Category Archives: patriotism

November 17, 2024 · 12:32 pm

Joachim’s Letter to AKD in Sri Lanka: An Earnest Appeal

Your chance to re-write history Mr. President! A second letter to AKD……. – by Aubrey Joachim**

Dear Mr. President,

Your victories have been stunning to say the least. Winning the top job was good enough. Your virtual clean sweep of the legislative chamber is more than impressive. However, unprecedented is your victory in the North where for the first time in modern political history a Sinhalese Buddhist has been given a mandate by the Tamil Hindu populace. Let this be the last time that Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans have to be referred to by race or religion. You have ensured that our great country is but one nation of people who can achieve greatness.

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November 11, 2024 · 8:19 pm

Brig. Halangode’s Random Thoughts on the Eelam Wars

AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE by Michael Roberts, 11 November 2024

Brig Retd Hiran Halangode sent me the Memorandum presented below as a RESPONSE to one of my reprinted articles on ‘’Religious Strands in the SL Tamil Rebellions of the 1970s to 2009.’’[1] As indicated by him, the memo presents a series of desultory thoughts and do not amount to a thorough-going academic essay. However, they serve as an incentive towards reflection. I have taken the liberty of inserting highlights to spotlight especially significant or controversial thoughts.

SL Army troops in defensive positions in the Vanni circa 2008

 

BRIG. HIRAN HALANGODE (retd) in Response to MR On Fri, Nov 8, 2024 …… presenting …… https://thuppahis.com/2022/10/02/religion-within-tamil-militancy-and-the-ltte/

Hi Michael,

An excellent effort. I have a few points which may be of interest to you. Random thoughts in fact.

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November 10, 2024 · 12:02 pm

Ranil’s Hand in the Batalanda Killings?

VISIT this item sent to me by a Richmondite Medic residing in Britain with this note: 

 I recently heard Ranil W’s name linked to Batalanda but did not know what it was about.  This blog reveals all, what a murderer R is,as well as what crimes most of the political leaders before him also did. Watch and make your mind up.   Author Nandana [Weerarathne] is an investigative journalist  who had self-exiled himself until  the fall of  RW from power.…………….. Shocking!

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November 7, 2024 · 11:24 am

Sri Lankan Association Treated in Adelaide’s Parliament

 

 Zoe Bettison, Minister for Tourism and Multicultural Affairs in the South Australian Government headed by Peter  Malinauskas, marked her long fellowship with ASLA, namely, the Adelaide Sri Lanka Association, by treating and feting the Association’s members to dinner and cameraderie at Parliament House on October 2024.

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November 5, 2024 · 3:13 pm

Cricket at A Deserted Adelaide Oval

Michael Roberts

On Monday 4th November the South Australian Cricket team led by Alex Carey completed an assertive victory over Victoria in a Sheffield Shield match. — winning by 00 runs. I was among the 50 or so spectators watching this victory unfold.

All of us were at the ground level in the Western Stand. There was only one eatery open and no bars. …… a barren terrain that was out of step with a good victory. For the record I note that SA scored 307 runs and 270 for 8 decl while Victoria assembled 232 and 207 runs  — with the last day’s headline running “Pope spins South Australia to a Drought-Breaking Victory”  .… even though it was Manenti  who secured the Man of the Match award.  Continue reading →

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November 2, 2024 · 7:23 pm

British Ceylon Through A Family Lens 1850-1950

Prof Naren Chitty …. an article in THE CEYLANKAN vol 27/4 November 2024

 Introduction
​British Governors relied on mostly unsalaried Mudaliyars (leaders) from select families who exchanged service for land grants.[1]  Educated in public schools Mudaliyars’ Anglophile sons increasingly inhabited a Jane Austenian lifeworld, particularly as they donned European attire in the middle of the nineteenth century. Unfolding around them was a countervailing Buddhist revival associated with Sinhala cultural resurgence. [2]

Chitty Family in 1899 … Standing L-R = Christian, Wilfred, George Snr, Marian, Charles ….. Sitting L-R = Mitzi, Rose, Maude, Laura, James

 

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October 31, 2024 · 12:07 pm

Dr Narendran Rajasingham: A Grounded Sri Lankan Tamil Patriot

Michael Roberts

Naren Rajasingham was a trifle junior to me at Peradeniya University when he pursued a Vet/Science Degree before proceeding to postgraduate qualifications in the same field. It was only when I was fully enmeshed in researching the Eelam Wars and visiting Colombo with some frequency that I got to know him. My memory is imprecise in its notation of time; and I cannot fix precise dates to our exchanges.

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October 30, 2024 · 3:06 pm

Where have all the fruit trees gone……….

Dushy Perera

I live in the same neighborhood where I was born three score and ten years ago. My grandfather’s garden, which was approximately 3 acres in extent was literally, a self-sown orchard. Hence it attracted many birds, butterflies, lizards, land and water monitors and other reptiles. It was not uncommon to see a Cobra (naya) or a Russell’s viper (thith polonga) whilst the common Ratsnake (garandiya-Ptyas mucosa) was often seen sliding away whenever we children played cricket or hide-and=seek or climbed trees just to while away our free time. Never was any of us children bitten by these reptiles, although we ventured carefree all over the garden.

Dushy in his youthful days with parents Herbert and Constance Perera

 

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October 29, 2024 · 8:00 pm

A Major Political Transformation in Sri Lanka on the Horizon?

Merril Gunaratne,** in The Island, 27 October 2024, where the title runs “A revolution without violence” … with emphasis added by The Editor, Thuppahi

The total absence of violence before, during, and after the Presidential election has deeply impressed all sections of the population. Such exemplary discipline and conduct of the NPP took many observers by surprise, putting to shame established parties which, when they alternated in power, invariably let loose their goons to inflict pain and misery on opposition ranks. Serving in the police from 1965 to 2000, and in retirement for two and a half decades thereafter, I was witness to violence which followed every election with monotonous regularity.

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October 28, 2024 · 7:43 pm

Peoples’ Struggle Alliance sprouts up in Sri Lanka

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WHERE ….  Mahendran Thiruvarangan and Sumathy Sivamohan speak up in support of this new political venture

138 mutual friends
Dr. மகேந்திரன் திருவரங்கன் மற்றும் Prof. சுமதி சிவமோகன் ஆகியோர் ஸ்வஸ்திகாவின் பிரச்சாரத்தை ஆதரித்து பேசுகிறார்கள்.
ආචාර්ය මහේන්ද්‍රන් තිරුවරන්ගන් සහ මහාචාර්ය සුමති සිවමෝහන් ස්වස්තිකගේ ව්‍යාපාරයට සහයෝගය දක්වමින් කතා කරති.
Dr. Mahendran Thiruvarangan and Prof. Sumathy Sivamohan speak in support of Swasthika’s campaign. ……………………….

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