By Ananda-USA
August 22, 2010
I am presenting below the text of a talk I was invited to give at the Independence Day Celebrations at a Sri Lankan Cultural Institute in San Francisco's East Bay area, on February 9, 2002, nearly a decade ago.
The content of that talk is as relevant today as it was then, as Sri Lanka continues its struggle against great odds to recreate the glories of her storied past. Although my Principal Concern then, the imminent disintegration of Sri Lanka, has been alleviated by the monumental victory achieved by the Patriotic Forces of Sri Lanka comprising its Patriotic People, the Armed Forces, and the Government of Sri Lanka headed by President Mahinda Rajapakse, there are yet global forces arrayed against Sri Lanka attempting to undermine and reverse the benefits of that victory; the victory that has now set the stage for Sri Lanka to become the New Wonder of Asia.
As long as the flame of PATRIOTISM burns bright, and endures etched deep within the hearts and minds of Sri Lanka's sons and daughters, nothing can prevent their achieving that goal, their Day in the Sun.
The Next Fifty Years of Sri Lanka's Independence
A Historical Perspective
February 9, 2002
Fifty four years ago, on February 4, 1948, Sri Lanka shook herself free from 134 years of colonial bondage, to be reborn an independent sovereign nation, a nation with a storied past spanning 2,250 years.
We, the sons, daughters, and friends of mother Lanka, are gathered here today to commemorate and celebrate that reawakening, to pay homage to her hallowed name, and to rededicate ourselves to protecting the motherland and our common heritage. I am grateful to you all for inviting me on this important occasion, to give voice to our love, our common goals, and our uncommon aspirations for the future of all Sri Lankans.
Unsteady on her feet in the beginning, but gradually gaining confidence, Sri Lanka has achieved much since independence. However, many opportunities for rapid progress as a country and a people have been squandered as well. Freedom, is a double edged sword; the freedom to succeed gloriously is inextricably married to the freedom to fail disastrously. It is a sword to be wielded with wisdom, with vision and courage – for the future of our country and our people depends upon it. As a people, we are not entirely innocent of the essential ingredients of good governance and national survival; we have inherited that wit from our ancestors in ample measure. We will prevail only if we temper our enthusiasm with the lessons drawn from our own history.
Our Past
About 3,500 years ago, around 1,500 BC, an Indo-European nomadic people, the Aryans, began to migrate into Northern India from central Asia. Gradually they occupied the northern half of India, above the Godavari river, displacing the ancestors of the native Dravidian peoples to the south. During the course of the next five centuries, they had little impact except for the development of a body of myths and epic stories of their migrations and wars with the native peoples. These form the basis of the orally transmitted Vedic Hymns of the Hindu religion that were first written down in the 6th century BC.
By 1,000 BC the Aryans had developed metal tools and settled down into communities of rice farmers that grew into small tribal republics (janapadas) and kingdoms (mahajanapadas) by 600 BC. By 500 BC Magadha, the kingdom of king Bimbisara who reigned from 540-490 BC, was the most important of these. The Buddha lived for 80 years from 563-483 BC and was a contemporary of king Bimbisara. According to the Mahavansa, written in the 6th century AD, prince Vijaya (483-445 BC), the founder of the Sinhala civilization of Sri Lanka, left this region of India to colonize Sri Lanka with 700 followers in the year that the Buddha attained nirvana. Vijaya’s arrival in Sri Lanka is documented in a large number of rock inscriptions dating from the 3rd to the 1st century BC. The Ajanta cave murals, painted in the 5th Century AD, depict King Simhala’s arrival and consecration in Lanka. We can surmise that Vijaya was a Hindu by religion and that he spoke a derivative of Sanskrit. While there is significant evidence that the present day Sinhalese are a mix of the original immigrants from North India and the original natives of Sri Lanka, the dominant civilizing influences in the country - linguistic, agricultural, military and religious - were of North Indian origin.
The origin of the name “Sinhala” of Vijaya’s people deserves some comment, but it is clearly related to the lion. Although the story of Sinhabahu is an unrealistic embellishment that must not be taken literally, the association of kings and their ancestry with lions and lion hunting was a common place tradition in Aryan lands, especially in murals, flags, coats-of-arms and on coins. For example, in addition to Sri Lankan sources, the stylized Sinhala lion appears on Asokan Mauryan pillars, Persian flags and sculptures, and on Greek coins.
The next epochal event in Sri Lanka’s history was the rise of the Mauryan Emperor Asoka (273-232 BC) in India who having adopted Buddhism as the state religion of his empire, dispatched his son thera Mahinda to Sri Lanka to convert his friend king Devanampiya Tissa (210-250 BC) of Sri Lanka and his people to Buddhism. Asoka’s immortal message to Devanampiya Tissa was “I have taken refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha; I have declared myself a lay-disciple in the religion of the Sakyamuni; seek then even thou, O best of men, converting thy mind with believing heart, seek refuge in these best of gems!” When thera Mahinda died in Sri Lanka sixty years after he had been ordained, he had done his work well: the ordination of new bhikkus of Sri Lankan descent and the Buddhist religion was firmly established in Sri Lanka as a government supported institution.
Thus, in the early history of Sri Lanka, the two epochal events that set the course for its subsequent history: the arrival of the original Sinhala Aryan settlers from North India with king Vijaya (483-445 BC), reputedly in the year the Buddha attained nirvana, and the conversion of the people of Sri Lanka to Buddhism by thera Mahinda in the reign of Devanampiya Tissa (210-250 BC). The significance of the conversion of the Sinhala people of Sri Lanka to Buddhism, and its impact on the history of Sri Lanka, cannot be overstated. From then until now, a period of over 2,250 years, it has given form, substance and continuity to its culture, its art, its architecture, and its politics; it has moulded the moral character and the emotional disposition of its people; their very sense of justice and morality; it has influenced the laws of the land as they apply to both subject and king; and again-and-again it has served to rally the people to the defense of the country against foreign invaders. Every significant achievement of the Sri Lankan people, can be traced to the twin influences of the military, agricultural and engineering skills of the Sinhala immigrants, and the moderating, stabilizing, progressive influence of the Buddhist Dhamma.
The next salient feature of the history of Sri Lanka is the attractiveness of its advanced hydraulic civilization to plundering invaders and its inability to effectively counter and protect itself against such invasions. From the time of king DutuGamunu (161-131 BC), to the time of the end of the Polonnaruva period (1,200AD) Sri Lanka was beset by repeated invasions from South India, ultimately leading to the abandonment of its great garden cities of Anuradhapura and Polnonnaruwa. With the decline of these great civilizations supported by irrigated agriculture, the country became divided into several smaller warring kingdoms, which never acquired sufficient strength to ward off a determined invader. The only exceptions were brief periods in the reigns of the powerful warrior kings VijayaBahu I (1055-1110 AD) and Prakrama Bahu the Great (1153-1186 AD) when Sri Lanka had powerful navies to protect its shores and carry war overseas. During these periods, not only did a navy exist to defend against invasion, but the sea borne trade also resided in Sri Lankan hands. After the Polonnaruva period, the South Indians were confronted by the Muslim Moghuls and by internal conflicts and were not a serious threat to Sri Lanka. However, with the destruction of the Raja Rata civilization, Sri Lanka could only sustain smaller populations and became divided into several small kingdoms in the southeastern, central and the southwestern parts of the country that were constantly at war with each other.
With the arrival of the Portuguese in 1,505 AD , Sri Lanka was again confronted by a naval power they could not match, and an enemy whose homeland, unlike those of its former South Indian enemies, was beyond Sri Lanka’s reach. Although the Sinhalese quickly became adept at manufacturing guns, cannons and gunpowder better than the Portuguese themselves, they never acquired an effective ocean-going naval capability. Although, they repeatedly defeated the Portuguese on land, they could not expel them permanently from their fortifications defended by naval gunfire and supplied from abroad by sea. Not even Sitawaka Rajasingha could accomplish that.
Making the same mistake that Sri Lanka has historically made in inviting foreign help, instead of becoming self-sufficient in all things, in 1636 AD Rajasingha II requested Dutch assistance to expel the Portuguese. They complied, expelling the Portuguese in 1656 AD; but then they occupied the fortifications themselves and settled down for a long stay in Sri Lanka. Although central Sri Lanka retained its independence under successive Sinhala kings, they now had an enemy occupying the seaboard of Sri Lanka that was even more difficult to expel than the Portuguese. As a result of the weakening of Holland in European wars, the Dutch were easily expelled by the British in 1796 AD in a classic demonstration of how naval power can be effectively employed against other naval powers. Now we Sri Lankans had the British to contend with.
Although several British armies were destroyed by Kandyan kings, the final demise of Sri Lanka’s royal line came in 1815 as a result of betrayal by the king’s own ministers. In the Kandyan Convention signed on March 2, 1815, the British promised to allow the Kandyan kingdom to remain autonomous and to protect and foster Buddhism. These promises were promptly broken. A long period of darkness descended that day on Sri Lanka, when Sri Lanka could no longer claim to be a sovereign nation, a veil that lasted 134 years until 1948. In the intervening years, the Sinhala people lost political power, were gradually ousted from their lands, were relegated to the bottom rung of the citizenry, and lost the protection and government patronage for Buddhism, their religion. In these years speaking Sinhala, being a Buddhist, and using our ancestral Sinhala names became disqualifications for economic and social progress of Sinhala people in Sri Lanka. With the loss of sovereignty, the profits of British planters became the paramount concern, and millions of Indian laborers were imported from India into the hill country, against the wishes of the Sinhala people. The restoration of the rights and privileges of a free and sovereign people is what we celebrate on Independence Day.
Now, Sri Lanka is engaged in a war against internal separatist forces in the country. Regarding this war, I can do no better than to quote that greatest, and most kindly, of all American Presidents, Abraham Lincoln. A compassionate man, he was, without a doubt the most ardent advocate of an outright victory in the American Civil War as the only means of preserving the Union. Referring to the war in his 2nd Inaugural Address, he said:
Our Present
“Both parties deprecated the war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept the war rather than let the nation perish, and the war came.“
……...
“To strengthen, perpetuate and extend their interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union by war, while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it.”
………
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us the right, let us finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
………
Let me note here that, to end the war, Lincoln made no offer that compromised the integrity of the Union. Instead he wanted to ‘finish the work we are in’ which was the war to reunify the nation. Indeed, throughout the war he urged his generals to spare no effort and to conduct total war with a ferocity yet unmatched in the history of warfare, because that would hasten its end. In his wisdom, he knew that to do otherwise, would only perpetuate the war and endanger the nation and generations yet unborn. At the conclusion of the war, he urged leniency and compassion for the defeated South. Ultimately, the civil war ended in the abject and total surrender of the Confederacy, in a bloody but short period of four years. The wisdom of his decision is evident for all to see.
Compare that war to the civil war in Sri Lanka that has now raged for 18 long years, misdirected and mismanaged by a succession of weak-kneed vacillating governments. Compare Lincoln’s clear understanding of the benefits of an undivided nation to his people, his iron-willed single-minded determination to pursue total victory as the only way to guarantee that end, against the pusillanimous pundits at the helm of Sri Lanka. As we speak now they are again calling for international mediation and negotiation for peace, with pieces of Sri Lanka as peace offerings.
Why are we so blind to the lessons to be learned from our own history? Are we also ignorant of the lessons of world history that aggression and terror must be met head on and not appeased? Have we no compassion for our long suffering people? Why have they not recognized and grasped the opportunity to support the global war against terrorism now being waged by the United States, and to leverage it against LTTE terrorism? In the light of Sri Lanka’s history, do they not know that we dare not fail, that we must not fail, and that if we stand firm, we shall not fail? The re-emergence of colonial indignities, the creeping alienation of our fundamental rights, will be among the inevitable consequences of the loss of control of the coastal border, and any territory within Sri Lanka, to a group that is both ill-disposed towards the Sinhala people and has established a common cause with a foreign ethnic community.
Our Successes
Our Successes
I have briefly reviewed our distant history, the emerging danger of separatism and our failures as a nation. But, in the past 54 years of independence we have also achieved much. Contrary to LTTE propaganda, every statistic on Sri Lanka speaks volumes in praise of the egalitarian virtues of the society that has taken root in Sri Lanka since independence. Let us note that India, which attained independence one year before Sri Lanka, has yet to achieve this level of equity for its people. In Hindu majority India, discrimination on the basis of caste and creed is endemic. Indeed, the government of India has instituted affirmative action programs to uplift the so called "untouchables" and these programs have been violently opposed by people of the higher castes. In the United States, only in the 1960's was progress made on enfranchising and bringing african americans and other minorities into the main stream of society - a goal that has not yet been fully attained. When Sri Lanka became independent, the Sinhala people were the disadvantaged, disenfranchised, and suppressed people in the country who needed affirmative action. Yet, in Sri Lanka, the programs instituted were not directed towards the Sinhala people only, but towards all disadvantaged communities in the country, Sinhala, Tamil, and Moslem alike.
What, then, is the reason for the much greater progress towards social justice made in Sri Lanka compared to India? An analysis of this disparity between Sri Lanka and India has made it clear to me that the great strides made in Sri Lanka are due to the general environment of compassion and tolerance engendered by the Buddhist traditions and values of the majority Sinhala community. In every country, it is the majority community that sets the tone for social progress and economic equity. The Sinhala Buddhist community has established an enviable record for social justice in Sri Lanka as documented by both domestic and international bodies such as the United Nations (UN) and International Labor Organization (ILO). Today, Sri Lanka enjoys a literacy rate above 90%, compulsory education for all its children, a children's mortality rate comparable to those of developed countries, free universal healthcare, affordable rail and bus transportation, electricity in most rural homes, widespread land ownership, full representation of women and minorities in the labor force and in government, a system of labor laws acknowledged to be a model for developing nations, the highest per capita income and lowest birth rate in the South Asian region. These are the attributes of a caring society, that exemplifies not only Buddhist values but also the teaching of every extant religion.
O Lanka, Mother Sri Lanka,
I dream a dream of a glorious future for thee,
O Lanka, Mother Sri Lanka,
I am haunted by the shining vision of what will be!
O Lanka, Mother Sri Lanka,
I am haunted by the shining vision of what will be!
282 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 282 of 282Diyasena Malli,
Re; 18th Amendment
I disagree!
You have already fallen into the mindset that Sri Lanka is safe, and that we can return to democrazy as usual .. just 18 months since the end of the war.
NOTHING is further from the TRUTH; we have just barely plugged the holes in our sinking boat .. much remains to be done to make it safely to the shore.
I urge you to reflect on the mortal danger Sri Lanka was in just two years ago. The ENEMY, internal and external, in all of their manifestations, have not given up .. but are BIDING their time to SOMEHOW return to the bad old days.
With the current global economic recession, political upheavals and internal conflicts those enemies have their hands full coping with their own problems, and cannot yet act against Sri Lanka.
By the time their fortunes change for the better, and they turn to "disciplining" Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka must advance to a position that is BEYOND THEIR GRASP.
That period of their recovery is no more than 5 years. Sri Lanka need at least 10 years of steady progress to consolidate our gains and swim to safety ahead of the sharks.
We need to SOMEHOW, ANY WAY WE CAN, preserve SECURITY, POLITICAL STABILITY, husband our money, develop our country, GROW THE ECONOMY and STRENGTHEN OUR ARMED FORCES.
All that needs MONEY and TIGHT DISCIPLINE over our society which over a 30 year period of anarchy has lost the discipline and ability to march with purpose towards national goals.
We are NOT GOING TO GET A BETTER SET OF PATRIOTIC LEADERS than we have now, to lead this country towards those goals. If democrazy must be muzzled into a democracy until those goals are achieved ... SO BE IT.
That is what Singapore did; it imposed discipline from top down, limited democratic freedoms, and focused on social transformation, infrastructure development, and economic growth.
This is also what the People's Republic of China did after the death of Mao. Instead of allowing "democrazy agitators" to rip the nation apart (remember Tien An Men Square demonstration .. that everyone in the West was cheering as the arrival of democracy in China .. but China clamped down on?) and disintegrating like the Soviet Union, they kept their country together with tight discipline and developed the country, to become the economic giant it is today heading towards becoming the leading super power in the world within the next decade.
Democrazy as the West wants to dress us in is a foolish luxury we wallowed in for 60 years, and we can ill afford now. We have lost too much time with a 30 year war and successive bungling governments. There is just too much at stake to drop the ball again.
We must keep our nation whole with a strong military, and develop our country to become an economically strong nation at full speed.
To HELL with the DEMOCRAZY PILLS the Self-Serving Western Pundits want us to swallow to hold us back! We don't need them!
China to build another port in Sri Lanka
By Indrani Bagchi
September 17, 2010
NEW DELHI: First, it was Hambantota port in south Sri Lanka which went to the Chinese. Now, an ambitious programme to develop Colombo port has been given to another Chinese consortium.
The Sri Lankan cabinet recently decided to award the contract to build a new deep-water container terminal in Colombo port to a consortium consisting of China Merchant Holdings International and Aitken Spence. According to reports from the island nation, the terminal will be built by the same company that built the Hambantota port complex -- China Harbour Engineering Company ( CHEC) and Sino Hydro Corporation.
No Indian company even bothered to bid for the project.
After Hambantota went to the Chinese and Indian strategists saw it as part of Beijing's "string of pearls" strategy, it was believed that India would be more proactive when it came to strategic projects in its neighbourhood, where more than mere economic interests are at stake. But for the ADB-funded Colombo Port project, there were no Indian entities participating in the bids, leaving the Chinese consortium as the sole bidder for the terminal.
That when China's engagement with Sri Lanka gets deeper. India is Sri Lanka's biggest trading partner, but China is its biggest donor. In 2009, China gave about $1.2 billion to Sri Lanka.
When it is expanded, the Colombo port -- which will become bigger than most Indian ports combined -- will probably handle the bulk of Indian shipping traffic, making it more than important for India. Sri Lanka is positioning itself as a South Asia hub, which would work very well for India as it currently uses either Singapore or Dubai.
In fact, the Sri Lankan government has asked for bids for developing an industrial park in Hambantota. But so far, said sources, only a very small number of Indian companies have even expressed interest. Indian companies are getting into numerous sectors in Sri Lanka, but the headline grabbers remain the Chinese, adding to the perception that India is being "surrounded".
While it is a fact that China, with its deep pockets and state-owned enterprises has been increasing its footprint in South Asia, it's equally true that Indian entities are proving to be unequal to the challenge. Government and industry sources point to a number of reasons.
First, Indian companies venturing out in the neighbourhood are few because most of them are very risk-averse. They are also all private sector entities and not backed by India's government might as in China. The government is also hesitant about pushing companies in other countries for fear of being tainted by corruption charges.
Second, countries like Sri Lanka are only now emerging from decades of strife. But whereas this is seen as a strategic opportunity for China, India is far slower off the mark. China also instinctively invests in projects where its presence/benevolence can be seen. In Sri Lanka, as in Bangladesh, Beijing has built much needed convention centres. India could actually be thinking cricket stadiums in Sri Lanka or cricket training academies in Bangladesh. But there is none of that fleet-footedness in New Delhi.
In countries like Nepal, where anti-India feeling is rife, Indian companies are finding that tenders are tailored in such a way so as to exclude Indian companies. In this way, Indian sources estimate that over 900 Indian companies have lost out in the past couple of years.
Third, and most important, the top levels of the government remain obsessed with Pakistan, neglecting the other countries in the neighbourhood. The PM, for instance, has only travelled to Bhutan. And there is no brainstorming between government and industry about Indian outreach in these countries and how the public and private sectors can complement each other's efforts.
Comments on Article on Chine building Colombo Port Extension
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Jayakrishnan (SIngapore)
17 Sep, 2010 07:47 AM
The only way in front of India to tackle this issue is to develop the Sethu Samudram project and Vallarpadom Container terminal, much bigger than the Srilankan port. If India invests enough in these two projects to make it bigger than the Srilankan port, no ship would need to take a turn around Shrilanka, instead ships can take a turn along the straits between India and Shrilanka. This two Indian ports together can reduce the Srilankan port into nothing, if properly constructed. BJP should relax its stand on the Sethu Samudram project in the broader interest of the nation.
Agree (6)Disagree (4)Recommend (3)Offensive
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Gokul (Chennai) replies to Jayakrishnan
17 Sep, 2010 09:18 AM
Sri Lankans are master service providers in many sectors, and we have to a learn a lesson or two from them. Singapore stands to lose its regional hub status if Sri Lanka pull the rug with the Chinese tactics in South Asia.
Agree (3)Disagree (1)Recommend (1)Offensive
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plainsay (Kerala)
17 Sep, 2010 07:40 AM
The true challenge to the Ceylon ports would be the one proposed at Vizhinjam in Kerala and the Cochin Vallarpadam Container port. Dubai port is collaborating in the construction of Vallarpadam port. But frequent labour unrest in Kochi port makes one believe that mere labour trouble alone is not the reason for all the strike. It is much beyond it. The corrupt officials have delayed the construction of Vallarpadam and in its execution that three times the date for its completion has been postponed. The strike by the Port workers makes one to suspect where their loyalties lie. In the matter of Vizhinjam which is said to be one of best deep sea ports in the world, is again bogged down by the corrupt politicians and officials. People are busy buying neighbouring land and nobody has throught so far to prepare a project report. Perhaps they want to make it a political issue at the coming assembly election in Kerala. The general public is aghast at ingenuity of the corrupt politicians at delaying these projects which will go a long way for the development of the state and the country at large.
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A.L.Rawal (Delhi, India)
17 Sep, 2010 06:04 AM
This is the result of Indian government distancing itself from Sri Lanka. The government of Sri Lanka had first approacehed the Indian government for the Hambantota port. But the government of India did not take interest in it because of the pressure of the DMK. The DMK was opposed to any co-operation with Sri Lanka for LTTE's rout in that country. So the first port went to China. Now the Colombo port is also going that way. It is a major defeat for India in the South too. In the North China has already surrounded us in PoK. Now it is in the South too. Indian foreign policy is to blame for this. We are surrounded by enemies on all sides.A.L.Rawal
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Linus Jos (Sydney, Australia)
17 Sep, 2010 05:25 AM
Dear All, we Indians have a great facility in Vizhinjam (South tip of Kerala, Trivandrum). This can be developed as mother ship port (by natures gift 24meters). If we make it, ports like dubai, singapore and colombo will become ghost ports in no time as this God given facility is just 2 Miles from main stream shipping Channel. Is there any one to make voice for it?
Agree (1)Disagree (3)Recommend (0)
Apparently, this EXPLOSION is an Industrial Accident, not Terrorist Sabotage.
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Sri Lanka President orders systematic investigation into the blast
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 17, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed the acting Defence Secretary Lalith Weerathunge and the Inspector General of Police Mahinda Balasuriya today to conduct an immediate systematic investigation into the explosion in Karadiyanaru in Eastern Sri Lanka.
The President, who is currently in the United States, expressed his condolences to the family members of the victims of the explosion. The President is now on a private visit to the US. He is scheduled to participate in the 65th United Nations General Assembly next week.
The Chinese Ambassador and Sri Lanka Prime Minister visited the scene of destruction. The Chinese government is also conducting a probe into the blast.
Local media released conflicting numbers of casualties by evening with 25 deaths in the minimum estimate.
Military Spokesperson Major General Ubaya Medawala told media that the blast is an industrial accident and military ruled out sabotage over the explosion and also any political link.
According to the Military Spokesperson 16 policemen, seven civilians and two Chinese nationals were killed and 52 others were injured. The Karadiyanaru police station has been destroyed by the blast.
The explosives, to be used in the construction of Ampara-Batticaloa highway were kept at the police station for security, officials said.
The blast happened in the process of loading a conatainer of explosives into a dump truck. Some reports say a police jeep crashed into the dump truck causing the explosion and setting off another two nearby containers of explosives.
Diyasena said...
[Re; 18th Amendment continued
Have no issues with the President appointing them...However they could have made it so the nominees need approval from 2/3 majority in parliament]
Yes, it would have been better, under normal circumstances, to have the President's appointment to be confirmed by the Legislature.
But, the situation now is not normal, and the threats to civil disruptions and international problems orchestrated by local and foreign anti-national elements, to reverse the gains of the last 18 months, is too great.
The PRIORITY is to preserve security and the integrity of the country, and develop it in the next decade to a position that cannot be undermined by ANYONE.
Democrazy as the West wants is something we cannot afford to RISK now, because it will be EXPLOITED to undermine and destroy Sri Lanka.
IMF praises Sri Lanka's surging economy
By Palash R. Ghosh
Ibtimes.com
September 17, 2010
Sri Lanka's economy advanced by 8.5 percent during the second quarter of 2010 on an annual basis -- the highest quarterly growth rate recorded since 2002 – following a 7.1 advance in the first quarter.
The country, which suffered through almost three decades of civil conflict and violence until the government's May 2009 defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam terrorist group, has clearly rebounded economically, with a peace-induced increase in foreign investment and tourism.
The government's statistics office said the country's agriculture sector grew by 5.1 percent, manufacturing by 8.9 percent, construction by 9.3 percent and services by 8.8 from a year earlier.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which recently extended a $2.6 billion standby loan facility to the country, forecasts "strong growth this year" for the economy, citing that "fiscal performance so far remains consistent with achieving the government's full-year deficit target of 8 percent of GDP."
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The IMF also decreed that a recent interest rate cut by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as "appropriate," citing the recovery in bank lending.
"External balances are strong," the IMF stated in its review of Sri Lanka's finances, "[and] remittance inflows continue at a high rate, tourism prospects continue to improve rapidly, and gross reserves remain at comfortable levels. The end of the 30-year war has led to a surge in investor enthusiasm, bolstered by the decline in the risk of a short-term balance of payments crisis -- and future growth prospects have improved markedly."
The IMF also said that Sri Lanka is satisfying the terms of its loan program.
"Performance under the program has been good," the body said. "End-June performance criteria on domestic budget borrowing, reserve money, and net reserves have been met. Financial sector reforms continue to go forward in line with the program."
However, given the near-term challenges presented by a global economic slowdown, IMF advised that Sri Lanka needs to implement fundamental tax reform, that is, to simplify the existing system, broaden the tax base, spread the tax burden more equitably, and support economic growth, all while boosting the revenue-to-GDP ratio.
The IMF also mentioned that Sri Lanka's private-sector investment "will need to play a critical role," in Sri Lanka's continued growth and stability.
Ashira Perera, international economist at Capital Economics, said that domestic demand in Sri Lanka should hold strong and offset the fading support from exports, citing that exports account for a relatively small percentage of GDP, at about 20 percent.
"The central bank policy rates look set to stay on hold for a long time but overheating fears are likely to climb during the course of 2011," she said.
"The next move in policy rates will probably be up rather than down."
IMF praises Sri Lanka's surging economy
.....continue....
Ashira Perera, international economist at Capital Economics, said that domestic demand in Sri Lanka should hold strong and offset the fading support from exports, citing that exports account for a relatively small percentage of GDP, at about 20 percent.
"The central bank policy rates look set to stay on hold for a long time but overheating fears are likely to climb during the course of 2011," she said.
"The next move in policy rates will probably be up rather than down."
In addition, S&P just upgraded both its foreign-currency debt rating (to B+ from B) and the local currency bond rating.
"The upgrade reflects the prospect of continued strong growth and the stabilization in the fiscal position through Sri Lanka’s IMF agreement," Perera noted. The budget deficit is on track to fall to the targeted 8 percent of GDP in 2010, from 10 percent in 2009, and the government will publish its plans for lifting tax revenues in its 2011 budget... in late November."
Perera has upgraded her GDP growth forecast and expect GDP to 8.0 percent in both 2010 and 2011.
"This implies that Sri Lanka will be one of the world’s high-fliers in terms of growth in coming quarters," she added.
"Inflation remains subdued and has averaged only 0.3 percent per month so far this year, or 3-4 percent [per annum]."
I carry on ... old soldiers never die .. they just fade away!
Well said Ananda-USA! :)
Only now they confirm what was obvious to PATRIOTS: Norway's Double Dealing with the LTTE!
Declare Norwegians Persona Non-Grata in Sri Lanka!
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Top Peace Secretariat official tells LLRC "Crafting CFA: Norway rejected Lanka’s four proposals"
by Shamindra Ferdinando
Island.lk
September 16, 2010
Had peace co-chairs, the US, EU and Japan backed Sri Lanka’s just
proposals, Eelam War IV could have been avoided
A top official of the now defunct Peace Secretariat, on Wednesday (Sept 15), revealed that the then UNF government’s four proposals, which could have made a difference in the Norwegian-led peace process, had not been included in the hurriedly finalised CFA.
Dr. John Gooneratne told the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) that the then government had wanted the CFA to pave the way for talks to find a negotiated solution, prohibit smuggling of arms, ammunition and equipment, ensure freedom of movement for other political parties in LTTE-controlled Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu and prevent forcible conscription.
Former Peace Secretariat Chief Bernard Goonetilleke told the LLRC on August 11 that the Norwegian facilitators had been reluctant to accommodate Sri Lanka’s concerns but Dr. Gooneratne divulged the rejected proposals.
The UNF government never publicly discussed the issue taking the blame for the one-sided document prepared by Norway in consultation with the LTTE.
Dr. Gooneratne told the LLRC that the CFA had come into operation on February 23, 2002 and not on February 21, 2002 as mentioned in the LLRC’s mandate.
Categorising complaints received by the Nordic truce monitoring mission from Feb 23, 2003 to Dec 31, 2005, Dr. Gooneratne said that the LTTE had got away with the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on August 12, 2005.
Fonseka convicted of fraud
September 17, 2010
COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan military court Friday convicted the former army chief, who ran for president on the opposition ticket, of fraud. He could be sentenced to jail time.
Sarath Fonseka has already been dishonorably discharged following an earlier court-martial conviction. He has described the prosecutions as a political vendetta and said they were launched to persecute him for daring to challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential election earlier this year.
Critics say the Sri Lankan government is systematically persecuting its rivals as it consolidates power following victory of ethnic Tamil rebels last year.
Government spokesman Lakshman Hulugalla said the court-martial that heard the case against Fonseka has sent its recommendation to the president and the sentence will be announced after his approval.
Fonseka is accused of bypassing military procedures in purchasing equipment and involving his son-in-law in the dealings.
The verdict came weeks after Fonseka was stripped of his rank, pension, medals and other military honors after another court-martial convicted him of involvement in politics while in service.
Once allies, Rajapaksa and Fonseka were both considered heroes by the Sinhalese majority for crushing the Tamil rebels last year, ending a quarter-century civil war that killed 80,000 to 100,000 people.
But they had a falling out months after the war ended and the general quit the army after accusing Rajapaksa of sidelining him, suspecting a military coup. Their relationship further deteriorated after Fonseka challenged Rajapaksa in the presidential election.
Fonseka lost the election to Rajapaksa in January and was arrested weeks later. He was accused of planning his political career while still in uniform and breaching regulations for purchasing military hardware. Fonseka has been detained by the military since then.
While in detention, Fonseka contested parliamentary elections in April with the opposition Democratic National Alliance and won a seat, while Rajapaksa's party won a majority.
Last week, Fonseka met reporters in Parliament and said the government is determined to send him to jail and that he won't expect justice from them.
My Comment #21 at DBSJ's Blog:
September 17th, 2010
............
DBSJ,
I am afraid I do not share your enthusiasm and admiration for Ashraff .. who was another of the incurably communal leaders of Sri Lanka who helped bring destruction and death upon our heads, slicing and dicing Sri Lanka into ethnic and religious communities, while using that strategy to propel themselves into power. They appealed to the basest most selfish emotions of people and played upon their fears. The kindest thing I can say about Ashraff, is that at a time when Eelamists were trying to carve out a kingdom only for themselves, and the GOSL appeared powerless to STOP IT, that he moved to protect his own people by carving out a kingdom for them.
All Sri Lankans ultimately paid, and are paying, a monumental price for this politics of communalism.
To my mind, if your article conveys anything, it is only the UTTER FUTILITY of trying to divide this wonderful country into ethnic enclaves, instead of sharing all of it seamlessly as equal citizens of one country. It just spreads hatred, creates walled off kingdoms, and embeds discord permanently in the fabric of our society. Let us not continue to drink from this cup of poison.
Instead, we need to firmly discourage all forms of communalism, and focus on national approaches that address issues irrespective of community. We should implement policies that will discourage, dilute and ultimately eradicate communalism from our society, totally.
For example, let us distribute government aid to people on the basis of poverty and need, not according to ethnicity, religion, language, caste, sex etc. Let us dismantle all ethno-religious laws, such as the thesawalamai law, and the recently approved Sharia law for Muslims, in favour of just ONE SYSTEM OF LAW .. the national laws of Sri Lanka. Let us make it possible for all citizens of Sri Lanka to live wherever they want, subject only to their financial ability to buy a home, and get a job in that locality.
Ashraff was following closely the ideological footsteps of Velupillai Prabhakaran; the only difference is that he was not allowed by other Muslim leaders to do to the Muslim community, what the Tamil community allowed Prabhakaran to do. Thank God he did not succeed in destroying the Muslims.
Ananda Aiya,
I am under no illusion that we are out of the woods yet..But we have given our enemies more ammunition and opportunities with the unlimited term limit..
If we increased the term limits to say 4 (for arguments sake) instead of unlimited terms, MR can rule till at least 2022 (if he declares elections every 4 years) right upto 2028 (if he serves full six years each term)..The West couldn't say anything as we hadn't completely abolished term limits..
Those 18 years is ample time to,
1. Achieve national integration through ethnic harmonisation (i.e. resettlement) of North & East..
2. Increase the per capita income and standard of living multiple fold..
3. Expand and modernise our military to defend our new-found prosperity..
MR will be 83 years old in 2028..Basil R and Maithripala S will be in their late 70s...What if a UNP upstart narrowly defeats the SLFP contender in 2028..With unlimited terms on offer he will rige every election thereafter and overturns all the good things SLFP achieved from 2010 to 2028..
Why should we aspire to be a Sinapore (much smaller nation) or China (much larger nation) with quality of life but no democratic freedoms? Why cannot we become a Switzerland or a New Zealand instead??
Diyasena,
You said,
[Why should we aspire to be a Sinapore (much smaller nation) or China (much larger nation) with quality of life but no democratic freedoms? Why cannot we become a Switzerland or a New Zealand instead??]
I am not saying Singapore is all we should aspire to. But rather, I am saying that we can also propel ourselves to Singapore's economic status by enforcing discipline and suppressing communalism, as Singapore did. It is a model for technique only.
You do acknowledge that Singapore has one of the best standards of living in the world don't you? We have a long way to go to reach that. On the other hand Singapore had HUGE COMMUNAL DIVISIONS between the Chinese, Malays and Indians .. which Lee Kuan Yew stamped out essentially by legislative dictat, as a prerequisite for economic development.
Democratic freedoms must come later, otherwise we will have demcrazic freedoms in plenty, but strave as we have been doing so far, while Singapore raced ahead of us, starting from well behind Sri Lanka.
I gave China as an example, because AGAIN BY ENFORCING DISCIPLINE on their society, and placing saving, hard work, and national development ahead of consumption and democrazic freedoms, they are attaining their goals.
Without doing that, they would be just like India today .. full of democrazic freedoms aping the West and following their advice, without any societal discipline at all, with endemic terrorism affecting 850 million of its citizens, and very little likelihood of duplicating China's performance. The West got where they are over a long period of development; whereas we are trying to catchup in a hurry after a long period of colinial, and post-colinial stagnation. I would rather see Sri Lanka emulate China than India.
[Why cannot we become a Switzerland or a New Zealand instead??]
First of all, New Zealand was never afflicted by the social problems, a large population, or beset by the enemies as Sri Lanka was. Also, it basically dispossed its Maori natives completely, without giving them any share of the pie. Today, it is a struggling economic backwater .. and not really a suitable role model for Sri Lanka.
With regard to Switzerland, I have noticed you were touting the Swiss system at DBSJ's blog, but avoided contesting your statements there. You are treading on coals; the Eelamists just love to see you touting federalism!
Switzerland arrived at its federal system of government after many civil wars with various cantons and many mistakes along the way. Its current federal form of government, modelled on the US system, but with significant differences, was set up in 1894. It is a horrific example of patchwork government with multiple overlapping layers of control, of a nation grown incrementally by addition of cantons, wheras Sri Lanka's has always existed as a cohesive geographic entity, and been ruled by Sinhala rulers throughout most of its history.
Switzerland has survived because it has little of value (no minerals deposits, no fertile valleys, and is generally a snowbound high altitude wasteland) to the surrounding countries, except a few mountain passes between its neighboring countries.
There are two other keys to its survival: 1, the Swiss became moneylenders to whom all the monarchs of Europe were indebted, and they didn't want to kill the golden goose, 2. after 1894, the Swiss formed a conscript army comprising all of their people for collective DEFENSIVE DETERRENCE.
Their very small population, supported by the bank income, income as mercenary soldiers and as subsistence farmers, continued over two centuries without war. That made it possible for them to develop a very high personal income and quality of life in the last hundred years. However, the overhead costs of their bureaucracy is monumental; making it one of the most inefficient systems of government in the world, that Sri Lanka certainly cannot afford.
Reply to Diyasena
.....continued....
The ONLY THING we have to learn from the Swiss is their military organization based on universal participation of all citizens, and their readiness for war, which provides the DEFENSIVE DETERRENCE I advocate for Sri Lanka as well.
That DEFENSIVE DETERRENCE, enabled them to confront and face-down Hitler when he demanded access through Switzerland to attack France in WWII. The Swiss were the first to mobilize their 1 million man Army that was trained to protect the passes and mountain redoubts, and to undertake guerilla warfare, long enough to cause heavy casualties to a conventional Army, such as German Army. Hitler blinked reluctant to lose time and initiative attacking France to defeat the Swiss and incur heavy casualties, and bypassed Switzerland in attacking France. The Swiss made the COST TOO HIGH for Hitler. That is the STRATEGY Sri Lanka needs adopt if it has to confront major powers in the future.
DEFENSIVE DETERRENCE is the Name of the Game.
Ananda Aiya,
You stress the importance of enforcing discpline..I agree..But discipline should be enforced top-down..
I am very glad Fonseka will be behind bars soon..But what of Dr. Mervin??? With 2/3 majority in parliament we could have easily made an example by punishing him..This would have sent a strong message to all would be trouble doers. Pakasoosthy Saravanamuththu goes to India with his treacherous rantings and yet he is not prosecuted under our treason laws..
The law should be applied equally..This principal should be deviated only if it serves the NATIONAL INTEREST..
Ananda Aiya,
" Also, it basically dispossed its Maori natives completely, without giving them any share of the pie."
Maoris (and other Pacific islanders in NZ) are way better off than the Red Indians of USA, Innuits of Canada and the Aboriginals of Australia..
Maori is an official language..The national anthem is sung with a Maori part and an English part (something which you oppose)..Maori's have quotas in fisheries and university entry..
"Today, it is a struggling economic backwater .. and not really a suitable role model for Sri Lanka."
NZs economy, like any other Western one has shown growth over the last 10-15 years, barring the Asian crisis of the late 1990s and the mini-recession of 2008-2009..It is not a wool and milk country anymore and has diversified substantially (especially in R & D sectors)..NZs GDP doubled over the last 10 years.. It also ranks 25-30 in the world on per-capita GDP..Not bad for a stagnant economic backwater eh?
"I have noticed you were touting the Swiss system at DBSJ's blog, but avoided contesting your statements there. You are treading on coals; the Eelamists just love to see you touting federalism!"
I was not espousing the adoption of the Swiss system wholesale, with its oversized bureaucracy..I was referring to the unit of devolution/ decentralization..
With it's size and demographics Switzerland's Federal system could be re-organized into four ethnic/ language based regions (Belgian model)..But the small cantons and laws to prevent cantons from arbitrarily amalgamating into larger units, has prevented Sitzerland from breaking up along ethnic lines..
I do not mind the district replacing the province as the unit of decentralization in SL, with a strong central government and laws to prevent districts amalgamating arbitrarily,
1. Certain administrative functions are already decentralized to the district level..
2. The district units are too small to separate and function as sovereign entities..
3. There are already strong district based identities...
So I lay the Swiss system as bait to catch closet eezhamists who want nothing but provincial level devolution
Reply continued,
However if provincial devolution/ decentralization is to occur I provided the (modified) river basin system, which I feel is the most equitable and sustainable..
Both proposals whilst serveing as conduits of decentralising power, obliterate the possibility of self-reliant ethnicbased sovereign entities appearing..
Try and overlay my nine provinces on a SL map..
VIOLA!!!
1. Tamil-only Eelam is separated into parts of four provinces (with the Northernmost one being the only Tamil domianted one under prsent demographics)..
2. Muslim Nasiristan is separated between two provinces..
BTW,
DBSJ seeing clearly the danger to the Tamil only homeland from such proposals has not published my re-posts of those proposals on his new article.. He has also not published my posts giving evidence that Sri Lankan Muslims are of Sinhala-Arab descent not Tamil-arab descent..
So much for thinking that DBSJ has truly reformed..
Diyasena,
[I do not mind the district replacing the province as the unit of decentralization in SL, with a strong central government and laws to prevent districts amalgamating arbitrarily,]
This is what I, and many other patriots, were proposing at SLDF .. but not as ETHNICITY-based administrative regions.
There is really no reason to adopt another "river-basin-based" system to replace the districts. The existing districts are small enough to not present a threat to the center government, but provinces are too large.
I repeat, by espousing Switzerland as a model for your arguments you are giving ammunition to the Tamil Federalists .. don't walk into that trap!
WE DON'T WANT TO ENCOURAGE FEDERALISM OF ANY KIND!
Diyasena,
[Maoris (and other Pacific islanders in NZ) are way better off than the Red Indians of USA, Innuits of Canada and the Aboriginals of Australia..]
Nevertheless, they were nearly wiped out in NZ, just like the Australian Aborigines and the Native Americans. Propping up the survivors now does not change that reality.
Diyasena,
[I am very glad Fonseka will be behind bars soon..But what of Dr. Mervin??? With 2/3 majority in parliament we could have easily made an example by punishing him..This would have sent a strong message to all would be trouble doers. Pakasoosthy Saravanamuththu goes to India with his treacherous rantings and yet he is not prosecuted under our treason laws..]
Yes, I was happy that Mervin was dismissed, but not happy that he was restored to his Deputy Minister job, and that Sarvanamuttu is still plying the treason circuit.
But, give the GOSL more time. If everything is taken on at once .. the ship could sink under the weight .. with lots more remaining to be accomplished. Progress has to be gradual .. with higher priority issues addressed first .. Rome was not built in a day!
We are winning economic war - Basil
Dailynews.lk
September 18, 2010
Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa commenting on Sri Lanka recording a growth of 8.5 percent during the second quarter of 2010, said this signifies that the country’s economy is growing at a very rapid pace. This is the highest ever quarterly growth recorded since the Central Bank and Department of Census and Statistics began estimating quarterly growth rates.
Minister Rajapaksa
“This achievement is due to the efforts and policies taken by President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Government. We are now winning the economic war,” Minister Rajapaksa said. The three major sectors of the economy – agriculture, industry and services recorded increased growth rates during the second quarter of 2010, which resulted in the record growth rate of 8.5 percent GDP.
“With the North and East producing at full capacity and these regions being integrated into the economic main stream has been a great achievement. With tourism booming and tourist arrivals reaching record numbers, this year has resulted in increased economic growth in the Agriculture sector all paddy lands are being cultivated including the North and East.
Therefore this year will signify further economic growth,” Minister Rajapaksa said. With the end of the war the economic environment in Sri Lanka is stable and in 2010 bank-lending rates decreased further which in turn encouraged greater investor confidence and investment. The Government fulfilling its promises has ventured into massive infrastructure projects including roads, power generation, ports and airports thus taking the country towards achieving the vision of becoming the Wonder of Asia, the Minister said.
Considering the global economic environment where economies of scale in the developed countries are yet to recover from the global recession.
Sri Lanka’s achievement in recording 8.5 percent growth during the second quarter of 2010 is showing the world that Sri Lanka is progressing forward, he said.
“Our per capita income has reached over US$2,000 taking Sri Lanka to a middle-income economy.
President Rajapaksa’s aim is that we should reach US$ 4,000 per capital income range for that the economy must grow over eight percent with our achievement in the second quarter of 2010, reaching USD 4,000 per capita is not far away,” Minister Rajapaksa said.
Farmers protest proposed tourist park
By Ariyapala WANSATILLEKE,
Kurunegala Central Special
DailyNews.lk
September 18, 2010
The Irrigation Department has taken steps to set up a tourist park near Tiththawella Wewa, Kurunegala.
The tank was built during the Kurunegala Kingdom. More than 100 tanks along Kurunegala-Anuradhapura road have been destroyed in 1815 under British rule.
Nearly 500 acres of paddy lands come under this 20-acre irrigation tank.
The farmers of the area have protested the authorities against turning it to a tourist park. Irrigation Department is planning to convert the temple near the tank into a meditation clinic for the tourists.
The farmers request them to renovate this wewa for the benefit of farmers and not to put up a tourist park. Ethugalpura Farmer Society has decided to arrange a protest campaign against this.
Religion is a private and personal affair
By Vir Sanghvi
September 19, 2010
Did you know that Julia Roberts has become a Hindu? I didn’t either till I read that, in one of the interviews she had given to promote her new movie Eat Pray Love, the actress declared that while making the movie (part of which is inspired by author Elizabeth Gilbert’s experiences at the Muktanand Ashram in Ganeshpuri) she discovered the Hindu faith and adopted it.
Why are we so surprised when famous people become Hindus? I suppose it is because we don’t regard those who subscribe to cults as being particularly Hindu. Take, for instance, the Beatle George Harrison. He was an early convert to the Hare Krishna movement and had an on-off relationship with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. But we regard the Hare Krishnas as weirdos who do not truly represent mainstream Hinduism and Mahesh Yogi was, in our eyes, a jet-set guru with a nice line in transcendental meditation but not much of an advertisement for mainstream Hinduism.
The cultists and guru-worshippers we can deal with. They don’t follow our sort of Hinduism. But it is rare to find somebody who adopts mainstream Hinduism with its beguiling mixture of simplicity and complexity, ancient purity and latter-day practicality.
Hinduism may well be the oldest religion to come out of India but it is not the only one. Sikhism has a global presence because Sikhs are easily distinguishable and travel the world. Jainism is less well known outside of India. But Buddhism is probably better-known abroad than it is in India even though the Buddha was an Indian. (In strict geographical terms, the area of his birth would be in the Terai on the border of India and today’s Nepal.)
The contrasts between Hinduism and Buddhism are interesting. As far as we can tell, Buddhism only became a global religion after Ashoka converted to it after the conquest of Kalinga (around 273 BC). Ashoka spread Buddhism throughout India and sent emissaries abroad to spread the Buddha’s teachings. It took a few centuries but eventually Buddhism held sway in much of Asia: China, Japan, Thailand and even Ceylon (today’s Sri Lanka). Tibetan Buddhism took on a different form from Indian Buddhism and eventually Buddhist monks came to rule Tibet. (It is this tradition that the Dalai Lama is descended from.)
For some centuries Buddhism held sway in India till gradually Hinduism re-asserted itself and virtually pushed Buddhism out of our borders. (In contrast, Jainism which never spread globally retained its small and committed following within India.)
Because we are subliminally conscious of this background we are not particularly surprised by the fervour with which Hollywood stars adopt Buddhism. Richard Gere may well be one of the Western world’s most famous Buddhists and Uma Thurman was born into a family of Tibetan Buddhists. Somehow, we think of Buddhism as being a religion that welcomes converts and is more instantly appealing to followers of other religious.
Why has Hinduism — one of the world’s two oldest religious — remained an exclusively Indian religion? When we do find Hindus abroad, they tend to be ethnic Indians (in South Africa, Mauritius, Guyana, etc.) rather than people who converted from other faiths. The only exception is the Indonesian island of Bali where Hinduism arrived centuries ago, long before Islam took over the rest of Indonesia. (I’m generalising, there may be other exceptions but my guess is that they are too minor to matter.) In other parts of Asia — Thailand, for instance — Hindu traditions survive (the King calls himself Rama, the ancient capital was called Ayutthaya etc.) and the mythology has been co-opted (in Thailand, Hanuman is a comic figure) but the religion itself has few adherents.
Religion is a private and personal affair
.....continued 1.....
I can think of only one answer. Hinduism does not actively seek converts.
I concede that this may not always have been true. (How are there Hindus in Bali, then?) But for over a thousand years, Hinduism has taken the line that you have to be born a Hindu to belong. There are cults (such as the Hare Krishnas, for instance) and there are individual converts, but by and large, Hinduism is not the sort of religion that seeks to win converts.
In that sense, it is not unlike the world’s other great and ancient religion: Judaism.
We may argue about which religion is older — Hinduism or Judaism. (Hinduism would be a clear victor if it would be established that it was the religion of the Indus Valley Civilisation but so far, proof has been elusive.) But the one thing they have in common is that they don’t bother too much about finding converts. To be a Jew you must be born to a Jewish mother. (In all fairness, the comparison is slightly complicated by the Jewish belief that all Jews are not just followers of the same religion but are a distinctive race — though there is some controversy over this claim — whereas Hinduism claims no racial purity.)
The traditional view of religion is that it is a great and glorious thing to spread the word of your God and to win converts everywhere. And yet, can it be a coincidence that the two religions that have survived the longest in the world are the two that stubbornly refuse to do so?
One of Hinduism’s great strengths is that it grants other religions the utmost respect. Christianity, on the other hand, holds that if you are not a Christian you will never get into heaven. (That’s why missionaries travelled to convert heathens.) Islam regards followers of other faiths as being misguided and regards itself as the only true faith. In the early days, conquerors offered vanquished people a choice between Islam and death. (When Hindus were un-cooperative enough to opt for death, such mechanisms as jaziya were introduced to tax those who did not follow the true faith.)
Religion is a private and personal affair
.....continued 2.....
Whenever other religions have not taken arms against Hinduism, they have been co-opted into the Hindu faith. Buddhism may have overshadowed Hinduism centuries ago but now Hinduism recognises the Buddha as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Most Hindus venerate him as ‘Bhagwan Buddh’ and act as though Buddhism is only a sect of Hinduism. (Which, of course, it is not. And Hindus are always quite horrified to discover that the Dalai Lama eats beef!)
Hinduism has done the same to Jainism. Lord Mahavir is also regarded as a Vishnu avatar today. And today most Jains celebrate Hindu festivals and treat themselves as honorary Hindus. (When the last BJP government had to appoint a Jain to the Minorities Commission, this led to huge debates about whether Jains were a religious minority or Hindus.)
Even though colonial Christianity took an aggressive anti-Hindu line, early Christianity (the Saint Thomas version which led to the conversion of the Syrian Christians) co-existed happily with Hinduism. Syrian Christians were widely respected. (Sadly, the caste system, one of Hinduism’s least attractive features, infiltrated there too.)
These days, when so much is heard about the clash of civilisations between Islam and Christianity, I can’t help thinking that Hinduism had the right idea. No religion is better than the other. Each religion is only as good as the behaviour of its followers. Nothing is gained by aggressive conversion. Let religion be private and personal; stop killing people in its name and stop believing you are superior to the next man only because of the God you follow.
More at www.virsanghvi.com.
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Property developers in trouble
By Suresh Perera
September 18, 2010
With the infusion of fresh investments in a post-war scenario falling far short of expectations, Sri Lanka’s construction industry has run into a brick wall as many property developers struggle to honour their commitments to lenders amidst a sharp dip in demand.
With a few takers for scores of apartment complexes built in Colombo and its outskirts, the industry is in a spin as billions of rupees invested by these developers prior to the crash of the housing market, cannot now be recovered, industry players complained.
"The crux of the problem is that the construction industry has not witnessed any large-scale new investments since 2009 to keep it buoyant", says M. G. Kularatne, Vice Chairman of Major & Specialist Constructors (M&SC) of the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL).
"It’s the same with apartments – people are not prepared to invest in real estate", he noted. "This has led to a crisis in the industry".
It will take some years for investor confidence to build up, he explained. "This means that difficult times are still not over".
"We have also completed an apartment complex at Borella but there have been very few inquiries", Kularatne, who is also the Chairman /MD of MAGA Engineering (Pte) Ltd., said.
"We cannot sell because people don’t want to tie up their capital in real estate investments", he said. "So, we have to hold on until the investment climate in this sphere picks up".
He said that the fallout of the global financial meltdown reflected adversely on Sri Lanka’s construction industry as well. "We were also hit by the recession which spilled over to Asia".
"We had work until 2009 – construction projects which were initiated earlier", he pointed out. "Then the slowdown began and the industry suffered a setback".
Apartment complexes put up at Wellawatte, Kotahena and other predominantly Tamil areas in Colombo and the suburbs have also suffered a crippling blow as a considerable number of Tamil families from the North have gone back to their roots with the dawn of peace, industry officials said.
"Property developers are in deep trouble as the scenario changed while the constructions were in progress and when the war ended, they were saddled with apartments for which the demand had dropped drastically", they noted. "It was a complete about-turn".
Many property developers had jumped at the idea of building apartments in these areas because of the encouraging demand as thousands of Northern-based Tamil families, most of whom were affluent, fled to Colombo during the conflict, the officials noted.
"These people also had the cash as they received regular foreign remittances from their relatives overseas", they said. "Now, nobody wants to come and most of those here also want to go back".
Prices have plunged as the units are not moving, they said. "There are some projects which have been half completed and abandoned".
Property developers in trouble
........continued......
The housing market in Sri Lanka crashed in 2007, Kularatne recalled. "The industry will take more time to recover as there are no instant solutions to economic problems".
"We are optimistic the industry would recover at least by end 2011", he said. "We need an infusion of fresh investments for the turnaround to happen".
"There is a slide in demand for property in Colombo as the focus has largely shifted to the East, particularly Trincomalee district, where tourism-related investments are happening in a big way, said Dr. A. S. P. Liyanage, Chairman/MD, A. S. P. Group of Companies.
With the war over, potential investors are looking for new opportunities in that region where, as in the North, large-scale development projects have been launched by the government, he said. "There is a surge in property prices as a result".
A. S. P. Group, which Liyanage heads, has been a major player in Sri Lanka’s real estate market for three decades.
"The market may not look too good but business is brisk as we offer land to our customers under an easy-to-pay instalment basis", he said. "We need to adjust ourselves to meet market conditions".
Fonseka going to remand prison, Anoma to parliament
SundayTimes.lk
September 19, 2010
A three-member military General Court Martial on Friday delivered a guilty verdict against former Army Commander then General Sarath Fonseka on four charges of “disgraceful conduct” in military procurements.
He now faces a jail term of three years once the “Confirming Authority” -- President Mahinda Rajapaksa -- endorses the GCM recommendations. This will also unseat him as a Member of Parliament.
Major General Milinda Peiris headed the GCM, which included Major General Lalith Daulagala and Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe.
General Sarath Fonseka
A Presidential endorsement of the GCM findings is not expected until after September 28. President Rajapaksa is now on a private visit to Germany. He is en route to New York to attend the UN General Assembly sessions and the heads of government meeting on Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
Ahead of the President’s arrival, authorities were yesterday examining the possibility of transferring Mr. Fonseka from his apartment at the Navy Headquarters (NHQ) complex to the Remand Prison. He was placed in Army custody there by the High Court. Hence, Army officials are likely to move to court that since the military inquiries against Mr. Fonseka were now
Please turn over, there was no more need to hold him at NHQ. On August 13, an earlier General Court Martial recommended that former General Fonseka be cashiered for dabbling in politics. Though the former military strongman was hailed as “the best Army Commander in the world” for militarily defeating the Tiger guerrillas, his relations with the Government soured after he became the presidential candidate. He was defeated convincingly by Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Friday’s verdict came after the GCM probed four charges. In the first charge, he was accused of violating guidelines by chairing the Tender Board while he was Army Commander to procure 50 power generators from an Australian firm. The local company involved in the deal was connected to his son-in-law, Danuna Tillekerante, who is now in hiding. Mr. Fonseka was accused of “concealing his relationship” and not “dissociating” himself from the tender process.
The second charge related to the procurement of very high frequency direction finders from the same Australian firm. The local company that represented them was connected to his son in law, Danuna Tillekeratne. Mr. Fonseka’s relationship with him, the charge said, “would have required you to disassociate yourself from the tender process” in accordance with procurement guidelines. Third charge related to purchase of binoculars and the fourth procuring fifty 12 volt batteries.
Mr. Fonseka is now the leader of the Democratic National Alliance (DNF) whose main player is the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). When Mr. Fonseka loses his seat in Parliament, JVP leaders are examining bringing his wife Anoma as a National List MP. For this purpose the party wants to ask Tiran Alles, now a National List MP to step down.
President to tell world on Lanka's success story
By Manjula FERNANDO
SundayTimes.lk
September 19, 2010
President Mahinda Rajapaksa will brief the United Nations on Sri Lanka’s success story in eliminating terrorism and the country’s ambitious plans to win its second war - the economic war to make Sri Lanka the pride of Asia, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman told the Sunday Observer yesterday.
The President‘s address to the world community at the 65th UN General Assembly will be his first after winning the battle against LTTE terrorism and subsequently receiving a historic people’s mandate for a second term in office. Former Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka attended the General Assembly last year.
The spokesperson said that the President is expected to elaborate on Sri Lanka’s difficult battle against one of the most ruthless terrorist organisations in the world, the LTTE, the ongoing efforts to revive the North and the East and to rebuild the lives of the internally displaced people.
Among the focal points of his speech, Palestine issue will be one of them, he added.
He will also emphasize on the need for the International Community’s assistance for economic revival and their understanding of the ground realities of a nation trying to emerge after decades long war.
President Rajapaksa will arrive in New York on September 20 where he is slated to address the world community as the 7th speaker on the inaugural day, Sept. 23.
The UN, during the sessions this year will focus on drumming up support to sign, ratify or accede to dozens of international treaties ranging from fighting terrorism, protecting human rights and preserving biodiversity.
President Rajapaksa will lead a delegation that includes Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, W.D.J. Seneviratne and Douglas Devananda, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and Foreign Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe.
“The delegation also comprises young MPs including some of those who joined from the Opposition recently since the UNGA has lined up a number of activities for young Parliamentarians during this year’s sessions,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
UN has declared this year as the “Year of Youth”.
External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris left for New York on September 12 to attend the Foreign Ministers’ meeting, ahead of the General Assembly. The general debate will continue from September 23 to 25 and from 27 to 30.
President Rajapaksa is also scheduled to address the high level plenary meeting on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the UN Headquarters. The MDGs range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education by the target date of 2015 and all member states including Sri Lanka has agreed upon these goals 10 years ago.
Nearly 140 heads of State and Government, as well as dozens of representatives from civil society groups, foundations and the private sector, will convene at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday to begin a three-day summit during which they will discuss the progress made so far and how to advance the ambitious targets.
On the sidelines of the UNGA, the President will hold bilateral meetings with the Iranian President, Thailand PM, Malaysian PM and heads of state of several other countries.
He has also been invited to a dinner reception hosted by US President Barack Obama on the inaugural night.
China footprint bothers Delhi day after Lanka blast
- South Block pores over maps and works phone lines to estimate strategic space occupied by Beijing
By Sujan Dutta
TelegraphIndia.com
September 19, 2010
PIC: Women mourn the policemen killed in Friday’s blast in Karadiyanaru in Sri Lanka’s Batticaloa district. (Reuters)
New Delhi, Sept. 18: When dynamite ripped through the fishing village of Karadiyanaru in eastern Sri Lanka, a former LTTE stronghold, on Friday and killed 25 people, officials in New Delhi’s South Block and army headquarters burned the phone lines to find out what caused it.
Had remnants of the now-decimated LTTE succeeded in a desperate act of sabotage? As the body count, initially estimated at 60, was revised by Colombo to 25 and Sri Lanka began an investigation into what it believes was an accident, the focus has gradually shifted to the presence of the Chinese.
Among the 25 killed were two Chinese engaged in building roads near Batticaloa. Prima facie evidence suggests that the explosion ripped through the local police station when one of them opened a container of dynamite that was kept close to another container of detonators.
In Delhi, it was the presence of the Chinese in the island nation that immediately sent officials poring over maps of eastern Sri Lanka in the region around Batticaloa, where the LTTE had battled to the last and where the Sri Lankan armed forces are said to have killed hundreds in the opaque war that ended last year.
The presence of the Chinese in Hambantota, on the southern tip of Sri Lanka, was well known. The Chinese are building a port in the strategic town where their merchant vessels and cargo carriers sailing to and from Africa can make a victualling (for food supplies) stop. Ironically, six years back, Colombo had proposed building the Hambantota port in a joint venture with India but New Delhi had let the offer pass.
The presence of the Chinese in Batticaloa highlights how strongly Beijing has been occupying strategic space in the island nation that New Delhi had vacated in the years before the LTTE was defeated. Also, all maritime traffic headed to and from ports in India’s east coast to Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand sail not far from the town.
India has always been sensitive to traffic to the Sri Lankan port of Trincomalee in its northeast. Batticaloa is almost just as important. “We have such close relations with Sri Lanka that neither the Chinese nor anyone else (read Pakistan) can displace us easily but we know how their presence has increased,” one senior official in South Block asserted.
“It is not fair to assume that we are panicky about Chinese presence around us,” the Indian official emphasised. “But it is important that we sustain relations with Sri Lanka and make up for lost ground.”
China footprint bothers Delhi day after Lanka blast
- South Block pores over maps and works phone lines to estimate strategic space occupied by Beijing
.....continued....
Through the years of the war with the LTTE, New Delhi kept up a steady exchange with Colombo but categorically refused to sign a defence cooperation pact that Lanka wanted. India also refused to supply lethal weapons — given the sensitivities of its own Tamil population — but the army, air force and navy persisted with training and surveillance programmes for the Sri Lankan armed forces.
Since the middle of this year, however, India has practically launched a charm offensive on Sri Lanka.
Admiral Nirmal Verma was the first Indian service chief to visit a memorial to the 1,200-odd soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF, 1987-1990) who were killed in the war with the LTTE. The army chief, General V.K. Singh, himself a gallantry medal winner from that war, visited the island nation for five days earlier this month.
Visits by the air force chief, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, and defence secretary Pradeep Kumar are on the anvil. External affairs minister S.M. Krishna is due to visit next month after foreign secretary Nirupama Rao’s tour this month. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited New Delhi and Shimla in June.
The flurry of high-profile exchanges marks a huge effort by India to regain lost strategic space on the island that was occupied largely by China and by Pakistan in the run-up to the war that decimated the LTTE.
The Indian and Sri Lankan navies have robust co-operation and also co-ordinate the patrolling of the Palk Straits.
Foreign secretary Rao supervised agreements to open Indian consulates at Jaffna and Hambantota, significantly increasing Indian outreach even as the Chinese footprint in Sri Lanka expands.
Ganeshan Vs Ganeshan!
What will Lord Ganesh say about these two idiots taking his name in vain?
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Sri Lanka's DPF to decide on its rebel MP this week
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 19, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Democratic People's Front (DPF) Leader Mano Ganeshan has said that a final decision regarding the party's parliamentarian Prabha Ganeshan, who joined the government, will be taken when the political council meets on September 22.
Ganeshan has told the local media today that the council might decide to cancel Prabha's party membership.
He also added that a disciplinary inquiry is currently being conducted on Prabha Ganeshan and that he was notified about the matter in writing by the DPF General Secretary.
Prabha however has not responded to the letter and the DPF is to make a final decision on September 22.
More DISCIPLINE in Public Service
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Sri Lanka takes measures to establish an efficient public service
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 19, Colombo: The government has taken measures to strengthen the Public Administration to provide an efficient service to the people of the country and public officials must be fully committed to serve the people, the Public Administration Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne has said.
Addressing a gathering at the mobile service of the Ministry of Public Administration held at the Seevali Central College in Ratnapura Saturday, Minister Senevirathne has said that the officials should identify the needs of the public and take immediate measures to fulfill them.
Deputy Minister Dilan Perera speaking at the event has said that measures will be taken to minimize corruptions and irregularities existing in the public service and a special investigation unit has been set up at the Ministry for that purpose.
The public officials who are committed to provide and efficient service to the public will be given promotions regardless of their seniority.
According to the State-run radio about ten thousand individuals have attended the mobile service Saturday with their grievances and about 80 percent of them have been provided with satisfactory solutions to their problems. The mobile service will continue today also.
The GOSL should INVESTIGATE this, and should KEEP THESE religious FANATICS OUT OF Sri Lanka!
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Wahabi infiltration worries Sri Lanka
P K Balachandran
September 20, 2010
COLOMBO: Moderates among the Muslims in Sri Lanka are expressing deep concern over a massive and determined Saudi petro dollar backed effort to spread the extremist Wahabi ideology among Muslims in the island nation, who have traditionally been a peace loving and tolerant community.
Sufi leaders, who have taken up the cause on behalf of the moderates, told Express here on Sunday, that there was a real danger of Wahabism preparing the ground for Islamic terrorist activity in Lanka. This could reach India also, the warned.
SAUDI MONEY: The Sufis see a Saudi hand behind it all. “The Saudis are spending US$87 billion per year on spreading Wahabism across the globe,” said Riyyaz M Sally, president of the Islamic Solidarity Front (ISF). He pointed out that there was a proliferation of mosques promoting Wahabism in the island and most of these were unauthorised.
“The Wahabis (who belong here to a variety of organisations like the Tawheed Jamat and Jamat e-Islami) give money to a poor Muslim to take a house in a locality, convert it into a Madrasa and then into a mosque. Most of these mosques are not registered as registration has to have the approval of three other mosques in the locality, a requirement which the promoters will not be able to fulfil. Only 35 of the 300-odd mosques in the island are registered,” Sally said.
Scholarships are given to young Lankan Muslims to go to religious institutions in Saudi Arabia. They are sent back to spread Wahabism. Funds are no problem.
STATE APPARATUS INFILTRATED: If the authorities are turning a blind eye to this, it is because the state apparatus has been infiltrated by Wahabis over the last 15 years, says Sally. He said the three members of the reconstituted Waqf Board were Wahabis, who he feared, would start using the mosques’ assets for promoting Wahabism.
According to fellow Sufist Ahmad Shah Maulavi, the Wahabists have infiltrated the Muslim broadcast section of the state owned Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). “Ninety eight percent of the participants and staffers in the Muslim section are Wahabi and use the programmes to propagate its tenets,” Maulavi said. The Wahabists run private unlicensed radio stations too, as a recent seizure showed.
SCHOOL CURRICULUM: With the Wahabis entrenched in power, the prescribed texts for Islamic studies in the English medium Ilmi international schools are being revised to rid them of any reference to variations in Islamic laws and practice. These are substituted by the rigid Wahabist thought. “References to the four Madhhab or schools of law, namely, Hanafi, Shafi, Maliki and Hanbali have been steadily shortened over time and substituted by Wahabi laws,” the Maulavi said.
FOMENTING CONFLICT: Wahabism was creating animosity not only towards the non-Muslims but also towards Muslims, the Sufists said. “The Wahabis force others in their family to follow them.They attack mosques of the Sufi sect and have attacked Sufis leaders with guns (in the Eastern province). The incorrectly interpret Jihad as a war against non-Wahabis and non-Muslims, while it is a battle against one’s ego,” Ahmad Shah said.
Beyond GDP as a measure, this article provokes thought on economic and development goals.
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Please don’t mention the GDP growth again
By Ajit Randeniya
LankaWeb.com
September 19, 2010
Everyone associated with the Sri Lankan government, its financial institutions and the ‘big end of town’ in Colombo has been crowing over the last few days about the ‘impressive growth’ the economy seems to have recorded in the second quarter of 2010, with the additional boast that this is the highest ever recorded quarterly GDP growth since 2002.
In actual quantitative terms, the economic output of Sri Lanka, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), for the second quarter (April-June) of 2010 is estimated at Rs. 635.0 Billion, has grown by 8.5 per cent compared the corresponding period last year. The significantly increased production in agriculture and industry sectors and the growth of services, has contributed to this particular measure of economic activity.
On the back of these figures, the Central Bank (CB) Governor Ajith Cabraal has outlined plans to set up an export-import bank to provide financial assistance of Rs. 3.3 trillion needed to exporters and importers, in order to promote the country s international trade, linking it with the CB s objective to increase the per capita income to USD 3000 by 2011 and USD 4000 by 2014.
Without necessarily wanting to belittle the government’s achievement, a word of caution needs to be added to both the interpretation of a statistic such as the ‘GDP growth’ figure, and the total and exclusive commitment to this particular measure as the key indicator of Sri Lanka’s well being, economic or otherwise, without sparing a thought for the millions of poor who seem to be still awaiting some tangible benefits of the end of the war.
By way of interpreting the so-called ‘growth’ figure, economic planners need to tone down the euphoria reflected in statements such as winning the economic ‘war’ etc because firstly, that is the militaristic language of the west; they regularly declare ‘wars’ against drugs, crime, refugees etc as a way of preconditioning the population for illegal invasions overseas. Impulsive borrowing of such language does not bode well for a country like Sri Lanka attempting to develop an ‘independent’ posture in the world; a more civilised slogan such as ‘overcoming poverty’ will probably suit a peace loving country like Sri Lanka better.
Please don’t mention the GDP growth again
.....continued 1...
But secondly and more importantly, it should be obvious to anyone that a country that has just managed to stop a civil war that has been bleeding the economy and preventing economic activity over a thirty year period is bound to experience an invigoration under the prevailing, more peaceful conditions: this ‘peace dividend’ is reflected in the GDP growth through activities such as increased wholesale and retail trade, patronage of hotels and restaurants, transport, communication, and most noticeably in increased tourist arrivals and fishing activity in the north and east. This reality demands a more sober assessment of the ‘growth’ figure.
Quite apart from such sobering re-assessment of the GDP growth figure per se, its usefulness and appropriateness as a general measure or indicator of the particular ‘sort-of’ future Sri Lanka President Rajapakse has set out to achieve needs to be urgently evaluated.
GDP is defined as ‘the sum of all goods and services produced in a country over time’, using arbitrary conventions. The quirkiness of the measure makes GDP ‘increase’ when there is terrible destruction following natural or manmade disasters; the Asian tsunami of 2004 that wiped out communities and their economic activities wholesale, led to a GDP boost in many of the affected countries, due to investments in rebuilding! Neither does GDP include transactions in the ‘informal’, or ‘cash’ economy that is particularly important in developing countries. It excludes the output of domestic work that is carried out by a housewife whereas the same work carried out by a hired nanny is included!
The key problems with measuring national progress using the GDP growth however, are: it measures growth without regards to the destruction of the environment, and social cohesion that usually accompanies such growth; it measures ‘average’ per capita income, but pays no attention to equality of distribution of income.
The foundation of capitalism on the use of GDP growth as the ‘be-all and end-all’, and basing policy directions exclusively at achieving higher rates of GDP growth, is based on the claim that: ‘if the top income earners invest more into the business infrastructure and equity markets, it will inevitably result in more goods at lower prices, and create more jobs for middle and lower class individuals’. The theory is further stretched to suggest that a richer economy gives society the time and resources to develop its creativity, in art and science just as in new production methods.
The obvious failure of this theory during the Great Depression prompted the humorist Will Rogers to name it the ‘trickle down’ theory. Many reputed economists, particularly those with a conscience, have argued that economic policies aimed at ‘trickle-down’ generally do not work, and if there is any trickle-down effect it might be extremely slim. The theory and its practice became so disreputable by the mid 1970s it required renaming by David Stockman, budget director in the puppet presidency of Ronald Reagan (who cut the marginal tax rate on the highest-income tax bracket in the US from 70% to 28% as per the theory), “supply-side economics”.
Please don’t mention the GDP growth again
....continued 2...
That remarkable human being and economist of rare powers of intellect, wit, and pen, John Kenneth Galbraith first expressed skepticism about the value of economic growth, indicated by the GDP as a measure of human progress in The Affluent Society, in 1958. It took several decades for Galbraith’s views on the topic to become the ‘conventional wisdom’ (a phrase coined by him!).
Galbraith demolished the underlying assumptions of the ‘trickle down’ theory such as the view that consumers who have unlimited power of choice are sovereign in the economy. Instead, he says it is producers, in the guise of corporate management, who truly control the economy.
Galbraith considered the issue important enough to dedicate his last book The Economics of Innocent Fraud, published in 2004, to launch a final attack. He wrote: “Good performance is measured by the production of material objects and services. Not education or literature or the arts but the production of automobiles, including SUVs [sports utility vehicles]: Here is the modern measure of economic and there with social achievement.”
He argues in Innocent Fraud the all-powerful role of companies defines contemporary capitalist society, dominating the state and forcing government institutions to obey the narrow interests of companies. He was unequivocal in his assertion that the Iraq war was fought for the military establishment and weapons industries. He wrote: “Central to my argument here is the dominant role in the modern economic society of the corporation and of the passage of power in that entity from owners, the stockholders, now more graciously called investors, to the management. Such is the dynamic of corporate life. Management must prevail.” He observed that the state economic activity that occurs through central banks and financial regulators, make the state simply an arm of private sector corporations.
Galbraith pointed out that the modern capitalism dominated by large enterprises, and based on GDP growth require an abundance of ‘contrived wants’ (that depend on the process by which they are satisfied) that are the product of corporate planning and massive advertising. The higher level of production merely has, a higher level of want creation necessitating a higher level of want satisfaction.
According to Galbraith, the most sinister consequence of economic growth based on the creation of artificial wants through advertising is the shift in resources toward private goods, away from public goods that have greater inherent value, creating a “social imbalance”: the under allocation of resources to public goods. New cars are seen as being more important than new roads; vacuum cleaners in the home are desired more than street cleaners. Alcohol, comic books, and mouthwashes take on a greater aggregate importance than schools, courts, and municipal swimming pools. One way to remedy this imbalance, said Galbraith, would be to impose sales taxes on consumer goods and services, using the proceeds to increase the availability of public sector goods and services.
In fact, for this writer, some of the detail of the much acclaimed GDP growth revived the nightmarish memories of being driven around in Colombo streets by a friend during a recent visit to the old hunting grounds! The reduction of import duty on vehicles in the latter part of the quarter has apparently contributed to an increase of 78.6 per cent in the total number of new vehicles registered in Q2 as opposed to a 36.2 percent decline in the same quarter of previous year! But where are the new roads for these cars to drive on?
Please don’t mention the GDP growth again
....continued 3...
The TV programs in all major channels appear to be mere ‘packaging’ for advertisements that seem to be telecast without any limits on the hourly quotient, (a maximum of 13 minutes per hour) as in the US, Australia or the UK. The inference is that many ad agencies and the ‘operators’ who run them unethically exploit the ignorance of the officialdom. Such behavior is encouraged by unbridled ‘capitaliam’, an euphemism for ‘money grab’.
It is also claimed that Sri Lanka’s per capita income has exceeded USD 2000 and the aim is to reach the USD 4000 per capita income by 2014; but none of the stop overs on the Colombo-Kandy road showed signs of any villager counting SLRs of the magnitude being talked about (annual income of approximately Rs 230 000? they certainly wish!)
What the above critique is showing is that Sri Lanka needs fresh thinking if it is to progress in to the future as an ethnically harmonious, self-respecting, modern country. Economic progress is an important part of future aspirations; but its aims, parameters and measures need to be redefined based on the particular needs of the country and past experience in the developing world.
For the past fifty years, since the so-called ‘independence’ wave began in the 1960s, the developing world has relied on, and attempted to progress using the western capitalistic economic model garnished with extras like the Green Revolution and other fads periodically; no country has succeeded due to the aims of the model being aligned with the resources and other needs of the capitalist centre rather than the developing country needs (please don’t mention Singapore!).
The GDP is simply a measure designed to enable the money market operators in the west to assess investment opportunities for their excess billions for quick gain. Catering to this need can only help Sri Lanka to the extent of attracting some of that loot for transient advantages such as temporary employment in the industry sector.
But there are inherent economic and political dangers in reliance on this model, especially with the current overt and covert antipathy in the west towards President Rajapakse and the Rajapakse regime in general.
Creative thinking on the part of the Sri Lankan academia, intellectuals and the constructive sections of the media, and avenues for their active participation are needed to choose the right path.
To end with the words of John Kenneth Galbraith: “The shortcomings of economics are not original error but uncorrected obsolescence. The obsolescence has occurred because what is convenient has become sacrosanct.”
The GDP definitely is obsolescent, and should not be sacrosanct!
The Western Powers .. driven by self-serving humanitarian zeal tear apart foreign lands ignorant of their histories.
One standard for themselves, and yet another for others.
They dismantled Marshal Tito's creation of a united Yugoslavia that kept the lid closed on the communal Balkan Pandora's Box.
Now, all the evils of the past are returning to haunt the Balkan peoples.
POWER bereft of WISDOM is the EVIL of the ages.
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Radical Islam on rise in Balkans raises concerns in Europe
By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES,
Associated Press Writer
SKOPJE, Macedonia, September 19, 2010 – An online music video praising Osama bin Laden has driven home a troubling new reality: A radical brand of Islam embraced by al-Qaida and the Taliban is gaining a foothold in the Balkans.
"Oh Osama, annihilate the American army. Oh Osama, raise the Muslims' honor," a group of Macedonian men sing in Albanian, in video posted on YouTube last year and picked up by Macedonian media this August. "In September 2001 you conquered a power. We all pray for you."
Although most of Macedonia's ethnic Albanian minority are Muslims, they have generally been secular. But experts are now seeing an increasing radicalization in pockets of the country's Islamic community, particularly after armed groups from the ethnic Albanian minority, which forms a quarter of the population of 2.1 million, fought a brief war against Macedonian government forces in 2001.
It's a trend seen across the Balkans and has raised concerns that the region, which includes new European Union member Bulgaria, could become a breeding ground for terrorists with easy access to Western Europe. Many fear that radicalized European Muslims with EU passports could slip across borders and blend into society.
At the center of the issue is the Wahhabi sect, an austere brand of Islam most prevalent in Saudi Arabia and practiced by bin Laden and the Taliban.
"Wahhabism in Macedonia, the Balkans and in Europe has become more aggressive in the last 10 years," said Jakub Selimovski, head of religious education in Macedonia's Islamic community. He said Wahhabis were establishing a permanent presence in Macedonia where none existed before, and that "they are in Bosnia, here, Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia and lately they have appeared in Bulgaria."
It is the first time a high-ranking official in the former Yugoslav republic's Islamic community has agreed to speak openly about the presence and threat of radical Islam.
In Bulgaria, nearly one-sixth of the population of 7.6 million are Muslims who adhere to conventional Sunni beliefs. Ethnic peace has been maintained in the last 20 years. As elsewhere in the Balkans, however, Wahhabi incursions have led to a struggle for control of religion and Islamic community-owned property.
Large amounts of money, allegedly from Muslim organizations abroad, have been spent in Bulgaria since the mid-1990s for more than 150 new mosques and so called "teaching centers" to spread Wahhabism.
According to Bulgaria's former chief mufti, Nedim Gendzhev, some Muslim organizations were aiming to create a "fundamentalist triangle" formed by Bosnia, Macedonia and Bulgaria's Western Rhodope mountains. Local newspaper reports say radical Islam is being preached in different cities and villages in southern and northeastern Bulgaria.
In 2003, Bulgarian authorities shut down a number of Islamic centers on the grounds they allegedly belonged to Islamic groups financed mainly by Saudi Arabians that possibly also had links to "radical organizations" such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Official statements said that the centers were shut down "to prevent terrorists getting a foothold in Bulgaria."
Radical Islam on rise in Balkans raises concerns in Europe
....continued 1....
However, centers where radical brands of Islam are preached continue to to crop up in the country, said political analyst Dimitar Avramov.
"Along with the three official Muslim schools, there are at least seven other which are not registered and not controlled by the state," he said, adding that in the last 20 years some 3,000 young Muslims have graduated from these schools.
In neighboring Serbia last year, 12 Muslims — allegedly Wahhabis — from the tense southern Sandzak region were sentenced to up to 13 years in prison for planning terrorist attacks, including on the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade. The presence of radical Muslims in Sandzak, the poorest region of Serbia, is linked to the advent of mujahedeen foreign fighters who joined Bosnian Muslims in their battle against the Serbs in Bosnia's 1992-95 independence war.
In Bosnia, the issue of Wahhabi influence is one of the most politically charged debates, with Bosnian Serbs maintaining there is a huge presence of Wahhabis in the country and Muslim Bosniaks downplaying the issue and at times claiming it does not exist.
Juan Carlos Antunez, a Spanish military specialist in religious extremism with years of experience in Bosnia, estimates there are about 3,000 people in Bosnia who have embraced this interpretation of Islam and only a small fraction of them are a potential security threat.
In a study prepared for the Sarajevo-based Center for Advanced Studies in May, Antunez argued that Bosnia's official Islamic Community has been successful in curbing Wahhabi influence. Although it did not aggressively ostracize the Wahhabis, it strictly controls the appointments of imams in mosques and lecturers in Islamic educational institutions in the country.
Ahmet Alibasic, a lecturer at the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo, said most Wahhabis in Bosnia refrain from criticizing the Islamic Community and were even calling for unity among Muslims.
"Their influence reached its peak in 2000, but it has since started falling and it continues to fall," Alibasic said, adding that measures taken by Bosnian authorities after 9/11 had a significant effect as the movement began to lose power after the closure and banning of several Islamic, mostly Saudi-backed, charities which funded the movement.
Radical Islam on rise in Balkans raises concerns in Europe
....continued 2....
In Albania, the issue is also charged. Ilir Kulla, former head of the government's department on religious issues, insisted the Wahhabis had not caused any problems in Albania.
Kulla said hundreds of young Albanian men had been educated in universities in the Middle East, including in Saudi Arabia, and were now mosque leaders, but that there had been no attempt by Wahhabis to challenge the leadership of the country's Muslim Community, which he insisted was still moderate.
But in Macedonia, the increasing clout of radical Islam is causing a rift in the country's Muslim community, with a power struggle developing within the country's official Islamic Religious Community between the moderate mainstream and the emerging Wahhabi wing.
"A destructive, radical and extremist current has appeared with an intention of taking over the lead of the Islamic religious community," Selimovski said.
Authorities in Macedonia are reluctant to confirm any threat of radical Islam in the country. But a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, did acknowledge that "radical groups and their followers are being closely observed."
Last year, three ethnic Albanian brothers originally from Macedonia were implicated — along with a Jordanian, a Turk and a Kosovo Albanian living in the U.S. — in an alleged plot to attack the U.S. Army's Fort Dix military base in New Jersey. No attack was ever staged on the base, which is used largely to train U.S. reservists bound for Iraq.
"Macedonia is part of the international coalition in the fight against terrorism and it cannot be excluded from the responsibility to observe and respond to any possible activity or emerging of terrorists," Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski told the AP.
Moderate Muslims say the Wahhabi sect now controls five mosques in Skopje even though the Islamic Religious Community has suspended the man they claim is the sect's leader, Ramadan Ramadani, as imam of the Isa Beg mosque in Skopje, and prohibited him from organizing prayers.
But Ramadani, who has launched a petition seeking supporters to overturn the current Community leadership, rejects any accusation of radicalism, saying his opponents are scaremongering.
"They need my name to have somebody to frighten people," Ramadani said. "I do not know any individuals or structures here that could be defined as Wahhabi. It is the attempt of political labeling and stigmatizing people who want reforms."
Ramadani insisted that Macedonia's Islamic community had nothing to do with the online song supporting bin Laden, and denied Macedonian media reports that it had been played in mosques there.
"Bin Laden is nothing for the Muslims in Macedonia," Ramadani said. "He is not our hero."
___
Associated Press writers Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Sabina Niksic in Sarajevo, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Llazar Semini in Tirana, Nebi Qena in Pristina and Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report.
I feel sorry for these kids.
US Soldiers Ambushed in Kunar Province Afghanistan
And glad that our guys are out of this type of stuff.
Another LTTE Eelamist Bites the Dust: Australia is getting SMART .. Finally!
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Sri Lanka-born refugee sentenced to 5½ years in Australia for smuggling asylum seekers
By The Associated Press (CP) – 1 day ago
SYDNEY — An Australian court sentenced a Sri Lanka-born refugee to more than five years in prison Monday for helping to smuggle nearly 200 asylum seekers to Australia in a leaky boat.
Asylum seekers from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are taking boats to Australia in record numbers, fueling a divisive debate among political parties about how they can be deterred.
Sydney spice shop owner Pathmendra Pulendren, 36, pleaded guilty this month to acting as an agent for an Indonesia-based Sri Lankan who arranged the passage of 20 ethnic Tamil Sri Lankan men in a boat from Malaysia to Australia in June last year.
Pulendren, who came to Australia by boat in 2007 as a Tamil asylum seeker, alerted police to the voyage when he discovered that 194 Tamils were to make it.
"He told police that he believed that the vessel was overcrowded and feared for the safety of the people on board," Judge Robyn Tupman said as she sentenced Pulendren to five years and six months in prison.
People smuggling carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Pulendren must serve at least three years before he is eligible for parole.
An Australian navy patrol intercepted the asylum seekers and their wooden boat near Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, Tupman said. The boat was found leaking and unseaworthy.
Pulendren was to be paid $40,000 for his work, which included collecting money from asylum seekers' relatives in Australia, according to the judge.
War Between Tiger Nominated Agents (TNA) and Allies!
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UNP 'undermining TNA'
By P Sivaramakrishnan
BBC Tamil service
September 19, 2010
Selvam Adaikalanathan (second left) with other TNA leaders (file photo)
War of words have broken out between the UNP and the TNA
The largest Tamil party in parliament the Tamil National Alliance(TNA) has accused the main oppostion party in Sri Lanka, United National Party(UNP) of undermining its political inidividuality, the TNA General Secretary has told the BBC Tamil Service.
War of words have broken out between the TNA and UNP over the nomination of the TNA MP Sumanthiran to the parliament council by the leader of the opposition, Ranil Wickramasinghe.
The nomination was immediately rejected by the TNA.
UNP leader Ranil Wikramasinghe then went on record saying that he nominated the TNA MP knowing well they would reject it.
"This is undermining the political individualtiy of the TNA" Selvam Adaikalanathan, one of the General Secertaries of the TNA told BBC Tamilosai.
Sumanthiran's nomination was done by the opposition leader without consulting either him or the party says the TNA General Secretary.
We respect Ranil as leader of the oppostion, however we don’t approve of any acitivities aimed at weakening us
Selvam Adaikalanathan, MP
According the controversial 18 th amendment to the Sri Lankan consitituion which was passed by the parliamemt a few days ago, a five member parliament council will recommend heads of organisations like Election Commission, Judicial Commission, Human Rights Commission, Police Commission, Public commission and others
However the President can either accept or reject it .
The five member Parliament council conclude the speaker, prime minister, leader of the oppostion and one member nominated by the PM and the oppostion leader.
"We voted against the 18 th amendment along with the JVP while the UNP boycotted the voting" points out Selvam Adaikalanathan. "That being the case nominating a MP from our party is undermining the our individuality," argues the TNA General Secretary.
The TNA aslo wants "Ranil Wikramasinghe to stop such activities in future".
"We respect Ranil as leader of the oppostion, however we don’t approve of any acitivities aimed at weakening us", Selvam Adaikalanathan further said.
Cooperation for development
The TNA had made it clear to the President that it will cooperate with him on all aspects of the welfare activities of Tamil people says Adaikalanathan, cautioning at the same time that, the TNA will continue to oppose the government on anti people policies.
Selvam Adaikalanathan also points out that "till date the government has not placed any concrete proposals regarding a political solution to the decades long ethnic conflict" in spite of the fact that the TNA has assured to discuss with the government on such proposals.
He also told the Tamil Service that the local citizens of mannar district have urged the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to have a sitting in mannar so that the locals there will also have a chance to voice their opinion.
The LLRC after hearing the views of the residents in Killinochi for two days is going to Mullaitheevu for the people to testify before them.
The years long civil war came to an end in May 2009 when the LTTE was militarily defeated and its leader Prabakaran's body was found on the banks of the Nandikadal lagoon in the Mullaitheevu district.
‘Save SF op’: Supporters of Fonseka’s presidential bid divided
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Island.lk
Septenmber 20, 2010
The JVP yesterday acknowledged that it was extremely difficult to muster those who had supported General Sarath Foneka’s candidature at the January 26, 2010 presidential election to defend the former Army Chief against what JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva called, a vengeful Rajapaksa administration.
Addressing the media at the party head office, the top JVP official said that the UNP couldn’t be trusted and it wouldn’t throw its weight behind a joint campaign to save the DNA leader General Fonseka.
Silva was responding to a query by The Island on why the JVP couldn’t bring all political parties and those in the media and the business community under one umbrella before seeking public support to a protest campaign led by the JVP. Silva called for media support for their campaign.
The SLMC and the TNA, too, supported General Fonseka’s candidature. The former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) also received the support of several prominent civil society organizations.
An irate JVP General Secretary said that the UNP leadership had failed to prevent the then UNP Deputy Secretary Lakshman Seneviratne, MP, from testifying against General Fonseka before the First Court Martial, which ordered him cashiered. Silva said that Seneviratne had joined former UNP MP Johnston Fernando in bringing down General Fonseka.
The JVP General Secretary said that a joint Opposition campaign would have been far more effective than isolated action directed against the government.
Silva alleged that immediately after the January 26 presidential election, the UNP had caused the first rift by deciding to contest the April 26 general election on its own. Claiming that the UNP’s action had been detrimental to the Opposition, the JVPer accused the UNP of causing irreparable damage to their efforts to mobilize public protests against the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. Silva said that the government had exploited a UNP decision to visit the Temple Trees to discuss so-called constitutional reforms.
Is the UNP Disintegrating?
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Major opposition party of Sri Lanka to appoint Kiriella as Chief Opposition Whip anticipating crossover of the incumbent
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 20, Colombo: Political sources in Sri Lanka speculate that United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian and Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga may cross over to the government following his current tour in the United States.
The Chief Opposition Whip earlier accepted an invitation from President Mahinda Rajapaksa to be in the entourage of the President to the US to participate in the UN General Assembly but later turned it down.
Amaratunga had informed the party that he would go to US on a private visit to see his daughter who lives there, said the UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe recently.
However, UNP sources say that the possible crossover of the MP John Amaratunga is expected and the party has decided to replace the position of Chief Opposition Whip with MP Lakshman Kiriella, in case of such a crossover.
Is India panicking on the Chinese threat?
Among other proposals, this author calls for:
1. Initiate a massive military buildup tripling the current Indian defence spending
2. Support Sri Lanka openly despite Eelamist objections
3. Colonize Kashmir with Hindu ex-servicemen.
4. Forge a strategic cooperation with Indonesia to monitor the Malacca Straits
5. Jump start economic growth and infrastructure development.
Is he taking notes on Sri Lanka's moves?
In short he advocates military preparedness and strength coupled to conciliatory diplomacy and increased economic strength.
The SAME RECIPE we Sri Lankan patriots advocate for Sri Lanka!
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India must learn to deal with new threats
Subramanian Swamy
September 19, 2010
He political relations between India and China have soured again. Will this lead to a war either by intent or miscalculation? Chinese non-governmental blogs have suggested a possibility in 2010-11. One Indian think tank’s prognosis is war in 2012. No one in either nation’s government however thinks so. But who can be sure? After all, who has forgotten — on both sides — 1962?
For us, 1962 was a military and political debacle although we Indians happily discovered how united our nation becomes when we are attacked — when other nations in a similar debacle unravel. Chanakya had in our hoary past described this Indian phenomenon of uniting in war when he propounded the concept of “Chakravartin” and guided his king, Chandragupta, to war far west and 2,000 kilometres from Pataliputra, in Sind against the Greeks.
The border war in 1962 was Nehru’s fiasco arising from his irrational and personalised conduct of foreign policy. Irrational because Nehru did not distinguish between defence and foreign policy. In fact, he made the fatal error of making defence depend on foreign policy, and blamed the Chinese “perfidy” for it. Now that debacle haunts us. This is the 1962 Syndrome.
We now need, irrespective of our blow hot, blow cold foreign policy, to rationally look at possible and potential threats to India from China and then decide how to prepare credibly against these threats. Let us remember that the two nations by history, civilisation, population size, territorial area, economic growth rate, and global power potential, even though they have different political systems, are recognised the world over as peers.
Hence some competitive animosity, or peer jealousy, is to be expected between the two nations in peace times, even if it is held by some that there is no fundamental conflict of strategic interests. For more than two-and-a-half thousand years, India and China had good and peaceful relations based on mutual respect and exchange, and never had gone to war till 1962.
Today both India and China compete, for example, for US attention. Peer jealousy makes Chinese intellectuals and PLA personnel feign contempt for India, especially when talking to the US counterparts, which is also apparent in the carping and cutting comments in its publications, even though they realise that 1962 cannot be repeated.
Three decades later, thanks to prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, liberalisation and the Y2K problem launched India on a high growth rate path, and as a quality leader on the electronic software map globally. In an era of globalisation in which economics dominates, the India-China hyphenation has re-appeared again with gusto, especially in the US, re-kindling the peer competitiveness in China and unfortunately the return of smugness in India.
India must learn to deal with new threats
.....continued 1...
This hyphenation has taken root from Japan and Australia to Africa and Latin America where India and China are equally represented as suppliers and buyers of goods and services, with industrial corporates of global reach and advanced technology. But the smugness that this hyphenation is a settled question can be rudely exploded if our military capability continues for long to remain inadequate to sustain the hyphenation. Due to our smugness about our recent economic performance of nearly 9 per cent GDP growth, our defence expenditure has fallen to a dangerously low of 2.3 per cent of GDP whereas China has maintained a steady expenditure of 6 per cent of GDP for the last five decades.
To rephrase a Chinese saying: “We must sweat in peace so that we do not bleed in war”. Today we fluctuate between being panicky when threatened, and complacent when there is bonhomie, remaining unprepared for war.Media coverage reflects this dysfunctional dissonance.
To sustain the peer status, India must graduate from oscillating between smugness to neurotically reacting to China on a daily basis, feeding the media with our 1962 psychosis, and instead get down to dealing with China rationally on the various dimensions of threats, and soberly examine how to structure our national security architecture and enhance our military capability. To do that we should clearly differentiate between the two facets of national security: First, in defence preparedness, we should never discount any potential threat from any country, and the threat could be multi-dimensional as it is in the case of China.
The second facet of national security is our foreign policy which has to be structured on the stated intentions of other nations, and which we through quiet unpublicised discussions and negotiations seek to modify, moderate, and even to make it favourable if possible. This is also called diplomacy.
China’s intention today may not be to go to war with India but merely to needle us to commit foolish acts or behave stupidly by trivial provocative acts to either do something rash as Nehru did in 1962 to declare “I have asked the troops to throw the Chinese out” without any preparations, or worse like a headless chicken run hither and thither seeking help from other countries, notably the USA.
We cannot rely on any country’s stated intentions since it could be a deception to fool us. We should never be complacent about China’s capacity to inflict damage to us nor should we, as a large mature and civilised population, exhibit a fevered imagination about China’s assumed evil intentions to harm us, at least not to vocalise it as we are doing today. If we do so it will encourage and raise the morale of all our potential adversaries, and thus in a self-fulfilling prophesy could knee jerk our nation into bad decisions. Let us begin to sweat in peace by first enumerating the dimensions of China’s threat.
India must learn to deal with new threats
.....continued 2......
Design a strategy based on massive defence build-up
The First threat dimension encompasses a possible Chinese attack in Arunachal over some provocation such as Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang. Some Indians tremble at the thought of that happening. This neurosis is the cause of our 1962 syndrome. The reality today is that even if we go to war, it will not be a repeat of 1962 because as China and the rest of the world have learnt by the events of 1962, and by subsequent unconnected events, that war unites the Indian people as nothing else does.
The Chinese will not be able to cross our borders and the contiguous areas. Moreover, the Indian air force is superior in the border arena, and the terrain on our side of the border provides a much shorter and friendlier supply chain for our troops.
Those in India who think today otherwise, that Chinese will walk into Assam and Kashmir not to mention Bahraich in UP, have been brought up on the British imperialist version of our history, which is that India is always a sitting duck for anyone who wants to invade it.
What should be of concern today is the implication of India’s current military and psychological preparedness.
If China decides to wage war over Arunachal especially Tawang, then India should take it as an opportunity to wipe out Nehru’s legacy of 1962. The Chinese claim over Tawang and Arunachal is based on the claim that it was a part of Tibet. This is utterly false since it was only for brief periods in history when an aggressive independent Tibet occupied the Monpa tribal town of Tawang and then reduced the Monpas to serfs and slaves. The Monpas have not forgotten that brutality even today.
I do not think that China will go to war over Tawang. It is needling us to win points with the Tibetans in Lhasa, who claim Arunachal and Tawang are part of Tibet. But that does not mean we should let our guard down. China should know it is the resolve of the Indian people that for Tawang, without which town the rest of Arunachal cannot be accessed by the Chinese, India will go for an all-out war, even abrogate the Nehru-Vajpayee treaty to regard Tibet as a part of China. It will be moral and just for us to go to war to defend Tawang and Arunachal.
Second, the threat from China to India arises from the UPA government’s abdication of vital national interests for its domestic political survival in power, which sacrifice is in favour of China.
India rebuffed pro-Indian elements in Nepal and instead helped Maoists, who lean to China, to usurp power in that country because of what the then coalition partner, the CPM, of the UPA had wanted. Again China was the beneficiary in Sri Lanka and invited to build a naval base in Hamantota, just 35 miles east of the Tamil Nadu coast, because another coalition partner, the DMK, had wanted to help the LTTE.
Today not one of India’s eight neighbours with common land and/or sea borders with us, supports us against China which has common borders with six. Recognising this factor is crucial for our preparedness against China.
We should begin by openly supporting Sri Lanka, and not fall for the pro-LTTE propaganda that Tamils are suffering from brutalities. Tamils however need constitutional protection and India should influence the Sri Lanka Buddhists to encourage the MPs of Sri Lanka to vote for it when the amendment Bill is introduced. We should help the Nepal Army and the Madeshis whom we seem to be losing, to resist the Maoists and liberate Nepal since the Nepal Maoists are openly helping the Naxalites in India.
India must learn to deal with new threats
.....continued 3......
Third, China has ringed us in today with naval bases from Gwadar in Baluchistan, to Hamantota in Sri Lanka, to Coco Islands in Burma. For the first time China is positioned to attack us from the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. We have to take steps to develop our navy and air force to face this new situation.
We should forge a strategic cooperation with Indonesia to monitor the Malacca Straits; Sumatra is very close to Indira Point in Nicobar islands, and through the Malacca straits pass 90 per cent of China’s energy supply. The appropriate policy for India is to match Chinese military capacity. That is by spending not 2.3 but 7 per cent of GDP on defence, for which we have to tighten our belts. The problem is not what China is planning to do to attack us but what India is not planning to do to prepare to defend itself.
We should also not be defensive while arguing the border dispute with China. Chinese officials must explain to us why when they have accepted the McMohan Line for the border with Burma, they are rejecting it with India.
Also their argument for demanding Tawang is religion-based; Tawang was a part of Drepung Monastery which is in Tibet and which is a part of China. By that argument, Kailash-Manasarovar area should be a part of India since our Mahadev Lord Shiva resides there.
Under no circumstances we should initiate a war merely to recover the relatively small area of lost territory. When war is inevitable or imposed, then of course we have to meet the challenge.
Fourth, China has been consistently arming Pakistan even with nuclear weapons technology according to well-known and well-placed whistleblowers in Pakistan. This may be in Chinese national interest to keep a flank against India opened. Chinese officials told me in a discussion which I had in Beijing that they have assisted Pakistan with the knowledge of the IAEA and within international law.
Pakistan is the base and crucible for Islamic terrorists who periodically carry out horrendous terrorist acts on Indian soil. I think to counter this threat the time has arrived for us to draw up plans for doing something with Baluchistan and Sind, while re-populating Kashmir with at least 10 lakh ex-servicemen and families to compensate for the five lakh Kashmiri Hindus driven out.
India must learn to deal with new threats
.....continued 4......
Fifth, China is not at all happy with the growing Indian economic globalisation and intellectual influence in academia in East Asia and Australia. As for East Asia let us remember that the value-added switch trade of China with East Asia is the reason for China’s huge accumulation of foreign exchange reserves. This switch trade can easily shift to India’s favour. China is fundamentally geared to making things difficult for India .
We can counter this by more economic reforms and heavy infrastructure improvement if we could only control the shameless corruption in society by setting examples.
First we must talk with China especially in the context of the rising threat of a Taliban take-over of Pakistan which will adversely affect both India and China. The recent Islamic violence in Xinjiang is a case in point. But we must pursue every opening with China to reduce its support to Pakistan. According to me, a deal is possible.
These are the five threats that China poses to India.We have, at least for the present, to deal with these threats on our own capability. And we can. For India, the best course is to design a national security strategy based on a massive defence build-up with a conciliatory foreign policy whereby we do not react on a daily basis to every media report emanating from either side. But I feel the MEA needs to be more forthcoming in briefing the Indian media about the nuances of Sino-Indian relations on a regular basis.
If a Sino-Indian understanding can come about it will be a major factor for world peace. We should strive for that without letting down our guard. We should develop another option in case Pakistan crumbles to Taliban, that of US-Israel-India compact in case China decides to bond with Iran, North Korea and Venezuela against the US.
US Intel Report says, by 2025 the most powerful countries in the world will be
US(18%),
China(16%),
EU(14%),
India(10%)
and the worlds greatest challenges will be:
Climate change,
Ethnic and regional conflicts,
Managing new technologies, and
Managing of natural resources.
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India third most powerful nation: US report
By Arun Kumar
September 21, 2010
WASHINGTON: India is listed as the third most powerful country in the world after the US and China and the fourth most powerful bloc after the US, China and the European Union in a new official US report.
The new global power lineup for 2010 also predicted that New Delhi's clout in the world will further rise by 2025, according to "Global Governance 2025" jointly issued by the National Intelligence Council (NIC) of the US and the European Union's Institute for Security Studies (EUISS).
Using the insights of a host of experts from Brazil, Russia, India and China, among others, and fictionalised scenarios, the report illustrates what could happen over the next 25 years in terms of global governance.
In 2010, the US tops the list of powerful countries/regions, accounting for nearly 22 percent of the global power.
The US is followed by China with European Union at 16 percent and India at eight percent. India is followed by Japan, Russia and Brazil with less than five percent each.
According to this international futures model, by 2025 the power of the US, EU, Japan and Russia will decline while that of China, India and Brazil will increase, even though there will be no change in this listing.
By 2025, the US will still be the most powerful country of the world, but it will have a little over 18 percent of the global power.
The US will be closely followed by China with 16 percent, European Union with 14 percent and India with 10 per cent.
"The growing number of issues on the international agenda, and their complexity, is outpacing the ability of international organisations and national governments to cope," the report warns.
This critical turning point includes issues of climate change, ethnic and regional conflicts, new technology, and the managing of natural resources.
The report also highlights the challenges proponents of effective global governance face.
On one hand, rapid globalisation, economic and otherwise, has led to an intertwining of domestic politics and international issues and fueled the need for more cooperation and more effective leadership.
But on the other hand, an increasingly multi-polar world, often dominated by non-state actors, have put a snag in progress toward effectual global governance, it said.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Link Global Governance 2025: At a Critical Juncture
Yahoo! Way to Go, Sri Lanka!
Let us replace Coal-Fired power plants with Nuclear power plants.
Then, let us replace gasoline-powered cars with all-electric cars and hydrogen cars powered by Nuclear locally generated electricity/ hydrogen gas.
Jayawewa!
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Sri Lanka looks to nuclear power to meet energy demand
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 21, Vienna: Sri Lanka is looking into incorporating nuclear power as an energy source to meet the increasing demand of energy brought up by the accelerated pace of development.
Addressing the 54th sessions of the International Atomic Energy Authority in Vienna, the Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka said the government of Sri Lanka has approved the Atomic Energy Authority of Sri Lanka to conduct a pre-feasibility study of using nuclear energy as a viable option for power generation beyond 2020 with technical corporation of the Agency.
He said the government in collaboration with the engineering universities in the country has already launched a program to enhance the human resource development in the nuclear energy field.
The Minister told the session that the government is in the process of upgrading the Atomic Energy Authority Act to meet the present and future requirements in the filed of nuclear power generation, nuclear terrorism, environmental protection, nuclear safety and security.
The draft act has been forwarded to the Agency and it is to be finalized within a year in the parliament, he informed.
Speaking of nuclear terrorism, the Minister told the meeting that Sri Lanka is a partner of the global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism and has joined the megaport initiative to improve safety and security of radioactive sources and monitor international movement of such materials through the country's ports.
The government has also upgraded the security for radiation therapy facilities under the Global threat Initiative. The authorities are now finalizing an agreement with the United States to receive technical assistance for radioactive waste disposal,
Communal King Vaiko bites the Dust, AGAIN!
No breath of life for the LTTE in India!
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Indian court denies Vaiko from pleading to remove ban on LTTE
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 21, New Delhi: An Indian court today denied the general secretary of the MDMK, Vaiko from pleading to remove Sri Lanka's vanquished terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the banned list of terrorist organizations in India.
The special tribunal, headed by a High Court Justice to examine the legality of extension of ban on LTTE, on Tuesday declined a plea made by Vaiko, to hear him before passing any order, Press Trust of India reported.
Vaiko who is a known LTTE sympathizer from Tamil Nadu has pleaded before Justice Vikarmjit Sen to allow him to argue before the tribunal saying that a supporter of the banned organization has a right to be heard but the plea was turned down.
The central government of India extended the ban on LTTE for another two years in May 2010. The Indian government says even though the LTTE is eliminated in Sri Lanka, the remnant LTTE cadres and leaders are regrouping in Tamil Nadu, a state that favors a separate homeland for the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
The Home Ministry of India has noted that there is a possibility of LTTE's remnant cadres using India and especially, Tamil Nadu as a rear base for their regrouping activities.
"....LTTE sympathisers were posing a threat to India as they continue to spread anti-India sentiments through the medium of Internet," the Home Ministry had noted.
The tribunal is scheduled to meet Friday to proceed further in the matter.
Yahoo! Two More for the US Pussycat Pen!
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Two linked to Tigers fighting extradition
Stewart Bell, National Post · September 21, 2010
Two Canadians wanted by the United States for allegedly helping supply Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels asked the Ontario appeal court on Monday to overturn their extradition orders.
Pratheepan Nadarajah and Suresh Sriskandarajah surrendered to authorities on Sunday night to face possible extradition to New York to stand trial on terrorism-related charges.
Their lawyers appeared in a Toronto courtroom on Monday to ask the Ontario Court of Appeal to set aside a 2009 ruling that found there was sufficient evidence to justify their extradition to the United States.
U.S. prosecutors have charged Mr. Nadarajah with attempting to buy $1-million worth of missiles and AK-47s for the Tamil Tigers. Mr. Sriskandarajah is accused of laundering money and conspiring to procure equipment for the rebels.
But John Norris said there was no evidence Mr. Sriskandarajah was aware the people he was dealing with were senior members of the Tamil Tigers or that what he was doing was for terrorist purposes.
"I think it comes down to speculation," he said outside the courtroom. "Sure you can conjure up a story where, of course, he knew who he was dealing with and why he was dealing with them, but that's not what this process is about."
He also said Mr. Sriskandarajah should not be extradited because the alleged criminal conduct had occurred in Canada. "Our main concern is that there is really no link to the United States at all," he said. "This is something that, if anybody should be prosecuting, it should be Canada."
Both men were arrested in 2006 following a joint RCMP FBI investigation called Project ONeedle. Three other Canadians have already pleaded guilty to involvement in the missile plot. A sixth Canadian who allegedly conspired with Mr. Sriskandarajah, Ramanan Mylvaganam, has already been extradited.
The case has its origins in Sri Lanka's civil war. The Tamil Tigers waged a decades-long fight for independence. To arms themselves, the rebels raised money and shopped for weapons around the world.
On Aug. 18, 2006, Mr. Nadarajah, a Sri Lankan-born resident of Brampton and three other Canadians, left Toronto by car for Long Island, N.Y. At the border, Mr. Nadarajah was denied entry to the United States.
The other three continued on without him to New York to meet a man they thought was a black market arms dealer but who was actually an undercover police informant. The three Canadians examined a Russian SA-18 missile and were arrested after making a deal to buy a shipment of them. Although Mr. Nadarajah wasn't there, the other conspirators referred to him as their technical expert.
Known as "Waterloo Suresh," Mr. Sriskandarajah, 30, allegedly helped the Tamil rebels purchase night vision goggles and submarine and warship design software. He also allegedly helped smuggle equipment into rebel-territory.
sbell@nationalpost.com
Three Sri Lankan nationals detained
TheHindu.com
September 21, 2010
The ‘Q' Branch CID police on Monday detained three Sri Lankan nationals for suspected links with a racket in human trafficking.
According to sources in the intelligence, the police picked up Vijay Kumar (30), Jayakumar (42) and Anthonyraj (26) of Sri Lanka in Chennai.
“We suspect that they have links with persons who transported migrant Sri Lankan Tamils to Australia from Tamil Nadu and other places. No arrest has been made yet,” a senior official in the State intelligence said.
Hundreds of war-affected in Sri Lanka's North testify before Reconciliation Commission
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 20, Colombo: Over 500 war-affected civilians in northern Sri Lanka have attended the public sessions of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) held over the weekend in the former Tamil Tiger rebels de-facto capital of Kilinochchi.
Some of the civilians testified before the LLRC on Sunday about their harrowing ordeals and brought their present day grievances to the attention of the Commission.
The Commission officials had told the media that the people who testified had given them useful insight into the problems they faced during the three-decade long conflict.
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed the eight-member Commission in May 2010 to report on the lessons to be learnt from the events occurred during the period from 21st February 2002 to 19th May 2009.
The LLRC held public sessions on Saturday (18) and Sunday (19) in several locations in Kilinochchi. It will hold a public session in Mullaitivu on Monday (20) as well. Similar sessions will be held in Jaffna from October 9th 13th and in the Eastern Province later in the month.
Foreign media describing the public testimonies at Sunday's hearings in Pooneryn of Kilinochchi reported that civilians looking for their missing loved ones and families affected by the intense fighting during the last phase of the war between the government forces and the LTTE testified before the Commission.
According to a report by German news agency DPA, agricultural officer Nadarajaha Sundaramoorthy has told the LLRC that more than 40 to 45 pregnant mothers and babies died as they were in a queue to collect nutritional food in Putumatalam when they were hit by shells and aerial strikes. However, he has not said who was responsible for the shelling.
Some witnesses were seeking to find the whereabouts of their relatives who were LTTE combatants surrendered to the Sri Lankan security forces.
The LLRC has so far held 14 public sittings in Colombo and 6 public sittings in Vavuniya. The Commission held public sessions in Vavuniya on August 14th and 15th and also visited the welfare villages where around 25,000 displaced people are still living.
The Commission headed by former Attorney General C. R. de Silva is to report their findings to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the end of its term in mid-November.
Great News: Sapugaskanda Refinery to double capacity to 100,000 bbl/day!
I worked as an engineer at the Sapugaskande refinery for a short period after graduation from eFac at Peradeniya University.
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Govt. to upgrade Sapugaskanda oil refinery
By Franklin R. Satyapalan
Island.lk
September 20, 2010
The government intends to take forward the long delayed US $ 2.2 Billion project to upgrade the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery to double its capacity from the present 50,000 to 100,000 barrels per day, Senior government sources said yesterday
This followed a discussion of the Draft on external funding feasibility study for the government to obtain international funding of the US $ 500 million required to launch the project.
A high level delegation from the UK based Singaporean Company K. B. C. Technologies Pvt Ltd was in the country to meet with Senior Presidential adviser Minister for Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa to conclude their assignment.
The project if commenced in early 2011, would be concluded in four years by the latter part of 2015 and if commissioned, the 10% market share of LPG gas could be increased to meet 70 % of the country’s demand.
Initially in 2009, the Iranian Government agreed to provide 70% of the US $ 2.2 billion funding for the project, but at that time the Sri Lankan government faced the problem of providing its 30 % share and the signing of the MOU was put off.
Following that, Financial sources advised the government that it would not have much difficulty if it obtained the external funding bankable feasibility study report which was accepted by all leading Banks and Funding agencies.
Suicide Jump Abandoned! Australia should charge them a post-jump Clean-Up Fee, and find them a Taller Roof!
Bloody Con Artists!
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Asylum-seekers end threat to plunge from Sydney roof
By Torsten Blackwood (AFP)
SYDNEY — A group of asylum-seekers threatening to leap from a Sydney detention centre ended their tense 29-hour standoff with authorities on Tuesday, the immigration department said.
Eight Sri Lankan Tamils left the top of the two-storey building at Villawood detention centre, which houses hundreds of asylum-seekers, by crane at 7:30pm (0930 GMT) after negotiations with the United Nations refugee agency, the department said.
They had threatened to jump from the roof if their cases were not reviewed -- originally setting a 5:00pm deadline for further action -- but immigration authorities said no promises of reviews had been made.
An Iraqi, one other man of unknown nationality and a ninth Tamil had left the roof hours earlier.
Bala Vigneswaran of the Australian Tamil Congress, who knows the men and has been in contact with them, said they feared torture if sent back to Sri Lanka and had threatened to jump "if the worst comes to the worst".
He said the protesters were deeply traumatised by the death on Monday of Fijian Josefa Rauluni, 36, who leaped from a roof in front of horrified onlookers shortly before he was due to be deported.
"Some of them talk about sacrifice for their brothers who are here, to show how committed they are and how worried they are about going back (to Sri Lanka)," Vigneswaran said.
TV footage showed protesters angrily remonstrating with negotiators as they teetered on the roof in windy conditions, while guards placed large blue cushions on the ground. Activists said four protesters deliberately slashed themselves.
Meanwhile, scores of demonstrators gathered outside the facility in the west of Sydney, and about 10 activists chained themselves up at the city's main immigration office in a show of support.
Jamal Daoud, from the Social Justice Network, told reporters outside the centre that the men had been given reassurances they would not be penalised for protesting.
"There are no guarantees, but the UNHCR has said they will be more involved in their cases," he told the AAP news agency after the protest ended.
A spokesman for the Immigration Department said no special deals had been made with the detainees.
"We are pleased they have chosen to end their action without incident... options surrounding their visa applications were not part of the discussions," the statement said.
A further 16 Iranian and Kurdish asylum seekers on hunger strike inside the detention centre were reportedly hospitalised on Tuesday.
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship confirmed the action was underway saying it was separate to the roof-top protest.
Australia has a policy of mandatory detention for asylum-seekers while their claims are processed, and generally holds detainees on remote Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.
But increasing numbers of illegal immigrants arriving by boat -- more than 4,000 this year -- have forced the reopening of mainland centres, including Villawood which houses about 300 people.
Asylum-seekers end threat to plunge from Sydney roof
....continued ....
On Monday, Fijian Rauluni jumped from a different building at Villawood after earlier threatening suicide if sent back to the Pacific country while it remains under military rule.
"I would rather you put me on a raft and usher me down to the South Pole," he wrote in a letter dated a day earlier, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
"If you want to send me to Fiji, then send my dead body."
Activists said the incident had terrified fellow inmates, who are usually detained for months as their fate hangs in the balance.
"The first person I spoke to, he was a babbling mess and just ended up crying and wasn't able to say anything other than 'I saw it, I saw it, I saw it' and just kept bawling his eyes out," refugee advocate Brami Jagen told public broadcaster ABC.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor described the death as a "tragedy" and said private security firm SERCO would provide a full report.
Vigneswaran said the protesting Tamils had been in Australia for about a year after fleeing ethnic conflict in their home country, and that they feared torture and death if sent back.
The men reportedly refused food and water for more than 24 hours. Vigneswaran said their asylum claims were being processed.
Earlier this month, about 80 Afghan asylum-seekers broke out of a centre in the northern city of Darwin to protest over conditions after days of riots blamed on Indonesian people-smugglers held at the same facility.
US soldiers 'killed Afghan civilians for sport'
The alleged attacks sparked some of the grisliest allegations against American soldiers since the US invasion in 2001
News.com.au
September 19, 2010
* US soldiers 'attacked civilians for sport'
* 'Dismembered, photographed corpses'
* Also accused of hoarding bones
A GROUP of US soldiers is facing accusations of randomly targeting and killing Afghan civilians for sport, AFP reported today, citing the The Washington Post.
Citing army legal documents and interviews with people involved in the case, the newspaper said the case involved rogue members of a platoon from the 5th Stryker Combat Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
The game started last winter, when one Afghan man approached the soldier in the village of La Mohammed Kalay, the report said.
As the man neared, one soldier created a ruse that they were under attack, tossing a fragmentary grenade on the ground, the paper noted. Then others opened fire, killing the man.
According to The Post, the unprovoked attack on January 15 was the start of a months-long shooting spree against Afghan civilians that resulted in some of the grisliest allegations against American soldiers since the US invasion in 2001.
Members of the platoon have been charged with dismembering and photographing corpses, as well as hoarding a skull and other human bones, the report said.
The father of one soldier said he repeatedly tried to alert the army after his son told him about the first killing, only to be rebuffed, The Post said.
Military documents allege that five members of the unit staged a total of three murders in Kandahar province between January and May, the paper noted.
Seven other soldiers have been charged with crimes related to the case, including hashish use, attempts to impede the investigation and a retaliatory gang assault on a private who blew the whistle, according to The Post.
Army officials have not disclosed a motive for the killings, the report noted.
But a review of military court documents and interviews with people familiar with the investigation suggest the killings were committed essentially for sport by soldiers who had a fondness for hashish and alcohol, The Post said.
The accused soldiers deny wrongdoing, the paper noted.
‘Any country facing terrorism should follow Lankan model’
Ramesh Ramachandran
AsianAge.com
September 14, 2010
In an exclusive interview, Sri Lankan defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa says that his country’s military victory over the LTTE offers lessons for the international community. Excerpts:
Q. Recently you visited India for defence talks. There was defence cooperation for years before and during the conflict, so what are both sides talking today?
A. India could not do certain things, meet certain needs of the Sri Lankan armed forces, like supply of weapons, because of the sensitivities during the conflict period. Now that issue is no longer there, so we can think of going beyond that. The whole idea is to improve the defence relationship, to strengthen regional security, to improve maritime security in the Indian Ocean.
Q. There are concerns in India about China looking to beef up its presence in Sri Lanka, particularly its role in the Hambantota port project.
A. It is purely a business arrangement, nothing beyond that. I don’t think there is any issue in that sense. Wherever possible, when India has faced any security concerns, we have always bent backwards to accommodate them. With India, we are not looking at government-to-government relations alone; we are interested in people-to-people ties and trade. I know that Indian investors are interested in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka. We are studying India’s successful PPP (public-private partnership) model.
Q. There has been criticism of the delay in the rehabilitation of the displaced Tamils.
A. I don’t think any other place in the world has so quickly resettled these people in their original habitats in such a short period. In one year we have resettled a majority of the three lakh IDPs. Very few are remaining, and that is because of the delay in clearing landmines. We cannot solve problems overnight but the government has aggressively invested more money in the North and East than the other provinces.
Q. Sri Lanka has also been criticised for not minimising the civilian casualties of the war.
A. India knows what is LTTE but most of the outside world does not. It was a most ruthless terrorist organisation. Some think the attack on the USS Cole was the first attack by a terrorist group but by that time the LTTE had done many attacks on ships. It had done more suicide attacks in one year in Sri Lanka than all the suicide attacks in Afghanistan and Iraq put together. The LTTE’s weaponry was equivalent to that of the armed forces — heavy artillery guns, mortars, machine guns, missiles, Naval suicide boats and, ultimately, even small aircraft. That was the magnitude of its military strength. So it was not a small insurrection or a civil disturbance. By defeating the LTTE, we have stopped the killings of innocent civilians.
Q. How are you dealing with the former LTTE combatants?
A. We have rehabilitated about 500 child soldiers. We started a skill development programme for the 11,000 former combatants who surrendered; some of whom have completed this programme and joined the society.
This is the truth but the other side does not know the true story.
‘Any country facing terrorism should follow Lankan model’
....continued....
Q. What can the world learn from Sri Lanka’s experience with terrorism?
A. What we have done is to defeat the terrorists. I should say any country which faces terrorism should follow the Sri Lankan model. I think in fighting terrorism as well as humanitarian assistance in a conflict like this, there are lots of lessons for others to learn rather than criticise. But there were concerns about humanitarian assistance during the conflict. Our military operations and humanitarian assistance ran parallely.
One can say the actions were not effective, maybe there were weaknesses, but it was a success. Of course, there were issues but in a situation there would be issues.
We had no-fire-zones and restrictions on use of heavy weapons which are not normally done anywhere in the world in this type of situation, but we did that.
Q. Looking back at the last days of the conflict, would you have done anything differently? There were reports that some LTTE leaders wanted to surrender but they were shot, there was also talk of ceasefire.
A. Prabhakaran did not want to surrender. Even the night before they were defeated, they tried to launch a counter attack and escape.
There would have been no problem if they had surrendered, but we came to that last minute after a hard battle and a lot of sacrifices, so we were not ready for ceasefire.
Q. And did they inform the UN?
A. Nobody informed us about any surrender. We took the time to defeat the LTTE because of the civilians. If we had no such concerns, we could have bombarded the place, used all our artillery and walked through within a day but we took over two months. So the international community must consider the risks that we took.
Q. Looking ahead, do you have a political solution of the ethnic problem, a devolution package?
A. Political jargons alone will not bring about a solution. We have created an environment for everybody to live peacefully, as Sri Lankans, as one nation. All other issues are for politicians. The ground reality is we must give people the opportunity to live peacefully, with jobs and education. That is what they want and the government will ensure that is there in Sri Lanka.
Q. What will be your message to the Lankan-Tamils living in India and abroad?
A. Some of them left long ago; others, more recently. The second and third generations have concerns about their children’s education. I know it is difficult to give all that up and come. But if they come, they are most welcome. I think they must bring their know-how, knowledge, and invest their wealth here because development is the main requirement.
Been here after ages...
With a welcome news.
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ශ්රී ලංකාවත් න්යෂ්ඨික බලය නිපදවීමට පියවර ගනී
සිරිමන්ත රත්නසේකර
ශ්රී ලංකාව න්යෂ්ඨික බලශක්තිය උත්පාදනය කිරීම සඳහා තීරණය කර ඇතැයි ඕස්aටි්රයාවේ වියානා නුවර පැවැති ජාත්යන්තර පරමාණු බලශක්ති අධිකාරියේ 54 වැනි මහ සභාව අමතමින් විදුලිබල හා බලශක්ති ඇමැති පාඨලී චම්පික මහතා පෙරේදා (20 වැනිදා) ප්රකාශ කර ඇත.
ශ්රී ලංකාව තුළ න්යෂ්ඨික විදුලි බලාගාර සඳහා යොමුවීම සඳහා අවශ්ය ශක්යතා අධ්යයනයක් සිදුකිරීම වෙනුවෙන් කැබිනට් අනුමැතිය ලැබී ඇති බවත් වසර 2020 ට ප්රථම ඒ සඳහා අවශ්ය මූලික සපුරා ගැනීම සඳහා ජාත්යන්තර පරමාණුක බලශක්ති අධිකාරියේ සහාය ශ්රී ලංකා රජය අපේක්ෂා කරන බවත් හෙතෙම ප්රකාශ කර ඇත.
බෞද්ධ දර්ශනය මත පදනම් වූ කලහකාරී නොවන ප්රතිපත්තියක් මත පදනම්ව න්යෂ්ටික බලාගාර ඉදිකිරීමට කටයුතු කරන බවත් මෙමගින් කලාපයේ හෝ අනෙකුත් කිසිදු රටකට කිසියම් හෝ බලපෑමක් සිදු නොවන බවත් ඇමැතිවරයා අවධාරණය කර ඇත.
A FABULOUS Idea to Promote Understanding, Empathy and Cooperation instead of Conflict between neighboring peoples of South Asia!
..............
SAARC Cultural Centre to be set up in Sri Lanka's Southern city of Matara
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 21, Colombo: Sri Lanka has set measures in motion to establish the South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Cultural Centre in Nawimana, Matara in the Southern Province.
Addressing media in Colombo, the Director of the Cultural Centre G.L.W. Samarasinghe said that the office of the Cultural Centre has already been set up in Colombo since last year and it is responsible for overseeing the construction of the Cultural Centre Complex in Nawimana, Matara.
Samarasinghe said the Centre will hold a seminar on rituals, ethics, and societal stability as its first programme at Ceylon Continental Hotel from September 23 - 25. The seminar will be the 1st programme of the summit. He said that all member countries are invited for the seminar.
The Sri Lankan government has offered to establish a SAARC Cultural Centre in Sri Lanka to promote the distinctive arts of South Asia. Accordingly, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have taken steps under the direction and guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to establish the SAARC Cultural Centre in Matara.
The complex will have an auditorium, a library, seminar and lecture halls, and comfortable accommodation and hostel facilities for artists, teachers and students from the region.
'BBC meets its match in Sri Lankan Defence Secretary'
The Manila Times
June 14, 2010
With its foreboding lighting effects that appear to have been plucked straight out of Dante's dark epic Inferno-and cleverly devised one suspects to reduce its willing, and oftentimes unsuspecting, "victims" to submission-the BBC's HARDtalk program has attained a universal reputation (or should that be notoriety?) for tough and bruising interviews that border on intimidation.
Why, in its trailer for the widely popular program the BBC has fierce animals from the wild locking horns in deadly tussles, while HARDtalk inquisitor-in-chief Stephen Sackur looks on arms folded barely able to disguise the smirk on his face.
Last week HARDtalk was "on the road" in Sri Lanka with the sole purpose it seemed to derail the widely held perception that this jewel of an island-blessed with every imaginable treasure that nature could bestow -was finally at peace after a crippling secessionist war that lasted for three decades and ended a year ago with the humiliating defeat of the Tamil Tigers terrorist outfit, and at the needless cost of countless lives.
Any independent visitor to Sri Lanka these days cannot fail to be both surprised and exhilarated at the remarkably swift transformation that has come about in this once war-ridden nation.
One can freely enjoy the spectacular beaches (some of the most breathtaking of which cling to the north east coast which was at the heart of the conflict but are now once again open for leisurely business), savor the easily activated smiles of young and old from every ethnic mix, admire an economy that has been rejuvenated and get a real feel of the people's faith in a government given an overwhelming mandate in just concluded elections to sow the dividends of peace and prosperity.
All that, however, appeared to have been lost on the BBC and its rabid attack dog Sackur. He seemed hell-bent on using his platform to paint-with the aid of a handful of accommodating interviewees-a sinister picture of the country that belied any semblance to the harmonious reality that is post-war Sri Lanka.
To give just one glaring example. Sackur kept harking on about alledged state sponsored media persecution even while he was traversing the length and breadth of the island talking on camera to whoever he cared to choose-including even a telephone chat with detained former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka who is the most vociferous critic of the government.
But then came his interview with powerful Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa-a tough no-nonsense tolerating retired Sri Lankan Army Colonel who (invited back in 2005 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa-his elder brother-to Sri Lanka from the US where he was domiciled with his family to lead the faltering war effort) is credited both at home and abroad with having marshalled the decisive phase of the war that saw final victory.
Now spearheading the vital task of restoring and maintaining law and order in a country that has been on a war footing for so long, Rajapaksa is totally driven to ensuring post-war stability in his homeland.
In a recent interview in Colombo with The Manila Times he was passionate in his hopes and plans for his country's future. "While it is true that the government has been able to regain control of each and every inch of land in Sri Lanka and restore peace, we have to keep in mind that we are emerging from a 30 year long conflict that, apart from its local impact, had international connotations too," said he.
'BBC meets its match in Sri Lankan Defence Secretary'
......continued........
Despite the military success, Rajapaksa is not given to complacency. He explains: "Although the Tamil Tigers have been militarily defeated in Sri Lanka, a lot of pro-separatist activity is taking place internationally, aided and abetted by former Tamil Tigers cadres and activists among the Tamil Dias-pora. So it is imperative that we remain vigilant.
"And while the government is committed to relaxing the emergency regulations and restoring normalcy and giving the people the full benefits of peace, we have to take whatever steps necessary to ensure that terrorism does not raise its ugly head in Sri Lanka ever again."
So, with a reputation as a guy who doesn't mince his words, Rajapaksa's characteristic hard talking style made him the ideal guest for a TV program which prides itself in being called HARDtalk.
But. alas, it turned out to be more than Sackur could handle.
Every verbal punch that he threw at Rajapaksa the combative Defense Secretary returned with crushing effect, jolting the normally self-controlled Sackur off balance.
Fixing Sackur with a steely glare and reminding him "that Sri Lanka was a sovereign nation," Rajapaksa tore apart the BBC talking head's argument that Sri Lanka should submit itself to a United Nations brokered inquiry into accusations of atrocities allegedly committed by both sides in the closing stages of the war.
When Sackur pulled out what he thought was his trump card and accosted Rajapaksa with the charge leveled at him by General Fonseka (who, incidentally, has built himself a post-military political career out of making wild accusations against the Defense Secretary) that during the final battle he ordered that even those people waving white flags of surrender should be shot, the Defense Secretary's rage was palpable.
"He is a liar," bristled Rajapaksa, "and if he continues to say that, he should be hanged because that is treason." Sackur, unaccustomed to hearing such hard talking on his show was visibly taken aback, "You mean to say you would execute him?" asked Sacker his voice rising. "Yes, that's the punishment for treason against your country," countered Gotabaya.
And so the interview went on, with the by now emotionally charged Rajapaksa giving back twice as hard as he was getting from Sackur, and making it clear to the BBC frontman that he doesn't have a monopoly on the truth.
So much so that Sackur brought the interview-that by this stage was turning into an absorbing mis-match-to an abrupt end.
Normally the show ends with Sackur shaking hands cordially with his guest. And we hazard a guess his trip is clasping the hand offered by the guest sitting across him and getting a triumphant feel of the sweaty and clammy level he had been able to reduce the often cowering interviewee.
But this time around, in a first-ever for this globally televised talk show, it ended with the Sri Lankan Defense Secretary allowing himself a hearty chuckle in the knowledge that in this particular edition of HARDtalk it was undoubtedly game, set and match to him. And TV viewers worldwide could attest to that!
Courtesy: The Manila Times.net
The Global Critics of China's "Lack of Democracy" should read this article.
Democracy without focus and purpose is democrazy; it won't solve national problems.
A little less "democrazy", more discipline and national stability, coupled to a can-do attitude will.
Many emerging and developing economies cannot afford the random-walk laissez-faire approach of the "true democrats" of the West; a DISCIPLINED drive towards development is a MUST for them.
China is on a practical path towards achieving in achieving in a sustainable way the fruits of democracy for all of its billions of people.
Sri Lanka is now also treading this path: devoted to development and uplifting its people, rejecting the West's self serving definitions of anarchic democrazy, preserving internal stability and national security as the essential prerequisite for achieving its national goals .. as China is doing now on much larger, more impressive, scale.
..............
Thomas Friedman: Aren't we clever at driving business to China and the EU?
By Thomas Friedman
Syndicated columnist
InsideBayArea.com
September 21, 2010
TIANJIN, China -- What a contrast. In a year that's on track to be our planet's hottest on record, America turned "climate change" into a four-letter word that many U.S. politicians won't even dare utter in public. If this were just some parlor game, it wouldn't matter. But the totally bogus "discrediting" of climate science has had serious implications. For starters, it helped scuttle Senate passage of the energy-climate bill needed to scale U.S.-made clean technologies, leaving America at a distinct disadvantage in the next great global industry. And that brings me to the contrast: While American Republicans were turning climate change into a wedge issue, the Chinese Communists were turning it into a work issue.
"There is really no debate about climate change in China," said Peggy Liu, chairwoman of the Joint U.S.-China Collaboration on Clean Energy, a nonprofit group working to accelerate the greening of China.
"China's leaders are mostly engineers and scientists, so they don't waste time questioning scientific data."
The push for green in China, she added, "is a practical discussion on health and wealth. There is no need to emphasize future consequences when people already see, eat and breathe pollution every day."
And because runaway pollution in China means wasted lives, air, water, ecosystems and money -- and wasted money means fewer jobs and more political instability -- China's leaders would without energy legislation mandating new ways to do more with less. It's a three-for-one shot for them. By becoming more energy efficient per unit of GDP, China saves money, takes the lead in the next great global industry and earns credit with the world for mitigating climate change.
So while America's Republicans turned "climate change" into a four-letter word -- J-O-K-E -- China's Communists also turned it into a four-letter word -- J-O-B-S.
"China is changing from the factory of the world to the clean-tech laboratory of the world," said Liu. "It has the unique ability to pit low-cost capital with large-scale experiments to find models that work."
Thomas Friedman: Aren't we clever at driving business to China and the EU?
.....continued.....
China has designated and invested in pilot cities for electric vehicles, smart grids, LED lighting, rural biomass and low-carbon communities. "They're able to quickly throw spaghetti on the wall to see what clean-tech models stick, and then have the political will to scale them quickly across the country," Liu added. "This allows China to create jobs and learn quickly."
But China's capability limitations require that it reach out for partners. This is a great opportunity for U.S. clean-tech firms -- if we nurture them.
"While the U.S. is known for radical innovation, China is better at tweak-ovation." said Liu. Chinese companies are good at making a billion widgets at a penny each but not good at complex system integration or customer service.
We (sort of) have those capabilities. At the World Economic Forum meeting here, I met Mike Biddle, founder of MBA Polymers, which has invented processes for separating plastic from piles of junked computers, appliances and cars and then recycling it into pellets to make new plastic using less than 10 percent of the energy required to make virgin plastic from crude oil. Biddle calls it "above-ground mining." In the last three years, his company has mined 100 million pounds of new plastic from old plastic.
Biddle's seed money was provided mostly by U.S. taxpayers through federal research grants, yet today only his tiny headquarters are in the U.S. His factories are in Austria, China and Britain. "I employ 25 people in California and 250 overseas," he says. His dream is to have a factory in America that would repay all those research grants, but that would require a smart U.S. energy bill. Why?
Americans recycle about 25 percent of their plastic bottles. Most of the rest ends up in landfills or gets shipped to China to be recycled here. Getting people to recycle regularly is a hassle. To overcome that, the European Union, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea -- and next year, China -- have enacted producer-responsibility laws requiring that anything with a cord or battery -- from an electric toothbrush to a laptop to a washing machine -- has to be collected and recycled at the manufacturers' cost. That gives Biddle the assured source of raw material he needs at a reasonable price. (Because recyclers now compete in these countries for junk, the cost to the manufacturers for collecting it is steadily falling.)
"I am in the EU and China because the above-ground plastic mines are there or are being created there," said Biddle, who just won The Economist magazine's 2010 Innovation Award for energy/environment. "I am not in the U.S. because there aren't sufficient mines."
Biddle had enough money to hire one lobbyist to try to persuade the U.S. Congress to copy the recycling regulations of Europe, Japan and China in our energy bill, but, in the end, there was no bill. So we educated him, we paid for his tech breakthroughs -- and now Chinese and European workers will harvest his fruit.
Aren't we clever?
Statement by His Exce11ency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Mr Chairman,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. Ten years ago at the dawn of a new millennium, we re-affirmed our commitment to consolidate efforts in the spirit of collective responsibility, to free our world from hunger, to uphold human dignity, and to ensure sustainable CO-existence with Mother Nature.
2. We set for ourselves the goal of advancing progress in eight key areas by the year 2015. Today, with just five years left, we have mixed results. Amidst multiple, inter-related and worsening global crises that confronted our world in the past few years, some countries have suffered setbacks in achieving these goals while others have scored remarkable success.
Mr. President,
3. Yet, time is still on our side to renew the political will and look for a way forward to reach the set targets, by harnessing our synergies. It is in this context that this High-Level Forum under the auspices of the United Nations assumes special significance.
4. Although each individual country has the sacred responsibility to ensure the
welfare of its people, in an increasingly inter-connected and globalized world we cannot survive in isolation. Hence, achieving the Millennium Development Goals becomes ever more important in the collective interest.
Statement by His Exce11ency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
....continued 1....
5. The recent global economic and financial crisis has severely reduced the access to external resources and private capital flows, for developing countries. In such circumstances, there should be genuine commitment to fulfil1 donor obligations. Unfortunately, the trend for more restrictions and protectionist measures in trade, debt relief and access to technology is posing a challenge to development. Hence, we need to act with a sense of urgency and partnership. At the same time, it is important for development assistance from external sources to continue
to encourage for the sake of sustainability.
6. Our national policy has been developed within the framework of global priorities which we consider appropriate at this time. In the South Asian context, some of our urgent preoccupations include food security, energy security, and global warming. Building up of buffer stocks of essential food items, ensuring price stabilization and continuity of supply calls for a more systematic approach to international cooperation. We are convinced that economic development to be sustainable must include emphasis on protection of the environment. Green technology in industrial production is, therefore, one of the central needs of our time. The improvement of infra-structure in our villages and opportunity for social advancement is necessary to discourage mass movement of populations from rural areas into our towns. Gender equality and the breaking down of social barriers are features of a peaceful society. Equity with regard to the distribution of wealth and access to essential services, we believe, are hall-marks of long term stability.
Mr. President,
8. In Sri Lanka, social development goals, such as free healthcare, access to education were embedded from independence, in the country's overall policy framework. In addition, through my own vision spelt out in the "Mahinda Chinthana - A vision for future", we embarked upon a 10 year pro-poor, and pro-development oriented framework, to further consolidate and accelerate socio-economic progress, equally importantly.
9. It is our deep conviction that the wellsprings of our civilization, nurtured by the
Buddhist tradition should guide our approach to economic and social policy making. At the core of this, there must be a sound scale of values. Nowhere is this better expressed than in the Maha Parnibbana Sutra, the final sermon preached by Gauthama the Buddha. Here, he declares that the moral worth of any society can be assessed by a clear yard stick. This consists of the quality of treatment meted out to women and children. In building a caring and compassionate society over the centuries, we have never lost sight of this ideal.
10. Sri Lanka has incorporated MDG key performance indicators in our national budget policies. As a result, Sri Lanka has already attained or is on track to attain the MDGs, despite formidable odds, including the almost thirty years of a violent terrorist movement and the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that brought unprecedented devastation to my country.
Statement by His Exce11ency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
....continued 2....
Mr. President,
11. In terms of universal primary enrollment and completion, we had recorded a level of almost one hundred per cent (100%) by year 2007. Gender parity in primary education has reached ninety nine per cent (99%) and in secondary and tertiary enrollment, the ratio of girls to boys exceeds one hundred per cent (100%). Now the challenge is to further enhance the quality of our education to empower and prepare young people for productive employment. We have also undertaken vigorous measures to enhance computer literacy through a nation-wide project called "Nena sala" - centers of wisdom, covering mostly the rural areas.
12. In the health sector, our endeavour is to ensure every expectant mother a safe and attended child birth, and to increase the current rate of ninety eight per cent (98%) of such births, immediately to one hundred per cent (100%). The infant and under-five mortality rates, have decreased from a rate of 32 per thousand births in 1990 to 11.3 per thousand in 2009. While our focus has been on countering tropical epidemics such as malaria and other vector borne diseases, we now need to pay adequate attention to forms of noncommunicable diseases that pose a serious challenge to our health sectors. We would therefore urge access to medicines at reasonable costs and more predictable financial and technical assistance to develop local capacities, to improve conditions for patients.
Mr. President.
13. While we strive to achieve reasonable standards in living, we must not forget the need to avoid treading heavily on the natural environment. The current spate of natural disasters around the world and frequent flood situations in countries, are a stark reminder of the effects of environmental degradation. We must, with a sense of urgency, reach consensus on curtailing global warming based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and the Bali Action Plan.
Mr. President,
14. Every crisis while posing a threat brings an opportunity as well. Let us therefore resolve to use the opportunity afforded by our High-Level Meeting, to forge the strongest possible global platform to achieve the goals so necessary for our common good.
I thank you.
Bottomline: Separatists hoping to create a Tamil-only Apartheid State fell out among themselves; and paid the ultimate price.
Don't blame the Sinhalese for your follies driven by racism!
..............
Emotional homecoming after 21 years for Sri Lanka widow
By Saroj Pathirana
BBC.com
September 22, 2010
Appapillai Amirthalingam (left) and his wife Mangayarkarasi Decades ago Appapillai and Mangayarkarasi Amirthalingam were a formidable political team
It is an intensely emotional homecoming for Mangayarkarasi Amirthalingam.
After 21 years she has returned to the residence where her family stayed in Colombo on the fateful day her husband - one of the most prominent Tamil political leaders of the past half-century - was shot dead by the Tamil Tiger rebels.
"Sri Lanka is a beautiful country but the war destroyed everything," she reflects ruefully.
Mrs Amirthalingam is at the place where her husband - who in contrast to the Tamil Tigers advocated a peaceful solution to Sri Lanka's ethnic divisions - was murdered in Colombo in July 1989.
Brutal conflict
Appapillai Amirthalingam was the only Tamil leader ever to become leader of the opposition in Sri Lanka and was the last Tamil politician to command a mass following.
Mangayarkarasi Amirthalingam with family and friends in Colombo Mrs Amirthalingam met leading members of the Tamil community
Since his death, no other Tamil leader has appealed so strongly to the masses.
The suffering of his widow reflects the suffering of tens of thousands of Sri Lankan war bereaved over the past two decades.
The only difference perhaps is that Mrs Amirthalingam was fortunate enough to flee the ravaged country and live in UK.
She returned to Sri Lanka with her youngest son Bahirathan, to find out what the future holds for the Tamil community after decades of brutal conflict that finally came to end with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers - known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - in May last year.
They made sure to visit Mr Amirthalingam's loyal security guard, Nissanka Thibbotumunuwa - a Sinhalese national - who killed all three Tamil Tiger assassins on the spot.
It was a highly moving reunion - all three of them were in tears.
"Every time these people came and murdered they managed to escape but Nissanka killed all of them," says Mrs Amirthalingam.
Hidden weapons
The assassins were invited to the house by another Tamil parliamentarian, Yogeswaran, and were to discuss improving ties with the most prominent Tamil political party of the day, the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), which was led by Mr Amirthalingam.
Bahirathan Amirthalingam (left) with Nissanka Thibbotumunuwa The family were reunited with the security guard who shot the Tamil Tiger killers
They were allowed in without any security - all three had hidden weapons.
As they sat down for tea they killed both Mr Amirthalingam and Yogeswaran.
"He was killed by the Tigers because he supported the Indo-Lanka agreement which he thought was the best solution at the time," Bahirathan Amirthalingam - who is in Sri Lanka for the first time since his father's funeral - tells me.
The accord with India signed in 1987 forced the Tigers and other militant groups to give up arms.
Long before the Tigers began their armed struggle, TULF leaders including Mr Amirthalingam were calling for an independent state for Tamils in the north and east called Tamil Eelam.
But they wanted it through negotiations, not guns.
His stance meant that he was seen as a "stooge" by the Tigers, who wanted to be the "sole representatives" of the Tamils.
Emotional homecoming after 21 years for Sri Lanka widow
.....continued....
This was although many Tamil militant leaders were inspired by Mr Amirthalingam's politics and were initially his followers.
But while the father was promoting peaceful, democratic solutions, both the sons, Kandeepan and Bahirathan, took up arms on behalf of Tamil militant groups not associated with the Tigers.
It was not a secret for the parents.
"My father did not oppose my taking up arms but he did not support targeting civilians," Dr Bahirathan tells me.
"He was a forceful moderate."
Tribute
But not everyone saw it that way. Mr Amirthalingam was accused by some Sinhala groups of grooming and supporting militant groups as a bargaining tool.
Displaced Tamil people Mrs Amirthalingam wanted to find out what the future holds for the Tamil community
When President Rajapaksa marked the anniversary of Mr Amirthalingam's death in 2006, he paid tribute to his "commitment to democracy and the larger unity of the Sri Lankan people".
Like her husband, Mrs Amirthalingam is also a controversial politician.
She was accused of making inflammatory and racist remarks while campaigning for him but was exonerated by an investigating judicial panel.
A quarter of a century later, the widow has strong words against the Tigers.
"If they were fighting for the Tamils, why did they kill my husband? Why did they kill so many moderate politicians?" she asks.
Though revisiting the painful memories is highly emotional, the family say they are happy to be back in Sri Lanka.
"I love my country. Sri Lanka is a beautiful island. I am happy to be here to recollect my memories," Mrs Amirthalingam says.
She insists that the passage of time has meant that she has no intention of seeking revenge.
"I think they lost an opportunity to solve the issue. The LTTE should have negotiated a political settlement with the government while they had power."
Mrs Amirthalingam says the president must now find a solution for Tamils so that they can live in Sri Lanka in dignity and as equal citizens.
"We can't go to any other country. We have our land, language and culture so this must be honoured by the president," she says through the tears.
Sri Lanka is in the forefront of the MDG agenda despite a low GDP per capita - report
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 21, Colombo: Despites a low per capita GDP, Sri Lanka is in the forefront of achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially in the health and education sectors, the second MDG progress report says.
The second report launched yesterday at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo yesterday (20) with the participation of Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama and UN Country Resident Representative Neil Buhne, says that the country has already achieved several of the MDGs targeted to be fulfilled by 2015.
It says that Sri Lanka has made great strides in the areas of poverty alleviation, child and maternal mortality rates and gender equality and the country is on track to achieve the targets for most of the indicators by 2015.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is scheduled to address the special UN Summit on Millennium Development Goals in New York on Wednesday will address the global audience on the findings of this report and on Sri Lanka's position on the MDGs.
The report not only describes the progress the country made during the nine years since the signing of the Millennium Declaration but also points out the challenges that remain and of what more needs to be done to address these challenges.
Commenting on the launch of the report a press release of the United Nations Country Team said Sri Lanka's commitment to achieve the MDGs is at its highest level.
The "Mahinda Chinthana: 10 year development frame work" has clearly specified the Government's commitment towards the achievement of MDGs for all people in the country, it said.
According to the report, Sri Lanka has the lowest Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in South East Asia and the country has achieved considerable success in reducing MMR. At its current level of 11.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, Infant Mortality Rate is lower than that achieved by countries considerably wealthier than Sri Lanka.
The report says poverty in Sri Lanka declined from 26.1 percent in 1990-91 to 15.2 percent in 2006-07. The country is expects to reach a target of 13 percent at the national level by 2015.
Sri Lanka has almost achieved the universal primary education target with net enrollment rate reaching 97.5 percent in 2006/07 for both males and females, the report said.
At this rate Sri Lanka will achieve the target of 100 percent well before 2015, if present trends are continued, it said.
Sri Lankan government urged to say sorry for war years
This news is followed by the following news...
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Colombo has apologized for war
The government of Sri Lanka has issued a prompt apology for all the matters related to separatist war in North and East. "We really regret everything that happened from 1970s to today..." said the PM D M Jayaratne, "in fact even before, 56... er even before - early 1900s" he said.
The department of history and cultural affairs has issued an amendment to extend the apology to Kalinga Magha and Raja Raja [around a millenium ago]. "We apologize to these invaders for all their hardships in introducing the problem of separatism to Sri Lanka. Of course the Dutch and British who aggravated it as well"
Meanwhile the Norwegian govt is expecting an apology for its hardships during ceasefire. "It was pretty tough to keep them all in tact. Even after so much material help LTTE always tried to stay away from peace process" grumbled Eric Solheim. When we contacted the min of ext affairs of SL, minister prof G L pieris promptly said "the apology issued last night has all but explicitly extended its reflections to the bilateral and multilateral diplomatic collaborations and parties who have directly of indirectly involved in such. Norway is a part of that."
Meanwhile in his official apology undersigned by the president himself, the PM has stated the following important clause.
"We wish to apologize to India for Rajiv Gandhi on behalf of LTTE".
භාෂා ප්රශ්ණය ඇත්තේ දෙමළ බස හසුරන්නන්ට විතර ද?
Patriots,
I have posted a new article: MR's speech to the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2010.
Please shift over to that post. Thanks!
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