The capital designate is at Kotte, and I have toured the Parliament building. Very beautiful it is too. Four hundred years ago Kotte was whatever it was; but when the Parliament building was proposed, a lot of poor people lived there who were dispossessed by Jayawardene in order to build this (very beautiful) building. The then President (the said Jayawardene) was a right-wing First World lackey whose devotion to the present and the history of his country lacked a very great deal. He was a great fan of your sainted President Reagan and of Britain's very own sainted Margaret Thatcher, and very well indeed did he do out of his devotion. Susan -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: STUDIES IN WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: 14 March 1999 15:19 Subject: Re: America......human rights (sri lanka capital)? >Ma'am, my I approach you humbly and speak in your presence? > >You commented to me that the capital of Sri Lanka was still Colombo. Please, >let's do some close reading: > >In my email I wrote: " In 1977, the legislative and judicial capitals of Sri >Lanka were moved from Colombo (which outgrew its use) to the city of Kotte, >why? Because it was the last capital of Sinhalese rule before Portuguese >domination - Kotte (Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte) was the capital of Sinhalese >kings from 1415 until 1565. " > >Please note "legislative and judicial capitals of Sri Lanka" and "were moved >from Colombo (which out grew its use) to the city of Kotte". Does this say >that Kotte is now the capital of Sri Lanka? Is it false that in 1977 the >legislative and judicial capitals were moved to Kotte? > >Because you are so much more knowledgeable than me, and it is so very wrong >for me to disagree with you, I know that you have to be correct -- so I went >to do some checking and prove myself wrong, I found the following: > >Please note: > >Sunday Times Mirror Magazine ,26th April 1998 > >A new Parliament By Uncle DCR > >The new Parliament complex at Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is one of the most >picturesque sights in the outskirts of Colombo. Sixteen years ago, on April >29, 1982, the new complex was opened by President J. R. Jayewardene. The >occasion was marked with the issue of a 50 cent stamp depicting an aerial view >of the complex. > >The need for a new Parliament arose when it was realised that with the >increase in the number of Members of Parliament (MPs) there was not enough >accommodation in the old Parliament at Galle Over the years, the number of >MPs had steadily increased. The State Council (1931-1947) had 61 members (50 >elected, 8 nominated by the Governor & 3 Officers of State - the Chief >Secretary, the Financial Secretary & the Legal Secretary). When the House of >Representatives replaced the State Council in 1947, there were 101 MPs - 95 >elected & 6 appointed by the Governor-General. The number increased to 157 >(151 elected & 6 appointed) in 1960 and to 168 in 1977. From 1989 the number >has risen to 225 (196 electd & 29 nominated from the National List.) > >While the need to build a new complex was being discussed from the early >1970s, it was after the Jayewardene Government was set up in July 1977 that it >was decided to locate the new Parliament at a suitable site in Kotte. An >island in the historic Diyawanna Oya was chosen. The reputed architect >Geoffrey Bawa was selected to design it. The Japanese firm Mitsui Ltd was >chosen as the builders. > >The site chosen was a marsh. It was dredged to form a large man-made lake with >a wide shore, later to be thickly wooded with indigenous trees. The new >Parliament buildings stand on this island and the approach is across a great >causeway and forecourt to the bronze doors in the entrance arcade. Then up the >ceremonial stairs leading through the silver doors to the central core of >power - the Chamber - within the main pavilion with its balconies and >galleries, rises three storeys above the two levels of tiered terraces within >which are the administrative offices and committee rooms. > >The huge copper roofs of the pavilions, large and small, supported by the >traditional patterns of timber and stone columns have an echo of the monastic >and royal buildings of the distant past. > >The lobby walls are decked with murals painted by Dr. Manjusri, the famous Sri >Lankan painter. Banners and Standards used in ancient times adorn the Chamber. > >The new Parliament has brought back the glory that Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte >once enjoyed as the country's capital (1411 to 1568). Parakramabahu VI founded >the Kotte kingdom giving it supremacy over the subject kingdoms in the >country. His 55 year reign was a golden era of poetry and literature. With the >advent of the Portuguese (1505) resulting in constant harassment, the kingdom >was shifted from Kotte to Udarata (Kandy) and in 1597 the city was finally >abandoned and its temples, buildings and monuments were razed to the ground by >the Portuguese. > >Opening the new Parliament complex, President Jayewardene said: "In this >Temple of Democracy let us so conduct ourselves for the welfare of the many >that generations yet unborn may say that within this Chamber our words and >conduct represented our finest hours." > >ALSO NOTE: > >*The capital designate of Sri Lanka is Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, a suburb of >Colombo > >*With Sri Lanka's independence in 1948, Colombo had sufficient administrative >and commercial buildings to become the country's capital. Within a few >decades, the buildings had been outgrown, and Colombo was unable to absorb the >increasing demand for new administrative building. > >*Land expansion was thought possible in Kotte through the reclamation of large >tracts of marshland. > >*The city of Kotte, which was known historically as Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, >was the capital of Sinhalese kings from 1415 until 1565, when it was abandoned >in favor of Colombo. Encircled by lagoons, rivers, and swamps, it provided >excellent natural defenses. Its proximity to the port of Colombo also made it >a suitable choice for the capital. > >*Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte was chosen because the city was the last capital of >the Sinhalese kingdom before Portug uese domination > >*The majority of the parliamentary buildings at Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte are >on a reclaimed swamp area of Lake Diyawanna Oya. The National State Assembly >building is on an island in the lake. The new parliamentary building was >opened on April 29, 1982, and the relocation of government offices began in >1983.By 1988 the ministries of education and local government had been >relocated to Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte. > >*Named for the 15th-century Sinhalese capital, Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte is a >modern planned to wn with a large administrative complex, residential zones, >and public housing. > >*It is estimated that it will take 20 years to move all of the government >offices from Colombo (except those connected with trade and commerce, which >will remain in the former capital). >----------------- > >Again, I do so humbly apology for not bowing down to your obviously superior >knowledge and understanding on all of these such issues. > >I deeply appreciate that you took the time and the energy to correct such an >unworthy person as I am as compared to you. > >Nicole
