The efficiency of Ranil Wickremesinghe‘s campaign team was clearly established by the manner in which it responded to content in social media deemed to be unfavorable to the UNP leader who is contesting the upcoming Presidential Election as an independent candidate.
On 17 August, President Wickremesinghe met Buddhist monks at the stage of his inaugural election campaign rally. On that occasion, contrary to Buddhist practice and cultural norms, Wickremesinghe shook the hand of a Buddhist monk. This was duly captured and was subsequently sent to Uvindu Kurukulasuriya by an unknown source. Kurukulasuriya then posted 18 second video clip on Facebook with an appropriate comment. Colombo Telegraph learns that the post was seen by more than 1.4 million viewers and shared by 100,000’s of thousands and reposted by Facebook subscribers respectively. However, within 10 hours Facebook removed the post because the United National Party claimed copyright violation.
Copyright claim By the United National Party
The screenshot
Not too long afterwards, today former Janaraja Party (Champika Ranawaka‘s party) stalwart Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe posted a photograph of Wickremesinghe officially appointing him as the Colombo District organiser with a comment. Kurukulasuriya took a screenshot of Warnasinghe’s post and posted it along with a comment on Warnasinghe’s violent political history including attacking the Sinhala-Tamil art festival.
UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena’s copyright claim
This post was also removed by Facebook following a copyright violation claimed by UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena. “How come a screenshot with a comment can be considered as a copyright violation,” legal experts asked.
Colombo Telegraph reliably learns that Wickremesinghe’s campaign has hired a team of Indians to handle content in social media that is perceived to be unfavourable to the candidate. Colombo Telegraph learns that dozens of such posts from other Facebook users critical of President Wickremesinghe were also blocked due to similar complaints made by the United National Party. The above moves could very well be the work of these ‘experts.’
Wickremesinghe, lagging behind the Samagi Jana Balavegaya’s Sajith Premadasa and the National People’s Power’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake, appears to be reverting to the UNP’s old dirty tricks and strategies to retain some semblance of credibility. This is not surprising considering that mainstream media, both state-owned and private, are clearly giving Wickremesinghe preferential treatment in terms of campaign coverage.
“Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, is this the media freedom you are preaching about?,” media rights activist asked on his Facebook page.
Nathan / August 19, 2024
A bark is not a bite. So it seems!
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Jaffna Man / August 20, 2024
Day before night I saw on News First 9 pm news some Mahanayake saying he is praying for Wickremesinghe’s victory while Ranil is standing in front of him.
That is a violation of election laws to do propaganda from religious premises.
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SJ / August 20, 2024
You should tell the Tamil politicians in time before they start praying for RW’s victory in temples and churches.
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Singar A. Velan / August 20, 2024
I am not surprised! Sri Lankan politics has been about thuggery and dirty tricks, and RW is no different from others. Such tricks also are entrenched lower down — remember vice chancellors of universities wrote a joint letter asking their staff to vote for MR?
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Ajith / August 20, 2024
“Sri Lankan politics has been about thuggery and dirty tricks, and RW is no different from others.”
It is not the first time RW or Rajapakse’s use thuggery and dirty tricks to win the elections. The Dirty thuggery tricks played. by RW during Aragalaya is a master plan worse than the Easter Bombing by previous regime.
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Ruchira / August 20, 2024
“Ranil Wickremesinghe Borrows From The UNP’s Dirty Tricks Campaign Handbook”
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Borrows? I thought he himself dictates the dirty tricks to the UNP….!?
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R
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Mallaiyuran / August 21, 2024
Ruchira,
But I heard that he have repeatedly (not just one time) said that he adopted from Don Stephen. It doesn’t mean the no capacity to create this type originally.
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Ruchira / August 20, 2024
On a more positive note, good to see that the lawyers have started thinking. It’s long overdue.
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Laksiri Fernando / August 20, 2024
It may be the case that the particular monk having known Wickremesinghe’s western orientation offered his hand. It is however up to the viewers to decide. As the CT reports, there has been another instance where obviously the UNP stalwarts have intervened to suppress the FB posts on the basis of ‘copy right’! If this is the case in the election campaign, what kind of media freedom the voters could expect from a Wickremesinghe regime?
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old codger / August 20, 2024
For a change, I am upstaging Sinhala Man and posting an NPP video:
https://www.youtube.com/live/vPfGXXXRttM?si=JTB0lvNvS40HmEAk
Now, what is interesting about this video is not the usual feel-good speeches and sunshine stories, but what is not shown in it. The comment under the video tells the story. There was a panel discussion after AKD’s speech, in which an audience member trashed Chaturanga Abeysinghe for providing platitudes instead of answers. Even the NPP hides the truth when it suits them.
Perhaps Uvindu the Editor can find the missing bit and post it for us to see? It is all over WhatsApp.
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Human Touch / August 20, 2024
Dear OC
Good to see you are back.
To be very honest JVP are the champions of telling half truths.
They simply emotionalise their facts instead of rationalising them.
Have you ever seen the JVP paint a complete objective picture about any situation?
They simply rhyme out a few numbers coupled with a few words and a few names and their story is complete.
The followers are so blind that they swallow everything hook line and sinker.
The vicious cycle continues.
This is the story about the JVP.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
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old codger / August 20, 2024
HT,
The JVP is as hypocritical as any other party. But they are good at pretending they are better, unlike other parties.
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leelagemalli / August 21, 2024
HT and OC,
They are better at destroying public properties. They destroyed more than anyone in this Rajapakse punished looted/ruined island.
Also good at making everyone is alleged criminals but they are not.
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AKADISTS still make big voice about so called bond scam in their public speeches where audience is filled with two-leg punnakku eaters.
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May God bless our motherland filled with LESTER style beasts in human disguise 🤔 🥸 🙏 ✨️
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Mallaiyuran / August 22, 2024
Old sad part is:
You will not vote for NPP/JVP in this election because they are equal with the UNP-SLFP Union in hypocrisy, but too good at hiding it. So, you want to continue voting for the UNP-SLFP Union, only because those innocent fools don’t know how to hide their hypocrisy. Let’s assume still some reasonability is left within you. Then, do you have any doubt why the country has gone to the dogs for the past 75 years? Because we can assume that all the average voters would be following the same logic you used to pick your candidates? i.e., you have voted for Hypocrites, for the past 75 years. Yet, in this election, you will not vote for a change to the NPP because though they too have hypocrisy, but they are hiding their hypocrisy?
Come on Man, go ahead and give your explanation then, why, if the Sinhala Buddhists did know that the UNP-SLFP Union did not hide their hypocrisy, but they still voted for 76 years for the same group? Then what is the reason for NPP to hide their hypocrisy, after all Sinhalese will not mind that kind of behavior?
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old codger / August 22, 2024
Malli,
“You will not vote for NPP/JVP in this election because they are equal with the UNP-SLFP Union in hypocrisy, but too good at hiding it. “
I don’t think Ranil will win this election. But if the NPP wins, I feel sorry for all those economically clueless Sinhala Buddhist dreamers who are expecting milk and honey in 12 months, but will actually get queues for everything from buses to batala.
“do you have any doubt why the country has gone to the dogs for the past 75 years?”
The reason is that all governments , while living on loans, fooled the voters with nice hospitals, schools, highways, cars, highways, etc, and no taxes to support all that. You can’t win elections AND be a good economic manager at the same time.
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Mallaiyuran / August 23, 2024
Old,
You are mixing up many things.
Good things not Cheap; cheap things no good does not apply to governments. It need not be always that an election winning government is bad, and if they lose elections, they are good to form a government. That is mainly because occasionally human minds behave that that side grass is greener than the one on this side of the river. Some are giving a lot of importance to the spilled milk. After the war, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Singapore and recently Vietnam saw steady growth and many times the same governments have come back too. Here it is not the mother who only spoils the child, even the child spoils the mother too. It is true, voters have been electing bad governments in the past and governments spoiling voters with Biryani, arrack, Shil Reddi…….
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old codger / August 23, 2024
Malli
Japan and Germany were industrial nations even in the 19th century. Japan thrashed the Russian Navy in 1904.
Your other examples, S.Korea, and Vietnam are hardly examples of liberal democracy. Vietnam is still Communist. S. Korea was a dictatorship while it developed. Singapore represses opposition and the press.
Can you tell me one Asian country that came to First World status as a full democracy post-WW2?
Biryani, arrack, Shil Reddi……. comes with the sort of Tribal Democracy we have.
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Paul / August 23, 2024
Quite right OC, most of the former British colonies in Asia and Africa are illiberal democracies. A few like Australia, US, Canada and NZ remain democracies because the colonists wiped out most of the native people and became the majority. May be its because democracy is a Western concept and we Asians and Africans really don’t appreciate it. We treat our leaders as our old kings who should supply our every need.
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Mallaiyuran / August 24, 2024
In Langkang, the notorious UNP-SLFP partners are jointly working and making sure that people cannot have other choices even though people hate them utterly. That is why NPP/JVP must use this opportunity and break into their iron dorm and free the people.
First of all, you sit down and write what you mean by good country-bad country.
How many attributes should be there for you to classify a country as a good country and send your immigration visa application to move there, deserting Langkang? And define the scale at which you would accept them as democracy, industrialized, compassionate leadership, law and order, crime free, religious oppression free, cultural advancements, forwardly inclined, respect to neighbors, concern about nature.…
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Mallaiyuran / August 24, 2024
Paul,
How do you connect Old’s theory that good government cannot come back, and the government came to power cannot be good government with your own postulation of because British Whites annihilated the native, aboriginal, first nation population, so they are able to maintain democracy in the new world country?
” Maybe it’s because democracy is a Western concept and we Asians and Africans really don’t appreciate it. “
So, what is forcing you to take membership in the Western created UN and sign for their chapter, and you carry a gun in one hand and UN Charter on the other hand kill 165,000 Tamil?
Are they involved in the Western styled trade and science or no longer in that also?
“We treat our leaders as our old kings who should supply our every need.”
Yes, we understand you trust your leaders and because of that only UNP-SLFP Union government treats you as Modayas and made you indebted 150,000 Rs each of you by government loans. (Your private loans are extra)
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Mallaiyuran / August 24, 2024
Old,
Why do you keep mixing up things? Japan and Germany, both quickly recovered after the war, but England and France never did. Is that your argument that the industrial revolution didn’t take place in Britain? France, with any wealth or advancement only in the earlier centuries was one of the two European superpowers. What is your theory here? If Japan and Germany had a good industrial base even before the war, later days’ government which brought back their old glory wouldn’t be good governments, or would they not be reelected? Why are you so confused about good government being reelected? That is a black and white truth! Do you have set “good meter reading #” established in the UN or somewhere else which government is a good democracy so you can classify South Korea as a democracy? Don’t think that there are companies in the USA selling molds and all other countries are buying the same size mold and making their country’s government in their foundry. Democracy is not a specific thing. It is a spectrum of many different ideals. South Korea is also a good democracy.
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Mallaiyuran / August 24, 2024
I did not argue that Vietnam is the best Democratic country in the world. At this time, I don’t know whether Vietnam is a democracy or just a capitalist country, like China-Russia. But the information I read was Vietnam is number one favored country to FDI inward flow from investing companies and countries. That tells 1000 things about the internal government’s ideal, administration marvel. America wants to reclassify Vietnam as a capitalist country, not a communist country. I do not have much knowledge of their election system. But whatever with that all, now Langkang wants to become only a wonder of Vietnam (as per Evil), not any longer Japan, or Singapore or Wonder of Asia. All those bad dreams are gone with the wind. If the Evil is a good leader, then why is he saying he wants to follow the bad example of Vietnam?
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old codger / August 24, 2024
Malli,
We are Asians. I repeat, tell me one Asian country that developed while being a full democracy?
You say you don’t know much about Vietnam. Look it up. It suffered continuous war with superpowers for 30 years. It is a one-party state, the Party being the Communist Party. When one (competent) party rules a country for a few decades, it develops, because there are no changes in policy.
Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, all went through it.
“then why is he saying he wants to follow the bad example of Vietnam?”
Is it a bad example?
I am not recommending dictatorship. This is what can be observed in Asia. Can you deny it?
Paul is right,”May be its because democracy is a Western concept and we Asians and Africans really don’t appreciate it.”
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chiv / August 22, 2024
OC, talking about hypocrisy. The mother of all disappeared when CT started blocking his BS. I have a strong feeling the guy will return with a new identity.
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old codger / August 22, 2024
Chiv,
The guy likes being regarded as knowledgeable, even though he’s just copying from ChatGPT. What he hates most is being shown up as a fool. Actually, being a fool is OK as long as you don’t insult others. This was a long spell of activity. But keep your fingers crossed…
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LankaScot / August 23, 2024
Hello OC, Chiv,
Funny I was going to ask why Lester was so quiet.
One of my ex-colleagues is a genuine Troll back in the UK. He contributes to various sites baiting Feminists and LGBT activists. He is very conscious of his role and what he wants to achieve, which is to wind them up as much as possible whilst “pushing the envelope” of how much abuse he can get away with. His wife divorced him, took him to the cleaners financially and moved in with her Lesbian Lover.
I don’t think Lester is quite so effective as my ex-colleague in sowing chaos and as to whether he is conscious of his aims (and how most contributors see him) -the jury is still out.
Best regards
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old codger / August 23, 2024
LS,
He has been an on-and-off contributor always, disappearing when it gets too hot for him. Do I get the impression that you miss him? 🤣🤣
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old codger / August 23, 2024
LS,
At least, we now get the chance to talk rationally about other things, instead of having to respond to personal abuse.
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LankaScot / August 24, 2024
Hello OC,
I have met many like Lester in all parts of the World. There are topics/assertions raised by Lester that I have pretty much known, from experience, that they are mistaken or half-truths. Others I have had to do a little research to show how they are wrong. He is much like the New Age mystics that although they don’t have an organised Religion still believe in the Supernatural. He also hates Muslims, maybe he has had some bad experiences?
He insists on trying to goad me and others into saying things that would insult others, probably deliberately, to get us into deep trouble. He obviously has Military connections and thinks that everything that the Sri Lanka Military did in the Civil War was justifiable. Hence his support for Israel. Maybe this is the calm before the storm. He could be on a recruitment drive in Scandinavia looking for more Trolls?
Best regards
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Ruchira / August 21, 2024
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nimal fernando / August 20, 2024
No one is perfect …… but in public-life …….. there are people to follow …… Gandhi, Mandela, Martin Luther King, even Lee Kwan Yu …….. or JR, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Mugabe, Saddam, ……… (this list it longer than the other)
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Ranil chose JR.
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Whatever tricks/stunts one may pull …….. no one can be too clever: cleverer than himself.
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The results are plainly there to see.
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If your minds are not clogged with crap …… just see how ludicrous the situation is! …… Not long ago ……. no one, even in their wildest dreams, would’ve imagined ……. the ridiculous situation Ranil has got himself cornered into.
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Has Ranil’s, learned cunning, from JR …….. made him clever or stupid? Native, yes or no? …….. Or, is it, in classic Lankan style, Gunduvindu is a real rotter? ……. Divert?
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Mahinda and the rest of the Rajapakses are a product of their background: they couldn’t have been anything else even if they wanted to: they just don’t know how.
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But Ranil had choices and examples out there in the world/history …….. and this is the path he chose.
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I’m mad at him for all the squandered opportunities.
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It’s a good lesson for all the youth like Native, Sinhala_Man et al ……. whose lives are still in front of them …….. choose wisely ……
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If not, what is the bloody point of living ……. if you end up as pathetic as Ranil?
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Native Vedda / August 22, 2024
nimal fernando
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“Has Ranil’s, learned cunning, from JR …….. made him clever or stupid?”
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JR’s cleverness didn’t move the country forward, sadly his political machinations lead this country on a destructive path, in fact back to stone/dark ages, it still reverberate in one form or another.
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It will take many hundred years to move this country towards development.
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Ruchira / August 20, 2024
Silencing journalists and dissenting voices have been a hallmark of the UNP. Long before Lasantha the likes of Richard de Zoysa had to face tragic consequences at the hands of UNP regimes. So nothing new. Only to be expected.
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Douglas / August 20, 2024
Why must Ranil borrow anything from that “Handbook” when he is one of the editors of the “Book”?
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Ruchira / August 20, 2024
Exactly…
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Sumihiro / August 20, 2024
“You know I’m doing this just for the sake of the damn election.”
“Me too.”
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Naman / August 21, 2024
Mano Ganesan has decided to support Sajith Premadasa in the hope of getting a Ministerial post in the next government. I am not sure why he doesn’t want to support NPP?
NPP , the Nation is hoping to bring in law and order / reduce poverty /abolish corruption/ ethnic harmony/
Meritocracy/honesty/efficiency in government services etc
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Nathan / August 21, 2024
Naman,
“the Nation is hoping to bring in law and order / reduce poverty /abolish corruption/ ethnic harmony/ Meritocracy/honesty/efficiency”…. .
Honesty? Ethnic harmony? Reduce poverty?
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SJ / August 21, 2024
He is free to switch sides when the government runs short of a parliamentary majority.
Be assured that he will exercise that freedom.
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Mallaiyuran / August 21, 2024
“On that occasion, contrary to Buddhist practice and cultural norms, Wickremesinghe shook the hand of a Buddhist monk.”,
Evil, only implementing the Buddhism priority clause of the 1978 Constitution.
Evil’s two pivotal election motors are:
Anybody who wins the election will have to implement Section 9 of the constitution.
Nobody can renegotiate the IMF Kandyan Accord that was made with Mission Chief Peter Breuer.
CHAPTER II. BUDDHISM
THE REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA SHALL GIVE TO BUDDHISM THE FOREMOST PLACE AND ACCORDINGLY IT SHALL BE THE DUTY OF THE STATE TO PROTECT AND FOSTER THE BUDDHA SASANA , WHILE ASSURING TO ALL RELIGIONS THE RIGHTS GRANTED BY ARTICLES 10 AND 14(1)(E).
If somebody tells Evil that if he commits suicide he can win the election, then is ready to do it.
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Mallaiyuran / August 21, 2024
President Biden wasn’t able to manage his walk and talk on the stage. The stalwarts of the Democratic Party, which is still intact, wanted him to step down. President Biden passed the torch to VP. Everybody understands the heaviness of the decision he took. It was the ending chapter of half a century of history, a Eulogy of memories. Now the things are in different order in many dimensions, for Americans, for Democratic Party, for VP Kamala Harris, and even for Biden and his fame.
Evil could not wear the pants properly. Could not walk in the parades. Does not have a party, which is tormented. A betrayer communist is forming a party to be used in the future elections, instead of cursed, unlucky UNP. From the founder Don Stephen, Dudley, and especially after Devil Junius Richard took the leadership of it, the party has put all leaders in vain and taken them by sudden deaths. Maybe the communist would save Evil, if he is successful in setting up a conservative-republican party for Evil to stand for election, in the future. Because, unlike President Biden, this Evil man is not able to get rid of his greed for power. Otherwise, his cursed party can hurt and let him down, like it did for all the other leaders. Valaiththodam Jr. smartly escaped this death trap (Called UNP) in time.
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Buddhist1 / August 21, 2024
Ranil need not borrow dirty tricks from anyone, he is the “maha molakaru of all dirty tricks”.
Ranil cannot be trusted. He has left a trail of dirty tricks from the time he joined politics. From Batalanda to the burning of the Jaffna library, to the killing of the journalist, to stabbing Sajith in the back after nominating to contest the presidential election, to Central Bank robbery, to passing illegal bills in the cabinet, to threatening the Judges, and to allowing ministers to steal money. I can go on.. but I will stop here.
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Leonard Jayawardena / August 21, 2024
Actually, if you look at the video carefully, you’ll see that it is the monk who offers his right hand–there is a smart phone in the other–first even as Ranil scrambles on to the stage, who then proceeds to put his hands together to greet the monk in the traditional fashion while the monk’s hand remains extended. It is not normal for a monk to do this and one can only surmise that the monk wanted to greet Ranil in the western fashion, knowing his western orientation. Of course, as we know, monks do not greet laymen in the traditional Sinhala way since that signifies worship (?).
What does one expect Ranil to have done in that moment?
While the UNP claiming copyright on the video and having it removed from Facebook is not legally tenable (imo) and, more importantly, stupid and counterproductive, what is equally reprehensible is any one deeming this incident significant enough to bring it to public notice.
I think the video tells you more about the person who posted it on Facebook than about Ranil. That is the elephant in the room.
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Ruchira / August 21, 2024
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Soundra / August 21, 2024
There is no point in blaming everyone we encounter. They all have weaknesses, but AKD is the best out of the bad. You can’t find any good candidates in the field.
I miss the Royal Family patriarch MR (swindler and thug) and his brother Muderer GR. He murdered numerous people including the innocents and defenceless. Who killed Lasantha, Thajudeen, and Ekneliagoda?
This shameless fellow ran to the US to escape from the serving Army. He cannot hold a candle to Sarath Fonseka, let alone to Anoma.
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Ruchira / August 21, 2024
“He murdered numerous people including the innocents and defenceless. Who killed Lasantha, Thajudeen, and Ekneliagoda?”
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Ecactly!
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Not that Fonseka is any better. I do not know much about Anoma, but Fonseka I believe would be no different to Gota, and could even be worse, as he is the one who led the army and actually massacred the Tamil Tigers.
[edited out]
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