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Douglas Wickramaratne – the warrior who defended SL amidst LTTE threats to his life

by Sujeeva Nivunhella in London
There was a time Douglas Wickramaratne, President of the Sinhala Association in the UK, had to be given protection by Scotland Yard after he came under threat for exposing the blatant falsehoods propagated by the LTTE to win the support of the international community.
Despite the machinations of the powerful pro-LTTE lobby at the time, the warrior that he was, Wickramaratne held his ground and pushed ahead with his concerted campaign to lay bare the atrocities of the terrorists and expose to the world the campaign of brutal terror perpetrated by the Tigers.
Many were the times he traveled to Geneva to attend the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions to help safeguard the interests of Sri Lanka in the face of Tamil diaspora inspired allegations leveled against the government.
This time around, Wickramaratne won’t be able to make his annual journey to the UNHRC sessions in Geneva to stand up and fight for the rights of the Sinhalese.
“For 40 years, I stood by my country and fought for what was right. Many people ask why I am silent now. I cannot continue any longer as my health is not too good”, he says.
He said that over the years, he was the only Sinhalese to address the UNHRC Assembly on time allocated to NGOs. On one such visit, a LTTE leader had greeted him and asked ‘Douglas why are you doing this to us?’
“I continue to receive invitations to visit Geneva to address the UNHRC sessions, but I cannot travel now due to my poor health condition”, he explained.
Recalling the time his life was under threat by LTTE supporters in London and Geneva, Wickramaratne said Scotland Yard ensured his security. At one time, Interpol was alerted about threats on his life in Geneva.
Since 1983, after his TV debate with a LTTE supporter on BBC Newsnight, he was invited by almost every British TV channel, and Al Jazeera and Press TV to participate in regular debates and discussions on Sri Lanka. In addition, he also took part in many radio programs.
Traversing down memory lane, the octogenarian recalled the famous Oxford Union Debate in 1984, where he and Bradman Weerakoon faced Prof. A. J. Wilson, S. Sivasithamparam and Dr. Neelan Thiruchelvam.
“After that, I was invited to deliver many talks and take part in seminars at Oxford University, Cambridge University, London School of Economics, Bath University among others. In addition, I also participated in debates with LTTE activists in France, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Italy, USA and Canada”, he remarked.
Referring to his 1984 visits to Toronto and the USA at the invitation of Sri Lankans there, Wickramaratne highlighted how the World Federation of Sri Lankan Associations was formed. In 1985, the second convention of the Federation was held at London Hilton attended by delegates from USA, Canada, Australia and France. Among the eminent guest speakers were Minister Lalith Atulathmudali, Anura Bandaranaika and Miss. Betty Boothroyd.
“I was elected President of the Federation and the following year I handed over the presidency to Prof. Christie Weeramantry”, he noted.
Wickramaratne is a product of Ananda College, Colombo, where he led the English debating team. He was a keen cricketer from his childhood days and was instrumental in forming the Dehiwala Sports Club at the age of 10 years, which he captained for 11 years since its inception.
He migrated to the UK in the early 1960s and joined the Savings Bank and later a Clearing Bank. At both institutions, he continued with his addiction to cricket and was elected captain, a rare privilege at the time to head an all white team.
“A Guyanese friend invited me to play for the famous West Indian Wanderers CC. Frank Worrel, Garfield Sobers, Conrad Hunte and many West Indian test cricketers had played for the Wanderers formed by Sir Leary Constantine. I was the only non-West Indian in a team from all Caribbean Islands, and we bonded well together”, he reflected with a smile.
Asked what prompted him to form the Sinhala Association in the UK, he recalled an incident he witnessed during a Sri Lanka versus England cricket match at the Colombo Oval in 1975, where about 50 Tamil youths attacked and injured a small group of cheering Sinhala students.
“On my intervention, police arrested some of the attackers. This episode made me realize the need to form a Sinhala Association. With the help of a group of dedicated patriots, the Association was formed in 1976”, Wickramaratne recalled.
He said the Association organized variety entertainment programs, concerts and meetings to bring people together, and more importantly, to educate the youth of the true situation in Sri Lanka and counter the false claims made by the LTTE.
“We have organized well attended meetings with the participation of Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, Prof. Nalin de Silva, Dinesh Gunawardena, the late Gen. Lucky Algama and Cyril Mathew and many others”, he noted.
He further said the Association afforded an opportunity to Sri Lankan artistes to perform in the UK and other European countries by organizing concerts.
Among those who performed were Amaradeva, Nanda Malini, Sisira and Indrani, H. R. Jothipala, Latha Walpola, Victor Ratnayake, Sunil Edirisinghe, T. M. Jayaratne, M. S. Fernando, Malini Bulathsinhala, Clarence Wijewardena and Mariazelle, Angeline Gunatilaka, Ivor Dennis, Gypsies, Desmond Silva and musicians like Stanley Peiris, Wijeratna Ranatunga, Rohana Weerasinghe.
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MOU signed between STEMedical USA and Sri Lanka Institute of Biotechnology to establish a laboratory with international accreditation facilities

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed this morning (15) at the Presidential Secretariat between STEMedical of the USA and the Sri Lanka Institute of Biotechnology (SLIBTEC) to establish a laboratory with internationally recognised accreditation.
The MoU for this $15 million investment project, conducted under the guidance of the National Initiative for Research and Development Commercialisation (NIRDC), was signed by Professor Hans Keirstead, founder of the American company STEMedical and on behalf of the Sri Lanka Institute of Biotechnology (SLIBTEC), by its Chairman, Professor Samitha Hettige and Chief Operating Officer, Amali Ranasinghe.
For a long time, there has been a need to enhance the capacity of laboratories with internationally recognised accreditation for testing purposes across many sectors in Sri Lanka, including health, agriculture, cosmetics and Ayurveda, as well as in the import and export fields.
Professor Gomika Udugamasooriya, Senior Presidential Advisor on Science and Technology, who attended the event, said that today is a special day for Sri Lanka and that accreditation is very important for a country. Prof. Udugamasooriya emphasised the significance of a laboratory project with such accreditation facilities in achieving the government’s objective of doubling the country’s export revenue by the year 2030.
This laboratory is expected to function as a main lab, working in conjunction with existing laboratories across the island, to ensure the quality of goods and services in various fields.
Professor Hans Keirstead, founder of STEMedical, stated that he is pleased with the current leadership in Sri Lanka, which he said has a broad vision for the scientific sector and has been able to identify developmental needs such as enhancing laboratory capacity. He also said that this project would bring many benefits to the country, not only clinically but also economically. Mr Keirstead further mentioned that it would attract the attention of economic experts and generate revenue by bringing items, such as medicines, from other countries to Sri Lanka for accreditation.
Professor Hans Keirstead, the founder of STEMedical in the United States, is an internationally recognised stem cell expert. He is also a respected entrepreneur in the field of regenerative medicine in the USA. It is also noteworthy that Professor Keirstead, who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Human Immunome Project, is among the top 100 scientists in the world, as listed by Discover Magazine.
The President’s Senior Additional Secretary, Russel Aponsu; the Director-General of the National Initiative for Research and Development Commercialisation (NIRDC), Dr Muditha Senarath Yapa; and the Chief Executive Officer of STEMedical in the United States, Dr Nistor Gabriel Loan, also attended the event.
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Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act No. 19 of 1954 – (Subject No. 31) to be revised

Service facilities, service periods, overtime allowances and provisions related to leave have been stipulated for shop and office employees by the Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act No. 19 of 1954 and has vested the subject Minister of Labour with powers to issue relevant orders by the said act.
According to the prevailing regulations, any female employee who has completed 18 years of age can be engaged in the duties of a receptionist of a hotel with accommodations, an attendant of a female coat room, an employee of a female garments room or an employee of a female washroom after 6.00 pm to 6.00 am.
However, it has been pointed out that numerous problematic situations have arose when maintaining operations, since services of female stewardesses in hotels with accommodation facilities and restaurants can only be obtained up to 10.00 pm.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Labour to revise the regulation 3 issued under Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act No. 19 of 1954, so that the female employees who are above 18 years of age can engage in duties as food presenters / stewardesses after 6.00 pm to 6.00 am in hotels with residential facilities and in restaurants.
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Cabinet gives green light to purchase 05 power sets for Sri Lanka Railway Department

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation for the procurement of five power sets.
The Sri Lanka Railway Department does not have a sufficient number of power sets to operate passenger trains in suburban areas. A minimum of 96 power sets are required to maintain uninterrupted service. Since most of the power sets currently in operation have been in service for over 20 years there are frequent interruptions and breakdowns resulting in great inconvenience to daily commuters.
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