நீதிபதி ஸ்ரீஸ்கந்தராஜாவுக்கு மரண அச்சுறுத்தல் விடுக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது - சட்டத்தரணிகள் கூட்டமைப்பு தெரிவிப்பு 

25 ஜனவரி 2014, சனி

நீதிபதி ஸ்ரீஸ்கந்தராஜா பல்வேறு அச்சுறுத்தல்களுக்கும் இடையூறுகளுக்கும் நடுவே நீதி வழங்கி வந்ததாக சட்டத்தரணிகள் கூட்டமைப்பு தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

தலைமை நீதியரசர் ஷிராணி பண்டாரநாயக்கவின் பதவி நீக்கத் தீர்மானம் அரசியலமைப்புக்கு முரணானது என்று தீர்ப்பளித்திருந்த நீதிபதி ஸ்ரீஸ்கந்தராஜாவுக்கு மரண அச்சுறுத்தல் விடுக்கப்பட்டிருந்ததாக சட்டத்தரணிகள் கூட்டமைப்பின் ஏற்பாட்டாளரான மூத்த சட்டத்தரணி ஜே.சி. வெலியமுன தெரிவித்தார்.

நீதிபதி ஸ்ரீஸ்கந்தராஜாவுக்கு தகுதிகளும் அனுபவமும் இருந்தும், நீதித்துறை அனுபவம் குறைந்தவர்களும் நீதிமன்ற கட்டமைப்புக்கு வெளியில் இருந்தவர்களும் ஜனாதிபதியால் உச்சநீதிமன்றத்துக்கு நியமிக்கப்பட்டதாகவும் வெலியமுன சுட்டிக்காட்டினார்.

அரசாங்கம் நீதிபதிகளின் நியமனத்திலும் பதவிநீக்க வழிமுறைகளிலும் வெளிப்படைத் தன்மையான, நீதியான நடைமுறைகளை கடைப்பிடிக்க வேண்டும் என்றும் சட்டத்தரணிகள் கூட்டமைப்பின் ஏற்பாட்டாளரும் ட்ரான்ஸ்பேரன்ஸி இண்டர்நேஷனல் அமைப்பின் முன்னாள் தலைமை இயக்குநருமான ஜே.சி. வெலியமுன கோரிக்கை விடுத்தார்.

இறுதி அரசியலமைப்புத் திருத்தங்களின்படி, ஜனாதிபதி எந்தவிதமான நடைமுறையுமின்றி எவரை வேண்டுமானாலும் இந்தப் பதவிகளுக்கு நியமிக்க முடியுமாக உள்ளது எனவும் அவர் சுட்டிக் காட்டினார்.

மேலும், நாட்டின் நீதித்துறை உட்பட சகல துறைகளிலும் சட்டம், ஒழுங்கு குலைந்து போயுள்ளதாகவும் நீதித்துறையின் சுதந்திரம் வீழ்ச்சியடைந்துவிட்டதாகவும் ஜனாதிபதி உள்ளிட்ட ஒருசிலரிடம் மட்டும் அதிகாரம் குவிந்துகிடக்கிறது என வெலியமுன தெரிவித்தார். Translate this page 

Judge sriskantaraja received a death threat - Lawyers Association Reporting 

Judge sriskantaraja render justice between the various threats and hazards to the appropriate Federation said.

Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake's dismissal, the judge ruled that it was unconstitutional resolution sriskantaraja lawyers threatened death to the federation's senior lawyer JC erpattalaranaVeliyamuna said.

Sriskantaraja qualified to judge from the experience, Poorly judicial experience to the Supreme Court appointed by the president of the court structure and veliyamuna had pointed out.

Transparency of the appointment process of judges to sack the government, just have to follow the procedures of the International Bar Association's former chief conductor and director JC transperansi Veliyamuna appealed.

The final provision of the constitution, the president can appoint any nataimuraiyuminri in this position is to condemn anyone, he pointed out.

Moreover, the country's justice in all spheres, including the rule of law and independence of the judiciary has been dropped thanks to a few people, including the president, just as the குவிந்துகிடக்கிறது veliyamuna said. 

- See more at: http://onlineuthayan.com/News_More.php?id=136712600526653918#sthash.XsO9XN6w.dpuf

Four years on, the IFJ remembers Prageeth Ekneligoda and calls for overdue action

24 January 2014

Today marks the four-year anniversary of the disappearance of Sri Lankan journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is calling on the Sri Lankan Government (GSL) to properly investigate Ekneligoda’s case and prosecute all those guilty of attacking journalists and news gatherers since the Rajapaksa regime came to power.

Four Years on, The IFJ Remembers Prageeth Ekneligoda and Calls for Overdue Action by nelvely

CT Challenges State Run Daily News Editor To Reveal Name Of Website In Smear Editorial

Rajpal Abeynayake-------------------------------------------A free Laptop from President to Daily News Editor Rajpal Abeynayake

January 25, 2014 |

In another rant against websites operating beyond the long arm of the Rajapaksa government, State media’sRajpal Abeynayake says in his January 25 editorial that “in the  cesspits of the so called web journalistic world there are a type that apparently cannot read.”

“A half educated half-baked callow whinge specialist who runs one of these reeking cesspools for instance is obviously so immersed in his constant self flagellation wishing for a change of regime in Sri Lanka, that he seems to have literally lost his sight. It has been claimed in his cesspit bilge-churner that the Daily News justified burning of places of worship when the editorial referred to stated categorically that nobody can take the law into their own hands and engage in such wanton acts of destruction,” the state owned Daily News said in its editorial today.

We are not certain which website the editor of the State controlled Daily News is referring to.

However Colombo Telegraph did carry his editorial of 22 January 2014, titled, THE ONGOING GENOCIDE AGAINST THE SINHALESE.

This editorial came in the wake of two brutalattacks on churches in Hikkaduwa by extremist Buddhist elements which are seen to have the backing of the highest officials of the ruling regime.Abeynayake on that instance said that Buddhists taking the law into their hands are a “persecuted people” (despite being 70% of the population), and that the Sinhala majority in Sri Lanka are often not permitted to do anything tangible about aggressive proselytization and the barely legal establishment of churches and other places of religious worship. “People besieged in this way can easily be paranoid, or they can overreact and it is suspected that the entire idea is precisely to get them to go over the top, so that this fact can be used against their further persecution as well, taking on the role of apologist for marauding saffron mobs perpetrating violence against minority religious communities” Abeynayake added.                                     Read More 

Rs. 700 million awarded to soldiers having their third child

Coercive Population Control in Kilinochchi

25 January 2014
Over Rs. 700 million has been cashed out to soldiers from the Sri Lankan Armed Forces in the past year, in the form of grants for those who have their third child, stated the Ministry of Defence.

The announcement was made in parliament as the government responded to questions on how to stop deserters from leaving the military.

The Ministry responded that benefits for members of the armed forces had to be increased, including those allocated in the last budget, which awarded Rs.100,000 at the birth of the third child of any member of the security forces, and to those who are serving in the Police force as well.

More than 7,000 soldiers had received the grant from the government.

See our earlier post: 2012 budget fosters militarisation (21 November 2011)

Below is an extract from our earlier post: Sri Lanka’s monoethnic military (27 June 2011)

Prof. Brian Blodgett, Director of the History and Military Studies Programs for the American Public University, published a study of Sri Lanka’s military in 2004. In it he notes how, “in 1962, a policy of recruiting only from the Sinhalese Buddhist community was instituted. This was the beginning of an ethnically pure army.” Prof. Stanley Tambiah of Harvard University published a book length comment, ‘Ethnic Fratricide and the Dismantling of Democracy’, just two years after Sri Lanka’s conflict began. In it he noted, “[Today, in 1986] the armed forces are filled with Sinhalese and the Tamils areexcluded from serving in them. … There has been virtually no recruitment of Tamils into the armed forces, and very little into the police force, for nearly thirty years.” Also see our earlier post: Army's Sinhalese blood is in Tamils - senior military official (10 January 2014) Coercive Population Control in Kilinochchi by The Social Architects      - on 09/13/2013  Recently, women in three Kilinochchi villages were subjected to coercive population control. This incident occurred on August 31, 2013 – at the Veravil government divisional hospital in Kilinochchi.  The affected women reside in Valaipaddu, Veravil and Keranchi[1] ; all three are coastal villages. Above the Law: Violations of Women’s Reproductive Rights in Northern Sri Lanka by The Social Architects -10/11/2013 Image courtesy The Social Architects This report, TSA’s fourth, outlines the findings of the organization’s September 2013 field mission on coercive contraception clinics in Kilinochchi District. In early September of this year, activists in Kilinochchi discovered that public health workers had administered the sub-dermal contraceptive implant, Jadelle, to women from Veravil, Keranchi, and Valaipaddu during a nutrition clinic. After publishing accounts from these women, TSA traveled to Kilinochchi for an in-depth follow up investigation.

SL military steps up monitoring patrols in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 January 2014, 23:37 GMT]
The latest innovation by the US-trained SL military commander of Jaffna, Major General Udaya Perera, is the introduction of 7-member teams patrolling every interior village in the peninsula. The Sri Lankan State, while waging a propaganda campaign to the outside world that it has reduced military deployment in the North, has seized thousands of acres of public and private lands for the establishment of Sinhala Military Zones in the Jaffna peninsula. Permanent camps, built larger than ever before, have been ceremonially opened recently by the SL presidential sibling and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at several places under the propaganda of relocating the camps away from civilian properties, while the SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa who visited Jaffna came with an open lie on the figure of the occupying SL troops present in the North. 

SL Commander Major General Udaya Perera, after his role in the genocidal onslaught in 2009, was posted to Malaysia as deputy ambassador after the war. In 2011-2012, he was trained in US Army War College where he was also rewarded with an Alumni Award. 

After completing his US Army War College, he was appointed as commander of Ki'linochchi district, where he 'experimented' new methods in keeping the people gagged. 

Recently, he had introduced so-called ‘Red Army’ patrols in the Ki'linochchi district. 

In addition to deploying armed Sinhala soldiers as bicycle patrol units to monitor the civilian activities in the interior villages of Jaffna peninsula, the SL military command in Jaffna is also forcing a section of ex-LTTE cadres, who have been forcibly ‘recruited’ to the so-called Civil Security Department (CSD) for exploitation by the occupying SL military, to serve as informants to the new patrol units. 

Each unit consists of 7 armed soldiers, who patrol their target villages in bicycles several times a day. 

The Sinhala soldiers of the new units are trained in surveillance and intelligence operations, informed sources said.

Inter-Religious Harmony through the Convergence of Light: An Epiphany Reflection

• by Bishop Duleep de Chickera 
• - on 01/25/2014

Religion and politics-expedient tensions

The continuing violence against minority religions is unacceptable and must stop. The most recent incidents against two vulnerable Christian communities in Hikkaduwa, currently receiving wide video coverage, contradicts the noble teachings of Buddhism and exposes our repeated claim to national integration.

The only encouraging sign in this tragic episode was the individual performance of the handful of police officers on duty; who were seen doing their utmost to restrain the mob and prevent violence, against extremely heavy odds. They need to be commended.

The wider, politicised application of law and order however reveals a more dangerously worrying pattern. This is the swing from swift action to frustrating inaction, determined by the corresponding benefit that accrues to the government. An elected government with claims to democratic governance is obliged to rectify this strategy in the interest of justice for all communities. If not, a house divided by its householders must inevitably fall.

A still more honourable way

But the primary restoration of law and order only, will not bring the inter-religious goodwill that most Sri Lankans long for. It will at most define boundaries and prevent violence. Law and order cannot build trust and cordial relations among the religions. This equally urgent role can only come from the religions. The festival of the Epiphany, celebrated on the 6th of January highlights one such essential thrust in this role.

The Festival of Light

Epiphany commemorates the harmonious convergence of light. The inner light which stirred the journey of the wise-men from the east   easily merges with the anticipated light that Christ will offer the world.  Since the nature of light is to intrinsically converge to dispel darkness, this encounter, points to the enlightening potential in our religions to collaborate for wider socio-religious harmony.  

Consequently, when religious conflict spreads anxiety and desperation, we are to draw inspiration from and return to this shared spirituality of the east; the affirmation of light within our respective religion which dispels the insensitive and dehumanising aspects within us and then enables a celebration of light among all religions.

Inter-Religious Friendships

In practice this calls for an indispensible responsibility by those in positions of religious authority (beginning with the clergy) in multi religious societies like ours. This is to build friendships of trust across the religions through a sensitive redefinition of the light in ones’ own religion and respect for the sensitively redefined light in ones’ neighbours’ religion.

Refusal to do so will only polarise our religions further and consolidate the inevitable construction of exclusive world views and sectarian agendas, the convenient caricature or demonization of the other and the spread of more prejudice and violence.

An Inter-Religious Spirituality

When on the other hand such relationships grow and flourish, (as they are known to in some encouraging instances) there will always be a friend at hand with whom misunderstandings can be clarified and whose religion can never be ridiculed, undermined or violated. It is as the ethos created by thousands of such multiple friendships, spreads, that fear and suspicion will be dispelled, political interference marginalised, the cause of all true religion vindicated and all our people blessed.

And when tensions still erupt, as we must expect them to, it will be from such a collective inter religious spirituality that spontaneous and corresponding interventions will emerge to dialogue, clarify and heal.

NDP's Sitsabaiesan 'right to be concerned' in Sri Lanka, says Mulcair

NDP MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan said she was warned by Sri Lankan officials during a recent private visit to the country that she could be arrested and deported.

NDP 'proud to represent' Canadians of Tamil origin in letter to Sri Lankan high commissioner

By Trinh Theresa Do, CBC News-Jan 24, 2014 

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is defending MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan's trip to Sri Lanka over the holidays in a recent letter to the high commissioner, stating that Sitsabaiesan had "no intention to embarrass" the country's government.

The letter was sent in response to accusations by the Sri Lankan high commissioner that Sitsabaiesan was trying to do just that by claiming she faced political intimidation while on a personal trip to the country.

Mulcair said the controversy was only created when Sitsabaiesan was followed, and that she "was right to be concerned."

Sitsabaiesan, who is of Tamil heritage, travelled to the South Asian country on Dec. 28, 2013 to visit relatives and learn about human rights. In a statement released earlier this month, the MP said she was warned by Sri Lankan officials during her private visit that she could be arrested and deported. 

"I recently arrived in Sri Lanka to visit my extended family and visit the places that were once home for me, during the earlier stages of my life and the civil war in Sri Lanka; but [I] was subject to political intimidation," the statement read.

The commission took issue with the words "political intimidation," which High Commissioner Chitranganee Wagiswara called "grossly incorrect" in her letter to Mulcair dated Jan. 8.

"I also believe you would not want the MPs of your Party to make arrogant and patronizing statements about foreign states which creates a bad reflection on your Party and your policies," she wrote.

Mulcair had his own strong words in his response, saying that the SriLankan government's "human rights record continues to cause significant concern around the world."

He went on to urge the Sri Lankan government to hold an independent, impartial international inquiry into allegations of human rights violations and war crimes.

Followed after warning of possible arrest

According to fellow New Democrat MP Paul Dewar, Sitsabaiesan was followed and closely monitored by authorities from the moment she arrived for her visit.

Authorities showed up at Sitsabaiesan's hotel one night to try to meet with her but she did not respond, Dewar said.

He said officials were concerned that Sitsabaiesan had met with a Sri Lankan MP and had visited an orphanage. The visits involved family, he added, noting the local MP was a cousin.

Sitsabaiesan is not the first parliamentarian to stir up a bit of controversy while travelling in Sri Lanka.

Two Green Party MPs — one from Australia, the other from New Zealand — had their passports confiscated in November just before a planned news conference in Sri Lanka to describe human-rights abuses they were told of during their trip.

Eight Policemen, Three Bikes And Abusive SMSs From Overseas!

By Emil van der Poorten -January 26, 2014

Emil van der Poorten

I don’t know whether to document and hang on the wall of my workspace accounts of recent events in my life as “badges of honour” or just to be simply ashamed of what my motherland produces in the matter of alleged “humanity” that chooses to indulge in efforts at “communication.”

In any event, I expect that when I next bump into an old schoolmate of mine from our days at Trinity, he’s going to (again!) gently chide me with the reproach that I am “an angry man!”  As I told him then and as I will tell him again with (additional proof for my averment), “Sorry, my friend, those with whom you work, shoulder to shoulder, give me little choice, unless I’ve had my backbone removed since last we met!”

These are again becoming very “interesting” times for me and those around me thanks to the “civilization” that the Rajapaksa regime has visited on our island home. And let me be bloody clear on the subject, this IS my home whether its current rulers believe so or not!

Anyway, let’s get on to the cause of my ire today.

Less than a week ago, I was told that there were seven or eight members of the local constabulary under and around a small bridge on the road that serves me and several other families in the area.  There were, apparently three motor bikes on the verge of the road.  Wild creepers had been draped in an effort to conceal them from the gaze of any passers-by.  Several of the policemen were under the bridge and a few were on the bridge deck at the time my informant encountered them.  Every single one of them was from the local station and my informant, as one whose son-in-law is, in fact, a local policeman, knew whereof he spoke.

Read More

GTF Has Lost Their Way, No Transparent And No Democratic Governance – British Tamils Breakaway

January 24, 2014

“Despite some initial successes, GTF and its leadership have gradually lost their way – principally because they have turned their back on GTF’s founding values, such as collective decision-making, democratic governance, transparency, inclusiveness and grassroots activism.” says the British Tamils Forum.

Issuing a statement on BTF’s relationship with Global Tamil Forum the BTF says that the GTF has failed to articulate the ongoing structural genocide of the Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka and the BTF distance itself from any of GTF’s initiatives or actions.

We publish below the statement in full

Suren Surendiran -Spokesperson GTF

We are aware that there is some confusion among Tamils regarding British Tamils Forum’s participation in Global Tamil Forum (GTF). By releasing this statement, we hope to fulfil our duty towards the Tamil people by clarifying the facts.

When the war in the island of Sri Lanka came to a bloody end in 2009, there was an urgent need to unite Tamils around the world and give collective voice to their aspirations. British Tamils Forum, along with a number of other country organisations, played a pivotal role in facilitating and setting up the entity Global Tamil Forum, basing it on clear founding values and principles that are enshrined in its constitution.

The vision of GTF’s founding organisations was to take on board all diaspora Tamils and representative organisations across the world who seek justice and freedom – to give Tamils across the world a collective voice and representation. With this vision in mind, GTF was founded by 14 country organisations, which took the role of Founding Member Organisations. It was envisaged that, with time, other organisations would join – strengthening both GTF and the international Tamil diaspora. At its inception, GTF inherited the collective leadership of the Founding Member Country Organisations to spearhead the struggle globally.

Read More

Rajapakses like how they can interchange their oral and anal openings transform complainant into accused

(Lanka-e-News- 9.00PM) Like how the oral and anal openings of despotic Medamulanas are interchangeable , laws too are being turned topsy turvy by them .In the case of robbery where Mangala Samaraweera UNP M.P.’s side , the victim of robbery made the complaint , the police of the Medamulanas instead of taking action against the accused, has yesterday questioned Samaraweera for 3 hours. The police of Panadura north had visited the house of Samaraweera and questioned him merely based on a an affidavit forwarded by the wife of Shevan the accused , who was charged with robbing a laptop , and several bottles of foreign liquor from the house of Samaraweera on the 30 th of December 2013 when Samaraweera was not at home. 

The complaint pertaining to this robbery was made to the police not by Samaraweera , but rather by a worker in his house. What is most crucial in this episode where the police are now seeking to overturn and camouflage the factual situation is, in the complaint made to the police , no accusations were made by any name . So it was the police and none else following their investigations took Shevan into custody as suspect on 31 st December 2013, and recorded a statement of his.

Later on , this episode was exploited to make it a base to hatch a conspiracy to sling mud at Samaraweera by the Medamulanas who have a rare inborn capacity to interchange their oral and anal orifices. Accordingly , the despotic Medamulanas who when necessary can defecate through their mouths like the bats, arranged to record a second statement on the 2nd of January 2014 in addition to the first. At the same time the wife of Shevan the accused too was summoned , and an affidavit of hers was secured . On top of all this a third statement of Shevan too had been recorded. Samaraweera had however completely repudiated the affidavit of the wife of Shevan.

The sms messages and letters exchanged by Shevan’s wife when Shevan a heroin addict was in a rehabilitation camp under Gotabaya , and the assistance rendered by Mangala as a politician to that family had been forwarded to the police. 

On the 27th December prior to the robbery committed on the 30 th , Shevan’s wife had even sent an sms message to Samaraweera. The latter had mentioned in his statement that taking advantage of the poverty of Shevan and his wife , Sirasa media chain chief Raja Mahendran , as well as Matara district M.P. Buddhika Pathirana,and Pathirana’s father in law , lawyer HemanthaWarnakulasuriya PC who respect Mangala’s father even 48 years after his death , are using this poverty stricken couple to carry out a personal mudslinging campaign against him. 

Samaraweera had further mentioned , the police after recording Shevan’s statement on the 31 st and taking him into custody , had taken down statements of his on two occasions subsequently distorting the truth. These have been orchestrated by the defense Ministry secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse through DIG Anura Senanayake , and as Gotabaya is on a witch hunt after him , an immediate investigation be initiated into this conspiracy, Samaraweera had requested in his statement. 

It is by now a well and widely known fact that the despotic Medamulanas have introduced many bloodthirsty dangerous games to trap , intimidate and even liquidate fearless honest politicians who oppose them and who the Medamulanas fear most. No matter what charges are mounted falsely against an individual who makes a complaint using the very accused is a most deadly and dangerous trend full of alarming portents, for the beleaguered Rajapakses in their desperation can use young girls too similarly to arraign and malign any other politico who opposes them, like how they are being used for prostitution. This criminal manipulation of Medamulanas is worse than pimping and prostituting , and hence must be stopped once and for all in the best interests of all.

Police Commission asks for more powers

Saturday, 25 January 2014 

The National Police Commission has called for more powers saying the powers vested with it by the 18th Amendment are not enough.

Chairman of the Commission Senaka Walgampaya has said that the even though the Police Commission is supposed to give redress to civilians, who have been aggrieved by an unfair action of the police, the related provisions are not mentioned in the Police Commission Act.

He has explained at an event in Colombo that while the Police Commission was set up under the 18th Amendment after removing the powers provided to it by the 17th Amendment, the Commission under the present provisions is unable to help people who have been wronged by the police.

Citing an example, Walgampaya has said that if an investigation by the Commission proved that an injustice has been committed to a civilian, it is not in a position to give him/her compensation since the Commission does not have the powers to do so.

President accused of breaking promises

 Saturday, 25 January 2014 

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been accused of breaking promises given to the Tamil people and the international community.

Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran has pointed out that the government had made many promises to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), but has failed to implement the promises.

He has said that President Rajapaksa is showing to world what the TNA had earlier warned of.

Wigneswaran has warned that the government’s actions will not go well for the government.

Ananda Premasiri of ruling party joins UNP: SLFP stalwarts blessed and backed my move- plots against gen. Secretary too !

(Lanka-e-News -24.Jan.2014, 11.30PM) The wheel of fortune of country’s political trend has begun to turn around in the opposite direction. The hypocritical political scoundrels who somersaulted to the Rajapakse camp of traitors after receiving colossal bribes while making double tongued 
announcements that they are defecting (mind you after being elected to power on opposition votes ), in order to reinforce the two hands (blood stained extorting corrupt hands) of the Rajapakses who are running a government of heroin peddlers , criminals , bribe takers , rapists and practitioners of all the cardinal sins on earth , have now begun to realize their mistakes. 

It is now becoming increasingly apparent that many of these defectors who crossed over do not wish to provide props any longer to this traitorous moribund government after having identified what amount of treason they are committing to the detriment of the country and the people. Hence the influx into the opposition after abandoning the privileges and positions had commenced. 

Accordingly , Justin Galapathy and his son of the ruling party have joined the opposition after the southern provincial council (PC) was dissolved.

The second person of the south to join the UNP yesterday(23) was , former southern PC Minister Ananda Premasiri Kariywasam , a staunch SLFP er. He met UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today , and he had been appointed as the UNP organizer , Beddegama. 

Premasiri after joining the UNP addressed a media briefing attended by UNP media spokesman Gayantha Karunatileke M.P. and several others. Premasiri made a most startling disclosure at the media briefing that he received the blessings and support of a majority of the SLFP stalwarts when he took this decision, adding that today, there are conspiracies being hatched within against even the SLFP general secretary. 

Today , the SLFP is being run after taking into its fold those who worked against it to defeat Mahinda Rajapakse at the Presidential elections. This has earned the displeasure and disgust of the SLFP membership. Believe it or not , the Ministers and MPs of the SLFP advised me in favor of my decision to cross over. They explained , ‘we are however stymied in our efforts to take this decision , but you go ahead as this decision will pave the way for others to follow. We worked for the SLFP with dedication and diligence. However at present , there is almost a non existing SLFP. Those few around the President are only taking decisions. The party secretary is also just a figurehead. He says , even against him there are plots’ 

Though the war was won , in regard to development the country is headed in a negative direction. The express highway is from Galle to Kottawa and begins from Akmeemana electorate , Galle. Next are the Baddegama electorate ,Karandeniya electorate and Bentara Elpitiya electorate .

It is the people of these four electorates who were deprived of their lands and properties, yet when the highway was opened , nobody of these four electorates were given employment. At the gateway to Baddegama there are 40 employees , each of whom gets a salary of about Rs. 40,000. They are all from Hambantota or Kalutara and they belong to the Nil Balakaya. Our people have to go to Hambantota and register with the Nil Balakaya if they are to get jobs.

There are enough and more suitable youths in our electorates for jobs in Banks, but none has been appointed. It is the Nil Balakaya , and ‘Tharuneya hetak’ movements which are tasked with these affairs in the Galle district. Nil Balakaya members of Kegalle have been given jobs in Galle district after registering under false addresses. 

It is a matter for deep regret that there had been no development in the Galle district after 2005.The much hyped Mahinda chinthana book of great plans and promises introduced in 2005 has transformed into a much disappointing book of fairy tales and myths , Ananda Premasiri lamented with profound concern.