President Sirisena’s plan to ban carpentry sheds and timber mills may not have anything to do with deteriorating forest cover at all. Given the family are experts at monopolizing industries, this maybe an attempt to help his son Daham Sirisena’s father-in-law Athula Rohan Weeraratne monopolize trade for his home fixtures business.
Daham’s wife Nipuni is Elcardo owner Weeraratne’s daughter.
Sirisena in a speech yesterday announced a set of ‘revolutionizing’ moves to put a stop to rapid deforestation in the country. The radical moves is set to include a ban on timber mills, all equipment used to fell trees and carpentry sheds.
His intentions though may be motivated very little by his love for forests, and have a lot to do with helping Daham’s father in law’s business benefit. The newly added range of business interests to the Sirisena family following Daham’s wedding includes aluminium home fittings as well as wooden flooring!
It was on May 09 – not even before a month expired since Easter attacks – that Daham wed Nipuni in a lavish ceremony at the Hilton Colombo.
Matilda Ellepola / June 7, 2019
If trees are fell due to deforesting and population increase., as a Govt he needs to have a plan to grow 2 new trees for every tree fallen down.
This man is going nuts it seems., unfortunately with all this., people are fedup with Yahapalanaya and a new face as a future prez contest and that works for Gotler the cold blooded killer and psychopath.
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Hamlet / June 8, 2019
Deforestation has been going on in Sri Lanka, since the Then Government allowed the felling and burning of trees in Gal Oya, to enable Sugar Cane Growing for a Sugar Factory !
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By The Pen / June 7, 2019
It is note worthy for all Sri Lankans to understand about timber.
Todate Timber is the only 100% renewable resource.
Canada and USA home building is mostly depended on Timber.
Carpentry workshops of the small man along the railway lines of Morotuwa and else where must be taken into great considerstion , these poor people are to be saluted unlike some rich , they are not a burden to the government or Society , they struggle living with children in a tiny house which is also their workshop. (The small man must be protected at any cost)
It is Sand mining , grandite minining and dolamite minining and polluting our rivers we need to worry , ofcause mining too can never be stopped fully .
Everything needs market demand supply survey, this is basic need for any devlopping nation.
Mean while Timber should not be banned but must be encouraged and old treas are of lesser benefit in absorbing carbon than new ones .
A system must be quickly implemented to first do a full scale of demand survey of all natural resources and streemlined .
And instead of banning felling trees ,Sri lanka must talk to Canada to help with replanting system, before felling old trees and regulation must be made to whoever is given the tender to fell trees for timber should plant same quantity and a period set for the new saplings to grow ,a period where the new trees are safely rooted in before the old trees can start to be felled.
Canada can provide us with Valuable advice and guidence.
Please dont ban timber and please encourage ICC(paddy recycled) wall boards for inner walls and reduce the consumption of natural resources
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Holy Family Services International Movement / June 8, 2019
Holy Family* Services International Movement
What’s App +918975904658
wishes to make your Divine Inspiration a REALITY.
*CHANDRA ARNOLDA et al
in Sri Lanka
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Dionysus / June 8, 2019
There is no holy family. There is no god. There is no life after death. Get real. Religion is a money-making racket.
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Leonard / June 8, 2019
Sorry to be fly in the ointment if one want to get advice from Canada.
Canadian PM Justin feminine Trudeau is very busy fighting Lavlin scandal and dealing with more pressing issues like free abortion rights in America begging the world for more refugees, addressing every one with the correct Genders now stands at 63 and growing every year.
He would be struggling to see the “wood for the trees”
Better bet will be New Zealand country that replant 2/1 get harvested.
Added benefit NZ done lots of research in Silverculture thinning and pruning to increase the yield and reduce the maturity time and less tree knots to increase yield.
Soft wood Pine is a source that been planted in New Zealand forest and farms in private lands which can be grown in Sri Lanka with minimum maintenance and produce higher Carbon Dioxide content for future emission trading as a advantage.
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By The Pen / June 7, 2019
I kindly encourage all readers to read ,
Sustainable forestry
WFC-wood- The most Natural resource.
Am sure you can google it.
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harishchandra / June 7, 2019
At the rate he is carrying on, I doubt even a team of psychiatrists bringing him back to sanity.
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Real Revolutionist / June 7, 2019
Still in the mind set of grama niladhari (village officer)?
A grama niladhari with presidential power or a president with grama niladhari power. (19)
Fantastic.
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Steve / June 7, 2019
Better for him to keep the forests, he may soon need a place to hide.
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mike / June 8, 2019
Steve – “Better for him to keep the forests, he may soon need a place to hide.” No need because the Tsunami Hora is anxiously waiting to send him six feet under!
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nimal fernando / June 7, 2019
Few months ago he was hell-bent on sending drug dealers to the gallows.
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He has now forgotten the drug dealers and given them a reprieve ……… now wants to save trees.
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I suppose for him saving trees is more important than saving people getting blown to bits.
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Gon Menika / June 8, 2019
Very true.
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JD / June 7, 2019
Banning WADU-MADU may be an extreme measure as it is a part of the Sri lankan Village culture. Every govt did things to support their clients who do political donations. I heard it is the last govt which destroyed insurance in Srilanka by selling it to foreign countries. Instead they have established a authority which buys every thing from Overseas.
Sri lanka has insured every individual more than once. School children , Politicians, govt servants, bhikkus are all insured. Govt says they spent thousands of billions to insure a certain group. then again says, Health ministry is spending Rs 45 million a year to buy medication. Even then, patients complain saying the hospital doe snot have a certain medication and every time they have to buy it from the private outlet.
Probably, CT is correct. Maithripala sirisena is helping some one by eliminating WADU MADU which is a part of the village culture.
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Native Vedda / June 7, 2019
Hopper Sirisena
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Your son must be very fortunate marrying into a wealthy business family. I wonder how the Chairman and Managing director of Elcardo (a conglomerate) agreed or persuaded to agree to his daughter marrying to Daham a typical political brat.
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I can’t believe what’s going on in high societies.
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JD / June 7, 2019
Sri lanka’s problem is too much greed by everybody. Politicians are for it as it gives them much values political donations which they use to build mansions and invest in businesses.. One chandrasena (Mihintale ?) had said during an election they advised to open a foundation and then he can get all the money legally into his account. Western business model runs on commis and discounts. but, it is the Politicians and people who get commis because of the greed, politicians do not have a conscience. How many politicians have foundations in Srilanka. Even then some went to jail because, they have NOT registered in my name wealth every where in the Island
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paddy / June 7, 2019
When will this Gamarala stop surprising us with his various brainwaves?
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Real Revolutionist / June 7, 2019
Thank you Mr. president.
Even though there’re tall & big trees along the borders of our gardens, neighbors can’t demand cutting them now.
But sad as some have big trees to cut & sell to make money to give dowries for beloved daughters.
What can they do now?
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Raj-UK / June 7, 2019
Now that’s a great idea. It’s simple logic. If there are no timber mills & carpentry shops, there will be no demand for timber, therefore, no deforestation (that is assuming our timber needs are met by illicit logging in forests). No need to import carpentry equipment either, thereby, saving our FOREX reserves.
I suppose those made redundant can find alternate jobs & there is still a demand for carpenters in the Middle East where they can make their fortune instead of toiling in their own villages. Of course there is a small problem of fire wood for traditional cooking by villagers & the manufacture of paper but that can be sorted by use of kerosene or gas instead of firewood (after all, burning of firewood also causes pollution, although, may not be as harmful as burning fossil fuels) & paper can be imported, as well as, timber, if there is a shortfall of timber alternatives.
However, I just wonder, can illicit logging in forests be done secretly without the knowledge of forest rangers? Doesn’t the transportation of timber require a permit? I assume that we have to accept all forest rangers, the locals & the police are corrupt & all are in the game. I suppose there is no deforestation caused by village expansion & cultivation or tourist hotels built in nature reserves either. At least the wild animals & birds have their habitats safe now.
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shankar / June 8, 2019
raj
“However, I just wonder, can illicit logging in forests be done secretly”
those are logs.how are they going to be value added without carpentry?
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shankar / June 8, 2019
these chaps sell zinc alume roofing sheets too.Just imagine if asbestos sheets were banned the money they will mint.Fortunately russia our biggest asbestos raw material supplier did not buy our tea for some time to send the message to sirisena who had to back down to our largest tea consumer.
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Good Sense / June 8, 2019
Axcellency! Please don’t demean your position by becoming a damn fool. This must be the wonderful advice by the buffoons of administrators who cocoon him, more than trying to help Daham’s father in law. So Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha, Sarath Wijesuriya and Company were absolutely wrong in selecting a man to be the President of the country who can harness the skills of administrators to write a report to find a man guilty or not guilty depending on the whims of high and mighty. Knowledgeable people place their bets on the following premise, namely, that the silly idea was given the so called SLAS (Some call it Sri Lanka Daval Horunge Sevaya) officers and they leak to the opposition that this scatter brained scheme is to help Daham’s newly acquired family. Aiyo! Sillysena, didn’t they tell you that in order to drastically reduce the air pollution, one must ban the use of all vehicles on the road? (Administratively erred to include all zero emission fully electric vehicles as well.)
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By The Pen / June 8, 2019
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clean slate / June 8, 2019
The carpenters made themselves heard in voices of carrying timbre. Some trees, like teak, are there to be felled for timber. What does sirisena expect us to use teak trees for? Use the leaves to make ‘halapa’? Timber is so expensive these days that it is difficult to think it grows on trees. Sira is only trying to make it dearer.
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Nadeeka Abeyrathne / June 8, 2019
Pissu Sira should be put in a aluminium casket and throw into the Indian Ocean to rot as wooden caskets are too good for the joker.
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Dirty politics / June 8, 2019
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By The Pen / June 8, 2019
Our most urgent and desperate need of the hour is to educate our people about Sand mining.(not to.ban it ,but to regulate it strictly and protect our rivers) and not tree felling.
The sand we use is the sedimentation that form over thouands of years on the river bed below.
The present consumption worldwide is roughly around 40 billion to 50 billion tones (including gravel) which is suppose to be twice the quantity of Sedimentation our rivers can offer.
The danger is that most miners are not well educated & are going deeper than the sedimentation using huge machinery to excavate the river beds (our land foundation) .
Devastation expectated are ranging from lower water table, ultimately loss of water, loss of land amd other major enviormental hazzards.
People are kept busy to see what kind of food a scapegoat community of the millenium are eating ,what cloathes they are wearing , fear Psycosis of fake sterlization used in simple foods they sell to make a few hard earn money to feed their family ,the small and medium shop owners are destroyed thus pushing a peaceful community who is neither a burden to the government but are silent contributors to the economy , all this cruelty just to cover the eyes of the people so the special favoured can destroy our enviorement , if there is anyone who will make us loose this Land ,will not be the minoroties ,but those who are destroying our enviorment.Most Trees may take 10 to 15 years to grow , while sand and gravel takes thousands of years .
Covering the real threat by demonizing a peaceful minority community who have been minding their own affairs , thier major need was to eat a particular food , dress in a way they choose and spend more time in piety in prayer in their prayer
Houses, now some elements have created a new and most challenging threat by succefully pushing them into the terorr option with no hope.
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Hariharan Wicks / June 8, 2019
We are on the right path but playing the wrong chords. The forests should be protected at any cost. However, if you look back, it was the politicians who got the permits to fell trees in the forest. Sirisena is so stupid, he did not convey the message correctly. Most of the furniture in SL is made out of cultivated Teak or timber confiscated by the forestry department from illegal harvesters. Houses today use imported timber from Malaysia for timber. If people are not allowed to clear land which they own, for building, it will be chaos. It was the Kenuman administration who made the 6perch land subdivision possible. There is not much opportunity to build on a 6perch plot leaving the trees standing at the same time. Why not encourage people to plant more trees. The Government could lead this effort by planting along the shoulders of the roadways. Chena cultivation is prevalent in SL. Stop it. I have witnessed whole forests being set on fire to catch the wildlife for meat, as it is easy to hunt them. Putting the poor carpenters out of work is not the solution, but, it is Sirisena after all!
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By The Pen / June 8, 2019
Dear readers kindly take time and google and read the below mentioned and search for more credible info & study (not just read)about how to protect our drinking water and our resources.
Know your true enemy & please dont be party unintentionally attacking the innocent by which you help and protect the real criminals
Pls read ,
Sand extraction ; Itroduction 1
greenfacts.org- sand-extaction.
Only the people can save this nation from a future devastation.
Dont worry , halal food and niqabs wont ever be a threat to the island ,infact if we ignore the continued distruction of our enviorment all of us may end up having to wear abayas and niqab to protect us from sun skin cancer.(am serious ,am not trying to.be Sarcastic)
Truth is bitter ,so are most medicines
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Dionysus / June 8, 2019
Obviously in issuing the warning to ban chainsaws and woodworking workshops the president had in mind the rampant deforestation that is going on. Illicit tree felling will result in desertification in Sri Lanka. That will happen in a short time going by the rate forests are being felled. Criminal gangs work in collaboration with people in authority [police, politicians, powerful interests] to fell trees and feed woodworking workshops. I would guess that a single chainsaw could fell 50 trees in a day with men working in relays. So banning chainsaws and woodworking workshops would be an excellent start to saving our forests. But of course any sensible suggestion is a chance for politicians on opposing sides to take advantage. So we have MR and foul-mouthed Wimal seeking to score some points and earn some votes. Who cares if the country goes to the dogs, they seem to say.
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Champa / June 8, 2019
The “chainsaw” has resigned.
With that, I guess, his “timber mill at Wilpattu” will also be closed.
There is nothing to worry about razing down trees anymore.
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By The Pen / June 8, 2019
There is a certain socalled powerful Political leader ,who is probably the only leader who denys global warming and Enviormental destruction.
He is a businessman and considers money above humanity (why he turned a blind eye to the murder of a journalist ,because he did not want to looese the millions of dollars arms deal).
So now you know why suddenly as soon as he became leader a certain community has been mercilesly targeted ,demonised ,lied about and people of all other communties are kept busy in doing just that , so their country’s natural resources can be robbed and finally the country be turn in to a desert like somali.
People have been programmed to believe that Muslims &Christians in Africa are black evil people and that is why they are suffering and that is why they are poor , no we are wrong, they are severely victimized , the muslims and Christians turned against eachother and the evil arms dealers provide them guns to kill eachother, while they plunder their nation’s wealth..They are very rich nations but today most of them are homeless and live in poverty ,no sanitation and no health care and mostly children.
If you believe by demonising and
wiping out a helpless minority is the answer to have it all for yourseleves, you are wrong , once you done with the said minorites you will not have anything left for you nor generations to come.
So wakeup ,
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Banda / June 8, 2019
He cannot even last one more month as pre5,what idhe talking
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Sam Silva / June 8, 2019
The solution is to strengthen the Forest Department and the Police to detect illegal logging and prosecute offenders. We see in outstation roads many Police checkpoints always stopping lorries carrying logs- only to demand a bribe and let them pass. This should be tackled as the first priority.
A big part of our timber/wood comes from renewable resources- replating rubber and Coconut, and managed Mahogany and teak plantations. Without chain saws how to cut these trees. At present there are subsidies for Coconut and Rubber re-planting- but not for Mahagony and teak. Government should introduce a subsidy for Mahagony, Teak and other plantations including jack, lunumidella, ginikuru (latter two very fast growing)
This President who only makes silly statements in his daily propaganda events. We are yet to see his Madu walige for exposing bras, hanging drug dealers, promising not to contest Presidency again, Yahapalanaya promises, EASTER attack Parliament statement that he came to know about it 10.00 AM. ( if 10.00AM Singapore time that is 90 minutes before the attack, if 10.00 AM Colombo time 90 minutes after the attack)
Silver lining- We only have to tolerate this nonsene another 6 months.
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nalmen / June 8, 2019
good sense
are you saying that buffoons are helping a buffoon
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rbh / June 8, 2019
For the past centery tea factory are cutting tress and need need to do so these factories need logs of ,
there is a good request for logs and wood in tes and rubber factories, without wood, The situation is threatening to paralyse manufacturing of tea since the process relies on wood fuel. The government has officers who can ensure this is done. Foresters can visit the farms to verify the origin of the logs for firewood, If the permit will not be granted it would mean tea/rubber processing activities will grind to a halt.
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By The Pen / June 8, 2019
I am yet to see a local TV have a regular program on promoting alternative building products that encourage builders and clients to consume less river sand ,metal aggregate and cement mainly .
I believe The ICC a highly reputed company, who have been working very hard for many years to introduce an alternative building systems to reduce the impact of damage to our Envoirment must be promoted and encouraged by our medias and ofcause the government too.
I erge those who want to build new homes to first talk with ICC, they are excellent in knowledge and their products are of high quality and very reliable.
Its extremely important the clients support the alternative building sysyems as way of suppporting to help protect our emviorment.
There is huge waste of material and and unwanted over design stracture
in certain (profesionally unsupervised )construction work without proper guidence from qualified Civil Engineer ,its a waste , the client is unnessarily burden with high cost with no benefit & lot of matetial ate wasted .
A good stractural engineer can save a lot of waste of money and material.
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