Re-Opening The Theatre Of War Against The Tamils

"In war, truth is the first casualty”

 Aeschylus the Greek dramatist of tragedy (525 to 456 BCE)

( May 7, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Rajapaksa regime having celebrated the victory over the Tamil militants and having basqued in its victory for more than five years has now reopened their theatre of war with a brand new dimension where truth suffers mutilation beyond recognition and is one sided.

Having unilaterally declared that Tamil terrorism has reappeared and having arbitrarily banned Diaspora organizations the Sri Lankan State has ushered in a new era of terrorism , repression and fear into the community of the Tamil speaking peoples instilling undiluted terror and fear. Destroying any dissent, his clearly is another war without witnesses for there is no real military confrontation except what is based on the imagination of those in the ministry of defence.

The recent unwanted and unnecessary killings of Kopi (the supposed new LTTE leader), Theviyan , Appan and the army soldier Selvaraja Kamalaraja were cold blooded murders committed by the Rajapaksa regime based on a canard to make the point that that the LTTE had regrouped and was making war on the Sri Lankan state. The theatre of war rapidly moves from place to place, montaging as it were, convenient to the Rajapaksa regime, in the instant case from Nedunkerny to Mullaitivu to Kokkavil to Padaviya, Puliyankulam and even Kurunegala in the south.

Originally, it was stated that Kopi the purported leader of the LTTE by a strange coincidence was hiding under a bed in the home Jeyakumari of Nedunkerny, having attempted to kill a police officer, whose name has not been divulged. Soon after, Kopi, Theviyan, Appan and the soldier Selvaraja Kamalaraja are said to have confronted the Sri Lankan army in an attempt to wage war against the Sri Lankan State. This also provided them an opportunity to arrest Jeyakumari.

Jeyakumari, it would be recalled played a prominent part in desperation to locate her son who had disappeared during the war of 2009, has now been by design linked to the Kopi conspiracy. Now Jeyakumari who was living alone with her daughter, 13 year old Vibushika, in Wanni is incarcerated in the Boosa Prison, based in the deep southern Sri Lanka, infamous for the torture and ill treatment of its inmates, Vibushika is said to be at a home in the Wanni.

It is now revealed from reliable sources that in actual fact Kopi, was a mess boy in the Kokavil army camp in Killinochchi engaged in cooking, and the other two were doing labour jobs. When the war ended, all these three individuals surrendered to the forces claiming that they were forcibly made members of the LTTE, and later were assisting the forces. These individuals were under Kamala Raja, a Tamil, of the intelligence division of the Sri Lankan army. However for the last one and half months before killings the four of them had not been seen and it was learnt that they had been transferred to another camp. It is revealed that the three so called LTTE leaders who have been killed in the jungles of Nedunkerni were in the custody of the army three days prior to the killing. The mode of the killing of Kamala Raja, is however not similar to that of the other three “LTTE leaders”. He is said to have died of multiple injuries. These who were killed could have been potential witnesses to war crimes of the Rajapaksa regime. It was believed that these individuals would have been key witnesses in an investigation on the massacre of the Tamil people in 2009.

Further, it is in the interests of the Rajapaksa regime to keep the war between the Sri Lankan State and the “LTTE” alive. The imaginary war declared by the Tamils against the Sri Lankan State is actually in the sick mind of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

In a recent report captioned “Continuing Detention of Tamil Women and a Girl Child under the Prevention of Terrorism Act” the “Womens Action Network” has reported thus: “……..This has become convenient to take persons including women and children into custody on the pretext of being linked to Tamil terrorists and kept incommunicado. Even after nearly five years after the end of the armed conflict children can’t live with their mothers, mothers are searching for their children, wives are looking for their missing husbands and women are interrogated and held on behalf of their family members. Women are going through so much of pain and continuous suffering…..The arrests of these women and children comes in this context where they are detained under the PTA due to the suspicion regarding the alleged illegal actions of their male family members, which has been openly stated by the government officials……”

What is more, it has become convenient to tell the international community that the threat of Tamil terrorism is still real and measures bordering on human rights abuses are justified and that it is necessary to keep the Tamil homelands fully militarized and fortified without any reduction of the military personnel. Further, it also provides the regime the opportunity to cast derogatory aspersions on key persons of the Tamil Diasporas as being linked to terrorism and make “personae not grata” of them. Strangely enough, Gotabahaya Rajapaksa the architect of the idea of the LTTE regrouping and the killing of the four “LTTE terrorists,” who made war on the State had only this to say at the most recent seminar of the Malaysians that he on 16 April 2014 addressed: “….At the same time, the network’s operatives, most of whom are trained terrorists, remain involved in various illegal activities, and are constantly seeking ways to revive terrorist activities in Sri Lanka…”. Cautiously though, no mention was made of the LTTE waging war and the killing of the four persons for the apparent reason that he would be asked questions on the details of the episode.

There is also the impending international investigation into war crimes and human rights abuses that the Rajapaksa regime is trying to avoid at any cost and this story of having to combat Tamil terrorism that refuses to go away would come in handy, and further, it is likely that with the dwindling popularity of the Rajapaksas the sooner the President Rajapaksa faces his last chance to be elected the better. So that keeping the story of the LTTE menace to the Sinhala polity will be of vital importance. It should be remembered that keeping Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism alive and kicking at the peril of the minorities is immensely important for the continuing existence of the Rajapaksa regime. The idea is also to isolate the Tamils living within Sri Lanka from their relatives and friends abroad and in many cases for those who are financially dependent on their relatives abroad for their livelihood and to reduce them to penury.

The short sighted and brutal actions of the Rajapaksa regime will only rebound to the detriment of the Sinhala- Tamil reconciliation which is important not in the short term to help the Rajapaksa dynasty to rule unhindered and to win elections but to the permanent Sinhala Tamil unity in the distant future towards which end many Diaspora organisations are were trying to lay the foundations for.

( The writer is the editor of the Eelam nation, an online journal)

சம்பூர் இடம்பெயர்ந்த மக்களுக்கு இழப்பீட்டுக்காக 300 மிலியன்

சம்பூர் நிலப் பிரச்சினை: இழப்பீட்டுக்கு 300 மிலியன் ரூபாய் ஒதுக்கீடு

கடைசியாக பிரசுரிக்கப்பட்டது: 7 மே, 2014 

இலங்கை அரசு, சம்பூரில் உயர் பாதுகாப்பு வலயத்துக்காக மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்ட நிலக்கையகப்படுத்தல் முயற்சியில் நிலமிழந்த மக்களுக்கு, இழப்பீடு வழங்க 300 மிலியன் ரூபாய் ஒதுக்கியிருப்பதாகத் தெரிவித்திருக்கிறது.

இலங்கை உச்சநீதிமன்றத்தில் இது தொடர்பான வழக்கு விசாரணையில் அரசு இந்தத் தகவலைத் தெரிவித்தது.

சம்பூரில் இந்தப் பிரச்சினை காரணமாக இடம்பெர்ந்தோர் தாக்கல் செய்த மனு குறித்த விசாரணையில் அரச வழக்கறிஞர் இதனை நீதிமன்றத்தில் தெரிவித்தார்.

அரசின் இந்தத் திட்டத்தின்படி, சம்பூரிலிருந்து இடம்பெர்ந்தோர் , தமது கையகப்படுத்தப்பட்ட காணிகளுக்கு பதிலாக மாற்று நிலங்களைப் பெற முடியும். அதை விரும்பாதோருக்கு நஷ்டஈட்டுத்தொகைத் தரப்படும் என்றார் அரச வழக்கறிஞர்.

ஆயினும் இவ்வாறு காணிகளை கையகப்படுத்துவது சட்டத்திற்கு மாறான ஒரு செயல் என மனித உரிமைகள் சம்பந்தமான வழக்குகளில் ஆஜராகும்

வழக்கறிஞர் குணரத்ன வன்னிநாயக்க தெரிவித்தார்.

இலங்கையில் நடைமுறைப்படுத்தப்படும் காணி சட்ட விதிமுறைகளின்படி, தனிப்பட்ட நிலத்தை கையகப்படுத்துவதற்கு முன்பு விசாரணைகள் நடத்தப்பட வேண்டும். ஆயினும் இங்கு அவ்வாறான

விசாரணைகள் எதுவும் நடத்தப்படவில்லை . எனவே எதிர் காலத்தில் காணிகளை கையகப்படுத்த வேண்டுமானால் பொதுவாக அமல்படுத்தப்படும் சட்ட விதிமுறைகளுக்கு அமைய

அதனை அரசாங்கம் மேட்கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்று தெரிவித்தார் வழக்கறிஞர் குணரத்ன வன்னிநாயக்க.

ஆயினும் அரச வழக்கறிஞரின் கருத்துகளை ஏற்றுக்கொண்ட நீதிபதி மொகான் பீரிஸ், மாற்று காணிகள் மற்றும் நஷ்ட ஈடுகள் பெற்றுக்கொள்ள விரும்பும் இடம் பெர்ந்தோர் சம்பந்தமான அறிக்கையொன்றை சமர்ப்பிக்குமாறு

அரச தரப்பிற்கு உத்தரவிட்டார்.

பின்பு வழக்கு விசாரணையை எதிர்வரும் ஜூன் 9ம் தேதி வரை ஒத்திவைத்த தலைமை நீதிபதி மொகான் பீரிஸ், அன்றைய தினம் இந்த தீர்வு திட்டம் சம்பந்தமாக

மனுதாரகளின் கருத்துக்கள் பெற்றுக்கொள்ளப்படுமென்றும் தெரிவித்தார்.

INSEAD hails TAG co-founder Jananayagam

Women for the World

Here at INSEAD, we are proud to highlight some of the women we admire for their ambition, drive and passion to change the world one step at a time. Click on the images to read more about them.

   
   

Tamil Guardian 06 May 2014

Jan Jananayagam, co-founder of Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), is amongst eight women recognised for their achievements by INSEAD, one of the world’s top business schools.

"Here at INSEAD, we are proud to highlight some of the women we admire for their ambition, drive and passion to change the world one step at a time," the school said on its website.

In recognising Ms. Janayagam, who graduated with an MBA from INSEAD in 1997, the school highlighted TAG’s work, saying:

"Tamils Against Genocide focuses on assisting survivors of mass atrocities and crimes against humanity. They give individual assistance to asylum seekers who are fleeing persecution as well as seek to impact the legal frameworks through public interest litigation, policy via advocacy at the highest levels of government, and also by engaging with the media and supporting academic research. A large part of their work also consists of evidence-gathering of systemic crimes perpetrated by state authorities."

Asked about her inclusion in INSEAD’s list, Ms. Jananayagam told Tamil Guardian by email,

"[This] is in fact a recognition of the work by TAG’s incredibly talented volunteers, and especially those that have to work anonymously due to the serious risk to friends and family back in Sri Lanka."

The INSEAD statement quoted Ms. Jananayagam as saying:

"I started up the European arm of the non-profit in 2011 with seed funding by a well-known rapper, M.I.A, and leveraged a network of professional volunteers in law, international relations, medicine and other relevant fields. It has been very satisfying to be able to impact policy and influence public opinion as well as the law in areas such as asylum and accountability for mass atrocities."

The Financial Times’ ‘Global MBA Ranking 2014’ lists the world’s top business schools as Havard, Stanford, London Business School, Wharton, and, ranked together, Colombia and INSEAD.

விக்னேஸ்வரன் ஒரு தமிழர் என்பது எதிர்கட்சிகளுக்கு தடையாக இருக்காது என நான் நம்புகிறேன் : மனோ கணேசன்

Wed, 05/07/2014 

விக்னேஸ்வரனை பொது வேட்பாளராக எதிர்கட்சிகள் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள வேண்டும் என அரசியல் ஆய்வாளர் நண்பர் குசல் பெரேரா கூறியுள்ளார். இப்போது இங்கே பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் நண்பர் சுமந்திரன் அதை  வழிமொழிந்துவிட்டு, விக்னேஸ்வரனை எதிரணி பொது வேட்பாளராக்கும் இந்த யோசனையை ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள முடியாவிட்டால், அதற்கான காரணத்தை   ஐக்கிய தேசிய கட்சி, ஜேவிபி, ஜனநாயக கட்சி ஆகிய பெரும்பான்மை கட்சிகள் பகிரங்கமாக கூற வேண்டும் என கேட்டுள்ளார்.

அவரது கேள்வி சரி. அதற்கான விடையை இந்த எதிரணி கட்சிகள் வழங்கும் என நான் நம்புகிறேன். விக்னேஸ்வரன் ஒரு தமிழர் என்பது எதிர்கட்சிகளுக்கு அவரை பொது வேட்பாளாராக ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள தடையாக இருக்காது என்றும்  நான் நம்புகிறேன். இந்த நாட்டில் ஜனாதிபதி பதவி சிங்கள பௌத்தர்களுக்கு மாத்திரம் உரித்தானது அல்ல என்ற மாயை மாற்றப்படவேண்டும். வடக்குக்கும், தெற்குக்கும் பாலமாக அமையக்கூடிய விக்னேஸ்வரன், பதவிக்கு வந்து நிறைவேற்று அதிகாரம் கொண்ட ஜனாதிபதி முறைமையை அகற்றி இந்த நாட்டில் பாராளுமன்ற ஜனநாயகத்தை நிலைநாட்டுவார் என நாம் நிச்சயம் நம்பலாம் என ஜனநாயக மக்கள் முன்னணி தலைவர் மனோ கணேசன் தெரிவித்தார்.  

அதிகாரத்தை பகிர்ந்து ஐக்கியப்படும் இயக்கத்தின்  ஊடக மாநாடு இன்று கொழும்பில் இடம்பெற்றது. இம்மாநாட்டில் சிங்கள, தமிழ் மொழிகளில் உரையாற்றிய மனோ கணேசன் மேலும் கூறியதாவது,

இந்த அரசு இன்று ஒரு திரைப்படத்தை திரையிட்டுள்ளது. இதற்கு கதை, வசனம், திரைக்கதை, இயக்கம் எல்லாமே மேலிடம்தான். ஜனாதிபதி தேர்தல் என்றும், பாராளுமன்ற தேர்தல் என்றும் தனது உள்வீட்டு பங்காளி கட்சிகளை போட்டு குழப்புவதே இந்த முழுநீள படத்தின் நோக்கம். இப்படத்தில் அண்ணன் வந்து ஜனாதிபதி தேர்தல் என்கிறார். தம்பி வந்து பாராளுமன்ற தேர்தல் என்கிறார்.

இந்த அரசு எந்த தேர்தல் நடத்தினாலும் இனிமேல் தோல்வி நிச்சயம். அது இந்த அரசுக்கு தெரியும். அரசின் உள்ளே இருக்கும் சிலர் இந்த மூழ்க போகும்  கப்பலில் இருந்து தப்பியோட முயல்கிறார்கள். கசினோவை காரணம் காட்டி நாங்கள் இந்த பாவத்துக்கு உடன்பட மாட்டோம் என சொல்கிறார்கள். இந்த அரசு செய்த முதல் பாவம் கசினோ அல்ல. கடைசி பாவமாகவும் இது இருக்க போவது இல்லை. இந்த உள்வீட்டு குழப்பம் காரணமாகவே அரசு தலைமை இந்த குழப்பமான கருத்துகளை சொல்கிறது.  

நாங்கள் எந்த ஒரு தேர்தலுக்கும் தயார். இன்றைய நிலையில் இந்த அரசு பாராளுமன்ற தேர்தலை நடத்தினால், அதன்பிறகு நடத்தப்படும் ஜனாதிபதி தேர்தலுக்கு, அரசாங்க வேட்பாளருக்கு போஸ்டர் ஓட்ட ஒரு காகம் கூட எஞ்சி இருக்காது. ஆகவே சமிக்ஞை விளக்கை இடதுபுறம் காட்டிவிட்டு, வலதுபுறம் இந்த அரசாங்கம் திரும்பலாம்.  

கிராமங்களில் சொல்வதுபோல தங்கையை காட்டிவிட்டு, தமக்கையை மணம் பேசும் நபர்கள் இவர்கள்.  இந்த நாட்டிலே இன்று சுமார் 5,000 சீனர்கள் இருக்கின்றதாக தகவல்.

 ஆனால், நாங்கள் கொண்டை கட்டிய சீனர்கள் அல்ல என்பதை இந்த அரசு புரிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும். பாராளுமன்ற தேர்தல் எங்களுக்கும் தேவைதான். ஆகவே முடியுமானால் உடனடியாக பாராளுமன்ற தேர்தலை நடத்தும்படி நான் இந்த அரசுக்கு சவால் விடுக்கிறேன்.

ஏனென்றால்  இந்த அரசு வீட்டுக்கு போகும் காலம் வந்து விட்டது. மனித உரிமைகள் மீறப்படுகின்றன. சட்டம் ஒழுங்கு சீர்குலைந்து விட்டது. கடந்த காலங்களில் தமிழ் பொதுமக்களை வெள்ளை வேனில் வந்து கடத்தினார்கள். ஒரு உயர் போலிஸ் அதிகாரி கடத்தல், கப்பம், படுகொலை வழக்கில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டு இன்று சிறையில் இருக்கிறார். இப்போது நேற்று முதல்நாள் குருணாகலில், வெள்ளை வேனில் வந்து தெருவில் நின்ற இரண்டு பொலிஸாரை கடத்திச் சென்றுள்ளனர். அந்த அளவுக்கு இந்த நாட்டில் இன்று சட்டம், ஒழுங்கு சீர்குலைந்து போய் விட்டது.

பொலிஸ் பேச்சாளர் கடத்தப்பட்டு கொலை செய்யப்பட்ட பொலிஸாரையும், தப்பி வந்த பொலிஸ் அதிகாரியையும் குறை சொல்கிறார். அவர்கள் கடமைக்கு செல்லும்போது ஆயுதங்களை எடுத்து செல்லவில்லை என்பது இவரது குற்றச்சாட்டு. இது இவர்களது பொலிஸ் திணைக்கள பிரச்சினை. அதை அங்கு விசாரியுங்கள். ஆனால் அதை சொல்லி, பொலிஸை  கடத்தி செல்லப்பட்டுள்ள பாரதூரமான நடந்த பெரிய விடயத்தை மறைக்க பார்க்காதீர்கள். பொது மக்களை பாதுகாக்க முடியாத இந்த அரசின் கீழுள்ள பொலிஸ், குறைந்த பட்சம் தங்கள் பொலிஸ் அதிகாரிகளையாவது பாதுகாக்க வேண்டும். இதை பொலிஸ் பேச்சாளர் அஜித் ரோகண உணர்ந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்று அவர் தெரிவித்தார்.  

Public petition for right to information

Wednesday, 07 May 2014 

The signing of a public petition calling to ratify the right to information was held in front of the Fort Railway station on 05 th May.

The event was organised by the Action committee for media freedom to mark the World Press Freedom Day, which fell on May 03.

A group of parliamentarians from the United National Party, Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna and Tamil National Alliance signed the petition.

Leading opposition politicians Karu Jaysuriya, Tissa Attanayaka, Mangala Samaraweera, Eran Wickremeratne, Ruwan Wijewardena, Harsha de Silva, Wickramabahu Karunaratne, Mano Ganesan, S. Sumandiran, K.D. Lal Kantha and Sunil Handunneththi as well as representatives of Trade unions and civil organisations attended the event.

The petition was initially signed by senior journalist Saman Wagaarachchi, who was compelled to resign from his post as Lakbima editor yesterday due pressures of an opposition MP and a government bigwig. Wagaarachchi had reportedly irked the ire of this government bigwig after initiating a collective movement for media freedom.

IUSF and AHS still protesting 

 May 7, 2014 
Students of Inter University Students' Federation (IUSF) and Undergraduates of the Allied Health Sciences (AHS) Degree programme students are protesting in front of temple tree residence demanding a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the student issues.

Five students have been given the opportunity to discuss the matters with a president secretary yet student leaders have refused the discussion, demanding  a meeting with President which allow ten students and media at the meeting.

Kasturi’s Progress

Photo by Vidu Gunaratna, AČK | Photography

by Nalaka Gunawardene 

- on 05/07/2014 

Kasturi was born in another century in what really was another country. It was called Ceylon, and the year, 1933.

Kasturi’s Progress by Thavam Ratna

A painful labour room tussle

Editorial-May 6, 2014

The hurly-burly is done and warring nurses are back at work. Their crippling strike has been suspended following the appointment by the government of a high-powered committee to look into the issue of their midwifery training.

The question is why the government let the grass grow under its feet all these weeks without making such an intervention at an earlier stage to prevent trade union action by both midwives and nurses.

Midwives are on the warpath as they fear that nurses are trying to take the bread out of their mouth. They claim that nurses are all out to throw them out of labour rooms. Doctors have thrown their weight behind midwives and stopped training nurses in midwifery. All signs are that the aforesaid committee will have its work cut out as the parties to the dispute refuse to make compromises.

Nurses are determined to win their demand and doctors have gone so far as to suggest that military personnel be trained in nursing so as to handle emergency situations like the recent one. This country is, no doubt, grateful to its armed forces for their selfless sacrifices to eliminate terrorism and their contribution to the post-war reconstruction programme besides their active involvement in the battle against dengue. They have proved that they are equal to any task. But, it is not advisable to involve the military in affairs that are best left to civilians. Attempts to use the military to deprive trade unions of their bargaining power cannot be countenanced on any grounds. What if nurses demand similar action to deal with contingencies arising from doctors’ trade union action?

Midwives have been an integral part of the health sector for many decades and their invaluable service to the public needs to be appreciated. In fact, no less a person than President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who attended an International Midwives Day function in Colombo on Monday, showered praise on them. Their job security must be ensured and their fear that attempts are being made to reduce their service to a dying one allayed. Likewise, nurses’ right to look after their interests without threatening others’ should be respected and safeguarded. The same goes for all other categories of workers in the health sector or elsewhere.

Meanwhile, a government decision to reduce the duration of the Allied Health Sciences (AHS) degree course from four to three years has irked the Professions Supplementary to Medicine (PSM) and another trade union battle is likely to affect the health sector sooner or later. The Higher Education Minister is running with the AHS students and hunting with doctors. Aggrieved undergrads have been protesting for months, but to no avail.

Successive governments have blundered by appeasing powerful trade unions at the expense of others so as to avoid trouble. A government that lacks the courage to be fair by all workers and favours only a few in making policy decisions and settling disputes is not worth its salt. The present dispensation is in the habit of dilly-dallying on vital issues without grasping the nettle; it labours under the delusion that they will resolve themselves with the passage of time. It boasts of having defeated terrorism, but it cannot deal with the trade unions that deprive others of their legitimate rights.

It is hoped that the government committee tasked with settling the labour room dispute will act impartially and find a solution after carefully studying the issue at hand and listening to all stakeholders without being intimidated by the trade unions flexing their muscles. It looks as if the health sector needed a permanent committee to handle labour disputes.

Pictures: London Sri Lankan Muslim Protest Against Anti-Muslim Activities In Sri Lanka

May 7, 2014 

A group of of Sri Lankan Muslims in Britain staged a peaceful protest in front of the Sri Lankan High Commission in London on 5th May against the anti Muslim activities that have been occurring in Sri Lanka.

                                                                                 Read More

Minister for Women’s Affairs wants to marry rape victimes to rapists

Minister for Women’s Affairs wants to marry rape victimes to rapists

Jpehs.co.uk- Tuesday, May 06, 2014 

Joint Statement: Calling for the Resignation of Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs Tissa Karaliyadde

It is with disbelief and outrage that we read the Sunday Leader article of 13th April titled ‘New Anti  Rape Laws Proposed’, where the Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs Tissa Karaliyadde has said that proposals on new laws to respond to the large and growing number of rape cases will ensure that rapists are  bound by law to marry the  victim if she gives her consent to court.  This news report indicated that this proposal will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for necessary action. 

Minister for Women’s Affairs Wants to Marry Rape Victimes to Rapists by Thavam Ratna

Letter To The President On Demolishing 65 Year Old Dambulla Mosque

By Azath Salley -May 7, 2014 

Azath Salley

His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa

President of the Democratic, Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

Presidential Secretariat

Colombo.

Your Excellency

Attempts to demolish the Mosque in Dambulla

The initial attempt at bringing down the 65 year old mosque initiated by a so called hidden hand continues to haunt your regime.

You will remember that I brought this to your notice the day prior to this incident and failed to receive any response from you, until a senior minister in your government confirmed that the mosque in question was indeed 65 years old.

In the ensuing drama and at a general meeting you assured the Muslim community that the mosque at Dambulla will not be touched.

Despite your assurance and proclamation and at a time when the whole Muslim world has stood behind you, you have failed to live up to your assurances.

You are fully aware that this mosque has been in existence since 1964 and built with the support of the people of the area and the Viharadhipathy, the Chief Incumbent of the historic Dambulla Rajamahavihara.

Your Excellency, Buddhist –Muslim relations in Sri Lanka you are aware, is more than ten centuries old. A bond that withstood 500 years of colonial rule, the post colonial period and beyond.  We did not succumb to the divide and rule politics of the colonial powers and we distinctly identified those who are alien from our countrymen. That is the reason why we did not succumb to the colonial masters and therefore bore the brunt of suffering with the majority Buddhists during the colonial period.

You will agree that Buddhist –Muslim relationship is not built on opportunities or marriages of convenience but of sincere understanding and goodwill, time tested by centuries of coexistence.

This is the reason why we stood as a buffer against the division of the country in spite of the bulk of us being Tamil speaking. That is why got battered and butchered by the LTTE when we were praying in the mosques and still, more than 100,000 Muslim IDPs are living in squalid conditions and are deprived of their livelihood and domicile.

This orchestrated attack on Muslim places of worship is not a yardstick to measure the strength of the Muslim-Buddhist bond. A true Sinhala Buddhist will not ever support these attempts, defying the teaching of Gautama the Buddha.

These attempts and attacks are not against the Muslims but are attacks against the sovereignty of the state, when the focus of the whole world is on us.

You cannot sit on the fence any longer.

I urge you to take this into your hand and bring these incidents under control failing which, you will be forced to contend with a country where all the communities who are a numerical minority will be asking for international intervention to a problem which is being created by extremist elements within us.

Thank you

Yours Sincerely

M.Azath S. Salley

Leader – National Unity Alliance

Member – Central Provincial Council

7^th May 2014

Dambulla Mosque at risk of demolition

 Wednesday, 07 May 2014

There is a risk of the mosque located in Dambulla city being demolished, says mosque administration.

According to Mosque Trustee M. Amanullah, a lawyer by profession, a newly constructing road has almost reached the mosque.

The construction of the road commenced on Tuesday morning presided by Ven. Inamaluwe Sri Sumangala Thero under heavy police protection, he said.

He further stated that government authorities and ministers have been informed of the particular situation.

The Muslim leaders point out that the President Mahinda Rajapksa has vowed not to remove the mosque in Dambulla.

'False allegation
However, when inquired regarding the allegation leveled by Dambulla mosque administration the Mahanayaka of the Rangiri Dambulu chapter Inamaluwe Sumangala Thero claimed the particular allegation to be false.

The Thero denied commenting further regarding the matter.

Meanwhile, the police report that there is no risk of Dambulla mosque being demolished.

In an inquiry made by us the Police Media Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana stated “a new road has been constructed for the Perahera (procession).Though the road runs near the mosque, the mosque has not been damaged at any occasion."

SSP Ajith Rohana emphasized that allegations claiming that, there is an idea to demolish the mosque, is completely false.

SRI LANKA: No country is rich enough to pay for the cost of lawlessness

May 7, 2014

Sri Lankans have just been confronted with the abduction of two policemen, one of whom was assassinated. The other narrowly escaped by struggling and running into the jungle naked. He is now receiving treatment in a hospital. This incident happened at Kurunegala. The immediate reaction of some persons who were interviewed by the press agencies was: if this is what is happening to our policemen, what can we expect for ourselves? Such reactions sum up the extent of the lawlessness that has spread throughout the country.

There is no need to try and list all the reported incidents of lawlessness that is happening in all parts of the country. In fact, the space available to a short statement would not suffice if all the incidents were to be mentioned. The impression that has been created in the country of the depths of lawlessness which has paved the way for all types of crimes such as robberies during the day and night, murders, rape and the sexual abuse of women, frauds of all type and corruption spread into every possible area of national life has made such a large impression in the minds of everyone that requires no further proof of the extent of the insecurity in the country. The most recent incidents include the robbery of jewelry shops and also breaking into banks.

What is most worrying to all citizens is not merely the magnitude of the crimes but that this problem seems to have no solution. Expecting the worst tomorrow is no consolation. In fact, the government is not even trying to console the population. It does not appear to be embarrassed or humiliated by the sheer audacity of the criminals.

The problem of the impact of the lawlessness cannot be judged solely by the numbers and the magnitude of the crimes. The related phenomenon is that of the neglect spread into all aspects of life in the country. Just taking the example of the national failure to deal with the dengue mosquito which keeps parents in a state of anxiety at all times is sufficient to illustrate the consequences of the negligence arising from the absence of law enforcement.

Why the problem is without a solution is because the government has relegated the law into a position of insignificance. That the government can better manage the country without the law is their basic position. That the legal system is an obstacle to development and therefore for the purpose of pursuing what the government considers as development, the law needs to be neglected is an integral part of the development philosophy of the country.

As a consequence, even for a crime like the abduction of two policemen and the inhumane treatment they suffered, and finally the shooting of one of them will not convince the government that such crimes are to be expected when the law is relegated to a position of no importance. The probable reaction to this crime will be to arrest some persons and shoot them; claiming that they attempted to harm the arresting officers in one form or another and therefore it became necessary to shoot them in self defense. This is not a new scrip in Sri Lanka. The more embarrassed the government and the law enforcement agencies are the more often will this scrip be repeated.

In fact, the government is without a solution to lawlessness because lawlessness has become a part of Sri Lanka's official political philosophy. The blue print for lawlessness is provided by the country's constitution itself. The 1978 Constitution displaced the law and created a one-man system, thus assigning a task that no chief executive of any government could hope to perform. The law requires a system and not just a man who is supposed to be all powerful and strong. That claim of being all powerful is a myth that can never be realised in a practical sense.

The problem for the government is that it has sunk its feet so deeply in the shoes of the former president, J.R. Jayewardene, that it cannot move its legs in any direction other than that of the founder and creator of this accursed constitution.

Further, the present government has itself used lawlessness for its own benefit. If the criminals are to be brought to book it is simply not possible for many holding top positions in the government not to be included in that list. Thus, the logical conclusion is to not do anything practical for the elimination of crime.

However, what the government is learning everyday is that no nation is rich enough to pay the cost of lawlessness. The cost increases everyday and the worst is that the losses that come as a result of crime also increase every day.

Where does this leave the nation? That is the question that every Sri Lankan, whether they are part of the government or not, are faced with. Either pay more and more each day as the cost of lawlessness or find a decisive way out.

The killing of the policeman after kidnapping him and his companion is a glaring reminder of the nation's sad fate.

The return to the rule of law is the question, to be or not be, for Sri Lanka.

Police shaken by daring abduction of two cops and killing of one 

By Madura Ranwala-May 6, 2014, 9:50 pm

Two unarmed traffic constables attached to Kurunegala police station were abducted, while they were on duty, by unidentified armed men, who arrived in a white van in the early hours of yesterday at Barawedapola junction in the Kurunegala town and one of them was shot dead about two kilometres away near a jungle.

The deceased had received two gun shot injuries to his back. He was lying fully naked on the ground. The abductors had stripped them naked.

The other constable had survived by hanging on to the T-56 assault rifle that shot dead his fellow constable and pulling out its magazine.

After killing the one constable, the abductors targeted the escaped constable who was at the time in the vehicle fully naked in a state of shock. He lunged at the T-56 assault rifle and had escaped from the assailants grabbing its magazine into the wood in the dark.

Addressing a media briefing over the shocking incident police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said that the deceased, Chandana Sampath Bandara (42) of Aragama, Gokarella and escapee, Ajith Weerasooriya (37) of Dewagiripura, Galgamuwa had been deployed by the Kurunegala police for traffic duty in the town from 10.00 p.m. the previous day until yesterday morning and they were abducted when they attempted to check a vehicle around 1.00 a.m.

One million rupee reward would be given to the provider of correct information leading to the arrest of the assailants, he said. The public are requested use the mobile phone number 077-4784648 to provide any information.

The SSP said a high level investigation had already been started by the Criminal Investigation Department on the instructions of Inspector General of Police, N. K. Illangakoon.

The SSP said: "CID Director, too, has gone to Kurunegala with a team to investigate the incident. The deceased Chandana was father of two children, 13-year-old daughter, Saduni Navodya Yapa and ten-year-old son, Samidu Umanda Yapa. He had won 53 rewards for his skills at Minneriya, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Iginiyagala, Vavuniya, Chilaw, Mundalama, Mannar and Kurunegala police stations during his 22 year-service after joining the Police Department on March 5, 1992. He had won a reward from the IGP as well. His wife Udeni Anoma Rathnayaka identified the body. Constable Weerasooriya is being treated at the Kurunegala hospital."

Minister Bathiudeen Files Lawsuit Against Bodu Bala Sena

May 7, 2014

Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen has filed a lawsuit against Bodu Bala Sena today claiming 500 Million rupees (US $ 3.82 Mn) compensation for defamatory statements made by the BBS in Colombo District courts.

The statement issued by Minister Bathiudeen is reproduced below in full:

Rishard Bathiudeen

Minister of Industry and Commerce Hon. Rishard Bathiudeen filed action through his Attorney-at-Law against the Secretary of an organization calling itself and functioning under the name of Bodu Bala Sena Ven. Galagoda Athe Gnanasara Himi.

The action against Ven. Galagodaathe Gnanasara was filed since the letters of demand sent by the Attorney – at- Law representing Hon. Minister demanding either an apology or a sum of 500 million was not responded to by Ven. Galagodaathe Gnanasara.

The action was filed at the Colombo District Court against the malicious, false and defamatory remarks that were made by Ven. Galagodaathe Gnanasara thero at a press conference held in Colombo on or around March 20th 2014.

During the Press Conference Ven. Gnanasara made the following remarks.

a) Minister Bathiudeen is responsible for the destruction of the Wilpattu National Park.

b) Minister Bathiudeen has created an exclusive Muslim Zone from Wilpattu to Mannar;

c) Minister Bathiudeen  is attempting to create an ‘Arab colony’ in Sri Lanka in the Mannar-Wilpattu area;

d) Minister Bathiudeen was a person who attacks courts and obstructs the course of justice.

The Plaintiff in the action, Hon. Minister Rishard Bathiudeen has repeatedly and categorically denied each and every assertion made by Ven. Gnanasara at all forums in order to make the public aware of the true and factual details of the said construction of the housing scheme.

It is also asserted that the entire press conference and subsequent ‘media drama’ was created and motivated solely by the anti-Muslim, anti-Islamic agenda, a motive that Ven. Galagodaathe Gnanasara pursues.

The Minister through this action demands a sum of Rs 500 million from Ven. Galagodaathe Gnansara as damages caused to him and his reputation as a result of the false, malicious and defamatory remarks made against the Hon. Minister at the said press conference.

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