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Lanka's royal
family members descend from China
By Chandani Kirinde
The
arrival of seven members of a Chinese family who are descendants
of a 15th century Sri Lankan king has generated much interest among
historians here.
The seven Chinese nationals who arrived here for a week-long tour
on Thursday at the invitation of the International Cultural Fund
(ICF) are said to be descendants of King Parakramabahu VI of Kotte,
according to some historians. But others say they are descendants
of a contemporary king with the same name who ruled from Dedigama.
As part of their tour, the royal descendants will visit places of
historical interest such as Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura.
The historical trade links between Sri Lanka and China have been
known for many years and supported by stone inscriptions found in
the Sri Lanka. However, it was inscriptions found in China that
led to the discovery of the present day generation of Sri Lankan-
Chinese royals.
The evidence showing the lineage of the Chinese family was first
found when five grave inscriptions were discovered in 1996 in the
Fuijian province in China. The inscriptions on one of them referred
to the dead person as "deceased father from Ceylon..."
Several other inscriptions too supported the Sri Lanka-China connection.
The Sri Lankan prince referred to as Ba Lai Na had been sent to
China as an envoy by King Parakramabahu VI during the reign of King
Tian Shan of the Ming Dynasty (around 1459 AD). During the prince's
absence, the king was overthrown by his grandson as a result of
which the touring prince was stranded in China.
The prince married
a Chinese girl and continued to live there using the surname "Shih"
and grew into a famous clan there. They had acquired a vast plot
of land and had a family graveyard from where the inscriptions linking
this family to the Sri Lanka royal lineage was discovered, according
to Professor M. Rohanadeera who has studied the subject extensively.
The Chinese
nationals are said to be the 19th generation of the Sri Lankan royal
family. However there is some dispute among historians whether the
king who sent his son to China in 1459 was Parakramabahu VI who
ruled from Kotte or Parakramabahu of Dedigama as during the first
half of the 15th century Sri Lanka was ruled by two kings of the
same name.
Several historians
including Dr. S. Paranavithnana have written that it was Parakramabahu
VI of Jayawardhanapura who sent envoys to the Chinese Court starting
from around 1416 but Professor Rohanadeera is of the opinion that
it is Dedigama Parakramabahu whose son settled down in China after
being stranded there when his father was overthrown.
Acid
attack on auditor: main suspect remanded
By Shane Seneviratne
The
main suspect in the acid attack on Central Province Chief Auditor
Lalith Ambanwela has been remanded till June 19 after he surrendered
before Kandy Chief Magistrate C. V. Rajapakse through his lawyer.
The Magistrate
ordered the police to obtain a statement from the suspect.
Earlier, two other suspects - an accountant attached to the Central
Province Education Department and a Deputy Director of Education
- were arrested and remanded till June 19.
Meanwhile, doctors
say the condition of Mr. Ambanwala who is warded at the ICU in the
Kandy hospital is still said to be critical. Meanwhile The chairman
of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Jeyaraj Fernandopulle,
has appealed to Speaker Joseph Michael Perera for his intervention
in providing security to audit officers.
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