Sri Lanka must ensure that mistakes of the past are not repeated!

COLOMBO (News 1st) - In order to move forward as a country, there are many lessons to be learned from our history, to ensure that mistakes in the past will not be repeated. Marking an important milestone in the history of Sri Lanka, The Wijayaba Kollaya took place in the Kingdom of Kotte in AD 1521, resulting in Prince Dharmapala succeeding as the heir to the kingdom. It was during this time frame that the Portuguese were finding methods to obtain control and complete ownership of Sri Lanka. Despite the struggle of King Mayadunne, and King Rajasinghe II, for forty years, to prevent the Portuguese from achieving their objectives, King Dharmapala betraying all efforts, gave control of the Kotte kingdom to the Portuguese through a deed of gift. Falling for the devious plots of the Portuguese, the degree of influence the Portuguese exercised on King Dharmapala, was further confirmed, when he was baptized as Don Juan Dharmapala in 1557 by the Portuguese. Don Juan Dharmapala, a leader rejected and criticized by Buddhist priests and the general public, was a major threat to the people of this country, as well as to its economy. Dharmapala, who did not pay attention to the people of this country, made further attempts to transfer ownership of property and assets owned by temples to the foreign nationals. Today, we recall a chapter from our ancient history, as we observe the emerging indicators of betrayal. The general public and the leaders of Sri Lanka must ensure that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated to ensure the existence of Sri Lanka and for the betterment of our future generations. We are a Republic and Sri Lanka is not attached to any other country.