By Tasha Wibawa Courtesy ABC News

PHOTO: The Australian Therapeutic Goods Association does not approve products to be sold as “skin lightening”. (Supplied: Krisantha Weerasuriya)

A “skin lightening” product advertised as made in Australia, which is being sold in South Asian countries including Sri Lanka and Myanmar, has been slammed by experts and labelled “unethical”.

Key points:

• The packaging of the product is advertised in Myanmar and Sri Lanka as “skin lightening”
• Listed medicines in Australia cannot be sold for “skin whitening/lightening”
• The Department of Health does not consider the use of glutathione for skin lightening purposes

The product, called Facia Premium, has “Made in Australia” on its label and an “AUST L” number which corresponds to a listing in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).

Under therapeutic goods laws, Australian companies are not allowed to sell or export a listed medicine making the claim of “skin lightening”.

“During the listing process for new listed medicines, sponsors can only choose from a list of permissible indications … This list does not contain any indications referring to ‘skin lightening’ or ‘skin whitening’,” a spokesperson from the Department of Health said.

PHOTO: The ABC understands the products are being sold in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. (Supplied: Krisantha Weerasuriya)

The listing in the ARTG says the capsules are a health and beauty supplement, which can be sold as a product that “maintain[s]/support[s] skin health” among many other potential benefits.

However, the product for sale in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and on eBay is being sold as a “skin lightening formula”.

The packaging shows a Caucasian womanand an Australian flag with the words “Made in Australia”.

An advertisement of the product on the Facia Sri Lanka Facebook page from 2018 also shows the same packaging alongside “best skin lightening solution” underneath an Australian flag logo which reads “a quality product from Australia”.

YOUTUBE: Facia Premium Skin Lightening Formula advertisement translates to, “be fair, with no fear”.

Australian company Zifam Pinnacle Pty Ltd, which markets Facia in Australia, and Contract Manufacturing & Packaging Services Pty Ltd (CMPS), which manufactures Facia products, are both featured on the packaging of the Facia Premium capsules for sale in Asia.

A representative of Zifam in Australia told the ABC the items were packaged in Australia and sent overseas.

The ABC sent a series of questions to both companies, Zifam and CMPS, but has not yet received a response.

‘Made in Australia’ respected overseas

PHOTO: Facia Premium is being sold in Myanmar. (Facebook)

Ken Harvey, associate professor at Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, told the ABC the product was “unethical” and “misleading”.

Items made in Australia, particularly supplements or pharmaceuticals, are respected overseas as they are often perceived to be “high quality” products, he said.

PHOTO: The Facia Premium sachet sold in Sri Lanka says “Australian owned and Australian made”. (Supplied)

“It’s exporting a white Australia policy [that] pushes a racist idea that beauty is equated with white skin, fuels intolerance of dark skinned people, causes social harm and wastes consumers’ money,” Dr Harvey said.

The product suggests it uses a “glutathione complex”, which is a controversial antioxidant found in plants, animals and fungi with skin-lightening claims.

Dr Harvey said there was “limited scientific evidence” to support the claims made about glutathione.

“There have been a very small number of studies on glutathione on a small numbers of patients, not well conducted and not replicated … we don’t regard that as conclusive evidence,” he said.

PHOTO: The TGA does not consider the use of glutathione for skin lightening purposes. (Facebook)

A Health Department spokesperson said, “the TGA has not considered the use of glutathione for skin lightening/whitening purposes. There has been no application for this indication to be considered for inclusion as a permissible indication.”

Dr Harvey and Sri Lankan public health expert Krisantha Weerasuriya filed an official complaint to the TGA in February, listing four products by the same distributor, Zifam Pinnacle.

PHOTO: The back of a Facia Premium sachet saying “made in Australia”. (Supplied)

“These products rely on widely held prejudices. They are very popular in Sri Lanka due to false marketing,” Dr Weerasuriya, a professor emeritus from the University of Colombo and former WHO CEO in Sri Lanka, told the ABC.

“This promotion brings Australia’s reputation into disrepute. These products … must be removed.”

Pharmaceutical companies are only able to promote the benefits of listed medicines from a list of pre-approved “indications”, and while not tested by the TGA prior to going to market, sponsors must hold information to substantiate all of their product’s claims.

There are approximately 12,000 medicines listed on the ARTG at any one time and more than 1,000 are newly listed each year.

In 2017–18, the TGA conducted 243 post-marketing compliance reviews, of which 53 per cent were found to have had a compliance breach.

‘Everyone will try anything’

PHOTO: Experts say skin whitening products are a part of everyday life for many women in Asia. (Flikr: Adam Jones)

For some who do not know any better, the trust in the “Made in Australia” label is a big selling point.

“Tell me where I can get [the product] so I can buy it,” Jeannie Cruse, a Sri Lankan Australian told the ABC.

“I’ve tried everything [but] I do more natural stuff.”

While Ms Cruse said more Sri Lankans should embrace their “beautiful dark skin”, she also said she felt a “fair face looks more clear, neat and is better looking”.

“So that’s why Sri Lanka is probably a good market because everyone will try anything,” she said.

Samanthi Gunawardana, senior lecturer of gender and development at Monash University, told the ABC there was great value placed on fairness in South Asia, particularly in Sri Lanka, although people won’t necessarily say it out loud.

PHOTO: Jeannie Cruse says more Sri Lankans should embrace their “beautiful dark skin”. (Supplied: Jeannie Cruse)

“Skin whitening products and services are ubiquitous in Sri Lanka as in a lot of parts of Asia,” she said.

“It’s a part of everyday life particularly for women. There is a cultural norm that being fair is seen to be more beautiful.

“Your price value is essentially attributed to your skin colour.”

Dr Gunawardana said the prejudice and discrimination based on skin colour, particularly in Sri Lanka, has “complex” colonial and racist undertones.

“The basis is around the complexity regarding gender, the norms around payments for women … the history of colonialism and how war and conflict can impact the way we see things, like skin colour,” she said.

However, there was a strong pushback, particularly from younger women in the country.

“Many women have started movements, for example that brown skin is youthful, very similar to black is beautiful. So trying to reframe that argument … that unless you have fair skin you’re not seen as a valuable person in more ways than one,” Dr Gunawardana said.

Courtesy Island

* Visas to Europeans suspended
* Lankans coming from Europe to be quarantined
* Universities closed until further notice
* England cricket tour called off

March 13, 2020, 10:12 pm

Sri Lanka, yesterday, (13), informed airlines to immediately stop bringing in passengers from Italy, South Korea and Iran until further notice.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made the request on behalf of the government as it struggled to cope with several hundred Sri Lankans quarantined at the Batticaloa Campus and Kandakadu rehabilitation centre in the East.

In addition, the government suspended the issuance of visas to Europeans for a period of two weeks, a spokesperson for the Presidential Secretariat said. The official also said that those Sri Lankans returning from Europe too should undergo 14-day quarantine at stipulated locations. Instructions in that regard were issued by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.

At the meeting chaired by the President, it was also decided to restrict large gatherings of people as well as events as much as possible.

The government also announced the closure of Universities for a period of two weeks with immediate effect.

It also declared the countrywide closure of pre-schools until further notice as a precautionary measure.

Following consultations, the England cricket team’s Sri Lanka tour was also called off.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment said that approval wouldn’t be granted to Sri Lankans leaving for overseas employment until further notice.

Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations Ministry spokesman Sarath Kalugamage yesterday told The Island that on the instructions of Minister Dinesh Gunawardena Vocational Training Authority (VTA), Ceylon-German Technical Training Institute (CGTTI), National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) and Department of Technical Education and Training (DTET) had been closed also for a period of two weeks.

Power and Energy Ministry announced that instructions were issued yesterday regarding foreign travel by officers of the Power and Energy and Transport Ministries. The ministry said that foreign travel wouldn’t be allowed unless essential (SF)

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka Army says that it has enabled two more new Quarantine Centres operational at Kahagolla and the Diyatalawa Army Base Hospital starting from yesterday (12).

Issuing a statement, the Army stated that Sri Lankan expatriates and a few South Korean nationals have been accommodated at the improvised Kahagolla Quarantine Centre and the newly-built Diyatalawa Army Base Hospital Quarantine Centres.

These quarantine centres were set up under the directives of Commander of the army, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva.

An eight-member medical team has already completed basic quarantine procedures on them after examining each and every inmate as of last evening (12), the Army said.

A special medical team, headed by Colonel (Dr) Shaveen Semage, Deputy Director, Preventive Medicine & Mental Health Services of the Army who is also the overall in charge of the quarantine process, at Punani, Kandakadu, Kahagolla and Diyatalawa, would closely coordinate the entire operation and advise accordingly.

Troops of the Security Force Headquarters – Central, commanded by Major General Laksiri Waduge are assisting the emergency project through their coordination and provision of other facilities, the statement read further.

Courtesy Adaderana

Director-General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe confirms that three more patients who had contracted the Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been identified in Sri Lanka.

One of these patients is a 41-year-old Sri Lankan male who had arrived from Germany. He has been 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.

This brings the total number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka to five, the Government Information Department said. 

Courtesy Adaderana

Several firm decisions have been taken under the guidance of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to combat COVID -19 in the country, the President’s Media Division said. 

Measures initiated by the Government since January have been instrumental in preventing the disease coming into the country. Sri Lanka is in the forefront among the few countries that established a task force to tackle this global health threat,” it said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa instructed officials to take every necessary action to develop and maintain this positive trend and to safeguard the well-being of the people in the country during a meeting on preventing the spread of COVID – 19 held at the Presidential Secretariat today (13).

President explaining the current global situation said the virus is rapidly invading many countries in Europe. The situation is rather serious in some countries such as France and Italy. Considering this development, President instructed officials to suspend issuing visa to people from European countries for 2 weeks.

It has also been decided to quarantine every Sri Lankan arriving from Europe for 14 days.

The progress of the investigations launched to identify people who were in contact with the two COVID – 19 patients who are currently undergoing medical treatments at IDH and their quarantine process were discussed in details. President issued directives to inquire about the places they visited and people they associated with and guide them for quarantine process.

It has been decided to restrict public gathering and functions to the maximum possible extent.

President said to establish the task Force at a permanent location and take decisions following gathering of information. Steps have also been taken with the assistance of the World Health Organization (WHO) to expedite the diagnosis process, President observed.

President Rajapaksa said that the WHO agreed to extend its cooperation towards the continuation of measures already taken by Sri Lanka to thwart further spreading of the disease.

During the meeting, the attention was drawn to regulate the distribution process of face masks in a manner that it could be purchased from anywhere. The President also advised the officials to facilitate the purchase of face masks at a controlled price. It was noted at the discussion that the firms, which can make 150,000 face masks daily, have been identified.

It has also been decided to disinfect buses and trains used for public transportation from tomorrow, (14). The security forces will provide assistance in this regard.

At present, China has successfully controlled the spread of COVID-19. China had given high priority to manage the social behaviours in a way that contributed to the effective control of the disease. Officials were advised to study the methods extensively that China has practised in this regard.

President Rajapaksa pointed out that the current situation should be used as an opportunity to experiment the possibility of continuing services provided by state institutions as well as conducting school and university studies resorting to internet.

The President stressed the importance of using electronic, print and social media to educate people about the disease but not to create a state of social confusion.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Western Province Governor, Dr. Seetha Arambepola, Secretary to the President Dr. P.B. Jayasundara, Secretary Ministry of Health Mrs. Bhadrani Jayawardena, Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe and state officials attended in the meeting.

Courtesy Adaderana

A second person in Sri Lanka has tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of presumptive coronavirus cases in the country to two.

The Government Information Department stated that another individual who had reportedly stayed with the first Sri Lankan patient diagnosed with the virus, who is currently admitted at IDH Hospital, has also now tested positive for coronavirus.

Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe states that it has been confirmed that this 44-year-old man had tested positive for coronavirus and that he too is currently receiving treatment at the IDH Hospital in Angoda. 

He said that the patient had been admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) last evening (11) and that today he was identified as a COVID-19 patient. 

Dr. Jasinghe stated that both he and the previously identified coronavirus patient had shared a room at a hotel in Dambulla at one point and also that they are both employed as tour guides.

He added that the Epidemiology Unit has already commenced investigating into the places visited by the new patient and the people he had met and came into contact with.

Dr. Jasinghe stated that this patient is therefore the second coronavirus patient in Sri Lanka.

He said that the Ministry of Health is gradually implementing every necessary step with regard to controlling the spread of coronavirus in the country and therefore it is unlikely that there will be any effect on the day-to-day lives of the general public.

A Friend from Italy

I am writing to you from Bergamo, Italy, at the heart of the coronavirus crisis. The news media in the US has not captured the severity of what is happening here. I am writing this post because of each of you, today, not the government, not the school district, not the mayor, each individual citizen has the chance, today to take actions that will deter the Italian situation from becoming your own country’s reality.  The only way to stop this virus is to limit contagion. And the only way to limit contagion is for millions of people to change their behavior today.

If you are in Europe or the US you are weeks away from where we are today in Italy.

I can hear you now. It’s just a type of flu. It only affects old people with preconditions”

There are 2 reasons why Coronavirus has brought Italy to its knees. First, it is a flu, is devastating when people get really sick they need weeks of ICU – and, second, because of how fast and effectively it spreads. There is a 2 week incubation period and many who have it never show symptoms. 

When Prime Minister Conte announced last night that the entire country, 60 million people, would go on lockdown, the line that struck me most was there is no more time.” Because to be clear, this national lockdown is a hail mary. What he means is that if the numbers of contagion do not start to go down, the system, Italy, will collapse.

Why? Today the ICUs in Lombardy are at capacity – more than capacity. They have begun to put ICU units in the hallways. If the numbers do not go down, the growth rate of contagion tells us that there will be thousands of people who in a matter of a week? two weeks? who will need care. What will happen when there are 100, or 1000 people who need the hospital and only a few ICU places left?

On Monday a doctor wrote in the paper that they have begun to have to decide who lives and who dies when the patients show up in the emergency room, like what is done in war. This will only get worse.

There are a finite number of Drs, nurses, medical staff and they are getting the virus. They have also been working non-stop, non-stop for days and days. What happens when the Drs, nurses and medical staff are simply not able to care for the patients when they are not there?

And finally for those who say that this is just something that happens to old people, starting yesterday the hospitals are reporting that younger and younger patients – 40, 45, 18, are coming in for treatment.

You have a chance to make a difference and stop the spread in your country. Push for the entire office to work at home today, cancel birthday parties, and other gatherings, stay home as much as you can. If you have a fever, any fever, stay home. Push for school closures, now. Anything you can do to stop the spread because it is spreading in your communities – there is a two week incubation period – and if you do these things now you can buy your medical system time.

And for those who say it is not possible to close the schools and do all these other things, locking down Italy was beyond anyone’s imagination a week ago.

Soon you will not have a choice, so do what you can now.

The US embassy Colombo is repeatedly saying $480m is a gift & not a loan from the US to the People of Sri Lanka but then insists on signing an agreement & having it passed in Parliament, affording US troops, personnel & contractors immunity and complete waiver of all forms of taxes & levies while section 5.4 has a Late Payment Interest!. MCC also requires Sri Lanka to bear project costs if MCC agreement projects are not complete. Though the MCC agreement is 5 years the economic corridor that was shown by MCC at Temple Trees envisages an electric railway line cutting across 7 districts & connecting Colombo Port with Trinco Port extending 200m & covering 1.2million acres which the railways can lease for 99 + 99 years. Has Sri Lanka factored the costs GoSL is likely to incur against the $480m ‘gift’ the US is trying to shove upon us by force? How much of this ‘gift’ returns to US in form of salaries/equipment etc purchased from them while questioning the direct & indirect costs the GoSL will have to bear in particular from waiving all forms of taxes & levies for 5 years? Thankfully the Gunaruwan Committee has factored these risks in recommending not to go ahead with the MCC in their supplementary report

Of the $480m – MCC is allocating $350 million for the transport project & $67million for the land project.

We are being presented the notion that the GoSL has sought the MCC presence, if so why should US Govt via its Colombo mission say $480m is a gift from the US to Sri Lanka & why would Sri Lanka’s parliament need to pass it?

There are plenty of foreign projects operating as BOI ventures and these are given tax holidays and other incentives as well.

MCC claims the Bim Saviya title registration will continue. The Bim Saviya tragically removes judicial role to adjudicate land frauds etc. Who will adjudicate land grievances when title registrations are given & land is acquired for MCC project. A new role granted to Commissioner of Title & an Assurance Fund for compensation is created by Bim Saviya.

The Commissioner of Lands says 50% of land deeds in Sri Lanka are frauds.

If this 50% frauds are entered into the electronic land registry, the judiciary cannot adjudicate because of Act 21 of 1998 Torrens Law (Bim Saviya). Who will hear the grievance of the original owner and will the owner be able to legally win back his/her property or will he/she have to make do with a compensation?

• What is the allocation of funds as compensation for any lands taken over by State for the transport project?
• What is the allocation for funds for Assurance Fund by the GoSL especially since the Land Registrar says 50% of land deeds are fraud as the original land owner is unlikely to get his/her land back how much of compensation will the GOSL have to allocate to this Fund and how will the GoSL obtain the funds?

Contract for cadastral mapping to US company – Trimble Navigation at a cost of $154million. Is this money from the MCC gift” of $480m? If not, isn’t this a case of taking $480m from one hand & paying $154m to the other hand of the same party?

• Cadastral mapping given to a US company at $154million is virtually 1/3 of what we are getting as a gift from US

E-Land Registry also given to a US company – how much have we paid for this contract and is this too part of the $480m?

• E-Land Registry – have we factored the cost of amendments as most foreign companies charge from the roof for the smallest of amendments! Also all passwords and back-office secret codes etc are all in the possession of the US.

MCC Economic Corridor from Colombo Port to Trinco Port with an electric railway line that will cover some 1.2million acres calculated as 10miles (5miles left of railway line and 5miles right of railway line) into 200miles from Colombo to Trinco.

With privatization of State land & provision for foreigners to buy land and foreign investors to land and set up shop across the economic corridor there are also chances that any issues arising will end up with these transnational companies taking the GoSL to a foreign tribunal.

• To create this electronic railway line the State will have to acquire land under the railway department. Which means the State will have to buy land from those holding land deeds or forfeit land under State (for both scenarios there is a cost – how much and how will GoSL bear this cost?) If State is buying lands from private land owners how much will it cost. If MCC is buying the land will that be part of the $480m?

MCC Pre-condition outlined in the power point presentation made by MCC requires the GoSL to privatize all State land and place them under the State Land Bank and have that electronically accessible globally as well. All this fits into the end endeavor to make lands available to the foreign private sector for investments.

• By privatizing state land – what is the loss of revenue to the Government when it can no longer tax for state land used? If MCC claims to be buying this land – how much is going to be reduced from this ‘gift’ of $480m?

Procurement as per US guidelines – how compatible is that with Sri Lanka’s?

• For all of the transport project and equipment, construction items and other material that has to be imported – all taxes, levies, duties etc are not part of $480m ‘gift’ – if so how much will the GoSL have to cough up by stomaching all the taxes, customs duties & levies under its belt? Read the Tax component in MCC Agreement alongside the Project Implementation Agreement to be shocked at the enormous cost Sri anka will have to stomach. How many of the pro-MCC talkers have looked at the tax schedule against the $480m ‘gift’. Who is going to pay for pumping fuel for personal use of project officers of MCC? Who is going to pay import duty on fuel and tax? Has anyone calculated this cost borne by GoSL across 5 years?

MCC will not have to pay any levies or taxes throughout the 5 year of MCC Compact.

MCC Section 2.6 (a) – GOSL is committing to providing ‘all funds & other resources’ and to take all other actions necessary to carry out the Government’s responsibilities when the grant is supposed to cover entire project?

• As per MCC Section 2.6 (a) – when GOSL commits to providing ‘all funds & other resources’ and to take all other actions necessary to carry out the Government’s responsibilities. According to 3.2 d) the GOSL has to even fund anything exceeding the MCC Funding – does the Govt even have a ballpark figure of how much this ‘funds’ is likely to be that the GoSL may have to incur?
• How much of tax exemption are we talking about over 5 years – VAT, NBT, PAL etc – why should only MCC get tax exemptions, it will reflect badly and unfairly on our other investors who may even demand same exemptions! This is a very bad precedent to create.

US claims to be giving us a ‘gift’ but we have to give immunity to US troops, US personnel & US contractors – in other words even if any of these categories regularly runs over Sri Lankans and kills them, the Americans are given immunity. In all probability Americans get immunity even if they kill a fellow foreigner on Sri Lankan soil too.

• With immunity given to US troops, personnel & even contractors – in the case of fatalities by them or even life-long injuries – who is going to compensate? GoSL? If so where the hell do they find money when all sources of income to the GoSL have been clipped simply to accept a ‘gift’ of $480m!

MCC personnel in Sri Lanka for 5 years – their salaries, their accommodation, their perks, their maintenance, their health insurance etc, consultants – who is paying for this?

• Do we know how many foreign MCC personnel are to be living in Sri Lanka & how many are to arrive off & on and how many Sri Lankans inducted & the costs of their salaries, personnel effects imported duty free, their accommodation & other perks? Is this to be reduced from the $480m – if so what is the cost? If their costs are not to be covered by $480m how much is it and will GoSL have to bear this cost and where the hell is the GoSL going to get the money for this?

One of the most disturbing clauses in this ‘gift’ agreement is in Page12 Section 3.9 Intellectual Property: The Government grants to MCC a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, fully-paid, assignable right and license to practice or have practiced on its behalf (including the right to produce, reproduce, publish, repurpose, use, store, modify or make available) any portion or portions of Intellectual Property as MCC sees fit in any medium, now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose whatsoever”

• As per Page 12 Section 3.9 Intellectual Property: the GoSL is GIFTING to MCC a perpetual  irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, fully-paid, assignable right and license to practice or have practiced on its behalf (including the right to produce, reproduce, publish, repurpose, use, store, modify or make available) any portion or portions of Intellectual Property as MCC sees fit in any medium, now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose whatsoever” – can we even remotely imagine how this costing is?

MCC is only committing to digitalize only 10 of the 45 land registries – what about the 35 land registries – who is going to digitalize that and bear the cost for it?

• Of the 45 land registries – the MCC is committing to digitalize only 10. Sri Lanka’s land and resources are divided into 9.5million blocks – only 200,000 blocks of land has been digitalized from 1998 to 2019. So in 20 years we have only digitalized 200,000 blocks of land for the $5million given by World Bank which excludes maintenance & other costs. $2.5m spent annually to digitalize land. MCC is giving only $67m for the land project. How much is needed to digitalize entire 9.5m blocs of land and will the MCC ‘gift’ suffice? Who has costed this factor?

There is another allegation that the Transport Project has been ‘stolen’ from the KOICA (Korean Aid to Sri Lanka) and all plans were with RDA and Koreans had done all ground work and drawn up plan to do the project with a concessionary loan. How far is this allegation true? Who knows & who will answer?

With the chances of transnational companies taking Sri Lankan Government to international tribunals for various issues – If Sri Lanka is ordered to compensate a foreign company – how will GoSL do so? There is an increasing trend of foreign companies taking sovereign governments to international courts & winning cases!

Another cost that GOSL must weigh is the likely displacement of some 4million people if foreign companies begin to take over the 200m economic corridor and demands they leave area. Where with GoSL relocate this 4million people. How will GoSL find them jobs? What is the cost for this?

How much of this $480m goes back to the US for their personnel/their equipment etc? (Cadastral mapping by US firm $154m / E-land registry to US company excludes cost of maintenance & changes to be paid in $$$)

How much expense is GoSL likely to incur throughout the 5years MCC is in operation?

How much will GoSL lose across 5 years by waiving all taxes/levies/duties which GoSL may have to pay?

Is this $480m worth it by creating a precedence against other foreign projects?

More importantly, when the country & people begin to face the heat as a result of land issues, displacement, lack of jobs etc is the GoSL up to facing the people?

Without properly presenting the people with the costs & legal clearance to assure Sri Lankan citizens that our constitution, our sovereignty & people’s human rights are not compromised GoSL cannot sign MCC

Shenali D Waduge

Dilrook Kannangara

WHO declared COVID19 a pandemic. A pandemic is a global epidemic. Apart from a very few countries including Burma, nowhere is safe from the infection. Within 2 days SL recorded at least two patients. The health system is wholly inadequate to face this challenge. Infrastructure within hospitals is insufficient and the government does not have the funds to sustain a sustained campaign to attend to the infected.

Further, if widespread it will devastate poor families as their sole breadwinner will be put out of daily-wage work for a considerable time.

Even big business will come to a grinding halt if the spread is not contained.

These are the real dangers of the pandemic, not death rate which is low.

Government of SL must immediately close the airports to contain the situation. Many countries have taken drastic measures. The amount of foreign currency earnings lost is minute in comparison to the economic disaster that awaits. Sri Lanka has a natural sea barrier to save itself from epidemics. It is time to close all man-made entry points into the island for a month. China’s situation is now easing as the epidemic there is on the wane. The initial phase is the most dangerous and that is why the airport must be closed ASAP.

By Chandre Dharmawardana

The event, Hiru Govi Sangraamaya -Thun Helayei Ranketh Udhaanaya” may be visited at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Own9TRzKUYw). A part of the title means Hiru farmer’s battle”. But what does Uddaana” mean? In Sanskrit, Uddaana implies the act of binding, fastening together”, while it also denotes the entry of the sun into a zodiacal sign. In Sinhalese  Uddaana Kaavya”, refers to lyric poetry, while in Buddhist literature Udaana” refers to a type of joy”. Perhaps the organizers used words that they thought may imply re-invigoration while ignoring the usage in Sinhala and in mother languages.

A writer who greatly admired the event says that it is to encourage the younger generation to take up to traditional paddy cultivation”,  and become a net exporter of higher quality organic rice”.  The  U-tube rendition claims that in the old days our vegetables, rice, and our own nishpaadhana” covered all our needs. One speaker becomes orgasmic about the smell of mud. The speakers preach an inward-looking, retrograde pastoral philosophy with no scientific or intellectual content.

This inward-looking approach wants the young villager to be satisfied with what the village can produce (its own nispaadhana”). However,  the villager is expected to produce organic rice” for the elites who also need their French wines, German-made BMWs, American made Apple I-pads and Italian marble for their homes! The back-to-the traditional life” is only an exhortation for the poor, while the  Elites have a very different set of aspirations with a hidden two-tier model of society that I have exposed before (https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/moving-from-conventional-farming-to-organic-farming-jumping-from-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire/).

There is not one word said about the actual problems of the farmer!
Why should the youth take up to farming when farmers commit suicide in droves?  The lack of means of marketing, lack of pre-market storage, the need to constantly improve seeds, fight new pathogens, reduce erosion, retain soil fertility, need for more land and water, climate change, etc., are never mentioned. Why grow more paddy if 30-50% of the produce rots?  

 A one-sided tale is evoked (or made up)  using nostalgic memories of a previous era. The tamasha is a deja vu” with the same type of politicians that plague the farmers in attendance. Surveying the historical aspect by a few well-known scholars like Dr. J. B. Disanayake is welcome. But the stark reality that transcends history to defeat the farmer  MUST also be faced.
 
Farming families toiled from the crack of dawn to the end of the day to produce food for his masters, monks and themselves. In the night, farmers sat in the vaadiya”  to oust pests, pigs and elephants. They had no time for education or leisure. Today too, the farmer toils for the loan sharks and the powerful politicians who control the market and finally commit suicide.

The marvelous hydraulic civilization that began in the Mahatheetha (Mannar) rice bowl of King Bhatiya, abandoned it for Anuradhapura, and then again for  Poron-nuwara (Polonnaruwa). The irrigation tank was both the strength and the Achilles heel of those civilizations when faced with invaders. Besides invaders, the loss of N, P, K from the soil forced the farming regions to move.   

The food situation in ancient times was precarious, in spite of occasional exports of rice. Many nations,  e.g., Egypt,  Lanka and Panjab claimed themselves to be the granary of the east”.  However, historians like Professor Siriweera and others have discussed the actual precarious food situation that prevailed ( http://dh-web.org/place.names/posts/small-irrigation-tanks.pdf).
 One admirer of the event described  traditional paddy farming” as follows:
The only period that the paddy land is left fallow is for about a month following the harvesting. During that month the cut stumps of the paddy bushes are first allowed to dry and then flooded over weeks prior to the intended muddying using water buffaloes. This practice accelerates the decay of the Ipanella thereby creating its own natural compost containing N, P, K and other micronutrients within the liyadde”. The traditional farmer then prepares the wet soil ready for the spread of paddy seedlings using mamoties and wooden hoes as shown in that video… Then he hands spreads Geri katu pohora (powdered/crushed Cattle bones), mixed with crushed gendagam (Sulphur). By then the next seedling period of either the Yala or the Maha season is commenced.”.

Neither bone meal (Geri Katu”) nor Sulphur was used by the ancient farmers in Sri Lanka where cattle were not killed. Past edicts and stone inscriptions testify to the protection given,  not only to cows but to other animals as well.  With the need to feed  Indian workers,  the British restored tanks and rice cultivation. Ferguson’s directory, available from the 1830s, and archived records of imports show how 19th-century European agriculture based on bone-meal fertilizers, and pest control based on sulphur and arsenic were introduced to Sri Lanka. So, the attempt to revert to traditional farming” proposed by these Ran-keth speakers is nothing but reverting to 19th century British practices.    

The ancient civilizations were in the dry zone. The dense forest of the wet zone, impenetrable without steel tools remained intact. The ancient dry zone farmer did not use composting or geri-katu”.  Instead, he moved his farm  from one Hena ( Chena”) to another, letting the parana-kumbura” and parana-hena” fallow for a period and burn the growth to yield some minerals. Today there is no land for such slash-and-burn methods.

No one should believe that the ipanel” (stumps of paddy bushes) provide the needed micro-nutrients to the soil to any extent. Also, too much recycling of ipanel”,  straw and husk via composting is bad as plants accumulate metal toxins during growth.  The straw may contain some 200 times more cadmium, arsenic or lead than found naturally in the soil. Putting it back to the soil should be done with caution.

The 19th-century practice of using sulphur, arsenic or red lead as pesticides is dangerous to human and environmental health. Organic-food activists militated against glyphosate (used in extreme dilution for a few days of the year by paddy farmers) but what about the sulphur of the traditionalist?  Although not significantly present in the soil, water, or blood of farmers affected by kidney disease  (See WHO study, 2014)   the herbicide was banned!  Activists like Venerable Ratana,  Ms. Senanayake, and others championed for a so-called Toxin-free nation”.  Ms. Senanayake is allegedly engaged in marketing organic rice via  Hela saviya” or Hela suvaya”. Their agents attempted to sell their rice in Ontario, after claiming that Lankan rice contains arsenic, cadmium and such toxins  unlike their own produce. Chemical analysis of the standard  Lankan rice does NOT show higher levels of cadmium or arsenic when compared with other rice.  Standard Lankan rice has a high amount of zinc. Zinc  mitigates any bad effects, if any, from the traces of cadmium found in the rice. Sri Lankan rice is quite safe to eat, contrary to the propaganda of the organic-rice” bandwagon.  

The need of the hour is not increasing the land under paddy, but returning the land back to forests, or to natural wetlands. The populations of pollinating insects, wild bees, etc. have dwindled drastically – a global phenomenon caused by human encroachment of wilderness. The farmed area can be REDUCED  and yet the paddy harvest can be increased by saving the 30-40% destroyed by weevils etc., and by using modern technology, no-till agriculture etc (i.e, no mud,  no erosion, less labor, and less water). The ultimate is to beyond the methods of the green revolution (see .https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2019/02/26/beyond-the-green-revolution-how-humanity-needs-cutting-edge-technology-to-save-itself).    

In rural homes, the grain is stored in the Duma”, a shelf above the wood-burning kitchen fire.  Dum” (smoke)  keeps the grain relatively safe from humidity, weevils, insects, etc. The kitchen smoke pervades the interior. Additionally, a smoke pan (Dum Kabala”) is used against mosquitoes. Rice husk  (Dahaiyya”) is often used for this purpose.  The resulting heightened levels of nitric oxides, sulphurous fumes, acrolein like substances,  sub-micron particulate dust, are often a thousand times higher than those gazetted in August 2008 (for PM10 and PM2.5).  The rice husk may contain 200 times the cadmium present naturally in the soil. When it is burnt, such metal toxins are released into the air.  Toxins are efficiently absorbed by the lungs, unlike from the gut. These rural homes have more particulate dust and noxious chemicals than busy Colombo streets (see Samarakkody et al. 2007, and Lankathilka et al. 2000).   Allergies, asthmas  (peenasa” and aeduma”)  and weakened immune systems are the result.

The danger of air pollution is ignored by our politicians who invest in coal, LNG and other fossil fuels.  Those who envisage the setting up of vast smokestacks (Dum madu) to store paddy are in the same league as those who believe in  Dandu Monedra Flying machines” of yore.

The urban intellectuals want the youth to go back to the traditional villager with its tank and temple to produce the organic food for them, but the villager wants to escape manual labour and move to a city! The tank-temple-village model” is inapplicable to a 22 million population given the need to stop further habitat encroachment.   

The speakers at the Hiru event make no mention of the yeoman contribution of Lankan scientists who created new, high-yielding, fast-growing hybrids from traditional seeds. They averted famines in Lanka with its post-WWII demographic bulge.  Ranketh Udaanaya, if successful,   may produce a miserable 1-1.5 metric tonnes of organic”  rice per hectare for the elite, and hunger for the masses.

[The author was instrumental in initiating university courses in food science and in introducing course units on environmental studies during his tenure as a professor of chemistry, and President of the Vidyodaya campus -i.e., Sri Jayawardena Pura  university -in the mid-1970s.]

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Hotels requested to voluntarily give space to locate quarantine centers

Colombo, March 12 (newsin.asia): The following recommendations made by the Presidential Task Force were approved during the meeting held on 11.03.2020.

Request the public to refrain from undertaking overseas visits unless for essential purposes.

Temporary suspension of pilgrimages overseas.

Temporary suspension of issuing on arrival visas.

Increase the space available for quarantining,

Appeal to hotel owners for voluntary assistance by allowing the Government to use their hotels as quarantine centres, if the necessity arises.

Facilitate Army training centres to be used for this purpose.

Improve facilities at hospitals in urban areas.

Introduce a mandatory requirement for producing the certificate of quarantine, for Sri Lankans who have arrived from abroad, when they travel back to their countries of employment.

By PAUL NEWMAN and RICHARD GIBSON COURTESY THE DAILY MAIL

• England are considering calling off their upcoming cricket tour of Sri Lanka
• There are concerns travelling England fans could bring the virus with them 
• Sri Lanka has so far been largely untouched, with just three confirmed cases 
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?

England were on Thursday night considering calling off their tour of Sri Lanka before an anticipated 3,000 supporters head to Galle for the first Test.

Hopes were fading that England could continue with a trip that is scheduled to feature two Tests — the first of which starts on Thursday. On Thursday night the ECB were waiting for guidance from the government but it was becoming increasingly likely that the team would be heading home.

England have already taken steps to be vigilant on this tour, from banning handshakes and having a two-metre ‘exclusion zone’ with media to then saying there would be no autographs or selfies with supporters.

+14

England have been considering calling off the tour of Sri Lanka before fans start to travel

On Thursday, Sri Lanka, which has remained largely untouched by the virus, stopped issuing visas to tourists and closed all schools for at least a month.

England had been hopeful of carrying on the tour before a rapid change of mood on Thursday. The biggest fear in Sri Lanka is that infected England supporters could accelerate the spread of the virus in a country where there have been just three reported cases.

The ECB were on Thursday night considering their options, including the possibility of playing the series behind closed doors, as India have decided to do for their one-day series against South Africa.

With England supporters set to travel this weekend to Galle for the first Test, an ECB spokesman said: ‘We are in regular contact with the Sri Lankan and British High Commission in addition to Sri Lanka Cricket around the Test matches.

England have taken measures already, including a two-metre exclusion zone with media

Zak Crawley made 105 in England’s final warm-up game ahead of Thursday’s first Test

‘At this stage the series is planned to continue but we want to stress that this is a highly evolving situation and circumstances are changing rapidly, sometimes several times a day.

‘We urge fans who are considering travelling to consult with the current British and Sri Lankan government advice and to continue to do this up until the point of travel and for the duration of the trip.’

If the series is called off, attempts will be made to rearrange it before June 2021 when the World Test Championship finishes, as these two Tests count towards it. Meanwhile Zak Crawley, 22, did his cause no harm with a classy century on Thursday.

It says everything for his rapid rise that his ton was only his fourth in first-class cricket. The Kent man looks better every time he goes to the crease for England and against a strong Sri Lanka Cricket President’s XI made 105 top-quality runs, impressing with his driving and use of his feet against the spinners.

England batted throughout the first day of their final warm-up game at the P Sara Oval with Crawley making 105 and captain Joe Root an unbeaten 90 in their 354 for three.

Crawley has now made 43, 91 and a century in his three innings here and on Thursday earned the approval of one of England’s best batsmen in subcontinental conditions, assistant coach Graham Thorpe.

‘We had heard good stuff about him,’ said Thorpe of a batsman who was handed his chance when Rory Burns was injured playing football in Cape Town.

‘This is my first winter around him but I’ve been impressed. Zak has good character, he’s easy to talk to about the game and wants to just keep progressing. The more he plays the more he’s learning and the hungrier he’s getting.’ This was a solid day’s practice for an England side who, with the exception of the rested Stuart Broad, are expected to make up the team for the first Test.

Crawley has now made 43, 91 and a century in his three innings in Sri Lanka

Crawley and Dom Sibley gave England another good start with an opening stand of 103, before Root and Ollie Pope, promoted to five above Ben Stokes, carried on where the Kent man left off with an unbroken stand of 175 for the fourth wicket. It left England on 354 for three at the close.

Only Joe Denly was a concern. He never looked comfortable and once more got himself in before getting out, this time for 26.

Back at home, Nottinghamshire have dropped Northamptonshire as pre-season opponents over health concerns. Northants are going to Singapore on Monday for a 12-day warm-weather training break, which prompted Nottinghamshire to scrap the fixture to avoid unnecessary risk to their own players and staff.

Joe Denly was a concern after he once more got himself in before getting out, this time for 26

Notts will now host Lancashire — one of several counties to have pulled out of overseas trips in recent days — with the match starting on March 30.

Somerset pulled out last night of their pre-season trip to Abu Dhabi, where they were due to play Worcestershire and Essex. The West Midlands club’s decision to abort their tour had left Somerset with just a two-day game against Essex on their schedule.

The Indian Premier League, which is scheduled to start on March 29, is likely to go ahead with matches behind closed doors.

Courtesy Adaderana

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa requested the heads of research organizations to find ways and means to uplift a small country such as Sri Lanka with a comparatively small population and an economy.

Since the current global economy is based on knowledge, ours should be developed centered around our workforce that can be easily trained, President observed.

President Rajapaksa made these observations during a meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat today (13) with Chairmen and Director Board members of state- sector research entities.

This is the fourth of the series of meetings organized to enlighten heads of government institutes on ‘Saubagyaye Dekma’ Policy Statement, stated president’s Media Division.

Heads of Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute, National Science Foundation, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies and Institute of Post-Harvest Technology were among the participants.

There is a visible breakdown in our political culture. The people of this country elected a person who was not a politician as their President with the hope of rectifying this. This is the challenge before me. The State sector has an enormous responsibility in fulfilling the aspirations of the people. If the public institutes function in an efficient manner we will not have any issue in carrying out our duties”, President Rajapaksa said.

The President emphasized that conducting comprehensive researches is crucial for economic development and said that his main objective is to ensure a higher standard of living for the lower segment of the society. He also said that the program to recruit 100,000 unskilled persons from the underprivileged families were designed to achieve this objective.

‘We are an agricultural country. But our farmers have always been poor. Second and third generations choose the agricultural field if it is the only option for survival. Modern technology should be introduced to this field to attract the new generation. India has successfully achieved results by doing so. Researchers should introduce new technologies to agriculture in order to free the underprivileged people from poverty’, President Rajapaksa emphasized.

Explaining the role and responsibilities of the research institutes, the President said it is imperative for researchers to identify accurately what our people need. Researches need to be done to introduce new techniques to the agricultural sector as well as to the fisheries sector. Even though we have many problems with the use of chemical fertilizers, we still haven’t been able to shift to use organic fertilizer. When considering the fisheries sector, researches can be used to identify areas where fish are abundant. President pointed out that the results of researches should be socialized as a product.

Secretary to the President Dr. P.B. Jayasundara, Ministry Secretaries and other senior officials were also present at the meeting.

Courtesy Adaderana

Commander of Army Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, issuing a special statement, urges the public not to panic over misleading rumors regarding the coronavirus.

It has been observed that the public is currently attempting to buy large quantities of food and other goods from supermarkets and shops, said the Army Commander.

However, as shops only stock items needed for a day or two, buying large amounts of goods in one day might lead to shops running out of goods, he pointed out.
 
This might lead to a fear among the public that there is a shortage of goods, although this is not the case, Lieutenant General Silva added.

Stating that this behavior indicates panic among the citizens, Silva says that the President had requested him to brief the public on this matter.

Further speaking, the Army Chief points out that there must have been some misinformation that the public will be quarantined into their homes.

However, the government has not arrived at such a decision as of yet, he added.

If such a decision is taken, the public will be warned beforehand, assured Silva.

උපුටා ගැන්ම  හිරු පුවත්

සමඟි ජන බලවේගය පාර්ශ්වය සහ එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ පාර්ශ්වය අදත් වෙන් වෙන්ව ප්‍රවෘත්ති සාකච්ඡා පවත්වමින් පවතින අර්බුදය පිළිබඳ අදහස් පළ කළා.

Sri Lanka News

All schools including Private and International Catholic schools under the Archbishop in the country would be closed from tomorrow to April 20 as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in the country, the Education Ministry said.

Courtesy Adaderana

A second person in Sri Lanka has tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of presumptive coronavirus cases in the country to two.

The Government Information Department stated that another individual who had reportedly stayed with the first Sri Lankan patient diagnosed with the virus, who is currently admitted at IDH Hospital, has also now tested positive for coronavirus.

Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe states that it has been confirmed that this 44-year-old man had tested positive for coronavirus and that he too is currently receiving treatment at the IDH Hospital in Angoda. 

He said that the patient had been admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) last evening (11) and that today he was identified as a COVID-19 patient. 

Dr. Jasinghe stated that both he and the previously identified coronavirus patient had shared a room at a hotel in Dambulla at one point and also that they are both employed as tour guides.

He added that the Epidemiology Unit has already commenced investigating into the places visited by the new patient and the people he had met and came into contact with.

Dr. Jasinghe stated that this patient is therefore the second coronavirus patient in Sri Lanka.

He said that the Ministry of Health is gradually implementing every necessary step with regard to controlling the spread of coronavirus in the country and therefore it is unlikely that there will be any effect on the day-to-day lives of the general public.

Chanaka Bandarage

This write-up is posted in Lankaweb with a view to further clarify the article that I posted in Lankaweb on 10 March 2020, titled ‘Distortion of Our History’.

I reproduce from the Grade 6 and 10 textbooks where the history
is wrong or questionable (the Sinhala texts below):

Please note that the italicized texts are my own comments.

Currently, there are 5 history textbooks used by students. They are distributed free of charge by the government to all Sri Lankan schools (Grades 6 -10).

Chapter 4.1 of the Grade 6 book – is all about commencement of the Sri Lanka’s human settlement:

Heading – ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ජනාවාස වීම (page 30)

In the introduction it states(page 30),

ඕනෑම රටකට පැමිණ පළමුවෙන් මෙහි පදිංචි වීම හඳුන්වන්නේ ඒ රට ජනාවාස වීම යනුවෙනි. දුපතක් වූ අපේ රටට මුලින්ම මිනිසුන් පැමිණියේ මීට අවුරුදු එක්ලක්ෂ විසිපන්දහසකට පමණ ඉහත කාලයකදීය. ඔවුන් එසේ පැමිණ තිබෙන්නේ දුරු රටක සිටය (means  not India). ඔවුහු අපේ ආදිතම මුතුන් මිත්තෝය (so, Vijaya is out). දිගු කාලයක් තිස්සේ මේ රටේ ජීවත් වෙමින් ඔවුන් මේ රට දියුණු කල ආකාරය (note, මේ රට දියුණු කල ආකාරය;  so, existence of an organized political/administrative system?) පිළිබඳව මෙම පාඩමේ දී ඔබට ඉගෙන ගැනීමට අවස්tථාවක් ලැබෙනු ඇත (the first universally recognized advanced, human settlement is Indus Valley (current day Pakistan), followed by Mesopotamia (current day Egypt), they  existed only about 5000 years ago).

Summary of this Chapter (in page 32)

1. අපේ රට ජනාවාස වුයේ මීට අවුරුදු එක්ලක්ෂ විසිපන්දහසකට පමණ ඉහත කාලයකදීය.
2. මෙරට ජනාවාස කල පිරිස් දුරු රටකින් පැමිණි අයයි. ඔවුහු අපේ රටේ නොයෙක් පලාත්වල ජීවත් වුහ.

Chapter 4.2 heading- Vijaya is mentioned in the Grade 6 book as follows (page 33):

විජය රජුගේ පැමිණීම සහ ජනාවාස ව්‍යාප්තිය (note ව්‍යාප්තිය – so, not the commencement of settlement by Vijaya, but the expansion of the already existing homo sapien settlement by him  – this is very significant.  This is contrary to what was enunciated in Mahavansa/Paranavitana.

Summary of this chapter (page 35):

1. මේ රටේ විසු ගල්යුගයේ මිනිස්සු පසු කාලයකදී වී ගොවිතැනට හුරු වුහ (but, first paddy cultivation was by the Chinese,  about 8000 -13,500 years ago).
2. අවුරුදු 4000 කට ඉහත කාලයකදී ඔවුහු යකඩ සොයා ගත්හ (the whole world accepts  that China invented iron only about 3500 years ago). ඊට අමතරව ඔවුහු මැටි වලං සහ නිවාස (so, houses by hunter-gatherers!) සැදීමට දැන සිටියහ.

(In Archeology, over thousands of years hunter-gatherer societies evolve into agrarian societies (this is Neolithic demographic transition). A society cannot be both  hunter-gatherers and agrarian at the same time. Next stage is the Industrial society. It has always been accepted that Kuweni and her clan were hunter-gatherers).

• ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ජනාවාස වීම පැහැදිලි කරන කථාවක් (note, කථාවක් – shows Vijaya is given less importance) මහාවංසයේ සඳහන්ය. ඒ කථාවට (note, කථාවට) අනුව මේ රට ජනාවාස  කරන ලද්දේ මීට අවරුදු 2500කට ඉහත කාලයකදී ඉන්දියාවෙන් පැමිණි විජය නම් කුමරකු (note, විජය නම් කුමරකු – shows Vijaya is insignificant) සහ ඔහුගේ පන්සීයයක් පිරිස විසිනි.

Chapter 2 of the grade 10 book – Heading – ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ජනාවාස වීම (page 10)

In the introduction it states (page 10),

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව මිනිස් වාසයක් බවට පත් වුයේ මීට අවුරුදු එක් ලක්ෂ විසිපන්දහසකට පමණ ඉහත කාල වකවානුවක දීය. ඉන්දියානු සාගරය හරහා මෙහි පැමිණි නුතන මානවයා (නුතන මානවයා that we know of is  Balangoda Manawakaya – he existed about 30000 years ago), නමින් හැඳින්වෙන හෝමෝසපියන්වරු එසේ මෙරටට සංක්‍රමණය වුහ. එතැන් පටන් ඔවුහු මෙරට විවිධ ප්‍රදේශවලට පැතිර යමින් ඒ ඒ පළාතවල තිබෙන පරිසර ස්වරුපවලට හැඩ ගැසුනහ (this is not what Mahavansa/Paranavithana say). සැලකිය යුතු තරමේ දීර්ඝ කාලයක් ඔවුන් මේ රටේ ජීවත් වීම නිසා කාලානුරූපව ඔවුන්ගේ සංස්කෘතිය ද සකස් විය (සංස්කෘතිය  – means, a distinct culture?). සංස්කෘතියේ සිදුවූ එම වෙනස් කම් පදනම් කොට ගෙන ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ මනුෂ්‍ය පැවැත්මේ ඉතිහාසය අවධි තුනකට බෙදා තිබේ.

Summary of this Chapter  (page 29) –

1. ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ජනාවාස වුයේ මීට අවුරුදු ලක්ෂ ගණනකට ඉහත දීය (earlier stated 125000 years ago). එලෙස මෙරට මුල් ජනාවාස පිහිටුවා ගන්නා ලද්දේ ආදී කාලින හෝමෝ සාපියන්වරු විසිනි.
2. ආදී කාලින හෝමෝ සාපියන්වරු මෙරට විවිධ පරිසර කලාපවලට හැඩ ගැසෙමින් ජීවත් වුහ. ඔවුන් කිසිදු වාර්ගික අනන්යතාවයක් පිළිඹිබු කලේ නැත (so, when and how did they become present day’s Sinhala, Tamil etc?; This is also assisting LTTE, Wigenswaran – because they then blatantly claim that those people were Tamils).
3. පසු කාලයක මෙරට විසු ප්‍රාග් ඓතිහාසික මිනිසුන් ගොවිතැනට හුරුවූ බවට සාක්ෂි හමුවී තිබේ. දැනට ලැබී තිබෙන සාධක අනුව එම පරිවර්තනයන් ක්‍රිස්තු පූර්ව 2400 වන විට සම්පුර්ණත්වයට පත්ව තිබුණි (this is when Vijaya came. At that time Kuweni’s Sri Lanka was a fully fledged agrarian society? (per established history, it was a hunter gatherer society).
4. පූර්ව ඓතිහාසික යුගය වැදගත් කාලපරිච්චේදයක් වන්නේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ශිෂ්ටාචාරික වර්ධනයට අදාළ මුලික දෑ එම යුගයෙන් ආරම්භ වීම නිසාය. මෙරට මිනිසුන් ගම්මානවල ජීවත්වීම ආරම්භ කරන ලද්දේ මේ සමයේදීය (per established history, hunter-gatherers lived  in caves, not in villages. They may have lived in temporary shelters made of material that they could find around them, but, they did not live in permanent village houses). 
5. මහාවංසය සඳහන් කරන ආකාරයට (note, සඳහන් කරන ආකාරයට – so causes a doubt about Mahavansa in the student’s mind) විජය කුමරු ඇතුළු ඔහුගේ පිරිස මෙරටට පැමිණෙන අවධියේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ඉතා සංවිධානාත්මක සමාජයක් පැවතිනි (note, ඉතා සංවිධානාත්මක සමාජයක් – a highly organized society – this is an entirely new finding. Mahavansa or other historians such as Paranavithana do  not say this).

Chapter 3 of the Grade 10 book (page 31) – Heading – ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ දේශපාලන බලය විකාශනය වීම

In the introduction it states (page 31),

විජය කුමරු මෙහි පැමිණීමට පෙර මෙරට ජනාවාස පැවති බව පුරාවිද්‍යාත්මක සාක්ෂිවලින් තහවරු වී තිබේ. ක්‍රිස්තු පූර්ව 2400 තරම් ඈත කාලයක සිට මෙරට කෘෂිකාර්මික සමාජයක් දියුණු වෙමින් පැවතී බව බෙරගල, හල්දුම්මුල්ල ආදී ප්‍රදේශවලින් සොයා ගෙන තිබෙන පැරණි සොහොන් බිම් වලින් තහවරු වී ඇත (how could cemeteries  provide  evidence about the existence of  a developing agricultural society? Furthermore, for credibility purposes, international sanctioning is needed for these fresh findings – acceptance by internationally acclaimed archeologists/anthropologists, published articles in world renowned archeology/history journals etc  are helpful to make the  final determination – this is how Paranavitana et al operated). එවැනි සමාජයකට අවුල් වියවුලින් තොරව පැවතීමට නම් ඒ සමාජය පාලනය් වීමට කිසියම් ක්‍රමයක් තිබිය යුතුය. එහෙයින් මෙරට සමාජයේ දේශපාලන බලය දියුණු වීමේ ඉතිහාසය විජය කුමරුන්ගේ පැමිණීමට පෙර වකවානුවට අයත්ය (so there was an established political system prior to Vijaya’s arrival. This is also assisting LTTE, Wigenswaran – because they then blatantly claim that those people were Tamils).

Chapter 4  of the grade 10 book  (page 44) – Heading – ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පැරණි සමාජය

In page 56 it states that බුදු දහම මෙරට මුල්බැසගත් අවධියේ අනුරාධපුර නගරය සහ ඒ අවට බ්‍රාහ්මණ ජන කණ්ඩායම් වාසය කල බවට සාක්ෂි ලැබී තිබේ.  ඔවුහු හින්දු භක්තිකයෝය…. වෙළඳාම සඳහා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණි දෙමල ජාතික වෙළෙන්දන් ගැන මෙරට පැරණිතම සෙල් ලිපිවල සඳහන්ය. ….ක්‍රිස්තු වර්ෂයෙන් හත්වන  සියවස වන විට මෙරට ප්‍රධාන වරායන් ආශ්‍රිතව සැලකිය යුතු තරමේ දෙමල ප්‍රජාවක් වාසය කළහ. (these seem to be new findings; thus prior to submitting them in the student books, comprehensive  discourse about them  ought to have taken place  among the country’s intellect –  including the clergy.  .

In point 7 summaries (page 61), it states;

බුදු දහම හැරුණු විට කාලයෙන් කාලයට වෙනත් ආගමික අදහස් ද මෙරට සමාජය තුල පැතිරී ගියේය.  ශ්‍රී ලංකාව දුපතක් වීමත් ඉතා ඈත කාලයක සිට ඉන්දියානු සාගරයේ වෙළඳ කටයුතුවලට සක්‍රීය ලෙස සහභාගී වීමත් යන කරුණු පදනම කොට ගෙන වෙනත් ආගමික අදහස් මෙරට ව්‍යාප්ත විය (if other Indian religions arrived in Sri Lanka, what are they? This is also assisting LTTE, Wigenswaran – because they claim that that religion is Hinduism. The history that we have learned is that upon King Devanampiyatissa became a Buddhist, the whole country became Buddhist (100%). Basically this was the case until the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505).

_________

Today, do we have 60% Buddhists in the country? – doubtful.

In another 50 years …..40%?

Finally, these textbooks were published in 2015. I have been told that the history stipulated in the earlier versions was much different.  Those textbooks had positively and comprehensively dealt with the arrival of  Vijaya/Ven Mahinda/Ven Sangamitta to Sri Lanka, recognized Mahavansa as an authentic, primary source of history, constantly emphasized that Sri Lanka was built on a Sinhala, Buddhist foundation. I believe the earlier books did not mention about homo-sapiens and that they ran an elaborate civilization in Sri Lanka.  I have also been told that the focus of the earlier books had been that for the student to bear in mind that  Sri Lanka is a Sinhala, Buddhist country. It is obvious (also enunciated herein) that these new books significantly deviate from those positions.

Bhante Y. Wimala

Dear friends and students, 

In the past few weeks, I have been talking with many people who are concerned, anxious and even afraid of the spread of the coronavirus around the world. There is no doubt that this is a serious situation and we all need to listen to the advice of experts and follow their guidelines carefully. I would like to share with you some thoughts that I have been sharing with my close friends and students who are experiencing more than a normal level of anxiety. 

Self- awareness  
You need to pay close attention to your level of anxiety, attitude, and feelings. The way you overcome darkness is by spreading light. Feeling miserable about darkness will change nothing and do nothing to bring light. This is a moment we all need to make an effort to radiate love and light. Whenever the disturbing thoughts make your mind heavy, you have the power to influence, change or replace negative thoughts by intentionally guiding your mind to positive, peaceful and wholesome thoughts. Your feelings are influenced by your thoughts. So this is a good time to practice the power of being aware of and consciously choosing your thoughts.

Empower those who are in distress
When you are peaceful, thoughtful and compassionate your words can empower those who are afraid, lost or unhappy. See how you can become a positive influence and comfort to those who are in distress due to many real concerns about the effect of coronavirus by becoming a more compassionate person. When a positive response flows from you as you become aware of the pain and suffering of others, we Buddhists call that compassion. Compassion is the perfect light to remove the darkness of pain produced by sadness and worry. 

Don’t allow polarized views to pollute your mind. 
I would kindly remind you to be thoughtful as you listen to the news or watch TV.  In a serious moment like this news organizations have an obligation to present the facts in a way so they do not disturb the peace of mind of individuals and do not spread fear. Sadly, that’s not always the case. Use common sense wisdom and your own fair-minded, unbiased judgment so that you can stay informed but undisturbed and positively motivated. It is absolutely necessary that you have the courage to say no and turn off the TV.  Don’t allow others to instill fear, hopelessness or anger in your mind.  Your peace of mind is a great gift you can now offer to the world.

May you be well, happy and peaceful.

With light and love,

Courtesy The Guardian

Netherlands, Germany and Belgium are still coming to terms with their overseas legacies

The Netherlands

Visiting Indonesia this week, King Willem-Alexander apologised for his country’s excessive violence” in its former colony, saying the past could not be erased but must be acknowledged.

But while the Dutch view of their colonial history is shifting, the country has yet to fully acknowledge colonial harm, or the extent to which prevailing attitudes to it affect people today, sociologists and historians have said.

The general feeling is still: we did it, it was a long time ago, everybody else was doing it, it’s not that serious, there’s nothing to apologise for,” said Sander Philipse, a historian and writer.

The Netherlands became a world power in the 17th century, thanks to enormous wealth generated by its East and West India Companies which propelled it to the forefront of scientific discovery and artistic endeavour. But the period also witnessed colonial violence on a grand scale, and extensive involvement in the slave trade.Advertisement

Over the past decade postcolonial historians and former colonial subjects living in the Netherlands have steadily raised awareness of the issue, with moves to rename streets and remove statues of past heroes sparking heated debates.

Last year, the Amsterdam Museum banned the term Gouden Eeuw (Golden Age) from its exhibits as a general description of the era in which the Netherlands dominated the world stage, saying it did not do justice to those who were exploited.

But Piet Emmer, a retired history professor, has argued that present-day criticism of Dutch colonialism is absurd. You’re not allowed to say, it but colonialism introduced modern civilisation,” he has said.

Karwan Fatah-Black, a social historian at the University of Leiden, said the older generation of historians bent on protecting what they saw as the Netherlands’ colonial legacy was now mostly gone. That obviously implies a big change of attitude,” he said. But it doesn’t mean the rest of society is moving at the same pace.”

Jon Henley

Germany

Debate about Germany’s colonial history has long been overshadowed by the crimes of the National Socialist era. Only in recent years has there been an effort, largely driven by grass-roots initiatives, to bring this chapter of the past to the fore.

As a consequence of the engagement with the Third Reich, Germans are generally not very proud of their history in the late 19th and 20th century,” said Jürgen Zimmerer, a historian of colonialism at Hamburg University.

The fact that Germans questioned by YouGov were most likely to respond don’t know” when quizzed about whether they were proud or ashamed of empire also suggested a knowledge gap about Germany’s role in Europe’s colonial history.

There’s still a lack of debate about the structurally racist injustices carried out in the name of colonialism, and the violent histories of each individual colony,” said Zimmerer.

Germany only belatedly joined other European nations in the scramble for colonial expansion. But by the start of the first world war, it had the third-largest empire after Britain and France. In Namibia, known as German South West Africa, German troops carried out what has become known as the first genocide of the 20th century.

In July 2015 the German foreign minister, now president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued diplomatic guidelines that the 1904-1908 massacre of Herero and Namaqua peoples should be referred to as a war crime and a genocide”.

The debate had been largely led by city authorities such as Berlin or Hamburg rather than the federal government, said Zimmerer. It also remained limited to the cultural sector.

Berlin is already in the process of renaming some of the streets in its African quarter”, in the Wedding district. In April 2018, authorities announced Petersallee boulevard, named after an imperial high commissioner for east Africa with a blood-thirsty reputation, will be divided into Anna-Mungunda-Allee and Maji-Maji-Allee, named after a Namibian independence campaigner and the anti-imperialist rebellion that began in east Africa in 1905.

Philip Olterman in Berlin

Belgium

Today street names commemorating colonial heroes are being changed and statues are being fitted with explanatory panels. But it was arguably only in 1999 on publication of the bestseller King Leopold’s Ghost that critical debate ensued in Belgium over the country’s colonial legacy.

American author Adam Hochschild depicted Leopold II as a voracious king who plundered the Congo Free State, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, for rubber and ivory while his underlings mutilated, raped and murdered local inhabitants.

Up to 10 million were estimated by Hochschild to have been killed in what he suggested was a hidden holocaust.

But until 20 years ago most Belgians still thought they did nothing but good,” said Guido Gryseels, director at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren. In the 1960s, Congo had a GNP that was twice that of Italy and as large as that of Canada. So Belgians thought that if only they hadn’t kicked us out in the 1960s they would not be in the state it is today – one of the word’s poorest countries.”

In 2005, Gryseels’s museum – sited where Leopold in 1897 had imported 267 Congolese to perform in a kind of human zoo – staged its first exhibition with a critical stance on the colonial period. For a period of eight months almost every newspaper and radio station had a programme, almost every day, following the exhibition,” Gryseels said.

There are some 250,000 Congolese in Belgium, many of whom have struggled for work, faced racism, and felt understandably angry about the blindness of Belgians to their legacy. The Royal Museum for Central Africa reopened last year with a permanent exhibition that sought to assuage the diaspora that eyes were opening.

The mood is certainly changing”, said Gryseels. People still use the expression that you shouldn’t forget the positive aspects of colonialism to which we say that is like saying to a woman who has just been raped, ‘Oh but you do have a nice baby’. Most people in Belgium are not very proud.”

Sangkallpa

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා ඊ නිව්ස්

කොරෝනා වෛරසය දැඩිව පැතීරී ඇති දකුණු කොරියාව, ඉතාලිය සහ ඉරානය යන රටවල සිට මෙරටට පැමිණෙන පුද්ගලයන් නිරොධායනයට ලක් කිරීම මේ වන විට රජය විසින් අනිවාර්ය කර ඇත.

නමුත් රජය විසින් නොමිලයේ ලබා දෙන ආහාර, කාමර පහසුකම් නැතැයි පවසන පුද්ගලයන් වෙත විකල්පයක්ද මේ වන විට සාකච්චා වෙමින් තිබේ.

මෙරට පිහිටි ප‍්‍රධාන පෙලේ සංචාරක හෝටල් සමග සාකච්ඡා කරමින් එම පුද්ගලයන්ට අවශ්‍ය පරිදි වායුසමීකරණය කරන ලද කාමර ආහාරපාන ලබා දීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් අවදණාය යොමු කර ඇත.

මේ දිනවල සංචාරකයන්ද පැමිණීමේ විශාල අඩුවක්ද ඇති නිසා සංචාරක හෝටල්වලට ද අමතර ආදායමක් ලෙස මෙම වැඩපිලිවෙල යෝජනා කර ඇත.

ඒ අනුව අවශ්‍ය පුද්ගලයන් දින 14ක කාලයක් එම හෝටල්වල නේවාසිකව නිරෝධායන කටයුත්ත සසිදු කර ගැනීමට හැකි අතර ඒ සඳහා හෝටලයේ ගාස්තුවට අමතරව නිරෝධායනය සඳහා අමතර ගාස්තුවක්ද එක් කිරීමට යෝජිතය.

සාමාන්‍යයෙන් කොළඹ තරු පන්තියේ හෝටලයක් දිනක් සදහා රුපියල් 20,000 කට ආසන්න මුදලක් අය කෙරෙන අතර ඊට නිරෝධායනය වෙනුවෙන් අමතර ගාස්තුවක්ද එක්වනු ඇත.

 උපුටාගැන්ම ලංකා ඊ නිව්ස්

නිරෝධානය කිරීම සඳහා දැනට නිර්දේශ කර ඇති දකුණු කොරියාව, ඉරානය, ඉතාලිය යන රටවල සිට මෙරටට පැමිණෙන පුද්ගලයන් නිරෝධානය සදහා විරුද්ධ වන්නේ නම් ඔවුන් පැමිණි රටටම ආපසු පිටත් කර හැරීමට දැනුම් දී ඇති බව යුද හමුදාව පවසයි.

යුද හමුදා මාධ්‍ය ප්‍රකාශක බ්‍රිගේඩියර් චන්දන වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා කොලඹදී පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවේ දී කියා සිටියේ අදාළ රටවල්වලින් පැමිණෙන සියලුම පුද්ගලයන් නිරෝධාන ක්‍රියාවලියට සහයෝගය දැක්විය යුතු බවය.

එම පුද්ගලයන්ට ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට හැකි උපරිම පහසුකම් ලබා දී ඇති බවත් රටක් ලෙස මෙයට යම් පිරිවැයක් දැරීමට සිදුව ඇති බවත් ඔහු සඳහන් කළේය.

නිරෝධාන කටයුතු සම්බන්ධයෙන් ජාල ඔස්සේ පළවන පුවත් ගැන අනියත බියක් ඇති නොකර ගන්නා ලෙසද හමුදා මාධ්‍ය ප්‍රකාශක වරයා ඉල්ලා සිටියේය.

කොළඹදී පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවකදී ඔහු මේ බව පැවසීය.

එහිදී පොලිස් මාධ්‍ය ප්‍රකාශක පොලිස් අධිකාරී ජාලිය සේනාරත්න මහතා කියා සිටියේ රෝග නිරෝධායන හා වැළැක්වීමේ ආඥා පනත යටතේ එම රෙගුලාසි කඩකරන්නන්ට විරුද්ධව අධිකරණයේ නඩු පැවරිය හැකි බවත් වරදකරු වුවහොත් මාස හයක් දක්වා සිරදඬුවම් දඩයක් නියම කළ හැකි බවත්ය.

Courtesy The Daily News

Referring to a video circulating on social media which shows a commotion at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with several returnees from Italy, Vice Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services Rajeewasiri Sooriyaarachchi categorically rejected the claims that it was a forcible detention.

Speaking to Daily Mirror, he said several returnees with children, had to be temporarily detained inside a room at the Airport hotel and it was purely done on safety grounds.

It was not something forcible. We have to abide by the instructions underlined by the Health Ministry, the Vice Chairman said.

There are some returnees from Coronavirus infected countries, who are not willing and reluctant to go to quarantine centers. The group of people in the video, is also of that sort, the Vice Chairman added.

He said some factions were attempting make the incident exaggerated by claiming that BIA authorities were trying to harass them. It was nothing of that sort,” he added.

A group of people wearing masks were seemed to have been panicked and shouting in Sinhalese in the video where it was heard Open the door. We can’t breathe in here. Are you all trying to kill us? Why are you treating us cheaply like this? There are children who might get affected”.

And then it was seen that the group of people were let out of the room and were asked to go to the Immigration office.(Sheain Fernandopulle)

Courtesy The Daily News

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and newly appointed Sri Lankan High Commission to United Kingdom Saroja Sirisena held discussions on deepening and intensifying the longstanding political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries.

This was revealed during a discussion between the Queen and High Commissioner Sirisena. Mrs Sirisena presented Letters of Credence to Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremonial event held at the Buckingham Palace.

High Commissioner Sirisena and her spouse, Dr. Sudath Talpahewa were escorted to the Buckingham Palace, accompanied by Deputy High Commissioner Samantha Pathirana, Minister (Commercial) Dr. Lakimini Mendis, Minister Counsellor (Defence) Brigadier D.B.S.N. Bothota and Counsellor (Commonwealth & Political Affairs) N.L.A. Haleem, by traditional horse carriages of the Royal Mews.
High Commissioner Sirisena conveyed greetings from Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to Her Majesty The Queen.  The discussion focused on deepening and intensifying the longstanding political, economic and cultural relations between Sri Lanka and the UK, and also with the Commonwealth. She also highlighted the importance of further exploring trade and investment opportunities between the two countries post Brexit. Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Simon McDonald was associated with the ceremony.
At the conclusion of the ceremony at Buckingham Palace, a reception was held at the High Commission for Members of the House of Lords and House of Commons, representatives of the UK Government, members of the diplomatic corps based in London and British-Sri Lankan community.

High Commissioner Sirisena joined Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998 and served as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Austria and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Vienna immediately prior to her appointment in London.

Her previous diplomatic posts include Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai; Minister, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Geneva; Minister Counsellor, Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels, and First Secretary, Sri Lanka Embassy in Paris.

High Commissioner Sirisena is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, Australia and the École Nationale d’Administration in France. She is a past pupil of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lankan has temporarily suspended visas on arrival for foreigners until further notice in light of coronavirus scare. 

The Government Information Department issuing a statement today (11) said that under the quarantine procedure currently in place with the aim of preventing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, all Sri Lankans as well as foreigners arriving from Italy, South Korea and Iran are placed in quarantine facilities for 14 days.

Several foreigners who had arrived in the country from those countries are already placed in quarantine. 

The statement says that no individual has any social or legal rights to reject this process which is being carried out for the safety of the country and its citizens while the government urges all relevant parties to follow the process for the safety of their loved ones as well as the other citizens of the country.

Meanwhile, the government has also decided to temporarily suspend the on-arrival visa facility for foreigners until further notice.

The public is urged to avoid engaging in foreign travel as much as possible, except for essential reasons.

In February, Sri Lanka extended the free visa-on-arrival scheme until April 30 for the citizens of 48 countries.

Sri Lanka in January suspended its policy of granting visa on arrival for Chinese travellers after the health authorities detected the country’s first coronavirus infection.

In light of the coronavirus outbreak, countries all over the world are putting travel bans and issuing travel advisories.

Qatar banned travelers from countries including Sri Lanka a few days ago to contain the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. 

Courtesy Adaderana

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said via Twitter that COVID-19 was the first type of coronavirus to cause a pandemic. He said describing the ongoing situation as one did not change the organization’s assessment of the threat, or what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do either.

Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly,” Tedros said. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.”

While the term has already been employed by many medical professionals, the WHO has avoided an official declaration before now.

The organization officially defines pandemic as the worldwide spread of a new disease,” noting that viruses that have caused past pandemics typically originated from animal influenza viruses,” which appears to the be the case with this novel coronavirus.

The assessment comes as Italy is weighing even tighter restrictions on daily life and has announced billions in financial relief to cushion economic shocks from the coronavirus.

Premier Giuseppe Conte says he will consider requests to toughen an already extraordinary lockdown.

The hardest-hit region of Lombardy is pushing for a shutdown of nonessential businesses and public transportation on top of travel and social restrictions.

The death toll in Italy has risen to 631. In the U.S., more than 1,000 people have been infected.

-Agencies

Courtesy Adaderana

Kuwait has declared that it will be suspending all flights from Friday. The gulf country will, however, limit inbound trips for Kuwaiti citizens and their first-degree relatives. Cargo flights are also excluded. 

It also announced a public holiday from March 12 to March 26. These steps have been taken to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Kuwait has also said that it will not allow residents to meet in restaurants, cafes and commercial centres, according to the Kuwait News Agency said.

The ministry of Islamic affairs will disseminate messages warning on the dangers of gatherings” and informing worshippers on how to avoid infections at mosques.

The measures will effectively put a halt to many public aspects of life in Kuwait in an effort to keep people isolated. Medical experts have advised social distancing is an effective way of containing the virus.

The country announced three new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infected individuals to 72. One of the newly diagnosed patients had recently travelled to Iran. 

The other two patients had come into contact with an individual that was previously infected after returning from Azerbaijan.

Health Minister Sheikh Basel Al-Sabah announced on Wednesday that three individuals had successfully recovered from the respiratory illness, bringing the total number of recovered cases to five.

-Agencies

Courtesy Adaderana

A total of 622 passengers who had arrived from coronavirus-affected countries such as Italy, South Korea, and Iran have been directed to the quarantine facilities in the country since yesterday (10).

Chairman of Airport & Aviation Services (AASL) G. A. Chandrasiri mentioned this at a press conference held this morning (11).

Courtesy Adaderana

Four students from the University of Sri Jayawardenepura have been arrested over the alleged ragging incident which resulted in critical injuries to a first-year student at the university, stated the Police.

On March 05, Pasindhu Lakshan, a first-year student at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Colombo National Hospital over injuries in an incident at the university premises.

The elder brother of the student claimed that senior students at the university had pushed a tractor tire at his brother which had resulted in critical internal injuries to his head. Reportedly, the incident had caused injuries to the student’s brain.

According to Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University Prof. Sudantha Liyanage, the final party marking the end of the ragging season had been held on March 05 and students had stayed back at the university premises until about 1 am.

Police had identified three students for being involved in the tire incident, and the Acting Vice-Chancellor stated that their studentship will be completely revoked if they are found guilty of the incident.