Monday, August 27, 2012

Presidential Secretary’s companion to be summoned before COPE
Monday, 27 August 2012

The UNP has decided to request for the Speaker’s permission to summon Presidential Secretary, Lalith Weeratunge’s companion Indrani Sugathadasa before the COPE.

A young UNP parliamentarian has decided to ask for permission to summon Sugathadasa before COPE in order to question about several irregular transactions that have allegedly taken place during her tenure as the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Thilak Karunaratne, who recently resigned from the post of SEC Chairman, told the media that there is a mafia controlling the stock market that is engaged in corruption and that it resulted in the resignation of his predecessor, Sugathadasa.

The UNP has decided to also summon Karunaratne before COPE following the controversial statements made by him after resigning from the SEC.

Although Karunratne says that Sugathadasa was constantly under pressure from the stock market mafia, the UNP MP told us that she had supported several persons involved in the mafia and that she had used her office to get benefits for her companion, Lalith Weeratunge’s daughter and son in-law.

Apart from the SEC, Sugathadasa also hold the post of Chairman of the Sri Lanka Insurance Board.

While the SEC is assigned to regulate the Colombo Stock market, the Insurance Board has to regulate the insurance companies in the country.

At the time, Lalith Weeratunge’s daughter, Vindya Weeratunge and her husband Ajith Perera have worked at AVIVA-NDB Insurance. As soon as Sugathadasa took over as the head of the Insurance Board, AVIVA-NDB Insurance Company made Ajith Perera the head of marketing of the company. The company has therefore managed to get special privileges from the Insurance Board through Perera.

During this period, there was a controversy over Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) monies being invested in Laugfs Company stocks. The ETF has brought the shares that were Rs. 10 a stock at Rs. 40.

UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva says that this transaction was one of the most serious transactions to have taken place like the NSB-TFC deal.

However, in order to prevent any inquiry into this irregular transaction, the head of Laugfs Company Head, Wegapitiya had made Vindya Weeratunge, a share holder of the Company.

Vindya Weeratunge was appointed as the Director and CEO of Laugfs Australia Higher Education Services (Pvt) Limited.

Sugathadasa had then taken steps to put aside any investigation into the irregular transaction where ETF monies were used to purchase Laugfs shares.

In this same manner, Sugathadasa is said to have taken steps to cover up investigations that were being carried out into other members in the stock market mafia like Dilith Jayaweera, Nimal Perera, Varuni Amunugama and her husband who have been engaged in many irregular transactions.

The young UNP MP said that since details are now being revealed that several members of the stock market mafia had received Sugathadasa’s assistance during her tenure as the SEC Chief and had provided special privileges to those related to her, she would be summoned before COPE for questioning.

Perilous State Of Higher Education – Cooperation, Not confrontation, Need Of The Day

By W.A. Wijewardena -August 27, 2012

Dr. W.A. Wijewardena

The ominous closure of State universities

The closure of the Sri Lanka’s State university system by the country’s higher education authorities recently is not quite an unexpected move.

When the strike action by the academics of the State university system had paralysed most of the universities and all attempts at bringing the striking academics within the Government’s solution-frame had failed, the only course of action available to authorities has been to seek guidance from history.

On all such occasions in the past, the reaction of the authorities to protracted university issues has been the same: Close the universities and show the trouble making students, academics or non-academics that the Government holds the final answer to the issue. It also conveys an ominous message.
That message is that the authorities are prepared to keep the country’s university system closed until sanity returns to trouble makers and express willingness to start negotiations afresh once again. Such second round negotiations have always been successful in taming the warring parties and pushing them toward a solution which the authorities feel is the best for the country’s education system.

University academics armed with two demands Read More

Sri Lankan ship still stuck in Durban

WAITING: The Lanka Mahapola flies its new flag showing Zanzibar, Tanzania, as its port of registry.

By Noelene Barbeau-August 27 2012

Durban - The saga of the troubled Sri Lankan cargo vessel detained in the Durban Harbour continues, as allegations of its sale and change of flag resurface.

A well-placed Sri Lankan maritime source told the Daily News the government-owned ship was bought by the maritime company that had chartered the vessel and had also not paid for its use.

The SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said the MV Lanka Mahapola has changed flag from Sri Lanka to Tanzania, but it is not aware of a sale.

The vessel was first placed under arrest in May, after the Durban High Court granted an order for a maritime lien – the attachment of a ship as property in lieu of a debt.

The 26-member crew had enlisted the help of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, as they had not been paid $85 000 (R712 513) in wages and had complained of dreadful living and working conditions.

After an inspection, Samsa also detained the ship for not complying with international safety standards.

The authority’s CEO, Sobantu Tilayi, said the cargo vessel was “in a very bad state” and lacked valid certificates.

The ship has been docked in Durban since May 17. The crew has since been paid and returned to Sri Lanka in June.

The ship is run by Ceylon Shipping Corporation. It chartered the vessel to Triple S Shipping – a maritime company based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and owned by Dr Sanjaya Senarath, who is said to be related to the Sri Lankan president’s chief of staff.

Sri Lankan newspapers and a maritime source said the cargo vessel had stopped flying the Sri Lankan flag in June and was now flying the Tanzanian flag.

The source said its merchant shipping division had issued the Sri Lankan flag, and permission had to be sought from this division for a change of port registry to be accepted by another country.

“The flag was changed without the knowledge of the merchant shipping division. It is suspected forged documents were presented to the Tanzanian government to fly the flag of Zanzibar.”

The source said Triple S Shipping had not paid the corporation since the ship was chartered. Media reports say the Ceylon Corporation has sent a letter of demand for payment and the matter is in arbitration.

The original crew had detained the ship for non-payment of wages in December. That crew was paid and a new one hired.

Sri Lankan newspaper The Lanka Truth reported in July the ship was registered in early June using fraudulent documents and was attempting to leave Durban with the new registration.

Newspaper the Sunday Leader reported in June the Ceylon Corporation expected essential repairs to the ship to take little more than a week and expected it to return to them within a fortnight.

Samsa provincial spokesman Captain Saroor Ali said: “We won’t release the ship until she is seaworthy. This includes legal aspects such as its certification and registration documents.”

Ceylon Corporation general manager Sunil Obadage confirmed arbitration was currently in progress.

Speaking on behalf of Senarath, Nalini Maharaj, of Phipson de Villiers Attorneys in Durban, said Senarath denied allegations against him, calling it “political propaganda”.

Senarath, who is also the chairman of the Sri Lankan Ports Authority, said the ship had not been sold. - Daily News

Namal’s coach buys the Leader

Monday, 27 August 2012

Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa’s rugby coach, millionaire businessman and racketeer, Asanga Seneviratne has brought over The Sunday Leader newspaper that was established by the late Lasantha Wickrematunge even by sacrificing his life. It is learnt that the transaction has been finalized.

The President had made available Rs. 100 million to Asanga Seneviratne through a bank loan for the transaction. Senevairtane has paid the monies to purchase the majority shares of the company from Lal Wickrematunge. He has also agreed to put Rs. 190 million to purchase a new printing machine and for the development of the company.

Seneviratne has also made a proposal to the President to get this Rs. 190 million through a bank loan as well.

Seneviratne has traveled overseas after concluding the initial transaction and is expected to take over the management of the company following his return.

After taking charge, the first step is to replace The Sunday Leader Editor, Fredrica Jansz with Lalith Alahakoon.

Lalith Alahakoon is currently the editorial consultant to the Sinhala newspapers printed at Wijeaya Publications. Since the heads of The Sunday Times and Daily Mirror newspaper printed by the organization have objected to Alahakoon, he is now facing a clash in the newspaper.

Also, four weekly English newspapers are now facing a severe financial crisis. The four newspapers are Lakbima News, The Nation, Ceylon Today and The Island.

MP Thilanga Sumathipala has decided to shut down Lakbima News and its editor Rajpal Abeynayake has been asked to find another job. The President has assured Abeynayake that he would be appointed as the editorial consultant to the state owned Sunday Observer newspaper. The President has made this proposal after considering the services rendered by Abeynayake to the government during the UNHRC sessions in Geneva in March.

PTSD Sri Lankan Experience

By Ruwan M Jayatunge -August 27, 2012

Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D.

The most devastating consequence of the spread of American culture across the globe has not been our golden arches or our bomb craters, but our bulldozing of the human psyche itself. American-style depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anorexia have begun to spread around the world like contagions, and the virus is us.

Ethan Watters -Crazy like us: The Globalization of the American Psyche

The term PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) was new to Sri Lanka until the Eelam War broke out. The armed conflict that erupted between the government forces and the LTTE (The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) changed the Sri Lankan society in many ways. The Eelam War created a collective trauma. The war caused lasting symptoms of paralyzing anxiety, grief, and hopelessness among the victims. People became acquainted with new terms that have been associated with war, armed conflict and trauma. PTSD was one of the terms (acronyms rather) that emerged during the course of war.

The armed clashes in Sri Lanka dates back to as far as 1972. In 1972, a group of undercover Tamil militants planted several bombs at the Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna. In 1974, a hand bomb was thrown at the Kankesanturai Police Station. On the 27^th of July 1975, the Mayor of Jaffna Mr. Alfred Duraiappah gunned downed by the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran,The tension was escalating in the North and

The security forces were repeatedly on high alert. The Eelam War started in 1983 and lasted until 2009. Over the years, the Sri Lankans saw a bloody war that destroyed thousands of lives. Many civilians as well as the members of the armed forces became the physical and psychological casualties of the war.

PTI | 11:08 PM,Aug 25,2012

Colombo, Aug 25 (PTI) Japan today asked Sri Lanka to demonstrate "visible outcomes" to the international community on achieving the goals of reconciliation with the Tamil minority, as Colombo battles charges of human rights violations. Japanese special envoy Yasushi Akashi, who concluded his five-day visit to Sri Lanka, during which he toured the war-torn north and met President Mahinda Rajapaksa, also asked the Tamil community to show patience. Sri Lanka has been subject to international pressure since the conclusion of the separatist war with the LTTE. Its rights record has come under international scrutiny which reached a peak with last March's adoption of an anti-Sri Lanka resolution at UN Human Rights Council. Akashi, a former UN under secretary general was Japan's special peace envoy during the Norwegian backed peace process with the LTTE. Talking about the national action plan for reconciliation, Akashi said, "I reiterated (to Rajapaksa) the importance to take effective measures and demonstrate visible outcomes to the international community". He told reporters today that Japan would help Sri Lanka mend its relations with the international community. Akashi said he was pleased with the progress made in Sri Lanka's efforts towards reconciliation. In Jaffna, he told religious and civil society representatives that the Tamil community need to show patience. Responding to complaints by religious and civil society in Jaffna of very little progress, Akashi said only three years had passed by since the end of a 30-year-conflict. PTI CORR WAJ BS

No CPC audit reports for six years
Monday, 27 August 2012

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) that carries out bu8siness amounting to millions of rupees annually has reportedly not presented its audit reports to parliament for six years.

A trade union leader from the CPC said it was shocking to see the Treasury head allocating millions of rupees to the institution under these circumstances.

Every state institution has to present the Auditor General’s annual audit report to parliament before the 30^th of June every year. However, the CPC has failed to present its audit reports to parliament for the past six years.

Public Perceptions Of The LLRC In Trincomalee

By Geethika Dharmasinghe -August 27, 2012

Geethika Dharmasinghe

President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed the Lessons learnt and Reconciliation commission in May 2010 and after 18 months of sittings, the commission submitted its report to the President in November 2011. The report is not only about the effects of war but also about the need to depoliticize state institutions and foster good governance. However the report has not yet been translated into Sinhala or Tamil. As Kishali Jayawardenaargued, many commissions of inquiry in Sri Lanka have been political exercises rather than genuine attempts to reconcile a traumatized nation.ⁱ

While there are many national level civil society discussions on the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), there seems to be very little discussion on what citizens say about the LLRC and its recommendations. However, there is widespread hope that public demands will create the space to implement the LLRC recommendations and find ways towards reconciliation among different ethnic communities. With this objective the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) in collaboration with the National Collaboration Development Foundation (NCDF), a community based organization, organized workshops in Kanthale in Trincomalee. In Trincomalee district there are Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims in similar proportions in the population.

The workshops focused on raising awareness about the LLRC and its recommendations. We conducted four workshops from April to July 2012 with farmers, youth, civil society groups and representatives from political parties. There were 140 participants and members from all three ethnic communities took part in these workshops. This article will discuss workshop participant’s views on the LLRC.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), in coordination with Right To Life in Sri Lanka

50 videos

SRI LANKA: An interesting YouTube discussion on torture in the country

August 17, 2012
(Hong Kong, August 17, 2012) Right to Life in collaboration with the Asian Human Rights Commission has created a video discussion between a Sri Lankan police officer and Mr. Basil Fernando of the AHRC relating to the elimination of torture in Sri Lanka. The video was produced by Sirimao Wijesinghe. The presentation may be viewed here.

POLICE TORTURE DOCUMENTARY IN SRI LANKA 2012

The police officer, whose identity has been concealed, makes very frank statements about the belief that without torture criminal investigations cannot be conducted. This is a commonly held view. There is quite a good discussion on this issue in this video.
The police officer also explains other widely held view on torture as it is being practiced uniformly all over the world and that there is a link between power and the use of torture. On these views a human rights perspective is also quite well discussed in this documentary.

The documentary gives a good insight into the debate relating to torture and its elimination in Sri Lanka.