Curbing racial violence:|Hakeem informs Gotabhaya of need for institutionised mechanism

By Shamindra Ferdinando-June 25, 2014,

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader and Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem has suggested to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa that an institutionalised mechanism be established to prevent recurrence of religious violence.

Minister Hakeem met the Defence Secretary at the Defence Ministry yesterday.

Having briefed the party of his meeting with Defence Secretary Rajapaksa, Justice Minister Hakeem told The Island last night that he had got an opportunity to discuss the entire gamut of issues relating to recent violence at Alutgama and Beruwela with the Defence Secretary.

Yesterday’s meeting was meant to explore ways and means of thwarting violence, Minister Hakeem said, adding that nothing could be as important as having an institutionalised mechanism to meet any eventuality.

Responding to a query, the SLMC leader said that in the wake of Alutgama mayhem, the government shouldn’t resort to ad hoc measures to prevent another bout of violence.

Minister Hakeem reiterated allegation that the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) was responsible for attacks on the Muslim community. The Defence Secretary pointed out that there were other groups beside the BBS under scrutiny.

Asked whether he had taken up any other issues, Minister Hakeem said that they had also discussed the need to take tangible measures to prevent hate speech as well as inflammatory statements.

A deeply concerned Justice Minister said recent violence pointed to the need for an ‘early warning system’ to ensure the government could act swiftly and decisively before disaster struck. The Minister said that he had informed Defence Secretary Rajapaksa of that need and some shortcomings in security set-up during the recent disturbances.

Remains of the hate

FRANCES HARRISON-June 25, 2014

Many Sri Lankans do not recognise the extremist Bodu Bala Sena as embodying Buddhist values at all, but they are increasingly unwilling to speak out about their opposition to it

Remains of the Hate by Maria Anderson

brutality Police attack Obeysekarapura family and destroy their property

WEDNESDAY, 25 JUNE 2014

ast Sunday night, Arunodhaya Mawatha at Obeysekarapura in Rajagiriya looked like a battle ground as a battalion of police attached to the Welikada Police Station ransacked and destroyed the home of B. Shashi Kumar after assaulting him mercilessly following an alleged incident of a policeman ‘peeping into a bathroom where a young woman was having a bath’.

Brutality Police Attack Obeysekarapura Family and Destroy Their Property by Maria Anderson

JMO And PM Reports On Aluthgama Deaths Are Fabricated – Justice Minister Confirms

June 25, 2014

The two Muslims who were killed in Welipitiya on Monday the 16th of June, died of gunshot injuries, the Colombo Telegraph learns.

The two were killed after a clash between the Muslims who took safety in the Welipanna mosque when the mobs had run riot in the surrounding areas.

Rauff Hakeem

However the Judicial Medical Officers report and the post-morterm had been tampered with to indicate that the two aged 30, and 38 died of “internal haemorrhage” resulting from blows to the head.

There have been no assertions or reports to the effect that the mob had been carrying weapons except petrol bombs and poles.

The only other entity carrying weapons were the law enforcement authorities that night.

The Police and the Special Task Force were deployed in the Welipanna area.

The shooting had taken place while the Police and the STF patrolled the area.

Earlier UNP MP Palitha Thawarapperuma raising a privilege issue in parliament alleged that the Police and the STF did not prevent the mob from attacking the Muslims and instead supported such attack.

Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem also, in an interview with the Ceylon Today newspaper said that the Judicial Medical Officers report and the post-morterm had both lied with regard to the deaths of the two persons.

In the interview, Minister Hakeem who is also the national leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has very explicitly stated his concerns, describing the investigation and the autopsy of the two deceased victims who were shot dead in Welipitiya are ‘ridiculous’.

“I can produce evidence of used bullets where the two were injured. I went to the spot. The bullets weren’t fired by civilians. However, the autopsy report has indicated the deaths were due to serious cut injuries,” he has stated in the interview.

Further expressing his worries, he has added, “It is a preposterous situation if medical reports are being fabricated.”

Moreover, Minister Hakeem has asserted that the SLMC will be working on proving the post-mortem reports have in fact been fabricated and has stated they are planning to revisit the site where the killings had taken place.

He has also expressed views on the shift in the President’s reaction to the Aluthgama violence during and after the return from participating in the G77 Summit in Bolivia- “When he tweeted from Bolivia, he said that he will not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands, but after arriving, he changed that position to “calling for an impartial investigation,” Hakeem has stated.

The Minister has gone on to say that the President himself informed him that there is evidence of a well-planned violence that erupted in Aluthgama and Beruwala last week. “How can you deny the fact? Almost three to four days before the carnage, there have been meetings in Buddhist temples in the area. The Intelligence would have also known about this,” he has said.

When questioned on his stance on the accuracy of UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay’s report on Sri Lanka, he had stated that they stand by the government’s stance. “I have a collective responsibility as a Cabinet Minister and I cannot defy it,” he has added.

Video: Bandara’s arrest part of witch hunt: IUSF

TUESDAY, 24 JUNE 2014
Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) Convener Najith Indika said student leaders were subjected to a witch hunt by the Government and this had led to the arbitrary arrest of former IUSF convener Sanjeewa Bandara.

He was produced before the Kandy Magistrate and remanded till July 23 on charges of breaking bail conditions.

“Three of our student leaders visited the Peradeniya Police Station because we asked to make a statement after the university security personnel made a false complaint against us. When we visited the Police station, the three leaders were arrested, produced in court and remanded till Monday 23 instead of our statements being recorded,” he said.

Mr. Indika said the incident should not be seen in isolation but must be understood against the background of it being a systematic witch hunt of student leaders by the Government.

“The subject minister is hell-bent on pursing an agenda that is detrimental to students and the free education in this country,” he said. (Sanath Desmond)

CID summons Mujibar

Wednesday, 25 June 2014 

UNP Western Provincial Councillor Mujibar Rahuman has been summoned to the CID this morning (June 25) to question him over the Hartal held by Muslims last Thursday.

He is charged of influencing the closure of Muslim trade stores including the ‘No Limit’ clothing store in Wellawatta during that day.

Speaking to ‘Sri Lanka Mirror’, ASP Rahuman said that a one Gunasekara has informed him to come to the CID immediately this morning and give a statement.

UPDATE: Watareka Vijitha Thero remanded

June 25, 2014 
Watareka Vijitha thero who was arrested earlier this afternoon has been remanded until July 2 by the Panadura Magistrate Court.  He was taken into custody by the Colombo Crimes Division after he was released from the Colombo National Hospital for allegedly making a false complaint to police.

Police Media Spokesperson SSP Ajith Rohana speaking at a media briefing on June 22 said following inquiries a relative had revealed that the thero had requested him to be dropped at the said location in Panadura. Further he added that the injuries sustained by the monk were self inflicted.

Watareka Vijitha Thero, a member of the Mahiyanganaya Pradeshiya Sabha, was found lying on the roadside in Bandaragama on June 19.
Wataraka Thero directly speaks to Ceylon Today 

 
By Kavinda Dhammika  -June 25, 2014 

Speaking to media for the first time after the incident Wataraka Vijitha Thero said that "while Gnanasara who set Aluthgama and Beruwala on fire killing innocent people is out and next moments I will be in jail."

Further expressing his grief on the present pathetic situation of the country Wataraka Thero said that he won't stop his journey towards peace and harmony until he reaches his goal.

Few moments after talking to Ceylon Today, Wataraka Vijitha Thero has been arrested by police on alleged accusations for making a false complaint.
Watch the video containing the statement of wataraka Vijitha Thero from here.

Police bail for 23 of 62 Aluthgama/Beruwala riots
BY FAIZER SHAHEID- June 24, 2014 
 
Police have so far released a total of 23 suspects, who were arrested in connection with the Aluthgama and Beruwala riots, without producing them in Courts, Police Media Spokesman, SSP Ajith Rohana said yesterday. The Police had arrested a total of 62 suspects in connection with the riots by yesterday.
 
 
The police had produced 39 of the suspects before Court and detained them further, while 23 were released without having to endure the legal process.
 

SSP Rohana justified the release of suspects stating that the police were empowered to grant police bail to suspects who had not committed major offences. "The suspects were not essentially released, they were granted police bail. There are certain offences where the suspect needs to be produced before a magistrate, and there are certain other offences where the police are empowered to release them by granting them police bail," he said.
 

He explained that a majority of the suspects, to whom police bail had been granted,. were merely in violation of curfew laws. The suspects had been arrested after the actual clashes and were not involved in the actual clashes that took place in the above mentioned areas, SSP Rohana said. He added that a total of 20 police teams have been dispatched for investigation on the clashes and the police are continuing to arrest those suspected to be involved in the clashes.

Timid US Presbyterian Church punish American companies, shun BDS and let Israel off the hook

by Stuart Littlewood- JUNE 23, 2014 

Pro-Palestinian campaigners are cock-a-hoop over the Presbyterian Church USA’s vote to divest from Caterpillar Inc, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions. Hailed as amazing, brave and miraculous in some quarters, it was actually a very close-run thing: 310 to 303 against, with no abstentions.

Timid US Presbyterian Church Punish American Companies, Shun BDS and Let Israel Off the Hook by Maria Anderson

The Guardian view: News International was a media giant out of control

The phone-hacking trial produced a picture of widespread criminality. David Cameron and the cabinet secretary still face serious questions over the hiring of Andy Coulson

David Cameron and Andy Coulson. Photograph: David Fisher / Rex Features-Tuesday 24 June 2014 

Editorial

Before the last election the Guardian was not alone in trying to warn David Cameron, as well as other party leaders, about Andy Coulson's involvement with private investigators linked to criminal activity. Mr Cameron seemed determined, come what may, to take the former News of the World editor into the heart of government. He ignored the warnings, which included concerns raised by Nick Clegg and Paddy Ashdown as well as figures in his own party. On Tuesday, as Coulson was convicted of conspiracy to hack phones, the prime minister offered profound apologies for a lamentable lapse of judgment.

Andy Coulson trial: jurors fail to reach 

Judge complains about David Cameron's comments after first verdicts, and discharges jury on ninth day of deliberations

Andy Coulson outside the Old Bailey on Wednesday. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/Rex

Lisa O'Carroll and Patrick Wintour

Wednesday 25 June 2014 

The trial of Andy Coulson has ended after the jury failed to reach majority verdicts on two remaining counts that he conspired to commit misconduct in public office by paying public officials for the acquisition of royal phone books.

The Guardian View News International Was a Media Giant Out of Control by Maria Anderson

Having a free press is a necessary condition for responsive government and reduced corruption

Prasanna Tantri | Jun 25, 2014Printed from

Last month's general election brought the role of media under the spotlight. Media faced severe criticism from political parties, intellectuals and industry insiders for allegedly being partisan during elections. A large section of mainstream media has been castigated as "paid media" by social media enthusiasts.

In this context, however, a great deal of work already exists in the political economy literature analyzing the real effects of having a free media on democratic practices and government responsiveness. Research has shown that free and vibrant media is associated with lower corruption and a better response from governments to fall in food production and natural calamities.

Rudiger Ahrend of the London School of Economics investigates connections between corruption, human capital and press freedom in 130 countries. He convincingly shows that lower level of press freedom is associated with higher level of corruption throughout the world.

The interesting part of the finding is that mere increase in education levels does not lead to reduction in corruption. Corruption falls only in cases where higher levels of education among the electorate are accompanied by increase in freedom of press. In fact, a standalone increase in education sometimes leads to increased corruption as the educated elite collude with nefarious elements in society.

Pranab Bardhan and Dilip Mukherji also highlight such a possibility. They develop a model of political capture where corrupt politicians collude with elites with a view to perpetuate policies which are beneficial only to the privileged few. High political awareness among ordinary citizens works as an effective antidote to such political capture. Needless to say, an independent media is a sine qua non to create awareness.

These conclusions are not based on mere existence of negative correlations between freedom of press and corruption. Careful academic studies control for the influence of other factors that can influence both variables under study. For example, it is possible that some countries are less corrupt because of cultural reasons. It is possible that such countries also have a free press. Thus the driving force behind lesser corruption may be the dominant culture.

To control for such influences researchers use country fixed effects, which take care of all time invariant factors that are common to a country. It is possible that corruption reduced only during a year or so due to some event, such as the Anna Hazare movement. Such influences are taken care of by using time invariant effects. Researchers also control for the impact of time varying factors such as economic growth, openness to trade, etc. After controlling for the influence of all these factors, they robustly estimate that increased press freedom is associated with lower levels of corruption.

Another real benefit of free media is increased government responsiveness during economic stress, especially agrarian strain caused by inclement weather. Timothy Bessly and Robin Burgess examine the relationship between higher newspaper circulation and responsiveness of governments in 16 major Indian states over a period of 34 years. They measure government responsiveness by examining the expenditure on public distribution of food during the periods with low agricultural production and on calamity relief during times of drought and flood.

They find that a 1% increase in newspaper circulation is associated with a 2.4% increase in food distribution and a 5.5% increase in calamity relief expenditure. The expenditure on public distribution of food is seven times higher in states with high newspaper circulation when compared to states with low newspaper circulation.

One may argue that higher expenditure need not imply effective response to natural calamities as government programmes are notorious for leakages. Here it is important to note that since free media leads to lower corruption, leakages in welfare programmes are likely to be minimal in regions that have strong independent media presence. As in the case of the study pertaining to corruption, this study also controls for both time variant and time invariant factors. Thus it is clear from the above study that higher newspaper circulation induces governments to be more responsive towards vulnerable sections.

We have examined if the electorate rewards governments which achieve high economic growth during their tenure. We find that such a phenomenon exists only in areas with a high literacy rate. It is important to note that such areas also have high level of newspaper circulation. It has been shown that even slum dwellers, when well informed, exercise their franchise wisely and choose better candidates. In these experiments newspapers played a key role in spreading awareness about incumbent performance.

A significant section of the Indian middle class believes that India is lagging behind China mainly because we are a democracy and have too much freedom. Such arguments ignore the fact that almost all developed countries on earth are vibrant democracies and have reasonably free media. On the other hand, most backward countries are characterized by restrictions on freedom of expression.

Research has unequivocally shown that increased press freedom has real benefits which are disproportionately higher for vulnerable sections of society. Freedom of the press is important not just for intellectuals who wish to express their opinion, it's more so for ordinary citizens.

The writer works for Centre For Analytical Finance, Indian School of Business.

Iraq is Burning, and Everyone Agrees Maliki Has to Go

These are the seven men who could replace him.

• BY YOCHI DREAZEN , ELIAS GROLL-JUNE 24, 2014

The  Obama administration and its most important Middle Eastern allies believe that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has to go. The question now is who will replace him -- and whether that leader can unify his broken country against the existential threat posed by the Islamist militants advancing on Baghdad.

Secretary of State John Kerry made a rare visit to the semi-independent Kurdish region of northern Iraq Tuesday to gauge whether Kurdish leaders are willing to join a new unity government in Baghdad that would give more power to the Kurds and Sunnis, who Maliki systematically alienated. The head of the Kurdish Regional Government, Masoud Barzani, was decidedly non-committal. Now that fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham have conquered much of Iraq, it is "facing a new reality and a new Iraq," Barzani said.

That new Iraq will almost certainly be led by someone other than Maliki, who is widely seen as too toxic. Maliki, a hardline Shiite, has feuded for years with the Kurds over how to divide Iraq's oil riches and angered the Sunni minority by arresting the community's political leaders, replacing skilled Sunni military commanders with Shiite loyalists, and cutting off funding to the Sunni tribal leaders whose fighters once helped U.S. military forces oust a previous iteration of al Qaeda from its strongholds in western Iraq.

"There is no chance of the elites coming together to confront the serious threat to the state that ISIS presents with Maliki at the helm," said Emma Sky, who served as the political advisor to Gen. Ray Odierno during his tenure as the top U.S. general in Iraq. "The best hope is that the elites agree on an alternative -- they have the votes to do so."

Still, finding a replacement acceptable to all of Iraq's sects and political parties will be an extraordinarily difficult task because of the number of boxes the potential leader must check. He has to be a Shiite, but not one as harshly anti-Sunni as Maliki. He needs the military know-how to repair Iraq's battered armed forces and oversee a counterattack against ISIS. To top it off, he needs the diplomatic skills to work with both Washington and Tehran, despite the lingering tensions between the United States and Iran.

Michael Knights, an Iraq expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, believes that a Maliki replacement also has to be drawn from the ranks of the prime minister's Dawa Party to avoid alienating one of the country's most potent and powerful political blocs.

The list of Iraqi prime minister contenders, in other words, is a short one. Below are the Iraqi politicians that U.S. officials, Western analysts, and Arab diplomats believe are in the running. (Click an image to start the gallery.)

Adel Abdul Mahdi

Falah Fayadh

Tariq Najm

Hussein Al-Shahristani

Bayan Jabr

Ahmed Chalabi

Ali al-Adeeb

Ayad Allawi

Syria may still have hidden chemical weapons, OPCW admits

The head of the global chemical weapons watchdog tells Channel 4 News it is an "open question" if hidden chemical weapons remain in Syria, two days after the last shipment was supposed to have left.

WEDNESDAY 25 JUNE 2014

Syria May Still Have Hidden Chemical Weapons, OPCW Admits by Maria Anderson

One dead, three injured after gunmen fire on Pakistan airline flight

Six bullets strike Pakistan International Airlines flight landing in Peshawar, killing a woman on board

178 passengers were on board the flight from Saudi Arabia when it was fired on by gunmen. Photograph: Sebastian D'Souza/Getty Images

Tuesday 24 June 2014 Gunmen fired on a Pakistan International Airlines plane as it landed in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday night, killing a woman on board and injuring three crew members in the third incident at a Pakistani airport this month.

The plane was carrying 178 passengers travelling from Saudi Arabia when it came under attack, policeman Asghar Khan said at the airport.

The plane was hit by six bullets, police said, killing the Pakistani woman and narrowly missing the captain. At least one bullet struck the plane's engine, police said.

The woman's daughter was sitting next to her when she was shot in the head, PIA official Mohammad Kifayatullah Khan said.

"When I went inside the plane, I saw the woman lying on the seat and her nine-year-old daughter was crying, 'My mother is dead, my mother is dead'," said Khan.

"All the passengers were panicked. Some of them wanted to get out as soon as possible because they were afraid of fire inside the plane."

The incident will raise further questions about whether the government is really prepared to retaliate against the Taliban after it announced a military operation to flush the militants from their mountain strongholds in North Waziristan on 15 June.

Pakistani jets have pounded suspected militant hideouts and the Taliban have vowed counter-attacks.

On 8 June, 10 Taliban gunmen attacked the airport in the southern port city of Karachi, Pakistan's financial heart and home to 18 million people. Thirty-four people were killed in the five-hour gunbattle. The Taliban fired on an academy for the security forces at the airport two days later.