Courtesy BBC

Schools in the UK are to shut from Friday until further notice as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Schools will close except for looking after the children of keyworkers and vulnerable children, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

This academic year’s exams will not go ahead in England and Wales; decisions are due to be made in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It came as UK deaths reached 104 after a further 33 people died.

Thirty-two were in England and one in Scotland.

Confirmed cases in the UK rose to 2,626 on Wednesday, from 1,950 on Tuesday. There have been 56,221 tests carried out in the UK for Covid-19, of which 53,595 were confirmed negative.

The government says it plans to more than double the number of tests being carried out in England to 25,000 a day.

Nurseries, private schools and sixth forms are also being told to follow the guidance to close their doors.

Scotland and Wales earlier said schools would close from Friday while schools in Northern Ireland will close to pupils today and to staff on 23 March.

Nurseries, private schools and sixth forms are also being told to follow the guidance to close their doors.

Scotland and Wales earlier said schools would close from Friday while schools in Northern Ireland will close to pupils today and to staff on 23 March.

Meanwhile the government is bringing forward emergency legislation to protect private renters from eviction after being urged to do more for them

And a new advert, fronted by the UK’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and being run across TV, radio and the internet, reminds people to stay at home even if they only have mild symptoms.

• EASY STEPS: How to keep safe
• A SIMPLE GUIDE: What are the symptoms?
• GETTING READY: How prepared is the UK?
• MAPS AND CHARTS: Visual guide to the outbreak
• TRAVEL PLANS: What are your rights?
• PUBLIC TRANSPORT: What’s the risk?

Questions had been asked about why the government had not moved to shut schools until now.

On Monday, the PM announced a series of new key measures to target the number of coronavirus cases after scientific modelling showed the UK was on course for a “catastrophic epidemic”.

As school closures were announced on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said: “We think now that we must apply further downward pressure with that upward curve by closing schools.”

He thanked teachers and head teachers and said that by looking after children of key workers, such as NHS staff, they “will be a critical part of the fight back” against coronavirus.

But he added that children “should not be left” with grandparents or others in groups vulnerable to contracting coronavirus.

Revealing the shutdown of schools in England, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told MPs assessments or exams would not go ahead this year and performance tables would not be published.

But he said officials were working with exam boards “to ensure that children get the qualifications that they need”.

Schools have already been preparing for a shutdown for some time, with some creating homework packs or setting up ways of working online.

But there have been concerns about the ability of frontline NHS staff and others to remain in work if their children are not in school.

Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty told BBC One’s new daily coronavirus update programme that school is “not dangerous” for children during the pandemic, but that the decision to close them would slow the rise of infections.

He said the government and its advisers were also keen to make it possible for the children of NHS staff to go to school.

In other developments:

• The government said it was working with UK airlines to ensure Britons overseas are able to return home amid increasing border restrictions
• The pound has fallen to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985
• UK supermarkets brought in strict limits on purchases
• The number of people dying from coronavirus in Italy has risen by 475 in one day to nearly 3,000 – the biggest increase since the outbreak.
• European Union countries have begun turning away travellers from outside the bloc
• Share prices fell in Europe and Asia as stimulus packages failed to reassure markets
• The World Health Organization said South East Asian countries must “act now” to tackle the virus
• There are more than 200,000 cases worldwide and more than 8,000 people have died
• Princess Beatrice says she is reviewing plans for her wedding to Mapelli Mozzi at St James Palace on 29 May and has already decided to cancel a reception in Buckingham Palace gardens
• Britons in Spain are being urged by the Foreign Office to return to the UK before 24 March when all Spanish hotels close
• The Scottish government has confirmed it is no longer planning to hold an independence referendum this year due to the pandemic
• The BBC puts filming of EastEnders on hold and Glastonbury Festival is postponed
• The Eurovision Song Contest, due to be held in the Netherlands, was cancelled
• Prof Neil Ferguson, who has been advising the UK government on its response to the outbreak and was in Downing Street earlier this week, tweeted he was self-isolating after developing coronavirus symptoms
• An inmate at HMP Manchester becomes the first prisoner to test positive for coronavirus and is in hospital. The Ministry of Justice says 13 prisoners and four staff members are in isolation as a precaution

A question of practicalities

School closure is something the health officials advising government have been continuously asked about.

Their stance has always been that while it can suppress a peak – a 15% reduction has been put forward – some of the gain would be offset by the fact children will still mix outside of school. Parents, including health workers, may have to take time off work or grandparents may have to look after them, one of the vulnerable groups they are trying to protect.

What is more, children are the age group least likely to get severe symptoms – only 0.2% of cases end up in hospital.

In the end it has undoubtedly come down to two factors.

Firstly, it might just do enough to ensure the NHS is not overwhelmed – as suggested by the new modelling by Imperial College London published on Monday.

Secondly, practicalities – increasing numbers of teachers and children are having to isolate at home and classes and exams would be seriously disrupted in the coming months regardless of what was done.

• What is the UK’s plan and what could happen next?

Parents contacting the BBC expressed their concern that predicted grades might be used for results at GCSE and A-level, if pupils did not sit exams.

Lone parents and self-employed parents were also worried about coping.

Sarah, from Bedfordshire, said: “I’m worried for myself and my children.

“I’m already struggling with everyone panic-buying. My children would be in a safer, cleaner environment at school.”

Victoria, in Belfast, said: “I am a self-employed mother of twins. I have zero support.

“Now I have to stay home and look after the children. Where will the money come from?”

One student, Alice Simpson, told the BBC: “We worked so hard and the past two years has always had that long end goal – GCSEs. And it’s just got to the point where that’s in sight. And now it’s not any more.”

The National Association of Head Teachers General Secretary Paul Whiteman said: “The government has changed what it expects schools to do. They are to offer reduced access in order to prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable young people and the children of key workers.”

He added there were many complicated issues to address as a result of the announcement and the focus would be assisting heads with “this enormous task” and making it work on the ground.

Geoff Barton, head of the Association of School and College Leaders, said many schools had already drawn up plans to support key workers and vulnerable children.

“However, this is an exceptionally demanding situation and they will need support. We will be working closely with our members and the Department for Education to this end.”

Analysis

By Hannah Richardson, education correspondent

It was the announcement the government did not want to make – shutting down schools indefinitely.

But as the virus spread its claws further into communities it became inevitable.

Heads and teachers are just as at risk as anyone else, and as more and more staff called in sick – increasing numbers of schools started to fall like dominoes under the weight of this pandemic.

Although the decision gives certainty for now – doors will be closed – there is even more uncertainty ahead.

How long will they remain closed? How will pupils cope with learning from home? Who will look after them?

And how will schools manage in their new role as the nation’s babysitters for the children of key workers?

Prime Minister’s Questions took place in a half-empty House of Commons earlier, after Labour and the Conservatives told MPs not scheduled to raise a query to stay away.

Meanwhile, the weekly face-to-face audience between the Queen and the prime minister was carried out over the phone.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51952314

Courtesy Adaderana

All Sri Lankan pilgrims returning from India will be directed to quarantine centers, stated Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva.

Speaking at a special press conference currently ongoing, Silva requested all foreigners in the country to curtail their movement within the country in order to avoid infection and limit the spread of the virus.

Further, Silva noted that he had received reports of foreigners currently in the country being harassed by locals. He urged the public to act in a manner that does not compromise the rapport Sri Lanka has of being hospitable. 

He requested hoteliers, restaurateurs, and owners of establishments where foreigners would be residing, to advise the foreigners to limit their travels.

The Army Commander pointed out that the 19 persons from quarantine centers have been tested positive with the virus; 01 arriving from England, and 18 from Italy who resided in the Kandakadu quarantine center.

The Kandakadu quarantine center consists of 13 buildings, each divided into 2 sections, he said. However, only 3 of the 26 sections had reported cases of coronavirus infection, he added.

The majority of persons who were tested positive for the disease had already been infected before arriving in Sri Lanka and others who showed symptoms and contracted it within 24 hours in Sri Lanka, Silva said.

This concludes that the virus is spread through persons who had arrived in Sri Lanka from abroad.

To control this situation, the government requested persons who had arrived in the country after traveling or residing in foreign countries to register at the nearest police station.

Currently, over 4000 persons have registered with police so far, the Commander stated.

They have been asked to remain in self-quarantine and provided that they are disciplined and remain in isolation, the issue can be prevented, further said Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva.

Courtesy Adaderana

With South-East Asia reporting more than 480 cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday called for countries to act now” and urgently scale-up aggressive” measures to tackle the disease. 

Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director, warned that the situation is evolving rapidly. 

More clusters of virus transmission are being confirmed. While this is an indication of an alert and effective surveillance, it also puts the spotlight on the need for more aggressive and whole of society efforts to prevent further spread of COVID-19. We clearly need to do more, and urgently”, she said. 

The 11 countries in WHO’s South-East Asia Region are home to over a quarter of the global population.  

Eight have confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease: Thailand, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. 

Dr. Singh said the numbers indicate that some countries are clearly heading towards community transmission of the viral disease. 

If this occurs, they will have to work to slow down transmission, as well as end outbreaks. 

We need to be geared to respond to the evolving situation with the aim to stop transmission of COVID-19 at the earliest to minimize the impact of the virus that has gripped over 150 countries in a short span of time, causing substantial loss to health of people, societies, countries and economies”, she said. 

Urgent and aggressive measures are the need of the hour. We need to act now”. 

Dr. Singh highlighted the critical importance of continuous efforts to detect, test, treat and isolate patients, and to trace contacts.   

People also are asked to follow WHO advice on reducing transmission through measures, such as proper handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, and practicing social distancing.

-UN News

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka and China Development Bank have signed an agreement for a financing facility of US$ 500 million for development efforts.

Earlier, Senior Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Nandalal Weerasinghe stated that the Government is in the middle of negotiating a loan from the China Development Bank, which could be between $ 1-2 billion.

The loan could be finalized within weeks, and the loan would be within the borrowing limits approved in a vote on account up to April,”  he said whilst addressing the media during a press briefing in Colombo on 5 March 2020.

During the meeting, it was also disclosed that after the conclusion of the 25 April General Elections, via a proper 2020 Budget, there will be a borrowing plan for next year and even for the second half of this year.

Sri Lanka has to repay a total of $ 4.8 billion this year, with the next large payment of $ 1 billion due in September.

Orpheus Perera

Scientists are still trying to find out how and where this virus came from. The first casualties were discovered in a large crowded city of Wuhan in China. This does not mean that it originated there. People who are prejudiced against Chinese, most people in Sri Lanka making up stories and put on FACEBOOK, that Chinese are responsible for this dangerous virus. One faith healer who attracted many thousands of followers, in his You-tube, has confirmed the gossip among the uninformed people of Sri Lanka when no other scientist in the world point the finger at Chinese.

One thing scientists have agreed is, this virus evolved from Flue Virus which is also a fatal virus among the very old and weak people. Viruses, maybe looking for ways of resisting the medicines scientist discover for each viral decease. Many years ago Botanists discovered that even plants try to adopt them-selves to weed killers after many years of been used on them to kill them.

Things happening around the world now are the things we have never heard before. Since Monday Italy, the country, which has recorded 17,660 infections and 1,266 deaths from the virus, has enacted a set of sweeping measures that have left millions virtually confined to their homes and shut down large parts of the economy.

Yesterday Donald Trump declared that big cities in the USA will be shut down from today. Airports restaurants supermarkets, you name it they will be shut down. I believe that they will be looking after the poor and casual workers the same way as the way they do it in Australia. The restaurant staff will be working preparing food and dispatching for home deliveries. Self-employed and small businesses such as those who run their own coffee shops in the city will have to face economic problems. Home delivery people such as Ubar will be victorious. People have to do online shopping which will boost the parcel services employment. People are forced to work from home.

This will be the future of the world even after recovering from the Coronavirus pandemic. The majority of people will have to do telecommute rather than traveling to work. The advantage is for the future generations, will have petroleum for them and cleaner air to breath. The telecommunication companies will be the winners in this case.

Worldwide people will be automatically cut down pleasure trips, especially those who enjoy traveling by air will have to restrict them-self. Politicians in a country like Sri Lanka will reduce wasting people’s money by restricting their travel around the world. Their spouses and children will be very unhappy(and I am happy about it). Most of the international conferences and meetings will be held using video conferencing systems.

If you look at the history of Air Pollution level, for example in New York City for the past month and this month to date, you can see that the Air index has dropped by 50% in March as up-to-date, which is good news for the survival of the future generations.

Please scroll and check the History of NY Air Quality. High numbers mean Air is polluted. Lower the index is cleaner the air is.

https://aqicn.org/city/usa/newyork/?fbclid=IwAR1Bqbnhf_JPj2lqutHj8PFyobqkkPWpukfDzFA8FZqlQj7Ny4OhHk3JJB4

Air Quality in NSW Australia.

https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/air-quality/current-air-quality?fbclid=IwAR1z-rqJqM_yg-wDzkg2ge4MbtL8W65Lqqlo8uHyk8_eUO5tXVwCp8WcWyA

At least the virus has cleared the air we breathe and if caught by the virus, we the older people with heart problems, past lung infections like pneumonia(such as myself) and diabetics and above the 80s, will be fatal. It does not matter as long as something good comes out for future generations(and they learn a lesson from this pandemic).

සමෘද්ධි සංවර්ධන නිළධාරීන්ගේ සංගමය

ලේකම්,
එස්. හෙට්ටිආරච්චි මහතා,
රාජ්‍ය පරිපාලන අමාත්‍යාංශය,
නිදහස් චතුරස‍්‍රය,
කොළඹ 07.

ලේකම්තුමනි,

දිස්ත‍්‍රික් ලේකම් කාර්යාල/ ප‍්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කාර්යාල වල සේවයේ නියුතු ආශ‍්‍රිත සේවා නිලධාරීන් ඇතුළු කාර්ය මණ්ඩල සඳහා ද නිවාඩු ලබා දීමට පියවර ගන්න.

2020 මාර්තු 17 සිට දින 3 ක් රජයේ ආයතන හා සේවාවන් කීපයක සේවකයින් සඳහා රජයේ නිවාඩු ලබා දී ඇත. රජය එවැනි තීරණයක් ගෙන ඇත්තේ දැනට රට පුරා ව්‍යාප්ත වෙමින් පවතින #Covid-19 කොරෝනා වෛරසයේ අවධානම් තත්වය හේතු කරගෙන බව පැහැදිලිය. එමෙන් ම එම මාරාන්තික වෛරසයේ ව්‍යාප්තිය පාලනය කිරීමේ අරමුණින් ය.

නමුත් එම රජයේ නිවාඩු දිස්ත‍්‍රික් ලේකම් කාර්යාල හා ප‍්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කාර්යාලවල සේවයේ නියුතු කාර්යය මණ්ඩල වලට ලබා දී නැත.

ඔවුන් එම අවධානම දරාගෙන ඉහත සේවා ස්ථාන වෙත පැමිණිය යුතුය. ඔවුන් මේ රටේ අපේම මිනිසුන් නොවන්නේ ද? මාරාන්තික කොරෝනා වෛරස් අවධානම මැඩලීම සඳහා සෞඛ්‍ය සේවා කාර්යය මණ්ඩල හා යුධ හමුදාව සිදු කරන කාර්යය භාරය අපි අගය කරමු. නමුත් ඔවුන්ට ද එම අවධානම නැතුවාම නොවන බව අපි දනිමු. ඔවුන් එම අවධානම දරා ගනිමින් කරන කාර්යය ගරු කළ යුතුය.

නමුත් මේ මොහොතේ කොරෝනා වෛරසය මර්ධනය කිරීමට කිසිදු අදාළත්වයක් නැති දිස්ත‍්‍රික් ලේකම් කාර්යාලවල හා ප‍්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කාර්යාලවල ආශ‍්‍රිත සේවා ඇතුළු කාර්යය මණ්ඩල වල රාජ්‍ය සේවකයින් ආයතන වලට කැඳවා ඔවුන් එම අවධානමට ලක් කිරීම රජයේ වගකීම් විරහිත ක‍්‍රියාවක් බව අපි දැඩිව අවධාරණය කරමු. ඉහත කාර්යාල වල හැදුනුම්පත් අංශය, ආදායම් බලපත‍්‍ර අංශය ඇතුළු මහජනතාව නිරන්තරයෙන් පැමිණෙන මහජන සේවා කවුළු වසා දැමූ විටත් මෙම කාර්යාල වල කාර්යය මණ්ඩල බිල්ලට දීමේ අරමුණ කුමක්දැයි පැහැදිලි නැත.

රජයත්, සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ බලධාරීනුත් මෙම කොරෝනා වෛරසය මර්ධනය කිරීම සඳහා ගත යුතු සෑම නිරෝධායන ක‍්‍රියාමාර්ගයක්ම ගන්නා ලෙස ජනතාව දැනුවත් කර තිබිය දී මෙලෙස කාර්යාල වලට පැමිණෙන රාජ්‍ය සේවකයින් පොදු ප‍්‍රවාහන සේවාවන්වල උදේට සහ හවසට ගමන් කිරීමෙන් එම රාජ්‍ය සේවකයිනුත් පොදු මහජනතාවත් අවධානමට ලක් වන බව තේරුම් ගැනීමට බලධාරීන්ට නොහැකි වීම බරපතල කණගාටුදායක තත්වයකි.

මාර්තු 17 සිට දින කීපයක් දක්වා ක‍්‍රියාත්මක රජයේ නිවාඩු ප‍්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කාර්යාලවල හා දිස්ත‍්‍රික් ලේකම් කාර්යාලවල කාර්යය මණ්ඩල සඳහා ද ක‍්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට කඩිනමින් පියවර ගන්නා මෙන් අප සංගමය ඉතා වගකීමෙන් රජයෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිමු.

තමාගේත්, තම පවුලේ වැඩිහිටියන්ගේ හා දරුවන්ගේත් ජීවිත ආරක්ෂාව වෙනුවෙන් අප සේවාවට අයත් නිලධාරීන් විධිමත් දැනුම් දීමකින් පසු සේවා ස්ථානයට යම් හෙයකින් නොපැමිණියහොත් ඊට එරෙහිව පියවර නොගන්නා ලෙසත් ඉල්ලා සිටින අතර යම් හෙයකින් එවැනි පියවරක් ගතහොත් ඊට එරෙහිව අප වෘත්තීය සමිතිය ඒ වෙනුවෙන් ඉදිරිපත් වන බව ද මෙයින් දන්වා සිටිමු.

ස්තූතියි.

මෙයට,
චන්දන සූරියආරච්චි
ලේකම්

සම්බන්ධීකරණය – 071 81 78 268
Coordinating – +9471 81 78 268

පිටපත් –
1. ගරු රාජ්‍ය පරිපාලන අමාත්‍ය ජනක බණ්ඩාර තෙත්නකෝන් මැතිතුමා ( අ.ක.ස.)
2. මහින්ද දේශප‍්‍රිය මහතා – සභාපති, මැතිවරණ කොමිෂන් සභාව (අ.ක.ස.)
3. පළාත් ප‍්‍රධාන ලේකම්වරු
4. සියලූම දිස්ත‍්‍රික් ලේකම්වරු ( අ.ක.ස.)
5. ඒකාබද්ධ සේවා අධ්‍යක්‍ෂ ජනරාල් ( අ.ක.ස.)

ලසන්ත වික්‍රමසිංහ

කිරි ගොවීන්ගේ කිරි නිෂ්පාදනය මිල දී ගැනීමට මිල්කො සමාගම සූදානම්.

මේ වන විට රටේ පවතින වාතාවරණය හේතුවෙන් ඇතැම් කිරි ගොවීන් හට ඔවුන්ගේ කිරි අලෙවි කර ගැනීමේ අපහසුතා ඇති වන බව අපට වාර්තා වී ඇත. එය සැළකිල්ලට ගෙන කිරි ගොවීන් නිපදවන දේශීය කිරි අඛණ්ඩව මිල දී ගැනීමට මිල්කො සමාගම විසින් තීරණය කර තිබේ.

එබැවින් මහවැලි, කෘෂිකර්ම, වාර්මාර්ග හා ග්‍රාමීය සංවර්ධන අමාත්‍යාංශයට අනුබද්ධ පූර්ණ රාජ්‍ය සමාගමක් වන මිල්කො සමාගමේ දිවයින පුරා පිහිටි කිරි එකතු කිරීමේ මධ්‍යස්ථාන හරහා කිරි ගොවීන් සපයනු ලබන එළ කිරි මිල දී ගැනීමට මිල්කො සමාගම සූදානමින් සිටින බව දන්වා සිටිමු.

වැඩි විස්තර සඳහා පහත අංක අමතන්න.

මහින්ද දිසානායක මහතා                        077 328 9288

කේ කනගරාජා මහතා                             077 612 8579    

සමස්ත ලංකා වරාය පොදුසේවක සමිතිය

සභාපති,
ශ‍්‍රී ලංකා වරාය අධිකාරිය,
කොළඹ.

ගරු සභාපතිිතුමනි,

අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවා යටතේ ක‍්‍රියාත්මක වන ශ‍්‍රී ලංකා වරාය අධිකාරියේ නාවික හා ක‍්‍රියාකරවන කොට්ඨාශ තුල නෞකා සමග ඍජුවම සම්බන්ධව කටයුතු කරන සේවකයන් වෙත කොරෝනා වෛරසය ආසානය වැළැක්වීමට ක‍්‍රියා කිරීම.

අප වෘත්තීය සමිතිය මගින් 2020. 01. 29 දින ඔබ වෙත යොමුකළ ලිපියේ සඳහන් කොරෝනා වෛරසයේ ව්‍යාප්තිය පාලනය කරගැනීම සඳහා සියලූ වරායන් සෞඛ්‍ය ආරක්‍ෂිත කලාපයක් බවට තහවුරු කිරීමට වැඩපිළිවෙලක් ඇති කිරීමට එහිදී යෝජනා කරන ලදී.

මේ වන විට රජය මගින් රාජ්‍ය හා පෞද්ගලික අංශයන් වෙත නිවාඩු ලබා දී ඇතත් අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවා කටයුතු අනිවාර්ය කර ඇත. ශ‍්‍රී ලංකා වරාය අධිකාරියේ අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවා කටයුතු වන ආරක්‍ෂක, නාවික හා ක‍්‍රියාකරවන කොට්ඨාශ තුල සේවය කරන සේවකයින් ඍජුවම නෞකා සමග කටයුතු කරනු ලබයි. එහිදී සේවකයින්ගේ විශ්වාසය තහවුරු කිරීම සඳහා කිසිදු වැඩපිළිවෙලක් ආයතනය මගින් කටයුතු සිදුකොට නොමැති වීම මගින් රාජකාරිවල යෙදීමේදී බියෙන් හා පිළිකුලෙන් යුතුව කටයුතු කරනු ලබයි.

එබැවින් මේ පිළිබඳව කරුණු සොයා බලා සේවකයින් හට විශ්වාසයෙන් කටයුතු කිරීමට හැකි පරිසරයක් ගොඩනැගීමටත්, වෛරසය ආසාදනය නොවීමට ආරක්‍ෂිත පලඳනා හා විශබීජ නාශක භට අයත් උපකරණ ලබාදීමටත්, වරාය පරිශ‍්‍රය පිළිගත හැකි සෞඛ්‍ය ආරක්‍ෂිත කලාපයන් බවට පත්කිරීමට වැඩපිළිවෙලක් සකස් කිරීමට කටයුතු කරන මෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිමි.

ස්තූතියි.

මෙයට,
විධායක සභාව වෙනුවෙන්
චන්ද්‍රසිරි මහගමගේ
ප‍්‍රධාන ලේකම්

by Professor Carlo Fonseka Courtesy: The Buddhist (YMBA)

After much thought, I have become convinced of the validity of the Buddhist approach to human conditions. I will tell you very briefly, as to how I arrived at that conviction. 

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I was born into a Roman Catholic family and received a very orthodox Roman Catholic education until about the age of eighteen. I believed in the central teachings of Roman Catholicism , namely the existence of an all mighty GOD WHO CREATED THE WORLD, and the existence of an IMMORTAL SOUL in man. When in the University entrance class at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, I had the privilege of being taught Apologetics,, i.e. Advanced Catholic Religious Knowledge, by the Reverend Father Peter Pillai, a Master of Arts, a Master of Science and a Doctor of Divinity, a well known Educationalist. He was a very clever and holy man. To tell the truth, it was during a College class lesson given by him that, I strongly felt had doubts about the existence of a God. He discussed the proofs of existence of God, as was formulated by St. Thomas Aquinas. (Christian Theologian) He said there are five proofs. They are: (1) Proof of reference to motion. God is unknown to motion. (2) Proof of reference to efficient Authors. God is the upcaused cause. (3) Proof to necessity and contingency. God is the only necessary being. (4) Proof by reference to gradations. In the world, God is the perfect being. (5) Proof with reference to Order in the universe. God is the Ordainer of all. Having explained these matters, he went on to say something that shocked me, greatly. 

He said that according to St. Thomas Aquinas. THAT ALTHOUGH THE EXISTENCE OF GOD COULD BE ESTABLISHED, REASON ALONE CANNOT PROVE THAT GOD CREATED THE WORLD. For that he said, we have to go to the REVELATION. So according to St. Thomas Aquinas, we believe that God created the world, THE BIBLE TELLS US TO. That disturbed me. If indeed, we cannot prove that God created the world, then it is possible that the world was, is, and will be. Further, there was so need to postulate that God created the world! So my faith, in that God created the world was shaken up. Once that fundamental belief was shaken, the other Christian beliefs came under scrutiny. 

Next was the existence of an immortal SOUL. St. Thomas Aquinas taught that the soul was found in every part of the human body. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, it was not located in any one place, such as in the brain. But the soul is not transmitted in the semen. St. Thomas believed that the woman was like a pot, and the male planted the seed in the pot, so that everything substantial came from plan. St. Thomas concluded that, SOUL WAS CREATED AT EVERY ACT OF CONCEPTION BY GOD, AND HE INTERVENED TO CREATE THE SOUL. This puzzled me. Take the case of a woman who is raped by an unknown person and conceives during the act. Does God intervene to create a soul for the child that is conceived? If so, is God and accomplice in the act of rape? Such thoughts came into my mind. St. Thomas Aquinas, the classic exponent of the Roman Catholic teachings said that, even animals have souls. But the souls of animals were not immortal. Now, I began to wonder about the Chimpanzee. Years later, I learnt that this particular animal shares with us 98.4 per cent of its genes. So we differ genetically from the Chimpanzee by only 1.6 per cent. BUT THE CHIMPANZEEE’s have souls which PERISH with death. Then how about man? Could not man’s soul also perish? So my belief in a SOUL came to be seriously shaken. 

But there was even a more disturbing thought. St. Thomas Aquinas taught that IN ORDER TO ENTER HEAVEN ROMAN CATHOLICS MUST BE BAPTISED. This meant, if there is no Baptism, then there is no heaven for people. 

I have many dear relatives and friends who are Buddhists and in that background this was a very horrible thought. They have then to go to Hell. It seems horrible, unfair and unjust. So when I entered the University of Ceylon, Colombo, at the age of 20, I was a man without a Religion. During the next ten years or so I was deeply involved in my medical studies. My Medical College colleagues present here today, will confirm that medical science deals with the release of human (and animal) suffering caused by disease. This fact is known to medical men based on knowledge acquired by certain methods such as positioning, testing and application of medicines. The results that ensued my own belief in medical knowledge became firm. But, now and then patients died, and I was not sure whether medical men make in such instances diagnostic errors, or whether the treatment was not efficacious. The same skepticism or doubting began at times to apply in the field of medicine too. Gradually, I became interested in Epistemology i.e. the branch that deals with method or ground of knowledge. 

IN SEARCH OF TRUTH

Epistemology is concerned with how we come to know, and what we claim to know. How reliable is our knowledge? How do we know what we came to know is TRUE? I then indulged in wide reading, especially books written by Bertrand Russell and A.J. Ayer. A little book (Penguin series) THE PROBLEM OF KNOWLEDGE by A.J. Ayer, a famous English Philosopher influenced me. Finally, I came to realize that in order to claim and know something it is necessary to satisfy three conditions. (a) The problem of defining the necessary and sufficient grounds that something IS TRUE. In the practice of the Law profession, Lawyers are careful in the application of the Law of Evidence, and in the scientific enterprise the three conditions as set out by Ayer are fulfilled. 

He said, WHAT I CAME TO KNOW MUST BE TRUE. Secondly, I MUST BE SURE THAT IS TRUE, Thirdly, I MUST HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE SURE THAT IT IS TRUE. This is the essence of the talk that I am giving today. Suppose, I claim to know that there is a Mango Tree in this garden near the Hall. I say it is a piece of knowledge. Therefore, it must really be a Mango Tree. But that is not enough to make it a valid claim that, I know there is a Mango Tree. The second condition is that I MUST BE SURE THERE IS A MANGO TREE OUTSIDE THE HALL. I cannot judge or guess. Why should I be sure? Cannot I make a mistake? Cannot it not be subject to an illusion or hallucination or a delusion? Hallucinations and delusions are well known symptoms of insanity. It can also be a form of error. Therefore, we need a third condition. i.e. THE RIGHT TO BE SURE. 

In Science, this Right is won BY PUBLIC CHECKABILITY, of the evidence the claim is made on. Why? Because there can be disagreement. I may say the tree is a Mango tree, but someone else may say it is some other tree. TRUTH LIES THERE as expounded by Philosophers and Scientists. By this method, Scientists have made material advances….. to split the Atom, produce Satellites and for man to explore the moon etc. 

THE BUDDHIST OUTLOOK

In my readings about the Buddha, Smith (a Prof. of Anthropology) has stated that Buddhism is unique because it DOES NOT SHARE SIX CHARACTERISTICS AS SEEM IN SIX OTHER CLASSICAL RELIGIONS such as Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam. 

What are they? 

(1) AUTHORITY i.e. validity of what is believed (faith) derived from a source. The Buddha Dharma (Buddhist Philosophy) stands by itself.

(2) RITUAL. In strict Theravada Buddhism there is no place for ritual (Popular corrupted Buddhism does see ritual). Other Religions have Ritual.

(3) Speculation: This is absent in Buddhism. 

(4) Mystery: There is no place for mystery in the teaching of Gautama Buddha. 

(5) Divine: Belief in a supreme creator god or a son of God, or of a Messiah. (The Buddha Dharma leads:- Shows the Way to man)”. 

In that background, I say the Buddhist approach to reality is valid. It is a scientific approach. The scientific approach has led to great material, stunning achievements for the well-being of man. One of the foremost scholars of the past century, the Late Prof. K.N. Jayatilleke, Ph.D. (Cantab) in his monumental work The early Buddhist theory of knowledge had stated that, everything what the Buddha referred to (The Identification of Suffering: the Cause of Suffering, the Path that leads to the end of suffering on earth; the Law of Dependent Origination etc.) are locatable in the empirical stream, excepting one – NIBBANA. 

Nibbana (is beyond logic and reasoning, it is realization of the truth) cannot be apprehended and it cannot be described. It is the extinction of the fire of desire, (Lobha, Dhosa and Moha). To clench his argument, Prof. Jayatilleke used, as the last statement of his work, (The words of his guru at Cambridge University, Prof. Luwig Wittengstein, who wrote: TRACTATUS LOGICO PHILOSOPHICUS”). It says: Thereof one cannot speak, Thereof one must be silent” .

Before the days proceedings ended, it was mentioned that the reference to Nibbana, made known by Prof. K.N. Jayatilleke has been confirmed as correct, by the American Jewish Scholar, Bhikkhu Bodhi, (Ph.D). of Kandy  

Courtesy: The Buddhist (YMBA)

Vol : CXXXVIII – BE – 2561- NOV. – CE – 2017 – No. 03  

https://colomboymba.org/images/PDF/nov_2017.pdf

31 November – 2017   

QuickTake by Bloomberg

A SWAT team in China’s Henan province practiced taking down an uncooperative driver in a staged drill at an official coronavirus checkpoint. China’s unprecedented lockdown and restrictions may have blunted the coronavirus’s spread and averted hundreds of thousands of cases, according to a team of medical experts that visited the outbreak’s epicenter last week. Fewer patients are crowding hospitals in Wuhan and are consulting doctors for fevers, Bruce Aylward, an assistant director-general at the World Health Organization, said in Beijing. But the outbreak could gain ground again as schools reopen and work resumes, Aylward warned. More broadly, he called for China’s experience in turning around the outbreak to help battle the virus elsewhere. Top legislature decided to delay the annual meetings, which were originally scheduled to start early March, state-run China Central Television said. New dates will be announced later. The legislative meeting is one of the most important political meetings held every year in Beijing, at which officials will discuss China’s major economic targets including for GDP growth, inflation and announce the country’s budget plan. It’s the first time in decades that the NPC has been postponed.

මහින්ද තොරතුරු

Lock Down කිරීම යනු: ජනතාව කිසියම් නිශ්චිත ප්‍රදේශයකට ඇතුළු වීම හෝ පිටවීම වළකාලීමයි. ඒ හරහා හමුදාව සහ පොලිසිය හැරුණ විට රටේ අනෙකුත් සියල්ලන්ටම සිදුවන්නේ තමන්ගේ ගෙවල් ඇතුළට වී සිටීමටයි.

චීනයේ වූහාන් පළාත රටෙන් පහළොවෙන් එකකටත් වඩා අඩු ප්‍රදේශයක්. ලෝකයේ සිටින අති විශාලතම හමුදාවට පුළුවන් අන්න ඒ කුඩා ප්‍රදේශයේ ජන ජීවිතයට අවශ්‍ය ආහාර ඇතුළු සැපයුම් ලබා දී සති දෙකක් ආරක්ෂා කරන්න. නමුත් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවම Lock Down කළොත් අපේ රටේ හමුදාව රටේම ජනතාවට ආහාර ආදී සැපයුම් ලබා දීමට ප්‍රමාණවවත් වේවිද..?

රජය සහ රණවිරුවන් සියලුම පහසුකම් උපරිමයෙන්ම දීලත් නිරෝධායනය වෙන්න බෑ කියමින් සමහරු දඟලපු හැටි අපි ඔවුන්ගේ ලයිව් වීඩියෝ වලින් දැක්කා. ලංකාවේ මහ පොළොවේ දූවිල්ලලු, ඩබල් ඇඳන් වල ඉන්න බෑලු, ලංකාවේ රස්නේ වැඩියිලු. උදේට සැන්විච් කාලා මදිලු. ඉතින් හිතල බලන්න ලංකාව දවස් 14 කට වැහුවට පස්සේ, මිනිස්සුන්ට කන්න බොන්න නැතිව ගියාම, බඩු මිල දහ ගුණයකින් වැඩි වුණාම අපේ රටේ මිනිස්සු කොහොම හැසිරේවිද?

මුදල් ඇති අයට සති දෙකක් නොව මාස දෙකක් වුවද ‍රැකියාවක් නොකර ජීවත් වීමට පුළුවන්. වත් පොහොසත් සමහර අය දැනටමත් මාස දෙකකට විතර බඩු මිලදීගෙනයි තියෙන්නෙ. නමුත් එදිනෙදා සල්ලි හම්බ කරන දුප්පත් අහිංසක ජනතාවගේ තත්ත්වය කෙබඳු වේවිද… පාස්කු දින ප්‍රහාරය සමග දින කිහිපයකට පමණක් ඇඳිරි නීතිය පැනවීත් සමග සමහර දුප්පත් මිනිස්සුන්ට ආහාර හිඟ වුණ අවස්ථාවේදී භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේලා සහ ෆාදර්ලා එකතු වී තමයි ඔවුන්ට හාල් ටික හෝ යැව්වේ. නමුත් දින 14 ක් Lock Down කළොත් දවස් කුලිය හම්බ කරගන්න උදවිය ජීවත් වෙන්නේ කෙසේදැයි ඔබ සිතා බලන්න. ෆේස්බුක් එකේ රට Lock Down කරන්න කියන කවුරුවක්වත් දවස් කුලිය හම්බ කරගන්න මිනිස්සු නෙමෙයි.

අනෙක් අතට පාස්කු දින ත්‍රස්ත ප්‍රහාරය පසුව දින කිහිපයක් ඇඳිරි නීතියට දැම්මාට අවශ්‍ය කෙනෙකුට පොලිස් අවසර පත්‍රයක් සහිතව ගමන් යාමට හැකියාව තිබුණා. අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවාවන් වැඩ කරනවා. එනමුත් සෞඛ්‍ය හේතුවක් මත රටම Lock Down කිරීමේදී අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවාවන් පවා අක්‍රීය කිරීමට සිදුවෙනවා. මන්ද යත් අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවාවන් සිදුකරන අයට පවා රෝග වැළ‍ඳෙන්නට පුලුවන් වීම නිසයි.

සති දෙකක් පුරාවටම රටේ පොදු කටයුතු කරන් යාම හමුදාවට සහ පොලිසියට පමණක් කළ හැකි දෙයක් නෙමෙයි. ඒ සඳහා අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවා කරන සියලුම දෙනාගේ රාජකාරීන් අවශ්‍ය වෙනවා.

රටම Lock Down කළහොත් විදුලි සේවකයන්ට රාජකාරියට එන්න වෙන්නේ නෑ. එවිට කිසියම් ප්‍රදේශයක විදුලි බිඳ වැටීමක් හෝ විදුලි කාන්දුවක් හෝ විදුලි ‍රැහැනක් ගිණි ගැනීම සිදුවුවත් එවිට ඒ සඳහා අවශ්‍ය සේවකයන් නෑ.

දුරකථන ‍රැහැන් නිතර අලුත්වැඩියා කරන්නට සිදුවෙනවා. ඉතින් දුරකථන සමාගම් වල සේවකයන් වැඩට ආවේ නැති වුණොත් දුරකථන මෙන්ම අන්තර්ජාල පහසුකම්ද ඇණ හිටීවි. එසේම අපට දුරකථන ඇමතුමක් ගැනීමටනම් දුරකථන සමාගම් වල සේවකයන් අදාල පරිගණක පද්ධතීන් ක්‍රියාත්මක කළ යුතුයි. ඔවුන් වැඩට ආවේ නැති වූ විට රටේ සමස්ත සන්නිවේදන පද්ධතිය බිඳ වැටෙනවා.

ඊගාවට ජල සැපයුම. උදේට ඇවිත් ස්විච් ඒකක් දානවාට වඩා විශාල ක්‍රියාවලියක් ජල සැපයුම් හා ජලාප්‍රවාහන ඒකකයේ සිදුවෙනවා. ඔවුන් ‍රැකියාවට නාවොත් ගෙවල් වලට වතුර නොලැබී යාවි.

දවස් 14 ක් රටම Lock Down කළහොත් රටේ ජනතාව දවස් 14 ටම එක වර ආහාර ද්‍රව්‍ය මිලදී ගනී කියල හිතන්න බෑ. සමහරුන් සුපර්මාකට් වලදී පොර කමින් ගහ මරා ගනිද්දී, තවත් සමහරුන්ට එක වර සති දෙකකට බඩු ගන්න වත්කමක් නැති වෙන්න පුලුවන්. අත්‍යවශ්‍ය රාජකාරීන්හි නියැළෙන අයට තම රාජකාරිය අතපසු කර ශොපින් යන්නට නොහැකියි. අන්න ඒ නිසා සතොස ආදී රජයේ ආහාර සැපයුම් ජාලයන් පවත්වාගෙන යන්න බැරි වුණොත් අර මිනිස්සුන්ගේ පවුල් වල අයට බඩගින්නේ මැරෙන්නයි වෙන්නෙ.

ඊගාවට බස් රථ වල රියදුරු මහතුන් ‍රැකියාවට නාවාම ප්‍රවාහනය සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම ඇණ හිටිනවා. හදිසියකට ලෙඩෙක්ට බේතක් ගන්නවත් ඉස්පිරිතාලෙකට යන්න වෙන්නේ නෑ.

ඉස්පිරිතාලෙකට පුද්ගලික වාහනයකින් යන්න හැදුවත් ඒ සඳහා තෙල් ‍රැස් කරන් නැති අයට ශෙඩ් වහල නිසා තෙල් නැති වෙනවා. මොකද කියනවානම් ශෙඩ් වල අය සහ තෙල් සංස්ථාවේ සේවකයන් ‍රැකියාවට එන්නේ නැති වීමෙන් සම්පූර්ණ තෙල් සැපයුම අඩාල වෙනවා.

නගර පවිත්‍රකරණය සහ කසල බැහැර කිරීම ඇණ හිටීමෙන් ජනාකීර්ණ ප්‍රදේශ වල සහ මහල් නිවාස වල නිවෙස් වලින් දුර්ගන්ධය හමන්න පටන් ගන්නවා.

රටේ විදේශ විනිමය හුවමාරු සිදු වන්නේ නෑ. මන්ද යත් මුදල් ඉල්ලුම සහ මුදල් සැපයුම සම්බන්ධීකරණය කිරීමේ මූල්‍ය වෙළඳපොළ යාන්ත්‍රණයේ පරිගණක පද්ධතීන් මෙහෙයවන නිලධාරීන්ද ගෙවල් වලයි ඉන්නෙ. එවිට රටේ මූල්‍ය පද්ධතිය සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම බිඳ වැටෙනවා. මෙවන් තත්ත්වයකදී සිතාගත නොහැකි ආකාරයේ විදේශ විනිමය උද්ධමනයක් සිදුවන්නට පුලුවන්.

දැන් ඔබට සිතේවි, එහෙනම් අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවාවන් විතරක් ලබා දීලා රට Lock Down කරන්න කියලා. එතකොට වෙන්නේ: විදුලිබල මණ්ඩලයේ අය වැඩ, ජල සැපයුමේ අය වැඩ, සතොස ෆුල් ඕපන්, සතොසෙන් විතරක් ඇරල තිබුණොත් එතන කිලෝමීටර් ගනන් පෝලිම් හැදෙන නිසා අනිකුත් කඩත් අරින්න කියන්න වෙනවා, එතකොට කඩ ඔක්කොම ඇරලා., දුරකථන සමාගම් වල අය වැඩ, රෝහල් සහ කාර්ය මණ්ඩල වැඩ, නගර පවිත්‍ර කරන කම්කරුවන් වැඩ, රටේ අනෙකුත් අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවා සිදුකරන අය වැඩ. ඒ සියල්ලම ප්‍රවාහනය කිරීම සඳහා ලංගමේ සහ දුම්රිය දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ අය වැඩ, ලංගම ඇතුළු පෞද්ගලික ප්‍රවාහන වලට තෙල් ලබා දීමට ශෙඩ් වැඩ, හදිසියේ වාහන කැඩුණොත් කියලා වාහන රෙපෙයාර් කරන ගරාජ් වැඩ. මහ බැංකුව ඇතුළු බැංකු පද්ධතියේ නිලධාරීන් වැඩ. වෛද්‍යවරුන්, හෙදියන්, රෝහල් කාර්ය මණ්ඩලය කොහොමත් වැඩ. බැලුවාම රටෙන් බාගයක්ම එලියට බහිනවානෙ. බැලින්නම් අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවාවන් විතරක් ලබා දීලා Lock Down එකක් වෙන්නෙ නෑ.

ඔන්න ඔය නිසා තමයි රජය විසින් තවත් දින 3 ක නිවාඩු කාලයක් ලබා දුන්නේ. අත්‍යවශ්‍ය රාජකාරීන්හි නොයෙලෙන, සිකුරාදා නිවාඩු ගත හැකි බොහෝ අය සිකුරාදාත් වැඩට යන්නේත් නැති අතර, එවිට සති අන්තයත් සමගම තවත් අමතර දවස් 3 ක් නිවාඩුයි. එවිට පසුගිය ඉරිදා සිට දින 8 ක් එක දිගටම නිවාඩු තිබෙනවා.මීට අමතරව ගුවන්තො‍ටුපොළද සති දෙකකට වසා දමා තිබෙනවා.

එහිදී මුදල් ඇති ආහාර ‍රැස් කරගෙන ඉන්න අයට පුලුවන් ගෙවල් ඇතුලටම වෙලා ඉන්න. කවුරුවත් බලෙන් ගේ ඇතුළට එන්නේ නෑ. රට Lock Down නොකිරීම නිසාම ‍රැකියාවට එන්න පුලුවන් වුණ දුරකථන සමාගම් වල සේවකයන් පරිගණක පද්ධති ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීම හේතුවන්, නිවසට හෝ තමන්ගේ ජංගම දුරකථනයට ලැබෙන අන්තර්ජාල පහසුකම භාවිතා කරමින්, රට Lock Down කළ යුත්තේ ඇයි කියල ෆේස්බුක් එකේ තර්ක කරන්න ඒ අයට පුළුවන්.

නමුත් එදිනෙදා රස්සාවක් කරලා කුලියක් මලියක් කරගන්න අයට සහ, විදුලිය, ජලය, සන්නිවේදන, ප්‍රවාහන, සෞඛ්‍ය, සනීපාරක්ෂක, වෙළඳ, බලශක්ති, ඉන්ධන, අනෙකුත් අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවා යන අත්‍යවශ්‍ය රාජකාරීන්හි නියැලෙන අයට, අර රටින් ආපු සමහර අය වගේ වගකීම් විරහිතව හැසිරෙන්නේ නැතිව නිසි පරිදි මුහුණු ආවරණ පැළඳගෙන රාජකාරීන් කළ හැකියි.

අද රටේ ජනාධිපතිව සිටින්නේ තිස් අවුරුදු යුද්ධය අවසන් කළ ආරක්ෂක ලේකම් වරයා. රටේ අග්‍රාමාත්‍යව සිටින්නේ තිස් අවුරුදු යුද්ධය අවසන් කළ ජනාධිපති වරයා. රටේ හමුදාපතිව සිටින්නේ යුද බිමටම ගොස් ලෝකයේ දරුණුතම ත්‍රස්තවාදියාව පරළොව යැවීමට සේනාව මෙහෙයවූ 58 සේනාංකයේ සේනාධිපතිවරයා. මේ අය සෞඛ්‍ය සහ ආරක්ෂක සේවයේ ඉහළතම බුද්ධිමතුන් සමග නිරන්තරයෙන් සාකච්ඡා කරමින් ඉතාමත් විද්‍යානුකූලව කොරෝනා මර්දනය සඳහා කටයුතු සිදුකරනවා. විදෙස් සංචාරකයින් විසින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජයේ කොරෝනා මර්දන යාන්ත්‍රණය මහ ඉහළින් වර්ණනා කර තිබෙනවා. ඒ විතරක් නෙමෙයි, මේ කාලයේදී ආරක්ෂාකාරීව සංචාරය කිරීමට වඩාත් සුදුසු රටක් ලෙසට ජාත්‍යන්තර මාධ්‍ය විසින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව හඳුන්වා ඇත්තේත් රජයේ මෙම විධිමත් වැඩපිළිවෙළ නිසයි.

ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ මැතිතුමා අද දින ජාතිය අමතමින් පැවසූවේ මුළු රටම නිරෝධායනය කරන තත්ත්වයට රට ඇවිල්ලායි තමන් විශ්වාස නොකරන බවයි. එතුමන් ජනතාවගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටියේ නිකරුනේ රස්තියාදු වෙන්නේ නැතිව ඉතාමත් වගකීම් සහගතව මේ දින ටිකේ හැසිරෙන ලෙසටයි.

එසේම මීට පෙර අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මැතිතුමන් ලක්වාසීන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටියේ ලොවම එකා වන්ව කටයුතු කළ යුතු මේ මොහොතේදී රජයටත් රණවිරුවන්ටත් පක්ෂ පාට බේධ නැතිව සහයෝගය ලබා දෙන ලෙසටයි.

ඒ වගේම අවස්ථාවාදීන් විසින් කරන උසිගැන්වීම් සහ කුපිත කිරීම් වලට හසු නොවීමට මේ ගැන දැනුවත් කිරීම අපි කළ යුතුයි.

– mahinda.info

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

March 17 (Daily Mirror) – Several attendees of the big match held between S. Thomas’ College and Royal College last weekend have gone into self- quarantine after a SriLankan Airlines First Officer who attended the matches tested positive for the COVID-19, the Daily Mirror learns.

Several companies, last night also informed its employees who attended the matches to self- quarantine for 14 days and not to report to work.

SriLankan Airlines, in a statement said that upon learning of the First Officer’s medical condition last evening, all crew members who had come in contact with him during the last 14 days have been put under self-quarantine with immediate effect.

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Landing of passenger flights to be banned from midnight of March 18, but normal life to continue with some restrictions

Colombo, March 17 (newsin.asia): Here is the full text of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s address to the nation on the crisis created by the spreading COVID-19 virus:

Today, I am addressing you to explain the the steps we have taken and the current status regarding the Coronaviruas, also known as CORVID-19.

This January, while the world was just getting to know about the Coronavirus, I took the decision to bring back the 34 Sri Lankan students who were studying in the Wuhan Province in China. At the time, there was not a single infected case reported from within Sri Lanka. Yet, to face a possible detrimental situation that could arise in the future, on 26 January we established a special National Task Force Committee.

On 27 January, a Chinese lady who had come to Sri Lanka as a tourist was identified to be the first infected case in the Island. She was immediately admitted to the IDH hospital and treated. On 19 February, after recovering fully, she left the country.

A special aircraft flew in the Sri Lankan students from Wuhan to the Matthala Airport, where they were quarantined and then taken to a quarantine center in Diyatalawa that was specially set up for this purpose. They were quarantined for two weeks in this camp and sent home on 14 February. At the same time, the necessary instructions were given to the airport authorities to take steps to conduct a preliminary examination of the health of all those who are arriving via the Airport to Sri Lanka.

After the first case was detected with the infected Chinese lady, for up to about a month, no other case was found. Yet, as there was a danger of this virus being spread to countries apart from China, it was decided to quarantine all arrivals from Italy, South Korea and Iran for 14-days. This decision was taken on 10 March. Accordingly, directing travelers to the Kandakadu Qurantine Center in Batticaloa began. When this process first started, some of the travelers who came from Italy and South Korea vehemently protested against it and some even tried to escape en route to the quarantine center.

On 11 March, the first Sri Lankan infected with the virus was reported. He is a chauffeur-guide to Italian tourists. From the investigations we conducted within and out of the quarantine centers, we found a number of other infected cases and today 34 such cases had been identified. Out of this group, except for four who had arrived from Germany, the rest being from Italy or those who had an association with those from Italy is noteworthy.

From 13 March onwards, quarantining of travelers coming from Italy, South Korea and Iran began. Soon thereafter, travelers from France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden and Australia were also added to the quarantine list. Presently, all travelers from UK, Belgium, Norway, Canada, Qatar and Bahrain are also being quarantined. However, from tomorrow onwards until further notice, all arrivals into the country has been suspended.

Since setting up the two quarantine centers in Kandakadu and Punani on 10 March, 16 new quarantine centers have been established. By 6 am, this morning, 1,882 travelers had been directed to these centers. Out of this number, 92 had been admitted to various hospitals.

At this moment, our biggest problem is the travelers, almost 2,000 in number, who had entered into the country from high risk countries for about two weeks before we actually started the quarantine process on 10 March.
Currently, out of the 34 infected, 19 had been identified from those who are being quarantined after arriving from Italy. The rest are either those who had arrived before the quarantine process began or those who had got infected from those who had come from abroad.

Before we started quarantining, we had identified everyone who had come from the above mentioned countries as well as their closest relatives and had asked them to be self quarantined in their own homes.
We have deployed the police, the tri-forces, public health inspectors and grama niladari for this purpose and I request that they be given the fullest cooperation.

I also request that Sri Lankans who had come from other countries too to act responsibly. The reason to give a special holiday was to minimize the spread of the virus. To ensure this, I request you to avoid travel, gathering as a group and from celebrations and parties. By adhering to these instructions along with the steps we had taken, we will be able to completely control this situation.

As a Government, our main responsibility is to ensure community life. The State must intervene to facilitate the various needs of the people.

Certain parts of the country are affected by a drought. We must supply drinking water to those people in these areas. For some areas, to begin the Yala season, we must provide with clay fertilizer. In some other parts, as the harvest comes through, the State must be ready to purchase the paddy. If vegetables are not purchased on time, those farmers will face a difficult time. At the same time, the vegetables must come into the market. Likewise, we need to control the cost of living.

If Government Officers did not engage in these tasks, all these will collapse. Therefore, we must look at this whole picture when we take decisions.

After the victory on 16 November, we could only establish a minority government. When I came to power, the previous government had not passed the budget. It was through a vote on account budget the country was managed. Money was not approved for many essentials. Dues had not been paid for fertilizer and to medicine suppliers, food suppliers and construction workers.

We tried to pass a vote on account budget to pay for these arrears. However, the Opposition did not support it. Under these circumstances, it was not possible to fulfill the pledges I had made to you. A minority government cannot get approval for these finances in Parliament.

This is the reason that I dissolved Parliament at the first available opportunity and called for General Elections, so that a stable government can be formed. After dissolving Parliament, with the powers bestowed on me, I passed a vote on account budget. Accordingly, payments to essentials have begun. This also allowed us to meet the challenges of this current disaster.

However, it is important that a stable government is established and a budget is passed so that I can fulfill the pledges for a prosperous future spelt in my vision statement and activate my development plan which includes providing relief, creating employment, and uplifting the agricultural sector.

Therefore, I ask from you to empower me with a strong government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, who as a mature politician is loved by the people.

In this moment, our responsibility is to govern the country properly. We cannot allow irregularities from the Government for any reason. If we do not work with foresight, the normal social life will be completely disabled. Leaders must act with self-confidence. They should not create a fear psychosis among people.

At this moment, we must minimize all possibilities of this virus from entering and spreading through the country. We have already identified what needs to be done and have put these into action. We have empowered the Task Force accordingly.
We have faced and won over challenges before. We are ready to face the challenges. What we need is unity. Therefore, I ask from the people to act with responsibility.

In the meantime, to ease the people’s day to day lives, and their consumption, I have proposed a stabilized rice supply. To ensure that people’s lives are not disturbed, the necessary State services, bank finances, transport to be continued with the least possible number of people.

In every market place, from tonight (17) midnight, I have ordered that the maximum retail price of dhal per kilogram to be no more than Rs. 65.00. Likewise, steps are taken to keep the price of a sardine tin at Rs. 100.00. We are in the process of planning more relief to the public.

I am also ordering banks and finance companies a recovery period of six month for the loan facilities taken by businesses, as it is a huge burden on them presently. At the same time, steps are being taken for banks to give capital at four percent interest. I assure you that I will not break any of the pledges I had made before you. This country, that’s yours and mine, is secure today.

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Holidays and avoidance of large gatherings are currently the preferred ways to stall the spread of the virus

Colombo, March 17 (newsin.asia): The Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on Tuesday allayed fears that the government is thinking of imposing a lockdown of the country to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Speaking on TV, the President made no mention of a lockdown, though the air was thick with the rumor that it was imminent. He, however, advised people not to go out of their residences unnecessarily and avoid gatherings during the crisis period.

He emphatically said that normal trade, transport and banking activities will be allowed to continue as usual so that the economy does not come to a grinding halt.

He even fixed the prices of essential commodities. A maximum retail price of Rs 65 for 1-kilo dhal and Rs 100 for a tin of canned fish have been fixed with effect from Tuesday night.

Further, the President has given directions regarding loan repayments which can be a burden on businesses owing to the current situation in the country. He has instructed banks and other financial institutions to halt collection business loan repayments for a period of 6 months.

Earlier at a meeting with officials of the Task Force on Prevention of COVID – 19 virus” held at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday, the President said: While we have to take stern measures to control the situation, we cannot let the country suffer. I am willing to take the right decisions and I request the cooperation of all parties to implement them.”

Incoming flights Stopped For Two Weeks

Having discovered that the infection had come from passengers from specific countries or regions, the government has stopped all incoming flights from these countries from the midnight of March 18 for two weeks.

However, outgoing flights will be allowed to operate. Cargo movement to and from various countries will also be continued unimpeded.

Parliamentary Elections

On the opposition’s demand for the postponement of the parliamentary elections fixed for April 25, the President said that fixing of the date for the elections is the prerogative of the Elections Commission. However he indirectly hinted that he would like the elections to be held as scheduled when he stressed the need for the formation of a stable government to carry out its developmental programs and to pass the annual budget.

In the parliament which was dissolved, the Rajapaksa government was in a minority.

The President elaborated on the steps taken by the Government so far and said that with the Task Force being set up on January 26th, Lanka became the first country to establish such a dedicated mechanism to tackle COVID-19.

Sri Lankans including students in Wuhan and other cities in China were brought back. Several quarantine centers were opened at different parts of the country. Last Monday was declared a public holiday with the objective of curbing the spread of the virus. Three more holidays had been given to sectors other than essential services.

The President pointed out that with the World Health Organization’s announcement of the COVID-19, the government had taken every step possible to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

President Rajapaksa has instructed the police to find out about the people who are hiding in the country without getting quarantined and make people aware of them.

Eschew Politicization

The existing situation should not be used to achieve narrow political gains. There is no need to reconvene the Parliament. If there is need to postpone the general election, the Election Commission has the power to do so’, the President said.

During the meeting, the importance of limiting parties, various feasts and public gatherings as much as possible, was stressed. The President stressed was the need of taking swift action against those who spread rumors and fabricated stories regarding the spread of the virus, with the intention of frightening the general public.

President wants ad-hoc actions halted

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has directed that no instruction or communication by any Government Agency is issued without the prior concurrence of the Presidential Secretariat and any such action is taken only in consultation with the Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva who is the head of the National Operation Center for Prevention of COVID – 19 outbreak.

The decision was taken by the President following observations made at the COVID -19 National Level Task Force Review meeting that various Government Agencies have issued ad-hoc operational instructions disrupting the routine regular work of the Government and not consistent with the Government’s overall strategy with COVID – 19 management issues.

Emma Graham-Harrison Courtesy  The Guardian

Cancelled flights, airport shutdowns and soaring ticket prices all preventing people returning home

Australians stranded around the world by cancelled flights, airport shutdowns or soaring ticket prices say they want to heed their government’s advice to return home during the pandemic – but don’t know how.

From the UK to Sri Lanka, Latin America to Los Angeles, people of all ages and professions are considering everything from abandoning holidays to uprooting studies, and months-long separations from loved ones.

Some, unconvinced by the Australian government, say they are planning to stay put in places they believe are handling the pandemic better.

Gaynor Monks is one of those who can’t get home and has been trapped by airport closures. Two days ago, she flew into Sri Lanka to celebrate her mother-in-law’s 60^th birthday; at the time, the country had fewer coronavirus cases than Australia and was on the government’s safe travel trip.

Now, she and her partner want to head back to Australia – but with the airport closed there are no flights out, and no official help.

She can’t reach her booking agent or airline, and her insurers say that as Australia hasn’t designated Sri Lanka as off limits, they wouldn’t pay for a ticket home anyway.

There are just no planes to take us. Because no planes are coming in, we are sort of stranded,” she told the Guardian. She is already worried about her husband losing two weeks of work when they get home and he has to self-quarantine; he doesn’t get sick pay.

Their message today was to contact your agent or contact the airline or insurance company, I can’t get hold of the agent, and the airline can’t help because we didn’t book direct, and the insurance company have let us down as they are not going to cover.”

In the UK, student Payton Rodman is in Cambridge doing a physics PhD on a prestigious Gates scholarship. She was lucky” that her college had told students to pack up and go home before the the Australian government’s announcement, so managed to book a flight home for $1,400 – far less than they are going for now, although she’s worried about a transit through Abu Dhabi.

It’s possible I could get stuck in the UAE if anything goes wrong. I won’t feel safe until my last flight lands in Australia. I’m looking forward to 14 days isolation because it means I’ll be on home soil,” she said.Advertisement

From Melbourne she will be trying to keep up with colleagues still doing their research through video conferencing and remote working, although the eight hour time gap will be a challenge.

Helene Frayne, in her 60s, spent more than 10 hours on the phone to Qantas once she saw the announcement, trying to move up a return flight booked for more than ten days’ time.

Each time she thought she had got through, the line would disconnect. An email got an automatic response, saying she would hear from the company in 14 days.

I’m in a very fortunate position in that I have family here,” she said. My concern is my son works in hospitality, and if he brings it home, we could catch it.”

Her age makes her vulnerable, and she also runs a small charity back in Australia; its fundraising efforts have already been hit by ban on social events, and she worries that it will struggle without her, particularly if a two week stay turns into something longer.

There has been talk of closing airports and Qantas has dramatically reduced flight numbers,” she said. I could be here for months.”

I think my message to the Australian government is that if you are going to put on your website all Australians need to get home straight away, you need to put systems in place to support them getting home. Not to do so is very irresponsible government.”

There are all these practical things someone should have though of before they put out the message, and worked with Qantas to bring people home.”

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The government should not act like Nero, who played the fiddle when Rome was burning or beat about the bush but should announce a complete lock-down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa told a news conference today.

Many countries have cancelled all events and gone into nationwide lock-downs. France has cancelled the second round of its local elections, Britain has postponed its local elections while the US is currently carrying out discussions on postponing its presidential election even though it is only due in November. However, the Sri Lankan government is having election mania hell-bent on obtaining a two-thirds majority in Parliament,” he said.

Mr. Premadasa said the number one priority is to protect the people and prevent COVID-19 from spreading.”

He said his earlier requests to call for a national-level discussion and the postponement of the general election has been unfortunately turned down by the government. (Yohan Perera)

Courtesy Adaderana

The United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz, on behalf of the American people, presented a donation of equipment that will help protect airport personnel Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The donation of Dupont Tyvek coveralls, nitrile gloves, heavy-duty work gloves, boot covers, and cleaning supplies was received by Major General (Rtd) GA Chandrasiri, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, at BIA.

The donation is part of U.S. efforts to assist Sri Lanka, stated the US Embassy. 

We stand in solidarity with Sri Lanka as both our countries battle this global pandemic,” said Ambassador Teplitz.  Whatever the challenges, we’re ready to face them with Sri Lanka.”

The United States has pledged to spend up to $100 million in existing funds to combat the COVID-19 internationally, demonstrating continued U.S. leadership in the global fight against infectious diseases.  This commitment – along with the hundreds of millions generously donated by the American private sector –demonstrates strong U.S. leadership in response to the outbreak,” U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said when he announced the assistance.

In February, U.S. organizations donated more than 2 million respirator masks, 11,000 protective suits and 280,000 pairs of nitrile gloves to China, where the virus originated.

Courtesy Adaderana

Due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the country, it has been decided to extend the validity period of all types of Visas issued to all foreigners who are currently residing in Sri Lanka, stated the Department of Government Information.

The validity period of all types of Visas will be extended for a period of 30 days with effect from 14th March 2020 to 12th April 2020.

Accordingly, any foreign national is informed to visit the Visa Division of the Department of Immigration and Emigration on either 08th or 09th of April 2020 to pay the relevant fee and to get the visa endorsed in the Passport.

If one intends to leave the island during the aforementioned period; the journey will be facilitated by paying the relevant visa fee at the Airport without any penalty.

The validity period of the Acknowledgement issued for the applications already submitted to the Department of Immigration and Emigration to obtain visas will also be extended for a period of 30 days with effect from 14th March 2020 to 12th April 2020. 

To leave the country during this time, a request to obtain your passport from this Department should be sent to the following email addresses along with a copy of the flight ticket. Necessary advice in this regard will be communicated accordingly via the same channel.

– piyumeei@gmail.com
– sanjayaTTT 7@gmail.com
– bgayanmilinda@yahoo.com
– hamarathunge@gmail.com
– jithanieathukorala@gmail.com

Any inquiries on the matter can be made through 0771588724 and the public is advised to refrain from visiting the Department of Immigration and Emigration premises during the above period.

Cuba’s BioCubaFarma group is expected to increase the production of a drug called Interferon B which cures the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, pharmaceutical executives announced Friday.

BioCubaFarma President Eduardo Martinez said they have developed 22 drugs, including Interferon B, that are set to be used to contain the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The company reports 1,500 COVID-19 patients having been cured by taking Interferon B and the drug will be used by the Chinese National Health Commission to combat the disease which attacks the respiratory system.

Mr. Martinez said the drug could be exported to other countries to help contain the spread of the virus and treat those that are showing symptoms.

Interferon B was first developed in 1986 by a team of researchers from the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) and introduced into the Cuban health system. Interferon is described as “the flagship product of the set of Cuban medicines” being developed by both Cuba and China in a joint venture.

Cuban drug could save thousands of lives in coronavirus pandemic

STEVE SWEENEYCourtesy Morning Star

CUBAN medicine could treat thousands of coronavirus patients as production of a flagship” drug known to combat the disease is set to increase significantly, pharmaceutical bosses said at a press conference on Friday.

President of the BioCubaFarma group Eduardo Martinez explained that the socialist island has developed 22 drugs that are set to be used to contain the outbreak.

So far it is known that one of the drugs manufactured by Cuba, Interferon B, has managed to effectively cure more than 1,500 patients from the coronavirus and is one of 30 drugs chosen by the Chinese National Health Commission to combat respiratory disease.

It was first developed in 1986 by a team of researchers from the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) and introduced into the Cuban health system.

Mr Martinez described Interferon alpha-2B as the flagship product of the set of Cuban medicines” with the drug developed in both Cuba and China in a joint venture as part of an agreement between the socialist countries.

He said the drug could also be exported to other countries to help contain the spread of the virus and treat those that are showing symptoms.

CIGB director Eulogio Pimentel said that had enough supplies that would be equivalent to treating practically all the infected cases that occurred in China” where more than 80,000 people have been infected.

We think that we are capable of satisfying not only the possible demand in Cuba but also the requests that we are getting from other countries, and that are increasing day by day,” he added.

Cuba has sent a team of doctors and supplies of Interferon B to Italy where it is working alongside Chinese experts to help combat and contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Adaderana

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is currently addressing the nation on the matter of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka.

Watch President’s complete speech live on TV Derana or Ada Derana 24×7.

https://www.facebook.com/AdaDerana24/videos/2884074625008375/

ජනාධිපති ජාතිය අමතා කරන විශේෂ ප්‍රකාශය
▸President Gotabaya Rajapaksa addresses the nation
▸ஜனாதிபதியின் நாட்டு மக்களுக்கான விசேட உரை

Ada Derana

Nine more persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Sri Lanka, the National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 has announced.

Accordingly, the total number of coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka now stands at 43.

Earlier the number of COVID-19 positive cases in Sri Lanka has climbed to 34, says Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi.

She mentioned this at a special media briefing by the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO).

Director-General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe stated one of the 6 new patients is the wife of a tour guide who tested positive previously.

Among the patients who been infected with the virus, 2 persons had returned to the country from the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Another 2 patients have been reported from Kelaniya and Marawila areas.

Meanwhile, a person who had returned from Qatar had also been tested positive while residing in Udugampola. 

Courtesy Ada Derana

Three more confirmed cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) have been identified in the country bringing the total number of the patients to 22.

The twenty-second Coronavirus patient in the country has been identified, according to the Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

He stated that a 73-year-old male who is being treated at the Karapitiya Hospital has tested positive for the virus.

Earlier today three more confirmed cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) had been reported in the country.

Director-General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe revealed this while addressing a press briefing at the Government Information Department today (16).

He stated that the three new patients include a 13-year-old girl and two males aged 50 and 37. 

All three of them are patients currently admitted at the IDH Hospital in Angoda, he said.

Dr. Anil Jasinghe stated that currently 18 hospitals are being used to treat patients suspected of contracting Covid-19 and the facilities necessary to operate them are being organised.

He stated that more patients could likely be identified from the quarantine centers in the coming days and that they are preparing for alternative facilities to accommodate them. 

The Director General also urged the public to avoid visiting clothing stores and purchasing clothing items of materials on display during these days, especially as the New Year season is approaching. 

උපුටා ගැන්ම  හිරු පුවත්

A total number of 28 patients tested positive for Covid-19 in Sri Lankan as of now, says the Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe. කොවිඩ් -19 හෙවත් කොරෝනා වෛරසය වැළදුණු තවත් රෝගීන් 6 දෙනෙකු හඳුනාගෙන තිබෙනවා. සෞඛ්‍ය සේවා අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් විශේෂඥ වෛද්‍ය අනිල් ජාසිංහ හිරු ප්‍රවෘත්ති අංශය කළ විමසීමකදී සඳහන් කළේ ඒ අනුව මෙරට දී හඳුනා ගත් මුළු කොරෝනා වෛරස් ආසාදිතයින්ගේ සංඛ්‍යාව 28 දක්වා ඉහළ යන බවයි.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Government has taken several more measures to limit congregation of people in the wake of COVID – 19 outbreak in the country, the President’s Media Division said.

Several decisions related to justice and prison activities will be implemented from tomorrow (17) onwards, it said issuing a statement.

The Judicial Services Commission which met today (16) sent out a circular relating to judicial cases to be taken up from March 17 to 20. All the court cases which are to be called at Commercial High Courts, Court of Appeal and District Courts will not be called at open courts. 

The public can obtain information on their cases at Court premises in the first week of April. 

The circular has further advised to take up only the urgent cases at the discretion of Judges concerned. This practice is to be adopted at both High Courts and Magistrate Courts.

The congregation of public near prisons will also be limited.

However, normal commercial, banking and trading activities will continue as usual.

The National Operation Center for Prevention of COVID- 19 which has been set up on the directive of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will operate from  No. 1090, Sri Jayewardenepura, Rajagiriya.

The Government takes maximum possible steps to ensure day-to-day activities without causing any disruption to the civilian life, the PMD said. 

The Government requests the cooperation of the general public to contain the spread of COVID – 19 virus with a proper understanding on the prevailing situation.  

Sunil Yatalamatta Gamage 

We’re living through a moment in history when the world is facing the unknown, the unknowable and the uncontrollable.
If you’re worried too, I understand. It’s natural. I wanted to share a few thoughts with the Sri Lankan People, that I’ve found helpful to make the best of a challenging situation.
1.Prioritize self – care

First and formost, be kind to yourself. Listen to your body.Taking care of yourself physically and mentally is vital in times of stress, worry and anxiety because it’s draining to be on alert” 24/7. Prioritizing Your wellness will help keep your immune system strong and allow you to be available to support others who depend on you.

1. Cultivate calm
   In tough times, it is important to cultivate a state of calm so you can think clearly, make good decisions and stay healthy. A great way to cultivate calm is to breath slow – rhythmic breathing is proven to help calm your nervous system- and let go of everything outside your control. If watching stock market downfall or reading the news makes you upset or feel panicked, or avoid those activities. Having lived many downturn in my own life I can attest that acting in a panic tends not to work well.
2. Connect with people
   Even though we are using social distancing” to avoid spreading the virus, it’s essential to keep up your human connections in other ways, especially if you live alone.
   Video chat, call or write to family members and friends, especially those who are most at risk”, live alone or are introverts who may not reach out to you. And spend quality time with the people you’re with.
3. Show Leadership
   When everyone around you is afraid, anxious and preoccupied with their own troubles, it’s an open invitation for you to step into that best version of yourself and reach out to others. To be someone who helps pull others out threat state” and helps them return to trust and calm. Every individual in your community can be that leader in Sri Lanka now.
4. Make the most your time
   
   If your work and life have been disrupted by travel bans, self-isolating and being told to work from home, recognize it as a golden opportunity. You’ve been given the gift of time now that you don’t have to commute or attend meetings and events. You may have getting rested, thinking strategically about your engagements, and clearing up backlog of admin tasks etc. According Lord Buddha this time will pass as well.
   The key is to take actions now, fully engage and follow the health professionals expert advises. We have the world best dedicated health care professionals in Sri Lanka, and emerge better and stronger than before. I hope these strategies will help everybody.
   
   

By M D P DISSANAYAKE

Maithreepala Sirisena is aiming to obtain 1^st place in Polonnaruwa and garner over 200,000 votes at the next parliamentary elections. In 2010 election, the Alliance of Mahinda Rajapakse secured 127 seats.

In 2010 election, Maithreepala secured 90,118 votes in Polonnaruwa District, at a time Maithree’s and Mahinda Rajapakse’s popularity  remained  high.  Since then, has popularity of Maithreepala increased or decreased?

Of course, he won the Presidential Election, at the peak of Maithree’s popularity, he only managed to score 118,845 votes in Polonnaruwa with the support of UNP, section of SLFP, SLMC etc. 

Becoming the President of Sri Lanka did not help Maithreepala to increase his vote base, even though he is now many times more richer with his team of sibilings.

We estimate that Maithreepala may not secure more than 50,000 votes, still managing to secure a seat in the house of representatives.

However, if the voter sentiments were projected to be against him, there is no doubt Sirisena will make a secret deal with either Ranil or Sajith.  This distinct possibility must be vetted by SLPP in its planning process.

නීතිඥ අරුණ ලක්සිරි උණවටුන

මාර්තු 15 දිවයින ඉරිදා සංග්‍රහය 04 වැනි පිටුවේ ඇති වෛද්‍ය වසන්ත බණ්ඩාර ලියා ඇති “19ට දැන් කළ යුතු දේ” ලිපිය මගින් 19යේ ව්‍යවස්ථා විරෝධීබව සම්බන්ධයෙන් වන විද්වත් සාකච්ඡාවට හොද අවස්ථාවක් සපයා දී ඇත.

“19ට දැන් කළ යුතු දේ” ලිපිය ලිවීමේදී එම වෛද්‍යවරයාට පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් සම්මත කිරීම සහ පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් නීතියක් බවට පත්වීම අතර වෙනසත්, සම්මත කරන ලද පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් නීතියක් බවට පත්වීමට පෙර කථානායක අනුගමනය කළ යුතු ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ  79වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ අවසන් විධානයත්, පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් නීතියක් වීමට අවශ්‍ය ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ  80.2 ව්‍යවස්ථාවත් නොපෙනුනේ ඇයි? යන්න ඒ ලිපිය කියවූ අවස්ථාවේ ඇතැම් පාඨකයන්ට සිතෙන්න්ට ඉඩ ඇත්තේ එම  වෛද්‍යවරයාට විශ්‍රාමලත් විනිසුරුවරයෙකු 13 වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනයට අදාලව ප්‍රකාශ කර ඇති ආකාරට “ප්‍රකාශන නීතිය” අනුව යමින් 19 යට දැන් කළ යුත්තේ පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ බහුතර ඡන්දයෙන් එය ඉවත් කිරීමට ක්‍රියා කිරීම බවට කියවන්නන්ට හැගෙන ලෙස අදහස් දක්වා තිබීම හේතුවෙනි.

විශේෂයෙන් එම වෛද්‍යවරයා ජාතික සංවිධාන නියෝජනය කරන්නෙකු වීමත් බොහෝවිට 19යට දැන් කළ යුතු දේ පිළිබද ඒ මහතාගේ අදහස ජාතික සංවිධානවල අදහසම වීමේ වැඩි නැඹුරුවක් තිබිය හැකි වීමත් මත මෙම ලිපිය මගින් පෙන්වා දෙන කාරණා 19යේ අවුල විසදා ගැනීමට ජනාධිපතිවරයාටත්, ජනතාවටත් සහායක් ලබා දෙනු ඇත.

පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් සම්මත කිරීම සහ පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් නීතියක් වීම යන්නෙහි වෙනස, පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් නීතියක් වීමට පෙර කථානායකවරයා අනුගමනය කළ යුතු 79වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ අවසන් විධානය, පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් නීතියක් වීමට අවශ්‍ය 80.2 ව්‍යවස්ථාව, 19යට දැන් කළ යුත්තේ 2015 සිටි කථානායක සිදුකළ ව්‍යවස්ථා වැරැද්ද නිවැරදි කිරීම මිස පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීවරුන්ගේ කැමැත්ත ගෙන 19ය ඉවත් කිරීම නොවන බවත්, 2/3 ඡන්දයෙන් සම්මත වී ඇති නමුත් තවමත් නීතියක් වී නැති 19ය නීතියක් කළ යුත්තේනම් එය නීතියක් කරන්නේ කෙසේද? යන්න පැහැදිලි කිරීම මෙම ලිපිය මගින් අපේක්ෂා කරයි.

වෛද්‍ය කේ.එම්. වසන්ත බණ්ඩාර විසින් “19යට දැන් කළ යුතු දේ” මැයෙන්වන ලිපිය ලියා ඇත්තේ එකී කාරණා පිළිබද අවධානය යොමු නොකර බව ලියුම්කරුගේ අදහසයි.

වෛද්‍ය වසන්ත බණ්ඩාර ඡේද 13ක් වූ සිය ලිපිය මගින් ලියුම්කරු විසින් මාර්තු 08 දිවයින ඉරිදා සංග්‍රහය 14 පිටුවේ “19 නොපෙනෙන ඇත්ත” ලිපියේ දක්වා ඇති 2002 දී පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ඉදිරිපත් කර තිබූ 19වන ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පතට අදාලව වසරකට පසු ජනාධිපතිවරයාට පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේ විනිසුරුවරු 7දෙනෙකු විසින් ලබා දුන් ඒකමතික තිරණයට පටහැනිව 2015 දී පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ඉදිරිපත් කර තිබූ 19වන ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පතට කථානායකවරයා සහතිකය වැරදියට යොදා ඇති බව සම්බන්ධයෙන් පටහැනි අදහසක් ඉදිරිපත් කර නැති බවත්, ලියුම්කරු සහ වෛද්‍යවරයා ඒ කාරණා සම්බන්ධයෙන් එක් ස්ථාවරයක පිහිටා ඇති බවත් පෙනේ.එසේ වුවත් ඔහු වරදවාගෙන ඇත්තේ එසේ කථානායකවරයාගේ සහතිකය වැරදියට යොදාගෙන බලහත්කාරයෙන්, සදාචාර විරෝධීව ක්‍රියාත්මක කරගෙන යන 19යට දැන් කළ යුතු දේ කවරක්ද? යන්න සම්බන්ධයෙන් සිය නිර්දේශය ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමේදී බව ලියුම්කරුගේ අදහසයි.

මෙම ලියුම්කරුද “19 නොපෙනෙන ඇත්ත” ලිපියෙන් 19යේ ව්‍යවස්ථානුකූල වරද එළිදරව්කළද, එයට ඇති ව්‍යවස්ථානුකූල ප්‍රතිකර්මය සිය ලිපියෙන් ලියා දක්වා නොතිබුණි. ඒ අඩුව හේතුවෙන් ජාතික සංවිධාන නියෝජනය කරන වෛද්‍යවරයා සුපුරුදු පරිදිම එංගලන්තයේ නීති සම්ප්‍රදාය ඇසුරෙන් විශ්‍රාමලත් විනිසුරු රාජා වනසුන්දර අනුව යමින් ප්‍රකාශන නීතියේ ඇසුරුකරමින් පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ බහුතර ඡන්දයෙන් 19 ඉවත කළ හැකි බවට  නිර්දේශයකට එළඹී ඇති බව පෙනීයයි.

පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් සම්මත කිරීම සහ පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් නීතියක් බවට පත්වීම අතර වෙනස….

පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් සම්මත කිරීම සහ පනත් කෙටුම්පත නීතියක් වීම අවස්ථා 2කදී සිදු වන බව ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාව අනුව පෙන්වා දිය හැකිය. එනම 79 වන ව්‍යවස්ථාව පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් සම්මත කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් ද 80වන ව්‍යවස්ථාව පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් නීතියක් වීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් ද අදාල වේ. වැඩි දුරටත් පැහැදිලි කළහොත් පනත් කෙටුම්මතක් සම්මත කිරීමේදී කථානායකවරයාගේ වගකීම එනම් ස්වකීය අත්සන ඇතිව සහතිකය යෙදීම ඇතුළු සහතිකයේ සදහන්විය යුතු කාරණා 79වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ දක්වා ඇති අතර කථානායකවරයා හෝ ජනාධිපතිවරයා විසින් පනත් කෙටුම්පත මත සහතිකය යෙදූ පසු පනත් කෙටුම්පත නීතියක් වන බවට පත්වන ආකාරය 80වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ දැක්වේ.

සම්මත කරන ලද පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් නීතියක් බවට පත්වීමට පෙර කථානායක අනුගමනය කළ යුතු 79වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ අවසන් විධානය….

පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් සම්මත වූ පසු ඒ බවට කථානායකවරයා සිය අත්සන සහිත සටහනක් මගින් පනත් කෙටුම්පතේ දැක්විය යුතු ආකාරය 79වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ දැක්වේ. සාමාන්‍ය බහුතර ඡන්දයෙන් සම්මත වීම, විශේෂ බහුතර ඡන්දයෙන් සම්මත වීම, ජනමත විචාරණයකට යොමුකළ යුතු පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රීවරු 2/3ක ඡන්දයෙන් සම්මත වූ පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් ආදී අවස්ථාවකදී කථානායකවරයා සිය අත්සන ඇතිව සටහන තැබිය යුත්තේ කෙසේද යන්න 79 වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ පැහැදිලි කරයි.

ජනමත විචාරණයකට යා යුතු බවට නියම කර ඇති විධිවිධානයක් හෝ පනත් කෙටුම්පතක් පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ 2/3ක ඡන්දයෙන් සම්මත වී ඇති අවස්ථාක ඒ පනත් කෙටුම්පත හෝ ඒ විධිවිධානය ජනතාව විසින් ජනමත විචාරණයක දී අනුමත කරන තෙක් නීතිය බවට පත් නොවිය යුතු බවද ඒ සහතිකයේ සදහන් විය යුතු බව 79වන ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ අවසන් විධානයේ දක්වා ඇත.

ඒ අනුව 2002 දී පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ගෙන ආ 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනයේ වසරකට පසු පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවීම ජනාධිපතිවරයා වළක්වන විධිවිධානය 2015 දී පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ගෙන ආ 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනයේද ඇති හෙයින් එකී විධිවිධාන පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ 2/3 ඡන්දයෙන් සම්මත වූ අවස්ථාවේ 79 ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ අවසන් විධානය අනුව “ජනතාව විසින් ජනමත විචාරණයක දී අනුමත කරන තෙක් නීතිය බවට පත් නොවිය යුතු බවට” වන සහතිකයක් එවකට සිටි කථානායකවරයා විසින් යෙදිය යුතුව තිබුණි.

79 ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ අවසන් විධානය අනුව කථානයකවරයා 2015 පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ගෙන ආ 19යට සිය සහතිකය යොදා නැති බවත්

(“ජනතාව විසින් ජනමත විචාරණයක දී අනුමත කරන තෙක් නීතිය බවට පත් නොවිය යුතු බවට”) සහ 80.2 ව්‍යවස්ථාව අනුව 19ය නීතියක් වී නැති බවත්  රට හමුවේ එළිදරව්වූයේ 2018.12.13 දින ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේ විනිසුරුවරු 7 දෙනාගේ තීන්දුව සමගය.එතෙක් එනම් 2018.12.13 දින ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණ තීන්දුව තෙක්  19යේ තිබූ 33.2.(ඇ) අනුව්‍යවස්ථාව මගින් 70 ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ ඇති පාර්ලිමේන්තුව ව්සුරුවිය නොහැකි වසර 4 1/2 සීමාව යටපත්වන බව ජනාධිපතිවරයාට සහ ජනතාවට උපකල්පනය කරමින් සිටීමට අවස්ථාව තිබුණි. එහෙත් ඒ උපකල්පනය වැරදි බව මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන ජනාධිපතිවරයාගේ පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවීමේ ගැසට්ටුව අවලංගු කරමින් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය ලබාදුන් 2018.12.13 දිනැති මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් නඩු තීන්දුවෙන් සනාථ වේ. එනම් පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවීමට ජනාධිපතිට අමතර බලතල ඇති 33.2.(ඇ) අනු ව්‍යවස්ථාව 70 වයවස්ථාවට යටත්ව කියවිය යුතු බවට ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය තීරණය කිරීමෙන් පසු ජනාධිපතිට හෝ ජනතාවට තව දුරටත් සිය උපකල්පනවල සිටිය හැකි නොවේ.

2018.12.13 දින ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය විසින් මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන ජනාධිපතිවරයාගේ පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවීමේ ගැසට්ටුව අවලංගු කිරීමත් සමග 2015 දී කථානායකවරයා 19ට සහතිකය යොදා අත්තේ 33.2.(ඇ) ව්‍යවස්ථාව මගින් 70 ව්‍යවස්ථාව යටපත් නොකරන අවස්ථාවකය. එනම් 2002 දී පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ඉදිරිපත් කළ 19යට ලබා දුන් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණ තීරණය උල්ලංඝනය කරමින් 2015 දී කථානායකවරයා 19යට 79 ව්‍යවස්ථාට සහ 80 ව්‍යවස්ථාවට පටහැනිව සහතිකය යොදා ඇත.

ඒ අනුව 2018.12.13 ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණ තීරණය මගින් පාර්ලිමේන්තුව විසුරුවීම අවලංගු කිරීමත් සමග එවකට ධූරය දරමින් සිටි කථානයකවරයාට කිරීමට තිබුණේ 2015 සිටි කථානායකවරයා සිදු කළ වැරැද්ද නිවැරදි කරමින් එනම් 79 ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ අවසන් විධානය අනුව නිවැරදි සහතිකය යොදා එනම් “ජනතාව විසින් ජනමත විචාරණයක දී අනුමත කරන තෙක් නීතිය බවට පත් නොවිය යුතු බවට” වන සහතිකය යොදා 80.2 අනු ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ දක්වා ඇති ආකාරයට 19වන ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය  නීතියක් කිරීමට අවශ්‍ය ඉදිරි පියවර ගැනීමය.

එනම් 2015 සම්මත වූ 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පතට

80.2 ව්‍යවස්ථාව අනුව ජනමත විචාරණයක් මගින් ජනතාව අනුමැතිය ලබා දීමෙන් පසු ජනාධිපතිගේ සහතිකය තබා නීතියක් බවට පත් කිරීමට අවස්ථාව ලබා දීමය.

2015. 12.13 ධූරය දැරූ කථානායකවරයා ඒ යුතුකම ඉටු නොකළ අතර එවකට පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ විපක්ෂ නායකවරයා හෝ වෙනත් මන්ත්‍රීවරයෙක් ඒ පිළිබද කථානායකවරයාගේ අවධානය යොමු කිරීමද සිදු නොකළේය.

19යට දැන් කළ යුත්තේ කුමක්ද?

2015 කථානායකවරයා විසින් 19යට සහතිකය යෙදීමේදී සිදු කර ඇති වැරැද්ද නිවැරදි කිරීමට තවමත් අවස්ථාව ඇත. ඒ 19 ඉවත් කිරීමට හෝ සංශෝධනය කිරීමට කියා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ මන්ත්‍රීවරුන්ගේ කැමැත්ත ලබා ගැනීමෙන් නොව 19යට සහතිකය යෙදීමේදී කථානායකවරයා සිදු කර ඇති ව්‍යවස්ථානුකූල වැරැද්ද නිවැරදි කිරීමෙනි. එනම් 79 ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ අවසන් විධානය අනුගමනය කරමින් “ජනතාව විසින් ජනමත විචාරණයක දී අනුමත කරන තෙක් නීතිය බවට පත් නොවිය යුතු බව” ට වන සහතිකය තබා 80.2 අනු ව්‍යවස්ථාව අනුව නීතියක් බවට පත් කිරීමට 19වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන පනත් කෙටුම්පතට අවස්ථාව සැළසීමය.

එය පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ කථානායකවරයාට සහ ජනාධිපතිවරයාට පහුවෙන් කළ හැකිය.

නීතිඥ අරුණ ලක්සිරි උණවටුන 2020.03.16

අන්තර් සමාගම් සේවක සංගමය

ගරු ජනාධිපති
ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්‍ෂ මැතිතුමා,
ජනාධිපති ලේකම් කාර්යාලය,
කොළඹ 01.

ගරු ජනාධිපතිතුමනි,
කොරෝනා වෛරසය වැළැක්වීමේ අරමුණින් රාජ්‍ය හා පෞද්ගලික අංශ සඳහා දෙනු ලබන නිවාඩුව සම්බන්ධවයි

කොරෝනා වෛරසය ව්‍යාප්ත වීම වැළැක්වීමේ අරමුණින නිරෝධායන කි‍්‍රයාවලියට ජනතාවගේ සහයොගය ලබාගැනීම සඳහා 2020 මාර්තු 16 දනි නිවාඩු දනි යක් ලෙස රජය විසනි ප‍්‍රකාශයට පත කරන ලද අතර, එම නිවාඩවු වෙළඳ නවි පාඩුවක් ලෙස පෞද්ගලික සමාගම්, කඩසාපප් ඇතුලූ පෞදග් ලික අංශයේ සියලූ ආයතන වෙත ද ලබාදීමට කටයුතු කරන මෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිමු.

මෙරට ලක්‍ෂ 40 කට අධික ප‍්‍රමාණයක සේවය කරන පෞදග් ලික අංශයේ, සමහර සෙව් ස්ථාන වල 500 කට අධික ප‍්‍රමාණයක් සීමිත භූමි ප‍්‍රදේශයක සේවය කරනු ලබන අතර, නිදහස් වෙළඳ කලාප ආශ‍්‍රිතව සේවකයින් 30000-40000 ක් පමණ සේවයේ යෙදෙති.

එබැවින්, නිරොධායන කි‍්‍රයාවලියේ අරමණු මුළු සමාජයම එම ක‍්‍රියාවලයි ට සම්බන්ධ කර ගැනීම බැවින් මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන රජයේ නවාඩු ප‍්‍රකාශයට පත්කිරීමේදී පෞද්ගලික අංශයට ද අදාල වන ලෙස එම නිවාඩුව ගැසට් කිරීමට අදාල අංශ වෙත ඔබතුමාගේ උපදෙස් ලබාදෙන ලෙස ගෞරවයෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිමු.

එසේම අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවාවන් හි යෙදෙන යම් සේවක පිරිසක් සිටී නම්, ඔවුන්ට කොරොනා වෛරසය වැළඳීම වැළැක්වීමට අවශ්‍ය උපදෙස් හා පහසුකම් ලබාදීමට පියවර ගැනීමට අදාල අංශ වෙත උපදෙස් හා නියෝග ලබාදෙන ලෙස ද ගෞරවයෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිමු.

ස්තූතියි.

මෙයට,
අන්තර් සමාගම් සේවක සංගමය වෙනුවෙන්
වසන්ත සමරසිංහ
සභාපති

By Wang Wenwen Source:Global Times Published:

The novel coronavirus epidemic has exposed the deep-seated bigotry and substandard manner of some American elites.

While China has made enormous sacrifices to contain the spread of the epidemic, and when China’s successful practice has gained other countries sufficient time to be alerted and prepared, some Americans just seek xenophobia and finger-pointing to generate more fear and anxiety instead of finding real solutions, an approach that’s very American.

Tucker Carlson, a political commentator and host of the nightly talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News, nastily called the coronavirus “Chinese coronavirus” and blamed China for the global spread of the virus and its negative impact worldwide.

Carlson, like other China bashers, spares no effort in rolling out xenophobia and racism. And this is not the first time that the Americans have done so.

Racism was rampant in the US in the 1800s after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was passed. It was based on the false belief that decreased wages and economic difficulties the West Coast was facing was because of Chinese workers. More than 200 years have passed, yet arrogance and ignorance still linger in American minds that catalyze in racist and irresponsible remarks.

Let the US elite be aware that no Chinese called the 2009 pandemic of H1N1 “an American influenza.” The outright racist hate from then to now shows that US society remains as closed and US elite as narrow-minded as always.

Unsurprisingly, Carlson did not stop there. On his show, he called China’s manufacturing of daily necessities the American people need, or almost everything, as extortion by China, which he thinks is “the existential threat” the US faces.

Well, if the lives of ordinary Americans really matter to Carlson, he should be familiar with the entertaining account of a US writer 12 years ago about how her family struggled without made-in-China goods for a year. Perhaps nowadays American families cannot do without made-in-China goods for a day. The good value of Chinese products has enabled a large number of Americans to afford a middle-class life.

Since US President Donald Trump came to power, he has chanted bringing back manufacturing to the US, but he must have found it difficult because his country does not have the system and all of the supply chain it needs to stage a comeback of manufacturing.

The rampant spread of the virus has provided an excuse for some to lambast China. Given the nature of viruses, any outbreak of a virus can evolve into a global public health crisis if countries do not address it in a timely and serious manner. The US government does not, obviously.

And what suggestions would the US elite like to offer? Disregarding China’s effective and useful measures to contain the spread of the virus and its bearing of risks to resume work for the sake of the Chinese economy and the global supply chain, they only hype the so-called China threat and politicize everything China does.

Unfortunately, this has been the American way, in the past and it continues today.

The author is an editor with the Global Times. wangwenwen@globaltimes.com.cn

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• Fox host hits new low on politicizing disease

Analysis by James Griffiths, CNN

Hong Kong (CNN)China’s Communist Party wants more gratitude for its handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak.Speaking Friday, Wang Zhonglin, party chief of Wuhan, the virus-hit capital of Hubei province, said that people in the city — much of which remains on lockdown — were not appreciative enough.It is necessary, Wang reportedly said, “to carry out gratitude education among the citizens of the whole city, so that they thank (President Xi Jinping), thank the Chinese Communist Party, heed the party, walk with the party, and create strong positive energy.”His comments attracted widespread criticism online, and have since been mostly scrubbed by the censors, though some state media reports including the quote remain accessible. Yet while Wang appears to have gone too far in the eyes of many — creating a public relations headache the propaganda apparatus had to clean up — the sentiment he was expressing is nevertheless widely shared.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/10/asia/china-coronavirus-propaganda-intl-hnk/index.html