Thilanga cannot represent SLC at ICC: Based ICC letter says Upali

(Lanka-e-News-11.March.2013, 9.30PM) Incumbent President of Sri Lanka Cricket Upali Dharmadasa in a press release today said that Thilanga Sumathipala cannot represent Sri Lanka Cricket at any ICC event. The Press release is in response to the publicised letter of approval of Mr. Sumathipala’s candidacy by the President of the International Cricket Council. Following is the Press release issued on behalf of Mr. Upali Dharmadasa Due to the recent media reports carrying contradictory information as regards the position taken by the ICC on the nomination tendered by Hon. Thilanga Sumathipala MP for the post of President of Sri Lanka Cricket, we issue this statement of facts communicated to Sri Lanka Cricket by Mr. Alan Isaac, President of the ICC on being informed of Hon. Thilanga Sumathipala’s nomination. Mr. Isaac, by letter dated 5th March 2013 has inter alia, informed Sri Lanka cricket that; During the years 2003 to 2005 the investigations carried out by the ICC Anti Corruption Surveillance Unit and the ICC Ethics Officer found that there was evidence that Mr. Sumathipala was in breach of the ICC Code of Ethics primarily through his relationship with the Sporting Star bookmaking business in Sri Lanka. Although Mr. Sumathipala had denied that he was in breach of the ICC Code of Ethics previous statements given by him under oath appeared to contradict the denial. In order to give Mr. Sumathipala a full hearing Mr. Goolam Vahanvati, renowned Indian Judge and Member of the ICC’s Code of Conduct Commission was appointed to inquire into this matter. Before that hearing could be convened, Sri Lanka Cricket removed Mr Sumathipala as its nominee director to the ICC Board. In the circumstances, Mr. Sumathipala claimed that, since he was no longer a director, it was no longer appropriate that the hearing into his alleged breaches of the Code of Ethics should continue. Accordingly, no hearing was ever convened in this respect and no formal decision issued. Instead, in June 2005, the ICC Board resolved: ‘that if Mr Sumathipala was ever nominated by SLC as its representative on the Board again, he would not be entitled to take up that position until the hearing process took place and a decision was finally made as to whether or not he had committed a breach of the Code of Ethics.’. In the circumstances, although Mr. Sumathipala is not currently prohibited from standing in the SLC elections by the ICC, the above ICC Board resolution is still valid and if Mr. Sumathipala is nominated by SLC as its representative to the Board of Directors of the ICC such nomination cannot take effect until the inquiry into the alleged breaches of the Code of Ethics of the ICC by Mr. Sumathipala is concluded. Therefore Mr. Sumathipala, if elected, cannot represent Sri Lanka at the ICC. The ICC has also informed SLC that where appropriate, the Ethics Officer of the ICC can ‘conduct an investigation, hold a hearing and also recommend sanctions (including but not limited to a recommendation to remove a director under Article 4.11(f) of the ICC Memorandum and Articles) to the ICC Executive Board for its ultimate determination.’. The above speaks for itself and is vastly different in tenor to the interpretation sought to be given to the ICC communiqué in recent press reports by various interested parties. The seriousness of this issue is that the election of a person, whose conduct and ethical standards are in question by the ICC would have a very negative effect on the image of Sri Lanka, its people, the governance of the game of cricket and the SLC. This press release has been issued by Mr. Upali Dharmadasa in his capacity as the serving President of SLC and the SLC representative on the ICC Board of Directors; which makes it his responsibility to correct any misinformation being circulated in the public domain.

SLFP UK Branch President Rani Bulathwela' Husband struck off the Roll of Solicitors

Monday, 11 March 2013 

According to this SLFP UK Branch President Rani Bulathwela's husband was charged with 18 counts of misappropriation of clients money. Recently Rani Bulathwela was in Colombo campaining for the post of the Ambassador. She is appointed as a Minister at the Sri Lanka Embassy in Rome.

Case No. 10957-2012 Solicitors Regulation Authority Applicant

and Respondent Kumar Anton Rotitha Bulathwela

before

Mr R. Nicholas (in the chair), Mr K. Todner, Mr.S. Hill

Date of hearing 3 August 2012

Judgment re 18 charges of misappropriation of clients money Sanction

The tribunal had found dishonesty to have been proved. This had occurred over a considerable period and in two different circumstances. It had taken account of the testimonials and submissions in mitigation but could find no exceptional circumstances .

Accordingly it ordered the Respondent to be struck off the Roll of Solicitors and costs of £25000. In mitigation the respondent had mentioned he was paid £20000 a year.

His property was charged to the LSC and he only had about £50000 worth of equity on his house. His wife (Rani Bulathwela) was in the same line of business.

He owed a lot of money and borrowed to pay off the shortfall. He was not a man of means or substantial income and had large debts.

( The full report is available on LSC website) Date 10 September 2012

As the President of the London Branch of the SLFP she recently misled President Mahinda Rajapakse ( not disclosing the facts about her husband's fraud)

and received an appointment as a Minister to the Embassy in Rome. She is due to take up this position soon.

See Report here

Vienna Philharmonic's Nazi past detailed

This 1938 picture show Governor of Austria Arthur Seyss-Inquart (left) with German conductor Wilhelm Furtwaengler and musicians in Vienna10 March 2013

Almost half the musicians in the Vienna Philharmonic during World War II were members of the Nazi party, new research has revealed.

A panel of historians also revealed that 13 musicians were driven out of the orchestra for being Jewish or married to Jews.

Continue reading the main story

The report follows claims of a cover-up by the world famous orchestra.

Austria is due to mark the 75th anniversary of its annexation by Nazi Germany on Tuesday.

The Anschluss (union) was complete when German forces marched into the country unopposed on 12 March 1938.

Ring mystery

For decades the Philharmonic allowed only selective access to its archives.

But political pressure led the orchestra to commission three historians, led by Oliver Rathkolb, to delve deeper into the years 1938-45.

Mr Rathkolb also attempted to solve a mystery surrounding a ring of honour presented to Baldur von Schirach, a Nazi governor of Vienna, who oversaw the deportation of tens of thousands of Jews.

The ring, originally presented in 1942, was lost by Von Schirach but a replacement was given to him, apparently in late 1966, after his release from Spandau prison for crimes against humanity.

For years, historians have tried to uncover the identity of the man who gave Von Schirach the replacement ring.

According to historian Wilhelm Bettelheim, who was interviewed in a documentary film on Sunday, the man in question was Helmut Wobisch, a trumpeter who was a member of the Nazi party and later joined Hitler's notorious Waffen SS.

Wobisch was sacked in 1945 but resumed his career six years later.

Mr Rathkolb describes the interview as "very plausible".

There were Nazi parades on the streets of Vienna following the 1938 Anschluss

The BBC's Kerry Skyring in Vienna says that - like Austria itself - the Vienna Philharmonic has been slow to get to grips with its past during World War II.

But for the first time historians have been given access to records detailing the orchestra's role as a Nazi propaganda tool and the persecution of its Jewish members, our correspondent adds.

Details revealed on Sunday showed that 60 of the orchestra's 123 musicians were members of the Nazi party - a much higher percentage than in the broader Austrian population.

Of the 13 musicians driven out of the orchestra for being Jewish or married to Jews, five died in concentration camps, others were deported, but none returned, the report says.

There are details too on how the orchestra's famous New Year's Day Concert had its origins as a propaganda instrument for the Nazis.

The historians' full report will be published on the orchestra's websiteon Tuesday - the 75th anniversary of the Anschluss.

The revelation that a replacement ring was given to Von Schirach after his release from prison came to light only recently. Von Schirach's son Richard wrote about it in a book in 2004 but refused to name the man who gave it to his father.

Orchestra Chairman Clemens Hellberg had initially been accused of failing to include details of the Philharmonic's Nazi links in his 1992 book Democracy of Kings, which is widely regarded as the orchestra's official history.

He has since said he did not have access to all the relevant documents when he wrote the book.

On Sunday Mr Hellberg said the historians' report was "long overdue". But, he added, "we know that we are together on the same path".

WikiLeaks: GSL Doesn’t Want ICRC And UN Involved In Identification Of Those Killed In The War – Gota To US

By Colombo Telegraph -March 11, 2013 

“Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa was sharply critical of international organizations in his final meeting with Ambassador. Rajapaksa said the ICRC’s job was essentially finished now that the conflict was over. He said the GSL is unhappy with the UN and ICRC for being critical of the GSL when they should have been working with the government to help resolve the conflict and address the challenges Sri Lanka faced. The Defense Secretary said the GSL doesn’t want the ICRC and UN involved in identification of those killed in the former conflict zone because of their ‘negative’ attitude. He claimed their reporting would likely inflame passions, exacerbate divisions, and be contrary to the goals of reconciliation and closure. Ambassador strongly disagreed, saying the ICRC was performing excellent work in assisting GSL efforts to deal with the humanitarian crisis.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

Gotabaya

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as “Confidential” and recounts a meeting the US Ambassador Robert O. Blake had with Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The cable was written on May 20,2000  by the US Ambassador to Colombo, Robert O. Blake.

The ambassador wrote; “Gothabaya insisted the ICRC and UN were not helping. He acknowledged some GSL shortcomings, but said international actors should understand the complexities of the conflict and work with the GSL and the military, rather than be antagonistic toward the government. The Defense Secretary said international organizations should include more Asians, such as Thais, Malaysians, and Japanese. They would then be better able to establish rapport and understanding with their GSL and military counterparts. Ambassador replied that the USG could not and would not dictate to international organizations the composition of their teams. Ambassador said that the GSL should strive to improve its cooperation with the ICRC and the UN. By demonstrating greater openness, the GSL could counter and minimize allegations that it has something to hide.”

“Ambassador argued strongly for ICRC access to the Tamil government doctors who were previously working inside the conflict zone, who have since been detained. The Defense Secretary said that the government just wanted to question them. He said it would be best if the Criminal Investigation Division of the police keeps them for the time being, as they would likely face a security risk from ‘reactionary groups’ if released now when passions are high. The police would then release them later when it was safer for them. Ambassador emphasized that that the doctors were likely under a great deal of pressure by the LTTE to report the way they did, and noted that they may have been coerced. Ambassador pointed out that the doctors had endured great hardship, that their heroic efforts had likely saved countless lives, and stressed that their release would be a magnanimous gesture by the GSL that would be recognized by the international community.” Blake further wrote.

Read the cable below for further details;

Related posts to this cable;

Wikileaks: You Managed To Do What No Govt Had Done Before – Blake To MR

By Colombo Telegraph -March 8, 2013 

“Ambassador noted that his time in Colombo had coincided almost exactly with the fourth and final phase of the Sri Lankan conflict, from mid-2006 until the war ended on May 18. The President’s government had managed to do what no government had done before: wrest all the territory of the country from the Tamil Tigers. Ambassador stressed that the reconciliation phase must begin now, with two vital components: the humanitarian side, providing the IDPs with what they need, and the political side – power-sharing arrangements to help Tamils have a future with hope and dignity. This was the way to defeat terrorism for good.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as “Confidential” and recounts the US Ambassador Robert O. Blake’s farewell call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa . The cable was written on May 20,2000  by the US Ambassador to Colombo, Robert O. Blake.

The ambassador wrote; “The President responded that those were his intentions, but that there ‘certain people in the international community,’ abetted by ‘some in the South’ (i.e., the opposition) who would try to undercut him. The Ambassador encouraged the GSL to think about how to engage with Tamil representatives. Ambassador said it was particularly important to reach out to the Tamil Diaspora so they would stop supporting the LTTE. He inquired about the government’s plans for a political solution. The President said the basis of the plan would be the ‘13th amendment plus 1’ – meaning implementation of the existing constitutional provisions for provincial councils, but adding an upper house to Parliament, modeled on the U.S. Senate, with numerically equal representation for each province.”

Read the relevant part of the cable below;

Accelerating approval

By Dilhan Wimalka The government is planning to pass 21 Bills within two days this week, though not a single of those Bills had been tabled until Friday night, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna alleged. The leader of the JVP Parliamentary Group, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, said though it is the tradition of Parliament to table a Bill several weeks prior to it being taken up for debate, the tradition has been observed in the breach. "Some officials from Parliament knocked on the door of our office at midnight on Friday and said they had come to hand over to us the Bills that are to be tabled. Where in the world are Bills tabled in such a manner?" Dissanayake questioned. He alleged that the President who is also the Minister of Finance had failed to table Bills on time. Among the Bills to be presented this week are Birth and Death Certificate (Amendment) Bill, the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill, ... Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill, Economic Services Amendment) Bill, Muslim Marriages and Divorces (Amendment) Bill, Marriage Registration (Amendment) Bill, Notary Public (Amendment) Bill, Power of Attorney (Amendment) Bill, Registration of Documents (Amendment) Bill, Financial Management (Amendment) Bill, Customs (Amendment) Bill, Nation Building (Amendment) Bill, Finance Bill, Gambling Tax (Amendment) Bill, Telecommunication (Amendment) Bill, Value Added Tax (VAT) (Amendment) Bill, Upcountry Marriages and Divorces (Amendment) Bill and Excise Tax (Amendment) Bill.

2013-03-11 A rape victim rescued from well MONDAY, 11 MARCH 2013  A girl who was alleged to have been raped and pushed into a well and left to die at Mirigama had been rescued this morning, Police said. They said the girl had attended a musical show last evening when she was allegedly dragged into a jungle, raped and then pushed into a well so that she would drown. Police said two students were arrested on suspicion of having been involved in this crime. They said the girl had remained in the well for more than eight hours and had managed to survive because the 12-foot deep well had only two feet of water. (Pushpakumara Mallawaarachchi)

Taking Hope and Inspiration from Amazing Women

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org---Mar 7th, 2013 | By admin | Category: Social Justice

This International Women’s Day (March 8^th) is a great time to consider the links between women’s rights and empowerment, reproductive health, global biodiversity, and stable population growth, and how tackling these issues can result in a more sustainable world.

Investing in women – namely providing education, healthcare, economic opportunities, sustainable livelihoods, and empowerment – is something the global community should be supporting anyway for the good of society.

In a world of over 7 billion people, projected to be somewhere between 8 and 10 billion by 2050, it is easy to get lost in the numbers.  Numbers are important, such as the 222 million women around the world that want access to voluntary family planning services but do not have it.  Numbers should not be ignored, but neither should it be the main topic of discussion, especially when talking about women’s rights and reproductive rights.

In the U.S. and other countries, certain groups aren’t worried about numbers but rather more secondary issues related to family planning.  For example, whether employers, under the federal Health Care Act, should have to cover insurance for employees that allows for contraceptives.  Ultimately, these discussions distract from the most important issues of addressing health care needs and empowering women and their families.

It may not be on the evening news, but there are many on-the-ground success stories around the world of women taking charge and improving their lives and their communities.  Here are just two examples that can give us hope: girls education and women farmers.

Girls Education

Last year, the tragic shooting of Malala Yousufzai, a Pakistani teenage advocate for girls education, brought attention to the challenges of supporting education for girls. She was shot in the head when Taliban fighters boarded her school bus, severely injuring her and two other students.

Fortunately, this young woman has made a spectacular recovery.  Last month, in her first public statement since the incident, Malala was undeterred by the shooting, saying “I want every girl, every child, to be educated.”

If she decides to continue to work on educating girls in Pakistan, she will have an uphill battle, Taliban assassins notwithstanding.  According to the Central Asia Institute, which builds schools in the region, Pakistan has the second-highest number of girls who are not enrolled in school.  Its education budget is less than 2.3 percent of GDP.

The shooting has resulted in more action on the issue of girls education. The UN Special Envoy for Global Education (Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown) has been working hard to raise awareness and global aid money for universal education.  Brown recently wrote that “Indeed, the new superpower that cannot be ignored is the power that girls are rightly seizing for themselves.”

Pakistan is coping with a myriad of serious problems, such as rapid population growth, widespread poverty, high rates of gender inequality, militants, and government corruption.  The U.S., which gave Pakistan over $2 billion in foreign aid in 2012, should direct more of that to empowering girls was one way to alleviate some of these problems.

Malala has just been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Should she receive it, it would help her cause immensely, and improve the plight of girls around the world.

Women and Agriculture

In India, despite its growing economy, many people still rely on agriculture.  And women do much of the work.   Nearly eighty percent of Indian women work in agriculture, yet less than seven percent of women have land tenure.

The impacts of climate change, and industrial agriculture, are causing enormous damage to the environment, making life that much more difficult for women farmers.

One Indian organization that is trying to protect agricultural livelihoods, promote women’s empowerment, and share best practices based on local and traditional knowledge is the GREEN Foundation.  Its mission is to “work toward a well-preserved, diverse ecosystem that will sustain the rural livelihoods of the present generation without eroding the resource base of the future.” The foundation was founded and is led by an amazing woman, Dr. Vanaja Ramprasad.  Years ago she recognized that women farmers are the primary seed-keepers in India but lacked land rights and access to credit and other forms of discrimination.  She has worked tirelessly in the face of the green revolution and the industrial agriculture system to protect biodiversity and empower small-scale farmers.

Today, Dr. Ramprasad and her foundation are promoting women’s innovations, much of it based on ancestral knowledge and farmer-to-farmer exchanges, including seed banks, multi-cropping, the use of natural pesticides, water harvesting, and other natural farming practices.  All this has resulted in a positive and lasting effect on women’s food and economic security, and has empowered women farmers across India.

International Womens Day and Beyond

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s keep the Dr. Ramprasads and Malala’s of the world in our hearts and minds.  When society empowers and values women and girls, it gives them the freedom to make positive choices for themselves and their families, which is good for the entire world.

Sri Lanka urges U.S. to drop charges against Canadian accused of supporting terrorism

Suresh Sriskandarajah, 32, who was extradited to New York in December to stand trial on terrorism charges.

Stewart Bell | 13/03/10 

The Sri Lankan government has asked the United States to abandon the prosecution of a Canadian charged with buying equipment and laundering money for the separatist Tamil Tigers rebels.

The extraordinary request, in a letter sent to the U.S. State Department, concerns Suresh Sriskandarajah, 32, who was extradited to New York in December to stand trial on terrorism charges.

The letter, which surfaced at Mr. Suresh’s bail hearing last month, urged the U.S. to drop the charges against Mr. Suresh “in light of his publicly recognized efforts to secure a lasting, peaceful reconciliation for the Tamil people,” wrote Judge Raymond Dearie of the U.S. District Court.

Given the history of Sri Lanka’s prolonged and bitter conflict, the request is indeed an extraordinary initiative

“Given the history of Sri Lanka’s prolonged and bitter conflict, the request is indeed an extraordinary initiative that evidences Suresh’s legitimate and admirable work to secure a lasting and just resolution of the tragic conflict.”

But U.S. prosecutors are proceeding with the case nonetheless, and the judge ruled the letter was not relevant to the bail proceedings, ordering Mr. Suresh to be held in custody for the duration of the trial.

The judge also denied bail to a second Canadian, Piratheepan Nadarajah, 36, who faces terrorism charges for his alleged role in a plot to buy $1-million worth of AK-47 assault rifles and surface-to-air missiles for the Tamil Tigers.

Both men were arrested in Toronto following a joint RCMP-FBI investigation called Project O-Needle. They were extradited to the U.S. in late 2012 after the Supreme Court of Canada rejected their appeals.

Related

• Canada’s anti-terror law upheld as top court dismisses three appeals
• 'Waterloo Suresh' fights for a bright future, free from charges of supporting terrorism

The U.S. court documents do not explain why Sri Lanka intervened in Mr. Suresh’s trial, but several sources said the government had been attempting to use those arrested in the O-Needle investigation to turn Tamil-Canadians against the Tigers.

An island off the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka fought a 26-year civil war against the Tamil Tigers, who financed their fight for ethnic Tamil independence with millions raised by front organizations in Canada.

In 2006, three Canadians of Sri Lankan descent were arrested in New York after trying to buy rifles and missiles from an undercover police informant. They have all since pleaded guilty. Three more suspects were arrested in the Toronto area.

Among them was Mr. Suresh, also known as Waterloo Suresh, an engineer and former head of the University of Waterloo Tamil Students Association. U.S. prosecutors alleged he helped launder $13,000 in rebel funds through U.S. bank accounts.

He was also accused of working with a Canadian co-conspirator, Ramanan Mylvaganam, to buy night-vision goggles, electronic equipment and submarine design software for the rebels. Mylvaganam pleaded guilty last year.

The Sri Lankan civil war ended in 2009 with the defeat of the rebels. Since then, Sri Lanka has been under mounting pressure over the conduct of its forces, who have been accused of killing tens of thousands of civilians during the final stage of the conflict.

National Post

Hundreds displaced, livelihoods destroyed in Govt. land grab for development

Never again will they return to the way of life they lived for generations only to be made extinct. Namini Wijedasa reports�

Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Government is taking over hundreds of acres of land in all parts of Sri Lanka, as it surges ahead with a massive development drive. �Statistics from the Land Ministry’s Acquisition Division show that there were 397 requests for acquisitions in 2012. This year, there have already been 97 within two months, indicating that there will be reams more before December. Typically, each of these requests represents many hundreds of acres of land and the families that own or live on them.

People facing displacement in Uma Oya

The vast majority of acquisitions are carried out for road widening, and water supply and irrigation projects. Smaller parcels are taken over for schools, playgrounds or sports grounds. The Urban Development Authority (UDA), under the Ministry of Defence, is separately snagging large extents of land within cities.

The Land Ministry says that, in 2012, the Government acquired around 3,382 acres of land. The Irrigation Ministry grabbed nearly 2,330 acres of this. The Ministry of Highways was second with 372 acres. The Forest Department acquired 263 acres, while the Ministry of Defence took 243 acres. Environmental groups say these figures are much higher.

The Ministry of Finance’s 2011 Annual Report shows that significant sums of money have been spent on acquiring land—Rs 3.8 billion in 2011. (It was Rs 3.6 billion in 2010).

Midway through each acquisition process, a gazette is published, stating that the Land Ministry has decided a particular property is to be acquired. A cursory glance at the extraordinary gazettes page of the Government Printer’s website reveals notice after notice of land being procured.

At the last count yesterday morning, there were 20 such gazettes—in just nine days. They pertained to properties in the districts of Hambantota, Colombo, Anuradhapura, Ratnapura, Ambalantota, Matara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kurunegala, Kegalle, Badulla, Matale, Kalpitiya, Puttalam, and Galle.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the extents grabbed are always large. It does signify, however, that there are numerous plots involving numerous parties. For instance, strips of land on either side are being acquired for the widening of the Colombo-Kandy Road. This might not lead to displacement but many families are affected.
On the contrary, ongoing giant development ventures—such as the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project and the Moragahakanda Project—are not only uprooting families but entire villages. The first includes the construction of a tunnel, two dams across the two main tributaries of Uma Oya, and an underground power station at Randeniya. The second envisages the building of Sri Lanka’s second largest reservoir.

While compensation, alternate agricultural land for affected farming families and homesteads have been promised, peoples’ organisations fear they will never get back their lives—or livelihoods—in the manner they had known and practised for generations. This has happened in districts such as Hambantota where the government took possession of (and continues to procure) immense stretches of land for a multitude of projects.

Encouragingly, the Government has resolved to implement the “National Involuntary Resettlement Policy” (NIRP) in the construction of Moragahakanda, said Land Ministry Secretary T. Asoka Peiris. This Asian Development Bank funded policy dates back to 2001, but hasn’t always been followed. It was implemented in full during the construction of the Southern Expressway, and minimised many of the problems faced at the initial stages. (It didn’t, however, prevent entire villages being split in two).
“For instance, the NIRP states how compensation should be paid and what entitlements people without land title have,” said Senior Research Professional at the Centre for Poverty Analysis, Nilakshi de Silva. “If you are a non-title holder, compensation is usually very basic, whereas the NIRP says that, even people without titles have a right to replacing whatever they lost in a different location.”

Agricultural lands that will be submerged under the Uma Oya project

One of the most worrying aspects of ongoing land grabs is the loss of agricultural land to development projects. The Sri Lanka Nature Group and the People’s Alliance for Right to Land, conducted a study of 25 projects, the results of which were released in June 2012. It found that, throughout Sri Lanka, a total of 36,611 hectares have been acquired through “illegal means”. “About 26,561 hectares have been seized by government institutions, while 10,050 hectares have been rewarded to the private sector,” it states. Moneragala district was the most affected. These statistics don’t always tally with official figures.

The researchers assert that the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management, Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Civil Defence Force (CDF) and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) “are among the State institutions that engaged in land grabbing the most”. �They lament that this led to the displacement of thousands of people, loss of livelihoods of fishermen and farmers, rapid depletion of forest cover and resultant hydrological and environmental impacts, and also creation and aggravation of the human-elephant conflict.

The takeover of these lands will affect food production, by depriving farmers and fishermen of their livelihoods. Many end up as labourers or in other jobs. The acquisition of agricultural land has also reduced household income among farmers.�Whatever its effects, land acquisition is a reality and will continue into the future. The only way the affected could gain respite is in the Government following the best practices laid down in the NIRP.

But that policy is still fully adopted only in the case of mega projects such as the Southern Expressway and Moragahakanda. That, say campaigners, is not enough.

Where to, from here, and for what?

Every few weeks, an old man from Meemure, calls up the Land Ministry to check on compensation for a property he had lost 16 years ago.�Lensuva is around 70 years of age. For generations, his family had lived and farmed on a plot in Meemure, an isolated little village tucked peacefully away in the Knuckles Range. But the mountains are a protected area. However, in 1997, the government gave notice of acquisition to Lensuva.

The tract was duly vacated on promise of compensation. It was found, however, that Lensuva did not have title to the land—a common occurrence in villages where properties are passed down through generations without corresponding transfer of documents. Worse, there was no plan for his plot.�Lensuva could still have received compensation without his deed. But since the authorities were unable, among other things, to determine the boundaries to his property, money allocated to compensate him was deposited with the court. He has neither the means nor the energy to initiate legal proceedings. So he keeps calling instead.

This man’s case is just one example of how land acquisition can cause enduring anguish. �Although forest reserves are protected, there are human settlements within. Villagers grow paddy and cardamom, while also engaging in chena cultivation. The Government’s intention is to acquire such lands so that the forests can be deemed as truly protected.

But how does one reconcile this with the Government’s policy of taking over lands in nature and wildlife reserves (including buffer zones) for private sector or State projects?
Sometimes, even when procedure is followed, with families being compensated and relocated, there is despondency. Take the case of 60-year-old Mapalagamage Gunawardene. Four years ago, his family was relocated from Nelumpathvila in front of the Hambantota Harbour.

For the two-and-a-half acres of land Mr. Gunawardene had farmed vegetables on, he was given 20 perches to build a house on and one acre to cultivate. But his home and his cultivation plot are located about four kilometres apart. And his village unit of 25 families that had lived and farmed together, are now split up.�“I can’t farm my land because of elephants and cattle,” he told the Sunday Times by telephone. “Earlier, we all took turns to watch our lands, but we are no longer in the same location. The other families in my settlement are fisher families from Mirijjavila, and they go to sea.”

Now, says Mr. Gunawardene, more land is being taken over by the Government in Hambantota. Chena farmers, who don’t have title to land, are suffering as a result. But hotels are coming up. “What can we say or do?” he asked, observing that he works nights as a security guard. �“How is the peoples’ right to development protected, through their involuntary relocation to traditional habitats of wild elephants, and with no livelihood opportunities?” asks Miyuru Gunasinghe, a researcher for Law and Society Trust, who produced a 2012 report called, ‘Mega Development Projects in Hambantota: In Whose Interest?’.

Development needs to go hand-in-hand with the protection of the rights of people, she says. “Although Hambantota may begin reaping rewards in another decade, it would have impoverished a generation of locals, whilst burdening the country with an unnecessary level of debt, unnecessary because, many of these projects are ‘white elephants’, for purposes of prestige or personal aggrandisement,” she holds.

The UDA’s actions in certain parts of the country are particularly controversial—from ejecting slum dwellers to grabbing prime commercial land from settlers in Colombo, to be doled out to foreign investors. �In one recent case that attracted widespread attention, the UDA acquired a seven-acre parcel of land in Slave Island. Four acres were for the Indian TATA Housing to establish a “commercial hub” and the remainder to build a condominium to relocate the affected families.

A total of 366 families were given two months to vacate the land but the Supreme Court issued a stay order after some of them filed a Fundamental Rights application. The Court has since cleared the UDA to proceed with the project.�In the next few years, as more sections of the Greater Colombo Development Plan are implemented, other lands will be taken over “for public purpose”. Lives will be disrupted, despite efforts to minimise the damage. The greater public will laud the Government’s efforts because, after all, the country needs development.

It doesn’t lessen the anguish for the uprooted people. “Really, all you need to do is stop and think, ‘If this happened to me, how would I react?’” reflected Nilakshi de Silva. “Old house, new house, it doesn’t really make that much of a difference.”�“Money is better than nothing, that’s true,” she nodded. “But you can’t really get back to where you were before.”

Inadequate basic facilities occur in the resettlements of Musali villages. People in the midst of hardships

Basic facilities are not fulfilled so far in the villages coming under the Mannar district Musali divisional secretariat where resettlement was done.

 

Hence the people living there are continuously facing a variety of problems was said by Musali Village Development Federation Secretary Mohamed Junaid Manaz.

 

Manatkulam, Ilanthaikulam and Bandaraweli villages coming under Musali Divisional Secretariat is affected drastically was said by him.

 

Junaid  said, during the last war, all the villages coming under the Musali Divisional Secretariat unit faced massive inadequacy. Mainly Manatkulam, Ilanthaikulam and Bandaraweli villages were severely affected.

 

Fishing trade and cultivations are the main earnings for the people resettled in these villages.  New roadway constructions were recently planned to these villages but so far it has not got completed in the proper manner.

 

The restoration for the old roads had not occurred in the proper manner hence the people of these villages are continuously facing snags.

 

Drinking water is obtained from a well closer by, and the village people had notified the relevant officials that the well water is not suitable for drinking purposes.

 

Currently drinking water is sold to the people living in the villages coming under the Musali divisional council. Hence the Musali divisional council should take immediate action to settle the problems faced by the people even after resettlement, was mentioned. 

 

The mostly affected villages are Manatkulam, Ilanthaikulam and Bandaraweli.

Monday , 11 March 2013