Trincomalee should be considered a centre point for eco tourism – Udaya Gammanpila

Trincomalee should be considered a centre point for eco tourism instead of artificially transforming it into an industrial park that will cause harm to its natural resources and environment, Western Provincial Council member Udaya Gammanpila said yesterday. “Trincomalee is the only place in the world where you can see both whales and Elephants – the two largest mammals in the world in one place. We should capitalize on the rich environmental features to create a niche in eco tourism instead introducing industrial zones,” he said addressing the AGM of the Institute of Environmental Professionals. “Today eco tourism is a widely popular and growing industry and with the end of the war, the country’s emphasis has been to develop the tourism industry and eco tourism will only add to its attractiveness,” he said. The government has the responsibility in its hands to demarcate sanctuaries and solid waste land before resettling people in the North and East, Gammanpila said. “The government should draw a plan and draw new maps of Sri Lanka since the terrain and environment has all changed due to the war and human interference,” Mr. Gammanpila said. According to him the areas that are demarcated have now become small townships and some townships have turned into ghost villages. The government should take the initiative to introduce buffer zones around the coastal belt in the North and East considering the map of Sri Lanka in 2050 when the sea levels rise by 10 metres, Gammanpila said. “We should look in the long term prospects and resettle people with the future in mind if not it will be like the Tsunami period and the people will not comply with hasty rules of a buffer zone which proved to be a failure for the UDA,” he added. According to him more than 20% of the land in the North and East including the Jaffna Peninsula will go under water if the sea levels rise by ten metres as predicted, Gammanpila said.

Christian Church’s hidden agenda

The absurd utterances of Bishop Oswald Gomis on February 4 this year and Catholic Church’s despicable role both highlighted by former Sri Lankan Naval Officer Gracian Fernando (a Catholic himself) this month in an open letter to the Bishop are only the tips of an iceberg. This and the almost successful resistance to the Anti-Conversion Bill and the veiled threats the U.S. has issued against the enforcement of such laws are all part of an anti-Sri Lanka conspiracy hatched by a loose alliance of different Christian groups, federalists, dubious NGOs, LTTE sympathizers and various foreign elements that are hell-bent on weakening the Sinhala Buddhist majority in the name of peace now that the Tigers are on their last legs.

Out of all Sri Lanka’s religious establishments it is sections of the Christian Church (though not all individual Christians) that has been most vociferous in calling for ‘peace’ and ‘dialogue’ with the LTTE terrorists. Not even the Hindus by and large have been that supportive of the Tiger cause. Today it is the Anglican Church (the so-called National Christian Council) that has taken the lead in scoffing at and condemning the anti-LTTE military campaign.

But this same Christian Church here over 65 years ago prayed for an Allied victory in World War II although Germany and Italy too were Christian nations. And even today in the West Christian Church does not call for ‘peace’ and ‘negotiations’ with the Al Queda or other Islamic groups. When it suits the interests of the church it is a case of “Onward Christian soldiers” and “Pass the ammunition and Praise the Lord” – but not in Sri Lanka.

However Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church found itself in a uncomfortable position when Britain went to war against Fascist Italy (a predominantly Catholic country) which had reached an understanding (The Lateran Treaty) with the Vatican. Sri Lanka’s leading Catholic Educationist, the late Fr. Peter Pillai was a known sympathizer of Catholic Spain’s Fascist Dictator Francisco Franco. This is similar to the Catholic Church virtually sympathising with the LTTE today.

When India kicked the Portuguese out of Goa, South Asia’s last European colony the Catholic Church here was not very happy about the Indian military action. Portugal was then ruled by Catholic Fascist Dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar.

How is that despite Christians being only around 10 percent of the country’s population that the churches have succeeded in exercising so much power in the media and other sectors of the Sri Lanka society in varying degrees even after independence?

Today it is not merely a case of converting non-Christians to Christianity or trying to undermine Buddhist rights. Politically it goes far beyond that. As in the European colonial era Christianity is still a political tool of the West – whether or not the majority of Westerners are true believers. The stronger the local Christian Church is the easier it is for Washington and London to manipulate a country – especially in the Third World – to serve their interests. They cannot do it in China or Myanmar. Please note that almost all the NGO anti-war crusaders in Sri Lanka are either Christians or linked to Christian-funded organizations.

The only exception to this situation is the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church, which is virtually indigenous to Slav nations like Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. They are equally opposed to Western-funded evangelists as non-Christians in Asian countries. Russia (like China) has always stood by Sri Lanka on the LTTE issue.

What is strange is that the U.S. is maintaining a deafening silence on Israel’s stringent anti-conversion laws, although Sri Lanka is indirectly warned not to push through the Anti-Conversion Bill. Washington is tongue-tied in Israel’s case because of the strong Jewish lobby there.

Israel’s anti-conversion law came into force on April 1, 1978, under the premiership of Nobel peace laureate Menachem Begin. Henceforth, no Christian missionary could even offer a Bible to a Jew with a hope to convert him to Christianity. This singular act could constitute an offering of ‘material inducement’ which could land a Christian missionary to five years in jail in the exclusive Jewish state. Under the same statute, a Jew could be jailed for three years if he converts to Christianity.

Sri Lanka’s Christian Churches strongly opposed to Buddhism being given the pride of place in the Constitution despite the fact that it has not prevented non-Christians from practicing their religions freely or building churches, mosques and Hindu temples.

Christian organizations here are among the most ardent advocates of multiculturalism and secularism today. That is because they are not as strong as they were in the pre-1956 era. But when they were strong and in positions of power they fully enjoyed all the privileges they were given – not only during colonial period but also in the immediate post-independence era. Although the Soulbury Constitution was supposedly secular, in practice Christians enjoyed an advantageous position far more than Buddhists or Hindus, especially in government service, the armed forces etc. Then there was less talk of a multi-religious society.

On the day the Rt. Rev. Lakdasa De Mel was elevated to the dignity of Assistant Bishop of the Anglican Church, he said:

“The task of the Church in Ceylon will not be finished till the remaining ninety percent of the population, who are not Christian, are converted.” (Revolt in the Temple)

The Buddhist Commission Report of 1956 (republished in 2006) gives a clear picture of the role of the Christian churches of that era.

Writing in Russia’s national newspaper Pravda on October 21, 2008, Gregory F. Fegal clearly exposed the political agenda of Christian Evangelists. He noted that Christian missionaries make no secret of the fact that they use medical services, education, and employment opportunities to lure impoverished indigenous populations throughout the world into conversion to Christianity. What he states is perfectly applicable to Sri Lanka’s situation.

Fegal further observed:

“According to the popular and scholarly history of Christianity, the early Christian Church found its greatest appeal and attracted its greatest number of converts from the poor people of the Roman Empire. The early Christian churches raised money through a tithe, or ten per cent income tax, levied on their members, and the early Christian church is said to have had a strong ‘sense of community’, which implies that it had a well-organized social, financial, and political network among its membership.

Using your wealth to purchase other people’s loyalty is a game as old as humanity itself. Rich men use their wealth to attract women, unscrupulous employers use material incentives and disincentives to manipulate their workers, and wealthy countries like the USA use their national wealth to keep their citizens loyal to the cause of aggressive and genocidal Imperialism. But historical longevity and common practice don’t make the manipulation or exploitation morally or ethically right.

Organized religions are inherently POLITICAL organizations. There is a fundamental difference between the financial enterprise and political machinations of an organized religion versus a mass of independent, unaffiliated believers, philosophers, and mystics who do not support any organized religion.

Christianity and Islam are known as proselytizing religions because they make an organized and systematic effort to gain converts, and they often provide services, products, or employment to attract converts. Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism show far less zeal about gaining converts, which is why you almost never hear about Jewish, Hindu, or Buddhist missionaries.

Modern medical and nursing schools usually teach their students the moral principle that the provision of medical services should never be used as a means to proselytize or promote a religion, but that does not deter many Christian health care providers from doing exactly that. Most of the medical and charitable organizations based in Christian countries are fronts for Christian proselytizing activities.

One of the largest international medical relief organizations based in the USA, Northwest Medical Teams, states in their recruitment brochure that their chief ‘mission’ is to ‘spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ’, that their medical relief services are subordinate to their stated goal of proselytizing Christianity, and that their medical relief work is merely an ‘aegis’, or facade, for spreading Christianity.

The religious and cultural Imperialism performed by missionaries nearly always goes hand-in-hand with political and economic Imperialism. Christian missionaries often work in partnership with the CIA, with the US government, and with wealthy corporations to subvert the religion, the culture, the economy, and the politics of vulnerable indigenous populations. The CIA often uses planes owned by Christian missionary organizations and flown by Christian missionary pilots to smuggle drugs, arms, and prisoners.

During the CIA’s illegal Iran-Contra scam of the 1980s, Christian missionary pilots and planes smuggled drugs into the USA and arms into Central America and Iran. Now the CIA is using Christian missionary planes to smuggle heroin from Afghanistan, cocaine from Latin America, and for ‘rendition’ flights of ‘Terrorist’ prisoners to secret prisons that practice torture and commit extra-judicial executions.

The USA’s Faith Based Initiative law provides Christian missionary organizations with taxpayer funds that are used to proselytize Christianity to indigenous populations throughout the world. Christian missionaries are the leading edge of a religious, cultural, economic, and political aggression supported by the US government.

When missionaries bring outside wealth to an impoverished Third World country and use that wealth to provide services that are meant to attract converts, they are interfering with the local social and economic structure as well as the local cultural traditions. Indigenous people who take advantage of the privileges provided by the missionaries and convert to Christianity partake in a social organization that uses foreign wealth as a tool to eliminate the indigenous culture and replace it with Christianity.

A small and reclusive population of a few hundred people with a primitive Stone Age culture lives on North Sentinel Island, in the Andaman chain, which is administered by the government of India. To protect the culture of the inhabitants of North Sentinel Island, the Indian government has wisely banned anyone from visiting the island. I approve of the Indian government’s policy of protecting the unique culture of the North Sentinels from outside influence. If anyone on North Sentinel Island should ever desire to leave, they can build a boat and do so.

Among a total of 195 nations in the world today, fifty-seven of those nations have a legally established, official State Religion. There are fourteen nations that claim Christianity as their State Religion, twenty-six nations that claim Islam as their State Religion, six nations that claim Buddhism as their State Religion, and the Jewish State of Israel. The Jewish State of Israel discriminates against its non-Jewish citizens and within its borders Israel officially prohibits the proselytizing of any religion other than Judaism. Many people believe that Israel has a ‘right to exist’ in this manner as a Jewish State.

Many Islamic countries strive to protect the cultural identity of their citizens by enforcing a ban on preaching any religion but Islam. Considering the aggressive, insidious, and highly political nature of Christian missionary programs, the banning of non-Moslem religious preaching by Moslem governments makes sense.

Currently there is no officially Hindu State anywhere in the world, but perhaps India should become a Hindu State in order to protect its indigenous religion and culture from the predatory missionaries and State-sponsored cultural Imperialism that are coming from both Christian and Moslem countries. If the Jews have the right to establish and maintain Israel as a Jewish State, then the Hindus certainly have a right to establish and maintain India as a Hindu State.

When Western leaders talk about a ‘Clash of Civilizations’, what they really mean is Judeo-Christianity and corporate Capitalism versus all non-Christians and non-Capitalists. Christian missionaries are essentially colonialists working for Christian cultural Imperialism.

When the Hindus of India rise up in riot and drive out the Christian missionaries and the Christian ‘cash converts’, they are doing what the Iraqi, Afghani, and Palestinian Freedom Fighters are doing. They are protecting themselves and their indigenous culture from wealthy and unscrupulous invaders who have no respect for them or for their culture. I wish the Hindu nationalists well in their efforts to defend and maintain the independence and survival of their indigenous culture and religion against the onslaught of predatory and disrespectful foreigners whose goal is to replace indigenous traditional cultures with a global Christian empire.”

‘LTTE underestimated Sinhalease’ – Champika Ranawaka

[COLOMBO, SinhalaNet 2009.03.09 06:58AM]
Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said last week that one of the prime causes of the LTTE’s defeat was that Prabhakaran underestimated the will power of the Sinhalas, forcing them to fight with their backs to the wall. Now the Sri Lankan Armed Forces have struck at the heart of terrorism.

Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Patali Champika Ranawaka Addressing the meeting to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the National Movement against Terrorism (NMT)
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Patali Champika Ranawaka’s Speech Audio File (MP3 format) 2009-03-06

The minister made this observation when he delivered the keynote address at a meeting held to mark the 11th anniversary of the formation of the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT) at the Mahaweli Centre Auditorium on Friday March 6. His speech was titled, ‘A Forward on the Defeat of the LTTE.’

Ven.Ranpathwila Wimalarathana Thero, Ven.Hadigalle Wimalasara Thero, JHU Legal Adviser Udaya Gammanpila, Senior Defence Adviser to H.E President, Former Senior DIG Of Police H.M.G.B Kotakedeniya, and over 500 NMAT Supporters were participated.

He said that in the West military strategy is considered a science whereas in the East it is an art. In Sri Lanka however some people had turned into a business. But today our troops had proved that it is both a science and art form.

The Minister traced the acts of betrayal of the Chandrika Kumaratunga-Ranil Wickremesinghe regimes that made the Tigers look invincible in the world’s eyes. Prabhakaran, he noted, was hailed as a military genius far greater even than leaders like Napoleon, Tito, Moshe Dayan, Giap and other such leaders combined.

“Sri Lankan soldiers were called mercenaries while LTTE terrorists were hailed as dedicated freedom fighters.”

He recalled how Sri Lanka’s English media launched a concerted campaign against the NMAT’s campaign, branded its activities as war mongering. All the anti-war crusades were aimed at demoralizing the people who wanted to eradicate terrorism, he pointed out.

Minister Ranawaka identified the Sudu Nelum Movement, P-TOMS, the Millennium City fiasco, the so-called ceasefire agreement of 2002 and giving Prabhakaran an opportunity to kill Karuna’s men after he defected from the LTTE.

He said that these two leaders (CBK and Ranil) were responsible for complicating and prolonging the crisis while deliberately obstructing opportunities to kill or capture Tiger leaders to end terrorism once and for all.

According to the minister the civilians now stuck with the Tiger leaders near the Mullaitivu beaches are actually members of the LTTE’s so-called Maveer (Great Heroes) families. The Tigers were holding 27,000 of them hostages making it world history’s biggest hostage crisis.

Venerable Mawarale Bhaddiya Thero said that those who were hitherto wearing the Tiger skins had today become Lions. The credit for this amazing transformation should go for those sacrificed their lives in the anti-LTTE military campaign, observed the venerable thera.

Venerable Mawarale Bhaddiya Thera Addressing the meeting to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the National Movement against Terrorism (NMT)
Venerable Mawarale Bhaddiya Thera’s Speech Audio File (MP3 format) 2009-03-06

The task of the NMAT however should not come to an end with the military defeat, he warned. Its next task is to make sure that those (both Sinhalas and Muslims) who were chased away by the terrorists from the North and East are re-settled in the areas from where they escaped, he stressed. He expressed the possibility of this taking another 10 years.

Venerable Bhaddiya Thero urged patriots to be on high alert to make sure that the country wouldn’t slide back to the era when governments were bending over backwards to appease the Tigers..

When LTTE was having its own way during with so called peace talks at Oslo and rogue state in the North in 2006, the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT) published a poster in Colombo defining the word ‘Terrorism’.

The Key criteria of terrorism were identified as follows;

– Violence

– Psychological impact and fear

– Perpetrated for a Political Goals

– Deliberate targeting of non-combatants

– Unlawfulness or illegitimacy

At Friday’s ceremony a commemorative book ‘Satanaka Satana’ depicting NMAT’ s efforts and its effects was launched followed by the ‘Awards of Appreciation’ ceremony.

‘Stop nominating separatists to CC’

        The Australia-based Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights (SPUR) in Sri Lanka in a media release issued on Friday March 6, has insisted that in appointing candidates to the Constitutional Council (CC) they should all take an oath swearing allegiance to a sovereign and unitary Sri Lanka rejecting ideological and political commitments to separatism. SPUR represents the World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka (WAPS) that comprises over 25 Sri Lankan expatriate organisations.

                   In the context SPUR has requested either the withdrawal of the nominations or prevention of the appointment to the council of retired Chief Justice C.V. Wigneswaran and Dr. J Uyangoda to the Constitutional Council since they do not possess the necessary credentials to be worthy of being appointed to the Constitutional Council.

                              SPUR has also urged all political parties not to convert the Constitutional Council to a home for the retired elitists or to promoters of separatism. If not it will be an act against the will of the people and the integrity of the country, according to the society. Here SPUR has recalled Wigneswaran’s March 7 speech (welcoming Justice Yapa) where he expressed the view that North and the East of Sri Lanka were independent entities and that the Tamil speaking people were being robbed and converted to a minority by the Sinhalese after Independence.

                                   As for Uyangoda SPUR notes that he is a convicted terrorist guilty of crimes against the Sri Lanka and that he has written copiously for the separatist cause stressed the need for providing space for LTTE terrorists.

SPUR further states:

                           “Both the nominees have not renounced their allegiances to separatism and its violence and nor have they apologized for their questionable utterances and views. These two individuals cannot be expected to perform their duties objectively given their past record and ideological commitments.”

                                 SPUR has stressed the need for members of the Constitutional Council to be representative of a balanced cross section of eminent persons reflecting the changing patterns in Sri Lankan society.

Following is the full text of the media release:

                              It is reported that there are plans afoot to nominate and appoint members of the Constitution Council.

                               While the masses, especially the people in the villages of Sri Lanka either directly or indirectly are on the verge of extricating themselves from the clutches of the LTTE terrorists and the interfering NGOs, quietly but surely another segment of our society mainly consisting of individuals and groups rejected by masses, is proceeding on a social engineering project to limit the powers of the elected President Their plan unfortunately is not to ensure good governance through proper checks and balances, but to promote individuals who are will obstruct the elected President in implementing his mandate.

                                   Our views should not be taken as unconditionally encouraging the Chief Executive to abuse his power. More importantly the objective is to stop the Chief Executive and the people who elected him or her to be a helpless captive in the hands of individuals who are neither elected nor suitable to hold an office of this importance as they have openly acted or spoken against the changes which have taken place in Sri Lankan society over the years including the defeat of the LTTE terrorists.

                                                              The Constitutional Council is bound to play a critical role in setting standards at the highest level. It is of prime importance therefore that those who are to occupy the seats in the council should posses impeccable credentials in their careers. In the recent American elections President Obama came under heavy fire for his associations with activists linked to violent organizations. He unequivocally denied and disassociated himself with those activists and organizations. Sri Lanka should emulate this example and leave no room for anyone who had any links with separatist or terrorist organizations that had destabilized the nation with brutal violence and threatened the elected governments, subverting the will of the people.

                                                      Among the nominees who are now known to the public, Retired Justice V. Wigneswaran and J Uyangoda stand out as persons who do not posses the necessary credentials to be worthy of being appointed to the Constitutional Council.

                                                     The Retd Justice has expressed the view that the North and the East of Sri Lanka were independent entities and that the Tamil speaking people were being robbed and converted to a minority by the Sinhalese after Independence etc, etc (Pls. ref to SC Justice C.V Wigneswaran’s speech on 07 March welcoming Justice Yapa)

                                                 J. Uyangoda, a convicted terrorist guilty of crimes against the Sri Lanka people and is a well-known biased commentator on Sri Lankan affairs and a writer on political and social issues. He has written copiously for the separatist cause against a unitary Sri Lanka and also about the necessity to provide space for the terrorist LTTE in democratic Sri Lanka. In fact, he is one of the main commentators who have been critical of the actions taken by a number of Sri Lankan Governments in their attempts to get rid of the LTTE terrorists while misleading the world’s academic and think tank institutions on socio economic issues relating to Sri Lanka.

                                                  We are of the view that Retd. Justice Wigeswaran and J Uyangoda are not men of eminence and integrity as required by the Article 41 (4) and have definitely proven themselves by their actions to be out of step with the thinking of the vast majority of Sri Lankan populous. If they are appointed, they will be act as a barrier to the President in discharging his functions for the benefit of the country at large.

                                               Both the nominees have not renounced their allegiances to separatism and its violence and nor have they apologized for their questionable utterances and views. These two individuals cannot be expected to perform their duties objectively given their past record and ideological commitments.

                                                     We request either to withdraw the nominations or prevent the appointment of Retd Justice Wigneswarn and J Uyangoda to the Constitutional Council .We also request all political parties NOT to convert the Constitutional Council to a home for the retired elitists or to promoters of terrorism and separatism If not it will be an act against the will of the people and the integrity of the country.

                                           Arising from this we wish to insist that any candidate, before they are appointed, should take an oath swearing allegiance to sovereign, unitary Sri Lanka rejecting ideological and political commitments to separatism and violence which undermines the democratic state of Sri Lanka.

Yours truly,

Ranjith Soysa Spokesperson

WAPS

[Copied from COLOMBO, Sinhala.Net 2009.03.07 06:04AM]

LTTE takes heavy beating as troops close-in on last LTTE stronghold- Mullaittivu

Troops of the Task Force- 8 operating under the overall command of 53 Division made further advances into the remaining terrorist resistance positions located further Northeast of Puthukkudiyirippu junction March 3.

According to military reports received, scores of terrorists were killed in the fighting and as many injured. Troops have also uncovered 8 LTTE bodies, 08x T-56 assault riffles, 03x I-com sets and a grenade launcher during subsequent search operations conducted in the area. Meanwhile, military citing intercepted LTTE communication said that senior LTTE cadres including Swarnam, Bahnu, Adithyan and Chithrangan accusing each other for failing to stall the military advances into the area.

15VIR troops uncovered an LTTE cemetery with over 300 graves of terrorists killed during recent battles with security forces Wets of Puthukkudiyirippu, on 2nd March, 2009.

Scores of terrorists were killed and as many injured during the recent confrontations at the Mullaittivu battlefront