Basil leaves for US for ‘medical treatment’!

 Wednesday, 06 November 2013

Economic development minister Basil Rajapaksa has left for the US to obtain medical treatment, say ministry sources. Mr. Rajapaksa had been warded at Lanka Hospital for more than one week recently.

After his illness worsened, doctors had advised him to immediately go overseas for treatment. Following the advice, he has left behind all his work and departed for the US, said the sources.

The president, who had ordered all government politicians not to go overseas for the duration of CHOGM, has given special permission to minister Rajapkasa in view of his illness. He had initially asked the minister to stay until the conclusion of CHOGM, and the minister agreed. But, his illness has prevented him from doing so, said ministry sources.

However, opposition sources say minister Rajapaksa, citing a non-existent health condition, has left the country in order to show his objections to the Rajapaksa family’s struggle for power. Also, that he had dodged responsibilities of CHOGM, placing everything on the shoulders of the president with the intention of seeing the event a failure.

Minister Rajapaksa remained silent for the entire duration of the casino controversy, an opposition activist also noted.
He said this confirms an astrological opinion that within 2014, the president will be abandoned by one of his brothers.

Mahinda exploring possibilities of holding Presidential election

Wednesday, 06 November 2013

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is currently exploring the possibility of holding a Presidential election without completing his second term in office.

Initially, the President looked at the option of introducing another constitutional amendment enabling him to call for a Presidential election after completing four years in office. However, given the current internal clashed in the government, Rajapaksa is trying to look at another option that would enable him to hold Presidential elections before completing the full term.

Accordingly, the Supreme Court has been asked to give an interpretation on the 18th Amendment to the Constitution on the holding of a Presidential election.

The government will seek an interpretation on the holding of a presidential election during the second term of office of an incumbent President.

The government will seek Supreme Court assistance since the 18th Amendment that removes the two term limit for a President to hold office has not stipulated the time period to hold a presidential election during the second term of office of a President.

The law earlier permitted a President to call for a presidential election after completing four years in office for his second term.

The Witch-Hunt Continues

By Renuka Bandaranayake and Kapila Karunaratna -November 6, 2013

Renuka Bandaranayake and Kapila Karunaratna

We, Renuka Bandaranayake and Kapila Karunaratna , are the sister and brother in law, respectively of the 43rd Chief Justice of the Republic of Sri Lanka.

Since the afternoon of Sunday the 3rd of November, Kapila and I have been receiving information that a rumour is being spread that we have received a discount of 20% for the Trillium apartment we purchased in 2011 in Colombo. It was informed to us that this rumour was based on the comments made by a visiting dignitary at a public forum in Perth, Western Australia.

The said discount is not true. In fact and in truth we did not get any special concession for this purchase. To address that we would like to give the following details regarding our purchase:

We purchased the apartment in April 2011 paying Rs. 26,125,000/‐ . This was listed for Rs 27,500,000/‐ and we were told that the sale price was Rs 26,125,000/‐, which amounts to a reduction of 5% (which is,Rs 1, 375,000/‐ ) from the listed price. This money was paid in instalments as per the agreement. We have been doing some research on the sales prices of the other apartments that were sold during April and May 2011 and have come to know that, most of the sale prices were 3 %to 8% less than the listed price. In other words a reduction of 3% to 8% from the listed price had been offered to those who purchased during the said period. This confirms that our purchase price was within the range of all the other sales. Furthermore, the Watawala Committee, which was in charge of these apartments, had given permission for the sale of these apartments including our apartment, with a 5% discount from the quoted listed price.                            Read More

Two Condolence Messages On Dr. Gamani Corea’s Death: By Manmohan Singh And 

Mahinda Rajapaksa

November 6, 2013 

Both the President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued condolence messages on the death of the death of Dr. Gamani Corea.

We publish below the both Message of Condolence;

Indian PM’s message;

Dr. Gamani Corea

Read More

Police after drug kingpin

By Premalal Wijeratna- Wednesday, 06 Nov 2013

Police are conducting an intense search for the drug kingpin who had supplied 30 kg of heroin to the Liberian drug trafficker.

The Liberian who had arrived in the country, claiming to be a diplomat, was arrested by the Customs authorities on Wednesday with Rs 240 million worth of heroin in his possession. The Police Narcotics Bureau under whose purview the investigations are being conducted have questioned the suspect to track down the drug kingpin who had given the heroin, reportedly in a five star hotel in Colombo.

Custom authorities who had conducted the initial inquires, revealed that the suspect had previously visited the country twice, in 2009 and 2010.

Meanwhile, the Liberian Consul had informed the Sri Lankan authorities that the Government of Liberia had not sent a diplomat to Sri Lanka by the name stated by the suspect.

Customs suspect him to be a high-level operator in the international drug mafia chain. He has since been handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau for further questioning.

Police also suspect he has been using a bogus passport and expect to obtain Interpol assistance to investigate this aspect.

Thiru Nadesan makes things worse for Mervyn!

Details

 

Created On Wednesday, 06 November 2013 13:02

Category: General

Making things worse for minister of public relations Mervyn Silva, a 156-perch property located at no: 43, Barnes Place, Colombo 07 which is being managed by him, is being claimed by Thiru Nadesan, a relation of the president, who owns a 196-perch property opposite it.

The rightful owner of no: 43, who is overseas, has driven away squatters who had been living there, and handed it over to minister Silva to manage it temporarily. Later, both had got together and planned to build a luxury apartment complex in the property.

Vehemently opposing the plan, owner of the property located opposite no: 43, Thiru Nadesan, has cited that a luxury apartment complex would make the area further congested. His ancestral home is located there.

Thiru Nadesan has met the rightful owner of no: 43 overseas and threatened him to abandon plans to build a luxury apartment complex. A frightened owner has told him that it was not his idea, but that of minister Silva. Later, he had agreed to sell the property to Thiru Nadesan. However, knowing that it won’t be that easy to expel minister Silva from the property, he has devised a plan.

Accordingly, he has got yesterday’s (05) ‘Daily News’ and today’s ‘Lankadeepa’ to publish news articles to the effect that a powerful government minister is in a Colombo 7 land fraud. President’s relation Thiru Nadesan is behind these articles. He expects minister Silva to take fright due to these articles and abandon the property.

Gota says will get rid of shanties in Colombo

Wednesday, 06 November 2013                                                  

Defence and Urban 

Development Ministry Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa who has already evicted many families in Colombo from their low income houses has said that he will get rid of shanties in the city.

He has said that he will get rid of shanties by 2016.

Rajapaksa has said that shanties and slums will be replaced with housing schemes and that the newly constructed ‘Mihidhusenpura’ 500 housing scheme situated in Dematagoda is ready to be handed over to the public this month.

The government has reportedly spent Rs. 70 lakhs on each housing unit.

Meanwhile the Chairperson of the Urban Development Authority Nimal Perera has said that steps will be taken to eliminate the slum culture in Colombo.

Please click here to join our campaign against sexual violence

We know William Hague cares deeply about sexual violence:

"Where there is no justice and accountability, the seeds of future violence are sown"

William Hague at the launch of the Foreign Office's Preventing Sexual Violence initiative.

Here is William Hague with Angelina Jolie launching his campaign on sexual violence.

Here are Hague and Jolie promoting that initiative once again while visiting a refugee camp in Congo.

We know sexual violence is rife in Sri Lanka:

This man told ITV news he was raped over 200 times in the course of the last year. Sri Lanka is the number one country for victims of rape and torture seeking help from Freedom from Torture

Here is a video supporting Human Rights Watch's report into 75 cases of rape by Sri Lankan security forces of detained Tamils. This is likely to be the tip of the iceberg.

This woman told the BBC she had been sexually assaulted because of her support for the Tamil Tigers. According to a report by the Minority Rights Group many minority women are subjected to sexual violence at the hands of the Sri Lankan army.

So why doesn't William Hague care about sexual violence in Sri Lanka?

"Timid and inconsistent"

The Foreign Affairs Select Committee's view of William Hague's policy towards Sri Lanka.

Here is William Hague on his way toquaff champagne at a taxpayer-funded event celebrating the President of Sri Lanka.

William Hague will go to the Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka on November 15th. At that meeting the President of Sri Lanka will become the Chair of the Commonwealth. Has William Hague forgotten about the victims of sexual violence?

Please use this form to tell William Hague that Sri Lanka's victims of sexual violence need him to speak out too:

Name: 

Email: 

Message:

Please click here to join our campaign against sexual violence

Sri Lanka provides the argument for disbanding the Commonwealth

MURALI SHANMUGAVELAN-Tuesday 5 November 2013

The country has no business hosting an event  meant to promote human rights

Next week Sri Lanka will host Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM), apparently the first Asian country to host it in 24 years.  According to its charter, the Commonwealth is committed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights covenants and international instruments.

Sri Lanka Provides the Argument for Disbanding the Commonwealth by nelvely

Provincial Police; A Necessity For The Restoration Of Democratic Rights

By Ayathuray Rajasingam -November 5, 2013

Ayathuray Rajasingam

The question whether Police powers be given to Provincial Council has been a hot topic in Sri Lanka. The issue arose because there is suspicion that the Police has not shown any interest in protecting the people, but to protect themselves on account of the pressures applied by the unscrupulous politicians. It appears they are not allowed to perform their duties independently.

It was a common scene that some Police officers were seen without doing anything when properties belonging to Tamils became the target of burning during the civil disturbances and this trend continued to exist when unlawful attacks were launched on the temples, churches and mosques by some satanic organizations. The manner in which political opponents were taken into custody and tortured bear testimony that Police failed to stand up to their highest ethical standard. Moreover, the administrative and disciplinary authority was delegated to the Secretary of Defence by virtue of the 18^th Amendment, when, in fact, it should have remained with the IGP. It is this power of issuing command or order which germinates at this juncture for the birth of a totalitarian State. The product of such a situation saw the launching of unlawful attacks on the temples, churches and mosques as aforesaid. No civilized country have ever tolerated their Police watching such hooligans taking the law into their hands. The issue is whether the Police is a close partner in the collapse of democratic institutions, because some Police personnel were involved in the murders of some citizens for want of money in an unlawful manner, demonstrating the lack of service-orientation. It is also questionable whether the Police have concealed truth on account of the pressure from the ruling politicians or their associates, because of the promotion or some respectable jobs after retirement. Further, the manner in which the behaviour of the Police at Hulftsdorp and on the departure of Justice Dr.Shirani Bandaranayake shows the level of corruption that prevailed in the structure of Sri Lanka Police. What is still most astonishing is the link the Police had with underworld criminals who have been utilized for the illegal activities. Sri Lanka has become a notorious country where the rulers contact the Police to release hard core criminals to commit crimes against humanity. The list can be stretched. Such monstrous actions of the Police taking such command from undesirable characters are rare in Federal countries, but common in developing countries like Burma, Pakistan, Bangladesh and some African countries. Such a monstrous command leading to the erosion of democracy and the collapse of Police institutions calls for the establishment of Police at Provincial level in the best interests of the public as a first step.                                                  Read More

Chief Ministers Vigi: What Next?

Chief Minister Of The Northern Provincial Council Has Been Entrusted With Huge Responsibilities!

| by Dr.Sripali Vaiamon

(This is a courteous appeal to the Chief Minister.)

Sir,

( November 5, 2013, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) Much more than the other Chief Ministers in the Island you have been entrusted with colossal amount of accountabilities. ( I am reluctantly using the term accountability as it is a term coined by American and European nations indirectly to harass the governments of third world countries.)Prior to lay your hand on any of the functions you have to shoulder I like to stress a few of the requirements which are at the moment really paramount which you should expedite quickly. May I appeal as a person born in Sri Lanka who wishes to see that before it gets into another brutal civil war to devastate the country, economy and the people, you may initiate early actions on the followings;

Expedite demining, construct housings for the displaced and eradicate the abominable caste rift.

Chief Ministers Vigi What Next by nelvely

A Haunted Nation: India And The Legacy Of The Citizenship Act

By Rajan Hoole -November 5, 2013 

Rajan Hoole

Sri Lanka: A Haunted Nation - The Social Underpinnings Of Communal Violence- Part 6

India And Plantation Labour

How Vittachi deals with the rights of Planta- tion Tamil labour of recent Indian origin who toiled many generations in semi-serfdom for the prosperity of others, too, has no doubt much ac- ceptance (p.5 of his book):

“D.S. Senanayake was extremely concerned about ethnic and religious harmony [having the example of the terrible happenings that were going on in India before him].

“Senanayake distrusted India and it was he who took the initiative in having a defence agreement with Britain, a decision which the Left was going to go on sniping at alleging that it showed Ceylon was not totally independent of Britain. He successfully took the Indian plantation workers who kept mi- grating between South India and Ceylon off the voters’ register and was able to get G.G. Ponnambalam [and several other Ceylon Tamils] to vote for this measure…”

He then goes on to add that the plantation labour voted Left and distorted the electoral bal- ance, and that after their disenfranchisement, “The Kandyan Sinhalese rural voter for the first time had a voice in the country’s affairs.”

There is again a simple assumption in the writer’s mind that the rural Kandyan Sinhalese voter was better served by representatives ap- pealing to the nationalist doctrine of the low country Sinhalese elite, rather than to class in- terest. One could also see the place of the Indian bogey in the nationalist doctrine of the ruling interests. If India was the cause for the defence pact with Britain, it points to a flight from real- ity on the part of the local leadership (see Sect. 5.4). Even long after the pact had lost all signifi- cance, Prime Minister Premadasa thought of in- voking it in the 1980s rather than mend fences with India.

It may however come as a surprise to many that, it was D.S. Senanayake himself who had on earlier occasions floated favourably the idea of federation with India. This was recalled by Darem, the Times of India political correspondent (6th May 1952 – Saturday Review 9.8.86). Darem had been told this by D.S. Senanayake in 1942, when, at the height of the Second World War, Ceylon would have been totally isolated but for the Royal (British) Navy and India. Ceylon’s economy was in the doldrums and India’s role was crucial in keeping Ceylon supplied with several essential food items. Senanayake also perceived that it was on India that Ceylon’s long term security interests would depend. What Senanayake sought were certain guarantees of autonomy. The problem was evidently, accord- ing to Darem, that the Indian leaders already had enough on their hands regarding India’s future. After the war, there was a boom in tea and rub- ber prices and it became a different story with a prosperous Ceylon.

The Legacy of the Citizenship Act                  Read More

Support Sri Lanka's tea plantation workers

ASIA: AHRC - Weekly Roundup, Episode 4

November 4, 2013

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to announce the launch of its weekly video news bulletin, the Asian Human Rights Commission - Weekly Roundup.

The fourth episode, released today, 4 November 2013, covers an exclusive report on Disappearances in Asia. The report covers extensively on patterns of disappearances in Asia and how, even in states where democracy is brought back after years of peoples' struggles, in which thousands have disappeared the newly formed governments undermine the call for accountability on past disappearances. The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed on 30 August.

Mr. Md. Ashrafuzzaman of the AHRC speaks about the new law against torture, criminalised in Bangladesh.

The bulletin also covers issues like the upcoming elections in Nepal, the Global Gender Gap Report as well as execution of persons of Baloch ethnic origin in Iran.

The bulletin can be watched online at http://youtu.be/H10ROhCKPzA

The AHRC welcomes human rights news feeds to be considered for the weekly news bulletin, and suggestions to improve the news channel.

For further information and comments, please write to, media@ahrc.asia

No Fire Zone – Full Documentary – Channel 4 ‘No Fire Zone’

Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields- the story of the 138-day-long final offensive in Sri Lanka’s civil war. Broadcast November 3rd 2013
Copyrights: Channel 4

SL military steps up demolition of houses in Valikaamam North, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 November 2013, 23:41 GMT]
Despite the ‘assurance’ to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan by Sri Lankan president’s secretary Mr Lalith Weerthunga that the demolition of houses inside the former ‘High Security Zone’ would be postponed, the occupying Sri Lanka Army in Palaali continues to bulldoze the houses of Tamil civilians in Va’ruththalai-vi’laan and Kurumpachiddi now being transformed into a permanent Sinhala Military Zone in 6,000 acres land in Valikaamam North in Jaffna. The Civil Military Coordination Office of the SL military in Jaffna told the civilians of Valikaamam that the SL military was free to demolish the houses and clear the area as it has officially been taken over by the military Establishment. Journalists were not allowed to witness the destruction. 

The reports of continued demolition of houses comes a day after local media reported that Jaffna SL military commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe to stop the construction activities inside the zone taken over by the SL military against the will of the people. 

The destruction of houses was being hurriedly carried out on the instructions from SL presidential sibling and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. 

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers manning the occupied zone told the villagers who complained about the demolition to go and seek legal remedies, the residents said. 

It seems like the SL military has been instructed to complete the demolition before any court order to halt the work is issued, the organizations representing the uprooted people of Valikaamam North said. 

The SL military is also attempting to show that all the lands appropriated for the military settlement is a single unit of 6,000 acres, says deputy chairman Shanmuganathan Sajeevan said. 

The owners of the lands will also have trouble in identifying their plots of lands when everything has been bulldozed, he further said. 

The Sinhala soldiers deployed in the demolition project were seen transporting dismantled doors, windows and other properties to the main Palaali base, news sources in Thellippazhai told TamilNet Sunday.

On Wednesday, when US Ambassador in Colombo, Michele Sison, who visited Jaffna was questioned by the local journalists on the demolition of houses by the SL military, she wanted Mr Wigneswaran to respond to media. 

The Chief Minister said he had explained certain issues to the US Ambassador. “But, this is a political matter which has to be taken up with Sri Lankan Government [implying it was an internal affair]. We can't achieve anything by talking about this to foreign officials. But, I have explained that such things are taking place,” he said. 

“She can't express any opinion on this matter,” he said adding that he had contacted Mr Sampanthan the day before yesterday and asked to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan President.

Now, Colombo has demonstrated how it deals with the internal affairs by stepping up the demolition of houses after giving assurance to TNA leader Sampanthan, the representatives of the uprooted people of Valikaamam North told TamilNet on Sunday.

A Northern Path To Reconciliation In Sri Lanka

By Muttukrishna Sarvananthan -November 5, 2013

Dr. Muttukrishna Sarvananthan

Northern People Humble the “People’s Dynasty”

I salute the people of the Northern Province for showing the door to the self-proclaimed “People’s Dynasty”; the only province in the country to do so, which is a glimmer of hope for re-establishment of democracy in the country. Although I am not a fan of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), I wholeheartedly welcome its landslide win in the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) electionsas a symbolic defeat of corruption, crime, cronyism, militarism, and nepotism of the Rajapaksa regime.

Avoid Triumphalism

However, it is only the beginning of a long road ahead. The TNA should not ask for the sun and the moon and squander this golden opportunity as did LTTE at every single opportunity that was offered to it during the twenty-five years from 1985 (Thimbu talks) to 2009 (end of civil war). TNA should not also follow President Rajapaksa and sweep the past, particularly of the Tamil community in pursuit of ‘liberation’, under the carpet and indulge in triumphalism as a result of the unprecedented mandate it has received from the northern people. The mandate received by the TNA in 2013 was higher than its predecessor TULF received in 1977 at the parliamentary elections. (Read The Myth of “no more minorities” by this author)

True political leadership is to be magnanimous in victory, which is what the President of Sri Lanka sorely lacked in the aftermath of the total defeat of the LTTE in May 2009 but this author presently expects from thefirst-ever Chief Minister of the Northern Province. It is such magnanimity in historic victory that will elevate the moral ground of the Tamil minority community vis-à-vis its political aspirations.

Northern Truth and Reconciliation Commission                            Read More  

Do you approve of this?

Amnesty's global human rights blog

Posted on 5 November 2013 by Shiromi Pinto

This image was taken in the last month of Sri Lanka’s bloody armed conflict. These people were among the tens of thousands of civilians who were killed and wounded at that time.

Caught in the crossfire between Sri Lanka’s armed forces and the armed opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, they would have been terrified, desperate to escape the carnage. But there was no escape.

When people tried to find a way out of the fighting, they were attacked. When they were injured and tried to get medical help, their makeshift hospitals were shelled.

Today, another battle is consuming the island. Operated by stealth, it targets journalists, lawyers and other activists so that dissenting opinion is silenced.

As Sri Lanka prepares to host a meeting of leaders of Commonwealth countries from 15-17 November, the iron grip of the state is in full force. The capital, Colombo, has been swept “clean”. And the Commonwealth seems all too willing to take this sanitized version of Sri Lanka at face value.

In December 2012, all Commonwealth states adopted a new charter which promotes human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Yet the Commonwealth has been shamefully silent about Sri Lanka’s human rights crisis. It has failed to address the persistent lack of justice for past crimes and ongoing attacks on activists.

The most explicit expression of this failure is the Commonwealth’s decision to let Sri Lanka host its meeting this November. We gathered an amazing 190,475 signatures to our petition calling on leaders to use the meeting to demonstrate respect for the values they signed up to as members of the Commonwealth.

Now, there are only 10 days to go before the meeting officially opens. At the end of that meeting, it is customary to appoint the host country as chair of the Commonwealth for the next two years. But with so much injustice in Sri Lanka, this must not be allowed to happen. If the Commonwealth appoints Sri Lanka as its chair, it’s approving of human rights abuses.

Show them that you don’t approve. Share this image with your friends on Facebook, adding this message: If the Commonwealth appoints Sri Lanka as its chair, it’s approving of human rights abuses.

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