JHU accuses “MUSLIM TERRORISTS” in Eastern province robbing Sinhalese Buddhist heritage

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), an extremist political party in South, also a key affiliate of the present government, is accusing “MUSLIM EXTREMISTS” in East taking over the lands belonging to Sinhalese Buddhists also hinting the possibility of “MUSLIM TERRORISM” in the Eastern province.

JHU spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe charges Muslims for initiating ‘Otu’ (Arabic) terrorism in areas such as Potuvil, Panama, Akkarapattu, Samanturai, Kinniya, Mutur and Kalmunai.

Mr. Warnasinghe has made these comments when an online news site queried him. 

 Image: JHU leader Ven. Ellawala Medhananda is a vociferous advocate of the ‘Sinhalese Buddhist’ heritage in Eastern province currently destroyed by the Muslims, as claimed by JHU. Once he also requested all Muslims in eastern province to move to Arab where they really belong, according to him, leaving the land for Sinhalese Buddhists

Muslim terrorism will end up in another armed struggle, this time by Muslim youths, for a separate state, the JHU spokesman warned. The east will come under the grip of al-Qaeda terrorism if this situation continues, he said.

Eastern Muslim youths had, at one-time, been very close to Tamil Tiger terrorism, Mr. Warnasinghe said.

JHU earlier accused Eastern province Muslims physically attacking Sinhalese villages through pro-JHU web site www.sinhala.net.

Image: Minister Chamipika ‘Chandi Putha’ Ranawaka of JHU chased off poor Muslim families from their agricultural lands around the Dheegavapi temple.
 
JHU was also instrumental in chasing off a large number of poor Muslim villagers living around the ‘Dheegavapi’ temple, claiming archeological value of the land early this year.

It is surprising how unashamed People Alliance have to be to beg for the Muslim votes in Eastern province while one of its key partners insulting the Eastern province Muslims by making such serious accusations against them.

Image: These poor innocent people were among the farmer displaced by the acts initiated by JHU, which did not have any concern even for the children.

Lions begging from pariah states

Sri Lanka’s development record might not be as impressive as those of its South East Asian neighbours, but ever since independence we managed to maintain balanced and meaningful foreign relationships. We were poor, but we still had respectable friends; not the outcasts desperately looking for international friends. In other words, Country’s honour at international level was never compromised just for few millions of Dollars.

Certainly this is not something we can except from the cash-strapped and shameless present regime. The norm of the day is to accept money no matter from where.

From whom we beg now? At what cost?

We kneel down and beg from China. In return we join denying the rights of Tibetans, whose land the Chinese dictators forcibly occupies since 1950s. We just ignore that it is another Buddhist country. When the Buddhist monks invite Dalai Lama, the greatest Buddhist religious leader alive today, the state prevents his visit.

We also lick its boots and beg from Burma. It is the Burmese Christian junta military leaders now come to rescue the present government from rise crisis. At what price? Buddhists in Sri Lanka take sides with the junta leadership - not with the Theravada Buddhist monks of Burma who lead a non violent struggle for independence. When the junta government kills Buddhist monks, Sri Lanka, which is supposed to be a Buddhist state – a Theravada Buddhist state – does not even issue a statement condemning that atrocious act. Scared, the Buddhist monks belong to Burmese ‘Ramanna’ nikaya keep their mouths shut.

Entire world loathes the military dictatorship in Pakistan. Current regime in Sri Lanka embraces and begs from Pervez Musharraf too. Our leaders have absolutely no shame.

Now we invite Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, another international political outcast, who wants to wipe off Israel from the face of earth by military means, who does not accept the holocaust and Hitler’s atrocities and whose only interest is his atomic bomb.
 
Why we invite him? Because the current government is concerned about maintaining relationships with Muslims countries? My foot! It does not give two hoots to Muslims. (A key partner of the current government JHU wants all Sri Lankan Muslims to move to Arab, because JHU does not believe any Muslim heritage in Sri Lanka)

Let us be frank. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comes here not to bless us in war, but because he desperately needs friends to maintain his international status. He hardly has any friends so he wants to nurture at least few. So he throws some money at our leaders for becoming his buddies – at least till he finds that arrangement useful.
 
On the other hand, our current leaders do not mind him here because they think he offers enough money for them to sustain this already bankrupt regime for few more months, if not weeks.

We are lucky Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Idi Amin dada and Ferdinand Marcos and dead. Otherwise current Sri Lankan leaders would have licked their boots too and begged for cash.

By the way, Mr Ahmadinejad, we wish you a pleasent stay. We hope you will save at least your clothes.

Twenty six dead and sixty four injured in Piliyandala bomb blast

At least 26 people have been killed and 64 wounded by a bombing on a bus in the outskirts of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, officials have said.

The blast happened during rush hour while the bus stopped to pick up passengers in the city’s southern suburb of Piliyandala, they added.

Violence in Sri Lanka has intensified since January, when the government pulled out of a ceasefire agreement.

The bomb exploded as the bus pulled away from a stop, blowing off the roof and shattering windows on the bus and those of nearby buildings, reports said.

“There was a massive explosion, I couldn’t open my eyes. There was black smoke everywhere, there was blood pouring from my head,” Ananda Ratnasiri, the bus driver, told AFP news agency.

A police spokesman said 10 people died on the spot and another 14 died while being taken to hospital. A child and a Buddhist monk were among the dead.

Witnesses described a large fireball coming out of the bus.

“It is horrible, I saw many people laying on the ground,” RB Dharmasiry told the Associated Press news agency.

(BBC and AFP)

Muhamalai defeat - afterthoughts

Rajapakse regime faced its worst military blow in the post-2005 Rajapakse-Prabha war at Muhamali last week. Enemy caught the forces unawares and launched a massive attack that caused serious damages, to both in terms of casualties and morale.

Rajapakse government also took a pitiable attempt to conceal the damage. What they did not realize was the difficulty in concealing facts in this Internet age. The true figures are out now. Casualties from the Rajapakse side estimated to be in the range of 200.

The morale of security forces are all time low now. Just few months ago they were told it is only a matter of days they would capture Prabhakaran. They were given inaccurate information about the size and strength of the enemy. Now badly hit, they might be feeling cheated – by the very regime they fight selflessly to protect.
Political masters of Rajapakse regime should take the full responsibility of this downfall. It is more than pathetic that so many brave soldiers had to give their lives in an unsuccessful attempt in providing ‘political saline’ much required survival of already dying patient – the present government.

One can feel only sympathy for the government. Looks like its bad times (APALA KAALAYA) has just begun. Just look at some of the events in the last one month. Nothing seems to work for Rajapakse government.

Thanks to Jayasundera and Cabraal duo the economy is in shambles. Inflation is at all time high of 28%. If that is no enough, government has no plans of bringing that down. They are just clueless.

The Jeyaraj, one of the most powerful figures of the government becomes a victim of the war he himself was responsible for promoting. This brought government I par with tigers. Whatever little political advantage gained by killing Thamilselvan was set off by the loss of Jeyaraj.

As that was not enough, then we hear the JVP split. For Rajapakse government it is one of the worst things ever happened because now they completely lost the support of red brothers who brought them to power in the first place. They know they can never think of a national level election victory without the backing of JVP.

Then comes the rice crisis and the government acts in the most stupid manner of imposing price controls. Even JVP, a political party hardly known for its economic sense criticises the use of price control mechanisms. It is not fair to blame the Rajapakse regime fully for the rice crisis but no denial that how they reacted made the matters worse. We are gradually back to 70-77 days of ‘halpolu’ and ‘mirispolu’.

On top of all these Rajapakse regime strongly wants at least a temporary victory in North.

What is gets in reality?

A pitiable defeat at Muhamalai. It will long for Rajapakse regime to overcome such a blow - if they ever do.

No, I am not critising the security forces here. They can do nothing. They were forced to fight an unwinnable war. They were forced to fight for the survival of a failing government in its last days. This kind of political wars does not bring anything to the country.

With the sure win for UNP in the Eastern provincial council elections, we hope Rajapakse regime will get the message. But that does not mean that the dame will be over. That reminds me a Sinhalese saying:

“YANA YAKA KORAHATH BINGADENA YANAVALU”

True figures: Sri Lanka lost 185 soldiers in Jaffna battle - AFP quotes military sources

COLOMBO (AFP) — At least 165 government soldiers were killed and 20 more went missing in a major battle against Tamil rebels this week, military sources told AFP on Friday.

The figures were far higher than official defence ministry casualties which gave 43 soldiers dead and 33 missing from Wednesday’s fighting in the north.

“Some of the senior officers have been told that the army lost 185, including 20 who are still listed as missing,” said a military source who declined to be named. “We are trying to establish the fate of the missing.”

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Thursday returned the bodies of 28 soldiers they had captured.

The government also reported killing more than 100 rebels in the pre-dawn offensive along the Muhamalai front lines on the northern Jaffna peninsula.

However, the separatists, who have been fighting for a Tamil homeland since 1972, said they lost only 25 combatants.

Official defence ministry casualty tolls and LTTE figures can seldom be verified because the government prevents journalists from visiting war zones and territory held by the rebels.

Wednesday’s confrontation was the bloodiest in recent years and the biggest battle since the military withdrew from a Norwegian-arranged truce in January this year.

(AFP)

 

A future doctor, engineer, scientist and a lawyer?

It is the little men and women in this world who brings us joy.

I was delighted to hear the news of the birth of quadruples to a mother from Matugama, in Kalutara District, not too far from my own place.

It would be interesting if these four kids select four different professionals in serving their motherland. How great if one becomes a doctor, another an engineer, another a scientist and finally (not forgetting my own profession) the last one a lawyer? (Now nobody calls me a scientist in spite of having graduated in science stream!) 

Whatever they want to be in future, it will be our responsibility to build the world for them to achieve those. 

I wish them the very best for their future.

Photo from www.dailymirror.lk

Peoples Alliance starts election campaign in Eastern province!

Rome burns while Emperor Nero celebrates Avurudu after taking a break in China

These images, most appeared in various news channels portray the grim reality of the contemporary affairs of the failed state of Lanka. The photographs above show the two funerals, those of Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopullae’s and ‘Marathon Karu’s while the bottom ones show President Rajapakese in all smiles in China.

President Rajapakse also celabrated Avurudu in grand style at his ancestral place at Medamulana. It is unfortunate that most of the common people - the podi minihas’ - in Sri Lanka could not even afford to buy a new piece of cloth to their children because of the high prices. Presdient and his family surely lucky in that sense.

Dudley Shelton Senanayake (1911 — 1973) - 35th Death Anniversary

Hon. Dudley Shelton Senanayake (June 19, 1911 — April 13, 1973) became the second Prime Minister of Ceylon and went on to become prime minister on three more times during the 1950s and 1960s. He is considered as a gentlemen politician by all who had a genuine concern about the nation. He is also known for not misusing position to build dynasties to treat close relatives – something we do not normally see today.

Dudley was the born June 19, 1911 as the eldest son to Molly Dunuwila and Don Stephen Senanayake, who would become the first Prime Minister of Ceylon and found the United National Party which is still one of the main political parties in Sri Lanka and of which Dudley would become a life-long member. Dudley received his secondary education at St Thomas’ College, where he excelled in his studies and sports. He become the Head Prefect, captained the college team at cricket at the Royal-Thomian and gained colours in Hockey, Boxing and Athletics. Senanayake then went on to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge to read for a degree in Natural Science Tripos and was admitted to Middle Temple as a Barrister.

After returning to Ceylon, Dudley was elected a member of the State Council while his father was Minister of Agriculture and served as a back-bencher for 10 years. He succeeding his father as Minister of Agriculture in 1946 and held the post after Independence. He was still serving as agriculture minister when his father died unexpectedly. Four days later, on March 26, 1952, to the surprise of many, Dudley was chosen as prime minister by the Governor-General Lord Soulbury over his cousin Sir John Kotelawala. He called a general election, which the UNP won. The government became unpopular a year later, in 1953, when the price of rice was raised and subsidies were cut. Though the UNP remained in power, Senanayake resigned as prime minister and left politics after the Hartal 1953.

He returned to politics in 1957 when the UNP lost elections. In March 1960, the UNP managed to form a government after elections and Senanayake became prime minister again, but the coalition fragmented and Dudley resigned as prime minister after only four months in office after new elections were held in which the UNP won less seats. He became the leader of the opposition and help force early elections in 1965 by persuading 14 supporters of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike to defect.

Senanayake served his longest term as prime minister from March 1965 to May 1970. His government originally consisted of six other parties and included both Tamil and Sinhalese nationalists. His government has been credited with restoring the Sri Lankan economy. He and his allies were defeated in the 1970 elections. He remained active in politics until his death, which occurred after a long illness on April 13, 1973.

Source: www.wikipedia.org

BADAGINI and SUDU-KODI AVURUDDA – Jeyaraj Fernandopulle family cannot be alone in not celebrating

Sinhala Tamil New Year, or the ‘Aluth Avurudda’ as we call it, is the time of ultimate celebrations. We all, the adults, have pleasant reminiscences about Avurudu of our younger days. The excitement of waiting for the dawn of Avurudda and the delight we had each year spending Avurudu holidays playing with friends can never be taken off our memories.

It is unfortunate that an incompetent and self centred dictatorship that only concerned in building a dynasty and filling family coffers instead of serving the nation, depriving that joy to our children this year.

There were instances in recent past, we as a nation have decided not to celebrate Avurudu, deviating from the tradition. In the aftermath of Japanese bombing Colombo city in 1942 there were no Avurudu celebrations. In 1971, the JVP insurrection took our joy. In 1973 too we did not celebrate Avurudu because of the death of ex-Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake on April 13. Petta bus bomb, killing at least 200 innocent civilians changed our celebration mood in April 1989.

This year 2008, too will be added to this ‘non-Avuduru’ years list by many because most of us are in no mood for celebrations, beaten by two fronts BADAGINI and SUDU-KODI.

So far unprecedented price escalations, a direct outcome of the poor economic management of Jayasundera-Cabraal duo takes Avurudu off from many poor families in Sri Lanka. With their harvest destroyed and cost of living far above the affordable limits, some of them are not even in a situation to buy new clothes for their children. Preparing sweets too is a nightmare with the increasing cost of food items.

Sorry kids, it is not your fault that you do not get new clothes this time. Such things are common any failed state. Please do not blame your parents for not giving you new clothes and sweets. Blame the greedy politicians of the current regime for cheating you and your parents while they themselves celebrating the Avurudu happily with their families.

That is the BAGADINI part. The other stumbling block that prevents us celebrating Avurudu is the SUDU-KODI. This is the direct outcome of the restart of war by current regime after 2005 Presidential Elections. Since then all we see is SUDU-KODI here and there. It is such a common sight under this regime, perhaps SLFP can make SUDU-KODIYA (a while flag) its party symbol.

Ironically, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle’s family too will not be celebrating Avurudu this time. They have little consolation. They are not alone. More than 5,000 lives were lost after the restart of war by current regime by scraping the Cease Fire Agreement. None of those 5,000 families might be celebrating Avurudu this time. Perhaps, if this government continues this number might be 10,000 by next year. Who is responsible for making this land an ‘Amu-Sohona’? Is turning the country to one big mass grave a promise under Mahinda Chinthana?

On left President Rajapakse is assisting first lady to light the stove. Little he might have imagined the sparks of war he lit in 2005 could have caused so many lives including some of his close associates.

When will we be free from hyper-inflation and food prices that increase on daily basis?

When will we be free from meaningless war that takes a minimum of 500 precious lives every month on average basis?

When will we be free from this incompetent, self-focused and war mongering regime that turned the country to a failed state just within a period of mere two years?

If there is any such date, then only we will be able to celebrate Aluth Avurudda in a peaceful and prosperous land. Let us not lose hope.