Black state, Anura’s drug war, Cuba’s UN victory over US

...We are establishing a National Operations Centre that will bring together the Police, the Armed Forces and all relevant agencies. This centre will integrate the Customs Department, the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the Department of Motor Traffic, the Police, the Armed Forces and the Intelligence Units into a single coordinated network.

- By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

«Furthermore, I expect that the media will maintain the necessary restraint and professionalism while reporting on this issue...

...Consequently, if the Police and relevant institutions are granted the necessary authority, this issue can be overcome...

(https://pmd.gov.lk/news/committed-to-addressing-the-challenge-posed-by-dangerous-drugs/)

Why would a president give the drug problem of a country a higher profile than international law enforcement agencies, security agencies, developmental agencies or mass media give it? Why claim the country has “a black state within the official state”? Is it an attempt to attract the attention and approval of Donald Trump?

Clearly, Trump’s tale about Venezuela’s ‘narcoterrorism’ is a cover for ‘regime change’. Is Anura’s ‘drug war’ a cover for regime entrenchment?

Debt addiction

In the blackest of ironies, President Dissanayake declared a veritable war on drugs while diligently pursuing the economic equivalent of drug addiction. I refer to the plan to embark on a massive bond issue amounting to US$ 11.2 billion by 2030.

‘Sri Lanka plans to raise $ 11.26 billion through Sovereign Green and Blue Bonds by 2030 to finance renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, and other climate-related projects aligned with its 2050 carbon net-zero target, according to the National Climate Finance Strategy 2025-2030 (NCFS).

The NCFS notes that the Finance Ministry has already drafted a Sovereign Green/Blue Bond Framework and engaged an international rating agency to provide a second party opinion to ensure compliance with international standards.

The strategy was developed with support from the UK Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and released last Friday.