Butterfly project stage 02 New media /academic Personals selected by agrochemical industry in Sri Lanka

In the first round (in 2011) most of the academics and media personals selected for Butterfly project in Sri Lanka have failed in their action due to various reasons. Some of them are, Lack of proper coordination Poor communication skills Inability to close to majority of rural people Strong campaign launched by arsenic group with the help of medical doctors Mediation of politically capable pressure groups

Name Prof.Oliver Illeperuma Prof.Janitha A.Liyanage

Location Faculty of Science,University of Peradeniya Director,Yakkala Wickramarachchi Ayurvedic institute. Chairman, Industrial Technology Institute, University of Colombo

Remarks Promote Fluoride as the cause for CKD in NCP and UP Did a fairly good job by coordinating academics. Close relation of the Irida Divaina chief editor Gamini Sumanasekara. Has close link with Singenta a world leading pesticide company His projects and research were sponsored by agrochemical industry for last two decades. Main resource person in academic sessions. Manipulated test result and excluded Cadmium as a cause for CKD in NCP and UP. Justified and generalized presence of arsenic in agrochemicals in a press conducted by Ministry of agriculture. Her husband is a journalist.

Prof.Vije Kumar

Prof.Ravindra Fernando

Prof.Rohana Chandrajith

University of Peradeniya

Meththika Vithanage

IFS-Kandy

Dr.Anura Wijesekara

Registrar of Pesticides

Created lot of problems to campaign by divulging false information. One time he said arsenic is an essential element to human growth and development. Most of the medical crowd gathered and worked against industry due to his baseless statements.

In the second round industry has looked for new strategies. As previous group has not been succeeded two new faces are being introduced to help them. Nalaka Gunawardane-Journalist attached to weekend Sinhala newspaper called Ravaya. He is also supplying articles to Ceylon Newspapers (pvt) Ltd. Maintains his own blog in the web. He has ability to write both Sinhala and English. In the first round he coordinated to publish few articles written by Butterfly academics in Ravaya newspaper. Though Ravaya is minimally distributed weekend news paper, Industry has sponsored for several full page advertisements in last year. Nalaka has been representing several NGOs in Sri Lanka and has close link to Research and Analysis Wing, India.(RAW) Dr.C.S.Weerarathne : Post graduate holder in agriculture. Former servant of Department of Agriculture.Can writes in Both Sinhala and English. Following retirement from government servis, worked as a visiting lecturer to Ruhuna and Rajarata Universities. Black mark is he was a partner of notorious water selling proposals in Sri Lanka. Coordinators will be remain unchanged, Media: Wasantha Dukgannarala Academic: Buddhi Marabe [B.Sc(Agric)Sri Lanka,M.Agr.,Ph.D(Hiroshima],Professor of weed science and former dean Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya and Board director of CIC Holdings PLC.