Symposia & Conferences
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Item The Separatist Problem of Sri Lanka as a Creation of the Westerners and their “Discourses”(University of Kelaniya, 2005) de Silva, N.There are many explanations of, and interpretations given to the separatist problem faced by Sri Lanka. Some are of the opinion that the problem is due to the hegemony of the majority Sinhala people who have not given any solutions to the grievances faced by the Tamils. Some others view it as a terrorist problem created by a group(s) of armed youth. In this paper it is argued that the problem of Sri Lanka is essentially a problem created by the western powers the Dutch, the British and now the Scandinavian countries, aided by the western social sciences that dictate the ‘theories’ and the ‘concepts’ which have to be used in any ‘discourse’. The ‘discourse’ has been defined in the west, and it can be shown that we are forced to believe that Sri Lanka is in the process of building a nation that should accommodate Sinhalas, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers and others. The ‘discourse’ further states that there is a Sinhala Buddhist supremacy that discriminates the Tamils and the other ethnic groups. In the present paper, on the contrary, we argue that the Sinhala nation has been in existence for more than two thousand years and that the ‘minorities’ were a creation of the Dutch and the British. It is not a difficult task to show that the western Christian powers that ruled the Maritime Provinces for more than three hundred years, and then the entire country for a further one hundred and fifty years directly discriminated mainly against the Sinhala Buddhists. The colonialists favoured the Tamils and the other ‘minorities’ in legislature, employment, etc., and when the Sinhala Buddhists began to fight for their due place in the country, beginning in the latter part of the nineteenth century, they were ridiculed, branded as racists and their leaders were ill-treated. It is shown that the struggle of the Sinhala Buddhists was presented as an imposition of discrimination against the Tamils, Christians, etc. Thus, the British were able to cover up their discrimination against the Sinhala Buddhists who were fighting to gain proper recognition for them and their culture. The Tamils were encouraged to fight against the Sinhala people by the British governors who took extra pains to deprive the Sinhala people and the Sinhala Buddhist culture their due place in the country. It is recorded history that the British did not give adequate representation to the Sinhala people in the legislature beginning with the appointment of one member each to represent the Sinhala people, the Tamils and the Burghers, in the legislative assembly though the demography and the history called for more representations to the Sinhala people. It is finally argued that the present is only a continuation of the past with the Scandinavians also coming into the picture, and that the westerners are only making use of the Tamils, and that the so-called peace advocated by the Scandinavians is nothing but a humiliating defeat for the Sinhala Buddhists, and a strengthening of the bogus claims by some Tamils that the so-called Tamil homeland should finally end up as a separate state.Item Ethnic Violence in Sri Lanka: Comparing Security Solutions from other Similar Intractable Conflicts(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Imre, R.; Govinnage, S.Sri Lanka has been a focus of international attention since July 1983 due to the ongoing civil war, which has claimed over 60,000 people since it broke out. The civil war and associated ethnic violence has not only claimed human lives, but also delayed social advancement and economic prosperity in this island nation once regarded as a model for a developing nation. Despite international intervention for a ‘peaceful solution’ the country is at crossroads with an uncertain future. This paper will explore the possibility of moving beyond the irreducible categories of ethnicity and show how other peoples have overcome similar violent political conflicts elsewhere emphasising the possible lessons for Sri Lanka. When we look at intractable conflicts around the world, we often find political actors who are entrenched in their own battles for power. This power manifests itself in a number of ways such as, territory, voting rights, special concessions, language rights, cultural rights, as well as several other political expressions of a struggle for power and authority. In many cases, the struggle for power must take on an ethnic dimension in order to ensure that the conflict is one between two distant ‘others’. Without this dimension it might not be possible to negotiate on a type of universality and core values that bind ‘ethnicities’. In this paper we will draw out the similarities of these conflicts to some aspects of the civil war in Sri Lanka in an attempt to provide a set of comparative political tools for the understanding of similar conflicts around the world.Item Historical Review on Herbal Trading in Sri Lanka, with Special Reference to Post- Colonial Era(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Wickramarachchi, W.J.; Sharma, C.P.Sri Lanka possess remarkably rich flora with approximately about 3,000 species of vascular plants, over a quarter are endemic. The number of species used in traditional medicine is estimated to be between 550 and 700. An inscription discovered in King Nissankamalla's council chamber on the bound of Topawewa in Polonnaruwa states that the King granted certain immunities to the land owner on condition that, land owner pays yield interest to a hospital. The inscription states "The same land shall be rented to yield interest and one Pala (of dried ginger) should be given year after year as rent to the hospital founded by Dotivalakna. Should it not be possible to give the dried ginger a huna of gold should be given’ Paranawithana 1934 - (Pala and Huna were ancient units of measurements). Ayurvedic medicinal system was originated in India and it is said to be well-established in Sri Lanka by 500 BC. By the sixth century the Persians had settled in Sri Lanka in considerable numbers. It was described in texts that Sri Lanka had contact with China from third A. D. and China considered Sri Lanka as an important enterport centre where trans-shipment of various goods from east and the west took place. One of the Chinese text Tai Ping Yu Lan written by Yang tzu in the third century A. D. contains a briefing that "Shihtze (Sri Lanka) country produces Cinnabar, Mercury, Hsun-lun, Turmeric, Slorax, Eostus and perfumes". Different Sinhalese kings were also shown an interest towards establishing direct trade relations with outside world in medieval times. In the twelfth century the country’s international trade share, increased and king Parakramabahu I, even set up a department called ‘Antarangadhara’(The Department of Trade in the ancient period) in order to organize trade. Spices was one of the major requirement in Ayurveda and included almost all the herbs with 17 and 18 century observed Sri Lanka's position in the contemporary market, especially in the international trade of spices. These significant changes occurred largely due to policies of two European nations that captured Ceylon, was Portuguese. After realizing value of Ceylon as a trading point and the available resources they declared cinnamon as a monopoly in 1614. Unfortunately this policy was not correlatively followed and administered as certain Portuguese officials were engaged in this trade. It was said that 1500 Bahars (9380) valued cinnamon had been exported in 1630 per annum.Item The Nature, Problems and Challenges of Handicraft Industry in Sri Lanka(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Masakorala, P.P.There are varies develop met strategies, which have been tested to develop Sri Lanka. But still the country is in the category of poor countries. In the attempt of attaining development there are several problems. Therefore and alternative ways are needed to overcome those problems. One alternative is the development of small -scale industries. In this study the possibility of handicraft industry as a small -scale industry as a solution to the present development problems is the focus. The scope is this study is to identify the problems and challenges of handicraft industry so that it can be integrated into the development process in such a way that it can be a partial solution to the present development problem. In this study five handicraft are selected. Marks making and woodcarving are wood based industries while handloom, lace and batik are textile- based industries of which the nature, problems and the challenges are studied. Under the nature of handicraft industries the raw material and the tools and equipments use, the nature of the labour, how they are finance and marketer, the social economic nature of the craftsmen is studied. Beside the handicraft related institutions and their role are also discussed. Under the problem of these industries the problems of access to raw materials, problems of labour attraction, problems of technology and finance and the marketing problems, the problems of institutions are identified. What craftsmen suggest to overcome those problems? However there are unique problems to each handicraft industry and there are common problems as well. Among the challenges of handicraft industry the scarcity and depletion of natural stocks of raw materials, the timely availability of raw materials and the finance, the discontinuity of craft skills, poor social recognitions of handicraft, poor income, migration to other jobs, reluctance to use new technology, inability to afford to by new technology, competition of imported substitute, high cost of production, the bureaucracy and the lack of extension programs of the institutions and the challenges of middle men are most important. When the current nature and the problems of handicraft industry are concern, in some aspect it can be a solution to the present development problem but not a perfect solution. These industries are less attractive to youth and they are closed to the cities. Therefore handicraft industry may not be a solution for the unemployment in the rural areas. The handicraft industry can be developed if the tourist industry grows. The government intervention is needed to promote the local market for handicraft. There are some potential, which can be utilize to improve handicraft industry.Item Impact of Central Bank Repurchase and Reverse Repurchase Rates Changes on Interbank Call Money Market in Sri Lanka(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Narayana, S.N.B.M.W.; Weerakoon Banda, Y.K.The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is responsible for monetary management of the country so as to achieve its basic objectives. In order to do so, the Central Bank formulates and executes monetary policy. Monetary policy involves policies that affect the cost and availability of money. The Central Bank possess a wide range of tools to be used as instruments of monetary policy. Open Market Operations are one such among many others. Under open market operations, the Central Bank may purchase or sell government or government guaranteed securities in the open market to control the market liquidity. In order to develop open market operations and to stabilize the highly volatility in call market rates, the Central Bank introduced the sale of Treasury bills under Repurchase Agreements (Repos) and Reverse Repurchase Agreements (Reverse Repos) for secondary market transactions and those rates (Policy Rates) have become more important as these rates are more easily controlled by the Central Bank on a daily basis. Inter-bank call money market participants are the immediate respondents to the Open Market Operations (OMO) and accordingly, the participants in call money market adjust their rates on the announcement of the Repo and Reverse Repo rate announcements, which lead to a change in interest rate scenario in the market. The objectives of the study are, to examine whether the monetary policy of CBSL is efficiently implemented by using the CBSL instruments like Repo and Reverse Repo rates (Policy Rate), and to check whether the changes in the Repo and Reverse Repo rates have an effect upon the inter-bank call money market behavior and study the relationship between them. The study is significant as to the extent of the validity of the signaling mechanism of the CBSL. To examine the effects on the call money market upon the changes in the CBSL Repo and Reverse Repo announcements, the Event Study methodology has been employed and to test significance of the results (changes in interest rates) T test has been employed. In collocating data, the Repo announcements have been collected from the CBSL and the inter-bank call money rates have been collected from dealers of various commercial bank treasuries. The results conclude that the announcements of Repo and Reverse Repo rates changes affect call money market rates and these changes appear to signal unanticipated changes in future monetary policy of the country. But the Reverse Repo facility operates in the opposite manner, which indicates a further examination is required. In general the findings support the conclusion that the inter-bank call money market adjust rapidly to information contained in the CBSL official rates changes and 10th ICSLS – Financial Management and New Trend in Sri LankaItem Human Rights in the Corporate Sector: Applicability of the UN Norms in the Context of Sri Lanka(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Nilakshan, S.; Rajapakse, B.‘Human Rights’ is an amorphous and dynamic subject, which addresses issues concerning the rights of each and every individual in the society. States have the primary obligation to protect human rights but the Universal Declaration of Human Rights demands that human rights shall be ‘respected, recognised and observed’ by ‘every organ of society’. The UN has developed a set of “Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights”, which seek to clarify what adherence to different rights should entail in practice for companies. This research tends to assess the extent of awareness and concern in the Sri Lankan corporate sector on the need to incorporate promotion and protection of human rights into their business policies relating to Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). The study also analyses the preference of the corporate sector and policymakers on whether the set of voluntary guidelines or a compulsory compliance mechanism should be in place for the promotion and protection of human rights in the corporate sector. In the process of data collection, different business stakeholders were interviewed and a questionnaire was distributed among senior management level employees in the corporate sector to obtain their views and preferences. Additionally, annual reports of selected public companies were also perused. The UN Human Rights Norms for Business was used as the conceptual framework to compare and analyse the existing practices in the Sri Lankan corporate sector and the applicability of the Norms in the context of Sri Lanka. The study found that, though members of the Sri Lankan corporate sector are not very familiar with the recent initiatives of the UN Human Rights Norms for Business, they have realised the importance of ensuring the rights of the community and the employees in their business operations. So that, they have already voluntary taken many initiatives for the protection of the human rights enumerated in the UN Norms for business sector.Item Estate Tamil: A New Variety of Tamil(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Wijeratne, W.M.Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) was under the British empire for about 150 years. The British brought about many changes. Linguistically, they are responsible for two major issues: firstly, they introduced English to Sri Lanka, secondly, they paved the path for the introduction of "Indian Tamil", a variety of Tamil spoken in Tamil Nadu. In Sri Lanka, "Indian Tamil" has been spoken mainly by the labourers, brought to Sri Lanka by the British planters (or by their agents), and their descendents. This, variety of Tamil was also called "Coolie Tamil" (Tamil spoken by the Coolies/labourers) as the users were labourers paid on a daily basis (who were Indian migrants). It was also named as 'toottat tamiL' (Estate Tamil, hereafter ET) and ‘malait tamil' (tea plantation Tamil). In Sri Lanka, over several decades, ET evolved independently. Therefore, it differs from Sri Lankan Tamil (SLT), spoken in northern and eastern parts of the country, as well as Tamil spoken in (South) India. The differences occur at every level of the language: phonology, morphology and syntax. SLT differs from Tamil spoken in Tamil Nadu (Indian Tamil) as it has retained several archaic features. Hence, obviously, IT contrasts with SLT. Yet, until recently ET and Tamil spoken in India were considered to be the same. As a result, the differences between ET and Indian Tamil were not noticed. Therefore, some considered these two varieties as the same. This paper is an attempt to exhibit some distinctive features in ET and show that ET and Indian Tamil are not identical. It discusses two main aspects of ET. First, it elaborates the sociolinguistic facts that caused the independent evolution of ET. Second, it discusses the distinctiveness of ET.Item The Present Socio-Economic-Political Culture and the Myth of English as an Access to Social Equality in Post-Colonial Sri Lanka(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Wickramasuriya, S.R.This study investigates the myth of the English language as an access to equality in the post-colonial era in the present socio-economic-political culture in Sri Lanka. This is a literature-oriented research study based on the current state of English language and the role of English language education, in facilitating the process of poverty reduction and the promotion of equality in Sri Lanka. The researcher attempts to clarify the opinions, biases, presuppositions and interpretations of the existing socio-economic and political culture in relation to English as a language of opportunities and equality. The analysis of data reveals the dominant power of English as a global language, and the inequality in relation to access and allocation of public resources in diverse communities. Furthermore, it exposes recent proposals and accountabilities of the government on the elimination of poverty and the myth about English language as a panacea. The majority of the Sri Lankan hold the view that English, as a universal language, is vital not only for lucrative local or foreign employment opportunities, but also for equal social standing. It is revealed in the data that while the affluent parents clamour for international or foreign schooling to secure better prospects for their children, the government faces increasing pressures to fulfil the demands of the majority of lowincome parents whose children belong to the state school system. It seems the access to equal opportunities, to learn English, has created a social gap between the elite and the majority of low-income communities. Thus, the government contemplates establishing English as the medium of instruction and a compulsory subject. A conclusion could be drawn that the common use of English, the initiation of the language policy in education and the expectations of the masses could all be at odds. Thus this myth of English as a language of opportunities needs to be urgently addressed if the expected socio-economic-political and national goals of elimination of poverty and promotion of equality are to be achieved in Sri Lanka.Item Softening of Ethnic Boundaries in Michael Ondaatje’s Anil’s Ghost(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Jayasinghe, M.Michael Ondaatje’s Anil’s Ghost published in 2000, depicts the ‘dark’ almost anarchic period in Sri Lanka, during which the armed forces had to combat the Sinhalese insurgents in the South, the Tamil separatist guerillas in the North and certain other disruptive elements in the country. Anil Tissera, Sri Lankan, an expatriate and a forensic specialist is forced on the government by the UNO to investigate the mysterious happenings of this period. Unable to accomplish her assignment because the proof of the case she builds up is spirited away, Anil is compelled to leave the country. Critics (Ismail, Kanaganayagam, Mukherjee and Sugunasiri) of Anil’s Ghost, accuse Ondaatje of being partial, apolitical and ahistorical. Even if so, this can be justified, because Ondaatje is neither a historian nor a sociologist, but a fiction writer. Hence, having no obligation to be committed to history. The author’s mixed origins, his multiple experiences obtained by residing abroad, interwoven with his status of a migrant writer, enables him to look at his country’s problems with a different point of view. Therefore, perhaps a mellow approach towards ethnic separations. Ondaatje seems to use doctors – those who have taken the vow of Hippoclytes – by design to present his opinion. At present, when an uneasy peace prevails in Sri Lanka, a paper of this nature seems opportune as its objective is to interpret Ondaatje’s attempt to attenuate the communal differences between the Sinhalese and the Tamils by giving priority to humanity than to ethnic identities. Reading critical works on the author and the novel, obtaining information through the Internet, and participating in discussions (study groups, literary circles) contributed to the writing of this paper. To conclude, though visibly Anil’s Ghost is a rendering of the troubled times in Sri Lanka, it holds a theme of universal importance where humanity could transcend racial barriers.Item IT Industry Labour Turnover: The Reality(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Jinadasa, L.; Wickramasinghe, V.At the time of regaining independence, though the Sri Lankan economy was open to free trade, it was mainly dominated by agriculture. Since the adoption of liberal economic policies in 1977, new industries have been created and the export structure has become diversified. One such emerging industry is Information Technology (IT). After mid-1990s an expansion in the IT industry has been witnessed with many local and international companies setting up operations to cater to international market. As IT companies build on knowledge workers, absorbing such qualified employees become the focal point. In the competitive IT labour market, companies make substantial investment by adopting various strategies to recruit qualified knowledge workers creating a high IT labour turnover rate in the industry. This not only influences performance and stability of the IT industry, but also increases the costs of recruitment and selection of knowledge workers. In this context, arising IT labour turnover issues should be addressed. This paper investigates reasons for IT industry labour turnover and related retention issues. In the study, survey questionnaire was used and 158 randomly selected knowledge workers (all graduates) responded. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. The findings gave an insight into the knowledge worker turnover behaviour in which only 6% satisfied with their current job with the current employer while 24% intended to leave the current employer, if they get a better job offer from another IT company in Sri Lanka. Being a lucrative global industry, another 24% intended to leave, if they get a job offer or a permanent residency in a foreign country. A detailed analysis of IT industry labour turnover, individual expectations, management issues in the IT industry and practical implications of the findings are discussed.