Sri Lanka News

Yoshitha Birthday

2011-06-16T11:39:00.001-07:00

fhdaIs;f.a Wmka oskh
ckm;s mq;a fhdaIs; rdcmlaIf.a Wmkaoskh miq.sh cqks 12 fjks bßodg fhoS ;snqKd' tosk fhdaIs;f.a kdhl;ajfhka kdúl yuqod r.aì ms< .=jka yuqod lKavdhu iu. je,siroS r.aì ;r.hlao mj;ajkakg fhÿK w;r thska fhdaIs;f.a ms< ch.;a;d'
msáfha ;enQ fïihloS fhdaIs; ;u Wmkaosk flala lemQ w;r tu wjia:djg ckm;s yd wd¾hdjo iyNd.S jqKd'
fuosk ish Wmka oskh ksñ;af;ka ßcafõ wd¾hd frday,g wvqjlaj mej;s tï wd¾ whs ialek¾ hka;%hlao fhdaIs; w;ska mß;Hd. flreKd'ñ,shk 200 muK jákdlñka hq;a tu mß;Hd.hg tkatiaî fi,dka hk nexl= yd íÆ-fõ Ismska iud.u wkq.%yh olajd ;snqKd'

Army Beat Ratnams

2008-12-16T04:52:00.000-08:00

Army beat ratnams 2 goals to 1 to win Dialog Rremier League soccer tournament after 23 years

Ada Derana
12/16/2008

The million dollar question!

2008-10-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo Pix: Kavindra Perera

Financial swindles sent shock waves through the society even in the past and may be continuing in the future as well. What has gone wrong? Is the question on which two expert economists express their views.

* People go for easy money and lose at the end

* Formal banking system still far away from people

* It is unfair to blame the CB alone for the mess

* Best remedy: Keeping the public well-informed

The recent financial scam caused a shock wave in the society. How do you see the situation?

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

After this shock wave the Central Bank identified six other organizations and told them to register through the proper channels under the financial regulators. Central Bank is the country's financial regulator and it is fair by them to direct these so called 'banks' to register as Central Bank-regulated companies. If they come then they will be Central Bank regulated financial companies; otherwise people's deposits will be with illegal organizations and the Central Bank will have to take action against such organizations. If these organization do not get registered then the Central Bank cannot protect the public from such frauds and also cannot be held responsible.

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo

This situation is not very surprising. This had been there in the society at different times. May be this time it is a bit of a large scale. It got a huge publicity from the media and the person involved was a well-known figure who had received much popularity again through the media. That was a main cause in attracting such a lot of money as people did tend to trust him simply because he is a popular figure! This informal money market existed in the country as well as the informal methods of earning money. Though we have a high literacy rate still the knowledge about the banking sector is very low among the people. Still people trust these informal financial institutions some of them were just individuals only!

How were the people taken for a ride by the culprit?

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

It is very easy. There is even the simplest form of deposits called 'seettu' among a group of people. Those are not of great interest. If an organization, tagged as a 'bank', come forward to offer 7% interest a month, where we, the commercial banks find greatly difficult to offer, then people tend to go for those. Since these will run for a couple of years people think this is prim and proper until some major disaster takes place. Then it is too late. Some people when they have a lump sum which they can not declare - may be since those must have been earned improperly, tend to invest in such organizations. People think that if they can get along for 15 months with a 7% interest per month they recover their capital. In a way it is correct.Anything else is considered as a bonus. Then people are happy. Even if the Company gets busted people are satisfied since they can recover their capital in and around fifteen months. It is a massive profit. I strongly believe these criminals' modus operendi is to silence the law enforcement and "strong" people of the society by giving them the impression that their system is highly profitable and make them enjoy the benefits as well. It works because, they have satisfied a group that would cause problems to them in their professional level. Then they can with less trouble handle the small man! At the end of the day the small man gets hammered as he is at the bottom of the heap.

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo

In this case it was an organized racked of an individual. It is unbelievable how these people promise such high interest rates. I am personally attached to Boards of two merchant banks and I find funding is the main problem the bankers' have to face. This person has given the impression that he was investing the money in the construction industry. But at present the construction industry is a bit slowed down. But the education and health sectors have become very promising fields. So these were used as coverups for him to gain people's trust. Even educated people as well as some senior police officers were alleged to be involved in the scandal. This Sakvithi Ranasinghe put up International Schools, construction companies etc. Central Bank failed to publish notices warning the public on these unauthorized organizations.

What are the conditions favourable to such people engaged in fraudulent activities?

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

Since some people prefer these types of fraud banks, for short term benefits, the information coming from people is at a very low level.People tend to believe in the trust they can have on these people. If their relatives, friends say that there is no problem in investing in these institutions then people don't care for what the Central Bank says. These fraudulent businessmen tend to disappear when they fail to fulfil what they have promised. The Million dollar question is as to how they are paying this much of high interest to the people. If found then we, the commercial banks can flourish! Depending on the individuals and their way of earning at times they may fear of being monitored. Such people go for these fraud banks. They think finding more easy money through the easy money they own.

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo

Still I find there is a considerable gap existing between banks and people.The entire financial mechanism itself abuses the general public. When these people see a small loophole they are smart enough to creep through it. This person noticed it and started abusing it. He did it with the assistance from officials in those relevant authorities, famous people, intellectuals etc. We still have this fault when there is no friendly system for investments specially for people who get a lump sum through foreign employment, businesses. People with businesses they end up with a large fortune.Today though the banking system has become much simpler it remains still rigid. People must be enlightened on financial institutions where secure investments can be made with a comfortable interest. These failures weaken investments in reliable business ventures.

Do you think law enforcement mechanisms are strong enough to protect the people?

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

Personally my answer is yes and no. I have experienced in other parts of the country. These people gain a very trustworthy position in the society and start their businesses. They change their areas of operation from time to time. In most of the towns in Sri Lanka have these types of fraud organizations. Our President himself is the Finance Minister. The Central Bank has immense authority over country's finance's and no one can play with it. But the problem is there are thousands of such people running fraud investment organizations around the country. The other factor is their fluidity in action. They are using the term 'Bank'. At times I have seen, particularly in certain villages, people tend to protect these people because of the faith they have in them.

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo

We have a very good law enforcement system but when it comes to practice it is found to be rather weak. I think the financial authorities are aware that weakness are existing. If we take Sakwithi Ranasinghe's case he was running the business in the heart of the City. As I see, the Central Bank got interested in the issue only at a later stage. Another example can be the Okanda Finance. They were also running business in broad daylight.

Is there possibility of paying compensation to the victims?

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

When everything is running smoothly people are satisfied and silent.But the moment things go wrong they want the Central Bank to come and rescue them. This is unfair. I do not know whether the Government has the capacity to do anything. When sometime back one person in a commercial bank created somewhat similar issue the Government had a responsibility to protect the investors. But in these cases many of the investors don't even give their real names.

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo

Now there is a case at High Court filed by a depositor against the Central Bank alleging that his rights were violated as a result of not being properly informed. Yet, people willingly invested money and they also received a certificate which has no validity! There is no other way of settling these matters than taking recourse to law!.

The culprit is still at large. How best can we get the international support to track him down?

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

These people are master blasters! They know how to play with the law and how to charm people. The Police have the capacity to inform the Interpol and get their assistance. And the pacts and agreements between the countries will be in favour as well.

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo

Sometime back there was the famous private commercial Bank Case where the big man who ran the institute, a well-known senior banker, suddenly vanished after the detection of his malpractices and until today the law enforcement authorities couldn't trace him. With the modern technology people have the possibility of changing their physical appearance etc. - and they can spend a lot since they have the money. These culprits will certainly disappear. Unless the authorities put more effort in tracing their whereabouts these offenders will easily vanish into thin air.

Are you happy with the measures taken so far to track down the culprit?I know

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

what I read in the press. The man is not yet traced. So still there is lot of room left in the investigations. It has to go on further.

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo

We see it is happening but rather slow. But, on top of these I feel very sorry for those ordinary people getting hammered because of these criminals. There are disabled people as well and some have taken loans from banks having mortgaged their property. The fates of many of these people are pathetic.

Are such situations unique to only developing countries? How would you compare them with developed countries?

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

In developed countries people are more suspicious about most of these "quick returns". But even in Colombo and outstations like Katharagama unofficial money exchanges take place. In USA with the mafia the same thing can happen.

But as I see in a country like ours people with a high literacy rate should be able to understand these trends and keep out of trouble.

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo

In developing countries, yes there is the possibility. But in developed countries the chances are almost at zero level. The reason is the developing world has a huge informal sector in the society. But in the developed world it is not so. In the developed world every citizen is counted. They have a social security number and tax file. Our systems are not as developed as those of developed countries. We have to have a system where every citizen is counted and registered. Though it seems to be rather radical we must take appropriate actions to safeguard the community interest.

What advice can you give to the people when investing their hard earned money?

Gamini Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Bank of Ceylon

I think all these investors who were with these financial institutions knew what they were really doing. Banks are all over the country and people know all about the interest rates etc. So suddenly if some one emerges and states that he can pay a higher interest rate they must first think over how he is going to do so! The stability of the institution matters very much.

People go for easy money and they lose at the end of the day. One has to think twice before one invests one's hard-earned money. Invest money with a solid institution. If people are knowledgeable enough they can contact the Central Bank and get the information particularly on these newly established institutions. Central Bank has all the information ready with them to help the investors.

Dr. Ranjith Bandara - Senior Economist/Lecturer, University of Colombo

The responsibility lies more with the financial authorities and regulators. If you go to those predominantly agricultural areas one can see dozens of such institutes operating. Our system has failed to reach ordinary people at the grass roots level. The formal banking system is still far from people. Hence, there is room for these unauthorized money lenders and investors to make easy money. On the other hand, people must also realize that they should invest their money, their fortune at safe recognized institutions. This also must be a part of the school curricula. Therefore even the education authorities must take the responsibility of educating the society on investments. People must be aware and familiar with the financial system in the country. We must first see whether these organizations have legitimacy to attract money and carry out transactions. The banking sector must, at least now, pass the message across to the people to deposit their hard-earned money in secure investments. Keeping the general public informed, can be one of the effective remedies. Even in this high literate society still there are possibilities for unscrupulous elements to cheat people.

Hindus all over the world celebrate Deepavali tomorrow:

2008-10-30T05:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 26 October 2008

A colourful festival that is celebrated by all Hindus worldwide is Deepavali, which is also known as the festival of lights. This festival usually falls around late October and November. One important practice that the Hindus follow during the festival is to light oil lamps in their homes on Deepavali morning. By lighting the oil lamps, the Hindus are thanking the gods for the happiness, knowledge, peace and wealth that they have received. The Hindus consider Deepavali as one of the most important festivals to celebrate.

The Legend

There is even an interesting legend behind this festival. The story goes that Narakasura, a demon, ruled the kingdom of Pradyoshapuram. Under his rule, the villagers suffered a lot of hardships as the demon tortured the people and kidnapped the women to be imprisoned in his palace. Seeing his wickedness, Lord Khrishna set out to destroy the demon and the day Narakasura died was celebrated as Deepavali, the triumph of good over evil!

Preparations

Preparation for Deepavali starts usually at least two to three weeks before the festival. It is known that the Hindus will be busy cleaning their houses to prepare for the festival. Some would even renovate their houses to prepare it for Deepavali. Usually the family will shop for new clothes and for accessories to decorate their homes. Prior to the festival, shops will be selling festive items like Deepavali greeting cards, carpets, Punjabi suits and flowers. The Hindus will frequent these shops when they are shopping for Deepavali.

Celebrations

The Hindus usually wake up early in the morning of Deepavali around 3 a.m. and the first ritual will be having an oil bath, which is an important feature of Deepavali. Hindus will be dressed in their new clothes on Deepavali.

Food

Visiting Hindus during Deepavali will be an interesting activity, as you will get to taste a wide variety of delicious food. In every home that you visit you are bound to be served with a tempting spread of sweets. Some of the popular sweets are Halwa, Burfi and Laddu. Hindus love eating spicy food and for non-vegetarians they indulge in favourites like chicken Tandoori, prawn Sambal and fish head curry. For vegetarians popular dishes like Thosais, Idlis and Naans are prepared at home.

President to meet political parties on national problem

2008-10-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 26 October 2008

by Shanika SRIYANANDA

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had a special discussion with the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, has decided to discuss the war situation and the brewing issues in India with the other political parties in the Opposition to arrive at a common understanding to resolve the national problem.

According to sources, the President will invite the JVP and Tamil National Alliance and other political parties soon for discussions.

During the hour-long discussion at Temple Trees with the Opposition Leader, President Rajapaksa briefed Wickremesinghe on the urgent current developments in the battlefronts and humanitarian assistance the Government offers those who flee to the liberated areas and also those who are still trapped in the LTTE held areas.

The President had informed the Opposition Leader that the Government’s stance was to find a political solution to solve the country’s political problem and military problem militarily.

President Rajapaksa also informed the Opposition Leader about the views exchanged during the telephone conversation with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, last week.

The Opposition Leader who pledged the UNP’s support to resolve the national problem had outlined the who party stance - the need for a political solution within an united country while having military offensives to crush terrorism.

At this meeting, where the Leader of the House and Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and the Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena also participated, the President had welcomed the support of the UNP in solving the national issue.

The JVP, which declined to meet President Rajapaksa yesterday said that the party would accept the invitation if there was a sincere effort by the Government to discuss the country’s political situation. “We do not want to take part in political glamour events. If there is a genuine interest by the Government, the JVP is ready to take part in discussions on war and the present situation in Tamil Nadu”, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said.

When contacted TNA MP Suresh Premachandra declined to comment.

Meanwhile, with the political drama in Tamil Nadu, where politicians are competing to voice for the LTTE, is getting serious, Senior Presidential Advisor and MP Basil Rajapaksa is to fly to New Delhi to commence talks with a high level Indian delegation including External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukerjee.

වැලිපත අතුල නන්දනාරාමය

2008-10-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

චෛත්‍ය රාජයාණන් වහන්සේ

ගල් කැටයමින් නිම වූ ඉපැරැණි ඝණ්ඨාර කුළුණ.

නිම වෙමින් පවතින අසූ මහා ශ්‍රාවක ප්‍රතිමා වහන්සේ

බෝධීන් වහන්සේ සහ බෝ මළුව

පැරැණි බුද්ධ මන්දිරය

සටහන සහ සේයා රූ, යූ.ජී. ජයන්ත කල්යානන්ද - පෝද්දල සමූහ

ගාල්ල වැලිපත අතුල නන්දනාරාම විහාරස්ථානය වසර සිය ගණනක් පැරැණි ය. එහි ඇති ගල්කැටයමින් නිමවන ලද පැරැණි ඝණ්ඨාර කුළුණ අතුල නන්දනාරාමයේ පෞරාණික බව සනාථ කරන මහඟු සිහිවටනයකි.

රමණීය කඳු ගැටයක පිහිටා ඇති මෙම විහාරස්ථානයේ දර්ශනීය බෝ මලුව සහිත බෝධීන් වහන්සේ පැරැණි බුද්ධ මන්දිරය සහ චෛත්‍යරාජයාණන් වහන්සේ දුටුවන් නෙත් සිත් සනසාලයි. වර්තමානයේ මෙම විහාරස්ථානය වඩාත් ප්‍රචලිතව ඇත්තේ එහි තැනෙන අසූ මහා ශ්‍රාවක විහාර මන්දිරය නිසා ය.

මෙම විහාරස්ථානයෙහි වත්මන් විහාරාධිපති ගාල්ල ඕල්සෙන්ට්ස් විද්‍යාලයේ ආචාර්ය ශාස්ත්‍රපති කපුහෙම්පල අනුරවංශ හිමිපාණන්ගේ ධෛර්ය සම්පන්න කැපවීම නිසාම රු. ලක්‍ෂ 50 ට අධික මුදලක් වැය කොට තැනෙන අසූ මහා ශ්‍රාවක විහාරය වැඩ නිම වීමට ආසන්න ය.

අනුරවංශ හිමියෝ ගුරුවෘත්තියෙන් සහ දේශීය වෛද්‍යවරයකු වශයෙන් කටයුතු කිරීමෙන් ලබන මුදල් විහාරස්ථානයේ ප්‍රගතිය වෙනුවෙන් වැය කරති. මෙහි තැනෙන අසූ මහා ශ්‍රාවක ප්‍රතිමා අනුරවංශ හිමියන්ගේ විශ්වවිද්‍යාල සමකාලීන මිතුරන් දෙදෙනකු වන ආචාර්ය කේ. සුමිත්‍රපාල මහතා සහ පාඨශාලාචාර්ය තිලක් ගමගේ යන නිර්මාණ ශිල්පීන්ගේ නිර්මාණයන් ය. මෙහිදී ප්‍රතිමා වහන්සේලාට අමතර ඇළ, දොළ, වැව්, පොකුණු තුරු ලතාවන්ගෙන් යුත් දර්ශනීය පසුතල නිර්මාණයද මෙම ශිල්පීන් විසින් සිදු කෙරෙනු ඇත.

විශේෂයෙන් මෙහි නිර්මාණය වෙමින් පවතින අසූමහා ශ්‍රාවක පිළිම වහන්සේලා නිසා හෙට දිනයේ දී අතුල නන්දරාමය දක්‍ෂිණ ලංකාවේ පමණක් නොව ශ්‍රී ලංකාදීපය පුරාම වඩාත් ප්‍රචලිත විහාරස්ථානයක් බවට පත්වීම නොඅනුමානය.

සසර දුක දුරු කරන ලොව උතුම් තුන් සරණ

2008-10-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

වර්ෂ 2008 ක් වූ ඔක්තෝබර් 28 වන දා අඟහරුවාදා

මහනුවර අස්ගිරි විජයසුන්දරාරාමයේ ශාස්ත්‍රවේදී, පණ්ඩිත
අමුණුපුර පියරතන හිමි

නමෝ තස්ස භගවතෝ අරහතෝ
සම්මා සම්බුද්ධස්ස
යේ කේචි බුද්ධං සරණං ගතාසේ
නතේ ගමිස්සන්ති අපායං
පහාය මානුසං දේහං
දේවකාය පරිපූරෙස්සන්ති

පින්වත්ති

සනරාමර ලෝක සිවංකර අප සම්මා සම්බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේ එක් සමයෙක්හි පන්සියයක් මහරහතන් වහන්සේ පිරිවරකොට කපිල වස්තු නුවර මහාවනයෙහි වැඩවසන සේක. එසමයෙහි දස දහසක් ලෝකධාතූ®න්හි දෙවි දේවතාවෝ බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේ ප්‍රධාන ආරියශ්‍රාවකයන් දැකීමට පැමිණියාහුය. එසේ පැමිණි එක් දේවතාවෙක් මෙම ගාථාවෙන් බුදුන් සරණ යාමේ ආනිශංස ප්‍රකාශ කළේය.

යම් කෙනෙක් බුදුන් සරණ ගියාහුද ඔවුහු අපායට නොයන්නා හ. ඒ බුදු සරණ ගියෝ මනුකය හැර දේව කාය සම්පූර්ණ කරන්නාහුය.

කල්ප ගණන් තිස්සේ බුද්ධ යන වචනය පවා අසන්නට නොමැතිව තිබියදී කාලාන්තරයකින් මනුලොව පහළවන ලොවුතුරා බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේ නිසා බුද්ධ, ධම්ම, සංඝයන රතනත්‍රය ප්‍රකට වීමෙන් මනුලොව පමණක් නොව දසදහසක් සක්වල එකම මංගල සම්මත සලකුණුවලින්, සිද්ධීන්ගෙන් ආශ්චර්යවත් ප්‍රාතිහාර්ය වලින් සියලු සත්වයන්ගේ සන්තාන ප්‍රසන්න වන්නාහ. සාධුනාදයෙන් ස්තුති පූජාවෙන් තුටු පහටු වන්නාහ. එවන් උතුම් බුදුන් දහම් සඟුන් සරණ යාමෙන් ලැබෙන ප්‍රතිවිපාක අනන්ත වන්නේ ය.

අප බෞද්ධයන් වශයෙන් සෙසු ආගමිකයන් ඉදිරියේ අනන්‍යතාවයෙන් සිටීමට හේතු වන්නේ අවංක චේතනාවෙන් ශ්‍රද්ධාකුසල චෛතසිකයෙන් තෙරුවන් සරණ යාමයි. එබැවින් ඒ පිළිබඳව ශාස්ත්‍රීය හා ධර්මානුගත අවබෝධයක් විද්‍යාමාන විය යුතු ය.

සරණ, සරණාගමන, සරණාගත, සරණාගමන ප්‍රභේද, සරණාගමනඵල, සංකිලේශ යන කරුණු හය කෙරෙහි සැලකිලිමත් වන්නේ නම් ඹ්ෂතාන්තය දක්වා වරක් ගත් සරණාගමනය, නොනැසී පවතින්නේ ය.

බුද්ධාදී රතනත්‍රය සරණයාමෙන් භය, ත්‍රාසය, දුක්ඛ, පරිලාහ, හිංසනය භිෂණය නැති වන බැවින් සත්ත්වයන්ගේ එකම සරණ තිසරණයි. එවන් උතුම් තෙරුවන් පළමුව, දෙවනුව හා තෙවනුවත් පිහිට කරගෙන සරණයාම සරණාගමන නම් වන්නේ ය. ඒ සරණ ගමනය ගත් තැනැත්තා සරණාගත නමුදු වන්නේ ය.

සරණාගමන ප්‍රභේද

1. අත්ත සන්නීයාතන 2. තත් පරායණ 3. ශිෂ්‍ය භාවෝපගමන 4. ප්‍රණිපාත අද පටන් මම මගේ් ආත්මය බුදුන්ට බාර කරමි. දහමට සඟනටද බාරකරමි යනුවෙන් බුද්ධාදී රතනත්‍රයට ජීවිත පරිත්‍යාගයෙන් සරණයාම ‘අත්තසන්නීයාතන සරණාගමන’ නම් වේ. එමෙන්ම අද පටන් මම බුද්ධපරායණ ධම්ම පරායණ, සංඝපරායණ වෙමි යනුවෙන් සරණයාම තත්පරායණ සරණාගමන නම් වන්නේ ය. තවද මම මෙතැන් සිට බුදුරදුන් ගේ් ශිෂ්‍යයෙක් වෙමි. ධර්මයේ සංඝයාගේද ශිෂ්‍යවෙමි යනුවෙන් සරණයාම හැඳින්වෙන්නේ ශිෂ්‍ය භාවෝපගමන සරණ යන නමිනි.

බුද්ධාදී රතනත්‍රයට අභිවාදන අංජලිකර්ම සාමීචි කර්මාදියෙහි සතත නියුක්තව සරණායාම පණිපාත සරණාගමනය යි.

බුද්ධාදී තෙරුවන් ගුණ අනන්ත වන්නාසේම වන්දන, මානන, පූජා සත්කාර කිරීමෙන් ලැබෙන විපාකද අනන්ත වන්නේ ම ය.

ඒවං අචින්තියා බුද්ධා බුද්ධ ධම්මා අචින්තියා

අචින්තියේ සු පසන්නානං විපාකෝ හෝති අචින්තියෝ

යනුවෙන් බුද්ධාදි රතනත්‍රය සිහිපත් කිරීම මහත් ආනිශංසදායක වන්නේය. ලෞකික ලෝකෝත්තර වශයෙන් සරණාගමනයේ ප්‍රතිවිපාක විවිධ වේ. එදිනෙදා ජීවිතයේ දුක්කම් කටොලු දුරුවීම, ලෙඩරෝග කායික මානසික සන්තාප දුරුවීම හා දේවමානුෂිකාදී සැප සම්පත් ඇතිවීම ලෞකික ආනිශංස වේ.

ඒතං ඛෝ සරණං ඛේමං ඒතං සරණ මුත්තමං
ඒතං සරණ මාගම්ම සබ්බ දුක්ඛා පමුච්චති

ආදී වශයෙන් බුද්ධා දී තෙරුවන් සරණගොස් චතුරාර්ය සත්‍ය ධර්මය සම්‍යක් ප්‍රඥාවෙන් දැනගන්නට උනන්දු වීම හා දැන ගැනීම ලෝකෝත්තර ආනිශංස වන්නේය.

යෝ ධම්මං පස්සති සෝ මං පස්සති

වශයෙන් අප බුදුරදුන් වදාළ පරිදි බුදුන් සරණ ගොස් අප පියවර තැබිය යුත්තේ ඒ උතුම් නිර්වාණ ධර්මය ප්‍රත්‍යක්‍ෂයෙන් දැන ගැනීමටය. එසේ නොව නාම මාත්‍රයෙන් බෞද්ධකම ගත් පමණින් එමෙන්ම අනවබෝධ අනුකරණයෙන් සරණයාමෙන් ගවයා පිටේ හකුරු පැටෙව්වාක් මෙන් නිසි ඵලයක් නොමැත.

ශ්‍රද්ධාවෙන් තෙරුවන් සරණයාමත් පවිත්‍ර චේතනාවෙන් සීලය ආරක්ෂා කිරීමත්, සිහිබුද්ධියෙන් ධර්මානුධර්ම ප්‍රතිපදාව සම්පූර්ණ කිරීමත් උතුම් නිවන් පසක් කර ගැනීමෙහිලා මහෝපකාරී වේ.

‘යතේ්ඛෝ මහානාම බුද්ධං සරණං ගතෝ හෝති, ධම්මං සරණං ගතෝ හෝති, සංඝ සරණං ගතෝ හෝති, එත්තාවතා ඛෝ මහානාම උපාසකෝ හෝති. යනාදී වශයෙන් අප බුදුරදුන් මහානාම ශාක්‍යයන්ට දේශනා කළ පරිදි යමෙක් බුදුන් දහම් සඟුන් ගුණ දැනගෙන ශ්‍රද්ධාවෙන් සරණ යයිද ඔහුට උපාසක යන ගරුසරු නාමය අර්ථාන්විතව ආරෝපණය වේ. උපාසිකාවද එසේම වන්නේ්ය. යම් ස්ත්‍රියක් තෙරුවන් සරණ යන්නීද ඇය උපාසිකා නම් වන්නීය. ගිහි සැප හැර බුදු සසුනේ පැවිදි බව ලබන ඇය ප්‍රථමයෙන් තෙරුවන් සරණ යා මෙන් උපාසකව යළි දසසිල් සමාදානයෙන් සාමණේර ශීලයද උසස්තම සීලය වශයෙන් සලකන කෝටි සංඛ්‍යාත උපසම්පදා සීලයද ප්‍රඥා වර්ධනයද අවසානයේ චතුරාර්ය සත්‍යාවබෝධය ද යන උදාර ප්‍රතිඵල අනුපිළිවෙළින් ලබන්නේ සරණාගමනය පදනම් කරගෙනය.

ලෞකික සරණාගමනය සංකාවෙන්, මිථ්‍යාදෘෂ්ටියෙන් නොදැනුමෙන් නිතර කිලිටි වන්නේය. එමෙන්ම ආත්මයෙන් ආත්මයට වෙනස් වන්නේ ය.

බුද්ධං ජීවිත පරියන්තං සරණං ගච්ඡාමි
ධම්මං ජීවිත පරියන්තං සරණං ගච්ඡාමි
සංඝං ජීවිත පරියන්තං සරණං ගච්ඡාමි

යනුවෙන් ජීවිතය පුරා තෙරුවන් සරණ යාමත් නිවන් දක්නා තුරු යාව නිබ්බාණංං සරණං ගච්ඡාමි යනාදි නයින් තෙරුවන් සරණ යාමත් තම තමන්ගේ් කැමැත්ත අනුව සිදු කරගන්නට නිදහස ඇත. උපාසක උපාසිකාවන් මහණ මෙහෙණ යන සිව්වණක් පිරිසම ශ්‍රද්ධාවෙන් ප්‍රඥාවෙන් විර්යයෙන් සිහිබුද්ධියෙන් තෙරුවන් සරණ ගොස් සීල, සමාධි, ප්‍රඥා නිතර පුරුදු පුහුණු කළ යුතු වේ.

අතිදීර්ඝ වූ සසර සැරිසරන විට සත්ත්වයාගේ සිතට අරමුණු වන ආගමික, සාමාජික, අදහස් සංකල්පනා අපමණ ය. ඒ කිසිම අරමුණකින් හෝ චින්තාවකින් හෝ ආත්ම විමුක්තියට උපකාරයක් නොවේ. මෙතෙක් සංසාර ගමනේ අවසානයක් නොවූයේ එවන් නිෂ්ප්‍රයෝජන අරමුණු අනුව ක්‍රියා කළ බැවිනි. මෙවන් අනගි අවස්ථාවෙන් ප්‍රයෝජන ගැනීමට නම් අචල ශ්‍රද්ධාවෙන් දිවිහිමි කොට තෙරුවන් සරණ ගොස් අර්ථාන්විත උපාසකව, අප්‍රමාදව වීර්යයෙන් සසර දුක් සදහට නිවාරණය කර ගැනීමට අදිටන් කරගත යුතු වන්නේ ය.

ඔබ සැමට තෙරුවන් සරණයි!

Tiger planes missed targets-Minister Senaviratna

2008-10-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Minister of Power and Energy says that the Tamil Tigers have not been able to accomplish their objectives.

Minister of Power and Energy John Senaviratna met journalist at the Kelanitissa Power Plant in Colombo which was subjected to ariel bombing blamed on the Tamil Tigers on Tuesday night.

The minister said that the damage had been confined to two power generators and the two Tiger planes had to flee without accomplishing their objectives.

“The attack will not interrupt powers supplies” said Minister John Senaviratna.

The minister said that security precautions had been taken as the power station had been classified as a key strategic point.

“The power station had a contingent of about two thousand Army personal and anti aircraft guns were in place"said Minister Senaviratna.

Major General Ranjith Soysa Defence consultant at the power plant said that as a result of anti air craft guns opening fire at the planes the Tiger planes could not get close to their targets.

Shock

A trade unionist on duty said that all the staff joined in with the fire brigade in extinguishing the fire and within a hour the fire was put off.

S.A Ananda, Assistant Secretary of the technical staff union said that he was on duty when the attack took place.

“A bomb fell on to a generator close to where I was on duty and I immediately switched off the power supply” said Ananda.

He said that three cooling fans have been damaged in the generator close to him and a second generator in another section of the power plant had also been damaged.

Ananda said that a colleague at the power plant who lost consciousness due to shock died after being admitted to the hospital.

Troops capture Tigers’ top defence lines

2008-10-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Jeyapuram, Akkrayankulam tank bund, 12 km defences fall to Army:

Ranil WIJAYAPALA

Nachchikuda: The 58 Division troops operating in the western edge of the Kilinochchi district yesterday kept the momentum of their speedy advance into Tiger held territory completely capturing the Jeyapuram village the last village in the Western part of Kilinochchi district and the 12 km long LTTE defence line south of Nachchikuda.

Troops of the 57 Division also made a major breakthrough yesterday capturing a 1.5 Km long heavily fortified Akkrayankulam tank bund further clearing their path towards Akkarayan village and Kilinochchi, Military sources said.

“With the capture of the Nachchikuda LTTE defence line and the Akkarayankulam tank bund the troops of the 57 Division and 58 division are now in full control of the LTTE defence line from Nachchikuda on the A-32 road to A-9 road in the South of Kilinochchi and in strong position to further advance into the LTTE held areas,” a senior Army official told the Daily News.

“They are now dominating the nearly 30 Km long LTTE defence line whilst 58 Division has advanced more than seven Kilometers from this earth bund”, the official added.

The troops of the 58 Division under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva captured the entire Jeyapuram village located in the west of Mannar Pooneryn A-32 road in the north east of Nachchikuda by 1 p.m yesterday dealing a severe blow on the LTTE cadres operating there and making a dent in LTTE operations in Nachchikuda.

“With these advances, Nachchikuda has been totally surrounded by the troops and is poised to fall under the control of the troops soon,” the official added.

The LTTE strongly held Jeyapuram village located in the North East of Nachchikuda and West of Pandiveddikulam fearing that troops will cut off the A-32 road from the North of Nachchikuda after capturing Jeyapuram village. However, troops were able to isolate this village advancing further northward from the West of Jeyapuram and later hitting the A-32 road from the north of Jeyapuram.

“Troops captured this strategically important village with zero casualties marking a major milestone in their achievements,” Military sources added.

According to military sources troops are also poised to capture Nachchikuda the last fishing village held by the LTTE on the Western coast with the troops continuing pressure on the LTTE heading towards the Nachchikuda earth bund. Earlier on Tuesday evening troops cut off supply routes

to Nachchikuda after the capture of a four way junction on the 16th Mile Post on the A-32 in the general area of Pallawarayankaddu. The LTTE lost the ground links between the Nachchikuda and Vallaipadu a major Sea Tiger base in the Western coast with the capture of the four way junction.

The 58 Division which began its advance from Vavuniya- Mannar road under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva advanced up to Mulangavil and faced the challenge of crossing the huge earth bund constructed from Nachchikuda to Akkarayankulam and effectively faced this challenge after capturing the earth bund from Karambakulam area.

“The capture of Jeyapuram and the isolation of Nachchikuda are direct results of the strategic moves by the 58 Division troops with the capture of this earth bund from Karambakulam,” the official added.

No major damage at Kelanitissa - Minister

2008-10-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Rafik JALALDEEN

COLOMBO: The LTTE failed in its attempt to cause heavy damage to the Kelanitissa power station on Tuesday night in an air attack, Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne said.

The aircraft dropped two bombs at the Kelanitissa power station and caused minor damage to the FIAT (GT7) gas turbine power generator and Combined Cycle power machine on Tuesday at 11.30 pm.

“It was an abortive mission. The Kelanitissa power station is a vital installation and we produce power for the entire Colombo city.

The LTTE attempt to create a disaster was foiled by the Security Forces resistance to the LTTE air craft,” Minister Seneviratne remarked.

The Minister observed that the Security Forces had informed the CEB authorities and the security was on alert previously on any possible LTTE air raid that could target the Kelanitissa power station.

“Following the instructions of the Security Forces the CEB disconnected the power supply to the Colombo city 30 minutes before the attack,” he said.

He said the GT7 machine was slightly damaged and the Combined Cycle generator was completely safe. “The LTTE dropped two bombs and one of them had fallen on the roof of the GT7 plant location and caused minor damage.

The latter was dropped at the Combined Cycle generator location. The turbine was safe but the machines surrounding it were dislodged or partly damaged due to fire,” he added.

However, Minister Seneviratne said that there won’t be any obstacle for producing power and supplying electricity in the future. “The GT7 machine was used as a spare machine which can produce 110 MW. This machine had been used when there is a necessity or requirement. This machine can be repaired in Sri Lanka and it will take for six months. Since it is a spare machine used on requirement, the CEB will purchase a new machine in the near future”, he said.

Power Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said there is no major impact from the LTTE attack targeting the Kelanitissa power station.

Around 530 MW is produced at the Kelanitissa power plant and the GT7 was producing only 110 MW.

Air Force Spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said an LTTE light air craft deployed Northeast of Mannar dropped three bombs near the Thalladi army camp on Tuesday at around 10.20pm and dropped two other bombs at the Kelanitissa power station at around 11.30pm.

“No major damages were reported at the both locations. The airborne defence radar intercepted the LTTE movement and took precautionary measures to avoid any casualties or damages,” he told the Daily News.

The LTTE light air craft which entered Colombo faced a barrage of anti aircraft fire by the Air Force, Navy and army from the Kelani river, Colombo Port and the Air Force base.

“Facing heavy resistance the LTTE light wing air craft dropped two bombs at the Kelanitissa power plant. The LTTE may have aimed at a major target but due to the heavy retaliatory attack it could not create a disaster”, Wing Commander Nanayakkara pointed out.

One Kelanitissa employee had died after the attack possibly as a result of shock.

Twenty-four member rugby squad picked

2008-10-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Sri Lanka is due to compete in the HSBC Asian - 5 nations division 1 tournament to be staged in Chinese Taipei from November 12-15.

An SLRFU press release stated that the national selection panel have chosen a contingent of 24 players with Dushanth Lewke as captain of the team for the first game against host nation Chinese Taipei on November 12.

For the second game blind-side flanker Dilanka Wijesekera has been selected as skipper in a move which rugby critics here termed as simply unprecedented in the annals of both local and world sports. It is unheard of a team, a national one, chosen to tour overseas sporting two different captains and rugby critics are of the view that only time will tell whether the decision to have split captains will be successful for Sri Lanka.

The SLRFU press statement further stated that the final 15 for both Sri Lanka games in the knock-out tournament will be selected by Chaminda Rupasinghe who is to accompany the team as tour selector. The press release also added that the above decisions have been taken in consultation with the Minister of Sports and Public Recreation, Gamini Lokuge for this tour only, keeping the best interests of the game in mind.

The final 24-member Sri Lanka national squad has been forwarded for the approval of the Minister of Sports.

The match schedule for the HSBC Asian - 5 nations division 1 in Chinese Taipei.

Seeded teams - 1. China, 2. Chinese Taipei, 3. Sri Lanka, 4. Singapore.

First match - Seed 1 vs Seed 4

Second match - Seed 2 vs Seed 3 (November 12)

November 15 - Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2. Final: Winner of Game 1 vs Winner of Game 2.

The Sri Lanka squad to be ratified by the Minister is as follows: Shashika Cooray, Anuranga Walpola, Henry Terrence, Dinesh Sanjeewa, Ashen Karthelis, Dilanka Wijesekera (capt), Imran Bisthamin, Dushanth Lewke (capt), Saliya Kumara, Ashan de Costa, Chula Susantha, Gayan Weeraratne, Pradeep Liyanage, Sanjeewa Jayasinghe, Mohammed Sheriff, Shamil Mohamed, Nushal Meepage, Achala Perera, Sean Wijesinghe, Dhanushka Perera, Kasun de Silva, Amjad Buksh, Lasintha de Costa, Radhika Hettiarachchi.

Standbyes: Kishore Jehan, Sumedha Jayasinghe, B. D. N. Fernando, Tuan Shamrock, Shane Dissanayake, Reza Mubarak.

(JK)

Troops capture Tigers’ top defence lines

2008-10-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Jeyapuram, Akkrayankulam tank bund, 12 km defences fall to Army:

Ranil WIJAYAPALA

“They are now dominating the nearly 30 Km long LTTE defence line whilst 58 Division has advanced more than seven Kilometers from this earth bund”, the official added.

“With these advances, Nachchikuda has been totally surrounded by the troops and is poised to fall under the control of the troops soon,” the official added.

“Troops captured this strategically important village with zero casualties marking a major milestone in their achievements,” Military sources added.

Maldives in transition

2008-10-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Yesterday was a red letter for the people of Maldives who saw their country step into democracy after three decades of one party rule.

By all accounts it was a monumental achievement for a country that was virtually unknown until the early 70s. It also speaks volumes for people's power and the voice of democracy crying out to be heard in many a country ruled under the one party regimes. One hopes this spirit of democracy of the Maldivian people would pervade all those dark corners of the world where democratic freedoms are stifled and people's liberties suppressed.

Maldives yesterday celebrated its transition to a full democracy following the ouster of its long serving leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in the Presidential run off. According to reports wild street celebrations greeted the election of Mohamed 'Anni' Nasheed an ex political prisoner educated in Sri Lanka, ending the long drawn out agitation for democratic reforms in the atoll nation.

Clearly the people of Maldives were yearning for change. It was apparent to observers of the unravelling scene in the archipelago that it was only a matter of time before the bottled up sentiments of the populace would erupt.

It is to the credit of President Gayoom that he recognised the mood of the people and set in motion the necessary process for change. He is also instrumental in transforming the Maldives from an unknown chain of islands to an internationally renowned destination.

It is hoped that the process of transition of power will pass off without hassle. It will be interesting to note how the people of Maldives would adapt to the new changes and their new found freedom.

This is because in a majority of cases countries which emerged out of one party rule were beset with even worse problems than those encountered before.

It is therefore incumbent on all democracies particularly the SAARC family to help assist this nascent democracy to flourish, overcoming its teething problems.

It would be interesting to see how the atoll nation will fashion out its democratic structures. There is bound to be opposition from some quarters to the many liberal reforms that are central to a democracy.

We hope that such issues would not lead to any instability in the initial stages of the democratic experiment in the Maldives. Of course a democracy presupposes fundamental rights and freedom of expression and worship. How the economy will adapt to the new changes under the new dispensation will also be watched with interest.

The unravelling of the new structures is bound to inject new life to the Maldivian economy and open out its legendary tourist industry further with the dismantling of some taboos and restrictions that existed before. It will also prove a catalyst to social change that could have its own benefits.

Sri Lanka has a unique relationship with the Maldives. The two countries are close neighbours and a large number of Lankans are employed in the Maldives, especially in the hospitality industry.

The two countries also have healthy trade ties. Many Maldivians study here - in fact both the outgoing and incoming Presidents of Maldives have been educated here. Many Maldivians consider Sri Lanka their second home.

The excellent diplomatic ties that now exist between the two countries are likely to improve under the new presidency. All Sri Lankan leaders have been very close to the Maldivian leadership and top-level visits to each other's countries have been rather common.

Sri Lanka too should look at ways to attract new trade and markets with the new look Maldives particularly in the tourist sector where both countries have a lot in common. Fisheries is another area that invites a lot of potential. Ideally this scenario should be exploited by Sri Lankan businessmen and industrialists at the earliest.

There should be more avenues to broaden people-to-contact with more cultural, educational and tourism exchanges between Sri Lanka and the Maldives. We should lose no time in further cementing our existing relations with the new Maldivian leadership that would take Lanka-Maldives ties to a new levels.