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No funds from govt. for Poson Festival; Dhammarathana Thera

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Ven. Walahangunavewe Dhammarathana Thera, the Chief Incumbent of Mihintale Rajamaha Vihara, yesterday (21) said that no funds have been received for this year’s State Poson festival due to the government’s strict financial management.

The Thera expressed these views at a special discussion held at the Mihintale Sacred Site with officials including Central Province Governor and Acting Governor of North Central Province Lalith U. Gamage regarding this year’s Poson Festival.

Nayaka Thera said that the President’s Office, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Department of Cultural and Buddhist Affairs, as well as the higher government officials of the North Central Province have avoided the State Poson Festival, which will be held in about 10 days.

Acting Governor Gamage said that arrangements should be made to celebrate the Poson Festival keeping in line with the financial management programme of the President.

After it was said that no funds were received from the government for the Vesak Festival held in the Central Province, the discussion became quite heated.

Ven. Dhammarathana Thera, who spoke first, said there’s only 10 days left for Poson Poya but no executive officer except the district secretary has attended any meeting in this regard.

“No representative of the Governor’s Office or the Chief Secretary of the North Central Provincial Council visited us so far. About 2 million people will come to Mihintale this year. We have to ensure their hygiene and safety and we need to provide them with water and electricity,”

“I am happy that at least the Governor of the Central Province has visited us today. Those inside the Province have no interest in attending these meetings or looking into preparations,” the Thera said.

Governor of Central Province and Acting Governor of North Central Province Lalith U Gamage said;

“We know that the Buddhist culture that exists today in this country was established after the arrival of Mihindu Maha Rahat Thera and it is the responsibility of all of us to preserve it.”

“I came here today to personally ask about the contribution made by the donors including my daughter in the USA to the Mihintala Rajamaha Vihara and its development.”

“For 20 days, I have been appointed by the President as the Acting Governor of North Central Province. Therefore, it is my duty and responsibility to get an understanding of how the Poson Festival is being conducted.”

“We successfully completed the Vesak Festival in the Central Province but we did not spend even one cent from the government. The entire cost was borne by philanthropists, well-wishers and from all the people from non-religious places of worship. Since there is an economic crisis, the President has advised us to manage state funds.”

“If we fail to salvage the country from this crisis, we will not be able to do any of the other activities. The President also wants to conduct the upcoming Poson Festival properly,”

After the Governor’s remarks, Ven. Dhammarathana Thera said;

“Financial management is good, since it has not been done since 1948. We don’t ask for millions of rupees for this Poson Festival. We need to install at least 200 speakers to cover the entire site. People come to worship these sites with much difficulty. We don’t even collect money from the vehicle parks because we have to think about the people as well.”

“The Governor said the government did not fund the Vesak Festival and it was funded by the people from other religions. Let us also send a message through the media today asking them to help us.”

“You said that money was collected from philanthropists, but there are no such philanthropists here like in Kandy. Had Mihindu Maharahat Thera arrived in Colombo, funds could have been collected from philanthropists in Colombo easily. There are no such well-off people in these areas,” the Thera said.

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UN Rights chief türk to visit Sri Lanka this month

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The United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk will visit
Sri Lanka this month or early July, a Foreign Ministry source confirmed. No dates have been finalised for the visit, though the government has agreed to the visit by Mr. Turk.

It’ll be the first time in nine years that a UN Human Rights Commissioner will be visiting Sri Lanka, the last being Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in February 2016 during Maithripala Sirisena’s presidencyMr. Turk, an Austrian national who took up his duties in October 2022, will visit at a time the government grapples with how it will address human rights concerns raised by the international

community.

In his report to the UN body in August last year, just ahead of
Sri Lanka’s presidential and parliamentary elections, Mr. Turk said the newly elected government should recommit to addressing the root causes of conflict and undertake fundamental constitutional and institutional reforms to address the accountability gap and work towards reconciliation.

These include the immediate moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act and assurances that any replacement legislation is consistent with international human rights law, repeals or amends existing laws or proposed laws that unduly restrict the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, association, and peaceful assembly, including the Online Safety Act and the ICCPR Act.

Mr. Turk’s predecessor Michelle Bachelet requested a visit to
Sri Lanka, but the matter was put under consideration, and the visit did not materialise.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) set up the Sri Lanka accountability project, an external evidence-gathering mechanism within the OHCHR, during Ms Bachelet’s period in office, a move strongly opposed by the government.

The OHCHR says that as of July 5, 2024, the repository established within the framework of the OHCHR project comprises 96,215 items and contains information from more than 470 different sources (more than 220 witnesses and 250 organisations), including international and multilateral organisations.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who addressed the high-level segment of the UNHRC in March this year, rejected the OHCHR Sri Lanka project and outlined government plans for a credible and sound domestic process to address accountability issues in the country.

“We will ensure that the domestic mechanisms and processes established to address challenges emanating from the conflict will continue their work in an independent and credible manner within the constitutional framework,” the minister told the UNHRC.

Despite a visit by the Human Rights Commissioner, the government will remain opposed to any international legal options to advance accountability in Sri Lanka and maintain that there are adequate domestic mechanisms to address accountability issues.

(sundaytimes.lk)

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Trade unionist Ranjan Jayalal takes helm as Kaduwela Mayor

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Prominent trade union leader Ranjan Jayalal has officially been appointed as the new Mayor of the Kaduwela Municipal Council.

Jayalal, a key member of the Ceylon Electricity Board Employees’ Union and a strong advocate for labor rights, was nominated by the National People’s Power (NPP) following their recent victory at the local government elections.

His appointment was formally confirmed through the government gazette issued by the Election Commission on May 31.

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Sri Lanka must take practical steps to join BRICS – Russian Ambassador

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If Sri Lanka is interested in joining the BRICS alliance, the country must take practical steps, says the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Levan S. Jagaryan.

Speaking during an event at the Bandaranaike International Centre for International Studies in Colombo, Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said Russia and China have been offering support to Sri Lanka, but he has not seen adequate interests from the Sri Lankan side.

Responding to a question raised by a journalist about Sri Lanka joining BRICS, the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka said, he has been questioned about the matter on several occasions.

Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said, “Last October, on the 1st, I met with President Anura Kumar Dissanayake and brought with me an invitation letter from the President of Russia, inviting Sri Lanka to participate in the BRICS summit. I spoke with a language interpreter, but I don’t know if the translation was accurate. The President told me that due to the upcoming general elections, he wouldn’t be able to visit Russia. If Sri Lanka is to join BRICS, it’s not just a matter of Russia; all the member countries need to agree, and there are several steps to take before that happens.”

Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jagaryan stated that he has not seen much interest at the moment and therefore requested Sri Lanka to take some practical steps, if it is serious about joining BRICS.

(adaderana.lk)
(This story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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