Bayagotha’s deplorable era of wilted unqualified Air Force Pilots begins

(Lanka-e-News- 04.Sep.2012, 11.55PM) Since the advent of the Rajapakse regime , all Govt. Institutions are being turned topsy turvy , none of these Institutions is able to come up to expectations. As a result nothing is being carried out duly in every important sector of the public service.

The education sector ,a most vital arm which concerns the future of the children too had been bungled abysmally due to its incapacity to conduct exams and release results duly. For the first time in a hundred years in SL’s education history , the present Education Ministry had been unable to hold even the Grade 5 Scholarship examination properly and maintain the standards. 

The Ceylon petroleum Corporation (CPC) too , another important Govt. Institution had incurred losses in many billions owing to the MaRa regime henchmen and stooges playing ducks and drakes with its public funds via the hedging soodhuwa. In addition , by importing sub standard fuel ,the whole country was recently driven into deep turmoil including the transport service across the entire country which was made to suffer . Because of the paucity of space we have avoided highlighting all the monumental and abysmal bungling under the MaRa regime in every Govt. sector.

We are now revealing to you yet another grave blunder which is seemingly trifling but carrying with it all the portents of a major holocaust it can engender in the future . 

The Rajapakse regime is currently in the process of recruiting Air Force Planes Flying officers sans merits , who are Rajapakse cronies and stooges. In the picture herein is Dilshan Cooray ,an Air Force Flight officer so recruited without any suitable qualifications .

Though GCE advanced level exam pass in science is an essential prerequisite for such an officer , Dilshan has n’t that qualification. He has done the GCE adv. Level in the commerce stream. The most vexatious and puzzling part of this regime wantonly destructive ‘drama’ is , Dilshan who has qualified in commerce at the GCE adv. Level had been permitted to do a degree in science !
Let alone all that , to become a Pilot officer, it is imperative that he has a perfect health condition . In that connection he should be possessed of the mandatory height , weight , chest and fitness statistics in conformity with the Universally approved and accepted standards, since it is a profession where the Pilot is saddled with full responsibility in regard to the safety and security of all the passengers in his flight .Deplorably , all these mandatory requirements and qualifications expected of a Pilot trainee had been waived and not been taken into account when recruiting the wilted and withered unqualified Dilshan. The latter does not have the required height , chest, weight statistics and he has failed in the final selection test. Yet , strangely in SL ,the so called Asian wilted model in the making of the Rajapakses ,he is to be made a pilot officer in any event. 
Now let us tell you why Dilshan Cooray is a Pilot officer in the odious Asian model : it is because his elder brother Suresh Cooray is a Personal security incompetent soldier of Bayagotha ever ready to bootlick and do his sordid biddings.

SL’s Bayagotha who is at the helm of obnoxious affairs of SL , the odious Asian wonder in the making , even though he is just a public servant ,is so offensively powerful that like how he disembarked passengers from a plane to accommodate his wife’s pup in the plane, he is ready to recruit in the future a foreign dog to the post of Pilot in SL , to contribute to the Rajapakses’Asian wonder in the making. His wife’s pup and his dogs apart , he is himself a most dangerous animal in human form going by his past history abandoning his motherland and fleeing in fear to America during the war.

At any rate ,on behalf of our motherland , we can only pray and hope that God will protect the passengers’ in the flight of future Pilot Dilshan to reach their destinations safely .

 India Sri Lanka Relations and the Tamil Nadu Factor-Missing the Wood for the Trees

Guest column by Commodore R. S. Vasan  

The recent happenings in Tamil Nadu and the aggressive stance of Jayalalithaa the Chief Minister against Sri Lanka does not augur well for the bilateral relations of the two countries and for the future of Tamils in the Island.  The attacks on the Sri Lankan citizens irrespective of their background in different parts of Tamil Nadu shows the state in poor light. The incidents witnessed in the recent past needs to be examined dispassionately.

 As far as the training of the defence personnel from the Island are concerned, first, it was the demand for returning the airmen under training in Tambaram, then it was the demand for the two officers undergoing the Staff Course at  Defence Services Staff College in Coonoor to be sent back. According  to the published reports, the airmen from Tambaram were shifted to another training base. The Minister for State Pallam Raju has clarified that the Sri Lankan defence forces would continue to receive training in India. This further angered Jayalalithaa who remarked that it was “reprehensible  attitude” of  the center and  an insult to the Tamil sensitivity? The political parties in Tamil Nadu have joined hands in protesting the presence of the Sri Lankan defence personnel in the country for training. Unfortunately, the objection is not just to the presence of the military personnel  alone but also to any Sri Lankan team or individual visiting Tamil Nadu for any purpose.

The Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa has come in for a lot of criticism from many nations for the alleged war crimes committed during the concluding phase of the war in which the LTTE was defeated. India voted against Sri Lanka in the UNHCR resolution in March 2012, while it did help in redrafting the resolution to safeguard the sovereignty of Sri Lanka by allowing inspections by external teams only with the concurrence of the SL Government.   The regional parties in Tamil Nadu have every right to apply direct pressure on the UPA Government and indirect pressure on the elected Government in Sri Lanka for speedy resettlement, rehabilitation and fair treatment of the displaced Tamils in a time bound manner.  However, the action of the State Government and some sections of the Tamils to indiscriminately target all Sri Lankans visiting Chennai is counterproductive and in bad taste. 

The ugly quarrel of Tamil Nadu should not be with the people of Sri Lanka who enjoy traditional ties and historical relations with their counterparts in India.  The uncivilized attacks on some 184 pilgrims’ from Sri Lanka who were visiting a church in Tamil Nadu for religious purposes demonstrates the sullen behavior of the regional  parties even to such nonpolitical visits .  Even in January this year, there were attacks on some Buddhist monks from the Island to Chennai and their place of stay was vandalized.  An official who permitted a football match last week in Chennai was suspended showing the high degree of intolerance. A statement attributed to the leadership claimed that it hurt the sensitivities of the Tamils! After all this was just a friendly match and to punish an official for allowing this match and for displaying such contempt for a visiting sporting team again shows the administration in poor light. Whatever has happened to the  concept of “Athithi Devo Bhava”  a traditional respect accorded to a guest who is treated as god ?The citizens of Sri Lanka in any capacity do not represent Mahinda Rajapaksa or his policies just as any Indian visiting other countries does not represent Manmohan singh.  The Sri Lankans would like to visit India either for religious purposes, leisure, shopping or for visiting their friends/relatives. By preventing such visits even by law abiding citizens of a neighbouring country, Tamil Nadu has shown the level to which it can stoop to serve its political ends.

The convoluted attacks on its citizens has  prompted the Sri Lankan Government to issue a travel advisory to its citizens to avoid travel to Tamil Nadu unless inescapable.  This issue of travel advisory has been carried in the front pages of Shanghai daily this morning (04 Sep 2012). It only shows that China is closely monitoring the developments in Tamil Nadu and would use every opportunity to entrench itself deeply in Sri Lanka by now offering all the facilities sought to be denied to Sri Lankans by the political parties in Tamil Nadu.

Coming to the much debated issue of fishing, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu routinely accuses the Sri Lankan navy of harassing the Indian fishermen and sends out letters to the Prime Minister. The undisputed fact of the matter is that Tamil Nadu fishermen regularly fish in disputed waters of Sri Lanka. The fishermen from Sri Lanka a majority of whom are also Tamils come in to conflict with Tamil Nadu fishermen over depleting resources. Whether it is right or wrong, the demarcation of the International Maritime Boundarly Line (IMBL) in 1974 has ceded Kachchativu to Sri Lanka. The Indian fishermen are known to use the banned bottom trawling methods which denude the fishing grounds. The methods and the aggressive behaviour of the Tamil fishermen have led to clashes at sea. Whenever they are attacked in Sri Lankan waters, the complaint is that they were attacked in Indian waters. This is done to ensure that the compensation claims if any are entertained by the TN Government. No claims would be admitted for incidents in Sri Lankan waters. In a recent report provided by the Government based on an RTI, it has been indicated that all the attacks are shown as having taken place in Indian waters in the FIRs, Regrettably, there is no record of any joint investigation or evidence to prove or disprove the alleged attacks. This needs to be remedied by having an apparatus that caters to joint investigation using modern aids that are available. During the quarterly IMBL meetings held between the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and the Sri Lankan maritime forces, data on the location of the naval and other surface units is exchanged and by and large the radar pictures taken by the naval units clearly indicate the IMBL violations by large number of Indian fishing boats. Yet, even without any investigation it is alleged that the Indian fishermen were attacked in Indian waters.   There has been any number of recommendations by experts, academia and the NGOs about finding a lasting solution to the problems of fishermen. Many options have been provided for consideration of the stake holders.  Unfortunately, there is not much headway to provide alternate means of employment and equipping the traditional fishermen with better skills and equipment for deep sea fishing.

When it comes to Sri Lanka, it is clear that the State and the Centre’s views are contradictory on most occasions. The UPA Government was accused of providing military hardware along with China and other nations to defeat the LTTE a terrorist organization. Even Jayalalithaa did not have a second opinion about banning the LTTE and had constantly supported actions to defeat them. The Indian Government has done well to clarify that it will continue to train the military personnel from our neighbouring countries. The State has to realize that the training of military personnel from our neighbouring countries has a strategic connotation and has brought the military personnel of the countries closer and enables cooperation for taking on the common threats in the region by bilateral agreements. It also provides many options for future.  By denying training to Sri Lanka or any other nation, India would lose out an opportunity to engage with the military establishment and maintain lateral interactions at appropriate levels in our neighbourhood.  As has been demonstrated, the military personnel at different levels who are exposed to the excellent training facilities and infrastructure in India would remain India’s friends forever.

It is relevant to recount the proceedings of the visit of the Nigerian Chief of Navy to Kochi in in late 90s. At an evening  reception hosted by the Southern Naval Command for him, he was categoric that it is entirely due to the training received in India that he was able to rise to the top post in the Nigerian Navy. By recognizing the training potential of the Indian Navy, he directed his top brass at that time to send more officers and sailors for training in India.  Any efforts to send back the military personnel from Sri Lanka now would only back fire and will adversely impact on the military to military and bilateral relations.  As in the past, such an action would drive Sri Lanka in to the open arms of China and Pakistan who would be more than willing to train the Sri Lankan personnel to derive similar strategic and tactical benefits enjoyed by India hitherto.

In conclusion, it is evident that the ruling party and other regional parties in Tamil Nadu have missed the wood for the trees. By not being able to differentiate between the citizens of Sri Lanka and the party in power; the regional parties are causing long term damage to the historical relations of the people of both the countries. India needs to ensure that the people of Sri Lanka feel welcome in any state of India. Surely India does not want to see its citizens being attacked in any other country including Sri Lanka.  As for as the war crimes are concerned, the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council should be allowed to take its course by applying international pressure and by having oversight responsibilities. The UPA Government by coordinated action with global players has to ensure that   the promises made by the Rajapaksa government are met. The State on its part needs to play an active role in shaping the policies of the Centre to ensure that the Sri Lanka Tamils are well integrated in a prosperous society in India’s neighbourhood. Nothing that is done in India should alienate the communities even more. The Tamils in Sri Lanka for no fault of theirs and by irresponsible actions of some Tamils in Tamil Nadu will be targeted objects of hate and ridicule in a country where they are trying to settle down post war.

 (The author is presently the Head, Strategy and Security Studies at the Center for Asia Studies at Chennai and can be contacted at rsvasan2010@gmail.com. The views expressed are his own.)

Deputy Minister Sarath Gunaratne earns Rs. 5,000 million selling state land

Wednesday, 05 September
SLFP Negombo organizer, Deputy Minister Sarath Gunaratne has illegally sold a 10 acre land called Udappuwatte in Kudapaduva, Negombo that belongs to the Land Reforms Commission to the Jetwing private company.

The land has been sold to set up a five star hotel. The files related to this transaction have been handed over to Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa by Western Province Minister for Fisheries, Tourism and Highways, Nimal Lansa.

After immediately looking into the matter, Basil Rajapaksa has asked Lansa to inform the matter to the President, Bribery Commission and the IGP.

It is learnt that this land, which belonged to one Tissera, had been taken over by the Land Reforms Commission during the land acquisition act under Sirima Bandaranaike’s rule during the 1970-1977 period. According to the act, the maximum extent of land each person could posses was limited to 50 acres. Therefore, out of the 60 acre land in Udappuwatte, the owner was given 50 acres while the Land Reforms Commission retained 10 acres.

When the UNP government took over in 1977, compensation was paid for the lands acquired by the Sirima Bandaranaike government. Hence, Tissera had been paid money for the 10 acres acquired from Udappuwatte.

However, Gunaratne has used his political powers to get this 10 acre land released to its owner from the Land Reforms Commission and had then got the owner to transfer it to him.

The land had been sold to Jetwing at Rs. 5,000 million. All documents related to the illegal transaction are to be handed over to the President by Lansa.

Attempts by Basil Rajapaksa to get Gunaratne removed from the post of SLFP Negombo organizer to appoint Lans to the post have so far failed.

Need For Peaceful ‘Regime Change’

By Laksiri Fernando -September 4, 2012

Dr Laksiri Fernando

“Even in peacetime the world has an awful lot of problems. Only in peacetime can we get on with solving them.”   -  Bill Oddie

After the end of the war against the LTTE, ethnic reconciliation with all minorities, the Tamils and the Muslims alike, and also between them undoubtedly was the priority. There was no justification of the war otherwise. Development was necessary in parallel, but not as a substitute or instead of reconciliation. The policy of the Rajapaksa regime, as it has turned out to be, is not reconciliation but assimilation. Reconciliation is only by words but not by deeds. This is already resisted by the minorities. The forthcoming provincial council elections in the East will sure to confirm this assertion.

There may be some who believed or believe that the war against the LTTE was wrong or it was wrong because the Rajapaksa regime was wrong. The reasons rightfully given are corruption and family rule, some of the perennial ills of many regimes. This is political puritanism and not political realism. ‘Conditional support’ to the regime was necessary to get rid of the LTTE and pave the way for the sustainable resolution of other problems such as ethnic reconciliation, democratisation, corruption, family rule, rule of law and human rights. These were not easily pursued during the war. Resolution of the ethnic conflict with the LTTE through peace negotiations was almost impossible as proved through experience and that is why the war could be supported or allowed conditionally without supporting human rights or humanitarian law violations. At least that is what the regime overtly promised, a humanitarian operation.

For a long period of time, Sri Lanka’s major political problematic has been what can be called the ‘democratic revolution.’ Without this breakthrough, genuine or people centred development would not be achieved. This is the case even now. While the LTTE was a product of the lacunae or the delay of the democratic revolution, its appearance in the political stage also created a major obstacle for the democratic transformation. A victory of the LTTE could have belated the democratic revolution in Sri Lanka for many more decades. That is why a ‘two stage revolution’ or process was necessary. Now the first stage is over with the demise of the LTTE, the second stage of getting rid of the Rajapaksa regime should begin. It is already on the move.

There were people who believed that the LTTE could not be defeated. They were proved wrong. There are people who believe that the Rajapaksa regime cannot (or easily) be defeated. The adverb ‘easily’ reveals certain defeatism. They would be proved wrong in the coming future. It took three years to defeat the LTTE in the battle field. It might take an equal period of time to defeat the Rajapaksa regime in the political field. The first trajectory primarily appeared to be a military conquest. But the second should be a peaceful political conquest given the parliamentary arena that the regime is primarily based. Sri Lanka also should not go into violence again. The defeat of the LTTE was not only military, it should however be noted. Political de-legitimisation amongst the Tamil people was its real defeat.

The 18^th Amendment has been the Rajapaksa regime’s ‘mortal sin’ after winning the war. That was in September 2010. It exposed its character. It alienated many influential sections of professional groups in the country although not immediately. By that time many ills of family rule and corruption also had surfaced.

For the Tamil community, the ‘mortal sin’ of the regime of course is war crimes during the war. There will be no easy escape for the regime from these crimes. The horror of these events will never allow the Tamil community to reconcile with the Rajapaksa regime. It may be necessary to get the maximum possible out of the present regime for the minority communities under international and the UN pressure. But a proper reconciliation would be near impossibility without a regime change. No mediation could galvanize it. The regime has crossed the red line.

There may be some who believe that the regime cannot be changed easily because of its development drive. But day by day it is exposed to be hoax. When the people in the war ravaged North and the East first need basic infrastructure for livelihood efforts, priority is given for major roads and tourist hotels. The main reason is the commissions given by the big contractors. This is the same in the South and other areas as well.

Development may be measured by growth rates for a while. But the people would soon realise that the benefits mainly flow only to a certain class in society and not to them. The income disparities are enhancing and the poor is getting poorer and poorer. This is unbelievable for a regime headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa who was believed to be a people’s man in the past. The only lifeline between the regime and the general masses seems to be few handouts given to them through programs such as Samurdhi and others during election times. These are just to keep them alive on the poverty line.

Then what keeps the regime going? Of course there are time sequences for electoral change. It is only two years since the last elections. Until people are sure that the time is ripe for regime change, particularly those who are dependent on handouts might hang on to the regime out of desperation. This is a predicament of a ‘poor democracy’ like in Sri Lanka. There are of course other reasons. Patriotism is one. The regime is portraying the LTTE still as a security threat. This is something which needs to be exposed. The opposition is also weak. It is not in disarray like in the past but weak.

The readily available forces for regime change of course come mainly from the UNP and the TNA support bases. The JVP is also an important or crucial element in catalysing change among others. Hopefully they will not make the past mistakes by indulging in violence. If they do, the upper hand and the legitimacy will go to the regime. Of course the regime should be resisted, but resisted through the all available legitimate means.

The crucial ingredient is the winning over the UPFA support base for a sustainable regime change. Chandrika Kumaratunga can play a crucial role in this respect if she speaks now, and speaks forcefully. Similarly important is Sarath Fonseka who might be able to break the deception of regime’s bogus patriotism being the former army commander. Keeping the soldiers neutralized in any confrontation instigated by the regime is also important.

There are suggestions for a single issue common candidate for the presidency against Mahinda Rajapaksa. It is simply too early to identify a candidate now. Of course there should be a firm commitment to abolish the presidential system from whoever is going to be the common candidate from the opposition in the future. But single issue might not be the best approach. There are so many issues that a regime change should entail. There are valid arguments that a regime change per se is not enough; a system change is necessary. Of course Kumar David has suggested a system change in the constitutional sphere which might or might not bring a systemic change in the other spheres.

A regime change is a social process. It should address to the various layers and sections of the society. It should be a comprehensive ‘socio-democratic’ program and platform as much as possible. These issues should evolve and arise like in the FUTA struggle for saving the country’s educational system. Of course we can debate upon them in advance but we should not completely predetermine them.

So far there are two sections of society that have moved against the regime in a purposeful manner: the academia and the legal profession. Although short lived, the protest of the legal professionals, both judges and lawyers, against the attack on the Mannar Magistrate is significant like the FUTA strike. To me, these are the first signals of a democracy or a human rights movement. Intellectuals and lawyers have always been in the forefront of democracy struggles throughout the world. This is almost like a ‘textbook’ case. The two issues that they have raised are the independence of the judiciary (with rule of law) and the right to education. The education sector might be the Waterloo of the Rajapaksa regime. There are pressing issues of minority rights and working class issues. There is a need to crystalize them. This would also not mean that everything is rosy or would move smoothly.

At this very moment there are dangers to the FUTA struggle. There can be dismissals of FUTA leaders before reopening the universities. Then there will be legal battles. There can be temporary setbacks but more profound forward struggle in the future. What might be necessary is to call the spade a spade. The Rajapaksa regime has outlived its purpose and it should go.

Man swallows $14,000 diamond at Sri Lanka gem show

COLOMBO — A Chinese man was arrested for attempted theft and taken to hospital for a dose of laxatives on Wednesday after swallowing a diamond worth nearly $14,000 at a gem exhibition in Sri Lanka, police said.

The 32-year-old had asked the stall owner for a close inspection of the diamond on the opening day of Facets Sri Lanka, an annual jewellery show in the capital Colombo.

"He had taken the diamond out of a display cabinet and appeared to be appraising it and suddenly put it in his mouth," a police officer at the scene who declined to be named told AFP.

"The owner saw this and alerted us," he said, adding that the man was arrested and taken to Colombo National Hospital to be given laxatives.

A spokeswomen at the hospital said that an X-ray had been taken and that officers were holding him under observation.

"I believe the X-ray confirmed something that looked like a stone. The man has been taken away and he is in police custody," Pushpa Soya said.

Photographs showed the man, dressed in a black shirt and jeans with his head bowed, being escorted from the exhibition centre by uniformed policemen.

Police said the stall owner valued the missing diamond at 1.8 million rupees ($13,600).

Sri Lanka does not mine diamonds but it has a large gem and jewellery industry and is famed for its blue sapphires.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.

Sri Lanka to receive U.N. rights team

September 4, 2012-PTI

Sri Lanka, which was censured over its human rights record in March, is set to welcome a team of technical experts led by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to check on the country’s resettlement programmes.

The team is to arrive on September 14 to offer advice and technical assistance to the Sri Lankan government, months after the adoption of the US-sponsored and India-backed resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council sessions held late March.

The team would visit north and east Sri Lanka checking on the government’s resettlement programmes and the internally displaced people (IDP) issues, external affairs ministry officials said.

The decision to welcome the Navi Pillay-led team is being seen as a change of heart.

The government initially showed resistance to the move.

The main elements of the U.N. resolution which urged expeditious action by the Sri Lankan government over its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) were that Sri Lanka should formulate an action plan, and that the office of the UN Human Rights Commissioner in consultation with the government of Sri Lanka offer advice and technical assistance on implementation of the resolution.

The LLRC report had dismissed allegations that Sri Lankan troops deliberately targeted civilians during the last phase of the civil war with the LTTE which ended in 2009.

In the immediate aftermath of the resolution, Colombo took the public stand that technical experts’ visit was unacceptable since it was not a party to the resolution.

Sri Lanka had blamed the pro-LTTE diaspora for enticing the US to move the resolution, an action they described as interference in the country’s internal affairs.

India breaks silence, assures Lankans safety
THE TIMES OF INDIA
NEW DELHI: Local politics, including sensitivities in Tamil Nadu, prevented the Indian government from reacting to the attack by Tamils on a group of Lankan Tamil pilgrimsin Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Instead, the ministry of external affairs reacted to a travel advisory issued by Sri Lanka on Monday asking its citizens not to travel to Tamil Nadu. India assured the island nation on Tuesday that it will continue to take steps to ensure safety of all Lankans visiting India. 

"I wish to convey here that the government of India, in close consultation with the state governments concerned, has taken and will continue to take all measures to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Sri Lankan dignitaries and visitors to India, including to Tamil Nadu," said official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin. 

However, after Tuesday's attack, the Lankan advisory acquired a new significance. Sources said the central government could not react since law and order is a state subject. The Sri Lankan government had said in its travel advisory that it regretted the increasing number of instances of intimidation of its nationals visiting Tamil Nadu for the purposes of tourism, religious pilgrimages, sporting and cultural activities and professional training. 

Embarrassed by the attack, sources said, Indian and Sri Lankan governments are working together to ensure the safety and security of Lankan pilgrims. 

The official emphasized that people-to-people contacts are an integral part of the close historical, cultural, ethnic and civilizational ties between India and Sri Lanka. " Our High Commission in Colombo issued visas to nearly 200,000 Sri Lankan nationals to visit India last year, while approximately 175,000 Indian tourists visited Sri Lanka in 2011. It is this perspective that guides all our actions on such matters," he added. 

Official sources also said that there is no question of New Delhi trying to block President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Sanchi, as some Tamil parties have demanded, later this month. Rajapaksa will be in Sanchi to lay the foundation of a Buddhist university being built with support from the local government. 

The Congress party described as "most unfortunate" the attack on Sri Lankan pilgrims in Tamil Nadu by activists of Tamil outfits and said the government is "very firm" that these kind of incidents do not recur. "It is most unfortunate. It should not happen. Government is very firm that these things do not happen," party spokesman P C Chacko told reporters.

Times View 

The kind of hatred being whipped up against ordinary Sri Lankans in Tamil Nadu deserves the strongest condemnation. It is understandable that Tamils are upset about the manner in which people from their ethnic community have suffered in the neighbouring country over several decades. However, to retaliate for that against school children who have come over to play a football match or against pilgrims is not acceptable. Political parties in the state have to shoulder much of the blame for the extent to which the temperature has been raised on this issue. They should realise that while they play their game of one-upmanship, they could be doing serious damage that will have a lasting impact. 

Sinhalese journalist on why some SLankans need asylum

Wednesday, 05 September 2012 

The controversy over the Australian Opposition's plan to send all Sri Lankan asylum seekers home, without processing their claims has erupted at a time when a group of Sri Lankan journalists have arrived in Australia to promote a new documentary.

Called Silenced Voices - Tales of Sri Lankan Journalists in Exile, the film paints a picture of the dangers faced by journalists, including death threats, abductions and indefinite detention.

Bashana Abeywardane is a reporter from the Sinhalese majority and the coordinator for Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka.

He fled to Europe in 2006 during the Sri Lankan civil war.

-ABC Radio-

‘India should not entertain a war criminal’

By P C Vinoj Kumar   05 Sep 2012

Posted 05-Sep-2012 Vol 3 Issue 35 Recent protests in Tamil Nadu against the racist regime of Sri Lanka have had the desired effect in bringing back the spotlight on President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is responsible for the killings of thousands of Tamils during the last stages of the country’s civil war that ended in May 2009. None of the recent developments in the State are aimed at ordinary citizens of Sri Lanka, as it is being made out in sections of the media. Pallam Raju’s statement that India will continue to train members of the Sri Lankan armed forces triggered the protests (Photo courtesy: Nakkheeran Bi-Weekly) The call for snapping of sporting and business ties with Sri Lanka and the protests against the Sinhalese pilgrims are signs of frustration in Tamil Nadu over New Delhi’s failure to make Rajapaksa face trial in the International Court of Justice for war crimes.   Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju’s irresponsible statement that India will continue to train members of the Sri Lankan armed forces, at a time when passions were running high in Tamil Nadu over the training provided to Sri Lankan defence personnel at Wellington, aggravated the situation further. Before the anger over Raju’s remarks subsided, reports of Rajapaksa’s visit to India appeared in the media. That was the immediate provocation for the protests in Tamil Nadu targeting the Sri Lankan tourists. India should not entertain a war criminal, a man accused of killing thousands of Tamils in cold blood and presiding over a regime, where voices of dissent are silenced with the gun, and journalists and political opponents are abducted in white vans never to be seen again. The efforts made by India and few other countries to pretend that everything is ok in Sri Lanka and that this modern-day Hitler has done no wrong, are not going to save this man from the gallows.  On the contrary, it is going to complicate matters. New Delhi remains stuck to an ostrich policy and fails to understand the public sentiment in Tamil Nadu. It lets itself to be misled by an elitist bureaucracy and a section of the media, which has failed to report facts. By continuously ignoring the protests in Tamil Nadu against the Rajapaksa regime, and calling these protestors as Tamil chauvinists and members of fringe groups, and misrepresenting these protests as against the Sinhalese people, New Delhi is allowing the wounds to fester. On a positive note, the time is now ripe for mobilizing public opinion across India against Rajapaksa. Parties in Tamil Nadu should treat Rajapaksa’s Indian visit as a godsend and enlist the support of Dalit Buddhist groups in North India to build up opposition to Rajapaksa among the Indian Buddhists. Rajapaksa is expected to visit Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh on September 21 to lay the foundation stone of the Centre for Buddhist Studies. MDMK leader Vaiko has already announced plans to stage a massive protest rally in Sanchi against the former’s visit. Both the BJP and Congress leadership have close relations with Rajapaksa. In fact, Rajapaksa is visiting Sanchi on the invitation of senior BJP leader and leader of Opposition, Sushma Swaraj. Sanchi falls under Sushma’s constituency, which is just one of her interests in inviting Rajapaksa over for the function. It would make sense for Vaiko and other Tamil politicians to seek the help of other North Indian leaders like Ram Vilas Paswan, who are sympathetic to the Tamil cause and ensure that Rajapaksa is not able to enter any part of India, and not just Tamil Nadu alone. P C Vinoj Kumar is Editor, The Weekend Leader

Psychiatric Disorder: An Analysis Of Gotabaya Rajapaksa

By R. Hariharan*

Col. R. Hariharan

Introduction-September 5, 2012

Sri Lanka is undergoing catharsis after a resurgent Sri Lankan army ended, on 19 May 2009, the twenty-five-year-long national ordeal at the hands ofVelupillai Prabhakaran and the LTTE. Since 1983Sri Lankahad waged war against the LTTE in three spells that ended in a stalemate. The final victory came only in the fourth episode that started in mid-2006. The victory has come at a great cost – the lives of nearly 24,000 soldiers, over 27,000 LTTE cadres and about 80,000 civilians. Millions of rupees worth of infrastructure, material and habitations were destroyed.

At the macro level, Sri Lanka’s success has demonstrated how a determined national leadership can decisively defeat a strong, well-armed and globally networked insurgent group. A dynamic military leadership managed to turn a demoralised army into a winning force and regain control of over 16,000 sq km of territory in more than eight districts. The Sinhala community’s ethnic pride, hurt by the LTTE’s spectacular raid on Katunayake airbase in July 2001, destroying seventeen aircraft, has been regained. The victory has also given rise to triumphalism bordering on Sinhala chauvinism, and resurfacing of fundamentalist Buddhist elements in politics. This appears to be affecting the way Sri Lanka looks at the unresolved issues of ethnic minorities, and global prescriptions to resolve them.

Though the country has embarked on a huge reconstruction and rehabilitation programme in the war-torn areas of North and East and other parts, overt and covert suppression of fundamental freedoms, including media rights, through intimidation and coercive use of legal provisions and gross violation of human rights have become a part of life. Ministers and law-enforcing agencies continue to act without accountability. Corruption has become endemic. Opposition and civil society concerns on these aberrations have been ignored or given short shrift. These actions have marred some of the positive achievements of the government particularly in managing the economy and restoring tourist trade.

The serial war effort has drained the country’s economy and hobbled growth. Over 300,000 people of the Northern Provincehad become destitute, losing everything – their kin, livelihood, land and housing. Billions of rupees worth of infrastructure, public service facilities and housing have been destroyed, often repeatedly. Over 90,000 women have been widowed. The trauma of the war-affected is likely to linger on for quite a few years.

Sri Lanka’s performance in the three years of peace has been a mixed success. The rehabilitation effort has succeeded only partially because it has lacked transparency and sensitivity to the aspirations of the Tamil minority. The root cause of the war – the feeling of inequity among the ethnic Tamil minority population – still remains to be addressed. The visible presence of soldiers in large numbers cramps the everyday life of the citizen. If this state of affairs continues, Tamil Eelam has the potential to become a rallying call once again.

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Sapugaskanda oil refinery too in a muddle: CPC and union contradict each other
(Lanka-e-News- 04.Sep.2012, 11.55PM) The Ceylon  petroleum Corporation (CPC) , Jathika sevaka  sangamaya (JSS) alleges that the oil refinery at Sapugaskande of the CPC had been closed from the 3 rd not because of a problem in the oil pipelines as claimed by the Corporation. According to the JSS Secretary, Ananda Palitha , the actual reason for this closure is , the import of Arabian light crude oil from Arabia instead of Iranian light crude oil, resulting in the refinery encountering difficulties.

In any case , in order to minimize the adverse effects on the production at the refinery , the CPC officials have decided to mix a variety of Mir light oil from Arabia with the crude oil .The CPC Industry Ministry meanwhile states that eleven lakhs 35 thousand tons of Arabian light crude oil had been imported already.
The Petroleum Industry Ministry issuing a communiqué on the 1 st however stated , the operations at the Sapugaskanda oil refinery had to be suspended due to sudden refurbishment to be effected on a section of the pipeline at the Colombo Port.

In any event , it is learnt that two vessels loaded with oil have already arrived , and they cannot be unloaded due to these hindrances. Consequently , there are warning signals of an oil shortage in the near future.

Relations Between India and Sri Lanka Sour

By JIM YARDLEY

Associated PressPolicewomen escorting Sri Lankan pilgrims on Sept. 3, 2012 in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, following a travel advisory issued by the Sri Lankan government to evacuate the state.

Last week, while traveling down the coast of Tamil Nadu for my article about the fishing wars between India and Sri Lanka, I noticed pilgrims walking along the side of the road. They trudged along, despite the heat, as they walked kilometers on a pilgrimage to Christian shrines in the state of Tamil Nadu. What I had not realized is that some of the pilgrims visiting the state were from Sri Lanka.

That has become painfully clear this week.  The same tensions coursing through the fishing dispute between India and Sri Lanka are now contributing to an ugly spectacle in Tamil Nadu as Indian protesters on Tuesday stoned buses carrying Sri Lankan pilgrims. The Sri Lankan government issued a travel advisory and arranged for a special plane to transport pilgrims home. The attack followed earlier protests and prompted India’s Ministry of External Affairs to offer reassurances that Sri Lankans are safe in India.

From New Delhi, where foreign policy attention is usually focused on Pakistan and China, it is easy to forget that Sri Lanka remains a potent, explosive issue in Tamil Nadu, roughly three years after the Sri Lankan government defeated Tamil rebels to end of the bloody Sri Lankan civil war. Since then, officials in New Delhi have worked to maintain relations with Sri Lanka, even as state leaders in Tamil Nadu want India to pressure Sri Lankan leaders on the post-war treatment of Tamils and to ensure that their rights are equal to the island nation’s Sinhalese majority.

In recent weeks, the Tamil Nadu chief minister, Jayalalithaa, has seemed eager to deliberately provoke the Sri Lankan issue. Last week, she suspendeda civil servant because he had permitted a soccer team from a Sri Lankan school to play in a match in a government stadium in the state capital of Chennai. She said the presence of the Sri Lankan team had offended native Tamils. Her move came after she had also called on Indian leaders to suspend joint military exercises with Sri Lanka.

In this context, the angry protests erupted against Sri Lankan pilgrims. In aneditorial titled “A Dangerous Game,” The Hindu, a leading national English-language newspaper based in Chennai, criticized India’s central government for failing to push Sri Lanka on the rights of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka. But the editorial also warned that Ms. Jayalalithaa had “harmed the image of the State and tarnished the reputation of Indian as an open and tolerant society.”

“It is one thing to demand the government desist from training soldiers from the island nation and quite another to ask for – and then peremptorily impose – a virtual embargo on sporting and cultural ties with ordinary Sri Lankans,” the editorial stated.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Tamil Nadu, many pilgrims were hurrying to leave. R.K.M.A. Rajakaruna, Sri Lanka’s deputy high commissioner for southern India, said a special plane had been ordered. “The pilgrims called me to make a strong appeal that they should be repatriated to Sri Lanka immediately,” he said in an interview. “Our main priority is to ensure the safety of our people. The situation on the ground is getting worse.”

He added: “The vast majority of the people of Tamil Nadu are not hostile. They are not unfriendly. But small groups are trying to project that the whole of Tamil Nadu is against Sri Lankans. These groups should not be allowed to have an impact on India-Sri Lanka relations.”

Niharika Mandhana contributed to this post.

IDPs, Buddha Statues And Unsettling News On Resettlement

By Kath Noble -September 5, 2012 

Kath Noble

The Government has been trumpeting its success in resettling IDPs to all and sundry of late. Hardly a week goes by without some reference to the official statistics, which indicate that at the end of July there were only 5,443 people remaining at Manik Farm, while another 7,329 were staying in welfare centres elsewhere in the Northern Province. That’s nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands the Government was accommodating at the end of the war. What’s more, according to a recent statement by the Minister of Resettlement, the whole process will be finished by the end of September, with the resettled having been provided with ‘all their requirements’.

In a sense, this is only fair, since its critics were just as vocal in their absolute certainty that the displaced would be kept in camps indefinitely, or possibly exterminated – I recall much talk of Hitler and his final solution.

Still, it may not be accurate.

Last week, the Diocese of Jaffna issued a report that raised serious doubts about the Government’s claims, suggesting that it was deliberately misleading the public about the ground reality in the North – in particular, the authors said that resettlement was a long way from satisfactory.

It is an appalling failure of the media that most of us will not be sure who to believe. The recovery of the war-affected regions of the country is one of the most important stories of the day, yet instead of sending reporters to find out what is happening – where people are living, how they are surviving and indeed what they think about their future in a newly-reunited Sri Lanka – we are reduced to reading about what GL Peiris tells various dignitaries. A few days ago, for example, it was reported that he had informed the Archbishop of Colombo that many foreign visitors had been deeply impressed by its progress. What conclusions we are supposed to draw from such ‘news’ is not clear.

Meanwhile, the ‘commentariat’ is divided into people who blindly accept what they are told by the Government and people who always believe the exact opposite as a matter of principle.

I suspect that there are two elements to the truth.