Features

Uthpala Wijesuriya’s many journeys

Published

2 years ago

2023/12/29

Thilina Walpola

Uthpala (in blue)

By Uditha Devapriya

Ever since he was small, Uthpala Wijesuriya had been interested in subjects that others did not care for. While most of his friends focused on conventional fields, he preferred subjects like history, politics, art and culture, archaeology, and anthropology. His mind was constantly probing, and he was always looking for people to engage with. Yet while he had friends who shared these interests, not many wanted to engage with them. That did not discourage him, however; it only pushed him to keep exploring.

Uthpala was born in 2003 in Mataluvava, a village located in Polpithigama in the Kurunegala district. He hailed from a rural middle-class family. His father was a Public Health Inspector, and his mother a nurse. While his father had attended Maliyadeva Collge Boys’ School, he obtained his primary education at Polpithigama National School.

In 2013 Uthpala sat for the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam. He scored 190 out of 200 marks. This was a high result, and it enabled him to obtain entry into a leading school. When cutoff marks were released a few months later, his family was informed that he would be able to attend Royal College. The new term would begin in January the following year.

In January 2014, he was boarded at the Royal College Hostel. The Royal College Hostel had its origins in a boarding establishment formed in 1868. Back then it had housed the sons of planters and Ratemahattayas,etc. After independence it turned into a residence for some of the brightest students from outside Colombo. Initially Uthpala found it difficult to adapt to this environment. Sheltered until then in a more secure and close-knit environment, he was now living in a world bigger than any he could ever dream of.

Daunted at first, he soon saw this challenge for what it was: an opportunity to discover himself. He soon identified his passions and found ways of nurturing them. At school and outside, he involved himself in a number of activities. In his first year, for instance, he won the Grade 6 English Language Prize, obtained a Distinction Pass for a Music Examination conducted by Bhatkhande University, and completed a Computer Foundation Course. He also won class prizes and commendable term reports, back-to-back.

The school and the Hostel slowly turned into an outlet for his talents. In 2014 he was part of the singing crew of a musical event called Susara. Two years later he emerged as Runners-Up in the Junior Division of the Colombo Zonal Interschool Orchestra Competition. The same year he was selected to sing at SAGA, the premier musical event at Royal.

These dovetailed with other co-curricular activities, including the General Knowledge Club, Buddhist Brotherhood, and Sinhala Language and Literary Unit. While taking part in them, he also discovered a love for sport. In 2014 he played basketball and football. Later he took part in scouting and in 2016 he entered the Boxing Pool of the L. V. Jayaweera Tournament. He slowly began to develop a passion for boxing: in 2017, he took part in the L. V. Jayaweera Tournament, and entered the Pool of the T. B. Jayah Tournament.

2017, however, was a turning point for Uthpala. The previous year he had joined the Cadet Band. Founded in 1979, the Royal College Cadet Band was regarded as an elite enclave at school. Joining it meant devoting much energy and dedication around the clock. Uthpala was willing to commit both. That, however, meant letting go of boxing.

In 2017 he took part in his first camp. From march past items, general assemblies, and match opening ceremonies, he graduated to more important events. These included stage shows, interschool competitions, training camps, Independence Day parades. He performed well in them all and received awards at his school’s Colours Night.

In 2020 Uthpala sat the O Level examamination and passed them well. This proved to be another turning point. Until now he had focused on sports. Yet it was an unspoken rule at Royal that students should engage with clubs after O Levels. Always eager to try something new, he did not want to be seen as an exception to this.

Immediately after returning to school, Uthpala thus joined not one but three clubs: the History Club, Political Science Society, and Agriculture Society. In 2021, he was appointed to the Top Boards of all three, winding up as Chairman of the History Club.

The latter position encouraged him to put his organisational skills to good use. By now the country had entered the second wave of Covid-19. Schools were sporadically shutting down and reopening, and club work had become limited to Zoom. When he started the club year, as he himself put it, “I had no clear idea how to organise it.”

Yet despite these challenges, he came up with several projects. Many of them revived projects that had been discontinued for years, such as the Professor Senarath Paranavithana Memorial Shield. Many others were new, such as “Memoirs of Serendib ‘21”, Sri Lanka’s first virtual field trip into an archaeological museum.

These projects received much acclaim. In December 2021 they scooped up awards at the College Clubs and Societies Felicitation Ceremony. Two clubs, History and Agriculture, won A grades, while the Political Science Society secured a B.

By this point another responsibility had come down on Uthpala. At the end of 2020 five new students had been appointed as Hostel Prefects. One of them was him.

While basking in his club victories, Uthpala was informed by the outgoing Senior Hostel Prefect batch that he would be appointed as the Head Prefect of the Hostel in 2022. The news came as a shock; he was not sure whether he could balance the post with his other commitments, including his studies. Complicating matters further, while the country was recovering from the pandemic, it was now on the verge an economic collapse.

He soon decided that the best way to face his doubts was to face up to them. Thus he took on the Head Prefectship of the Hostel. With a difficult club year behind him, he and his team of Prefects accepted the challenge of a difficult new year.

As predicted, the country plunged into a seemingly irrevocable economic and political crisis in 2022. Yet Uthpala and his colleagues organised a number of events. The biggest of these was the Hostel Day. Held after seven years, the Hostel Day faced its share of obstacles, to do with sponsorships and budgets, not to mention internal politics. Regardless of these issues, however, the event unfolded in August to much acclaim.

Once the Day was over, Uthpala shifted his focus to his A Levels. At this point he had to balance three responsibilities: as Hostel Head Prefect, a senior official in the Cadet Band, and, from June onwards, a Steward. Yet as he never failed to acknowledge, academics was the reason he had got into Royal. Come what may, he would not neglect them.

After months of ceaseless studying, Uthpala sat for his A Levels in January 2023. He had offered History, Political Science, and Logic. In September he received his results. He had got three As. This was enough to secure a placement at a top national university.

By now he had been appointed as a Senior Prefect. This was and is the highest honour a student can receive at Royal College. He was also appointed as the Head of the Student Archives Committee. That gave him space to combine his organisational skills with his passion for history. Soon he was organising and spearheading projects involving institutions such as the National Archives and the J. R. Jayewardene Centre. In all these initiatives, he displayed not a blind, unconditional love for his school, but a genuine interest in its history and the social and political context underlying its evolution.

While engaging in these duties, he pursued his other interests, including historical research. After leaving school he was pulled into multiple projects. He immersed himself in them, reading, writing, travelling, conducting interviews, and expanding his knowledge. In his own words, “I wanted to pick up everything and anything.”

As usual, he proved capable of balancing these activities. They got him interested in other subjects. These included anthropology and international relations. His interest in the latter eventually encouraged him to enrol for the Diploma Programme at the BCIS. Today, with his prefectship officially over, he is busy pursuing these subjects.

From his upbringing in Kurunegala to his present life in Colombo, Uthpala has lived through some interesting years. When I first met him in 2020, I found myself moved by and drawn to his passion for history. It was almost infectious; you could not fail to notice it or share it. Yet he did not just want to engage with or read up on these subjects; he wanted to engage with others who were engaged in them as well.

For the most, Uthpala has been able to realise these hopes. His work has enabled him to meet people, establish contacts, and forge new pathways. He has been fortunate. Few people deserve these opportunities. Fewer can make use of them. Despite not having even a first qualification or degree, he has done exactly that.

Uthpala is a dreamer. His mind throbbing with ideas, he is now dreaming of and planning for his future. Awaiting the commencement of university, he hopes to pursue not just law, but also sociology and anthropology. These are not popular subjects in Sri Lanka; they are not what most of his peers opt for. Yet his interest in them should not come as a surprise. People like him are rare. Ultimately, they are what this country needs.

The writer is an international relations analyst, researcher, and columnist who can be reached at udakdev1@gmail.com.

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Related Topics:Bhatkhande University Susara T. B. Jayah Uthpala Wijesuriya

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Features

The Easter investigation must not become ethno-religious politics

Published

18 hours ago

2026/04/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

Zahran and other bombers

Representatives of almost all the main opposition parties were in attendance at the recent book launch by Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila. The book written by the PHU leader was his analysis of the Easter bombing of April 2019 that led to the mass killing of 279 persons, caused injuries to more than 500 others and caused panic and shock in the entire country. The Easter bombing was inexplicable for a number of reasons. First, it was perpetrated by suicide bombers who were Sri Lankan Muslims, a community not known for this practice. They targeted Christian churches in particular, which led to the largest number of casualties. The bombing of Sri Lankan Christian churches by Sri Lankan Muslims was also inexplicable in a country that had no history of any serious violence between the two religions.

There were two further inexplicable features of the bombing. The six suicide bombings took place almost simultaneously in different parts of the country. The logistical complexity of this operation exceeded any previously seen in Sri Lanka. Even during the three decade long civil war that pitted the Sri Lankan military against the LTTE, which had earned international notoriety for suicide attacks, Sri Lanka had rarely witnessed such a synchronised operation. The country’s former Attorney General, Dappula de Livera, who investigated the bombing at the time it took place, later stated, upon retirement, that there was a “grand conspiracy” behind the bombings. That phrase has remained central to public debate because it suggested that the visible perpetrators may not have been the only planners behind the attack.

The other inexplicable factor was that intelligence services based in India repeatedly warned their Sri Lankan counterparts that the bombings would take place and even gave specific targets. Later investigations confirmed that warnings were transmitted days before the attacks and repeated again shortly before the explosions, yet they were not acted upon. It was these several inexplicable factors that gave rise to the surmise of a mastermind behind the students and religious fanatics led by the extremist preacher Zahran Hashim from the east of the country, who also blew himself up in the attacks. Even at the time of the bombing there was doubt that such a complex and synchronised operation could have been planned and executed by the motley band who comprised the suicide bombers.

Determined Attempt

The book by PHU leader Gammanpila is a determined attempt to make explicable the inexplicable by marshalling logic and evidence that this complex and synchronised operation was planned and executed by Zahran himself. This is a possible line of argumentation in a democratic society. Competing interpretations of public tragedies are part of political discourse. However, the timing of the intervention makes it politically more significant. The launch of the PHU leader’s book comes at a critical time when the protracted investigation into the Easter bombing appears to be moving forward under the present government.

The performance of the three previous governments at investigating the bombing was desultory at best. The Supreme Court held former President Maithripala Sirisena and several senior officials responsible for failing to act on prior intelligence and ordered compensation to victims. This judicial finding gave legal recognition to what victims had long maintained, that there was a grave dereliction of duty at the highest levels of the state. In recent weeks the investigation has taken a dramatic turn with the arrest and court production of former State Intelligence Service chief Suresh Sallay on allegations linked directly to the attacks. Whether these allegations are ultimately proven or disproven, they indicate that the present phase of the investigation is moving beyond negligence into possible complicity.

This is why the present moment requires political sobriety. There is a danger that the line of political division regarding the investigation into the Easter bombing can take on an ethnic complexion. The insistence that the suicide bombers alone were the planners and executors of the dastardly crime makes the focus invariably one of Muslim extremism, as the suicide bombers were all Muslims. This may unintentionally narrow public attention away from the unanswered questions regarding intelligence failures, possible political manipulation, and the allegations of a broader conspiracy that remain under active investigation. The minority political parties representing ethnic and religious minorities appear to have realised this danger. Their absence from the book launch was politically significant. It suggests an unwillingness to be drawn into a narrative that could once again stigmatise an entire community for the crimes of a handful of extremists and their possible handlers.

Another Tragedy

It would be another tragedy comparable in political consequence to the havoc wreaked by the Easter bombing if moderate mainstream political parties, such as the SJB to which the Leader of the Opposition belongs, were to subscribe to positions merely to score political points against the present government. They need to guard against the promotion of anti-minority sentiment and the fuelling of majority prejudice against ethnic and religious minorities. Indeed, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa in his Easter message said that justice for the victims of the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter Sunday attacks remains a fundamental responsibility of the state and noted that seven years on, both past and present governments have failed to deliver accountability. He added that building a society grounded in trust and peace, uniting all ethnicities, religions and communities, is vital to ensure such tragedies do not occur again.

Sri Lanka’s post war history offers too many examples of how unresolved security crises become vehicles for majoritarian mobilisation. The Easter tragedy itself was followed by waves of anti-Muslim suspicion and violence in some parts of the country. Responsible political leadership should seek to prevent any return to that atmosphere. There are many other legitimate issues on which the moderate and mainstream opposition parties can take the government to task. These include the lack of decisive action against government members accused of corruption, the passing of the entire burden of rising fuel prices on consumers instead of the government sharing the burden, and the failure to hold provincial council elections within the promised timeframe. These are issues that touch the daily lives of citizens and the health of democratic governance. They offer the opposition ample ground on which to build credibility as a government in waiting.

The search for truth and justice over the Easter bombing needs to continue until all those responsible are identified, whether they were direct perpetrators, negligent officials, or political actors who may have exploited the tragedy. This is what the victim families want and the country needs. But this search must not be turned into a partisan and religiously divisive matter such as by claiming that there are more potential suicide bombers lurking in the country who had been followers of Zaharan. If it is, Sri Lanka risks replacing one national tragedy with another. coming together to discredit the ongoing investigations into the Easter bombing of 2019 is an unacceptable use of ethno-religious nationalism to politically challenge the government. The opposition needs to find legitimate issues on which to challenge the government if they are to gain the respect and support of the general public and not their opprobrium.

by Jehan Perera

Features

China’s new duty-free regime for Africa: Implications for Global Trade and Sri Lanka

Published

18 hours ago

2026/04/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

Image courtesy The Global Times

* The new duty-free regime for Africa, announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in February, is the most generous unilateral nonreciprocal trade concession offered by any country to developing countries since the beginning of the modern rule based international trading system.

* Yet, it is a clear violation of the cornerstone of the multilateral trade law, the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle.

* Hence, its implications on developing countries, without duty-free access to China, will be extremely negative. Sri Lanka is one of the few developing countries without duty-free access to China.

On 14 February, 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China will grant zero-tariff treatment to 53 African nations, effective 01 May, 2026. Under this new unilateral policy initiative, China would eliminate all import tariffs on all goods imported from all the countries in Africa, except Eswatini. China already enforces a zero-tariff policy for 33 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Africa. Now this policy would be extended to non LDCs as well. This policy initiative clearly aims at reducing the continuously expanding trade deficit between China and Africa. In 2024, China’s trade surplus against Africa was recorded at US $ 61 billion.

This trade initiative, a precious gift amidst ongoing global trade tensions, is the most generous unilateral nonreciprocal trade concession given by any country to developing countries, since the beginning of the modern rule based international trading system.

Though this landmark announcement has far-reaching implications on global trade, as much as President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, it was almost overlooked by the global media.

Implications for Global Trade

This Chinese policy initiative, though very generous, is a clear violation of the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle and the “Enabling Clause” of the International Trade Law. The MFN principle is the cornerstone of the multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and is enshrined in Article I of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It mandates that any trade advantage, privilege, or immunity granted by a WTO member to any country must be extended immediately and unconditionally to all other WTO members. Though, the GATT “Enabling Clause” allows developed nations to offer non-reciprocal preferential treatment (lower tariffs) to developing countries without extending them to all WTO members, this has to be done in a non-discriminatory manner. By extending tariff concessions only to developing countries in Africa, China has also breached this requirement.

This deliberate violation of the MFN principle by China occurs less than 12 months after the announcement of “Liberation Day” tariffs by President Trump, which breached Article I (MFN) and Article II (bound rates) of the GATT. However, it is important to underline that the objectives of the actions by the two Presidents are poles apart; the US objective was to limit imports from all its trading partners, and China’s objective is to increase imports from African countries.

Though the importance of the MFN principle of the WTO law had eroded over the years due to the proliferation of preferential trade agreements and unilateral preferential arrangements, the WTO members almost always obtained WTO waivers, whenever they breached the MFN principle. Now the leaders of the main trading powers have decided to violate the core principles of the multilateral trading system so brazenly, the impact of their decisions on the international trading system will be irrevocable.

Implications for Sri Lanka

China’s unilateral decision to provide zero-tariff treatment to African countries will have a strong adverse impact on Sri Lanka. Currently, all Asian countries, other than India and Sri Lanka, have duty-free access, for most of their exports, into the Chinese market through bilateral or regional trade agreements, or the LDC preferences. Though Sri Lanka, India and China are members of the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), preferential margins extended by China under APTA to India and Sri Lanka are limited.

The value of China’s imports from Sri Lanka had declined from US$ 650 million in 2021 to US$ 433 million by 2025. However, China’s exports to Sri Lanka increased significantly during the period, from US$ 5,252 million to US$ 5,753 by 2025. This has resulted in a trade deficit of US$ 5,320 million. Sri Lanka’s exports to China may decline further from next month when African nations with duty-free access start to expand their market share.

Let me illustrate the challenges Sri Lanka will face in the Chinese market with one example. Tea (HS0902) is Sri Lanka’s third largest export to China, after garments and gems. Sri Lanka is the largest exporter of tea to China, followed by India, Kenya and Viet Nam. During the last five years the value of China’s imports of tea from Sri Lanka had declined significantly, from US$76 million in 2021 to US$ 57 million by 2025. Meanwhile, imports from our main competitors had increased substantially. Most importantly, imports from Kenya increased from US$ 7.9 million in 2021 to US$ 15 million in 2025. For tea, the existing tariff in China for Sri Lanka is 7.5% and for Kenya is 15%. From next month the tariff for Kenya will be reduced to 0%. What will be its impact on Sri Lanka exports? That was perhaps explained by a former Ambassador to Africa, when he urged Sri Lankan exporters to “leverage duty free access from Kenya” to expand their exports to China!

(The writer is a retired public servant and a former Chairman of WTO Committee on Trade and Development. He can be reached at senadhiragomi@gmail.com)

by Gomi Senadhira

Features

Daughter in the spotlight …

Published

18 hours ago

2026/04/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

Jeevarani Kurukulasuriya was a famous actress and her name still rings a bell with many. And now in the spotlight is her daughter Senani Wijesena – not as an actress but as a singer – and she has been singing, since the age of five!

The plus factor is that Senani, now based in Australia, is also a songwriter, plays keyboards and piano, dancer, and has filmed and edited some of her own music videos.

Says Senani: “I write the lyrics, melody and music and work with professional musicians who do the needful on my creations.”

Her latest album, ‘Music of the Mirror’, is made up of 16 songs, and her first Sinhala song, called ‘Nidahase’, is scheduled for release this month (April) in Colombo, along with a music video.

‘Nidahase’,

says Senani, is a song about Freedom … of life, movement, love and spirit. Freedom to be your authentic self, express yourself freely and Freedom from any restrictions.

In fact, ‘Nidahase’ is the Sinhala translated version of her English song ‘Free’ which made Senani a celebrity as the song was nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award in the RnB /Soul category and reached the Top 20 on the UK Music weekly dance charts, as well as No. 1 on the Yes Home grown Top 15, on Yes FM, for six weeks straight.

Senani went on to say that ‘Nidahase’ has been remixed to include a Sri Lankan touch, using Kandyan drums and the Thammattama drum, with extra music production by local music producer Dilshan L. Silva, and Australia-based Emmy Award winning Producer and Engineer Sean Carey … with Senani also in the scene.

The song was written (lyrics and melody) and produced by Senani and it features Australian musicians, while the music video was produced by Sri Lanka’s Sandesh Bandara and filmed in Sri Lanka.

First Sinhala song scheduled for release this month … in Colombo

Senani’s music is mostly Soul, Funk and RNB – also Fusion, using ethnic sounds such as the tabla, sitar, and sarod – as well as Jazz influenced.

“I also have Alternative Music songs with a rock edge, such as ‘New Day’, and upcoming releases ‘Fly High’ and ‘Whisper’“, says Senani, adding that she has also recorded in other languages, such as Hindi and Spanish.

“As much of my fan base are Sri Lankans, who have asked me to release a song in the Sinhala language, I decided to create and release ‘Nidahase’ and I plan to release other original Sinhala songs in the future.

Senani has a band in Australia and has appeared at festivals in Australia, on radio and TV in Australia, and Sri Lanka.

She trained as a vocalist, through Sydney-based Singing Schools, as well as private tuition, and she has 5th Grade piano music qualifications.

And this makes interesting reading:

“I graduated from the University of Newcastle in Australia with a Bachelor of Medicine and I work part time as a doctor (GP) and an Integrative Medicine practitioner, with a focus on nutrition, and spend the rest of the time dedicated to my music career.”

Senani hails from an illustrious family. In addition to her mum, Jeevarani Kurukulasuriya, who made over 40 films, including starring in the first colour movie ‘Ranmuthu Duwa’, her dad is Dr Lanka Wijesena (retired GP) and she has two sisters – all musical; one is a doctor, while the other is a dietitian/ psychotherapist.