The post I have never forgotton Sri Lanka – Matheesha Wijekoon, UK appeared first on Sri Lankan Canadian Action Coalition Ontario Bill 104.
]]>People were sharing #notmyindependenceday on instagram without truly understanding the backstory.
An international politics student in the UK with original roots in Sri Lanka recently posted a communication addressing her concerns regarding the damaging propaganda broadcasted on social media on Sri Lankan Independence Day. While it is a day to celebrate Sri Lanka’s liberation, most were playing into false agendas of the LTTE. LTTE has been designated as a terrorist organisation by 32 countries, including the European Union, Canada and the United States and was responsible for using child soldiers, women and suicide bombers to conduct and further their cause for a second Tamil homeland state in Sri Lanka.
Unfortunately, social media has become a powerful tool that can be a force of both good and evil. People were sharing #notmyindependenceday on instagram without truly understanding the backstory. Many Tamil refugees escaped to western world and started a world movement of pro-LTTE ideology to pressure the foreign policy in an attempt to erase the history of suffering of all Sri Lankans at the hands of LTTE terrorists. One word had stood out for them that lead to their support on social media and that was “genocide”. United Nations defines, to constitute genocide there must be proven intent on the part of perpetrators to intentionally destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. Sri Lankan government never tried or wanted to eradicate the Tamil people. Their problem was always with the LTTE terrorist organization who for 30 years waged war against all Sri Lankan people, Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Christian. This has set Sri Lanka back by 30 years as they always had to focus on peace before prosperity. Even now, Sri Lanka is desperately struggling to rebuild its socio-economic structure while maintaining peace. Labeling the armed conflict with a terrorist organisation in Sri Lanka as genocide without considering all evidence will ensure that this set back in development will continue for many more years.
Unfortunately, it is known that pro-LTTE diaspora approach many backbench politicians in many countries with the proven false pretenses of “Tamil Vote”. They also mislead the western world by pushing their agendas as a unified Tamil voice, while it has become clear that most Sri Lankan Tamils stand with them through fear and intimidation. This encourages an unnecessary divide among Sinhalese and Tamil who are making an effort to co-exist in harmony. This will create many generations of hatred between Sinhalese and Tamil and hinder us from seeing Sri Lanka as one united country.
The post I have never forgotton Sri Lanka – Matheesha Wijekoon, UK appeared first on Sri Lankan Canadian Action Coalition Ontario Bill 104.
]]>The post 2020 CPS Award for Outstanding Research: Dr. W. G. D. Fernando appeared first on Sri Lankan Canadian Action Coalition Ontario Bill 104.
]]>AUGUST 24, 2020 — Dr. Dilantha Fernando has been named the recipient of the 2020 Canadian Phytopathological Society Award for Outstanding Research. Considered the Society’s most prestigious award, the honour recognizes outstanding research involving new concepts, the discovery of new phenomena, or principles in plant pathology or novel application of existing principles.
The citation reads:
2020 CPS Award for Outstanding Research: Dr. W. G. D. Fernando
Dr. Dilantha Fernando joined the Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba in 1998 and was promoted to full professor in 2006. Dr. Fernando’s research has made a tremendous impact on Canadian agriculture and the discipline of plant pathology. He has demonstrated innovative research in plant disease management and exceptional productivity, with 145 peer-reviewed articles, 15 book chapters, 78 proceeding papers and 240 abstracts. He has received more than $33 M in external funding for his program, and is regularly consulted by grower groups and government agencies for disease- related issues associated with both crop production and international trade. He is known nationally and internationally as a leader in epidemiology and disease management, especially on blackleg of canola. He has supervised 31 graduate students, 80 highly qualified personnel and taught many plant pathology courses. He was the president for CPS in 2018- 2019, and was recognized by APS as a Fellow in 2019.
Dr. Fernando is a world authority on blackleg of canola. His research on blackleg pathotypes led to industry-wide efforts on R-gene rotations in canola production to reduce the risk of resistance breakdown, and helped seed companies select effective R genes for breeding new blackleg resistant canola cultivars. His lab contributed substantially to the development of 37 canola or HEAR (high erucic acid rapeseed) canola cultivars with excellent resistance to blackleg, white rust and Fusarium wilt. The team effort and the achievement in developing the first Round-Up Ready HEAR cultivar was honoured by the Canadian government with a Canada Post stamp in 28 February 2002. By providing sound disease management advices based on his research, Dr. Fernando has built a reputation in the canola industry and among producers. Dr. Fernando’s stature in blackleg research is also respected internationally. Dr. Fernando’s research and collaborations with other scientists in Canada was instrumental in dealing with the challenge of blackleg associated with Canadian canola export to China.
His research on Fusarium head blight of wheat has also had tremendous impact. In 1993, Dr. Fernando’s pioneering studies on the dynamics of ascospore release, dispersal and ensuing infection substantially increased the knowledge of epidemiology of this important disease in Canada. Several novel findings in the epidemiology, population genetics, populations structure, genotypic diversity and genetic variability have been published following Dr. Fernando’s earlier studies. His recent efforts to understand the population structure of F. graminearum on the Canadian Prairies have led to improved focus on the detection of toxin-producing strains. This work has increased the level of vigilance in grain inspection and improved safety of the food and feed industry. Dr. Fernando’s lab was also instrumental in setting up the first wheat nursery for FHB resistance screening in Canada. This nursery, along with a blackleg nursery in Carman, MB, has helped breeders screen new materials for disease resistance efficiently.
Dr. Fernando is also a pioneer in advancing biological control of crop diseases in Canada. One of the seminal papers stemmed from Dr. Fernando’s discovery of unique organic volatile compounds in Pseudomonas chlororaphis PA23 that inhibit sclerotium formation as well as spore production from overwintering structures of the pathogen. His studies on the mechanisms of biocontrol have led to many novel discoveries, including antibiosis and its differential efficacy against different plant pathogens, gene expression/regulation mechanisms, and biofilm formation in biocontrol.
In recognition of his outstanding research in plant pathology and crop disease management, far-reaching impact in research on crop industry in Canada, exceptional teaching and mentorship, services and leadership provided to CPS and APS, as well as extraordinary outreach, Dr. Fernando is the recipient of the 2020 CPS Award for Outstanding Research.
The post 2020 CPS Award for Outstanding Research: Dr. W. G. D. Fernando appeared first on Sri Lankan Canadian Action Coalition Ontario Bill 104.
]]>