Hong Kong's Sour Deal

China and Britain made a pact that's still undermining governance in the former colony.

• BY DALENA WRIGHT-OCTOBER 10, 2014

An old song made the rounds in Hong Kong as World War II was ending, and it went like this: ”The fish will return to the ocean; The dog will have had his day; The hundred years are over; And the glory will fade away.” The song was predicting an end to British rule in Hong Kong, but reversion to China did not take place soon after the Communist Party ascended to power in the aftermath of the war. It wasn’t because of British invincibility — Hong Kong had fallen to the Japanese land invasion in just 17 days in 1942 — but because then-party chairman Mao Zedong did not wish for it to happen.
Hong Kong's Sour Deal by Thavam

Nobel winner Yousafzai to get Canada citizenship

Malala Yousafzai, the young girl from Pakistan who was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating education for girls, received the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

By AP News Oct 11, 2014

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canada will bestow honorary citizenship on Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani education activist who was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace prize.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday that Yousafzai will visit Ottawa on Oct. 22. She is the sixth person to receive honorary Canadian citizenship.

Yousafzai, 17, was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman two years ago for insisting that girls as well as boys have the right to an education. With the help of British medical care, she survived to become an international advocate for girls’ education.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with India’s Kailash Satyarthi, who has fought to end child slavery and exploitative child labor.

Palestine activism grows at US campuses despite backlash

Submitted by Nora Barrows-Fr... on Wed, 10/08/2014 - 18:17

“There’s really this deliberate attempt … echoing Israeli state policy, to prevent and stifle any kind of dissent and any kind of honest and critical thinking,” says freelance journalist and activist Ben Norton, a close observer of the crackdown of Palestine solidarity activism on US campuses.

Israeli government officials and anti-Palestinian groups have turned universities into “battlegrounds” for popular opinion on Israel. But every year Palestine solidarity grows more visible at US schools.

On 23 September, student activists across the country held a day of action in support of Palestinian rights.

The Electronic Intifada recently spoke with Norton about the day of action, the current state of student solidarity organizing and the backlash against it.

Norton said that on the international day of action, students rallied in support of theboycott, divestment and sanctions movement, demanding their universities drop their investments in US companies that profit from Israel’s occupation.

They also organized against campus police training “in cooperation with Israeli security,” Norton added, since “there’s a large interaction that’s well-documented between US security forces and police and Israeli security forces and police.”

“McCarthyist attacks”

The recent attacks against professor Steven Salaita — who was fired from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for his criticism of Israel’s attacks on Gaza over the summer — were also a rallying point for the student organizers.

“There’s these McCarthyist attacks on Palestine solidarity activists, especially students in the US,” Norton said. “Scholars themselves are often afraid of criticizing Israel.”

However, Norton explained, the movement for justice in Palestine across US campuses is growing quickly — especially after Israel’s summer onslaught on Gaza.

“Especially for American students, this past conflict has been the watershed moment, the turning point,” he said. “And it’s in this conflict that … Israel’s barbarism was just laid clear. People saw the blatant racism in Israeli society, and how that leads to the dehumanization of Palestinian life.”

Standing up

The next step for student activists around the country, Norton added, “will be to escalate” their direct actions, especially around campus divestment initiatives.

“We’ve seen again and again that our government itself is not interested in listening to Americans — especially young Americans,” Norton said.

“And standing up for our rights is not only critical for the Palestine solidarity movement, it’s absolutely critical for our own future and ensuring the positive quality of life for our future children and for our peers in general,” he added.

Listen to the full interview with Ben Norton via the player above.

141007-uc-berkeley-die-in.jpg

Students at the University of California, Berkeley engage in a “die-in” protest on the steps of Sproul Hall on 23 September.

141007-oberlin-flags.jpg

Black flags were planted on the lawn at Oberlin College for each of the 2,133 Palestinians killed in Israel’s summer attacks.

141007-stanford-children-names.jpg

Activists at Stanford University wrote the names of Palestinian children killed in Gaza on campus steps.

Health Ministry: Fuel in Gaza hospitals will 

run out in next 48 hours 

Critical medical devices such as this incubator in Gaza will not be able to operate without electricity

Thursday, 09 October 2014

The deputy Health Minister in the Gaza Strip, Yousef Abul-Rish, warned on Wednesday of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza's hospitals because of the severe shortage of fuel.

"Fuel allotted for electricity generators will run out in 48 hours," Abul-Rish said. "This means that kidney washing machines, other medical devices and all kinds of operations will stop working."

According to the Palestinian Al-Resalah newspaper, this situation would affect all the hospitals and clinics in Gaza, likely resulting in unnecessary deaths.

The situation is especially grave following the military campaign waged last summer by Israeli forces against the Gaza Strip, which wounded many thousands of Palestinians, mostly civilians.

It is worth mentioning that the hospitals in the Gaza Strip, similar to other facilities in the besieged enclave, have electricity for only six hours each day. For the remainder of the time, they run on electricity generators that consume large amounts of fuel.

Meanwhile, Abul-Rish also warned that many kinds of medicines for chronic and critical diseases are running out and, in fact, some supplies have already been exhausted.

Abul-Rish placed most of the blame for the current situation on the strict Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, but he also blamed the Palestinian unity government, accusing it of ignoring its duties regarding the hospitals in Gaza.

- See more at: http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/14566-health-ministry-fuel-in-gaza-hospitals-will-run-out-in-next-48-hours#sthash.GHacw1Fh.dpuf

Judges too given army training by Gota : one scheming crooked judge of the 5 gangsters falls at feet to clear his name

(Lanka-e-News- 10.Oct.2014, 5.30PM) Following the report of Lanka e news exposing the new breed of ‘five judges gang’ inclusive of judicial service commission (JSC) officers who are judges , one of those villainous judges approached Lanka e news through close friends of the website to pressurize us to withdraw his name from that gangster ‘judges five gang’ while also trying to claim he is clean.

Judges Too Given Army Training by Gota  One Scheming Crooked Judge of the 5 Gangsters Falls at Feet to Clea... by Thavam

Colombo disproves functionality of 13A

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 October 2014, 17:38 GMT]
Despite the tall claims of New Delhi and Washington on the effectiveness of the Provincial Council model under 13 Amendment of the unitary constitution of genocidal Sri Lanka, as a ‘starting point’ for the solution of national question in the island, the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) chief minister Mr. C. V. Wigneswaran himself on Friday has pointed out how the Rajapaksa regime in Colombo disproves the functionality of the 13A. In a letter to Mahinda Rajapaksa, the NPC-CM condemned the Colombo regime unilaterally convening a “Special District Development Meeting” on Monday for the 5 districts coming under the NPC, without consulting the provincial body or even informing it on the necessity and agenda of the “curious meeting.” The NPC decided not to attend the meeting. 

• Wigneswaran's letter to Rajapaksa on 10 October 2014

“The fact that the NPC has been bypassed in this endeavour also highlights the practical impotency and hollowness of the 13th Amendment, as does the allocation and usage of funds to the NPC,” Wigneswaran said.

The NPC-CM brought out the issue of Colombo distributing land permits in the province to people of its own choice. 

In urging Rajapaksa to fulfill his promises on 13+ to international community and the prime minister of India following the end of war, the NPC-CM said, “I expect the Government of India as the Guarantor of Tamil Interests in North East Province at the time of signing of the Indo Lanka Accord in July 1987, which paved the way for the Thirteenth Amendment, to actively participate and contribute in the negotiation process to enable the Tamil Speaking Peoples in the North East of Sri Lanka to live with dignity, peace and security.”

“We are no doubt aware of the limitations of a unitary constitution in this regard,” Wigneswaran further said.

NPC-CM_10!10!14-Colombo Disproves Functionality of 13A by Thavam

In conversation with Nimalka Fernando: Life as an activist in Sri Lanka

by Groundviews 

- on 10/10/2014

Nimalka Fernando is one of Sri Lanka’s best known human rights activists and the President of the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR). Nimalka’s activism has in recent years generated violent pushback from the Government – prime time radio programmes on State owned channels have openly and with impunity discussed ways to silence her permanently, and high ranking members of Parliament have threatened her, and other leading activists, with bodily harm.

We begin our conversation looking at how Nimalka began her life as an activist, from her days at Bishops College and work in the Student Christian Movement. Asked whether, looking back at her life, she has any regrets, Nimalka says the only one is that she should have had a daughter!

Several years ago, Nimalka noted that Sri Lanka is a classic example of a failed state. She is asked whether post-war, she believes the same, and how many people in the country also believe that the country today is a failed state.

Referring in particular to the State radio broadcast which discussed ways to silence her, Nimakla is asked why her work and activism generates so much of hate, so frequently. Following from this, and in light of what she has had to personally and professionally endure, Nimalka is asked how she can inspire a younger generation to take up human rights advocacy and activism.

We go on to talk about the current UN investigations into allegations of war crimes, and given the hostility towards it from government and the general ignorance around it in the South, whether it has any potential to strengthen reconciliation in post-war Sri Lanka.

Focussing on the internal strife in civil society, and the fact that human rights NGOs in Sri Lanka don’t and can’t often work together around shared goals, Nimalka is asked how and to what degree, moving forward, they can really help in articulating a democratic alternative to the status quo. Following from this, she is asked whether it can be seen as a failure of civil society to engender and sustain a critical mass in support of human rights and democracy (referring to the oft quoted ‘silent majority’).

Nimalka ends the conversation by focussing on Mahinda Rajapaksa the politician and activist, with whom she interacted closely in the past and Mahinda Rajapaksa the President, and what led to the dramatic change between the two public personae.

Nimalka Fernando from Young Asia Television on Vimeo.

ஜனாதிபதியின் வடக்கு படை எடுப்பில் கூட்டமைப்பின் பிரசன்னம் இல்லை! – அழைப்பை நிராகரிக்க தீர்மானம்?

Global Tamil News

09 அக்டோபர் 2014

வடக்கில் எதிர்வரும் ஞாயிறு திங்கட் கிழமைகளில் ஜனாதிபதி மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ பங்குபற்றும் பல்வேறு நிகழ்வுகளில் தமிழ்த்தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பினர் பங்குபற்றமாட்டார்கள் என தகவல்கள் வெளியாகி உள்ளன.

இந்த நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் பங்குபற்றுவதற்கு வடக்கு மாகாண நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள் மற்றும் மாகாண முதலமைச்சருக்கு அழைப்பிதழ்கள் அனுப்பப்பட்டுள்ள போதிலும் அவர்கள் அதில் பங்குபற்ற மாட்டார்கள் எனக் கூறப்பட்டது.

இந்த நிகழ்வுகளில் தாம் பற்குபற்ற முடியாமல் இருப்பதற்கான காரணங்களைக் குறிப்பிட்டு வடக்கு மாகாண முதலமைச்சர் சி.வி.விக்னேஸ்வரன் மிகவிரைவில் ஜனாதிபதி மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷவுக்கு விளக்கமான கடிதம் ஒன்றை அனுப்பிவைப்பார் என்றும் அதன் விவரம் ஊடகங்களுக்கு தெரியப்படுத்தப்படும் என்றும் கூட்டமைப்புத் தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.

முதலமைச்சரின் கடிதம் ஏற்கனவே ஆங்கிலத்தில் தயாராகிய நிலையில் அதன் தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு  எந்நேரமும் ஊடகங்களுக்குக் கிடைக்கலாம் எனவும் தெரியவருகிறது.

ஜனாதிபதி பங்குபற்றும் நிகழ்வுகளுக்கு தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பினர் வெறும் பார்வையாளர்களாகவே அழைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர் என்றும் வடக்கு மக்களின் அமோக ஆதரவைப் பெற்ற அவர்களுக்கு யாழ். வீரசிங்கம் மண்டபத்தில் நடைபெறும் வடக்கு மாகாண விசேட ஒருங்கிணைப்புக் குழுக் கூட்டத்தில் கூட தமது கருத்துக்களை முன்வைப்பதற்கு வாய்ப்பளிக்கப்படுமா என்பது தெளிவுபடுத்தப் படவில்லை என்றும் கூட்டமைப்பு தரப்புகள் அதிர்ப்த்தி வெளியிட்டுள்ளன.

VACATE 

By Ananth Palakidnar-October 10, 2014

The Northern Provincial Council yesterday introduced a resolution, at a special session, urging the Security Forces to vacate from the private buildings and private lands in all five districts of the Northern Province before 31 December this year.
The Chairman of the Northern Provincial Council, C.V.K. Sivagnanam, who had tabled the resolution at the special session told Ceylon Today that the resolution was passed unanimously.

Sivagnanam said the leader of the NPC Opposition S. Thavarasa brought to the notice of the Council, that the Security Forces had vacated from several private buildings in the Northern Province since the war came to an end in 2009 and they have also handed over the private lands in their possession to their legitimate owners in several parts of the Province. He also argued that the Security Forces could gradually vacate the lands and the private buildings.

According to Sivagnanam, the resolution has also urged the President and the government to implement the provisions of the 13th Amendment with regard to the land powers which clearly indicates that the land issues in the Province should be dealt in consultation with the Chief Minister.

"The Provincial Council members from all five districts of the Northern Province brought to the notice of the Council the details of the lands and private buildings in the occupation by the Security Forces. More than 60,000 acres of lands in all five districts, along with several hundred private buildings have been occupied by the Security Forces in the Province," Sivagnanam said.

" However, since the Northern Province has been agitating against the land acquisition and voicing for the resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons a time frame for the Security Forces to vacate the private lands and buildings become inevitable. Therefore, all members of the NPC finally agreed to give a time frame for the Security Forces to vacate the private buildings and lands," Sivagnanam said.

Four “34 Watta” Residents Settle Case Against UDA Getting Two Houses Each

October 10, 2014

The case filed by four residents from “34 Watta” in Wanathamulla (CA Writ 283/2014) against the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and its officials challenging the actions of the UDA ordering them to move from their homes to an alternative location without following proper legal process, was concluded today with terms of settlement reached with the four residents by the UDA being accepted by court.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development

Senior counsel M. A. Sumanthiran with Viran Corea, Bhavani Fonseka, Luwie Ganeshathasan and Subhashini Samaraarachchi instructed by Sunil Watagala appeared for the petitioners. Arjuna Obeyesekere, Deputy Solicitor General appeared for the UDA. The case was heard before Appeal Court Judge Upaly Abeyratne.

After the case was filed, on the suggestion of the Appeal Court, the four residents and the UDA entered into discussions to arrive at a settlement. The parties agreed on a settlement, the terms of which were signed on the 2^nd of October 2014. In terms of the settlement, each of the petitioners are given 2 condominium units valued at Rs. 2,000,000 from “Methsara Uyana” apartment complex. The parties agreed to pay for each such condominium unit a monthly instalment of Rs. 2777.00 (i.e. an aggregate of Rs. 5554.00) over a period of 30 years. In addition, the petitioners amicably agreed to make payment of Rs. 50000 per condominium to the Condominium Management Authority in six equal consecutive monthly instalments of Rs. 8333.00 each.

When the case was taken up today (10^th of October 2014), court was informed that the petitioners had indicated that they were agreeable to withdraw their case, subject to the terms of settlement dated 2^ndOctober 2014 that were filed in court. The court accepted those terms as the basis for settlement and made order that accordingly, the case is pro forma dismissed (dismissed as a matter of form and not because the case lacked merit) without costs.

SL’s latest breed of gangsters -5 judges gang who intimidate other judges and change verdicts

(Lanka-e-News- 09.Oct.2014, 11.45PM) The verdicts of courts of any district of Sri Lanka which ought to be decided by the relevant judges after recording evidence , are currently being decided by a gang in Colombo comprised of five hooligan judges , according to the courts inside information division of Lanka e news. This gang telephones the judges and instruct them on how judgments should be delivered , and judges who don’t follow their instructions have to face dire consequences

The names of the five individuals are :
Sisira Ratnayake – Secretary , Judicial service Commission (JSC)

Kanishka Wijeratne – Assist. Secretary JSC

Gihan Pilapitiya – Colombo chief magistrate

Thilina Gamage – Fort Magistrate

Ranga Wimalasena – Mt.Lavinia chief magistrate; Secretary- Judges Association

This is the five member gang of hooligan judges who are further contributing to MaRa’s Kangaroo courts decisions.

This gang of hooligan judges phone the magistrates throughout the Island and order changes to judgments according to this gang’s needs .The magistrates who receive these calls are frightened of the JSC , and hence give judgments as ordered. It is learnt that it is Kanishka Wijeratne , the assist secretary of JSC , who gives such hooligan calls most. He was a subordinate under former chief justice Sarath N Silva , naturally therefore he works according to Silva’s theories. Incredible but true , last week alone , this hooligan gang of judges via phone call intimidations revoked three decisions via three interim judgments.

Recently , in the crimes of rape committed on a young girl by a group of navy men of the Karainagar navy camp , it was this gang of hooligan judges who gave the order to the magistrate to release the suspects on bail.

It was this same gang of hooligan judges who ensured that an inquiry is not conducted by the JSC into the illegal possession by Thilina Gamage of a baby elephant from the jungle on fake documents (Lanka e news reported comprehensively on this earlier) ,because Gamage is a powerful member of this gang .

Thilina is wielding such huge powers because he is a bosom pal of JSC secretary Sisira Ratnayake. When the latter was the Matara high court judge , Thilina was Matara district court judge. Both ate and drank together . Sisira had pecuniary embarrassments but , Thilina was wealthy. Hence , it is Thilina who propped Sisira whenever in financial straits.

In the circumstances , no inquiry is being instituted against Thilina over his baby elephant robbery . Besides , Thilina is the most powerful of the five member gang. It is very unfortunate that although Mohan Peiris the chief justice (CJ) is the President of the JSC ,he himself being a ‘cheat justice’ , and a notorious Pachoris (fibber) , had allowed this gang of hooligan judges not only to have their way but even have their say , so much so that the judiciary is now dragged down to the worst sordid levels in the judicial history of SL.

Sri Lanka: Cows And Broken Shoes

| Prabhath SahaBandu 

( October 9, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet have revealed their assets as part of the BJP-led government’s Swachh Bharat (‘Clean India’) campaign. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jeyaram Jayalalithaa has been thrown behind bars for corruption. Several key politicians of the previous Congress-led government are also being tried for a telecom scam.

We are lucky that we have ministers who are not rich enough to buy even decent shoes. One of them found himself in an embarrassing position during a recent function attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping. He had his toes jutting out of his broken shoes! He has silenced those who unfairly question the honesty of our politicians. Now, the entire world knows that our government leaders are on an austerity drive!

A former executive president once produced her credit card to pay for some goods purchased at an airport duty free shop only to find that it had no credit left. Someone else had to settle the bill out of sympathy. In the run-up to the last Western Provincial Council polls, an Opposition politician was so broke that he feared he might not be able to serve the public without money for electioneering. So, he organised a hold-up at a pawning centre to raise funds.

There wasn’t a dry eye when Minister Basil Rajapaksa declared his assets at a recent dairy farmers’ event. Being a dairy farmer’s son, he had only some cows by way of assets though he was accused by his detractors of having amassed ill-gotten wealth, he said. He is no ordinary politician and his cows must also be extraordinary like the wish-granting cow of heaven known as Surabidena. On listening to Minister Rajapaksa we regretted that we had rejected Siddalepa Vedamahattaya at the 2005 presidential election. He had the wisdom to offer all families a dairy cow each. Had we been wise enough to elect him and get the promised cows we would also have been living off the fat of the land today.

Our Central Bank panjandrums got elderly pensioners’ goat the other day by asking them to wean themselves from their dependency on interest on bank deposits and invest their terminal benefits wisely and earn higher returns. But, why should they tax their not-so-young brains by engaging in speculative investment in their twilight years? They have all the time in the world in retirement and they should be asked to buy dairy cows of the same breed as Basil’s so that they can live happily ever after until they go the way of all flesh. If their cows stop giving them milk they can swap them for magic beans like Jack and become even richer.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has outlived its purpose. Our political leaders have no assets to declare unlike their Indian counterparts who are crorepatis (multi-millionaires). They have only cows, broken shoes and credit cards sans credit and some of them even have to commit robberies so as to be able to serve the public. So, the CIABOC has had to chase peons and clerks and it should be abolished forthwith.

President J. R. Jayewardene created a righteous society and his successor President Ranasinghe Premadasa eliminated poverty and ensured that every Sri Lankan had a roof over his or her head. President Chandrika Kumaratunga rid the country of dooshanaya and bheeshanaya (corruption and terror) and thanks to the incumbent President we have become the Miracle of Asia; all we need to live comfortably is Rs. 2,500 a month!

The judicial process is so transparent that judgments are known even before they are delivered. Justice is meted out so swiftly that criminals are given the capital punishment by the police themselves who apparently don’t want to burden courts with more work. Our democracy is so vibrant that we have an election almost every month and the Polls Chief has no problem with results. Our public service is the epitome of prescience and efficiency. Even before you make a request, bureaucrats tell you why they cannot comply with it! Therefore, the independent commissions for the judiciary, police, elections and public service have been done away with. The CIABOC is an anachronism and disgrace to our honest, hardworking, pro-people public officials and politicians. It, too, has to go. And fast! Such mechanisms may be necessary in countries like India, where political leaders have assets to declare and get nabbed for corruption.

It looks as if we were enjoying the benefits of our good karma in previous births. Long live our leaders!

( The writer is the chief editor of the, The Island, where this piece was originally printed as the editorial of it’s edition on October 9, 2014.)

Orchestrating Tamil Hordes

By Rajan Hoole -October 10, 2014

Dr. Rajan Hoole

Border Aggression and Civilian Massacres – Part 4

The declared Government policy on encroachment as contained in a cabinet decision, was to regularise all bona fide encroachments made prior to 31st March 1979, if the land did not fall within reservations, and to debar encroachers after 7th April 1980 from be- ing considered for land. Deserving non-citizens on encroachments prior to 31st March 1979, were to be allowed to remain on their encroachments until their citizenship was decided (see Gamini Dissanayake, referred to below).

Following the announcement of JOSSOP’s ‘flushing out’ operation, cabinet minister and Ceylon Workers Congress leader Mr. S. Thondaman made a statement to the Press in India which was carried in the Hindu of 13.10.83. He said:

“Instead of implementing the declared policy of regularising the settlements of people of Indian origin in these areas where they were transported and dumped as refugees after the previous holocausts, a concerted attempt was made by officials to drive them out of their holdings under various false pretexts. This was further intensified around the middle of July when Police and security personnel set in motion a wave of terror intimidating settlers and driving them away.”

Thondaman’s argument was that in accordance with the cabinet decision the encroachments of Plantation Tamils who went into the North-East as refugees following the 1977 communal violence, and thereafter for reasons of insecurity prior to 31.3.79, should have been routinely regularised. But instead there had been a concerted attempt to drive them out. Technically, the cabinet decision would not cover Plantation Tamils who came to the North-East following the August 1981 violence which badly affected Tamils in several areas, including Ratnapura.

                         Read More

PB rules out election budget 

by Shamindra Ferdinando-October 9, 2014, 9:35 pm

Secretary to the Treasury, Dr. P. B. Jayasundera yesterday assured the business community that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would present a development oriented budget for 2015 though a section of the media speculated that the government was planning to unveil a basket of goodies with an eye on the forthcoming national election.

Dr. Jayasundera was responding to reports that he was preparing a budget to facilitate the incumbent president’s re-election campaign.

President Rajapaksa was among those in the audience. The corporate sector as well as many foreign delegates attended the conclave.

Addressing ‘ Capital Market Conference’ at the Cinnamon Lakeside, Dr. Jayasundera stressed that budget 2015 would be in line with the government strategy to strengthen the economy and infrastructure development.

The event was organised by the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in collaboration with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka.

Dr. Jayasundera said: "Although there was a reference made in last weekend media that the 2015 Budget will be a bag full of election goodies, I can assure you that it will be a development oriented budget that is in line with the direction so set, with significant emphasis on the knowledge economy concept with which the country gained momentum."

Having ruled out ‘election goodies’, Dr. Jayasundera discussed a range of issues under the theme,‘Take off to a High Altitude: The Transformation of the Economic Landscape in Sri Lanka’

The Treasury Chief explained measures taken by the government to strengthen the national economy and consolidate the country’s standing in the international market.

UPFA constituents, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, Lanka Samasamaja Party and Democratic Left Front have urged the SLFP not to go for an early presidential poll and instead take advantage of Budget 2015 and Budget 2016 to provide relief to those struggling to make ends meet and strengthen the national economy.