Thuppahi's Blog

 Sidhartha Thamby … OR … Aruliniyan Mahalingam, in an article entitled “The Land That Never Returned: The North’s Unfinished Struggle under the Thirteenth Amendment”

The Dividends to Reap from State Land

According to the Land Commissioner General’s Department (eSlims, as at 7 February 2022), 123,141 land use permits have been issued against a total of 401,000 families in the province. The number eligible to receive permits in 2022 stood at 40,782, with 6,040 permits still unused.

All permits ultimately flow through the Governor’s office for processing before titles are issued by the Director General of Lands in Colombo — a labour-intensive sequence that encompasses title settlement, land-use inspection, application verification, surveying, and document uploads.

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Harendra Alwis,  whose preferred title in an article presented on 28 May 2026 runs thus: “Alek Garden Fraser’s tour of Australia in 1915” ….. with highlights imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

ESPNcricinfo Staff …. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ambidextrous-spinner-shashini-gimhani-in-sri-lanka-s-t20-world-cup-squad-1538811

Batter Vishmi Gunaratne, wristspinner Shashini Gimhani and seamer Kawya Kavindi have been picked in Sri Lanka’s squad of 15 for the Women’s T20 World Cup in England starting on June 12.

Chamari Athapaththu was named captain of the team and will be representing Sri Lanka in her tenth T20 World Cup.

Rashmika Sewwandi, Dewmi Vihanga, Inoka Ranaweera were left out of the squad that played the series against Bangladesh earlier this month. Gimhani, 17, is an ambidextrous wristspinner, a lass who has played seven T20 internationals, having made her debut as Sri Lanka’s youngest international at the age of 15.

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And Where a Roberts enters the Reckoning ! …. https://www.aramcoworld.com/en/articles/2026/mj26/football-or-soccer-why-the-world-cant-agree-on-the-name

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Michael Roberts

Barbara Sansoni’s artistic flair and depth of knowledge on Sri Lanka’s architectural history has been widely acclaimed.  Her book VIHARES AND VERANDAHS, printed in 0000, has been widely acclaimed — see https://thuppahis.com/2022/05/03/vihares-and-verandahs-barbara-sansonis-magnum-opus/.

It is a rare book and a book collector’s dream. Sharon Jones in the United Kingdom has stepped forward now to present Lankan aficianado with the opportunity to render the dream a reality. At a price of course. Her address is

sharon Jones

zanagay@btinternet.com

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To: Mayor Tom Tate ….. “No Trump Golf Course on the Gold Coast!”

Mayor Tate: Gold Coast locals are demanding that you stop pitching the Gold Coast to the Trump family.

We didn’t want the tower, and now we don’t want this golf course. Drop this proposal for a Trump-branded golf course and resort, and commit publicly that no Trump deal will go before Gold Coast City Council. If Tate won’t do that, we’re calling on councillors to refuse it when it lands on their desks. Our coastline is not a bargaining chip for a Mar-a-Lago dinner.

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P Harshi Diaz, in Daily FT, 27 May 2026, where the title runs thus: “A comment on Dayan Jayatilleka’s ‘The Federalist fantasy: Tamil political tragedy, Lankan political history’,”

Dayan Jayatilleka rightly challenges the narrative that S. J. V. Chelvanayakam turned to federalism only after supposedly foreseeing Sinhala majoritarian discrimination against Tamils following the 1948 Citizenship Act. ……………………………………… (See https://www.ft.lk/columns/The-federalist-fantasy-Tamil-political-tragedy-Lankan-political-history/4-792193)

I would like to add another episode from Sri Lanka’s political history, one that has received absolutely no attention in studies of the conflict. This account is drawn directly from the Hansard reports of 1947, that is, even before Ceylon became an independent nation.

On 26 November 1947, during one of the earliest sessions of the State Council under the Soulbury constitution, the newly elected member for Kankesanthurai, S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, raised the idea of secession in his remarks. He stated that the Tamils of Jaffna had the right to secede from Ceylon and suggested that, if they wished, such a move could even take place with India’s support.

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Speaking Three Days Ago when Trump was visiting China …. circa 25 May 2026 … 

The top men’s seeds for the 2026 French Open, led by World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, are confirmed

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WOMEN’S  SINGLES SEEDINGS

AI Overview

The official women’s singles seedings for the 2026 French Open feature world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka as the top seed, with Elena Rybakina and Iga Świątek rounding out the top three. The tournament is currently underway at Roland Garros in Paris. 

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