Sunday, July 6, 2014

Chanuka Ratwatte with Gota’s patronage thrusting pistol into mouth of businessman : ‘get our security or suffer No Limit fate’

(Lanka-e-News-05.July.2014, 11.30PM) Following the wanton arson committed recently on the showroom of No Limit at Panadura belonging to a prominent businessman on the orders of the Rajapakse regime security divisions , the personal security service linked to the criminal defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse have intimidated other business establishments too , and held out murder threats to businessmen , according to reports reaching Lanka e news.

One such businessman who faced this threat is the owner of ‘Legends’ , a business establishment on Peradeniya road , Kandy. Chanuka Ratwatte the son of a former deputy minister of defense Late Anuruddha Ratwatte had given a fiery message to Legends owner after No Limit was burnt down. In it he had stated , if ‘Legends’ is not to face the fate of No Limit , the assistance of the members of the security service run by Gotabaya should be enlisted.

The involvements of Gotabaya notwithstanding , Chanuka Ratwatte and his elder brother Mahendra Thushantha Ratwatte are running a security service under the name of ‘Brave guard security and investigation service’ since 2003. Mahendra Ratwatte who is the mayor of Kandy is the chairman of that organization and Chanuka is its operations Director.

The latest ploy of Chanuka is intimidating and threatening businessmen taking advantage of the present climate of lawlessness, and forcibly making the businessmen to entrust their security requirements to their service . One of the businessmen who rejected their request was ‘Legends’ owner. One of the reasons for this rejection was the amount of Rs. 300,000.00 per month that should be paid to Ratwattes if their security service is to be engaged. Legends owner had told them he hasn’t so much business to pay that amount.

Chanuka who was provoked by this rejection had along with 4 members of his personal security detail had swooped on the place where Legends owner was , and thrust a Browning pistol into his mouth and threatened he and his family will be killed . ‘Remember well you cannot do any business here any more. Close your business within a week , and you must leave Kandy’ , the businessman was warned.

‘You may complain to any police. If you complain 72 hours time will be given. That time too is to only to allow you to choose the coffin you desire. Don’t forget , the law that is operating now is ours,’ Chanuka had screamed threateningly.

The Legends owner who was gripped by a fear psychosis following these deadly threats had lodged a complaint with the Kandy police and requested security for his life protection , but the DIG in charge of Kandy is on the other hand moving heaven and earth to suppress this episode , it is learnt..

Chanuka Upendra Ratwatte and Lohan are the second and third sons of Late Anuruddha Ratwatte. They were implicated in the murder of ten Muslim youths at Udathalawinna in 2001.When the case was heard these two brothers were freed under political pressures , but the five members of the forces who were accomplices were either sentenced to 100 years in jail or death sentences. During the trial it was revealed that Chanuka Ratwatte was notorious for his association with ‘army Roshan ‘ and Dhammika , underworld leaders at that time.

The Law Is Not At Fault But The Politicians

| by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena

( July 6, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In the wake of last month’s communal violence in Sri Lanka’s South-West, the Rajapaksa’s government’s threadbare defence is that existing laws are insufficient to take action against the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) masquerading as protectors of Buddhism. We see this articulated with increasing if not highly unconvincing force by the Secretary Defence who is President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother and others.

The Law is Not at Fault but the Politicians by Maria Anderson

Protecting Buddhism From Extremist Monks

By Tassie Seneviratne -July 6, 2014

Tassie Seneviratne

There is widespread concern about the betrayal of Buddhism by extremist monks. These concerns have been reflected in the media. The Sunday Times Editorials of May 11^th 2014 and June 22^nd 2014 were entirely devoted to this serious concern.

I, though a Christian, have the highest respect and regard for Buddhism as it is the religion of over 75% of the people of this country. Buddhism is a cultural heritage of our country that has to be protected and preserved in the manner laid down by its greatest teacher, Gauthama the Buddha. Due to its long history of Buddhism, our country is known as the Dhamma Dveepaya – the Island of Buddhism. No lesser person than the enlightened Buddha has himself told his disciples that if they wished to honour him, they should follow his teachings. His teachings have been divided into three main disciplines:-

Pubba Hasi – Pleasant appearance; a smiling and friendly face.

Pubba Bhasi – Pleasant and friendly speech.

Pubba Kari — Pleasant and friendly action.

It is the breakdown in these disciplines that has led to conflict, hate and violence that are spreading throughout the country raising serious concerns in all right thinking people of all religions. Loving kindness, compassion, equanimity, patience, tolerance and endurance are religious attributes generally common to Buddhism and Christianity – in fact to all religions. Hence there is no justification at all for religious intolerance. The enlightened Buddha preached these attributes 500 years before the advent of Jesus Christ the Messiah.

The danger today is that there are some people wielding enormous power who are misusing religious fervor for personal agendas. The irony is that under cover of protecting Buddhism they are resorting to means diametrically opposed to the disciplines taught by the enlightened Buddha, thereby betraying Buddhism wholesale. Age old dirty tricks of unrighteous leaders, to distract the people when there is unrest in the country and their dues cannot be met, keep coming to the fore. Shakespeare, through King Henry IV talking from his deathbed to his son at his succession, puts it like this :

“ ………….God knows, my son, Read More

Sri Lanka: Playground for anti

Muslim forces

By Latheef Farook-Ends 5 July 2014

Around four years ago, today’s hate campaign pitting the majority Sinhalese community against the island’s minority Muslims, was unheard of. However, today Sinhalese minds were poisoned against Muslims to such an extent that racist such as Jathika Hela Urumya, JHU, are even justifying attacks and killing of Muslims and the burning and the destruction of their residential and commercial property causing billions of rupees of loss for no valid reason.

Sri Lanka Playground for Anti Muslim Forces by Maria Anderson

Confronting The Dogs Of Hate And Standing Up For Their Rights ! An Imperative For Minorities

By Lukman Harees -July 6, 2014

Lukman Harees

“You fight for your rights when your rights are being denied. When the building is on fire, you don’t stand by and let the building burn down and say we’ll fight the fire another day.” - Richard Gilbert

Many have argued that the rise and institutionalisation of Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism in post-independent Sri Lanka bear much responsibility for today’s ethnic conflicts between the majority Sinhalese state and the minorities. Ironically, the competition among the Sinhala ruling classes, for acquiring state resources and political capital, has turned nationalism into the ruling ideology and the state ideology of Sri Lanka. Many commentators on Post-colonial Sri Lanka curiously had also commented on the ‘minority’ complex of the majority Sinhalese , according to Nira Wickramasinghe, an author in history (2006). She says that ‘the three Constitutions of post- independence Sri Lanka, helped demarcate and define a majority from within the citizens pitting them against non- Buddhists and non- Sinhala speaking minority communities…(placing) minorities in a somewhat dependent and subaltern’.situation’. Read More

Aluthgama has exposed our multiple complications, and there is no easy remedy to any of them

Mahinda Rajapaksa-July 5, 2014

By Rajan Philips

The crisis of Sri Lanka has gone beyond being the crisis of its government. Aluthgama has exposed multiple complications in our politics, society, culture and governance, and there is no easy remedy to any of them. The Rajapaksa government excels in misgovernment and makes misgoverning look not only easy but also normal. If it is only the government that is the problem, then it can be solved at least partially by changing the government. But when the problem goes beyond the government, and when the social presuppositions and cultural prerequisites of good governance go missing, then we get stuck in a vicious spiral. And we are.

Aluthgama Has Exposed Our Multiple Complications, And There is No Easy Remedy to Any of Them by Maria Anderson

Rajapaksas’ Tiger

| by Tisaranee Gunasekara

“….the discipline man needed most

Was to learn his submission to unreason….

So he won’t find it hard to take his orders

From his inferiors in intelligence

In peace and war….

Robert Frost (A Masque of Reason)

( July 6, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In Rajapaksa Sri Lanka, Schrödinger’s cat is a Tiger.

In Erwin Schrödinger’s famous thought-experiment, a cat was kept in a box for one hour, together with a poison vial, a Geiger Counter and a radioactive atom – all hypothetical. If the atom decays, the Geiger Counter will detect radiation, the vial will break and the cat will die. If the atom does not decay, the cat will be fine. So for that one hour, the hypothetical cat is both dead and alive.

Rajapaksas’ Tiger by Maria Anderson

Hate Speech- Sowing The Dragon’s Teeth

By Saliya Pieris -July 6, 2014 |

Saliya Pieris

In early May when students led by the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) launched a demonstration in Colombo on the Allied Health Sciences issue, the police with lightning speed obtained an order from the Colombo Chief Magistrate restricting the demonstration on the basis that it would cause public disorder and tarnish the image of the nation.

The police claimed that the demonstration was being held at the same time as the World Youth Conference, and that they had information that another group (which was not identified) was preparing to disrupt the students’ protest. The police claimed that they feared that there would be a clash between the two groups and asked for the assistance of court- to restrict the students ,but not the other group which was seeking to violently disrupt the student protest. The order was given; certain students who allegedly violated the Court order were later hauled up in Court and bailed out.

In stark contrast to the zealous manner in which the police acted against a minor student protest, was the ‘restraint’ demonstrated by the authorities towards the Ven. Galagodatte Gnanansara of the Bodu Bala Sena and his followers on June 15 at Aluthgama.

Even the most junior constable in the Police force would have realised that permitting the agitated demonstrators led by the BBS to go through the predominantly Muslim Dhargha Town would inevitably lead to a clash between the two factions, given the tension which admittedly prevailed that day in these areas.

By Austin Fernando -July 6, 2014

Austin Fernando

The Union Government of India has said it again: “NO INDIAN FISHING IN KATCHATHEEVU” (Daily News- 4-7-2014). There is song and dance on this report sent by Delhi to Chennai High Court, because it appears to be paving way for a diplomatic victory for Sri Lanka. This was reiteration of what the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu Government declared in 2012, when The Hindu was orchestrating the Tamil Nadu Government’s contradictory aspirations.

I wrote in Sunday Times (19-2-2012) in support of the statement by the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary. Here I reproduce it below for posterity and to state the political status on this issue. Nevertheless, I am mindful of the legality challenged by some on the grounds of process of settlement of Kachchthivu during Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s rule.

TN’s claim for Kachchativu holds no water

Times of India (TOI) reported that the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu Government (TNG) had reiterated the state’s stand on the retrieval of Kachchativu from Sri Lanka, and restoring traditional fishing rights of Indian fishermen, arguing that if not retrieved Tamil Nadu fishermen will have to stop fishing and starve.

This had been a threat repeatedly made by the TNG, even with a unanimously passed State Assembly resolution. Sri Lankan counter-argument may be that its official transactions are with New Delhi, meaning Tamil Nadu traditional rights would have been considered by New Delhi before agreeing; and, the Sri Lankan fishermen too would be starved if territorial waters are given up.
Read More

Sri Lankan government accused of turning a blind eye to violence against Muslims

Attacks by Buddhist group have critics saying minority's concerns ignored due to politics

Sri Lankan police inspect the scene of deadly clashes. Photo: AP

The attackers stormed in close to midnight, tearing through town with petrol bombs and clubs before carting away piles of cash and jewellery they stole from Muslim families.

The onslaught incited by the Bodu Bala Sena, or Buddhist Power Force, a hardline group that has gained thousands of followers in recent years, killed at least two Muslims and injured dozens more last month in the worst religious violence Sri Lanka has seen in decades.

Now President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government is under fire, accused of failing to protect Sri Lanka's tiny Muslim minority and allowing radical Buddhists spewing illegal hate speech to operate with impunity for years.

Critics of Rajapaksa's government say it has turned a blind eye to the violence as a way to shore up its core constituency - the Sinhalese Buddhist population - which makes up about 75 per cent of Sri Lanka's 20 million people.

"At the root of the failure of the government to check the violence is electoral politics," said Jehan Perera, head of the National Peace Council, a local peace activist group in Sri Lanka. "If the Sinhalese voters feel insecure for any reason they will tend to vote for the present government, which is seen as strong and pro-Sinhalese."

But the most recent violence has drawn rare - and harsh - criticism from inside Sri Lanka, with the media, moderate Buddhists and even the justice minister slamming Rajapaksa's seeming unwillingness to safeguard Muslims. Foreign embassies and the UN also demanded action. The United States cancelled a five-year, multiple-entry visa held by the BBS' general secretary, according to the group's chief executive, Dilanta Vithanage.

Facing a growing backlash, the government has in recent days tried to deflate the crisis, although critics say the moves are too little, too late.

The defence ministry called an unusual press conference on Wednesday - nearly three weeks after the bloodshed - to distance itself from the Bodu Bala Sena and to address allegations that Sri Lanka's defence secretary and the president's brother, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, was quietly supporting the group's cause.

But the military spokesman, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, was careful not to criticise the group, either.

"I am not condemning the BBS," he said. "What I am saying is it is wrong to say that the secretary of defence is supporting the BBS."

The same day, police interrogated the group's general secretary, the Reverend Galagoda Atte Gnanasara, for five hours before releasing him without charge. It was the first time Gnanasara had ever been questioned by police for his hate speech.

Just hours before the latest violence, video clips showed him inciting crowds in Buddhist rallies that passed through Muslim areas. "Yes, we are racists." Gnanasara shouted. "Yes, we are religious extremists."

That evening, the mob attacked three towns with a large Muslim presence.

Gnanasara acknowledged his supporters were behind the violence, saying the attackers were angry over an assault on a Buddhist monk. Muslims deny attacking the monk.

When silence breeds hatred

Sunday, July 06, 2014

Mahanayake hamuduruwane,
I thought I must write to you because everyone seems to be talking about Buddhist monks these days and the names of some Buddhist monks are being heard more often than the names of politicians in relation to certain incidents.

When Silence Breeds Hatred by Maria Anderson

“Do Not Isolate This Man”

By Dayan Jayatilleka -July 5, 2014

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

“I have memories of the future, visions of the past…” - ‘A Cloud in a Glass of Water’ directed by Srinath Samarasinghe

Ernesto Che Guevara famously autographed a copy of his slim volume ‘Guerrilla Warfare’ to Salvador Allende with the line, “to Companero Allende who is trying to reach the same destination through a different path”. When the tiny band of survivors of Che’s guerrilla column in Bolivia made it across the border, it was Salvador Allende who was there to receive them. Juan Somavia was a comrade-in-arms of Salvador Allende. Having been an academic at the Catholic University of Chile, Somavia was the advisor to the Chilean Foreign Ministry and an ambassador under Allende who would be martyred in a military coup in September 1973.

I had been an admirer of Juan Somavia from my mid-teens, but it would be almost four decades later when we met and worked together. He was the head of the ILO when I finally met him. I had just become the chairperson of the ILO’s governing body. Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived in Geneva to address the ILO barely a fortnight after I had handed my credentials as Ambassador/PR.

After the bloody military coup, Somavia spent decades in exile, doing political and intellectual work, setting up the famous Latin American think tank for the study of the transnational corporations. It was a dangerous business. A fellow ex-ambassador, Orlando Letelier, Allende’s representative in the USA, was murdered in 1976 by a car bomb planted by Chilean secret service agents and a US contractor, in Washington DC itself. It took two decades to bring the killers to justice. It was Juan Somavia who introduced me to Orlando Letelier’s son Juan Pablo, a highly respected (and long-haired) Socialist Party Senator. Read More

Human Rights Activists Plan A Trip To France

By Malinda Seneviratne -July 6, 2014

Malinda Seneviratne

Meanwhile In A Parallel Universe

‘We have to do something about it,’ Psychosothy Paranamuttu started things off at Celery Café, Colombo 3 where some hardcore HR hawks had gathered to obtain comfort of companionship in trying times.

‘Yes, since we are not nationalists, we have to show nationalists and everyone else that we are internationalists,’ J.C. Galamuna opined.

‘I agree. We are beyond narrow identities. We don’t do identity politics. We do identifying politics. We are not racists. We are human racists.’ That was Bimalka Ferdinando.

‘I second that!’ Mohan Edirmanne, on a short visit home from Nepal, chipped in.

‘Hey Mohan, long time no see. Where were you hiding, man?’ Johanne Perera was curious.

‘Doing this and that men, don’t you know?’

‘Did you order?’ Sankajaya Hattotuwegama was interested in getting on with the business at hand.

‘Your favorites, brother!’ Paranamuttu calmed the young man down.

‘I know I am not exactly an HR man, but we are all in this together, and I hope you don’t mind me tossing in my two pennies worth,’ Charlie Hadaland cautiously wanted inclusion. Read More

Information On Aluthgama Fact Finding By A Women’s Collective

( July 6, 23-014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) On the 15th of June 2014 ethnic riots took place in Aluthgama following a rally organized by the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), a Buddhist fundamentalist organization. Even though the police and state officials had been informed of the potential of the rally to turn violent, no steps were taken to stop the same, instead a large number of police and Special Task Forces (STF) personnel were deployed in the area. In the aftermath of the violence that shocked the country, a women’s team visited Aluthgama and met with several survivors with the objective of documenting the events that took place. Below is their report. Considering the safety of the survivors their names, location and other identities are not recorded.

Information on Aluthgama Fact Finding by a Women’s Collective by Maria Anderson

Whither SL’s student discipline when political rowdies punish teachers imparting it ?

(Lanka-e-News-05.July.2014, 11.30PM) The Kurunegala mayor Gamini Peramunage had summoned a teacher Ms. Ramya who was acting as the deputy Principal of Maliyadeva Boys’ school to his home and punished her by making her kneel down before him , because she punished the Mayor’s son in school for wrong doing.

According to reports reaching Lanka e news , Ms.Ramya is the sectional head.She has punished the mayor’s son for misconduct in school. The mayor who was provoked by this had phoned the Principal S.P. Thilakaratne and abused him in the filthiest language , and insisted that the teacher should immediately ask for a pardon from him. The Principal who is himself a shameless political stooge and lickspittle , had dispatched the teacher in the school van to the Mayor’s residence where the teacher was made to kneel down. The incident took place day before yesterday. (3 rd).

May we recall , some months ago it was in Kurunegala , another government politico, a provincial council (PC) member made another teacher to kneel down before him. Therefore this incident is not the first of its kind in Kurunegala . Perhaps this incident was inspired by the previous one , because under the MaRa regime its politicians not only have their say , but also have their criminal ways . They are so confident they can do any crime and get away , for the regime has created that climate of absolute impunity for them : they can get down container loads of heroin ; they can import container loads of ethanol and sell on the sly ; they can commit murder and rape ; they can stoke racial and religious violence ; they can rob national wealth and what not with their equally corrupt and criminal boss who defends them by saying " after all they are our ‘men’ and therefore should be protected.”

These incidents only demonstrate the alarming indiscipline and criminal conduct raging among regime’s politicos (boss’ men) are how they are being encouraged instead of being discouraged.

The most dangerous part of this scenario under boss Rajapakse’s model in the making of Asia is , when his ’men’ commit all the heinous crimes , those crimes are craftily suppressed too. After this disgraceful incident , both the victim teacher and the school principal denied having suffered under the hooligan politico. After this announcement was made by them under fear , the mayor proudly related his hooligan supremacy to his friends giving details of how he insulted and humiliated a teacher (punishing his son for his rowdy conduct ). These ugly episodes where teachers are punished by politicos instead of students by teachers because they are children of government politicos , have triggered a fear psychosis in Kurunegala among the teachers and Principals of schools .

“Complain To IGP If Concerned Of Al-Qaeda In SL” Says Shoora Council

July 6, 2014

National Shoora Council (NSC) – an alliance of national level Muslim organisations in Sri Lanka has urged those concerned of an Al-Qaeda presence in the country to lodge complaints with the IGP without demonizing the Muslim community.

Inspector General of Police

NSC President, Tariq Mahmud in a statement to the press has pointed out that although it is their belief that allegations of jihadist groups operating in Sri Lanka and of their involvement in the Aluthgama attacks are absolutely false, the claims have detrimentally impacted the Muslim community in the country, which he describes is a matter far worse than the violence inflicted upon the Muslim communities in Aluthgama and Beruwala on June 15.

“The allegations are being made by those who have no defence or apology for the serial crimes unleashed by hate charged mobs on innocent Muslims on 15 and 16 June,” he notes.

While urging concerned parties to lodge complaints with the IGP, the NSC has assured their fullest cooperation in the investigations as well as in taking legal action against ‘such devils behind every bush’ if needed.

Mahmud has further highlighted that it should be taken into account that while the Ministry of Defence has refuted allegations of extremist Islamic groups operating on Lankan soil; the claims have in fact been made by foreign intelligence agencies.

He points out that the accusations are being made to legitimize the entry of foreign powers into Sri Lanka with aims of destabilizing the country and establishing a puppet regime. In the statement he has further called for an investigation into groups or individuals who are in the payroll of these ‘foreign powers’.

We publish below the letter in full; Read More