The book is a re-examination of religious conversion gone through in a surreptitious way also from this book Author mention how the invisible power of invaders trying to Demise Buddhism and Sinhala Nation in This book examines key point… of cultural war towards their (Sinhalese) own nation, Palitha Aritarathna says that “religious conversion is probably one of the most unsettling political events in the life of any society and still no minister, no person would like to talk the truth behind proselytizing effort of NGO and Some of the extremists are who believe right religion is their own only.
In another way the author is used to mention that mutual understanding must be improved and who or they are coming, visiting, working, touring, illegally staying at Another country or Land should respect and protect its origins, (religion and Nationality)planning to demise Buddhism and Sinhalese is an a work that stop immediately.. War on religion is a big shame. Avoid, Step back from converting peoples and interposition others’ land.
Book Name: ‘Invisible Destructive force Behind Vanishing Nation (Helaya)’ ‘Helaya wanasana Adisi Balwega’ (Sinhala Language ) Limited edition not available at the book shop edition. Agust/2010
PUDUCHERRY: In order to promote tourism, the ministry for shipping has mooted a proposal to start ferry service between Karaikal in the Union Territory of Puducherry and Jaffna in Sri Lanka covering a distance of 56 nautical miles (103.7 kilometres).
Shortly after chairing a meeting with ministers and government officials of Puducherry, Union minister of state for shipping Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday addressed a press conference saying that the project is expected to take off in three to four months.
Lok Sabha MP V Vaithilingam, who was present at the press meet along with the Union minister, said it would take around three hours for one-way ferry trip and would cost around Rs 6,5000 to Rs 7,000 for a round trip. Some investors have already expressed interest with their proposals, he Kandasamy added.
Mandaviya said hundreds of Tamil-speaking people from Sri Lanka come to India on pilgrimage. Besides, many Sri Lankans also visit India to see Buddhist sites. The ferry service will facilitate their visit. It will not only give boost to tourism, but will also improve bilateral cooperation between the two countries, he said.
A ferry service between India and Sri Lanka was operated between Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu and Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka, over a distance of 30 nautical miles. After the 1964 cyclone destroyed infrastructure at Dhanushkodi, the service was operated from Rameswaram. In 1984, the Union government suspended the service due to the rise of ethnic conflict in the island nation. In more recent years, the TN government has been looking at a fresh site at Rameswaram to resume operations.
The project would be on public-private partnership (PPP) basis, where the operator would run the service, Karaikal Port will be the facilitator and the central government would extend support, Mandaviya said, adding, to take the proposal forward, a committee under chief secretary along with secretary (port) would be constituted at the earliest. The committee would go into the nitty gritty and submit a report. Issues related to immigration, customs and NOC by agencies concerned will looked after by the Union government, the minister added.
It is a major tourism project that will help in the development of Karaikal, said Puducherry Health and Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao.
Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and his ministers, who wanted to implement such a project, are happy to see the Union government initiating it. The project will bring business and economic development to Puducherry, said port minister M Kandasamy.
More than 700 children from Sri Lanka were adopted in Switzerland, some of them illegally. (Keystone / Anthony Anex)
A report on irregularities in adoptions from Sri Lanka in the 1970s and 1980s concludes that authorities turned a blind eye to the situation. More than 700 Sri Lankan children were adopted in Switzerland during that period.
The Swiss authorities had been aware of the existence of irregularities and cases of child trafficking by the end of 1981 but did not halt adoptions from Sri Lanka until 1997. This is the main conclusion of research carried out by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences external link(ZHAW) commissioned by the Federal Office of Justice and Police external linkand presented on Thursday. For the first time, the ZHAW was able to evaluate adoption records of children from Sri Lanka held by certain federal authorities, three cantons, several district offices and municipalities.
According to Prof. Nadja Ramsauer of ZHAW, who is one of the authors of the report, the Swiss federal authorities delegated responsibilities to other bodies, made adoption and entry procedures easy at the behest of adoption agencies and the general supervision of adoption did not work. The cantons were also lax in their supervisory role. They allowed child placement agencies to operate even though did not meet legal requirements to do so.
The analysis of individual adoption files revealed that procedural errors had occurred: The declarations of consent of the biological parents were missing in the documents, the entry permits contained falsified data about the children, too few of the future adoptive parents were examined in detail with regard to their abilities, and children had poor legal representation during the two-year foster care relationship because no guardian had been appointed to them.
Final responsibility
While cantons had a role to play it was the federal authorities that bear the final responsibility since child custody went beyond national borders in this case.
“It was an interplay of various federal authorities, each of which was responsible for a part of the problem. The most important of these were the Federal Office for Foreigners’ Affairs (now the State Secretariat for Migration), the Federal Office of Justice and the Swiss embassy in Colombo,” Ramsauer told swissinfo.ch.
Through an internationally organised network, up to 11,000 Sri Lankan children were given up for adoption, often illegally, in various European countries, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s. More than 700 children from Sri Lanka were adopted in Switzerland, some of them illegally.
According to the ZHAW study, the placement of these Sri Lankan children proved to be very lucrative for locals because of poverty and low wages in Sri Lanka, a situation that also encouraged corruption.
The starting point for the study was a Dutch television programme, which aired in 2017 and drew attention to widespread child trafficking between Sri Lanka and several European countries. A report published in 2019 initially lifted the veil on the controversial adoptions of Sri Lankan children by Swiss parents in the 1980s.
Hundreds of Sri Lankan babies who were adopted by Swiss couples in the 1980s are trying to discover whether they were smuggled into the country.By Julie Hunt
Minister of Transport Service Management Mahinda Amaraweera has said that construction of the Kandy Suburban Railway Project, which is being implemented to curb the growing traffic congestion in Kandy Metropolitan Region, will be expedited.
This was mentioned during a meeting held at the ministry in this regard with the participation of State Minister of Transport Services Management Dilum Amunugama, MP Sarath Amunugama, Spanish company undertaking the construction of the project and relevant stakeholders.
Accordingly, the Kandy suburban railway will be Sri Lanka’s first electrified railway track.
This project will facilitate double tracking the section from Rambukkana to Kadugannawa and Kadugannawa to Katugastota via Kandy.
Minister Amaraweera has given instructions to the authorities to extend the railway line from Kadugannawa to Gampola up to Nawalapitiya as well as Kundasale.
In addition, the Goodshed bus stand in Kandy will be developed as a terminal and the surrounding area will be turned into a transport hub. Kandy suburban railway will run through an underground tunnel that is expected to be constructed towards Katugastota in order to avoid the area near Scared Temple of the Tooth Relic.
The Kandy suburban railway line will be constructed as an elevated railway line above the existing railway line.
Twelve out of the sixteen arrested university students over the removal of CCTV cameras from the University of Kelaniya have been granted police bail.
The remaining 4 students, who had been directly involved with the act, will be filed charges under the Public Properties Act, stated the police.
Earlier today (27), 16 university students including a monk were arrested over the removal of CCTV cameras from the University of Kelaniya premises.
On February 24, certain members of the Student Union of the University of Kelaniya had forcibly removed the CCTV cameras fixed at university premises for security purposes.
The Student Union had objected to the fixation of the cameras charging that this was done as a measure to control students.
After the removal of the cameras, the members of the Student Union had claimed responsibility for the action and stated that it had been done as a sign of protest.
The next day (February 25), the removed CCTV cameras had been returned to a point in the university.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet says that she regrets the Sri Lankan government’s different approach to the commitments previously made in the resolution with regard to ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’.
Delivering an oral update on Sri Lanka at the 43rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva today (27), she says that this move risks setting back efforts to advance reconciliation, accountability and human rights.
Bachelet further says that she is troubled by the country’s recent trend towards moving civilian functions under the Ministry of Defence or retired military officers.
She also mentions that the increasing levels of hate speech and security and police measures appear to be discriminatingly and disproportionately directed against minorities.
Claiming that Sri Lanka’s domestic processes have consistently failed to deliver accountability in the past, Bachelet said that she is not convinced the appointment of yet another Commission of Inquiry will advance this agenda.
The High Commissioner points out that, this will leave victims with no guarantee that past patterns of human rights violations will not reoccur.
Addressing the Council, she said: I regret that the new government has announced a very different approach to the commitments previously made in the resolution which risks setting back efforts to advance reconciliation, accountability and human rights. The state must work for all its people and the needs of all communities particularly the minorities must be acknowledged and addressed.
I urge the government to preserve and buildup on the gains which have been made over the last few years. In particular, I encourage the government to ensure the Office on Missing Persons and the Office of Reparations are provided with political and resource support.
The families of missing persons from all communities deserve justice and redress. Sri Lanka’s independence institutions strengthened under the 19th Constitutional Amendment are a key pillar in its democratic structure and the space for civil society and independent media must be protected.
I’m therefore troubled by the recent trend towards moving civilian functions under the Ministry of Defence or retired military officers and renewed reports of surveillance and harassment of human rights defenders, journalists, and victims.
The increasing levels of hate speech and security and police measures appear to be discriminatingly and disproportionately directed against minority both Tamil and Muslims.
The fundamental problem remains that Sri Lanka has still not addressed impunity for past violations nor are they taking the security sector reforms needed to address the drivers and enablers. Systemic barriers that continue to exist within the criminal justice system remain an impediment to real justice.
Domestic processes have consistently failed to deliver accountability in the past and I am not convinced the appointment of yet another Commission of Inquiry will advance this agenda. As a result, victims remain denied justice and Sri Lankans from all communities have no guarantee that past patterns of human rights violation will not reoccur.
I urge the council to remain alert to this situation in terms of prevention and to explore all possible avenues for advancing accountability.”
Chinese health officials say that about 14% of people who had the coronavirus but recovered and were discharged from hospital have tested positive for the virus again.
Health officials admit they’re still learning about the new coronavirus and how it operates within the human body.
The same phenomenon has been reported in Japan, when a woman in her 40s who had recovered and tested negative for the virus then tested positive more than three weeks later.
The authorities in both countries have pledged to continue tracking former patients, even after they’ve been discharged from hospital.
Sri Lanka is an island nation
surround by sea & beaches. That is not all, Sri Lanka is also home to a
written history over 2600 years with heritage & cultures that are key
features for any tourist. It is also a good time to rethink how we should
strategize our tourist promotion against what we had practiced in the past and
adjust our strategies to something different & more attractive.
We are today living in a world
enveloped by commercialism and consumerism. The fast paced life of the West has
exhausted most workers who yearn to get away to a more quieter and calmer
setting. We must promote this aspect. Sri Lanka is capable of providing any
holiday maker a getaway experience.
We are today living in a world
where people in both West and Eastern hemispheres are realizing the importance
of climate, the excessive heat and cold makes them realize that they need to
protect the environment & nature and desist from destroying & polluting
it. Major programs have been launched by governments and private parties to
grow more trees, to think green, to devise more nature-friendly means of
economic growth & sustainability. Children are also being roped into these
programs with schools encouraging vegetable-fruit planting inside schools and
children daily taking care of them. These returning to nature programs are
slowly but surely making an impact. Most children are encouraged to grow plants
even at home.
What types of tourists are Sri
Lanka currently attracting?
The rich – the middle class –
Western – Eastern – cultural etc is something the tourism experts must have
ready statistics on.
What do these segment groups
aspire when they take a holiday? Are we delivering and meeting their
aspirations or are we expecting them to adjust to what we are getting ready for
them? This is probably where we may err.
Many of the tourists that come from the western hemisphere to our part of the world are searching for something new – they are taking a holiday to get away from how they live 24×7 & wish to experience a different life, a different scenic beauty and a different way of living. While they would want to have the basic requirements of toilet facility etc they most certainly are not looking for hotels that are a mirror image of what they can experience in their own country even though in those countries they may not be able to afford visiting those 5 star hotels. In time to come hotels may end up empty abodes!
Many of today’s tourists want to have a real cultural experience – many are looking to live in simple eco-settings with more greenery, minimal noise, herbal massages, meditation and even to try out eastern delicacies fine-tuned to their palate. These are all opportunities for both major hotels and smaller hotels as well as individual homestay businesses. What it does mean however, is that the Government and associated institutes must desist from clearing greenery and making concrete landscape or erecting hotels in major cultural areas that will likely ruin the eco-system. It also means Sri Lanka must take a firm stand – there are allegations that animals are tormented by the increase in tourists to wildlife – if elephant rides are an agony to the elephant – let us take the morally high stand of not making money by torturing the elephant. Likewise, we must also ensure our environment is also not harmed. Tap architects to find harmony with the natural landscape without harming it because the tourists seek not modern comforts but a cultural and eastern experience which Sri Lanka is more than able to provide.
With many a holiday maker tired of their busy lives – retreats where they can meditate, calm their being and teach them something to take back home so that even after returning to the hustle and bustle of their lives they can take a few minutes to meditate and calm themselves will definitely ensure a happy tourist returning again to Sri Lanka and promoting Sri Lanka.
The alternative medicines in
herbs and Ayurveda are also catching tourist attraction as many in western
climes are not only unable to afford western healthcare but are finding it
poisoning their system too. Many are reading about Sri Lanka’s herbal remedies
and alternative health care practices which are also tourist attractions.
Cultural heritage is another
aspect that requires not only maintaining the cultural sites but ensuring that
cultural sites are not only business sites – no tourist wants to be drained to
his last penny or be pestered by people insisting they get into their tri-shaws
or buy their goods. Therefore, the tourism ministry must carefully conduct
surveys on all cultural sites and look at the reviews by tourists and ensure that
tourists are not pestered and they have safe & happy experience in Sri
Lanka.
Of course all tourists may not be
in Sri Lanka for good reasons – therefore it is important that tourists trying
to harm our children, culture, animals, heritage etc are also investigated and
actions taken.
These are all areas that are nothing
new to the industry – but what needs to be done is to rethink how we currently
operate our tourism and finetune it to how Sri Lanka can make a holiday makers
stay in Sri Lanka a pleasurable one and Sri Lanka can mutually profit and
promote Sri Lanka and all that Sri Lanka can provide to the international traveler.
Ideally, Sri Lanka must use its tourists to take back home the correct image of Sri Lanka and to do that we must have a very structured and strategic tourism policy and promotion program.
I refer to the letter of Chandre Dharmawardana (posted on
24/02/2020), titled ‘Geneva Resolution – Ministerial violation of power!’
It seems that the individual, who had been designated as
foreign minister at the time,had taken upon himself (with involvement of some
others) to ‘co-sponsor’ and, thereby, help foist a resolution upon Sri
Lanka, detrimental to her sovereignty and interests, and without proper
authority to do so.
Thus, in the absence of proper authority, it needs to be
deemed that this individual had acted in his personal capacity; the
country, itself, has had nothing to do with this ‘co-sponsorship’.
I just got back from my first trip to Japan, and I’m now in love with the country. The ramen, yakitori and sushi. The gorgeous volcanoes. The fascinating people and culture. But of all the things I fell in love with, there’s one that I can’t stop thinking about: the toilets.
Japanese toilets are marvels of technological innovation. They have integrated bidets, which squirt water to clean your private parts. They have dryers and heated seats. They use water efficiently, clean themselves and deodorize the air, so bathrooms actually smell good. They have white noise machines, so you can fill your stall with the sound of rain for relaxation and privacy. Some even have built-in night lights and music players. It’s all customizable and controlled by electronic buttons on a panel next to your seat.
In Japan, these high-tech toilets are everywhere: hotels, restaurants, bus stations, rest stops and around 80% of homes. It’s glorious. Then, I come back to the United States, and our toilets are stuck in the age of dirty coal mines and the horse and buggy. They basically have one feature: flush. No heated seats. No nice smells and sounds. No sanitizing blasts of liquid. It’s like cleaning your dishes without water. It’s gross. And it got me thinking: Why can’t we have high-tech toilets too?
Most of the toilets in Japan are made by a company called Toto, which started the high-tech toilet revolution in 1980 when it unveiled the Washlet, a first-of-its-kind electric toilet seat with an integrated bidet. Toto has been innovating on the design ever since. So I reached out to the company. It put me in touch with Bill Strang, the president of corporate strategy and e-commerce at Toto USA.
The original WashletToto
“U.S. toilets are effectively bedpans with a drain,” says Strang. Strang is originally from the Midwest, and he joined Toto 17 years ago. That’s when he had his first experience with the Washlet bidet, and it was much like mine. It began with “apprehension, a little bit of angst,” he says. But then he pushed the spray button and had a joyous sensation. The bathroom would never be the same.
The Washlet has been for sale in the U.S. since 1990, but it never took off. While Toto has found success with its traditional porcelain products (and manufactures them in the U.S. and Mexico), the Washlet remains a novelty, found mostly at some high-end hotels, showrooms and Japanese restaurants.
Economists spend a lot of time analyzing how and why technology spreads from one place to another. They call it “technology diffusion.” One study looked at the spread of 20 technologies across 161 countries over the last 140 years, and it found evidence that geographic distance significantly slows the spread of new gadgets. It fits with the pattern we see with high-tech toilets. Strang says that after Japan, high-tech toilets have mostly spread to nations along the Pacific Rim.
But the speed of technology dispersion has sped up significantly in the modern era. Another study found that the spread of technologies developed after 1925 has been three times faster than the spread of those developed before 1925. That makes sense, with modern transportation and communication and all. But it has been many decades since the dawn of the new toilet era in Japan, and we are still mostly sitting on old-fashioned porcelain here. “Sometimes a technology never diffuses in a given country, even if it is superior to existing technologies,” says Dartmouth College economist Diego Comin, who co-authored the study.
In the end, the biggest barrier to the toilet revolution is probably not distance but cultural mores. The Japanese, Strang says, highly prize bathing, hygiene and cleanliness. When I was in Tokyo and Sapporo, it was common to see Japanese people wearing masks to prevent the spread of germs. When you go out to dinner there, you’re often given a hot, moist towel or wet wipe so your hands are clean before you eat. The streets and subways are spotless, and hand-sanitizing dispensers are everywhere. It felt much different from back home.
For the last five years, Strang says, Toto has been featuring its technological innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show, and they’ve made a splash. The company showcased products such as its glistening Neorest NX2 dual flush toilet. It’s got the standard bidet, a dryer and a heated seat with temperature control. But it also has a “tornado flush system,” a “bacteria-neutralizing ultraviolet light,” a “titanium dioxide-fired toilet bowl,” a remote control, a toilet seat that automatically opens and closes and an air deodorizer. It costs $17,300. Other Toto toilets and seats cost much less, but the lofty price of Japanese-style toilets are another reason that they might not be catching on.
Comin says he has considered buying a Japanese-style toilet, but, he adds, “they are so darn expensive.” He believes getting Americans to embrace them would require “significant investments to educate the public about the new product, marketing (for example, a commercial with George Clooney using a Japanese toilet) and bringing down the price by mass producing.”
But Strang remains optimistic about the future of toilets in America. “There hasn’t been a demand for this type of product in the United States,” Strang says. “But there wasn’t a demand for Steve Jobs to make a product called the iPhone.”
It is very important to protect the Sri Lankan public from accidents. We hear tragic deaths of all works of life and kids due to accidents on roads which completely preventable by proper implementation of laws and road discipline. At present time on the death toll, could be avoided with proper construction of road safety measures and proper implementation of law order and by educating the public on road safety. The whole society must take road accidents seriously and must implement prudent measures to avoid dangerous situations and proper road planning and implementation.
The importance of this matter has become very important to Sri Lanka as the country making steps towards development in a rapid phase by now. Think about developed countries; and how they have progressed and avoided road accidents and how they have used modern technology to avoid accidents. My understanding as such the people in responsible positions don’t know what needs to be done or their perspective not being taken seriously by the government. Everybody must visit a country like Canada and Australia how they have avoided road accidents how they introduced safety speed limits to eradicate road accidents which cause huge human capital loss to the country.
The public and private bus operators have more responsibility to drive people safely to their places. Road signs and speed limits must need to be adhered by drivers to its fullest. Every driver must drive certain stipulated hours of driving per day. Road construction must need to be introduced stringent speed limit signs and violators must be heavily fined and must be given demerit points upon driving recklessly, and insurance premiums must be based on their good driving records. These have been the reason to reduce accidents in developing countries. The drivers always follow the rules of these countries and they do not compete with each other. Instead, they follow time schedules bus arrivals and departures. They follow and respect those to follow carefully. In a country like Japan if the train delays for 5 minutes they apologize from the public.
Public safety is paramount importance and people who walk on the road must have utmost protection of the law of the country. People walk on sidewalks, yellow lines must be protected. A person who drives a vehicle has the utmost responsibility to protect the public, vehicle, and himself. When a person driving a vehicle, it is because driving is a privilege and it is not a right. The driving privilege has a lot more to respect when he or she drives on the road. What we have been seen and happening in Sri Lanka is quite heartbreaking.
Drinking and driving have to be given extreme punishment and imprisonment by law and cancel the driving privilege for entire life.
It is time to work hard and follow the rules of driving to implement a new road of thinking and reinvent the safety, driving speed limits law and fines, railway safety, public safety, and whole country’s mobility safety to a better and safe country.
We have many pundits in our country who talks of
democracy and it is time to think and do what is needed to prevent accidents
and ensure road safety to travel safely in the Country.
Colombo, Feb.26 (Daily Mirror) – Former Army Commander Daya Ratnayake says allegations of the military committing war crimes during the final stages of the civil conflict against the LTTE are baseless and false” and blames the previous government of failing to clear up the military’s image in the international arena. He said the military felt betrayed by allegations levelled against it by foreign agencies and commended the present government for withdrawing from Resolution 30/1 at UNHRC. People outside Sri Lanka think we are barbarians. But in reality, the Sri Lankan military carried out the world’s most intense and best humanitarian operation during the last days of the war. We executed the best possible strategies to end the war against terrorism which is being accepted by the world,” he told Daily Mirror in an interview.
Excerpts:
QEver since 2009, the military has been facing allegations of committing war crimes, especially during the final stages of the war against LTTE. Foreign agencies such as the UN have on several occasions called for an int’l probe on these claims. It has been 10 years since the war ended, yet the military has not been able to clear up its image. Why is this so, if no crimes were committed as maintained by the army and government?
When international agencies such as the UN accuse the military of war crimes, it is not the responsibility of the military to clear up these allegations. That is the role of the government. However, at times, the military has gone beyond its boundaries and given answers to local agents and other responsible authorities. The Foreign Ministry too has taken it up on several occasions and since 2009, I can tell you, we have been answering all questions responsibly. I know this because I too was involved in addressing these concerns. However, it all lies in the hands of the government and the Foreign Ministry to clear up the image of the military.
Q But are these allegations true?
The allegations levelled by international agencies concerned are completely baseless and fabricated. As a military, we have clearly answered such allegations. We have submitted our proposals to the Defence Ministry which was then forwarded to the Foreign Ministry. They were then taken up internationally. These allegations are being answered ever since 2009. After 2015, we took a completely different turn as the former government co-sponsored a very misleading resolution at the UNHRC. As a military officer, I do not agree with this resolution. The present situation is that the government is going to withdraw from this co-sponsorship. So to answer your question further, we have addressed all allegations of war crimes, but if you have anything specific you can ask me.
QOne allegation is that, even 10 years after the war, Tamil families are still looking for their loves ones. Their complaint is that these loved ones surrendered to the army during the final days of the war but still there is no trace of them. These families want answers. What happened to these people?
You have conveniently come to a conclusion that these people went missing after they surrendered to the army. These remain mere allegations to date. As a military, we said none went missing under our custody. The former Rajapaksa Government appointed commissions to look into these allegations and the military clearly submitted their findings to these commissions. Thereby we have proved beyond reasonable doubt that these allegations are baseless and false.
Also, people claim that a significant number of people went missing. I do not know how they came up with these numbers. During the war, thousands went missing even on the military side. At least 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers went missing during the war. We too want to know what happened to these soldiers. In order to find these people, the former Rajapaksa Government appointed commissions. The findings presented by them are still available. It is false to claim that people went missing when they surrendered to the army. They were all very well looked after when they broke free from the barbarian terrorists.
When the former regime was elected to office in 2015, it appointed the Office of Missing Persons and held inquiries. Their findings will be revealed. As a military person, I request all these commissions to continue their inquiries because even we want answers to what happened to those who went missing, on both sides, as the atrocities committed by the LTTE were barbaric. There are no hidings from our side and we are giving our fullest support to any commission.
QSo let me reiterate your answer: When these people were taken into army custody, they were safe, right?
Absolutely! They were safe. They were well looked after. When these people came to the army, they were taken care of exceptionally well. There were thousands who came. Among the innocent civilians, 14,500 terrorists too surrendered to the military. They were rehabilitated successfully. I know all these because I was the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation back then. Some of these terrorists were captured and handed over to us by Tamil civilians themselves. All of them were rehabilitated. In addition to these numbers, over 1,000 members attached to the UN and several other international agencies involved in humanitarian work, and also those who were used as human shields during the final stages of the war, came safely to us. They were looked after very well. Hundreds of clerics from all religions came out safely. Not even a scratch came upon these people. Some 4,000 government employees came out. The families of terrorist leaders too came out safely. They live in these areas for the past 11 years. So what are these allegations? Why defame the military? These allegations are fabricated. They are the result of an organised move against the government. The previous regime did not take an effort to answer these allegations which is a result of the international community still casting these allegations at us.
QIf no war crimes were committed by the military, as you say, then the governments have let the military down. Do you feel betrayed by politicians?
Well, for four and a half years, the former government did not do anything to clear the image of the military, so I do feel betrayed. Not only me but all soldiers feel betrayed. People outside Sri Lanka think we are barbarians. But in reality, the military carried out the world’s most intense and best humanitarian operation in the last days of the war. We carried out the best possible strategies to end the war against terrorism which is being accepted by the world. We have carried out the best rehabilitation and resettlement programme in the world. All these were done by the Sri Lankan military and I do not think anyone can compare the level of professionalism we maintained.
QThe US recently banned Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva and his family from entering the US on allegations of human rights violations. What can you say about this?
I feel sorry. Commander of Sri Lanka Army Shavendra Silva has done his best to this country. He sacrificed his youth for the sake of the country. He is one of the most senior officers who led the final phase of operations. He has been an outstanding officer from the very inception. How can people seated outside our country level such allegations of war crimes when they do not know what took place? I am happy that the government has taken such a strong stand in defending Shavendra Silva. Fighting an internal war always has two parts, the physical elimination of the threat and mental elimination of the threat. It is the military’s responsibility to eliminate the first part. What we achieved in May 2009, we surprised the world. Sri Lanka became an example on eliminating terrorism. Some of the top foreign universities came to study how we ended the war. They submitted reports saying the strategies we adopted were the best in the world. They also commended our rehabilitation and resettlement programmes. Unfortunately, no one is talking about all these. No media organisation or local university, that could have taken this to international academic fora, supported this. We request the incumbent government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to take this matter forward in a professional manner. For 20 to 25 years, we fought the war in an ad hoc manner. But under Mahinda Rajapaksa who was the President back then and Gotabaya Rajapaksa who was Defence Secretary, we were led on the right path. We formed a strong strategy under their leadership and set a firm objective. We won the war. The objective of the military and the two leaders was to bring all communities under one flag and end terrorism.
QDo you feel int’l agencies including the UN are targeting the Sri Lankan military unjustly, especially since Sri Lanka fought against the LTTE who was a ruthless terrorist outfit?
These agencies speak only on vested interests. As a solider, I am not too concerned as to what these agencies say. But as a country, have we actually tried to find out about the grave violations committed by the LTTE? We never did. Before the LTTE, we had two insurgencies. Did we try to find out what led to these insurgencies? As a man with self pride, I cannot blame these international agencies for hurling these allegations at us. I blame those people who failed to find out as to what led to these insurgencies and the war. First, we have to put our house in order.
QThe government said last week Sri Lanka would withdraw from co-sponsoring Resolution 30/1 at UNHRC. What are your thoughts?
I have not studied this resolution in depth, but as a solider and former army commander, I stand by the government for withdrawing from co-sponsoring this resolution. It is something we should not have done in the first place. If the previous regime did not like what the Rajapaksa Government did to address allegations of war crimes, it had many other options than sponsoring against its own country. Perhaps, we are the first country in the world to betray our own military.
QWhat do you expect from this government?
As a solider, I have faith in the present government as well as the President as he is a man who always stood by the military. But as an individual, I expect this government to be more professional in clearing all allegations and doubts.
QWhat are your future plans?
Well, I am now the chairman of the Ports Authority and we are fighting an economic war. The Ports Authority has a huge responsibility as it is one of the strongest pillars of our economy. Sri Lanka has huge potential and we are working towards strengthening this country. There was a lot of corruption in this authority before. It is not because of the employees but due to political interference. The previous government has done a lot of damage. However, we are now working towards a clean target laid down by the President.
QMany military personnel have been appointed to head top institutions under this government. Isn’t it attributive to a military rule?
In our 71 years since independence, Sri Lanka has been through a lot, especially in the 30-year war against the LTTE. Finally, it was the military that had to walk in and end the war. So when you look at national development, the military is the one responsible for beautification projects and urban development. The military also ensures national security. Under military assistance, the Colombo city transformed into one of the best cities in the world and we boomed in tourism as we were a beautiful and safe destination. This is all due to the military. This country is in a mess at the moment. We are right now in an intensive care unit. This government came into power assuring national security. Hence, former military personnel have been deployed to key areas where we can ensure the country is well protected. With national security as our top most priority, it is only right that leading military personnel have been appointed to these institutions. It is wrong to say we are heading for a military rule as we are fighting an economic war and it is only right we have some sort of a system. When this government took over, things were a mess in this country and now, as we cleared the country off terrorism, we will help the government win the economic war.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dinesh Gunawardena yesterday’, while informing the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva that Sri Lanka was withdrawing from co-sponsorship of UNHRC Resolutions pertaining to the country, explained that the commitments made by the previous government had contributed to the lapses that resulted in the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019.
The dictated changes in the country pursuant to Resolution 30/1, undermined the national interest and compromised national security, including weakening national intelligence operations and related safeguards, which are deemed to have contributed to the lapses that resulted in the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, which targeted churches and hotels, resulting in loss of life, including those of foreign nationals, which poses challenges to our government to restore national security. Given below is the full text of the speech:
It was over a decade ago, on 18 May 2009 that Sri Lanka defeated LTTE terrorism militarily, bringing to an end three decades of conflict and suffering. The end of the brutal conflict advanced, secured and protected one of the fundamental human rights – the ‘right to life’ for all Sri Lankans- Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslims and others. I would like to state with pride that since May 2009, not a bullet has been fired in the name of separatist terrorism in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka never had any illusion that the end of the conflict against the LTTE terrorists, will overnight convert to a lasting peace. Although Sri Lanka was not a case of nation building, like many conflict situations that this Council is dealing with, we were mindful that Sri Lanka needed certain reviews and strengthening of existing structures, as part of a sustainable peace and reconciliation programme.
The government led by the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, of which the current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, initiated a sustainable reconciliation process in Sri Lanka to bring about ‘healing and peace building’, taking due cognizance of the ground realities at that time. This was viewed as an incremental and inclusive process, as it had taken even better-resourced countries several decades to address and achieve.
Madam President,
As at December 2014, at the point the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government, of which I was a member, was concluding its term, we had made considerable progress in;
– de-mining
– resettlement
– return of land used by the security forces
– reduction of military presence in the former conflict areas,
– rehabilitation and reintegration of ex- LTTE combatants including child soldiers,
– rapid infrastructure development
– restoration of the right to franchise in the former conflict affected areas, and
– establishment of domestic mechanisms to address issues related to accountability, rule of law and human rights
Notwithstanding these inclusive and locally designed measures, undertaken carrying along the people of Sri Lanka, a group of UNHRC members, failing to appreciate the GoSL’s endeavors in defeating terrorism and bringing about stability, humanitarian relief and lasting peace through a carefully balanced reconciliation process, moved consecutive country-specific resolutions at the UN HRC on Sri Lanka in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Madam President,
The previous government in January 2015 jettisoned this home-grown reconciliation process which was bearing fruit. In an unprecedented move in the annals of the Human Rights Council, and contrary to Sri Lanka’s stance on country specific resolutions, the government at the time co-sponsored the UNHRC resolution 30/1 on Sri Lanka.
Substantively, the previous government “noted with appreciation”, the much flawed OISL Report, which was used as the basis not only for Resolution 30/1, but also to unjustly vilify the heroic Sri Lankan security forces, possibly the only national security establishment that defeated terrorism in recent times. This was despite there being an abundance of evidence to the contrary, contained in;
– domestic reports such as the LLRC and the ‘Paranagama Commission’
– information presented before the UK House of Lords by Lord Naseby,
challenging among other things the vastly exaggerated civilian casualty figures,
– other reports from the UN and international agencies including the ICRC
– as well as exposed diplomatic cables.
Constitutionally, the resolution seeks to cast upon Sri Lanka obligations that cannot be carried out within its constitutional framework and it infringes the sovereignty of people of Sri Lanka and violates the basic structure of the Constitution. This is another factor that has prompted Sri Lanka to reconsider its position on co-sponsorship.
Procedurally, in co-sponsoring Resolution 30/1, the previous Government violated all democratic principles of governance.
– it declared support for the resolution even before the draft text was presented
– it sought no Cabinet approval to bind the country to deliver on the dictates of an international body.
– there was no reference to the Parliament on the process, undertakings and repercussions of such co-sponsorship.
– more importantly the Resolution itself included provisions which are undeliverable due to its inherent illegality, being in violation of the constitution the supreme law of the country.
– it also overruled the reservations expressed by professional diplomats, academia, media and the general public.
– the then President Maithripala Sirisena also stated that he was not consulted on the matter at that time.
– It remains to date a blot on the sovereignty and dignity of Sri Lanka.
The commitments made, bound the country to carry out this experiment, which was impractical, unconstitutional and undeliverable, despite strong opposition and evidence that many of the undertakings couldn’t be carried out, merely to please a few countries.
In terms of reputational damage, it eroded Sri Lankans’ trust in the international system and the credibility of Sri Lanka as a whole in the eyes of the international community. This irresponsible action also damaged long nurtured regional relationships and Non-Aligned as well as South Asian solidarity. The deliberate polarization it sought to cause through trade-offs that resulted in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy being reduced to a ‘zero-sum game’, made my country a ‘pawn’ on the chess board of global politics, and unnecessarily drew Sri Lanka away from its traditional neutrality.
Most seriously, it is seen that the dictated changes in the country pursuant to 30/1, undermined the national interest and compromised national security, including weakening national intelligence operations and related safeguards, which are deemed to have contributed to the lapses that resulted in the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, which targeted churches and hotels, resulting in loss of life, including those of foreign nationals, which poses challenges to our government to restore national security.
It is ironic that, in March 2019, the previous government which co-sponsored Resolution 30/1 in October 2015, began the process of dismantling its dictates through the statement, made in this Council by my predecessor, which acknowledged the very real constraints that had been ignored 4 years before at the time of co-sponsoring this resolution. That statement sought to qualify the parameters of co-sponsorship of the Resolution. It questioned;
– the Resolution 30/1’s characterization of the nature of the conflict and the estimated number of deaths,
– pushed back on the alleged culpability of the security forces,
– curtailed the effect of security sector reform demanded
– asserted that the Sri Lanka Constitution precludes involvement of foreign judges and prosecutors in the judicial mechanism proposed.
– Notwithstanding this admission, the former Government continued its co-sponsorship, which fully supported the operationalization of Resolution 30/1.
With the election of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa with an overwhelming majority, the people of Sri Lanka have given a clear signal for their wish for a different path forward for the country. As President Rajapaksa stated in his address at the 72nd Commemoration of Independence of Sri Lanka, “We will always defend the right of every Sri Lankan citizen to participate in the political and governance processes through his or her elected representatives”.
According to the wishes of the people of Sri Lanka, while following a non-aligned, neutral foreign policy, our government is committed to examining issues afresh, to forge ahead with its agenda for ‘prosperity through security and development’, and to find home-grown solutions to overcome contemporary challenges in the best interest of all Sri Lankans.
It is in this context that I wish to place on record, Sri Lanka’s decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of Resolution 40/1 on ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ which also incorporates and builds on preceding Resolutions 30/1 of October 2015 and 34/1 of March 2017.
Madam President,
Notwithstanding withdrawing from co-sponsorship of this Resolution, Sri Lanka remains committed to achieving the goals set by the people of Sri Lanka on accountability and human rights, towards sustainable peace and reconciliation. To this end;
Firstly, the Government of Sri Lanka declares its commitment to achieve sustainable peace through an inclusive, domestically designed and executed reconciliation and accountability process, including through the appropriate adaptation of existing mechanisms, in line with the Government’s policy framework. This would comprise the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry (COI) headed by a Justice of the Supreme Court, to review the reports of previous Sri Lankan COIs which investigated alleged violations of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), to assess the status of implementation of their recommendations and to propose deliverable measures to implement them keeping in line with the new Government’s policy.
Secondly, the Government will also address other outstanding concerns and introduce institutional reforms where necessary, in a manner consistent with Sri Lanka’s commitments, including the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (SDGs). We will implement policies rooted in the Government’s commitment to the people by advancing individual and collective rights and protections under the law, ensuring justice and reconciliation and addressing the concerns of vulnerable sections of society. A discussion has already been held between the President and the UN Resident Coordinator where it has been agreed to connect the relevant UN agencies to help the Government of Sri Lanka in the implementation of the SDGs.
Thirdly, Sri Lanka will continue to remain engaged with, and seek as required, the assistance of the UN and its agencies including the regular human rights mandates/bodies and mechanisms in capacity building and technical assistance, in keeping with domestic priorities and policies.
Finally, in conjunction with all members of the UN, Sri Lanka will seek to work towards the closure of the Resolution.
Madam President,
No one has the well-being of the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multicultural people of Sri Lanka, closer to their heart, than the Government of Sri Lanka. It is this motivation that guides our commitment and resolve to move towards comprehensive reconciliation and an era of stable peace and prosperity for our people. It is therefore our strong conviction that the aforementioned actions within the framework of Sri Lanka’s domestic priorities and policies, are not only realistic but also deliverable.
We call upon all stakeholders, within and outside this august body, to cooperate with Sri Lanka, in this endeavor.
Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa today said he had invited UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to join the Samagi Jana Balawegaya together with his party.
Mr. Premadasa told a press conference that he had met Mr. Wickremesinghe together with Samagi Jana Balawegaya General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara and invited him and the UNP to join the alliance and to participate in the launch of the new alliance at Nelum Pokuna on March 2 2020.
I met Mr. Wickremesinghe and invited him and his party to join the Samagi Jana Balawegaya and he will also participate in the launch and the MOU signing ceremony on March 2, 2020,” Mr. Premadasa said.
Asked under what symbol under which his alliance would contest the general elections, Mr. Premadasa said these will be decided upon later. We will go step by step and everything will be decided upon soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) led by MP Mano Ganesan officially joined the new alliance yesterday and announced the new move at the joint press conference with Mr. Premadasa. Accordingly all three parties which include TPA, namely Democratic People’s Front, Up Country People’s Front and the National Union of Workers will contest the general election with the Samgai Jana Balawegaya.
We have officially joined the new alliance led by Mr. Premadasa and will work towards forming a new government,” Mr. Ganesan said.
Asked as to why his party decided to go along with these in the previous government despite the decision taken by the present government to grant the daily wage of Rs.1000, Mr. Ganesan said the previous government granted a number of other demands to the estate workers.
The previous government provided free land, constructed houses and schools for the estate workers, and that is why we joined them,” he said. He said it is left to be seen whether the Rs.1000 daily wage would become a reality or not.
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) appointed to probe public sector political victimization yesterday issued a notice to Parliament General Secretary to submit details regarding Gazette no. 622/4 dated 1991.05.14 on Registration and Licensing of Tuskers and Elephants regulation.
This notice was given subsequent to former Magistrate Thilina Gamage’s claim that the gazette was not passed by Parliament.
Earlier, testifying before the Commission, the former Magistrate informed the Commission that the gazette which was used to file the case against him, was not an approved in Parliament. Considering this statement, the Commissioners issued summons to the Parliament General Secretary to provide details as to whether the particular gazette had been registered under Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance.
Thilina Gamage had filed a complaint before the PCoI mentioning that he was politically victimized by continuing a case against him on charges of possessing an elephant without a valid licence.
Currently, the Colombo High Court is hearing a case against Thilina Gamage and six others.
The Attorney General had filed indictments against four accused; former Magistrate Thilina Gamage, Chandrarathna Bandara Yatawara,Wildlife Officers Upali Padmasiri and Priyanka Sanjeewani under 25 counts, including possession of an elephant calf without a valid licence, conspiring to tender false documents and registration of the concerned elephant calf by producing forged documents.
The charges were filed for violating the provisions of Fauna and Flora Ordinance and Public Property Act.
Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana Courtesy The Daily Mirror
In a bid to escalate the security and to counter all suspicious movements, the Department of Immigration and Emigration has set up three special surveillance units at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) recently.
A senior official in charge of the department’s investigation unit told Daily Mirror that the special units were introduced as a necessity felt by the authorities following the unexpected Easter Sunday attacks and to monitor the arrival of suspicious individuals who could be linked to terrorism.
The first unit established was a Risk Assessment Centre that would pre-screening of all the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) application sent online by any foreigner who wishes to obtain a visa to enter Sri Lanka.
Previously the Immigration would simply assess the visa application form sent by any individual and either approve or deny entry. But the new Risk Assessment Centre will assess even the initially approved ETA documents and would even disqualify them if any suspicious activity was detected.
The second being a Border Surveillance Unit, that would actively engage inside the airport and observe the movements of the arriving and departing passengers. Until recent times the major role of the immigration and emigration officials stationed at the airport was somewhat confined to their counters at the arrival/departure terminals.
But with the introduction of the new Border Surveillance Unit, a group of immigration officials in plain clothing will make observations within the entire airport premises, which is opened to the inbound and outbound passengers.
This unit has the authority to check an inbound passenger even after he/she is approved through the immigration entry stamp in their passports at the arrival counters if something suspicious is felt. They are provided with a state-of-the-art document lab, which was gifted by the Australian Government some time back, that has facilities to check the authenticity of any travel document or forged passports.
Human Smuggling Unit was the third special unit which was established at the BIA to detect various such activity, that is alleged to be taking place every now and then under the nose of the authorities. It was from this unit, a major human smuggling racket to send female Sri Lankan sex workers to South Indian city of Chennai was busted during the weekend, the senior source said.
Once any suspect related to human smuggling was detected in the past, it was the usual practice to deport him/her from the country immediately in case if they were foreigners. But now under the new unit, the suspects will be detained for an in-depth investigation and would even be handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department for further probing.
Meanwhile, Deputy Controller Investigations M. G. V. Kariyawasam said that all these actions have become very convenient and its interactivity with other law enforcement agencies like the Police, State Intelligence Service, CID and Terrorist Investigation Division as the immigration department to come under the Ministry of Defence now.
The special units will directly report to the Immigration and Emigration Controller General Pasan Ratnayake and to the Investigation Unit.
The Government Analyst’s Department today informed the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court that the voice on the audio clips broadcast over various media outlets matches the voice of MP Ranjan Ramanayake.
The Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court last month ordered the Government Analyst to obtain copies of the CDs containing audio clips of MP Ranjan Ramanayake’s phone conversations and data reports of the laptop and hard disk found in his house.
The Government Analyst’s Department subsequently commenced investigations on the recordings of the MP’s controversial telephone conversations.
On January 15, the court ordered the Prisons Commissioner to produce Ramanayake before the Government’s Analyst for a voice test.
On February 07, the parliamentarian, who was in remand custody, was produced before the Government Analyst for the voice test.
Several recorded phone conversations between United National Party (UNP) MP Ranjan Ramanayake and some prominent figures in the country, including former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), have been made public.
Several MPs and ministers of the government cited these voice tapes to the media and pointed out that MP Ramanayake had exerted influence on the police and the judiciary.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed officials to take measures to create an environment for the consumers to purchase fish at reasonable prices while safeguarding the fisheries industry.
President issued this directive during a meeting convened to discuss matters related to multi-day fishing boat owners held at the Presidential Secretariat today (26), stated President’s Media Division.
While emphasizing the importance of involving both the exporter as well as boat owners when planning new measures aimed at an export-oriented market, the President advised the officials to take immediate steps to prevent illegal fishing.
Representatives of fisheries societies said that the export companies only purchase fish caught by vessels owned by the latter. Since they are engaged only in export- targeted fishing, the non-availability of an adequate market for their harvest is a pressing issue, they said.
President advised officials to find both short and long term solutions to these issues and to involve exporters as well as boat owners in future endeavors.
President Rajapaksa instructed the Chairman of the Fisheries Corporation to mediate to purchase the fishing harvest of the multi-day fishing boat owners as a short – term measure.
Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Douglas Devananda, State Ministers Sanath Nishantha, Kanchana Wijesekara, Secretary to the President Dr. P. B. Jayasundara, Secretary to the Treasury and the Ministry of Finance S. R. Attygalle, Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource R. M. I. Ratnayake and several other officials were present at the discussion.
MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who was arrested and remanded over charges of interfering with the judiciary, has been granted bail by the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court.
He was reportedly ordered released on two personal bail of Rs 500,000 each in addition to strict bail conditions.
Ramanayake was also barred from leaving the country by the court, which ordered the parliamentarian to handover his passport.
The former Deputy Minister was arrested on January 14, over the offenses committed in terms of Article 111C (2) of the Constitution, for alleged interference with the functions of judges.
The Attorney General directed the Director of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) to obtain an arrest warrant on MP Ramanayake, which was issued later that day by the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court. The following day, he was ordered remanded by the court.
Several controversial audio recordings containing telephone conversations between former State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake and several influential figures in the country had come to light recently.
Phone conversations the MP purportedly had with certain judges, as well as officials in the judicial service, were among those recordings released thus far.
