Lure of filthy lucre spares not even Malwatte and Asgiriya Mahanayakes: Rs.180 million makes them forget casino and Lord Buddha

(Lanka-e-News- 13.May.2014, 7.30PM) It is with deep regret and sorrow that we have to publish this most disgraceful , deplorable and despicable news that the Mahanayakes of the Malwatte and Asgiriya chapters alone have been offered bribes in a sum of Rs. 180 million by Medamulana MaRa and they have been received without demur by them.

The Mahanayakes of the three nikaya's , earlier on categorically stated that they will resist and oppose any move to bring any gaming bill in Parliament to allow casino and gambling in Sri Lanka. Indeed they even sent a letter in writing jointly under their signatures addressed to Medamulana MaRa requesting an amendment to that proposal. MaRa on the other hand most disdainfully dismissing their humble request supposedly made in the interests of the country , got the bill passed even without any amendment to it. Mahanayakes who were insulted by this action of MaRa outrageously discarding their plea however did not dare to utter a word against MaRa.

Based on reports reaching Lanka e news , following this gross rejection of the request of Mahanayakes , Medamulana MaRa notorious for receiving and giving bribes had given tax free 22 car permits to the Malwatte Mahanayake Thero and 37 tax free car permits to the Asgiriya Mahanayake Thero. Apart from this , he had also distributed 250 car permits among all temples in the central province.

As usual , it is learnt that younger brother of Asgiriya chapter has got down to illicit business on these vehicle permits. He had purchased the permits distributed among other temples at Rs. 200,000/- and Rs. 300,000/- each , and is now doing roaring business selling them in the market at Rs. 3 million each. Today a luxury car permit can be bought in Kandy town at Rs. 3 million each.

Accordingly , the approximate total value of the permits gifted to Asgiriya and Malwatte chapters is Rs. 180 million , and the total value of all the permits distributed in the central province is Rs. 750 million!

Meanwhile , the heads of the religious organizations affiliated to the opposition including Jathika Sangha Sammelanaya, Eksath Jathika Bhikkhu Peramuna and Eksath Bhikkhu Peramuna have decided that meditation shall be carried out at all temples of the Island on Wesak poya day tomorrow to invoke blessings of the deities to rid the country of the curse of casino and menace of gaming.

Monks To Hunt A Monk »

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

In a bid to confront the elusive head of Jana Bala Sena, Vijitha Thero, the group of monks and the associates of the rival Bodu Bala Sena organization have treaded on dangerous grounds by forcibly entering the premises of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Monks to Hunt a Monk » by Thavam Ratna

Sri Lanka: JVP offshoot condemns ban on commemoration of LTTE cadres

Sri Lanka: JVP offshoot condemns ban on commemoration of LTTE cadres

 Monday, May 12, 2014 

The Frontline Socialist Party (FLSP) has condemned the closure of the Jaffna University for a week starting from today and the government’s alleged ban on any programmes to commemorate the LTTE cadres killed during the North East conflict.

The politburo of the FLSP, in a statement released to the media yesterday, said that banning of commemorations had been effected on the grounds that such programmes would be detrimental to the ethnic harmony and would promote separatism. However, the move had deprived the Tamil people of their right to commemorate the loss of their loved ones, it said.

"Hundreds of thousands of Tamils and Muslims perished in the conflict, and their relatives have a right to commemorate them just as their Sinhala counterparts do. That right could not be banned by the government, security forces or politicians. The resumption of conflict could be prevented not by banning such commemorations but by finding solutions to problems that caused them. Organisations such as the LTTE are not the cause, but the result of socio-economic deprivation. The government trying to escape from this truth would only worsen the prevailing situation. The government should not use force to impose bans on the Tamil people who are just recovering from a 30-year-long conflict that bruised, battered and bloodied this nation.

"The banning of the right of Tamil people to commemorate their dead kith and kin would further push the country towards ethnic disharmony and ultimately would compel them to demand a separate country. Decisions of this nature taken in view of furthering the narrow political objectives of some rulers would result in disasters where the innocent people would have to pay the price.

"We call upon all progressive sections of society to join us in condemning the government’s plan to use force to deprive the Tamil people of their right to commemorate their relatives who died in the conflict," the release said.

Silences between the shouts

Editorial , Tamil Guardian , 13 May 2014

The idea that Sri Lanka's opposition parties should unite to topple President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government has surfaced yet again, with much discussion of a common Presidential challenger and speculation over likely candidates. Underlying this, is the assumption and claim, that the main opposition, United National Party (UNP) is the liberal antithesis of Rajapaksa's authoritarian, violent and Sinhala nationalist rule. However, quite apart from the UNP’s own history of rule, its politics of late suggests there are good reasons to be sceptical.

Silences Between the Shouts by Thavam Ratna

JSC secretary undercuts to get to Appeal Court!

 Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal presently has three vacancies. Incumbent secretary of the Judicial Services Commission Sisira Ratnayake is involved in a shameless conspiracy to get posted to fill one of these vacancies, according to sources at the Sri Lankan legal field.

As part of this conspiracy, Ratnayake is attempting to make his predecessor, Manjula Tilakaratne, presently Naula magistrate and additional district court judge, guilty to the charges filed against him, in order to deceive the president and get to the desired position.

Tilakaratne has been issued with a charge-sheet for having spoken to the media allegedly without the JSC’s permission at the time he was its secretary. It is just another instance of the government’s continuing harassment of the 43rd chief justice, say veterans in the Sri Lankan legal field.

According to reports reaching us, this conspiracy has been coordinated by assistant secretary to the president, lawyer Sepala Ratnayake and a handful of corrupt judges, who have been carrying tales to the president against the ex-secretary. Ratnayake is currently the information secretary at the Sri Lankan high commission in London and his predecessor, lawyer Chaminda Kularatne, has been recalled to the Presidential Secretariat as an assistant secretary. It is these lawyer-officials who coordinate with the president the affairs of judges and lawyers in Sri Lanka.

The government is launching various projects against 43rd chief justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, who is placed top among apolitical personalities who are qualified to be the common opposition candidate. If Manjula Tilakaratne is made guilty somehow, it will be advantageous to the government in this scenario, Rajapaksa loyalists believe.

The ex-secretary had issued the statement in question regarding the independence of the judicial with full permission and with the knowledge of the then JSC chairperson, Dr. Bandaranayake, and other two JSC members, Supreme Court judges Nimal Gamini Amaratunga and S.I. Imam.

A former attorney general and two president’s counsels are due to appear on behalf of Manjula Tilakaratne at the inquiry against him. Lawyers are to summon several controversial figues in the legal circle to give evidence in support of him.

The Truth About Justice in Sri Lanka

By Taylor Dibbert-May 13, 2014

It is time to be realistic about the chances of achieving accountability on human rights in Sri Lanka.

Five years ago – in May 2009 – Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war finally ended. Regrettably, there is ample evidence to suggest that violations of international humanitarian and human rights law were committed by both the Sri Lankan military and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In spite of significant international criticism, the Sri Lankan government has refused to conduct a proper inquiry into what transpired at the end of the war and human rights violations in the country have continued unabated since that time.

Indeed it is the nexus between past atrocities that remain unaccounted for and the ongoing human rights violations – which are rarely dealt with – that has further institutionalized impunity on the island. Consequently, some members of the international community have been trying to turn things around.

Three UN Human Rights Council resolutions have been passed regarding Sri Lanka in as many years. In spite of the fact that the first two resolutions have been largely ignored by the Sri Lankan government, the recently passed resolution builds upon the previous two.

The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has been tasked with monitoring ongoing human rights developments on the island. Yet the most controversial element of the current resolution involves an investigation into wartime atrocities; OHCHR has been asked to look into events from the 2002 ceasefire until the war’s tragic finish.

The Sri Lankan government has already made it clear that it will not cooperate with the OHCHR investigation – meaning it’s almost certain that the investigation team will not be allowed to enter the country.

Recruitment for the OHCHR investigation team is ongoing and a more detailed update is expected soon. The group is slated to begin work in June so that they’ll be ready to deliver an oral update during the HRC’s 27th session this September. As per the most recent resolution, OHCHR will present a comprehensive report at the Human Rights Council’s 28th session in March 2015.

While an OHCHR investigation should be welcomed, much more is needed. For starters, a Commission of Inquiry should be conducted – as that would be seen as more independent and comprehensive than an OHCHR investigation.

Besides, in order for there to be criminal prosecutions of senior government officials, the most likely scenario would involve a UN Security Council resolution. More specifically, the UN Security Council could create an ad hoc criminal tribunal, like those established to deal with human rights violations in Rwanda and Yugoslavia. Nonetheless, it’s extremely unlikely that this will happen in the short to medium-term, simply because Russia and China both hold veto power.

It’s true that the imminent investigation will keep the spotlight on the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa and that sustained international pressure should be encouraged. However, accountability is still far way. To ensure that genuine reconciliation happens in Sri Lanka, accountability, truth and justice are essential. Nonetheless, the prospects of having accountability or justice in the short to medium-term are looking increasingly bleak.

In advocacy circles and elsewhere, it’s long been mentioned that the possibility of a war crimes investigation or “accountability” could be used as leverage to encourage the Rajapaksa regime to make democratic reforms and begin to promote and protect human rights. Unfortunately, those reforms haven’t occurred and the human rights situation in Sri Lanka continues to worsen.

Transitional justice – when it does actually occur – takes time. On that score, it doesn’t look like Sri Lanka’s case will be anomalous. With that in mind, it’s imperative that critics of the regime – both within and outside the country – understand these fundamental constraints and have realistic expectations about what can be accomplished in the coming years.

Taylor Dibbert is an international consultant based in Washington D.C. and the author of the book Fiesta of Sunset: The Peace Corps, Guatemala and a Search for Truth.

The Future Of The Tamils

By Jan Jananayagam -May 13, 2014 

Jan Jananayagam

Thank you for the opportunity to address the Tamil Writers Guild on the 10th Anniversary of its founding by Mr CJT Thamotheram.

I have been asked to talk on the ‘Future of the Tamils’. I am conscious of the weight of the topic. And of the impossibility of doing it justice in the time available. It is somewhat like the story of the team of blind men touching an elephant and trying to describe it. My comments are in a personal capacity rather than on behalf of Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) because this is a cultural event and some aspects of the topic fall outside of TAGs mandate.

I start with a story. Bear with me, with luck its relevance will become clear.

On the Hawaian Island of Kauai, that is rich in its own sacred traditions, and for its beauty and lushness the Hawaians call it the garden island, on this Island stands a Saivite monastery with some twenty monks most of them American by birth and Caucasian by ethnicity. The monks are prolific writers and it is for this reason that I have chosen their example as relevant to this audience. For it is not widely known among the Tamil Diaspora that they are also publishers and editors of one of the leading English language Hindu magazines – Hinduism Today. Last year they published a book, the ‘Guru Chronicles’ on the history of their Guru Parampara [lineage]. They trace their Parampara to Yogaswami of Jaffna and from him 2000 years back along the Kailasa Parampara.

So this is their story –In the late 1940s, a young man from San Francisco went seeking enlightenment, and at some point in his travels arrived at Yogaswami’s ashram in Jaffna. In time Yogaswami ordained him as a successor – thus a Satguru in his own right – and instructed him to take back his religion to American, ‘go build a bridge’. In another anecdote from a Jaffna disciple, when this disciple visited Yogaswami, some years before he died, he found the Swami in tears. When asked for the reason, the Swami replied that he was crying for the coming tribulations of his people. Thus the monastery and its followers believe that Yogaswami foresaw the civil war and the destruction it would cause. The monks thus see themselves as the spiritual guardians of Yogaswami’s Saivite traditions precisely at a time when their Guru had foreseen great risks to his tradition as well as forced migration that would create a vast Diaspora.

                                                                                           Read More

Dinesh Dodamgoda violates professional ethics!

 

Tuesday, 13 May 2014 

Former UNP national list MP and convener of Samagi Balawegaya, Dinesh Dodamgoda, has blatantly violated the professional ethics that should be defended by a lawyer. At yesterday’s (12) hearing of the ‘fabricated case’ filed by the Bribery Commission against the 43rd chief justice at the Colombo magistrate’s court, Dodamgoda appeared as the junior to president’s counsel Kalinga Indatissa, the lawyer for the National Development Bank (NDB), a key party to the case.

A lawyer has the right to appear on behalf of any client, but one of the topmost ethics is that he/she cannot act in a manner where there is a conflict of interests.

Dodamgoda was the coordinator between the UNP and the team of lawyers that had appeared for the 43rd chief justice at her impeachment case. In that role, he had personally dealt with her and has fully studied her defences and well knows the related documentary evidence. Although matters stand thus, he had forgotten all that and taken the legal profession to the level below that of the world’s oldest profession in order for financial gains.

A top activist of the Lawyers Collective for Democracy told us that this is an extension of the indirect support given by the UNP, especially its leader, to the 43rd CJ’s impeachment, by saying parliament is more supreme than the judiciary.

Dodamgoda should resign immediately as convener of the Samagi Balawegaya formed against the Rajapaksa regime, without betraying it, and take up permanent employment in the chamber of PC Indatissa, said the legal activist.

If he continues to remain in that position, several allied organizations of Samagi Balawegaya are contemplating to withdraw their support.

Despite our attempts to reach him via Skype and telephone, it was not possible to contact Dodamgoda, who has been remaining in constant contact with our website. We hope to publish a response if he sends us one.

Erasing Identities: Tracing Sri Lanka’s Post-war Journey through the Changing Realities of Trincomalee

Introduction-

by Elijah Hoole 

- on 05/13/2014

When I went to Trincomalee last November with a few university friends I noticed a distinct unfriendliness in the air. While growing up, I often visited Trincomalee, because my cousins lived there. Now the Trincomalee I knew and loved from my childhood was no more. Something else had taken its place.

Trincomalee today is a place where the collective existence of minorities are increasingly under threat. What follows is my attempt at unpacking the key trends of the Government’s ongoing political project of transforming Trincomalee into a Sinhalese-Buddhist town. An analysis of the new Trincomalee captures the very essence of the general trajectory of Sri Lanka’s post-war journey.

Erasing Identities Tracing Sri Lanka’s Post-war Journey Through the Changing Realities of Trincomalee by Thavam Ratna

VIDEO: Govt held ‘hostage’ by PB Jayasundera; should be in jail – Wimal

May 13, 2014 

Firing another salvo at Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, NFF leader Minister Wimal Weerawansa charged that Sri Lanka’s powerful Finance Ministry and Treasury Secretary is holding the government “hostage” and that he should be behind bars. 

Participating in the Derana 360° programme last night, he claimed that the country’s economy is being handled by a gang comprising of only 2-3 persons.

P.B. Jayasundera is an official who engaged in numerous wrongdoings to sell state-owned institutions during Chandrika’s government, accused Weerawansa. “He is an official who should be in jail right now.” 

The Minister of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities stated that the President’s executive powers lie with him and the cabinet ministers he devolves power to, but P.B. Jayasundera is wrongfully exercising executive powers today. 

The leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF), a constituent party of the ruling UPFA, further alleged that Ministers have to helplessly wait before the Finance Secretary’s chair until he calls for them and that Ministers are praising Jayasundera in the papers so that they can “ask for some money.” 

Asked why the government is not seeking an alternative economic expert to the post, Weerawansa stated that it is due to the “brainlessness” of the government and its “biggest mistake.”

He alleged that P.B. Jayasundera is holding the government “hostage” and that the current regime and its decision makers are afraid to sack him. “I don’t know why they are afraid,” he stressed.

The vociferous Minister has on numerous previous occasions launched scathing attacks on Dr P B Jayasundera, who is the current Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Secretary to the Treasury as well as the Secretary to the Ministry of Economic Development in Sri Lanka. 

VIDEO: Even without A/Ls Wimal can still learn – SB

May 13, 2014

Rejecting comments made by Minister Wimal Weerawansa that he publicly praises the Finance Secretary to get approval for cabinet papers, Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake today said that cabinet papers are approved by the cabinet Ministers and not P.B. Jayasundera.      MORE..

Australia At Crossroads With The Budget 2014

By Laksiri Fernando -May 13, 2014 

Dr. Laksiri Fernando

Australia’s traditional welfare system or what more appropriately called the ‘caring society’ is definitely at crossroads with the new budget of the (conservative) Liberal Party, 2014/15. The party is liberal by name, but in essence it is outright conservative, more to the far-right than any time in the country’s history before. The budget may reminisce John Howard’s budget in 1996/97 in some sense, but far far to the right and conservative, very openly saying that the ‘Age of Entitlement’ is over.

This evening, the Treasurer, Joe Hockey, presented the budget in Parliament in Canberra, outlining the measures to bring down the budget deficit from 50 billion to 30 billion, an effort which could have been appreciated if not for the way that it was done by burdening particularly the middle and low income earners, while pleasing the big corporate sector in the country.

To please the big corporate sector, the abolition of the Carbon and the Mining taxes was announced.

To reduce the budget deficit, expenditure on schools, hospitals, pensions and foreign aid were drastically slashed (80 billion) and new taxes on fuel, medicare and incomes were newly introduced, but in different names. If there was any innovation in the budget then that was in respect of semantics or nomenclature as follows.

• Temporary Budget Repair Levy
• Fuel Exercise Index Adjustment
• Medicare Co-Payments                             Read More

• Sri Lanka: Realizing Peace, Reconciliation And Ending Violence
• By Asanga Abeyagoonasekera -May 13, 2014 
  

  Asanga Abeygoonasekera
  Recovering from the scars of the past is an ongoing process for any nation that went through a protracted civil war; Sri Lanka is no exception to this. Ensuring sustainable peace calls for communal reconciliation; we have made progress in rebuilding relationships between individuals and within our communities. However, this is not sufficient. We now have an even greater challenge to overcome in the coming years: the need to work together as one nation.
  Reconciliation and nation building is not a task that falls upon a Government alone. In fact, it is upon all of us to take part in the process of reconciliation. The Government, the private sector, NGOs and individuals should all work together, hand in hand, to build a sustainable peace in any country. Working in cooperation with one another rather than in isolation is what will enable all of us, as stakeholders for peace, to establish a stronger foundation for mutual understanding, solidarity and ultimately harmony in a country.
                                Read More

CID goes after ex-secretary of Rugby Union!

Tuesday, 13 May 2014 

The CID is investigating Rizly Illiyaz alias Dida, the former secretary of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union, in connection with several shady deals.

Dida resigned at the influence of MP Namal Rajapaksa after the exposure of some of the corrupt and irregular acts, and presently he is a public coordinating officer to minister Athaulla.

He also held similar positions under Investment Promotion Minister Faizer Mustafa and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando and got directly involved in the tender deals of the two ministries. He had used a diplomatic passport, which he had obtained by giving Rs. 05 million to minister Mustafa, for the foreign trips he had undertaken for these deals.

The latest probe against him is over the sale of several plots of land in Colombo city with high commercial value by producing faked deeds.

The investigation follows a complaint, which says Dida had tried to prepare a faked deed to acquire a plot of land at Ward Place, Colombo 07, owned by one Raja Wijeratne, whose wife Sukhitha works at the Malaysian Embassy in Colombo.

The CID has also received information that he was connected to money laundering and human smuggling. The Interpol is to be informed about one Michael of London, his partner in human smuggling. Several powerful ministers in the government are trying to halt the investigations being carried out against Rizly Illiyaz aka Dida.

Sri Lanka Participation Overshadows C’Wealth Games – TGTE Writes To Hague

May 13, 2014 

Th

The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam has today written to the British Foreign Secretary William Hague, for support and to formally advice the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Games Federation that the prestigious Commonwealth sporting celebration risks being overshadowed by questions raised about human rights abuses and genocide in Sri Lanka, by their participation in the Games.

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran -PM – TGTE

In the letter, the TGTE Ministry of International Affairs expressed concerns and raised the following points:

• The role that President Rajapaksa may play at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
• The continued arrogance of the Rajapaksa regime to the International Community and their non-conformance to the values and principles of the Commonwealth, as well as their refusal to conform to the UN HRC Resolutions.
• Their continued structural genocide on the Tamil Homeland in the island of Sri Lanka, the use of the Sri Lankan army to colonize and seize land belonging to the Tamil population.
• The Tamils are continuing to live in fear and terror, and many are still fleeing by boats as refugees.

It also highlighted that:

• The British Government still has the obligation and responsibility to the Tamils in Sri Lanka to correct its wrongs. Successive Sri Lankan regimes have denied equal political rights and continue to subjugate the Tamils.

• There are no signs of equality or political devolution despite the conclusion of the war five years ago, with the massacre of 70,000 people, behind closed doors.
• Britain now has the opportunity to lead and call for a UN conducted referendum for the Tamils in the north and east, the Tamil Diaspora who were forced to leave the country, and for the thousands of Tamil refugees scattered around the world, to decide their future destiny.
• And Let the Games be a proud moment for the Scots and the city of Glasgow, and an inspiration for justice, accountability, regional stability, peace with dignity for the Tamils.

“TGTE will continue to pursue a peaceful permanent political solution with the support of the International community.” said its Ministry of International Affairs.

A Few Powerful Lessons I Learned From Fulbright Scholarship

By Deepika Udagama -May 13, 2014 

Dr.Deepika Udagama

His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa,

The President Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka,

Office of the President,

Temple Trees,

150 Galle Road,

Colombo 3,

Sri Lanka.

Dear Mr. President,

This letter is written to you as our Head of State as the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission (US-SLFC) celebrates its 60th anniversary of the Fulbright International Educational Exchange Programme – arguably the most prestigious educational exchange programme in the world. Hundreds of Sri Lankan scholars, public servants and professional have benefited from the opportunity to study and research in the US through this Programme, and I thought that it is most pertinent to share some reflections on it with Your Excellency on this ocassion. The purpose of the letter is not only that it be part of the public record, but  to also urge Your Excellency to take special note of the rich legacy of the Programme and to ensure its further enhancement in Sri Lanka.       Read More

VIDEO: Police Constable murdered in Welipenna

May 13, 2014
A Police Constable (PC) attached to the Aluthgama Police Station has been brutally murdered with a sharp object in the Welipenna area last night.

A clash over a personal dispute had led to the murder, police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said, adding that the police officer was not on duty at the time of the incident. 

It has been reported that the constable, 50, was stabbed to death with a sharp object during a party over an argument. 

SLT begins presidential poll campaigning!

Tuesday, 13 May 2014 

The government has contracted to Sri Lanka Telecom its campaigning and coordination work with Mahanayake Theras and other Buddhist clergy at the next presidential election.

SLT chairman Nimal Welgama has told his media unit to obtain statements supportive of the president from all Maha Nayake Theras under the theme ‘let’s be grateful.’ The SLT has given the responsibility of all related work to the advertising firm that does its advertising.