How a Journalist Helped Al-Shabab Kill Other Reporters

BY SIOBHÁN O'GRADY-APRIL 11, 2016
Since 2007, more than 25 journalists have been killed in Somalia, arguably one of the world’s most dangerous and failed states.

At least five of those murders were allegedly plotted single-handedly by Hassan Hanafi, a former radio broadcaster turned al-Shabab sympathizer who made it his mission to decimate Somalia’s journalist population between 2007 and 2011.

He was captured in neighboring Kenya in 2014, and confessed to the murders on Somali state television this year. Hasan Ali, chairman of the Somali military court, told reporters in March that Hanafi would “be put to death as soon as possible.”

On Monday, like multiple of his victims who were shot and killed at close range, the former journalist was executed by firing squad in Mogadishu.

A native of Somalia’s south-central Hiran region, Hanafi was the perfect liaison between the al-Shabab terrorist group and Mogadishu’s journalist community because he himself was once a respected reporter.

He first reported for the capital’s Quran FM radio station in 2003 before moving to a mainstream Somali website in 2006.

His allegiance to al-Shabab went public after he continuously broke news about the group and eventually split off to join its propaganda station, Radio Andalus. There, he served as a mouthpiece for the extremist group that has spent years trying to overthrow the country’s central government and killing thousands of people along the way.

Hanafi kept track of journalists who insulted al-Shabab or published work he considered to be pro-government. He would then allegedly lure them into meetings and either execute them himself or order someone else to do it, according to Somali prosecutors. The journalists were either shot or blown up by explosives planted in their vehicle.

Somali authorities are eager to prosecute al-Shabab sympathizers, and Hanafi has admitted to killing only one journalist, although it is widely understood he helped fellow militants carry out other murders. After his sentence, Hanafi said the truth behind his sentence didn’t matter, as the terrorist network would find a way to continue their attacks with or without him.

“Al Shabab killed many journalists but personally I killed only one,” he said. “But I am indifferent if you kill me. You will see if killings will stop even after my death.”

Hanafi, who was shot Monday morning, was right.  At noontime, al-Shabab militants detonated a vehicle outside of a busy restaurant near the Mogadishu mayor’s office, killing five civilians in what is now a common occurrence in the unstable capital.

Photo credit: MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB/AFP/Getty Images

Canada First Nation community in crisis amid 'almost nightly' suicide attempts

Community of 2,000 has seen more than 100 attempts in seven months, says chief, as country’s indigenous people continue to face higher levels of poverty

 

Protesters march to call for attention to First Nations concerns ahead of Canada’s election last year. Photograph: Cristian Mijea/Demotix/Corbis

Ashifa Kassam in Toronto-Monday 11 April 2016

After suicide attempts began to be a daily reality in the small Canadian community of Attawapiskat First Nation, leaders said they had little choice but todeclare a state of emergency.

“We’re in crisis mode,” said Chief Bruce Shisheesh. “Just about every night there is a suicide attempt.”

The remote northern Ontario community of some 2,000 people has seen more than 100 suicide attempts in the past seven months; one person has died. The youngest person to attempt suicide was 11 years old, while the oldest was 71.

After 11 people tried to take their own lives on Saturday alone, community leaders unanimously decided to declare a state of emergency.

The number of attempts began to climb in September, after five teenage girls tried to overdose, Shisheesh said. On Monday, as the Canadian and Ontario governments scrambled to respond to the emergency, Shisheesh was woken at 4am with a request to assist with another suicide attempt.

The community’s four healthcare workers have been left to deal with the crisis, despite having no specialised training. “We don’t even have a mental health worker,” Shisheesh said. “Our workers are breaking down, they can’t think straight, they’re lacking sleep.”

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents First Nations in northern Ontario, has sent two mental health counsellors to Attawapiskat as part of their crisis response unit. “It’s shocking that conditions like this continue to exist in this day and age in Canada,” said Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler.

Canada’s 1.4 million indigenous people, who make up about 4% of the country’s population, continue to struggle with higher levels of poverty and a lower life expectancy as compared with other Canadians.

A 2010 report suggested the suicide rate for children under the age of 15 in some First Nations in northern Ontario is 50 times the Canadian average for children of that age.

In March, officials from the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba also declared a state of emergency after six suicides in a span of two months and 140 attempts in two weeks.

Fiddler pointed to the living conditions in Attawapiskat to explain the underlying issue. “They still live in third world conditions, with dilapidated housing, and lack access to quality healthcare and education.” Two- and three-bedroom homes are often shared by 15 people and riddled with black mould.

Attawapiskat land is home to a diamond mine, but the community has seen little benefit, said Fiddler. “Millions and millions of dollars are being generated from their land and their resources and very little is going back to the community.”

In the wake of Attawapiskat’s state of emergency, Canada’s federal and provincial governments pledged support for the community. “Hearing about the loss of life to suicide and the feelings of despair felt by the community of Attawapiskat reminds us of how important it is to work with First Nations and indigenous peoples across the country to address the very real challenges facing their communities,” Jane Philpott, Canada’s health minister, said in a statement.

Health Canada said on Monday that it expected five mental health workers to be on the ground by the end of the day.

Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, weighed in on the situation on Sunday,saying on Twitter: “The news from Attawapiskat is heartbreaking. We’ll continue to work to improve living conditions for all Indigenous peoples.”

On Monday, National Chief Perry Bellegarde, of the Assembly of First Nations, called on the Canadian and Ontario government to develop a national strategy to address First Nations’ suicide rates. “The situation in Attawapiskat is sadly felt by far too many First Nations across the country,” said Bellegarde in a statement. “We need a sustained commitment to address longstanding issues that lead to hopelessness among our peoples, particularly the youth.”

In urban Canada, an issue involving suicide would trigger a wide-ranging response involving counsellors and emergency teams, said Charlie Angus, the member of parliament for Attawapiskat.

But for First Nations, the response is too often marked by indifference or muddled with bureaucracy. “That’s what we’re living in northern Canada right now … where the adults of this nation don’t really see it as their responsibility to help the children because [they think] ‘hey, they are brown children living on a reserve up north.’ There’s a disconnect.”

Attawapiskat has seen some 600 suicide attempts since 2009. “There’s nothing new here. This crisis has been going on year after year,” he said, describing the community as a “war zone of despair”.

“It’s Haiti at -40C,” he said, pointing to the 14-year wait and national campaign it took to get an elementary school built in Attawapiskat two years ago. “What these children are up against is so overwhelmingly bleak and it doesn’t need to be that way.”

In Canada, 24-hour suicide prevention centres can be found across the country through the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.

Denmark, a social welfare utopia, takes a nasty turn on refugees

Hundreds of refugees walk in Southern Jutland motorway near Padborg in Denmark on Sept. 9, 2015. Danish police said that they have not seized any money or valuables from asylum-seekers since a new law allowing such seizures took effect last month. (Martin Lehmann/AP)

By Griff Witte-April 11 

COPENHAGEN — Lise Ramslog was out for a barefoot amble on the warm day last September that Europe’s refugee crisis came to her remote village in southern Denmark.

The 70-year-old grandmother had planned a simple stroll to the bank. What she found in her quiet, coastal community were hundreds of exhausted asylum seekers who had arrived on the ferry from Germany only to be stranded without access to public transportation. Some had
begun to walk along the highway in desperation.

Ramslog decided on the spot that she would help: She ended up giving two young couples, a small child and a newborn baby a 120-mile ride in her cramped sedan to their destination in Sweden. “When we crossed the border, they rejoiced and cried,” she recalled.

In another context, Ramslog might be known as a good Samaritan.

But the Danish government has a different term for her: convicted human smuggler.

How Europe is punishing migrants

When an influx of refugees arrived in Denmark from Germany in September, Danish authorities prohibited them from taking public transit. Danish citizens who drove refugees to the Swedish border are now being convicted of human smuggling. (Griff Witte,Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

Read More

India's 2016 monsoon rains seen above average: Skymet

Labourers walk through a parched land of a dried lake on the outskirts of Agartala, capital of Tripura April 23, 2013.

Village women walk carrying metal pitchers filled with drinking water in Gibpura village in Gujarat July 2, 2014.

A couple rests on a seaside promenade during a rain shower in the southern Indian city of Kochi May 29, 2011.

 Mon Apr 11, 2016

India's annual monsoon rains are likely to be above average, the country's only private weather forecaster said on Monday, snapping two straight years of drought that cut farm output and farmers' income.

The July to September monsoon delivers nearly 70 percent of annual rains and waters half of India's farmlands that lack irrigation facilities.

Monsoon rains are expected to be 105 percent above a long-term average, with a 35 percent probability of above average rainfall, Skymet said in a statement.

The El Nino effect is likely to wane after monsoon hits the southern Kerala coast by the end of May, the statement said.

El Nino, or warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific, can lead to scorching weather conditions across Asia and east Africa, but heavy rains and floods in South America.

India's west coast and central parts will get good rains, Skymet said, bringing in relief for farmers and policy makers, who are struggling with droughts and severe water scarcity in some regions.

Above average monsoon rains play a key role in boosting demand for an array of consumer goods, as 70 percent of India's 1.3 billion people live in villages.

Agriculture accounts for about 14 percent of India's $2 trillion economy, Asia's third-biggest, but it supports two-thirds of Indian's population.

State-run India Meteorological Department is expected to issue its forecast for this year's monsoon rains soon.

Separately, Farm Secretary Shobhana K. Pattanayak said current climatic conditions indicate that El Nino is gradually fading and giving way to La Nina, indicating bountiful rains this year.

(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal and Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath and Susan Thomas)

White Doctors In Training Believe Some Disturbing Stuff About Black Patients

White medical students and residents who endorsed false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites were more likely to rate the pain of a black person as less than a white person.

Erin Schumaker-04/08/2016

When it comes to emergency care, you may have a tough time if you’re in pain and not a white man. 

Previous research has shown that black and Hispanic patients who reported severe pain in the the ER were 22 percent less likely to receive pain medication than white patients who presented with the same complaints. And women suffer similar disparities: A 2008 study found that women wait an average of 16 minutes longer to receive pain relief for acute abdominal pain in the ER than men do.

Now a new study is shedding some light on this phenomenon. “We’ve been looking at racial bias and pain perception to try to understand why there are these large racial disparities in pain management,” study author Kelly Hoffman, a psychology PhD candidate at the University of Virginia, told The Huffington Post.

The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in March, surveyed 222 white medical students and residents about biological differences between blacks and whites. A few of the survey items were true (“Whites are less likely to have a stroke than blacks,” for example), but the majority of the items were false (“Whites have larger brains than blacks”).

The results of the survey were distressing. Forty percent of first-year medical students and one in four residents answered that they thought black patients had thicker skin than white patients, and a full 50 percent of the respondents thought that at least one of the false facts was possibly, probably or definitely true. 

Why are doctors-in-training so misinformed about basic biological concepts when it comes to race? While we can’t know for sure Hoffman suggests that these entrenched misconceptions are simply a stronger force than medical education.

“Previous data would suggest that these are notions that are just so pervasive throughout our society and are so entrenched in our history that they are [beliefs] that people hold,” she said.

In other words, it’s not a few “bad apple” doctors and residents with racist tendencies — it’s sadly a more pervasive problem than that.

Racial disparities plague the health care system

This finding is particularly disheartening in light of rampant racial disparities that continue to plague the U.S. health care system. Blacks have worse health outcomes than whites for nearly every conceivable metric of health, includingbreast cancer mortality rates, HIV infection rates, and heart disease and stroke risk. Black Americans even get less sleep than white Americans. Black children are more likely to die in infancy, more likely to suffer from childhood obesity and more likely to have childhood asthma than their white counterparts. And, like their parents, if black children show up at the ER with appendicitis, which requires surgery, they’re 80 percent less likely to receive opioids — the most powerful pain medication —  during their treatment and recovery.

So what’s a black patient to do? A study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology in March found that black patients were 20 percent less likely to die or have major complications if they received treatment at a racially diverse hospital, as opposed to a hospital with less racial diversity. 

“Our underlying hypothesis is that hospitals and providers that treat more minoritypatients have higher levels of cultural competency,” study author Dr. Philip Okafor, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic, told Reuters.

Being understood by your doctor is a key component of receiving good medical care. In addition to increasing the cultural competency of doctors, as Okafor mentions, increased diversity among doctors would help, too. 

“In an ideal world, the race of the patient or physician wouldn’t matter; we would all treat each other strictly as individuals,” Dr. Damon Tweedy, a psychiatrist at Duke University Medical, wrote in the New York Times last year. “But we’re quite a ways from reaching that exalted goal. For now, we have to attack the problem of racial health disparities from as many angles as possible. Black doctors are an important part of this mission.”

Cautiously optimistic about solution for Tamil issue



April 10, 2016 

As the Sri Lankan Parliament prepares to meet as Constitutional Assembly to draft a new Constitution, Member of Parliament from Vanni district S. Sivamohan of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said that he was cautiously optimistic that the Tamil question would be resolved through the new Constitution. 

“We are apprehensive that certain Sinhalese majoritarian groups are planning to flare up anti-Tamil sentiments to stop devolution of powers to Tamils in the new Constitution,” he said. 

Speaking to the media after delivering a talk at Madurai Media and Film Studies Academy (MMFSA) in India on Saturday, Mr. Sivamohan said that the constitutional changes should be ratified by the public as well with a two-third majority after it was accepted by Parliament.

 “When it goes to the public for vote, the anti-Tamil sentiments being flared up may defeat the constitutional amendments,” he said. 

Fishermen issue 

On the problems faced by Tamil Nadu fishermen, Mr. Sivamohan said that the Northern Provincial government headed by the TNA had limited powers. 

 “It is an issue to be sorted out by Central governments of both the countries. State governments on both sides have limited powers,”

 he said. Mr. Sivamohan, however, added that fishermen from both sides were using prohibited fishing methods which had to be avoided.

  On rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils in northern and eastern provinces, Mr. Sivamohan said that a lot needed to be done. “Military presence and occupation of vast tracts of land are still a major issue,” he said. He acknowledged the Indian government’s contribution in building houses for displaced Tamils.

 He said that Sri Lankan Tamils wanted to improve cultural exchanges with Tamil Nadu. “Our art forms have been destroyed. We are trying to rebuild folk art forms to preserve Tamil culture and identity for which we need the support of people in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

 T. Chinnaraj Joseph, Founder and Managing Trustee of MMFSA, K. Anbunathan, co-founder and trustee, and M. Shanmugaraja of Nigazh Theatre Centre also spoke at the function. 

Source: The Hindu -Agencies

LG Minister’s Explanation/s Questionable?

What the section 3D prescribes is the possibility of the Minister making ‘subsequent alterations’ to the boundaries of some wards yet again without explaining ‘on what grounds.’ This is again a weak part of the amended Act. However, this weakness should not be utilized to abuse power or to stall the holding of any election, even if we agree that the revisions that the Minister intends to do to some council wards are unbiased, objective and correct.

by Laksiri Fernando

( April 10, 2016, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) The holding of much delayed local government elections is apparently caught up in a political, or rather a personal quagmire, more than a legal one. The Minister of Local Government, Faiszer Musthapha, at a press briefing on the 8th April (See video, Daily Mirror, 8 April 2016) declared in essence that ‘political party secretaries are responsible only for the party members, but I am responsible for the whole country!’  

He was directly referring to the General Secretary of the UPFA, and also a Cabinet Minister of the present Government, Mahinda Amaraweera saying: “Mata vagakeema thiyenne ratata. Ae nisa, sandanaye lekam kiyana vidiyate mata ikman karanna baha” (My responsibility is to the country. Therefore, I cannot expedite the elections as the Secretary of UPFA says).   

This is extremely an arrogant statement. The Minister is responsible to the Cabinet (headed by the President and the Prime Minister) and through it collectively to Parliament and the country. Of course he is personally responsible, if something goes wrong in the LG elections or any other matter under his purview. This is accountability.  

If he is so concerned about the ‘opinion of the people’ or the ‘country,’ then he should allow to hold the elections at least for the councils for which there are no controversies about delimitation. This is requested by the PAFFREL (People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections) and some other parties as he admitted at the press briefing. This was the same opinion expressed by many editorials of independent newspapers, particularly ‘The Island.’

The Minister also admitted that even the Chairman of the Elections Commission has asked him to allow the elections to be held as soon as possible. If there is any opinion poll on the subject in the country, what would be the result? It could reasonably be assumed that the overwhelmingly majority will ask for the elections to be held without delay.   

Who is Responsible?

Under the 19th Amendment, the holding of the elections is the responsibility of the Elections Commission, not the Minister. However, to hold the elections under the new electoral system, the delimitation of wards should not be held up. There are few other requirements that the Minister should fulfill. That is the responsibility of the Minister. In my view, the Minister is clearly stalling it on the pretext that the delimitation process is not complete, for some reason – political or personal.  

In fact the delimitation of wards was gazetted under the hand of the President on the 21stAugust 2015. In that gazette, there was no call for ‘Appeals.’ It appeared final whatever the defects or weaknesses. It could be assumed that the President ordered the gazette under the instructions of the then Minister, Karu Jayasuriya. The Order reads as follows.

“By virtue of powers vested in me under Section 3C of the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance (Chapter 262), I, Maithripala Sirisena, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, do hereby order  that the areas referred to  in the schedule hereto, shall be Wards of Local Authority Area specified  in that schedule  for the purpose of  Ordinance.”

It is true that according to the Ordinance, under Section 3D, there are some discretionary powers given to the Minister ‘to cause an alteration to be made to the boundaries.’ The full section is as follows.

“3D. (1) The Minister may  cause an alteration to be made to the boundaries of the wards as published in the Order made under section 3C. Further the alterations shall be made on the recommendations of a Committee consisting of five persons appointed by the Minister and the requirements specified in section 3B shall apply to and in respect of any such alterations being made.

(2) The new boundaries, names, numbers or letters of each ward boundaries of which are altered under subsection (1), shall be published in the Gazette by the Minister and take effect in respect of an election held under this Ordinance immediately after such alterations are effected.”

It is obvious that these powers are meant to be for ‘subsequent alterations’ and not for a ‘review process’ through ‘appeals’ after the President gazette the delimitation of wards. What it says is “The Minister may cause an alteration to be made to the boundaries of the wards.” There is no mentioning of ‘appeals’ or ‘review’ in Section 3D. ‘Appeals’ and ‘review of the delimitation report’ are Minister’s own inventions.    

There is no question that the procedure prescribed in the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act of 2012 has some serious weaknesses. One of which is the lack of a procedure for the National Delimitation Committee itself to take into account any appeals ‘after a preliminary report’ is published. However, what was published by the President is not a preliminary report but the Final. There is no much point in asking the President to gazette the report if it was fundamentally flawed or going to be fundamentally revised. That is what is happening now diminishing even the credibility of the President.

Minister’s Claims

At the press briefing, the Minister has rejected the view that ‘elections could be and should be held for the councils for which there are no controversies.’ He has said “Eke Naithika prasnayak thiyenewa” to mean “it has a legal problem.”

After that press briefing, he has now published an article trying to justifying his position titled “The Local Government Elections Must Restore Faith” (Colombo Telegraph, 10 April 2016) which says the following.

“The National Committee shall also have the power to recommend the formation of multi member wards. These wards are then gazette by the President. The Gazette does not in any way indicate finality. It only means that the new ward based system is published for any person to observe and make recommendations. Thereafter, the Act specifies an appeal process where the Minister will appoint a Delimitation Appeals committee. It is upon completion of the appeal process that an Election can be held as according to the Act.”   

When he says “The Gazette does not in any way indicate finality” he refers to the Gazette notification by the President on 21 August 2015. When he says, “It only means that the new ward based system is published for any person to observe and make recommendations,” that his interpretation and not what is in the Gazette or the Elections Act. That is why he says “it only means.”

What he says immediately after is completely wrong in my view. He says “Thereafter, the Act specifies an appeal process where the Minister will appoint a Delimitation Appeals Committee.” To me, this is a complete fabrication. There is no such a thing as a ‘Delimitations Appeals Committee’ in the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act 2012. I am referring to Section 3D of that Act which I have quoted before in full.

I kindly request the Minister to quote and show such a process prescribed in the Act.  

Conclusion

What the section 3D prescribes is the possibility of the Minister making ‘subsequent alterations’ to the boundaries of some wards yet again without explaining ‘on what grounds.’ This is again a weak part of the amended Act. However, this weakness should not be utilized to abuse power or to stall the holding of any election, even if we agree that the revisions that the Minister intends to do to some council wards are unbiased, objective and correct.

What a mess! 

Tamil disappearances rights group in Vavuniya appoints new committee
10 April 2016

A new committee has been appointed for the Forum for Searching, Handed, Kidnapped and Forcibly Disappeared Relatives in the Vavuniya District this week.

The organisation, which has branches in all the districts across the North-East, has been active in staging demonstrations and writing petitions to help locate the tens of thousands of disappeared.
TNA MP Sivasakthy Ananthan was also present at the event, which took place on April 6.

North calls for autonomous units in merged North East for Sri Lanka Muslims

( April 10, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lanka’s eagerly awaited new constitution should ensure that Muslims are given autonomous units in their lands within a merged NorthEast province, the Tamil National Alliance led Northern Provincial Council (NPC) has proposed to the Public Representations Committee (PRC) on Constitutional Reforms.

The PRC appointed last December by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with the approval of the cabinet was mandated to obtain proposals from the public in order to reform the country’s constitution.

Up Country Tamils

Chief Minister CV Vigneswaran told the assembly convening in Jaffna on Thursday that NPC proposals also called to establish a separate autonomous unit for Up Country Tamils.

The proposals drawn up by a nineteen-member team comprising provincial councillors, civil society leaders and legal experts had been handed over to the PRC led by Constitutional Expert Lal Wijenayake.

It principally emphasised the need to establish a separate parliament in a united North and East within a Federal framework.

While full authority over police and land powers should be vested in the hands of provincial councils, the central government should not have the right to recall any devolved power.

Equality for Sinhala and Tamil

The proposals call for establishing state of parity between Sinhala and Tamil as state languages.

They emphasise that the the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) should be abolished and civil law should be established in all parts of the country.

The number of troops in the north should be reduced with the aim of fully demilitarising the north while the former LTTE suspects should be allowed to lead a normal life, the proposals further said.

New constitution ‘by 2017’

An all-party constitutional assembly led by speaker Karu Jayasuriya is expected to deliberate on proposals by the general public brought together by the PRC.

“We are trying to have the new constitution ready by 2017,” Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who heads the constitutional steering committee told journalists in Colombo.

In 2003 tens of thousands of Sri Lanka’s Muslims convened in the South Eastern University and endorsed the ‘Oluvil Declaration’ that called to establish a non-contiguous and autonomous devolution unit in their traditional lands within a merged north and east.

The North and East merged since the establishment of provincial councils in 1988, was de merged by a supreme court ruling after being petitioned by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) during the Mahinda Rajapaksa rule.

Lead photo: NPC Chief Minister CV Vigneswaran with Justice Zak Yacoob, former Judge,Consititutional Court of South Africa.

© Journalists For Democracy in Sri Lanka ( JDS )

No action, talk only: Swaminathan on NPC

2016-04-10
Northern Provincial Council has become a “no action - talk only” scenario depriving the legitimate basic needs of the Tamil Community which elected the provincial political authoritiesto address the pressing requirement, Minister of of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs D. M Swaminathan said in a statement. 

  Responding to Northern Province Chief Minister C. V Vigneswaran’s letter informing him of the Provincial Councils decision to reject a project to construct 65,000 houses, the Minister wrote that funds provided by the Central Government for the development of the Northern Province was not being spent despite the fact that there was a serious need for development in the Province for housing, livelihood, infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries and industrial economic activities.  

  Full Statement

 Hon.C.V. Vigneswaran , Chief Minister of Northern Provincial Council has sent a letter to Hon. D.M. Swaminathan, Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs informing  that the Northern Provincial Council unanimously decided to totally reject  the 65,000 housing programe. In his letter he further emphasized that the Government’s agenda for moving this project is to show Geneva and not for the Tamil community.Hon.C.V.Vigneswaran, Chief Minister presenting the a resolution to the constitutional reforms to the Northern Provincial Council has proposed to set up two states in the country, one by merging the Northern and Eastern provincial councils and other by merging the seven provinces. 

With regard to the 65,000 housing programme,  the Leader of the opposition of the Northern Provincial Council said that it is not a unanimous decision to stop the project but to include modifications wherever necessary. This is being done at present through model houses and the modifications are already been incorporated. 

Hon. D.M. Swaminathan , Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs responding to the allegation said that the northern Provincial has not done anything substantially since the end of conflict in 2009. It is reported the money provided by the Central Government for the development of the Northern Province is not being spent despite the fact that there is a serious need for development in the Northern Province for housing, livelihood, infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries and industrial economic activities. 

It has become a “no action - talk only” scenario depriving the legitimate basic needs of the Tamil Community which elected the provincial political authoritiesto address the pressing requirement. Further, whatever Government does, the Northern Provincial Council opposing and bringing an end for all resettlement and development activities. It looks to me that this approach is purely to keep them in their positions without an interest to “heal the wound”.  It is time for the people to recognize the political ends and personal interest of these politicians. If people fail to express their strong views on this type of personalized agenda, in the long term it can have disastrous consequences. 

When the Government has decided to give a fully furnished house with water supply, tube well, electricity, furniture with beds, fans, television, wi-fi facilities, gas cooker with cylinder at a substantial value, the Chief Minister opposes this project and wants to build partially completed house without any facilities to the people who underwent sufferings for over 30 years. 

I would request the people who are opposing this housing development programmeto go and see the plight of the people who are in the welfare camps, temporary huts and living with the mercy of friends and relatives. Those who are in the air conditioned houses wants only good houses with all facilities for their family members and children but when it’s come to those who elected them – their constituencies – they want to bulldoze them to be in a partially completed house without any basic facilities so that the importance of politicians will be felt indefinitely. The Member of Parliament Mr. Sumanthiran has been criticizing this project one month ago without knowing the basic facts. By his letter he has now only asked the very basis questions for which information will be given.

 Every development brought by successive Governments to uplift the economic and social conditions of the Tamil community have been opposed, causing serious damage to the community. These politicians will also not do anything to their own constituencies but will also oppose others who do some good development work. Earlier, the Chief Minister put up his arguments on the cost, acceptability, durability, post construction maintenance and under groundwater. These weak arguments were technically explained and now he is coming with a new agenda that this initiative is Geneva based. 

When His Excellency the President and the Prime Minister are keen and taken a lot of interest to resolve these problems and uplift the social conditions of the conflict affected families, the relevant political authorities should make best use of this opportunities. One cannot fool every one every day.

 Hon.D.M.Swaminathan 
Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement 
and Hindu Religious Affairs

Hilmy Cader’s Fine Advice to Exporters: If the objective is to prosper, confront reality and think strategic!

MTI Consulting CEO Hilmy Cader - Pic by Daminda Harsha Perera

A powerful shake up of exporters

 In a recent forum and discussion on the country’s exports organised by MTI Consulting and Daily FT in Colombo, MTI Head Hilmy Cader threw a formidable challenge at exporters. He said that the country is doomed if exports do not grow in line with the growth in global trade and the exporters should wake from the deep slumber in which they have been savouring complacently. That was not a traditional ‘wake-up call’. Instead, it was a powerful ‘shake-up’ that leaves them with no alternative. They have to lift themselves and thrust forward if they are to fly high in the world of exports. Cader’s synthesis of the issue is as follows:

Sri Lanka’s dismal record of exports

During the 15 year period from 2000 to 2014, Sri Lanka’s exports have grown only by 2.1 times from $ 5.5 billion in 2000 to $ 11.5 billion in 2014. In fact, if one takes into account the country’s dismal export performance in 2015 at $ 10.5 billion which data were not available to Cader at that time, the growth is pretty dismal with an increase of a little less than even 2 times. In contrast, during 2000-14, Bangladesh had recorded an export growth of 4.7 times and Vietnam, 9.4 times. Because of the slow growth in exports, Sri Lanka’s exports as a share of its GDP had been continuously falling. He said that this was not an achievement about which the country could be happy. That was because imports are growing faster than exports leading to a widened trade gap requiring the country to depend principally on remittances to part-finance the deficit.

Concentration on a few product lines

 Cader supported his claim by examining the constituent products in Sri Lanka’s export sector. In the export structure, apparel has been the largest segment accounting for 44% of the country’s exports. When the traditional three-tree products, namely, tea, rubber and coconuts, are added, all four sectors account for 73% of the total exports of the country. The balance 27% representing 24 sectors, according to Cader, had been dispersed among 3100 odd exporters. That composition has not changed much in the 10 year period from 2005 to 2014. The most disturbing observation, according to Cader, has been the zero level contribution by the entrepot trading activities to Sri Lanka’s wealth creation during this period.

Read More

Restructuring electricity supply systems

Public goods, natural monopoly and competition

April 9, 2016, 8:53 pm 

Power-Exchange: One time-step shown.
Generator’s offers are stacked from cheapest to dearest,and customer’s bids from most generous to most frugal.
(Self-schedules lie outside the market and resolve technical and business concerns).

by Kumar David

In most countries, except the biggest, the electricity supply system was, in the past, a single publicly owned monopoly. The best known and most esteemed was the Central Electricity Generating Board of England and Wales (CEGB). In the United States, because of its great size, each state or part thereof was served by a "utility" – a private monopoly that generated, transmitted and distributed power within its franchise area. In France, EdeF was and still remains a state owned monopoly as does France’s famous railway network, SNCF of TGV fame. Japan, Canada, much of Europe, India and China include several monopoly utilities that are public or privately owned. The CEGB was the benchmark for many private and public (provincial or central) utilities.

Then came that Thatcher woman! Together with Ronald Regan she embodied the nadir of neoliberalism; her philosophy: "If it moved, breathed or waddled, privatise it!" Denationalisation of British Rail is legendary – there are several books detailing this ignominious fiasco. (Corbyn has pledged to take back the railways). The counter-lesson that we need to learn from this ruinous neoliberal agenda known as the Washington Accord is that public goods and natural monopolies (defence, justice, electricity grid, spectrum and telecoms-backbone, roads, and water – domestic and schemes like Mahaweli irrigation – must remain under public control. Yes, competition indeed trims prices and improves sector efficiency, but the industry and technology must be well understood by reformers so that they can make socially responsible decisions about competition. This is no game to be entrusted to locals or foreigners with loaded ideological agendas.

The Thatcher drive to break up and privatise the CEGB derived from the "dash for gas". Huge quantities of cheap gas were discovered in the North Sea. Instead of letting the nationalised utility benefit from it, the Thatcher government privatised the power stations, encouraged private capital to build gas-fired plant, drove coal back underground (recall the miners’ strike) and forced distribution utilities to buy from private generators. The transmission system was retained as a monopoly National Grid Company (NGC). Regional distribution systems were hived off as twelve private distribution companies (Discos) who bought from private generation companies in a power-market and sold to domestic and small industrial customers. Industries were encouraged to buy directly from generators bypassing their local Disco commercially. Of course power still had to pass through the transmission and distribution networks and use-of-system charges were levied.

Read More

SriLankan Airlines: A Tale Of State Abuse & Mismanagement

By Rajeewa Jayaweera –April 10, 2016

Rajeewa Jayaweera

It is now convenient to blame the Rajapaksa administration for all the ills and losses of SriLankan Airlines. There is no doubt, the former administration plundered the airline for 10 years and did immeasurable damage through their “unqualified political lackeys”, as described by Minister Kabir Hashim. However, that is not the sum total of it. Every administration, commencing 1989 must take its fair share of responsibility for the present situation of the national carrier.

Key to this tragedy is the active participation of the state in managing the affairs of the airline through successive Boards of Directors, appointed not based on relevant professional capabilities and experience in corporate governance but on loyalty to political parties and personal friendships with party leaders.

In fairness, President JRJ having entrusted the airline to Capt. Rakitha Wickramnayake and a Board comprising of several Public Servants and two Industry Captains, never interfered during first six years of the airline’s operations. A Presidential Commission appointed in 1986 to inquire into affairs of Air Lanka found many irregularities and financial mismanagement. It faulted the board members of servitude to the first Chairman/MD, instances of conflict of interest and negligence. It was a case of breach of trust placed on them by the Head of State.

The second Board headed by a Civil Servant with industry captains of the likes of DS Jayasundera (Hayleys) and MTL Fernando (Ernst & Young) made a sterling contribution and were responsible for developing and implementing strategies which resulted in the airline discontinuing Treasury handouts. Sadly, by then, the Board had been dissolved due to a change of Head of State.

The third Board was appointed by President Premadasa. The Chairman/MD of this Board lasted less than three months and was succeeded by a senior SLAS member with Secretary to Treasury, a lawyer, a Businessman friend of the President and another young Businessman (who later became the President’s son-in-law) as board members. President Premadasa and the all-powerful Secretary to Treasury were the only persons issuing instructions to Chairman/MD. Two directors from state banks were appointed much later. During the tenure of this Board which ended abruptly with the assassination of President Premadasa, the airline financed their own operations without Treasury handouts except in the case when an order was placed for 2 new Airbus A320 and 5 new Airbus 340 aircraft (subsequently reduced to 3). During the tenure of this board, they voted to grant two sets of free tickets annually for life, to retiring Board members. President Premadasa upon hearing it ordered the Board to rescind the board decision. Interference in recruitment and appointments, especially of Pilots, Cabin Crew and Overseas Managers commenced during this period.

Read More