World Humanitarian Day commemorated in Sri Lanka

 Monday, 19 August 2013 

Colombo, Sri Lanka (19 August 2013). World Humanitarian Day honours those who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and those who continue to bring assistance and relief to millions. In December 2008 the UN General Assembly declared 19 August as World Humanitarian Day to commemorate the day when 22 UN staff tragically lost their lives in Iraq in a massive bomb attack on the UN Headquarters in Baghdad. During the past decade, over 800 aid workers worldwide have lost their lives in the line of duty. The Day also seeks to remind the global community of the humanitarian needs worldwide and the importance of international cooperation in meeting these needs.

Today World Humanitarian Day is commemorated in Sri Lanka by the United Nations and the broader humanitarian community together with the Government of Sri Lanka, members of the diplomatic corps and the people of Sri Lanka at the UN compound. Senior government officials, heads of missions, heads of UN agencies and INGOs attended the event.

This year the World Humanitarian Day campaign calls on people to answer a question: “What do you think the world needs more of?”. In Sri Lanka the focus was on action. The humanitarian community together with the Government of Sri Lanka provided timely action to resettle over 480,000 IDPs within four years from the end of armed conflict in 2009 and provided necessary humanitarian and early recovery assistance. Emphasizing the importance of action, Mr. Subinay Nandy, Humanitarian and UN Resident Coordinator for Sri Lanka said ‘it is time for less talk and more action”.

Mr. S.B. Divaratne, Secretary to the Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security particularly commended the contribution and teamwork by the humanitarian relief workers, international community and donors “with absolute gratefulness” for assisting the Government of Sri Lanka in providing speedy recovery and resettlement for the people affected by the armed conflict and natural disasters. He anticipates continuing and strengthening that team effort through conducting a joint needs assessment to identify the residual humanitarian needs in the country.

Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, Founder of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka emphasized that “helping others to mitigate their suffering would ultimately help us to overcome our own suffering”. He elaborated that the world needs more “positive and constructive action filled with compassion, love, care and humanity to help others”.

Today Sri Lanka observed World Humanitarian Day with hope and expectation for a peaceful future with increased resilience towards natural disasters and complex emergencies.

Internal Change Is The Best And Maybe Only Hope

By Jehan Perera -August 19, 2013 |

Jehan Perera

With a month remaining before Provincial Council elections to the Northwestern, Central and Northern provinces, the trends are clear.  In the two ethnic majority Sinhalese provinces, the main battle appears to be within the government alliance itself.  Most if not nearly all of the incidents of election-related violence being reported by election monitors are intra-party ones.  It appears that the government candidates see each other as being the bigger threat to their personal victories rather than the opposition parties.  This also indicates how marginalized the opposition parties continue to be in the larger part of the country in the face of the government juggernaut.

The situation in the Northern Province is different.  There are no reports of election-related violence at the present time.  Instead there are allegations of efforts by candidates of the government alliance to provide material incentives to the people in the form of promises of employment and economic development.   A unique feature of the run-up to elections in the North is the activity of the government’s intelligence services who are busily, and visibly, involving themselves by checking on the backgrounds of the prospective candidates belonging to the opposition.

It appears that the government is aware that it cannot win the provincial elections in the North.  This accounts for the difference between the behavior of the government candidates in the Northern Province and in the other two provinces.  In the Northern Province, the government candidates are aware that they will not be able to hold elected office whatever they may do.  On the other hand, in the Sinhalese-dominated provinces the government candidates feel that they are assured of victory.  Therefore the government candidates compete against each other to obtain the important positions of office after the elections.

Government’s Strength                         Read More

On Protecting Mother Earth

By Vagisha I. Gunasekara -August 19, 2013 |

Dr. Vagisha Gunasekara

We live in a time of severe ecological and economic challenges.  In 2012 the world crossed a dangerous limit.  A reading of 400 parts per million (ppm) of atmospheric carbon dioxide was recorded by monitoring stations across the Arctic. This figure is at least 50ppm higher than the maximum concentration during the last 12,000 years, a threshold that granted us the privilege to develop agriculture and civilization. We have already begun to experience a substantially more chaotic climate that demonstrates this altered architecture of our atmosphere.

Extreme heat, dustbowl drought, stunted crops, climate change, and massive wildfires have resulted in major food crop losses in Russia in 2010, and the U.S. in 2012.  In many countries in the West, increased costs for animal feed mean higher prices for milk, meat and processed foods based on corn and soy.  Price rises on the international grain market will have a major negative impact on poor countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, where many people spend most of their personal income on food.  Rocketing bread prices, food and water shortages have all plagued parts of the Middle East and analysts at the Center for American Progress in Washington say a combination of food shortages and other environmental factors exacerbated the already tense politics in the region.  Recent studies in Sri Lanka indicate that predicted changes in rainfall, temperature, and the soil moisture deficit, will demand additional irrigation water to compensate for the crop water requirement now and in the coming years. Therefore the climate change effects on maha and yalaseasonal rains will cause serious problem for agricultural activities, such as paddy and other field crop cultivations in the north, north central and eastern regions (Prof Shanthi De Silva 2012, Open University of Sri Lanka).  4 million Sri Lankans are already malnourished and the World Food Programme (2012) cautions anything up to 200 million more food-insecure people by 2050.  Just as much we accept these hard facts about the creeping disaster of climate change, we must also recognize that environmental chaos represents an imminent threat to a multitude of human rights:  the right to food, to water and sanitation, to social and economic development.  This is only a sliver of evidence that tells us to ‘care’ about the environment, if not for its own sake, but for humanity’s sake (a`la Nalaka Gunawardena).                                        Read More

30 Years Ago – The Next Page

• by Groundviews
• - on 08/19/2013 

To remember Black July, Groundviews brought together leading documentary filmmakers, photographers, activists, theorists and designers, in Sri Lanka and abroad, to focus on just how deeply the anti-Tamil pogrom in 1983 shaped our imagination, lives, society and polity.

The project is called 30 Years Ago and details of it can be read here.

Continue Reading →

Remembering, to never again repeat: Launch of 30 Years Ago site

• by Sanjana Hattotuwa
• - on 08/19/2013 

Photo by Seshanka Samarajiwa/The Picture Press

The culmination of months of dedicated research, travel, challenging production work and curation, I am very pleased to launch 30 Years Ago.                             Continue Reading →

30 Years Ago: Exhibition details, 24-25 August 2013

To complement the launch of 30 Years Ago and focus on some of the issues the project is anchored to and inspired by, readers of Groundviews are cordially invited to attend four panel discussions on the 24th and 25th of August at Park Street Mews, Warehouse D in Colombo.

Continue Reading →

Ranil calls for ‘military discipline’ in UNP to win next general election

October 22, 2012 

Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party (UNP) has called for tight military discipline in his fractured party to rise against the powerful Sri Lankan Government.
“What is necessary for the UNP to become the government party is not a flexible leadership, but a tight military discipline,” the Opposition leader has said today addressing a meeting of the UNP district activists in Kandy.

Explaining his decision to suspend 15 members of his party for attending an anti-Government rally, the opposition leader said, “Those who violate discipline are given no leeway and are treated with severe punishment.”
The UNP working committee last week decided to suspend 15 members of the party including three parliamentarians and several provincial councilors for their participation in the opposition rally organised by the National Bhikku Front (NBF) and held under the leadership of former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka.
The working committee earlier banned party members from attending the rally held on 18 October and warned them that strict action would be taken against them if they participated. Wickremasinghe has signed the letters suspending the membership of the 15 party members. The suspended members include parliamentarians Palitha Range Bandara, Palitha Thewarapperuma, Asoka Abeysinghe and Provincial Councilors Shiral Lakthilaka and Maithri Gunaratne.The suspended members have been given time to explain their action. The General Secretary of UNP Tissa Attanayake has told local media that the decision to suspend the membership of the party members was taken according to the powers vested in the party leader after considering the report given on the members.
However, the three suspended legislators have said that they are yet to receive any written or verbal notification from the party leadership on their widely reported suspensions. One of the suspended UNP MPs, Palitha Range Bandara addressing a media briefing today has said that the working committee that met before the Thursday’s rally had not made a formal decision or clearly indicated the committee’s decision to penalise the members for attending Fonseka’s rally.
“The majority of working committee members did not express any objection to MPs or provincial councilors attending the meeting. If a decision was to be made to abstain from attending the rally, it should have been voted on,” Range Bandara has been quoted by Daily Mirror as saying.
Meanwhile, the NBF, the organiser of the Thursday’s rally has said that a series of agitations would be held in the upcoming weeks to urge the UNP to reinstate the suspended membership of the MPs and other members.

Governance Of Central Bank Boards

By W.A Wijewardena -

August 19, 2013 |

Principles Of Central Banking 2: Governance of central bank boards

Dr. W.A. Wijewardena

Trust of people comes from good governance of bank boards

In the principles of central banking 1 published two weeks ago, it was pointed out that central banks have been brought into existence by societies and not by governments or politicians with a single objective to attain. That objective is to preserve the value of the money which a central bank is mandated to issue for use by society’s members.

It was mentioned that the value of money has to be preserved because any erosion of the value means that people would be losing the value of their wealth and therefore, it amounts to a betrayal of the trust which they have placed in central banks.

This trust, it was further mentioned, is built not by the state ownership of central banks or the laws by which they have been established, but by the professionalism, integrity and adherence to good governance by those who run central banks. Of those who run central banks, the most important category is the board that manages central banks on behalf of societies.

Monetary Board has to deal with monetary affairs            Read More

Work on Packer’s gaming centre commences

 Monday, 19 August 2013 06:29

Investment Promotion Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said that work on Packer's US$ 350 million project to set up an integrated resort which includes a 400-room hotel with gaming facilities will commence as planned on the land initially assigned for it on D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha, Colombo after the government has given its green light to it. 

Abeywardena has noted that although there were discussions to shift the project from the site opposite Lake House on D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha to another location down the road, it has finally been decided to continue with the project at the initially identified land.
However, the Minister has pointed out that there has been a change to the initial project plan, which is to construct two towers.
“Earlier the plan was to set up one structure, but now, the agreement was changed to set up two towers. This would not disrupt the view of the Beira Lake,” Abeywardena has observed.
The attempt to relocate Packer’s project was made due to proposals on developing the Beria Lake and surrounding areas by the Urban Development Authority (UDA).
It was then proposed that construction on the land opposite Lake House on D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha should be in the form of two towers and not one structure, since the construction of two towers would not obstruct the view of the Lake.
Following the government’s move to relocate the project, Packer sent his representatives to Sri Lanka to hold discussions with the government. The discussions have ended successfully with the project getting the green light with a change to its original design.
Packer’s Crown Limited together with local partner Rank Holdings have formed a project company called Lake Leisure Holdings (Pvt) Ltd to set up the mixed development project on D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha.
Packer’s project has been granted tax holidays amounting to billions of rupees.

The Die Is Cast: Buddhist Sri Lanka Faces a Casino Choice

By MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR -Tuesday, August 13, 2013

COLOMBO — One word—tourism—glows on the horizon of hope for Sri Lanka. It is reflected in the surfeit of reportage and advertisements in the local press, where the talk of new city hotels in the capital and planned boutique hotels in exotic, tropical settings dominate.

The Die is Cast Buddhist Sri Lanka Faces a Casino Choice by nelvely

Milk food controversy is a creation to gratify China: Rajapakses demand bribes to halt ban


(Lanka-e-News-18.Aug.2013, 11.00PM) Sources from within the government itself had disclosed the sudden controversy that has been created by the MaRa regime over the milk food consumption is to gratify a request made by China, the sustainer and supporter of the MaRa regime .

Milk Food Controversy is a Creation to Gratify China Rajapakses Demand Bribes to Halt Ban by nelvely

The Real Scene Video: State Media’s Double Standards For Harsha And Namal

August 19, 2013 

The state-owned Independent Television Network has recently launched a series of attacks on UNP National List MP and Kotte Organiser Dr. Harsha De Silva, for resting his arm over the shoulder of a Buddhist monk during last Wednesday’s Enough is Enough protest in Colombo.

As obvious in the video sequence, De Silva and other MPs were tightly crammed on a flatbed truck, where UNP leaders were addressing the media. In the chaotic and congested situation, De Silva’s arm rests on the shoulder of a Buddhist monk who later turns to give the UNP MP a TV mic to pass on to another speaker, the stills of which have been skillfully manipulated to make the images look indecent.

Harsha’s apology;     Read More

The Monk Involved In Harsha Controversy Handed Over To Police By BBS After Being Caught Drunk

August 19, 2013 

The Buddhist Monk who was involved in a controversy created by state media regarding Dr Harsha de Silvaresting his arm on the shoulder, was handed over to the police by Bodu Bala Sena, after being caught drunk in a office at Dematagoda with a friend.

The monk has been identified as Kirindiwela Piyaratana and was taken to the BBS headquarters by a group of people. After an interview with him we handed him over to the Kirulapona Police, Chief Executive Officer of the Bodu Bala Sena  Dilanthe Withanage told Colombo Telegraph.

According to Withanage the monk was in the army and a few years ago he resigned from the army and became a monk. His father was killed by the JVP during the 1989 insurrection causing him to take up UNP politics.

Related posts;

Full Court Report: BBS Leader Gnanasara Pleaded Guilty To Hit-And-Run And Drunk Driving

‘ITN Attack Is Unfair, But Take It Easy’ – President Phoned Harsha

The Real Scene Video: State Media’s Double Standards For Harsha And Namal

The monk at BBS headquarters

Read More

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‘ITN Attack Is Unfair, But Take It Easy’ – President Phoned Harsha

August 19, 2013 

President Mahinda Rajapaksa called UNP National List Legislator Harsha De Silva today, to express his regrets for a campaign of vilification against the Opposition Member by the state owned ITN, Colombo Telegraph learns.

Mahinda Rajapaksa

ITN has recently launched a series of attacks on UNP National List MP and Kotte Organiser Dr.Harsha Silva, for resting his arm over the shoulder of a Buddhist monk during last Wednesday’s Enough is Enough protest in Colombo.

President Rajapaksa is reported to have claimed that the campaign had been unfair since the incident could have happened to anyone. He told de Silva that if necessary an explanation and apology could have been made.

De Silva thanked him for the concern and informed the President that of his own accord he had given ITN an explanation and offered an apology to any one who may have been offended.

The President was surprised that ITN had not carried it and said he will take necessary action, he laughingly told Harsha to take it easy, Colombo Telegraph learns.

Subsequently, SLBC Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe called De Silva during his morning show and said the President had called him and asked him to call the UNP MP and give him an opportunity to explain what happened.                          Read More

Police alert Defence Ministry over Chinese, Taiwanese criminals

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Police have alerted the Defence Ministry over an alarming increase in financial crimes involving foreigners, especially by those from China and Taiwan. Authoritative sources told the Sunday Times that Criminal Investigation Department (CID) statistics indicated that 136 foreigners were arrested between January 1, 2010, and July 5, 2013, for their alleged involvement in financial or credit card fraud.

Of these suspects, 105 were from China and Taipei, seven from India, five from Russia, four each from Romania, Ukraine and Mozambique, two from Cameroon and one each from Uganda, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mali and Italy. There has been an influx of Chinese nationals into Sri Lanka in recent years; most of them work in various constructions sites around the country. In June, Parliament was told that 26,404 work visas were issued to Chinese nationals between 2005 and 2011.

In December last year, a team of Chinese investigators visited Sri Lanka to probe the activities of a group of 17 Chinese fraudsters who were arrested here in a joint operation with local police.  The suspects were part of a wider network of nearly 100 Chinese nationals who were accused of hacking into various computer systems and withdrawing more than US$ 2 million from bank and credit card accounts of wealthy Chinese back home.

Meanwhile, information technology professionals recently revealed that Sri Lanka was one of the top ten countries in credit card crime.  Several countries, including Britain and the United States have flagged credit card fraud as one of the most common crimes affecting foreigners in Sri Lanka.

The US advisory states that Sri Lankan law enforcement personnel recently uncovered a foreign ring of criminals who were using “false fronts’” and “pen camera devices” to clone bank cards and steal PIN numbers at ATM machines in Sri Lanka.

In May, the CID’s Counterfeited Money Division arrested a gang of international credit card thieves who had stolen Rs. 32.8 million rupees from the ATM network of a private bank in a single day.

The Monk Against BBS Claims He Was Attacked And Robbed By BBS, BBS Denies The Allegation

August 19, 2013 

Rev. Watareka Wijitha thero the Chief monk of the Mahaveli Maha Viharaya, Mahiyangana and Pradeshiya Sabha member was attacked by a group of unknown people this evening.  Wijitha thero has been expressing views against Bodu Bala Sena was attacked in Kegalle while traveling to Colombo.

Rev. Watareka Wijitha thero

The monk was getting threats and was in hiding but today he had gone to collect some documents and someone may have given a tip about his whereabouts sources told Colombo Telegraph. He was followed, attacked and robbed by the BBS, the monk told the police.

Chief Executive Officer of the Bodu Bala Sena Dilanthe Withanage denied the allegation. “We also just heard the story, apparently the monk has met with an accident in Kegalle, that is what we all know” Withanage told Colombo Telegraph.

Related story;

Before BBS Visit Muslim Families Packed Their Belongings And Left – Wijitha Thero

 Read More

Sritharan questioned for fifth time

Monday, 19 Aug 2013

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Kilinochchi District Parliamentarian,
S. Sritharan, was questioned for the fifth time by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) in Kilinochchi yesterday.
Sritharan told Ceylon Today that he was questioned by Officer-In-Charge of TID, Prasanna de Alwis, along with two other TID officials, Thilakaratne and Uthayakuma at the TNA’s Kilinochchi office Arivakam, about his recent visit to Canada.

“The TID contacted me three days ago and said they wanted to talk to me about the issues with regard to the allegations against the Army on land acquisition and on disappearances. However, they visited my office in Kilinochchi and questioned me on my recent visit to Canada. The TID officials said, they had received information that I had told a meeting in Canada, the Army had destroyed the assets of the people and also criticized the recruiting of Tamil women to the Army. They also said, I was supposed to have told in Canada that the LTTE could re-emerge in Canada,” Sritharan said.

The TNA parliamentarian added, the TID officers grilled him for nearly two hours and it was the fifth time he was questioned by the TID. He also said, earlier he was invited to the TID Headquarters to Colombo for questioning. But, it was the first time the TID officials had come to his office in Kilinochchi.  “This is ridiculous. I have been unnecessarily dragged into interrogations by the TID several times and I would be bringing this issue to President Mahinda Rajapaksa soon. I have already informed my Leader, R. Sampanthan, and my Counsel and fellow Parliamentarian, M.A. Sumanthiran. (AP)

Loku Athula’s son arrested for allegedly leading robber gang 

August 18, 2013, 10:08 pm

The police inspecting the seized weapons

by Chaminda Silva, Pradeep Samarakoon and Upali Waidyajeewa

The police have arrested a son of former Deputy Minister of Power and Energy and leader of the 1971 insurrection, Athula Wimalasiri Jayasinghe, alias Loku Athula.

The politician’s son, Sameera Jayasinghe, an assistant Superintendent of an estate, had been arrested allegedly in possession of a sub machine gun, a Browning pistol, 18 rounds of SMG ammunition and one pistol cartridge, the police said.

The Mirihana police stumbled on the gang following the arrest of a suspect who had snatched Rs. 200,000 being taken to be deposited at a private bank at Delkanda recently. The Police who followed up on the number of the motorcycle used by the suspect for the getaway, later arrested him with the motorcycle, a shotgun and a stock of ganja at Embuldeniya.

Under interrogation, the first suspect revealed details of how a pharmacy owner and another person had been robbed of Rs 200,000 at gunpoint.

Under interrogation he revealed that the mastermind was an assistant estate superintendent. With this information the police arrested assistant superintendent of the Hantane Estate, Sameera Jayasinghe on suspicion.

On being grilled, Jayasinghe allegedly admitted his involvement in the Rs.2.7 million payroll robbery of the Kendaliyadde Tea Estate at Nawalapitiya and the robbery of a restaurant at Galaha, Peradeniya.

The first suspect and the estate superintendent had chummed up when the former had gone to buy trees that were put up for sale by the estate.

Mirihana police made a further breakthrough yesterday when another member of the gang was arrested with modern weapons used for VIP security.

Several other members of the gang have yet to be arrested, including some army deserters.

Investigations are being directed by Senior DIG Western Province Anura Senanayake and Western Province South DIG Sumith Edirisinfghe.

Red alert over rising rape cases

• Activists warn of lawlessness and social  decadence; politicians among main culprits

Sunday, August 18, 2013

With a woman being raped every 90 minutes in Sri Lanka, women’s rights activists and academics are expressing serious concern over the rise in grave sex crimes – a disturbing trend that puts the lives of local and even foreign women here on high risk. Their concern came in the wake of several brutal rape cases in recent weeks.

In one of the brutal sex crimes, a 38-year-old mother of three from Pooneryn, Kilinochchi was raped last week by two unidentified men while she was on her way to cut palmyrah leaves in a nearby garden. She was rushed to the Pooneryn Hospital and later transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital due to severe internal injuries. The crime is being investigated by the Children and Women’s Bureau of the Jaffna police.

Red Alert Over Rising Rape Cases by nelvely