The Race for U.N. Secretary-General Is Rigged

• BY COLUM LYNCH-NOVEMBER 14, 2014 - 03:02 PM

The U.N. secretary-general is the world’s chief diplomat, but most of the world doesn’t get much say in who gets the nod. In the end, it’s the U.N. Security Council’s five permanent veto-wielding powers (the P5) — Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States — that decide.

The Race for U.N. Secretary-General is Rigged by Thavam Ratna

Get Rid of Freckles And Brown Spots By Using This Amazing Natural Remedy 

Posted By admin On Friday, November 7, 2014

Instead of using very expensive cosmetic products, you can make an effective natural face lotion with lemon and parsley at your home. The magical effect of parsley can get you rid of your freckles and blemishes by yourselves.

Imperfection of the skin like freckles and blemishes, appear on the most exposed parts of the body because of different external factors, and because of the aging, when the irregular pigmentation of the skin becomes more visible.

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Ingredients:

• 1 liter lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 150 ml distilled water
• 50 ml alcohol (70%)

Preparation:

Finely chop the parsley leaves and pour them with the distilled water and the alcohol. Stir the mixture well and then cover the bowl and let stand overnight.

Next day strain the liquid and add the juice of lemon. Pour the mixture in the sterilized glass bottle and keep it on dark and dry place. Apply this lotion every morning on the cleaned skin of the face and hands.

Sri Lanka’s rogue regime under the scanner of Malaysian MPs

By A Correspondent-Kuala Lumpur-15-Nov-2014

The Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights in Sri Lanka, which met at the Malaysian Parliament early this week to take stock of the progress of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and the condition of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Malaysia resolved to meet the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to discuss the Tamil issue and the treatment of Muslims in the country.

The meeting discussed wide-ranging issues pertaining to the Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka (Photo: By Special Arrangement)

It may be noted that in 2013 Malaysia abstained from voting at the 22nd UN human rights council as a result of pressure from this caucus. The caucus had also called for a boycott of the Commonwealth Heads of Government held in Sri Lanka.

The recent meeting was held in the background of the visit of well-known academic and Sri Lanka expert Dr. Paul Newman from India. The situation of Tamils in the North and East of Sri Lanka was discussed at the meeting in light of the ongoing UN International Inquiry on War Crimes of the Sri Lanka regime.

Wide ranging issues including the recent boycott and attacks on Muslim vendors selling Halal meat were also discussed.

The Caucus condemned Sri Lanka for not allowing the UN Investigators into Sri Lanka, thereby not complying with its obligation to the UN.

They also condemned the travel ban on foreigners to the Tamil majority province of North Sri Lanka, which it was felt only proved that Sri Lanka had something to hide from the outside world.

The MPs expressed concern on the issue of land grab by the Sri Lankan State in Tamil areas, the rise of the chauvinist Bodu Bala Sena which has openly advocated attacking the Muslims, and the trampling of human rights and media freedom in the country.

The Caucus urged the Government of Sri Lanka to repeal the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act as the civil war was declared over in 2009 itself and called for restoration of a complete civilian administration in the North and East.

The meeting reiterated that process of demilitarization in Tamil areas be expedited, and the promotion of Buddhism in the Tamil and Muslim dominated areas should be stopped at all cost in order to exude confidence in the civil society.

While welcoming the infrastructure development in the North and East, members said it was not a substitute for restoration of rights to the people.

The problem of the estimated 7000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Malaysia was taken up as some of them have been living in the country for over sixteen years without proper papers. Though they speak Malay and hold UNHCR cards, their plight in Malaysia is deplorable as they face severe harassment by their employers and the authorities apart from living in abysmal conditions.

Senior leader of the opposition Y B Kulasegaran urged the caucus to press Malaysia to sign the UN Convention on Refugees.

Teachers' union condemn military presence at Jaffna Uni

14 November 2014

The Jaffna University teachers' union condemned the heavy presence of military personnel around the university, stating that it was leading to widespread fear amongst students, reports Uthayan.

The heightened military presence comes days before the Tamil nation's remembrance day event - Maaveerar Naal - on November 27, which has been a focal point of military deployment across the North-East since the end of the armed conflict in an attempt to clamp down on memorial events.

"This [military presence] cannot be accepted, this has caused fear amongst not only the university students but amongst the entire university society.  The opportunity to learn independently will only occur when the army is discharged from the university environment," the union said on Friday.

The police's media spokesperson however dismissed the union's concerns however.

"The army are not based near the university on a special operation but just on a routine action. It is usual to position army in some areas in ivew of the need for a routine presence. Students need not be worried about this," the spokesperson, Ranjith Mallavaratchi told Uthayan. 

Tamil diaspora youth express solidarity with Baloch nation on Martyrs Day

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 November 2014, 23:40 GMT]
On 13th November, the oppressed Baloch nation, both in the occupied homeland and in the diaspora, commemorates their heroes who have fought for the sovereignty and freedom of Balochistan. The Baloch martyrdom is traced from 1836 onwards, when the Baloch leader Mir Mehran Khan Baloch was killed alongside his followers while battling the Imperialist British forces who eventually brought the Baloch homeland under colonial domination. Subsequently the Baloch have fought the British, the Persians, the Iranian and Pakistani state in a bid to regain their lost sovereignty and to safeguard their national existence and rights. 

On 11 August 1947, the Baloch Prince of Kalat declared independence of eastern Balochistan, three days prior to the creation of the post-colonial Pakistani state. 

Disregarding the democratic aspiration and national sovereignty of the Baloch people, the following year M.A Jinnah ordered the military occupation of Balochistan and the dismantling of their national mobilization. 

Pakistani army operations and genocidal oppression has characterized the state in Eastern Balochistan ever since, and every effort to build Baloch national unity and mobilization to regain freedom has been subjected to coordinated military crackdown.

The Baloch have since 1948 waged four national liberation wars against Islamabad with the 5th still ongoing since its commencement in the 2000’s. Each time the Baloch struggle had been militarily defeated yet the reproduction of the spirit of national resistance ensured the Baloch to rise in rebellion when historical possibilities emerged.

Since December 2013 large scale military operations have been deployed in Balochistan and state aided atrocities have been directed at the national resistance of the Baloch. This follows the historic awareness march (The long March for Missing Persons) conducted by Baloch activists of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) in late 2013 covering over 2000 KM and 106 days from the Baloch capital of Quetta to Islamabad. In recent weeks dozens of bodies of abducted Baloch men have been found dumped in desolate areas of Balochistan with gruesome signs of torture. 

The VBMP has reported that since 2004 over 18,000 Balochis have disappeared, and more than 1600 have been extra judicially killed, tortured and dumped in and around Balochistan. More than 1600 Baloch have also been assassinated since 2009, at the hands of state security forces and its proxy forces. 

The Baloch people are nevertheless committed to national liberation and there have been held throughout the Baloch homeland and in Karachi commemorative events for the martyrs on 13th November. Likewise the Baloch diaspora held commemoration events in U.K, Sweden and South Korea. 

The 13th of November was chosen as the Baloch martyrs day following the release of the historic Baloch Liberation Charter, composed of pro Baloch freedom leaders in the diaspora and the homeland last year it in a bid to unite the Baloch freedom movement under a common national political platform.

Taking the spirit of resistance from the Baloch martyrs since the colonial period, the Baloch commemorates all theirs fighters who have laid down their life in fighting foreign occupation in a bid to strengthen national unity, inclusiveness and cohesion on their Heroes Day. 

In a similar vein, Eezham Tamils should draw inspiration from the historic resistance as displayed by the Tamil resistance fighters who fought Portuguese, Dutch, British, Indian and Sinhala colonialism and imperialism in a bid to reaffirm their commitment in the present to resolve the national question of Eezham Tamils, Tamil youth activists in Norway expressing solidarity with the Baloch people, said on Thursday.

In order to keep the national politics struggle-centric and to build an alternative political foundation of solidarity, there is the need for Eelam Tamils to forge alliances with other nations without states and to interact with their liberation struggles, the youth activists further said. 

• Respect, Salute and Solidarity From Eelam to Balochistan - TYO Norway

“We the Eelam Tamil nation, who shares with the Baloch nation, a great history of national resistance to imperialism, colonialism and national oppression, send our deepest greetings and solidarity to the Baloch nation on this very day when the great heroes of the Baloch are commemorated and their legacy continued upon,” said a statement issued by the Tamil Youth Organisation in Norway on Thursday.

25 வருடங்களின் பின் சிறையிலிருந்து விடுதலையான தமிழர்! உண்மையில்லை என சகோதரி மறுப்பு

[ வெள்ளிக்கிழமை, 14 நவம்பர் 2014, 12:45.21 PM GMT ]

யாழ்.குடாநாட்டிலிருந்து 1990ம் ஆண்டு காணாமல் போனவர் 25 வருடங்களின் பின்னர் சிறையிலிருந்து விடுதலையானார் என ஊடகங்களில் வெளியான செய்தியில் உண்மையில்லையென உறவினர்கள் மறுத்துள்ளனர்.

குறித்த நபர் தொடர்ந்தும் சிறையிலேயே இருப்பதாகவும் அவர்கள் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளனர்.

1990ம் ஆண்டு காணாமல்போன நபர் சிறையிலிருந்து விடுதலை ஆனதாக சில தினங்களுக்கு முன்னர் ஊடகங்களில் செய்திகள் வெளியாகியிருந்தன.

இந்நிலையில் மேற்படி சம்பவம் தொடர்பில் குறித்த நபரின் சகோதரி ஊடகங்களுக்கு கருத்து வெளியிடுகையில்,

என்னுடைய சகோதரர் வைரவநாதன் (தற்போதைய வயது 53) கடந்த 1991ம் ஆண்டு கொழும்பில் இடம்பெற்ற குண்டு வெடிப்புச் சம்பவம் ஒன்றினையடுத்து சந்தேகத்தின் பெயரில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டார்.

அதன் பின்னர் எம்மால் நேரடியாக சென்று அவரை விடுவிக்க முடியவில்லை. மற்றும் அவர் ஒரு மனநோயாளி. எனவே உறவினர் ஒருவர் அவர் மனநோயாளி என்பதை உறுதிப்படுத்தும், ஆவணங்கள் மற்றும் வைத்திய அறிக்கைகளுடன் கொழும்புக்குச் சென்றிருந்தபோது போகும் வழியில் அவர் மாரடைப்பினால் உயிரிழந்தார். அதனால் அந்த ஆவணங்களும் தொலைந்து விட்டன. அதன் பின்னர் எங்களால் தேட முடியவில்லை. எங்களுடைய மற்றைய சகோதரர் ஒருவர் இந்தியா செல்லும் போது காணாமல்போய் விட்டார்.

மற்றய சகோதரி ஒருவர் இயற்கையிலேயே பாதிக்கப்பட்ட மாற்றுவலுவுள்ளவர். எங்களால் அவரை தேட முடியவில்லை.

இந்நிலையில் கடந்த சில தினங்களுக்கு முன்னர் அம்பாந்தோட்டை சிறைச்சாலையிலிருந்து ஒரு கடிதம் வந்தது. அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ள விடயம், உங்கள் உறவினர் உயிருடன் இருக்கிறார். அவரை நீங்கள் பார்வையிடலாம், அத்துடன் வழக்கறிஞ்ஞர் மூலம் பிணையில் எடுக்கலாம் என குறிப்பிடப்பட்டிருந்தது.

மற்றபடி அவர் விடுதலை செய்யப்படவில்லை. மேலும் அவர் காணாமல் போகவுமில்லை. கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். எனவே நாங்கள் நாளை அல்லது நாளை மறுதினம் அவரை பார்க்கச் செல்லவுள்ளோம் என்றார்.

தொடர்புபட்ட செய்தி

1990ல் காணாமல் போனதாக கூறப்பட்ட தமிழரை இன்று விடுதலை செய்த நீதிமன்றம்

Eradicate Wrongdoings: Gota’s Theory

( November 14, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Corruption is something that did not begin with President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure says Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who has taken care not to reveal what has happened to the “Api Wenuwen Api” Fund. It is stated that information cannot be revealed due to security reasons.

Also, Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaska says the underworld or drug traffickers do not exist now. Speaking further the Defense Secretary says law or existence of independent commissions only would not be of any use. He makes such observations even when complaints have been filed against the head of the Bribery Commission.

Also, there are many instances of perpetrators who have been sentenced by the judiciary being set free using the powers of the President.

Analysts point out that making such statements, when no inquiry has been carried out regarding a secretary to the Prime Minister who has been accused of involvement in bringing in to the country a container with 262 kilogram of heroin, is a very serious issue.

Members of the underworld who were not favourable to the government have been murdered using various manoeuvres and several more have been sent abroad with the protection of the government. One of the most talked about occurrences regarding the implementation and enforcement of the law is the incident where Sudharman Radaliyagoda, a programme producer of ITN, being able to avoid legal procedures with the full patronage of the Defence Secretary.

Sri Lankan Foreign Policy: Seeking Friends In Low Places

By Ananda Perera -November 14, 2014 

Sri Lanka plays host to Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz today and is signing two bilateral agreements on “establishing a joint commission on cooperation and an agreement on political bilateral consultation. Sri Lanka established formal diplomatic relations with Mauritania on Dec. 21, 2012, following a Cabinet decision in 2012 to establish diplomatic relations with 15 African countries[1]”

Abdel Aziz, a former military officer was elected president in 2009. He has previously been part of a military coup in 2005 and leading a military coup in 2008 which deposed the then democratically elected president, President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.

As far as choosing one’s diplomatic partners Mauritania is an interesting choice. 90% of its landmass is part of the Sahara desert and more than 44% of the population live below $2 a day. Mauritania also is widely regarded as being one the worst violators of human rights in the world.

Most damningly, it has been described as the “slavery’s last stronghold” in the world[2]. The people estimated to be held in slavery is proportionally the highest for any country and slaves include opponents of the government. Some estimates suggest as many as 10% to 20% of the population (340,000 to 680,000 persons) is enslaved. It only outlawed slavery in 1981 and only criminalized the practice of slave owning under international pressure in 2007. So far there has only been 1 conviction against the widespread practice. In many cases “black moor” ethnic groups are slaves of the “white moor” groups and have been for generations. Other human rights concerns include child labour.

The current regime’s penchant for close ties with dubious allies (with both virtue and usefulness) has been demonstrated before. However, this may represent a new low for the floundering foreign policy of the Rajapaksas.

---

[1] http://www.news.lk/news/sri-lanka/item/4277-mauritania-president-to-visit-sri-lanka-today

[2] http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/world/mauritania.slaverys.last.stronghold/

Chandrika, Karu both to file nominations!

 Thursday, 13 November 2014 

There is a plan by the opposition to field both former president Chandrika Kumaratunga and UNP’s leadership council chairman Karu Jayasuriya as candidates at the upcoming presidential polls, once the date for the election is announced on November 19, reports say.

Both Chandrika and Karu are being fielded as a countermeasure, if the elections commissioner rejects the former’s nomination based on the Supreme Court decision.

As reported by us previously, the SC decision sent to the president is being kept a secret as it says ex-president Kumaratunga cannot contest.

Although leader of the House Nimal Siripala de Silva informed parliament of the decision, the entire SC document was not tabled for the perusal of the opposition. Despite calls by the opposition to table it, the government is avoiding it due to the above reason.

If the former president’s nomination is rejected by the elections commissioner, Karu will contest as the common candidate. If her nomination is accepted, Karu will withdraw his nomination, paving the way for her to contest the election.

Indian envoy holds talks with SLMC-TNA 


By Lakshmi Jayakody-November 13, 2014 

Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R. Sampanthan, and Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Rauff Hakeem, have reportedly met Indian High Commissioner, Y.K. Sinha last Saturday (8), authoritative sources disclosed.

They said the two minority party leaders have had detailed discussions with the Indian Envoy.
These talks have lasted three hours, but the details were not disclosed.


Political analysts view these talks as crucial with a presidential election likely to be announced early next week.
The TNA is yet to decide on what candidate they will support. However, TNA’s Suresh Premachnadran said their support will be for a candidate who will demilitarize the North and resolve the grievances of the Tamils.


The SLMC is yet to call its party High Command for a meet to discuss affairs regarding a future presidential election. At present, the SLMC is a partner in the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government with Hakeem holding the Ministerial Portfolio of Justice.

Constitution Unmaking In Colombo

| by Maduranga Rathnayake

( November 14, 2014, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) Is it constitution making or unmaking? It is the latter; the unmaking, once again that we are witnessing in Sri Lanka (SL). The constitution of a country defines and establishes its moral basis in a legal flourish; that is what a constitution is all about. Though there is the long standing debate of law versus morality, the constitution of a country nevertheless is a reflection of its own moral philosophy; and for that very reason making including amending a constitution is a serious matter. Any constitution making process must involve a broad-based and an open national consultative process. One of the most effective mechanisms is to establish a constitution commission with power to hear and record submissions of individuals and organisations across the board which will then make its recommendations; then subject a parliamentary draft based on the recommendations of the commission to judicial scrutiny for further fine tuning, and finally, seek the approval of the people at a referendum or some legitimate form of public endorsement.

A proper constitution making consultative process alone would take a minimum of two to three years. The approach to drafting of constitutional provisions must be scientific while the wording and structure must be appreciated based on relevant legal doctrines; in that to cite a simple example such as of having the number of cabinet portfolios specified in the constitution, first a scientific study must be available with regard to the needs and output of different aspects of the key sectors and how several aspects could be brought under one cabinet portfolio in a non-conflicting and effective manner so that all the key sectors could be covered by, say, 16 or 18 cabinet portfolios, and the same must be fully discussed at a consultative process. In one of the several constitutional amendment drafts making the rounds in Colombo at the moment contains a proposed provision limiting the number of cabinet portfolios to 30; on what basis no one seems to know, and such a constitutional provision could be conceived and drafted in a few minutes, and at that rate perhaps an entire constitution would be deliberated and drafted in a few hours. That is the tragedy SL has been plagued with for many years, taking its constitution so lightly.

The 13th Amendment to the SL constitution which radically altered the centralised power structure of the country did not go through a proper consultative process before it was enacted in parliament and as a result the 13th Amendment failed to properly address the issue of provincial or regional governance and within a short period of its implementation provincial councils proved to be a waste of public money. The 13th Amendment was in fact a mere knee-jerk dictation of India in response to the then volatile situation in northern SL.

The 17th Amendment though it was enacted in parliament unanimously and was a significant platform towards establishing good governance did not go through a proper consultative process other than a little bit of random academic work by several individuals and one or two organisations and some parliamentary dialogues advocating the need for a constitutional council (CC). The 17th Amendment lost sight of two critical aspects. Firstly, the potential antipathy an executive president would have towards clipping of some his powers through a CC. The executive president is directly elected by people at a presidential election. At a presidential election the entire country in effect becomes one electorate as far as a presidential candidate is concerned and therefore popularity is everything for a president and a sitting president thinking politically in the long term would not want to continue without the important power of making direct appointments to the higher judiciary etc. An ambitious executive president would hate the 17th Amendment. Secondly, the CC was introduced into a weak parliamentary set-up (weaken by the executive presidency) and the CC really did not strengthen the parliament by any significant measure either. The 17th Amendment’s failure was felt within a very short period of its coming into force mainly due to lack of an overall constitutional framework required for the proper implementation of the 17th Amendment. If there was a proper discourse on establishing a CC many important jurisprudential as well as practical aspects, options and models could have been identified and consequently a better and lasting constitutional arrangement could have been developed.

The so-called proposed 19th Amendment to the SL constitution; it is really fascinating that a politician Buddhist monk is demanding and appears to have been able to create some momentum that his draft constitutional amendment must be enacted mainly abolishing the executive presidency. Other than a general notion and a few academic articles and some parliamentary literature on the negative aspects of the executive presidential system, there has never been a broad-based, open and focused national consultative process on the changes to the system of government that should replace the present constitution. Any constitutional discourse in SL must involve the views and the rights of the minority Tamils and Muslim communities, and the issue of devolution of powers to the northern SL. None of the several constitutional amendment drafts that are in circulation in Colombo at the moment have been subject to any public discussion at all. Some amendments have been discussed and drafted at suburban Buddhist temples!

The biggest calamity is the shameless attempt of some self appointed professors of salvation to use constitutional amendments as a means to get rid of the present regime. It is a shame that those running around Colombo with their own constitutional amendments in the pocket do not seem to see that use of constitutional amendments to remove someone from power is as dangerous as use of constitutional amendments to stay in power; it is like the two sides of the same coin. If SL needs a regime change, then it must be achieved electorally. It must be stressed that a constitution making process should be as sui generis as the constitution itself.

The Fateful Triangle – India, Sri Lanka And MOSSAD

By Mohammed Jehan Khan -November 14, 2014

Mohammed Jehan Khan

The recent siege of Israel on Gaza citizens has made Israel a reinvigorated hero among two Islamophobes in the South Asian region, the ruling BJPs of India and Sri Lankan hardliners and their Facebook warriors. These two forces in the region promote and venerate Israel among the general public. These two supporters of Israel decry its excesses. They wring their hands over the tragic necessity of air-strikes on Gaza. The agony is that those abettors assure us that they respect human rights and want peace. But they react in inchoate fury when the reality of Israel is held up before them. So let’s ask ourselves: Who are Hebrews, Who are Israelis and What is Zionism?

Myth #1 – Israelis are SEMITES
In fact Israelis are largely Ashkenazi Khazarians of south east Europe. They do not have any genetic roots traced back to the early Hebrew Jews and the twelve tribes of Jacob or his sons or the land of Palestine. It is common knowledge that Semites are brown skinned people with dark hair and black/brown eyes. According to ‘The Physical Characters of the Middle Eastern Races”, The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 54, published in 1917, Semitic people are predominantly broad-headed, derived from the Armenoid type found largely in the great Brachycephalic area of Western Asia, viz. Asia Minor and Mesopotamia. Today we see most Israelis have blonde hair, blue eyes and relatively fair skin, which implodes the myth of SEMITISM of Israelis.

The Khazar-Ashkenazis, who make up the 90% of Israel, were converted to the laws and statutes of Judaism, around 730-740 AD thus becoming Jews, but this group was not a descendant of any Semitic tribe. Their flourishing empire which extended from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, and from the Caucasus to the Volga, was located between two major superpowers; the Eastern Roman Empire in Byzantium (Christianity), and the Muslim Caliphate of Baghdad (Islam).

The Khazar empire, representing a third force, could only maintain its political and ideological independence if it neither accepted Christianity nor Islam, since they did not want to become subordinate to either the authority of the Roman Emperor, or the Caliph of Baghdad. For that reason, the Khazar king, Obadiah, along with the Khazar royalty and notable segments of the aristocracy embraced the Jewish faith and ordered his subjects to do the same, which is how Judaism became the official state religion of the Khazars.

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Video: ‘November Heroes’ commemorated

FRIDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2014

The 25th Commemoration of November Heroes to commemorate heroes of the JVP including its founder Rohana Wijeweera who sacrificed their lives for the country was held at the Open Air Theatre of Viharamahadevi Park yesterday (13th) evening with the participation of a large crowd.

The Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka, its General Secretary Tilvin Silva and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Somawansa Amarasinghe addressed the crowd.

Two books ‘Culture and Socialism’ and ‘History of the JVP – 1965 to 1994’ (English edition) were launched at the ceremony. The commemoration ended with a concert of commemorative songs.

Rohana Wijeweera: The killing of Sri Lanka's Stalinist icon

By Charles Haviland-12 November 2014

The charismatic rebel leader modelled himself on Che Guevara

Twenty-five years ago, on 13 November 1989, the Sri Lankan government announced that Rohana Wijeweera, an extreme-left Sinhalese nationalist leader of two failed insurrections, had died in police custody - in unclear circumstances.

"I heard about the death. Of course it was not unexpected, I knew it was coming," recalls his friend, lawyer and election agent, Prins Gunasekara,speaking to the BBC history programme, Witness.

Even as the Tamil conflict flared up in the north the island had been wracked by violence in the south. Wijeweera's Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), or People's Liberation Front, killed those who rejected its ideology - and was crushed by the state.

Rohana Wijeweera the Killing of Sri Lanka's Stalinist Icon by Thavam Ratna

Dhanapala to Receive IPS Award for Nuclear Disarmament

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 13 2014 (IPS) - Jayantha Dhanapala, a former U.N. under-secretary-general for disarmament affairs (1998-2003) and a relentless advocate for a world free of nuclear weapons, will be the recipient of the 2014 International Achievement Award for Nuclear Disarmament sponsored by Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency.

“Short of actually dismantling nuclear devices himself,” says Dr. Randy Rydell, until recently a senior political affairs officer at the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs, “he has contributed enormously in constructing a solid foundation upon which the world community will one day fulfill this great ambition.”

Current president of the Nobel Prize-winning Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (since 2007) and a former Sri Lankan ambassador to the United States, Dhanapala played a crucial role in the 1995 Conference of States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0

The award – which is co-sponsored by the Tokyo-based Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a 12-million-strong, lay Buddhist non-governmental organisation (NGO) which is leading a global campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons – will be presented at an official ceremony at the United Nations Nov. 17.

The event, to be attended by senior U.N. officials, ambassadors and representatives of the media and civil society, is being hosted by the U.N. Correspondents’ Association (UNCA).

Douglas Roche, a former senator, an ex-Canadian ambassador for disarmament, and visiting professor at the University of Alberta, told IPS, “When the Non-Proliferation Treaty was indefinitely extended in 1995, the person most responsible for making nuclear disarmament a permanent legal obligation was Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala.”

He said Dhanapala’s “masterful diplomacy” – threading a course between the powerful nuclear weapons states and the non-nuclear world – was responsible for delineating three specific promises.

First, the systematic and progressive efforts towards elimination of nuclear weapons; second, a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty by 1996; third, an early conclusion of negotiations for a fissile material ban.

“Jayantha raised both the global norm and the conscience of the world that nuclear weapons are incompatible with the full implementation of human rights,” said Roche, founding chairman of the Middle Powers Initiative and chairman of the U.N. Disarmament Committee at the 43rd General Assembly sessions in 1988.

Jonathan Granoff, president of the Global Security Institute (GSI), told IPS “it is fair to say that no one has done more to preserve and strengthen the international legal system constraining the spread of nuclear weapons and setting clearly the compass point for the universal elimination of nuclear weapons than Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala.”

“His leadership in the U.N.’s Department of Disarmament Affairs and president of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference was rooted in an insight that clearly guides his life,” he added.

As a young student during the Cuban missile crisis, he wondered “how could the two superpowers of the time place millions of innocent citizens in non-nuclear weapon and non-aligned states in danger of the blast, radiation, climatic and genetic effects of such a weapon exchange?” Granoff recounted.

Dhanapala has tirelessly made nations, organisations, and individuals aware and empowered to act on the realisation that nuclear weapons and civilisation present a choice: one or the other, he pointed out.

“His work in the international field has exemplified the fusion of idealistic aspirations based on universal values and practical policies informed by the constraints of political realities and power,” said Granoff, who is also a senior advisor of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Arms Control and National Security.

He was also instrumental in reviving U.N. interest in the subject of “disarmament and development” at a time when military spending was once again starting to rise in the post-Cold War era, as social and economic needs went unmet in vast sectors of the world.

Dhanapala served as director of the U.N.’s Institute for Disarmament Research (1987-1992), where he successfully expanded its financial base while also broadening its areas of research to include non-military challenges to security.

Dhanapala has also been a member of two of the most influential international commissions established to advance nuclear disarmament: the Canberra Commission (1996) and the International Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (Blix Commission, 2006).

He was later awarded a MacArthur Foundation grant, which enabled the publication of his book, ‘Multilateral Diplomacy and the NPT: An Insider’s Account.’

He has served or is continuing to serve on several advisory boards of institutions known for their work in supporting nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, including the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the Stanford Institute of International Studies, the Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Conflict, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, among others.

He has served as honourary president of the International Peace Bureau.

In all of his posts held over his career, said Rydell, he has inspired his colleagues to fight persistently for the interests of the world community even in the face of great obstacles.

“One day, this will be how nuclear disarmament is finally achieved,” he added.

Rydell said Dhanapala was one of the U.N.’s most prolific voices for global nuclear disarmament, which was apparent in his countless major keynote addresses, book chapters, articles, oped pieces, and frequent meetings with NGOs.

Roche told IPS: “If the nuclear weapons states had lived up to the standards set by Ambassador Dhanapala, the world would be a safer place today. Dhanapala had the vision to move forward in a way that held the international community together. We must not give up on that course.”

Reflecting on the diplomatic achievements of Dhanapala’s home country, Granoff said Sri Lanka is a small island and the world owes it a big thank you for producing several towering figures who have been instrumental in advancing global security, the rule of law, and standards of intelligence and virtue in global public service.

To state the case succinctly: “Without Ambassador Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe there would be no Law of the Sea Treaty.”

Judge Christopher Weeramantry’s work on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where he helped define global legal standards of justice and practicality in the fields of nuclear weapons and sustainable development, is matched in excellence only by the wisdom and insightful legal analysis found in his prolific writings, making him one of the most respect international legal minds of modern times, said Granoff, who is also on the advisory board of Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy.

Sri Lanka, having barely emerged from four and half centuries of crippling colonialism, was threatened along with other countries by a contest for global supremacy in which it wanted no part, he added.

The past recipients of the IPS International Achievement Award for their contributions to peace and development include: Brazilian President Lula da Silva (2008), U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (2006), Global Call to Action Against Poverty (2005), Group of 77 developing countries (2000), U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1995), and Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari (1991).

Edited by Kitty Stapp

The writer can be contacted at thalifdeen@aol.com