Rajapaksas, Education And State Secrets

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Picture courtesy: srilankaguardian.org

A  Vietnamese was so poor the only way he could keep body and soul together was  by going to jail where at least he was sure  of getting regular meals. But to go to jail he had to commit a crime. So he went to the Hanoi city square where he began shouting repeatedly, “The General Secretary of the Communist Party is an idiot”. Of course the Vietnamese Police which is totally under the control of the Communist Party promptly arrested him and produced him in court. Needless to say, the Vietnamese courts which are also peoples’ courts sentenced him to a jail term of 10 years, two for disturbing the peace and eight for revealing State secrets!
It is suggested by certain writers, quite convincingly one must agree,  that the well known Rajapaksa family of political fame, several of who now occupy very powerful positions in this country is quite deficient when it comes to a formal education. Not being privy to their various qualifications we are unable to comment thereon. Like beauty, it seems that the definition of education changes from person to person. Some think a series of paper qualifications is what is required of a person desiring to join the club of the educated while others think that such a qualification is only the opening to a lifelong search in the vast ocean of knowledge. Then for some, life itself is a university, imparting a rich and varied education of a more practical nature, mostly in the form of hard knocks. For some others, whatever helps you to make money is a good education.Read More »

Geneva: Syria called to help Rajapaksa

Tuesday, 24 January 2012 

A member of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s committee on Sri Lanka Steven Ratner has recently attended a discussion on war crimes in Sri Lanka held at the Geneva Academy affiliated to a university in Geneva, Switzerland.

The discussion had been coordinated by the Human Rights Watch and participation in it was on invitation only. However, ambassadors from many Western nations had attended the discussion.

The Sri Lankan embassy in Geneva had made several attempts to prevent the discussion from taking place after hearing about it. After they failed to stop the discussion, measures had been taken to send an emissary from the Syrian embassy to participate in the discussion uninvited in order to gather information about it.

The Syrian representative had spoken against Ratner defending the Sri Lankan government. It is also learnt that ambassadors from many Western nations have not spoken much after learning of the Syrian “spy” attending the meeting.

Diplomatic sources said that like the saying, “birds of a feather flock together,” Sri Lankan ambassador in Geneva, Tamara Kunanayagam has to now depend on assistance from other murderous regimes like Syria.

Sri Lanka: No Progress on Justice

Colombo TelegraphJANUARY 24, 2012 

IN JOURNALISM TRUTH IS A PROCESS

IN JOURNALISM TRUTH IS A PROCESS 

The Sri Lankan government in the past year failed to advance justice and accountability for the victims of the country’s 26-year-long civil conflict, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2012. While Sri Lanka’s war-ravaged north and east became more open, the government deepened repression of basic freedoms throughout the country.

In 2011, accountability remained a dead issue, the media faced increasing censorship, and the long-standing grievances which led to the conflict were not seriously addressed. Sri Lankans face a lack of justice, weak rule of law, land grabbing, and a censored media from a government that is increasingly authoritarian. Brad Adams, Asia director

The government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa continued to stall on accountability for abuses by the security forces, threatened media and civil society groups, and largely ignored complaints of insecurity and land grabbing in the north and east, Human Rights Watch said. The long-awaited report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), published in December, largely absolved the military for its conduct in the bloody final months of the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which ended in May 2009.

“In 2011, accountability remained a dead issue, the media faced increasing censorship, and the long-standing grievances which led to the conflict were not seriously addressed,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Sri Lankans face a lack of justice, weak rule of law, land grabbing, and a censored media from a government that is increasingly authoritarian..”Continue reading »

WikiLeaks: Sampanthan doesn’t discuss ‘war crimes’ out of fear

Colombo Telegraph

IN JOURNALISM TRUTH IS A PROCESSJANUARY 24, 2012

Sampanthan was realistic about the dim prospects for any Sri Lankan government to take up the issue.

IN JOURNALISM TRUTH IS A PROCESSJANUARY 24, 2012

 

“While he believed the Tamil community was “vulnerable” on the issue and said he would not discuss “war crimes” per se in parliament for fear of retaliation, Sampanthan would emphasize the importance of people knowing the truth about what happened during the war” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as “SECRET” and recounts details of a meeting the US Ambassador has had with Tamil National Alliance leader R. Sampanthan . The cable was written on January 15, 2010 by the US Ambassador to Colombo, Patricia A. Butenis.

Ambassador Butenis wrote “he said he believed accountability was important and he welcomed the international community’s — especially the diaspora’s — interest in the issue. But Sampanthan was realistic about the dim prospects for any Sri Lankan government to take up the issue. Granting that governments in power do not investigate their own, Sampanthan nevertheless said it was important to the health of the nation to get the truth out. While he believed the Tamil community was “vulnerable” on the issue and said he would not discuss “war crimes” per se in parliament for fear of retaliation, Sampanthan would emphasize the importance of people knowing the truth about what happened during the war. We also have asked Sampanthan repeatedly for his ideas on an accountability mechanism that would be credible to Tamils and possible within the current political context, but he has not been able to provide such a model.”

Women's vigil for disappeared

Protesters invoke the blessings of sacred women such as Virgin Mary and Kali

Mothers and wives against abduction and disappearances held a vigil in front of the Fort railway station.

The vigil marked the second anniversary of the disappearance of Journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.

"We are invoking the blessings of sacred women such as Virgin Mary, Godess Pathini, Kali and Maha prajapathi Gothami to find our children and husbunds," said Sandya Eakneligoda, wife of Prageeth.

Sri Lanka's Appeal Court recently ruled that former Attorney General Mr Mohan Pieris could be called in as a witness to inquire into the disappearance of journalist, Prageeth Eknaligoda, as it heard that the former attorney General had said that he had information that Eknaligoda had taken refuge in a foreign country.

Sandya Eknaligoda, has requested courts to order police to produce the missing journalist in courts.

Former attorney general, Mr. Mohan Pieris had made a statement during a presentation at UN Committee against Torture (UNCat) that journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda has sought political asylum abroad.

"Our current information is, that Mr. Eknaligoda has taken refuge in a foreign country," Mr Mohan Peiris said answering to a question from a delegate.

A number of human rights organizations including the Human Rights Watch have suggested that unresolved enforced disappearances should be part of the mandate of a proposed United Nations investigation into laws-of-war violations by both government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Award winning filmmaker presents documentary on exiled Sinhala, Tamil journalists

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 January 2012, 22:45 GMT]

‘Silenced Voices – Tales of Sri Lankan Journalists in Exile’, a new documentary by Norwegian filmmaker Beate Arnestad, who directed and produced the award winning documentary ‘My Daughter the Terrorist’ in 2007, is to be pre-premiered in Oslo, Norway, on February 09. The screening of ‘Silenced Voices’, which is about journalists, who contributed to international exposure of the internationally abetted genocidal war without witnesses, will be followed by a debate featuring journalists Bashana Abeywardane, the former chief editor of Hiru weekly, Frances Harrison, the former BBC foreign correspondent to Sri Lanka and Sverre Tom Radøy, a Norwegian journalist. The film features Mr. Bashana Abeywardene, his wife Sharmila Logeswaram, Sonali Wickrematunge and A. Lokeesan, TamilNet wartime correspondent, who was reporting from 2005 to April 2009 from Vanni. 

Mr. Lokeesan was given safe passage to Europe with assistance from international media organisations by the efforts of the progressive Sinhalese of the Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS). Lokeesan is currently documenting his experiences as a TamilNet correspondent.
The documentary about journalists from the island of Sri Lanka in exile, with focus on issues of freedom of speech and media suppression in the island, will be screened at Vika Cinema from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event is sponsored by Norway’s The Fritt Ord Foundation and co-organized by the Human Rights Human Wrongs Documentary Film Festival.

“The film is told as a personal encounter with exiled journalists from Sri Lanka who have been “silenced” and almost killed in their home country because they exposed war crimes, corruption and massacres of civilians. They claim these crimes are being committed by the state. Sri Lanka is ranking one of the worst countries in Asia with respect to freedom of expression. In the past years, many have disappeared or are found tortured and killed. Close to 50 media workers have recently fled the country,” a media announcement by the Fritt Ord Foundation said.

Many journalists have faced and continue to face grave physical threats to life, family and property from the Sri Lankan state. Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, who filed news reports for TamilNet was killed in 2000 and Sivaram Dharmeratnam (Taraki), a senior editor of TamilNet was abducted and assassinated in 2005.

The Norwegian filmmaker Beate Arnestad has over twenty years of experience producing and directing content for departments at Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Her first independent and award- winning documentary was My Daughter the Terrorist filmed during the time she lived in Sri Lanka. She is also behind the documentary Telling Truths in Arusha (2010).

Going beyond the 13th Amendment: Newspaper coverage of the Sri Lankan’s President’s assurance to India

*groundview journalism For citizens 

Our affiliate  Vikalpa  did a short media monitoring exercise anchored to the front page reportage of the Indian Foreign Minister’s official visit to Sri Lanka and the press conference in which the President’s commitment to going beyond the 13th Amendment was reiterated by him. The following is a translation of the report that first appeared on  Vikalpa
 In addition to the translation below, which deals with the Sinhala and Tamil media, it is interesting to note the differences in reporting the Indian FM’s statement regarding the 13th Amendment between the state-run Daily News and the privately owned Daily Mirror.  The Daily News does not have a single mention of the President’s avowed commitment to go beyond the 13th Amendment anywhere on the front page. The headline quoting the Indian FM, notes that the LLRC report is a basis for reconciliation. There is a photo showing the President, with both his hands, grasping the outstretched arm of the Indian FM. We…

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Front pages of newspapers - 18 January 2012-Going beyond the 13th Amendment: Newspaper coverage of the Sri Lankan’s President’s assurance to India

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Front pages of newspapers - 18 January 2012, the day after the visiting Indian FM said the President of Sri Lanka had committed himself to 13th Amendment Plus.

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Attempts at Peace Through Political Discussion With No Foreign Help

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Systematic Genocide of Tamils1956.. 1958.. 1961.. 1974.. 1977.. 1979.. 1981.. 1983.. .. 2008 State-sponsored anti-Tamil violence in 1956, 1958, 1961, 1974

Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two aNtions

President Rajapaksa to implement 13th Amendment plus – Krishna

A visiting Indian dignitary last week took it upon himself to reveal the Sri Lankan government’s latest position on power-sharing. Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said at a media briefing on Tuesday that President Mahinda Rajapaksa told him he would fully implement  13th Amendment “plus.”
Reading from a statement, Krishna initially said the Sri Lankan government has on many occasions conveyed to India its commitment to move towards a political solution “based on the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, and building on it, so as to achieve meaningful devolution of powers.”
He had discussed this with President Rajapaksa just that morning, Krishna elaborated. “The president assured me that he stands by his commitment to pursuing the 13th Amendment plus approach,” he stressed.

Stoically silent on the subject

By his side, Krishna’s Sri Lankan counterpart, G.L. Peiris, remained stoically silent on the subject. The only time he alluded to it was when he endorsed the Indian minister’s assertion that there was no fixed timeframe for the president’s pledge to be fulfilled.        Full Story>>>