Features
Baby boom at Vil Uyana on anniversary!
by Srilal Miththapala
Vil Uyana, the iconic award-winning, luxurious boutique hotel, set amidst purpose built wetlands and thriving natural environment, celebrated its 15th anniversary of operations last week. And what better anniversary gift than to have their resident crocodile ‘Villy’ produce a brood of hatchlings almost to the day, for the first time ever. The mother and 16 babies (up to now) are reportedly doing fine.
The story of Villy the crocodile, and Vil Uyana the hotel, are both most interesting.
The Hotel.
Vil Uyana was the brainchild of Jet Wing Chairman Hiran Cooray, who conceptualised it around the London Wetlands Centre. A barren patch of land in Sigiriya was carefully nurtured and developed into a wetland and thriving eco system of its own. Part of the area was reforested, and another section developed for paddy cultivation, using traditional methods.
Twenty-five individual luxurious chalets were built initially, spread over the property. Over time, a range of fauna were attracted to the salubrious natural environment of the hotel premises.
According to the hotel, after operations commenced, mammal species have increased from 12 to 27, birds from 29 to 151, butterflies from 24 to 51, and amphibians and reptiles from three to 39.
The first northern Grey Slender Loris, an elusive nocturnal primate, was glimpsed in a forest patch at the resort in 2010. Prompt action by Jet Wing’s management saw development plans for the forest patch shelved, and the area comprising rich vegetation was declared as Jet Wing Vil Uyana’s Loris Conservation site. Today it has become world famous for its Loris conservation efforts. (that’s another story of its own ! )
The hotel went on to win several local and international awards, particularly for its design which incorporated the environment. Today it is arguably Sri Lanka’s most well-known luxury nature-boutique hotel.
Villy the crocodile
I first set eyes on Villy around 2007 when I stayed in the hotel with my family. We christened her ‘Villy’ at that time. Since then I have followed her ‘progress’, dropping in to the hotel whenever I was travelling in the area. She was a mugger or marsh crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and must have been about 3-4 years old at that time, and was about 2.5 feet ( about 3/4 meters) long. We saw her basking in the sun at the further end of the pool, and she was the cynosure of all the resident tourists. (actually none of us were really aware of her sex until last week. So now that we know, I will refer to her as ‘her’ !)
How and when she arrived at the hotel is rather vague, but Ms Sunela Jayawardene, the architect of the hotel, recalls sighting her during the construction time as a very young juvenile. So this indicates that she’s been around the hotel, and made it her home for about 17 years. Assuming that she was around 2 1/2 years when first sighted, I would estimate that she’s about 19-20 years now. In all her 17 + years at the hotel, there has never been any altercation with guests or staff, although she has been sighted quite close, and out in the open, several times.
There is an interesting incident on record when during the early days the Dept. of Wild and Conservation ‘raided’ the hotel on the suspicion that the hotel was keeping a tame crocodile in the premises. Inspection revealed the truth, that the crocodile had taken up residence in the hotel premises on its own accord, and that the hotel had not done anything to encourage it. It was obvious that the environment had become so ‘natural’, that wild animals were being attracted to it.
On a few occasions Villy has gone on a ‘walk about’ and had been missing for a few days from the hotel premises. Usually during periods of drought, crocodiles travel overland in search of water holes. But in the hotel premises there was always adequate water and food ( fish in the water bodies). So Villy has been contented to live in the hotel premises, by and large without causing any problems to anyone, except for such short ‘excursions’ occasionally .
There are records of at least four other crocodiles making periodic visits to the hotel premises during the dry season and making it their temporary home.
And obviously one of these ‘visitors’ must have turned suitor to Villy, culminating in her becoming a mother for the first time.
The Birth.
(most of the following is based on discussions I had with Chaminda Jayasekara, Experiential Manager of the hotel )
Over two months ago Chaminda had noticed some strange behaviour from Villy. She was found digging the soil by the road side just a few meters away from the restaurant. And on one occasion she had very uncharacteristically hissed at him when he was walking along the road.
A few days later he had noticed that she had dug up a small area, and covered it up with soil. So when she was not around, he had carefully removed the top soil and found a clutch of eggs buried there. Thrilled with the discovery, he had quickly replaced the soil over the ‘nest’. Subsequently the hotel staff had noticed Villy spending long periods at the nest, obviously guarding it.
Chaminda told me that he was surprised that she had chosen that particular spot, only about five metres away from the restaurant, right by the side of a road that was often used by guests and staff. We both surmised that maybe she trusted the hotel (her home for almost two decades) and humans, and felt more confident to nest closer to humans.
The hotel had noticed that there were stray dogs and land monitors who were trying to raid the nest. So, a security guard was instructed to check on the nest every hour around the clock ! ( a typical response one would expect from this hotel, which places such a great value on conservation of nature and the environment). The nest area was also cordoned off with a wire netting, leaving access for Villy to enter from the side.
About 70 days later, ( the typical incubation period of crocodiles being about 80 days) Villy had started digging the nest and exposing the eggs. Chaminda and his team could hear the babies making chirping noises inside the eggs, as they started breaking out of their shells. Villy very delicately carried the new born hatchlings in her mouth, to the edge of the bund, closer to the water’s edge.
Some were finding it difficult to break open their shells, and those she gently broke open with her mouth. Chaminda tells me it was amazing to see such a massive animal with such powerful jaws, being so gentle. (a crocodiles can slam its jaws shut with a force of some 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi), or 16,460 newton’s of bite force. By contrast, you might tear into a steak with 150 to 200 psi (890 newton’s). Hyenas, lions, and tigers generate around 1,000 psi (4,450 newton’s).
Interestingly, Chaminda told me that on finding one egg rotten and smelling, Villy had eaten the whole egg immediately. She would eat up all the shells and the remains of the placenta. Perhaps to remove all residual smell which may attract predators.
By late morning all the hatchlings were closer to the bank near the water, basking in the sun, while the ever vigilant mother kept a close eye over them.
As of writing, there are 16 hatchlings alive and well. The team is not sure whether there are any more eggs remaining to hatch.
The challenge would be to now protect the hatchlings from numerous predators. Granted that within the hotel premises such threats would be less than in the wild. In the wild the survival rate is very low. ( around 20%). And I am sure that the Vil Uyana team will zealously safeguard the family.
Chaminda and I discussed what would happen when eventually the hotel will have a large crocodile population to deal with! I guess nature will take its course. Demand on limited resources will put pressure on individuals, who will then move off to find other locations.
Meanwhile, as the hatchlings slowly grow up, I am sure the Jet Wing and Vil Uyana team will have great happiness and a sense of achievement. This is certainly further confirmation that the fruits of their efforts have succeeded in creating a thriving natural oasis of an ecosystem, amidst a star class hotel development.
(Photographs courtesy of Chaminda Jayasekara)
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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