No Proper Probe On Suspect EPF Investments: Harsha De Silva

December 9, 2013 |

The United National Party said yesterday that the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) has failed to resume inquiries into the controversial investments of workers’ savings in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for the last 11 months, raising serious questions about financial irregularities, the Daily Mirror Newspaper reports.

Harsha

The newspaper quotes UNP MP Dr Harsha De Silva as saying that the PAC abruptly ended inquiries into such investments of EPF savings in the Colombo   Stock Exchange on February 6, and since then nothing had moved on in this regard.

He said the PAC would not meet again for this year and therefore it would be a serious question for those interested in knowing   the predicament of their savings in the EPF, the largest fund in South Asia with savings running to the tune of one trillion rupees.  Also, the UNP MP charged EPF had not submitted its audited account reports to Parliament due for even 2011.

“We are now at the end of 2013. But, we are yet to receive the 2011 accounts report. I do not know why there is such a delay,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Dr. de Silva who is also a PAC member representing the opposition, said EPF savings had been invested in companies such as Hotel Galadari and Laugfs Gas. Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama is the current Chairman of the PAC.

JVP tables report on Packer’s project in parliament

 Monday, 09 December 2013 

The government has reportedly tabled in parliament a report on the proposed US$ 400 million Crown Sri Lanka resort of Australian gaming tycoon James packer.

Packer’s project includes the setting up of a luxury resort with gaming facilities.

The report also details how Packer’s resort can be used to attract “high net patrons” for gaming operations in Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lanka and its economy are likely to benefit from revenues and economic activities from international gaming, particularly, visitation from high net worth patrons that Crown would be able to attract and which Sri Lanka currently misses out on, given the nature of the existing gaming operations,” the report tabled by JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka has said.

The report provides detailed images of the proposed location overlooking the Beira Lake and states the Crown resort would complement and greatly enhance the Metro Colombo Urban development Project (MCUDP) currently underway. The project plans to focus on both the mass markets and VIP customers from India, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and South East Asia.

“It would create further opportunities for tourism development in Sri Lanka. In addition, the proposed project aims to target VIP gaming customers with a luxury VIP service proposition,” the report has noted.

Crown, which has a 33 per cent stake in Melco Crown Entertainment, which owns and operates City of Dreams, one of the leading integrated resorts in Macau, the world’s largest gaming market, said that Indian outbound tourism to gaming markets such as Macau should rightfully come to Sri Lanka, and the setting up of the integrated resort would target segments of these Indian tourists.

The growing preference of Indians for extended weekends abroad, with Sri Lanka being among the emerging destinations, as well as the devaluation of the Sri Lanka Rupee against the Indian Rupee since March 2012, has supported the increasing affordability of Sri Lanka as a destination for the Indian short haul outbound market.

The report has also shown a map of major Indian cities within easy travel radius of Sir Lanka including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, all of which are within one to 3.5 hours travel radius from Sri Lanka.

It has added that Crown is in detailed discussions with the Sri Lanka government and potential joint venture partners regarding this development of the integrated resort project in Colombo.

“A number of conditions remain to be met before the Crown Sri Lanka project could proceed. Those conditions include the agreement between the parties and receipt of relevant government approvals,” it has said.

MaRa polishes bribery apparatus against his anti regime Ministers; but Bribery Commissioner and MaRa too guilty
(Lanka-e-News- 09.Dec.2013, 10.00PM) Simultaneous with the Ministers of the Alliance government beginning to speak openly and viciously against the government, the Medamulana MaRa too is seeking counter measures using the corrupt anti Bribery and corruption commission apparatus against them. 

MaRa had recently summoned three Commissioners including the notorious and infamous D G Balapatabendi, the bribery Commissioner and former judge ; and another scoundrel of a Commissioner , an ex IGP Jayantha Wickremeratne to the Temple Trees and placed before them the files of some Ministers of his own cabinet. Among them were 9 files of Ministers. While the President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunge was also present at the scene , the investigation report of the special task force relating to those affairs was presented. 

Discussions were also held pertaining to the manner in which the news and related affairs of the Ministers are to be managed pertaining to the on going investigations against them though this is an absolutely unlawful process , because under the anti Bribery and corruption Commission Act , even the President cannot access any information into the investigations that are being currently conducted by the Commission, and they cannot be revealed to anyone. Yet to these scoundrels and rascals who gathered at the Temple trees laws of the country are trash just like them .Their only objective was to wreak vengeance on those who are antagonistic to the Rajapakse regime, disregarding laws.

After these unlawful discussions these commissioners including the anti bribery and corruption commissioner held a media briefing - something that has never happened before in SL’s history . They revealed heroically that complaints have been received against Ministers, and these rascals (who held the briefing ) though they are no better said, they are not going to hesitate to launch investigations. 

Interestingly however , recently in Parliament accusations were leveled against this same Balapatabendi who is heading the anti bribery and corruption investigation, of having taken bribes.

The revelation made in Parliament was : In 2006 , he had imported 145 Toyota carina cars under the name of ‘Emperor’, and this was detected by the Customs. The importer was Sandun Harsha Prabhath .The importer filed action in the Supreme court (SC) against the detention of the vehicles. In 2008 , the SC gave a decision in favor of Prabhath permitting the latter to sell them under the name of ‘Emperor’. D.G. Balapatabendi was one of the judges in that panel that gave that decision. Prabhath in return for the favorable judgment had given an “Emperor’ car No. K P 9321 (chassis No. AT 211 6018287) as a bribe to Balapatabendi .

Balapatabendi used this vehicle until 23 rd April 2013 . Subsequently this same racketing importer Prabhath imported another consignment of cars illegally , and that was detected by Customs Director Ranjan Kanagasabai who was later arrested by the anti bribery and corruption commission on charges of taking a bribe of Rs. one million to release the vehicles fraudulently. This same Prabath was the complainant in this case. (Lanka e news had already reported on this unfair episode) 

At that time the Commissioner of bribery and corruption was Balapatabendi (who received the bribe when he was a SC judge from Prabhath on the earlier occasion ) took Kanagasabai into custody on a false complaint made by this same Prabhath.

While this is the infernal Bribery Commission of the Rajapakse regime, now the stage is being set to bring the Ministers who are opposed to this regime under the guillotine on charges of bribery . Nevertheless the ministers don’t appear to be much worried. One of the Ministers speaking to Lanka e news said , ‘it is good our files are being investigated , because it gives us an opportunity to put out all the files in our possession of all the bribes and corruption of not only the Rajapakses but even of their generations.

In Thilanga Sumathipala’s (M.P.) newspapers today, about the assets of sports Minister had been exposed.It is to be noted that Lanka e news always first with the news and best with the views had already revealed those details some time ago. Might we recall Mahindananda dashed Sumathipala’s hopes on the ground when the latter staked his claims to the post of cricket Board chairman. 

The President noted for fishing in troubled waters and who is aware of all the details had passed the information to Sumathipala who exposed them. President’s move was a retaliatory action against Mahindananda who is these days going on a vicious and venomous campaign exposing the Rajapakses. 

At the last Cabinet meeting when a dispute erupted between Mahindananda and Kehilya Rambukwella, MaRa had later patted Keheliya on the back and praised him for attacking Mahindananda. ‘You did a very good thing’ he had told Keheliya. The President who is always a double faced, double tongued ,double dealing maestro , had next called Mahindananda and told him too the same thing , “ you did a splendid thing. So far there was no one to attack Keheliya. Very good you ‘fired’ him, ” 

The fact remains however that all MaRa’s Ministers know absolutely well what a serpent Medamulana MaRa is and about his crude theories.. They are therefore very vigilant . Mahindananda said , ‘if bribery charges are leveled against me, I shall expose all the sordid deals of the Rajapakses including the Norochcholai project’

MEMBERS OF RAJAPAKSA FAMILY HAVE BECOME TRILLIONAIRES AFTER TAKING OFFICE

December 9, 2013

After Mahinda Rajapaksa became President, the people in his family became trillionaires while more than Rs.8.5 trillion has been separated for them, Secretary of the United National Bhikkhu Front Thiniyawala Palitha Thero stated.

Speaking at a press conference held today (December 9) in Colombo, he said that the President’s daily expenditure is about Rs.20 million.

Sharing his views on the UNP and Sri Lankan politicians, he claimed that UNP MP Sajith Premadasa along with a private television station and a newspaper is attempting to destroy the UNP while he blamed rulings made by former Chief Justices Shirani Bandaranaika and Sarath N. Silva for politicians crossing over to different political parties.

Palitha Thero stated that the country is under the rule of a family and that unlike the Prime Minister of Thailand who stepped down due to public dissatisfaction, nothing of the sort will occur in Sri Lanka.

He also pointed out that although drug users are being thrown in jail, the criminals who are responsible for large scale drug dealing are free.

He added that nothing was achieved by spending Rs.17 billion on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) either.

Secretary of the United Bhikkhu Front, Bopitiya Dhammissara Thero, who joined the press conference, stated that the country was not moving towards democracy and that there was no media freedom in Sri Lanka.

He also added that the UNP Leadership Council was expected to bring revolutionary changes to the party and that Sajith Premadasa had turned his back on it.

Government to lose more money, more duty free vehicle permits to be issued

 Monday, 09 December 2013 

The Mahinda Rajapaksa government is to deprive the Treasury of millions of rupees by issuing hundreds of duty free vehicle permits to import luxury vehicles.

The duty free vehicle permits are to be issued to import luxury vehicles to operate a luxury taxi service at the Katunayake and Mattala international airports.

Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne has said that the government is to launch a luxury taxi service at the two airports.
He has said that the government would initially offer up to 600 permits to import BMW 7 Series, Benz cars, Jaguars, Chryslers and other luxury vehicles mainly to be used by the visiting business community and VIPs.

“We have found that other countries which attract investors provide the facility of a luxury taxi service. With more investors expected here, we have decided to launch the service from next month. “Businessmen who came here to attend the Business Forum during the Commonwealth summit made inquiries about the availability of luxury taxi services, but we had none,” Jayaratna has been quoted in the local media as saying.
The Civil Aviation Ministry is to provide land close to the two international airports to the taxi service operator or operators on a lease agreement.

Ministers to be given luxury cars imported for CHOGM - GL

 Monday, 09 December 2013 

External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has said that the luxury cars imported for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be given to ministers.

He has noted at a Forum organized by the Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka that the government had decided to give the vehicles to ministries once they were used for CHOGM.

However, ministers are now involved in a tussle to get for themselves the luxury vehicles used by heads of states during CHOGM.
While denying the figure of Rs. 15.8 billion as the government’s expense for CHOGM, the Minister has asked how to host an international event without spending money.

Slippage In Corruption Perception: Should Sri Lankans Take Note Of It?

By W.A Wijewardena -December 9, 2013 

Dr. W.A. Wijewardena

Sri Lanka’s Public Sector Corruption Perception has changed for the worse

Berlin based international civil society organisation, Transparency International, has been putting out, since 1995, a global index placing world’s nations on a public sector corruption perception map based on surveys conducted in each of the countries under examination. In this index, the cleanest country can score 100 and the most corrupt 0. In the 2013 Corruption Perception Index just released, Sri Lanka’s total score has slipped from 40 in 2012 to 37 in 2013 (available here ). At this score level, Sri Lanka is ranked equivalent, by corruption perception, to Malawi and Morocco which too have scored the same value. Out of 177 countries that have been surveyed, Sri Lanka is ranked at 91 in 2013, a slippage from 79 out of 176 countries in 2012. There is a gradual deterioration of the country’s position of corruption perception from 2005 in which year it had been ranked at 78 out of 159 countries. A consolation for many patriotic-minded Sri Lankans would be that it has scored a little higher than its neighbour to the North, India, which has scored 36 and there are 80 countries which are more corrupt than Sri Lanka in the globe.

No complacency about the present corruption perception level

But over the years, Sri Lanka’s public sector has been perceived to have become more corrupt both in relative and absolute terms. In 2012, the country was ranked nine slots above the midpoint. In 2013, it has slipped three slots below the midpoint. Naturally, this is a development about which the country cannot be happy at all.

Index is on perception and not on actual incidence of corruption

One clarification of the index is that it is about the perception of corruption and not about the absolute level of corruption. This is because there is no valid and reliable information on an internationally comparable basis on the incidence of the public sector corruption. Hence, one may argue that it is the actual level of corruption about which a country should be worried and not about the perception of corruption.  That is because perceptions are based on the subjective assessment of the people and the organisations that are surveyed for the purpose. A critic might say that such surveys would not reveal the objective and impartial opinion of the personalities being surveyed. Their perceptions may have been largely influenced by media reports, hearsay and gossips about the instances of corruption rather than personal experience of same. To that extent, the perception indexes will overestimate the actual level of corruption in society. Or on the other hand, they may underestimate the corruption levels if perceptions are guided by suppressed information on same.

Perceptions are bad because they drive out honest people                 Read More

VIDEO: THE PRIME MINISTER SHOULD BE ARRESTED - JHU

 

December 9, 2013
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a coalition partner of the ruling government, has called for the immediate arrest of Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister for allegedly assisting in the distribution of narcotics in the country. 

At least 131kg of heroin was seized on 30 August hidden in cans packed into a container sent from the Pakistani port of Karachi. 

It had been unloaded at Colombo’s port two months earlier and was addressed to a local recipient, but had been held pending production of documents and cash needed for its import.

A letter emerged from the prime minister’s office, dated 23 August and signed by a co-ordinating secretary seeking to waive import charges on the container.

The letter reportedly said it was being imported by a local company which was just launching its business and could not afford heavy duties.

When the issue was raised in Parliament, Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne said he wasn’t aware of it and that the letters are written by his staff. 

The Prime Minister told Parliament that he has no time to read the 150 or so letters that pass through his office on a daily basis and that he has not approved such a thing, the Leader of the JHU Ven. Dr. Omalpe Sobitha Thero said.

He stated that the if the Prime Minister, who is also the Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs, is unable to find a trustworthy and educated official to read these letters then he should understand that he can no longer do his duty.  

“If he does not possess the physical and mental ability, the biggest service he should do is to resign from the Premiership,” he said, addressing a ceremony commemorating the 10th death anniversary of Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero.

If the secretary has engaged in such an illegal act in violation of the Prime Minister’s orders, why is he not being punished or sacked, Sobitha Thero questioned. 

The leader of the Sinhala nationalist party further said that in comparison to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Relations and Public Affairs, Mervyn Silva, somewhat has a policy.

When certain accusations are being made against his secretaries, Mervyn Silva either says “he is not my secretary” or removes that person. “It seems the Prime Minister doesn’t even have such manners,” he said.

“How does this fraudster continue to remain as a secretary to the Prime Minister?”

He stated that assisting in importing heroin will be the “main weapon” for destroying the Buddha Sasana and there is no doubt about it as it goes against the virtue of Buddhism.  

“Therefore with complete responsibility we advise the country’s President to immediately arrest the prime Minister, who is assisting these illegal acts,” Dr. Omalpe Sobitha Thero

Chronic Kidney Disease affects many in 3 districts 

By Zahrah Imtiaz

Nearly 15 % of people aged 15-70 years in the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Badulla Districts are affected by Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain aetiology (CKDu), and daily 13 persons are dying due to CKDU reports The World Health Organization (WHO).   

“Prevention is better than cure. If we cannot agree on what exactly is the cause of (CKDu), let us working on highlighting its sources and managing those” the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya said at a media briefing held today.

Dr. Padeniya said, “While we try to solve the mystery behind CKDu, we have forgotten that we can treat the disease and take preventive measures to stop its spread without really knowing the answer to its cause.

“We do not know the main reason why people have diabetes or high blood pressure and yet we are able to treat the two diseases. Hence, we should follow the same procedure when it comes to kidney diseases in the country.

“The main sources attributed to the disease are: polluted water, unsafe food, pesticides, life style choices, the environment you live in (geographical location) and other. Hence we need to better control and ensure that people have safe drinking water, food, and have adequate knowledge of pesticides and how to use them in the field.”

The workshop held on 6 December to deal with the causes and solutions for CKDu in the country revealed that we might not be dealing with a kidney disease after all and the disease might be spreading to other areas of Hambantota, Monaragala and to areas in the Northern Province. 

Dr.Padeniya said, “We find that the patients also have high rates of diabetes and cancer in addition to kidney failure. Thus though the other organs are affected, it is the failure in their kidneys that kills them, hence these deaths are attributes solely to kidney failure.

CKDu cannot be treated in the same manner as conventional kidney diseases, they need new methods of treatment and our doctors need to be trained to handle such treatment.”

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) recommends a national strategy to be implemented to control the spread of CKDu in the country; however this task has become difficult as the GMOA claims that the Ministry of Health has no proper method of collecting statistics to know the exact extent of the damage that has been caused due to the disease.

“This cannot be done by the Ministry of Health alone, the disease touches all sections of society. The Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Water Supply and Drainage, Social Welfare, NGOs, civil societies and farmer organizations, all have to come together to solve this issue” Dr. Padeniya said. (Ceylon Today Online)

ILLICIT LIQUOR INSIDE ANIMAL FARM...

December 8, 2013 

Police officers raided an illicit liquor brewery being operated under the guise of an animal farm at a property in Kohombagaswewa, Mahakumbukkadawala. A woman from Negombo who was engaging in the illicit liquor racket has been arrested while police also seized 60 Goda barrels, 12 copper coils and 60 plastic cans. (Pic by Jude Samantha)  

Protection money paid for chanting pirith – monk

 

By Norman Palihawadane-December 8, 2013, 10:30 pm

With extortion rampant in the Pettah area, all traders are forced to pay protection money to groups operating there, Chairman of the Deshamamaka Three wheel Operators’ Association, Ven. Uvathenne Sumana Thera says.

Addressing a press conference at the Sri Bodhirajarama Maha Vihara in Maligawatte, Colombo, on the recent fire in the Pettah, which destroyed over one hundred shops belonging to small traders, Sumana Thera said that not even a pirith chanting vehicle was spared by the extortion gangs. "The extortionists even obtain Rs. 4,000 per day from the vehicle bearing the Ransivigeya used for chanting pirith."

The Thera said that everyone who used a vehicle for business purposes in the Pettah area was forced to pay protection money to extortionists. Those who refused to pay up were threatened with death, he said.

All pavement hawkers and shops in the Pettah area paid protection money to the gang, the Thera said.Sumana Thera said that he had documentary evidence to expose the mastermind of the gang. "I will bring this menace and threats against the lives of traders in the Pettah area to the notice of the President, Defence Secretary and Economic Development Minister."

The Thera said that some pointed fingers at his organisation over the recent fire in Pettah. He added it was an unjust accusation by some people who didn’t know what had really taken place.

KILLING THE IGBO PILOT TO PROVE LOYALTY

8 December 2013
While the pogrom against the unarmed and defenseless Igbo civilians was going on all over Nigeria starting from July, 1966, when some vengeful and misguided northern army officers kidnaped and murdered the Head of State Aguiyi Ironsi, the heinous mayhem soon turned into some sort of proof of loyalty to the Nigerian state and a recreational sport for Nigerians. Soon, Nigeria’s citizenship became authenticated by how many Igbo people you could prove to have killed.

Fear, jealousy, hatred and intolerance drove the Nigerian government and its citizens to start the massacre and ethnic cleansing of the Igbo and other ethnic peoples of what later became known as Biafra. After a while, when Nigerians thought they had sufficiently cornered and subdued their quarry and hapless victims, killing the Igbo became for Nigerian government officials a pass time and sport. Nigerian top officials spearheaded by the then Colonel Yakubu Gowon turned the killing of the Igbo people into a game. Between July, 1966 and May 30, 1967 over 100,000 Igbo and other ethnic peoples of the former Eastern Region were killed in this way by Nigerians.

In the history of modern Africa the genocide and pogrom by the Nigerian government and its people against Igbo people, within the period of 1966 and 1970, have not been surpassed. From 1966 to 1970 the government of Nigeria organized the killing of a section of the population of its citizens in the most gruesome manner. Nigeria ethnically and religiously cleansed the Nigerian state of the Igbo people then and sadly after four decades, Nigeria still indulges in this crime. In the end Nigeria killed a total of 3.1 million Igbo/Biafrans. Even the passage of 46 years has not removed from the mind of Nigerians the hatred, fear, intolerance and bigotry that started the country on this self-destructive journey. Rather than reduce, Nigeria’s Islamic intolerance and terrorism against the Igbo and other ethnic nationalities of the former Eastern Region of Nigeria have increased and have now pushed the Nigerian state off the edge of an irreversible precipice.

Here we are talking about how Nigerian officials and people turned Igbo killing into a sport. On this occasion, at the airport in Lagos, Nigeria, there were some top Nigerian government officials and military officers. In the camaraderie and joie de vivre atmosphere that is usually present where young military officers are, the jokes soon turned to retelling their recent exploits of the killing of the Igbo civilians. Each struggled to tell and demonstrate who had personally killed the most Igbo.

Before the crisis began Gowon’s girlfriend Edith Ike was Igbo and his fellow officers knew about it. Though Gowon had severed relationship with Edith when the hatred and killing of her ethnic people by both the Nigerian armed forces and civilians started but some of his colleagues still doubted his allegiance to Nigeria. It was this doubt of allegiance that led to the airport incident on this particular day in 1966.

Muhammadu Shuwa who would later play a pivotal role in the genocidal Biafra war was in the airport with other army officers on that day. While the argument went on Shuwa came up with what he thought was a simple and brilliant idea to settle once and for all, the contention of who killed the most Igbo among them. Shuwa gave Gowon a service pistol and said to him that he should cut the long story short and rest the minds of those who still doubted Gowon’s commitment by killing an Igbo pilot who had just flown a commercial plane to the airport.

Of course Gowon remained in power throughout the war. He proved himself that afternoon. The Igbo pilot was taken to the tarmac and, in the clear view of all present Gowon shot and killed him. Muhammadu Shuwa would also prove himself several times over during the Biafra war. As one of Nigeria’s brigade commanders, he became notorious and was directly responsible for the killing of millions of Igbo and other Biafrans in what is clearly a war of genocide and crime against humanity. The irony of it is that forty-six years after the airport incident, Shuwa was shot and killed in 2012 in his house in Northern Nigeria by some assailants who were identified as members of the Boko Haram Islamic terrorist group.

Today, the same Yakubu Gowon, the killer of the Igbo pilot on the airport tarmac, organizes a religious group which he calls “Nigeria Prays.” It is this kind of hypocritical life of absurdity and distortion by Nigerian people and their leaders that has caused many critics to ask if Nigerians have any idea of what consists of morality or what it means to operate a decent and respectable human social society. Over the years, Gowon has visited some parts of Igbo land and actually stood before some Igbo people to pray. He prays, not for the forgiveness of the crime against humanity that he committed against the Igbo but for God to intervene and fix Nigeria that has gone awry because it is awash in the blood of 3.1 million Igbo and other Biafrans whom Gowon presided over their genocidal murder. Recently, a picture of the governor of Imo State Rochas Okorocha and Gowon in a celebrating mood went viral on the internet. In the picture the two men sat at a table lined with bottles of wine and they seemed to be having a good time. For the Igbo and other Biafran victims of the Biafra genocide the picture was regarded in a very bad taste as they found it very disgusting and insulting. Those who decry this insensitive display of lack of discretion and a sense of history on the Governor’s side have repeatedly asked if Okorocha, an Igbo leader, is celebrating the genocidal murder of his brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts and cousins with their unrepentant chief murderer. Amongst many people across the world it is believed that one important code or principle that is supposed to guide the conduct of leaders of any people is to be constantly conscious of the feelings and aspirations of the people they are leading. It is the consensus of all Igbo and other Biafrans who now say that by all assessment, Governor Okorocha failed this test by this singular act.

And those who criticize Gowon’s charade and mockery of piety have not ceased to ask if God has decided to redefine the universal meaning of equity and justice for the sake of Gowon and other “pious” Nigerians like him. But the last time we checked, a significant part of humanity still believes in the legal standard which states that whoever that must invoke equity must come with clean hands. By killing 3.1 million Biafran babies, children, women and men, and the Igbo pilot, Gowon ranks among the top ten of the world’s greatest murderers of all time. Other two pathetic historical figures who also made the list are Hitler and Stalin.

Gowon’s “Nigeria Prays” is a typical depiction of what Nigeria stands for. Nigeria like Yakubu Gowon’s praying organization is the quintessential distorted society where truth, justice and everything sensible and logical stand on their head. Or how else does anyone explain how a man with so much blood in his hand, unrepentant and unremorseful, feels when he traverses in “holy piety” the same lands where some of the unburied millions who still lay in their open graves that he Gowon personally murdered. Yes, it is only in Nigeria that such mockery of godliness is on permanent display, and the man and his diminutive listeners go about praying fervently for God’s grace on the same land they impudently and ceaselessly pollute.

UN marks 65th anniversary of landmark treaty on preventing, punishing genocide

A wall of photos at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. UN Photo/Mark Garten

9 December 2013 – Top United Nations officials joined international experts today in New York to mark the 65th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide – referred to as a living symbol of the enduring commitment to ‘never again.’

“The Genocide Convention has at its heart the commitment to protect vulnerable populations from mass violence. We have made significant advances since it was adopted but we have also seen some significant failures,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said, as headdressed the UN Headquarters event on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“We must be vigilant, courageous and persistent,” he stated. “We live in a troubled world, but it is within the power of all of us to make a difference. We must not be passive bystanders. We must always stand up for human rights, the rule of law and a life of dignity for all.”

Adopted on 9 December 1948 during the first session of the UN General Assembly, the Convention is largely an outcome of the world’s response to the crimes committed by the Nazis against Jews and other minority groups during the Second World War.

Drafted by three giants of the human rights field – Raphael Lemkin, Vespasian Pella and Henry Donnedieu de Vabres – it defines genocide as any act committed with the intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

Today, more than 140 countries have become parties to the Convention, which declares genocide a crime under international law. Those who commit, conspire to commit, or incite others to commit genocide would be found guilty of the crime.

“Genocide does not happen overnight,” Mr. Eliasson added. “There are almost always many warning signs, usually over a period of years. Very often these are violations of human rights against one particular group or entity within a population.

“That means genocide is enabled when we remain silent or are unwilling to act. But – and this is crucial – it also means we can prevent it.”

Adama Dieng, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, noted that while the Convention makes it clear that the prime duty of the international community is to prevent, too often it has failed in this duty, with devastating consequences for innocent civilians.

“Today we have to move beyond early warning to early action. We have to strengthen the capacity of our institutions to respond in a timely and effective way to potential conflicts and to the threat of grave and massive human rights violations. Even the best system of early warning will be less helpful unless States are able and willing to take action when the warning is received.”

He said the ongoing carnage in Syria and unfolding tragedy in the Central African Republic are “stark reminders of our limitations and our inability to undertake robust, timely action to protect populations from atrocity crimes.

“Yet, any inaction is unacceptable, especially for those who endure the suffering resulting from these conflicts. We need to do more and we can do more.”

Mr. Dieng added that whenever civilians are deliberately targeted because they belong to a particular community or ethnic group, it is evident that the international community is confronting potential or indeed actual genocide.

“We can no longer afford to be blind to this grim dynamic, nor should we imagine that appeals to morality, without credible threat of action, will have much effect on people who have adopted a deliberate strategy of killing and forcible expulsion.

“Anyone who embarks on genocide commits a crime against humanity. It is therefore important that humanity must respond by taking action in its own defence. It is our collective obligation to stand firm and provide a shield to the defenseless.”

The panel discussion was organized by the Holocaust and the UN Outreach Programme in partnership with the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.

‘Pro-Israel group targets Obama bid’

Groups like “Stand With Israel” are upset and afraid that they will not see a major war with ancient Persia.

US President Barack Obama

Fri Dec 6, 2013 

The group claims, “Our organization is founded on the basis that the safety and security of Israel is inextricably tied to the national security of the United States of America and must be preserved. If the security of either of our two countries is compromised, so is the other.” Interesting at best, that they would suggest that Israel’s constant call for death and war in Iran would be inevitably tied to US security. It seems the opposite is true.

‘Pro-Israel group targets Obama bid’ by nelvely

Governor Or Chief Minister?

By Austin Fernando-Sunday, December 08, 2013

Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C V Vigneswaran

Governor in the Sri Lankan Provincial Councils (PCs) structure is a much respected personality. Governor D B Wijetunga elevated from the Governorship to Prime Minister and finally to Presidency. In recent times Governor G A Chandrasiri, a king-pin in eliminating terrorism has been in the news more than others.

Governor or Chief Minister by nelvely

The People's Tribunal on Sri Lanka

Live Streaming of the Second Sessions of the People's Tribunal on Sri Lanka

Live -video

Its inception and its goals--Monday 9th Dec,

Following the terrible events in Sri Lanka, supporters of the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka, Initiative Peace in Sri Lanka and the International Human Rights Association Bremen met in June 2009 in Bremen, Germany. We discussed the extent of the humanitarian tragedy that the Sri Lankan government (GoSL) had unleashed on the Tamil people and the role that the International community played in this crime. And how, even after declaring that the war was over, the Sri Lankan government continued to proclaim that there were practically no civilian casualties and that its war was simply a successful mission to rescue the Tamils who were held against their will by the LTTE. And even when the regime incarcerated all the 280,000 Tamil people it had 'rescued' in concentration camps, the Apex bodies of the international community could do nothing more practical than to recommend that the GoSL investigates its own atrocities.

We discussed how this tragic state of international complicity had come into being. Certainly, the discrimination against the Tamil people, the oppression and racial pogroms that they have had to suffer in the island since Sri Lanka was given independence over 60 years ago, has been well documented and available to all in the international community. That the genesis of the conflict is rooted in the oppression of the Tamils, and that over a hundred thousand Tamils have lost their lives in the previous stages of the conflict, is no secret. In fact the wide-ranging international proclamations of support for the 2002 Peace Process in Sri Lanka – on the basis that the solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka was political and not military – underpinned this reality. But in the wake of the Iraq war and under US pressure, every part of the International community changed their position from supporting a political solution to backing the Sri Lankan government's decision to execute a military solution to the ethnic question. Thus the powerful countries and the apex bodies of the international community had allowed the cry of the Tamil people, which started and continued for 30 years as a Gandhian non-violent protest for justice, to end in a blood-bath in 2009. If Geo-Strategic calculations guided by self-interest has driven the powerful countries to compete with each other to give support to the government of Sri Lanka, and if this state of affairs had relegated organisations like the United Nations to issuing toothless warnings to cover up its impotence to take any concrete actions to prevent this massacre, then it follows also that it is very likely that the grave injustice suffered by the Tamil people will be covered up.

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Gota’s secret meeting with LTTE leader lead to a matter of security to the United States
Namal warns his father about the Gota’s secret deal

(Lanka-e-news-08.Dec.2013, 10.45 P.M.)Lanka e news learned that the American Intelligence Service has requested a report from Italian Intelligence about Gotabhaya Rajapakse for his meeting with a leader of the LTTE recently, as it is a banned terrorist organization in the United States.

The LTTE leader whom Gota met in his Italian visit is a well known wanted terrorist by the International Intelligence Services and is absconding their security network.

The LTTE terrorist group in the latter part of the war negotiated many deals in Europe for their weapon supplies through this terrorist leader. The well known terrorist leader “K.P” has only provided money necessary to weapon purchases. This terrorist visited many countries such as Ukraine, Russia, Cambodia and Vietnam and made a number weapon deals. He has amazing languages skills and speaks many languages. There is much information received about his illegal activities but unable to disclose as this matter is now under investigation.

The United States is deeply concerned about Gotabhaya Rajapakse being a United States Citizen dealing with terrorists such as the one well known to the intelligence in violation of their laws. LTTE is a listed terrorist group in the United States. Making deals with the LTTE terrorist group inside or outside of Sri Lanka is subject to their investigations. There is no credible report that Gotbhaya has renounced his United States citizenship according to the IRS( Internal Revenue Service). Every United States citizen must file tax returns with the IRS. Unless one informs the IRS for renunciation of citizenship. IRS under the regulation discloses to the public of such names periodically. Further renunciation of citizenship is a matter to the United States Department of State and there is no such information available to the public. 

Gotabhaya Rajapakse may be holding an office as Secretary of Defense in Sri Lanka but he is not a law enforcement officer, therefore his dealing with terrorists are prohibited and only probable cause is required to make a case under the existing laws. Further no government can give permission to Gota to deal with Terrorists as the United States prohibits any dealing with terrorists. For this reason his activities specifically dealing with LTTE terrorists is a matter to the United States and such dealings are matters to be investigated by the US Intelligence. Further at the time Gota became the Secretary of Defense, he was a United States Citizen and then validity of Sri Lankan citizenship (if he has one) is a matter to be challenged in the United States. He may be immune from the Sri Lankan judicial system but not from the United States as he was a United States citizen and at the time he obtained citizenship he took an oath to abide the laws of the United States. Under these circumstances it is unavoidable to the United States Intelligence to question him whether he has violated the United States laws. Therefore the Intelligence is arguing that the report from the Italian Intelligence is essential for investigation purposes.

In the mean time Gota’s secret dealings with LTTE created paranoia in the Rajapakse regime. Gota’s secret mission with LTTE leader was not known and not informed to the President brother. Gota has a secret agenda that did not inform about the dealing with LTTE leader after he returned to Sri Lanka. Namal has shown the E-news report to his father as it was the first report that reveals Gota’s secret mission. He has told his father that “ father at least now open your eyes about your own brothers, I told you that they are waiting to empower you”. It is a well known fact that Namal has a feeling of resentment towards his uncles Gotabhaya Rajapakse and Basil Rajapakse.