JVP accuses govt. of fanning racial flames to cover up grave problems

by Dasun Edirisinghe-June 26, 2014

The JVP said that the government was silent on small extremist groups who sowed ethnic hatred in the country to draw attention away from the sky rocketing cost of living and other burdens, which had become unbearable to people.

Addressing a rally after opening a political office in Batticaloa, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva alleged that recent violence in Alutgama had been caused by an outside group sponsored by the government.

"We say this with responsibility that the government sponsored extremist groups created violence in Alutgama and the police were helpless to prevent it," he said.

Silva said that the people of the country did not need ethnic violence. As the people urgently needed to address the problems already overwhelming them, including sky rocketing cost of living, abuse of public funds by those holding power for unnecessary projects, wide spread corruption etc.

However, the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim leaders were busy selling racism, while being in the government to collect votes. Example were Champika Ranawaka and Wimal Weerawansa were spreading Sinhala racism, while Karuna Amman, Thondaman and Douglas Devananda Tamil racism to collect votes, Silva said adding that Muslim leaders like Rauff Hakeem collected Muslim votes by spreading racism while continuing to be with the government betraying their voters.

"There is no point in joining racist parties based on particular ethnic groups," the JVP General Secretary said asking people to choose parties that had all races Sinhala, Tamil and Muslims.

What Is The “The Church” ? – Misconceptions That May Bear On Current Tensions

By Asoka N.I. Ekanayaka -June 27, 2014

Prof. A.N.I. Ekanayaka

The first half of 2014 has seen more incidents of Christian missions (“churches”)  in  various areas being harassed by rowdy mobs comprising belligerent monks and their gangs for whom a non violent peaceful Christian minority that consistently turns the ‘other cheek’ to its assailants, is obviously a soft target. In recent times such hostility has increasingly included pastors of churches being bullied by local government officials demanding proof of formal registration to worship as ‘church’, even though there is no such legal or constitutional requirement.  Accordingly this article is intended to correct a common misconception in the popular understanding of what constitutes the Christian “Church”. This is not a matter of semantics. Confusion on this point ie. what is or is not the “Church”, might be at least partly responsible not only for the impunity with which churches are attacked these days, but also the relative indifference of the moderate Sinhala Buddhist majority, the callous disregard of the authorities, and the somewhat lackadaisical  attitude of the media towards this problem.

Such attacks are of course not new. Considering incident reports many in the public domain during 12 years from 2002 -2014 there have been more than 330 hostile incidents against Christian churches, Christian pastors and Christian worshippers in Sri Lanka. They constitute a depressing tale of  beatings, insults, verbal abuse, stoning, stabbings, destruction of property, desecration, arson, mob violence, death threats, attempted murder, disruption of worship, obstruction of funerals, defiling people and places with human excreta, as well as framing up victims with fake charges.

These attacks seem to be driven by a conflicting ethos where although the use of violence is held to be utterly abhorrent to the dhamma in principle, its more militant proponents nevertheless consider violence to be justifiable ( and even meritorious ! ) when used in the cause of Buddhism against a real or imaginary threat. Moreover such attacks are carried out with impunity where the police and courts appear to be tardy about enforcing the law when it is flagrantly broken by Buddhist activists in the name of Buddhism. Peacefully demonstrating university students, and  political opponents can be mercilessly hammered with tear gas baton and water cannon, taken into custody and brutally assaulted without much compunction. But when  rowdy monks and hooligans on the rampage ( who are a disgrace to Buddhism) take to violence and show contempt for the rule of law, they seem to be treated with uncommon restraint by  dominantly Buddhist law enforcement agencies.Read More

Police Fail to Identify BBS Monks Who Stormed Rishad’s Ministry

• mage made this order following a request made by Kollupitiya police.
  Thursday, 26 June 2014 12:27

Kollupitiya Police today informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate today that they have failed to ascertained the suspects of the case pertaining to the incident where a group of BBS monks stormed the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, led by Minister Rishad Bathiudeen.

The Kollupitiya Police informed the Fort Magistrate that they have observed video footage given by six media institutions, but failed to ascertain the suspects of the case.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Thinila Gamage the ordered the Police to present a detailed report on the matter on July 31.

The Fort Magistrate on April 28 ordered the Kollupitiya police to conduct investigation to identify the Buddhist monks of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) who stormed Minister Rishad Bathiudeen’s Ministry in search of Watareka Vijitha thera, convener of the Jathika Bala Sena.

The Court ordered Police to check CCTV footage obtained from the Ministry to identify monks. Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage made this order following a request made by Kollupitiya police.

Sri Lankan Muslims describe brutal communal violence

By our reporters 
26 June 2014

World Socialist Web Site reporters this week visited the Sri Lanka coastal town of Aluthgama, 60 kilometres from Colombo, where Buddhist extremist thugs have attacked the Muslim community. The communal violence was whipped up by an anti-Muslim meeting organised by Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), or Buddhist Brigade, in Aluthgama on June 15.

Sri Lankan Muslims Describe Brutal Communal Violence by Maria Anderson

Wijeweera’s legacy

Editorial-June 26, 2014

Lewwegoda Walawwa in Bandarawela, where JVP founder leader Rohana Wijeweera was arrested before being put to a violent death in 1989, will be handed over to the National Youth Services Council (NYSC), Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development Dullas Alahapperuma has said in Badulla recently. Wijeweera was responsible for staging two abortive uprisings where thousands of young lives were destroyed, as is common knowledge, and whatever he owned should be vested with the youth.

By a strange quirk of fate a self-styled revolutionary leader who claimed to champion the cause of the proletariat and spilled a great deal of blood in a bid to overthrow the capitalist system happened to be arrested while hiding in an aristocratic mansion in cooler climes. Interestingly, even those who conduct grand ceremonies to commemorate Wijeweera year in year out let their leader’s ancestral house in Kottegoda go to rack and ruin. It has collapsed according to our information. (Why the JVP did not consider conserving it as a museum is the question.)

Minister Alahapperuma’s statement has brought back horrific memories of savagery we witnessed in the late 1980s. Thankfully, the JVP has metamorphosed into a democratic party over the years and is currently led by a parliamentarian and former minister! It is not likely to repeat its past mistakes—at least we hope so. But, the root causes of youth unrest which fuelled its two insurrections are far from eliminated in spite of much-advertised claims by successive governments to address them. Most political leaders and policymakers haven’t even leafed through the Presidential Commission on Youth report which contains a host of valuable recommendations if how they are mishandling issues affecting the youth is any indication. State universities are a case in point. They became hotbeds of JVP terrorism owing to undergrads’ frustration which Wijeweera et al tapped effectively to give their anarchical project a turbo boost.

Today, Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayake claims to have rid most of the universities of JVP activists and some leadership training is given to university entrants as part of a government strategy to inoculate them against radical politics. But, the undergrads’ problems have gone unsolved and their resentment finds expression in aggressive protests. Some faculties remain closed for months on end and none of their grievances are redressed by university authorities unless they take to the streets.

Unemployment is also a source of worry for the educated youth without political connections. Wijeweera’s JVP, it may be recalled, preyed on the unemployed or underemployed men and women. It coined an attractive slogan to attract the resentful youth desperate for jobs: Kellanta Garment, Kollanta Pavement—‘Garment factories for girls, pavement-hawking for boys’. The state sector recruitment has become the preserve of a cabal and plum jobs are reserved for political lackeys. Merit has long ceased to be the criterion for employment in the public service.

The LTTE and the JVP succeeded in recruiting a large number of youth and brainwashing them into unleashing mindless violence mainly because they were disillusioned with the main political parties which offered no solutions to their problems and they were left with no democratic alternatives. Prabhakaran and Wijeweera may be pushing up daisies, but there has been no discernible change on the political front. Corruption, abuse of power, cronyism, nepotism, political violence and a culture of impunity continue to characterise national politics. The democratic Opposition is lying supine and the government is bulldozing its way through.

The handover of Wijeweera’s mansion to the NYSC, we repeat, is a step in the right direction. Let Lewwegoda Walawwa serve as a reminder to the present-day politicians that they have failed to address the issues that gave rise to the JVP’s bloody revolts.

IGP, Wagista clash at Security Council!

 Friday, 27 June 2014 

The Security Council meeting heated up intensely when an infuriated IGP countered an allegation by State Intelligence Service chief DIG Nimal Chandra Wagista that inefficiency of the police caused the clashes at Aluthgama and Beruwela, by blaming it all on the failure of the intelligence to provide reports properly.

After this incident, the IGP has instructed police not to accept any report being sent by the SIS chief after midnight. It is customary for Wagista to go after extremist Buddhist monks from the morning until early afternoon, and then to go to his office around 2.00pm, do his duties and send the intelligence reports to the relevant agencies around 2.00am the next day.

Officials of the Police Department wonder about the SIS headquarters being frequented by Buddhist monks more than the Buddhist Affairs Department these days. A majority of these visitors belong to Bodu Bala Sena, Ravana Balaya, Sinhala Ravaya and other extremist Buddhist group, and are not the type of virtuous monks.

SIS chief Wagista marked his 59th birthday last month at the Gangarama Temple in Colombo, and is due to retire upon completing 60 years of age. But, he is maintaining close links with the likes of chief incumbent of Gangarama Galaboda Gnanissara and Bodu Bala Sena general secretary Galagodaatte Gnanasara in order to secure a service extension, say Police Department sources.

This newspaper repels mosquitoes and helps fight disease

Once you’re done reading them, newspapers are still pretty handy to keep around. They make decent makeshift umbrellas and fans, and they’re great for starting fires. Now there’s even a newspaper that can repel mosquitoes.

The Mawbima News is one of Sri Lanka’s most widely-read newspapers, and the publisher wanted to do something to show support for World Health Day. Dengue fever is still a big problem in Sri Lanka, where more than 16,000 cases were reported in 2013. The illness is spread by mosquitoes, so Mawbima teamed up with creatives from Leo Burnett on a campaign to help keep locals fever-free.

What they came up with was citronella-infused ink. Citronella oil has long been used as an insect repellent, though you’re obviously much more likely to find it in sprays, soaps, or candles and lamp oil than you are on the pages of a daily newspaper. According to Mawbima, this was the first time it’s ever been done.

It’s an incredibly clever way to offer a bit of widespread protection, and it also helped get the message about Dengue fever out to Mawbima’s readers. Clearly, Sri Lankans were very excited about the idea of a newspaper that could repel mosquitoes. Mawbima’s circulation increased by more than 300,000 during the campaign.

In addition to the bug-busting ink, Mawbima and Leo Burnett developed a special font which featured Sinhalese characters “stamping out” mosquitoes. It’s a pretty slick design:

Gnanasara orders Mangala’s arrest!

Friday, 27 June 2014 

Bodu Bala Sena general secretary Galagodaatte Gnanasara, who has become an ‘unofficial police’ himself to order arrests and bailouts and stage kidnappings, has ordered police to arrest Matara district MP, former foreign affairs minister Mangala Samaraweera, internal sources at the police say.

It is an open secret to all that Galagodaatte Gnanasara is also behind the remanding of Watareka Vijitha Thera until July 02 by the Panadura magistrate following his arrest on a charge of lodging a false complaint to police. BBS has promised MP Namal Rajapaksa not to issue any statement regarding the night car races to be held at this weekend near Dalada Maligawa in Kandy.

In its plan to implement Gnanasara’s order, the Stat Intelligence Service got a retired officer of the Air Force to lodge a complaint to Mirihana police yesterday (26), seeking MP Samaraweera’s arrest over his having violated the state secrets act by exposing the identities of the SIS officers at a media briefing. Accordingly, MP Samaraweera is most likely to be arrested today, a Friday, and remanded tomorrow.

Student abducted, released 

By PremalalWijerathna- June 27, 2014 

Maradana Police are investigating a case of an alleged incident of abduction of a 15-year-old grade 10 student, of Asoka Vidyalaya, near Ananda College Junction in a white van.

However, after about two hours he was found released near the Parliament Road.A Maradana Police source said the victim was a resident of Wellampitiya, Sedawatta. Police are looking into the possibility of a connection in regard to a recent conflict involving the school principal and parents. Police are trying to work on the case onavailable evidence, which includes being informed of two digits ofthe number plate of the van in question.
 
Maradana Police are also inquiring into the possibility that the abducted child may belong to the faction agitating against the principal.

Sri Lanka cancels on-arrival visa facility for Pakistanis

By Dawn.com

ISLAMABAD: The Sri Lankan government on Friday cancelled the on-arrival visa facility for Pakistanis, DawnNews reported.

Pakistani citizens intending to travel to Sri Lanka have been advised by the government to apply for a visa before taking a flight.

The decision, which was taken in view of the rising number of political asylum cases in Sri Lanka, was officially communicated to Pakistan’s Foreign ministry.

Sri Lankan daily Ceylon Today reported last week that nearly 1,500 Pakistanis, many of whom are registered with the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, have been picked up by the Sri Lankan Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Criminal Investigation Department. According to the newspaper, these people were to be deported because of their alleged involvement in ‘anti-state activities’ in India and Pakistan.

The Foreign Office distanced itself from the reported arrests of registered Pakistani refugees and asylum seekers in Sri Lanka, but aid workers from the island nation have confirmed that Pakistani refugees are being rounded up by the authorities.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam was unsympathetic to the plight of the detained refugees in Sri Lanka, saying: “These people [asylum seekers] obtained asylum in Sri Lanka by badmouthing Pakistan. If they are in trouble, I have no idea.”

Earlier, Pakistani nationals were granted on-arrival visas in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka will soon communicate guidelines to Pakistan's High Commission which will state detailed travel requirements.

Lankan doctor charged with murder of husband

June 27, 2014

A Sri Lankan doctor has been charged with the murder of her husband, also a doctor, in the Mid West city of Geraldton in Western Australia.

The body of 34-year-old Dinendra Athukorala was found inside a home in Shenton Street three days ago.

Chamari Rasika Denuwanthe Gunathilaka Liyanage, 34, appeared in court in Geraldton today charged with her husband’s murder.

No plea has been entered and she did not apply for bail.

Police were called to the unit on Tuesday, following reports of a domestic incident, and found the doctor’s body inside.

The WA Country Health Service said Dr Dinendra Athukorala had worked at the Geraldton Hospital as a resident medical officer for the last year.

The service’s Margaret Denton said he was a valued member of the team and hospital staff were deeply shocked by his death.

Police say Dr Athukorala’s family in Sri Lanka had been notified of his death and consular officials were offering them assistance.

Mrs Athukorala is set to appear in the Stirling Gardens Magistrate via video link court in Perth on July 16. 

The couple, who are understood to be from Sri Lanka, graduated at the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine at the University of Colombo in the mid and late 2000s. 

Sana meets Rex at Mango Tree!

 Friday, 27 June 2014 

It is an open secret now that MP and chief cricket selector Sanath Jayasuriya had a clandestine meeting with ‘The Island’ sports editor Rex Clementine at Mango Tree restaurant in Colombo recently.

The reason for Sanath’s meeting with Rex is that the articles he is publishing in the newspaper are critical of Sri Lanka Cricket.

There, Sanath has pleaded with Rex not to criticise SLC president Jayantha Dharmadasa, his previous boss.

The MP has promised the journalist to find sponsors for him to go overseas to cover cricket tours in the future, and has also gifted him with six ties of SLC.

After this meeting, Sanath has met with Jayantha and told him that his wish has been fulfilled.

Later, even without the knowledge of Sanath, Jayantha has leaked the incident to the media through a very close friend of his, with the intention of inconveniencing Rex.

False Steps Of Narendra Modi During Thirty Days Governance

| by N.S.Venkataraman

( June 27, 2014, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Impressed by his rhetorics and strong claims and promises made, large number of Indians thought that Mr. Narendra Modi should be given a chance. This explains the thumping majority that he has received.

Having raised expectations amongst the country men to a very high level , it is inevitable that Modi’s governance would be subjected to tough scrutiny and critical review on a day today basis. Certainly, people do not want a situation when Modi’s governance would not be different from the earlier ones. 

Unfortunately, a few steps taken or not taken by Mr. Modi during the thirty days of governance have disappointed even his pledged admirers to some extent.

Steep railway fare increase :

While it is known that the finances of Indian railways are in bad shape , common men do not think that its finances can be improved simply by increasing the fare for passengers and freight . This fare increase would only add to cost push inflation.

While increasing the fare , Modi government gave an excuse that it was a decision taken by the previous UPA government. While it is technically true that previous government was in favour of the step, there is absolutely no reason why Modi g overnment should implement the decision of the previous government. Many people think that it is not honest on the part of Modi government to blame the UPA government , instead of owning the responsibility for taking the decision to increase the fare.

While arguing that such fare increase would be necessary to strengthen the finances of the railway, Modi government has not cared to explain to the people as to what steps it has taken to avoid wasteful expenditure, improve efficiency in performance and take cost reduction measures such as suspending unremunerative rail routes etc.

Modi government has taken the easiest option of increasing the railway fare and this is not in any way different from the practice of the earlier government.

Rape accused minister :

One of the ministers in Modi government is facing charges of molesting and raping a woman . While it is possible that political adversaries may have levelled such charges against the minister, the fact is that the court has issued notice to the minister , which mean that the court has admitted the case and the court thinks that that there may be prima facie case against him.

Under the circumstances, to maintain the standards of probity in public life and to maintain the standards in the public conduct of his party , Mr. Modi should have asked the minister to quit and face the charges. He should have told him that he could join back the cabinet later on if he would be acquitted in the case.

Modi has chosen to remain silent on the issue , giving an impression that he is no different from Manmohan Singh in viewing the misbehaviour of his ministers.

A former army chief that Modi can do without :

To the surprise of everyone, Mr. Narendra Modi inducted the former army chief into his cabinet, unmindful of the fact that he has been accused of falsifying his age certificate. This former army chief is a controversial person and many think that he brought disrespute to Indian army by taking his case to the court and also appearing in TV media frequently , even while he was in service and freely airing his personal views on many matters relating to army.

After becoming minister, this former army chief made remarks about the present army c hief , which is unbecoming of a minister as well as former army chief. Again Mr. Modi remained silent as if he is not aware of all this. This was exactly how Mr. Manmohan Singh conducted himself , about which Mr. Modi was very critical then.

The days ahead :

While Mr. Modi has taken the above three false steps in the first thirty days, one only hopes that he would be more careful and more forthright in the days ahead. The hundred days of Modi’s stewardship should not result in same ratio of ten false steps.

Fourteen killed in GAIL India gas pipeline blast and fire

People carry the body of a victim near the site of a blast and fire at a gas pipeline at Godavari district, in Andhra Pradesh June 27, 2014.

BY NIDHI VERMA- Fri Jun 27, 2014

(Reuters) - Fourteen people were killed and 20 injured on Friday in a blast and fire at a gas pipeline in Andhra Pradesh, again raising safety concerns over the country's energy projects.

The fire broke out on a stretch of pipeline running through the village of Nagaram, engulfing buildings and burning victims to death, according to TV news footage and eyewitness accounts. Many such projects are opposed by villagers on safety grounds.

"The situation is very bad ... 14 people were burnt alive and 20 have been admitted to hospital with injuries," Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, state finance minister of Andhra Pradesh, told Reuters. He added that the fire had been brought under control.

Friday's incident was the most deadly in the Indian energy sector since August 2013, when 28 people were killed in a fire at Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd's (HPCL.NS) refinery at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said victims and relatives would receive compensation. He said 200,000 rupees would be paid to relatives of the dead and 50,000 rupees for those injured, in addition to relief payments by the petroleum ministry and GAIL.

Elected last month by a landslide, Modi wants to accelerate major energy and infrastructure projects that have been blocked by planning delays.

The latest fire occurred in a pipeline operated by state-owned energy company GAIL (India) Ltd (GAIL.NS) and disrupted supplies to a power station and closed two gas fields.

The 18-inch pipeline supplies 0.5 million standard cubic metres of gas a day to a power plant operated by Lanco Infratech Ltd. (LAIN.NS), GAIL spokeswoman Vandana Chanana said.

"We have made arrangements to supply gas to consumers through alternative pipelines," Chanana said.

State-run explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS) has shut two of its gas fields that were supplying the fire-hit pipeline, its head of exploration N. K. Verma said.

GAIL's shares declined 1.1 percent at 1:07 p.m. while Lanco Infratech's shares were down 1.3 percent.

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu have ordered an inquiry into the blast and fire.

(Additional reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee in MUMBAI, Aditya Kalra and Tommy Wilkes in NEW DELHI Editing by Douglas Busvine and Michael Perry)

Ukrainian president accuses Russia of doing nothing to end 'disastrous' war

Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, talks to the media at the European Union summit in Brussels. Photograph: Rex

Petro Poroshenko says pro-Russia separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk are under control of Vladimir Putin's Kremlin

Luke Harding in Brussels-Friday 27 June 2014

Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, has accused Russia of "doing nothing" to end the "disastrous" war in the east of his country, and said that he would decide later on Friday whether to extend a week-long ceasefire with rebels.

In an interview with the Guardian and four other European newspapers, Poroshenko said separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk regions had carried out more than 150 attacks against government troops since the ceasefire began a week ago. Five Ukrainian soldiers had died "in the last hour and a half," he said bitterly.

Speaking in Brussels, Poroshenko stated bluntly that the rebels were under the control of Vladimir Putin's Kremlin. "I think now Russia has done nothing," he said. "We are talking of Russian citizens, Russian officers, Russians by origin, Russian soldiers of fortune." He characterised the Kremlin's strategy in Ukraine as "not very pragmatic" and "very emotional".

He added: "Beforehand they [Russia] wanted to destabilise the situation in Ukraine." Poroshenko said he had done his best to persuade Putin to sign up to a peace deal that would bring an end to the conflict. He had discussed his proposals with the Russian president in Normandy shortly before he was inaugurated as president two weeks ago, he said. His goal was to make Russia "a predictable partner", he added.

Earlier, Poroshenko signed an association agreement with the European Union that brings Ukraine significantly closer to Europe and European markets. Russia warned on Friday that the deal would have unspecified "consequences". Last November, the then president Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the EU agreement, instead accepting a bailout from Moscow. This triggered mass street protests, which led to Yanukovych fleeing the country and to Russia's invasion and annexation of Crimea.

On Friday Poroshenko said that he had discussed his 15-point peace plan for Ukraine at length with EU leaders, including Angela Merkel, François Hollande and David Cameron. He said the EU was "completely united" in its support for his country, which faced a grave security crisis. "That is why I'm happy. They spoke with one voice," he told the Guardian.

The European council – representing EU leaders – agreed to postpone a decision until Monday on whether to impose further sanctions against the Russian Federation. Poroshenko said his plan envisaged a ceasefire verified by European monitors, including Russian representatives; the return of three border crossings to Ukrainian forces; and the release of hostages seized by separatists. Four Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe monitors were freed on Friday, but separatists were still holding 180 prisoners, Poroshenko said, including eight captured on Thursday.

Poroshenko frankly admitted that the situation in parts of the east of the country was a "real disaster". He said that "half of Donetsk province and one third of Luhansk province is a zone of war".

"There are no banks open. No pensions are being paid. There is no water, electricity. Lots of people with weapons are on the streets. People are afraid to go outside."

He said that in areas controlled by Kiev – some 87% of the country – by contrast, life was entirely calm. "Within 2km from our checkpoints it's normal life. It's peace. It's calm."

Asked if Ukraine would get Crimea back during his presidential term, Poroshenko smiled and said: "Yes."