Natural Disasters or Man-made Calamities Part 2

Natural Disasters or Man-made Calamities Part 2

President Maithripala Srisena shall take over Department of Wildlife Conservation and bring it under the Ministry Environment

The Government of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka always upholds the Buddhists principles, being Buddhist Nation and as such it has been blessed with an ardent heritage of following strict conservation measures since the monarchical era, an adorable practice very unique to this tiny beautiful Island Nation unparalleled to any other nation - that is how we proudly inherit a rich but always under threat Fauna and Flora, that makes Sri Lanka proud. As such every citizen is duty bound to protect this invaluable inheritance of rich Wildlife and transfer this to the next generation as well, as an ardent inheritance of this tiny island nation- that is the main objective of Department of Wildlife Conservation and that is why Dept. of Wildlife Conservation has been established with principles, laws and protocols to be adhered always for an effective conservation of fauna and flora and it has to be continued in unequivocal terms.

A highly qualified professional environmentalist, and self-oriented wild elephant enthusiast Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya have rendered his resignation as Director General, Department of Wildlife Conservation, within months of his appointment, as a result of he was not in a position to save an honest officer who has gallantly discharged his duties, from the personal barrage and admonition of Minister in charge of Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Development, for nothing other than the executing of his duty as a Park Warden, bravely and appropriately.   This entire episode has dashed the hopes and trust of the truly patriotic and environmentally concerned people, elicited on Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya’s taking over the helm of Dept. WLC.

Here what the Gallant Officer Park Warden Yala National Park Suranga Rathnayake has to say

"On June 05, I as the warden of Yala Park, sent a group for a raid that was launched on information we had received. During the raid we arrested a man who had 46 kgs of animal meats, an illegal weapon and a dead tiger whose jaws had been removed in his possession. As WLCD officials, we have the power to arrest poachers and produce them before courts. So we produced the arrested poacher before court and he was remanded. On that day, Minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera called me and admonished me for producing the suspect in court without producing him before the police. But, we have the powers to produce suspects directly before a magistrate. Poachers have been killing animals as a practice in Yala for a long time.”

But what the minster in charge of the subject, matter Gamini Jayawickrema Perera have done?

The Minister of the subject, instead of praising the officer who was honest, and brave to have apprehended the culprits of leopard hunters for meat, hide and tooth red handed - risking his life. But the Minister has gone totally out of the way to save the culprits, absolutely contradicting and criminal manner.

Any officials of the Dept. of Wildlife Conservation has the right to produce a suspect to a magistrate, and they don’t need a police assistance whatsoever, they even can arrest a police officer who the Dept. of Wildlife Conservation officials opines as a hindrance to execute his duties promptly, and it should be the way it should continue as well.

Furthermore the same minister in Gamini Jayawickrema Perera of UNP have even uttered to the Yala Park Warden "Poachers have been killing animals as a practice in Yala for a long time" so what it means clearly here is there had, have been a practice and expecting the Park Warden – just to overlook those criminal activities done by the cronies of the politicians.  

Therefore it is quite clear that Leopard meat, hide and teeth is for the consumption, of the two Ministers  involved  in this blatant messing up, as a (mythical) remedy for aging and impotence.  

Even any Minister who wants to praise his officials for the gallantly performed duty, it has go through the proper channel, otherwise it all become too personal, officer concerned would lose the recordings and his entire carrier. 

Gamini Jayawickrema Perera is not fit to be called a Honorable, because he has utter foolishly strayed off a very well known -and long practiced protocol by summoning  on the officer who discharged his duties very gallantly to parliament to face himself alone, willfully avoiding the Director General, Dept. of Wildlife Conservation who was legally appointed by Public Service Commission.

Department of Wildlife Conservation at the outset shouldn't have been with Ministry of Sustainable Development particularly with the Sri Lankan standard of Ministers, who always target the public properties only to enhance their appearance among the public, everything a just a propaganda tool. Sustainable Development is a technical term corresponding to conservation of forests and wildlife, to conserve all the natural reserves most effective way and no politician can understand its whole reflecting meaning be it in Sinhala or English and thus it is too dangerous and threatening to have named a ministry as Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Development.    

P.S-: I have worked under Gamini Jayawickrema Perera as Kurunagala District Minister 1982- 1983, and I was the National consultant Wildlife Veterinarian for Department, Wildlife Conservation (1995- 1998)