The world renown TV Channel in an exclusive report on best places to visit has categorized Sri Lanka as the 2nd best place to visit. Out of the 20 countries it many well known tourist destinations are listed far behind Sri Lanka. Under this list Hong Kong occupies the 9th place, Bali 7th place, Mauritius 4th place and Zanzibar 3rd place. In an exclusive report on Sri Lanka the commentators Travel Writer of the Times, Jil Crawshow and Editor of Wandertrust Magazine describes Sri Lanka as definitely a best place to visit.

Opening the commentary with the first world traveler Marco Polos description of Sri Lanka as the Jade Pendant in the Indian Ocean the commentators say Sri Lanka is exactly what it is and Sri Lanka has got basically everything for a tourist.

Commenting about the beaches, they say Sri Lanka has hundreds of miles of amazingly undiscovered beaches and coral marine life, and it is one of the greatest island for beaches. The comment that Sri Lanka got a wonderful history and culture in a really small space and describes the ancient 6th century city Sigiriya, the palace built on a top of rock as place not to miss.

Commenting on Sri Lankas wild life and the availability of elephants and leopards, they make special reference to the Pinnawala Elephant Sanctuary. They describe that Pinnawala was started in 1975 with 7 elephants and it has now 65 elephants and it is the largest herd in captivity.

The commentators have not even spared to mention about the food available in Sri Lanka. They say that if anyone wants to taste spicy curry then, definitely, Sri Lanka is the place to go.

On 10th January New York Times placed Sri Lanka on the top of the list of “The 31 Places to Go in 2010“

—
Direct flights between Lanka, Switzerland soon
Dec 10 (DN) Swiss Ambassador Thomas Litscher said he would work towards establishing a direct airline connection between Sri Lanka and Switzerland. Litscher who called on Prime Minister D M Jayaratne at Visumpaya Tuesday, said over 10,000 Swiss tourists arrived in Sri Lanka last year.

—-
TOURISM INFORMATIONS SOURCES

Official Tourism Sites – Sri Lanka

1. Sri Lanka Tourism
2. Sri Lanka Travel
3. Hotels and other documents
4. World Travel Guide – Sri Lanka
5. Lonely Planet Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Airlines

1. Sri Lanlan Official website
2. Arrivals & Departures

SRI LANKA HOLIDAY CALENDER

SRI LANKA HOLIDAY PACKAGES & INFORMATIONS

1. Jetwing Travels
2. Sri Lanka
3. Thomsons UK
4. Travelpod
5. Go-Lanka

ATRRACTIONS

1. Horton Plains- Central highlans-beautiful landscapes
2. Nuwara-eliya: central highland: beautiful mountains, waterfalss, tea estates/factories(ceylon tea)
3. Ancient cities-Anruadhapura
4. Marco Polo’ historic tour

“Ich bin ein New Yorker!” Dat leek de centrale boodschap van Geert Wilders bij zijn toespraak op Ground Zero. Zonder dat hij die woorden letterlijk uitsprak, overigens. Wilders deed veel moeite om te laten zien dat hij de gevoelens van de aanwezige actievoerders begreep. Zijn toespraak was bovendien doorspekt met fraaie stijlfiguren. En toch overtuigde de speech nauwelijks. “I stand here before you as a Dutchman and a European”, zo sprak hij. Daar zat ‘m precies het probleem: geen moment stond hij daar als Geert Wilders.

Door onze expert Lars Duursma

Nederland vs buitenland
Er is een groot verschil tussen de toespraken die Geert Wilders in Nederland geeft en de toespraken die hij in het buitenland houdt. In Nederland houdt Wilders ervan om te verrassen met memorabele metaforen en te shockeren met controversiële ideeën. In het buitenland is de toon van zijn toespraken gematigder en de inhoud veel voorspelbaarder. De meeste uitspraken die de media halen (“Mr. Erdogan is a total freak”) doet Wilders wanneer hij improviseert tijdens interviews en persconferenties. Tijdens speeches zet hij rustig uiteen hoe de islam geen onschuldige religie zou zijn maar een gevaarlijke ideologie. Ook vertelt hij hoe blij hij is dat hij deze speech kan geven, waarbij hij benadrukt hoe de vrijheid van meningsuiting onder druk staat.

Een mooie illustratie daarvan is de openingspassage uit een speech die hij anderhalf jaar geleden gaf in New York:

Thank you very much for inviting me. And – to the immigration authorities – thank you for letting me into this country. It is always a pleasure to cross a border without being sent back on the first plane. Today, the dearest of our many freedoms is under attack all throughout Europe. Free speech is no longer a given. What we once considered a natural element of our existence, our birth right, is now something we once again have to battle for.

Het is inmiddels zijn standaard openingsgrap bij toespraken in het buitenland. Zoals bij zijn speech bij de House of Lords op 5 maart van dit jaar:

It is great to be back in London. And it is great that this time, I got to see more of this wonderful city than just the detention centre at Heathrow Airport.

Speech of Geert Wilders

Onwennige opening
De speech die Wilders gisteren uitsprak kende een heel andere en misschien daardoor ook een wat onwennige start. De voorbereide versie van de speech die enkele minuten na de toespraak online stond, begon zo:

Dear friends,

May I ask you to be silent for ten seconds? Just be silent and listen. Ten seconds. And listen… What we hear are the sounds of life in the greatest city on earth. No place in the world, no place in human history, is as richly varied and vibrant and dynamic as New York City. You hear the cars, you hear the people, you hear them rushing to their various destinations, you hear the sounds of business and of pleasure, you hear the cheers, you hear the cries, the buzzing sounds of human activity. And that is how it should be. Always.

Now close your eyes – I know it’s a beautiful day, but close your eyes. I have been told that this day nine years ago was just such a beautiful day — and remember, or try to remember, or try to imagine the sounds which were heard here on this spot under this same blue sky exactly nine years ago. The sound of shock, the sound of destruction, the sound of panic, the sound of pain, the sound of terror. Did New York deserve this? Did America deserve this? Did the West deserve this? What, my friends, would you say to people who argue that New York, that America, that the West had itself to blame for those horrible sounds? There are people in this city who argue this. And they are angry because we are gathered here today to commemorate, to make a stand, to draw the line.

Een typisch Amerikaanse opening, volgens het boekje haast. Maar dat is niet hoe Wilders gisteren zijn speech begon. In plaats daarvan improviseerde Wilders:

“Ladies and gentlemen, let me start by saying: “No mosque here!” “

Toen de aanwezige actievoerders de laatste zin enthousiast overnamen en veelvuldig scandeerden, leek Wilders wat uit zijn element. Uiteindelijk complimenteerde hij de groep — Exactly! — maar soepel ging het allerminst. Onwennig leek het zelfs, die publieksinteractie. Datzelfde geldt voor de overgang naar de oorspronkelijke opening. Die zo emotioneel en gevoelig bedoelde passage viel nu wat in het water.

Quotes van derden
Wat Wilders wel weer slim deed, was het quoten van derden. Voor het Amerikaanse publiek haalde hij onder meer uitspraken aan van burgemeester Bloomberg en oud-presidenten Ronald Reagan en Abraham Lincoln. De quote van Reagan gaf hij extra symboliek door te benadrukken dat hij die ooit uitsprak in Normandië, 40 jaar na D-Day:

We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.

Zoiets doet Wilders wel vaker. Zo quote hij graag Winston Churchill, en dan met name de volgende quote:

Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. No stronger retrograde force exists in the World. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step (…) the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.

Subtiel benadrukt Wilders ook vaak dat Churchill de Koran vergeleek met Mein Kampf in zijn alom geprezen boek ‘The Second World War’. Een boek dat beloond werd met de Nobelprijs voor de literatuur.

Onpersoonlijk
Ten opzichte van eerdere speeches in het buitenland valt een belangrijk verschil op: het totale gebrek aan persoonlijke elementen in zijn toespraak. Doorgaans weet Wilders zijn eigen biografie naadloos te verweven met de centrale boodschap van de toespraak. Bijvoorbeeld zo, bij zijn eerdere speech in New York:

As you might know, I will be prosecuted, because of my film Fitna, my remarks regarding Islam, and my view concerning what some call a ‘religion of peace’. A few years from now, I might be a criminal. Whether or not I end up in jail is not the most pressing issue; I gave up my freedom four years ago. I am under full-time police protection ever since. The real question is: will free speech be put behind bars? And the larger question for the West is: will we leave Europe’s children the values of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem, or the values of Mecca, Teheran and Gaza?

Ook bij zijn speech voor de House of Lords sprak hij veelvuldig over zichzelf, om vervolgens doodleuk op te merken:

But it is not all about me, not about Geert Wilders. Free speech is under attack. Let me give you a few other examples.

In zijn opiniestukken haalt Wilders regelmatig persoonlijke anekdotes aan. Zoals in zijn stuk op MuslimDebate.com, dat tevens verscheen in NRC Handelsblad. Hij begint daar als volgt:

I first visited an Islamic country in 1982. I was 18 years old and had traveled with a Dutch friend from Eilat in Israel to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh. We were two almost penniless backpacking students. We slept on the beaches and found hospitality with Egyptians, who spontaneously invited us to tea. I clearly recall my very first impression of Egypt: I was overwhelmed by the kindness, friendliness and helpfulness of its people.

Even later schrijft hij:

I made a mistake in Cairo. We had almost no money and I was thirsty. One could buy a glass of water at public water collectors. It did not look clean, but I drank it. I got a terrible diarrhea. I went to a hostel where one could rent a spot on the floor for two dollars a day. There I lay for several days, a heap of misery in a crowded, stinking room, with ten other guys. Once Egypt had been the most advanced civilization on earth. Why had it not progressed along with the rest of the world?

Niet elke speech hoeft persoonlijke elementen te bevatten. Maar het moet wel een speech zijn die bij de spreker past. En deze speech had (op enkele woordjes na) door iedere willekeurige spreker bij die gelegenheid uitgesproken kunnen worden. Het lijkt wel alsof de organisatie van het protest de namen van de sprekers en de speeches in twee aparte bakken heeft gestopt en — ware het een Champions League loting — volstrekt willekeurig speeches aan de sprekers heeft gekoppeld.

Meerdere speechwriters?
Daarbij vermoed ik dat de speech door meerdere speechwriters is opgesteld. Verschillende passages passen niet goed bij elkaar qua schrijfstijl en ook het niveau van Engels wisselt erg. Het begin en het einde van de speech bevat veel zinnen die weliswaar grammaticaal correct zijn, maar toch niet snel zo door een native speaker verwoord zouden zijn. Neem deze zin:

You hear the cars, you hear the people, you hear them rushing to their various destinations, you hear the sounds of business and of pleasure, you hear the cheers, you hear the cries, the buzzing sounds of human activity.

De constructie is grammaticaal correct, maar bijzonder houterig. Zet dat eens af tegen zinnen als:

It must defend itself against the powers of darkness, the force of hatred and the blight of ignorance.

Een Nederlandse speechwriter die zulke volzinnen produceert in het Engels, mag gerust een sollicitiebrief sturen naar Debatrix.

Onduidelijk doel
Moet u een belangrijke speech geven?
Onze experts adviseren topmanagers en landelijke politici bij carrièrebepalende speeches en presentaties. En als die dat nog niet zijn, dan zorgen wij dat ze dat worden! Neem vrijblijvend contact op voor meer informatie.
Wat Wilders als doel heeft gekozen voor zijn speech, is mij niet geheel duidelijk. In Nederlandse toespraken is dat vrij voorspelbaar: Wilders wil agenderen. Hij is binnen en buiten de Kamer een meester in het naar zijn hand zetten van het debat. In ieder belangrijk Kamerdebat weet Wilders wel een voorbeeld te noemen of een frasering te gebruiken die er voor zorgt dat iedereen het heeft over wat Wilders heeft gezegd, in plaats van wat de andere sprekers wilden zeggen. Wilders kiest zijn doelgroep zorgvuldig, waardoor hij in de Kamer vaker tegen het volk — of specifieker: de achterban van zijn voornaamste concurrenten — spreekt, dan tegen de 149 andere Kamerleden.

Het lijkt er sterk op dat minimaal tien keer zoveel Nederlanders zijn speech in New York hebben gevolgd dan Amerikanen. Wilders had dat van tevoren kunnen weten. Hij koos er echter voor om heel veel voorbeelden te gebruiken in zijn toespraak waar geen Nederlander zich iets bij kan voorstellen. Hoeveel Nederlanders kennen het liedje “Have You Forgotten” van Darryl Worley? Wie weet wat Imam Rauf precies heeft gezegd, of wie hij zelfs is?

Misschien is het bewust. Als signaal. Met als belangrijkste boodschap: beste Nederlanders, deze speech is niet bedoeld voor jullie.

Als de speech zozeer op de Amerikanen gericht was, dan is het nog opmerkelijker dat er zo weinig persoonlijke elementen in zaten. Niet alleen omdat hij minder bekend is in Amerika, maar omdat de speech een ideale fundraiser had kunnen zijn voor rijke Amerikanen die hem graag willen steunen in zijn strijd. Dan moet je natuurlijk wel iets over jouw strijd vertellen.

Zelf zegt hij tijdens zijn toespraak het volgende over zijn doel:

My friends, I have come from the other side of the Atlantic to share your grief for those who died here nine years ago.

En even later:

That is why we are here today. To draw the line.

Daarmee zegt hij: ik begrijp jullie. Ik ben een van jullie. Of misschien zelfs: Ich bin ein New Yorker!

Veel meer dan dat zei hij echter niet tijdens zijn toespraak. Zonde, want zo’n mooi platform krijg je niet vaak om je boodschap te verkondigen. Zelfs Wilders niet.
source: debatrix

An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies

A book by Robert Knox 1641-1720
Robert Knox (8 February 1641 – 19 June 1720) was an English sea captain in the service of the British East India Company. He was the son of another sea captain, also called Robert Knox.

Born at Tower Hill in London, the young Knox spent most of his childhood in Surrey and was taught by James Fleetwood, later the Bishop of Winchester. He joined his father’s crew on the ship Anne for his first voyage to India in 1655, at the age of 14, before returning to England in 1657. That year, Oliver Cromwell issued a charter granting the East India Company a monopoly of the Eastern trade, requiring the elder Knox and his crew to join the service of the Company.

The two Knoxes sailed for Persia in January 1658. They suffered the loss of the ship’s mast in a storm on 19 November 1659, forcing them to put ashore on Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. The ship was impounded and sixteen of the crew, including the Knoxes, were taken captive by the troops of the Kandyan king, Râjasingha II. The elder Knox had inadvertently angered the king by not observing the expected formalities and had the misfortune to do so during a period of tension between the king and some of the European powers. Although the crew was forbidden from leaving the kingdom, they were treated fairly leniently; the younger Knox was able to establish himself as a farmer, moneylender and pedlar. Both men suffered severely from malaria and the elder Knox died in February 1661 after a long illness.

Robert Knox eventually escaped with one companion, Stephen Rutland, after nineteen years of captivity. The two men were able to reach Arippu, a Dutch fort on the north-west coast of the island. The Dutch treated Knox generously and transported him to Batavia (now Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies, from where he was able to return home on an English vessel, the Caesar.[1] He arrived back in London in September 1680.

During the voyage Knox wrote the manuscript of An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon, an account of his experiences on Ceylon, which was published in 1681. The book was accompanied by engravings showing the inhabitants, their customs and agricultural techniques. It attracted widespread interest at the time and made Knox internationally famous, influencing Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe as well as sparking a friendship with Robert Hooke of the Royal Society. It is one of the earliest and most detailed European accounts of life on Ceylon and is today seen as an invaluable record of the island in the 17th century.

CHAPTER VII: Of their Lodging, Bedding, Whoredome, Marriages, Children

EBook Chap 3

Having been thus entertained with the fine Ladies abroad, it is time now to return home to our Lodging. And the night coming on, we will lead you to their Bed-Chambers, and shew you how they sleep. About which they are not very curious. If their house be but one room (as it often is) then the men sleep together at one end and the women at the other.

Their Bed, and how they sleep a nights

They have Bedsteads laced with Canes or Rattans, but no Testars to them, nor Curtains; that the King allows not of; neither have they nor care they for more than one Bedstead, which is only for the Master of the house to sit or sleep on. To this Bedstead belongs two mats and a straw Pillow. The Woman with the Children always lyes on the ground on mats by the fire-side. For a Pillow she lays a block or such like thing under her mat, but the Children have no Pillows at all. And for covering and other bedding they use the cloth they wear by day. But always at their feet they will have a fire burning all night. Which makes more work for the Women; who must fetch it all upon her head. For it is accounted a disgrace for the man to meddle or make with those affairs, that properly do belong unto the Woman.

The younger sort of Children, such as go naked by day, creep in under a corner of their mothers cloths. And if they feel themselves cold in the night, they rise and blow the fire with their mouths, having no Bellows in that Countrey, and so sit and warm themselves thereby.

They are so little given to sleep, that they do rise many times in the night to eat Beatel and to take Tobacco. Which done they lay them down, and sing songs until they fall a sleep again.

At their first going to bed, it is very seldom that they do pray to God, neither do they ever teach their Children so to do. But sometimes will say Auh Dio, which is God help or keep me. But they do instead of that, teach and bid their Children to sing songs when they go to bed.

Young People lie at one anotheir houses

Where their houses consist but of one room, the Children that are of any years always go and sleep in other houses among their neighbours. Which please them better than their own. For so they come to meet with bedfellows, nor doth it displease the Parents, if young men of as good quality as themselves become acquainted with their daughters, but rather like well of it; knowing that their daughters by this means can command the young men to help and assist them in any work or business that they may have occasion to use them in. And they look upon it so far distant from a disgrace, that they will among their consorts brag of it, that they have the young men thus at their command.

Nothing so common as Whoredom

So that youth are bred up to Whoredom. Indeed here are no Publick Whores allowed by Authority. In the City some that have followed that Trade, have oftentimes by the King’s order been severely punished by Whipping, and having their Ears and Hair cut off. But Page 92in private few or none can exempt themselves. And for the matter of being with Child, which many of them do not desire, they very exquisitely can prevent the same.

They are guilty of the thing, but love not the name

Indeed the Publick Trade would be bad, and hardly maintain them that exercised it, the private one being so great. And tho I think they be all Whores, yet they abhor the Name of Vesou, which is Whore. Neither do they in their anger reproach one another with it, unless they should lay with a Man of an inferior quality to themselves, And the Woman reckons her self as much obliged to the Man for his Company, as he does to her for hers. In these affairs the Women are very expert (it being their continual practice) to keep their design from the Husbands knowledge: tho by his own Experience he cannot be ignorant of Womens devices. And unless he catch them in the act he doth not much trouble himself to prove himself a Cuckold; Cuckolds being so common, that it is not here regarded.

The Man may kill whom he finds in Bed with his Wife

It is a Law here, that if a Man catch another in Bed with his Wife, he may, be it whosoever, kill him and her, if he please. It hath so happened that the Man hath come to the Door, when another hath been within with his Wife, there being no way to escape, the Woman has took a pan of hot ashes, and as she opened the Door, her Husband being entring, cast them in his Eyes, and so she and her Bedfellow made an escape.

To fetch wood out of the Woods to burn, and to fetch home the Cattle is the Woman’s work. If they cannot have their opportunities at home, now they appoint their meetings, while the Husband stays at home holding the Child. In the Evenings it is common for them with whom the Women be acquainted, to come and wait behind the House when it is dark to attend their coming forth to them. To which end they give them notice either by breaking of a stick, or by putting some Betel over the Wall to fall in such places as they have appointed, where she will look to find it. And when she has such notice, she cannot want an excuse to go forth to meet him.

They bear such love to their Bedfellows, that I have known this done, The Husband hath beset the House, and the Womans Friend in it, when she hath holpen him to make a hole thro the Thatch to get out at, which he hath done and made his Escape, and she remain behind to suffer all the blame her self. When other opportunities are wanting to enjoy the Company of their Paramours whole Nights together, they usually take occasion to be discontented and fall out with their Husbands, and so go home to their Friends houses, to get longer enjoyments. Who to shew their Friendship will not hinder but further them in what they delight in.

They do treat their Friends with the use of their Wives and Daughters

In some Cases the Men will permit their Wives and Daughters to lye with other Men. And that is, when intimate Friends or great Men chance to Lodge at their houses, they commonly will send their Wives or Daughters to bear them company in their Chamber. Neither do they reckon their Wives to be Whores for lying with them that are as good or better than themselves.
The Mother for a small reward prostitutes her Daughter

They do not matter or regard whether their Wives at the first Marriage be Maids or not. And for a small reward the Mother will bring her Daughter being a Maiden unto those that do desire her. But it is so much abhorred for Women of the high Cast or Descent to admit Men of the low Cast to have any thing to do with them, that I think they never do it.

Marriages. No wooing

But enough of this Ribaldry, let us turn away to more honest Practices. To speak of their Marriages, which make the Bed lawful. There are not many Ceremonies used in or about the same. No wooing.Here is no wooing for a Wife. The Parents commonly make the Match, and in their choice regard more the Quality and Descent than the Beauty. If they are agreed, all is done. The Match being thus made, the Man carrieth or sends to the Woman her Wedding Cloths; which is a Cloth containing six or seven yards in length, and a Linnen Wast-coat wrought with Blew and Red. If the Man be so poor that he cannot buy a Cloth, it is the Custom to borrow one. In case the Man with his Friends goes and carries it himself, that Night they both sleep together to beget acquaintance one with the other. And then they appoint a day when he is to come and fetch her home; which is the Marriage-Day.

The Bridegroom goes to the

The day being come, he attended with his Friends goes to her house, which is always in the Evening, and brings Provisions and Sweet-meats with him according to his Ability, towards the Charges of the Wedding. Which is never more than two Meals. Whereof Supper is the first. Then the Bride and Bridegroom both eat together in one Dish, which is to intimate that they are both of one rank and quality, and sometimes they tye their Thumbs together, but not always: and that Night go to sleep together.

How the Bridegroom carrieth home his Bride

The next day having dined he taketh his Bride and departeth home with her, putting her before him, and he following her, with some of her Friends to Conduct her. For it is the constant Custom and Fashion in this Land for the Husband to follow his Wife. The reason whereof is a Tradition among them, that a Man once going foremost, it happened that his Wife was stoln away, and he not aware of it. Being come home the Bridegroom makes a Feast as he is able.

A Ceremony of Marriage

Some few days after, her Friends usually come to see her bringing a present of Provision with them. And sometimes they use this Ceremony, the Man is to stand with one end of the Woman’s Cloth about his Loins, and she with the other, and then they pour water on both their Heads, wetting all their Bodies: which being done, they are firmly Married to live together, so long as they can agree.

The Elder sorts of People usually woe and conclude their Marriages as they are in Bed together. For when they have lost their Maidenheads, they fear not much what Man comes to sleep with them, provided he be of as good quality as they, having nothing more to lose. And at the day appointed the Man gives the Woman her Cloths, and so takes her home.

Man and Wife may part at pleasure

But their Marriages are but of little force or validity. For if they disagree and mislike one the other; they part without disgrace. Yet it stands firmer for the Man than for the Woman; howbeit they do leave one the other at their pleasure. They do give according to their Ability a Portion of Cattle, Slaves and Money with their Daughters; but if they chance to mislike one another and part asunder, this Portion must be returned again, and then she is fit for another Man, being as they account never the worse for wearing.

Men and Women change till they can please themselves

Both Women and Men do commonly wed four or five times before they can settle themselves to their contentation. And if they have Children when they part, the Common Law is, the Males for the Man, and the Females for the Woman. But many of the Women are free from this controversie, being Childless.

Women have two Husbands

In this Countrey each Man, even the greatest, hath but one Wife; but a Woman often has two Husbands. For it is lawful and common with them for two Brothers to keep house together with one Wife, and the Children do acknowledge and call both fathers.

0.55 Description: Polygamy, polyandry, polygyny
2.46 Polyginist system – One women married to many husbands.
2.55 Playandry=several husbands married to one woman. Such systems found in particularly in Tibet Norther India,
3.09 Sri Lanka and South America.
3.14 Several Brothers married to one woman.
3.20 Reasons: socities where there are scarce resources, control population or
3.44 mixed agricultural system: one brother takes herds or trades for long distance while other brother staying with wife.

Privileges of Men above Women

So long as the Women have their Infirmities or Flowers upon them, they are accounted very unclean, insomuch that the very house is polluted in that degree that none will approach near it. And even she her self cares not to conceal it, but calls out to them that come near, that they may

avoid her house. But after she hath washed her Head and Body all is purified again.It is lawful for no Woman, altho they be great Men’s Wives, to sit on a Stool in the presence of a Man. It is customary for Men upon any frivolous account to charge one another in the King’s Name to do or not to do, according as they would have it. This the Women upon Penalty of having their Tongues cut out, dare not presume to do.

As it is usual to punish Men for faults committed by Imprisonment and Chains, or by making them stand with a weight on their Backs, until they do pay such a Sum of Money as is demanded: which for ordinary faults may be five or ten Shillings. So the Punishment which is inflicted upon Women, is to make them stand with a Basket of Sand upon their Heads, so long as they shall think fitting, who appoint the Punishment. Punishment by stripes is never used either to Men or Women, but only to those on whom the King Commands them to be laid.

Lands of Inheritance which belong to Women are exempted from paying Harriots to the King. Women pay no Custom for things they carry to the Sea-Ports. Neither is any Custom paid for what is carried upon any Female Cattel, Cow or Buffalo.

They often destroy new born Infants

They have no Midwives, but the neighbouring good Women come in and do that Office. As soon as the Child is born, the Father or some Friend apply themselves to an Astrologer to enquire, whether the Child be born in a prosperous Planet, and a good hour or in an evil. If it be found to be in an evil they presently destroy it, either by starving it, letting it lye and die, or by drowning it, putting its head into a Vessel of water, or by burying it alive, or else by giving it to some body of the same degree with themselves; who often will take such Children, and bring them up by hand with Rice and Milk; for they say, the Child will be unhappy to the Parents, but to none else. We have asked them why they will deal so with their poor Infants, that come out of their Bowels. They will indeed have a kind of regret and trouble at it. But they will say withal, Why should I bring up a Devil in my House? For they believe, a Child born in an ill hour, will prove a plague and vexation to his Parents by his disobedience and untowardliness.
But it is very rare that a First-born is served so. Him they love and make much of. But when they come to have many, then usual it is, by the pretence of the Childs being born under an unlucky Planet, to Page 95kill him. And this is reputed no fault, and no Law of the Land takes cognizance of it.

In their Infancy they have Names, whereby one may be called and distinguished from the other. But when they come to years it is an affront and shame to them either Men or Women, to be called by those Names. Which they say is to be like unto Dogs. Then they change their Names into Titles according to the Town wherein they were born or do dwell. Also they have other Names, which may be compared to Coats of Arms, properly and only belonging to that Family: by which likewise they are called.

This People are very Ambitious of their Titles having but little else that they can boast in; and of Names and Titles of respect they have great plenty in their Language; instances whereof shall be given afterwards.

Source:

Ceylon Photos

CRITIC OF ROBER KNOX:
රොබට් නොක්ස් හා විවාහය PDF
වික්ටෝරියානු කුහකත්වය සහ ඉංග්‍රීසි රජ පවුල – PDF
ක්‍රිස්තියානි නූතනත්ව විවාහය PDF

E Book of Robert Know on Ceyon can be viewed Part: I, II, III:

Robert Knox On Ceylon

The Stories of the Wives of Joseph Smith, A polygamist
American Polygammy: Mormons people about the nature of Joseph Smith’s polygyny and polyandry

The guardians of human rights have forgotten attrocities done by USA, UK, EU and criticized only mistakes of poor nations. The credibility of UN has come down to zero. How can we trust UN when top most senior UN officers ignore super powers’ war crimes and finger point only poor countries? World should boycot UN. Ban Ki-moon UN secretary General, Navi Pillai (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) and John Holmes (Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator) dodged naming Iraqi civilian deaths and finger pointed Sri Lankan civilian deaths during debate on Civilian Protection at UN Security Council. Dr. Palitha Kohana slammed for politicization and selectivity characterizing the debate on Civilian Protection at UN Security Council

JOHN HOLMES,
“Nevertheless, I fear all too little has changed for the better on the ground in recent years,” he said, noting that civilians accounted for most casualties in armed conflict. In 2009 alone, there had been thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza, Sri Lanka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and elsewhere; 2010 did not look much better. Displacement through conflict was getting worse, he said, recalling that 2009 had seen 6.8 million people internally displaced, more than at any point since the mid-1990s. Conflict had displaced an alarming total of 27.1 million people around the globe — the highest ever — at the end of 2009.

NAVI PILLAY
Recalling the conflict in Sri Lanka, she said there had been unacceptably high civilian losses caused by both sides, noting also that some progress had been made since the end of the conflict in returning and resettling internally displaced persons. Concrete initiatives must now follow to provide justice and redress to victims, while promoting accountability and longer-term reconciliation. She welcomed the Secretary-General’s decision to set up an expert panel to advise him on the issues in Sri Lanka.

PALITHA KOHONA
( Sri Lanka) said that although a substantial normative framework had been developed for the protection of civilians, the politicization and selectivity characterizing the debate on implementation had affected its credibility, thereby calling into question the sincerity of the concerns expressed for the plight of civilians affected by armed conflict. The issue could not be addressed on humanitarian terms alone, and nor could the normative framework be applied in a merely theoretical manner.

He said that his country’s experience in dealing with terrorists that used the civilian population as shields behind which to launch attacks showed the complexity of the challenges involved. Many of the rules of war were based on the presumption that parties to a conflict are conventional armies, but terrorists totally disregarded those laws and principles. The causes of armed conflict must also be addressed, including the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, he said, adding that there was also a need to recognize the legitimate role of the military in civilian protection, though it was not an exclusive one.

The principle of unimpeded access for humanitarian personnel must be respected, but it could not disregard the State’s primary responsibility to ensure their safety and security, he said. In Sri Lanka’s experience, the military, often at huge cost, had had to bring civilians out of harm’s way, he said, adding that military and humanitarian personnel must therefore seek to work in partnership. Similarly, civilian displacement must not be politicized or turned into a theoretical problem, he said, calling for the development of a means for holding non-State actors accountable and recognizing the problems of asymmetrical conflicts.

Transcript on Debate on Civilian Protection 7th July http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sc9973.doc.htm
(At UN meda briefing on Sri Lanka questions raised by Iner City Press, (Popularly “LTTE Pimp”) 0:02 Hunger strike 0:32 Gotabaya’s call 1:25 Statement of Ban Ki-moon on withdrawal of UN Country rep. 2:23 reaction on panel 2:43 visa to panel)

She has made a significant impact in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer advocacy in Sri Lanka, the Asian region, and internationally. She was a founding member of Women’s Support Group (1999), the only LBT organization in Sri Lanka and Equal Ground (2004), a mixed LGBTIQ organization in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka for dialogue with gays – Daily Mirror

The Sri Lankan government says it is open for dialogue with Sri Lanka’s gay community, who had this week urged equal rights, but will not take any decision which could hurt the culture of the country.

Prime Minister D.M Jayaratna, when contacted by Daily Mirror online, over the demands made by the Sri Lankan gay community at a public function this week, said the government must first identify what sort of “equal rights” the gay community in Sri Lanka want.

He noted that while matters concerning gay people including gay marriage is acceptable in some western countries the gay community in Sri Lanka will have to define the rights they seek in order for it to be even given consideration.

“It is not wrong for them to seek rights. But we must know what exactly they want. They should communicate that to us and then we will see if it hurts our culture and take a decision accordingly,” the Premier told Daily Mirror online.

Sri Lanka’s gay community on Sunday demanded equal rights and urged the authorities to emulate India which had last year lifted restrictions on the gay community in New Delhi.

Executive Director of Equal Grounds, Rozanne Flemar Caldera, speaking at a fashion show in Colombo on Sunday evening organized by Sri Lanka’s gay community said that people must be treated equally be they gay or straight.

Equal Grounds represents the gay community in Sri Lanka and the fashion show held at the Galadari hotel saw both gay and straight people taking to the stage to portray equality. Several prominent personalities, diplomats and others attended the event

http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/4626-lanka-for-dialogue-with-gays.html

Links:
EQUAL GROUND http://www.equal-ground.org/
Women’s Support http://www.wsglanka.com/

(Date of first Broadcast: July 04, 2010)

A series of developments over the past few weeks has brought into focus the role of the state and the Police in safe guarding certain notions of “public morality” in Sri Lanka. Recent news reports show that a number of couples who were holding hands, kissing and cuddling in public areas including parks and beaches have been arrested in the cities of Kurunegala, Matara and Colombo. The arrests in Colombo have been attributed to a concerted crack down on “vice” within the capital by the Police. Similarly the removal of “indecent” hoardings in and around Colombo city was carried out by the Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Children and Women of the Sri Lanka Police. Apparently the Bureau made this move because it was “prompted by the sense that the younger generation of Sri Lankans do not show sufficient respect to women and that modern culture treats them as commodities.” This also comes on the heels of moves by the Women and Children’s Desk of the Police to ban all pornographic content on mobile phones through the Children’s Courts.

The Police appear to be guided by a strong conviction of the need to protect and respect women as well as to fight against the “comodification” of women in Sri Lanka. This is indeed laudable, and Cat’s Eye is pleased to note the concern shown by the Police on these issues. However when the Police decide to act on an issue such as this it is extremely important to question as to whether these measures really do protect women or whether the outcomes and fall outs of this kind of action outweigh its benefits. This is obviously not something that can be quantified or measured but nevertheless any executive action seeking to safeguard public morality needs to be carefully thought out.

Public Morality

In this article Cat’s Eye will explore the implications of policing “public morality” for society in general and more specifically for women in Sri Lanka. A glance at the cases referred to above suggests different understandings of acts that “corrupt” public morality. This leads to the question as to whether “indecent” hoardings on public roads in Colombo are as likely to “corrupt” public morality as the sight of couples holding hands in public? Furthermore reports on the arrests of couples in Colombo also note that the Police raided guest houses, hotels and motels in the early hours of the morning. This is also problematic since none of these places are essentially “public” in the same sense that a billboard is public. Clearly the definitions of acts that are “indecent”, acts that can “corrupt” public morality and areas that are considered “public” are very ambiguous and broad.

Furthermore in discussing the idea of the “public sphere” and “public morality”, the questions that arise are – who is the public? Who determines “public morality” and how? These questions lead back to the debate as to where the “private” ends and where the “public” begins. The term “public” sphere is in itself a very loaded term, particularly for women. The separation between the public and private sphere is a fraught division and a woman’s personal life (i.e. her sexuality, labor and morality) is very much a matter of public discussion and debate. However it is also important to recognize that society treats a woman’s morality very differently to that of a man’s. It is no surprise that one of the key factors that drove the Police to step in to protect public morality was the need to protect women. Furthermore it is not too farfetched to assume that the consequences of being arrested for “public indecency” would fall more heavily on the woman rather than the man. The repercussions of this or the punishments imposed on women may not always be visible but any casual observer would realize that it is the woman who would have to bear the brunt of family and social disapproval for her actions.

Women and Purity

This issue revives the notion that “the woman” is the symbol of cultural identity, public morality etc and that by “protecting” the woman, the “purity” of society as a whole can be protected. This characterization of culture and morality is misleading on one hand and discriminatory on the other. Interestingly enough, whenever this connection is being made between women and culture/morality, one finds that it is often the powerful or men (often it is both) who make it and impose it on everyone else.

Another relevant question is – why is it that acts related to sexuality are always considered to impinge on public morality far more than other issues faced by our society – for instance, poverty or violence? The tragic plight of street children in cities, the harassment of women in public transport are common occurrences in our society, which should animate public discussion and affect our “public morality.”

The issue with policing public morality is the fact that at the end of the day morality is essentially a framework for making personal choices and not a choice to be made on behalf of individuals by a public authority. Morality becomes public when there is (a perception of) common agreement with a set of minimum standards that are necessary for the functioning of society. However because morality is essentially a personal choice it is difficult to reach a consensus on a definition of public immorality. It is important to question as to whether there was any significant degree of public consultation before these decisions were taken. Since it appears that there was no consultation with the larger public on these issues it also raises questions on the capacity and authority of the state to take such strident action to admonish “corrupters” of public morality. Clearly the Police appear to believe that they are the ultimate deciders in this regard. This is, to use a common image, “a slippery slope.” Allowing the police or any other public authority to determine what is meant by “public morality” or “indecency” is to give them a freehand in controlling society i.e. to restrict our freedoms. Is that what we want as a society?

Harassment of Women

The role of family, education, culture, religion etc in defining public morality, in learning to respect other members of society – should be highlighted here. The “religiousness” of Sri Lankan society as indicated in statistics – does not seem to translate into our daily practices in the “public sphere.” The sexual harassment of women and girls on roads and in public transport is an indication of this. Another indication is that any woman who chooses to walk about in the city in the night, unaccompanied, does so at a risk to her safety – both physical and emotional. Is it possible at all to change such negative perceptions of women, by removing “indecent” hoardings? Moreover, is the Police the most appropriate public authority to take up this matter?

Cat’s Eye raises these questions because it is well aware that beneath the veneer of protecting public morality lies a stricter policing of a woman’s morality, a control over her body and her sexuality. Within such a context Cat’s Eye wonders at which point a private consensual act impinges on considerations of public morality. Who should ultimately decide on the demarcation between the boundaries of public and private morality? With this in mind the earnestness shown by the Police to protect public morality require a careful reexamination in terms of what it means for women in Sri Lanka.

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=1301

Press Release No. 10/264

June 28, 2010
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the second and third reviews of Sri Lanka’s economic performance under a program supported by a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). The completion of the reviews enables the immediate disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 275.6 million (about US$407.8 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to an amount equivalent to SDR 689.0 million (about US$1,019.4 million).

The Executive Board also approved a request by the Sri Lankan authorities for a one-year extension of the SBA and accordingly a rephasing of the future disbursements into seven equal amounts of SDR 137.8 million (about US$203.9 million) in light of the recent delay in the program.

The SBA was approved on July 24, 2009 (see Press Release No. 09/266) for an amount equivalent to SDR 1,653.6 million (about US$ 2,446.7 million) or 400 percent of Sri Lanka’s quota.

Following the Executive Board’s discussion on Sri Lanka, Mr. Naoyuki Shinohara, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, stated:

“Overall economic conditions in Sri Lanka are improving and the economy is likely to show strong growth this year. Inflation remains subdued and average inflation for the year as a whole is expected to remain in the single digits. External balances are strong, remittance inflows continue at a high rate, tourism prospects are strengthening rapidly, and gross reserves are at comfortable levels.

“Monetary conditions are stable. Interest rates have declined and credit growth has shown signs of recovering. The central bank’s policy stance remains appropriate, although there may be need to tighten it if credit and inflationary pressures pick up sharply. The central bank has intervened in the foreign exchange market to rebuild reserves, and has allowed the exchange rate to trade within a recently widened, although still narrow band.

“Financial sector reform is in line with the program and has substantially addressed the regulatory weaknesses. The authorities’ reform agenda has been broadened to include the introduction of a deposit insurance scheme, regulation of pension funds, and steps to deepen capital markets.

“Despite the weaker-than-programmed 2009 fiscal performance, the government’s 2010 budget proposal, if carried out, would significantly address past fiscal slippages, mainly through comprehensive tax reforms and sizeable cuts in recurrent spending. At the same time, the budget would allow for much needed reconstruction-related infrastructure investment, while protecting the society’s most vulnerable and addressing the humanitarian needs of those adversely affected by the conflict.

“The authorities’ efforts to reform trade and excise taxes and the Board of Investment’s tax concession regime are a signal that they recognize the importance of a broader tax base and higher revenue in achieving the program’s original goals of fundamental and sustainable reduction of the deficit and the public debt. These efforts should be followed by important steps to permanently reform tax concessions and broaden the VAT and income tax bases to be introduced as part of the 2011 budget.

“To promote private investment and growth, the authorities plan to formulate a national investment strategy, which will include reforms aimed at reducing the currently high cost of doing business in Sri Lanka,” Mr. Shinohara stated.

http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr10264.htm