India: Governance now requires Fundamental Corrections

by A. K. Verma

(October 25, 2013, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) Questions are being raised about the validity of democracy in the Indian Republic. There is a widespread view that democracy in India is no longer by the people, of the people, for the people.

The leaders who brought democracy to India in 1947 were giants in conviction, commitment, ethics and morality. There were many of them. Their tribe lingered for many years after independence but their numbers kept on diminishing. Today that tribe has vanished completely. Search as one might, not a single individual can be found qualifying for the citizen’s unquestioning acceptance as the leader of the nation.

India Governance Now Requires Fundamental Corrections by nelvely

Gandhi Used His Position To Sexually Exploit Young Women

October 25, 2013

Gandhi Used His Position To Sexually Exploit Young Women. The Way WE React To This Matters Even Today

“It is a fact. Gandhi had young women in his ashram, some of them still teenagers, one of them his own grand-niece [Manu Gandhi], sleep naked with him in his bed at night. This was an aspect of Gandhi that I had not read about before, and it surprised me at first. I was researching for my book ‘Sex and Power’ which looks at the history of sex and sexuality in India, and it was important for me to investigate this further.” writes Rita Banerji.

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Photo Credit: iAreef via Compfight cc

 Sri Lanka: no Commonwealth seal of 

approval for human rights abuses

As Sri Lanka gears up to host a meeting of Commonwealth leaders in November, it’s time for their government to come clean about torture, unlawful detention and countless other abuses that continue to plague the island – and stop them. Take action now

No justice for past crimes

An estimated 40,000 civilians were killed in the final weeks of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, which ended in May 2009. Corralled into government ‘No Fire Zones’ on northern beaches, civilians were shelled and hospitals deliberately bombed. The opposition Tamil Tigers (LTTE) conscripted child soldiers, used civilians as human shields against the approaching army and shot those who tried to escape. People trapped by the fighting were deprived of food, water and medical care.
There has still been no independent, international investigation into these alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity - and therefore no justice for the victims.

Continuing repression

Since the war ended, the Sri Lankan government has cracked down on dissent in a bid to increase its hold on power. The torture and disappearances that became entrenched during the years of conflict continue with impunity. The authorities threaten and harass media activists, students and even artists – often relying on counter-terrorism laws to detain critics for extended periods of time.
Fifteen journalists have been murdered since 2006, and disappearances involving white vans are so common they have become known as ‘white van abductions’.

Commonwealth seal of approval

The Commonwealth charter upholds the principles of protection and promotion of human rights, freedom of expression and the rule of law. It’s therefore shameful that the Commonwealth has been silent about Sri Lanka’s human rights crisis for so long.

Please email Secretary of State, William Hague – our representative at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting on 15-17 November - calling for the UK Government to send a clear message that Sri Lanka’s human rights abuses will not be given a Commonwealth seal of approval. 

Subject

Dear Secretary of State,- Take action now

As You Prepare for the Next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting by nelvely

Rajapakse Administration’s choices with the TNA

Photograph courtesy The Independent

• by Harim Peiris
• - on 10/24/2013

The Rajapakse Administration’s desire to host the a global event,  the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGAM) suddenly forced the Administration to do something which was anathema to its decision making hard line Sinhala nationalist brain trust, which was to have to heed and take note of international opinion and global standards, especially on ethnic minority and human rights. They just could not have the luxury of straddling the world stage ceremoniously as CHOGAM hosts and ignoring international norms, standards and opinion. To do the former, they had to accommodate and deal with the latter.

Rajapakse Administration’s choices with the TNA by nelvely

Confuse, Frighten, Divide And Rule

By Tisaranee Gunasekara -October 24, 2013 

“The moronic inferno” - Saul Bellow (The Dean’s December)

In Ulla, Pottuvil, fishermen are protesting against a government plan to construct a multi-storey tourist-facility in a land traditionally used for fisheries purposes[i].

In Batakettara, Piliyandala, poisonous gases emanating from a soap-powder manufacturing factory have caused havoc. 72 people were hospitalised with breathing difficulties; animals and vegetations are sickening; and villagers cannot use well-water.

The water-issue in Weliweriya and the carcinogenic-fume issue in Dorape remain unresolved.

The absolute majority of the victims of these land-grabbing/environmental-degradation issues are Sinhala-Buddhists. But the self-anointed saviours of Sinhala race and Buddhism – from Mahinda and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to the JHU and the BBS – have scant interest in either these health/livelihood crises or their very Sinhala and very Buddhist victims.

Earlier this month, theBBS declared war on the Archaeological Department, accusing it of permitting a granite-quarry in a site containing the embalmed body of Sugaladevi, a Queen-Regnant of the Ruhunu Kingdom[ii].  The presence of a Tamil overseer was used to give the entire operation an ethno-religious twist, an anti-Sinhala conspiratorial slant. The BBS worthies inflicted the area, accused the Archaeological Department of criminal negligence and demanded that the Defence Ministry replace the archaeologists[iii] (Incidentally entrusting archaeological-sites to the Defence Ministry would be akin to mandating the fox to protect the chickens, officially. In May 2012, the people of Villachchiya in Anuradhapura apprehended some treasure hunters – who turned out to be STF personnel; the police, instead of arresting the suspects, set them free[iv])

The factories causing havoc in Weliweriya, Dorape and Batakettara are not rogue operations. All have requisite permission from the Central Environment Authority (CEA). Clearly the CEA is either too inefficient or too corrupt to perform its duties satisfactorily. But the BBS – or any other Sinhala-Buddhist supremacist outfit – is yet to utter a word of criticism of the CEA.

The conclusion is obvious. The BBS – and others of its ilk – will champion an issue only if it can be used to demonise this or that minority community.

The BBS-attempt to use the ‘Sugaladevi’ issue to whip up Sinhala-Buddhist anger failed when Prof. Raj Somadeva confirmed that no ancient artefact had been discovered from the quarry-site and dismissed the presence of a mummy as a myth: “When someone repeats the same thing, then it will be treated as truth by the people. The cinema, literature or art promote myths in the same way”[v].

The JHU’s attempt to launch an ‘anti-government war’ on Minister Sarath Amunugama for advocating the legalising and levying of locally-distilled liquor became a damp squib[vi].

The JHU-BBS effort to demonise the newly formed Northern PC and its Chief Minister failed to convince.

Anti-Halal campaign is the last resort of the hate-cum-fear-mongers.

Halal for Casinos                                             Read More

Newly elected NPC members present at the orientation programme

[ Thursday, 24 October 2013, 12:40.30 PM GMT +05:30 ]

Orientation programme for newly elected northern provincial council member commenced at Rilco hotel in Jaffna this morning.

TNA Chief Minister including 30 TNA members and 8 members of SriLanka Freedom Party present at this orientation programme. At this programme officials would brief members on future activities of the council. Governor of the Northern Province Chandrasiri was also present at this programme.

Exorcising Reds And Eelamists

By Rajan Hoole -October 25, 2013 

Rajan Hoole

Sri Lanka: A Haunted Nation - The Social Underpinnings Of Communal Violence - Part 2

The era that followed the July violence was one that was haunted by ghosts. Those who had harboured carefully conceived agendas against what they took to be an omni- present Tamil separatist enemy were suddenly seeing these plans being flung back at them. One such plan was conceived in the Ministry of Mahaveli and Lands (MML) under Gamini Dissanayake. In Chapter 5, we described some of the minister’s activities around Trincomalee. In the weeks preceding the July violence, some officials in the MML were active trying speedily to implement Mahaveli System M north of Trincomalee in the Yan Oya (River) basin. Like the subsequent System L in Manal Aru (Weli Oya) in the Mullaitivu District started the fol- lowing year, it was to be another Mahaveli project without Mahaveli water. Economically it was very tenuous. Yan Oya was a seasonal and unreliable dry zone river.

The plan as these officials saw it was intended to sunder the contiguity of the largely Tamil- speaking North-East by establishing large Sin- halese settlements in the Yan Oya basin and then System B in the Maduru Oya basin. The story is described in M.H. Gunaratne’s For a Sovereign State. The plan according to him had the ap- proval of Gamini Disssanayake who had prom- ised to brief the President. It is a sign of Gunaratne’s naivety that he credits a junior Mahaveli official, T.H. Karunatilleke, with seeing for the first time the political urgency of the Yan Oya plan. This was in spite of Panditharatne, chairman of the Mahaveli Board, having given him a hint that it was an old hat that was practically infeasible.

Dissanayake was evidently willing to give the zealous hounds straining at the leash a bit of rope and the resources of his Ministry while keeping his own options open. These were the same devious politicians behind the July ’83 vio- lence. It was another dreadful example of how easily the resources of the State, where Tamils had no power and the few Tamils remaining in government service were kept in the dark, could be turned against a minority. This was accom- plished secretively by a handful of zealots given the licence. Dissanayake claimed that he had told Jayewardene. Both he and his boss would have taken credit or distanced themselves depending on how things turned out. This scheme may also partly explain Gamini Dissanayake’s unfriendly interest in Tamil refugees from earlier commu- nal violence settled in the Trincomalee District, just on the eve of the July ’83 violence.Read More

S.B’s brother has burst in to her wife’s school with a knife to kill his wife

[ Thursday, 24 October 2013, 12:56.24 PM GMT +05:30 ]

It is reported that the students as well as the teachers got afraid of as Saliya Dissanayake the brother of S B Dissanayake at C.C Vidyalaya in Hanguranketha had burst in to the school with a knife to kill his wife.

He is the SLFP organizer of Hanguranketha and Ex Chairman of Central province. He has burst in with a knife and tried to kill his wife who is a teacher of the school, and with the interference of the other teachers she was taken to a secured place. After that she has gone on short leave and again her husband has come there and looked for her.

No Commonwealth Seal of Approval for Sri Lanka: BBC Video Report and Amnesty Petition

24/10/2013

With only three weeks to go until the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka, pressure is mounting on the Governments of Commonwealth nations to boycott the event - or at the very least, to insist that Sri Lanka does not take up its role as chair of the organisation once the summit is over.

By attending the event, Commonwealth Governments are now risking far more than simply their reputations. Canada's recent threat to withdraw its $18 million a year of funding, as well as the Gambia's move to renounce its membership altogether over double standards on human rights, suggest that the very existence of the Commonwealth is now on the line if the meeting goes ahead.

As this shocking BBC video report confirms, widespread human rights violations in Sri Lanka are continuing to this very day. Particularly disturbing are reports of the systematic use of rape and sexual violence against detainees by security forces. Despite leading a high profile campaign on sexual violence (co-launched with Angelina Jolie) in September, Secretary of State William Hague continues to practice a double standard on this issue in his policy towards Sri Lanka.

But there is still time to act. Yesterday, Amnesty International launched a new campaign in which you can send a personal message to William Hague, or to the relevant leaders in India and New Zealand, demanding that they do not give Sri Lanka the Commonwealth seal of approval by attending the summit.

You can do even more by spreading the word. To help things along, we have created this handy campaign ribbon that you can add to your Twitter or Facebook profile picture with just one click. We would also encourage you to take the time to forward this message to your friends and family. The more people we can reach, the stronger our chances of success during this critical window of opportunity. Or you can share this poster:

Tamils for Labour appreciates call to boycott CHOGM

Thursday, 24 October 2013 

The Tamils for Labour has expressed its appreciation to the UK Labour Party’s call to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo next month.

Tamils for Labour Appreciates Call to Boycott CHOGM by nelvely

C’wealth Heads Wring Their Hands: To Come Or Not To Come

By Pearl Thevanayagam -October 24, 2013

Pearl Thevanayagam

Government forces under Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksaannihilated well over 40,000 Tamils by May 19, 2009 in the last eight months of war (if one goes by Bishop of Mannar Rt Rev. Rayappu Joseph another 100,000 and we will never know) which began with a ferocity fuelled by the generous gifts of war machinery from several Commonwealth countries.

India and US provided aerial surveillance to enable the forces to make a three-pronged attack on Tamils. US, Ukraine, Russia, India, Pakistan and China provided or rather sold arms and ammunition to the government. Remember Hicorp and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the President’s brother’s private deal to supply weapons?

Hence Commonwealth countries are in a quandary. They are wringing their hands whether to maintain trade relations aka providing weaponry to member states during internecine warfare or to listen to their conscience on their abysmal record on human rights. Thanks to their munificence a good proportion of Tamils were annihilated. Money talks and it continues to talk. You can cry till you are blue in the face; what dictates superpowers is money be it through fair means or foul.

Demonstrations held by the Tamil diaspora across the world finally brought Sri Lankan government’s conduct of the ethnic war to world attention. The government reacted to LTTE resistance by unleashing terror on hapless Tamil civilians who fled for their lives leaving loved ones and watching them dying from aerial bombardment including cluster bomb attacks inflicting burns the survivors of which are still trying to recuperate.

Use of chemical weapons is a subject so far kept away from both the LLRC and Ms Navi Pillay.  Rape, torture, point-blank shootings close range are well documented in The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka video by Callum Mcrae which will once again be shown with fresh eye-witness accounts of war atrocities at Frontline Club in London on November 05, 2013.Read More

What a tragic fall



Ramachandra Guha-September 09, 2012

Last year I travelled to Sri Lanka on work; my previous visit had been a decade earlier. The people were, as before, gentle and polite; the scenery spectacular; the roads and residences, spotlessly clean. But the political culture had changed in the interim. An air of Sinhala superiority was abroad. A war had been waged and won; what had been imposed afterwards, however, was a victor's peace. Instead of assuring the Tamils that their rights would be protected, the idea that only Sinhala-speakers and followers of the Buddhist faith were authentic citizens was being promoted. The army had not disbanded its units in the north; there were fears that large numbers of non-Tamils would follow them and settle there.

What a Tragic Fall by nelvely

Tamil Nadu spurns Cameron's decision on CHOGM
Tamil Guardian 23 October 2013

Photos: Eeladesam.com Traders in Tamil Nadu held a protest agaist Britain earlier this week, following British Prime Minister David Cameron reaffirming that the UK would be attending CHOGM in Colombo next month. Students joined the Tamil Nadu Traders Forum as they burnt British products and called for a boycott of British goods, unless Britain reversed their decision to attend and worked to suspend Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth. Meanwhile the Balachandran Students Movement also held a protest outside the British flagship store Marks & Spencers in Vijaya Mall, Chennai earlier this month. Photos courtesy of Sankathi 24. The students held placards which denounced Britain's decision to attend and called for a complete boycott of CHOGM.

Cameron, Suu Kyi agree on Lanka

October 24, 2013

British Prime Minister David Cameron and Burmese opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi have both agreed that engaging Sri Lanka is the right way to go on the human rights issue.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who met Cameron in London on Wednesday, said that if he goes to Sri Lanka he should “engage with all those who are involved, all other stakeholders and not just the government”.

Cameron responded: “Very wise words. I will be going to the north of the country as well and I think what Aung San Suu Kyi has said is absolutely right.”

The Herald Scotland reported that the British Premier defended the decision to attend a high-profile international summit in Sri Lanka despite his concerns over the country’s human rights record.

The Prime Minister rejected a Labour call to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), insisting it was right for him to attend so he could have “very tough conversations” with the Sri Lankan government.

Cameron said he was “not happy” with Sri Lanka’s human rights record and pledged to visit the north of the country, where Tamil separatists fought a long and bitter civil war.

He said: “My decision is… The right thing for us to do is to go to the Commonwealth conference, as leading members of the Commonwealth, and have some very tough conversations with the Sri Lankan government.

“I’m not happy with their human rights record, I’m not happy with what they have done following the conflict and we will have some very frank conversations to make those points. Where I think Labour have got it wrong is that if you don’t go, you can’t make those points.

“No one is going to be listening to the British Foreign Secretary and the British Prime Minister if we’re not there.”

Suu Kyi said she had often been asked if people should come to Burma during the long years of the military regime.                                                                                                                                                 

“I have always said that I believe in engagement, but they should engage with us, the opposition, as well.” (Colombo Gazette)

David Cameron and Aung San Suu Kyi press conference

Prime Minister David Cameron and Aung San Suu Kyi gave a joint press conference in London on 23 October 2013.

Prime Minister                                                               

Cameron, Suu Kyi Agree on Lanka by nelvely

This CHOGM, The Commonwealth Will Be At A Critical Place – C’wealth Human Rights Initiative

October 24, 2013 

As the spotlight on the Commonwealth intensifies in the lead up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka next month, it is critical the the Commonwealth shows that it is committed to its values, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative said on Wednesday.

Professor Yash Ghai

This meeting is particularly contentious, with calls for a boycott emanating from various quarters across Commonwealth countries.  On the one hand, there have been calls for Commonwealth countries to boycott CHOGM in Sri Lanka due to the lack of accountability within Sri Lanka for on-going human rights abuses and credible allegations of war crimes.  Of particular concern is the passing of the role of Chair of the Commonwealth to the President of Sri Lanka that will occur at the meeting. On the other hand, the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has reportedly been lobbying African Commonwealth countries to boycott CHOGM because the Commonwealth has not supported him in his call against the International Criminal Court. President Kenyatta has been charged with and is standing trial for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.

“This CHOGM, the Commonwealth will be at a critical place. Its relevance is being questioned after only recently reaffirming its core values in the new Commonwealth Charter in March of this year. Sri Lanka, The Gambia and now Kenya are testing these values. It is vital that the Commonwealth stands for its key values, including democracy, human rights and rule of law” said Maja Daruwala, Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. “The Commonwealth should stress that adherence to human rights, and the resulting requirement of accountability to guarantee human rights are respected and protected, is a fundamental Commonwealth value.  A clear message must be sent from the Commonwealth that member states will be held to these Commonwealth values.”

Chair of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative International Advisory Commission and Katiba Institute Director, Professor Yash Ghai, echoed these sentiments, noting that the ICC process was triggered because of the failure of local bodies to address widespread and systematic human rights abuses that occurred in the post election violence of 2007/8.  “The ICC indictment and trial of President Kenyatta and his Deputy President only began because the government failed to meet its promise to investigate and prosecute people involved in the widespread human rights abuses that occurred in the post-election violence.  It is unfortunate that President Kenyatta is putting pressure on Commonwealth countries to boycott CHOGM as a means to help him escape accountability through the ICC judicial process – in complete contradiction to fundamental Commonwealth values.”

Cameron defends summit move amid human rights concerns

Thursday 24 October 2013

David Cameron has defended the decision to attend a high-profile international summit in Sri Lanka despite his concerns over the country's human rights record.

The Prime Minister rejected a Labour call to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), insisting it was right for him to attend so he could have "very tough conversations" with the Sri Lankan government.

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, visiting Mr Cameron at No 10, said it was right to engage with regimes but opposition voices must be heard.

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexandersaid Labour would support the Prime Minister stayed away.

Canada's prime minister Stephen Harper has said he will not attend the November 15-17 meeting, as Sri Lanka was failing to uphold the "core values" of the 53-nation grouping.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, warned after a visit in the summer Sri Lanka was "heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction" since the end of its 26-year civil war in 2009, while the Foreign Office's annual human rights report names it as a "country of concern".

A House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee report, earlier this month, found "scant evidence of progress in political and human rights".

Mr Cameron said he was "not happy" with Sri Lanka's human rights record and pledged to visit the north of the country, where Tamil separatists fought a long and bitter civil war.

He said: "My decision is... The right thing for us to do is to go to the Commonwealth conference, as leading members of the Commonwealth, and have some very tough conversations with the Sri Lankan government.

"I'm not happy with their human rights record, I'm not happy with what they have done following the conflict and we will have some very frank conversations to make those points. Where I think Labour have got it wrong is that if you don't go, you can't make those points.

"No one is going to be listening to the British Foreign Secretary and the British Prime Minister if we're not there."

Burmese opposition leader Ms Suu Kyi said she had often been asked if people should come to Burma during the long years of the military regime.

"I have always said that I believe in engagement, but they should engage with us, the opposition, as well."

She said if Mr Cameron went to Sri Lanka he should "engage with all those who are involved, all other stakeholders and not just the government".

Mr Cameron responded: "Very wise words. I will be going to the north of the country as well and I think what Aung San Suu Kyi has said is absolutely right."

AI India pressurizes New Delhi against CHOGM participation

 Thursday, 24 October 2013 

Amnesty International India says about 35,000 people from India have so far supported its campaign to dissuade Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from attending the Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka, an AI-India statement said. 

The campaign began on October 15 and would continue till the start of CHOGM in November 2013, it added.

G. Ananthapadmanabhan, chief executive of AI-India, said in the statement, "India's staying away from the CHOGM will send a clear signal to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take action to end human rights violation abuses in Sri Lanka. If the Indian Prime Minister attends the summit in Colombo, he will in effect be giving a stamp of approval to the countless past and ongoing grave human rights abuses in Sri Lanka."

To make the head of a government that continues to repress human rights and is persistently cracking down on dissent the Commonwealth chair would go against the principles of the Commonwealth," he said.

Both India and Britain are under intense pressure from various quarters who against their participation in the Colombo CHOGM.

Professor Sarawathy Rajendran, the Coordinator of the Solidarity Center of Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), has petitioned the Chennai High Court urging India not to participate in the Colombo CHOGM due to genocide and war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan Government against Tamils. Acting Chief Justice Agarwal and Justice M.Sathyanarayana are due to hear the case number w.p28656/2o13.

Also, Kenya has lobbied other Commonwealth member countries in the African continent to boycott the Colombo CHOGM. Kenya was pushing several other African leaders to boycott the meeting as a mark of opposition against Britain.

“David Cameron – Don’t Go To Sri Lanka” – Co-Sign The UK Labour Party Letter To PM Cameron

October 24, 2013 

Ed Miliband - The Labour Leader

“David Cameron – think again on Commonwealth summit” the Labour Party UK launched a campaign last night.

Tell David Cameron to reverse his decision to attend the Commonwealth summit and send a powerful message to the Sri Lankan government on human rights, says the Labour party.  To sign click here

David Cameron Should Boycott The Commonwealth Summit In Sri Lanka

By Douglas Alexander -October 24, 

Douglas Alexander

Next month Commonwealth leaders gather in Sri Lanka amid a bleak human rights situation as the country emerges from two decades of civil war that saw 40,000 civilians lose their lives.

Last week Britain’s cross-party foreign affairs select committee criticised the “scant evidence of progress in political and human rights in Sri Lanka” and Amnesty International has condemned the ongoing “deterioration” of human rights there. Even the government’s own reports warn of “a number of negative developments” there, echoing the statement of the UN high commissioner for human rights that Sri Lanka was “heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction”.

This followed the worrying decision to impeach the country’s chief justice, through a process held to be illegal both by Sri Lanka’s supreme court and by international experts. Tragically, rather than making progress since 2009, these developments paint a worrying picture of further decline.

Against this backdrop, the hosting of the Commonwealth summit in the capital Colombo and the attendance of the British prime minister will undoubtedly be presented as a major coup by Sri Lanka’s government.

Labour believed that Britain could and should have used the issue of David Cameron’s attendance as crucial leverage to encourage Sri Lanka to address human rights concerns in the months running up to the summit. Instead, the prime minister simply chose to hand away all his cards more than six months ahead of the summit by confirming that he and the foreign secretary, William Hague, would attend.

Read More