March 30, 2014 · 5:38 pm

Chris Panabokke, exemplary soil scientist, turns 88

Ranjit Mulleriyawa, in The Nation, 3 March 2014

CHRIS PANABOKKEMention the name CR Panabokke, and the first thing that comes to one’s mind is soil science. Indeed, he is unquestionably the foremost soil scientist produced by our country to date, as well as one of Asia’s most renowned soil scientists. He has authored many books and published over 30 research papers in reputed International journals in addition to presenting 35 scientific papers at national and international workshops/conferences on: Soils of Sri Lanka and fertilizer use, groundwater conditions in Sri Lanka, small village tank systems, and agro-ecological environments of Sri Lanka. Continue reading →

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March 30, 2014 · 4:49 pm

Desmond Kelly airs and pictures an Aussie twist on Hai Hoi Babiachchigey bicycle-eka

SEE http://safeshare.tv/w/fcFIDmjYCv

DESMOND KELLY 22  Continue reading →

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March 26, 2014 · 12:50 pm

Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s Drama crosses divides and inspires exchanges

Asoka Randeniye, in Daily News, 26 March 20i4

Dharmasiri Bandaranayaka.- DN Pix by Roshan Pilipana

Roshan Pitipana

No theatre- lover worth his salt would need an introduction to the great actor/director Dharmasiri Bandaranayaka. Ever the voice who questions the accepted, the safe and the prescribed, Dharmasiri Bandaranayaka is the director of five thought- provoking, discussion- inducing political plays: Ekadipathi (The Dictator) in 1976, Makarakshaya (The Dragon) in 1985, Dhawala Beeshana (Men Without Shadows) in 1988, Yakshagamanaya (Resistible Rise of Arturo) in 1994 and Trojan Kanthavo (Trojan Women) in 1999.

In January, Dharmasiri Bandaranayaka and the cast and crew of Trojan Kanthavo participated in the Bharat Rang Mahotsav (International Theatre Festival) in New Delhi for the third year running. Previously, he applied for and was selected by the festival committee to perform Makarakshaya in 2012 and Dhawala Beeshana in 2013. This year, he was among the six countries which were represented at the festival. Daily News caught up with the maestro at the Trikone Cultural Foundation in Rajagiriya, which documents for posterity the Sinhala and Tamil dramas and other art forms hidden within our country.

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March 19, 2014 · 3:04 pm

Ancient Lanka and its surrounds through numismatics: insights from Osmund Bopearachchi

Bopearachchi 22

Osmund Bopearachchi in Q and A  with Saman Indrajit, courtesy of the Island, 18 March 2014

A leading authority on Central Asian, Indian and Sri Lankan numismatics and art history, Prof. Osmund Bopearachchi drew heavy flak over his recent lecture at the Post-Graduate Institute of Archaeological Research, where he referred to instances of counterfeiting of foreign coins, especially of punch-marked coins in Lanka, when the country was a centre of international commerce in the then known world.

Alexander the great in coin Alexander the Great in coin — fr smritidaniel.wordpress.com

While not denying what was reported, the French trained and educated academic says that the media did not do justice to his in-depth lecture and had somewhat misled the public by cherry picking sections thereof out of context. Having graduated in 1978 with a degree in Sinhala, French and Western Classical Culture from the Kelaniya University he first worked as a French teacher because there was no opportunity to study Archaeology at the time. “I studied French with the intention of going to France for further studies, but the French government did not offer long-term scholarships to Sri Lankans. Thereafter I worked as a French-speaking tour guide. I left Sri Lanka with my return ticket and 1,000 Francs. I worked hard and had to start from my BA in Archaeology in Paris as I then had no archaeological background.” Continue reading →

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March 19, 2014 · 2:26 pm

The Forgotten History of Richmond rolls the years back — courtesy of Ananda Dias-Jayasinha

1 Presentation of the first copy of a new publication “Forgotten History of Richmond College – A documentary survey“, to HE the President Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Hon. Speaker Mr. Chamal Rajapaksa two distinguish old boys of Richmond by the author Ananda Dias-Jayasinha, marking the bicentenary (200 years) falling on 25th July 2014, of the first Methodist Mission School in Sri Lanka and Asia now known as Richmond College, Galle. Continue reading →

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March 18, 2014 · 2:26 am

Ruki Fernando apprehended: many issues … and unfolding events

RUKI FERNANDO   Ruki Fernando has been an assiduous researcher and civil rights worker for several years. Associated formally with the National Peace Council and often publishing citizen articles in Groundviews, the web site of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, he has used the Catholic networks and circuits to range beyond the bourgeois lounges of Colombo and unearthed data of both social and political relevance. Needless to say, all such ventures involve interpretations and weightages and should be subject to critical review (as indeed, they are in blog commentary of varying perceptiveness). I note some illustrative examples of his investigative work.

Ruki Fernando, 2012, “Sri Lanka: When one goes missing every five days,” http://www.jdslanka.org/index.php/2012-01-30-09-31-17/human-rights/212-sri-lanka-when-one-…

Croos, Fr. J., Deanne Uyangoda  & Ruki Fernando 2011 “Threats, Harassments and Restrictions on Former Detainees and Their Families in Vanni,” 11 May 2011, http://www.globalpeacesupport.com/ globalpeacesupport. com/post/2011/05/14

Ruki [Fernando] 2o10 “Vanni in the year after war: Tears of despair and fear,” 26 May 2010, http://groundviews.org/2010/05/26/vanni-in-the-year-after-war-tears-of-despair-and-fear/

Ruki [Fernando] 2o10 “Menik Farm: The tragic end of a bitter saga, from detention to forced relocation,” 2 October 2012, http://groundviews.org/2012/10/02/menik-farm-the-tragic-end-of-a-bitter-saga-from-detention-to-forced-relocation/

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March 12, 2014 · 1:42 pm

Music as Fusion … crossing bundaries, linking people

I — WOMAD …. standing for World Music at Adelaide was held from the 7-10 March at the Botanic Gardens and saw and HEARD numerous artistes from all over the world … bringing Adelaideians and Australians from all ethnicities together in a relaxed family atmosphere …. absorbing the  vibes from many lands and cultures … and sometimes gyrating in cross-cultural mood. If only powerbrokers pay heed and use MUSIC as a bridge in strife-torn contexts.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Continue reading →

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March 12, 2014 · 12:49 pm

Savage suicide mission at Kunming station: Xinjiang Muslim extremists and their netherworld

I: The Kun Ming attack, 1 March 2014 as in Wikipedia

kUN MING ATTACK -AFPThe 2014 Kunming attack (also called the Kunming massacre[3][4][5]) was a terrorist attack[6][7][8] in the Chinese city of Kunming, Yunnan, on 1 March 2014. The incident, targeted against civilians, left 29 civilians and 4 perpetrators[1] dead with more than 140 others injured.[7][9] At around 9:20 pm local time, a group of eight knife-wielding men and women attacked passengers at the city’s railway station.[10] Both male and female attackers were seen to pull out long-bladed knives and proceed to stab and slash passengers. At the scene, police killed four assailants[11][12] and captured one injured female. In the afternoon of 3 March, police announced that the six-man two-woman group had been neutralized after the arrest of three remaining suspects.[1][4] No group or individual stepped forward to claim responsibility for the attack.[13] China’s official news service, Xinhua, announced within hours of the incident that it was carried out by Xinjiang separatist terrorists.[6][14] The government of Kunming also said the attack had been linked to Xinjiang militants.[10][15] Police said they had confiscated a black, hand-painted East Turkestan flag at the scene.[16][17]

II: A Comment, by Michael Roberts, 13 March 2014

By chance my chain mail circuit brought the exchange between Michael Tan and LSL into my orbit (see below). Having met Michael Tan briefly when I was on a research spell in Singapore way back I weigh his thoughts seriously. They indicate that this has not been the first such venture into terror attacks by Xinjiang zealots, while placing them within the machinations of power politics — more specifically the dirty wars promoted by USA. While wary of conspiracy theories targeting the CIA and USA in this instance I believe we must give serious consideration to this allegation as a probability. Continue reading →

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March 12, 2014 · 8:32 am

Boat People: cannot flee, cannot stay?

Courtesy of Emily Howie

A new report has found that Australia’s cooperation with Sri Lanka to prevent would-be-refugees from seeking protection is riddled with human rights risks and should be stopped immediately. The report, Can’t flee, can’t stay: Australia’s interception and return of Sri Lankan asylum seekers, which is based on interviews with government officials, information obtained through freedom of information requests and statements from the public record, reveals a deeply flawed suite of policy measures and practices. as -seekrs Transcurrents

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March 12, 2014 · 12:43 am

People of Sri Lankan origin in Australia: Census Data

Ckyters in triumph Sri Lankan cricketers celebrate their downing of Australia

Historical Background: In the late nineteenth century, the first Sri Lankan immigrants to Australia were recruited to work on the cane plantations of northern Queensland. There are also reports of Sri Lankans working in goldfields in New South Wales and Victoria, and as pearlers in Broome, north-western Australia. By 1901, there were 609 Sri Lanka-born people recorded in Australia.

art729-MCG-boxing-day-620x349Following Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948 and the introduction of the Sinhala Only Act (Official Language Act No.33 of 1956), which mandated Sinhalese as the only official language replacing English, many Tamils and Burghers (of mixed European descent) felt disenfranchised. This resulted in significant numbers migrating to other countries including Australia. During the 1960s, Burghers comprised the largest proportion of Sri Lankan migrants to Australia.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s following the easing of Australia’s migration policies, Asian migrants, including Sri Lankan, were admitted to Australia. Sri Lankan migrants at this time included Tamils, Sinhalese, as well as Burghers. Continue reading →

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