President Ranil Wickremesinghe invites King Charles III to visit Sri Lanka during the presentation of credentials by High Commissioner Rohitha Bogollagama at Buckingham Palace: The invitation included warm felicitations and highlighted Sri Lanka’s role in the Commonwealth: A special gift of James Taylor Premium Ceylon Tea was presented: The ceremony was attended by Sir Philip Barton from the FCDO: Later, a pirith chanting ceremony and a Vin D’Honneur were held at the Sri Lanka House in the UK, with High Commissioner Bogollagama expressing gratitude for UK’s support and emphasising the importance of bilateral relations: Bogollagama, a former Member of Parliament, is the first Sri Lankan envoy to present credentials to King Charles III.
MP Thilak Rajapakshe from SLPP joins SJB: Rajapakshe is physician with military background and Viyathmaga member: Also, former SLFP Medawachchiya Constituency Organiser Tissa Karalliyadde switches to SJB, a seasoned politician and former Cabinet Minister, now co-organiser of SJB’s Medawachchiya Constituency.
The Colombo District Court extends the interim order preventing Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe from serving as SLFP Chairman: The decision was made during today’s session, with a follow-up scheduled for July 13 to allow time for objections: The injunction stays in force until the hearing date.
Defence State Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennnakoon says the toll of casualties due to adverse weather has reached 12: Additionally, five individuals are reported missing: Moreover, 23,707 people from 2,313 families have sought shelter in relief centres nationwide.
The Education Ministry declares the closure of schools in several districts across the Western, Southern, and Sabaragamuwa provinces for Tuesday (04) due to the current adverse weather conditions: Affected districts include Ratnapura and Kegalle in the Sabaragamuwa Province, Galle and Matara in the Southern Province, and Kalutara in the Western Province: Additionally, all schools within the Homagama Education Zone in the Colombo District will also be closed: However, the Ministry confirms schools outside of these districts will operate as usual on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka Police establishes emergency hotlines to aid those affected by adverse weather: Hotlines include 0112421820 for emergencies, and additional lines: 0112439212, 0112013036, & 0112013039: The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) also offers support through their hotline at 117.
In April, Colombo Port saw slower transshipment growth due to Red Sea disruptions: Transshipment volumes rose by 8.1%, lowest since November, reaching 525,936 TEUs: Overall container throughput grew by 10.2%, hitting 626,926 TEUs driven by rising imports: Import container volumes surged by 22.7%, while export volumes rose by 6.6%: Restowing volumes spiked by 60.9% to 19,957 TEUs: Colombo International Container Terminal handled 268,513 TEUs, up 7.8%: Jaya Container Terminal and East Container Terminal managed 184,286 TEUs, a 3% growth: South Asia Gateway Terminal processed 174,130 TEUs, up 23.5%: April saw 312 vessel calls at Colombo Port compared to 345 last year.
Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe says the IMF’s Executive Board meeting on June 12 will review Sri Lanka’s Article IV Consultation and second EFF review: adds the session will evaluate economic policies and reforms: Sri Lanka seeks support for a successful review to unlock the third tranche, aiming to enhance economic stability and growth: Julie Kozack, IMF Communications Director, mentioned a staff-level agreement on economic policies, indicating progress towards completing the review: Approval by IMF Management could grant Sri Lanka access to approximately US$337 million in financing.
A new loan relief package worth Rs 5 bn will assist Sri Lanka’s MSMEs affected by the pandemic and economic downturn: Managed by the finance and industries ministries, the scheme will offer Rs 5 mn to 1000 MSMEs at a concessional interest rate of 7%, regardless of CRIB blacklist status: Loans can be repaid over five years, with a grace period of six months, and require personal guarantees for amounts up to Rs 200,000: Larger loans necessitate property collateral: Implemented through ten banks, the scheme also offers loans up to Rs 15 mn for investment, with a ten-year repayment period: An additional Rs 3 bn scheme, supported by the ADB, will complement the 2024 budgetary support: Measures to upgrade the Sri Lanka Savings Bank and enhance digital literacy aim to strengthen MSMEs, which contribute significantly to the country’s economy.
Breeda Jayasuriya, mother of Sri Lankan Cricket star Sanath Jayasuriya, has passed away aged 80 in Matara: Sanath, in the USA as a consultant coach, will return home upon hearing the news: Sri Lanka Cricket affirmed his return to support the family: The funeral is set for Wednesday in Matara: Breeda was celebrated for her steadfast support of her son’s cricket journey.
June 03, Colombo (LNW): The Ministry of Education has announced the closure of schools in several districts across the Western, Southern, and Sabaragamuwa provinces on Tuesday (04) due to the prevailing disaster situation.
As per the directive, the following districts and one education zone will suspend classes tomorrow:
Sabaragamuwa Province:
Ratnapura District: All schools
Kegalle District: All schools
Southern Province:
Galle District: All schools
Matara District: All schools
Western Province:
Kalutara District: All schools
Colombo District: All schools within the Homagama Education Zone
Additionally, the Ministry of Education has underscored that schools operating outside the aforementioned areas will continue with their regular schedule on Tuesday (04).
June 03, Colombo (LNW): The interim order barring Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe from serving as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has been further extended by the Colombo District Court.
The decision was made during today’s (03) session, presided over by Colombo District Judge Sandun Withana, who subsequently referred the matter to Colombo Additional District Judge Chamari Weerasuriya.
During the proceedings, Attorney-at-Law Jayamuditha Jayasooriya, representing the respondents, requested additional time to file objections pertaining to the case.
As a result, the court has scheduled a follow-up session on July 13 to accommodate the submission of relevant objections.
The interim injunction will remain in force until the scheduled hearing date.
June 03, Colombo (LNW): The toll of casualties resulting from the ongoing adverse weather conditions across the island has risen to 12 as of today (03), Defence State Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon confirmed.
Moreover, Tennakoon stated that five individuals remain unaccounted for due to multiple incidents triggered by the extreme weather, encompassing floods and mudslides.
In addition to the fatalities and missing persons, the State Minister disclosed that 23,707 individuals from 2,313 affected families have sought refuge in relief centres established nationwide.
June 03, Colombo (LNW): Former Minister Tissa Karalliyadde, previously serving as the Medawachchiya Constituency Organiser of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), has announced his affiliation with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
Karalliyadde, a seasoned politician, previously held the position of Sri Lanka’s Cabinet Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs.
He also represented the Anuradhapura District as a Member of Parliament.
Alongside his political career, Karalliyadde is professionally recognised as an Agriculturist.
In light of his new alliance, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has appointed Karalliyadde as the co-organiser of SJB’s Medawachchiya Constituency.
June 03, Colombo (LNW): Breeda Jayasuriya, the mother of the renowned Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya, has passed away at the age of 80.
Her demise was declared in a private hospital in Matara, her hometown.
Sanath Jayasuriya, who was accompanying the Sri Lankan cricket team in the USA as a consultant coach, will promptly return to Sri Lanka upon receiving the news.
Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed his return to provide support to his family during this challenging period.
The funeral is scheduled to take place on Wednesday in Matara.
Breeda Jayasuriya was widely acknowledged for her unwavering support towards her son’s distinguished cricket career, which propelled him to international acclaim.
June 03, Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lanka Police have implemented multiple emergency hotlines to provide aid to those affected by the prevailing adverse weather conditions.
To ensure prompt assistance, the Police have set up a dedicated Special Operations Room, reachable via the following emergency hotlines:
June 03, Colombo (LNW): The Welipenna interchange on the Southern Expressway, previously shuttered due to inundation, has been reinstated for traffic, confirmed the Expressway Operation Maintenance and Management Division of the Road Development Authority (RDA).
Following adverse weather conditions leading to floods, the closure of this crucial interchange disrupted transport flow.
However, efforts by RDA personnel have ensured its prompt reopening, allowing for the resumption of smooth vehicular movement along this vital expressway route.
This development comes as a relief to commuters and businesses reliant on the Southern Expressway for efficient connectivity.
June 03, Colombo (LNW): The Colombo Port in April experienced a deceleration in its transshipment volume growth, shifting to single-digit figures after four consecutive months of double-digit expansion, a report by Daily Mirror disclosed.
This slowdown was influenced by disruptions in the Red Sea attributed to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
During the month, transshipment volumes at the port increased by 8.1 per cent year-on-year (YoY), amounting to 525,936 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). This marks the lowest growth rate observed since November of the previous year.
However, the overall container throughput at the Port of Colombo saw a 10.2 per cent YoY growth, reaching 626,926 TEUs, primarily driven by escalating imports.
Import container (laden) volumes surged by 22.7 per cent YoY to 36,457 TEUs in April, while export container (laden) volumes also experienced a rise of 6.6 per cent YoY, totaling 21,816 TEUs.
Conversely, restowing volumes at the port recorded a substantial increase of 60.9 per cent YoY, reaching 19,957 TEUs during the month.
The Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), the port’s sole fully operational deep container terminal, managed to handle 268,513 TEUs throughout the year, marking a 7.8 per cent increase from the previous year.
Meanwhile, the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) managed by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, along with its partially operational East Container Terminal (ECT), jointly handled 184,286 TEUs in April, reflecting a 3 per cent YoY growth.
Furthermore, container volumes processed by the South Asia Gateway Terminal (SAGT) notably increased by 23.5 per cent YoY, reaching 174,130 TEUs during the month.
April witnessed 312 vessel calls at the Port of Colombo, a decrease from the 345 vessels reported in the corresponding period of the previous year.
These calls included 276 container cargo ships, five conventional vessels, and 16 other cargo ships.
“To know your future, you must know your past. – George Santayana”
June 1st evokes the scar of the Burning of Jaffna Public Library in 1981, the irreplaceable asset of Tamil people. This calculated arsenic destruction was one of the major cultural genocides against Tamil people masterminded by Sri Lankan state to destroy historic evidence of Tamil peoples’ rare books and manuscripts that are not available elsewhere.
BTF’S INITIATIVE WITH THE ADVANT OF SRI LANKA ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT (SLAP)
With the advent of SLAP based on HRC 46/1 and HRC 52/1 of the UNHRC Resolutions achieved by the BTF’s relentless efforts in UNHRC Geneva, the Evidence Collection for SLAP is not limited to the last phase of the war, but is extended even up to the year 1948, when Sri Lanka became independent. This implies that the collection of evidence on “Burning of the Jaffna Public Library” plays an important element among much other crucial evidence. BTF has already submitted documentation with credible evidence in this regard.
BACKGROUND
The Jaffna Public Library was the pride of invaluable asset of Tamil people, not only for those who lived in Jaffna peninsula, but also for academics and research-scholars from all around the world. With a modest beginning in 1933, it grew to become a repository of significant Tamil palm leaf manuscripts, original copies of regionally important historic documents in the contested political history of Sri Lanka and newspapers that were published hundreds of years ago in the Jaffna peninsula. It thus became a place of historic and symbolic importance to the Tamil people.
On 01 June 1981, Jaffna Public Library was reduced to ash by the premeditated willful and malicious act of then Sri Lankan government with the presence of two cabinet ministers Gamini Dissanayake and Cyril Matthew were stationed in Jaffna to oversee the election process and campaign. They abetted the police forces and thugs especially brought from south and housed in Duraiappa Stadium under the guise of election duty of the District Council election on June 04th. Duraiappa Stadium is situated right across a road of Jaffna Public Library is and was adjacent to the location of Jaffna Police Station; all were in the same bordering vicinity separated by a road; at that time.
At around 10pm on 01 June 1981, Jaffna’s then Municipal Commissioner Mr. C V K Sivagnanam received a call from Mrs Yogendra Duraisamy, the wife of then Government Agent of Jaffna District and their house was within the vicinity of the library, telling him that there were smoke and fire coming around the library and asked him to check up. When he contacted his staff over the phone, and they told him that the library has been set on fire.
Please find former Municipal Commissioner Mr C V K Sivagnanam’s testimony as video statement (https://youtu.be/jzQ_6Wt0wew)
For Tamils, the devastated library became a symbol of cultural genocide. The attack was seen as an assault on their aspirations, the value of learning and traditions of academic achievement.
Thereafter, a committee was appointed by the President J R Jayawardena, and one-man committee was headed by Kingly Wickramasooriya, who was the DIG, came to Jaffna and collected evidence from several high-ranking officials and witnesses in Jaffna, including then Jaffna Municipal Commissioner Mr. C V K Sivagnanam, who was threatened to be shot by the police by a road barricade, when Mr. Sivagnanam was rushing in his car after receiving a phone call about Jaffna Library was on fire. Mr. Sivagnanam had seen the burning library and the policemen in the library area from the location where he was stopped by the police.
Despite of appointing a committee by the government at that time and up to now no action have been taken by any successive Sri Lankan government came to power thereafter, to grant justice to the heinous crime committed by the perpetrators by burning the cultural treasure of Tamil people.
This shows the clear evidence of Tamil genocidal intent of the Sri Lankan state’s policy that it hitherto continues.
TAMIL PEOPLE RIGORUSLY ENDEAVOURED TO RETAIN THE RUINED LIBRARY AS A MEMORIAL OF STRUCTURAL GENOCIDE OF TAMIL PEOPLES’ INVALUABLE INHERITANCE AND TO BUILD ANOTHER IDENTICAL ONE NEARBY
Nonetheless, their endeavor was shattered when subsequent Sri Lankan governments tacitly planned and refurbished the ruined Jaffna Library building with the motive of eradicating all evidence of their genocidal act. Despite the fascia of the library is restored, the acrimony of destroying irrecoverable invaluable manuscripts, original copies of historic documents and newspapers will continue to traumatise Tamil people as long as they live.
Tamil peoples’ will to retain and preserve the charred building as a living memory of structural genocide; a part of the atrocity crimes being continuously inflicted on them, has also been deliberately denied.
During one of the truce negotiations between Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government and the LTTE in 1994 – 95, the government of Sri Lanka purposely brought the issue of the Jaffna Public Library and a compromise was reached between the negotiating parties for a new library to be built next to the old one. Subsequently, an architectural design for the new library was submitted by the LTTE representatives to the government negotiators.
Nevertheless, contrary to such a negotiated compromise to retain the burnt library building, President Chandrika Kumaratunga, after militarily occupying the Jaffna district in 1996, undertook to repair & refurbish the old library building, deliberately to erase the scars of the burnt library.
This has been the hallmark of the Sri Lankan state’s structural genocide with the notion of eliminating Tamil people and their historical invaluable records form Sri Lanka’s history. Its enduring psychological scar will continue to traumatise Tamil people as long as they live.
SET FORWARD
· Establishing justice for the loss and suffering that we, Tamil People, hitherto incurred is depending on the outcome of the SLAP report and forthcoming UNHRC Resolutions for taking the perpetrators to an international criminal justice mechanism.
· Founding a permanent political solution for Tamil people with the arbitration of countries like India, the USA, the EU and the UK recognizing the legitimate aspirations of Tamils to live in peace and harmony by precluding the reoccurrence of cycles of violence and genocide inflicted on Tamil people to date.
