Tanks overflowing due to torrential rains and floods.

Friday , 28 December 2012

Due to torrential rains in the north, tanks and rivers are overflowing and people normal lives have got drastically affected.

 

Tanks and rivers located in the Kilinochchi, Mullaitheevu, Vavuniay and Mannar districts are overflowing.  Rivers are overflowing and many roads have got closed down owing to floods.

 

Approximately 12 thousand families from five districts in the north are affected due to floods is according to district secretariat assessment.

 

 

6,592 persons from 1,732 families were affected until yesterday midnight from Kilinochchi district and out of this 2,189 persons from 563 families are sheltered in 11 welfare centers was mentioned by Kilinochchi District Disaster Management unit.

 

Poonagari Paranthan road, Mulankavil road, Vattakachchi Kilinochchi road located in the Kilinochchi district, water level has risen, hence transportation has got affected.

 

Water levels have increased at the tanks, hence people from low line areas are cautioned to be more attentive was stated by Kilinochchi Disaster Management unit.

 

Mullaitheevu

 

7 thousand and 796 persons from two thousand and 362 families from five divisional secretariat units located in the Mullaitheevu district are affected. 3 thousand and 505 persons from 120 families from Ottuchuttan divisional secretariat unit, 972 persons from 278 families located in Puthukudiyiruppu divisional secretariat unit, 328 families from Maanthai east are affected and are sheltered in schools. Cooked food are distributed was mentioned by officials.

 

457 persons from 420 families from Thunukkai divisional secretariat unit are affected, and they are sheltered in schools and public buildings.

 

Ottuchuttan Muthu Iyankattu tank is overflowing hence it was unable to take an assessment immediately about the people affected. Further the functions of Divisional secretariat assignments have come to a standstill. The entire details could be provided tomorrow morning (today) was mentioned by Mullaitheevu District Government Agent N.Vethanayagan.

 

Ottuchuttan, Bandaravanni, Karuvelankandal, Katsilaimadu, Peraru, Kanagarathinapuram Vasanthapuram, Muthu Iyankattu, Moothavinayagar Muthalam Gandam, Irandaam Kandam localities have submerged.

 

Transport service to  Mulalitheevu Ottochuttan road  got closed down. Paranthan Puthukudiyiruppu road is also closed for conveyance owing to Moongilaru overflows. Transport affected.

 

150 and more vehicles carrying pilgrims on a tour to Mullaitheevu got trapped in Udaiyaarkattu locality yesterday night as they were unable to move due to adverse weather conditions.  Hence the travelers faced immense difficulties is according to reports.

 

Irrigation officials have informed that the Vavunikulanthan water levels have increased and there may be a necessity to open the sluice gates, but there are minimum possibilities that the tank will rupture.

 

 Thukkai divisional Secretary had asked the 25 families living in the Kidapidichachakulam village located near Vaalkattu area to move to safer areas as a preliminary precaution.

 

Mannar

 

17,339 persons from 4,229 families located in the Mannar district are affected and are temporarily sheltered in welfare centers and public places. Concerning the flood situation an emergency meeting was held yesterday headed by Mannar Additional Government Agent Stanley De Mel.

 

Many assignments and emergency assistance were discussed at the meeting. Kattukarai tank water management too was discussed is according tor reports.

 

Officials informed the displaced people from Mannar are shelter in 17  evacuation camps

 

Vavuniya

 

Due to continuous rainfalls in the Vavuniya district, and floods, 16 thousand 450 persons from 4650 families are affected.

 

Eight camps are introduced at Vavuniya Tamil divisional secretariat unit and one camp at Sinhala divisional secretariat unit  and 16 to 25 camps are organized at  Chettikulam divisional secretariat unit, which are accommodating the displaced people.

Vavuniyakulam, Alagallakulam and Kanagarayankulam are in a state of collapsing. Already 53 small tanks in the Vavuniya district had been damaged. Transport to the villages is affected.

 

Water levels in tanks

According to the information received yesterday, the water levels in some tanks are increasing and the water is some is  getting spilling. Details are given below “

 

Akkarayan Kulam located in Kilinochchi district water level spilling is 26 ft.2 inch. Kalmadukulam water spilling is 26 ft.2 ft.Piramanthanarukulam 13ft.6 inches spilling 1 ft and 6 inches.

 

Puthumarippulam 17 ft 8 inches, and spilling one foot and 2 inches. Kanagambikaikulam 11 ft.3 inches, spilling 1 ft.3 inches. Vannerikulam  the water level is 10ft.3 inches and spilling 9 inches.

 

Water level at Vavunikulam 27 ft spilling  2 ft., Renniyankulam 11 ft 5 inch spilling, Iyankulam 13 ft 6 inches water spilling, Ambalaperumai tank spilling 10 ft 5 inches, Kottaikattiya tank 9 ft 7 inches water is getting  spilling.

 

Mallavikulam 11 ft 5 inch spilling, Maruthankulam 11ft 8 inches water spilling, Kalvilankulam 11 ft. 9 inches, spilling 4 inches. Kollavilan tank 11ft 6 inch, water spilling 6 inches.

 

Panankaamkulam 9 ft 5 inch water spilling, Palaiya Murikandikulam 9 ft. 6 inch spilling 6 inches and at  Therankandal tank water level is  11 ft.6 inches and spilling 4 inches.

Impeachment Of The CJ: Candid Request To President Rajapaksa By A Well-Wisher

By Nagananda Kodituwakku – December 29, 2012 

Nagananda Kodituwakku

When President Rajapaksa campaigned for the second term in office most people, including me, did our part to make sure that he would return to office, hoping that he would put into practice what he preached to the people. In fact an article written by me and published in the Internet was published in the President’s official website. (visit here for the full article)

I honestly believe that no one can take away his boldness when he was brought under a tremendous pressure by the EU community to stop the onslaught launched against the LTTE and his courage and determination to bring the war to an end that resulted loosing of precious life of hundreds of thousands sons of mother Lanka belongs to both Tamil and Sinhalese communities. Yet, none of us thought that President Rajapakse would become so drunk with power and resort to engage in an undemocratic campaign to strengthen his powerbase by eliminating all institutions that he considered would be a threat to his survival.

It is very unfortunate that all his commandants seem to be dumfounded and fatally failed to advice the President when it matters most. Particularly when his actions are blatantly wrong and baseless. When a wrong is committed, whether it was committed by the President or any other person, right thinking people with insight should have the courage to tell the leader that he is in fact at fault. Otherwise at the end of the day nobody would bother pay a least respect towards him like the awful fate faced by CBK who got everything wrong and had what she rightly deserved at the end.

Dear President, before your own eyes you can simply see the plight of those who followed the Machiavelli’s political ideology and got burned to ashes. Best living example is the decomposed CBK, your predecessor; the one who shamelessly abused the great faith and confidence placed in her by the people of this country. Probably she is the one who was given an overwhelming mandate of over 60% to put things rights. Yet, peoples’ judgement on her was proved absolutely wrong. At the end she proved that she was a monumental failure and that she was nothing more than a common and unenlightened autocrat. Look back and see her sorry plight today.

Do you want to follow the same footstep and fall into the same trap if you want to be the “peoples leader ever”? The choice is yours and if you want to be just another Machiavellian like JRJ, RW, R Premadasa, and CBK and rule the nation by deception then you would suffer the same fate; just another addition to the so-called ‘democratically elected leaders’ who betrayed the nation with total impunity.

Remember, you still have the full potential to be a model leader like Mahathir Mohamed (Malaysia), or Lee Kwan You (Singapore). You have already proved some characteristics of a good leader.  You stood firm against the Western pressure and refused to betray your people and won the hearts and minds of the people. If Ranil or CBK had been the President then there is no question that they would have kneeled down to the pressure from the West. Surely people loved your good qualities, you are known for your modesty and people naturally compare you with egotistic CBK. Yet, please be aware that the public are not delusional of your true character. Behind the scene there exists a darker individual and people do have serious concerns about your integrity and honesty. Yet, people are willing to pardon your obvious wrongdoings, after all we are humans and one must learn to forgive another if truly committed to rectify wrongdoings. You must shun all bad qualities and become a true leader with firm commitment to deliver.

There is so much to gain simply by being honest and committed. Just shun the rule by deception, which will only bring your downfall. Be brave enough to redesign your policies on strictly disciplined economic policy based on “dasaraja dharma” and zero tolerance of any form of wrongdoing. In the name of your motherland, give up all forms of misdeeds; reject all habit of pleasing cronies and other bad practices that only help ruining your chances to be the most successful democratically elected leader. Get rid of all criminal elements around you. Renounce all mannerisms of egoism and refrain from promoting and tolerating any individual that do. Be courageous to select and rely on a team of committed to serve the people [your cabinet] with proven character to deliver. Reject the ones whose prime concern is to embezzle public funds by improper means.

Please take your hand off the judiciary. Respect the rule of law and let it play its constitutional obligation as the ‘watchdog’ of the people. If any member of the judiciary is at fault follow a transparent process to deal with any such individual and afford them every opportunity to prove their innocence. Truly the process adopted to impeach the CJ Bandaranayake is grossly inappropriate in the eyes of right thinking people of this country who reject the undermining of the judiciary by improper means. Plainly, the process adopted for the removal of the CJ is just another demonstration of arrogance and abuse of office of the President. Follow the accepted norms and respect the rules of natural justice and afford the CJ a fair hearing before a duly constituted tribunal, this is what the people of this country yearning for and no way they demand that the CJ be off the hook if there is any credible evidence of misconduct of bringing the office of the CJ to disrepute.

People want you to displays that you are a worthy person with magnanimous qualities. One cannot deceive all the people all the time and if you want to win the hearts and minds of the people the time is right for you to prove your character. Show that you are not just another Machiavellian anymore or a ruler govern the nation by deception but a man with an integrity and commitment to fulfill all objectives set by the supreme law of the land, the Constitution.

4 year old girl raped and murdered in Mandatheevu

Saturday , 29 December 2012

A four year old girl had been raped, strangled and killed. Her body was found yesterday, from a well located in a garden was stated by police.

 

This gruesome incident had occurred at Mandatheevu, 2nd division area. The area was severely tensed after this incident.

 

Some persons had gone to clean the tobacco garden well located at Mandatheevu 2nd division and found a body and had informed to the Kayts police.

 

Police had brought this to the attention of Kayts Magistrate R.S.M.Mahendrarasa.

 

Magistrate after examining the body at the locality where the incident occurred ordered for postmortem due to suspicion.

 

Legal Medical officer S.Sivarooban from Jaffna Teaching hospital examined the body and conducted the initial postmortem.

 

Medical officer reported that the girl after rape had been strangled to death.

 

Reports said, the girl was missing two days back after 1.00 p.m from her home and the parents were on search but could not find her.  In this state, the body was found from the garden well which is 200 meters away from the home. 

Maithri says there’s no option but to retire

 Saturday, 29 December 2012 

Secretary, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena while participating in a book distribution ceremony in Pulathisi Mandapaya in Polonnaruwa, has indirectly said he had no other option but to retire.

Sirisena had made this statement with a sad face since Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne has re-commenced his public work. Sirisena’s dream of becoming the next Prime Minster after the demise of Premier Jayaratne has been shattered since Jayaratne is now even undertaking work assignments out of Colombo. The Prime Minister had even visited Kirivehera in Kataragama on the 25th and the Prime Minister’s media unit had released photographs of him in discussion with the chief incumbent of the temple.

Another reason for Sirisena’s depression is the move by MP Namal Rajapaksa to promote MP Roshan Ranasinghe in the Polonnaruwa District. Namal it is learnt is carrying out this operation with the President’s knowledge. Namal had appointed Roshan as a Vice President of the SLFP Youth Wing.

The President had removed Deputy Minister Duminda Dissanayake who was holding the post saying he was over age for the position and appointed Roshan to the place on Namal’s recommendation.

Roshan is a businessman who imports vehicles and vehicle spare parts from Japan and is now a close friend of Namal and Yoshitha. He imports vehicles required by Namal and Yoshitha from any part of the world.

It is Roshan who has set up a caravan park in the Yala National Park. He had also imported several limousines for Namal and Yoshitha.

Sources close to Sirisena said the Minister was helpless given the current situation where the government has set up a second line of leadership. The Minister has therefore decided to temporarily take a step back.

LLRC and 2013: The lobby that is opposed to the LLRC recommendations (on reconciliation and the rule of law) seems now to enjoy the confidence of the President

Rememberence of the Dead - LLRC recomendation discarded-----FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2012

''The government has committed itself to implementing the LLRC recommendations; though its achievements in this regard are not great. This is partly due to divisions within the government. The lobby with obscurantist views that is opposed to the LLRC recommendations (on reconciliation and the rule of law) seems now to enjoy the confidence of the President. That has to change in the New Year. The President has to be convinced that for the sake of the country he has to heed the voices of sanity and resolve issues in a manner that will unite rather than further divide our people on sectarian lines. ''

Let Reconciliation and Rule of Law be our wish for the New Year
NOTEBOOK OF A NOBODY, by Shanie

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year:
‘Give me a light
that I may tread safely into the unknown’
And he replied:
‘Go out into the darkness,
put your hand into the hand of God,
That shall be to you
better than light and safer than a known way.’
- Minnie Louise Haskins (1875-1957)

This was the poem that was quoted by the then King of England King George VI at the end of his Christmas Day broadcast to the nation in 1939 on the eve of World War II. This was stated in a Christian context but since then has been used as an inspirational message by people of many faiths and in a variety of contexts. When in doubt or in need of help, adherents of all four major religions in our country pray for support from an external power, theistic or non-theistic like the Triple Gem. So, as we enter a new calendar year, we quote this poem which we are sure will resonate with people of all faith groups, and even with those of no faith. The year that is now ending has not, by any yardstick, been a very happy one for our country and for our people. Let us hope that in the New Year, our leaders on all sides of the political spectrum will see the true light and tread the known democratic ways, and separate the good from the bad and the ugly.

The Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation identified two main areas that needed immediate attention. One was Reconciliation and the other the Rule of Law. If these two issues were resolved through consultation and consensus, the other major problems facing our country like a solution to the National Question, equitable urban/rural economic growth, poverty alleviation, human rights, development in the education and health sectors and a healthy relationship with the international community will fall into place. The government has committed itself to implementing the LLRC recommendations; though its achievements in this regard are not great. This is partly due to divisions within the government. The lobby with obscurantist views that is opposed to the LLRC recommendations (on reconciliation and the rule of law) seems now to enjoy the confidence of the President. That has to change in the New Year. The President has to be convinced that for the sake of the country he has to heed the voices of sanity and resolve issues in a manner that will unite rather than further divide our people on sectarian lines.

National Anthem in Sinhala only

The singing of the National Anthem is a supreme example of an issue where an opportunity for reconciliation was squandered. For over fifty years, the National Anthem was sung in Sinhala and/or Tamil. A few years ago, an order went out that it should only be in Sinhala. Wimal Weerawansa stated and President mahinda Rajapaksa followed him by claiming nowhere in the world was the National Anthem sung in more than one language. It was quickly pointed out that many bi- and multi-lingual countries had their National Anthem in two or more languages. It was surprising that the President himself was so careless in not checking the facts before making statements that impact on ethnic relations. It is reported that in the North, the Army insists that Tamil students in state schools should sing the National Anthem only in Sinhala; surely, an absolutely certain way of putting back the process of reconciliation.

Pluralism and Inclusivity

It is getting close to four years since the Velupillai Pirapaharan’s LTTE was defeated, crushed and buried. There is little doubt that an overwhelming majority of Tamils within Sri Lanka want to live in peace and amity with all communities in an undivided Sri Lanka. This is evidenced by the publicly stated policy of the TNA that has received overwhelming support of the Tamils at elections. It is only a tiny minority of Tamil Diaspora who seem to be living in a world of their own, giving themselves cabinet portfolios in a ‘government’ created by themselves. They have, of course, no functions to perform and naturally represent no one but themselves. They are best left to themselves to enjoy the positions they have created. This columnist’s impression is that the majority of the Tamil Diaspora share the views of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

That said, it is for the government of Sri Lanka to extend to the Tamils in the North and East the dignity and respect that is their due. Distancing the TNA, who obviously enjoy the confidence of the Tamils in the Noeth and East, by continuing to refer to them as ‘LTTE proxies’ does not help in drawing the Tamil people into the mainstream of the national political life. The government must adopt a policy of pluralism and inclusivity. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be happening.

Last month, the Army moved into the Jaffna University campus, shamelessly separated the Sinhala students from the Tamil students and proceeded to abuse and intimidate the Tamil students, both men and women. The next day, several student leaders were arrested, four of whom have yet to be released. In addition, a round-up is going on in Jaffna and over thirty young people have so far been arrested. Last week, in what was obviously an intimidatory gesture, the President of the Jaffna University Teachers’ Association was summoned to the TID Office at Vavuniya. Similarly, the Vice Chancellor and Deans were summoned by Gotabaya Rajapaksa to his office in Colombo. Such actions by the Army, undoubtedly with the concurrence of the President, will only undermine efforts at reconciliation as recommended by the LLRC. Referring to the recent incidents, a petition from the University community to the President stated: "The result is to cause considerable fear, anxiety and trauma among the students that is detrimental to the academic character of the University. More importantly dragging innocent students through police stations and police cells, as happened in the 1970s and 1980s, is frightening at the start and then hardens them and breeds contempt for the law and for the officers entrusted to uphold it. Where there should be trust and co-operation there is fear, resentment, and then defiance. Surely, we do not want the consequences of that again."

A reconciliatory relationship can only be built where there is trust and respect for each other. Regular round-ups like what we are seeing in Jaffna today, nearly four years after the end of the conflict with the LTTE, not just keep reminding people of the fear and violence of the past but continue to keep the people locked in fear. By repeatedly raising the bogey of the dead LTTE, they will only continue to keep the communities apart and undermine any efforts at reconciliation.

The need for civilian adminstration

The other important point stressed by the LLRC for reconciliation is that the North and East should revert to civilian administration. Having a civilian Government Agent and civilian public servants manning the District secretariat does not mean that there is civilian administration. If that were so, then there would be no need to have ex-security services commanders as Governors in the two Provinces. The local people know that important decisions are made only by the Governors and/or the local military commanders. Recently, Somapala Gunadheera has also stressed the need to have civilians as Governors.

If the government is serious about reconciliation, it is absolutely essential that the role of the military in civilian affairs be curtailed. Having a Tamil-speaking civilian as Governor in the North and East is also a necessity. In post-independence Sri Lanka, there were many Sinhala speaking Tamils who served as Government Agents in predominantly Sinhala areas and many Tamil-speaking Sinhalese who served as Government Agents in predominantly Tamil areas. All these officers were respected, enjoyed the trust of the people and undoubtedly provided for good relations between the different communities in the districts where they served. That position can quickly be brought back if imaginative policies are followed by the present government.

Upholding the Rule of Law

The second important issue to be addressed in today’s context is the upholding of the Rule of Law. Enough has been said and written in recent weeks on the impeachment process initiated by the government against the Chief Justice. That the government has denied basic fairness to the Chief Justice and violated all norms of natural justice in the farcical hearing has been stressed by all independent observers. It will be self-defeating for the President to persist in wanting to go through with this. The sooner he drops this impeachment proceedings and allows the three branches of the government to function as they should, the sooner we will have better democratic governance in our country. At the same time, the Chief Justice has to continue remaining firm in maintaining the dignity of her position and ignore attempts to lure her into political posturing. Once the heat has gone out of this issue and in the light of recent events, it will not be easy, as Izeth Hussain has pointed out, for her to maintain the independence and detachment that is required of a Judge but her integrity, training and experience will probably enable her to walk the tight rope with professional impartiality.

Politicisation of Law Enforcement

There are several instances where there has been failure on the part of the authorities to maintain law and order because of political interference. One of LLRC’s important recommendations was that Police being civilian department should be detached from the Ministry of Defence. Unfortunately, the government seems in no mood to heed this recommendation. The politicisation of the Police service has resulted in the harassment of political opponents and a free rein to pro-government political thugs. It is an year since a British tourist Khuram Shaikh, a Red Cross worker and his female companion were brutally assaulted resulting in the death of the tourist. The Chairman of the local body who belongs to the ruling coalition and is close to politically powerful persons was reportedly the chief suspect. Sadly, no charges have yet to be filed against him and his accomplices. Sri Lanka’s acting High Commissioner in London has given the Guardian newspaper and the family of Khuram Shaikh the routine excuse: He has been told by the Attorney General’s Department that non-summary proceedings are to begin shortly. But no plaint has yet been filed and all suspects released on bail. This is only one of several cases involving people with political connections who are able to escape the legal consequences for their criminal activities. In the North and East, political groupings which are part of the ruling coalition have been accused of being armed groups which terrorise political and personal opponents. The LLRC recommended that such groups be disarmed. This recommendation has also been ignored, presumably because the presence of such armed groups helps to keep the local population from speaking out for justice and fairplay. Sooner rather than later, this attitude will boomerang on the authorities.

In 2003, the late K C Kamalasabayson, who was then the Attorney General, stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law when he delivered a lecture in memory of Kanchana Abhayapala, the courageous young lawyer who was assassinated because he sought justice for the suspects taken in by the Police during the second southern insurgency. In his lecture the Attorney General candidly posed a question: Is it more important in a civilized society to spend millions of dollars in building roads to match international standards or to have a peaceful and law abiding society where the rule of law prevails?

A Bishop’s Reflection

Bishop Duleep de Chickera is one of our more perceptive of commentators on public affairs. He always writes from a national perspective providing much food for thought. We had begun today’s column with a quote from a Christian poet. In this season that is holy to Christians, we can end with a quote from Bishop de Chickera’s contemporarily relevant Christmas reflection published in last Sunday’s Island: "(Jesus Christ’s) life and teaching stirs the human conscience and opens the way to liberating truth and fullness of life. This truth and life sets people free from the impulse to violate and victimise others, and awakens a yearning to include and safeguard the dignity and freedom of the other, now seen as sister and brother within one human family.

It is this new release of perspective and energy rooted in the human conscience which relentlessly discovers ways of overcoming barriers that deprive and divide humans. The human instinct to protect and care for each other is much stronger than the sum of greed of the violent empires of the world.

This then is the strong message of hope that Christmas brings; the oppression of empires, whether yesterday or today, do not last forever. When contested with the much more dynamic forces of truth, love, justice, humility, forgiveness, healing and reconciliation they are destined to collapse and give way to a higher order. The prophetic words of the late Martin Luther King that ‘the arc of history is bent towards truth and justice’ are a precise summary of this reality."
IS

Sangakkara, batsman and propagandist extraordinaire

POST 27 DECEMBER 2012

BY TREVOR GRANT
Leading Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara is currently in Australia to play cricket but he also appears to be auditioning for a job in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s propaganda unit.

As he did on the England tour last year, Sangakkara takes every opportunity in Australia to suggest that his homeland has become a haven of peace and tranquility.

He did so again this week when sending a message to the protesters who plan to gather at the MCG on Boxing Day, calling for an Australian cricket boycott on future tours and matches against Sri Lanka.

“We are mature enough not to take these things personally. This (cricket tour) is one area they are trying to use to further their agenda. For us sports is beyond politics. We are ambassadors for our country,” Sangakkara said.

Tunnel vision

A Tamil Refugee Council spokesman, Mal Bala, said Sangakkara’s view of the country came from his tunnel vision as a member of the well-off Sinhalese community who was educated at an elite private school, Trinity College in Kandy.

“We all respect Sangakkara as a cricketer, but he would have no real idea how life is for the Tamils in the north and east of country,” Bala said.

“These people have been kept in concentration camps after the war and now they are being repressed in everyday life by the military. Rape, murder and torture continues as the regime tries to apply a stranglehold on the Tamil population.

“Our protest is going ahead at full steam because we want to give the Australian public the truth about Sri Lanka not the sort of propaganda Sangakkara is peddling.”

The Boxing Day protesters asked for a boycott on Sri Lanka until president Rajapaksa agrees to UN demands for an independent inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity at the end of the civil war in 2009 and until his regime and military ends the on-going persecution of Tamils.

A UN report has said at least 40,000 innocent Tamil civilians were murdered by Sri Lankan Army artillery and bombs while sheltering in hospitals, schools and other buildings. The civilians had been asked to go to these so-called “safe zones” by the Army, who then deliberately targeted them.

The Tamils in north-east Sri Lanka remain under the boot of the Sri Lankan Army, with the Indian Economic and Political Weekly reporting in June this year that –three years after the war — there was one soldier for every five people in the north of the country.

The 'other Sri Lanka'

“For us,” said Sangakkara, “it’s about showing the world what Sri Lanka is like now. People from outside should really come back and visit. If you don’t see what’s happening on the ground it’s hard to change your opinion.”

A few requests for Sangakkara, then, before we agree to head off on a trip.

Could you arrange a trip for us to all the detention centres in the country, where torture and other abuses remain a regular feature of daily life for imprisoned Tamils?

We guess that might be a bit difficult, given that the UN Human Rights Council was given a flat “no” from the Government six weeks ago when it asked Sri Lanka to allow the International Red Cross to visit detention centres. But surely a man of Sangakkara’s connections could pull a few strings?

Could he also take us to the main Colombo police station to see how the investigation into the murder of the Sunday Leader newspaper editor, Lasantha Wickrametunge, is coming along?

It’s been four years since he was gunned down in broadlight on his way to work after he forecast his death in his newspaper, knowing he had crossed the Rajapaksa clan with his gutsy, honest, critical journalism. So far there’s been no sign that it’s being investigated, let alone solved, and, funnily enough, his wife, Sonali Samarasinghe Wickrametunge, has fled to the US in fear.

I would have also liked to have caught up with his successor in the editor’s chair, Frederica Jansz, but I’m told she’s also fled the country, after she got a death threat from the defence minister, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who just happens to be the president’s brother. Those Rajapaksas’ certainly like to keep it all in the family, don’t they?

While we are at the police station maybe we can check on the investigations into the other 30 or so journalists who have been killed or “disappeared” in the past few years. Surely the men on the beat must have a few leads by now? They haven’t? Ah well, I suppose policing is a tough business these days.

After we wrap things up in Colombo, could we head north? We’d like to go to Mullivaikal, where thousands of innocent Tamils were slaughtered in 2009 and now lie in mass graves. That is, of course, if the bodies haven’t disappeared, due to the Army using acid to cover up their war crimes.

Maybe, also, we could see the site of the town’s hospital, which became a pile of rubble after the Army mortar bombs and artillery had targeted it and killed at least 70 people in one hit.

Then, seeing as we are in the area, could we also visit the prison in which several Jaffna University students were lodged recently after being declared terrorists for lighting candles to commemorate the Tamil war dead ?

Finally, there’s one last thing to organise, and we are off.

We’ve got a few Tamil refugees here who wouldn’t mind having look at the old country as well. Could we bring them along ? We reckon it would be nice for them to see their old friends and families, if they haven’t been locked up.

The trouble is they keep saying if they went back it would be a rather limited tour, something about a “white van” trip between the airport and the torture chamber at Negombo prison.

It wouldn’t be like that, Kumar, would it?

Trevor Grant is a former chief cricket writer at The Age and now works with the Refugee Action Collective.
© What's the Score, Sport?

Deported For Trying To Address The Serious Problem Of Asylum Seekers From Sri Lanka

By Brian Senewiratne -December 29, 2012

Dr. Brian Senewiratne

BRIAN SENEWIRATNE

MA(Cantab), MBBChir(Cantab),MBBS (Hons) (Lond)  MD(Lond), FRCP(Lond), FRACP

Consultant Physician

292 Pine Mt Rd

Mt Gravatt

Australia 4122

tel      07 33496118

Mob   0419335334

Fx  07. 33434306

Email bsenewiratne@gmail.com

14 December 2012

Deported for trying to address the serious problem of

Asylum seekers from Sri Lanka

Hon Julia Gillard                             

Prime Minister ofAustralia

Office of the Prime Minister

Canberra

ACT  2600

Dear Prime Minister,

I am an 81 year old Consultant Specialist Physician, who has been an Australiac itizen for 36 years. I have had a long-standing interest in human rights, in particular, the unresolved problem of asylum seekers and the way they are treated.

What Australia is doing is a violation of the UN Refugee Convention, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed and ratified by Australia. It is also a violation of the Australian Migration Act and even the Australian Constitution 1901(Section 75(V)).

I have been particularly concerned about the so-called ‘push-factors’ which make people seek asylum in Australia and other countries.

The problem of asylum seekers trying to get to Australia has also created problems in Malaysia and Indonesia. Moreover, as you well know, there have also been attempts to use these countries (and others) as off shore detention centres for asylum seekers. This is illegal.

Concerned Malaysians invited me to address two meetings in Malaysia(15^th December 2012 in Johor, and the following day in Kuala Lumpur). Since Johor is literally next to Singapore, it made sense to fly to Singapore and take a coach to Johor.

On arrival in Singapore on the 14^th December (today), I was refused admission, held incommunicado in a locked room for five hours without even basic amenities such as food or water, or facilities such as a toilet, and deported by an armed policeman to the flight back to Brisbane.

My request for the return of my passport, a fundamental right, was refused. It was only given back to me in Brisbane, and that too after a significant delay.

Singaporere fused my right to travel to Malaysia or to Indonesia, which is not only high-handed but illegal. Singapore could stop me entering that country, but had no right to stop me from getting to another country.

This is a serious problem that has already generated national and international concern. I hope it will be taken up in the Australian parliament after the recess.

I am entitled to an explanation. As a citizen of this country, and you, as the Prime Minister, have a duty to get this for me, if being an Australian citizen is to have any meaning.

The date of this letter is correct since it was written on the way back home. The delay in sending it to you is that I have rarely written a letter in anger, but have allowed a ‘cooling off’ period to lapse, and to also try and make sense of this senseless act.

I will set out in detail what was done to me. I will first give a brief account of who I am and what I was trying to do. This should not be necessary, since no citizen of this country should be treated like this.

My position                Read More

Policemen deployed to provide security to President in road mishap

SATURDAY, 29 DECEMBER 2012 

A truck that had transported police officers to provide security to President Mahinda Rajapaksa has collided with a van say reports.

The accident had occurred when the truck from Dambulla Police Station carrying police officers deployed to provide security for the President skidded and collided with the van. It had been announced that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would visit Matale today (29th).

Two Bhikkus travelling in the van and the driver of the van have receiver serious injuries and have been admitted to Dambulla Hospital.

Meanwhile, it is reported that a person has died at Thiranagama Junction in Hikkaduwa when he was run over by a vehicle travelled by a team of security men of a VIP.

Elements using judiciary to destabilize SL-Gota

SATURDAY, 29 DECEMBER 2012

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said yesterday various foreign and local elements were attempting to destabilize Sri Lanka through the judiciary.

“When carrying out his work the President has been faced with various challenges. Everyone knows that school children, university students, university lecturers and trade unions were used to create trouble. But because of the confidence the people had in the President the trouble makers could not achieve their goal. Today they are attempting to do it through the judiciary.

They want to destabilise this country. We know that peace and stability is vital if a country is to develop and for tourists and investors to come here,” he said

He told those who had gathered for the “Wayamba Asiriya 2012” that a conspiracy was being hatched by foreign elements to topple the Rajapaksa regime.
Mr. Rajapaksa said the country was facing challenges similar to those that existed during military conflict. He said LTTE activists in other countries were attempting to regroup and create chaos in Sri Lanka.

“Many consumer goods that can be produced locally are imported in large quantities. Although it is hard to believe, even tamarind is imported. It is sad that we import food crops that grow well in the country.  If we are self-sufficient in food, the colossal expenditure on imports can be curtailed to the barest minimum.

The foreign exchange savings can be used for development programmes. The government provided incentives including fertiliser subsidy to the farmers regardless of the war expenditure.

The most formidable challenge facing many countries is the want of food security. A country with food security will never collapse. Foreign elements attempted to pose a challenge to the government through the university teachers and the students, but failed. Now they are attempting to gain their end through the judiciary”

North Central Province Agriculture Minister D.B. Herath, Ministry Secretary Vijitha Bandara and several local politicians and officials attended the ceremony. (Pushpakukara Jayaratne)