Thuppahi's Blog

Kumar Kirinde

Ref to the subject, the country of Haiti is described as a ‘failed state ‘and has been subjected to prolonged U.N. peacekeeping starting from 1993. It. Sri Lanka has contributed troops to U.N. missions in Haiti from 2004 to 2015.  As per a recent article published in the ‘The Morning’ newspaper of 26^th June ,  Sri Lanka is again planning to deploy 1,000 + personnel to Haiti. Going by what I gathered on Haiti’s history and the present ground situation, it’s going to be a tough call for our personnel who will be going there. The attached brief should give you a fair understating on why it will be a tough call.

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Michael Roberts, presenting “Self-Immolation,” an old article of his from the year 1999 — one printed in the  Lanka Monthly Digest, September 1999, vol 6:2, pp. 56-57. I

                                                        ONE;

In February 1999 a Kurdish nationalist leader, Ocalan, was caught by the Turkish authorities. Kurdish refugees in the Western world erupted in protest. In London a young girl Neila Kanteper set herself alight. In Sydney a young lad was caught on camera with petrol can and cigarette lighter as he threatened similar action. As I walked into the local news-agency in Adelaide that week the proprietor[1] waved the picture of Kanteper in flames in front of me and in considerable alarm inquired how anyone could take such an extreme measure. He could not ever take such a step, he said. His remarks gain in significance from the fact that they were unsolicited and had not been preceded by prior conversation. I was in a hurry and did not explore matters further, but I conjecture that his bewilderment stemmed not only from the method of death by fire, but also from such terminal commitment to a collective cause. The question, therefore, is whether in similar circumstances an act of martyrdom involving death by hand-gun would produce the same level of astonishment. Relatively speaking, death by gun seems to be so much more acceptable to the Western world than death by flame.

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THE ISLAND, 3 September 2026

The following are excerpts from a recent interview with Lionel Bopage, who was in the 1971 JVP leadership, conducted in Sinhala by Sirasa TV’s Ten Questions program hosted by Wasantha Masinghege.

 Lionel Bopage, the first General Secretary of the JVP, was here recently from Australia where he is domiciled. Now 82, Bopage was among the key figures involved in the formation of the JVP and was a member of its early ‘Committee of 21’ leadership.

He joined the movement at the age of 24, influenced by his father’s involvement in the Communist Party and his own commitment to left-wing politics. He later became increasingly critical of the JVP’s position on the national question and resigned from the party in 1983.

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Dhananath Fernando, 4 September 2026, …. with  highlights that are his own imprint & this title “Two Years of Government: From Reform Readiness to Reform Delivery “

Economic crises often create the political space for reforms that would otherwise be difficult to undertake. When a country reaches a point of economic or institutional breakdown, the urgency for change becomes undeniable. Similarly, a new government often has a limited window, particularly its first 100 days,to introduce difficult but necessary reforms before political pressures, competing priorities and vested interests begin to narrow that space.

Sri Lanka has experienced this firsthand. The challenge, however, is that winning an election is not the same as being ready to govern. Political parties and leaders understandably invest enormous effort in securing a mandate. But a mandate, by itself, does not provide the policies, technical preparation or implementation frameworks needed to translate that mandate into meaningful change.

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From WIKIPEDIA, the free encyclopedia

La Castella
Frazione
View of the castle of Le Castella
La Castella Location of La Castella in Italy
Coordinates: 38°54′32″N 17°1′24″E
Country	Italy
Region	Calabria
Province	Crotone (SI)
Comune	Isola di Capo Rizzuto
Elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Population
• Total	1,103
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

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Rex Clementine in The Island,

Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa has taken to social media to criticise the government over Sri Lanka supposedly missing out on hosting the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy, scheduled for next year. The former Sports Minister has been shedding crocodile tears, bemoaning the politicisation of sport in Sri Lanka.

 Coming  from Namal, that is quite something.

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Dilshan Maduranga. whose chosen title was “GF Van der Hoeven and the Burgher Story of Ceylon”

 GF Van der Hoeven was the writer whose letter gives us the central voice in this remarkable 1947 newspaper discussion about the Burgher people of Ceylon. In the letter, addressed to the Editor of the UNP in Colombo, Van der Hoeven wrote with a mixture of concern, frustration, affection, and resignation about the future of a community he believed was facing a serious turning point. His letter was dated 19 August 1947, and it appeared under the striking title, “Can We Let the Burghers Go.”

Very little personal biographical information about Van der Hoeven is provided in the newspaper clipping itself, so it would be misleading to invent details about his occupation, family, education, or later life. What we can understand clearly is the importance of his voice in this particular historical moment. He presented himself as someone deeply concerned about the future of the Burgher community and argued that its problems could not be solved by simply allowing people to drift away from Ceylon.

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Michael Roberts

Hiran Hewavisenti’s reading of the short-form cricket squads chosen for the impending September tour of England provides the context for my reflections on the performances of Sri Lankan players during the recent two Test series vs a powerful Indian side at home in Lanka last month. I do not have Hiran’s intimate local knowledge and my thoughts, therefore, must be assessed with a measure of scepticism.

While India were meeting Sri Lanka, several SL cricketers were playing short/form matches in the Caribbean, presumably with the consent of the SLC Board.: Theekshana, Shanaka, Hasaranga for instance. All three are now part of the touring squad for the UK.

 Kusal Mendis was a notable absence in the Test matches vs India and the keeper was Dickwella – presumably because Mendis was incapacitated. He now returns to the side for the UK matches. As skipper, yes …. as captain; while Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva drops out altogether. **

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Hiran Hewavisenti, in Facebook

Team Sri Lanka will take flight to Blighty on Saturday to play three T20s (starting on 15/9) and three ODIs (from 22/9) in what will be unfamiliar territory for two largely inexperienced – albeit strong – squads that could give the Brits a run for their money. Two stand-out selections for both formats come in the form of Charith Asalanka who travels as vice captain and the flamboyant Kamil Mishara,with many others picking themselves, so to speak.

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The Ceylon Society of Australia, Colombo Chapter, warmly invites you to an interesting lecture on “Reverse Emigration” by our guest speaker, Dr. Devika Gooneratne….

Date: Saturday, 5th September 2026
Time: 5.00 p.m.
Venue: Lighthouse Galley, Chaithya Road, Colombo 1

Guest Speaker:
Dr. Devika Gooneratne
Senior Content Editor, New Ceylon Writing Literary Journal
Executive Editor, Glitterati Quill Magazine
Reviews Editor, Verity La Journal

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