Sri Lanka, Sept. 29 -- In the 19th century, European powers came to Asia and used gunboats and gunpowder along with doublespeak to intimidate and coerce local rulers to accede their land for the European mercantile elites to establish plantations.

Sri Lankan born American sociology professor Dr. Asoka Bandarage's Colonialism in Sri Lanka: The Political Economy of the Kandyan Highlands 1833-1886 published originally in 1983 documented extensively how the British used doublespeak to grab land and ultimately the country to establish coffee and tea plantations.

The second edition of the book launched on September 24 in Colombo, includes a lengthy new chapter to warn her homeland how Sri Lanka's strategic location could trigger a new wave of...