Modern Sri Lanka Studies

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.lib.pdn.ac.lk/handle/20.500.14444/267

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Elephants beyond the boundaries: A geographical assessment of elephants’ movements outside the Udawalawe national park
(University of Peradeniya, 2021) Isthikar, M. A. M.
Udawalawe National Park (UNP) in the Southern Wildlife Region (SWR) is not only very famous for its biodiversity and its elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) but also for the unfavourable Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) prevalent around the park. Entry of elephants into the farming fields, damaging the crops and property, occasional injuries and death to both humans and elephants are common features beyond the UNP. The objective of this research is to identify how the push and pull factors contribute to elephants' invasion of villages, farmlands and HEC beyond the Eastern boundary of the UNP. UNP and the Eastern Udawalawe National Park (EUNP) have been selected as the study site for this research. Purposive sampling has been employed as one of the main techniques to collect data from targeted respondents. Particularly, a questionnaire survey, in depth interviews with farmers using semi-structured questions, key informant interviews with park officers and with Safari Jeep drivers were conducted. Collected data were analyzed using Content Analyzing Methods, Microsoft MS Excel and GIS. High concentrated human activities (17%) play a major role as major push factors for elephants' entry into the farming fields. Besides, lack of carrying capacity inside the park (05%), the attraction of crops beyond the EUNP (28%), restriction of elephants' home range (30%), dangerous chasing techniques followed by the people beyond the EUNP (11%) and management related issues of the UNP (09%) acts as significant roles in pushing the elephants from the park beyond the EUNP and for HEC.
Post conflict reconstruction: Resettlement issues and challenges in the peace-building process in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, 2021) Wanninayake, S.
The protracted armed conflict in Sri Lanka between the government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) ended in May 2009. The three-decades-old conflict displaced over half a million people and devastated their lives; particularly during its final stage (2006–2009). Post-conflict resettlement initiatives are hardly considered the permanent resettlements of these displaced people in their traditional villages. This study sets out to explore the resettlement issues and challenges to the post-conflict reconstruction and peace-building process in Sri Lanka. The process of reconstruction and peace building has come under several programs and projects. Nevertheless, the internal displacement has become a dreadful outcome of armed conflict in Sri Lanka and resettling IDPs in their places of origin became a prime task under the reconstruction programs to rebuild the peaceful life of the people. The study focuses on understanding the role of the various factors that negatively affected the resettlement of people in their original places of residence. The study has revealed a mixture of factors that have negatively influenced the entire process of return, resettlement, reconstruction and peace-building in conflict affected areas. As a result, multiple factors need to be understood about the rebuilding of their normal lives in the respective areas. Fieldwork was carried out in villages in the district of Vavuniya. The paper is based on qualitative methods. Long interviews and key informant interviews were mainly used for the qualitative data.
Teenage pregnancy in Sri Lanka: Trends and causes
(University of Peradeniya, 2021) Thoradeniya, K.
The main aim of this paper is to examine the trends and factors affecting teenage pregnancies in Sri Lanka. This paper draws mainly upon secondary data, reviewing the available research findings to describe the patterns, trends and causes for teenage pregnancies in Sri Lanka. When taking into account the trends of teenage pregnancies in Sri Lanka, the percentage of teenage mothers is lower than the other countries in South Asia. However, on the island, the percentage of teenage pregnancy varies from district to district and the prevalence of teenage mothers in certain areas is high. Social factors such as sexual violence, extreme poverty, the impact of war, lack of social opportunities and family conflicts could be identified as the main factors associated with teenage pregnancies. However, patriarchal culture, negative attitudes on poverty, social pressure and misuse of technology or social media as identified in this paper are the root causes for the teenage pregnancies in the country. In order to eliminate the problem of teenage pregnancy, short term and long-term solutions need to be planned. Taking strong actions against gender-based violence, expanding educational opportunities, eradicating poverty and also rehabilitating social systems devastated by the effects of the long-drawn civil war, motivating children and families for engaging with institutions such as schools and religious institutions will be helpful to solve this problem up to some extent. The engagement with the institutions of the health sector should also be implemented in providing sex education, family counselling, and educating parents on alternative income schemes. Awareness programmes in the areas where teenage pregnancies are high also can be implemented and human resources available in the particular area can be utilized for this purpose.
The effectiveness of pre-marital program “PREP” in the relationships of undergraduate couples in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, 2021) Rathnayaka, R. M.
Pre-marital counselling is designed to enhance premarital relationships as leading to more satisfactory and stable marriages with the intended consequence of preventing divorce. Pre-marital education programs are knowledge and skills-based training applications. The Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) is an empirical intervention program to support the prevention of marital distress and divorce with short and long term effectiveness. PPEP is one of the intervention programs that promote pre-marriage counselling. The literature review shows that little is known about pre-marital counselling and no prior research in Sri Lanka has evaluated the effectiveness of PREP on the relationships of undergraduate couples. The data were collected using the mixed method approach comprising of pre-test and post-test quantitative questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. This research selected 15 undergraduate heterosexual couples (15females and 15male) from the University of Peradeniya for the quantitative analysis and 3 couples were selected for the qualitative analysis. The T-Test and thematic analysis were adopted as the data analysis method. The research findings indicated that the T-Test was significant at <0.05 level indicating the program was successful. Moreover, there was a significant difference between before and after PREP (t=15.040, p<0.00025) in lessening vulnerability and risk in marriage by strengthening protective factors among the couples. The mean score of the 15 university undergraduate couples for the test was 146.13 (SD=14.738) before the PREP program and it increased to a mean of 176.47(SD=6.892) after they had participated in the PREP program. Couples stated that premarital programs are necessary for their lives and they recommended the PREP program for both married and unmarried couples.
Dimensions of preparedness for countering violent extremism: Methods, approaches and operations
(University of Peradeniya, 2021) Chandran, S.
Terrorists and extremists who travel worldwide to carry out attacks are not a new notion, and they have become more common since global travel became more accessible during the twenty-first century. In response to their violent acts, several governments of the world have endeavoured to take several anti terrorist and anti-extremist measures. This study focuses on extremism and its many manifestations, including violent extremism (VE) and counter-violent extremism (CVE), as well as related ideas, programs, processes, and tools. Moreover, it investigates the basic principles of extremism and violent extremism, and various aspects of the domain, such as the factors that contribute to extremism and violent extremism. It also discusses how to tackle violent extremism and defend both internal and external threats, by the development of multifaceted approaches to combating violent extremism on international, regional and multilateral, and domestic levels. Extensive literature reviews, both electronic and written, allowing the exploration of knowledge unique to the research area and offering a system of references for successful subject evaluation.
Brinjals and drumsticks: Gendered diaspora tourism experience of Sri Lankan origin Tamils in Norway
(University of Peradeniya,Sri Lanka, 2020) Azmi, M. I. F.
Sri Lanka‟s tourism sector was affected by nearly three decades of war, which ended in 2009. In the post-war context, diaspora tourism became significant; however, to date, it has not received much research focus. Aiming at filling this research gap, the present study explores the tourism-related decision making of Tamil diaspora members living in Norway. The paper examines the role of place attachment and emotion in this decision-making. The 26 years of war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forced many Tamils to leave Sri Lanka. Since the war has ended, diaspora community members in Norway have returned to visit their homeland in large numbers. The study confirms that their decision-making of tourism is highly influenced by the post-war peaceful environment, personal economic situations and, more importantly, engagement in re-establishing, renewing and strengthening place attachment. The study also shows that, by re establishing these links, the Tamil diaspora community contributes to strengthening the “diaspora Tamil” identity in both Sri Lanka and Norway. The study concludes that the end of the war has given these a space to re-negotiate their place attachment, strengthen their emotional links to their homeland and re-confirm their sense of belonging.
Mitigating the pandemonium of the Covid pandemic: Critical observations on Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya,Sri Lanka, 2020) Nanayakkara, S.
Covid-19 emerged as a new epidemic in 2019 in Wuhan province in the Republic of China. In early 2020, the disease spread rapidly worldwide resulting it to be classified as a pandemic. This new disease is due to SARS-Cov2 virus and is a new challenge for the medical fraternity, world health authorities, all countries, to the society and every individual on earth. At present, the mortality of 2019-nCoV is 2.3%, compared with 9.6% of SARS and 34.4% of MERS epidemics as reported by WHO. SARS-Cov-2 is a very contagious disease spreading at an extremely rapid rate and has created turbulence in the world. It has led to closing down of all educational institutes, trade stalls, business organizations and government institutions. Social distancing has been maintained to break the chain of transmission of the virus, hence all social gatherings; parties, pilgrimages, weddings, funerals and religious functions have been cancelled. The public places of entertainment; parks, cinemas, theatres, beaches, restaurants, pubs and gymnasiums have been forced to close which has led to tremendous social distress. The low infection and low death rate of 0.29 per million in Sri Lanka is maintained throughout the country with the efforts to counteract the pandemic must be considered satisfactory. The attempts have been commended by those at the highest levels of the World Health Organisation, and the European Community Covid-19 monitoring agency. Sri Lanka mobilised the entire government workforce with police, military, state intelligence and civil service to boost the health services in combating the pandemic. Some of the drastic steps taken by Sri Lankan authorities were, early closure of airports, closing down of all government and non government institutions, tracing of contacts and screening them for the disease, pre-emptive quarantining, locking down geographical pockets after diagnosing patients and imposing island wide curfew. We have experienced only the early stages of the calamity that the Corona virus has caused. It is very likely that its global impact will escalate at an exponential pace over the next few weeks to months bringing a pandemic of social distress.
Vulnerability of riverine communities to flooding in Makurdi town, Nigeria
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Olanrewaju, R. M.; Orfega Mage, J.
Riverine environments are of significant economic, ecological and social importance to the global population. They are however, under increasing pressure from rapid anthropogenic developmental activities and the effects of climate change. This paper characterizes vulnerable riverine communities, their level of vulnerability, and suggests adaptive measures for the vulnerable communities. Coastal vulnerability index (CVI) adapted by Palmer (2011) is used to measure prescribed physical parameters of Bank width, Coastal slope, Distance of vegetation behind back of the River Bank, Distance of communities from the river, Percentage rock outcrop, Avalanche risk and Presence of braided channels. Vulnerability levels of the communities were classified based on the CVI index (Very low, Low, Moderate, High and Very high). The result shows that Wurukum and Wadata with indices of 26 and 25 respectively have very high vulnerability to flooding, Fiidi has an index of 22 indicating high vulnerability while both High level and North Bank have values of 14 each meaning low vulnerability. The study recommends dredging of river Benue, building of embankments and avoiding building in marshy areas that are flood prone in Makurdi town.
An Economic evaluation of fertilizer subsidy on paddy production in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Sisirakumara, M. P. S. S.; Karunarathna, M.; Athukorala, W.
Fertilizer subsidy is one of the largest subsidy programs implemented in Sri Lanka. In 2018, approximately Rs.40 billion was allocated from the national budget for providing fertilizer subsidies for cultivating paddy in the country. The primary objective of this paper is to estimate the costs and benefits of fertilizer subsidy scheme which is implemented over the last 14 years in Sri Lanka. The secondary data covering the period between 2005 and 2018 on value of total fertilizer subsidy, total paddy production and the extent of land used for cultivating paddy was used for the analysis. The result of the study shows a significant variation in the total paddy production and the costs of total fertilizer subsidies which vary from 9 % to 36 % of the value of total rice production (benefits) during the study period. Furthermore, econometric model estimation confirms that total fertilizer subsidies, cultivated land area and regional variation have significant impacts on total paddy production in the country. The results of the study will help the government to understand the effectiveness of the existing subsidy program and design a more appropriate target system in the future.
Modern volunteerism in the context of community work of CBOs: Is it another form of community engagement?
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Gamlath, S.
Based on the author’s2 experience and field observations in community work and volunteering practice with Community based Organisations (CBOs), the proposition that the new activism of modern volunteering is another form of community engagement is discussed in this paper. The author identifies task centred and connection-centred volunteering as two forms of modern volunteering that the CBOs apply in their work in communities. The first form of volunteering does not promote active community connection and engagement because the volunteer action is very-much task-oriented, described, directed, controlled and supervised by the CBO. The latter however promotes a more versatile and reciprocity style connection in which all participants, volunteers, CBO and community, are actively, and almost equally, involved in all aspects of volunteering action. It generates an enabling community environment where everyone is closely connected among each other, and to internal and external community networks and institutional structures. It facilitates the work of CBOs to generate maximum positive outcomes of their work which benefit the wellbeing of entire community. Moreover, such a model of volunteerism also seems to be promoting an effective community engagement by which means the conditions are created for higher level of social capital to be accumulated within communities.
Asia and global capitalist development; The role of Indian business communities, with special reference to Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Gunarathne, M. S.
Economic transformation in Asia under the intervention of European colonial expansion is a popular theme in the academic discourse on global capitalist development. Eurocentric theory, both Liberal and Marxist, on development of capitalism on a global scale has been intensively refuted and debated about. The current academic discourse on the subject recognizes the interaction of multi-centered economic processes over several centuries paving the way for global capitalist development. In this process, the specific nature of the contributions of India and China has received considerable academic attention. In the case of India, its merchant capital had been operating in South and Southeast Asia, in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea areas and East Africa over several centuries. At the time of the advent of Western capitalism, Indian mercantile operation had brought about significant economic changes in this vast geographical area. It was in this background that the interaction between European and Indian merchant capitalist operations takes place in the 18th century. In this process Indian business communities performed specific roles and made a significant contribution to the development of capitalism in the region in the 19th century in collaboration and competition with European colonialism. Sri Lanka presents a typical arena of this broad transformation process. Sri Lanka was in the Asian merchant capital network and Indians played an intermediary role in the economy for centuries. When Sri Lanka underwent rapid economic change under the British colonial intervention in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Indians played a noteworthy role to make colonial initiatives practicable, as in most parts of South East Asia. The aim of this study is to analyze the debate on economic transformation in Asia examining the involvement of various Indian business communities during the colonial intervention in the Sri Lankan economy, and to assess their contribution towards its transformation. The principle problem addressed in this research is the specific role played by various Indian business communities in the economic transformation in Sri Lanka under the colonial intervention. The research tries to assess the importance of their roles in the incorporation of indigenous society into colonial capitalist production processes. This research will utilize information and data obtained from primary archival materials in Sri Lanka and India and statistical records of colonial governments. The research will also involve a search for private collections of documents of such families.
Prevalence, causes and mechanisms in addressing violence against women (VAW) in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Karunanayake, A.
Women have become main contributors to the societies across the world as they play multitasking roles in their families. Although they have gained achieved great heights, when it comes to both the private and public spheres, we can identify that some women are discriminated and marginalized. In this context in the present world many countries including Sri Lanka have understood the importance of women‟s empowerment and have implemented a number of policies and mechanisms to protect women from violence against women (VAW). Even in the presence of such actions, the rates of VAW are high in numbers. Therefore, in this context it is very essential to examine the root causes for this situation. This research examines the level of awareness in the general public on VAW, based on the three different contextual areas in the country. Through this research findings, an attempt has been made to draw attention to how human rights education can be used to eliminate VAW.
Agro-well development and its impact on Gasgommana tank reservations in tank cascades of Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Perera, M. P.
The expansion of Agro-well based agricultural systems has been a significant trend in the agricultural sector during the last three decades in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. Although there are many positive impacts, it has an adverse effect on tank reservations including natural vegetation belt locally called “Gasgommana” located surrounding the tanks. These systems have been contributing a lot of hydro-ecological services in tank cascades. Due to this recent issue on degradation of Gasgommana tank reservation, a study was planned to examine the impact on this tree zone using six tank cascades covering two river basins in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. For this study Geo-Eye 1 satellite images, Google images, direct observations, field surveys, structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were used for gathering necessary data. It was revealed that, with the increase of Agro well density in tank cascades, number of Agro-wells in reservations has been increased. In addition to the Agro-well excavation in reservations, these systems have been damaged due to Agro-well based land development, collection of woody materials and use of excavation machines. During the study, only 18 tree species were recorded in the remaining Gasgommana reservation area. It is also an evident that the tree density of Gasgommana reservation has decreased. With the increase of Agro-well density more than 15 per/ha, the Gasgommana land strips have also faded away nearly more than 60%.
An assessment of the trend of deforestation and its impact on the changing climate in North Central Nigeria
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Olanrewaju, R. M.; Tilakasiri, S. L.; Aro Joseph, K.; Malik, N. A.
Deforestation has become a major environmental issue in the world today especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where forest wood is worth more to people than their wellbeing in the long run. Thus, the forest cover is constantly depleted due to its use as fuel and in the manufacture of paper and charcoal. Nigeria has the world's highest deforestation rate of primary forests according to revised deforestation figures from the Global Forest Resources Assessment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2015). Between 2000 and 2005 the country has lost 55.7% of its primary forests and is currently estimated to having only 6% of its entire land area covered by forests. Logging, subsistence agriculture, and the collection of fuelwood are cited as leading causes for the forest clearing in the West African country. Deforestation is considered to be one of the major contributing factors to global climate change. This research aims at assessing the trends in deforestation in North Central Nigeria with respect to changes in climatic parameters while also seeking to educate locals on how their actions like deforestation and bush burning are constantly modifying the climate. Changes in the extent of the forest cover were studied over 32 years with a 10-year time step using satellite images obtained from the United States geological survey archive and the Idrisi image analyst software, while climatic parameters for the study area (rainfall and temperature) were obtained from the archive of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Oshodi, Nigeria. The data was analyzed using the trend line equation for the same period. The results of the forest cover change were mapped and overlaid to determine the extent of forest cover change and its implication on changes in climate. The results reveal a decline in rainfall and a rise in Annual temperature averages. The rate of forest depletion was 17.38% between 1987 and 2018 with an additional 30.1% decline in the light vegetation over the same period. Changes in built up areas and densely vegetated forest areas have a highly statistically significant influence of R2above 90% and P-value <0.05 on maximum temperature.
Language and Sinhalese nationalism: The career of Munidasa Cumaratunga
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 1972) Dharmadasa, K. N. O.
The nationalist nussion, therefore, was to recover or reconstruct the authentic uniqueness of the nationality (which had been contaminated by foreign models) and, thereby, to recover for the present as well as establish for the future the greatness that had existed in the past. Munidasa Cumaratunga- (1887-1944) was one of the most outstanding personalities of the Sinhalese literary scene in the period extending from the 1920's to' the 40's. He is remembered today mainly as a grammarian and a literary figure. As a grammarian his contribution was singular, unprecedented and, as yet, unsurpassed.s He was, moreover, a gifted literary artist" and a perceptive critic.! His achievements in these fields have tended to loom too large in the evaluation of his career. When his career as a whole is taken into consideration, however, it can be argued that it had a significance that extended beyond the literary and linguistic spheres, and that its impact on Sinhalese society was much deeper than hitherto recognised.
The forgotten 1953 paddy lands act in Ceylon: Ideology, capacity and response
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 1972) Herring, R. J.
A venerable Western intellectual tradition with roots in the cynicism of Machiavelli and the sociology of Marx, Mannheim, et al, views political ideology as an epiphenomenon, essentially a reflection of the concrete interests of individuals and classes, its function being to rationalize and justify those interests in terms of higher ideals, such as the general welfare. 1 The problem with this view is that it narrows our vision to exclude some of the important findings of contemporary psychology, espec ially the recognition of a strain towards consistency in the cognitive and evaluative mechanisms. 2 Most simply, there tends to be consistency bet ween the individual's evaluation of the world and his perception and under standing of the world; the retention of certain values is possible only through concurrent retention of an empirical model of the way the world works. Such values tend to dominate perceptions of empirical evidence; there is a selective screening and weighting process decisively influencing what counts as evidence, what weight should be given various perceptions. We may call this organi sation of values, a picture of the way things should be, a normative model.
A structural comparison of Mathematical models for educational planning
(University of Peradeniya, 1972) Sumanasekara, H. D.
The mathematical models approach to educational planning is of recent origin. At most a decade has elapsed since its intervention. Nevertheless, the variety, diversity and complexity of present educational problems have resulted in the construction of a wide spectrum of mathematical models for educational planning. In this paper, using a classification framework, it is at tempted to conduct a guided tour over a selected set of educational planning models representing a fair cross-section of the present state of the art and to carry out a structural comparison within them. The major analytical weaknesses in the educational planning models that have been brought to light by the structural analysis are subsequently discussed with a view to pointing out the possible future development of the models.
Ceylon's trade relations with Coromandel during early British times, 1796 ..1837
(University of Peradeniya, 1972) Samaraweera, V.
From early times the trading pattern of the island of Ceylon with the outside world had been dominated by the commercial links which had been developed with the neighbouring coasts of Malabar and CoromandeI. The commercial links with Malabar had been antedated by cultural contact which, by the time the British wrested control of maritime Ceylon from the Dutch, had been renewed and strengthened by the establishment of the Nayakkar dynasty in Kandy, the independent kingdom in the interior of the island. There had been cultural contact with Coromandel too, but the focal point of the relations between the two territories was commerce and it was this region which occupied the pride of place in the external commerce of Ceylon. The Coromandel trade was controlled by merchants drawn from the two coasts and it encompassed their numerous small ports and was in many respects an extension of the internal trade of the island. The merchants-had succeeded in forging close economic ties between the two coasts and a strong community of interest between the peoples of the two regions had been built up over the years. There is no doubt that this trading relationship was of vital importance to the sustenance of the economy of Ceylon, and indeed, as it has been asserted, may well have been its "life-line".
A review of planning for paddy production in Sri Lanka, 1947 -1970
(University of Peradeniya, 1972) Gunadasa, J. M.
The word planning is defined in various ways. It is hardly rewarding to enumerate the definitions. In general, planning means tracing a certain course of action with a view to attaining a definite predetermined objective. There is a wide variety of purposes for which planning is applied and accordingly, there are different types of planning. These can be divided into two broad groups: physical planning and economic planning. The former is concerned with the designing and construction of specific physical objects like buildings, bridges, roads or even the lay-out of the urban and rural landscape. The latter deals with the utilization of scarce resources to achieve maximum benefits. Though in practice physical planning is complementary to. economic planning, in this paper it is from the point of view of the latter! that planning for paddy pro duction in Sri Lanka is reviewed. In this review, the formulation of policies to increase the production of paddy, either on the basis of formally prepared economic development plans, or without them, is regarded as planning for paddy production. An attempt is made to examine the degree to which paddy production was planned in terms of specific production projects, firstly to suit locational characteristics and regional differences and secondly, to ensure .the optimal use of resources. The first part of the paper focuses attention on the need for considering regional differences. The second and the third sections review the process of planning for paddy production firstly as appearing in the development plans and secondly, as evident from the agricultural policies. Though a general review of planning up to about 1968 appears in a recent work.? its focus has obscured the theme of discussion presented in this essay.
Environmental influences on an industrial organisation in Ceylon
(University of Peradeniya, 1972) Goonathilake, S.
This paper describes a research study of an industrial organisation in Ceylon The object of this study was principally to describe the relation of Western organisa tional methods officially adopted in the organisation to the methods actually iuse, and also to trace the infl ience which the environment had on the working of th organisation. These two questions are intertwined, and the answers to these were seout in a set of models. The description which follows has a brief overview of the litrature on non-Western organisations specially as they relate to conditions familia to Ceylon. The findings of the study are discussed in relation to this literature.

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