Monday, July 22, 2013

Barack Obama Talks About The 13th Amendment

By Malinda Seneviratne -July 22, 2013

Malinda Seneviratne

Meanwhile In A Parallel Universe Called Humility; Barack Obama Talks About The 13th Amendment

When Trayvon Martin (black) was shot dead by Mark Zimmerman (white) in February 2012, I said ‘If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon’. A few days ago, when Zimmerman was found innocent of any wrongdoing, I told the nation to engage in soul searching. I said that that the jury has spoken, meaning that we have to respect the decision. Then I said, ‘Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago’. I have searched my soul, especially about race relations. Here’s what I found.

We talk big. We act small. We layer lie over truth and sprinkle glitter over it. Then we show the magnificent fiction to a world we believe is gullible. We praise Abraham Lincoln and do multiple versions of Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech. We think we are so clever, so classless and so free but I often wonder whether we are peasants or whether we are slaves.

Just this morning I read something from the other side of the world. The Chair of an EU delegation to Sri Lanka, Jean Lambert, after enumerating the positives of reconstruction and democratization, opined that trust building among communities needs to be worked on. It took me back to 1865. That was when slavery was abolished, through the 13^th Amendment to our constitution. When it was passed by Congress on January 13, a Trayvon Martin of that time might have smiled. He might have cheered and felt truly free when it was ratified on December 6 the same year. Read More

Welikada Prison report in cold storage

By Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna-Sunday, 21 July 2013

The Government has failed to follow up on the report on investigations on the Welikada prison riots that killed 27 inmates on November 9 last year.A three-member committee was appointed the following day to investigate into the incident and the report was scheduled to be handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa within a period of three weeks. However, the deadline was constantly extended citing practical issues.

When contacted by The Nation, officials at the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms were unaware of the status of the report.
Speaking to The Nation, Media spokesperson for the Ministry, Iroshan Preethikumara said he did not have any information regarding the report. “I have no idea about the prison riot report. It is handled by an independent committee where the ministry cannot influence. We cannot ask or push them to hurry it,” he said adding that ‘only the committee could tell you about the current status of the report; sometimes the Secretary to the ministry might know the current status.’
Secretary to the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms, S. Withanage said he too was also unable to tell why the prison riot report is being delayed.

On November 9, 2012, prisoners rioted at Welikada prison during a search by the police Special Task Force (STF) for illegal arms and drugs. It was reported that the prisoners broke into the prison armory and started firing at the STF. At least 27 inmates were killed and several others were injured.

In May, Minister of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms said the report on the prison riot was delayed since statements from some officers and an inmate had not been included and it would be completed as soon as those statements were included. And he said the report would be completed and handed over by the end of May.

- See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/news-online/item/19436-welikada-prison-report-in-cold-storage.html#sthash.V7ma5WGB.dpuf