Irangani Serasinghe : The Life And Times Of A Living Legend

March 28, 2013

Titled ‘Irangani ….. as told to kumardesilva’, is a vivid autobiography of the life of this legendary and much-loved stage, screen and television actress.

It takes readers from her carefree childhood days sailing down the Gurugoda Oya on paaruwas and the peace and quiet of Moodugomuwa, off Ruwanwella … from the Christmases and the Vesaks of her early years at the Mideeniya Walauwwa … from her school days at St. Bridget’s Convent where she remembers “wearing a hat with a veil to school”, and later Bishop’s College and its animated hostel life where the girls “used to eat anything and everything at midnight feasts” … to her dare-devil escapades at University when her sister Kamini and she “rode bicycles when good Sinhala girls were not supposed ride’.

The book also takes readers to her foray onto the stage first at University and then at the Lionel Wendt Theatre … through her two marriages, to Prof. S.B. Dissanayake and then to Winston Serasinghe … to life in Bristol and London … to her two sons Ravi and Ranjith … to ‘Ruk Rekaganno’, her the voluntary service organisation which takes the message of conservation to grass roots Sri Lanka … to the big screen and her portfolio of death-defying experiences … to the little screen where she doesn’t quite enjoy “acting to somebody’s (off-camera) hand” … and now to a premature semi-retirement at Epitamulla in Pitakotte.

“I consider it a singular honour that Mrs. Serasinghe consented to my playing the role of ghost writer in this project”, says well-known media personality Kumar de Silva, Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters. “As ghost writer, I also find myself landed in a strange dilemma in that this book is both mine and also not mine. There’s a very fine line that divides these two situations which I constantly kept crossing, in what I now consider both a richly fulfilling and totally humbling experience. In retrospect, the both of us had our unforgettable moments these past two years, collaborating on this story, which I modestly hope, will soon end up as a collector’s item.”

“When Kumar offered me the opportunity to be the publisher of Mrs. Serasinghe’s biography, I knew instantly that I had been offered the chance to publish a literary gem that will be greatly appreciated by many Sri Lankans. It is certain to be one of those books which will find a permanent space in the bookshelf of every house it finds its way to. Perhaps this will become one of those books that will be handed down to the next generation as a cherished possession by booklovers”, says the publisher Ranjith Samaranayake.

Despite more than well over half a century’s fame and unbroken popularity with generations of Sri Lankans, Irangani Serasinghe is still the “village girl” at heart as she seamlessly combines charm and simplicity with sheer graciousness and absolute dignity.

“The village was an extremely quiet place. Now it is an entirely different story, sadly, with the sound of traffic and people. … Right through my life and even to this day, silence became, and still is, a very important part of my life …… I have looked for this kind of peace and silence all my life. Unfortunately I cannot find it anywhere today”, she says in her autobiography.

Mrs Serasinghe first hit the stage 55 years ago in 1948 in the Prof. Cuthbert Amarasinghe’s production of The Second Mrs. Tanqueray in 1948. “That was my first play. We were asked to come and read at the auditions. I happily ended up doing the lead role,” she recalls.

Coincidentally, this year, 2013, is significant in that the Lionel Wendt Theatre celebrates its 60^th anniversary. Irangani Serasinghe records thus in her story ….. “At that time all the plays were shown at the King George’s Hall at the University of Colombo. The opening of the Lionel Wendt Theatre in December 1953 was quite an event. At the King George’s Hall we had to get the lights fixed on but here we had a proper theatre with proper lights and sound. Everything was geared for proper performances. We had brand new dressing rooms and toilets too. We opened the theatre with Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths. I played Nastya. Colombo did not have much entertainment at that time and we used to attract a really good crowd.”

SL military steps up militarisation of Batticaloa, new camp at Tsunami settlement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 March 2013, 07:59 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Army is constructing a new army camp in Ma'nmunai-North DS division of Batticaloa district, at a site where Tsunami affected people are settled. The residents of the Tsunami Housing Scheme area of Ma'nmunai North, threatened by the construction of the new military base, questioned the motive behind the establishment of a new camp, while a camp is already situated at Paalameen-madu, just one km close to the site. An SL police station, at Kokkuvil, is also in the close proximity. The sheer extensiveness and intensity of SL militarization and Sinhalicisation of the predominantly Tamil district in the East, are not even taken up for any discussion by the so-called international community that ‘hailed’ the ‘liberation’ of the East by genocidal Sri Lanka in 2007, Batticaloa Tamil activists said. 

People affected by 2004 Tsunami are resettled at Naavaldi, Thiruch-chenthoor, Kalladi and Swiss-kiraamam, divided into four zones. 

Despite the construction of the housing scheme and the settlement of the people, the resettled people still lack basic amenities and they encounter untold hardships in sustaining their livelihood. 

In such a situation, the attempts by the occupying Sinhala military to establish a new camp inside their settlement will cause numerous inconveniences, the people complain.

In the meantime, many SL military camps and police stations that were established in the district using the houses and properties of the public, during and prior to the war, are still in operation and not returned to the owners. 

While the attention on SL militarisation remains focused in North, voices against SL militarisation in the East are effectively suppressed by the paramilitary, news sources in the East commented.

Government will overcome the Tamil Nadu oppose. Minister Vasu has confidence

Thursday , 28 March 2013

The multiplying opposes against  Sri Lanka in Tamil Nadu to eradicate and to generate a change in the stance of Tamil Nadu concerning Sri Lanka, the senior minsters in the ruling sectors, will take measures very soon was said by Secretary to the Democratic Front and National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakara.

Meanwhile intellectuals have expressed opinions that the Pothu Bala Sena movement's branch office launched by the state hierarchy and supporting them which directly against the Muslim in this country cannot be accepted.

A conference chaired by Minister Vasudeva Nanayakara at the National Languages and Social Integration Ministry to keep an end to the groups creating controversies between the ethnic groups, the Sinhala Tamil and Muslim was held.

Senior minister, Democratic Leftist front leader Vasudeva Nanayakara, Lanka Samasamajee party leader Prof.Tissa Vitharana, Communist party leader D.U.Gunasekara religious dignitaries, intellectuals and many attended this conference.

Groups and movements operating in the country cannot be prohibited. However group’s activities in the manner of originating racism in the country cannot be accepted. Hence on the objective of keeping an end to this, we decided to discuss at the conference and the resolution taken would be submitted by us at the cabinet.

Meanwhile the media organization heads of this country would be elucidated about the current situation in the country, and in the manner of educating the people of this country, a massive conference is proposed by us to hold after the end of Tamil and Sinhala New Year.

Movements operating in the country cannot be prohibited however if groups operates in the manner of creating discrimination between ethnics, we will take action against them.  The oppose activities carried out against Sri Lanka in Tamil Nadu, we are scrutinizing to take   sufficient measures was said by Minister Vasudeva.

Thursday , 28 March 2013

Mobitel and the Bodu Bala Sena

Mobitel and the Bodu Bala Sena

—Going Global

The BBS ringing tone on Mobitel had recorded nearly a 1000 buys as of 9am, 27 March

Racist and hate groups are supposed to remain on the sidelines of society, screaming their subversive rhetoric in order to appeal to the seedier side of the collective conscience. Their funding usually comes from shadowy sources with powerful interests and money to be made from destruction and chaos. All of them invariably will remain behind the scenes, after all  who in the name of God would want to be publicly associated with hatred?

Mobitel, apparently. Mobitel the subsidiary of the publicly listed Sri Lanka Telecom. One of the country’s largest telecom services companies, and one of the most visible corporates in Sri Lanka. Mobitel has been openly funding hate groups such as the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and Sinhala Ravaya. Evidence of Mobitel support for extremists first emerged at a BBS rally held in Panadura when it was announced that a ringing tone available for download via Mobitel would help fund the organization’s racist activity. Images (later published on Sanjaya Senanayake’s facebook profile, who by the way i must thank for much of the research for this post) revealed Mobitel advertisements in a newsletter of the Sinhala Ravaya. Uncharacteristically, Mobitel’s Facebook group has been avoiding all contact and even deleting posts of protests against this, for now, their once dynamic social media team seems to have slunk under a rock.

Widely known for their extremist nationalism, these groups have already attackedmosques, churches and even other Buddhist temples conducted illegal raids, spread fear and paranoia and generally taken a very loud and belligerent stance toward the country’s minorities. After initially targeting the Halal certification of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (which was peacefully resolved thanks in part to the ACJU’s good sense), the BBS has now turned its attention on the Hijab an element of Muslim culture that in some form or the other has been present in this country for centuries, and always in peaceful coexistence with other communities. The emergence of apparent large scale corporate backing for their activity is worrying to say the least.

A quick look at the ownership of Sri Lanka Telecom reveals some unsurprising and surprising details. Unsurprisingly you would find that the majority of the shares (49.5%) is owned by the government, 5.5% by the general public. This is kind of well known. SLT was fully owned by the government until it was partially privatized some years ago. But surprisingly, if you’d forgotten this little detail, shares owned by the Japanese NTT Communications were then sold to Treasury and Global Telecommunication Holdings N.V. This is supposedly an entity based in Netherlands but is actually a fully owned subsidiary of Usaha Tegas Sdn. Bhd  an investment firm based in Malaysia. Usaha Tegas also owns Maxis a Malaysian telecom giant. Sandip Das and Chan Chee Beng from Usaha Tegas serve on the boards of both Maxis and SLT.

It is rather ironic that Mobitel’s second biggest shareholder and the lifeline of its management and capital is based in a Muslim country, while at the same time it funds extremist right wing organizations pursuing strong racist agendas against Muslims and other minorities in Sri Lanka. If the BBS is anything to go by, Mobitel’s senior management probably has no issue with this glaring inconsistency in its moral standpoint. Last week I heard an Australian-Sri Lankan citizen and a member of the BBS, Chanaka Perera, comment on help received from a monk based in Malaysia to the BBS whilst at the same time condemning Muslims as a whole purely based on his views on Saudi Arabia. Hate is deaf to reason they say.

Mobitel has so far shown a complete lack of responsibility in responding to the thousands of calls for it to stop funding these extremist groups. Its continued silence is a gross violation of its public accountability. Cricketers like Mahela Jayawardene are brand ambassadors for Mobitel. I respect Mahela, and as a public figure and a person of influence being sponsored by Mobitel he should step up and say something about this.

Sri Lanka just came out of a 30 year war. I’m just saying that out loud you know, in case anyone has forgotten. The government so far seems to be perfectly happy to allow the BBS and its affiliated groups to carry on with their campaign of hate, although voices of dissent have begun to emerge; you know things are getting really out of hand when Mervyn Silva himself stands up for what is right. The president has been strong worded on the racist issue, but so far all of that has been lip service and none of it directed at any specific racist organizations. The all powerful Government of Sri Lanka has failed to take any concrete steps to stop this spread of hate and violence. Meanwhile, the Police is cooperating with extremists, and now government owned companies are openly funding them.

UPDATE: Mobitel has since issued a highly inadequate response.

Accusations, Intimidation And Violence Against Christians Are Biased And Illegal – NCFSL By Colombo Telegraph -March 28, 2013  While condemning the attacks on the Buddhist clergy in Chennai, India, the National Christian Fellowship Sri Lanka says; “ As Sri Lankans, we are also concerned about the wrongful and distorted bias reporting of some of the electronic as well as print media concerning such attacks. We have documented cases of intimidation, threats, violence and arson, all this in the cause of religious intolerance. “ Attacks on Christian churchesin Sri Lanka/ File Photo/ AFP Issuing a press statement NCFSL says; the NCFSL believes that the attacks are attempted in order to justify the so called ‘unethical conversion’. We publish below the statement in full; NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP OF SRI LANKA CONCERNED OVER ATTACKS ON CHURCHES The National Christian Fellowship Sri Lanka (NCFSL) which represents over 200 indigenous Churches in Sri Lanka, view with serious concern the sudden escalation of violence directed towards Pastors, Christian Workers and religious places of Worship all over Sri Lanka during the recent months. The NCFSL confirms that 23 such incidents have been reported for the year 2013. “ As Sri Lankans, we are also concerned about the wrongful and distorted bias reporting of some of the electronic as well as print media concerning such attacks. We have documented cases of intimidation, threats, violence and arson, all this in the cause of religious intolerance. “ says Rev Rohan Ekanayake General Secretary of the NCFSL. “ We note that Sri  Lanka has suffered greatly through two major insurgencies and a thirty year war which tore at the nation’s heart and caused us all great grief. Not to mention the cost of lives as well the damage caused to the economy. As a nation, we need to ask ourselves whether we need yet another ethnic or religious conflict at this moment of time.” The NCFSL maintains that the laws of natural justice and the Constitution of Sri Lanka in Articles 10 and 14 (1)( e) recognize  the individual’s right to adopt and practice the religion of his choice. “We categorically state that communication of the Gospel is an inseparable part of the practice of our faith.  Correspondingly, we recognize the right to every other religion to proclaim its beliefs. Those who recognize this right may also agree that it is unethical to interfere with the expression of the individual‘s freedom to choose. “ The NCFSL believes that the attacks are attempted in order to justify the so called ‘unethical conversion’. “To the Christian, helping the needy is a necessary part of the practice of their religion. The expression of Christian love and concern includes dealing with both the spiritual and the physical need of the person. While asserting the right to do so and the responsibility of Christians to care for the needy, we condemn the use of charity and care for the needy as an inducement to religious proselytization. If there are any offers of material inducements for the purpose of proselytization, we condemn such their methods as abhorrent to Christianity. “ says Rev Money Ratnam of the NCFSL. The NCFSL says that the accusations, intimidation and violence against Christians are biased and illegal and should not be tolerated in a democratic society such as ours; in essence,  it is a denial of the fundamental human rights of its citizens. We uphold the integrity of a united Sri Lanka.  We condemn the attacks on the Buddhist clergy in Chennai, India.  The use of violence as a means of achieving any end is against the teachings of Christ and cannot be condoned. We assert the need for peace and good will on the basis of mutual recognition, honor and respect for all communities in our multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. We call upon the State to uphold the rule of law and to treat all its citizens equally . We call upon all Christians to unite and to participate in a day of fasting and prayer for the Nation and for the persecuted Church on 8th of April 2013 at Holy Trinity Auditorium, No.784 Prince of Wales Avenue, Colombo 14 at 10.00 a.m. We also call upon the authorities to enable justice to be meted out to all Sri Lankans in this connection including the affected Christian clergy and workers. Stop harassing Muslims – Mangala

By Umesh Moramudali-2013-03-28  Unless the harassment meted out to Muslims stops, Sri Lankan employees in the Middle East could also face similar intimidation by extremists groups in those countries, the UNP warned yesterday. Addressing the media, UNP Parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera said Muslims are being subject to many forms of harassment by extremist groups with the support of the government. He urged the government to lay down rules protecting the freedom to practice one's religion so as to avert racial disharmony. He pointed out that Sri Lanka, as a country that had signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is bound to protect the freedom of all religions. He also charged that the Ministry of Defence is behind the extremist groups which are harassing the Muslim and Christian communities in the country. "All the extremist groups are funded by the Ministry of Defence. The police are also mute, in this regard," he alleged. He also said if the government is denying the allegations of their connectivity to the extremist groups, they need to introduce anti-harassment laws. "If I want to worship a coconut tree, I have every right to do that as long as it does not harm others. Likewise people should have the right to follow any religious views," he claimed. He also pointed out, 65 religious places were destroyed by various extremist groups after the end of war, but laws pertaining to prevent such atrocities are not strong enough.

Power has to be devolved according to the wishes of the majority

March 27, 2013 at 11:50 am | lanka C news

Power should be devolved according the wishes of the majority as this is a democratically elected government.
If the powers in Sri Lanka have to devolved it should not be done according to the manner the International community or to the needs of the Tamil Diaspora, but according to the wishes of the Sri Lanka people disclosed the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
After the completion of the war the international community is talking about the devolution of power. They give instructions to us including the Tamil Nadu government. He stresses that how can they give instructions with regard to the devolution of power. How can they do that?
He went on to add that ours is a democratic country under a President elected by the p

WikiLeaks: A Growing Wahhabi Presence In Eastern Province – Muslim Leaders

By Colombo Telegraph -March 27, 2013

“Ambassador hosted prominent Muslim leaders for a roundtable discussion on Muslim issues to mark the holy month of Ramadan. Participants noted the absence of Al-Qaida and other radical Islamist terror groups but expressed concern about a growing Wahhabi presence, and the need to address social problems within the Muslim community before radical ideas begin to resonate with the youth.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is written on October 9, 2007 by the US Ambassador to Colombo Robert O. Blake.

On October 2, Ambassador Blake hosted prominent Muslim leaders for a roundtable discussion on Muslim issues. Participants included Principal of Zahira College T.K. Azoor, former Attorney General Shibly Aziz, Chairman of the Muslim Peace Secretariat A.M.M. Faaiz, and Chairman of the Islamic Center of Sri Lanka M.H. Mohamed.

Ambassador Blake wrote; “Participants expressed concern about land rights for Muslims in both the Eastern Province and the North-Western Province. Despite historically good relations with both Hindus and Buddhists, Muslims now face some resistance to their activities, even in Colombo. For the most part, however, they remained optimistic about relations between Muslims and both Sinhalese and Tamils and confident that Sri Lankan Muslims would remain moderate and peaceful. Ambassador assured the Muslim leaders that the U.S. is paying close attention to religious freedom and other concerns raised during the discussion and regularly encourages the GSL to listen to and address the concerns of the Muslim community”

Under the subheading “Wahhabi Influence Growing” the ambassador wrote; “Participants noted that Islam in Sri Lanka has traditionally been both moderate and peaceful. Lately, however, they observe a growingWahhabi presence, based mostly in the town of Kattankudy in Eastern Province. Fortunately, they said, there are not yet any ‘jihadi’ groups present in Sri Lanka. Muslim leaders have made a point of teaching youth to ‘shun this path.’ They expressed a concern however, that if social problems within the Muslim community are not addressed, radical ideas may begin to resonate. The growing influence of the Wahhabis has led to intra-religous tensions and increased intolerance of minority Muslim sects such as the Sufis.”

Placing a comment the ambassador wrote; “The roundtable participants seemed eager to share their concerns and appreciative of an audience with the U.S. Embassy. They welcomed U.S. intervention with the GSL to encourage fair treatment of Muslims. For the most part, however, they remained optimistic about relations between Muslims and both Sinhalese and Tamils and confident that Sri Lankan Muslims would remain moderate and peaceful.”

Read the cable below for further details;

JHU calls on Sinhalese to teach Muslim leaders a lesson that will never forget

JHU calls on Sinhalese to teach Muslim leaders a lesson that will never forget

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2013

Jathika Hela Urumaya, (JHU) a constituent partner of the of the Rajapaksha government has callled on Sinhalese Buddhists to be determined to teach selected  Muslim leaders a lesson that they will never forget. The statement issued by Nishantha Warnasingha, the National Coordinator of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU includes a scathing attack on Minister Rauf Hakeem, leader of the another constituent partner, the Sri Lanka Mislim Congress  of the Rajapaksha government. 

Mujibar Rahuman under attack from the JHU

The translation of the JHU  statement  

It is apparent that the majority of Muslim community has not supported the hartal organized by Muslim Rights Organisation, with the leadership of Provincial Councilor Mujibar Rahuman, against the so called injustice towards Muslim community. Only a few towns under the influence of Muslim extremists had joined hands with Mujibar Rahuman who is a Muslim extremist and a racist. It is reported that in Kaththankudi, Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu, Samanthurai, Kinnia and Muttur, Muslims have closed their shops and joined the hartal. This shows that it is only the Muslim extremist groups and their political parties inhabited the East, who expressed agreement with the Muslim extremists ordering anti-Sinhala and anti-Buddhist hartal from Maligawatta, Colombo. 

This hartal founded on baseless allegations is becoming increasingly anti-Buddhist to become Muslim-patriots and heroes among the Muslim community. The reason could be narrow political needs and the intention to protect one’s share. We have been continuously saying that the South East region is being devoured by Muslim fundamentalism and extremism. Based on these areas the concept of Muslim Motherland is also coming to the surface. That is what the areas where the hartal was successful demonstrate. 

It is not the Sinhala community but the Muslim community it self that should question where these cardboard heroes like Asad Sali and Mujibar Rahumans, who did not organize a hartal  when the terrorist Tigers attacked and ejected Muslims, when Muslims were killed in mosques, or when ninety thousand Muslims were evicted from the North. Did these cardboard heroes protest, did they talk about rights, when Rauff Hakeem singed agreements with Prabhakaran and betrayed Muslims?  When Tigers occupied the Muslim village Manirasakulam, where were Hakeems, Asad Salis and Mujibar Rahumans? It should also be reminded to these extremist that the attempt by Muslim extremists, including Hakeem, to topple the Rajapakse government in 2008 at a time the East was liberated, will never be forgotten by the nation.   

These cardboard heroes and extremists, who didn’t provide a slightest support to win  peace and freedom  which was achieved through  defeating the terrorism at the cost of 26000 lives of the Sinhalese youth. Today they are comfortably enjoying these peace and freedom and now organizing hartals. Sinhalese Buddhists should be determined to teach such Muslim extremists a lesson that they will never forget. . We request moderate Muslim Brotherhood to rally against these Muslim extremists’ criminal statements and actions full of complete falsehoods; and we request them not to be ungrateful to the Sinhala Buddhists.

(The translation of the Sinhala language  press statement  of the JHU published in the lankacnews web site on 27th March 2013. The ulr;http://lankacnews.com/sinhala/news/92404/ )

සිංහල බෞද්ධයන්ට ගුණමකු නොවන්නැයි මුසල්මානුවන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලයි

March 27, 2013 at 4:07 pm | lanka C news

සිංහල බෞද්ධ ජනතාවට ගුණමකු නොවන ලෙස ජාතික හෙළ උරුමය මුස්ලිම් සහෝදරත්වයෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටී.
එම පක්‍ෂ ජාතික සංවිධායක නිශාන්ත වර්ණසිංහ මහතාගේ අත්සනින් යුතුව නිකුත් කර ඇති නිවේදනයක මේ බව දැක්වේ.
සම්පූර්ණ නිවේදනය මෙසේය.
මුස්ලිම් ජනතාවට සිදුවනවා යැයි කියන ඊනියා හිරිහැර වලට විරෝධය පල කිරීම සදහා බස්නාහිර පළාත් සභා මන්තී‍්‍ර මුජුබර් රහුමන් මූලිකත්වයෙන් මුස්ලිම් සහයෝගීතා සංවිධානය දියත් කරන ලද හර්තාලයට බහුතර මුස්ලිම් ජනතාව සහය පල කර නැති බව පෙනී යයි. මුස්ලිම් අන්තවාදියෙකු හා ජාතිවාදියෙකු වන මුජුබර් රහුමන්ගේ ඉල්ලීමට ඔහු සමග අත්වැල් බැදගෙන ඇත්තේ නැගෙනහිර පළාතේ මුස්ලිම් අන්තවාදීන්ට යටත් වූ නගර කිහිපයකි. කාන්තක්කුඩි, කල්මුනේ, අක්කරපත්තුව, සමන්තුරේ, කින්යා, මූතූර් යන ප‍්‍රදේශවල කඩ සාප්පු වසා මුස්ලිම්වරු හර්තාලයට එක්වී ඇති බව දැනගන්නට ඇත. කොළඹ මාළිගාවත්තේ සිට සිංහල විරෝධී, බෞද්ධ විරෝධී හර්තාල් සදහා නියෝග දෙන මුස්ලිම් අන්තවාදීන්ට අනුකූලතාවය පල කර ඇත්තේ නැගෙනහිරට අරක්ගත් මුස්ලිම් අන්තවාදී කණ්ඩායම් සහ ඔවුන්ගේ දේශපාලන කල්ලි බව මෙයින් පෙනී යයි.
කිසිදු පදනමක් නැති චෝදනා මුල් කර ගනිමින් දියත්කරනු ලැබූ මෙම හර්තාලය මුස්ලිම් ප‍්‍රජාව අතර මුස්ලිම් පේ‍්‍රමීන් හා වීරයන් වීම සදහා වඩ වඩාත් සිංහල බෞද්ධ විරෝධී වෙමින් කි‍්‍රයාකරන්නට පටන්ගෙන ඇත. ඒ තම පටු දේශපාලන උවනමනාව හා තම පංගුව බේරාගැනීම සදහා විය හැක. අප දිගින් දිගටම ප‍්‍රකාශ කර සිටියේ නැගෙනහිර ගිණිකොණ කලාපය මුස්ලිම් මූලධර්මවාදයට හා අන්තවාදයට ගොදුරුවෙමින් තිබෙන බවයි. මෙම ප‍්‍රදේශ පදනම් කරගෙන මුස්ලිම් නිජබිම් සංකල්පයද කරළියට පැමිණෙමින් තිබේ. හර්තාලය සාර්ථක වූ ප‍්‍රදේශවලින් කියා පාන්නේ එයයි. එදා කොටි ත‍්‍රස්තවාදීන්ගේ ප‍්‍රහාර වලින් මුස්ලිම් ජනයා පළවා හරිද්දී පල්ලිවල මුස්ලිම් ජනයා ඝාතනය කරද්දී උතුරෙන් අනූදාහක් වූ මුස්ලිම්වරු පලවා හරිද්දී හර්තාල් විරෝධතා නොපැවැත්වූ අසාද්සාලිලා මුජුබර් රහුමන්ලා වැනි කාඞ්බෝඞ් වීරයින් එදා සිටියේ කොහේදැයි සිංහල ජනතාව නොව මුස්ලිම් ජනතාවම ඔවුන්ගෙන් විමසිය යුතුය. රාවුෆ් හකීම් ප‍්‍රභාකරන් සමග ගිවිසුම් ගසා මුස්ලිම්වරුන් පාවා දෙද්දී එයට විරෝධය පළකරන්නට, මුස්ලිම් අයිතිවාසිකම් ගැන කතා කරන්නට ඔය කාඞ්බෝඞ් වීරයින් ඉදිරියට ආවේද? මනිරාසකුලම් මුස්ලිම් ගම්මානය කොටි අල්ලා ගනිද්දී හකීම්ලා, අසාද්සාලිලා, මුජුබර් රහුමන්ලා සිටියේ කොහේද? එමෙන්ම නැගෙනහිර නිදහස් කරගත් 2008 වසරේදී රාජපක්ෂ ආණ්ඩුව පෙරළීමට හකීම්ලා ඇතුළු මුස්ලිම් අන්තවාදීන් දැරූ උත්සහය ජාතිය කිසිවිටක අමතක නොකරන බව මෙම අන්තවාදීන්ට මතක් කර දිය යුතුව ඇත.
කොටි ත‍්‍රස්තවාදයට විරෝධය පළ කිරීම සදහා එය පරාජය කිරීම සදහා අබ ඇටයකින්වත් සහය නොදුන් මේ කාඞ්බෝඞ් වීරයින්ට හා මුස්ලිම් අන්තවාදීන්ට කිව යුත්තේ 26,000ක් සිංහල තරුණයින් ජීවිත පූජාකර ත‍්‍රස්තවාදය පරදවා උදා කරගත් නිදහස, සාමය සුවසේ භුක්ති විදිමින් ඒ නිදහස තුළ හර්තාල් දියත් කරමින් සිටින මේ මුස්ලිම් අන්තවාදීන්ට අමතක නොවන පාඩමක් ඉගැන්වීමට සිංහල බෞද්ධයින් අදිටන් කරගත යුතුය. මෙම මුස්ලිම් අන්තවාදීන්ගේ පට්ටපල් බොරුවලින් පිරි සාහසික ප‍්‍රකාශයන්ට හා කි‍්‍රයාවන්ට එරෙහිව පෙළ ගැසෙන ලෙස මධ්‍යස්ථ මුස්ලිම් සහෝදරත්වයෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටින අතර සිංහල බෞද්ධ ජනතාවට ගුණමකු නොවන ලෙසද අප ඉල්ලා සිටිමු.

Mattala flight runs into a flock of birds

by Risidra Mendis-2013-03-28 The predictions by bird experts over the collision of birds with the aircrafts landing and taking off from the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) has come true with the recent incident of a SriLankan Airlines flight coming in contact with a flock of birds. The SriLankan flight is reported to have hit a flock of birds on 25 March 2013, while flying from the MRIA to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake. Prior to the opening of MRIA on 18 March 2013, Director General and CEO of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, H.M.C. Nimalasiri, said the issue regarding birds hitting planes was brought to the notice of the airport authorities and a new plan was drawn up for the flights. He stressed all measures have been taken for flights to avoid the sensitive areas of the national parks. However, when Ceylon Today contacted Nimalasiri with regard to the recent incident, he said bird strikes happen even at the BIA and that they have to monitor the situation for a year and see whether it improves. "The BIA had reported around 12 or 13 bird strikes in 2012 while the Trichy Airport has reported 38 bird collisions in 2012," Nimalasiri claimed. He added the Airport and Aviation Authority is in touch with bird expert, Prof. Sarath Kotagama, with regard to this matter. The SriLankan Airlines flight had 40 passengers on board when it hit with the flock of birds. Another SriLankan flight, while on a test flight to Mattala in March (prior to the airport being opened) also faced a similar incident, when it collided with a flock of birds. However, no damage was caused to the aircraft. Co-Secretary of the Ceylon Bird Club, Kithsiri Gunewardene, told Ceylon Today this is the time of year when migrant water fowls leave Sri Lanka to their countries of origin. "When the airport is in the vicinity of a national park, birds colliding with the aircraft can occur. If aircraft continue to fly at 3,500 feet they can collide with birds. This problem could be sorted out if the airport authorities take preventive measures," Gunewardene said. According to him, flares and crackers could be used when an aircraft is about to land or take off to prevent birds from getting hit by planes. CEO of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena said bird strikes happen around every airport and there is no significant risk of bird strikes at MRIA. "Even near BIA there are two or three bird strikes per month. It is a normal thing where airports are concerned," he said. He added, aircraft had not sustained any damages due to the incident as the bird strike happened to the nose of the aircraft.

Crackdown on extremists by Binoy Suriyaarachchi-2013-03-28 The Police Department has launched a special operation apprehend those involved in defaming religions and creating religious disharmony in the country Via mobile phones, e-mail and social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday arrested two persons for sending contentious SMS text messages that could create religious hatred among people, police sources said. An investigation was initiated to arrest the culprits after the police received several complaints, Police Spokesperson, SP Buddhika Siriwardana told Ceylon Today. The suspects have been identified as a Muslim and a Buddhist, who allegedly used their mobile phones to send defaming religious text messages concerning Buddhism and Islam. "The public can support the police by providing tips about such matters via hotline, 0112 320 145," the SP said. Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP), N.K. Illangakoon, said necessary measures have been taken to ensure security for the Muslims, who visit the Deyata Kirula exhibition in Ampara. "Muslims have avoided visiting due to the threats they have received from various groups," the IGP said in a statement. He noted that some groups are attempting to make Deyata Kirula out of bound for Muslims, by spreading rumours. He insisted the public should not to be misled by such speculations.

Matale Mass Grave Dates To 87-90 JVP, Says Judge

By Colombo Telegraph -March 28, 2013 

Suspicions mount that remains of 154 people found in hospital grounds are from abductions carried out by security forces, the Guardian reports.

Magistrate Chathurika de Silva told a court in the central town of Matale on Wednesday that tests carried out by archaeological and judicial medical officers show the skeletal remains found inside the premises of a government hospital dated to between 1987 and 1990. During that period thousands of men and women suspected of having ties to the rebels disappeared after being arrested by security forces.

e of 154 skeletons unearthed at the Matale hospital in Sri Lanka. Photograph: Eranga Jayawardena/AP

In Shanie column which is censored by the Island newspaper, Shanie wrote;

“Last year, C A Chandraprema, the political writer, wrote ‘Gota’s War’ eulogisingGotabaya Rajapakse’s contribution to the crushing of the northern insurgency, indirectly rubbishing claims that Sarath Fonseka, as Army Commander, was the principal architect of the military victory. But that book was written and published before the discovery of the mass graves at Matale. In that book, in the twenty-eighth chapter titled ‘The Second JVP Insurrection’, the author makes an unintended revelation. He writes on Page 173: “On 1 May 1989, with Colonel Wimalaratne being promoted to the rank of Brigadier, Gota was made the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the Gajaba Regiment…With this promotion, he was posted to Matale as the district coordinating officer tasked with bringing the JVP under control. The first Gajaba Battalion, which had been in Trincomalee for nearly one and a half years, was brought down to Matale. Lieutenants Shavendra Silva, Jagath Dias and Sumedha Perera were among his company commanders in Matale…(p 177) Gota remained the security coordinating officer of Matale until the end of the second JVP insurrection. In January 1990, he applied for three months leave and went to the USA to see his family.” In view of these facts, it becomes all the more necessary for an independent probe to be conducted so that Rajapakse and/or anybody else are cleared of any war crimes in 1989. It may be ironic that the persons being accused of war crimes now are the same persons who were then in charge of Matale. An independent probe may reveal they are innocent, But a probe by a body unconnected with these persons is necessary to show this.”

Share market is a gambling den of racketeers – Anura

THURSDAY, 28 MARCH 2013

The share market has become a gambling den of racketeers and this is confirmed by the resignation of 6 officials of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) within a short period of two years says JVP Parliamentarian Anura Dissanayake.

The government has no regard for the law and the economy has been brought under a small gang of racketeers said Mr. Dissanayake participating in a media conference held in Colombo yesterday (27th).

He said, "The Director General of Securities and Exchange Commissioner Harendra Dissa Bandara has resigned from his post quoting a policy matter. Mr. Bandara is the sixth senior official to resign from the SEC within the last two years.

The task of the Commission established under Securities and Exchange Commission Bill 36 of 1987 and its amendment 26 in 1991 is to regulate the share market. However, the government, without allowing the Commission to do this, has made the share market a gambling den; a target of a few racketeers.

Ms. Indrani Sugathadasa, who was the Chairperson, resigned quoting a policy matter. The country knows her connections with the government. Mr. Gunasinghe, an expert on taxes, also resigned immediately. Next Mr. Tilak Karunaratane was appointed Chairman. It was a direct appointment by the President. However, he was also politically pressurized. He once stated in a COPE session that 30 out of 50 illegal transactions that were carried out in the share market were criminal transactions. Later, he too had to resign. At the media briefing held after his resignation Mr. Karunaratne said the discussion he had with the President regarding the issue became a discussion directed by a gang of racketeers. He also said he was pressurized not only by senior officials but also by a very powerful person. He said those individuals had phoned him and pressurized him to stop investigations carried out regarding their associates.

The Chairman of the share market, which manipulates the economy of the country, states he was pressurized. He had clearly said COPE was ineffective. He said he resigned due to pressure. Two Chairmen resigned due to policy matters within two years. Mr. Harendra Dissa Bandara, who resigned this time, has a doctorate regarding this sector. He is a very suitable person for the post. However, he too had to resign quoting a policy matter. It won't be a surprise if he now says he resigned due to personal reasons. For, there is an operation going on to get him to say so.

What do these incidents indicate? All economic sensitive sectors have been made political gambling dens. A gang of racketeers are earning large profits from illegal manipulations. Unacceptable fluctuations are created in the share market and it is manipulated fraudulently. Top most persons in the government are involved in this racket. If not how does Parliamentarian Sajin Vaas take part in discussions held with the President? It is they who manipulate this racket.

Recently, the EPF was invested in the share market which created an artificial boom in the stock market. This made a surge in artificial profits. The Inter Company Employees Union took legal action against this. The racketeers have grabbed the provident funds of working people.

Who has to confront the consequences of this crisis in the share market? The urban and semi-urban share holders have to face the tune. The pensioners and those who possess some amount of money invest in the share market. However, a situation has been created so that these monies could be grabbed by racketeers by taking over the Securities and Exchange Commission. The number of customers coming to the share market has dwindled. There is no trust in the share market now.

The present government has no regard for law and order or good governance. The economy of the country has been brought under a small gang of financial racketeers. During the last 8 years of Rajapaksa regime a small group of businessmen has amassed billions. How did our share market, said to be the No.1 share market in the world immediately after the end of the war, become the second in the list of share markets that breaks down rapidly?

Everyone who doesn't toe the Rajapaksa line has to withdraw from their positions. Law has become the wish, the order and the announcement of Rajapaksa. Officials resign and they too are pressurized. As such, the responsibility of saving the economy of the country from the claws of a small gang of racketeers is with the masses and journalists like you."