Thursday, December 19, 2013

Nelson Mandela gave a lecture entitled ‘Africa and Its Position in the World Today’ to an enthusiastic audience at LSE in April 2000. New footage from the event has been found, including part of the musical tribute to the former South African President after the talk, in which he gets up to dance.
video

Photo: Nelson Mandela gave a lecture entitled ‘Africa and Its Position in the World Today’ to an enthusiastic audience at LSE in April 2000. New footage from the event has been found, including part of the musical tribute to the former South African President after the talk, in which he gets up to dance.http://richmedia.lse.ac.uk/publiclecturesandevents/20131206_1830_africaPositionWorldToday.mp4

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Mosque In Dehiwala Visited By Cops Stoned, A Muslim Owned Jewellery Store Torched In Galle Last Night

December 19, 2013

A mosque in the Colombo suburb of Dehiwela that was ordered to stop issuing the call to prayer and conducting prayers in its premises by the Kohewela police two days ago was stoned last night, according to Muslim politicians and residents in the area.

The Masjidul As Shafee at Kadawatha Road in Kohuwela was stoned last night but police had arrived promptly to provide security, sources told Colombo Telegraph.

attack on the Mosque in Dambulla / File photo

Earlier this week officers from the Kohuwela Police station entered three mosques in the Dehiwala Area and instructed the religious leaders to stop conducting prayers and issuing the call to prayer five times a day.

Minister Rishard Bathiudeen intervened in the affair and notified the Acting IGP Gamini Navaratne and the DIG of the Western Province Anura Senanayake about the developments after residents informed him of the interference, the BBC reported.

Both Minister Bathiudeen and former Deputy Mayor of Colombo Azath Salley both visited the mosque after the attack.

The three mosques visited by the Police earlier this week were the Dehiwala Attidiya Majibul Hiba, the Masjidul As Shafee at Kalubowila and the Dehiwala Tharul Muslim Centre. It is not immediately clear why the police visited these mosques to make the request.

Meanwhile in Galle, a Muslim owned Jewellery store was torched late last night.

Nelson Mandela: Terrorist turned Santa Claus or Liberator of the Oppressed?

Photo by Adrian Steirn/Nelson Mandela Foundation/Getty Images viaHuffington Post

by Devanesan Nesiah
- on 12/19/2013

Despite his lifelong commitment to Non-Violence (except briefly against unmanned institutions such as power stations) Mandela was proclaimed a Terrorist by President Reagan, and remained on the Terrorist Watch List under successive Presidents till 2008.

Nelson Mandela Terrorist Turned Santa Claus or Liberator of the Oppressed by nelvely

Ravana in Parliament

Editorial-December 18, 2013,

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has stirred another storm of controversy. One of its MPs claimed in Parliament on Tuesday that Ravana had been a Hindu king, apparently in a bid to support the so-called homeland theory. He chose to bracket some of the monarchs mentioned in Sri Lanka’s chronicles with the mythical king. What is of interest to us is his tendentious attempt to toss a salad of myths, as it were, with some tidbits from the Mahawamsa thrown in for good measure. However, he is entitled to his opinion.

Let learned historians deal with the TNA parliamentarian’s argument anent the kings mentioned in the Great Chronicle. But, his Ravana claim is, in our book, self-defeating. In this country Ravana has been deified and, of late, there has been a fad for conducting research on him; claims are being made in some quarters that evidence has surfaced to prove that he actually lived here. There has also emerged a Ravana cult of sorts. A section of the media is busy marketing the mythical king. These developments may have influenced the TNA MP to concoct the aforesaid theory.

However, Indians whose support the TNA is canvassing for its cause will not take kindly to its lawmaker’s attempt to convert Ravana, considered an epitome of evil, to Hinduism, so to speak. The Dussehra festival celebrations in all parts of India are not complete without the burning of huge effigies of ‘demon king’ Ravan (Ravana) in public to mark his defeat by Lord Rama. In a small town in Haryana, a Ravana effigy which is as tall as 180 feet is torched annually. Therefore, the TNA parliamentarians may run the risk of coming under mob attacks in Tamil Nadu if they continue to peddle the Ravana theory too much.

Why Indians despise and vilify Ravana is understandable. Millennia ago, according to legend, he resorted to what Rajiv Gandhi did to Sri Lanka in 1987; legend has it that he violated the Indian airspace riding as he did his Dandumonara or wooden airplane. Rajiv’s planes forcibly entered Sri Lanka’s air space to drop parippu and pave the way for saving a pet terrorist. But, Ravana was all out to take revenge. Even Americans may have learnt the art of extraordinary rendition (abducting persons and transferring them to another country) from Ravana, who brought Sita, wife of Rama, in his ‘fighter aircraft’ all the way from India. Ravana’s knack for abductions seems to have got into Sri Lankans’ genes if the spate of involuntary disappearances during the last two decades or so is any indication. Modern-day Sri Lankan rulers whose predilection for flying is monumental may be descendants of Ravana.

Homo sapiens who think no end of themselves are mere Johnnies-come-lately where life on Earth is concerned; they are groping in the dark as regards their own history let alone that of other species such as the green turtle whose ancestors, according to some scientists, even saw dinosaurs evolve and become extinct. So, it is only natural that humans tend to believe in myths in tracing their roots for want of a better alternative.

As for Sri Lankans what is needed at this juncture is not a debate on ethnicities and religions of ancient monarchs, information about whom is lost in the mists of time or apocryphal stories about them. The need is for them to forge ahead as a nation while learning from the mistakes during the past few decades which saw the country run red with human blood. Rhetoric won’t do; it will only make the much-needed reconciliation continue to elude them.

Sri Lanka mulls Mandela’s reconciliation model

(AFP) – Sri Lanka is considering a South African-style reconciliation commission nearly five years after crushing Tamil separatists in an offensive that triggered international allegations of war crimes, a minister said on Tuesday.

Information minister Keheliya Rambukwella said President Mahinda Rajapakse, who attended a memorial service for former South African president Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg last week, was trying to replicate the late civil rights icon’s reconciliation bid.

“We are seriously looking at the possibility of having something like the (South African) Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” Rambukwella told reporters in Colombo after the first cabinet meeting following Rajapakse’s return from South Africa.

Sri Lanka is under international pressure to probe allegations that its troops killed up to 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of defeating Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.

“There is a discussion going on (inside the government) about a Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” Rambukwella said. “We can also build on the structures we already have.”

He gave no further details, but official sources said Sri Lanka was already in talks with South African authorities to secure their help for a TRC along the lines of the one South Africa adopted after the end of apartheid.

The TRC worked on the basis of restorative justice rather than punishing offenders of gross human rights abuses.

At a Commonwealth summit hosted by Colombo last month, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron warned that he would push for an international inquiry into Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes under the auspices of the UN unless Sri Lanka ensures accountability by March.

The government has already rejected Cameron’s deadline, but official sources said the government was also keen to establish a new mechanism to address reconciliation and build on a local investigation that called for a wider probe.

Sri Lanka’s small but influential Catholic church warned last week that foreign intervention would be inevitable unless Colombo addressed international concerns over accountability for alleged war crimes.

In a pastoral letter, the church warned that failure on the part of Colombo to ensure accountability could trigger international investigations that would be a “serious threat to the sovereignty of the country”.

The UN estimates that the Tamil conflict had cost at least 100,000 lives between 1972 and 2009.

De Facto CJ Breaks Century Old Tradition And Invites Gota And Cabraal For Judges Dinner

December 19, 2013 |

In an unprecedented deviation from decades of legal tradition in this country the de facto Chief Justice Mohan Pieris has invited his political backers to an event otherwise reserved for serving judges Colombo Telegraph learns from judicial sources.

Pieris and Gotabaya

For over a century Chief Justices have invited only serving judges and their spouses to the Annual Judges conference and dinner. This unbroken tradition was flouted by the de facto Chief Justice who owes a debt of gratitude to Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and a selected cabal of cronies for the machinations to place him in his current position in violation of the constitution of Sri Lanka.

At this year’s annual judges dinner hosted by the de facto Chief Justice Mohan Pieris on 14th December at his official residence there were three unusual guests, handpicked and invited by Pieris himself. When the cocktail commenced, Defence SecretaryGotabaya Rajapaksa and Central Bank Central Bank Governor,Ajith Nivad Cabraal arrived followed by Palitha Fernando, the Attorney General. It is well known that Mohan Pieris, Ajith Nivard and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa form an unofficial cabal that meets often at the Central Bank to decide on judicial matters. Mohan Pieris is in fact the handpicked appointee of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. In addition Mohan Pieris and Nivard Cabraal share many nefarious business interests. It is reported that when Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived with hundreds of security guards and vehicles, the judges and their vehicles had to be moved out.

Although Mohan Pieris took great pains to introduce some of the judges to his ‘handlers’ many of the judges present avoided such interactions both in anger and embarrassment, Sources told the Colombo Telegraph.

Several judges informed the Colombo Telegraph that they were shocked by the invitations extended to the Defence Secretary and the Central Bank Governor. They expressed their dismay at de facto Chief Justice Pieris flouting judicial tradition and practice which have been in place to ensure the independence of the judiciary, especially from the reach of the executive.

Lalith Kotalawala subjected to the most loathsome corrupt King Kekille court hearing

Lalith Kotalawala subjected to the most loathsome corrupt King Kekille court hearing
(Lanka-e-News- 18.Dec.2013, 11.30PM) Lalith Kotalawala a frontline businessman has been subjected to a most loathsome corrupt litigation ever on this planet earth., according to reports reaching Lanka e news. If this case against him is to be called as that heard by the ‘Kekille’ King , it is to insult that King for it is much worse than the eccentric case proceedings and judgments of ancient King Kekille , and most depraved .

Lalith Kotalawala Subjected to the Most Loathsome Corrupt King Kekille Court Hearing by nelvely

Man held for organising LTTE gathering

DAP's M Kulasegaran wants the MIC to highlight the arrest of the man, under the Sedition Act, to the Cabinet

P Ramani

| December 19, 2013

PETALING JAYA: A man has been arrested under the Sedition Act for organising a gathering in Kulim, Kedah, on Saturday to mark the birthday of Tamil Tigers chief V Prabhakaran, who was killed by Sri Lankan forces.

DAP national vice-chairman M Kulasegaran urged the police to publicly state whether the Liberation of Tamil Tigers (LTTE) was banned in Malaysia.

The Ipoh Barat MP quoted Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar as saying: “What has this terrorist (Prabhakaran) got to do with our country? Why try to invite people to glorify a terrorist?”

“I’m puzzled by the IGP’s remarks and maybe he has been wrongly advised and does not comprehend the meaning of freedom fighters, Kula said in a press statement today.

“In the case of Prabhakaran, he was agitating for self-determination of his people in the east of Sri Lanka due to discrimination, killings and disappearance of his people.

“Is the IGP aware of the alleged war crimes, genocide, ethnic-cleansing and crimes against humanity committed by the Sri Lanka government during the Sri Lanka civil war?” asked Kulasegaran.

Don’t be repressive’

He said about 80,000 Tamils had been killed in the civil war.

“Are we to condone the gross abuse of human rights when the Sri Lanka government has been openly rebuked by many countries on this issue?” he asked.

He added that when the ‘No Fire Zone documentary was screened at the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall (KLCAH) in July, the organisers were arrested and charged.

“It is a known fact that the Sri Lankan embassy had written and met the KLCAH officials to demand the cancellation of the screening a day before the event.

“Is the Sri Lankan embassy the black hand in the recent Kulim arrest?” asked Kulasegaran.

He also questioned whether two the MIC ministers would raise the matter in the cabinet meeting.

“We need more open democratic space. Discussions of sensitive issues should not be curtailed and swept under the carpet.

“Don’t be repressive. We are still not a matured democracy after achieving Independence 56 years ago. The last thing we require is the unnecessary ‘safety net’ from the police,” said Kulasegaran.

WikiLeaks: Gota Raised Concerns About The ‘Delay’ In The Delivery Of Bushmaster Guns And Ammunition – US

December 19, 2013 |

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence

“Reiterating Sri Lanka’s desire for enhanced maritime and ground surveillance capabilities, Rajapaksa also raised concerns about the ‘delay’ in the delivery of Bushmaster naval guns and ammunition. He explained that the delay was not based on legal restrictions due to the country’s internal political situation, but because of the need to ship the guns through a ‘staging point’ such as Kuwait. Expressing appreciation for the long-standing military training program between the U.S. and Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa noted that the joint military exercises scheduled last year had been postponed. ‘We hope the exercises take place this year,’ he said.” US Embassy Manila (Philippines) informed Washington.

A classified diplomatic cable which details a meeting the US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte had with Gotabaya Rajapaksa on July 31, 2007. The Colombo Telegraph found the related US diplomatic cable from the WikiLeaks database.

India and Sri Lanka: A sea of conflict

Meera Srinivasan-Thursday, December 19, 2013

Tamil Nadu fishermen entering Sri Lankan waters interfere with the livelihood of Sri Lankan Tamils struggling to make a living from the sea after a brutal war

Fishermen of Karainagar near Jaffna are among those badly hit by the Indian trawlers, which come virtually to their shore for prawns and shrimps. Photo: Meera Srinivasan

The haunting image — from a reporting assignment over a month ago — of an army of Indian trawlers charging towards the shore of Analativu, a small island in the northern tip of Sri Lanka, remains vivid in my memory.

Though there were no arrests reported that night, the Sri Lankan Navy, on several occasions before and after that, have arrested Indian fishermen on charges of trespassing. Not just in Analativu, but at different points off Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern coasts.

India and Sri Lanka a Sea of Conflict by nelvely

Indian Coast Guard ships in Lanka for marine exercis

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Colombo: Two Indian Coast Guard ships have arrived in the eastern Sri Lankan port of Trincomalee to participate in a three-nation marine exercise.

The ICGS Vishwast and ICGS Rajkamal were welcomed in accordance with naval traditions on arrival.

The ships are here to participate in a trilateral table top exercise involving India, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

ICGS Vishwast is an Offshore Patrol Vessel commanded by Inspector General JK Verghese. It is 94 metres in length and has a displacement of 2,400 tonnes.

The ship's complement consists of 102 personnel that include 10 officers, 2 trainee officers and 90 sailors.

ICGS Rajkamal is an Inshore Patrol Vessel commanded by Commandant HJ Singh. It is 50.38 metres long and has a displacement of 356 tonnes.

The ship has 42 personnel that include 5 officers, a trainee officer and 36 sailors.

Last month, naval chief Admiral D K Joshi had toured Sri Lanka where his offer of training Sri Lankan naval officers in India provoked sharp political reactions in Tamil Nadu following heavy criticism of the union government over India's participation in the CHOGM summit in Colombo.

PTI

Drop in heroin haul weight puzzles many; police see nothing strange

By Madura Ranwala-December 18, 2013, 9:56 pm

Many an eyebrow has been raised over the mysterious reduction in the weight of heroin seized on August 30 and sent to the Government Analyst.

The Customs on August 30 seized 261 kg and 292 g of the narcotic but the Government Analyst’s report has put the quantity down at 130 kg. The stock of heroin was handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau by the Customs on an order issued by the Maligakanda Magistrate Court on August 31.

When asked yesterday how there had been such a drastic reduction in the quantity of the narcotic, Police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana told The Island that about 130 kg had been recorded as impurities, according to Government Analyst’s report. "A bottle of arrack does not contain only alcohol. It contains only a certain percentage, likewise, in the blood, red blood cells are in a majority but not in total. Therefore, the detected heroin has been analysed by the Government Analyst and in his report he has recorded the net weight of pure heroin at 131 kg and 148 g."

JVP propaganda secretary MP Vijitha Herath, addressing a media briefing on Sunday alleged that politicians protected the drug Mafia. He queried whether the ten kilos of heroin found in Hikkaduwa was part of the heroin alleged to have disappeared from the haul detected by the customs.

Pointing to a shocking incident at Kotakethana, in Ratnapura, where a lonely mother and a daughter were brutally killed in January, 2012, by a secretary of a politician who was alleged to have been involved in drug trafficking, MP Hearath said, "The suspect is free today."

Herath said: "From that point there was political influence to cover up drug trafficking. Finally, politicians went scot free and the rate of murder and drug trafficking rose alarmingly."

He criticised the Prime Minister for behaving as if he were a baby, who did not know anything about the largest heroin smuggling attempt, when he was questioned recently, after it was revealed that one of his secretaries issued a letter requesting a waiver of demurrage charges on the narcotics container.

Statement recorded from Amal Perera over turtle theft

December 19, 2013

Popular local artist Amal Perera explained to the Kosgoda Police today that he had gone to the Turtle Conservation Centre in Kosgoda with a Sri Lankan friend living in Maldives to purchase an albino turtle worth Rs 35 million, in order to perform a ritual in Maldives.

An albino turtle from a rare species worth Rs 35 million that was kept in the Turtle Conservation Centre in Kosgoda was allegedly stolen on 17 December.

Police decided to question popular local artiste Amal Perera over the theft of a rare female albino turtle, after it was revealed that Perera, accompanied by a Maldivian National, was interested in purchasing the turtle for Rs. 35 million.

Perera who appeared before the Kosgoda Police today and was questioned for almost 3 hours, informed the Kosgoda Police that he had accompanied his friend named ‘Supun” who is a Sri Lankan national and a resident of Maldives, to the Turtle Conservation Centre and had not carried any money with him at the time.

According to reports Maldivians believe in a superstition in which writing the name of one’s enemy on the back of an albino turtle and releasing it into the water, could help to murder the enemy.

It is suspected that the albino turtle may have been stolen to murder a prominent person in the Maldives. (Ceylon Today Online)

Govt. permits three casino palaces in Colombo

(Lanka-e-News- 18.Dec.2013, 11.30PM) The government had released three gazette notifications today pertaining to the permission to be granted to the three controversy ridden casino palaces to be established in Colombo. According to reports reaching Lanka e news , the notifications had withdrawn gambling and betting.

These three casino palaces which have been named Kingsbury Leisure Ltd; and Lake leisure golden Pvt. Ltd; are to be established at D R Wijewardena mawatha , and at Akbar mawatha , Slave Island, as Water front properties Pvt. Ltd. These casino businesses are to be established under the alternative development project.

All these casino establishments are to be owned by the Australian casino ‘King’ , Lanka casino ‘King’ Ravi Wijeratne and Dhammika Perera another local casino mogul and John Keells Ltd.

The government has today via the gazette notifications GO 18726, GO 18727 and GO 18728 had given permission sans betting and gambling.

Based on business circle sources , Ravi Wijeratne , Dhammika Perera and John Keells already have licences for gambling and betting, and there is no bar to those being used in this connection . All they have to do is only make a change of address, the same sources pointed out.

Minister says 40 factories closed between 2005 and 2011

Thursday, 19 December 2013

Investment Promotion Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena has said that 40 garment factories have been shut down between the period of 2005 and 2011.

He has told parliament that there were 160 garment factories that had registered with the Board of Investment (BoI) in the period between 2005 and 2011, but 40 factories were shut down in the same period.

He has given breakdown saying that six factories were shut down in 2005, 14 in 2006, 13 in 2007, five in 2008 and one each in 2009 and 2010.

Abeywardena has noted that the apparel sector in the country was operating well without quotas and the GSP Plus facility.

He has added that there are 7,000 vacancies in the apparel sector and that people are yet to be found to fill them.

Two shops set on fire by unidentified group in Elpitiya

December 19, 2013
Two shops set on fire by unidentified group in Elpitiya

An unidentified group of persons had set fire to two shops in the Kurundugahahathapma area in Elpitiya this morning, the Police Media Unit told Ceylon Today Online.

The two shops were severely damaged in the incident, while the Police had completely doused the fire.

A jewellery shop and a spice shop were set on fire by the group of unknown persons.

Police said the shops may have been set on fire as group of persons had objected to the establishment of the shops in the area on previous occasions.

The Elpitiya Police are carrying out further investigations into the incident. (Ceylon Today Online)

Sri Lanka approves Packer's Crown resort without casino -minister

Tue Dec 17, 2013

* Buddhist leaders, politicians, protest against Packer's casino deal

* Packer's local partner allowed to operate casino -minister

* Local entrepreneur, top conglomerate Keells also to operate casinos

* No new casino licences; Existing five approvals to continue

Untitled 1Sri Lanka Approves Packer's Crown Resort Without Casino -Minister by nelvely

India: PM, too, could be tried for corruption under new law

by S Venkat Narayan, -December 18, 2013,

Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, December 18: Under the Lokpal (Obmudsman) Bill passed by the Indian Parliament on Wednesday, the Prime Minister too can be tried if he indulges in corruption.

Following are some important features of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, passed by Parliament.

Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayukta at the level of the states.

Lokpal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members, of which 50 per cent shall be judicial members.

50 per cent of members of Lokpal shall be from Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/Other Backward Classes (SC/ST/OBCs), minorities and women.

The selection of chairperson and members of Lokpal shall be through a selection committee consisting of Prime Minister, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of India or a sitting Supreme Court judge nominated by CJI, eminent jurist to be nominated by the President of India on the basis of recommendations of the first four members of the selection committee.

Prime Minister has been brought under the purview of the Lokpal.

Lokpal’s jurisdiction will cover all categories of public servants.

All entities receiving donations from foreign source in the context of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in excess of Rs 10 lakh per year are brought under the jurisdiction of Lokpal.

Provides adequate protection for honest and upright public servants.

Lokpal will have power of superintendence and direction over any investigation agency including CBI for cases referred to them by Lokpal.

A high powered committee chaired by the Prime Minister will recommend selection of the Director, CBI.

Directorate of Prosecution headed by a Director of Prosecution under the overall control of Director.

The appointment of the Director of Prosecution, CBI on the recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission.

Transfer of officers of CBI investigating cases referred by Lokpal with the approval of Lokpal.

The bill also incorporates provisions for attachment and confiscation of property acquired by corrupt means, even while prosecution is pending.

The bill lays down clear time lines for preliminary enquiry and investigation and trial and towards this end, the bill provides for setting up of special courts.

A mandate for setting up of the institution of Lokayukta through enactment of a law by the State Legislature within a period of 365 days from the date of commencement of the Act.

Bihar bombing fans fears of new bloodshed in India's age-old caste battle

Acquittals over 90s massacres of lower-caste Dalits seen as spark for revenge killings sending shockwaves through impoverished Bihar state and across India

Indian police commandos patrol outside Pisai in Aurangabad district, Bihar state, after the killing of Sunil Pandey and six others. Photograph: Jason Burke

Jason Burke in Aurangabad-Thursday 19 December 2013

Sheltering in the shade, next to the buffaloes, the special police commandos shake their heads. "Everything is very quiet," says PC Bharat Parwan, looking across to the village 100 yards or so away across the rice fields.

Bihar Bombing Fans Fears of New Bloodshed in India's Age-old Caste Battle by nelvely