By Dr.Sripali Vaiamon

WELL, OPINION DIFFERS!

I am a Sinhalese who loves my country very much, but at present, I am a citizen in CANADA. In Canada President is appointed by the Governor-General. Their Constitution is different. But I like their SOCIALISM POLICY. It was introduced by the former Prime Minister. Present Prime Minister’s father, Pierre Trudeau, on the 8th of Oct.1971.Incidentally, he visited Sri Lanka on the 6th of Dec.in the same year. His ISSUE which was presented to the House and approved. His Socialism Issue was to address every citizen in Canada as CANADIAN, irrespective of their ethnicities. I proposed in two of my articles contributed to LANKA WEB last month, after the Election of New President to address every citizen in the country as SRILANKAN besides their ethnic terms.

 SAJITH

Late Ranasinghe Premadasa was known all over the country. He was the President of Sri Lanka from January 1989 to th^e 1^st of May 1993. He was quite known to me. He had only one son. He is Sajith Premadasa. I have met him once only.  One day I met him at the Airline bus in Germany. When I was leaving Sri Lanka to participate in a seminar in Stuttgart as the President of the Srilanka Carl Duisberg Association. I was able to talk to Sajith only for a few minutes. But still, I know a lot about him. He is a very honest and clever gentleman. The able politician is as good as his father. However, I wish to quote his father with a curtsey of Wikipedia. He was a very national conscious honest politician had in our country. Perhaps most of the people of the country, who live in remote areas such as North and East may not know much about him. Hence I will quote which will be extremely useful to his honest son Sajith. Sajith is his only son. Ranasinghe Premadasa was the 3^rd President of Sri Lanka from 2^nd January 1989 to 1^st May 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the Govt. Headed by J.R.Jayawardana from 6^th February 1978 to 1^st January 1989. He was awarded Sri Lanka’s highest award to a civilian Sri Lankaabhimanya in 1986 by the President Junius Richard Jayawardana. The First to receives in Sri Lankan history. He was assassinated in Colombo in a suicide bombing by the LTTE.

He was born on 23^rd June 1924 at Dias Place, Colombo 11, to the family of Richard Ranasinghe of Kosgoda and Jayasinghe Arachchige Encina Hamine of Batuwita. However, Ranasinghe Premadasa was the eldest of 5 children. Three sisters and one brother. While attending the school he attached to the Hewawitharana Dhaham Pasela. He completed his school education at St.Joseph College. He satisfied all the requirements for registering at the University of London for higher studies. However, he gave up his opportunity to engage in higher studies AND Chose the path of social service for the welfare of the poor and downtrodden.

Allying with late A.E.Gunasinghe Founder of the Ceylon Labour movement he commenced his political life. He had several ups and downs in that era. He had been the Deputy Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council while functioning as a member of the St Sebastian ward joining hand with Dudley Senanayake. He joined the UNP and contested Dr.N.M.Perera unsuccessfully in the Ruanwella Constituency. Well If I go to write about Mr.Premadasa I may not touch much about Sajith. Sajith is a very honest person that I must stress.

Now let us go to the other candidate a little bit.

GOTA

In my book of Social science which I published in 2012 as  Pre-historic Lanka to end of terrorism, Published by the TRAFFORD PUBLISHING in America. Copies may have received by perhaps SARASAVI Book shop in Sri Lanka..iT WAS DEDICATED TO hIS EXCELLENCY Mahinda Rajapaksa.

page.15-Most of the country people are not aware that the Defense Secretary,(Gotabhaya Rajapaksa )who is a tower of strength to the president , was appointed to the post not merely because he is President’s brother but he is a highly qualified and have a long experience on the functions of defense strategy.

He was a Lieutenant Colonel of the Sri Lanka army. He joined the Army in 1971. He has served in the SinhaRegiment, Rajarata Rifles, Gajaba Regiment, and Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment. He served in the battlefront of Vadamarachchi in 1987. He had military training in Rawalpindi and Quetta in Pakistan, Jungle warfare in Assam in India.

Followed a Command and Staff Course at Defence Service Staff College in Wellington.

Advanced Infantry Officer’s Course in Fort Bennington, USA. He has received Awards m/s J.R.Jayawardana, Ranasinha Premadasa and D.B.Wijetunga.

Such a person was never appointed to the Defence Secretary earlier. The abominable war is now over so he has been added with another massive task ‘ The Urban Development.

Now it is the duty of our citizens in Sri Lanka to Elect a quite suitable person as the PRESIDENT

Think about and cast your vote!

sripaliv@email.com

Courtesy: The Guardian (UK)

One of the Netherlands’ most venerated institutions, the Rijksmuseum, has described the country’s failure to return artefacts stolen from former colonies as a disgrace” as it opened talks with Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The museum in Amsterdam is discussing the return of around 10 objects to their place of origin but there are thought to be about 1,000 stolen pieces in its collection.

The pioneering move comes amid a debate in museums and galleries across Europe about the provenance of its exhibits.

The Dutch National Museum of World Cultures (NMWC) published guidelines last month for countries who wish to make a claim on stolen art or an artefact of significant cultural significance.

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It’s a disgrace that the Netherlands is only now turning its attention to the return of the colonial heritage,” Taco Dibbets, the Rijksmuseum’s director, told the Dutch newspaper De Trouw. We should have done it earlier and there is no excuse.”

The objects likely to be returned to Indonesia and Sri Lanka include a Banjarmasin diamond thought to have been the property of Sultan Panembahan Adam of Banjarmasin, now South Borneo, colonised by the Dutch in 1856, and a ruby-encrusted cannon taken following a military campaign in 1765.

Dibbets said he was starting by sending his head of history, Martine Gosselink, to Sri Lanka to discuss the provenance of some of the 4,000 colonial objects exhibited at the Rijksmuseum.

He said: It is not possible to arrange matters from the Netherlands. You have to sit down with the people there, see it on a case-by-case basis. Gosselink is also going to Indonesia later this spring. Different factors play a role in every country, with each country is different.

The NMWC guidelines have been criticised for failing to force museums into take preparatory steps ahead of the issuing of claims by former colonial countries.

Jos van Beurden, a researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, said: The NMWC uses a typical Dutch approach. Even before negotiations have started, conditions are already on the table.”

In France, Belgium, Germany and the UK, the debate over colonial artefacts has raged in recent months with varying levels of engagement by implicated museums.

A 108-page report published last November by the French academics Bénédicte Savoy and Felwine Sarr on the restitution of African cultural heritage prompted the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to commit to their return.

The Africa museum in Brussels, a former colonial institution, is in talks with the Congolese government about returning objects to be put on display in a new institution being built with funding from the South Korean government.

In Berlin and London, the debate is seemingly less advanced but Monika Grütters, Germany’s minister of state for culture, signalled a shift in policy this January.

Just waiting passively for someone to want something back is not the way to reconcile our colonial past,” she said. We should actively approach the descendants ourselves.”

Last October, the British Museum in London launched an initiative intended to tackle the perception that its collections derive solely from looted treasures.

The monthly Collected Histories talks offered information on how artefacts entered the collection. The museum has been criticised for refusing to return a range of looted treasures, including the Parthenon Marbles, Rosetta Stone, and the Gweagal shield.

• This article was amended on 15 March 2019 because an earlier version said the Banjarmasin diamond might be returned to Sri Lanka. Indonesia would be its destination.

By Dr Kamal Wickremasinghe Courtesy The Island

The yahapalana government’s failed attempt to hurriedly sign the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact surely injected some life in to an otherwise lackadaisical presidential election contest, at least from the points of view of the UNP’s old guard, and the increasingly cynical voting public; the government’s attempt to sneakily sign the compact in the middle of a bleak-looking election campaign was so daring that cynics might suggest that it was probably the last nail on the coffin of the presidential hopes of the candidate the UNP reluctantly nominated.

The government’s deferral of the signing of the compact until after the election—due to pressure from the public and the outgoing president––has made the NGOs, including some apparently purpose-built for ‘advocating’ the harmlessness of the compact and the urgent need to sign, have grown more raucous. Notably, the NGOs leading the charge include those who have obtained lucrative, multi-million dollar contracts from the initial developmental process. Despite such urging from vested interests and American sycophants, opponents of the compact have correctly pointed to the danger of assessing the compact in isolation, and the need for consideration of what it involves in combination with the provisions of SOFA and ACSA agreements the government has already signed with the US government.

The purpose of this despatch is to provide some contextual information relating to the genesis of the MCC fraud and the locus it occupies within the web of broader American defence and foreign policy infrastructure. Such an examination would be vital for the assessment of the impact of the compact on Sri Lanka’s future sovereignty, not to mention its economic well-being.

MCC, a cog in the neocon ideology
concocted for the new millennium

The best précis of the MCC is that it was an integral part of the neoconservative ideology that was concocted to provide primary justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was an integral cog in the haughty ‘millennium’ ideology developed through the 1990s by a neocon cabal, primarily for the purpose of engineering regime change in Iraq.

The neocon ideology was underpinned by haughty, self-congratulatory references to the state of the world at the dawn of the 21st century, with a disintegrated Soviet Union and Central and Eastern repossessed by the West. Neocons grabbed the opportunity to portray the situation as a decisive victory of free market capitalism over socialism and ‘liberty’ over totalitarianism. Renaming the 21st century ‘new American century’, they pushed for a new US national security strategy designed to reshape the legal, institutional, infrastructural and financial contexts of poorer countries to better suit US economic interests. They predicted that the world would welcome American military dominance as a force for stability and evoked ‘bandwagoning’ logic as per Thucydides’ famous dictum that ‘the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must’. This policy was later adopted by the foreign policy neophyte George Bush Jr. upon his controversial ‘victory’ in 2000, to be later named the ‘Bush Doctrine’. The comical Bush ‘strategery’ was taking place in full swing.

President Bush first announced the creation of a Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), framed as ‘a new compact for global development’, at the Inter-American Development Bank on March 14, 2002. Since the very first announcement, great efforts were made by US propaganda to present MCA as an ‘independent’ US foreign assistance agency that heralded a revolutionary change in carrying foreign aid in that it would be based in the Executive Branch, administered by a new government corporation supervised by a Board Chaired by the Secretary of State and a CEO. The MCC was established as a US government corporation in January 2004 by the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003.

A brief look at the 16 indicators used to identify eligibility of countries pointed to the MCC being a funding mechanism for countries wishing to become vassals of the neocon empire; The form of the MCA represents a brazen articulation of US imperialism that underlie the neocon open market agenda, namely, that the path to increased growth and prosperity lies in countries’ willingness and ability to adopt policies that promote economic freedom and the rule of law – bywords for freedom for America to operate.

National Security Strategy of
September 2002

The true nature of the MCA fraud was revealed in its placement within President Bush’s annual National Security Strategy (NSS) to Congress document, released on 20 September 2002. Overall, the NSS 2002 abandoned previous concepts of deterrence in favour of strategies that primarily targeted Iraq, such as pre-emptive attacks to destroy Weapons of Mass Destruction before they reached the US. Importantly, the NSS elevated the MCA’s goal of ‘reducing poverty through growth’ as the third pillar in America’s security portfolio, adding to defence and diplomacy. The NSS also placed the MCA Steering Committee under the direction of the National Security Council. In short, the NSS and the MCA collectively misrepresented Iraq invasion plans by crudely and dogmatically aligning neoliberal economic policies and America’s national security, reformulating the previously veiled relationship between foreign aid and global hegemonic ambitions of the US.

There is an interesting aside that demonstrates media freedom that existed in the west in 2002, and a remarkable display of fortitude by an Australian journalist currently unthinkable in corporate media in any western country. On 22 September 2002, The Sydney Morning Herald launched a scathing editorial attack on America’s NSS as a ‘Manifesto for world dictatorship’. The editorial opened with the words: ‘Now we know. The Americans have spelt it out in black and white. There will be a world government, but not one even pretending to be comprised of representatives of its nation states through the United Nations. The United States will rule, and not according to painstakingly developed international law and norms, but by what is in its interests.’ The editorial ended with the memorable words: “Australia’s choice is to become a non-enfranchised satellite state of the United States – and thus responsible for its aggression and a legitimate target for those fighting to win back countries the Americans take by force, or to fight like hell to save the United Nation’s dream of world government by negotiation.”

For his troubles however, by April 2003, a shake-up of senior management at John Fairfax Holdings saw Robert Whitehead (SMH editor, (2000-2005), moved to a new commercial and editorial division described as ‘powerful’. Showing even more spine Robert Whitehead appeared to cast off the copybook ‘kick upstairs’ and resigned his position less than 18 months later; He is currently on the Board of McPherson Media Group, and is the author of a recent International News Media Association (INMA) report on its new Digital Platform Initiative.

Proof is in the eating

The above contextual evidence shows that the Millennium Account was nothing but another fraudulent exercise undertaken in pursuit of global hegemony by the American empire through the penetration of neoliberal capitalism to prepare the world for the entry of its military forces and the mighty arsenal of WMDs without hindrance.

The real proof of the objectives of the MCC fraud, however, only comes across through the record of its operation in poor countries over the last two decades. Since 2004, 36 countries have signed MCC compacts and 29 countries entered in to threshold agreements, with some countries signing second compacts and threshold agreements.

Analysis of events in countries subjected to MCC compacts suggests that MCC grants dehumanise and disempower citizens in countries concerned by imposing Faustian deals on puppet governments. Significantly, MCC dealings with independent-minded leaders in countries such as Senegal, Malawi and Tanzania show that their defiance of MCC orders has led to swift cancellation of grants, and worse still, later imposing such deals through political opponents of forthright leaders who seem to be miraculously ascending to power.

A classic example is the case of Malawi: In 2012, Malawi’s MCC compact was suspended citing ‘rapidly deteriorating human rights environment’. In March 2012, following the ganging up of western donors against him, President Bingu wa Mutharika accused them of plotting to bring down his government and told them to ‘go to hell.’ Mutharika died of cardiac arrest just two weeks later. Following a constitutional and legal battle, and military intervention, the Columbia educated feminist activist Joyce Banda was sworn in as President of Malawi. The western corporate media led called it a triumph for democracy. Within the first week of her presidency, Banda spoke to Hillary Clinton and other western governments and the $350 million compact grant was reinstituted almost immediately. On the advice of the IMF, Banda devalued the Malawian currency by 33 per cent against the US dollar, overturning Mutharika’s refusal. On the political and social front, Banda refused in June 2012 to host the African Union summit on the grounds that the AU had insisted on assurances that Malawi would not allow the International Criminal Court arrest Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir. Banda announced her intention to overturn Malawi’s ban on homosexuality. Later, however, Banda was involved in a corruption scandal of $300m, and was heavily defeated in the presidential election of May 2014, to the late president’s brother, current President Peter Mutharika. She failed in an attempt to nullify the election, and left the country to be placed a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Centre International Centre for Scholars.

Similarly, in Senegal, the former president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade’s refusal to allow the French-Canadian consortium that held a 34 per cent stake in Senegal’s monopoly electricity supplier—as per the requirements of a $540 million MCC grant entered in to in 2004—to increase prices of electricity led to the freezing of funds. President Macky Sall, who was prime minister under President Wade, and was sacked by him in 2008, was elected president in April 2012 and 2019 is having a compliant relationship with the MCC, signing a new $550 million Senegal Power compact in December 2018.

More recently, in March 2016, the MCC suspended its grant of $472 million intended to help Tanzania bolster its power sector, following Tanzanian government rejection of MCC demands for assurances that the Cybercrimes Act—which prohibits Tanzanians from transmitting unsolicited messages containing false information ‘would not be used to restrict freedom of expression’. More importantly, the suspension related to Tanzania’s parliament passing legislation severely restricting the actions and movement of foreign diplomats and international workers to meet with local government authorities and party members without permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Another bone of contention was the Election Commission annulling elections for president of Zanzibar due to alleged irregularities. Tanzania president John Magufuli called the suspension of the MCC compact an opportunity for Tanzania to get serious about reducing its dependence on foreign assistance.

Similarly, in Ghana, in October 2019, MCC responded by cancelling the US$190 million grant in response to Ghanaian government’s termination of a 20-year contract transfer of operations of the state-run Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to an international consortium (PDS), citing dissatisfaction with payment guarantees. The MCC agreed in 2014 to provide Ghana with US$498 million for the power sector subject

Can foreign grants save Sri Lanka?

In addition to the concerns arising from the above information, fundamental questions need to be asked about the current government’s philosophy that Sri Lanka’s economic salvation lies in engagement with foreign markets, export of raw materials and the so-called foreign aid. The failure of Sri Lanka over the last century or so to become an economic El Dorado following this approach should help open the eyes of those who are unable to think independently.

The failure of trillions of dollars that have been transferred to developing countries over the last half the century, branded foreign aid, to lift the vast majority of people in these countries from abject poverty clearly suggests that it will not help buy more development. Despite such clear evidence, the current political leadership seem s hell-bent on keeping up ‘stoking the fire’ by supplying raw materials to world markets at grossly uneven terms of trade.

The proposed MCC pact appears even worse than other forms of so-called aid in that it has been designed for failure: Any economic plan—developed by the Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard University or anyone else—trying to reduce Sri Lanka’s development problems to issues relating to access to land and weakness in transport is simply baloney.

Our problems are rooted in incompetence, and lack of interest, of political leadership and the MCC pact should be thrown in the bin, preferably with some of that leadership.

By Dr. UPUL WIJAYAWARDHANA Courtesy The Island

It looks as if the last lap of the Presidential election campaign were turning out to be a mud-slinging match. Sorry, I should correct myself to say, a mud-slinging campaign; as one side seems to be doing it predominantly, perhaps, in a planned systematic manner, may be out of desperation; whereas the other side seems to be trading the usual political insults, which we are so accustomed to during election times. State Minister Harsha de Silva is in hot water for a mud-slinging campaign, which he says started from his office without his knowledge and tweeted that he would not have approved had he known. Many give similar excuses when caught!

Further, it is turning out to be a political comedy of the highest absurdity. Two jokers who were responsible, in great measure, for the downfall of the Rajapaksa’s, are dancing merrily on the Sajith stage! UNPers who castigated them, not so long ago, are enthralled by their words of wisdom and the antics of the comedy duo, Mervyn Silva and Sajin Vaas, confirms that there is always a place for political rejects, however abhorrent they are, in this land like no other!

Having a discussion, often turning to a heated argument in true Sri Lanka fashion, with diehard supporters of the UNP, I have been enlightened greatly about political logic, but must confess, I am guilty of wasting my time because they will never change their choice at the ballot box, come hell or high water: they do not care even if the country is divided surreptitiously or Americans occupy Sri Lanka through A to Z agreements. I have not put the latter to the test with them but, going by the thinking I perceive, can safely guess what they would say: “So what, it is better than being under the Chinese!” Most patriotic citizens, though, are greatly concerned because Sajith, the miracle man, who loudly shouts in the first person about everything, is almost silent on the 13 demands of the Tamil parties that support him, and the MCC, which his sponsor-at-large, Mangala tried to push through the back door!

Talking about MCC, one said “Why are you worried, when Kumar Sangakkara is the president?” I had the onerous task of educating my vociferous nephew of this cricket loving nation, the vast difference between the benevolent Marylebone Cricket Club and the malevolent Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact! He may have learned some facts from me but doubt he changed his views, as even ‘Hela Urumaya’ champions like Ranawaka are there to expound the virtues of the MCC! They used to say ‘Love is blind’ but I am beginning to wonder whether it is politics that is blinding!

Awestruck with the chest-thumping oratory of Sajith, my friends and relations were ready to point out how bad Gota is: “He can hardly talk, he reads out from cards. Therefore, how can we expect him to deliver?” Being so used to loving those who ‘plant sweet potatoes with words’, ‘katin batala hitawanno’, true, Gota is no match to Sajith. Had the presidential election been an oratorical contest, it would have been only Mahinda, perhaps, who could have defeated Sajith; but this is about policies, not decided on the trot, and the ability to deliver. On performance, Sajith is no match to Gota, any with sense would accept, except the diehards. Leaving aside Sajith’s claims of re-dawning of a Premadasa era, which had lethal consequences to many, his only achievement as a minister, is the continuation of his father’s ‘Gam Udawa’ and, of course, keeping silent about the misdeeds of the UNP over Yahapalana era, vainly criticising them now as if he is an opposition candidate! My diehards had a perfectly logical explanation; had he done so, Sajith would not have got the UNP nomination! And to save the country from the evil clutches of Yahapalanaya, I should have added!!

I took pains to explain that Gota is a doer, not a talker. As correctly stated in his acceptance speech, when he was nominated the SLPP candidate, Gota has performed, over and above expectations, whatever task he was assigned to. He is not a career politician and, if he receives a public mandate in a few days’ time, would be the first ‘non-politician’ leader of the country. He retired from the army as a lieutenant colonel and received awards for gallantry from Presidents Jayewardene, Premadasa and Wijetunga. Mahinda appointed him the Defence Secretary with the brief, which was deemed impossible by experts, of eradicating the LTTE. He oversaw achieving this impossible with meticulous planning and coordination, of course, with political support from his big brother, as well as the support of commanders of all the three forces. As the Secretary of Urban Development, he was instrumental in many urban improvement projects, the most important being the beautification of the City of Colombo; one of the reasons for the tourist boom that occurred, after eradicating terrorism.

When I questioned my diehards whether they wanted a talker or a doer, as expected, their response was to direct attention to all the allegations against Gota. I had to point out that all these are allegations and Yahapalanaya, in spite of all its’ efforts, has not been able to prove a single. Much is made of Lasantha Wickramatunga murder, but they conveniently forget that the UNP repeatedly blamed FM Fonseka and he had never said that he did it on the orders of Gota. They cannot deny it, as it is on record, in the Hansard. As much as there are allegations of corruption by Gota, no less a person than FM Fonseka himself alleged that Sajith misused Cultural Trust funds!

Sajith’s policy pronouncements were highly criticised by FM Fonseka who, during Derana 360 programme on 2nd September, gave a detailed analysis of why they were unworkable. Since then Sajith has added a multitude of promises, some decided on the spur of the moment like giving ‘pilgrimage warrants’ to all senior citizens, at the request of one who attended his election rally! One firm policy decision is the appointment of one cabinet minister, the lure of which has induced amnesia in FM Fonseka, to be one of his greatest supporters. They cited this as living proof of how effective Sajith could be! Even the Almighty would have found it impossible to counter this logic: so, I had to give up, rather realised the futility of wasting my breath!

I was one, once, but do hope these diehard UNPers are a fast disappearing minority!

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Top spokesman for Gotabaya Rajapaksa Campaign Charitha Herath yesterday said that the ruling UNP couldn’t cover up the Treasury bond scams, the betrayal of the armed forces in Geneva and negligence resulting in the Easter Sunday carnage, by questioning the credibility of SLPP presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Former Media Secretary Dr. Herath said the desperate attempts to depict Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a threat to national security on the basis of false claim that he was still a US citizen should be examined against the backdrop of the UNP hastily and secretively seeking to ink agreement with the US on Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant amounting to USD 480mn.

Dr. Herath said so addressing the media at the Pearl Grand Hotel, Bambalapitiya.

Have you ever heard of a government accused of robbing its own Central Bank being investigated by a Presidential Commission other than the infamous Sri Lankan example? he asked.

The national economy suffered debilitating setback due to treasury bond scams involving the disgraced primary dealer, Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL), Herath said. The pohottuwa campaign official alleged that the UNP ‘raided’ the Central Bank twice-on Feb 27, 2015 during their much touted 100-day programme and again on March 29, 2016 in the wake of last parliamentary polls.

In between the two treasury bonds scams, the yahapalana government co-sponsored a controversial resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Oct 01, 2015 in Geneva inimical to Sri Lanka’s interests, Herath said. The government endorsed the agreement in spite of the then Permanent Representative in Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha objecting to it, Herath pointed out.

Herath emphasized that Sajith Premdasa being a member of the cabinet as well as the Deputy Leader of the UNP couldn’t absolve himself of the responsibility for Geneva betrayal.

Those who questioned Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s role during the war conveniently forgot the abortive bid made by the LTTE to assassinate war veteran at the onset of the eelam war IV, Herath said, pointing out that the outcome of the conflict could have been quite different if the LTTE had succeeded.

An LTTE suicide cadre targeted him at the Piththala junction on the morning of Dec 01, 2006.

The LTTE made an attempt on then Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka’s life on the afternoon of April 25, 2006 inside the army headquarters.

Herath alleged that the government betrayed the armed forces again by declining to use evidence provided by House of Lords member Naseby in Sri Lanka’s defence in Geneva. He alleged that the government disregarded Lord Naseby’s Oct 2017 disclosure in the House of Lords based on wartime dispatches from the British High Commission in Colombo for obvious reasons.

British dispatches contradicted the much touted March 2011 UN claim that the 40,000 civilians perished on the Vanni east front.

Herath said that the UNP owed explanations as regards the treasury bond scams, particularly against the backdrop of its failure to secure the custody of Arjuna Mahendran, reverse the Geneva trap as well as its failure to thwart the Easter Sunday suicide attacks.

Herath pointed out that near simultaneous Easter Sunday carnage took place after the UPFA quit the government in late Oct 2018.

He also alleged that the UNP reached consensus with the Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) led four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for their benefit though that outfit still pursued the separatist agenda.

Herath said that the ITAK never gave up its 13-point demand, including abolition of the executive presidency, re-merger of the Eastern Province with the North and exclusive foreign investigations into alleged war crimes.

The GR Campaign official said that the UNP led New Democratic Front (NDF) had no qualms in receiving the TNA support though that outfit justified the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) massacre of the innocents. A section of the print media reported what Jaffna District TNA MP and party spokesman M.A. Sumanthiran, PC, spoke in support to the terror attacks at the BMICH on April 29, 2019.

If Gotabaya Rajapaksa functioned as the Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Easter attacks could have been thwarted, Herath said. The former Media Secretary recalled as to how the navy seized an LTTE owned ship ‘Princess Cristina’ in a foreign harbour and also the extradition of Kumaran Pathmanathan from Malaysia after the war to prove the strength of the then security apparatus.

The public realized the need for enhanced security in the wake of Easter Sunday attacks, Herath said querying whether the TNA knew that at least 70 Tamil civilians perished in the multiple attacks and about 100 other Tamils were wounded.

The GR Campaign official said that the public couldn’t be deceived by propaganda as the vast majority remembered the treacherous Norway arranged Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed in Feb 2002. The UNP recognized the then temporarily-merged Northern and Eastern Province as a unit under the LTTE, Herath said. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga now with the UNP had no option at that time to take over three ministries, including defence to prevent the disintegration of the country.

Herath said that those propagating lies about ‘white van’ abductions couldn’t stomach Sri Lanka’s triumph over terrorism. He also pointed out how the government did away with annual victory day parade soon after robbing the Central Bank.

Sanjeev Miglani, Shihar Aneez  Courtesy Reuters 

COLOMBO (Reuters) – One brother is considered a shoo-in for the job of Sri Lanka’s president in elections this weekend and another is eyeing the prime minister’s post when that election becomes due early next year. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka People’s Front party presidential election candidate and former wartime defence chief, with his brothers, Mahinda Rajapaksa, former president and opposition leader and Chamal Rajapaksa (R) are seen as they leave after handing over nomination papers at the election commission ahead of Sri Lanka’s presidential election, scheduled for November 16

Two other brothers are political strategists for their Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party and one of them is considering a shot at becoming the speaker in parliament. Three men of the family’s next generation are also in politics.

The Rajapaksas, best known for the brutal defeat of separatist Tamil rebels and then drawing Sri Lanka into China’s orbit when the West and India shunned the Indian Ocean island, are back at the centre of the nation’s deeply divisive politics and it is stoking fear.

While there are no formal opinion polls, former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the hot favourite to win the presidential election this Saturday. His chief opponent Sajith Premadasa, a government minister, is seen to be trailing.

Gotabaya led the operations against the Tamil Tigers when his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was president. Gotabaya has faced lawsuits in Sri Lanka and in the United States over allegations of staged killings of Tamil separatists, critics and journalists during the war.

Both brothers deny the allegations as part of a Western conspiracy to interfere in the island nation of 22 million that sits astride vital shipping lanes and has long been a tinder-box of tensions between the dominant Sinhalese Buddhists and minority ethnic Tamils. In recent months, Sinhalese hardliners have also targeted the tiny Muslim community.  

Mahinda lost the 2015 presidential election to a cabinet colleague who turned against him – Maithripala Sirisena. After his ouster, the family’s fortunes fell into decline.

But Easter Sunday bombings on hotels and churches, in which more than 250 people were killed, derailed Sirisena’s presidency, and he has announced he will not contest this year. The attacks, claimed by Islamic State, have rekindled support for the Rajapaksas and their brand of Sinhalese nationalism.

Mahinda is barred from running for president again, and is on the stump for Gotabaya, bringing an affable touch to the campaign against the rather gruff manner of his brother, more known for his military machismo.

Another brother, Basil, handles the party finances and striking deals with rival groups while a fourth brother and former speaker, Chamal, campaigns in the family borough in the south of the island.

FAMILY PROSPECTS

Mahinda, who is currently leader of the opposition in parliament, is the obvious choice for prime minister when parliamentary elections are held early next year, said Keheliya Rambukwella, spokesman for the Gotabaya campaign.

Chamal Rajapaksa would be the choice for parliament speaker, a position he has previously held, political experts say. In all, seven members of the family are involved in politics, and some of the others could also end up in parliament.

We are going to see family rule again, and all the excesses that came up with it the last time,” said Health Minister Rajitha Senarathne, who is opposed to the Rajapaksas. They will suppress all dissent.”

In a front-page editorial, the state-run Sunday Observer said it was afraid” of a Gotabaya presidency and appealed to voters to make the right choice.”

A wrong choice will send the country hurtling towards authoritarianism and iron-fisted rule,” it said.

Gotabaya’s spokesman dismissed warnings of family rule, saying the candidate was quite clear merit will be the only considered for top political jobs. Slideshow (4 Images)

When Gotabaya comes to power he will appoint people with qualification to the positions, irrespective of their ties to him,” Rambukwella said.

On the campaign, Gotabaya has been uncompromising about the need to strengthen security, repeatedly raising the circumstances that led to the Easter Sunday attacks.

At a campaign rally in Wellawaye in central Sri Lanka Gotabaya said during his time as defence secretary, he had raised special military and intelligence units to tackle extremism, drug trafficking networks and the underworld. These cells had since been weakened, he said.

There can be no higher priority than national security,” he said.

Courtesy Ceylon Today

Tamil people must act in collaboration against the expectations of the Southern Sinhala people, regarding Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s victory and prevent Sinhala leaders from emerging victorious, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Spokesman and MP, M.A. Sumanthiran said.

At the upcoming Presidential Election, all the Tamil people must unite to stifle the ‘Gotabaya menace,’ he stressed.

He made these statements at a public rally held in Maankulam, Mullaitivu, to express support for NDF Presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa.

The Tamil people must act to stop another Rajapaksa family-administration, including Gotabaya Rajapaksa, without giving them any opportunity to resurface, he emphasised, adding that the Tamil people in the North and East must unite to vote for Sajith Premadasa at the Presidential election.

The Tamil people, who ended the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, should now take action to drive out Gotabaya Rajapaksa. In 2005, the Rajapaksa family came into power because the Tamil people didn’t vote, he added.

He added, “One Presidential candidate, in his election manifesto, has stated that he will devolve power in a unitary and an undivided country. Although one candidate had the strength to make such a statement, no such statement can be found in Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s election manifesto. 

They don’t have the strength to at least present a solution to the national issue or to make a statement in that connection. Therefore, we request the Tamil people to vote for New Democratic Front Presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa.”

Courtesy Adaderana

The renunciation of US citizenship by an individual might take several months to be published in the Federal Register, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Colombo said.

However, she noted that the embassy cannot comment on individual visa or citizenship issues according to US privacy laws.

Responding to questions raised by Ada Derana with regard to SLPP presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa renouncing his citizenship, US Embassy Spokesman Nancy VanHorn said:

Due to US privacy laws, I cannot comment on an individual case involving visas or citizenship.” 

It’s also important to note that several months may pass between when an individual renounces his or her citizenship and when that person’s name appears in the federal register.”

Political opponents, certain media reports and social media posts have claimed that Rajapaksa has not successfully renounced his US citizenship yet as his name has not appeared in the Federal Register.

However, the former Defence Secretary and his camp have vehemently rejected this allegation while maintaining that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is no longer a US citizen after successfully renouncing it.

Sri Lanka’s laws do not allow dual citizens or non-citizens to contest national elections.

Courtesy Adaderana

SLPP presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that he will increase the daily wage of estate workers to Rs 1,000 and also they will establish a state university for the students in the estate areas of the Central Province.

Addressing an election rally held in Kotagala area in Hatton, Rajapaksa said that he spoke to the youth and that they informed him that students selected to university have to travel all the way to areas such as Jaffna and this leads to economic problems.

He said that they had asked for a university to be established in this region and that he promised them to build a new university in the province. 

Speaking in Tamil then, Rajapaksa then went on to say that he will give the estate workers the daily wage of Rs 1,000 which they have been calling for. 

He also said that new home will be built and provided to the estate workers and that he will make sure to complete it within his five-year term as president.

By P.K.Balachandran/Daily Express Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, November 10: The 550 th. anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, a 16 th.Century Indian saint who founded Sikhism, was celebrated all over the world on November 9. Today, Sikhism is the fifth largest organized religion with 30 million followers across the globe.

The anniversary was marked by the historic opening of a corridor across the India-Pakistan border to link a famous Sikh shrine in Kartarpur in Pakistan with another in Dera Baba Nanak in India.

The opening ceremonies, which were held in India and Pakistan separately, were presided over by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and his Pakistan counterpart, Imran Khan.

Heaping fulsome praise on Imran Khan, Modi said: I thank Pakistan Prime Minister Sriman Imran Khan Niazi. He understood India’s feelings on the Kartarpur corridor issue, gave respect and, keeping in view those feelings, worked accordingly.”

Guru Nanak was a poet, a religious teacher, and a social reformer who preached that God is one, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and beyond all form and name. His thought that ‘All men are equal’ led to a social doctrine which was against discrimination based on caste, religion, race, color or financial status.

Stayed In Lanka For More Than Two Years

Guru Nanak spread his faith through incessant travels. He was not stationary, expecting devotees to come to him. He reached out to the common man in their fields and humble abodes, eschewing existing places of worship.

Apart from traversing the length and breadth of North India, the Guru, who hailed from the present-day State of Punjab, had visited South India and then crossed over to Sri Lanka also.

It is believed that he stayed in the island of Singhla Deep” for almost two and half years as a guest of the Kotte King Dharma Parakramabhu IX and his co-regent Vijayabahu VII whose given or original name, according to Sikh chronicles, was Shivnabh or Shivnabin.

According to the renowned South Indian historian, Dr.V.Raghavan, there was at least one epigraphic evidence to show that Guru Nanak had visited Sri Lanka in the fifteenth year of the reign of Parakramabahu IX. The saint’s name is given as Jnanakacharya”, which could well be Nanakacharya”.

Writing in 1969, Dr.Raghavan said that although most of the names mentioned in the Sikh accounts did not find a place in actual historical records, the possibility of Guru Nanak having come to Sri Lanka could not be ruled out. Religious leaders and traders from various parts of India, including the Punjab, were visiting South India and Sri Lanka regularly at the time. And Sinhalese kings were in close touch with India, following many Indian customs and practices, and being open to Indian influences in various spheres.

The epigraphic evidence Dr.Raghavan was alluding to, was given in 1969 by Dr. Saddamangala Karunaratna, an Assistant Commissioner of Archeology in Sri Lanka. In his paper, Guru Nanak and Ceylon” presented at the International Seminar on the Life and Teachings of Guru Nanak at the Punjabi University, Patiala held in September 1969, Dr. Karunaratna referred of an original writing on a slab numbered M-111” which was kept in the Archeological Museum at Anuradhapura. The writing mentions Nanakacharya’s visit to Sri Lanka.

Quoting from Dr.Karunaratna’s paper in his article in sikhnet.com, Dr. Dalvinder Singh Grewal, says that the writing contains a passage in Sanskrit which is said to have been written on the orders of the Jayavardana Kotte King Dharama Prakrambahu IX. In the fifteenth year of the reign of Dharama Parkarambahu IX, Jnanakacharya, a divine person from abroad, had visited Jayavardhana Kotte.

The saint was propagating a new faith. He met the ruler and explained to him the tenets of his faith. The king is said to have promised to embrace the new faith, provided he defeated his Sangharaja, Dharamakriti-sthavira in a debate on a religious doctrine.

A public meeting was arranged in front of the palace, where a debate on Ishvara and the Soul was held between Jnankacharya and Dharamakriti-sthavira. Guru Nanak defeated the Sangharaja. After the defeat of Dharamakriti-sthavira, Jnanankacharya asked the King to keep his promise to accept the new faith. But the king said that he would be able to give a reply only after confirming the result of the debate.

Meanwhile, the powerful Brahmins in the royal court found out that the faith of Jnanakacharya emphasized monotheism and rejected idol-worship and the caste-system. The Brahmins, whose religion was wedded to the caste hierarchy, did not relish the idea of their King embracing Jnanakacharya’s new faith. They approached Dharamadhvaja-Pandita, a scholar of Sanskrit, Pali, Hinduism and Buddhism, and got him to challenge Jnanakacarya for a debate.

A public debate was again arranged. The subject was idol worship. At the end of the debate the customary voting took place. But the result was manipulated to make Dharamadhvaja-Pandita the winner. Jnanakacarya had no option to leave left Jayavardhanpura. According to Dr Karunaratna Jnanakcarya was none other than Nanakacharya or Guru Nanak.

The story about how Guru Nanak decided to come to Sri Lanka is quite interesting. Mansukh, a trader from Lahore in Punjab, who was a follower of Guru Nanak, had visited Sri Lanka earlier on trading missions. King Shivnabh was very impressed by the trader’s devotion to the Guru and was eager to pay his obeisance to the Guru himself. It was at the request of this trader, that Guru Nanak visited Sri Lanka, Dr.Grewal writes.

According to another legend, King Shivnabh used to observe fast onIkadashi(first of each lunar month) and forced his citizens to follow the practice. Those who did not were punished. Trader Mansukh did not fast. Instead he used to sing Nanak’s hymns and distributedPrasad. The king arrested him and asked him to explain his conduct.

In his defense, the Punjabi trader said that his Guru had taught him those who ate less and worshipped God, observedlkadashievery day. Intrigued, wanted to know who the Guru was. The trader said he was Nanak from Kartarpur. The king then said, I wish to see Guru Nanak. How can I see him?” The trader said, You pray to the Lord, construct a place for the Guru to stay and serve visiting saints. Guru Nanak will be seen by you.” The king made a place for the Guru in a dried up garden and started serving visiting saints.

Back in Punjab, Mansukh narrated King Shivnabh’s eagerness to meet Guru Nanak. Listen to this”, Guru Nanak told his companion Mardana: It is important that we go there.” Mardana agreed.

According to Janamsakhi Parampraedited by Dr Kirpal Singh mention of Guru Nanak to Sri Lanka (Sangladeep) is there in all the compiled Janamsakhis.

Dr Surinder Singh Kohli, in his Travels of Guru Nanak” (Sikh Book Club 1969)^]mentions Nagapatnam (India), Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Dibar, Kurukalmadam, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Adam’s Peak, Pussalawa (Pushalpur), Ramboda, Badulla, Kotte (Colombo), Anuradhapura, Jaffapatnam, Nainativu island and Mannar as places visited by the Guru in Sri Lanka.

InJeevan Charit Guru Nanak DevDr Trilochan Singh (Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Board 1972) mentions Guru Nanak’s boarding a ship from Rameshwaram for Jappapatnam (Jaffna) and visiting Seetwaka, Kurukalamadam, Nainativu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kurukalmadam, Kalmunai, Tirukoil, Pottuvil, Panama, Katargama ( Kartik Swami temple), Manik Ganga, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Anuradhapura, Mannar and Rameshwaram (India).

Kurukkal Madam (Abode of a Guru) in Batticaloa district in Eastern Sri Lanka is named after Guru Nanak it is believed. Writing in sikhnet.com, Dr.Grewal says that Guru Nanak along with Bhai Mardana and other Sikhs visited and stayed at this place for over three months. The people of the village told Dr. Kipral Singh of Punjabi University, Patiala, who had visited the place in September 1968, that about 450 years ago a Siddha Baba from Northern India, had visited this place. The village of Kurukkalmadam was established in memory of the Siddha Baba. He was, in all likelihood, Guru Nanak.

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

හිටපු ජනාධිපති රණසිංහ ප්‍රේමදාස මහතා එල්.ටී.ටී.ඊ. සංවිධානයට ආයුධ හා මුදල් ලබා දුන් බව උතුරු නැගෙනහිර හිටපු ප්‍රධාන අමාත්‍ය වරධරාජා පෙරුමාල් මහතා පවසනවා.

ඔහු මේ බව සඳහන් කළේ කොළඹදී අද පැවති ප්‍රවෘත්ති සාකච්ඡාවකට එක්වෙමින්.

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස මහතාගේ මැතිවරණ ව්‍යාපාරයේ ඉදිරි පැය 48ක කාලය වෙන්ව ඇත්තේ ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ මහතාට මඩ ප්‍රචාර එල්ල කිරීමට පමණක් බවට ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ චෝදනා කරනවා.

අද පැවති ප්‍රවෘත්ති සාකච්ඡාවකදී පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ඩලස් අලහප්පෙරුම මහතා මේ බව සඳහන් කළා.

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

ඉදිරියේදී පැවැත්වෙන ජනාධිපතිවරණයේදි රටේ භූමිය බෙදීමට හෝ ජාතික සමගිය විනාශ කිරීමට ඉදිරිපත්වන සියලු බලවේග පරාජය කිරීමට ජනතාව එකමුතු විය යුතු බව මහා සංඝරත්නය පවසනවා.

නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරමින් උන්වහන්සේ ඉල්ලා සිටින්නේ රටේ ඒකීය භාවය ආරක්ෂා කරගනිමින් වැටී ඇති ආර්ථිකය ගොඩගැනීමට හැකියාවක් ඇති පුද්ගලයාට ඡන්දය භාවිත කරන ලෙසයි.

පූජ්‍ය ඉත්තෑපානේ ධම්මාලංකාර මහ නාහිමියන්, මහාචාර්ය පූජ්‍ය කොටපිටියේ අනුනාහිමියන්, මහාචාර්ය පූජ්‍ය කහපොල සුගතරතන අනුනාහිමියන්, ආචාර්ය පූජ්‍ය වල්පොල විමලඥාණ අනුනාහිමියන්, ඊට අදාළ නිවේදනය සඳහා අත්සන් තබා තිබෙනවා.

එමෙන්ම මහාචාර්ය පූජ්‍ය මැදගම නන්දවාස හිමියන්, මහාචාර්ය පූජ්‍ය පල්ලෙකන්දේ රතනසාර අනුනාහිමියන්, මහාචාර්ය පූජ්‍ය කිවුලේගෙදර නාරද හිමියන්, පූජ්‍ය ගංතුනේ අස්සජි හිමියන්, පූජ්‍ය වස්කඩුවේ මහින්දවංශ හිමියන්, පූජ්‍ය අඹේවෙල පඤ්ඤාසාර හිමියන්, පූජ්‍ය  ඕමාරේ කස්සප අනුනාහිමියන් සහ මහාචාර්ය පූජ්‍ය අගලකඩ සිරිසුමන යන හිමිවරුන්ද ඊට අත්සන් තබා තිබුණා.

එමඟින් වැඩිදුරටත් පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ පසුගිය කාල පරිච්ඡේදයේ මෙරට පත්වූ අවාසනාවන්ත තත්ත්වය නිසා රටේ ස්වෛරී භාවය, භෞමික අඛන්ඩතාව හා ස්වාධීනත්වය මෙන්ම ජාතික ආරක්ෂාව අතිශයින් පිරිහී ඇති බවයි.

මිලියන ගණන් වංචා සිදුවූ මහ බැංකු කොල්ලයට මෙතෙක් කිසිදු වගකිව යුත්තෙක් නොමැති අතර, මිනිස් ජීවිත සිය ගණනක් විනාශ කළ බෝම්බ ප්‍රහාරයට දායකවූවන් තවමත් නිදැල්ලේ පසුවන බවද එමඟින් සඳහන් කර තිබෙනවා.

එබැවින් ඉදිරි ජනාධිපතිවරණයේදි රටේ ඒකීය භාවය රැකදීමටත්, ජාතික ආරක්ෂාව තහවුරු කිරීමටත්, වැටී ඇති ආර්ථික අගාධයෙන් රට ගොඩනැගීමටත් හැකියාවක් ඇති වඩාත් සුදුසුම නායකයා තෝරාගැනීමට තම වටිනා ඡන්දය භාවිත කරන ලෙසයි මහා සංඝ රත්නය සමස්ත ජනතාවගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටින්නේ.

මේ අතර අවස්ථාවාදී දේශපාලනඥයින්ගේ අදුරදර්ශී ක්‍රියා හේතුවෙන් මේ වනවිට දිවයිනේ සැම ක්‍ෂේත්‍රයකම ව්‍යාකූල තත්ත්වයක් හටගෙන ඇති බව මාළිගාකන්දේ විද්‍යෝදය මහ පිරිවෙණ සහ පෑලියගොඩ විද්‍යාලංකාර මහ පිරිවෙණ ඒකාබද්ධ නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරමින් පවසනවා.

එම පිරිවෙන්වල පරිවේණාධිපතිවරුන් වන ආචාර්ය පූජ්‍ය බලංගොඩ සෝභිත නාහිමියන් සහ ආචාර්ය පූජ්‍ය වැලමිටියාවේ කුසලධම්ම නාහිමිවරුන්ගේ අත්සනින් යුත් එම ඒකාබද්ධ නිවේදනය මගින් පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ අවස්ථාවාදි පාලකයන්ගේ අමනෝඥ ක්‍රියාවන් හේතුවෙන් පාස්කු ඉරිදා බෝම්බ ප්‍රහාරය එල්ලවූ බවයි.

සතුරු කුමන්ත්‍රණවලින් අප මාතෘ භූමිය බේරාගැනීමට නම් එළඹෙන 16 වනදා පැවැත්වීමට නියමිත ජනාධීපතිවරණයේදි දේශයට, ජාතියට සහ ශාසනයට ආරාධනය කරන ශක්තිමත් නායකයෙකු පත් කරගත යුතු බව මෙම නිවේදනයේ දක්වා තිබෙනවා

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂිකයින් රැකගැනීමට සහ ආරක්ෂා කිරීමට ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ කැපවී සිටින බව විපක්ෂ නායක මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ පවසනවා.

ඔහු මේ බව කියා සිටියේ අද ශ්‍රීි‍්‍ර දළදා සමිඳුන් වැඳපුදා ගැනීමෙන් අනතුරුව මාධ්‍ය වෙත අදහස් දක්වමින්.

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ ප්‍රමුඛ ඒකාබද්ධ විපක්ෂයේ ජනාධිපති අපේක්ෂක ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂට එරෙහිව සකස් කළ අසත්‍ය තොරතුරු ඇතුළත් තවත් අත්පත්‍රිකා තොගයක් පානදුර නගරයේ පිහිටි නව ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදි පෙරමුණේ මැතිවරණ කාර්යාලයක තිබී පොලීසිය සොයාගෙන තිබෙනවා.

ඒ, එම පත්‍රිකා බෙදාහරිමින් සිටින බවට ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ නියෝජනය කරන හිටපු මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් පිරිසක් පොලීසියට කළ පැමිණිල්ලකට අනුවයි.

මේ අතර සූරියවැව ප්‍රදේශයේ අද පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවකට එක්වෙමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ නියෝජනය කරන, සූරියවැව ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා මන්ත්‍රී චතූ සේනාධීර කියා සිටියේ තමන්ට, අමාත්‍ය සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාසට සහය පළ කරමින් රැළියකට එක්වන ලෙස ඉල්ලීමක් ලැබුණු බවයි.

එම මාධ්‍ය හමුවට එක්ව සිටි පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ඩී.වී. චානක එම ඉල්ලීම ඇතුළත් හඬ පටයද මාධ්‍ය වෙත ඉදිරිපත් කළා.

මේ අතර පසුගියදා රාජිත සේනාරත්න අමාත්‍යවරයා සමඟ මාධ්‍ය හමුවකට එක්වූ පුද්ගලයෙකු සිදුකළ ප්‍රකාශයකට අදාළ ස්ථානය මීට පෙර මොණරාගල දිස්ත්‍රික් ලේකම් කාර්යාලයට අයත් නිල නිවාසයක් ලෙස භාවිත කළ බවට අනාවරණ වී තිබෙනවා.

එම ස්ථානය මොණරාගල ඩිපෝවට යන මාර්ගයේ පිහිටි නිල නිවාසයක් වන අතර, පසුව එය ජාතික ශිෂ්‍ය භට බලකාය භාවිත කළ බවට වාර්තා වනවා.

මේ අතර අමාත්‍ය රාජිත සේනාරත්නට එරෙහිව එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ කඹුරුපිටිය හිටපු සම සංවිධායක උදය දිසානායක අද අපරාධ පරීක්ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවට පැමිණිල්ලක් ඉදිරිපත් කළා

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

වතු කම්කරුවන්ගේ වැටුප රුපියල් දහස දක්වා ඉහළ නංවන බව ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණේ ජනාධිපති අපේක්ෂක ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ පවසනවා.

කොටගල ප්‍රදේශයේ අද පැවති ජන හමුවකට එක්වෙමින් ඔහු මෙම අදහස් කළා.

මෙම ජන හමුවට විපක්ෂ නායක මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ලංකා කම්කරු කොංග්‍රසයේ නායක පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ආරුමුගම් තොණ්ඩමන්, පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී මහින්දානන්ද අලුත්ගමගේ ඇතුළු දේශපාලනඥයින් රැසක් එක්ව සිටියා.

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

ඉදිරි ජනාධිපතිවරණය සම්බන්ධයෙන් විදෙස් මාධ්‍යවල අවධානයක් යොමු වී තිබෙනවා.

රොයිටර් පුවත් සේවය සහ ‘ද හින්දු’ වෙබ් අඩවි වාර්තාවල දැක්වුණේ ඉදිරි ජනාධිපතිවරණයෙන් ජය ගැනීමට ඉඩ ඇති වඩාත් ජනප්‍රිය අපේක්ෂකයා බවට ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ පත්ව සිටින බවයි.

රොයිටර් පුවත් සේවයේ අදාළ වාර්තාව මගින් පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ ඉදිරි ජනාධිපතිවරණය පිළිබඳ නිල මත විමසුමක් පවත්වා නොමැති වූවද, හිටපු ආරක්ෂක ලේකම් ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ ජනාධිපතිවරණයෙන් ජයගත හැකි වඩා ජනප්‍රිය අපේක්ෂකයා බවයි.

ඔහුගේ ප්‍රතිවාදී අපේක්ෂකයා වන අමාත්‍ය සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස මන්දගාමී ගමනක නිරත බවද එහි දක්වා තිබෙනවා.

ඉන්දීය ‘ද හින්දු’ වෙබ් අඩවිය වෙනුවෙන්ද මෙරට ජනාධිපතිවරණය පිළිබඳව වාර්තාවක් සම්පාදනය වී තිබුණා.

ශක්තිමත් නායකයෙකු, යුද්ධය නිමා කිරීම සඳහා කළ මෙහෙය මෙන්ම යටිතල පහසුකම් සංවර්ධනය කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් ජනතාව ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ කෙරෙහි බලාපොරොත්තු තබා සිටින බව එම වාර්තාවේ සඳහන්.

දකුණු පළාතේ පිටිසරබද ප්‍රදේශ නියෝජනය කරන සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාසට සහය දක්වන ඇතැම් පිරිස් පවා ප්‍රකාශ කරන්නේ එම ප්‍රදේශවල බහුතර ජනතාවක් ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂට සහය දක්වනු ඇති බව යැයිද ‘ද හින්දු’ වාර්තාවේ දැක්වෙනවා.

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

ජනාධිපති අපේක්ෂක අමාත්‍ය සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස පැමිණි හෙළිකොප්ටර් යානය කදුරුවෙල සීවලී ආදර්ශ ප්‍රාථමික විද්‍යාලයේ ක්‍රීඩාංගණයට ගොඩබැස්වීමේදී ඒ ආසන්නයේ තිබූ වෙළඳසැල් කිහිපයකට අලාභහානි සිදුව තිබෙනවා.

අද පස්වරු 3 ට පමණ හෙළිකොප්ටර් යානයකින් අමාත්‍යවරයා එහි පැමිණියේ කදුරුවෙල පැවති ජන හමුවට සහභාගී වීම සඳහායි.

මේ අතර එම ස්ථානයේ සිටි දෙදරු මවක් තුවාල ලබා ඇති බවයි වැඩිදුර තොරතුරු වාර්තා වන්නේ.

මේ අතර පසුගිය 7 වනදා ද දෙනියාය මොරවක ජන රැළියට සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස පැමිණි හෙළිකොප්ටර් යානය ගොඩබැස්වීමේදීද කොටපොළ ජාතික පාසල් ක්‍රීඩාංගණය ආසන්නයේ තිබූ ගොඩනැගිලි කිහිපයකට හානි සිදුවූණා.

අද පස්වරුවේ කදුරුවෙල සීවලී විද්‍යාලයේ ක්‍රීඩාංගණය ආසන්නයේ පැවති ගොඩනැගිලි කිහිපයකට හානි සිදුවූ අයුරු පහතින්.

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

>යාපනය – නැදුන්කර්නි ප්‍රාදේශිය සභාවේ සභාපති පී. රොෂාන් අද ශ්‍රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණේ ජනාධිපති ධුර අපේක්ෂක ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂට සහය පළ කරන බව ප්‍රකාශ කළා.

ඒ, යාපනයේදී මාධ්‍ය හමුවක් කැඳවමින්.

තමන්, පසුගිය පළාත් පාලන මැතිවරණයේදී දෙමළ ජාතික සන්ධානයෙන් නැදුන්කර්නි ප්‍රාදේශීය සභාවට තේරී පත්වුවද ප්‍රදේශයේ සංවර්ධනය වෙනුවෙන් කිසිදු ආධාරයක් හෝ සහයෝගයක් ලබාදීමට දෙමළ සන්ධානයට නොහැකිවූ බවටයි ඔහු එහිදි චෝදනා කළේ.

‘‘අපි ප්‍රාදේශීය සභාවේ පාලනයට ඇවිල්ලා අවුරුදු 2 ක් වෙනවා. කිසිදු සංවර්ධන කටයුත්තක් සිද්ධවෙලා නැහැ. මම මේ සභාවට තේරී පත් වුණේ දෙමළ ජාතික සන්ධානයෙන්. හැබැයි අවුරුදු දෙකක් ගිහිල්ලත් ඒකේ කිිසිදු මන්ත්‍රීවරයෙක් මොනවද වෙන්න  ඕන කියලා මේ දක්වා විමසීමක්වත් කරලා නැහැ. ගම්පෙරළිය වැඩසටහන හරහා පමණක් මිලියන 65 ක මුදලක් අපට ලැබුණා. ඒ හැර මේ රජය හෝ දෙමළ ජාතික සන්ධානය කිසිදු ආධාරයක් අපිට කරලා නැහැ. ඒ නිසා අපි ප්‍රදේශයේ ජනතාව වෙනුවෙන් ඔවුන්ගේ ඉල්ලීම් වෙනුවෙන් මෙම තීරණයට ආවා. ඒ නිසා අපි එළඹෙන මැතිවරණයේදී පොදුජන පෙරමුණේ අපේක්ෂක ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂට සහයෝගය ලබාදෙන්න තීරණය කළා. මම අවුරුදු තුනක් පුනරුත්ථාපන කඳවුරේ හිිටියා. වර්තමාන විපක්ෂ නායක මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ ඇවිත් මම ඇතුලූ 800 දෙනෙකු එකවර පුනරුත්ථාපන කඳවුරෙන් නිදහස් කළා. ඒකෙන්ම ඔහුගේ විශ්වසනීයත්වය තහවුරු වෙනවා. ඒ නිසා ඔහු පිළිබඳව විශ්වාසය තියලා තමයි අපි මේ වගේ තීරණයකට එළඹුනේ.

උපුටා ගැන්ම හිරු නිව්ස්

කලාකරුවන් ලෙස රට වෙනුවෙන් අත දීම සිදු කළ යුතු මොහොතකට මේ වන විට රට පැමිණ ඇති බව ජනප්‍රිය නිලි සංජිවනි වීරසිංහ පවසනවා.

ඇය මේ සම්බන්ධව අදහස් දැක්වුයේ මාතර අද (12) පැවැති මාධ්‍ය හමුවකට එක්වෙමින්.

එහිදී වැඩිදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වමින් ඇය කියා සිටියේ කතාකරුවන් නොව වැඩකරුවන් මේ වන විට රටට අවශ්‍ය බවයි

Courtesy Hiru News

The Ruwanwella Police has sought legal advice from the Police Legal Division over steps to be taken against mudslinging leaflets against Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Presidential Candidate Gotabhaya Rajapaksa found from the Magammana area in Ruwanwella.

Police said that the leaflets were found after information was received that they were being distributed in the Magammana area.

During further investigations more leaflets were found from an office of UNP Parliamentarian Jayampathi Wickramarathna in Ruwanwella.

Courtesy Hiru News

Attention has been drawn to the upcoming presidential election in Sri Lanka, by several foreign media.

According to articles published on both Reuters and the Hindu, former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the hot favorite to win the presidential election this Saturday.

The article published on Reuters stated that even though there are no formal opinion polls, former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the hot favorite to win the presidential election this Saturday while his chief opponent Sajith Premadasa, is seen to be trailing.

Meanwhile, in an article published in The Hindu, the people are hopeful of Gotabhaya Rajapakse being their future leader. 

The article asserts that the reasons pulling voters towards Gotabaya Rajapakse this time go beyond war victory”. Some of them are looking for a respite from the everyday economic strain they associate with the incumbent government.

The article, further states in most parts of the Southern Province, almost every local, including those supporting Gotabaya Rajapakshe’s main opponent Sajith Premadasa, asserts that a majority will vote for Gotabaya Rajapakshe.

Courtesy Hiru News

The five-year ban imposed by the Indian government on the Liberation LTTE has been confirmed by a tribunal set up to examine whether the prohibitions on the terror organization should continue.

According to sources in the Delhi High Court, the tribunal headed by Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal confirmed the ban on the LTTE on November 7th and the confirmation order has been sent to the government, in a sealed cover, for notification.

India had banned the LTTE after the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Since then, the ban imposed on the group has been extended after every five years.

by  Tamara Kunanayakam, Former Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva

[T]here is no friendship when nations are not equal,when one has to obey another and when one only dominates another.” Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India Closing Speech at the Asian-African Conference, Bandung, 1955

Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA), the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) are agreements integral to US national security and self-defense strategies, whose goal is American Self-Preservation,” an ideology incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

MCC, crude and dogmatic alignment with US National Security Strategy

A clarification of MCC’s role in America’s national security and ‘self-defense’ strategies is required. The alignment is crude and dogmatic, designed to advance US influence globally and secure allies and partners by imposing upon developing countries, mostly those branded failed states,” fundamental political, legal and economic reform of the state apparatus and a ‘rule of law’ that benefits US interests in the long-term.

MCC’s central role was ‘codified’ in the 2002 National Security Strategy of US President George W. Bush, which for the first time contained the controversial doctrine of ‘pre-emptive’ war. It elevated development aid to the level of defense and diplomacy as one of the three pillars of the global War on Terror.” The current President’s 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) links US military strategies to the imperative of political and economic reform, claiming consolidation of its military victories” were made possible only bypolitical and economic triumphs built on market economies and fair trade, democratic principles, and shared security partnerships”.

One of the most novel and coercive features of MCC is the ‘pre-emptive’ method used to administer aid – it will reward countries that have demonstrated real policy change and challenge those that have not to implement reform.” Before receiving aid, the country must successfully pass 16 eligibility criteria devised by the Bush Administration ranging from civil liberties to ‘days to start a business.’ In a March 2018 speech on US-Africa relations, the then US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, described the coercive essence of MCC that goes far above and beyond the particular project targeted. Referring to a $524 million compact signed with Cote d’Ivoire to improve its education and transportation sectors, Tillerson declared, This was only possible after the country had implemented policies to strengthen economic freedom, democratic principles, human rights, and to fight corruption. Spurring reforms before a dollar of U.S. taxpayer money is even spent is the MCC’s model.”

The 2017 National Security Strategy reaffirms MCC as a coercive tool to bring fragile” and developing countries under America’s influence to counter Russia and China, by achieving radical transformation of the recipient State, based on free-market principles, privatization, and good governance: “We already do this through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which selects countries that are committed to reform and then monitors and evaluates their projects.” MCC is “a model to achieve greater connectivity” in the so-called Indo-Pacific. 

It is notable that unlike the MCC of the Bush era, the Trump Administration will no longer provide MCC assistance” in the form of “grants,” but “loans.”  

American self-preservation and the right of self-defense

The US-Sri Lanka ‘defense’ agreements, which logically flow from the infamous US-led Human Rights Council resolution 30/1, are explicit recognition by the Ranil Wickramasinghe regime of America’s global leadership and its hegemonic status, which commit the country to a global unilateral system for America’s ‘self defense’.

The US view of ‘self-defense’ is rooted in ‘self-preservation’ and not on some reciprocal relationship between equal subjects of international law, but on combatting a threat to its own interests. It is based on the ideology of ‘American Exceptionalism’ that arrogates to itself exclusive prerogatives and special responsibilities for global governance, which continue to guide US national security and defense strategies. The US President’s 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) and the 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report (IPSR),bothaffirm US global leadership is grounded in the realization that American principles are a lasting force for good in the world.”

The notion of American Exceptionalism was best expressed by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, “If we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future.” In May 2015, the then US Secretary of State, John Kerry, claimed America’s leadership of the ‘Indo-Pacific’ because we have a strong economy and an ability to be able to project”. It is the worldview of a global hegemon that sees itself destined by divine providence for full-spectrum domination – air, maritime, land, outer space, and cyberspace, and full-spectrum force (2017 NSS).

Historically, self-preservation” and self-defense” was used by Nazi Germany to occupy neutral Belgium, neutral Norway, neutral Netherlands, neutral Denmark, neutral Luxembourg, and Poland.

Doctrine of pre-emptive, preventive wars

The 2002 US National Security Strategy (NSS) under President Bush introduced the controversial doctrine of pre-emptive and preventive war, using the 9/11 terrorist attacks as a pretext, which provided the new enemy in the form of terrorism. The existence of terrorists, described as the unknown unknown,” by the then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, served to justify a unilateral right to pre-emptive and preventive use of force in ‘self-defense’ against states even before an armed attack” occur. The US argument was an act of violence by the terrorists amounted to an armed attack.”

In Afghanistan, for 18 years, the US continues to claim self-defense, extending the right to preventing the return to power of the Taliban. Such unilateral intervention is expressly forbiddenby the UN Charter and unequivocally rejected by both the International Court of Justice and the Security Council.

The US justifies the illegal act by an abusive interpretation of the right of self-defense” in Art. 51 of the UN Charter, the only exception in the Charter to the use of unilateral force. Contrary to US claims, however, self-defense under the Art. 51 is permitted only under narrowly defined conditions: (a) it is an armed attack”; (b) the armed attack actually occurs,” and is not just an imminent or potential threat”; (c) the state using force was the object of an attack on its own territory, not elsewhere, as a sine qua non; (d) it is a temporary right until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security”; (e) it is proportional; (f) it does not affect the authority and primary responsibility of the Security Council; (g) it must be at the request of the victim; (h) the victim must request assistance from the state claiming to act in collective self-defense.

Committing Sri Lanka to the logic of war, not the logic of peace

The 2018 US National Defense Strategy that translates into military terms the strategic objectives outlined in the US President’s 2017 National Security Strategy is based on the indefensible illogical logic that the surest way to prevent war is to be prepared to win one,” which is antipodal to the logic that drives the UN collective security system – that war must be prevented at all costs to achieve international peace and security. The documents are replete with bellicosity – enhancing  joint lethality,” credible combat-forward posture,” forward force manoeuvre,” forward deployment”… It is a clarion call to war, but not to any kind of war. It will be a more lethal war – more deadliness, more carnage and more destruction, to be fought together with a robust constellation of allies and partners.”

It must be recalled that ACSA, SOFA, and MCC are part and parcel of the US concept of a Free and Open Indo Pacific” (FOIP), a sinister security system whose objective is to impose on countries of two distinct regions and Oceans, a single US-led geographic and geopolitical order founded on rules determined by Washington. The concept not only excludes China from the region as a hostile existential threat to US interests, but is aimed at putting in place a networked security architecture” under US leadership to fight and win” a war against China. China as principal adversary is named in the 2017 National Security Strategy, the Pentagon’s 2018 National Defense Strategy, and 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report.

By entering into such US ‘self-defense’ agreements in the context of big power rivalry and the threat of war, the Ranil Wickramasinghe regime is committing Sri Lanka to the logic of war, not the logic of peace, a partner in crime that poses a grave threat to regional and international peace and security and drags Sri Lanka into a war not of its own making.

This warmongering vision of the ‘global’ order is shared by the ruling UNF Presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa as reflected in his 2 October exchange with foreign diplomats at which he outlined his foreign policy objectives not in terms of Sri Lanka’s national interests, but in terms of Washington’s FOIP strategy: open trade,” freedom of navigation,” air and maritime connectivity,” rules-based world order,” and violent extremism”.

However, it was unequivocally rejected by Sri Lanka’s opposition party leaders, by letter of 9 August 2019 addressed to the Secretary General of Indian Ocean Rim Association, demanding that the UN Charter-based rule of law be restored in the Indian Ocean by, inter alia, implementing the UN Declaration of the Indian Ocean as Zone of Peace, which designates the Indian Ocean, for all time, as a zone of Peace, together with the airspace above and the ocean floor subjacent thereto.

The Declaration, it must be recalled, was adopted at the initiative of Sri Lanka, joined by Tanzania, backed by the Non-Aligned Movement. While preserving free and unimpeded use of the zone by the vessels, whether military or not, for all nations in accordance with international law, it called on the “great powers” to eliminate from the Indian Ocean “all bases, military installations and logistical supply facilities, the disposition of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction and any manifestation of great power military presence… conceived in the context of great power rivalry,” and halt “further escalation and expansion of their military presence in the Indian Ocean.” The Declaration also calls on littoral and hinterland States, the Permanent Members of the Security Council and other major maritime users of the Indian Ocean to enter into consultations to ensure that, inter alia, warships and military aircraft would not use the Indian Ocean for any threat or use of force against any littoral or hinterland State.” 

Threat to peace and security

Sri Lanka is committing itself not to defending its own national interests, its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, but to combatting threats to US prosperity and security,” which are named in NSS and NDS as the revisionist powers” China and Russia, the rogue regimes” North Korea and Iran, and ‘transnational terrorism.’ None of the countries mentioned pose a threat to Sri Lanka’s national interests. On the contrary, Sri Lanka has excellent relations with all four countries within the framework of the United Nations and close bilateral ties with China, Russia and Iran. 

However, the ‘defense’ agreements involve the use of Sri Lanka’s territory, airports, harbours, defense installations, and infrastructure, for transport of military equipment, training and joint operations with Sri Lankan forces, and other activities, known and unknown, to enhance joint lethality” in preparation for an act of aggression against one or more friendly states in the ‘Indo-Pacific’. In doing so, Sri Lanka will find itself a partner in crime and potential target of reprisal or retaliation, posing a grave threat to Sri Lanka’s security.

It was not so long ago that British occupied Ceylon was targeted by Japanese bombs, during World War II, characterized by the independence movement as an imperialist war, which resulted in the panicked fleeing of civilian population to India by boat. The Japanese military raids also took place on an Easter Sunday, in 1942.

The threat to Sri Lanka’s security will not only come from outside. When US forces are permitted to freely roam the land, in their vehicles, without permission, armed, in uniform and with impunity, Easter Sunday type carnage or protests against US occupation could result in Sri Lanka itself becoming America’s military target in the name of self-defense”.

Bilateral agreements, inherently unequal

The so-called partnership” entered into with Washington is not between equals.

Bilateral agreements between a global hegemonic power and a small developing country heavily indebted to international capital markets dominated by the power and highly dependent on its market for exports, are inherently unequal.

Since the Bush Administration’s ‘War on Terror,’ which coincided with emerging powers challenging US hegemony, it has increasingly resorted to preventive and pre-emptive unilateral interventions imposing decisions on weaker states or to bilateralism with significantly weaker states to establish US-led collective defense systems (or collective self-defense” systems), which allow Washington to modify international norms and rules or impose decisions not in accordance with international law, thus, retaining its hegemonic status.

ACSA, SOFA and MCC are pre-existing institutional arrangements that are an integral part of the US national security and national defense strategies designed for ‘American Self-Preservation’ to achieve strategic US goals and objectives grounded in the realization that American principles are a lasting force for good in the world” (US National Security Strategy, 2017). ‘American Self-Preservation’ is rooted not on reciprocal relationships between equal subjects of international law, but on combatting a threat to its own interests. Its sheer hegemonic power makes the principle of reciprocity impracticable in bilateral negotiations with weaker states such as ours, and it is illusory to believe that ACSA, SOFA and MCC can be “re-negotiated” or “amended” for “mutual benefit.”

Historically, bilateralism is associated with the commercial policies of Hitler’s Germany; it is inherently discriminatory in contrast to the system of collective security based on the UN Charter. The US shift to bilateralism is also reflected in its free trade and economic agreements as an important tool to coerce or reward potential allies and partners to support its geopolitical agenda.  

International collective security v. US-led collective ‘self-defense’

Washington’s unilateral vision of a US-led global order for ‘American Self-Preservation,’ justified by a divine mission, is diametrically opposed to the universally recognised international order under the UN Charter, based on sovereign equality and international cooperation, respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states.

Contrary to the US-led collective system for America’s self-defense, the universally recognised collective security system under the UN Charter seeks to prevent war – not make war – to achieve permanent universal peace based on equal rights and justice for all, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

The UN collective security system is a system without military alliances. It is based on multilateralism, the duty to cooperate, and respect for the principle of sovereign equality of States. It expressly prohibits war, as it does the use of force or the threat of use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and all forms of foreign interference and intervention in its internal affairs, including by the United Nations. The Charter expressly prohibits any unilateral or preventive action outside of the UN framework.

The primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security lies with the Security Council, with member States agreeing that it acts on their behalf in carrying out its duties. Despite being at the highest level of the international legal hierarchy, the Security Council is required to act in accordance with the Charter, and not violate fundamental norms of international law, customary international law, and treaties, in the accordance with the UN Charter.

The generally binding international law obliges states to resolve any dispute that may endanger international peace and security through peaceful means, firstly by parties seeking a solution through negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice”. Any member State or non-member may bring such a dispute to the attention of the Security Council or the General Assembly. Legal matters should be brought before the International Court of Justice of which all UN members are ipso facto parties.

The role of regional arrangements is strictly limited to efforts toward pacific settlement of local disputes before referring them to the Security Council. Regional arrangements are forbidden from taking enforcement measures unless authorised by the Security Council.

The use of armed force in the case of collective action is only permitted under the authority and supervision of UN Security Council, and only once it has determined the existence of  threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression” and that other measures would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate to “maintain or restore international peace and security“.

Non-Aligned Movement and Friendly Relations

The Non-Aligned Movement, of which Sri Lanka is a founder member, has contributed in no small measure to developing the universally recognised principles on which friendly relations and cooperation among states must be based, including the landmark UN Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in Accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, which is viewed as an authentic interpretation of the Charter. 

The Movement recognised that State sovereignty, sovereign equality and international cooperation are fundamental features of an international order that would permit weaker states to exercise greater leverage over their former colonial masters, and, toward this end, focused every effort to enhancing the role of multilateralism, promoting a new international economic order based on justice and equality, and strengthening the collective security system based on the UN Charter.

The identity of the Non Aligned Movement is not determined by the existence of Great Power rivalry. It reflects the aspirations of newly independent states for an independent stand, based on a shared history and a positive perception of their own identity and views. It is essentially an anti-colonial, anti-imperialist alliance to defend their collective interests, protect their freedom and dignity, prevent the restoration of Western domination, support the struggles of peoples still under foreign domination and occupation, promote the right to development, and advance universal peace.

Their experience had shown that wars and alien domination result only in exploitation, oppression, death and destruction, not peace nor development nor social progress. At all cost, a return to Western domination, recolonisation, and war had to be prevented, and the ambitions of the most influential founders of the Movement was to unite the newly independent states to bring their collective weight to bear on the side of international peace, against war. The Movement opposed military alliances and collective ‘defense’ pacts with Great Powers, especially in the context of rivalry between them, since they would be designed to serve Great Powers interests and allow them to intervene in their internal affairs. Such pacts would only bring them closer to war and destruction, and strengthen the forces of war, not peace.

India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, speaking at the 1955 Asian-African Conference in Bandung, energetically opposed US-led collective defence pacts in Asia and the Middle East, including the short-lived anti-Communist Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), primarily aimed against China. He argued membership in such pacts would only result in demeaning oneself to a role of camp-follower of others” and hangers on,” and lead to the loss of freedom and individuality”: It is most degrading and humiliating to any self-respecting people or nation. It is an intolerable thought to me that the great countries of Asia and Africa should come out of bondage into freedom only to degrade themselves or humiliate themselves in this way.”

The Non-Aligned Movement and the principles on which it is based remain valid in a world that continues to be dominated by wars of aggression, foreign occupation and domination, unilateralism, coercion, intervention and interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, and in which the victims are from the global south and the perpetrators, the US and its Western allies.

Sri Lanka’s decision to go to war if necessary for the preservation of America against an emerging power identified with the developing world, and the threat this poses to the interests of friendly nations and to the multilateral collective security system that the Movement is committed to strengthening, will result in the loss of Sri Lanka’s credibility and its increasing isolation from the majority in the United Nations.  

An isolated country is more vulnerable and easy prey to a global hegemon.

International agreements incompatible with UN Charter are null and void

International agreements that are incompatible with the international obligations of the State under the Charter of the United Nations and impede the fulfilment of the purposes and principles of the United Nations, in accordance with the Charter, are null and void under international law. Besides, secret treaties are incompatible with the UN Charter and unenforceable.

ACSA, SOFA, and MCC violate Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and undermine its ability to fulfil its international obligation to protect its population and ensure respect for a broad range of their individual and collective rights: the right to determine the system best suited for their needs and aspirations; the right to exercise permanent sovereignty over their wealth and resources, including maritime resources; their economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights; the right to development; the right to a clean and safe environment; and, the fundamental right to peace and to be free from war.

Sovereignty and its international corollary, sovereign equality of states, are non-derogable peremptory norms of general international law that form the basis of the United Nations Charter, which is akin to a world Constitution. An international treaty that violates sovereignty is null and void and, hence, non-negotiable. 

In the event of conflict between a State’s obligations under the Charter, which it is duty bound to fulfil in good faith,” and its obligations under any other international agreement, Article 103 of the Charter, the supremacy clause, stipulates that it is their obligations under the present Charter that prevail. Subsequent treaties must conform to the Charter and are invalid if they impede the achievement of its purposes and principles, including its provisions concerning international peace and security, friendly relations among states, international cooperation, promotion of human rights and development. 

Under Article 53 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, A treaty is void if, at the time of its conclusion, it conflicts with a peremptory norm of general international law.” The Vienna Convention is a restatement of pre-existing law that the International Court of Justice applies as generally applicable international law having reached the level of customary international law.

Toward a new era of peace and prosperity in Sri Lanka and internationally

MCC, ACSA, and SOFA are incompatible with the purposes and principles of the United Nations, as developed in the landmark UN Friendly Relations Declaration and in other international instruments, in accordance with the Charter. If Sri Lanka is to pursue an independent foreign policy that is in conformity with its international obligations, it cannot ignore those principles.  

There can be no benefit to Sri Lanka from a bogus “partnership” that involves surrender of territory, institutions, infrastructure and resources to a foreign power to perpetrate acts of aggression against third states, thus also becoming a partner in crime and a potential target for reprisals. There can be no benefit to Sri Lanka from its armed forces’ involvement in hostile acts against friendly nations for ‘American Preservation’ There can be no benefit to Sri Lanka from fanning existing bilateral hostilities that may lead to regional conflagration and pose a threat to international peace and security. There can be no benefit to Sri Lanka if another terrorist attack in Sri Lanka with alleged international links turns the US forces against our own people.

If there is to be change rather than continuity, every effort must be made to restore Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and promote peace, development, and social justice, unequivocally rejecting externally imposed agendas to transform Sri Lanka into a permanent aircraft carrier for Washington’s hegemonic wars in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Western dominance must not be allowed to re-enter through the back door, taking the country and the region into war, not peace, and into full spectrum domination”.

The UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred de Zayas, in his full report based on six years of work on the mandate, underlined the importance of international efforts to peace: In a context of increasing confrontation and competition among world powers, we must re-centre peace as a unifying multilateral objective, and we must ensure that propaganda for war and sabre-rattling are banned.”

Garvin Karunaratne, PhD Michigan State University*

The DDCP was the major development programme undertaken by the Government of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranayake during her 1970-1977 rule.

This was also the first major islandwide development programme ever to be implemented in Sri Lanka. Earlier there was the Rural Development Programme and the Small Industries Development Programme which were smaller programmes aimed at rejuvenating the rural areas with small industries and Powerlooms. However, the DDCP was far major in scope and the Government had high hopes of great success. The Government head hunted the most eminent economist on the island, Professor HAdeS Gunasekera the professor of Economics at the University of Peradeniya. A new Ministry of Plan Implementation was formed under the Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranayake and Profesor Gunasekera was appointed as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry. The importance given to the programme was such that helicopter travel was authorized for him.

The main aim of this DDCP was to bring about employment for the youth. The aims, in the words of the Budget Speech of Dr N.M.Perera, the Minister of Finance;

The main objective of this programme is to create employment opportunities in the rural areas and through small scale projects  in agriculture, industry and the provision of infrastructural facilities, making use of the resources available locally; increase national production and involve the people in national development work.”

The method was to enlist the support of all officials and elected personnel in every Division.  In detail,” An entirely new structure for planning is being established (within which) each local authority will be the focus for development planning and plan implementation. Popular participation will be secured through the Divisional Development Council in which the elected organs of the village, the cooperative society, the cultivation committee, the village council will have a planning and coordinating role in the overall development of their area.”.

The DDCP was a crash programme to create employment for the youth. The target was to create 100,000 jobs in the first year.

The Government enlisted the services of the Government Agents to implement this programme. Even before the Ministry of Plan Implementation recruited graduates as Development Assistants and   Planning Officers the Government Agents selected the best officers who were working in the District and the programme was immediately commenced. I was serving as the Government Agent of the Matara District.

There was a major set back because of the Janata Vimukti Peramuna(JVP) Uprising on April 5th 1971. This took on the form of an attack on all Police Stations and army units. It was an attempt to capture power in a single day like what Fidel Castro did in Cuba. The JVP controlled the hinterland- the rural areas and had their kangaroo courts etc. and it took a few months for total order to be restored. The JVP had been instrumental in working for the SLFP – for Mrs Bandaranayake at the 1970 election and the DDCP was a programme that was specially meant to provide employment to the youth.  No reasons were given for the sudden uprising but it was found that the North Korean Embassy had spent a massive sum of money at this time and there was some evidence of some connection with the Uprising.  The Government closed down the North Korean Embassy.  This was an unfortunate episode that delayed the implementation of the DDCP for months. Since that day officials travelled the least possible and further all investors- estate owners, rice millers etc.who had made rural areas their homes left for security reasons to the cities.

The development councils were formed in every division. The Councils comprised all officials and elected officials of cooperatives, cultivation committees and local government institutions. The Head of the Council was the Divisional Revenue Officer(DRO) of the area. He was given a new designation of Assistant Government Agent. Meetings were held and the Councils identified small scale industries and agricultural projects- farms which were funded and commenced all over the island.

In Matara District, in addition to a number of agricultural farms and small craft type of industries, the Councils suggested many industries and feasibility reports were prepared and approval sought.  It was generally difficult to get approvals a few small industries were approved and the Ministry made an allocation of funds to buy the machinery, put up structures and also funds to pay a stipend to the youths till the projects were established and incomes generated.

I suggested that a Mechanized Boatyard should be approved to be constructed at Matara on land bordering the Nilwala River. A Feasibility Report was drafted and submitted. The Ministry called me for a meeting where the Director of the Fisheries Department was also present. The Ministry officials were not interested and there were objections by the Director of Fisheries. The meeting was ultimately put off for another discussion on another day.  This was the first cooperative industry to make seaworthy 30 foot long boats and perhaps the Ministry was worried that it could be a failure and be a blot on the Ministry. Anyhow after a major battle, we obtained approval and the boatyard was established. It was a great success.

The Councils were agitating for more industrial units and we suggested that at Deniyaya we could establish a Water Colour Industry making watercolour paint boxes. This was import substitution in action because at that time Sri Lanka imported the bulk of our watercolour requirements. The Ministry submitted our Feasibility Report to the Industrial Development Board(IDB)  and a meeting was held at the Ministry.  The Ministry agreed with the IDB recommendation that this should not be approved because the Deniyaya area did not have any of the ingredients that went into making watercolours. I argued that if Japan could buy cotton from as far as Egypt, take it all the way to Japan, make textiles and market the sales back in countries as far as Egypt, we too could do it. We were at an advantage because our country itself needed the watercolour paint boxes. I  lost the battle. The Ministry was amply satisfied with the small craft type of projects and the farms that we had got working.

However, we wanted to do better. I suggested a Dairy Project in the Deniyaya- Mawarala area where we will get Estate owners to plant grass on all their unused land. We could get private farmers too to have more cows. The only proviso I insisted was that we should have a Creamery to make butter and cheese. because it was impossible to sell more milk.  My feasibility report created problems.  It was argued that small creameries were not commercially viable and the Ministry said that we did not have grasslands to feed the cattle. It ended up with heated arguments at the Ministry. I did not know then that Switzerland doted on small creameries.

 It was quite evident that the Ministry was not going to approve any new industry for our District. The only sophisticated industry ever done in the rest of the island was a Paper Making Industry at Kotmale.  The Ministry told me to get going making bricks and tiles if I was interested. I pointed out that in tiles and bricks the private sector had already established factories in the District and it would not be prudent to try to create a problem of oversupply.  The Ministry and I clashed not once but many a time. It happened because once I had served as a Deputy Director of Small Industry and I knew more about industries than anyone in the Ministry.  The Ministry never appreciated my ideas. Theirs was always on the beaten track.

The officers at the Katchcheri were very innovative and we had many meetings. Finally, I summoned my Planning Officer Vetus Fernando, a chemistry graduate of the University of Colombo, just out of the University who did not have a day’s experience in chemistry after graduating. I fed him all I knew about making watercolours. Once as Deputy Director of Industries, I had approved an allocation of dyes to a watercolour industrialist and I had seen him making watercolours. I knew the ingredients but not the proportions and details of mixing it- temperatures etc. Vetus and I decided to try to find the art of making crayons. The science teachers at the school also helped us.  We commenced work at the Residency in the evenings and came to a point where we needed science equipment and it was suggested that we should use the equipment at a school lab. I approached Mr Ariyawamsa the Principal of Rahula College Matara and he readily agreed for us to use the science lab after hours.  The Science lab at Rahula was our domain from around six in the evening till midnight every working day. The workers were the science teachers and Vetus, the only scientists and we, myself, and a few staff officers were all cheerleaders.  The Cheer Leaders had to keep the momentum going when every night we tried different methods and we failed every day for close upon two months. Then Vetus got a brain wave. The crayons we made were never of good texture and he said that  I should approve his going to Colombo to his university dons in chemistry and he was certain they will help. I readily agreed and authorized him travelling and subsistence payment. I was happy that he had thought of this method and I dreamt of success. Vetus turned up on the fourth day and narrated in disgust that none of the professionals at the University of Colombo was interested in helping him. He had begged of them but was told to get lost.  My staff officers and I were not going to take things lying down to submission. We started experiments in earnest – from six till midnight sipping black coffee with a sing-song once in a way to keep the momentum going. In a month of experiments, we came across the method to make crayons. Then I supervised fine-tuning the art again and again till we got to be near the Crayola grade- then it was Reeves.  We won the day.

Next came- how to establish a small scale factory. I could not get approval from the Ministry.  I was certain that they will turn it down. I could have summoned Harischandra or an industrialist and I knew many personally and could have told them to put up a factory, but then it won’t be us. Finally, I decided that it should be cooperative.  The Cooperative Unions had funds but not the authority to establish an industry.  Then I thought of Sumanapala Dahanayake, the Member of Parliament for Deniyaya, who was the President of the Morawak Korale Coop Union because he was a maverick, a daredevil type if that was required. He was in charge of the funds at the Coop Union. When I broached the subject to Sumanapala he readily agreed to establish a Crayon factory. However, he had no authority to use cooperative funds for that purpose. The Government Agent too had no authority to direct cooperatives. However for purposes of coordination in the case of the agricultural development programme, the G.A.had been gazetted a Deputy Director of Cooperative Development. I usurped powers that I did not really have based on this gazette notice and authorized Sumanapala to spend cooperative funds and establish the Crayon Factory.

Sumanapala needed only a nod. He got cracking with purchasing the equipment and gas burners, recruiting youths. This was done in two days. A few rooms at the Cooperative Union at Morawaka were cleared and the Katchcheri staff too moved in to commence making crayons. It was a 24-hour operation, with youths working in shifts, working under the watchful eyes of Vetus Fernando the Planning Officer. There were Chandra Silva the DLO, Weimalaratne the AGA, Daya Paliakkara a Development Assistant. They were all involved in the experiments at Rahula College and were at hand went Vetus took a few hours rest. The youths had to get trained to do every single crayon to perfection- a difficult task. It was a hand made crayon-like most industries in China today. I broke rest on two days till everything got off the ground. We sipped black coffee and sweetmeats brought by Gunam Tambipillai, an estate owner who was very supportive of all our efforts at development. Sumanapala was in his elements and in around two weeks,  Coop Crayon packets were printed and crayon packets made to fill two large rooms.

Then I took off with Sumanapala to meet the Minister of Industries, TB Sunbasinhe who was surprised to see the quality of the crayons. He readily agreed to come for the opening ceremony when we would commence sales.  That was a grand occasion.  With that aura of authoritative approval, I felt safe for all I had done without any Ministry approval.

Coop Crayon was fully functional. The Youths managed it well. However, one major hitch was the purchase of dyes that had to be purchased in the open market at high prices. I approached the Ministry of Industries, the people that gave permits of foreign exchange to industrialists- the place where I had worked two years earlier. They said that their foreign exchange was only for the private sector industrialists and not for cooperatives. The mandarins were not going to bend rules. We were lost.

In a few days, a brain wave struck us and we went to meet the Controller of Imports, Harry Guneratne, Harry was authorizing imports and confided that he was approving foreign exchange to import crayons. We argued that if he only gave us an allocation of a twentieth of what he would approve for the import of crayons to import dyes, he could cancel all imports and save the rest of the allotted foreign exchange. This had never been done earlier but Harry was an immediate convert. However, he said that this was the first time that such an allocation was made and wanted us to approach his Minister and get his approval.  Minister Illangaratne not only approved it but also insisted that we should open a crayon factory at Kolonnawa his electorate. This detail has been included to show how we can save foreign exchange through establishing import substitution type of industries.

Coop Crayon was developed fast by Sumanapala and he stepped it up to have island-wide sales.  All the units I had established in industries and agricultural farms were active and in good health.  Coop Crayon and the Matara Boatyard were at the top performers in entire Sri Lanka.

In another year in April 1973, I left the Administrative Service to proceed to the UK for further studies. Sumanapala handled the Coop Crayon well. The other industries and employment ventures were well looked after by Vetus and the Katchcheri staff.

Then in 1977 came the General Election where the Government of Sirimavo Bandaranayake lost and the United National Party under JR Jayawardena won.

 Before long President Jayawardena caved into the IMF which insisted that if he needed Financial Aid, he had to invariably follow the IMF’s Structural Adjustment Programme. (SAP) The main condition was that the Government could not handle any commercial undertakings. Everything that the earlier Governments had done in the name of commercial undertakings, to create employment etc had to be totally abolished. The DDCP industries and farms were totally abolished and hundreds of youths were inevitably consigned to the scrap heap of unemployment and poverty.

The political rivalry became the order o the day. My Headquarters Assistant GA Ranjith Wimalaratne, a kingpin in industries and who handled the Powerlooms with great efficiency was a persona non grata and was hunted down. To save his life he had to forego everything and run away to Canada.

A few years later, I met AT Ariyaratne, a senior member of the Administrative Service and when I told him that I had last served as the GA at Matara he spoke of a special assignment he got in 1978 when he worked as a Deputy Commissioner of Cooperative Development. He had been assigned to proceed to Morawaka to inspect Coop Crayon and somehow find fault with Sumanapala Dahanayake the Member of Parliament who in his capacity as the President of the Morawaka Coop union handled Coop Crayon.  Coop Crayon was at that time in full swing with islandwide sales and was easily the flagship industry of the DDCP. The Government wanted Coop Crayon discredited and to also find fault with Sumanapala for him to get punished. Ariyaratne told me that he had spent days inspecting and auditing and could only report that Coop Crayon was a very successful cooperative industry, with all books kept in perfect order. Sumanapala was saved from a sojourn in the gallows. Ariyaratne was not an officer who would stoop to create evidence to put a person into trouble at the bidding of someone in authority.

In order to get foreign loans, the UNP caved in and destroyed all that we had created to bring about youth employment. The Matara Boatyard where youths built seaworthy inboard motorboats- some 40 every year and earned good incomes was scrapped and the valuable machinery was neglected, sold and also left in the scrap heap. Coop Crayon was stopped. All other industries and agricultural farms were stopped and a few hundred youths lost their jobs. Getting loans was the priority, and the UNP Government did not care whether youths who earned a living were destined to the realm of poverty. The aim was to satisfy the IMF. The IMF barked orders to be carried out.

Let us see what economist luminary Professor Jeffery Sachs had to say of the entry of the IMF and the World Bank to Africa:

The IMF and the World Bank virtually ran the economies of the debt-ridden continent recommending regimes of budgetary belt-tightening known technically as the Structural Adjustment Programme. These Programs had little scientific merit and produced even fewer results. By the start of the twenty-first century, Africa was poorer than in the late 1960s when the IMF and the World Bank had first arrived on the scene., with the disease, population growth and environmental degradation spiralling out of control. IMF led austerity led to riots, coups and the collapse of public services( From The End of Poverty)

As much as Africa became poorer with the advent of the IMF, from 1978, Sri Lanka too faced destitution.  The UNP Government of President Jayawardena played poodle to the IMF and did everything that the IMF wanted it to do. As far as the DDCP was concerned all industries and agricultural farms were abandoned and the thousands of youths involved were destined to unemployment and poverty. Imagine what the youths who were making crayons felt in Morawaka, what the youths fromMorawaka who were selling crayons at both Alimankada and Pamankada felt and the youths that were making boats felt at the Matara Boatyard felt when they were ordered to close down and get lost.

A Presidential Elections is in the hustings in a few days in Sri Lanka and it is necessary to bring about employment for the youth and prosperity for the people. The DDCP was once the flagship that Dr NM Perera and PrimeMinister Sirimavo doted on to bring us prosperity. The United National Party of President Jayawardena sacrificed that at the behest of the IMF.

It is time that we rethink our strategies at development once again from scratch.

It is hoped that the combination of leaders former Defense Secretary Gotabhaya and former Premier Mahinda can effectively strategize a programme to end poverty and unemployment in Sri Lanka. I am certain that they will be successful.

I hope to see a development programme that is better than the DDCP in the new future and the only path to this development lies through a victory for Gotabhaya as President. There is no other option.

It was not long ago that they showed us their full colours by defeating the LTTE that attacked us all over our country for thirty long years.

That is the only hope for our Motherland.

These words come to you from a Sri Lankan  administrator who once in 1982 and 1983 was working as the Commonwealth FundAdvisoir to the Ministry of Labour and Manpower in Bangladesh, who was able to obtain approval to establish a Youth Self Employment Programme, and within two years did create the Programme and trained Bangladeshi staff to continue it- a programme that has guided millions into self employment, which is today the premier employment creation programme that has withstood the sands of time.

*Garvin Karunaratne, PhD Michigan State University

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

How the IMF Ruined Sri Lanka and Alternative Programmes of Success(Kindle/Godages:2006) 

Professor George Axinn of Michigan State University hails this book: It is hoped that this timely book will enable international organizations to arrest the trend of failures. …  I am delighted and proud  to have been one of his teachers at Michigan State University.”

11/11/2019

Viraj Kithsiri

I would like to place a few pertinent questions to my fellow countrymen with regard to voting at the forthcoming presidential election.

How gullible should be us in our knowledge not to suspect the ulterior motives of America in granting the valuable US $ 480 million for our well being? Their untiring efforts to force this on us can be taken as a reflection of true altruism. However, compare this with their just recent decision to pull out the US troops from the Syrian Turkish border without batting an eyelid exposing millions of refugees to the firing of their enemies. Just to safeguard their interests, death and destruction of millions look a small matter to them.

It was due to the countrywide strong protests to the MCC agreement and the brave fast unto death by the Most Venerable Ududumbara Kassapa Thero that saved us from inking this agreement.

The whole country breathed a sigh of relief when the government postponed the signing until after the election with the fervent hope it will be gone by then.

However it will be no surprise no sooner if this government returns to power with the election of  Sajith Premadasa, the said agreement will be signed with aplomb. With opposition to this pact mounting what chaos the country is likely to face then?

The TNA has come on board to support Sajith Premadasa after forwarding a list of thirteen demands earlier but no word on how many were agreed upon by both parties. These demands go even beyond what the LTTE  were clamouring for at the height of the war.

Are we ready to divide our country just to support the candidate of our party?

Then what about seeing those who are alleged to have aided and abetted the murderers at the Easter Sunday attacks celebrating the victory along with Sajith Premadasa, if he wins?

The UNP admits it could not do what it wanted to do to develop the country because the President and the Prime Minister did not see eye to eye.

Then won’t it be a much worst-case scenario if Sajith returns to power with Ranil as the PM?

The rift seems to be widening day by day now with Ranil’s side confirming him as the PM over and over and Sajith’s camp distancing further and further away from him. Are we ready to witness further endless disasters with a win to the UNP? Can you remember countless meetings they had to have just to nominate Sajith Premadasa as the candidate?

Even if Ranil is replaced who are the potential candidates to fill that role in Sajith Premadasa’s favourite group? Mangala, Kiriella, Karunanayake and Champika are the frontline candidates and I do not think any one of them will bring much enthusiasm to the public at large.

However, the most I fear is this. The UNP is banking on forming a phobia on Gotabaya Rajapaksha showing he has the potential to rule the country in a military-style.

But none asks the question of the person on whom Sajith Premadasa has already placed the post of Defence Minister, Sarath Fonseka!

Don’t you shiver to feel how he would run the defence when he has the power at his fingertips?

Now itself Sarath Fonseka is going from stage to stage claiming the MR clan should be hung in four corners at Medamudalana!

Will a peace-loving subject be at ease with such a vindictive person at such a powerful position? We will have daily nightmares probably. Who is more likely to bring white vans in we can guess.

The worst is to come. Mr Fonseka already has had confrontations even with his deputy at his Wild Life Ministry.

Are we naïve to ponder if things do not go according to his wishes even a government overthrow with his military might at hand?

The phobia should not be on Gotabaya but genuinely on Sarath Fonseka, my dear countrymen!

By Noor Nizam. Convener – “The Muslim Voice” – November 11th., 2019.

The Muslim Voice” vehemently hopes and prays that the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama and it’s members will STRICTLY” follow point 07” of the guidelines stipulated statement issued please, Insha Allah, which they have published – http://www.ft.lk/…/ACJU-issues-guidance-with…/56-688638. Rizvi Mufti and the ACJU should be “neutral” at the elections.

In the last Presidential elections and general elections, though similar indications were made, The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama violated all election norms and preached from the MIMBAR” in all mosques to vote against the SLFP, Mahinda Rajapaksa and the UPFA aggressively on the last Friday (Jumma prayers) before the polling day. 

2019 Presidentail elections day is 16th., November which is  a Saturday and 15th., November is a FRIDAY. Muslims all over Sri Lanka will be attending their Friday (Jumma) prayers on that day. Rizvi Mufti (Moulavi) and the All Ceylon Jamiyatul Ulama – ACJU comprising nearly 3500 moulavis/KATEEBS around Sri Lanka should make it a point that they will “NOT” use the “pulpit” (mimbar) of the mosques on Friday the 15th., 2019 to seek/lobby for votes in support of Sijith Premadasa or his symbol the “hansaya” or against Gotabaya Rajapaksa or the Pottuwa/SLPP. The Muslims should be allowed to vote according to their conscience without any pressure or false promises from any quaters, Insha Allah.

Let the people, especially the Muslim Vote bank who love our MAATHROOBUMIYA” patiently wait and see what The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama and their Moulavis” do on November 15th., Friday Jumma prayers, Insha Allah. If they attempt to break the Elections Law, the Election Commision or the police should be immediately informed, Insha Allah.

IT WILL BE GOOD FOR THE ALL CEYLON JAMIYYATHUL ULEMA AND THEIR MOULAVIS (not all Moulavis) NOT TO ACT DECEPTIVELY ON FRIDAY THE 15th., NOVEMBER 2019, Insha Allah.

By : A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA.

 We are in the last week of a very crucial and important presidential election campaign after the 1988 presidential election in which the results were manipulated and distorted by the JVP hooligans to carry out a contract from R.Pewmadasa to prevent village voters in the Sinhala areas from casting their ballots and assistance provided by disgraceful Chandrika by fielding a candidate against her own mother from her outrageous party the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya.

As anticipated by many the treacherous reactionary foreign and terrorist servile gang, the anti-Sri Lankan groups including the NGO vultures sustained by the so-called self-proclaimed international community and the terrorist diaspora convinced of their defeat in the election have launched their mud-slinging and smear campaign to mislead and misguide the voters. 

A new trend hitherto unseen in the Sri Lanka is the arrival of many foreign residents Sri Lankans both male and female in Australia, U.A.E and other Middle East countries, Italy and several European countries to vote in the election and airline sources indicate that there are heavy bookings for seats in the incoming flights to Sri Lanka until 15th November.  These flood-gates were opened yesterday and many passengers who arrived yesterday have told the media that they were amazed to see developments taking place in the countries they reside utilising the modern technology such  as Nano-technology, aeronautics, robot-technology, digital technology, etc., and they are quite convinced that Mr Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, being an experienced person in modern and digital technology is the only person capable of developing Sri Lanka within a short period and accord Sri Lanka its due place in the fast-emerging Asian economy male passenger . A female passenger said that she is very keen to vote in this election got Gota since she wants to have an undivided nation in which she will not need to visit her home in Vavuniya on a pre-arranged or border point visa.  

Today (11^th Nov, ) also a large crowd arrived and many of them expressed their utter dismay over the stalemate suffered by Sri Lanka during the last 4 ½ years due to abandoning of all ongoing development work and concentrating only on punishing the leaders and bureaucrats of the previous government who rendered a dedicated service to make this country a Wonder Nation of Asia. 

Given below are experts from an interview given by the former Governor of the Central Bank Mr Ajith Nivad Cabral who was responsible for many development activities during the Mahinda Rajapaksa era.

We were prepared for the challenge of taking the economy forward. We didn’t come during early 2006 and say we must find what to do. We were ready with the plans and focused areas we were going to work on and started on each of those areas together. Sometimes we cannot wade through one to the other but have to do several things together. That was our key thrust. Then we started on the development, dealing with the war and that helped us to give confidence to the rest of the country and stakeholders and there were results.

Each year there was an incremental way in which it was going forward and it gave more confidence to the people. 

What happened was at the beginning of 2018 the rupee was at 150 and then just a year later it was 183. If the rupee could have depreciated in one year we thought why can’t the opposite happen? Why are we thinking that we cannot do it? I was sure that with the right conditions put in place, we need is to have confidence restored back into the economy. Once that happens and investments come back and other macro-fundamentals start moving in the right direction. 

We were in touch with all important industrialists and many of them told us that they have been taxed unfairly and which included the banking sector, hotels, small and medium enterprise sector, professionals and various traders. Hoteliers had a very good reason to be agitated because they have been made to pay any taxes. I believed that we need to rationalise all these quickly and suggested to cut taxes at least by 20%. Some of the obnoxious taxes such as those on apartment sales and remittances need to be scrapped because they are inhibiting growth.

Tourism is a sector that we wanted to support, as it will touch people and filter down fast. I was convinced that it is much better to forego some taxes and ensure that the people have jobs and their energy to do additional activities and that’s the philosophy that will drive the economic policy in future.  If they are energized they will take Sri Lanka to a five million tourism product. Even a three-wheel taxi driver will have more hires. 

When I left Central Bank, the portfolio of the Employers Provident Fund (EPF) had had an unrealised gain of Rs. 20 billion. That wouldn’t have been the case had there been pumping and dumping. The Greek bond case was a situation where it was challenged in the Supreme Court by Sujeewa Senasinghe, who wrote a book on the alleged Bond Scam. Details of the case are on the website of the Supreme Court. They specifically say ‘considering the totality of the circumstances, it is neither possible nor desirable to hold that the members of the monetary board in taking a decision to invest in Greek bonds have acted arbitrarily, unreasonably and in a fraudulent manner. In view of the conclusion reached, the Court is not inclined to express any opinion on the objections raised’. 

Hedging is not fraudulent activity. It is an activity that people use in order to deal with some risk. It’s like insurance and was proposed by the Central Bank. But something went wrong with that as a result of certain factors. But no one alleged. That was not done by the Central Bank, but by the Petroleum Corporation. It was only an idea that was generated by the Central Bank’s economic research team. It was never alleged that there was anything fraudulent in that. There was a loss that occurred, but that was certainly less than what this Government paid as compensation for the Port City stoppage of work as well as the cancellation of the SriLankan Airbus. Coming back to the Greek bonds, although they say that there was a loss of USD 6.6 million what they said is that during the particular year, the Central Bank made its highest ever profit which was USD 430 million against a USD 50 million profit made last year and a USD 100 million the previous year. You can see that despite taking this loss into consideration, the Central Bank made its highest ever profit and it was a landmark year; although this loss was suffered. 

The bond scam was twofold; it happened in February 2015 and again in March 2016.
The main way in which this bond scam took place was that the system of issuing bonds didn’t allow any bonds to be issued in a fraudulent manner.

I’m not afraid and I don’t think anyone in Central Bank is afraid to face any inquiry. We know that it wasn’t possible to initiate any bond scam with that system in place. But on February 27, 2015, that system was changed arbitrarily on the insistence of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. They changed the system which allowed this kind of thing to take place. If the system wasn’t changed, even Mahendran couldn’t have done that. Now we need to get to the bottom of that. During the past five years, there has been one cover-up after another. I’m writing a book on the cover-ups because people should know the extent of them. Those people have to account for their actions and the loss that we have suffered, not only the direct loss we suffered on the day of the scam. 

There were losses that were suffered for thirty years as a result of what is being issued at higher rates of interests. Because of bad publicity, the confidence in the economy was lost and interest rates have still not come down. The Average Weighted Prime Lending Rate (AWPLR) was only 6.2% at the time I left the Central Bank. Today it is nearly 12%. This means that every single person who is paying interest has to account for an additional 6% premium that has been added to all transactions. The Commission that was appointed didn’t do its job properly. 

As regard his sister having being employed on Perpetual Board he said that his sister was there for one year. She hadn’t attended a single meeting and she had never had any dealings with Perpetual Treasuries. People pretend as if they don’t know this. Even the Commission didn’t write about any involvement regarding her during that period. During the time I was Governor, Perpetual Treasuries had bid for about Rs. 2.7 billion worth of bonds at the auctions. They had only received Rs. 26 million. Billions bid but Rs. 26 million received. That was all they had got which was at normal rates. That was what all others had got. It was only after he left that the entire incident had taken place. My sister and he had never run away.

There is one area which may need a little clarification. Those days the prices you would have paid for telecom would have been much cheaper. Of course, the service is terrible. 

That is what we need to accept as the difference. When you have a private entity they will charge the right price or a higher price to make a profit and ensure that the customer gets a proper deal. Take the Petroleum Corporation – tomorrow the CPC can increase the price and make a profit because it’s a monopoly. If it is handed over to the private sector, the first thing they would do is to bring in a price that would make money. But what does it do to the customer? Are we prepared to do that? If yes, that’s perfectly fine. At the time that the oil price went to USD 145 per barrel, we still gave petrol at a much lower rate. 

That loss was accepted by the Government. The Government subsidised that. During that period of time, although it was a tough call, the Government took a political as well as economic decision that we want to ensure that the country’s economic activities don’t get stalled by this high price that it had to pay. So we took an economic and a political call and that was a deliberate action by the Government. 

It had nothing to do with the efficiency of the Petroleum Corporation. Even if the CPC becomes inefficient the bulk of its expenditure is not on salaries or any other factor, but on the fuel price. 

If the fuel price is high the price will have to be high. Here what has happened is that there are certain times you have to offer support to the consumers in order to bring that economic activity up to a certain level of robustness. 

At the same time, we need to ensure that these are companies which are not in any way a burden on the government taxpayer as well as the people of the country. So it’s a balance. Economics is always about a balance. Sometimes the most optimum solution is not found in that particular organization alone. It can be found elsewhere. 

SriLankan Airlines is going to be restructured, but we should view tourism as a product. Who would support tourism during a downturn? We mustn’t get completely carried away by this privatisation thought and think that everything would be perfect with privatisation. Right now we are at USD 4000 per capita income and our economy isn’t robust enough to charge interests of that nature. Sometimes we need to hold the hand of certain state institutions to ensure that those also grow. I think we must do what is right for the country at the stage that it is in. Don’t embrace certain theories and principles, merely because they have been applied in other countries. So let’s give it some time and I would support the companies to make them better-managed companies. 

We need to ensure that people have things they want at the right time. If we were to bring in so many other oil companies to Sri Lanka I don’t think we would be doing justice to consumers. We may only have a steep increase in the pricing alone. There’s a lot more focus on electricity as well, but what has happened? During the past five years, not a single unit has been added to the National Grid. So how do we tackle that? The Government is contemplating adding 500 MW of emergency power. The worse thing that you can do is have emergency power. The answer to that is not that you do a tender for emergency power, but have a long term power generation plan. This way you would ensure that each year there would be new amounts of units added to the national grid. Then we would be in a position to have better pricing and better relief to the consumers. In 2014 the electricity prices actually reduced after the 300 MW Norochcholai Power plant was commissioned. That was a promise that was given in the manifesto of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and it was followed because we were in a position to do that.

Last year the Central Bank report showed that due to the depreciation of the currency, Sri Lanka’s debt burden grows by Rs. 1063 billion. The Colombo-Katunayake expressway cost us only Rs. 37 billion. We could have done about 35 such expressways through the amount the rupee depreciation added on to our debt. That is the critical part of public sector management. All debts put together of SriLankan Airlines etc., won’t come anywhere close to it. So we need to manage our economy properly. If we don’t manage it we get into serious trouble. So we need to get our interest rates, rupee and the SOEs right.  Why we are here in this situation, where people are wondering whether we could survive is because we have actually got into trouble in the mega areas of our economic management. We have done badly in terms of interest rates, rupee, fiscal deficit and foreign direct investments coming in and those need to be fixed very quickly. 

Referring to SLPP, Mr Cabral said that it is a young party and it has been in existence only for about three years and there’s a lot more time for leadership changes. If you take the SLFP, it had the leadership of S.W.R.D Bandaranaike and then from him to Sirimavo and Chandrika, but then it changed. If you take the UNP from D.S Senanayake it went to Dudley Senanayake and then it changed. So there were times where you would have seen certain initial stages of the Party being dominated by a certain group or a certain family. But over a period of time as other leaders emerged and they come forward there will be changes taking place. He said that he is confident that even here there would be a certain transition and people accept the undisputed leadership of Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa and there has been a consensus that the person who should contest the Presidency is Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

Speaking in a ‘ViyathMaga’ seminar Mr Cabral accused the government of blindly taking foreign loans for day to day consumption purposes and explained at the time of handing over of the Rajapaksa government the parity rate for the U.S.$ was Rs. 131 and it has reached nearly Rs, 200 due to bad fiscal management of this government. 

Mr Cabral said that in the year 2018 the amount paid by the government as loan interest amounted to Rs.850 billion and Rs. 400 billion has been paid as additional loan interests.  He said that for the construction of the Colombo-Kayunayake Expressway the Rajapaksa government spent only Rs. 37 billion and compared to that from additional loan interest paid by this government in 2018 alone 11 Expressways could have been built.

Meanwhile, Mr Gotabhaya Rajapaksa addressing a meeting held at Colombo Exhibition Centre on 39th September said that Sri Lanka has become the country with the lowest economic development in Asia. He said that as per the latest report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Sri Lanka’s economic development rate has collapsed to 3e.6%, to lower than Afghanistan which has a rate of 2.7%.

Speaking further Mr Rajapaksa emphasized that we should safeguard our sovereignty and since we are a small country we should not get involved in the power struggles of big nations. He reminded that we had been a countr5y not aligned to any power bloc and strictly following a Non-Aligned foreign policy and this non-aligned policy is getting severely weakened due to our unnecessary involvement with certain countries.

Speaking about the economy, he said that they have a clear economic policy and a programme to revive the collapsed economy. He said that this economic programme has been formulated in a form of uplifting the downtrodden masses.

Mr Gotabhaya explained that Sri Lanka is situated in the centre of the fast economic development region of Asia and we should take the maximum benefit from this propitious situation. He said that we lost 30 years because of the heinous terrorism. We should not miss the opportunity of this auspicious market opportunity.  

Unfortunately during the last 4 ½ years, the present government did not have a concrete plan to overcome from the economic downfall. 

The biggest challenge this country had been facing was the terrorist aggression and we eliminated it in 2 ½ years and ensured the safety and security in the country. We were also successful in making the country attractive to foreign investors and generate employment for the people of this country.

Mr Gotabhaya Rajapaksa made the above comments delivering the keynote address at the special session of the Lanka Samasamaja Party.

He said that Lanka Samasamaja Party is a party that has rendered a tremendous service to this country and at the same time it has introduced a plethora of political giants such as Dr N.M.Perera, Dr Colvin R. de Silva, Robert Gunawardeme, Mrs, Vivienne Gunawardene, Bernard Soysa etc.

If there is no stability and security in a country it will not be possible for the people to live harmoniously in that country.  We ended terrorism that scorched the country for almost thirty years.  13,000 hard-core terrorists surrendered to the army and we rehabilitated and socialized them.  There were only 277 more terrorists to be rehabilitated.  Those who were rehabilitated and socialized never returned to terrorism.  We provided them employment and we even allowed them to join the army or other security forces.  Unfortunately, this government did not provide them with any employment.

90% of the lands that were under the LTTE and the security forces were returned to their original owners.   The owners of lands were also allowed to engage in the cultivation of their around the Palaly High-Security Zone.  We were planning to establish a new city in that area in consultation with Mr Douglas Devananda and settle more people there.  But we couldn’t accomplish it as the government changed.

Also, all the programmes we implemented were brought forward after ending the war. However, programmes related to those activities were not carried forward by this government. The Southern Expressway was not completed by this government.

This century in future will be called as a knowledge-based century. We should bein readiness for this situation. We have prepared a short term and long term plans to face these situations.  There is a possibility of providing opportunities based on technology for those who have given up education abruptly, who have ailed advanced level education and become stranded, unemployed graduates. If 500,000students sit for the Advanced Level examination only 200,000 passes the examination. Out of them only 35,000 gains entry to Universities.  Others get stranded. All the students should be provided with the opportunity for higher education.  We are planning to invest a huge amount for this purpose. 

It is not essential to become graduates in the computer sector.  There is a possibility to engage our youth in the computer sector. We must secure these employment opportunities.  A short term programme to train these youth for computer-based economically profitable employments. We have plans formulated for this. 

During President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s time, we showed that we can do things. Then er worked as a team. We did not blame Ministers or officials, It was because that politicians and officials worked together we achieved results.  We should activate and vitalize the public service. We should have a vision and leadership to identify the talents and utilize such people.

We did not bring foreigners to finish the war to develop our infrastructure.  It was our talented personnel who finished the war.  It was our talented people who beautified our cities and towns. Having plans are not sufficient.  We should have the capability to implement the plans, 

Please provide your assistance to take this country forward towards prosperity.

Speaking at a meeting of the upcountry youth forum held at Waters Edge in Battaramulla, Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa said his economic plans were people-centric and aimed at uplifting everyone’s living standards.

He said that as a whole, his economic and development plans are not limited to one region but people-centric. Any development plan should be inclusive to increase the income of all citizens instead of making a selected group of people rich. Although the per capita income is high in the country, some people still live below the poverty line. There is no point if our development projects don’t benefit all citizens and if one faction is always poor. There should be a system to uplift the livelihood of people who are below the poverty line,” he said.

On a different note, he said the estate sector was the highest foreign exchange earner of the country and that it was time for export diversification.

He said that it e said that HmmmmmmmmmmmHHhh is unfair if we stick only to tea when speaking of the estate sector. The livelihood of the people in the region should be uplifted. The youth have to tap the tourism sector in order to do this. The children in the region should be given equal educational opportunities.

By Pepe Escobar Courtesy Asia Times

The biggest story at ASEAN was the convergence of moves toward Asia integration, leaving Delhi out for now

November 08, 2019 “Information Clearing House” -A pan-Asia high-speed train has left the station – and India – behind. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which would have been the largest free trade deal in the world, was not signed in Bangkok. It will probably be signed next year in Vietnam, assuming New Delhi goes beyond what ASEAN, with diplomatic finesse barely concealing frustration, described as outstanding issues, which remain unresolved.”

The partnership uniting 16 nations – the ASEAN 10 plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and, in theory, India – would have congregated 3.56 billion people and 29% of world trade.

Predictably, it was billed as the big story among the slew of high-profile meetings linked to the 35th ASEAN summit in Thailand, as RCEP de facto further integrates Asian economies with China just as the Trump administration is engaged in a full spectrum battle against everything from the Belt and Road Initiative to Made in China 2025.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng was blunt: It’s the 15 nations that have decided to move forward first.” And he added there won’t be any problem for the 15 nations to sign RCEP next year,” when Vietnam takes over as the chair of ASEAN.

It’s not hard to figure out where the problem” lies.

Mahathir ‘disappointed’

Diplomats confirmed that New Delhi came up with a string of last-minute demands in Thailand, forcing many to work deep into the night with no success. Thailand’s Commerce Minister, Jurin Laksanawisit, tried to put on a brave face: The negotiation last night was conclusive.”

It was not. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad – whose facial expression in the family photo was priceless, as he shook hands with Aung San Suu Kyi on his left and nobody on his right – had already given away the game. We’re very disappointed,” he said, adding: One country is making demands we cannot accept.”

ASEAN, that elaborate monument to punctilious protocol and face-saving, insists the few outstanding issues will be resolved by February 2020,” with the text of all 20 RCEP chapters complete pending the resolution of one” member.

RCEP dwells across a large territory, covering trade in goods and services, investment, intellectual property and dispute resolution. The Indian problem” is extremely complex. India in fact already has a free trade agreement with ASEAN.

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CEP, in practice, would extend this agreement to the other big boys, including China, Japan and South Korea.

New Delhi insists it is defending farmers, dairy owners, the services industry, sectors of the automobile industry – especially hybrid and electric cars, and very popular three-wheelers – and mostly small businesses all across the nation, which would be devastated by an augmented tsunami of Chinese merchandise.

Agriculture, textile, steel and mining interests in India are totally against RCEP.

Yet New Delhi never mentions quality Japanese or South Korean products. It’s all about China. New Delhi argues that signing what is widely interpreted as a free trade agreement with China would explode its already significant US$57 billion a year trade deficit.

The barely disguised secret is that India’s economy, as the historical record shows, is inherently protectionist. There’s no way a possible removal of agricultural tariffs protecting farmers would not provoke a social cataclysm.

Modi, who is not exactly a bold statesman with a global vision, is between a heavy rock and a very hard place. President Xi Jinping offered him a 100-year plan” for China-India partnership at their last informal, bilateral summit.

India is a fellow BRICS member, it’s part of the Russia-India-China troika that is actually at the center of BRICS and is also a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Geopolitically as well as geoeconomically, it hardly makes sense for India to be out of RCEP – which means excluded from East Asia and Southeast Asia integration. The only feasible solution might be an elaborate bilateral India-China deal within RCEP.

Questions remain whether both players would be able to work that out before the Vietnam summit in 2020.

Putting it all together

India was only part of the story of the summit fest in Thailand. At the important East Asia Summit, everyone was actively discussing multiple paths towards multilateralism.

The Trump administration is touting what it calls the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy – which is yet another de facto China containment strategy, congregating the US, India, Japan and Australia. Indo-Pacific is very much on Modi’s mind. The problem is Indo-Pacific,” as the US conceives of it, and RCEP are incompatible.

ASEAN, instead, came up with its own strategy: ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) – which incorporates all the usual transparency, good governance, sustainable development and rules-based tenets plus details on connectivity and maritime disputes.

All the ASEAN 10 are behind AOIP, which is, in fact, an original Indonesian idea. It’s fascinating to know that Bangkok and Jakarta worked together behind closed doors for no fewer than 18 months to reach a full consensus among the ASEAN 10.

The biggest story in Thailand was, in fact, the convergence of myriad moves towards Asia integration. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang was lavishly praising the prospects of integrating Belt and Road with something called the Master Plan of ASEAN Activity, which is the connectivity part of AOIP.

South Korea’s Moon Jae-in jumped in extolling the merits of his Southern Policy, which is essentially northeast-southeast Asia integration. And don’t forget Russia.

At the ASEAN business and investment summit, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev put it all together; the blossoming of the Greater Eurasian Partnership, uniting the Eurasia Economic Union, ASEAN and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, not to mention, in his words, other possible structures,” which is code for Belt and Road.

Belt and Road is powerfully advancing its links to RCEP, Eurasia Economic Union and even South America’s Mercosur – when Brazil finally kicks Jair Bolsonaro out of power.

Medvedev noted that this merging of interests was unanimously supported at the Russia-ASEAN summit in Sochi in 2016. Vietnam and Singapore have already clinched free trade deals with Eurasia Economic Union, and Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia are on their way.

Medvedev also noted that a trade and economic cooperation deal between China and Eurasia Economic Union was signed in late October. Next is India, and a preferential trade agreement between the union and Iran has also been signed.

In Thailand, the Chinese delegation did not directly address the United States’ Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy. But Medvedev did, forcefully: We are in favor of maintaining the effective system of state-to-state relations which was formed on the basis of ASEAN and has shown a good track record over the years.

In this regard, we believe the US initiative is a serious challenge for ASEAN countries, since it can weaken the association’s position and strip it of its status as a key player in addressing regional security problems.”

Summits come and go. But what just happened in Thailand will remain as another graphic illustration of myriad, concerted moves leading towards progressive, irreversible Asia – and Eurasia – integration. It’s up to Modi to decide when and if to hop on the train.

Pepe Escobar is correspondent-at-large at Asia Times. His latest book is 2030. Follow him on Facebook.

This article was originally published by “Asia Times“

Janaka Perera

We again had the misfortune witnessed a mockery of justice when President Maithripala Sirisena pardoned Jude Samantha Jayamaha sentenced to death for the brutal murder of Swedish teenager Yvonne Johnson at the Royal Park luxury apartment complex in Colombo in July 2005.

Needless to say, this pardoning has sparked outrage among all law-abiding citizens. They would have not objected if the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.  But to allow Jayamaha to walk out of prison is intolerable, to say the least.  Is this a twisted view of human rights? Or is it because the convict is from a high-profile wealthy family?

This is the latest in four such unjustifiable Presidential pardons within a period of four decades.

During the murder trial, the court was told that the skull of the victim – who was strangled to death – was fractured into 64 pieces. Jayamaha should have been kept in prison at least till he reached old age if not a life term.

It was President Jayawardene who set a dangerous precedent by releasing convicted rapist and underworld thug Gonawala Sunil. He was even made a JP. 

Thereafter President Premadasa pardoned Manohari Daniels jailed for killing dozens of civilians by exploding a car bomb in 1987. 

In July 2009 Mary Juliet Monica Fernando sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) in 2005 for a double murder, walked away to freedom after being pardoned by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on International Women’s Day!

Juliet Fernando was the wife of former SLFP Minister Milroy Fernando.

Why this selective ‘compassion’?

Are not there other heartless murderers like Jude Samantha still in the death row?

The only convicts who may deserve pardon are those who have killed in self-defense or under sudden provocation in justifiable circumstances or caused death unintentionally (including negligence). These usually fall into the legal category of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Pardoning any convict or not should be decided not by a President but by a review board, depending on the nature of each case.  It should be a legal process.

We hope the next President will give serious thought to this.  If not criminals who deserve no leniency will walk away scot-free.