Features
The ugly new face of terrorism
Crocus City Hall terrorist attack
by Kumar David
What on earth is happening? An unprecedented election victory for Vladimir Putin followed on the morrow by a savage terrorist attack on mainly young people gathered at the Crocus concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow! The death toll is over 150 and still rising. Th number wounded of course is larger. This is the deadliest terrorist attack that Russia has suffered in 20 years.
In Palestine, genocide and carnage in plain view of all the worlds TV cameras and Bibi Netanyahu gets away with it in plain defiance of the whole world forcing Israel’s principal benefactor, the United States to cringe in dumb-struck embarrassment. It is most improbable that the Israel-Palestine conflict will find a solution within decades – sigh! A powerful pro-Israel lobby and right-wing extremist Christians march on in defiance of the world.
Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack but does not say why. Confusion all round! We are indisputably on the cusp of a new wave of global terrorism, as is to be expected when capitalism enters a period of steep global decline as the post-WW2 Welfare-state evaporates, but with sharper than usual intensity. I have to pause and take stock. [Though I promised my regular readers a discussion of JVP/NPP electoral prospects this week, that will have to wait].
Allow me to go step by step in didactic fashion. The American Jewish lobby, which backs-up the power of the Jews in politics, includes the American Jewish Committee, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, B’nai B’rith, and the Anti-Defamation League. However, the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group is Christians United for Israel with over seven million members. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a leading organization within this lobby. Extremist right-wing Christians proclaim that the Lord God swore to grant the Promised Land to the Jews in the first two books of the Bible (Tora is the Jewish name for the Old Testament).
My regular readers know that I avow that religion is the opium of the people (If you dissent, okay let’s agree to disagree and leave it at that). Religious beliefs run deep and override other affinities. For example, the Seraphic Jews and the Palestinians are both Arab peoples, but now religion has become an unbridgeable divide. Muslim-hater Modi will rather eat pork than recognise Muslims as legitimate sons and daughters of India.
This is the season for all things ghoulish, so I offer you the above graphic Source Radio Free Europe The Hiroshima U-235 (15kt) bomb Little Boy is also called Fat Boy Nagasaki’s (21kt) Plutonium-239 bomb is also called Thin Man
To repeat, we are on the cusp of a new wave of global terrorism as is to be expected when capitalism enters a period of steep global decline. What is significant is that this is happening in the context of big global shifts of power and expectations. Expectations? Yes, for example, seven million people have been displaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and tens of millions more are marginalised all over Africa. Population is exploding, especially the eastern part including Nigeria. Expectations and ambitions of young people all over is surging and illegal and undocumented immigration to America and Europe is swelling. This is a new ball-game and this ball is a very big.
Was Ukraine complicit in the Crocus Concert Hall attack? My two cents worth is that the Ukrainian Government and Zelensky were not parties to the attack unless they harbour a secret death wish. They have provided Russia and an enraged Russian population with reasons for hitting back with the full force of Russia’s considerable arsenal. If the Ukrainian Government is complicit, NATO and the West will not intervene and provide Kiev and the western portions of the country with defensive nuclear capability. Of course, it seems that rogue elements in the Ukrainian (and German) military were hatching nefarious plots in pursuit of surreptitious objectives. This shows how uncertain the global political climate has become; a perfect breeding ground for terrorism of all shades.
This raises whodunnit questions. Islamic-State claims responsibility, but who is Islamic-State. Wikipedia says “Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and by its Arabic acronym Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist group and a former unrecognised quasi-state”.
I need to divert to talk about the ‘Bomb’ in view of provocative global trends. A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asserted that it is “extremely hard to believe” that Islamic State had the capacity to launch an attack on Moscow. She repeated that Ukraine was behind the attack though a more cautious Putin only said that “Ukraine benefited and Kyiv may have played a role”. He did add that someone on the Ukrainian side had prepared a “window” for the gunmen to escape across the border before they were captured but that did not work out.
Belarusian leader Lukashenko claimed that the gunmen had sought to cross into his country before being turned away and heading towards Ukraine. The director of Russia’s FSB security agency accused Ukraine, along with the United States and Britain, of involvement in the attack. The West stoutly denies this allegation as cold-war politics. A cold-war atmosphere not seen since the climactic days of Soviet-American stand-off, known as McCarthyism, have surfaced and this is grist to the mill of terrorism. So, now people talk about the ‘Bomb’.
The ‘Bomb’
Physicists Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner and Edward Teller together with writer Raymond Briggs, drafted a letter in October 1939, had it signed by Einstein, and delivered it to President Roosevelt. The letter said that Nazi Germany was probably quite advanced in developing a nuclear bomb. FDR called on Lyman Briggs of the National Bureau of Standards to head an Advisory Committee to investigate the matter. Briggs met Szilárd, Wigner and Teller in October 1939 and reported back to FDR that the fears of the scientists were true and that uranium “would provide a possible source of bombs with a destructiveness vastly greater than anything now known”.
FDR acted. At first, the US nuclear project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the Army. Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was director of the Los Alamos Laboratory where the bomb was designed. The project resulted in two types of atom bombs: a relatively simple gun-type weapon and a more complex implosion-type weapon.
The Thin Man gun-type design proved impractical to use with plutonium, so the famous Fat Boy that used uranium-235 was chosen. The first nuclear device ever detonated was an implosion-type bomb during the Trinity test at New Mexico’s Alamogordo Range on 16 July 1945. Fat Boy and Thin Man were used a month later in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. In the postwar years the US conducted weapons testing at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Islands – Castle Bravo was the world’s first thermonuclear (fusion or hydrogen) bomb.
Later, in 1946, Szilárd jointly with Albert Einstein, in an apparent change of heart created the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists that included Linus Pauling. It was a last ditch failed attempt to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The nuclear bomb that has gone down in history by the nickname of Tsar Bomba was a monster — the emperor of nuclear bombs. That name was no exaggeration. Its yield is estimated to have been roughly 57 megatons, about 1,500 times the combined power of the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Andrei Sakharov, one of the bombs lead designers, persuaded Nikita Khrushchev to reduce the blast power from a possible 100 Megatons to the 50 Megaton region.
Unlimited power and unrestrained irresponsibility
Let us pray that the ‘Bomb’ remains unexploded and let’s get down to something no less disturbing. In the United States it is claimed there are no restrictions on freedom; people are free to say and do as they please and enjoy the good life. Well, yes, there is truth to this. Americans assert themselves without restraint, carry guns, shout loudly and indulge in reckless car-chases. Apparently, this is all protected by the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment or whatever! “All balls said the monkey milking the bull!”
But this “freedom” also goes with excessive selfishness and a reckless willingness hurt other people though it is a macho image much admired in popular culture. Nevertheless, there is a hold-up, rape, house-break-in, murder or violent crime every 13 seconds in the US (“True Crime” channel on American TV). Shooting incidents in schools are almost unknown in other countries but happen often in the US. Something is not right here. Racism, sexism, social prejudice (caste) and gang violence is as prevent in other societies, but is perhaps more abrasively expressed in the US.
Honestly, I do not wish to bandy words or invent clever sounding terminology, but doesn’t this have a bearing on the topic I started off with; social failure that encourages terrorism? Genocide before all the world’s TV cameras in Palestine, evaporating Ukraine, the world polarising like we have not seen for decades since the worst of the cold-war, a palpable swing to the right in the West and the Global-North while polarising the other way in the “South” and now ‘The Bomb’. When I was young, I would exclaim: “It’s revolution that turns the wheel of history”, but now I don’t even enjoy a bad pun.
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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