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Canada's Tamils - victims of Tiger violence, fraud and extortation
By Carl Muller
Last week, a friend sent me clippings from Canada's 'The Sunday Star-Ledger' of September 20, 1998. No letter. Just the clippings. He must have known that I would put them to good use. At least some people have this much confidence. The stories were by Juan Forero, a member of the Star-Ledger staff, and I give him, his paper, all due acknowledgement and thanks for the privilege of presenting this story today. It is a story as heartbreaking as it is humiliating and it tells us, above all, that the bounds of human tragedy have been stretched so thin that some day soon, unless this miserable conflict is resolved, until this country can once again become a true home to all its citizens, Sri Lanka as a nation, will continue to earn the distaste of the world and always be known as the island of the fanatic fringe.We are, I am sure, all to blame. Dr. S.N. Arsecularatne of the Faculty of Medicine came to see me recently. He said something most strange. 'You know, my name can be most misleading. In the south, the Sinhalese think I'm Tamil. In the North, the Tamils say I'm Sinhalese. When I was in Malayasia, I actually received a letter from a pro- LTTE group demanding that, as a Tamil, I must make my donation to the Tiger cause. Those jokers thought I was a Tamil. So what do I do?'
I shrugged. It was on the tip of my tongue to suggest that he drop the syllables 'ratne' but that would make him Arsecula which is no way anyone should address a professor! But, I maintain, we are all to blame because, if we were to stop, look around, listen to the bilge that flaws like the Dehiwela canal, we will see that this country has become the happy hunting ground for the world's most besotted fanatics. All those much vaunted ideas of 'love thy neighbour' and maithri and toleration and peace and brotberhood and living together and human understanding are dead and buried. Society today is a labyrinth, and the chambers of intolerance, hatred and distrust are very deep and very dark.
So the Tamils fled. Well, they may have had their reasons to. But ask yourselves: why have so many Sinhalese done the bunk too? There seems to be this cut-off point of human endurance. At times, even I begin to feel like the captain of the 'Titanic' It's been a good voyage. Everything was going so nicely. But now? Now where is all that water coming from! So much for the rude comments. This is what the 'Star-Ledger' reports.
'Since first arriving in Canada en masse in 1983, Sri Lankans have found a remarkable success, securing good jobs and establishing businesses and neighbourhood organizations. The community's success, however has been marred by violence, extortion and fraud committed by fanatics dedicated to the guerrillas fighting for a Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka.'
As far as the report goes and from what can be pieced out, the LTTE is doing more harm to the Tamils in Canada than what any Sinhalese could or would do. You see, the hopes of all Tamil refugees in Canada are being blasted by the factionalism in their enclaves. This violence, this factionalism has stirred the US to stem the flow of Sri Lankan's bound for Canada. The result - heartbreak, uncertainty and a bleakness in the lives of many Tamils who are now torn apart by the sins of the LTTE.
We have the story of Janath Rajakumar. It is the boy's first birthday, celebrated in his mother's sparsely-furnished apartment in a high-rise building in Toronto's northern fringe:
'The women wore brightly coloured gowns, their black hair neatly braided. The men smiled and posed for pictures with the baby, a spindly bundle of energy dressed in a peach vest, white shirt and red tie. Celebrants sang 'Happy Birthday to You' over a giant cake and happily nibbled on the flour-based sweets popular in their homeland, the strife-torn South Asian nation of Sri Lanka.
'But while Kamala Devi and her guests had the luxury of celebrating in their adopted home, ber husband remained in detention more than 500 miles away in Elizabeth, New Jersey, indefinitely held by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
'He is sad. He can't come and look at the baby. He not look at his son,' said Devi, 28. 'He don't know how many days he stay there. He talks very sad, not happy.'
Devi's husband, 27-year-old Rajakumar Subramaniyam, is in detention in the US. The US had detained thousands of Canada-bound asylum-seekers and Canada bound Tamils have been hit hard. For years, they had arrived at JFK and Newark international airports en route to Toronto. As it is, Toronto now holds a community Of 100,000 Tamils, But now the Tamils, many of them with bogus passports, are detained. They have bought their 'passports' from agents who organise their itinerary from Asia to the US. They are held. They have no way of reaching their friends, loved ones or families. The only way they can obtain release is to apply for political asylum in the USA. But the US is not buying this either. It seems the problem that has surfaced in Canada. Also, it bas dogeared the LTTE as a terror group and does not want to have the same violence, extortion among Tamils there. Today, a large percentage of Sri Lanka Tamils are held in detention in many parts of the US. The US government also spends up to $150 a day to house each detainee.
Juan Forero met Subramaniyam in the US detention centre in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
'We thought that we would be let go and we never thought we'd be put in a jail like back home,' said Devi's husband, Subramaniyam, who wore detention-issued khaki pants and a pullover shirt during a recent interview at the detention centre, ' I was scared. I did not expect this to happen.'
No one knows how many Sri Lankan Tamils are being held in the US. Lawyers in the US and Canada say that Sri Lankan refugees have, since the spring of 1997, been locked up in detention centres in New Jersey, Minnesota and Los Angeles. One Toronto lawyer, Connie Nakatsu told the 'Star-Ledger':
'There was a time when people would just be stopped by INS and they would say they're on their way to Canada and INS would almost like wink and they'd be let through. Now they seem to be stopped and held in detention, even though they have family members here and their ultimate destination is here.'
US Immigration of officials said that in the past, Sri Lankans arriving at US airports with fraudulent travel documents were placed in 'exclusion proceedings' where the judge would then order them to leave the country. No sooner released, they would take bus to Canada. Now, under a new law, asylum-seekers who arrive at an US port of entry are held. They are not even released on bond, and parole for Tamils is unlikely because most of them have no family in the US or a means of support. It is admitted that the Tamils plan to go to Canada but the US law compels their detention. Also, as Andrea Quarantillo, Newark's Immigration. Service Director says, 'They have bad documents, we don't allow them to take that onward flight.'
Unfortunately enough for the Tamils, Canada, too, is getting quite fed up with the violence, the factionalism spawned by the LTTE and its goon squads of fund collectors. Canada has now begun joint operations outside the US to stop undocumented Sri Lankans and other people from the Indian sub-continent. In 1994 Canada initiated talks with US officials but this did not make much progress. As John Fredriksson, associate executive director of Immigration and Refugee Services in America says, 'Talks or no talks, Sri Lankan refugees are being prevented from going to Canada.'
Juan Forero gives us this potted history of the reasons for the Tamil exodus:
'Most of the Sri Lankans who flee the island nation off the southern tip of India are Tamils, a minority ethnic group persecuted by the majority Sinhalese. (My italics).
'Since 1983, the nation has been wracked by civil war fought largely by a guerrilla group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The Tigers goal is to get the government in Colombo to agree to a separate Tamil nation in the northern provinces.
'The war has been characterised by Middle-East-Style bomb blasts and suicide bombers, firing squads and mass graves. About 60,000 people have died, and more than 500,000 have fled, most of them Tamils.
'Lured by Canada's traditionally receptive nature towards refugees and the country's generous social safety net, most Tamils have settled here in metropolitan Toronto, in a neighbourhood on the east end called Cabbagetown and in the surrounding suburbs.'
A case in point is Suthaharan Thurainayagam. He fled Sri Lanka in 1988. He is now a supervisor in a Canadian American company that makes steel doors. His wife tried to join him with her father's help (a fraudulent document and a plane ticket to New York). She flew out; but when her husband and brother went to JFK airport to pick her up she was nowhere to be seen. Two days later, Forero reports, she called her husband from the detention centre in New Jersey. Said her husband:
'She was crying. She never lived alone, always with her parents ... She said, 'Try to get me out.' She said, 'Can we do anything?' '
Yes, Uthayaranee Suthaharan still remains in detention. When interviewed in September she trembled in a glass-enclosed room as she slowly recounted her ordeal. As Forero's report goes:
'Her hands shook and she was hesitant to answer questions.
But why? All right, so these Tamils fled, by fair means or foul. They had to get away. What reason had they to remain? To be mowed down in a crossfire? To be used as civilian screens by the Tigers? To be hounded and harassed and lose all? But no sooner did they leave, establish themselves, sought to live in peace the LTTE billa followed. In Toronto, a Tamil Eelam Society sprang up, one of the more active Tamil groups. Its president says that any untoward incidents in Toronto are the work of 'misguided and troubled youths' and not caused by LTTE gangs.
A classic example of the Tiger terror that now stalks Canada is that of Ckrhushchev George who arrived in Canada in 1986. George knows too well the ugly side of the Tamil community. From 1989 to 1995 he published 'Thayagam - Motherland' and told the 'Star-Ledger' that he wanted to cover all sides of the brutal conflict in his homeland; not just the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan government. His paper even carried news of the atrocities and abuses of the LTTE. Many Tamils in Toronto began to attack the paper. George was threatened in the street. One of his distributors was beaten in a subway station. Storekeepers were warned not to sell 'Thayagam'. Eventually George had to shut down operations.
'The Tigers didn't like the way it was published because they don't want us to give the other side of the story,' he told Forero,, 'they tried to ban this paper . There's no use talking to these people. They just listen to the hearsay and all the propaganda and they believe it.'
Besides the 100,000 Tamils in Toronto metropolitan area, there are thousands more in Montreal and Vancouver. The 'Star-Ledger' says:
'In Cabbagetown, a Toronto neighbourhood of picturesque brick houses and project-like apartment complexes east of downtown, Tamil restaurants offer fiery hot dishes, Tamil grocers sell exotic fruits and video stores rent movies featuring the late Tamil film star, Vijay Kumaratunga.' (My italics. This is something I can 'figure out. I leave it to my readers to puzzle it out for themselves.
And everything in the Canadian Tamil garden isn't that lovely. Toronto's Mackenzie Institute Director says that Tamil gangs have 'shaken down shopkeepers, forced residents to pay monthly fees and been involved in welfare, bank and credit card fraud. Some gangs are also involved in drug smuggling.
'All this organised crime is not staying here. Its going to support the Tamils in Sri Lanka,' Thompson said. 'It's pulling money out of our economy and funding their war effort.'
In fact, things have got so sticky that the Metro Toronto Police, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have started a Tamil Task Force.
'From 1994 to the present, they have tied some 20 shootings to Tamil gangs. And they have identified at least two groups - A.K. Kannan and VVT - as warring factions.'
'Some of the gangs, officials and activists say, collect money to pay for arms that go to the Tigers. Often the gangs themselves are not political but they'll extort and raise money for rebel activists because their allegiance lies with the Tigers.'
In a briefing paper released recently, the Mackenzie Institute said that fear of the Tigers is clearly evident within portions of the Tamil community. Commenting on Tiger activities world-wide, the paper said:
'Those with relatives who still live in LTTE-controlled territories are approached for money and may have their relatives threatened if they do not pay.'
One Tamil lawyer who only gives his name as Siva, told Forero:
'We don't know all the secrets of what they do with the money, but we believe it's for arms that they send to Sri Lanka.'
Recently, Canada came to understand the full reach of the LTTE when the Sri Lankan government was able to prove that Manickavasagam Suresh was Canada's chief Tiger Fund Raiser and co ordinator of the World Tamil Movement. This Movement, with its headquarters in Toronto, was supposedly raising money for humanitarian efforts. Suresh was deported and it is now so evident that wherever the Tamils of this country go, wherever they seek peace to live and prosper, they will always be hounded by the LTTE. Right now, Kumaran Paramathalan of the Tamil Resource Centre in Toronto knows that the only thing he can do is shut up and put up with the Tiger fanatics who still feed on the blood of the Tamils. Kumaran voiced protest once and his Centre's library was firebombed by the Tigers.
It seems that the Tamils may have fled for the wrong reasons. Their success in their lands of refuge have now made them prime targets for the Tiger extortionists. Ratnes Kandasamy, who fled this country in 1988, rose to become the supervising accountant at a metal stamping company in Toronto. He now earns $40,000 a year, owns a suburban home and says that 'this is the best country I could ever imagine.'
But for how long? Today, all those who fled, all who made it good abroad, are rich pickings indeed for the Tigers. It is the saddest fact of all. Where the Tamils are, there will the Tigers gather... there will the Tigers pounce!
Convocation of Moratuwa University: A photo-finish by Sir Arthur C. Clarke
By Asitha Jayawardena
Evening of December 9, 1998. Time is not yet 3 O'clock. The General Convocation of Moratuwa Univeristy is about to begin at the Assembly Hall of the BMICH. Some graduands are looking for their seats; some are already seated, chatting with batch-mates; some are reading the proceedings of the Convocation; some are scanning the balcony overhead, where parents are seated.All set for the memorable event. As Professor Sam Karunaratne, the Vice Chancellor of the University, revealed during the rehearsal in the morning, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the Chancellor, will only make a brief appearance towards the end of the ceremony; he is not well.
The procession of the academic staff enters the hall. The graduands and the guests rise from their seats. While the academic staff remain standing on the stage, the Vice Chancellor's procession enters the hall amidst the fanfare of the traditional drummers. He reaches his seat on the stage and remains standing. A recorded version of "Raja Bhavathu Dhammiko" goes on the air. Then he takes his seat, so do all the others. He declares the Convocation open.
First of all, Master Degrees are conferred:
* Master of Engineering in Construction Management
* Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering and Management
* Master of Science in Architecture
Then Postgraduate Diplomas consisting of four types:
* Architectural Conservation of Monuments and Sites
* Construction Management
* Environmental Engineering and Management
* Highway and Traffic Engineering
After that, conferring of the Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Degrees of the Faculty of Architecture. Two types:
* BSc Degree in Built Enviornment
* BSc Degree in Quantity Surveying
Now it's time for the BSc Degrees of the Faculty of Engineering. Nine types in alphabetical order.
* BSc Engineering Degree in Chemical Engineering
Then BSc Engineering Degree in Civil Engineering.
Dean, Faculty of Engineering, informs, "Vice Chancellor, I have the honour to report that, on the recommendation of the Senate, the Council has resolved that the Degree of Bachelor of Science of Engineering be conferred on those who will be presented by the Head of Department of Civil Engineering". At the same time, Civil Engineering graduands form a queue of about ten near the stage.
The Head, Department of Civil Engineering, reads out the list of names. The queue moves forward; more join in. Finally, I find myself standing at the edge of the stage, waiting for my name to be announced. Soon I start walking to the centre of the stage, where the Vice Chancellor is standing. He garlands me. Greetings in the traditional style - Ayubowan. A camera flashes. I walk back to my seat.
Finally, the list of Civil Engineering graduands, about 100 long, comes to an end. The Vice Chancellor announces, "By authority vested in me as Vice Chancellor, I confere upon you the Degree of Bachelor of Science of Engineering".
The rest of the BSc Engineering Degrees follow:
* BSc Engineering Degree in Computer Science and Engineering
* BSc Engineering Degree in Electrical Engineering
* BSc Engineering Degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
* BSc Engineering Degree in Materials Engineering
* BSc Engineering Degree in Mechanical Engineering
* BSc Engineering Degree in Mining and Minerals Engineering
* BSc Engineering Degree in Textile and Clothing Technology
Time to award academic distinctions. First, Architecture Faculty Awards:
* Professor H. J. Billimoria Award: N. G. R. Perera
* Sri Lanka Institute of Architecture Award: K. S. Kumaradas
* Professor H. P. S. Caldera Memorial Award: Not awarded
* Sri Lanka Institute of Quantity Surveying Award: S. N. Nanayakkara
* Professor K. R. S. Peiris Design Award: N. T. K. G. Senadeera
Then Engineering Faculty Awards:
* Dr. A. N. S. Kulasinghe Award: K. N. G. N. C. Alwis
* T. P. de S. Munasinghe Memorial Award: M. C. D. Prematillake
* Professor Ted Parish Award: A. A. D. J. Adikari
* The Ceylon Electricity Board Award: V. S. Abeygunawardena
* D. Samson Rajapakse Memorial Award: Not awarded
* Jayaweera Kuruppu Award: H. D. P. de Silva
* Union Carbide Award: D. A. S. Dehipitiarachchi
* Professor C. Patuwathawithana Memorial Award: K. G. N. C. Alwis
* UNESCO Team Award: K. G. N. C. Alwis
Thundering applause for Nadun (K. G. N. C. Alwis) - especially from his Civil Engineering colleagues. He steals the limelight by walking away with three awards.
Sir Arthur C. Clarke appears on the stage. Seated in his wheel chair, he delivers the Convocation Address - only five minutes long. He says he is happy to be present and apologises for his brief appearance due to poor health. He wishes all the graduates good luck and invites all to enjoy the beauty of the mathematical version of the infinite universe. Then he places his signature on the register of graduates.
The lights dim; the fifteen - minute show is on. Infinity modelled through the simple mathematical transformation Z equals Z squared plus C, where Z is a complex number. It is the Mandelbrot set.
The show is over. Sir Clarke declares the Convocation closed. As he leaves, all the others rise to their feet, and keep standing. Leaves the Vice Chancellor's procession, followed by the academic staff procession. The Convocation disperse.
In the foyer outside the Hall, the participants are refreshed with tea. About 500 fresh graduates, still wearing cloaks and garlands, are running here and there, looking for their parents and friends. And parents are looking for their children. Greetings flourish; chattering thrives; and cameras flash.
Sir Arthur C. Clarke is flanked by a host of graduates, waiting for a camera to click. A flash! They retreat; some other group take their place. The photo session seems endless, just like a space odessey in the infinite universe....
By D. B. Kappagoda
The Carnatic music recital held recently in Colombo by Charumathi Ramachandran created an awareness among the music lovers in the South Indian classical music tradition. Her performance revealed the excellence of Carnatic music both vocal and instrumental.Charumathi had her training in Carnatic music under Ramnad Krishan and D. K. Jayaratnam. She has been performing regularly in India and abroad over the past 31 years.
She is the first Carnatic musician to introduce the Hindusthani form 'Tarana' successfully in her concerts. She has also been performing music direction and orchestration for a number of stage shows and cassettes.
In addition she has composed 'Varnam' and 'Darus' and thus stole the hearts of many with her renditions. In order to understand better one has to know the background of this South Indian musical heritage.
The writings of Bharata's Natya Sastra and Suranga Deva's Sangita Ratnakara throw much light on the intricacies of Carnatic music. This music differs from the western classical music in that a greater stress is laid on melody rather than harmony amongst instruments.
In a Carnatic music concert, there are one or two main performers vocal or instrumental. There is a small number of supporting musicians in a combination of percussion, wind and string instruments.
The violin plays an important part in the Indian style by placing it against the knee. While flute, ghatam - a large clay pot used as a percussion instrument and the mirdangam - a double headed drum are the usual musical instruments that accompany the singer.
The recitals are conducted in a chamber music setting. The performers always seek to develop a rapport with the audience. It is interesting to note that Carnatic music is based on a 22 scale note contrary to the 12 note scale used in the western classical music and in practice not more than 16 notes are used.
It is the combination of these notes or swara that gives rise to a raga. The features and the constraints of a raga will be clearly defined in the arrangement of the notes in its Arohanam or ascending notes and Avarohanam, descending notes. Any deviation from this order is considered to be incorrect.
In Carnatic music, the raga is a pre-defined form of melody. Different combinations of the notes give rise to different raga. There are thousands of ragas but few of them are performed.
The important features of the raga are the Gamaka and Brigha. The former refers to the frequency modulation about a particular note and the latter refers to the speed with which one performs a set of notes.
The 'Gamaka' and the 'Brigha' add to the beauty of the melody that is performed with modulations. The Brigha could be eight, seventeenth or so on. The 'Thalam' plays an important aspect of the Carnatic music. They refer to the rhythm of the music that is performed.
There are more than hundreds of 'Thalam' but very few are used in practice and the most popular Thalams have three to eight beats. The performing artiste has to play each song which runs into three categories namely 'Alpana, Krithi and Wiraval.'
The objective of 'Alpana' is to exploit the nuances and features of a raga. A performer chooses a raga and through his creativity brings out the depth of the raga using various sets of Swara, 'Gamaka' and 'Brigha'.
The 'Alpana' is not set to any rhythm. The next part of the performance is the lyrics of the song called the 'Krithi' or Keerthana.
The importance of the 'Keerthi' cannot be 'understressed' because it is the core around which the entire music is being built. It has a devotional context. Then comes the Niraval in which the artiste uses the Swara to bring out the depth of the raga in a rhythmic pattern.
Accompaniments like violin, mirdangam and the ghatam greatly enhance the quality of the overall performance. Carnatic concerts begin with a short piece called Varnam followed by elaborate compositions Krithi.
A Krithi consists of segments referred to as Pallavi, Anu-pallavi and charnam. The pallavi, anupallavi and charnam. The pallavi illustrates the unique theme of the raga in its upper range. The charnam are different stanzas of the compositions. The main piece of Charumathi's performance is Krithi which is proceeded by an elaborate alapana in which the artiste improvises on the basic structure and displayed her ingenuity in the performance. Her performance ended with a mangalam - an invocation for the prosperity of the world.
The Indian Express said of Charumathi's performance, 'The Karna Ranjani alapana was sheer delight. Charumathi elaborated this great refinement. The concept of having ragas with the Ranjani rag was appropriate for the Ragamalika Swaras.
There were Sri Ranjani, Jana Ranjani, Ranjani and Siva Ranjani. She performed her items with ease and with no visible signs of tension. 'The lyrics were intelligently cushioned to enable the lyrical contents to sit comfortably on each of the Jathis' added The Indian Express summing up the success of the recent concert.
The Lost Empire - a park soon in Sri Lanka
By Harini Dias Bandaranayake
As Sri Lanka, along with the rest of the planet, stands on the threshold of the new millennium, the local entertainment business too is about to reach new and improved heights. Think about the concept of a Disneyland on our soil, think of computer animated characters, think of the unlimited fun available on roller coaster rides, carousal rides, cable cars, pirate ships and ghost towns, and you have Asia's largest concept of a theme park, right here at home!The Lost Empire theme park soon to be a reality in the Gampaha district hopes not only to grant entertainment to all Sri Lankans but also to boost the tourism industry. The grand idea of a theme park situated in Sri Lanka was initially born when Vidarshana Munasinghe, a Sri Lankan music agent resident in Switzerland approached Glenn Mueller, a Swiss involved in the entertainment business, in 1997. Then onwards Splash International Ltd., an entertainment organizing company took hold of the reigns in materializing Mr. Munasinghe's idea and the market research into building a Sri Lankan theme park began.
In the first quater of 1998, the land application was presented and approval was begotten from the Sri Lankan Board of Investment (BOI). Since then, a team of expert designers, landscapers and construction engineers have come up with plans to create an imaginative and exciting park encompassing approximately 175 acres of land.
'One of the main focal points of the park will be to construct a man-made lake with waterfalls, floral gardens and birdlife' said Glenn Mueller, Managing Director, Splash International Ltd., stressing that the organizers hope to design a theme park with a totally different concept in keeping with the natural landscape and beauty of Sri Lanka. He said that this theme park would not only be an opportunity for Sri Lankans to experience true theme-park fun but also to educate them in saving the environment. 'Surrounding the entire lake will be some of the leading rides found at the best theme parks around the world. This will include a Wild West town and live shows, a big wheel and a combined rollercoaster with high speed lifts called The Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, undoubtedly the park's biggest crowd-puller!' said Mr. Mueller, his eyes gleaming with anticipated excitement.
Last week the management of Splash International was in Sri Lanka to present sponsor and investment plans to buyers, to develop agreement terms with sponsors and investors and to establish the construction layout to the theme park. Mr. Mueller said that construction is due to commence from June. He said that sponsoring, as with any project of such a large scale, was paramount to the park's livelihood. Among some of the giant companies of Sri Lanka showing interest in promoting the theme park are Airlanka, John Keells, Aitken Spence, Hayleys, Coca Cola, CTC Eagle and Stassons, Mr. Munasinghe, Financial Director, Splash International Ltd., told 'The Island'. He said that the park would be a project costing over US$ 75 million.
The park called 'The Lost Empire' is based on a story as is the case in most theme parks, Mr. Mueller said. He said that the legend of the magical Lost Empire would be related to Sri Lankans in the form of a narration by a grandfather to his grandson, in order to publicise the theme of the park after which the legend would unfold into a reality where those seeking family entertainment could pursue the Lost Empire and rediscover the ancient land of magic, mystery, and fun. The theme park intends to cater to the local employment for about 800- 1500 people. Twenty five to thirty experts would be involved in the training of these employees. He also said that the upkeep of the park after the first three years of business, is expected to be sustained by the profits of the theme park.
Splash International Ltd., an organisation primarily interested in the family entertainment business, Mr. Munasinghe said, is not an organisation which would involve itself with racial, religious, gender or any form of bias. He said that although Sri Lanka is rich in culture and history, to create religious neutrality in the multi ethnic local community, a Maya temple has been agreed upon for the purposes of the legend of the theme park.
With regard to the tourism aspect, Mr. Munasinghe said that at present it is estimated that approximately 500,000 people travel to Sri Lanka annually of which 50% of the tourists visit the local zoological gardens. He said that, therefore, atleast an avarage of 50% of the total number of tourists are expected to also visit the theme park. The entrance fee at present, Mr. Munasinghe said, is expected to be Rs. 200. He said that as the park initially intends to cater to the entertainment needs of the local people, rates of the rides and other attractions available at the park would be at a nominal rate for locals while a slightly higher fee would be charged from foreigners. Taking the social aspect into consideration, Mr. Munasinghe stressed, it is our aim to ticket prices that are affordable to all. 'It's been planned that under-privileged children and disabled people for example should be able to use the facilities of the park free of charge', he said. Unlike in other theme parks, picnics would be allowed, Mr. Munasinghe added. He said that as the majority Sri Lankans are of low-income families, affordable packages would also be introduced to the park after careful negotiations with sponsors.
Another team of constructors and engineers as well as a creative team are expected to visit Sri Lanka soon, Mr. Mueller said. He said it now remains to the management of Splash International to advertise and promote the park and begin construction after signing agreements with sponsors. The pre-opening ceremony, is scheduled for December 31, 2000 after which the reaction of the Sri Lankan community would be tested by inviting some schools to be entertained at the park. The grand opening is scheduled to take place in mid 2001, if all goes according to plan, Mr. Mueller said. He said that the theme park would retain its magical and mystic aura by gradually adding attractions from time to time. This is in order to keep the interest of not only the local community but also of tourists. So far sponsor targeted industrial attractions conceived include, a steam train, a kiddie grand prix, the big wheel, steam boat, a pirate ship, pedalo fun, a playground, space flights, a 3D cinema, a rollercoaster, go carts, a musical fountain and a Swiss Bob sleigh downhill run as well as a future town.
As the Swiss team, after 18 meetings in a single day and an exclusive interview with 'The Island', took their leave to board their flight they promised that they would be back to attend to the final details in the construction of The Lost Empire awaiting discovery by Sri Lankans. Until then one can anticipate the day-trips that all Sri Lankans would be welcome to enjoy after the dawning of the millennium, where fun unlimited and unimaginable would only be a year or two away.
