The Glyphosate Challenge

By Ranil Senanayake –MAY 9, 2018

Dr Ranil Senanayake

As a professional who had been boycotted by successive governments for 35 years, it was a surprise to find myself on a “Government Committee” addressing the issue of Glyphosate. It was also salutary to see the level of professionalism and sense of National responsibility. It was also a great lesson on the ways and means to achieve political goals, never mind the civic responsibility. As I had opposed the lifting of the current ban on the on Ecological and Public Health ground at at the sittings of the Parliamentary committees and presented my arguments I assumed that my job was done and the politicians could decide the outcome. That was over I thought. The Glyphosate debate continued to rage, presenting both sides of the argument to the public. This was good because many of us are more informed as a consequence. I, like the rest of the country awaited an informed decision by the government.  Them much to my surprise I am summoned to a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat to consider a ‘Compromised Approach’ to the Glyphosate question.

The meeting was to re-examine the proposal by the Ministry of Plantation Industries to revoke the ban on the use of Glyphosate for the tea and rubber plantation sector. The arguments for and against lined up to demonstrate that for every concern on the use of Glyphosate, there was a pro and con argument. When it was suggested that the ‘Precautionary Principle’ is important in Public Health matters and that there was ‘leakage’ that has entered the bodies of people, the committee was given the assurance that the plantation industries will assure no leakage into the black market or into the waterways. The last, is a very important and critical aspect of protecting public health.  Thus the following consideration was accepted if the plantation industry was using it.

“Revoke the ban imposed on Glyphosate ONLY for Tea and Rubber Sectors for a period of 36 months, effective from the date that the TRI and RRI design and develop an effective mechanism to ensure strict control of its use and the follow up monitoring mechanism in consultation with Registrar of Pesticides (ROP) and other relevant regulatory bodies (CEA, NSWDB, Health Department, etc.)  to prevent the misuse and overuse of Glyphosate, especially the illegal transfer of issued Glyphosate to other crop sectors and environmental leakage to the water bodies;”

This means that the TRI and RRI will monitor to test if there is any leakage of Glyphosate into water bodies once the industry uses it. The million Rupee question is Who is responsible if a leak of Glyphosate has been detected outside the area of application? The importing country? the plantation industry?  TRI and RRI? Also what will be the level of the fine at detection? Further if leakage is detected will ban be re-imposed? All this must become a part of any license given to use Glyphosate. To lift the bar without clarifying these questions, will be very partial indeed. As it is the President’s office coordinating this initiative, there is confidence that the well-being of the public is tantamount and that there must be accountability by commercial operators who could impact public well-being.

Maybe I will need to wait another 35 years to get on a ‘Government Committee’ because of this letter!

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My kind of economy: Trust your process industry

Thursday, 10 May 2018

In manufacturing and in processing, we appear to have been complacent when we can import something and if dollars come in as a result. Some still appreciate when more rupees can be realised from a dollar received! It is enjoying a weakness as a strength and not really caring about the big picture but being quite content with one’s own situation.

If we do not link our small actions with the big picture, the big picture may never change in the way we aspire. We have not linked the societal transformation that has to happen and thereby the economy. The argument in this column is that industry segment of the economy can do much, much more and should be planned and executed in that manner.

An industry is not purely a job-producing machine and the emerging Industry 4.0 actually may be quite different! It is the overall transformational effect that is possible with dynamic industry sector that planners should understand.


BASF and chemistry

In my last column (http://www.ft.lk/columns/Exporting-bras--with-imported-fibre-/4-654002) I gave an example of a process industry in Germany, now a global giant, that transformed an economy working in tandem with other players.

The conversation in that could not be concluded as the pictures associated were not in the column and I think the impact went missing. Hence this continuum. I took the case of BASF (Badische Anilin & Soda Fabrik AG) where chemistry is life!

In the published history of BASF ‘In the Realm of Chemistry,’ the book traced the history and the development of BASF. A couple of interesting pictures from the journey of BASF to me were quite significant and I specially viewed them when I first saw them with much interest as I sensed so much with those two pictures.

One picture showed the entry to its Ludwigshafen chemical industry site where the picture from 1895 can almost be somewhat similar to an entrance to a Sri Lankan apparel factory zone today but with a gender difference – walking in foot and crowding at the gate to enter.

I know that a direct comparison to today’s apparel factory entrance is not exactly right as buses do play a role and the gates are different, but I hope the reader gets the point going beyond the direct literal interpretation. The problem is some do take the direct literal interpretation and get into an interpretational mess.

The other interesting picture is when the book shows one of the car parks of BASF 70 years later and claims that ALL 8,000 employees come to work by car daily. Sri Lanka has though graduated from a LDC to a Middle Income country has not been able to do much change to the Gini coefficient at all and that is a poor showing.

It has been shown that Sri Lanka for most of the time since independence has had the value of this coefficient within 0.4 and 0.6 – inside the range that is equated with high inequality. As per economists this is clear and from a non-economist then we are still having rich getting richer and poor poorer. In the economic development process equity has to be addressed and growth is not the only parameter.

A simple parallel is that clean streets and cities are not exactly clean if there are 260 solid waste dumps dotted across the island. The waste management story is complete when visual cleanliness comes with the absence of dumps. Social inequalities and collapsing dumps mean that we have not addressed the issue holistically.





Transformation for all

Now the transformation of BASF had been for ALL. BASF literally supported Germany to change as well by becoming a global giant and still continue to do so by being an important company in Europe’s No. 1 economy – an economy built on manufacturing and processing.

It is also interesting to note that the success of BASF it owes to five chemical raw materials – salt, air, sulphur, natural gas and crude oil. Now Sri Lanka can get salt much easier as we have access to more sea water than water and Germany has to mine its salt and we have two of these raw materials in abundance. However, it is not necessary to have all these five to speak of industrial growth nor these as the sole five that can do the trick.

Consider the strengths of Singapore and Israel in the water industry, when they engaged developing processing for sea water and reclaiming water for their own benefit but now paying global economic dividends. We can view province to province in Sri Lanka to think of a major process industry for a province, which can uplift the province if carefully nurtured. Then the developed major industry should not have only benefits for the province but the province in which it is based necessarily the first and a continuous beneficiary.

What is at times noted in Sri Lanka is as we planned with much less local benefit in mind, the local landscape most of the time is left with serious environmental pollution and few lower level job opportunities. How many times we have witnessed locals rising out against manufacturing concerns and with the political system behind them as well.




A couple of examples of such failures, alum plant at Ranala, gloves factory at Waliweriya, and caustic soda at Paranthan. If one take some time off to analyse these cases they should yield us some rich lessons. Many factories that have been established endure their existence rather than seen as shining examples of process industry.

Where is the equivalent of at least one mini-BASF in a Sri Lankan context? Where is the vision or an intention similar to that displayed by Friedrich Engelhorn? A set of suggestions mapped with the Sri Lankan provinces conceptualised and submitted by COSTI – as K.C. Somarathne has indicated as an expectation in his column (http://www.ft.lk/columns/Rubber-to-erasers-and-value-addition-to-local-produce/4-654517) is presented here.

Considering the magnitude of the intention I must state that this can be discussed in depth and this may not be the space for that. However to press home the logic of the suggestion I do hope that some discussion gets ensued with the figure in question. Please note that the suggested list is a process industry option, which matches to my way for our economy.

The list indicated perhaps belongs to an earlier era than today as some scale is expected and necessarily has to be there to have an impact. We are increasingly entering into an era where scale of that nature is not what is exactly needed. However I can state that within the process industry there is a movement towards process miniaturisation and as such actually Sri Lanka need not take a lesson from the factory images of current Ludwigshafen site anymore.

Today different types of capital are more valued. However, what was observed with BASF is that BASF ensured from the very beginning the value of intellectual property. In fact Caro- BASF’s first Director of Research, had much influence on the German Patents Act of 1977! This is an area where we are yet to address in a satisfactory manner though some efforts are currently underway.

Our economic planners should be prepared to value manufacturing and there is still the space for a Sri Lankan process industry. We can process our way into a better future – Definitely!

Sri Lankan train attendant accused of harassment arrested after social media pressure, released on bail

09May 2018

A Sri Lankan train attendant who harassed a Tamil woman and racially abused Tamil passengers was arrested yesterday by Jaffna police after videos of the incident went viral on social media, provoking pressure from a Minister and senior government employees. He was released on bail early this afternoon.

The attendant had sexually harassed a Tamil woman passenger and racially abused and attempted to physically attack male Tamil passengers who intervened on the Mount Lavinia to Chunnakam train on Monday.

Parts of the attendant’s harassment and racist tirade had been filmed and published on social media by Jaffna journalist, Uthayarasa Shalin who was a passenger on the train at the time.

Mr Shalin said that himself and the victim had been called to Jaffna police to file a complaint around midday on Tuesday, but waited over five hours - with the victim having to disrupt travel plans - before being able to make the complaint and record a witness statement.

The victim, a Tamil woman from the diaspora, had to recount her statement twice to different officers before it was written down by a Tamil speaking female officer. She was also told that prosecution was unlikely unless she flew back to Sri Lanka to be repeat her statement in court.

Although the officers at the Women and Children branch of Jaffna police cited the lack of Tamil-speaking female officers for the delay, Mr Shalin said he felt that police officers ignored their complaints about time-wasting until there was higher level intervention, including from Mano Ganesan, the Minister of National Co-Existence, Dialogue & Official Languages.

The attendant has had three complaints filed against him previously in Colombo, but the police has only now been forced to act against him because his actions have gone viral on social media, Mr Shalin said.

He was arrested around 5pm on Tuesday evening but was released on bail on Wednesday by Jaffna Magistrate Judge Sinnathurai Satheeskaran, as Jaffna police had filed no objections to granting bail.

Related Articles: 

07 May 2018 : Sri Lankan train attendant harasses Tamil woman and racially abuses intervening passengers

SANDHYA’S LONG WALK FOR JUSTICE

He had the pen, and in his absence, she has gained strength from it, and fights his battle for justice. Eight years after the disappearance of her husband, Sandhya Ekneligoda is not yet ready to give up hope, abandon her fight or give in to despair

By I. Kaviratne-6 May, 2018

The pen, they say, is mightier than the sword, and in Sri Lanka, we have put that into question. As the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day, we take a moment to remember the journalists who were assassinated, forcefully disappeared, threatened and harassed in Sri Lanka.


Journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda who worked for the website LankaeNews, disappeared without a trace on January 24, 2010. The story behind the disappearance gets murky as he left home following instructions of a mysterious telephone call that led him to an equally mysterious meeting. And he has not been heard from since, not even from third parties. Investigations into his disappearance encountered some hiccups, as well as massive obstacles, and at the moment, have come to a standstill. It was the belief of Ekneligoda’s lawyers and family that he was abducted due to his work in the campaign for the then opposition presidential candidate, General Sarath Fonseka.
It has been reported that he was working on a booklet titled, Pavul Gaha (Family Tree) when he was abducted. The USB drive which carried the draft of the booklet along with other cartoons he has drawn went missing as well.

Prageeth’s disappearance left Sandhya, his wife and her two sons in a state of hopelessness; the loss of father and husband, not knowing where he is, whether he is safe, became part of their lives while struggling to find him, while trying to survive everyday became the other part.

Sandhya’s life shifts from fulfilling the duties as a mother to her sons, and continuing with her fight to find her husband, to ensure justice is served. There are local and international groups that have come forward to help but Sandhya says that living day to day is a problem as the help they get is not consistent.

“Sometimes I worry about how to survive the following day, how to feed my children,” she told the Sunday Observer this week.

This daily struggle adds up to the many courts in which she must do battle. Even after eight years and a change of Government, Prageeth’s disappearance case is not proceeding as well as Sandhya expected.
“The proceedings are at a standstill”, she complains.
Sandhya believes, the Sri Lanka Army is not supporting enough with the case. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has requested information from the military pertaining to incidents unfolded in 2015-16 in some army camps. But according to Sandhya, the military has refused to release the information stating that it will threaten national security. “We had high expectations when the new Army Commander was appointed but we are not sure whether he will cooperate in the way we expected.”

The military supported with similar requests made by the court regarding information pertaining to incidents in 2009-2010 which was not considered as a threat to national security. “Though there isn’t a war anymore, and we have lived in a country without the armed conflict for nearly 10 years, I do not know what this threat to national security is they worry about now, compared to the previous such requests,” Sandhya questioned.

“We say we have press freedom now, and we have absorbed the Right to Information Act into our legal system but still they can find reasons to deny a request for information by the CID to solve a criminal case. How can national security be a reason to protect culprits? What they don’t understand is that the enforced disappearance of Prageeth is also a crime committed against the state. A citizen of this country was forcibly disappeared and his family, friends and the rest of the country are waiting to hear any news about him. The government starts an investigation because it’s the job of the government to protect its citizens, but the investigations can’t move forward because there are other branches of the government that are not complying with that investigation,” Sandhya explained the confusion she faces.

The Ekneligoda case is one among tens of thousands of missing persons cases that the new Government that was swept to power pledged to take action about. The Presidential Commission set up under former High Court Judge Maxwell Paranagama during the previous administration, recorded 20,000 cases, including more than 5,000 security services members.

Sandhya admits to the changes that happened after the change of governments, and how court cases such as Prageeth’s were rejuvenated. But there are disappointments too. Especially, she says, when it comes to the behaviour of government servants.

“During the previous regime, if we send a letter to the President, we used to get a letter acknowledging that they received the letter and that it has been forwarded to the attention of the President. Regardless of the outcome, it was good to get a confirmation of the reception of the letter. But now, we don’t know whether they received the letter or not. Lack of response is not a good sign,” she said adding that, “there is no fear that we used to have, not yet, and that’s a good sign.”

But she has other worries too. The contempt of court case against Ven. Galabodaatte Gnanasara has almost come to an end, the verdict due on May 24. During court proceedings in Homagama one day, the controversial priest used unrefined language against her in the courtroom, resulting in the contempt charge.

But images of senior government officials hob-nobbing with the controversial BBS monk and his alleged political influence have taken a toll on Sandhya.

She worries that these power plays will affect the outcome of her case. “I fear that justice will not be served.”

Not knowing the whereabouts of a loved one must be a terrible feeling. But knowing that people who are responsible for the disappearance of her husband are still at large is worse. Raising your children alone, knowing that if justice is not served, if Prageeth does not return, that he will never know how his little sons have grown up is a lot worse. And in Sri Lanka, Sandhya is not alone in her anguish.
She continues with her struggle for justice, and in that struggle, Sandhya has joined hands with mothers in the North in the struggle to find their disappeared children and spouses. “This year too I attended Geneva for the UN Human Rights Council session with a group of mothers from the North, and spoke at an event, but we have to be realistic about the situation, that there is a limit to what UNHRC can do,” she notes realistically.

“I don’t have high expectations on the outcome. You gradually lose hope in external powers as nothing concrete happens at home to find justice. World politics play a big role within the Council which determines where things are headed, so it’s not hundred percent predictable,” she explains.
In her struggle to find Prageeth, Sandhya has pushed boundaries and taken positions that would have made her journalist husband shine with pride. In 2017, she was recognized as one of the 13 most courageous women in the world by the US State Department and civil society organizations.

Back at home though, for Sandhya who wages a day to day battle for her family’s survival, the reality is simple: Prageeth lives. “He lives in me. I share my sorrows and happiness with him. He is still my strength who keeps me going forward. I believe he protects me while I continue to fight for justice for him,” she says.

As Sandhya continues the battle to get justice for Prageeth, questions still swirl about his disappearance and the murders and attacks on dozens of other journalists in the country. This Government that swept to power on the wings of activist victims like Sandhya Ekneligoda, owes her an answer.

Gota and Fonseka trade charges on who attacked Lasantha and Keith

The key technical evidence presented by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to the Mount Lavinia Magistrate Court in connection with the investigations into the 2008 abduction and assault on Senior Journalist, former Deputy Editor The Nation newspaper Keith Noyahr and the 2009 murder of Editor-in-Chief of The Sunday Leader newspaper LasanthaWickrematunge was originally gathered prior to the 2015 change in Government, according to former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.  Speaking to the Daily Mirrorlast week, Rajapaksa recalled that the records of telephone conversations and other evidence were unearthed during their time (Government). According to Rajapaksa, immediately after these incidents, they were able to unearth all this evidence.   

He further said that he ordered all the intelligence agencies to conduct investigations to identify the perpetrators. He specifically recalled doing so in connection with the murder of Wickrematunge and the abduction and assault of Noyahr. 

2018-05-10

Referring to the current leadership and investigators conducting these inquiries and investigations into other attacks during the previous regime, Rajapaksa accused the CID officers of trying to show that this evidence was found by them. “They have found nothing. These are all what we found. They are manipulating evidence we found,” Rajapaksa affirmed.   
Rajapaksa also said that despite he himself having personally ordered the investigations that led to the initial gathering of the evidence now being presented by the CID to court, the CID was using this evidence to make arrests and is now trying to coerce those who were arrested into wrongfully implicating him in order to earn their freedom. “They are arresting them and telling them that if you say Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s name then you can get out,” the former Defence Secretary charged. 
CID Director Shani Abeysekara provided a brief statement in response to questions in this regard from the Daily Mirror. 

Gota and Fonseka trade charges on who attacked Lasantha and Keith.docx by Thavam on Scribd

President’s Policy Statement: ‘No One Above The Law’ (Except Daham)

MAY 8, 2018

President Maithripala Sirisena, delivering the policy statement at the inauguration of the new parliamentary session today said that the Unity Government had overcome to a great extent the challenge of restoring democracy and establishing the Rule of Law, despite the fact that justice has not been done to the victims of his son’s assault at a night club in December 2016.

On that occasion the President’s son Daham led a mob that included members of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) and went berserk at a night club, attacking a security guard and causing damage to property.

President Sirisena, in his lengthy policy statement outlined the achievements of the Unity Government since he made the first policy statement when the 8th Parliament was convened following the General Election in August 2015. He also acknowledged that there is still a lot of work to be done and hinted that the two major parties, the UNP and SLFP which had ‘different visions’ must learn to work better with one another.

Colombo Telegraph learns that the policy statement was drafted by Sirisena’s aide Shiral Lakthilaka and UPFA Parliamentarian Malith Jayatilleka. According to party sources, there is concern and dismay on the part of UNP leaders that Sirisena did not share the draft of the speech with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and did not solicit comments.

Honourable Speaker, Honourable Members of parliament,

As the President and Head of the Government of the people of Sri Lanka, I greet all of you at the opening of the Second Session of the 8th Parliament of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

You are aware that in accordance of the powers entrusted to me under the Clause 70 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka I have issued the Extraordinary Gazette Notification on April 12, 2018 proroguing the First Session of the 8th Parliament. I wish to inform that the Second Session of the 8thParliament commences today in accordance with the Clause 70 and Clauses 32 and 33 of the Constitution. This is in fact closing of one session and commencing another session of the Parliament in accordance with the Parliamentary traditions of our country.

I wish to make this Statement as an extension of the Statement presented by me at the commencement of the First Session of the 8th Parliament.

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Leaders should be patriotic to progress a country

 Thursday, 10 May 2018

Sri Lanka became independent in February 1948. Looking back at the socioeconomic backdrop of Sri Lanka before 1948 and after, it is clear that significant changes have taken place periodically. Let us revisit these crucial times of our economy and look at Sri Lanka from the eyes of Lee Kuan Yew, the great visionary who guided Singapore into the economic superpower it is today.

Leaders should be patriotic to progress a country.docx by Thavam on Scribd

Leaders should be patriotic to progress a country.docx by Thavam on Scribd

ASSAULTS OF TOURISTS DEALT WITH FAST UNLIKE IN THE PAST

Suspects of alleged assault on Dutch tourists in Mirissa are taken to court

2018-05-10

It was most welcome that the incident of a Dutch tourist assaulted by 16 people on the beach in Mirissa was dealt with fast with all culprits arrested. When an incident of rape and murder happened during the past regime, nothing was done till it was brought up in Britain and then dealt with. The perpetrator of this most horrendous crime, was a supporter of the then ruler and protected till there was pressure from Britain. Minister Sagala Ratnayake, Tourism Minister John Amaratunga, The Chairman of the Weligama UC, Rehan Jayawickreme and the Tourist Board headed by Kavan Ratnayake have to be thanked for getting this done and for the increased presence of Tourist Police in the area. 
People who are quick to pick nits and criticize must be aware of the vast difference between the two governments, on dealing with incidents of this nature which are a disgrace to our reputation as a paradise for tourists and therefore a hindrance to tourism. When the price of medicines was reduced, there were hardly any accolades by the public, but when the prices went up because of the exchange rate,there was a huge hue and cry. 

"People who are quick to pick nits and criticize must be aware of the vast difference between the two governments, on dealing with incidents of this nature which are a disgrace to our reputation as a paradise for tourists and therefore a hindrance to tourism"

The government publicity machine must also be blamed for not giving enough publicity to the good things done. I was glad that at last two of our UNP Ministers did contradict false propaganda, expose the fabrications and defend the UNP and the Leader. They are Navin Dissanayake and Harsha de Silva. Navin was quick to come back on a fabrication written recently, that the politburo was appointed by the UNP leader and was done to create a rift between Sajith Premadasa and him.
The politburo was elected by secret ballot by the committee appointed to go into ways and means of restructuring the party. There were some on the latter committee who are certainly not Ranil Wickermesinghe loyalists. Harsha also made a statement which was loud and clear, that this was the first time that office bearers were appointed by vote at the working committee and not by the Leader. I wish other Ministers and MP’s too would follow the example of these two, some are quick to blow their own trumpets instead of defending the party and the Leader. I was shocked like many other UNP supporters to read of one Minister making a statement that he voted against the No Confidence Motion to hang on to his perks and privileges. One wonders if this was the reason he came into politics! Others have also made adverse comments which sound like sour grapes because they were not voted in through the secret ballot to be on the politburo. They are spoiling the laurels that came the way of the UNP after the No Confidence Motion in which they thankfully stood together as a team for the vote, showing that they were indeed the grand old party, not only in name but through word and deed. Still another who accepted office,was apparently shown on TV shouting his dissatisfaction. Why did he accept the post he was given? By making statements to the press,they are only helping the JO and nobody else. Do they want a return to white vans, rampant corruption, violence and a dictatorship by one family running the country by instilling fear and subservience?  

It is another joke that those who lost at the last elections and are only there by the grace and favour of the President are also hurling abuse at the UNP and its leader. Still another who was with Mahinda Rajapaksa, castigated President Maithripala Sirisena in no uncertain terms at the Presidential elections and who jumped fences soon after, is also one of the most vociferous critics of the PM. His own political history is none other than a party jumper which he has done more than once. The PM is being criticized both within and outside the party for Ravi Karunanayake being assistant Leader once again. This too was put to the vote, the working committee was asked if they wished to propose any other names, none were proposed and only two opposed his name, therefore he was elected. 
 But it is important that the UNP leader must instill more discipline and insist that Ministers and MPs belonging to the UNP, must refrain from airing their views on internal party matters to the media. This should be done within the precincts of the corridors of power in the party. He must insist that they go on the attack against the previous regime, talk about the misdeeds and talk about what the government has done,defend the party and Leader when attacked as Navin and Harsha have done, showing their political maturity. Ranil has been the linchpin of the UNP through the worst times with his quiet resourceful strength, but he must assert his authority in a tougher way both within the party and as Prime Minister, to see that those guilty of corruption, murder and other misdeeds in the previous regime are punished soon. This is what most people are grumbling about, that little has been done to punish these culprits. Unless this is done we will be on the road to nowhere and back to the vandalizing of democracy and the end of justice and freedom.  

"It is important that the UNP leader must instill more discipline and insist that Ministers and MPs belonging to the UNP, must refrain from airing their views on internal party matters to the media"

The UNP in the past never had deputy and assistant Leaders. This was done by Ranil  who continues to do so although some in these roles stabbed him in the back! The UNP is fortunate in its second line as most of these are educated professionals, and it is  Ranil who is responsible for this as mentioned by Navin in a recent interview. Those who lost their electorates at the recent local government elections have no right to talk about a change in Leadership. I am glad that senior UNPers like John Amaratunga, D.M. Swaminathan and Gamini Jayewickreme Perera spoke out in support of the Leader, quoted the UNP constitution and reminded members that they would have been thrown out by former leaders, like the late Presidents J.R. Jayawardane and R. Premadasa if they had spoken out to the media against party decisions or the Leadership. The UNP can be an unbeatable force with unity, more discipline and is undoubtedly the only party capable of leading the country into a prosperous and peaceful future. 
 I am reminded of the words of the late W. S. Senior in ‘ The call of Lanka ‘in my prayers and hope for our beloved country. ‘But most shall he sing of Lanka in the brave new days to come.When the races all have blended and the voice of strife is dumb. When we leap to a single bugle, march to a single drum’   

No accolade by public when prices of medicinal drugs were reduced

All UNPers stood united to defeat the No Confidence motion against PM

People wonder as to why the corrupt politicos of former regime are still not punished

Defeated SLFP MPs appointed by President through the national list asked to resign

Wed, May 9, 2018, 11:26 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

May 09, Colombo: The Sri Lanka Freedom Party parliamentarians who were appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena through the national list after they were defeated at the general election in 2015 and are sitting in the opposition, have been asked to resign from their MP posts.

Attorney Rajika Kodituwakku, an Executive Member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Young Professional's Association (SLFPYPA) and President's Coordinating Secretary said the four national list MPs who left the SLFP and withdrew from the government should hand over their posts to the President and resign.

Kodituwakku said, the President appointed Dilan Perera, SB Dissanayake, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena and Thilanga Sumathipala, who were defeated in the General Election in 2015, on the belief that they would work according to his ideology and if they cannot be with the President's ideology, they should resign and hand over their slots to the President.

Then the President will be able to appoint a group of people who respect the President's ideology, Kodituwakku said addressing a media briefing held today (09) at the SLFP headquarters.

Attorney Kodituwakku pointed out that when MP Dayasiri Jayasekara left the United National Party (UNP) he resigned from his MP post setting an example.

In Memorium: Emeritus Professor Laksiri Dharmasoka Jayasuriya (1931 – 2018)

By Siri Gamage –MAY 9, 2018

Dr. Siri Gamage

Emeritus Professor Laksiri Jayasuriya (Laksiri) who was Professor of Social Work and Social administration at the University of Western Australia passed away on April 20th 2018 in Perth. He was the founder of the sociology department at the University of Colombo and led an illustrious career in the Australian academia while contributing to government policy making processes in areas such as multiculturalism, ethnic affairs, immigration and citizenship. He nurtured cohorts of students under his care during his long career in Australia and continued to engage in scholarly activities and publishing after retirement. Professor Jayasuriya leaves behind bellowed wife Rohini and two loving sons Kanishka and Pradeep – both professionals – one in the academia and the other in medical field. His death comes as a great loss to his academic colleagues, particularly in Australia and Sri Lanka.  

Prof Laksiri Jayasuriya

Laksiri was born on 27 October 1931 in Ceylon during the late British colonial period. His father was a prison medical doctor. He was the eldest in a family of three.  His mother came from a wealthy family. He obtained primary and secondary school education from Royal College, Colombo (1945-1951). Among others, it was an institution that trained civil servants for the colonial government of Ceylon. Thus, he grew up with English educated elite in Ceylon and had access to a privileged background even though he did not belong to the highest caste. He participated in the debating team in the Royal College which included figures like Felix Dias Bandaranayake (later a Minister of Finance and Public Administration) and Mervin de Silva (later a reputed journalist). During the War, the school-named Glendale- moved to the hills and he was schooled in a residential facility for four years. It instilled British tradition and values in him while affording the opportunity to participate in sports. There he edited Glendale Gazette and took part in a mock parliament (David Walker interview 2012).

Following the trend at the time of the English educated elite to send children for higher studies in Cambridge or Oxford, he also wanted to follow the same path. However, through an encounter with Professor A.P Elkin – father of Peter Elkin an English professor at the University of New England, Australia – on his visit to Colombo, the opportunity arose for Laksiri to go to Australia for tertiary study. He proceeded to Sydney in 1951 to begin his degree course as a private student by a ship called Himalaya and became a resident of the Wesley College. At Sydney, he was with a cohort of students who occupied influential positions later in Australia and overseas (David Walker interview 2012). He studied for a Bachelor’s Degree with Psychology (Hons) between 1950-54 at the University of Sydney obtaining the degree in 1954 with first class and the University Medal.

Laksiri studied subjects such as history, psychology and anthropology. After completing the Bachelor’s degree in 1954, he was offered a Teaching Fellowship in the same year by the Sydney University. He became the first or second Asian academic at Sydney University. Laksiri was 23 years of age then. Most students he taught were returned servicemen who were in a different age group. He taught a first-year statistics course. Teaching lasted until the end of 1955 (David Walker interview 2012).

Laksiri brought with him a left orientation and political consciousness from his Royal College days. Sri Lanka had a strong Trotskyite group at the time. He had a close relationship with David Ross –a senior student at Wesley and the son of a Communist Party Trade Unionist. His contemporaries included Hedley Bull –later to become Professor of International Relations and Jim Wolfensohn who became President of the World Bank. His teacher Prof. W.M O’Neil had much influence on him in terms of ‘scholarship and academia than anyone else’ (David Walker interview 2012).

The class of people Laksiri interacted at Sydney University was well aware of the need for Australia to engage with Asia. Rev. Alan Walker was a critique of white Australia policy. He gained considerable understanding through involvement in university life. e.g. President of the Sydney University Psychological society (1953), secretary of the Sydney University International Club (1953), President of Sydney University Anthropology Society (1952-53). He orgainsed one of the initial Sydney film festivals. Later, he was to continue this interest in film when he took up his appointment at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka as it was then called. His work for Radio Australia called ‘Diary of an Asian Student’ which documented his response to or reflections on Australian life was exemplary. In the 1950s, he received several prizes including Frank Albert Prize and a University Gold medal

Laksiri accepted a fulltime, permanent academic appointment at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya in 1956. Having trained as a social psychologist, he joined the Sociology Department which at that time included Ralph Pieris, Stanley Thambiah and Gannanth Obeyesekere. At the time, the department was  the best within the Faculty of Arts – an institution that was very well regarded in Asia. The campus was a site of creative intellectual endeavour as well as of robust debate over academic and political issues. Laksiri built strong friendships with reputed academics such as K N Jayatilleke – Professor of Philosophy and J E Jayasuriya – Professor of Education. He was an active participant in the academic debates and remembered fondly by his colleagues and students. 

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Nearly 32 percent of pregnant women are anaemic in Sri Lanka

Across South Asia, women lack the nutritional care they urgently need

Pregnant and breastfeeding women need better nutrition to protect children from stunting and disease

( May 9, 2018, Kathmandu – Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian)  The progress on improving nutritional care of women in South Asia during and after pregnancy is slow, impacting on their children’s survival, growth and development.

A three-day regional conference on actions to accelerate improvements in women’s nutrition across South Asia is being held in Kathmandu this week. Organised jointly by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the conference is bringing together government representatives, UN partners and civil society organizations from all countries in South Asia, with regional and global experts.

Poor nutrition deprives women of their health and well-being. Over one-third of the world’s anaemic women live in South Asia, and no country is on track to meet the global nutrition target to reduce anaemia by 50 per cent women by 2025. In Sri Lanka, nearly 32 per cent of pregnant women are anaemic.

Children who are born small due to poor maternal nutrition start life at a huge disadvantage. They are more likely to become wasted or stunted in early life, do less well at school, earn lower wages in adulthood and suffer diabetes and chronic heart diseases later in life. Evidence shows that maternal nutrition is strongly linked to child stunting, which effects 62 million children in the region.

Many adolescents and women also face serious obstacles in meeting their right to health and nutrition. Over 45 per cent of women in Sri Lanka are overweight or obese – indicating a serious double burden of malnutrition within the adult population.

“Gaps in national policies, programmes and care services during pregnancy, combined with poverty and customary practices mean that women fail to receive the nutritional care they need for a healthy pregnancy,” said Jean Gough, Regional Director for UNICEF in South Asia.

Essential nutrition services, including dietary counselling and iron-folic acid supplements, are reaching too few women during pregnancy. Underlying causes include the under-investment in maternal health services, the low prioritization of nutrition services, and the low reach of care for pregnant women. Furthermore, there is poor understanding at all levels, from policy makers to families, of how maternal nutrition impacts on the health, survival and development of women and the future generation of children.

Delegates will agree upon a set of key recommendations at the end of the conference to transform maternal nutrition. “Women’s nutrition needs special attention. Governments need to look at how we can provide healthy diet and lifestyle options. We must strive towards a collective effort that involves health providers, community based workers, families, schools and mothers themselves, “said Amjad Hussain Sial, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

WARNING signs for Sri Lanka

By Arun Perera-08 May, 2018

No, this article is not about the political or economic situation in our country. There are many indicators that contribute toward forecasting the success or demise of a nation. They can act as warning signs, that if heeded can make the difference between life and death. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound grim. On the contrary I write this to motivate us to get off our backsides and do something as citizens to solve some real issues that will result in injecting hope for the future.

There are some very troubling statistics relating to civil society in Sri Lanka that require immediate attention;

• Sri Lanka Police and the World Health Organization recently published the suicide rate in Sri Lanka for 2017. The result is that, Sri Lanka is yet again the No.1 country for suicides in the world. Infact suicides have further increased since 2016. (Source: Sri Lanka Police & WHO statistics 2017)
• 80% of all suicides in Sri Lanka are Men (Source: Sri Lanka Police statistics 2017)
• 20% of all children in Sri Lanka grow-up without a father. (Source: Department of Census and Statistics & United Nations data bank)
• Sri Lanka is ranked No.18 in the world (out of a survey done with 254 countries) in terms of broken homes (children growing-up with just one parent). (Source: Department of Census and Statistics & United Nations data bank)
• 35% of all mentally ill persons in Sri Lanka are children between the ages of 5 and 19. (Source: Department of Census and Statistics)

For years we have been toiling with the issue of high suicide rates. I have seen articles claiming that the United Nations statistics are wrong. Well, we don’t need to argue on that anymore as the Sri Lanka police has confirmed a steady increase since 2015. How is it that in 6 years we as a society have pitifully failed in bringing down these numbers? Could it be that our approach to the problem is all wrong?

At the end of the day, what we sow, our children will reap. Sowing good seed in fertile ground will reap a good harvest for future generations. Likewise, good seed in unfertile soil will reap a bad harvest. This is not only true in agriculture, but also true in society. The soil represents our value system. Lightly translated – what is it that we value as a nation. I am not saying that we need to change our value system. I am saying that our values have changed and it’s time we fixed it!

It has been a norm for many years that a clear majority of suicides are men (80% in 2017). This should have given us a hint on how to formulate an action plan to bring these figures down. Its obvious that men in this country need help in coping with the challenges of life. Sadly, most turn to alcohol. You don’t need stats to prove this. Just glance at the local liquor shop on the night before a poya day. We put so much of emphasis on cutting down on narcotics not realizing that alcohol is a bigger killer in this country than drugs.

It’s not just alcohol. There are other addictions that are of high value. Communication breakdown in families due to evening television marathons and mobile phone entertainment contribute a great deal to bottling up problems.

Broken homes and breakdown of the family unit has a direct impact on the future generation. I can’t prove that this is a result of men abandoning their roles as care-givers, but certainly an increase in fatherless children is not helping the cause. The result of a broken home is seen in the instability of the emotional health of children between years 5 and 19.

These issues don’t need to be solved by the government. They can be solved by you and me. Look around you today and see who needs help, who needs someone to talk to, stop living for yourself and start living for others. Let’s change our values to that which has value by focusing on the basic building block of any thriving society – the family.