Rape and romance: When will Thai soap operas stop trivializing sexual abuse?

by Thitipol Panyalimpanun-8th January 2016 

AFTER his father committed suicide, vengeful businessman Pathavee knew the enemy family was responsible. Years later, he avenged his father’s death by enslaving Chidchaba, his foe’s only daughter. Pathavee, who already had a fiancé, harassed and raped Chidchaba. At one point she got pregnant and almost killed herself trying to abort the child. Pathavee is the kind of guy you’d report to the police, but in the business of Thai soap operas, he makes a perfect protagonist.

Rapist-turn-lover Pathavee and objectified Chidchaba later fell for each other in ‘Unending Fire of Passion’, one of the 10 most popular Thai soap operas in 2015, according to Nielsen ratings. But ‘Unending Fire of Passion’ wasn’t the only guilty party. At least five from the same list also romanticize rape, violence and sexual harassment to create an extreme emotional twist.

Despite campaigns to end such practice, Thai soap opera industry today still fails to overcome its tradition that promotes rape culture and sexism against women.

Scenes of violence and sexual harassment between male and female protagonists are common in the immensely popular Thai soap operas, or lakorn. They use haters-turn-lovers relationships so often it has become normal for the viewer to see the male lead grope or forcefully grab the female lead against her will. “Slap-kiss,” for example, is a term for the selling cliché scene in Thai drama in which the lead actress would slap the lead actor who would then forcefully kiss her. The perception of “a good woman” was one of the reasons producers used to justify using rape and coercion as an act of love.

“They would say that it’s because, traditionally, good women characters cannot initiate, which is obsolete, dehumanizing and far from reality,” says Nitipan Wiprawit, who launched a campaign against romanticized harassment and sexism in Thai soap opera in 2014, said. “The station reports rape as a crime during the day and broadcasts it as entertainment at night. There clearly is a problem here.”

It made big news that year when a group of boy scouts were filmed sexually harassing a girl scout in a primary school. The boys’ parents later, though, ridiculed and scoffed at the charges. Such indifference triggered Nitipan to launching a petition on Change.org, which has gathered over 400 thousand signatures.

“I am not linking rape scenes to sex crime rates, but it indirectly promotes sexual harassment as a form of entertainment and punishment,” he said. “It promotes the ideas that rape victims should be embarrassed and that a man owns a woman after they had sex.”

In traditional Thai soaps, not only were none of the rapist male protagonists charged or prosecuted, but also none of the female victims, dehumanized by the sexist plot, did anything about it. Besides portraying sexual assaults as acceptable, these dramas also promote them as an act of romantic punishment. Looking at General Prayuth’s infamous  “bikini” remarks on Koh Tao murder victims and last year’s case of a raped British woman in which a police chief blamed the assault on the victim, are these dramas the result or the cause of an ignorant society? Either way, it doesn’t help in cultivating the awareness of women’s rights among Thais.

In an interview with Prachatai, Thammasat University’s professor Chanida Chitbundit said that although Thailand, ranked 76 in the Gender Inequality Index by UNDP in 2014, is ahead of many countries in the region in passing the laws for women rights, but there are still many limitations in law enforcement, suggesting it is inevitable that feminism has to progress along with democracy, to change the chauvinistic cultural perception.

Social critic Lakkana Punwichai also pointed out in a feminism talk two years ago the paradox in promoting feminism in Thai society, resulted from nationalism steering Thai society from western ideology and concepts such as human rights, democracy, and liberalism.

“We have many who deal with women problem but do not dig into the ideology behind it, or who are into the ideology but turn their backs on institutional politics,” Lakkana said. “We have feminist activists who at the same time support authoritarianism and conservatism. We have gays protesting for absolute monarchy.”

Last November, media professionals and academics addressed women’s rights in the media, raising points about regulation models, media freedom and media literacy. Meanwhile, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication commission (NBTC) was working on an ethical code for TV media, but the NBTC, however, has a track record of dubious judgement. It made headlines afterpulling politically-charged drama Nua Mek 2 from the air and was recently criticized for being used as a political tool to silence the junta’s opposition. Although it has implemented a rating system, shows that have been rated for adults were able to rerun during prohibited daytime periods.

The arrival of internet and digital TV, including newly announced Netflix, means Thai viewers have more choices than ever. Channel 3 and Channel 7, the two major soap opera suppliers, are being challenged; the average ratings for the three most popular soap operas dropped around two points from 2013. Online Thai series Hormones, for example, reflects teen sex life in reality and has been proved by a study to promote better perception of sex and contraception. But can open competition and new initiatives shake the tradition of romanticized rape in Thai dramas?

“It’s unrealistic to think the change will happen naturally or by competition,” Nitipat said, “when the understanding is not in place in Thai society.”

Blocking brain inflammation 'halts Alzheimer's disease'

Immune cells called microglia in the brain were targeted to reduce memory problems

8 January 2016

Blocking the production of new immune cells in the brain could reduce memory problems seen in Alzheimer's disease, a study suggests.

University of Southampton researchers said their findings added weight to evidence that inflammation in the brain is what drives the disease.

A drug used to block the production of these microglia cells in the brains of mice had a positive effect.

Experts said the results were exciting and could lead to new treatments.

Up until now, most drugs used to treat dementia have targeted amyloid plaques in the brain which are a characteristic of people with the Alzheimer's disease.

But this latest study, published in the journal Brain, suggests that in fact targeting inflammation in the brain, caused by a build-up of immune cells called microglia, could halt progression of the disease.

Researchers found increased numbers of microglia in the post-mortem brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Previous studies have also suggested that these cells could play an important role.

'Exciting discovery'

Dr Diego Gomez-Nicola, lead study author from the university, said: "These findings are as close to evidence as we can get to show that this particular pathway is active in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

"The next step is to work closely with our partners in industry to find a safe and suitable drug that can be tested to see if it works in humans."

In the study, mice which were given a drug to block a receptor - called CSF1R - responsible for the rise in microglia in their brains, had fewer memory and behavioural problems.

The drug also prevented the loss of communication points between nerve cells in the brain which usually happens in people with Alzheimer's.

Dr Mark Dallas, lecturer in cellular and molecular neuroscience at the University of Reading, said this was "an exciting discovery" which could explain "why drugs designed to treat Alzheimer's have so far been unsuccessful".

He added: "While this basic science research provides strong evidence, the challenge will now be to develop medicines for people with dementia, so we await the development of clinical treatments with interest. Too often, this has been the stumbling block in turning observations in the laboratory into a workable therapy."

Dr Doug Brown, director of research at Alzheimer's Society, said the study findings were "encouraging".

"With an ageing population and no new dementia drugs in over a decade, the need to find treatments that can slow or stop disease progression is greater than ever."

Sirisena announces process to draft Sri Lanka's new constitution

10 January 2016 Sri Lanka’s president Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday announced that the country’s constitution needed to be changed to suit the present era for the development of the country. Addressing a special session of parliament, Mr Sirisena said the draft constitution must fulfill the needs to eliminate poverty and achieve prosperity through economic development and strengthen unity among all ethnic religious groups. Sirisena called for a constitution that was flexible to evolve with society and public stressing that the constitution “must be flexible and it must evolve to reflect the timely needs and the aspirations of the people and to be compatible with the changing cultures to suit the era.” Mr Sirisena noted that the country had not made use of the opportunities created in 1970, 1977, after the Tsunami and following the post war period since 2010, to strengthen national reconciliation, reports Colombo Page. Sirisena’s call for a new constitution came as Sri Lanka’s prime minister Ranil Wickremesinge announced the official formation of a constitutional assembly to deal with consulting stakeholders and  drafting the new constitution for Sri Lanka. See also: TNA manifesto calls for constitutional change that accepts Tamil right to self-determination (25 Jul 2015) Speaking on Al Jazeera, Sutharshan Sukumaran of the Tamil Guardian said though the government’s announcement was welcome, “conducive environment had to be created to allow for meaningful discussions around the constitution.”

UN Is Now Working Closely With Sri Lanka

By Subinay Nandy –January 9, 2016

Subinay Nandy

On behalf of the United Nations system, may I start by thanking Your Excellency President Maithripala Sirisena for the kind invitation to speak today on this momentous occasion. I believe it signifies the strength of partnership that has been fostered between the United Nations and the Government over more than 60 years, and extensively re-affirmed throughout the last year.

I was extremely privileged to have been present at the Oath Taking Ceremony at the Independence Monument this time last year. It was an event I will never forget – it was history in the making, a moment that captured the attention of the world community and inspired the hearts and minds of many. Seeing such a peaceful transition speaks to the resilience of the Sri Lankan people.

Political Transition

In the one year since you took office, Sri Lanka has seen many changes, not least in terms of the political trajectory on which the country is set.

You entered office this time last year Your Excellency, with a strong commitment to eliminate poverty, fight corruption, bring forward good governance, promote religious freedom, address the rising cost of living and strengthen relations with the international community.

The UN Secretary General while congratulating Sri Lanka on the well-run elections, also noted Your Excellency, that on your shoulders rested an enormous responsibility. He spoke of the strong mandate given to you from the people, to lead Sri Lanka on a path of reform. He noted that this is a chance to advance accountability, reconciliation and to set the foundation for long-lasting peace, and build a society that is just and fair for all its citizens irrespective of ethnicity, caste religion, gender, age or sexual orientation.

Indeed, this was the intention of both yourself and the Honorable Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who have both expressed commitment to securing long term peace and reconciliation premised on principles of good governance while strengthening democratic institutions and ending impunity and inequality.

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Extremists attempt to create constitutional scaremonger

SATURDAY, 09 JANUARY 2016

Extremists in the North as well as in the South are attempting to create a constitutional scaremonger, the country would not go forward in such moves says President Maithripala Sirisena.

This was said by the President addressing the Parliament after the resolution to form the constitutional council was presented in Parliament.  Speaking further the President said certain elements in the opposition derange the country by spreading false stories that a constitution is being compiled with foreign instructions and he asked such people not to create confusion in the country.

The President said foreign assistance or instruction is not necessary to compile a constitution that suits the country.

Some say executive presidency should be maintained as the war was ended by the executive presidency. However, the hidden meaning of such statements is that they expect another war said the President. He said it is necessary to act to eliminate attitudes that promote anything that leads to another war.

The President said some people in the North are scared of the word ‘unitary’ and some others in the South are scared of the word ‘federal’ and evading such a situation is the task of the era added the President.

The President emphasized that lessons should be learnt from the uprising in 1971, black july in 1983, uprising in 88-89 and recommendations of Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and added that the country cannot go forward ignoring such events.

What’s in store for 25.1% in 2nd of “Yahapalanaya”?

Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images via Time.com

• by Kusal Perera 
• - on 01/10/2016 

President is reported to have told parliament today in his special address on the Resolution to elect a Constitutional Council, no one should be afraid of a new Constitution as it is for the benefit of the people. While saying we need a Constitution that will treat all religions and ethnicities alike, he had also said the country’s main religion (Buddhism) will not come into any harm. He also had said the security forces will not be reorganised. Yet he had warned of extremist elements that want to de-stabilise the country.

What’s in Store for 25.1% in 2nd of Yahapalanaya by Thavam Ratna

Is Islam a religion of peace?

By Izeth Hussain-January 9, 2016

It seems to me extremely important that before we address the question whether or not Islam is a religion of peace, we should first of all situate it in its proper socio-political context. This question acquired importance after 9/11, and it is quite understandable that – after the Paris bombings and other outrages – it remains the question of central importance about Islam in the West and elsewhere. We – meaning most of all the Muslims – must therefore address this question, and we must do so honestly without indulging in Islamic apologetics. We may engage in that process successfully, but we may find at the end of the day that anti-Muslim sentiment has not abated by one bit in the West and elsewhere. To abate that we must address the problem of Islamophobia, which is one of the main reasons why the question of "Islamic violence" has acquired so much exaggerated importance.

For some time something like an international campaign to spread Islamophobia has been going on. After the last general elections we thought that the BBS was finished once and for all because all its candidates lost their deposits, showing clearly enough that it had no mass appeal among the Sinhala Buddhists. But for some time the BBS has been busy at the grass roots level spreading Islamophobia, and now we have the Sinha le sticker campaign. Sinha stands for the Lion Race and le stands for blood, and the message apparently is that this is the land of the Sinhala and any nonsense from the minorities can lead to their blood being shed. It is the Muslims who are being targeted. The walls of some Muslim houses in Nugegoda were spray-painted with the slogan Sinha le and stickers carrying the slogan have reportedly appeared in some of the Gulf countries. A foreign hand is obvious behind this Islamophobic campaign. The fact that so insignificant a minority as the Sri Lankan Muslims has been targeted in this way shows the depth and range of the international Islamophobic campaign.

There are several websites that are engaged in that campaign. The silliness of their material is mind-boggling, but I suppose that silliness has a mass appeal in hate campaigns. What I find surprising is that Islamophobic silliness is shown even by some of the top intellectuals of the West. For instance the late Christopher Hitchens, who had a very high reputation as a practitioner of the higher journalism, began his dialogue with Tariq Ramadan by noting that the term Christendom fell into disuse after the First World War. Several European powers fought each other in that war, but there was also a Muslim one, namely Turkey. The Christian world became secular after that war but not the Islamic one where the idea of the Caliphate has persisted. The correct facts about the Caliphate are these. Kemal Ataturk disbanded the Caliphate in 1924, after which the idea of reviving the Caliphate hardly figured in the Islamic world except among Indian Muslims during the pre-Independence period. Recently the IS claims to have established the Caliphate but no one outside the ranks of the IS takes that seriously. I find it perplexing that Hitchens has given so much importance to nonsense about the Caliphate. He seems to exemplify an Islamophobic propensity to find fault with anything and everything that is Islamic.

A surprisingly widespread notion – surprising because it is so preposterous – is that Islam makes the exceptionally large claim that it gives the final revelation after which there can be no other. I find this notion expressed by Hitchens, I think also by the academic philosopher Roger Scruton, and others including a recent reader of mine. Surely every religion claims to be definitive and claims therefore to be final. This charge against Islam is peculiarly preposterous because the Prophet was very modest indeed about his revelation. He did not claim that his revelation was new and original but merely that he was reiterating something revealed to mankind right down the ages by a whole series of Prophets before him. But the revelation that there was only one true God was always corrupted in the course of time. He was therefore reiterating it as something that was definitive and final, from which all the rest of Islam followed. That was why there are two verses in the Koran according to which Christians, Jews, and Sabataeans who believe in the one true God and lead a good life will go to heaven.

The above will have to suffice in this brief article as examples of the silliness that goes with Islamophobia. I will now focus on the main charge made by Islamophobes, which is that Islam is a religion of violence. I will sketch out, very briefly, my own approach to this problem, an approach that is doctrinal and also commonsensical. On the doctrinal level theologians have given primary importance to the Verse of the Sword, that is verse 5 of Sura 9. I will not provide any quotations here because the interested reader can easily access the material through the internet. That verse certainly projects the image of a militant, violent, proselytizing Islam that is fiercely intolerant of everything that is unIslamic. But that verse totally contradicts the many verses in which Islam is projected as a religion of peace. Some theologians hold that all those verses were abrogated by the Verse of the Sword.

I must now briefly explain what is meant by abrogation in interpreting the Koran. There is a verse in the Koran which states that later and fuller verses can be taken as abrogating earlier ones on the same subject.. A problem arises because there has been no consensus on the correct chronological order of the Koranic texts apart from a broad division between the early Meccan Suras and the later Medina ones. The attempt to solve this problem leads to certain conclusions, one of which is that a verse has to be read in its context. In this case verse 5 of Sura 9 has to be read in the context of verses 4 to 7 of that Sura. It then becomes clear that verse 5 really applies to those who have broken treaty obligations and is not meant to be taken as embodying an immutable principle.

So the identical Koranic text can be read in two different and opposed ways: one as projecting Islam as a religion of peace and the other as projecting it as a religion of violence and jihadist war. We must bear in mind that what is known as Islam is not just what is revealed in the Koran but also the Sunna, the Way, which is inclusive of the six books of the Hadiths – the vast corpus of the Traditions of the Prophet - and the four schools of Divine Law. In all that vast corpus plenty of texts can be found to read Islam in the two different and opposed ways that I have mentioned above. What this means is that Islam, just like the other three world religions, can be interpreted in different ways. So my answer to the question whether Islam is a religion of peace is the ambivalent one that it is both a religion of peace and a religion of violence and jihadist war. I don’t believe that the dilemma facing those who want a final and definitive interpretation of Islam can be found by entering the thickets of theological controversy. My way out is a commonsensical one.

I have two commonsensical points to make. I would firstly observe that there are two different kinds of questions, namely the right questions and the wrong questions. The right questions amount to fertile hypotheses that lead to useful answers while the wrong questions lead nowhere. I base my position that asking whether Islam is a religion of peace is a wrong question on a Biblical text: The Son of Man goes forth to war. It is an indubitable fact that the adherents of all the great world religions have indulged in much violence and much war, and that is true also of Buddhists who practice the most peaceful of all the religions. The historical record shows that Muslims have been no more prone to war and violence than others. Let us remember that nations whose civilisations were shaped by Christianity were mainly responsible for the two greatest blood-lettings in all of human history, the two world wars of the last century. My second commonsensical point is that ninety nine per cent and more of the Muslim immigrants in the West and elsewhere are peaceful law-abiding citizens. It surely means that the demented violence of Wahabism and its clones is an unIslamic aberration. However my answer to the question whether or not Islam is a religion of peace is not going to convince the Islamophobe. How to deal with him is another story. (izethhussain@gmail.com)

‘Lanka News Web’ is ready for a change!

Jan 09, 2016

Today (09) marked the first anniversary of the ‘Yaha Paalanaya.’

January 09 is a special day for us at Lanka News Web too. Seven years ago, that is on 09 January 2009, a day after the murder of Lasantha Wickramatunga, our website did our brand registration and had a test run, under the theme ‘let’s get rid of fear.’

For the above-mentioned reason, January 09 is special for both the ‘Yaha Paalana’ government and we at LNW.

Self criticism about the past
For the past seven years, we acted as a guerrilla attack force in the cyberspace. During that period, we raised a voice, without fear, against corruption, repression and terror. As a result, our website remained banned in Sri Lanka for six years. Without stopping there, the Rajapaksa regime did not hesitate to issue an international red alert for our editorial chief. But, we were not shaken by any of those, withstood insults, faced everything for seven years, and did not desert our readers.

During those seven years, we wrote news targeting individuals who had aided and abetted a despotic regime. Our principle was that in order for the felling of the corrupt tree called the Rajapaksa regime, its branches should first be cut off and the truck isolated. We continued to follow that principle. We admit that some of our attacks were very crude and crossed the moral limit. On certain occasions, even our personal friends had come under criticism, and, had they suffered any pain of mind as a result in our journey towards a collective political objective, we take this opportunity to extend our apology to them and their families.

Counter revolution
The result of our task that began thus was let known to the Lankans and the entire world on 09 January 2015. We contributed our maximum for the January 08 victory of the people.

By now, one year has passed since that people’s victory.

During the year that has gone by, we continued to carry out our customary attacks targeting individuals with the hope of a counter-revolution. We believe that it is time to put a full-stop to that and go for a change.

Out of woods
Therefore, from now on, we decided that we will break away from our path of seven years and take to a new one. However, that is not at all a traditional, conventional path. It is entirely an experimentation of new dimensions of journalism. By making use of the comparatively better, but still limited freedom of speech and freedom of expression, we decided that we would remain under our names within the LNW brand to create a powerful dialogue in society.

Since most of our editorial members, who had been overseas, have now returned to Sri Lanka, our task will be made much easier. Accordingly, there will be a reorganization within the editorial too.

LNW will be registered in Sri Lanka as a limited liability company and an office opened. Also, LNW will be registered as a news website with the Information and Media Ministry.

Wrtiting better on fresh pages
Kumuduni Wijeyawardena, who has been LNW’s deputy editor for nearly five years and now in Sri Lanka, will be the chief editor. The deputy editor will be Upul Nishantha, while English editors will be Joe Silva and Ali Azghar, and Bharath Raghuvaran will serve as the Tamil editor and Fazley Mohamed as the Tamil deputy editor.

Also, Basuru Jayawardena will be the LNW’s features editor, Ajith Dharmakeerthi the ‘Nelumyaya’ editor and Ruwan Nelu the ‘Cyber Pavura’ editor and Krishan Rajapakse the ‘Sivmansala’ editor.

The editorial consultant will be Ranjith Henayakarachchi.

Chandima Withanaarachchi will continue as the chief executive of the website.

A message to resource persons

As most of the editorial members now live in Sri Lanka, any reader can reach them via telephone or email with regard to news.

Hereafter, all news will be published only after getting verification, and we would like to stress to our brothers and sisters who are our resource persons, that news that cannot be verified and that highlight privacy will be rejected.

Our gratitude
We extend our heartiest thanks to our friends in politics, media and international human rights organizations who had assisted us fully for us to tread on this difficult path during the past seven years, and expect them to continue that support. In conclusion, the editorial extends our immense gratitude to you, our readers, for remaining with us by placing your trust in us.

One Year Of Yahapaalanaya: The Highs And Low

• by Groundviews 
• - on 01/08/2016 

On January 8, 2015, thousands flocked to Independence Square to watchMaithripala Sirisena take his Presidential vows. With his promise to promoteyahapaalanaya  or ‘good governance’ the atmosphere was one of hope.

Looking back on the past year, Groundviews spoke to several people from different sectors on what they felt about Sirisena’s inaugural year of Presidency.

Jehan Perera, Executive Director, National Peace Council

There has been a vast improvement in terms of security, safety and the ability to dissent. There is a lot of space for civil society to do our work. The government supports our work and legitimises our work and events. The challenge though, would be to keep alive the ideals that they campaigned for at the election. Those good governance ideals have to be kept alive. It’s easy to adopt a live and let live attitude. There has been a lax and lenient attitude towards corruption, nepotism and abuse of power in the past. The ideas that inspired this movement have to be implemented. Overall though, I think the country is better than it was a year ago. There are still a lot of allegations against Cabinet Ministers that money is being made. That has to be dealt with. The Central Bank bond issue scam is unresolved. There are still instances of nepotism, though it has not been institutionalised in the same way the previous government is. The Government also has to show more solicitude for the plight of poor people, and the budget certainly didn’t – it put more burdens of the poor out of most of the 16 areas that were revised. There should be more projects and programmes directed towards feeding the masses.

Continue Reading →

Some “Wonders Of Asia”

By Emil van der Poorten –January 9, 2016

Emil van der Poorten

I have, from time to time, referred to the camp followers of the Rajapaksa Regime (MR1) who fattened their wallets and visited destruction and death upon those who were seen as enemies of their patrons. Those references have, generally, been “in passing.”

Also, given a grossly over-burdened judicial system in this country, it is understandable if the primary effort was to net the big sharks first and deal (or not deal) with the acolyte remoras that survived (very well!) on that body politic. However, what has clearly emerged in the past year has been that it has been an infinitesimally small number of even those sucker-fish who have been prosecuted while their host monsters continue to swim free.

One that fits into the category I describe was taken into custody for signing cheques worth hundreds of millions for the building of houses in Tsunami-ravaged parts of the country, houses that, up to now – more than ten years after that calamity – have not seen the light of day. After a period in custody- spent mostly in rather comfortable “digs,” at state expense, in one of those places referred to as a “private ward” in Sri Lanka’s premier public hospital, he was not only set free as the proverbial bird but employed, presumably at a salary “befitting his status,” by the very government that had taken him into custody in the first place! As to what happened to the very serious charges that would, in similar instances, have been laid for the alleged crime, suffice it to say that your guess is as good as mine. The indications, though, are that they have disappeared much as humans dragged into white vans did, not so long ago. The exhortation to “Put up or shut up” is surely deserving of modification to “Prosecute or exonerate,” in this context.

Incidentally, this individual’s defence at the time of his initial apprehension was something to the effect of, “I only signed the cheques. I didn’t know anything else about the whole business.” If this came from the office peon it might have been credible. However, emanating from a top-rung functionary with the kind of financial authority he obviously possessed, it seemed, at the least, a bit bizarre.

But “the powers-that-be” obviously bought his response because he has been re-employed by the very government – Maithripala-Ranil (MR2) – that took him into custody in the first place! “Only in Sri Lanka you say?” Well, we are “the wonder of Asia” after all, aren’t we? And this government might well have felt obliged to indulge in practices even more weird and wonderful than their predecessors in order to maintain that status!

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Two legged beast that should be examined by Vet. is behind ‘Sinha Le’- Rajitha exposes Ruwan and Co. -Full data and details of Gota’s espionage store house..

(Lanka-e-News -09.Jan.2016, 1.05PM) Except the  parents of his to claim as humans, and if he himself  fastens the label of beast  and if the blood coursing  through his  veins is   that of a beast , such a creature should immediately be subjected to an exmaination by a Veterinary doctor. It is such a beast that is behind the racist movement ‘Sinha Le’ which aims at resuscitating and resurrecting  the mass murderer and devil incarnate Gotabaya Rajapakse . This beast in human form is none other than the scoundrel who was a secretary to Mangala Samaraweera, and  chased away by the latter, Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne revealed yesterday when addressing  a media briefing. 

As Lanka e news exposed on 21 st December , so the minister confirmed that this villainous rascal is none other than Ruwan Ferdinands the two legged beast , while  answering a question posed by  a journalist.

Speaking further  minister Rajitha said , this movement that has evil motives of   fomenting  racial hatred and creating communal tension is aiming at de –stabilizing  the country , according to reports reaching Intelligence divisions , and the latter is keeping a strict surveillance  over the movement.

The most perplexing and rudely shocking aspect  relating to  this traitorous involvement is : it is the general  secretary of the SLFP himself who is funding the newspaper which is run by Ruwan Ferdinands who is a  long term spy of Gotabaya . By these exposures what has come to light is ,  while Ruwan Ferdinands is receiving   funds from the SLFP gen. secretary is also simultaneously collecting funds from Gotabaya to boost the latter’s image and stoke the communal campaign , Sinha Le.

It is by now common knowledge that it is a book written about the family of Rajapakses that led to the abduction and murder of journalist Ekneliyagoda , and the one who gave the handwritten  copy of that book on the sly to Gotabaya is this two legged beast Ruwan Ferdinands , based on information elicited from the  army officers involved in the Ekneliyagoda abduction and murder who are now in custody.

Hereunder is a photograph of a data storehouse of spies which was maintained under Lakshman Hulugalla by Gotabaya Rajpakse at that time , and bearing the name of Ruwan Ferdinands .The owner of the email address  ‘guruge ruwan’ in yellow color is Ruwan Ferdinands. Below that is the name of another Editor .

How to identify the  related secretive computer is shown at the end of it. The aforementioned e mail address has been  incorporated into that website , whereby espionage information can be conveyed to Gotabaya from anywhere across the Island.  This data storehouse of Gotabaya was attacked by a ‘friendly’ team of hackers  called ‘ Game over’ , as a result of which  the names of the list of spies (aforesaid) was  exposed. (Friendly hackers means a friendly group of website developers  who after the website is made give  confirmation  whether it can be hacked or not.). This full list of spies is in the possession of Lanka e news.  Among them is the masquerading media group which includes  Ruwan Ferdinands ,and a group of NGO activists .

The worst part of these treacherous and traitorous operation is:  these murderous villainous scoundrels and betrayers had been  pretending to be ‘clean’ and free from these criminal involvements and mingling among  social service activists and journalists  freely ,  even as Gotabaya was abducting media personnel and social service activists  based on the espionage information supplied to him by these very same  masqueraders.

 (Anybody who wants the list of these despicable disgraceful  spies , can obtain it by sending an e mail to Lanka e news).

Connected report – ‘
Secretary of 'Sinha le' spills the contaminated le (blood)! It is a shadow of BBS : Maithri and Duminda entrapped ?

---------------------------
by     (2016-01-09 07:42:04)

Lasantha murder investigation unsatisfactory

Jan 09, 2016

Fellow journalists and the ex-wife of the murdered journalist Lasantha Wickramathunga asserts that they are not satisfied with the ongoing investigations.

 

The ex-wife of journalist Lasantha Wicramathunga joining for a discussion with BBC following the seven year commemoration of Lasantha Wicramathunga at the Borella cemetery stated why it takes six to seven years to search for the murderers.

“It was true during the last six years the investigations were hindered but at least now we should get a good answer”

Accepting the fact journalist Mandana Ismail said it is very unfortunate that there is no breakthrough and progress of the investigations.

Further giving her opinion she said although there is a significant progress in Wasim Thajudeen and Prageeth Ekneligoda case there is no such progress in Lasantha’s murder

She said in coming January 8th she would expect all investigations about the murder of Lasantha would have been completed.

Ministers Ravi Karunanayake and Rauff Hakeem too participated in the commemoration.

Cesspools of disease

BY Lankesh Gooneratne-2016-01-10

A few of us from Ceylon Today fanned out in search of the lakes and canals trellising the city of Colombo and discovered that if several night spots in Colombo were hotbeds of corruption, the lakes and canals were a collective epitome of pollution, disease and lurking death to anyone who used their waters for drinking or cooking.

This network of canals and minor lakes are possibly fed by the Diyawanna Oya. A water chemistry and bacteriology analyses by experts will prove the criminal extent to which the authorities continue to ignore these festering health hazards which have been given a facelift to beautify the city but that does not detract from the fact that the facelift has done nothing to change the fact that they remain a blemish that threatens the lives of Colombo's residents and even the daily worker migrant hordes which are disgorged in Colombo by every bus and train that comes from sub-urban and rural areas. Of particularly disgusting appearance are the waters of the Wellawatte canal which flow into the sea carrying with them every imaginable form of filth, human and animal waste included, and depositing some of it on the beach. Its been over two decades since tourist abandoned any inclination to take a stroll down this stretch of beach. In contrast, it gives way to Mount Lavinia's "Golden Mile' that's been something of a boon in tourism. Shanty populations living along the length of this canal use it for excreting body waste which unleash bacterial life forms which are huge dangers to health. Those who beautified the city's waterways would have done well to ensure that they were also made safe for the massive human habitations surrounding them.

Maintaining the water bodies in Nawala, Kirulapone, Sebastian Mawatha and the Diyawanna comes under the purview of the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development and its Subject Minister Champika Ranawaka. The Ministry is tasked with the responsibility of maintaining, managing and cleaning up the water sources throughout the city and the Western Province. However, what we saw for ourselves was the exact opposite.
The water bodies were so polluted that they could not be used for any purpose.

Ceylon Today spoke to a few people attached to the Civil Security Department who did not want their names revealed.
The situation
What we discovered was that these water resources are not being maintained because there is no a proper communication between the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation & Development Corporation (SLLRDC), the Environment Police and the Sri Lanka Navy.
We also discovered that the Sri Lanka Navy is implementing a programme to maintain this lake and rid it of all its pollution.
There were a few naval craft flitting across the waters too..
However, a Civil Security Department source said that the Sri Lanka Navy's mission had just begun and they are trying their best to sustain the lakes but support from the SLLRDC, Urban Development Authority and the Police was inadequate for this purpose is not enough to maintain the lake.
The Sri Lanka Navy cannot do this on its own without the support of the rest but they are trying their best, the Civil Security Department source said.

The level of pollution in these lakes is such that there is not a single safe source for drinking water.
These waters are known to have caused body rashes on those who bathe in it. Those living close to these polluted waters have been warned to desist from using those waters for any purpose. Dead fish and other water creatures can be found floating across the entire length and breadth of these lakes and canals.
Dredging machines used to clean up the lake are not being used because they are old and worn out. The Navy is expecting the government to provide new machines to dredge and clean up the lakes and canals because their main objective is to rid them of all pollution.

Attention
The lakes come under the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Province Development but according to Civil Security Department officials, the Ministry is oblivious to the need to rid the waterways of all pollution and other health hazards.
They however did say that the lakes were neglected more after the new government was elected.
Abutting this lake are wide expanses of land said to be owned by the Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake. Tree trunks and plants removed from this land have been dumped into the river. The land however lies bare, cleared out and sans any polluting matter.

As officials point out this could be a major problem in the future because the polluted water enters the sea and the Diyawanna Oya. which is now being utilized for many urban projects. We were also told that the Navy and the Environment Police had informed the Environment Ministry about this state of affairs but received no response.
It was however said that the Diyawanna Oya was being maintained comparatively better than the others because it is in an upper middle class residential area. But this too was only as far as its appearance was concerned and not where purity of its water was concerned.

The reason for the pollution is that there are several factories in the area which have pipelines and drainage systems disgorging waste and chemicals into the lake.
We were also told that the SLLRDC had surveyed the lake for further development but had not yet formulated a programme to dredge the lake.

Observation
When we surveyed the area we found that the lake is connected to the canal that flows through Wellawatte into the sea. As for the Diyawanna Oya we found that the Navy has played a major role in maintaining it at least superficially but are not adequately staffed to carry out any water cleansing or management programme.

We also noticed that there were many canals connected to the lake while some areas of the lake had large chunks of garbage floating around. One official observed that it was up to the government to take timely action to carry out a major dredging of the lake to ensure that the rainy season overflow is minimized to preempt health issues and a flood threat.
While the SL Navy plays a major role in this area, it is up to the subject ministers and their deputies to ensure that something meaningful is done to put in place a permanent methodology to deal with waste dumping, dredging and overflow management, if they are serious about delivering to the thousands of families living in the lake's immediate vicinity their basic human rights to a clean, healthy and disease free ambience.
Pic by Dumindu Wanigasekar