Illegal Kidney Business: Gota Must Response Or Sue The London Times
Mangala Samaraweera MP
Although Parliamentary convention compelled the chief whip to move a cut of Rs.10 at the commencement of this debate, We should, in fact move a cut of at least several billion rupees for the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development as the treasury allocations for this ‘super’ Ministry continues to increase annually by leaps and bounds despite the end of the war four years ago.
The Ministry has now acquired a reputation for being the most corrupt, wasteful and the most deadly ministry of this regime. In fact, it is the source of many of the ‘evils’ afflicting our country today: it is a well known secret that the destabilisation and the undermining of many of our democratic values and institutions – white van abductions and extra judicial killings and other serious human rights violations, the physical as well as the technical suppression of the media, the culture of impunity for crime and criminals and the total collapse of the rule of law can be attributed to this Ministry under discussion now.
Due to the constraints of time, I am unable to deal with many of these issues, but I want to take this opportunity to inform this house about the insidious attempt by this Ministry to change the demography of the city of Colombo while at the same acquiring prime property in the heart of Colombo by various ‘shell’ companies held by family members of this regime. As the Krishh scandal, where millions of dollars as bribes involving some members of the family has been discussed in this house before, I will not take any time to talk about it but the plight of the people in the Slave Island Area who have been forcibly evicted by the Army on behalf of the UDA with false promises is a glaring example of attempts to change the ethnic demography of Colombo.
In the guise of urban redevelopment, many families of mainly Muslim and Tamil origin in the Colombo Municipal area have been evicted from homes – many of them third generation deed holders – by coercion, threats and false promises using the full might of the military who are virtually running the UDA now.
In fact, in 2007, the houses of over 300 residents in Glenis St. in Slave Island were demolished by the army. These houses were not shanties and some were actually 2 or 3 story houses and many had a history going back to over 100 years. The residents were intimidated by the army to go to Weligoda in Mattakuliya to live in temporary shelters for 6 years.
Then in 2010, 18 houses in Mews St. – again predominantly Muslim and Tamil- were demolished using brute force and thuggery and many people had to run for their lives, even leaving their furniture and belongings behind. Subsequently M.M.F. Rizmiya filed a fundamental rights case FR 349/2010 in Supreme Court against the UDA on behalf of the residents with Mr. J.C. Weliamuna appearing on behalf of the petitioners.
On 11th May 2011, the Deputy Solicitor General Informs SC that a decision has been taken to construct a new block of the Baseline Rd., Dematagoda housing scheme for the petitioners and the UDA agreed to give homes there for the petitioners.
I quote from the court proceedings of 11th May 2011: Read More
