Sri Lanka's female journalist under threat of Buddhist extremists

Sri Lanka's Derana TV journalist Dilka Samammali has complained to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that she is receiving constant death threats following a recent TV interview with a Buddhist extremist leader.

Samanmali interviewed the secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) organization Buddhist monk Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero  in Derana 360 Degrees  programme this week.

As Gnanasara Thero was stating that BBS was vehemently against alcohol, the conductor of this programme Dilka Samanmalee pointed out that the Gnansara Thero had been charged and fined in courts for an accident caused after drunk driving. The monk failed to provide a decent clarification and unsuccessfully tried to say that he was impersonating to save face of a military official who he claims was with him. Definitely, an insult to court. He appeared as the driver, OK, then, did he appear as the drunkard too? How did he blow that alcohol test balloon to prove that he was the drunk driver?

This Buddhist monk was video recorded few months back in a camera phone at Kottawa exit point of the Southern expressway scolding police officers on duty in extremely filthy language as they stopped their vehicle for a traffic offense. After involvement by some higher authorities, the monk and his crew escaped from punishment.

Meanwhile, another Buddhist monk whose name was mentioned by the BBS secretary at this interview as a person who engaged in monetary frauds using the goodwill of the BBS, held a press conference today and denied the allegations. He urged the Gnanasara Thero to return the equipment robbed from his possession after harassing him. Thiis monk Mahamithawa Pannarathana Thero was earlier introduced by the Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero as a Investigative Chief of BBS.

A blog blocked in Sri Lanka for the first time

For the first time in Sri Lanka in my perception, the government has blocked access to a blog in the country.

The blog is AnverManatunga.com which apparently is run by a Sinhala Muslim person.

The blog is written mainly in Sinhala language and it was discussing a lot of controversial issues.

The major focus of the blog was safeguarding Muslim rights and promoting Islam.In the recent times, the blog was highly critical on the government.

The blogger Ahmad Anver Manatunga says that the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission contacted via his lawyers has informed him that the blog was blocked under an order of the Ministry of Defense.

Buddhist extremist kangaroo court Ravana Balaya excerts hatred on evangelical Christian group

Sri Lanka's Buddhist extremist Ravana Balaya organization which is raising its head as a kangaroo court style terror squad today rounded up a group of evangelical Christians that were distributing a religious magazine in the outskirts of Colombo city and handed over them to the police.

The group of persons that came under the threat of the Buddhist monks of the Ravana Balaya was Jehovah's Witnesses who were distributing the Sinhala version of an international magazine called 'Awake!.

Although there was no law to arrest such persons, police summoned to the scene by Buddhist monks took them to Mulleriyawa police station and held them there. They were released after the involvement of officials from the headquarters of the religious organization and news videos showed in television the leader of the Ravana Balaya Ittekande Saddhathissa Thero severely warning them right inside the police station.

Ravana Balaya involved in a number of similar kangaroo court  trials in the last week. They forcibly entered as a mob into the Met Department to question the officials regarding failure to forecast . Rushed into Sri Lanka Cricket to inquire why a Hindi song was played as lion flag was carried to the ground at the inauguration. In another incident, which I actually did not read but one of my friends reported, Ravana Balaya bullied a bucket maker who had used some discarded paper with Buddhist symbols for making Vesak lanterns.

This is an interesting phenomenon and recalls the kangaroo courts of the People's Liberation Front (JVP) in the 1987-89 insurrection period. But the JVP's campaign was bolder and bloodier. They touched all social evils and succeeded in banning things like heroine though temporarily. JVP banned lottery tickets as well. But interestingly, this Buddhist extremist group is totally dumb before the rise of casino in Sri Lanka under the patronage of the top level government officers.

Teachers of Sri Lanka already knelt before politics made further kneel down by politico

A ruling party politician of Sri Lanka made a Sri Lankan lady school teacher kneel down inside the school to counter punish her for reprimanding his daughter on disciplinary grounds.

The incident has outraged the polity but in reality the teachers have been kneeling down before the politicians since decades. Almost everything in the school system has been politicized and the teachers have helped it immensely at least through their silence.

Ceylon Teachers' Union says that stern trade union action will be initiated unless the government takes action to punish the politician. The teachers' union has not clearly expressed the demand. The Provincial Council member Ananda Sarath Kumara has been arrested and remanded. Teachers unions must demand sacking him from the Provincial Council.

Ceylon Teachers' Union secretary Joseph Stalin Fernando said that the Provincial Councillor had followed the example of Minister Mervin Silva who tied a public official of Kelaniya into a tree and escaped without punishment for the breach of ethics.

A lady teacher of Nawagaththegama Navodya School of Puttlam district has complained to Nawagaththegama police that Northwestern Provincial Councillor Ananda Sarath Kumara made her kneel down in school as a punishment.

The teacher says she faced the situation as she had warned the daughter of the Provincial Councillor who was wearing a shorter school uniform.

Beware! Sri Lanka's Sapugaskanda refinery producing low quality petrol

A gas station featuring five en:Octane ratings, somewhere near the Missouri/Iowa border (can't remember...). Photo taken by Bobak Ha'Eri. September 3, 2006.

Sri Lanka's Sapugaskanda petroleum refinery is giving enough troubles and it is to be closed again since Monday, this time due to drop Octane rating of refined petrol.

The petrol refined there now is Octane 88 and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation cannot issue them to the local market since the Octane numbers of the locally marketed petrol are 90 and 95.





The Octane rating of petrol tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites in the engine cylinder. Usually, the air and petrol mixed compartment in the engine is compressed to one eighth of capacity by the piston before the spark plugs ignite the mixture. Low Octane petrol may self ignite before the spark plug ignites. When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an engine,

Our studies showed that the lowest Octane number used in some countries is 87. However, high performance engines require high Octane petrol.I don't know if the engines of the most of the cars used in Sri Lanka can withstand a low Octane rating such as 87.


Ceylon Petroleum Corporation sources say that the reason for the loss of quality is using crude oil imported from Oman. The refinery used to refine petroleum imported from Iran before US embargoes against Iran disturbed the supply.

Reports say that the refinery has stored 3500 metric tons of low Octane petrol without issuing to the market.

Sri Lanka Minister Wimal Weerawansa, unregistered website and the Buddhist extremist Bodu Bala Sena

Sri Lanka's Buddhist extremist organization Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has sought police headquarters support to locate the owner of LankaCNews website which the BBS claims linked to Minister of Housing, Construction, Engineering Services and Common Amenities Wimal Weerawansa.

BBS officials Vitharandeniye Nanda Thero and Dilantha Withanage complained that the Lanka C News website had posted derogatory news stories affecting their reputation. They cited a news story posted in the website that reports about a brawl which it says took place among two BBS officials.

They said that the website had not been registered under the Ministry of Information and Media as stipulated recently by the government.

The plaintiffs also say that the State Engineering Corporation and the National Housing Development Authority which come under the Ministry of Housing, Construction, Engineering Services and Common Amenities have provided financial assistance to run this website. Two flash banner ads displayed right below the master head of the website links to the websites of the above mentioned public corporations.

No regret from Sri Lanka's Met Department as death toll rises

Sri Lanka Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources released a list of names of 42 fishermen killed in the rough seas in Saturday night.

The report was based on information received as of 2.30 p.m. today and further 22 affected persons were being treated in hospitals.

43 fishermen are still missing with 24 boats. A Ministry spokesman said that the death toll might rise by tomorrow and a number of persons might remain disappeared. The highest number of deaths were reported from Balapitiya in the Southern coast.

Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources criticizes the Met Department for not issuing strong warning timely to the fishermen.

However, the Met Department insists they had issued warnings ahead of the disaster. No regret and apologizing from the weather body that depends on the public money.

However, the senior officials of the Met Department apologized before an NGO last week and made an offering under the NGO's order for naming a cyclone after an ancient king called Mahasen who built many reservoirs.