US envoy summoned

July 1, 2013

The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka has been summoned by the External Affairs Ministry to seek a clarification on a travel note issued by the US State Department to US citizens visiting Sri Lanka.

An External Affairs Ministry official said that Ambassador Michele J. Sison is to be asked why such a travel note had been issued.

The US State Department had, in the travel note, cautioned it’s citizens when visiting Sri Lanka of crimes targeting foreigners.

As was first reported in the Colombo Gazette on Saturday, the travel information for US citizens visiting Sri Lanka said that while most violent crime occur within the local community reports of violent crime and sexual assaults directed at foreigners have been increasing in recent months.

In response to this rise in crime, the Sri Lankan government now requires that all foreign tourists provide their passport information to hotel staff when registering at local hotels and guest houses so that this data can be used by local law enforcement for the monitoring of foreign tourists.

U.S. citizens have also been advised against travel on public buses in Sri Lanka, as passengers can be targets of criminal activity and bus drivers do not all obey driving regulations.

Travelers, especially women, should consider travelling with other people when possible, the travel information notice said.

It further adds that organized and armed gangs are known to operate in Sri Lanka and have been responsible for targeted kidnappings and violence, although there is no evidence to suggest that U.S. citizens are at particular risk.

It also says the Sri Lankan justice system can be slower than in the United States and there are a number of outstanding cases of crimes against foreign nationals, including the murder of the British national noted above, which have yet to be prosecuted.

“Western women continue to report incidents of verbal and physical harassment by groups of men. Such harassment can occur anytime or anywhere, but most frequently has taken place in crowded areas such as marketplaces, train stations, buses, public streets and sporting events. The harassment ranges from sexually suggestive or lewd comments to physical advances, and sexual assaults have occurred as well. While most victims of sexual assault have been local residents, an upswing in sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas in the southern beaches underlines the fact that foreign women should exercise vigilance,” the notice said. (Colombo Gazette)

Report by Easwaran Rutnam

Government ask Douglas to send people to court against Northern polls

Government ask Douglas to send people to court against Northern polls

Tuesday, 02 July 2013 

Minister Douglas Devananda it is learnt is trying to send a group of his supporters to file a fundamental rights violation petition before the Supreme Court on behald of the govrnment. The petition is to state that the people’s fundamental rights have been violated by trying to hold Northern Provincial Council election without holding local government elections to Puthukuduirippu and Muhudibadapattu claiming that landmine clearance operations have prevented the resettlement of people.

The Wayamba and Central provincial councils are to be dissolved on the 4th and the Elections Commissioner is to issue the gazette announcing election to the two provincial councils and the Northern Provincial Council within three days from the dissolution. Nominations are to be called three weeks after the gazette notification and the elections are to be held between 5-8 weeks after handing nominations. Therefore, provincial council elections are likely to be held on September 21st or 28th.
The government is to carry  this entire process in order to please India. An envoy of the Indian government, National Security Advisor, Shivshanker Menon is to visit Sri Lanka shortly to discuss these issues and Minister Basil Rajapaksa is to visit India to explain matters to the Indian government.
When the elections Commissioner calls for nominations for the provincial council elections, Devananda’s party members who were to contest at the local government elections in Puthukuduirippu and Muhudibadapattu are to file a petition against the failure to hold local government elections prior to the provincial council election.

Sinhala leftist criticizing government repression overlooks Tamils’ struggle

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 July 2013, 23:26 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government’s real concern at the moment is “the threat of widespread social unrest and an uprising by workers, youth and poor”, writes Sinhala leftist K. Ratnayake in article published on the Trotskyite World Socialist Web Site on Monday. Referring largely to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s “Sri Lanka’s National Security Concerns” lecture at the Kotelawala Defence University in early June, the author claims that “The defence minister’s reference to a renewed “terrorist” threat is aimed at whipping up anti-Tamil communalism to divide the emerging struggles of the working class.” However, an alternative politics Eezham Tamil activist from Jaffna questions whether Mr. Ratnayake, who overlooks the Tamils’ struggle for sovereignty resisting genocidal occupation of their homeland by the GoSL, is consciously or unconsciously defending the state structure that he claims to criticize. 

Government Ask Douglas to Send People to Court Against Northern Polls by nelvely

This Is No Game

By Kath Noble -July 3, 2013

Kath Noble

Some months ago, my attention was drawn to a report on civilian deaths in the final phase of the war. The author – as yet unnamed – claimed to have something important to add to the debate that began in 2009 as the Army closed in on the LTTE in Mullaitivu.

I must admit that I didn’t feel very inclined to read it. Of course it is disturbing that estimates of the number of people killed between January and May that year vary from almost zero to 147,000. But there are many things to be disturbed about in Sri Lanka – the Government is pursuing a thoroughly regressive agenda on just about every front. Should we ignore its failure to tackle extremist groups, even if only for a moment? What about its effort to roll back the 13^th Amendment? How could we justify focusing on a subject that is clearly no longer urgent? In 2009, the LTTE had surrounded itself with an unknown number of people, and the question of how the Army was responding was of obvious importance – lives were at risk.

This Is No Game by nelvely

Shavendra threatens officer for raiding casino

Shavendra threatens officer for raiding casino

Tuesday, 02 July 2013

The organized crimes division of the Police Department had on June 28th raided a casino called Red Star that operated near a girl’s school in Bambalapitiya. The head of the division, SSP T. Ganeshanathan it is learnt is being threatened by Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Major General Shavendra Silva after directing the raid.

The owner of this illegal casino, Hiran Vichakshana and Silva has been close friends since school days. When Ganeshanathan had explained the reason for carrying out the raid to Silva, he had disconnected the telephone line. Silva’s security had then telephoned a senior officer in the organized crime unit and said, “We did not win the war for Jaffna Tamils to act as they please.” The message was conveyed to the Tamil SSP. The SSP has explained the reason for the raid being the fact that the casino had failed to pay Rs. 100 million that is due to be paid to the Inland Revenue Department for operating such a business. The government does not issue any casino licenses and the only way to operate a casino is to get a receipt from the Inland Revenue Department after paying Rs. 100 million.

An official from the Inland Revenue Department said that there are currently nine casinos operating in the country and that eight of them are in Colombo. He observed that the only casino owners who make the due payments to the government for their business are Transport Ministry Secretary Dhammika Perera and businessman Ravi Wijeratne. However, the raid on Red Star had been carried out following a tip off given by the Inland Revenue Department that a casino was being operated in Bambalapitiya without making the necessary payments. Accordingly, the raid was carried out on the 28thand the police had taken into custody the people, equipment and monies that were at the premises at the time. The persons arrested were presented before court on the 29th and they were released on bai

Bones found in a cesspit

2013-07-02 

The image shows a large number of bones that were found by construction workers who had been digging a cesspit in Mihintale. 

The Disappearance Of Morality In Our Politics And The Crisis Of The State

 By R.M.B Senanayake -July 3, 2013

R.M.B. Senanayake

The disease in our society today stems from the fact that our politics and governance are carried out without any moral standards. We have come to accept that politicians and politics can be carried on without any reference to moral values. Our politicians who were elected from the Opposition crossed over to the ruling party for very base motives. They were either bought over with perks to be funded by the people such as duty free permits to import vehicles- the most expensive ones too. Some others crossed over to avoid being prosecuted for violating the criminal law. What does this mean – the misuse of power for base motives.

The Government carries on flaunting religion but actually violating all moral principles and following only the Machiavellian ethics of politics which boil down to no ethics at all. Long before Machiavelli there was Kautilya in India and Sun Tzu in China. Machiavelli argued that it was better for a Prince to be feared rather than loved. He also argued that morality does not apply in politics. He said prudent rulers should shed moral principles adopting whatever means are necessary to preserve his power. Critics have pointed out that Machiavelli defended the evil methods of tyrants. But some have said that he exposed the deceit or lies that rulers resort to hoodwink the people so that the people would learn to be on their guard against tyranny. Would the people learn? Depends on the people. If the people themselves are dishonest liars and deceivers they will see no difference. But what about all the ‘bana’ preaching from morning to evening exhorting people to follow the principles enunciated by the Buddha? They don’t seem to amount to anything judging from the state of evil in our society. Now the monks themselves are setting a fine example in propagating hatred and violence.

Here is what a Chinese scholar, Chang Hsin-hai, wrote recently in his article on “The Moral Basis of World Peace,” He asserts that this disease of our society stems from a double standard of morals.  He says that the root of our troubles, both national and international, lies in the acceptance of moral standards in government totally different from those accepted and demonstrated as necessary for a good society so far as individual conduct is concerned.  If a politician, either national or international, engages in practices and policies which in individual conduct would be considered as most contemptible, he is commonly honored for his “progressiveness and farsightedness, and for the great service he is rendering to the citizens of his country.  He is elected again and again to public office, even though the same practices by the operator of a private grocery store or a farm would lead to his being all but run out of town’.

Now we find some Buddhist monks who have organized themselves into organizations resorting to hate speech directed at the Muslims and Christians. What they are campaigning for are political goals and have nothing to do with Buddhism as preached by the Buddha . But they spring from hatred. Such hatred may lead to violence against these minorities. Are these radicalized monks resorting to terror to frighten the minorities. Will they be frightened and give up their religious convictions? What is their ultimate aim? Do they want to prevent the practice of other religions in the country? They don’t seem to believe in the ethics and values taught by the Buddha- certainly not by the Buddha who was born in India. We are told that the Buddha was born in Sri Lanka. What do we make of all this distortion of history? How can we account for the treasure hunting among Buddhist shrines by Buddhists who display so much piety in the temples? Are the Sinhala Buddhists reneging on Buddhism? Are they becoming racists and hate mongers?  Will their actions be accompanied by more and more violence? In Egypt we see today Muslims who love the democratic values opposing the Muslim Brotherhood. When good men are silent evil men triumph.

Will the majority of Buddhists who do not associate themselves with these hate mongers keep silent? That would be a tragedy for it would lead to disaster as we witness today in the Muslim countries. Recent study on why nations fail by two American economists Glenn Hubbard and Tim Kane argue that countries decline when they fail to adapt to changing economic forces. The decline of the Roman Empire is ascribed to the growth of a welfare state and centralized governance. We are suffering from the same evils, unable to carry on the welfare state owing to fiscal bankruptcy and unwilling to devolve power.  Earlier we did not have the tyranny of the Roman Empire. Now we have it too. So there is the collapse of several state functions including that of maintaining law and order.  We are heading for a failed state and these are manifestations of it. What it will mean is that a new form of radical Buddhism will emerge similar to the fundamentalism in the Muslim countries.

Smugglers take pre-war Lanka route

Smugglers take pre-war Lanka route

Arun Janardhanan, TNN | Jul 2, 2013
CHENNAI: Arivalagan alias Arivu, the kingpin of a cartel that smuggles gold into the country from Sri Lanka, is on the run, but directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) officials arrested four of his associates with more than 200 gold bars recently.

Officials probing the case say smugglers took a sea route, between northern Sri Lanka and Kodikkarai in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district that cartels used before the Lankan war ended in 2009. Kodikkarai, a low headland on the Coromandel coast, was a landing point for smugglers because of its proximity to Talaimannar on the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. 

A senior investigating officer said smugglers had landed at Kodikkaraiseveral times in the recent past. "On one occasion, on May 4, the smugglers landed right under the nose of the coastal security forces that patrol the shoreline round the clock," he said. 

"The investigation now points to a money laundering unit in Chennai,"the DRI official said. "We have also established that two gold smuggling cartels that operate out of Chennai have links in Dubai. 

A senior official said there has been a major surge in smuggling from Sri Lanka following a lull after hostilities came to an end in the island nation in May 2009. 

The suspects revealed that the gold had been smuggled to Kodikkarai by a Sri Lankan national in a fishing boat. "He left the Indian coast after offloading the gold near a nondescript village on the coast near Kodikkarai," the official said. 

After the drop-off, the gold bars were loaded on two SUVs that took different routes to Chennai on the morning of June 15 - one via East Coast road and the other one took Tiruvarur route. FourDRI teams followed the smugglers for more than three hours. "But separate teams arrested them after a chase," the officer said. 

During interrogation, the smugglers revealed that they had LTTE connections during the war in Sri Lanka. One of them, Kodiakkarai Anandan, 26, a local politician, who was the cartel's point man in Nagapattinam is the son of Shanmugam, who committed suicide during the Rajiv Gandhi assassination probe. Anandan and Karutha Pandian alias Suresh were remanded in judicial custody but were granted bail within a day by a magistrate's court.

WikiLeaks: Govt. Promise Of Devolution Of Power To The Eastern Province Under The 13A Has Been Broken – US

July 2, 2013 

“Local leaders stated that many Tamils want a change and were frustrated with a string of broken promises. According to the Catholic Bishop in Batticaloa (protect), the TMVP disarmed with the hope that its members would get jobs, but this has not happened. Provincial Council promises of development and employment have fallen short. The central government promise of devolution of power to the Eastern Province under the 13th Amendment has been broken. On the other hand, multiple interlocutors referred to General Fonseka,s war-time statement that the land belonged to the Sinhalese, and minorities should be satisfied with food and housing, as clear evidence that he would not support Tamil interests.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The ‘Secret’ cable discusses the situation the Eastern Province before the . The cable was written on December 22, 2009  by the US Ambassador to Colombo, Patricia A. Butenis.

Pillayan - would be difficult to wash his hands

Embassy officers visited Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts in the Eastern Province from December 13-16, 2009. In Batticaloa, officers met with Government Agent S. Arumainayagam, Mayor Sivageetha Prabhakaran, United National Party (UNP) Provincial Council member T.A. Masilamani, UN officials, a Catholic Bishop, the President of the local NGO Consortium and people who had returned from displacement. In Trincomalee, officers met with Governor of the Eastern Province, Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema; Government Agent and District Secretary, Major General T.R.R. de Silva; Chief Minister Sivanesethurai Chandrakanthan (a.k.a. Pillayan); UNHCR, local human rights groups and returned IDPs.

The ambassador wrote; “Pillayan judged that returnees in Batticaloa would follow the TMVP,s lead and support the President, but that Trincomalee returnees were undecided. He expected that returnees would vote for those who assisted them or might spoil their vote. Asked directly whether the GSL’s sudden interest in IDPs would continue after elections, Pillayan’s colleagues acknowledged the concern with general nodding and nervous laughter. Pillayan answered that the President had made commitments to both the population and Ministers and ‘it would be difficult to wash his hands’ of them.”

“The UNP Council member had begun canvassing for Fonseka votes but noted that intimidation and lack of funds restricted the UNP’s campaigns in the East. One interlocutor pointed to UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the one hope for Tamils because he had “proven himself once before” by signing the 2002 ceasefire as Prime Minister. None of the interlocutors had anything positive to say about General Fonseka himself, but focused on the need for change, the desire to break up Rajapaksa power, and Fonseka,s endorsement by the UNP.” Butenis further wrote.

Placing a comment Butenis wrote; “While commentators have eagerly speculated on the Tamil swing vote, many Tamil returnees in the East do not believe they have a true voice in Sri Lankan politics or governance. Any meaningful GSL move toward reconciliation in the East was conspicuously absent. The Eastern Province,s coastal areas and fertile land offer significant potential for development, but, if left unaddressed, Tamil disaffection could undermine progress.”

Read the cable below for further details;

PSC now a party affair(13 A; IGP argues against devolving police powers to PCs)

PSC now a party affair(13 A; IGP argues against devolving police powers to PCs)

2013-07-01 

Last week, at the National Security Council meeting (NSC), IGP N.K. Illangakoon, delivered a presentation on the perils of delegating police powers to the Provincial Councils. Two guests were in the attendance, invited by President Mahinda Rajapaksa; they were Vasudeva Nanayakkara and D.E.W. Gunasekara, two pro-devolution ministers who had been the most vocal among all the left party Parliamentarians in the government, in their opposition to the proposed changes to the 13th Amendment. The two had earlier vowed, speaking to this newspaper that the combined Left in the government would vote against any constitutional amendment that would weaken the 13th Amendment. One notable absentee at the NSC, meeting was Prof. Tissa Vitharana, another minister and the previous Chairman of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC).

At the meeting, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Illangakoon was at pains to drive home the standard government position that delegating police power would pose a threat to national security. The only difference was that he was in uniform, but he sounded more like Wimal Weerawansa, the rabblerousing government minister and President's loyalist. The IGP spoke in length about the inter-relations and complications of police powers vested with the Central Government and the Provinces. IGP Illangakoon also proposed that the APRC proposal on police powers be reconsidered, contending that it was detrimental to national security. However, during the meeting, some of his assertions were countered by Minister Nanayakkara. "I told him that some of his interpretations were incorrect," Minister Nanayakkara told this newspaper, referring to the IGP's reading on police powers.

'Will agree or disagree'
However, sadly though, that is the dominant school of thought within the government, no matter how parochial it is. Among those in the audience were the President, his brother and powerful Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the three Service Chiefs and the IGP. In other words, the IGP was singing to his own choir.
At the end, Minister Nanayakkara suggested that the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) be allowed to deliberate on the 13th Amendment and evolve a consensus, drawing from the earlier report of the APRC.
"After the PSC presents its proposal, we will either agree or disagree with it. But, within the PSC, we will make sure our opinion is taken into account," Minister Nanayakkara said.

Opinions don't matter
However, as it appears, the opinion of Nanayakkara and his ilk does not matter for the government. The President and the main interlocutors of the government have made it known that the government would go ahead with the changes to the 13th Amendment, come hell or high water. The most recent to jump the bandwagon was the Chairman of the PSC, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, who last week in a public meeting in Kundasale said: "Devolution of powers does not solve problems." He told the crowds that "the 13th Amendment was forced upon us and the time has come to amend it."

Notwithstanding Minister Nanayakkara's faith in the PSC, it is now confirmed that the entire Opposition would boycott it. The TNA announced their decision to boycott it on Saturday (29) night and the UNP has already made it known that the PSC without the TNA would be a futile affair. The JVP earlier announced that it would boycott the PSC. Worse still, the government has excluded its constituent party, the pro-devolution Sri Lanka Muslim Congress from the PSC. Among others who had been excluded from the PSC is former APRC Chairman, Prof. Tissa Vitharana, who is known for his support to the 13th Amendment.

The PSC will hold its maiden session on 9 July. However, in contrast to its original intention, it has now become an affair of the government's nationalist bedfellows. Its outcome is a foregone conclusion. In a more realistic assessment, the appointment of the PSC was meant, more than to evolve a consensus on the matter, to generate credibility for the unilateral government manoeuvre. However, credibility is hardly likely to stem from what is now understood as a farcical majoritarian constitutional drafting exercise. If anything, the entire exercise is proof as to how low constitutional democracy has stooped to in the country.
However, in the absence of viable local mechanisms, norms and principled behaviour that serve as a bulwark of constitutionalism, there is one powerful external deterrent, which has now reasserted itself.

On the back foot
The Indian concerns over what is viewed as unilateral actions taken on the 13th Amendment, which is part and parcel of the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord, has not prompted the government to go on the back foot. Basil Rajapaksa, the powerful presidential brother and minister would leave for India on 4 July and is expected to meet Indian External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, and National Security Adviser, Shiv Shankar Menon. The government has opted to describe that Minister Rajapaksa, known as a successful troubleshooter of his brother's government, is visiting New Delhi to renew now stalled dialogue between New Delhi and President Rajapaksa's trusted trio, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa. The Indian side was represented by the National Security Adviser, Defence Secretary and External Affairs Ministry Secretary.

However, Minister Rajapaksa's visit is not as routine as the government has opted to portray it. Sri Lanka has been testing Indian patience for too long and has now pushed New Delhi beyond its limit of endurance. India has run out of patience and according to diplomatic sources, has apprised Colombo about its strong objections to the unilateral action over the 13th Amendment and that, if Colombo ignores India's objections, it would face the consequences.
Should New Delhi decide to exercise its diplomatic and other muscles, Colombo, shunned by much of the civilized democracies, has little recourse. Notwithstanding the hefty ideas of sovereign equality, international politics has no deterrent to the big power intervention and indeed mandate it.
First Executive President, J.R. Jayewardene, learnt it the hard way. The incumbent should make sure to avoid a repeat of it.

Vass Gunawardena’s cleanup operation in Kotakethana revealed

Vass Gunawardena’s cleanup operation in Kotakethana revealed

Tuesday, 02 July 2013 

Senior officers of the Police department have a few days back discussed how DIG Vass Gunawardena, who is now relaxing in the officer’s lodging at the remand prison, had cleared the Kotakethana area. This discussion had taken place at a wedding at the Water’s Edge.

The wedding was of senior DIG Anura Senanayake’s son and the chief guest at the event was Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Although the Defence Secretary usually spends a short time at wedding receptions, he had stayed at Senanayake’s son’s wedding on the 28th from its start till the end.

The toast at the wedding was delivered by Senanayake’s daughter who is an undergraduate at the Colombo University. She had made an eloquent speech on behalf of her brother. The Defence Secretary who had stayed till the end of the wedding was seen moving freely about the reception hall speaking to the guests.

Senior police officers after consuming liquor had discussed the main topic in the Police Department these days – Vass Gunawardena’s incident. A key issue discussed by them was how Vass Gunawardena had ‘cleared’ Kotakethana a few days after assuming duties in the area.

A police officer who was aware of details about the incident had said that Vass Gunawradena had released the suspects in the Kotakethana murders and had later killed witnesses. The police officer had said that Vass Gunawardena had carried out the murders on “that man’s orders.” The officer had then pointed towards the Defence Secretary. “Vass has told his wife to reveal all the details if the government tries to mess with him. This has prevented the government from arresting Vass’ wife and son,” the police officer had further said.

Mistrust and misunderstanding between Sinhalese and Tamils must end

Mistrust and misunderstanding between 

Sinhalese and Tamils must end

MONDAY, 01 JULY 2013

Dharmalingam Siththarthan, the Leader of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), a former militant who embraced democratic politics consequent to the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord told the Daily Mirror that the Provincial Council system introduced under the Accord should not be weakened despite it being inadequate in addressing the aspirations of Tamil people. During the war PLOTE was an organisation that was opposed to the LTTE. After the end of the war, the PLOTE, however, teamed up with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

By Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera

Q:Yours is a political party that was opposed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE). But, how do you see the political developments after the elimination of the LTTE?
Well, rather than being opposed to the LTTE, the LTTE were opposed to us. After 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord, we believed that a solution could be found within a united Sri Lanka. We realised that India would never allow a separate state in Sri Lanka. We thought an armed struggle for a separate state was a self-destructive exercise. That is the reason that compelled us to opt for a solution within a united Sri Lanka.   Yet, the LTTE never gave up its separatist agenda. Any party or individual opposing the LTTE ideology was seen as their enemies.  We had no choice. We had to defend ourselves.  In that process the only attacks were from the LTTE.
During Thimpu talks, we advocated the Swiss canton system as an alternative to Sri Lanka’s problem. At that time the government of Sri Lanka did not care for it.

Mistrust and Misunderstanding Between Sinhalese and Tamils Must End by nelvely

Foreign reserves not enough to settle external liabilities - Eran

by Zacki Jabbar-July 1, 2013

Even if the government were to sell all its foreign reserves it would not be able to settle the external liabilities, UNP MP and Financial analyst Eran Wickremeratne said yesterday.

He told The Island that while the Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal kept contradicting himself frequently, the reality was that the country’s liabilities exceeded foreign reserves by about 25 per cent.

"So, even if we sell all our foreign reserves, there would be no escape from the deteriorating economic situation," the MP observed.

Wickremeratne said that in 2012 Cabraal had told the local media that there would be a balance of payment surplus this year, but shortly afterwords he wrote to the IMF saying "the economic fundamentals were healthy, but there were emerging signs in the third quarter of 201l that the balance of payments was coming under pressure."

Either the Governor of the Central Bank was foreseeing a balance of payments crisis which was untrue or he was not keen on revealing the actual situation regarding the Current Account, he noted.

The Central Bank was duty bound to advise the people, including the business community, of the true state of the economy regardless of the pluses and minuses, the MP said, while observing that playing with terminology would be counter productive in the long term.

Defining response

Defining response

Editorial-01 July 2013

The attack on Tamil ‘Boycott Sri Lankan Cricket’ campaigners by Sri Lankan cricket fans at the Oval on June 17th was truly shocking. What began as Sri Lankan fans shouting and spitting at activists, swelled into anti-Tamil taunting followed by physical assaults, where Tamil activists were punched and kicked by a mob. This attack was not alcohol fuelled sporting hooliganism; nor was it pro-government Sri Lankans attacking anti-government activists - as the attackers’ taunting made clear, the activists were targeted solely because of their Eelam Tamil identity, not for their campaigning. The attack was racially motivated violence by ordinary Sri Lankans against Eelam Tamils on the streets of London.

The presence of British police was undoubtedly central to curtailing the mob’s attack. Nonetheless, it is deeply concerning that racist hostility was allowed to escalate into physical attacks. Video footage bears testament to the inadequacy of the police response, which left a greatly outnumbered handful of Tamils to protect themselves. Sadly, this failure to protect reinforces the prevailing Tamil assertion that the Eelam Tamil nation will never be safe, till it can protect itself. Although the resultant Tamil outrage was understandable, reports of reprisal attacks and ‘revenge’ calls by Tamil mobsters are abhorrent. Mindless, racist, reactionary vigilantism has no place in the Tamil resistance against Sri Lankan oppression. By contrast, the defiant but dignified response of the assaulted Tamil activists, who continued their campaign whilst insisting on calm and condemning ‘revenge’ violence, together with other notable Tamil community voices, was admirable. It is crucial however that the British Tamil community’s denunciation of ‘revenge’ is not undermined by the police’s failure to bring those responsible to justice.

Every nation has chauvinists. To define a nation on its bad apples would be unjust, yet how a nation responds to its chauvinists, is defining. Quite apart from the entirely predictable attempts by the Sri Lankan ministers and Sinhala press, to justify and even legitimise the attack, by criminalising the Tamils as ‘terrorists’, the  response by the wider Sinhala public is alarming. As the attack unfolded hoards of Sri Lankan cricket fans cheered, chanting “we won the war”. Meanwhile, the video of the attack has prompted a barrage of anti-Tamil hate speech as well as congratulatory messages across social media networks. Crucially, the failure of Sri Lankan cricket players to condemn the racist actions of their fans is indefensible. Though the captain was compelled in an interview to concede the violence was “unfortunate”, the team’s spokesperson reportedly asserted that Tamils had got the medicine they deserved - an endorsement that is tantamount to the incitement of further violence.  It is wryly apt that nothing so tangibly demonstrates why Tamil activists call on the UK to boycott Sri Lankan cricket, than the Sri Lankan response to this incident.

Contrary to the rhetoric spouted by ministers and numerous cricket players acting as country ambassadors, the incident exposes the fallacy of an inclusive ‘Sri Lankan’ identity. In Sri Lanka, anyone of any ethnicity can be embraced as ‘Sri Lankan’ if they accept (and dare not challenge) the supremacy of Sinhala Buddhism across the entirety of the island. Thus, any talented Tamil who abide by this, will be lauded as a national figure; but any Tamil who dares challenge it, however peacefully, becomes a legitimate target of the state. Sinhala mobs attacking Tamils who call for independence – a desire shared by other nations across the world, including Scotland – thereby becomes not only understandable, or justifiable, but commendable. That parts of the international press and NGOs effectively endorse this disturbing logic, by advocating to peaceful Tamil protesters to avoid holding Tamil Eelam flags, is deplorable.

The Oval incident was shocking, but not surprising. The attack was merely an extension of the ethnic conflict on the island: a Tamil attempt to peacefully resist the oppression and genocide of the nation in the North-East,  is met with violence by state forces or Sinhala mobs. Just as the prevailing Sinhala response is once again indifference or even triumphalism, the Tamil response is defiance and a renewed resolve to resist. Indeed, Tamil youths who arrived at the Oval as ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ wanting to support their cricket team, left as Eelam Tamils wanting to support the boycott activists. Ultimately, the incident underscores the very basis of the Tamil call for independence, that amidst Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony, the Tamil nation’s security cannot be guaranteed. Thus the enduring dynamic central to the ethnic conflict, of oppression and Tamil resistance against it, lives on.

Edward Snowden's statement released through WikiLeaks – full text

The NSA whistleblower, currently in Moscow, has released a statement through the freedom of information group WikiLeaks

Edward Snowden- Monday 1 July 2013 

Edward Snowden. Photograph: AP

Full text of a statement released by Edward Snowden through Wikileaks

Statement from Edward Snowden in Moscow

Monday July 1, 21:40 UTC

One week ago I left Hong Kong after it became clear that my freedom and safety were under threat for revealing the truth. My continued liberty has been owed to the efforts of friends new and old, family, and others who I have never met and probably never will. I trusted them with my life and they returned that trust with a faith in me for which I will always be thankful.

On Thursday, President Obama declared before the world that he would not permit any diplomatic "wheeling and dealing" over my case. Yet now it is being reported that after promising not to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions.

This kind of deception from a world leader is not justice, and neither is the extralegal penalty of exile. These are the old, bad tools of political aggression. Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me.

For decades the United States of America have been one of the strongest defenders of the human right to seek asylum. Sadly, this right, laid out and voted for by the U.S. in Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is now being rejected by the current government of my country. The Obama administration has now adopted the strategy of using citizenship as a weapon. Although I am convicted of nothing, it has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person. Without any judicial order, the administration now seeks to stop me exercising a basic right. A right that belongs to everybody. The right to seek asylum.

In the end the Obama administration is not afraid of whistleblowers like me, Bradley Manning or Thomas Drake. We are stateless, imprisoned, or powerless. No, the Obama administration is afraid of you. It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised – and it should be.

I am unbowed in my convictions and impressed at the efforts taken by so many.

Edward Joseph Snowden

Monday 1st July 2013

The Various Norwegian Agencies That Supported BBS Personnel

By Rajiva Wijesinha -July 3, 2013

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha MP

When I wrote some weeks back about the supposed Norwegian involvement with the Bodhu Bala Sena, I had not seen the clarification which theNorwegian Embassy had put on its website about the allegations. Having read it, I am more than ever convinced that the Norwegian government and its embassy have not behaved badly, but also that they, and also the Sri Lankan government, must go more carefully into the matter and check on what exactly has been going on. If they can do this together, so much the better, though I fear that neither side will have the correct skills and attitudes to ensure fruitful and productive cooperation.

The reason I believe investigation would be useful is because of two names I noticed in the official Norwegian statement. One is that of the Worldview International Foundation, which is essentially run by a gentleman called Arne Fjiatoff, who has been in Sri Lanka now for several decades. During this period he has been involved in a range of projects with various Sri Lankan governments, which are in theory designed to benefit the Sri Lankan people, but which have also brought considerable benefits to Arne himself.

I was introduced to him initially by Dilanthe Withanage, the other name I noticed in the statement. Dilanthe has now emerged as the lay spokesman for the BBS, though I knew him earlier in another very positive incarnation, as running computer programmes for the Ministry of Education when I was Adviser there on English. Though I took on the position mainly to reintroduce the English medium option, given the paucity of capacity there at the time, I ended up involved in many other initiatives, ranging from curriculum revision to primary English materials.

I had been appointed by Tara de Mel, who I still think was one of the best Secretaries of Education Sri Lanka has had. Her involvement with Arne however surprised me, for she did not seem to have realized that the project he had suggested through Dilanthe, and which I was asked to comment on, was expensive and not likely to prove productive. As always with such unsolicited projects, it included the purchase of a great deal of software, for which it seemed a loan would be available, though the terms did not seem especially favourable. And my suspicions were roused further when Arne referred to the benefits there might be for me, including travel to Norway and consultancy payments.

I realized then how he had been operating over the previous decades, given how easy it is to win the support of government officials through what is not strictly bribery, but rather the provision of what seem enormous benefits, given the joys and profits of foreign travel. Incidentally, it seems that that is what the Norwegian government did try to do with the monks it had taken to Norway, though the benefits conferred do not seem to have produced any positive results in that instance.

I was negative about the project and tried to keep my distance, though after Tara ceased to be Secretary she had me over to see Arne again about what seemed another far fetched scheme which also seems to have been forgotten. I should note that it is a pity government has not since 2005 tried to make use of Tara’s services since, though she was understandably loyal to President Kumaratunga who had entrusted her with major responsibilities, her abilities were unquestionable, and she would bring similar professionalism to bear in any other position. Given current problems with education, we cannot afford to ignore people of talent and ability.

Dilanthe I felt was the same, so I was glad to see him back in harness at the Presidential Secretariat in relation to I think the Trilingual Initiative. I also saw that he was associated with a website called Sithamu, for which I was asked to write, and which seemed to me to provide space for a range of interesting and constructive articles.

That had initially been a project of the Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration, and I believe it had received Norwegian funding through either the Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre (NOREF) or the Nordic International Foundation (NIS Foundation), both of which are mentioned in the Norwegian Embassy statement. What exactly was achieved through their support is not clear, except for the visit to Norway by Dilanthe and the monks, in connection with a Reconciliation Conference which does not seem to have had any productive outcome. The NIS Foundation is said to have then supported a reconciliation project, but what this was is not explained.

Earlier this year Sithamu suddenly stopped functioning, which seems a great pity. I was told that funding had run out, but I cannot understand why the Ministry and the Norwegians who funded it were not able to continue to provide support, since very little would have been required for a functioning website, with no payments required for contributors.

I believe it is important, given the worries caused recently by what seem BBS initiatives, for the Ministry and the Norwegian Embassy to look carefully into what has happened, and make details public. I should note that one of the ways in which Arne sold himself, I believe throughout his stay in Sri Lanka, but certainly at the time I met him, was by claiming that he had good connections with the Norwegian government and in particularEric Solheim. I do not think it is only my own worries about Solheim and the generally destructive effect he has had on Sri Lanka that makes me think the Norwegian Embassy would do well to find out exactly what Arne’s role has been in promoting contacts between BBS personnel and Norway, and also in providing funding for any projects. Why the project stopped, and what happened to any remaining funds should also be looked into and disclosed.