Dr. Lal Samarakoon was born in Dehipe, Padiyapalella, Nuwara Eliya. He had his primary education at Gampola Zahira College and Ratnapura Ferguson College, and entered the University of Kelaniya from Matale Science College.

Obtaining a B Sc. degree in Physical Science with a first class, he qualified as a Surveyor from the National Survey Department and started serving the Mahaweli Development Program in Girandurukotte in 1986. Lal was awarded a Monbusho Scholarship, by the Government of Japan to obtain the Doctor of Philosophy degree in remote sensing from the university of Ehime.

He served Nippon Koei, a planning, design and construction company for several years. In 1998, Lal was appointed the Director of Geoinformatics Center of the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. He served in this position till 2018.

Dr. Lal Samarakoon has represented a generation that has seen the disaster risk management discipline transition from the sidelines of a welfare-oriented subject to a full-fledged discipline, which has emerged as a component of development discourse subsequently. He was a deep-thinking technocrat, innovative scientist, and dependable professional who firmly believed technology applications are needed to manage disasters and build climate resilience in Asia.

He observed the significant capacity gaps that exist in Asia in applying remote sensing and GIS tools in disaster risk management, and supported the countries in the Asia region to reduce these capacity gaps over the last 30 years. During his longstanding career at the Geoinformatics Center of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) he developed methodologies which provided better exposure for disaster management professionals in the region to use spatial information in Disaster Risk Management.

He successfully partnered with other international technical and academic institutes, including with the postgraduate Institute of Science in Sri Lanka, broadening the objectives and opportunities for cross-learning. His work was instrumental to prove that scientific advancement can be utilized successfully and cost-effectively to improve disaster risk management and climate adaptation practices.

His work as a scientist supported applying spatial data in several countries in the Asia region; the Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal for disaster risk reduction. Dr. Samarakoon will be remembered for his pioneering and outstanding contributions to Sri Lanka, and other countries in the Asia region with scientific innovation, training, education and policy support. His untiring efforts have helped create a pool of disaster risk management practitioners in mandated institutions, a much needed contribution for meeting the current day disaster and climate risk challenges.

May he attain nibbana,

N.M.I.S. Arambepola
Nirmala Fernando
Madhavi Malalgoda Ariyabandu

In the wake of Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s appointment as President, an unsettling narrative has emerged from a small but vocal group of intellectuals within the Sri Lankan society. This faction seems intent on portraying the National People’s Power (NPP) as a social entity burdened with history of violence, a portrayal that is not only misleading but also dangerous in its potential repercussions for national unity.

The intellectual critique in question often draws upon past events from Sri Lanka’s turbulent history—specifically the insurrections of 1971 and 1988. These events, which were marked by political unrest and significant bloodshed, are being referred to create a negative image of the NPP, depicting it as an organisation with a legacy of violence.

While these incidents undoubtedly left deep scars on the national psyche, the selective emphasis on these periods, while glossing over other equally important historical contexts, is concerning. Most notably, the narrative ignores the three-decade-long terrorism perpetuated by the LTTE, which claimed thousands of lives and posed an existential threat to the country’s sovereignty. This omission, whether deliberate or inadvertent, raises questions about the motives behind such critiques.

Interestingly, this narrative is not confined to private intellectual circles. It has found its way into the mainstream media, including television programmes where a small section of the elite has voiced these concerns. Their views, though presented under the guise of objective analysis, appear to be rooted in specific historical grievances rather than a balanced understanding of the NPP’s present-day policies and leadership.

The portrayal of the NPP as a violent faction is not only misleading but also problematic for the broader national discourse. By continuously referring to past insurrections without addressing the socio-political context in which the NPP operates today, these intellectuals risk fostering division, rather than promoting constructive dialogue about the country’s future.

What is particularly troubling is the potential impact of these narratives on the minds of the innocent populations in the North and East of Sri Lanka. These regions, already burdened by decades of conflict, are especially vulnerable to manipulations of historical narratives. The attempt to seed fear and distrust through selective memories of the past could widen ethnic and political divides, reversing the hard-won progress made in reconciliation and peacebuilding efforts.

The implications of these actions are profound. If left unchecked, this manipulation of historical facts could fuel distrust, especially in communities that are still healing from the traumas of war. Such divisive rhetoric, which paints certain political movements in broad, negative strokes, undermines efforts to foster national unity, which is critical at this juncture in Sri Lanka’s development.

It is imperative that both the government and the informed public remain vigilant in the face of these developments. While free speech and intellectual discourse are essential in any democracy, the dissemination of false or misleading information must be addressed with caution. The current administration, along with media outlets and thought leaders, must prioritise the accurate representation of political parties and movements, ensuring that all voices are heard in an atmosphere of respect and truth.

Furthermore, the intellectual elite must recognise their responsibility in shaping public opinion. Rather than perpetuating narratives rooted in selective memory and old political rivalries, they should engage in constructive dialogue about how Sri Lanka can move forward—socially, politically, and economically. Only by acknowledging the complexities of the past and focusing on the present can the country achieve the progress and development it desperately needs.

In conclusion, the emerging portrayal of the NPP as a faction tainted by historical violence is a dangerous oversimplification of a more complex reality. It is crucial that all stakeholders, from the government to the intellectual elite, approach political discourse with a sense of responsibility and an eye toward the future. Only then can Sri Lanka continue its path toward reconciliation, unity, and sustainable development.

K R Pushparanjan

Canada

One of the key happenings in human history, is the so-called “Industrial Revolution,” that originated about two centuries ago, (principally in Europe, North America and Japan), as the focal points. These are now broadly defined as “Developed Countries.” They distinguish themselves as having higher per capita incomes, and thereby offering their citizens better living conditions than do the “Developing” or “Less developed” ones.

It is tempting yet erroneous, to believe that what prevailed two centuries ago, can be transposed today to other countries including Sri Lanka, presently classified among the “Developing Countries.”

Typically, the industrial era manifested as a movement away from farming and towards machinery driven enterprises. The unspoken corollary is that what worked for them then, should do for us now.

This is a presumption that is unlikely to happen. Although a small tropical country within the Monsoon belt, we are fortunate in being spared weather-related atmospheric perturbations such as hurricanes, cyclones and tsunamis, that assail other similar countries and locations.

Overall, we are fortunately blessed with largely favourable climatic conditions and reasonably fertile soils, to ably support a sustainable, diversified and a seemingly unique mosaic of farming, livestock and forestry. This is worthy of protection.

By virtue of our geography, climate, tradition and aptitude, we are well positioned to be a dominant base for a vibrant Agrarian Economy.

A composite of the sectors deriving from plants and animals, best suits our natural strengths. This leads us logically to seek economic advancement through this sector, with a blend of farming, livestock and forestry, to best support environmental stability as our long-term goal.

Two factors that are poised to impact on Worldwide agriculture, are “global warming” and a looming water crisis. These will affect different regions with differing severity. This has aroused much international concern. Sri Lanka would do well to prepare itself for this eventuality.

In the particular context of Sri Lanka, the priority considerations in the agricultural sector, calling for close and timely attention are as follows:

(i) Correcting weaknesses in the Extension Services which are primarily blamed for under- performance. All officers concerned, would benefit from periodic exposure to training that is designed for upgrading knowledge and sharpening requisite skills.

(ii) The Sri Lankan Agricultural Sector divides into two components, –namely, the Export and Local Crop sectors. Animal farming is set apart, and historically has received less attention. However, the recently expanding poultry industry, has resulted in greater attention to livestock expansion.

(iii) In Ceylon’s colonial history, it was the British, who exercised their sovereignty over the whole island, succeeding the Portuguese and Dutch, who were confined to the coastal regions. Cinnamon was the first crop that attracted the colonizers, this was followed sequentially by Cinchona (Pyrethrum, on a small scale) and Coffee. In the 1840’s, the invasion by the Coffee Rust (Hemileia vastatrix) laid waste the Coffee plantations. Tea took over and rapidly expanded, mainly by encroaching into Highland Forest areas. Little attention was given to environmental and social consequences. Meantime, Rubber plantations dominated in the wetter Lowlands. A while later, attention was directed towards coconut.

Research Institutes – TRI, RRI and CRI were established to cater to the needs of the fast-developing Plantation Crops.

The introduction of Plantation Crops had far-reaching and lasting Economic, Political, Social, Environmental and Cultural consequences. The recently established Minor Export Crops, mainly serviced the Spice Crops Cinnamon, pepper, Nutmeg and Cardamom. Also, Cocoa and Coffee. Sugar, Cashew and Palmyra are crops that are developing their own support structures.

All others are catered for by the Department of Agriculture, whose main efforts are focused on the Paddy sector. This is a sector that had received scant attention from the colonial British, who had an understandable preference for importation of rice from colonial Burma and Thailand.

(v) This cleavage (into export and local sectors), while having several operational advantages, also created problems. These include social and citizenship complexities, arising from the large importation of labour from South India, to develop the rapidly increasing new plantation areas. The early tea estates were in the Central Hills, and also resulted in widespread expropriation of private and peasant- owned lands. This is still a silent concern.

(v) Since it is impossible to balance the requirements and production of agricultural produce, scarcities and gluts are not uncommon. Scarcities are met by imports, while surpluses largely result in wastage. This can be as high as 35% in the case of perishable vegetables and fruits. To deal with such surpluses, obvious remedies include providing better storage facilities with protection from insects, fungi, rodents and other marauders. Such storage could suit Paddy, maize, pulses, peanuts and some fruits.

In the case of vegetables, much fruit and other perishable produce,

post-harvest handling and transport are key needs.

Where appropriate, preservation by simply drying (by Sun, ovens or other equipment), freezing, canning, bottling and packaging are means of coping with surpluses and in most cases, also as a means of value addition.

These are the considerations paramount in developing a profitable and sustainable Agriculture – which will continue to play a key role in the National Economy.

Dr. Upatissa Pethiyagoda