‘Miniature Superpower’ Australia has as one of its main foreign policy aims, the forging of a network of cooperation among countries of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and is not inclined to figure in current global political rivalries. A correlated aim of Australia is to work amicably with the international community in bilateral and multilateral fora towards establishing a rules-based international political and economic order.

The above were some of the key points that emerged from an address made by Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Paul Stephens, as Chief Guest at the Pathfinder Foundation’s ‘Ambassadors’ Round Table’ forum. The event was held on June 28, at the Colombo Club, Hotel Taj Samudra. The forum was chaired by Ambassador Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman, Pathfinder Foundation.

The round table was attended by diplomatic personnel, public personalities, heads of academic institutions and think tanks and members of the local media community, among others. Following the main presentation, a lively Q&A session followed, where queries relating to Australia’s foreign policy were aired and clarified.

Other principal observations made by H.C. Stephens, in the course of his address as well as during the Q&A, were as follows: ‘Australia is for the fostering of openness, transparency and the adherence to International Law, inclusive of the Law of the Sea, by countries of the IOR.

‘For Australia, creating an even playing field in the international system for states is vital. The unhindered exercising of sovereignty by states is also of the utmost importance. We look forward to the prospect of all the countries of the world community exercising a beneficial influence in international relations. In this connection we value very much the progressive strengthening of international institutions that aim at fostering world cooperation and the WTO is just one of these.

‘Australia believes that a collective positive response by countries is vital for the management of international disputes and tensions. Maintaining international stability, prosperity and peace is of the paramount importance for us. Australia is for working steadily in bilateral and multilateral forums for the furtherance of the common good.

‘We are in the process of strengthening relations with India. The value proposition of each of us is mutually recognized. While the liberalisation of trade between our countries is ongoing, we are also further expanding diplomatic ties. For example, we are setting up consulates in Calcutta and Bengalaru as well.

‘As for China, our position is that we cooperate with China where we can and disagree with it where we must. Generally, we are for constructive, open and stable relations with China. It is left for countries to decide whether the research conducted by China in their sea areas is beneficial to them or not.

‘Australia-Sri Lanka ties, meanwhile, are in good order. It must be remembered that Australia recognised Sri Lanka’s Independence even before it occurred. We are placing much emphasis on strengthening educational relations with Sri Lanka. Very soon, a full Australian degree would be obtainable in the latter. Besides, we place considerable emphasis on migration from Sri Lanka and on touristic ties. Australian companies, meanwhile, are increasingly interested in investing in the island.

‘We welcome current successes in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring efforts and are for a stable, prosperous and resilient Sri Lanka. This is our firm belief.

‘There are numerous issue areas in the IOR that call for international cooperation for their resolution. Just two of these are the rising temperature of the Indian Ocean and tensions related to fishing. Generally, climate change issues call for cooperative, international efforts aimed at their early resolution. We believe that by working positively in multilateral fora, such questions could be resolved by the international community.

‘Currently, the potential for international conflicts exists in the South China Sea and in regions where border disputes are ongoing. These questions call for international cooperative efforts for their peaceful resolution. However, freedom of navigation in the South China Sea has to be maintained and this is important for us.

‘For Australia, South-East Asia is important and we view the region as a strategic partner. On “good habits” and “good architecture” in the region we place considerable emphasis. Besides, it is of the utmost importance to manage tensions in this region cooperatively.

‘It is also vital to recognize that the QUAD grouping of which Australia is a member, is a purely diplomatic initiative and that it does not have an Indian Ocean focus.’

Thus, the Pathfinder forum proved to be most informative and revealing for the commentator of international politics. It is significant that Australia is seen by the latter’s authorities as a ‘Miniature Superpower’ and it was named as such by the Australian H.C. at the discussion. It could be described as a weighty middle power that is fast developing into a great power or a super power.

Australia’s increasing international stature has foreign policy implications for the developing world in general and for South and South-East Asia in particular. Right now, Australia could be described as traversing a pragmatic, and in a sense, a Non-aligned course in foreign policy practice and this trend augurs well for the South. That is, increasingly linking up with Australia on the external relations front should not prove controversial for countries such as Sri Lanka.

Besides, Southern states too need to take a leaf from Australia in its ties with China and cooperate with China where they could and disagree with it where they must. Right now, too many Southern states seem to be bending over backwards to accommodate China in particularly the economic and security spheres. This amounts to a compromising of state sovereignty.

The years ahead will be crucial for Small Sri Lanka in the area of foreign policy. Considering that it would be dependent on quite a few global economic powers to see it through its ‘debt restructuring’ exercise, it is bound to lose whatever autonomy it had in the crafting of its foreign policy parameters. To what extent, for instance, could it stand up to the US or China on crucial foreign policy questions in consideration of its financial dependence on these principal powers?

In view of the fact that the above question cannot be answered in the affirmative by Sri Lanka it would do well to increasingly broad base and strengthen its foreign relations with particularly bourgeoning big powers, such as Australia, and aim at pursuing a truly Non-aligned foreign policy.

If your answer is YES, this article is for you …

(This article was first published in The Island on 23 April 2021. It is reproduced today in view of the introduction of Octane 100 petrol to the Sri Lankan market.)

by Dr. Saliya Jayasekara

Many passenger vehicles, including three-wheelers and motorcycles are fueled by Octane 95 gasoline when Octane 92 gasoline (petrol) is available at a lower price.

Otto engine (petrol engine) is an internal combustion spark ignition engine invented by a German engineer Nicolaus Otto in 1876 and used in most of the lightweight vehicles, including cars, three-wheelers and motor bicycles. Otto engines can burn most of the hydrocarbon fuels (including hydrogen and ethanol) that can mix with air by evaporation (low boiling point). But the combustion characteristics of different hydrocarbons are not the same when burned inside an engine. If an Otto engine is designed for a particular fuel, it would not perform similarly with a fuel that has a different chemical composition.

In a well-tuned Otto engine run on gasoline for which the engine is designed, the combustion of the gasoline (petrol)/air mixture will continue smoothly from the spark plug to the piston head by igniting successive layers of the mixture as shown in Figure 1 (a).

If low grade gasolines are used, the combustion of some of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder does not result from propagation of the flame front initiated by the spark plug, but one or more pockets of air/fuel mixture explode (Detonate) outside the envelope of the normal combustion front as shown in Figure 1 (b). This detonation can cause severe damage to the piston and the head of the engine while deteriorating thermal performance of the engine (low efficiency)

Gasoline is a petroleum-derived product comprising a mixture of different hydrocarbons, ranging from 4 to 12 carbon atoms in a carbon chain with the boiling point ranging of 30–225°C. It is predominantly a mixture of paraffins, naphthenes, aromatics and olefins. Additives and blending agents are added to improve the performance and stability of gasoline. The engine designers learned that straight-chain paraffin have a much higher tendency to detonate than do branched-chain paraffin.

The tendency of a particular gasoline to detonate is expressed by its Octane number (ON). Arbitrarily, tri-methyl-pentane, C8H18 (iso-Octane) is assigned an ON of 100, while the straight-chain paraffin n-heptane, C7H16 is given an ON of zero. Hence, a fuel sample with the same anti-detonation quality as that of a mixture containing 90% iso-Octane and 10% n-heptane is said to have an ON of 90. Gasoline is made up of a mixture of mostly branched-chain paraffin with suitable additives to give an ON in the range 90 –100. It was also learned through experiments that the ON of a gasoline blends (e.g. gasoline and ethanol) can be calculated by using weighted average ON of each compound. Most importantly, the octane number has nothing to do with the heating value (Calorific value) or the purity of the fuel.

Engine thermodynamics show that engines with a high compression ratio offer higher thermal performance than engines with a low compression ratio. These engines having high compression ratio require high octane gasoline (for example Octane 95) to avoid detonation. However, using gasoline having higher Octane ratings for the engines designed for a low Octane rating (for example, 92 Octane) would not provide an additional benefit or loss, other than increased fuel cost.

Therefore, it is important to know the designed Octane number of the engine before fueling (refer owner’s manual of the vehicle). For example: the minimum ON requirement for two- and three-wheelers in south Asia is 87 (The World Bank). Most of the Toyota, Honda and Nissan models, including hybrid engines, recommend 92 Octane gasoline.

(Dr. Jayasekara received the B. Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from university of Moratuwa in 2001, and the M.Sc. and PhD degrees in decentralized power generation systems from Royal institute of technology Sweden and the Melbourne University Australia in 2004 and 2013 respectively. He has well over 13 years of national and international experience in design and installation of centralised/decentralised power plants, boilers (utility/package) and heat exchangers. Currently he is serving as a senior lecture at University of Moratuwa, a visiting lecturer and fellow at Deakin University Australia.)

Sri Lankan musicians are generally in the news, Down Under, especially in Melbourne.

Apart from our music-makers, I hardly see the spotlight being focused on other forms of entertainment.

However, the exception, I would say is the Tiya Dance Troupe, based in Melbourne.

They have been dancing their way to success and are now much in demand when it comes to special events.

This dance troupe is from the Tiya Dance Troupe & Academy Melbourne and this institution is owned by Sri Lankans, with Tiya Baranasooriya doing the needful as dance teacher and choreographer. She also happens to be the owner.

The Academy has been around for the past nine years and conduct classes connected with Sri Lankan and Bollywood dance styles.

A class in progress at Tiya Dance Troupe & Academy Melbourne

Says Tiya: “We were inactive for a short while due to the Covid pandemic but now we are in full swing.”

Tiya went on to say that the Tiya Dance Troupe & Academy Melbourne is only for females, adding that they conduct classes for Sri Lankan and other community groups living in Australia.

“Where our dance troupe is concerned, we work with many community groups and the Sri Lankan community…for Sri Lankan concerts and New Year festivals held in Melbourne, and interstate as well.

Tiya Dance Troupe will be seen in action on 28th September, in Melbourne, at a concert featuring Keerthi, Priyantha, Dharshi and Malith.