Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Churches Fear Sri Lanka Ban on 'Distorting the Original Teachings' of Christianity

April 22, 2013

Evangelical churches not recognized by government could be deemed cults.

Melissa Steffan

Proposed legislation designed to prevent the spread of cults in Sri Lankacould impact the ministries of evangelical churches in the island nation.

According to the Daily Mirror, the Sri Lankan Religious Affairs Ministry "intends to introduce a legislation that enables authorities concerned to take action against anyone distorting the original teachings of the four main religions- Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity."

And that's bad news for evangelical churches, says Barnabas Aid.

"Evangelical churches are not recognized by the Religious Affairs Ministry and are thus liable to be labelled as 'cults' by those who do not understand the Christian faith and want to prevent activity they deem undesirable or threatening," the persecution ministry stated in a press release.

Meanwhile, Assist News reports "this proposed legislation is the latest threat to the Church in Sri Lanka, which has been facing increasing opposition."

CT previously reported attacks against evangelical churches in Sri Lankaas early as 2001. Several years later, CT reported on Buddhists' legislative attempts to "curtail Christian witness."

More recently, though, CT reported on "the joy of suffering in Sri Lanka"and profiled Ajith Fernando, a native Sri Lankan.

Basil Rajapaksa employs ‘intelligence operatives’ to monitor civil servants in East

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 April 2013, 15:21 GMT]
SL presidential sibling and Economic ‘Development’ Minister Basil Rajapaksa, has deployed three officials per division in all the three districts of the Eastern Province to monitor the activities of Divisional Secretaries and Village level (GS) officers and all other public officials, informed sources in Batticaloa say. These intelligence operatives, appointed under the ‘Divineguma’ programme, are required to send monthly reports with intelligence input to colonial Colombo. The ‘civil’ intelligence officers are tasked to oversee the process of structural genocide against Eezham Tamils.

Tamil officials who act against illegal landgrab by the Sinhalese in the border villagers of Batticaloa district are transferred away to other areas following the reports by the new civil intelligence operatives of Basil Rajapaksa.

Some of the Tamil officials have also been threatened over the telephone by the ‘Divineguma squad’, which monitors all the public activities, including the conduct of the ‘government servants’ at public meetings.

The squad comprises of two Sinhalese and a pro SL government Muslim in most of the divisions.

The activities of the Tamil public servants have been severely curtailed due to the interventions by the intelligence operatives within each divisional secretariat division.

The entire civil administration in the occupied country of Eezham Tamils is already overseen at provincial level by colonial governors, who are ex-commanders of the SL military.

The Sri Lankan Government Agent (SLGA) of Trincomalee district is also retired Major General of the occupying Sri Lanka Army.

Racism In ‘Harry Potter’

April 22, 2013 |

Poet Rachel Rostad has zeroed in on some inconvenient truths for Harry Potter fans, namely that J.K. Rowling managed to create a fantastical universe crammed full of exotic, magical creatures while still marginalizing and fetishizing people of color. It’s really a stunning achievement, when one considers just how robust the world of Harry Potter is, that Rowling could manage to fuck up the last name of her only Chinese character, since “Cho Chang,” Rostad points out, is an amalgamation of two Korean last names, and to come upon a Chinese person named Cho Chang would be like finding “a Frenchman named García Sánchez.” Burn.

Though naming Chinese character “Chang” may be slightly less egregious than she says it is (in a conscientious response to the original poem, Rostad explains how she glossed over some of the nuances of Chinese naming in order to streamline the “García Sánchez” punchline), Rostad has a point. It’s unlikely that her criticisms about, say, the manner in which Dumbledore was outed after all seven books were released will prevent most people from professing their undying adoration for Harry Potter, but her takedown may raise at least a few eyebrows.

Courtesy http://jezebel.com

British concern on BBS

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Officials of the British High Commission has held discussions with the authorities of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) in the morning today (23), reports say.

The discussion was held at the headquarters of BBS with the participation of the leader of BBS Ven Kirama Wimalajothi Thera, Financial Secretary Ven Haputale Pagnarama Thera and Executive member Dilantha Vithanage.

The British officials have questioned BBS regarding it’s camping against the Muslim community in Sri Lanka and the conflict raised due to their actions.
In response Ven Kirama Wimalajothi Thera has stated that the intentions of the organization is not to act against the Muslim community but the Muslim extremists.

Ven Thera has protested against using the word ‘army’ with reference to Bodu Bala Sena in a Human Rights report by UK and the British officials has declared that it is a mistake
.
However, both parties have agreed to continue discussions in the future.

Officials from US embassy has also held discussions with BBS two weeks ago at BBS headquarters.

Can Racism Be Defeated?

04/22/2013

Racism and racial tension continues to prevail around the world. The notion that globalization has quelled these issues is inaccurate, in fact it is becoming clearer that as societies grow closer, racism becomes more prevalent.

Racism, for many, was the result of the misinformed and unsubstantiated theories of racial superiority. Dating back to the colonial era and extending up to Nazi Germany, the racist ideals that had spread were due to the belief that one race was superior to the other, and as such, equality was not an option.

With the abolishment of slavery, the defeat of Nazism and the eventual desegregation of America, many assumed that racism had come to an end.

However, this assumption was not correct, and once again racism is rearing its head around the world, from Asia through Europe and on to America. While not having the support of state institutions, modern day racism is building momentum once more, leaving those concerned wondering whether this can ever be truly defeated.

Before racism can be overcome, its cause must be identified. No longer does growing racial tension appear to be fuelled by the bigoted notion that superiority is determined by a person's skin color. Instead, it is becoming apparent that those fighting in support of the racist ideas are doing so based on their insecurities towards their own identity.

As globalization spreads and racial identities are replaced with a "global identity," societies around the world are beginning to fear the loss of their unique nationalities. With the reduction of the significance of national borders, the desire to maintain that independence from other nations grows around the world.

Sri Lanka, a country that suffered through a 30-year civil war based around racial tensions, is once again falling prey to the growing racism amongst the nationalist groups. On the surface, it is not clear why racism is growing in the country. The majority Sinhalese successfully defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and liberated the country, allowing them to maintain their positions of prominence in the country.

Since the end of the conflict the government, and in turn the majority Sinhalese, have come under intense criticism over allegations of war crimes and persecution of the Tamil minority. The loudest critics have been those from Tamil Nadu in India. While the Sinhalese are the majority in Sri Lanka, they are facing opposition from Tamils around the world.

It is difficult to pinpoint the start of the racial tensions in Sri Lanka, with many claiming it began with the passing of the Sinhala Only Act in 1956. The law replaced English with Sinhala as the official language of the country, failing to take in to account Tamil. Opposition to the law claimed it was a way of ensuring the Sinhalese maintained control over the country while systematically sidelining the minority groups.

While this may have been the case, an argument can also be put forward that the Sinhalese majority were looking to reaffirm and protect their identity following the downfall of colonialism in the country. The insecurities on the part of the Sinhala majority in the realization that they were in fact a majority to a minority that outnumbered them globally played a significant role in the racially biased law.

While Sri Lanka's situation may be argued as on offshoot of the conflict, other developed countries are also seeing a rise in racism. In Australia, a modern day melting pot, racial tensions are growing with incidents on the rise. Back in 2009 several Indian students residing in Australia were attackedfor reasons unknown. Despite the authorities taking the attacks seriously, the fact that these were not isolated incidences highlighted a deeper racial issue facing the country.

Often racism in the developed world is linked to economic reasons. Australia, however, has enjoyed a relatively stable economy in the face of a global depression. So why is racism on the rise in the country?

Australia, for the better part of a decade, encouraged an open door policy in terms of their immigration. This has seen a sharp increase in the number of immigrants arriving in Australia from all over the world. With this increase, the identity of the white Australian is being lost. For many in the country, this diversity of culture is being welcomed, as Australia is building itself an image of a global metropolitan. However, sections of the society fear the encroachment on their way of life and are responding by looking to exert a sense of dominance over the "newcomers." While immigrants are flooding to Australia, many of them are refusing to assimilate in to mainstream Australian culture.

While racism appears to be backed by the insecurity over the potential loss of identity, the question remains as to how can this be defeated.

With the advances in globalization and the idea that soon nationalities built on race will be replaced by a single collective one feeding in to the racial tension, the notion that a regulated segregation of society on the basis of equality should be given serious consideration.

In the United States, racism was seen as having been defeated through the civil rights movements that resulted in the desegregation of the country. African-Americans, along with other minorities, were given all the rights that had been enjoyed by White Americans. However, sub-cultures have appeared in its society ensuring that the identities of these groups are not lost.

Through music, films and even food, American society remains equal but also sectioned off and belonging to the different racial groups. To some this may seem as though America has not progressed since the 1950s. But in fact it has taken the next step, ensuring equality for all races while recognising the importance of maintaining separate identities.

This maintenance of individuality has allowed the collection of races to co-exist with one another whilst continuing to develop an "American" identity. Despite the good intentions of those who wish to create a common identity, the recognition of a person's race is paramount in overcoming the growing racism.

WikiLeaks: Party Of Extremist Buddhist Monks Stirs Up Tension During Holiday Season

April 23, 2013 |

“The Buddhist extremist JHU party looks set to stir up religious tension during this holiday season. Its members have made several ultimatums to the government and say they will begin a ‘fast-unto-death’ if these demands are not met by December 12. The party is also actively planning commemorations for the one-year death anniversary of Soma Thero, an outspoken monk who was a lightning rod for Buddhist extremism. The Supreme Court will hear a challenge on December 7 to the JHU’s proposed constitutional amendment elevating Buddhism to the status of state religion. In the meantime, there have been attacks on three Christian churches since November 1, with a mixed response from the police. The Christian Affairs Ministry does not seem capable of staying informed about the various pieces of religious-related legislation or the attacks on churches. While the JHU is likely grandstanding for political attention, the upcoming anniversary of Soma Thero’s death is giving cause for some concern among Christians, but considerably less so than a year ago.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

Soma Thero

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable discusses the activities of the Jathika Hela Urumaya. The cable is classified as “CONFIDENTIAL” and written on December 04, 2004. The cable is signed by the US Ambassador to Colombo Jeffrey J. Lunstead.

The ambassador wrote; “A Presidential investigation into the December 12, 2003 death in St. Petersburg Russia of Venerable Gangodawila Soma Thero (a marginal figure in the Buddhist clergy known for his extremist beliefs who advocated against everything, including Christianity, Hinduism, liquor, that he believed interfered with being a “pure” Buddhist); — A ban on liquor sales in all supermarkets; and — A date for its anti-conversion bill to be voted on in Parliament.”

Placing a comment the ambassador wrote; “The GSL, as represented by the Buddhist and Christian Affairs ministries, seems to be adopting a head-in-the-sand approach to the JHU’s proposed amendment, apparently hoping, by refusing to acknowledge it, that it will disappear. While the JHU is likely grandstanding for political attention with all its actions, the upcoming anniversary of Soma Thero’s death is giving cause for some concern among Christians, but considerably less so than a year ago. The JHU, which had not been created at the time of Soma Thero’s death, seems to be trying to capitalize on Soma Thero’s death to rally support. The atmosphere in Colombo and around Sri Lanka at Christmas time 2003 was one of much greater fear and anxiety than today; attacks on churches in December 2003 were reaching a climax and there were reports of several incidents weekly. The situation has improved in a year, although not necessarily due to any improvement in relations among the different faiths. To some extent, the JHU and its followers have been able to channel their energy into the anti-conversion bill and the proposed constitutional amendment. With the general lack of support for these legislative efforts, the JHU has decided to create this public campaign to force the GSL to address its issues. It is unlikely the party will be successful.”

Read the cable below for further details;

Transporting aviation fuel to Mattala costs millions

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

The transporting of aviation fuel to the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport on a daily basis has added millions to the massive losses already incurred by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.

A subsidiary of the CPC, the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminal Limited (CPSTL) has to transport aviation fuel from the Kolonnawa installation to Mattala every day on private long haul vehicles.

CPC sources said that the Corporation spends Rs. 64,000 for the transportation of each load of aviation fuel to the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.

Sources observed that these costs could have been avoided if the fuel tanks in Mattala and Hambantota Port have been completed.

Also, since the CPSTL does not own any long haul vehicles that could transport aviation fuel, five private owned vehicles have been especially epi-coated by the CPSTL to transport aviation fuel to Mattala. This has cost CPSTL Rs.300,000 per vehicle.

Since the Hambantota oil tanks that have been constructed are sinking into the ground and are of poor quality, the CPC would have to incur these additional losses for a longer period than anticipated.

JVP, with torches, demonstrates against electricity tariff hike

MONDAY, 22 APRIL 2013

The JVP carried out an agitation at Maharagama today demanding the government to withdraw the electricity tariff hike. The agitators carrying torches came in a procession on the Maharagama – Piliyandala road to enter Maharagama town where they held the agitation.

JVP Leaders including its Parliamentarian Sunil Handunneththi and a large number of residents from the area participated.

Download (Right-click & select "save link as" or "save target as"...)

Coal mines million dollars for Sri Lankan Polity-officers

(Lanka-e-News-23.April.2013,1.30PM) The electricity tariff increase is now showing its hidden dreadful nature and will remove the last resorts of the downtrodden masses who just make a
living, forgetting their hoped cool life through Mahinda Chinthana. Just to smoothen the agony of the blow the government propaganda releases the
last creature of the Pandora’s box – the hope of getting prices down through the next coal plants. Question is whether it is a reality to reduce prices after the next 300MW which will be completed by October 2013?

Let us take the main ingredient of the coal power assuming the plant will be ready by this October; the coal part. Currently we are almost in April 2013. The rough sea caused by the South West monsoon will start by May 2013. As everybody knows by now coal can’t be unloaded from ships during this season. That will leave the CEB with only a month to deliver coal for the new 2nd plant in October 2013.

Having understood the crust of the issue, let us see how CEB can make coal available for the new power plant.

1. The ongoing contract which was awarded to the Noble two years ago is at a higher price arrived through cunning manipulations. The attached is an extract of a petition sent to Bribery and Corruption Commission on this wrong deal. It shows that the tender should have been awarded to the Holcim and the loss made by the “deal” is about 4,367,776.00 $ equivalent to RS 545,971,982.00. Coal could be purchased from the same party for the anticipated 2nd plant also. In fact as at now the Norochcholei CPP operators are pressed hard by the Noble to receive coal shipments over & above the requirement.

2. There is a new tender floated in October 2012, to procure coal for the new year, whole plant including old & new machines. The tender was to complete by November 2012, but practically finalized by January 2013, at a lesser cost than present prices of Noble. Surreptitiously this was stopped by a legal point which is only applied to Taurian – the lowest (but not applied for Noble who has a similar fault) and tender evaluation is reshaped. Still the tender can’t be concluded with repetitive legal battles. Had the lowest bidder was awarded; CEB would get coal at 108 USD/MT against the present price of 140 + USD/ MT.

3. The 3rd logical possibility is cancelling the 2nd coal tender and extending the 1st tender at the same prices in favor of Noble. That will increase the cost of coal plant operation over LKR 5,400 million per year.

This situation can be summarized by a Sinhala saying – “Watath Niyarath Goyam ka nam kata pawasamu ae amaruwa”. When the administrators of the country who have been vested the responsibility are not doing so but use the opportunity to create business deals for their benefits at colossal losses to the country, what is the fate of citizens of Sri Lanka. Same maestro who is ill famous for many such deals is behind the game plan.

So electricity consumers!

Should we pay the increased tariff to strengthen the corruption? Shouldn’t we unite against this and refrain from settling electricity bills for 3 months as gesture of protest?

First Coal tender – case study for future auditors as reference
———————————————————————
A copy of a anonymous petition sent to the Bribery & Corruption Commission giving exact and detailed proceedings of the tender is annexed herewith. To assist the reader a calculation based on those facts is also annexed herewith. This case is not taken up by the present judiciary or the Bribery Commission, for reasons known by all the country men and international community. One day this will be a sample case study for the industrial law students and auditing students.

Second Coal Tender – Bitter truth of the present use of law and order
———————————————————————-
In the second coal tender, the same game plan as in first tender, could not be played as the evaluation was handled by CEB engineers. Initially the tender evaluation was in favor of Taurian Iron & Steel Co. Pvt. Ltd. Then the Secretary MOPE pulled a different card. He tabled a Supreme Court judgment happened in 2000, and raised doubts over TEC recommendation for Taurian citing they don’t have a local agent and therefore they are not qualified under the requirements of Public Contract Act. Then he wrote to SCAPC submitting the position of the Attorney General, which upheld the applicability of Public Contract Act 13 of 1987 in respect of this tender. As per this Act all public contracts & initial offers and the companies participating has to be registered before submitting the bid. However a big puzzle was artificially created as to whether a foreign bidder who makes a direct bid has to register or not.

Cold-war in CEB adds to its woes

by Ifham Nizam-April 22, 2013

With a cold war raging between a top Ceylon Electricity Board official, who is a senior engineer and others at senior management level consisting mostly engineers, the most powerful man in the Ceylon Electricity Board, General Manager, Nihal Wickramasuriya, has called a meeting in a bid to reconcile those at daggers drawn.

Wickremasuriya, who is the senior most engineer in the CEB, told The Island yesterday that he was not aware of the latest breakdown which had been blamed on a top official. However, he made immediate inquiries and said that the situation was under control as The Island exclusively reported on Saturday.

Of the internal rift at the first coal fired plant in Norochcholai, Wickramasuriya said apart from him, CEB Chairman Ariyaratne Ganegala and Power and Energy Ministry Secretary M. M. C. Ferdinando had also been informed of the internal dispute. However, none of the employees at Norochchclai had come out with full details, he said. "If it is a personal matter, steps would be taken to iron it out, if it is a technical, issue then I will be compelled to hold an inquiry into it."

Following the latest breakdown that lasted for about 24 hours, the plant resumed operations Friday night.

An engineer said that Norochcholai second plant was in the processes of being commissioned. "If such problems continue to occur we won’t be in a position to give an efficient service. Needless to say if the number of technical issues we have had faced since the first commissioning continues to plague us, then things will remain the same".

The Rs. 45 billion plant’s latest problem was chiefly due to alleged inefficient management that had led to a breakdown in the boiler when attempts were made to run it at full capacity on an ad hoc basis on Thursday night, sources said.

Adventures Of Pablo Neruda In Ceylon

By Laksiri Fernando -April 23, 2013 |

Dr. Laksiri Fernando

Pablo Neruda, a well celebrated Chilean poet and Nobel laureate for literature in 1971, had always been a controversial figure not so much in literature but in politics and personal life. Apart from being a famous poet, he had been a diplomat, political activist and a Senator. I have never been very much into literature or poetry thus my main attraction to Neruda was his intriguing political life. In addition, he was the Chilean Consul in Colombo during 1929-30 and reported to have again visited Ceylon in 1950 because of his attachment to the country.

After 40 years of his death in 1973, his body was exhumed recently in Santiago, Chile, to see whether he died of natural causes or by poisoning, as Sharm de Alwis wrote to The Island recently. Still a clear verdict is not given due to obvious forensic difficulties after so many years of his remains being putrefied. It has become a murder mystery.

He died soon after the dictator Augusto Pinochet came to power in Chile in September 1973 subsequent to the overthrow of the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende through a bloody military coup engineered by the CIA. Allende was a friend of Neruda. During the coup and its immediate aftermath, over 3,000 were killed and 80,000 interned who went under severe torture. Neruda was an outspoken leftist who could have created an immense international embarrassment to the Pinochet regime if he had lived longer.

First Controversy

I first came to know of Neruda somewhere in late 1960s particularly because of his alleged involvement in the assassination of Leon Trotsky, one of my political mentors when I was a young political activist apart from being still a young lecturer. I didn’t know at that time that Neruda had been in Ceylon. Those days, we were avid readers of all the literature we received from international sources and there were convincing allegations that he was involved in the assassination at least on the side lines.

Pablo Neruda

Trotsky was assassinated on 20 August 1940 four days after Neruda arrived in Mexico to take up his consular position. It is not merely this coincidence that led to the allegation. A previous assassination attempt was made three months before by a person named Siqueiros who was a famous Mexican painter and a communist party member. Neruda gave Siqueiros a visa as the Chilean Consul to escape to Chile while he was still in jail and thereafter Siqueiros in fact was living in Neruda’s villa in Chile. In 1971, Neruda admitted to a Uruguayan magazine that the visa in fact was arranged on the request of the (newly elected) President of Mexico of that time. As Neruda also was a communist party supporter, the suspicions grew. He joined the party much later.

When I went for my master’s studies at the University of New Brunswick (Canada) in 1974, there were many Chilean exiles as students. Cecilia and Gonzalez were at our next door apartment with a small child in the Magee House. Both were members of the MIR (Revolutionary Left Movement) in Chile and interestingly Cecilia belonged to the Trotskyists and Gonzalez, a strong Stalinist. Gonzalez was the first to tell me that Neruda had been in Ceylon and lived in Colombo. If I remember correct, Gonzalez being a poet himself was doing his master’s on Neruda’s contribution to poetry.
Gonzalez strongly vouched that Neruda was not a person who would harm even an animal let alone a human being. He was fond of animals and had Kiriya, a mongoose as his pet in Colombo. This does not preclude however that he was assisting some others on the instructions or interests of his party. While he was a strong supporter of Joseph Stalin he was also a strong anti-Fascist. When I was working at WUS in Geneva (1984-1991) my counterpart for Latin America was from Chile who was also a Neruda fan and had a big photo of Neruda behind her desk on the wall. Neruda’s innocence was the same impression I received from her.

Early Years Read More

CID interrogates Azath Sally

TUESDAY, 23 APRIL 2013

National United Front General Secretary and former deputy Mayor of Colombo Azath Sally had been interrogated by the CID on yesterday, Mr. Sally said in a media communiqué.

It is reported that the inquiry was conducted with regard to alleged spreading of racial and religious discord through cell phone short messages.

During the inquiry, Mr. Sally had been questioned regarding a journalist from English media, who was supposed to have sent 27 short messages to create tension among Muslims, three of which were sent to him.

“My telephone number is known to many people. Hundreds of people speak to me daily and I also receive similar number of messages. I cannot remember every one of them, and no one can even expect me to remember all of them,” he said as saying to the CID.

Blast in Akuressa market seriously injures soldier

April 22, 2013, 10:15 pm

article_image

Text and pics by Saman Upul Pinidiya

- Akuressa correspondent

One person was seriously injured and admitted to the Matara hospital following an explosion at a wholesale dealer’s shop in the Akuressa town public market early yesterday morning.

The explosion, which occurred between 6.00 and 6.30 a.m. caused severe damage to the shop. The adjoining shops suffered minor damages.

The victim was M. A. Chathuranga (28) a soldier, the police said.

According to eyewitnesses, as the keeper opened his shop they heard a loud explosion which rocked the area. An employee of the shop was suffering from shock.

Immediately after the incident Akuressa police, the STF and the army rushed to the scene.

At the time of going to press they had not established the nature of the explosive used in the blast, the police said.

The Chief Medical Officer of the Akuressa Hospital, Dr Manaka Widanapathirana said that the victim had suffered severe burns on his chest and the face and been transferred to the Matara hospital.

Akuressa police are conducting further investigations.

SARATH MANAMENDRA ARRESTED

April 23, 2013

Nawa Sihala Urumaya leader Sarath Manamendra has been arrested this afternoon by Welikada Police, acting on a warrant issued for his arrest for failing to appear in court.

He is currently detained at the Welikada Police Station and will be produced at court, police spokesman’s office said.

Manamendra was previously arrested by police in May, 2011 for allegedly threatening two persons with a firearm and again in May the same year on a warrant issued in relation to a domestic squabble.

Foreign woman raped by UPFA ruled PS chairman speaks

MONDAY, 22 APRIL 2013

The foreign woman who was raped by a group including the Chairman of UPFA ruled Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha after murdering her fiancé, 32 year old British Red Cross worker Khuram Shaikh, in the Nature resort Hotel in Tangalle on Christmas eve in 2011 has told her story for the first time.

24 year old Victoria Alexandrevna, the Russian fiancée of the murdered British national recalling the horrible memories of the incident has said that the gang of thugs stripped her and raped her after murdering her fiancée. She has said she has no confidence that justice would be done for the Crimes in Sri Lanka. However, she had said that she was determined to fight for justice.