Similarly, to President Maithripala Sirisena taking along his son Daham Sirisena, to the UN General Assembly, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko also surprised some onlookers by taking his 11-year-old son, to the General Assembly in New York.
Unlike, Sirisena however, who hid his son from the White House Official Photograph, Lukashenko brazenly posed with President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, together with his son, Kolya.
Koyla’s presence, at the UN General Assembly, was reported in the BBC today, stating that the 11-year-old boys presence in New York was “not a one-off, ‘take your child to work day’ for Belarus’s ruling family.”
“The little boy in a suit often accompanies his father on official business, including a visit to Beijing for China’s World War Two commemorations on 3 September.” the BBC said.
“Often called Europe’s last dictator, Alexander Lukashenko has indicated that his youngest son, Kolya, will be his preferred successor” the Guardian reported.
“President Sirisena, contrary to his Belarusian counterpart, opted to ‘conceal’ his son from the Sri Lankan public, having instructed his media unit to refrain from releasing any photographs with his son Daham Sirisena in them. In what appears to be a bid to hide the fact that he stands guilty of nepotism – as guilty as Lukashenko.” good governance activist Gunapala Herath told Colombo Telegraph.
Related posts;
Sirisena Brat “Missing” In Official White House Photo
President And Son Photoshopped Out Maithripala’s Facebook Page
Daham Sirisena Represents Sri Lanka At UN Youth-Led High Level Event
President’s International Media Point Man Speechless On Nepotism Charge
Maithri’s Daughter Chathu Kicks “Own-Goal” With Daddy’s Powers
MTV Newsfirst Removes President’s Daughter Chathu’s “Boasting Video” From Facebook
Daham Sirisena At Racecourse With 40 PSD On Saturday Night?
Minister Maithripala Sirisena’s Son Brandished A Gun At UNP Kris Balathazaar
President Silent On Daughter’s High-handedness
Sirisena Brother, Pallewatta Gamaralalage Kumarasinghe Sirisena Appointed As SLT Chairman
Pictures: ‘Non-Nepotic’ President Sirisena Takes Son To UN General Assembly
Indian PM Narendra Modi Meets Daham Sirisena At UN
Switzerland President Meets Daham Sirisena
Daham Sirisena Responds To Nepotism Charge
pacs / October 2, 2015
Not only nepotism there is threat to life by white van and anonymous phone calls in yahapalanaya. What happened to the pledges to UN and UNHCR. [Edited out]Yahapalanaya is not for the Tamils??
/
Amarasiri / October 2, 2015
RE: Sirisena And Belarusian Dictator Turn UN General Assembly Into A Daddy Day Care
“Unlike, Sirisena however, who hid his son from the White House Official Photograph, Lukashenko brazenly posed with President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, together with his son, Kolya”
Poor, Daham. He could not get a picture of Mr. and Mrs Obama with his Daddy.
Cry baby Daham cry.. Eeeeehhh Aeeeehhhh Aeeeeerhhhh Aeeeerh
This is pure discrimination!
/
John / October 2, 2015
Belarus looks ahead of Sri Lanka
/
Sinhala_Man / October 2, 2015
Dear Amarasiri,
I think that by now you know me also to be a rather uncouth rustic. There’s only one Presidential Brat that I’ve ever known, but then, he’s now a close friend. Let me relate a story about him and then send the link to the one time “Brat” who is now a very decent, polite, and well-mannered guy. Actually, I’ve known him well since 1961 – now, that’s a long time, isn’t it? – although the anecdote relates to something that happened a dozen or so years later.
Ahmed Nasir’s father was Ibrahim Nasir, Second President of the Maldives:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_Nasir
One day, young Ahmed had marched up to the “Reception” in the President’s Office, and pompously asked to see “my father”. Even today, Male is a tiny place, but at that time its population was only about 20,000, and everyone knew everyone else. However, please note that Ahmed sat quietly at reception while he confidently expected to walk in to his “Pop’s Office.”
Five long minutes he had to wait, before he was told by a rather timid retainer: “Sir, I was told to tell you this, and nothing more: ‘The man in this office is the President of the Republic. If that impudent young man who has sent a message is still there, please tell him, politely, that his father is a guy whom he will find at home in the evening, not HERE at any time.”
Ahmed sat stupified in disbelief and humiliation. By now it has been worked out that President Nasir had spent about three whole minutes to get the messenger to memorise the message properly. (Nasir was a highly literate man – just ascertain how many books in the National Library bear the legend, “Ex-libris, Ibrahim Nasir”. Well, I’ve not been to Male myself for 21 years.)
Anyway, Ahmed picked himself up after two minutes, put on a swagger that belied the feelings in his young breast and walked out. This story was told me by one of his cousins who is blessed with a fantastic memory. When I asked Ahmed, he said that he couldn’t remember it himself; then he said, “Well, it’s quite possible. That’s in keeping with the way he conducted himself – we used to think it unfair, but I’ve grown to learn how sensible a man he was.”
Now having related this story, I must hasten to send Ahmed this link. He shuns publicity: if you’ve looked at the Wikipedia link above, the two “late” younger brothers were actually murdered. Ahmed now concentrates on bringing up his two sons of “Daham-age” to be decent human beings. Ahmed, himself, is the nicest of guys.
As for Maithri and Daham: at first I thought all this “a storm in a tea cup”; then I began to understand the inappropriacy of Daham’s presence in the UN GA. Now, I think that it is time we focussed on more important issues. Daham will grow out of his naive self-importance, just as Ahmed did, and actually, I think that Daham should be excused more than Ahmed was. Daham has probably come straight out of the village near Polonnaruwa where somebody said that his father used a bicycle as his sole mode of transport “twenty years ago”. “Gamaralalage . . . Sirisena” doesn’t have a lineage he can boast about. The Nasirs are “Befalu” – the Royal Family of the Maldives.
We are so fortunate to have Maithri as our President. I do wish that “Colombo Telegraph” would stop churning out these predictable articles. There are eerie similarities between recent events in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. There, in the Republic of the 1,200 Islands, the former nasty dictator has put his brother in the saddle. He has removed the only two decent Supreme Court Judges. I’m not here referring to “Nasheed’s arresting” the corrupt “Chief Judge of the Criminal Court” – a Sharia-law Court of modest standing. Worst of all, of course, is his treatment of Anni. I met Mohamed Nasheed in 1994, when he had a brief respite under “house arrest” in Male, as opposed to the torture he underwent on the prison island of Dhoonidhoo.
Here, we are at a stage that the Maldives was about seven years ago. We are all happy that “Justice Sarath de Abrew” and some other woman are going to be impeached. Here, we want Maithri (and Ranil, perhaps), to usher in a “Golden Age of {Ethnic} Peace and Harmony”. Yes, Maithri and family may slip up occasionally, but I wish that humble family well. Those who are so irresponsible as to discuss these silly stories are only paving the way for MaRa to attempt a come-back, which I will do my utmost to thwart.
More than all else, at this moment, I wish Sri Lanka and all our people well.
/
Amarasiri / October 3, 2015
Sinhala_Man
Thanks. A great Story. Both President Sirisena and his son, Daham, need to learn and move on. Yes, the son needs to meet the father at home, but Polonnaruwa “tradition” accepts meeting the father at Official Functions. It is up to Mr. Sirisena, to set the stage like the Maldivian President, so that son Daham won’t cry.
However, I am of opinion that CT is going berserk on this issue, but was able to get Daham off the picture. That was a good thing. May be next year, Daham stays home and plough the Polnonnaruwa Paddy fields belonging to Gamaralage Maitripsla Sirisena. Perhaps, this will set a precedent for next time.
Despite all this Daham episode, getting lost in the tress, one must not forget the MaRa forest we were in. We all need to thank the President Mr. Mairipla Sirisena, RW and the Common Sense Civil Society, all cane together, to depose the Mahinda Rajapaksa Regime and Family Dynasty. The Dahan brat episode is so minor compared to the mess we were in with MaRa MaRa Chatu MaRa Amana MaRa HoRa MaRa Dhushana MaRa.
We have a reasonable chance of getting the War Crimnes behind us, and forging forward as a nation, despite the Para-Sinhala Nationalists and Para-Tamil Nationalists. Amarasiri would like them to get back to South India, based on the DNA evidence in their bodies.
/
Sinhala_Man / October 15, 2015
Now, two weeks later than the “Daham-in-the-UN” story, we are coming to grips with the real issues. Ensuring that the Rajapaksas are made answerable for their crimes.
How sad, in a way. It was such an achievement, ending the War. No war was really ended by Pacifists like me. I hope nobody gets mad at me for saying what follows; I, too, like anybody else, I guess, yearn to be loved and approved. It took courage to be a Pacifist.
However, it is also true that a soldier also displays courage, albeit of a different sort.
/
Leelawathie / October 2, 2015
Now it is high time to reveal what MR had to do with Belarus – at the time MS PIllay was visting srilanken, srilanken head of state was in Belarus telling the stupid folks about so much of promises – that they the MR et al could bring tourism promotion work bla bla.. but nothing became seen later on, that was 3 years ago or so. THAT is how mati uras destroyed tax payers funds.
Today UPFA men themselves say- even if Prez SIirisena with a significantly smaller group of canddiates took part in GA in NY, he has been very successful winning the international community. Now DAYAN Jayathilaka has to kill himself being unable to see his paranoic theories becoming the reality.
Wimal weerawanse will have to go for another anti google protest. All in all, lanken stupid folks will have to get the realities… what MY3-RW have been trying to convince them.
/
Vajira / October 2, 2015
What nonsense is this guy/gal talking? When the $ goes up to 200 Rs mark, you will definitely understand wining hearts of International community. Don’t insult Sri Lankans other than few facebook brats.
/
Sinhala_Man / October 3, 2015
In November 2014, I was telling friends that by the end of 2015 Two hundred Rupees would only fetch one US $. The more sensible people will make adjustments, the others – inevitably they will swear and curse. I’m afraid that world-wide that’s the way humanity is heading. A few thoughtful people worrying themselves in the silly way that all of us reading Colombo Telegraph do, the rest “homme moyen sensuel” as the French say.
This is NOT the fault of Maithri or Ranil. And, to be fair, it is not MaRa’s fault either. This is considered (rightly, I’m afraid) the way to win an election. Increase salaries, artificially keep the local currency over-valued until the elections are over. Don’t worry overmuch; almost all will survive – cursing the politicians now in power, but putting up with it. We all know that “Democracy” as understood today means that the people are supreme only in the weeks leading up to the elections. Cynical, am I?
However, we now have a decent chance to put the country on an even keel. I think that if we, “the intelligentsia” (I know that we’re not supposed to label ourselves as such, but let’s not be hypocritical!) act rationally, we can ensure that racism remains dead in this land which ought to be paradise.
/
Amarasiri / October 2, 2015
So, it is not Daham, the Sti lankan brat, but Lukashenko’s son together with his son, Kolya, the brat.
This is brat discrimination. This is brat racism. This is third world discrimination.
We the people of Sri Lanka, the land of native Veddah Aethho, protest the discrimination against our own Para-brat, Daham.
We will have a protest march ar nugegoda with Wimalk Weerawansa, Vasudeva Nanakkara, Dinesh Goonawardana, and GonGam Pila, with a statement ri be read by Dr, Dayan Jayatillkaa.
/
n.ethir / October 2, 2015
Srisena should have taken his daughter too to maintain Gender equality. Then he would have had more women support.
I am not sure why a feudal state should not ensure that the children who will succeed the lord be given give all the training they need.
/
Walt / October 2, 2015
The Stupid Obama Policy of Double Speak- Head of State Impunity- see the giraffe smile its his logic- neverland.
/
Naga / October 2, 2015
It appears that dictators do the same.
Sri Lankan dictator Sirisena did the same what the Belurisian dictator did. The difference perhaps is that our dictaor is a smiling one. And a calculating one too. Now we know that JR Jayawardena was shades better than this man Sirisena.
Sri Lanka’s destiny is today decided by three dictators namely Ranil, Sirisena and Sumanthiran. Ranil is the sole decision maker for UNP in the same way Sirisena unilaterally decides for SLFP and UPFA. And, it is that arrogant man Sumanthiran who decides for TNA and the Tamils.
/
srilal / October 2, 2015
Naga ,
According to your logic , Ranil , My3 and Sumanthiran control UNP, SLFP and TNA respectively , right ? during the Mafia king’s ruling , Hadn’t he controlled all the parties in SL ?
/
The Rogue Ayer / October 2, 2015
“And, it is that arrogant man Sumanthiran who decides for TNA and the Tamils.”
Unlike most others Sumanthiran has returned from Diaspora and is even willing to participate in political life. This is a lot for a guy who left Jaffna almost 50 years ago. Nobody forced him to leave his peaceful life so that he is likely to be very motivated.
I don’t think that he is arrogant.
/
Aia / October 2, 2015
We Sri Lankan voters seem to have blessed with a two-for-one offer, which they didn’t want to know before the Priz election; vote for one and you get two; an old and matured one and a young brat who usually lived up to the brat tag; we should comes to grips with this package deal, hmm if not son, a daughter, maybe in tandem . Seems to be a new trend. If not the former bull roaming around with it calf and didn’t do enough damage here we have yet other pair. Even worst, some one who vocally criticize the old bull indulge in same behavior. North or South, politicians are politicians, hard to see someone who is true to their words.
/
backlash / October 2, 2015
Alexander Lukashenko, who has enjoyed a long innings (1994), is a thug and a cruel dictator who treats Belorussia like his fiefdom. I believe he is blacklisted by the EU and many other countries. His elections have been fraudulent but his people can do very little about this. He controls the secret Police and the army. He has the reputation as the last fascist dictator in the former Soviet Republic.
Backlash
/
srilal / October 2, 2015
My question is , knowing every thing about Alexander Lukashenko’s governance style , why on earth President Obama decided to pose for a photograph with a known criminal ? hasn’t he let down the entire Belarusian people ?
/
Rarityminds / October 2, 2015
This has proved, taking their photos has no meaning…
US president or anyone from the states just enjoy the moment only.
/
Paul / October 2, 2015
Do you really think Obama cares a hoot for the Belarussian people? He is a politician. Cant you remeber pictures of the French president hugging Gadaffi, Nixon hailing Mao, Premadasa meeting the Tiger leaders? Its all politics, no real friends, just temporary allies.
/
lenonard / October 2, 2015
Un is corrupt organization has no power just good place for a free junkets. Ban KI is do nothing well pass use by date figure head. But it is the wright place for show ponies be on front of TV FOR their 15 seconds of fame or infamy. I expect to see some megalomaniac leader next time bring their family pet to the UN assembly. Come to think of it may be a hell of a improvement than the lot turning up so far.
/
vishvajith / October 2, 2015
Sirisena can’t be compared with Lukashenko. Our man a Gentle Democrat, the latter a Tyrant, murdering his own.
I was reminded by a friend today that Chelsea Clinton accompanied her father to every UN General Assembly.
So, let’s move on. Message sent to Sirisena et al, do better next time.
/
len / October 4, 2015
vishvajith So what you saying is MS & son is in good company. Let me remind you famous words from Clinton ” I did not have sexual relations”. One thing for sure MS never been accused of been a philanderer & womanizer.
/
EW Golding / October 2, 2015
It was foolish of President Sirisena to take his son on a high profile visit on an occasion where the latter has no official standing. It was right of CT to report the issue.
Having said this, I think CT is going overboard in flogging the matter endlessly, comparing MS to a Belorussian dictator and giving more fuel to MR’s stirrers than is justified by the news value of the story.
/
InconvenientTruth / October 2, 2015
The question is why BBC did not report about the SL president taking his son to the UN general assembly but only picked on the Belarus president..classic double speak of the BBC..duplicity by policy
/
srilal / October 2, 2015
InconvenientTruth ,
“The question is why BBC did not report about the SL president taking his son to the UN general assembly but only picked on the Belarus president..classic double speak of the BBC..duplicity by policy “
It’s because Belarus president is a well known criminal cum President whereas MY3 is the just president of SL .
/
Sam Perera / October 2, 2015
BBC could please you and the ILK if MR had been the president. BBC would have shown the mammooth size of entourage of MR. World leaders have respected the MY3-RW-CBK combination.
Let alone today, you guys should see it right.
This achievement is not small – had the bugger been in Power, the current situaiton could have gone all wrong considering the bugger treated own citizen during the last year alone
/
Jayraj / October 2, 2015
Daddy has to look after the child, as mummy has gone shopping with daddy’s diplomatic credit card.
/
Sam Perera / October 2, 2015
these were the days of Maharaja… now MY3 would not do so, since he is no abusive as MR has been .
/
omran / October 4, 2015
Correction please:
Daddy has to look after the child, as mummy has gone shopping with daddy’s diplomatic chauffer.
/
Naga / October 2, 2015
Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s son Kolya accompanies his father on official visits, state visits and everywhere.
One report said stories about Kolya and his tantrums are legion. Once Kolya threw away a plate of Belarussian food shouting “I can’t eat this shit”. In another incident he allegedly told a stewardess who refused to let him shut the door of his father’s presidential plane “I’ll have you shot when I grow up”.
According to a British newspaper, Lukashenko is obsessed by his ten year son Kolya, the product of his affair with his personal doctor, and is a special one. Dictator Lukashenko has two older sons by his estranged wife who now lives in a distant village. One western observer referring to Kolya had noted “He is a little bastard like his father is”.
President Alexander Lukashenko had been described by the former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the “Last dictator of Europe”. Lukashenko is the illegitimate son of a village woman. He rose to become director of a collective pig farm during the Soviet time and later became the President of Belarus in 1994 at the only free and fair election held following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Lokashenko had ruled Belarus, which has a population of nearly ten million people, for over 20 years now since his first election in 1994. He is alleged to have rigged all elections since he became president in 1994 and controls a rubber stamp parliament where there is not a single opposition member. There are no viable opposition parties and several opposition leaders have been either put behind bars having been charged with one offence or another or simply banished.
Belarus under the dictatorial rule of Lukashenko is described as the last remnant of the Soviet Union replete with its own KGB, political prisoners, show trials, penal colonies, collective farms, command economy and formidable propaganda machine.
I reproduce below some excerpts from reports on Belarus.
Here is how one journalist describes Minsk, the capital of Belarus:
“We noticed the absence of even the mildest form of disorder. There is no litter or graffiti. Cars don’t hoot. There are laws against everything – jaywalking, treading on grass, swearing or drinking alcohol on the streets, photographing government buildings. Planned public gatherings of more than three people are prohibited without prior approval. So is clapping – a form of protest adopted by the opposition in 2011. To prevent silent demonstrations there is even an Orwellian law prohibiting unsanctioned “action or lack of action” in public places.”
“Minsk is a city where, it seems, anything not expressly permitted is prohibited; a city where people regard uniforms as a source of danger not protection; a city whose citizens are expected to march in lockstep, like those soldiers on parade, and those who refuse are incarcerated, banished or simply vanish.”
Belarus has the dubious distinction as the only European country that now carries out death sentence. Convicts condemned to death are shot in the back of the head and then buried in secret locations.
Thank God that Sri Lanka has not descended to this type of dictatorship.
/
vishvajith / October 2, 2015
Thank you Naga for your comments posted.
We SL stopped this move towards an Autocracy thru democratic means. Full marks to our people and the Pres Sirisena who stood up and be counted. The danger is we can revert full scale on a whim of an election.
Cheers from the True North.
/
Sinhala_Man / October 3, 2015
What a hell-hole!
Thanks to you, Naga, I checked on the facts you have provided. There was some rather unusual “re-directing problem” when I tried to check Lokashenko in Wikipedia. Yes, we were certainly headed that way under MaRa.
I hope that the essentially good and gentle Maithri understands the need to avoid unnecessary problems of the sort that he has created by taking Daham right in to the U.N. General Assembly. Chaturika’s peregrinations were O.K. – they may actually be healthy, provided she doesn’t try to upstage public servants who have certain responsibilities.
As for the Obamas posing with this monster: that is necessary! However decent the guy who goes in to politics, it becomes necessary to talk to the villains. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they approve; yes, of course the smile has to be “practised dishonesty”. Those who can’t compromise in such little ways should not take to politics. Stay out, and be squeaky clean! And, I guess, be self-righteous. Real life is not easy.
/
Raj / October 3, 2015
It is a usual practice in third world countries & dictatorships to groom siblings as successors. If I remember correctly, Premadasa, when he was PM, visited UK in the late 70s with the family to coincide with Charles & Diana wedding & managed to get an invitation from the queen but despite being a state occasion, he took his son & daughter even to the reception that followed. Nobody at the High Commission dared to advise him otherwise or Premadasa, ignorant as he was of such protocol, may have thought nothing wrong in doing so. In this case, it is a fact that the President of Belarus is a Dictator & his high handness is never questioned but My3 promoting his son at state functions questions underlying dictatorial tendencies or plain ignorance of such matters.
/