We shall also be compelled to join with the opposition and slate Govt. at this rate -at turbulent Govt. parliamentarian group meeting

(Lanka-e-News-08.March.2012, 7.30PM) A majority of the parliamentarians of the ruling party stated that they will also be compelled to join with the opposition and take the Govt. to task. They told this in relation to the postponement until 8th of the request for a debate by the UNP in Parliament in connection with paddy purchases.

The Govt. Parliamentarians had said this at their group meeting held on 5th.

When the Govt. group meeting led by the Prime Minister was held in the Parliament , and at the time speakers were being selected in relation to the debate proposed by the opposition in Parliament , Vasudeva Nanayakkara, S M Chandrasena and Vijith Vijayamuni Soysa, castigated the Govt. and said , because of the policies of the Govt. pertaining to the pricing on paddy purchases , the farmers have been driven to the point of drinking poison.

The media had reported of Farmers admitted to Madakapuwa Hospital after drinking poison because they had to sell their harvested paddy for a tuppence. The former M P S K Subasinghe expounded the shocking problems faced by the farmers ….

“A kilo of paddy was Rs.9.00 in 1990. A kilo of salt was Rs. 2.60. A chewing betel pack was Rs. 1.20. During that period , after selling a kilo of paddy , it was possible to buy a kilo of salt , a betel pack and even have some money as balance. Today , a Kilo of paddy is Rs. 15/- ; a kilo of salt is Rs.32.00 ; a betel pack is Rs. 20/-. Hence, today it is not possible to buy even a pack of betel , let alone salt after selling a kilo of paddy. The farmer has to sell one and half kilos paddy even to chew just a small pack of betel”, he lamented.

Needed -- A Ministry of Truth

by Nilantha Ilangamuwa

".....you dislike doctrines, you have a horror of systems, as for principles, you deny that there are any in political economy; therefore we shall call it your practice -- your practice without theory and without principle."

Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850)

[Open letter to the French Parliament, originally published in 1845]

( March 08, 2012, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) The operation in Geneva has been accomplished, the hyperbole declared by the government during the weekend, after the inelegant drama on the streets of Colombo and in the suburbs where President Rajapaksa's critical political situation has been changed. Now who will talk for Antony Fernando who was a father of two; an innocent fisherman killed by a man attached to the Special Task Force after he received an order from Ravi Wijegunawardhana, Deputy Inspector General of Police, -- a senior official within one of worst State institutions which is almost dependent on unlawful tactics to kill innocent civilians. Hence, we ask the question: What was the harvest shared with the country, by the more than 52 delegates, all from the ruling party, who participated in the Geneva operation last week; Geneva being one of most expensive cities in the World? The truth is far beyond our sight, though the so called "our patriots" have their own way of dealing with people in the Country. This is simply identified as them not being serious about people at all. They are presenting us with a system of horror which is murdering the freedom of mankind in every aspect of society.

The entire system is under cynical manipulation

of power which is constitutionally above the law.

The enemy is not on the outside, but within our

system and our rejection to accept rule of law

system. Our culture and the Rule of law have

never gone together. In other words, our culture

and rule of law did not overlap each other but

always tried to apagoge one another.  This is a

strategy that was used by regimes to undermine

people, for a long time.

The situation in Sri Lanka is ranked third in-terms of concern by the international community after Syria and Egypt. Some quarters claim that Sri Lanka is the country where wide a range of massacres have occurred in recent times. In this situation, what answer does the ruling party have? The former attorney General Mohan Peiris, who is a legal adviser to the President, says that the government is moving forward towards fresh investigations into two massacres that happened in 2006. One relates to three unarmed students who were gunned down by an armed gang when they were chatting at the Gandhi statue in Trincomalee. What is of very real interest is that it was reported in the media that the Minister of Economic Development, who is a brother of the President, disclosed to the US envoy in Colombo that it was done by the security forces with special weapons that they use to conduct this kind of killings. The second case was killing of the 17 aid workers at Muttur, Trincomalee.

Read More »

Sri Lankan rights issue: India not to act hastily

External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna 

India’s stand at the ongoing U.N. Human Rights Council meet in Geneva on the resolution against Sri Lanka over alleged war crimes would be taken based on the overall ties between the two neighbours and the sentiments in the country, External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna said on Thursday.

“Certainly we will take into account the overall relationship between India and Sri Lanka and the sentiments that are prevalent in our country. We will take every factor into consideration before we take a final call on our stand in Geneva,” he said.

Mr. Krishana’s comments come days after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa shot off two letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking India’s support to the U.S.-backed resolution against Sri Lanka for alleged human rights violations during the civil war.

Mr. Krishna also said India was providing a number of humanitarian aids to the internally displaced “Tamil—speaking brothers and sisters” in the island nation. He himself had seen renovation of schools and other works undertaken by New Delhi, he added.

On concerns expressed by Ms. Jayalalithaa in another letter to Prime Minister over frequent ‘unannounced’ visits by Sri Lankan VIPs to Tamil Nadu, Mr. Krishna said the Centre would take her opinion into account.

“We are a federal state, we have the greatest respect for the rights of States. Whatever is the assessment of the State governments, we will certainly take it into account... we will see how we can reconcile the issue,” he said.

“I would like to assure the Chief Minister that her opinion will certainly be factored in the decision we are going to take,” he said.

Tamils Welcome the Proposed US Resolution on Sri Lanka

Joint Statement by British Tamils Forum (BTF), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), Tamil Youth Organisation UK (TYO UK) and US Tamil Political Action Council(USTPAC)

March 7th, 2012 - Geneva, Switzerland

We welcome the proposed resolution by the Government of the United States of America at the 19th Session of the UN Human Rights Council towards holding all parties to the conflict accountable during the last phases of the war in Sri Lanka. The resolution offers a glimpse of hope for those affected by the conflict and sets in motion appropriate steps that could assist in long term peace and reconciliation in post-war Sri Lanka.

Three years after the end of the bloody civil war, Sri Lanka has failed to establish the necessary preconditions for reconciliation to occur. While the government appointed Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has been held out as the cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s accountability and reconciliation strategy, it falls short in addressing critical issues of accountability. Sri Lanka has been given the appropriate time and space to offer a path towards peace and reconciliation, but has failed to do so.

Whilst we have serious concerns regarding the independence of the LLRC and its failure to address the credible allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the implementation of the LLRC’s constructive recommendations, as detailed within the tabled resolution and in accordance with the specified timelines, would be a step in the right direction.

The members of the Human Rights Council should seize this opportunity and contribute towards building on the proposed resolution by incorporating the implementation of the Secretary General’s Panel of Expert report into the draft text. British Tamils Forum, Canadian Tamil Congress, Tamil Youth Organisation UK and US Tamil Political Action Council will continue to engage with the international community to ensure that long term peace and stability is attained on the island of Sri Lanka.

Published on: 03/07/12 20:42

Chinese economist named IMF secretary

THE International Monetary Fund today announced the appointment of Lin Jianhai as its new secretary – making him the second Chinese national hold an important position at the fund.

"Jianhai has had a wide-ranging fund career in both country and policy work," said the fund's Managing Director Christine Lagarde in a statement. "This breadth of experience has been of particular benefit to the IMF, where Jianhai's skill in building consensus among staff, management and our global membership has been essential for the productive work of the Executive Board during one of the most challenging periods in the fund's history."

Lin, 57, joined the fund in 1989 after working in the financial sector and academia. He was born in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, and studied at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a doctorate in international finance from George Washington University.

Lin has been acting director of the IMF's Secretary's Department since November of last year. The Secretary's Department has operational responsibility for the 24-member Executive Board of the IMF, and also serves as the regular point of contact with the fund's 187 member countries on institutional matters.

His appointment will take effect on March 22.

Last July, Chinese economist Zhu Min was selected to become the fund's deputy managing director, the first Chinese to hold a senior position in this organization.

Sri Lanka to resist US war crimes resolution

By 

• AFP    

Published Thursday, March 08, 2012

Sri Lanka on Thursday dismissed as "ill-timed and ill-conceived" a US move at the UN Human Rights Council to censure Colombo over alleged crimes against humanity in the final phase of its separatist war.

Water Supply Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said Sri Lanka was confident of defeating the three-point resolution at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva urging the island to probe alleged war crimes.

"This resolution is ill-timed, ill-conceived and borne out of ignorance," Gunawardena, who is also the chief government whip in parliament, told reporters. He accused the US of ignoring Sri Lanka's reconciliation moves.

Sri Lanka has faced strong international criticism over the bloody finale of its separatist war in 2009 but has avoided censure at previous UN meetings thanks to support from China and Russia.

The US resolution, seen by AFP, urges Sri Lanka to ensure "justice, equity, accountability and reconciliation" and says Colombo's own probe, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, did not adequately address concerns.

The Sri Lankan government initiated nationwide demonstrations last month to coincide with the opening of the UNHRC sessions and denounced Washington for leading international calls for a war crimes probe.

Rights groups say up to 40,000 civilians perished in the final months of Colombo's military campaign to crush the Tamil Tigers, who waged a bloody decades-long campaign for a separate homeland for minority Tamils.

The UN estimates some 100,000 people died during Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict between 1972 and 2009.

US moves UN against Lanka

Thursday, 8 March, 2012 

The United States today submitted the draft resolution against Sri Lanka to the United Nations Human Rights Council at its 19th session here.

.

The draft resolution submitted to the UN body notes the report of Sri Lanka's domestic Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and its findings and recommendations. The resolution notes with concern that the report does not adequately address serious allegations of violations of international humanitarian law. The draft resolution calls on the Sri Lankan government to implement the constructive recommendations in the LLRC report and take all necessary additional steps to fulfill its 'relevant obligations and commitment to initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity, accountability and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans.' It requests the government to present a comprehensive action plan as 'expeditiously as possible' detailing the steps the government had taken and will take to implement the LLRC recommendations and also to address alleged violations of international law. The draft resolution encourages the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and relevant special procedures to provide, and the Sri Lankan government to accept, advice and technical assistance of implementing those steps. It also requests the OHCHR to present a report to the UNHRC on the provision of such assistance at its 22nd session. Sri Lanka's special human right envoy Mahinda Samarasinghe who is currently in Japan is expected to return to Geneva next week to address the resolution. The LLRC report recommends the need to credibly investigate into widespread allegations of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, demilitarise the North, implement impartial land dispute resolution mechanisms, reevaluate detention policies, strengthen formerly independent civil institutions, reach a political settlement involving devolution of power to the provinces, promote and protect the right of freedom of expression for all and enact rule of law reforms. On Tuesday, dismayed by reports about the Union government's decision not to support the US-backed resolution against Sri Lanka in the UNHRC, Tamilnadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday once again wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterating her demand that India go with the resolution and condemn the island nation. In a letter to Manmohan, she referred to certain media reports about India's stand on the resolution on accountability issues of the Sri Lankan civil war involving human rights violations to be moved for voting at the ongoing session of the UNHRC in Geneva.

India yet to decide on rights resolution against Sri Lanka

NEW DELHI, March 8, 2012
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

India is yet to take a position on the U.S.-backed resolution against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). “But the general view in [the] country, specific to human rights resolutions, is that they do more harm than good. This has been our response to such resolutions for a number of years,” said official sources.

India is still to take a stand on the resolution backed by Norway and western countries, besides the U.S., though Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has written twice to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding that New Delhi go with it, while Pakistan, along with the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), Russia and China, has supported Sri Lanka.

“We strongly believe that Sri Lanka must be provided with the time and space required to continue with its genuine national endeavours towards achieving this objective, without external pressure,” Pakistan has said on behalf of the OIC. Russia and China have expressed similar sentiments, opposing attempts by western countries to hold a country accountable while it is trying to come to terms with the ethnic divide and a decades-long violent conflict.

POLITICAL RESOLUTION

New Delhi has backed Colombo in previous attempts to arraign it for civilian killings in 2009, but during bilateral diplomatic engagements India has urged political resolution of the feeling of alienation among Tamils. At times, it has expressed dismay at the pace of the political reconciliation process but continued helping the war-ravaged north and east Sri Lanka by beginning work on affordable houses, rail track upgrading, port expansion and electricity grid interconnection.

Believe it or not ! Rajapakse regime had caused 5761 disappearances -report presented to Geneva conference

(Lanka-e-News-06.March.2012, 11.55PM) The UN active group had in its report presented to the Geneva Human rights Commission on forced abductions had stated that no measures had been taken so far in respect of the 5761 abductions committed in SL.

A most significant feature is , in the statistics provided in the report , the many tens of thousands of disappearances during the final phase of the war had not been included . If a complaint is to be made to this active group Committee , somebody close to the victim of disappearance should inform. Unfortunately , there aren’t even such persons remaining after the war to inform of the disappearances. Even without including those large number of disappearances , the number of disappearances standing at 5761 is something specially noteworthy. 

In the report , charges are leveled that impartial inquiries in regard to the human rights violators , filing charges, trying them in a court of law and punishing them had not been duly done . Neither the SL police nor the human rights Commission had been able to mete out justice to the victims, the report adds. Though various Commissions had been appointed , none of them had any vision and the people had no adequate opportunity to present their facts, the report laments.

The UN groups in its report further states that the SL Govt. did not answer the charges , and it did not respond to the many requests made to it in 2009, 2010 and 2011 by the Active Committee to give it an opportunity to come to SL and investigate the facts.

The abductions carried out in the white Van by the Rajapakse regime and disappearances of victims had been portrayed to the people as a lawful process. This Rajapakse regime has become a byword for murder and has become so criminal that it has gone so far as to outrageously abduct in the white Van in broad daylight , a suspect who is being taken back to prison after being brought to courts while he was still in the court precincts.

A It will not be out of place to recall at this juncture when lawlessness is overriding and crimes are committed with impunity, how the chief of this present lawless regime in his youthful days had a love affair with a girl in his village , and when she became pregnant by him , he forced her to abort his child in her womb. But , when she refused to consent she was murdered on the sly and her body burnt to ashes in a lime kiln. The regime chief notorious for cold blooded murders and very adept at camouflaging his crimes which ability is standing him in good stead even now, deploying all his political powers then suppressed the murder. The residents of Medamulana still relate this tale . Sadly, this is the putrid history of the regime chief.

South Africa and Sri Lanka discuss Peace and Sustainable Political Settlement in Sri Lanka

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, hosted her counterpart from Sri Lanka, Professor Gamini Lakshman Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, for bilateral discussions on 05 March 2012.

Minister Peres briefed the South African Government on plans to implement the recommendations of the Sri Lankan Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission relating to human rights, the return and resettlement of displaced communities, restitution and compensatory relief for the affected people, and post-conflict reconstruction and nation-building.

South Africa believes in the need for a peaceful and sustainable political solution, which will be best achieved through broad consultation and inclusive dialogue amongst all the peoples of Sri Lanka.

Both sides agreed on the need to grasp the opportunity to finally settle the conflict in Sri Lanka, including the speedy implementation of the LLRC Report, as well as the setting up of an impartial, inclusive and transparent mechanism to deal decisively with questions of accountability and justice.

South Africa continues to encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the LLRC Report in the same spirit as South Africa implemented the TRC processes.

South Africa stands ready to assist and share with the Government and people of Sri Lanka its experiences in terms of nation-building through the TRC.

In addition to paying a courtesy call on President Jacob Zuma, Minister Peiris also visited the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg.

Enquiries: Mr. Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for DIRCO, 082 884 5974

Issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation

OR Tambo Building,
460 Soutpansberg Road
Pretoria

UNHRC: Draft Resolution: Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka

Wednesday 7 of march 2012
(Lanka-e-News-07.March.2012, 7.30PM) Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights, and other relevant instruments,

Reaffirming that States must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism complies with their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, as applicable, Noting the Report of Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and its findings and recommendations, and acknowledging its possible contribution to Sri Lanka’s national reconciliation process,
Welcoming the constructive recommendations contained in the LLRC report, including the need to credibly investigate widespread allegations of extra judicial killings and enforced disappearances, de-militarize the north of Sri Lanka, implement impartial land dispute resolution mechanisms, reevaluate detention policies, strengthen formerly independent civil institutions, reach a political settlement involving devolution of power to the provinces, promote and protect the right of freedom of expression for all, and enact rule of law reforms,
Noting with concern that the LLRC report does not adequately address serious allegations of violations of international law,

1. Calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the constructive recommendations in the LLRC report and take all necessary additional steps to fulfill its relevant legal obligations and commitment to initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity, accountability and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans,

2. Requests that the Government of Sri Lanka present a comprehensive action plan as expeditiously as possible detailing the steps the Government has taken and will take to implement the LLRC recommendations and also to address alleged violations of international law,
3. Encourages the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant special procedures to provide, and the Government of Sri Lanka to accept, advice and technical assistance on implementing those steps and requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to present a report to the Council on the provision of such assistance at its twenty-second session.

Deiyandara court lawyers shook like crooks when they saw SL’s first synthetic Lawyer

  (Lanka-e-News-06.March.2012, 11.55PM) The deplorably disgraceful undignified level to which the Sri Lanka judiciary has descended was perfectly illustrated at the Deiyandara Magistrate court yesterday , according to reports.

About a month ago , a businessman from Hakmana organized a musical event . The organizers wished that this event goes on until the following dawn. When they went to the police to get a permit for the use of a speaker , the OIC of the police station had demanded a bribe of Rs. one lakh to grant the permit. The businessman had objected to this payment. Following this incident , there had arisen a bitterness between the police and the businessman resulting in the police filing action against the businessman’s group on the ground that the musical event was held unlawfully.

The Deiyandara courts took up this case for trial yesterday . It was Namal Rajapakse who holds the rare inglorious distinction of being the first synthetic Lawyer of SL who appeared in this case at the Deiyandara courts. The whole Deiyandara court Lawyers including the judge shook like crooks when they saw this synthetic Lawyer .

As though God has descended from the sky in the form of a ‘shark’ , all the cases piled up were put aside by the judge , and the case of this ‘shark’ was taken first. The aging Lawyers sprung up from their seats as though they were subject to an electric shock when they saw Namal . According to our reporter, it was doubted whether the female judge will also rise from the bench at the sight of the ‘shark’, for she too was apparently gripped in a fear psychosis – based on all these comical characters who hold sway in the present day courts , one can imagine what kind of Lawyers and judges grace ( or rather disgrace) our courts now.

UK Hansard: Foreign Office Written Questions (March 5th 2012) - Sri Lanka

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of steps by the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure a long-term post-conflict political settlement in that country. [97749]

Alistair Burt: The UK sees a political settlement, respect for human rights and accountability for alleged war crimes as being essential elements in post-conflict reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), which was appointed by the Sri Lankan Government to examine events relating to the civil war from 2002 to 2009, published its report on 16 December. We believe the report contains many constructive recommendations for action on post-conflict reconciliation and a political settlement. But we were disappointed by the findings and recommendations on accountability. We encourage the Sri Lankan Government to move quickly to implement the LLRC report's recommendations.