Partnership helps restore public services in rural Sri Lanka

By Mervyn Fletcher

TRINCOMALEE, Sri Lanka, 15 May 2012 – It’s the morning rounds of the village mothers’ support group. Today, they’re visiting one of the poorest families in this remote village in eastern Sri Lanka.

UNICEF reports on a partnership with the European Union in Sri Lanka that improving access to vital public services, including health care, water and sanitation, and education, in conflict-affected communities. Watch in RealPlayer

Their concern is Sujalan, the youngest of Packiyaluxmi’s three children. He’s 2 years old and recovering from severe acute malnutrition. The women want to monitor his progress, check his medical record and give support. At his home, they find good news: Sujalan’s health is improving.

The mothers’ support group is just one of many important initiatives resulting from a 3-year partnership between the European Union (EU) and UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka.

Making all children healthier

This EU project is called Assistance for Conflict-Affected People (ACAP), which focuses on improving access to vital public services such as education, health care, safe water and sanitation for communities that are or have been displaced by conflict.

Thanks to this partnership, there are now more than 100 volunteer mothers’ support groups raising awareness about nutrition and health in villages around Trincomalee. The partnership has enabled these women to receive training in counselling and nutrition.

© UNICEF VIDEO

Sujalan, 2, is recovering from severe acute malnutrition in eastern Sri Lanka.

“Being a member of the mothers’ support group has been so useful for me. I learned many practical things about how to be healthy,” said volunteer Chandrakumar Kavitha. “This is a poor area. Too many children in this village were sick. They weren’t using the health centre, and too many children were not eating healthy diets. This has changed, and I feel I am contributing to making all children here healthier.”

Improved health and water quality

Across the village, midwives are reporting for duty at a new health centre, which was built by the EU-UNICEF partnership and has been handed over to the government for operation. It opened its doors in December 2011, offering critical support to young mothers-to-be like Darshini.

During an antenatal check-up, her baby’s growth was measured and its heartbeat was monitored. Darshini’s blood pressure was checked. Both mother and child were deemed healthy.

Children have also benefited from the new centre. The midwives say that within the last 18 months, local incidence of malnutrition among children under age 5 has dropped markedly.

© UNICEF VIDEO

The Paddilapuram School was re-built by the Assistance for Conflict-Affected People (ACAP) partnership between the European Union and UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka.

Nearby, Komathi, a mother of seven, is enjoying the convenience and quality of her new well. Until two weeks ago, she had to walk a kilometre to draw water. The well is shared with another seven families in the area, ensuring their children have access to safe, clean drinking water.

The partnership has also provided Komathi’s family with a new toilet, and construction to supply area households with tap water is currently underway.

Education for all

The Paddilapuram School stands tall amid the village landscape. It, too, was rebuilt by the partnership, in collaboration with the government. The classrooms have enabled the school to serve more students, from around 400 pupils a year ago to nearly 600 now, and more growth is expected.

“This is a village affected by the conflict and tsunami,” said UNICEF Sri Lanka Health and Nutrition Officer Kirupairajah Gowriswaran. “Thanks to UNICEF and the EU, and based on their partnership, we are able to invest in education, public health, nutrition, water and sanitation. As a result, there is an improvement in the lives of mothers and children.”

More than €9 million from the partnership, including 15 per cent contributed by UNICEF, have been invested in the construction of 18 schools, 10 health centres, improved access to water for thousands of families and community mobilization to improve mother and child health.

Gota asks for two National List slots

Wednesday, 16 May 2012

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has asked the President to remove two UPFA National List MPs from parliament and to appoint two Tamil youths from the North to parliament.

The Defence Secretary has explained to the President that the people in the North did not have confidence in the Tamil MPs in the government and therefore a new political leadership needed to be built in order to get closer to the Northerners. He has said that several youths who could be appointed to parliament have already been identified by him.

The Defence Secretary has reiterated that the government could not move forward with the war victory until a new political leadership was built in the North. He has noted the Ministers Dougals Devananda, Karuna Amman and Pillayan would not be of much help at times of an election.

The President has agreed with the Defence Secretary’s statement, but has pointed out that although he too had wanted several National List MPs from the UPFA to resign, no one has agreed to it.

The political situation in the North had been discussed when the President had summoned the Defence Secretary to ask if he did not have any intention of entering politics.

The Defence Secretary has said he had no intention of entering politics.

It is the editor of a weekly national newspaper who had advised the President to get a clear response from the Defence Secretary on whether he wanted to enter politics or not.

Days of Remembrance: Tamils Remember, Three Year On

For Immediate Release

May 15, 2012

May 2009 brought Tamils around the world unprecedented anguish and tragedy as the 27 year long brutal ethnic conflict came to a disastrous end. The month of May will always be etched in the memory of Tamils around the world for generations to come as more than 40,000 Tamils were massacred during the final stages.

In an effort to raise awareness of the injustice and in commemoration of those who perished, the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) has organized and participated in various events. Following a parliamentary press conference on the morning of April 24th, 2012, CTC organized a screening of Channel 4’s “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields – War Crimes Unpunished” in the Canadian Parliament. Members of various political parties were left speechless after witnessing the atrocities brought to screen by the Channel 4 team.

This was followed by a tree planting event on May 5th, 2012, where over 150 Tamil Canadians from all age groups contributed to the future of Rouge National Park by planning nearly 500 trees. While enriching and preserving the environment, the event was of more significance to Tamil Canadians who planted trees in memory of their loved ones who perished in the tsunami and civil war.

CTC will also, for the fifth year in a row, be partnering with Canadian Blood Services to host a blood donation drive with several clinics open throughout this month. We urge all Tamil Canadians to be donors for a very worthy cause under group name Tamil Canadians and group ID code CANA009345. For the thousands of innocent people who died, it is important for all Tamils and concerned citizens to remember.

In an effort to never forget, CTC is marking May 18th as Tamil Remembrance Day. In this light, Tamil Canadians have planned commemorative events. While it is CTC’s hope that all Tamil Canadians come together to mark the anniversary of this emotional day in unity, we urge all Tamil Canadians to take part in all remembrance day activities they are able to attend.

While there may be various events, CTC would like to reiterate that the purpose remains the same – to ensure that these innocent lives are never forgotten.

May we always remember.

For more information, please contact (416) 240-0078. 

Sri Lankan rice farmers buffeted by flood, drought
 May 17, 2012
By Amantha Perera 

COLOMBO - Last year was one of extremes for the small Sri Lankan village of Verugal. Lying on the island's northeastern coast, Verugal began the year with incessant rainfall. Between January and February 2011, the east coast received a year's worth of rain, which destroyed more than 7,000 hectares of rice crops in Verugal and about 17% of the country's annual rice harvest. Some villages were cut off for weeks on end. 

"I was working in a life jacket for over two weeks," said Ponnabalam Thanesvaran, head of the Verugal divisional secretariat and the highest-ranking government official for the region. 

Just as the rains abated around September, Verugal fell foul of nature's wrath once more, this time weathering the flip side of the coin: drought. Thanesvaran told Inter Press Service (IPS) that between September and October his main task was providing drinking water to remote villages, some of which had been cut off by floods just nine months earlier. "It was incredible how, within less than a year, we had a flood and a drought," he observed. 

In the run-up to next month's United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, local experts are pushing for increased efforts to get the message on changing climate patterns out to the most affected and least informed populations - like rice farmers in rural Sri Lanka.     Full Story>>>

May 16, 2012

Petition Against Ban Of 5 News Sites Rejected

By PTI -

The Sri Lankan Supreme Court has ruled that freedom of expression was not an absolute right and could be restricted.

The ruling came as it refused a petition filed by the media watchdog — Free Media Movement — against the government decision to ban five news websites. The court refused to allow the case to proceed.

The government had last year banned five websites – Lankawaynews, Sri Lanka Guardian, Sri Lanka Mirror, TamilNet and Lanka-e-news – for failing to register with the government.

The watchdog had approached the Court saying the blockade breached people’s right to information and freedom of expression.

The Court’s ruling however held that freedom of expression was not an absolute right, could be restricted and also that registering was needed to safeguard people from being vilified, defamed among others as people needed to know who was behind the websites in order to seek remedies.

Last year’s regulation was followed by another order which required mobile phone service companies to obtain prior approval of news stories with regard to national security.

A mother searches for her son, with a photograph that appeared in The Hindu

May 15, 2012

R. K. RADHAKRISHNAN

The HinduSaroja Devi from Uppumaveli, Mullativu, pointing out her son Leon Roxy from a picture taken by me (The Hindu's correspondent in Sri Lanka) in September 2011 on Tuesday in Colombo. Photo : R.K. Radhakrishnan

Saroja Devi of Mullaitivu last saw her son, Kerbert Morino Leon Roxy, on July 7, 2008.

That day, from the Northeastern coastal town, Roxy took a boat out of Tamil Tiger-held territory. His parents, eager to see him leave, had paid for the trip — it was expensive to smuggle out able-bodied youngsters past the LTTE, which was on a constant recruitment drive for fighters.

Once earlier, Roxy had been taken away by the LTTE, and as the fighting escalated in northern Sri Lanka, his family wanted to make sure he would not be around if the Tigers came calling once again.

Two days later, on July 9, 2008, the ‘middleman' Madhuran, who took Roxy along with a few other boys, informed their parents that he had dropped them off on the other side of Sri Lanka, in Mannar on the north-western coast.    More »

President agrees to implement LLRC recommendations jointly with UNP


Wednesday 16 of May 2012 
(Lanka-e-News-15.May.2012,11.55PM) The President Mahinda Rajapakse had agreed to implement the recommendations of the LLRC jointly with the Opposition . The President has made this announcement when the Opposition leader met the President at the Temple Trees on an invitation extended by the President on the 14th.

The President had extended this invitation 
following the statement made by the opposition leader that for the participation in the Parliamentary select Committee to formulate a solution for the national issue , the Govt. must create the necessary environment .

The opposition leader had said he will attend the select Committee seeking a solution to the national issue . But before that , both the Govt. and the opposition must examine on what recommendations of the LLRC , the Govt. and the opposition can jointly act. The UNP Gen. secretary Tissa Attanayake who also attended the meeting speaking to Lanka e news had stated that the president agreed to that .

When the President had told the UNP representatives to invite the TNA to the Parliamentary select Committee , the UNP had replied that the Govt. should show a suitable response to the five proposals put forward by the TNA during the discussions it had with the President for several months earlier. 

In reply , the President had told , the Govt. did not hold discussions with the TNA , but it is the SLFP party who held discussions. The UNP had pointed out not to make subtle distinctions referring to names which is useless .. No matter who spoke with the TNA, the UNP is not aware of the outcome of the discussions, the UNP had pointed out. But as the Govt. is a party to the discussions, if it creates a climate that is conducive to participation , the TNA will certainly take part in the Parliamentary select Committee discussions, the UNP had explained ,Tissa Attanayake observed.

Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Tissa Attanayake, Dep. Leader Joseph Michael Perera , John Amaratunge , Ravi Karunanayake and Lakshman Kiriella represented the UNP in the discussions.
Sajith Premadasa , Dep. Leader of the UNP was not invited for the discussions. 

Regime chief Mahinda Rajapakse, SLFP Secretary Maithripala Sirisena, Nimal Siripala De Silva, Alliance Secretary Susil Premajayanth and Dallas Alahaperuma represented the Govt. side at the discussions.

According to political analysts , the SL foreign Minister’s leaving for the US to meet State Secretary of the US on the 16th to discuss the implementation of the LLRC proposals coinciding with the Govt. inviting the opposition to discuss , and its agreeing to jointly seek a solution to implement the LLRC proposals is crucial politically.

Meanwhile, addressing a media briefing on the 14th, the UNP media spokesman Gayantha Karunatileke criticized the Govt. for not informing the Parliament prior to its notification to the US of its program regarding the implementation of the LLRC recommendations.

Refugees Are People Too

Jennifer Hyndman and Stephanie J. Silverman

If Bill C-31, "Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act," passes in parliament, Canada will lose its reputation for fairness and human rights and, more importantly, hundreds if not thousands of people's lives will be adversely affected.

Other Huffington Post contributions noted that the bill's earlier incarnation, C-4, was dangerously misguided in its attempts to stop human smuggling. The revised bill is in fact more draconian, dropping many of the protections guaranteed in the first one. The bill's mandatory immigration detention provision, among others, will harm innocent people, cost a lot of money and wont deter human smuggling or refugee claimants -- the bill's ultimate goal.

What is immigration detention? It is the temporary incarceration of non-citizens, in this case refugee claimants or other migrants who arrive through 'irregular' means, as part of processing their claims. International law generally permits immigration detention pending admissions or deportations, and considers it to be administrative, non-punitive and ancillary to immigration control. Detention is commonplace in countries like Australia, the U.S., and the U.K. In Canada, it is a measure of last resort used only when claimants present a flight risk or the identity of a person cannot be verified.

Read Post 

M.A.Sumanthiran MP

Tamil statesman politician in the making at last

| by Pearl Thevanayagam

(May 14, 2012, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The May 11, 2012 adjournment motion speech of M.A. Sumanthiran MP in parliament is perhaps the most eloquent and hard-hitting delivery by a Tamil politician in recent times. He minced no words and he did not prevaricate. The only other politician with guts would have been Kumar Ponnambalam but alas he was slain by the government supported military group of EPDP led by Douglas Devananda for his outspoken views on January 05, 2000 and we lost a vociferous voice for the Tamils.

Kumar Ponnambalam was never voted into parliament, in that although a human rights lawyer and son of that versatile and internationally respected criminal lawyer G.G. Ponnambalam QC and advocate of 50:50 parity for Tamils post independence, he chose his own path in defending Tamil rights but was never taken seriously by the Federal Party aka Tamil Arasu Kadchi. There were rumours doing the rounds in Colombo circles that Kumar, whose penny pinching is well-known, chose not to spend the Rs 100,000 donated by a businessman for his presidential candidature in 1994 on posters thereby losing out.

Sumanthiran spoke from the bottom of his heart and his sincerity and commitment for his beliefs left no parliamentarian in doubt although A.H.M Azwer tried his level best to send volleys to defend the Rajapakse regime much to the chagrin of the wounded Muslims who were reeling from the barbaric defilement on their Holy Mosque in Dambulla in April by some fanatic monks and their supporters who brought shame to Lord Buddha's preachings and precept of tolerance and equality. Even the deputy speaker allowed him more time than allocated since the House was spell-bound by his heart-rending speech.

Contrast this MP with other Tamils who graced the halls of parliament in bygone years, particularly in the last two decades. Perhaps because they are not at ease speaking in English or perhaps due to the well-grounded fear of reprisals from the LTTE you could hardly hear a whimper from them even when it came to crucial issues affecting the Tamils. But they joyfully enjoyed all the perks and privileges that comes with being elected to parliament such as SUVs, body-guards and subsidised housing.

In the 1990's, a full seven course lunch was available for a heavily subsidised rate of five rupees in the parliament dining room. Many a lazy reporter choose to cover parliament where the only skill required is to sit through parliamentary proceedings and if you miss out on them one simply gets to the Hansard recorders after enjoying the sumptuous lunch at tax-payers' expense. It is not uncommon to see members including our Tamil MPs dozing off with their feet raised on the benches in front. No wonder people have no trust in our politicians.

One does not need to be a valedictorian to tell the House the grievances of their constituents although it certainly helped that MP Sumanthiran is a human rights lawyer and was fully prepared with his arguments as he stressed the urgent need for international independent investigation into the murders of aid workers for a French NGO in the East and the university students in Trincomalee.

Within minutes before winding down MP Sumanthiran takes the President to task for appointing a committee to inquire into his own appointed LLRC's recommendations. How cool is that? Going by his arguments it's turtles all the way down. Would there be another committee to probe into the committee he appointed and so on and so forth. He also touched on the government's promises to implement 13A and 17th Amendment which have been put on cold storage.

Hopefully we have not heard the end of the MP's speech and may we have more of these erudite and justified presentations in the House which are long overdue.

Proposals to improve the Post- War living conditions of women and children approved
 

Written by Administrator

Tuesday, 15 May 2012 21:46

“Proposals on improving the living conditions of women and children within a war atmosphere” was consensually approved on the 28th of April, 2012 at the Southern Province Inter-Religious Conference held in Hasara Hotel, Galle. 35 religious leaders as well as 70 political and community leaders representing Inter-Religious Councils of Galle, Matara, Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts participated for this event. This proposal was presented to the Urban Councilor of Galle Mr. Kumara Dhammika in order to hand it over to the Southern Province Chief Minister Hon. Shan Wijayalal and Galle District Member of Parliament Hon. Manusha Nanayakkara. Furthermore, this publication was handed over to the Southern Province Opposition Leader Hon. Siri Wijewickrama while providing a copy of it to be handed over to the Opposition Leader Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe. This proposal was also handed over to the Parish Priest of the Hulandawa Parish Rev. Fr. Gratian who was provided with a copy of it in order to be handed over to the Bishop of Galle Rt. Rev. Raymond Wickremesinghe. According to the opinion of all the religious leaders, conducting such a program with the unity of religious leaders on behalf of peace was a timely effort.