Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

29 April  2020

Sri Lankan Flag – The War Flag of Venice?

On 27 April – the Island reported under the heading ‘Not a single school to be used for quarantine’:

 

[Not a single school would be used as a quarantine centre; Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva said, yesterday.

The army had, however, asked the Ministry of Education to allow them to use several schools, near military camps, to house soldiers. "Camps are established to hold a certain number of personnel but with the need to follow physical distancing, these camps can now hold only about 50% of the previous numbers," he said.]

 

As is my way – I took the above at face value, until yesterday when  I heard from Vaddukoddai that my husband’s Alma Mater – Jaffna College was being used as a Quarantine Centre and that there was a protest against it by the Vaddukoddai public. The deeper our investment the more natural the passage. The degree of truth in a message determines its reliability.

If not for the above statement by Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, the report from Vaddukoddai would have been not extraordinary. Later yesterday, my attention was directed to https://mailchi.mp/6961b33de4b8/update-on-sri-lankas-covid-19-response-5777324?e=b936a58161

That report was headed ‘STATUS STATEMENT IV: 28 April 2020

Sri Lanka's Response to Covid-19’

My interest was deepened when I read the following passage:

[The navy personnel who tested positive for Covid-19 were involved in cordon operations, distributing financial relief packages to people and patient treatment, without any protocols in place for their protection. However, the government has denied that they were engaged in Covid-19 relief efforts and claims that they contracted the virus while going after “a group of drug addicts.” Senior medical officers had urged the defence ministry to equip military personnel engaging with the public with personal protective equipment but were rebuffed. Instead, the soldiers were forced to engage with patients and civilians whilst armed with automatic weapons, which, through a lack of disinfecting protocols at the armoury, became a major vector for the virus. Medical officers attached to quarantines centres fear that soldiers at the centres may have also been exposed to Covid-19, especially during the last two weeks. The Task Force headed by the Army Commander has prioritised ensuring that military personnel and police officers are heavy armed, rather than provided with and trained on the use of personal protective equipment.]

What happened could be verified from media reports. The Daily Mirror reported as follows in this regard on 25 April 2020:

[In addition to limiting the spread of the COVID-19, tri force personnel have launched extensive operations to eliminate illegal activities such as drug trafficking and it was during such a raid that the team of navy personnel were exposed to the virus. 
“In Sri Lanka these days, while we remain indoors. there is also an increased criminal activity,” the official said. “In the case of Suduwella, this team of navy officers, and soldiers were after a group of drug addicts,” the official added.   ]

I recall to my consciousness the experience that I had when I learnt through my research the similarity between the Italian Naval Flag and the Sri Lankan National flag – both of which have the Winged Lion carrying the sword. If the identity is true it remains in the mind of the seeker. 25 April when the above published is also the feast of St Mark. Marco Polo who is believed to have taken the silk road from Venice to China carried the Lion Flag of the Republic of Venice – his birth place  These are indicators that would help work out the truth needed by a true owner. The following is a relevant excerpt in this regard:

The Travels of Marco Polo/Book 3/Chapter 14

[Concerning the Island of Seilan

………..

They have a king there whom they call SENDEMAIN, and are tributary to nobody. The people are Idolaters, and go quite naked except that they cover the middle. They have no wheat, but have rice, and sesamum of which they make their oil. They live on flesh and milk, and have tree-wine such as I have told you of. And they have brazil-wood, much the best in the world.

Now I will quit these particulars, and tell you of the most precious article that exists in the world. You must know that rubies are found in this Island and in no other country in the world but this. They find there also sapphires and topazes and amethysts, and many other stones of price. And the King of this Island possesses a ruby which is the finest and biggest in the world; I will tell you what it is like. It is about a palm in length, and as thick as a man's arm; to look at, it is the most resplendent object upon earth; it is quite free from flaw and as red as fire. Its value is so great that a price for it in money could hardly be named at all. You must know that the Great Kaan sent an embassy and begged the King as a favour greatly desired by him to sell him this ruby, offering to give for it the ransom of a city, or in fact what the King would. But the King replied that on no account whatever would he sell it, for it had come to him from his ancestors.]

Wikipedia confirms as follows:

[Savakanmaindan (or Savakan Maindan, Saavanmaindan and Javakanmaindan) was a monarch of the kingdoms of Tambralinga and Jaffna. He was the son of the Savakan king Chandrabhanu of Tambralinga who usurped the Tamil throne in 1255 AD. During his rule of Jaffna, the Venetian traveller Marco Polo visited the northeastern Tamil country.]

To me the most important aspect of the above account is the valuation of ancestors by Tamils of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, if such Tamils are in any way disrespected the Lion carrying the Sword – common to Venice and Sri Lanka would discipline the community through common pathways.

Those who do the bidding of the current masters without any attribution to the ancestors of the Navy would not have Natural belief based protection. There is no connection between the Lion in the Sri Lankan flag and Lord Buddha. Sri Lankan Navy by its ancestry seems to be connected to Venice in War mode.