By Vishwamithra –
“Facing it, always facing it, that’s the way to get through. Face it.” ~ Joseph Conrad
The ‘super rich’ class in Colombo may be still enjoying their misguided honeymoon with Ranil Wickremesinghe. His flirtation with those who have made enormous amounts of money while being in the Rajapaksa regime still seems to be continuing with unbroken symmetry. No-confidence motions in Parliament do not have any validity nor act as an impediment for those men and women whose sole occupancy is pathological indulgence in corrupt practices; their seeking after esoteric bodily pleasures and extra-curricular activities which even Vātsyāyana, the author of of Kama Sutra, has opted to leave out have not come to a rest. While hundreds of thousands of men, women and children have sacrificed their daily quota of meals from three to one or two to one a day, these members who belong to that exclusive club of ‘super rich’ keep dancing in their own caravans of ‘evening delights’ and mid-day slumber.
An absolutely despicable way of political life which had been the order of the day during the Rajapaksa time now has assumed a different character, which is more treacherous in its intrinsic measure than the one that claimed the country’s solvency. A leader who does not have a mandate from the electors has become the ‘darling’ of the West and the ‘pet-boy’ of the international lending agencies has begun his exotic wandering in the woods of financial chaos and sociopolitical confusion. Along the way, instead of exploring new paths and overcoming insurmountable hurdles, he has opted to play and experiment with the land’s unsteady and irregular contours and steeply climbs.
When the country is deeply entrenched in desperation in search of answers and solutions to corruption, the most telling issue of the day next to the near economic calamity, Ranil Wickremesinghe failed to lay down his conditions for accepting support for the the falling Rajapaksa regime. One of those conditions should have been doing away with those Pohottuwa politicians whose garb and inner characters were unalterably stained with blatant corruption and financial dishonesty. His rush to enwrap himself with cosmetically appealing Prime Minister-ship canceled all his honesty and objectivity; his greed for power and desperation to cling on to anything alluring towards closeness to the ultimate prize of throne overwhelmed the real and dire need of the hour.
Aragalaya-22 opened the eyes of the country. It showed the country that her youth is no more interested in greed, cover-ups of misdoings, ethnic and religious divisions, fleeting luxuries; theirs was a cause larger than life: laser-focused commitment to a cause larger than power and self-indulgence, unity amongst all strata of our men, women and children, outright rejection of seventy five years of inefficiency, lack of genuine patriotism and undiluted and dark corruption were amongst the aims and goals of the new generation. Our educated youth had no time and space for any accommodation of casual and politician-backed party loyalties. A cause that has led many generations all over the world in the story of man, seemed to have been motivating our youth too.
The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also widely known as ‘Arab Spring’, in which the Egyptian protesters’ grievances focused on political and legal issues including high unemployment, rising cost of living, corruption at all layers of politicians and bureaucrats, lack of political freedom, civil liberty. Within three weeks of the protests, Hosni Mubarak resigned form power, an inglorious event somewhat similar to the unceremonious exit of Gotabaya Rajapaksa from Presidency.
But what followed Mubarak’s exit was no better. Egypt is no democracy. Being governed by strong men of dictatorial tendencies such as Gamal Abdul Nasser, who presided over the country that bragged about a pseudo-democracy then is still being governed by dictators, especially of the military genre, Egyptians today are no closer to genuine democratic way of life and corruption-free social architecture.
Between Aragalaya-22 and Arab-Spring, the sociocultural contexts are as wide and unbridgeable as one could imagine. Yet the fundamentals that dictate human advancement remain as constant and consistent as history has told us many a time. Brutal suppression of youth, rising costs of living for the ordinary men, oppressive legislation on basic human rights and freedoms would cause uprising anywhere in the world where the conditions have matured to ignite such issues that have remained dormant up to the time that suppression is no more bearable.
The humble beginnings of Aragalaya-22 and its partial success seem to be fading away; installation of Ranil Wickremesinghe on throne has diminished all possibilities of a real change that the youth were clamoring for. The latest Pandora Papers have allegedly revealed that one of the Ministers who happens to the man in charge of maintaining law and order in the country has broken a fundamental covenant that each and every politician is supposed to have sworn to uphold.
As per Scilla Alleci’s article appearing in International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ blog, ‘Sri Lanka’s public security minister, Tiran Alles, is the first sitting Sri Lankan minister to be identified in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ Pandora Papers data trove as having offshore holdings. An ICIJ analysis of the leaked records and U.K.’s public property register shows that Alles, a media tycoon and politician, owns two British Virgin Islands companies that hold properties in London’.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Inc. (ICIJ), is an independent global network of 280 investigative journalists and over 140 media organizations spanning more than 100 countries. It is based in Washington D.C., with personnel in Australia, France, Spain, Hungary, Serbia, Belgium and Ireland.
The ICIJ was launched in 1997 by American journalist Charles Lewis as an initiative of the Center for Public Integrity, with the aim of exposing international crime and corruption. In 2017, it became a fully independent organization and was later granted nonprofit (501 C3) status.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, the so-called ‘Mr Clean’ has asked the ‘fox’ to guard the henhouse. The IMF may have overlooked these wild incongruities when they examined the credentials of those who are charged with spending the loans they lent. It is true that the mission of the IMF is not a political one; nor is it anyway related to the sociocultural journey of the country. Yet its economic and financial governance should be linked to honesty, integrity and very credibility of those who matter. The IMF, as any other international agencies, has no heart or soul when examining the real status of the country they are supposed to help and support. Mere numbers of the economy, the varied indices and their relation to mindless behavior of society have not really told us the unmitigated truth; not any time in our short post-independent history.
In addition to Tiran Alles, Prasanna Ranatunga is another Sri Lankan politician from whose arm the badge of corruption is hanging and he wears it without any shame or disgrace. A member of Parliament and current Minister of Urban Development and Housing who was also appointed as Chief Government Whip on April 18, 2022. On 6 June, 2022 Ranatunga was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment suspended for five years, after he was found guilty of threatening a businessman from whom he solicited a bribe of Rs. 64 million to evict unauthorized occupants of a parcel of land.
Ranil’s Cabinet of Ministers is a den of wolves and hyenas who begin salivating when they behold a prospective prey. Predators of national coffers, these scavengers have chosen to ransack the country which they swore to serve, protect and defend when they assumed office. They have made our coffers empty, land barren, the legislature a mockery, the judiciary a laughing stock and Executive a lethal arm of a warped-thinking ruler.
Crushed in between the clutches engaged by a government consisting of cruel and incompetent politicians and apathetic bureaucracy, the country’s wheels of progress and advancement have come to a dead halt. Our youth’s dreams and aspirations are being shattered and their only way out seems to be a way out of the land they were born in. Such a pathetic fate awaits generations yet unborn. Farmers are without fertilizer, laborers are without work, clerks and peons are without a pay rise, teachers and principals are without tangible growth in their schoolchildren’s thirsty minds, mid-level executives have no money to pump petrol of diesel for their motorbikes and cars. A brewing class difference is threatening to explode if and when conditions ripen.
Ranil Wickremesinghe cannot be forgiven nor go unpunished if he fails to go before the people when the time comes for elections. He cannot resort to the tactics of his uncle JR and call for referenda and postponement of the people’s choice. It is true that there are no permanent solutions for a country’s problems and issues. Yet each country, every now and then, comes in contact with a situation and a challenge that confronts its very existence as one with conscientious men and women; their courage is challenged and their honesty questioned; their raison d’etre is scrutinized. As one single nation, one single fraternity and community among the family of nations, Sri Lanka has to justify her stance and her very fitness as an equal partner. Do we have the strength to withstand all that inquiry and still stand firm? If then, to paraphrase Rudyard Kipling, ‘you’ll be a nation, my Mother’!
*The writer can be contacted at vishwamithra1984@gmail.com
Ruchira / December 18, 2023
“A leader who does not have a mandate from the electors has become the ‘darling’ of the West and the ‘pet-boy’ of the international lending agencies”
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Has become? As if it is a recent phenomenon!
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He has always been the American Premium, named after the brand of bottled water by the same name.
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For some reason and despite being the blue eyed boy of right wing American ideology, that is written all over his recent initiatives, from economic policy mix adapted to suppression of media and other varied rights of people with dictatorial tendencies, he has been failing both himself and his masters, his uncle from another grand mother, Uncle Sam!
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Only strength he has is that he could speak a little English, compared to the Kaputas and Mynas, he has now come to cohabit with openly, apart from various others; and wears the coat and the tie to look good on photo-ops he gets with the likes of Bill Know-it-all Gates.
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Looking at the fiasco of an interview he gave to the German media
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Ruchira / December 18, 2023
Continued from above…
DW some time back, he is even failing at this simple task, unless it was a staged act, a script written by someone, to make him look appealing and strong in the eyes of all the Bayyas back at home, whose votes he depends on, given he failed to secure the ones of his own party at the last elections.
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It is unlikely
Therefore it is unlikely that Ranil would or could do anything significantly different than what he has always been doing throughout his political career.
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Author also states: “His rush to enwrap himself with cosmetically appealing Prime Minister-ship canceled all his honesty and objectivity; …”
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As if he had any!
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Despite the insightful nature of his writing the author makes it look like these are new developments in Wickremasinghe personality. No, they are the very essence of his and his party’s personality – not just from his uncle JRJ’s time but also from the times of Senanayake’s.
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The author further adds: “…his greed for power and desperation to cling on to anything alluring towards closeness to the ultimate prize of throne overwhelmed the real and dire need of the hour.”
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ramona therese fernando / December 18, 2023
Thank you for the information Vishwamithra. So horrifying to read about these crooked politicians. How can it go on? Tiran Alles, Prasanna Ranatunga…they are only the ones we have some info on. The rest of the Potuwwas’ finances are carefully concealed. What a continuing tragedy for the country.
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leelagemalli / December 18, 2023
Ramona .
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Tiran alles is not the worst I believe. If his YUKTHIYA will round up the drug dealers , people ll change their attitudes to them drastically.
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If death penalty should be imposed to those drug traffickers , first to be punished is Mahendra Rajapakse or not?????
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ramona therese fernando / December 18, 2023
In the meantime, Nandalal (or was it Harsha), declares that Lankan-taxpaying-worker should not ask for salary raise, and that they should also pay 18% VAT+ other taxes because the tax-payer is paid for his job via the Lankan tax-payer! Anyone noticed the logical fallacy?
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1. Jobs are the natural and essential functioning of all human society. It sustains that society and generates income and livelihood for that society. Lankan-worker is thus the generator of the taxpaying money.
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2. It is the hard-work, aptitude, ingenuity, and creativity of the worker that produces and maintains the jobs. Only 8% of Lankan students go into the free university system. The other 98% of Lankan workers have not used their own tax-paying money but continually generate country income through their own skills, ingenuity, and creativity (many through forced labor in foreign countries).
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“Also Sri Lanka has 15 state universities but only about 30,000 students are admitted annually out of the 350,000 who sit the university entrance (A-level) examination every year due to the limited capacity of the country’s universities. Around 12,000 Sri Lankan students go abroad annually for higher education, with an estimated US$400 million foreign exchange drain from the country.” https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210318150721888
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ramona therese fernando / December 18, 2023
3. Lankan government allocates money for jobs to be created. This allocated money does not come magically from the government’s pocket. It comes from the hard-work of the Lankan-taxpaying, and to be reinvested into them for sustainability of the country.
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4. Any money the Lankan government generates via foreign loans is due to the governments’ mishandling and/or theft of previous foreign loans and debts as it has been amply revealed by many legitimate sources, both local and foreign.
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5. Therefore, the Lankan taxpayer has the Universal Right to refuse these fraudulent taxes, and demand their right for essential wage.
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ramona therese fernando / December 19, 2023
92%, I mean (i.e. the Masses of Lankan students who Do Not use the free university system)……..will come out to 98% and more when you consider the 12,000 students of Elite parents who do not pay taxes and drain US$400 million per year to send their children to study overseas.
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Ruchira / December 18, 2023
Inglorious illegitimates?
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Inglorious bastards would have been more apt!
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Cicero / December 18, 2023
Vishwamitra writes good stuff. The army and the police also are young men and women. Their ranks hold strong in the face of protest. It is a strange phenomenon. There is no unanimity as to approach to politics. There are entrenched interests will not favour change particularly by a party led by AKD, an unknown force partial to to non-Western ideologies. The yellow brigade is quiescent at the moment and can be invoked by the traditional bases of power when need arises. there are too many imponderables to predict the future for Sri Lanka. Vishwamitra uses language which clouds his own aspirational beliefs as outcomes. When he speaks of the youth, once cannot believe though one hopes as V. does, that they have a united vision. They do not seem to. Sajith and Anura KD lead the two good forces but they have different visions.
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Pundit / December 18, 2023
From the outset of his career as a professional politician, he has displayed a penchant for associating with persons well below his station in the pursuit of absolute power which has eluded his for almost half a century. One could have shown him some sympathy had the situation not been so tragic.
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Ruchira / December 18, 2023
That’s how the UNPers roll: by “…associating with persons well below his station in the pursuit of absolute power…”
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His position was also consolidated by the untimely demise of many other UNP leaders, notably the likes of Gamini and Lalith.
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Douglas / December 18, 2023
In the article it is said: “The IMF may have overlooked these wild incongruities when they examined the credentials who are charged with spending loans they lent”.
This I said many times in my earlier comments. These “Lenders” did not, “overlook” but “KNEW” very well the “Credentials” of those in charge of spending the loans. Apart from that they are also “PARTNERS” in “Crime” (making the country Bankrupt) for participating to allow the recipients to “LOOT” a greater portion of the loans. This fact has been analyzed well by the National Audit Commission, in boldly stating that out of the “6 billion” loan, only the assets created were only “2 billion”. What happened to the “Unaccounted “4 billion”? Weren’t these “Benevolent” lenders of International repute (IMF, ADB, World Bank, etc.) didn’t know what was going on? Probably, they had a “Hidden” agenda like that of China.
Now these “Lenders” have to tighten the knot in imposing “Conditions”, overlooking the fate of the people, but securing their interests in the recovery efforts. For that purpose, they will look for “Puppets” who could be made to dance according to the movement of strings in their hands. At the moment Ranil W and Rajapakse combo is an obvious choice. (to be continued…)
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SJ / December 18, 2023
D
“These “Lenders” did not, “overlook” but “KNEW” very well the “Credentials” of those in charge of spending the loans.”
Dead right.
That shows the futility of the debate “Will or will not the IMF lend the second tranche?”
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Douglas / December 18, 2023
II: The article also refers to the “Illegitimacy” of the present President. That “Illegitimacy” has been “Legalized” by the Constitution. However, the persons who ascend these positions must have a “MORAL” character to assess the “Right” and “Wrong” before accepting to ascend the seat of power. That is a pre-requisite to be a “Leader”. Still, we don’t have such persons to be leaders and we are paying a heavy penalty for not being able to “Produce” such leaders. Yet, we have some hopes.
What to talk of “Leaders”? Just imagine, the President appointing an Actg. DIG has been charged in Court for so many violations of FR as guaranteed by the Constitution. In the latest decision by the SC, this man has been CONVICTED and still, he is “HAILED” in high esteem.
Just look at the Minister (His Boss) the Minister of Public Security – Thiran Allas. As per the latest findings by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, (Pandora Papers) he has two companies registered in the British Virgin Islands (Alles Brampton Properties & Banham Ventures) that own an Apartment Building in an affluent area in Chelsea- property valued at $ 960,000.00. According to the information, Alles is also a “Dual Citizenship” holder- UK & S/L. These are among many other “CRONIES” who are in “All Mighty” positions in the Government of Ranil W.
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Raj-UK / December 18, 2023
If I am not mistaken, some time ago, Alles stated in public how he facilitated payments by Basil to the LTTE in return for LTTE support in preventing Tamils from voting in the North & East. If that is so, the Rajapakses were involved in treason, as it happened in wartime, but by spilling the beans, Alles has shot himself in the foot as well because it implicates him in aiding & abetting. Anyway, it was never investigated but now that Alles is Minister for Law & Order, he can kick start an investigation & pardon himself by becoming a state witness. Afterall, it is a national issue, unless he was lying, or is treachery outside his purview?
Cont.
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Raj-UK / December 18, 2023
Cont.
I understand that in a recent Supreme Court ruling, the verdict was that Rajapakses were responsible for gross mismanagement which brought the country to its knees but it, too, doesn’t seem to be a crime as the Rajapakses continue to be politically active with a substantial fan base. So, are we to wait until NPP comes to power to bring all these corrupt politicians & their cronies to justice? I am not holding my breath.
The Nuremberg trail was set up to bring the perpetrators of WW2 heinous crimes to justice but though a few top instigators were punished, it is now revealed that less than 10% paid for their sins. While many escaped to other countries aided by the Vatican, other simply vanished from the rader. Even those convicted had their sentences reduced or pardoned & led quiet lives in their own country. I am sure in SL too, none of those who looted & syphoned public funds will ever face justice & will live happily ever after, just like in fairy tales.
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Sinhala_Man / December 19, 2023
You are mostly right in what you assert, Raj-UK.
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Now go here:
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https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/harsha-gunasena-16-december-2023/
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Why?
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To discover what you would not have imagined possible.
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chiv / December 19, 2023
Raj , answer is rigorous imprisonment SUSPENDED for ???? That is to say, during RW’s time a sentenced person will still be free to continue as Parliament member and by the end when govt changes he will be found innocent. ( case closed). RW will appear as though he took some action but in fact nothing really happened. Check the previous verdicts, same for all those Ponzi schemers, scamers, a husband / wife team who cheated thousands of people , all accused were sentenced years of rigorous imprisonment but suspended and free after paying mere 50 000 tp 200 000 fines. the people who are in prison today , are lower level govt employees who took bribes.( 50 000 to 200 000) LOW and ODOR.
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chiv / December 20, 2023
Raj, today’s news , Colorado Supreme Court, ruling removed Trump from 2024 ballot. Just the beginning of many similar cases pending in different states. Whereas Lanka’s SC found Kaputas responsible for Lankan bankruptcy, but can continue as parliamentarian, party leader and god forbid next President / PM.
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chiv / December 20, 2023
Though Trump called it undemocratic, unAmerican, blaming Democratic nominated judges for a 4 – 3 verdict , Norman Anderson a petitioner , a REPUBLICAN, former majority leader of the Colorado house and senate, said ” my fellow plaintiffs and I brought this case to continue protecting the rights to free and fair elections enshrined in our constitution and to ensure Colorado REPUBLICAN PRIMARY voters are only voting for eligible candidates”. The verdict is placed on hold until Jan 4 , pending appeal to the U.S Supreme court. Whereas in Lanka the verdict was near unanimous, except for previous lawyer representing Basil, now a SC judge dissenting.
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Douglas / December 19, 2023
Raj-UK: You are correct. He was none other than Thiran who arranged that “Bribe” at the request of Basil R to an LTTE operative named “Emil Kanthan”. This was revealed by Thiran after his house was bombed. Thiran released this information in a video clip that went viral at that time. He cannot deny it, because it is on social media. This “Emil Kanthan” had business dealings with Thiran, (as divulged in that video) and when Basil R came to know of his (Thiran) closeness, that meeting was “Arranged” by Thiran at his office. The video put out by Thiran shows how Basil R arrived at his office with a small suitcase filled with bundles of hard currency in “Dollars” and S/L Rupees. This LTTE operative “Emil Kanthan” was also in the picture. Recently this “Emil Kanthan” was released from detention by Ranil W.
In the above scenario, could you expect this Thiran to call for an investigation, because he knows he was a “Party” to the “Crime”? Thiran must be the 1St Respondent.
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SJ / December 19, 2023
“recent Supreme Court ruling, the verdict was that Rajapakses were responsible”
But the SC did not order a penalty.
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Douglas / December 19, 2023
Raj-UH: Please read through the links that “Native Vedda” has given in his comment dated 19-12-23 appearing below.
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Sinhala_Man / December 19, 2023
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SJ / December 19, 2023
“payments by Basil to the LTTE “
Are you sure of the identity of persons involved in the transaction?
Basil could have been the ‘banker’.
The man who had a video of the event talked a little too soon before he intended to present the video in parliament, and died in a rather mysterious accident.
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SJ / December 19, 2023
The other person who has knowledge was Mangala S.
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Native Vedda / December 19, 2023
“The other person who has knowledge was Mangala S.”
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The other person who has knowledge is Tiran Alles
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Tiran Alles And Emil Kanthan Faces Charges For Financing LTTE
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/tiran-alles-and-emil-kanthan-faces-charges-for-financing-ltte/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DQ64bDD3Yk&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3aRMnBP_8E
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nimal fernando are you there?
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nimal fernando / December 19, 2023
Hi Native,
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I’m in Nuwara Eliya. Climbed Adam’s Peak yesterday. There’s nothing like the ol’ Motherland ………. you guys have no damn clue. :))
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Shall be in Bandarawela soon …… let me see if I can get the little rat with some cyanide laced chocolates! :)))
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Sinhala_Man / December 19, 2023
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.
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Native Vedda / December 20, 2023
nimal fernando
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“I’m in Nuwara Eliya. Climbed Adam’s Peak yesterday.”
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I can understand your visit to Nuwara Eliya however what were you doing in Adam’s Peak. Were you looking for Shiva, Eve, Buddha, Allah, Yahweh, ….. Bala Muruga (VP)?
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“There’s nothing like the ol’ Motherland ………. you guys have no damn clue.”
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When I was too young I refused to join my extended family on a pilgrimage to Adam’s peak. On his return my father who climbed Adam’s peak through Kuruwita route told me that was the only time I had made wise decision in my entire life because they had to strain unfavourable weather and steep path.
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A few years later I joined my friends and reached the top before 10 PM and left the peak about 7 AM next day. Most memorable and enjoyable experience. On our way up there were some elderly ladies who recited instant poems (කවි) as if they were challenging the youth.
The old ladies were brilliant, and the young girls were very kind, friendly not to mention beautiful too.
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Did you meet any young ones (either male or female) reciting Instapoetry?
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nimal fernando / December 21, 2023
Native,
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My kids wanted to climb since they never had. It’s still off season but the top was full for the sunrise. Many foreigners.
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It was a breeze. I’ve been training in the gym for my trip on the 154 bus. I want to up the ante for Lankan Adonis who can just whip off his shirt and display his chiselled chest!
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You are wise to avoid the climb. I’ve done it once before during school days.
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Native Vedda / December 20, 2023
nimal fernando
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You are going to love this:
REPORT OF THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF PLACES OF UNLAWFUL DETENTION AND TORTURE CHAMBERS AT THE BATALANDA HOUSING SCHEME
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https://sangam.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Batalanda-Commission-Report-Book-English-Final.pdf
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Sinhala_Man / December 21, 2023
This has clearly been printed, and published.
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“Printed on the Orders of the Government
PRINTED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, SRI LANKA
To BE PURCHASED AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS BUREAU, COLOMBO O1.
Price : Rs. 78.00 Postage : Rs. 10.0
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It says Published on : 19.02.2000”
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However, it appears to have been re-issued with red front and rear cover by Nandana Weerathne who has a Facebook profile, but no Wikipedia entry. Ranil Wickremasinghe is there described as “the current President ot the country.” I managed to get into his Facebook because I also have a page which I don’t really maintain, and find confusing.
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However, the report appears to have been absolutely genuine. The Report runs into 179 PDF pages.
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Panini Edirisinhe (NIC 48 3111444V)
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nimal fernando / December 21, 2023
Thanks Native for the link ……. shall read when I get back.
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I don’t want to spoil the fun I’m having now. And its 05:05am in Kandapola. See, I’m picking up dirty habits already!
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Douglas / December 21, 2023
My Dear LM: Refer to the above link and learn something about the “Batalanda Operation” handled by your “Hero” Ranil W.
Dear NV: I have a copy (well preserved) among my other documents. But as of now, I am handing over these documents to future generations so that they will know what happened rather than read a “Mahawansaya” that would be written by “Pandits” to come.
Thank you for providing that link. Well done.
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Douglas / December 19, 2023
NV: Thank you for those links. Let those be an eye-opener for those stationed abroad who are for various reasons unaware of what goes on in S/L.
Thank you again. Merry Christmas!
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Native Vedda / December 20, 2023
Douglas
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Happy Holidays.
The problem is not with those who are awake but uninformed but with those Mao’s b**** carriers who pretend to be awake, but truly ignorant. The worse ones are those who nitpicks then run away and hide themselves when proven wrong.
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Forget Politics, have a great time.
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chiv / December 21, 2023
Native, isn’t it amazing ?? My 96 year old mom thinks, issues we discuss today are more or less same from.the time of independence but just got worse. That is to say though there is light at the end but the tunnel dosen’t seem to end. Lanka went begging to IMF
more than 16 Times . that’s every 4 to 5 years. ( end of term ) Lankans elected family members of Senanayaka, Banda, RW / JR , Premas and Rajapaksa. Not being satisfied elected the whole family to be their president, PM, finance allocating 75 % of cabinet to them and total control over treasury. Race issues continues unabated, from the time of independence. No worthy politician ever imprisoned for corruption. The ones sentenced for much serious offenses are now free. But none of our fault. Because we are highly literate citizens of a country like no other. We always had others to compare / blame, to feel better. I sincerely wish you’ll happy holidays and a better new year.
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chiv / December 21, 2023
Take a look at procurement of fake / sub standard immunoglobulin scam. Tens of administrative staff are now arrested and charged, whereas people who are responsible including minister and other higher ups are protected. Minister Rambuk was saved by 113 members and 38 absentees. Reportedly Rs.107,800,000 was paid to a local producer to supply medicine. According to former state health minister, Lanka currently lacked the know how and technology to produce such advanced medicine. Yet govt accepted a local producer thereby abusing Indian credit line that was meant to import other medications and related products. Bottom line, Govt used the credit line to pay a local producer to supply substandard medication. (think about previous issues with antibiotics / Ceftriaxone /cooking gas related deaths) . It’s said that 22,500 vials of substandard IG, obtained from National Blood Transfusion Services , delivered to teaching hospitals (Colombo, Kandy, Matala)
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Good Sense / December 19, 2023
Part 1:
Referring to the third paragraph of the article, may I raise the hypothetical question “What if Ranil too joined the bandwagon of other politicians in refusing to accept the premiership at that time?” The response of the Rajapakses then would be clear. “We have a mandate of so many millions of votes though there are shortages. Those who came to the “Aragalaya” are a miniscule of the votes we received. None are accepting the premiership, which means no body is accepting the challenge to form a government to run the country, proving us right. Therefore, the slogans of “Gota Go Home” or “Myna Go Home” is an engineered disruption”. Then that could have even declared a full-blown emergency amounting a martial law and got the goons to decimate the protest in the Tiananmen square style finally leading the country to be a puppet state of Beijing. In accepting the premier position and subsequently the presidency Ranil had no option but to associate an unworthy set of fellows. Though I am not a fan of Ranil, even if any other person who was offered the government, they won’t be able to remedy so fast as Ranil did.
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Good Sense / December 19, 2023
Part 2:
Yes! The super rich are saying that everything is alright although many even in the middle class are having only one or two meals a day. The unavoidable association with a set of undesirables is so much that we now have an “Acting” IGP who is found to be a sexually depraved person torturing people by the highest court in the land. The wretched constitutional council decision is an eye-opener to us what money collected as “kappangs” from SPA’s can do. Unfortunately, the leader of the opposition though opposing the majority decision is now considered to be a part and parcel of that collective decision and therefore liable. The country is cash strapped, both in Rupees and Dollars. Whoever who runs the country must tap sources of money and the known sources are the IMF and Beijing. If you choose the former, the present situation, with minor variations, depending on the person at the helm would prevail and he/she too could be called a blue-eyed boy of the west. If it is Beijing, he merely becomes a de-facto governor of the Sri Lanka province of PRC. Whom would the author choose? Alas! Beggars cannot be choosers.
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Good Sense / December 19, 2023
art 3:
In this game of tapping money even from legitimate sources, some illegitimacy is involved. This fact was not recognized in 1970 to 1977 times, therefore no aid. The wizards of open economy (some call it the naked economy) recognized this apart from the changes in government policy. The owners of companies in British Virgin Islands etc. are a small fry compared to the sharks and they are useful from an aid point of view. The local minister-tycoon is like the only graduate from a remote hamlet in Sri Lanka and therefore is a prized asset. His nomination for a pervert to be the head of an institution cannot be ignored. The only block that can be made is “Alright! Alright! I will give an acting appointment for three months and let him show his colors”. The public confession of his that the deal with the LTTE to buy gunboats occurred under his very nose and the meetings were facilitated by him shows he is in demand by every political maestro. What about Sri Lanka? Pooh! Only 20% of the contracted value goes into mega projects. This was revealed by a former Auditor General who did the audit.
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Naman / December 19, 2023
Can the author of the article enumerate the actions he will take
if he has been made the President replacing RW?
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Naman / December 19, 2023
Continued
1) dissolve the parliament and have an election within 3 months.
2) candidates for the parliamentary election should declared their wealth and show that they do not have any criminal cases pending
etc etc etc
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gamini / December 19, 2023
Vishwamithra and the other Ranil”s Critics, who write regularly condemning Ranil Wickremasinghe, for the elation of those who support them, have become paranoid that Ranil Wickremasinghe is yet on the saddle, much against their Prophecies of doom and Punditry. Now see the barrage of attack for this comment. 2024 will seal the fate of many, of these Critics.
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nimal fernando / December 20, 2023
Gamini,
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In the spirit of the season I’m not going to be nasty to you.
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I have met the locals and spoken to them …….. they are going through unbearable hardships.
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There are porters that carry stuff to the top of Adam’s Peak and for a trip they make about Rs550. They wear nothing but Bata slippers. One man’s feet were full of festered wounds, still he had to climb, if not his little kids go hungry.
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We gave them some money so the family can have 3 good meals for a day.
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nimal fernando / December 20, 2023
This money is our own hard earned money. We have not robbed or looted it. And I know we are not the only people helping out.
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It’s shameful for Ranil to hog the presidency without holding elections. And for him to go to coronations with the wife using taxed-money of the poor suffering people’s blood and sweat. He, like most other pols, can well afford to spend his/their own money.
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What you and Ranil don’t know is the meaning of shame!
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Merry Christmas!
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Wiraj / December 22, 2023
First of all, Ranil is not a ‘Mr. Clean’, as Viswamitra says. The infamous Bond scam at the behest of Malik Samarawickrama & Ravi Karunanayake during the so called good governance govt. is one good example. So expecting him to punish Keheliya, Tiran, Prasanna, Nimal Siripala and the lot (rot) is like looking for a river in the desert. He is ready to accommodate even the devil in his cabinet for the sake of Presidential throne. Similarly RW is the guardian angel for the Rajapakse crooks. He scuttled all attempts to investigate their corruption and murder charges. I am aware that Ranil scuttled all the efforts of some concerned ministers in the Yahapalanaya govt. who were trying to get the help of a legal firm in Dubai to recover the Rajapakse crooks’ ill gotten money in the banks (apart from the Marriot hotel in Jadaf area). Ranil was never with the common man. Never understood the pulse of the poor. He audaciously declared in a rural area meeting in 2018, that his govt. will provide free Wi-Fi, when the farmers in that area were looking for subsidized fertiliser! Ranil Rajapakse unholy consortium believes that Ranil can win the 2024 elections and then hand over the baton to the crooked brat Namal in 2029. But 2024 elections will be coup de grace for this political mafia, that has ruined this nation far too long.
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