Saturday, December 14, 2013
Lest We Forget: Nelson Mandela Condemns George W. Bush and War With Iraq, January 30th, 2003
"What I am condemning is that one power, with a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust. ... If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don't care." -- Nelson Mandela
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Self-sufficiency in Chillies is GREAT, but is NOT ENOUGH!
We need self-sufficiency in other foods like rice, parippu, maldive fish etc etc.
But, Self-Sufficiency in ENERGY through massive development of RENEWABLE energy sources (solar, wind, wave, in both concentrated large plants and distributed rooftop systems), of energy STORAGE methods (hydrogen gas using electrolysis of water and generation using fuel cells), and electrification of TRANSPORTATION through complete transformation of Sri Lanka’s vehicle fleet to all-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles should be the HIGHEST PRIORITY!
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Govt on chillie self-sufficiency drive
by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor
SundayObserver.lk
December 15, 2013
The annual requirement of dried chillies for the consumption of Sri Lankans is 50,000 metric tonnes. The Government still imports 35,000 metric tonnes of chillies annually to meet the local demand.
The Department of Agriculture made Sri Lanka self-sufficient in dried chillies during the period from 1970-1980. Now, under the guidance of Director General of Agriculture, Dr. Rohan Wijekoon, a massive program to encourage farmers islandwide towards the cultivation of chillies is to be launched by the Department.
Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has instructed top officials to allocate funds to motivate farmers islandwide to cultivate chillies locally, to make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in chillies again, President, Kurunegala District Small Farmers’ Association, S.M. Wimalasena told a conference of representatives of small farmers’ societies in the Kurunegala district. He said the Government will invest Rs. 150 million for this purpose. Under the Divi Neguma national development program of the Ministry of Economic Development, 15,000 farmers in the Kurunegala and Puttalam districts of the North Western Province would be encouraged to grow chillies, fruits and vegetables during the next three months.
Quality chillie and vegetable plants would be provided free to interested farmers by the Government through Divisional Agricultural Instructors, Wimalasena said.
India-Sri Lanka ties netted in fishermen poaching issue
Dec 16 (Xinhua) COLOMBO- Tension between Sri Lanka and India has spiraled as both sides arrest fishermen crossing into each other's maritime boundaries with arrests increasing to hundreds on both sides and triggering calls for diplomatic intervention.
Just last week the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 140 fishermen and 23 boats within just two days. India, not to be outdone, arrested 98 Sri Lankan fishermen in just 13 days in December and with numbers increasing daily. Deeper tensions between Colombo and South Indian state Tamil Nadu seem inevitable. Tamil Nadu and the Sri Lankan government have traditionally had strained relations as the Indian State, home to the largest number of Tamils, has for decades empathized with their Sri Lankan counterparts and their struggle for equal political rights in Sri Lanka.
With the new rise in fishermen arrests this already tenuous relationship has been further strained with Tamil Nadu politicians accusing the Sri Lankan government of turning the narrow strip of sea dividing the two countries into "an open air prison."
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jeyaram is one of the most vociferous critics of Colombo's human rights record and last week sent a letter accusing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of being too soft on the fishermen issue with Sri Lanka's government.
Even though discussions between the two parties have been mooted for next year, they are yet to get locked down, with fishermen getting caught in the middle.
Just days after the 140 Indian fishermen were arrested, Colombo hit back blaming Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jeyaram for keeping Sri Lankan fishermen "hostage" in order to achieve her political goals.
Deputy Minister of Fisheries Sarath Kumara Gunarathne said that by arresting Sri Lankan fishermen and holding them in Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha is attempting to win the support of Indian fishing communities.
Speaking in Parliament, the deputy minister claimed that the Tamil Nadu chief minister is demanding that Indian fishermen be allowed to poach in Sri Lankan waters using large scale fishing gear. The deputy minister said that the methods used by Indian trawlers to catch fish is damaging marine life in Sri Lankan waters when they cross the international maritime boundary.
He urged the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is Sri Lanka' s main Tamil party, to raise the issue with Jayalalithaa as it is affecting the livelihood of fishermen in the North that is governed by the TNA.
Gunarathne also pointed out that attempts are being made to scuttle ties between Sri Lanka and India by using the fishermen issue. However he said President Mahinda Rajapaksa is keen to ensure ties with India and interaction with the Indian central government remain strong.
Rajapaksa himself earlier this month appealed to India's Navy Chief D.K. Joshi to end the deadlock between the two countries but little progress has been made.
Indian fishermen have also alleged that the Sri Lankan navy has attacked them, an accusation that is vehemently denied by the navy.
According to Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Rajitha Senaratne, the industry loses an estimated 78.9 million U.S. dollars'worth of fish from illegal poaching from South India. The government has targeted 500 million U.S. dollars in revenue for 2013, but has had to keep its expectation low due to the significant losses from poaching.
Sri Lankan studies estimate that an average of 1,056 Indian boats cross into Sri Lankan waters illegally, which means 19.72 million U.S. dollars is lost from their shrimp catch alone.
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In total Indian fishermen poach at least 65 million kilograms of fish each year. Satellite images suggest that the poaching is done in a highly-organized manner as the bulk of the boats operate in the night and scramble across the international maritime boundary line by four in the morning.
Colombo has previously defended its soft-peddling of the issue by pointing out that if reports are made to international bodies, most of South India's fishing industry will be shut down and this could not be allowed because of the close relationship enjoyed by the two countries.
As many as 400 fish processing plants subsist on this catch and hints have been made by the minister that strong political backing is given by the Tamil Nadu government.
Sri Lankan officials have complained that international bodies such as the European Union (EU), which is a key market for both India and Sri Lanka, have done nothing to stop the poaching.
However, EU spokesperson Oliver Drewes told local media that the EU is not empowered to address disputes involving one country with its neighboring countries.
"It is up to the relevant states to deal with bilateral disputes on fisheries in line with the provisions of international law," he said. "There are no double standards in the application of the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Regulation which is based on non-discrimination."
Drewes said Sri Lanka had, however, not yet lodged an official complaint with the EU on the Indian poaching issue. "Illegal fishing threatens the livelihood of honest fishermen and it puts at risk the fish supply for the future. At the same time it threatens the environment and the livelihood of coastal communities," the EU spokesman said.
The skyrocketing number of arrests on both sides demand some form of diplomatic engagement to take place, say analysts
Previously both countries agreed that the way forward should be amicable and put in place joint committee with top officials from both countries to interact between the stakeholders but this has gone silent, while allegations and arrests have mounted.
Relations between Tamil Nadu and Colombo have become even frostier if that is possible, in the aftermath of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), for it is generally believed that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh boycotted the event due to pressure from Tamil Nadu politicians.
In such a sub-zero environment, dealing with fishing issues has become even more challenging, analysts believe, but it is evident that something must be done fast.
Yes, Modi will INDEED be the next PM of India when Congress falls in a surge of support for the BJP in next years Lok Sabha elections in India.
Modi may revive India's ECONOMY, if he does not undermine its COHESION pitting Hindus against everyone else.
How will Modi relate to the US, and the Global Western Neocolonialist agenda? Whereas the Congress party and Man Mohan Singh had a healthy suspicion of the Western NeoColonialist motives, will Modi throw caution to the winds and become a NeoColonial puppet as long as it promotes Hindu Nationalist interests?
If that happens, Modi, as an avowed Hindu Nationalist, may decide to support the Racists of Tamil Nadu and oppose Sri Lanka tooth and nail.
Alternatively, as a low-caste self-made person displacing high-caste-political elite in India, will he realize that Sri Lanka's Buddhist policies, that has uplifted all people of Sri Lanka irrespective of community, are a better model for India to follow, and more in line with his own goals of equal treatment for India's poor and impoverished low-caste people?
His economic policies in Gujarat so far have benefited mostly big businesses and foreign companies operating in his state, but the economic boom it created in Gujarat has lifted all communities and reduced the poverty level drastically in his state. This underlies his appeal to the rest of India: that he may be able to do for them what he has done for Gujarat.
Against that positive record, is his record of not having acted quickly to stem the violence in the Hindu-Moslem riots of the past. He is known to be biased against Muslims and to have turned a blind eye to attacks on Muslims. The majority of the people killed in those riots initiated by a Muslim attack on a train of Hindu pilgrims, were Muslims.
What will PREVAIL in Modi's mind and determine his policies? His demonstrated record of Hindu Nationalism, or his desire to eradicate poverty and assist the most needy in India?
I hope the latter motive will prevail, and that he will find common cause with Sri Lanka not only in uplifting the common people, but also in recognizing the twin evils of caste-dominated-Hinduism and the creeping invasion of both India and Sri Lanka by Western NeoColonialists seeking to divide, undermine and split asunder our two nations.
REWRITING of Sri Lanka’s HISTORY by the Elamists, whose Hopes for a Separate State has been Encouraged by the Northern PC Elections, has been RESURRECTED and is again in FULL SWING!
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Ravana,Vijaya, Tissa Hindu kings – TNA MP
By Saman Indrajith
Island.lk
December 17, 2013
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians yesterday said, in Parliament, that Sri Lanka was originally a Hindu nation and its national anthem should be sung in Tamil. If Lanka’s national anthem could not be sung in Tamil in the North, there was no point in singing it in Sinhala there.
“Sri Lanka is a Hindu country. Ravana ruled this land. He was a Hindu king. The Mahavamsa confirms these facts. Therefore, Hindus’ rights should be protected. Ravana is a Siva follower,” Batticaloa TNA MP S Yogeshwaran said.
Participating in the third reading stage debate, on budget 2014, under the expenditure heads of 23 ministries and Secretariat for Special Functions (Senior Ministers), MP Yogeshwaran said: “Vijaya too was a Tamil King. King Devanampiyatissa, too, converted to Hinduism. He also gave Hindu names to his children. Pandukabhaya, too, was a Hindu king who had followed Shaivism.”
Batticaloa District TNA MP P. Ariyanethran said that there was no need to sing the national anthem in Tamil areas if it was not sung in Tamil. The North does not have the need of a national anthem sung in the Sinhala language, he said.
Public Relations Affairs Minister Mervyn Silva, responding to the demands of the TNA MPs, said: “Maha Ravana was a great Sinhala King. Sinhala kings brought princesses from India and married them. For the use of those women, brought down from India, the kings built kovils. So you cannot point out to these Kovils and say that Lanka was ruled by Hindu kings. This is not a Hindu land. God Kataragama was born in the Sakya clan. Do not misinterpret the history of this country.”
Seethawaka Rajadhaniya has always fascinated me. I have tried to retrace its structures on the ground without much success. This book "Seethawaka Urumaya" sheds some light on this kingdom that resisted the Portuguese colonialists at a critical period of Sri Lanka's history.
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The Heritage of Seethawaka By Philip Gunawardena: Essential read for history students
Reviewed by Piyadasa PITIGALA
SundayObserver.lk
August 23, 2009
Philip Gunawardena nicknamed 'The Lion of Boralugoda' was also well known as the 'father of socialism' in our country. However, only a few know that he has been an accomplished writer as well. When he was a member of the British Communist Party he served as a sub-editor of the journal 'Daily Worker' in England.
When his elder brother Harry Gunawardena contested Avissawella seat at the 1931 State Council elections Philip Gunawardena sent stirring pamphlets in Sinhala from England in support of his election campaign. In the 1940s while in prison Philip Gunawardena translated 'The State and the Revolution' by V. I. Lenin into Sinhala.
Philip Gunawardena has done extensive research on the Seethawaka regime. He made use of local and foreign historical references, local beliefs, folklore and practices coming down to his day for the purpose. Before his death Philip Gunawardena had handed over all his research material to Ven. Horathapola Palitha Thera to edit them and publish as a book. Ven. Horathapola Palitha Thera, fulfilling his request, published the book 'Seethawaka Urumaya' posthumously in 1973 in Sinhala based on research and instructions of Philip Gunawardena.
'Seethawaka Urumaya' has been translated into English as 'The Heritage of Seethawaka' by former High Court Judge and Writer W. T. A. Leslie Fernando.
In his preface Philip Gunawardena emphasizes that it is the bounden duty of historians to interpret history based on factual data and sources. He confesses that he is not a historian and he has only tried to present a critical analysis of the Seethawaka period. He adds that the Seethawaka period should be treated as a separate era in Sri Lanka.
Philip Gunawardena explains that in time of stress and great need when the necessity for a redeemer is felt in a country unique men are born to meet the situation. He adds that is how Napoleon appeared in France and Subash Chandrabose in India. He illustrates that similarly in the 16th century Seethawaka emerged as a separate Kingdom with two formidable rulers Mayadunne and Rajasinghe I to save the country at a crucial period (Chapter 1). Like Kings Dutugemunu, Wijayabahu I and Parakaramabahu the Great saved the country in the past, Philip Gunawardena affirms that Mayadunne and Rajasinghe redeemed the country in the Seethawaka Period.
Philip Gunawardena highlights that King Rajasinghe I got down Sikh generals and engineers from Punjab to create a well-trained and disciplined army and build fortresses to meet the challenge of the Portuguese.
It is timely that the Seethawaka Urumaya Foundation has taken steps to translate the book "Seethawaka Urumaya" in Sinhala into English. That would illuminate and bring international fame to a significant period in our history that was earlier considered as a dark period. W. T. A. Leslie Fernando - former High Court Judge who has been entrusted the translation has fulfilled the task well. Indrani Meegama has edited the work giving a new colour to the book and illustrating it with pictures relevant to the Seethawaka period.
At a time when some politicians expound false theories about our history like stories about Pasdun Korale, a politician of the recent past Philip Gunawardena has expounded true facts on the Seethawaka period based on his research. The book is neatly printed in glossy paper by Visidunu Prakashakayo and is reasonably priced at Rs. 200. The book would be appreciated not only by the students of history but also all the patriotic people in Sri Lanka.
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