Time for Sangha to act decisively

Editorial-June 22, 2014

The government has reportedly decided to appoint a high level commission to investigate violence against Muslims. A thorough probe is, no doubt, called for, especially into the recent incidents, but people have lost faith in such investigations over the years. For, nothing usually comes of them and successive governments have made use of them to pull the wool over the eyes of the public. What needs to be done is to have the masterminds of ethnic violence arrested and prosecuted forthwith. Nothing else will do.

A mystery fire destroyed a branch of a popular clothing store, NoLimit, owned by a Muslim businessman on Saturday in Panadura. Although investigations are still on, serious doubts have been cast about the cause of the fire because the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has a history of protesting opposite NoLimit branches. It is hoped that the police will get to the bottom of it without delay.

Three student activists have been arrested for allegedly threatening and obstructing the security personnel at the Peradeniya University last week. Such is the efficiency of the police when anti-government activists happen to be on the wrong side of the law! Why can’t the instigators of Aluthgama/Beruwala violence be dealt with in a similar manner?

Hardliners within the government ranks are making an abominable attempt to muddy the water over the Alutgama/Beruwala incidents in a not-so-veiled bid to justify savage ethnic violence. Instead of sympathising with the victims who have lost their near and dear ones, houses and shops, and reassuring them, these shameless elements are raising various bogeys. In so doing, they condone racial violence while donning the mask of religiosity. Equally gut-wrenching is the hypocrisy of those who condemn ethnic violence selectively for political purposes.

Some politicians who had no qualms about backing, and even recognising as their sole representative, the murderous LTTE which massacred thousands of Muslims (besides the Sinhalese and dissenting Tamils) and ethnically cleansed the North and some parts of the East, are now shedding crocodile tears for the victims of BBS-instigated violence. Some prominent Opposition politicians who did not lift a finger to help the victims of anti-Tamil pogrom in 1983 and were even blamed by the University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) for instigating prison riots where dozens of Tamil inmates were brutally killed in that year are denouncing communal violence at present. The so-called patriots in the ruling coalition who secured the support of the Muslims to defeat the LTTE, promising to create a Sri Lanka where all communities could live in harmony, have allowed a bunch of bloodthirsty lunatics to unleash anti-Muslim violence with impunity.

Communal violence is a curse; it must be condemned in all its forms and manifestations and action taken to eliminate it root and branch if this country is to be made safe for one and all.

Minister Rishad Bathiudeen is reported to have called upon President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ban all extremist groups to preserve ethno-religious harmony. His consternation is understandable. But, bans alone won’t help tackle the vexed problem of racial hatred and violence. What needs to be done urgently is for the government to ensure that all criminals responsible for destroying lives and property and those engaged in inciting ethnic violence are brought to justice. The BBS must be made to realise that it is not above the law. It is heartening that several senior ministers have called for stern action against the leaders of that outfit. The government ought to heed their call.

Some Buddhist prelates have condemned attacks on Muslims. The time has come for all members of the Maha Sangha to speak with one voice and condemn the savage extremist elements amongst them responsible for ethnic violence and prevent the desecration of the much-venerated saffron robe. The Maha Nayake Theras must seriously consider adopting stern disciplinary action against the political monks who go berserk and ruin racial amity.

Attacks In Aluthgama And Beruwala

| The following statement issued by the Law & Society Trust, a civil society initiative based in Colombo

( June 23, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Law & Society Trust ( LST) is gravely concerned over the events that occurred in Aluthgama and Beruwala this weekend. Following a Buddhist meeting held in Aluthgama on Sunday June 15th, incidents of violence against Muslims and Muslim owned homes and businesses occurred. 

Attacks in Aluthgama and Beruwala by nelvely

Young Political Leaders Denounce BBS Hate Speech

June 23, 2014

The Young Political Leaders Forum of Sri Lanka (YPLF) has denounced hate speech propagated through media while expressing their concern over the clashes that erupted in Southern province of the island nation last week.

The YPLF in a statement has deplored hate speeches that are propagated through social media and media pointing out such actions would only lead to irreversible outcomes that are often guided by rage and anger.

The YPLF consists of six parliamentarians representing several political parties to which includes UPFA MP Vasantha Senanayake, UNP MPs Harin Fernando and Niroshan Perera, ACMC MP Hunais Farook, SLFP MP Shehan Semasinghe and TNA representative Raghu Balachandran.

While condemning the violence that erupted in Aluthgama and Beruwela areas, the young parliamentarians in their statement have also called on the public to resort to the laws of the country so that safety for all citizens can be guaranteed as well as to act in restraint and remain calm despite the recent circumstances.

Emphasizing the importance of nurturing values such as respect, mutual understanding and co-existence the YPLF has also urged relevant authorities to restore normalcy within the country as well as to take necessary measures to prevent further escalation of the recent tensions.

The YPLF statement also calls upon all communities to work together in solidarity so that trust, respect and harmony among all can be strengthened irrelevant of their beliefs.

When Bread Is Unfree And Circuses Are Not Enough

Late President R. Premadasa                                                               By Tisaranee Gunasekara -June 22, 2014

“….the best defenders of our democracy are an enlightened people. Constitutional provisions alone can never guarantee democracy… People must know what democracy means. They must acquire experience in managing it, in resolving the problems it generates. They must have a stake in it. Only then will they fight for it” - Ranasinghe Premadasa (A Charter for Democracy).

90^th Birth Anniversary of President Ranasinghe Premadasa

Just days after the fires of Aluthgama subsided, ‘NOLIMIT’ showroom in Panadura went up in flames.

2011 witnessed one of the most successful struggles in the annals of Lankan working class movement. A broad coalition of trade unions, political parties and civic organisations managed to beat back the Rajapaksa regime’s attempt to impose a kleptocratic pension scheme on workers (one worker was killed). The era of ethnic-overdetermination seemed to over.               Read More

Ban on rallies that spread hatred: Police

 June 23, 2014 

• No more permits for meetings held that could create problems between communities, says Police Spokesman

In the wake of recent ethno-religious clashes in Aluthgama and Beruwela, the Police have decided to ban rallies and meetings that promote ethnic or religious hatred between communities.
Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana told a press briefing yesterday that while the right of assembly was guaranteed under the constitution, meetings or rallies that seek to spread hatred between communities and religions will not be permitted to gather.
“Permits will not be issued for such rallies,” the Spokesman said.
He also urged people not to participate in a Muslim agitation campaign organised today, since it could cause further issues between communities.
The announcement comes hours President Mahinda Rajapaksa issued a special statement to the nation on Saturday night, condemning hate speech and promising firm action against it.
President Rajapaksa met with several Muslim MPs in his Government in Badulla on Saturday, where the Parliamentarians had appealed to have action taken against hate speech and instigators to violence, and the enactment of hate speech legislation as soon as possible.
A few Sri Lanka Muslim Congress MPs boycotted the meeting, to which Parliamentarians were flown by helicopter. (DB)

The Muslims of Sri Lanka: A community under siege?

• by Ayesha Zuhair 
• - on 06/23/2014 

June 2014 will go down in the annals of Sri Lankan history as a turning point in ethnic relations, with large scale communal violence being unleashed on a most hapless minority. This month saw the worst acts of violence targeted against the country’s second largest minority, the Muslims, since the infamous anti-Tamil pogrom of July 1983.

This month has been aptly termed ‘Black June’.

The Muslims of Sri Lanka a Community Under Siege by nelvely

Nearly 300 shops damaged in violence

Sunday, 22 June 2014 

The violent incidents that had taken place in Beruwela and Aluthgama have left nearly 300 shops badly damaged, said the police.

By June 20, there have been more than 200 complaints, mostly about setting fire to houses and business places.

Meanwhlie, police have decided not to allow any meeting that encourages religious extremism or chauvinism.

The decision was taken in view of the recent developments, said police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana.

The POWs Of The Eelam War

POWs

By Ruwan M Jayatunge -June 22, 2014

Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D.

The Eelam War in Sri Lanka has caused numerous physical and mental health ailments among the survivors. The POWs suffered extreme 

conditions. During the armed conflict the LTTE (the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) captured a considerable number of servicemen from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Police Service. Most of the captees were executed by the LTTE. Nonetheless a very small number of POWs managed to escape from captivity. The remaining prisoners of war (POWs) were freed after the interventions by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and returned them to the Sri Lankan Government. Although the POWs found their freedom most of them live with psychological scars. They have rigorous impairments in emotional social and physical functioning.

Curbing ethnic violence:Police to learn from Japan, Singapore NoLimit defied threats to close on Thursday – SSP

By Ifham Nizam-June 22, 2014

The government yesterday announced tough measures to deal with attempts at provoking violence by individuals or organisations.

Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana, addressing the media in Colombo, yesterday, said the police would not, however, interfere with the people’s right to conduct religious ceremonies.

In this regard, the SSP said that laws and policies would be adopted from countries like Singapore and Japan, if necessary. He urged the Muslims not to get involved in rallies that were planned with an ulterior motive to discredit the country.

Meanwhile, the SSP said the police would submit a report on the cause of the fire at NoLimit clothing store, in Panadura. He said samples obtained from the gutted shop had been already sent to the Moratuwa University as well as relevant state institutions, to find out the real cause of fire.

The Police Spokesman said all 27 CCTV cameras in the shop had been destroyed by the fire, but the police would do their utmost to retrieve everything possible from what remained of the clothing store. He said that the police would also try to find out whether something had been thrown to cause the fire.

Four employees living on the second floor of the shop had said a fire erupted from the ceiling and there had been no outsiders, the SSP said. The two security guards also had no idea as to how the fire had started, the SSP said.

The Police Spokesman said a group had asked all Muslim shops to be closed on Thursday but NoLimit in Wellawatte and Dehiwela had remained open. Six persons, four in a three wheeler and two on a motorbicycle had met the managers at the two shops and demanded to know why they remained open while other shops were closed.

Five of the six persons had been arrested and police were in the process of identifying the sixth, SSP Rohana said. Investigations had revealed that the sixth had links with a Provincial Councilor in Maligawatte, he added.

Central Bank clarifies on debt sustainability: But it begs more questions than the ones answered!

Monday 23rd June 2014

The Central Bank’s clarification on the external debt numbers
The Central Bank in a right move has clarified the debt sustainability issues raised by this writer in a previous My View (available at: http://www.ft.lk/2014/05/26/sri-lankas-external-debt-sustainability-complacency-based-on-incomplete-analysis-may-be-the-worst-enemy/ ) by means of a Press Release (available at: http://www.cbsl.gov.lk/htm/english/02_prs/p_1.asp?yr=2014 under Press Releases and Speeches dated 13.06.2014).

Central Bank Clarifies on Debt Sustainability but It Begs More Questions Than the Ones Answered! by nelvely

Harendra who leaked information to Bandula transferred

 Monday, 23 June 2014 

Harendra Liyanage, the person who had leaked confidential information of the sports division of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation to Bandula Saman Wathuregama and other outsiders has been transferred to the cassette division.

Employees of the Corporation commend this transfer, effected by the chairman, who has come to understand the real face of Harendra Liyanage at least belatedly.

There had been allegations that Harendra Liyanage had given tender and other confidential information of the sports division to outsiders.

The director general of SLBC, who had trusted him until recently, is dejected by his conduct now.

Meanwhile, Bandula Saman Wathuregama is worried that he cannot obtain the SLBC’s plans to secure broadcasting rights of the two cricket tours starting next month.

The SLBC is presently at talks with Sri Lanka Cricket to secure the rights for these tours.

Sri Lanka Rejects Canada’s Claim ‘Ongoing Use Of Rape Against Opponents By Security Forces

June 23, 2014

Sri Lanka has strongly rejected the inference that the presence of the military contributes to the insecurity of women and girls in the former conflict-affected areas.

Ambassador Aryasinha

Exercising a ‘Right of Reply’ with regard to the statement made during the General Debate under Agenda Item 4 by Canada, claiming ‘ongoing use of rape and sexual violence by Sri Lankan security forces against perceived government opponents,’ Sri Lanka said this claim is not substantiated by verifiable data or evidence. It was noted that any allegations supported by credible evidence are dealt with firmly by the authorities and legal action has been taken by the Government in all cases in which the Sri Lankan security personnel have been involved.

We publish below the statement in full;

Mr. President,

Sri Lanka wishes to exercise its right of reply with regard to the statement made by Canada claiming ‘ongoing use of rape and sexual violence by Sri Lankan security forces against perceived government opponents.’

Sri Lanka strongly rejects this claim which is not substantiated by verifiable data or evidence.

Mr. President,                             Read More

MMBS seat denied to Tamil girl because she is a refugee

Jun 22, 2014
COIMBATORE: A Tamil refugee from Sri Lanka has failed to get selected for MBBS despite her high score.

The application of T Nandhini (18) was rejected during medical counseling despite she scoring 197.5 in the class 12 board examination. "As per the state government norms, there is no quota for Sri Lankan Tamils in medical admissions," said a senior official involved in the counseling.

Nadhini passed her Class 12 exam at Navarasam Matriculation Higher Secondary school in Erode district and scored 1170 marks (Tamil -187, English -192, Physics -198, Chemistry -198, Mathematics -198 and Biology -197). Her cut-off mark is 197.5 for medical counseling.

Nandhini's father T Raja (42), a native of Jaffna had moved to India during war between LTTE and Sri Lankan army in 1990 and had settled down at the refugee camp at Arachalur in Erode district. He got married Allimalar, also from Jaffna in Sri Lanka. The couple has three children Nandhini, Priyanka and Naveen. Priyanka is a Plus Two student at government higher secondary school at Arachalur while Naveen is doing class 10 in a private school.

"I want to become a doctor and serve poor people. So, I applied for medical college seat through counseling. I did not get any communication from the medical counseling authority and came to know that my application was not accepted. I was born in Tamil Nadu and studied in Tamil Nadu. But the counseling authorities told me that I am a Sri Lankan national so they could not accept the application," said Nandhini.

On Saturday morning, Nandhini and her father Raja visited Kilpauk Medical College in Chennai where they rejected her plea. Then she returned to Sri Lankan refugee camp at Arachalur in Erode district from Chennai.

Raja, a wall painter, said that he is the bread winner of the family and he could not spend lakhs of rupees if his daughter wished to pursue higher studies. "I am disappointed after my daughter's application was rejected by the medical counseling authorities. I hope that the state government would give a chance to my daughter to pursue medicine," said Raja.

Saudis and Egypt among biggest markets for UK arms despite human rights breaches

• New figures released as shady deals exposed in remarkable new book

An RAF Tornado aircraft at RAF Lossiemouth. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

Richard Norton-Taylor

Monday 23 June 2014 

Britain's biggest arms market last year was Saudi Arabia, with the government approving £1.6bn worth of exports, including "components for military equipment for initiating explosives", "equipment for the production of machine guns", "CS hand grenades", "components for water cannons", and "tear gas/ irritant ammunition".

British officials also approved the export to Egypt of £51m worth of arms, including assault rifles, pistols and components for military vehicles and aircraft.

The Foreign Office lists Saudi Arabia as a "country of concern" not least for breaching the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture, to which Saudi Arabia acceded in 1997.

In Egypt, the Guardian reported on Monday, hundreds of "disappeared" Egyptians are being tortured and held beyond judicial oversight in a secret military prison.

Three journalists from al-Jazeera English were sentenced in Egypt on Monday to between seven and 10 years in jail on charges of aiding terrorists and endangering national security.

The arms sales figures are taken from government reports and collated by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), which estimates that the UK last year approved arms deals worth £2bn to oppressive regimes.

CAAT's Andrew Smith said: "When the UK sells weapons to oppressive governments then it is not just giving them military support, it also gives them political support and the UK's explicit endorsement".

The arms sales figures coincide with the publication of a remarkable book that exposes the trickery, humbug, buck-passing, and cover-ups, by successive British governments as they turned a blind eye, and even encouraged, the payment of bribes to secure British arms contracts, notably with Saudi Arabia, and Iran under the Shah.

Deception in High Places (Pluto Press) by Nicholas Gilby, who led a CAAT campaign to expose corruption in Britain's arms deals with Saudi Arabia, also reveals how British ministers and officials desperately tried to water down tough international anti-bribery and corruption rules being pushed by the US, notably after the scandal involving Lockheed broke in the 1970s.

Gilby describes how the UK's Ministry of Defence kept commissions secret from its own auditors. "Ministers had devised rules designed to avoid them getting mixed up in bribery while allowing it to continue".

Officials argued that it was unfair if companies were prosecuted when those demanding the bribes were scot-free.

Gilby shows how Saudi princes were the recipients of tens of millions worth of "commissions". As the huge, £43bn, al-Yamamah Tornado jets-for-oil contract was being negotiated, a British company, Travellers World, spent hundreds of thousands of pounds, paid for by BAE, manufacturers of the Tornado and other aircraft destined for Saudi Arabia, to prominent Saudis involved in the Al Yamamah project, and their families.

Saudi families received more than £60m in benefits and cash from BAE between 1989 and 2002, according to Gilby.

Much, much, more was spent.

The National Audit Office report on Al Yamamah remains secret, the only report by parliament's financial watchdog still under wraps.

That details have emerged is thanks to Gilby's success at the UK's information tribunal and to secret documents he found, to what he describes as his great surprise, at the National Archives in Kew in 2006.

They revealed how the price of Tornado aircraft was inflated by £600m in the Al Yamamah deal. Their cost had been inflated by nearly a third in a deal with the then Saudi defence minister Prince Sultan.

The documents were hastily withdrawn by Whitehall officials who claimed their release at Kew had been "a mistake". the Ministry of Defence described the Saudis as being "shocked" when the Guardian wrote areport on the documents.

The Saudi government subsequently persuaded the Blair government to stop a Serious Fruad Office inquiry into payments made in the Al-Yamamah deal, threatening to stop anti-terrorist cooperation with the UK if the investigation went ahead.

"Defence sales offer tempting opportunities for the unprincipled the world over".

The comment, by a senior British diplomat, is quoted by the author at the end of this revealing book. Britain, he says, now has one of the strongest anti-bribery laws in the world. But, he adds, the changes "have been mainly caused by external pressures, rather than a real desire of British governments to stamp out corruption".

And how much is evaded by the use of offshore funds and tax havens still remains to be seen.

Thousands flee tribal region as Pakistan gears up for offensive

People fleeing the military offensive against the Pakistani militants in North Waziristan, travel atop a vehicle with their belongings while entering Bannu, located in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, June 20, 2014.

BY JIBRAN AHMED-Mon Jun 23, 2014

(Reuters) - Pakistan's military on Monday gave residents of North Waziristan until the end of the day to leave the remote mountainous region ahead of a widely anticipated major ground offensive by the army against Islamist militants.

At least 430,000 people have fled the region into nearby areas of Pakistan as well as neighbouring Afghanistan, the biggest movement of refugees in Pakistan in years.

The military has sent fighter jets to flush out Taliban militants at the start of a comprehensive operation after a brazen attack this month on Karachi airport, Pakistan's largest. But the ground offensive has yet to start.

"Today is the last day for the people to leave the tribal region," a military official told Reuters by telephone from the North Waziristan capital of Miranshah. "The curfew will be then imposed and preparations made for the ground offensive."

Many of those who stayed behind - their number is unknown - said they could not afford to pay for cars to take them to safer places such as Bannu, a dusty town on the edge of the region, where most refugees have settled.

"Those who could afford it have left the tribal region, but some are still there and could die in the fighting as they don't have any means to come out of Waziristan," Zakirullah Khan said after arriving in Bannu.

He said prices charged by drivers had soared to levels well beyond the budgets of those wanting to leave. Other residents complained the government was not doing enough to help them. Many opted to stay with relatives rather than official camps.

Some of the region's most feared al Qaeda-linked militants are holed up high up in the North Waziristan mountains, using the area as a launching pad for attacks within Pakistan as well as against NATO forces in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Pakistan has for years been under U.S. pressure to do more to eliminate these strongholds.

But the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has instead insisted on trying to engage militants in peace negotiations.

Sharif's peace initiative collapsed after the attack on Karachi airport, a turning point that convinced the government to abandon peace talks and announce military action.

Refugees said settlements in North Waziristan had been reduced to ghost towns.

"In my entire life I have never seen Waziristan so deserted and scary," said Shad Mir Wazir, a refugee, adding that he saw a number of Taliban militants still hiding in some villages.

(Writing by Maria Golovnina; Editing by Ron Popeski)

Suthep claims ‘in talks with Prayuth since 2010′ to plot Thai coup

Suthep Thuagsuban (left) and General Prayuth Chan-Ocha. Pics: AP

By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Jun 23, 2014

Former opposition politician and anti-government protest leader Suthep Thuagsuban claims to have been in talks with Thailand’s army chief and coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha to topple the governments associated to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra “since 2010″, according to local media.

Suthep Claims ‘in Talks With Prayuth Since 2010′ to Plot Thai Coup by nelvely