Wanathamulla Residents Raise Concerns

Monday, 21 April 2014

Residents of Wanathamulla and Bakery junction in Narahenpita claimed that they are being harassed by military personnel attached to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, threatening them with eviction in spite of a Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) ruling against the forced eviction of these

The Wanathamulla protection group for land owners had lodged a complaint with the HRCSL regarding the harassment they face and the HRCSL had issued a directive that the UDA should respect their free will to move from their lands and not be forced to do so. The convenor of the Narahenpita land owner’s protection organisation Hemantha Weerakoone told The Sunday Leader that a certain army officer attached to the UDA had been threatening the residents, openly ridiculing the decision taken by the HRCSL.

“The Army regularly keep coming to the Narahenpita area and have been threatening the residents. The UDA officials who were present at the HRCSL accepted the decision taken by the HRCSL that these residents cannot be evicted from these lands by force and against their will. But, after that, this officer had come and told the residents that the HRCSL is only a mediating force and that they cannot prevent the UDA from evicting these residents from these lands,” he said.

When The Sunday Leader contacted the Director Media of the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya regarding this incident, he said that it had no direct involvement with the military but there were military personnel contributing labour for the projects launched by the UDA.

“It is not the Army but the UDA that is carrying out these projects.

The HRCSL is an organisation that is formed to address the HR issues faced by the people, and we as the military in no way disregard their directives,” he said, adding that it is not an official of the Army or the Defence Ministry but perhaps a comment made by an officer in his personal capacity. He added that, if this officer had made any such statement disrespectful of the HRCSL, the Army would take appropriate disciplinary action against that particular officer.

U.S., Canada Join Forces to Fight Zohydro (Heroin in a Capsule) Before Deaths, Addiction and Abuse Soars!

Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com-Apr-21-2014

Get Prescription Drugs Off The Street (GPDOTS) wishes to express our concern at the possibility of a new high-dose, extended-release opioid, Zohydro (hydrocodone bitartrate) coming to Canada’s market.

medpagetoday.com

(MYRTLE BEACH, SC) - On Tuesday, April 29 at 11:30 a.m. a rally will be held at the Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts to draw attention to the FDA's approval of Zohydro.  The rally is being organized by Joanne Peterson, Founder and Executive Director of Learn to Cope.  (Their website is http://www.learn2cope.org/).  Former Senator Steve Tolman now President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the voice of over 400,000 union members will be a speaker at the rally.

For more information on the rally, go to Massachusetts Says No to Zohydro in Facebook.

On Sunday, September 28 the 2nd Annual FED UP! Rally will be held from 1 - 3 pm on the Mall in Washington, DC.  They will be calling attention to the dangers of Zohydro as well as the opioid and heroin epidemic in the U.S. and Canada.  See their flyer provided in this article for details on the rally.

Below is a letter sent to the Minister of Health in Ottawa, Canada by an organization called Get Prescription Drugs Off The Street (GPDOTS).  Their contact information is below the letter:                          

U.S., Canada Join Forces to Fight Zohydro (Heroin in a Capsule) Before Deaths, Addiction and Abuse Soars! by nelvely

US calls on Myanmar to stop Rakhine violence

Samantha Power, the United State’s ambassador to the United Nations, speaks during an U.N. Security Council emergency meeting, in this April 13, 2014 photo, at United Nations headquarters. (AP)

Saturday 19 April 2014

UNITED NATIONS: US Ambassador Samantha Power to UN called on Myanmar’s government Thursday to take urgent steps to stop the violence in the western region where thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled their homes, warning that continuing unrest could imperil the country’s path to democracy and prosperity.

Power linked the smooth delivery of humanitarian aid to containing of violence. At least 237 have been killed in religious violence in Myanmar since June 2012 and more than 140,000 displaced, many of them stateless Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, one of Myanmar’s poorest regions that is home to 1 million Rohingya.

UN officials have warned that the violence poses a serious threat to the country’s dramatic economic and political reforms as it emerges from a half century of military rule.

“We continue to support Burma’s reforms, but are greatly concerned that without effective government intervention violence in Rakhine could worsen, lives will be lost, and the critically needed humanitarian presence will not be sustainable,” Power said in a statement.

Power’s written comments followed a closed-door briefing to the UN Security Council Thursday by Vijay Nambiar, the secretary-general’s special adviser on Myanmar, on developments over the past year. yanmar emerged from a half-century of military rule in 2011, but its transition to democracy has been marred by sectarian violence in western Rakhine state. Myanmar, also known as Burma, regards ethnic Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, although many have lived in Myanmar for generations.

Power said the US continues to support Burma’s reforms “but are greatly concerned that without effective government intervention violence in Rakhine could worsen, lives will be lost, and the critically needed humanitarian presence will not be sustainable.”

Britain’s deputy ambassador Peter Wilson said the international community must pay attention to what’s happening with the Rohingya and negotiations on Myanmar’s constitution.

Under the current constitution, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is unable to run for the presidency in 2015 because she was married to a foreigner. Constitutional reforms would also be required to dilute the political power of the military and meet ethnic minority demands for autonomy. Whether this will happen before the election remains to be seen. Both Wilson and Power said the council recognize the huge strides that Myanmar has made over the last three years.

Power said “the people of Burma have the chance to choose a future of democracy and human rights for all, and to reject manipulation, fear, and division.”

“The government must take urgent steps to avoid more violence and to prevent setbacks on the journey to democracy and prosperity,” she said.

US: Stop Blocking Palestinian Rights

APRIL 6, 2014

• Palestine: Newest ‘Observer State’ Should Act on Rights Treaties
  NOVEMBER 29, 2012 
  Press release

It is disturbing that the Obama administration, which already has a record of resisting international accountability for Israeli rights abuses, would also oppose steps to adopt treaties requiring Palestinian authorities to uphold human rights. The US should press both the Palestinians and the Israelis to better abide by international human rights standards.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director

(Jerusalem) – The US government should support rather than oppose Palestinian actions to join international treaties that promote respect for human rights.

On April 1, 2014, the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, signed accession instruments for 15 treaties, including the core treaties on human rights and the laws of war. On April 2, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, testified in front of Congress, that in response to the “new Palestinian actions” that the “solemn commitment” by the US to “stand withIsrael,” “extends to our firm opposition to any and all unilateral [Palestinian] actions in the international arena.”

“It is disturbing that the Obama administration, which already has a record of resisting international accountability for Israeli rights abuses, would also oppose steps to adopt treaties requiring Palestinian authorities to uphold human rights,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The US should press both the Palestinians and the Israelis to better abide by international human rights standards.”

Palestine’s adoption of human rights and laws-of-war treaties would not cause any change in Israel’s international legal obligations.

Abbas signed letters of accession to core human rights treaties including the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the conventions on the rights of the child; the elimination of discrimination against women; and against torture, apartheid, and genocide. Abbas also signed requests for Palestine to accede to treaties on the laws of war, including the Hague Regulations of 1907, the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, and their first additional protocol.

The human rights treaties he signed would impose obligations on the Palestinian government to respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of people under their authority and effective control. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank was not eligible to sign human rights treaties but its officials had repeatedly pledged to uphold human rights norms. Human Rights Watch has documented serious abuses by Palestinian security forces, including torture, arbitrary arrest, and the suppression of freespeech and assembly.

Ratification of the Hague Regulations and Geneva Conventions would strengthen the obligations of Palestinian forces to abide by international rules on armed conflict. Palestinian armed groups are already obliged by customary international law on armed conflict, including prohibitions on targeting civilians and on carrying out attacks that do not discriminate between civilians and combatants. Armed groups in Gaza, which operate outside the authority or effective control of the Palestinian leadership that signed the treaties, have committed war crimes by launching indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israeli population centers.

Abbas signed the treaties for the state of Palestine, which the UN General Assembly granted non-member observer state status in 2012.

The US appears to oppose Palestine joining human rights treaties in part because it is afraid they will gain greater support for Palestinian statehood outside the framework of negotiations with Israel. According to Power’s testimony to a congressional subcommitteeon April 2, the US has “a monthly meeting with the Israelis” to coordinate responses to possible Palestinian actions at the UN, which the US is concerned could upset peace negotiations. Power said that the US had been “fighting on every front” before peace negotiations restarted in 2013 to prevent such Palestinian actions. Discussing US legislation that bars US funding from UN agencies that accept Palestine as a member, Power noted, “The spirit behind the legislation is to deter Palestinian action [at the UN], that is what we do all the time and that is what we will continue to do.”

The US may also fear that the Palestinian moves are only a first step towards joining the International Criminal Court (ICC). But Abbas did not sign the Rome Statute of the ICC, which would allow the court to have jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed in Palestine or by Palestinians. Power, in her remarks, said that the US is “absolutely adamant” that Palestine should not join the ICC because it “really poses a profound threat to Israel” and would be “devastating to the peace process.”

In either case, the US is mistaken to oppose a step that might lead to greater respect for rights, which could help create a better environment for peace negotiations, Human Rights Watch said.

“The US should stop allowing its separate concerns to stand in the way of a step that could enhance Palestinian authorities’ and armed groups’ respect for basic rights,” Stork said. “The US made the wrong decision to oppose greater rights protections.”

On April 1, the day Abbas signed the accession instruments for the treaties, Israel reissued tenders for the construction of 708 settlement housing units in the Israeli settlement of Gilo, while Israeli forces demolished 32 Palestinian-owned homes and other structures in the occupied West Bank, forcibly displacing 60 people, according to data collected by Ir Amim, an Israeli civil society group, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Under the Geneva Conventions and the ICC statute, settlement construction and the deliberate forcible transfer of civilians from their homes and communities in occupied territory are war crimes.

Israel has ratified core human rights treaties but officially claims that its rights obligations do not extend to Palestinians in the territory it occupies, where it says the laws of armed conflict apply exclusively. UN rights bodies have completely rejected this argument on the basis that an occupying power’s human rights obligations extend to people living under its effective control. Israel additionally claims, also in the face of nearly universal rejection, that the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits transferring its civilian population into occupied territory, does not apply to its settlements in the West Bank.

Russia accuses Ukraine of violating Geneva peace deal

Monday 21 April 2014 
Sergei Lavrov says Kiev 'not lifting a finger' to control extremists as armed groups refuse to stand down in eastern Ukraine

Link to video: Russia accuses Kiev of violating Geneva agreement on Ukraine

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has accused Ukraine of violating an accord reached in Geneva last week aimed at averting a wider conflict.

"Steps are being taken – above all by those who seized power in Kiev – not only that do not fulfil, but that crudely violate the Geneva agreement," he said on Monday.

Lavrov also told a news conference that a deadly gunfight on Sunday near Slavyansk, a Ukrainian city controlled by pro-Russian separatists, showed Kiev did not want to control "extremists".

"The authorities are doing nothing, not even lifting a finger, to address the causes behind this deep internal crisis in Ukraine," he said.

At least three people are thought to have been killed in the shootout, shaking an already fragile accord reached last Thursday betweenRussia, Ukraine, the US and the European Union.

The authorities in Kiev described the incident in the early hours of Sunday as a "crude provocation" staged for Russian TV. They said some of the details of the shootout were so implausible as to be ridiculous. Ukraine's intelligence service said its Russian military counterpart, the GRU, had staged it with help from criminals. The death toll and the allegiance of those involved were hard to confirm independently.

The Geneva agreement called for an immediate end to violence in Ukraine, where western powers believe Russia is fomenting a pro-Russian separatist movement, an allegation Moscow denies.

The accord also called for illegal armed groups to stand down in a process to be overseen by Europe's OSCE watchdog.

However, separatists have shown little sign of leaving public buildings in largely Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine.

Lavrov said the Ukrainian authorities had failed to remove illegal protests from squares in Kiev, Ukraine's capital. "This is absolutely unacceptable," he said.

Washington has warned of stronger economic sanctions than those already imposed if Moscow fails to uphold the Geneva deal.

"Before giving us ultimatums, demanding that we fulfil demands within two or three days with the threat of sanctions, we would urgently call on our American partners to fully accept responsibility for those who they brought to power," Lavrov said.

He added that attempts to isolate Russia would fail because it was "a big, independent power that knows what it wants".

The US vice-president, Joe Biden, is due to arrive in Kiev on Monday ahead of meetings with the country's embattled leaders on Tuesday. His office said he planned to meet the acting Ukrainian prime minister and president as well as legislators and democracy activists. Discussions will cover international efforts to strengthen Ukraine's economy and energy security and help with constitutional reforms, including next month's presidential election.

Also on Monday, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, approved legal amendments to make it simpler for Russian speakers in the former Soviet Union to acquire Russian citizenship, the Kremlin said.

Meanwhile Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have detained a Ukrainian journalist, accusing her of "war crimes" during the "Euromaidan" protests, her lawyer said. There were also reports of other journalists being held.

Irma Krat, 29, was held late on Sunday by militants in the city of Slavyansk, said Oleg Veremienko, a lawyer for the online television news site Krat runs. Russian internet channel Life News posted video of her being escorted by masked men in combat gear and of an activist saying she was under arrest.

The channel showed a woman it said was Krat, her face hidden by a scarf, saying in Ukrainian: "They detained me but they are treating me all right. They will check the reports I've filed and then they'll decide when to let me go."

A man in camouflage gear whose name was given as Pavel told Life News she was being investigated for "war crimes" against riot police and civilians during the Kiev protests which led to the fall of President Viktor Yanukovich in February.

Treated like 'animals': inside Kenya's slum tourism

REPORTER-JAMAL OSMAN

MONDAY 21 APRIL 2014

Kibera slum is home to nearly a million people. With an average income of less than a pound a day, it's one of the poorest parts of Kenya - a poverty that is attracting western tourists.

Treated Like 'Animals' Inside Kenya's Slum Tourism by nelvely

South Korea president says ferry captain's actions were like 'murder'

Park Geun-hye says conduct was 'unfathomable' as four more officers are arrested and confirmed deaths rise to 64

A woman prays for the safe return of missing passengers in the sunken ferry Sewol in South Korea. Photograph: Yonhap/EPA

Justin McCurry in Tokyo-Monday 21 April 2014

South Korea's president has accused the captain of the ferry that sank last week of “murdering” more than 300 passengers, most of whom were teenagers on a school trip, as four more members of his crew were
detained on Monday.

South Korea ferry sinking was act of murder, says president - video

South Korea President Says Ferry Captain's Actions Were Like 'Murder' by nelvely

Administrative Failure In The North

• NPC driving or being driven towards failure of administrative machinery?

By Austin Fernando- Sunday, April 20, 2014

C. V. Vigneswaran

As Secretaries we have worked with Ministers with different attitudes, behaviour, outlooks etc., and had different opinions. But, I have not heard of any Secretary challenging his Minister in Courts on fundamental rights (FRs), like a brave Chief Secretary (CS) who has done so recently.

Administrative Failure in the North by nelvely

LLRC a failure, LTTE not regrouping – M.A. Sumanthiran




April 20, 2014
On the invitation of the South African Government, a four-member Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation led by R. Sampanthan visited the country recently. South African President, Jacob Zuma, has appointed African National Congress (ANC) Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, as a special envoy to deal with the Sri Lankan issue. TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran, who was part of the TNA delegation, along with his colleagues Suresh Premachandran and Selvam Adaikalanathan, shares his views with Ceylon Today on the new initiative sprouted by the rainbow nation.


Following are excerpts:


By Ananth Palakidnar- April 20, 2014 
 Q:
What was the purpose behind the TNA's visit to South Africa last week?

LLRC a failure, LTTE not regrouping – M.A. Sumanthiran by nelvely

South Africa mediation offers way out for Govt

By Our Political Editor-Sunday, April 20, 2014
R. Sampanthan:

Whilst Sri Lankans were observing the National New Year last week, the Government of South African President Jacob Zuma set in motion a broad initiative towards reconciliation in Sri Lanka. It came when Pretoria’s special envoy Cyril Ramaphosa, widely regarded as a future President, took the first step of holding talks with a delegation from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). He will arrive in Sri Lanka to continue the dialogue with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and other UPFA leaders late next month or in early June.

Cyril Ramaphosa

An early visit to Colombo had to be put off. This is in view of elections to South Africa’s National Assembly (Parliament), Provincial and Municipal councils on May 7. The ruling African National Congress (ANC), which now holds a two thirds majority in Parliament, is billed to be the winner though President Zuma is facing widespread corruption allegations. He is accused of spending US$ 23 million in state funds to upgrade his private house, among other amenities, with a swimming pool and a pen for cattle. If the voter turnout for ANC drops below 60 per cent, some commentators in South Africa say, the party would remove Zuma from the leadership.

South Africa Mediation Offers Way Out for Govt by nelvely

LTTE rump in Britain push for trade embargo 

against Sri Lanka

By Sujeeva Nivunhella in London-April 19, 2014
In their latest bid, pro-LTTE Tamil groups are preparing the ground work to urge Britain to halt trading with Sri Lanka with the objective of dealing an economic blow to the country.

The Sunday Island reliably learns that these activists are planning to unleash a campaign called "Say No To Sri Lanka". 

These groups are already in consultation with the top British politicians to stop buying any commodities from Sri Lanka citing the human rights record in the country as an excuse, knowledgeable sources said. 

UK is Sri Lanka’s second biggest export market after USA. Sri Lanka exports tea, apparel, fish, bicycles, rubber, gems and Jewellery, coir products, ceramics, fruits & vegetables and toys to Britain.

The next British general election is due in 2015 and the LTTE rump has already rallied around many British politicians from all political parties. Substantial donations are offered and in marginal seats, MPs have been told that the Tamil vote is the deciding factor, they asserted.

"Under these circumstances,  I wouldn’t be surprised if  a trade embargo is enforced on Sri Lanka", said Douglas Wickramaratne, President of the Sinhala Association in the United Kingdom. 

"Unlike in the past, High Commission officials in London do not engage the Sri Lankan community to play their part for the betterment of Sri Lanka and, has as a result, allowed pro-LTTE Tamils to take the upper hand", he said.

"We have failed to highlight the fact that Sri Lankans — Sinhalese, Tamils,  Muslims  and all others opposed to terrorism in the UK far outnumber the  pro-LTTE Tamils, who have managed to convince the British politicians. It is evident that there is a lot of pressure from the British government on Sri Lanka for the first time in history", Wickramaratne noted. 

"One can see that during the past two-year period, we have lost almost all the support we had from British parliamentarians. For some reason, the vigorous lobbying campaign we had earlier is almost non-existent now", he noted.

The Sri Lankan government should implement a lobbying mechanism involving Sri Lankan activists before the situation gets any worse, he warned. "During the last elections to elect the London Mayor, we launched a campaign asking all peace-loving Sri Lankans to vote against Ken Livingstone, who openly supported the LTTE cause, and defeated him", Wickramaratne recalled.

Market sources said that if a trade embargo is enforced on Sri Lanka, the worst hit fields would be tea exports and apparel exports. "Tesco", a supermarket giant in the UK, recently started importing goods from small industries in Sri Lanka, thanks to the hard work of Trade Commissioner in London, Mrs. Sonali Wijeratne.

This will also be hit in case the UK stops trade with Sri Lanka, they warned

From Conspiracy To Counter Conspiracy Theories

By Jehan Perera- Sunday, April 20, 2014
The theory of an international conspiracy is gaining ground within the government.  The state media is giving considerable attention to the Canadian decision to stop funding the Commonwealth during the tenure of President Mahinda Rajapaksa as its Chairman.

From Conspiracy to Counter Conspiracy Theories by nelvely

Now They Are On Muslims!

The poster urges Sinhala-Buddhists to buy things ONLY from the Sinhala-Buddhist owned shops to celebrate Sinhala New Year. The poster is claimed by “We Sinhalese” previously an unknown Sinhala nationalist group.

By Imtiyaz Razak -April 20, 2014

Dr. Imtiyaz Razak

The  recent mobilization by the Sinhala extremists against the Muslims of Sri Lanka renews the fears among Muslims. One of such mobilization is the poster campaign prior to the new year. The attached poster urges Sinhala-Buddhists to buy things ONLY from the Sinhala-Buddhist owned shops to celebrate Sinhala New Year. The poster is claimed by “We Sinhalese” previously an unknown Sinhala nationalist group.

There are two key elements in Muslim identity and mobilization in Sri Lanka. One is Islam and other is market. Since the end of the war against the Tamil Tigers who brutalized Muslims of the North and East, the Sinhala-Buddhist extremists begun to focus on Muslims whose leaders actively supported the war against the Tamil Tigers. Muslims, according to my survey for my ongoing research on Muslims, believed that they would enjoy peace and justice in the post-Tamil Tiger Sri Lanka. However what experience suggests that Muslims have become new targets of Sinhala extremists. The question is why Muslims (after the Tamils)?

There are no easy answers, but interesting narratives to advance the agendas. Sinhala extremists would point to increasing what they call fundamentalism among Muslims.  Actually, there is a lack of clarity about the allegations. If one would say Muslim women wearing Hijab was/is the symbol of growing Islamic fundamentalism, wearing Hijab is associated with one’s basic right. Some would point to the growth of mosques in the island. This accusation does have some merit. But one needs to remember that during the war with the Tamil Tigers, Muslims did not confront challenges from the Sinhala extremists to this effect. If Mosques were being built illegally, due process needs to be followed to address the concerns.   Muslims continuously show their loyalty to the country. Their politicians have trust in democracy and know well that Muslims cannot resort to tactics and politics advanced by the Tamils to win their rights.

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