරියට පැමිණියේය. ඉන්පසු මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා රටේ ප්‍රධාන දේශපාලන චරිතය බවට පත් විය. මහින්ද රජපක්ෂ මහතා 2005 ජනාධිපතිවරණ චන්දය ජයග්‍රහණය කරන කල්හි ඔහුට එම දිස්ත්‍රික්කයෙන් ලබා ගත හැකි වූයේ චන්ද 99550  ක් පමණකි. නමුත් ඔහුගේ ප්‍රතිවාදියා වූ රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා චන්ද 250428 ක් ලබා ගෙන තිබුණි. පසුව මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා යුධ ජයග්‍රණයද ලබා ඔහුට ලබා ගත හැකි වූ චන්ද ප්‍රමාණය 2010 දී 151 604 ක් විය නමුත් ඔහුගේ ප්‍රතිවාදයා වූ සරත් ෆොන්සේකා මහතා චන්ද 180604 ක ගේ කැමැත්ත දිනා ගෙන තිබුණි. මහින්ද රජපක්ෂ මහාතා 2015 වසරේ පරාජයට පත් වන විට ඔහුගේ චන්ද ප්‍රමණය 145 339 දක්වා අඩුවී තිබුණි. නමුත් මෛත්‍රී පාල සිරිසේන මහතා චන්ද 272 600 ලබා ගනිමින් නුවර එළිය දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ ඉහළම ප්‍රතිශතය වාර්තා කර ගෙන තිබුණි.

         සමස්ත නුවර එළිය දිස්ත්‍රික්කය තුළ වතුදෙමළ ජනගහනය 355830 කි.එයට ලංකා දෙමළ ජනතාවද එක්වූ කල්හි 401896 ක් දක්වා එය වර්ධනය වේ. නමුත් සිංහල ජනගහනය 282621 ක් පමණකි. පැවති යහ පාලන රජයද වතමන් පොහොට්ටු කඳවුරද තේරුම් ගෙන තිබෙන්නේ මෙම යථාර්ථයයි.එම නිසා යහපාලන රජය පත්වූ පසු නව කඳුකර ගම්මාන අමාත්‍යංශයක් ඇතිකර වතු දෙමළ ජනතාවට පමණක් ඉඩම් හා නිවාස පිරි නැමීමේ ජාතිවාදී ක්‍රියාදාමය දියත් කරන ලදී.එයින් වතුකරයේ දෙමළ ජාතිවාදී නායකයන් අත්පත් කරගත් පහසුකම් බොහෝය.මේ වන විට තොන්ඩමන් මහතා නික්ම ගොසිනි. ඔවුන් පසුපසින් පැමිණි දිගම්බරන්ලා දෙමළ චන්ද මගින් සිංහල පක්ෂ තුළ බලය කේවල් කර ගැනීම දිගින් දිගටම කරති. යහපාලන සමයේ දී අඹගමුව ප්‍රාදේශීය සභාව නීති විරෝධීව තුනකට කඩා දෙමළ ජනතාව වැඩි වශයෙන් ගැවසෙන ප්‍රදේශ වල ජාතිවාදී පළාත් පාලන අයතන පිහිටුවා ගන්නා ලද්දේ රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ ගෙ පූර්ණ අනුග්‍රහයෙනි.ඒ අවස්ථාවේ දී මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා පවා එයට විරුද්ධ නොවීය.තොන්ඩමන් නික්ම යන දවසේ මහින්ද රජපක්ෂ මහතා නැටූ නාඩගම තුළින් අප තේරුම් ගත යුතවන්නේ පැරදී ගෙදර ගිය මහින්ද සිංහල බහුතරයකගේ කරපිටින් නැවත කරළියට පැමිණියද වෙනස් වී නැති ආකාරයයි.තොණ්ඩමන් වෙනුවට ඔහුගේ පුතා ආදේහ කරමින් දෙමළ චන්ද වලට කෙළ හැලීම මගින් සිදු වන්නේ දෙමළ චන්ද පදනම දිනෙන් දින වර්ධනය වීමයි.එලෙස වන්නට වන්නට සිංහලයාගේ බලය හීන වන අතර පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ තීරක බලය බවට මේ නායකයන් පත්වේ. 2019 දී හැටනව ලක්ෂයක බහුතර සිංහල චන්ද කෙරෙහි වත්මන් ජනපතිවරයා විශ්වාසය තැබුවේය.2010 දී මහින්ද නුවර එළියෙන් ලබා ගත් වැඩි චන්ද ප්‍රමාණයෙන් සහතික වන්නේ උඩරට වතුකරය තුළද එලෙසම කළ හැකි බවයි.ඒ සඳහා තොණඩමන් පරපුර ඔසවා තැබීමට වඩා උඩරට භූමි පුත්‍රයන් වන බණ්ඩාරලා ගේ උරුමය තහවුරු කර දීම වටනේය. උඩරට ගැමි පුනරුත්ථාපන කොමිසම පිහිටුවන ලද්‌දේ ඒ සඳහාය. නමුත් තව වෙනතුරු එහි අරමුණු සාර්ථක වී නැත. ගමේ සිටින බණ්ඩාරලා ගම කුඹූරු වතු පිටි අතහැර ආසන්නතම නගරයට හෝ කොළඹට සංක්‍රමණය වන්නේ දෙමළ වතුකරය තමන්ව වට කරමින් සිටින බැවිනි.මේ තත්වය වහා වෙනස් කිරීමට නම් සාම්ප්‍රදායික දේශපාලන තන්ත්‍රයෙන් ඔබ්බට වන පෙරළීයක් වහා සිදු විය යුතුය.

මතුගම සෙනෙවිරුවන්

by Varsha Thakur   (ETV Colombo) Courtesy ETV

Cricket is also known as the Gentleman’s Game. This British game is very popular not only in Britain but also in India and all over South Asia. Umpiring decisions in Cricket have been controversial particularly blatant errors due to their impact in producing a distorted result of the game. There have been a number of efforts to improve the Umpire decision making process from time to time.

Finally, the solution to this problem was found by the ICC via the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS or DRS), which is essentially based on the ‘Player Referral’ concept. It is a technology-based system used in cricket to assist match officials in their decision making. The UDRS or DRS was introduced for the purpose of reviewing controversial decisions made by on-field umpires as to whether the batsman was correctly dismissed or not.

Sri Lanka’s Senaka Weeraratna is known as the father of UDRS or DRS. Mr. Weeraratna is a lawyer by profession who has worked in Australia and Sri Lanka. Senaka Weeraratna was the first to suggest a player referral system for cricket in a letter published in the ‘Australian’ national newspaper on 25 March 1997. This facility allows players to request the Third umpire to review the decision of the on-field umpire by making use of slow play back Video footage at his disposal before announcing his decision.

The player referral system was first tested in the India vs Sri Lanka Test match in 2008, and was officially launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 24 November 2009 in the Test match between New Zealand and Pakistan at University Oval in Dunedin. It was first used in a One Day International (ODI) match during the January 2011 tour of Australia in England.

UDRS or DRS brings the importance of religion(Dharma) and justice to cricket. It is a matter of honor not only for Sri Lanka but for all of Asia and Africa that a person like Senaka Weeraratna, a lawyer from a small developing country, has done the ground work of bringing the spirit of justice in cricket to the core. Since India has been the voice of developing countries on the international stage from time to time and has respected Nelson Mandela and many other persons fighting for freedom and justice, the contribution of a friendly neighboring country i.e. Sri Lanka, to the improvement of the Umpiring decision making process in cricket cannot be ignored by India.

A careful analysis of the essence behind Senaka Weeraratna’s UDRS or DRS is the spirit of religion, justice and Satyamev Jayate that constitute the foundation of the civilizational links between India and Sri Lanka since eternity. The time has come for the values of religion, justice and Satyameva Jayate to be spread to all corners of the world and influence the whole of humanity.  

Modi Government started International Yoga Day all over the world which was extremely successful. Elevating sports and honouring the people associated with ground breaking achievements in sports also signifies successful foreign policy. Therefore honoring Senaka Weeraratna and his contribution to the development of cricket rules, by India, the world’s leading country in cricket, will not only strengthen India’s leadership in world cricket but will further deepen Sri Lanka’s relations with India. Therefore, the Ministry of External Affairs of India needs to take cognizance of this matter immediately so that the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo can be directed to take appropriate and necessary action without delay.

Courtesy: ETV 

Courtesy Adaderana

Four more persons have contracted the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, the Ministry of Health confirmed a short while ago.

Three individuals who had recently returned from Russia and a Sri Lanka Navy personnel have tested positive for the virus, according to the Ministry.

Accordingly, 13 cases of infection have been reported from Sri Lanka within the day so far. Previously today (06), 08 Navymen and a Kuwait returnee undergoing quarantine were reported to have been infected with the virus.

The latest cases bring the total count of coronavirus infection in the country to 1,814.

Sri Lanka’s recoveries tally escalated to 891 after 33 coronavirus patients, who had recovered from the disease completely, were discharged from the IDH (12), Welikanda Base Hospital (04), Colombo East Base Hospital (01), Homagama Base Hospital (07) and Minuwangoda Base Hospital (09) this afternoon.

The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry says 912 active Covid-19 cases are currently under medical care at hospitals.

In the meantime, 11 patients have succumbed to the virus so far.

Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 infections hike to 1,810

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka have moved up to 1,810 following the detection of four more virus-positive patients this evening (06).

One of them is a returnee from Kuwait undergoing quarantine at the facility in Minneriya and the other 3 are navy personnel at the Pampaimadu quarantine centre, the Department of Government Information said.

Earlier today (06), five other navy men tested positive for the virus. Accordingly, a total of 9 infections have been confirmed so far within the day.

Sri Lanka’s recoveries tally escalated to 891 after 33 coronavirus patients, who had recovered from the disease completely, were discharged from the IDH (12), Welikanda Base Hospital (04), Colombo East Base Hospital (01), Homagama Base Hospital (07) and Minuwangoda Base Hospital (09) this afternoon.

The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry says 908 active Covid-19 cases are currently under medical care at hospitals.

In the meantime, 11 patients have succumbed to the virus so far.

Courtesy Adaderana

The World Health Organization (WHO) has changed its advice on face masks, saying they should be worn in public where social distancing is not possible to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

The global body said new information showed they could provide a barrier for potentially infectious droplets”.

Some countries already recommend or mandate face coverings in public.

The WHO had previously argued there was not enough evidence to say that healthy people should wear masks.

However, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that in light of evolving evidence, the WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments”.

The organisation had always advised that medical face masks should be worn by people who are sick and by those caring for them.

Globally, there have been 6.7 million confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 400,000 deaths since the outbreak began late last year, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

What is the WHO’s advice?
The organisation said its new guidance had been prompted by studies over recent weeks.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead expert on Covid-19, told Reuters news agency the recommendation was for people to wear a fabric mask – that is, a non-medical mask”.

Fabric masks should consist of at least three layers of different material” in order to be effective, the WHO says.

However, those aged over-60 and with underlying health risks should wear medical masks in areas where there is community transmission.

At the same time, the WHO stressed that face masks were just one of a range of tools that could be used to reduce the risk of transmission – and that they should not give people a false sense of protection.

Masks on their own will not protect you from Covid-19,” Dr Tedros said.

This is a big shift in the WHO’s guidance on when the public should cover their faces, says an analysis by David Shukman, Science Editor at BBC. He says: For months, the organisation’s experts stuck to the line that masks would encourage a false sense of security and would deprive medical professionals of badly needed protective equipment.

Those arguments have not gone away but at the same time the WHO acknowledges that new evidence has emerged on the risks of transmission.

It points to recent research that people can be highly infectious in the few days before they show symptoms and that some people catch the virus but never show symptoms at all.

So where distancing is not possible, such as on public transport and in locations as varied as shops and refugee camps, it is suggested that faces are covered with homemade masks to avoid passing on the infection.

Over 60s with underlying health conditions should go further, the WHO said, and wear medical-grade masks to give themselves better protection.”

Source: BBC
-agencies

By M D P DISSANAYAKE

Those who represent the symbol of old Telephone or Jathika Samagi Balawegaya  petitioned to the Supreme Court with its legal position that the Consolidated Fund and Other State Controlled Funds  which are under the direct control  and supervision of the Parliament cannot be activated at a time when there is no functioning Parliament”. The Learned Judges rejected the  strongest arguments by the Petitioners  and refused to  take it  up for further consideration.

(Man with a Mission and Vision)

This decision has now provided an excellent opportunity with Executive Powers  to the President Gotabaya Rajapakse to embark on new  projects and/or continue the existing previously neglected revenue earning small, medium and large scale capital investments.    Mrs Anuradha Yahampath, the Governor of Eastern Province and Mrs P S M Charles, the Governor of Northern province have turned the two provinces to improve the unemployment problems and living standards  of Tamils, Muslims and minority Sinhalese. The    neglected private  and State Corporations as well as new industries have been started, those who did nothing but created hatred against minority Sinhalese will have their days numbered. 

Mr Wimal Weerawansa, the Minister of Industries is one of busiest Ministers performing difficult tasks, especially in Northern and Eastern Provinces, in co-ordination with the Governors.

The President Gotabaya need uninterrupted free-hand to do what he plan to achieve.

On the other hand, though Mr Mahinda Rajapakse became the Prime Minister again in November, 2019 his new tenure as Prime Minister of a new Parliament has still not begun. Is this  a bonus period for him for 50 years of service to the nation?

(පින් සිදුවන්නේ අනේ බාල ලමුන්නේ,

මගේ කුඩා නිවස කඩා බිම නොදමන්නේ)

If Sri Lanka is to be developed, we need to create a new mold and pour molten metal  to obtain the desired patterns.  The Ferrous Scrap needed as raw materials can be found in the previous Parliament!

We wish the Election Commission will derive Wisdom and Courage not to hold the General Election for at least 2 more years.

Tamara Kunanayakam Courtesy The Island

Diplomatic immunity did not allow a diplomat to violate the laws and regulations of the receiving state, former Sri Lanka Ambassador in Geneva, Tamara Kunanayakam, said yesterday.

A US diplomat, attached to its Colombo Embassy, was allowed to enter the country, though he refused to take a PCR test.

Deputy Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services Limited Rajiv Suriyarachchi said that the official was released as he had invoked diplomatic privileges.  The US official had arrived in the country around 1.30 am Wednesday, in a Qatar Airways flight.

Kunanayakam said: “The US is bound by both the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Diplomatic immunity only offers protection against criminal and civil jurisdiction, i.e., diplomats cannot be subject to legal proceedings in the receiving state. However, the Vienna Conventions set limits to immunity. They do not give diplomats carte blanche for misconduct. Under Art 41(1) of VCDR, diplomats must respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state. In case of persistent violations, the receiving state can request the Embassy to withdraw a particular diplomat or as a last resort declare a ‘persona non grata’. Under international law, the sending state has an obligation to comply with such a request.”

Meanwhile Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited Chairman Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) G.A. Chandrasiri said that it was the first time that a diplomat arrived in Sri Lanka after protocols and standards regarding COVID-19 were implemented.

“We consulted all relevant government officials including the Presidential Secretariat and Foreign Relations Ministry. The diplomat had to wait for four hours at the airport,” he said.

In response the US Embassy in Colombo states that US Diplomatic Staff always complies with the Norms and Procedures outlined in international conventions on diplomatic relations.

The US is currently the epicentre for COVID-19 with 1.89 million confirmed cases and 109, 000 people killed by the virus so far.

Issued by The Sri Lanka Study Circle

We, the members of the Sri Lanka Study Circle in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, were shocked to learn from a reputed local television channel that on 04 June 2020, an American diplomat, brushing aside officers performing their duties, had forcibly and illegally entered our country, refusing to submit himself to the WHO approved PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) test for COVID 19. The incident had taken place at the International Airport in Katunayake.

We, as citizens of this country, condemn outright, the churlish and boorish behaviour of this ‘ugly’ American who has brazenly flouted our laws, undermined the authority of the executives of the Sri Lanka government and above all, endangered the lives of a 22 Million people.

We are acutely aware that America has lost its fight against COVID19, with thousands dying daily on their streets and being buried in unmarked mass graves. We are equally aware that Sri Lanka is successfully battling the virus, with just 11 deaths as at present.

If subsequent to this incident, there is an upsurge in infections and thousands were to die, we place this uncouth American and his Ambassador on notice for the deaths.

We take this opportunity to applaud and recognise the disciplined and committed officials who took a principled stand at the airport and expect your Excellency to commend them publicly for their actions and thereby give confidence to the people and all government employees that you stand by your subordinates.

The actions of this coarse American have denigrated our sovereignty and our National pride; he gives the impression that he has a mindset of those policemen who murdered George Floyd in cold blood.

We expect Your Excellency to take stern action against this uncivilised American who continues to remain in the country, illegally. We expect you to summon the American Ambassador, issue a warning to her and declare this ugly American, persona non grata in this country.

ඇම්  ඩී පී  දිසානායක විසිනි

පැරණි ටැලිපෝනය හෙවත් ජනතා සමගි බලවේගය ශේ‍ර්ඨාදිකරනයේන් අයදුම් කල එක් පෙත්සමකින් ඉල්ලා සිටියේ පාර්ලිමේන්තුවක් යටතේ ක්‍රියාත්මක වන රාජ්‍ය ගිණුම්, එය නොමැති අවස්ථාවක දී ක්‍රියාත්මක කළ නොහැකි බව ය”.

එම බලගතු  ඉල්ලීම රැගත් පෙත්සම අධිකරණය  විසින් ඉවත දමා ඇත.  රටේ ඉදිරි සංවර්ධන කටයුතු සඳහා දැනට පවත්නා අණපනත් අනුව මෙම කාලය තුලදි පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ මොරගෑමකින් බාධාවකින් තොරව ජනාධිපතිගේ අභිමතය පරිදි ආයෝජන  කටයුතු කිරීමට විධායක බලය මෙමඟින් තහවුරු කර ඇත.

(දුර දැක්මේ සංකේථය)

උතුර හා නැභෙනහිර ආංඩුකාර චාල්ස් සහ අනුරාධා යහම්පත් මැතිනියන් නව කර්මාන්ත සහ අතහැර දමා තිබු රාජ‍්‍ය සංස්ථා ජාතික සම්පත් නැවත පණගැන්වීමෙන්  දෙමළ, මුස් ලිම් සහ සිංහල සුලු ජන කොටස් වලට ස්තීර රැකියා අවස්ථා දැනටමත් බිහි කර ඇත.පැරණි දේශපාලන දෙමළ සහ මුස්ලිම් අංකූරන් මින් මුසපත් වී ඇත.   කර්මාන්ත ඇමති විමල් වීරවංෂ මැතිතුමා ඉතා අසීරු කාර්‍යයක් විශිට්ට ලෙස ඉටු කරමින් සිටී.

ගරු ජනාධිපති තුමාට මේ සඳහා පාර්මේන්තුවේ පඬරැල් අවශ‍ය නැත.

අගමැති වරයාගේ නව පාර්ලිමේන්තු නිල කාලය තවමත් ආරම්භ වී නැත.වසර 50 ක ජාතික මෙහෙවර අගය කරමින් මෙම කාලය එතුමාට ලැබී ඇති, බෝනස් කාලයකි.

(පින් සිදුවන්නේ අනේ බාල ලමුන්නේ, මගේ කුඩා නිවස කඩා බිම නොදමන්නේ)

අපේ රටහදන්න නම් අලුත් අච්චුවකට බහා උණුකර නව නිර්මාණ  රටාවක් නිපදවිය යුතුය.  එම ලෝහයට අවශ්‍ය අමුද‍ුව පාර්ලිමේන්තු වේ දැනට තිබෙන මලකඩ කෑ පරණ යකඩ උණුකර ලබා ශතයුතුවේ.

මැතිවරණයක් අවුරුදු දෙකකට වත් නොපැවිත් වීමට මැකෝ ට උඨ්ඨාණ වීර්‍රය සහ භාහුවට වඩ වඩා ශක්තිය ලැබේවා යයි පතමි.

By Garvin Karunaratne

It is heartening to note that action is being taken to resurrect the Valachenai Paper Factory. I have had the occasion to see the paper being made when I had used their Circuit Bungalow on my circuits in the Sixties. In fact on my visit to Batticaloa in 2019 I drove up to the gates  that were closed, gazed at the ruins of the great industrial complex imagining what a loss it was. The Government needs to be congradulated on its success.

In its hey days it was lorryloads of straw from Hingurakgoda and Polonnaruwa that were the raw material  for paper making. It was a boon- an additional income to the farmers.

I had highlighted several times in my books and endless Papers that paper making is an area where we can easily succeed. I have suggested that a few small scale paper making machines should be imported and set up in our colonies. This is a task that can easily be done within two months and we can get Paper using the straw of the Yala 2020 paddy crop.  The funds being used to import the machines and installatioin can easily be recouped within the first two years. It will be a massive saving on our import bill because today we do not make any paper. In my days acting alone as the GA at Matara I established the Boatyard with two months. I am certain that President Gotabhaya’s Government can do better.

All our paper is imported today.

Paper making needs the short fibre available in the straw to be mixed with the long fibre. Earlier Paper pulp was imported and mixed with the straw. May I suggest that immediate action be taken to collect all the waste paper from government offices, make them into pulp in Colombo and feed the pulp to Valachenai.

It is sad that perhaps Sri Lanka is the only country in the world that does not make paper out of waste paper. I hark back to my days in Bangladesh where when, I noticed some youths carefully collecting the cardboard covers on lunch packets served to the hundreds of youths that participated in the Training Workshops on my Self Employment Programme. They were using the discarded  cardboard to make paper and cardboard. Today waste paper is being exported to India and we earn some $ 4.6 million (2015). Then we import the cardboard and paper that India make out of the waste paper that we have sent to them for which we pay them double or treble what we got for selling the waste paper to them. That in a nutshell is the neoliberal economics we have followed from 1978 . We were foolish to have followed neoliberal economics. But in 1978 neoliberal economics was forced on us an we were provided with loans and grace period of non payment  periods on loans and the IMF enticed us.

 In fact under the Divisional Development Programme of 1970-     1977 the Divisional Secretary at Kotmale set up a small industry making paper out of waste paper.  That was a great success.  The key player in that was the Divisional Secretary at Kotmale. I am sorry I do not know his name. If he is found he should be put in charge of setting up a few paper making Industries. That is how giants have to be entrusted with specific tasks.

Many thanks to the engineers labouring to make Valachenai a success and to President Gotabhaya.

 It is also hoped that they will also  immediately take up my proposal to import a few small scale paper making machines and set them up in the colonies. This can easily be done and we will save on the foreign exchange being used to import paper. I can assure of success. These small scale industries will be a far easier task than the crayon factory I established in Morawaka in 1972. There I had to find the method of making crayons which took three months’ of experiments at the RahulaCollege science lab. In the case of paper making the art is well known and nothing can go wrong.

I wonder what is happening to the Industrial Development Board, the prime institute established by Minister Philip Gunawardena to set up industries in our country. My only contact with them was when I was Government Agent at Matara, when the Ministry of Plan Implementation sought their approval to my proposals to set up industries in Matara.   Instead of helping the Government Agents they  were putting up hurdles against us. They disapproved my suggestion to set up a Water Colour Paint Box Industry on the grounds that none of the ingredients that went into the manufacture were made in Matara. I had to remind them that if Japan can buy the cotton from Egypt, take it all the way to Japan, make textiles and sell the textiles back  to people in Egypt we too should be able to make water colour paint boxes collecting the raw materials from where ever, provided we made a profit and found employment for our youth. At that time we imported 95% of our water colour paint boxes. 

 I had to ignore both,  them   and the Ministry of Plan Implementation in establishing my Crayon Factory.- Making crayons was a great success and it was the show piece of the Divisional Development Programme with successful production and islandwide sales. It was so much of a success being run as Coop Crayon by Sumanapala Dahanayake, the MP for Deniyaya in his capacity as the President of the Coop Union that made President Jayawardena send a special investigation unit  under A T Ariyaratne, Deputy Director of Cooperatives, to audit and found fault with Sumanapala.  They found it a thriving industry and all books in order. Sumanapala was saved a soujourn at Welikada.

May I suggest that our President may call the Industrial Development Board and spur them to action at least to pay back something for the fat salaries that have drawn over the past decades.

Let me caution our leaders to take care. Paper Making is held within a small group of multinationals and they would go to any extent to sabotage any attempt because they stand to lose in millions when we stop imports. I can remember what happened to our milk food industry. Let me quote from my 2006 book:

It is interesting to note that the multinationals involved in supplies have even gone to the extent of sabotaging local production. Recently  the managing director of Kiriya a company that is trying to make Sri Lanka  self sufficient in milk production said  that he suspects a foreign hand  in sabotaging his attempts  to develop local Production.”(How the IMF Ruined Sri Lanka  and Alternative Programmes of Success:Godages:2006)

Sabotage is the motto of the multinationals  and we have to take care.

Garvin Karunaratne, Ph.D. Michigan State University   06052020

Author of : How the IMF Sabotaged Third World Development(Kindle/Godages) 2017

How the IMF Ruined Sri Lanka and Alternatiuve Programmes of Success,, Godages,2006