Sri Lanka Customs

Over three years ago I went to India with my mother, like most other Sri Lankans we did some shopping and my mother bought two dozens of Henna hair color claiming this is much better than in Sri Lanka. Since I’m not using I can’t say which is better than the others but Indian product was relatively less expensive than in Sri Lanka. Both of us safely reached to Katunayake international airport around 22.30 by Sri Lankan Air Line. We were tired but As usual before the arrival we were going through airport office custom .The Sri Lankan custom officer while we he was still using his mobile phone orders us to open our luggage.There were few sarees that my mother bought in my luggage mostly were books.

Then the custom office found out Henna hair color packets. There were two dozen which technically 24   sachets packets. The custom officer showed his awareness of law and said only 6 packs can be allowed. He questioned my mother whether she is running a saloon .other 18 number of packets will subjected to taxes. Then I politely asked can I take 6 packets claiming that I’m using then only another 12 packets will subjected to the tax. With this question the custom officer got furiously angry. He questioned saying are you trying to violate Sri Lankan custom law in a smart way.he can take legal action  based on my idea of violation Sri Lankan custom law.

Well my mother is law abiding citizen than me.She said I’ll take only 6 packets  which is allowed by law. The custom office can keep the other. I also felt it’s a sensible decision .As a country we should be happy about this kind of lawful custom officers. They are earning for this country, but they are equally fair on every case our country is a much better place

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As per the mission the Sri Lanka Customs is dedicated to enforce revenue and social protection laws of the state while facilitating the trade with the objective of contributing to the national effort and in due recognition thereof. Also Sri Lanka Customs is one of the oldest Customs administrations in the world which celebrated its 200 years in 2009.

Also if we trace ancient Sri Lanka there is evidence of the existence of Customs tax collection in Sri Lanka over 2000 years ago at the Godawaya Harbor in Hambanthota.Well this is not Hmbanthota Mahinda Rajapaksha Port..

The stone inscription existing at the Godawaya temple provides probably one of the oldest evidence on Customs duties in the entire world. Ancient internal port had functioned from 2nd Century AD to 12th Century AD at Godawaya in Southern Sri Lanka near the mouth of the Walawe River. This inscription had been made by King Gajabahu (114-136AD) and states that he had ordered the donation of duties collected at the port to the Godawaya Temple for its maintenance.

Like many other things in Sri Lanka we have proud history, but sadly we can’t be happy or proud about our present or future.

Currently  Sri Lanka custom is a heaven for corruption. Our general believes is the police, the politics are the most corrupted. But when it comes to Sri Lanka custom their corruption is negligible.to become a custom officer in Sri Lanka not an easy task. A degree or equivalent qualifications are must. Out of all government services Sri L lanka custom officers five scale salary which including commissions for their outstanding performances. Most of Sri Lankan custom officer are educated in Sri Lanka through the free education up to the university. We can understand a poor police cop getting 1000 SLR as a bribe where his monthly income most cases less than 25000SLR.But why highly paid custom officer are taking bribes in millions?

Few days ago Three Customs officials were arrested while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rc. 125 million, which is equaling to 1.68 million  US$ . According to Bribery Commission sources this is the largest ever recorded case of bribe taking, detected by them. This much of money any government officer may not be able to save in his whole life.

The Customs officers in question has informed a foreign company that a payment of Rs 1,500 million was required for the release of a consignment of spare parts imported to be used by the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). Later, the three Customs officers are said to have solicited a bribe of Rs.150 million while promising to waive off the duty and other payments. Following negotiations, the bribe had been reduced to Rs 125 million. The company had later informed the Bribery Commission about the incident.

The three suspects nabbed are  Assistant Customs Authority M.D.U.P. Perera, Deputy Director Customs  Jagath Gunathileke , and Customs officer Sudheera Parakrama ironically one of the above officers received 30 million reward few months ago for his outstanding performances.

This is a one incident, there was a, another incident a custom office directly responsible of murdering his colleague simply because he has refused to take part of the huge bribe. Both of they were educated in Peradeniya University; we can’t believe what are the objectives of our education.

But at least we can be happy; we have well activated commission of bribery after the new director general. We salute you Madam…….!

We Shall Grow Coconut and Pineapple.........................

Just after the introducing television to Sri Lanka  in early 80 's  most of houses had only black and white televisions. Not in the main cities, but in small villages there were only few televisions. The whole neighborhood gathers around that particular home the everyone watched television together. There were not much television channels so everyone happy with the same programme. There were no arguments over tv channels. The house owners making tea, people eat beetle leaves, it’s not only an experience of watching television, it was a social event. Sometimes there was bad reception.to everyone helps to fix the antenna which always fixed into a bamboo tree.

But things are drastically changed now. We have television in almost every house. Sometimes we have more than a television per houses. And we have over 30 television channels plus cable channels and satellite antennas. Even with a house with only four members there is conflict over channels, since we have so much to choose we are going our own ways. I ll tell you a good story, I had a cousin brother after he got married the first thing he did was bought a television and made their bed room into a television room, Because the sister in law had bitter arguments over tv channels with his father in-law.so my cousin brother bought this  their own television. But the problem did not solve as he expected .little while later new couple started fighting over the television channel. But I do remember in this same house about twenty years ago all of us gather in front   of the small black and white television and watched cartoons very happily. Now it an only a good old memory.

Out of all my childhood television experiences I do remember one tele drama. Even those days tele drams were not common as today. One episode for one week. These tele dramas I cannot remember the name but it was about drug addicted son and his wealthy family. Drugs were supplied to the son by father’s close associate.in the end it came to know father himself was a drug dealer  and his son indirectly become a victim of the process. Most of the actors in the teledrama were film actors. During that time there were not this much actors everywhere, the role of the drug addicted son was done by Kamal Addararachchi, though he was subjected to many controversies I have to admit he is good actor. He was in his early twenties while he did this role.People started believing he  is really drug addicted one after watching the tele drama, this was in late 80’s and drug addiction  just started to begin.

Most of infamous drug smugglers to the Sri Lanka had direct links with Pakistan also majority of them were Muslims May be this is different in western part of the  world  where it has notable drug lords such as  George Jung, Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder Rivas or  Frank Lucas none of them linked  with Pakistan or Muslims. But In Sri lanka Colombian Cocaine is not very common drug. Instead of that we have Heroin from Afghanistan known as “Afghan Kush Kush”. 

But this smuggling drugs did not happened so openly. They did very primary methods of smuggling drugs such as swallowing, body packing, hiding the goods in luggage, or clothes, Sometimes the goods are hidden in the bag or vehicle of an innocent person, who does not know about the contraband, for the purpose of retrieving the goods elsewhere. And it came to Sri Lanka in really small quantities. Usage of drugs mainly with the urban youths, it has not spreading into the villages. Most cases school children were targeted in the city. There were very unfortunate stories  about boys who got through  grade 5 scholarship exam  came to leading schools in Colombo and ended up  using drugs.

The real stories like” Basketball diaries” actually happened  with some school children.Also we never had drug dealers who keep it as a  controlled business what we saw in “Godfather “Young school  students were the main victim.Apart from that there was a higher percentage of drug use on the coastal belt of southern part of the Sri Lanka. Because of the Civil war the northern part coastal belt as well the youths not been widely open to the tourism. Around Hikkaduwa the most popular beach town in Sri Lanka for decades linked with drugs .it’s more like a beach culture.

The drug business is not an effort   of single, Like rest of the world even in Sri lanka this is very much linked with support of the police, crooked politicians and  very clever lawyers  etc.

But in the past  ten years our country became a center for the drugs .My home town Ingiriya which is over 60 km from Colombo there were no people who were addicted to drugs, but in past ten years this became very common in the Ingiriya area.it started with sand miners oh River Kālu. Then spared into the school children.

After the end of the Sri Lankan civil war drugs were widely available in the northern part of the country.

About Jaffna peninsulas was always famous for its educated, ambitious hardworking youths, but after 30 years of civil war the old Jaffna peninsula turned into an epic center for drugs.

Well how this happened? Who is responsible for this disaster? As Sri Lankans we are partially responsible for what have made into this country. We ll we can scold our government and politicians but we are the people who elected them. We had a  prime mister who had   lunch with person charged with drug dealing. The same prime minister later told what the wrong of having lunch with a friend is. Yes the prime minister is correct there is no fault of having lunch with a friend, but problem is the friend is charged for smuggling drugs to Sri Lanka. Meanwhile the same prime minister’s son got elected to parliament and the good government’s offers a minister post. Well this is Sri Lanka.

But yesterday Colombo High Court Judge Preethi Padman Surasena sentenced Gampola Vidanage Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda to death over possession of and dealing in heroin. This is only for 7.9 grams in 2007.but same person has 57 charges and other court process not yet been finished.As per the police this person is responsible of supplying 60%   drugs in Sri Lanka. During the 19 years of his activated his time before he was captured in Pakistan he has send 10000milion worth drugs to Sri Lanka. We Sri Lankans easily could have made bricks out of his drugs.

But Wele Suda appealed and said “When I came to the Court, the CID took me away saying they needed to obtain a statement from me. 80g heroin were put on me and then I was produced in Court. I was not aware of anything. That is all I have to say my Lord." To the judge. He is innocence his own ways.

But the Police had traced assets worth Rs 185 million belonging to Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda,

As per the list of property  a two-stored Bungalow at Wijerama Road, Colombo 7, a house at the  Royal Park housing complex, Rajagiriya, two houses in the apartment complex at Bagatalle Road, Colpetty, a house at Palanwatte, Pannipitiya, a house at Obawatte, Madiwela, a land 16 perches in extent at Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7, a 15-perch block of land at Nedimala, Dehiwala, a Prado vehicle, a BMW vehicle, 3001 grams of gold and Rs 18.2 million in banks.

In addition, the police team had raided the ‘heroin headquarters’ of Wele Suda located in a super luxury multistoried residential complex at Sri Jayewardenepura and seized 901 grams heroin, as well as Rs 9,071,680 in cash.

But Wele Suda said this all he earned by his coconut and pineapple cultivation which was given from his father. If it is that much profitable business I’m going to stop practicing architecture, we should grow coconut and pineapple.this clever planter but thinking his children should not follow the same sending to the international schools like most of other leading business men. Yet  again  this is just only one piece of a huge chain, what about the others?

Margarita with a Straw………….

Tequila, Cointreau and lime juice 7:4:3 proportions will make a Margarita, but in Sri Lanka except lime juice others are not commonly available. We have imported Tequila in high end price. Blue agave plant is not at all growing in Sri Lanka. Even I can’t afford Tequila on daily basis, not because of its alcohol percentage, the price is the reason.

But we have handful of good place to have a Margarita. I would like to recommend Margarita Blue Pub at Galadari hotel in Colombo.  My favorite is a pool side table with a frozen Margarita in the evening but Friday is bit crowded.

Yesterday I did not have margarita, but watched margarita with a straw.it s  an Indian Movie. Well I assume you all know Margarita serves with Margarita Glass a variant of the classic champagne coupe but not always with straw. Only in special occasions that it serve with straw. Even the movie is about a “Laila” a wheelchair bound pretty girl with cerebral palsy.Actually in the movie she is very pretty I think it’s because her maternal links to the French decency in real life. Also the actress in real life married to Anurag Kashyap. Well this all about inside gossip but what is about the movie.

Laila in her confused teen age stage where she assumed that who is nice to her will fall in love, since she is bound with wheel chair there some situations friends and peoples too much being nice opt her. Well that is a some problem with this part of world. For disable peoples either too much help or there is no help at all. Actually when we are not normal we can’t expect to be normal form others. Laila did all those mistakes as a teen and she got hurt. We don t need to be wheel chair bound, as normal people we do such mistakes than Laila.

Actually I have taken quite a long time that people those who nice to us do not mean that they are in love with us. Well Laila had really helpful family, when she refused to go university anymore her mother able to get a Semester in New York University.it s different world. In New York she able to explore certain things where she did not have freedom to do in India.

In Sri Lanka actually south Asia same gender marriages or relationships not accepted in legally. Even if we change the legal system it will take a long time to accept by the society. In this Island it consider as a sinful thing by vast majority. But Laila was lucky in New York she found very caring loving girlfriend .Though she is blind she realized how beautiful is Laila.

We do moronic mistakes even if we have the best girlfriend or boyfriend we have. Same as Laila, she did mistake and when you trying to be honest hoping for a fresh start it are not going to happen as we expect.it is a common thumb rule for everyone.for a healthy relationship better to keep secrets for ever somehow. Being open minded or extreme honestly only make regret most of the cases. But I have no idea what level of the honesty should we maintain in a relationship.

Finally Laila lost her mother, which was her constant love. Yet again it is not too bad being alone. Laila decided to have a date alone with herself alone. If we can’t be happy alone who else can be happy about us. If Laila can do it why we can’t do? I think that’s why movies always remain as movies, but not forever it is  good having a  margarita alone, but without a straw……..

Is There A Lion In You?

This is October, The month of October fest in Germany.where beer is cheap more than water. But in Sri Lanka our good government increased the beer price by 40-50 rupees.it seems not much, but if you order a beer pitcher I have no idea what is the cost. Hoping to check this today evening,

Well in Sri lanka  we have a chain of beer pubs run by Lion Beers which is very known as “Machan”The Machan very similar term “Dude or Buddy” in English. It’s place to have a beer for a cheap price. Actually we are not very pub oriented nation such as British. There are several bubs in Colombo, Kandy etc.But Still Pub is not a part of life for most of average Sri Lankans.We have something called wine stores in each town,small village mainly run by some henchman of the local politicians.it look like a prison cell,fortified with steel grill work.

But out of all the liquors the beer price was comparatively cheap in here. this happened after 1994.it was ex-president Chandrika Kumaratunga and  that time Minister of finance Kingsly 

T.Wickramaratne were the people those who reduced the beer price claiming this will help minimize of usage of illegal liquor in Sri Lanka.The illegal liquor which is highly consume by law income locals known as” Kasippu”. 

Mrs. Kumaratunga expected that people will drink beer instead of Kasippu when it is cheap. That time if I’m not mistaken a bottle of Beer came down to 30 SLR.but this was in 1994 or 1995.ten years ago 30 SLR was considerable amount.But there is no significant reduction of consuming Kasippu among local,but there is a increase of consuming beer for sure.

There was a Sinhalese drama by Rajitha Disanayaka “Hansayitath man Asai”(=I like swans too).Sawumya Liyanage did the main role and there was a dialog about reducing beer price and they drank actual beer bottles and did smoke  at the stage.

 I’m intention was not promoting either beer or cigarette .Except this scene I don’t remember anything special about this drama, In Sri Lankan term Hansaya, the swan has very literally meaning. If Rajitha Disanayake meant that he should have found an actress who had good looking swans. The actress of the drama even it was 1996 I remember very much she did not have “swans”. 

But before all this dram happened the beer was not the cheap .It was consider as kind of expensive liquor, Local liquor such as Arrack was bit in the low end. Even those who drink beer did not mix with others. I remember I had an uncle he never drank in pubs .Most of the evening he is frowning to his beer bottle alone in his verandah. This happened mainly because those days Sri Lanka totally depending on imported beer bottles, we did not brewed beer at that time.

The first commercial of the beer as per my memory was in Sunday times Newspaper. It was promoting Lion beer. Eventually we had wide range of beer brand. Not only Lion we have Bison as well. Then three coins. But Carlsberg remains little pricey than the other brand.

The Sri Lankan culture does not encourage having liquor by women. My mother’s generation they only looked at wine, even it’s very rare occasions, and they never looked for refill. Not drinking even holding a beer mug not very accepted by our grandparents.

But there is a first time for everything. It was one of my cousin sisters who did have a beer in front of all the relations on some New Year party. That time I was about little more than ten and now she is a mother of two boys. But I remember all my aunts were looking t her with their open mouths. But my mother did not make any comment because she may have a feeling her comments might turn beck somewhere in future.

But Still I don’t drink in front of my mother.