KAMALIKA PIERIS

This essay looks at the bungling that took place in the conduct of Eelam war 11 (1990-1995) and Eelam War    III (1995-2002). This was no ordinary bungling. It was calculated bungling. War campaigns were planned in such a way that the LTTE would win. The government launched battles that the army would lose. Experienced officers and fine soldiers were made to die in battle. This was a calculated plan to engineer a LTTE ‘victory’. 

The war preparations of the Sri Lanka army during Eelam war II and III were highly questionable.  Since the Sri Lanka Army did not have a strong military presence in the north. The authorities decided to set up camps in strategic areas. There were camps at Omanthai, Mankulam, Kokavil, Elephant Pass and Jaffna Fort along the A9 road. There were also camps at Palaly, Pooneryn, Mullaitivu, and Thalladi (Mannar).  Mankulam and Kokavil were isolated camps inside enemy territory.

Sri Lanka army arrived in the north, by air or sea, watched by the LTTE. The army then proceeded to set up highly visible, vulnerable camps in the Vanni and the Jaffna Peninsula,   in full sight of the LTTE army. Army camps were established in Jaffna and Vanni and then left to the mercy of the LTTE, observed Kamal Gunaratne.

 The army set up a High-Security Zone at Palaly, which included Palaly airport, Palaly air force base and Kankesanturai harbor. LTTE constructed bunkers and defense fortifications all around it and the army was confined to its HSZ. At Pooneryn too, the army was stuck inside the camp. The rest of the area was controlled by LTTE.    Maintaining Pooneryn was a problem. Was it necessary to have an army camp at Pooneryn at all, I asked Kamal Gunaratne?

Mullaitivu was even worse. Mullaitivu camp was surrounded on all sides by the LTTE. LTTE was always dominant in Mullaitivu.  Mullaitivu camp was a heavy burden on the navy, observed Kamal Gunaratne. 

 Mullaitivu had a beach in the east, Nanthikadal lagoon in the west and a large open paddy field in the south. The army had no cover at all. There was no natural cover either since most of the trees had been cut down to make bunkers.

The fortifications at  Mullaitivu were highly defective. A large camp should have several successive defense lines with the second line 250 to 300 meters behind the first. In Mullaitivu, the distance was only 50 meters.  The trenches were difficult to maintain. Soldiers spent much effort in daily digging out the sand which constantly filled the trenches.  There was no fortification plan to stop the LTTE from getting to the trenches.

The minefield at Mullaitivu needed to be protected by a barbed wire fence. Mullaitivu had requested desperately and repeatedly for barbed wire, but HQ did not send any, forcing soldiers to use wires from lamp posts for makeshift fences.  The observation posts and listening posts in  Mullaitivu camp were in set positions. These were identified by the LTTE and avoided when entering the camp. 

It was thought that Mullaitivu camp was protected by an impregnable minefield.  Later they found just 2 anti-personnel mines in the 400 meters when there should be at least 800 mines. LTTE must have removed the rest. The sappers who were expected to check the entire minefield and submit a monthly status report had said everything was in order.

No arrangements have been made for the defense of these camps, which were like sitting ducks for the LTTE. None of the camps along A9 had the ability to resist a major onslaught. We had not considered how they would face an impending attack, said Kamal Gunaratne. Army camps did not have the personnel and ammunition they needed.

 The camps were only given token troops. Mullaitivu camp started with a nominal army, a small detachment manned by armored corp. Later it had two battalions.  That too was insufficient.  Mullaitivu should have had an experienced, fearless leader, said Kamal Gunaratne.    Mankulam had two platoons and Kokavil had just one.

Pooneryn was guarded, not with highly trained battle-ready personnel but an average infantry company with little training. When Pooneryn was under attack,  the troops included  285 new recruits with no experience at all, sent to this volatile area for their basic training.

For the LTTE  to win Eelam wars, it was necessary that the Sri Lanka army be soundly defeated.   The Sri Lanka army had a well-trained force. It was necessary therefore reduce the strength of this force. The strongest units had to be weakened first. The  Sri Lanka army had two crack units, the Commandos, and Special Forces. They were highly skilled, highly motivated, dedicated and lethal.

Commandos were trained for special operations. They should be sent in small groups to secretly enter LTTE front lines and offer deadly attacks. They should go on operations into the jungles, to ensure that LTTE could not infiltrate and identify our locations, said Kamal Gunaratne. Instead, they were used for face to face combat in battles that could have been easily handled by infantry battalions. It took one-and-a-half years to train a Commando or SF soldier, compared to the 6 months it took to train an infantry soldier, he said.

The elite 2CR Commando Regiment was sent to capture a small fortified village called Mannakulam” in 1997 during Jaya Sikurui. This battle could have been easily carried out by the infantry troops. It was a basic infantry operation not one for a special unit like commandos. As expected, LTTE  killed them all. The entire 2-Commando Regiment of  90 Commandos, was wiped out. It was the worst commando debacle in the war.

The Combat Rider Squadron,  which was a part of  Special Forces 1,   had been well trained by South African instructors and had scored many victories. They were highly successful in the east due to their speed, surprise, firepower, and skill.   In 1995, this Combat Rider Squadron was isolated in the east while the rest of the Special Forces One team were fighting Operation Riviera,  LTTE ambushed Combat Rider Squadron and killed 2 officers and 6 soldiers, including its Captain, successfully reducing the effectiveness of this unit.

In 1997, the authorities decided to create a seafaring battalion of the army,  using the Special Forces. The army and navy were both unhappy about this new plan. Sri Lanka army possessed well seasoned skilled and capable fighting force ground warfare. Why should they fight on the sea, when they should be fighting on land, the experts asked.

However, a regiment was established within the Special Forces. They trained at Maduru Oya and Trincomalee and went to Pulmoddai to gain experience. Sea Tigers were waiting. They launched an attack at Pulmoddai on 9^th September 1997 and killed five and wounded five, thus weakening the Special Forces. This was the end of the plan.  

Using  Jaya Sikurui,  the best infantry divisions were sent to locations where the LTTE could easily attack them.  Karappakutti was selected as the tactical headquarters of 53 Division.  53 The division was sent there just when it was clear that the next LTTE attack would be at Karappakutti. LTTE will hit Karappakutti next, predicted the military.  LTTE did. 

Thandikulam was chosen as a   headquarters for 55 Division. Thandikulam was close to Vavuniya where the LTTE was. LTTE  always attacked the headquarters first.  Therefore this was ‘an open invitation to LTTE to attack us’. LTTE attacked Thandikulam.

Elite infantry divisions were made to face combat together, in Jaya Sikurui, so that they were destroyed simultaneously. The headquarters of 55 and 56 Divisions were located close to each other at Kanagarayakulam, exposing both to simultaneous attacks. This was a violation of the principles of warfare. 53 and 55 Divisions were made to meet and advance together from Puliyankulam.  Experts did not like this because both would fall together.  At one stage in Jaya Sikurui, 53 Division and the entire reserve force were deployed for ground defense together. Around 2005, all the troops in Jaffna, 51,52, 53, and 55 divisions were on ground defense. None were kept in reserve.

The authorities made sure that the Sri Lanka Army would lose battles, and LTTE would be victorious. One tactic used by them was to delay sending reinforcements to camps that were under attack, or not send them at all.

The army units At Mankulam, informed HQ twice that a large scale attack on Mankulam was planned. HQ took no notice. At Elephant Pass, knowing that an attack was impending, fresh troops were asked for. They were not sent, instead, soldiers who had reported back from leave were sent. They needed fresh troops not a part of their own, observed Kamal Gunaratne.

At Silawatura (1991)  reinforcements were delayed.  The two battalions going in as reinforcement were giving various excuses, to delay their departure. When they came it was almost too late.

While  Silawatura was under heavy attack, recalled Kamal Gunaratne, the two battalions that had come as reinforcement was sleeping comfortably at Kokkupadayan just a few kilometers away. Instead of sleeping if they had pushed a few more kilometers and fought the LTTE, they could have helped us save ammunition. LTTE sent in wave on wave of attackers with guns blazing, rushing toward us with every possible weapon they could carry. They were trying to overrun the camp.

In 1990, as anticipated LTTE  launched a  huge attack on Kokavil camp. Kamal Gunaratne‘s team had arrived in Vanni, expecting to be sent to Kokavil which was under siege. But army HQ said that a commando group from the east would be sent instead. Kamal pointed out that it would take several hours for this. It would also take time for them to get a briefing and take off for Kokavil. By which time it would be almost dark. It was not possible to land at night with 30 soldiers in an unknown land and attempt to take a camp under siege.   What could 30 commandos’ do in three helicopters, once they landed and how were they going to get to the enemy area. Kamal said His troops could get there faster. He was told, we need to abide by the orders from HQ. The reinforcement delayed starting. When they finally got to the destination, the commando officer refused to launch an attack as it was dark.

Kokavil said the LTTE was getting closer, the number of dead and wounded were increasing, the camp was falling into the hands of the LTTE section by section. Air force gave support but could not halt the advance of the LTTE. Kokavil fell to the LTTE. 

Analysts were very critical. Army headquarters failed to reinforce the Kokavil detachment comprising two platoons in spite of Lt Aladeniya calling for reinforcements,  they said. Kokavil also ran out of ammunition. About 50 volunteers went down fighting at Kokavil. None of their bodies were recovered. Some of the captured volunteer Sinha Regiment personnel are believed to have been executed. Two soldiers who managed to escape by crawling through the LTTE cordon managed to reach the army base at Mankulam, situated north of Kokavil. According to them, those captured were burnt alive.

Sometime before   Mankulam camp was attacked, t Kamal Gunaratne ’s unit was taken out of Mankulam and sent to Vavuniya. It was replaced by the  Fifth volunteer force of Sri Lanka Light Infantry (5VSLLI). A well-experienced combat troop was replaced by an inexperienced volunteer force, observed Kamal Gunaratne.

Mankulam camp was attacked in 1998. There were clear signs of an impending attack. The radio transmission was increasing and a lot of  LTTE tractors and vehicles were arriving. We would be under attack in a couple of days, Mankulam said. Warnings were ignored at HQ.  Mankulam then told HQ  that LTTE  had built a huge fortification about 500 meters away from camp, covered with sandbags, for launching Pasilan mortars. HQ took no notice. Mankulam fell.

The authorities also held on to the Ammunition. Ammunition was not provided when asked for. At Mankulam the army warned that they did not have sufficient ammunition.  A measly  5000 rounds of small arms ammunition was sent. This was insufficient.

At Silawatura, ammunition was airdropped, most fell into enemy territory, 10 of the 15 bags ended up there. During the battle, Silawatura was short of mortars.  Pooneryn had only two MBTs ( Main battle tanks).  There should be a minimum of  4 MBTs for an operation. A squadron comprising three troops  should-haves 10 MBTs, said  Kamal Gunaratne. 

The authorities weakened infantry fighting ability in all sorts of ways. Raw recruits with hardy any training were given weapons and asked to guard FDLs. It was criminal to use these youths in this way, said Kamal Gunaratne .  At  Jaya Sikurui one set of bunkers was manned by just two inexperienced officers. Squadrons were split into smaller units. mediocre officers were sent for training. 

Some battalions were given absentees or deserters. They lacked training as well as fighting spirit. It is difficult to manage such a battalion. Deserters simply abandoned posts. Also, the negativity of the deserters dampened spirits. 

During Jaya Sikurui  (1997-1999)  the authorities closed down all training centers and assigned the instructors and other staff to active duty. We needed to send new recruits for training, but training schools were closed, observed Kamal Gunaratne.   On the other hand, the instructors who had earlier belonged to different units,  now lacked the cohesiveness needed in battle.

During Jaya Sikurui, the army took persons from the school cadet corps into the volunteer force. They were mainly teachers without any proper military training.  Most were elderly and not fit for war. ‘Suddenly this group of teachers became senior officers of the Volunteer force.’ This caused a split among the officers and much displeasure.  It led to repercussions later, observed Kamal Gunaratne.

There was a dearth of officers in Jaya Sikurui’s time. So the army started promoting corporals and sergeants to officer grades. The battalion were given mandatory quotas that they could not meet, so clerks, buddies of senior officers and inexperienced soldiers were recommended.    Corporals and sergeants did not make good officers. They were given 1 ½ months officer training but it was totally inadequate. Also this created vacancies at the junior leadership level, a critical component for success in the battlefield. The result was a lack of leadership at all levels. This was an important issue in Jaya Sikurui.

   The Sri Lanka army was at a great disadvantage, in the north because they were fighting an enemy who was comfortably ensconced in its own territory and knew the area intimately.  LTTE  held the advantage. LTTE was a resident in the north. They had lived all their lives in the north and knew the terrain intimately. They were familiar with jungles and the seas around  North and east. The main LTTE jungle complex the 14 Base”  was situated in the lush jungle north of Weli Oya. They did not need to carry their food, clothes, medicines everywhere they went. Those items were kept at home. The LTTE was used to Jaffna’s hot climate. The Sri Lanka army was not. ( Continued)

by Asanga Abeyagoonasekera

No longer were there individual destinies?; only a collective destiny. Made for plague and emotions shared by all.” Albert Camus

In 430 BC, an entire chapter of the Peloponnesian war documented by the Greek historian, Thucydides was about a deadly epidemic. According to him, while Athenians prepared for war with Sparta, its course changed dramatically due to a plague. First, Athenians believed it was the work of Spartans who have poisoned their waters, but eventually understood it was a plague. Over the course of history, epidemics have wiped out villages, populations and devastated and transformed empires. They wield much more power than any other security threat that could enter our society and today we all directly confront this threat. While many nations and political leaders marched towards embracing ultra-nationalist sentiments, believing their national interest is important than the other nations, will eventually understand with the growth of the outbreak the importance of transnational cooperation and building trust among nations.

Wuhan is a city of 11 million people. It is described as a city geographically at the very heart of China. It is roughly equidistant from the cities of Beijing and Guangzhou (Canton) on a north-south axis and also is equidistant from Shanghai and Chongqing on an east-west line. Currently, its residents are not allowed to move out of the city. San Fiorano is also barricaded and closed off from the outside world with nine neighbouring towns close to Milan that were the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. Italian Prime Minister[i] says This is Italy’s darkest hour” as lockdown in the northern regions and riots break out in prisons and country is facing the biggest challenge since the second world war.

The Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic has spread in 114 countries, as of 11th March there are 118,000 confirmed cases with 4291 deaths from around the world. The outbreak is declared a pandemic by the world health organization. The daily developments of the outbreak are similar to the incidents illustrated in Albert Camus’s 1947 novel ‘The Plague[ii]’. Seen as a parable about the German occupation of France the plot holds a far much deeper significance to everyday life through chronicling an outbreak in the North African city of Oran. While people suffer from death and isolation, Camus wonders what it means to resist a challenging environment and outlines human courage through a profound optimism about human nature to rise from difficult moments through small kindnesses and solidarity. Just like the authorities blocking people of Oran, police have barricaded the entrance to the Italian town and anyone who attempting escape the blockade faces up to three months in prison or a fine of up to 206 euros ($223). It is as if I am going through the pages of Camu’s chronicle when witnessing the human suffering documented from around the world. Given the current trajectory of the spread, it is poised to reach other cities which could follow the similar oppressive containment methods. It’s worth preparing for the worse. 

Distrust and Cooperation 

China is the primus inter pares among the developing countries. As an emerging power with significant economic strength, it is facing a security dilemma with the exiting global power, the United States of America. Apart from the heightened trade war between the two nations and security concerns of Chinese products, another new dimension of conflict inhibiting the dire need for cooperation during epidemics is added to the agenda.

While some reports were published misleading that the virus was a biological weapon either from laboratories in Wuhan or US inflicting Wuhan. Apart from nuclear weapons, China and the US engage in defensive biological warfare research for strategic deterrent or weapons of last resort. Distrust between the two nations at a time like this could aggravate this misleading information. What is required is to strengthen military to military bio-defence cooperation[iii] and trust and transparency between the two to minimize future hazards. Nations will require to work side by side to confront challenges from epidemics. Despite US-China trade wars, it’s also an opportune time to strengthen collaboration for global health and epidemic preparedness.

Globalization in action

Was this a ‘black swan[iv]’ moment? A random and unpredictable event. Michele Wucker got it right by calling it a ‘grey rhino[v]’ moment which is highly probable but neglected threats that have an enormous impact. No matter how powerful the nation, epidemics have no borders. The last time China had a similar outbreak was in in 2003 when the SARS epidemic which took many lives and weakened the economy even at its 10% growth rate. This time the Chinese economy is at 6% growth and the nation will face difficulty to introduce a stimulus with the current deficit. According to Reuters[vi] China’s economic growth is expected to slow to 4.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2020—the slowest pace since the 2008 financial crisis and could cost the global economy $1.1 trillion in lost income[vii]. The disease will reshape economies around the world. It has already impacted the oil prices which had the worst fall since the 1991 US invasion of Kuwait[viii].

The estimates of the degree of infection are on the rise and this would directly impact the Chinese economy and the entire global trade. It’s commendable that the Chinese authorities have been transparent, sharing the DNA of the virus, unlike the previous SARS epidemic. In any government, the administrative capacity and competency could be weighed at a time of crisis, particularly at a time like this, so far Chinese authorities have proven their ability to follow the correct procedures and cooperate with the global community to overcome the challenges. At the beginning, there was lapses and delay of acknowledgement by the authorities. As clearly explained by Jennifer Bouey Senior Policy Researcher at RAND Corporation the first common feature response of SARS and 2019-nCoV is the delay in acknowledging the initial case cluster to be a public health threat. If we recognize that stability is what the Chinese political system values most, and an acute public health threat, such as an epidemic, is precisely the black swan” that can threaten such stability, then it is not too difficult to understand the Chinese government’s reluctance toward acknowledging an epidemic. China’s law prohibits anyone from talking about a public health threat before an official government announcement”[ix].

Unlike in 2003, China is more globalized with around two hundred thousand people a day in and out of the mainland resulting in a higher degree of risk for the outbreak. It is also a time of globalization in action, spreading the virus from one remote corner to another faraway city in a few hours. Unlike in the 1970s where 310 million passengers travel from the air, presently, the number of air travels is in billions[x] for a year. Marc Lipsitch[xi] Harvard University epidemiologist coronavirus says the virus “will ultimately not be containable” and, within a year, will infect somewhere between 40 and 70 per cent of humanity, But don’t be too alarmed. Many of those people won’t have severe illnesses or even show symptoms at all”. 

Sri Lankan economy, navigating the global shocks 

In Sri Lanka, there was one Chinese traveller found positive, treated and sent back to China. Seen as a significant achievement by the authorities, the Health Minister took the front page of the news, not realizing its not the end but the beginning of many more to be diagnosed in the coming days. Along with the news cycle, the public focus will shift in a few days to upcoming Parliamentary election which will the cost taxpayers some several billion amidst the global outbreak and global economic slowdown which has already hit the tourism industry.

Sri Lankan economy which is at the lowest growth rate in South Asia will have further effects from the coronavirus. The tourism industry went through a hard recovery after the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks and while it was recovering was hit by Coronavirus. Chinese tourist visiting the Island will drop and Chinese infrastructure projects will also face some impact from the construction workers. Depending on the global impact on supply chains and how soon things will be back to normal, the Sri Lankan economy would have to navigate the shocks in the global arena. A caution on recent irrational government policies in the international arena UNHRC and turning down the US MCC loan, decisions are taken for the sake of elections will have ripple effects in post-elections, especially with the prevailing global economic slowdown. 

Coronavirus Election and the National Security Policy for Sri Lanka

While the government in power is seeking 2/3rd majority in Parliament in the upcoming Parliamentary elections in April, the political environment will be different from the past elections. You could call it a Coronavirus election. Should there be elections with the global pandemic? Regardless of the global health hazard, does the Government encourage public gatherings? Why can’t the Government postpone elections? Are some useful questions to carefully think twice? Government efficiency and President’s unilateral decision making on managing the epidemic will be a factor. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who came to power projecting a national security threat from the Easter Sunday bombings will face another form of global security threat. Responding to disease outbreak is a multifaceted effort by the whole of Government. It involves provincial and local level to Mayors.

Successfully managing the spread of the virus relies on the efficiency of the overall system of government, not one individual. Has Sri Lanka prioritized who receives virus test? How fast the results could be delivered? Who is responsible to sanitize public transit places? How effective and efficient are the quarantine facilities managed? are some vital questions that require answers. The Government’s efficiency of managing the crisis will be a daunting challenge which will lead to building trust with the general public and the system in place which will eventually secure the vote in the coming election. A slight lapse or mismanagement would have a drastic public reaction and outcome.

We must understand this new reality to reduce the risk of future epidemics. Having a security policy is an essential ingredient that can add value to the process of preparedness during a national security crisis. National Security Policy (NSP) will capture the holistic security threats (health, climate, economic etc) to the nation in the next several years. An NSP was compiled at the National Security Think Tank(INSSSL) during last three years with several military experts from tri-forces along with the researchers and handed over to the Secretary Ministry of Defence General Shantha Kottegoda in 2019 October. According to the Sri Lankan National Security Policy which highlights that ‘a nation should develop the means and capacities to prevent and control epidemics that might cripple the country’. The document is worth circulating to the public and line Ministries for further inputs and development. Unfortunately, these documents go classified and not shared with the public just like the National Defence Policy (NDP) which was declassified and approved from the cabinet on November 11th 2019[xii]. Not many Sri Lankans know that the nation has a National Defence Policy. These policies belong to the people and not to a particular regime or individual, therefore it should be carried forward with improvements and amendments not to be hidden inside cupboards and shared with a restricted audience.

At a time with of a global crisis such as this with anxiety and uncertainty with multiple socio-political and economic shocks which could engulf distrust among nations what is required is cooperation, solidarity and acts of human kindness to each other. While epidemics teach us, a collective destiny is what we possess, we still tend to be fragmented and glued to our destiny securing our national interest, ignoring others.

*Asanga Abeyagoonasekera is the author of ‘Sri Lanka at Crossroads’ published by World Scientific Singapore(2019). He is a visiting lecturer for International Security at Colombo University and the former Director-General of the National Security Think Tank(INSSSL) under Ministry of Defence and former Executive Director of Kadirgamar Institute(LKIIRSS). Young Global Leader World Economic Forum.

End Notes:

  [i] https://www.ft.com/content/7e5ee68e-6200-11ea-b3f3-fe4680ea68b5

[ii] La Peste is a novel by Albert Camus, published in 1947

[iii] https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-03-05/us-chinese-distrust-inviting-dangerous-coronavirus-conspiracy

[iv]   Black Swan moment describes an event that comes as a surprise. The theory was developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 

[v] Grey Rhino concept was coined by Michele Wucker, a fellow YGL and policy analyst who came up with the term after the 2012 Greek financial crisis.

[vi] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/how-coronavirus-disrupts-global-value-chains/

[vii] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/19/coronavirus-could-cost-global-economy-1tn-in-lost-output

[viii] https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/09/business/oil-price-crash-explainer/index.html?utm_campaign=wp_todays_worldview&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_todayworld

[ix] Jennifer Bouey, Testimony presented before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation on February 5, 2020. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/testimonies/CT500/CT523/RAND_CT523.pdf

[x] 2018 was 4.2 billion air travel for the year https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.AIR.PSGR

[xi] https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-outbreak-could-hit-3-billion-adults-harvard-expert-2020-3

[xii] Approved by Government of Sri Lanka (Cabinet Paper No 19/3132/103/173) on 11th Nov 2019

දයා හේවාපතිරණ

ආචාර්ය සුදත් ගුණසේකර මහතා, අප ජනාදිපති තුමා වෙත යොමුකර ඇති ඉතා වැදගත් ඉල්ලීම් මෙන්ම, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා රටෙහි ජනාදිපති ලෙස සිටි කාලයෙහිදී මෙම සිහල බෞද්ධ රටෙහි අභිවුර්ධය සදහා ගතහැකිව තිබුන අවශ්‍යම පියවරයන්, අවස්ථාව තිබියදී පවා, ඉතා අදූරදර්ශී ලෙස අතපසු කිරීම නිසා, රටෙහි ඒකීය භාවයට සහ හෙළ බොදු සoන්ස්කෘතියෙහි උන්නතිය සම්බන්දයෙන් උද්ගතවී ඇති දැවැන්ත අභියොගයන් පිලිබන්දව එතුමා දක්වා ඇති සත්‍ය තොරතුරු, දේශප්‍රේමී සියලු දෙනා අනුමත කරන බව නොඅනුමානය.

 විශේෂයෙන් එතුමා දක්වා ඇති පහත සදහන් සත්‍ය තොරතුරු දේශප්‍රේමී සියලු දෙනාගේ-අවධානයට-යොමුවිය-යුතුය:

… ඉන්දියාව විසින් බලහත්කාරයෙන් අප හිසමත පටවනලද පළාත්සභා ශාපය සහ ඊට පදනමවූ 1987 ජේ.ආර්/රජීව් ගිවිසුමේ මූලික අරමුනවූයේ…. මේ රටතුල ඉන්දීය දෙමල ආධිපත්තිය තහවුරු කිරීම සදහා.. ඉස්ථිර පදනම දැමීමයි…

1987 සිට මේ දක්වාම මේ රට පාලනය කොටඇත්තේ…මොලයක් නැති පිරිසක්…. එවැනි පාලකයින් රජකරන රටක් සව්භාග්ය කරා ගෙනයන්නේ කෙසේද යන්න ඔබතුමාට දැනටමත් අවබෝධ වී ඇතයි අපි සිතමු…. එසේ නොවී එතෙක් මෙතෙක් මේ රටේ පහලවූ විශිස්ඨතම රාජ්ය පාලකයා ඔබතුමා වනු දැක්ම මුලුමහත් ජාතියේම අපේක්ශාවයි”….

…මහින්ද රාජපක්ශ අගමැතිවරයා 2010 මැතිවරණයෙන් පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ 2/3 බලය තිබිලත් මේ මර උගුල් දෙක අහෝසි නොකෙරීම සහ තව වසර දෙකක් තිබියදී 2015… මැතිවරණයකට යාමෙන් සිදුකරගත් මෝඩකම වැනි දේ නොකෙරීමට ඔබතුමාද වග බලාගනු ඇතැයි සමස්ථ ජාතියම දෑස් දල්වා බලාගෙන සිටී.

…ජාතිය ඉදිරියේ ඇති මේ මහා විනාශයෙන් මේ රටත් ජාතියත් බේරාගැනිමට ඔබට හැකි බව අපි දනිමු. එබැවින් මේ අවස්ථාවෙදි එසේ නොකළොත් ඔබද 1948 සිට මේ දක්වා මේ රට අගාධයට ගෙන ගිය දුගන්ද හමන දේශපාලක පරම්පරාවේ ගොඩටම වැටෙනු නියතය…”

…” වහාම මෙම (1987ජේ.ආර්/රජීව්) ගිවිසුම අහෝසි කොට රට හා ජාතිය මරණයෙන් බේරා ගනිමු. මේ ජාතික ශාපය හා ව්යසනය වහාම අහෝසි කරනවා වෙනුවට පලාත් සභා මැතිවරණ ගැන මේ දේශ පාලුවන් කතා කරන්නේ ඇයි? මෙය තීරණාත්මක දේශපාලන තීරණයක් වන අතර, මේ රට සහ එහි ජනතාවට ආදරය කරන ඔබ වැනි දේශප්රේමී රාජ්ය තාන්ත්රිකයෙකු මේ රටත් ජාතියත් බේරා ගැනීම සඳහා මෙකී ගිවිසුම අහෝසිකිරීමට වහාම පියවර ගත යුතුව තිබේ.එසේ නොකලහොත්, 1987 සිට මේ දක්වා මේ ප්‍රස්නයේදී ගොල්ලුවන්, බිහිරන් සහ අන්ධයින් මෙන් ක්‍රියා කල සෙසු සියළු දෙසන්පාලකයින්ටම විරුද්ධව නැගෙන චෝදනව හා සාපය ඔබතුමාටද එල්ලවනු ඇත… …”මෙම විනාශකාරී ඉන්දියානු උගුලෙන් මේ රට මුදා ගනු ලබන රාජ්ය නායකයා කිසි දිනෙක නොමැරෙන සදාකාලික ජාතික වීරයකු වනු ඒකාන්තය”….

      දයා හේවාපතිරණ

සමස්ත ලංකා ප්‍රවාහන සේවක සංගමය

ගරු ප‍්‍රවාහන අමාත්‍ය මහින්ද අමරවීර මැතිතුමා,
ප‍්‍රවාහන හා සිවිල් ගුවන්සේවා අමාත්‍යාංශය,
7 වන මහළ, සෙත්සිරිපාය,
බත්තරමුල්ල.

ගරු ඇමතිතුමනි,
මගී ජනතාවගේ ආරක්‍ෂාව සඳහාත් ශ‍්‍රී ලංගම සේවකයින්ගේ ආරක්‍ෂාව සඳහාත් ශ‍්‍රී ලංගම සියලූම රියදුරු කොන්දොස්තර මහතුන් හට මුඛ ආවරණ ලබාදීමට කඩිනමින් මැදිහත්වන ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිටීම.

මේ මොහොත වන විට අප රට තුල උද්ගත වී ඇති කොරෝනා වසංගතය නිසා ජනතාව ඉමහත් අසීරුතාවයන්වලට පත්වී ඇත. ශ‍්‍රී ලංගම සේවය කරනු ලබන රියදුරු කොන්දොස්තර මහතුන් දෙපළ දිනකට 1000 කට වඩා ජනතාව සමග අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම ඇසුරු කිරීමට සිදුවේ. බස් රථවල ගමන් කරන මගීන් පිළිබඳව විධිමත් අවබෝධයක් නොමැති නිසා ශ‍්‍රී ලංගම සේවකයින් ආරක්‍ෂා කර ගැනීම අපගේ වගකීමකි.

ආරෝග්‍ය ශාලාවල සේවය කරනු ලබන බොහෝ සේවකයින් මුඛ ආවරණ පැළඳ සිටිමින් සේවය කරයි. ඒ හා සමානවම ශ‍්‍රී ලංගම බස් රථවල සේවය කරන රියදුරු කොන්දොස්තර මහතුන්ද විශාල සේවාවක් ඉටු කරයි.

ගරු ඇමතිතුමනි,
මගී ජනතාවගේ ආරක්‍ෂාව සඳහා ශ‍්‍රී ලංගම සේවකයින්ගේ ආරක්‍ෂාව සඳහාත් ශ‍්‍රී ලංගම සියලූම රියදුරු කොන්දොස්තර මහතුන් හට අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම මුඛ ආවරණ ලබාදීමට කඩිනමින් මැදිහත්වන ලෙස අප සංගමය ඔබතුමාගෙන් ගෞරවයෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටින්නෙමු.

ස්තූතියි.

මෙයට – විශ්වාසී,
සේපාල ලියනගේ
ප‍්‍රධාන ලේකම්
සමස්ත ලංකා ප‍්‍රවාහන සේවක සංගමය

Dan Lee Dimke

The highly contagious virus that has caused “The COVID-19 Outbreak”, carries a significant vulnerability that may be immediately exploitable. In other words, this coronavirus can be stopped, far more easily than most people, and many health professional, realize. Dr. Dan Lee Dimke PhD, explains the science behind the fragile nature of this virus, and offers an easy, self-administered therapy that may hold the key to ending this outbreak quickly. (FULL Extended Version 16:45)

Courtesy Scroll.in

The prime minister said ‘prepare but do not panic’ was India’s motto as it tackled the virus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the video conference of SAARC nations to tackle coronavirus on Sunday. | BJP/Twitter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday proposed to set up a COVID-19 emergency fund for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation nations to help tackle the spread of the virus, and said India can initially offer $10 million, reported The Hindu.Modi had on Friday called on the other seven SAARC nations – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – to chalk out a strategy to fight the pandemic.

As we all know, COVID-19 has recently been classified by the World Health Organisation as a pandemic. So far, our region has listed fewer than 150 cases. But we need to remain vigilant,” Modi said in his opening address. I propose that we create a COVID-19 emergency fund. India can start by contributing $10 million.”

The Indian prime minister also listed out the country’s experience with the virus, and highlighted various measures taken to prevent its outbreak. We evacuated nearly 1,400 citizens, including some from our neighbouring countries,” Modi said. We recognize other countries are also concerned about safety of citizens in India. So we briefed foreign diplomats.”

Courtesy BBC

Sri Lanka has closed its border to travellers from the UK, affecting England fans who were still planning to visit the country despite the postponement of the two-Test series.

Even though Joe Root’s side arrived home on Sunday, a number of supporters intended to go ahead with holidays.

However, people from the UK, or who have travelled through the UK, will not be allowed into Sri Lanka from midnight local time on Monday.

Some fans are already in Sri Lanka.

Several more were set to depart in the coming days, with the first Test in Galle originally scheduled to have begun on Thursday.

Another, travelling with the official Barmy Army tour group, was held at Colombo’s Bandaranaike airport for several hours before being admitted to the country and told he would be the last to do so.

“One of our members, who was held at Colombo airport for several hours, has now been allowed in and has informed the Barmy Army that there will be no more flights following from the UK,” said Barmy Army managing director Chris Millard.

“We are aware that over 50 of our members are currently in Sri Lanka and several more have travelled over the weekend. Our official travel programme still had 20 members wanting to go on the trip as a holiday, even with the cricket cancelled, but their flights have now been cancelled too.

“We are in open communications with Sri Lanka Cricket, tour operators and airlines to try to help our members get home safely. If anyone is out there and wants to speak to us, feel free to get in touch.”

Courtesy TTG Media

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka.

The move effectively places the popular holiday hotspot off limits to British tourists.

The FCO made the announcement shortly after midday on Sunday (15 March), citing a decision by the Sri Lankan government to curb travel.

“The Sri Lankan government has decided people arriving from the UK, or having travelled through the UK, will not be allowed to enter Sri Lanka from midnight on 16 March (6.30pm UK time),” said the FCO.

“We therefore advise against all but essential travel if you are travelling from or via the UK.”

It comes after the FCO this weekend warned against all but essential travel to Spain and the US.

Courtesy ANI

New Delhi, Mar 15(ANI): While attending a video conference of all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries amid Coronavirus scare, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said, Our economy has taken serious blow, particularly tourism sector which was just recovering after last years’ terrorist attack. I strongly recommend SAARC leaders to formulate mechanism to assist our economies to tide over difficult period.”

MANO RATWATTE, USA Courtesy The Island

March 15, 2020, 8:50 pm

Your Sunday paper headlines speak of panic buying in Sri Lanka because of the Coronavirus. 

I can assure you it is no different in the US right now.  Almost all major Walmart and Target type super stores are out of toilet paper and all hand sanitizer products (gels and wipes), and people are buying up nonperishable goods in unusually large quantities. I witnessed that at four stores, when I went to buy my regular groceries for the week. I usually maintain stocks sufficient for one month. So, I did not need to engage in panic buying.  

Consider the pathetic incompetence of the US in responding to the coronavirus outbreak. I closely follow news from my motherland because I still have family and friends there. 

The President and health care professionals in Sri Lanka are doing a far better job than the pathetic inconsistencies of Donald Trump and his government. 

For weeks Trump mocked the concerns about the outbreak as “fake news” and claimed this was no big deal and how by April, when the weather warms up, COVID-19 would die off. He blamed Democrats for creating hysteria.  And then what did he finally do this week, much later? Declare a national emergency.  As of Friday March 13th, less than 15,000 have been tested in contrast to S. Korea and China, where hundreds of thousands have been tested. 

On Friday, President Trump and Pence lied about “1,700 Google engineers are working to launch a website soon”, and took a veiled potshot at the problem with the Obama administration’s rolling out of their health insurance website. Google tweeted their clarification  attached to this email.  Before that, for days he bragged about there being plenty of tests and that millions could get tested if they wanted to. Not so. The local Main OSF hospital in my town has ordered that NO ONE should be tested even if they showed symptoms. He also said insurance companies would waive treatment costs. Another falsehood! 

President Rajapaksa has been professional and not behaved like a thin skinned real estate agent taking potshots, lying, bragging and refusing to take responsibility for anything. When a journalist asked a tough question, Trump bristled by saying it’s a “mean question “.  Really what is that all about? Aren’t journalists supposed to ask tough questions?

Take the massive stock market panic after Trump gave an incoherent rambling address to the nation on Wednesday.  After the emergency was declared, the market had a very good recovery.  He claimed credit for the recovery on Friday, but not for the massive 19% two-day cumulative drop in the Dow Jones Index. 

Poor nations are faced with problems. But I have more faith in Sri Lankan efforts to combat this virus than in Trump’s belated efforts.

Please use common sense such as washing your hands frequently with soap and water. Practice social distancing. Look, the virus came to Sri Lanka from foreign tourists. You already have quarantine facilities and preparedness in place. Listen to the healthcare professionals. Do not spread rumours. Do not speculate. The more vulnerable segments are those over 60 years of age with underlying health problems like diabetes; and the most vulnerable are older people over 80 years of age. Please protect your elders. Do not panic. For younger people, the data shows it will be no worse than the flu.  What you should do if you suspect being infected, is to isolate yourself and STOP BEING SELFISH. 

I tip my hat to President Rajapaksa and his team for their rational logical approach to coping with this serious public health issue. I also thank the healthcare professionals and the military for responding to the crisis.  Learn from China. It’s already helping Italy, which is now ground zero for the pandemic. China and the WHO should be your main sources of information, not the US government.

After all, Billionaire Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma says he is donating 500,000 coronavirus testing kits and one million protective face masks to the United States. The Chinese billionaire already has pledged two million protective masks to European countries. A first shipment of test kits, medical supplies and 500,000 masks intended for Italy, which has been hard-hit by the virus, arrived at Liege Airport in Belgium late Friday. 

Sri Lankans are resilient people. There’s no need for superstition and religious mumbo jumbo, soothsayers and claims of miracle cures.  Appropriate quarantine efforts combined with common sense hygiene are your immediate prescriptions for limiting the spread of this virus in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government did the right thing by banning rallies, meetings, etc. Reduce human contact.  Stop taking rumours seriously.  

MANO RATWATTE, USA

by Saman Indrajith Courtesy The Island

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, yesterday, said the general election would be held on 25 April, as scheduled. He said so, participating in a video conference of SAARC leaders on Sunday evening. Pakistan was represented by the Health Minister of that country.

The SAARC leaders’ video conference was aimed at chalking out a strategy to combat coronavirus spreading in the region.

President Rajapaksa informed the SAARC leaders of the steps Sri Lanka had taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Modi said that though the number of COVID-19 patients reported from the region was not comparatively high, the situation had to be taken seriously and everything possible done to contain the pandemic, which, yesterday, caused Spain to effect a nationwide lockdown.

President Rajapaksa’s assurance that the general election won’t be postponed has come amidst speculation that the increasing number of COVID-19 patients being detected in the country and the suspension of political rallies and other such mass gatherings may affect the scheduled polls.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Health Ministry dispelled rumors that Colombo city or any other province will come under lockdown following a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients but added that preventive measures were being updated on a daily basis.
“As of now, there is no truth to Colombo being locked down. However our medical teams are closely monitoring the situation here and are making decisions which will benefit the citizens and prevent a public spread of the virus,” an official from the Health Ministry said.
A source from the President’s Office also denied the rumors stating that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had informed SAARC Leaders yesterday that he would ensure that the daily life of Sri Lanka citizens continue as most of those who were testing positive were in the quarantine centers.
“The President is aware that a majority of those who are testing positive are nationals who are returning from Italy in the quarantine centers. So up to now there has been no decision taken to lock down Colombo or any other province,” the source said.
The number of COVID-19 patients yesterday evening rose to 18 with the Health Ministry stating that more positive cases were likely to be reported in the coming days with the increasing number of Sri Lankan nationals returning from Italy and South Korea.
Over 4000 people are under self-quarantine in their homes and monitored by public health inspectors. (Jamila Husian)

Courtesy Adaderana

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today (15) proposed to leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to formulate a collective response to combat COVID – 19. He further called for SAARC Ministerial Meeting to discuss measures to overcome this deadly health threat.

President Rajapaksa made these proposals participating in a video conference with all SAARC leaders under the theme of SAARC Leader on Combating COVID – 19, Setting an Example to the World”, an initiative by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa noted that presently there are 11 confirmed cases in Sri Lanka.

Our biggest challenge is to stop or minimize the virus entering into Sri Lanka and control the spreading of the virus within Sri Lanka,” stated President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. For this purpose, we have banned tourists and other people from about 12 countries, especially some EU countries, entering in to Sri Lanka, following the guidelines and statistics relating to the spread of the virus, issued by the WHO. We have also banned tourists and others from South Korea and Iran coming to Sri Lanka.”
 
However, the challenge is with the Sri Lankan expatriate community wishing to return to Sri Lanka. We have a large number of Sri Lankans working in Italy and South Korea. We cannot stop these Sri Lankans coming back to their home country”. Therefore, the president explained that steps had been taken to subject those returning to Sri Lanka to a 14-day quarantine period in quarantine centers.  
 
President Rajapaksa explained that besides the IDH that is close to Colombo, 12 other hospitals have also been designated to treat suspected or confirmed cases. Those who show flu symptoms have been asked to self-quarantine whilst seeking medical attention. Both the police and the Public Health Inspectors are closely monitoring the progress of the suspected patients. Furthermore, a National Task Force with all major stakeholders empowered to make crucial decisions has been set up and meet on a daily basis with close and constant monitoring of all aspects relating to the spread of this deadly virus.
 
Like the other SAARC countries, Sri Lanka’s economy too had taken a nosedive, noted President. Most of our tourists are from Italy, Germany and other EU countries, and now there is a ban on their coming.  Our tourist industry was just recovering after last year’s April 21st terrorist attack. Our exports are also adversely affected. Therefore, I strongly recommend to the SAARC leaders to formulate a mechanism to assist our economies to tide over this very difficult period.” 

Today’s initiative by the Indian Prime Minister to address the CORVID 19 pandemic was greatly appreciated by all other SAARC leaders. This was an initiative to discuss with the SAARC leaders a roadmap to combat the virus.
 
PM Modi, as he opened the forum noted that our societies are deeply connected and thus we must be prepared together to face the challenges ahead.
 
We know we have a serious challenge ahead of us,” he observed. However, we still do not know the shape of the pandemic that we are to face in the coming days.’
 
He emphasized the need to be careful instead of panicking and that the threat should not be underestimated.
 
All the leaders spoke of their countries’ experience and the current status of the situation. While the situation is still within control, the austere measures taken to contain the virus had severely affected the economies. As the Bhutan Premier Dr. Lotay Shering noted, it is the smaller economies that have got hit disproportionately.
 
This was also attested by the President of Maldives Solih as he spoke of the effect on the Maldivian economy with the drastic decrease in the tourism sector. A quarter of Maldives’ GDP and two-thirds of their Foreign Exchange comes from tourism. In addition, almost all forms of employment in the Maldives are directly or indirectly related to the tourist industry. Even though there had been only 13 confirmed cases and no deaths yet, the industry had been declining since February.
 
At the conclusion of the conference, PM Modi advocated a joint effort to combat the challenges posed to the region by the virus. He proposed a CORVID 19 emergency fund for the SAARC countries can draw from to deal with the related issues. Contributing to this fund would be an entirely voluntary decision, said PM Modi. As a starting point though, he pledged USD 10 million, which through the India Foreign Ministry and related missionaries could be accessed.
 
PM Modi also assured shared resources and knowledge as medical expertise, testing kits, and other equipment as well as online training for health workers. He also advocated the use of existing facilities as available in SAARC disaster management.
 
President Rajapaksa reiterating the need to work together appreciated the Indian prime Minister’s offer especially when there is a shortage in testing kits worldwide. President also emphasized the need to create social awareness and the reasons behind government decisions to avoid misunderstandings or miscommunications. He also advocated the need for one central place to disseminate information or otherwise confusion will result. 

President Rajapaksa thanked PM Modi for taking this initiative to get all the SAARC leaders together to discuss this important issue. This sentiment was echoed by all other leaders and they too repeated that this should be a more frequent exercise.

Courtesy Adaderana

Individuals who conceal the fact that they have contracted COVID-19 will be sentenced to six months in prison, stated the Police.

DIG Ajith Rohana mentioned this at a special press conference held earlier this afternoon (15).

He added that steps will be take enabling arrest of such individuals without a warrant.

Further, the law will be strictly enforced against those who spread false rumors on the coronavirus through social media, he said.

Meanwhile, 23 individuals have been arrested over the spread of such false information on the virus.

While, the police would not act on private parties, in the event of a wedding, health instructions are to be strictly followed, Rohana added.

He also said that 7 officers who are informed on the quarantine process have been deployed to each police station in the country.

The police hotline 119 is available for the general public to inform in case of suspicion of having contracted the coronavirus.

Courtesy Adaderana

The government has introduced a hotline (117) for the public to seek or provide information on the novel coronavirus or COVID-19.

The hotline will be active from 8 pm tonight (15), stated the Department of Government Information.

Courtesy Adaderana

All flights to Sri Lanka from the United Kingdom, Norway and Belgium have been suspended from tomorrow (16).

The relevant travel restriction will be in effect for 2 weeks, stated the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

All airlines are strongly instructed not to board in any of their flights destined to Sri Lanka, any passenger who is either originating from the aforementioned states or who has been in any of those countries within the last 14 days.

Further, any passenger arriving from those countries on March 16 will be directed to quarantine centers, while there will be no quarantine for passengers who arrive in the country until midnight today (15).

Courtesy Adaderana

Steps will be taken to identify and quarantine those who had arrived in Sri Lanka from Italy and had not undergone a quarantine period, stated the Director-General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

Persons who had arrived in the country from Italy between the 1st and 9th of March will be identified for quarantine in this manner.

Dr. Jasinghe mentioned this at a joint television program conducted to educate the public on the current status of COVID-19 spread and control.

උපුටා ගැන්ම  හිරු පුවත්

ඩීල් කුමන්ත්‍රණයක් සම්බන්ධයෙන් සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස මහතා කළ ප්‍රකාශයක් පිළිබඳව හිටපු පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී පාලිත රංගේබණ්ඩාර මහතා අද ප්‍රතිචාර දැක්වූවා.

ඒ, සිරිකොත එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ මූලස්ථානයේ පැවති ප්‍රවෘත්ති සාකච්ඡාවකදීයි.

මේ අතර, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ හිටපු පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ශාන්ත අබේසේකර මහතා ඇතුළු පිරිසක් සමගි ජන බලවේගයට සහය පළකිරීම සඳහා අද එක්වුණා.

එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ උපනායක රවි කරුණානායක මහතාගේ සහය සමගි ජන බලවේගයට ලබාගැනීම සම්බන්ධ සාකච්ඡාවක් අද බත්තරමුල්ලේ පිහිටි ඔහුගේ නිවසේදී පැවැත්වුණේ, රාජිත සේනාරත්න, සුජීව සේනසිංහ යන මහත්වරුන් ඇතුළු පිරිසකගේ සහභාගීත්වයෙන්.

උපුටා ගැන්ම  හිරු පුවත්

අද ‘‘හාඩ්ටෝක් විශේෂාංගය තුළින් සෘජුවම ප්‍රශ්න කෙරෙන්නේ එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ හිටපු පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ලක්ෂ්මන් කිරිඇල්ල මහතාගෙන්.

Dr D.Chandraratna

Countless are the pieces written lamenting the madness at Diyawanna Oya in the past so many years. Editorials, opinion pages and features in this daily alone demanded a proactive approach to stem the declining standards of our Parliament.  There is no denying that if unchecked constitutional democracy becomes unworkable because the system rests on honour, dignity and morality as much as on rules and legalities. It has been noted even in western countries that declining standards have the tendency to promote authoritarian streaks in parliamentary regimes. Belying the democratic principle that every person has the right and the capacity to govern himself, this unencumbered right to choose the representatives is snatched by a plenitude of forces that have access to wealth and power. Where taxation systems and legal scrutiny are weak the criminal elements rush in, and Sri Lanka is the archetypal example on that count.

When standards have slipped, the sands of morality shifted the electors settle for less a fresh cycle of corruption becomes the new normal. Over the past decades it has become too hard to call the dishonorable out and instead of punishing them we have rewarded them with luxuries out of the public purse. The politicians we elect are not what they claim to be prior to election. Socrates may have said that ‘the greatest way to live with honour in this world is to be, what we pretended to be’, yet what we have are people in power not becoming what they pretend to be. The legislators of scant honour have forced their way and become successful through public life. The car park at Diyawanna Oya is a mirror to the world how the parliamentarians have taken the art of dishonorable activity to a nakedly new level, not seen in any other parliament in the world.

Sri Lankan politicians have become masters in buying their way to the Parliament except for a few men/women of honour. In 2020 we are asked to elect a different cohort of deputies, instead of the current lot who are described by our readers in colorful language.   In the last two days in this paper alone our so called ‘honorabilis’ have been called crooks, ruffians, antisocial, black monied, bond scammers, drug dealers, rejects, who inhabit a place called Diyawanna Oya, breeding as “mosquitoes” like in the marshes of Bellanwila. Dr Amaratunga wrote, (24/2) ‘(T)hey have squandered the country’s wealth, robbed its banks, made it almost a subject nation, brought it down to its knees and finally sold its assets’. Even those who shouted aloud-reestablishing democracy brought in political rejects through the National List, retrieved from the dustbin of politics, and appointed them Ministers. One can truthfully say that even the Parliamentary debates stank to high heaven in the past few weeks thanks to Ranjan Ramanayake’ antics. We Sri Lankans must be mad to spend so much of national wealth to hear such inanities and bring shame on those persons who decorated our Parliament in the past and set decent standards not second to the mother of Parliaments. The illustrious persons of the past who were universally accepted as luminaries are remembered fondly with gratitude.

Can we ever succeed in this parliamentary system in the future? My guess is that it can be changed but only gradually. Draining the swamp has to be in stages. For a start the current leaders cannot obviously avoid nominating the existing lot who helped to bring about the change. To reject some of the unsuitable to retire is not that easy without losing their vote banks. No sensible leader at the moment will knowingly commit hara-kiri. Secondly, the election law has to be tightened as to control election expenses but in doing so there are other hurdles to overcome. While you may ban the environmentally polluting stuff there must be ways of educating the public who do not access the print media as in the past.  If the election material is not advertised in the papers and the electronic media it will be unfair to those who run this essential public service on shoe string budgets. The electronic media has to be used however expensive it may be. The current system of electing deputies to the Parliament is therefore heavily skewed in favor of the monied rich and the temptation to make up the losses while in office is abundantly obvious. Understandably the parliament becomes a training ground to learn the art of robbing just as much Welikada is the school of criminal arts and psychedelic drugs.

The first step towards a possible change is the right implementation of the provisions pertaining to the National List.  If the National list is not abused in the manner of the previous President we can be a bit hopeful. I am dismayed by the EC chief’s illogical comment confusing the much-needed change to rid of the defeated entering through the back door, which seems to receive support from all parties. This provision as intended in our constitution can strengthen intelligence and professionalism required of parliamentarians and improve both legislative and executive efficiency and honesty. They will add substance to debates, improve policy discussion and contribute to national advancement. Also, the future may be brighter if the electoral law can be changed to reduce the number of parliamentarians both at the center and the periphery. We need to enact legal provision to prevent crossovers, which destabilizes democratic governance and party discipline.

Our life has been an exhausting long wait.

Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM  Wellington , New Zealand

The year under review literally began with a bang, a big bang that leftover three hundred dead and many more wounded. Yes, it was the Easter Day 2019 bombings. At a Sri Lankan gathering in Lower Hutt that evening a fellow Sri Lankan, a Sinhalese Buddhist if you would permit me, opined to me rather guiltily, don’t know whether an extremist Buddhist organization was behind this”. I immediately dismissed this as being unlikely considering the scale of the bombings, four almost simultaneous attacks at four different sites and suggested that it had to be from an organization with international backing. This was well before anything was known about the attackers.

However, in a very short while it dawned on me that if this suggestion was made to the NZ media it would go viral and if and when proved wrong, we would be playing catch up for a long time.

I was determined therefore to have first access to NZ media and considered it my obligation by USLA to do so. Knowing the way NZ media works, that very night I drafted a letter to the TV stations and News Papers and Radio outlets expressing NZ ‘s Sri Lankan community’s shock and horror at the event and expressed the hope that, if well managed, it would be a one-off event like the Christchurch Bombing” of just a month ago. I made my self available for any interviews to express these.

The following morning I followed up with calls to these agencies stating the same and managed to secure interviews with TV1 & TV3 six a clock main news that day, leaving no room for any mischievous speculations. President Palitha de Silva, I believe also fronted up before several radio stations. The rest is history.

I am pleased to submit that this illustrates the need for a vigilant USLA, to project the truth about significant events in Sri Lankan & so protect SL and USLA membership from unfounded allegations that ultimately reflects on ourselves.

The rest of the year has been less demanding.

This year also saw a change in administration in SL with the installation of a new administration whose thinking is more in keeping with USLA’s, over its lifetime. However, this itself brings about more challenges from the powerful might of the Tiger Diaspora with its abundant war chest ever conniving to use it on journalists to generate well-manicured information & events appearing to be fair and objective but deep down highly partisan, & inimical and detrimental to Sri Lanka’s interests. This is also encouraged by Sri Lanka’s political opposition and it’s diaspora, mindful more of the political gain for themselves and not it’s a detriment to Sri Lanka.

Such an event happened in December 2019 a few weeks after the installation of the new President. I refer to the apparent abduction of an employee of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo, immediately presented to the media and public as a return to the White Van” era. This concern was raised to me by even a USLA a stalwart the next day. Thankfully, this time the government of the day went to great lengths to expose the event as a shameful staging to discredit SL. This finding appears to have gained international credence, sparing the need for efforts from USLA.

Another event worth noting that may generate work for USLA, in the coming year was the withdrawal in March ’20, from the sponsorship of the infamous UNHCR resolution that censured Sri Lanka’s Ranaviru without any basis, essentially for the crime of rescuing SL from three decades of Tiger Terror. Much as it has been a cause for all patriotic Sri Lankans to be thankful for, it would be an even greater anathema to others. As we speak, no doubt, the Tiger Diaspora’s ill-gotten war chest must be working overtime to generate rumor and allegations, with no basis, but presented cleverly couched in a veneer of objective analysis, to tarnish this achievement and with it Sri Lanka.

Time will tell.

Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM 9.3.20 Wellington , New Zealand

nethnews

කොරෝනා වෛරසය වැලදී ඇති බවට තහවුරුවූ කන්දකාඩු නිරෝධායන මධ්‍යස්ථානයේ සිටි පුද්ගලයින් දෙදෙනා ඉතාලියේ සිටියදීම පෙනඩෝල් වැනි ඖෂධ පානය කොට මෙරටට පැමිණ ඇති බව සෞඛ්‍ය අධ්‍යක්ෂක ජනරාල් වෛද්‍ය අනිල් ජාසිංහ ප්‍රකාශ කරයි.

” මෙම පුද්ගලයින් දෙදෙනා මිලානෝ නුවර සිට ගුවන් ගතවෙන්න ඉඩ ලැබී නැති නිසා එතැන සිට වාහනයකින් සැතපුම් 800ක් ගොස් එහි සිට ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණ තිබෙනවා.

ඔවුන් ඉතාලියේ සිටියදීම උණ ගතියෙන් පෙලීම නිසා පෙනඩෝල් වැනි ප්‍රති ජීවක ඖෂධ පානය කරලා ඇගේ උණ ගතිය් යටපත් කර ගෙන තිබෙනවා. ඒ ගුවන් තොටුපලේදී සිදුකරන පරීක්ෂාවෙන් බේරෙන්න.

මොවුන් ලංකාවට පැමිණියාට පස්සේ රජයේ නිරෝධායන වැඩසටහනට යන්න බැහැ කියලා කටුනායක ගුවන් තොටුපලේදී විරෝධය පලකරලා තිබෙනවා. ඒ අවස්ථාවේදී මේ පුද්ගලයින් දෙදෙනා එම ස්ථානයේ සිටි අනෙක් පුද්ගලයින් සමග ලංවෙලා ඉදලා තියෙනවා.

නමුත් මෙම පුද්ගලයින් දෙදෙනා ඔවුන්ගේ රෝගී තත්ත්වය කටුනායක ගුවන් තොටුපලේදීවත් හෙළි කරලා නැහැ.

පසුව එම පුද්ගලයින් දෙදෙනා තවත් 16 දෙනෙක් සමග බස් රථයකින් කන්දකාඩු නිරෝධායන මධ්‍යස්ථානයට රැගෙන ගොස් තිබෙනවා.

මෙම පුද්ගලයින් දෙදෙනා කොරෝනා රෝගීන් බවට තහවුරු වීමත් සමග ඔවුන් සමග සිටි අනෙක් පුද්ගලයින් 16 දෙනා යුධ හමුදාවේ සහයෙන් මේ වන විට හඳුනාගෙන ඔවුන්ව වෙනම රඳවා තිබෙනවා.

ඔවුන් නිරෝධායනයට ලක් නොවී නිවෙස් වලට ගියා නම් ඇතිවෙන තත්ත්වය මිට වඩා වෙනස් වෙන්න තිබ්බා” වෛද්‍ය අනිල් ජාසිංහ පැවසීය.

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

The daily increase has dropped to single digit, the Chinese government said.

Beijing, March 15 (newsin.sia): According to the National Health Commission of China, on 11 March, Wuhan reported only 8 new confirmed cases, which means that the daily increase has dropped to single digit, the Chinese government said.

In other places of Hubei, no new confirmed cases were reported throughout the past week. Outside Hubei, 7 new confirmed cases were reported, of which 6 were imported.

As of 12 March, no new indigenous cases had been reported for at least 14 consecutive days in 21 provinces, and no such cases had been seen in 6 other provinces for over a week. China is seeing a steady, positive trend and has made key gains in its epidemic control.

These figures show that, all things considered, the peak of the current outbreak has passed in China. The number of new cases keeps declining, and the intensity of the outbreak is now at a very low level.

(The picture at the top shows people in a housing complex during lockdown)

by C.A.Chandraprema Courtesy The Island

*  Why Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 should be amended
*  Merits of our 1946 Parliamentary Elections Order in Council

March 14, 2020, 6:55 pm

Parliament has now been dissolved and an election is now on even though the election campaign has not begun in earnest due to the Covid-19 threat. In China, where the Covid-19 epidemic originated, the first fatality from the virus was reported in mid January and the epidemic had run its course before mid-March. Medical teams from China are now being flown into Italy to assist in controlling the spread of the virus and China is no longer considered a danger zone. Even the world crude oil prices saw a sharp increase because of the Chinese recovery. Given the short duration of the epidemic it may be the case that Sri Lanka will be able to bring the spread of the virus under control in time to be able to hold the parliamentary election as scheduled on April 25.

Be that as it may, at this present moment we are within the period that nominations are accepted by the Elections Commission. Nominations close on the Thursday (Mar. 19). Three days before parliament was dissolved, a media report that caught this writer’s attention stated that Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya had said that displaying posters and cut-outs during the election campaign has been banned and legal action will be taken against those who do so. According to that news report which was published in a daily English language newspaper (not The Island), the Chairman of the Elections Commission had told the media that the candidates should organize door to door visits to canvass for votes. The present Parliamentary election is being held under the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981. Under this law, the following activities are prohibited between the time the nominations period ends and the poll is held.

Declaring elections & prohibiting the campaign

Section 69 (Restriction on processions) From the time nominations open and until one week lapses after the election result is declared, nobody can conduct or take part in processions to promote any candidate. During this period, non-political processions of a religious or social nature may take place, but even at such processions, it is illegal to promote a candidate. Those violating this law are liable to not just a fine but a prison sentence of up to one month as well.

Section 74 (Display of handbills & posters) From the commencement of the nomination period until the end of the poll, no handbill, placard, poster, drawing, notice, photograph, symbol, sign, flag or banner of a candidate can be displayed on or across any public road. The same cannot be displayed in any premises whether public or private either. However candidates may display banners and posters on the vehicle used by the candidate. Posters and banners may be displayed in public or private premises only on the day that an election meeting is to be held in those premises. In addition to the fine and one month prison term for violating this law, a specific provision in Section 74(3) says that the fine and prison term or both can be imposed on anyone even attempting to commit the offense described in this section. The police are also authorized to use such force as may be reasonably necessary to prevent the violation of this ban and they are expressly given the authority to seize any handbill, placard, poster, notice, drawing, symbol, photograph of a candidate, sign, flag or banner used in such contravention.

Section 75 (Restrictions on house to house canvassing) From the day the nominations close until the day after the poll, candidates and the members of their immediate families are prohibited from going house to house canvassing for votes. They are also forbidden from distributing handbills and election propaganda material from house to house. What sense can anyone make of these laws which seek to ban candidates from engaging in activities that are most visibly associated with elections? An election is all about candidates marketing themselves by putting up posters and cut outs of themselves, distributing hand bills, going from house to house canvassing for votes and holding processions in support of his candidacy. By doing what he is supposed to do, a candidate becomes a violator of election laws. Very often, a candidate does not know whether he is going to stand for election until the day nominations close. In most political parties (or the two main parties at least) finalizing the nominations list is a difficult process which occurs only in the final 48 hours before nominations close. So it is really after nominations close that the election campaign begins in earnest. This is also exactly the period in which the law seeks to place restrictions on candidates from promoting themselves.

Mercifully, the Sri Lankan elections law does not seek to stifle public meetings, that other great sign of an election. Section 70 of the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 stipulates that public meetings have to stop only 48 hours before the date of the poll. But even with regard to these meetings, posters announcing such events can be displayed only at the venue that such meetings are to be held, and that too only on the day of the meeting itself. How can anyone expect to pull crowds for an election meeting that is not announced beforehand? If someone puts up posters announcing the meeting a few days early, that too will be an election law violation. If we go by the letter of the law, the only way to advertise such public meetings within the law would be to fit loudspeakers onto a vehicle and send it around to announce the meeting in the surrounding villages! That practice has not been expressly banned. But these vehicles that go around to announce a public meeting should not display any posters of the candidate they are promoting lest it violates the election law!

Elections Commission in violation of the law

Readers will note that according to the media report mentioned earlier, the Chairman of the Elections Commission has said that posters and cutouts will be banned but he had encouraged house to house canvassing. According to the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981, even house to house canvassing is prohibited. It appears that Sections 69, 74 and 75 of the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 were meant to be flouted. The fifty-somethings of today would remember the first parliamentary election held under the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 which was held in April 1989. There were more posters and cutouts at that election than any previous election that we could remember. There would have been more meetings, more processions and more house to house canvassing as well at that election than at any previous election if not for the JVP terror which was in full swing at that time.

At the second parliamentary election under the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 which was held in 1994, all political parties were in competition with one another to flout Sections 69, 74 and 75 of the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981. Everything that the political parties could not do in 1989 due to the JVP terror, they did with gay abandon in 1994. So there were posters, cutouts, banners, processions, house to house canvassing – the works. People were largely oblivious to the restrictions in Sections 69, 74 and 75 of the elections law at the parliamentary elections of 2000 and 2001 as well. According to a discussion on this topic that this writer had with JVP Parliamentarian Vijitha Herath some years ago, it was only after the so called independent elections commission was instituted under the 17th Amendment that the Elections Commission sought to implement what had up to that time been dead provisions in the law. What parliamentarian Herath told the present writer was as follows:

“No political party can conduct an election campaign according to the provisions of the present law. You can’t canvass for votes, distribute handbills or even wear a T-shirt or cap promoting a candidate. If any political party adheres to the letter of these laws they will not be able to do an election campaign. So the laws have to be amended. In most cases, it is only after handing in nominations that the candidates will be known with certainty. We have got over some of these problems with an understanding reached between the Elections Commissioner and the political parties on the non-implementation of some of these laws. For example, people are not arrested for violating election laws when they go out canvassing after nomination day.

“At the parliamentary election in 2004 when the independent commissions were in operation, there were instances when members of our party were arrested for offenses like canvassing and wearing T-shirts with the bell symbol. The independent commission tried to implement the law to the letter. At that point, all the political parties got together and told the Elections Commissioner that if the law is implemented to the letter in this manner no political party will be able to carry out an election campaign so a general agreement was reached that canvassing will be allowed though it is an offense according to the law. Every time an election comes around the political parties start discussing the election laws but after the election ends everybody forgets about it. This issue comes into focus again only when the next election comes around.

“Posters and cut outs were not included when that agreement was reached with the Elections Commissioner to ignore some sections of the elections law. The agreement applied only to matters like canvassing, distributing handbills and the like. The law on posters remains as it is in the elections law. In actual fact even this should change and people should be allowed to put up posters. All political parties and the Elections Commissioner himself agrees that the putting up of posters should be allowed. But the reason why posters and cut outs were not included in that understanding was because of the conflicts that may arise when so many parties and candidates compete for space to put up posters. There was the possibility of violence with one party accusing the other of having ‘covered’ their posters and so on. So after much discussion, it was decided to allow canvassing, the distribution of handbills the display of symbols and the like, but to leave the law banning posters as it is.”

What is often meant by ‘violation of election laws’ is not outright violence, intimidation, bribery and the like but the displaying of posters, cut outs, holding processions and the like. TV channels often show elections authorities and the police cutting down banners and removing posters put up by candidates saying they violate elections laws. Many people would have silently wondered how putting up an election poster and cut outs violate election laws when there is an election on. When they are unable to figure out why, they may be telling themselves that if there is a prohibition on such things in the election laws, then there must be a good reason for it and basically forgetting about this incongruity until the next election comes around.

Another look at our 1946 elections law
According to Article 126 of the Representation of the People Act of 1951, in India, election campaign processions, the distribution and broadcasting of propaganda material etc. are prohibited only in the 48 hours preceding the closing of the poll. This means in effect that such activities have to stop only the day before the day of the poll. (Note that in Sri Lanka as well as India election meetings have to cease 48 hours before polling begins. The difference is that in India, political processions, the distribution of propaganda material and all that also can continue up to that point.) As for canvassing for votes, Article 130 of the Representation of the People Act seems to suggest that in Indian elections, canvassing for votes is possible until the last moment even on polling day provided that such activities do not take place within 100 meters of the polling booth. In Sri Lanka however, according to Article 68 of the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 canvassing for votes on polling day is absolutely prohibited regardless of how far away from the polling booth it takes place.

In India, advertisements in the electronic and print media to promote candidates are prohibited in the final 48 hours before the poll along with everything else but in Sri Lanka, since there is no express ban in the elections law on advertising in the electronic and print media, we see ads appearing promoting candidates right up to the day of the election. In Sri Lanka, a candidate at an election can be charged under criminal law and even given a jail sentence for campaigning at an election in ways that in India are perfectly legal, above board and acceptable. If we go by the letter of the election laws in this country, virtually every politician who has contested an election is an offender who should be in jail for violating election laws! In India election candidates have been given the fullest freedom to carry out election propaganda work except during the last 48 hours before the poll is scheduled to end. Having given their candidates this freedom, the violation of the reasonable restrictions imposed during the last 48 hours carries (in comparison to SL law) a comparatively heavy penalty of up to two years in jail and a fine.

Sri Lanka has been having parliamentary elections long before the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 was introduced. Our first parliamentary election of 1947 and all parliamentary elections up to the election of 1977 had been held under the Ceylon (Parliamentary Elections) Order in Council, 1946 which did not have the above mentioned restrictions that we see in the 1981 Act. There were no restrictions on processions to promote candidates, or on the distribution or display of handbills, placards, posters, drawings, notices, photographs, symbols, signs, flags or banners of a candidate, nor were candidates and the members of their immediate families prohibited from going house to house canvassing or distributing handbills and election propaganda material from house to house. The only restrictions that we see in Ceylon (Parliamentary Elections) Order in Council, 1946 in relation to such matters is that activities like canvassing for votes, persuading any elector not to vote for any particular candidate, persuading any elector not to vote at the election or distributing or exhibiting any handbill, placard, poster or any symbol allotted to a candidate was prohibited within a distance of fifty yards of the entrance of that polling station. The penalty for violating this prohibition was a fine not exceeding one hundred rupees or to imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding one month or to both such fine and imprisonment.

Furthermore, the use of any megaphone or loudspeaker or other apparatus for amplifying or reproducing the human voice, within or at the entrance of a polling station or in any public or private place in the neighbourhood thereof on the date on which a poll is taken at any polling station or shouting or otherwise acting in a disorderly manner within or at the entrance of a polling station or in any public or private place in the neighbourhood thereof, so as to cause annoyance to any person visiting the polling station for the poll or so as to interfere with the work of the officers and other persons on duty at the polling station was also a punishable offense. This offense also carried a penalty of  a fine not exceeding one hundred rupees or to imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding one month or to both such fine and imprisonment.

Furthermore, under the 1946 elections law, every person who, not being a candidate or an election agent, prints, publishes, distributes or posts up, or causes to be printed, published, distributed or posted up, any advertisement, handbill, placard or poster which refers to any election and which does not bear upon its face the names and addresses of its printer and publisher, shall be guilty of an offense and shall on conviction by a District Court be liable to a fine not exceeding five hundred rupees. Provided, however, that a person shall not be guilty of an offense under the preceding provisions of this section, in relation to any advertisement, handbill, placard or poster, if he satisfies the District Court that the omission of the aforesaid names and addresses, or any such name or address, as the case may be, arose from inadvertence or from some other reasonable cause of a like nature and did not arise from any want of good faith.

Furthermore, a candidate, or an election agent, who prints, publishes, distributes or posts up or causes to be printed, published, distributed or posted up any advertisement, handbill, placard or poster which refers to any election and which does not bear upon its face the names and addresses of its printer and publisher shall be guilty of an illegal practice. Every person who commits an illegal practice shall on conviction by a District Court be liable to a fine not exceeding three hundred rupees and shall by conviction become incapable for a period of three years from the date of his conviction of being registered as an elector or of voting at any election under this Order or of being elected or appointed as a Senator or Member of Parliament, and if at that date he has been elected or appointed as a Senator or Member of Parliament, his election or appointment shall be vacated from the date of such conviction.

Thus we see that the provisions in the Ceylon (Parliamentary Elections) Order in Council, 1946 was much more in accordance with commonsense and practical considerations than the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981. It can be seen that the former is in alignment with the more rational election laws that we see in India as well. There are lessons for the present that we can derive from the Ceylon (Parliamentary Elections) Order in Council, 1946.

Courtesy The Guardian (UK)

What the statistics from the outbreak so far can tell us about infection and mortality rates

The startling spread of the coronavirus across the globe is causing understandable alarm. But though it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions about how many deaths may occur, the statistics do point to general trends that can get lost in the drama.

At present, one thing that does seem clear is that the vast majority of people who get the disease will survive.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated the mortality rate from Covid-19 is about 3.4%. That is higher than seasonal flu and is cause for concern – but even if it is correct, more than 96% of people who become infected with the coronavirus will recover.

Any death is, of course, devastating for the families involved. But it is also worth noting the WHO estimate is based on confirmed infections and deaths, meaning it does not take into account mild cases that may not be diagnosed – cases that would lower the mortality rate.

Indeed experts say that, in reality, the mortality rate is likely to be nearer to 1% or less. In other words, more than 99% of those who become infected are expected to survive

And not everyone will become infected. According to the chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty, the worst-case scenario is that about 80% of the UK population becomes infected. But that does not necessarily mean there will be 500,000 deaths – as would be expected from a 1% mortality rate.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/13/how-many-will-die-of-coronavirus-in-the-uk-a-closer-look-at-the-numbers?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR2OFHtrnaMIOyr3zFnTmBNvO6WZjjB6BH46d6MunbtCLM_1rbLkQzArnGg

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Any Sri Lankan arriving in Colombo from any European country during the travel ban period, must either undergo the quarantine process or fly back to the country from where they departed, Airport and Aviation Services Vice Chairman Rajeewasiri Sooriyaarachchi told the Daily Mirror.

He said the reasons that compelled them to impose a travel ban were the reluctance shown by the returnees to go to quarantine centres and the lack of space at quarantine centres.

There are about 3,000 persons who are being quarantined at the two centres in Batticaloa,” he said.

According to what we have been observing, the returnees from Coronavirus affected countries are hesitant to go to quarantine centres,” he added.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) yesterday imposed a two-week travel ban on passengers arriving from France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden and Austria in the wake of the coronovirus outbreak,.

It will take effect from tomorrow till March 29, 2020. (Sheain Fernandopulle)

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

In view of the present circumstances of the rapid spread of COVID-19 globally, and in order to limit the spread of the virus among Sri Lankans who visit the Sri Lanka Missions overseas, the Ministry of Foreign Relations has decided to limit the provision of consular services in 11 Sri Lanka Missions overseas commencing 16 March until further notice.

These countries include Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden and Austria, the Ministry of Foreign Relations said.

This decision has been taken in view of the strict restrictive procedures of travel bans and lockdown measures taken by the respective authorities of the countries concerned and also the recent travel ban imposed by the Government of Sri Lanka on all travel originating from these countries.

Accordingly, from 16 March 2020 onwards and until further notice, these Missions have arranged to restrict services related only to the issuance of temporary/emergency travel documents, issuance and certification of documents relevant to deaths of Sri Lankans and any other emergency consular service, which is deemed necessary, on a case by case basis. This will be done based on prior appointments obtained from the Missions.

In order to secure early appointments and to obtain the restricted consular services and related information, emergency contact numbers have been provided by the Sri Lanka Missions to visitors.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

On learning that one of the family members of an officer of the Foreign Ministry is diagnosed with COVID -19, the Ministry, upon seeking necessary medical advice, has taken a series of precautionary measures to avoid and minimize the risk of transmission of the virus and the officer concerned has been self-quarantined since Friday.
The foreign ministry said that as an initial step, those staff who have come in direct contact with the officer concerned, during one working day earlier this week in Colombo, and others in an European capital where the person was working 2 weeks ago, have been advised to ‘self-quarantine’. Further action has been taken to disinfect the relevant areas of the Ministry. 
The Ministry will continue to monitor and assess the situation for future course of action to ensure the safety of its staff and its visitors, the statement added.

Courtesy Adaderana

Two more Coronavirus positive cases have been identified in Sri Lanka, says the Director General of Health Services.

Dr. Anil Jasinghe stated that these two patients bring the total number of Coronavirus cases in the country to ten (10).

One of them is a 56-year-old woman had returned from Italy on March 07.

The other is a 17-year-old girl, who is identified as a relative of a patient who was previously confirmed to be infected with the virus.

The first Sri Lankan coronavirus (COVID-19) patient in the country was identified on Tuesday (10). This 52-year-old tour guide who had worked with a group of Italians is receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH).

On Thursday (12), it was reported that a second individual, who had stayed with the first Sri Lankan patient diagnosed with the virus, was tested positive for coronavirus.

Later, three more cases reported yesterday (13), bringing the total number to five. One of them is a 41-year-old Sri Lankan male who had arrived from Germany. He was admitted to the IDH Hospital. 

The other two patients are from the group of people who had been quarantined at the facility in Kandakadu.

One of them is a 37-year-old who had arrived from Italy and was placed under quarantine at Kandakadu upon arriving in the country. He is currently being treated at the Polonnaruwa Hospital. The other is a 43-year-old male who had also arrived from Italy. He is being treated at IDH.

Earlier today, Dr. Jasinghe announced another confirmed case of coronavirus in the country. 

One is a 44-year-old from the quarantine facility at Kandakadu and he is currently receiving treatment at the District General Hospital in Polonnaruwa, according to Dr. Jasinghe. The other patient, aged 43, is from Nattandiya and he was not identified at a quarantine facility, Dr. Jasinghe had said. He is reportedly receiving treatment at the Provincial General Hospital in Kurunegala.

The 42-year-old eighth patient was identified at the quarantine centre in Kandakadu and is currently receiving treatment at Polonnaruwa Hospital. These three patients had returned from Italy.

Courtesy Adaderana

All zoological gardens, botanical gardens, and national parks, which are under the purview of the Departments of National Zoological Gardens, Botanical Gardens, Wildlife Conservation, and Forest Conservation, are to be closed for two weeks.

The Department of Government Information announced that this measure will be in effect from tomorrow (15).

Accordingly, National Zoological Garden, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Pinnawala Zoo, Ridiyagama Safari Park, all botanical gardens and national parks under the Wildlife Department’s purview will be off-limits for the public for the time being.

This decision was taken as a precautionary measure taking into consideration the prevailing threats risks and fears over the wide-spreading coronavirus (Covid-19).