DOCSLIB.ORG

The Visit of Rajmohan and Usha Gandhi to Sri Lanka 13Th to 19Th February 2010

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Visit of Rajmohan and Usha Gandhi to Sri Lanka 13Th to 19Th February 2010 The Visit of Rajmohan and Usha Gandhi to Sri Lanka 13th to 19th February 2010 The Visit The visit of Rajmohan and Usha Gandhi was on the invitation of Initiatives of Change, Sri Lanka. The visit, the main purpose of which was to meet friends from the past and in relatively small groups, those who could help in building bridges between the many groups, who over the years had allowed barriers to arise and divisions of mistrust to be created. The visit had as its theme, ‘ Onward with Truth and Integrity for Justice and Peace. ’ The Gandhis were met on arrival at 2230 hrs, at the VIP lounge of the Bandaranaike International Airport by Ms. Rohini de Mel and Hiran Fernando. Their host in Colombo was Mrs. Shirani de Fonseka, President of the YWCA – Colombo. On the 14th those named above, together with Vijayalakshmi Subrahmanyan, Nivanka Bhagwandas and Mahesha Adhikari, left for Kandy with a brief stop at the Inter- cultural research and Education Foundation headed by Dr. Antony Fernando who over 1 the years has taught numerous young people, whose mother tongue is not English, to speak the language effectively. This was also the launch of the book, ‘Teaching English ….. the effective way,’ authored by Dr. Fernando who presented the first copy to Rajmohan. In Kandy, the Gandhis made their home at Castle Hill, overlooking the city and the Temple of the tooth. 2 Dinners were with prominent personalities in Kandy, Prof. Gananath Obeysekera, distinguished academic, and Derek Nugawela, in whose ancestral home Mahatma Gandhi had been a guest in 1927. Discussions were held with the IofC team who were in Kandy with regard to the Sri Lanka programme, the persons to meet and with emphasis on the future programmes to strengthen the work of IofC, Sri Lanka, to meet the immediate challenges the country is faced with, and reconciliation after nearly 30 years of war. 3 Useful discussions were held at Castle Hill with Professors of the University of Peradeniya. 4 On 16th February afternoon, a meeting was held at the Kandy YWCA with several members of civil society. A welcome dance by young girls of the YWCA hostel preceded the meeting which terminated with time for question and answer. 5 6 Back to Colombo The YWCA Colombo was the host to Educationists and representatives of NGOs on the afternoon of the 17th. Following the speech by Rajmohan a lively discussion ensued. On 18th February Rajmohan met Mangala Moonesinghe, the former Sri Lankan High Commissioner for India and also UK. Following which was an Interview for television, broadcast over several channels of the television company and also over their Radio. This was carried as a news item in Tamil, Sinhala and English. 7 Lunch followed in the home of Rohini de Mel attended by former President Chandrika Banadaranaike-Kumaratunge and also Bala Tampoe, Trade Unionist, who has been the General Secretary of the Ceylon Mercantile Union for 62 years. The second programme at the YWCA Colombo was a meeting with the Business Community, together with Community leaders. Among those present were State Minister Ferial Ashraff, Chairman of Dilmah Tea Merrill J. Fernando, Chairman of Bartleet and Co., Eraj Wijesinghe and others. The meeting was chaired by Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala., who was a candidate for the post of Secretary General United Nations. 8 9 On the 19th, the day of departure, Rajmohan and Usha met with the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Ranil Wickremasinghe. 10 Prior to departure At the entrance to the VIP Lounge HF – 22nd Feb 2010 11 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Jayantha Dhanapala Career at a Glance
    Jayantha Dhanapala Career at a Glance NAME Jayantha Dhanapala DATE OF BIRTH 30 December 1938 ACADEMIC Diplomat in Residence Monterey Institute of International Studies, USA August 1997–January 1998 Master of Arts (International Studies) American University, Washington D.C., U S A 1976 Chinese Language Studies School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK 1966 -1967 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (Pettah Library Prize) Secondary Education Trinity College, Kandy, Sri Lanka 1951 -1956 (Ryde Gold Medal for best all-round student 1956) PROFESSIONAL December 2005 to present Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka June 2004 -Nov. 2005 Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) in Sri Lanka and Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka Feb 1998 -May 2003 Under-Secretary General Department for Disarmament Affairs United Nations, New York, USA Commissioner United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) and the Head of the Special Group visiting the Presidential Sites in Iraq 1995–1997 Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States of America Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Mexico (Concurrent) July 1992 -1994 Director General and Addl. Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs Colombo, Sri Lanka July 1987 - June 1992 Director United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Geneva, Switzerland. [D-2 level appointment by the UN Secretary-General to head this autonomous body within UN]. 1984 -June 1987 Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United
    [Show full text]
  • LMD May 2012 Page 62
    THE GENEVA RESOLUTION THE SUDDEN DEATH OF Jayantha Dhanapala reminds us that we are an integral part of the world body and exhumes he death of Sri Lankan diplomacy by suicide took place in Geneva on 22 March. For 64 years, it had served the country well despite the size of its professional cadre and persistent political meddling Tby all regimes. The link between suicidal diplomacy and political directions received from Colombo is becoming obvious after the adoption of the resolution with anti-US and anti-Indian statements and actions being leaked to the media. A populist President is milking the Geneva debacle to such an extent that one wonders whether it was a deliberate act of hara-kiri. There has been a plethora of comment on the Geneva events ranging from vitriolic abuse of the West in general and the US in particular, anti-Indian sentiment, defiant xenophobia and jingoism to ‘I told you so’ comments and efforts to shift the blame to the luckless and reportedly divided Geneva delegation. Amidst this, a number of key factors have either been concealed or have not been apparent. Firstly, no country welcomes being on the agenda of the Human Rights Council (HRC) – the premier human-rights body of the UN system. A resolution without the consent of that country is undoubtedly a stigma affecting its political and economic relations. Resolution No. 19/2 adopted on 22 March 2012 was the very first such res- olution on Sri Lanka. It is of course arguable whether a contentious resolution fice it to quote key parts of the mation on this question.” adopted by the HRC is the best way to one-sentence 1984 decision: Official records state that advance human rights, especially in a “The Commission taking note the Canadian representa- democracy.
    [Show full text]
  • TCK FAMILY NEWS the Newsletter of the TCK Family Foundation (Founded in Australia in 1978)
    TCK FAMILY NEWS The Newsletter of the TCK Family Foundation (Founded in Australia in 1978) Volume 20, Issue 2 November 1999 MELBOURNE TCK Family Carol Service Saturday 4th December at 5:00 P.M. Venue: St Andrews Uniting Church, Serrel Street East Malvern Collection: to be sent to the Trinity Social Services Union Plate: will be appreciated for after service get together Required urgently: choristers please contact Ana on 03 9802 9377 THE MANAGEMENT 1998 TCK Family Foundation, TCK Conveners Group Inc. and OBA Committee Address all correspondence to: Ana Paranavitana, General Secretary TCK FF 44 Larch Cres, Mount Waverley Vic 3149 Australia. Phone 03 9802 9377 DONATIONS: To the Dust to Dust Fund, payable to TCK FF;To the Old Boys Account, payable to TCK OBA; To both by single payment, please specify amount paid to each account. Trustees General Secretary Secretary Hilary Abeyaratne 03 5975 7732 Ana Paranavitana 03 9802 9377 Sanjivan Gnanaratnam 03 9776 1700 Percy De Zilwa 03 9557 6518 Asst Secretary Ivor Brohier 03 9560 8693 Treasurer OBA Rukshan Wijeyanayake 03 9312 6176 Rodney Geddes 02 9418 7789 Rajan Jebamoney 03 9776 9052 Committee Dust to Dust Funds Manager Editor Tissa Kodituwakku 03 9764 9509 Arjuna Dharmakirti 03 9802 5747 Mahendra De Silva 03 9806 0981 Rajan Jebamoney 03 9776 9052 Fax 03 9888 1594 Paul Robinson 03 9872 3222 Auditor E-Mail [email protected] Arjuna Dharmakirti 03 9802 5747 Rodney Frank 03 9830 1417 Haran Nagendran 03 9807 6400 Social Committee Chairman K. Saravanan TBA Dirk D’Silva 03 9855 8075 1 TCK EDITORIAL The Trinity Legacy Extract of an article by Kavan Rambukwelle 125 years ago the founding fathers of Trinity, in their wisdom, gave us a legacy and set a high stan- dard for the school and all connected to it.
    [Show full text]
  • NPR 7.1: the NPT at a Crossroads
    JAYANTHA DHANAPALA Viewpoint The NPT at a Crossroads JAYANTHA DHANAPALA Jayantha Dhanapala is the Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations. He served as the President of the 1995 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review and Extension Conference. He has also served as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva and to the United States. From 1997-98, he was Diplomat-in-Residence at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He wishes to record his debt to Randy Rydell, who assisted in the research for this viewpoint. n April 24, 2000, representatives from the 187 the future of the “rule of law” in international society. In states parties to the Treaty on the Non-Prolif- such a climate, it becomes all the more important for Oeration of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will convene states parties to attend closely to their solemn obliga- at the United Nations to open the first five-year Review tions under major treaties like the NPT, responsibilities Conference since the Treaty was indefinitely extended that are reinforced by the periodic deliberations of Re- in 1995. It will be the first such Review Conference to view Conferences. assess the accomplishments under the “strengthened re- Though global efforts on behalf of nuclear disarma- view process” agreed upon at the 1995 Review and Ex- ment and nonproliferation have followed a long and tension Conference. It will be the Treaty’s first Review winding road, it is increasingly apparent that this road Conference in the new millennium.
    [Show full text]
  • Veteran Sri Lankan Diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala Appointed As Chair of UNU Council
    28 November 2006 MR/E43/06 Office of Communications Tel.: +81-3-3499-2811 For use of the media – 53-70, Jingumae 5-chome Fax: +81-3-3499-2828 not an official record Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925 E-mail: [email protected] Japan Website: http://www.unu.edu/ Veteran Sri Lankan Diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala Appointed as Chair of UNU Council The Council of United Nations University, which met for its annual session earlier this month at UNU MEDIA ADVISORY Centre in Tokyo, has elected Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala of Sri Lanka as UNU Council Chair. Amb. Dhanapala, who currently serves as Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka, has had a distinguished four-decade career as a diplomat, peace-builder and disarmament expert. In his role as UNU Council Chair, he succeeds Peter Katjavivi, the Republic of Namibia’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. The Council of United Nations University, which acts as the governing board of UNU, comprises 24 appointed members (who serve as individuals and not as representatives of their home countries), the Rector of UNU and 3 ex-officio members (the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Director- General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research). Amb. Dhanapala was appointed to the Council in May 2004 for a six-year term. With UNU Rector Hans van Ginkel planning to retire in 2007, Amb. Dhanapala’s selection as UNU Council Chair comes at a transitional period for the University, and he will play a key role in overseeing the changeover.
    [Show full text]
  • Sri Lanka's Assault on Dissent
    SECURITY WITH HUMAN RIGHTS SRI LANKA’S ASSAULT ON DISSENT Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 3 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. First published in 2013 by Amnesty International Ltd Peter Benenson House 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW United Kingdom © Amnesty International 2013 Index: ASA 37/003/2013 English Original language: English Printed by Amnesty International, International Secretariat, United Kingdom All rights reserved. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee for advocacy, campaigning and teaching purposes, but not for resale. The copyright holders request that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, or for reuse in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publishers, and a fee may be payable. To request permission, or for any other inquiries, please contact [email protected] Cover photo : Police use water cannon on peaceful demonstrators protesting against rising fuel costs in Colombo, Sri Lanka, February 2012. © AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena amnesty.org CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................7 Methodology ................................................................................................................10 The right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in Sri Lanka........10 II.
    [Show full text]
  • Cargills Annual Report 2009.Pdf
    Who we are Cargills (Ceylon) PLC Cargills (Ceylon) PLC is a Sri Lankan corporate established in 1844 and built on a strong foundation of values and ethics. Guided by trusted leadership it spearheads the sustainable development of the food industry in Sri Lanka. The Company has a strong focus on innovation and development of people and processes. Its continuous investment in retail has made the Cargills retail arm Cargills Food City the largest retailer in the island in all categories. Pursuing innovation and food safety its three manufacturing brands Cargills Supremo (processed meats) Cargills Kist (processed fruits and vegetables) and Cargills Magic (ice cream and dairy products) lead sectoral growth. Its KFC franchise is the largest international restaurant chain in Sri Lanka. Through its marketing and distribution arm spread across the 23 districts Cargills distributes its manufactured brands as well as internationally renowned food and non-food brands. The Cargills agribusiness model has gained global recognition for linking the farmer to the market through a sustainable and inclusive value creation process. The Company is rated among the top ten business entities in Sri Lanka and was awarded the Platinum band for Corporate Sustainability in 2009. Vision To be a global corporate role model in community – friendly national development. Mission Serve the rural community, our customers and all other stakeholders, through our core business – food with love – and other related businesses, based on the three main principles of – reducing the cost of living – enhancing youth skills – bridging regional disparity by enhancing local and global markets. Contents Financial highlights 2 ......................................................................................................................... Our businesses 3 ........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Cambridge by the Mahaweli
    II Wednesday 29th April 2009 Jennings was formerly a lecturer at the university. Radical undergraduates London School of Economics and from Peradeniya were among the lead- Political Science and Visiting Professor ing insurgents in two failed insurrec- Just a few years after at the University of British Columbia. tions, firstly in 1971 and again in the His vision was to recreate a Cambridge late 1980s. Many of the intervening Jennings left, sweep- in the East – a single residential uni- years have been characterised by insta- ing changes were versity on British lines educating a bility, unrest and frequent disruptions highly select group of young men and in the academic programme, while made to the island’s women in the English tongue who political interference frequently educational system. would take their place as legislators, encroached on the running of univer- administrators and professionals in the sity affairs. Following popular service of a little bit of England in Despite the upheavals, the universi- demand, the govern- Asia. ty has shown a remarkable degree of Under his tenure, the new campus at resilience. Peradeniya continues to ment imposed changes Peradeniya enrolled its first students produce graduates that have gone on to in the university in 1952 and was officially opened by the become prominent figures in politics, Duke of Edinburgh in the presence of business, the arts and academia, and admissions policies Queen Elizabeth in 1954. Jennings’s many have excelled on the internation- contributions extended well beyond the al stage. Today, the university has resulting in enrol- sphere of education. While in Ceylon, seven faculties (arts, science, veteri- ments that soon he also had appointments as Deputy nary medicine, agriculture, dental sci- Civil Defence Commissioner, ences, medicine and engineering), two exceeded the levels Chairman of the Ceylon Social postgraduate institutes and over 11,000 envisaged.
    [Show full text]
  • CTBTO Spectrum Ctbto Magazine Issue 19 | September 2012
    www.ctbto.org 19 CTBTO SpectruM ctbto Magazine issue 19 | septeMber 2012 Vision of a world without nuclear weapons ForMer ForMer director chile’s Finland’s un under-secretary-general oF los alaMos Foreign Minister Foreign Minister For disarMaMent aFFairs national laboratory Alfredo erkki JayAnthA Siegfried Moreno tuoMiojA dhAnApAlA Hecker The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear explosions. It opened for signature on 24 September 1996 in New York. As of September 2012, 183 countries had signed the Treaty and 157 had ratified it. Of the 44 nuclear capable States which must ratify the CTBT for it to enter into force, the so-called Annex 2 countries, 36 have done so to date while eight have yet to ratify: China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States. On February 6 2012, Indonesia completed its ratification of the CTBT. The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear- Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) consists of the States Signatories and the Provisional Technical Secretariat. The main tasks of the CTBTO are to promote signatures and ratifications and to establish a global verification regime capable of detecting nuclear explosions underground, underwater and in the atmosphere. The regime must be operational when the Treaty enters into force. It will consist of 337 monitoring facilities supported by an International Data Centre and on-site inspection measures. As of 3 September 2012 over 80 percent of the facilities at the International Monitoring System (IMS) were operational. cover iMAge: Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev at the Reykjavik summit in 1986.
    [Show full text]
  • Perspectives
    Perspectives The Twin Pillars of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty by Jayantha Dhanapala, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs If a polling organization were to sample The road to entry into force global norm, one that will require worldwide opinion on the question of significant changes of the policies of whether there should be additional The Treaty itself outlines a legal process several governments. It will require nuclear-weapons tests, the result would to achieve this goal. In accordance with investments of time and effort, including undoubtedly be a resounding NO. A Article XIV, and upon request of a the dedicated use of scientific and follow-up question asking whether such majority of ratifying States, the United financial resources. It will require a prohibition should be legally binding Nations Secretary-General – the Treaty’s political leaders in legislatures to would likely elicit an equally strong Depositary – has twice convened special understand the Treaty’s benefits, as well affirmative response. conferences (Conferences on Facilitating as the commitments needed to sustain the Entry into Force of the CTBT) to them. Above all, it will require greater “consider and decide by consensus what attention as a goal of civil society, which measures consistent with international often tends to assume that actions in law may be undertaken to accelerate the conformity with common sense take care ratification process”, and thereby of themselves without the need for achieve this goal. A third such heroic efforts. conference will take place in Vienna, from 3 to 5 September this year. Diplomatic efforts should continue to focus on encouraging the remaining 13 Yet by all indications, the key Annex 2 States to ratify the Treaty.
    [Show full text]
  • BIOGRAPHY of MR. JAYANTHA DHANAPALA Jayantha Dhanapala
    BIOGRAPHY OF MR. JAYANTHA DHANAPALA Jayantha Dhanapala, a Sri Lankan, is currently the Senior Adviser to His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka. Dhanapala was invited to manage the peace process by the Government of Sri Lanka in mid-2004 after a distinguished career as a national and international diplomat, peace-builder, disarmament expert and articulate champion of non-discriminatory global norms, the rule of law, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and general concerns of developing countries in the collective interest of the international community. He functioned as Secretary-General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) till the end of November 2005 when he relinquished duties to devote more time to bid for the post of Secretary- General of the United Nations. Further to his duties in Sri Lanka, Dhanapala continues to be active internationally through his membership of several international groups such as the International Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission; the Governing Board of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), International Advisory Group of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); United Nations University Council; the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces; Advisory Council of the Stanford Institute for International Studies; International Board of the Bonn International Center for Conversion ; International Advisory Board of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies; and as Honorary President of the International Peace Bureau. Dhanapala has had a distinguished career spanning the private sector, government, the United Nations and academia from 1962-2004 interacting with different levels of society including Heads of State and Government and a wide diversity of nationalities.
    [Show full text]
  • Cargills Annual Report 2011.Pdf
    Cargills (Ceylon) PLC The year 2010/11 was a year of unprecedented investment for Cargills (Ceylon) PLC. We accelerated the expansion of our flagship supermarket chain while continuing to build on our strength in the food manufacturing sector. We entered new product categories and invested in people and in technology to harness this expansion. We redefined our place in the dairy sector acquiring a brand with a distinct identity that is synonymous with the industry. Through these investments we will connect our brands with millions of consumers to improve quality of life. Our investments will continue to help farmers and communities succeed, and our stakeholders enjoy sustainable returns. In the year 2011/12 and beyond our commitment towards Investing for Growth remains steadfast. Contents Our businesses 2 - 3 Financial highlights 4 - 5 Profile of Directors 6 Chairman’s statement 7 - 11 Corporate governance 12 - 16 Audit & Remuneration Committee reports 17 Risk management 18-19 Sustainability report 20 - 26 Financial information 27 - 66 Statement of value added 67 Five year financial summary 68 Group real estate portfolio 69 Investor relations supplement 70 - 71 Notice of Annual General Meeting 72 The proxy form is on page 73 2 Annual Report 2011 Our businesses Cargills (Ceylon) PLC Cargills is Sri Lanka’s largest modern retailer with more than 50% of the modern trade market share. Its pioneer venture into modern trade was an innovation of the Company’s trading legacy. Thereafter Cargills Food City continued to challenge the norm by taking to the masses what was traditionally an affluent focused business and offering ‘higher value for the lowest price’.
    [Show full text]