Gota and Anura to arrest protestors to cover their mess

Tuesday, 18 February 2014 

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Senior DIG Anura Senanayake are faced with an unexpected situation following the protest by residents in Wanathamulla on Saturday demanding the release of the abducted resident and refusing to vacate their houses according to an order by the Urban Development Authority (UDA).

The resident, Samaraweera Sunil, was abducted a day after Gotabhaya and another Army senior had threatened him. When the residents took to the streets demanding Sunil’s release, Senanayake asked for some time from the residents assuring them that Sunil will be released.

Even UPFA MP Duminda Silva who visited the site of the protest was chased away by the protesters.

All these exposed the role played by the country’s defence establishment in the abduction.

However, the people’s power prevailed and Sunil was released unharmed.

Nevertheless, the humiliation was too much for Gotabhaya to bear and he has now ordered Senanayake to hold an “inquiry” and arrest the persons involved in the protest.

The government on the other hand using the issue to sling mud at the opposition parties claiming the abduction was stage managed.

Confrontation between Sihala Ravaya monks and laity 
 February 18, 2014 

A confrontation had reportedly taken place between the monks representing the Sihala Ravaya (SR) and some lay persons a short while ago, in the vicinity of the Fort Railway Station, Colombo 11, where monks who are members of the SR are participating in a satyagraha, reliable sources said.


Members of the Sihala Ravaya had launched a protest against the slaughter of cattle, and are expecting a written pledge from the President that cattle slaughter will be banned, island wide.

Thailand: 4 dead, dozens injured in Bangkok clashes

Riot police fire rubber bullets into the crowds of anti-government protesters during a clash in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday. Pic: AP.

Two policeman and two civilians died and at least 57 people were injured when police and anti-government protesters clashed in Bangkok earlier today.

The violence erupted as police attempted to remove protesters from an encampment at Phan Fah Bridge in a historic area of Bangkok near Government House. Other protest sites around the city appeared peaceful this afternoon.

By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Feb 18, 2014 -From Associated Press:

Multiple gunshots were heard midday at a spot near the prime minister’s office where riot police had started to remove protesters and dismantle a makeshift stage, but it wasn’t clear who was firing.

Erawan emergency medical services said a 52-year-old male civilian was killed by a head wound and a police officer died from a chest wound. It also said another man died, but didn’t have further details. Nearly 60 others were injured in the incident.

We are still awaiting details on the second policeman who died.

Here’s a timeline of today’s events so far:

9.25pm: After a volley of insults directed at caretaker prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, protest leader Suthep has practically called open season on her now:

Read Full Story ›

Supreme Court commutes death sentence for Rajiv Gandhi's killers to life

by A Vaidyanathan, Edited by Deepshikha Ghosh | Updated: February 18, 2014 

New Delhi:  The Supreme Court today commuted the death sentence of three men convicted of killing former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to life in prison, rejecting the government's view that an 11-year delay in deciding their mercy petition was not agony for them.

The convicts, Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan, can also walk out of jail if the Tamil Nadu government grants them remission, the court ruled. The decision will be a politically loaded one ahead of the national election, due by May.

While sparing the three men from the gallows, a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam, said, "It is definitely not a pleasure for this court to interfere with the powers of the President. We implore upon the government to advise the President so that mercy petitions can be disposed of at the earliest."

The court did not accept the government's view that the convicts did not deserve mercy. The Centre's lawyer, Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati, had said there was "not a word of remorse" in their mercy plea and there was "no agony, torture or dehumanizing effect due to delay."

Today's verdict follows the Supreme Court's January 21 order commuting the death sentences of 15 convicts, announcing that "inordinate and inexplicable" delays in carrying out executions were grounds for reducing their original punishment.

Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan were convicted in 1998 for Mr Gandhi's assassination by a woman who greeted him with a garland and a bomb strapped to her chest during a rally in 1991. Their mercy petition was sent to the President, the last stage in the process of appeals, in 2000 and was rejected 11 years later. Their hanging was stayed in 2011 on the orders of the Madras High Court.

That year, the Tamil Nadu assembly had passed a resolution urging the President to grant mercy to the convicts and consider "Tamil sentiment." Today's ruling that the state government will decide whether to free them has inevitably taken a political turn.

"My greetings to Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan," DMK leader M Karunanidhi said. "I would be doubly happy if the Centre and state released them.

MDMK's Vaiko pressed the Jayalalithaa government to decide quickly on releasing the men.

Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Death Sentences Commuted

Three convicted over killing of Indian PM may be freed as judges rule they cannot be kept indefinitely on death row

Rajiv-February 18, 2014 |

A special anti-terrorism court eventually found four people guilty in 1998. They included a woman, Nalini, who gave birth to a daughter while in prison. She was granted mercy when Rajiv’s widow, Sonia, intervened but three others – Santhan, Perarivalan and Murugan (Indian Tamils do not use surnames) – were to be executed in September 2011 when the Madras high court intervened, citing their mercy petitions.India’s supreme court has commuted the death sentences of three men convicted of assassinatingRajiv Gandhi, the country’s former prime minister, in a case that has riveted the nation for 23 years, the Guardianreports.

On Tuesday the supreme court said keeping the men on death row indefinitely was wrong and granted them mercy. Perarivalan’s family reacted with relief and joy in Chennai: “It’s an emotional moment,” his aunt told NDTV. “When you see him, he’s a good human being. He will be released and will be enjoying family life.”

She was asked what would she say to the victims’ families. “Twenty-three years have passed … so definitely we want our son to be released. Other families, they are suffering, we have regret for that, but our son cannot be punished.”                                               Read More

Voices from Manus: 'We are in danger. Somebody please help us'

Asylum seekers claim they were attacked inside the compound, contradicting government accounts of two bloody days

A conflicting picture of violence at the Manus detention centre is emerging. Photograph: EPA

Oliver Laughland-Tuesday 18 February 2014 

At 10.29pm local time on Monday, an asylum seeker inside Manus Island detention centre sent this message to Guardian Australia: “We are in danger. They attacked us again. Somebody please help us. They cut off the electricity and attacked us.”

Australian immigration minister announces independent inquiry into Manus Island violence

Scott Morrison says there are reports that Papua New Guinea police fired shots twice during Monday’s disturbances

Scott Morrison at his press conference in Canberra on Tuesday. Photograph: Parlview

Paul Farrell-Tuesday 18 February 2014

An independent review will investigate disturbances in Australia’s detention centre on Manus Island in which a man died and dozens of people were injured, the immigration minister said.

Voices From Manus 'We Are in Danger. Somebody Please Help Us' by Thavam Ratna

We must give the land back: America’s brutality toward Native Americans continues today

Americans have unjustly taken vast tracts of land. This Presidents' Day, let's uphold our treaties and return it

Sioux Indians, six of whom were present at the Battle of Little Big Horn, gather in Custer State Park in the Black Hills area of Custer, S.D. on Sept. 2, 1948. (Credit: AP)

STEVEN SALAITA-MONDAY, FEB 17, 2014

Salon.com 

I write often about liberating Palestine from Israeli occupation, a habit that evokes passionate response. I have yet to encounter a response that persuades me to abandon the commitment to Palestinian liberation.

We must give the land back America’s brutality toward Native Americans continues today by nelvely

Untold History: More Than a Quarter of U.S. Presidents Were Involved in Slavery, Human Trafficking

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2014

As the country marks Presidents’ Day, we turn to an aspect of U.S. history that is often missed: the complicity of American presidents with slavery. "More than one-in-four U.S. presidents were involved in human trafficking and slavery. These presidents bought, sold and bred enslaved people for profit. Of the 12 presidents who were enslavers, more than half kept people in bondage at the White House," writes historian Clarence Lusane in his most recent article, "Missing from Presidents’ Day: The People They Enslaved."

Untold History More Than a Quarter of U.S. Presidents Were Involved in Slavery, Human Trafficking by nelvely

SLMC gave Hakeem’s ‘spy report’ to Navi Pillay – National Freedom Front

'SLMC gave spy report to Pillay' - NFF

 17 February 2014

The National Freedom Front, a party in the ruling government coalition has accused the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress of handing over a 'spy report' to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warning them not to 'betray this country'.

Speaking at a press conference in Colombo,Media Spokesperson of the NFF, Mohammed Muzammil said,

“The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress had handed over Hakeem’s spy report to Navanethem Pillay. The report was compiled by Hakeem to provide information on Geneva. Not only has he provided information to Geneva: he had also directed the report to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia."

The accusations come after leaks from a report compiled by the High Commissioner called for an international investigation in Sri Lanka. 

The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka had previously expressed their support for the governmentagainst a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council.

Muzammil went on to warn the SLMC,

"As you are well aware, many forces tried to create a clash amongst communities, in the recent past. The root causes of this problem is a known fact to all. Do not betray this country, to achieve petty political objectives. We urge Rauff Hakeem not to sit within the government and betray this country.”

SLMC gave Hakeem’s ‘spy report’ to Navi Pillay – National Freedom Front

 Feb 16, 2014

During a media briefing in Colombo on Sunday, The National Freedom Front criticised the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.

Media Spokesperson of the NFF, Mohammed Muzammil said:

“The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress had handed over Hakeem’s spy report to Navanethem Pillay. The report was compiled by Hakeem to provide information on Geneva. Not only has he provided information to Geneva: he had also directed the report to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. According to reports, Navi Pillay had included the facts in this report to her written submission. As you are well aware, many forces tried to create a clash amongst communities, in the recent past. The root causes of this problem is a known fact to all. Do not betray this country, to achieve petty political objectives. We urge Rauff Hakeem not to sit within the government and betray this country.”

The After March Noose

By Veluppillai Thangavelu -February 17, 2014

Veluppillai Thangavelu

After March The Noose Likely To Tighten Around The Necks Of The Sri Lanka Military Hierarchy

All eyes are on Geneva. Only 3 weeks are left for the opening of 25th Sessions of the UNHRC.  The 25th Sessions of the UNHCR is scheduled to be held from March 03 – 28 at Palais des Nations, Geneva.

It is now certain the US will move its 3rd resolution against Sri Lanka calling for an international investigation against war crimes, crimes against humanity committed by Sri Lanka during the last phases of the war in May, 2009.  It is likely Britain and Canada might co-sponsor the resolution. This resolution has been necessitated due to the failure on the part of the Sri Lankan government to implement the resolutions passed in 2012 and 2013 by an overwhelming majority of members.

The US resolution adopted by the UNHCR on March 21, 2013 was more aggressive than the one passed in 2012.  The March 2012 resolution only called on Sri Lanka to implement effectively the constructive recommendations made in the report of the LLRC and to take all necessary additional steps to fulfill its relevant legal obligations and commitment to initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity, accountability and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans.  The resolution adopted in March, 2013 signified a hardening of the international community’s stance on human rights issues in Sri Lanka.  There was a shift away from a focus on reconciliation to a focus on accountability for past human rights violations and war crimes.

The 2013 resolution noted the call made by the UN High Commissioner for an independent and credible international investigation into alleged violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The resolution also stated that it “Encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations made in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner, and also calls upon the Government to conduct an independent and credible investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law as applicable.”

Sri Lankan government response                                  Read More

SRI LANKA ELECTION COMMISSIONER ASKS POLICE TO SEIZE GOVERNMENT VEHICLES USED FOR ELECTION CAMPAIGNS
2014-02-17
Sri Lanka's Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya has in writing asked the Inspector General of Police N. K. Ilangakoon to seize all government vehicles used by the politicians for election campaigns.

The Election Department has received numerous complaints regarding the misuse of public vehicles for campaign purposes and the issue has been discussed last week during the party secretaries' meeting.

The Elections Commissioner has also asked the police to charge any candidate misusing government property for election campaigns.

Elections for Sri Lanka's Western and Southern Provincial Councils will be held on 29th March.

  Details

Colombo sabotages Tamil fishermen understanding across Palk Strait

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 February 2014, 22:23 GMT]
Amidst an existing understanding between the fishermen societies of Eezham Tamils and Tamil Nadu fishermen, who met recently in Tamil Nadu, that Indian fishermen could engage in fishing in the Palk Strait till March 15 without hindrance, the navy of the occupying Sri Lanka has arrested 116 Tamil Nadu fishermen in the territorial waters of the Eezham Tamils within the past 12 days, news sources in Jaffna said. In the meantime, the Indian coast guard has detained 25 fishermen from the island, 20 Sinhalese from South and 5 Eezham Tamils, who were engaged in day and night fishing in the deep waters of the strait, sources in Tamil Nadu said. 

In the first instance, SL Navy detained 87 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and seized 19 fishing vessels of them. Later, on 12th January, further 29 fishermen in 7 trawlers were detained. They were accused of entering the territorial waters of the island as well as engaging in fishing by deploying prohibited methods. 

All the Tamil Nadu fishermen were jailed in Jaffna prison and were taken to Ooraaththu'rai (Kayts) Courts. The first group of Tamil Nadu fishermen were taken on 13th and their remand has been extended by 14 days. 

The arrests sabotage the evolving mutual understanding between the fishermen communities across the Palk Strait, the fishermen society leaders in Jaffna told TamilNet. 

The fishermen societies representing both the sides would be meeting again after March 15 to discuss the situation further.

Consensual Resolution As A Compromise Solution

By Jehan Perera - February 17, 2014

Jehan Perera

Sri Lanka will be one of only three countries on which a substantive resolution, which calls for new forms of follow up actions, will be discussed at the session of the UN Human Rights Council next month.  The other two countries are North Korea and Myanmar.  However, in Myanmar’s case it will be a consensual resolution that is going to be passed, with the approval of the Myanmar government.  Therefore, unless a similar consensus is reached on Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan government will alone with its North Korean counterpart to have a resolution that is to be passed against its wishes.  This is undoubtedly an regrettable situation for the government to have put itself and the country into because in objective terms Sri Lanka is nowhere near North Korea in being either an authoritarian regime or a threat to world peace.

Almost all foreigners who come to Sri Lanka for the first time are pleasantly surprised by the state of the country, not only its natural beauty, but also the vibrancy of its society and the appearance of reasonable democracy and freedom by third world standards.   It will be natural for most Sri Lankans to feel utterly indignant against the international alliance that seeks to portray their country as one that can be bracketed with North Korea in international forums like the UNHRC.  But sadly this infamy appears to be increasingly likely.  The European Parliament in Brussels  which represents 28 European countries last week passed a resolution calling for “an international inquiry to be fully independent, credible and transparent” into alleged war crimes.  Likewise a committee of the US Senate also called for an “international investigation into reports ofwar crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights violations.”

Media reports and comments from top government leaders suggest that the Sri Lankan government is now bracing itself for defeat in the vote and to be at the receiving end of an adverse resolution.   The stakes are getting very high, especially after the UN Human Rights Commissioner Navanethem Pillay’s recommendation that there be no amnesty for war crimes, which indicates a willingness to take on the Sri Lankan government leadership in a battle to the finish with no hope of reconciliation.  It was ill-advised of the government to have believed it could defeat a resolution promoted by the two leading superpowers of the world, the US and EU and to fight it rather than to negotiate.   It would be advisable for the government to seek to moderate its position that totally rejects an international role in investigating the past.  Fighting to win became more impossible after it became clear that the country was internally divided on the issue.      Read More

Jaffna fishers losing hope 

February 17, 2014 
It has been almost two decades since S. Koteeswaran lost his right leg, when the Nalavy St. Peter's Church in Jaffna was bombed by the Sri Lankan Air Force. About 125 civilians were killed.
 
Getting by with a prosthetic leg, fitted a few years later, the 47-year-old fisherman says he is now suffering more than ever before because of Indian trawlers, which have nearly wiped him out of business. "My leg hurts very badly at the end of the day, but I have no other option. I know only fishing," says the father of three.
 
Worse, he has no hope that things may get better soon. "The [Indian] trawlers will continue to come to our shore. And we will continue to suffer." Koteeswaran is among the hundreds of fisherfolk in the coastal village of Karai Nagar — once a small island that was later linked by a causeway to the Jaffna peninsula — which bears the brunt of the Indian trawlers that, he says, come virtually to their shore.
 
He lost one of his nets to such a trawler, suffering a loss of LKR one lakh (about INR 48,000). These days, he goes fishing only thrice a week, on days when they don't expect Indian trawlers; that too, very close to the shore, fearing more loss.
Koteeswaran sees no hope in the outcome of the recent talks, both at the ministerial level and among fishermen of the two countries. "Oh, all that is eyewash. They make all sorts of claims and promises sitting in air-conditioned rooms, but nothing has changed for us. Ordinary fishermen like me are only pawns."
 
"We don't get our best varieties of fish any more. Even if we manage a decent catch along the shore, it goes for just LKR 30 a kg, as against 60 earlier," says Kadiramalai Yoganathan, secretary of the fishermen's cooperative in the area, amid the buzz at the auction centre where shiny fish were scattered on gunny bags.
A fisherman does not return home with all the money for his catch. Koteeswaran, for instance, engages 10 people to pluck fish out of the nets, paying each LKR 200 a day. And then, there is the cost incurred on fuel for the boat. "Finally, I get just 1,000 rupees, after sharing the money from the catch with my brother and partners who help me, and the labourers," he explains.
 
With barely enough to feed their families, repaying the debts on repairs to nets is another huge burden on many.
Vijayakumar Thevarani, a mother who raises four children, does the work of five people, trying to repay her outstanding loan of LKR 2.5 lakhs. Her day starts at 4 a.m. and she works non-stop till 10 p.m. — unloading and plucking fish, cleaning and mending nets, cooking for her children, feeding the cow and goat at home, milking the cow, taking up odd daily wage jobs in between and weaving coconut leaves all evening.
 
"I grew up in my parental home as a happy child, with a lot of care. But ever since I turned 16 and got married, I have only been working. I have a severe back pain. This is tiring," Thevarani says, breaking down. "We lost our nets, we incurred heavy losses. We work so hard every day and still, we are unable to repay our debt or have three meals without worrying."
 
"Much of our resources in our sea have been destroyed by the trawlers that virtually scrape the ocean bed. The talks are not helping. With no fish left here, we might probably have to go to the Indian side henceforth," she says, raising her voice.
Fishermen are already worried about certain missing species this year. T. Prabakar, 49, says he did not find a single fish of the mural species — a silver-coloured fish known for its taste, which is found aplenty during this time of the year. "Despite the talks, the trawlers continue to come. Before long, I am afraid all our fish will be gone," he says.
 

SLAS – 50 Not Out!

By Austin Fernando -February 17, 2014 

Austin Fernando

We were ruled by the British through their administrative mechanism- the Ceylon Civil Service (CCS); of course engaging “imported” British civil servants. Since the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) is the successor to the original British CCS and its domesticated CCS since Independence, one can trace its origins to 1802, the year the CCS was established by the British, though SLAS was established in 1963.

After Independence with some reforms the CCS carried on governing. However, with Independence public needs changed, less drastically due to prevailed economic stability- especially due to the Korean Boom. However, with the socio-political-cultural changes of 1956 and deflation of Korean Boom bubble, the demands on the government were diverted to welfarism with development.

With the 1956 political upheaval the parliamentarians and political activists changed in stature, experiences, sophistication and origins. Radhika Coomaraswamy quoting Professor AJ Wilson says that despite the fact that political leaders belonged to the well-educated elites, a fair number were “unsophisticated villagers who never used a cheque book in their lives or even knew what a bank account was…”  Hence the post-Independence CCS administrators had to look forward for changes in administrative attitudes. It took a while to happen. I believe it was due to the elitist political leadership finding valued coinage in the CCS and the CCS-stalwarts’ hold on politicians, thus creating reduced enthusiasm to change administrative systems.

But this resistance and lack of political will to change was short-lived. The lower political hierarchies wanted change. They demanded a people friendly administration. The “Ejantha Hamuduruvo” (“Venerated Government Agent”) attitude had to change. The Gammuladeni (Village Headman) had to change. It wasn’t a wonder (as I learnt in Batticaloa as a Ceylon Administrative Service (CAS) probationer in 1967) when even a Minister had to seek an appointment to meet the Government Agent (GA) in early-fifties!

The raw-recruit CAS officers were sent to the districts as Divisional Revenue Officers (DROs), District Land Officers, Land Development Officers, Assistant Commissioners / Assistant Directors of various departments. Though the DROs’ Service was absorbed to SLAS, they were still called “DROs.” The DRO was a miniature CCS model, working mostly under CCS GA, later replaced by senior SLAS hands. However, the Ejantha Hamuduruvo feeling in the GAs and DROs was not totally extinct by 1967- especially in the public eyes. Subsequently this designation was revised to Assistant GA and Divisional Secretary. Their duties were mostly related to land, agriculture, food supply, provision of welfare / social services, disaster management etc.  Some like me had the rare opportunity to learn work in “Un-policed DRO’s Divisions.”     Read More

IC should address Tamil question coupled with international mechanism: Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 February 2014, 23:02 GMT]
No internal mechanism would deliver justice to the people of Tamil homeland. The International Community should come up with a constructive international mechanism capable of delivering political solution to the Tamil question. If the IC is unable to grasp the situation, Tamils would regard the IC also as being complicit in the act of suppression being meted upon them, said Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, the leader of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF). The prevailing suppression on the peaceful, non-violent and democratic voices of the people of Tamil homeland is equivalent to the act of annihilation of the existence of Tamils as a nation, he said while attending a demonstration organized by the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) in Jaffna on Saturday. The occupying SL military has blocked the affected people from taking part in the protest. 

It is under the prevailing circumstance of suppression of the voices of people in the Tamil homeland, the United Nations Human Rights Council is set to debate the situation in the island at Geneva this March, Mr Gajendrakumar said stressing that the act of suppression prevailing on the ground could not be viewed only as a human rights violation. 

The international community should grasp this and come up with a constructive resolution, the former parliamentarian said. 



The comment from the TNPF leader has come at a time when Navanetham Pillay, the UN high commissioner of human rights, was again projecting the entire issue only as part of human rights violations taking place in the entire island. 

On Saturday, the occupying Sinhala military threatened the uprooted people of Valikaamam North to stay away from attending the protest. 

At the same time, people coming from Mannaar, Mullaiththeevu and the solidarity groups from South, were blocked and sent back by the occupying SL military. 

The protest organized by NAFSO received the support of all the fisheries associations, the organisations representing the kith and kin of the missing persons and other civil society groups in Jaffna. 

However, only around one hundred people were able to make it due to the threats and harassments by the SL military. 

Apart from the TNPF political activists, Northern Provincial Council Minister of Agriculture P Aingaranesan of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and two councillors of the civic bodies, S. Sugirthan from Valikaamam North PS and N. Sathees from Valveddithtu’rai Urban Council attended the protest.