DENYING RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALUTHGAMA VIOLENCE WILL NOT SUFFICE—JEHAN PERERA

Created on 07 July 2014

Addressing members of the national advisory committee to the Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration, Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara gave substance to the conviction of those who believe in the prospects for peaceful coexistence and harmony within Sri Lanka’s multi ethnic and multi religious society. He said that a majority of MPs of the government were opposed o the actions of the extremist groups that had engaged in anti-Muslim activities. The position of those MPs reflected the broad sentiments of their electorates. Minister Nanayakkara himself has been at the forefront of the government urging that strong action be taken to deter hate speech and extremist violence.

Denying Responsibility for Aluthgama Violence Will Not Suffice—Jehan Perera by Maria Anderson

Hate the game. Not the Player

BY EELAPALAN- 06 JULY 2014

This is a revision of a previous post. That was written as a critique of the TNA policy. Highlighting the folly in TNA aspiring to be a “national” party.  Using the same principle, this revision tries to highlight why Tamils or Muslims can never expect justice from the current Sri lankan system.

The principle of median voter theorem is that politicians would move their positions to where the median voter is, in order to maximize their vote. A useful tutorial is here . This leads to moderating positions or middle paths.  Specially at federal or national level politics.

Hate the Game. Not the Player by Maria Anderson

Dalai Lama urges Buddhists to halt attacks on Muslims

During a speech marking his 79th birthday, the Tibetan leader urged followers in Myanmar and Sri Lanka to stay peaceful

July 6, 2014 1:14PM ET

In a speech marking his 79th birthday, the Dalai Lama on Sunday reiterated his plea to Buddhists in Myanmar and Sri Lanka to halt violence against Muslims.

The spiritual leader, who fled Tibet for India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said that violence targeting minority Muslims in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and Sri Lanka was unacceptable.

"I urge the Buddhists in these countries to imagine an image of Buddha before they commit such a crime," he said to devotees on the outskirts of Leh, high in the Himalayas in northern India.

"Buddha preaches love and compassion. If the Buddha is there, he will protect the Muslims whom the Buddhists are attacking."

Sectarian violence escalated in Myanmar in 2012 and has since overshadowed dramatic, internationally praised political reforms there. The turmoil has largely targeted Muslims from the Rohingya ethnic minority, leaving at least 250 people dead. An estimated 140,000 have been displaced after Buddhists razed Muslims’ homes.

A combination of ethnic and economic tensions has fueled recent violence between Buddhists and Muslims in both Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Some radical monks have encouraged violence against Muslims, who they fear are taking over their communities by converting Buddhist children and marrying Buddhist women, as well as increasing their birthrate. The success of Muslim-owned businesses and the near-monopoly of certain industries have also troubled struggling Buddhists.

Last month in Sri Lanka, four people were killed and hundreds of shops and homes were damaged in the island's worst sectarian violence in recent decades.

The Dalai Lama also expressed shock at a wave of deadly violence by Sunni armed groups against fellow Muslims. But he refrained from directly referring to Iraq, where such rebels have overrun swathes of five provinces north and west of Baghdad.

The Dalai Lama celebrated his birthday at his residence on the outskirts of Leh in Ladakh, a mainly Buddhist region. He was there to confer Kalachakra, a Buddhist process meant to empower tens of thousands of his disciples to attain enlightenment.

Two years ago, the Nobel Peace Prize winner announced that he was retiring from political duties, and bestowed more authority on the prime minister of the Tibetan exile community. He devolved power in an attempt to lessen his own iconic status and secure the movement's future after his death. He remains the universally recognized face of the Tibetan movement and a prominent advocate for religious tolerance.

Al Jazeera and wire services

Mathematics and politics

Editorial-July 7, 2014

Students who fail mathematics and science at the GCE O/L examination should not be written off as failures; for, they have the potential to blossom out later in life if properly guided and provided with opportunities, Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development Dullas Alahapperuma has said, stressing the importance of vocational training. He has also questioned the wisdom of requiring a person to be adept at mathematic to teach subjects like history.

The GCE O/L mathematics failure rate remains as high as 42.77% or, in other words, about 112,000 students fail that subject annually.

Opinion may be divided on Minister Alahapperuma’s views on mathematics. However, one cannot but agree with him on what he has said about politicians and their educational qualifications. Mathematical proficiency is, he has said, essential for ordinary people to secure even lower-rung jobs in the state sector, but nobody asks politicians whether they are good in mathematics before they are elected to Parliament to handle public finance and make vital decisions on the national economy.

Minister Alahapperuma has proved that the breed of politicians capable of turning the searchlight inwards is not extinct. Never mind mathematics! Some parliamentarians are not even conversant with basic economic terms though they are entrusted with fiduciary responsibilities. Once, challenged by an Opposition MP, in a TV interview, to define real income, a Cabinet minister who did not know what it was, to cover up his ignorance, launched into a tirade of abuse. That may be the reason why most MPs skip the committee stages of budget debates or come out with loads of baloney in their speeches replete with risqué and, in some cases, even raw filth.

A few years ago lawmakers sank their differences and joined forces in a rare moment of unity in Parliament to heckle a UNP MP who questioned the educational qualifications of a rival in the House. He stressed the need for parliamentarians to have a decent education amidst booing.

Following the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) hedging scam, the then Chief Justice Sarath N Silva, said, in open court, that his peon had better educational qualifications than a pacie turned CPC Chairman. The same is true of our politicians. Failures are the pillars of our Parliament, Provincial Councils and Local Government institutions where we have representatives with Schwarzenegger’s brawn and kindergarten tots’ brains. However, the fact remains that politicians may not know their mathematics, but they are calculating enough to dupe the masses into voting them into office.

It looks as if we were not alone in this situation. An article lined up for tomorrow’s Midweek Review contains an interesting comment on an embarrassing situation British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, MP got into, during a recent TV interview where he was asked by a child what seven times eight was. The MP ducked the question, as could be seen from a video which has gone viral on the Internet, and made a hames of it in the process by claiming he did not field mathematical questions in interviews! He was left with egg on his face when he was told by the child concerned that the answer was 56! Someone may try to console Osborne, perhaps, still reeling from the times table fiasco by quoting Einstein, who said: "Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."

As for Minister Alahapperuma’s lament that children who fail mathematics are generally considered failures, there is nothing wrong with our students’ perceptive abilities or the unfairly hated mathematics; the problem, we reckon, is with the way that interesting subject described as the poetry of logical ideas is taught in school.

Unless steps are taken urgently to make learning mathematics as well as science real fun and help children improve their performance in that subject at public examinations we will continue to lag behind the rest of the world; we might as well forget about our ambitious goal of becoming the Knowledge Hub of Asia!

Apprentice Sewaali Thero surpasses the master at Maha Bodhi India

(Lanka-e-News- 06.July.2014, 11.30PM) P. Sewaali Thera, the present General Secretary of the Maha Bodhi society of India, the prime apprentice of the Dogamgoda Rewatha has surpassed his own master.

Apprentice Sewaali Thero Surpasses the Master at Maha Bodhi India by Maria Anderson

Ramaphosa in town today to revive reconciliation

 July 7, 2014 

• S African Envoy to meet President over dinner tonight
• Meetings scheduled with GL, TNA delegation, Wigneswaran in Jaffna
• Govt. remains tight-lipped on delegation schedule, talks agenda

By Dharisha Bastians
Reviving hopes for a negotiated political settlement to Sri Lanka’s long-standing ethnic conflict, South Africa’s Special Envoy to Sri Lanka Cyril Ramaphosa will arrive in Colombo today for high level talks, but the Government has remained tight-lipped about his schedule and the discussion agenda.
South African President Jacob Zuma’s special appointee to attempt brokering peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, Ramaphosa and his four member delegation arrive in Colombo this afternoon for a two-day visit in the island.
The visit comes as UPFA coalition allies, the Jathika Hela Urumaya and the National Freedom Front led by Wimal Weerawansa, strongly opposed mediation by Pretoria for a Sri Lankan reconciliation process that could include the establishment of a South African style Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address accountability concerns.
Ramaphosa, who is also Deputy President of South Africa, will hold discussions with External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris this afternoon. President Mahinda Rajapaksa will host the South African Special Envoy for dinner tonight, where the two are expected to hold discussions.
The Government has refused to reveal details of the Ramaphosa delegation’s schedule, and last week Cabinet Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told journalists that there was “no agenda” set for the talks between the Government and the South African delegation.
Presidential Spokesman Mohan Samaranayake told the Daily FT “the schedule so far” was that President Rajapaksa would host the delegation to dinner on Monday night.  Samaranayake declined to comment on whether discussions with the President would take place at the dinner.
The South African Envoy is scheduled to meet a Tamil National Alliance delegation over breakfast tomorrow, before flying to Jaffna for discussions with Northern Province Chief Minister Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, the Daily FT learns.
The Ramaphosa delegation will return to Colombo the same evening and return to South Africa on Tuesday (8) night.
Ramaphosa’s delegation will include Parliamentary Counsellor to the President in the National Assembly, Ebrahim Esmail Ebrahim, Deputy Minister for Performance monitoring, evaluation and administration, Obeid Bopiela and Defence Minister – Deputy Minister for Performance Monitoring, Evaluation and Administration, Apartheid regime defence minister and former Minister in Nelson Mandela’s national unity Government, Roelf Meyer and Consultant and Director at In Transformation Initiative Ivor Jenkins.
The South African role that has been under discussion for nearly a year is aimed at resuming discussions between the Government and the TNA about evolving a political solution. The moves are widely seen as an alternative to the multi-lateral process to achieve reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka, through a UN inquiry mandated by the UN Human Rights Council.
Speaking about his role in the Sri Lankan reconciliation and peace building process for the first time last month, Ramaphosa said South Africa’s post-Apartheid success in building a new nation that embraced democracy and human rights had endeared the country to others around the world, including Sri Lanka.
“We are truly honoured to be chosen among many countries to go and make this type of contribution to the people of Sri Lanka,” the South African peace envoy said, in a speech in South African in June.
“Our country used to be the pariah of the world, and today we are the darling of the world… Some of those that have come to respect us greatly are countries like Sri Lanka,” he said.

Govt. wasting Ramaphosa’s valuable time: UNP The Sri Lankan Government is intent on wasting the time of South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, when it has no political will to offer devolution to the island’s Tamil minority, UNP Legislator Lakshman Kiriella charged yesterday. Dismissing the Government’s apparent interest in the South African overtures as just another ‘time buying’ exercise, Kiriella told the Daily FT that the Government already had agreements in place with its Sinhala hardline allies that no further devolution would be granted. “The opposition to the South African mediation was one of the clauses of Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s 12-point plan that was given to the President. They want the 13th Amendment scrapped – how can the Government even start talking about devolution?” Kiriella queried. The UNP MP said that the South African mediation moves would be relegated to the dustbin of history in due course. “Just like the LLRC, the APRC and all the other commissions and committees, this will also be rubbished eventually,” he charged. Kiriella said that if President Rajapaksa went through with the South African proposal for reconciliation, he would be faced with the real threat of his ruling alliance collapsing. “This is just an exercise in wasting Ramaphosa’s valuable time,” he asserted. (DB)

Controlling NGOs: “Defence Ministry Acting Beyond The Mandate” Says Lawyers Collective

July 7, 2014 

“The Ministry of Defence does not enjoy any specific legal authority under any statute whatsoever to control  freedom of speech and association of citizens,  who act collectively through civil society organisations. In the circumstances, it is clear from the Press Release issued by the Defence Ministry has acted beyond its mandate”, says the Lawyers Collective

Issuing a statement the Cconveners of the Lawyers Collective, JC Weliamuna says “Analysis of the Communication shows that the Defence authorities appear to believe that the civil society organisations do not have  any right to conduct “press conferences, workshops, training for journalists, and dissemination of press releases”.  All  governments that respect democratic values respect the rights of citizens to engage in such lawful activities. Only authoritarian regimes  prevent such democratic engagements.  If the Government of Sri Lanka is serious in preserving the democratic character of the country, it must respect its own Constitutional freedoms such as Freedom of  Expression and Association.

“The communication of the Director of National Secretariat for NGOs  is an indication of the limited understanding of powerful Sri Lankan defense establishment on the civil liberties. The conduct of the MoD in issuing such communication  further strengthens the allegation that Sri Lanka has now become an Authoritarian State.”

‘War Probe’ Asma gives Lanka a wheeze/The Boru Bala farce

Sunday, July 06, 2014--Asma Jehangir: Human rights crusader

Out of the three imposing personages appointed to the UN sanctioned war crimes inquiry against the Lankan Government, Pakistan lawyer Asma Jahangir is the one the Foreign Office should keep a close watch on.

Like the most formidable and forward bird in a nest is the first fledgling to flap its wings and fly out to brave the open air, Ms. Jahangir has sprung from the war tribunal to the fore with all cannons ablaze and firing and laid to rest any hopes Lanka may have held that the committee’s effort would be waylaid and rendered dead even before it had begun by the Government’s outright refusal to cooperate in any manner whatsoever with the proceedings.

In Asma’s eyes that is simply wishful thinking.

‘War Probe’ Asma Gives Lanka a Wheeze the Boru Bala Farce by Maria Anderson

Chandrika To The Fore Or Suffer Rajapaksa At Your Peril

| by Pearl Thevanayagam

(July 06, 2014, Bradford UK, Sri Lanka Guardian) Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is needed at present to make a comeback. She has the chutzpah to call a spade a spade and she brooks no nonsense. Whatever her critics may say, her tenure was the most honest and open in the history of post 1983 Sri Lanka. She has what it takes to resurrect the damage the Rajapaksas have done. 

Chandrika to the Fore or Suffer Rajapaksa at Your Peril by Maria Anderson

Gnanasara Warned Over Calling Lawyer ‘A Dog’

July 7, 2014 

General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Galagoda Atte Gnanasara, infamous for his racist remarks has been warned by the Colombo Fort Magistrate today against the defamatory comments he had made against lawyers.

The Magistrate Thilina Gamage while issuing the warning had told it is relevant to all parties concerned as lawyers are considered court officials.

The warning was made with regard to a Police complaint lodged by lawyer and former UNP Southern Provincial councilor Maithri Gunaratne stating he was insulted by Gnanasara. The controversial monk had called Gunarathne a ‘dog’ as he was passing by while Gunarathne was speaking to some media personnel before the Fort Magistrate Court on June 9.

Gnanasara thera appeared before the Court that day to answer allegations leveled against him on disrupting a media conference organized by the Jathika Bala Sena (JBS) and for threatening the organization’s leader Watareka Vijitha thera. Gunaratne was appearing for Wijitha thera.

No clear direction to develop economy – Chmpika Ranawaka

Monday, 07 July 2014

 ‘Today, we as a nation are going through an era where the debate on national economy has probably assumed unprecedented heights. Yet, it is an irony that no clear dialogue has yet emerged about the future strategic direction of the development of Sri Lanka’s economy’ said by the Minister of Technology and Research, Patali Champika Ranawaka in his speech at BICOST on 7th July 2014 at Waters' Edge.

The full speech as follows

No Clear Direction to Develop Economy – Chmpika Ranawaka by Maria Anderson

Father pleads with Scott Morrison to reveal fate of his three-year-old daughter on missing boat

Sri Lankan girl Febrina, 3, a passenger on the missing boat of asylum seekers. Photo: Supplied

July 7, 2014 

The father of a three-year-old Sri Lankan girl on a missing boat of asylum seekers has pleaded with Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to reveal the fate of the 153 who were on board.

It came as lawyers representing some of those on the boat were granted a High Court injunction on Monday night preventing them being transferred to Sri Lanka before a hearing on Tuesday afternoon.

The father, who claims all on board would face persecution if returned to Sri Lanka said: “I am desperate to know where my family is. I can’t function at all not knowing.”

Illustration: Ron Tandberg

Gillian Triggs, the president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, announced plans to investigate the treatment of children on the boat if they were transferred to an Australian vessel before being returned to Sri Lanka.

Thirty-seven children are believed to have been on board the boat, which has not been heard from since Saturday, June 28, and left Pondicherry in southern India, on June 13.

Speaking on condition of anonymity from Europe, the father said he had not had contact with his family, including daughter Febrina, for more than a week.

‘‘I cannot understand why a country like Australia would send people back to Sri Lanka, knowing they have been tortured there,’’ he said.

Lawyers representing some of the asylum seekers on the boat were granted a High Court injunction late on Monday preventing them being transferred to Sri Lanka until proceedings resume on Tuesday afternoon.

Professor Triggs expressed alarm that the “enhanced screening” process used to reject the claims of another boat of 41 Sri Lankans, who were transferred at sea to Sri Lankan authorities, appeared in breach of international law.

All men, 37 Sinhalese and four Tamil, have being handed over to the Criminal Investigation Division of Sri Lanka police and will face a magistrates court in coming days.

Professor Triggs’ concerns were echoed by more than 50 legal scholars from 17 Australian universities, who released a statement declaring Australia's actions in clear violation of international law. 

“We are profoundly concerned by reports that asylum seekers are being subjected to rapid and inadequate screening interviews at sea and returned to Sri Lanka. This raises a real risk of refoulement in breach of Australia’s obligations under international refugee and human rights law," their statement said.

A defiant Mr Morrison maintained the enhanced screening process complied with Australia’s international obligations and was the same process used by the former Labor government.

Mr Morrison confirmed early yesterday that the 41 had been subjected to enhanced screening before being handed over to Sri Lankan authorities, but refused to comment on the fate of the second boat. He said that in one case it was recommended that ‘‘further determination’’ be made, but the Sinhalese man concerned requested to depart with the others.

Asked by Sydney broadcaster Ray Hadley if the 153 on the other boat would not be coming to Australia, he replied: “No one is coming to Australia Ray. You can certainly deduce that.”  

Labor immigration spokesman Richard Marles maintained that enhanced screening process employed by the former government would have involved the asylum seekers’ claims being assessed on Christmas Island.

“Labor has concerns about the integrity of this new method of processing people at sea en masse and how this complies with Australia’s international obligations under relevant conventions,” Mr Marles said.

The secrecy surrounding the interception of the two boats will be debated by the new Senate on Tuesday, with the Greens moving a motion on Wednesday demanding more information and calling for an end to "current screening and transfer practices".

Two crossbench senators have signalled that they will not support a motion condemning the government's policies.

"We have two options when it comes to asylum seekers," Family First's Bob Day told Fairfax Media. "You have a bad option and a worse option. Go for the bad option, there are no good options."

Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm said he would not support any motion criticising the government for individual actions, labelling it "partisan politics" that he did not want to participate in. But he would support a motion for more information and transparency.

"I will support attempts to improve and increase transparency. I think that's a good principle to pursue," he said.

Senator Leyonhjelm said he did not like the government's model because it gave people hope that they could "come in the backdoor".

Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer said on Monday that if people seeking refuge had been returned by force to a country they were fleeing from it would be a breach of the refugee convention. 

“My criticism is, at the moment, we don't know and the Minister for Immigration needs to make it clear to the Australian public what's actually happened,” he said.

Professor Triggs said she would examine treatment of any children transferred to an Australian customs or Navy vessel before being handed to Sri Lankan authorities.

She said asylum seekers were entitled to ‘‘proper process’’ and impartial review of negative assessments if requested. ‘‘Enhanced screening appears not to meet Australia’s obligations because there is no impartial capacity to have negative assessment reconsidered,’’ she said.

Sri Lanka’s Commander Kosala Warnakulasooriya told Fairfax Media the 41 who had been handed over were safe and in good health. ‘‘This was a very orderly transfer, we have done our job,” he said.

Asylum seekers returned to Sri Lanka, as well as people caught trying to flee the country, are arrested, questioned and face court charged with illegally leaving the country. They face penalties of fines or up to several months in prison. 

Mr Morrison is expected in Sri Lanka on Tuesday night for talks with local officials including External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris.

“Relations between our countries are at their very best, and we are making appropriate preparations for his visit,” Minister for Mass Media and Information Dr Keheliya Rambukwella told Fairfax Media. 

Central Bank does it again: Shoot the messenger while ignoring the message

July 7, 2014 

The heat-up of the debate on external debt sustainability is beneficial
The Central Bank has renewed the public debate on Sri Lanka’s external debt sustainability by issuing a fresh clarification on 4 July through its Public Debt Department or PDD (available at www.cbsl.gov.lk/pics_n_docs/latest_news/press_20140704e.pdf). This is a salutary development since in democracies, the public has the right to express their views freely on action taken by authorities and the authorities have a responsibility to clarify their position on the issues raised.

Central Bank Does It Again Shoot the Messenger While Ignoring the Message by Maria Anderson

Palitha Thewarapperuma to resign tomorrow

July 7, 2014 

UNP MP Palitha Thewarapperuma, who had threatened to resign over religious clashes last month, says that he will hand over his resignation letter from Parliament tomorrow (July 8).

Speaking at a press conference on June 22, the Kalutara District MP had demanded the resignation of IGP N.K. Illangakoon over the clashes which broke out in Aluthgama and Beruwala areas and said if the police chief does not step down he would resign from parliament. 

“If you (IGP) do not resign, I will resign from Parliament at the next session. We are ashamed to represent the district after witnessing these. I will resign,” he had told reporters.

However, when inquired by Ada Derana today regarding his promise, Mr Thewarapperuma said he will keep his work and tender his resignation from Parliament tomorrow. 

What a country do we live: HIV father rapes daughter infecting her with HIV

 Monday, 07 July 2014 

Sri Lanka police children's and women's bureau has arrested an AIDS patient for seducing his underage daughter and spreading the deadly decease to the girl.

The man, a mason by profession, is a 40 year old father of three children. He has raped his own daughter who is 16 years old two times in 2013 when her mother was not at home.

The mother is also HIV positive. The couple was taking medicine from the Colombo National Hospital without informing the children.

The girl had rash on her body and the suspicious girl visited hospital. She was tested HIV positive.

The suspect has been arrested at his house in Negambo and he is to be produced in court for rape of a minor.

Tiru Nadesan, a RAW agent, says Gota!

 

Monday, 07 July 2014 

Wealthy businessman Tiru Nadesan is the leading RAW agent in Sri Lanka, said defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

The defence secretary has made the allegation at a meeting of businessmen at Waters Edge recently.

He accused Nadesan of having complained to the president that he was responsible for the clash at Aluthgama-Beruwela. The defence secretary also alleged Nadesan was engaged in major rackets by using his relationship with the Rajapaksa family and his connections with Indian politicians, and accused him of trying to divide the Rajapaksas at the instigation of the Indian government.

After this outburst, several businessmen had wondered among themselves on which basis Nadesan, the so-called RAW agent in Sri Lanka, has been appointed chairman of Hotel Hilton. Also, as to why his wife, Nirupama Rajapaksa has been appointed a deputy minister and his younger sister, Renuka Shanmuganathan, is being given major contracts and tenders of the government. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and other members of the Rajapaksa family are now forgetting how Nadesan had ‘balanced’ the expelled Indian Congress regime, they had talked among themselves further.