BY SHIHAR ANEEZ

China is considering 2.5 billion US dollars in a loan and buyers credit to Sri Lanka Beijing’s Ambassador to Colombo Qi Zhenhong as the country is trying hard to repay foreign debt amid a forex crisis triggered by money printed to enforce low interest rates on top of tax cuts.

“We are considering 2.5 billion – 1 billion dollar loan, 1.5 billion dollars buyers credit,” Ambassador Qi told reporters in Colombo.

A buyer’s credit is usually a loan given by Exim Bank of China to purchase goods and services from the People’s Republic and has been used to finance infrastructure in the island in the past.

Continue reading ‘Beijing’s Ambassador to Colombo Qi Zhenhong says China May Give 2.5 Biillon US Dollars soon to Sri Lanka: “We are considering 2.5 billion – 1 billion dollar loan, 1.5 billion dollars buyers credit,” Ambassador Qi Tells Reporters’ »

The Advisory Committee appointed to assist the National Economic Council has presented five proposals to be implemented expeditiously, the President’s Media Division (PMD) noted in a media release.

The members of the Advisory Committee met with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and members of the National Economic Council for the first time yesterday (21), and presented their set of proposals.

The 16-member advisory committee was appointed by the President on 15 March to assist the National Economic Council in finding solutions to the economic problems that have arisen in the country.

Continue reading ‘16-member advisory committee was appointed by President Rajapaksa on 15 March to assist the National Economic Council has presented five proposals to be implemented expeditiously says the President’s Media Division’ »

By Ben Joseph

With the mastermind still at large, the motive not established, and high-profile government officials going scot-free, Sri Lanka’s Easter bombing has reached a cul de sac after three years of investigations.

As the 2019 probe into the terrorist atrocity drags its feet, the less influential Christian community has been let down by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government, which came to power in the same year promising to bring the perpetrators to book.

The 279 people who died in attacks on three churches and three hotels included worshippers in two Catholic churches and a Protestant church attending Easter Sunday services. No wonder the Catholic church views the current regime with suspicion as the probe enters a third year.

From day one, it was clear that the Government had its hands tied, as Rajapaksa’s immediate predecessor Maithripala Sirisena and then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were among top government figures blamed for their inaction despite repeated intelligence warnings about the bombings on 21 April 2019, that left more than 500 wounded.

A group of nine suicide bombers affiliated to local Islamist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) were involved in the attacks. Two days after the atrocity, the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility. Those who perished included 45 foreigners who were having breakfast.

Continue reading ‘As the probe into the Bombings Targeting Churches and Hotels made tardy progress, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith smelled a rat that President Rajapaksa’s aim was just to capitalise on the Easter attacks to assume power. He distanced the church from the Government. Since then, the Cardinal and the President have been on a collision course over the outcome of the probe.’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jaywardena

A lazy Western media narrative on how and why Sri Lanka came to be inflicted by a catalogue of financial, social and Rule of Law catastrophes, most recently reflected in Bloomberg’s opinion piece by Ruth Pollard on ‘How Four Powerful Brothers Broke an Island Nation’ (March 18th, 2022), is significant in what it omits more than what it says.

‘Breaking’ the Sri Lankan nation

Pollard may have been better served by titling her writing, ‘How Sri Lanka’s Greedy and Incompetent Politicians of all Shades Destroyed a State’ or more to the purpose, ‘How a Nation of Fools Continually Elected Worse Fools to Fool Them – And Fell Upon Their Collective Swords.’ Satire aside, this piece is tiringly familiar. So we are told that, ‘In just over two years, Sri Lanka’s first family has presided over a series of crises mostly of its own making.’ From that gripping start, we are taken to ‘ill fated fertiliser bans,’ ‘foreign currency crises’ with the commentary making the centre of Rajapaksa power as its core critique.

This is eminently justifiable, I may hasten to add. President Gotahaya Rajapaksa’s cry this week that he is ‘not to blame’ calls to mind an unruly child complaining to his parents rather than the Head of State taking responsibility for ruinous policy failures that has cost us dearly. His brother, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s injunction to the public, ‘not to think too far ahead’ as he returned with the state begging bowl from India is more of the same coin. That said, it is the bits that are omitted in the Bloomberg essay which are important. These omissions are reflective of a dangerous superficiality that is indicative of a general pattern. As such, that must be countered.

First and foremost, let it be said clearly that the Rajapaksas do not have the prerogative of ‘breaking’ the Sri Lankan nation. That ugly distinction belongs to the country’s entire political spectrum and beyond, with few exceptions if at all.

Continue reading ‘Desperate Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims waiting in the same queues for fuel, diesel, cooking gas and milk powder and the bitterness with which they lament on how they have been beguiled by false promises of men and women of straw may yet form a new beginning for a new Sri Lanka’ »

By

Lucien Rajakarunanayake

The President’s Media Division has issued a statement that the President has not asked the Governor of the Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, to resign, and there is no truth in such reports.

The President stated very clearly in his address to the nation that he had “decided to work with the IMF after examining its advantages and disadvantages.” It is a clear move away from Cabraal’s thinking – Road Map, and constant opposition to having any dealings with the IMF. It is now up to Mr. Cabraal to resign from the Central Bank.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s address to the nation was short with nothing sweet. His important admission was that the current crisis was beyond government control. He may be highly pleased with the National Economic Council appointed, having three Rajapaksa brothers and two SLPP politicos. He will certainly have more pleasure with the Advisory Committee appointed to assist it, with so many names from the business sector.

Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa’s Decision “to work with the IMF after examining its advantages and disadvantages,” is a clear move away from Central Bank Governor Cabraal’s thinking – Road Map, and constant opposition to having any dealings with the IMF. It is now up to Ajith Nivard Cabraal to resign from the Central Bank.’ »

By

Gamini Weerakoon

Do today’s Indian geopolitical strategists continue to dream the dream of their predecessors around days of Indian independence: Converting the Indian Ocean into India’s Ocean? The inclination seems to survive to a lesser degree and today, according to some reports, even an ‘Indian Pond’ will do.

The British had treated this ocean which washed the shores of the possessions of their empire on the coasts of the Arabian, African, Asian continents and deep down to Australia as a British lake. Indian scholars, diplomats and even statesmen in and around days of Indian Independence were thinking aloud of replacing the British — particularly in the seas around South Asia — and making it an Indian lake.

The end of the Cold War, emergence of China as a regional and world power and shifting of political and economic alliances have resulted in the power play in the Indian Ocean taking the form of different political games today.

By the end of the Cold War, the British had completely withdrawn from the Indian Ocean with America replacing it and taking the role of the dominant western power while the Soviet Union entered the Indian Ocean as the second superpower.

The then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, as the leader of the Non Aligned Movement at that time, rallied smaller littoral and hinterland countries demanding that the Indian Ocean be free of superpower confrontations and for its demilitarisation.

Continue reading ‘Do today’s Indian geopolitical strategists continue to dream the dream of their predecessors around days of Indian independence of Converting the Indian Ocean into India’s Ocean? Or Will an “Indian Pond” Do?’ »

The government has reversed its fertiliser policy not to grant subsidy for chemical fertiliser and is to import 38,500 metric tonnes of Pottasium Choloride (KCL) to be distributed under a state subsidy scheme to farmers for the upcoming Yala season.

The State Ministry responsible for the Promotion of the Production and Regulation of the Supply of Organic Fertiliser, Paddy & Grain, Organic Food, Vegetables, Fruits, Chilies, Onion and Potato Cultivation and Promotion of Seed Production and Advanced Technology Agriculture that comes under the Ministry of Agriculture called for bidding on Wednesday through two state institutions, viz., Ceylon Fertiliser Co. Ltd., and Colombo Commercial Fertilisers Ltd.,

Continue reading ‘Govt. reverses policy on subsidy for chemical fertiliser for paddy farmers; 38,500 metric tonnes of Pottasium Choloride (KCL) to be Imported and distributed under a state subsidy scheme to Paddy farmers for the upcoming Yala season.’ »

By Sandun Jayawardana

As a long line of vehicles wait for fuel at a filling station in Galle, two young men, one with guitar in hand, start singing the first few lines of “Veda Karana Ape Viruwa” (The Hero Who Delivers). Some of the motorists waiting in line can barely keep a straight face. The video of the two young men soon goes viral on video sharing social networking app TikTok. It is one of many such videos in recent days that have mercilessly parodied then Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s wildly popular campaign song from 2019.

As a political campaign song, Veda Karana Ape Viruwa’s popularity is unmatched. Slickly produced, with a catchy beat and upbeat lyrics, it became an instant hit. It continued to be popular even after the election that Mr Rajapaksa won handsomely. It was even played in social gatherings such as parties. Over the past months however, as the country’s disastrous economic crisis went from bad to worse, the song has become a symbol of broken promises and a target of public mockery. The ridicule directed at the song is by extension, also directed at the President himself.

In recent days, the song has also been played over videos of fights breaking out at filling stations as tempers boil over due to the country’s crippling fuel shortage. Meanwhile, the soaring prices of goods have prompted some to refer to the President as “Vadi Karana Ape Viruwa” (The Hero Who Increases) – a play on words of the song’s original title.

Continue reading ‘“Veda Karana Ape Viruwa” (The Hero who Delivers): Gota’s Campaign song has become a symbol of broken promises and a target of public mockery. The ridicule directed at the song is by extension, also directed at the President himself.’ »

Surviving numerous odds and facing new challenges including many hours of power cuts and fuel shortages, the seventh successive Jaffna International Cinema Festival (JICF) completed introducing many new talents, felicitating yesteryear cinema greats and showcasing world renowned cinema works to the filmgoers in the peninsula. Organised by Agenda 14, Festival Director of JICF is Anomaa Rajakaruna.

Started last December and conducted with intermittent breaks due to Covid19 pandemic and other obstacles, this final edition of JICF was held from March 9 to 14 at the Kailasapathy Auditorium of the University of Jaffna and the award ceremony at Regal Cinema in Jaffna.

This year the Best Debut Film in Competition was won by India’s Prasun Chatterjee’s ‘Dostojee’ (Two Friends) and Special Jury Mention was given to Bangladeshi debut filmmaker Mohammad Rabby Miridha’s ‘No ground beneath my feet’. The other nomination was ‘The Last Bath’ (Portugal) by David Bonneville.

International Critics’ Jury comprising Lynda Belkhiria (France-Armenia), David W. Miller (UK), Meena Karnik (India), Antonio Urano(Brazil) and Susitha Fernando

Continue reading ‘Director- producer Joe Dev Anand and cinema writer Arthur U. Amarasena felicitated with Life Time Achievement awards The 7th Jaffna International Cinema Festival’ »

By
Dr.Nihal Jayawickrama

At a massive public rally on Tuesday, the Leader of the Opposition is reported to have “challenged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to call a snap presidential election”. If the SLPP was not prepared to do so, the Leader of the Opposition was reported to have demanded that “it should hand over the government to the SJB”. It is unfortunate that a politician at the helm of a major political party should have made such irresponsible and unattainable demands.

Replacing the President

Under our Constitution, the President has no power to call a “snap presidential election”.

Under Article 31, the President may “at any time after the expiration of four years from the commencement of his first term of office” declare his intention of appealing to the People for a mandate to hold office by election for a second term. The current President’s first term commenced in November 2019, and therefore he cannot invoke this Article until November 2023. Moreover, he may invoke it only if he himself is seeking a second term.

Under Article 38(1) of the Constitution, the President may resign his office at any time. If he does so, Parliament is required, within one month, by secret ballot and by an absolute majority, to elect one of its members to serve as President for the unexpired period of his term of office. Until Parliament does so, the Prime Minister will act in the office of President.

Continue reading ‘Demands made by Sajith Premadasa at the Protest Rally Asking Gota to hold Snap Presidential Elections or Hand Over Power to SJB are Irresponsible and Unattainable and Mislead Voters’ »

Over the years Sri Lanka have had a special affinity in unearthing mystery spinners, the kind who have explored their hand and the cricket ball so much that they know to turn, bend and tweak it so well that it leaves the batsmen clueless as to what the ball would do. Most notable ones are Muttiah Muralitharan Ajantha Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dananjaya and at present Maheesh Theekshana. There have been others as well like Tharindu Kaushal and Kevin Koththigoda who bowled with an unusual bowling action in domestic cricket.

If anyone has been closely following the ongoing Major Club Emerging three-day tournament they are certain to come across a bowler by the name of Theesan Vithusan who plays for Moors Sports Club. Vithusan has been an inspiration for Moors SC with his extraordinary style of left-arm orthodox spin that has left many batsmen mesmerised. Vithusan is the reason why Moors SC are streets ahead of all the other clubs in Group A with three wins out of four matches under their belts and with two matches to play are strong favourites to qualify for a place in the semi-finals by finishing as group leaders.

In four matches Vithusan is the joint highest-wicket taker of the tournament (with Tamil Union’s Dilum Sudeera Thilakaratne) with 31 wickets (avg. 15.03) having captured three five-fours and one 10-wicket match bag.

Moors SC Head Coach Former Sri Lanka cricketer Chamara Kapugedera described Vithusan as a bowler with a “unique action”.

Continue reading ‘Jaffna Farmer’s son Theesan Vithusan with an extraordinary style of left-arm orthodox spin Baffles Batsmen Successfully’ »

By

Victor Ivan

It is not correct to perceive Sri Lanka’s balance of payments crisis as a sole outcome of the inadequacies in the country’s economic and monetary management. The rampant corruption has been a major factor of it. There was no desirable environment in the country conducive to maintaining proper financial management.

Since the establishment of a presidential system of governance by the 1978 Constitution placing the President, the head of the State above the law, plunder of public property assumed a regular feature of the system of governance. Since then, corruption has become an uncontrollable and overwhelming menace. The failure of the State, including the balance of payments crisis, can be described as a dreadful consequence of the plunder of public property carried out by the rulers.

Vehicle mania

The provision of vehicles on a tax-free basis to Members of Parliament and later to Government officials can be considered as the forerunner of the procession of plunder of public properties. It can also be considered as a ransom offered to the MPs and Government officials by the Head of State to obtain their support for his agenda of corrupt and arbitrary programs. This corrupt system has led to create a situation in which all Members of Parliament and high-ranking Government officials were made loyal and obedient to the Head of State regardless of party affiliation.

The price paid by Sri Lanka to maintain this corrupt system which appears superficially as an innocent system, is enormous. The number of vehicles provided to Government officials on a duty-free basis during the five years from 2010 to 2015 alone was 38,000. The value of tax revenue deprived to the Government in consequence of it was Rs. 143 billion which is almost three times the total amount spent on the Moragahakanda project, cost of which was Rs. 48.14 billion only. The 38, 000 vehicles had been imported for the use of high-ranking Government officials and not for politicians; if the CIF price of each vehicle is estimated at $ 30,000, the cost incurred in importing them will amount to $ 1.14 billion.

Continue reading ‘Apart from finding a solution for the balance of payments problem, it is necessary that the powers enjoyed by the President to act arbitrarily and plunder the country’s public property with his political allies and cronies while staying above the law, should be abolished’ »

By

Nivedha Selvam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending a summit in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna district on March 30. In the backdrop of the all-important visit, MA Sumanthiran, the MP from Jaffna who is also the spokesman of Tamil National Alliance and a senior lawyer, spoke to The Federal about the 13th amendment of the Sri Lankan constitution, Sri Lanka’s relations with India and Tamil Nadu, and conflicts over fishing in international waters.

Edited excerpts:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka later this month. What do you expect from the visit?

PM Modi will be here mainly to inaugurate the Jaffna Cultural Centre that was built with Indian assistance. Besides, he will attend the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Corporation) conference happening here at the end of March. It is true that we have been making a lot of requests to the Indian government, but I don’t know if any of our requests will be addressed during this visit. We will have to wait and see.

Continue reading ‘“The Indian government must ensure that the principles laid down in the Indo-Lanka accord related to the Tamil people of Sri Lanka are fulfilled.” – TNA Jaffna District MP Sumanthiran’ »

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By Meera Srinivasan & Vikas Dhoot

India on Thursday extended a $1 billion credit facility to Sri Lanka to assist the island nation through its worst foreign exchange crisis and enable it to procure food, medicines and other essential items.

An agreement to this effect was signed between the State Bank of India and the Government of Sri Lanka on Thursday, during a visit of the country’s Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to New Delhi.

Mr. Rajapaksa, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday morning to discuss Indian assistance amid Sri Lanka’s extraordinary economic crisis, also interacted with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday. An official statement from the Finance Ministry said issues of mutual interest and economic cooperation were discussed by the Ministers.

Continue reading ‘India extends a $1 billion credit facility to Sri Lanka to assist the island nation through its worst foreign exchange crisis and enable it to procure food, medicines and other essential items’ »

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has full confidence in Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal, his office said in a statement responding to a media report that the International Monetary Fund has called for his removal.

“The President and the Government has fullest confidence in the CBSL Governor and there is no reason whatsoever to seek his resignation,” President Rajapaksa’s media office said.

“Furthermore the newspaper report that the IMF delegation had laid down such a condition is a total canard.

Continue reading ‘President’s Media Office Issues Denial Saying “President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has full confidence in Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal” nd tht he did not Call for the Governor’s Resignation’ »

By

Chandani Kirinde

Sri Lanka will initially seek technical assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Cabinet co-spokesperson and Plantations Minister Ramesh Pathirana told journalists yesterday.

He said the Cabinet has given approval for the Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to start talks next month but there has been no decision whether to restrict it to technical assistance or move beyond that.

“Cabinet approval has been given to the Finance Minister to go ahead and discuss with the IMF. Their representatives are already in Sri Lanka and we are getting their technical assistance.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka will initially seek technical assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) States Cabinet co-spokesperson Ramesh Pathirana ;”decision on whether to restrict it to technical assistance, advice and other sort of assistance will be decided in the future”says Plantations Minister’ »

By Ishara Gamage

Economic and political experts point out that the contradictory views and opinions that have emerged between the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) regarding the nation’s macroeconomic management will soon lead to a change in the CBSL Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and the composition of the Monetary Board.

In this respect, the Governor of late appeared to be reluctantly compelled to deny publicly that the relations between the Minister and himself had derailed and deteriorated.

More to the point, India, which in recent days had provided tangible financial assistance to stave off bankruptcy via the deferment of Asian Clearing Union (ACU) payment and providing medium term loan-assistance, wanted a proper long-term plan to consider incremental finance implying clearly that the so-called Road Map put up by CBSL was inadequate and did not cut the mustard.

Continue reading ‘A new Central Bank Governor who would pursue policies favourable to both the Interntionl Monetry Fund (IMF and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa is likely to be appointed soon in Place of Present Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi Wednesday morning to discuss bilateral matters and further Indian assistance to the island nation which is in the grips of an extraordinary economic crisis.

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda was present at the meeting.

It is widely expected that India will clear a further $ 1 billion emergency financial support that New Delhi and Colombo have been negotiating since Mr. Rajapaksa’s last visit to New Delhi early in December.

At that time, he held talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, where both sides agreed on a “four-pronged” approach to addressing Sri Lanka’s meltdown, that included Indian credit lines for import of essentials such as food , medicines and fuel; currency swap to help boost Sri lanka’s foreign reserves, an “early” modernisation project of the Trincomalee oil tank farm, and Colombo’s commitment to facilitate Indian investments in Sri Lanka.

Since January last, India has extended $ 1.4 billion support, by way of a $ 400 million RBI currency swap, a $ 500 million loan deferment, and a $ 500 million Line of Credit for fuel imports. The additional $ 1 billion, if cleared, will bring some relief to Sri Lanka, amid its current fuel and gas shortages, and soaring prices of food and other basic items.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa Meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi: Since January India has extended $ 1.4 billion support, by way of a $ 400 million RBI currency swap, a $ 500 million loan deferment, and a $ 500 million Line of Credit for fuel imports. India Expected to clear a further $ 1 billion emergency financial support.’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka is witnessing a string of protests this week by the political opposition and citizens, who blame the Rajapaksa administration for the country’s current economic crisis, sharply felt in the persisting shortage of fuel, cooking gas, and basic commodities that remain unavailable or unaffordable for many.

On Tuesday, tens of thousands gathered along capital Colombo’s sea-facing Galle Road, leading up to the Presidential Secretariat, in a rally led by Sri Lanka’s main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB or United People’s Force). Party members and supporters raised anti-government slogans, asking President Gotabaya Rajapaksa “to go home”.

An image of an angry protestor, raising a pole with two loafs of bread stuck to it, was shared widely on social media, with captions about the dire state of people who are unable to buy even essential items. The Sri Lankan rupee further dropped to nearly 265 to a U.S. dollar, as importers struggle to find dollars.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka witnesses a string of protests by the political opposition and citizens who blame the Rajapaksa administration for the country’s current economic crisis, sharply felt in the persisting shortage of fuel, cooking gas, and basic commodities that remain unavailable or unaffordable for many.’ »

By Ajith Siriwardana

Minister of Water Supply Vasudeva Nanayakkara said today he would not remain in the government, if it was seeking the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and abiding by its conditions.

The Minister told a news conference convened by the eleven constituent parties of the government that seeking assistance of the IMF would mean that Sri lanka would have to abide by its conditions.

Continue reading ‘Water Supply Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara says he wont remain in the government, if it was seeking the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and abiding by its conditions.’ »

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he has decided to work with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after examining the advantages and disadvantages.

Addressing the nation, he said the government has initiated discussions with international financial institutions as well as with friendly countries regarding repayment of loan installments.

Continue reading ‘“Subsequent to my discussions with the International Monetary Fund, I have decided to work with the IMF after examining the advantages and disadvantages ” Announces President Rajapaksa;”we hope to find a way to pay off our annual loan installments, sovereign bonds, and so on” says Gota’ »

BY Ruwani Fonseka

It is speculated that Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) alGovernor Ajith Nivard Cabraal will resign soon, after orders by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and subsequent advice received from Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in light of President Rajapaksa’s discussion with officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday (15), The Morning reliably learnt.

According to sources privy to the matter, the first condition stipulated by the IMF in its extension of technical assistance to Sri Lanka in connection with overcoming the prevailing economic crisis, called for the replacement of CBSL Governor Cabraal.

“The IMF representative who had arrived in Sri Lanka to speak to President Rajapaksa had discussed various debt restructuring and bond repayment methods that would help Sri Lanka ease this financial crisis while emphasising that the first priority was for Cabraal to resign. President Rajapaksa had informed Cabraal to resign today (16) morning.

Continue reading ‘IMF Demands Ouster of Central Bank Governor as a Condition for Assistnce; So Gota Asks Cabraal to Resign but he Appeals to Mahinda who Tells Ajith Nivard “ to quietly step down from his position, without further delay, as it would be better for him to do so”’ »

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa addressed the nation on March 16, amid the worst forex crisis triggered by the country’s Latin America style central bank which was set up in 1950.

President Rajapaksa said the country will go for an International Monetary Fund bailout as the country reels from fuel, medicines shortages.
Sri Lanka cut taxes in December 2019 and printed large volumes of money to keep interest rates down, boosting domestic demand and triggering a collapse of a soft-peg with the US dollar.

Sri Lanka joined the IMF on August 29, 1950, a day after creating a Latin America style soft-peg (an unstable intermediate regime) after breaking a Singapore and Hong Kong style currency board that kept the country stable since 1885.

It will be the 17th time the soft-pegged central bank has sought IMF help.

The full statement is reproduced below:

Continue reading ‘“I am very sensitive to the many sufferings the people have to experience over the past two months. I accept responsibility for the actions I take. Today, I am determined to make tough decisions to find solutions to the inconveniences that the people are experiencing.”- President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Addresses he Sri Lankan Nation’ »

The main Opposition, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday confronted a beleaguered Rajapaksas-led Government mobilising disenchanted masses for a massive protest rally in Colombo.

Mounting protests from Town Hall and Maligawatte, two strongholds of the SJB, thousands of people thronged the rallies which disrupted traffic as well as access to key places within the city.

Continue reading ‘“GOTA GO HOME ”! Thousands of Suffering People Protest at SJB -led Demonstration in Colombo Urging President Rajapaksa to Quit while Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa Calls on Rajapaksa Govt to resign and hand over Governnce of Country to his Coalition of Like-minded Persons’ »

(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Morning”of March 15th 2022 under the heading “President must ‘address’ the future tonight”)

At a time when the entire country is awaiting impatiently to hear some good news or an announcement of relief measures from the Government, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is slated to address the nation tonight (16).

It is too early to assume what the President’s address will mean to the people, especially for the 6.9 million people who placed their faith in him and voted for him. However, what he says will have a significant impact on the crisis-riddled people, and the President should therefore choose his words carefully.

First and foremost, this cannot be just another speech filled with promises and complaints about how the past two years have been challenging, because the Government is past that stage where the people relied on the Government’s promises and sympathised with the Government.

Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa’s Address to the Nation must Disclose What he and his Govt Propose to do o Resolve the Economic Crisis Faced by the Country and People; M the people’s verdict will be based on what actions are taken in the days and weeks following the President’s address and not what the President promises during the address.’ »

By

Ranga Jayasuriya

In recent memory, corrupt and dynastic regimes have fallen not because their citizenry became conscious of democracy overnight, or developed a special alluring for civic rights. But because, the people became poorer, hungrier and angrier.

Economic shocks were the primary catalyst. Rising food prices, soaring fuel cost, currency depreciation and unemployment created a potent cocktail of pent up public anger. As the economy squeezed on the average folks, the opulence of the regime connected elites and rent-seeking oligarchy became ever more conspicuous. The sense of relative deprivation is a far more potent ingredient for popular revolt than the deprivation itself.

Ailing despots in the Middle East sought to sugar-coat the excesses and abuses of their regimes in part by dolling out extensive food and fuel subsidies, which was possible as long as the petrodollars were piling up in the treasury. When the oil price crashed, much of that façade shattered.

In January 2011, Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, killed himself after he was harassed by city authorities, triggering street protests in Tunisia. Demonstrations soon enveloped the region and toppled dynastic and autocratic regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and threatened the survival of fellow autocracies across the region. Rulers in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Morocco and Algeria etc., while holding tight to their security apparatus, also financed a new wave of free goodies and subsidies to soothe the enraged masses. Syria exploded in a blood-curding civil war.

Continue reading ‘The collective sense of despondency has now erupted in mass outrage. The loudest calls for the president and his siblings to ‘resign and go to America’ are coming from a constituency that was once beholden to him.’ »

By

M.K. Bhadrakumar

Hedging between superpowers — United States, Russia and China — was never the smart thing to do. India should have known that the contradictions are simply irreconcilable.

This is a moment of truth, therefore, as the US unsheathes the sword to bleed and dismember Russia, and gives an ultimatum to China to stay out of it.
The gravity of the situation is sinking in, finally. That is the message coming out of the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting convened by PM Modi on Sunday “to review India’s security preparedness, and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,” where he was briefed “on latest developments and different aspects of India’s security preparedness in the border areas as well as in the maritime and air domain.”
The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s meeting with China’s top diplomat and Politburo member Yang Jiechi in Rome later today promises to be a defining moment in world politics.

Yesterday, Sullivan explicitly threatened China in an interview with CNN. He said: “We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them. We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world.”

The warning to China is that it should conform to the US sanctions against Russia and desist from providing support (“lifeline”) to Russia in any form.
The cutting edge of Sullivan’s statement is that it also applies to India. The implications are very, very severe. Simply put, Washington’s demand is also be that India should abandon its relationship with Russia.

That means principally, that India should freeze the defence relationship. Considering that something like 60-70% of weaponry for our armed forces is of Russian origin, this will render a crippling blow to India’s defence preparedness.

Continue reading ‘Indian foreign policy needs a strategic course correction. India should distance itself completely from the self-centred US polices whose aim is the preservation of its global hegemony. The first step in that direction should be to quit Quad.’ »

BY Ruwani Fonseka

No orders have been received from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa or the Government to arrest people who are dancing to the presidential campaign song ‘Wada Karana Ape Wiruwa’ song, says Police Spokesperson SSP (Attorney at Law) Nihal Thalduwa.

He made this statement while speaking exclusively with The Morning today (13).

“A certain news website had shared an article about the President instructing the CID and Police to arrest people who are standing in queues for petrol or milk powder. I can assure that this news that was widely circulated is not true and the police have not received such information. The police cannot arrest people for dancing and singing that song, that is their political views and are entitled to their freedom,” said Thalduwa.

Continue reading ‘No orders from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa or the Govt to arrest people who are dancing to the presidential campaign song ‘Wada Karana Ape Wiruwa’ song states Police Spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa. ”The police cannot arrest people for dancing and singing that song” says SSP’ »

By
Lucien Rajakarunanayake

There is one more Gotabaya Gazette, (of course signed by Basil) announcing the ban or restrictions on imports of non-essential goods. GG is the stuff of Pohottuva governance or misgovernance.

You must not worry too much about the absence of apples, grapes, raisins, beauty creams and lotions, and even freezers and air-conditioners in the coming weeks and months. You can be sure there will be a revised GG or BG, which is the stuff of the current trend in governance.

The price of bread and packets of rice, koththu, and short eats is already up. Rs. 30 more for a loaf of bread, and Rs 900 more for a month, if you buy just one loaf a day. Isn’t that great coming from the Rajapaksa Economic Thinking? Don’t ask anyone from where you will get that extra Rs 900. That will remain your problem.

Continue reading ‘There is also a greater possibility of the Rajapaksa Pavul Kattiya or Pohottuva fellows getting the licenses to import newly banned non-essentials. That is how Gota Business works today, which has nothing to do with the realities of life or hardships in society.’ »

by Sarala Fernando

Before the present crisis engulfed Ukraine most Sri Lankans would have been hard pressed to find Ukraine on the map despite its huge territory and ancient civilization (603,628 km2 , making it the second largest country in Europe after Russia; the territory of modern Ukraine has been inhabited since 32,000 BC according to internet postings). It was the arrival of Ukrainian tourists as the first post-Covid visitors bringing welcome foreign currency that made the headlines in the Sri Lanka press in 2021, despite some scandal that they had also brought a new Covid strain to Sri Lanka. However today since the invasion of Ukraine, security implications override the economic benefits as thousands of Ukrainian and Russian tourists are stranded in Sri Lanka and unable to use even credit cards as international banks withdraw from dealings with Russia.

Yet, lest we forget, Sri Lanka’s relations with Ukraine go back to the time of the armed conflict when the Sri Lankan Airforce had depended heavily on its four Ukraine built AN32 B aircraft to maintain the lifeline with the Palaly complex as described by Dr Gamini Goonetilleke in his book In the Line of Duty on recollections of treating war casualties and armed forces personnel injured in battles in the north. Initially the four purchased aircraft had even been flown by Ukrainian pilots. As I recall one Ukrainian pilot lost his life in a crash. Just recently the remaining planes were refurbished in Ukraine factories and returned to Sri Lanka .

Most of the analysis in the Sri Lanka press and media has been on the economic impact of the Ukraine crisis, the rising oil prices, impact on our exports of tea and garments, impact on tourism, safe return of stranded Sri Lankans etc. Yet we should take cognizance that Russia’s objectives in the invasion of Ukraine are all security related, from dismembering its territory and altering its recognized borders, to its disarmament and neutrality and probably regime-change viz a puppet government to replace the present President elected by 70% of the popular vote. These demands are contrary to the fundamentals of international law and UN resolutions.

Continue reading ‘For some of us who remember 1987, the “parippu drop” and subsequent signing of the Sri Lanka- India Accord . Ukraine recalls the vulnerability of small states situated near Big Powers and the difficulty of pursuing their dreams of independence.’ »

(Text of Press Release Issued by the High Commission of India in Colombo On March 13th 2022)

1.High Commissioner Gopal Baglay inaugurated a humanitarian assistance programme for fishermen and their families in Northern Province along with Hon’ble Douglas Devananda, Fisheries Minister of Sri Lanka on 13 March 2022 in Jaffna. The programme is being carried out under grant assistance by Government of India.

2. 1200 families spread across Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Mannar shall receive food materials and other essential domestic supplies as a part of the programme. Beneficiaries in Jaffna District were handed over these materials during the inauguration and distribution of materials in other parts of the Province shall be carried out in the coming days.

3. Speaking at the event, High Commissioner underlined that India was a brotherly country which cares for the people of Sri Lanka and mentioned that India will continue to extend such humanitarian assistance in the future too. He also said that both Government of India and Government of Sri Lanka are working together towards addressing the issues faced by fishing communities of both countries. Emphasizing the need for keeping traditions alive, he thanked the leadership of Sri Lanka including Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda for facilitating the visit of Indian fishermen and other pilgrims to the Annual Festival at St. Anthony’s shrine in Kachchateevu. Thanking Government of India for the humanitarian assistance programme, Hon’ble Minister Devananda said that the number of Indian pilgrims for the Festival would be in thousands next year.

4. High Commissioner also inaugurated an artificial limb fitment camp in Jaffna held by Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), world’s largest organisation for persons with physical disabilities in terms of fitment of artificial limbs and other related aids. The camp, which is fully supported by Government of India, is held in collaboration with Jaffna District Development Committee (DDC). Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Angajan Ramanathan, Chairman of Jaffna DDC graced the occasion.

5. The artificial limb fitment camp in Jaffna follows a similar Government of India-supported BMVSS camp in Gampaha organized in partnership with Ranaviru Seva Authority. This camp which primarily catered to Sri Lanka Armed Services personnel provided various services such as the Jaipur foot to more than 500 persons with locomotor disabilities. It may also be recalled that Government of India had organized two camps in Vavuniya and Jaffna in 2010 and 2011 respectively. These camps had jointly catered to more than 2500 persons.

6. Northern Province is a region of focus under Government of India’s people-centric development partnership initiatives in Sri Lanka. A number of projects cutting across diverse aspects of daily human lives such as housing, education, health, livelihood development and industrial development, among others have been implemented here. Several other projects are at various stages of implementation

***

Colombo
13 March 2022

by Ajith Siriwardana

Sacked Minister Udaya Gammanpila called Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa an ‘Ugly American’ today and said he should take full responsibility for the economic debacle the country is facing.

He told a news conference that an American citizen was deciding the fate of the country and said he would reveal as to who put the country into this crisis.

Continue reading ‘Sacked Cabinet Minister Udaya Gammanpila Descrbes Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa as the “UGLY AMERICAN ” and says Basil “should take full responsibility for the economic debacle the country is facing.’ »

BY

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

The Supreme Court’s Determination on amendments to Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA, 1979) announced by the Speaker in the House on Tuesday 8th March 2022 is largely predictable, some would mutter sotto voce, pedestrian even.

Not timorous amendments but solid revisions needed

Undoubtedly the Court itself was limited by the patent lack of imagination if not foresight by the Government in presenting amendments of such a tepid nature in the first place. If the intention was to placate critical comments in Geneva and Brussels, than that exercise badly backfired. Strategically speaking, if this package of uninspiring amendments had been bolstered by at least one strong revision of the law which would have signified commitment to recognising the tsunami of injustices that the PTA had resulted in through the decades, one might have been a little more forgiving.

As such, the lament of Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in Geneva that this is only the ‘first step’ and is an improvement on what existed, evokes little sympathy. Equally, the President’s directive to the police not to misuse the PTA is like telling crabs not to walk sideways. It is the nature of policing in Sri Lanka that harsh laws will be misused, indeed, Sri Lanka’s law enforcement is famous for not even needing laws to abuse. Our law books reflect the plethora of cases where even judicial reprimands to the police not to torture have had no impact.

Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa’s directive to the police not to misuse the PTA is like telling crabs not to walk sideways. It is the nature of policing in Sri Lanka that harsh laws will be misused, indeed, Sri Lanka’s law enforcement is famous for not even needing laws to abuse’ »

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema

The Government last Friday (11) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India’s Adani Group allocating two large-scale renewable energy generation projects in Mannar and Pooneryn in the Northern Province to the company, The Sunday Morning learns.

The two renewable energy projects are to generate a combined capacity of an average of 500 MW while the value of both projects has been estimated at around $ 500 million.

The MoU with Adani was signed last Friday at the Finance Ministry soon after the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) signed a Joint Venture (JV) with India’s National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to set up a 50 MW solar power park in Sampur in Trincomalee.

Continue reading ‘Two Large-scale Renewable Energy Generatng Projects in Mannar and Pooneryn Allocated to India’s Adani Group; Both Projects in Northern Sri Lanka Costing US$ 500 Million Expected to Generate Combined Capacity of 500 MW Power in a Year’s Time’ »

By

Marwaan Macan -Markar

Random flashes of public anger have erupted all across Sri Lanka, the South Asian nation in a deepening economic crisis exacerbated by the policy flip-flops of its ultranationalist government.

In some rural areas, effigies of ministers have been burnt by enraged farmers who have suffered from the government’s failed organic fertilizer policy, fingered by agriculture scientists as a main cause of the poor rice harvest.

“If they come here they will go home in a box,” a 52-year-old farmer in the north-central Anuradhapura region fumed, using an ominous idiom for a coffin.
In Colombo, the commercial capital, a fight broke out late one night earlier this month between car owners at a gas station close to the prime minister’s office in an affluent, tree-lined neighborhood. The fisticuffs occurred after sports utility vehicles of the rich had lined up with the ubiquitous three-wheel taxis for hours for the last drops of petrol and diesel — both now scarce.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka is rapidly becoming a tinderbox of rage. The anger that had been limited to social media commentary is now bursting into the public square.’ »

By

Victor Ivan

The prime issue contained in the petition filed by Nagananda Kodituwakku making the Bribery and Corruption Commission, its chairperson and its members, and the Election Commission, its former chairmen and members as respondents, can be described as an important topic that reflects the extent of decline and deterioration suffered by the Sri Lankan State and its system of institutions.

The petition contains three issues; one is about a grave injustice the petitioner himself had suffered in connection with the Presidential Election. He had relinquished his citizenship of the United Kingdom in anticipation of contesting the presidential election which he was denied as the party that had agreed to nominate him refused to give him nominations at the last minute. The alleged charge made against Mahinda Deshapriya, the former Chairman of the Election Commission that he has committed a punishable offense consciously by accepting nomination of Gotabaya Rajapaksa offering him a chance to contest the election despite the grounds available for rejecting his nomination, can be considered the main issue of the petition.

His third allegation is about the failure of the Bribery and Corruption Commission to investigate a complaint lodged by him against the Election Commission, including its chairman and the members of the Election Commission for committing corruption by not investigating it. Of these three issues I don’t intend to analyse all of them. My focus will be on the dreadful story of allowing Gotabaya Rajapaksa to contest the election contrary to the law when he had a serious disqualification for contesting.

In this case, Nagananda blatantly accuses Mahinda Deshapriya, the former chairman of the Election Commission, who could be considered as one of the most popular figures among Government officials. The former Chairman of the Election Commission is someone I have known as a friend for a long time. I am not happy at all for having had to criticise him which is not beneficial to him. But I must admit that I am compelled to do so considering the importance of this issue.

Continue reading ‘Dual Citizen Gotabaya Rajapaksa was Ineligible to Contest Presidential Elections in 2019 Because Gota’s Relinquishing of US Citizenship came into effect only from March 31st 2020! Why did Elections Commission not Reject his Nomination then? Why did the Main Presidential Candidates not Raise an Objection then?’ »

C

By

Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka

For the first time in the history of the United Nations Human Rights Council and in all probability the history of the United Nations system, and for the first time in the long history of the Roman Catholic Church, a Cardinal addressed the UNHRC. It was also the first time in Lankan history that a top religious leader addressed a UN body and made a moral-ethical denunciation of ‘the incumbent government’.

Continue reading ‘Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith Drops “Thermobaric bomb on the Rajapaksa regime bunker” while addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Genev;Makes history as first Catholic Cardinal and First Religious Leader from Sri Lanka to Speak at the UNHRC’ »

By

Ruwani Fonseka

Further to the protest staged last week by the Samagi Jana Balawegeya (SJB) women’s wing Samagi Vanitha Balawegeya (SVB) National Organiser Hirunika Premachandra, Premachandra appeared on a facebook live video today (10) claiming that she and her family are being followed by ‘masked men in motorcycles’ and family phones have been tapped.

Premachandra alleged earlier that informed sources have alerted her that there are plans to arrest those who organised the protest in front of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence in Mirihana last Saturday (5), including herself.

Continue reading ‘Hirunika Premachndra Alleges that she and her family are being followed by ‘masked men in motorcycles’ and the family phones are being tapped. Consequent to the “Samagi Vanitha Balavegaya” Protest Organized by her Opposite Preident Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Mirihana Residence Last Week’ »

By Sudha Ramachandran

Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen have written to M. K. Stalin, the Chief Minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, asking him to find a “progressive” solution to their conflict with Tamil Nadu fishermen.

In the letter, they drew attention to their grave socio-economic situation, which is the outcome of bottom trawling by fishermen from Tamil Nadu who are entering Sri Lankan waters, they said.

Bottom trawling involves scouring sea beds for fish. In addition to netting the targeted fish species and shrimps, this method of fishing pulls in a variety of marine life, including coral and seaweed. It destroys spawning grounds and the marine ecosystem, and thus depletes future catch. While this method of fishing is banned in Sri Lanka it continues to be practiced in India.


Bottom trawling has been practised in the Palk Bay since the 1960s. Indeed it was encouraged, even incentivised with subsidies by the Indian government as it is productive and earns foreign exchange.

Continue reading ‘Prioritizing the lives and livelihoods of Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen by India is necessary not only for humanitarian reasons but also to prevent China advance to its southern doorstep.’ »

Is there any way to stop the BJP juggernaut?

With these poll results, the BJP has proven it just can’t be stopped.

Uttar Pradesh

The BJP will retain power in India’s most populous state in a triumph for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The data showed that the BJP and its allies had won 274 of the 403 seats, with a vote share of 41.8 per cent as against 39.67 per cent in the 2017 Assembly polls, an increase of 2.13 per cent.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and its allies were able to win 124 seats, while the Congress and the BSP had to eat dust with just 2 and 1 seats respectively.
With this win, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has achieved the maiden feat of an incumbent returning to power in the state after serving a full term.

There’s also news swirling that with the Uttar Pradesh win, Yogi may get a place at the BJP high table with a berth in its parliamentary board, the highest decision-making body of the party.

Continue reading ‘India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Victorious in State Assembly Polls of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakand,Goa and Manipur while the Aam Aadmi Party(AP) Registers Stunning Win in Punjab’ »

By

Ranga Jayasuriya

Can the government share with the public the list of bondholders who were paid in the January repayment of the US$ 500 million International Sovereign Bond, so that the people might peruse it and know how we got there?

That bond repayment is the straw that broke the camel’s back of the country’s foreign reserves. The eagerness on the part of the Central Bank governor to pay the bond against all advice was equally striking.

Sri Lanka is a rare gem where the government keeps insisting on honouring bond repayments against all advice, including the IMF, while its foreign reserves are in a net negative against this year’s projected debt payment of US$6.7 billion. Since the country’s credit ratings have already been downgraded to C or C+, and therefore considered as entailing a heavy default risk, and depriving it the access to the international financial markets, that is no longer about defending non-existent creditworthiness. The government abandoned the issuance of ISB after several previous ones were severely undersubscribed.

The bond repayment in January smacks as a decision guided by the personal calculations, to reward a few henchmen who had bought the coupons in the secondary market at a hefty around 50% discount after the original owners dumped fearing a default.

Continue reading ‘Can the government share with the public the list of bondholders who were paid in the January repayment of the US$ 500 million International Sovereign Bond? Was Bond repayment to reward a few henchmen who bought the coupons in the secondary market at 50% discount after the original owners dumped fearing a default.?’ »

BY

MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR

Just as Sri Lanka’s civil war exploded in the early 1980s, a new nighttime sound began to spread from odd corners of the country’s capital: the rapid beat of steel blades. The rhythms flowed out of the oil-stained, all-night restaurants that catered to Colombo’s night crawlers. The drummer was the koththu roti chef at work.

Koththu roti, a Sri Lankan street food, being made at a food stall that pops up nightly at the Galle Face Green, an open recreational field along downtown Colombo’s shoreline. (Photo by Marwaan Macan-Markar)

Word spread quickly about this novelty: a street-food dish whose name means “chopped roti” in Tamil.

It is a combination of gothamba roti (a flat, flaked bread) mixed with spices and shredded vegetables, topped with egg, gravy and chicken. The whole thing is heated on a griddle as the chef bangs away with two metal cleavers, crafting a spicy and carbohydrate-heavy dish perfect for late-night refueling.

Continue reading ‘Rise of “Kothu Rotti” From Its Tamil-Muslim Origins in Batticaloa to a Sri Lankan National Food with a “Sound Bite”’ »

BY Pamodi Waravita

The US yesterday (7) spoke about Sri Lanka during the interactive dialogue about the country at the 49th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), where they called upon the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to engage with Tamil and Muslim parties for a “lasting political solution”.

“We call on the Government to engage with Tamil and Muslim political parties and civil society organisations to advance an inclusive, lasting political solution,” the representative for the US said in Geneva, Switzerland, yesterday.

Continue reading ‘The US asks Sri Lankan Government “to engage with Tamil and Muslim political parties and civil society organisations to advance an inclusive, lasting political solution” t the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva’ »

Catholic Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) yesterday that the Easter Sunday bomb attacks were not purely the work of Islamic extremists but part of a grand political plot.

“The first impression of this massacre was that it was purely the work of a few Islamic extremists. However, subsequent investigations indicate that this massacre was part of a grand political plot,” the Cardinal said in a statement to the 49th Session of the UNHRC.

Here is the full text of his statement:

Continue reading ‘Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith addressing the UNHRC 49th session in Geneva says Easter Sunday Terror Attack was “part of a grand political plot” and calls upon member countries to support the continuation of evidence gathering initiated by the Council last year and to devise a means to ensure an investigation to unravel the truth behind the Easter Sunday massacre.”’ »

Neo-Nazis, whose roots in Ukraine extend to their collaboration with Hitler during World War II, have a free run in the country. That may not last.

One of the objectives for the military operation in Ukraine, as spelt out by Russian president Vladimir Putin in his speech on the eve of the action, is “demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine, as well as bringing to justice those who committed numerous bloody crimes against civilians”.

Now, the National Guard of Ukraine’s Twitter account has sent out a video tweet claiming that Azov fighters of the National Guard have coated their bullets with pig fat to be used against Muslim fighters of the Chechen forces reported to be fighting for the Russians in Ukraine. Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechnya region, had on Saturday declared that his forces have been deployed in Ukraine.

Continue reading ‘Russia’s Military Invasion Beams the spotlight on Ukraine’s Powerful Neo-Nazi Militias whose Roots Lie in Collaboration with Hitler’s Nazis During World War 2’ »

(Text of Speech made in Parliament by Jaffna District TNA Parliamentarian MA Sumanthiran on 05th December 2022 )

Thank you Hon. Chairman of Committees.

Out of those 26 minutes that I have, I will speak for 20 minutes, the balance 6 minutes will be taken by Hon. Govinthan Karunakaram. I am glad that both Ministers whose ministries are being discussed at the committee today are present in the chambers, Ports, Shipping and Aviation; and Justice, Constitutional Affairs and Prison Reforms.

I have seen a report that Sri Lankan Airlines in the 1st half of the Financial year 22/23 had lost 112.8 Billion rupees. That’s the losses made in the first half of the Financial year on 22/23, now that includes the forex losses also. Nevertheless that’s a staggering figure, and that every month we keep making these losses and the State absorbs this. I am mentioning the figure because the cost of having an election is only 11 Billion, and whenever we talk about an election the defence is taken. “how can we afford an election?”

One month’s loss of Sri Lankan Airlines is more than the cost of having an election. So, that is not an argument, you keep making these losses and then you say how can we hold an election? Fundamental to the functioning of a democracy is periodic elections; one might say, “Well, the Parliament has a mandate for 5 years, and why are you asking for an election now?”

I wish to draw the attention of both Hon. Ministers today; by your own very conduct you conceded to the country that this parliament has lost its mandate. A few months ago both of you crossed the floor, and came and sat in the opposition.

You conceded that the Parliament had lost its mandate; the election which gave a near two thirds majority to the government at that time was lost. Subsequently you were both given ministerial portfolio and you have crossed back to the government side, taken the cabinet post, and you are both in the front row now.

Continue reading ‘“If a deal is being made, a contract is given, and percentages are already allocated. 5 % for the minister, so much for the ministry secretary, so much for somebody else, all of that is established, systemised That is why the youth of the country are saying, “System Change”. -MA Sumanthiran MP’ »

By

Nimal Sanderatne

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict will have severe repercussions on the fragile external finances of the country.

Our Import expenditure will increase, tea export earnings could decline, export manufacturers could face shortages of raw materials and the expected revival in tourism this year is unlikely.

Trade deficit

Consequently, the trade deficit would widen and the balance of payments deficit would increase. With foreign reserves being at a bare minimum, these are serious threats to the economy.

Continue reading ‘How and Why the Invasion of Ukraine by Russia Will Worsen the Economic Plight of Sri Lanka and Make the Country’s Future Bleak’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

The powerfully symbolic image of the head of Sri Lanka’s Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican and soon thereafter, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in Geneva this week conveys an unmistakable warning to the Rajapaksa Presidency.

A Government besieged on all sides

This was not the opening up of another front of challenge that this Government, already racked by inner convulsions, would want. As the meetings took place on the eve of the resolution on Sri Lanka being taken up at the 49th session of the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner had already indicated her mind as to where the focus would be.

The multiple emphasis was on pervasive militarisation of civilian spaces, undermining of democratic institutions including the legal judicial and prosecutorial functions, deprivations of the rights of minorities and the harassment of critics.

In sum, extreme impunity and deepening injustice evidenced thereto needed comprehensive ‘legal, institutional and security sector reforms,’ not token measures, the High Commissioner said.

Opening statements by members of the Council also indicated a firm shift from the earlier primary focus on end-of-war crimes in 2009, to broader Rule of Law concerns. To some extent, this is an opening that the Government may capitalize on if it only had the wit, the capacity and the intelligence to do so.

But the twaddle that the Minister of Foreign Affairs indulged in, is a classic example of what not to do. There is little logic let alone reason in what was articulated on behalf of the State to the High Level Segment of the 49th UNHRC session.

Merely parroting that we have domestic institutions for ‘reconciliation, accountability and social justice’ will not do. This is tired rhetoric. These institutions must actually work, justice must actually be meted out and victims must actually be afforded the full breadth of their constitutional rights.

Continue reading ‘To make the links between a systemic culture of impunity cultivated by politicians and law enforcement as part of a coercive security apparatus and the existential crisis that Sri Lankans face today is the challenge’ »

By

Don Manu

Finally on Thursday evening, the President reached the end of his long tether and sacked the two main sprites of the unholy trinity existing in his cabinet, sparing only the ghost.

The presidential act would have only been surprising if it had not been taken. It was long overdue. For far too long Industries Minister Wimal and his stand-in side kick Energy Minister Gamman, each with two faces and both double tongued, had been allowed free reign to criticise cabinet decisions — even take the Government to court — in flagrant breach of cabinet responsibility.

By being the conniving participant and the outraged critic simultaneously, they had fooled both the Government and the people with their sham double roles for far too long. It was payback time.

It had not augured well for the president, who had swept to power promising to instill discipline into the masses, to have long dithered instilling discipline into his own cabinet. But no matter what outlandish thing Wimal and Gamman did — along with Water Supply Minister Vasudeva, the octogenarian third member of the rebel trinity — to promote their own ratings at the cost of the government’s weal and woe, the executive rod had been spared.

But for months on end, both Wimal and Gamman have shown nothing but contempt for this convention; and have held it as their prerogative to flout it whenever they chose, to score brownie points with the people by seeming to attack unpopular government decisions, only to crawl back into the cabinet and approve the decision or raise their hands in a show of ayes to a draconian Bill in Parliament which they had decried in public the day before.

The axe, which had swiftly fallen on lesser fry like the non-cabinet State Minister Susil Premajayantha in January for merely speaking against government policy to a journalist, had been held suspended over these two ministers, but, alas, when it did fall the damage had already been done. The two had lifted the veil of cabinet secrecy to reveal dissent was rife.

The only saving grace for the Government was that the two ministers had been denied from walking out of their own accord as martyrs but as two turncoats who had clung onto their positions and perks and privileges unto the last, and would have clung onto unto the end, if not given the presidential boot and thrown out to the cold.

Continue reading ‘Double Game Played by Weerawansa and Gammanpila of Simultaneously Being Conniving Participant and Outraged Critic of Govt Ends as President Rajapaksa Sacks Both Turncoats From Cabinet Instead of Letting Them Walk out Freely as Martyrs’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

India on Friday called upon Sri Lanka to take “necessary steps” to address the “legitimate aspirations” of the Tamil community, while reiterating its earlier stance that it is in Sri Lanka’s “own interest that the expectations of Tamils in Sri Lanka for equality, justice, peace and dignity, within a united Sri Lanka, are fulfilled”.

Delivering a statement in the interactive dialogue segment on the U.N. Human Rights chief’s latest report on Sri Lanka, Ambassador Indramani Pandey, Permanent Representative of India told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that, “As its friend and immediate neighbour, India has consistently called upon Sri Lanka to fulfil its commitments on addressing the issues related to protecting the interest of Tamils in Sri Lanka.”

While making a similar intervention last year, India abstained from voting on the resolution on Sri Lanka. There is no resolution or vote on Sri Lanka this year.

Continue reading ‘India Calls Upon Sri Lanka at the UNHRC in Geneva “to take the necessary steps to address legitimate aspirations of the Tamil community, including the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka” and “continues to urge the Sri Lankan Government for the early conduct of elections to the Provincial Councilsin keeping with its commitment to devolution of power”’ »

(Statement by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights During the Update and Interactive dialogue on Sri Lanka at the 49th session of the Human Rights Council)

4 March 2022

Distinguished President,

Excellencies,

Council Members have received our written update on Sri Lanka (A/HRC/49/9). It mainly focusses on developments since our previous report in February 2021, and demonstrates the vital need for the Council’s continuing attention.

There have been some recent signs of increased engagement by the Government with OHCHR and certain steps to initiate reforms. The proposals to amend some provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and to release some detainees under the Act, are welcome initial steps. I encourage the Government to take further steps to address the fundamental problems with the PTA, as well as undertake the deeper legal, institutional and security sector reforms that are critically needed, to put an end to impunity and prevent any recurrence of past violations.

Regrettably, the past year has also seen further obstruction and setbacks to accountability. Victims and their families continue to be denied truth and justice. And the Government’s response to criticism has constricted democratic and civic space, including for essential human rights advocacy.

My February 2021 report identified a number of underlying trends that threaten human rights. These trends continue to advance. The militarisation of civilian government functions is further deepening. I remain deeply concerned by the concentration of civilian positions in the hands of military officials – some of them implicated in serious allegations of human rights violations. The expression of ethno-religious nationalism in State institutions has become more visible, increasing the marginalisation and fear of minority communities, and undermining reconciliation. Since the end of 2020, we have noted a significant increase in land disputes, mainly related to Buddhist heritage conservation or forestry protection, that are exacerbating grievances of minority communities and creating new tensions.

Continue reading ‘“In Sri Lanka ,the expression of ethno-religious nationalism in State institutions has become more visible, increasing the marginalisation and fear of minority communities, and undermining reconciliation” – UN Human Rights Chief Michele Bachelet at the UNHRC 49th Session in Geneva’ »

By Chandani Kirinde

Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa came in for strong criticism from dissidents within the ruling party who accused him of deliberately running the country’s economy to the ground so as to allow American intervention.

Sacked ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara joined ranks to berate Rajapaksa for running the Sri Lanka Podujana peramuna (SLPP) as his private property and using that to influence the President’s decision making.

“Basil Rajapaksa has only one contract. The Americans can take him into custody on money laundering charges at any time and to stop that from happening he has to work for the Americans. He is deliberately allowing the economic crisis to deepen so as to create a situation which leaves the door open for American intervention,” Weerawansa told journalists.

Continue reading ‘“Americans Can Arrest US Citizen Basil Rajapaksa on money laundering charges at any time” States Wimal Weerawansa;” to stop that from happening he has to work for the Americans. Basil is deliberately allowing the economic crisis to deepen so as to create a situation which leaves the door open for American intervention,” Alleges Sacked Industries Minister’ »

The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar yesterday ordered to release several accused including former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, former Central Bank Governor Arjun Mahendran and Perpetual Treasury Director Arjun Aloysius from 13 charges in connection with the Central Bank Bond Scam issue in 2016.

Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar bench, by majority decision, said that public property charges against the accused Perpetual Treasury cannot be maintained as it was not a natural person and could not be prosecuted under the Public Property Act.

Continue reading ‘10 Persons Including Arjuna Mahendran, Ravi Karunanayake, and Arjun Aloysius Released from 13 Charges Rela ting to Alleged Central Bank Bond Scam Amounting to 36.98 Billion Rs; Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar bench by majority decision Rules that Charges Cannot be Maintained Against Perpetual Treasuries Ltd’ »

By

Matthew Engel

Shane Warne, who has died aged 52 of a suspected heart attack, was almost certainly the greatest spin bowler cricket has ever produced. More than that, he was one of the most outsize personalities of any sport. Everything he did in his game and his life was on a grand scale: he lived fast and, it transpires, died young.

Warne singlehandedly revived the discipline of leg-spin, which by the time he burst into Test cricket in the 1990s was almost a lost art. He arrived into an Australia team that had already embarked on a run of eight Ashes series wins and made it overwhelmingly stronger – he was still in the business of terrorising Englishmen when he retired from Test cricket 14 years later.

Spin bowlers in his era, certainly English ones, often found themselves apologetic figures brought on to give a little breather to the fast men, who had begun to dominate the sport, certainly outside Asia. Warne was the reverse: he was not just a master of his craft; he commanded the arena.

He made that clear from the first ball he bowled in an Ashes Test, to Mike Gatting at Old Trafford: “Two-thirds of the way down the pitch the ball dipped into the leg-side, opening Gatting up like a can of beans, before ripping diagonally across his body to clip the outside of off-stump,” wrote Mike Selvey in the Guardian. “Gatting stood his ground, not in dissent or disappointment but in total, utter disbelief.”

Continue reading ‘Outstanding Australian Cricketer Shane Warne Dies at the age of 52; Devastatingly inventive Master leg-spin bowler took 708 wickets in 145 Test matches’ »

By

Victor Ivan

The country is moving towards pitch darkness instead of from darkness to light. It can be said that the present program of scheduled power cuts imposed island-wide and how it is being implemented, amply symbolises the destructive journey of the country towards darkness. The balance of payments crisis in Sri Lanka is obvious and critical. It is not difficult to understand the breakdown of the social system. But the deterioration of the State mechanism is not so obvious. It can be considered as one of the least discussed topics when talking about the crisis in Sri Lanka.

Three fundamental rights petitions filed recently in the Supreme Court reflect the extent to which the Sri Lankan State has degenerated. One petition has been filed by Shani Abeysekera, former director of the CID. The other two by Nagananda Kodithuwakku, a public interest activist, and Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu of the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) respectively. I consider the facts presented by Shani Abeysekera in his petition based on his experience about the attack on Easter Sunday and how the State and the military intelligence agencies have responded to it, are very important.

Continue reading ‘Shani Abeysekera’s FR Petition Indicates that there had been an illegal. strange link between the gang of Zaharan that carried out the Easter bomb attack and the state intelligence agenciy and military intelligence before and until the attack of Easter Sunday.’ »

By Chandani Kirinde

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last evening removed Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila from their ministerial portfolios and made several changes to his Cabinet amidst growing criticism of the Government’s handling of the economy.

Weerawansa and Gammanpila lost their portfolios after having on Wednesday openly criticised the way the Government is being run with Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa coming in for harsh condemnation for his inability to get the economy on track.

The two MPs who are part of the 11 constituent parties in the SLPP led Government, which on Monday unveiled a National Policy of their own, were informed of their removal by a letter signed by the President last afternoon.

Continue reading ‘Vocal Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila sacked after they openly criticise handling of economy; Weerawansa thanks President for removing him, Gammanpila says will lead national struggle’ »

In a major move 11 constituent parties of the Government yesterday joined hands against the fumbling of the Rajapaksa leadership and urged for early resolution of five crises to thereby usher real economic development for people.

The five crises listed included depleting foreign reserves, foreign debt servicing, loss of Government revenue, economic mismanagement and worsening economic crisis, collapse of agriculture and local industries.

Top Cabinet Ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, Wasudeva Nanayakkara, former President and MP Maithripala Sirisena, State Ministers Dayasiri Jayasekara and Lasantha Alagiyawanna, MPs and Members of Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), Democratic Left Front (DLF), Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL), National Congress, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) were among several dissenting voices who attended the landmark joint meeting.

Continue reading ‘11 constituent parties of Govt Join Hands Against Rajapaksa Leadership and unveil remedial measures via joint statement titled “Entire country on the right path”; Wimal Weerawansa blasts Basil for ignoring sound economic advice- Gammanpila alleges Govt being blind in identifying and implementing priorities’ »

BY Buddhika Samaraweera

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reshuffled the Cabinet of Ministers yesterday (3), with two Cabinet Ministers being removed, one being newly appointed, and three cabinet ministerial posts being swapped with senior members of the Government.

Accordingly, Industries Minister Wimal Weerawansa and Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila, who were recently seen criticising the current Government’s policies, have been removed from the said ministerial posts.

Weerawansa has been replaced as the Industries Minister by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament (MP) S.B. Dissanayake.

Continue reading ‘SB Dissanayake Given Wimal Weerawansa s Industries Minister; Power Minister Gamini Lokuge Replaces Udaya Gammanpila as Energy Minister;Transport Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi Transferred to Power Ministry while State Minister Dilum Amunugama is Elevated as Cabinet Minister of Transport’ »

BY Buddhika Samaraweera

A total of 11 political parties representing the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)-led Government launched a new national manifesto statement yesterday (2), with over 30 government MPs, including a number of cabinet ministers and state ministers, attending the launch event held in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

The manifesto, titled “Mulu Ratama Hari Magata” (the entire country towards the right path), was launched by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the National Freedom Front (NFF), the Democratic Left Front (DLF), the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the National Congress, the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU), the Sri Lanka People’s Party, the Vijaya Dharani National Council (NC), the People’s United Front, and the Yuthukama National Organisation.

Continue reading ‘11 Political Parties Represented in the SLPP led Govt Release National manifesto titled “Mulu Ratama Hari Magata” (the entire country towards the right path);over 30 govt MPs, including cabinet and state minisers attend launch event in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.’ »

By

Ruwani Fonseka

As per the power vested in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila and Minister of Industries Wimal Weerawansa have been stripped of their Ministerial portfolios with immediate effect.

This was made known via a media release by the President’s Media Division (PMD) today (03).

Continue reading ‘Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila and Industries Minister Wimal Weerwansa Sacked from Cabinet by President Gotabaya Rajapaks for expressing critical sentiments towards the Government in the recent past.’ »

The Ministerial Portfolios of Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila are to be removed, well placed sources told The Morning today (03).

Meanwhile, the following reshuffles to Ministerial Portfolios are to be made:

Continue reading ‘Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila to be Stripped of their ministerial Portfolios for continuously criticising Govt; Majority at Podujana Peramuna Group Meeting Demand their Removal from Cabinet’ »

(Text of Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka at the 49th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 4th 2022)

The Council has before it (A/HRC/49/9), the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.

Presentation of Report

MICHELLE BACHELET, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the report mostly focused on developments since the last report. There had been recent signs of increased engagement and certain steps to initiate reforms. The Government should take further steps to address the fundamental problems with the Prevention of Terrorism Act and undertake deeper legal, institutional and security sector reforms that were critically needed to put an end to impunity and prevent any reoccurrence of past violations. However, victims and their families continued to be denied truth and justice.

There were a number of underlying trends that threatened human rights, and these continued to advance. There was deep concern about the concentration of civilian positions in the hands of military officials, some of them implicated in serious allegations of human rights violations.

Minority communities continued to be marginalised and lived in fear. There were land disputes which were exacerbating the grievances of minority communities and creating new tensions.
Two years after committing to pursue an accountability process before the Council, the Government had not yet produced a credible road map on transitional justice towards accountability and reconciliation. The families of the disappeared called for truth and justice and to know the fates of their loved ones. Perpetrators should be called to justice in this regard.

Continue reading ‘India,European Union, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Egypt, Montenegro, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , Canada, Philippines, Nepal, Kenya and France Speak During Dialogue on Sri Lankan Situation at the UNHRC in Geneva on March 4th 2022’ »

By
Yohan Perera

Catholic Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith met UNHRC High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet in Geneva today.

The meeting comes two days after Cardinal Ranjith met Pope Francis and briefed him on the investigations that are being carried out on the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in 2019, and stressed the need to seek international assistance to uncover the mastermind behind that gruesome suicide attack.

Continue reading ‘Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith Meets UN High Commissioner for Human Rghts Ms.Michele Bachelet in Genev and has discussions “about revealing the truth behind the Easter Sunday terror attacks on April 21st 2019“’ »

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

“The cause of foreign exchange crisis is not my fault or th fault of the government.”
– President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (Speech on 26 Feb. 2022)

Noam Chomsky coined a term to explain the US’s obsession with Cuba, Mafia doctrine: “The Godfather does not tolerate disobedience” (Hopes and Prospects). Give respect, or you are punished.

Today, what Professor Chomsky called, ‘an underappreciated principle of international order,’ is at play in Vladimir Putin’s thuggish onslaught on Ukraine. If President Putin stayed his forces on the borders of Luhansk and Donetsk, the two ‘republics’ he carved out of Ukraine, his actions might have fallen within that other American construct, Monroe doctrine. Instead, he is trying to subjugate Ukraine totally, to teach this weaker neighbour, and everyone else by extension, a lesson in obedience.

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is no different from George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Most who condemned Saddam Hussein’s tyrannical rule also opposed the invasion, despite attempts by Mr. Bush’s neo-con enablers to conflate the two. Like that disastrous venture, Mr. Putin’s invasion too will change the world for worse. Ultra-nationalist forces on both sides will be strengthened. A new arms race will be born, consuming resources that should have, might have, been spent on vital social welfare and climate protection measures.

The West’s culpability in the unfolding tragedy is unarguable. NATO should have ceased to exist when its raison d’être vanished with the disintegration of the Soviet Union. A new Marshall Plan should have been launched for the former Warsaw bloc countries, including Russia and the ex-Soviet republics. One of the most pernicious outcomes of that strategic failure was the rapid rise of ethno-religious populism, including paramilitary neo-Nazi movements like the Azov Battalion in Ukraine and RNU in Russia. Had the post-Soviet East gone the way of the post-war West, even a President Putin could have been avoided.

Continue reading ‘Economic sanity seems to be the rarest of commodities in Rajapaksa Sri Lanka. The Rajapaksas’ words and deeds indicate that they are clueless both about the crisis and a way out.’ »

By

Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka

Sri Lankan politicians indict their successors by referring to the achievements on their watch and pointing out how the successors squandered what had been bequeathed them. Let’s apply that to diplomacy.

The resolution at the UNHRC Geneva on Ukraine, a highly emotive issue on which there is a wave of global opinion propelled by the world’s most powerful coalition of states and superstar opinion-makers, obtained 29 votes. So that’s obviously a very high-water mark.

In May 2009, on my watch as Ambassador/PR, the supportive resolution in the immediate aftermath of a hard-fought war and controversial victory, moved in pre-emption of a Western resolution on Sri Lanka against the backdrop of a strong western campaign fronted by the (then) UN Human Rights High Commissioner, obtained the exact same number of votes—29—for Sri Lanka.

Continue reading ‘Ukraine holds lessons for Sri Lankan majoritarian (“Sinhala Buddhist”) chauvinists- If majoritarian nationalism attempts to impose its agenda on national linguistic-regional minorities who have ethnic kin in a neighbouring state, then the minority looks to that neighbouring state.’ »

“Some days ago I gave a speech in parliament and I believe it was appreciated in Tamil Nadu. As I was walking out of parliament, one journalist asked me, ‘why did you mention Tamil Nadu so many times’?” Rahul Gandhi recalled.

“My blood is mixed with your soil, and so I have the right to call myself a Tamil,” said MP Rahul Gandhi, during the launching event of the autobiography of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin titled “Ungalil Oruvan” (One Among You), on Monday, February 28.

“It is always a pleasure for me to come to Tamil Nadu. And I don’t mean that in a light way. I mean that in a very profound and deep way. Some days ago I gave a speech in parliament and I believe it was appreciated in Tamil Nadu. As I was walking out of parliament, one journalist asked me ‘you gave this speech (in the parliament), why did you mention Tamil Nadu so many times?’ And I suddenly realised that I had mentioned Tamil Nadu many times. And as I was walking out, without realising it, it came out of my mouth that ‘I am a Tamil’,” he said.

Continue reading ‘“My blood is mixed with your soil, and so I have the right to call myself a Tamil,” Claims Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu (referring to his Father’s death in the State;);“ PM Modi does not understand that Tamil Nadu is not merely two words, and that it is a 3,000 year old civilisation, he insults the state and the country also,” Says Congress Leader.’ »

We all need to come together to defeat the divisive forces and protect the founding principles of India, said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Monday, February 28. After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi released the DMK chief’s part one of the autobiography in Tamil, ‘Ungalil Oruvan,’ (One among you), Stalin, in his address, made an appeal to parties across the nation to come together.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Bihar leader of opposition, Tejashwi Yadav and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were also present during the event. “I wish to make an appeal, not just to the leaders on this stage, but to everyone who believes in secular values. Our Indian Union is facing a big threat from divisive forces. We all need to come together to defeat them and protect the founding principles of India,” the Stalin had said.

Stalin, who turns 69 on Tuesday, March 1, thanked all leaders taking part in the event and said that he had always dedicated himself to public life and assured that he would remain so forever. The message of the event also made it clear that the DMK is poised to make concerted attempts to work towards a larger role for the party and its chief Stalin, as well as at the national level, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Continue reading ‘Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s Auto-biography ‘Ungalil Oruvan’(One among you) Released by Congress Leader Rahul Gandhiin Tamil Nadu; “We all need to come together to defeat the divisive forces and protect the founding principles of India” Says Stalin at Book Launch’ »

The Catholic church said yesterday (28 February) that Colombo Archbishop His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has met Catholic Church Head His Holiness Pope Francis yesterday, where the discussions were due to have been focused on the Sri Lankan Catholic people’s struggle for justice, following the Easter Sunday terror attacks.

“We have exhausted all options within Sri Lanka to find justice. Now, we are discussing all avenues through which we can find justice internationally. Our last remaining solution was to seek assistance from the international community. This is not because we do not love our country. The Archbishop is meeting the Pope after two years and he is especially focusing on informing him that we need help from the international community to seek justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks,” National Catholic Social Communication Centre Director Rev. Cyril Gamini Fernando said at a press conference held yesterday.

Continue reading ‘Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith Meets Pope Francis and Entreats his Holiness that the Catholics of Sri Lanka “need help from the international community to seek justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks,” of April 21st 2019.’ »

The tenure of the Presidential Task Force for “One Country, One Law” has been extended for a period of three months.
This was announced in a special gazette notification issued by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in terms of the powers vested in him by Article 33 of the Constitution.

Continue reading ‘President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Extends Term of “One Country One Law” Presidential Task Force Headed by Gmamasara Thero by Three Months’ »

WHEN SOVIET-LED forces invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, it was a straightforward affair. The invaders met little resistance, the country’s leader was whisked off to Moscow on day two and the West “just swallowed it”, notes Sergey Radchenko, a historian. “What we have today in Ukraine is playing out very differently.”

The bulk of Russian forces are now 25km from the centre of Kyiv, the capital, and will probably encircle it in the coming days. Russian forces have also broken through Ukrainian lines in the south, driving west to Odessa, a major port, and north to the centre of the country, where they could cut off Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. Kharkiv, which repelled attacks over the weekend, faced heavy shelling on Monday.

The Russian war machine is nevertheless struggling. Things are very different from 1968. But its performance is also “worse [than] in Georgia in 2008”, says Konrad Muzyka, a defence analyst. That war led to sweeping reforms to the armed forces, but perhaps not sweeping enough. Images from Ukraine show mangled clumps of Russian armour. A video from the alleged aftermath of an ambush on one convoy near Sumy, a north-eastern city, on Sunday, shows the loss of at least a dozen armoured vehicles, including two tanks, and a self-propelled howitzer. The question is whether these troubles are temporary or indicate a deeper rot that Ukraine can exploit.

Continue reading ‘The bulk of Russian forces are now 25km from the centre of Kyiv, the capital, and will probably encircle it in the coming days. The Russian war machine is nevertheless struggling with the biggest problem appearing to be logistics.- The Economist’ »

By Patricia Cohen and Jeanna Smialek

By targeting Russia’s central bank with sanctions, experts said, American and European leaders have taken aim at what could be one of President Vladimir V. Putin’s greatest weaknesses: the country’s currency.

In Russian cities, anxious customers started lining up on Sunday in front of A.T.M.s, hoping to withdraw the money they had deposited in banks, fearful it would run out. The panic spread on Monday. To try to restore calm, the Bank of Russia posted a notice on its website: “The volume of bank notes ready for loading into A.T.M.s is more than sufficient. All customer funds on bank accounts are fully preserved and available for any transactions.”

Even before the sanctions were announced over the weekend, the ruble had weakened. On Monday it plunged further, with the value of a single ruble dropping to under 9 cents at one point. As the value of any currency drops, more people will want to get rid of it by exchanging it for one that is not losing value — and that, in turn, causes its value to drop further.

In Russia today, as the purchasing power of the ruble drops sharply, consumers who hold it are finding that they can buy less with their money. In real terms, they become poorer. Such economic instability could stoke popular unhappiness and even unrest.

Continue reading ‘The West’s Plan to Isolate Putin by targeting Russia’s central bank with sanctions and Undermining the Ruble’ »

By

Justin Ling

As Russian forces readied to steamroll into Ukraine, Canada’s finance minister began drumming up support for a move that could be devastating for Russia’s economy.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland & Defence Minister Anita Anand

Chrystia Freeland

Chrystia Freeland, who also serves as the deputy prime minister, spent much of last week “pushing the idea of sanctioning the central bank,” said a senior Canadian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The finance minister began floating the idea Tuesday, as speculation over whether President Vladimir Putin’s military build-up was a bluff. As his intention became clear, and the invasion began in earnest, Freeland began working on “building some momentum” behind targeting the central bank in Moscow and cutting off the Putin regime from billions in foreign currency reserves.

“The response by Canada and our allies will be swift and it will bite,” Freeland swore after Putin’s forces crossed the border. “This barbaric attack cannot and will not be allowed to succeed.” Freeland was born in Canada to Ukrainian parents — her mother helped draft Ukraine’s constitution.

Continue reading ‘Canada’s finance minister Chrystia Freeland Plays Important Role in “building some momentum” behind targeting the central bank in Moscow and cutting off the Putin regime from billions in foreign currency reserves’ »

By Ivan Krastev

Journalists writing on international affairs in the 1920s and 1930s referred to the era as “postwar.” They saw events through the prism of the Great War that had devastated Europe just a few years earlier. Historians writing today refer to these same years as the “interwar” period, for the simple reason that they analyze what happened during those years as part of the lead-up to the even more destructive World War II. If only those journalists writing in 1930s Europe had the clarity of hindsight.

We should all have that clarity today. Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine is one of those moments that impels us to reinterpret our own era: what we called the 30-year peace that followed the Cold War (tending to forget, consciously or unconsciously, the wars in the former Yugoslavia) has now ended. Future historians will look at these last decades, by and large, much like they look at the interwar period, as an opportunity squandered.

The sooner we all admit it, the better we can prepare for what comes next. Unfortunately, a kind of self-serving denialism pervades Western capitals and prevents us from seeing the obvious. Passionate pleas to defend post-Cold War European order have no meaning because this era is over.

Continue reading ‘The West can only win over skeptics of its efforts to combat Mr. Putin if it succeeds in showing those outside of Europe that what is at stake in Ukraineis not the fate of a pro-Western regime but the sovereignty of a newly born post-imperial state’ »

By Michael Schuman

As Russian tanks roll over Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s crisis will reverberate around the world, possibly most dangerously in the Taiwan Strait. An attempt by Beijing to claim Taiwan by force has just become more likely. That’s not necessarily because there is a direct link between Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Beijing’s menacing of Taiwan, but because the war for Ukraine is the most unfortunate indication yet of the frightening direction of global geopolitics: Autocrats are striking back.

With the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, the long American struggle against global authoritarian threats seemed to have been won. Just about everywhere, dictators were on the run—Indonesia, Myanmar, Brazil, South Korea, the Philippines, Chile, and even Russia itself. Globalization was working its supposed magic, spreading liberal political and economic ideals, prosperity, and, hopefully, an end to big-power confrontation.

Sure, the Chinese Communist Party was entrenched in Beijing, but its cadres appeared to be partners in the global order, content to get gloriously rich and immerse themselves in the trading networks and international institutions created by the democratic powers.

Continue reading ‘Russia’s invasion of Ukraine makes the frightening possibility of China seizing control of Taiwan more real.’ »

By Emily Tamkin

Last week, before Russian threats toward Ukrainian borders turned into an all-out invasion, one part of the American media landscape questioned why we weren’t supporting the invaders.
“Hating [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has become the central purpose of America’s foreign policy. It’s the main thing that we talk about,” Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson said on Tuesday. “It might be worth asking yourself, since it is getting pretty serious: What is this really about? Why do I hate Putin so much? Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him?”

Interviewed on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump described Putin as “smart” and “savvy.” Then on Wednesday night, as reports of Russian explosions across Ukraine rolled in, Mr. Trump repeated his admiration for the Russian leader.

J. D. Vance, a Republican candidate for Senate in Ohio, said during a Feb. 19 podcast interview with Steve Bannon, Mr. Trump’s former White House chief strategist, “We did not serve in the Marine Corps to go and fight Vladimir Putin because he didn’t believe in transgender rights, which is what the U.S. State Department is saying is a major problem with Russia.” Mr. Bannon, for his part, hailed Mr. Putin as “anti-woke” hours before Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

Continue reading ‘Supporting Mr. Putin as well as other authoritarian leaders is yet another way in which the political right in the USA is weaponizing culture wars to further divide Americans. Mr. Putin is not waging a culture war. He is waging real, actual war, in which real, actual lives are already being lost’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

Of what use are Ministers and the panoply of Government for that matter, if it takes the Executive President clothed in the awful constitutional powers of the Head of State, to advise on minimising of ‘price discrepancies’ regarding the production of raw milk and direct relevant state institutions to ensure supply of ‘grass needed to feed the cattle.’

Presidential power and politicians as cattle

In truth, one is not sure if the handlers of the Presidential social media account are aware of how ridiculous they make the Office of the President look in the eyes of the public? During Friday’s telecast of national news, a ruling politician held forth proudly as to how, on a presidential directive, milk (and honey as well?) would flow freely.

Perchance, a national intervention is needed for the education of Sri Lankan politicians who are far worse in their extraordinary bovine stupidity than Sri Lankan cattle.

For impoverished citizens struggling without fuel, daily essentials including milk powder, power supply and probably water supply in coming days, this is another ‘nadagama’ (tomfoolery). Essentially, it is one of many such unedifying dramas that make up a diet of ghastly entertainment these days. Is this how Rome fell, we wonder, as Nero fiddled?

Sri Lankan political potentates mercifully do not have song and dance as accompaniments even while they offer one incredible explanation after another, as to why the country is in this state, all of which foist the blame on the other.

But they cannot. Responsibility ensues on the part of each politician as well as a miserable, motley whole, incessantly warring with each other in the chambers of the Parliament.

Continue reading ‘If Sri Lanka’s Law Enforcement Agencies do not Conduct Credible investigations concerning the Easter Sunday jihadist attacks in 2019 then courts and investigative mechanisms in other Countries whose Nationals were killed on April 21 may proceed to Pursue Justice under their own laws’ »

By S. Rubethesen

Once a fisherman, Manualpillai Thoms Dehol (56) now makes a living solely by repairing fishing nets to support his family of four.

Hailing from a fisherfolk family at Pasaiyoor in Jaffna, he gave up fishing last year: The reason: His access to the familiar shore and the sea has been restricted by mushrooming sea cucumber farms which occupy hundreds of acres of sea areas.

A fisherman manoeuvring his boat along the fence of a sea cucumber farm set up on what was his traditional fishing ground. Above: Sea cucumbers ready for export

Jaffna’s small-scale fisherfolk use the traditional wooden Vallam and Siraku valai, a fishing method, in shallow waters close to the shore. Usually, these fishing nets are set in the night and the harvest is done the following morning.

“If you come here in the late evenings, the whole coastal area is dotted with lights fixed on sea cucumber farms that spread across the narrow lagoon stretch. How can fish or prawns come towards the coast?” Mr. Dehol asked, explaining that the newly set up farms are disrupting natural navigation of fish towards the coast.

Continue reading ‘Over 3200 families of small-scale Traditional Fishermen face Bleak future.Due to Access to Sea Shore and Sea Being restricted by Proliferation of sea cucumber farms which occupy hundreds of acres of Coastal areas.’ »

(Full Text of Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, delivered by His Excellency Ambassador Bob Rae,Permanent Representative of Canada, United Nations General Assembly February 23, 2022)

His Excellency Ambassador Bob Rae at the UN, Feb 23, 2022

Thank you very much Mr. Vice-President, We meet at a time of a directthreat to the peace and security of the world community. Over the lastseveral months, we have all seen an unprecedented increase of militaryactivity in and around Ukraine by the Russian government. We are seeing the greatest massing of troops, of missiles, of artillery, and of aircraft capability since 1945.

This period has also been marked by, as my colleague from Liechtenstein pointed out, hostile cyber operations on Ukraine and several other countries, the forcible and unjustifiable removal of civilian populations from Ukraine to Russia, and a steady flow of propaganda and disinformation from Moscow and Russian-controlled outlets on every conceivable social media platform in the world.

Continue reading ‘“No nation, no matter however powerful it may be, can take the law into its own hands. No nation has the right to use its might to destroy everyone else’s rights.”- Bob Rae, Canada’s Permanent Representtive to the UN’ »

By
Lucien Rajakarunanayake

Amidst all the problems, and worries, faced by the public, from shortages of all necessities, and very little promise of any improvements in the coming months, the people must certainly have some joy in recent decisions of the Judiciary.
The Hills of Hulftsdorp are having a glow of justice in play, as the Judiciary has made landmark decisions on key issues facing the country.

This week’s landmark Supreme Court determination of the Special Goods and Services Tax (SGST) Bill, has clearly shown its inconsistency with the key Articles of the Constitution, and clearly told the legislature that such clauses will need both a two-thirds majority in Parliament and approval at a referendum – where the people’s choice will be made clear.

This clearly moves away from what have seen as the Rajavasala Thinking in the recent months, where the constitutionally protected values of humanity and democracy have been placed under threat by Political Power.

It certainly restores the democratic rights of the people, which the people in power seem to be in contempt, while promoting the power of the Rajavasala – with five of them in the Cabinet, and several other close associates sharing the benefits at the power table.

Continue reading ‘It now seems proper to empower the Judiciary to review the laws passed by Parliament and make its own observations on how the Constitution has been properly followed or dangerously violated.’ »

By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

(Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka was Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation)

Context counts, and context means geography and history. The dramatic Russia-Ukraine situation cannot be understood without a sense of history, by which I mean contemporary history, not the pre-revolutionary (pre-1917) history that was invoked by President Putin.

What contemporary history, that is to say, post-Cold War history shows is a combination of reckless adventurism and hypocricy on the part of the West. Whatever one may think of Russia’s actions, they have been a defencive reaction to a trend that dates back to the turn of this century and Millennium.

Sri Lanka, like China and very much for the same reasons, is allergic to separatism and irredentism and stands for state sovereignty. That said, real world history cannot be ignored.

Among those who accuse Russia of violating state sovereignty and supporting separatism by recognising the breakaway enclaves of Donetsk and Luhansk are those who triggered the breakup of former Yugoslavia and its plunge into civil war by recognising the claim to independence of Croatia and Slovenia.

Continue reading ‘Vladimir Putin’s latest move is tactically offensive but strategically defensive. It is not the initiation of a process but a response to it. Putin didn’t start it. He means to contain it’ »

By

Dr.Jayampathy Wickramaratne

Article 3 of our Constitution states: ‘In the Republic of Sri Lanka sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable. Sovereignty includes the powers of Government, fundamental rights and the franchise.’ Article 4, which goes into more detail, describes powers of Government as legislative, executive, and judicial. Article 4(d) requires all organs of Government to respect, secure, and advance the fundamental rights declared and recognised by the Constitution. They shall not be abridged, restricted, or denied save in the manner and to the extent provided by the Constitution.

Article 3 is entrenched in that a Bill for the amendment or for the repeal or replacement of or which is inconsistent with it would become law only if it is passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament and is approved by the People at a referendum. An ordinary Bill, not for the amendment of the Constitution, but which is inconsistent with Article 3, would also have to be passed by a two-thirds majority and be approved at a referendum. Article 4 is not entrenched, but the Supreme Court has held that Articles 3 and 4 must be read together. The fundamental rights relating to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion (Article 10) and freedom from torture (Article 11) are also entrenched.

Back in 1996, in the first edition of the book “Fundamental Rights in Sri Lanka”, the writer argued that an ordinary Bill that violates any fundamental right necessarily offends Article 4(d) and consequently impinges upon sovereignty guaranteed by Article 3, and therefore, needs both a two-thirds majority and approval at a referendum.

Continue reading ‘Recent Supreme Court determination that a Bill inconsistent with any fundamental right would need approval by the People at a referendum in addition to a two-thirds majority in Parliament is a landmark in Sri Lanka’s fundamental rights jurisprudence.’ »

By P.K.Balachandran

Michele Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her report to the 49 th. Session of the UNHRC beginning on February 28, has slammed Sri Lanka for not implementing its pledge to establish war crimes accountability mechanisms, to trace the forcibly disappeared persons and provide succor to the victims’ families.

According to an unedited version of the report titled “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka,” Bachelet says that when the Lankan government withdrew its co-sponsorship of resolution 40/1 and related resolutions 34/1 and 30/1, it had promised to pursue an “inclusive, domestically designed and executed reconciliation and accountability process”. But two years on, it is yet to come forward with any “credible new roadmap on transitional justice towards accountability and reconciliation.”

The two transitional justice structures established by the previous government, namely, the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) and the Office on Reparations (OFR), continue to exist, “but they have struggled to secure the confidence of victims, particularly following changes in their membership,” Bachelet says.

Continue reading ‘UN Human Rights Commissioner Michele Bachelet’s Report to the UNHRC 49th Session Severely Reprimands Sri Lanka for not implementing its pledge to establish war crimes accountability mechanisms, to trace the forcibly disappeared persons and provide succor to the victims’ families.’ »

(Text of Speech made by TNA Jaffna District MP M.A.Sumanthiran on the repeal of the PTA and the current economic crisis in the country in Parliament on 23-02-2022)

Thank you, I am glad to speak just after the Honorable Minister of State who cried wolf before he concluded his speech. On the last occasion, in the last session of parliament also he cried wolf about another matter: he spoke in parliament and said that there were secret meetings that were being held convened by me, with regard to the state of the economy of the country.

Unfortunately …….You said there were secret meetings being held when you spoke. You said I was convening secret meetings. That you said, after I spoke to you about an hour before that and invited you for that meeting itself, which you chose not to attend, but you came into the chamber, and you cried wolf.

Now there were members of the government who attended that meeting. In fact, a respected member of your government, Prof. Tissa Vitharana even signed that statement that came out after the meeting. There were two other members who are chairs of the finance committees of parliament, attended that meeting.

A closed-door meeting is not a secret meeting. So just as you did at that time, today also you have cried wolf once again saying that the campaign to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act is with ulterior motives. I can assure you Hon. Minister that when there was an attempt to repeal the PTA in the last Parliament your party members participated in the committees in parliament and it is a recorded fact that they said they support fully the repeal of the PTA.

Continue reading ‘“I urge the government, don’t play politics with the economic situation as you have been doing with the Easter bomb attack. This must be faced by the whole country together.we are willing to support the government in addressing this situation” – MA Sumanthiran MP’ »

Nearly 13 Members of Parliament (MPs) representing the Tamil-speaking people held a protest in front of the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (24), demanding an audience with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to raise issues about land grabbing occurring in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

“Today, 13 MPs are holding a protest in front of the Presidential Secretariat. We heard from our sources that the President is due to be at the Secretariat today. We have raised our land-related issues in Parliament on a number of occasions and have held protests in a number of places. However, this issue still has not been resolved. The issue has intensified. We cannot be patient anymore,” Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam told the media at the protest yesterday.

He explained that the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority is distributing traditional cattle grazing land in the Eastern Province and that farmers from traditional farmlands are being evicted by the Forest Department. “Recently, we saw a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Government MP taking some rocks belonging to the Archaeology Department from the North and the East. In the name of archaeology, even Hindu shrines have been removed and thrown away,” he added.

Continue reading ‘13 Tamil MP’s Demonstrate Outside the Presidential Secretriat Protesting the Land Grabbing Activities of the Gotabya Government in the Northern and Eastern Provinces’ »

VLADIMIR PUTIN’S invasion of Ukraine, long predicted by the West and long denied by him, began before dawn on February 24th with volleys of cruise missiles, artillery and other weapons. There were explosions near Kyiv’s main airport, as well as around other cities. The scope of the attack was not immediately clear, but all the evidence pointed to a large-scale operation. Early reports, still unconfirmed, said Russian troops were advancing on the eastern city of Kharkiv. The mayor of Odessa, a big port, said his city had been attacked, but that the attack had been repelled.

Having called up reservists a day earlier and declared a state of emergency, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, imposed martial law across the country. In parts of Ukraine, people woke to the sound of sirens and took to their basements; elsewhere some knelt on the streets to pray. People rushed to take cash out of ATM machines as huge traffic jams formed on the roads leading out of Kyiv.

Chillingly, Mr Putin all but threatened nuclear escalation against the West after America and its allies sent additional troops to reinforce the eastern flank of NATO. Russia, Mr Putin pointed out, is one of the greatest nuclear powers in the world, adding: “A few words to those who might be tempted to interfere in the unfolding events from the outside. Anyone who tries to hinder us and…create a threat for our country and our people must know that the response will be immediate and will lead to consequences that you have never faced in your history. We are ready for any scenario. All necessary decisions in this regard have been taken. I hope you hear me.”

America, which has said it will not send troops to fight in Ukraine, denounced the “unprovoked and unjustified” attack by Russia. “Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way,” said a statement from President Joe Biden. Having imposed an initial round of sanctions earlier in the week, he said he would announce further measures on February 24th. The EU, Britain and other countries look set to follow suit. A G7 video summit was called for later in the day; EU leaders are also due to discuss the crisis.

Continue reading ‘War Begins in Europe as Russia Invades Ukraine’ »

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on March 9 a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy to declare Ram Setu a national heritage monument.

In a mentioning made before Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, Mr. Swamy said the case was pending for a long time and concerned an important issue.

The CJI acknowledged Mr. Swamy’s sense of urgency and asked whether the government had filed its response. Mr. Swamy said it had filed affidavits in the past.

Continue reading ‘Indian Supreme Court agrees to hear on March 9 a plea by BJP leader Dr. Subramanian Swamy to declare Shoal of Islets Between Rameshwaram in India and Mannar in Sri Lanka known as Ram Setu (Adam’s Bridge) a national heritage monument of India.’ »

(Text of Editorial appearing in “The Morning” of February 23rd 2022 Under the Heading “Being receptive, not defensive”)

Legend has it that the Queen of France during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette said “let them eat cake” in response to news about people not having even bread to survive on.

Such insensitivity, or ignorance, is not what the citizenry of any country expects from their leaders, especially during crisis situations, and at present, when most countries have elected leaders, such answers should not have any place in a civilised society.

Despite Sri Lanka being a democratic country that should, technically, prioritise the citizens’ interests over all other interests, Sri Lankans have not received any better answers from the leaders they have elected during the past few decades with the hope that one day, someone they elect will change the country’s situation for the better.

Recently, a video of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa being confronted by citizens who wanted to talk about a matter pertaining to fertilisers went viral on social media platforms, begetting a discussion about the manner in which the President accepted the opinions and experiences of those who spoke with him. The part of the video that was circulated showed the President trying to defend himself and/or the Government, saying that fertilisers were provided free of charge for two years, and that there can be no decrease in harvest, while those who spoke with the President said that the harvest had in fact decreased.

Continue reading ‘If President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is truly the leader he is continuing to claim to be, both he and his Government should stop being defensive, and be receptive.’ »

By

Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka

Across a dining table in Moscow, I asked US Ambassador to Russia, Jon Huntsman, epitome of civility and discernment, former ambassador to China, personal friend of Lee Kuan Yew, and someone who had discussions with Xi and Putin (and Trump, of course), why Washington had upended Kissinger’s grand-strategic logic of playing off Russia and China against each other while drawing them both in as US partners and stakeholders in stabilising an unstable world order, and opted instead to do the opposite—act in a manner that drove Russia and China into each other’s arms.

Ambassador Huntsman answered my question with a counter-question: “I’ve sat down with both, and Xi is mainly about economics, Putin is mainly about hard-power, so what is it that Russia and China can offer each other over the long-term that the USA cannot?”

My answer, in the presence of India’s Ambassador to Russia, Venkatesh Varma, was “They offer each other a safe rear-area in the face of a perceived US buildup against both.”

GR: Getting to ground-zero

If Basil Rajapaksa wanted a snap local authorities election but was blocked by his Cabinet colleagues, as reported the media, then BR was right and his seniors and peers dangerously wrong.

It is far wiser to hold an election that can open the safety valves and achieve some decompression before or even during a massive social eruption (as JRJ did with the PCs in 1988) than to keep the boiler tightly shut-off.

Going by the statistical survey September-October 2021 conducted by the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA), President Gotabaya Rajapaksa seems to have done a Ranil.

Continue reading ‘Are these the last days of the 13th amendment?TNA remarks on Prime Minister Modi’s impending visit mention “going beyond the 13th amendment”, when in the real-world , the danger is that the 13th amendment could be “going, going, gone”.’ »

By
A Special Correspondent

In the wake of an attack on four Tamil Nadu fishermen on February 17 and the arrest of six others the following day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has written to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking his intervention for the early release of Tamil Nadu fishermen, their fishing boats and belongings from Sri Lankan custody.

“While I appreciate the efforts and support extended by the Ministry of External Affairs so far, I am constrained to note that such incidents have continued unabated,” Mr. Stalin said in his letter to the Union Minister. A copy of the letter was shared with the media.

There have been four such incidents of apprehension by the Sri Lankan Navy in the last 30 days, in which seven boats and 47 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were apprehended, the Chief Minister recalled.

Continue reading ‘Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin Writes to Indian External Affairs Minister S.Jishanka Seeking New Delhi Intervention in Securing Release of 47 Fishermen and 4 Boats Apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy in Last 30 Days’ »