Gota gets down yet another craft of illicit arms : this time from Israel – navy commander showered with kickbacks

(Lanka-e-News-21.Feb.2014, 5.30PM) Yet another craft carrying illicit weapons of Sri Lanka (SL) criminal defense secretary Gotabaya had entered the SL territorial waters, according to reports reaching inside information division of Lanka e news.

The inside information division has reports that this is a craft hired by Nissanka Senadhipathy , the chief of Avant garde security service who has been put in front on the scene to conceal Gotabaya’s involvements who is behind these operations , and the weapons have been dispatched from Israel to Sri Lanka .May we recall that on 1 st of February we reported that a craft by the name of ‘Sinbad’ belonging to Nissanka registered with the country Djibouti , under orders of Gotabaya loaded with weapons was sighted in the red sea. The one that is now sighted are two different crafts, it is learnt.

The present craft that left Israel about a month ago had reached SL waters about a fortnight ago when the secret underhand transactions have taken place. For the assistance rendered by the navy commander towards this illicit transaction , Nissanka Senadhipathy had traveled to the official residence of the Navy Commander on the night of 8th to hand over the ‘santhosam’ (kickback) , based on information reaching Lanka e news division. The santhosam was replete with gold wristlets , gold jewelry , electronic goods etc. It has come to light the cash santhosam was to be credited to a foreign account as discussed between them that night.

Meanwhile , the request by SL to India to release the foreigners who were in the craft belonging to SL coastal security division with a load of 45 illicit AK 47 weapons of Gotabaya that was seized by the Indian coastal security earlier on , had been abandoned, according to reports because of the fear that by trying to urge that release , the entire illicit arms operation can get exposed further. 

Like how Gotabaya is SL’s most elusive and murderous criminal defense secretary , the mystery surrounding these illicit weapons is also as deep since no one knows to which terrorist group these arms are intended to be sold.

Wanathamulla Resident Was Abducted Following Argument With Gota: UNP

February 20, 2014 

Issuing a hard hitting statement against the Government’s high handed actions in the WanathamullaTenement Gardens where the Urban Development Authority is seeking to forcibly evict hundreds of residents, the main opposition United National Party has charged a resident was abducted from the area following a heated argument with Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa sparking mass protests.

Secretary MOD

The UNP said Samaradheera Sunil had been abducted after he had argued with the Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary over the attempts to forcibly remove residents from the area when the official was visiting.

The UNP statement said that the abduction of Sunil and his subsequent release had been the work of the security forces and the Government had been forced to release him unharmed after the people of Wanathamulla stormed the streets against his abduction.

It was during that massive demonstration that the residents had attempted to assault UPFA strongman Duminda Silva in anger when he arrived on the scene.

The main opposition party charged that the Rajapaksa Government was sending soldiers in uniform into shanties and gardens to force residents to leave the area. “Each time these efforts by uniformed soldiers are resisted, the troops drop the Rajapaksa name,” the UNP said.

The UNP has warned the Rajapaksa Government that Sunil’s abduction and the way his neighbours spilled out into the streets to obtain his release was a sign of things to come in the future if the regime continues its flagrant abuse of authority.

“This incident has already got attention internationally. There is no doubt that this latest human rights violation is being studied at the UNHRC in Geneva already. It will result in various conclusions being drawn in March,” the UNP statement said. It was proof that the all of Sri Lankan society was now ready to rage against the ongoing abuse of power and brutality perpetrated by the Executive presidential system, the UNP said.

The statement charged that the Rajapaksa Administration was determined to suppress legitimate civilian protests, recalling the shooting of unarmed protestors in Weliweriya, the Katunayake free trade zone and Chilaw.

Samaradheera Sunil was released after DIG Western Province Anura Senanayake pledged to have him returned to dispel the protestors.

Defining moment

18 February 2014






UN Human Rights chief Navaneetham Pillay’s forthcoming report to the Human Rights Council, extracts of which appeared this weekend in a Sri Lankan newspaper, makes a clear and unambiguous call: for an international investigation into the mass atrocities of the final months of the island’s civil war. The High Commissioner’s call will be welcomed by the diverse array of actors, both ‘local’ and international, who have been steadfastly campaigning for five years for accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity in which at least 70,000 people were systematically slaughtered in 2009. In particular, it will be enthusiastically welcomed by the Tamil people, for whom the mass killings – described by an earlier report by a UN panel of experts as amounting to ‘systematic targetting' and 'persecution’ of them – constituted genocide by the Sri Lankan state.

Defining Moment by nelvely

Defending non-implementation of the LLRC in Geneva

• by Harim Peiris 
• - on 02/21/2014 

The Rajapakse Administration has deployed a key architect of its post war policy towards minorities and war affected communities in Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, through his position as Chair of the Action plan to implement the LLRC, to be the chief defender of the Government’s case to the international community in general and the UNHRC stakeholders in Geneva in particular. Government ministers have also been given their briefs and are traversing the globe to lobby member nations of the UNHRC against a third US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka. There is little doubt, that like in 2012 and 2013, another resolution on Sri Lanka would be carried by the UNHRC, decrying Sri Lanka’s post war policy trajectory.

The argument used by the government internationally, completely contrary to all the facts, is that it has in fact implemented much of the LLRC recommendations. This from a government which post war even stopped Tamil children from singing the national anthem in their own language, something which had been occurring even at the height of the war. Now the government’s National Action Plan itself is hugely deficient in regard to implementing the LLRC, dumping at the outset most of the key recommendations it finds troublesome. Most of the other proposed actions, do not really implement the recommendations or achieve the outcome the LLRC desired, such as assigning the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) often accused of disappearances to investigate them or instructing the AG department which post 18thAmendment dispensation comes directly under the President and is the judicial defender of the government to take necessary action.

Furthermore there has been no progress in giving back the private lands in the now redundant artillery range perimeters of the former high security zones in the North, especially in the Waligamam North area, almost five years after the last threat of artillery to security forces was eliminated for good on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon in Mullativu. There has been no progress on releasing almost eight hundred persons detained for over ten years under the PTA.  Most provisions of the Emergency regulations continue under the Public Security Ordinance and consequently the military is deployed country wide for what should be civilian police law and order purposes, with disastrous consequences as we witnessed in Weliweriya. There have been no indictments on the murder of seventeen aid workers of Action against hunger nor of the murder of five Tamil school boys in Trincomalee. However,  notwithstanding all these facts the Government would internationally with a snazzy power point presentation claim that it has largely implemented the LLRC. For all those countries and organizations not dependent on government propaganda for information, including the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, it is unsurprising that they find the Sri Lankan government deficient in addressing either the causes or effects of the war and moving meaningfully towards reconciliation.

On the domestic front the government has hugely ramped up its propaganda efforts with regard to the UNHRC resolution. The provincial election campaign for the Western and Southern provincial councils will be largely influenced by the UNHRC resolution, though foreign policy is not even remotely within the ambit of provincial administration. However the political argument the government is making domestically is quite different from what it makes internationally. Domestically the government seeks to promote the political view that it is the defender of the majority ethno religious community, the Sinhala Buddhists, who must be protected from conspiratorial forces, mostly in the west and also in India and that such a defense is best done by rolling back the 13th amendment, hence the proposed 19th amendment (fortunately pushed back by the old left and more pluralist forces within the ruling alliance) ,by denying Tamil children the right to sing the national anthem in Tamil and by allowing Muslim Mosques and Christian churches to be attacked by organized thugs with complete impunity.

Now the main political opposition led rather ineffectively by the UNP and on a smaller scale but much more energetically by Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s JVP and General Fonseka Democratic Party, have in fact made several key counter arguments to the government’s politics, though yet to make their voices effectively heard above the government juggernaut and media self censorship. They have argued the following. The UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka is due to the failed policies of the government and the government is leading Sri Lanka to increasing international isolation, especially from the West, by its policies. Former foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera is perhaps the most erudite and eloquent exponent in this regard.

Further the interest of all Sri Lankans and especially that of its majority ethnic group lies in a Sri Lanka that is not at odds with much of the world and that the implementation of political measures already on the books, such as the 13th amendment to the constitution, which was at the end only opposed by the LTTE, should now be implemented, together with the LLRC recommendations thereby providing the political basis for post civil conflict national reconciliation and a durable and lasting peace. Unfortunately the wisdom of such an approach seems to have no currency in the corridors of powers of the Government and in the event of violations of our international treaty obligations, the world will continue to push the issue in appropriate multilateral forums such as the UNHRC.

Law college Principal pastes results under cover of night; CJ Peiris the Pachoris tramples laws day and night- 48 students left high and dry
(Lanka-e-News-21.Feb.2014, 5.30PM) A large number of students who sat the law entrance exam had been denied admission and their future been blasted because of the illegal actions of Sri Lanka’s chief justice (CJ) Peiris alias Pachoris who is the only CJ in legal history of Sri Lanka who has become infamously famous for dispensing cheap injustice and cheating justice.

Under the law College constitution a minimum of 225 students can be admitted to the College annually. This has been clearly mentioned in the education Board administrative regulations of the Law College. In other words under the law prevailing in the country , at least 225 students can be admitted annually to the Law College. The Law college administrative Board chief is the chief justice of the country, which means the SL chief justice Mohan Peiris alias Pachoris is the head of this. Despite this being the legal position governing law college admissions , this year only 177 students are to be admitted to Law college instead of 225 students, the minimum intake.

Though this has not been officially announced , the Principal of Law College P.A. Ratnayake who resigned his post suddenly had on the night previous to his exit pasted a list of names of 177 students on the Law College gates and gone. Though it is the examinations department that should announce the Law College entrance examination results officially , they are unable to give a clear answer on this issue.

If only 177 students are to be admitted , the lives and future of 48 students have been blasted . May be this affected number can be more, because last year even when an issue arose 557 students were admitted .By that token , there is a possibility of 380 students being left out. But right now the future of 48 students being blasted is confirmed.

Owing to this quandary , a large number of students who sacrificed their precious time and money to learn are plunged into deep despair not knowing from whom to seek redress. All of them accuse Mohan Peiris alias Pachoris for their predicament. Their grave grouse is , because Peiris who is of the Colombo English speaking bourgeois class, he is seeking to admit students who return from London after successfully completing exams while discarding the ordinary students here who have been successful, in accordance with his own whims and fancies , and to boost his bourgeois eccentricity .

Since the last batch of students under the old syllabus sat this year , the students who sat the exam this year are much more – about 10,000 more. In such circumstances when the admissions should be proportionately more , this effort of Peiris alias Pachoris to curtail the intake is an absolute conspiracy in keeping with his better known title ‘cheat justice.’ There is also another ground that fuels this suspicion. The former law college Principal P.A. Gunaratne who suddenly resigned published the results on January 24 th late at night. But in the Lankadeepa newspaper of 19th January , it was reported how the black crows of law are creeping into law college via clandestine routes, and the CID are conducting an investigation. 

It is therefore the belief of all that a cold calculated complicated conspiracy underlies this whole drama . This iniquitous situation was worst aggravated and became most complicated when Namal the son of MaRa passed the law final exam most controversially , suspiciously and foully thereby making law college a pickle which Institution until then was apparently un- corrupt.

Sri Lanka Mulls SAfrican-Model Truth Commission

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press-February 19, 2014 

Sri Lanka's government said Wednesday that it was considering a process similar to South Africa's post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal the wounds of the island nation's decades-long civil war.

Two senior ministers will lead a team to South Africa on Thursday for discussions with the country's government and the ruling African National Congress, Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. South African President Jacob Zuma has appointed ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramphosa his special envoy to Sri Lanka, the statement said.

The visit is an apparent move to soften a third U.S.-sponsored resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council over Sri Lanka's failure to properly investigate alleged atrocities and war crimes committed during the civil war against minority Tamil rebels, which ended five years ago.

But it may be difficult for Sri Lanka to convince its critics given its failure to publicize reports of previous commissions and implement recommendations that were made.

The United States has said the patience of the international community is "wearing thin" because Sri Lanka has not investigated abuse allegations as recommended by a 2011 report by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation commission, which was appointed by the Sri Lankan government.

A body modeled after South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission could enable offenders to publicly admit their crimes and avoid prosecution.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up after South Africa abolished apartheid in the 1990s, allowed human rights offenders of all races to admit their crimes publicly in return for lenient treatment. It proved to be a kind of national therapy that would become a model for other countries emerging from prolonged strife.

Discussions in South Africa will be with the "aim of understanding the manner in which that exercise can help in Sri Lanka's own reconciliation process, following the defeat of terrorism," the Foreign Ministry said.

Sri Lankan troops defeated Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009, ending a quarter-century separatist war. Both government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels have been accused of serious human rights violations and war crimes.

The government has been accused of deliberately shelling civilians and hospitals, blocking food and medicine for civilians trapped in the war zone and deliberately undercounting the number of civilians caught up in the fighting. The rebels have been accused of holding civilians as human shields, killing those trying to flee and recruiting child soldiers.

A U.N. report said about 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians may have been killed in just the last few months of the fighting.

Recent abduction in Wanathamulla gets UNHRC attention

 Friday, 21 February 2014

 General

The recent abduction that took place in the Wanathamulla area has grabbed the attention of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) says the United National Party (UNP).

The UNP in a statement has said that a resident of Wanathamulla, Sunil Samaradheera was abducted by an unidentified group since he spoke for the rights of the residents.

Samaradheera had led the protests against relocating the Wanathamulla shanty dwellers to government-constructed flats for which they have to pay to the authorities.

The residents of Wanathamulla area held a massive protest blocking the Baseline Road demanding Sunil’s release, after which Sunil was released by the roadside in the Biyagama area.

The UNP has accused the authorities of carrying out the abduction.

The UNP has added that the abduction was a part of the naive state administration and weak diplomatic management that has had an adverse impact on the government locally as well as internationally.

‘Say Geneva & boss comes running’ - Thondaman

Friday, 21 February 2014 

“These days, if something wants to be get done by the president, say Geneva, and he will do anything. Normally, the man cannot be brought by even laying carpets, but early this morning he had left for Kotagala. I only suggested a Pooja to win in Geneva. He came running”, said minister Arumugam Thondaman this morning (21) to a fellow minister who had given him a call.

The minister who had given the call, asked, “Thondi, we too, are ill-starred these days. Why didn’t you invite us for this Pooja? You hold Poojas only for the boss?” Responding, Thondaman said, “You people come at one telephone call. The boss cannot be brought that easily. But, these days, if we say ‘Geneva’, anything can be get done by him. You too, hold some Poojas. He will do anything.”

According to reports reaching us, the president has gone to Kotagala to the devil dance organized by Thondaman. The minister has got his Hyderabad female friend Rupa Magandhi to send nine exorcists from Kerala, India. Also, he pretends that he is spending his personal money to provide for their airfare, transport, food and accommodation, but it is actually the membership money of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress that is being spent.

Minister Thondaman, together with Rupa Magandhi, is wasting the membership fees of poor estate labourers, who pay from their hard earned money. According to internal sources of the CWC, this spending to deceive the president will never be properly audited.

Norway asks if army demob is possible

Rankin queries whether North has 150,000 troops

by Shamindra Ferdinando-February 20, 2014, 

Maj. Gen. Udaya Perera greets Norwegian ambassador Lochen

British High Commissioner John Rankin has queried whether the post-war  Sri Lankan Army (SLA) deployment in the Jaffna peninsula is as high as 150,000 personnel. The envoy posed the question to Jaffna Security Forces Commander, Maj. Gen. Udaya Perera when they met in Palaly yesterday. Maj. Gen. Perera recently succeeded Maj. Gen. Mahinda Hathurusinghe.

Maj. Gen. Perera told Rankin that there was no basis for the latter’s assessment.

Army headquarters said that even at the height of the conflict, the maximum SLA presence in Jaffna peninsula was at about 45,000 personnel, deployed on both defensive and offensive roles. Army headquarters said that even Sri Lanka’s largest ever multi-pronged ground offensive in the Vanni (March 2007 to May 2009) involved less than 100,000 personnel.

The British HC raised the issue of SLA deployment in the Jaffna peninsula in the wake of Norwegian Ambassador Grete Lochen questioning the possibility of further reducing the SLA strength in Jaffna peninsula as well as demobilising troops.

HC Rankin last year went to the extent of contradicting President Mahinda Rajapaksa as regards the strength of troops deployed in the Jaffna peninsula.

The SLA deployment came up for discussion when Ambassador Lochen met Maj. Gen. Perera at the Security Forces headquarters in Palaly.

Maj. Gen. Perera told Ambassador Lochen that the SLA presence in the Jaffna peninsula had been considerably reduced since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009. The SLA had also abandoned almost all sentry points previously manned by troops, Maj. Gen. Perera told the Norwegian envoy, while emphasising the necessity to maintain adequate troops in the peninsula to face any eventuality. 

The Jaffna army chief said that the SLA had to be mindful of the possibility of the police needing its backing in case extremist political elements caused chaos in the peninsula.

Maj. Gen. Perera stressed that the military presence was nothing but a necessity though troops were now confined to camps.

Asked by Ambassador Lochen whether there was a possibility of demobilising the SLA, Maj. Gen stressed that such a course of action couldn’t be implemented without a proper plan.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is on record as having said that battlefield victory over the LTTE wouldn’t have been a reality unless President Mahinda Rajapaksa had authorised the increase of the SLA’s strength to 220,000 officers and men. At the onset of eelam war IV in August 2006, the SLA had about 116,000 personnel, the majority of them deployed in defensive posture in the Northern theatre of operations.

 The Maj. Gen. assured that the SLA was in the process of gradually decreasing its strength.

Much to the surprise of the Jaffna commander, the Norwegian envoy expressed concern about the army making available vegetables grown by troops in the Jaffna market. The Jaffna chief explained the necessity to provide vegetables at affordable prices, though the military had stopped the practice.

 Ambassador Lochen was accompanied by Ms Dagny Mjos, Counsellor and Ms Hanne Pilrem, Senior Advisor.

INDIAN POLITICAL PARTIES URGED TO INCLUDE SRI LANKAN TAMIL ISSUES IN THEIR MANIFESTOS: TGTE

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam's Parliament Adopts a Resolution

OHIO, USA, February 19, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- 

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam’s (TGTE) Parliament in its sitting on February 1, 2014, unanimously passed a Resolution urging all the Indian political parties to include in their Manifesto the following:

Indian Political Parties Urged to Include Sri Lankan Tamil Issues in Their Manifestos Tgte by nelvely

Sri Lanka opposition cries foul over Chinese deals

February 20, 2014

Colombo — Sri Lanka's main opposition accused the government Thursday of awarding contracts to a World Bank-blacklisted Chinese company and said it would not honour the deals if it regains power.

The United National Party (UNP) said the government had recently awarded a contract to the state-owned China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) for a new port city in the capital Colombo despite the World Bank move.

"The government has given this project to a company which is banned by the World Bank due to corruption," UNP spokesman Harsha de Silva told reporters.

"We never thought that the government has been dealing with a company that has been debarred by the World Bank."

He said a future UNP government would not honour transactions with the firm.

There was no immediate comment from the CCCC, but Sri Lankan government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella denied any corruption.

"There is no corrupt practice involving this company in respect of our transactions," Rambukwella told reporters.

The World Bank in a statement posted on its website from 2011 said the CCCC and its subsidiaries had been debarred till January 2017 for fraud in Philippine roads projects.

Chinese companies have emerged as key infrastructure partners of Sri Lanka and have already built air and sea ports, highways and railways.

Reimagining Dependency: An Ode To Unpopular Economics

By the Centre for Poverty Analysis -February 21, 2014 

In Sri Lanka huge swaths of the rural population have found themselves starved of local employment opportunities as a consequence of Jayewardene’s neoliberal revolution

The relationship between migration and development has been a long-scrutinised topic of debate within developmental discourse. Understandings of this dynamic have “swung back and forth like a pendulum” (de Haas, 2010) since first emerging as an area of academic interest in the 1950s, oscillating from optimism to pessimism and back again. Early perspectives attached to modernisation theory highlighted the potential for migration to catalyse a ‘developmental takeoff’ for sending nations by way of remittance and skill transfers. Later, radical critiques (from neo-Marxist and dependency perspectives) re-framed migration-development in a profoundly sceptical light, emphasising migration’s propensity to siphon skills and labour in a way that stymies genuine economic development in sending countries. Since the ‘rediscovery’ of the migration-development nexus in the early millennium the tone of discussion has once again been overwhelmingly hopeful; a solidifying neoliberal status quo has drowned out the radical critiques of the 70s and 80s and shrunk the contours of development until a “golden straitjacket” (Friedman, 2000) woven of market signals is all that remains. Within this neoliberal development paradigm, the World Bank, IOM and fistfuls of Northern think tanks have promulgated the notion that temporary labour migration yields a ‘triple win’ scenario, in which sending countries, receiving countries and migrants all benefit from a reallocation of global labour ostensibly coordinated by forces of supply and demand. Meanwhile, alternative approaches to migration that emphasise the exploitative disparity of those ‘wins’ have been dismissed in parcel with the failed developmental projects with which they were ideologically aligned and are today something of a theoretical faux pas. Sri Lanka’s own experience with a closed-economy highlights many of the problems of such developmental models, though it remains difficult to disentangle the culpability of economic theory from the social and productive vulnerabilities inherited from colonial occupation (Kelegama, 2006).

No matter how the past is construed, the South should remain wary of developmental fables concocted and disseminated by yesteryear’s imperialist powers and their institutional mouthpieces. Of those ‘winning’ from migration, it is far easier to recognise the benefits for receiving countries of the North – a cheap, exploitable and ever-replenishing reserve army of ready-made labour – than it is for remittance-dependent economies of the South or, less still, for individual migrants driven to foreign employment in vacuums of jurisdiction on account of survival. Recent attention to migration as it pertains to migrant agency and household income strategies (de Haas, 2010) thus obfuscates the overarching dynamic of labour migration: global patterns of capital accumulation. The global division of labour underpinning capital accumulation in the North is predicated not only on the outsourcing of production, but also the importing of workers for exploitative labour in care, construction and service roles that cannot be offshored. Meanwhile, adherence to migration as a de facto developmental strategy has left Sri Lanka increasingly dependent on remittances as a means of shoring up its foreign reserves (a staggering 49% of export earnings) to counterbalance a historically impregnable trade deficit, keep the rupee afloat and subsequently finance the ongoing gentrification of urban Colombo. Where national development projects and attempts at export diversification have failed, migrants have picked up both the foreign exchange slack and the suffix of ‘hero’ (MFEPW, 2011). Worse again, with remittances failing to translate into sustainable long-term livelihoods for migrant families, some of the most vulnerable portions of Sri Lanka’s population are coaxed into an unsustainable cycle of repeat migration to attain a transient reprieve from poverty.Read More

If Army Commander was punished for participating in politics why not defense secretary?

(Lanka-e-News-21.Feb.2014, 5.00PM) If the Sri Lanka (SL) former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka who won the war for the country was deprived of his pension, his army honors , stripes and stars , and punished with a two year jail sentence for allegedly participating in politics while in service after ignoring all his patriotic contributions to the country , why is SL’s defense secretary Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapakse the devil incarnate and a byword for lawlessness who not only participated in the political campaign of candidate Gammanpila openly and even got on to latter’s political platform and canvassed for him is not being punished ? Not only the international community , but even the local law abiding citizens and legal luminaries of the country who are rudely shocked by these outrageous lawless conduct of a government servant are questioning.

Certainly laws of a country cannot have double standards. One standard for the people , and another for Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapakse who fled the country for the most traitorous reasons deserting the army and stayed put in the US for decades in fear during the war. Gota the coward should know only the President of the country cannot be hauled up in courts during the tenure of office.

Though the whole country is rudely shocked by the lawless conduct of a high rung government servant and a lawyer Gammanpila jointly , and even after 8 days have elapsed since these election law violations have been committed brazenly and blatantly, the Elections Commissioner who is answerable to the Parliament is gazing keeping his eyes widely open and gaping keeping his crocodile mouth widely open doing nothing. Sadly , even the Minister John Seneviratne in charge of public administration is dumbfounded.

The election monitoring organizations too that are stooping to the lowliest levels of unscrupulous activities and doing the sordid biddings of the Rajapakses have also transformed into effeminate eunuchs (Ponnaiyahs) doing nothing while blabbering about some ‘stickers’ and wasting time instead of addressing these grave violations of election laws by Gota the defense secretary and Gammanpila , a lawyer licensed to practice lawlessness. The Bar Association too is so far silent on this. The media coolies as usual are tightly holding the laptops given by the government on their tops between their legs and spending their time in bars , taverns and kasippu dens taking advantage of the government’s ‘thitthata matha’ policy promoted by the government under the delusive name of ‘mathata thitha.’ The opposition too has not so far stood up strongly enough to demonstrate against the monumental lawlessness of the Rajapakse gangsters who are not only riding roughshod on the country’s laws but also on the people’s abysmal sufferings following gung ho policies .

At least at this belated stage the opposition parties should together make a concerted effort and take constructive action to convince the people that holding elections following two sets of laws : one set for the lawless Rajapakses and another for the law abiding parties, people and groups is meaningless , for like in the past undoubtedly every election in the future too would be won by them using every trick , treachery and illegality . The opposition must jointly with the people rise against these sinister activities of the Rajapakses and root out the black curse of the red shawl once and for all , for the better good of all . Not only the people will be thankful but even the government politicos who are hoping and campaigning secretly for this change . Let us hope this GROBR (good riddance of bad rubbish) will come by sooner than later. 

Port city “pump and dump” deal: Harsha

• Criticises plan to sell land to Chinese company, says prices will fall
• Claims project is not FDI as Govt. will guarantee loan from EXIM bank
• Alleges transactions questionable as company banned by World Bank in 2009, suspicious deals in 7 countries

By Uditha Jayasinghe  -February 21, 2014  
Pinpointing a shocking aberration from good governance UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday laid bare what he termed a “dump and pump” scheme of the Government concerning the proposed US$ 1.4 billion port city project, which is to be developed with a Chinese company banned by the World Bank.

Port city “pump and dump” deal Harsha by nelvely

SRI LANKA: The neglect of mass graves

SRI LANKA: The neglect of mass graves

Friday, February 21, 2014

152 skeletons recovered from the Matale Mass Grave

A mass grave has been found at Thiruketiswaram, Mannar in January 2014. In 2013 a mass grave was also found at Matale and the investigations are still at early stages regarding the body parts found in this grave. The general condition prevailing, relating to both of these mass graves is that the investigations are not being conducted in terms of modern forensic methodologies which are essential for the proper preservation of the findings as well as the prevention of the destruction of the materials found in the mass graves in the course of excavation. Both at Mannar and Matale the mass graves were dug with bulldozers and naturally such manner of excavation is not conducive to proper handling of the human material remains that are found in such graves.
There are no guidelines that have been adopted for proper conduct of excavations, for the preservation of the findings as well as for proper conduct of investigations for the determination of the times at which the burials had taken place and other material elements which are needed for proper identification of the remains of persons which will enable the administration of justice relating to the persons whose remains are found in these mass graves.

 At the mass grave in Matale the remains of over 150 persons were discovered. The crucial issue which came up was regarding the timing of the deaths and burials of the persons found in this grave. Initial inquiries conducted by Sri Lankan forensic archaeologist who examined the site said that it was not due to epidemic or any natural causes and a parallel investigation done by a Judicial Medical Officer said that it was not a regular burial site and both concluded that remains belonged to the period 1986-1990.

 The period between 1986 and 1990 was marked by a period of armed conflict between the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna

  (JVP) and the Sri Lankan government. Later, after a change of government several commissions regarding involuntary disappearances were appointed by the government and these commissions conducted enquiries regarding enforced disappearances in several provinces in Sri Lanka. In their reports they recorded complaints regarding the disappearances of over 20,000 persons. In the Matale area itself there were complaints of hundreds of disappearances and the complainants identified the names of several officers who were responsible for the abductions of large numbers of persons who subsequently disappeared. A particular army camp was also identified as a place which coordinated such abductions which ended in enforced disappearances. The name of the coordinating officer who was in charge of the camp at the time has also been publically identified. The said coordinating officer and several other identified persons are at present holding high posts in the government.

 Under these circumstances the move by the government to have the samples of the remains flown to China for the conduct of inquiries into the timing of the deaths of these persons was objected to by the lawyers who appeared for the families of the disappeared persons.

Among other grounds the lawyers stated that the facilities for such inquiries in China were not reliable and also that there were questions about the possible interference into such investigations, thus, creating the doubt about the independence of such inquiries.

However, the magistrate allowed the remains to be sent to a facility in China.

 As regards the discovery of bodies of Thiruketiswaram, Mannar, the inquiries are still at a rudimentary stage. The existence of the remains came to the notice of the public when workers constructing a highway came across some of the remains. Thereafter, in the course of excavation the parts of many bodies have been discovered.

 The problems associated with both of these mass graves as well as some others found earlier point out the absence of clear legal provisions in dealing with excavations and investigations into the findings taken from such mass graves. There are no guidelines, particularly regarding the early stages of excavations and investigations. The methods adopted at present often rely on untrained manual labourers who use pickaxes and other similar tools and also bulldozers for such excavations. These methods are very much prone to the destruction of the remains that are meant to be discovered and preserved for proper scientific investigations. The very methods of excavation need to be scientific. Both from the point of view of the law and procedures as well as the use of equipment and the persons who use such equipment there is much that is not in keeping with the standards required. However, the government has made no attempt to improve the laws relating to these matters and also to provide for the proper methodologies for these purposes.

 The United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances need to look into these two mass graves at Matale and Mannar and also consult the forensic experts and judicial medical officers regarding the problems associated with the conduct of these investigations. Without interventions from the United Nations Human Rights agencies it is unlikely that there will be the proper development of laws and procedures and the allocation of resources enabling proper excavations and investigations relating to mass graves.

 - A written submission to the UN Human Rights Council, Twenty fifth session, by the Asian Legal Resource Centre

Trade union leader complains of rights violation to HRC 

By Madura Ranwala-February 19, 2014, 10:26 pm

President of two trade unions, Health Services Trade Union Alliance and the Government Nursing Officers Association, Saman Ratnapriya yesterday complained to the Human Rights Commission that he had been denied a basic right granted to every trade union leader and thereby the government had violated the Constitution of the country and the International Labour Law which guaranteed trade union rights.   

Many trade union representatives from various sectors joined him to submit a petition to the Human Rights Commission seeking his release from regular work to attend to trade union work full time.

Ratnapriya told The Island that he had been granted that right from 2004 to 2010, but since then he had been denied it.

He said he had filed a case in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at the end of 2011 and the ILO had given its verdict on March 25, 2013 in his favour.

 "So far 11 months have elapsed, but the government has denied me my trade union right which the Constitution of the country grants to any trade union leader. But other trade union leaders have been granted that right.

"Procedurally, it should be recommended by the Health Secretary Dr. Nihal Jayathilake, but he had not sent those documents for approval to the Public Administration secretary and the Cabinet."

 "If he failed to win his right even after submitting a petition to the HRC, we will resort to trade union action."