Restricting the powers of the Sri Lankan civil administrators on land rights

Philip Gunawardane, a name goes with land reforms

Land is a highly sensitive issue in the tiny island of Sri Lanka. The cause behind the three decade civil war was also the land ownership. The Tamil minority political movements claimed Northern and Eastern parts of the island their Homeland. Later, a map of a separate Ealam state was also drawn and bloody war was fought to win it and to defeat it.

Even in Southern parts of the island also, the government of Sri Lanka has effected several land reforms. One in late 1950s was aimed at strengthening the land rights of the tenant farmers. three quarters of the profit should go to the tenant farmer who cultivates the field, whereas the owner of the agricultural land gets one quarter of the profit according to the Paddy Lands Act No I of 1958. However, even more than 50 years later, there are around 250,000 tenant farmers in Sri Lanka where the government figures point to the availability of 1.8 million acres of agricultural land.

Interestingly, the Federal Party, the predecessor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) voted against the 1958 bill with the United National Party (UNP). LTTE later fought a bloody civil war for the land rights of Tamils.

Later, 1972 Land Reforms Act restricted the individual land ownership to 50 acres.
Bandu de Silva wrote to The Island in 2008, "In the Eastern Province, especially in the Batticaloa and Ampara districts, one does not meet any problems in getting possession of state land or other owner’s lands transferred in one’s names through fraudulent transfers. There are expert Notaries Public who would prepare you a deed for any extent of land one wants and see that they are registered and go through without any hassle even in courts. A former Government Agent in Batticaloa confirmed that this was absolutely true. So today one speaks of land belonging to this community and that community but the truth could be something else!"

This idea can be mixed with a bit of racism but it unveils a sad reality that prevails not only in certain parts of the island.It is true that mass scale corruption takes place at the Divisional Secretariats pertaining to land. People obtain licences for the state land and later sell them at lucrative prices. I once met a man who was trying to sell such land in Matugama town at Rs. 70,000 per perches. I asked how the buyer can get the transfer done. He promised to get it done for the buyer.

This news story which I wrote to Colombo Page should be considered in this backdrop.

Sri Lanka government has decided to restrict the powers of the Divisional Secretaries over state land.

The Ministry of Land and Land Development says that the decision was taken due to the corruption suspected to take place in Divisional Secretariats.

The Ministry says that it has received a large number of complaints related to the corruption in transfer of land rights and distribution of government land to people.

Accordingly, the government has decided to create a new position of Additional Land Officer in each Divisional Secretariat. The position is to be held by an officer who has an expert knowledge on land issues.

Sources say that the President has also approved the proposal of the Minister of Land and Land Development Janaka Bandara Thennakoon regarding the measure, Ministry sources said.

I don't know what the Sri Lankan civil servants who are continuously losing their colonial time charisma think about this.

P.S.: Bandu Silva has written two articles on former Minister Philip Gunawardane with lot of information on 1958 Paddy Lands Act Read them:
A peep into the Paddy Lands Act, 1958 - 1
A peep into the Paddy Lands Act, 1958 -2

-Ajith Parakum Jayasinghe .

Why was Sri Lanka's Buddhist terrorists and their government so afraid of the anonymous Facebook group that came to streets

A a peaceful candlelit vigil was planned to be held on Friday 12 April at 7 p.m. before the Sambuddhathva Jayanthi Mandiraya, a Buddhist center built with the funds raised from the peaceful Buddhists and later converted to the de facto headquarters of the violence mongering Budhist terrorist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS).

This seems the first political campaign organized by a Facebook Group in Sri Lanka. The breakthrough event organized and participated by the anonymous, middle class looking Colombo people was disrupted by the violent mobs of the BBS who were supported by the police.

Arguments of BBS spokesman Dilantha Vithanage and others in the mob who came out of the Sambuddhathva Jayanthi Mandiraya was extremely ridiculous.

Vithanage said he had not seen any of the peaceful protestors in temples and therefore they cannot be Buddhists. They also asked the peaceful activists to light coconut oil lamps instead of candles if they are Buddhists. They wanted the anonymous demonstrators be arrested by police since no leader appeared.

A similar set of sugar coated ridiculous arguments against the vigil could be seen published by the The Nation editor-in-chief Malinga Seneviratne. 

The arguments though appeared foolish reflected the real causes that shook the racists and their regime. People have begun to use new technology and methodology in resistance that out pours from cyberspace to streets. The racists may not be afraid to the Sri Lankan orgin NGO and Diaspora campaigners in foreign soil that make their living through their protests. Yet, these are the Lankans that struggle to make this country a better place for all communities to live in peace. That is why they are hated so much. They are trying to curb this potential challenge at the roots.

Police+BBS led disruption of the event was not actually a defeat. Comrades, you have marked a new beginning of struggles for justice in this island.

Here's their community - A place to discuss the Bodu Bala Sena's actions, techniques, motives, and goals, and question whether they are in line with the Dhamma.May more such groups be created and make right people courageous to come to street to fight against the rising wave of hatred.
- Ajith Perakum Jayasinghe 

BBS terror group spokesman Dilantha Vithanage

Police manhandling peaceful protestors

Two interesting articles on the topic can be read from these links.

The BBS ‘Buddhists’, ‘Nightclub Buddhists’ And The ‘Vigil’ That I Saw by Malinda Seneviratne and a reply to him by Dayan Jayatilake Anti-BBS Vigil: A Critique Of The Critique

 

Commonwealth Legal Information Institute; Free access to Commonwealth and Common Law

I found this website when digging into some old acts of Sri Lanka. The site appears containing lot of valuable information.

Commonwealth Legal Information Institute website declares that it has 981 databases from 59 Commonwealth and common law jurisdictions via 8 Legal Information Institutes.

 This is the direct link to the Sri Lanka page.

It seems so easy to handle and look at this page from where you can access, I believe, all numbered parliamentary acts from 1956 to 2006.

Here is the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

It has lot of links to websites of Sri Lankan origin but some I tested did not download.

Sri Lanka's Bank of Ceylon to build a 5 star Diamond Hotel of 500 rooms

Bank of Ceylon, a Sri Lanka state owned bank has planned to build a 5 star Diamond Hotel which will have 500 rooms after the completion of the three stages.

The hotel will be developed in Grand Oriental Hotel owned by the Bank of Ceylon and adjoining lands owned by the Police Department which are situated in prime land in Colombo Fort.

The heritage outlook of the 170 year old colonial era Grand Oriental Hotel is to be safeguarded in the development.

Bank of Ceylon expects US $ one billion investment in the public private partnership (PPP) basis.

Bank of Ceylon has prepared a comprehensive redevelopment project proposal in this regard.

Grand Oriental Hotel came into being in 1870. In 1954, it was handed over to the Bank of Ceylon following negotiations for a price of Rs. 6, 250,000. In 1963, the hotel was renamed as Hotel Taprobane. The re-designing was undertaken by famous architect Mr. Geoffrey Bawa in 1966, which saw the birth of the restaurant – the Harbour room, which overlooked the Colombo port.

Sri Lanka to apply for membership of International Sugar Organization

Sri Lanka government has decided to apply for the membership of the International Sugar Organization.

The cabinet of Ministers has endorsed a proposal set forth by the Ministry of Minor Export Crop Promotion in this regard.

The International Sugar Organization which was launched in 1962 is an intergovernmental body devoted to improving conditions on the world's sugar market through debate, analysis, special studies, transparent statistics, seminars, conferences and workshop.

It presently has a membership of 50 nations including European Union. The annual per capita consumption of sugar in Sri Lanka is around 30 kg and the current total annual requirement of sugar in the country is about 550,000 metric tons. Sri Lanka produced 35,000 metric tons of sugar in 2011.

 

Commemorative coin issued to mark Japan Sri Lanka relationship presented to the President

Governor of Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabral will present the President Mahinda Rajapaksa a commemorative coin issued by the bank to mark the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Japan today at the Temple Trees.

The commemorative one thousand rupee silver proof coin will be issued to public since today. In obverse, the coin carries a colour print image of the Upper Kotmale Hydropower Project, located within the central hills in Sri Lanka built with the assistance of Japan. This is the first coin minted in Japan and first coin with an actual multi-colour photograph.

Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with Japan in 1952 and since then, the two governments have enjoyed a very prosperous and steady friendship with the Tokyo also contributing to several government initiatives and infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka.

First-Strike of the issuance of 1,000 Rupee Commemorative Silver Coin, Ceremony was held at the Japan Mint of Tokyo Bureau on 4th of October, 2012. It was conducted by Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Japan, Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda with the participation of the former Prime Minister of Japan and Honorary Chairman of Japan Sri Lanka Association, Mr. Yasuo Fukuda.

The Japan Mint, the Government entity which issues coins, made the commemorative silver coin as per the order by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

This is the 59th commemorative coin issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

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India Show starts in Colombo on August 03

India Show - Land of Limitless Opportunities organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will be held from August 3 to 5 at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Colombo.

The India Show is supported by the Indian Ministry of Commerce, Industry, India High Commission and India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF).

India Show includes a three day exhibition at BMICH, visit of ministerial delegation, visit of high level business delegation, business conference, meetings, a cultural evening and a gala dinner.

Indian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Anand Sharma will visit Sri Lanka from tomorrow to August 5 coinciding with the India Show. The minister will be accompanied by a high level official and business delegation.